er that will, so we must just
exercise a little self-denial for once, give up all further attacks on
the wild beasts of Africa, and accompany Mak to the coast."

"Could we not manage a compromise?" said I.

"What be a cumprumoise?" asked Makarooroo, who had been glancing
anxiously from one to the other as we conversed.

Peterkin laid hold of his chin, pursed up his mouth, and looked at me
with a gleeful leer.

"There's a chance for you, Ralph," said he; "why don't you explain?"

"Because it's not easy to explain," said I, considering the best way in
which to convey the meaning of such a word.--"A compromise, Mak, is--is
a bargain, a compact--at least so Johnson puts it--"

"Yes," interposed Peterkin; "so you see, Mak, when you agree with a
trader to get him an elephant-tusk, that's a cumprumoise, according to
Johnson."

"No, no, Mak," said I quickly; "Peterkin is talking nonsense. It is not
a bargain of that kind; it's a--a--You know every question has two
sides?"

"Yis, massa."

"Well, suppose you took one side."

"Yis."

"And suppose I took the other side."

"Then suppose we were to agree to forsake our respective sides and meet,
as it were, half-way, and thus hold the same middle course--"

"Ay, down the middle and up again; that's it, Mak," again interrupted
Peterkin--"that's a cumprumoise. In short, to put it in another and a
clearer light, suppose that I were to resolve to hit you an awful whack
on one side of your head, and suppose that Ralph were to determine to
hit you a frightful bang on the other side, then suppose that we were to
agree to give up those amiable intentions, and instead thereof to give
you, unitedly, one tremendous smash on the place where, if you had one,
the bridge of your nose would be--_that_ would be a cumprumoise."

"Ho! ha! ha! hi!" shouted our guide, rolling over on the grass and
splitting himself with laughter; for Makarooroo, like the most of his
race, was excessively fond of a joke, no matter how bad, and was always
ready on the shortest notice to go off into fits of laughter, if he had
only the remotest idea of what the jest meant. He had become so
accustomed at last to expect something jocular from Peterkin, that he
almost invariably opened his mouth to be ready whenever he observed our
friend make any demonstration that gave indication of his being about to
speak.

From the mere force of sympathy Mbango began to laugh also, and I know
not how long the two wo