At the sight of the fall of their giant chief Rezu whom they believedto be invulnerable, his followers, who were watching the fray, set upa great wailing, a most mournful and uncanny noise to hear. Then, as Ithink did the hosts of the Philistines when David brought down Goliathby his admirable shot with a stone, they set out for their homeswherever these may have been, at an absolutely record pace and in thecompletest disarray.
Our Amahagger followed them for a while, but soon were left standingstill. So they contented themselves with killing any wounded they couldfind and returned. I did not accompany them; indeed the battle beingwon, metaphorically I washed my hands of them, and in my thoughtsconsigned them to a certain locality as a people of whom it mightwell be said that manners they had none and their customs were simplybeastly. Also, although fierce and cruel, these night-bats were notgood fighting men and in short never did I wish to have to do with suchanother company.
Moreover, a very different matter pressed. The object of this businessso far as I was concerned, had been to rescue poor Inez, since hadit not been for her sake, never would I have consented to lead thoseAmahagger against their fellow blackguards, the Rezuites.
But where was Inez? If Hans had understood the medicine-man aright,she was, or had been, in the hut, where it was my earnest hope that shestill remained, since otherwise the hunt must be continued. This atany rate was easy to discover. Calling Hans, who was amusing himselfby taking long shots at the flying enemy, so that they might not forgethim, as he said, and the Zulus, I walked up the slope to the hut, orrather booth of boughs, for it was quite twenty feet long by twelve orfifteen broad.
At its eastern end was a doorway or opening closed with a heavy curtain.Here I paused full of tremors, and listened, for to tell the truth Idreaded to draw that curtain, fearing what I might see within. Gatheringup my courage at length I tore it aside and, a revolver in my hand,looked in. At first after the strong light without, for the sun was nowwell up, I could see nothing, since those green boughs and palm leaveswere very closely woven. As my eyes grew accustomed to the gloom,however, I perceived a glittering object seated on a kind of throneat the end of the booth, while in a double row in front knelt sixwhite-robed women who seemed to wear chains about their necks andcarried large knives slung round their middles. On the floor betweenthese women and the throne lay a dead man, a priest of some sort asI gathered from his garb, who still held a huge spear in his hand. Sosilent were the figure on the throne and those that knelt before it,that at first I thought that all of them must be dead.
"Lady Sad-Eyes," whispered Hans, "and her bride-women. Doubtless thatold Predikant came to kill her when he saw that the battle was lost, butthe bride-women killed him with their knives."
Here I may state that Hans' suppositions proved to be quite correct,which shows how quick and deductive was his mind. The figure on thethrone was Inez; the priest in his disappointed rage _had_ come to killher, and the bride-women had killed _him_ with their knives before hecould do so.
I bade the Zulus tear down the curtain and pull away some of the endboughs, so as to let in more light. Then we advanced up the place,holding our pistols and spears in readiness. The kneeling women turnedtheir heads to look at us and I saw that they were all young andhandsome in their fashion, although fierce-faced. Also I saw their handsgo to the knives they wore. I called to them to let these be and comeout, and that if they did so they had nothing to fear. But if theyunderstood, they did not heed my words.
On the contrary while Hans and I covered them with our pistols, fearinglest they should stab the person on the throne whom we took to be Inez,at some word from one of them, they bowed simultaneously towards her,then at another word, suddenly they drew the knives and plunged them totheir own hearts!
It was a dreadful sight and one of which I never saw the like. Nor tothis day do I know why the deed was done, unless perhaps the women weresworn to the service of the new queen and feared that if they failed toprotect her, they would be doomed to some awful end. At any rate we gotthem out dead or dying, for their blows had been strong and true, andnot one of them lived for more than a few minutes.
Then I advanced to the figure on the throne, or rather foot-stooledchair of black wood inlaid with ivory, which sat so silent andmotionless that I was certain it was that of a dead woman, especiallywhen I perceived that she was fastened to the chair with leather straps,which were sewn over with gold wire. Also she was veiled and, with oneexception, made up, if I may use the term, exactly to resemble the ladyAyesha, even down to the two long plaits of black hair, each finishedwith some kind of pearl and to the sandalled feet.
The exception was that about her hung a great necklace of gold ornamentsfrom which were suspended pendants also of gold representing the rayeddisc of the sun in rude but bold and striking workmanship.
I went to her and having cut the straps, since I could not stop to untietheir knots, lifted the veil.
Beneath it was Inez sure enough, and Inez living, for her breast roseand fell as she breathed, but Inez senseless. Her eyes were wide open,yet she was quite senseless. Probably she had been drugged, or perhapssome of the sights of horror which she saw, had taken away her mind. Iconfess that I was glad that this was so, who otherwise must have toldher the dreadful story of her father's end.
We bore her out and away from that horrible place, apparently quiteunhurt, and laid her under the shadow of a tree till a litter could beprocured. I could do no more who knew not how to treat her state, andhad no spirits with me to pour down her throat.
This was the end of our long pursuit, and thus we rescued Inez, whom theZulus called the Lady Sad-Eyes.
She and Allan Page 33
