At her suggestion I stationed myself near the flower bed which contained
a large variety of the most beautiful plants I had ever seen. She
touched several of them lightly and immediately the air was saturated
with a most delicious fragrance caused, no doubt, by an automatic
arrangement concealed within each flower. I stood like one in a most
delightful dream inhaling the invigorating fumes, and with each
succeeding breath my body became stronger and my mind brighter until I
thought I should surely die from the effects of exuberant joy, when my
attention was attracted by Arletta, who said: "Come, you greedy little
pig, don't you know when you have had enough?" Then she added, "but I
forgot that among your species greediness is considered a virtue."
CHAPTER VIII
"Greediness considered a virtue among my species." Surely I must have
misunderstood her, thought I, once more seating myself, preparatory to
beginning my mental journey with Arletta. And I was glad to know that
she would shortly view our civilization as it existed, feeling positive
that she would then change her ideas regarding my species being lower
animals. I felt that it was my own fault because she harbored such an
opinion and that I was to blame for being such a poor representative of
my race for her to judge by.
"Now, let's be off," said she, "as I feel that my time will be short
with you and we had better make the best of it while it lasts." "Time
short with you." Those words gave me more pain than if a sword had been
thrust through my body. "By all the gods of eternity, I would not care
to live ten minutes if anything happened to that heavenly being,"
thought I, gazing at her with rapturous feelings of tenderness. "Call me
a lower animal, a hideous creature or a greedy pig, and treat me like
one if you will, but do not leave me. Stay and let me be your slave
forever." Those were my sincere thoughts. She understood them, but made
no response.
Settling back in a comfortable position with my eyes fastened upon
Arletta in loving adoration, the scene changed instantly and I found
myself once more upon the rocks in the middle of the sea. The sun was
just rising in the east and another day was begun. Then our meteoric
flight commenced, and quicker than it takes to relate I was high up
among the clouds and peering down at a familiar landscape. I recognized
the location at once as the district occupied by and surrounding Cape
Town, South Africa.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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