“All right,” he returned, and I knew he would not go alone.
Then I struck a match and directed my attention to the wizard, whom I could see struggling in the water below, surrounded by ghastly corpses. Not without an inward misgiving, even a feeling of dread, at what I was about to do, I turned away, and, detaching one of the poisoned darts from its receptacle, placed it in the tube. By the dying light of the match I saw the glistening of his skinny black back as he pushed his way between the floating bodies and made for the further wall. I raised the tube, took careful aim, and puffed the dart. The match, which was burning my fingers, fell into the water with a hiss, and all was dark. The wizard pushed on a little before he spoke, and then it was in a hollow guttural voice that rattled in his throat: “He got me!” he said, and this was followed by a harsh grating shriek which sounded like the final curse of an incarnate fiend who knew his time had come. Yet it seemed a trifle strange to me that he should not have cried out directly he was struck. Such an accurate aim with an untried weapon was a matter for self-congratulation, and having succeeded so far I went on to use his own black art against himself.
“You are powerless,” I said; “powerless to act except in obedience to my voice. Keep on swimming—you hear me?”
“Yes, I hear—and obey,” came from the wizard in meek, obedient tones.
I struck another match, and walked along the rim of the basin to the ledge of rock which Kahikatea had held against the Maoris. There I held the light so that he could see to ascend, and presently we were standing face to face. By still another match I examined his countenance. Hideous, repulsive it was, hate and malice written on every line, and in the piercing eyes was a suppressed alertness which did not seem natural in one in the passive state.
“I RAISED THE TUBE, TOOK CAREFUL AIM, AND PUFFED THE DART.”
“Who are you?” I asked, fixing my eyes on his; “and why are you here?”
“I am the servant of Cazotl,” he replied in fairly good English; “and I have come here to look for gold hidden in this mountain.”
“Why did you attempt to carry off the white maiden?”