, as he was most certainly a bully, and now I knew it. He
shivered, and drew his hand over his eyes.

'Nay, Baas,' he pleaded, 'it was but a joke. No harm shall come on you
to-day. But tomorrow--' and his ugly face grew more cheerful.

'To-morrow we shall see what we shall see,' I said stoically, and a
loud drum-beat sounded through the camp.

It was the signal for moving, for in the east a thin pale line of gold
was beginning to show over the trees. The bonds at my knees and ankles
were cut, and I was bundled on to the back of a horse. Then my feet
were strapped firmly below its belly. The bridle of my beast was tied
to 'Mwanga's, so that there was little chance of escape even if I had
been unshackled.

My thoughts were very gloomy. So far all had happened as I planned,
but I seemed to have lost my nerve, and I could not believe in my
rescue at the Letaba, while I thought of Inanda's Kraal with sheer
horror. Last night I had looked into the heart of darkness, and the
sight had terrified me. What part should I play in the great
purification? Most likely that of the Biblical scapegoat. But the
dolour of my mind was surpassed by the discomfort of my body. I was
broken with pains and weariness, and I had a desperate headache. Also,
before we had gone a mile, I began to think that I should split in two.
The paces of my beast were uneven, to say the best of it, and the
bump-bump was like being on the rack. I remembered that the saints of
the Covenant used to journey to prison this way, especially the great
Mr Peden, and I wondered how they liked it. When I hear of a man doing
a brave deed, I always want to discover whether at the time he was well
and comfortable in body. That, I am certain, is the biggest ingredient
in courage, and those who plan and execute great deeds in bodily
weakness have my homage as truly heroic. For myself, I had not the
spirit of a chicken as I jogged along at 'Mwanga's side. I wished he
would begin to insult me, if only to distract my mind, but he kept
obstinately silent. He was sulky, and I think rather afraid of me.

As the sun got up I could see something of the host around me. I am no
hand at guessing numbers, but I should put the fighting men I saw at
not less than twenty thousand. Every man of them was on this side his
prime, and all were armed with good rifles and bandoliers. There were
none of your old roers[1] and decrepit Enfields, which I had seen signs
of in Kaf