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of Kendah。 Kendah 'bacco no speak to us。 Only speak to new spirit。 You
got great gift； lady； and you too； Macumazana。 You not like smoke more
Kendah 'bacco and look into past； eh？ Better look！ Very full； past；
learn much there about all us； learn how things begin。 Make you
understand lot what seem odd to…day。 No！ Well； one day you look
p'raps； 'cause past pull hard and call loud； only no one hear what it
say。 Good night； O great Lord。 Good night； O beautiful lady。 Good
night； O Macumazana； till we meet again when you come kill elephant
Jana。 Blessing of the Heaven…Child； who give rain； who protect all
danger； who give food； who give health； on you all。〃
Then making many obeisances they walked backwards to the door where
they put on their long cloaks。
At a sign from Lord Ragnall I accompanied them； an office which；
fearing more snakes； Mr。 Savage was very glad to resign to me。
Presently we stood outside the house amidst the moaning trees； and
very cold it was there。
〃What does all this mean； O men of Africa？〃 I asked。
〃Answer the question yourself when you stand face to face with the
great elephant Jana that has in it an evil spirit； O Macumazana；〃
replied Har？t。 〃Nay； listen。 We are far from our home and we sought
tidings through those who could give it to us； and we have won those
tidings； that is all。 We are worshippers of the Heavenly Child that is
eternal youth and all good things； but of late the Child has lacked a
tongue。 Yet to…night it spoke again。 Seek to know no more； you who in
due season will know all things。〃
〃Seek to know no more；〃 echoed Mar？t； 〃who already； perhaps； know too
much； lest harm should come to you； Macumazana。〃
〃Where are you going to sleep to…night？〃 I asked。
〃We do not sleep here；〃 answered Har？t； 〃we walk to the great city and
thence find our way to Africa； where we shall meet you again。 You know
that we are no liars； common readers of thought and makers of tricks；
for did not Dogeetah； the wandering white man； speak to you of the
people of whom he had heard who worshipped the Child of Heaven？ Go in；
Macumazana； ere you take harm in this horrible cold； and take with you
this as a marriage gift from the Child of Heaven whom she met
to…night； to the beautiful lady stamped with the sign of the young
moon who is about to marry the great lord she loves。〃
Then he thrust a little linen…wrapped parcel into my hand and with his
companion vanished into the darkness。
I returned to the drawing…room where the others were still discussing
the remarkable performance of the two native conjurers。
〃They have gone；〃 I said in answer to Lord Ragnall； 〃to walk to London
as they said。 But they have sent a wedding…present to Miss Holmes；〃
and I showed the parcel。
〃Open it； Quatermain；〃 he said again。
〃No； George；〃 interrupted Miss Holmes； laughing； for by now she seemed
to have quite recovered herself； 〃I like to open my own presents。〃
He shrugged his shoulders and I handed her the parcel； which was
neatly sewn up。 Somebody produced scissors and the stitches were cut。
Within the linen was a necklace of beautiful red stones； oval…shaped
like amber beads and of the size of a robin's egg。 They were roughly
polished and threaded on what I recognized at once to be hair from an
elephant's tail。 From certain indications I judged these stones； which
might have been spinels or carbuncles； or even rubies； to be very
ancient。 Possibly they had once hung round the neck of some lady in
old Egypt。 Indeed a beautiful little statuette； also of red stone；
which was suspended from the centre of the necklace； suggested that
this was so； for it may well have been a likeness of one of the great
gods of the Egyptians； the infant Horus； the son of Isis。
〃That is the necklace I saw which the Ivory Child gave me in my
dream；〃 said Miss Holmes quietly。
Then with much deliberation she clasped it round her throat。
CHAPTER V
THE PLOT
The sequel to the events of this evening may be told very briefly and
of it the reader can form his own judgment。 I narrate it as it
happened。
That night I did not sleep at all well。 It may have been because of
the excitement of the great shoot in which I found myself in
competition with another man whom I disliked and who had defrauded me
in the past； to say nothing of its physical strain in cold and heavy
weather。 Or it may have been that my imagination was stirred by the
arrival of that strange pair； Har？t and Mar？t； apparently in search of
myself； seven thousand miles away from any place where they can have
known aught of an insignificant individual with a purely local repute。
Or it may have been that the pictures which they showed me when under
the influence of the fumes of their 〃tobacco〃or of their hypnotism
took an undue possession of my brain。
Or lastly； the strange coincidence that the beautiful betrothed of my
host should have related to me a tale of her childhood of which she
declared she had never spoken before； and that within an hour the two
principal actors in that tale should have appeared before my eyes and
hers （for I may state that from the beginning I had no doubt that they
were the same men）； moved me and filled me with quite natural
foreboding。 Or all these things together may have tended to a
concomitant effect。 At any rate the issue was that I could not sleep。
For hour after hour I lay thinking and in an irritated way listening
for the chimes of the Ragnall stable…clock which once had adorned the
tower of the church and struck the quarters with a damnable
reiteration。 I concluded that Messrs。 Har？t and Mar？t were a couple of
common Arab rogues such as I had seen performing at the African ports。
Then a quarter struck and I concluded that the elephants' cemetery
which I beheld in the smoke undoubtedly existed and that I meant to
collar those thousands of pounds' worth of ivory before I died。 Then
after another quarter I concluded that there was no elephants'
cemeteryalthough by the way my old friend； Dogeetah or Brother John；
had mentioned such a thing to mebut that probably there was a tribe；
as he had also mentioned； called the Kendah； who worshipped a baby； or
rather its effigy。
Well now； as had already occurred to me； the old Egyptians； of whom I
was always fond of reading when I got a chance； also worshipped a
child； Horus the Saviour。 And that child had a mother called Isis
symbolized in the crescent moon； the great Nature goddess； the
mistress of mysteries to whose cult ten thousand priests were sworn
do not Herodotus and others； especially Apuleius； tell us all about
her？ And by a queer coincidence Miss Holmes had the mark of a crescent
moon upon her breast。 And when she was a child those two men； or
others very like them； had pointed out that mark to each other。 And I
had seen them staring hard at it that night。 And in her vapour…invoked
dream the 〃Heavenly Child；〃