AX AT^^B:WARD PREDICAMENT. 179 



took the salutation in very bad part, and with 

 quite a changed face came straight at me with 

 his knife out. I began to think I was in for 

 an awkward business, but the sight of my 

 revolver kept him off for a time, and when the 

 rest of the men came back, he was cowed and 

 cooled down. If there had been a few of his 

 companions near when the quarrel took place, 

 I should probably never have come back to 

 tell the tale, and it would have served me very 

 well right. I have no sympathy with people 

 who can't keep their tempers and put up with 

 the rough manners of uncivilised men. I 

 suppose the supper with the priest's wife at 

 Etseri had disagreed with me. Biliousness and 

 irritability are generally synonymous terms. 



Towards evening; the villas^ers be2:an to 

 return, and I soon had men enough around 

 me and my bearskin. The letter from their 

 prince was a good introduction to them, but 

 the fresh trophy and the story of the two long 

 N 2 



