With Airship and Submarine Part 15

"And when Seketulo's body had been placed in the midst, and all had looked upon it, M'Bongwele called aloud, commanding those of us who were in favour of his restoration to the kingship to stand forth and range themselves by his side. And, behold, more than three-fourths of the chiefs stood forth and placed themselves beside M'Bongwele, declaring that the Makolo were a warlike nation, whose spears had grown rusty through remaining so long unwashed in blood, while they were growing ever poorer for lack of their neighbours' cattle, under Seketulo's peaceful rule; and that M'Bongwele was far better as a king than had been Seketulo.

"Then spake M'Buta, one of the few chiefs who, with us, had refrained from declaring in M'Bongwele's favour, asking what would happen to the nation, when the four Spirits of the Winds should return and find M'Bongwele again in power, and Seketulo slain. And M'Bongwele laughed scornfully, and answered that the four Spirits were not likely to return--for how should they find their way back, having once left the country--but that, even if they did, he, M'Bongwele, would again find means to get them into his power, as he had once before done, and that this time he would see that they did not escape him.

"And, thereupon, the majority declared for M'Bongwele; while we who were opposed to him agreed to bide our time and await the return of the Spirits, recognising the futility of resistance at the moment, which, indeed, could but have ended in M'Bongwele's triumph and our destruction to no purpose."

"You did well, O Lobelalatutu," answered von Schalckenberg, approvingly.

"To engage in a hopeless fight is but folly. And now, tell me, I pray you, has M'Bongwele in any wise profited from the lesson which we gave him, or has he reverted to his former barbarous methods of ruling you?"

"His rule is even as it was aforetime," answered the savage. "On the morrow of the day upon which he was re-elected king, he slew M'Buta with his own hand, saying he would have no discontented chiefs under him; and he would have slain the rest of us but for the interposition of those who had gone over to his side, many of whom were our friends. Also he re-established the witch-doctors in their former power and authority, with the result that many who paid them what they deemed an insufficient tribute have died long-lingering deaths, upon the charge that they were plotting against the king's authority. And, but for the fact that I am a powerful chief, with many friends, 'tis certain that I, even I, Lobelalatutu, would also have been sent along the dark path ere now.

And now, behold, my life is forfeit. For well I know that M'Bongwele too truly suspects my intention to come out and acquaint the Great Spirits with what has happened; for see ye those warriors searching hither and thither? They are looking for me; and when next I behold the face of the king it will be to hear my death-sentence--unless, perchance, the Great Spirits should, of their mercy, see fit to preserve my life."

"Fear not, Lobelalatutu," answered the professor. "You have done well to come out and tell us these things, and no harm shall befall you.

Abide you here with us until we have dealt with M'Bongwele and his witch-doctors. You will then have naught to fear. One thing more.

Tell me, now, have any white men visited this country since we were last here?"

"Truly have they, to their great misfortune," answered Lobelalatutu.

"It is now some eight moons since that a party of twelve men and two white women were found by certain of our people encamped yonder on the sh.o.r.e, after a great storm. How they came thither none can say; but it is believed that they must have arrived in a great floating house, the remains of which were seen at some distance from the beach, lying in the great water which dashed over it furiously.

"The fourteen white people, who were like unto yourselves, O Great Spirit, but were dressed in clothing that appeared to have shrunk and become stained through long soaking in the great water that is salt, were by M'Bongwele's order brought to his village, where he questioned them. But they spoke a tongue that none could understand; they were, therefore, taken out and tormented, some in one way, and some in another."

"So!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed von Schalckenberg, through his set teeth. "There are times when I am almost inclined to regret that I am not myself a savage, and capable of adopting savage methods in dealing with such monsters!"

This exclamation he made aloud to his companions in English, as a preliminary to the translation of Lobelalatutu's story.

"By George! Professor, I sympathise with you in that remark of yours about being a savage, and being capable of adopting savage methods when it comes to punishing such a fellow as this M'Bongwele," exclaimed Lethbridge, when von Schalckenberg had come to an end. "Mere hanging seems absolutely inadequate; yet what can we do? Our sense of abstract justice may be so keen that, for the moment, we are in full sympathy with the old Mosaic law of 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,'

but which of us could deliberately set to work to serve the savage as he has served others? We simply could not do it; and I suppose it is this revolt of our souls against the idea of cruelty--the infliction of unnecessary suffering--that makes the British such successful colonisers, and wins them such universal respect among foreigners, whether civilised or savage."

"Yes," agreed the professor, "your ineradicable disposition to temper justice with mercy has doubtless much to do with it, although," he added slyly, "there is a feeling abroad that there have been occasions when you have permitted this national tendency to run riot and carry you to quite ridiculous extremes. For example--"

"Oh, pray spare us, Professor," laughed Sir Reginald; "there is no need to quote specific instances; we all know the kind of thing you mean.

But then, you know, legislators as a body will do many things that no sane man would ever dream of, and that make the ordinary level-headed individual gasp with amazement at the folly of the 'collective wisdom'

of our countrymen. Such folly, however, always has been, and I suppose it will continue to the end of time, so it is not of much use to worry about it. Meanwhile, we are straying from the point, which is: How are we to deal with M'Bongwele? Shall we be justified in a.s.suming the responsibility of undertaking to punish him?"

"Probably not," answered Mildmay. "If we hang this savage, and the fact should become known at home, I venture to prophesy that letters will be written to the newspapers denouncing us as murderers, and proclaiming that it is such people as we who, by our high-handed and ferocious methods, get the white man into bad odour with the gentle savage. Yet this fellow richly deserves punishment, if any man ever deserved it, and if we do not inflict it he will certainly escape scot-free, and live on to perpetrate further barbarities. I say, therefore, let us move up to his place, bring him and his witch-doctors to trial, and, if they are proved guilty, hang the lot of them!"

"Hear, hear, sailor-man, you speak like a book. It is evident that there is no sentimental nonsense about you," exclaimed Lethbridge.

"Sentimentalism does not pay when dealing with the n.o.ble savage; he does not understand it, and indulgence in it simply means encouragement to continue his playful practices of roasting people alive, and so on.

Sharp, salutary chastis.e.m.e.nt he does understand, and a little of it judiciously and fearlessly meted out often teaches a wholesome lesson that saves many lives. I therefore say, with you, let us go up to his village and bring the fellow to trial."

"Very well," agreed Sir Reginald, somewhat reluctantly. "I suppose it is really our duty to do this, so let us do it. But it is rather a disagreeable business to be mixed up in all the same."

"Disagreeable! undoubtedly," a.s.sented Lethbridge; "but certainly not to be shirked on that account. I can sympathise with you in your reluctance to do this thing, old chap; merely to depose M'Bongwele was one thing, to hang him and his crowd of murdering witch-doctors is quite another, and this is the first affair of the kind that you have been mixed up in. With me it is different. In my military capacity I have, on several occasions, been obliged to try prisoners and condemn them to death--and so, too, has Mildmay, I'll be bound. It means the doing of an unpleasant thing as the only means whereby to put an effectual stop to something infinitely more unpleasant. At least, that is how I look at it."

"Yes, of course you are quite right. Let us go at once and get the affair over as soon as possible," said Sir Reginald, turning away to enter the pilot-house and a.s.sume the control of the ship during the proposed movement of her to the village.

"We are now about to move to M'Bongwele's palace and bring him to trial for his many misdeeds," explained von Schalckenberg to Lobelalatutu.

"You will remain with us until the trial is over."

"_Bietu_!" answered the chief, saluting in token of his submission to the will of these strange beings. He stood deeply considering for a moment, and then said, hesitatingly: "Since the Great Spirits are about to right the wrongs which we have suffered at the hands of M'Bongwele and his witch-doctors, it may be that they would be willing to save the life of Siswani, one of the chiefs who was opposed to the reinstatement of M'Bongwele. Like myself, he has been a marked man from the hour when he held back from joining those who supported M'Bongwele, and it was but yesterday that the witch-doctors found a cause against him. His punishment was to begin this morning at sunrise."

"Oh, horror! and it is now nearly noon," exclaimed the professor, in horrified accents. "Why did you not mention it before, man? What is the nature of the punishment?"

"His eyelids were to be cut off, and he was then to be pegged down on an ants' nest and smeared with honey, that the insects might devour him alive," was the calm answer.

"Ah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the professor. "Yes, I know that punishment; I have seen it inflicted!" And he shuddered and turned sick at the memory.

"Do you know where the place of punishment is?" demanded the professor, sharply.

"Yes, I know it," answered Lobelalatutu. "It is that much beyond the village on its far side." And, pointing to the sun, he described with his finger a small arc representing the apparent travel of that luminary across the sky during a quarter of an hour.

The professor turned to the pilot-house, through one of the windows of which the baronet was seen looking out, with his hands on the controlling levers, waiting the conclusion of the conference between his friend and the savage.

"Quick, Elphinstone!" he exclaimed, "make for the village at once, but do not stop there. Pa.s.s on about a mile beyond it, to a spot which Lobelalatutu will point out to us. If we are quick we may be in time to save a man's life!"

Sir Reginald needed no second bidding. With one hand he threw back the levers controlling the grip-anchors that held the ship to the ground, while with the other he opened the valve that admitted vapour into the air-chambers and created a vacuum sufficient to raise the ship about a thousand feet into the air, from which elevation a wide extent of country became visible. Then he sent the engines ahead at a speed of about twenty-knots, and put the helm over to turn the ship's head in the direction of the distant village, now in clear sight from the deck.

Meanwhile the professor beckoned to Mildmay, and said--

"My friend, I think you had better persuade the ladies to go below for a few minutes, for the chances are that we shall presently behold a sight that would haunt them for ever, should they happen to see it."

Then he turned to Lobelalatutu and said--

"Now, if you can see the place of punishment, point it out to me."

"Behold, it is there," answered the savage, pointing. "You may see the guard that has been stationed round about the prisoner."

And, indeed, as von Schalckenberg looked ahead, a small dark blotch beneath a group of thorn-trees resolved itself into a body of some fifty fully-armed warriors grouped in a circle round something else that lay stretched out upon the ground.

"Do you see that party of savages ahead, Elphinstone?" demanded the professor. "Make straight for them."

"Right! I see them," answered Sir Reginald. And, as he spoke, the ladies, escorted by Mildmay, vanished within the pilot-house on their way below.

A moment later the _Flying Fish_ was sweeping over M'Bongwele's village, the inhabitants of which could be seen scuttling into their huts, like so many rabbits into their holes, evidently in a state of lively terror at the portentous reappearance of the well-remembered ship of the Four Spirits wending its way toward the spot where the king's latest victim had that morning been led forth to undergo the torture.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE END OF A SAVAGE DESPOT.

As the ship pa.s.sed over the village and held on her way toward the place of punishment, it became evident to the watchers on her deck that her rapid approach was being viewed with great anxiety and perturbation by the guards who had been ordered by M'Bongwele to surround the prisoner and see that none of his friends interfered to shorten the period of his sufferings with a kindly spear-stroke. They could be seen pointing at the ship, and excitedly conferring together; and when at length it became quite clear that the _Flying Fish_ was making for the precise earth upon which they stood, their superst.i.tious fears so completely overmastered every other feeling and consideration that, casting away their weapons, they incontinently took to their heels and fled, howling with terror. A moment later the _Flying Fish_ came gently to earth upon the spot which they had just vacated.

As she did so, the professor, closely followed by Lobelalatutu, made a dash for the gangway-ladder, down which they hastily descended, and, dropping the rope ladder over the side, rapidly scrambled down to the ground. A few yards away lay the object for which they were making, and a dozen rapid strides took them to it. Prepared as von Schalckenberg was for the sight that met his eyes, he yet sickened with a deadly nausea as he gazed down upon the dreadful object that lay stretched out at his feet. At the first glance an uninstructed observer would have found it somewhat difficult to say precisely what it was that he was looking upon; but the professor, compelling himself to look closely, saw that it was the naked body of a tall and finely-built savage stretched at full length upon the ground, the upstretched arms and outspread legs being firmly secured by many turns of stout thongs to four long stakes driven so deeply into the earth that by no possible exertion of strength could the victim free himself. Merely to lie exposed in this fashion, immovably fixed to the earth, until death from starvation and thirst came to the relief of the sufferer would, one might suppose, be considered a sufficiently severe punishment to satisfy every demand of justice--to say nothing of the exactions of revenge; but such a death was much too easy to be acceptable to a man whose l.u.s.t of cruelty was so insatiable as that of M'Bongwele. This monster's chief delight was to gloat over the sufferings of others, and much of his time was very agreeably pa.s.sed in meditating upon and devising schemes of elaborate cruelty for the punishment of those unhappy individuals who were so unfortunate as to offend him, or incur the suspicion that they were his enemies. Siswani, however, the present victim, was not undergoing any experimental form of torture of M'Bongwele's own invention; he was simply suffering a form of death that, from the protracted and exquisitely excruciating character of its agonies, enjoys a very wide popularity among African savages. It consists in the eyelids of the victim being cut off, to expose the unprotected eyeb.a.l.l.s to the fierce glare of the sun--and, later, to other and even worse torments--after which he is led out to some selected spot where an ants' nest of suitable size is known to exist. Arrived there, four stout stakes are driven deeply into the ground at a proper distance apart round the nest, stout raw-hide thongs are attached to the victim's wrists and ankles, and the whole of his naked body is then carefully anointed with honey, after which he is thrown to the ground and stretched out on his back on the top of the ants' nest, and there immovably bound to the four stakes.

Then the nest is broken under him and the fiercely exasperated little insects are left to work their savage will upon his unprotected body, to which they are strongly attracted by the odour of the honey.

The unhappy Siswani had thus been exposed for fully five hours, when von Schalckenberg at length stood beside him, and his body was completely hidden beneath a swarming ma.s.s of ants, the collective movements of which suggested a horrible wave-like creeping movement to the surface of the body. Apart from this, however, an occasional writhing of the frightfully swollen form and limbs showed that life and feeling still remained. But it was, perhaps, the mouth of the sufferer that bore most eloquent testimony to the extremity of the tortured body's anguish: it had been forced wide open by the introduction of a thick gag of hard wood, and into this the strong teeth had bitten until they were ground to fragments, while the lips were drawn back in a fearful grin.

Upon this awful object Lobelalatutu cast a single glance, and then made a dart at the nearest of the spears that had been flung away by the flying guard, with which he quickly cut the thongs that bound the victim, and those that secured the gag, removing the latter from the sufferer's mouth. Then, raising the quivering body in his arms, he bent down and murmured a few words in his friend's ear. There was no reply; and, looking closer, the chief saw enough to convince him that the unhappy Siswani's hearing was already completely destroyed.

Lobelalatutu had been reared in a school in which stoical indifference to suffering, whether personal or in another, is esteemed a cardinal virtue; yet even he could not wholly conceal the emotion which possessed him as he turned to von Schalckenberg and drew the attention of the professor to the ghastly injuries already inflicted by the terrible ants.