Of all the chief priests that have been told of, Nam is the most cruel and the most greedy.

For three years he has doubled the tale of sacrifices, and though the people love these sights of death, they murmur, for none know upon whom the knife shall fall.

Therefore he was glad to greet the gods come back, since he thought that they would confirm his power, and set him higher than he sat before.

Now he is astonished because they proclaim peace and will have none of the sacrifice of men, for Nam does not love such gentle gods." "Yet he shall obey them," said Otter, speaking for the first time by the mouth of Juanna, who all this while was acting as interpreter, "or drink his own medicine, for I myself will sacrifice him to myself." When Juanna had translated the dwarf's bloodthirsty threat, Olfan bowed his head meekly and smiled; clearly the prospect of Nam's removal did not cause him unmixed grief.

It was curious to see this stately warrior chief humbling his pride before the misshapen, knob-nosed Kaffir.
"Say, Olfan," asked Leonard, "who cut from the rock the great statue on which we sat last night, and what is that reptile we saw when the woman was thrown into the pool of troubled waters ?" "Ask the Water-dweller of the water-dweller, the Snake of the snake, and the Dwarf of his image," answered Olfan, nodding towards Otter.