'It appears that _you_ were--playing the fool with her. I don't know why you quarrelled. You took out your revolver and fired point blank.' George laughed. 'It's just like these beastly niggers to tell a stupid lie like that. You wouldn't believe them rather than me, would you? After all, my word's worth more than theirs.' Alec quietly took from his pocket the case of an exploded cartridge. It could only have fitted a revolver. 'This was found about two yards from the body and was brought to me this evening.' 'I don't know what that proves.' 'You know just as well as I do that none of the natives has a revolver. Beside ourselves only one or two of the servants have them.' George took his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. His throat was horribly dry, and he could hardly breathe. 'Will you give me your revolver,' said Alec, quietly. 'I haven't got it. I lost it this afternoon when we made that sortie. I didn't tell you as I thought you'd get in a wax about it.' 'I saw you cleaning it less than an hour ago,' said Alec, gravely. George shrugged his shoulders pettishly. 'Perhaps it's in my tent. I'll go and see.' 'Stop here,' said Alec sharply. 'Look here, I'm not going to be ordered about like a dog. You've got no right to talk to me like that. I came out here of my own free will, and I won't let you treat me like a damned nigger.' 'If you put your hand to your hip-pocket I think you'll find your revolver there.' 'I'm not going to give it you,' said George, his lips white with fear. 'Do you want me to come and take if from you myself?' The two men stared at one another for a moment. Then George slowly put his hand to his pocket and took out the revolver. But a sudden impulse seized him. He raised it, quickly aimed at Alec, and fired. Walker was standing near him, and seeing the movement, instinctively beat up the boy's hand as pulled the trigger. In a moment the doctor had sprung forward and seizing him round the waist, thrown him backwards. The revolver fell from his hand. Alec had not moved. 'Let me go, damn you!' cried George, his voice shrill with rage. 'You need not hold him,' said Alec. It was second nature with them all to perform Alec's commands, and without thinking twice they dropped their hands. George sank cowering into a chair. Walker, bending down, picked up the revolver and gave it to Alec, who silently fitted into an empty chamber the cartridge that had been brought to him. 'You see that it fits,' he said. 'Hadn't you better make a clean breast of it?' George was utterly cowed. A sob broke from him. 'Yes, I shot her,' he said brokenly. 'She made a row and the devil got into me. I didn't know what I'd done till she screamed and I saw the blood.' He cursed himself for being such a fool as to throw the cartridge away. His first thought had been to have all the chambers filled. 'Do you remember that two months ago I hanged a man to the nearest tree because he'd murdered one of the natives?'