The Adventures of Dick Maitland Part 7

It was evident at once, by the puzzled expression on the chiefs face, that he understood d.i.c.k as little as d.i.c.k understood him; and for a moment there seemed to be the possibility of a deadlock. But suddenly 'Mpandula's brow cleared, he turned on his horse and shouted a name, in response to which one of the guards drove his heels into his horse's flanks, and dashed forward to his chiefs a.s.sistance. The latter appeared to explain the position in a few terse words, and when he had finished, the newcomer, at 'Mpandula's dictation, repeated the message of the king, word for wood, in the language with which d.i.c.k was familiar.

"What do you say, Phil," questioned d.i.c.k, when the message was concluded; "shall we go? Or shall we excuse ourselves for the present, upon the plea that we would prefer to wait until the wagon comes up, in order that we may take with us the gifts that we have brought for His Majesty? I am not quite sure that I altogether like this escort business. It may be all right, of course. The king's message sounds all right; but if the chap means treachery it will be exceedingly awkward for us, will it not?"

"It certainly will," agreed Grosvenor. "But," he continued, "I fancy it is altogether too late to think of that now. When we determined to enter this country we tacitly decided to take all the risks of so doing; and in any case we cannot now escape, do what we will, therefore I think our best policy will be to take everything for granted, and go willingly with these fellows, since if we refused they have the power to compel us. What has so suddenly put the idea of treachery into your head?"

"Upon my word I don't know," answered d.i.c.k. "Unless it is the sight of these armed men. But, as you say, it is too late to hesitate now, and, after all, their presence may merely signify the desire of the king to do us honour. Yes, I suppose we had better go." And, turning to 'Mpandula, he said:

"We are ready to go with you into the presence of the king, therefore let the squadron approach. But our followers are behind, with the wagon, and it is desirable that they should know what has become of us; therefore I pray you let a message be transmitted to them, informing them of our whereabouts, and also directing them where to outspan at their final halt."

"The will of my lords shall be done," answered the chief, through the interpreter. And, raising his right hand, he shouted an order, whereupon the squadron of native cavalry, which had remained motionless as so many statues, at once awakened into life, and, starting forward at a gallop, advanced in as close formation and as perfect line as the finest civilised troops, halting a horse's length in rear of their commander. Then, at a signal from the chief, every man tossed his right hand aloft in salute and thundered out the word _'Nkosi_! This salute d.i.c.k and Grosvenor acknowledged by placing their hands to their hat- brims, in military fashion, to the evident satisfaction of 'Mpandula and his followers; and then, as the two whites touched their horse's flanks with the spur and moved forward at a canter, the escort formed up, completely encircling them; one man at the same moment detaching himself and galloping away in the direction of the wagon, in response to an order from his commander.

Some twenty minutes later the party reached the outskirts of the ruined city, and found themselves confronted by enormous ma.s.ses of masonry, consisting of walls, some of which still remained erect, although for the most part they had sunk into shapeless, overgrown ma.s.ses of ruin, arches, columns, erect and prostrate, fragmentary pediments, shattered entablatures, dislodged capitals, crumbling pedestals, and mutilated statues of men and animals, all of colossal proportions; the buildings and portions of buildings all being of an immensely ma.s.sive yet ornate and imposing style of architecture quite unknown to the travellers.

Even the cursory glimpses which were all that d.i.c.k and Grosvenor were for the moment able to obtain, convinced them both that they were face to face with the remains of a city that must, thousands of years ago, have been of enormous extent and of almost unimaginable opulence and splendour.

But they had little time, just then, in which to indulge their curiosity, for they almost immediately struck into a sort of bridle path that presently turned away from the ruins and led toward an extensive village, which now swept into view as they rounded the spur of a hill.

The village consisted of some five hundred huts surrounding a central stockade, which enclosed a small group of buildings of considerably more pretentious character than the ordinary huts, and which d.i.c.k and Grosvenor at once conjectured must be the royal palace and its dependencies. This conjecture was confirmed upon their arrival at the village, for at the gateway of the stockade the cavalcade halted, and 'Mpandula, dismounting, requested his charges to do the same, intimating that he was about to conduct them forthwith into the presence of the king.

Of course there was nothing to be done but to obey with a good grace, and the travellers, therefore, swung out of their saddles, and, handing over their horses to a couple of natives who stepped forward to take charge of them, followed their guide, or custodian, whichever he might happen to be, through the gateway, not without certain qualms of apprehension as to the wisdom of placing themselves thus unreservedly in the power of a savage king, who, if he should so choose, could send them to a death of unspeakable torment and horror, without the slightest fear of ever being brought to book. But now, more than ever, was it too late to hesitate; therefore resolutely stifling their apprehensions, and a.s.suming a bearing of the most perfect confidence, they advanced toward a group of several persons whom they now saw arranged in front of the princ.i.p.al building within the enclosure.

Unquestionably the most important personage in this group was a splendid figure of a savage, attired in a sort of petticoat of leopard-skin reaching to just above the knee, a mantle of lion-skin thrown over his shoulders, gold bangles on his arms and ankles, a beautifully worked coronet of gold adorned with crimson feathers of the flamingo, two necklaces--one composed of lions' teeth and claws, and the other, and larger, of unpolished stones that seemed to emit a faint glint of ruddy fire--round his neck. He was armed with a sheaf of short, broad-bladed stabbing spears, and was seated on a sort of throne entirely covered with an immense kaross of lions' skin. Behind him stood eight savages, as finely built men as himself, whose dress and adornments at once proclaimed them to be chiefs, and persons of very great importance in the Makolo nation. The individual upon the throne was of course none other than the king himself.

Boldly advancing to within about ten paces of the seated monarch, Grosvenor and d.i.c.k halted, and, according to pre-arrangement, gave His Majesty a military salute. Then d.i.c.k, addressing the king in his best Kafir, remarked:

"Hail! Lobelalatutu, King of the Makolo, we salute you." Which the interpreter, who had followed them, promptly interpreted.

"I see you, white men," answered the king, slightly raising his right hand in acknowledgement of the salute. "You are welcome to the country of the Makolo. When I was informed of your approach I gave certain orders to my people concerning your comfort and welfare. I trust that those orders have been obeyed to your satisfaction."

"Your words, O King! have been most implicitly obeyed, and we thank you for them, as also for the welcome that you have extended to us,"

returned d.i.c.k. "The four Spirits of the Winds will be pleased to learn, when we return, that you have not forgotten the injunctions that they laid upon you."

"The four Spirits of the Winds!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the king, in great surprise, not wholly untinged with trepidation--which emotions were even more strongly displayed by the chiefs who stood about him. "Know ye then those terrible beings?" [Note 1.]

"Even so," answered d.i.c.k composedly. "We know that they twice visited the Makolo country; and we also know,"--he added with emphasis--"what happened upon each of those occasions. We know what happened to M'Bongwele, the former king of the Makolo; and we know why Lobelalatutu was chosen king in his place."

"_Wau_!" murmured the a.s.sembled chiefs behind their hands, in awestricken tones; "it is wonderful!" while Lobelalatutu shifted uneasily in his seat as he gazed apprehensively in the faces of his two visitors. For nearly a minute he remained silent, apparently debating within himself some very puzzling question. Then he said:

"I would that I knew, O white men, all the reasons that have led you to visit the Makolo country. They must be many and great to have induced you to cross the Great Water, and to take so long, so wearisome, and so dangerous a journey afterwards."

"Listen then, O King Lobelalatutu, and you shall be told," answered d.i.c.k. "My friend here is a great hunter; he loves the excitement of the chase, even as do your own young men. But in our own country the people are so many that there is little room for game, which is consequently very scarce. Therefore my friend said: 'Lo, I will go to Africa, where the people are few and game is abundant, and there will I hunt the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the rhinoceros, the buffalo, and all those other animals that afford good sport, and are not to be found in England; also I am desirous of seeing the wonderful ruins of that great and ancient city whereof the four Spirits of the Winds have spoken; therefore will I go to the Makolo country, wherein those ruins are to be found, and become the friend, if I may, of the king, and his people.'

And, as for me, I am a healer of all kinds of sickness; I am also a seeker of gold, and the stones that glitter. Therefore said my friend to me: 'Come, let us go together, for the journey shall be to our mutual advantage; we will hunt together, and if sickness overtake me you shall be my healer, while such gold, or stones, or ivory as we may obtain shall be yours.' Those, O Lobelalatutu! are our sole reasons for coming hither. Are they not good and sufficient?"

"They may be sufficient in your own eyes; but as for me, I know not,"

answered the king. "The thing that I would know is this: Come ye as friends, or as secret enemies, of me and my people?"

"Have I not said?" returned d.i.c.k. "My friend would be the friend of you and your people; and his friends will also be my friends; his enemies my enemies. If ye should need such help as it is in our power to give, it shall be yours, freely; and all we ask in return is that we may be allowed to examine the ruins at our leisure, and to take away with us such gold or stones as we may find."

"It is well," answered the king. "If that be all ye ask, it is granted.

Ye may examine the ruins at your pleasure; ye may remain in my country as long as ye will, and no man shall molest you; and whatsoever ye may find that is valuable in your eyes, that shall ye take with you when ye leave my country. That is my word, the word of the king. Say now, is it good?"

"It is very good, and the Spirits will be well pleased when they learn that you have granted our request," answered d.i.c.k.

The king gave vent to a sigh of evident relief; it was clear that he wished to stand well with these two friends of the great and terrible Spirits of the Winds, who by the potency of their magic had been able to punish his predecessor M'Bongwele for his evil-doing, and to place himself upon the vacant throne. Yet it was apparent that there was still something at the back of the king's mind, something that he keenly desired yet hesitated to speak of. For two or three minutes he sat plunged in deep and painful meditation; then he looked up and said:

"It is well; I am glad that ye have come hither, O white men! for when ye return to your own country ye will be able to tell the Spirits that I have faithfully obeyed all the injunctions that they laid upon me. Ha!

There is one thing more that I would ask. Ye speak not the tongue of the Makolo, yet ye were able to communicate with my people as soon as ye entered my borders. By what means did ye so?"

"Oh, quite easily!" answered d.i.c.k--who, being the better linguist of the two, naturally a.s.sumed the part of spokesman. "We have with us a man who speaks the Makolo tongue, and whose language we speak; therefore we communicate with your people through him."

"Good!" exclaimed the king, in accents of extraordinary satisfaction; "it is very good. Go now in peace, O white men! Ye are my friends, and no harm shall befall ye while ye stay in the country of the Makolo; I the king say it. And it may be, O healer of sicknesses! that I can help you in the matter of the shining stones that ye crave to possess. See ye these?" And he pointed to the necklace of ruddy, unpolished stones that he wore.

d.i.c.k stepped forward to look closer at the stones, and finally took the loop of the necklace into his hands. At first sight the stones appeared to be no more than ordinary red pebbles, about the size of a plover's egg, or perhaps a little larger, the only peculiarity being that they were exactly alike in colour, and that they all emitted a rich, ruddy light. For a minute or two d.i.c.k stood carefully examining the stones; and as he did so a faint, elusive memory came to him in connection with them. Then suddenly the memory became clear and, carefully suppressing his excitement, he turned to Grosvenor and said, in quite an ordinary tone of voice:

"Just come and have a look at these stones, Phil, but be careful not to betray anything in the nature of astonishment or admiration. Do you remember reading that those four chaps in the _Flying-Fish_ accidentally stumbled upon, first, the king's ruby necklace, and then, through it, a ruby mine? Well, this is undoubtedly the necklace; and our friend here seems to hint that he is willing to show us the spot where similar stones may be found."

"Looks like it, certainly," answered Grosvenor in carefully modulated, matter-of-fact tones. "Jolly fine stones, aren't they? If you can contrive to take home a sackful of those stones, old man, you need no longer fear money troubles, eh? What?"

"A sackful!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed d.i.c.k, with a laugh. "A peck of them will completely satisfy me, my boy." Then, turning to Lobelalatutu, who was keenly watching them both, he said:

"These stones, O King! are very good and of some value in my country, though worthless here. Know you where they are to be found?"

"I know," answered the king; "and it may be that I will show you the place; I cannot yet say, but I will consider the matter. I have given instructions as to the place where your wagon shall outspan; it is near at hand, between the village and the ruins; and if ye need anything, send word by your servant to me, and I will see to it."

"We thank you, O Lobelalatutu!" answered d.i.c.k. "We go now; but to- morrow we will come again, bearing with us the gifts that we have brought for thee from England. Until then, farewell!"

Shortly after nine o'clock that night, while the two friends, having dined, were sitting under the raised front flap of their tent, enjoying the wonderful view of the ruins, rising gaunt and black in the midst of the landscape, flooded by the rays of the newly risen moon, and chatting in desultory fashion over the events of the day, as Grosvenor pulled contemplatively at his well-charred brier pipe, Mafuta appeared before them and, giving the usual salute, said:

"There is one from the village yonder who would speak with my lords, if they be willing."

"Who is it, Mafuta--a man, or a woman?" demanded d.i.c.k.

"It is a man, _'mlungu_" answered Mafuta. Then, drawing still nearer, and lowering his voice almost to a whisper, he added: "He says he is named Lobelalatutu!"

"The king!" exclaimed d.i.c.k, starting to his feet in amazement. "What the d.i.c.kens is up now, I wonder? Is he armed, Mafuta?"

"Nay, lord, he is weaponless," answered Mafuta.

"Bring him hither," commanded d.i.c.k; "we will speak with him."

Saluting again, Mafuta disappeared, and presently returned escorting a tall savage, unarmed save for a light switch, such as every native habitually carries, in order to defend himself against the attacks of snakes. He wore the _keshla_, or head ring, and was naked save for the usual _moucha_ or ap.r.o.n of deerskin. As he stepped within range of the rays of the lamp, which d.i.c.k had hastily lighted, his eyes rolled and gleamed with something of apprehension in their expression; but despite his change of garb the white men had no difficulty in recognising the king.

"We see you, O Lobelalatutu!" said d.i.c.k, adopting the ordinary form of salutation among the natives, for there was an air of secrecy about this visit that seemed to suggest a desire on the part of the king that he should be regarded as to some extent incognito. "Enter, I pray you, and be seated,"--pointing to the chair which he had just vacated, and drawing forward his medicine chest as a seat for himself, thus placing the king between himself and Grosvenor.

With a sigh, whether of weariness or of relief was not quite clear, the king sank into the chair indicated, and when Mafuta would have discreetly withdrawn, stopped him.

"Is this the man through whom you have hitherto communicated with my people?" the king demanded, and Mafuta duly translated the question.

d.i.c.k answered in the affirmative, adding: "Tell him, Mafuta, that we know you to be faithful, and are ready to trust you even with our lives."