As they drew
near to these priests the Asika loosed a scarf that she wore over her
breast-plate of gold fish scales, and threw the star-spangled thing over
Alan's head, that even these priests should not see his face. Then she
spoke a word to them and they opened the gates. Here Jeekie evinced
a disposition to remain, remarking to his master that he thought that
place, into which he had never entered, "much too holy for poor nigger
like him."
The Asika asked him what he had said and he explained his sense of
unworthiness in her own tongue.
"Come, fellow," she exclaimed, "to translate my words and to bear
witness that no trick is played upon your lord."
Still Jeekie lingered bashfully, whereon at a sign from her one of the
priests pricked him behind with his great spear, and uttering a low howl
he sprang forward.
The Asika led the way down a passage, which they saw ended in a big hall
lit with lamps. Now they were in it and Alan became aware that they had
entered the treasure house of the Asiki, since here were piled up great
heaps of gold, gold in ingots, gold in nuggets, in stone jars filled
with dust, in vessels plain or embossed with monstrous shapes in
fetishes and in little squares and discs that looked as though they had
served as coins.
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