ween
two big stones at the mouth of the path."

"Indeed," I replied faintly, "this is very interesting. Please
continue--but one word, how was Nombe dressed? Did she wear a
necklace of blue beads?"

"Just as she always is, or rather less so, for she had nothing on
except her moocha, and certainly no blue beads. But why do you
ask?"

"From curiosity merely. I mean, I will tell you afterwards, pray
go on."

"Well, I stepped forward on to the rock and at first saw nothing,
because at that moment the moon was hid by a cloud; indeed Nombe
had waited for the cloud to pass over its face, before she thrust
me forward. Also some smoke from a fire below was rising
straight in front of me. Presently the cloud passed, the smoke
thinned, and I saw the circle of those savage men seated beneath,
and in their centre a great chief wearing a leopard's skin cloak
who I guessed was the king. You I did not see, Mr. Quatermain,
because you were behind a tree, yet I felt that you were there, a
friend among all those foes. I stood still, as I had been taught
to do, and heard the murmur of astonishment and caught the gleam
of the moonlight from the white feathers that were sewn upon my
robe.

"Then I heard also the voice of Zikali speaking from beneath. He
called on you to come out to shoot at me, and the man whom I took
to be the king, ordered you to obey. You appeared from behind
the tree, and I was certain from the look upon your face that at
that distance you did not know who I was in my strange and
glittering raiment. You lifted the pistol and I was terribly
afraid, for I had seen you shoot with it before on the verandah
of the Temple and knew well that you do not miss. Very nearly I
screamed out to you, but remembered and was silent, thinking that
after all it did not much matter if I died, except for the sake
of Maurice here. Also by now I guessed that I was being used to
deceive those men before me into some terrible act, and that if I
died, at least they would be undeceived.

"I thought that an age passed between the time you pointed the
pistol and I saw the flash for which I was waiting."

"You need not have waited, Heda," I interposed, "for if I had
really aimed at you you would never have seen that flash, at
least so it is said. I too guessed enough to shoot above you,
although at the time I did not know that it was you on the rock;
indeed I thought it was Nombe painted up."

"Yes, I heard the bullet sing