part in her future. That name was " Lady of the

Lightnings," or, to translate it more accurately, " of the Heavens."
" I never thought to see you again," said her father, looking at Rachel with a face that was still white and scared. " It was very wrong of me to send you so far with that storm coming on, and I have had a terrible night — yes, a terrible night ; and so has your poor mother. However, she knows that you are safe by now, thank God, thank God ! " and he took her in his arms and kissed her.
" Well, father, you said that He would look after me, didn't you ? And so He did, for He sent Richard here. If it hadn't been for Richard I should have been drowned," she added inconsequently.
" Yes, yes," said Mr. Dove. " Providence mani- fests itself in many ways. But who is your young friend whom you call Richard ? I suppose he has some other name."
" Of course," answered that 570uth himself, " every- body has except Kaffirs. Mine is Darrien."
•' Darrien ? " said Mr. Dove. " I had a friend
GOOD-BYE 35
called Darrien at school. I never saw him after I left, but I beheve that he went into the navy."
" Then he must be my father, sir, for I have heard him say that there had been no other Darrien in the service for a hundred years."
" I think so," answered Mr. Dove, " for now that I look at you, I can see a likeness. We slept side by side in the same dormitory once five-and-thirty years ago, so I remember. And now you have saved my daughter ; it is very strange. But tell me the story."
So between them they told it, although to one scene of it — the last — neither of them thought it necessary to allude ; or perhaps it was forgotten.
" Truly the Almighty has had you both in His keeping," exclaimed Mr. Dove, when their tale was done. " And now, Richard, my boy, what are you going to do ? You see, we caught your horse — it was grazing about a mile away with the saddle twisted under its stomach — and wondered what white man could possibly have been riding it in this desolate place. Afterwards, however, one of my voorloopers reported that he had seen two waggons yesterday afternoon trekking through the poort about five miles to the north there. The white men with them said that they were travelling towards the Cape, and pushing on to get out of the hills before the storm broke. They bade him, if he met you, to bid you follow after them as quickly as you could, and to say that they would wait for you if you did not arrive before, at the Three Sluit outspan on this side of the Pondo country, at which you stopped some months ago."
" Yes," answered Richard, " I remember, but that outspan is thirty miles away, so I must be getting on, or they will come back to hunt for me."
" First you will stop and eat with us, will you not ? " said Mr. Dove.
" No, no, I have eaten. Also I have saved some
36 THE GHOST KINGS
meat in my pouch. I must go, I must, indeed, for otherwise my father will be angry with me. You see," he added, " I went out shooting without his leave."
" Ah ! my boy," remarked Mr. Dove, who seldom neglected an opportunity for a word in season, " now you know what comes of disobedience."
" Yes, I know, sir," he answered looking at Rachel. " I was just in time to save your daughter's life here ; as you said just now. Providence sent me. Well, good-bye, and don't think me wicked if I am very glad that I was disobedient, as I believe you are, too."
" Yes, I am. Good comes out of evil, sometimes, though that is no reason that we should do evil," the missionary added, not knowing what else to say.
Richard did not attempt to argue the point, for at the moment he was engaged in bidding farewell to Rachel. It was a very silent farewell ; neither of them spoke a word, they only shook each other's hand and looked into each other's eyes. Then mutter- ing something which it was as well that Mr. Dove did not hear, Richard swung himself into the saddle, for his horse stood at hand, and, without even looking back, cantered away towards the mountains.
" Oh ! " exclaimed Rachel presently, " call him, father."
" What for ? " asked Mr. Dove.
" I want to give him our address, and to get his."
" We have no address, Rachel. Also he is too far off, and why should you want the address of a chance acquaintance ? "
" Because he saved my life and I do," replied the child, setting her face. Then, without another word, she turned and began to walk towards their camp — a very heavy journey it was to Rachel.
When Rachel reached the waggon she found that her mother was more or less recovered. At any rate
GOOD-BYE 37
the attack of fever had left her so that she felt able to rise from her bed. Now, although still weak she was engaged in packing away the garments of her dead baby in a travelling chest, weeping in a silent, piteous manner as she worked. It was a very sad sight. When she saw Rachel she opened her arms without a word, and embraced her.
" You were not frightened about me, mother ? " asked the child.
" No, my love," she answered, " because I knew that no harm would come to you. I have always known that. It was a mad thing of your father to send you to such a place at such a time, but no folly of his or of anyone else can hurt you who are destined to live. Never be afraid of anything, Rachel, for remember always you will only die in old age."
" I am not sure that I am glad of that," answered the girl, as she pulled off her wet clothes. " Life isn't a very happy thing, is it, mother, at least for those who live as we do ? "
" There is good and bad in it, dear ; we can't have one without the other — most of us. At any rate we must take it as it comes, who have to walk a path that we did not make, and stop walking when our path comes to an end, not a step before or after. But, Rachel, you are changed since yesterday. I see it in your face. What has happened to you ? "
" Lots of things, mother. I will tell you the story, all of it, every word. Would you like to hear it ? "
Her mother nodded, and, the baby-clothes being at last packed away, shut the lid of the box with a sigh, sat down upon it and listened.
Rachel told her of her meeting with Richard Darrien, and of how he saved her from the flood. She told of the strange night that they had spent together in the little cave while the lions marched up and down without. She told of her vigil over the sleeping Richard at the daybreak, and of the dream
38 THE GHOST KINGS
that she had dreamed when she seemed to see him grown to manhood, and herself grown to womanhood, and clad in white skins, watching him lashed to the trunk of a gigantic tree as the first arrows of sunrise struck down the lanes of some mysterious forest. She told of how her heart had been stirred, and of how afterwards in the mist by the water's brink his heart had been stirred also, and of how they had kissed each other and wept because they must part.
Then she stopped, expecting that her mother would be angry with her and scold her for her thoughts and conduct, as she knew well her father would have done. But she was not angry, and she did not scold. She only stretched out her thin hands and stroked the child's fair hair, saying :
" Don't be frightened, Rachel, and don't be sad. You think that you have lost him, but soon or late he will come back to you, perhaps as you dreamed — perhaps otherwise."
" If I were sure of that, mother, I would not mind anything," said the girl, " though really I don't know why I should care," she added defiantly.
" No, you don't know now but you will one day, and when you do, remember that however long it seems to wait, you may be quite sure, because I who have the gift of knowing, told you so. Now tell me again what Richard Darrien was like while you re- member, for perhaps I may never live to see his face, and I wish to get it into my mind."
So Rachel told her, and when she had described every detail, asked suddenly :
" Must we really go on, mother, into this awful wilderness ? Would not father turn back if you asked him ? "
" Perhaps," she answered. " But I shall not ask. He would never forgive me for preventing him from doing what he thinks his duty. It is a madness when we might be happy in the Cape, or in England, but
GOOD-BYE 39
that cannot be helped, for it is also his destiny and ours. Don't judge hardly of your father, Rachel, because he is a saint, and this world is a bad place for saints and their families, especially their families. You think that he does not feel ; that he is heart- less about me, and the poor babe, and sacrifices ua all, but I tell you he feels more than either you or I can do. At night when I pretend to go to sleep, I watch him groaning over his loss and for me, and praying for strength to bear it, and for help to enable him to do his duty. Last night he was nearly crazed about you, and in all that awful storm, when the Kaffirs would not stir from the waggon, went alone down to the river guided by the lightnings, but of course returned half dead, having found nothing. By dawn he was back there again, for love and fear would not let him rest a minute. Yet he will never tell you anything of that, lest you should think that his faith in Providence was shaken. I know that he is strange — it is no use hiding it, but if I were to thwart him he would go quite mad, and then I should never forgive myself, who took him for better and for worse, just as he is, and not as I should like him to be. So, Rachel, be as happy as you can, and make the best of things, as I try to do, for your life is all before you, whereas mine lies behind me, and yonder," and she pointed towards the place where the infant was buried. " Hush ! here he comes. Now, help me with the packing, for we are to trek to the ford this after- noon."