ring
the Oracle will speak and we shall learn when there will be war with
Jana, and perchance other things."

"May we not attend this feast, Harut, who are weary of doing nothing
here?"

"Certainly," he answered with his grave bow. "That is, if you come
unarmed; for to appear before the Child with arms is death. You know the
road; it runs through yonder cave and the forest beyond the cave. Take
it when you will, Lord."

"Then if we can pass the cave we shall be welcome at the feast?"

"You will be very welcome. None shall hurt you there, going or
returning. I swear it by the Child. Oh! Macumazana," he added, smiling
a little, "why do you talk folly, who know well that one lives in yonder
cave whom none may look upon and love, as Bena learned not long ago? You
are thinking that perhaps you might kill this Dweller in the cave with
your weapons. Put away that dream, seeing that henceforth those who
watch you have orders to see that none of you leave this house carrying
so much as a knife. Indeed, unless you promise me that this shall be so
you will not be suffered to set foot outside its garden until I return
again. Now do you promise?"

I thought a while and, drawing the two others aside out of hearing,
asked them their opinion.

Ragnall was at first unwilling to give any such promise, but Hans said:

"Baas, it is better to go free and unhurt without guns and knives than
to become a prisoner once, as you were among the Black Kendah. Often
there is but a short step between the prison and the grave."

Both Ragnall and I acknowledged the force of this argument and in the
end we gave the promise, speaking one by one.

"It is enough," said Harut; "moreover, know, Lord, that among us White
Kendah he who breaks an oath is put across the River Tava unarmed to
make report thereof to Jana, Father of Lies. Now farewell. If we do
not meet at the Feast of the First-fruits on the day of the new moon,
whither once more I invite you, we can talk together here after I have
heard the voice of the Oracle."

Then he mounted a camel which awaited him outside the gate and departed
with an escort of twelve men, also riding camels.

"There is some other road up that mountain, Quatermain," said Ragnall.
"A camel could sooner pass through the eye of a needle than through that
dreadful cave, even if it were empty."

"Probably," I answered, "but as we don't know where it is and I dare say
it lies miles from here, we need not trouble o