“Then it is your last thought, murderer,” I answered, raising my rifle.

“Don’t shoot,” he said.  “Would you have my blood upon you?  Why do you want to kill me?”

“Why did you try to kill me?” I answered, covering him.

“I try to kill you!  Are you mad?  Listen, for your own sake.  I sat down on the bank yonder waiting for the moon, and, being tired, fell asleep.  Then I woke up with a start, and, thinking from the sounds that a tiger was after me, fired to scare it.  Allemachte! man, if I had aimed at you, could I have missed at that distance?”

“You did not quite miss, and had I not stepped to the left, you would have blown my head off.  Say your prayers, you dog!”

“Allan Quatermain,” he exclaimed with desperate energy, “you think I lie, who speak the truth.  Kill me if you will, only then remember that you will hang for it.  We court one woman, that is known, and who will believe this story of yours that I tried to shoot you?  Soon the Kaffirs will come to look for me, probably they are starting already, and will find my body with your bullet in my heart.  Then they will take it back to Marais’s camp, and I say—­who will believe your story?”

“Some, I think, murderer,” but as I spoke the words a chill of fear struck me.  It was true, I could prove nothing, having no witnesses, and henceforward I should be a Cain among the Boers, one who had slain a man for jealousy.  His gun was empty; yes, but it might be said that I had fired it after his death.  And as for the graze upon my cheek—­why, a twig might have caused it.  What should I do, then?  Drive him before me to the camp, and tell this tale?  Even then it would be but my word against his.  No, he had me in a forked stick.  I must let him go, and trust that Heaven would avenge his crime, since I could not.  Moreover, by now my first rage was cooling, and to execute a man thus—­

“Hernan Pereira,” I said, “you are a liar and a coward.  You tried to butcher me because Marie loves me and hates you, and you want to force her to marry you.  Yet I cannot shoot you down in cold blood as you deserve.  I leave it to God to punish you, as, soon or late, He will, here or hereafter; you who thought to slaughter me and trust to the hyenas to hide your crime, as they would have done before morning.  Get you gone before I change my mind, and be swift.”

Without another word he turned and ran swiftly as a buck, leaping from side to side as he ran, to disturb my aim in case I should shoot.

When he was a hundred yards away or more I, too, turned and ran, never feeling safe till I knew there was a mile of ground between us.

It was past ten o’clock that night when I got back to the camp, where I found Hans the Hottentot about to start to look for me, with two of the Zulus, and told him that I had been detained by accidents to the wagon.  The Vrouw Prinsloo was still up also, waiting to hear of my arrival.