If he who reads this doubts the discomfort7 of bonds let him try them for himself. Let him be bound foot and hand and left alone, and in half an hour he will be screaming for release. The sense of impotence is stifling8, and I felt as if I were buried in some landslip instead of lying under the open sky, with the night wind fanning my face. I was in the second stage of panic, which is next door to collapse9. I tried to cry, but could only raise a squeak10 like a bat. A wheel started to run round in my head, and, when I looked at the moon, I saw that it was rotating in time. Things were very bad with me. It was ‘Mwanga who saved me from lunacy. He had been appointed my keeper, and the first I knew of it was a violent kick in the ribs11. I rolled over on the grass down a short slope. The brute12 squatted13 beside me, and prodded14 me with his gun-barrel.
‘Ha, Baas,’ he said in his queer English. ‘Once you ordered me out of your store and treated me like a dog. It is ‘Mwanga’s turn now. You are ‘Mwanga’s dog, and he will skin you with a sjambok soon.’
My wandering wits were coming back to me. I looked into his bloodshot eyes and saw what I had to expect. The cheerful savage15 went on to discuss just the kind of beating I should get from him. My bones were to be uncovered till the lash16 curled round my heart. Then the jackals would have the rest of me.
This was ordinary Kaffir brag17, and it made me angry. But I thought it best to go cannily18.
,if I am to be your slave,’ I managed to say, ‘it would be a pity to beat me so hard. You would get no more work out of me.’
‘Mwanga grinned wickedly. ‘You are my slave for a day and a night. After that we kill you — slowly. You will burn till your legs fall off and your knees are on the ground, and then you will be chopped small with knives.’
Thank God, my courage and common sense were coming back to me.
‘What happens to me tomorrow,’ I said, ‘is the Inkulu’s business, not yours. I am his prisoner. But if you lift your hand on me today so as to draw one drop of blood the Inkulu will make short work of you. The vow19 is upon you, and if you break it you know what happens.’ And I repeated, in a fair imitation of the priest’s voice, the terrible curse he had pronounced in the cave.
You should have seen the change in that cur’s face. I had guessed he was a coward, as he was most certainly a bully20, and now I knew it. He shivered, and drew his hand over his eyes.
‘Nay, Baas,’ he pleaded, ‘it was but a joke. No harm shall come on you today. But tomorrow —’ and his ugly face grew more cheerful.
‘To-morrow we shall see what we shall see,’ I said stoically, and a loud drum-beat sounded through the camp.
It was the signal for moving, for in the east a thin pale line of gold was beginning to show over the trees. The bonds at my knees and ankles were cut, and I was bundled on to the back of a horse. Then my feet were strapped21 firmly below its belly22. The bridle23 of my beast was tied to ‘Mwanga’s, so that there was little chance of escape even if I had been unshackled.
My thoughts were very gloomy. So far all had happened as I planned, but I seemed to have lost my nerve, and I could not believe in my rescue at the Letaba, while I thought of Inanda’s Kraal with sheer horror. Last night I had looked into the heart of darkness, and the sight had terrified me. What part should I play in the great purification? Most likely that of the Biblical scapegoat24. But the dolour of my mind was surpassed by the discomfort of my body. I was broken with pains and weariness, and I had a desperate headache. Also, before we had gone a mile, I began to think that I should split in two. The paces of my beast were uneven25, to say the best of it, and the bump-bump was like being on the rack. I remembered that the saints of the Covenant26 used to journey to prison this way, especially the great Mr Peden, and I wondered how they liked it. When I hear of a man doing a brave deed, I always want to discover whether at the time he was well and comfortable in body. That, I am certain, is the biggest ingredient in courage, and those who plan and execute great deeds in bodily weakness have my homage27 as truly heroic. For myself, I had not the spirit of a chicken as I jogged along at ‘Mwanga’s side. I wished he would begin to insult me, if only to distract my mind, but he kept obstinately28 silent. He was sulky, and I think rather afraid of me.
As the sun got up I could see something of the host around me. I am no hand at guessing numbers, but I should put the fighting men I saw at not less than twenty thousand. Every man of them was on this side his prime, and all were armed with good rifles and bandoliers. There were none of your old roers13 and decrepit29 Enfields, which I had seen signs of in Kaffir kraals. These guns were new, serviceable Mausers, and the men who bore them looked as if they knew how to handle them. There must have been long months of training behind this show, and I marvelled30 at the man who had organized it. I saw no field-guns, and the little transport they had was evidently for food only. We did not travel in ranks like an orthodox column. About a third of the force was mounted, and this formed the centre. On each wing the infantry31 straggled far afield, but there was method in their disorder32, for in the bush close ranks would have been impossible. At any rate we kept wonderfully well together, and when we mounted a knoll33 the whole army seemed to move in one piece. I was well in the rear of the centre column, but from the crest34 of a slope I sometimes got a view in front. I could see nothing of Laputa, who was probably with the van, but in the very heart of the force I saw the old priest of the Snake, with his treasure carried in the kind of litter which the Portuguese35 call a machila, between rows of guards. A white man rode beside him, whom I judged to be Henriques. Laputa trusted this fellow, and I wondered why. I had not forgotten the look on his face while he had stared at the rubies36 in the cave. I had a notion that the Portugoose might be an unsuspected ally of mine, though for blackguard reasons.
13 Boer elephant guns.
About ten o’clock, as far as I could judge by the sun, we passed Umvelos’, and took the right bank of the Labongo. There was nothing in the store to loot, but it was overrun by Kaffirs, who carried off the benches for firewood. It gave me an odd feeling to see the remains37 of the meal at which I had entertained Laputa in the hands of a dozen warriors38. I thought of the long sunny days when I had sat by my nachtmaal while the Dutch farmers rode in to trade. Now these men were all dead, and I was on my way to the same bourne.
Soon the blue line of the Berg rose in the west, and through the corner of my eye, as I rode, I could see the gap of the Klein Labongo. I wondered if Arcoll and his men were up there watching us. About this time I began to be so wretched in body that I ceased to think of the future. I had had no food for seventeen hours, and I was dropping from lack of sleep. The ache of my bones was so great that I found myself crying like a baby. What between pain and weakness and nervous exhaustion39, I was almost at the end of my tether, and should have fainted dead away if a halt had not been called. But about midday, after we had crossed the track from Blaauwildebeestefontein to the Portuguese frontier, we came to the broad, shallow drift of the Klein Labongo. It is the way of the Kaffirs to rest at noon, and on the other side of the drift we encamped. I remember the smell of hot earth and clean water as my horse scrambled40 up the bank. Then came the smell of wood-smoke as fires were lit. It seemed an age after we stopped before my feet were loosed and I was allowed to fall over on the ground. I lay like a log where I fell, and was asleep in ten seconds. I awoke two hours later much refreshed, and with a raging hunger. My ankles and knees had been tied again, but the sleep had taken the worst stiffness out of my joints41. The natives were squatting42 in groups round their fires, but no one came near me. I satisfied myself by straining at my bonds that this solitude43 gave no chance of escape. I wanted food, and I shouted on ‘Mwanga, but he never came. Then I rolled over into the shadow of a wacht-en-beetje bush to get out of the glare.
I saw a Kaffir on the other side of the bush who seemed to be grinning at me. Slowly he moved round to my side, and stood regarding me with interest.
‘For God’s sake get me some food,’ I said.
‘ja, Baas,’ was the answer; and he disappeared for a minute, and returned with a wooden bowl of hot mealie-meal porridge, and a calabash full of water.
I could not use my hands, so he fed me with the blade of his knife. Such porridge without salt or cream is beastly food, but my hunger was so great that I could have eaten a vat44 of it.
Suddenly it appeared that the Kaffir had something to say to me. As he fed me he began to speak in a low voice in English.
‘Baas,’ he said, ‘I come from Ratitswan, and I have a message for you.’
I guessed that Ratitswan was the native name for Arcoll. There was no one else likely to send a message. ‘Ratitswan says,’ he went on, “‘Look out for Dupree’s Drift.” I will be near you and cut your bonds; then you must swim across when Ratitswan begins to shoot.’
The news took all the weight of care from my mind. Colin had got home, and my friends were out for rescue. So volatile45 is the mood of 19 that I veered46 round from black despair to an unwarranted optimism. I saw myself already safe, and Laputa’s rising scattered47. I saw my hands on the treasure, and Henriques’ ugly neck below my heel.
‘I don’t know your name,’ I said to the Kaffir, ‘but you are a good fellow. When I get out of this business I won’t forget you.’
‘There is another message, Baas,’ he said. ‘It is written on paper in a strange tongue. Turn your head to the bush, and see, I will hold it inside the bowl, that you may read it.’
I did as I was told, and found myself looking at a dirty half-sheet of notepaper, marked by the Kaffir’s thumbs. Some words were written on it in Wardlaw’s hand; and, characteristically, in Latin, which was not a bad cipher48. I read — ‘Henricus de Letaba transeunda apud Duprei vada jam nos certiores fecit.’14
14 ‘Henriques has already told us about the crossing at Dupree’s Drift.’
I had guessed rightly. Henriques was a traitor49 to the cause he had espoused50. Arcoll’s message had given me new heart, but Wardlaw’s gave me information of tremendous value. I repented51 that I had ever underrated the schoolmaster’s sense. He did not come out of Aberdeen for nothing.
I asked the Kaffir how far it was to Dupree’s Drift, and was told three hours’ march. We should get there after the darkening. It seemed he had permission to ride with me instead of ‘Mwanga, who had no love for the job. How he managed this I do not know; but Arcoll’s men had their own ways of doing things. He undertook to set me free when the first shot was fired at the ford52. Meantime I bade him leave me, to avert53 suspicion.
There is a story of one of King Arthur’s knights54 — Sir Percival, I think — that once, riding through a forest, he found a lion fighting with a serpent. He drew his sword and helped the lion, for he thought it was the more natural beast of the two. To me Laputa was the lion, and Henriques the serpent; and though I had no good will to either, I was determined55 to spoil the serpent’s game. He was after the rubies, as I had fancied; he had never been after anything else. He had found out about Arcoll’s preparations, and had sent him a warning, hoping, no doubt, that, if Laputa’s force was scattered on the Letaba, he would have a chance of getting off with the necklace in the confusion. If he succeeded, he would go over the Lebombo to Mozambique, and whatever happened afterwards in the rising would be no concern of Mr Henriques. I determined that he should fail; but how to manage it I could not see. Had I had a pistol, I think I would have shot him; but I had no weapon of any kind. I could not warn Laputa, for that would seal my own fate, even if I were believed. It was clear that Laputa must go to Dupree’s Drift, for otherwise I could not escape; and it was equally clear that I must find the means of spoiling the Portugoose’s game.
A shadow fell across the sunlight, and I looked up to see the man I was thinking of standing56 before me. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and his hands in the pockets of his riding-breeches. He stood eyeing me with a curious smile on his face.
‘Well, Mr Storekeeper,’ he said, ‘you and I have met before under pleasanter circumstances.’
I said nothing, my mind being busy with what to do at the drift.
‘We were shipmates, if I am not mistaken,’ he said. ‘I dare say you found it nicer work smoking on the after-deck than lying here in the sun.’
Still I said nothing. If the man had come to mock me, he would get no change out of David Crawfurd.
‘Tut, tut, don’t be sulky. You have no quarrel with me. Between ourselves,’ and he dropped his voice, ‘I tried to save you; but you had seen rather too much to be safe. What devil prompted you to steal a horse and go to the cave? I don’t blame you for overhearing us; but if you had had the sense of a louse you would have gone off to the Berg with your news. By the way, how did you manage it? A cellar, I suppose. Our friend Laputa was a fool not to take better precautions; but I must say you acted the drunkard pretty well.’
The vanity of 19 is an incalculable thing. I rose to the fly.
‘I know the kind of precaution you wanted to take,’ I muttered.
‘You heard that too? Well, I confess I am in favour of doing a job thoroughly57 when I take it up.’
‘In the Koodoo Flats, for example,’ I said.
He sat down beside me, and laughed softly. ‘You heard my little story? You are clever, Mr Storekeeper, but not quite clever enough. What if I can act a part as well as yourself?’ And he thrust his yellow face close to mine.
I saw his meaning, and did not for a second believe him; but I had the sense to temporize58.
‘Do you mean to say that you did not kill the Dutchmen, and did not mean to knife me?’
‘I mean to say that I am not a fool,’ he said, lighting59 another cigarette.
‘I am a white man, Mr Storekeeper, and I play the white man’s game. Why do you think I am here? Simply because I was the only man in Africa who had the pluck to get to the heart of this business. I am here to dish Laputa, and by God I am going to do it.’
I was scarcely prepared for such incredible bluff60. I knew every word was a lie, but I wanted to hear more, for the man fascinated me.
‘I suppose you know what will happen to you,’ he said, flicking61 the ashes from his cigarette. ‘To-morrow at Inanda’s Kraal, when the vow is over, they will give you a taste of Kaffir habits. Not death, my friend — that would be simple enough — but a slow death with every refinement62 of horror. You have broken into their sacred places, and you will be sacrificed to Laputa’s god. I have seen native torture before, and his own mother would run away shrieking63 from a man who had endured it.’
I said nothing, but the thought made my flesh creep.
‘Well,’ he went on, ‘you’re in an awkward plight64, but I think I can help you. What if I can save your life, Mr Storekeeper? You are trussed up like a fowl65, and can do nothing. I am the only man alive who can help you. I am willing to do it, too — on my own terms.’
I did not wait to hear those terms, for I had a shrewd guess what they would be. My hatred66 of Henriques rose and choked me. I saw murder and trickery in his mean eyes and cruel mouth. I could not, to be saved from the uttermost horror, have made myself his ally.
‘Now listen, Mr Portugoose,’ I cried. ‘You tell me you are a spy. What if I shout that through the camp? There will be short shrift for you if Laputa hears it.’
He laughed loudly. ‘You are a bigger fool than I took you for. Who would believe you, my friend. Not Laputa. Not any man in this army. It would only mean tighter bonds for these long legs of yours.’
By this time I had given up all thought of diplomacy67. ‘Very well, you yellow-faced devil, you will hear my answer. I would not take my freedom from you, though I were to be boiled alive. I know you for a traitor to the white man’s cause, a dirty I.D.B. swindler, whose name is a byword among honest men. By your own confession68 you are a traitor to this idiot rising. You murdered the Dutchmen and God knows how many more, and you would fain have murdered me. I pray to Heaven that the men whose cause you have betrayed and the men whose cause you would betray may join to stamp the life out of you and send your soul to hell. I know the game you would have me join in, and I fling your offer in your face. But I tell you one thing — you are damned yourself. The white men are out, and you will never get over the Lebombo. From black or white you will get justice before many hours, and your carcass will be left to rot in the bush. Get out of my sight, you swine.’
In that moment I was so borne up in my passion that I forgot my bonds and my grave danger. I was inspired like a prophet with a sense of approaching retribution. Henriques heard me out; but his smile changed to a scowl69, and a flush rose on his sallow cheek.
‘Stew in your own juice,’ he said, and spat70 in my face. Then he shouted in Kaffir that I had insulted him, and demanded that I should be bound tighter and gagged.
It was Arcoll’s messenger who answered his summons. That admirable fellow rushed at me with a great appearance of savagery71. He made a pretence72 of swathing me up in fresh rawhide73 ropes, but his knots were loose and the thing was a farce74. He gagged me with what looked like a piece of wood, but was in reality a chunk75 of dry banana. And all the while, till Henriques was out of hearing, he cursed me with a noble gift of tongues.
The drums beat for the advance, and once more I was hoisted76 on my horse, while Arcoll’s Kaffir tied my bridle to his own. A Kaffir cannot wink77, but he has a way of slanting78 his eyes which does as well, and as we moved on he would turn his head to me with this strange grimace79.
Henriques wanted me to help him to get the rubies — that I presumed was the offer he had meant to make. Well, thought I, I will perish before the jewel reaches the Portuguese’s hands. He hoped for a stampede when Arcoll opposed the crossing of the river, and in the confusion intended to steal the casket. My plan must be to get as near the old priest as possible before we reached the ford. I spoke80 to my warder and told him what I wanted. He nodded, and in the first mile we managed to edge a good way forward. Several things came to aid us. As I have said, we of the centre were not marching in close ranks, but in a loose column, and often it was possible by taking a short cut on rough ground to join the column some distance ahead. There was a vlei, too, which many circumvented81, but we swam, and this helped our lead. In a couple of hours we were so near the priest’s litter that I could have easily tossed a cricket ball on the head of Henriques who rode beside it.
Very soon the twilight82 of the winter day began to fall. The far hills grew pink and mulberry in the sunset, and strange shadows stole over the bush. Still creeping forward, we found ourselves not twenty yards behind the litter, while far ahead I saw a broad, glimmering83 space of water with a high woody bank beyond.
‘Dupree’s Drift;’ whispered my warder. ‘Courage, Inkoos;15 in an hour’s time you will be free.’
15 Great chief.
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1
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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4
babbles
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| n.胡言乱语( babble的名词复数 )；听不清的声音；乱哄哄的说话声v.喋喋不休( babble的第三人称单数 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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chatters
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的第三人称单数 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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6
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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10
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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11
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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14
prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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brag
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| v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的 | |
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cannily
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| 精明地 | |
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vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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bully
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| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
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strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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scapegoat
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| n.替罪的羔羊，替人顶罪者；v.使…成为替罪羊 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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40
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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41
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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42
squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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43
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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45
volatile
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| adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质 | |
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veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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cipher
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| n.零；无影响力的人；密码 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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50
espoused
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| v.（决定）支持，拥护（目标、主张等）( espouse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
repented
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| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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54
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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temporize
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| v.顺应时势；拖延 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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60
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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61
flicking
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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62
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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72
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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rawhide
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| n.生牛皮 | |
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farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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chunk
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| n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量） | |
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76
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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slanting
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| 倾斜的，歪斜的 | |
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grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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81
circumvented
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| v.设法克服或避免（某事物），回避( circumvent的过去式和过去分词 )；绕过，绕行，绕道旅行 | |
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82
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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83
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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