ining him to
quicken the task, while the bearers set down the hurdle beneath the
tree, and quite as a matter of course Dan appeared with the tin bowl and
a bucket of water. Mark hurriedly fetched the doctor's knapsack and
helped over the dressing of the wound, watching the while the change
which had come over the little patient who lay seriously and fixedly
gazing at Mark, while, as soon as the task was completed he stretched
out his uninjured arm so that he could touch Mark's hand. As on the
previous morning Mak stood like a spear-armed sentry till all was over,
uttered a word or two like an order, and the pigmy party marched back to
the edge of the forest and disappeared.

"Well, Mark," said the doctor, who had been very observant, "I suppose
that touch meant `Thank you and good-bye.' But he might have paid me
the same compliment. However, he evidently considers you to be the
chief."

"No, he could not have done that," said Mark. "Old Mak shows them all
that he considers himself the black boss."

The doctor laughed.

"But I say," said Mark eagerly, "did you notice that little chief?"

"Yes," said the doctor. "I did notice it, and was going to speak about
it. He was quite a dandy this morning, with his black ostrich feather
and his brass wire band round his forehead. He looked quite smart. He
must be the chief."

"But I say, doctor, is that brass wire?"

"Of course; the same as his bangles and the rings about his ankles.
What else could it be? One thing's very plain. There are ostriches up
here somewhere, and these people set store by their feathers. Now do
you see what it means?"

"Yes," said Mark, "that the chief wears one and that none of the others
do."

"I didn't mean that," said the doctor. "I meant that they evidently
traded with dealers who come up the country here and use coils of brass
wire as their current coin to exchange with the natives."

"Coils of brass wire which they cut in lengths, I suppose, to deal with
these little blacks."

"That's quite right, my boy; but what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking," said Mark, "that if these traders came right up here
and dealt with the pigmies we should have heard about it."

"Might or might not," said the doctor.

"Yes," said Mark, who seemed very thoughtful, "and I might or might not
be right if I said that I believe it isn't brass but gold."

"What!" cried the doctor. "Nonsense!"

Mark seemed as if he did not hear the d