Between Snow and Fire — page 78: what you’re looking at

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

SPPA a ee Oe eee |S i "0 ‘TWEEN SNOW AND FIRE. y this very man! Yes. He felt decidedly small, but he wa not going to show it. “You speak the truth, Hlangani,” he answered calmly. “You are not my enemy. No man of the race of Xosa is. But why do you come here? ‘There is bad blood between you and the owner of this place, Surely the land is wide enough for both. Why should your pathways cross ?”’ “Ha! You saytruly, Ixeshane. There zs blood between me and the man of whom you speak. Blood—the blood of a chief of the House of Gcaléka. Ha!” The eyes of the savage glared, and his countenance under- went a transformation almost magical in its suddenness. The smiling, good humoured expression gave way to one of deadly hate, of a ruthless ferocity that was almost appalling to contemplate. So effective was it upon Eustace that care- lessly, and as if by accident, he interposed his body between Eanswith and the speaker, and though he made no move- ment, his every sense was on the alert. He was ready to draw his revolver with lightning-like rapidity at the first aggressive indication. But no such indication was mani- fested. “No. You have no enemies among our people—neither you nor the /zkostkazi’’—went on Hlangani as his counten- ance resumed its normal calm. ‘“ You have always been friends to us. Why are you not living here together as our friends and neighbours—you two, without the poison of our deadly enemy to cause ill-blood between us and you—you alone together? I would speak with you apart, Ixes- hane.” Now, Eanswyth, though living side by side with the na- tives, was, like most colonial people, but poorly versed in the Xosa tongue. She knew a smattering of it, just sufficient for kitchen purposes, and that was all; consequently, but for a word here and there, the above dialogue was unintelligi- ble to her. But it was otherwise with her companion. His familiarity with the language was all but complete, and not only with the language, but with all its tricks. He knew that the other was “ talking dark,” and his quick perception readily grasped the meaning which was intended to be,con- veyed. With the lurid thoughts indulged in that morning as regarded his cousin still fresh in his mind, tt could hardly have been otherwise. He hated the man: he loved the man’s wife. “ How isit Eomiicbooks (E(0) m