Sanders said nothing beyond using the conventional expressions of polite interest, and despatched the young man and his tremendous baggage to an up-country station, with his official blessing. Torrington--this was the grave young man's name--established himself at Entoli, and started forth to instil into the heathen mind the elementary principles of applied mechanics. In other words he taught them, through the medium of Swaheli--which they imperfectly understood--and a tin kettle, the lesson of steam. They understood the kettle part, but could not quite comprehend what meat he was cooking, and when he explained for the fortieth time that he was only cooking water, they glanced significantly one at the other and agreed that he was not quite right in his head. They did not tell him this much to his face, for cannibals have very good manners--though their table code leaves much to be desired. Mr. Torrington tried them with chemical experiments, showing them how sulphuric acid applied to sugar produced Su^{2}, Su^{4}, or words to that effect. He gained a reputation as a magician as a result, and in more huts than one he was regarded and worshipped as a Great and Clever Devil--which in a sense he was. But the first time he came up against the spirit of the people, his science, his law, and his cut-and-dried theories went _phutt_! And that is where Sanders came in--Sanders who had forgotten all the chemistry he ever knew, and who, as a student of Constitutional Law, was the rankest of failures. It came about in this way. There was a young man in Isisi who prophesied that on such a day, at such an hour, the river would rise and drown the people. When Mr. Torrington heard of this prophecy he was amused, and at first took no notice of it. But it occurred to him that here might be a splendid opportunity for revealing to the barbarian a little of that science with which he was so plentifully endowed. So he drew a large sectional plan, showing-- (_a_) the bed of the river; (_b_) the height of the banks; (_c_) the maximum rise of the river; (_d_) the height of the surrounding country; and demonstrated as plainly as possible the utter absurdity of the prophecy. Yet the people were unconvinced, and were preparing to abandon the village when Sanders arrived on the scene. He sent for the prophet, who was a young man of neurotic tendencies, and had a wooden prison cage built on the bank of the river, into which the youth was introduced. "You will stay here," said Sanders, "and when the river rises you must prophesy that it will fall again, else assuredly you will be drowned." Whereupon the people settled down again in their homes and waited for the river to drown the prophet and prove his words. But the river at this season of the year was steadily falling, and the prophet, like many another, was without honour in his own country.