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Smith-Oldwick, in recalling the long months of arduous training he had
undergone himself before he had been considered sufficiently adept to be
considered a finished flier, smiled at the conceit of the ignorant African who was
already demanding that he be permitted to make a flight alone.
"If it was not for losing the machine," the Englishman explained to the girl, "I'd let
the bounder take it up and break his fool neck as he would do inside of two
minutes."
However, he finally persuaded Usanga to bide his time for a few more days of
instruction, but in the suspicious mind of the Negro there was a growing
conviction that the white man's advice was prompted by some ulterior motive;
that it was in the hope of escaping with the machine himself by night that he
refused to admit that Usanga was entirely capable of handling it alone and
therefore in no further need of help or instruction, and so in the mind of the
black there formed a determination to outwit the white man. The lure of the
twenty-four seductive wives proved in itself a sufficient incentive and there, too,
was added his desire for the white girl whom he had long since determined to
possess.
It was with these thoughts in mind that Usanga lay down to sleep in the evening
of the second day. Constantly, however, the thought of Naratu and her temper
arose to take the keen edge from his pleasant imaginings. If he could but rid
himself of her! The thought having taken form persisted, but always it was more
than outweighed by the fact that the black sergeant was actually afraid of his
woman, so much afraid of her in fact that he would not have dared to attempt to
put her out of the way unless he could do so secretly while she slept. However, as
one plan after another was conjured by the strength of his desires, he at last hit
upon one which came to him almost with the force of a blow and brought him
sitting upright among his sleeping companions.
When morning dawned Usanga could scarce wait for an opportunity to put his
scheme into execution, and the moment that he had eaten, he called several of
his warriors aside and talked with them for some moments.
The Englishman, who usually kept an eye upon his black captor, saw now that
the latter was explaining something in detail to his warriors, and from his
gestures and his manner it was apparent that he was persuading them to some
new plan as well as giving them instructions as to what they were to do. Several
times, too, he saw the eyes of the Negroes turned upon him and once they flashed
simultaneously toward the white girl.
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