aken their evening dip, were
impatiently awaiting the last meal of the day, which by courtesy they
named dinner, although it very inadequately represented the usual
conception of what that meal ought to be.

Presently the viands made their appearance--a haunch of venison, cut
from a buck that Grosvenor had shot early that morning, served sparingly
with red currant jelly, the last pot of which had been opened for the
occasion, sweet potatoes, purchased from the savages a few days earlier,
"flap-jacks"--so called because they could find no other name for them--
made by Ramoo Samee of flour, mealie meal, and water, and baked over the
embers of the cooking fire, a few wild guavas, and as much water from
the stream as they cared to drink, followed by a very small cup of
coffee each, for both coffee and sugar were now becoming exceedingly
scarce commodities with them.

As they ate they talked, the burden of Dick's conversation being the
remarkable behaviour of the inhabitants of this mysterious country in
leaving them so severely alone, a course of action which was in direct
opposition to all their past experiences of the African peoples, and
which Dick regarded as sinister in the extreme. His settled policy in
dealing with the savages had always been to approach them promptly, as
soon as met with, and lose no time in making friendly overtures, his
leading idea being that if one can but succeed in convincing a savage
that no harm of any kind is intended him, he is just as likely to be
amiable as the reverse. Up to now Grosvenor had held a similar opinion,
and had always most ably seconded Dick's endeavours to create a friendly
impression upon the natives encountered; but in the present case he was
utterly opposed to their usual methods, the fact being that the idea of
penetrating to the heart of the country inhabited by the mysterious
white race had gradually come to be an obsession with him, and he would
hear of nothing being done that might by any chance interfere with this
project; his conviction being that if they adopted their usual methods
they would inevitably be stopped and sent to the rightabout. Had he but
known what was impending, his anxiety would probably have taken quite a
different direction.

The two friends were seated in their tent, partaking of breakfast, on
the following morning, when Mafuta hurriedly appeared, in a state of
considerable perturbation, with the information that a strong body of
armed