She and Allan
Page 50
It is not necessary that I should give all the details of our longhomeward journey. So I will only say that having dismissed our bearersand escorts when we reached higher ground beyond the horrible swamp,keeping one litter for Inez in which the Zulus carried her when shewas tired, we accomplished it in complete safety and having crossed theZambesi, at last one evening reached the house called Strathmuir.
Here we found the waggon and oxen quite safe and were welcomedrapturously by my Zulu driver and the _voorlooper_, who had made uptheir minds that we were dead and were thinking of trekking homewards.Here also Thomaso greeted us, though I think that, like the Zulus, hewas astonished at our safe return and indeed not over-pleased to see us.I told him that Captain Robertson had been killed in a fight in whichwe had rescued his daughter from the cannibals who had carried her off(information which I cautioned him to keep to himself) but nothing elsethat I could help.
Also I warned the Zulus through Umslopogaas and Goroko, that no mentionwas to be made of our adventures, either then or afterwards, since ifthis were done the curse of the White Queen would fall on them and bringthem to disaster and death. I added that the name of this queen andeverything that was connected with her, or her doings, must be locked upin their own hearts. It must be like the name of dead kings, not tobe spoken. Nor indeed did they ever speak it or tell the story of oursearch, because they were too much afraid both of Ayesha whom theybelieved to be the greatest of all witches, and of the axe of theircaptain, Umslopogaas.
Inez went to bed that night without seeming to recognise her old home,to all appearance just a mindless child as she had been ever since sheawoke from her trance at Kor. Next morning, however, Hans came to tellme that she was changed and that she wished to speak with me. I went,wondering, to find her in the sitting-room, dressed in European clotheswhich she had taken from where she kept them, and once more a reasoningwoman.
"Mr. Quatermain," she said, "I suppose that I must have been ill, forthe last thing I remember is going to sleep on the night after youstarted for the hippopotamus hunt. Where is my father? Did any harm cometo him while he was hunting?"
"Alas!" I answered, lying boldly, for I feared lest the truthshould take away her mind again, "it did. He was trampled upon by ahippopotamus bull, which charged him, and killed, and we were obliged tobury him where he died."
She bowed her head for a while and muttered some prayer for his soul,then looked at me keenly and said,
"I do not think you are telling me everything, Mr. Quatermain, butsomething seems to say that this is because it is not well that I shouldlearn everything."
"No," I answered, "you have been ill and out of your mind for quite along while; something gave you a shock. I think that you learned of yourfather's death, which you have now forgotten, and were overcome with thenews. Please trust to me and believe that if I keep anything back fromyou, it is because I think it best to do so for the present."
"I trust and I believe," she answered. "Now please leave me, but tell mefirst where are those women and their children?"
"After your father died they went away," I replied, lying once more.
She looked at me again but made no comment.
Then I left her.