So they lifted him, and set him again with his back to the rock.
“Now,” said Whitson, “go ahead, and no nonsense!”
“If I tell the whole truth,” said Ghamba, still speaking English, and with a fair accent, “will you swear not to burn me, but to shoot me, so that I shall die at once?”
“I will,” said Whitson.
“You too must swear,” said Ghamba, looking at Langley.
“Yes, I swear.”
“Very well,” said Ghamba, “I will tell you everything, but you must both remember what you have sworn to.”
“Yes, all right,” said Whitson. Ghamba then looked at Langley, who repeated the words.
“I will tell you,” said Ghamba, “all I can remember, and you can ask questions, which I shall answer truly. You have heard of Umdava, who used to eat men in Natal long ago, after the wars of Tshaka—well, he was my uncle. After Umdava had been killed and his people scattered, my father, with a few followers, came to live among these mountains. But we found that after having eaten human flesh we could enjoy no other food, so we caught people and ate them. These two men lying dead are my sons, and that woman is my daughter. My four wives were here to-night. They are very old women. Have you not seen them?” he asked, looking at Whitson.
“They are in there; I shot them,” said Whitson, pointing to the cave.