oo flung herself at his feet, and appeared to
weep and implore his protection, while he wrung his hands as though in
doubt and tribulation of mind. At length he summoned the messengers to
draw near, and addressed them, while Maiwa sobbed very realistically at
his side.

"'Wambe is a great chief,' said Nala, 'and this woman is his wife, whom
he has a right to claim. She must return to him, but her feet are sore
with walking, she cannot come now. In eight days from this day she shall
be delivered at the kraal of Wambe; I will send her with a party of my
men. As for the white hunter and his men, I have nought to do with them,
and cannot answer for their misdeeds. They have wandered hither unbidden
by me, and I will deliver them back whence they came, that Wambe may
judge them according to his law; they shall be sent with the girl. For
you, go your ways. Food shall be given you without the kraal, and a
present for Wambe in atonement of the ill-doing of my daughter. I have
spoken.'

"At first the heralds seemed inclined to insist upon Maiwa's
accompanying them then and there, but on being shown the swollen
condition of her feet, ultimately they gave up the point and departed.

"When they were well out of the way I emerged from the hut, and we went
on to discuss the situation and make our plans. First of all, as I was
careful to explain to Nala, I was not going to give him my experience
and services for nothing. I heard that Wambe had a stockade round
his kraal made of elephant tusks. These tusks, in the event of our
succeeding in the enterprise, I should claim as my perquisite, with the
proviso that Nala should furnish me with men to carry them down to the
coast.

"To this modest request Nala and the head men gave an unqualified and
hearty assent, the more hearty perhaps because they never expected to
get the ivory.

"The next thing I stipulated was, that if we conquered, the white man
John Every should be handed over to me, together with any goods which he
might claim. His cruel captivity was, I need hardly say, the only reason
that induced me to join in so hair-brained an expedition, but I was
careful from motives of policy to keep this fact in the background.
Nala accepted this condition. My third stipulation was that no women
or children should be killed. This being also agreed to, we went on to
consider ways and means. Wambe, it appeared, was a very powerful petty
chief, that is, he could put at least six thousand