CHAPTER IX
THE STORE AT UMVELOS'
I sat down on a chair and laboured to collect my thoughts. Laputa hadgone, and would return sooner or later with Henriques. If I was toremain alive till morning, both of them must be convinced that I washarmless. Laputa was probably of that opinion, but Henriques wouldrecognize me, and I had no wish to have that yellow miscreantinvestigating my character. There was only one way out of it--I must beincapably drunk. There was not a drop of liquor in the store, but Ifound an old whisky bottle half full of methylated spirits. With thisI thought I might raise an atmosphere of bad whisky, and for the rest Imust trust to my meagre gifts as an actor.
Supposing I escaped suspicion, Laputa and Henriques would meet in theouthouse, and I must find some means of overhearing them. Here I wasfairly baffled. There was no window in the outhouse save in the roof,and they were sure to shut and bolt the door. I might conceal myselfamong the barrels inside; but apart from the fact that they were likelyto search them before beginning their conference, it was quite certainthat they would satisfy themselves that I was safe in the other end ofthe building before going to the outhouse.
Suddenly I thought of the cellar which we had built below the store.There was an entrance by a trap-door behind the counter, and another inthe outhouse. I had forgotten the details, but my hope was that thesecond was among the barrels. I shut the outer door, prised up thetrap, and dropped into the vault, which had been floored roughly withgreen bricks. Lighting match after match, I crawled to the other endand tried to lift the door. It would not stir, so I guessed that thebarrels were on the top of it. Back to the outhouse I went, and foundthat sure enough a heavy packing-case was standing on a corner. Ifixed it slightly open, so as to let me hear, and so arranged the oddsand ends round about it that no one looking from the floor of theouthouse would guess at its existence. It occurred to me that theconspirators would want seats, so I placed two cases at the edge of theheap, that they might not be tempted to forage in the interior.
This done, I went back to the store and proceeded to rig myself out formy part. The cellar had made me pretty dirty, and I added some newdaubs to my face. My hair had grown longish, and I ran my handsthrough it till it stood up like a cockatoo's crest. Then I cunninglydisposed the methylated spirits in the places most likely to smell. Iburned a little on the floor, I spilt some on the counter and on myhands, and I let it dribble over my coat. In five minutes I had madethe room stink like a shebeen. I loosened the collar of my shirt, andwhen I looked at myself in the cover of my watch I saw a specimen ofdebauchery which would have done credit to a Saturday night's policecell.
By this time the sun had gone down, but I thought it better to kindleno light. It was the night of the full moon--for which reason, Isupposed, Laputa had selected it--and in an hour or two the world wouldbe lit with that ghostly radiance. I sat on the counter while theminutes passed, and I confess I found the time of waiting very tryingfor my courage. I had got over my worst nervousness by havingsomething to do, but whenever I was idle my fears returned. Laputa hada big night's work before him, and must begin soon. My vigil, I toldmyself, could not be long.
My pony was stalled in a rough shed we had built opposite the store. Icould hear him shaking his head and stamping the ground above thecroaking of the frogs by the Labongo. Presently it seemed to me thatanother sound came from behind the store--the sound of horses' feet andthe rattle of bridles. It was hushed for a moment, and then I heardhuman voices. The riders had tied up their horses to a tree and werecoming nearer.
I sprawled gracefully on the counter, the empty bottle in my hand, andmy eyes fixed anxiously on the square of the door, which was filledwith the blue glimmer of the late twilight. The square darkened, andtwo men peered in. Colin growled from below the counter, but with onehand I held the scruff of his neck.
'Hullo,' I said, 'ish that my black friend? Awfly shorry, old man, butI've f'nish'd th' whisky. The bo-o-ottle shempty,' and I waved itupside down with an imbecile giggle.
Laputa said something which I did not catch. Henriques laughed an uglylaugh.
'We had better make certain of him,' he said.
The two argued for a minute, and then Laputa seemed to prevail. Thedoor was shut and the key, which I had left in the lock, turned on me.
I gave them five minutes to get to the outhouse and settle to business.Then I opened the trap, got into the cellar, and crawled to the otherend. A ray of light was coming through the partially raised door. Bya blessed chance some old bricks had been left behind, and of these Imade a footstool, which enabled me to get my back level with the doorand look out. My laager of barrels was intact, but through a gap I hadleft I could see the two men sitting on the two cases I had providedfor them. A lantern was set between them, and Henriques was drinkingout of a metal flask.
He took something--I could not see what--out of his pocket, and held itbefore his companion.
'Spoils of war,' he said. 'I let Sikitola's men draw first blood. Theyneeded it to screw up their courage. Now they are as wild as Umbooni's.
Laputa asked a question.
'It was the Dutchmen, who were out on the Koodoo Flats with theircattle. Man, it's no good being squeamish. Do you think you can talkover these surly back-veld fools? If we had not done it, the best oftheir horses would now be over the Berg to give warning. Besides, Itell you, Sikitola's men wanted blooding. I did for the old swine,Coetzee, with my own hands. Once he set his dogs on me, and I don'tforget an injury.'
Laputa must have disapproved, for Henriques' voice grew high.
'Run the show the way you please,' he cried; 'but don't blame me if youmake a hash of it. God, man, do you think you are going to work arevolution on skim milk? If I had my will, I would go in and stick aknife in the drunken hog next door.'
'He is safe enough,' Laputa replied. 'I gave him the chance of life,and he laughed at me. He won't get far on his road home.'
This was pleasant hearing for me, but I scarcely thought of myself. Iwas consumed with a passion of fury against the murdering yellow devil.With Laputa I was not angry; he was an open enemy, playing a fair game.But my fingers itched to get at the Portugoose--that double-dyedtraitor to his race. As I thought of my kindly old friends, lyingbutchered with their kinsfolk out in the bush, hot tears of rage cameto my eyes. Perfect love casteth out fear, the Bible says; but, tospeak it reverently, so does perfect hate. Not for safety and a king'sransom would I have drawn back from the game. I prayed for one thingonly, that God in His mercy would give me the chance of settling withHenriques.
I fancy I missed some of the conversation, being occupied with my ownpassion. At any rate, when I next listened the two were deep in plans.Maps were spread beside them, and Laputa's delicate forefinger wastracing a route. I strained my ears, but could catch only a few names.Apparently they were to keep in the plains till they had crossed theKlein Labongo and the Letaba. I thought I caught the name of the fordof the latter; it sounded like Dupree's Drift. After that the talkbecame plainer, for Laputa was explaining in his clear voice. The forcewould leave the bush, ascend the Berg by the glen of the Groot Letaba,and the first halt would be called at a place called Inanda's Kraal,where a promontory of the high-veld juts out behind the peaks calledthe Wolkberg or Cloud Mountains. All this was very much to the point,and the names sunk into my memory like a die into wax.
'Meanwhile,' said Laputa, 'there is the gathering at Ntabakaikonjwa.[1]It will take us three hours' hard riding to get there.'
Where on earth was Ntabakaikonjwa? It must be the native name for theRooirand, for after all Laputa was not likely to use the Dutch word forhis own sacred place.
'Nothing has been forgotten. The men are massed below the cliffs, andthe chiefs and the great indunas will enter the Place of the Snake.The door will be guarded, and only the password will get a man through.That word is "Immanuel," which means, "God with us."'
'Well, when we get there, what happens?' Henrique
s asked with a laugh.'What kind of magic will you spring on us?'
There was a strong contrast between the flippant tone of the Portugooseand the grave voice which answered him.
'The Keeper of the Snake will open the holy place, and bring forth theIsetembiso sami.[2] As the leader of my people, I will assume thecollar of Umkulunkulu in the name of our God and the spirits of thegreat dead.'
'But you don't propose to lead the march in a necklace of rubies,' saidHenriques, with a sudden eagerness in his voice.
Again Laputa spoke gravely, and, as it were, abstractedly. I heard thevoice of one whose mind was fixed on a far horizon.
'When I am acclaimed king, I restore the Snake to its Keeper, and swearnever to clasp it on my neck till I have led my people to victory.'
'I see,' said Henriques. 'What about the purification you mentioned?'
I had missed this before and listened earnestly.
'The vows we take in the holy place bind us till we are purged of themat Inanda's Kraal. Till then no blood must be shed and no flesh eaten.It was the fashion of our forefathers.'
'Well, I think you've taken on a pretty risky job,' Henriques said.'You propose to travel a hundred miles, binding yourself not to strikea blow. It is simply putting yourself at the mercy of any policepatrol.'
'There will be no patrol,' Laputa replied. 'Our march will be assecret and as swift as death. I have made my preparations.'
'But suppose you met with opposition,' the Portugoose persisted, 'wouldthe rule hold?'
'If any try to stop us, we shall tie them hand and foot, and carry themwith us. Their fate will be worse than if they had been slain inbattle.'
'I see,' said Henriques, whistling through his teeth. 'Well, before westart this vow business, I think I'll go back and settle thatstorekeeper.'
Laputa shook his head. 'Will you be serious and hear me? We have notime to knife harmless fools. Before we start for Ntabakaikonjwa Imust have from you the figures of the arming in the south. That is theone thing which remains to be settled.'
I am certain these figures would have been most interesting, but Inever heard them. My feet were getting cramped with standing on thebricks, and I inadvertently moved them. The bricks came down with arattle, and unfortunately in slipping I clutched at the trap. This wastoo much for my frail prop, and the door slammed down with a greatnoise.
Here was a nice business for the eavesdropper! I scurried along thepassage as stealthily as I could and clambered back into the store,while I heard the sound of Laputa and Henriques ferreting among thebarrels. I managed to throttle Colin and prevent him barking, but Icould not get the confounded trap to close behind me. Something hadjammed in it, and it remained half a foot open.
I heard the two approaching the door, and I did the best thing thatoccurred to me. I pulled Colin over the trap, rolled on the top ofhim, and began to snore heavily as if in a drunken slumber.
The key was turned, and the gleam of a lantern was thrown on the wall.It flew up and down as its bearer cast the light into the corners.
'By God, he's gone,' I heard Henriques say. 'The swine was listening,and he has bolted now.'
'He won't bolt far,' Laputa said. 'He is here. He is snoring behindthe counter.'
These were anxious moments for me. I had a firm grip on Colin'sthroat, but now and then a growl escaped, which was fortunately blendedwith my snores. I felt that a lantern was flashed on me, and that thetwo men were peering down at the heap on the half-opened trap. I thinkthat was the worst minute I ever spent, for, as I have said, my couragewas not so bad in action, but in a passive game it oozed out of myfingers.
'He is safe enough,' Laputa said, after what seemed to me an eternity.'The noise was only the rats among the barrels.' I thanked my Makerthat they had not noticed the other trap-door. 'All the same I thinkI'll make him safer,' said Henriques.
Laputa seemed to have caught him by the arm.
'Come back and get to business,' he said. 'I've told you I'll have nomore murder. You will do as I tell you, Mr Henriques.'
I did not catch the answer, but the two went out and locked the door.I patted the outraged Colin, and got to my feet with an aching sidewhere the confounded lid of the trap had been pressing. There was notime to lose for the two in the outhouse would soon be setting out, andI must be before them.
With no better light than a ray of the moon through the window, I wrotea message on a leaf from my pocket-book. I told of the plans I hadoverheard, and especially I mentioned Dupree's Drift on the Letaba. Iadded that I was going to the Rooirand to find the secret of the cave,and in one final sentence implored Arcoll to do justice on thePortugoose. That was all, for I had no time for more. I carefullytied the paper with a string below the collar of the dog.
Then very quietly I went into the bedroom next door--the side of thestore farthest from the outhouse. The place was flooded withmoonlight, and the window stood open, as I had left it in theafternoon. As softly as I could I swung Colin over the sill andclambered after him. In my haste I left my coat behind me with mypistol in the pocket.
Now came a check. My horse was stabled in the shed, and that was closeto the outhouse. The sound of leading him out would most certainlybring Laputa and Henriques to the door. In that moment I all butchanged my plans. I thought of slipping back to the outhouse andtrying to shoot the two men as they came forth. But I reflected that,before I could get them both, one or other would probably shoot me.Besides, I had a queer sort of compunction about killing Laputa. Iunderstood now why Arcoll had stayed his hand from murder, and I wasbeginning to be of his opinion on our arch-enemy.
Then I remembered the horses tied up in the bush. One of them I couldget with perfect safety. I ran round the end of the store and into thethicket, keeping on soft grass to dull my tread. There, tied up to amerula tree, were two of the finest beasts I had seen in Africa. Iselected the better, an Africander stallion of the _blaauw-schimmel_, orblue-roan type, which is famous for speed and endurance. Slipping hisbridle from the branch, I led him a little way into the bush in thedirection of the Rooirand.
Then I spoke to Colin. 'Home with you,' I said. 'Home, old man, as ifyou were running down a tsessebe.'[3]
The dog seemed puzzled. 'Home,' I said again, pointing west in thedirection of the Berg. 'Home, you brute.'
And then he understood. He gave one low whine, and cast a reproachfuleye on me and the blue roan. Then he turned, and with his head downset off with great lopes on the track of the road I had ridden in themorning.
A second later and I was in the saddle, riding hell-for-leather for thenorth.
[1] Literally, 'The Hill which is not to be pointed at'.
[2] Literally, 'Very sacred thing'.
[3] A species of buck, famous for its speed.