e
attention of the whole camp was arrested.

"No!" replied Frizzyhead, still more energetically, "ob no use at all.
We could govern ourselves betterer, so what de use of 'um? The chief
'ums fat an' hab plenty wife, but we, who do all de hard work, hab
hunger, an' only one wife, prehaps none at all. Dis is bad, unjust,
wrong."

There was a general shout of "eehee!" from all quarters, which was
equivalent to our "hear, hear."

"'Oo know noting at all," retorted Flatnose, who was a loyal subject.
"Is not de chief de fader of de peepil? Can dere be peepil widout a
fader--eh? God made de chief--who says dat chief is not wise? He _is_
wise, but um's child'n am big fools!"

Kambira nodded his head and smiled at this, and there was a general
inclination on the part of most of the audience to applaud, for there,
as elsewhere, men have a tendency to be blown about by every wind of
doctrine.

It was amusing to observe the earnestness and freedom with which men of
the lowest grade assaulted the opinions of their betters on this
occasion. Unable at other times, or in any other way, to bring
themselves into importance, they were glad of the opportunity to do so
with their tongues, and, like their civilised types, they assumed an air
of mock modesty.

"Oh!" cried one of these, in reply to Flatnose, "we is littil infants;
we is still holdin' on to de boosums ob our moders; we not able to walk
alone; we knows notin' at all; but on _dis_ point, we knows that you old
men speak like de ignorint peepil. We nebber hear such nonsense--
nebber!"

No notice was taken of this, but Frizzyhead, whose passion was rising to
white heat in consequence of the glibness of his opponent's tongue,
cried out--"'Oo cannot prove wat 'ou says?"

"Oh yes, can prove it well 'nuff," replied Flatnose, "but 'oos no' got
brain for onerstand."

This last was too much for poor Frizzyhead, who leaped up, stuttered,
and cried--"Can 'oo outrun me, then?"

"Ye--ye--yes!" gasped Flatnose, springing up.

Away they went like two hunted springboks, and ran for a mile, then
turned and came back into camp streaming with perspiration, little
Frizzyhead far ahead of the big man, and rejoicing in the fact that he
could beat his opponent in a race, if not in an argument. Thus was
peace restored. Pity that civilised arguments cannot be terminated in
the same way!

While these discussions were going on, Disco observed that hyenas were
occasionally to be see