Part 20 (2/2)
”Mr Quatermain,” she said, ”I suppose that Ito sleep on the night after you started for the hippopotamus hunt Where is ?”
”Alas!” I answered, lying boldly, for I feared lest the truth should take away her ain, ”it did He was traed hied to bury him where he died”
She bowed her head for a while and muttered some prayer for his soul, then looked atseems to say that this is because it is not well that I should learn everything”
”No,” I answered, ”you have been ill and out of your ave you a shock I think that you learned of your father's death, which you have now forgotten, and were overcome with the news Please trust toback from you, it is because I think it best to do so for the present”
”I trust and I believe,” she answered ”Now please leave me, but tell me first where are those women and their children?”
”After your father died they went away,” I replied, lying once ain but made no comment
Then I left her
How much Inez ever learned of the true story of her adventures I do not know to this hour, though in with, everyone, including Thomaso, was threatened with the direst consequences if he said a word to her on the subject; moreover in her way she was a oman, one who knehen it was best not to ask questions She are that she had suffered fro this tis had happened There she was content to leave the business and she never again spoke to lad, as how on earth could I have explained to her about Ayesha's prophecies as to her lapse into childishness and subsequent return to a nor that I did not understand them myself?
Once indeed she did inquire what had beco her sickness It was another lie, at any rate by ihteous to lie At least these particular falsehoods have never troubled my conscience
Here I may as well finish the story of Inez, that is, as far as I can As I have shown she was always a woious terow upon her after her return to health Certainly the religion did, for continually she was engaged in prayer, a develop to do, since after he becarew unsettled in his mind, her father followed the same road
On our return to civilisation, as it chanced, one of the first persons hom she came in contact was a very earnest and excellent old priest of her own faith The end of this intiht have been expected Very soon Inez deterreat attractions for her, and entered a sisterhood of an extremely strict Order in Natal, where, added to her many merits, her considerable possessions made her very welcoain when she expected before long to become the Mother-Superior of her convent I found her very cheerful and she told me that her happiness was complete Even then she did not askthat period when herhad happened but that as she no longer felt any curiosity about earthly things, she did not wish to know the details Again I rejoiced, for how could I tell the true tale and expect to be believed, even by theand simple-minded nun?
To return to more immediate events When we had been at Strathht that her e of affairs, I told Inez that I must journey on to Natal, and asked her what she wished to do Without a moment's hesitation she replied that she desired to co would induce her to continue to live at Strathion
Then she showed ly devised in a sort of cellar under the sitting-room floor, where her father was accustoreat a quantity In this hole beneath soold stored ahich Robertson had always told his daughter she would find there, in the event of anything happening to him With the money were his will and securities, also certain ether with a prayer-book that his iven him
These valuables, of which no one knew the existence except herself, we removed and then made our preparations for departure They were simple; such articles of value as we could carry were packed into the waggon and the best of the cattle we drove with us The place with the store and the rest of the stock were handed over to Thoement that he should remit the share of Inez twice a year to a bank on the coast, where her father had an account Whether or not he ever did this I am unable to say, but as no one wished to stop at Strathmuir, I could conceive no better plan because purchasers of property in that district did not exist
As we trekked away one fineI asked Inez whether she was sorry to leave the place
”No,” she replied with energy, ”ain”
Noas after this, on the northern borders of Zululand, that Zikali's Great Medicine, as Hans called it, really played its chief part, for without it I think that we should have been killed, every one of us I do not propose to set out the business in detail; it is too long and intricate Suffice it to say, therefore, that it had to do with the plots of Uainst Cetywayo, which had been betrayed by his wife Monazi and her lover Lousta, both of whom I have mentioned earlier in this record The result was that a watch for hiuessed that sooner or later he would return to Zululand; also it had beco in my company
So it came about that when athered under the command of a man connected with the Royal House, and by it ere surrounded Before attacking, however, this captain senthad no quarrel, although I was travelling in doubtful coaas, Chief of the People of the Axe, and his followers, I oods with me Othere should be attacked at once and killed every one of us, since it was not desired that any witnesses should be left of what happened to U delivered this ultiers retired, saying that they would return for my ansithin half an hour
When they were out of hearing Uriht have been expected of him
”Macumazahn,” he said, ”now I coh mayhap it is not so evil as it seems, since I ent out to seek the dead but to be filled by yonder White Witch with theshadows, am about to find the dead in the only way in which they can be found, na of their number”
”It seeaas”
”Not so, Macuive you safe-conduct It is I and ht to do, since it is true that I would have raised rebellion against the King, I earied of my petty lot and knew that by blood his place was h you, whose heart is as white as your skin, are not ht, there is one in the waggon yonder whose life is not yours to give The Lady Sad-Eyes is as a child in your arument was so unanswerable that I did not knohat to say So I only asked what hethat ere surrounded on every side
”Make a glorious end, Macuo out with those who cling to me, that is with all who remain of my men, since my fate must be theirs, and stand back to back on yonder ainst us Watch a while, Macuaas, Bearer of the Axe, and the warriors of the Axe can fight and die”
Noas silent for I knew not what to say There we all stood silent, whileforward towards a er had round, for he had said that when it touched that mark he would return for his answer
In this rather dreadful silence I heard a dry little cough, which I knew ca that he had a remark to make
”What is it?” I asked with irritation, for it was annoying to see hi hi vacantly at the sky
”Nothing, Baas, or rather, only this, Baas: Those hyenas of Zulus are even more afraid of the Great Medicine than were the cannibals up north, since the maker of it is nearer to them, Baas You re out of Zululand”
”Well, what of it, now that we are going into Zululand?” I inquired sharply ”Do you want me to show it to the that they are ready to let you pass, also the Lady Sad-Eyes, and me and the cattle with the driver and voorlooper, which is better still, and all the other goods So what have you to gain by showing them the aas and he showed it to theht it to their minds that those who touch hiht that is his, die within three ain he coughed drily and stared up at the sky
I translated what Hans had said in Dutch to Uaas, who remarked indifferently, ”This little yellow ht-in-Darkness; at least the plan can be tried-if it fails there is always ti that this was an occasion on which I ht properly do so, for the first ti, and Uaas put it over his head and hid it beneath his blanket
A little while later the ers returned and this tireet ether about some cattle After a friendly chat he turned to the th I said that I quite understood his position but that it was a very aard thing to interfere with a man as the actual wearer of the Great Medicine of Zikali itself When the captain heard this his eyes almost started out of his head
”The Great Medicine of the Opener-of-Roads!” he exclaimed ”Oh, now I understand why this Chief of the People of the Axe is unconquerable-such a wizard that no one is able to kill him”
”Yes,” I replied, ”and you remember, do you not, that he who offends the Great Medicine, or offers violence to him ears it, dies horribly within three moons, he and his household and all those with him?”
”I have heard it,” he said with a sickly smile
”And now you are about to learn whether the tale is true,” I added cheerfully
Then he asked to see Uaas alone
I did not overhear their conversation, but the end of it was that Uaas cale word, that as resistance was useless and he did not wish ether with his 's captain to the royal kraal where he had been guaranteed a fair trial as to certain false charges which had been brought against hi's captain had sworn upon the Great Medicine of the Opener-of-Roads to give hiainst hihout the land, was an oath that could not be broken by anyone ished to continue to look upon the sun
I asked the captain if these things were so, also speaking in a loud voice He replied, Yes, since his orders were to take Uht He was only to kill him if he would not come