"And if we are to be his Majesty's guests, will the Queen be present?" asked Frank; "and if she is, which of us is to have the honour of handing her in to dinner?" "You forget, Frank, there is more than one Mrs Umboo. I believe there are as many as a dozen, if not more." "Well, then, they won't all dine, I suppose, at least not on the same day. I dare say they'll take it in turns, so as to have the advantage of improving their manners by European polish," said Wilmore. "By the bye, were those his wives or his daughters that were sitting on the skins at the back of the tent. There was one of them who was very nearly being handsome. If it hadn't been for her hair, which strongly resembled a black scrubbing brush, I think she would have been!" "Ay, I noticed her casting glances at you, Frank," said Nick. "If she was one of Umboo's wives, it is a good job that the royal eyes couldn't see through the back of the head to which they belonged, or his Majesty might have ordered you both to be burned, or impaled, or disposed of after some pleasant fashion of the like description. But we will hope she was a princess, not a queen." "With all my heart," said Frank, laughing. "Perhaps she was the Princess Royal and, in default of issue male, the heiress presumptive of the crown. It would be great promotion to become Crown Prince of the Namaquas. But here is Charles waiting to speak as soon as he can thrust a word in edgewise. Well, Charles, what is it?" "Why, if you fellows have done chaffing, there is something of importance which I have to tell you." "Ay, indeed, and what may that be?" inquired Gilbert. "Why, you know that I have had some conversations with Omatoko in Dutch?" "Yes, we all know that." "But you, perhaps, did _not_ know that I understand something of the Hottentot language also." "Certainly, none of us understood that," observed Frank. "Why, Charles, how could you ever learn it? It seems to me nothing but a series of chicks, as though they were rattling castanets with their tongues." "I was laid up once with an accident on a shooting expedition, and was nursed by the Hottentots. I picked up enough of their lingo to understand generally what they say, though I don't think I could talk it," answered Charles. "Why didn't you tell Omatoko so? It would have saved some trouble?" asked Warley. "Why, you see, Ernest, I have had my suspicions of Omatoko from the first--that is, I have never been quite satisfied about his good faith, though I thought it better to follow his counsel. But I knew when we reached the village, that he would speak freely of his real intentions to his countrymen, not having any suspicion that I understood a word of what he was saying." "That was very well thought of," said Warley, "and it was very wise also to keep your intention to yourself. I am glad I didn't know it, any way. But what did you learn to-day?"