Their hair was long and thin, growing down almost to the
eyes, their jaws and teeth protruded and the girth of their black bodies
was out of all proportion to their height. In their hands they held
sticks with sharp stones lashed on to them, or rude hatchet-like knives
of the same material.
Now Nanea's heart shrank within her, and she nearly fainted with fear,
for she knew that she was in the haunted forest, and without a doubt
these were the _Esemkofu_, the evil ghosts that dwelt therein. Yes, that
was what they were, and yet she could not take her eyes off them--the
sight of them held her with a horrible fascination. But if they were
ghosts, why did they sing and dance like men? Why did they wave those
sharp stones aloft, and quarrel and strike each other? And why did they
make a fire as men do when they wish to cook food? More, what was it
that they rejoiced over, that long dark thing which lay so quiet upon
the ground? It did not look like a head of game, and it could scarcely
be a crocodile, yet clearly it was food of some sort, for they were
sharpening the stone knives in order to cut it up.
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