The drumming ceased, and pulling himself together, Brother John
continued his pious demonstrations. Also just at that time a thick
rain-cloud quite obscured the moon, so that the darkness grew dense. I
heard John explaining to the Kalubi that he was not really a Kalubi,
but an immortal soul (I wonder whether he understood him). Then I
became aware of a horrible shadow--I cannot describe it in any other
way--that was blacker than the blackness, which advanced towards us at
extraordinary speed from the edge of the clearing.
Next second there was a kind of scuffle a few feet from me, followed
by a stifled yell, and I saw the shadow retreating in the direction
from which it had come.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"Strike a match," answered Brother John; "I think something has
happened."
I struck a match, which burnt up very well, for the air was quite
still. In the light of it I saw first the anxious faces of our party--
how ghastly they looked!--and next the Kalubi who had risen and was
waving his right arm in the air, a right arm that was bloody and
/lacked the hand/.
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