第58章

AYESHA GIVES JUDGMENT.

THE next thing that I remember was opening my eyes and perceiving the form of Job, who had now practically recovered from his attack of fever.He was standing in the ray of light that pierced into the cave from the outer air, shaking out my clothes as a makeshift for brushing them, which he could not do because there was no brush, and then folding them up neatly and laying them on the foot of the stone couch.This done, he got my travelling dressing-case out of the Gladstone bag, and opened it ready for my use.First, he stood it on the foot of the couch also, then, being afraid, Isuppose, that I should kick it off, he placed it on a leopard skin on the floor, and stood back a step or two to observe the effect.It was not satisfactory, so he shut up the bag, turned it on end, and, having rested it against the foot of the conch, placed the dressing-case on it.Next, he looked at the pots full of water, which constituted our washing apparatus.

"Ah!" I heard him murmur, "no hot water in this beastly place.I suppose these poor creatures only use it to boil each other in," and he sighed deeply.

"What is the matter, Job?" I said.

"Beg pardon, sir," he said, touching his hair."Ithought you were asleep, sir; and I am sure you look as though you want it.One might think from the look of you that you had been having a night of it."I only groaned by way of answer.I had, indeed, been having a night of it, such as I hope never to have again.

"How is Mr.Leo, Job?"

"Much the same, sir.If he don't soon mend, he'll end, sir; and that's all about it; though I must say that that there savage, Ustane, do do her best for him;almost like a baptized Christian.She is always hanging round and looking after him, and if I ventures to interfere, it's awful to see her; her hair seems to stand on end, and she curses and swears away in her heathen talkat least I fancy she must be cursing from the look of her.""And what do you do then?"

"I make her a perlite bow, and I say, 'Young woman, your position is one that I don't quite understand, and can't recognize.Let me tell you that I has a duty to perform to my master as is incapacitated by illness, and that I am going to perform it until I am incapacitated too ; but she don't take no heed, not sheonly curses and swears away worse than ever.Last night she put her hand under that sort of nightshirt she wears and whips out a knife with a kind of a curl in the blade, so I whips out my revolver, and we walks round and round each other till at last she bursts out laughing.It isn't nice treatment for a Christian man to have to put up with from a savage, however handsome she may be, but it is what people must expect as is fools enough" (Job laid great emphasis on the "fools")"to come to such a place to look for things no man is meant to find.It's a judgment on us, sirthat's my opinion; and I, for one, is of opinion that the judgment isn't half done yet, and when it is done, we shall be done too, and just stop in these beastly caves with the ghosts and the corpses for once and all.And now, sir, I must be seeing about Mr.Leo's broth, if that wild-cat will let me; and perhaps you would like to get up, sir, because it's past nine o'clock."Job's remarks were not of an exactly cheering order to a man who had passed such a night as I had; and, what is more, they had the weight of truth.Taking one thing with another, it appeared to me to be an utter impossibility that we should escape from the place where we were.Supposing that Leo recovered, and supposing that _i_ She _i_ would let us go, which was exceedingly doubtful, and that she did not "blast" us in some moment of vexation, and that we were not hot-potted by the Amahagger, it would be quite impossible for us to find our way across the network of marshes which, stretching for scores and scores of miles, formed a stronger and more impassable fortification round the various Amahagger households than any that could be built or designed by man.No, there was but one thing to doface it out; and, speaking for my own part, I was so intensely interested in the whole weird story that, so far as I was concerned, notwithstanding the shattered state of my nerves, I asked nothing better, even if my life paid forfeit to my curiosity.

What man for whom psychology has charms could forbear to study such a character as that of this Ayesha when the opportunity of doing so presented itself? The very terror of the pursuit added to its fascination, and besides, as I as forced to own to myself even now in the sober light of day, she herself had attractions that I could not forget.Not even the dreadful sight which I had witnessed during the night could drive the folly from my mind; and alas! that I should have to admit it, it has not been driven thence to this hour.

After I had dressed myself I passed into the eating, or, rather, embalming chamber, and had some food, which was, as before, brought to me by the girl mutes.

When I had finished.I went and saw poor Leo, who was quite off his head, and did not even know me.I asked Ustane how she thought he was; but she only shook her head and began to cry a little.Evidently her hopes were small; and I then and there made up my mind that, if it were in any way possible, I would get _i_ She _i_ to come and see him.Surely she could cure him if she choseat any rate, she said she could.While Iwas in the room, Billali entered, and also shook his head.

"He will die at night," he said.

"God forbid, my father," I answered, and turned away with a heavy heart.

" _i_ She-who-must-be-obeyed _i_ commands thy presence, my Baboon," said the old man as soon as we got to the curtain; "but, O my dear son, be more careful.Yesterday I made sure in my heart that _i_She _i_ would blast thee when thou didst not crawl upon thy stomach before her._i_ She _i_ is sitting in the great hall even now to do justice upon those who would have smitten thee and the Lion.Come on, my son;come swiftly."