whom thou didst rightly slay, who put it into their evil hearts to
hot-pot him. Well, they will have their reward. Better for them would it
be if they had never seen the light than that they should stand before
_She_ in her terrible anger. Happy are those of them who died by your
hands."

"Ah," he went on, "it was a gallant fight that ye fought. Knowest thou
that, long-armed old baboon that thou art, thou hast crushed in the ribs
of those two who are laid out there as though they were but as the shell
on an egg? And the young one, the lion, it was a beautiful stand that
he made--one against so many--three did he slay outright, and that one
there"--and he pointed to a body that was still moving a little--"will
die anon, for his head is cracked across, and others of those who are
bound are hurt. It was a gallant fight, and thou and he have made a
friend of me by it, for I love to see a well-fought fray. But tell me,
my son, the baboon--and now I think of it thy face, too, is hairy, and
altogether like a baboon's--how was it that ye slew those with a hole in
them?--Ye made a noise, they say, and slew them--they fell down on the
faces at the noise?"

I explained to him as well as I could, but very shortly--for I was
terribly wearied, and only persuaded to talk at all through fear
of offending one so powerful if I refused to do so--what were the
properties of gunpowder, and he instantly suggested that I should
illustrate what I said by operating on the person of one of the
prisoners. One, he said, never would be counted, and it would not only
be very interesting to him, but would give me the opportunity of an
instalment of revenge. He was greatly astounded when I told him that it
was not our custom to avenge ourselves in cold blood, and that we left
vengeance to the law and a higher power, of which he knew nothing. I