s silently as a
leopard on his prey, gliding like ghosts from bush to bush and
stone to stone. When I had gone a little way I chanced to look
behind me, and saw the redoubtable Alphonse staggering along
with white face and trembling knees, and his rifle, which was
at full cock, pointed directly at the small of my back. Having
halted and carefully put the rifle at 'safety', we started again,
and all went well till we were within one hundred yards or so
of the kraal, when his teeth began to chatter in the most aggressive way.

'If you don't stop that I will kill you,' I whispered savagely;
for the idea of having all our lives sacrificed to a tooth-chattering
cook was too much for me. I began to fear that he would betray
us, and heartily wished we had left him behind.

'But, monsieur, I cannot help it,' he answered, 'it is the cold.'

Here was a dilemma, but fortunately I devised a plan. In the
pocket of the coat I had on was a small piece of dirty rag that
I had used some time before to clean a gun with. 'Put this in
your mouth,' I whispered again, giving him the rag; 'and if I
hear another sound you are a dead man.' I knew that that would
stifle the clatter of his teeth. I must have looked as if I
meant what I said, for he instantly obeyed me, and continued
his journey in silence.

Then we crept on again.

At last we were within fifty yards of the kraal. Between us
and it was an open space of sloping grass with only one mimosa
bush and a couple of tussocks of a sort of thistle for cover.
We were still hidden in fairly thick bush. It was beginning
to grow light. The stars had paled and a sickly gleam played
about the east and was reflected on the earth. We could see
the outline of the kraal clearly enough, and could also make
out the faint glimmer of the dying embers of the Masai camp-fires.
We halted and watched, for the sentry we knew was posted at
the opening. Presently he appeared, a fine tall fellow, walking
idly up and down within five paces of the thorn-stopped entrance.
We had hoped to catch him napping, but it was not to be. He
seemed particularly wide awake. If we could not kill that man,
and kill him silently, we were lost. There we crouched and watched
him. Presently Umslopogaas, who was a few paces ahead of me,
turned and made a sign, and next second I saw him go down on
his stomach like a snake, and, taking an opportunity when the
sentry's head was turned, begin to work his way throug