BLACKMAIL 33 



What did we want in his country, and what were we 

 prepared to pay to pass through ? The size of our 

 caravan and the number of our men evidently impressed 

 him with an idea of our wealth, and as he sat drinkino- 



o 



coftee and impartially squirting tobacco juice all round 

 him, it was clear that he was discussing with his followers 

 the value of our goods, and for how much they thought 

 we could be squeezed. He insisted that next day we 

 should move nearer to his village, so that he might bring 

 us goats and milk, and do us honour. Finally, saying it 

 was late, he got up to leave, and remarked that he would 

 wait for his present till we had unpacked our loads on 

 the morrow, but would like to take away with him a 

 couple of silk dresses for his two men, so that he might 

 show his people what great strangers were visiting his 

 country. We said it was a good idea, and gave him a 

 couple of calico prints on account. 



While all this was going on, I was overhauling my 

 .256, and found that the great heat had shrunk the wood 

 of the fore -end, thereby drawing down the barrel and 

 of course making the rifle shoot very low. By filing 

 the fasteners and cutting away the wood, wherever it 

 caught the fittings under the barrel, I brought the muzzle 

 back to the right level. This had happened to me once 

 before during the hot weather in the Central Provinces of 

 India. So it is worth bearing in mind, that the fasteners 

 to a long fore-end of a single-barrel rifle should have 

 plenty of play. Presently W. came in to tea and 

 reported that he and his men had almost got up to a 

 lesser kudu, when some Oderali people saw them and 

 at once commenced shouting. W. was naturally furious, 



