But Dr Koomadhi was showing day by day that he had forgiven them.
And thus it was she felt that he was worthy to be regarded by all men as a gentleman and a Christian.
VI.
A few days later Dr Koomadhi was visited by Major Minton. The Major was anxious to have some shooting at big game, and he was greatly disappointed at being unable to find in the neighbourhood of Picotee any one who could put him on the right track to gratify his longing for slaughter. The ivory-hunters did not find an outlet for their business at Picotee, and the majority of the inhabitants were as unenterprising, Major Minton said, as the chaw-bacons of an English village; nay, more so, for the chawbacons were beginning to know the joy of a metropolitan music hall, and that meant enterprise. He wondered if Koomadhi would allow him to accompany him on his next excursion inland.
Koomadhi said that no proposal could give him greater pleasure. He would be going up again in a week or two, and he could promise Major Minton some first-class sport. He could show him some queer things.
Talking of queer things, had Major Minton ever seen a piece of the famous African sound-stone?
It was supposed that the famous statue of Memnon had been carved out of that stone.
Major Minton had considered all that had been written on the subject of the talking statue utter rot, and he believed so still. Could any sane man credit a story like that, he was anxious to know?
“I suppose not,” said Koomadhi.
“But anyhow, I have now and again come upon pieces of the sound-stone. I’ll show you a couple of bits.”