Talbot Mundy

“ I am not afraid of British jail! It will not be for long! The English do not punish as the Germans do! You dare not assault me! You dare not torture me! You must hand me over to the bwana collector to be tried in court of law. Nothing else is permissible! I shall receive short sentence, that is all, with reprieve after two-thirds time on account of good conduct!”
“Make him prisoner in the sleeping sickness village you told us about!” advised Coutlass, lolling at ease on his elbow to watch the man’s increasing fear. ”

“ Heaven only knew what lies Kazimoto told those credulous folk, to the perfectly worthy end of making our lot bearable, but we were fed after a fashion, and lodged after a worse one all along our road. And who should send in reports about us—and to whom? Obviously white men with a prisoner, marching in such a hurry toward the north, were government officials. Who should report officials to their government? As for the tale about our having left our loads behind—are not all white people crazy? Who shall explain their craziness?
From being a nuisance the Baganda became a joke. ”

“ We were too few to dare undertake the task in front of us without the aid of Brown and the Greek. It was a case of who was not against us must be for us, and the end must justify both men and means. We tried to work out ways of managing without them, but when we thought of our Baganda prisoner, and the almost certainty that both he and Coutlass would race to give our game away to Schillingschen if let out of sight for a minute, the necessity of making the best, not the worst, of the Greek seemed overwhelming. ”

“ Fred demurred. “He couldn’t march with us if we did that!” he said with a perfectly straight face.
“Who cares whether or not he marches!” answered Coutlass. “To tell all he knows is his business! Wait while I heat the iron!”
The Baganda began to scream again, babbling that he knew no more. He assured us that Schillingschen had set the closest watch along the old caravan route, and toward his own rear in the direction of Kisumu, whence officials might come on chance errands.
“All right,” said Fred. “Truss him up tight and keep him prisoner among our men in their hut.” ”

“ One of the porters attended to the task, and the Baganda hurried with his tale, drawing in breath in noisy gasps like a man with asthma because of the weight of his captors on him and the strained position of his neck.
“Bwana Schillingschen is sending me and many other men—not all Baganda, but of many tribes—to go through all parts and say Islam is the only good religion—all Germans are high-priests of Islam—soon the Germans are coming with great armies to destroy the British and all other foolish people who have not accepted Islam as their creed! All are to get ready to receive the Germans.” ”

“ Coutlass jumped off him and began to execute a war dance up and down, yelling like a madman until Fred threatened him with the rifle and Will gagged him from behind.
“Do you want his armed men down on us, you ass?”
“Gassharamminy!” he laughed. “I forgot about them! Let us go and eat their supper!” He spoke as a man who had full right now to be considered a member in good standing. We all noticed it, and exchanged glances; but that was no time for argument about men’s rights.
Brown was already over the rim of the hollow and making in the direction of the tents. ”

“ There is one out here, a Baganda, who says they will surely come. He says the religion of Islam will be preached from end to end of everywhere, and that the Germans are the true priests of Islam. They will come, says he, when the time is ripe, and call on all the converts of Islam to rise and slay all other people, including all white folk, like the English, who do not accept that creed. ”

“ It was by my advice that we crossed the stream into the sleeping sickness zone and left them shuddering on their own side. Our own men did not know so much about the ravages of that plague, and in any case were willing to dare whatever risks we despised. But we took a long bend back and crossed the stream again higher up as soon as the chief and his beggars were out of sight. It was a pity not to keep exact faith and give them the promised beads, if only for the sake of other white men who might camp there in the future ”

“ We were adamant, and Brown added to their resentment by preaching them a sermon in their own tongue on the importance of being respectful toward white folk.
Kazimoto came in toward dark, foot-weary, but primed with news, and most of what he had to say confirmed the Baganda’s story. Schillingschen, he said, was making for Mount Elgon in very leisurely stages, letting his loaded donkeys graze their way along, and spending hours of his time in questioning natives along the way on every subject under the sun. ”

“ He tried to bite through the thongs that held him, but Will twisted for him handcuffs out of thick iron wire that we begged from a chief, who had intended to make ornaments with it for his own legs. We did not dare let the man escape, nor care to prevent our men from using force when he threw himself on the ground and wept like a spoiled child. ”

“ Will interrupted. “In the States there are always people going the rounds among our darkies preaching some form of treason. Over there we can afford to treat it as a joke—now and then an ugly one, and on the darkies!”
“This is an ugly joke on a darkie, too!” grinned Fred.
The Baganda made a sudden dive and a determined struggle to get through the door, but our porters were too quick and strong for him.
“Confession is your one chance!” said Fred.
“Put hot irons to his feet!” advised Coutlass. (The native beer had left him villainously evil-tempered.) “Gassharamminy! ”

“ I said. “If we let him go he’ll run straight to Schillingschen.”
“Leave him here with Coutlass and me!” urged Brown. (He and Coutlass had grown almost friendly since getting drunk together on the native beer.)
“I recommend,” said Will, “that we take the law in our own hands—“
The Baganda ceased screaming and listened. For some reason he suspected Will of being the deciding factor in our councils—perhaps because Will had said least.
“—take the law in our own hands, and thrash him soundly. ”