46 SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN 



before puttincr it back. He and Colenbrander had 

 proceeded only about two hundred yards when a 

 messenger from the King hastened after, summon- 

 ing them back to the kraal. It appeared that one 

 of the witch doctors, who had been watching opera- 

 tions, imagined, or chose to believe, that the case 

 contained a pistol and that Sitwell had actually 

 pointed it at Lobengula. Mr Colenbrander had a 

 difficult job to persuade the King to the contrary, 

 and the last words old Loben said were : " If the 

 white man had presented a pistol I would have 

 made a dust round the white man's kraal." In 

 fact, all the whites would have been killed, and 

 the rebellion that broke out some eigrhteen months 

 later would have been precipitated. This incident 

 was not made light of when Colenbrander reported 

 our visit at Bulawayo, and the result of that report 

 by no means lightened the responsibility that I 

 undertook, first of all, in taking over command 

 of the corps, and in the next place, leaving the 

 command of it to an officer who was not what 

 was called "Imperial." This officer was Captain 

 the Hon. Charles, son of the present veteran Earl 

 of Coventry, a most gallant gentleman, who has 

 had the unique experience of seeing the inside 

 of a Boer gaol, as well as a Turkish one. It will 

 be remembered that Captain Coventry was taken 

 prisoner along with several squadrons of mounted 



