Only, as I firmly
believe, he was a priest of the devil.
I suppose that swim took me about a quarter-of-an-hour, for I went
slowly to save my strength, although the crocodiles suggested haste.
But thank Heaven they never appeared to complicate matters. Now I was
quite near the cave, and now I was beneath the overhanging roof and in
the shallow water of the little bay that formed a harbour for the
canoe. I stood upon my feet on the rock bottom, the water coming up to
my breast, and peered about me, while I rested and worked my left arm,
stiff with the up-holding of the gun, to and fro. The fires had burnt
somewhat low and until my eyes were freed from the raindrops and grew
accustomed to the light of the place I could not see clearly.
I took the rag from round the lock of the rifle, wiped the wet off the
barrel with it and let it fall. Then I loosed the catch and by
touching a certain mechanism, made the rifle hair-triggered. Now I
looked again and began to make out things. There was the platform and
there, alas! on it sat the toad-like Motombo.
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