WHERE THE GOLD WENT
VAN DER WYCK with a fluent command of the Makoh'lenga tongue,
figuratively had Umkomasi on toast. He handled the situation briskly
and decisively, giving the Chief very little opening and dismissing
the latter's arguments in a manner that left him powerless.
In vain Umkomasi protested that the sacred amulet, which he admitted
having given to the Afrikander, had passed into unauthorised hands;
that his captives had no right to be possessed of the swastika.
He had heard from native sources that two young white men were in
the country with the mystic jewel in their possession, and he had
taken prompt measures to secure both it and them.
"You must release them instantly, Umkomasi," demanded Van der Wyck.
"I dare not," replied the Chief. "They are dedicated to the Golden
Lion. If the Golden Lion is deprived of his sacrifices he will be
angry, and dire calamity will befall my people."
"It won't," rejoined the Afrikander. "My power is greater by far
than that of the Golden Lion."
"It is easy to say so," remarked Umkomasi. "The Golden Lion weighs
as much as, or more than, one hundred fat oxen----"
"And by my magic I can overthrow him," asserted Van der Wyck.
"Without placing so much as a finger on the Golden Lion I can hurl
him from his place. Umkomasi, is it not unwise to put your trust in
a false idol and risk the certain vengeance of the Great White One
when by placing your trust in the White Emperor beyond the seas you
and your people will live in peace and thrive exceedingly?"
"If I could but believe in what you say," began the Chief,
wistfully.
"Seeing is believing, O Umkomasi," interposed Van der Wyck. "Go
outside, you and your petty chiefs, your servants and your
torch-bearers. Wait without and see my magic eat up the Golden Lion.
And, also," he added as an afterthought, "tell those priests--the
rascals who move the paw and who sit within the idol and deceive
your people--tell them to clear out as they value their hides.
Quickly, for I'm in a hurry."
Knowing that Umkomasi would carry out his commands, Van der Wyck
turned his back upon the Chief, set his haversack on the ground, and
assisted Colin to carry the still unconscious Tiny into the
open-air.
Quickly the Chief and his assistants followed, while the armed ranks
of the Makoh'lenga looked on in awe-struck silence.
"Remain here, Umkomasi," commanded the Afrikander. "Remain here,
lest death overtake you."
With that Van der Wyck re-entered the cave, leaving the nearest
Makoh'lenga a good hundred yards from the mouth of the gloomy and
horrible abode of the Golden Lion.
In less than five minutes he reappeared, limping briskly to the spot
where Umkomasi stood.
"Have you overthrown the Golden Lion, O Great One?" enquired the
Chief. "You have brought me no proof that you have done so, neither
do you look as if you had been exerting much strength."
"I have not laid a finger upon the Golden Lion, O Umkomasi,"
declared the Afrikander. "But I have cast my spells upon him, and
lo! he will be utterly destroyed."
Taking up his stand a couple of paces in front of the puzzled chief,
Van der Wyck consulted his watch, utterly unconcerned by the fact
that behind him were four thousand armed warriors, any of whom, at
their Chief's bidding, would have hurled his spear with unerring aim
into the middle of the Afrikander's broad back.
Suddenly a tremendous flash leapt from the mouth of the cave,
followed by an enormous cloud of black smoke. A loud, ear-splitting
detonation rent the air. The ground trembled with the vibrations of
a stupendous explosion.
When the smoke cleared away, and the bright moonbeams lighted up the
scene, the cave was no longer in existence. The mountain, shaken and
torn by the detonation of sixty pounds of powerful explosive, had
collapsed, entirely filling up the cave and the idol with thousands
of tons of granite.
"That's done it," ejaculated Van der Wyck, turning to Colin. "There
goes my chance of making a fortune. But it's jolly well worth it.
Come along, we'll make tracks. I'll get these fellows to carry your
chum. I've a dozen 'boys' waiting at the edge of the forest."