If the Amazons, whose existence has just come to our knowledge are
too formidable for us to make light of them, we must on no account
allow it to be supposed that they cause us any alarm.
Consequently, de Morin, addressing the King, went on to say—
"I can quite understand that your troops, armed only with lances and
clubs, are afraid of the Queen of the Walindis and her female
warriors. But it need not be the same with us, because our arms
enable us to keep the enemy at a distance, and so avoid the hand to
hand conflicts which you describe as being so deadly."
"I know your arms," replied the King, "your fellow-countryman spoke
to me of their effect. I know that they make thunder, but I also know
that they cannot always make it. The time comes sooner or later when
they are of no more use than these clubs of ours which you appear to
despise."
M. de Guéran had evidently explained to Kadjoro, so far as such a
thing was possible, the mechanism of fire-arms, and the negro king
was fully aware of their uselessness without ammunition.
"You are quite right," replied de Morin, holding up his rifle, "in
supposing that there is a time when this weapon can no longer kill.
But a few moments alone would suffice to disperse or destroy the
whole force of Walindis. Ask your ally how long it took to conquer
the Domondoos after we appeared on the scene."
Kadjoro drew himself up. We had not convinced him.
"My neighbours in the south," said he, "are far more formidable than
those in the north. I do not fear the Domondoos, but I do dread the
Walindis. You may massacre one half of their array, and the remainder
will exterminate you and yours. Your father knew their power and
shared my fears."
"Which, by the way," replied de Morin, "did not prevent him from
venturing into the midst of them alone. We cannot hesitate to do what
he has done, more especially when his safety is at stake."
Kadjoro, obstinate as all negroes are, did not budge an inch.
"Your fellow-countryman was alone," he persisted, "and there was no
reason to fear him; his life has, therefore, probably been spared.
You are numerous and well-armed, and, consequently, they will kill
you."
"Very well, they will kill us," exclaimed de Morin and Delange,
simultaneously, my voice coming up behind like an echo.
Instead of admiring us, Kadjoro looked at us with a pitying air; with
him wisdom and prudence predominated over enthusiasm. But the King of
the Monbuttoos came to our rescue; if Kadjoro had the bump of
obstinacy very strongly developed, his African brother was proud to
excess, and de Morin at once made every effort to rouse that pride.
Munza fell into the trap immediately, and, taking the King of the
Maleggas aside, told him that he would never abandon the white
people, who were his guests and his friends, but that he would march
with them against the tribe which held their father in captivity.
"In that case you will be utterly annihilated," observed Kadjoro,
calmly.
Nothing could have served our purpose better than this speech. Munza
was furious, declaring that his army was invincible, and that he
would soon prove it. If Madame de Guéran had not joined us in
smoothing him down, he would have declared war, on the nail, against
the King of the Maleggas in order to show his power. But, from that
moment we could rely upon our powerful ally; he was determined to
have a trial of strength with the Walindis. It is quite possible that
the cunning Kadjoro was playing a similar game to our own; he was
urging Munza on against his own inconvenient and dangerous
neighbours, people whom he dared not attack, but whom his ally, led
away by his pride, was bent on fighting. Whatever might be the result
of the struggle, the King of the Maleggas had nothing to lose, and
everything to gain; a defeat of the Monbuttoos would render them less
exacting as regards an ally who had up to that time been treated by
them as a vassal, whilst their success, on the other hand, would
diminish the power of the Walindis, and, perhaps, do away with his
paying any further tribute to them. Negro monarchs are, very
frequently, rather clever politicians, and Kadjoro, more intelligent
than his contemporaries, might, if the worst came to the worst, not
only turn diplomatist, but be a grand success in that line.
In the course of one hour we had made a great step in advance; we had
received the most positive information that, six months previously,
the Baron de Guéran had started off in the direction of Ulindi and we
had strong reasons for supposing that he was still in that territory,
only a few days' march from us. Finally, Munza, who might very
reasonably have declined to proceed any farther southwards, had
decided, not merely from a desire to please Madame de Guéran, but
impelled by his pride as a negro and a king, to accompany us, and,
with us, attempt fresh adventures. It was no longer an effort to
induce him to move onwards; on the contrary, we had our work cut out
to limit his zeal, and tone down an eagerness, which, if applied in a
wrong direction, would do us positive harm.
In reality, if, as Kadjoro asserted, his neighbours are formidable,
Munza's army, notwithstanding our support, may be defeated and
exterminated, and we may share its fate. In our interest, therefore,
in that of Madame de Guéran—in short, on all accounts we must, if we
can manage it, avoid coming to blows with this Venus in ebony, as
Delange persists in calling her.
Madame de Guéran, whose influence over Munza was all the greater by
reason of her never condescending to make use of it, undertook to
preach prudence to the King, without, however, extinguishing all his
warlike fire. She advised him to send to Walinda a regular embassy,
charged with proposals for an alliance and a request for an
interview. If the Queen assented, the army of the Monbuttoos would
enter the neighbouring territory peaceably, and would assist us in
our endeavour to liberate our compatriot. If, on the other hand,
Walinda declined the alliance, that army would march against her, and
the Europeans, with easy consciences, this time fighting on their own
behalf, would render assistance to the Monbuttoos.
One difficulty, however, presented itself. How were Munza's
ambassadors to react the Queen, in a country ever on the alert,
always suspicious, and where the chiefs of districts had orders to
treat all strangers as enemies?
Kadjoro helped us out of this dilemma. It was his time for paying the
Walindis his annual tribute, and he offered to let his envoys
accompany ours. Munza's officers would mingle indiscriminately with
the Maleggas, would pass unnoticed in their midst, and in that way
would reach the royal palace, situated at the other extremity of the
kingdom, at the foot, according to all accounts, of the mountains.
This offer was accepted, and we took a speedy leave of Kadjoro. Our
departure was as simple as our arrival had been; a little music, a
few shouts, and that was all. Whether the King of the Maleggas had a
contempt for excessive pomp and show, or whether he was not in a
position to display it, his reception of us was not to be named in
the same breath with that vouchsafed by the King of the Monbuttoos,
except that it was far more frank and cordial.
As soon as we got back to camp, de Morin joined me, and, taking his
arm, I said—
"You are quite of opinion, are you not, that the despatch of Munza's
ambassadors to Ulindi will not suffice for us? They are going to
propose an alliance and an interview, very important, I admit, if M.
de Guéran is a prisoner there, which is possible, probable even, but
by no means certain. The great point with us is to find out whether
the Baron is actually present in the neighbouring district, and to
commit that task to somebody on whom we can rely."
"Precisely so," replied de Morin, "and I pushed on the business of
the embassy in order to settle the question of M. de Guéran with as
little delay as possible. If we receive news of his death, we shall
then only have to get rid of Munza, and try to reach Zanzibar by some
route more to the south, which will enable us to avoid these terrible
Walindis. In that case, we might skirt the Blue Mountains and reach
Lake Victoria by Ouando, without paying any attention to Lake Albert.
For Delange's sake I shall be sorry to make this _détour_, for he is
burning to see this Venus in ebony of his, but, before all things, I
must look after our own safety. If, on the other hand, our envoy
should find M. de Guéran a prisoner in the hands of the neighbouring
tribe, we will endeavour to communicate with him, and get him to tell
us what plan he may have formed for escape."
"Admirably conceived," said I, "but have you settled who this trusted
envoy is to be? He must be brave, reliable, intelligent, devoted, and
prudent. Who is there amongst us who unites in himself these
indispensable qualifications?"
"Delange, you, and I," replied de Morin. "But we cannot ask the
doctor to make such a sacrifice; it would be taking advantage of him.
As for you, my dear Périères, though I detest you as my rival, I have
the sincerest friendship for you, and I could not suggest your doing
what I myself am incapable of undertaking. My devotion to Madame de
Guéran stops at the point of making myself an object of ridicule."
"Ridicule?" I repeated. "I do not understand you. What do you mean?"
"What!" replied de Morin. "Cannot you see that, taking into
consideration the hostile attitude of the Walindis, a white man could
only form part of the proposed embassy by metamorphosing himself
entirely, and passing for a Malegga or a Monbuttoo? Not a very
difficult business, either; I would undertake to transmogrify myself
in an hour into a savage, and the transformation would be a success,
I assure you. But the fear of ridicule, as I have already told you,
is precisely the thing that holds me back. I know what women are;
there are certain impressions which they cannot get over. Madame de
Guéran, as soon as she knew that I was going to set out alone to
discover her husband, would exclaim—'What a splendid fellow that M.
de Morin is, and how devoted!' But when I appeared on the scene,
clean shaved, with ostrich feathers in my hair, powdered with cinders
to darken my skin, still too white despite the efforts of the sun,
tattoed with all the colours of the rainbow, three parts dressed in
cow-hide breeches, with naked feet, a club in one hand, and a shield
in the other, she would burst out laughing and show all her pretty
teeth, and I should be for ever lost, as far as she is concerned. And
her husband? Cannot you picture to yourself her husband refusing to
take me for an European? I should have to say to him—'I am not a
savage, as you think I am; I am a Parisian, M. de Morin, Rue
Taitbout, near Tortoni's. I have been chasing you for the last six
months, in company with your wife, whom I love. I am going back to
her, give me some message to take with me—' No, my dear Périères, a
thousand times no! Notwithstanding my devotion, I have not the
courage to make myself so ridiculous, and I advise you to follow the
example of my reserve. If, however, in spite of my advice, you choose
to convert yourself into a savage—you will, perhaps, play the part
more naturally than I should—I have nothing more to say, and I will
let you go without displaying any great amount of annoyance. The
friend will be grieved indeed, but the rival will rub his hands."
"Let the friend make his mind quite easy," I replied, "and do not let
the rival be in too great a hurry to rejoice, I cannot, any more than
you, afford to run counter to prejudice. Let us give up the idea of
sacrificing ourselves, and turn our attention to finding somebody who
will sacrifice himself in our stead, and allow us to travesty him."
"Let us think," said de Morin.
He thought for a moment, and then exclaimed—
"Eureka!"
"Who is it?"
"Miss Poles."