The Ivory Child

by H. Rider Haggard

  Shortly after this abortive attempt we debated our position withearnestness and came to a certain conclusion, of which I will speak inits place.

  If I remember right it was on this same night of our debate, afterHarut's return from the mountain, that the first incident of interesthappened. There were two rooms in our house divided by a partitionwhich ran almost up to the roof. In the left-hand room slept Ragnalland Savage, and in that to the right Hans and I. Just at the breaking ofdawn I was awakened by hearing some agitated conversation between Savageand his master. A minute later they both entered my sleeping place, andI saw in the faint light that Ragnall looked very disturbed and Savagevery frightened.

  "What's the matter?" I asked.

  "We have seen my wife," answered Ragnall.

  I stared at him and he went on:

  "Savage woke me by saying that there was someone in the room. I sat upand looked and, as I live, Quatermain, standing gazing at me in such aposition that the light of dawn from the window-place fell upon her, wasmy wife."

  "How was she dressed?" I asked at once.

  "In a kind of white robe cut rather low, with her hair loose hanging toher waist, but carefully combed and held outspread by what appeared tobe a bent piece of ivory about a foot and a half long, to which it wasfastened by a thread of gold."

  "Is that all?"

  "No. Upon her breast was that necklace of red stones with the littleimage hanging from its centre which those rascals gave her and shealways wore."

  "Anything more?"

  "Yes. In her arms she carried what looked like a veiled child. It was sostill that I think it must have been dead."

  "Well. What happened?"

  "I was so overcome I could not speak, and she stood gazing at me withwide-opened eyes, looking more beautiful than I can tell you. She neverstirred, and her lips never moved--that I will swear. And yet both of usheard her say, very low but quite clearly: 'The mountain, George! Don'tdesert me. Seek me on the mountain, my dear, my husband.'"

  "Well, what next?"

  "I sprang up and she was gone. That's all."

  "Now tell me what _you_ saw and heard, Savage."

  "What his lordship saw and heard, Mr. Quatermain, neither more nor less.Except that I was awake, having had one of my bad dreams about snakes,and saw her come through the door."

  "Through the door! Was it open then?"

  "No, sir, it was shut and bolted. She just came through it as if itwasn't there. Then I called to his lordship after she had been lookingat him for half a minute or so, for I couldn't speak at first. There'sone more thing, or rather two. On her head was a little cap that lookedas though it had been made from the skin of a bird, with a gold snakerising up in front, which snake was the first thing I caught sight of,as of course it would be, sir. Also the dress she wore was so thin thatthrough it I could see her shape and the sandals on her feet, which werefastened at the instep with studs of gold."

  "I saw no feather cap or snake," said Ragnall.

  "Then that's the oddest part of the whole business," I remarked. "Goback to your room, both of you, and if you see anything more, call me. Iwant to think things over."

  They went, in a bewildered sort of fashion, and I called Hans and spokewith him in a whisper, repeating to him the little that he had notunderstood of our talk, for as I have said, although he never spoke it,Hans knew a great deal of English.

  "Now, Hans," I said to him, "what is the use of you? You are no betterthan a fraud. You pretend to be the best watchdog in Africa, and yeta woman comes into this house under your nose and in the grey of themorning, and you do not see her. Where is your reputation, Hans?"

  The old fellow grew almost speechless with indignation, then hespluttered his answer:

  "It was not a woman, Baas, but a spook. Who am I that I should beexpected to catch spooks as though they were thieves or rats? As ithappens I was wide awake half an hour before the dawn and lay with myeyes fixed upon that door, which I bolted myself last night. It neveropened, Baas; moreover, since this talk began I have been to look at it.During the night a spider has made its web from door-post to door-post,and that web is unbroken. If you do not believe me, come and see foryourself. Yet they say the woman came through the doorway and thereforethrough the spider's web. Oh! Baas, what is the use of wasting thoughtupon the ways of spooks which, like the wind, come and go as they will,especially in this haunted land from which, as we have all agreed, weshould do well to get away."

  I went and examined the door for myself, for by now my sciatica, orwhatever it may have been, was so much better that I could walk alittle. What Hans said was true. There was the spider's web with thespider sitting in the middle. Also some of the threads of the web werefixed from post to post, so that it was impossible that the door couldhave been opened or, if opened, that anyone could have passed throughthe doorway without breaking them. Therefore, unless the woman camethrough one of the little window-places, which was almost incredible asthey were high above the ground, or dropped from the smoke-hole in theroof, or had been shut into the place when the door was closed on theprevious night, I could not see how she had arrived there. And if anyone of these incredible suppositions was correct, then how did she getout again with two men watching her?

  There were only two solutions to the problem--namely, that the wholeoccurrence was hallucination, or that, in fact, Ragnall and Savage hadseen something unnatural and uncanny. If the latter were correct I onlywished that I had shared the experience, as I have always longed tosee a ghost. A real, indisputable ghost would be a great support to ourdoubting minds, that is if we _knew_ its owner to be dead.

  But--this was another thought--if by any chance Lady Ragnall were stillalive and a prisoner upon that mountain, what they had seen was noghost, but a shadow or _simulacrum_ of a living person projectedconsciously or unconsciously by that person for some unknown purpose.What could the purpose be? As it chanced the answer was not difficult,and to it the words she was reported to have uttered gave a cue. Only afew hours ago, just before we turned in indeed, as I have said, we hadbeen discussing matters. What I have not said is that in the end wearrived at the conclusion that our quest here was wild and useless andthat we should do well to try to escape from the place before we becameinvolved in a war of extermination between two branches of an obscuretribe, one of which was quite and the other semi-savage.

  Indeed, although Ragnall still hung back a little, it had been arrangedthat I should try to purchase camels in exchange for guns, unless Icould get them for nothing which might be less suspicious, and that weshould attempt such an escape under cover of an expedition to kill theelephant Jana.

  Supposing such a vision to be possible, then might it not have come, orbeen sent to deter us from this plan? It would seem so.

  Thus reflecting I went to sleep worn out with useless wonderment, anddid not wake again till breakfast time. That morning, when we were alonetogether, Ragnall said to me:

  "I have been thinking over what happened, or seemed to happen lastnight. I am not at all a superstitious man, or one given to vainimaginings, but I am sure that Savage and I really did see and hear thespirit or the shadow of my wife. Her body it could not have been as youwill admit, though how she could utter, or seem to utter, audible speechwithout one is more than I can tell. Also I am sure that she is captiveupon yonder mountain and came to call me to rescue her. Under thesecircumstances I feel that it is my duty, as well as my desire, to giveup any idea of leaving the country and try to find out the truth."

  "And how will you do that," I asked, "seeing that no one will tell usanything?"

  "By going to see for myself."

  "It is impossible, Ragnall. I am too lame at present to walk half amile, much less to climb precipices."

  "I know, and that is one of the reasons why I did not suggest that youshould accompany me. The other is that there is no object in all ofus risking our lives. I wished to face the thing alone, but that goodfellow Savage says that he will go where I go, leaving you
and Hans hereto make further attempts if we do not return. Our plan is to slip outof the town during the night, wearing white dresses like the Kendah, ofwhich I have bought some for tobacco, and make the best of our way upthe slope by starlight that is very bright now. When dawn comes we willtry to find the road through that precipice, or over it, and for therest trust to Providence."

  Dismayed at this intelligence, I did all I could to dissuade him fromsuch a mad venture, but quite without avail, for never did I know a moredetermined or more fearless man than Lord Ragnall. He had made uphis mind and there was an end of the matter. Afterwards I talked withSavage, pointing out to him all the perils involved in the attempt, butlikewise without avail. He was more depressed than usual, apparently onthe ground that "having seen the ghost of her ladyship" he was sure hehad not long to live. Still, he declared that where his master went hewould go, as he preferred to die with him rather than alone.

  So I was obliged to give in and with a melancholy heart to do what Icould to help in the simple preparations for this crazy undertaking,realizing all the while that the only real help must come from above,since in such a case man was powerless. I should add that afterconsultation, Ragnall gave up the idea of adopting a Kendah disguisewhich was certain to be discovered, also of starting at night when thetown was guarded.

  That very afternoon they went, going out of the town quite openly on thepretext of shooting partridges and small buck on the lower slopes ofthe mountain, where both were numerous, as Harut had informed us we werequite at liberty to do. The farewell was somewhat sad, especiallywith Savage, who gave me a letter he had written for his old mother inEngland, requesting me to post it if ever again I came to a civilizedland.

  I did my best to put a better spirit in him but without avail. He onlywrung my hand warmly, said that it was a pleasure to have known such a"real gentleman" as myself, and expressed a hope that I might get out ofthis hell and live to a green old age amongst Christians. Then he wipedaway a tear with the cuff of his coat, touched his hat in the orthodoxfashion and departed. Their outfit, I should add, was very simple: somefood in bags, a flask of spirits, two double-barrelled guns that wouldshoot either shot or ball, a bull's-eye lantern, matches and theirpistols.

  Hans walked with them a little way and, leaving them outside the town,returned.

  "Why do you look so gloomy, Hans?" I asked.

  "Because, Baas," he answered, twiddling his hat, "I had grown to be fondof the white man, Bena, who was always very kind to me and did not treatme like dirt as low-born whites are apt to do. Also he cooked well, andnow I shall have to do that work which I do not like."

  "What do you mean, Hans? The man isn't dead, is he?"

  "No, Baas, but soon he will be, for the shadow of death is in his eyes."

  "Then how about Lord Ragnall?"

  "I saw no shadow in his eyes; I think that he will live, Baas."

  I tried to get some explanation of these dark sayings out of theHottentot, but he would add nothing to his words.

  All the following night I lay awake filled with heavy fears whichdeepened as the hours went on. Just before dawn we heard a knocking onour door and Ragnall's voice whispering to us to open. Hans did so whileI lit a candle, of which we had a good supply. As it burned up Ragnallentered, and from his face I saw at once that something terrible hadhappened. He went to the jar where we kept our water and drank threepannikin-fuls, one after the other. Then without waiting to be asked, hesaid:

  "Savage is dead," and paused a while as though some awful recollectionovercame him. "Listen," he went on presently. "We worked up thehill-side without firing, although we saw plenty of partridges and onebuck, till just as twilight was closing in, we came to the cliff face.Here we perceived a track that ran to the mouth of a narrow caveor tunnel in the lava rock of the precipice, which looked quiteunclimbable. While we were wondering what to do, eight or tenwhite-robed men appeared out of the shadows and seized us before wecould make any resistance. After talking together for a little they tookaway our guns and pistols, with which some of them disappeared. Thentheir leader, with many bows, indicated that we were at liberty toproceed by pointing first to the mouth of the cave, and next to the topof the precipice, saying something about '_ingane_,' which I believemeans a little child, does it not?"

  I nodded, and he went on:

  "After this they all departed down the hill, smiling in a fashion thatdisturbed me. We stood for a while irresolute, until it became quitedark. I asked Savage what he thought we had better do, expecting that hewould say 'Return to the town.' To my surprise, he answered:

  "'Go on, of course, my lord. Don't let those brutes say that we whitemen daren't walk a step without our guns. Indeed, in any case I mean togo on, even if your lordship won't.'

  "Whilst he spoke he took a bull's-eye lantern from his foodbag, whichhad not been interfered with by the Kendah, and lit it. I stared at himamazed, for the man seemed to be animated by some tremendous purpose.Or rather it was as though a force from without had got hold of his willand were pushing him on to an unknown end. Indeed his next words showedthat this was so, for he exclaimed:

  "'There is something drawing me into that cave, my lord. It may bedeath; I think it is death, but whatever it be, go I must. Perhaps youwould do well to stop outside till I have seen.'

  "I stepped forward to catch hold of the man, who I thought had gone mad,as perhaps was the case. Before I could lay my hands on him he hadrun rapidly to the mouth of the cave. Of course I followed, but when Ireached its entrance the star of light thrown forward by the bull's-eyelantern showed me that he was already about eight yards down the tunnel.Then I heard a terrible hissing noise and Savage exclaiming: 'Oh! myGod!' twice over. As he spoke the lantern fell from his hand, but didnot go out, because, as you know, it is made to burn in any position.I leapt forward and picked it from the ground, and while I was doing sobecame aware that Savage was running still farther into the depths ofthe cave. I lifted the lantern above my head and looked.

  "This was what I saw: About ten paces from me was Savage with his armsoutstretched and dancing--yes, dancing--first to the right and then tothe left, with a kind of horrible grace and to the tune of a hideoushissing music. I held the lantern higher and perceived that beyond him,lifted eight or nine feet into the air, nearly to the roof of the tunnelin fact, was the head of the hugest snake of which I have ever heard. Itwas as broad as the bottom of a wheelbarrow--were it cut off I thinkit would fill a large wheelbarrow--while the neck upon which it wassupported was quite as thick as my middle, and the undulating bodybehind it, which stretched far away into the darkness, was the size ofan eighteen-gallon cask and glittered green and grey, lined and splashedwith silver and with gold.

  "It hissed and swayed its great head to the right, holding Savage withcold eyes that yet seemed to be on fire, whereon he danced to the right.It hissed again and swayed its head to the left, whereon he danced tothe left. Then suddenly it reared its head right to the top of the caveand so remained for a few seconds, whereon Savage stood still, bendinga little forward, as though he were bowing to the reptile. Next instant,like a flash it struck, for I saw its white fangs bury themselves inthe back of Savage, who with a kind of sigh fell forward on to his face.Then there was a convulsion of those shining folds, followed by a soundas of bones being ground up in a steam-driven mortar.

  "I staggered against the wall of the cave and shut my eyes for a moment,for I felt faint. When I opened them again it was to see something flat,misshapen, elongated like a reflection in a spoon, something that hadbeen Savage lying on the floor, and stretched out over it the hugeserpent studying me with its steely eyes. Then I ran; I am not ashamedto say I ran out of that horrible hole and far into the night."

  "Small blame to you," I said, adding: "Hans, give me some square-faceneat." For I felt as queer as though I also had been in that cave withits guardian.

  "There is very little more to tell," went on Ragnall after I had drunkthe hollands. "I lost my way on the mountain-side and wa
ndered for manyhours, till at last I blundered up against one of the outermost housesof the town, after which things were easy. Perhaps I should add thatwherever I went on my way down the mountain it seemed to me that I heardpeople laughing at me in an unnatural kind of voice. That's all."

  After this we sat silent for a long while, till at length Hans said inhis unmoved tone:

  "The light has come, Baas. Shall I blow out the candle, which it is apity to waste? Also, does the Baas wish me to cook the breakfast, nowthat the snake devil is making his off Bena, as I hope to make mine offhim before all is done. Snakes are very good to eat, Baas, if you knowhow to dress them in the Hottentot way."