AN UNLUCKY BLOW. 465 



fellow, he knocked down two or three of them, 

 and had drawn his knife upon Tom Dick, whom 

 he was upon the point of stabbing, when T 

 stepped up and struck him a heavy blow with my 

 fist just below the breast-bone, which felled him. 

 There he lay for a moment, until my people lifted 

 him up and began to tie his arms, when, heaving 

 two or three gasps, he stretched out his limbs con- 

 vulsively, blood and froth came from his mouth, 

 and in less than two minutes he was dead. The 

 people stood aghast, for they thought I had killed 

 him by magic ; but I felt sorry that he had died by y 

 my hand, although he amply deserved his fate, for 

 he had killed a great many people besides my 

 Bekelai, and was the terror of the place. As he 

 was supposed to be possessed of a powerful fetish, 

 all the surrounding villagers were afraid of med- 

 dling with him ; and I heard that, only a week 

 before I killed him, he had accused three men of 

 witchcraft, and made them go through the red 

 water ordeal, when one of the number was 

 murdered, and he claimed his wives and property. 

 The poor Bekelai soon became insensible, and 

 2h 



