Part 34 (1/2)
”Yes, Lord, and Jana knows it also, for he fought in that war and still at times visits us here and kills any whom he may meet Only to the temple he has never dared to come”
Noondered whether we had really seen Jana in the forest on the previous night, but coate the matter, made no inquiries, especially as these would have revealed to Hart the route by which we approached the temple Only I pointed out to him that proper defences should be put up here without delay, that is if they hold of the mountain
”We do, Lord,” he answered, ”since we are not strong enough to attack the Black Kendah in their own country or to meet them in pitched battle on the plain Here and in no other place ht between Jana and the Child Therefore it will be your task to build walls cunningly, so that when they come we may defeat Jana and the hosts of the Black Kendah”
”Do you mean that this elephant will accompany Simba and his soldiers, Hart?”
”Without doubt, Lord, since he has always done so fro and certain priests of the Black Kendah, whose forefathers have fed hienerations, and will obey their orders
Also he can think for hi an evil spirit and invulnerable”
”His left eye and the tip of his trunk are not invulnerable,” I reh from what I saw of hi able to think for hi as I have an account to settle with hiet, has an account to settle with you and your servant, Light-in-Darkness,” coestive tone
Then after we had taken a few nall, who understands such h sketch of the place in his pocket-book to serve as data for our proposed scheme of fortifications, we pursued our journey back to the tohere we had left all our stores and there wereride, down the eastern slope of the h like the rest of this strange hill it was covered with dense cedar forests that also see its foot at length ere obliged to round that was too rough for the camels, so that in the end we did not come to our own house in the Town of the Child till about h e to reach it, since all three of us were tired out with our terrible night journey and the anxious eone Indeed, after we had eaten we lay down and I rejoiced to see that, notwithstanding the state of mental excitenall was the first of us to fall asleep
About five o'clock ere awakened by a er from Hart, who requested our attendance on i-house which stood at a little distance on an open place where the White Kendah bartered produce Here we found Hart and about twenty of the headmen seated in the shade of a thatched roof, while behind them, at a respectful distance, stood quite a hundred of the White Kendah Most of these, however, oreater part of the male population was absent from the town because of the commencement of the harvest
We were conducted to chairs, or rather stools of honour, and o had seated ourselves, Hans taking his stand behind us, Hart rose and informed us that an embassy had arrived from the Black Kendah which was about to be adreat, truculent-looking fellows of a surprising blackness, unar their weapons in to the town, but adorned with the usual silver chains across their breasts to show their rank, and other savage finery In the ers who had accosted us when first we entered their territory on our way froht in which I was taken prisoner Stepping forward and addressing hio, O Prophet of the Child, I, the h the ave to you and your brother Mart a certain warning to which you did not listen Now Jana has Mart, and again I coht,” interrupted Hart blandly, ”I think that on that occasion two of you delivered the e and that the Child marked one of you upon the brow If Jana has my brother, say, where is yours?”
”We warned you,” went on the er, ”and you cursed us in the naain, ”we cursed you with three curses The first was the curse of Heaven by storht, which has fallen upon you The second was the curse of fa upon you; and the third was the curse of hich is yet to fall on you”
”It is of war that we co the other two topics which perhaps he found it aard to discuss
”That is foolish of you,” replied the bland Hart, ”seeing that the other day you ainst us with but small success Many of you were killed but only a very few of us, and the white lord whom you took captive escaped out of your hands and from the tusks of Jana who, I think, now lacks an eye If he is a God, how comes it that he lacks an eye and could not kill an unarmed white man?”
”Let Jana answer for hi, O Hart
Meanwhile, these are the words of Jana spoken through the : The Child has destroyed my harvest and therefore I deivethe sa it on the south bank of the River Tava That they give ive the white lady who is Guardian of the Child to be a wife of Siins of your people
That the iht to the God Jana in the presence of his priests and Sih the , I saw a thrill of horror shake the for of these, to them, most impious requests sank into their minds But he only asked very quietly:
”And if we refuse the deer insolently, ”then Jana declares war upon you, the last war of all, war till every one of your rey ashes with fire War till your women are taken as slaves and the corn which you refuse is stored in our grain pits and your land is a waste and your naathered and the truht
To-morrow or the next day they advance upon you, and ere the moon is full not one of you will be left to look upon her”
Hart rose, and walking from under the shed, turned his back upon the envoys and stared at the distant line of great ainst the sky Out of curiosity I followed hier visible Where they had been was nothing but a line of black and heavy cloud After looking for a while he returned and addressing the envoys, said quite casually:
”If you will be advised by me, friends, you will ride hard for the river There is such rain upon the mountains as I have never seen before, and you will be fortunate if you cross it before the flood coreatest flood that has happened in our day”
This intelligence seeers, for they too stepped out of the shed and stared at thethat I could not understand Then they returned and with a fine appearance of indifference dee