dead, skinned,
and jointed. The best of the meat was then cut off for us, and the
rest, in the name of our party, I presented to the warriors round us,
who took it and distributed the "white lords' gift."

Umbopa set to work, with the assistance of an extremely prepossessing
young woman, to boil our portion in a large earthenware pot over a fire
which was built outside the hut, and when it was nearly ready we sent a
message to Infadoos, and asked him and Scragga, the king's son, to join
us.

Presently they came, and sitting down upon little stools, of which
there were several about the hut, for the Kukuanas do not in general
squat upon their haunches like the Zulus, they helped us to get through
our dinner. The old gentleman was most affable and polite, but it
struck me that the young one regarded us with doubt. Together with the
rest of the party, he had been overawed by our white appearance and by
our magic properties; but it seemed to me that, on discovering that we
ate, drank, and slept like other mortals, his awe was beginning to wear
off, and to be replaced by a sullen suspicion--which made me feel
rather uncomfortable.

In the course of our meal Sir Henry suggested to me that it might be
well to try to discover if our hosts knew anything of his brother's
fate, or if they had ever seen or heard of him; but, on the whole, I
thought that it would be wiser to say nothing of the matter at this
time. It was difficult to explain a relative lost from "the Stars."

After supper we produced our pipes and lit them; a proceeding which
filled Infadoos and Scragga with astonishment. The Kukuanas were
evidently unacquainted with the divine delights of tobacco-smoke. The
herb is grown among them extensively; but, like the Zulus, they use it
for snuff only, and quite failed to identify it in its new form.

Presently I asked Infadoos when we were to proceed on our journey, and
was delighted to learn that preparations had been made for us to leave
on the following morning, messengers having already departed to inform
Twala the king of our coming.

It appeared that Twala was at his principal place, known as Loo, making
ready for the great annual feast which was to be held in the first week
of June. At this gathering all the regiments, with the exception of
certain detachments left behind for garrison purposes, are brought up
and paraded before the king; and the great annual witch-hunt, of which
more by-and-by, is held.

We