Between Snow and Fire — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

3 ‘ © i< * 5 “THE TAIL WAGS THE DOG.” 63 - # And Kreli?” «“ The Great Chief is in one of his red moods,” answered - Josdne, in a different tone to that which he had employed wken speaking of the Gaikas. ‘ He has a powerful witch- doctress. I know her. Was I not ‘smelt out’ by her? Was I not ‘eaten up’* at her‘word’? Thetoad! The impostor! The jackal cat! The slimy fish! I know her. HA!” The old man’s eyes glared and his tone rose to one of fierce excitement at the recollection of his wrongs. Eustace, accustomed to study his fellow-men, took careful note of the circumstance. Strange things happened. It might serve him in good stead one day. “The Gcalékas will fight,” went on Josdne. ‘ Perhaps they are fighting now. Perhaps the Baas will have some news to bring when he returns from Komgha. ‘The tele- graph is quick, but the voice of the bird in the air is quicker,” he added with a meaning smile, which convinced his listener that he knew a great deal more than he chose to say. *“ The fire stick is even now in the thatch,” went on the Kafir, after a few more puffs at his pipe. ‘ There is a her- ald from the Great Chief among the Gaika kraals,”’ * Hlangani ?”’ “Hlangani. The Gaikas are listening to his ‘ word,’ and are lighting the war-fires. If he can obtain the ear of Sandili, his work is done. Wasau, Ixeshane,”’ he went on, slipping into the familiar name in his excitement. ‘“ You English are very weak people. You ought to arrest Matan- zima, and several others, and send a strong Resident to Sandili, who should always keep his ear.” “We can’t do that, Josane. There are wheels within wheels and a power behind the throne. Well, we shall see what happens,” he went on, rising as a hint to the other to depart, He did not choose, for reasons of his own, to ask Josane direct‘ how imminent the danger might be. To do so would be ever so slightly to impair his own /restige. But in his own judgment he decided that the sooner they set their affairs in order against the coming storm the better. *Idiom for the total sequestration of a person’s possessions. Gomicbooks.co mn