nows."

"_Ngema toto, Toto nwema sana_," (Good child, very good child), cried
Moto; but Simba stretched out his long, strong arm, and laid hold of
Niani and lifted him up, and hugged the little mite--until he was almost
hidden by the great, strong arms--close to his mighty breast, and poured
into his ear such endearing terms that poor little Niani had never heard
before, that made his eyes water after a singular manner, which he could
not very well have explained but that he felt a great big lump in his
throat, which seemed as if it would choke him.

Selim, his son, dear young master, who was so very superior to him, and
all whom he had ever seen, his Master Selim, who had such a beautiful
mamma at Zanzibar--his Master Selim, whom he had seen dressed in gold
and silver raiment, in the beautifullest clothes of blue and red silk,
and whitest linen, Niani saw looking at him with eyes full of kindness,
and a smile on his face,--for which he would have gone through the
hottest fire,--with a look which went straight into him, and kindled
within him a feeling akin to idolatry, and heard the sweetest words
which were ever uttered in his hearing from him. "Come to me, come near
Selim, Niani;" and the little black waif, who hitherto had been
neglected and allowed to grow wild unnoticed by a single kind human eye,
was clasped by his young master and kissed!

"My own mamma shall thank thee, Niani," said Selim, resting his hand,
upon his head. "Thou dost remember her, dost thou not, Niani?"

"Ah, when shall I forget her, master, or you?" said Niani; while from
under the half-closed eyes and bowed head rolled the tears in streams
down his cheeks.

"Nay, Niani, thou shalt not say `you' to me more; say `thou,' because
thou art no longer my slave--thou shalt be more; thou shalt be my
friend. Selim has no slaves around this fire. Neither Simba nor Moto
are my slaves; they are my friends, and now thou art also one."

"Yes, but Master Selim, Simba and Moto are big, and I am little and bad,
and some day, perhaps, I shall do something wrong, and you will be no
longer my friend."

"And when that day comes," responded Selim, "I shall remember a little
boy who crept through a camp of wicked people in the dead of night,
while all others were afraid of Soltali's ghost, and came and delivered
his master Selim from the sharp knife of Tifum, and the memory of that
deed shall be sure to make me say, `Forgive Niani, for the sake of that
he