He bowed to us with his usual Oriental courtesy, and we bowed back to him.

Hans' bow, I may explain, was of the most peculiar nature, more like a _skulpat_, as the Boers call a land-tortoise, drawing its wrinkled head into its shell and putting it out again than anything else.

Then Harut remarked in his peculiar English, which I suppose the White Kendah took for some tongue known only to magicians: "So you get here, eh?
Why you get here, how the devil you get here, eh ?" "We got here because you asked us to do so if we could," I answered, "and we thought it rude not to accept your invitation.

For the rest, we came through a cave where you kept a tame snake, an ugly-looking reptile but very harmless to those who know how to deal with snakes and are not afraid of them as poor Bena was.

If you can spare the skin I should like to have it to make myself a robe." Harut looked at me with evident respect, muttering: "Oh, Macumazana, you what you English call cool, quite cool! Is that all ?" "No," I answered.