ill never make another noise, for my head
smashed him up inside and the rock hurt me through him. Then the other
two hit me with kerries--great blows--and my arms being tied I could not
defend myself, though I knew that they would soon kill me; so I groaned
and dropped down, pretending to be dead--just like a stink-cat.

"At last, thinking that they had finished me, the Basutos ran away in a
great hurry, for they feared lest you might hear the shouting and should
come after them with rifles. They were so much afraid that they left the
gun and most of the other things. After that I fainted; it was silly,
but those kerries of theirs are of rhinoceros horn--I should not have
minded so much had they been of wood, but the horn bites deep. That is
all the story. It will please Baas Tom to know that I saved his gun.
When he hears it he will forget his sickness and say 'Well done Otter!
Ha! Otter, your head is hard.'"

"Make your heart hard also," said Leonard with a sad smile; "Baas Tom is
dead. He died at daybreak in my arms. The fever killed him as it killed
the other _Inkoosis_ (chiefs)."

Otter heard, and, letting his bruised head fall upon his mighty chest,
remained for a while in silence. At length he lifted it, and Leonard saw
two tears wandering down the battered countenance. "_Wow_," he said, "is
it so? Oh! my father, are you dead, you who were brave like a lion and
gentle as a girl? Yes, you are dead, my ears have heard it, and were it
not for your brother, the Baas Leonard, I think that I would kill myself
and follow you. _Wow_, my father, are you indeed dead, who smiled upon
me yesterday?"

"Come," said Leonard; "I dare not leave him long."

And he went, Otter following him with a reeling gait, for he was weak
from his injuries. Presently they reached the spot, and Otter saw that
the hut was gone.

"Certainly," he said, "our bad spirits were abroad last night. Well,
next time it will be the turn of the good ones." Then he drew near to
the corpse and saluted it with uplifted hand and voice.

"Chief and Father," he said in Zulu, for Otter had wandered long and
knew many tongues, but he loved the Zulu best of all. "While you lived
upon earth, you were a good man and brave, though somewhat quick of
temper and quarrelsome like a woman. Now you have wearied of this world
and flown away like an eagle towards the sun, and there where you live
in the light of the sun you will be braver and better yet, and become
mor