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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