THE LOST SAFARI. 271 



brilliant scarf, as if for zero weather ; although 

 dressed otherwise in the usual pongee. Under 

 one arm he carried a folded clumsy cotton 

 umbrella ; around his waist he had belted a huge 

 knife ; in his other hand he carried his battle-axe. 

 I mean just that his battle-axe. We had seen 

 such things on tapestries or in museums, but did 

 not dream that they still existed out of captivity. 

 This was an Oriental looking battle-axe with a 

 handle three feet long, a spike on top, a spike 

 out behind, and a half-moon blade in front. The 

 babu had with a little of his signal paint done 

 the whole thing, blade and all, to a brilliant 

 window- shutter green. 



As soon as we had recovered our breath, we 

 asked him very politely the reason for these stu- 

 pendous preparations. It seemed that it was his 

 habit to take a daily stroll just before sunset, 

 " for the sake of the health," as he told us in 

 his accurate English. 



" The bush is full of bad men," he explained, 

 " who would like to kill me ; but when they see 

 this axe and this knife they say to each other, 

 1 There walks a very bad man. We dare not 

 kiU him.' " 



He marched very solemnly a quarter-mile up the 

 track and back, always in plain view. Promptly 



