spectators found themselves beating time with their
feet. The stamping of the excited warriors shook the earth, sending up
long streams of yellow dust into the sunlit air. Young warriors would
dart from the ranks, and leaping nearly their own height from the ground
volley forth a torrent of words as they went through an imaginary
pantomime of their prowess, their eyeballs white and rolling, seeming to
burst from their faces, the flash of their bright blades like zig-zagged
lightning. Then, with an appalling roar, the crescent extended itself
on either side, and charged full speed up to the spectators hemming them
now in a complete circle. Evelyn Carden gave a little cry of alarm and
she felt herself growing pale.

"It's all right. It's part of the show," said Elvesdon reassuringly,
puffing at his pipe.

"Is it? Well, it's rather startling," she answered, reassured however,
by the fact that the rest of the party, including Edala, remained
unmoved.

There certainly was something horribly real about it. Six or seven
hundred frantic savages, worked up to the wildest stage of excitement,
hemming you in in a dense impenetrable circle of dark musky bodies and
waving blades, roaring like wild beasts and vociferating that the said
blades should shine white no longer, but red--red, may easily become a
situation somewhat trying to the nerves, especially to those of the
other sex. Then, suddenly, as if by magic, the uproar ceased. The
warriors saluted again, then crooning a low toned, rather plaintive
sounding chant, dropped back to their original position. Here they were
harangued by an orator, his periods being greeted by an expressive hum.
When he ceased, the whole body gathered up its weapons, and moved
swiftly away over the veldt--this time in silence.

"Curtain on Act One," said Elvesdon. "We'll stroll up now to yonder
ridge. We are going to see a sham fight, or rather a surprise. They
are about to attack and capture somebody's kraal--I couldn't catch his
name--over the other side, and make it as much like the real thing as
possible. I and old Tongwana arranged it all this morning. The last
harangue was with the object of bucking up the fighting men. So let's
get on."

"It's a splendid sight, sir," said the young police trooper diffidently,
as they walked. "I'm no end grateful to you for letting me see it."

Elvesdon turned to him good naturedly.

"Yes, it's an interesting show, isn't it, Parry? By