Over hill and valley, through bush and stream they rode, till
at last with the short twilight they reached the plain that ran to Ramah.
Then came the dark in which they must ride slowly, till presently the
round edge of the moon pushed itself up above the shoulder of a hill and
there was light again--pure, peaceful light that turned the veld to silver
and shone whitely on the pale face of Rachel.
Ramah was before them. They had met no living thing save some wild game
trekking to the water, and heard no sound save the distant roar of some
beast of prey. Ramah was before them. The moon shone on the roofs of the
Mission-house and the little church and the clusters of Kaffir huts
beyond. But, oh! it was silent: no cattle lowed, no child cried, nor did
the bell of the church ring for evening prayer as at this hour it should
have done. Also no lamp showed in the windows of the Mission-house and no
smoke rose from the cooking fires of the kraals.
"Where are all the people, Richard?" whispered Rachel. "There is the place
unharmed, but where are the people?"
But Richard could only shake his head: the terror of something dreadful
had got hold of him also, and he knew not what to say.
Now they had come to the wall of the Mission-house and sprang from their
horses which they left loose.
Pages:
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286