Dead Man's Land Part 36

"I don't quite know," replied Mark. "These people are all so much alike, but I think this is one I saw before, because he has got bra.s.s wire rings round his arm. Yes, I am right," continued Mark eagerly, for Mak raised his little prisoner's hand towards Mark and signed to him to extend his own.

The next moment Mark was holding the little black, boyish hand in his and pointing in the direction where the injured pigmy was nestled in his skin bed.

"Come," said Mak. "Doctor come;" and leaving Mark holding on by the pigmy's hand, he led the way as if quite at home, pa.s.sing between the trees, while first one and then another of the little tribe glided away to right and left, seen for a moment, and then disappearing in the deep shade, till their stalwart guide stopped short and waited till the whole of the party had closed up. Then, as if satisfied that he had done his part, he drew back a bit and pointed downward.

"Well, Mark, what next?" said the doctor.

"That's the spot where the little wounded fellow is lying," said Mark.

"But I can do nothing here in this darkness," said the doctor. "We must have a light."

"Oh," cried Mark excitedly, "how stupid! Here, I know; Mak shall tell them to make a fire in the opening, and he must carry the poor little fellow out."

"Oh, I have provided for that," said the doctor, and swinging round his knapsack he took it off and opened it, and in a very few minutes he had struck a match, which blazed up brightly and brought forth a low murmur of excitement from the hidden pigmies who evidently surrounded them.

"Never saw a match before," said Mark, as if to himself, while directly after as the wick of a little lamp burned up brightly behind the gla.s.s which sheltered its flame, there was another murmur of astonishment and a faint rustling sound as of a tiny crowd collecting to see this wonder which gave light like a brand taken from a fire.

It was but a small flame, but sufficient to find reflectors in many eyes which peered behind the trees, and as by the light of this little illumination the doctor went down on one knee beside the wounded pigmy, who gazed up at him in wonder, he drew off the white handkerchief, the one with which Dan had supplied Mark clean washed that morning.

"Come closer, Mark," said the doctor. "I want you to hold the lamp."

Mark released the hand of the little savage, which clung to his tightly, and went round behind the injured pigmy's head, meeting the wondering eyes, and laying his hand upon the little fellow's head with a friendly touch, before gazing anxiously down and watching the doctor's movements.

There was a faint gasp to follow the doctor's first touch, and a low thrilling sound arose, evidently from a group of watchers behind the trees.

"Medical men go through strange experiences, Mark," said the doctor, in a low tone, "but not many have such a case as this."

"'Tis rather horrid," said Mark.

"Hold the light lower, so as to throw it just upon his shoulder."

Mark obeyed.

"Well, I suppose I had better go on," said the doctor quietly, "and hope that I shall not have half a dozen spears stuck into me if my patient shrieks out."

"Shall you hurt him much?" said Mark.

"I shall hurt him," said the doctor, upon whose busy fingers the light now played.

"What a horrid wound!" said Mark.

"Bad enough to kill him from mortification!" said the doctor softly.

"Yes, just as I expected. Here's a long splinter of the bone festering in this great wound--I should say small wound, poor little chap! I'm afraid mine is going to be rough surgery, but this piece must come out.

What's to be done?"

"Take it out," said Mark.

"Do you dare hold his arm up?"

"Yes," said Mark, "if it's to do him good."

"It is, of course; but these people looking on don't know. Ah, lucky thought--tell Mak to bend over and hold the light. Then you raise the poor little fellow's arm, and I'll do the best I can."

The change was made, the doctor busied himself, and in the course of his manipulations there was a bright flash of light as the little lantern played for a few seconds upon the keen blade of a small knife which the doctor took from his case, while consequent upon its use a faint cry escaped from the wounded black, and there was a low murmur, which sounded ominous to Mark's ears.

"Ah," said the doctor, in the most unruffled way, "no wonder the poor fellow's in such a state. Here, Mak--water--water. Let the arm sink down now, Mark, and take the light again. I want water, and I ought to have a basin and sponge. What can you get the water in? I don't want to wait while he is going back to the waggons. I can manage if you will only bring the water."

There was probably some spring in the forest known to the pigmies, and after some little time two good-sized gourds were brought full of the refreshing fluid.

"Now, Mark, send Mak to get some of that fresh green moss from off the trees."

This was done, the wound carefully cleansed and dried, a piece of lint saturated with some of the contents of a bottle the doctor took from his case, and the moistened antiseptic linen was applied to the wound, the whole being carefully bandaged and secured, before the doctor rose from his knees.

"There," said he, "this is a curious experience."

"But will he get better now, doctor?"

"I can't say. I don't know. What I do know is that I don't think he would have lived another week with his arm in that state. It was all going bad, from shoulder to elbow. I must dress it again to-morrow, and then we shall see."

"Then that means that we are not going on to-morrow," said Sir James.

"I am at your orders, sir."

"No," said Mark's father; "you are captain, doctor, and I don't think we ought to be in such a hurry to get on. I should like to see a little more of the habits of these people and how they live. There must be a great deal to interest us, so certainly we will stay for a day or two, and see how your patient is."

"Well, now let's get back to the waggons," said the doctor. "I suppose they won't try to stop us."

So far from it, the little people seemed less shy and retiring, many more than they had seen before pressing forward to get a glimpse of the doctor's lamp, and a low sigh as of astonishment escaped from their lips as the light was extinguished, while a peculiar silence afterwards reigned as under the guidance of Mak the little party started back for the waggons.

"I wonder what they think about it all, father," said Mark, as soon as they had reached the edge of the forest, for very few words had been spoken while they were threading their way through the depressing darkness, while a feeling of light-heartedness and of relief came over all as they gazed around at the soft refulgent glow of the sunset.

"Well," said Sir James, "they ought to be very much obliged, and I suppose they must think that we have done the little fellow good. But I couldn't help noticing--I don't know what you thought, doctor--that there was a something wanting in them. There was more of the animal and less of the ordinary human being about them. Why, they were degrees lower in the scale of humanity than our friend the Illaka."

"Yes," said the doctor, "and they seem quite to lookup to him as a superior being. I fancy that, driven by the oppression of superior tribes to take refuge in the gloom and moisture of this great forest, they have never had the opportunity of making any further advance than has come to them naturally for the supporting of their ordinary animal wants."

"I daresay you are right, doctor," said Sir James, "but I have never studied these things. What you say is very reasonable, and I am sure of one thing--they displayed more timidity, more fear, than you would find in such a race as that fellow Mak came from."

"Yes, that must be it, father; and I think we should feel just the same if we were always shut up in that great forest."

The next morning it was arranged that the boys should be out at daybreak to pay a visit to the roosting trees of the guinea-fowl, under the guidance of Mak, while the doctor and Sir James were to be out with Bob Bacon across the plain to try for a buck or two, Peter Dance being still very unwell and stiff, and evincing a strong desire to keep away from the boys and his master, a fact which brought forth the following remark from Dean:

"I say, Mark," he said, after a deep fit of thinking, "both Buck and Dunn Brown were quite right."

"What about?"

"That letting the fire out."

"Why do you say that?"