air by which the kaffir manages to suggest a kind of 

 fatalist resignation or indifference touched with disgust. 

 There was something wrong ; so I rode past without 

 stopping one learns from them to find out how 

 the land lies before doing anything. 



It was a bad story, almost as bad as one would think 

 possible where civilised beings are concerned. Jim's 

 own story lacked certain details of which he was 

 necessarily ignorant, it also omitted the fact that 

 had been drunk ; but in the main it was quite true. 



This is what happened, as gleaned from several 

 sources : several days after our departure Jim went down 

 to the store again and raised some liquor ; he was not 

 fighting, but he was noisy, and was the centre of a 

 small knot of shouting, arguing boys near the store 

 when Seedling returned after a two days' absence. 

 No doubt it was unfortunate that the very first thing 

 he saw on his return was the boy who had defied 

 him and who was the cause of his humiliation ; 

 and that that boy should by his behaviour give the 

 slenderest excuse for interference was in the last degree 

 unlucky. Seedling's mind was made up from the 

 moment he set eyes on Jim. Throwing the reins 

 over his horse's head he walked into the excited 

 gabbling knot, all unconscious of his advent, and laid 

 about him with the sjambok, scattering and silencing 

 them instantly ; he then took Jim by the wrist saying, 

 " I want you " ; he called to one of his own boys 

 to bring a reim, and leading Jim over to the side of 

 the store tied him up to the horse rail with arms at 

 full stretch. Taking out his knife he cut the boy's 

 405 



