The Ghost Kings

rred, and no rain fell. So dense was the mist which rose from the river and sodden land, however, that she could not see two yards in front of her, and fearing lest she should stu

f as well as she could without the aid of soap, co

looked beautiful, and as she studied him her childish heart was filled with a strange, new tenderness, such as she had never felt before. Somehow he had grown dear to her, and Rachel knew that she would never forget him while she lived. Then fo

her that she dreamed and saw things in her dream. Wild tumultuous scenes opened themselves before her in a vision; scenes of blood and terror, sounds, too, of voices crying war. It appeared to her as if she were mad, and yet ruled a queen, death came near to her a score of times, but always fled away at her comm

ot the level arrows of the dawn. They fell on her, Rachel, dressed in robes of white skin, turning her long, outspread hair to gold. They fell upon little people with faces of a dusky pallor, one of them crouched against the bole of a tree, a wizened m

p, whichever it might be, by the pleasant voice of thi

I say, why do you look

she answered, struggling to

host a minute ago. Now you are a gir

the sort," and she told him of the vision of the

d finished. "I wish you had got to the end

t one day," she a

that you believe i

day I shall see you

nny girl you are," he added doubtfully. "I know what it is

There is a pool of water out there, go and

w minutes later returned, his face

anding close by. I saw it through the mis

ng alarmed, turned its head, and began to sniff at the air, whereon he lifted the gun and just as it was about to spring away, aimed and fired. Down it went dead, whereon, rejoicing in his triumph like any other young hunter who thinks not of the wonderful and happy life that he has destr

that the water had fallen almost as quickly as it rose on the previous night. The island was strewn, however, with the trunks of trees and other debris that it had brought down, amongst which lay the carcases of bucks and smaller creatures, and with them a number

rough the mist they heard a voice shou

voice in Dutch, "a

," she said, "come to lo

har

ad very good lung

ing for the mist to lift,

. "We thought that you were surely drown

ok for his horse and bring a rope, then wait till the mist ris

ve been looking for you all night, and we have got the Englishm

Richard, "though I shall have to r

's fac

said; "very

m going, then?" he ask

the news was good,"

rse, not that I had to ride away on it. Are yo

o you who will find plenty of people down there at the Cape, but you see

sation strangely similar, had he but known it, to that which had been experienced an hour or two before by the child at his side when she watched him sleeping in the cave. He felt as

ed girls much. I tell you," he went on with gathering vehemence, "that if it wasn't that it would be mean to play such

said Rachel with a little s

rm. Oh! I know it is wrong, but I hope I shan't be able t

as soon as you can. Yes, as soon as you can. Your fath

t going to be made to snivel too, just because I shan't se

p, and what is more, two tears came

the better of Richard, let us call it primeval instinct, so that he put his arms about Rachel and kissed her, after which they

we are real

e fashion that on the previous day had so irritated her father, "but I don't know why you should kiss me like

cting. Then he gave up the problem as bey

, it wasn't nice, and it gives me the creeps to think of it, like the lions outside the cave. But I wa

"we shall meet again, I am sure-I am quite sure. And I think that it will be t

kness of night were overpast; the world awoke again to life and love and joy. Instantly this change reflected itself in their young hearts. They whose natures had as it were ripened prematurely in the stress of danger and the shadow of death, became children once again. The very real emotions that they had experienced were forgot

m for several hundred yards, till they came to a rapid where the lessening flood ran thinly over a ridge of rock, and after investigation, proceeded to try its passage hand in hand. It proved difficult but not dangerou

aters, and the lightnings!" and then and there, after the native fashion, they gave Rachel a name which was destined to pla

y wrong of me to send you so far with that storm coming on, and I have had a terrible night-yes, a terrible night; and so has y

? And so He did, for He sent Richard here If it hadn't been for

elf in many ways. But who is your young friend whom

th himself, "everybody has exc

ed Darrien at school. I never saw him after I

heard him say that there had been no other

We slept side by side in the same dormitory once five-and-thirty years ago, so I rem

cene of it-the last-neither of them thought it

have been riding it in this desolate place. Afterwards, however, one of my voor-loopers reported that he had seen two waggons yesterday afternoon trekking through the poort about five miles to the north there. The white men with them said that they were travelling towards the Cape, and pushing on t

outspan is thirty miles away, so I must be gett

nd eat with us, will y

must go, I must indeed, for otherwise my father will be angry wi

neglected an opportunity for a word in seaso

ughter's life here; as you said just now, Providence sent me. Well, good-bye, and don'

the moment he was engaged in bidding farewell to Rachel. It was a very silent farewell; neither of them spoke a word, they only shook each other's hand and looked into each other's eyes. Then mutter

achel presently,

?" asked

him our address,

s too far off, and why should you want

g her face. Then, without another word, she turned and began t

lt able to rise from her bed. Now, although still weak, she was engaged in packing away the garments of her dead baby in a travelling chest, wee

ened about me, mothe

thing of your father to send you to such a place at such a time, but no folly of his or of anyone else can hurt yo

as she pulled off her wet clothes. "Life isn't a very happy

s it comes, who have to walk a path that we did not make, and stop walking when our path comes to an end, not a st

ll you the story, all of it, every

g at last packed away, shut the lid of-the bo

ping Richard at the daybreak, and of the dream that she had dreamed when she seemed to see him grown to manhood, and herself grown to womanhood, and clad in white skins, watching him lashed to the trunk of a gigantic tree as the first arrows of sunris

ghts and conduct, as she knew well her father would have done. But she was not angry, and she

nk that you have lost him, but soon or late he will com

d anything," said the girl, "though really I don

ou may be quite sure, because I who have the gift of knowing, told you so. Now tell me again what Richard Darri

hen she had described eve

o this awful wilderness? Would not

do. At night when I pretend to go to sleep I watch him groaning over his loss and for me, and praying for strength to bear it, and for help to enable him to do his duty. Last night he was nearly crazed about you, and in all that awful storm, when the Kaffirs would not stir from the waggon, went alone down to the river guided by the lightnings, but of course returned half dead, having found nothing. By dawn he was back there again, for love and fear would not let him rest a minute. Yet he will never tell you anything of that, lest you should think that his faith in