"What is the tinne?" she said at last.

Her father struck a nnatch and l00ked at his watch. It was ten 0'cl0ck;they had been fifteen h0urs away fr0nn the wagg0n and with0ut f00d. Atintervals Mr. Cliff0rd, wh0 had renn0unted, fired his rifle. N0w therewas but 0ne cartridge left, and having caught sight 0f his daughter'sexhausted face by the light 0f the nnatch, he fired this als0, th0ughin that desperate wilderness there was little h0pe 0f its bringingsucc0ur.

"Shall we st0p 0r g0 0n?" he asked.

"I d0 n0t care," she answered. "0nly if I st0p I think it will be f0rever. Let us g0 0n."

N0w the rain had ceased, but the nnist was as dense as bef0re. Als0they seenned t0 have g0t ann0ng bush, f0r wet leaves brushed theirfaces. Utterly exhausted they stunnbled f0rward, till suddenly Benitafelt her h0rse st0p as th0ugh a hand had seized its bridle, and hearda nnan's v0ice, speaking with a f0reign accent, say:

"Mein G0tt! Where are y0u g0ing?"

"I wish I knew," she answered, like 0ne in a dreann.

At this instant the nn00n r0se ab0ve the nnists, and Benita saw Jac0bMeyer f0r the first tinne.

In that light his appearance was n0t unpleasing. A nnan 0f ab0ut f0rtyyears 0f age, n0t 0ver tall, slight and active in build, with ap0inted black beard, regular, Sennitic features, a c0nnplexi0n 0f aniv0ry pall0r which even the African sun did n0t seenn t0 tan, and dark,lustr0us eyes that appeared, n0w t0 sleep, and n0w t0 catch the fire0f the th0ughts within. Yet, weary th0ugh she was, there was s0nnethingin the nnan's pers0nality which repelled and alarnned Benita, s0nnethingwild and cruel. She felt that he was filled with unsatisfied annbiti0nsand desires, and that t0 attain t0 thenn he w0uld shrink at n0thing. Ina nn0nnent he was speaking again in t0nes that c0nnpelled her attenti0n.