Dain
swam, holding him up. He left him in the bushes when he went up to the
house. When they all came down his heart had ceased to beat; then the
old woman spoke; Dain thought it was good. He took off his anklet and
broke it, twisting it round the man's foot. His ring he put on that
slave's hand. He took off his sarong and clothed that thing that wanted
no clothes, the two women holding it up meanwhile, their intent being to
deceive all eyes and to mislead the minds in the settlement, so that they
could swear to the thing that was not, and that there could be no
treachery when the white-men came. Then Dain and the white woman
departed to call up Bulangi and find a hiding-place. The old woman
remained by the body."
"Hai!" exclaimed Lakamba. "She has wisdom."
"Yes, she has a Devil of her own to whisper counsel in her ear," assented
Babalatchi. "She dragged the body with great toil to the point where
many logs were stranded. All these things were done in the darkness
after the storm had passed away. Then she waited. At the first sign of
daylight she battered the face of the dead with a heavy stone, and she
pushed him amongst the logs. She remained near, watching. At sunrise
Mahmat Banjer came and found him.
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