The Ivory Child by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard
page 116 of 375 (30%)
page 116 of 375 (30%)
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was to be expected at this season of the year. I did not hear it for, as
a matter of fact, I slept very soundly, as it appears did everyone else upon the dahabeeyah, including the sentry as I suspect. "The first thing I remember was the appearance of Lady Longden just at daybreak at the doorway of my cabin and the frightened sound of her voice asking if Luna, that is my wife, was with me. Then it transpired that she had left her cabin clad in a fur cloak, evidently some time before, as the bed in which she had been lying was quite cold. Quatermain, we searched everywhere; we searched for four days, but from that hour to this no trace whatever of her has been found." "Have you any theory?" I asked. "Yes, or at least all the experts whom we consulted have a theory. It is that she slipped down the saloon in the dark, gained the deck and thence fell or threw herself into the Nile, which of course would have carried her body away. As you may have heard, the Nile is full of bodies. I myself saw two of them during that journey. The Egyptian police and others were so convinced that this was what had happened that, notwithstanding the reward of a thousand pounds which I offered for any valuable information, they could scarcely be persuaded to continue the search." "You said that a wind was blowing and I understand that the shores are sandy, so I suppose that all footprints would have been filled in?" He nodded and I went on. "What is your own belief? Do you think she was drowned?" |
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