169


170  FINISHED

"  You  must  climb  out  of  this  pit  by  yourself,"  he  began,
addressing  me  in  his  pompous  and  figurative  way.  Then
somebody  stamped  on  his  face,  and  fixing  his  teeth  in  his
assailant's  heel,  he  grew  silent  for  a  while.
The  truculent  blackguard,  who  was  about  six  feet  three
high  and  had  a  mouth  like  a  wolf's  throat,  arrived  in  front
of  me  and,  bending  down,  roared  out —

"  We  are  going  to  loll  you.  White  Man."

I  had  a  pistol  in  my  pocket  and  could  perfectly  well
have  killed  Mm,  as  I  was  much  tempted  to  do.  A  second's
reflection  showed  me,  however,  that  this  would  be  useless
and  in  a  sense  put  me  in  the  wrong,  though  when  the
matter  came  on  for  argument  it  would  interest  me  no  more.
So  I  just  folded  my  arms  and,  looking  up  at  him,  said —

"  Why,  Black  Man  ?  "

"  Because  your  face  is  white,"  he  roared.
"  No,"  I  answered,  "  because  your  heart  is  black  and
your  eyes  are  so  full  of  blood  that  you  do  not  know  Macu-
mazahn  when  you  see  him."

"  Wow  !  "  said  one,  "it  is  Watcher-by-Night  himself
whom  our  fathers  knew  before  us.     Leave  him  alone."

"  No,"  shouted  the  great  fellow,  "  I  will  send  him  to
watch  where  it  is  always  night,  I  who  keep  a  club  for  white
rats,"  and  he  brandished  his  stick  over  me.
Now  my  temper  rose.  Watching  my  opportunity,  I
stretched  out  my  right  foot  and  hooked  him  round  the
ankle,  at  the  same  time  striking  up  with  all  my  force.  My
fist  caught  him  beneath  the  chin  and  over  he  went  back-
wards sprawling  on  the  ground.
