Chapter 8 - Page 2

Grandes Operations Militaires, or something of that
sort."

"Well, there you are, then! That's just it! Your Jomini, or Hominy, or
whatever you call him, not only understood Napoleon's temperament, but
understood war and understood tactics. It was all a question of the lie
of the land, and strategy, and so forth. If _I_ had been asked, I could
never have answered a quarter as well as Jomini Piccolomini--could I,
baby? Jomini would have been worth a good many me's. There, there, a
dear, motherless darling! Why, she crows just as if she hadn't lost all
her family!"

"But, Hilda, we must be serious. I count upon you to help us in this
matter. We are still in danger. Even now these Matabele may attack and
destroy us."

She laid the child on her lap, and looked grave. "I know it, Hubert; but
I must leave it now to you men. I am no tactician. Don't take ME for one
of Napoleon's generals."

"Still," I said, "we have not only the Matabele to reckon with,
recollect. There is Sebastian as well. And, whether you know your
Matabele or not, you at least know your Sebastian."

She shuddered. "I know him; yes, I know him.... But this case is so
difficult. We have Sebastian--complicated by a rabble of savages,
whose habits and manners I do not understand. It is THAT that makes the
difficulty."

"But Sebastian himself?" I urged. "Take him first, in isolation."

She paused for a full minute, with her chin on her hand and her elbow
on the table. Her brow gathered. "Sebastian?" she repeated.
"Sebastian?--ah, there I might guess something. Well, of course, having
once begun this attempt, and being definitely committed, as it were, to
a policy of killing us, he will go through to the bitter end, no matter
how many other lives it may cost. That is Sebastian's method."

"You don't think, having once found out that I saw and recognised him,
he would consider the game lost, and slink away to the coast again?"

"Sebastian? Oh, no; that is the absolute antipodes of his type and
temperament."

"He will never give up because of a temporary check, you think?"

"No, never. The man has a will of sheer steel--it may break, but it will
not bend. Besides, consider: he is too deeply involved. You have seen
him; you know; and he knows you know. You may bring this thing home to
him. Then what is his plain policy? Why, to egg on the natives whose
confidence he has somehow gained into making a further attack, and
cutting off all Salisbury. If he had succeeded in getting you and me
massacred at Klaas's, as he hoped, he would no doubt have slunk off to
the