She
said she was ill - it was not feigned; and if I would give her a
goat to sacrifice
She would be well at once; for she had looked
into the magic horn already, and discovered that if I have her a
goat for that purpose it would prove that I loved her, and her
health would be restored to her at once. Hallo! Here was a
transformation from the paternal position into that of a
henpecked husband! Somebody, I smelt at once, had been tampering
with my household whilst I was away. I commenced investigations,
and after a while found out that Rozaro's sister had brought a
magician belonging to her family into the hut during my absence,
who had put Meri up to this trick of extorting a goat from me, in
order that he might benefit by it himself, for the magician eats
the sacrifice, and keeps the skin.
I immediately ordered him to be seized and bound to the flag-
staff, whilst Maula, Uledi, Rozaro, and Bombay were summoned to
witness the process of investigation. Rozaro flew into a
passion, and tried to release the magician as soon as he saw him,
affecting intense indignation that I should take the law into my
own hands when one of Rumanika's subjects was accused; but only
lost his dignity still more on being told he had acknowledged his
inability to control his men so often when they had misbehaved,
that I scorned to ask his assistance any longer.
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