“We could never come across more than two or three natives at one time.
“We had started back to Kimberley, taking our prisoners with us. After being on the march about three days a messenger overtook us.
“He gave us a note written on the bark of a tree in very bad English, but if you had seen it your skill as a detective would have told you that the bad English was merely a disguise.
“The man who wrote it understood English as well as we do. It was an attempt on his part to pretend that he was a savage chief who had learned a little of our language from missionaries.
“We had not then, and I have not now, the slightest doubt that Mulvey wrote that note.”
“What did it say?” asked Trim.
“It was to the effect that if we didn’t release his men he would see to it that the bowstring should be applied in Kimberley and that more than one man would come to the town for the purpose of committing murder.
“It was quite a long note. It contained a promise that if the tribe were let alone Mulvey would give us no more trouble.
“If we persisted in bothering the tribe the savages would send every year several of its members to Kimberley for the purpose of committing secret murder.
“Well, we thought it over and continued on to Kimberley with our prisoners, telling the messenger that we would send him word after we had seen the great chiefs of the city.