however, he did not believe in, and that was in
he himself suffering for the foolishness of other people.

Meanwhile Laurence, in the midst of his disguised executioners, was
pursued by the howling and execrations of the crowds, which parted
eagerly to make way for their passage. Outside on the open plain a vast
mob of women had collected, yelling shrilly at him--and even pelting him
with earth and sticks. One of the latter, thrown at close quarters,
hurling over the heads of his guards, struck him on the shoulder,
painfully and hard. He looked up. It had been hurled by the hand of
Lindela; and as he met her eyes full, the face which he had last looked
upon softening and glowing with the wondrous light of love, was now
wreathed into a horrible grin of hate and savagery.

"_Yau!_ The Spider is hungry! Fare thee well, Umtagati,"[6] jeered the
chief's daughter shrilly.

FOOTNOTE:

[6] Doer of witchcraft.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE PLACE OF THE HORROR.

Was he awake--asleep and dreaming--or--dead?

All these questions did Laurence Stanninghame ask himself by turn as he
recovered his confused and scattered senses; and there was abundant
scope for such conjecture for, in truth, the place wherein he found
himself was a strange one.

A wall of rock arose on either side of him--one straight, perpendicular,
the other overhanging, arching out above the first. As he lay there in
the semi-gloom, his first thought was that he was in a cave; a further
glance, however, convinced him that the place was a gigantic fissure or
rift. But how had he come there?

With an effort, for he still felt strangely languid and confused, he
sent his mind back to the events of the previous day. Stay, though--was
it the previous day? Somehow it seemed much longer ago. He remembered
the long hurried march into the heart of the mountains with his gruesome
escort. He remembered partaking of a plentiful meal and some excellent
corn-beer; this he had done with a view to keeping up his strength,
which he might need to the full. Then he remembered no more. The liquor
had been drugged, he decided.

But to what end? To what end, indeed, was he there? How had he been
brought there? He raised himself on his elbow and looked around.

He started. A large bundle lay beside him--something rolled up in a
native blanket. Speedily undoing this, he discovered several grass
baskets with lids. These contained pounded corn, such as is eaten with
_amati_, or