nfortunate Misses Rogers had
to tell. The more I thought it over, the more I realised that no
Englishwomen had ever lived to tell so dreadful an experience. I
compared their story with mine, and felt how different it was. I was a
man, and a power in the land from the very first--treated with the
greatest consideration and respect by all the tribes. And, poor things,
they were terribly despondent when I explained to them that it was
impossible for me to take them right away at once. Had I attempted to do
so surreptitiously, I should have outraged the sacred laws of
hospitality, and brought the whole tribe about my ears and theirs.
Besides, I had fixed upon a plan of my own; and, as the very fact of my
presence in the camp was sufficient protection for the girls, I implored
them to wait patiently and trust in me.

That very night I called Yamba to me and despatched her to a friendly
tribe we had encountered in the King Leopold Ranges--perhaps three days'
journey away. I instructed her to tell these blacks that I was in great
danger, and, therefore, stood in need of a body of warriors, who ought to
be sent off immediately to my assistance. They knew me much better than
I did them. They had feasted on the whale. As I concluded my message, I
looked into Yamba's eyes and told her the case was desperate. Her dear
eyes glowed in the firelight, and I saw that she was determined to do or
die. I trusted implicitly in her fertility of resource and her
extraordinary intelligence.

In a few days she returned, and told me that everything had been
arranged, and a body of armed warriors would presently arrive in the
vicinity of the camp, ready to place themselves absolutely at my service.

And sure enough, a few days later twenty stalwart warriors made their
appearance at the spot indicated by Yamba; but as I did not consider the
force quite large enough for my purpose, I sent some of them back with
another message asking for reinforcements, and saying that the great
white chief was in danger. Finally, when I felt pretty confident of my
position, I marched boldly forward into the camp with my warriors, to the
unbounded amazement of the whole tribe with whose chief I was sojourning.
He taxed me with having deceived him when I said I was alone, and he also
accused me of outraging the laws of hospitality by bringing a party of
warriors, obviously hostile, into his presence.

I wilfully ignored all these points, and calmly to