was to beg him to keep a sharp look-out so that he might be
able to help us in case we got into trouble.

"Here I will stay and watch for you, lord Macumazana," he answered, "but
if you fall into a snare, am I able to swim through the water like a
fish, or to fly through the air like a bird to free you?"

After he had gone one of the Zulu hunters arrived, a man named Ganza,
a sort of lieutenant to Mavovo, and sang the same song. He said that
it was not right that I should go without guns to die among devils and
leave him and his companions wandering alone in a strange land.

I answered that I was much of the same opinion, but that Dogeetah
insisted upon going and that I had no choice.

"Then let us kill Dogeetah, or at any rate tie him up, so that he can
do no more mischief in his madness," Ganza suggested blandly, whereon I
turned him out.

Lastly Sammy arrived and said:

"Mr. Quatermain, before you plunge into this deep well of foolishness,
I beg that you will consider your responsibilities to God and man, and
especially to us, your household, who are now but lost sheep far from
home, and further, that you will remember that if anything disagreeable
should overtake you, you are indebted to me to the extent of two months'
wages which will probably prove unrecoverable."

I produced a little leather bag from a tin box and counted out to Sammy
the wages due to him, also those for three months in advance.

To my astonishment he began to weep. "Sir," he said, "I do not seek
filthy lucre. What I mean is that I am afraid you will be killed by
these Pongo, and, alas! although I love you, sir, I am too great a
coward to come and be killed with you, for God made me like that. I pray
you not to go, Mr. Quatermain, because I repeat, I love you, sir."

"I believe you do, my good fellow," I answered, "and I also am afraid of
being killed, who only seem to be brave because I must. However, I hope
we shall come through all right. Meanwhile, I am going to give this
box and all the gold in it, of which there is a great deal, into your
charge, Sammy, trusting to you, if anything happens to us, to get it
safe back to Durban if you can."

"Oh! Mr. Quatermain," he exclaimed, "I am indeed honoured, especially
as you know that once I was in jail for--embezzlement--with extenuating
circumstances, Mr. Quatermain. I tell you that although I am a coward, I
will die before anyone gets his fingers into that box."

"I am sure that you wi