So I swore first to the effect that I would fight for the White Kendah to the finish in consideration of the promises that they had made to us.

I added that I would not attempt either to see or to interfere with the lady here known as the Guardian of the Child until the war was over or even to bring our existence to her knowledge, ending up, "so help me God," as I had done several times when giving evidence in a court of law.
Next Ragnall with a great effort repeated my oath in English, Harut listening carefully to every word and once or twice asking me to explain the exact meaning of some of them.
Lastly Hans, who seemed very bored with the whole affair, swore, also repeating the words after me and finishing on his own account with "so help me the reverend Predikant, the Baas's father," a form that he utterly declined to vary although it involved more explanations.

When pressed, indeed, he showed considerable ingenuity by pointing out to the priests that to his mind my poor father stood in exactly the same relation to the Power above us as their Oracle did to the Child.

He offered generously, however, to throw in the spirits of his grandfather and grandmother and some extraordinary divinity they worshipped, I think it was a hare, as an additional guarantee of good faith.

This proposal the priests accepted gravely, whereon Hans whispered into my ear in Dutch: "Those fools do not remember that when pressed by dogs the hare often doubles on its own spoor, and that your reverend father will be very pleased if I can play them the same trick with the white lady that they played with the Lord Igeza." I only looked at him in reply, since the morality of Hans was past argument.