sed to give himself airs and swear at my
playing, but among these people he and his cornet would have had to
stand down.

"They gave me a bed that night in a corner of the verandah, and next
morning my master came himself to wake me, and took me down to the
village bathing-pool, just below the fortifications. It hurt my modesty
to find the whole mob of inhabitants gathered there and waiting, and it
didn't set me at ease, exactly, to notice that each man carried his
spear. For one nasty moment I pictured a duck-hunt, with me playing
duck. But there was no cause for alarm. At a signal from Hamid, who
stripped and led the way, in we tumbled together--men, women, and
children--the men first laying their spears on the bank beside their
clothes. Six remained on shore to keep guard, and were relieved after
five minutes by another six from the pool. There was a good deal of
splashing and horse-play, but nothing you could call immodest, though my
fair skin came in for an amount of attention I had to get used to.

"My breakfast was served to me alone, and soon after I was summoned to
attend my master in one of the state rooms of the house. I found him on
a shaded platform, seated opposite an old native as well-dressed and
venerable-looking as himself, but stouter. The pair lolled on cushions
at either end of the platform, smoking and smoothing their grey beards.
I understood that the visitor was a personage and (somehow) that he had
been sent for expressly to hear and be astonished by my performance.

"The two instruments were brought in upon cushions, and I began to play.
The visitor--who had less sense of humour than Hamid--did not laugh at
all. Instead, he took the mouthpiece of his _tchibouk_ slowly from his
lips and held it at a little distance, while his mouth and eyes opened
wider and wider. Hamid eyed him keenly, with a kind of triumph under
his lids; and the triumph grew as the old man's stare lit up with a
jealousy there was no mistaking.

"This, too, passed as I wound up with a flourish and stood at attention,
waiting for orders. The visitor put out his hand, but as I offered him
the bombardon he waved it aside impatiently and pointed to the cornet.
I passed it up to him; he patted and examined it for a while, laid it on
his knee, and the two men began talking in low voices.

"I could see that compliments were passing; but you'll guess I wasn't
prepared for what followed. Hamid stood up suddenly and whi