"I dare not," replied the Chief. "They are dedicated to the Golden Lion. If the Golden Lion is deprived of his sacrifices he will be angry, and dire calamity will befall my people."
"It won't," rejoined the Afrikander. "My power is greater by far than that of the Golden Lion."
"It is easy to say so," remarked Umkomasi. "The Golden Lion weighs as much as, or more than, one hundred fat oxen——"
"And by my magic I can overthrow him," asserted Van der Wyck. "Without placing so much as a finger on the Golden Lion I can hurl him from his place. Umkomasi, is it not unwise to put your trust in a false idol and risk the certain vengeance of the Great White One when by placing your trust in the White Emperor beyond the seas you and your people will live in peace and thrive exceedingly?"
"If I could but believe in what you say," began the Chief, wistfully.
"Seeing is believing, O Umkomasi," interposed Van der Wyck. "Go outside, you and your petty chiefs, your servants and your torch-bearers. Wait without and see my magic eat up the Golden Lion. And, also," he added as an afterthought, "tell those priests—the rascals who move the paw and who sit within the idol and deceive your people—tell them to clear out as they value their hides. Quickly, for I'm in a hurry."
Knowing that Umkomasi would carry out his commands, Van der Wyck turned his back upon the Chief, set his haversack on the ground, and assisted Colin to carry the still unconscious Tiny into the open-air.
Quickly the Chief and his assistants followed, while the armed ranks of the Makoh'lenga looked on in awe-struck silence.
"Remain here, Umkomasi," commanded the Afrikander. "Remain here, lest death overtake you."
With that Van der Wyck re-entered the cave, leaving the nearest Makoh'lenga a good hundred yards from the mouth of the gloomy and horrible abode of the Golden Lion.