ther men and women, among whom was his own mother, to
a Portuguese merchant on the coast, near the East Luavo mouth of the
Zambesi. There he was found to be of a rebellious spirit, and at last
on positively refusing to lash his mother, his master ordered him to be
whipped to death, but, changing his mind before the order had been quite
carried out he ordered him to be bound hand and foot and taken away in a
sack. As to his wife, he had never heard of her since that night which
was about two years past. He knew that she had not been found, because
he had not seen her amongst the other captives. If they had found her
they would have been sure to carry her off, because--here Chimbolo's
visage again grew diabolical--she was young, he said, and beautiful.

When all this had been translated into bad English by Antonio, Harold
asked if Chimbolo thought it probable that his wife was still alive in
the Manganja highlands. To this the former said that he thought it
likely.

"W'y, then," said Disco, giving his right thigh a powerful slap, which
was his favourite method of emphasising a remark, "wot d'ye say, sir, to
lay our course for these same highlands, and try for to find out this
poor critter?"

"Just what was running in my own mind, Disco," said Harold, musing over
his supper. "It does not make much difference what part of this country
we go to, being all new to us; and as Antonio tells me the Manganja
highlands are up the Shire river, which was explored by Dr Livingstone
not long ago, and is not distant many days' journey from this, I think
we can't do better than go there. We shall have a good as well as a
definite object in view."

"Wery good, sir; I'm agreeable," returned Disco, reaching forth his
pewter plate; "another hunk o' that pottimus, Jumbo; it's better than
salt-junk any day; and I say, Jumbo, don't grin so much, else ye'll
enlarge yer pretty little mouth, which 'ud be a pity."

"Yis, saar," replied Jumbo, becoming very grave all of a sudden, but on
receiving a nod and an expressive wink from the seaman, he exploded
again, and rolled backward on the grass, in the performance of which act
he capsized Zombo's can of tea, whereupon Zombo leaped upon him in
wrath, and Masiko, as in duty bound, came to the rescue.

"Clap a stopper on yer noise, will 'ee?" cried Disco sternly, "else
you'll be bringin' all the wild beasts in these parts down on us to see
wot it's all about."

"That reminds me," said Haro