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'If my slave is at your mission, you can be sure I'll come and take her.' 'Van Doorn, don't fight the law.'

'No law gives you my slave. I paid good money for her. She belongs here.'

'She belongs in the care of Jesus Christ.'

'Get out!' Throwing open the door, he ordered Saltwood to be gone, but when the latter headed for the hill, he summoned two Hottentots and directed them to speed west, keep out of sight, and fetch the slave girl Emma from the mission.

Saltwood, anticipating such a maneuver, traveled at forced speed, but when he reached Golan he found the place in an uproar, for the Hottentots had preceded him and were in the process of carrying off the little girl, who was weeping and struggling in their arms.

Without hesitating, Saltwood dashed to his quarters, grabbed his gun, and confronted the kidnappers: 'Drop your hands. Back on your horses and ride home.'

'Baas say bring Emma.'

'I say take your hands off her.'

'No! She belong us.'

At this moment Emma broke loose and ran to Saltwood, throwing herself at him, and when he felt this child seeking his protection, he determined to rescue her at any cost; and as the Hottentots reached out to seize her, he fired his gun over their heads, frightening them and terrifying himself. Fortunately, the two brown men scuttled to their horses and galloped away, for had they lunged at Saltwood again, he would have been quite incapable of firing at them, even had his gun contained a second chamber.

Hilary now placed the child with Saul's family, where she began learning the alphabet, the catechism and the refulgent promises of the New Testament. She proved an able student, as gifted in singing as in sewing, and before long it was her glowing black face and gleaming teeth that showed in the front rank of the mission choir.

She was practicing under the trees one evening when Lodevicus van Doorn rode in like a white-haired avenging angel, two guns resting carelessly on his saddle. 'I've come to fetch you, Emma,' he said quietly.

'She will not go,' Saul said, trembling at the sight of the menacing guns.

'If you try to stop me, Kaffir, I'll blow your head off.' Lodevicus did not touch either of the guns, but he did move his horse closer to Emma.

With a dignity many of the blacks acquired at the mission, old Saul moved to protect the child, whereupon Lodevicus raised one of his guns.

'For God's sake!' a voice cried from one side. 'Are you mad?'

It was Saltwood, coming to lead the choir. Unarmed, he walked directly to the muzzle of the gun, looked up at Lodevicus, and ordered: 'Ride back to De Kraal.'

'Not without my Madagascan.'

'Emma lives here now.'

'I have an order from the court at Graaff-Reinet which says' 'Such orders apply to runaway slaves, not to little girls seeking Jesus.' Van Doorn's neck muscles stood out like the vines of a squash. 'You goddamned meddler . . .'

'Old friend,' Saltwood said quietly, 'get off that horse and let's talk.' 'I'm going to take my slave.'

'Come here, Emma,' and the little girl in her blue mission dress ran to clasp her protector.

Van Doorn was infuriated. Emma was his property, worth a great deal of money, and he had a proper order directing her return. If he shot this Englishman now, the frontier Boers would support him and to hell with the

English, but as he raised his gun, Saul stepped quietly in front of the missionary and the child, extending his arms to protect them, and there was something in this gesture which caused the Boer to hesitate. If he fired now, he would have to kill three people, and one of them a little girl. He could not do such a thing.

But as always, Saltwood said the wrong words: 'If you kill me, Lodevicus, the entire force of the British Empire will hunt you down to the ends of the earth.'

From his saddle the Boer burst into a contemptuous laugh. 'You English. You goddamned English!' Without further comment, he wheeled his horse and headed back to the veld. He would ride through the night rather than spend it with fools like this English missionary.