rong,
and, after all, better the belly of a fish than the hold of a slave
dhow. _Wow!_ who do these things? Is it not the white men, your
brothers, and do they not say many prayers to the Great Man up in the
sky while they do them?"

"Be still," said Leonard, "and give me some brandy." He was in no mood
to discuss the blessings of civilisation as they have often been put
into practice in Africa. And to think that this fate might soon be his
own!

Leonard drank the brandy and sat awhile in silence, pushing up his beard
with his hand and gazing into the gathering gloom with his hawk-like
eyes. Thus he had sat beside his dying brother's bed; it was a pose that
he adopted unconsciously when lost in thought.

"Come, Soa," he said at length, "we have travelled here to please you;
now give us the benefit of your suggestions. How are we going to get
your mistress out of that camp?"

"Loose the slaves and let them kill their masters," Soa answered
laconically.

"I doubt there is not much pluck in slaves," said Leonard.

"There should be fifty of Mavoom's men there," she replied, "and they
will fight well enough if they have arms."

Then Leonard looked at Otter, seeking further ideas.

"My snake puts it into my head," said the dwarf, "that fire is a good
friend when men are few and foes are many; also that the reeds yonder
are dry, and the sea wind rises and will blow hard before midnight.
Moreover all these houses are thatched, and in a wind fire jumps. But
can a regiment have two generals? You are our captain, Baas; speak and
we will do your bidding. Here one counsel is as good as another. Let
fate speak through your mouth."

"Very well," said Leonard. "This is my plan; it goes a little further
than yours, that is all. We must gain entrance to the Nest while it is
still dark, before the moon rises. I know the watchword, 'Devil,' and
disguised as we are, perhaps the sentry will let us pass unquestioned.
If not, we must kill him, and silently."

"Good," said Otter, "but how about the woman here?"

"We will leave her hidden in the bush; she could be of no help in the
camp and might hinder us."

"No, White Man," broke in Soa, "where you go I go also; moreover my
mistress is yonder and I would seek her."

"As you like," answered Leonard, then went on: "we must get between
the hut, there is only one, and the low wall that borders the canal
separating the Nest from the slave camp, and, if the drawbridge is up
and no