hide his very
painful and evident emotion.

That evening Hans returned from an expedition on which I had sent him
with instructions to try to get round the mountain and report what was
on its other side. It had been a complete failure, as after he had gone
a few miles men appeared who ordered him back. They were so threatening
in their demeanour that had it not been for the little rifle, Intombi,
which he carried under pretence of shooting buck, a weapon that they
regarded with great awe, they would, he thought, have killed him. He
added that he had been quite unsuccessful in his efforts to collect
any news of value from man, woman or child, all of whom, although very
polite, appeared to have orders to tell him nothing, concluding with the
remark that he considered the White Kendah bigger devils than the Black
Kendah, inasmuch as they were more clever.

Shortly after this abortive attempt we debated our position with
earnestness and came to a certain conclusion, of which I will speak in
its place.

If I remember right it was on this same night of our debate, after
Harut's return from the mountain, that the first incident of interest
happened. There were two rooms in our house divided by a partition
which ran almost up to the roof. In the left-hand room slept Ragnall
and Savage, and in that to the right Hans and I. Just at the breaking of
dawn I was awakened by hearing some agitated conversation between Savage
and his master. A minute later they both entered my sleeping place, and
I saw in the faint light that Ragnall looked very disturbed and Savage
very frightened.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"We have seen my wife," answered Ragnall.

I stared at him and he went on:

"Savage woke me by saying that there was someone in the room. I sat up
and looked and, as I live, Quatermain, standing gazing at me in such a
position that the light of dawn from the window-place fell upon her, was
my wife."

"How was she dressed?" I asked at once.

"In a kind of white robe cut rather low, with her hair loose hanging to
her waist, but carefully combed and held outspread by what appeared to
be a bent piece of ivory about a foot and a half long, to which it was
fastened by a thread of gold."

"Is that all?"

"No. Upon her breast was that necklace of red stones with the little
image hanging from its centre which those rascals gave her and she
always wore."

"Anything more?"

"Yes. In her arms she carried what looke