, won't we, Mr Glanton?"

"Why of course, Miss Sewin. I'll send the boys up to some convenient
spot with lunch and we'll make a regular picnic of it."

The idea was received with enthusiasm. Only Mrs Sewin somewhat faintly
objected that they had a long way to go to get home afterwards. But
this I over-ruled by hoping they would not find my poor accommodation so
very trying that the prospect of another night of it--if the worst came
to the worst--should prove entirely out of the question.

Just then a group of men detached themselves from the rest, and came
over to us, to salute and ask how we liked the performance.

"This is Wabisa, the next biggest chief under Tyingoza," I said,
introducing the foremost, a tall, dignified head-ringed man. "Now, Miss
Sewin, here is a real chief. Tyingoza could not come to-night, but will
to-morrow morning."

"I'm so glad," she answered, looking at Wabisa with interest.

I gave them some roll tobacco which I had ready for them, and told my
boys to make them some coffee. The while I arranged for to-morrow's
bush-buck hunt. There was no difficulty about it at all, even as I had
expected. I could have as many boys as I wanted.

"They must hunt too, Wabisa," I said. "The white _amakosi_ want to see
if the assegai is a better weapon than the gun."

"_Ou_! That they shall see," laughed the chief.

"Is there going to be any more dancing, Mr Glanton?" said the youngest
girl.

"Yes. The best part. They're going to give us the war dance now," and
I suggested to Wabisa that it was getting late, and the white ladies
might be growing tired.

Of all native dances a war dance is the most catching, and this had not
long started before even the old Major found himself beating time with
his feet, while as for Falkner, it was all I could do to prevent him
from rushing in among them to take his part. The chant now rose quickly
to a ferocious roar, and as the dancers swayed and crouched, turning
half round, then leaping erect, while going through the pantomime of
striking an enemy, to the accompaniment of a strident death hiss, the
whole scene was vivid and realistic enough to have rendered some people
decidedly nervous. Then the thunderous stamping of six hundred feet,
the beating of sticks on shields, and the shrilling rattle of assegai
hafts--a sound not quite like any other I ever heard, and I've heard it
often--add to this the rolling of fierce eyeballs, and the waving of
tuft