men were approaching the camp; and upon turning out to
investigate, they saw that this was indeed the case, the new arrivals
being in number about a hundred, and apparently a party of soldiery, all
being attired alike in a sort of uniform consisting of a sleeveless
white tunic girt about the waist with a belt, and buskins reaching
halfway to the knee; their heads were bare, save for a thick mop of
black hair, arranged in curls which reached to the shoulders; and each
man was armed with a long lance, or spear, and a shield, or target,
similar to those seen on the previous day. They advanced in single file
and close order, and appeared to be under the command of a man who wore
a feather head-dress, whose tunic was adorned with a pattern round the
hem and armholes, worked in what looked like crimson braid, upon which
were sewn close together a large number of small circular disks of
polished yellow metal which had the appearance of being made of brass,
or, maybe, gold.

"Ah," ejaculated Grosvenor, as he stood watching their approach, "my
fears have materialised, you see, Dick! Those fellows have undoubtedly
been dispatched to conduct us back to the frontier and see us safely out
of the country; and here ends my longcherished hope of making the
acquaintance of this mysterious white race. It is horribly
exasperating, especially after we have actually reached their country,
and seen for ourselves that such a people really exists."

"Um!" retorted Dick. "Yes, it is undoubtedly provoking, as you say.
But I hope nothing worse is going to happen than what you anticipate. I
must confess that I do not altogether like the appearance of things in
general, and the expression upon the countenances of those fellows in
particular. I seem to detect indications of a cold-blooded, relentless
ferocity that would cause them to convert our bodies into pincushions
for those spears of theirs with as little compunction as you would
impale a rare moth upon a cork with a pin. But whatever may be their
intentions with regard to us, we must rigidly adhere to our usual
principle of showing no fear and offering no resistance. Probably if we
follow this plan they will not kill us on the spot; and while there is
life there is hope and the possibility that chance may turn in our
favour. Anyway, whatever may happen to us, I hope that they will spare
the blacks. Possibly they may make slaves of us all. Well, we shall
soon know the worst, for her