Between Snow and Fire — page 204: what you’re looking at

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

_ <= 5 al sa, ~~ ¢ sy” th 196 ‘oe ee & BE Ed , y SNC OW AND FI Some i © Py wh, t ‘a o* . re é ’ a i 1 ¢,. drag the prisoner nearer to pid body of the unfortunate Vudana, which lay, raw and bloody, the veins exposed in ; many places by the bites of the myriad swarming insects. Carhayes gazed upon the horrid sight with a shudder of disgust. Then raising his eyes he encountered those of Eustace. <A shout of astonishment escaped him. “How, did you get here?” he cried. “Thought you were rubbed out if ever any fellow was. Suppose you thought the same of me. Well, well. It'll come to that goon. These d—d black devils have bested me, just as I _ reckoned I was besting them. They’ve been giving me h—l already. But I say, Eustace, you seem to be in clover,” noticing the other’s freedom from bonds or ill- treatment. Then he added bitterly, ‘T forgot ; you always did stand in well with them.” “That isn’t going to help me much now, I'm afraid,” answered Eustace. “I’ve just made a fool of the witch-doc- tress and she won't let things rest there, depend upon it. My case isn’t much more hopeful than yours. Have you tried the bribery trick ?”’ :D “No. How do you mean?” 14 “Offer some big-wig, like our particular friend there—I | won't mention names—a deuce of a lot of cattle to let you escape. Try and work it—only you must be thundering careful.” The Kafirs, who had been attentively listening to the con- __-—- versation between the two white men,here deemed that enough had been said. Dialoguein an unknown tongue must repre- sent just so much plotting, argued their suspicious natures, ee. So they interposed. a; “See there,” said Hlangani, with a meaning glance at the ea fearfully contorted features of the miserable victim of the __-witch-doctress. “See there, Umlilwane, and remember my . ‘word’ to you the day you shot my white hunting dog and wounded mein the shoulder. You had betier first have cut Off your right hand, for it is better to lose a hand than one’s mind. Hau! You laughed then. Who laughs now?” To Eustace those words now stood out in deadly signifi- cance, The wretched Vudana had died raving mad. This, then, was the promised vengeance. Whatever his own fate might be, that of his cousin was sealed. Nothing short of a miracle could save him. ‘Carhayes, noting the deadly and implacable expression upon the dark countenance of his ae comIrebooks"com)