"Henry Hamilton Bones, sir," he said grandly. "The child of the regiment," he went on; "adopted by me to be a prop for my declining years, sir."
"Heaven and earth!" said Hamilton, breathlessly.
He went aft to recover his nerve, and returned to become an unseen spectator to a purely domestic scene, for Bones had immersed the squalling infant in his own india-rubber bath, and was gingerly cleaning him with a mop.
CHAPTER XI
BONES AT M'FA
Hamilton of the Houssas coming down to headquarters met Bosambo by appointment at the junction of the rivers.
"O Bosambo," said Hamilton, "I have sent for you to make a likambo because of certain things which my other eyes have seen and my other ears have heard."
To some men this hint of report from the spies of Government might bring dismay and apprehension, but to Bosambo, whose conscience was clear, they awakened only curiosity.