The People of the Mist

lump of raw meat into strips and set them upon the rocks to dry in the broiling

ion — a compass, a water bottle, three knives, a comb, and a small iron cooking-pot made up the total — a considerable weight for two men and a woman to drag across mountain

ree if need were;” and so great was the dwarf’s s

of the Anglo–African age. Still they hid them on the chance. Leonard had melted the fruits of their mining into little ingots. In all there were about a hundred ounces of almost pure gold — the price of three men’s lives! Half of these ingots he placed with the ruby in the belt abou

upon his shoulders with the loops of hide which had been prepared, Otter and Soa following his example. It was their plan to travel by

” said Leonard to Otter; “yo

his brother’s grave, taking a mute farewell of that which lay beneath before he left it for ever to its long sleep

r grave, but by the mercy of God he was still a man, living beneath the sunlight, and the future stretched away before him. What would it bring? He cared little; experience had taught him the futility of anxieties as to the future. Perchance a grave like those which he had

hich every one of us must dare. He who meets them thus and holds his heart pure and his hands clean will lay himself down to sleep without a sigh or a regret when mountain, swamp,

r spoken of wealth that he should win by the aid of a woman? And had not a woman come to him, bearing in her hand a jewel which, if real, was in itself worth a moderate fortune; promising also, with the help of another woman, to lead him to a land where many

ever could have crossed it had it not been for Otter’s powers of natation. Six times did the dwarf face the torrent, bearing their goods and guns held above the water with one hand. On the seventh journey he was still more heavily weighted, for, with some assistance from Leonard, he must carry the

return for some such trifle as an empty cartridge of brass. At first Leonard was afraid lest Soa should tire, but notwithstanding her years and the hardships and sufferings which she had undergone, she showed wonderful endurance — endurance so wonderful that he came to the

with long marching. Wrapping themselves up in their blankets — for here the air was piercingly cold — they lay down beneath the shelter of some bushes to sleep till

reach. They could not see it, indeed, for its face was hid by a dense cloak of soft white mist that covered it like a cloud. But there it was, won

from here, the mountains curve down to the edge of the river. Thither we must go, for it is on the further side of tho

ded out again to the south, gradually growing lower till at last they melted into the skyline. In the vast semicircle thus formed ran the river, spotted with green islands, while between it and the high ground, over a space which varied from one mile at

its own. Wild fowl flew in wedges from the sea to feed in its recesses, alligators and hippopotami splashed in th

yonder it once ran,” said Otter,

red Leonard; “we can follo

ast backwards and forwards among the bushes lik

e others drew near; “the path

ush with his strong foot. Among them lay the moulderin

ly, “perhaps two weeks. Ah! the Yellow D

hem. “One of Mavoom’s people,” she sai

ill at length they came to a spot where the t

Otter?” s

den yonder,” and he pointed to some thick reeds. “There too they ‘weed the corn,’ kill

ted. “The boats are gone,” he said, “all except on

on which the moonlight shone brightly — mementoes of former sacrifices. Quite close to the first pile of dead was a mooring-place where at least a dozen flat-bottomed boats had been secured,

in Leonard’s heart to come face to face with this “Yellow Devil” who fattened

st camp here till the morn

ha, this place of bones, every one o

chorus of croaking, then grew silent again; the heron cried from afar as some alligator or river-horse disturbed its rest, and from high in air came the sound of the wings of wild-fowl that travelled to the ocean. But to Leonard’s fancy all t

r hair, and ate a scanty meal, for they must husband such food as they had with them. Then, as though by

nals from another; in truth they all formed a portion of this mouth of the river. There were no landmarks to guide them; everywhere spread a sea of swamp diversified by rush-clothed islands, which to the inexperienced eye presented few points of difference. This was the road that Otter led them on unf

ched a place where the particular canal that they were following suddenly divi

Otter?” as

r has changed; there was no land

rly in the true direction. They had already started in pursuance of his advice when Soa, who had remained silent hitherto, suggested that they should first go a little way down the right-hand stream on the chance of finding a clue.

her quick eyes, “what is that thing yonder?” and she pointed to a clump of reeds

ered, “but we will go and see.” I

d Otter in a low voice,

ne, for his anxiety was keen. How came it that they

on the thwart of the canoe before Leon

woman with conviction; “I know the shape of it well. She has torn the pape

yours to turn up here, old lady.” Then he bent down and read

height of his sanctuary; from heav

e prisoner; to loose those

hall continue, and their seed s

opriate. If one had faith in omens now, a man might say that t

em to the point of the island alo

, that to the left must be a new one. Had we taken it we should have l

u escaped from this slave-camp.

took his knife. Then by my strength I broke the irons — see, Baas, here are the scars of them to this day. When I broke them they cut into my flesh, but they were old irons that had been on many slaves, so I mastered them. Then as others came to kill me I threw myself into the water and dived, and th

did you

the eggs

he alligators

me then — and I drove the knife through his eye into his brain. Then I smeared myself over with his blo

not afraid of going

I can go also; Otter will not linger while you run. Also, Baas, I am not brave, no, no, yet I would

Kill him! kill him! kill him!” so loudly tha

angrily; “do you want t

or Pereira, alias the “Yellow Devil,” if once Otter