Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Four

We arrived in Braval early Saturday morning and I was very disappointed there.It was hot and the hotel was abominable.As for Sir Eustace, I can only describe him as "very gloomy."I think it's our woodcut animals that bother him—especially the big giraffe.It was a large giraffe with a ridiculously long neck, docile eyes, and a downcast tail, with style and charisma.Its ownership had been disputed between me and Suzanne, and we each paid a penny for it.Suzanne declared that she was older and married and should give it to her, and I insisted that I discovered its beauty first. At the same time, I must admit, it has been disputed for a long time between our three sides.Carrying forty-nine wood-carved animals, all of which were oddly shaped and made of fragile wood, was a bit difficult.Two porters each moved a pile—and one of them soon dropped a pile of charming wooden ostriches, knocking off their heads.After this lesson, Suzanne and I carried as much as we could ourselves, with Colonel Race helping us, while I thrust the big giraffe into Sir Eustace's hands.Not even Miss Pettigrew, who was in charge of a big hippopotamus and two little black warriors.I had the feeling that Pettigrew didn't like me, maybe she thought I was a stubborn, rough woman.Anyway, she avoided me as much as possible.And the funny thing is, her face is kind of familiar to me, although I can't remember where I saw it.

We spent most of the morning rearranging our outfits.In the afternoon we drove to Matopos to see Rhodes' cemetery.That said, we were going to see Rhodes' graveyard, but in the end Sir Eustace withdrew.He was almost as bad-tempered as when we arrived in Cape Town - when he dropped a peach on the ground and it shattered!Apparently arriving somewhere early in the morning was not good for his mood.He cursed the porters, he cursed the waiters at breakfast, he cursed the whole management of the hotel.He must have wanted to curse Miss Pettigrew too, who was following him with pen and paper, but I don't think even Sir Eustace would have dared to curse Miss Pettigrew.She is like the competent secretary in the book.I rescued our beloved wooden giraffe just in time, and I felt Sir Eustace would have liked to smash it to the ground.

Without further ado, we were about to set off, and after Sir Eustace had withdrawn, Miss Pettigrew said she would stay, too, in case he needed her.And at the last minute, Suzanne sent a note saying her headache was gone.So Colonel Race and I drove off. He's a weird guy, you don't really notice it in a crowd, but when you're alone with him, his personality almost overflows.He became more reticent, but his silence seemed to speak more than words. That was how we drove through the brown scrub that day on our way to Matopos.Everything was eerily quiet - except our car, which I should have thought was the first Ford built by man!The seat cushions were all shredded to strips, and although I knew nothing about engines, I guessed and guessed that they seemed to be useless.

Slowly the landscape of the countryside changed, and great stones appeared, piled up in wonderful shapes.I suddenly felt that I had entered the primitive age.For a moment the Neanderthals seemed as real to me as they were to Papa.I turned to Colonel Race. "There must have been giants here," I dreamed, "and their children were just like children now—playing with handfuls of pebbles, piling them up and knocking them down, and the stronger they piled the more The merrier. If I were to name this place, I would call it the Kingdom of the Son of Giants." "Perhaps you don't know the true face of Lushan Mountain, but you are only in this mountain," said Colonel Race earnestly. "Simple, primitive, and vast—this is Africa."

I nodded appreciatively. "You like it, don't you?" I asked. "Yes. But living here for a long time—well, it makes people so-called cruel and ruthless, and they take life and death lightly." "Yes," I said, thinking of Harry Raeburn, who was like that too. "But it's not cruel to the weak, is it?" "That depends on each person's idea of ​​what is and isn't weak, Miss Anne." There was a seriousness in his voice that almost frightened me.I feel that on my part I really know very little about this man. "I think I mean children and dogs."

"I can honestly say that I have never been cruel to children and dogs. So you don't classify women as weak?" I thought about it. "No, I don't think so—though they're weak, I think. That is, women these days are. But Pa said that in the beginning men and women roamed the world together, equal in power—as lions and tigers—" "And giraffes?" Colonel Race put in slyly. I laughed.Everyone laughs at that woodcut giraffe. "Yeah, and giraffes. They're all vagabonds, you know, until they settle down in groups and the women do one thing and the men do another, so the women get weaker. Of course, deep down, they're still It's the same—I mean it feels the same—and that's why women worship men's physical strength: something they had and lost."

"In fact, that's almost ancestor worship?" "you could put it that way." "You think that's true? I mean, women worship power?" "I think it's quite true—if one can be honest. You think you worship morality, but when you fall in love, you turn to the flesh as the primordial of everything. Yet I don't think that's the purpose; If you're living in a primitive situation. That's fine, but you don't—so, in the end, something else prevails. It's something that's apparently defeated, but always prevails, doesn't it ?They win in the only way that counts. Like the Bible says, about losing your life and finding it again.”

"Finally," said Colonel Race thoughtfully, "you fell in love—and you got out of it, don't you mean?" "Not exactly. But you can paraphrase that if you like." "But I don't think you've ever been out of love, have you, Miss Anne?" "Yeah, I haven't," I confessed candidly. "Never fell in love?" I did not answer. The car arrived at our destination, ending our conversation.We got out of the car and started to climb slowly towards the world view.Not for the first time I felt a little uncomfortable with Colonel Race.He hid his thoughts deep in his impenetrable black eyes, and he frightened me a little, he always frightened me, and I never knew where I stood with him.

We crawled silently until we reached the resting place of Rhodes surrounded by boulders, a mysterious and terrifying place, far from human habitation, where the song of unending rough beauty sang. We sat there for some time in silence, then descended, but changed course slightly.The slopes were rough at times, and at one point we came down to almost vertical sheer rocky walls. Colonel Race went down first, then turned to help me. "Better lift you up," he said suddenly, picking me up quickly. When he put me down and let go of his hand, I felt his physical strength.A man of iron, with muscles like hard steel.I was scared again, especially since he didn't walk away, but stood in front of me, looking into my face.

"What on earth are you here for, Anne Beddingfeld?" he said suddenly. "I'm a gypsy watching the world." "Yes, that's true. Newspaper staff is just an excuse, you don't have the guts to be a reporter. You're just out there for yourself—taking lives. But that's not everything." What does he want me to tell him?I'm terrified -- terrified.I stared at his face.My eyes can hide nothing from him, but they can bring war into an enemy's country. "What's your real purpose here, Colonel Race?" I asked tactfully. For a while, I thought he would not answer, and he visibly flinched.At last he spoke, and what he said seemed to entertain himself with a kind of grim self-amusement.

"Ambition to pursue," he said, "that's all--ambition to pursue. You remember, Miss Beddingfield, 'Angels fell by sin,' and so on.'" "They say," I said slowly, "that you really have something to do with the government—is it true that you work for a government secret service?" Was it my hallucination, or did he really hesitate one more time before answering? "I can assure you, Miss Beddingfield, that I am here solely for the pleasure of my own travels." Thinking more about his answer later, I find it a bit vague.Maybe he personally thinks so. We quietly returned to the car.On the way back to Bravar we stopped for tea at a somewhat primitive building on the side of the road.The owner was digging the soil in the garden, and seemed a little unhappy to be disturbed.But he still promised to look for us for something to drink.After a long wait he brought us some dry pastries and warm tea, and went back into the garden. Immediately after he left, we were immediately surrounded by a group of cats, six in total, all making pitiful "Aim! Meow!" wailing, deafeningly loud.I gave them some pastries and they scrambled to gobble them up.I poured all the milk into a saucer and they immediately scrambled for each other. "Oh," I couldn't help exclaiming, "they're starving! How wicked. Please, please, order some more milk and a plate of pastries." Colonel Race left silently.The cat started meowing again.He came back with a big bottle of milk, and the cats drank it all in one go. I stood up resolutely. "I'm taking the cat back with us - I can't leave it here." "My dear boy, don't be so absurd, you can't have six cats and fifty wooden animals with you at the same time." "Forget about those wooden carved animals, these cats are alive, I want to take them back." "You can't do that" I looked at him resentfully, but he went on: "You think I'm cruel - but one cannot be in love with these things and still live. I can't stand by - I won't let you Take them. It's primitive country, you know, and I'm stronger than you." I always had the self-knowledge of being defeated.I walked to the car with tears in my eyes. "Maybe they just haven't got anything to eat today," he explained reassuringly, "that man's wife just went to Bravar to do some shopping, so things will be fine. And anyway, you know, the world is full of Hungry cat." "Don't—don't say any more," I said sharply. "I'm teaching you the truth about life. I'm teaching you to be ruthless — like me. That's the secret recipe for strength — and the secret recipe for success." "I'd rather die than be strong," I said passionately. We get in the car and leave.Slowly, I recovered.To my surprise, he suddenly took my hand. "Annie," he said softly, "I need you. Will you marry me?" I cringe. "Oh no," I faltered, "I can't." "Why not?" "I don't have that feeling for you, I don't miss you that much." "I know. Is that the only reason?" I had to be honest with him, and what I owed him was honesty. "No," I said, "it's not. You know—I—like the other guy." "I know," he said again. "Was it when I first saw you on the Gillmorden Castle—" "No," I said softly, "after that." "I know," he said a third time, but this time there was something determined in his voice that made me turn my head to look at him.His face was more grim than any I had seen before. "You—what do you mean?" I faltered. He looked down at me with a puzzled expression. "Nothing - it's just that now I know what I have to do." His words made me tremble all over.There was a determination in him that I didn't know--and it terrified me. We didn't say anything until we got back to the hotel.I went straight upstairs to Suzanne.She was lying on the bed reading a book, and she didn't look like she had a headache at all. "Here the 'light bulb' rests," she said. "'My goodness, my old lady. Oh, dear Anne, what's the matter?" She saw me in tears. I told her about the cats—I didn't think it was fair to her to tell her about Colonel Race.But Suzanne is shrewd, and I think she sees what I'm hiding. "You don't have a cold, Anne? It's absurd to ask in this heat, but you've been shivering." "Nothing," I said. "Nervous - or someone walking on my grave. I keep feeling something terrible is going to happen." "Don't be silly," said Suzanne firmly, "let's talk about something interesting. Anne, about those diamonds—" "What happened to those diamonds?" "I'm not sure it's safe to put it in my place. It used to be like this. No one would think of them among my things. But now everyone knows that we are close friends, you and me, and I will be suspected." "But no one knows they're hidden in negative tubes," I argued. "That's a good hiding place, and I can't think of a better place we could find them." She agreed, somewhat skeptically, but said to discuss it after we got to the Falls. Our train leaves at nine, Sir Eustace is still in a bad temper, and Miss Pettigrew is meek.Colonel Race was perfectly normal.I feel that I have been dreaming about the conversation on the way home. That night, I fell asleep on the hard bunk, struggling with some nightmares.I woke up with a headache and went out to the observation deck of the train.The air was clean and lovely, and as far as the eye could see were jungle-covered rolling hills.I love it here - more than anywhere I've seen.I wish I could have a cabin somewhere in the middle of the jungle and live there - forever, ever... At exactly half past two, Colonel Race called me out of the office and pointed out to me the flower-shaped mist surrounding a low village. "That's the spray from the waterfall," he said. "We're near the falls." I'm still enveloped in a strange, dreamy sense of triumph over a nightmare.Deep in my heart is the feeling that I have come home... HOME!Yet I have never been here—am I dreaming? We got off the train and walked to a restaurant, a big white building surrounded by iron fences to keep mosquitoes out.There was no main road there, and no other houses.We went out on the porch and I couldn't help but gasp.Half a mile away, it was the waterfalls that faced us.I've never seen anything so majestic - I'll never see waterfalls like this again. "Annie, you're so excited," Suzanne said when we sat down to lunch, "I've never seen you so excited." She looked at me curiously. "Really?" I laughed, but I felt that my smile was not natural. "That's just because I love everything here." "It's not just that." Her brow was slightly furrowed—a worried look. Yes, I was happy, but besides that, I had a strange feeling that I was waiting for something—something that was about to happen.I am excited, restless. After tea we strolled out, got into the trolley, and let the smiling Negroes push along the little rails to the bridge. The scenery is very beautiful, and the rapids are turbulent under the big deep pit.The veil of mist and water droplets in front of us sometimes spread out, revealing a wide and steep waterfall, and then quickly closed up again, covering the impenetrable secret.That's always been the magic of waterfalls in my mind—their elusive quality that you always think you understand—and you never do. We passed the bridge and walked slowly on the path marked with white stones on both sides, which meandered up along the edge of the gorge.At last we came to a large clearing, and on the left side of the clearing a trail led down to the bottom of the pit. "That's the Valley of the Palms," Colonel Race explained. "Shall we go down now? Or leave it till tomorrow? It'll take some time, and there's going to be a climb up there." "We'll leave it to morrow," said Sir Eustace decisively.I've noticed that he doesn't like strenuous exercise at all. He led the way back.We see a strutting native coming down the road, followed by a woman who seems to have piled all her possessions on her head!This includes a frying pan. "There's always no camera when I need it," Suzanne growled. "Once there is such an opportunity, Mrs. Blair," said Colonel Race, "don't be sorry." We went back to the bridge. "Are we going to Rainbow Grove?" he went on, "or are you afraid of getting wet?" Suzanne and I accompanied him, and Sir Eustace returned to the hotel.I'm a bit disappointed with Rainbow Grove.There wasn't enough rainbows out there, and we got soaked.But here and there we caught glimpses of the waterfalls opposite, and saw how wide they were.O lovely, lovely waterfalls, how I adore you, forever and ever! We went back to the hotel just in time to change and eat.Sir Eustace seemed genuinely disgusted with Colonel Race.Suzanne and I accompanied him tenderly, but to no avail. After dinner he dragged Miss Pettigrew with him back to the living room.Suzanne and I talked to Colonel Race for a while, and then she yawned and said she wanted to go back to sleep.I didn't want to be alone with him, so I got up and went back to my room. But I was too excited to sleep.I didn't even take off my clothes, I lay on the chair and dreamed.And I keep feeling that something is getting closer... A knock on the door woke me up, and I got up to answer the door.A little black boy handed me a note and I took it and walked back to the room.I stood there with the note, and finally I opened it.The note is short: "I must see you. I dare not go to the hotel. Can you come to the open space next to the Valley of Palms? For the sake of cabin seventeen, please come. The Harry Ray you know On the book." My heart almost jumped out.He's here!Oh, I've known--I've always known!I have felt him approaching me.I had no trouble reaching his hiding place. I put a scarf on and slipped quietly to the door.I have to be careful, he's a wanted man, and I can't let anyone know that I'm meeting him.I quietly walked to the door of Suzanne's room. She was a person who fell asleep easily, and I could hear her even breathing. Where is Sir Eustace?I stopped at the door of his living room.Yes, he was dictating to Miss Pettigrew, and I could hear her repeating in her monotonous voice: "Therefore I dare suggest that to solve this problem of colored labor—" She paused for him to continue, I heard him gurgling angrily. I continued to tiptoe down, Colonel Race's room was empty, I didn't see him in the lounge, he was the man I was most afraid of!But, I can't waste any more time.I quickly slipped out of the hotel and up the path that went over to the bridge. I crossed the bridge and stood in the shadows and waited.If someone is following me, I should be able to see him cross the bridge.But time passed by and no one came.Not being followed, I turned and walked up the trail to the clearing, walked about six paces, and then stopped.There was a rustling sound behind me, and it couldn't have been the sound of someone following me here from the hotel, but someone who had been waiting here long ago. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a crisis loom over me. It was an intuitive realization.It was the same feeling I had that night on the Gillmorden - a definite instinct that warned me of danger. I suddenly looked back.Nothing but silence.I moved a step or two and heard the rustling again.As I walked, I looked back, and a man's figure came out of the shadows.He realized I saw him, and jumped forward, pressing on me. The colorless was too dark to make out, all I could see was a tall European, not native, and I pulled up and ran.I heard his footsteps following closely behind.I ran faster, keeping my eyes on the white stones that guided me, because there was no moon that night. Suddenly my steps were lost, and I heard the man behind me laughing, an evil laugh, ringing in my ears, and my head fell, and my whole body kept falling—falling - to fall...