It is, however, wonderful by what strange ways good results are brought about, so much so that at times I think that these seeming accidents must be arranged by an Intelligence superior to our own, to fulfil through us purposes of which we know nothing, and frequently, be it admitted, of a nature sufficiently obscure.

Of course this is a fatalistic doctrine, but then, as I have said before, within certain limits I am a fatalist.
To take the present case, for instance, the whole Inez episode at first sight might appear to be an excrescence on my narrative, of which the object is to describe how I met a certain very wonderful woman and what I heard and experienced in her company.

Yet it is not really so, since had it not been for the Inez adventure, it is quite clear that I should never have reached the home of this woman, if woman she were, or have seen her at all.

Before long this became very obvious to me, as shall be told.
From the night upon which Hans and I failed to rescue Inez we had no more difficulty in following the trail of the cannibals, who thenceforward were never more than a few hours ahead of us and had no time to be careful or to attempt to hide their spoor.

Yet so fast did they travel that do what we would, burdened and wearied as we were, it proved impossible to overtake them.
For the first three days the track ran on through scattered, rolling bush-veld of the character that I have described, but tending continually down hill.