one of the school bathing-places.

"Can you swim, Cetchy?" cried another of the group--that being the Zulu
boy's nickname as the nearest they could get to Cetywayo.

"Swim--eh? Well, I dunno."

"Come along then, and we'll teach you," and grins of malignant delight
went round the group. They anticipated no end of fun. They were going
to duck this somewhat unusual specimen until they nearly drowned him.
Jarnley, in particular, was radiant.

Mpukuza grinned too. There was no escape. They had hedged him about
too completely for that. He might as well accept the situation
good-humouredly. And--he did.

About half a mile from the school buildings there flowed an
insignificant sluggish river, opening here and there into broad deep
pools. One of these, screened off, and fitted with a diving board,
constituted the bathing-place of those who had passed a certain swimming
test, and thus were entitled to disport themselves aquatically when they
listed. It was not a good bathing-place, far from it, for the bottom
was coated thickly with slimy mud. Still, it was the best obtainable
under the circumstances.

Jarnley and Co. unvested in a trice, nor did their intended victim take
any longer.

"Come along, Cetchy," laughed Jarnley, grabbing the other by the scruff
of the neck, and leaping out into deep water with him. "Now I'll teach
you, you black beast," he snarled, between the panting and puffing
extracted by the coldness of the water as they both rose to the surface.
"I'm going to duck you till you're nearly dead. Take that first
though," hitting him a smart smack on the side of the face. Those still
on the bank yelled with delight, and hastened to spring into the water
in order to get their share of the fun.

They got it. The African boy uttered an exclamation of dismay, broke
away from his tormentors, and in a few swift strokes splashed across to
the furthest and deepest side of the pool. This was what they wanted.
With more yells of delight all hands swam in pursuit.

Mpukuza was holding on to a trailing bough, his copper-coloured face
above water, showing every indication of alarm, as his assailants drew
near.

"Now we'll duck him!" yelled Jarnley. "It's jolly deep here."

But as they swooped towards him something strange happened--something
strange and utterly unexpected. The round head and dark scared
countenance had disappeared. So, too, at that moment did Jarnley, but
not before he had found