Part 31 (1/2)
”Do you think Hart will keep his word, Ragnall?”
”On the whole, yes, and if he doesn't I don't care Anything is better than sitting here in this suspense”
”I agree as to Hart, because we are too valuable to be killed just now, if for no other reason; also as to the suspense, which is unendurable
Therefore I ith you to look at that snake, Ragnall, and so no doubt will Hans The exercise will do ood”
”Do you think it wise?” he asked doubtfully; ”in your case, I mean”
”I think it most unwise that we should separate any ether; further, we do not seem to have any luck apart”
CHAPTER XVII
THE SANCTUARY AND THE OATH
That evening shortly after sundown the three of us started boldly fro over our clothes the Kendah dresses which Ragnall had bought, and carrying nothing save sticks in our hands, some food and the lantern in our pockets On the outskirts of the toere met by certain Kendah, one of whom I knew, for I had often ridden by his side on our march across the desert
”Have any of you ar curiously at us and our white robes
”None,” I answered ”Search us if you will”
”Your word is sufficient,” he replied with the grave courtesy of his people ”If you are unaro where you wish however you may be dressed Yet, Lord,” he whispered to me, ”I pray you do not enter the cave, since One lives there who strikes and does not miss, One whose kiss is death I pray it for your own sakes, also for ours who need you”
”We shall not wake hi, for noe had learned that the Kendah did not yet know of the death of the serpent
An hour's walk up the hill, guided by Hans, brought us to the mouth of the tunnel To tell the truth I could have wished it had been longer, for as we drew near all sorts of doubts assailedand invented this story to account for his absence?
What if the snake had recovered from a merely temporary indisposition?
What if it had a wife and faeance?
Well, it was too late to hesitate now, but secretly I hoped that one of the others would prefer to lead the way We reached the place and listened It was silent as a tomb Then that brave fellow Hans lit the lantern and said:
”Do you stop here, Baases, while I go to look If you hear anything happen to me, you will have time to run away,” words that madethat he was quick as a weasel and silent as a cat, we let hio A minute or two later suddenly he reappeared out of the darkness, for he had turned the metal shi+eld over the bull's-eye of the lantern, and even in that light I could see that he was grinning
”It is all right, Baas,” he said ”The Father of Serpents has really gone to that land whither he sent Bena, where no doubt he is now roasting in the fires of hell, and I don't see any others Coh, upon the floor of the cave lay the huge reptile stone dead and alreadyit was, for part of its body isted into coils, so I will only say that it was by far the most enormous snake that I have ever seen It is true that I have heard of such reptiles in different parts of Africa, but hitherto I had always put them down as fabulous creatures transformed into and worshi+pped as local Gods Also this particular specinall, it both struck like the cobra or the adder, and crushed like the boa-constrictor It is possible, however, that he was mistaken on this point; I do not know, since I had no time, or indeed inclination, to exas, and when next I passed that way it was gone
I shall never forget the stench of that cave It was horrible, which is not to be wondered at seeing that probably this creature had dwelt there for centuries, since these large snakes are said to be as long lived as tortoises, and, being sacred, of course it had never lacked for food
Everywhere lay piles of cast bones, ae Also the projecting rocks in the place were covered with great pieces of snake skin, doubtless rubbed off by the reptile when once a year it changed its coat
For a while we gazed at the loathso creature, then pushed on fearful lest we should stumble upon more of its kind
I suppose that it ue, as Jana was an elephant rogue, for we met none and, if the information which I obtained afterwardsit in the country What its origin may have been I never learned All the Kendah could or would say about it was that it had lived in this hole fro and that Black Kendah prisoners, or iven to it to kill, as White Kendah prisoners were given to Jana
The cave itself proved to be not very long, perhaps one hundred and fifty feet, no more It was not an artificial but a natural hollow in the lava rock, which I suppose had once been blown through it by an outburst of steaan to fear there ht be no exit In this I was mistaken, however, for at its terh for a h that it became clear to us that certainly this was not the path by which the White Kendah approached their sanctuary