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Updated: May 31, 2025
Then he settled on the banks of the Zambesi and became a trader, building the house where he is now, or rather where its ruins are. Here his wife died in childbirth; yes, she died in my arms, and it was I who reared her daughter Juanna, tending her from the cradle to this day. "Now, after the death of his wife Mavoom became more drunken.
She had but two varieties of expression; the prevalent one a forbidding, dissatisfied scowl, varied sometimes by a most pernicious and perfidious smile. She was shunned by her fellow-pupils, for, bad as many of them were, few were as bad as she. Aurelia and Adele were in the first division of the second class; the second division was headed by a pensionnaire named Juanna Trista.
Nam bent himself in adoration before the gods, then began an address, the substance of which Juanna translated from time to time. Bitterly did he grieve, he said, that such an insult had been offered to the Snake as the presenting to him among his food of the red stone, known as the Blood of Aca. That man who had done this folly was doomed to die, if, indeed, he were not already dead.
Then he asked another question. "Tell me, Olfan, what became of the red stones yesterday, and of him who offended in offering them to the god yonder?" "The most of them were cast into the pit of waters, lord, there to be hidden for ever. There were three hide sacks full." "Oh, heavens!" groaned Leonard when Juanna had translated this. "Otter, you have something to answer for!"
"Be silent," said Juanna indignantly, and Soa slunk back like a whipped hound. "Confound the old woman!" put in Leonard with a shiver. "She is a black Jonah, and if I have to go inside this snake I hope that it will be a case of ladies first, that is all." "I am sure I don't know what has happened to Soa," said Juanna. "Her native air has a very bad effect upon her temper."
Give us blood! Lead forth the victims!" In the midst of this uproar Juanna, clad in her white robes and with the red stone bound upon her brow, rose from her seat to speak. "Silence!" cried Nam, "hear the voice of Aca;" and by degrees the shouting died away, and she spoke. "Do ye dare thus to offer outrages to the gods?" she cried. "Be warned lest we bring death and famine upon you all.
Juanna was the first to see and point him out to Leonard with a start of fear, as he stood watching them in solemn silence. Obeying the impulse of the moment, Leonard stepped forward towards the vision holding his rifle ready, but before he reached the spot where it had stood the figure vanished. Then he walked back again to Juanna.
By this time Soa had arrayed Francisco in the black robe of Aca. The white dress worn in the temple ceremonies he did not put on, for it remained upon Juanna, completely hidden from sight, however, by the priest's gown.
Leonard turned away to hide the tears which started to his eyes, for the dwarf's fidelity touched him more than he cared to show. Seeing his trouble, Juanna took up the talk to cover his confusion. "I fear that you will find it cold over yonder, Otter," she said. "It is a land of fog, they tell me, and there are none of your own people, no wives or Kaffir beer.
Except Soa, who had become an active enemy, at least so far as he was concerned, of all who travelled to this hellish country Juanna and he alone were left alive, and sooner or later fate must overtake them also.
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