e's belly. The Kaffir fumbled
away in the dark, and pricked my beast so that he reared and struck
out. And all the while I was choking with impatience, and gabbling
prayers to myself.

The men on the other side had begun to use ball-cartridge. I could see
through a gap the centre of the river, and it was filled with a mass of
struggling men and horses'. I remember that it amazed me that no shot
was fired in return. Then I remembered the vow, and was still more
amazed at the power of a ritual on that savage horde.

The column was moving past me to the right. It was a disorderly rabble
which obeyed Henriques' orders. Bullets began to sing through the
trees, and one rider was hit in the shoulder and came down with a
crash. This increased the confusion, for most of them dismounted and
tried to lead their horses in the cover. The infantry coming in from
the wings collided with them, and there was a struggle of excited
beasts and men in the thickets of thorn and mopani. And still my
Kaffir was trying to get my ankles loose as fast as a plunging horse
would let him. At last I was free, and dropped stiffly to the ground.
I fell prone on my face with cramp, and when I got up I rolled like a
drunk man. Here I made a great blunder. I should have left my horse
with my Kaffir, and bidden him follow me. But I was too eager to be
cautious, so I let it go, and crying to the Kaffir to await me, I ran
towards the litter.

Henriques had laid his plans well. The column had abandoned the
priest, and by the litter were only the two bearers. As I caught sight
of them one fell with a bullet in his chest. The other, wild with
fright, kept turning his head to every quarter of the compass. Another
bullet passed close to his head. This was too much for him, and with a
yell he ran away.

As I broke through the thicket I looked to the quarter whence the
bullets had come. These, I could have taken my oath, were not fired by
my friends on the farther bank. It was close-quarter shooting, and I
knew who had done it. But I saw nobody. The last few yards of the
road were clear, and only out in the water was the struggling shouting
mass of humanity. I saw a tall man on a big horse plunge into the river
on his way back. It must be Laputa returning to command the panic.

My business was not with Laputa but with Henriques. The old priest in
the litter, who had been sleeping, had roused himself, and was looking
vacantly round him. He