Witch-Doctors Part 27

Birnier foresaw that the situation might become serious. Bakahenzie's att.i.tude was one of suspicion based, he guessed correctly, on professional jealousy. The finding of Bak.u.ma had probably been more of an excuse to a.s.sail the possible rival and thus to satisfy this subconscious death wish. Now, reckoned Birnier, Bakahenzie would probably be more exasperated than ever at the triumph of the said rival's magic. He would therefore, knowing the strength of the driving force of religious conviction, endeavour to play upon the emotions of the tribe by advocation of the efficacy of appeasing their fallen G.o.d by the sacrifice of the girl, and so work them up to an exalted state of fanaticism to attack in force; an additional stimulant to such action on their part would be the unconscious satisfaction in slaying the "brother" of the one who had invaded their country, Eyes-in-the-hands.

Another point was that the more a person is scared the less easy it is for him to forgive, hence the greater resistance to the overtures of amity.

Beyond the partially formed idea to overset zu Pfeiffer's petty sovereignty was the strictly professional one of studying from the most intimate view-point possible a system of primitive theology of a most complex and illuminating kind. The main object to be attained therefore was resolved by the best method calculated to win the friendship and confidence of all concerned, particularly of Bakahenzie. To Birnier, who was not as yet conversant with the system, Bakahenzie seemed of less importance than Zalu Zako, the King-G.o.d, or potential King-G.o.d. Yet apparently he could not hope to approach Zalu Zako without overcoming the opposition offered by Bakahenzie. To give up little Bak.u.ma to the sacrificial orgy was unthinkable; such an act would have appeared to him tantamount to sacrificing the girl to attain his own ends.

For precaution he placed two of his men as pickets in the jungle to give warning of any surprise, although he did not consider that they would be likely to renew the attack that day; then, as usual when in difficulties, he retired to his tent for a smoke. As he browsed upon his estimable friend Burton, his eyes caught a paragraph upon cures for love melancholy recommended by the amiable doctor.

"Lemnius, imst.i.t. cap 58. admires rue and commends it to have excellent virtues, to expel vain imaginations, devils and to ... Other things are much magnified by writers, as an old c.o.c.k, a ram's head, a wolf's heart borne or eaten, which Mercurialis approves: Prosper Altinus, the water of the Nile; Gomesius, all sea water, and at seasonable times to be sick ... the bone in a stag's heart, a monocerot's horn ..."

He glanced up to see Bak.u.ma squatting disconsolately by the fire listening to the hundredth repet.i.tion of his wonder working according to Mungongo.

The outline of her rounded back and hunched shoulders, the bronze hands clasped beneath the chin and the misty brown eyes apprehensively regarding the trail was a sculpture of melancholy. He smiled as he reflected that the devils and witches of Chrysostom and Paracelsus were as real to them as the forest spirits and the magic of Bakahenzie to this girl. After all some of these concoctions sounded as if they should most certainly appeal to Bakahenzie and his brethren of the craft. He wandered off into a reverie, wondering why it was that superst.i.tion is so hard to eradicate from the human mind. In Birnier was a strain of humorous melancholy which appreciated the comedy of human marionettes made to dance to the legion of devils and bugaboos invented by themselves, and as a stimulant to the dominant scientific absorption was the knowledge that upon him and his fellows depended their only hope of release-which was the greater reason that Bakahenzie should slay him, he added whimsically, did he but know it!

Moved by the ever-present curiosity to know what was going on inside other people's minds, he called Bak.u.ma and Mungongo to him, observing the sprightly action of the boy moved by his faith in him for his good in contrast to the dull movements of the girl in her lack of confidence to make for her good. And when they were come to him and were seated on the ground at his feet he said to Bak.u.ma:

"Wherefore hast thou the black bird within thy breast, O Bak.u.ma?"

She gazed up at him with the pathetic pleading of a gazelle.

"Do not birds seek the broken twigs for the building of nests, O Moonspirit?"

"Truly, but why are the branches of thy tree rotted and broken?"

"When the axe of the peasant pecks at the roots of the tree dost thou think then that the sap runs the more swiftly, knowing?"

"A devil hast told thee this thing, O Bak.u.ma. When the sun was but a man's height did not a jackal break out of the forest seeking to devour, and yet the chicken was neither hurt nor taken. Are these not white words?"

"Truly, O Moonspirit," acknowledged Bak.u.ma reluctantly.

"Was not then the magic of Moonspirit more potent than that of thy wizards?"

"Thy words are white," she admitted.

"Wherefore then hast thou ashes in thy mouth?"

Bak.u.ma dismally contemplated Birnier's booted leg.

"Eh!" grunted the sophisticated Mungongo, "to those who live on the mountain the crocodile is not!"

"Open thy b.r.e.a.s.t.s unto me, O Bak.u.ma," said Birnier.

"Clk!" she gasped, making a little gesture of hopelessness. "When the sun shines are not the flowers open? But when the night hath come where are the flowers? The deer feed on sweet pastures, but when the shadow of the lion falleth upon the gra.s.s hath not a great cloud come over the world?"

"But thy lion hath fled, O Bak.u.ma!"

She gazed at the white man with curious wonderment at the stupidity of one failing to comprehend the simplest problem. She sighed and then as if with much patience for another's shortcomings:

"Thou hast strong magic, O white man," said she, "magic that makes the magic of Bakahenzie to fall as water. Yet was the daughter of Bakala not found by divination? Was the daughter of Bakala not revealed to be the bride of the Banana by divination? There shall be made magic that the voice of the one shall be obeyed. Eh! Aiee! Aie!"

The brown eyes welled opals which splashed upon a bronze breast. As Birnier watched her, pity stimulated a desire to relieve this symbol of self-torture, and he thought of a favourite pa.s.sage in the "Anatomy":

"Ay, but we are more miserable than others, what shall we do? Beside private miseries, we live in perpetual fear and danger; for epithalamiums, for pleasant music, that fearful noise of ordnance, drums, and warlike trumpets still sounding in our ears; instead of nuptial torches, we have the firing of towns and cities; for triumph, lamentations; for joy, tears."

"Well, Bak.u.ma," said he in English, smiling covertly, "we'll see if we can't get you the nuptial torches!"

Bak.u.ma gazed at him perplexedly with big eyes.

"Already Moonspirit begins the incantation of mighty magic," explained Mungongo solemnly.

"Eh!" murmured Bak.u.ma expectantly.

Birnier smoked and pondered. The walls of the forest were growing closer in the beginning of twilight. The soul of fear, reflected Birnier, dwells in the unknown. Reveal the G.o.d in the machine and the mystery dies. To Bak.u.ma he said:

"Listen, O Bak.u.ma, I would speak heavy words to thee. When thou puttest the seed of the gourd into the ground then within half a moon there appears the plant of the gourd; is it not so?"

"Truly," answered Bak.u.ma disinterestedly.

"Is that then magic?"

"Eh!" commented Bak.u.ma, as in astonishment. "Nay, how could that be? Does not the soul of the plant grow even as a child grows?"

"Good. Turn thine eyes to me." Bak.u.ma watched the operation of striking and lighting a match with indifference. "Then is this fire which I make done by magic?"

"Truly."

"And thou, Mungongo, what thinkest thou?"

"Moonspirit tickles the souls of my feet!"

"H'm." Birnier repressed a smile. "Thou knowest that my words are white?"

"Truly."

"Then I tell thee that this is not done by magic."

"Ehh! Ehh!" chorused the twain.

"This thing on the end of this thing which you call a magic fire twig is made of-of-is made of several kinds of-of earth found in the-earth, and when-and when--" He sought frantically for native words which were not, "the two are brought together-as one strikes a spear--" Birnier hesitated, finding himself as perplexed as a psychologist endeavouring to explain the abstract working of consciousness in concrete words. "When one strikes a spear upon a rock there is an eye of fire, is it not so?"

Mungongo's eyes dimly reflected a growing horror. Bak.u.ma stared.

"The magic of Bakahenzie," murmured Mungongo.