116 THE OUT- STATION ; OR, 



ever, soon dispelled by the Native beginning a most 

 lugubrious tale, that I had killed his only buffalo, the 

 support of himself and family, with a long rigmarole 

 of its genealogy, &c. 



It was in vain I explained to him I had shot the brute 

 to save my life ; nothing would do but he must have 

 twenty rix- dollars for the executed hope of the family, 

 which of course I as strenuously resisted, and, to cut 

 the matter short, trudged off as fast as I could. 



The fellows followed me, however, and by their yel- 

 lings had congregated the population of every village 

 (one would imagine from the numbers) within a dozen 

 miles ; when finding they were now about two hundred 

 to one, they took courage and stopped me. 



Seeing that further resistance would only result 

 in being thrown into the river adjoining, or mur- 

 dered by the ruffians, I gave the Chief what money I 

 had in my pocket, amounting to six or seven rix- 

 dollars (a rix -dollar being one shilling and six- 

 pence), but this would not satisfy the fellow, so he 

 proposed taking my gun till I redeemed it by paying 

 the remaining seven dollars. This also I was forced 

 to agree to, and then proceeded homewards as fast as 

 possible the safety valves of my temper, too, being 

 " tied down," gave a stronger impetus to my pro- 

 gress. 



As soon as I reached the bungalow, I threw the 

 saddle across my horse, and in less than two hours 

 had armed myself with a warrant from the nearest 



