the one through whom she would attain the fulfilment of
her desires; and by the exercise of her magic she stole his heart from
me, and induced him to wed her. And because I protested she first
caused me to be publicly whipped, and then ordered me to leave the
country, saying that at sunrise of the following day she would send
forth hunters to seek for and destroy me if they found me. And, knowing
that Bimbane would keep her word, I fled forthwith, all smarting from my
whipping as I was, and made southward, avoiding all villages on my way,
and following the most lonely bypaths that I could find. For just half
a moon have I maintained a continuous flight, living on such fruit and
other food as I chanced to come upon while pursuing my way, hiding
whenever I saw man or woman, and scarce daring to rest or sleep lest
savage beasts or the still more savage hunters should come upon and slay
me. And now all my strength has gone; the hardships of my flight have
sapped my life; and naught remains for me but to die, glad that I am
permitted to pass painlessly in your hands rather than by those of the
cruel hunters, who would drain the last remnant of my miserable life
from me by slow torture!" And as the unhappy creature uttered the last
words she threw up her hands with a gesture of despair and burst into a
passion of hysterical weeping which I made no effort to check, hoping
that thus she might gain relief to her overwrought feelings.

But instead of that happening, the thoughts and memories which had been
awakened during the recital of her terrible experiences only increased
her excitement, until in the course of half an hour the unhappy girl was
fighting us and screaming in high delirium. Yet through it all there
was one idea that seemed to haunt her, for later on, during a
comparatively quiet period, she looked up into my face, and, seizing me
by the hand, said:

"O wonderful white man, great and strong, you are going to
Masakisale,"--the capital of Bandokolo--"and will see Bimbane. Take
notice, and you will see that on the thumb of her right hand she wears a
ring in which is set a wonderful stone that shines like the sun at
eventide. That stone is a magic stone, a potent amulet, by virtue of
which she is able to do many marvellous things, and, among others, to
win the hearts of men. Some think that it is the possession of that
stone which enables her to prolong her life indefinitely. If it were
taken from her, and