CHAPTER XXI.
HAFFGO, KING OF THE MURHAPAS.
It was a memorable interview which the explorers held with Haffgo, kingof the mighty Murhapas.
Since Bippo and Pedros were servants, they were not admitted to anaudience with the potentate. Ziffak conducted the others into the hutadjoining the palace. This was his own building, where his aged motherhad charge. She understood matters from her son, and the frightenedfellows were made to feel that they were safe for a time from theannoyances and persecutions of the multitude.
The apartment was an oblong one, being at the front, and wascharacteristically furnished. Instead of the smooth bare ground whichformed the floors of the other buildings, the palace was entirelycovered with the skins of wild animals, gaudily stained. The wholelooked like a gorgeous, oriental carpet, which was as soft as down tothe tread.
There were no chairs or benches for auditors, for no one presumed tosit in the presence of majesty. The walls were hung with the samespecies of ornamented furs, set off here and there by spears, bows andarrows, arranged in fantastic fashion.
At the further end of the apartment, was a platform several feet high,with a broad seat, covered with still more brilliant peltries, afootstool, and on each side a vase of magnificent flowers. These vaseswere of native manufacture, beautifully ornamented, while the flowerswere of a radiant loveliness, such as are seen nowhere outside oftropical countries. Their delicious fragrance filled the apartment andaffected the strangers the moment the blanket was pulled aside byZiffak and they stepped within the royal reception room.
On each side was a broad open window, without glass, which admittedenough sunlight to flood the place with illumination.
At the right of the dais or throne, the curtains were draped so as toserve as a door for the king or any member of the royal household toenter or withdraw.
On this barbaric throne sat the extraordinary personage known as KingHaffgo, ruler of the warlike Murhapas.
To say the least, his appearance was stunning, if not bewildering.
In the first place, it maybe doubted whether the intrinsic value of hiscrown was not the equal of any that can be found to-day in themonarchical countries of Europe, Asia or Africa. Its foundation seemedto be a network of golden wire, in which were set scores upon scores ofdiamonds, weighing from five to ten carats apiece, with a central sunthe equal of the great Pitt diamond. The coruscations from thesebrilliants were overwhelming. As the king moved his head whilespeaking, every hue of the rainbow flashed and scintillated, the raysat times seeming to dart entirely across the room.
In addition, the neck of Haffgo was encircled by a double string of thesame dazzling jewels, of hardly less magnitude; while the wrist of theright hand, which rested on a large javelin, was clasped by a goldenbracelet of what appeared to be living fire.
The king was dressed in a species of thin cloth, gathered by a girdleat the waist. The crimson tint of this garment was relieved by figuresof the sun, moon and stars, of dragons, birds, beasts and reptiles ingold. One of his feet was visible, disclosing a species of sandal suchas is seen among the natives of the East Indies.
Had King Haffgo been encountered anywhere else, he would have been setdown as a European with an unusually fair complexion. It bore noliking to that of the African or native Murhapa. His skin had none ofthat chalky, transparent appearance shown by the Albinos, but wasalmost pinkish and ruddy.
His bushy hair was not white, but of a decided brown, his eyes hazel,his nose Roman, with a strong chin and a keen expression, such as wasnatural to a man who had reigned an absolute autocrat all his life.
He was about fifty years of age, but his face was wrinkled like a manof threescore and more.
King Haffgo was seated on his throne when his visitors were usheredinto his presence, as though he expected and was waiting for them.
The white men were unacquainted with the etiquette prevailing in thisbarbaric court, but there are certain ceremonies which are received asexpressive of courtesy and obeisance the world over.
Ziffak gave no instructions; but, placing himself at the side ofProfessor Grimcke on the left, he surveyed his friends with muchcuriosity, as if waiting to see how they would conduct themselves.
Grimcke, Long and Ashman removed their hats and bowed slowly, bendingtheir heads almost to their knees. Then, as they straightened upagain, the Professor, who took upon himself the duty of spokesman, said:
"We greet the great King Haffgo, and beg that he will accept the homageof his brothers from their homes near the great water."
"Why do my brothers come from their homes to hunt out the king of theMurhapas, when he has not asked them to come?"
These words were uttered almost exactly as given. The accent was thickand somewhat broken, but they showed an astonishing command of theEnglish tongue, and proved that Waggaman and Burkhardt had found someexceedingly apt pupils among this people.
It is not necessary to give the interview in detail. There was acertain stateliness about the manner of the king which was remarkablybecoming. His guests had prepared themselves, when starting out ontheir exploring enterprise, to make friends, by providing a largesupply of gaudy trinkets, such as is always pleasing to the averagesavage; but, when they saw the wonderful crown and diamond ornaments ofthis autocrat, they were ashamed to let the baubles in their possessionbe seen.
They consisted mainly of children's toys; and, since they were entirelydifferent from anything in the country, Professor Grimcke finally madebold to offer them, with another low obeisance, to his majesty. Thelatter may have been delighted, but, if so, he did not allow it toappear in his face or manner.
Fred Ashman handed him two brightly-polished knives, fashioned somewhatafter the familiar Bowie pattern, and, despite his reserve, it was easyto see that they pleased him more than anything else.
Jared Long's present was a handsomely-carved meerschaum pipe. The kingwas an inveterate smoker, and, even if he didn't do anything more thannod his head when it was placed in his hand, he ought to have been verygrateful.
Despite the pains which our friends took to win the good will of KingHaffgo, it was apparent to all three that their visit was not welcome.Waggaman and Burkhardt may not have whispered anything in his ear aboutthem, but the ruler was thoroughly filled with a distrust of all whitemen, the only exceptions being the ones that were the cause of thisdistrust.
Being a man of unquestioned native sagacity, it needed nothing morefrom his first guests than their accounts of what the other race wasdoing in the cities and towns along the sea coasts. Any people whobuilded canoes large enough to cross the awful waste of waters in questof diamonds and gold, were sure to seize the chance to force their wayup the Xingu where much more boundless wealth awaited them.
The famous diamond mines of Brazil were not very far from this portionof the Matto Grosso, and the pains which the emperors of Brazil hadtaken to draw a part of their riches from the earth was all the proofHaffgo could ask of the rapacity of the nations which called themselvescivilized.
Now, while this remarkable ruler could not always make certain that nowhite men should enter his dominions, there remained a very good chanceof preventing such intruders from getting away again, carrying theglowing accounts of what they had discovered. So long as he couldmaintain this condition of affairs, so long was he safe; for if he"absorbed" every foreigner ascending the Xingu, the supply could neverexceed the demand.
The King conversed with not only the Professor, but with Long andAshman in turn. They were as deferential as they knew how to be, butall the same, their sagacity told them he bore them no good will, andwould have been much better pleased had the Aryks wiped them out beforethey ascended the rapids.
At the conclusion of the interview, which lasted about half an hour,the King Haffgo informed them they were at liberty to remain two daysin the village, during which they were not to pass outside itsboundaries. At the expiration of the period named, they would beallowed to descend the X
ingu to their homes, under their pledge to tellno person what they had seen and learned about the Murhapas.