But when I was a babe, which is far ago, she had lived so long that scarce would she knew the difference between then and now, and already in her breast was all wisdom gathered.

I know it, because although, as I have said, we have never seen each other, at times we walk together in our sleep, for thus she shares her loneliness, and I think, though this may be but a dream, that last night she told me to send you on to her to seek an answer to certain questions which you would put to me to-day.

Also to me she seemed to desire that you should do her a service; I know not what service." Now I grew angry and asked, "Why does it please you to fool me, Zikali, with such talk as this?
If there is any truth in it, show me where the woman called _Queen_ lives and how I am to come to her." The old wizard took up the little assegai which he had offered to me and with its blade raked our ashes from the fire that always burnt in front of him.

While he did so, he talked to me, as I thought in a random fashion, perhaps to distract my attention, of a certain white man whom he said I should meet upon my journey and of his affairs, also of other matters, none of which interested me much at the time.

These ashes he patted down flat and then on them drew a map with the point of his spear, making grooves for streams, certain marks for bush and forest, wavy lines for water and swamps and little heaps for hills.
When he had finished it all he bade me come round the fire and study the picture across which by an after-thought he drew a wandering furrow with the edge of the assegai to represent a river, and gathered the ashes in a lump at the northern end to signify a large mountain.
"Look at it well, Macumazahn," he said, "and forget nothing, since if you make this journey and forget, you die.