a good one, for the bullet struck the lioness in the back of the neck just forward of and between the shoulders, severing the spine so that without a sound or any further movement she sank stone dead upon the prostrate cannibal.  For a while his followers stood astonished.  They might have heard of guns from the coast people, but living as they did in the interior where white folk did not dare to travel, they had never seen their terrible effects.

“Magic!” they cried.  “Magic!”

“Of course,” exclaimed Jeekie, who by now had arrived upon the scene.  “What else did you expect from the husband of Little Bonsa?  Magic, the greatest of magic.  Go, roll that beast away before your chief is crushed to death.”

They obeyed, and the man sat up, a fearful spectacle, for he was smothered with the blood of the lion and somewhat cut by her claws, though otherwise unhurt.  Then feeling that the life was still whole in him, he crept on his hands and knees to where Alan stood, and kissed his feet.

“Aha!” said Jeekie, “Little Bonsa score again.  Cannibal tribe our slave henceforth for evermore.  Yes, till kingdom come.  Come on, Major, and cook supper in perfect peace.”

The supper was cooked and eaten with gratitude, for seldom had two men needed a square meal more, and never did venison taste better.  By the time that it was finished darkness had fallen, and before they turned in to sleep in the neat reed hut that the Ogula had built, Alan and Jeekie walked up the island to see if the lioness had been skinned, as they directed.  This they found was done; even the carcase itself had been removed to serve as meat for these foul-feeding people.  They climbed on to the pile of rocks in which the beast had made her lair, and looked down the river to where, two hundred yards away, the Ogula were encamped.  From this camp there rose a sound of revelry, and by the light of the great fires that burned there, they perceived that the hungry savages were busy feasting, for some of them sat in circles, whilst others, their naked forms looking at that distance like those of imps in the infernal regions, flitted to and fro against the glowing background of the fires, bearing strange-looking joints on prongs of wood.

“I suppose they are eating the lioness,” said Alan doubtfully.

“No, no, Major, not lioness; eat dwarf by dozen—­just like oysters at seaside.  But for Little Bonsa we sit on those forks now and look uncommon small.”

“Beasts!” said Alan in disgust; “they make me feel uncommon sick.  Let us go to bed.  I suppose they won’t murder us in our sleep, will they?”

“Not they, Major, too much afraid.  Also we their blood-brothers now, because we bring them first-class dinner and save chief from lion’s fury.  No blame them too much, Major, good fellows really with gentle heart, but grub like that from generation to generation.  Every mother’s son of them have many men inside, that why they so big and strong.  Ogula people cover great multitude like Charity in Book.  No doubt sent by Providence to keep down extra pop’lation.  Not right to think too hard of poor fellows who, as I say, very kind and gentle at heart and most loving in family relation, except to old women whom they eat also, so that they no get bored with too long life.”