"Confound the old woman!" put in Leonard with a shiver. "She is a black
Jonah, and if I have to go inside this snake I hope that it will be a
case of ladies first, that is all."

"I am sure I don't know what has happened to Soa," said Juanna. "Her
native air has a very bad effect upon her temper."

"Well, the future must look after itself," answered Leonard, "snake or
no snake. At present we must follow our luck. Otter, listen to me. Do
you understand that you are a god, the god of this people?"

"The god, Baas? What is a god?"

"Have I not told you, thickhead? You are not a man any more, you are a
spirit. Once, so it seems, you ruled this people in the past, and now
you will rule them again. You and the Shepherdess are both gods. She is
your mother and you are her child."

"Yes, Baas, no doubt; but once I had another mother, a much uglier one."

"Otter, cease to talk folly, else when you are no more a god I will
beat you. Now you are a god, and we are all your servants, except the
Shepherdess. When you speak to us you must speak roughly, like a great
chief to the lowest of his people, calling us dogs and slaves. If you
name me 'Baas' in public, I will beat you privately when you are no more
a god. You will do best to speak little or not at all, so that none can
take hold of your words, which are always foolish."

"If you say that I am a god, Baas, it is enough, for doubtless you have
met the gods and know their ways, though it is strange that none have