him.

Pandulu realised that his end had come. His struggles were useless
beneath the weight and against the powerful grasp of Sapazani, for he
had fallen face downward, and his pursuer had taken care he should not
move from that position.

"Well, traitor! Well, white man's dog!" snarled the chief. "I am going
to pass the remainder of the dark hours beside a fire, and on that fire
thyself. Ha! it will be a warm one. But to begin with--how likest thou
that and that?"

"That and that" represented two long cuts of Sapazani's sharp assegai,
drawn across the fallen man's shoulders. The flesh quivered
convulsively, but no groan escaped the tortured man. Even then he was
calculating his chances, for he still clung desperately to life. In a
few minutes it would be pitch dark, could he not, by a sudden movement,
wriggle himself free? The chances of flight under such conditions would
be all in his favour. And the stakes! He had been promised reward such
as would have made him rich for life, and could he have made such a
discovery as that Sapazani was a leading figure in the plot, why, it
would have meant still more. But another sharp dig from the assegai
again made him writhe.

"Now white man's little-dog who would have betrayed us," went on the
chief in a growling tone, like that of a wild beast. "That other will
find us directly, and then we will make a fire and have a merry roast.
Ha! And that roast shall be thyself. Ha!"

"Spare me the fire, my father, and I will name thee others who have more
to do with this than I," pleaded the captive.

Sapazani was on the alert. He saw through the other's plan. It was a
question of a sudden relaxation of muscle on his part and his victim
would slip through his fingers, and away into the darkness. Ought he
not to kill him at once? If only Undhlawafa were not so old and
slow-footed! He could hold his victim for ever if necessary, but he
could not tie him up and light a fire single-handed.

"Who are `others,' and what part had they?" demanded the chief, with
another admonitory prod.

The victim named two names. Sapazani nodded. Them he could easily get
into his power. Pandulu then began to give details of the scheme under
which the plotters were to be brought within the white man's net, all
unconsciously, and there arrested. He also entered into considerable
detail as to the reward they--the traitors--were to receive. But this
did not hoodwink Sapazani. He