Adventure, February 1917 — page 158: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

™ 156 She sat very Sales and quiet and Eetened till I had done. Then she said— “T should like to see him.” “Perhaps it is as well,” I answered. “‘ you can bear it, come at once, and do you come also, Anscombe.” “We went to the room, Anscombe and Heda holding each other’s hand. I un- locked the door and, entering, threw open a shutter. There sat the dead man as I had left him, only his head had fallen over a little. She gazed at him, trembling, then advanced and kissed his cold forehead, muttering: “Good-by, father. Oh, good-by, father.” A thought struck me, and I asked— “Is there any place here where your father locked up things? As I have shown you, you are his heiress, and if so it might ~ be as well in this house that you should ~ aa | asked. possess yourself of his property.” “There is a safe in the corner,” she answered, “of which he always kept the key in his trouser pocket.” “Then with your leave I will open it in your presence.’ Going to the dead man I searched his pocket and found in it a bunch of keys. These I withdrew and went to the safe over which a skin rug was thrown. I unlocked it -easily enough. Within were two bags of gold, each marked £100; also -another larger bag marked “‘My _ wife’s jewellery. For Heda; also some papers and a miniature of the lady whose portrait oe in the sitting-room; also some loose gold. “Now who will take charge of these?” I “T do not think it safe to leave them here.” “You, of course,” said Anscombe, while Heda nodded. So with a groan I consigned all these valuables to my capacious pockets. Then . I locked up the empty safe, replaced the keys where I had found them on Marnham, fastened the shutter and left the room with Anscombe, waiting for a while outside till Heda joined us, sobbing a little. After this we got something to eat, insisting on ede doing the same. On leaving the table I saw a curious - sight, namely, the patients whom Todd was attending in the little hospital of which I have spoken, departing towards the bush-veld, those of them who could walk - well and the attendants assisting the others. “Te Adventure They were already some distance away, too far for me to follow, as I did not wish to leave the house. The incident filled me swith suspicion, and I went ’round to the back to make inquiries, but could find no one. As I passed the hospital door, however, I heard a voice calling in Sisutu— “Do not leave me behind, my brothers.” sf, whom. Todd had operated the day of our arrival, lying in bed and quite I asked him where the others had gone. At first he would not answer, but when I pretended to leave him, called out that it was back to their own country. Finally, to cut the story short, I ex- tracted from him that they had left because they had news that the Temple was going to be attacked by Sekukuni and did not wish to be here when I and Anscombe were killed. How the news reached him he refused, or could not, say; nor did he seem alone. to know anything of the death of Marn- ham. When I pressed him on the former point, he only groaned and cried for water, for he was in pain and thirsty. I asked him who had told Sekukuni’s people to kill us, but he refused to speak. “Very well,” I said, “then you shall lie here alone and die of thirst, ” and again I turned towards the door. At this he cried out: “T will’ tell you. It was the white medicine-man who lives here; he who cut me open. He arranged it all a few days ago because he hates you. Last night he _rode to tell the impi when to come.”’ “When is it to come?” I asked, holding - the jug of water towards him. “Tonight at the rising of the moon, so that it may get far away before the dawn. My people are thirsty for your blood and for that of the other white chief, because you killed so many of them by the river. The others they will not harm.” “How did you learn all this?” I asked him again, but without result, for he became — incoherent and only muttered something about being left alone because the others could not carry him. So I gave him some water, after which he ‘fell asleep, or pretended to do so, and I left him, wondering whether he was deliri- ous, or spoke truth. As.I passed the stables I saw that my Gomicbooks =)