In The Coolest Manner He Replied, "I Will Send You To The Lake
And To Shooa, As I Have Promised;
But, YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR WIFE WITH ME!"
At that moment we were surrounded by a great number of natives,
And my
suspicions of treachery at having been led across the Kafoor river
appeared confirmed by this insolent demand. If this were to be the end
of the expedition I resolved that it should also be the end of Kamrasi,
and, drawing my revolver quietly, I held it within two feet of his
chest, and looking at him with undisguised contempt, I told him that if
I touched the trigger, not all his men could save him: and that if he
dared to repeat the insult I would shoot him on the spot. At the same
time I explained to him that in my country such insolence would entail
bloodshed, and that I looked upon him as an ignorant ox who knew no
better, and that this excuse alone could save him. My wife, naturally
indignant, had risen from her seat, and, maddened with the excitement of
the moment, she made him a little speech in Arabic (not a word of which
he understood), with a countenance almost as amiable as the head of
Medusa. Altogether the Mise en Scene utterly astonished him; the woman
Bacheeta, although savage, had appropriated the insult to her mistress,
and she also fearlessly let fly at Kamrasi, translating as nearly as she
could the complimentary address that Medusa had just delivered.
Whether this little coup de theatre had so impressed Kamrasi with
British female independence that he wished to be off his bargain, I
cannot say, but with an air of complete astonishment, he said, "Don't be
angry! I had no intention of offending you by asking for your wife; I
will give you a wife, if you want one, and I thought you might have no
objection to give me yours; it is my custom to give my visitors pretty
wives, and I thought you might exchange. Don't make a fuss about it; if
you don't like it, there's an end of it; I will never mention it again."
This very practical apology I received very sternly, and merely insisted
upon starting. He seemed rather confused at having committed himself,
and to make amends he called his people and ordered them to carry our
loads.
His men ordered a number of women, who had assembled out of curiosity,
to shoulder the luggage and carry it to the next village, where they
would be relieved. I assisted my wife upon her ox, and with a very cold
adieu to Kamrasi, I turned my back most gladly on M'rooli.
The country was a vast flat of grass land interspersed with small
villages and patches of sweet potatoes; these were very inferior, owing
to the want of drainage. For about two miles we continued on the banks
of the Kafoor river; the women who carried the luggage were straggling
in disorder, and my few men were much scattered in their endeavours to
collect them. We approached a considerable village; but just as we were
nearing it, out rushed about six hundred men with lances and shields,
screaming and yelling like so many demons. For the moment, I thought it
was an attack, but almost immediately I noticed that women and children
were mingled with the men.
My men had not taken so cool a view of the excited throng that was now
approaching us at full speed, brandishing their spears, and engaging
with each other in mock combat. "There's a fight! - -there's a fight! "my
men exclaimed; "we are attacked! fire at them, Hawaga." However, in a
few seconds I persuaded them that it was a mere parade, and that there
was no danger. With a rush, like a cloud of locusts, the natives closed
around us, dancing, gesticulating, and yelling before my ox, feigning to
attack us with spears and shields, then engaging in sham fights with
each other, and behaving like so many madmen. A very tall chief
accompanied them; and one of their men was suddenly knocked down, and
attacked by the crowd with sticks and lances, and lay on the ground
covered with blood: what his offence had been I did not hear. The entire
crowd were most grotesquely got up, being dressed in either leopard or
white monkey skins, with cows' tails strapped on behind, and antelopes'
horns fitted upon their heads, while their chins were ornamented with
false beards, made of the bushy ends of cows' tails sewed together.
Altogether, I never saw a more unearthly set of creatures; they were
perfect illustrations of my childish ideas of devils - horns, tails,
and all, excepting the hoofs; they were our escort! furnished by Kamrasi
to accompany us to the lake. Fortunately for all parties the Turks were
not with us on that occasion, or the satanic escort would certainly have
been received with a volley when they so rashly advanced to compliment
us by their absurd performances.
We marched till 7 P.M. over flat, uninteresting country, and then halted
at a miserable village which the people had deserted, as they expected
our arrival. The following morning I found much difficulty in getting
our escort together, as they had been foraging throughout the
neighbourhood; these "devil's own" were a portion of Kamrasi's troops,
who considered themselves entitled to plunder ad libitum throughout the
march; however, after some delay, they collected, and their tall chief
approached me, and begged that a gun might be fired as a curiosity. The
escort had crowded around us, and as the boy Saat was close to me, I
ordered him to fire his gun. This was Saat's greatest delight, and bang
went one barrel unexpectedly, close to the tall chief's ear. The effect
was charming. The tall chief, thinking himself injured, clasped his head
with both hands, and bolted through the crowd, which, struck with a
sudden panic, rushed away in all directions, the "devil's own" tumbling
over each other, and utterly scattered by the second barrel which Saat
exultingly fired in derision as Kamrasi's warlike regiment dissolved
before a sound.
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