nly wounded and required the attentions of a
medicine-man. Perhaps it was not lawful for them to proceed except under
the guidance of some reserve Kalubi who had "passed the god" and who was
on shore. Perhaps it was necessary, according to their rites, that the
body of their chief should be landed with certain ceremonies. I do not
know. It is impossible to be sure as to the mysterious motives that
actuate many of these remote African tribes.

At any rate the result was that it gave us a great start and a chance
of life, who must otherwise have died upon the spot. Outside the bay the
breeze blew merrily, taking us across the lake at a spanking pace, until
about midday when it began to fall. Fortunately, however, it did
not altogether drop till three o'clock by which time the coast of
Mazitu-land was comparatively near; we could even distinguish a speck
against the skyline which we knew was the Union Jack that Stephen had
set upon the crest of a little hill.

During those hours of peace we ate the food that remained to us, washed
ourselves as thoroughly as we could and rested. Well was it, in view of
what followed, that we had this time of repose. For just as the breeze
was failing I looked aft and there, coming up behind us, still holding
the wind, was the whole fleet of Pongo canoes, thirty or forty of them
perhaps, each carrying an average of about twenty men. We sailed on
for as long as we could, for though our progress was but slow, it was
quicker than what we could have made by paddling. Also it was necessary
that we should save our strength for the last trial.

I remember that hour very well, for in the nervous excitement of it
every little thing impressed itself upon my mind. I remember even the
shape of the clouds that floated over us, remnants of the storm of the
previous night. One was like a castle with a broken-down turret showing
a staircase within; another had a fantastic resemblance to a wrecked
ship with a hole in her starboard bow, two of her masts broken and one
standing with some fragments of sails flapping from it, and so forth.

Then there was the general aspect of the great lake, especially at a
spot where two currents met, causing little waves which seemed to fight
with each other and fall backwards in curious curves. Also there were
shoals of small fish, something like chub in shape, with round mouths
and very white stomachs, which suddenly appeared upon the surface,
jumping at invisible flies.