surround him unperceived. So sudden was the onslaught, that not
a moment was given him for defence. His rifle was knocked from his
grasp by a blow with a kerrie which he thought had shattered his wrist.
Assegais flashed in front of his eyes, battle-axes were flourished in
his face, his ears were deafened with the hubbub of voices. Then arose
a great shout.

"_Au_! U'Jonemi!"

They had recognised him. Did that account for the fact that he was
still alive? He had expected instant death, and even in that brief
flash of time had crossed his mind a vision of Nidia left alone, of her
agony of fear, of her utter helplessness. Oh, fool that he was, to have
been lulled into this false security!

As though satisfied with having disarmed him, they had so far refrained
from offering him further violence. No, he dared not hope. Others came
swarming up, crowding around to look at him, many of them recognising
him with jeers.

"_Au_! Jonemi! Thou art a long way from home!" they would cry. "Where
are thy people--the other Amakiwa--and thy horses?"

"No people have I, nor horses, _amadoda_. I am alone. Have I not
always wished well and acted well towards you? Return me, therefore, my
rifle, and let me go my way in peace."

It was putting a bold face on things; but, in his miserable extremity,
as he thought of Nidia it seemed to John Ames that he was capable of any
expedient, however insane. The proposal was greeted with shouts of
derisive laughter by some. Others scowled.

"Wished well and acted well towards us?" echoed one of these. "_Au_!
And our cattle--whose hand was it that destroyed them daily?"

This was applying the match with a vengeance.

"Yea--whose?" they shouted. "That of Jonemi."

Their mood was rapidly growing more ugly, their demeanour threatening.
Those who had been inclined to good humour before, now looked black.
Several, darting out from the rest, began to go through the performance
of "gwaza," throwing themselves into every conceivable contortion of
attack or defence, then, rushing at their prisoner, would make a
lightning-like stab at him, just arresting the assegai blade within a
foot of his body, or the same sort of performance would be gone through
with a battle-axe. It was horribly trying to the nerves, dangerous,
too, and John Ames was very sick of it.

"Keep the gun, then, if you will," he said. "But now I must go on my
way again. _Hlalani-gahle 'madoda_." And he made as if