KIKONTO’S WILES 
173 
the two boys on each side of Franz, who caught him under the 
arms, and piloted him over the river, clothes, gun, and all. As 
soon as they landed, they continued running, but finding no one 
following, they stopped, and showered terms of opprobrium and 
challenges on their pursuers, who now disappeared amongst the 
trees and bushes. 
Things were beginning to look warm for us, and we listened 
with a good deal of interest to what Franz had to relate when 
he reached camp. It appears that, when he got near Kikonto’s 
kraal, his suspicions were aroused by finding about three hundred 
natives assembled in war council, sitting, some armed with bows 
and arrows, and the others with assegais and sticks, in the 
usual circle, while Kikonto and two other head men, unarmed, 
were in the centre, talking excitedly to the warriors. They 
spoke in a dialect our boys did not understand, but the situation 
was clear enough to convince him that an attack on us was 
intended. Franz, who carried his rifle, a weapon the natives 
are in much dread of, approached to within a hundred yards, 
and called out to Kikonto to come out, as he wished to speak to 
him. Kikonto answered that Franz must come into the circle 
to consult with him, to which demand Franz answered by 
ostentatiously loading his rifle; he knew his own running 
powers excelled those of most natives, and felt that, with 
the start he had, they could not easily catch him. Kikonto 
then said he was going to fetch some beer for Franz, and then 
went amongst the huts, from whence Franz soon detected him 
emerging on the other side, armed with an assegai, and trying 
to crawl unseen along a fence, or hedge, in his direction. Franz 
told the boys to shout out that he would shoot with his gun 
any one who attempted to approach him, and then backed off, 
facing the crowd, until he got another fifty yards or so, and then 
trusting to his speed, turned and ran, accompanied by the two 
boys. As soon as they started, the whole crowd of natives 
jumped up with a great yell and gave chase, and Franz said 
that, hearing the noise, he ‘ looped lat de stoff so trek ’—ran that 
the dust whirled again, but finding that he distanced his com- 
