“Why do you look so gloomy, Hans?” I asked.
“Because, Baas,” he answered, twiddling his hat, “I had grown to be fond of the white man, Bena, who was always very kind to me and did not treat me like dirt as low-born whites are apt to do. Also he cooked well, and now I shall have to do that work which I do not like.”
“What do you mean, Hans? The man isn’t dead, is he?”
“No, Baas, but soon he will be, for the shadow of death is in his eyes.”
“Then how about Lord Ragnall?”
“I saw no shadow in his eyes; I think that he will live, Baas.”
I tried to get some explanation of these dark sayings out of the Hottentot, but he would add nothing to his words.
All the following night I lay awake filled with heavy fears which deepened as the hours went on. Just before dawn we heard a knocking on our door and Ragnall’s voice whispering to us to open. Hans did so while I lit a candle, of which we had a good supply. As it burned up Ragnall entered, and from his face I saw at once that something terrible had happened. He went to the jar where we kept our water and drank three pannikin-fuls, one after the other. Then without waiting to be asked, he said:
“Savage is dead,” and paused a while as though some awful recollection overcame him. “Listen,” he went on presently. “We worked up the hill-side without firing, although we saw plenty of partridges and one buck, till just as twilight was closing in, we came to the cliff face. Here we perceived a track that ran to the mouth of a narrow cave or tunnel in the lava rock of the precipice, which looked quite unclimbable. While we were wondering what to do, eight or ten white-robed men appeared out of the shadows and seized us before we could make any resistance. After talking together for a little they took away our guns and pistols, with which some of them disappeared. Then their leader, with many bows, indicated that we were at liberty to proceed by pointing first to the mouth of the cave, and next to the top of the precipice, saying something about ‘ingane,’ which I believe means a little child, does it not?”
I nodded, and he went on: