Копи царя Соломона
Solomon’s Road
Cuttingoffsomesubstantialhunksfromthefleshoftheincowhichwehadbroughtwithus,weproceededtotoastthemontheendofsharpsticks,asoneseestheKafirsdo,andatethemwithrelish. Afterfillingourselves,welitourpipesandgaveourselvesuptoenjoymentthat,comparedwiththehardshipswehadrecentlyundergone,seemedalmostheavenly.
Thebrook,ofwhichthebankswereclothedwithdensemassesofagiganticspeciesofmaidenhairferninterspersedwithfeatherytuftsofwildasparagus, sungmerrilyatourside,thesoftairmurmuredthroughtheleavesofthesilvertrees,dovescooedaround,andbright-wingedbirdsflashedlikelivinggemsfromboughtobough. ItwasaParadise.
Themagicoftheplacecombinedwithanoverwhelmingsenseofdangersleftbehind,andofthepromisedlandreachedatlast,seemedtocharmusintosilence. SirHenryandUmbopasatconversinginamixtureofbrokenEnglishandKitchenZuluinalowvoice,butearnestlyenough, andIlay,withmyeyeshalfshut,uponthatfragrantbedoffernandwatchedthem.
PresentlyImissedGood,andIlookedtoseewhathadbecomeofhim.SoonIobservedhimsittingbythebankofthestream,inwhichhehadbeenbathing. Hehadnothingonbuthisflannelshirt,andhisnaturalhabitsofextremeneatnesshavingreassertedthemselves,hewasactivelyemployedinmakingamostelaboratetoilet.
