and secondly because I had so little to offer her. She would have to share my life, as I shared hers, and my life meant lessons, duties, and discipline; so I preferred to go to her, and on Saturday nights I usually slept there.
We were quite happy by ourselves, because we made a very good team. Though we both liked to be generals, we alternated the generalship. One time Djimlah led, the next she obeyed orders. Our generalship consisted in planning what sort of characters we were to be; and I am forced to confess that on the days of Djimlah's generalship things moved much the best. Indeed I had to spend half my time as general in explaining to her the Greek mythology, in order that she might understand the characters we were to represent, while on her days I knew "The Arabian Nights" as well as she.
Before the year was over, we admitted to our circle a third, little Chakendé, whose father was a subaltern of Djimlah's grandfather. Chakendé's home was not far from ours, yet we met her first by accident, and ever so far away from home.
It was on a hot August evening, when I was spending the night with Djimlah. The heat was so great that even at seven o'clock the rooms were yet hot. The old hanoum said it was not necessary for us to go to bed until it became cool, and we were playing in the garden. We were up in a tall tree; for I had taught Djimlah to climb—a
