As the peculiar, wailing note that the horn made died away, a woman
dashed out of one of the doorways that I have described and flung
herself on her knees before him. He muttered something to her and she
dashed back again to re-appear in an instant holding in her hand a
yellow ivory crucifix.
"Here it is, here it is," he said. "Take it, White Beard, and kiss it
once more, perhaps for the last time," and he threw the crucifix to
Brother John, who caught it and stared at it amazed. "And do you
remember, Fat Baby, how we caught you? You fought well, very well, but
we killed you at last, and you were good, very good; we got much
strength from you.
"And do you remember, Father of Monkeys, how you escaped from us by
your cleverness? I wonder where you went to and how you died. I shall
not forget you, for you gave me this," and he pointed to a big white
scar upon his shoulder. "You would have killed me, but the stuff in
that iron tube of yours burned slowly when you held the fire to it, so
that I had time to jump aside and the iron ball did not strike me in
the heart as you meant that it should.
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