th on
you. No," he resumed, "we must certainly close with Chuma's offer. The
only question is, which of us is to be the one to go."

"You must not choose me," said Gilbert. "I should only make a mess of
it."

"I would go," said Frank, "but I do not think I am strong enough yet to
attempt such a journey."

"And I would rather not leave Mr De Walden," added Warley. "You had
better go yourself, Charles. You are in every way better fitted to
manage the business."

"I should not object," said Lavie, "but I do not like to leave you in
the hands of these treacherous savages."

"You leave us under Mr De Walden's care," rejoined Warley, "and I, for
one, can fully trust to that."

After some further discussion, it was so arranged. Chuma was informed
that his terms were accepted; and on the following day the doctor,
having taken an affectionate farewell of his young companions, set out
for Cape Town with Kama and another Bechuana for his guides; while the
others prepared themselves to endure, as patiently as they could, the
long weeks of waiting which must inevitably ensue.

"Are these Kaffirs utterly without the idea of God, as people say they
are?" asked Ernest one day of Mr De Walden, about a week after their
friends, departure. "I was talking one day to a gentleman on board the
_Hooghly_, who seemed to be well acquainted with them, and he declared
that they had positively no religion at all. But another gentleman
differed from him, and was going on, I believe, to produce some proofs
to the contrary, but the conversation was broken off. I should like to
know what you would say on the subject."

"They have no _religion_ in the proper sense of the word," answered the
elder man. "No sense of connection, that is to say, with a Being
infinitely powerful and good, who made and sustains them, and to whom
they are accountable. It is this that constitutes a religion, and of
this they know nothing. But they are extremely _superstitious_. They
believe in the existence of Evil Spirits, who have alike the power and
the will to afflict and torment them. To these they attribute every
disaster or suffering which may befall them."

"A creed of fear, in fact, without love," suggested Ernest.

"Precisely. They have no idea of pleasing the Unseen Powers by duty and
affection, but are keenly alive to the necessity of propitiating them by
continual sacrifices. They believe also, that it is possible to obtain
from their E