FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118  
119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>   >|  
this moment a blood-curdling yell seemed to fill earth and heaven, a yell at the memory of which even now I feel faint, although I am writing years after its echoes died away. I may as well say at once that it came from Janee who, awaking suddenly, had perceived against the background of the sky, Hans standing over her, looking like a yellow devil with a long knife in his hand, which she thought was about to be used to murder her. So, lacking self-restraint, she screamed in the most lusty fashion, for her lungs were excellent, and--the game was up. Instantly every man sleeping round the fire leapt to his feet and rushed in the direction of the echoes of Janee's yell. It was impossible to get Inez free of her tent arrangement or to do anything, except whisper to her, "Feign sleep and know nothing. We will follow you. Your father is with us." Then I bolted back into the bushes, which Hans had reached already. A minute or two later when we were clear of the hubbub and nearing our own camp, Hans remarked to me sententiously, "The Great Medicine worked well, Baas, but not quite well enough, for what medicine can avail against a woman's folly?" "It was our own folly we should blame," I answered. "We ought to have known that fool-girl would shriek, and taken precautions." "Yes, Baas, we ought to have killed her too, for nothing else would have kept her quiet," replied Hans in cheerful assent. "Now we shall have to pay for our mistake, for the hunt must go on." At this moment we stumbled across Robertson and Umslopogaas who, with the others, and every living thing within a mile or two had also heard Janee's yell, and briefly told our story. When he learned how near we had been to rescuing his daughter, Robertson groaned, but Umslopogaas only said, "Well, there are two less of the men-eaters left to deal with. Still, for once your wisdom failed you, Macumazahn. When you had found the camp you should have returned, so that we might all attack it together. Had we done so, before the dawn there would not have been one of them left." "Yes," I answered, "I think that my wisdom did fail me, if I have any to fail. But come; perhaps we may catch them yet." So we advanced, Hans and I showing the road. But when we reached the place it was too late, for all that remained of the Amahagger, or of Inez and Janee, were the two dead men whom we had killed, and in that darkness pursuit was impossible. So we went back
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118  
119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

moment

 

reached

 

impossible

 
answered
 
wisdom
 

killed

 
Umslopogaas
 

Robertson

 

echoes

 

groaned


living
 

briefly

 

daughter

 

rescuing

 

learned

 
stumbled
 

replied

 

cheerful

 

assent

 
precautions

mistake

 
advanced
 

showing

 

darkness

 

pursuit

 

Amahagger

 

remained

 
failed
 

shriek

 

eaters


Macumazahn

 

attack

 

returned

 

writing

 

arrangement

 

rushed

 

direction

 

heaven

 

yellow

 

follow


whisper

 

restraint

 

screamed

 

lacking

 

murder

 

fashion

 
sleeping
 

Instantly

 

thought

 

excellent