"Plenty of time for that," Uzali said with a note of laughter in his voice. "See, he has vanished. It looks as if he had gone down to the basement. Now we shan't be long. Look over at the big cedar tree and tell me what you see; quick!"
Two slight shadowy figures like huge night moths seemed to flit out from under the gloom of the cedar and make their way towards the spot where Jansen had gone. Russell would have darted out only Uzali restrained him.
"Wait," he whispered, "another ten minutes."
The minutes passed slowly, then came a sound like the splitting of wood, followed by a laugh which was drowned in a scream echoing horribly far and wide in the silence.
"Now," said Uzali sternly, "it is time to act!"
CHAPTER XLIII
IN HOT PURSUIT
It was a weird cry the like of which, in all his vicissitudes, Russell had never heard before. There was not pain in it so much as the wild and vivid fear of a soul going down into eternal torment. Twice again the cry came and then all was silent once more. Uzali rose to his feet without the slightest appearance of haste; indeed, from his collected movements and assured air he might have been expecting something of the kind.
"What shall we do now?" Russell whispered.
"That depends on whether we are too late or not," Uzali replied. "Come and see for yourself. One or two things have been puzzling you lately and now we can clear them all up."