Part 21 (1/2)
Afterwards, while pretending to give hion, I had a few private words with Ueht with his people
”Be sure of this, Macumazahn,” he said, ”that if I do not escape, neither will that captain, since I walk at his side and keep n of treachery the axe will enter the house of that thick head of his and make friends with the brain inside
”Macuether and seen such things as I did not think the world had to show Also I have fought and killed Rezu in a hosts and men which alone orth all the trouble of the journey Now it has co must, and we part, but as I believe, not for always I do not think that I shall die on this journey with the captain, though I do think that others will die at the end of it,” he added gri which at the time I did not understand
”It comes into my heart, Macumazahn, that in yonder land of witches and wizards, the spirit of prophecy got caught in my moocha and crept into ain in the after-years and stand together in a great fray which will be our last, as I believe that the White Witch said Or perhaps the spirit lives in Zikali's Medicine which has gone down my throat and comes out of it in words I cannot say, but I pray that it is a true spirit, since although you are white and I aentle and cunning, whereas I am fierce and as open as the blade of h ere born of the saht up in the sarows doubtful of our talk, so farewell I will return the Great Medicine to Zikali, if I live, and if I die he hosts that serve hi my bones
”Farewell to you also, Yellow Man,” he went on to Hans, who had appeared, hovering about like a dog that is doubtful of its welcolad am I to have met you, who have learned from you how a snake moves and strikes, and how a jackal thinks and avoids the snare Yes, farewell, for the spirit within ain”
Then he lifted the great axe, and gaveme ”Chief and Father, Great Chief and Father, froate!), thereby acknowledgingthat he had never done before, and as he did, so did Goroko and the other Zulus, adding to their salute one with the King's captain, to whose side I noted he clung lovingly, his long, thin fingers playing about the horn handle of the axe that was nalad we have seen the last of hi reflectively ”It is very well to sleep in the same hut with a tame lion soin to wonder when you ake up at night to find hi your hair with his claws Yes, I aone, since soed to poison it that we ht sleep in peace You know he called me a snake, Baas, and poison is a snake's only spear Shall I tell the boys to inspan the oxen, Baas? I think the further we get fro's captain and his men, the more coer have the Great Medicine to protect us”
”You suggested giving it to hiaas went aith the Great Medicine, than that you kept the Great Medicine and he stopped with us here Never travel with a traitor, Baas, at any rate in the land of the king whos are very selfish people, Baas, and do not like being killed, especially by someone ants to sit upon their stool and to take the royal salute No one gives the royal salute to a dead king, Baas, however great he was before he died, and no one thinks the worse of a king as a traitor before he beca”
CHAPTER XXV
ALLAN DELIVERS THE MESSAGE
Once more I sat in the Black Kloof face to face with old Zikali
”So you have got back safely, Macumazahn,” he said ”Well, I told you you would, did I not? As for what happened to you upon the journey, let it be, for now that I a wonderful about this one Where is the charm I lent you? Give it back now that it has served its turn”
”I have not got it, Zikali I passed it on to U's otten Here it is,” and opening his robe of fur, he showedabout his neck, then added, ”Would you like a copy of it, Macumazahn, to keep as a memory? If so, I will carve one for you”
”No,” I answered, ”I should not Has Uain, which is one of the reasons why I do not wish to hear your tale a second time”
”Where to? The Town of the People of the Axe?”
”No, Macumazahn, he came thence, or so I understood, but thither he will return no more”
”Why not, Zikali?”