Between Snow and Fire — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

> > a ‘ 7 Z +. "7 ' om ; > | ‘ 7 = te - is /_ * J % j i “ul ye a * ‘ a . . f " . F ; , A STRANGE DUEL. 199 _ “Listen when the Great Chief is talking to thee, thou m a jackal, or I will strike thee again,” he said. <a es “G—d d—n the Great Chief !’’ roared poor Tom, his - dh: voice rising to a hurricane shriek of fury under this shame- ¥ ful indignity, which he was powerless to resent. .“ And you, 4 Hlangani, you dog, if I stood unbound I would kill you at . this moment—kill you all unarmed as I am. Coward! . Dare you try it!” >. “What is this zzdaba?” interrupted Kreli sternly. 4 , “This white man has a very long tongue. Perhaps it may be shortened with advantage.” A hum of applause greeted 5 this remark, and the chief went on. ‘‘ You are asked a | question, wm/iéngu, and instead of answering you rave and bellow and throw yourself about like a cow that has lost her J calf. And now what have you tosay? You have invaded a our country and shot our people with your own hand. Ifa man thrusts his head into a hornet’s nest, whom shall he a ~~ blame but himself if he gets stung—if he treads upon a ~ | serpent, how shall he complain if made to feel the reptile’s + fangs?” ; | “Well, you see, it’s war time,” answered Carhayes bluntly, . beginning to think he might just as well say something to save his life, if words could saveit, that is. “I have met your people in fair fight, and I challenge any man, black or | white, to deny that I have acted fair, square, and above e board. And when we do take prisoners we don’t treat them : as I have been treated since I was brought here. They are taken care of by the doctors if wounded, asI am ; not tied up and starved and kicked, as I have been.” ; “Their doctors are the Fingo dogs,” interrupted the & chief darkly, “their medicine a sharp assegai. Freeborn men of the House of Gcaléka to die at the hand of a Fingo slave! Hau!” " A roar of execration went up at this hit. “‘ To the fire ¥ with him!” howled the savage crowd. “Give him to us, 3 Great Chief, that we may make him die a hundred deaths! ”’ “That is the sort of healing my children get when they fall into the hands of Amanglezi. And you, wmtlingu, you have offered an insult to the House of Gcealéka in the person of Hlangani, my herald, a man of the House of Hintza, my father. Was it war-time when you shed his blood? Did you meet in fair fight when you shot him suddenly and at . close quarters, he having no gun?” 2 a, ot, Pi ™ = a pee) ome Oe ee St ee . a Eomicbooks.cc