Witch-Doctors Part 9

"Ah, you know Washington?"

"Yes, I was there nearly two years."

Zu Pfeiffer drained his port, selected a cigar, lighted it and gazed abstractedly towards the ivory frame. The lips softened and he smiled gently.

"Do you know many people there?"

"Oh, a few."

"Ach ... I wonder.... You must know that I met her there, my divine Lucille!"

"Lucille! How strange! That is my wife's name too."

"Really?" Zu Pfeiffer still peered dreamily at the corner. He gathered up his legs and rose like an eager boy. "Permit me, Herr Professor, she is so-so--" He bent over the portrait and struck a match. Politely Birnier stooped to look. He saw a portrait of a French woman in an evening gown, a woman of charm with the vivacious eyes and tempting mouth of the coquette.

"My G.o.d!"

Birnier bent closer and stared intently. Across the corner of the photograph were written in ink in familiar characters the words: 'a toi, Lucille.'

"Lucille!" he gasped. "Lu-Good G.o.d!" He stood up abruptly. "I-What in G.o.d's name-who is this woman?"

The match fell to the floor. He was vaguely conscious of the tall white figure stiffening as a dog does.

"That lady is my fiancee."

"Fiancee! She-Good G.o.d, you're mad! She is my wife!"

"Wife!... Gott verdampf, der Teufel solls holen! Das ist der Schweinhund!"

The gutturals exploded from zu Pfeiffer. The sleeve of his white jacket quivered, the arm came up to the gold braided chest and jerked out a silver whistle. He hesitated, glaring at the astonished figure of Birnier.

Suddenly zu Pfeiffer sat down by the table. His blue eyes were as hard as malachite.

"Sit down!" he commanded harshly.

Birnier did not appear to notice him. He struck a match and bent over the photograph again.

"Good G.o.d!" he muttered. "I-I-don't understand-O G.o.d!"

"Sit down!" shouted zu Pfeiffer. Birnier merely blinked at him.

"Would you mind explaining?" demanded Birnier.

"Explain!... Is your wife Mademoiselle Lucille Charltrain?"

"Why, of course. That is her professional name. But how on earth has this mistake happened? I-I-that is her writing-but it can't be. I mean it's impossible...." Birnier put his hand to his head. "I-G.o.d, it can't be! I or you must be mad! Which is--"

A prolonged whistle startled him. He saw the whistle at zu Pfeiffer's lips, but the act conveyed no meaning. He turned away, struck another match and peered again at the photograph.

"Lucille! Lucille!" he whispered. "What on earth--"

A powerful clutch closed upon his arm. He was whirled backwards into a chair. For a moment he was too dazed to grasp what had happened. He saw zu Pfeiffer's face. The sentries over his moustaches quivered like a row of fixed bayonets. The eyes seemed needle points. Then the fact of the a.s.sault penetrated beyond the unprecedented incident of finding his wife's photograph in another man's room. The ugly line about the mouth hardened.

He rose slowly.

"Am I to understand that you have laid your hands upon your guest?" he began, stuttering over the choice of words. "I am-I am--"

The scuffle of many feet interrupted him. Into the room rushed Sergeant Schultz and several soldiers. Zu Pfeiffer stood up and pointed.

"Sergeant, arrest that man!" he barked.

"Ja, Excellence!"

The sergeant saluted and barked at the askaris. Birnier gazed stupidly at the uniforms around him as if unable to comprehend. He looked at zu Pfeiffer who stood erect, his face lost in shadow above the lamp, and back at the soldiers.

"Is this a joke, Lieutenant-or are you mad?" he demanded angrily.

"Sergeant, put that man in the guard-room," zu Pfeiffer commanded.

Zu Pfeiffer sat down with his back to Birnier and facing the photograph.

Birnier's face twitched; he raised his arm. The sergeant barked and the line of bayonets lowered menacingly.

"You gom with me, Herr American," ordered the sergeant.

Birnier controlled himself.

"One moment, sergeant, please! Herr Lieutenant, on what charge do you arrest me?" The perfect lines of the white-clad back did not quiver. "Very good! I give you warning, Herr Lieutenant, that you have committed an a.s.sault upon an American citizen."

"Gom! Gom!" insisted the sergeant impatiently.

Birnier raised his head and walked as indicated by the sergeant. As the footsteps plodded across the square zu Pfeiffer turned to the table, examining his left hand.

"Ach!" he growled gutturally, "the dirty pig has broken my nail!"

CHAPTER 4

Over the city of the Snake the sun sank red dry, leaving the Place of Kings hot in the electric air of magic and world happenings. The people were still confined to their huts, trembling in the knowledge that for three days love must be eschewed, no water drawn nor any food cooked with fire; nor might any man, woman or child leave the precincts of the compound.

All the night Bak.u.ma crouched in her hut listening in awe to the swish of the ghosts through the air, to the moans, groans and howls of the wizards doing battle with them. Tightly did she hold the amulet as she strove to conceal curiosity regarding the welfare of Zalu Zako; for did her mother suspect the presence of this evil spirit would she cause Bak.u.ma to take a decoction of the castor-oil plant in order that the demon might be expelled; and the more to aid her conquer this unlawful impulse to peep without did she most persistently recite to herself the fate of the daughter of MTasa, the foolish Tangulbala whose body had been discovered impaled upon a tree by the angry spirits of the dead, because she had rashly ventured forth the third day after the death of the grandfather of Zalu Zako. Bak.u.ma dared not mention the name of one who had died, for, as everybody knows, such an impious person runs the risk of summoning the ghosts to their presence.

The "putting out of the fire" had changed Bak.u.ma's prospects, had made Zalu Zako heir-apparent, implying half a hundred responsibilities, the chief of which was that now he was compelled to choose his official first wife, she who would be the mother of the "divine" Son of the Snake: an alteration that excited Bak.u.ma to frantic clutching at the amulet. Would the charm work or would it not? How to insure that it would be efficacious? Marufa's greedy demands worried her. She feared even if she obtained the goat that he might require something else as well. Anybody knows how greedy doctors are and how wealthy. He would be sure to increase the fee, knowing the value of the prize. Bak.u.ma only possessed one really valuable article, and that was a charm against sterility; but this was the last thing that she wished to part with as the only possible occurrence that could ever divorce her from the position of chief wife, once she had won Zalu Zako, would be failure to provide the male heir. She was impatient, too, at the delay caused by the three days' tabu. Time was important. Soon she would be under the ban of the unclean which entailed the curtailment of her liberty again, and she dreaded that possibly the charm might grow stale. The greatest need for speed was MYalu's suit. As her father was dead she belonged to his brother. Already MYalu had offered four tusks of ivory and three oxen for her. Her uncle was lazy, mean, and greedy. Fortunately he thought that by waiting he could get double that amount. Yet MYalu might decide to pay the price demanded. Once Zalu Zako had selected her as his bride, her uncle dared not accept any other man's offer, no matter how wealthy he might be; besides, the old man would not wish to refuse a relationship with the heir to the king-G.o.dhood.

Again her cousin was sick. The diagnosis of Yabolo, the wizard, was that her soul had wandered in sleep down to the river and had been swallowed by a fish. Yabolo had caught the fish and lured the soul into a tree, but now he demanded such a big price to restore the errant soul to the girl that her father, Bak.u.ma's uncle, would not pay it, so she would surely die; then they would all have to be exorcised, which inferred a further loss of relative freedom for another four days. Indeed with all these actual and possible delays it seemed to Bak.u.ma that some one had made much magic against her. Unless she knew who he or she was, how could she employ the same means to annul the terrible effects? And more, how could she obtain the wherewithal to pay the fees of the best doctors? Life was very complicated to the daughter of Bakala.

Up on the hill of MFunya MPopo had the magicians been busy all the afternoon after the "putting out of the fire." Zalu Zako and the chiefs also were barred from the sacred enclosure; for being mere laymen they could not hope to withstand the evil spirits of the dead. Even Bakahenzie and the inner circle of the cult were compelled to employ the most potent methods of protection to preserve them from being bewitched or slain outright.