many ants, and dashed the lot into
Wyvern's face. A howl of glee went up as, stung by the venomous bites
of the insects, the victim instinctively started, and his powerful
convulsive efforts to burst his bonds produced a perfectly exquisite
degree of amusement. In fact it suggested a new form of preliminary
fun. Handfuls of the ants, and dust, were gathered, and placed within
the clothing of the sufferers.

Their position was undignified, ignominious. To both of them this
consideration occurred.

"Keep it up, Joe," said Wyvern, with an effort refraining from wincing
under the abominable pain of the stings. "Here we are trussed up like a
pair of damned fowls, but we needn't howl out just yet. Suppose that'll
come later."

Their fortitude seemed to impress the savages. They stared in wonder,
reduced to a temporary silence. Then as the clamour broke out afresh,
that it was time to begin on the real horror, an interruption occurred.

At first it took the form of a weird, long-drawn sort of chant, drawing
nearer and nearer. The Zulus, whose attention had been concentrated on
the two captives now turned it in this direction.

"_Whau_!" they cried. "It is the Snake-Doctor!"

In silence now they stood, as the sound approached, then divided, giving
way to a tall and terrible figure which strode down the lane thus
opened. For the limbs and body of this weird being were alive with
hissing snakes, whose horrible heads and waving necks started forth from
him in every attitude and at every angle, while scarcely anything could
be seen of him for the moving, glistening coils but his face. And that
face! The fell ferocity of it no description could adequately convey,
and to complete its horror it was deeply pitted with small pox.

In awed silence the warriors stood while this dreadful being moved
between their ranks. Of them however it took no notice but advanced
straight to the two helpless white men. And Wyvern, for all the strain
of the peril he was in, was lost in wonder at the sight, for this was
the third time he had gazed on this apparition. The first was on the
occasion of the slaughter of the sheep, the second in the moonlit
wildness of the Third Kloof, and now--here. What did it mean? Could it
be that these people had real powers of witchcraft, or, as some
believed, held real communication with the demon world? It really began
to look as if such might be the case. How had this one escaped what
seem