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He resolved to find an opportunity of cultivating the man, and if he could not find one he would make it. Now he saw such an opportunity. "What do you think of this rumor that the revolution in Brazil is going to knock out our share market?" he said, suddenly looking up from the paper he was reading. "It may do that," answered Hazon. "This year's boom has been a mere sick attempt at one.
He trusted Hazon, felt thoroughly able to take care of himself, and, moreover, was as little likely to violate the secrecy of their enterprise as Hazon himself. But what of Holmes? With all his hard, callous unscrupulousness, Laurence had no desire that harm should befall Holmes. In a measure, he felt responsible for him. "Don't you worry about Holmes," said Hazon, as though reading his thoughts.
And now, hard pressed by the yelling Ba-gcatya, those of his followers yet between him and the enemy stagger back, fighting furiously, while the life-stream wells from many a gashed and gaping wound. No longer can he see either Hazon or Holmes, for the forest of waving, reeking spear blades.
But it's d d hot, and the steaminess of it depresses me at times," returned Laurence, with a queer, reckless laugh. "He won't give us away, never fear," said Hazon carelessly. "He won't take on that girl, because she'll have forgotten him long ago; that, too, being ordinary human nature. And nobody ever did give me away yet. I don't somehow think anybody is ever likely to."
Of course not!" he told himself. But it was. "By the way, Hazon," he said indifferently, "I find there is still a matter I have to attend to. So you must go on without me. I expect I'll overtake you to-morrow not long after sunrise or not much later. So-long!" The dark, impassive face of the up-country man underwent no change.
I am more than sorry, Hazon, that I should have influenced you to bring him along." "Oh, Holmes is young, and hardly knows the meaning of the term 'hard experience, as we know it. Still, in his way, he's useful enough, and first-rate in a fight; and when he comes to bank his share he'll forget to feel over particular as to how he acquired it.
He could put half a dozen meanings to any one or other of his companion's utterances, and among them probably the right one. And, as they talked on, he became alive to something almost magnetic a sort of subtile, compelling force about Hazon. Was it his voice or manner or general aspect, or a combination of all three? He could not tell. He could only realize that it existed.
This incident, while enhancing the respect in which Hazon was held, in no sense tended to lessen his unpopularity, and indeed at that time nobody had a good word to say for him. Either they said nothing, and looked the more, or they said a word that was not good oh, no, not good.
"Ah !" Then Rainsford gave a long whistle, and his voice became impressive as he resumed: "Watch it, Stanninghame. From time to time other men have gone up country with Hazon, but not one of them has ever returned." "Oh, that's what you're all down on him about, is it?" The other nodded; then, with a "so-long," he cut across the street and disappeared into an office where he had business.
"This is going to be a hard business," muttered Laurence between his set teeth. "How many do you size them up at, Hazon?" "Twenty thousand, rather more than less. That's just how Cetywayo's people came on at Isandhlwana, only there they took us more by surprise. Well, we're not a lot of soldiers here anyway to scatter all over the veldt.
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