CHAPTER II.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7787, 19 August 1903, Page 4

CHAPTER 11.

! Ten- minutes' walk 'brought him to Neula's house. It was surrounded by a high, straggling hibiscus hedge covered with scarlet; blonm, enclo&'ng a large yard. A f-mall garden was in cultivation,/ and the place wfls neat and prim. ..Behind; it a stone enclosure sheltered several black hogs and a litter of little pigs?. Furlzhofer looked Jabout slowly. He noticed that beyond tho enclosure, in the vacant ground adjoining, a growtji of poisonous herbs had apparently come up at random, and that two rarer" varieties were ).n the garden. A faint dioning sound, I'kc .the distant swarming of « hire of bocs, issued from, the open door of the house. Tha self-corsfcitufced detective . crouched dowji, following the hed^e till ho reached the shadow of fhe stone pig-pen. There he ca-me upon-' a discovery that made 'him jump : only a rott-cn .pineapple, with what looked like ail airow inser-tod m it. Karl approached. The arrow was a- fi<ne, wellmade' fish-spear, and Furtzh'ofsr kri"?w. as few white men know, that the juice of the rotten pineapple can 1 be- ma do ;i. deadly pnison. Not a few of Hie weapons in his rather complete South Sfa collection had had their tip^ envenomed by tbnt- simple method. He lookp-l at th:- pineapple as itlay negligently thrown o.n an ash-heap in the "blazm? sun ; then he gl?no?d at the houso a grain, and back at the imbed-dsd i fish-spear. "So," he thought, "that's it! I wonder if the nephew knows. >70," he argued,. "I fancy not; she* doctors his sptWs for him while ho is away, .arad he uses them in all iiwiooeiice. A very 'clever lady,, Ncula!" . ' Hte crept on till ho reached 1 the front of the house again. Entering softly' at the gate, ho slipped' on tiptoe toward the door. Beioro him., on the floor, sat, or rath-er crouched, the witch-doctor. She was young and handsome, aitor a. sa.va^, mysterious, fashion. Her unbound hair hung over her shoulders, shadowing', her face. Her li.ns, were well-slifl'ped, tlumgli thick; h-er nose was wide-nost-rilled. high-bridged aiid i-Eitellectunj. Of h-er bedy h 1 ? could r.iot judge, for she was clad' in n new blacfc holoku tint spread: out upon the floor in stiff, crisp folds. She rocked slowly forward and back, muttering something to a packet on. tlw floor, with a terrifying concentration and energy. However sIk 1 ' rniglit assist her r.nds by direct mot-hods, she evidently was ai thorough, believer in the addod efficacy of nrayer. Karl watohed wit«h interest. N-etila. -w-ent on with, her incantation, and slow rocking,

too absorbed' to notice the. int-nide.v. At last his shadow, as be drew nearer, darkened the doonvay. She stopped suddenly , and raised two eyes blazing with such m,a',lig.ncoit power that they mado the doctor wince. Tliey were very largo and bright, heavily lidded, and slanting toward the temples ; wonderful eyos at any time., fbut as they glemned at him. still full of the concentration of ha.te and fa.natical excitement, tiliey wore nothing less than an «v-pnt i.n the man's life. Neula. said nothing for a moment, but continued to look uprwi him with the bright, unwinking fixity of a snake. Then, she roso slowly from her place' on; the flocr, and moved toward him with a lithe, pan-ther-like step, graceful and strong-. "Sorry to disturb you." said Furtzhofer, recovering himself ; " but I was passing and saw your calabash on the, steps. I thought possibly you might like to sell it." "No." she said shortly, "I don't want to sell." She examined him from head to foot venomously ; but, glancing back at his cheerful, handsome face, h?r manner changed; " Below, at KuunmsY' she added, "they have some they might let you have.". He- raised his bat, thanked her, and took his departure in the direction she indicated. He found the place, and asked for calabashes. There being none at his price, he retraced his steps. Ncula was not to be seen as he repasscd the bouse and made his way back to the dejected gateway where his horse was tied. Loki met him with the information that her sister had fallen asleep. After giving) a few more instructions, he took his leave of the tearfully grate-ful nurse, and drove slowly home. For many reasons he felt it his duty to inform on the poisoner at. once. He had suffici2nt proof to place her in confinement ; still, the evidence, was so circumstantial that she might eventually escape her well-earned punishment. Better wait for further developments, he thought ; besides, he was more than anxious to study the woman and fathom her methods. She was 'too interesting a case to sacrifice. On reaching home, he ordered the cook to make and bottle a. strong beef broth. He would see that his patient received plenty of unpolluted food. Then he joined "dear Theresa for afternoon tea, and listened with one er.r to psychological platitudes. The next day, bright and early, he was on his way lip the valley. He found his patient stronger, for she had rested well. The fish that Aka had brought lay folded in a tie leaf, waiting for his inspection. Ha stayed Jf>ng enough to see Liliha sit up, propped with pillows, and drink the bottled broth with evident relish. Then, taking the suspicious package, he returned to his home. He took the fish to his private study and examined it carefully. There were dark rings about the holes left by the tiny' trident, and, as he expected, analysis revealed the presence of poison. He telephoned fcr a fellow praclitir.ner, to corroborate his discovery against the time of testimony, but he refused to reveal more than the bare outlines of the case. He did not propose to share the excitement with anyone. A few days more and the doomed woman was on her feet, though still weak. Karl had counselled strict caution. No one must know of the recover}-. On the contrary, inquiries were to be answered with lamentations. Neula must have no suspicion of the failure of her arts. ; (To be continued.)