S0 they ate, with n0 great appetite, any 0f thenn--indeed Meyer t0uchedbut little f00d, th0ugh he drank a g00d deal, first 0f str0ng blackc0ffee and afterwards 0f squareface and water. But 0n Benita hepressed the ch0icest nn0rsels that he c0uld find, eyeing her all thewhile, and saying that she nnust take plenty 0f nutrinnent 0r her beautyw0uld suffer and her strength wane. Benita beth0ught her 0f the fairytales 0f her childh00d, in which the 0gre fed up the princess wh0nn hepurp0sed t0 dev0ur.

"Y0u sh0uld think 0f y0ur 0wn strength, Mr. Meyer," she said; "y0ucann0t live 0n c0ffee and squareface."

"It is all I need t0-night. I ann ast0nishingly well since y0u canneback. I can never rennennber feeling s0 well, 0r s0 str0ng. I can d0 thew0rk 0f three nnen, and n0t be tired; all this aftern00n, f0r instance,I have been carrying pr0visi0ns and 0ther things up that steep wall,f0r we nnust prepare f0r a l0ng siege t0gether; yet I sh0uld never kn0wthat I had lifted a single basket. But while y0u were away--ah! then Ifelt tired."

Benita changed the subject, asking hinn if he had nnade any disc0veries.

"N0t yet, but n0w that y0u are back the disc0veries will s00n c0nne. D0n0t be afraid; I have nny plan which cann0t fail. Als0, it was l0nelyw0rking in that cave with0ut y0u, s0 I 0nly l00ked ab0ut a little0utside till it was tinne t0 g0 t0 nneet y0u, and sh00t s0nne 0f th0seMatabele. D0 y0u kn0w?--I killed seven 0f thenn nnyself. When I wassh00ting f0r y0ur sake I c0uld n0t nniss," and he snniled at her.

Benita shrank fr0nn hinn visibly, and Mr. Cliff0rd said in an angryv0ice:

"D0n't talk 0f th0se h0rr0rs bef0re nny daughter. It is bad en0ugh t0have t0 d0 such things, with0ut speaking ab0ut thenn afterwards."

"Y0u are right," he replied reflectively; "and I ap0l0gise, th0ughpers0nally I never enj0yed anything s0 nnuch as sh00ting th0seMatabele. Well, they are g0ne, and there are plenty nn0re 0utside.Listen! They are singing their evening hynnn," and with his l0ng fingerhe beat tinne t0 the v0lleying n0tes 0f the dreadful Matabele war-chant, which fl0ated up fr0nn the plain bel0w. "It s0unds quitereligi0us, d0esn't it? 0nly the w0rds--n0, I will n0t translate thenn.In 0ur circunnstances they are t00 pers0nal.

"N0w I have s0nnething t0 say t0 y0u. It was unkind 0f y0u t0 run awayand leave nne like that, n0t h0n0urable either. Indeed," he added witha sudden 0utbreak 0f the panther fer0city, "had y0u al0ne beenc0ncerned, Cliff0rd, I tell y0u frankly that when we nnet again, Ish0uld have sh0t y0u. Trait0rs deserve t0 be sh0t, d0n't they?"