登陆注册
16243400000033

第33章 WE ENTER KUKUANALAND(4)

"Enter,sons of the stars,"he.said,in a magniloquent voice,"and deign to rest awhile in our humble habitations.A little food shall be brought to you,so that ye shall have no need to draw your belts tight from hunger;some honey and some milk,and an ox or two,and a few sheep;not much,my lords,but still a little food.""It is good,"said I,"Infadoos,we are weary with travelling through realms of air;now let us rest."Accordingly we entered into the hut,which we found amply prepared for our comfort.Couches of tanned skins were spread for us to rest on,and water was placed for us to wash in.

Presently we heard a shouting outside,and,stepping to the door,saw a line of damsels bearing milk and roasted mealies and honey in a pot.

Behind these were some youths driving a fat young ox.We received the gifts,and then one of the young men took the knife from his girdle and dexterously cut the ox's throat.In ten minutes it was dead,skinned,and cut up.The best of the meat was then cut off for us,and the rest I,in the name of our party,presented to the warriors round us,who took it off and distributed the "white men's gift."Umbopa set to work,with the assistance of an extremely prepossessing young woman,to boil our portion in a huge earthenware pot over a fire which was built outside the hut,and when it was nearly ready we sent a message to Infadoos,and asked him,and Scragga the king's son,to join us.

Presently they came,and,sitting down upon little stools,of which there were several about the hut (for the Kukuanas do not in general squat upon their haunches like the Zulus),helped us to get through our dinner.The old gentleman was most affable and polite,but it struck us that the young one regarded us with suspicion.He had,together with the rest of the party,been overawed by our white appearance and by our magic properties;but it seemed to me that on discovering that we ate,drank,and slept like other mortals,his awe was beginning to wear off and be replaced by a sullen suspicion,which made us feel rather uncomfortable.

In the course of our meal Sir Henry suggested to me that it might be well to try and discover if our hosts knew anything of his brother's fate,or if they had ever seen or heard of him;but,on the whole,I thought that it would be wiser to say nothing of the matter at that time.

After supper we filled our pipes and lit them;a proceeding which filled Infadoos and Scragga with astonishment.The Kukuanas were evidently unacquainted with the divine uses of tobacco-smoke.The herb was grown among them extensively;but,like the Zulus,they only used it for snuff,and quite failed to identify it in its new form.

Presently I asked Infadoos when we were to proceed on our journey,and was delighted to learn that preparations had been made for us to leave on the following morning,messengers having already left to inform Twala,the king,of our coming.It appeared that Twala was at his principal place,known as Loo,making ready for the great annual feast which was held in the first week of June.At this gathering all the regiments,with the exception of certain detachments left behind for garrison purposes,were brought up and paraded before the king,and the great annual witch-hunt,of which more by and by,was held.

We were to start at dawn;and Infadoos,who was to accompany us,expected that we should,unless we were detained by accident or by swollen rivers,reach Loo on the night of the second day.

When they had given us this information our visitors bade us good-night;and,having arranged to watch turn and turn about,three of us flung ourselves down and slept the sweet sleep of the weary,while the fourth sat up on the lookout for possible treachery.

同类推荐
  • 骗经

    骗经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 念诵结护法普通诸部

    念诵结护法普通诸部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 都公谭纂

    都公谭纂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 正一法服天师教戒科经

    正一法服天师教戒科经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 李文节集

    李文节集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 薄荷花开的季节

    薄荷花开的季节

    薄荷花开,空气中弥漫着沁人的薄荷香……时而文静,时而风风火火……她经历了多少喜怒哀乐,悲欢离合,最后真正陪她走下来的只有两个人……大学的生活往往是我们经常遐想连篇的,当他真正开始的时候,又发现是那么的不一样……
  • 时寒午枫

    时寒午枫

    周殷在心里暗自为自己抹了把冷汗,心想还是要小心点啊…就是没人会注意到这里头的古怪,自己也没法绷得住不是…
  • 仙法武缘

    仙法武缘

    万界最后一位仙灵后裔,转生下界低武世界,当仙法结合武学会产生怎样的一段故事呢。爱恨情仇不可或缺,兄弟情义尽皆有尔,就让我们随主角一起踏苍穹,碎星辰
  • 别把青春当做无所谓

    别把青春当做无所谓

    北京,这个纸醉金迷的城市,在这个城市里,有太多太多的美女,又有着太多太多的暴发户,数不清的各种富二代以及官二代,总之,这座城市卧虎藏龙,有太多太多的诱惑。而北京的夜总会,总是吸引着太多的达官贵族,夜场的女人,有猜忌,有嫉妒,机关算尽,只为了赢取那份虚假的真心,同时,也有互帮互助,总之,不管怎样,这里有太多令人不为人知的故事。
  • EXO之不良之恋

    EXO之不良之恋

    我们总是错过,错过属于我们的真爱,在这肮脏的世界里,想找到一个真心对你的人真的不容易。如果你爱我的放荡不羁,就别再让我自暴自弃。记得你那天捧着木槿花,来到我的墓前,哭了好久好久,你走后,他抱着Aikou也来到了这里,他在我的墓前守了一夜,哭得不成样子。“别走!”“好,我不走。”“你走啊,走得越远越好,别让我看见你。”
  • 剑魂苍生

    剑魂苍生

    本书为《绝杀飘雪》第三部曲,欲知更详尽故事情节,尽在《绝杀飘雪》
  • 仙踪异游记

    仙踪异游记

    昊寒空来到异界,这里一切都比地球的小,唯独没有变化的是自己的体力和力量。一拳可以打翻一棵树(其实就是一棵草),一跃可以奔向蓝天。各种种族在这里演绎纷争,看主角如何在这片神奇的大陆畅游。在这里区分实力的标志就是眉心的竖纹,从一至九纹,十为封顶(太阳纹)。
  • 超级人品系统

    超级人品系统

    高考前一百天,兄弟的背叛,女朋友的抛弃,还被查出了癌症晚期,原本已经选择死亡的伊昊任居然意外得到了人品系统,背叛?抛弃?死亡?不不不,作为拥有系统的男人这一切的一切肯定都可以远离了,什么?千亿分之一的概率抽到长生不老?万亿分之一的概率抽到传奇功夫?亿分之一的概率抽到一千亿?丫的,这人品系统是不是在逗我呀?
  • 从不后悔因为爱过

    从不后悔因为爱过

    他们本来只是彼此生命中的一个过客一次偶遇邂逅了他们之间的爱情历经艰险能否绽放爱情的花蕾!
  • 梦的远方,比远方更远

    梦的远方,比远方更远

    即使上天只给了你一双折翼的翅膀,但你要相信不顾外在状况的残缺,默默的向着心之所向去努力,你会发现这双翅膀的残缺美,你依旧可以飞向属于自己的蓝天。