"_Ou_!" he grunted, and turned away. I thought enough had been said, to these young ones at any rate, so forbore to give them anything more in the way of entertainment lest they should think we were afraid of them. And soon, somewhat to my relief, and very much to the relief of my guests, they picked up their weapons, and with their curs at their heels moved away in groups as they had come. "Well, we seem to have put you to no end of bother, Glanton, for which I can't tell you how sorry we are," said the Major. "And now we mustn't put you to any more--so, as there is to be no hunt I propose that we saddle up, and go home." "Not until after lunch at any rate, Major," I said. "I can't allow that for a moment. As for bother it has been nothing but a pleasure to me, except this last tiresome business." I thought Miss Sewin's face expressed unmistakable approval as I caught her glance. "How well you seem to manage these people, Mr Glanton," she said. "I-- we--were beginning to feel rather nervous until you came up. Then we were sure it would all come right. And it has." Inwardly I thought it had done anything but that, but under the circumstances my confounded conceit was considerably tickled by her approval, and I felt disposed to purr. However I answered that talking over natives was an everyday affair with me, in fact part of my trade, and by the time we sat down to lunch--which was not long, for the morning was well on by then--good humour seemed generally restored. Even Falkner had got over his sulks. "I say, Sewin," I said to him as I passed him the bottle. "You were talking about going on a trading trip with me. It wouldn't do to get chipping bits out of the chiefs' head-rings on the other side of the river, you know. They take that sort of thing much more seriously over there." "Oh hang it, Glanton, let a fellow alone, can't you," he answered, grinning rather foolishly. "By the way, Major, has anything more been heard about Hensley?" I said. "Hensley? Who's he? Ah, I remember. He's been over at our place a couple of times. Why? Is he ill?" "Nobody knows--or where he is. He has disappeared." "Disappeared?" "Yes. Nobody seems to have the slightest clue as to what has become of him. He went to bed as usual, and in the morning--well, he wasn't there. He couldn't have gone away anywhere, for his horses were all on the place, and his boys say they had never heard him express any intention of leaving home." "Good gracious, no. We hadn't heard of it," said Mrs Sewin. "But-- when was it?" "About a fortnight ago. I didn't hear of it till the other day--and then through native sources." "Oh, some nigger yarn I suppose," said Falkner in his superior manner, which always ruffled me.