It was a fact
that a fire-ball or something of the sort hit the surface within a few
yards of me, as though it had aimed at the rifle-barrel and just
missed. Or so I thought, though it may have been a crocodile rising at
the moment.
In one way, or rather, in two, however, I was lucky. The first was the
complete absence of wind which must have raised waves that might have
swamped me and would at any rate have wetted the rifle. The second was
that there was no fear of my losing my path for in the mouth of the
cave I could see the glow of the fires which burned on either side of
the Motombo's seat. They served the same purpose to me as did the lamp
of the lady called Hero to her lover Leander when he swam the
Hellespont to pay her clandestine visits at night. But he had
something pleasant to look forward to, whereas I----! Still, there was
another point in common between us. Hero, if I remember right, was a
priestess of the Greek goddess of love, whereas the party who waited
me was also in a religious line of business.
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