We went on to other coffins and extracted from them more of these
weapons that were laid there for the dead man to use upon his journey
through the Shades, until we had enough. The shafts of most of them
were somewhat rotten from the damp, but luckily they were furnished
with copper sockets from two and a half to three feet long, into which
the wood of the shaft fitted, so that they were still serviceable.
"Poor things these to fight a devil with," I said.
"Yes, Baas," said Hans in a cheerful voice, "very poor. It is lucky
that I have got a better."
I stared at him; we all stared at him.
"What do you mean, Spotted Snake?" asked Mavovo.
"What do you mean, child of a hundred idiots? Is this a time to jest?
Is not one joker enough among us?" I asked, and looked at Stephen.
"Mean, Baas? Don't you know that I have the little rifle with me, that
which is called /Intombi/, that with which you shot the vultures at
Dingaan's kraal? I never told you because I was sure you knew; also
because if you didn't know it was better that you should not know, for
if /you/ had known, those Pongo /skellums/ (that is, vicious ones)
might have come to know also.
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