All that day Alan had been in her company, answering her endless questions about his past, the lands that he had visited, and especially the women that he had known.  He had the tact to tell her that none of these were half so beautiful as she was, which was true in a sense and pleased her very much, for in whatever respects she differed from them, in common with the rest of her sex she loved a compliment.  Emboldened by her good humour, he had ventured to suggest that being rested and having restored Little Bonsa, he would be glad to return with her gifts to his own country.  Next instant he was sorry, for as soon as she understood his meaning she grew almost white with rage.

“What!” she said; “you desire to leave me?  Know, Vernoon, that I will see you dead first and myself also, for then we shall be born again together and can never more be separated.”

Nor was this all, for she burst into weeping, threw her arms about him, drew him to her, kissed him on the forehead, and then thrust him away, saying: 

“Curses on the priests’ law that makes us wait so long, and curses on that Mungana who will not die and may not be killed.  Well, he shall pay for it and within two months, Vernoon, oh! within two months——­” and she stretched out her arms with a gesture of infinite passion, then turned and left him.

“My!” said Jeekie afterwards, for he had watched all this scene open-mouthed, “my! but she mean business.  Mrs. Jeekie never kiss me like that, nor any other female either.  She dead nuts on you, Major.  Very great compliment!  ’Spect when you Mungana, she keep you alive a long time, four or five years perhaps, if no other white man come this way.  Pity you can’t take it on a bit, Major,” he added insidiously, “because then she grow careless and make you chief and we get chance scoop out that gold house and bolt with bally lot.  Miss Barbara sensible woman, when she see all that cash she not mind, she say ’Bravo, old boy, quite right spoil Lady Potiphar in land of bondage, but Jeekie must have ten per cent. because he show you how do it.’”

Alan was so depressed, and indeed terrified by this demonstration on the part of his fearful hostess, that he could neither laugh at Jeekie, nor swear at him.  He only sat still and groaned, feeling that bad as things were they were bound to become worse.

Above the perpetual booming of the death drums rose a sound of wild music.  The door burst open, and through it came a number of priests, their nearly naked bodies hideously painted and on their heads the most devilish-looking masks.  Some of them clashed cymbals, some blew horns and some beat little drums all to time which was given to them by a bandmaster with a golden rod.  In front of them with painted face and decked in his gorgeous apparel, walked the Mungana himself.

“They come to take us to Bonsa worship,” explained Jeekie.  “Cheer up, Major, very exciting business, no go to sleep there, as in English church.  See the god all time and no sermon.”