Somers, for your private information only, is a mighty lie
of the ignorant heathen). He adds, however, that he does not care one
brass farthing--his actual expression, Mr. Somers, is 'one grain of
corn on a mealie-cob'--about his or anybody else's life, which from
all I have heard of his proceedings I can well believe to be true. He
says in his vulgar language that there is no difference between the
belly of a Mazitu-land hyena and that of any other hyena, and that the
earth of Mazitu-land is as welcome to his bones as any other earth,
since the earth is the wickedest of all hyenas, in that he has
observed that soon or late it devours everlastingly everything which
once it bore. You must forgive me for reproducing his empty and
childish talk, Mr. Somers, but you bade me to render the words of this
savage with exactitude. In fact, Mr. Somers, this reckless person
intimates, in short that some power with which he is not acquainted--
he calls it the 'Strength that makes the Sun to shine and broiders the
blanket of the night with stars' (forgive me for repeating his silly
words), caused him 'to be born into this world, and, at an hour
already appointed, will draw him from this world back into its dark,
eternal bosom, there to be rocked in sleep, or nursed to life again,
according to its unknown will'--I translate exactly, Mr.
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