you must, Baas, like the rest of us," it was to be devoted to furnishing
poor black people in hospital with something comforting to drink instead
of the "cow's water" that was given to them there. Needless to say
I turned him out at once, and that testamentary deposition remained
unrecorded. Indeed it was unnecessary, since, as I reminded him, on my
advice he had already made a will before we left Durban, a circumstance
that he had quite forgotten.

The second event, which occurred about an hour before our departure,
was, that hearing a mighty wailing in the market-place where once Hans
and I had been tied to stakes to be shot to death with arrows, I went
out to see what was the matter. At the gateway I was greeted by the
sight of about a hundred old women plastered all over with ashes,
engaged in howling their loudest in a melancholy unison. Behind these
stood the entire population of Beza-Town, who chanted a kind of chorus.

"What the devil are they doing?" I asked of Hans.

"Singing our death-song, Baas," he replied stolidly, "as they say that
where we are going no one will take the trouble to do so, and it is
not right that great lords should die and the heavens above remain
uninformed that they are coming."

"That's cheerful," I remarked, and wheeling round, asked Ragnall
straight out if he wished to persevere in this business, for to tell the
truth my nerve was shaken.

"I must," he answered simply, "but there is no reason why you and Hans
should, or Savage either for the matter of that."