The ebony-like sticks also began to
blaze. Menzi grew excited.
"My Spirit, come to me; my Spirit, come to me!" he cried. "O my Spirit,
show this White Teacher Tombool that I am not a cheat!"
He ran round and round the fire; he leapt into the air, then suddenly
shouted: "My Spirit has entered into me; my Snake is in my breast!"
All his excitement went; he grew quite calm, almost cataleptic. Holding
his thin hands over the fire, slowly he let them fall, and as he did so
the fierce flames died down.
"It's going out," said Tabitha.
Menzi smiled at her and lifted his hands again. Lo! the fire that seemed
to be dead leapt up after them in a fierce blaze. Again he dropped his
hands and the fire died away. Then he moved his arms to and fro and it
came back, following the motions of his arms as though he drew it by a
string.
"Have you thought, White Teacher? Have you thought?" he asked. "Good!
Arise, smoke!"
Behold, instead of the clear flame appeared a fan-shaped column of dense
white smoke, behind which Menzi vanished, all except his outstretched
hands.
"Look on to the smoke, White people, and do you, Little Flower, tell me
what you see there," he called from behind this vaporous veil.
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