Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 233: what you’re looking at

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

224 “T think he told the truth,” he said then. “ Of course the Marotses do not know anything about mines. They think the place is the home of their gods and that men who go there and never return have somehow failed to please the gods. I learned that much from the woman. As fast as I learn her language better I shall know more about these people.” “ Of course you are sure she can be trusted? ” | , “Very sure, Mr. Bradshaw. It was not very far from the king’s house that I saw her. She was in the grasp of a soldier, and he, like many others in the town, appeared to be in a panic. She was struggling to free herself, and her wrist being bared for an instant I saw the totem and recognized it. “TI saw at once that she might give information that would be useful to us, so I got close to her and showed her the totem I had taken from the dead man, making her a sign which she un- derstood to mean that I would befriend her 1f possible. ‘Just then the king himself and two or three warriors, evidently officers of high rank, came hurrying by. The warrior who had the woman called out to them asking, as I understood it, for instructions. One of the chiefs shouted back something which the warrior un- derstood to be a command to let the woman go, for he immediately released her. ‘“ She turned and fled, but hardly had she got started when the chief who had given the command chanced to look back, and seeing what had. happened, he shouted again at the warrior. Plain- ly the chief’s first order had been mis- understood, for the warrior set out after the woman to recapture her. “T put out my foot, tripped the war- rior and gave him a push that sent him sprawling. Then I ran after the woman, hurried her around the nearest house, and so by many turns through the town to the plain whence we came here by a roundabout way.” THE ARGOSY. “ That was an adventure and no mis- take!” exclaimed Bradshaw; “ but, Great Scott and Sam Hill! what risks you ran!” “Yes,” said Pan, simply, “it couldn’t have been done if tt hadn’t been for the general confusion. I have managed to learn from the woman that the returning party brought news of the death of her father, whereupon the decree went forth that she must die, and likewise all the other members of the dead man’s family. It seems she was the only near relative. The Ma- rotses believed that the anger of the deities could be—what is the word? ” ‘“ Appeased?” suggested Bradshaw. “ Yes, appeased only by slaying all of the offending man’s family.” “Well, we must take her to a place of safety, which means out of the Ma- rotse kingdom. Get all the informa- tion you can from her, Pan.” *T shall do so, Mr. Bradshaw.” They then discussed the prablem of getting to a seaport with the least diff- culty. Bradshaw was averse to going near the mine on account of the pos- sible difficulty of getting Murdock away from it; but, on the other hand, there was the problem of managing him without going there, and as Pan had become satisfied that the shortest cut fo the Zambesi was by that route, it was decided to take it. If the Marotses had been peaceful it -would have been a simpler thing to go via the river flowing through their chief town; but that was altogether out of the question, and as there were other towns to the north, all of which would have to be avoided, there was nothing for it but a long detour, which meant much the same route tnat had been pursued previously. This had one dis- tinct advantage: the way had been broken, and progress, therefore, could be comparatively speedy. Murdock opened his eyes just as the discussion was concluding. “Are you going to the mine, Elmer?” he asked. COLT ElOOO© CO