The rogue, as a brute of this sort is called, for evidently such it was, dropped the corpse to the ground and stood a while, flapping its ears. Then it felt for and picked up the child with its trunk, swung it to and fro and finally tossed it high into the air, hurling it far away. After this it walked to the elephant that I had just seen die, and charged the carcass, knocking it over. Then having lifted its trunk as though to trumpet in triumph, it shambled off towards the forest and vanished.
The curtain of mist fell again and in it, dimly, I thought I saw--well, never mind who or what I saw. Then I awoke.
"Well, did you see anything?" asked a chorus of voices.
I told them what I had seen, leaving out the last part.
"I say, old fellow," said Scroope, "you must have been pretty clever to get all that in, for your eyes weren't shut for more than ten seconds.""Then I wonder what you would say if I repeated everything," Ianswered, for I still felt dreamy and not quite myself.
"You see elephant Jana?" asked Har?t. "He kill woman and child, eh?
Well, he do that every night. Well, that why people of White Kendah want you to kill /him/ and take all that ivory which they no dare touch because it in holy place and Black Kendah not let them. So he live still. That what we wish know. Thank you much, Macumazana. You very good look through-distance man. Just what I think. Kendah 'bacco smoke work very well in you. Now, beautiful lady," he added turning to Miss Holmes, "you like look too? Better look. Who knows what you see?"Miss Holmes hesitated a moment, studying me with an inquiring eye. But I made no sign, being in truth very curious to hear /her/ experience.
"Yes," she said.
"I would prefer, Luna, that you left this business alone," remarked Lord Ragnall uneasily. "I think it is time that you ladies went to bed.""Here is a match," said Miss Holmes to Har?t who was engaged in putting more tobacco into the bowl, the suspicion of a smile upon his grave and statuesque countenance. Har?t received the match with a low bow and fired the stuff as before. Then he handed the bowl, from which once again the blue smoke curled upwards, to Miss Holmes, and gently and gracefully let the antimacassar fall over it and her head, which it draped as a wedding veil might do. A few seconds later she threw off the antimacassar and cast the bowl, in which the fire was now out, on to the floor. Then she stood up with wide eyes, looking wondrous lovely and, notwithstanding her lack of height, majestic.
"I have been in another world," she said in a low voice as though she spoke to the air, "I have travelled a great way. I found myself in a small place made of stone. It was dark in the place, the fire in that bowl lit it up. There was nothing there except a beautiful statue of a naked baby which seemed to be carved in yellow ivory, and a chair made of ebony inlaid with ivory and seated with string. I stood in front of the statue of the Ivory Child. It seemed to come to life and smile at me. Round its neck was a string of red stones. It took them from its neck and set them upon mine. Then it pointed to the chair, and I sat down in the chair. That was all."Har?t followed her words with an interest that I could see was intense, although he attempted to hide it. Then he asked me to translate them, which I did.
As their full sense came home to him, although his face remained impassive, I saw his dark eyes shine with the light of triumph.
Moreover I heard him whisper to Mar?t words that seemed to mean, "The Sacred Child accepts the Guardian. The Spirit of the White Kendah finds a voice again."Then as though involuntarily, but with the utmost reverence, both of them bowed deeply towards Miss Holmes.
A babel of conversation broke out.
"What a ridiculous dream," I heard Lord Ragnall say in a vexed voice.
"An ivory child that seemed to come to life and to give you a necklace. Whoever heard such nonsense?""Whoever heard such nonsense?" repeated Miss Holmes after him, as though in polite acquiescence, but speaking as an automaton might speak.
