tion. It was his suggestion that we
should send natives to look out for Schillingschen, and Fred's
amendment that reduced the messengers to one, and that one Kazimoto.
Any of the others might decide to desert, once out of sight, and we
could scarcely have blamed them, for their path had not lain among
roses in our company.

Kazimoto had a million objections to offer against going alone on that
errand, as, for instance, that the chigger fleas would invade our
toe-nails disastrously without his cunning fingers to hunt them out
again. He also prophesied that without him to interpret there would
swiftly be trouble between us and the chief; but we saw the other side
of that medal and rather looked forward to an interval when the chief
should not be able to talk to us at all.

At last, on the second morning after our arrival at the village,
Kazimoto wrapped an enormous mound of cold mtama pudding in a cloth and
went his way, prophesying darkly of murder and sudden death lurking
behind rocks and trees, as unwishful to be alone as a terrier without a
master, but much too faithful to refuse duty.

The chief saw a side of the medal that we had not guessed existed. He
came and sat beside us like an evil-smelling shadow, satisfied that now
we could not dismiss him, he being under no obligation to understand
gestures. Curiosity was the impelling motive, but he was not without
suspicion. Fred said he reminded him of a Bloomsbury landlady whose
lodgers had not paid their board and rooming in advance.

Will solved that problem by taking the rifle, and one cartridge that
Fred doled out grudgingly, and after a long day's stalking among
mosquitoes in the papyrus at the edge of the lake five miles away, at
imminent risk of crocodiles and an even worse horror we had not yet
suspected, shooting a hippopotamus. Forthwith the whole village, chief
included, went to cut up and carry off the meat, and there followed
revelry by night, the chiefs wives brewing beer from the mtama, and all
getting drunk as well as gorged. Coutlass and Brown got more drunk
than any one.

Will came back with flies on his coat--three large things like
horse-flies, that crossed their wings in repose, resembling in all
other respects the common tetse fly. He said the reeds by the
lake-side were full of them.

Remembering tales about sleeping sickness, and suspicion of conveying
it said to rest on a tetse fly that crossed its wings, I went out the
followin