ny, and that nothing should tempt me to waste one of
them. Oh! why had Hans put on that rotten old waistcoat instead of the
new one I gave him in Durban?

Since we heard no more roars Brother John began to question the Kalubi
as to where the Mother of the Flower lived.

"Lord," answered the man in a distracted way, "there, towards the East.
You walk for a quarter of the sun's journey up the hill, following
a path that is marked by notches cut upon the trees, till beyond
the garden of the god at the top of the mountain more water is found
surrounding an island. There on the banks of the water a canoe is hidden
in the bushes, by which the water may be crossed to the island, where
dwells the Mother of the Holy Flower."

Brother John did not seem to be quite satisfied with the information,
and remarked that he, the Kalubi, would be able to show us the road on
the morrow.

"I do not think that I shall ever show you the road," groaned the
shivering wretch.

At that moment the god roared again much nearer. Now the Kalubi's nerve
gave out altogether, and quickened by some presentiment, he began to
question Brother John, whom he had learned was a priest of an unknown
sort, as to the possibility of another life after death.

Brother John, who, be it remembered, was a very earnest missionary by
calling, proceeded to administer some compressed religious consolations,
when, quite near to us, the god began to beat upon some kind of very
large and deep drum. He didn't roar this time, he only worked away at
a massed-band military drum. At least that is what it sounded like, and
very unpleasant it was to hear in that awful forest with skulls arranged
on boxes all round us, I can assure you, my reader.

The drumming ceased, and pulling himself together, Brother John
continued his pious demonstrations. Also just at that time a thick
rain-cloud quite obscured the moon, so that the darkness grew dense. I
heard John explaining to the Kalubi that he was not really a Kalubi,
but an immortal soul (I wonder whether he understood him). Then I became
aware of a horrible shadow--I cannot describe it in any other
way--that was blacker than the blackness, which advanced towards us at
extraordinary speed from the edge of the clearing.

Next second there was a kind of scuffle a few feet from me, followed by
a stifled yell, and I saw the shadow retreating in the direction from
which it had come.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Strike a mat