nd still
at times visits us here and kills any whom he may meet. Only to the
temple he has never dared to come."

Now I wondered whether we had really seen Jana in the forest on the
previous night, but coming to the conclusion that it was useless to
investigate the matter, made no inquiries, especially as these would
have revealed to Harut the route by which we approached the temple. Only
I pointed out to him that proper defences should be put up here without
delay, that is if they meant to make a stronghold of the mountain.

"We do, Lord," he answered, "since we are not strong enough to attack
the Black Kendah in their own country or to meet them in pitched battle
on the plain. Here and in no other place must be fought the last fight
between Jana and the Child. Therefore it will be your task to build
walls cunningly, so that when they come we may defeat Jana and the hosts
of the Black Kendah."

"Do you mean that this elephant will accompany Simba and his soldiers,
Harut?"

"Without doubt, Lord, since he has always done so from the beginning.
Jana is tame to the king and certain priests of the Black Kendah, whose
forefathers have fed him for generations, and will obey their orders.
Also he can think for himself, being an evil spirit and invulnerable."

"His left eye and the tip of his trunk are not invulnerable," I
remarked, "though from what I saw of him I should say there is no doubt
about his being able to think for himself. Well, I am glad the brute is
coming as I have an account to settle with him."

"As he, Lord, who does not forget, has an account to settle with you and
your servant, Light-in-Darkness," commented Harut in an unpleasant and
suggestive tone.

Then after we had taken a few measurements and Ragnall, who understands
such matters, had drawn a rough sketch of the place in his pocket-book
to serve as data for our proposed scheme of fortifications, we pursued
our journey back to the town, where we had left all our stores and there
were many things to be arranged. It proved to be quite a long ride, down
the eastern slope of the mountain which was easy to negotiate, although
like the rest of this strange hill it was covered with dense cedar
forests that also seemed to me to have defensive possibilities. Reaching
its foot at length we were obliged to make a detour by certain winding
paths to avoid ground that was too rough for the camels, so that in the
end we did not come to our own house in the Tow