The Day of Resis (ePub)

Excerpt: 'The following letter and document were the first causes of the long journey, and strange adventure. "Dear Miss Cameron:-You will probably be much surprised to hear from me in this out-of-the-way place, but knowing the pleasure you take in everything pertaining to Africa, I thought you might be interested in a matter which came before my notice recently. Some months ago I joined a hunting party bound for the interior of Africa, and on our return march at Rehenoko we fell in with another caravan bound for the coast. Having a common destination, Zanzibar, we travelled together. An Abyssinian, Sedai by name, was in charge of this caravan. He is a large, powerful man, and very intelligent. I often talked with him during the long marches, and one day he told me that he had on this trip, come across a strange manuscript, a part of which he had been able to decipher, but some words of which he could not make out. He asked me to help him decipher the difficult phrases; so that evening, after everything had been made snug for the night, Sedai produced a piece of goat-skin, on which was inscribed the following strange tale. 'Name Philip Harding-English-left England July 6, 1801-Zanzibar, February 16, 1802-expedition just left Bagamayo-myself and nine other sailors started to overtake it-on 26th, lost our way-wandered long and far-hostile tribes-fight-four men killed-others escaped-three die with fever, reach mountains-one man killed by lion-discover opening into mountain-make torches and enter-companion starved-discovered line of broken stones-followed these-found bridge-crossed this-followed stones again-found secret door-Land of On-people thought me from another planet-lived in temple-strange people-no knowledge or connection with outside world-highly civilized in their way-have strange Day of Resis-mysterious ceremonies on this day-people never mention it-day sacred-here nineteen years one month and sixteen days-made escape-looked five days for opening key-removed stone set in cliff behind palm tree under eagle's rock mountain-lifted lever seen in spring-rock door turned giving time to pass through-passed into cave-crossed bridge-dropped torches in lake, am lost-exhausted-starving-if document ever found write friends-growing weaker-can write no mo--' Here the writing ended. The first part, or that part which had been written before entering the cave was in regular lines, but the last was evidently written after entering the dark cave, or passage, as the characters were scattered and very irregular. Sedai intends placing the matter before the next party who are about to enter the interior, and have them look up the mysterious cave and land. He says that the old man, of whom he got the manuscript, is still living, and knows the entrance to the cave, in which he found the body of Harding still warm, and on it this strange document.'