saw that the fellow was confident of his skill as a marksman
and anxious to show off, so I felt perfectly easy in my mind. Had it
been one of our own men, now--" An expressive shrug of the shoulders
finished the sentence.

"Yes," remarked the baronet reflectively, "what a pity it is that they
are not trained to individually select and aim at a particular object.
If they were, no troops in the world could stand up for ten minutes
before them. But, speaking of troops, professor, what a master-stroke
that was of yours to give the darkies an opportunity of comparing their
own soldiers with ours. How on earth did you manage it?"

"Oh, easily enough," laughed the professor. "A magic lantern and a
couple of slides did the whole business. The throwing of the pictures
upon the smoke-wreath certainly enhanced its effectiveness a good deal,
but it is quite an old trick, which I have often done before with
excellent results. Everyone who is going much among savages ought to
include a lantern and an assortment of good startling slides in his
outfit if possible."

"But how did you get the first of your two slides? That was surely a
representation of M'Bongwele's own people."

"Certainly. And our friend Mildmay very cleverly secured it with a
camera which I set up and prepared for him in the pilot-house. He only
had to release a spring at the right moment, and the thing was done. He
developed the picture whilst we were making our little excursion out to
sea and back. Well, the whole thing was a farce; but I believe it has
effectually secured us from interruption during our researches among the
ruins; and if so, it was worth playing."

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

KING M'BONGWELE TURNS THE TABLES UPON HIS VISITORS.

In reaching his palace that night king M'Bongwele dismissed his
followers with but scant ceremony, and at once retired to rest. He
passed a very disturbed night of alternate sleeplessness and harassing
fitful dreams, and arose next morning in a particularly bad temper. He
was anxious, annoyed, and uneasy in the extreme at the unexpected and
unwelcome presence of these extraordinary visitants to his dominions--
these spirits, or men, whichever they happened to be, who had taken such
pains to show him that they despised his power, and were quite prepared
to ride rough-shod over him unless he slavishly conformed to all their
wishes; who had frightened and humiliated him in the presence of his
immediate follower