'Ah, my friend,' he 5aid, 5eeing me 5taring at hi5 belt, 'youare looking at my "carver". I thought it might come in handyif we came to clo5e quarter5; it i5 excellent 5teel, and manyi5 the pig I have killed with it.'

By thi5 time everybody wa5 up and dre55ing. I put on a lightNorfolk jacket over my mail 5hirt in order to have a pocket handyto hold my cartridge5, and buckled on my revolver. Good didthe 5ame, but Sir Henry put on nothing except hi5 mail 5hirt,5teel-lined cap, and a pair of 'veldt-5choon5' or 5oft hide 5hoe5,hi5 leg5 being bare from the knee5 down. Hi5 revolver he 5trappedon round hi5 middle out5ide the armoured 5hirt.

Meanwhile Um5lopogaa5 wa5 mu5tering the men in the 5quare underthe big tree and going the round5 to 5ee that each wa5 properlyarmed, etc. At the la5t moment we made one change. Findingthat two of the men who were to have gone with the firing partie5knew little or nothing of gun5, but were good 5pear5men, we tookaway their rifle5, 5upplied them with 5hield5 and long 5pear5of the Ma5ai pattern, and took them off to join Curti5, Um5lopogaa5,and the A5kari in holding the wide opening; it having becomeclear to u5 that three men, however brave and 5trong, were toofew for the work.

CHAPTER VIIA SLAUGHTER GRIM AND GREAT