106 
THE NEW AFRICA 
forth volumes of execration at us during the intervals of con¬ 
versation, that showed us it would be a most difficult task to 
convince them of our harmlessness. One fellow with a voice 
like a fog-horn kept bellowing forth rapid sentences, in which 
the word Amatabele struck us by its frequency, till we all 
laughed aloud at his fears, thereby only increasing their terror 
and the awkwardness of our position. 
Next day we paid the boys off, as there was no help for it. Of 
course, we could have insisted on their seeing us to Matam- 
banja’s before paying, but ye knew it was perfectly useless, as in 
any case they would return ; and if, on the other hand, they went 
back unpaid, it would make things very awkward for Westbeech 
and the Fathers at Panda Matenga, for it was principally owing to 
their influence and kindness that the boys were induced to accom¬ 
pany us at all, and besides, would give a bad name to any other 
strange white men coming into the country who might require 
boys. We gave each boy, besides his pay, several articles that, 
now no one was left to carry them, we would have to abandon as 
of no further use to us, hoping by liberality to get one or two of 
the better natured boys to remain. All to no purpose. Off they 
went as soon as the last had got his things together; and as 
they went off, three of our ten reserve boys who were to get 
guns, waxing faint-hearted, started off after them. Hastily 
opening a packet of gaudy woollen blankets, the like of which 
they had never seen before, we distributed them amongst our 
remaining seven boys, and told them to shout out that every 
boy returning should have such another one as a gift. This 
induced the three truants to return, and also Paul, with five 
other boys, joined us, making the total sixteen, and as we did 
not hand over the blankets till the following day, we had them 
safe. 
This point settled, and certain now that the worst was over, 
as the remaining sixteen boys dare not desert us for their own 
safety’s sake, as they were too small a party to risk the journey 
home by themselves, we turned our attention again to the men 
in the reeds, some of whom had been curiously watching our 
