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the ivory child-第85章

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remembered well enough; saying:



〃Oh! George; that dreadful brute;〃 and she pointed to the dead

elephant; 〃has killed our baby。 Look at it! Look at it! We must be

everything to each other now; dear; as we were before it cameunless

God sends us another。〃



Then she burst into a flood of weeping and fell into his arms; after

which I turned away。 So; to their honour be it said; did the Kendah;

leaving the pair alone behind the bulk of dead Jana。



Here I may state two things: first; that Lady Ragnall; whose bodily

health had remained perfect throughout; entirely recovered her reason

from that moment。 It was as though on the shattering of the Ivory

Child some spell had been lifted off her。 What this spell may have

been I am quite unable to explain; but I presume that in a dim and

unknown way she connected this effigy with her own lost infant and

that while she held and tended it her intellect remained in abeyance。

If so; she must also have connected its destruction with the death of

her own child which; strangely enough; it will be remembered; was

likewise killed by an elephant。 The first death that occurred in her

presence took away her reason; the second seeming death; which also

occurred in her presence; brought it back again!



Secondly; from the moment of the destruction of her boy in the streets

of the English country town to that of the shattering of the Ivory

Child in Central Africa her memory was an utter blank; with one

exception。 This exception was a dream which a few days later she

narrated to Ragnall in my presence。 That dream was that she had seen

him and Savage sleeping together in a native house one night。 In view

of a certain incident recorded in this history I leave the reader to

draw his own conclusions as to this curious incident。 I have none to

offer; or if I have I prefer to keep them to myself。



Leaving Ragnall and his wife; I staggered off to look for Hans and

found him lying senseless near the north wall of the temple。 Evidently

he was beyond human help; for Jana seemed to have crushed most of his

ribs in his iron trunk。 We carried him to one of the priest's cells

and there I watched him till the end; which came at sundown。



Before he died he became quite conscious and talked with me a good

deal。



〃Don't grieve about missing Jana; Baas;〃 he said; 〃for it wasn't you

who missed him but some devil that turned your bullets。 You see; Baas;

he was bewitched against you white men。 When you look at him closely

you will find that the Lord Igeza missed him also〃 (strange as it may

seem; this proved to be the case); 〃and when you managed to hit the

tip of his tusk with the last ball the magic was wearing off him;

that's all。 But; Baas; those Black Kendah wizards forgot to bewitch

him against the little yellow man; of whom they took no account。 So I

hit him sure enough every time I fired at him; and I hope he liked the

taste of my bullets in that great mouth of his。 He knew who had sent

them there very well。 That's why he left you alone and made for me; as

I had hoped he would。 Oh! Baas; I die happy; quite happy since I have

killed Jana and he caught me and not you; me who was nearly finished

anyhow。 For; Baas; though I didn't say anything about it; a thrown

spear struck my groin when I went down among the Black Kendah this

morning。 It was only a small cut; which bled little; but as the

fighting went on something gave way and my inside began to come

through it; though I tied it up with a bit of cloth; which of course

means death in a day or two。〃 (Subsequent examination showed me that

Hans's story of this wound was perfectly true。 He could not have lived

for very long。)



〃Baas;〃 he went on after a pause; 〃no doubt I shall meet that Zulu

lady Mameena to…night。 Tell me; is she really entitled to the royal

salute? Because if not; when I am as much a spook as she is I will not

give it to her again。 She never gave me my titles; which are good ones

in their way; so why should I give her the /Bayéte/; unless it is hers

by right of blood; although I am only a little 'yellow dog' as she

chose to call me?〃



As this ridiculous point seemed to weigh upon his mind I told him that

Mameena was not even of royal blood and in nowise entitled to the

salute of kings。



〃Ah!〃 he said with a feeble grin; 〃then now I shall know how to deal

with her; especially as she cannot pretend that I did not play my part

in the battle; as she bade me do。 Did you see anything of her when

Jana charged; Baas; because I thought I did?〃



〃I seemed to see something; but no doubt it was only a fancy。〃



〃A fancy? Explain to me; Baas; where truths end and fancies begin and

whether what we think are fancies are not sometimes the real truths。

Once or twice I have thought so of late; Baas。〃



I could not answer this riddle; so instead I gave him some water which

he asked for; and he continued:



〃Baas; have you any messages for the two Shining ones; for her whose

name is holy and her sister; and for the child of her whose name is

holy; the Missie Marie; and for your reverend father; the Predikant?

If so; tell it quickly before my head grows too empty to hold the

words。〃



I will confess; however foolish it may seem; that I gave him certain

messages; but what they were I shall not write down。 Let them remain

secret between me and him。 Yes; between me and him and perhaps those

to whom they were to be delivered。 For after all; in his own words;

who can know exactly where fancies end and truth begin; and whether at

times fancies are not the veritable truths in this universal mystery

of which the individual life of each of us is so small a part?



Hans repeated what I had spoken to him word for word; as a native

does; repeated it twice over; after which he said he knew it by heart

and remained silent for a long while。 Then he asked me to lift him up

in the doorway of the cell so that he might look at the sun setting

for the last time; 〃for; Baas;〃 he added; 〃I think I am going far

beyond the sun。〃



He stared at it for a while; remarking that from the look of the sky

there should be fine weather coming; 〃which will be good for your

journey towards the Black Water; Baas; with all that ivory to carry。〃



I answered that perhaps I should never get the ivory from the

graveyard of the elephants; as the Black Kendah might prevent this。



〃No; no; Baas;〃 he replied; 〃now that Jana is dead the Black Kendah

will go away。 I know it; I know it!〃



Then he wandered for a space; speaking of sundry adventures we had

shared together; till quite before the last indeed; when his mind

returned to him。



〃Baas;〃 he said; 〃did not the captain Mavovo name me Light…in…

Darkness; and is not that my name? When you too enter the Darkness;

look for that Light; it will be shining very close to you。〃



He only spoke once more。 His words were:



〃Baas; I understand now what your reverend father; the Predikant;

meant when
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