o well enough."

Harry was right. The brute, pretty well tired out, went with perfect
quietness, and submitted to be tethered with a strong rope and hobbles
round its legs, so that there was no chance of its breaking away.

"I'll tame him!" cried Harry. "Tell them, Toko, no one must on any
account bring him food--I alone will give it him."

By this time the natives, who had killed half-a-dozen quaggas, had come
close to us. We considered that it would be prudent, if not an act of
politeness, to thank them for stopping the quagga; and Toko, who was our
spokesman, so explained matters, that the hunters expressed their
happiness in seeing us, and invited us to their village.

We should have excused ourselves, on the plea of having at once to
return to camp; but, as the day was already drawing to a close, and even
Toko declared that during the darkness he should be unable to find his
way back, we accepted the invitation, and set off with our new friends,
who were in high spirits at the thoughts of the quagga flesh they were
about to enjoy.

Their huts were larger and cleaner than any we had yet seen; and we
found that, although the people were hunters, they were also
agriculturists, and possessed pretty extensive plantations at the back
of the village.

The women were immediately set to work to prepare the feast; and in a
short time the whole population was banqueting. We, of course, soon
knocked off, and begged permission to rest in one of the huts. We had
scarcely however gone to sleep, than we were aroused by a tremendous
hubbub; and, rushing out, we found all the women on foot, engaged in
seizing their children, whom they had hauled out of their beds, or
rather up from the mats on which they lay, and were belabouring them
unmercifully with rods. On enquiring the cause from Toko, he told us
that news had been brought that an immense herd of elephants was
approaching the plantations. The object of beating the children was to
frighten away the animals. This was, for one cause, good news for us,
as we hoped to obtain full cargoes for our waggons. We at once offered
to go out and shoot the elephants, if the natives would guide us to the
trees in which we could take up our posts for the purpose.

We soon found plenty of volunteers, and, guided by them, we each reached
a tree in the neighbourhood of the plantations, near which they assured
us the elephants were sure to pass. We gladdened their hearts by
telli