rs. He was poor,
and so his gift was poor; still, he would see if to-morrow he could find
a beast that had something besides the skin on its bones, that he might
offer it to us. After this magniloquent address the poor animals were
trundled out by the other gate to have their throats cut.

After getting some supper and taking our quinine, we turned in and
slept that night in the best way that the heat would let us, rising next
morning with the vain hope of getting a bathe. Of all the discomforts
we experienced at Secocoeni's, the scarcity and badness of the water was
the worst. Bad water, when you are in a hotbed of fever, is a terrible
privation. And so we had to go unwashed, with the exception of having a
little water poured over our hands out of gourds. We must have presented
a curious sight at breakfast that morning. Before us knelt a sturdy
Kafir, holding a stick in each hand, on which were respectively speared
a leg and a side of mutton, from which we cut off great hunks with our
hunting-knives, and, taking them in our fingers, devoured them like
beasts of prey. If we got a bit we did not like, our mode of dispensing
of it was simple and effective. We threw it to one of the natives
standing round us, among whom was the heir-apparent, who promptly
gobbled it up.

Breakfast finished, a message came from Secocoeni asking for spirits to
drink. But we were not to be taken in in this way, for we knew well that
if we sent the Chief spirits we should get no business done that day,
and we did not care to run the risk of fever by stopping longer than we
could help; so we sent back a message to the effect that business
must come first and spirits afterwards. The head men, who brought this
message, said that they could perfectly understand our objection, as far
as Secocoeni and ourselves were concerned, since we had to talk, but
as they had only to sit still and listen there could be no possible
objection to their having something to drink. This argument was
ingenious, but we did not see the force of it, as our stock of spirits,
which we had brought more for medicine than anything else, was very
limited. Still, we were obliged to promise them a "tot" after the
talking was over, in order to keep them civil.

Our message had the desired effect, for presently Secocoeni sent to say
that it was now time to talk, and that his head men would lead us
to him. So we started up, accompanied by "Makurupiji," "Swasi," and
"Galook," the