ing's presence, he would, after all,
have most satisfactorily accomplished his mission; and he forthwith
proceeded, with all the craft and subtlety of which he was master, to
urge upon them the desirability of an immediate visit to king
M'Bongwele, who, averse as he was to the prying visits of strange _men_,
would, he assured them, be highly gratified at the honour of having as
his guests the four Spirits of the Winds.

This proposition, however, by no means accorded with the views of the
travellers; and von Schalckenberg somewhat sternly intimated that,
whilst an interview with M'Bongwele was undoubtedly desirable, it was
_he_ who must visit and pay homage to _them_, and not they to him. They
had entered the country with the most friendly disposition toward
M'Bongwele and his people, and that friendly disposition would be
manifested to the distinct advantage of the entire nation if the king
showed himself properly appreciative of the honour done him by this
visit. But if not, king and people would be very severely punished for
the insult offered to their potent visitors, "and," continued the
professor, "in order that Lualamba might see for himself that, in making
this threat, they were indulging in no mere empty boast, he would give
the chief and his followers a single specimen of their power."

Mildmay having, during the progress of this conversation, received a
hint from the professor how to act, had quietly, and as if not
particularly interested in what was going forward, sauntered off to the
pilot-house, where, stationing himself at the engine and other levers
controlling the movements of the ship, he awaited further instructions.

The professor, having promised to give the savages a specimen of their
visitors' power, now waved his right hand very slowly and impressively
skyward, as a signal to the watchful Mildmay, loudly exclaiming as he
did so:

"Lualamba will now accompany the four Spirits of the Winds to yonder
cloud," pointing, as he spoke, to a single small white fleecy cloud
which was floating at the moment across the sun's disc.

Dexterously manipulating the various valves, Mildmay caused the _Flying
Fish_ to rise with a gentle and almost imperceptible motion from the
earth. So gentle was the movement that Lualamba was utterly unconscious
of it, and it was not until some seconds had elapsed that he fully
realised what was happening. The savages below, however, no sooner
heard von Schalckenberg's e