Dead Man's Land Part 39

"Well," said the doctor, "it doesn't seem as if they are dissatisfied with my treatment."

"No," replied Mark, laughing; "and they seem ready enough to pay your fees."

"Yes, and I must make haste and get our little friend well, which he soon will be, for Nature will do the rest; but I don't suppose we shall see any more of them, for people of such a low grade of civilisation would probably soon forget. But we must get on. I want to discover Captain Lawton's ancient city."

"Yes, I want to see that," cried Dean. "One doesn't want to be always hunting and shooting."

"That's right, Dean. The sooner we are off the better. Oh, here comes Mak. Let's stir him up again about where the big stones are."

"He will only point with his spear at the forest as if they were there,"

said Mark, "and of course we can't drive the bullocks through."

"No," said Dean; "but he may mean that the old ruins are on the other side."

"Yes," said the doctor, "and that we can go round, for we are evidently skirting the edge of this primaeval jungle."

"Skirting the edge!" said Mark, laughing. "Oh, yes--like skirting the edge of the world, and we shall be coming out some day--some year, I mean, right on the other side of America. I don't believe there are any old stones. It's all what-you-may-call-it."

"All what-you-may-call-it, you young sceptic!" said the doctor, laughing. "Well, what _do_ you call it, for I don't know?"

"Trade--tradesman--trading--trade--"

"'Dition," suggested Dean.

"Yes, that's it--all a tradition. I could only think of hunting a will-o'-the-wisp."

"I don't think so," said the doctor. "The captain said some of the hunting parties had seen the great stones in the distance."

"And he said too that they might have been kopjes. And I don't believe that those who came hunting ever ran against these trees, or saw these little pigmy chaps, or else they would have talked about it."

"Similar people were seen by some of our travellers, but that was farther north and more central."

"But I don't see why we should be in such a hurry to get on. We are very comfortable here," said Mark.

"Why do you say that?" said the doctor, looking at the boy searchingly.

"You have some reason for it?"

"Well," said Mark hesitating, "I should like to see more of these little people. They amuse me. They are not much bigger than children, and they are such solemn, stolid little chaps. I don't believe any of them ever had a good laugh in their lives."

"That's because they never see any sunshine," said Dean sententiously.

"I believe they just have a run outside the forest to stick an arrow or two into the springboks, and then run into the shade again. It's the sun makes one want to laugh, and I should be just as serious if I always lived under those trees."

"Well, I daresay they will bring my patient again to-morrow morning, and we will wait till then, and afterwards I should propose that we journey on at once."

"But you said you were going to ask Mak again about where the big stones are," said Mark, and he signed to the black, who was standing leaning upon his spear watching them, and now in response to the boy's signal, came up at once.

"You ask him, my boy," said the doctor, who was carefully examining the contents of his knapsack and tightening the cork of the little bottle before rolling it up again in the lint and bandages.

Mark seized the opportunity.

"Here, Mak," he cried, "big stones? Where?"

The black turned at once and pointed with his spear in the direction of the forest.

"There, I told you so!" said Mark. Then to the black, "Well, go on; show the way."

Mak, who evidently understood, swung himself half round, and now pointed right along to the edge of the forest.

"That's clear enough, Mark," said the doctor. "He means we have to go round, keeping to the edge and along the open plain where the bullocks can trek."

"Buck Denham--trek!" cried Mak, nodding his head, and using his spear to indicate the direction.

"Big stones," said the doctor, and he now pointed along the edge of the forest.

"Mak find," said the black, nodding his head vigorously.

"Oh, it's evident enough," said the doctor quietly. "He knows what we want, and some day will guide us there. Well, we have plenty of time, boys, and I suppose you are in no hurry to get back to the manor?"

"No, no, of course not; but I do want to see that little fellow again."

Mark had his desire fulfilled the next morning at daybreak, when instead of the numerous procession, the little chief, as they considered him, appeared, accompanied only by the four bearers with the patient and four others well loaded with twice as many big turkey-like birds, one of which showed the way in which they had been obtained, for a broken arrow projected from its back.

The game was handed over to the white foreloper, who bore the birds off to the fire to begin plucking them, the two keepers joining him to quicken the task, while the bearers set down the hurdle beneath the tree, and quite as a matter of course Dan appeared with the tin bowl and a bucket of water. Mark hurriedly fetched the doctor's knapsack and helped over the dressing of the wound, watching the while the change which had come over the little patient who lay seriously and fixedly gazing at Mark, while, as soon as the task was completed he stretched out his uninjured arm so that he could touch Mark's hand. As on the previous morning Mak stood like a spear-armed sentry till all was over, uttered a word or two like an order, and the pigmy party marched back to the edge of the forest and disappeared.

"Well, Mark," said the doctor, who had been very observant, "I suppose that touch meant `Thank you and good-bye.' But he might have paid me the same compliment. However, he evidently considers you to be the chief."

"No, he could not have done that," said Mark. "Old Mak shows them all that he considers himself the black boss."

The doctor laughed.

"But I say," said Mark eagerly, "did you notice that little chief?"

"Yes," said the doctor. "I did notice it, and was going to speak about it. He was quite a dandy this morning, with his black ostrich feather and his bra.s.s wire band round his forehead. He looked quite smart. He must be the chief."

"But I say, doctor, is that bra.s.s wire?"

"Of course; the same as his bangles and the rings about his ankles.

What else could it be? One thing's very plain. There are ostriches up here somewhere, and these people set store by their feathers. Now do you see what it means?"

"Yes," said Mark, "that the chief wears one and that none of the others do."

"I didn't mean that," said the doctor. "I meant that they evidently traded with dealers who come up the country here and use coils of bra.s.s wire as their current coin to exchange with the natives."

"Coils of bra.s.s wire which they cut in lengths, I suppose, to deal with these little blacks."

"That's quite right, my boy; but what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking," said Mark, "that if these traders came right up here and dealt with the pigmies we should have heard about it."