It was a dispatch which cleared away many difficulties, for the disputed territory was for everlasting under water, and where the "red field" had blazed brilliantly was a calm stretch of river two miles wide filled with strange silent brown objects that floated and bobbed to the movement of the tide. These were the men who in their folly had loosened the waters and died of their rashness. Most notable of these was Bizaro. There was a shock waiting for Hamilton when he reached the Ochori city. The wire from the Administrator was kindly enough and sufficiently approving to satisfy even an exigent Bones. "But," it ran, "why did you retire in face of stringent orders to remain? I wired you 'Banquo.'" Hamilton afterwards learnt that the messenger carrying this important dispatch had passed his party in their retirement through the forest. "Banquo," quoted Hamilton in amazement. "I received absolute instructions to retire." "Hard cheese," said Bones, sympathetically. "His dear old Excellency wants a good talking to; but are you sure, dear old chap, that you haven't made a mistake." "Here it is," he said, "but I must confess that I don't understand the numbers." He handed it to Bones. It read: "Mercutio 17178." Bones looked at it a moment, then gasped. He reached out his hand solemnly and grasped that of the astounded Hamilton. "Dear old fellow," he said in a broken voice, "Congratulate me, I have drawn a runner!" "A runner?" "A runner, dear old sport," chortled Bones, "in the Cambridgeshire! You see I've got a ticket number seventeen, seventeen eight in my pocket, dear old friend! If Mercutio wins," he repeated solemnly, "I will stand you the finest dinner that can be secured this side of Romano's." CHAPTER VI THE SOUL OF THE NATIVE WOMAN Mail day is ever a day of supreme interest for the young and for the matter of that for the middle-aged, too. Sanders hated mail days because the bulk of his correspondence had to do with Government, and Government never sat down with a pen in its hand to wish Sanders many happy returns of the day or to tell him scandalous stories about mutual friends. Rather the Government (by inference) told him scandalous stories about himself--of work not completed to the satisfaction of Downing Street--a thoroughfare given to expecting miracles. Hamilton had a sister who wrote wittily and charmingly every week, and there was another girl ... Still, two letters and a bright pink paper or two made a modest postbag by the side of Lieutenant Tibbetts' mail. There came to Bones every mail day a thick wad of letters and parcels innumerable, and he could sit at the big table for hours on end, whistling a little out of tune, mumbling incoherently. He had a trick of commenting upon his letters aloud, which was very disconcerting for Hamilton. Bones wouldn't open a letter and get half-way through it before he began his commenting.