the ivory child-第24章

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moment。〃



〃Where？〃



〃As　to　that　you　had　better　inquire　of　our　friends；　Har？t　and　Mar？t；〃　I

answered　dryly。



〃What　have　you　to　go　on；　Quatermain？　There　is　no　clue。〃



〃On　the　contrary　I　hold　that　there　are　a　good　many　clues。　The　whole

English　part　of　the　story　in　which　we　were　concerned；　and　the　threats

those　mysterious　persons　uttered　are　the　first　and　greatest　of　these

clues。　The　second　is　the　fact　that　your　hiring　of　the　dahabeeyah

regardless　of　expense　was　known　a　long　time　before　your　arrival　in

Egypt；　for　I　suppose　you　did　so　in　your　own　name；　which　is　not　exactly

that　of　Smith　or　Brown。　The　third　is　your　wife's　sleep…walking

propensities；　which　would　have　made　it　quite　easy　for　her　to　be　drawn

ashore　under　some　kind　of　mesmeric　influence。　The　fourth　is　that　you

had　seen　Arabs　mounted　on　camels　upon　the　banks　of　the　Nile。　The　fifth

is　the　heavy　sleep　you　say　held　everybody　on　board　that　particular

night；　which　suggests　to　me　that　your　food　may　have　been　drugged。　The

sixth　is　the　apathy　displayed　by　those　employed　in　the　search；　which

suggests　to　me　that　some　person　or　persons　in　authority　may　have　been

bribed；　as　is　common　in　the　East；　or　perhaps　frightened　with　threats

of　bewitchment。　The　seventh　is　that　a　night　was　chosen　when　a　wind

blew　which　would　obliterate　all　spoor　whether　of　men　or　of　swiftly

travelling　camels。　These　are　enough　to　begin　with；　though　doubtless　if

I　had　time　to　think　I　could　find　others。　You　must　remember　too　that

although　the　journey　would　be　long；　this　country　of　the　Kendah　can

doubtless　be　reached　from　the　Sudan　by　those　who　know　the　road；　as

well　as　from　southern　or　eastern　Africa。〃



〃Then　you　think　that　my　wife　has　been　kidnapped　by　those　villains；

Har？t　and　Mar？t？〃



〃Of　course；　though　villains　is　a　strong　term　to　apply　to　them。　They

might　be　quite　honest　men　according　to　their　peculiar　lights；　as

indeed　I　expect　they　are。　Remember　that　they　serve　a　god　or　a　fetish；

or　rather；　as　they　believe；　a　god　/in/　a　fetish；　who　to　them　doubtless

is　a　very　terrible　master；　especially　when；　as　I　understand；　that　god

is　threatened　by　a　rival　god。〃



〃Why　do　you　say　that；　Quatermain？〃



By　way　of　answer　I　repeated　to　him　the　story　which　Hans　said　he　had

heard　from　the　old　woman　at　Beza；　the　town　of　the　Mazitu。　Lord　Ragnall

listened　with　the　deepest　interest；　then　said　in　an　agitated　voice：



〃That　is　a　very　strange　tale；　but　has　it　struck　you；　Quatermain；　that

if　your　suppositions　are　correct；　one　of　the　most　terrible

circumstances　connected　with　my　case　is　that　our　child　should　have

chanced　to　come　to　its　dreadful　death　through　the　wickedness　of　an

elephant？〃



〃That　curious　coincidence　has　struck　me　most　forcibly；　Lord　Ragnall。

At　the　same　time　I　do　not　see　how　it　can　be　set　down　as　more　than　a

coincidence；　since　the　elephant　which　slaughtered　your　child　was

certainly　not　that　called　Jana。　To　suppose　because　there　is　a　war

between　an　elephant…god　and　a　child…god　somewhere　in　the　heart　of

Africa；　that　therefore　another　elephant　can　be　so　influenced　that　it

kills　a　child　in　England；　is　to　my　mind　out　of　all　reason。〃



That　is　what　I　said　to　him；　as　I　did　not　wish　to　introduce　a　new

horror　into　an　affair　that　was　already　horrible　enough。　But；

recollecting　that　these　priests；　Har？t　and　Mar？t；　believed　the　mother

of　this　murdered　infant　to　be　none　other　than　the　oracle　of　their

worship　（though　how　this　chanced　passed　my　comprehension）；　and

therefore　the　great　enemy　of　the　evil　elephant…god；　I　confess　that　at

heart　I　felt　afraid。　If　any　powers　of　magic；　black　or　white　or　both；

were　mixed　up　with　the　matter　as　my　experiences　in　England　seemed　to

suggest；　who　could　say　what　might　be　their　exact　limits？　As；　however；

it　has　been　demonstrated　again　and　again　by　the　learned　that　no　such

thing　as　African　magic　exists；　this　line　of　thought　appeared　to　be　too

foolish　to　follow。　So　passing　it　by　I　asked　Lord　Ragnall　to　continue。



〃For　over　a　month；〃　he　went　on；　〃I　stopped　in　Egypt　waiting　till

emissaries　who　had　been　sent　to　the　chiefs　of　various　tribes　in　the

Sudan　and　elsewhere；　returned　with　the　news　that　nothing　whatsoever

had　been　seen　of　a　white　woman　travelling　in　the　company　of　natives；

nor　had　they　heard　of　any　such　woman　being　sold　as　a　slave。　Also

through　the　Khedive；　on　whom　I　was　able　to　bring　influence　to　bear　by

help　of　the　British　Government；　I　caused　many　harems　in　Egypt　to　be

visited；　entirely　without　result。　After　this；　leaving　the　inquiry　in

the　hands　of　the　British　Consul　and　a　firm　of　French　lawyers；　although

in　truth　all　hope　had　gone；　I　returned　to　England　whither　I　had

already　sent　Lady　Longden；　broken…hearted；　for　it　occurred　to　me　as

possible　that　my　wife　might　have　drifted　or　been　taken　thither。　But

here；　too；　there　was　no　trace　of　her　or　of　anybody　who　could　possibly

answer　to　her　description。　So　at　last　I　came　to　the　conclusion　that

her　bones　must　lie　somewhere　at　the　bottom　of　the　Nile；　and　gave　way

to　despair。〃



〃Always　a　foolish　thing　to　do；〃　I　remarked。



〃You　will　say　so　indeed　when　you　hear　the　end；　Quatermain。　My

bereavement　and　the　sleeplessness　which　it　caused　prayed　upon　me　so

much；　for　now　that　the　child　was　dead　my　wife　was　everything　to　me；

that；　I　will　tell　you　the　truth；　my　brain　became　affected　and　like　Job

I　cursed　God　in　my　heart　and　determined　to　die。　Indeed　I　should　have

died　by　my　own　hand；　had　it　not　been　for　Savage。　I　had　procured　the

laudanum　and　loaded　the　pistol　with　which　I　proposed　to　shoot　myself

immediately　after　it　was　swallowed　so　that　there　might　be　no　mistake。

One　night　only　a　couple　of　months　or　so　ago；　Quatermain；　I　sat　in　my

study　at　Ragnall；　with　the　doors　locked　as　I　thought；　writing　a　few

final　letters　before　I　did　the　deed。　The　last　of　them　was　just

finished　about　twelve　when　hearing　a　noise；　I　looked　up　and　saw　Savage

standing　before　me。　I　asked　him　angrily　how　he　came　there　（I　suppose

he　must　have　had　another　key　to　one　of　the　other　doors）　and　what　he

wanted。　Ignoring　the　first　part　of　the　question　he　replied：



〃'My　lord；　I　have　been　thinking　over　our　trouble'he　was　with　us　in

Egypt'I　have　been　thinking　so　much　that　it　has　got　a　hold　of　my

sleep。　To…night　as　you　said　you　did　not　want　me　any　more　and　I　was

tired；　I　went　to　bed　early　and　had　a　dream。　I　dreamed　that　we　were

once　more　in　the　shrubbery；　as　happened　some　years　ago；　and　that　the

little　African　gent　who　shot　like　a　book；　was　showing　us　the　traces　of

those　two　black　men；　just　as　he　did　when　they　tried　to　steal　her

ladyship。　Then　in　my　dream　I　seemed　to　go　back　to　bed　and　that　beastly

snake　which　we　found　lying　under　the　parcel　in　the　road　seemed　to

follow　me。　When　I　had　got　to　sleep　again；　all　in　the　dream；　there　it

was　standing　on　its　tail　at　the　end　of　the　bed；　hissing　till　it　woke

me。　Then　it　spoke　in　good　English　and　not　in　African　as　might　have

been　expected。



〃'〃Savage；〃　it　said；　〃get　up　and　dress　yourself　and　go　at　once　and

tell　his　lordship　to　travel　to　Natal　and　find　Mr。　Allan　Quatermain〃

（you　may　remember　that　was　the　African　gentleman's　name；　my　lord；

which；　with　so　many　coming　and　going　in　this　great　house；　I　had　quite

forgotten；　until　I　had　the　dream）。　〃Find　Mr。　Allan　Quatermain；〃　that

slimy　reptile　went　on；　opening　and　shutting　its　mouth　for　all　the

world　like　a　Christian　making　a　speech；　〃for　he　will　have　something　to

tell　him　as　to　that　which　has　made　a　hole　in　his　heart　that　is　now

filled　with　the　seven　devils。　Be　quick；　Savage；　and　don't　stop　to　put

on　your　shirt　or　your　tie〃I　have　not；　my　lord；　as　you　may　see。　〃He

is　shut　up　in　the　study；　but　you　know　how　to　get　into　it。　If　he　will

not　listen　to　you　let　him　look　round　the　study　and　he　will　see

something　which　will　tell　him　that　this　is　a　true　dream。〃



〃'Then　the　snake　vanished；　seeming　to　wriggle　down　the　left　bottom

bed…post；　and　I　woke　up　in　a　cold　sweat；　my　lord；　and　did　what　it　had

told　me。'



〃Those　were　his　very