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And a man can make any journey on this earth if his heart wants it enough. What do you know about those mountains? There is a strange land over there, a land of witches and beautiful things, a land of brave people and of trees, and streams, and snow mountains, and a great white road. I have heard of it. We took with us five rifles, three revolvers, five water-bottles, six pounds of sun-dried meat, our knives, some medicine, some matches and a few other things.

Three men from the village agreed to come with us for the first eighteen miles, carrying large pots of water. Then we could fill our water-bottles again after. We started in the cool of the evening. Our only guides were the mountains and old Jose da Silvestra's map. If we failed to find the 'pool of bad water' that his map showed in the middle of the desert, we would probably die of thirst. We marched as silently as shadows through the night and in the heavy sand.

It was very quiet and we felt alone. At last daylight came and about an hour later we saw some rocks. The large shadow of one big piece of rock hung over the sand, and it allowed us to escape from the heat of the sun.

We drank some water and ate a piece of dried meat. Then we lay down and were soon asleep. It was three o'clock in the afternoon before we woke.

The water-carriers were preparing to return home; they had seen enough of the desert already. So we drank, filled our water-bottles and then watched them leave. At half-past four we also started.

At sunset we stopped and waited for the moon. Then we marched through the night until the sun came up. We drank a little, and lay down on the sand to sleep.

There was no escape from the heat of the sun. I do not know how we lived through the day. At three we began to move forward again. At sunset we rested and got more sleep. When the moon came up, we marched again. We were suffering terribly from thirst. We did not have the strength to speak. At two o'clock we stopped near a little hill and drank our last water. Then we lay down.

I heard Umbopa say to himself,' If we cannot find water, we will all be dead before the moon appears tomorrow. The others were just beginning to wake. No one seemed interested in this. It was clear that we could not be very sure of the map. I saw Ventvogel walking about. Then he lifted his nose and seemed to smell the air. Just then, the sun came up.

There, not more than fifty miles away, we saw Sheba's Breasts. The great Suliman Mountains stretched away for hundreds of miles on each side of them. Sir Henry stroked his yellow beard thoughtfully. We climbed up the sandy sides of the little hill - and there, in a deep hole, was water! It was black and did not look very clean, but it was water. We drank and drank, then we took off our clothes and sat down in it. We stayed on the hill all day, waiting for the sun to go down. Then we drank again, filled our water-bottles, and started to walk.

Our water was finished again when we reached the foot of the mountain, but by good fortune we found some fruit. As we climbed, we suffered terribly during the nights from cold. We had little strength now, and no food. On 23rd May, we climbed slowly up through the snow, lying down sometimes to rest. At sunset we were just below Sheba's left breast. And if we do not find it before dark, we are dead men.

Then Umbopa stopped. He pointed at a hole in the snow. We could not sleep; the cold was too terrible. At last the air began to grow grey with light. The sun looked in on our halffrozen bodies and also on Ventvogel, who was sitting there dead among us. Shocked, we stood up and moved away from his dead body. Then I heard a cry of fear from somebody, and turned my head. Sitting at the end of the cave, there was another body.

The head rested on its chest, and the long arms hung down. I stared at it. It too was a dead man and a white man. The body was completely frozen. He is frozen hard. Look, here is the piece of bone that he drew the map with. We left those two, da Silvestra and poor Ventvogel, and crept out of the cave into the sunshine.

How many hours would it be before we were like them? Chapter 5 Solomon's Road We walked to the edge of the mountain. The clouds had cleared a little. Below us, where the snow ended, we saw some green grass and a stream. A group of large deer stood by the stream. There was plenty of food if we could get it. Sir Henry, Good and I aimed very carefully. As the smoke cleared away, we saw a great animal lying on its back. But then we had a problem. There was no wood for a fire to cook the meat on.

We looked at each other. So we ate, and our life and strength seemed to return. We began to look around. About 6, feet below us lay a great area of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. There was a thick forest, and a great silver river. To the left we could see hundreds of cattle on rich grassland. To the right were hills, with fields between them.

We sat and gazed in silence at this wonderful view. Then Sir Henry spoke. It was a fine road, cut out of the rock, at least fifty feet wide.

We found a way down to it and began to march along it. At midday we came to a wood and a small stream. We had a meal and rested. After some time I noticed that Good was not there, but then I saw him sitting by the bank of the stream.

He had only his shirt on. He was brushing his clothes, shaking his head sadly at the state of them. He cleaned his shoes, and then began to brush his hair. Suddenly I saw a shining light pass by his head.

Good and I jumped up with a shout. A group of men had come from among the trees. They were very tall. Some of them wore black feathers on their heads and had short coats of skins. A young man of about seventeen had thrown the spear. As I looked, an old man stepped forward, caught the young one's arm, and said something to him. Then they came towards us.

Sir Henry, Good and Umbopa picked up their rifles, but the men continued walking. Perhaps they did not know what rifles were. Walking forward, I spoke to the old man. I did not know what language I should use. To my surprise, I was understood. We discovered later that these people spoke a very old form of Zulu. His face was very similar to the faces of the men in front of us. But your lies are not important. No strangers can live in the land of the Kukuanas.

It is the king's law. You must die, strangers. When he was anxious, he often put his hand to his false teeth, pulled down the top teeth and let them fly back into place. Fortunately, he did this now. The Kukuanas shouted in terror and ran back a little 6. The men came forward slowly interested, but afraid. He showed a mouth that was as toothless as a new-born baby's. Good passed his hand across his mouth, then he opened his lips and there were his teeth again.

Pardon us, my lords. We come from the biggest star that shines at night. Now, what should we do to the man who threw a spear? The old man smiled. I pointed the rifle at the deer.

It was a small animal, and quite far away. I knew that I must not miss it. I took a deep breath and fired the gun. The deer jumped into the air and fell dead. There was a cry of terror from the group of men. One of the men left, and returned with the deer. I had hit it in the right place, just behind the shoulder. They all looked at the hole in the poor animal's body. I am Infadoos, son of Kafa, who was once king of the Kukuana people. This young man is Scragga, son of Twala, the great king, lord of the Kukuanas, keeper of the Great Road, terror of his enemies, leader of a hundred.

He then turned and spoke to his followers. They carried all our things except the rifles, which they were afraid of.

Nobody knows how or when not even the wise woman, Gagool, who has lived for hundreds of years. It is our custom that, when two sons are born at the same time, the weaker must die. The king, years ago, had two sons born together.

Kafa was stronger. Everyone thought that Twala, the weaker son, was dead. Kafa became king. When he died, his oldest son, Imotu, was made king. But Gagool, the wise and terrible woman, had hidden Twala and now she brought him out.

Twala killed Imotu, but Imotu's wife escaped with her baby, Ignosi. Nobody has seen her. The eldest son of the king is marked at birth by a great snake round his waist. We know him by that. If he is alive, he is king - but he must be dead. A message had gone ahead of us. In the early afternoon we reached a village. As we came to it we saw large groups of soldiers marching out from its gates. They ran quickly up the hill towards us with shining spears and waving feathers, and made a line on each side of the road.

Then, when we came closer, the royal greeting' Koom! These men were known as the Greys, from the colour of their shields. They were the finest soldiers of the Kukuana nation, and Infadoos was their leader. As we passed, the Greys followed us.

They marched with a regular step that shook the ground. At sunset, from the top of some hills, we saw the city of Loo, capital of Kukuanaland.

It was a very large place, five miles round. Near it was a hill with a strange shape, like a half-moon. A hundred miles beyond it stood three mountains. Their tops were sharp, unlike the round tops of Sheba's Breasts, and there was snow on them. Infadoos saw us looking at these mountains and said, 'The road ends there.

The mountains are full of caves. There the wise men of old time used to go. There our dead kings are now taken to the Place of Death. Infadoos spoke, and we passed through into the main street. He led us past lines of huts to the gate of a group of huts. We were glad to eat and then sleep; we were very tired after our long journey.

When we woke, the sun was high in the heavens. Infadoos told us that Twala the king was ready to see us. We took a rifle and some presents for the king and walked a short distance to a very large square. It was filled by seven or eight thousand soldiers. The space in front of a large hut was empty, but facing it there were several seats.

At a sign from Infadoos, we sat down. At last the door of the hut opened and a huge man stepped out, followed by the boy, Scragga, and a kind of animal in a hairy coat. The king sat down and Scragga stood behind him.

The animal crept into the shadow of the hut. There was silence. Then the king stood up. He had the most frightening face that we had ever seen. He had one angry black eye. The other eye had gone and there was only a hole in his face where it had been. It was a very cruel face, bad in every way. Around his head were a number of white feathers.

His body was covered with shining armour. In his right hand was a large spear. On his forehead shone a huge diamond. Still there was silence, but not for long. The king held up the great spear in his hand and eight thousand spears were lifted in answer. From eight thousand throats came the royal cry of Koom. There was silence again, then it was broken. A soldier on our left dropped his shield. Twala turned his cold eye in the direction of the noise.

A young man stepped out and stood in front of him. Scragga, kill this dog for me. He waved the spear once, twice, and then struck. The young soldier threw up his hands and dropped dead. Four men carried away the body of the murdered man. Sir Henry was red with anger. Twala sat silently until the body had been carried away. Then he said,' White people, where have you come from, and what do you want?

Why should we not kill you? Kill one of those men over there for me. But bring a cow in through the gates and I will strike it dead. We want to show that I am not the only one. There was a pause. Then we saw a cow coming through the gate. It saw the great crowd of people and it stopped. There was a sharp sound, and the animal lay dead.

A whisper of surprise spread through the crowd. Then I saw the animal-like figure creeping out from the shadow of the hut. When it reached the place where the king sat, I saw its face.

It was the face of a very old woman, covered with deep yellow lines. This was Gagool, the witch, who was older than anybody's living memory. She placed her hand on the shoulder of Twala the king and began to speak:' Listen, King!

Listen, soldiers! Listen, men and women! There is magic in me, and I tell you what will come. Rivers of blood everywhere. I am old! Your fathers knew me, and their fathers' fathers. I have seen blood. But I will see more before I die. Have you come for white stones? You will find them when the blood is dry. But will you then go away, or will you stay with me?

I think I know. I think I can smell the blood in your heart. Take off that cloth' She suddenly fell, fainting, to the ground. The king stood up and waved his hand. The soldiers began to march away. Gagool has spoken strange words. We are not easy to kill. You must see it.

Tomorrow I will decide. Chapter 7 The Witches I asked Infadoos to enter our hut with us. He does cruel things, and the land cries out. Tonight you will see. The witches will choose people and they will die. If the king wants to take a man's cattle or his wife, or if he fears a man, that man will die. Gagool or the other witches will find him.

The land is tired of Twala and his bloody ways. The heart of Scragga is blacker than the heart of Twala his father. When Imotu was killed, and then Ignosi his son died, all hope died with them. The mother and the boy did not die. They crossed the mountains and were led by desert-men across the sands, until they came to water and trees again. Look, I will show you, uncle.

Infadoos looked with open eyes, then fell on his knees. It is the king. I am not yet king, but with your help, and with the help of my brave white friends, I shall be. But the old witch Gagool was right. There will be rivers of blood, and her blood must join it, if she has any.

She killed my father with her words and pushed my mother away. Now, Infadoos, choose. Will you be my man? Then he took his hand. When you were a baby I played with you on my knees. Now my old arm will strike for you and we will free the land.

What can I offer you? The white stones? If I win and can find them, you can have as many as you can carry away. Is that enough? But I support my friends and I will support you. I do need money, so I shall accept your offer of those diamonds. Now tell me how do you intend to become king?

When the dance ends, I will speak to some of the great chiefs. I will bring them here and show them that you are the real king. I think that by tomorrow you will have 20, spears at your command. Three men entered the hut.

Each man carried a shining shirt of chain armour and a fine battleaxe, gifts from the king. That night, when the full moon shone, Infadoos arrived in armour with a guard of twenty men. He asked us to put on the shirts of chain armour under our other clothes. We took our revolvers to the dance. The great square was filled with about 20, men. Not a sound came from them. I told him. I hope not.

But you must not seem afraid. If you live through the night, you may live. The soldiers are murmuring against the king. Strange and terrible figures ran towards us. They were old women. Their white hair flew out behind them as they ran. Their faces were painted with lines of white and yellow, and each woman held a bent stick in her hand. They stopped in front of Gagool and cried,' Old Mother, we are here.

The killers' spears are sharp. We could not watch them all, so we fixed our eyes on the witch who was nearest to us. When she came near the soldiers, she began to dance wildly, turning round and round, and crying,' I can smell 9. Then with an angry cry she touched a tall soldier with her stick.

The two men next to him held the unhappy man, and moved with him towards the king. Two of the killers stepped forward to meet him. Almost before the words were spoken, the terrible thing was done. Another poor fellow was brought out almost immediately after this, and so the game of death continued. Once we stood up and tried to stop it, but Twala refused to listen. At last the witches seemed to become tired of their bloody work, but they had not finished.

To our surprise, Gagool stood up and moved forward. This horrible yellow-headed old woman slowly grew stronger until at last she danced almost as quickly as her terrible pupils. Suddenly she ran at a tall man and touched him. As she did this, we heard a shout from the men that he commanded.

We learnt later that he was a rich and powerful man, a cousin of the king. Then Gagool came nearer and nearer to us.

Then she rushed to Umbopa and touched him on the shoulder. Kill him, the stranger, before there are rivers of blood. Whoever harms him harms us. We are your guests, and I demand protection for him. They were red with the blood of the dead. If you touch him, your king will die. Sir Henry and Good also pulled out their revolvers. Sir Henry pointed his at the leading killer and Good aimed carefully at Gagool. Twala stepped back. For that reason, and not from fear of you, I will not kill him.

Has the dance ended? He lifted his spear. The soldiers began to march away through the gateway in perfect silence. Chapter 8 We Give a Sign It was almost morning when Infadoos came to us, followed by six finelooking chiefs.

They are great men and each has command of 3, soldiers. Now let them also see the mark of the great snake and hear your story. Then they will say if they will join you against Twala the king.

Each chief came near and examined it by the low light of the lamp. Then Ignosi put on his cloth again, and repeated his story. Infadoos said,' Will you help this man to be king, as his father was? The land is crying out against Twala and the people's blood is pouring like rain. The land is crying out. My own brother died tonight. But how do we know that this is the real king? There will be rivers of blood before this ends, because many people will fight for Twala.

If this man really is the king, he must give us a sign that everyone can see. Perhaps the snake was put there after his birth. We will do nothing without a sign. I turned to Sir Henry and Good and explained the situation. Good went to the little box where he kept his medicines. He took out a diary. Tell them that you will make the moon dark tomorrow night. For an hour and a half it will be totally dark.

Tell me can any man Darkness will cover the earth. If we do this, will you believe that Ignosi is the real king of the Kukuanas?

If you really can make the moon dark, I will lead you out of Loo to that place. There you will be safe. And from there we can make war on Twala the king. The square looked very different from the evening before. Kukuana girls were wearing flowers in their hair. Each girl carried a large leaf in one hand and a tall white flower in the other. In the centre of the open space Twala the king sat, with old Gagool at his feet. The boy Scragga and twelve guards were also there.

Twala greeted us and seemed happy, although he looked hard at Umbopa. Then,' The dance will begin,' he said, and the girls moved forward. They danced and sang, waving the leaves and flowers. At last they stopped, and an attractive young woman stepped forward and danced alone.

When she became tired, another woman took her place, and then another and another. The king held up his hand. She is the prettiest, and that is a bad thing for her because she must die! But two men caught her and brought her to the king. Must the. At the same time I saw Good's hand creep to his revolver. Why must I die? I have done no wrong. Twala made a sign to his son, who moved forward.

I stepped between the girl and Scragga's spear. There was a murmur from the chiefs. How can you stop it? Scragga, kill her. Take these men. We will not allow this. And to show my power, I will make the moon dark. I was happy to see that we had made no mistake. There was a small shadow on the edge of the moon, and the light was already less bright. I lifted my hand towards the sky and began to repeat a poem.

Sir Henry remembered some Shakespeare, and Good said all the bad words that he had ever heard at sea. Slowly, a shadow crept over the moon, and a great cry of fear came from all the people.

Look, chiefs and men and women. Do the white men from the stars keep their promise? No man can stop the moon. Just wait and it will pass. The shadow moved across the moon, which turned blood-red. The people stood still, staring at the sky. But the spear hit Sir Henry's armour and did not hurt him.

Before he could try again, Sir Henry took his spear and pushed it through him. Scragga fell down dead. Then the girls ran screaming towards the gates. They were followed by the king, his guards, some chiefs and Gagool.

We were left alone with Foulata and the chiefs who had spoken to us the night before. If you believe us, let us run quickly to the place that you spoke about. We followed, and I saw that Good had taken Foulata's hand. It was now totally dark. Chapter 9 The Battle When the sun came up, we prepared for battle.

We found Infadoos with his own men, the Greys. Ignosi joined us. The men were watching Twala's army marching out of Loo in a long line. Infadoos and Ignosi spoke to the soldiers. They gave the royal greeting of Koom', accepting Ignosi as their king. The flat land runs like a green tongue towards us inside it. Your soldiers must go with another chief's men down to the green tongue. When Twala sees you, he will order his whole army to fight against you.

But the place is narrow, and only one group of soldiers can attack. While the eyes of Twala's army are on the fight on the narrow tongue, the rest of our army will creep along the two sides of the halfmoon.

We will then attack Twala's army from both sides. The men ate a small meal and then marched to their places.

Then Good came to Sir Henry and myself. The Greys will have to fight until they are all dead, while the rest of the army gets round the sides. Well, it will be a man's death. Goodbye, old fellow. Infadoos led Sir Henry to his place in the front line of the Greys. I went with Ignosi to my place with a second group, who were behind them.

When we reached the edge of the hill, the Greys were already half-way down. Twala's army was now near. They had seen the movement of the Greys, and they were hurrying to reach the open end of the tongue before the Greys could come out on to the huge flat land.

The Greys reached the centre of the tongue, where it became wider. There they stopped. We moved down to a place about feet behind them, on slightly higher ground. Twala's army began to enter the valley. They discovered that the space was very narrow, and in front of them they saw the famous Greys, the best of the Kukuana army. Then Twala gave an order, and the first men ran towards the Greys. The Greys did not move until the attackers were feet away. Then suddenly, with a shout, they ran forward and the two lines met.

The sound of the meeting shields came to our ears like thunder. The great group of battling men moved this way and that, but not for long. Suddenly the attacking lines began to grow thinner. Then, like a great wave over a rock, the Greys passed over them. But the Greys had only two lines left now. One third of them were dead. They stood shoulder to shoulder, and waited for the second attack. I was glad to see Sir Henry's yellow beard as he moved among the men. So he was still alive!

The terrible thunder of shields came again. This time the fight was longer. We thought that the Greys were finished, and we were preparing to take their place. But then I heard the sound of Sir Henry's deep voice, and saw his battle-axe circling high above his head.

The Greys stopped moving back. They stood like rock, as the waves of spearmen hit their shields again and again. Then they began to move forward, and suddenly the attackers were running away. Less than a quarter of the Greys were still standing, but they shouted and waved their spears.

Then they ran to a little piece of higher ground and formed three rings around it. There I saw Sir Henry, unhurt, with our old friend Infadoos. Twala's soldiers moved towards them, and the battle began again. As I spoke, enemy soldiers rushed past the ring on the small hill and attacked it from the nearer side.

I cannot describe what followed. I heard the sound of shouting voices, and saw shining spears through a red curtain of blood. When my mind cleared, I found myself inside the ring of the Greys, just behind Sir Henry. Again and again they attacked us, and again and again we beat them back. But all the time our circle grew smaller.

That old soldier, Infadoos, gave calm orders and stepped forward every time to the worst fighting. It was a fine sight. Even finer was the sight of Sir Henry. Nobody lived where he struck. An anxious cry came from the soldiers who were attacking us. Our men had moved round the sides and were attacking the enemy from all directions. As Ignosi had expected, all Twala's army had fixed their eyes on the bloody fight against the Greys.

Then suddenly they realized, too late, what was happening. In five minutes the result of the battle was decided. Twala's soldiers ran away. Soon the whole land between us and Loo was covered with groups of men, running from the battle-ground. The men around our circle disappeared, and we were left Only ninety-five of the brave Greys were still on their feet. More than 3, had fallen, most of them for the last time. When we arrived at the nearest gate, we found a group of our soldiers watching it.

The officer in command of these men greeted Ignosi as king. Twala's army was, he said, inside the town, and Twala was there too. He said that they would probably not try to stop us. Ignosi sent a man forward to the gate, ordering the defenders to open it. He gave a royal promise of life and forgiveness to every man who put down his spear. Soon after this the gate was opened and we marched into the town. Soldiers stood along the road. Their heads were bent, and their shields and spears lay at their feet.

As Ignosi passed, they greeted him. We marched straight into the square and there, in front of his hut, sat Twala.

Only one person was with him Gagool. It was a sad sight. As we moved towards him, Gagool shouted at us. Twala lifted his head and gazed at Ignosi. His one eye seemed to shine almost as brightly as the great diamond on his forehead. But I will die fighting. He must choose one man after another man to fight him until one of them kills him. Who will you fight?

I cannot fight you, because a king only fights in war. I felt for a moment that it rested on me. What chance would I have against that huge man, nearly six feet tall? Then Twala said, turning to Sir Henry,' What do you say? Or are you afraid? Unfortunately Sir Henry understood these words, and the blood rushed into his face. I am ready now. Twala laughed and stepped forward too.

Then they began to circle round each other, holding their battle-axes up. Suddenly Sir Henry jumped forward, but Twala stepped to one side. The stroke was a strong one, and the striker nearly fell forward after it. Twala quickly lifted his great battle-axe above his head and brought it down with terrible force. The axe cut the edge of the shield, and the axe fell on his left shoulder, but it did not do any serious damage.

Sir Henry aimed a second stroke, which also hit Twala's shield. Then more attacks followed. The excited crowd shouted at every stroke. Sir Henry caught a new stroke on his shield and then hit back with all his force.

The stroke cut through Twala's shield and through the chain armour behind it, reaching his shoulder. With a cry of pain Twala returned the stroke, cutting through the handle of Sir Henry's battle-axe and then into his face. A worried cry came from the crowd as the head of Sir Henry's axe fell to the ground.

Twala lifted his axe again and rushed at him with a shout. The next moment I saw Sir Henry's shield lying on the ground. Sir Henry had his great arms round Twala's waist. Category Fiction Fiction Author H. Rider Haggard. Latest Downloads. The Flaming Forest Sented by Daniel.

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