care that
he shall never hear it. They will probably say that I have died of some
disease, or have taken my departure from their kraal of my own accord.
But your evidence would disprove their story, and they will have no
scruples in securing your silence by the surest of all methods--that is,
by putting you to death."

"Then they would have to account for all four of us," observed Gilbert,
"and some one in the kraal--Dalili or Gaike, or Mololo perhaps--might
tell Charles the truth, and then very signal punishment would probably
be exacted."

"You do not know these people," said De Walden. "The influence of this
pretended prophet would be greater than ever after his supposed victory
over me. They will be too much terrified to venture even on a word. If
Kobo had remained faithful to us indeed--"

"The treacherous wretch!" exclaimed Frank, passionately. "I feel more
indignant with him than with Chuma, or even Maomo himself."

"This is no time for anger, Frank," said the elder man, gravely. "I
should not speak of him at all, if it had not been necessary to explain
to you your true position. If Kobo had remained faithful, I say,
something might have been done. We might have sent him off from the
village, and Chuma would have been afraid that he had gone to report
what had happened to the English. But that hope does not exist, and
there is nothing for it but for us all to prepare ourselves for the
worst."

"They may do what they will," said Warley. "If they take your life, I
have no wish to keep mine."

"You must not say that, Ernest. God may have a great work for you to
do; and if your life is preserved, I shall feel assured it is for that
purpose. But we have probably but a short time to pass together; let us
make the best use of that."

They all knelt down while the missionary offered up a fervent prayer in
behalf of each one of them, in which all heartily joined; and they were
still engaged in their prayers, when Kobo re-entered, accompanied by his
satellites, to announce to them their sentence, or rather that of De
Walden.

This, he gave them to understand, with diabolical exultation, was to be
the most painful form of death that imagination could conceive--one
which was resorted to only in the instance of enemies captured in war,
upon whom they wished to inflict the worst possible sufferings. De
Walden was to be eaten alive by ants! He was to be pegged down on his
back over one of the large ant