ould then be proved.

"If we succeed we shall have performed a very good work," said Charley,
laughing, as we returned to our hut.

Next morning the whole tribe was collected, and the accused persons
brought forward. The bowl was handed round among them. No one to whom
it was offered dared refuse to drink from it, although the distortions
of their countenances showed the alarm under which they laboured. The
king, who had been brought out to witness the ceremony on a litter, sat
by watching them, and expecting, perhaps, to see some of them drop down
dead.

To our surprise three or four of them appeared greatly agitated,
writhing about and making hideous faces, but we felt very sure that this
was the result of imagination; and even these soon recovered, while the
rest remained standing, and doing their best to smile and convince the
king and their friends of their innocence. The effect on King Quagomolo
was almost instantaneous, and before evening he declared himself
perfectly recovered. To prove this, he summoned his liege subjects to
attend a dance in honour of the event. No great preparations were
required, and that very evening was fixed for the event. The king's
wives, of whom he had no small number, and all the dames and damsels
from far and wide, came trooping in, and arranged themselves in the
large open space in the centre of the village. The men sat on the
opposite side, with a line of musicians in front. These were mostly
drummers, who beat their huge tom-toms with right good will, making the
most fearful and deafening din. Others had brass kettles, and others
hollow pieces of wood, which assisted greatly in the uproar; while at
the same time both men and women sang, shouted, and shrieked, until we,
who stood at a little distance off, could scarcely hear each other's
voices. The barbarous overture being brought to a conclusion, the king,
who had been seated amongst his wives, rose, and springing into the
centre of the circle, began snapping his fingers, twisting and turning
in all sorts of attitudes, leaping from the ground, kicking up one leg,
then another, and throwing his arms round until it appeared that he
would swing them off.

"Here am I, my friends," he shouted. "Once I was ill, now I am well;
and if our white friends here will stay with us, I never expect to be
ill again."

He danced and shouted until we thought he would have dropped. Presently
he managed to spring back, exhibiting t