第36章

A LITTLE FOOT.

WHEN I opened my eyes again I found myself lying on a skin mat not far from the fire round which we had been gathered for that dreadful feast.

Near me lay Leo, still apparently in a swoon, and over him was bending the tall form of the girl Ustane, who was washing a deep spear wound in his side with cold water preparatory to binding it up with linen.Leaning against the wall of the cave behind her was Job, apparently uninjured, but bruised and trembling.On the other side of the fire, tossed about this way and that, as though they had thrown themselves down to sleep in some moment of absolute exhaustion, were the bodies of those whom we had killed in our frightful struggle for life.I counted them; there were twelve, besides the woman and the corpse of poor Mahomed, who had died by my hand, which, the fire-stained pot at its side, was placed at the end of the irregular line.

To the left a body of men were engaged in binding the arms of the survivors of the cannibals behind them, and then fastening them two and two.The villains were submitting with a look of sulky indifference upon their faces which accorded ill with the baffled fury that gleamed in their sombre eyes.In front of these men, directing the operations, stood no-other than our friend Billali, looking rather tired, but particularly patriarchal with his flowing beard, and as cool and unconcerned as though he were superintending the cutting-up of an ox.

Presently he turned, and, perceiving that I was sitting up, advanced to me, and with the utmost courtesy said that he trusted that I felt better.Ianswered that at present I scarcely knew how I felt, except that I ached all over.

Then he bent down and examined Leo's wound.

"It is a nasty cut," he said, "but the spear has not pierced the entrails.He will recover.""Thanks to thy arrival, my father," I answered."In another minute we should all have been beyond the reach of recovery, for those devils of thine would have slain us as they would have slain our servant,"and I pointed towards Mahomed.

The old man ground his teeth, and I saw an extraordinary expression of malignity light up his eyes.

"Fear not, my son," he answered."Vengeance shall be taken on them such as would make the flesh twist upon the bones merely to hear of it.To _i_ She _i_ shall they go, and her vengeance shall be worthy of her greatness.That man," pointing to Mahomed, "I tell thee that man would have died a merciful death to the death these hyena-men shall die.Tell me, I pray of thee, how it came about."In a few words I sketched what had happened.

"Ah, so," he answered."Thou seest, my son, here there is a custom that if a stranger comes into this country he may be slain by 'the pot,' and eaten.""It is hospitality turned upside down," I answered, feebly."In our country we entertain a stranger, and give him food to eat.Here ye eat him, and are entertained.""It is a custom," he answered, with a shrug."Myself Ithink it an evil one; but then," he added, by an afterthought, "I do not like the taste of strangers, especially after they have wandered through the swamps and lived on wild fowl.When _i_ She-who-must-be-obeyed _i_ sent orders that ye were to be saved alive she said naught of the black man, therefore, being hyenas, these men lusted after his flesh, and the woman it was, whom thou didst rightly slay, who put it into their evil hearts to hot-pot him.Well, they will have their reward.Better for them would it be if they had never seen the light than that they should stand before _i_ She _i_ in her terrible anger.Happy are those of them who died by your hands.""Ah," he went on, "it was a gallant fight that ye fought.Knowest thou, that thou, long-armed old baboon that thou art, hast crushed in the ribs of those two who are laid out there as though they were but as the shell on an egg? And the young one, the lion, it was a beautiful stand that he madeone against so manythree did he slay outright, and that one there"and he pointed to a body that was still moving a little"will die anon, for his head is cracked across, and others of those who are bound are hurt.It was a gallant fight, and thou and he have made a friend of me by it, for I love to see a well-fought fray.But tell me, my son, the Baboonand now I think of it thy face, too, is hairy, and altogether like a baboon'show was it that ye slew those with a hole in them? Ye made a noise, they say, and slew themthey fell down on their faces at the noise?"I explained to him as well as I could, but very shortlyI was terribly wearied, and only persuaded to talk at all through of offending one so powerful if Irefused to do sowhat were the properties of gunpowder, and he instantly suggested that I should illustrate what I said by operating on the person of the prisoners.One, he said, never would be counted, and it would not only very interesting to him, but would give me an opportunity of an instalment of revenge.He was greatly astonished when I told him that it was not our custom to avenge ourselves in cold blood and that we left vengeance to the law and a higher power, of which he knew nothing.I added, however, that when I recovered I would take him out shooting with us, and he should kill an animal for himself, and at this he was as pleased.as a child at the promise of a new toy.

Just then Leo opened his eyes beneath the stimulus of some brandy (of which we still had a little) that Job had poured down his throat, and our conversation came to an end.