he was," answered the
Commandant, drily. "But then, you see, Kreli can't read history, and
wouldn't believe it if he could. So he'd rather be excused coming to
see the new Police artillery make very fair gun practice, and I for one
don't blame him. Why, there's my old friend, Botmane," he broke off, as
his glance rested on the group of potentates above mentioned. Then to
an orderly, "Bring him here, Harris, I must have a talk with him."

"Who's he?" asked Dick.

"One of Kreli's big _amapakati_, or councillors," answered Greenoak.
"In fact the biggest."

"Oh!" and he looked with vivid interest as the Kafir, an old man with a
pleasant face, rose from his place in the group and strode forward,
which interest deepened as he listened to the subsequent conversation.
This he was able to do, as the Commandant, though perfectly at home in
the vernacular, chose, for reasons of his own, to use an interpreter.
But the said conversation was of no political importance, being a mere
exchange of compliments, with here and there a reminiscence. The old
Kafir expressed unbounded wonder at the gun practice. The white people
could do anything--he declared, as he was shown the working of the
guns--could kill men as far distant as anybody could see. "What was it
done with?"

"Show him the powder," said the Commandant.

This was done, and the old councillor dipped his fingers, not without
awe, into the black, large-grained stuff. No wonder the guns could
shoot so far with stuff like that, he remarked.

"Give him a big handful to take borne and show his chief. He can tell
him what he has seen to-day," said the Commandant.

Most savages are more or less like children over the acquisition of a
novelty, and now as old Botmane rejoined his brother magnates the whole
group of these craned eagerly forward to look at this mysterious and
wonderful stuff which he held in the corner of his blanket, and many a
deep-toned exclamation of suppressed excitement rose above the hum of
animated discussion. The Police looked on in semi-contemptuous
amusement.

The practice was over now, and the swarms of red-ochred savages began to
melt away; though a goodly proportion remained on the ground to discuss
what they had seen. Meanwhile, the Police were mounting for their
return march.

With them went Harley Greenoak and Dick Selmes. The bulk of the patrol
would return across the Kei to the Colonial side, but A. Troop would
remain behind in ca