But they are scattered and divided.

We have driven great wedges of white settlement into their territory, and we have taken away their arms.

Still, they are six times as many as we are, and they have long memories, and a thoughtful man may wonder how long the peace will last.
I have often asked myself that question, and till lately I used to reply, "For ever because they cannot find a leader with the proper authority, and they have no common cause to fight for." But a year or two ago I began to change my mind.
'It is my business to act as chief Intelligence officer among the natives.

Well, one day, I came on the tracks of a curious person.

He was a Christian minister called Laputa, and he was going among the tribes from Durban to the Zambesi as a roving evangelist.