finished_summaries/gradesaver/King Solomon's Mines/section_6_part_0.txt
King Solomon's Mines.chapters 11-12
chapters 11-12
{"name": "Chapters 11 and 12", "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20200804024551/https://www.gradesaver.com/king-solomons-mines/study-guide/summary-chapters-11-and-12", "summary": "After nearly two hours' waiting, Infadoos at last arrives with the potentially friendly tribal leaders. He asks Ignosi to show them the serpent tattoo, and Ignosi acquiesces. The leaders inspect the mark with no visible reaction. Ignosi then recounts his history to the men. Infadoos asks the men to judge and make a decision about whom they will support. The eldest of the leaders agrees with Infadoos that Twala's reign has brought great sorrow, but they are not yet ready to accept the legitimacy of Umbopa's claim to royal heritage. He asks that the white men who support Ignosi give them a sign with their \"magic\" to prove his legitimacy and the efficacy of their support. Captain Good consults his almanac and comes up with a plan--the next night is a lunar eclipse, so that is the sign they should offer. Sir Henry agrees, but Quatermain has some doubts about trusting into an almanac and the reliability of the schedule. Nonetheless, the men tell the leaders that they will blot out the moon on the next night. This will work well for a sign, they say, for the next night is the dance ceremony in which Twala chooses the fairest woman from among the young maidens and has her sacrificed. The leaders agree to accept this as proof of the white men's power and Ignosi's royalty. The white men then retire to rest. Before going to bed, Sir Henry takes Ignosi aside and asks that he promise to end the senseless murder of men and the deaths without trial he has seen under Twala's reign. Ignosi agrees that, insofar as it is in his power, he will do so. The men spend the next day receiving ceremonial visits and dining as they await the fateful night. When the sun sets, an emissary comes to bring the men to the \"dance of girls.\" The men sit and watch the lovely young women dance before the gathered Kukuanas. Twala offers the white men their choice of the girls as brides, but Quatermain insists that whites only marry whites. Twala agrees that this is good, and then finds a way to insult Ignosi. Ignosi retorts that he could kill Twala before Twala made a move against him, a statement which annoys Twala but does not draw him out. Then Twala asks Quatermain which of the girls he things is fairest. Without thinking, Quatermain indicates one particular girl, who is immediately seized upon to be the sacrifice. Quatermain tries to undo his blunder, but Twala insists that the annual sacrifices are necessary to appease the stone images who reside in the Three Witches. Gagool approaches the girl and demands her name. Speechless with fear, the girl attempts to flee but is restrained by Scragga. He threatens her with his spear, and she gives in. She says her name is Foulata and asks Gagool why she must die so young. Gagool reminds her that she is to be sacrificed to the spirits of the three distant peaks. Foulata then beseeches Captain Good to free her from this fate. As she grips his knees in petition, Sir Henry urges Quatermain to make his move. Unfortunately, Quatermain has seen no change in the moon and fears the sign will prove false. Realizing that Foulata will be killed before them if he does nothing, Quatermain demands of Twala that she be set free. Twala resents Quatermain's tone and calls his guards to seize the men. Good, Sir Henry, and Ignosi raise their rifles in readiness to defend themselves. Quatermain declares that if any Kukuana takes a single step toward the white men, he will put out the moon. Gagool mocks his claim, but Quatermain has seen a shadow begin to blur the edges of the moon and presses forward. He stretches out his hand and quotes some lines from The Ingoldsby Legends in a somber tone. Sir Henry and Captain Good follow suit; the former quotes passages from the Old Testament while the latter uses the oldest swear words he can muster. As the men chant, the shadow extends further over the moon. The Kukuanas respond in fear. Gagool attempts to play the vent off as a natural occurrence, but no one listens to her. The men keep up their improvised ritual, convincing the Kakuanas that they are responsible for the darkening of the moon. Scragga cries out that they are killing the moon and makes a desperate attack on Sir Henry. Scragga's spear bounces off of Sir Henry's mail shirt, and before Scragga can recover his balance with the weapon Sir Henry grabs it and runs the princeling through with his own weapon. Terror seizes the rest as the darkness increases, sending them all fleeing to their homes. Only Quatermain's companions and the friendly chiefs remain. They agree to rendezvous at a safe place to discuss their upcoming strategy against Twala. Following their escape under cover of the darkened moon, Ignosi, Quatermain, and the others journey far away from Loo to a pre-arranged meeting site. After an hour and a half the eclipse begins to pass, allowing the reflected light to illuminate the landscape. They surmount a large, flat-topped hill which serves as their base camp. Usually garrisoned by three thousand men, the camp is now populated by many more soldiers willing to cast their lot with Ignosi. When they reach the center of the campground, the white men are presented with their belongings; Good is at long last given his trousers and, despite Infadoos' protests, immediately puts them on. That morning, the soldiers are mustered to hear the tale of Ignosi. Infadoos recounts the story already told to him, reminding the Kukuanas also of the evil Twala has brought to the land. Infadoos elaborates on the events, casting Sir Henry, Captain Good, and Quatermain in the role of magical men from the stars who saw the suffering of Kukuanaland and brought Ignosi out of exile for the purpose of ending that suffering. Then Ignosi takes the center and exhorts the assembly to join him in deposing Twala--he urges them to be men and stand with him, and he himself will willingly give his own life for them if necessary. He promises them oxen and wives in exchange for their loyalty, then goes on to guarantee that under his reign, random bloodshed will cease in the land. The assembled chiefs give their assent, so Ignosi concludes by drawing their attention to the preparations Twala is making in the distance. He says the day of battle will be their test of loyalty, and that any man who fights will not be forgotten when the spoils are divided. At his pause, the chiefs salute Ignosi with their word of reverence, \"koom,\" to demonstrate their acceptance of his leadership. The men then prepare for the upcoming battle. They learn that Twala is massing a great army, which will only get larger as time passes. They do not expect an attack until at least the next day, in order both to prepare for war and to diffuse the sense of awe Twala's men would feel about the white men and their moon-darkening magic. Ignosi's camp sets about making defensive improvements, including amassing boulders to be rolled or thrown down the hill at the enemy. Before sunset, a messenger arrives from Twala to offer Ignosi and his people an opportunity to surrender. Quatermain asks Twala's terms, and is told that Twala will be \"merciful\" and only kill one-tenth of the disloyal soldiers; however, he demands the lives of Sir Henry, who murdered Scragga, and Ignosi, the \"pretender\" to his throne, as a certain price. Quatermain consults with the others, then answers the messenger that they refuse his terms, and that Twala himself will be dead within two days. He threatens the messenger with harm if he does not depart immediately, but the messenger appears to be unmoved by these harsh words. The messenger leaves just as the sun sets. Quatermain takes Sir Henry aside to confide in him his fears. Sir Henry agrees that things look hopeless, but he is determined to rise to the challenge. Quatermain gets the impression that Sir Henry actually enjoys combat. The next morning, everyone arises and prepares for battle. Sir Henry goes so far as to dress in full warrior regalia and chooses the battle-axe as his weapon. Infadoos, Ignosi, and Quatermain look toward Loo to evaluate Twala's forces. Thousands of warriors stream forth from the city and arrange themselves in three regiments, indicating that they plan to attack Ignosi on three fronts. Ignosi gives orders to prepare the defense.", "analysis": "Of interest is Quatermain's insistence that \"we white men wed only with white women like ourselves\" .  Ostensibly a segregationist mentality, Quatermain uses it as a pretext to keep the men from choosing Kukuana maidens for wives.  Quatermain notes that Good himself is most susceptible, \"like most sailors,\" and that in any event \"women bring trouble as surely as the night follows the day\" .  Ironically, Quatermain uses a racist pretext in order to address a sexist mentality. The sacrifice of the young women highlights both the differences between the white \"civilized\" culture and the Kukuanas \"savage\" culture and the Old Crone archetype filled by Gagool.  The \"witch hunt\" has already demonstrated the bloodthirsty cruelty in which Twala will engage to hold onto his power; now the sacrifice of innocent young maidens shows the reader how anti-life their culture has become under Twala's rule.  Falouta calls upon the mercy of the white men--particularly Good--to save her from the evil of her own people.  It is only through the device of the eclipse that the white men are able to oppose this tribal tradition and remain alive. Gagool is demonstrably and agent of destruction:  particularly the destruction of youth and beauty.  She acts as the wicked step-mother in many fairy tales, jealously holding on to her own influence over the patriarch  while urging the death of youth, virility, and beauty .  As Virginia Brackett notes, \"The book's blood-curdling villain is a hideous old wise-woman, religious-leader miscreant named Gagoo, a name that suggests 'gargoyle,' a mythical monster, which in various hideous faces and shapes decorated Europe's houses of worship and wisdom\" .  Falouta is introduced here as a contrast to Gagool, and as will be shown later she is Gagool's foil--whereas Gagool seeks to destroy the white men and keep her secret knowledge, Falouta offers them aid and brings information. The device of the almanac and the eclipse is not new to Haggard, although it was not commonly used so much before his time as after.  The superiority of European science over savage superstition is again reinforced, this time on a more cosmic level.  Firearms are one thing; being able to \"command\" the sun and moon place the white men firmly in the position of gods.  Not only is European post-industrial revolution science superior to the savages of Africa; it is also capable of giving the white men mastery over the cosmos. Perhaps the most heroically-toned of all the chapters, Chapter 12 sets the scene for the upcoming battle and early climax for the novel.  Both sides are described in admiring terms, with even Twala in his cruelty able to amass a great army of superior numbers to Ignosi's.  The terms offered suggest that a peaceful resolution might be sought by both sides, but Twala's price is too high--not only ten percent of the \"rebellious\" soldiers, but also the lives of Sir Henry and Ignosi.  Twala demonstrates craftiness in his delay to enter into combat so soon after the white men have demonstrated their apparent power over the moon.  For all his evil, Twala is a clever leader and a man unswayed by white men's knowledge. The demand for Sir Henry to be delivered over to Twala for his murder of the false king's son also lends some pathos to Twala's character.  Although it is certainly a plan to avenge himself on the man who has cut short his line, Twala's demand also forces the reader to see Twala as a father--a father wronged in much the same way as Twala wronged Ignosi's father and his own brother, but a paternal figure nonetheless.  This positive characterization further contrasts Twala with his advisor , Gagool; by extension, it shows Haggard's  more forgiving attitude toward men of any color than to women. Sir Henry Curtis, the most heroic of all the characters in the novel, seems to \"go native.\"  As Quatermain relates, \"Sir Henry wen the whole length about the matter...Round his throat he fastened a leopardskin cloak of a commanding officer, on his brows he bound the plume of black ostrich feathers, worn only by generals of high rank, and round his centre a magnificent moocha of white ox-tails.  A pair of sandals, a leglet of goats' hair, a heavy battle-axe, with a rhinoceros-horn handle, a round iron shield, covered with white ox-hide, and the regulation number of tollas, or throwing knives, made up his equipment...The dress was, no doubt, a savage one, but I am bound to say I never saw a finer sight than Sir Henry Curtis presented in this guise\" .  Note that Quatermain's admiration if Sir Henry is in spite of his \"savage\" attire, and that to Quatermain, a white man in Kukuana war-garb is a finer sight than the Kukuanas themselves similarly attired. The overall tone of the chapter echoes that of The Iliad and similar epics involving the confrontation of two great armies.  As in The Iliad, the reader is encouraged to see the nobility, bravery, and strength of the antagonist and some of the flaws of those on the side of the protagonist.  Quatermain--like the reluctant draftee Odysseus--is frustrated that he will die in battle, but nonetheless dedicates himself to the strategy."}
For a long while--two hours, I should think--we sat there in silence,
being too much overwhelmed by the recollection of the horrors we had
seen to talk. At last, just as we were thinking of turning in--for the
night drew nigh to dawn--we heard a sound of steps. Then came the
challenge of a sentry posted at the kraal gate, which apparently was
answered, though not in an audible tone, for the steps still advanced;
and in another second Infadoos had entered the hut, followed by some
half-dozen stately-looking chiefs.

"My lords," he said, "I have come according to my word. My lords and
Ignosi, rightful king of the Kukuanas, I have brought with me these
men," pointing to the row of chiefs, "who are great men among us,
having each one of them the command of three thousand soldiers, that
live but to do their bidding, under the king's. I have told them of
what I have seen, and what my ears have heard. Now let them also behold
the sacred snake around thee, and hear thy story, Ignosi, that they may
say whether or no they will make cause with thee against Twala the
king."

By way of answer Ignosi again stripped off his girdle, and exhibited
the snake tattooed about him. Each chief in turn drew near and examined
the sign by the dim light of the lamp, and without saying a word passed
on to the other side.

Then Ignosi resumed his moocha, and addressing them, repeated the
history he had detailed in the morning.

"Now ye have heard, chiefs," said Infadoos, when he had done, "what say
ye: will ye stand by this man and help him to his father's throne, or
will ye not? The land cries out against Twala, and the blood of the
people flows like the waters in spring. Ye have seen to-night. Two
other chiefs there were with whom I had it in my mind to speak, and
where are they now? The hyaenas howl over their corpses. Soon shall ye
be as they are if ye strike not. Choose then, my brothers."

The eldest of the six men, a short, thick-set warrior, with white hair,
stepped forward a pace and answered--

"Thy words are true, Infadoos; the land cries out. My own brother is
among those who died to-night; but this is a great matter, and the
thing is hard to believe. How know we that if we lift our spears it may
not be for a thief and a liar? It is a great matter, I say, of which
none can see the end. For of this be sure, blood will flow in rivers
before the deed is done; many will still cleave to the king, for men
worship the sun that still shines bright in the heavens, rather than
that which has not risen. These white men from the Stars, their magic
is great, and Ignosi is under the cover of their wing. If he be indeed
the rightful king, let them give us a sign, and let the people have a
sign, that all may see. So shall men cleave to us, knowing of a truth
that the white man's magic is with them."

"Ye have the sign of the snake," I answered.

"My lord, it is not enough. The snake may have been placed there since
the man's childhood. Show us a sign, and it will suffice. But we will
not move without a sign."

The others gave a decided assent, and I turned in perplexity to Sir
Henry and Good, and explained the situation.

"I think that I have it," said Good exultingly; "ask them to give us a
moment to think."

I did so, and the chiefs withdrew. So soon as they had gone Good went
to the little box where he kept his medicines, unlocked it, and took
out a note-book, in the fly-leaves of which was an almanack. "Now look
here, you fellows, isn't to-morrow the 4th of June?" he said.

We had kept a careful note of the days, so were able to answer that it
was.

"Very good; then here we have it--'4 June, total eclipse of the moon
commences at 8.15 Greenwich time, visible in Teneriffe--_South Africa_,
&c.' There's a sign for you. Tell them we will darken the moon
to-morrow night."

The idea was a splendid one; indeed, the only weak spot about it was a
fear lest Good's almanack might be incorrect. If we made a false
prophecy on such a subject, our prestige would be gone for ever, and so
would Ignosi's chance of the throne of the Kukuanas.

"Suppose that the almanack is wrong," suggested Sir Henry to Good, who
was busily employed in working out something on a blank page of the
book.

"I see no reason to suppose anything of the sort," was his answer.
"Eclipses always come up to time; at least that is my experience of
them, and it especially states that this one will be visible in South
Africa. I have worked out the reckonings as well as I can, without
knowing our exact position; and I make out that the eclipse should
begin here about ten o'clock tomorrow night, and last till half-past
twelve. For an hour and a half or so there should be almost total
darkness."

"Well," said Sir Henry, "I suppose we had better risk it."

I acquiesced, though doubtfully, for eclipses are queer cattle to deal
with--it might be a cloudy night, for instance, or our dates might be
wrong--and sent Umbopa to summon the chiefs back. Presently they came,
and I addressed them thus--

"Great men of the Kukuanas, and thou, Infadoos, listen. We love not to
show our powers, for to do so is to interfere with the course of
nature, and to plunge the world into fear and confusion. But since this
matter is a great one, and as we are angered against the king because
of the slaughter we have seen, and because of the act of the _Isanusi_
Gagool, who would have put our friend Ignosi to death, we have
determined to break a rule, and to give such a sign as all men may see.
Come hither"; and I led them to the door of the hut and pointed to the
red ball of the moon. "What see ye there?"

"We see the sinking moon," answered the spokesman of the party.

"It is so. Now tell me, can any mortal man put out that moon before her
hour of setting, and bring the curtain of black night down upon the
land?"

The chief laughed a little at the question. "No, my lord, that no man
can do. The moon is stronger than man who looks on her, nor can she
vary in her courses."

"Ye say so. Yet I tell you that to-morrow night, about two hours before
midnight, we will cause the moon to be eaten up for a space of an hour
and half an hour. Yes, deep darkness shall cover the earth, and it
shall be for a sign that Ignosi is indeed king of the Kukuanas. If we
do this thing, will ye be satisfied?"

"Yea, my lords," answered the old chief with a smile, which was
reflected on the faces of his companions; "_if_ ye do this thing, we
will be satisfied indeed."

"It shall be done; we three, Incubu, Bougwan, and Macumazahn, have said
it, and it shall be done. Dost thou hear, Infadoos?"

"I hear, my lord, but it is a wonderful thing that ye promise, to put
out the moon, the mother of the world, when she is at her full."

"Yet shall we do it, Infadoos."

"It is well, my lords. To-day, two hours after sunset, Twala will send
for my lords to witness the girls dance, and one hour after the dance
begins the girl whom Twala thinks the fairest shall be killed by
Scragga, the king's son, as a sacrifice to the Silent Ones, who sit and
keep watch by the mountains yonder," and he pointed towards the three
strange-looking peaks where Solomon's road was supposed to end. "Then
let my lords darken the moon, and save the maiden's life, and the
people will believe indeed."

"Ay," said the old chief, still smiling a little, "the people will
believe indeed."

"Two miles from Loo," went on Infadoos, "there is a hill curved like a
new moon, a stronghold, where my regiment, and three other regiments
which these chiefs command, are stationed. This morning we will make a
plan whereby two or three other regiments may be moved there also.
Then, if in truth my lords can darken the moon, in the darkness I will
take my lords by the hand and lead them out of Loo to this place, where
they shall be safe, and thence we can make war upon Twala the king."

"It is good," said I. "Let leave us to sleep awhile and to make ready
our magic."

Infadoos rose, and, having saluted us, departed with the chiefs.

"My friends," said Ignosi, so soon as they were gone, "can ye do this
wonderful thing, or were ye speaking empty words to the captains?"

"We believe that we can do it, Umbopa--Ignosi, I mean."

"It is strange," he answered, "and had ye not been Englishmen I would
not have believed it; but I have learned that English 'gentlemen' tell
no lies. If we live through the matter, be sure that I will repay you."

"Ignosi," said Sir Henry, "promise me one thing."

"I will promise, Incubu, my friend, even before I hear it," answered
the big man with a smile. "What is it?"

"This: that if ever you come to be king of this people you will do away
with the smelling out of wizards such as we saw last night; and that
the killing of men without trial shall no longer take place in the
land."

Ignosi thought for a moment after I had translated this request, and
then answered--

"The ways of black people are not as the ways of white men, Incubu, nor
do we value life so highly. Yet I will promise. If it be in my power to
hold them back, the witch-finders shall hunt no more, nor shall any man
die the death without trial or judgment."

"That's a bargain, then," said Sir Henry; "and now let us get a little
rest."

Thoroughly wearied out, we were soon sound asleep, and slept till
Ignosi woke us about eleven o'clock. Then we rose, washed, and ate a
hearty breakfast. After that we went outside the hut and walked about,
amusing ourselves with examining the structure of the Kukuana huts and
observing the customs of the women.

"I hope that eclipse will come off," said Sir Henry presently.

"If it does not it will soon be all up with us," I answered mournfully;
"for so sure as we are living men some of those chiefs will tell the
whole story to the king, and then there will be another sort of
eclipse, and one that we shall certainly not like."

Returning to the hut we ate some dinner, and passed the rest of the day
in receiving visits of ceremony and curiosity. At length the sun set,
and we enjoyed a couple of hours of such quiet as our melancholy
forebodings would allow to us. Finally, about half-past eight, a
messenger came from Twala to bid us to the great annual "dance of
girls" which was about to be celebrated.

Hastily we put on the chain shirts that the king had sent us, and
taking our rifles and ammunition with us, so as to have them handy in
case we had to fly, as suggested by Infadoos, we started boldly enough,
though with inward fear and trembling. The great space in front of the
king's kraal bore a very different appearance from that which it had
presented on the previous evening. In place of the grim ranks of
serried warriors were company after company of Kukuana girls, not
over-dressed, so far as clothing went, but each crowned with a wreath
of flowers, and holding a palm leaf in one hand and a white arum lily
in the other. In the centre of the open moonlit space sat Twala the
king, with old Gagool at his feet, attended by Infadoos, the boy
Scragga, and twelve guards. There were also present about a score of
chiefs, amongst whom I recognised most of our friends of the night
before.

Twala greeted us with much apparent cordiality, though I saw him fix
his one eye viciously on Umbopa.

"Welcome, white men from the Stars," he said; "this is another sight
from that which your eyes gazed on by the light of last night's moon,
but it is not so good a sight. Girls are pleasant, and were it not for
such as these," and he pointed round him, "we should none of us be here
this day; but men are better. Kisses and the tender words of women are
sweet, but the sound of the clashing of the spears of warriors, and the
smell of men's blood, are sweeter far! Would ye have wives from among
our people, white men? If so, choose the fairest here, and ye shall
have them, as many as ye will," and he paused for an answer.

As the prospect did not seem to be without attractions for Good, who,
like most sailors, is of a susceptible nature,--being elderly and wise,
foreseeing the endless complications that anything of the sort would
involve, for women bring trouble so surely as the night follows the
day, I put in a hasty answer--

"Thanks to thee, O king, but we white men wed only with white women
like ourselves. Your maidens are fair, but they are not for us!"

The king laughed. "It is well. In our land there is a proverb which
runs, 'Women's eyes are always bright, whatever the colour,' and
another that says, 'Love her who is present, for be sure she who is
absent is false to thee;' but perhaps these things are not so in the
Stars. In a land where men are white all things are possible. So be it,
white men; the girls will not go begging! Welcome again; and welcome,
too, thou black one; if Gagool here had won her way, thou wouldst have
been stiff and cold by now. It is lucky for thee that thou too camest
from the Stars; ha! ha!"

"I can kill thee before thou killest me, O king," was Ignosi's calm
answer, "and thou shalt be stiff before my limbs cease to bend."

Twala started. "Thou speakest boldly, boy," he replied angrily;
"presume not too far."

"He may well be bold in whose lips are truth. The truth is a sharp
spear which flies home and misses not. It is a message from 'the
Stars,' O king."

Twala scowled, and his one eye gleamed fiercely, but he said nothing
more.

"Let the dance begin," he cried, and then the flower-crowned girls
sprang forward in companies, singing a sweet song and waving the
delicate palms and white lilies. On they danced, looking faint and
spiritual in the soft, sad light of the risen moon; now whirling round
and round, now meeting in mimic warfare, swaying, eddying here and
there, coming forward, falling back in an ordered confusion delightful
to witness. At last they paused, and a beautiful young woman sprang out
of the ranks and began to pirouette in front of us with a grace and
vigour which would have put most ballet girls to shame. At length she
retired exhausted, and another took her place, then another and
another, but none of them, either in grace, skill, or personal
attractions, came up to the first.

When the chosen girls had all danced, the king lifted his hand.

"Which deem ye the fairest, white men?" he asked.

"The first," said I unthinkingly. Next second I regretted it, for I
remembered that Infadoos had told us that the fairest woman must be
offered up as a sacrifice.

"Then is my mind as your minds, and my eyes as your eyes. She is the
fairest! and a sorry thing it is for her, for she must die!"

"_Ay, must die!_" piped out Gagool, casting a glance of her quick eyes
in the direction of the poor girl, who, as yet ignorant of the awful
fate in store for her, was standing some ten yards off in front of a
company of maidens, engaged in nervously picking a flower from her
wreath to pieces, petal by petal.

"Why, O king?" said I, restraining my indignation with difficulty; "the
girl has danced well, and pleased us; she is fair too; it would be hard
to reward her with death."

Twala laughed as he answered--

"It is our custom, and the figures who sit in stone yonder," and he
pointed towards the three distant peaks, "must have their due. Did I
fail to put the fairest girl to death to-day, misfortune would fall
upon me and my house. Thus runs the prophecy of my people: 'If the king
offer not a sacrifice of a fair girl, on the day of the dance of
maidens, to the Old Ones who sit and watch on the mountains, then shall
he fall, and his house.' Look ye, white men, my brother who reigned
before me offered not the sacrifice, because of the tears of the woman,
and he fell, and his house, and I reign in his stead. It is finished;
she must die!" Then turning to the guards--"Bring her hither; Scragga,
make sharp thy spear."

Two of the men stepped forward, and as they advanced, the girl, for the
first time realising her impending fate, screamed aloud and turned to
fly. But the strong hands caught her fast, and brought her, struggling
and weeping, before us.

"What is thy name, girl?" piped Gagool. "What! wilt thou not answer?
Shall the king's son do his work at once?"

At this hint, Scragga, looking more evil than ever, advanced a step and
lifted his great spear, and at that moment I saw Good's hand creep to
his revolver. The poor girl caught the faint glint of steel through her
tears, and it sobered her anguish. She ceased struggling, and clasping
her hands convulsively, stood shuddering from head to foot.

"See," cried Scragga in high glee, "she shrinks from the sight of my
little plaything even before she has tasted it," and he tapped the
broad blade of his spear.

"If ever I get the chance you shall pay for that, you young hound!" I
heard Good mutter beneath his breath.

"Now that thou art quiet, give us thy name, my dear. Come, speak out,
and fear not," said Gagool in mockery.

"Oh, mother," answered the girl, in trembling accents, "my name is
Foulata, of the house of Suko. Oh, mother, why must I die? I have done
no wrong!"

"Be comforted," went on the old woman in her hateful tone of mockery.
"Thou must die, indeed, as a sacrifice to the Old Ones who sit yonder,"
and she pointed to the peaks; "but it is better to sleep in the night
than to toil in the daytime; it is better to die than to live, and thou
shalt die by the royal hand of the king's own son."

The girl Foulata wrung her hands in anguish, and cried out aloud, "Oh,
cruel! and I so young! What have I done that I should never again see
the sun rise out of the night, or the stars come following on his track
in the evening, that I may no more gather the flowers when the dew is
heavy, or listen to the laughing of the waters? Woe is me, that I shall
never see my father's hut again, nor feel my mother's kiss, nor tend
the lamb that is sick! Woe is me, that no lover shall put his arm
around me and look into my eyes, nor shall men children be born of me!
Oh, cruel, cruel!"

And again she wrung her hands and turned her tear-stained
flower-crowned face to Heaven, looking so lovely in her despair--for
she was indeed a beautiful woman--that assuredly the sight of her would
have melted the hearts of any less cruel than were the three fiends
before us. Prince Arthur's appeal to the ruffians who came to blind him
was not more touching than that of this savage girl.

But it did not move Gagool or Gagool's master, though I saw signs of
pity among the guards behind, and on the faces of the chiefs; and as
for Good, he gave a fierce snort of indignation, and made a motion as
though to go to her assistance. With all a woman's quickness, the
doomed girl interpreted what was passing in his mind, and by a sudden
movement flung herself before him, and clasped his "beautiful white
legs" with her hands.

"Oh, white father from the Stars!" she cried, "throw over me the mantle
of thy protection; let me creep into the shadow of thy strength, that I
may be saved. Oh, keep me from these cruel men and from the mercies of
Gagool!"

"All right, my hearty, I'll look after you," sang out Good in nervous
Saxon. "Come, get up, there's a good girl," and he stooped and caught
her hand.

Twala turned and motioned to his son, who advanced with his spear
lifted.

"Now's your time," whispered Sir Henry to me; "what are you waiting
for?"

"I am waiting for that eclipse," I answered; "I have had my eye on the
moon for the last half-hour, and I never saw it look healthier."

"Well, you must risk it now, or the girl will be killed. Twala is
losing patience."

Recognising the force of the argument, and having cast one more
despairing look at the bright face of the moon, for never did the most
ardent astronomer with a theory to prove await a celestial event with
such anxiety, I stepped with all the dignity that I could command
between the prostrate girl and the advancing spear of Scragga.

"King," I said, "it shall not be; we will not endure this thing; let
the girl go in safety."

Twala rose from his seat in wrath and astonishment, and from the chiefs
and serried ranks of maidens who had closed in slowly upon us in
anticipation of the tragedy came a murmur of amazement.

"_Shall not be!_ thou white dog, that yappest at the lion in his cave;
_shall not be!_ art thou mad? Be careful, lest this chicken's fate
overtake thee, and those with thee. How canst thou save her or thyself?
Who art thou that thou settest thyself between me and my will? Back, I
say. Scragga, kill her! Ho, guards! seize these men."

At his cry armed men ran swiftly from behind the hut, where they had
evidently been placed beforehand.

Sir Henry, Good, and Umbopa ranged themselves alongside of me, and
lifted their rifles.

"Stop!" I shouted boldly, though at the moment my heart was in my
boots. "Stop! we, the white men from the Stars, say that it shall not
be. Come but one pace nearer, and we will put out the moon like a
wind-blown lamp, as we who dwell in her House can do, and plunge the
land in darkness. Dare to disobey, and ye shall taste of our magic."

My threat produced an effect; the men halted, and Scragga stood still
before us, his spear lifted.

"Hear him! hear him!" piped Gagool; "hear the liar who says that he
will put out the moon like a lamp. Let him do it, and the girl shall be
speared. Yes, let him do it, or die by the girl, he and those with him."

I glanced up at the moon despairingly, and now to my intense joy and
relief saw that we--or rather the almanack--had made no mistake. On the
edge of the great orb lay a faint rim of shadow, while a smoky hue grew
and gathered upon its bright surface. Never shall I forget that
supreme, that superb moment of relief.

Then I lifted my hand solemnly towards the sky, an example which Sir
Henry and Good followed, and quoted a line or two from the "Ingoldsby
Legends" at it in the most impressive tones that I could command. Sir
Henry followed suit with a verse out of the Old Testament, and
something about Balbus building a wall, in Latin, whilst Good addressed
the Queen of Night in a volume of the most classical bad language which
he could think of.

Slowly the penumbra, the shadow of a shadow, crept on over the bright
surface, and as it crept I heard deep gasps of fear rising from the
multitude around.

"Look, O king!" I cried; "look, Gagool! Look, chiefs and people and
women, and see if the white men from the Stars keep their word, or if
they be but empty liars!

"The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be
darkness--ay, darkness in the hour of the full moon. Ye have asked for
a sign; it is given to you. Grow dark, O Moon! withdraw thy light, thou
pure and holy One; bring the proud heart of usurping murderers to the
dust, and eat up the world with shadows."

A groan of terror burst from the onlookers. Some stood petrified with
dread, others threw themselves upon their knees and cried aloud. As for
the king, he sat still and turned pale beneath his dusky skin. Only
Gagool kept her courage.

"It will pass," she cried; "I have often seen the like before; no man
can put out the moon; lose not heart; sit still--the shadow will pass."

"Wait, and ye shall see," I replied, hopping with excitement. "O Moon!
Moon! Moon! wherefore art thou so cold and fickle?" This appropriate
quotation was from the pages of a popular romance that I chanced to
have read recently, though now I come to think of it, it was ungrateful
of me to abuse the Lady of the Heavens, who was showing herself to be
the truest of friends to us, however she may have behaved to the
impassioned lover in the novel. Then I added: "Keep it up, Good, I
can't remember any more poetry. Curse away, there's a good fellow."

Good responded nobly to this tax upon his inventive faculties. Never
before had I the faintest conception of the breadth and depth and
height of a naval officer's objurgatory powers. For ten minutes he went
on in several languages without stopping, and he scarcely ever repeated
himself.

Meanwhile the dark ring crept on, while all that great assembly fixed
their eyes upon the sky and stared and stared in fascinated silence.
Strange and unholy shadows encroached upon the moonlight, an ominous
quiet filled the place. Everything grew still as death. Slowly and in
the midst of this most solemn silence the minutes sped away, and while
they sped the full moon passed deeper and deeper into the shadow of the
earth, as the inky segment of its circle slid in awful majesty across
the lunar craters. The great pale orb seemed to draw near and to grow
in size. She turned a coppery hue, then that portion of her surface
which was unobscured as yet grew grey and ashen, and at length, as
totality approached, her mountains and her plains were to be seen
glowing luridly through a crimson gloom.

On, yet on, crept the ring of darkness; it was now more than half
across the blood-red orb. The air grew thick, and still more deeply
tinged with dusky crimson. On, yet on, till we could scarcely see the
fierce faces of the group before us. No sound rose now from the
spectators, and at last Good stopped swearing.

"The moon is dying--the white wizards have killed the moon," yelled the
prince Scragga at last. "We shall all perish in the dark," and animated
by fear or fury, or by both, he lifted his spear and drove it with all
his force at Sir Henry's breast. But he forgot the mail shirts that the
king had given us, and which we wore beneath our clothing. The steel
rebounded harmless, and before he could repeat the blow Curtis had
snatched the spear from his hand and sent it straight through him.

Scragga dropped dead.

At the sight, and driven mad with fear of the gathering darkness, and
of the unholy shadow which, as they believed, was swallowing the moon,
the companies of girls broke up in wild confusion, and ran screeching
for the gateways. Nor did the panic stop there. The king himself,
followed by his guards, some of the chiefs, and Gagool, who hobbled
away after them with marvellous alacrity, fled for the huts, so that in
another minute we ourselves, the would-be victim Foulata, Infadoos, and
most of the chiefs who had interviewed us on the previous night, were
left alone upon the scene, together with the dead body of Scragga,
Twala's son.

"Chiefs," I said, "we have given you the sign. If ye are satisfied, let
us fly swiftly to the place of which ye spoke. The charm cannot now be
stopped. It will work for an hour and the half of an hour. Let us cover
ourselves in the darkness."

"Come," said Infadoos, turning to go, an example which was followed by
the awed captains, ourselves, and the girl Foulata, whom Good took by
the arm.

Before we reached the gate of the kraal the moon went out utterly, and
from every quarter of the firmament the stars rushed forth into the
inky sky.

Holding each other by the hand we stumbled on through the darkness.


Luckily for us, Infadoos and the chiefs knew all the paths of the great
town perfectly, so that we passed by side-ways unmolested, and
notwithstanding the gloom we made fair progress.

For an hour or more we journeyed on, till at length the eclipse began
to pass, and that edge of the moon which had disappeared the first
became again visible. Suddenly, as we watched, there burst from it a
silver streak of light, accompanied by a wondrous ruddy glow, which
hung upon the blackness of the sky like a celestial lamp, and a wild
and lovely sight it was. In another five minutes the stars began to
fade, and there was sufficient light to see our whereabouts. We then
discovered that we were clear of the town of Loo, and approaching a
large flat-topped hill, measuring some two miles in circumference. This
hill, which is of a formation common in South Africa, is not very high;
indeed, its greatest elevation is scarcely more than 200 feet, but it
is shaped like a horseshoe, and its sides are rather precipitous and
strewn with boulders. On the grass table-land at its summit is ample
camping-ground, which had been utilised as a military cantonment of no
mean strength. Its ordinary garrison was one regiment of three thousand
men, but as we toiled up the steep side of the mountain in the
returning moonlight we perceived that there were several of such
regiments encamped there.

Reaching the table-land at last, we found crowds of men roused from
their sleep, shivering with fear and huddled up together in the utmost
consternation at the natural phenomenon which they were witnessing.
Passing through these without a word, we gained a hut in the centre of
the ground, where we were astonished to find two men waiting, laden
with our few goods and chattels, which of course we had been obliged to
leave behind in our hasty flight.

"I sent for them," explained Infadoos; "and also for these," and he
lifted up Good's long-lost trousers.

With an exclamation of rapturous delight Good sprang at them, and
instantly proceeded to put them on.

"Surely my lord will not hide his beautiful white legs!" exclaimed
Infadoos regretfully.

But Good persisted, and once only did the Kukuana people get the chance
of seeing his beautiful legs again. Good is a very modest man.
Henceforward they had to satisfy their aesthetic longings with his one
whisker, his transparent eye, and his movable teeth.

Still gazing with fond remembrance at Good's trousers, Infadoos next
informed us that he had commanded the regiments to muster so soon as
the day broke, in order to explain to them fully the origin and
circumstances of the rebellion which was decided on by the chiefs, and
to introduce to them the rightful heir to the throne, Ignosi.

Accordingly, when the sun was up, the troops--in all some twenty
thousand men, and the flower of the Kukuana army--were mustered on a
large open space, to which we went. The men were drawn up in three
sides of a dense square, and presented a magnificent spectacle. We took
our station on the open side of the square, and were speedily
surrounded by all the principal chiefs and officers.

These, after silence had been proclaimed, Infadoos proceeded to
address. He narrated to them in vigorous and graceful language--for,
like most Kukuanas of high rank, he was a born orator--the history of
Ignosi's father, and of how he had been basely murdered by Twala the
king, and his wife and child driven out to starve. Then he pointed out
that the people suffered and groaned under Twala's cruel rule,
instancing the proceedings of the previous night, when, under pretence
of their being evil-doers, many of the noblest in the land had been
dragged forth and wickedly done to death. Next he went on to say that
the white lords from the Stars, looking down upon their country, had
perceived its trouble, and determined, at great personal inconvenience,
to alleviate its lot: That they had accordingly taken the real king of
the Kukuanas, Ignosi, who was languishing in exile, by the hand, and
led him over the mountains: That they had seen the wickedness of
Twala's doings, and for a sign to the wavering, and to save the life of
the girl Foulata, actually, by the exercise of their high magic, had
put out the moon and slain the young fiend Scragga; and that they were
prepared to stand by them, and assist them to overthrow Twala, and set
up the rightful king, Ignosi, in his place.

He finished his discourse amidst a murmur of approbation. Then Ignosi
stepped forward and began to speak. Having reiterated all that Infadoos
his uncle had said, he concluded a powerful speech in these words:--

"O chiefs, captains, soldiers, and people, ye have heard my words. Now
must ye make choice between me and him who sits upon my throne, the
uncle who killed his brother, and hunted his brother's child forth to
die in the cold and the night. That I am indeed the king
these"--pointing to the chiefs--"can tell you, for they have seen the
snake about my middle. If I were not the king, would these white men be
on my side with all their magic? Tremble, chiefs, captains, soldiers,
and people! Is not the darkness they have brought upon the land to
confound Twala and cover our flight, darkness even in the hour of the
full moon, yet before your eyes?"

"It is," answered the soldiers.

"I am the king; I say to you, I am the king," went on Ignosi, drawing
up his great stature to its full, and lifting his broad-bladed
battle-axe above his head. "If there be any man among you who says that
it is not so, let him stand forth and I will fight him now, and his
blood shall be a red token that I tell you true. Let him stand forth, I
say;" and he shook the great axe till it flashed in the sunlight.

As nobody seemed inclined to respond to this heroic version of "Dilly,
Dilly, come and be killed," our late henchman proceeded with his
address.

"I am indeed the king, and should ye stand by my side in the battle, if
I win the day ye shall go with me to victory and honour. I will give
you oxen and wives, and ye shall take place of all the regiments; and
if ye fall, I will fall with you.

"And behold, I give you this promise, that when I sit upon the seat of
my fathers, bloodshed shall cease in the land. No longer shall ye cry
for justice to find slaughter, no longer shall the witch-finder hunt
you out so that ye may be slain without a cause. No man shall die save
he who offends against the laws. The 'eating up' of your kraals shall
cease; each one of you shall sleep secure in his own hut and fear
naught, and justice shall walk blindfold throughout the land. Have ye
chosen, chiefs, captains, soldiers, and people?"

"We have chosen, O king," came back the answer.

"It is well. Turn your heads and see how Twala's messengers go forth
from the great town, east and west, and north and south, to gather a
mighty army to slay me and you, and these my friends and protectors.
To-morrow, or perchance the next day, he will come against us with all
who are faithful to him. Then I shall see the man who is indeed my man,
the man who fears not to die for his cause; and I tell you that he
shall not be forgotten in the time of spoil. I have spoken, O chiefs,
captains, soldiers, and people. Now go to your huts and make you ready
for war."

There was a pause, till presently one of the chiefs lifted his hand,
and out rolled the royal salute, "_Koom._" It was a sign that the
soldiers accepted Ignosi as their king. Then they marched off in
battalions.

Half an hour afterwards we held a council of war, at which all the
commanders of regiments were present. It was evident to us that before
very long we should be attacked in overwhelming force. Indeed, from our
point of vantage on the hill we could see troops mustering, and runners
going forth from Loo in every direction, doubtless to summon soldiers
to the king's assistance. We had on our side about twenty thousand men,
composed of seven of the best regiments in the country. Twala, so
Infadoos and the chiefs calculated, had at least thirty to thirty-five
thousand on whom he could rely at present assembled in Loo, and they
thought that by midday on the morrow he would be able to gather another
five thousand or more to his aid. It was, of course, possible that some
of his troops would desert and come over to us, but it was not a
contingency which could be reckoned on. Meanwhile, it was clear that
active preparations were being made by Twala to subdue us. Already
strong bodies of armed men were patrolling round and round the foot of
the hill, and there were other signs also of coming assault.

Infadoos and the chiefs, however, were of opinion that no attack would
take place that day, which would be devoted to preparation and to the
removal of every available means of the moral effect produced upon the
minds of the soldiery by the supposed magical darkening of the moon.
The onslaught would be on the morrow, they said, and they proved to be
right.

Meanwhile, we set to work to strengthen the position in all ways
possible. Almost every man was turned out, and in the course of the
day, which seemed far too short, much was done. The paths up the
hill--that was rather a sanatorium than a fortress, being used
generally as the camping place of regiments suffering from recent
service in unhealthy portions of the country--were carefully blocked
with masses of stones, and every other approach was made as impregnable
as time would allow. Piles of boulders were collected at various spots
to be rolled down upon an advancing enemy, stations were appointed to
the different regiments, and all preparation was made which our joint
ingenuity could suggest.

Just before sundown, as we rested after our toil, we perceived a small
company of men advancing towards us from the direction of Loo, one of
whom bore a palm leaf in his hand for a sign that he came as a herald.

As he drew near, Ignosi, Infadoos, one or two chiefs and ourselves,
went down to the foot of the mountain to meet him. He was a
gallant-looking fellow, wearing the regulation leopard-skin cloak.

"Greeting!" he cried, as he came; "the king's greeting to those who
make unholy war against the king; the lion's greeting to the jackals
that snarl around his heels."

"Speak," I said.

"These are the king's words. Surrender to the king's mercy ere a worse
thing befall you. Already the shoulder has been torn from the black
bull, and the king drives him bleeding about the camp."[1]

"What are Twala's terms?" I asked from curiosity.

"His terms are merciful, worthy of a great king. These are the words of
Twala, the one-eyed, the mighty, the husband of a thousand wives, lord
of the Kukuanas, keeper of the Great Road (Solomon's Road), beloved of
the Strange Ones who sit in silence at the mountains yonder (the Three
Witches), Calf of the Black Cow, Elephant whose tread shakes the earth,
Terror of the evil-doer, Ostrich whose feet devour the desert, huge
One, black One, wise One, king from generation to generation! these are
the words of Twala: 'I will have mercy and be satisfied with a little
blood. One in every ten shall die, the rest shall go free; but the
white man Incubu, who slew Scragga my son, and the black man his
servant, who pretends to my throne, and Infadoos my brother, who brews
rebellion against me, these shall die by torture as an offering to the
Silent Ones.' Such are the merciful words of Twala."

After consulting with the others a little, I answered him in a loud
voice, so that the soldiers might hear, thus--

"Go back, thou dog, to Twala, who sent thee, and say that we, Ignosi,
veritable king of the Kukuanas, Incubu, Bougwan, and Macumazahn, the
wise ones from the Stars, who make dark the moon, Infadoos, of the
royal house, and the chiefs, captains, and people here gathered, make
answer and say, 'That we will not surrender; that before the sun has
gone down twice, Twala's corpse shall stiffen at Twala's gate, and
Ignosi, whose father Twala slew, shall reign in his stead.' Now go, ere
we whip thee away, and beware how thou dost lift a hand against such as
we are."

The herald laughed loudly. "Ye frighten not men with such swelling
words," he cried out. "Show yourselves as bold to-morrow, O ye who
darken the moon. Be bold, fight, and be merry, before the crows pick
your bones till they are whiter than your faces. Farewell; perhaps we
may meet in the fight; fly not to the Stars, but wait for me, I pray,
white men." With this shaft of sarcasm he retired, and almost
immediately the sun sank.

That night was a busy one, for weary as we were, so far as was possible
by the moonlight all preparations for the morrow's fight were
continued, and messengers were constantly coming and going from the
place where we sat in council. At last, about an hour after midnight,
everything that could be done was done, and the camp, save for the
occasional challenge of a sentry, sank into silence. Sir Henry and I,
accompanied by Ignosi and one of the chiefs, descended the hill and
made a round of the pickets. As we went, suddenly, from all sorts of
unexpected places, spears gleamed out in the moonlight, only to vanish
again when we uttered the password. It was clear to us that none were
sleeping at their posts. Then we returned, picking our way warily
through thousands of sleeping warriors, many of whom were taking their
last earthly rest.

The moonlight flickering along their spears, played upon their features
and made them ghastly; the chilly night wind tossed their tall and
hearse-like plumes. There they lay in wild confusion, with arms
outstretched and twisted limbs; their stern, stalwart forms looking
weird and unhuman in the moonlight.

"How many of these do you suppose will be alive at this time
to-morrow?" asked Sir Henry.

I shook my head and looked again at the sleeping men, and to my tired
and yet excited imagination it seemed as though Death had already
touched them. My mind's eye singled out those who were sealed to
slaughter, and there rushed in upon my heart a great sense of the
mystery of human life, and an overwhelming sorrow at its futility and
sadness. To-night these thousands slept their healthy sleep, to-morrow
they, and many others with them, ourselves perhaps among them, would be
stiffening in the cold; their wives would be widows, their children
fatherless, and their place know them no more for ever. Only the old
moon would shine on serenely, the night wind would stir the grasses,
and the wide earth would take its rest, even as it did aeons before we
were, and will do aeons after we have been forgotten.

Yet man dies not whilst the world, at once his mother and his monument,
remains. His name is lost, indeed, but the breath he breathed still
stirs the pine-tops on the mountains, the sound of the words he spoke
yet echoes on through space; the thoughts his brain gave birth to we
have inherited to-day; his passions are our cause of life; the joys and
sorrows that he knew are our familiar friends--the end from which he
fled aghast will surely overtake us also!

Truly the universe is full of ghosts, not sheeted churchyard spectres,
but the inextinguishable elements of individual life, which having once
been, can never _die_, though they blend and change, and change again
for ever.


All sorts of reflections of this nature passed through my mind--for as
I grow older I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems
to be getting a hold of me--while I stood and stared at those grim yet
fantastic lines of warriors, sleeping, as their saying goes, "upon
their spears."

"Curtis," I said, "I am in a condition of pitiable fear."

Sir Henry stroked his yellow beard and laughed, as he answered--

"I have heard you make that sort of remark before, Quatermain."

"Well, I mean it now. Do you know, I very much doubt if one of us will
be alive to-morrow night. We shall be attacked in overwhelming force,
and it is quite a chance if we can hold this place."

"We'll give a good account of some of them, at any rate. Look here,
Quatermain, this business is nasty, and one with which, properly
speaking, we ought not to be mixed up, but we are in for it, so we must
make the best of our job. Speaking personally, I had rather be killed
fighting than any other way, and now that there seems little chance of
our finding my poor brother, it makes the idea easier to me. But
fortune favours the brave, and we may succeed. Anyway, the battle will
be awful, and having a reputation to keep up, we shall need to be in
the thick of the thing."

He made this last remark in a mournful voice, but there was a gleam in
his eye which belied its melancholy. I have an idea Sir Henry Curtis
actually likes fighting.

After this we went to sleep for a couple of hours or so.

Just about dawn we were awakened by Infadoos, who came to say that
great activity was to be observed in Loo, and that parties of the
king's skirmishers were driving in our outposts.

We rose and dressed ourselves for the fray, each putting on his chain
armour shirt, for which garments at the present juncture we felt
exceedingly thankful. Sir Henry went the whole length about the matter,
and dressed himself like a native warrior. "When you are in
Kukuanaland, do as the Kukuanas do," he remarked, as he drew the
shining steel over his broad breast, which it fitted like a glove. Nor
did he stop there. At his request Infadoos had provided him with a
complete set of native war uniform. Round his throat he fastened the
leopard-skin cloak of a commanding officer, on his brows he bound the
plume of black ostrich feathers worn only by generals of high rank, and
about his middle a magnificent moocha of white ox-tails. A pair of
sandals, a leglet of goat's hair, a heavy battle-axe with a
rhinoceros-horn handle, a round iron shield covered with white ox-hide,
and the regulation number of _tollas_, or throwing-knives, made up his
equipment, to which, however, he added his revolver. The dress was, no
doubt, a savage one, but I am bound to say that I seldom saw a finer
sight than Sir Henry Curtis presented in this guise. It showed off his
magnificent physique to the greatest advantage, and when Ignosi arrived
presently, arrayed in a similar costume, I thought to myself that I had
never before seen two such splendid men.

As for Good and myself, the armour did not suit us nearly so well. To
begin with, Good insisted upon keeping on his new-found trousers, and a
stout, short gentleman with an eye-glass, and one half of his face
shaved, arrayed in a mail shirt, carefully tucked into a very seedy
pair of corduroys, looks more remarkable than imposing. In my case, the
chain shirt being too big for me, I put it on over all my clothes,
which caused it to bulge in a somewhat ungainly fashion. I discarded my
trousers, however, retaining only my veldtschoons, having determined to
go into battle with bare legs, in order to be the lighter for running,
in case it became necessary to retire quickly. The mail coat, a spear,
a shield, that I did not know how to use, a couple of _tollas_, a
revolver, and a huge plume, which I pinned into the top of my shooting
hat, in order to give a bloodthirsty finish to my appearance, completed
my modest equipment. In addition to all these articles, of course we
had our rifles, but as ammunition was scarce, and as they would be
useless in case of a charge, we arranged that they should be carried
behind us by bearers.

When at length we had equipped ourselves, we swallowed some food
hastily, and then started out to see how things were going on. At one
point in the table-land of the mountain, there was a little koppie of
brown stone, which served the double purpose of head-quarters and of a
conning tower. Here we found Infadoos surrounded by his own regiment,
the Greys, which was undoubtedly the finest in the Kukuana army, and
the same that we had first seen at the outlying kraal. This regiment,
now three thousand five hundred strong, was being held in reserve, and
the men were lying down on the grass in companies, and watching the
king's forces creep out of Loo in long ant-like columns. There seemed
to be no end to the length of these columns--three in all, and each of
them numbering, as we judged, at least eleven or twelve thousand men.

As soon as they were clear of the town the regiments formed up. Then
one body marched off to the right, one to the left, and the third came
on slowly towards us.

"Ah," said Infadoos, "they are going to attack us on three sides at
once."

This seemed rather serious news, for our position on the top of the
mountain, which measured a mile and a half in circumference, being an
extended one, it was important to us to concentrate our comparatively
small defending force as much as possible. But since it was impossible
for us to dictate in what way we should be assailed, we had to make the
best of it, and accordingly sent orders to the various regiments to
prepare to receive the separate onslaughts.


[1] This cruel custom is not confined to the Kukuanas, but is by no
means uncommon amongst African tribes on the occasion of the outbreak
of war or any other important public event.--A.Q.



Chapters 11 and 12
After nearly two hours' waiting, Infadoos at last arrives with the potentially friendly tribal leaders. He asks Ignosi to show them the serpent tattoo, and Ignosi acquiesces. The leaders inspect the mark with no visible reaction. Ignosi then recounts his history to the men. Infadoos asks the men to judge and make a decision about whom they will support. The eldest of the leaders agrees with Infadoos that Twala's reign has brought great sorrow, but they are not yet ready to accept the legitimacy of Umbopa's claim to royal heritage. He asks that the white men who support Ignosi give them a sign with their "magic" to prove his legitimacy and the efficacy of their support. Captain Good consults his almanac and comes up with a plan--the next night is a lunar eclipse, so that is the sign they should offer. Sir Henry agrees, but Quatermain has some doubts about trusting into an almanac and the reliability of the schedule. Nonetheless, the men tell the leaders that they will blot out the moon on the next night. This will work well for a sign, they say, for the next night is the dance ceremony in which Twala chooses the fairest woman from among the young maidens and has her sacrificed. The leaders agree to accept this as proof of the white men's power and Ignosi's royalty. The white men then retire to rest. Before going to bed, Sir Henry takes Ignosi aside and asks that he promise to end the senseless murder of men and the deaths without trial he has seen under Twala's reign. Ignosi agrees that, insofar as it is in his power, he will do so. The men spend the next day receiving ceremonial visits and dining as they await the fateful night. When the sun sets, an emissary comes to bring the men to the "dance of girls." The men sit and watch the lovely young women dance before the gathered Kukuanas. Twala offers the white men their choice of the girls as brides, but Quatermain insists that whites only marry whites. Twala agrees that this is good, and then finds a way to insult Ignosi. Ignosi retorts that he could kill Twala before Twala made a move against him, a statement which annoys Twala but does not draw him out. Then Twala asks Quatermain which of the girls he things is fairest. Without thinking, Quatermain indicates one particular girl, who is immediately seized upon to be the sacrifice. Quatermain tries to undo his blunder, but Twala insists that the annual sacrifices are necessary to appease the stone images who reside in the Three Witches. Gagool approaches the girl and demands her name. Speechless with fear, the girl attempts to flee but is restrained by Scragga. He threatens her with his spear, and she gives in. She says her name is Foulata and asks Gagool why she must die so young. Gagool reminds her that she is to be sacrificed to the spirits of the three distant peaks. Foulata then beseeches Captain Good to free her from this fate. As she grips his knees in petition, Sir Henry urges Quatermain to make his move. Unfortunately, Quatermain has seen no change in the moon and fears the sign will prove false. Realizing that Foulata will be killed before them if he does nothing, Quatermain demands of Twala that she be set free. Twala resents Quatermain's tone and calls his guards to seize the men. Good, Sir Henry, and Ignosi raise their rifles in readiness to defend themselves. Quatermain declares that if any Kukuana takes a single step toward the white men, he will put out the moon. Gagool mocks his claim, but Quatermain has seen a shadow begin to blur the edges of the moon and presses forward. He stretches out his hand and quotes some lines from The Ingoldsby Legends in a somber tone. Sir Henry and Captain Good follow suit; the former quotes passages from the Old Testament while the latter uses the oldest swear words he can muster. As the men chant, the shadow extends further over the moon. The Kukuanas respond in fear. Gagool attempts to play the vent off as a natural occurrence, but no one listens to her. The men keep up their improvised ritual, convincing the Kakuanas that they are responsible for the darkening of the moon. Scragga cries out that they are killing the moon and makes a desperate attack on Sir Henry. Scragga's spear bounces off of Sir Henry's mail shirt, and before Scragga can recover his balance with the weapon Sir Henry grabs it and runs the princeling through with his own weapon. Terror seizes the rest as the darkness increases, sending them all fleeing to their homes. Only Quatermain's companions and the friendly chiefs remain. They agree to rendezvous at a safe place to discuss their upcoming strategy against Twala. Following their escape under cover of the darkened moon, Ignosi, Quatermain, and the others journey far away from Loo to a pre-arranged meeting site. After an hour and a half the eclipse begins to pass, allowing the reflected light to illuminate the landscape. They surmount a large, flat-topped hill which serves as their base camp. Usually garrisoned by three thousand men, the camp is now populated by many more soldiers willing to cast their lot with Ignosi. When they reach the center of the campground, the white men are presented with their belongings; Good is at long last given his trousers and, despite Infadoos' protests, immediately puts them on. That morning, the soldiers are mustered to hear the tale of Ignosi. Infadoos recounts the story already told to him, reminding the Kukuanas also of the evil Twala has brought to the land. Infadoos elaborates on the events, casting Sir Henry, Captain Good, and Quatermain in the role of magical men from the stars who saw the suffering of Kukuanaland and brought Ignosi out of exile for the purpose of ending that suffering. Then Ignosi takes the center and exhorts the assembly to join him in deposing Twala--he urges them to be men and stand with him, and he himself will willingly give his own life for them if necessary. He promises them oxen and wives in exchange for their loyalty, then goes on to guarantee that under his reign, random bloodshed will cease in the land. The assembled chiefs give their assent, so Ignosi concludes by drawing their attention to the preparations Twala is making in the distance. He says the day of battle will be their test of loyalty, and that any man who fights will not be forgotten when the spoils are divided. At his pause, the chiefs salute Ignosi with their word of reverence, "koom," to demonstrate their acceptance of his leadership. The men then prepare for the upcoming battle. They learn that Twala is massing a great army, which will only get larger as time passes. They do not expect an attack until at least the next day, in order both to prepare for war and to diffuse the sense of awe Twala's men would feel about the white men and their moon-darkening magic. Ignosi's camp sets about making defensive improvements, including amassing boulders to be rolled or thrown down the hill at the enemy. Before sunset, a messenger arrives from Twala to offer Ignosi and his people an opportunity to surrender. Quatermain asks Twala's terms, and is told that Twala will be "merciful" and only kill one-tenth of the disloyal soldiers; however, he demands the lives of Sir Henry, who murdered Scragga, and Ignosi, the "pretender" to his throne, as a certain price. Quatermain consults with the others, then answers the messenger that they refuse his terms, and that Twala himself will be dead within two days. He threatens the messenger with harm if he does not depart immediately, but the messenger appears to be unmoved by these harsh words. The messenger leaves just as the sun sets. Quatermain takes Sir Henry aside to confide in him his fears. Sir Henry agrees that things look hopeless, but he is determined to rise to the challenge. Quatermain gets the impression that Sir Henry actually enjoys combat. The next morning, everyone arises and prepares for battle. Sir Henry goes so far as to dress in full warrior regalia and chooses the battle-axe as his weapon. Infadoos, Ignosi, and Quatermain look toward Loo to evaluate Twala's forces. Thousands of warriors stream forth from the city and arrange themselves in three regiments, indicating that they plan to attack Ignosi on three fronts. Ignosi gives orders to prepare the defense.
Of interest is Quatermain's insistence that "we white men wed only with white women like ourselves" .  Ostensibly a segregationist mentality, Quatermain uses it as a pretext to keep the men from choosing Kukuana maidens for wives.  Quatermain notes that Good himself is most susceptible, "like most sailors," and that in any event "women bring trouble as surely as the night follows the day" .  Ironically, Quatermain uses a racist pretext in order to address a sexist mentality. The sacrifice of the young women highlights both the differences between the white "civilized" culture and the Kukuanas "savage" culture and the Old Crone archetype filled by Gagool.  The "witch hunt" has already demonstrated the bloodthirsty cruelty in which Twala will engage to hold onto his power; now the sacrifice of innocent young maidens shows the reader how anti-life their culture has become under Twala's rule.  Falouta calls upon the mercy of the white men--particularly Good--to save her from the evil of her own people.  It is only through the device of the eclipse that the white men are able to oppose this tribal tradition and remain alive. Gagool is demonstrably and agent of destruction:  particularly the destruction of youth and beauty.  She acts as the wicked step-mother in many fairy tales, jealously holding on to her own influence over the patriarch  while urging the death of youth, virility, and beauty .  As Virginia Brackett notes, "The book's blood-curdling villain is a hideous old wise-woman, religious-leader miscreant named Gagoo, a name that suggests 'gargoyle,' a mythical monster, which in various hideous faces and shapes decorated Europe's houses of worship and wisdom" .  Falouta is introduced here as a contrast to Gagool, and as will be shown later she is Gagool's foil--whereas Gagool seeks to destroy the white men and keep her secret knowledge, Falouta offers them aid and brings information. The device of the almanac and the eclipse is not new to Haggard, although it was not commonly used so much before his time as after.  The superiority of European science over savage superstition is again reinforced, this time on a more cosmic level.  Firearms are one thing; being able to "command" the sun and moon place the white men firmly in the position of gods.  Not only is European post-industrial revolution science superior to the savages of Africa; it is also capable of giving the white men mastery over the cosmos. Perhaps the most heroically-toned of all the chapters, Chapter 12 sets the scene for the upcoming battle and early climax for the novel.  Both sides are described in admiring terms, with even Twala in his cruelty able to amass a great army of superior numbers to Ignosi's.  The terms offered suggest that a peaceful resolution might be sought by both sides, but Twala's price is too high--not only ten percent of the "rebellious" soldiers, but also the lives of Sir Henry and Ignosi.  Twala demonstrates craftiness in his delay to enter into combat so soon after the white men have demonstrated their apparent power over the moon.  For all his evil, Twala is a clever leader and a man unswayed by white men's knowledge. The demand for Sir Henry to be delivered over to Twala for his murder of the false king's son also lends some pathos to Twala's character.  Although it is certainly a plan to avenge himself on the man who has cut short his line, Twala's demand also forces the reader to see Twala as a father--a father wronged in much the same way as Twala wronged Ignosi's father and his own brother, but a paternal figure nonetheless.  This positive characterization further contrasts Twala with his advisor , Gagool; by extension, it shows Haggard's  more forgiving attitude toward men of any color than to women. Sir Henry Curtis, the most heroic of all the characters in the novel, seems to "go native."  As Quatermain relates, "Sir Henry wen the whole length about the matter...Round his throat he fastened a leopardskin cloak of a commanding officer, on his brows he bound the plume of black ostrich feathers, worn only by generals of high rank, and round his centre a magnificent moocha of white ox-tails.  A pair of sandals, a leglet of goats' hair, a heavy battle-axe, with a rhinoceros-horn handle, a round iron shield, covered with white ox-hide, and the regulation number of tollas, or throwing knives, made up his equipment...The dress was, no doubt, a savage one, but I am bound to say I never saw a finer sight than Sir Henry Curtis presented in this guise" .  Note that Quatermain's admiration if Sir Henry is in spite of his "savage" attire, and that to Quatermain, a white man in Kukuana war-garb is a finer sight than the Kukuanas themselves similarly attired. The overall tone of the chapter echoes that of The Iliad and similar epics involving the confrontation of two great armies.  As in The Iliad, the reader is encouraged to see the nobility, bravery, and strength of the antagonist and some of the flaws of those on the side of the protagonist.  Quatermain--like the reluctant draftee Odysseus--is frustrated that he will die in battle, but nonetheless dedicates himself to the strategy.