SEMAI-MAI THE CANNIBAL KING
Among all the people of the Kafirs there was never a King more feared
and hated than Semai-mai. He was known for his bad deeds far and wide,
and was the terror of every tribe within many days’ journey of his
kingdom. It is true he was a splendid warrior and had never once
suffered defeat, but he was unjust and cruel beyond belief. His people
were numerous and powerful, for Semai-mai ruled over many great kraals,
and had thousands of warriors at his command. Though their Chief was
wicked they were a kind and just people, and often hated their lord’s
deeds. But what could they do? The first duty of every man is to be
loyal to his ruler, and as yet no one had dared to disobey. Semai-mai
was known far and wide as the “Wicked King,” and every day he grew in
iniquity.
You shall hear how at last he destroyed himself by his own lawlessness,
and lost his human form.
One day he called his greatest magicians together and said, “Make
strong potions and magic draughts for my army, so that they may be able
to conquer any enemy. I go to fight a great King who lives in a very
distant country.”
The potions were prepared and the impis called out; the wizards treated
every man with magic spells used only in time of war, and gave him the
wonderful drink which confers bravery and turns away the weapons of the
enemy. Then they told Semai-mai that all was ready. The impis stood in
line, each company in its place, every man complete with shield and
assegai, and magnificently adorned with the velvety-brown otter-skin or
the golden leopard. They waited in silence for their orders, but no
orders came.
Semai-mai sent word by his chief general that he intended to lead them
himself, but no mention was made of the enemy’s name, and their
destination remained secret. The next day he appeared, gloomier and
fiercer than ever before, and placed himself at the head of his
body-guard, who marched behind their Chief in silent terror.
He led them right up the mountains into a wide desolate valley. Two
pillars of rock guarded the entrance; within were huge red boulders
interspersed with trees. On either side rose tall cliffs, which glowed
in the mid-day sun. The men knew the valley well, and never willingly
entered it. A great and powerful Fairy was said to live there whom it
was well not to offend. Many men had entered it when hunting, and had
never returned or been seen again. At the gate of the valley strange
spirits answered if one spoke in the merest whisper; it was a place
better avoided by all right-thinking men, and every warrior had a
feeling of vague discomfort as he passed the mighty pillars and knew he
was on haunted ground.
Semai-mai went forward to a clear space among the great boulders, and
there ordered his regiments to stand in ranks before him.
He was an immense man, a head and shoulders above any warrior in his
army, deep in the chest, with an arm so strong he could fell an ox with
a blow of his knobkerrie. [18] He stood in the fierce sunlight, sullen
and magnificent, and surveyed his men. Then he spoke.
“You have not yet had your orders for this raid,” said he. “Now, hear
them! From henceforth I have resolved to live on human flesh. Those
that join me shall see glorious fighting and great conquests. As for
those that refuse, they shall die, and their carcases shall be embalmed
by my magicians. I shall expose them on these great rocks, and all men
shall see the wretches who dared to disobey their King.”
The whole army held their breath with amazement and horror. They had
never supposed that their King would thus dare to cast off all
restraint. No one spoke. The King looked around with gloomy fierceness.
Then, raising his spear and speaking in an immense voice, he shouted:
“Let those that love me stand on one side. Those that hate me may sit
down.”
More than half the men sat down. Semai-mai scowled yet more deeply, but
continued firm in his wicked purpose, though he saw it would cost him
more than half his army. He turned to his remaining followers and said:
“Our motto shall be henceforth, ‘We live on human flesh and belong to
the alligators.’ Kill these disobedient dogs, and set their bodies on
the rocks.”
His men at once fell on the rebels, who did not resist them. Each man
died where he sat, for the King was great, and his orders must be
obeyed. Then the wizards prepared strange potions and ointments, and
every body was embalmed, so that time should not destroy it, but that
it should remain a witness for ever. Last of all, the dead warriors
were taken and placed on every great rock and along the ledges in the
tall red cliffs. The sun blazed down on them; in the quivering air
every man could be seen, deep brown against the glowing rocks.
When all was done Semai-mai marshalled his forces, looked on the dead
with joy, and bade his men go forward. They ranged themselves in the
accustomed order, but as they filed up the mountain-path each man
noticed for the first time that his neighbour’s hair was brick-red.
They instantly feared witchcraft, and remembered the tales of the great
Fairy who ruled over the valley. But Semai-mai laughed at their fears,
and bade them show courage. He gave orders that they were to kill and
spare none, neither women nor children. Only cattle and sheep might be
brought away.
They travelled across the mountains till they came to a wide fertile
valley, in which was a great city. Semai-mai sent spies to view the
land. They reported that the people were peaceful and unsuspecting, and
that great success might be expected from an attack. They were ruled by
a King named Sobuso, who appeared to be much beloved. One strange thing
they had observed; all the women were beautiful, but the men were
absolutely hideous.
“Well, we shall kill them all, so it is of no consequence,” said
Semai-mai, and he bade an impi attack the very next day. The men crept
up to the city in the early dawn, rushed in at the gate, and began
killing all they could see. But to their amazement, no sooner had they
felled a man to the ground than he rose to his feet again. As fast as
they killed one man another came to life. Not only that, but they found
that they themselves were becoming as thin as reeds and as light as
dust; their blows carried no weight, and they were as ghosts beating
the air ineffectually.
Great fear came into their hearts, and they wavered and turned to fly.
“You cowards!” shouted Semai-mai, appearing at the gate. “Let me come
and kill.” He rushed forward and attacked the foremost of the enemy.
But as his assegai pierced the foe he found his own huge form shrinking
into nothing, his arm was weak and nerveless, and as his opponent rose
again to attack him, he fled shrieking, followed by all his men.
The enemy rushed after them, brandishing their assegais, and shouting
hoarse war-cries: “Shi-sha-she! Si-me-pe! Si-ko-mo! Si! Pe! The Cattle!
Where are they? The Cattle!”
With every hissing cry a man fell, and the mountain-side was strewn
with their bodies. On and on they fled, till all were killed but
Semai-mai. Only he still held out, and ran, panting but alive, to the
very gates of the great valley where the dead men sat in the sunshine.
There both he and his pursuers stopped, for before them stood a most
beautiful woman.
With one look of command she bade them all follow her, for this was the
Fairy of the valley. “I have been waiting for you,” said she. “Come and
see what this wicked King has done.”
Then she led them down among the great rocks, King Sobuso and all his
men, but Semai-mai she bound by invisible power on the top of a huge
boulder, where he must see all and could not move.
Slowly she led the warriors into the very centre of the great valley.
There she bade them look up. In the red glow of the setting sun they
saw the black forms of the men who refused to follow the cannibal King.
Each sat propped against his ledge of glowing stone; they looked still
as if they were sitting in council.
“Night will soon be here,” said the Fairy. “You shall see what I can
do.”
Then she bade the warriors sit down and wait, and began to brew a magic
potion. And Semai-mai sat too and waited on the rocks above, for he
could not stir hand or foot. Cold fear came into his soul as he saw the
fires lit in the valley below, and watched the wonderful woman at work.
She was still busy when night fell and the stars came out in the purple
sky. Then she got torches ready, sprinkled them with her wonderful
liquid, and lit them at the fire. She gave one to Sobuso, and then to
all his generals in turn. Lastly she took one herself, and signed to
the men to follow. They leapt from rock to rock throughout the valley,
carrying the torches along every ledge, till every man was visible. As
the magic fire approached him, each dead warrior sprang to life, and in
a few moments a living army filled the valley. Then the Fairy bade them
all descend to the open space below, and tell their story to Sobuso.
The chief Induna spoke, and all listened in silence.
“You did right,” said Sobuso at length. “Your wicked King is powerless
now. Come to me; I will give you wives and lands, for such men are
those I want.”
Great was the joy of every man when he heard these words, for Sobuso
was known as the best and wisest King in all the mountain country. They
were about to depart when the Fairy stopped them once more.
“And now,” said she, in a high clear voice, which echoed many times in
the darkness, “let Semai-mai, the cannibal King, descend and see his
men.”
And Semai-mai found his chains loosed, but a power he could not resist
drew him down till he stood in the very centre, in the full light of
the blazing fires. His former subjects closed in round him; at one end
stood Sobuso and his generals, at the other the Fairy of the valley.
“You see here,” said the Fairy, “Semai-mai, the wicked King. Because he
has done injustice all his life and rejoiced in cruelty, I judge him no
longer worthy to remain a man. He shall become a dog and live as a dog
lives. Only, as he was a great King and a brave warrior, I give him
magic powers and one powerful weapon. He shall have a long nail on one
foot, bright and sharp as a sword. And if he is a faithful dog and true
to his master he may one day become a man again. But if he continues
cruel and unjust a still greater curse shall fall on him.”
Even as she spoke the horror-stricken army saw their great Chief fall
forward and touch the ground with his hands. In the red firelight his
form changed, and in a minute a great brown dog stood in the place of
the superb Semai-mai. It looked round with a furtive air, and then
turned in silence. The men all sprang aside to let it through, and a
moment later it trotted into the darkness.
XV
THE STORY OF SEMAI-MAI