'
'Art thou sure, Umslopogaas,' said I, 'that thou hast not been
a dreamer this night?'
In reply he opened his left hand, and produced about three inches
of a blade of a dagger of the finest steel. 'If I be, Macumazahn,
behold what the dream left with me. The knife broke upon Bougwan's
bosom and as I passed I picked this up in the sleeping-place
of the White Queen.'
CHAPTER XVIII
WAR! RED WAR!
Telling Umslopogaas to wait, I tumbled into my clothes and went
off with him to Sir Henry's room, where the Zulu repeated his
story word for word. It was a sight to watch Curtis' face as
he heard it.
'Great Heavens!' he said: 'here have I been sleeping away while
Nyleptha was nearly murdered -- and all through me, too. What
a fiend that Sorais must be! It would have served her well if
Umslopogaas had cut her down in the act.'
'Ay,' said the Zulu. 'Fear not; I should have slain her ere
she struck. I was but waiting the moment.'
I said nothing, but I could not help thinking that many a thousand
doomed lives would have been saved if he had meted out to Sorais
the fate she meant for her sister. And, as the issue proved,
I was right.
After he had told his tale Umslopogaas went off unconcernedly
to get his morning meal, and Sir Henry and I fell to talking.
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