em to bear the Englishmen any
particular goodwill, frequently scowling at them as they sat at the
feast, and whispering remarks into Umboo's ear, which were evidently
disparaging, if not actually hostile.

"I say, Frank," whispered Nick, "that chap there, on the chief's left,
is the one who tried to damage the rifle."

"Is he?" answered Frank. "What makes you think so?"

"I know him by that bald patch on the scalp. He has had a wound there,
I suppose; I noticed that as he crawled out of the door of the hut into
the moonlight. We'd better keep an eye on him."

The feast lasted a long time, the quantity devoured by the Hottentots
being only equalled by the gross greediness with which they seized what
they considered the chief delicacies; and it was a great relief to the
English guests when it was announced that a dance was going to take
place outside the hut in their honour.

"A dance?" repeated Nick; "does any one expect a fellow to dance after a
feed like this?"

"They don't expect you to dance," said Lavie who overheard him. "You've
only to sit by and see them dance."

"That's lucky, at all events," said Nick, "but I should think his
Majesty here and his wives were still less in dancing trim than
ourselves. Why, a boa-constrictor, after gorging an ox, would be as fit
to dance a hornpipe as he."

"Hush, Nick," said Lavie, "somebody may understand you enough to report
your words, and I don't consider our position here over safe as it is.
If it hadn't been that we could not spare the rifle, I would have let
the chief beat me to-day. But there is no need to provoke them more
than can be helped."

Nick promised compliance, and followed the doctor out of the hut into an
open space near the village, under the shade of some large acacias,
which had been selected as the fittest place for the dance. It seemed
that this was to be performed by the Hottentot girls, no men being
visible among them. They were gathered in a circle divested of all
ornaments, indeed of all attire, excepting a linen cincture round the
waist, and a headdress of the same material. Several of them held
melons in their hands, not the large water-melons, with which the party
had been regaled, but a smaller size, about as big as a large cocoa-nut.
The moon, which had risen about an hour before, and was nearly at the
full, poured down a bright light, which rendered every object clearly
distinguishable.

When all had taken their places, Umb