ameena, had made a deep
impression on me nearly a quarter of a century before, as she had
done upon other men with whom she had been associated. Therefore
it was probable that she would always be present to my thought,
since whatever a man forgets, he remembers the women who have
shown him favour, true or false, for Nature has decreed it thus.

Moreover, this was one to be remembered for herself, since she
was beautiful and most attractive in her wild way. Also she had
brought about a great war, causing the death of thousands, and
lastly her end might fairly be called majestic. All these
impressions Zikali had instructed Nombe to revivify by her
continual allusions to Mameena, and lastly by her pretence that
she saw her walking in front of me. Then when I was tired and
hungry, in that place which for me was so closely connected with
this woman, and in his own uncanny company, either by mesmerism
or through the action of the drug he threw upon the fire, he had
succeeded in calling up the illusion of her presence to my
charmed sight. All this was clear enough, what remained obscure
was his object.

Possibly he had none beyond an impish desire to frighten me,
which is common enough among practitioners of magic in all lands.
Well, for a little while he had succeeded, although to speak
truth I remained uncertain whether in a sense I was not more
thrilled and rejoiced than frightened. Mameena had never been so
ill to look upon, and I knew that dead or living I had nothing to
fear from her who would have walked through hell fire for my
sake, would have done anything, except perhaps sacrifice her
ambition. No, even if this were her ghost I should have been
glad to see her again.

But it was not a ghost; it was only a fancy reproduced exactly as
my mind had photographed her, almost as my eyes last saw her,
when her kiss was still warm upon my lips.

Such were my thoughts as I stood outside that hut with the cold
perspiration running down my face, for to tell the truth my
nerves were upset, although without reason. So upset were they
that when suddenly a silent-footed man appeared out of the
darkness I jumped as high as though I had set my foot on a
puff-adder, and until I recognized him by his voice as one of
Nombe's servants who had accompanied us from Swazi-Land, felt
quite alarmed. As a matter of fact he had only come to tell me
that our meal was ready and that the other "high White Ones" were
waiting for me.