PAUL ATTACKED BY WOMEN 299 
state of agitation, and, calling Stremboom to bis assistance, 
implored me to send over Paul, otherwise I should greatly anger 
the king, who was already indignant at the attitude I had taken 
up, and this might have consequences none of us could foresee. 
Stremboom advised me also to act as Mashabie desired, and said 
that he knew the temper of the king would induce him to send 
over a couple of armed men who would simply shoot Paul where 
he stood without further question if I held out any longer. 
Here was a nice dilemma, and the reasoning of Stremboom had 
such a ring of probability in it, that there was only one loophole 
for Paul. Pretending therefore to yield more to Mashabie’s 
desires than to the orders of the king, and knowing he had 
great power in the council, I made him promise me faithfully 
that if Paul went, he would personally see that his life was 
spared. With this promise I told Paul to go, and cheerfully, 
even laughingly, he accompanied Mashabie to the canoe, and 
crossed the stream dividing Stremboom’s huts from the town. 
Hammar and I spent a very anxious two hours watching for 
the return of our men, and at last descried Styrman supporting 
Paul, alive, and advancing towards the drift. The women had so 
maltreated poor Paul on the way back from the Kodthla that he 
arrived more dead than alive, bleeding from numberless little 
wounds they had inflicted on him with their blunt knives, and 
some sharp-pointed sticks, and everything else convenient they 
could get hold of to attack him with. 
It transpired that Paul was actually condemned to death for 
having slit ears before he arrived there, but Mashabie had 
exerted himself to such good purpose that he got Paul off, and 
told him to go home. Styrman, as we anticipated, had already 
satisfied the Kodthla of his nationality, and luckily was free 
when Paul arrived; for when Paul was acquitted the news spread 
like wildfire in the village, and many women, who, by the way ? 
are remarkably privileged in their actions on the Matabele 
question, ran out and had a dig at poor Paul, whom Styrman pro¬ 
tected to the utmost of his ability, thereby drawing several ugly 
wounds from knives and many maledictions upon himself for 
