Kalulu clasped his hand, and understood at once what was necessary, and followed Simba, who was preceded by Niani, without further remark.
When near Tifum Byah’s hut Niani, who was as cunning as the nature of the mammal from whom he derived his name, stopped, and pointed silently to the hut, which stood alone and removed a good distance from any other that was inhabited.
Simba turned to Kalulu, and, handing him the knife which he had received from Niani, whispered to him: “Stay here silent as a dead tree, until thou dost hear my signal,” to which a nod of the head only was given for reply.
“Now, Tifum the Wicked,” whispered the resolute mind of Simba to itself, “it is either I or thou; I think thou. Selim’s stripes have to be paid for with thy blood; if not Selim’s, then Kalulu’s wrongs. But how can I ever pay thee for all? Sheikh Amer, my master; poor Isa; little Mussoud;” and the busy mind fanned itself into a white heat of anger, and churned the deep hate into a white foam of fury; and the Nemesis, in the form of this mighty, big-muscled man, stood over him, Tifum the Wicked. The great form bent, and suddenly drooped, with two great bony, sinewy hands clutching the sleeping man’s throat, crushing, compressing bone, gristle, sinew, and vein into a soft, yielding, pulpy mass, until there was no breath of life nor power of motion left in him.
All had been done so quietly—the deed of stern vengeance so quickly, coolly executed, that Kalulu started with surprise as he heard the signal; he could hardly believe it to have been consummated, yet he advanced determinedly, as if his help was to be needed. Think of Simba needing help for such an ordinary creature as Tifum.
“Cut it off!” said Simba, and Kalulu, nothing loth, bent down and severed the head off without one remorseful pang, and the body of Tifum was headless; and the prediction of Soltali had become thus soon verified.
Simba and Kalulu were about to move off, when Niani stepped up and whispered:
“The guns in his hut!”
“Ah, true,” and Simba turned round and gave Niani a couple of guns, to Kalulu he gave one, he reserved one for himself, then went into the hut, found the powder bag, the load of bullets and ammunition; snatched a bow, a quiver full of arrows, a couple of spears, and a long Arab sword, which Tifum had also appropriated, and with the booty, too valuable to be measured at a money value for such an expedition as he now proposed to himself, he withdrew as silently as he had come.
Once at the tree the guns were distributed, one to Abdullah, one to Moto, the “Joe Manton” to Selim, who hugged it to his heart, while Simba retained another. To Kalulu he gave a spear with the bow, and a quiver full of arrows. Niani got another spear, while he also received the precious powder-keg to carry. Simba carried the bullets and sword. Kalulu still carried the ghastly load, but nothing was said to any of the others of the deed that was done. Simba merely said “Come,” and the five followed him obediently.