me--I remember that there seemed to be yards of it--I mean of the
lion--in front of which appeared a cavernous mouth full of gleaming
teeth.

I skipped back with much agility, also a little to one side, because
there was nothing else to do, reflecting in a kind of inconsequent way,
that after all Zikali's Great Medicine was not worth a curse. The lion
landed on my side of the wall and reared itself upon its hind legs
before getting to business, towering high above me but slightly to my
left.

Then I saw a strange thing. A shadow thrown by the moon flitted past
me--all I noted of it was the distorted shape of a great, lifted axe,
probably because the axe came first. The shadow fell and with it another
shadow, that of a lion's paw dropping to the ground. Next there was a
most awful noise of roaring, and wheeling round I saw such a fray as
never I shall see again. A tall, grim, black man was fighting the great
lion, that now lacked one paw, but still stood upon its hind legs,
striking at him with the other.

The man, who was absolutely silent, dodged the blow and hit back with
the axe, catching the beast upon the breast with such weight that it
came to the ground in a lopsided fashion, since now it had only one
fore-foot on which to light.

The axe flashed up again and before the lion could recover itself, or do
anything else, fell with a crash upon its skull, sinking deep into the
head. After this all was over, for the beast's brain was cut in two.

"I am here at the appointed time, Macumazahn," said Umslopogaas, for it