King Solomon's Treasure

Chapter 31 Farewell to Agnus
Ten days later, we finally returned to our residence in Lucheng.We haven't changed much after this horrible experience.It's just that my hair is a lot whiter than before.Furata's death hit Goode hard, and he seemed to be a different person.As an elderly person, I have to say that Furata's death is not a bad thing, otherwise there will definitely be troubles in the future.This poor teenage girl is by no means an ordinary local girl, but a great human being.She is beautiful and elegant.However, no matter how beautiful and elegant, there will be no satisfactory result between her and Goode.As she herself said, "The sun cannot be with the darkness, nor can a white man marry a black man."

We never entered Solomon's chamber again.After resting for two days, our physical strength gradually recovered, and we went down to the big pit again, hoping to find the hole we climbed out of, but we never found it.First of all, because of the rain, the rain washed our footprints clean.To make matters worse, the crater is surrounded by burrows of giant anteaters and other animals, making it hard to tell which one saved our lives.On the day before returning to Loo, we once again entered the stalactite cave to carefully appreciate this masterpiece of nature.With apprehension, we even went to the land of the dead.Through the spear in the hand of the white death, I stood in front of the huge closed stone door.It is this stone gate that once blocked our way of life and nearly killed us.Thinking of the priceless treasures separated by the gate, the old hag who was crushed by the stone gate, and the beautiful girl who died beside the stone gate, my heart is full of emotions!In fact, it is not so much a stone gate as a boulder.We checked it out and couldn't find any seams where it slipped.We thought we could discover the secret of Shimen by chance, but after more than an hour, we still found nothing.In the distant ancient times, people were able to design and manufacture such a huge mechanism with such a simple principle, which is really an unparalleled miracle in the world.

Finally we gave up.Even if the stone door suddenly rises again, even if the countless treasures inside are at our fingertips, I doubt whether we will have the courage to step on Jagul's broken body and enter the secret chamber again.But when I think of the treasure being left in the secret room like this, I still feel unwilling. It may be the biggest treasure in the world.But the five-foot-thick stone door can only be blasted open with dynamite.We had no choice but to leave disappointed.Perhaps in the distant future, more fortunate explorers will discover the secret of "Open Sesame" by accident, allowing these treasures to be seen again.But whether there is such a possibility, I doubt it.For some reason, I feel that these three boxes of diamonds will never shine on the necks of worldly beauties.Together with Furata's body, they will stay quietly in the cold cave forever until the end of the world.

Sighing in disappointment, we walked out of the cave and returned to Lucheng the next day.To be honest, we are so disappointed that it is a bit ignorant.Readers may recall that, before leaving the Chamber of Secrets, I had the idea of ​​stuffing the pockets of my hunting jacket with diamonds.As it rolled down the pit, many diamonds fell, including some of the largest.But comparatively speaking, there are quite a few left, including eighteen large diamonds ranging from thirty to one hundred carats, which would at least make us quite rich, if not millionaires.And every diamond is the best in the European market.That said, we haven't done too badly.

Back in Loo, we were warmly received by Agnus.During this time, he has been busy consolidating the kingship and reorganizing the army that suffered heavy casualties in the war.Everything went very well.

He listened intently to our tales of thrills along the way.When he learned of Jagul's tragic death, he became thoughtful.

"Come here," he called to an elderly official.The officials sat in a circle around the king at a distance, but they couldn't hear the king clearly.The old man came over, saluted, and sat down.

"You're not too young." Agnus said.

"Yes, Your Majesty the King!"

"Tell me, did you know the witch Gagul when you were young?"

"Yes, Your Majesty the King!"

"What was she like then? Was she as young as you?"

"No, Your Majesty the King! She is the same as now, old and dry, extremely ugly, with a heart like a poisonous scorpion."

"She's dead."

"Oh, great, Your Majesty! Our country has one less scourge."

"Go down!"

"Qom! I'm going down. Your Majesty the Young King has saved us from the evil. Qom!"

"You hear me, boys," Agnes said, "I'm so glad this strange old hag is dead. She set a trap to keep you dead in the dark, and then she tried to kill you." Kill me, as I killed my father in favor of Tewala, her lover. Go ahead and tell the story. I'm sure it's the best, unique story in the world."

I told him how I had escaped, and then took the opportunity to tell him we were leaving Kukuana.

"Agnus, it is time to say good-bye to you. We are leaving for our own country. See, Agnus, when we set out with us, you were our servant. Now you have become If you are grateful to us, don't forget the promise you made at the beginning: be a just king, be impartial, rule the country according to the law, and never kill innocent people. Only in this way can the country be prosperous and strong. Tomorrow Will you escort us over the mountain in the morning, Your Majesty?"

Agnus covered his face with his hands, and it took a while before he answered.

"I'm really sad," he said, "your words break my heart. Did I do something wrong? Inchub, Makumazahn, Bugwan, why did you leave me? You and I fought side by side and now I have regained the throne and the world is at peace, but you are leaving me. What do you want? Do you want a wife? You can choose any woman in Kukuana! Do you want a house? Where do you want it? All to you. Or want a house like the white man? You can teach my men to build it. Want cows and milk? Every man who gets married can give you a cow. Want to hunt? The forest is everywhere There are elephants, and hippos are everywhere in the reed fields. Want to fight? My army is at your command. If I can give it, I will."

"No, Agnus, we don't want any of what you're talking about," I replied. "We just want to go back to our own home."

"Now I understand," Agnes said bitterly, with tears in his eyes, "you love your shining gems more than your friends. Now that you have got them, go back to Natal, Cross the black river, sell the gems, make a fortune. This is the greedy white man. So I curse the gems, curse the man who seeks the gems. Death will come to him who steps into the land of death. I'm done , white people, you can go."

I put my hand on his arm and said, "Tell us, Agnus, when you were wandering in Zulu, in the white quarters of Natal, did you miss the land your mother told you about? It is your hometown, it is the place where you played when you were a child, and there is the scenery you are familiar with."

"Yes, Maku Mazahn."

"We, like you, want to go back to our own country, our own homeland."

After a moment of silence, Agnus spoke, and at this moment, his voice changed.

"I understand your words. You are always so wise, Maku Mazahn. The birds of the air do not like to run on the ground; the white people do not like to be equal to the black people. You still have to go, leaving me with a broken heart. This time, we We are far apart, and we have heard nothing. Farewell."

"But listen, and tell all white people what I say. From now on, no white person will be allowed to cross the mountains, and no white person will be allowed to sell guns and alcohol in my country. Otherwise, my people will, like their ancestors, take Take up your spear and fight bravely. Don't let the missionaries instill the fear of death in the people, incite the people to rebel, and pave the way for the white people to take over our country. If a white man comes to the gate of the city, I will send him back; if a hundred people come , I'll drive them back; if an army comes, I'll fight them to the end, they won't succeed. No one will try to fight those gems, not even an army. If they dare to come, I will send The army fills up the big hole, breaks the white pillars in the hole, and blocks the hole with rocks. No one can find the door you mentioned, and the tunnel will disappear forever. But you three, Inchubu, Makuma Zahn, Bugwan, the road will always be open for you. Remember, you will always be my dearest and most important people.”

"Go now. My uncle Inverdus will lead an army to escort you. As far as I know, there is another way through the mountains. He will tell you. Farewell, my brothers, brave White people. Don't let me see you again, my heart can't bear it. I will issue a decree that the names of the three of you will be the same as the dead king, and will never be mentioned again. Anyone who dares to mention it will be sentenced to death. You will be remembered forever by the people."

"Go now, before I cry like a woman, go. When you sometimes look back on the past, when you sit by the fire when you are old and warm, will you remember the days when we fought side by side and lived and died together? Maku Mazahn, you are wise and wise to make suggestions and turn the tide of the battle time and time again. Bugwan, you are brave and take the lead, causing heavy damage to Taiwala’s flank troops. Inchubu, you are fearless and appear in the encirclement of the Gray Army, inspiring the soldiers We charged forward and beat the enemy to pieces. You also defeated the mighty Taiwala and made his pride disappear. Farewell, Inchub, Makumazan, Bugwan, my lord, I good friend."

With that he stood up, looked at us sincerely, and then lifted a corner of his fur cloak over his face so we wouldn't see his tearful eyes.

We left in silence.

Early the next morning, the reluctant Inverdus led the buffalo army and escorted us out of Lucheng.Although it was just dawn, people were already standing on both sides of the main street in Lucheng.They greeted us with royal courtesy as we passed.The women sprinkled flowers on our path, thanking us for killing the tyrant Tewala.The scenes are very moving, rare among Aboriginal people.

At this time, a very funny thing happened, and everyone laughed.

Just as we were about to go out of town, a very beautiful girl ran up to Goode and offered him a bouquet of beautiful lilies (for some reason, they all seemed to like Goode. I think it was thanks to his glasses and half beard), and told him he had a request.

"Speak!"

"My lord, can your servant have a look at your beautiful white legs? Just one look, I will always remember it, and I will tell my children. I walked four days and came here just to see it with my own eyes. Look. The reputation of your beautiful white legs has spread throughout the country."

"If you want me to do this, unless you kill me!" Goode said excitedly.

"Come on, my dear fellow," said Sir Henry, "you can't just refuse my lady's request so lightly."

"I wouldn't do it," said Good stubbornly. "It's too disrespectful."

In the end, however, he agreed and rolled up his trousers to his knees.All the women present, especially the girl whose request was granted, were all amazed.Goode walked out of the city with bare legs like this.

Good's legs are so praised, I guess this is the only time.The people of Kukuana may forget his moving teeth and transparent eyes, but his "beautiful white legs" will always be remembered.

On the way, Inverdus told us, there was another way through the mountains, leading north, to Solomon's Way.In other words, between Kukuana and the desert, there is a cliff.There is a place to climb over this cliff to reach the Twin Breasts of the Queen of Sheba.More than two years ago, Kukuana hunters followed this road into the desert in search of ostriches—the battle headdresses made of ostrich feathers are very valuable.When they were chasing their prey, they left the mountains far away and encountered the plight of lack of water.But they saw a wood on the far horizon, and running across it, they found a large oasis for miles around, with fertile soil and plenty of water.Inverdus suggested we go down this route.This idea sounds good, you can avoid many dangerous mountains.Several of the escort team were hunters who walked this road back then. They volunteered to be our guides and vowed to find more fertile oases deep in the desert.

We went very well along the way.On the fourth night we came to the cliffs between Kukuana and the desert.Sand rolls beneath our feet, about 25 miles north of the Queen of Sheba's Breasts.

At dawn the next day, under the leadership of the escort team, we came to the steep mountain road, and the desert was under the cliff of more than 2000 feet.

Here we say farewell to Inverdus, our loyal friend and staunch warrior.He solemnly wished us all the best and was almost in tears with grief. "Farewell, gods," he said sadly, "I shall never see you again with my old eyes. Alas! I shall never see Inchub's bravery in battle again! Alas! He is so savage! To cut off the head of my brother Tewala was truly shocking! So beautifully done, so beautifully done! Only in my life can I see you all in my dreams."

At this time, we were also very sad.Goode was even more sad and gave him a souvenir.guess what?A monocle.We later found out that it was a spare pair of glasses that he carried with him.Inverdus was overjoyed, for having such an item would certainly enhance his prestige considerably.It took several tries before he could get his glasses on.But no matter how I look at it, I feel that this old general wearing glasses is neither fish nor fowl.The glasses and the leopard-skin cloak and black ostrich-feather headdress simply didn't fit.

After receiving the water and other items on the guide's back, and accepting the thunderous farewell of the Buffalo Army, we held the old general's hand tightly and said goodbye.Then start to climb down.There are constant hardships and dangers along the way.But no matter what, we finally reached the foot of the mountain safely at night.

We sat around the fire and looked up at the sheer cliffs overhead.Then Sir Henry said: "You know what? I don't think there's a more dreadful or worse place in the world than Kukuana. It's been a miserable, queer month or two. Ah! What do you say?"

"I still want to go back." Goode sighed for a long time.

As for myself, I am reminded of a proverb: as it turns out, so does everything.Although I have experienced a lot in my life, this experience was unique.I still shudder when I think of the bloody war, not to mention the near-death scene in the secret room!
Early the next morning, we started trekking in the desert, fortunately the guide prepared enough water for us.In the evening we camped in the desert and continued on the next morning.

At noon on the third day, we saw the oasis mentioned by the guide.An hour before sunset, we stepped onto the meadow and heard the sound of babbling water.

(End of this chapter)