ll do as thou sayest!" exclaimed the king. "Mapela,
give orders that the smellers-out be brought before me."

Some ten minutes later the subordinate witch doctors, or "smellers-out",
were called together and drawn up before the king, when, prompted by me,
Mapela subjected the wretches to a searching cross-examination, with the
result that my surmise was completely confirmed. It is not easy to
shock a savage, but there could be no doubt that when the investigation
was finished Lomalindela was shocked, not so much at the fact that a
great deal of innocent blood had been shed, but that so many of his most
loyal and devoted indunas had been removed, and could therefore no
longer exercise their loyalty and fidelity on his behalf; and no one
knows better than a savage autocrat the value of true loyalty and
fidelity. He was distinctly perturbed at the disquieting thoughts that
came crowding into his mind; and it was characteristic of him that he
seemed more than half-inclined to blame me for what had happened--on the
principle, I suppose, that but for me he would have known nothing about
it, and would consequently have escaped the perturbation and disquiet
which resulted from the revelation. At all events, when the revelation
was complete, it was upon me that he turned, demanding sharply:

"And now, Chia'gnosi, having revealed the evil, reveal also the remedy."

"That, O Great, Great One, is easy," I replied. "Let there be no more
smelling out, and there will be no more mistakes."

"No more smelling out?" he repeated. "Then how shall those who meditate
evil against me be found?"

"They will not need to be found," I replied; "for if such there be, rest
assured that they will betray themselves, even as Machenga betrayed
himself to me. I repeat, let there be no more smelling out; but if any
man be discovered meditating evil, let his accusers bring him before
thee and bear witness against him, and if he be found guilty, let him
suffer."

The king meditated upon this proposition at considerable length, and
asked a multitude of questions before he appeared able to grasp the idea
fully; but finally he seemed to apprehend my plan, and graciously
announced his willingness to consider it. The "smelling out" function
was thus brought to a somewhat premature conclusion--to the obvious
relief of everybody except perhaps Lomalindela himself--and the troops
were dismissed. But when I, too hastily assuming that everything was
o