CHAPTER XIX
IGNOSI'S FAREWELL
Ten days from that eventful morning found us once more in our oldquarters at Loo; and, strange to say, but little the worse for ourterrible experience, except that my stubbly hair came out of thetreasure cave about three shades greyer than it went in, and that Goodnever was quite the same after Foulata's death, which seemed to movehim very greatly. I am bound to say, looking at the thing from thepoint of view of an oldish man of the world, that I consider herremoval was a fortunate occurrence, since, otherwise, complicationswould have been sure to ensue. The poor creature was no ordinary nativegirl, but a person of great, I had almost said stately, beauty, and ofconsiderable refinement of mind. But no amount of beauty or refinementcould have made an entanglement between Good and herself a desirableoccurrence; for, as she herself put it, "Can the sun mate with thedarkness, or the white with the black?"
I need hardly state that we never again penetrated into Solomon'streasure chamber. After we had recovered from our fatigues, a processwhich took us forty-eight hours, we descended into the great pit in thehope of finding the hole by which we had crept out of the mountain, butwith no success. To begin with, rain had fallen, and obliterated ourspoor; and what is more, the sides of the vast pit were full ofant-bear and other holes. It was impossible to say to which of these weowed our salvation. Also, on the day before we started back to Loo, wemade a further examination of the wonders of the stalactite cave, and,drawn by a kind of restless feeling, even penetrated once more into theChamber of the Dead. Passing beneath the spear of the White Death wegazed, with sensations which it would be quite impossible for me todescribe, at the mass of rock that had shut us off from escape,thinking the while of priceless treasures beyond, of the mysterious oldhag whose flattened fragments lay crushed beneath it, and of the fairgirl of whose tomb it was the portal. I say gazed at the "rock," for,examine as we could, we could find no traces of the join of the slidingdoor; nor, indeed, could we hit upon the secret, now utterly lost, thatworked it, though we tried for an hour or more. It is certainly amarvellous bit of mechanism, characteristic, in its massive and yetinscrutable simplicity, of the age which produced it; and I doubt ifthe world has such another to show.
At last we gave it up in disgust; though, if the mass had suddenlyrisen before our eyes, I doubt if we should have screwed up courage tostep over Gagool's mangled remains, and once more enter the treasurechamber, even in the sure and certain hope of unlimited diamonds. Andyet I could have cried at the idea of leaving all that treasure, thebiggest treasure probably that in the world's history has ever beenaccumulated in one spot. But there was no help for it. Only dynamitecould force its way through five feet of solid rock.
So we left it. Perhaps, in some remote unborn century, a more fortunateexplorer may hit upon the "Open Sesame," and flood the world with gems.But, myself, I doubt it. Somehow, I seem to feel that the tens ofmillions of pounds' worth of jewels which lie in the three stonecoffers will never shine round the neck of an earthly beauty. They andFoulata's bones will keep cold company till the end of all things.
With a sigh of disappointment we made our way back, and next daystarted for Loo. And yet it was really very ungrateful of us to bedisappointed; for, as the reader will remember, by a lucky thought, Ihad taken the precaution to fill the wide pockets of my old shootingcoat and trousers with gems before we left our prison-house, alsoFoulata's basket, which held twice as many more, notwithstanding thatthe water bottle had occupied some of its space. A good many of thesefell out in the course of our roll down the side of the pit, includingseveral of the big ones, which I had crammed in on the top in my coatpockets. But, comparatively speaking, an enormous quantity stillremained, including ninety-three large stones ranging from over twohundred to seventy carats in weight. My old shooting coat and thebasket still held sufficient treasure to make us all, if notmillionaires as the term is understood in America, at least exceedinglywealthy men, and yet to keep enough stones each to make the threefinest sets of gems in Europe. So we had not done so badly.
On arriving at Loo we were most cordially received by Ignosi, whom wefound well, and busily engaged in consolidating his power, andreorganising the regiments which had suffered most in the greatstruggle with Twala.
He listened with intense interest to our wonderful story; but when wetold him of old Gagool's frightful end he grew thoughtful.
"Come hither," he called, to a very old Induna or councillor, who wassitting with others in a circle round the king, but out of ear-shot.The ancient man rose, approached, saluted, and seated himself.
"Thou art aged," said Ignosi.
"Ay, my lord the king! Thy father's father and I were born on the sameday."
"Tell me, when thou wast little, didst thou know Gagaoola the witchdoctress?"
"Ay, my lord the king!"
"How was she then--young, like thee?"
"Not so, my lord the king! She was even as she is now and as she was inthe days of my great grandfather before me; old and dried, very ugly,and full of wickedness."
"She is no more; she is dead."
"So, O king! then is an ancient curse taken from the land."
"Go!"
"_Koom!_ I go, Black Puppy, who tore out the old dog's throat. _Koom!_"
"Ye see, my brothers," said Ignosi, "this was a strange woman, and Irejoice that she is dead. She would have let you die in the dark place,and mayhap afterwards she had found a way to slay me, as she found away to slay my father, and set up Twala, whom her black heart loved, inhis place. Now go on with the tale; surely there never was its like!"
After I had narrated all the story of our escape, as we had agreedbetween ourselves that I should, I took the opportunity to addressIgnosi as to our departure from Kukuanaland.
"And now, Ignosi," I said, "the time has come for us to bid theefarewell, and start to see our own land once more. Behold, Ignosi, thoucamest with us a servant, and now we leave thee a mighty king. If thouart grateful to us, remember to do even as thou didst promise: to rulejustly, to respect the law, and to put none to death without a cause.So shalt thou prosper. To-morrow, at break of day, Ignosi, thou wiltgive us an escort who shall lead us across the mountains. Is it not so,O king?"
Ignosi covered his face with his hands for a while before answering.
"My heart is sore," he said at last; "your words split my heart intwain. What have I done to you, Incubu, Macumazahn, and Bougwan, thatye should leave me desolate? Ye who stood by me in rebellion and inbattle, will ye leave me in the day of peace and victory? What willye--wives? Choose from among the maidens! A place to live in? Behold,the land is yours as far as ye can see. The white man's houses? Yeshall teach my people how to build them. Cattle for beef and milk?Every married man shall bring you an ox or a cow. Wild game to hunt?Does not the elephant walk through my forests, and the river-horsesleep in the reeds? Would ye make war? My Impis wait your word. Ifthere is anything more which I can give, that will I give you."
"Nay, Ignosi, we want none of these things," I answered; "we would seekour own place."
"Now do I learn," said Ignosi bitterly, and with flashing eyes, "thatye love the bright stones more than me, your friend. Ye have thestones; now ye would go to Natal and across the moving black water andsell them, and be rich, as it is the desire of a white man's heart tobe. Cursed for your sake be the white stones, and cursed he who seeksthem. Death shall it be to him who sets foot in the place of Death tofind them. I have spoken. White men, ye can go."
I laid my hand upon his arm. "Ignosi," I said, "tell us, when thoudidst wander in Zululand, and among the white people of Natal, did notthine heart turn to the land thy mother told thee of, thy native place,where thou didst see the light, and play when thou wast little, theland where thy place was?"
"It was even so, Macumazahn."
"In like manner, Ignosi, do our hearts turn to our land and to our ownplace."
Then came a silence. When Ignosi broke it, it was in a different voice.
"I d
o perceive that now as ever thy words are wise and full of reason,Macumazahn; that which flies in the air loves not to run along theground; the white man loves not to live on the level of the black or tohouse among his kraals. Well, ye must go, and leave my heart sore,because ye will be as dead to me, since from where ye are no tidingscan come to me.
"But listen, and let all your brothers know my words. No other whiteman shall cross the mountains, even if any man live to come so far. Iwill see no traders with their guns and gin. My people shall fight withthe spear, and drink water, like their forefathers before them. I willhave no praying-men to put a fear of death into men's hearts, to stirthem up against the law of the king, and make a path for the white folkwho follow to run on. If a white man comes to my gates I will send himback; if a hundred come I will push them back; if armies come, I willmake war on them with all my strength, and they shall not prevailagainst me. None shall ever seek for the shining stones: no, not anarmy, for if they come I will send a regiment and fill up the pit, andbreak down the white columns in the caves and choke them with rocks, sothat none can reach even to that door of which ye speak, and whereofthe way to move it is lost. But for you three, Incubu, Macumazahn, andBougwan, the path is always open; for, behold, ye are dearer to me thanaught that breathes.
"And ye would go. Infadoos, my uncle, and my Induna, shall take you bythe hand and guide you with a regiment. There is, as I have learned,another way across the mountains that he shall show you. Farewell, mybrothers, brave white men. See me no more, for I have no heart to bearit. Behold! I make a decree, and it shall be published from themountains to the mountains; your names, Incubu, Macumazahn, andBougwan, shall be "_hlonipa_" even as the names of dead kings, and hewho speaks them shall die.[1] So shall your memory be preserved in theland for ever.
"Go now, ere my eyes rain tears like a woman's. At times as ye lookback down the path of life, or when ye are old and gather yourselvestogether to crouch before the fire, because for you the sun has no moreheat, ye will think of how we stood shoulder to shoulder, in that greatbattle which thy wise words planned, Macumazahn; of how thou wast thepoint of the horn that galled Twala's flank, Bougwan; whilst thou stoodin the ring of the Greys, Incubu, and men went down before thine axelike corn before a sickle; ay, and of how thou didst break that wildbull Twala's strength, and bring his pride to dust. Fare ye well forever, Incubu, Macumazahn, and Bougwan, my lords and my friends."
Ignosi rose and looked earnestly at us for a few seconds. Then he threwthe corner of his karross over his head, so as to cover his face fromus.
We went in silence.
Next day at dawn we left Loo, escorted by our old friend Infadoos, whowas heart-broken at our departure, and by the regiment of Buffaloes.Early as was the hour, all the main street of the town was lined withmultitudes of people, who gave us the royal salute as we passed at thehead of the regiment, while the women blessed us for having rid theland of Twala, throwing flowers before us as we went. It was reallyvery affecting, and not the sort of thing one is accustomed to meetwith from natives.
One ludicrous incident occurred, however, which I rather welcomed, asit gave us something to laugh at.
Just before we reached the confines of the town, a pretty young girl,with some lovely lilies in her hand, ran forward and presented them toGood--somehow they all seemed to like Good; I think his eye-glass andsolitary whisker gave him a fictitious value--and then said that shehad a boon to ask.
"Speak on," he answered.
"Let my lord show his servant his beautiful white legs, that hisservant may look upon them, and remember them all her days, and tell ofthem to her children; his servant has travelled four days' journey tosee them, for the fame of them has gone throughout the land."
"I'll be hanged if I do!" exclaimed Good excitedly.
"Come, come, my dear fellow," said Sir Henry, "you can't refuse tooblige a lady."
"I won't," replied Good obstinately; "it is positively indecent."
However, in the end he consented to draw up his trousers to the knee,amidst notes of rapturous admiration from all the women present,especially the gratified young lady, and in this guise he had to walktill we got clear of the town.
Good's legs, I fear, will never be so greatly admired again. Of hismelting teeth, and even of his "transparent eye," the Kukuanas weariedmore or less, but of his legs never.
As we travelled, Infadoos told us that there was another pass over themountains to the north of the one followed by Solomon's Great Road, orrather that there was a place where it was possible to climb down thewall of cliff which separates Kukuanaland from the desert, and isbroken by the towering shapes of Sheba's Breasts. It appeared, also,that rather more than two years previously a party of Kukuana huntershad descended this path into the desert in search of ostriches, whoseplumes are much prized among them for war head-dresses, and that in thecourse of their hunt they had been led far from the mountains and weremuch troubled by thirst. Seeing trees on the horizon, however, theywalked towards them, and discovered a large and fertile oasis somemiles in extent, and plentifully watered. It was by way of this oasisthat Infadoos suggested we should return, and the idea seemed to us agood one, for it appeared that we should thus escape the rigours of themountain pass. Also some of the hunters were in attendance to guide usto the oasis, from which, they stated, they could perceive otherfertile spots far away in the desert.[2]
Travelling easily, on the night of the fourth day's journey we foundourselves once more on the crest of the mountains that separateKukuanaland from the desert, which rolled away in sandy billows at ourfeet, and about twenty-five miles to the north of Sheba's Breasts.
At dawn on the following day, we were led to the edge of a veryprecipitous chasm, by which we were to descend the precipice, and gainthe plain two thousand and more feet below.
Here we bade farewell to that true friend and sturdy old warrior,Infadoos, who solemnly wished all good upon us, and nearly wept withgrief. "Never, my lords," he said, "shall mine old eyes see the like ofyou again. Ah! the way that Incubu cut his men down in the battle! Ah!for the sight of that stroke with which he swept off my brother Twala'shead! It was beautiful--beautiful! I may never hope to see suchanother, except perchance in happy dreams."
We were very sorry to part from him; indeed, Good was so moved that hegave him as a souvenir--what do you think?--an _eye-glass_; afterwardswe discovered that it was a spare one. Infadoos was delighted,foreseeing that the possession of such an article would increase hisprestige enormously, and after several vain attempts he actuallysucceeded in screwing it into his own eye. Anything more incongruousthan the old warrior looked with an eye-glass I never saw. Eye-glassesdo not go well with leopard-skin cloaks and black ostrich plumes.
Then, after seeing that our guides were well laden with water andprovisions, and having received a thundering farewell salute from theBuffaloes, we wrung Infadoos by the hand, and began our downward climb.A very arduous business it proved to be, but somehow that evening wefound ourselves at the bottom without accident.
"Do you know," said Sir Henry that night, as we sat by our fire andgazed up at the beetling cliffs above us, "I think that there are worseplaces than Kukuanaland in the world, and that I have known unhappiertimes than the last month or two, though I have never spent such queerones. Eh! you fellows?"
"I almost wish I were back," said Good, with a sigh.
As for myself, I reflected that all's well that ends well; but in thecourse of a long life of shaves, I never had such shaves as those whichI had recently experienced. The thought of that battle makes me feelcold all over, and as for our experience in the treasure chamber--!
Next morning we started on a toilsome trudge across the desert, havingwith us a good supply of water carried by our five guides, and campedthat night in the open, marching again at dawn on the morrow.
By noon of the third day's journey we could see the trees of the oasisof which the guides spoke, and within an hour of sundown we werewalking once more upon grass and l
istening to the sound of runningwater.
[1] This extraordinary and negative way of showing intense respect isby no means unknown among African people, and the result is that if, asis usual, the name in question has a significance, the meaning must beexpressed by an idiom or other word. In this way a memory is preservedfor generations, or until the new word utterly supplants the old.
[2] It often puzzled all of us to understand how it was possible thatIgnosi's mother, bearing the child with her, should have survived thedangers of her journey across the mountains and the desert, dangerswhich so nearly proved fatal to ourselves. It has since occurred to me,and I give the idea to the reader for what it is worth, that she musthave taken this second route, and wandered out like Hagar into thewilderness. If she did so, there is no longer anything inexplicableabout the story, since, as Ignosi himself related, she may well havebeen picked up by some ostrich hunters before she or the child wasexhausted, was led by them to the oasis, and thence by stages to thefertile country, and so on by slow degrees southwards to Zululand.--A.Q.