The idea of disguising Miss Poles as a savage was more amusing than
practical. I remarked to de Morin that she would be in the same boat
with ourselves; she lacked neither the courage nor the intelligence
for such an adventure, but she would dread ridicule as much as we
did. And besides this, I felt bound to point out that the scanty
amount of costume allowed for the part would be another obstacle in
the way.
"You see, my dear fellow," I continued, "that we must lose no time in
finding a substitute for Miss Poles. Munza, as regards energy and
promptitude of decision, has nothing of the negro about him. I can
see him down below there in the midst of his officers. He has very
likely made his choice of ambassadors by this time, and by to-morrow,
if not to-night, they may be on the road. We must think again."
"What do you say to Nassar? He is trusty and devoted to us."
"He is a Dinka," I replied. "There would be considerable difficulty
in passing him off as a Malegga or a Monbuttoo. These people cannot
help betraying their nationality, because, to say nothing of other
details, their gums, deprived, according to the custom of their
country, of several teeth, would at once call attention to them. In
addition to this, Nassar is proud of his so-called uniform,
especially his boots. You would have some diflficulty in persuading
him to leave those off, seeing that he would be afraid of losing his
_prestige_. Nassar is no more destitute of _amour-propre_ than we
are."
"There only remain," said de Morin, "our two Arab interpreters, Omar
and Ali. The latter, especially, has given us many proofs of his
devotion, courage, and intelligence. To him, as well as to you, I owe
my rescue from bondage amongst the Bedouins of El-Hejaz."
"Happy thought!" I exclaimed. "Our brave Ali will do capitally. He
has for a long time been complaining of his inaction; he is jealous
of Nassar, who is, in these parts, the more useful of the two, and he
will, I have no doubt, be thoroughly satisfied with our choice."
"But," observed de Morin, "he does not understand the dialect of the
country."
"So much the better. Will not his sole duty consist of looking about
him, making observations, and telling us what he has seen? It would
be dangerous for him to question the Walindis about M. de Guéran; he
would at once, in that case, rouse their suspicions, and the Queen
must at all hazards be kept in ignorance that any search is on foot
after her prisoner. We ought to rejoice over Ali's ignorance of the
language. He will be mute—at all events until he meets M. de Guéran
and can speak to him. He knows quite enough of French for that."
"You have convinced me," said de Morin. "Let us go to the Baroness,
who is chatting, as you see, with Delange, and apprise her of our
plan. If she approves, we must act without loss of time."
The same evening our interpreter, Ali, was in a position to pass as a
native of the country. His olive tint would not have been suspected
by a Malegga, and, on the score of tattooing, de Morin, who took that
in hand, had succeeded admirably.
"Ah," said he, as he covered our interpreter's skin with suns,
arabesques, birds, and animals, "how I should have enjoyed doing this
on Miss Poles' back! It is really too cruel that an artist is not
allowed to choose his own canvas."
Whilst de Morin was thus transforming an Arab into a Malegga, Delange
and I drew up a letter intended for M. de Guéran, in case our envoy
should meet him without being able to speak to him.
This note was couched in the following terms—
"An expedition, sent from Europe in search of you, is aware of your
being a prisoner amongst the Walindis. Lose no time in joining it in
the country of your former host, Kadjoro, or, if that is out of your
power, send a line by our envoy to let us know how best we can rescue
you."
We had settled with Madame de Guéran that her name was not to be
mentioned, because if the Baron were to know that his wife, whom he
believed to be in Paris, was so near him, he might be tempted, in
order to join her, to commit some act of imprudence which would cost
him his life.
The embassy, composed of ten Monbuttoos, thirty Maleggas, with whom
went Ali, and a thousand oxen, sent by Kadjoro as tribute to Queen
Walinda, started on the 10th of October. A month must elapse before
their return, and that time was barely sufficient to accomplish the
end de Morin had in view—to form a battalion capable of aiding us and
reinforcing our escort. This body, according to our friend's idea,
was to be composed of a hundred men, armed with rifles and revolvers.
We had arms enough for such a number, and we looked to the King of
the Monbuttoos to furnish us with the men. We had, hitherto, refused
to let him have any of our reserve arms, because we were afraid that
we might have to fight him in order to regain our liberty. This fear
was still present with us, but it had to yield before a necessity
that might soon be ours—that of coming to blows with the renowned and
formidable people of Ulindi.
Munza, following our advice, chose, with the greatest care, from out
his army a hundred tried men, who were placed under the direct orders
of de Morin. The latter armed them, taught them how to use their
rifles and revolvers, and gave them firing drill every day. In
conjunction with our Nubians, they formed a very respectable
battalion, quite capable of keeping the Walindis, male and female, in
check. At the same time, calling to my recollection what I had learnt
during the siege of Paris, I taught them battalion drill to a certain
extent, including skirmishing, rallying on a given point, and such
other evolutions as had not escaped my memory.
Kadjoro smiled as he saw all this going on. He began to admit, but
only to himself, that his terrible neighbour, to whom he had just
sent the flower of his flocks and herds, might, thanks to us, very
probably become less formidable. But, as a man of prudence, he
obstinately refused to allow his army to join that of Munza. He was
both frank in his refusal, and logical in his reason for it.
"If I unite with you to fight the Walindis," he said to his African
colleague, "you, as soon as the war is over, will hasten to return to
your own country with your prisoners and your booty—_voila tout_, as
far as you are concerned. The Queen will never revenge herself by
attacking you in your dominions; you live too far away, and you are
too powerful. But I, as her next-door neighbour, shall have to bear
the brunt of her vengeance, and she will make me pay dearly for the
damage I have done in concert with you. If, on the contrary, she
defeats us, she will not rest until she has taken possession of my
kingdom—a long-cherished wish on her part. I would rather that she
did not recognize any of my soldiers in the ranks of your army. By
these means she will have nothing wherewith to reproach me, and we
shall continue to live on terms of good understanding."
Whilst we were doing our best to carry out the transformation of
Munza's army, Madame de Guéran lived quite apart from us. The various
phases of emotion through which she had passed, her continual state
of apprehension, fear, and uncertainty, added, possibly, to the
dryness of the season and its abnormal heat, completely shook her
nervous system, and rendered her subject to an intermittent fever,
which even quinine was powerless to subdue. She never went outside
the tolerably spacious hut erected for her by Kadjoro, and only
received us at long intervals. We respected the seclusion imposed
upon her by her mental anxiety and bodily sufferings, and de Morin
and I were quite men enough to understand the trouble she was in, and
the struggle going on within her mind. Delange, who was confidant and
doctor in one, said to us sometimes—
"She suffers terribly, I assure you; but she is a charming woman!"
A charming woman! We know that only too well for the sake of our
peace of mind.
This moral prostration from which Madame de Guéran was suffering, and
the fever which kept her a prisoner in her hut, presented, at all
events, one advantage. Munza, whose passion had seemed to increase, a
circumstance which placed us in a perpetual state of anxiety lest we
should have to repress some folly on his part, became gradually
calmer as his idol was no longer visible.
Love in a negro, there is no disguising the fact, is exclusively
material; the heart is not concerned in it, and memory vanishes with
the disappearance of the object beloved. These imperfect beings are
cognizant of the transport of passion, but the infinite tenderness of
love is a sealed book to them. Absence, which revives our love,
extinguishes theirs; neither in thought nor in imagination can they
to-day dwell upon the being they worshipped yesterday. Sickness,
also, instinctively repels them; accustomed to look down upon a woman
and to regard her as a beast of burden, she becomes to them a useless
incumbrance and devoid of existence from the moment she succumbs to
bodily suffering. I am persuaded that Munza, infatuated yesterday,
and ready to become so again to-morrow, is to-day so calm and
tranquil in mind that, if it were not for his pride and obstinacy, he
would let us proceed on our journey without opposition.
November 6.—Our embassy cannot now be long in making its appearance,
and we have decided to go as far as the frontier to meet it. We shall
thus more speedily obtain the news we are so impatiently awaiting,
and we shall be in readiness to enter the territory of the Walindis,
either to fight them, or to have an interview with their Queen, as
the case may be.
November 25th.—At last the caravan is in sight, just as we had given
up all hope of ever seeing it again. Warned of its arrival, we have
all of us emerged from our tents. Yes! There is no doubt about it.
There is Ali in front. He recognizes us, and hurries to meet us. Why
such haste, if he has no news of M. de Guéran? The Arab and the
negro, when they are conscious of failure, dissemble and try to hide
their want of success. Our interpreter must have some great news for
us—our fate is on the point of being decided.