rushwood onto the fire, after which he shook the
negress and asked:

"Where is Kali?"

For a time she stared at him unconsciously; afterwards coming to her
senses, she said:

"Kali took Gebhr's sword and went beyond the zareba. I thought he
wanted to cut more brushwood, but he did not return at all."

"Did he go long ago?"

"Long."

Stas waited for some time, but as the negro did not return, he
involuntarily propounded to himself the question:

"Did he run away?"

And his heart was oppressed by the disagreeable feeling which human
ingratitude always arouses. Why! he had interceded for this Kali and
defended him when Gebhr vented his rage upon him for whole days, and
afterwards he had saved the slave's life. Nell was always kind to him
and had wept over his unhappy lot, and both treated him in the best
possible manner. Now he ran away! He himself had said that he did not
know in which direction the Wahima settlements were situated, and
though he would be unable to find them, he nevertheless ran away. Stas
again recollected those "African Travels" in Port Said, and the
narratives of travelers about the stupidity of negroes, who, throwing
away packages, run away although in their escape they are threatened by
inevitable death. In fact, Kali, having as his only weapon Gebhr's
Sudanese sword, must die of starvation, or if he did not fall again
into the captivity of the dervishes would become the prey of wild
animals.

Ah! Ingrate and fool!

Stas then began to meditate over this;--how far more difficult and
vexatious the journey without Kali would be for them, and how much
heavier the work. To water the horses and fetter them for the night, to
pitch the tent, build zarebas, watch during the journey that none of
the supplies and packets with things were lost, to flay and dress the
slain animals, all this for want of the young negro was to fall upon
him and he admitted in his soul that as to some of these employments,
flaying the hides of animals, for instance, he did not have the
slightest knowledge.

"Ha! it will be hard," he said, "but necessary."

In the meantime the sun emerged from beyond the horizon and, as usually
happens in the tropics, in a moment it was day. Somewhat later the
water for bathing, which Mea had prepared during the night for the
little lady, began to splash, which meant that Nell had risen and was
dressing herself. In fact, she soon appeared, already dressed, with a
comb in her hand an