h I could not understand."

The idea of Umslopogaas, that man of blood and iron, bringing flowers
to a young lady, was so absurd that I broke out laughing and even the
sad-faced Inez smiled. Then she left me to see about something and I
went to speak to Hans and asked him what had happened.

"Something rather queer, I think, Baas," he answered vacuously, "though
I did not quite understand the last part. The doctor, Goroko, smelt out
Thomaso as the man who had made them sick, and though they will not kill
him because we are guests here, those Zulus are very angry with Thomaso
and I think will beat him if they get a chance. But that is only the
small half of the stick," and he paused.

"What is the big half, then?" I asked with irritation.

"Baas, the Spirit in Goroko----"

"The jackass in Goroko, you mean," I interrupted. "How can you, who are
a Christian, talk such rubbish about spirits? I only wish that my father
could hear you."

"Oh! Baas, your reverend father, the Predikant, is now wise enough
to know all about Spirits and that there are some who come into black
witch-doctors though they turn up their noses at white men and leave
them alone. However, whatever it is that makes Goroko speak, got hold
of him so that his lips said, though he remembered nothing of it
afterwards, that soon this place would be red with blood--that there
would be a great killing here, Baas. That is all."

"Red with blood! Whose blood? What did the fool mean?"

"I don't know, Baas, but what you call the jackass in Goroko, declared
that those who are 'with the Great Medicine'--meaning what you wear,
Baas--will be quite safe. So I hope that it will not be our blood; also
that you will get out of this place as soon as you can."

Well, I scolded Hans because he believed in what this doctor said, for
I could see that he did believe it, then went to question Umslopogaas,
whom I found looking quite pleased, which annoyed me still more.

"What is it that Goroko has been saying and why do you smile, Bulalio?"
I asked.

"Nothing much, Macumazahn, except that the man who looks like tallow
that has gone bad, put something in our food which made us sick, for
which I would kill him were he not Red-beard's servant and that it would
frighten the lady his daughter. Also he said that soon there will be
fighting, which is why I smiled, who grow weary of peace. We came out to
fight, did we not?"

"Certainly not," I answered. "We came out to make a