to say.

Several times that morning we showed ourselves about the town, with the
purpose of allaying any possible suspicion and saving the authorities
the trouble of asking what we were up to. With the same end in view we
attended the execution in the afternoon, and sincerely wished before it
was over that we had stayed away.

On this occasion even the chain-gangs were included among the
spectators, in the front row, on the ground that, being proved
criminals, they needed the lesson more than the hempen-noose-food not
yet caught and tried and brought to book.

The same sort of sermon, only this time more fiery and full of ranting
humbug about German righteousness, was preached by the commandant. The
miserable victims had received a simple death sentence, but he
explained that in virtue of his superior office he had seen fit to add
to it. "Death" he explained, "would certainly rid the German
protectorate of such conscienceless scalawags as these, but might not
be enough to discourage the bad element that disliked German rule.
Natives must be taught that the very name of all that is German must be
reverenced, and that German punishment is as terrible and sure as the
German arm is long! And be sure of this!" he continued. "The ear of
the German government is as far-reaching as its arm! In your
villages--in your homes--in your families--there is always an agent of
the government listening! Your own brother--your wife--your child may
be that agent of the government! Now, watch carefully and see what
happens to men with bad hearts--aye, and to women with bad hearts, who
conspire against German rule!"

What followed was more impressive because of the determination we had
heard of to bring all Africa under the German yoke. In vain should the
wretched natives in after years escape by the hundreds northward in the
hope of living under British government. The fools--the "easy
people"--the "folk who gave without a price"--the "truth tellers"--the
"men who wish to forget"--the unwise, cocksure, cleaner-living,
unbelievably credulous, foolishly honest British officials would be all
gone. The pikelhaube and the lash, blackmail and coercion would take
the place of generosity. Africa would better be back under the Arabs
again, for the Arabs had no system to speak of and were inefficient.
Some Arabs have a heart--some a very soft heart.

The crowd grew bright-eyed, little children straining forward between
their elders