suspiciously, "seeing that he is such a friend of yours."

"He didn't do it, Hans. These snakes are very fierce and give battle,
that is all."

Hans paid no attention to my remark, which probably he thought only
worthy of a white man who does not understand, but rolled his yellow,
bloodshot eyes about, as though in search of explanations. Presently
they fell upon the ivory that hung about my neck, and he started.

"Why do you wear that pretty likeness of the Great One yonder over your
heart, as I have known you do with things that belonged to women in
past days, Baas? Do you know that it is Zikali's Great Medicine, nothing
less, as everyone does throughout the land? When Zikali sends an order
far away, he always sends that image with it, for then he who receives
the order knows that he must obey or die. Also the messenger knows that
he will come to no harm if he does not take it off, because, Baas, the
image is Zikali himself, and Zikali is the image. They are one and the
same. Also it is the image of his father's father's father--or so he
says."

"That is an odd story," I said.

Then I told Hans as much as I thought advisable of how this horrid
little talisman came into my possession.

Hans nodded without showing any surprise.

"So we are going on a long journey," he said. "Well, I thought it was
time that we did something more than wander about these tame countries