join in the hunt yourself?" "Of course" Said the prince "Do you think I
would leave you to wander alone in the middle of Africa, among all those
savage tribes, of whose language and customs you know nothing? No! No!
My dear Tartarin. I shall not leave you again. Wherever you go I shall
accompany you." "Oh!... prince!... prince!" And Tartarin clasped the
valiant Gregory in a warm embrace.




Chapter 27.

Very early the next morning the intrepid Tartarin and the no less
intrepid prince Gregory, followed by half a dozen negro porters, left
Milianah and descended towards the plain of the Chetiff by a steep
pathway, delightfully shaded by jasmine, carobs and wild olives, between
the hedges of little native gardens where a thousand bubbling springs
trickled melodiously from rock to rock, a veritable Eden.

Carrying as much in the way of arms as the great Tartarin, the prince
was further adorned by a magnificent and colourful kepi, covered with
gold braid and decorated with oak leaves embroidered in silver thread,
which gave his highness the appearance of a Mexican General, or a
Middle-European Station-Master. This fantastic kepi greatly intrigued
Tartarin and he asked humbly for an explanation.

"An indispensable form of headgear for the traveller in Africa." The
prince replied gravely; and while polishing the peak on his coat-sleeve
he instructed his innocent companion on the important role played by the
kepi in colonial administration, and the deference which its appearance