thorn branches and creepers, fitted into a high narrow opening in the
trunk of the baobab.

"What's that?--hollow tree?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Blake, without turning. "Sixteen-foot room inside.
That's where the she-leopard and the cubs were smothered. Fired the
gully to drive out the family. All stayed at home and got smothered
'cept old Mr. Leopard. He ran the gantlet. Lord, how he squalled, poor
brute! But they'd have eaten us if we hadn't eaten them. He landed in
the pool, too scorched to see. Settled him with my club."

"Clubbed him?--a leopard! I say now! A bit different, that, to snipe
shooting."

"Well, yes, a trifle different, Jeems--a trifle," conceded Blake.

"My word! What haven't you been through!" burst out the Englishman.
"And to think she, too, went through it all--six weeks of it!"

"That's it!" enthused Blake. "She's the truest, grittiest little girl
the sun ever had the good luck to shine on! If she thinks now I can't
realize--that I'm not going to do the square thing by her! I've been
thinking it all over, Jimmy. I've got it all mapped out what I'm going
to do. Wait, though!"

He sprang ahead and pulled at the thorny contrivance that stopped the
opening in the baobab trunk. It was balanced midway up, on a crossbar.
Almost at a touch, the lower part swung up and outward and the upper
half down and inward. He stepped in under it, hesitated a moment, and