ith a
pained look of inquiry, as if there was something he did not quite
understand, and then he fell on his face and lay quite still.

Jack Meredith looked on the blank faces with a glance of urbane inquiry.

"Has anybody else anything to say to me?" he asked.

There was a dead silence. Some one laughed rather feebly in the
background.

"Then I think I will go on with my breakfast."

Which he accordingly proceeded to do.

One or two of the mutineers dropped away and went back to their own
quarters.

"Take it away," said Meredith, indicating the body of the dead man with
his teaspoon.

"And look here," he cried out after them, "do not let us have any more
of this nonsense! It will only lead to unpleasantness."

Some of the men grinned. They were not particularly respectful in their
manner of bearing away the mortal remains of their late leader. The
feeling had already turned.

Joseph thought fit to clench matters later on in the day by a few
remarks of his own.

"That's the sort o' man," he said, more in resignation than in anger,
"that the guv'nor is. He's quiet like and smooth-spoken, but when he
does 'it he 'its 'ard, and when he shoots he shoots mortal straight.
Now, what I says to you Christy Minstrels is this; we're all in the same
box and we all want the same thing, although I admit there's a bit of
a difference in our complexions. Some o' you jokers have got a fine
richness of colour on your physiognimies that I don't pretend to
emulate. But no matter. What you wants is to get out of this confounded
old Platter, quick time, ain't it now?--to get down to Loango and go out
on the bust, eh?"

The Christy Minstrels acquiesced.

"Then," said Joseph, "obey orders and be hanged to yer."

It had been apparent to Meredith for some weeks past that the man
Nattoo, whom he had just shot, was bent on making trouble. His prompt
action had not, therefore, been the result of panic, but the deliberate
execution of a fore-ordained sentence. The only question was how to make
the necessary execution most awe-inspiring and exemplary. The moment was
well chosen, and served to strengthen, for the time being, the waning
authority of these two Englishmen thus thrown upon their own resources
in the heart of Africa.

The position was not a pleasant one. For three months the Plateau had
been surrounded by hostile tribes, who made desultory raids from time to
time. These, the little force on the summit was able to repuls