第2章
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  Soonitledusintootherspoor,thatofawholeherdofthirtyorfortybeastsindeed,whichmadeourtaskquiteeasy,atleasttillwecametoharderground,fortheanimalshadgonealongway。Anhourormorelater,whenwewereaboutsevenmilesfromtheriver,Iperceivedaheadofus,forwewerenowalmostatthefootofthehills,acoolanddensely-woodedkloof。

  “Thatiswheretheywillbe。”Isaid。“Nowcomeoncarefullyandmakenonoise。”

  Werodetothewidemouthofthekloofwherethesignsofthebuffalowerenumerousandfresh,dismountedandtiedourhorsestoathorn,soastoapproachthemsilentlyonfoot。Wehadnotgonetwohundredyardsthroughthebushwhensuddenlyaboutfiftypacesaway,standingbroadsideonintheshadowbetweentwotrees,Isawasplendidoldbullwithatremendouspairofhorns。

  “Shoot。”IwhisperedtoAnscombe,“youwillnevergetabetterchance。Itisthesentineloftheherd。”

  Hekneltdown,hisfacequitewhitewithexcitement,andcoveredthebullwithhisExpress。

  “Keepcool。”Iwhisperedagain,“andaimbehindtheshoulder,half-waydown。”

  Idon’tthinkheunderstoodme,foratthatmomentoffwenttherifle。Hehitthebeastsomewhere,asIheardthebulletclap,butnotfatally,foritturnedandlumberedoffupthekloof,apparentlyunhurt,whereonhesentthesecondbarrelafterit,acleanmissthistime。Thenofasuddenallaboutusappearedbuffaloesthathad,Isuppose,beensleepinginvisibletous。

  These,withsnortsandbellows,rushedofftowardstheriver,forhavingtheirsensesaboutthem,theyhadnomindtobetrappedinthekloof。Icouldonlymanageashotatoneofthem,alargeandlong-hornedcowwhichIknockedoverquitedead。IfIhadfiredagainitwouldhavebeenbuttowound,athingIhate。Thewholebusinesswasoverinaminute。WewentandlookedatmydeadcowwhichIhadcaughtthroughtheheart。

  “It’scrueltokillthesethings。”Isaid,“forIdon’tknowwhatusewearegoingtomakeofthem,andtheymustlovelifeasmuchaswedo。”

  “We’llcutthehornsoff。”saidAnscombe。

  “Youmayifyoulike。”Ianswered,“butyouwillfinditatoughjobwithasheathknife。”

  “Yes,IthinkthatshallbethetaskoftheworthyFootsackto-morrow。”hereplied。“Meanwhileletusgoandfinishoffmybull,asFootsack&Co。mayaswellbringhometwopairofhornsasone。”

  Ilookedatthedensebush,andknowingsomethingofthehabitsofwoundedbuffaloes,reflectedthatitwouldbeanastyjob。

  StillIsaidnothing,becauseifIhesitated,Iknewhewouldwanttogoalone。Sowestarted。Evidentlythebeasthadbeenbadlyhit,forthebloodspoorwaseasytofollow。Yetithadbeenabletoretreatuptotheendofthekloofthatterminatedinacliffoverwhichtrickledastreamofwater。Hereitwasnotmorethanahundredpaceswide,andoneithersideofitwereotherprecipitouscliffs。Aswewentfromoneoftheseawar-horn,suchastheBasutosuse,wasblown。AlthoughIheardit,oddlyenough,Ipaidnoattentiontoitatthetime,beingutterlyintentuponthebusinessinhand。

  Followingawoundedbuffalobullupatree-cladandstonykloofisnogameforchildren,asthesebeastshaveahabitofreturningontheirtracksandthenrushingouttogoreyou。SoI

  wentonwitheverysensealert,keepingAnscombewellbehindme。

  Asithappenedourbullhadeitherbeenknockedsillyorinheritednoguilefromhisparents。Whenhefoundhecouldgonofurtherhestopped,waitedbehindabush,andwhenhesawushechargedinasimpleandprimitivefashion。IletAnscombefire,asIwishedhimtohavethecreditofkillingitalltohimself,butsomehoworotherhemanagedtomissbothbarrels。

  Then,troublebeingimminent,Iletdriveasthebeastlowereditshead,andwasluckyenoughtobreakitsspinetoshootattheheadofabuffaloisuseless,sothatitrolledoverquitedeadatourfeet。

  “Youhavegotamagnificentpairofhorns。”Isaid,contemplatingthefallengiant。

  “Yes。”answeredAnscombe,withatwinkleofhishumorouseyes,“andifithadn’tbeenforyouIthinkthatIshouldhavegottheminmoresensesthanone。”

  Asthewordspassedhislipssomemissile,fromitspeculiarsoundIjudgeditwasthelegoffanironpot,hurtledpastmyhead,firedevidentlyfromasmoothboregunwithalargechargeofbadpowder。ThenIrememberedthewar-hornandallthatitmeant。

  “Offyougo。”Isaid,“weareambushedbyKaffirs。”

  Wewereindeed,foraswetaileddownthatkloof,fromthetopofbothcliffsaboveuscameacontinuousbutluckilyill-directedfire。Lead-coatedstones,potlegsandbulletswhirredandwhistledallroundus,yetuntilthelast,justwhenwewerereachingthetreetowhichwehadtiedourhorses,quiteharmlessly。ThensuddenlyIsawAnscombebegintolimp。Stillhemanagedtorunonandmount,thoughIobservedthathedidnotputhisrightfootintothestirrup。

  “What’sthematter?“Iaskedaswegallopedoff。”

  “Shotthroughtheinstep,Ithink。”heansweredwithalaugh,“

  butitdoesn’thurtabit。”

  “Iexpectitwilllater。”Ireplied。“Meanwhile,thankGoditwasn’tatthetopofthekloof。Theywon’tcatchusonthehorses,whichtheyneverthoughtofkillingfirst。”

  “Theyaregoingtotrythough。Lookbehindyou。”

  Ilookedandsawtwentyorthirtymenemergingfromthemouthofthekloofinpursuit。

  “Notimetostoptogetthosehorns。”hesaidwithasigh。

  “No。”Ianswered,“unlessyouareparticularlyanxioustosaygood-byetotheworldpinnedoverabrokenant-heapinthesun,orsomethingpleasantofthesort。”

  Thenwerodeoninsilence,IthinkingwhatafoolIhadbeenfirsttoallowmyselftobeoverruledbyAnscombeandcrosstheriver,andsecondlynottohavetakenwarningfromthatwar-horn。

  Wecouldnotgoveryfastbecauseofthedifficultandswampynatureoftheground;alsothegreatheatofthedaytoldonthehorses。Thusitcameaboutthatwhenwereachedthefordwewerenotmorethantenminutesaheadofouractivepursuers,goodrunnerseveryoneofthem,andaccustomedtothecountry。I

  supposethattheyhadorderstokillorcaptureusatanycost,forinsteadofgivingupthechase,asIhopedtheywould,theystucktousinsurprisingfashion。

  Wesplashedthroughtheriver,andluckilyonthefurtherbankweremetbyFootsackwhohadseenuscomingandguessedthatsomethingwaswrong。

  “Inspan!“Ishoutedtohim,“andbequickaboutitifyouwanttoseetomorrow’slight。TheBasutosareafterus。”

  Offhewentlikeashot,hisfacequitegreenwithfear。

  “Now。”IsaidtoAnscombe,asweletourhorsestakeadrinkforwhichtheyweremad,“wehavegottoholdthisforduntilthewagonisready,orthosedevilswillgetusafterall。DismountandI’lltieupthehorses。”

  Hedidsowithsomedifficulty,andatmysuggestion,whileI

  madethebeastsfast,cutthelaceofhisbootwhichwasfullofblood,andsoakedhiswoundedfoot,thatIhadnotimetoexamine,inthecoolwater。Thesethingsdone,Ihelpedhimtotherearofathorntreewhichwasthickenoughtoshieldmostofhisbody,andtookmyownstandbehindasimilarthornatadistanceofafewpaces。

  PresentlytheBasutosappeared,trottingalongclosetogetherwhereonAnscombe,whowasseatedbehindthetree,firedbothbarrelsofhisExpressatthematarangeofabouttwohundredyards。Itwasafoolishthingtodo,firstbecausehemissedthemclean,forhehadover-estimatedtherangeandthebulletswentabovetheirheads,andsecondlybecauseitcausedthemtoscatterandmadethemcareful,whereashadtheycomeoninalumpwecouldhavetaughtthemalesson。HoweverIsaidnothing,asI

  knewthatreproacheswouldonlymakehimnervous。Downwentthosescoundrelsontotheirhandsandkneesand,takingcoverbehindstonesandbushesonthefurtherbank,begantofireatus,fortheywereallarmedwithgunsofonesortandanother,andtherewasonlyaboutahundredyardsofwaterbetweenus。AstheyeffectedthismanoeuvreIamgladtosayIwasabletogettwoofthem,whileAnscombe,Ithink,woundedanother。

  Afterthisourpositiongrewquitewarm,forasIhavesaidthethorntrunkswerenotverybroad,andthreeorfourofthenatives,whohadprobablybeenhunters,werebynomeansbadshots,thoughtherestofthemfiredwildly。Anscombe,inpokinghisheadroundthetreetoshoot,hadhishatknockedoffbyabullet,whileaslugwentthroughthelappetofmycoat。Thenaworsethinghappened。EitherbychanceordesignAnscombe’shorsewasstruckintheneckandfellstruggling,whereonmybeast,growingfrightened,brokeitsriemandgallopedtothewagon。ThatiswhereIoughttohaveleftthematfirst,onlyI

  thoughtthatwemightneedthemtomakeabolton,ortocarryAnscombeifhecouldnotwalk。

  Quitealongwhilewentbybefore,glancingbehindme,Isawthattheoxenthathadbeengrazingatalittledistancehadatlengtharrivedandwerebeinginspannedinfurioushaste。TheBasutossawitalso,andfearinglestweshouldescape,determinedtotrytoendthebusiness。Suddenlytheyleaptfromtheircover,andwithmorecouragethanIshouldhaveexpectedofthem,rushedintotheriver,proposingtostormus,which,tospeaktruth,IthinktheywouldhavedonehadInotbeenafairlyquickshot。

  Asitwas,findingthattheywerelosingtooheavilyfromourfire,theyretreatedinahurry,leavingtheirdeadbehindthem,andevenawoundedmanwhowasclingingtoarock。He,poorwretch,wasinmortalterrorlestweshouldshoothimagain,whichIhadnotthehearttodo,althoughashislegwasshatteredabovethekneebyanExpressbullet,itmighthavebeentruekindness。Againandagainhecalledoutformercy,sayingthatheonlyattackedusbecausehischief,whohadbeenwarnedofourcoming“bytheWhiteMan。”orderedhimtotakeourgunsandcattle。

  “Whatwhiteman?“Ishouted。“SpeakorIshoot。”

  Therewasnoanswer,foratthismomenthefaintedfromlossofbloodandvanishedbeneaththewater。ThenanotherBasuto,I

  supposehewastheircaptain,butdonotknowforhewashiddeninsomebushes,calledout——

  “Donotthinkthatyoushallescape,WhiteMen。Therearemanymoreofourpeoplecoming,andwewillkillyouinthenightwhenyoucannotseetoshootus。”

  Atthismoment,too,Footsackshoutedthatthewagonwasinspannedandready。NowIhesitatedwhattodo。Ifwemadeforthewagon,whichmustbeveryslowlybecauseofAnscombe’swoundedfoot,wehadtocrossseventyoreightyyardsofrisinggroundalmostdevoidofcover。If,ontheotherhand,westayedwhereweweretillnightfallashotmightcatchoneofus,orotherBasutosmightarriveandrushus。Therewasalsoathirdpossibility,thatourterrifiedservantsmighttrekoffandleaveusinordertosavetheirownlives,whichverilyIbelievetheywouldhavedone,notbeingofZulublood。IputtheproblemtoAnscombe,whoshookhisheadandlookedathisfoot。Thenheproducedaluckypennywhichhecarriedinhispocketandsaid——

  “LetusinvoketheFates。Headswerunlikeheroes;tailswestayherelikeheroes。”andhespunthepenny,whileIstaredathimopen-mouthedandnotwithoutadmiration。

  Never,Ithoughttomyself,hadthisprimitivemethodofcuttingagordianknotbeenresortedtoinsuchstrangeandurgentcircumstances。

  “Headsitis!“hesaidcoolly。“Now,myboy,doyourunandI’llcrawlafteryou。IfIdon’tarrive,youknowmypeople’saddress,andIbequeathtoyouallmyAfricanbelongingsinmemoryofamostpleasanttrip。”

  “Don’tplaythefool。”Irepliedsternly。“Come,putyourrightarmroundmyneckandhoponyourleftlegasyouneverhoppedbefore。”

  Thenwestarted,andreallyourtransitwasquitelively。,forallthoseBasutosbeganwhatforthemwasrapidfiring。Ithink,however,thattheirbestshotsmusthavefallen,fornotabullettouchedus,althoughbeforewegotoutoftheirrangeoneortwowentverynear。

  “There。”saidAnscombe,asalastamazinghopbroughthimtothewagonrail,“there,youseehowwiseitisgiveProvidenceachancesometimes。”

  “Intheshapeofaluckypenny。”IgrumbledasIhoistedhimup。

  “Certainly,forwhyshouldnotProvidenceinhabitapennyasmuchasitdoesanyothermundanething?Oh,mydearQuatermain,haveyouneverbeentaughttolooktothepenceandlettheresttakecareofitself?“

  “Stoptalkingrubbishandlooktoyourfoot,forthewagonisstarting。”Ireplied。

  Thenoffwewentatagoodroundtrot,forneverhaveIseenoxenmorescientificallydriventhantheywerebyFootsackandhisfriendsonthisoccasion,oragreaterpacegotoutofthem。AssoonaswereachedafairlylevelpieceofgroundImadeAnscombeliedownonthecartelofthewagonandexaminedhiswoundaswellascircumstanceswouldallow。Ifoundthatthebulletorwhateverthemissilemayhavebeen,hadgonethroughhisrightinstepjustbeneaththebigsinew,butsofarasIcouldjudgewithoutinjuringanybone。Therewasnothingtobedoneexceptrubinsomecarbolicointment,whichfortunatelyhehadinhismedicinechest,andbindupthewoundasbestIcouldwithacleanhandkerchief,afterwhichItiedatowel,thatwas_not_

  clean,overthewholefoot。

  Bythistimeeveningwascomingon,soweateofsuchaswehadwithus,whichweneededbadlyenough,withoutstoppingthewagon。Irememberthatitconsistedofcheeseandhardbiscuits。

  Atdarkwewereobligedtohaltalittlebyastreamuntilthemoonrose,whichfortunatelyshedidverysoon,asshewasonlyjustpastherfull。Assoonasshewasupwestartedagain,andwithabreathingspaceortwo,trekkedallthatnight,whichI

  spentseatedontheafterpartofthewagonandkeepingasharplookout,while,notwithstandingtheroughnessoftheroadandhishurt,Anscombesleptlikeachilduponthecartelinside。

  Iwasverytired,sotiredthatthefearofsurprisewastheonlythingthatkeptmeawake,andIrecallreflectinginastupidkindofway,thatitseemedalwaystohavebeenmylotinlifetowatchthus,inonesenseoranother,whileothersslept。

  Thenightpassedsomehowwithoutanythinghappening,andatdawnwehaltedforawhiletowatertheoxen,whichwedidwithbuckets,andletthemeatwhatgrasstheycouldreachfromtheiryokes,sincewedidnotdaretooutspanthem。Justaswewerestartingonagainthevoortrekker,whomIhadsettowatchatalittledistance,ranupwithhiseyesbulgingoutofhishead,andreportedthathehadseenaBasutowithanassegaihangingaboutinthebush,asthoughtokeeptouchwithus,afterwhichwedelayednomore。

  Allthatdayweblunderedon,thrashingthewearycattlethatateveryhalttriedtoliedown,andbynightfallcametotheoutspanneartothehousecalledtheTemple,wherewehadmettheKaffirsreturningfromthediamondfields。Thisjourneywehadaccomplishedinexactlyhalfthetimeithadtakenontheoutwardtrip。Herewewereobligedtostop,asourteammusthaverestandfood。Soweoutspannedandsleptthatnightwithoutmuchfear,sinceIthoughtitmostimprobablethattheBasutoswouldattempttofollowussofar,aswewerenowwithinaday’strekofPilgrim’sRest,whitherweproposedtoproceedonthemorrow。

  ButthatisjustwhereImadeamistake。

  CHAPTERIV

  DOCTORRODD

  Ididgetalittlesleepthatnight,withoneeyeopen,butbeforedawnIwasupagainseeingtothefeedingofourremaininghorsewithsomemealiesthatwecarried,andothermatters。Theoxenwehadbeenobligedtounyokethattheymightfillthemselveswithgrassandwater,sinceotherwiseIfearedthatweshouldnevergetthemontotheirfeetagain。Asitwas,thepoorbrutesweresotiredthatsomeofthemcouldscarcelyeat,andalllaydownatthefirstopportunity。

  HavingawakenedFootsackandtheotherboysthattheymightbereadytotakeadvantageofthelightwhenitcame,forIwasanxioustobeaway,IdrankanipofHollandsandwaterandateabiscuit,makingAnscombedothesame。Coffeewouldhavebeenmoreacceptable,butIthoughtitwisernottolightafireforfearofshowingourwhereabouts。

  Nowafaintglimmerintheeasttoldmethatthedawnwascoming。

  Justbythewagongrewafair-sized,green-leavedtree,andasitwasquiteeasytoclimbevenbystarlight,upitIwentsoastogetabovethegroundmistandtakealookroundbeforewetrekked。Presentlytheskygrewpearlyandlightbegantogather;thentheedgeofthesunappeared,throwinglonglevelraysacrosstheworld。Everywherethemistlaydenseascottonwool,exceptatonespotaboutamilebehinduswheretherewasalittlehillorratherawaveoftheground,overwhichwehadtrekkedupontheprecedingevening。Thetopofthisrisewasabovemistlevel,andonitnotreesgrewbecausethegranitecametothesurface。Havingdiscoverednothing,Icalledtotheboystodriveuptheoxen,someofwhichhadrisenandwereeatingagain,andpreparedtodescendfrommytree。

  AsIdidso,outofthecornerofmyeyeIcaughtsightofsomethingthatglitteredfaraway,sofarthatitwouldonlyhaveattractedthenoticeofatrainedhunter。Yes,somethingwasshiningonthebrowoftheriseofwhichIhavespoken。IstaredatitthroughmyglassesandsawwhatIhadfearedtosee。A

  bodyofnativeswascrossingtheriseandtheglitterwascausedbytheraysofdawnstrikingontheirspearsandgun-barrels。

  Icamedownoutofthattreelikeafrightenedwildcatandrantothewagon,thinkinghardasIwent。TheBasutoswereafterus,meaningtoattackassoonastherewassufficientlight。Intenminutesorlesstheywouldbehere。Therewasnotimetoinspantheoxen,andeveniftherehadbeen,stiffandwearyasthebeastswere,weshouldbeovertakenbeforewehadgoneahundredyardsonthatbadroad。Whatthenwastobedone?Runforit?Itwasimpossible,Anscombecouldnotrun。Myeyefelluponthehorsemunchingthelastofhismealies。

  “Footsack。”IsaidasquietlyasIcould,“nevermindaboutinspanningyet,butsaddleupthehorse。Bequicknow。”

  Helookedatmedoubtfully,butobeyed,havingseennothing。IfhehadseenIknewthathewouldhavebeenoff。Inippedroundtotheendofthewagon,callingtotheothertwoboystolettheoxenbeawhileandcometome。

  “Now,Anscombe。”Isaid,“handouttheriflesandcartridges。

  Don’tstoptoaskquestions,butdowhatItellyou。Theyareontherackbyyourside。So。Nowputonyourrevolverandletmehelpyoudown。Man,don’tforgetyourhat。”

  Heobeyedquicklyenough,andpresentlywasstandingononelegbymyside,lookingcrampedandtottery。

  “TheBasutosareonus。”Isaid。

  HewhistledandremarkedsomethingaboutChapterNo。2。

  “Footsack。”Icalled,“bringthehorsehere;theBaaswishestoridealittletoeasehisleg。”

  Hedidso,stoppingamomenttopullthesecondgirthtight。

  ThenwehelpedAnscombeintothesaddle。

  “Whichway?“heasked。

  Ilookedatthelongslopeinfrontofus。Itwassteepandbadgoing。AnscombemightgetupitonthehorsebeforetheKaffirsovertookus,butitwasextremelyproblematicalifwecoulddoso。ImightperhapsifImountedbehindhimandthehorsecouldbearusboth,whichwasdoubtful,buthowaboutourpoorservants?Hesawthedoubtuponmyfaceandsaidinhisquietway,“Youmayrememberthatourwhite-beardedfriendtoldustomakestraightforhisplaceincaseofanydifficultywiththeBasutos。Itseemstohavearisen。”

  “Iknowhedid。”Ianswered,“butIcannotmakeupmymindwhichisthemoredangerous,MarnhamortheBasutos。Iratherthinkthathesetthemontous。”

  “Itisimpossibletosolveproblemsatthishourofthemorning,Quatermain,andthereisnotimetotoss。SoIvotefortheTemple。”

  “Itseemsourbestchance。Atanyratethat’syourchoice,solet’sgo。”

  ThenIsangouttotheKaffirs,“TheBasutosareonus。WegotoTampelforrefuge。Run!“

  Myword!theydidrun。Ineversawathletesmakebettertimeoverthefirstquarterofamile。Weran,too,oratleastthehorsedid,IhangingontothestirrupandAnscombeholdingboththeriflesbeneathhisarm。Butthebeastwastired,alsoblownoutwiththatmorningfeedofmealies,soourprogresswasnotveryfast。WhenwewereabouttwohundredyardsfromthewagonI

  lookedbackandsawtheBasutosbeginningtoarrive。Theysawusalso,andutteringasortofwhistlingwarcry,startedinpursuit。

  Afterthiswehadquiteaninterestingtime。IscrambledontothehorsebehindAnscombe,whereonthatintelligentanimal,feelingthedoubleweight,reduceditspaceproportionately,toaslowtripple,indeed,outofwhichitcouldnotbepersuadedtomove。SoIslippedoffagainoveritstailandwewentonasbefore。MeanwhiletheBasutos,veryactivefellows,werecomingup。Bythistimetheyellow-woodgroveintheswamp,ofwhichI

  havealreadywritten,wasclosetous,anditbecamequiteaquestionwhichofuswouldgettherefirstImaymentionthatFootsack&Co。hadalreadyattaineditsfriendlyshelter。

  AnscombekickedthehorsewithhissoundheelandIthumpeditwithmyfist,therebypersuadingittoahandgallop。

  AswereachedtheoutlyingtreesofthewoodthefirstBasuto,alankfellowwithamouthlikearattrap,arrivedandthrewanassegaiatuswhichpassedbetweenAnscombe’sbackandmynose。

  Thenheclosedandtriedtostabwithanotherassegai。Icoulddonothing,butAnscombeshowedhimselfclevererthanIexpected。

  Droppingthereins,hedrewhispistolandmanagedtosendabulletthroughthatchildofnature’shead,sothathewentdownlikeastone。

  “AndyoutellmeIamabadshot。”hedrawled。

  “Itwasafluke。”Igasped,foreveninthesecircumstancestruthwouldprevail。

  “Waitandyou’llsee。”hereplied,re-cockingtherevolver。

  Asamatteroffacttherewasnoneedformoreshooting,sinceatthevergeoftheswamptheBasutospulledup。Idonotthinkthatthedeathoftheircompanioncausedthemtodothis,fortheyseemedtotakenonoticeofhim。Itwasasthoughtheyhadreachedsomeboundarywhichtheyknewitwouldnotbelawfulforthemtopass。Theysimplystopped,tookthedeadman’sassegaiandshieldfromthebodyandwalkedquietlybacktowardsthewagon,leavinghimwherehelay。Thehorsestoppedalso,orratherproceededatawalk。

  “There!“exclaimedAnscombe。“DidInottellyouIhadapresentimentthatIshouldkillamaninthisaccursedwood?“

  “Yes。”IsaidassoonasIhadrecoveredmybreath,“butyoumixedupawomanwiththematterandIdon’tseeone。”

  “That’strue。”hereplied,“Ihopeweshan’tmeetherlater。”

  Thenwewentonasquicklyaswecould,whichwasnotveryfast,forIfearedlesttheBasutosshouldchangetheirmindsandfollowus。Astheriskofthisbecamelessourspiritsrose,sinceifwehadlostthewagonandtheoxen,atleastwehadsavedourlives,whichwasalmostmorethanwecouldhaveexpectedinthecircumstances。Atlastwecametothatgladewherewehadkilledthewildebeestenotaweekbefore。Therelayitsskeletonpickedcleanbythegreatbrownkitesthatfrequentthebush-veld,someofwhichstillsataboutinthetrees。

  “Well,IsupposewemustgoontoTampel。”saidAnscomberatherfaintly,forIcouldseethathiswoundwasgivinghimagooddealofpain。

  Ashespokefromroundthetreewhencehehadfirstemerged,appearedMr。Marnham,ridingthesamehorseandwearingthesameclothes。Theonlydifferencebetweenhistwoentrieswasthatthefirsttookplaceinthelateeveningandthesecondintheearlymorning。

  “Sohereyouareagain。”hesaidcheerfully。

  “Yes。”Ianswered,“anditisstrangetomeetyouatthesamespot。Wereyouexpectingus?“

  “NotmorethanIexpectmanythings。”herepliedwithashrewdglanceatme,adding,“Ialwaysrisewiththesun,andthinkingthatIheardashotfiredinthedistance,cametoseewhatwashappening。TheBasutosattackedyouatdaybreak,didtheynot?“

  “Theydid,buthowdidyouknowthat,Mr。Marnham?“

  “Yourservantstoldme。Imetthemrunningtothehouselookingveryfrightened。Youarewounded,Mr。Anscombe?“

  “Yes,acoupleofdaysagoontheborderofSekukuni’scountrywherethenativestriedtomurderus。”

  “Ah!“herepliedwithoutsurprise。“Iwarnedyouthetripwasdangerous,didInot?Well,comeonhomewheremypartner,Rodd,wholuckilyhashadmedicalexperience,willattendtoyou。Mr。

  Quatermaincantellmethestoryaswego。”

  Sowewentonupthelongslope,Irelatingouradventures,towhichMr。Marnhamlistenedwithoutcomment。

  “IexpectthattheKaffirswillhavelootedthewagonandbeonthewayhomewithyouroxenbynow。”hesaidwhenIhadfinished。

  “Areyounotafraidthattheywillfollowushere?“Iasked。

  “Ohno,Mr。Quatermain。Wedobusinesswiththesepeople,alsotheysometimescometobedoctoredbyRoddwhentheyaresick,sothisplaceissacredgroundtothem。TheystoppedhuntingyouwhentheygottotheYellow-woodswampwhereourlandbegins,didtheynot?“

  “Yes,butnowIwanttohuntthem。Canyougivemeanyhelp?

  Thoseoxenaretiredoutandfootsore,sowemightbeabletocatchthemup。”

  Heshookhishead。“Wehaveveryfewpeoplehere,andbythetimethatyoucouldgetassistancefromtheCampatBarberton,iftheCommandantisableandwillingtogiveyouany,whichI

  ratherdoubt,theywillbefaraway。Moreover。”headded,droppinghisvoice,“letuscometoanunderstanding。YouaremostwelcometoanyhelporhospitalitythatIcanoffer,butifyouwishtodomorefightingImustaskyoutogoelsewhere。AsIhavetoldyou,wearepeacefulmenwhotradewiththesepeople,anddonotwishtobeinvolvedinaquarrelwiththem,whichmightexposeustoattackorbringusintotroublewiththeBritishGovernmentwhichhasannexedbutnotconqueredtheircountry。DoImakemyselfclear?“

  “Perfectly。Whilewearewithyouwewilldonothing,butafterwardsweholdourselvesatlibertytoactaswethinkbest。”

  “Quiteso。MeanwhileIhopethatyouandMr。Anscombewillmakeyourselvescomfortablewithusforaslongasyoulike。”

  InmyownmindIcametotheconclusionthatthiswouldbefortheshortesttimepossible,butIonlysaid——

  “Itismostkindofyoutotakeincompletestrangersthus。No,notcomplete。”Iadded,lookingtowardsAnscombewhowasfollowingonthetiredhorseafewpacesbehind,“foryouknewhisfather,didyounot?“

  “Hisfather?“hesaid,liftinghiseyebrows。“No。Oh!I

  remember,Isaidsomethingtothateffecttheothernight,butitwasamistake。Imixeduptwonames,asoneoftendoesafteralapseofmanyyears。”

  “Iunderstand。”Ianswered,butrememberingAnscombe’sstoryI

  reflectedtomyselfthatourvenerablehostwasanexcellentliar。Ormoreprobablyhemeanttoconveythathewishedthesubjectofhisyouthfulreminiscencestobetaboo。

  Justthenwereachedthehousewhichhadaprettypatchofwell-keptflower-gardeninfrontofit,surroundedbyafencecoveredwithwirenettingtokeepoutbuck。Bythegatesquattedourthreeretainers,lookingveryblownandratherashamedofthemselves。

  “Yourmasterwishestothankyouforyourhelpinadarkhour,Footsack,andIwishtocongratulateyouallupontheswiftnessofyourfeet。”IsaidinDutch。

  “Oh!Baas,theBasutosweremanyandtheirspearsaresharp。”hebeganapologetically。

  “Besilent,yourunningdog。”Isaid,“andgohelpyourmastertodismount。”

  Thenwewentthroughthegate,AnscombeleaningonmyshoulderandonthatofMr。Marnham,andupthepathwhichwasborderedwithfencesofthemonthlyrose,towardsthehouse。Reallythiswasalmostascharmingtolookatnearathandasithadbeenfromfaraway。Ofcoursethewholethingwascrudeindetail。

  Rough,half-shapedblocksofmarblefromtheneighbouringquarryhadbeenbuiltintowallsandcolumns。Nothingwasfinished,andconsideredbitbybitallwascoarseandugly。Yetthegeneraleffectwasbeautifulbecauseitwasaneffectofdesign,thepictureofanartistwhodidnotfullyunderstandthetechnicalitiesofpainting,theworkofagreatwriterwhohadasyetnoproperskillinwords。NeverdidIseeasmallbuildingthatstruckmemore。ButthenwhatexperiencehaveIofbuildings,and,asAnscomberemindedmeafterwards,itwasbutacopyofsomethingdesignedwhentheworldwasyoung,orratherwhencivilizationwasyoung,andmannewrisenfromtheinfiniteagesofsavagery,sawbeautyinhisdreamsandtriedtosymbolizeitinshapesofstone。

  Wecametothebroadstoep,towhichseveralroughblocksofmarbleservedassteps。Onitinalongchairmadeofnativewoodandseatedwithhiderimpis,satorratherlolledamaninadressing-gownwhowasreadingabook。Heraisedhimselfaswecameandthelightofthesun,fortheverandahfacedtotheeast,shonefulluponhisface,sothatIsawhimwell。Itwasthatofamanofsomethingunderfortyyearsofage,dark,powerful,andweary——notagoodface,Ithought。Indeed,itgavemetheimpressionofonewhohadallowedtheevilwhichexistsinthenatureofallofustobecomehismaster,orhadevenencouragedittodoso。

  InthePsalmsandelsewherewearealwaysreadingoftherighteousandtheunrighteousuntilthosetermsgrowwearisome。

  ItisonlyoflateyearsthatIhavediscovered,orthinkthatI

  havediscovered,whattheymean。Ourlivescannotbejudgedbyourdeeds;theymustbejudgedbyourdesiresorratherbyourmoralattitude。Itisnotwhatwedosomuchaswhatwetrytodothatcountsintheformationofcharacter。Allfallshort,allfail,butintheendthosewhoseektoclimboutofthepit,thosewhostrive,howevervainly,tofashionfailuretosuccess,are,bycomparison,therighteous,whilethosewhoarecontenttowallowinournativemireandtoglutthemselveswiththedailybreadofvice,aretheunrighteous。Toturnourbacksthereonwilfullyandwithoutcause,istherealunforgiveablesinagainsttheSpirit。AtleastthatisthebestdefinitionoftheproblematwhichIinmysimplicitycanarrive。

  SuchthoughtshaveoftenoccurredtomeinconsideringthecharacterofDr。RoddandsomeotherswhomIhaveknown;indeedthegermofthemaroseinmymindwhich,beingweariedatthetimeandthereforesomewhatvacant,wasperhapsthemoreopentoexternalimpressions,asIlookeduponthefaceofthisstrangeronthestoep。Moreover,asIamproudtorecord,Ididnotjudgehimaltogetherwrongly。Hewasablackguardwho,underotherinfluencesorwithafewaddedgrainsofself-restraintandofthepowerofrecovery,mighthavebecomeagoodorevenasaintlyman。ButbysomemaliceofFateorsomeevilinheritancefromanunknownpast,thosegrainswerelacking,andthereforehewentnotupbutdownthehill。

  “Caseforyou,Rodd。”calledoutMarnham。

  “Indeed。”heanswered,gettingtohisfeetandspeakinginafullvoice,which,likehispartner’s,wasthatofaneducatedEnglishman。“What’sthematter。Horseaccident?“

  Thenwewereintroduced,andAnscombebegantoexplainhisinjury。

  “Um!“saidthedoctor,studyinghimwithdarkeyes。“Kaffirbulletthroughthefootsomedaysago。Oughttobeattendedtoatonce。Alsoyoulookprettydone,sodon’ttireyourselfwiththestory,whichIcangetfromMr。Quatermain。ComeandliedownandI’llhavealookatyouwhiletheyarecookingbreakfast。”

  ThenheguidedustoaroomofwhichthedoubleFrenchwindowsopenedontothestoep,averyprettyroomwithtwobedsinit。

  MakingAnscombeliedownononeoftheseheturneduphistrouser,undidmyroughbandageandexaminedthewound。

  “Painful?“heasked。

  “Very。”answeredAnscombe,“rightuptothethigh。”

  Afterthishedrewoffthenethergarmentsandmadeafurtherexamination。

  “Um。”hesaidagain,“Imustsyringethisout。StaystillwhileIgetsomestuff。”

  Ifollowedhimfromtheroom,andwhenwewereoutofhearingonthestoepinquiredwhathethought。Ididnotlikethelookofthatleg。

  “Itisverybad。”heanswered,“sobadthatIamwonderingIfitwouldn’tbebesttoremovethelimbbelowthekneeandmakeitajob。Youcanseeforyourselfthatitissepticandtheinflammationisspreadinguprapidly。”

  “GoodHeavens!“Iexclaimed,“doyoufearmortification?“

  Henodded。“Can’tsaywhatwasonthatslugorbitofoldironandhehasn’thadthebestchancesince。Mortification,ortetanus,orboth,aremorethanpossible。Isheatemperateman?“

  “SofarasIknow。”Ianswered,andstaredathimwhilehethought。Thenhesaidwithdecision,“Thatmakesadifference。Toloseafootisaseriousthing;

  somemightthinkalmostasbadasdeath。I’llgivehimachance,butifthosesymptomsdonotabateintwenty-fourhours,Imustoperate。Youneedn’tbeafraid,IwashousesurgeonataLondonHospital——once,andIkeepmyhandin。Luckyyoucamestraighthere。”

  Havingmadehispreparationsandwashedhishands,hereturned,syringedthewoundwithsomeantisepticstuff,anddressedandbandagedtheleguptotheknee。AfterthishegaveAnscombehotmilktodrink,withtwoeggsbrokenintoit,andtoldhimtorestawhileashemustnoteatanythingsolidatpresent。Thenhethrewablanketoverhim,and,signingtometocomeaway,letdownamatoverthewindow。

  “Iputalittlesomethingintothatmilk。”hesaidoutside,“whichwillsendhimtosleepforafewhours。Sowewillleavehimquiet。Nowyou’llwantawash。”

  “WhereareyougoingtotakeMr。Quatermain?“askedMarnhamwhowasseatedonthestoep。

  “Intomyroom。”heanswered。

  “Why?There’sHeda’sready。”

  “Hedamightreturnatanymoment。”repliedthedoctor。“AlsoMr。

  QuatermainhadbettersleepinMr。Anscombe’sroom。Hewillverylikelywantsomeonetolookafterhimatnight。”

  Marnhamopenedhismouthtospeakagain,thenchangedhismindandwassilent,asaservantissilentunderrebuke。Theincidentwasquitetrifling,yetitrevealedtometherelativeattitudeofthesetwomen。WithoutadoubtRoddwasthemasterofhispartner,whodidnotevencaretodisputewithhimaboutthematteroftheuseofhisdaughter’sbedroom。Theywereaqueercouplewho,haditnotbeenformyanxietyastoAnscombe’sillness,wouldhaveinterestedmeverymuch,asindeedtheyweredestinedtodo。

  Well,Iwenttotidyupinthedoctor’sroom,andasheleftmealonewhileIwashed,hadtheopportunityofstudyingitalittle。Liketherestofthehouseitwaslinedwithnativewoodwhichwasmadetoserveasthebacksofbookshelvesandofcupboardsfilledwithmedicinesandinstruments。Thebooksformedaqueercollection。Thereweremedicalworks,philosophicalworks,histories,novels,mostofthemFrench,andothervolumesofasortthatIimaginearegenerallykeptunderlockandkey;alsosomethathadtodowithoccultmatters。

  TherewasevenaBible。Iopeneditthoughtlessly,halfinidlecuriosity,toseewhetheritwaseverused,onlytoreplaceitinhaste。Forattheverypagethatmyeyefellon,IrememberitwasoneofmyfavouritechaptersinIsaiah,wasastampinvioletinkmarkedH。M。’sPrison——well,Iwon’tsaywhere。

  Imaystate,however,thattheclueenabledmeinafteryearstolearnanepisodeinthisman’slifewhichhadbroughtabouthisruin。Thereisnoneedtorepeatitortosaymorethanthatgamblingandaneviluseofhismedicalknowledgetoprovidethemoneytopayhisdebts,werethecauseofhisfall。Thestrangethingisthatheshouldhavekeptthebookwhichhadprobablybeengiventobytheprisonchaplain。Stilleverybodymakesmistakessometimes。Oritmayhavehadassociationsforhim,andofcoursehehadneverseenthisstampuponanunreadpage,whichhappenedtoleaptomyeye。

  NowIwasabletomakeashrewdguessathislatercareer。AfterhistroublehehademigratedandbegantopractiseinSouthAfrica。Somehowhisidentityhadbeendiscovered;hispastwasdraggedupagainsthim,possiblybyrivalsjealousofhisskill;

  hisbusinesswentandhefounditadvisabletoretiretotheTransvaalbeforetheAnnexation,atthattimethehomeofsundrypeopleofbrokenrepute。Eventherehedidnotstopinatown,buthidhimselfupontheedgeofsavagery。Hereheforegatheredwithanothermanofqueercharacter,Marnham,andinhiscompanyentereduponsomedoubtfulbutlucrativeformoftradewhilestillindulginghisloveofmedicinebydoctoringandoperatinguponnatives,overwhomhewouldinthiswayacquiregreatinfluence。Indeed,asIdiscoveredbeforethedaywasover,hehadquitealittlehospitalatthebackofthehouseinwhichwerefourorfivebedsoccupiedbyKaffirsandservedbytwomalenativenurseswhomhehadtrained。Alsonumbersofout-patientsvisitedhim,someofwhomtravelledfromgreatdistances,andoccasionally,butnotoften,heattendedwhitepeoplewhochancedtobeintheneighbourhood。

  ThethreeofusbreakfastedinareallycharmingroomfromthewindowofwhichcouldbestudiedaviewasbeautifulasanyI

  know。TheKaffirswhowaitedwerewelltrainedanddressedinneatlinenuniforms。Thecookingwasgood;therewasrealsilveronthetable,thenastrangesightinthatpartofAfrica,andamongstengravingsandotherpicturesuponthewalls,hunganoilportraitofaverybeautifulyoungwomanwithdarkhairandeyes。

  “Isthatyourdaughter,Mr。Marnham?“Iasked。

  “No。”herepliedrathershortly,“itishermother。”

  Immediatelyafterwardshewascalledfromtheroomtospeaktosomeone,whereonthedoctorsaid——

  “Aforeignerasyousee,aHungarian;theHungarianwomenareverygoodlookingandverycharming。”

  “SoIhaveunderstood。”Ianswered,“butdoesthisladylivehere?“

  “Oh,no。Sheisdead,orIbelievethatsheisdead。Iamnotsure,becauseImakeitarulenevertopryintopeople’sprivateaffairs。AlllknowaboutheristhatshewasabeautywhomMarnhammarriedlateinlifeupontheContinentwhenshewasbuteighteen。Asiscommoninsuchcaseshewasveryjealousofher,butitdidn’tlastlong,asshedied,orIunderstandthatshedied,withinayearofherdaughter’sbirth。ThelossaffectedhimsomuchthatheemigratedtoSouthAfricawiththechildandbeganlifeanew。IdonotthinkthattheycorrespondwithHungary,andheneverspeaksofhereventohisdaughter,whichsuggeststhatsheisdead。”

  Ireflectedthatallthesecircumstancesmightequallywellsuggestseveralotherthings,butsaidnothing,thinkingitwisestnottopursuethesubject。PresentlyMarnhamreturnedandinformedmethatanativehadjustbroughthimwordthattheBasutoshadmadeoffhomewardwithourcattle,buthadleftthewagonanditscontentsquiteuntouched,notevenstealingthesparegunsandammunition。

  “That’sluck。”Isaid,astonished,“butextremelystrange。Howdoyouexplainit,Mr。Marnham?“

  Heshruggedhisshouldersandanswered——

  “Aseveryoneknows,youareamuchgreaterexpertinnativehabitsandcustomsthanIam,Mr。Quatermain。

  “ThereareonlytwothingsthatIcanthinkof。”Isaid。“Oneisthatforsomereasonorothertheythoughtthewagontagati,bewitchedyouknow,andthatitwouldbringevilonthemtotouchit,thoughthisdidnotapplytotheoxen。Theotheristhattheysupposedit,butnottheoxen,tobelongtosomefriendoftheirownwhosepropertytheydidnotwishtoinjure。”

  Helookedatmesharplybutsaidnothing,andIwentontotellthemthedetailsoftheattackthathadbeenmadeuponus,adding——

  “TheoddpartoftheaffairisthatoneofthoseBasutoscalledouttousthatsomeinfernalscoundrelofawhitehadwarnedSekukuniofourcomingandthathehadorderedthemtotakeourgunsandcattle。ThisBasuto,whowaswoundedandprayingformercy,wasdrownedbeforehecouldtellmewhothewhitemanwas。”

  “ABoer,Iexpect。”saidMarnhamquietly。“AsyouknowtheyarenotparticularlywellaffectedtowardsusEnglishjustnow。AlsoIhappentobeawarethatsomeofthemareintriguingwithSekukuniagainsttheBritishthroughMakurupiji,his’Mouth’orprime-minister,averycleveroldscampwholikestohavetwostoolstositon。”

  “Anddoubtlesswillendbyfallingbetweenthem。Well,yousee,nowthatIthinkofit,thewoundedKaffironlysaidthattheywereorderedtotakeourgunsandoxen,andincidentallyourlives。Thewagonwasnotmentioned。”

  “Quiteso,Mr。Quatermain。Iwillsendsomeofourboystohelpyourservantstobringeverythingitcontainsuphere。”

  “Can’tyoulendmeateamofoxen。”Iasked,“todragittothehouse?“

  “No,wehavenothingbutyoungcattleleft。Bothred-waterandlung-sicknesshavebeensobadthisseasonthatallthehornedstockhavebeensweptoutofthecountry。Idoubtwhetheryoucouldbeg,borroworstealateamofoxenthissideofPretoria,exceptfromsomeoftheDutchmenwhowon’tpart。”

  “That’sawkward。Ihopedtobeabletotrekinadayortwo。”

  “Yourfriendwon’tbeabletotrekforagoodmanydaysatthebest。”brokeinthedoctor,whohadbeenlisteningunconcernedly,“butofcourseyoucouldgetawayonthehorseafterithasrested。”

  “YoutoldmeyouleftaspanofoxenatPretoria。”saidMarnham。

  “Whynotgoandfetchthemhere,orifyoudon’tliketoleaveMr。Anscombe,sendyourdriverandtheboys。”

  “Thanksfortheidea。Iwillthinkitover。”Ianswered。

  ThatmorningafterFootsackandthevoorlooperhadbeensentwithsomeoftheservantsfromtheTempletofetchupthecontentsofthewagon,forIwastootiredtoaccompanythem,havingfoundthatAnscombewasstillasleep,Ideterminedtofollowhisexample。Findingalongchaironthestoep,Isatdownandslumberedinitsweetlyforhours。Idreamtofallsortsofthings,thenthroughmydreamsitseemedtomethatIheardtwovoicestalking,thoseofourMarnhamandRodd,notonthestoep,butatadistancefromit。Asamatteroffacttheyweretalking,butsofarawaythatinmyordinarywakingstateIcouldneverhaveheardthem。Myownbeliefisthatthesenses,andI

  mayaddthesemi-spiritualpartofus,aremuchmoreacutewhenweliehalfboundinthebondsofsleep,thanwhenwearewhatiscalledwideawake。Doubtlesswhenwearequiteboundtheyattainthelimitsoftheirpowerand,Ithink,sailattimestotheuttermostendsofbeing。Butunhappilyoftheirexperiencesweremembernothingwhenweawake。Inhalfsleepitisdifferent;

  thenwedoretainsomerecollection。

  InthiscuriousconditionofminditseemedtomethatRoddsaidtoMarnham——

  “Whyhaveyoubroughtthesemenhere?“

  “Ididnotbringthemhere。”heanswered。“Luck,Fate,Fortune,GodortheDevil,callitwhatyouwill,broughtthemhere,thoughifyouhadyourwish,itistruetheywouldneverhavecome。Still,astheyhavecome,Iamglad。Itissomethingtome,livinginthishell,togetachanceoftalkingtoEnglishgentlemenagainbeforeIdie。”

  “Englishgentlemen。”remarkedRoddreflectively,“Well,Anscombeisofcourse,buthowaboutthatotherhunter?Afterall,inwhatwayishebetterthanthescoresofotherhuntersandKaffirtradersandwandererswhomonemeetsinthisstrangeland?“

  “Inwhatwayindeed?“thoughtItomyself,inmydream。

  “Ifyoucan’tsee,Ican’texplaintoyou。ButasIhappentoknow,themanisofbloodasgoodasmine——andagreatdealbetterthanyours。”headdedwithatouchofinsolence。

  “Moreover,hehasanhonestnameamongwhiteandblack,whichismuchinthiscountry。”

  “Yes。”repliedthedoctorinthesamereflectivevoice,“Iagreewithyou,Ilethimpassasagentleman。ButIrepeat,Whydidyoubringthemherewhenwithonemoreworditwouldhavebeensoeasy——“andhestopped。

  “Ihavetoldyou,itwasnotI。Whatareyoudrivingat?“

  “Doyouthinkitisexactlyconvenient,especiallywhenweareundertheBritishflagagain,tohavetwopeoplewho,webothadmit,areEnglishgentlemen,thatis,clean,clear-eyedmen,consideringusandouraffairsforanindefiniteperiod,justbecauseyouwishforthepleasureoftheirsociety?WoulditnothavebeenbettertotellthoseBasutostoletthemtrekontoPretoria?“

  “Idon’tknowwhatwouldhavebeenbetter。Irepeat,whatareyoudrivingat?

  “Hedaiscominghomeinadayortwo;shemightbehereanytime。”remarkedRoddasheknockedtheashesoutofhispipe。

  “Yes,becauseyoumademewriteandsaythatIwantedher。Butwhatofthat?“

  “Nothinginparticular,exceptthatIamnotsurethatIwishhertoassociatewith’anEnglishgentleman’likethisAnscombe。”

  Marnhamlaughedscornfully。“Ah!Iunderstand。”hesaid。“Toocleanandstraight。Complicationsmightensueandtherestofit。Well,IwishtoGodtheywould,forIknowtheAnscombes,orusedto,andIknowthegenuscalledRodd。”

  “Don’tbeinsulting;youmaycarrythethingtoofaroneday,andwhateverIhavedoneIhavepaidfor。Butyou’venotpaid——yet。”

  “Themanisveryill。Youareaskilleddoctor。Ifyou’reafraidofhim,whydon’tyoukillhim?“askedMarnhamwithbitterscorn。

  “Thereyouhaveme。”repliedRodd。“Menmayshedmuch,butmostofthemnevershedtheirprofessionalhonour。IshalldomyhonestbesttocureMr。Anscombe,andItellyouthathewilltakesomecuring。”

  ThenIwokeup,andasnoonewasinsight,wonderedwhetherornoIhadbeendreaming。TheupshotofitwasthatImadeupmymindtosendFootsacktoPretoriafortheoxen,nottogomyself。

  CHAPTERV

  AGAMEOFCARDS

  IsleptinAnscombe’sroomthatnightandlookedafterhim。Hewasveryfeverishandthepaininhislegkepthimawakeagooddeal。HetoldmethathecouldnotbearDr。Roddandwishedtogetawayatonce。IhadtoexplaintohimthatthiswasimpossibleuntilhisspareoxenarrivedwhichIwasgoingtosendfortoPretoria,butofothermatters,includingthatofthedangerousstateofhisfoot,Isaidnothing。Iwasthankfulwhentowardstwointhemorning,hefellintoasoundsleepandallowedmetodothesame。

  Beforebreakfasttime,justasIhadfinisheddressingmyselfinsomeofthecleanthingswhichhadbeenbroughtfromthewagon,Roddcameandmadeathoroughandbusiness-likeexaminationofhispatient,whileIawaitedtheresultwithanxietyonthestoep。Atlengthheappearedandsaid——

  “Well,Ithinkthatweshallbeabletosavethefoot,thoughI

  can’tbequitesureforanothertwenty-fourhours。Theworstsymptomshaveabatedandhistemperatureisdownbytwodegrees。

  Anywayhewillhavetostayinbedandliveonlightfoodtillitisnormal,afterwhichhemightlieinalongchaironthestoep。

  Onnoaccountmustheattempttostand。”

  IthankedhimforhisinformationheartilyenoughandaskedhimifheknewwhereMarnhamwas,asIwantedtospeaktohimwithreferencetothedespatchofFootsacktofetchtheoxenfromPretoria。

  “Notupyet,Ithink。”heanswered。“Ifancythatyesterdaywasoneofhis’wet’nights,excitementofmeetingstrangersandsoon。”

  “Wetnights?“Iqueried,wishingforaclearerexplanation。

  “Yes,heisagrandoldfellow,oneofthebest,butlikemostotherpeoplehehashislittleweaknesses,andwhenthefitisonhimhecanputawayasurprisingamountofliquor。Itellyousothatyoushouldnotbeastonishedifyounoticeanything,ortrytoarguewithhimwhenheisinthatstate,asthenhistemperisapttobe——well,lively。NowImustgoandgivehimapintofwarmmilk;thatishisfavouriteantidote,andinfactthebestthereis。”

  Ithoughttomyselfthatwehadstruckaniceestablishmentinwhichtobetied,literallybytheleg,foranindefiniteperiod。

  Iwasnotparticularlyflushatthetime,butIknowIwouldhavepaida#100tobeoutofit;beforetheendIshouldhavebeengladtothrowineverythingthatIhad。Butmercifullythatwashiddenfromme。

  RoddandIbreakfastedtogetheranddiscoursedofKaffircustoms,astowhichhewassingularlywellinformed。ThenIaccompaniedhimtoseehisnativepatientsinthelittlehospitalofwhichI

  havespoken。BelievingthemantobeathoroughscampasIdid,itwasastonishingtometonotehowgentleandforbearinghewastothesepeople。OfhisskillIneedsaynothing,asthatwasevident。Hewasgoingtoperformaninternaloperationuponaburlyoldsavage,ratheraseriousoneIbelieve;atanyrateitnecessitatedchloroform。HeaskedmeifIwouldliketoassist,butIdeclinedrespectfully,havingnotasteforsuchthings。SoIlefthimboilinghisinstrumentsandputtingonwhatlookedlikeacleannightgownoverhisclothes,andreturnedtothestoep。

  HereIfoundMarnham,whoseeyeswereratherbloodshot,thoughotherwise,exceptforashakyhand,heseemedrightenough。Hemurmuredsomethingabouthavingoverslepthimselfandinquiredverypolitely,forhismannerswerebeautiful,afterAnscombeandastowhetherwewerequitecomfortableandsoforth。AfterthisIconsultedhimastothebestroadforourservantstotravelbytoPretoria,andlaterondespatchedthem,givingFootsackvariousnotestoensurethedeliveryoftheoxentohim。AlsoI

  gavehimsomemoneytopayfortheirkeepandtoldhimwithmanythreatstogetbackwiththebeastsasquickashecouldtravel。

  ThenIsenthimandthetwootherboysoff,notwithoutmisgivings,althoughhewasanexperiencedmaninhiswayandpromisedfaithfullytofulfileveryinjunctiontotheletter。TomeheseemedsocuriouslygladtogothatIinquiredthereason,sinceafterajourneylikeours,itwouldhavebeenmorenaturalifhehadwishedtorest。

  “Oh!Baas。”hesaid,“Idon’tthinkthisTampelveryhealthyforcolouredpeople。Iamtoldofsomewhohavediedhere。ThatmanKarlwhogavemethediamond,Ithinkhemusthavediedalso,atleastIsawhisspooklastnightstandingovermeandshakinghishead,andtheboyssawittoo。”

  “Oh!beoffwithyourtalkofspooks。”Isaid,“andcomebackquicklywiththoseoxen,orIpromiseyouthatyouwilldieandbeaspookyourself。”

  “Iwill,Baas,Iwill!“heejaculatedanddepartedalmostatarun,leavingmeratheruncomfortable。

  IbelievednothingofthetaleofthespookofKarl,butIsawthatFootsackbelievedinit,andwasafraidlesthemightbetherebypreventedfromreturning。Iwouldmuchratherhavegonemyself,butitwasimpossibleformetoleaveAnscombesoillinthehandsofourstrangehosts。AndtherewasnooneelsewhomI

  couldsend。ImightperhapshaveriddentoPilgrim’sRestandtriedtofindawhitemessengerthere;indeedafterwardsI

  regrettednothavingdoneso,althoughitwouldhaveinvolvedatleastaday’sabsenceataverycriticaltime。ButthetruthisIneverthoughtofituntiltoolate,andprobablyifIhad,I

  shouldnothavebeenabletodiscoveranyonewhomIcouldtrust。

  AsIwalkedbacktothehouse,havingpartedfromFootsackonthetopofaneighbouringridgewhenceIcouldpointouthispathtohim,ImetMarnhamridingaway。HepulledupandsaidthathewasgoingdowntotheGranitestreamtoarrangeaboutsettingsomeoneuptowatchthewagon。Iexpressedsorrowthatheshouldhavethetrouble,whichshouldhavebeenmineifIcouldhavegotaway,whereonheansweredthathewasgladoftheopportunityforaride,asitwassomethingtodo。

  “Howdoyoufillinyourtimehere。”Iaskedcarelessly,“asyoudon’tfarm?“

  “Oh!bytrading。”hereplied,andwithanodsethishorsetoacanter。

  Aqueersortoftrading,thoughtItomyself,wherethereisnostore。Nowwhatexactlydoeshetradein,Iwonder?

  AsithappenedIwasdestinedtofindoutbeforeIwasanhourolder。HavinggivenAnscombealookandfoundthathewascomfortable,IthoughtthatIwouldinspectthequarrywhencethemarblecameofwhichthehousewasbuilt,asithadoccurredtomethatiftherewasplentyofit,itmightbeworthexploitingsometimeinthefuture。Ithadbeenpointedouttomeinthemidstofsomethornsinagullythatranatrightanglestothemainkloofnotmorethanafewhundredyardsfromthehouse。

  Followingapathoverwhichthestoneshadbeendraggedoriginally,Icametothespotanddiscoveredthatalittlecavityhadbeenquarriedinwhatseemedtometobeapositivemountainofpurewhitemarble。IexaminedtheplaceasthoroughlyasIcould,climbingamongsomebushesthatgrewinsurfaceearthwhichhadbeenwasheddownfromthetop,inordertodoso。

  Atthebackofthesebushestherewasaholelargeenoughforamantocreepthrough。Icreptthroughwiththeobjectofascertainingwhetherthemarbleveinscontinued。TomysurpriseIfoundastoutyellow-wooddoorwithinfeetofthemouthofthehole。Reflectingthatnodoubtitwasherethatthequarrymenkept,orhadkepttoolsandexplosives,Igaveitapush。I

  supposeithadbeenleftunfastenedaccidentally,orthatsomethinghadgonewrongwiththelock;atanyrateitswungopen。PursuingmyresearchesastothedepthofthemarbleI

  advancedboldlyand,theplacebeingdark,struckamatch。

  Evidentlythemarbledidcontinue,asIcouldseebytheglitteringroofofacavern,forsuchitwas。Butthefloorattractedmyattentionaswellastheroof,foronitwerenumerouscasesnotunlikecoffins,bearingthestampofawell-knownBirminghamfirm,labelled“fencingiron“andaddressedtoMessrs。Marnham&Rodd,Transvaal,_via_DelagoaBay。

  Iknewatoncewhattheywere,havingseenthelikebefore,butifanydoubtremainedinmyminditwaseasytosolve,forasitchancedoneofthecaseswasopenandhalfemptied。Islippedmyhandintoit。AsIthoughtitcontainedtheordinaryKaffirgunofcommerce,costdeliveredinAfrica,say35s。;costdeliveredtonativechiefincashorcattle,say#10,which,whenthemarketiseager,allowsforadecentprofit。Contemplatingthosecases,survivorsprobablyofamuchlargerstock,IunderstoodhowitcameaboutthatSekukunihaddaredtoshowfightagainsttheGovernment。DoubtlessitwashencethatthegunshadcomewhichsentabulletthroughAnscombe’sfootandnearlypolishedoffbothofus。

  Moreover,asfurthermatchesshowedme,thatcavecontainedotherstores——item,kegsofgunpowder;item,casksofcheapspirit;

  item,barsoflead,alsoaboxmarked“bulletmoulds“andanothermarked“Percussioncaps。”Ithink,too,thereweresomeinnocentbagsfullofbeadsandafewpackagesofBirmingham-madeassegaiblades。Theremayhavebeenotherthings,butifsoIdidnotwaittoinvestigatethem。Gatheringuptheendsofmymatchesand,incasethereshouldbeanydustintheplacethatwouldshowfootmarks,flappingthestonefloorbehindmewithmypockethandkerchief,Iretiredandcontinuedmyinvestigationsofthatwonderfulmarbledepositfromthebottomofthequarry,towhich,havingre-arrangedthebushes,Idescendedbyanotherroute,leapinglikeabuckfromstonetostone。

  ItwasjustaswellthatIdidso,forafewminuteslaterDr。

  Roddappeared。

  “Madeagoodjobofyouroperation?“Iaskedcheerfully。

  “Prettyfair,thanks。”heanswered,“althoughthatKaffirtriedtobrainthenurse-manwhenhewascomingoutoftheanesthetic。

  Butareyouinterestedingeology?“

  “Alittle。”Ireplied,“thatisifthereisanychanceofmakingmoneyoutofit,whichthereoughttobehere,asthismarblelooksalmostasgoodasthatofCarrara。Butflintinstrumentsaremoremyline,thatisinanignorantandamateurway,asI

  thinktheyareinyours,forIsawsomeinyourroom。Tellme,whatdoyouthinkofthis。Isitascraper?“andIproducedastoneoutofmypocketwhichIhadfoundaweekbeforeinthebush-veld。

  Atonceheforgothissuspicions,ofwhichIcouldseehearrivedveryfullindeed。Thiscuriousman,asithappened,wasreallyfondofflintinstruments,ofwhichheknewagreatdeal。

  “Didyoufindthishere?“heasked。

  IledhimseveralyardsfurtherfromthemouthofthecaveandpointedouttheexactspotwhereIsaidIhadpickeditupamongstsomequarrydebris。Thenfollowedamostlearneddiscussion,foritappearedthatthiswasaflintinstrumentoftherarestandmostvaluabletype,onethatNoahmighthaveused,orJobmighthavescrapedhimselfwith,andthequestionwashowthedickenshaditcomeamongthatquarrydebris。Intheendwelefttheproblemundecided,andhavingpresentedthearticletoDr。Rodd,agiftforwhichhethankedmewithrealwarmth,I

  returnedtothehousefilledwiththeglowthatrewardsonewhohasmadeavaluablediscovery。

  OfthefollowingthreedaysIhavenothingparticulartosay,exceptthatduringthemIwasperhapsmoreacutelyboredthaneverIhadbeeninmylifebefore。Thehousewasbeautifulinitsownfashion;thefoodwasexcellent;therewaseverythingI

  couldwanttodrink,andRoddannouncedthathenolongerfearedthenecessityofoperationuponAnscombe’sleg。Hisrecoverywasnowamerematteroftime,andmeanwhilehemustnotusehisfootorletthebloodrunintoitmorethancouldbehelped,whichmeantthathemustkeephimselfinarecumbentposition。ThetroublewasthatIhadnothingonearthdoexceptstudythecharactersofourhosts,whichIfounddisagreeableanddepressing。Imighthavegoneoutshooting,butnothingofthesortwasalloweduponthepropertyinobediencetothewishofMissHeda,amysteriousyoungpersonwhowasalwaysexpectedandneverappeared,andbeyonditIwasafraidtotravelforfearofBasutos。ImighthavegonetoPilgrim’sRestorLydenburgtomakereportofthenefariousdeedsofthesaidBasutos,butatbestitwouldhavetakenoneortwodays,andpossiblyIshouldhavebeendetainedbyofficialswhoneverconsideranyone’stimeexcepttheirown。

  ThismeantthatIshouldhavebeenobligedtoleaveAnscombealone,whichIdidnotwishtodo,soIjustsatstilland,asI

  havesaid,wasintenselybored,hangingabouttheplaceandsmokingmorethanwasgoodforme。

  InduecourseAnscombeemergedontothestoep,wherehelaywithhislegup,andwasalsobored,especiallyafterhehadtriedtopumpoldMarnhamabouthispastintheGuardsandcompletelyfailed。Itwasinthismoodofutterdejectionthatweagreedtoplayagameofcardsoneevening。Notthateitherofuscaredforcards;indeed,personally,Ihavealwaysdetestedthembecause,withvarious-colouredcounterstorepresentmoneywhichneverpassed,theyhadformedoneoftheafflictionsofmyyouth。

  Itwassoannoyingifyouwon,tobehandedanumberofgreencountersandbeinformedthattheyrepresentedsomanyhundredsorthousandsofpounds,orvice-versaifyoulost,forasitcostnooneanything,mydearfatherinsisteduponplayingforenormousstakes。NeverinanyaspectoflifehaveIcaredforfooling。Anscombealsodislikedcards,Ithinkbecausehisancestorstoohadplayedwithcounters,suchassomethatIhaveseenbelongingtotheCocoa-TreeClubandothergamblingplacesofapastgeneration,markedashighasathousandguineas,whichcountersmustnextmorningberedeemedinhardcash,wherebyhisfamilyhadbeennotalittleimpoverished。

  “Ifancyyouwillfindtheyarehigh-fliers。”hesaidwhenthepairhadlefttofetchasuitabletable,forthenightbeingveryhotweweregoingtoplayonthestoepbythelightofthehangingparaffinlampandsomecandles。IrepliedtotheeffectthatIcouldnotaffordtoloselargesumsofmoney,especiallytomenwhoforaughtIknewmightthenbeengagedinmarkingthecards。

  “Iunderstand。”heanswered。“Don’tyoubotheraboutthat,oldfellow。Thisismyaffair,arrangedformyspecialamusement。I

  shan’tgrumbleifthefuncostssomething,forIamsuretherewillbefun。”

  “Allright。”Isaid,“onlyifweshouldhappentowinmoney,it’syours,notmine。”

  TomyselfIreflected,however,thatwiththesetwoopponentswehadaboutasmuchchanceofwinningasasnowflakehasofresistingtheatmosphereofthelowerregions。

  Presentlytheyreturnedwiththetable,whichhadagreenclothoveritthathungdownhalf-waytotheground。Alsooneofthenativeboysbroughtatraywithspirits,fromwhichIjudgedbyvarioussigns,oldMarnham,whohadalreadydrunkhisshareatdinner,hadhelpedhimselffreelyontheway。Soonwewerearranged,Anscombe,whowastobemypartner,oppositetomeinhislongchair,andthegamebegan。

  Iforgetwhatparticularvariantofcardsitwasweplayed,thoughIknowitadmittedofhighandprogressivestakes。Atfirst,however,thesewerequitemoderateandwewon,asI

  supposeweweremeanttodo。AfterhalfanhourorsoMarnhamrosetohelphimselftobrandyandwater,agreatdealofbrandyandverylittlewater,whileItookanipofHollands,andAnscombeandRoddfilledtheirpipes。

  “Ithinkthisisgettingratherslow。”saidRoddtoAnscombe。“I

  voteweputabitmoreon。”

  “Asmuchasyoulike。”answeredAnscombewithalittledrawlandtwinkleoftheeye,whichalwaysshowedthathewasamused。

  “BothQuatermainandIareborngamblers。Don’tlookangry,Quatermain,youknowyouare。Onlyifweloseyouwillhavetotakeacheque,forIhavepreciouslittlecash。”

  “Ithinkthatwillbegoodenough。”repliedthedoctorquietly——“ifyoulose。”

  Sothestakeswereincreasedtoanamountthatmademyhairstandupstiffereventhanusual,andthegamewenton。Behold!amarvelcametopass。HowithappenedIdonotknow,unlessMarnhamhadbroughtthewrongcardsbymistakeorhadgrowntoofuddledtounderstandhispartner’stelegraphicsignals,whichI,beingaccustomedtoobserve,sawhimmake,notoncebutoften,stillwewon!Whatismore,withafewset-backs,wewentonwinning,tillpresentlythesumswrittendowntoourcredit,fornoactualcashpassed,wereconsiderable。Andallthewhile,attheendofeachboutMarnhamhelpedhimselftomorebrandy,whilethedoctorgrewmoremadinasuppressed-thunderkindofaway。

  FormypartIbecamealarmed,especiallyasIperceivedthatAnscombewasonthevergeofbreakingintoopenmerriment,andhislegsbeingupIcouldnotkickhimunderthetable。

  “Mypartneroughttogotobed。Don’tyouthinkweshouldstop?“

  Isaid。

  “OnthewholeIdo。”repliedRodd,gloweringatMarnham,who,somewhatunsteadily,wasengagedinwipingdropsofbrandyfromhislongbeard。

  “D——difIdo。”exclaimedthatworthy。“WhenIwasyoungandplayedwithgentlementheyalwaysgavelosersanopportunityofrevenge。”

  “Then。”repliedAnscombewithaflashofhiseyes,“letustrytofollowinthefootstepsofthegentlemenwithwhomyouplayedinyouryouth。Isuggestthatwedoublethestakes。”

  “That’sright!That’stheoldform!“saidMarnham。

  Thedoctorhalfrosefromhischair,thensatdownagain。

  Watchinghim,Iconcludedthathebelievedhispartner,aseasonedvessel,wasnotsodrunkashepretendedtobe,andeitherinanactualorafigurativesense,hadacarduphissleeve。Ifso,itremainedthere,foragainwewon;alltheluckwaswithus。

  “Iamgettingtired。”drawledAnscombe。“Lemonandwaterarenotsustaining。Shallwestop?“

  “ByHeaven!no。”shoutedMarnham,towhichAnscomberepliedthatifitwaswished,hewouldplayanotherhand,butnomore。

  “Allright。”saidMarnham,“butletitbefordoubleorquits。”

  Hespokequitequietlyandseemedsuddenlytohavegrownsober。

  NowIthinkthatRoddmadeuphismindthathereallywasactingandthathereallyhadthatcarduphissleeve。Atanyratehedidnotobject。I,however,wasofadifferentopinion,havingoftenseendrunkenmensuccumbtoanaccesofsobrietyunderthestressofexcitementandremarkedthatitdidnotlastlong。

  “Doyoureallymeanthat?“Isaid,speakingforthefirsttimeandaddressingmyselftothedoctor。“Idon’tquiteknowwhatthesuminvolvedis,butitmustbelarge。”

  “Ofcourse。”heanswered。

  ThenrememberingthatattheworstAnscombestoodtolosenothing,Ishruggedmyshouldersandheldmytongue。ItwasMarnham’sdeal,andalthoughhewassomewhatintheshadowofthehanginglampandthecandleshadgutteredout,Idistinctlysawhimplaysomehocus-pocuswiththecards,butinthecircumstancesmadenoprotest。Asitchancedhemusthavehocus-pocusedthemwrong,forthough_his_handwasfulloftrumps,Roddheldnothingatall。Thebattlethatensuedwasquiteexciting,buttheendofitwasthatanaceinthehandofAnscombe,whoreallywasquiteagoodplayer,didthebusiness,andwewonagain。

  IntheratherawfulsilencethatfollowedAnscomberemarkedinhischeerfuldrawl——

  “I’mnotsurethatmyadditionisquiteright;we’llcheckthatinthemorning,butImakeoutthatyoutwogentlemenoweQuatermainandmyself#74910s。”

  Thenthedoctorbrokeout。

  “Youaccursedoldfool。”hehissed——thereisnootherwordforit——atMarnham。“Howareyougoingtopayallthismoneythatyouhavegambledaway,drunkenbeastthatyouare!“

  “Easilyenough,youfelon。”shoutedMarnham。“So。”andthrustinghishandintohispockethepulledoutanumberofdiamondswhichhethrewuponthetable,adding,“there’swhatwillcoverittwiceover,andtherearemorewheretheycamefrom,asyouknowwellenough,mymedicaljailbird。”

  “Youdaretocallmethat。”gaspedthedoctorinavoiceladenwithfury,sointensethatithaddeprivedhimofhisreason,“you——you——murderer!Oh!whydon’tIkillyouasIshallsomeday?“andliftinghisglass,whichwashalffull,hethrewthecontentsintoMarnham’sface。

  “That’sanicemanforaprospective,son-in-law,isn’the?“

  exclaimedtheoldscamp,as,seizingthebrandydecanter,hehurleditstraightatRodd’shead,onlymissinghimbyaninch。

  “Don’tyouthinkyouhadbothbettergotobed,gentlemen?“I

  inquired。“Youaresayingthingsyoumightregretinthemorning。”

  Apparentlytheydidthinkit,forwithoutanotherwordtheyroseandmarchedoffindifferentdirectionstotheirrespectiverooms,whichIheardbothofthemlock。FormypartIcollectedtheI。O。U。’s;alsothediamondswhichstilllayuponthetable,whileAnscombeexaminedthecards。

  “Marked,byJove!hesaid。“Oh!mydearQuatermain,neverhaveI

  hadsuchanamusingeveninginallmylife。”

  “Shutup,yousillyidiot。”Ianswered。“There’llbemurderdoneoverthisbusiness,andIonlyhopeitwon’tbeonus。”

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