Our eyes were opened at last, and it was with great difficulty that we kept our countenances. Miss Poles resumed—
"There are occasions in one's life when ordinary considerations fail to have any effect. I have reason to believe that Munza meant me. Yesterday, during the audience, he never ceased to look at me; he smiled at me, and graciously offered me a banana and a cola nut. Lastly, you now know from our interpreter that instead of calling me an old woman, he said I was a pretty one. All these things put together, notwithstanding my entire freedom from conceit—I might almost say, my deep humility—impel me to ask you if you are not on a wrong scent, if I am not the one with whom the King desires a private interview."
I had turned away to hide my laughter, and de Morin had followed my example; Delange alone confronted Miss Poles.
"It is quite possible," said he to her, "that the King did mean you; I indeed am inclined to be of that opinion. But that does not alter the situation in any way whatever; in the first place, Munza insults us by not permitting us to accompany you; in the second, we cannot allow you to present yourself before him alone."
"But," she urged, "if this is a matter affecting our common interests, I am quite ready to run any risk. I am not afraid of anybody, and, besides, I have no reason to think that the King would behave otherwise than as a gentleman to any woman, to say nothing of my being an Englishwoman."
"We do not share your ideas on this subject," said Delange, firmly, "and, for my part, I absolutely refuse to let you enter that den alone. Have the kindness to come away with us, for we are off."
De Morin had by this time put himself at the head of the escort, and I, approaching the officer who had conveyed to us his master's orders, told him to inform the King that we were accustomed never to be separated from our sister, and that we were going away because he refused to receive us with her.
"What you have just done, gentlemen," said Miss Poles, as she followed us, "may turn out to be a serious business."
"It would have been far more serious," whispered de Morin, in my ear, "if we had sent her to the King, instead of Madame de Guéran. Munza would have scarcely thought the joke a good one, and he would have been right. But keep your eyes open all round, my dear fellow, whilst I look after the escort. At this very moment our reply is being communicated to the King, and he knows by this time that we are going away. He will be furious, and we have every reason to be afraid."
"That is so," said I. "A man accustomed to bend every will to his own, the demi-god of more than a million souls, will hardly believe that a handful of foreigners dare to refuse all obedience to him, and brave him even within the walls of his palace."
Happily, our fears were groundless, and we proceeded without the slightestcontretempsacross the open space which separated us from the palisading. The building occupied by Munza, wherein we had declined to set foot, remained in perfect silence. Nobody came out of it, either to order us to return or to give any instructions to the soldiers whom we could see on every side of us. We soon reached the gate, and a very few moments more saw us within our own encampment.
De Morin prudently forbade all straggling on the part of the men of the escort; he inspected their guns and, without actually serving out the ammunition, he opened our boxes of cartridges and had them in readiness for any emergency. The rest of our people, who, as Joseph had stated, placed very little confidence in the Monbuttoos, approved of these precautions. At the same time we removed the injunction laid, as I have already recorded, upon Nassar with reference to any conversation on the subject of the Baron de Guéran, and we now instructed him to mix with the natives, large and small, who surrounded our encampment throughout the day, and to endeavour to obtain incidentally from them whatever information he could as to a white man having passed through, or stayed in their country.
These measures of precaution having been put in force, we set ourselves to wait. It was clear to us that Munza would communicate with us in some way or other during the evening; a black man cannot wait, and he never puts anything off until to-morrow, except, indeed, his work.
As we anticipated, about an hour after our return to our encampment, we saw, coming towards us as fast as his legs could carry him, one of the King's couriers or runners—the same, in fact, who, on the previous evening, as we were on our way to the public reception, had brought us Munza's greeting. To the functions of courier he evidently added those of ambassador or master of the ceremonies, and we received him with all the honours due to his exalted rank; that is to say, we permitted him to enter our enclosure and come to the hut where we were all assembled together, with our interpreter beside us.
Munza sent word to say that he could not understand why we had not allowed our sister to enter the palace unaccompanied. Had not he himself, that very morning, permitted his wives to visit us unattended?
We replied that every country had its own peculiar customs; we respected those of the Monbuttoos, but we could not depart from our own. In the mighty country where we were born, a woman never entered alone into the house of any man, unless he happened to be her father, her brother, or her husband.
This reply had no sooner been translated, than the courier departed as speedily as he had come.
Half an hour afterwards we saw him returning. Munza had decided upon his course of action, and sent it to us by word of mouth, just as we should convey our ideas by means of a letter or a despatch.
This time the ambassador was enjoined to tell us that his master wished to receive our sister in private, because the chief of the white men had, on the previous evening, stated that she did not wish to explain publicly the motive of her journey.
We replied in the following terms:—
"Our sister could not, indeed, speak before the whole court, but there is nothing to prevent her explaining herself in the presence of her brothers, who are aware of her secret, as the King cannot fail to suppose."
The end had not come yet. For the third time, the master of the ceremonies appeared, and informed us that the King consented to receive us all and that he was awaiting our visit.
We had foreseen some such message, feeling sure that Munza, whatever might be his motive, would not show his teeth, if such a vulgar expression may be used in connection with so powerful a monarch. But, in our own interest, and to retain our reputation as white men and important personages, we were determined to stand on our dignity.
The courier was therefore commissioned to convey to Munza, as literally as possible, the following message:—
"The King having refused the white people theentréeinto his palace, the latter cannot, after such an affront, present themselves immediately before him. But they are prepared to receive him as worthily as it is in their power to do, if he will condescend to pay them a visit."
The desultory conversation was at an end, and the evening and night passed off without any other incident. We thought it prudent, however, to place a strong guard round the camp, and, as we had been in the habit of doing for some time past, Delange, de Morin, and I divided the night between us, keeping watch and watch, as they do on board ship.
On the following day we were reassured on the score of the King's intentions towards us. Provisions, in large quantities, were sent to us, as on the previous evening. Munza either bore us no grudge, or, if he did, it was to his own interest to conceal it.
Towards eight o'clock there was a great stir around our camp, the palisading being thronged with a circle of natives, and we were apprised that the ruler of the Monbuttoos was preparing to pay us a visit.
Very soon the drums, trumpets, and horns began their customary din, shouts rent the air, and the King appeared in the midst of a numerous escort, who displayed great brutality in keeping at a distance such of his subjects as pressed upon him too closely.
De Morin, without delay, made our soldiers and the greater portion of the bearers fall in, and, after having issued his orders, rejoined us in our hut, the largest of all, where we firmly awaited the arrival of his Majesty of Monbuttoo.
We imagined that he intended entering our enclosure accompanied by his officers. Nothing of the sort—he ordered them to remain without, and alone, unarmed, calm, and with head erect, just as he had appeared to us at our first interview, he advanced up the centre of the path which we had made from the palisade to our hut. Our soldiers, who had been taught by de Morin a sort of drill in epitome, presented arms, whilst three Nubians, who acted as our drummers, beat the roll they had learnt under my instruction.
Above our hut floated the French Standard. We thought that, under the circumstances, we might fairly hoist it, and our beloved national ensign, which we had not seen for so long a time, made our hearts beat high. I am not quite sure that some of our eyes did not fill with tears at the sight of that bit of buntings waving in the air, and saluting us in the name of our country. Out of respect to the birth-place and earliest recollections of Madame de Guéran, as well as by way of consulting the prejudices of Miss Poles, the British flag was hoisted by the side of our own, but Delange, who was in charge of the decoration department, arranged matters so that our flag completely enveloped that of Great Britain. When so far away from home, and free from all danger of wounding any susceptibilities, one may be held excused for giving the highest place to the flag of one's own country.
The African monarch, on reaching the hut, was received by Delange, who held out his hand and begged him to enter our dwelling.
In truth, if Munza is the greatest potentate in these regions, he is also the most civilized of savages. He seated himself on a bench, and, without displaying any excessive curiosity, glanced at the various objects displayed for the purpose of attracting his attention and affording him pleasure. As soon as his eyes fell on a watch, a compass, a telescope, or, in fact, any one of the things laid out for his inspection, Delange took it up, and, approaching the King, endeavoured, through the medium of Nassar, to explain to him its mechanism, and make him understand its use. Nevertheless, we were bound to confess that he listened to our interpreter with a very absent air; his glances, instead of being devoted to things, were directed more than perhaps they ought to have been, towards persons, and it was very evident that Madame de Guéran was the object in view. Sufficiently master of himself to avoid looking at her too fixedly, he never ceased to cast, as on the previous evening, rapid and side-long glances at her.
There is no shutting one's eyes to the fact that the beauty of our fair companion has made a deep impression on Munza. In spite of his savage nature, he is certainly by instinct, if not by innate sentiment, alive to the charm of beauty.
He understands that her face, her hair, her hands, and her figure are superior to all his surroundings, and to all that he has ever seen. He is lost in wonder, he is under a charm, and if he dared, and were not restrained by his pride, this pagan would prostrate himself before this new idol.
All this, I need scarcely say, makes us very uneasy, for what would become of us if Munza were to entertain a serious passion for our beloved Sultana?
The situation is by no means new; on the contrary, it is historical, as the following adventure which befell Baker, and which I will endeavour to recall, will show.
That traveller was at a few days' journey from Lake Albert, in the midst of a black tribe ruled over by the chief Kamrasi. Lady Baker, prostrated by fever, was most anxious to go on for the purpose of reaching a more healthy district.
Baker, for his part, thought that he was on the eve of attaining the end towards which he had been struggling for so long—a few steps more, a few additional efforts, and the source of the Nile, as far as his ideas went, would be discovered.
But Kamrasi took no heed of the fever which was consuming the wife, nor of the scientific enthusiasm of the husband. In spite of his promises and his engagements, he persisted in keeping Lady Baker and her husband in his kingdom, and refused them the bearers necessary for the prosecution of their journey. At length, one day, when Baker was urging him to assist them, Kamrasi said—
"I will let you leave me on the sole condition that you leave your wife with me."
The English explorer, in a rage, presented a pistol at the breast of the negro king, who merely replied—
"Why are you angry? What wrong have I done you in asking for your wife? I would give you one of mine with pleasure if you wished it, and I never thought you would hesitate about giving yours up. As a rule, I offer pretty wives to all who come to see me, and it appeared to me to be a very simple matter to make an exchange with you. Do not bear me any ill-will; if my proposition displeases you, I will not renew it."
He kept his word; but Kamrasi was a very amiable native, of a much more facile temperament than the terrible King of the Monbuttoos.
We may, therefore, find ourselves in a very embarrassing, if not perilous, position, should, as we begin to think, this African despot, with his ardent passions, accustomed to satisfy his every whim and fancy, be attracted by the first white woman he has ever seen, and the loveliest creature he has ever dreamt of.
The question before us, however, was how best to entertain our guest, to excite his curiosity, and rouse him when he showed any sign of forgetting himself in the contemplation of Madame de Guéran.
De Morin had at first recourse to lucifer matches; when he thought that the King was becoming too deeply absorbed he took out of his pocket his silver fusee-box and lighted a match. But the operation, which had served us in good stead amongst other tribes, very soon palled upon Munza.
From matches we passed to refreshments; a bottle of champagne, the solitary remnant of Parisian luxuries, was produced and opened in honour of the King.
The noise, the popping of the cork, the outflow of the froth, and the sparkling of the wine produced a certain amount of impression on him; but it did not last long, and, with an astonishing genius for imitation, he, without the least awkwardness, clinked against our cups the silver goblet we had presented to him, and he drank as he saw us doing.
Then de Morin, bent upon using every possible means to engage his attention, took down his fowling-piece, and aiming at a splendid parrot which was sitting in a neighbouring palm-tree, brought it to the ground.
The King, on hearing the report, very naturally sprang up, but he speedily recovered his composure, and, as his frightened subjects were shouting in alarm and rushing towards our palisade, he hastened out to reassure them and tell them to be quiet.
When he rejoined us, our flags, waving in the wind, attracted his attention, and, after looking at them for a moment, he called Nassar, and said—
"What is the use of those things?"
Nassar, prompted by us, explained that they were flags, and that each nation had a different one.
"Then," said Munza, "you do not belong to the same nation as the other white man did? His flag was not like these."
We endeavoured to make him understand that the territory peopled by white men was of immense extent, and divided into several kingdoms, Schweinfurth having come from the east and we from the west.
Delange, taking advantage of the opportunity, told Munza that he ought to have known our flag, seeing that he had already received at his court a man belonging to the same nation as ourselves.
"No, I have never seen but one man, the leaf-eater," was the reply, "and he had not a flag like these."
The Monbuttoos had nick-named Schweinfurth the leaf-eater, because, as a botanist, he had spent his leisure moments in making a collection of rare plants, which, they assumed, were eaten by him.
Notwithstanding his evident wish to remain with us longer, Munza's pride induced him to bring his visit to a close. He left us, after taking a long, stealthy look at Madame de Guéran.
Our escort again presented arms, and our drummers, adding their uproar to that made by the trumpets of the Monbuttoos, allowed him to make, in theatrical parlance, an effective exit.
The information collected by Nassar soon convinced us that the King had spoken in all good faith when he said that he had not received any white man at his court subsequently to the visit paid him by Schweinfurth.
As our interpreter had imagined, the Baron de Guéran must have passed through Munza's dominions without stopping, so as to reach without delay the province governed by Degberra.
In this latter district alone, therefore, can we get any reliable information. But how are we to get there without the consent of the King? How, even, ask at once for that permission, without displeasing our host, who heaps favours upon us and condescends to visit us?
Alas, these visits, which are day by day becoming more frequent, convince us, to our great sorrow, that the African monarch has really fallen in love with our dear companion, and will certainly not allow us to depart.
We had never calculated, I confess, upon complications of this sort; we had reckoned on the natural difficulties of our route, on possible attacks by the natives, the desertion of our escort, fatigue, sickness, discouragement, hunger—we had admitted to ourselves that any or all these obstacles might, perhaps, stand in the way of our success; but it had never entered into our heads to suppose that the love of an African sovereign for our beloved Sultana would bar our onward progress.
We had, as we thought, foreseen everything, and had made all due allowance for accidents of all kinds, whether provoked by the hostility of the elements or of man, and for all obstacles proceeding from Nature herself, ever ready to say to the over-bold—"Thus far, and no further;" but we had never taken into consideration those human passions which, nevertheless, spring into being and burst forth under the burning skies of Africa just as radiantly as they do in our own more temperate clime.
A thousand and one rumours confirmed our suspicions, and heightened our fears. Munza, according to common report, was no longer the somewhat indolent sovereign, passing his life in the contemplation of his treasures, in compelling the admiration of his subjects, dressing himself up in fantastic costumes, and dancing before his court.
He now made preparations for war on a large scale, collecting and stowing away in his armoury weapons of all kinds, his temper was becoming uncertain, he was restless, and occasionally gave way to violent paroxysms of rage.
How will all this end? None of us dare hazard even a guess.
June 20.—I fear that Miss Poles has been up to her little pranks again. Just as I sat down to write Nassar hurried to me, begging me to go to her assistance as quickly as possible.
"These lines, my dear Emily, will, in all probability, never reach you. It is even very likely that after I have written them I shall destroy them. But I must talk to you; I cannot help myself. My heart is overflowing, and I must turn the stream of its confidence towards you. In whom can I confide, if not in you? Who amongst my travelling companions deserves to be my confidant? MM. Périères, de Morin, and Delange are out of the question. I have no right to inflict such pain, so bitter an awakening on them, nor to deprive them in an instant of their cherished illusions. I cannot say brusquely to them— 'I have made a mistake, gentlemen; I do not love you.'
"As for Madame de Guéran—you know very well, my dear Emily, that to repose confidence in a rival may be dangerous.
"So, in my isolation, I turn to you, and begin. We are at this moment in the country of the Monbuttoos, at the court of King Munza, a man about thirty-five years of age, in the full bloom and vigour of manhood. He is tall, his figure is good, and his splendid features recall the fine old statues of the monarchs of ancient Ethiopia. He is not a negro—do not labour under that delusion—he is a dusky white man—a very handsome man, too, artistically dressed and with a majestic mien. Moreover, he is a man of intelligence, and a very powerful sovereign into the bargain.
"Nevertheless, Munza, who seems to think of nothing but our comfort, and with whom we are on the best possible terms, absolutely refuses to allow us to leave his dominions. What is his reason for that? you will ask. A very simple one. The King, who, up to this time, has never seen any women but his hideous Monbuttoo specimens, destitute of grace and costume alike, no sooner set eyes on two white women, young, agreeable, well made, and good looking, than he fell in love with one of them. Although a savage, he has a heart which is quite as warm as one born in Europe; nay, warmer, perhaps, on account of the climate.
"But again, you will ask, which of the two white women is the chosen one? To whom, to Madame de Guéran or to me, has this handsome Paris awarded the apple? The question is a very natural one, and the answer to it involves a point on which we here are very much divided.
"MM. Delange, de Morin, and Périères, who have been in love with me for some time past, as you know, are naturally anxious that Munza should not enter the lists against them. Consequently, they persist, in all honesty, in treating me as out of the question altogether, and maintaining that the eyes of the King turn towards the Baroness, that all his sighs are for her.
"I know, my dear Emily, exactly what you are going to say—that, though a mistake might be made about the object of a sigh, there can be none about the direction of a look. And then you proceed to enquire towards whom Munza's glances turn?
"Madame de Guéran, my dear friend. I cannot pretend that it is not so, and I owe you the truth at all events. I owe it to myself as well, for these lines will, in all probability, never reach you, but are destined to comfort my own heart alone.
"But do you remember that charming comedy,le Chandelier, written by a French author, Alfred de Musset? If you do, you will have guessed the drift of what I have already written. The King, with his remarkable shrewdness, and a delicacy very rare amongst the negroes, is diverting all suspicion, and, in order not to compromise me, allows it to be thought that he is in love with Madame de Guéran. Nothing could be more natural.
"Such is the position of affairs—the most powerful King in all Africa is in love with your dearest friend. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and I was quite prepared for it. But I did not anticipate that things would come to such a pitch that he wishes, not only to keep me near him, but my companions also, as well as our escort and bearers.
"Now, have I any right to impede the progress of the caravan, to postpone M. de Guéran's rescue, if he is a prisoner, or to leave any longer in obscurity certain geographical points which our journey towards the south will certainly clear up?
"I do not think so, and, seeing that I am now only annoying, embarrassing, and compromising everybody, I ought to put myself on one side altogether, and sacrifice myself for the public good. I will seek out the King, and will say to him, 'Sire, you ought not to mix my affairs up with those of my friends; if I have done wrong in pleasing you, you should not hold others responsible for my fault. Do not keep them any longer in your dominions; matters of importance compel them to proceed southwards. But, since you do not wish to separate yourself from me, let my destiny be accomplished! I will be your prisoner, your slave, and one day I will be your wife, if some Protestant minister, who may perchance be passing through this country, will only bless our union.'
"Yes, my dear Emily, thus will I speak to him, and he cannot help being touched by my words, or avoid setting my friends at liberty. But I think I hear you exclaim, 'and you, my poor Beatrice, what will become of you in the midst of the eighty legitimate wives of this monarch, to say nothing of his three or four hundred less lawful spouses?"
"On that head do not at all be uneasy. I will soon bring them to reason, and, moreover, the King, since he has loved me, has banished them from his presence, if, indeed, he has not taken leave of them altogether. I shall soon reign with undisputed sway in Munza's heart. I have a noble mission to fulfil by the side of this man, a savage now, but in the future to be civilized by my love. He will blush for his past life, and for the ignorance and sloth he has permitted amongst his subjects. I trust that before another year has passed away he will have earned the title of Munza the Beloved, the father of his people, and that he will have founded in his kingdom many useful institutions. Possibly I may even prevail upon him to renounce his absolute power, and establish Constitutional Government and a parliament!
"In all this I have said nothing about my own feelings, and you will naturally be anxious to know if I, with my delicate and refined tastes, can ever attach myself altogether to this being, exceptional undoubtedly, but, nevertheless, uncultivated and with habits totally opposed to my own?
"I quite recognize the justice of your anxiety, but I will allay it by a word—I love him already!
"Yes, I have no hesitation in confessing it to myself—his appearance, his position—why should I keep that in the background?—the respect paid to him by all, the almost worship of which he is the object, have all made a singular impression on me. Is our love ever entirely free from vanity? Lastly, his great love moved me—how could it have been otherwise?
"Do not be hard upon your friend, nor reproach her with inconstancy. Spare me your reproaches, and do not ever mention the names of MM. de Morin, Périères, and Delange. I really did imagine myself in love with them one after the other, but, good heavens! what a mistake I made! I never felt for them as I feel now! And how far, how very far, are these more or less fair haired, blue-eyed, ordinary men, removed from—my Munza!
"And, besides, there were three of them; I had only to choose—the very reason, perhaps, why I did nothing of the kind. Yes, my thoughts were always floating from one to the other; I was irresolute, going first to this and then to that one, without coming to any decision. If I could have said to myself—this is the one you love; he is superior to both the others—the matter would have been at an end; I should have been his for life, and should have passed Munza without seeing him. But these gentlemen are too good, they are too much alike, and their very perfections, which I have ever been ready to acknowledge, throw me into a terrible state of embarrassment. To-day I am at all events freed from that. And, yet, that is not quite true. I have just written out on paper a short speech intended for Munza, but how can I repeat by word of mouth what I have written for you? He knows a few words of Arabic, which he once heard from Aboo-Sammit, and, thanks to my prodigious facility for languages, I have picked up the Monbuttoo dialect to a certain extent. But the nervous state I shall be in when I am with him, and his agitation, will both combine to prevent our expressing ourselves clearly. I am afraid I cannot take an interpreter with me, for there are occasions in one's life when an interpreter would be anything but an assistance.
"In the general interest, and for the sake of my own peace of mind, I must speak to the King as soon as possible; but, alas! I do not know even how to get to him. Courage! I will see him to-night. I must see him to-night. As soon as everybody around me has retired to rest, I will make my way towards the Palace, and, then—then I will trust to fortune.
"I leave you, my dear Emily, for I must go and dress—not from any feeling of vanity; Munza and I are far beyond that, but out of deference to his Royal Majesty."
"As I recorded yesterday, Miss Poles was in a regular mess when Nassar came to fetch me. It was only this morning that I learned what had happened, and I am using these loose sheets for my narrative, because the doings and sayings of our English companion are really so eccentric that I am obliged to put our journal on one side.
Last night Miss Poles, snatched by Nassar and myself from imminent danger, was too excited even to reply to the questions of her saviours. Without saying a word, she rushed precipitately into her tent, and this morning she has not made her appearance. I have been, in consequence, reduced to appeal to our interpreters for information, and they very soon put meau courantwith the situation. The blacks know all that takes place amongst their neighbours, and they know it the more easily, because of all doors and windows, where there are any, being left open on account of the heat. The King's residence, being less open to inquisitive eyes than any other buildings, excites all the more curiosity, and every eye is persistently fixed on it. The numerous officers who live in it, the servants of all classes, and the crowds of idle women gabble and chatter, and carry all the court news into the village.
Last night, then, about nine o'clock. Miss Poles, dressed up to the nines, and bedizened like a shrine, but closely veiled—Miss Poles, I say, escaping from our encampment, must needs betake herself to the Palace, where, after managing to effect an entrance, she demanded a private audience of the King.
Munza, in all probability, was considerably disappointed when he saw her enter his room, where, reclining on his mats, he was smoking his long pipe in solitude and in a reverie. He had been told that a white woman desired to see him, and, for a moment, he might have indulged in a hope that it was not Miss Poles.
When she appeared in all her angular leanness before this African, himself a very near neighbour of a tribe which is so in love withembonpointas to fatten its women as we do our beasts, he must have experienced a certain shock especially when she raised her long arms and removed her veil, as much as to say, "Look and admire." The unhappy man, who, a moment before, had been no doubt dwelling on another image, gave way to silent rage.
She then, without hesitation or ceremony, was daring enough to sit down beside him and address him at great length. What did she say? Nobody knows positively, because at first thetête-à-têtewas conducted quietly, but we can draw our own conclusions from what transpired subsequently.
Munza, driven, no doubt, to desperation, suddenly sprang to his feet in a paroxysm of rage and clapped his hands to summon his officers, ever ready to assist him in case of emergency. These appeared at once, the King said a few words to them in a low tone, and, ten minutes afterwards, in walked all the royal wives. Miss Poles, meanwhile, expecting every moment that the King would fall on his knees at her feet.
As soon as ever the women were assembled, the King, pointing to MissBeatrice, said to them—
"This white woman has the impertinence to propose living here in this Palace, and taking your place by my side. Do what you like to her, I hand her over to you."
He disappeared, leaving our Englishwoman to fight it out with his eighty wives.
The scene which followed may easily be imagined. The women looked at each other, hesitating, still undecided, and altogether non-plussed. If their master had not been their informant they would not have believed their ears! This extraordinary looking creature, the jest and by-word of the harem ever since the day of the presentation, this woman, by herself, to pretend to oust them all, to supplant them, to monopolize their beloved Monza, their idol, and their God!
By degrees their anger rose, their eyes flashed, from eighty mouths flowed simultaneous torrents of abuse in the Monbuttoo tongue, and a perfect shower of invective fell like hail upon the unfortunate Englishwoman. She was powerless to reply, her presence of mind had deserted her; upright and motionless, she might have been taken for a lifeless image of resignation and grief.
To insults succeeded open menace, each urged on her neighbour, the timid ones took example by their bolder sisters, the most self-possessed became furious, and at last the whole band of furies advanced against Miss Poles, bent upon tearing her to pieces. The sense of her danger brought back her wonted coolness and bravery, and extricated her from her very ludicrous fix. She pulled her famous revolver out of her pocket, and thus keeping at bay her nearest enemies, she gained an outlet and took to flight.
The women pursued her with frenzied cries of rage, but none of these termagants, fed, well fed, in the seraglio, and weighed down by fat, could struggle at all successfully against the long legs and feet of Miss Poles. They would never have caught her up, if she had been able to get inside our doors without knocking.
Alas! our only door was shut, and Miss Beatrice soon found herself, like a stag at bay, obliged to put her back against the palisading, and face the pack of women who had, by means of thiscontretemps, come up with her. In spite of the firm stand she made, she would assuredly have been hurled to the ground, trodden under foot, eaten perhaps, if Nassar had not roused me to open the door, rescue our companion, and put to flight the furies let loose upon her.
As soon as Miss Beatrice's escapade was recounted to us in all its details, Madame de Guéran, Delange, and I could not help laughing. De Morin alone, instead of joining in our mirth, declared that, by virtue of the powers we had given him, he intended to administer a sharp reprimand to the culprit, and to forbid her for the future to take any step not previously authorized by us.
"Leave her alone," said Delange, "her discomfiture is punishment enough, without your humiliating her still more with your sermonizing."
"Her discomfiture!" exclaimed de Morin, "you are very much mistaken if you think that she will suffer from it. She is sure to attribute Munza's conduct to quite another cause than contempt for herself. She is, you may be sure, fully persuaded that he did not understand her, and that he would have knelt at her feet if she could have expressed herself more clearly. You do not know her as well as I do. I have the greatest respect for her many good qualities, but on the score of feminine fatuity, she is the most complete specimen that a man could wish to see. Intelligent, wise in counsel, and with plenty of common sense where others are concerned and her own ridiculous conceit is not called into play, she loses her head entirely occasionally."
"You are right," said I, "and you do well, I admit, to put us on our guard against her. But her last escapade is not of very great importance, and if I were in your place—"
De Morin interrupted me by exclaiming excitedly.
"I do not understand, my dear Périères, how you can possibly take this view of the matter. The events of to-night, you may rely upon it, will exercise a great influence over our future. Miss Poles, notwithstanding her follies and absurdities, is none the less a white woman, and a member of our caravan. She is always to be seen with us; she is known as our companion and our friend, if not our equal. The conduct of Munza and his wives does not affect Miss Poles alone, it affects us and lowers theprestigewhich we enjoy. From this moment the Monbuttoos know that we may be insulted and threatened, and that, at all events, they are at liberty, to attempt to maltreat us. Yesterday we were, in the eyes of this tribe, privileged people, surrounded by a sort of halo; to-day we are on a par with the rest of the world."
"It is true," said I, "and I am surprised, in truth, that it should have escaped me."
"If that were all," resumed de Morin, "I should not despair, for we know very well how to take care of ourselves. But this escapade, I fear, will involve us in a serious dilemma."
"I do not understand you," said Madame de Guéran, "pray explain what you mean."
"The explanation is very simple," continued de Morin. "You, Madame de Guéran, were, especially as a white woman, a being apart, as far as Munza was concerned—a being whom he allowed himself to love— unfortunately we cannot have any doubt about that, but one whom he loved at a distance, without daring to speak. The extraordinary and grotesque declaration, apparently made to him by your female companion, has certainly lessened the distance which, in his mind, separated him from us. He gave way to a wish, but he could not entertain any hope; you were in his eyes veiled in a species of cloud; you were surrounded by a halo of light, and placed on an eminence believed by him to be inaccessible. Miss Poles, unfortunately, has taught him that white women can descend from such eminences, can bring themselves down to the level of negro kings, and that he can, if he so wish, treat them no longer as goddesses, but as ordinary mortals. I shall consequently, be very much astonished if his reserve, which was our safeguard, does not vanish."
June 25. — De Morin was right. The King, who for two days past has not shown us any signs of his existence nor paid us a visit, has, after, probably, reflecting upon and maturing his designs, just sent his courier, ambassador, or master of the ceremonies, whatever his title may be, to us. This functionary, in order that his mission may appear more important, is accompanied by a numerous escort of officers and soldiers, and, above all, musicians.
Roused by the noise, curious to know the meaning of it, and not without a feeling of uneasiness, we left our huts, made our men fall in, and received this formal deputation with all the solemnity possible.
The envoy steps to the front and speaks, Nassar interprets, and we learn that the sovereign of the Monbuttoos demands the hand of our sister in marriage.
We are really alarmed. The demand has its ludicrous aspect, but, preferred by Munza, whose character we know, it is formidable as well. How are we to decline the honour he thinks he is doing us, without wounding beyond redress his pride both as a man and a king?
Suppose that, to gain time, we reply that his proposition cannot be accepted without some consideration; suppose we allow him to hope, and our position becomes thereby more dangerous? De Morin is averse from this, and is of opinion that we should appear scandalized, without, at the same time, wounding the King's vanity. We agree with that view of the case, and send word to Munza that he is insulting our sister by asking her to share the lot of his numerous wives.
What impression will these words produce on the King? He is not the man to take matters quietly and acknowledge himself beaten. He is on the point of sending us another message and we are in terrible anxiety.
No, this time he leaves off talking, and acts.
Ten soldiers, carrying the huge drums, already described, which throughout Africa are used to summon the people to hear the orders of their chiefs or kings, left the palace and proceeded in various directions through the village, one of them performing his allotted task at a short distance from our encampment. The Monbuttoos quickly responded to the summons, formed themselves into a large circle, and immediately afterwards cries of joy resounded from all sides.
Nassar, who mingled with the crowd, came running to us with the news that the King had invited his subjects to the palace, where he was going to distribute amongst them a large number of his wives.
This was Munza's way of replying to us. At one fell swoop he was getting rid of his whole harem, and offering it to his subjects in order that he might afterwards be able to say to us, "I have no longer a wife, nothing now stands in the way of your giving me your sister." He could not have hit upon a more ingenious device, nor have placed us in a greater difficulty, but our dismay was mingled with a feeling of pity for all these creatures, who, from the palace, were descending to cabins, and were being converted from royal wives into simple villagers.
Horror! a fresh piece of intelligence, far more serious, has reached us. In the distribution about to be made, the mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law of Munza, the wives whom, according to the customs of the country, he has inherited, are alone included. As for the eighty wives, whose acquaintance we have made, and who, after having belonged to Munza, cannot become the property of his subjects, they are to be beheaded. This is the way in which the potentates of Africa settle their burning questions, heads and difficulties being got rid of together.
Shall we allow Munza to give Madame de Guéran so startling a proof of his love? Shall we stand by as passive spectators of the bloody sacrifice, the gigantic hecatomb he purposes to accomplish? We do not dream of any such thing; every consideration impels us to save these unfortunate creatures, whom one word from us, one unlucky message has condemned to death.
But what are we to say to the King? If we ask for mercy for his wives he will not fail to reply in his usual logical style—
"Their number does not frighten your sister, and she consents to live in my harem?"
Yes, that is sure to be his answer. And, on the other hand, if he kills his wives, will he not be in a position to say—
"The motive you alleged as the ground for refusing my request has now disappeared, and, therefore, you cannot help complying with it."
It is impossible to find a way out of this difficulty, and whilst we are discussing it, the massacre is, in all probability, commencing.
On, then, to the palace, without further delay!
Twenty of our escort, selected by Nassar, were told off to accompany us.
Delange and I seized our most trustworthy pistols and surest rifles.De Morin alone was almost unarmed.
When we were expressing our astonishment at this, he interrupted us by saying, with considerable excitement—
"All that I foresaw has come to pass. Our position is as serious as it can well be—but I can save you. Do not question me, do not ask me for any information, for I have no time to answer you. Give me full power, and I will turn this idiotic love of Munza's to our own advantage. Before three days have passed away you shall leave this country. You shall march towards the south, and, for the last part of the journey, you shall have at your disposal resources of which you never dreamt."
What did he mean? How are we to leave this country? What idea has come to him thus suddenly?
Whilst Delange and I looked at him with amazement, Madame de Guéran, ever prompt and resolute in the hour of danger, held out her hand to de Morin, and said to him—
"Do what you will. As far as I am concerned, I approve of it beforehand, and, if you fail, no reproach of any kind shall ever pass my lips."
"Thanks," said de Morin, "a thousand thanks."
Then, turning towards us, he asked us whether we ratified the approval already expressed by Madame de Guéran.
"Can you doubt it?" said I.
"You have an idea," said Delange in his turn, "and we have none. Consequently, we cannot prefer our opinion to yours, and I give youcarte blanche, my dear fellow."
"To the palace!" exclaimed de Morin.
We mounted our horses, and set off at full gallop, our escort following in our wake.
Madame de Guéran remained in camp, under the protection of the Arab interpreters and a few soldiers.
Miss Poles, whose self-respect, whatever de Morin may say, has received a serious blow, and who is still disheartened, has taken refuge in her tent. The idea has not occurred to her to rush to the succour of the eighty wives who, three days ago, were anxious to tear her in pieces.
Five minutes sufficed to bring us to the palace. Not a single soldier attempted to stop us; we were recognized as friends of the King, and, moreover, we brooked no delay.
We alighted in front of Munza's residence, and requested to see the King. He at once gave orders for us to be admitted to his own room, and he eagerly came forward to meet us.
"The white men consent at last," said he, with a smile, "to visit me."
"Yes," replied de Morin, "we have a communication to make to you with regard to our sister. Will you hear us?"
"I will."
"We have just been informed that you intend to give her a proof of your love by sacrificing your harem. Is that so?"
"Yes," said the King. "Three hundred women have already left the palace, and will not return any more. As for the rest," he added, very calmly, "I have condemned them to death."
Delange and I shuddered. But de Morin, without a tremor, still pursuing his own idea alone, asked the King when they were to die.
"In an hour," said Munza. "The executioners are getting ready now."
We breathed again; we were in time.
The King took our friend by the hand and led him towards an adjoining apartment, and we followed him.
In a corner of this room, on a species of dais, were displayed massive copper salvers, the pride of the Monbuttoos. Munza pointed to them and, with the utmost coolness said—
"This evening each of those salvers will hold a head, and I shall send them all to the Sultana, your sister, so that she may see for herself that I have not one wife left."
Nothing could exceed the gallantry of this resolution, nor could any sacrifice, either of himself or other people, have been proposed with a better grace.
Fortunately for the royal wives, we were blind to all this forethought, and bent upon saving them.
"Our sister," resumed de Morin, "has commissioned us to ask you to spare the lives of these women."
"She is not jealous of them, then?" asked the King, turning pale.
De Morin, who appeared to read Munza's heart as if it were a book, hastened to reply—
"She is jealous of your harem, but not of these creatures. So long as they do not belong to you, nothing further is needed."
The King smiled once more; but he remarked to our interpreter that he could not get rid of these women in any other way than by putting them to death, the law enacting that the wives of a reigning sovereign could not under any circumstances become the property of his subjects.
"Your subjects!" replied de Morin, quickly. "Be it so. But we are not your subjects."
"Do you want me to give you my wives?" asked Munza, in astonishment.
"We want you to give them to our sister as slaves."
"Oh!" exclaimed the King, apparently delighted. "She wants to torture them by way of revenging herself on them?"
"Possibly so," replied de Morin, quietly.
I confess that at this moment neither Delange nor I understood his drift one bit. We imagined that he was compromising Madame de Guéran to too great an extent, and that he had entered into too serious an engagement with Munza; but we had given him full power, and we were bound to let him act as he thought best.
The African King, after having reflected for a moment, said to deMorin—
"I agree. My wives shall not be put to death, and they shall be given to your sister. She may do what she likes with them, and I will burn all their houses—I will not have any harem. That is her wish, is it not?"
"Quite so," said our friend, who now, in his turn, waited for Munza to state his intentions and unfold his plans.
The King hesitated. The tyrant, the despot without pity or remorse, was as a child in all that concerned the woman he loved.
"When," he asked at length, "will your sister deign to take up her abode in my palace, and the place of all those whom I have just given to her?"
"As soon as she can obtain the consent of her father," replied deMorin, unhesitatingly.
Delange and I exchanged despairing glances. Our friend had evidently lost his head. Munza was quite as much astonished as we were; but in his case amazement and anger were blended.
"Your father is not with you," said he; "and, therefore, his consent cannot be obtained."
"In that case our sister cannot marry you," replied de Morin. "She is bound to respect the custom of her own country, and, as far as that goes, this custom prevails amongst all the tribes we came across before reaching the Monbuttoos. To gain the daughter, is it not always necessary to apply to the father?"
"And how am I to apply to yours?" exclaimed Munza, becoming furious."He is far, far away in your country, and I cannot get at him."
"If he were far away," replied de Morin, in the same quiet tone that he had used throughout the interview, "I should not have mentioned him. But our father has not been in our country for a long time; he is now a prisoner in a kingdom close to yours, towards the south."
Munza scanned de Morin closely, seeking to read his very eyes and discover the truth there.
Delange and I breathed more freely, and we began to have a vague notion of our friend's project. As he had said, he wanted, in the common interest, to take advantage of the King's love; he was bent upon making Munza help us to find M. de Guéran, and, instead of describing him as the husband of our companion—which would have been dangerous both for her and for us—he passed him off as her father.
After having scanned de Morin attentively for some time, the King suddenly said to him—
"How is it that your father has not been mentioned before to-day? Why did you not let me know sooner what was the real object of your journey?"
"I wanted to tell you long ago," replied our friend. "Did I not ask you for a private interview? You acceded to my request, and my sister came with us on the following morning to your palace. If you had received us then, you would have known everything."
"But," remarked Munza, "you have seen me frequently, and might have spoken to me."
"You insulted us, and were no longer our friend. Secrets of such importance as ours are only confided to a friend. If I speak out to-day, it is only because I have forgiven you since you asked for my sister's hand."
Munza was at a loss for an answer. He, however, did not seem satisfied.
"How," said he, after a pause, "can your father be living southward of my kingdom? Where has he come from?"
"From the same country as ourselves, and we came along the same road that we did."
"In that case, in order to reach the south, he must have passed through my territory?"
"So he did."
"Impossible. He would have come to the palace, where I receive all strangers."
"He remembered that you had prevented Schweinfurth continuing his journey, and consequently, instead of stopping here, he went on in the direction of the province governed by your brother, Degberra."
"And did Degberra know him?"
"Undoubtedly," replied de Morin, boldly. "Either Degberra or his subjects. You can send couriers to your brother, and you will soon know that what I say is true. Question, if you like, the man who is our interpreter, and whom you have already recognized as having been with Schweinfurth. He will tell you that, when he was left by your friend, Aboo-Sammit, in a seriba, situated to the south-east of this place, he entertained our father."
Munza entered into conversation with Nassar for a few moments, and, then, turning towards us, he asked—
"You wish to go to Degberra?"
"Yes," replied de Morin. "We wish to go to him, first of all, but afterwards farther still, if, as we suppose, our father has reached a more distant kingdom."
"And the Sultana will accompany you?"
"Undoubtedly. Our sister cannot leave us as long as she is not married."
"And do you imagine that I shall let her escape in this way?" exclaimed the King.
"Why not?"
"Because she will never return."
"It is in your power to compel her to return."
"How so, if she is no longer in my dominions?"
"She will always be in your dominions if you accompany her with your powerful army."
"What! you wish—" exclaimed Munza, with flashing eyes.
"I do not wish anything," said de Morin. "I merely point out to you a means of not leaving us, of joining our father with us, and of demanding from him the hand of his daughter. If you do not feel yourself either brave enough, or powerful enough to advance southwards, let us continue our journey; white men do not know what fear is—they are both brave and strong. You have now heard all I have to say in the name of our sister and ourselves. Decide—we are going back to our encampment, there to await a visit or a message from you. Only, remember that your wives belong to our sister. You have no longer any right to dispose of them; you have given them to her, and a great King like you cannot go back from his word."
We left Munza to his reflections, rejoined our escort, and, a few moments afterwards, entered our enclosure. After the first feeling of surprise had passed away, we, all of us, set to work calmly to consider de Morin's plan, and we could not help coming to the conclusion that, even granting that it would be difficult of realization, and might involve us in terrible straits, it still held out some appreciable advantages. In common justice to our friend we were also bound to confess that he had no choice of means to his end, and that we were this very morning in a position of great difficulty. For some days past we have, all of us, been thoroughly convinced, though we dare not say so out loud, that the King of the Monbuttoos would never allow us either to continue our journey towards the south, or to return by the way we came. His passion for Madame de Guéran was a warrant of imprisonment for us; neither prayers nor persuasion would have any effect upon him, and if we desired our liberty we could only obtain it by force.
We next mustered our little army. Thirty soldiers remained to us, and, amongst the bearers, there were not more than twenty whom we could trust with arms, and that only should the worst come to the worst. Taking ourselves, Nassar, and the interpreters into our calculations, we could rely upon fifty-five men, well-armed, and capable of holding out for a considerable time against several hundreds of negroes. But, granting that we slaughtered them wholesale, and by means of our long-range rifles, laid all these enemies low, would not more still, and ever increasing hordes, rise up in answer to the summons of their King? Worn out, destitute of ammunition, hopeless, and distressed at so much bloodshed, should we not end by giving up the futile struggle, or succumbing to superior numbers? A handful of Europeans have been known to make head against an entire African tribe, but it would be quite another thing to oppose a regular nation of warriors, commanded by a King, fiery, resolute, and personally interested in obtaining a victory.
Suppose, for the sake of argument, we overcome all these obstacles, and a lucky shot rids us of Munza—suppose all his soldiers take to flight, and our path is open? What then? Would not our little force, diminished enough already, be still further reduced in the course of so terrible a struggle? Should we find in a hostile country, where every man would have some relative to avenge, the means necessary for our onward progress? And, even if we were to reach the district governed by Degberra, would not he oppose us just as his brother had done?
Again, suppose we succeed in forcing our way, as many solitary travellers have done, not through this district, it is true, but through others equally dangerous, suppose we reach our destination, and find M. de Guéran a prisoner amongst the Momvoos, the Akkas, or that other tribe of which the Monbuttoos have occasionally spoken—a tribe governed by a woman, a species of Amazon. Even then, how should we, when weakened and scarcely able to defend ourselves, manage to rescue our fellow countryman? We should share his captivity, and that would be the only result we should achieve.
How entirely, on the other hand, would the situation be changed if Munza should make common cause with us, and accompany us as an ally! We should no longer be merely fifty; we should be two thousand, five thousand, any number, in fact. Our handful of men would become an army led and commanded by Europeans, supported by our escort, and strengthened by the possession of fire-arms. No African tribe could stand against us, and nothing would prevent our reaching the eastern extremity of the continent and the Indian ocean.
It may be objected that the King of the Monbuttoos would not dare to advance more than thirty leagues, a formidable distance in these parts, beyond his frontier. But we do not want him to do more; thirty leagues to the south-east will bring us to the nearest spurs of the Blue Mountains! Munza's army might leave us then; it would, indeed, be of no further use to us. It would rest with us to cross these mountains, on the other side of which we should come upon the Lake Albert Nyanza, and should we succeed in reaching its farther shore, we should find paths, if not well-worn, at all events marked on the map by Speke, Grant, and Burton.
But, it may be asked, what about Munza? How have you disposed of him? Is he likely to let you quietly pursue your journey, whilst he leads his army back again to his kingdom? Do not forget that you are his prisoners, bound to follow him, and to return with him. In three months your position would be much the same as it is now.
Clearly so, if we could not regain our liberty and get rid of the Monbuttoos; but though that would be a difficult matter now, when the army is backed by the whole nation, it would be very different, however, if that army, instead of being at home and amongst its own countrymen, were occupying a hostile territory. It would be disheartened by fatigue, decimated, possibly, by the battles it had been obliged to fight, and weakened in a hundred other ways. Desperate as we should be, and under a positive necessity to conquer, we should be in a position to fight it under advantageous circumstances. God helping us, we should gain the day. Another objection might, I admit, be urged against this course of proceeding. We might be asked whether our consciences would not reproach us for waging open warfare against our allies, by whose aid alone we have been enabled to surmount so many obstacles?
Our consciences! Why drag them into the discussion? Are we likely to give way to sentiment in our present position, face to face with an army of cannibals and a negro king who, only a few hours ago, proposed to send us the heads of his eighty wives on copper dishes? Why does he keep us prisoners in his kingdom, and interfere with our plans? Is it not he who is driving us to cunning and artifice? He is the stronger, so we must be the cleverer of the two. Our right to fight against him, and conquer him if we can, is indisputable.
On the question of conscience, we are open to attack in one particular alone. In order to open up a passage towards the south and thereby serve our personal interest, is it right for us to draw after us a whole army, to let it work its will on the way, as is the custom of all African armies, and spread ruin and desolation on all around? But even on this score we are above reproach. The King of the Monbuttoos, as I have already recorded, has for the last fortnight been making preparations for war on a large scale, and every year, at this time, when the rainy season is drawing to a close, he attacks his neighbours, either north or south. We, therefore, are not altering the course of events in any way, but we may be able to effect some improvement by using our influence over Munza in mitigation of the horrors and carnage of savage warfare.
All these arguments and calculations result in the adoption of the plan proposed by de Morin; but Munza has not yet given his decision, and we consequently do not know whether he will accept or not.
* * * * * *
He has accepted. One glance at the sky sufficed to enlighten us as regards his reply.
Towards nine o'clock the whole night was suddenly lit up, quivering tongues of fire leaped up sky-wards, and made even the stars look pale. The harem was on fire; more than three hundred huts had fallen a prey to the devouring element. In a few moments all the dwellings of Munza's wives had disappeared, and not a trace of them was left behind.
And whilst the people surge to and fro, in admiration of the stupendous conflagration, whilst they clap their hands, and dance, and shout, the drums, ivory horns, and trumpets mingle their harsh sounds with the surrounding din, and officers hurry through the crowd, bearing the news that the King has declared war against the tribes of the south.
The shouts are renewed with redoubled energy, and the crowd chants the national hymn, "Ee Ee, tchupy, tchupy, Ee, Munza, Ee." The horizon is ablaze with light, the fire rages in all its fury and splendour, and the eighty wives of Munza, houseless now, bound two by two, and escorted by soldiers, are led towards our encampment.
The burning of an entire village, the dispersion of three hundred mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, and the beheading of eighty wives, are in Munza's eyes insufficient to prove his love. He shows a disposition towards delicate attentions also, and, under the impression that Madame de Guéran might be at a loss how to house her stock of slaves, he has sent to our encampment a host of servants with orders to erect a huge shed.
The idea is a charming one, and bespeaks an excellent heart. Indeed, these poor wretches, robbed since morning of their royal spouse, hurled down suddenly from a lofty position, and threatened with the loss of their heads, could scarcely be left at night without some sheltering roof.
From motives of delicacy, we were not present at their arrival, but we are told that they exhibit neither anger nor humiliation. Fear alone possesses them—fear as to the punishment or torture in reserve for them at the hands of the white woman, to whom they have been presented. Perhaps they dread being eaten, one after another, by their new mistress, but on this score they may make their minds easy. Madame de Guéran will not push her jealousy to such an extreme as that.
In spite, however, of the downcast air of Muriza's wives, we dare not rely too much on their spirit of resignation. It is at all times somewhat dangerous to have as near neighbours a hundred humiliated women, looking upon themselves as victims and eager for revenge. In the east, and especially in Africa, it is prudent to guard against poison, which evicted sultanas would have no hesitation in mixing with the food of their enemies. Consequently, we have resolved to keep the ex-royal wives at a respectful distance, and to establish a certain amount of discipline amongst them. Delange, to whom we have for a long time entrusted the superintendence of our servants of every description, sets about his task in connection with the new arrivals, with all his accustomed zeal.
But Delange, however busy he may be, would still find time hanging heavily on his hands, if he could not, now and then, have a game at piquet, écarté, or baccarat. And so it happened that, no sooner had he made the necessary arrangements for the comfort of our eighty slaves, than a brilliant idea struck him. He had not played cards once during the day, and, as he was the loser on the previous evening, he had, by virtue of the contract, a right to dispose of his adversary as he pleased.
De Morin, meanwhile, was reclining in front of my hut and chatting with me, casting every now and then an occasional glance at the last dying embers of the conflagration.
"Sorry to disturb you, my dear fellow," said Delange, coming up to us, "but you owe me my revenge for last night."
"My dear doctor," replied de Morin, who had seen the approach of his adversary and expected some such proposal, "I hope I may be allowed to say that you are always taking your revenge, and have been doing so for a long time. You have won back from me more than sixty thousand francs at every game known in Europe and Africa. I do not know whether medicine, botany, geography, and science generally will derive much benefit from our expedition, but I can safely assert that on your return to Paris you will be able to write a very instructive work on the various games of chance in vogue amongst the Africans. You have a wonderful nose for scenting them out, and an equally surprising facility in learning them. The negroes themselves are afraid of you, and decline to play with you any more. 'The white man,' they say, 'is too clever by half, and would win the very shirts from off our backs.' Excuse the word, as unknown in these parts as the garment it designates, but it accurately expresses the idea of your adversaries. In short, if there were a Jockey Club amongst these African tribes, and you were put up for election, you would be blackballed to a dead certainty."
"Have you quite finished your little speech, my dear de Morin?" askedDelange.
"Quite, thank you. Have you one to let off, by way of a change? I shall be delighted to hear it, and, under the supposition that it is the case, pray sit down on this empty box here, the whilom receptacle of our deeply regretted claret. I must apologise for not offering you a cigar; the last of them, like our other luxuries, has vanished. But if this beastly negro tobacco appeals to your taste, do not hesitate to help yourself. It is a delicate piece of attention from the hands of the King of the Monbuttoos."
"My dear fellow," replied Delange, as soon as he could get a word in edgeways, "I will not sit down on this box; it has nails in it, and they have already abstracted a portion of my nether garments. Tailors are scarce in this country, so you must forgive me for being careful of my remaining rags. They are deserting me bit by bit in the most cowardly manner, notwithstanding my affection for them, and I already seem to foresee the hour when I shall have to betake myself to the forest for a covering. As for smoking, I have no time to indulge in any such luxury; it is eleven o'clock, and we have only sixty minutes in which to play our daily and compulsory game."
"'Still harping on my daughter!' My arguments do not appear to have any effect."
"On the contrary; they have convinced me that we must play on without intermission, seeing that, as you yourself confess, I am in the vein."
"Take care! You lost yesterday."
"Which is precisely the reason why, according to our contract, I now bid you rise and follow me at once."