h, of course, he took for granted. Then he came to
particulars, and explained as much of his intended movements as he
deemed it good for them to know; and wound up by saying that he had
three words of command to teach them, which they must learn to
understand and act upon that very night. They were, "Forward!" "Halt!"
and "Fire!" By saying the first of these words very slow and in a
drawling voice, thus, "Forw-a-a-a-a-a-rd!" and the second in a quick,
sharp tone, and the third in a ferocious yell that caused the whole band
to start, he actually got them to understand and distinguish the
difference between the commands, and to act upon them in the course of
half an hour.

The drill of his army being thus completed, Jack dismissed them with a
caution to hold themselves in readiness to answer promptly the first
call to arms; and the king enforced the caution by quietly assuring them
that the man who did not attend to this order, and otherwise respect and
obey Jack as if he were the king, should have his heart, eyes, and liver
torn out, and the rest of his carcass cast to the dogs--a threat which
seemed to us very horrible and uncalled for, but which, nevertheless,
was received by the black warriors with perfect indifference.

"Now, Mak," said Jack, as he descended to the ground, "do you come with
me, and help me to place sentries."

"W'at be dat, massa?"

"Men who are placed to guard the village from surprise during the
night," explained Jack.

"Ho! dat be de ting; me know someting 'bout dat."

"No doubt you do, but I daresay you don't know the best way to place
them; and perhaps you are not aware that the pretty little threat
uttered by the king shall be _almost_ carried out in the case of every
man who shall be found asleep at his post or who shall desert it."

The guide grinned and followed his commander in silence, while I
returned to our hut and busied myself in cleaning the rifles and making
other preparations for the expected fight.

At an early hour on the following morning we were awakened by the
arrival of one of the scouts, who reported that the Portuguese trader,
with a strong and well-armed force, was encamped on the margin of a
small pond about fifteen miles distant from the village. The scout had
gone straight to the spot on being sent out, knowing that it was a
likely place for them to encamp, if they should encamp at all. And here
he found them making active preparations for an attack on the