第1章

DitchinghamHouse，Norfolk，May，1917。

MydearRoosevelt，——

Youare，Iknow，aloverofoldAllanQuatermain，onewhounderstandsandappreciatestheviewsoflifeandtheaspirationsthatunderlieandinformhismanifoldadventures。

Therefore，sincesuchisyourkindwish，inmemoryofcertainhourswhereinbothofusfoundtruerefreshmentandcompanionshipamidsttheterribleanxietiesoftheWorld’sjourneyalongthatbloodstainedroadbywhichalone，soitisdecreed，thepurePeakofFreedommustbescaled，Idedicatetoyouthistaletellingoftheeventsandexperiencesofmyyouth。

Yoursincerefriend，H。RIDERHAGGARD。

ToCOLONELTHEODOREROOSEVELT，SagamoreHill，U。S。A。

Thisbook，althoughitcanbereadasaseparatestory，isthethirdofthetrilogyofwhich_Marie_and_ChildofStorm_arethefirsttwoparts。Itnarrates，throughthemouthofAllanQuatermain，theconsummationofthevengeanceofthewizardZikali，aliasTheOpenerofRoads，or“The-Thing-that-should-never-have-been-born。”upontheroyalZuluHouseofwhichSenzangaconawasthefounderandCetewayo，ourenemyinthewarof1879，thelastrepresentativewhoruledasaking。Although，ofcourse，muchisaddedforthepurposesofromance，themainfactsofhistoryhavebeenadheredtowithsomefaithfulness。

Withthesetheauthorbecameacquaintedafullgenerationago，FortunehavinggivenhimapartintheeventsthatprecededtheZuluWar。IndeedhebelievesthatwiththeexceptionofColonelPhillips，who，asalieutenant，commandedthefamousescortoftwenty-fivepolicemen，heisnowthelastsurvivorofthepartywho，undertheleadershipofSirTheophilusShepstone，orSompesuasthenativescalledhimfromtheZambesitotheCape，wereconcernedintheannexationoftheTransvaalin1877。RecentlyalsohehasbeencalleduponasapublicservanttorevisitSouthAfricaandtooktheopportunitytotravelthroughZululand，inordertorefreshhisknowledgeofitspeople，theircustoms，theirmysteries，andbettertopreparehimselfforthewritingofthisbook。HerehestoodbythefatalMountofIsandhlawanawhich，withsomedetailsofthebattle，isdescribedinthesepages，amongthegravesofmanywhomonceheknew，ColonelsDurnford，Pulleineandothers。AlsohesawUlundi’splainwherethetracesofwarstillliethick，andtalkedwithanoldZuluwhofoughtintheattackingImpiuntilitcrumbledawaybeforethefireoftheMartinisandshellsfromtheheavyguns。ThebattleoftheWallofSheetIron，hecalledit，perhapsbecauseoftheflashingfenceofbayonets。

Lastly，inamealiepatch，hefoundthespotonwhichthecorngrowsthin，whereKingCetewayobreathedhislast，poisonedwithoutadoubt，ashehasknownformanyyears。ItistobeseenattheKraal，ominouslynamedJazior，translatedintoEnglish，“Finished。”Thetragedyhappenedlongago，butevennowthequiet-facedZuluwhotoldthetale，lookingabouthimashespoke，wouldnottellitall。“Yes，asayoungman，Iwasthereatthetime，butIdonotremember，Idonotknow——theInkoosiLundanda(i。e。thisChronicler，sonamedinpastyearsbytheZulus)standsontheveryplacewherethekingdied——Hisbedwasontheleftofthedoor-holeofthehut。”andsoforth，butnocertainwordastotheexactreasonofthissuddenandviolentdeathorbywhomitwascaused。Thenameofthatdestroyerofakingisforeverhid。

InthisstorytheactualandimmediatecauseofthedeclarationofwaragainsttheBritishPowerisrepresentedastheappearanceofthewhitegoddess，orspiritoftheZulus，whois，orwas，calledNomkubulwanaorInkosazana-y-Zulu，i。e。thePrincessofHeaven。Theexactcircumstanceswhichledtothisdecisionarenotnowascertainable，thoughitisknownthattherewasmuchdifferenceofopinionamongtheZuluIndunasorgreatcaptains，andlikethewriter，manybelievethatKingCetewayowaspersonallyaversetowaragainsthisoldallies，theEnglish。

Theauthor’sfriend，Mr。J。Y。Gibson，atpresenttherepresentativeoftheUnioninZululand，writesinhisadmirablehistory：“TherewasagooddealofdiscussionamongsttheassembledZulunotablesatUlundi，butofhowcounselwasswayeditisnotpossiblenowtoobtainareliableaccount。”

ThelateMr。F。B。Fynney，F。R。G。S。，whoalsowashisfriendindaysbygone，and，withtheexceptionofSirTheophilusShepstone，whoperhapsknewtheZulusandtheirlanguagebetterthananyotherofficialofhisday，speakingofthisfabledgoddesswrote：

“IrememberthatjustbeforetheZuluWarNomkubulwanaappearedrevealingsomethingorotherwhichhadagreateffectthroughouttheland。”

TheusemadeofthisstrangetraditionalGuardianAngelinthefollowingtaleisnotthereforeanunsupportedflightoffancy，andthesamemaybesaidofmanyotherincidents，suchastheaccountofthereadingoftheproclamationannexingtheTransvaalatPretoriain1877，whichhavebeenintroducedtoservethepurposesoftheromance。

Mameena，whohauntsitspages，inaliteralaswellasfigurativesense，istheheroineof_ChildofStorm，_abooktowhichshegaveherownpoetictitle。

1916。

THEAUTHOR。

CHAPTERI

ALLANQUATERMAINMEETSANSCOMBE

You，myfriend，intowhosehand，ifyoulive，Ihopethesescribblingsofminewillpassoneday，mustwellrememberthe12thofApriloftheyear1877atPretoria。SirTheophilusShepstone，orSompesu，forIprefertocallhimbyhisnativename，havinginvestigatedtheaffairsoftheTransvaalforacoupleofmonthsorso，hadmadeuphismindtoannexthatcountrytotheBritishCrown。ItsohappenedthatI，AllanQuatermain，hadbeenonashootingandtradingexpeditionatthebackoftheLydenburgdistrictwheretherewasplentyofgametobekilledinthosetimes。HearingthatgreateventsweretowardImadeupmymind，curiositybeingoneofmyweaknesses，tocomeroundbyPretoria，whichafterallwasnotveryfaroutofmyway，insteadofstrikingstraightbacktoNatal。AsitchancedI

reachedthetownabouteleveno’clockonthisverymorningofthe12thofApriland，trekkingtotheChurchSquare，proceededtooutspanthere，aswasusualintheSeventies。Theplacewasfullofpeople，EnglishandDutchtogether，andInotedthattheformerseemedveryelatedandweretalkingexcitedly，whilethelatterforthemostpartappearedtobesullenanddepressed。

PresentlyIsawamanIknew，atall，darkman，averygoodfellowandanexcellentshot，namedRobinson。Bythewayyouknewhimalso，forafterwardshewasanofficerinthePretoriaHorseatthetimeoftheZuluwar，thecorpsinwhichyouheldacommission。Icalledtohimandaskedwhatwasup。

“Agooddeal，Allan。”hesaidasheshookmyhand。“Indeedweshallbeluckyifallisn’tup，orsomethinglikeit，beforethedayisover。Shepstone’sProclamationannexingtheTransvaalisgoingtobereadpresently。”

Iwhistledandasked，“HowwillourBoerfriendstakeit？Theydon’tlookverypleased。”

“That’sjustwhatnooneknows，Allan。BurgersthePresidentissquared，theysay。Heistohaveapension；alsohethinksittheonlythingtobedone。MostoftheHollandersupheredon’tlikeit，butIdoubtwhethertheywillputouttheirhandsfurtherthantheycandrawthemback。Thequestionis——whatwillbethelineoftheBoersthemselves？Therearealotofthemabout，allarmed，yousee，andmoreoutsidethetown。”

“Whatdoyouthink？“

“Can’ttellyou。Anythingmayhappen。TheymayshootShepstoneandhisstaffandthetwenty-fivepolicemen，ortheymayjustgrumbleandgohome。Probablytheyhavenofixedplan。”

“HowabouttheEnglish？“

“Oh！weareallcrazywithjoy，butofcoursethereisnoorganizationandmanyhavenoarms。Alsothereareonlyafewofus。”

“Well。”Ianswered，“Icameheretolookforexcitement，lifehavingbeendullformeoflate，anditseemsthatIhavefoundit。StillIbetyouthoseDutchmendonothing，exceptprotest。

TheyareslimandknowthattheshootingofanunarmedmissionwouldbringEnglandontheirheads。”

“Can’tsay，Iamsure。TheylikeShepstonewhounderstandsthem，andthemoveissoboldthatittakestheirbreathaway。ButastheKaffirssay，whenastrongwindblowsasmallsparkwillmakethewholeveldburn。Itjustdependsuponwhetherthesparkisthere。IfanEnglishmanandaBoerbegantofightforinstance，anythingmighthappen。Goodbye，Ihavegotamessagetodeliver。

IfthingsgorightwemightdineattheEuropeantonight，andiftheydon’t，goodnessknowswhereweshalldine。”

Inoddedsagelyandhedeparted。ThenIwenttomywagontotelltheboysnottosendtheoxenofftograzeatpresent，forI

fearedlesttheyshouldbestolenifthereweretrouble，buttokeepthemtiedtothetrek-tow。AfterthisIputonthebestcoatandhatIhad，feelingthatasanEnglishmanitwasmydutytolookdecentonsuchanoccasion，washed，brushedmyhair——withmeaceremonywithoutmeaning，foritalwayssticksup——andslippedaloadedSmith&Wessonrevolverintomyinnerpoacherpocket。ThenIstartedouttoseethefun，andavoidingthegroupsofsurly-lookingBoers，mingledwiththecrowdthatIsawwasgatheringinfrontofalong，lowbuildingwithabroadstoep，whichIsupposed，rightly，tobeoneoftheGovernmentoffices。

PresentlyIfoundmyselfstandingbyatall，ratherloosely-builtmanwhosefaceattractedme。Itwasclean-shavenandmuchbronzedbythesun，butnotinanywaygood-looking；thefeaturesweretooirregularandthenosewasatrifletoolongforgoodlooks。Stilltheimpressionitgavewaspleasantandthesteadyblueeyeshadthattwinkleinthemwhichsuggestshumour。Hemighthavebeenthirtyorthirty-fiveyearsofage，andnotwithstandinghisroughdressthatconsistedmainlyofapairoftrousersheldupbyabelttowhichhungapistol，andacommonflannelshirt，forheworenocoat，IguessedatoncethathewasEnglish-born。

Forawhileneitherofussaidanythingafterthetaciturnhabitofourpeopleevenontheveld，andindeedIwasfullyoccupiedinlisteningtothetruculenttalkofalittlepartyofmountedBoersbehindus。Iputmypipeintomymouthandbegantohuntformytobacco，takingtheopportunitytoshowthehiltofmyrevolver，sothatthesemenmightseethatIwasarmed。Itwasnottobefound，Ihadleftitinthewagon。

“IfyousmokeBoertobacco。”saidthestranger，“Icanhelpyou。”

andInotedthatthevoicewasaspleasantastheface，andknewatoncethattheownerofitwasagentleman。

“Thankyou，Sir。Ineversmokeanythingelse。”Ianswered，whereonheproducedfromhistrouserspocketapouchmadeoflionskinofunusuallydarkcolour。

“Ineversawalionasblackasthis，exceptoncebeyondBuluwayoonthebordersofLobengula’scountry。”Isaidbywayofmakingconversation。

“Curious。”answeredthestranger，“forthat’swhereIshotthebruteafewmonthsago。Itriedtokeepthewholeskinbutthewhiteantsgotatit。”

“Beentradingupthere？“Iasked。

“Nothingsouseful。”hesaid。“Justidlingandshooting。CametothiscountrybecauseitwasoneoftheveryfewIhadneverseen，andhaveonlybeenhereayear。IthinkIhavehadaboutenoughofit，though。CanyoutellmeofanyboatsrunningfromDurbantoIndia？IshouldliketoseethosewildsheepinKashmir。”

ItoldhimthatIdidnotknowforcertainasIhadnevertakenanyinterestinIndia，beinganAfricanelephant-hunterandtrader，butIthoughttheydidoccasionally。JustthenRobinsonpassedbyandcalledtome——

“They’llbeherepresently，Quatermain，butSompesuisn’tcominghimself。”

“DoesyournamehappentobeAllanQuatermain？“askedthestranger。“IfsoIhaveheardplentyaboutyouupinLobengula’scountry，andofyourwonderfulshooting。”

“Yes。”Ireplied，“butasfortheshooting，nativesalwaysexaggerate。”

“Theyneverexaggeratedaboutmine。”hesaidwithatwinkleinhiseye。“AnyhowIamverygladtoseeyouintheflesh，thoughinthespirityouratherboredmebecauseIheardtoomuchofyou。WheneverImadeaparticularly，badmiss，mygun-bearer，whoatsometimeseemstohavebeenyours，wouldsay，’Ah！ifonlyithadbeentheInkosiMacumazahn，howdifferentwouldhavebeentheend！’MynameisAnscombe，MauriceAnscombe。”headdedrathershyly。(AfterwardsIdiscoveredfromabookofreferencethathewasayoungersonofLordMountford，oneoftherichestpeersinEngland。)

Thenwebothlaughedandhesaid——

“Tellme，Mr。Quatermain，ifyouwill，whatthoseBoersaresayingbehindus。Iamsureitissomethingunpleasant，butastheonlyDutchIknowis’GutenTag’and’Vootsack’(Good-dayandGetout)thattakesmenoforwarder。”

“Itoughtto。”Ianswered，“forthesubstanceoftheirtalkisthattheyobjecttobe’vootsacked’bytheBritishGovernmentasrepresentedbySirTheophilusShepstone。Theyaredeclaringthattheywontheland’withtheirblood’andwanttokeeptheirownflagflyingoverit。”

“Averynaturalsentiment。”brokeinAnscombe。

“TheysaythattheywishtoshootalldamnedEnglishmen，especiallyShepstoneandhispeople，andthattheywouldmakeabeginningnowweretheynotafraidthatthedamnedEnglishGovernment，beingangered，wouldsendthousandsofdamnedEnglishrooibatjes，thatis，red-coats，andshoot_them_outofevilrevenge。”

“Averynaturalconclusion。”laughedAnscombeagain，“whichI

shouldadvisethemtoleaveuntested。Hush！Herecomestheshow。”

IlookedandsawabodyofblackcoatedgentlemenwithoneofficerintheuniformofaColonelofEngineers，advancingslowly。I

rememberthatitremindedmeofafuneralprocessionfollowingthecorpseoftheRepublicthathadgoneonaheadoutofsight。

Theprocessionarriveduponthestoepoppositetousandbegantosortitselfout，whereontheEnglishpresentraisedacheerandtheBoersbehinduscursedaudibly。Inthemiddleappearedanelderlygentlemanwithwhiskersandastoop，inwhomIrecognizedMr。Osborn，knownbytheKaffirsasMalimati，theChiefoftheStaff。Byhissidewasatallyoungfellow，yourself，myfriend，scarcelymorethanaladthen，carryingpapers。Thereststoodtorightandleftinaformalline。_You_gaveaprinteddocumenttoMr。Osbornwhoputonhisglassesandbegantoreadinalowvoicewhichfewcouldhear，andInoticedthathishandtrembled。Presentlyhegrewconfused，losthisplace，foundit，lostitagainandcametoafullstop。

“Anervous-naturedman。”remarkedMr。Anscombe。“Perhapshethinksthatthosegentlemenaregoingtoshoot。”

“Thatwouldn’ttroublehim。”Ianswered，whoknewhimwell。“Hisfearsarepurelymental。”

ThatwastruesinceIknowthatthissameSirMelmothOsbornasheisnow，asIhavetoldinthebookIcalled_ChildofStorm_，swamtheTugelaalonetowatchthebattleofIndondakasukaragingroundhim，andonanotheroccasionkilledtwoKaffirsrushingathimwitharightandleftshotwithoutturningahair。Itwasreadingthispaperthatparalyzedhim，notanyfearofwhatmighthappen。

Therefollowedaveryawkwardpausesuchasoccurswhenamanbreaksdowninaspeech。ThemembersoftheStafflookedathimandateachother，thenbehold！you，myfriend，grabbedthepaperfromhishandandwentonreadingitinaloudclearvoice。

“Thatyoungmanhasplentyofnerve。”saidMr。Anscombe。

“Yes。”Irepliedinawhisper。“Quiterightthough。Wouldhavebeenabadomenifthethinghadcometoastop。”

Well，therewerenomorebreakdowns，andatlastthelongdocumentwasfinishedandtheTransvaalannexed。TheBritishersbegantocheerbutstoppedtolistentotheformalprotestoftheBoerGovernment，ifitcouldbecalledagovernmentwheneverythinghadcollapsedandtheofficialswerebeingpaidinpostagestamps。Ican’trememberwhetherthiswasreadbyPresidentBurgershimselforbytheofficerwhowascalledStateSecretary。Anyway，itwasread，afterwhichtherecameanawkwardpauseasthoughpeoplewerewaitingtoseesomethinghappen。IlookedroundattheBoerswhoweremutteringandhandlingtheirriflesuneasily。HadtheyfoundaleaderIreallythinkthatsomeofthewilderspiritsamongthemwouldhavebeguntoshoot，butnoneappearedandthecrisispassed。

Thecrowdbegantodisperse，theEnglishamongthemcheeringandthrowinguptheirhats，theDutchwithverysullenfaces。TheCommissioner’sstaffwentawayasithadcome，backtothebuildingwithbluegumsinfrontofit，whichafterwardsbecameGovernmentHouse，thatisallexceptyou。Youstartedacrossthesquarealonewithabundleofprintedproclamationsinyourhandwhichevidentlyyouhadbeenchargedtoleaveatthevariouspublicoffices。

“Letusfollowhim。”IsaidtoMr。Anscombe。“Hemightgetintotroubleandwantafriend。”

Henoddedandwestrolledafteryouunostentatiously。Sureenoughyounearlydidgetintotrouble。Infrontofthefirstofficedoortowhichyoucame，stoodagroupofBoers，twoofwhom，bigfellows，drewtogetherwiththeevidentintentionofbarringyourway。

“Mynheeren。”yousaid，“IprayyoutoletmepassontheQueen’sbusiness。”

Theytooknoheedexcepttodrawclosertogetherandlaughinsolently。Againyoumadeyourrequestandagaintheylaughed。

ThenIsawyouliftyourleganddeliberatelystampuponthefootofoneoftheBoers。Hedrewbackwithanexclamation，andforamomentIbelievedthatheorhisfellowwasgoingtodosomethingviolent。Perhapstheythoughtbetterofit，orperhapstheysawustwoEnglishmenbehindandnoticedAnscombe’spistol。Atanyrateyoumarchedintotheofficetriumphantanddeliveredyourdocument。

“Neatlydone。”saidMr。Anscombe。

“Rash。”Isaid，shakingmyhead，“veryrash。Well，he’syoungandmustbeexcused。”

ButfromthatmomentItookagreatlikingtoyou，myfriend，perhapsbecauseIwonderedwhetherinyourplaceIshouldhavebeendaredevilenoughtoactinthesameway。ForyouseeIamEnglish，andIliketoseeanEnglishmanholdhisownagainstoddsandkeepupthecreditofthecountry。Although，ofcourse，IsympathizedwiththeBoerswho，throughtheirownfault，werelosingtheirlandwithoutablowstruck。Asyouknowwell，foryouwerelivingnearMajubaatthetime，plentyofblowswerestruckafterwards，butofthatbusinessIcannotbeartowrite。

IwonderhowitwillallworkoutafterIamdeadandifIshalleverlearnwhathappensintheend。

NowIhaveonlymentionedthisbusinessoftheAnnexationandthepartyouplayedinit，becauseitwasonthatoccasionthatI

becameacquaintedwithAnscombe。ForyouhavenothingtodowiththisstorywhichisaboutthedestructionoftheZulus，theaccomplishmentofthevengeanceofZikalithewizardatthekraalnamedFinished，andincidentally，theloveaffairsoftwopeopleinwhichthatoldwizardtookahand，asIdidtomysorrow。

IthappenedthatMr。AnscombehadriddenonaheadofhiswagonswhichcouldnotarriveatPretoriaforadayortwo，andashefounditimpossibletogetaccommodationattheEuropeanorelsewhere，Iofferedtolethimsleepinmine，orratheralongsideinatentIhad。Heacceptedandsoonwebecameverygoodfriends。BeforethedaywasasoutIdiscoveredthathehadservedinacrackcavalryregiment，butresignedhiscommissionsomeyearsbefore。Iaskedhimwhy。

“Well。”hesaid，“Icameintoagoodlotofmoneyonmymother’sdeathandcouldnotseeaprospectofanyactiveservice。WhiletheregimentwasabroadIlikedthelifewellenough，butathomeitboredme。Toomuchsocietyformytaste，andthatsortofthing。AlsoIwantedtotravel；nothingelsereallyamusesme。”

“Youwillsoongettiredofit。”Ianswered，“andasyouarewelloff，marrysomefineladyandsettledownathome。”

“Don’tthinkso。IdoubtifIshouldeverbehappilymarried，I

wanttoomuch。Onedoesn’tpickupanearthlyangelwithacast-ironconstitutionwhoadoresyou，whicharethebarenecessitiesofmarriage，undereverybush。”HereIlaughed。

“Also。”headded，thelaughtergoingoutofhiseyes，“Ihavehadenoughoffineladiesandtheirways。”

“Marriageisbetterthanscrapes。”Iremarkedsententiously。

“Quiteso，butonemightgetthembothtogether。No，Ishallnevermarry，althoughIsupposeIoughtasmybrothershavenochildren。”

“Won’tyou，myfriend。”thoughtItomyself，“whentheskingrowsagainonyourburntfingers。”

ForIwassuretheyhadbeenburnt，perhapsmorethanonce。How，Ineverlearned，forwhichIamrathersorryforitinterestsmetostudyburntfingers，iftheydonothappentobemyown。Thenwechangedthesubject。

Anscombe’swagonsweredelayedforadayortwobyabrokenaxleoraboghole，Iforgetwhich。So，asIhadnothingparticulartodountiltheNatalpost-cartleft，wespentthetimeinwanderingaboutPretoria，whichdidnottakeuslongasitwasbutalittledorpinthosedays，andchattingwithallandsundry。AlsowewentuptoGovernmentHouseasitwasnowcalled，andleftcards，orratherwroteournamesinabookforwehadnocards，beingtoldbyoneoftheStaffwhomwemetthatweshoulddoso。Anhourlateranotearrivedaskingusbothtodinnerthatnightandtellingusverynicelynottomindifwehadnodressthings。Ofcoursewehadtogo，Anscomberiggedupinmysecondbestclothesthatdidnotfithimintheleast，ashewasamuchtallermanthanIam，andablacksatinbowthathehadboughtatBecket’sStoretogetherwithapairofshinypumps。

Iactuallymetyou，myfriend，forthefirsttimethatevening，andintroubletoo，thoughyoumayhaveforgottentheincident。

Wehadmadeamistakeaboutthetimeofdinner，andarrivinghalfanhourtoosoon，wereshownintoalongroomthatopenedontotheverandah。Youwereworkingthere，beingIbelieveaprivatesecretaryatthetime，copyingsomedespatch；IthinkyousaidthatwhichgaveanaccountoftheAnnexation。Theroomwaslitbyaparaffinlampbehindyou，foritwasquitedarkandthewindowwasopen，oratanyrateunshuttered。Thegentlemanwhoshowedusin，seeingthatyouwereverybusy，tookustothefarendoftheroom，wherewestoodtalkingintheshadow。Justthenadooropenedoppositetothatwhichledtotheverandah，andthroughitcameHisExcellencytheAdministrator，SirTheophilusShepstone，astoutmanofmediumheightwithaveryclever，thoughtfulface，asIhavealwaysthought，oneofthegreatestofAfricanstatesmen。Hedidnotseeus，buthecaughtsightofyouandsaidtestily——

“Areyoumad？“Towhichyouansweredwithalaugh——

“Ihopenotmorethanusual，Sir，butwhy？“

“HaveInottoldyoualwaystoletdowntheblindsafterdark？

Yetthereyousitwithyourheadagainstthelight，aboutthebesttargetforabulletthatcouldbeimagined。”

“Idon’tthinktheBoerswouldtroubletoshootme，Sir。IfyouhadbeenhereIwouldhavedrawntheblindsandshuttheshutterstoo。”youanswered，laughingagain。

“Gotodressoryouwillbelatefordinner。”hesaidstillrathersternly，andyouwent。Butwhenyouhadgoneandafterwehadbeenannouncedtohim，hesmiledandaddedsomethingwhichI

willnotrepeattoyouevennow。IthinkitwasaboutwhatyoudidontheAnnexationdayofwhichthestoryhadcometohim。

ImentionthisincidentbecausewheneverIthinkofShepstone，whomIhadknownoffandonforyearsinthewaythatahunterknowsaprominentGovernmentofficial，italwaysrecurstomymind，embodyingasitdoeshiscautionandappreciationofdangerderivedfromlongexperienceofthecountry，andthesternnesshesometimesaffectedwhichcouldneverconcealhislovetowardshisfriends。Oh！therewasgreatnessinthisman，althoughtheydidcallhiman“AfricanTalleyrand。”IfithadnotbeensowouldeverynativefromtheCapetotheZambesihaveknownandreveredhisname，asperhapsthatofnootherwhitemanhasbeenrevered？

ButImustgetonwithmytaleandleavehistoricaldiscussionstoothersmorefittedtodealwiththem。

Wehadaverypleasantdinnerthatnight，althoughIwassoashamedofmyclotheswithsmartuniformsandwhitetiesallaboutme，andAnscombekeptfidgetinghisfeetbecausehewassufferingagonyfromhisnewpumpswhichwereasizetoosmall。

Everybodywasinthebestofspirits，forfromalldirectionscamethenewsthattheAnnexationwaswellreceivedandthatthedangerofanytroublehadpassedaway。Ah！ifwehadonlyknownwhattheendofitwouldbe！

ItwasonourwaybacktothewagonthatIchancedtomentiontoAnscombethattherewasstillaherdofbuffalowithinafewdays’trekofLydenburg，ofwhichIhadshottwonotamonthbefore。

“Arethere，byJove！“hesaid。“AsithappensInevergotabuffalo；alwaysIjustmissedtheminonesenseoranother，andI

can’tleaveAfricawithapairofboughthorns。Let’sgothereandshootsome。”

IshookmyheadandrepliedthatIhadbeenidlinglongenoughandmusttrytomakesomemoney，newsatwhichheseemedverydisappointed。

“Lookhere。”hesaid，“forgivemeformentioningit，butbusinessisbusiness。Ifyou’llcomeyoushan’tbealoser。”

AgainIshookmyhead，whereathelookedmoredisappointedthanbefore。

“Verywell。”heexclaimed，“thenImustgoalone。ForkillabuffaloIwill；thatisunlessthebuffalokillsme，inwhichcasemybloodwillbeonyourhands。”

Idon’tknowwhy，butatthatmomenttherecameintomymindaconvictionthatifhedidgoaloneabuffaloorsomethingwouldkillhimandthatthenIshouldbesorryallmylife。

“Theyaredangerousbrutes，muchworsethanlions。”Isaid。

“Andyetyou，whopretendtohaveaconscience，wouldexposemetotheirrageunprotectedandalone。”herepliedwithatwinkleinhiseyewhichIcouldseeevenbymoonlight。”Oh！Quatermain，howIhavebeenmistakeninyourcharacter。

“Lookhere，Mr。Anscombe。”Isaid，“it’snouse。Icannotpossiblygoonashootingexpeditionwithyoujustnow。Onlyto-dayIhaveheardfromNatalthatmyboyisnotwellandmustundergoanoperationwhichwilllayhimupforquitesixweeks，andmaybedangerous。SoImustgetdowntoDurbanbeforeittakesplace。AfterthatIhaveacontractinMatabelelandwhenceyouhavejustcome，totakechargeofatradingstorethereforayear；alsoperhapstotrytoshootalittleivoryformyself。SoIamfullybookeduptill，letussay，October，1878，thatisforabouteighteenmonths，bywhichtimeIdaresayIshallbedead。”

“Eighteenmonths。”repliedthiscoolyoungman。“Thatwillsuitmeverywell。IwillgoontoIndiaasIintended，thenhomeforabitandwillmeetyouonthe1stofOctober，1878，afterwhichwewillproceedtotheLydenburgdistrictandshootthosebuffalo，oriftheyhavedeparted，otherbuffalo。Isitabargain？“

Istaredathim，thinkingthattheAdministrator’schampagnehadgotintohishead。

“Nonsense。”Iexclaimed。“Whoknowswhereyouwillbeineighteenmonths？Why，bythattimeyouwillhaveforgottenallaboutme。”

“IfIamaliveandwell，onthe1stofOctober，I878，IshallbeexactlywhereIamnow，uponthisverysquareinPretoria，withawagon，orwagons，preparedforahuntingtrip。Butasnotunnaturallyyouhavedoubtsuponthatpoint，IampreparedtopayforfeitifIfail，orevenifcircumstancescauseyoutofail。”

Herehetookacheque-bookfromhisletter-caseandspreaditoutonthelittletableinthetent，onwhichtherewereinkandapen，adding——

“Now，Mr。Quatermain，willitmeetyourviewsifIfillthisupfor#250？“

“No。”Ianswered；“takingeverythingintoconsiderationthesumisexcessive。Butifyoudonotmindfacingtherisksofmynon-appearance，tosaynothingofyourown，youmaymakeit#50。”

“Youareverymoderateinyourdemands。”hesaidashehandedmethechequewhichIputinmypocket，reflectingthatitwouldjustpayformyson’soperation。

“Andyouareveryfoolishinyouroffers。”Ireplied。“Tellme，whydoyoumakesuchcrack-brainedarrangements？“

“Idon’tquiteknow。Somethinginmeseemstosaythatwe_shall_makethisexpeditionandthatitwillhaveaveryimportanteffectuponmylife。Mindyou，itistobetotheLydenburgdistrictandnowhereelse。AndnowIamtired，solet’sturnin。”

Nextmorningwepartedandwentourseparateways。

CHAPTERII

MR。MARNHAM

Somuchforpreliminaries，nowforthestory。

Theeighteenmonthshadgoneby，bringingwiththemtometheirshareofadventure，wealandwoe，withallofwhichatpresentI

havenoconcern。Beholdmearrivingveryhotandtiredinthepost-cartfromKimberley，whitherIhadgonetoinvestwhatIhadsavedoutofmyMatabelelandcontractinaverypromisingspeculationwhereof，today，thepromiseremainsandnomore。I

hadbeenobligedtoleaveKimberlyinagreathurry，beforeI

oughtindeed，becauseofthesillybargainwhichIhavejustrecorded。OfcourseIwassurethatIshouldneverseeMr。

Anscombeagain，especiallyasIhadheardnothingofhimduringallthiswhile，andhadnoreasontosupposethathewasinAfrica。StillIhadtakenhis#50andhe_might_come。AlsoI

havealwayspridedmyselfuponkeepinganappointment。

Thepost-carthaltedwithajerkinfrontoftheEuropeanHotel，andIcrawled，dustyandtired，fromitsinterior，tofindmyselffacetofacewithAnscombe，whowassmokingapipeuponthestoep！

“Hullo，Quatermain。”hesaidinhispleasant，drawlingvoice，“hereyouare，uptotime。Ihavebeenmakingbetswiththesefivegentlemen。”andhenoddedatagroupofloungersonthestoep。”astowhetheryouwouldorwouldnotappear，Iputtingtentooneonyouindrinks。Thereforeyoumustnowconsumefivewhiskiesandsodas，whichwillsavethemfromconsumingfiftyandasubsequentappearanceatthePoliceCourt。”

IlaughedandsaidIwouldbetheirdebtortotheextentofone，whichwasdulyproduced。

AfteritwasdrunkAnscombeandIhadachat。HesaidthathehadbeentoIndia，shot，orshotatwhatevergamehemeanttokillthere，visitedhisrelationsinEnglandandthenceproceededtokeephisappointmentwithmeinAfrica。AtDurbanhehadfittedhimselfoutinaregalwaywithtwowagons，fullteams，andsomespareoxen，andtrekkedtoPretoriawherehehadarrivedafewdaysbefore。NowhewasreadytostartfortheLydenburgdistrictandlookforthosebuffalo。

“But。”Isaid，“thebuffaloprobablylongagodeparted。AlsotherehasbeenawarwithSekukuni，theBasutochiefwhorulesallthatcountry，whichremainsundecided，althoughIbelievesomekindofapeacehasbeenpatchedup。Thismaymakehuntinginthisneighborhooddangerous。Whynottrysomeotherground，tothenorthoftheTransvaal，forinstance？“

“Quatermain。”heanswered，“IhavecomeallthewayfromEngland，Iwillnotsaytokill，buttotrytokillbuffalointheLydenburgdistrict，withyouifpossible，ifnot，withoutyou，andthitherIamgoing。Ifyouthinkitunsafetoaccompanyme，don’tcome；IwillgetonasbestIcanalone，orwithsomeotherskilledpersonifIcanfindone。”

“IfyouputitlikethatIshallcertainlycome。”Ireplied，“withtheprovisothatshouldthebuffaloprovetobenon-existentorthepursuitofthemimpossible，weeithergiveupthetrip，orgosomewhereelse，perhapstothecountryatthebackofDelagoaBay。”

“Agreed。”hesaid；afterwhichwediscussedterms，hepayingmemysalaryinadvance。

Onfurtherconsiderationwedetermined，astwowerequiteunnecessaryforatripofthesort，toleaveoneofmywagonsandhalfthecattleinchargeofaveryrespectableman，afarmerwholivedaboutfivemilesfromPretoriajustoverthepassneartothefamousWonder-boomtreewhichisoneofthesightsoftheplace。Shouldweneedthiswagonitcouldalwaysbesentfor；

or，ifwefoundtheLydenburghunting-ground，whichhewassosetuponvisiting，unproductiveorimpossible，wecouldreturntoPretoriaoverthehigh-veldandpickitupbeforeproceedingelsewhere。

Thesearrangementstookusacoupleofdaysorso。Onthethirdwestarted，withoutseeingyou，myfriend，oranyoneelsethatI

knew，sincejustatthattimeeveryoneseemedtobeawayfromPretoria。You，Iremember，hadbynowbecometheMasteroftheHighCourtandwere，theyinformedmeatyouroffice，absentoncircuit。

Themorningofourdeparturewasparticularlylovelyandwetrekkedawayinthebestofspirits，assooftenhappenstopeoplewhoaremarchingintotrouble。Ofourjourneythereislittletosayaseverythingwentsmoothly，sothatwearrivedattheedgeofthehigh-veldfeelingashappyasthecountrywhichhasnohistoryisreportedtodo。OurroadleduspastthelittleminingsettlementofPilgrim’sRestwhereanumberofadventurousspirits，mostofthemEnglish，wereengagedinwashingforgold，ajobatwhichIoncetookaturnnearthisveryplacewithoutanystartlingsuccess。OfthelocalityIneedonlysaythatthemountainoussceneryisamongthemostbeautiful，thehillsarethesteepestandtheroadsare，orwere，theworstthatIhaveevertravelledoverinawagon。

However，“goingsoftly“asthenativessay，wenegotiatedthemwithoutaccidentand，leavingPilgrim’sRestbehindus，begantodescendtowardsthelow-veldwhereIwasinformedaherdofbuffalocouldstillbefound，since，owingtothewarwithSekukuni，noonehadshotatthemoflate。Thiswarhadbeensuspendedforawhile，andtheLand-drostatPilgrim’sResttoldmehethoughtitwouldbesafetohuntonthebordersofthatChief’scountry，thoughheshouldnotcaretodosohimself。

Gameofthesmallersortbegantobeplentifulabouthere，sonotmorethanadozenmilesfromPilgrim’sRestweoutspannedearlyintheafternoontotrytogetabluewildebeesteortwo，forI

hadseenthespoorofthesecreaturesinapatchofsoftground，orfailingthemsomeotherbuck。Accordingly，leavingthewagonbyacharmingstreamthatwoundandgurgledoverabedofgranite，wemountedoursaltedhorses，whichwerepartofAnscombe’soutfit，andsetforthrejoicing。RidingthroughthescatteredthornsandfollowingthespoorwhereIcould，withinhalfanhourwecametoalittleglade。There，notfiftyyardsaway，Icaughtofasinglebluewildebeestebullstandingintheshadowofthetreesonthefurthersideoftheglade，andpointedouttheuglybeast，foritisthemostgrotesqueofalltheantelopes，toAnscombe。

“Offyouget。”Iwhispered。“It’salovelyshot，youcan’tmissit。”

“Oh，can’tI！“repliedAnscombe。“Doyoushoot。”

Irefused，sohedismounted，givingmehishorsetohold，andkneelingdownsolemnlyandslowlycoveredthebull。Bangwenthisrifle，andIsawaboughaboutayardabovethewildebeestefallontoitsback。Offitwentlikelightning，whereonAnscombeletdrivewiththeleftbarreloftheExpress，almostathazardasitseemedtome，andbysomechancehititabovethenearfore-knee，breakingitsleg。

“Thatwasagoodshot。”hecried，jumpingontohishorse。

“Excellent。”Ianswered。“Butwhatareyougoingtodo？“

“Catchit。Itiscrueltoleaveawoundedanimal。”andoffhestarted。

OfcourseIhadtofollow，buttheensuingrideremainsamongthemorepainfulofmyhuntingmemories。Wetorethroughthorntreesthatscratchedmyfaceanddamagedmyclothes；westruckapatchofantbearholes，intooneofwhichmyhorsefellsothatmystomachbumpedagainstitshead；weslithereddowngranitekoppies，andthiswastheworstofit，attheendofeachchapter，sotospeak，alwayscaughtsightofthataccursedbullwhichIfondlyhopedwouldhavevanishedintospace。Atlengthafterhalfanhourorsoofthisgamewereachedastretchofopen，rollingground，andtherenotfiftyyardsaheadofuswastheanimalstillgoinglikeahare，thoughhowitcoulddosoonthreelegsIamsureIdonotknow。Wecourseditlikegreyhounds，tillatlastAnscombe，whosehorsewasthefaster，camealongsideoftheexhaustedcreature，whereonitturnedsuddenlyandcharged。

Anscombeheldouthisrifleinhisrighthandandpulledthetrigger，which，ashehadforgottentoreloadit，wasameretheatricalperformance。Nextsecondtherewassuchamix-upthatforawhileIcouldnotdistinguishwhichwasAnscombe，whichwasthewildebeeste，andwhichthehorse。Theyallseemedtobegoingroundandroundinacloudofdust。WhenthingssettledthemselvesalittleIdiscoveredthehorserollingontheground，Anscombeonhisbackwithhishandsupinanattitudeofprayerandthewildebeestetryingtomakeupitsmindwhichofthemitshouldfinishfirst。Isettledthepoorthing’sdoubtsbyshootingitthroughtheheart，whichIflattermyselfwasrathercleverofmeunderthecircumstances。ThenIdismountedtoexamineAnscombe，who，Ipresumed，wasdonefor。Notabitofit。Therehesatuponthegroundblowinglikeablacksmith’sbellowsandpantingout——

“Whatagloriousgallop。Ifinisheditverywell，didn’tI？Youcouldn’thavemadeabettershotyourself。”

“Yes。”Ianswered，“youfinisheditverywellasyouwillfindoutifyouwilltakethetroubletoopenyourrifleandcountyourcartridges。ImayaddthatifwearegoingtohunttogetherIhopeyouwillneverleadmesuchafool’schaseagain。”

Herose，openedtherifleandsawthatitwasempty，foralthoughhehadneverre-loadedhehadthrownoutthetwocartridgeswhichhehaddischargedintheglen。

“ByJingo。”hesaid，“youmusthaveshotit，thoughIcouldhaveswornthatitwasI。Quatermain，hasiteverstruckyouwhatastrangethingisthehumanimagination？“

“Dratthehumanimagination。”Ianswered，wipingawaythebloodthatwastricklingintomyeyefromathornscratch。“Let’slookatyourhorse。IfitislamedyouwillhavetorideImaginationbacktothewagonwhichmustbesixmilesaway，thatisifwecanfinditbeforedark。”

Sighingoutsomethingaboutapainfullypracticalmind，heobeyed，andwhenthebeastwasprovedtobenothingmorethanblownandalittlebruised，maderemarksastotheinadvisabilityofdwellingonfutureevilevents，whichIremindedhimhadalreadybeenbettersummedupintheNewTestament。

Afterthiswecontemplatedthecarcasseofthewildebeestewhichitseemedapitytoleavetorot。JustthenAnscombe，whohadmovedafewyardstotherightoutoftheshadowofanobstructingtree，exclaimed——

“Isay，Quatermain，comehereandtellmeifIhavebeenknockedsilly，orifIreallyseeaquiteuncommonkindofhousebuiltinancientGreekstylesetinadivinelandscape。”

“TempletoDiana，Iexpect。”IremarkedasIjoinedhimonthefurthersideofthetree。

Ilookedandrubbedmyeyes。There，abouthalfamileaway，situatedinabayofthesweepinghillsandoverlookingthemeasurelessexpanseofbush-veldbeneath，wasaremarkablehouse，atleastforthosedaysandthatpartofAfrica。Tobeginwiththesituationwassuperb。Itstoodonagreenandswellingmoundbehindwhichwasawoodedkloofwhereranastreamthatatlastprecipitateditselfinawaterfalloveragreatcliff。Theninfrontwasthatgloriousviewofthebush-veld，atwhichamanmightlookforalifetimeandnotgrowtired，stretchingawaytotheOliphant’sriverandmeltingatlastintothedimlineofthehorizon。

Thehouseitselfalso，althoughnotlarge，wasofakindnewtome。Itwasdeep，butnarrowfronted，andbeforeitwerefourcolumnsthatcarriedtheroofwhichprojectedsoastoformawideverandah。Moreoveritseemedtobebuiltofmarblewhichglistenedlikesnowinthesettingsun。Inshortinthatlonelywilderness，atanyratefromthisdistance，itdidlooklikethedesertedshrineofsomeforgottengod。

“Well，I’mbothered！“Isaid。

“SoamI。”answeredAnscombe，“toknowthenameoftheLydenburgdistrictarchitectwhomIshouldliketoemploy；thoughIsuspectitisthesurroundingsthatmaketheplacelooksobeautiful。

Hullo！herecomessomebody，buthedoesn’tlooklikeanarchitect；helookslikeawickedbaronetdisguisedasaBoer。”

Trueenough，roundaclumpofbushappearedanunusuallookingperson，mountedonaverygoodhorse。Hewastall，thinandold，atleasthehadalongwhitebeardwhichsuggestedage，althoughhisfigure，sofarasitcouldbeseenbeneathhisroughclothes，seemedvigorous。Hisfacewascleancutandhandsome，witharatherhookednose，andhiseyesweregrey，butasIsawwhenhecameuptous，somewhatbloodshotatthecorners。Hisgeneralaspectwasrefinedandbenevolent，andassoonasheopenedhismouthIperceivedthathewasapersonofgentlebreeding。

Andyettherewassomethingabouthim，somethinginhisatmosphere，sotospeak，thatIdidnotlike。BeforewepartedthateveningIfeltsurethatinonewayoranotherhewasawrong-doer，notstraight；alsothathehadaviolenttemper。

Herodeuptousandaskedinapleasantvoice，althoughthemannerofhisquestion，whichwasputinbadDutch，wasnotpleasant，“Whogaveyouleavetoshootonourland？“

“Ididnotknowthatanyleavewasrequired；itisnotcustomaryintheseparts。”IansweredpolitelyinEnglish。“Moreover，thisbuckwaswoundedmilesaway。”

“Oh！“heexclaimedinthesametongue，“thatmakesadifference，thoughIexpectitwasstillonourland，forwehavealot；itischeapabouthere。”Thenafterstudyingalittle，headdedapologetically，“Youmustn’tthinkmestrange，butthefactismydaughterhatesthingstobekillednearthehouse，whichiswhythere’ssomuchgameabout。”

“Thenpraymakeherourapologies。”saidAnscombe，“andsaythatitshallnothappenagain。”

Hestrokedhislongbeardandlookedatus，forbynowhehaddismounted，thensaid——

“MightIaskyougentlemenyournames？“

“Certainly。”Ireplied。“IamAllanQuatermainandmyfriendistheHon。MauriceAnscombe。”

Hestartedandsaid——

“OfAllanQuatermainofcourseIhaveheard。Thenativestoldmethatyouweretrekkingtothoseparts；andifyou，sir，areoneofLordMountford’ssons，oddlyenoughIthinkImusthaveknownyourfatherinmyyouth。IndeedIservedwithhimintheGuards。”

“Howverystrange。”saidAnscombe。“He’sdeadnowandmybrotherisLordMountford。DoyoulikelifeherebetterthanthatintheGuards？IamsureIshould。”

“Bothofthemhavetheiradvantages。”heansweredevasively，“ofwhich，if，asIthink，youarealsoasoldier，youcanjudgeforyourself。Butwon’tyoucomeuptothehouse？MydaughterHedaisaway，andmypartnerMr。Rodd“(ashementionedthisnameI

sawabluevein，whichshowedabovehischeekbone，swellasthoughunderpressureofsomesecretemotion)“isaretiringsortofaman——indeedsomemightthinkhimsulkyuntiltheycametoknowhim。Still，wecanmakeyoucomfortableandevengiveyouadecentbottleofwine。”

“No，thankyouverymuch。”Ianswered，“wemustgetbacktothewagonorourservantswillthinkthatwehavecometogrief。

Perhapsyouwillacceptthewildebeesteifitisofanyusetoyou。”

“Verywell。”hesaidinavoicethatsuggestedregretstrugglingwithrelief。Tothebuckhemadenoallusion，perhapsbecauseheconsideredthatitwasalreadyhisownproperty。“Doyouknowyourway？IbelieveyourwagoniscampedouttheretotheeastbywhatwecalltheGranitestream。IfyoufollowthisKaffirpath。”andhepointedtoatracknearby，“itwilltakequiteclose。”

“Wheredoesthepathrunto？“Iasked。“Therearenokraalsabout，arethere？“

“Oh！totheTemple，asmydaughtercallsourhouse。MypartnerandIarelabouragents，werecruitnativesfortheKimberleyMines。”hesaidinexplanation，adding，“Wheredoyouproposetoshoot？“

Itoldhim。

“Isn’tthatratherariskydistrict？“hesaid。“IthinkthatSekukuniwillsoonbegivingmoretrouble，althoughthereisatrucebetweenhimandtheEnglish。Stillhemightsendaregimenttoraidthatway。”

IwonderedhowourfriendknewsomuchofSekukuni’spossibleintentions，butonlyansweredthatIwasaccustomedtodealwithnativesanddidnotfearthem。

“Ah！“hesaid，“well，youknowyourownbusinessbest。Butifyoushouldgetintoanydifficulty，makestraightforthisplace。

TheBasutoswillnotinterferewithyouhere。”

AgainIwonderedwhytheBasutosshouldlookuponthisparticularspotassacred，butthinkingitwisesttoasknoquestions，I

onlyanswered——

“Thankyouverymuch。We’llbearyourinvitationinmind，Mr——“

“Marnham。”

“Marnham。”Irepeatedafterhim。“Good-byeandmanythanksforyourkindness。”

“Onequestion。”brokeinAnscombe，“ifyouwillnotthinkmerude。Whatisthenameofthearchitectwhodesignedthatmostromantic-lookinghouseofyourswhichseemstobebuiltofmarble？“

Mydaughterdesignedit，oratleastIthinkshecopieditfromsomeolddrawingofaruin。Alsoit_is_marble；there’sawholehillofthestuffnotahundredyardsfromthedoor，soitwascheapertousethananythingelse。Ihopeyouwillcomeandseeitonyourwayback，thoughitisnotasfineasitappearsfromadistance。ItwouldbeverypleasantafteralltheseyearstotalktoanEnglishgentlemanagain。”

Thenweparted，Iratheroffendedbecausehedidnotseemtoincludemeinthedescription，hecallingafterus——

“Stickclosetothepaththroughthepatchofbigtrees，forthegroundisratherswampythereandit’sgettingdark。”

Presentlywecametotheplacehementionedwherethetimber，althoughscattered，wasquitelargeforSouthAfrica，oftheyellow-woodspecies，andinterspersedwhereverthegroundwasdrywithhugeeuphorbias，ofwhichthetallfinger-likegrowthsandsadgreycolouringlookedunrealandghostlikeinthewaninglight。Followingtheadvicegiventous，werodeinsinglefilealongthenarrowpath，fearinglestotherwiseweshouldtumbleintosomeboghole，untilwecametohigherlandcoveredwiththescatteredthornsofthecountry。

“Didthatbushgiveyouanyparticularimpression？“askedAnscombeaminuteortwolater。

“Yes。”Ianswered，“itgavemetheimpressionthatwemightcatchfeverthere。Seethemistthatliesoverit。”andturninginmysaddleIpointedwiththerifleinmyhandtowhatlookedlikeamassofcottonwooloverwhich，withoutpermeatingit，hungthelastredglowofsunset，producingacuriousandindeedratherunearthlyeffect。“Iexpectthatthousandsofyearsagotherewasalakeyonder，whichiswhytreesgrowsobigintherichsoil。”

“Youarecuriouslymundane，Quatermain。”heanswered。“Iaskyouofspiritualimpressionsandyoudilatetomeofgeologicalformationsandthegrowthoftimber。Youfeltnothinginthespiritualline？“

“Ifeltnothingexceptachill。”Ianswered，forIwastiredandhungry。“Whatthedevilareyoudrivingat？“

“HaveyougotthatflaskofHollandsaboutyou，Quatermain？“

“Oh！thosearethespiritsyouarereferringto。”IremarkedwithsarcasmasIhandedittohim。

Hetookagoodpullandreplied——

“Notatall，exceptinthesensethatbadspiritsrequiregoodspiritstocorrectthem，astheBibleteaches。Tocometofacts。”headdedinachangedvoice，“Ihaveneverbeeninaplacethatdepressedmemorethanthatthriceaccursedpatchofbush。”

“Whydiditdepressyou？“Iasked，studyinghimaswellasI

couldinthefadinglight。TotellthetruthIfearedlesthehadknockedhisheadwhenthewildebeesteupsethim，andwassufferingfromdelayedconcussion。

“Can’ttellyou，Quatermain。Idon’tlooklikeacriminal，doI？

Well，Ienteredthosetreesfeelingafairlyhonestman，andI

cameoutofthemfeelinglikeamurderer。Itwasasthoughsomethingterriblehadhappenedtomethere；itwasasthoughI

hadkilledsomeonethere。Ugh！“andheshiveredandtookanotherpullattheHollands。

“Whatbosh！“Isaid。“Besides，evenifitweretocometrue，I

amsorrytosayI’vekilledlotsofmeninthewayofbusinessandtheydon’tbothermeovermuch。”

“Didyoueverkillonetowinawoman？“

“Certainlynot。Why，thatwouldbemurder。Howcanyouaskmesuchathing？ButIhavekilledseveraltowincattle。”I

reflectedaloud，rememberingmyexpeditionwithSadukoagainstthechiefBangu，andsomeotherincidentsinmycareer。

“Iappreciatethedifference，Quatermain。Ifyoukillforcows，itisjustifiablehomicide；ifyoukillforwomen，itismurder。”

“Yes。”Ireplied，“thatishowitseemstoworkoutinAfrica。

Yousee，womenarehigherinthescaleofcreationthancows，thereforecrimescommittedfortheirsakeareenormouslygreaterthanthosecommittedforcows，whichjustmakesthedifferencebetweenjustifiablehomicideandmurder。”

“Goodlord！whatanargument。”heexclaimedandrelapsedintosilence。Hadhebeenaccustomedtonativesandtheirwayshewouldhaveunderstoodthepointmuchbetterthanhedid，thoughI

admititisdifficulttoexplain。

Induecoursewereachedthewagonwithoutfurthertrouble。

WhilewewereshieldingourpipesafteranexcellentsupperI

askedAnscombehisimpressionsofMr。Marnham。

“Queercove，Ithink。”heanswered。“Beenagentleman，too，andstillkeepsthemanners，whichisn’tstrangeifheisoneoftheMarnhams，fortheyareagoodfamily。Iwonderhementionedhavingservedwithmyfather。”

“Itslippedoutofhim。Menwholivealotaloneareapttobesurprisedintosayingthingstheyregretafterwards，asInoticedhedid。Butwhydoyouwonder？“

“Becauseisithappens，althoughIhaveonlyjustrecalledit，myfatherusedtotellsomestoryaboutamannamedMarnhaminhisregiment。Ican’trememberthedetails，butithadtodowithcardswhenhighstakeswerebeingplayedfor，andwiththestrikingofasuperiorofficerinthequarrelthatensued，asaresultofwhichthestrikerwasrequestedtosendinhispapers。”

“Itmaynothavebeenthesameman。”

“Perhapsnot，forIbelievethatmorethanoneMarnhamservedinthatregiment。ButIremembermyfathersaying，bywayofexcuseforthepersonconcerned，thathehadamostungovernabletemper。

Ithinkheadded，thatheleftthecountryandtookserviceinsomearmyontheContinent。Ishouldratherliketoclearthethingup。”

“Itisn’tprobablethatyouwill，forevenifyoushouldevermeetthisMarnhamagain，Ifancyyouwouldfindheheldhistongueabouthisacquaintancewithyourfather。”

“IwonderwhatMissHedaislike。”wentonAnscombeafterapause。“Iamcurioustoseeagirlwhodesignsahouseonthemodelofanancientruin。”

“Well，youwon’t，forshe’sawaysomewhere。Besideswearelookingforbuffalo，notgirls，whichisagoodthingastheyarelessdangerous。”

IspokethusdecisivelybecauseIhadtakenadisliketoMr。

Marnhamandeverythingtodowithhim，anddidnotwishtoencouragetheideaoffurthermeetings。

“No，never，Isuppose。AndyetIfeelasthoughIwerecertainlydestinedtoseethataccursedyellow-woodswampagain。”

“Nonsense。”IrepliedasIrosetoturnin。Ah！ifIhadbutknown！

CHAPTERIII

THEHUNTERSHUNTED

WhileIwastakingoffmybootsIheardanoiseofjabberinginsomenativetonguewhichItooktobeSisutu，andnotwishingtogotothetroubleofputtingthemonagain，calledtothedriverofthewagontofindoutwhatitwas。ThismanwasaCapeColonyKaffir，aFingoIthink，withatouchofHottentotinhim。Hewasanexcellentdriver，indeedIdonotthinkIhaveeverseenabetter，andbynomeansabadshot。AmongEuropeansherejoicedinthenameofFootsack，aBoerDutchtermwhichisgenerallyaddressedtotroublesomedogsandmeans“Getout。”Totellthetruth，hadIbeenhismasterhewouldhavegotout，asI

suspectedhimofdrinking，andgenerallydidnotaltogethertrusthim。Anscombe，however，wasfondofhimbecausehehadshowncourageinsomehuntingadventureinMatabeleland，Ithinkitwasattheshootingofthatverydark-colouredlionwhoseskinhadbeenthemeansofmakingusacquaintednearlytwoyearsbefore。

IndeedhesaidthatonthisoccasionFootsackhadsavedhislife，thoughfromallthatIcouldgatherIdonotthinkthiswasquitethecase。Alsotheman，whohadbeenonmanyhuntingtripswithsportsmen，couldtalkDutchwellandEnglishenoughtomakehimselfunderstood，andthereforewasuseful。

HewentasIbadehim，andcomingbackpresently，toldmethatapartyofBasutos，aboutthirtyinnumber，whowerereturningfromKimberley，wheretheyhadbeenatworkinthemines，undertheleadershipofaBastardnamedKarl，askedleavetocampbythewagonforthenight，astheywereafraidtogoonto“Tampel“inthedark。

AtfirstIcouldnotmakeoutwhat“Tampel“was，asitdidnotsoundlikeanativename。ThenIrememberedthatMr。MarnhamhadspokenofhishouseasbeingcalledtheTemple，ofwhich，ofcourse，Tampelwasacorruption；alsothathesaidheandhispartnerwerelabouragents。

“Whyaretheyafraid？“Iasked。

“Because，Baas，theysaythattheymustgothroughawoodinaswamp，whichtheythinkishauntedbyspooks，andtheymuchafraidofspooks；“thatisofghosts。

“Whatspooks？“Iasked。

“Don’tknow，Baas。Theysayspookofsomeonewhohasbeenkilled。”

“Rubbish。”Ireplied。“Tellthemtogoandcatchthespook；wedon’twantalotofnoisyfellowshowlingchantieshereallnight。”

ThenitwasthatAnscombebrokeininhishumorous，ratherdrawlingvoice。

“Howcanyoubesohard-hearted，Quatermain？Afterthesupernaturalterrorwhich，asItoldyou，Iexperiencedinthatveryplace，Iwouldn’tcondemnakickingmuletogothroughitinthisdarkness。Letthepoordevilsstay；Idaresaytheyaretired。”

SoIgavein，andpresentlysawtheirfiresbeginningtoburnthroughtheendcanvasofthewagonwhichwasunlacedbecausethenightwashot。AlsolateronIwokeup，aboutmidnightIthink，andheardvoicestalking，oneofwhichIreflectedsleepily，soundedverylikethatofFootsack。

Wakingveryearly，asismyhabit，Ipeepedoutofthewagon，andthroughthemorningmistperceivedFootsackinconversewithaparticularlyvillainous-lookingperson。IatonceconcludedthismustbeKarl，evidentlyaBastardcompoundedofaboutfifteenpartsofvariousnativebloodstooneofwhite，who，toaddtohisattractions，wasdeeplyscarredwithsmallpoxandpossessedareallyalarmingsquint。ItseemedtomethatFootsackhandedtothismansomethingthatlookedsuspiciouslylikeabottleofsquarefaceginwrappedupindriedgrass，andthatthemanhandedbacktoFootsacksomesmallobjectwhichheputinhismouth。

Now，Iwonderedtomyself，whatisthereofvaluethatonewhodoesnoteatsweetswouldstowawayinhismouth。Goldcoinperhaps，oraquidoftobacco，orastone。Goldwastoomuchtopayforabottleofgin，tobaccowastoolittle，buthowaboutthestone？Whatstone？Whowantedstones？ThensuddenlyI

rememberedthatthesepeopleweresaidtocomefromKimberley，andwhistledtomyself。StillIdidnothing，principallybecausethemistwasstillsodensethatalthoughIcouldseethemen’sfaces，Icouldnotclearlyseethearticleswhichtheypassedtoeachotherabouttwofeetlower，whereitstilllayverythickly，andtobringanyaccusationagainstanativewhichhecanprovetobefalseisapttodestroyauthority。SoIheldmytongueandwaitedmychance。Itdidnotcomeatonce，forbeforeIwasdressedthoseBasutoshaddepartedtogetherwiththeirleaderKarl，fornowthatthesunwasuptheynolongerfearedthehauntedbush。

Itcamelater，thus：WeweretrekkingalongbetweenthethornsuponalevelandeasytrackwhichenabledthedriverFootsacktosituponthe“voorkisse“ordrivingboxofthewagon，leavingtheladwhoiscalledthevoorloopertoleadtheoxen。Anscombewasridingparalleltothewagoninthehopeofkillingsomeguineafowlforthepot(thoughaverypoorshotwithariflehewasgoodwithashot-gun)。I，whodidnotcareforthissmallgame，wasseatedsmokingbythesideofFootsackwho，Inoted，smeltofginandgenerallyshowedsignsofdissipation。SuddenlyIsaidtohim——

“ShowmethatdiamondwhichtheBastardKarlgaveyouthismorninginpaymentforthebottleofyourmaster’sdrink。”

Itwasabowdrawnataventure，buttheeffectoftheshotwasremarkable。HadInotcaughtit，thelongbamboowhipFootsackheldwouldhavefallentotheground，whilehecollapsedinhisseatlikeamanwhohasreceivedabulletinhisstomach。

“Baas。”hegasped，“Baas，howdidyouknow？“

“Iknew。”Irepliedgrandly，“inthesamewaythatIknoweverything。Showmethediamond。”

“Baas。”hesaid，“itwasnottheBaasAnscombe’sgin，itwassomeIboughtinPilgrim’sRest。”

“Ihavecountedthebottlesinthecaseandknowverywellwhoseginitwas。”Irepliedambiguously，forthereasonthatIhaddonenothingofthesort。“Showmethediamond。”

Footsackfumbledabouthisperson，hishair，hiswaistcoatpocketsandevenhismoocha，andultimatelyfromsomewhereproducedastonewhichhehandedtome。Ilookedatit，andfromthepurityofcolourandsize，judgedittobeadiamondworth#200，orpossiblymore。AftercarefulexaminationIputitintomypocket，saying，“Thisisthepriceofyourmaster’sginandthereforebelongstohimasmuchasitdoestoanybody。Nowifyouwanttokeepoutoftrouble，tellme——whencecameitintothehandsofthatman，Karl？“

“Baas。”repliedFootsack，tremblingallover，“howdoIknow？Heandtheresthavebeenworkingatthemines；Isupposehefounditthere。”

“Indeed！Anddidhefindothersofthesamesort？“

“Ithinkso，Baas。AtleasthesaidthathehadbeenbuyingbottlesofginwithsuchstonesallthewaydownfromKimberley。

Karlisagreatdrunkard，Baas，asIamsure，whohaveknownhimforyears。”

“Thatisnotall。”Iremarked，keepingmyeyesfixedonhim。

“Whatelsedidhesay？“

“Hesaid，Baas，thathewasverymuchafraidofreturningtotheBaasMarnhamwhomtheKaffirscallWhite-beard，withonlyafewstonesleft。”

“Whywasheafraid？“

“BecausetheBaasWhitebeard，hewhodwellsatTampel，is，hesays，averyangrymanifhethinkshimselfcheated，andKarlisafraidlestheshouldkillhimasanotherwaskilled，hewhosespookhauntsthewoodthroughwhichthosesillypeoplefearedtopasslastnight。”

“Whowaskilledandwhokilledhim？“Iasked。

“Baas，Idon’tknow。”repliedFootsack，collapsingintosullensilenceinawaythatKaffirshavewhensuddenlytheyrealizethattheyhavesaidtoomuch。NordidIpressthematterfurther，havinglearnedenough。

WhathadIlearned？This：thatMessrs。Marnham&Roddwereillicitdiamondbuyers，I。D。B。’sastheyarecalled，whohadcunninglysituatedthemselvesatagreatdistancefromthesceneofoperationspracticallybeyondthereachofcivilizedlaw。

ProbablytheywereengagedalsoinothernefariousdealingswithKaffirs，suchassupplyingthemwithgunswherewithtomakewarupontheWhites。Sekukunihadbeenfightingusrecently，sothattherewouldbeaverybriskmarketforrifles。This，too，wouldaccountforMarnham’sapparentknowledgeofthatChief’splans。

Possibly，however，hehadnoknowledgeandonlymadeapretenceofittokeepusoutofthecountry。

LateronIconfidedthewholestoryandmysuspicionstoAnscombe，whowasmuchinterested。

“Whatpicturesquescoundrels！“heexclaimed，“WereallyoughttogobacktotheTemple。IhavealwayslongedtomeetsomerealliveI。D。B。’s。”

“Itisprobablethatyouhavedonethatalreadywithoutknowingit。Fortherest，ifyouwishtovisitthatdenofiniquity，youmustdosoalone。”

“Wouldn’twhitedsepulchrebeabetterterm，especiallyasitseemstocoverdeadmen’sbones？“herepliedinhisfrivolousmanner。

ThenIaskedhimwhathewasgoingtodoaboutFootsackandthebottleofgin，whichhecounteredbyaskingmewhatIwasgoingtodowiththatdiamond。

“GiveittoyouasFootsack’smaster。”Isaid，suitingtheactiontotheword。“Idon’twishtobemixedupindoubtfultransactions。”

Thenfollowedalongargumentastowhowastherealownerofthestone，whichendedinitsbeinghiddenawaybeproducedifcalledfor，andinFootsack，whooughthavehadarounddozen，receivingascoldingfromhismaster，coupledwiththethreatthatifhestolemoreginhewouldbehandedovertoamagistrate——whenwemetone。

Onthefollowingdaywereachedthehot，low-lyingveldwhichtheherdofbuffalowassaidtoinhabit。Nextmorning，however，whenweweremakingreadytobeginhunting，aBasutoKaffirappearedwho，onbeingquestioned，saidthathewasoneofSekukuni’speoplesenttothisdistricttolookfortwolostoxen。Ididnotbelievethisstory，thinkingitmoreprobablethathewasaspy，butaskedhimwhetherinhishuntforoxenhehadcomeacrossbuffalo。

Herepliedthathehad，aherdofthirty-twoofthem，countingthecalves，butthattheywereovertheOliphant’sRiveraboutfive-and-twentymilesaway，inavalleybetweensomeoutlyinghillsandtheruggedrangeofmountains，beyondwhichwassituatedSekukuni’stown。Moreover，inproofofhisstoryheshowedmespoorofthebeastsheadinginthatdirectionwhichwasquiteaweekold。

Nowformypart，asIdidnotthinkitwisetogettooneartoSekukuni，Ishouldhavegiventhemupandgonetohuntsomethingelse。Anscombe，however，wasofadifferentopinionandpleadedhardthatweshouldfollowthem。Theyweretheonlyherdwithinahundredmiles，hesaid，ifindeedtherewereanyothersthissideoftheLebomboMountains。AsIstilldemurred，hesuggested，inthenicestpossiblemanner，thatifIthoughtthebusinessrisky，Ishouldcampsomewherewiththewagon，whilehewentonwithFootsacktolookforthebuffalo。IansweredthatI

waswellusedtorisks，whichinasenseweremytrade，andthatashewasmoreorlessinmychargeIwasthinkingofhim，notofmyself，whowasquitepreparedtofollowthebuffalo，notonlytoSekukuni’sMountainsbutoverthem。Thenfearingthathehadhurtmyfeelings，heapologized，andofferedtogoelsewhereifI

liked。TheupshotwasthatwedecidedtotrektotheOliphant’sRiver，campthereandexplorethebushontheothersideonhorseback，nevergoingsofarfromthewagonthatwecouldnotreachitagainbeforenightfall。

This，then，wedid，outspanningthateveningbythehotbutbeautifulriverwhichwasstillhauntedbyafewhippopotamusandmanycrocodiles，oneofwhichweshotbeforeturningin。Nextmorning，havingbreakfastedoffcoldguineafowl，wemounted，crossedtheriverbyafordthatwasquiteasdeepasIliked，towhichtheKaffirpathledus，and，leavingFootsackwiththetwootherboysinchargeofthewagon，begantohuntforthebuffalointheratherswampybushthatstretchedfromthefurtherbanktotheslopeofthefirsthills，eightortenmilesaway。Ididnotmuchexpecttofindthem，astheBasutohadsaidthattheyhadgoneoverthesehills，buteitherheliedortheyhadmovedbackagain。

Nothalfamilefromtheriverbank，justasIwasabouttodismounttostalkafinewaterbuckofwhichIcaughtsightstandingamongsomecoarsegrassandbushes，myeyefelluponbuffalospoorthatfromitsappearanceIknewcouldnotbemorethanafewhoursold。Evidentlythebeastshadbeenfeedinghereduringthenightandatdawnhadmovedawaytosleepinthedrybushnearerthehills。BeckoningtoAnscombe，whofortunatelyhadnotseenthewaterbuck，atwhichhewouldcertainlyhavefired，therebyperhapsfrighteningthebuffalo，Ishowedhimthespoorthatweatoncestartedtofollow。