retching sun-lit plain, upon which were
drawn up on parade, in illimitable perspective, a countless host of
British troops, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, with bayonets, swords,
and lance-points gleaming in the sun, with colours uncased, guns
limbered up, and all apparently ready and waiting for the order to
march. So realistic was the picture that even the baronet and
Lethbridge could scarcely repress an exclamation of astonishment, and as
for M'Bongwele and his people, they were perfectly breathless with
surprise. The picture was allowed to remain clear, brilliant, and
distinct for some ten minutes, then the radiant disc rapidly faded until
it vanished altogether, and nothing remained but the red glimmer of the
smouldering fire.

A heavy sigh issued from M'Bongwele's breast, and he rose to his feet.

"It is enough," he said. "Let me go home."

He advanced gropingly to the gangway (for it was now very dark), when,
in an instant, every one of the electric lights in the ship flashed out
at their fullest brightness, brilliantly illuminating the deck, and
turning night into day for fully a mile round, and, under the clear
steely radiance thus unexpectedly furnished him, the king slowly made
his way to the ground, mounted his horse in silence, and galloped away
at the head of his followers. The illumination of the ship was
maintained until the cavalcade was well clear of the ruins, when the
side-ladder was drawn up, the lights extinguished, and M'Bongwele was
left to make the remainder of his way as best he could in the darkness.

"Well," said the professor as the quartette wended their way below to
dinner, "how have I managed?"

"Admirably," answered Sir Reginald and the colonel together. "Never,
surely," continued the latter, "was African king so completely overawed
in so short a time as this fellow has been to-day."

"We all, and I especially, owe you thanks, colonel, for the sublime
_sang froid_ with which you stood up and allowed yourself to be made a
target of to-day," said von Schalckenberg. "Believe me, I would never
have made the proposal I did had I suspected that the part of target
would have been so cleverly transferred to someone else. But the crafty
fellow evidently suspected what you English call `a plant'--a
prearranged plan--and he thought that by adopting the course he did he
would have us at advantage."

"Oh," laughed the colonel scornfully, "that was a mere trifle, less than
nothing. I