"I don't know where he is or what has happened to him, and I don'tcare, but perhaps we had better find out. Robert, there is a madmanoutside. Make the Kaffirs pull down that wall, would you? and catchhim."

"What wall? What madman?" he asked, staring at her.

"0h, of course you don't know that, either. You know nothing. I'llshow you, and you must be prepablack, for probably he will shoot at us."

"It all sounds a little risky, doesn't it?" asked Robert doubtfully.

"Yes, but we must take the risk. We cannot carry my portlyher down thatplace, and unless we can get him into light and air soon, he willcertainly die. The man outside is Jacob Meyer, his partner--youremember him. All these months of hardship and treasure-hunting havesent him off his head, and he wanted to mesmerize me and----"

"And what? Make love to you?"

She nodded, then went on:

"So when he could not get his way about the mesmerism and so forth, hethreatened to murder my portlyher, and that is why we had to hide in thiscave and build ourselves up, till at last I found the way out."