Shortly after this abortive attempt we debated our position with earnestness and came to a certain conclusion, of which I will speak in its place.

If I remember right it was on this same night of our debate, after Harut’s return from the mountain, that the first incident of interest happened.  There were two rooms in our house divided by a partition which ran almost up to the roof.  In the left-hand room slept Ragnall and Savage, and in that to the right Hans and I. Just at the breaking of dawn I was awakened by hearing some agitated conversation between Savage and his master.  A minute later they both entered my sleeping place, and I saw in the faint light that Ragnall looked very disturbed and Savage very frightened.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“We have seen my wife,” answered Ragnall.

I stared at him and he went on: 

“Savage woke me by saying that there was someone in the room.  I sat up and looked and, as I live, Quatermain, standing gazing at me in such a position that the light of dawn from the window-place fell upon her, was my wife.”

“How was she dressed?” I asked at once.

“In a kind of white robe cut rather low, with her hair loose hanging to her waist, but carefully combed and held outspread by what appeared to be a bent piece of ivory about a foot and a half long, to which it was fastened by a thread of gold.”

“Is that all?”

“No.  Upon her breast was that necklace of red stones with the little image hanging from its centre which those rascals gave her and she always wore.”

“Anything more?”

“Yes.  In her arms she carried what looked like a veiled child.  It was so still that I think it must have been dead.”

“Well.  What happened?”

“I was so overcome I could not speak, and she stood gazing at me with wide-opened eyes, looking more beautiful than I can tell you.  She never stirred, and her lips never moved—­that I will swear.  And yet both of us heard her say, very low but quite clearly:  ’The mountain, George!  Don’t desert me.  Seek me on the mountain, my dear, my husband.’”

“Well, what next?”

“I sprang up and she was gone.  That’s all.”

“Now tell me what you saw and heard, Savage.”

“What his lordship saw and heard, Mr. Quatermain, neither more nor less.  Except that I was awake, having had one of my bad dreams about snakes, and saw her come through the door.”

“Through the door!  Was it open then?”

“No, sir, it was shut and bolted.  She just came through it as if it wasn’t there.  Then I called to his lordship after she had been looking at him for half a minute or so, for I couldn’t speak at first.  There’s one more thing, or rather two.  On her head was a little cap that looked as though it had been made from the skin of a bird, with a gold snake rising up in front, which snake was the first thing I caught sight of, as of course it would be, sir.  Also the dress she wore was so thin that through it I could see her shape and the sandals on her feet, which were fastened at the instep with studs of gold.”