nt.

John Ames, in the plenitude of his experience, noted the sullen apathy
wherewith his words were received, yet he attached no greater importance
to it than he reckoned it deserved; he could appreciate the outrage on
their feelings which this wholesale destruction of their most cherished
possessions must involve. Then Madula spoke.

"What Jonemi had told them must be true, since Jonemi said it. But what
the people could not understand was why Government should have restored
them their cattle, if only to destroy it all before their eyes; should
give it back with one hand to take it away with the other. That did not
seem like the fatherly act of a fatherly Government. Nor could they
understand why the beasts that were not sick should be shot just the
same as those that were. Let them be spared until the signs of sickness
showed, then shoot them. Those signs might never show themselves." And
more to the same effect.

With infinite patience John Ames laid himself out to explain, for the
twentieth time, all he had said before. It was like reasoning with a
wall. "Let the people only have patience," he concluded. "Let the
people have patience."

"M--m!" hummed his auditors, assenting. "Let the people have patience."

But there was a significance in their tone which was lost on him then,
though afterwards he was destined to grasp it.

"It's a disgusting business all this butchery," he observed, as he and
the other two white men were riding homeward together. "I don't wonder
the people are exasperated. As Madula says, they'll never understand
how the Government can give them back the cattle with one hand only to
take it all away with the other."

"It strikes me that Mr Madula says a great deal too much," said
Inglefield, dropping the bridle on his horse's neck, while shielding a
match with both hands so as to light his pipe. "A little experience of
the inside of Bulawayo gaol would do him all the good in the world, in
my opinion."

"You can't work these people that way, Inglefield, as I'm always telling
you," rejoined John Ames. "You've got to remember that a man like
Madula wants some humouring. He was a bigwig here before either you or
I held our commissions in this country, possibly before we had,
practically, ever heard of it. Now, for my part, I always try and bear
that in mind when dealing with the old-time indunas, and I'm confident
it pays."

"Oh, you go on the coddling plan," was the thoug