ly with hide
whips.

"Ah!" exclaimed Jeekie, "that the kettle I hear sing. Think you better
taken him off the fire, my Lord, or he boil over. Also his brothers no
seem to like that music," and he pointed to a number of other men who
were standing round watching the scene with sullen dissatisfaction.

"A matter of camp discipline," muttered Aylward. "This man has disobeyed
orders."

By now Jeekie was shouting something to the natives in an unknown
tongue, which they seemed to understand well enough. At any rate the
flogging ceased, the two fellows who were inflicting it slunk away, and
the other men ran towards them, shouting back as they came.

"All right, Major. You please stop here one minute with my Lord, late
Bart. of Bloody Hand. Some of these chaps friends of mine, I meet them
Old Calabar while we get ready to march last rains. Now I have little
talk with them and find out thing or two."

Aylward began to bluster about interference with his servants and so
forth. Jeekie turned on him with a very ugly grin, and showing his white
teeth, as was his fashion when he grew fierce.

"Beg pardon, Right Honourable Lord," he said, or rather snarled, "you
do what I tell you just to please Jeekie. Jeekie no one in England, but
Jeekie damn big Lord too out here, great medicine man, pal of Little
Bonsa. You remember Little Bonsa, eh! These chaps think it great honour
to meet Jeekie, so, Major, if he stir, please shoot him through head;
Jeekie 'sponsible, not you. Or if you not like do it, I come back and
see to job myself and don't think those fellows cry very much."

There was something about Jeekie's manner that frightened Aylward, who
understood for the first time that beneath all the negro's grotesque
talk lay some dreadful, iron purpose, as courage lay under his affected
cowardice and under his veneer of selfishness, fidelity. At any rate he
halted with Alan, who stood beside him, the revolver of which Aylward
had been relieved by Jeekie, in his hand. Meanwhile Jeekie, who held the
rifle which he had reloaded, went on and met the natives about twenty
yards away.

"We always disliked each other, Vernon, but I must say that I never
thought a day would come when you proposed to murder me in my own camp,"
said Aylward.

"Odd thing," answered Alan, "but a very similar idea was in my mind.
I never thought, Lord Aylward, that however unscrupulous you might
be--financially--a day would come when you would attempt to shoo