Muata

“ Hume. "We have only entered the fringe, and already we are different people. The lungs cry for pure air."
"Yet there is a way," said Muata; and his eyes fell upon the tawny hide of the tree-lion. "How, chief?"
"On top of the trees, not under!" cried Venning, who had seen that the chief was working up to some point.
Muata spread out his fingers gravely. "Even so," he said. "There are paths on the tree-tops known to the little people, and made by them. Maybe they will let us travel also by them." ”

“ The others stared at the chief in amazement; and even Venning, in spite of his intelligent anticipation, was too surprised to speak.
"There you can look upon the sky; there the wind blows fresh."
They looked up at the roof of branches, and then around into the sombre aisles.
"And where are the little people?" Muata smiled. "Who knows? They come like shadows, and like shadows they go. Even now they may be near watching to see if we are friends or enemies." ”

“ They drew on his body the sign of the otter—he who is cunning and brave, who is at home on land or in the water. They made him a warrior, he who was a boy, because there was always meat in the hut of his mother.
"But his mother spoke. 'O Muata, hunter of the wild pig, take your spear and your bow, and the quiver of arrows with the iron heads. You will hunt men.' Thus it came that Muata went alone on the war- trail. With him went his mother, who carried the pots and the sleeping-mat, she who carried nothing at her kraal. ”

“ Muata, returning from the killing of the men he had decoyed into the valley, raised the shout of victory, and the two boys went down into the gorge to join in the throng of exultant and excited warriors.
"Way for the chief's white men!" cried the Angoni Zulu, staggering from his hurts.
"Bayate! to the white men," shouted the warriors, rattling their spears.
"We are no chiefs men," said Compton, proudly.
"Ohe!" said Muata, overhearing the words. "Lion's cub, I hear. Ye shall have the chief's feather; and the great one, where is he?" ”

“ Hume, looking grave; "and I think we ought to go back. The air is too heavy."
"After a good sleep I shall feel better," said Venning.
"It would be too bad to turn back."
"It would be too bad if you fell ill."
"What do you say, Muata?"
Muata lifted his hand. "Those who would cross the forest must be of the forest. Who are the people of the forest? Not those who live in the plains. Even the river-people are afraid to go far in. What are the creatures of the forest? They are those born among the trees, and those who dwell in the open seldom enter into the darkness and the quiet of the wood." ”

“ One of the natives, hearing the order of the white man, flung a stick at the chief with an insult; but Muata, nothing heeding, sang on his slow song in a voice that was almost like a woman's.
"Must white men lose their sleep because a robber is to die?" roared the hunter again.
Venning snatched up a beaker of water and ran out barefooted. He held the water to the chiefs mouth. Muata turned his smouldering eyes on the boy, sucked in a mouthful of the water, and then shot it out over Venning's outstretched arm. ”

“ The men will be here at nightfall, and the fire will be lit to guide you."
"It is good," said Muata. "We will wait."
The man stood for some time watching, then went into the bush, and the crew of the Okapi, to divert suspicion, got out fishing-lines and fished; but all the time Mr. Hume, lying under the awning, watched the distant island, which shielded an unknown number of their watchful foes.
"Woo!" said Muata, "the great one was right; and Muata is still a boy. Haw! Truly, if we had landed, our journey would have ended here."
"Suppose the canoes dash out before dark?" said Venning. ”

“ Venning looked at the chief with curiosity. "Are there many wizards in the forest, Muata?" he asked with a smile.
"By day and night, many; but most by night. Our people will not venture forth in the darkness of the forest for fear of the wizards and the bad spirits that watch from behind the trees and follow stealthily; but a spell was given to Muata. He could walk in the night." ”

“ But Muata whistled, and the little people came forward, saying the chiefs son had destroyed the kraal of the evil-doers. Then the headmen took counsel, and again put the chief's wife off.
"The chief's wife bowed her head, but, seeing that she was weak, and that her mind was fixed on the thing she asked for, Muata took the matter into his own hand. He bade the women prepare a big hut for his mother—he put a stick to their shoulders; and when a man sought to slay him there in the presence of them all, Muata smote the man under the arm with his spear. ”

“ Shall I speak, O black bull of the forest?"
"Speak," said Muata, who had caught the hunter's eye when he acknowledged himself to be the chief's white man.
"Thus says the medicine," said the hunter, in his deep tones. "There are wolves on the way to eat up the people of this place." ”

“ But in time Muata will return to the place of hiding."
"Better stay with us, Muata. We go into the forest ourselves. We will give you food, and teach you how to use the weapon of the Arab hunters. You will hunt for us, work in the canoe for us, and, maybe, we will go with you to your hiding-place."
"The forest is dark and terrible. Why, will my father enter the darkness with his sons?" ”

“ They were even more helpless than castaways at sea without a compass; for at sea in the day there is the clear sweep to the horizon miles away, while in the forest all they could be certain of was a little circle with a radius of less than fifty yards. Beyond that was the unknown, because unseen—a vague blur of trees that might be sheltering wild animals or savage men. And what made their helplessness the more felt, was the knowledge that Muata knew so much, and that others—the mysterious pigmies—knew still more. ”

“ I marked the trail, as ye saw, for it is well that a man should know his way out as well as in."
"He is right, O wise one," said Muata, bearing down his mother's suspicious look. "Should Hassan prevail in the fight, there would be no Muata to guide these our friends to safety."
"He prevail!" cried the woman, sternly; then her finger shot out, and her form seemed to increase in stature. "Look, O warrior of feeble words; see how it greets the chief;" and her eyes blazed as she followed the flight of a great bird that swept out of the mist. "A sign—a sign, my son."
"A black eagle," said Venning. ”

“ They passed on, leaving the "silent hunter" with the monkey, that looked as if he slept, and silent and motionless he remained as each one paused to glance down, his dull, unwinking yellow eyes showing like coloured glass in the lifted head.
"Look well," said Muata, warningly; "where there is one, there will be another near. The silent ones hunt in couples."
"Would they attack men?"
"Ask the 'little' people."
"But they are no bigger than monkeys."
"There is the monkey bigger than man, and he, too, must give way to the silent hunter." ”

“ How did you discover him, Muata?"
"Wow! He wore nothing in his ears, there were no marks on his body, he had rubbed the dark juice of the chewing-leaf over his skin, and there was a lie on his tongue, and in his eyes. Ho!—white men, this is my word, that we fall on them to-night." The chief picked up a Ghoorka knife. "This is my weapon."
"We are not man-hunters," said Mr. Hume. "We will, however, hang about till evening, so that they may think we have no suspicions, and then in the dusk we will push on." ”

“ They are well matched, the man-eaters and the man-stealers."
"And whom do they go against?"
"What should bring Hassan here but one thing, and that the fear of
Muata?"
"Humph!" muttered Mr. Hume.
"They go against my people, so that when Muata returns there will not be one left—man, woman, child, or dog—to greet him, not one hut left to shelter him, not a single manioc-root for him to eat. Hassan will let in the waters upon the Garden of Rest."
"Eh?"
"That is his word. He has sworn it in his beard, and these jackals howl it out. They talk of new fish that are to come to their nets." ”

“ Hume smoked in silence.
"Yet the man-eaters are strong," Muata said presently.
"They have also guns given by the man-stealers. The great one and the young lions would be worth many men; but the forest is dark, the way is hard, and not fit for white men."
Mr. Hume grunted.
"When Muata goes on the war-path, he fights his own way, on his own plan. On the war-path Muata is chief."
The hunter turned his calm eyes on the wild river-man.
"Chief of one."
"Of one or none, it does not matter, great one; since to be chief is to do what is best." ”

“ Hume, with a smile.
"Dick is right, sir. If it had not been for him, I should have been dead. I am a little bit excited now; but I will tell you all soon. Well, Muata?"
"Wow!" exclaimed the chief, who had been talking with the river-man. "One of these I have seen, and he also. It was a great thing to kill two; of all things that walk they are the fiercest."
"And I am very thirsty," said Compton.
"Their home is in the trees," continued Muata.
Venning nodded. "Leo arboriensis."
"Venningii," added Compton, as he took his lips from a water-bottle. ”

“ If they do not suspect our presence, they will take matters easy, and give us time."
"But what of Muata's mother?"
"That is the chief's matter," said Muata.
"And what of the Okapi?" asked Venning. "This is my word. You will go back in the morning," said the chief, "marching quickly; and when you have found the shining canoe, you will move fast up the river to the place where the first little river from the forest joins it on the right bank. There you will find me." ”

“ Compton.
"I guess not, Dick. They'd leave us to do all the fighting ourselves; and there's no sense in that. What we have to think about is how to get away."
"Surely there is no difficulty about that. We will go when it suits us."
"I'm not so sure," said Mr. Hume, gravely.
"But Muata is our friend."
"Muata cannot do what he likes, and, if he could, you've got to remember this—that Muata in the Okapi, dependent on us, is another person to Muata the chief in his own kraal."
"I don't think he would be treacherous," said Venning. ”

“ It is the way of men to use power for themselves."
"It is not my way."
"O great white one, give me counsel. The Arab thief has truly stopped the river, and the waters rise in the valley—rise among the gardens; and when Muata returns he will see water where there was grass."
"Ay, Muata will ask how this thing happened. And they will answer, because a woman interfered with his plans. The son will know that it was his mother who brought this evil on the place because she thought she could do better than Ngonyama." ”

“ His eyes brightened again. "See, we would land beyond that point ahead, and in the dark steal upon the robbers."
"We are too few," said Muata, after turning the matter over. "Now, if you could bring some of your friends to help, it might be done."
"I am alone, and you are great warriors. Your name has gone abroad."
"How? You know us, then?"
"All white men are the same in battle," said the other, quickly.
"Think over my words—that some men are wanted. There must be men to guard our canoe, others to watch for the return of the robbers from across the river. ”

“ The great, great one was not sore hurt, for he came right through, using all his feet to swim."
"It will be luck, then, if we find him," said the hunter.
"Bad luck," muttered Compton to Venning, with a grin.
"Forward, little friend!" cried Muata. "Search and find. It is a great hunt this day. We follow the hunter of all things."
They slipped into their clothes and followed at a trot after the jackal, which ran straight on, its bushy tail held low. ”

“ We will go back through the open water, back past the place where we landed in the forest, back into the great river, and then south, even to the farthest reaches of the Congo, when we shall be among people I know. There we will get carriers to take the boat to the waters of another great river, the Zambesi."
"Towards the setting sun," said Muata. "And you will want a man?"
"Two men, we would ask; and one of them, the Angoni warrior, who did so well in the fight, for his country is to the south."
"Only one man you can have," said the chief, shortly. ”

“ Muata, the black one, hangs on their trail, and when the time has come he will spring. Wow! They are fools to come up by that path."
He went back deep in thought, and made up his mind to see the wise woman again. So he passed down into the valley, crossed the river to the new village built on a small flat-topped hill, and found the chief's mother sitting before his hut.
"I want my brothers," he said at once.
"The valley is open—search for them. You are a chief; put the men to the search. Why come to me?" ”

“ Tell me where they would be, O warrior, for the forest is your hunting-ground."
Muata lowered his eyelids, and took the news of his mother's capture by the cannibals in silence; but Compton was burning with excitement at the reference to the white man.
"What white man was that you spoke of? I look for such a one."
"Men search not for the dead, effendi." ”

“ I let the enemy pass in pursuit of Muata, as arranged, but when it came to our part in the plan—that of closing the defile—we found the job tougher than we anticipated. Those cannibals are hard fighters. ”