Evening star., 1936-03-22

OtneI udy. a SOur-fdced OLD chap;
girl with auburn hair; and terrible
blackguard. Will you have sherry or
gin and French?'
Gin and French, thanks" Sandy
moved over to the table where his
host was pouring drinks and added
hastily: 81 know who the old man
and the girl arc: but tell me about this
other chap"
well now, let's see. He was about
six feet tall. and very heavy set. He
had rather puffy face with dark eyes
that did not much like, and sort of
beastly insincere heartiness."
by Jove! That sounds like Phil
beach, the murderous devil who darn
nearly did me in three weeks ago."
"You don't seem much the worse
for it" the girl observed. and Sandy
turned to look at her again. She was
tall and slim like her brother with a
healthy coloring and, as he caught her
smiling eyes, he thought how good it
was to be back, once more, in his own
country.
During dinner Sandy laid the whole
proposition before his new friends.
When they returned to the living
room, Cornelius looked at Sandy
gravely: "You know the diamond
laws. Do you really think the risk is
justiied?" he asked.
'Yes. l do," answered Sandy.
''And you are starting out for this
place on your own, you say?
Sandy nodded vigorously, his un-
ruly lock of hair falling over his dark
eyes which were shining with excite
ment. Il am except for such guides
and parties as are absolutely neces-
sary. Still :" Sandy paused.
"What?" asked Cornelius.
well. it just occurred to me again
that your fathers death deprived you
of 10000 pounds"
Eyes, I've been thinking of that
ever since l received your cable"
DO you mean that you might p"
why not? l must confess that this
sort of adventure intrigues me enor-
mously. Besides, Sarie and believe
we know the name of the village where
your uncle engaged guides and porters
for his expedition. Your uncle visited
us quite often when my father was
alive, and Sarie and l both recall the
stories he told of his experiences in the
Kalahari. He used to reel off list of
names of people and places. Sarie can
remember only one - Zwartveldt. We
looked it up on the map and found it
to be village located at what would
be the logical point of departure for
party entering the Kalahari from the
South"
That's greatw exclaimed Sandy,
his face beaming. "Ifwe ever get to this
place, Cornelius, there's fortune in
it for us"
"All right. that's settled then"
Cornelius smiled as he handed his
guest little glass of Vanderhum. "As
you say, there's plenty in it for both
of us if we can pull it off"
The Bennett party arrived in
johannesburg on the morning of
February l4th. BY afternoon they had
arranged for an interview with Mrs.
Aileen Orkney, one of the benefciaries
mentioned in the will. During the
voyage out Michael had learned from
a fellow-passenger that Mrs. Orkney
had moved from Cape Town and now
lived in the fashionable Park Town
section outside johannesburg.
Mrs. Orkney turned out to be a
small, elderly lady whose clear eyes
and regular features betrayed the fact
that she must have been very lovely
when she was a young woman. She
took an immediate fancy to Michael
and, for his sake rather than the
others, told them what she knew of
their uncle.
"He was reprobate, of course, but