tion against injury from the sun to the
late diviner proved unnecessary, since by some strange chance from
that moment the sun ceased to shine. Quite suddenly clouds arose which
gradually covered the whole sky and the weather began to turn very cold,
unprecedentedly so, Marut informed me, for the time of year, which, it
will be remembered, in this country was the season just before harvest.
Obviously the Black Kendah thought so also, since from our seats on the
roof, whither we had retreated to be as far as possible from the pot, we
saw them gathered in the market-place, staring at the sky and talking to
each other.

The day passed without any further event, except the arrival of our
meals, for which we had no great appetite. The night came, earlier than
usual because of the clouds, and we fell asleep, or rather into a series
of dozes. Once I thought that I heard someone stirring in the huts
behind us, but as it was followed by silence I took no more notice. At
length the light broke very slowly, for now the clouds were denser
than ever. Shivering with the cold, Marut and I made a visit to the
camel-drivers, who were not allowed to enter our house. On going into
their hut we saw to our horror that only two of them remained, seated
stonily upon the floor. We asked where the third was. They replied they
did not know. In the middle of the night, they said, men had crept in,
who seized, bound and gagged him, then dragged him away. As there was
nothing to be said or done, we returned to breakfast filled with horrid
fears.

Nothing happened that day except that some priests arrived, lifted
the earthenware pot, examined their departed colleague, who by now had
become an unencouraging spectacle, removed old dishes of food, arranged
more about him, and went off. Also the clouds grew thicker and thicker,
and the air more and more chilly, till, had we been in any northern
latitude, I should have said that snow was pending. From our perch on
the roof-top I observed the population of Simba Town discussing the
weather with ever-increasing eagerness; also that the people who were
going out to work in the fields wore mats over their shoulders.

Once more darkness came, and this night, notwithstanding the cold, we
spent wrapped in rugs, on the roof of the house. It had occurred to us
that kidnapping would be less easy there, as we could make some sort of
a fight at the head of the stairway, or, if the worst came to the worst,
dive fr