Patricia had made several ineffectual attempts to draw him into a conversation, and had been answered in monosyllables. At first she had been piqued and a little angry, but, as the meal progressed, she realized that matters of more than ordinary seriousness were occupying his thoughts, and wisely changed her attitude of mind. A chance reference to Bones, however, succeeded where more pointed attempts had failed. "Yes," said Sanders, in answer to the question she had put, "Bones has some rough idea of medical practice. He was a cub student at Bart.'s for two years before he realized that surgery and medicines weren't his forte." "Don't you sometimes feel the need of a doctor here?" she asked, and Sanders smiled. "There is very little necessity. The military doctor comes down occasionally from headquarters, and we have a native apothecary. We have few epidemics amongst the natives, and those the medical missions deal with--sleep-sickness, beri-beri and the like. Sometimes, of course, we have a pretty bad outbreak which spreads----Don't go, Hamilton--I want to see you for a minute." Hamilton had risen, and was making for his room, with a little nod to his sister. At Sanders's word he turned. "Walk with me for a few minutes," said Sanders, and, with an apology to the girl, he followed the other from the room. "What is it?" asked Hamilton. Sanders was perturbed--this he knew, and his own move towards his room was in the nature of a challenge for information. "Bones," said the Commissioner shortly. "Do you realize that we have had no news from him since he left?" Hamilton smiled. "He's an erratic beggar, but nothing could have happened to him, or we should have heard about it." Sanders did not reply at once. He paced up and down the gravelled path before the Residency, his hands behind him. "No news has come from Ranabini's village for the simple reason that nobody has entered or left it since Bones arrived," he said. "It is situated, as you know, on a tongue of land at the confluence of two rivers. No boat has left the beaches, and an attempt to reach it by land has been prevented by force." "By force?" repeated the startled Hamilton. Sanders nodded. "I had the report in this morning. Two men of the Isisi from another village went to call on some relations. They were greeted with arrows, and returned hurriedly. The headman of M'gomo village met with the same reception. This came to the ears of my chief spy Ahmet, who attempted to paddle to the island in his canoe. At a distance of two hundred yards he was fired upon." "Then they've got Bones?" gasped Hamilton. "On the contrary, Bones nearly got Ahmet, for Bones was the marksman." The two men paced the path in silence. "Either Bones has gone mad," said Hamilton, "or----" "Or----?" Hamilton laughed helplessly. "I can't fathom the mystery," he said. "McMasters will be down to-morrow, to look at some sick men. We'll take him up, and examine the boy."