him nothing about Lady Ragnall
having lost her wits. How then did he know of the matter? Still I
thought it best to hold my peace. I think that Harut saw he had made
some mistake, for leaving the subject of Lady Ragnall, he went on:

"You very welcome, O Lord, but it right tell you this most dangerous
journey, since elephant Jana not like strangers, and," he continued
slowly, "think no elephant like your blood, and all elephants brothers.
What one hate rest hate everywhere in world. See it in your face that
you already suffer great hurt from elephant, you or someone near you.
Also some of Kendah very fierce people and love fighting, and p'raps
there war in the land while you there, and in war people get killed."

"Very good, my friend," said Ragnall, "I am prepared to take my
chance of these things. Either we all go to your country together, as
Macumazana has explained to you, or none of us go."

"We understand. That is our bargain and we no break word," replied
Harut.

Then he turned his benevolent gaze upon Savage, and said: "So you come
too, Mr. Bena. That your name here, eh? Well, you learn lot things in
Kendahland, about snakes and all rest."

Here the jovial-looking Marut whispered something into the ear of his
companion, smiling all over his face and showing his white teeth as he
did so. "Oh!" went on Harut, "my brother tells me you meet one snake
already, down in country called Natal, but sit on him so hard, that he
grow quite flat and no bite."

"Who told him that?" gasped Savage.

"Oh! forget. Think Macumazana. No? Then p'raps you tell him in sleep,
for people talk much in sleep, you know, and some other people got good
ears and hear long way. Or p'raps little joke Harut. You 'member, he
first-rate conjurer. P'raps he send that snake. No trouble if know how.
Well, we show you much better snake Kendahland. But you no sit on _him_,
Mr. Bena."

To me, I know not why, there was something horrible in all this
jocosity, something that gave me the creeps as always does the sight
of a cat playing with a mouse. I felt even then that it foreshadowed
terrible things. How _could_ these men know the details of occurrences
at which they were not present and of which no one had told them? Did
that strange "tobacco" of theirs really give them some clairvoyant
power, I wondered, or had they other secret methods of obtaining news?
I glanced at poor Savage and perceived that he too felt as I did, for
he had turned quit