the
woman--if I were in your shoes I would steal a march on her. I
wouldn't be surprised if your licenses and ammunition permits were here
at the hotel by ten tomorrow morning. I see they've sent your guns
already. Well, there's a train for Nairobi tomorrow noon, and not
another for three days. I'd take tomorrow's train if I were you. I
always find in going anywhere the start's the principal thing. You'll
go?"

"We will," we answered, one after the other.

"Good night, then, boys; I'll be going."

But we walked with him down to his hotel--I, and I think the others,
full to the teeth with the pleasure of knowing him, as well as of envy
of his scars, his five or six South African campaigns, his adventures,
and (by no means least) his unblemished record as a gentleman. Merely
a little bit of a man with a limp, but better than a thousand men who
lacked his gentleness.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE NJO HAPA SONG

Delights--ah, Ten are the dear delights (and the Book
forbids them, one by one)--
The broad old roads of a thousand loves--back turned to the
Law--the lawless fun--
Old Arts for new--old hours reborn--and who shall mourn
when the sands have run?

I was old when they told the Syren Tales
(All ears were open then!)
And the harps were afire with plucked desire
For the white ash oars again--
For oars and sail, and the open sea,
High prow against pure blue,
The good sea spray on eye and lip,
The thrumming hemp, the rise and dip,
The plunge and the roll of a driven ship
As the old course boils anew!

Sweetly I call, the captains come. The home ties draw at
hearts in vain.
Potent the spell of Africa! Who East and South the course
has ta'en
By Guardafui to Zanzibar may go, but he, shall come again.

Courtney proved better than his word. Our Big Game Licenses arrived
after breakfast, and permits for five hundred rounds of rifle
ammunition each. In an envelope in addition was Fred's check with the
collector's compliments and the request that we kindly call and pay for
the licenses. In other words we now had absolution.

We called, and were received as fellow men, such was the genius of
Courtney's friendship. A railway man looked in. The collector's dim
office became awake with jokes and laughter.

"Going up today?" he asked. "I'll see you get berths on the train."