ious warning prescience
took possession of his mind, and moved him to adopt a course from which
he would, by every natural instinct, have recoiled with loathing. He
was going to play eavesdropper.

The hut from which the sounds proceeded was an outer one just within the
main circle, standing almost against the thorn stockade. By creeping up
on this side, the shadows of both would be in his favour, and, lying
flat, with his ear as close to the doorway as he dared venture, it would
be hard if he could not catch at any rate the gist of their discussion.

Lying there in the darkness it seemed to the listener that the loudness
of his own heart-beats must betray him, for no sooner was he in position
than the very first words he caught were such as to thrill him through
with excitement and eagerness.

"It is not yet the time for killing," a voice was saying.

"Not the time?" hummed several others.

"Not the time. He has said it. Before the next moon is dead, were the
words of Umlimo. And it is not yet born."

"But that was for the eating up of all Amakiwa," objected another voice.
"These who are in our midst are only two. No one will miss them. Who
saw them come into our midst? None but our own people."

"_Eh! he_!" assented the others.

"U' Lamonti. He has fire-weapons, and we need such," went on the last
speaker. "These will be ours."

The listener lay, cursing himself for a very complete idiot. For the
mention of firearms brought back to him that at the present moment he
was totally unarmed. He had unslung his revolver when he lay down to
sleep, and on coming out of the hut had left it there. Did any of them
discover his presence now he was defenceless!

Now it was urged that the plan of stealing upon and murdering their two
guests in their sleep was a bad one, and impolitic in that it would
cause inquiries to be made, and so put the other Amakiwa on their guard.
Then another voice said--

"You cannot kill the white _isanusi_. His _muti_ is too powerful."

"Ha!"

"Too powerful," went on the speaker. "_Hau_! he is a real _isanusi_
this one. He has a magic house, wherein he brings down fire from the
sky--_lapa gu' Buluwayo_. I know, for I have seen. _Impela_!"

The murmur of wonder or incredulity evoked by this statement having
subsided, the other continued--

"I am not lying. I saw it. The Amakiwa in that house bent to the very
ground, and sang great songs in praise of that wonder--feari