He was just drunk enough to be boastful, while thoroughly sure of what he was saying.
"You expect to tell a fine tale! I know the psychology of the English! I know it like a book! Let me tell you two things: First, your English would not believe you.

They are such supremely cocksure fools that they can not be made to believe that another so-called civilized nation would act as they, in their egoism, would be ashamed to act! Civilization! That is a fine word, full of false meanings! Civilization is prudery--sham--false pride--veneer! Only the Germans are truly civilized, because they alone are not afraid to face naked animalism without its mask! The British dare not! They hide from it--shut their eyes! The fools! If you could tell them their story they would never listen! "Second: You will never tell the story! Being English, you were such dull-witted fools that you did not even hide the cartridge cases, or the bones of the Masai you shot! Bah-ha-ha-ha-hah! You can escape hanging yet by telling your secret.

Jail you can not escape! Try it if you don't believe me! Try to escape--go on!" He turned on his heel and left us, striding heavily with the strength of an ox and about the alertness of a traction engine, turning his head every once in a while to enjoy the spectacle of our discomfort.
We judged it best to appear concerned, as if that was indeed our first realization of the extent of the case against us and the nature of the evidence.

But we did not find it difficult.

We were all three startled by the fear that in some way he had got wind of our plans, and that he meant to play with us cat-and-mouse fashion.
That night it stormed--not rain, but wind from east to west, blowing such clouds of dust that one could scarcely see across the narrow streets.