it again. You and I and
no others--unless it be the little yellow man. I repeat that I do not
know when that will be. Perhaps it is written in those rolls of papyrus,
which they have given me also, because they said they belonged to me
who am 'the first priestess and the last.' They told me, however, or
perhaps," she added, passing her hand across her forehead, "it was the
Child who told me, that I was not to attempt to read them or have them
read, until after a great change in my life. What the change will be I
do not know."

"And had better not inquire, Lady Ragnall, since in this world most
changes are for the worse."

"I agree, and shall not inquire. Now I have spoken to you like this
because I felt that I must do so. Also I want to thank you for all you
have done for me and George. Probably we shall not talk in such a way
again; as I am situated the opportunity will be lacking, even if the
wish is present. So once more I thank you from my heart. Until we meet
again--I mean really meet--good-bye," and she held her right hand to me
in such a fashion that I knew she meant me to kiss it.

This I did very reverently and we walked back to the temple almost in
silence.

That month of rest, or rather the last three weeks of it, since for the
first few days after the battle I was quite prostrate, I occupied in
various ways, amongst others in a journey with Harut to Simba Town. This
we made after our spies had assured us that the Black Kendah were
really gone somewhere to the south-west, in which direction fertile and
unoccupied lands were said to exist about three hundred miles away. It
was with very strange feelings that I retraced our road and looked once
more upon that wind-bent tree still scored with the marks of Jana's
huge tusk, in the boughs of which Hans and I had taken refuge from the
monster's fury. Crossing the river, quite low now, I travelled up the
slope down which we raced for our lives and came to the melancholy lake
and the cemetery of dead elephants.

Here all was unchanged. There was the little mount worn by his feet, on
which Jana was wont to stand. There were the rocks behind which I had
tried to hide, and near to them some crushed human bones which I knew to
be those of the unfortunate Marut. These we buried with due reverence on
the spot where he had fallen, I meanwhile thanking God that my own bones
were not being interred at their side, as but for Hans would have been
the case--if they we