102 MELTON AND HOMESPUN 



forts ' on his return from Rhodesia, he bade him good-bye, 

 and arrived at our uitspaan with the mules late the same 

 evening. 



" To cut a long story short, we rode our transport up 

 to Bulavyayp v/ith the loss of but one other mule, and 

 meeting with no further adventures worthy of mention. 

 Our stock-in-t/ade was sold at a handsome profit, and, 

 as luck had it, we obtained a sub-contract to carry railway 

 materials for the then new line between Fort Salisbury 

 and the Rhodesian capital. 



" One blazing hot day, as Jack and I were drinking a 

 ' long schooner ' of beer in the ' Grand Hotel/ three men 

 of the B.B.P. came in, one of whom had served with 

 Mortimore in the first Matabele war. In the course of 

 conversation Jack mentioned his strange meeting with 



' Did you notice whether your man had lost the index- 

 finger of his right hand? ' suddenly asked one of the 

 troopers, a tall, bony Scotchman, who had hitherto 

 remained silent. 



" Jack declared that G had lost the finger 



mentioned, and also he bore a big ' horse-shoe ' scar 

 on his forehead. 



' Then, begad, it was the same chap who gave 

 me the slip when I was in the N.M.P., and 

 after him with a warrant for I.D.B. ! ' exclaimed the 

 Scot. 



" More of the history of Jack's former host was now 

 told. For eighteen months or so after leaving Kimberley 

 he had passed from more or less reputable trading in 

 Basuto and Zulu lands to illicit diamond running, but, 

 having got wind that a warrant was issued for his arrest 



