CHAPTER XXVI.A STRANGE DISCOVERY.
The following morning opened bright and beautiful; all rose early, and after a light breakfast again took up the journey. Gip had sufficiently recovered to be allowed to go, and as it was intended that for the first few days’ the marches were to be short in order not to fatigue Enola, it was thought best for her to ride in the large howdah on Gip’s back, for the motion would be less and the position more comfortable than it would be on the back of a zebra. So Gip was happy in carrying the precious burden, and strode out at the head of the large cavalcade as proud as any of them, with scarcely any sign of lameness left. Onrai had also mounted an elephant so as to be on a level withEnola, for the idea of trying to keep up a conversation when he was riding some feet below her, was entirely out of the question.
Harry preferred his zebra, notwithstanding this left the field entirely open to Onrai. Still, he thought it might as well be thus, for Enola might look on his riding near her as an intrusion, and this would hurt his cause far more than it would help it.
Mrs. Graham and Nellie were both on elephants this morning, Mrs. Graham being stretched out in a half reclining position, enjoying to the fullest the comforts of the huge howdah and easy motion of the elephant. Mr. Bruce, Mr. Graham and Harry rode well on ahead of the rest of the party, and Sedai was directly in their rear. The story of his hard ride from the city, when bringing the message from the high priest, he had kept silent on for a long time, but Mr. Bruce finally prevailed upon him to tell how he had been chosen as a courier. His story was substantially this:
“I was standing just before the terrace when I saw the body of men come up. I heard them make the demand and knew that they would make trouble. I heard one of the number say that it was because of Enola having made the King sin by wishing to marry her, she knowing that the King could not marry. I then remembered having heard one of the men, whom I had talked with in the city, say that the law did not forbid the King marrying a woman of another country. I heard Onrai tell them to wait until morning. I then determined to ride to the city and look up the man who had made this remark. After the men had withdrawn, I stole to the stable, and jumping on myzebra started for the city. I rode hard and it was still night when I reached there. I found the man after considerable trouble and he told me that that was his opinion only, but that the people had decided that the King could not marry, and he must believe this as did they. He told me to go to the high priest. While on my way to the Temple some of the populace saw me, and fearing that I had broken away from those who had been sent to kill our party, they pursued and overtook me at the base of the terrace steps which led to the Temple. I fought hard but they overpowered me and bore me into the Temple. The high priest came forward and asked me how it was that I was not with my friends. I told him as well as I could, for I knew little of the language, that there was a doubt regarding the law governing the King’s marriage; that I had been sent to him with the request that he examine carefully this law and give me his decision and let me bear it to the King. The high priest left us for a few moments and then came back and handing me a piece of parchment, commanded the people to leave me go, and bade me ride with all speed to the King and my friends.
“The priest was very much agitated as he said this to me, and kept urging me to use all speed. I rushed down the steps and jumped on one of the zebras of the natives, mine being winded, and never stopped until I had reached the villa.”
This was the story Sedai told in his quiet and unassuming way and he never seemed to realize that he had, by his quick forethought, put into immediate action, saved the lives of his friends. And Sedai had ever since this held a new place in the hearts of theparty and Onrai himself seemed to look on the Abyssinian as one who had done him a personal act of kindness which could never be repaid. He was a hero, was Sedai, and it was decided by the party that although he might never again have an opportunity to help them in a like way, still it was good always to have him with them, and upon their telling him this he said that he would never again leave them; not even for a day. And so he was one of the party to-day, his sturdy figure riding the zebra like a native.
The journey would occupy some ten days yet and it was decided to travel early in the morning and in the cool of the evening; spending the warm part of the day in one of the villas en route, as they had on previous marches. The storm’s track could be seen very plainly from the avenue and a large body of men were still employed cleaning away the debris. A remarkable thing about the terrible storm was that it had not killed a single human being. Some had been very badly injured, but these had all recovered or were recovering, so that not one death could be laid to the storm; many animals had been killed and it was expected that many of the wild animals in the hunting reservation had also been killed, but this had not yet been ascertained, as none had gotten as far as the northwestern part of the country, where the storm was supposed to have started.
It would remain with Onrai and his party to ascertain this.
All was life and happiness this beautiful morning and all thoughts of the storm had been relegated to the past. On their right stretched the lake, its clear waters stretching far to the north; on the left werethe farms and pastures, through which the storm had ploughed its way; on ahead of them, as far as the eye could reach, stretched out the shaded avenue; way off to the northwest could just be seen in the blue distance, hardly perceptible, the faces of the cliffs, and at the base of these cliffs was their destination, and there too were the points of interest, which the party were to see before their return.
“The journey for the next few days will be uneventful enough, will it not?” said Mr. Graham, as he pulled up for a moment alongside of Onrai’s elephant.
“Yes, we will have little to break the monotony between here and the field of brilliants, but the country is beautiful and I think you will find it all interesting,” said Onrai.
“It is all interesting to me,” said Mr. Graham, “but I wished to know if there was anything of special interest, such as mines and quarries.”
“No, nothing of that kind,” said Onrai, “but wait a minute; there is a deserted mine or something, which has never been explored by any of my people, since I can remember, and I cannot tell whether it be a mine or well or natural hole in the ground. It is about the width of the avenue and goes down, down, down, far below where the eyes can reach. I have only looked down this dark hole when I have been passing and know positively nothing about it, but if you would like to do so, we will halt there to-morrow and go down with ropes and explore it as far as we can. A villa stands near in which the ladies can wait for us.”
“I should like to see what this curious place is,” said Mr. Graham.
“Well, then, it is settled, we will explore it to-morrow,” said Onrai.
Mr. Graham again rode up alongside of Mr. Bruce, and telling him of the hole in the ground, had his interest aroused at once. All along the track of the storm many men were at work, but for some time past none had been seen.
“It is strange, is it not?” asked Harry of Mr. Bruce.
“Yes, decidedly so,” said Mr. Bruce.
“But, look, what is that in the distance?”
“It looks like a body of men,” answered Harry.
“Perhaps they have congregated there for some special work.”
No further comment was made about these men. They could now be plainly seen standing in a circle. They were not working as far as could be seen, but were standing with heads bowed as if contemplating something on the ground before them. They now saw the King and his party approaching, and one of their party hurried to the avenue and came towards the travelers.
“He seems to be excited over something,” said Mr. Graham.
“Yes, he acts differently than most other men I have seen in this country,” said Mr. Bruce.
“May be they have made a discovery.”
“Something agitates him,” said Harry, “that is sure.”
The man now came near, and seeing that it was the King and his party he stopped, and making a respectful bow, said:
“I have come, oh, King, not knowing that you was of the party, to call attention to a strange being which we have found in the field. We know not whether it be human or not, and we would ask you to look at it and tell us how to act with it.”
“Go, we will follow,” said the King, and the party followed the man from the avenue into the field to the left.
The body of natives moved, upon seeing the King and party approaching, to one side, disclosing the object which had so interested them. The party looked and saw the body of an African negress with a child strapped to her back.
But how had it gotten here?