Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
Category: Nonfiction
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Wahimas."
And Stas knitted his brows and began to gaze with his steely eyes intoKali's eyes; after which he answered:
"I forbid you to do that."
"Master," the young negro said in an uncertain voice, "the Wahimasalways cut down slaves. The old king--dies cut them down; the youngsucceeds--cut them down. If Kali did not command them to be cut down,the Wahimas would think that Kali is not king."
Stas looked more and more sternly:
"What of it?" he asked. "Did you not learn anything on Mount Linde, andare you not a Christian?"
"I am, oh, great master!"
"Listen, then! The Wahimas have black brains, but your brains ought tobe white. You, as soon as you became their king, should enlighten themand teach them what you learned from me and from the 'bibi' They arelike jackals and like hyenas--make men of them. Tell them it is notallowable to cut down captives, for the Great Spirit to whom I and the'bibi' pray avenges the blood of the defenseless. The white people donot murder slaves, and you want to be worse to them than Gebhr was toyou--you, a Christian! Shame on you, Kali. Change the ancient andabominable customs of the Wahimas for good ones and God will bless youfor this and the 'bibi' will not say that Kali is a savage, stupid, badnegro."
A horrible din in the huts of the fetish-men deafened his words. Staswaved his hand and continued:
"I hear! That is your wicked Mzimu, which wants the blood and heads ofthe captives. But you, of course, know what that means and it will notfrighten you. Well, I say this to you: take a bamboo stick, go to eachhut and thrash the hides of the fetish-men until they begin to roarlouder than their drums. Cast out the drums into the middle of theboma, in order that all the Wahimas may see and understand how theseknaves have deceived them. Tell your foolish Wahimas, at the same time,that which you yourself announced to M'Rua's people, that wherever the'Good Mzimu' sojourns no human blood can be shed."
Stas' words evidently persuaded the young king, as he glanced at himboldly and said:
"Kali will beat, oh, beat the fetish-men; throw out the drums and tellthe Wahimas that there where the 'Good Mzimu' is it is not allowable tokill anyone. But what shall Kali do with Faru and with the Samburus whokilled Fumba?"
Stas, who already had formed his plans for everything and who onlywaited for this question, answered at once:
"Your father perished and his father perished, therefore it is a headfor a head. You shall conclude a blood alliance with Faru, after whichthe Wahimas and Samburus shall dwell in harmony; they shall peacefullycultivate manioc, and hunt. You shall tell Faru of the Great Spirit,who is the Father of all white and black people, and Faru shall loveyou like a brother."
"Kali now has a white brain," answered the young negro.
And with this the conversation ended. A while later again resoundedwild roars; this time they were not the roars of the wicked Mzimu butonly of both fetish-men, whom Kali cudgelled with all his might andmain. The warriors, who below continually surrounded the King in acompact circle, came running up as fast as their legs could carry themto see what was happening, and soon became convinced with their owneyes and from the confessions of the fetish-men that the bad Mzimubefore which heretofore they trembled was only a hollowed-out trunkwith monkey skin stretched over it.
And young Faru, when he was informed that in honor of the "Good Mzimu"and the great master his head would not be dashed to pieces, but thatKali was to eat a piece of him and he a piece of Kali, could hardlybelieve his ears, and on learning to whom he was indebted for his life,lay on his face on the ground before the entrance to Fumba's hut, andremained there until Nell came out and ordered him to rise. Then heembraced with his black hands her little foot and placed it on his headin sign that through his entire life he desired to remain her slave.
The Wahimas were greatly astonished at the commands of the young king,but the presence of the unknown guests whom they regarded as the mostpowerful sorcerers in the world had the effect of disarming allopposition. The older people, however, were displeased with the newcustoms, and both fetish-men, understanding that their prosperous dayswere forever over, swore in their souls a terrible revenge against theking and the new arrivals.
In the meantime they buried Fumba with great solemnity at the foot ofthe rock below the boma. Kali placed above his grave a cross made ofbamboo, while the negroes left a few utensils with pombe and smokedmeat "in order that he should not annoy and haunt them during thenight-time."
Mamba's body, after the conclusion of the blood brotherhood betweenKali and Faru, was surrendered to the Samburus.
XXI
"Nell, can you enumerate our journeys from Fayum?" Stas asked.
"I can."
Saying this the little maid raised her eyebrows and began to count onher little fingers.
"At once. From Fayum to Khartum--that is one; from Khartum toFashoda--that is the second; from Fashoda to that ravine in which wefound the King--that is the third; and from Mount Linde to thelake--that is the fourth."
"Yes. There probably is not another fly in the world which has flownover such a piece of Africa."
"That fly would look queer without you."
Stas began to laugh.
"A fly on an elephant! A fly on an elephant!"
"But not a tsetse! Honestly, Stas--not a tsetse."
"No," he answered, "a very agreeable fly."
Nell, pleased with the praise, propped her little nose on his arm;after which she asked:
"When shall we start on our fifth journey?"
"As soon as you have rested thoroughly, and I can instruct those menwhom Kali has promised to me how to shoot a little."
"And shall we ride long?"
"Long, Nell--long! Who knows whether it will not be the longestjourney?"
"And you, as usual, will be equal to it."
"I must be."
Somehow Stas had managed to shift for himself as best he could, butthis fifth journey required great preparations. They were to ventureinto unknown regions in which they were threatened with manifolddangers, so the boy desired to be protected against them better than hepreviously had been. With this in view he gave instructions in shootingfrom Remington rifles to forty young Wahimas who were to form theprincipal armed force and in a measure Nell's body-guard. Morerifle-men he could not have, as the King carried only twenty-fiverifles and the horses bore only fifteen. The rest of the army was toconsist of one hundred Wahimas and a hundred Samburus, armed withspears and bows, whom Faru promised to furnish, and whose presenceremoved many difficulties of travel through the wide and wild countryinhabited by the Samburu tribe. Stas, not without a certain pride,thought that having escaped during his journey from Fashoda with onlyNell and the two negroes, without any means, he might come to the oceancoast at the head of two hundred armed men with an elephant and horses.He pictured to himself what would be said by the English people whoprized resourcefulness highly, but above all he thought of what hisfather and Mr. Rawlinson would say. The thought of this sweetened allhis toils.
Nevertheless, he was not at all at ease as to his own and Nell's fate,for he surely would pass through the possessions of the Wahimas and theSamburus without any difficulties, but after that, what? Upon whattribes would he yet chance, into what regions would he enter, and howmuch travel still remained? Linde's directions were too vague. Stas wasgreatly worried because he actually did not know where he was, as thatpart of Africa appeared on the maps from which he studied geographyentirely like a blank page. He also had no idea what this LakeBassa-Narok was and how great it was. He was on its southern border, atwhich the width of the overflow might amount to ten miles. But neitherthe Wahimas nor the Samburus could tell him how far the lake extendedto the north. Kali, who knew the Kiswahili language passably well,answered all questions with, "Bali! bali!" which meant "far! far!" butthis was all that Stas could elicit from him.
As the mountains on the north, shutting off the view, appeared quitenear, he assumed that it was a small, brackish lake, like many othersin Africa. A few years lat
er it appeared how great an error hecommitted* [* It was the great lake which was discovered in 1888 by thecelebrated traveler Teleki and which he named Lake Rudolf.]. For thetime being, however, he was not concerned so much about ascertainingthe exact dimensions of Bassa-Narok as whether some river did not flowout of it, which afterwards coursed to the ocean. TheSamburus--subjects of Faru--claimed that east of their country lay awaterless desert which no one had yet traversed. Stas, who knew negroesfrom the narratives of travelers, from Linde's adventures, and partlyfrom his own experience, was aware that when the dangers and thehardships began, many of his men would desert to return home, andperhaps not one would remain. In such case he would find himself in thewilds and desert with only Nell, Mea, and little Nasibu.