That admirable fellow rushed at me with a great appearance of savagery.

He made a pretence of swathing me up in fresh rawhide ropes, but his knots were loose and the thing was a farce.

He gagged me with what looked like a piece of wood, but was in reality a chunk of dry banana.

And all the while, till Henriques was out of hearing, he cursed me with a noble gift of tongues.
The drums beat for the advance, and once more I was hoisted on my horse, while Arcoll's Kaffir tied my bridle to his own.

A Kaffir cannot wink, but he has a way of slanting his eyes which does as well, and as we moved on he would turn his head to me with this strange grimace.
Henriques wanted me to help him to get the rubies--that I presumed was the offer he had meant to make.