again, and agreed to start on their
expedition that evening. He explained that they must do all their
traveling by night, and lie by during the day, because it would never
do for him, Ghamba, to run the risk of being recognised by persons whom
they might meet. For the sake of his Hlubi relations who were living
amongst the Pondomise at Qumbu, it was absolutely necessary that he
should not appear in the transaction at all. Were it ever to be even
suspected that he had betrayed the Chief, not alone would he be
certainly killed, but all his relations would be shunned by the other
natives. He was an old man, so for him, personally, nothing mattered
very much, but a man is bound to consider the interests of his family.
Traveling only by night, and lying still and hidden during the day,
were therefore absolutely necessary stipulations, and Langley and
Whitson agreed to them as intelligible and reasonable. All being
settled, the latter started for the Camp, Ghamba baring his teeth
excessively as they walked away.

II.

At dusk on the evening of the same day, Langley and Whitson met Ghamba
once more at the large ant-heap, and the three at once proceeded on
their course. The only arms taken were revolvers of the Government
regulation pattern (breech loading, central-fire). They carried
provisions calculated to last eight days, but took no blankets on
account of having to travel at night. When Ghamba volunteered to
relieve them of a considerable share of their respective loads, Langley
and Whitson were filled with grateful surprise.

The plan was as follows:

Whitson was to shoot Umhlonhlo, and then remain in the cave whilst
Langley returned to the Camp to report what had been done, and cause
persons who could identify the body to be sent for. They seem to have
had no scruples as to the deed they meant to do; certainly Umhlonhlo
deserved no more mercy than a beast of prey, nor does it seem to have
struck them that possibly they might shoot the wrong man. But there was
an air of conviction about the manner in which Ghamba showed his teeth
when asked whether he was positive as to the identity of the man in the
cave, that would have dissipated the doubts of most men. Besides this,
he drew out the written undertaking which they had delivered to him,
and said, with a profoundly business-like look:

"Do I not want the money? Should I take all this trouble if I did not
know what I were doing?"

They walked all night, only re