e quite still, so that I may see whence they come and
how they settle."

The Hottentot did not take at all kindly to this suggestion. Indeed, he
flatly refused to obey me, giving sundry good reasons. He said that
this kind of rehearsal was ill-omened; that coming events have a way of
casting their shadow before, and he did not wish to furnish the event.
He said that the Zulus declared that the sacred aasvogels of Hloma
Amabutu were as savage as lions, and that when once they saw a man down
they would tear him to pieces, dead or living. In short, Hans and I came
to an acute difference of opinion. As for every reason it was necessary
that my view should prevail, however, I did not hesitate to put matters
to him very plainly.

"Hans," I said, "you have to be a bait for vultures; choose if you will
be a live bait or a dead bait," and I cocked the rifle significantly,
although, in truth, the last thing that I wished or intended to do was
to shoot my faithful old Hottentot friend. But Hans, knowing all I had
at stake, came to a different conclusion.

"Allemachte! baas," he said, "I understand, and I do not blame you.
Well, if I obey alive, perhaps my guardian Snake" (or spirit) "will
protect me from the evil omen, and perhaps the aasvogels will not pick
out my eyes. But if once you send a bullet through my stomach--why, then
everything is finished, and for Hans it is 'Good night, sleep well.' I
will obey you, baas, and lie where you wish, only, I pray you, do not
forget me and go away, leaving me with those devil birds."

I promised him faithfully that I would not. Then we went through a very
grim little pantomime. Proceeding to the centre of the arena-like space,
I lifted the gun, and appeared to dash out Hans' brains with its butt.
He fell upon his back, kicked about a little, and lay still. This
finished Act 1.

Act 2 was that, capering like a brute of a Zulu executioner, I retired
from my victim and hid myself in a bush on the edge of the plateau at
a distance of forty yards. After this there was a pause. The place was
intensely bright with sunshine and intensely silent; as silent as the
skeletons of the murdered men about me; as silent as Hans, who lay there
looking so very small and dead in that big theatre where no grass grew.
It was an eerie wait in such surroundings, but at length the curtain
rang up for Act 3.

In the infinite arch of blue above me I perceived a speck, no larger
than a mote of dust. The aasvo