de.

"What is it the young white lord says he wishes in our country?" asked
the cold Komba, who with diabolical acuteness had read some of Stephen's
meaning in his face.

"He says that he is a harmless traveller who would like to study the
scenery and to find out if you have any gold there," I answered.

"Indeed. Well, he shall study the scenery and we have gold," and he
touched the bracelets on his arm, "of which he shall be given as much
as he can carry away. But perchance, white lords, you would wish to talk
this matter over alone. Have we your leave to withdraw a while, O King?"

Five minutes later we were seated in the king's "great house" with Bausi
himself and Babemba. Here there was a mighty argument. Bausi implored
Brother John not to go, and so did I. Babemba said that to go would be
madness, as he smelt witchcraft and murder in the air, he who knew the
Pongo.

Brother John replied sweetly that he certainly intended to avail himself
of this heaven-sent opportunity to visit one of the few remaining
districts in this part of Africa through which he had not yet wandered.
Stephen yawned and fanned himself with a pocket-handkerchief, for the
hut was hot, and remarked that having come so far after a certain rare
flower he did not mean to return empty-handed.

"I perceive, Dogeetah," said Bausi at last, "that you have some reason
for this journey which you are hiding from me. Still, I am minded to
hold you here by force."

"If you do, it will break our brotherhood," answered Brother John. "Seek
not to know what I would hide, Bausi, but wait till the future shall
declare it."

Bausi groaned and gave in. Babemba said that Dogeetah and Wazela were
bewitched, and that I, Macumazana, alone retained my senses.

"Then that's settled," exclaimed Stephen. "John and I are to go as
envoys to the Pongo, and you, Quatermain, will stop here to look after
the hunters and the stores."

"Young man," I replied, "do you wish to insult me? After your father
put you in my charge, too! If you two are going, I shall come also, if I
have to do so mother-naked. But let me tell you once and for all in the
most emphatic language I can command, that I consider you a brace of
confounded lunatics, and that if the Pongo don't eat you, it will be
more than you deserve. To think that at my age I should be dragged among
a lot of cannibal savages without even a pistol, to fight some unknown
brute with my bare hands! Well, we can only die o