In this rather dreadful silence I heard a dry little cough, which I knew came from the throat of Hans, and to be his method of indicating that he had a remark to make.
“What is it?” I asked with irritation, for it was annoying to see him seated there on the ground fanning himself with the remains of a hat and staring vacantly at the sky.
“Nothing, Baas, or rather, only this, Baas: Those hyenas of Zulus are even more afraid of the Great Medicine than were the cannibals up north, since the maker of it is nearer to them, Baas. You remember, Baas, they knelt to it, as it were, when we were going out of Zululand.”
“Well, what of it, now that we are going into Zululand?” I inquired sharply. “Do you want me to show it to them?”
“No, Baas. What is the use, seeing that they are ready to let you pass, also the Lady Sad-Eyes, and me and the cattle with the driver and voorlooper, which is better still, and all the other goods. So what have you to gain by showing them the medicine? But perchance if it were on the neck of Umslopogaas and he showed it to them and brought it to their minds that those who touch him who is in the shadow of Zikali’s Great Medicine, or aught that is his, die within three moons in this way or in that—well, Baas, who knows?” and again he coughed drily and stared up at the sky.
I translated what Hans had said in Dutch to Umslopogaas, who remarked indifferently,
“This little yellow man is well named Light-in-Darkness; at least the plan can be tried—if it fails there is always time to die.”
So thinking that this was an occasion on which I might properly do so, for the first time I took off the talisman which I had worn for so long, and Umslopogaas put it over his head and hid it beneath his blanket.
A little while later the messengers returned and this time the captain himself came with them, as he said to greet me, for I knew him slightly and once we had dealt together about some cattle. After a friendly chat he turned to the matter of Umslopogaas, explaining the case at some length. I said that I quite understood his position but that it was a very awkward thing to interfere with a man who was the actual wearer of the Great Medicine of Zikali itself. When the captain heard this his eyes almost started out of his head.
“The Great Medicine of the Opener-of-Roads!” he exclaimed. “Oh, now I understand why this Chief of the People of the Axe is unconquerable—such a wizard that no one is able to kill him.”