She and Allan
Page 47
When I awoke the next morning the sun was well up and after I had takena swim in the old bath and dressed myself, I went to see how itfared with Inez. I found her sitting at the door of her house lookingextremely well and with a radiant face. She was engaged in making achain of some small and beautiful blue flowers of the iris tribe, ofwhich quantities grew about, that she threaded together upon stalks ofdry grass.
This chain, which was just finished, she threw over her head so thatit hung down upon her white robe, for now she was dressed like an Arabwoman though without the veil. I watched her unseen for a little whilethen came forward and spoke to her. She started at the sight of me androse as though to run away; then, apparently reassured by my appearance,selected a particularly fine flower and offered it to me.
I saw at once that she did not know me in the least and thought that shehad never seen me before, in short, that her mind had gone, exactly asAyesha had said that it would do. By way of making conversation I askedher if she felt well. She replied, Oh, yes, she had never felt better,then added,
"Daddy has gone on a long journey and will not be back for weeks andweeks."
An idea came to me and I answered,
"Yes, Inez, but I am a friend of his and he has sent me to take you toa place where I hope that we shall find him. Only it is far away, so youalso must make a long journey."
She clapped her hands and answered,
"Oh, that will be nice, I do so love travelling, especially to findDaddy, who I expect will have my proper clothes with him, not thesewhich, although they are very comfortable and pretty, seem different towhat I used to wear. You look very nice too and I am sure that we shallbe great friends, which I am glad of, for I have been rather lonelysince my mother went to live with the saints in Heaven, because, yousee, Daddy is so busy and so often away, that I do not see much of him."
Upon my word I could have wept when I heard her prattle on thus. It isso terribly unnatural, almost dreadful indeed, to listen to a full grownwoman who talks in the accents and expresses the thoughts of a child.However, under all the circumstances I recognised that her calamity wasmerciful, and remembering that Ayesha had prophesied the recovery of hermind as well as its loss and how great seemed to be her powers in thesedirections, I took such comfort as I could.
Leaving her I went to see the two Zulus who had been wounded and foundto my joy that they were now quite well and fit to travel, for here,too, Ayesha's prophecy had proved good. The other men also werecompletely rested and anxious to be gone like Umslopogaas and myself.
While I was eating my breakfast Hans announced the venerable Billali,who with a sweeping bow informed me that he had come to inquire when weshould be ready to start, as he had received orders to see to all thenecessary arrangements. I replied--within an hour, and he departed in ahurry.
But little after the appointed time he reappeared with a number oflitters and their bearers, also with a bodyguard of twenty-five pickedmen, all of whom we recognised as brave fellows who had fought well inthe battle. These men and the bearers old Billali harangued, tellingthem that they were to guide, carry and escort us to the other side ofthe great swamp, or further if we needed it, and that it was the word ofShe-who-commands that if so much as the smallest harm came to any oneof us, even by accident, they should die every man of them "by thehot-pot," whatever that might be, for I was not sure of the significanceof this horror.[*] Then he asked them if they understood. They repliedwith fervour that they understood perfectly and would lead and guard usas though we were their own mothers.
[*] For this see the book called "She."--Editor.
As a matter of fact they did, and I think would have done soindependently of Ayesha's command, since they looked upon Umslopogaasand myself almost as gods and thought that we could destroy them all ifwe wished, as we had destroyed Rezu and his host.
I asked Billali if he were not coming with us, to which he replied, No,as She-who-commands had returned to her own place and he must followher at once. I asked him again where her own place might be, to whichhe answered vaguely that it was everywhere and he stared first at theheavens and then at the earth as though she inhabited most of them,adding that generally it was "in the Caves," though what he meant bythat I did not know. Then he said that he was very glad to have met usand that the sight of Umslopogaas killing Rezu was a spectacle thathe would remember with pleasure all his life. Also he asked me for apresent. I gave him a spare pencil that I possessed in a little Germansilver case, with which he was delighted. Thus I parted with oldBillali, of whom I shall always think with a certain affection.
I noticed even then that he kept very clear indeed of Umslopogaas,thinking, I suppose, that he might take a last opportunity to fulfil histhreats and introduce him to his terrible Axe.