The portrait of the Zandeys, or Niam-Niam, taken from pen and pencil, and, more important still, after nature, is briefly this—average height, that of Europeans, upper part of the body long, legs short, a disposition towards fat; colour of the skin earthy red, hair thick and frizzy, but of extraordinary length and falling down the back in plaits and tufts, head round and broad. The almond-shaped eyes have clearly defined eyebrows; the lips are not deformed by any so-called ornaments, and the Zandeys, who take very good care not to imitate the Dinkas, do not deprive themselves of any teeth, but they file their incisors to a point, after the fashion of their brother cannibals and their western relatives, the Pahaouins.
Their costume is composed of skins, fastened round the waist and reaching to the knees, or in some cases of a girdle of hippopotamus hide, to which hangs a small gourd filled with the fat used to anoint the body. On their shoulders they also carry a sort of pouch filled with provisions, for, acting up to his reputation as a large eater, the Niam-Niam never stirs away from his home without a stock of eatables. That portion of the body which is uncovered is ornamented by a variety of tattooed patterns, and sometimes, in addition, by necklets of wood or iron, or formed from the teeth of animals. The head is bare, except in the case of the chiefs, who, in spite of the heat, wear a species of fur hood.
As for the dress of the women, M. Périères describes that in four words—they have not any. The Zandey females, adds the historian of the expedition, would show far better taste if they did dress themselves a little more, for, with the exception of a few of the young ones, who are tolerably well-made and good looking, none of the women are attractive, although they are never deformed, nor have they any of the repulsive characteristics common to their Bongo neighbours. Their ugliness does not, however, prevent their being loved, since in no other part of Africa can such good husbands be found as the Niam-Niam, who, notwithstanding that polygamy is in vogue amongst them, as amongst all the contiguous tribes, have a real affection for their wives. It must also be recorded that the women are remarkable for their modesty, and on this point we may be allowed to call Schweinfurth to witness. "The social position of the Niam-Niam women," says the German traveller, "differs materially from what is found amongst other heathen negroes in Africa. The Bongo and Mittoo women are on the same familiar terms with the foreigner as the men, and the Monbuttoo ladies are as forward, inquisitive, and prying as can be imagined; but the women of the Niam-Niam treat every stranger with great reserve. Whenever I met any women coming along a narrow pathway in the woods or on the steppes, I noticed that they always made a wide circuit to avoid me, and returned into the path farther on; and many a time I saw them waiting at a distance, with averted faces, until I had passed by. This reserve may have originated from one of two opposite reasons. It may, on the one hand, have sprung from the more servile position of the Niam-Niam women themselves; or, on the other, it may have been necessitated by the jealous temperament of their husbands. It is one of the fine traits in the Niam-Niam that they display an affection for their wives which is unparalleled among natives of so low a grade, and of whom it might be expected that they would have been brutalised by their hunting and warlike pursuits. A husband will spare no sacrifice to redeem an imprisoned wife, and the Nubians, being acquainted with this, turn it to profitable account in the ivory trade. They are quite aware that whoever possesses a female hostage can obtain almost any compensation from a Niam-Niam."
The Niam-Niam are governed by chiefs, whose power is absolute. They dispose of the lives of their subjects, inflict corporal punishments, such as the loss of fingers or ears, and decide upon peace or war. Nevertheless, they are careful not to attack a neighbouring power without first consulting their auguries. They take an oily fluid, extracted from a red wood, and administer it to a hen; if the bird dies, the enterprise is doubtful; if it, on the contrary, survives, victory is assured and they take the field. In this latter case the men arm themselves with lances, arrows, shields, and trumbashes, sharp, pointed iron weapons, shaped something like a sickle. Their combats are furious, and they are rather addicted to eating their enemies after having killed them.
The journal of the expedition, however, states that the caravan made its way through the Niam-Niam country without having any of its members eaten, and without even receiving any proposition to that effect. "Joseph, from his corpulence and habitually flabby appearance," says M. Périères, "might well have made a few mouths water. Indeed, I occasionally saw a native cast a longing glance at him, but Joseph at once took refuge very close to us, and the poor Niam-Niam, disappointed of a delicacy, was compelled to fall back upon such ordinary dishes as dogs, monkeys, or reptiles, with manioc flour and sugar-cane juice 'to follow' in the shape of dessert."
In a word, the caravan did not encounter any serious danger, thanks, perhaps, to the number of rifles in its possession. At first, the Zandeys mistook these guns for lances, calling them iron sticks, and laughing at them. But M. de Morin, as much to exercise his men as to make a display of his force, organized a course of target practice. The Niam-Niam were frightened to begin with, and then astonished; from that moment they looked upon the Europeans as superior beings, against whom it was useless to contend.
Miss Beatrice Poles was now, amongst these people, raised to the dignity of a demi-goddess. A box of lucifer matches did this for her. The natives, accustomed to produce fire only after great exertion, by rubbing one stick against another, were overwhelmed with amazement when they saw Miss Poles take a box from her pocket, produce a small match and light it at once. "She can make fire as she pleases," was the general exclamation, and they opened their eyes and mouths to such an extent as to make Joseph shiver in his shoes, for, notwithstanding the impunity which he enjoyed, and the delicacy displayed by the Niam-Niam towards him, he did not like to see their pointed teeth.
We have now given, to a certain extent, aresuméof the journal of the expedition in all that concerns the leading characteristics of the Niam-Niam.
Towards the middle of May, the caravan reached the river which separates the Zandey territory from that of the Monbuttoos, where the serious business of the expedition was to commence, for at last they found themselves in the country where the guide, Nassar, alleged that he had met M. de Guéran eighteen months previously.
"We had scarcely set foot in the land of the Monbuttoos before, thanks to their perfect candour, we knew all about their tastes, for, when we proposed to do a little bartering, they brought us a quantity of bones, hands, jaws, and pieces of heads which must certainly have been the remains of their repasts. From that moment we quite agreed with Schweinfurth in his assertion that 'the cannibalism of the Monbuttoo is unsurpassed by any nation in the world. But,' continues that authority, 'with it all, the Monbuttoos are a noble race of men; men who display a certain national pride, and are endowed with an intellect and judgment such as few natives of the African wilderness can boast; men to whom one may put a reasonable question, and who will return a reasonable answer. The Nubians can never say enough in praise of their faithfulness in friendly intercourse, or of the order and stability of their national life.'"
I have given the opinion of the famous German travellerverbatim; now let us see for ourselves what conclusion should be come to as regards this tribe. It covers an area of four thousand square miles, situated between 8° and 4° north latitude, 26° and 27° longitude east from Paris. This country, which boasts about a million inhabitants, is still, as it was two years ago, when Schweinfurth visited it, under the absolute sway of one single ruler. King Munza, a most despotic sovereign, who reigns in the western division, and who has delegated a portion of his power to his brother Degberra, Viceroy of the Eastern Provinces. But Munza alone is known, and science, we repeat, comes to a dead halt at the country of the Monbuttoos.
The journey we are about to undertake, if, indeed, what we hear about M. de Guéran leads us southwards, will land us in a blank space, about which, as far as we have gone, no one has been able to give us the slightest information. What news shall we gather about the stay of our fellow-countryman in the midst of this people, or about the route he took on quitting them? Is he, perchance, still here, kept prisoner by Munza? We are under one continual apprehension—a perpetual anxiety. If we put a question to a native, we at once think that he is sure to say something in reply about the white man whom he saw before we arrived on the scene, and who could not fail to have been an object of curiosity. But we can only hope to get reliable information from Munza himself, in the midst of his court and in the full splendour of his surroundings, and, in order to reach the royal residence as quickly as possible, we never cease to stimulate the zeal of our escort and bearers.
Madame de Guéran has now taken up her position at the head of the caravan, by the side of the guide, Nassar, to impart, as she says, courage to those behind her. And, indeed, the sight of this brave, young, and perfectly lovely woman, always wearing the strikingly original costume, we have already described, produces a very great impression on our soldiers. To them she is no longer a being of this earth; she gives these infidels an idea of a very different world from the one they inhabit. They have always respected her, but now they revere and love her. She has succeeded in winning the sympathies, as well as in captivating the imaginations of all these Orientals.
All sorts of tales, and even legends, which we have more than once had the opportunity of hearing, are in circulation about her. "She is," say some, "the daughter of a mighty Northern Prince, and her father has sent her to us to travel and instruct herself." According to the Nubians, she is a powerful Sultana, whose husband had been made prisoner by the people of Khartoum; she is now in pursuit of them, and we shall all have to fight for her very soon. Then, with the exaggeration habitual amongst negroes, they relate how she, in the desert, set free two thousand slaves, whom she sent away to her father's kingdom, where they are well-fed and wear beautiful clothes like hers.
We take very good care not to interfere with all this romancing, nor to keep the narrators within the region of fact; on the contrary, we ourselves invent numerous anecdotes calculated to enhance the reputation of our escort, and augment theprestigeof our beloved leader. But will she be able to conquer, at first sight, this redoubtable King Munza, on whom our fate depends, in the same way that she has charmed these men, who have known her for six months?
Meanwhile, we do everything in our power to ingratiate ourselves with the monarch, whom we are overwhelming in advance by a series of presents conveyed to him by means of the couriers sent to meet us. These presents consist of ten pieces of calico, ten rolls of cloth, several carpets and coverings of various kinds, a lantern, a pair of scissors, a sabre, a sword, a guitar, five boxes of lucifer matches, and three pairs of socks filled with beads of all sorts. If Munza is not satisfied with this miscellaneous collection, he must be very hard to please. We have adhered strictly to the usages common in such cases, and no travellers have ever displayed more generosity than we have. We, nevertheless, hold in reserve some other presents destined to complete the conquest of the monarch, to unloose his tongue on the subject of M. de Guéran, and to secure his permission for our continuing on our way southwards, should we deem it necessary.
Whilst waiting for the opportunity of making the acquaintance of Munza, let us say a few words about the subjects. And, first of all, one important remark; as regards their features, the Monbuttoos differ essentially from other black tribes, and bear on their countenances the impress of their Semitic origin. The tint of their complexion is much lighter than we have yet seen in Africa, being almost the colour of ground coffee. The features have a certain amount of delicacy about them; and occasionally an aquiline nose maybe seen. But what distinguishes them chiefly from other tribes, their special characteristic is, that at least one out of every twenty of the population has greyish light hair, approaching the colour of hemp.
Their costume, which never varies, is quite original. It is composed of the bark of a tree called therokko(a species of fig-tree), prepared with great care and stained red-brown, which, fastened round the waist by a girdle, covers the body from the chest to the knees. Their hair, dressed like that of the Niam-Niam, is surmounted by a sort of straw hat or cap.
If the men are almost entirely clothed, the women are not. They simply tattoo their bodies in elaborate patterns, representing flowers, stars, bees, the spots of a leopard, or the stripes of a zebra. When they go out they carry with them a strip of cloth which they lay across their laps as they sit down.
We are traversing the populous district of the Maogoos, governed by one of Munza's brothers, and we come to the banks of the Welle. Thanks to a number of canoes, thirty feet long by four broad, and hollowed out of enormous trunks of trees, which were placed at our disposal by the natives, we crossed the deep, dark waters of this river, to which travellers in search of the sources of the Nile have attached great importance.
On the western bank of the river, some emissaries of the King assumed the direction of the caravan and guided us towards the royal residence, situated in the midst of a region where an earthly paradise might well find a place. At each step we came across sparkling streamlets, ferns without number, plantations of bananas, manioc, and sugar cane, and immense fig-trees, whose leafy density the sun even could not penetrate. It is a superb garden, with marvellous vegetation, full of flowers and fruit, and enlivened by the songs of a thousand birds.
My brother Parisians, when I think that, at the most moderate computation, nine-tenths of you picture Africa to yourselves as a vast desert, destitute of water and shade—wretched creatures that you are—there is not a country, perhaps, in the wide world that is watered by so many, and such great torrents and rivers, that is shaded by such gigantic trees, that is beautified by nature to such a luxuriant extent, as certain parts of central Africa. But I have no time to devote to refuting the errors of my fellow-countrymen, errors into which I formerly fell like the rest of them. Here we are, at last, within the private domain of Munza, and the only thing we have now to do is to obtain from that powerful despot the key to the enigma which is of such vital interest to us.
The King had allotted to us, for the purposes of our camp, a large vacant space a little over two hundred yards from his own residence. And we had scarcely settled down, when, on the morning of the thirtieth of May, an officer presented himself to our interpreters with the information that his royal master would receive us that same day.
As we wished to appear before the African monarch in full splendour, we all devoted ourselves at once to the mysteries of the toilet. Since we left Khartoum we had not had any special reason for getting ourselves up regardless of expense, and it was, therefore, with a certain amount of satisfaction and a slight admixture of self-complacency, that we opened our portmanteaus, for the purpose of extracting therefrom the garments reserved for special occasions.
De Morin and I selected hunting tunics with carved buttons, white waistcoats, velvet caps, and splendid riding boots. Round our waists we wore leathern belts, which held our hunting knives, loaded revolvers, and a box of cartridges, and these, with our carbines slung across our shoulders, completed our costume.
The Doctor adopted a semi-official "get-up" calculated to take the fancy of the blacks; a blue coat with large brass buttons, grey trousers, patent leather boots, a sword by his side, and a minature pistol in each waistcoat pocket.
Madame de Guéran also thought it advisable to change her walking costume for a fancy dress, half-European, half-Oriental, very much after the fashion of the one which had gained for her the title of the Parisian Sultana. When she burst upon us thus transformed, with an air of surprise at seeing herself look so enchanting, and with an eager, smiling look, we hastened to compliment her upon her appearance.
"Take care," she said, laughingly. "Your compliments verge upon insult. They seem to imply that I need the adjunct of dress, and that, only this morning, when in my travel-stained, sun-scorched clothes, I was scarcely to be tolerated."
Just as we were about to protest against this view of the matter,Miss Poles interposed, by saying—
"My dear Baroness, these gentlemen have not said anything really disparaging. Nature, you see, requires to be aided; the more generous she displays herself towards us, the more are we bound to do something for her. A little bit of dress completes us, as it were, and imparts to us additional lustre."
Miss Poles herself, instead of putting on a new dress, had fixed in her hair an enormous bunch of red flowers, thrown a yellow shawl over her shoulders, and put on a pair of ten-buttoned, blue kid gloves. According to her own mode of expression, she had completed nature by appearing as a rainbow. It was, perhaps, an act of imprudence to let her go near Munza, but, of course, the moment it was decided that Madame de Guéran should visit the King, her companion was bound to follow suit.
Seriously speaking, I must record that we had frequently discussed the propriety of allowing the Baroness to be present at the audience vouchsafed by the African monarch. We could not know by intuition what sight was in store for us amongst these savages, or, under the pretext of doing us honour, what class of entertainment they would offer us. But, in the common interest, and in order to attain the object we had in view, we should not have been justified in displaying an excess of reserve or prudery, even when our companion was in question. Proud, as all negroes are, and susceptible, like all despots, to affront, Munza, who had for some time past been aware, from the reports of his emissaries, that we had a white woman with us, would have been naturally annoyed at her absence if she had stayed away on the day when he condescended to give audience to foreigners. The wound thus inflicted upon hisamour-propremight, from the very first moment, compromise us and cause us the greatest anxiety, and we therefore came to the conclusion not even to mention our scruples to Madame de Guéran.
Besides, we were quite capable of hiding from her anything that might offend her eye, and, in spite of our desire to ingratiate ourselves with the African potentate, if he took it into his head to honour us with anyfêtesafter the fashion of those indulged in by the Bongos, we should know perfectly well how to withdraw our fair leader to a considerable distance from his residence.
As soon as we had finished our toilet operations, we reviewed the escort. We had decided that the bearers should be left in camp, and that the Nubian and Dinka soldiers, our attendants and personal servants alone should accompany us.
The guide, Nassar, on this occasion, had found means to make the famous boots we had given him shine like a mirror, and our two Arab interpreters, who had put on clean bûrnus, were glitteringly white. Our female Soudan brigade, with their flowing tunics, hair well greased, shiny skins and bright eyes, looked magnificent, and the Nubians, with their bodies covered with their most highly-prized amulets, in fighting array, and carbine in hand, were calculated to give a very flattering idea of the civilization of the northern tribes.
About two o'clock in the afternoon, another of Munza's officers came to fetch us, and we left our encampment in the following order. Half our escort, under the command of Nassar, marched in front. We followed, Madame de Guéran carried in her palanquin, Delange, de Morin, and I on horseback, followed by Joseph, dressed in black with a white tie, clean-shaved, smooth, and smiling. The other half of our escort, led by the interpreters, brought up the rear.
An immense crowd collected from all sides to see us, dancing, shouting, and expressing their admiration after the Monbuttoo fashion, by opening their mouths very wide and putting the palms of their hands before them. Ourcortégewould not have been able to make its way through this crowd if some officials, doing duty as policemen and armed with long poles, had not at intervals charged the crowd and laid about them indiscriminately.
Sorcerers, covered with rings, necklets, bracelets, and a thousand and one trinkets, rushed towards as to make speeches, but grave, dignified, calm, and majestic, we parsed on without a single halt.
A courier arrives, panting, with a welcome from the King, and is off again like an arrow, to convey our thanks and announce our speedy arrival.
At length we reach the palace gardens and are free from the mob, for none dare follow us within these sacred precincts. But they take their revenge by shouting in a most frenzied manner, and making a regular din with their drums and horns.
The palace consists of a group of large huts and sheds, for various purposes. One circular hut, with a conical roof, served as an armoury, and in it were displayed all the arms made in the country, which is very rich in iron and copper, and, in some places, lead; others were used as magazines, where were stored, in perfect order, the provisions necessary for the crowd of servants of all grades and both sexes in the employ of Munza. Farther on, a cluster of buildings, surrounded by splendid trees, formed the private residence of the King. The officers sent to meet us had received orders to show us over the palace, whilst their master, detained at market, according to their account, got ready to receive us. They introduced us into a gallery, more than eighty yards long, the roof of which was up-held by five rows of pillars. The apartments of the King opened on to this gallery, and in one large room was an erection covered with skins and mats, and flanked by posts; this was the royal bed. From the sleeping apartment we passed to several rooms devoted to the King's wardrobe, where were a number of elaborate costumes, which Munza alone wears, for the mode of dress amongst his subjects is unalterable. Suspended from the framework were hats, plumes of feathers, furs of every kind, tails of the giraffe, necklets made of the teeth of more than a hundred lions, and other ornaments, each more curious than its predecessor.
When we left these buildings, we were shown, but not allowed to enter, another group of about a hundred huts, surrounded by strong palisades. Here live the wives of Munza, eighty in number, and each possessing a separate residence. But the King's seraglio is not confined to these eighty individuals, dubbed with the title of royal wives. His father's wives also belong to him, since, according to African custom, on the death of a king his wives become the property of his successor.
As Miss Poles never could resist the temptation of making remarks about everything, she at this juncture declared in a very loud tone of voice "that it was perfectly shocking for any man to have so many wives." To sooth her I observed that as far as our information went, the women in question also performed the duties of cooks.
"You must remember," I said, "that the King eats in secret, apart from indiscreet curiosity, and none except his wives are allowed to touch his food."
"Well!" exclaimed Miss Poles, "and what of that? your explanation, so far from being satisfactory, gives me a still worse opinion of Mr. Munza. Fancy degrading a wife to the position of a cook! It is monstrous, and only worthy of a barbarian."
"You forget, Miss Poles," said Delange, "that in two-thirds of the households both in Paris and London, the wife not only does the cooking but also scrubs the floors."
"Quite so, but that is when people cannot afford to keep a servant, which is not the case with this Mr. Munza."
Miss Poles pronounced the words "Mr. Munza" with a degree of contempt which must have annihilated that monarch if he had heard them.
This conversation was, fortunately, interrupted by the deafening noise of the horns and drums, announcing that the King had returned from the market and regained his palace. We saw him in the distance, accompanied by his guards and followed by his subjects, who saluted his ears with the cry, "Ee, Ee, tchupy, tchupy, Ee, Munza, Ee," which answers to the English, "Hip, hip, hurrah!"
We were now shown into the audience chamber.
The building in which we found ourselves was destitute of walls, but was completely surrounded by a breast high palisading. A roof supported on gigantic tree-stems covered its entire length, about sixty metres, and a firm floor was obtained by means of layers of red clay.
Officers in full war costume, dignitaries of the kingdom, in their bark garments and with plumes of feathers in their bats, were seated on the low stools which, according to the African custom, they had brought with them. These individuals took up about two-thirds of the hall. The remaining portion was occupied by the throne, a bench furnished with a back and arms. On a leopard skin our presents were displayed to view, but, as if the monarch wished us to understand that he was accustomed to the generosity of white men, other objects of European manufacture appeared interspersed amongst our offerings, such as a silver platter, a porcelain vase, a telescope, a book with gilt edges, and a double mirror, which magnified on one side and diminished on the other.
The sight of these things produced a lively impression upon Madame de Guéran. Had they belonged to her husband, and been given by him to the African monarch? But de Morin, who was seated by her side, reminded her that Munza must have received these presents from Schweinfurth, and, indeed, that explorer expressly mentions the astonishment called forth by the mirror, and the King's error in taking the silver for white iron, and the porcelain for ivory.
On either side the throne, a large space was reserved for the royal wives, and behind, acting as a background, were large trophies of arms, made of gleaming copper and producing a most picturesque effect.
At last, the trumpets and ivory horns recommenced their deafening din, ringers marched about on all hands clanging their enormous bells, frenzied cries rent the air, and the royalcortégeappeared on the scene.
Munza marched at its head. He is a man in the prime of life, handsome, tall, and with muscular limbs. From his almost regular features and beard, untouched by the razor, he might be taken for a denizen of the north, but his thick lips bespoke the negro. He was, if we may say so, clothed in copper, and might have passed for an animated cooking apparatus. A crescent of copper stood out from his forehead like the vizor of a helmet, and pointed plates of the same metal encircled his neck; rings of copper were round his wrists and ankles; in hi hand he carried a scimitar of pure copper, and even the girdle round his loins, which held his red-stained garment of rokko bark, was hung with large copper balls. That part of his body which was not hidden from view by these ornaments, was seen to be anointed with an unguent of the colour of Pompeian red. Finally, he wore on his head a cylindrical hat made of reeds, according to the fashion of the tribe, and surmounted by a scarlet aigrette made of parrot's feathers.
As soon as he entered the hall, the shouts of "Ee, ee, tchupy, tchupy, ee, Munza, ee," redoubled.
Without turning his head he, from time to time, opened his mouth and ejaculated, "Brr," in a sonorous voice, in recognition of the enthusiasm of his subjects.
With upright carriage, head erect, and arms close to his sides, he walked with measured, but somewhat theatrical, tread. He looked neither at his court nor at us, and if it had not been for his gleaming eyes, the cruel smile which played round his lips, and his energetic "Brr," one would have thought that his motionless head was made of bronze.
He took his seat on the throne, and his wives, who followed him, at once took theirs on the small stools carried for them by slaves. The ladies of the court resembled the other women of the tribe, whom we have described, in every respect, including both their lack of beauty and covering; only, their splendid hair was decorated, as a distinctive mark of their rank, with a larger number of metal plates, ivory pins, and porcupine quills. Some of them, the best made and least ugly, wore also necklaces of beads of Venetian glass, which Schweinfurth had obtained from his friend Miani, and had, two years previously, presented to the Monbuttoo king.
These artistic beads did not resemble in any way those which we had purchased in Paris; they were easily recognised, from the description given of them by the German explorer, and we came to the immediate conclusion that Munza, too proud to wear any ornament of foreign manufacture, had handed them over to his favourite wives.
As soon as the court was seated, we thought we might venture to follow suit. We were placed about fire yards from the King, the intervening space between him and us being unoccupied.
Our host contrived to affect not to see us, and, with his body half turned away from us, his legs crossed, and his right arm resting on the back of his throne, he held in his left hand a pipe quite six feet long, from which he took an occasional whiff. Then, returning the pipe to one of his wives, he with a certain amount of grace, allowed the smoke to curl from his mouth.
From time to time, by way of refreshment, he regaled himself with a green banana, a cola nut, or a piece of sugar cane, all which dainties were ready to his hand.
"Well," said Miss Poles, turning towards us, "This is a queer way of receiving us. Is this what they call an audience in these parts?"
"A dumb show," replied de Morin, who had lighted a cigarette, and was doing his best to smoke as majestically as the King of the Monbuttoos.
"But we did not come here merely to look at this man," resumed MissPoles.
"You could not do better at all events," said Delange. "The powerful monarch whom you, with that want of ceremony which is one of your greatest charms, call 'this man,' is a splendid specimen of his class. Of that you may rest assured, as well as that, if he were to pay Paris a visit, the whole place would go mad about him."
"I do not doubt it in the least," replied Miss Poles, drily. "YouParisians are capable of any amount of aberration."
"But," I asked, "my dear Miss Poles, if you have not come here to admire King Munza, as is the case with all his court, what are your intentions?"
"I am astonished, M. Périères," replied Miss Poles, "that you should ask me such a question. Are not my intentions yours? Ought we not, by means of our interpreters, to ask the King for information about M. de Guéran?"
De Morin stopped her quickly.
"Do not breathe that name," said he.
"Why? You do not wish—"
"Certainly not. At least, not now."
"I don't understand."
"You will very soon. If the King has any motive for holding his tongue, or misleading us with regard to our fellow-countryman, his courtiers must not hear his answers, lest, later on, we should fail to get more reliable replies from them."
"That is very true," I added, and, turning to Miss Poles, I said—"Do not forget for a moment that you are in the presence of a despot, before whom all these people bow down and worship in fear and trembling. You will not find any one of them of much use to you, if, by pleasing you, he would run the risk of displeasing the King."
"Then," exclaimed our Englishwoman, "we ought to have asked for a private audience."
"Do not be uneasy. We intend to ask for a private audience, but for to-day we must put up with what is given to us. Besides, we rather mistrust the presence of all these hangers-on."
"If we cannot speak to-day, let us go."
"Go? Where is your politeness, Miss Poles?"
"Does the King show us any?"
"You mean that he does not speak to us?"
"Precisely so."
"And suppose he has nothing to say?"
"What nonsense! Nothing to say, indeed! Cannot he ask us for news about our country, or yours—about England or France?"
"If I were to tell him that ours was in the full swing of a republic," said de Morin, "I am afraid he would not understand me. King Munza appears to me to turn a deaf ear to our advanced ideas."
"However that may be, as an Englishwoman, I am annoyed at the want of respect shown towards me, and, moreover, I do not feel at all comfortable amongst all these men."
"Now, really. Miss Poles," replied Delange, with his usual coolness, "that is unreasonable. If anyone ought to feel uncomfortable, it should be Périères, de Morin, and I, in the presence of all these women. But we look at you—and forget them."
"Your fine speeches are thrown away upon me," said Miss Poles, who appeared to have changed her mind with regard to Delange, and spoke with a considerable amount of acerbity, "I am determined to break in upon this silence and compel the King to look at us."
"He is looking at you already."
"I declare it is true," exclaimed Miss Poles, blushing.
The fact was that Munza, tired of having "posed" for the gallery, and of affecting an indifference which he was far from feeling, had for a moment past been looking sidelong at us. Only, Miss Poles was not the one who had attracted his attention. In spite of his savage nature, he was undoubtedly struck with the beauty of Madame de Guéran, and it was on her that his stealthy looks were cast from time to time, between the whiffs of his pipe.
"Suppose I approach him and speak to him," said Miss Poles, suddenly. "I have evidently succeeded in attracting his attention, and, very possibly, in pleasing him, too."
"Do not do anything of the sort," exclaimed Nassar, who, as our interpreter, was seated close to us. "Nobody has a right to approach the throne, unless invited to do so. It is a crime which Munza invariably punishes by death."
"And do not forget," continued de Morin, surrounding himself with a cloud of smoke, "that this man, as you call him, has only to lift up his finger to put all of us on the spit. Look at our Nubians; they are so sensible of the danger that, quite contrary to their habits, they remain silent and motionless. As for Joseph, he is perfectly paralyzed by fear; if his neighbours do but open their mouths he trembles in every limb, and if the king should happen to say 'Brr' again I believe my unfortunate valet will collapse altogether."
This further remonstrance did not convince Miss Poles, but she kept quiet, for the King at last gave some signs of life.
He rose, and received from the hands of one of his wives an article something like those well-known playthings for babies, usually called rattles. It was made of a wicker stick, with a little basket at the end filled with pebbles. It was the monarch'sbâton, and he wielded it pompously, like a regular leader of the orchestra. At once the trumpets, ivory horns, kettle drums, bells large and small, and all kinds of music, both iron and copper, including all the kitchen utensils of the Monbuttoos, honoured us with a hubbub even more discordant than the former one.
Occasionally the orchestra ceased, to allow of a solo being performed. A musician stepped to the front, and produced from a huge trumpet sounds intended to represent the sough of the wind, the songs of birds, the rumbling of a storm, or the roaring of lions. Amongst this primitive race, what is called imitative music is always highly esteemed.
The concert was brought to a close by renewed shouts of "Ee, Ee, tchupy, tchupy, Ee, Munza, Ee."
The monarch took his seat once more on the throne, and it dawned upon us that, after having allowed us to admire him from a plastic point of view, and as achef d'orchestre, he was at length disposed to enter into conversation.
Nassar having by my order stepped forward into the empty space between us and the King, that royal personage intimated his wish to speak with the chief of the caravan.
As soon as this request was translated to us, we begged de Morin to represent us. He got up accordingly, took his stool, placed it in the small reserved space, and quietly seated himself by the side of Nassar and in front of the King, as unembarrassed as if he had been at his club.
But Munza did not appear to be satisfied with this arrangement, de Morin, apparently, not being the one he wanted. At the same time he pointed to Joseph, both by look and gesture.
"That is not the chief," said Nassar, "That is a servant, a slave.You cannot converse with a slave, O King."
"No, no, it is the chief," persisted Munza, pointing now to Joseph's coat and necktie.
We understood at once. When Schweinfurth was received by the King, two years previously, he wore, as asavant, a black coat and white necktie. Seeing our servant in this official guise, exactly like that worn by the German traveller, Munza thought that Joseph was the most important personage amongst us.
Nassar took upon himself to explain away the error, but it was with considerable difficulty that he succeeded in doing so, the King saying over and over again, "The white man was dressed in that way. Why does your slave wear the same clothes as the great chief?"
He would have looked upon us as impostors if we had told him that with us the leading men in the country, ministers, and sovereigns wear precisely the same dress as the most disreputable waiter in an eating-house. We were thus compelled to seek another explanation, and, in order not to depreciate Schweinfurth in the monarch's estimation, we declared that, during the last two years, the fashion in our country had undergone a complete revolution, and that de Morin, Delange, and I alone wore the costume befitting our exalted rank. This was not very intelligible to the ruler of a people amongst whom fashion never changes, but Munza, nevertheless, condescended to accept the explanation, or, as was far more likely the case, with that quickness of perception of which, later on, we had too many proofs, he recognised, after having examined de Morin and Joseph attentively, that it is not the cowl which makes the monk.
With the assistance of Nassar, conversation between my friend and the African King was speedily in full swing. The latter had resumed his nonchalant attitude, and continued to emit from his pipe, at regular intervals, whiffs of smoke, which he sent curling through the air. De Morin, with a cigar in his mouth, astride on his diminutive bench, his right leg slightly raised, and his hands clasping his knee, had posed himself after a somewhat peculiar fashion, which, it is to be hoped, Munza considered respectful.
Profound silence reigned throughout our escort and amongst the wives and courtiers of the King. His Majesty was about to speak, and no one dared say a word.
The very first words uttered by Munza showed the Europeans that they had to deal with a man of intelligence, and that they must be on their guard accordingly.
"Who are you? Whence come you? And what motive has brought you to my dominions?" asked his Majesty of Monbuttoo.
"We are," replied de Morin, "personages of importance in our country, and we are travelling for our own pleasure and to see you."
"How have you heard about me?"
"From Schweinfurth, who has praised your virtue, your power, and your generosity. Far away, in the North, the kings, the nobles, and the people talk about you."
Munza appeared flattered; his eyes brightened, and he drew himself up.
"And has the white man only spoken well of me?"
"Certainly; you were always good to him."
"It is true; but I did not grant his request to be permitted to go towards the south, as he wished. Did you know that?"
"Yes, I not only knew that, but also the motives of your refusal."
The King seemed astonished.
"Tell me them. I desire you to tell me," he said.
"I ask nothing better," replied de Morin, "and the more so because I agree with you. You feared that the merchant, Aboo Sammit, who accompanied Schweinfurth, would establish commercial relations with the other kingdoms, south, east, and west, which border on yours. If Schweinfurth, instead of being accompanied by Aboo Sammit, had been alone, you would have allowed him to cross your territory, as you will certainly permit us to do, seeing that we are not engaged in either the ivory or the slave trade."
"Ah!" said the African monarch, "you want to go southwards."
"We intend," replied de Morin, boldly, "to ask your permission to do so."
Munza, for the first time, looked our friend full in the face, and said to him—
"You have not, then, as you stated, left your country simply for the sake of seeing me, because you also wish to know my neighbour?"
The observation was shrewd enough, but, fortunately, de Morin did not move a muscle.
"We are come," said he, "to pay you a visit, but we must go back to our own country, and we do not wish to do so by the same way that we came."
"But, since you have come from the north, you must take the road back to the north. Why, then, do you talk of going south?"
"Because in the south I shall find the sea, and vessels which will take me back to my country, to the north, without my having the trouble of walking there."
"The sea!" repeated the King, slowly. "Yes, the white man spoke to me about that, but I did not understand him. Explain to me, if you can, what the sea is."
"Have you any lakes in your country—what they call in the east theNyanzas?"
"No. I have not any."
"But you have plenty of rivers?"
"Rivers? Yes, yes—the Gadda, the Keebally—"
"Good! The sea is composed of a vast number of rivers, without banks, ranged one alongside the other."
Munza shut his eyes to conjure up the figure thus presented to him. Did he succeed? We never knew, for he did not again utter a word on the subject. All the Europeans who have ever attempted to give the central tribes an idea of the ocean have failed. It has been often remarked that their imagination cannot grasp the notion. De Morin would, possibly, have done better, had he taken the sky as his point of comparison, and endeavoured to explain that the sea was a sky turned upside down, whose limits the eye is powerless to reach, and which lies ahead instead of being above.
"So," resumed the King, "it is to rejoin the sea that you wish to cross my territory and reach the south?"
"Principally for that reason, but I have also another motive."
"Tell it to me."
"Not now; there are too many people present, and white men are not in the habit of telling everybody their secrets. When you are kind enough to grant me, and my friends here, a private audience, we will tell you the real aim of our journey."
"Very well," said the King, secretly flattered by the confidence thus reposed in him, as well as by the distinction drawn between his subjects and himself, "I will receive you to-morrow, at sunset."
He was silent for a moment, but we could easily perceive that he had something else to say. With his right elbow resting on the arm of his throne, and his head supported on his hand, he looked every now and then in our direction, and Madame de Guéran appeared invariably to attract his attention. His black almond-shaped eyes were constantly turned towards her, and he evidently wished to put certain questions to us, but at the same time was afraid of appearing to take too great an interest in us, lest by so doing he should lose some of his dignity.
At length his curiosity got the better of his pride, and, addressingNassar, he said—
"Ask the chief who the two white men are who are sitting near him?"
He was taking a roundabout way to get at Madame de Guéran, who interested him far more than we did.
As soon as Nassar had translated the question, de Morin replied unhesitatingly that we were his two brothers. Pointing to me, he said that I was a very learned man, able to write as Schweinfurth had done in Munza's presence. Delange he described as a great doctor, capable of curing all diseases.
"And that old woman there?" asked the King, suddenly, nodding towardsMiss Poles.
Nassar, who had a grudge against our beloved Englishwoman, occasionally somewhat hasty with him, instead of toning down the expression made use of by Munza, repeated it in a loud and very distinct tone of voice. This was all the more cruel towards Miss Beatrice, because when the King looked at her, and before he had called her an old woman, she had half risen from her seat, had taken off her spectacles to produce a more magical effect, and had smiled in her most gracious manner.
When she heard the words—"and that old woman there"—she at first fell back on her seat as if she had been shot, but then she jumped up, with flashing eye and burning cheek, and thus apostrophised the King.
"An old woman! An old woman! That savage, that Goth, that cannibal—to call me an old woman! Do you not know, you wretched thing, that in your seraglio there is not a woman fit to be named in the same breath with me? Old! I, to be called old at my age!"
In spite of all our efforts, we could not succeed in calming our irate companion. Madame de Guéran alone managed it by telling her that in the countries where we were a woman is considered old at twenty, and that she herself, notwithstanding her evident youth, would be put in the same category with Miss Poles.
The King, without taking any notice of the exclamations and gesticulations of Miss Poles, or paying the slightest attention to a scene, which, by the way, must have been quite unintelligible to him, went on eating his bananas and cola nuts. He had, however, the politeness to offer a banana to de Morin, who, still astride on his stool, with his back to us, munched it quietly and, through the medium of Nassar, gave the king somesotto voceparticulars about Miss Poles which seemed to amuse his Majesty.
At last, Munza, giving up all circuitous questioning and beating about the bush, said to Nassar abruptly—
"The white woman," looking towards Madame de Guéran, "is, doubtless, the chief's wife?"
Our interpreter, who had been cautioned not to give any reply unless dictated by us, duly translated the question.
"Tell him," said de Morin, "that I have no wife."
The King, as soon as this reply was conveyed to him, opened his mouth to its utmost limits in token of amazement, and all his court imitated his example, a proceeding which frightened Joseph and the Nubians of the escort awfully. They thought the dinner hour was come, and that they would be thepièce de resistance.
As for the women, they simply roared with laughter, although they were accustomed not to indulge in any such demonstrations in the presence of their royal spouse. He, too, led away by the example of his surroundings, ended by bursting into a fit of laughter. This Sultan, possessing from three to four hundred wives, counting his mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, could with difficulty understand a man being destitute of a single one. But his merriment was only transitory. His countenance recovered its serious, apathetic expression, and he requested that de Morin would point out which of his companions was the husband of the white woman.
"She is not the wife of any of us," replied de Morin. "She is our sister."
"Ah! Their sister! Very good!" said Munza, repeating his remark two or three times.
Nevertheless, he did not appear convinced. Amongst the Africans, family affection is very slight and does not imply any obligation. A wife may accompany her husband to war or on any other expedition, but his mothers, daughters, or sisters do not carry their devotion to this extreme. Consequently, Munza, after a moment's reflection, gave utterance to his doubts. It seemed extraordinary to him that the white woman should have undertaken so long a journey, and should have come as far as his dominions merely in order that she might not be separated from her brothers.
Our friend saw that he had failed to give an intelligible explanation of Madame de Guéran's presence amongst us, and therefore hastened to say—
"I never said that our sister had not a private reason for accompanying us. It is precisely to explain this reason to the King that we have asked for a private audience."
On hearing this, Munza thought it high time to close the proceedings.
Nothing could have been easier. He made a sign, and immediately the court, accustomed to obey his slightest look, commenced the hymn, "Ee, Ee, tchupy, tchupy, Ee, Munza, Ee." He responded with a stentorian, "Brr," addressed, apparently to us, and left the hall with the same majestic step with which he had entered it, followed by all his wives, and the sound of kettle-drums, bells, trumpets, ivory horns, and "all kinds of music."
It appeared that Munza had shown us the greatest marks of favour. As a rule he received strangers very coldly and rarely addressed them, and to converse with any one at such length as he had done with us was a mark of distinguished regard.
We could estimate our advance in royal favour by comparing the attitude of his courtiers after his departure with their manner towards us before his arrival. Two hours previously they had been silent and reserved, but now they showed themselves eager to make our acquaintance, polite, and rather troublesome. They surrounded us and asked all sorts of questions, jostling each other to inspect us closely and touch our clothes. Some presumptuous hands reached our faces, and we were obliged to rap the knuckles of the most importunate with the handles of our hunting knives. Assisted by Nassar and our interpreter, we made a regular ring round Madame de Guéran, and were, fortunately, able to prevent any one from coming near her.
Miss Poles was, also, the object of the most lively curiosity; her spectacles were a source of wonder, and her general appearance was evidently bewildering. But we were not at all uneasy about the fair Beatrice; she was a woman eminently calculated to take care of herself, and she did not fall short of our expectations, her hands being very busy about the ears of those who came too near her.
After having left the audience hall and traversed the courts and gardens of the palace, we found ourselves once more in the midst of the crowd, who, to do honour to their King's guests, treated us to some more music, and escorted us as far as our camp. Then, and only then, did we get rid of their too pressing attentions, thanks entirely to our bearers, who had occupied their leisure moments, during our absence, in enclosing our kraal with a strong palisading. By a delicate attention, evidently due to Munza himself, who was alive to the spirit of curiosity inherent in his subjects, we were also furnished with a guard of fifty men, armed with long poles, who patrolled round the encampment and kept all intruders away.
Nor was this all. Another right royal surprise awaited us, for in the hut, constructed for the reception of our baggage and food, we found the most valuable present we could possibly have had under the circumstances. It consisted of provisions of all kinds—grain, vegetables, fruit, fowls, goats, and beer. Our host had foreseen all our wants and our wishes, and if he had shown himself but little disposed to be communicative towards us, he was lavish enough in other ways.
We lost no time in despatching to him, as a present, a novel object, calculated to take the fancy of all Africans, although they have not the remotest idea how to use it and are very likely to break it. It was a tolerably large musical box. To it we added a capital watch, the case of which was copper, silver and gold being unknown in this country and invariably mistaken for tin and copper.
Whilst waiting for the repast being prepared for us by our head-cook, a Nubiancordon-bleu, assisted by two Soudan women, also well-versed in the culinary art, we reviewed the incidents of the day. It is clear that Munza, in appearance at all events, is well disposed towards us; but will he be able to give us the desired information, which he will be asked to impart during our interview to-morrow? We begin to have our doubts about it. During his conversation with de Morin, not a single allusion, however indirect, was made to M. de Guéran. The King talked about Schweinfurth, and recollected him perfectly, albeit the African memory is treacherous to a degree, but he did not say a single word bearing on our countryman.
Why this reserve? To what end this silence? Does not Munza know anything? Has he never seen M. de Guéran? Is he ignorant that this European has passed through his dominions, a fact testified to by Nassar, and recorded by our countryman himself in his letters? It is difficult to give credence to this apparent want of knowledge. How is it possible that a despot, surrounded by innumerable emissaries, should have failed to be warned of the arrival of a white man in his kingdom?
We summoned Nassar, and asked him if the silence of the King had not surprised him, if he did not expect Munza to mention M. de Guéran, whose visit to him was of later date than that of Schweinfurth? Our guide replied that he had quite expected the King to mention M. de Guéran, but he added that the negroes easily forget what is reported to them on the subject of any conversation, and remember facts alone. Munza had seen Schweinfurth, received him at court, and shaken hands with him; these were facts, and he could remember them. M. de Guéran, on the other hand, was only known to him by hearsay, and, therefore, may have escaped his memory.
"You admit, then," I asked, "that our countryman may have passed through this country without seeing the King?"
"Certainly," replied Nassar. "Fearing to be stopped by Munza, as my master, Schweinfurth was, he very probably continued his route southwards, without halting here."
"Nevertheless, he did halt, for, according to your own account, you entertained him for twenty-four hours."
"Not in this district," answered Nassar, quickly. "It was in a territory lying to the south-east of us, forming part of Munza's kingdom, but under the administration of Degberra, one of his brothers. I was there, as I have already told you, managing a branch trading establishment, belonging to Aboo-Sammit, and Munza does not allow any depôt to be set up in the provinces governed by himself in person."
This explanation was probable enough. Indeed, M. de Guéran alluded in his letter to the kingdom of the Monbuttoos, but he did not mention the name of Munza. This latter personage, therefore, may, as Nassar suggests, very well have forgotten the accidental presence, in his dominions, of a stranger whom he never saw. By making an appeal to his memory, we shall, doubtless, obtain some useful hints.
Thanks to the liberality of the African potentate, our dinner, the best we have had for the last three months, was a very cheerful meal. Joseph alone, who waited on us as usual, was melancholy in the extreme. He handed us the dishes with an air of sadness, trembling at the slightest sound; if any of us asked for a knife and fork in a louder tone than usual, he turned pale, and once I caught him in the act of wiping his eyes on the table-napkin which hung over his arm.
And yet, he ought to be in good spirits and proud of the part he played during the day. The monarch of a mighty nation, one of those sovereigns who is feared and respected without any reservation or opposition, such as is so often the case in Europe, had condescended to address him personally, and had for a moment taken him to be the leader of the caravan. Was it that he could not realize his good fortune? Did he now despise those gratifying tributes to hisamour-propre, formerly so eagerly sought after by him? What was passing in his troubled spirit?
At dessert we demanded an explanation. He hesitated at first and begged to be excused, but at last, under the pressure of renewed importunities, he struck a theatrical attitude, and exclaimed suddenly, and in stilted tones—
"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes."
We looked at him with amazement, and then burst out laughing.
"You know Latin, it appears," said de Morin, when he had recovered his composure.
"Certainly," replied Joseph, bridling. "Before I went to service, I was in the fourth class at a provincial school."
"What are you talking about? You were in the fourth class—you! In what capacity—professor, perhaps?"
"No sir."
"Pupil, then?"
"No, sir, nor pupil either."
"What then? Out with it."
"As a servant, sir. I brushed the clothes, swept the room, lighted the fires, and whilst attending to these duties, I listened to the lectures of the Professors, read the exercise books of the pupils, and gained instruction."
"Then," continued de Morin, making frantic efforts to prevent himself from laughing in the face of his servant, "you know the meaning of the sentence you have quoted?"
"Certainly, sir," replied Joseph. "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentesmeans, I fear the Greeks, especially, when they come with gifts in their hands."
"A perfect translation, but why did you let fly the quotation full in our faces in this unexpected fashion?"
"Sir," said Joseph, with a most serious air, "I consider that it has a local signification, for the Greeks, according to my idea, are represented by the Monbuttoos, and the word 'gifts' means food, provisions, meals. The quotation, therefore, stands as if I had said— 'I fear the Monbuttoos, and the meals with which they are providing us.'"
"And why this fear, Joseph?" asked de Morin. "Do you think that the food is poisoned? It is rather late in the day to tell us so."
"No, sir, but I cannot divest myself of the idea that this nation of cannibals is overwhelming us with provisions and fattening us up, so that later on they may dine off us with greater enjoyment."
De Morin could not contain himself any longer. He roared with laughter, and we all joined him.
Joseph appeared perfectly scandalized at the unseemly mirth, and kept on saying—
"It is not my own opinion that I have given utterance to. It is the opinion of all the bearers, and their only motive for working so hard at the construction of a palisade round the camp was their fear of being attacked to-night. Alas! will it protect us?"
In spite of the fears indulged in by Joseph and our escort, we passed a very good night in our huts, which were far more comfortable than any we had inhabited for many a long day. On the following morning everybody awoke uneaten, and as our audience was not to take place until the afternoon, we set to work to fill up our leisure time.
Towards 8 a.m. de Morin, Delange and I bent our steps towards a small stream pointed out to us on the previous evening, and there, in the dear water, shaded from the sun's rays by a canopy of foliage, flowers and creepers, we enjoyed a most delicious and refreshing bath. This over, we went to the market, and nothing more picturesque can be imagined than these large gatherings, which in Africa have become, if I may be allowed to use the term, regular institutions. The market is a perfect pleasure-ground for buyers and sellers, rich and poor, large and small, men who go to see, and women who go to be seen. The animation and noise are on a par, extraordinary alike; shouting and laughing are heard on all sides—bargaining here, quarrelling there, and fighting everywhere. Fruits and vegetables are jumbled together in one vast confusion—manioc, sweet potatoes, known amongst the Monbuttoos asmendo, yams, bananas and bundles of the sugar-cane. Earthen jars of artistic design, covered with figures in relief, hold the beer and other liquors.
On our return to camp, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, we were honoured by a visit from the favourite wives of the King. These ladies, in number about twenty, were far more reserved in their manner than we could have expected. It is true that they had had a lesson from Munza, and he was not to be disobeyed with impunity.
Some of them, nevertheless, betrayed such an unmistakable desire to pass their fingers through the beard and hair of a white man, that we felt bound to gratify them. But as neither of us was anxious to sacrifice himself, de Morin summoned Joseph, made him sit down on a stool, and authorised our amiable visitors to make use of his head as if it were a barber's block. Joseph, at first flattered by experiencing the contact of so many royal hands, displayed a tendency in the direction of protest and self-defence when his beard was plucked and his hair pulled to see if they were really attached by nature to his skin. We pointed out to him that the King's wives would bear in mind his amiability, would be a means, some day, perhaps, of saving him from being eaten, and that, from every point of view, it would be better for him to lose a lock of hair than his head. He saw the force of this argument, and resigned himself to his fate, crying out, when the tugs were too forcible, in such a ludicrous way that the women were in fits of laughter.
After having toyed with Joseph's hair and beard, the Monbuttoos expressed a further wish. Until we appeared on the scene they had been accustomed to see men and women bare-footed; our large boots puzzled them, and they longed to know whether the pieces of leather which encased our feet and legs were a part of ourselves and natural, or whether they were merely a covering, like the rest of our clothes. We thought that these charming searchers after knowledge had learnt quite enough for one visit, and we consequently postponed until another opportunity the fresh study which they wanted to take in hand. Having at length dismissed them with a few presents, we were at liberty to take a spell of well-earned repose until the hour fixed for our private audience. But punctually at six o'clock we started for the palace, accompanied by Nassar and a dozen soldiers.
Miss Poles was with us, the King having, since the morning, been restored to her good graces, thanks to Delange, who, fearing a scene, had given Nassar a hint or two. The latter, in consequence, lost no time in requesting that our beloved Englishwoman would grant him an interview, in order that he might confess to her his fears and regrets. He feared, according to the tale he now told, that he had misunderstood Munza's idea on the subject of Miss Poles; the word "old woman" had certainly not been uttered by the monarch; the interpreter had made a mistake, and had given a wrong translation of the Monbuttoo expression, which, as he had subsequently ascertained, meant in reality "pretty woman," or "uncommon woman."
Miss Poles eagerly accepted this explanation, just as everybody invariably does put implicit faith in whatever is pleasing, and in rare good humour, radiant, and got up regardless of expense, she accompanied us to the palace.
We were received at the outside palisading, and were at once conducted to the building in which the King's residence is situated. But, as we were about to enter the gallery already described, an officer made his appearance with the information that the King would only give audience to the white woman.
We stopped in astonishment. What did this whim mean? What peculiar notion had crossed the brain of the African monarch? Why were we to be separated from Madame de Guéran, and shut out from the interview?
"What do you think?" said I, turning to my friends.
"I think," replied de Morin, "that this savage is mad, and needs to be brought to his senses."
"And yon?" said I, turning to Delange, who did not appear to be quite so angry as de Morin.
"We must not give in to him," replied the Doctor.
"Give in to him!" exclaimed de Morin. "I should think not indeed! Who could possibly dream of allowing Madame de Guéran to venture alone into that den? If that is even taken into consideration for a moment, I will force my way into the palace, revolver in hand, and shoot this insolent savage as I would a dog."
"Calm yourself, my dear fellow," said I to our friend. "Nobody has any idea of truckling to the King's caprices."
Then, turning to Madame de Guéran, I added—
"I must apologise for having consulted our friends first, but when your safety is in question we have a right, as you well know, seeing that you have given us that right, to take counsel amongst ourselves alone. But you agree with us, do you not?"
"Absolutely," replied the Baroness, in her calm, sweet voice. "I have no idea if thetête-à-têteasked for would be dangerous, or if I should run any risk in this palace. But, on the one hand, this demand is calculated to lower your status, and, on the other, if we yield to this first whim, we shall soon have to face others far more serious. These savages are very like children; comply with their first demands, and you convert them into despots."
"What must we do, then?" I asked, still addressing Madame de Guéran.
"Withdraw, and give up all idea of the audience, in which, moreover, I feel assured that we should not have learnt a single thing we want to know."
"That is precisely my idea," said I.
"And mine, too," chimed in Delange.
De Morin, alone, did not speak, evidently regretting that he was not allowed to shoot the King like a dog.
We were going, therefore, to turn to the right-about, when Miss Beatrice, who dearly loved to have the last word, stopped us and begged us to hear what she had to say.
What could she have to say to us? What important communication was she thinking of making, at a time when prudence counselled the earliest possible departure, now that we had determined upon not giving way to the will of the King?
"We will hear you," said Delange to her, "but be quick, I beg; all these consultations are dangerous just now."
"Make your minds quite easy," replied Miss Beatrice. "I will be brief. Before letting you come to so important a resolution, one which may have a serious influence over our future, I merely wish to ask you one question."
"Ask it. Miss Poles, ask it."
"Are you sure," she commenced, pushing her glasses up from her eyes, "that the King meant Madame de Guéran, that it is with her that he desires an interview?"
Delange looked at de Morin, who looked at me, whilst I looked at Nassar, whose eyes were fixed on the Baroness. Nobody as yet perceived the drift of Miss Beatrice's remarks.
"I wish you to observe," she continued, "that the name of Madame de Guéran has never been mentioned, for the very simple reason that nobody knows it. The officer simply stated that the King would only receive the white woman. What white woman does he mean? The Baroness or me? I labour under the impression that I am as white as she is."