The plan which Jack and Peterkin concocted, while I was engaged in
making the interior of our old residence as comfortable as possible, was
as follows:--
Scouts were, in the first place, to be sent out that night all over the
country, to ascertain the whereabouts of the enemy. Then, when the
enemy should be discovered, they were to send back one of their number
to report; while the remainder should remain to dog their steps, if need
be, in order to ascertain whether Mbango and Okandaga were in their
possession, and if so, where they were kept--whether in the midst of the
warriors or in their rear.
This settled, the remainder of the warriors of the village were to be
collected together, and a speech to be made to them by Jack, who should
explain to them that they were to be divided into two bands: all who
carried guns to be under the immediate charge of Jack himself; the
others, carrying bows and spears, to be placed under me. Peterkin was
to act a peculiar part, which will appear in the course of narration.
Having partaken of a hearty supper, we assembled the scouts, and having,
through Makarooroo, given them their instructions, sent them away just
as the shades of night began to fall. We next caused a huge bonfire to
be kindled, and round this all the men of the village assembled, to the
extent of several hundreds. The king soon appeared, and mounting the
trunk of a fallen tree, made a long speech to his warriors, telling them
of the danger that threatened them, in such vivid and lively terms that
the greater part of them began to exhibit expressions of considerable
uneasiness on their countenances. He then told them of the trouble that
we had taken, in order to give them timely warning--whereat they cast
upon us looks of gratitude; and after that introduced Jack to them as
their commander-in-chief, saying, that as a white man led the enemy,
nothing could be better than that a white man should lead them to meet
the enemy--whereat the sable warriors gave a shout of satisfaction and
approval.
Having been thus introduced, Jack mounted the trunk of the fallen tree,
and Makarooroo got up beside him to interpret. He began, like a wise
diplomatist, by complimenting King Jambai, and spoke at some length on
courage in general, and on the bravery of King Jambai's warriors in
particular; which, of course, he took for granted. Then he came to
particulars, and explained as much of his intended movements as he
deemed it good for them to know; and wound up by saying that he had
three words of command to teach them, which they must learn to
understand and act upon that very night. They were, "Forward!" "Halt!"
and "Fire!" By saying the first of these words very slow and in a
drawling voice, thus, "Forw-a-a-a-a-a-rd!" and the second in a quick,
sharp tone, and the third in a ferocious yell that caused the whole band
to start, he actually got them to understand and distinguish the
difference between the commands, and to act upon them in the course of
half an hour.
The drill of his army being thus completed, Jack dismissed them with a
caution to hold themselves in readiness to answer promptly the first
call to arms; and the king enforced the caution by quietly assuring them
that the man who did not attend to this order, and otherwise respect and
obey Jack as if he were the king, should have his heart, eyes, and liver
torn out, and the rest of his carcass cast to the dogs--a threat which
seemed to us very horrible and uncalled for, but which, nevertheless,
was received by the black warriors with perfect indifference.
"Now, Mak," said Jack, as he descended to the ground, "do you come with
me, and help me to place sentries."
"W'at be dat, massa?"
"Men who are placed to guard the village from surprise during the
night," explained Jack.
"Ho! dat be de ting; me know someting 'bout dat."
"No doubt you do, but I daresay you don't know the best way to place
them; and perhaps you are not aware that the pretty little threat
uttered by the king shall be _almost_ carried out in the case of every
man who shall be found asleep at his post or who shall desert it."
The guide grinned and followed his commander in silence, while I
returned to our hut and busied myself in cleaning the rifles and making
other preparations for the expected fight.
At an early hour on the following morning we were awakened by the
arrival of one of the scouts, who reported that the Portuguese trader,
with a strong and well-armed force, was encamped on the margin of a
small pond about fifteen miles distant from the village. The scout had
gone straight to the spot on being sent out, knowing that it was a
likely place for them to encamp, if they should encamp at all. And here
he found them making active preparations for an attack on the village.
Creeping like a serpent through the grass, the scout approached near
enough to overhear their arrangements, which were to the elect that the
attack should take place at midnight of the following day. He observed
that there were many prisoners in the camp--men, women, and children--
and these were to be left behind, in charge of a small party of armed
men; while the main body, under the immediate command of the Portuguese
trader, should proceed to the attack of the village.
From the scout's description of the prisoners, we became convinced that
they were none other than our friends Mbango and his people, and one
woman answering to the description of Okandaga was among them.
"So, Mak, we shall save her yet," cried Jack heartily, slapping the
shoulder of the guide, whose honest visage beamed with returning hope.
"Yis, massa. S'pose we go off dis hour and fight 'em?"
"Nay; that were somewhat too hasty a movement. `Slow but sure' must be
our motto until night. Then we shall pounce upon our foes like a
leopard on his prey. But ask the scout if that is all he has got to
tell us."
"Hims say, massa, dat hims find one leetle chile--one boy--when hims go
away from de camp to come back to here."
"A boy!" repeated Jack; "where--how?"
"In de woods, where hims was trow'd to die; so de scout take him up and
bring him to here."
"Ah, poor child!" said I; "no doubt it must have been sick, and being a
burden, has been left behind. But stay. How could that be possible if
it was found between the camp and this village?"
On further inquiry, we ascertained that the scout, after hearing what he
thought enough of their arrangements, had travelled some distance beyond
the encampment, in order to make sure that there were no other bands
connected with the one he had left, and it was while thus engaged that
he stumbled on the child, which seemed to be in a dying condition.
"Hims say, too," continued Makarooroo, after interpreting the above
information, "that there be one poor woman in awfable sorrow, screechin'
and hollerowin' like one lion."
"Eh?" exclaimed Peterkin. "Describe her to us."
The scout did so as well as he could.
"As sure as we live," cried Peterkin, "it is our friend Njamie, and the
child must be her boy! Come, show us the little fellow."
We all ran out and followed the scout to his hut, where we found his
wives--for he had three of them--nursing the child as tenderly as if it
had been their own. It was very much wasted, evidently through want of
food and over-fatigue; but we instantly recognised the once sturdy
little son of Njamie in the faded little being before us. He, too,
recognised us, for his bright spectral eyes opened wide when he saw us.
"I knew it," said I.
"I told you so," cried Peterkin.--"Now, Mak, pump him, and let's hear
what he knows."
The poor child was far too much exhausted to undergo the pumping process
referred to. He could merely answer that Njamie and Okandaga and Mbango
were prisoners in the camp, and then turned languidly away, as if he
desired rest.
"Poor boy!" said Peterkin tenderly, as he laid his hand gently on the
child's woolly pate.--"Tell them, Mak, to look well after him here, and
they shall be paid handsomely for--nay" (here he interrupted himself),
"don't say that. 'Tis a bad thing to offer to pay for that which people
are willing to do for love."
"Right, lad," said Jack: "we can easily make these poor folk happy by
giving them something afterwards, without saying that it is bestowed
because of their kindness to the boy. The proper reward of diligent
successful labour is a prize, but the best reward of love and kindness
is a warm, hearty recognition of their existence.--Just tell them, Mak,
that we are glad to see them so good and attentive to the little chap.--
And now, my generals, if it is consistent with your other engagements, I
would be glad to have a little private consultation with you."
"Ready and willing, my lord," said Peterkin, as we followed Jack towards
the king's palace. "But," he added seriously, "I don't like to be a
general of _division_ at all."
"Why not, Peterkin?"
"Why, you see, when I was at school I found division so uncommonly
difficult, and suffered so much, mentally and physically, in the
learning of it, that I have a species of morbid antipathy to the very
name. I even intend to refuse a seat in parliament, when offered to me,
because of the divisions that are constantly going on there. If you
could only make me a general of subtraction now, or--"
"That," interrupted Jack, "were easily done, by deducting you from the
force altogether, and commanding you to remain at home."
"In which case," rejoined Peterkin, "I should have to become general of
addition, by revolunteering my services, in order to prevent the whole
expedition from resolving itself into General Muddle, whose name and
services are well-known in all branches of military and civil service."
"So that," added Jack, "it all comes to this, that you and Ralph and I
must carry on the war by rule of three, each taking his just and
appropriate proportion of the work to be done. Now, to change the
subject, there's the sun getting up, and so is the king, if I may judge
from the stir in his majesty's household."
Having begged the king to assemble his warriors together, Jack now
proceeded to divide them into four companies, or bands, over which he
appointed respective leaders. All the men who possessed guns were
assembled together in one band, numbering about one hundred and fifty
men. These Jack subdivided into two companies, one including a hundred,
the other fifty men. The remainder, constituting the main army, were
armed with bows and arrows, spears and knives. Of these a large force
was told off to remain behind and guard the village.
This home-guard was placed under command of the king in person. The
hundred musketeers were placed under Peterkin's command. The other
fifty were given to me, along with a hundred spear and bow men. Jack
himself took command of the main body of spearmen. As Peterkin had to
act a special and independent part, besides commanding his hundred
musketeers, Makarooroo was made over to him, to act as lieutenant.
All these arrangements and appointments were made in a cool, quiet, and
arbitrary manner by Jack, to whom the natives, including the king,
looked up with a species of awe amounting almost to veneration.
"Now," said our commander-in-chief to Lieutenant Mak, "tell the niggers
I am going to make them a speech," (this was received with a grunt of
satisfaction), "and that if they wish to have the smallest chance of
overcoming their enemies, they had better give their closest attention
to what I have to say."
Another grunt of acquiescence followed this announcement.
"Say that I am going to speak to them of things so mysterious that they
shall not by any conceivable or possible effort understand them."
This being quite in accordance with the superstitions and tastes of the
negroes, was received with eager acclamations of delight.
"Tell them," continued Jack, in a deep, solemn tone, and frowning
darkly, "that we shall gain the victory _only_ through _obedience_.
Each man must keep his ears open and his eye on his leader, and must
obey orders _at once_. If the order `Halt' should be given, and any man
should have his mouth open at the time, he must _keep_ his mouth open,
and shut it _after_ he has halted."
Here Jack took occasion to revert to the three orders, "Forward,"
"Halt," and "Fire," and repeated the lesson several times, until his men
were quite perfect. Then he put the various bodies under their
respective commanders, and telling the musketeers to make believe to
fire (but making sure that they should not really do it, by taking their
guns from them), he made each of us give the various words separately,
so that our men should become familiar with our voices.