companion in glory.
That worthy citizen pocketed his five rupees and was never heard from
again; I do not even remember his name nor how he looked.

I killed a buck of some sort, and Memba Sasa, as usual, stepped forward
to attend to the trophy. But I stopped him.

"Fundi," said I, "if you are a gunbearer, prepare this beast."

He stepped up confidently and set to work. I watched him closely. He
did it very well, without awkwardness, though he made one or two minor
mistakes in method.

"Have you done this before?" I inquired.

"No, bwana."

"How did you learn to do it?"

"I have watched the gunbearers when I was a porter bringing in meat."*

* Except in the greatest emergencies a gunbearer would never
think of carrying any sort of a burden.

This was pleasing, but it would never do, at this stage of the game,
to let him think so, neither on his own account nor that of the real
gunbearers.

"You will bring in meat today also," said I, for I was indeed a
little shorthanded, "and you will learn how to make the top incision
straighter."

When we had reached camp I handed him the Springfield.

"Clean this," I told him.

He departed with it, returning it after a time for my inspection. It
looked all right. I catechized him on the method he had employed-for
high velocities require very especial treatment-and found him letter
perfect.

"You learned this also by watching?"

"Yes, bwana, I watched the gunbearers by the fire, evenings."

Evidently Fundi had been preparing for his chance.

Next day, as he walked alongside, I noticed that he had not removed the
leather cap, or sight protector, that covers the end of the rifle and is
fastened on by a leather thong. Immediately I called a halt.

"Fundi," said I, "do you know that the cover should be in your pocket?
Suppose a rhinoceros jumps up very near at hand: how can you get time to
unlace the thong and hand me the rifle?"

He thrust the rifle at me suddenly. In some magical fashion the sight
cover had disappeared!

"I have thought of this," said he, "and I have tied the thong, so, in
order that it come away with one pull; and I snatch it off, so, with my
left hand while I am giving you the gun with my right hand. It seemed
good to keep the cover on, for there are many branches, and the sight is
very easy to injure."

Of course this was good sense, and most ingenious; Fundi bade fair to be
quite a boy, but the native African is very easily spo