Like a flash that spider was upon it. It embraced the victim
with its long legs to still its tremendous battlings. Next, descending
below, it began to make the body fast, when something happened. From
the still surface of the water beneath poked up the mouth of a very
large fish which quite quietly closed upon the spider and sank again
into the depths, taking with it a portion of the web and thereby
setting the big moth free. With a struggle it loosed itself, fell on
to a piece of wood and floated away, apparently little the worse for
the encounter.
"Did you see that, Baas?" said Hans, pointing to the broken and empty
web. "While you were thinking, I was praying to your reverend father
the Predikant, who taught me how to do it, and he has sent us a sign
from the Place of Fire."
Even then I could not help laughing to myself as I pictured what my
dear father's face would be like if he were able to hear his convert's
remarks. An analysis of Hans's religious views would be really
interesting, and I only regret that I never made one.
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