NALIG-NAD
We slept nicely in our rather confined quarters, and at daybreak Bryonia
arose and prepared breakfast while the curtains were still drawn. But as
soon as he and Nux had cleared away the things we let down the top and
appeared in our open car again, to find that the chief had waited so
long outside that he was inclined to be in a bad humor.
The rabble did not come near to us this morning, however. Perhaps the
chief thought their intent observation undignified, and had ordered them
to keep away. But behind Ogo stood ten tall warriors who had been
selected as our escort, or body-guard.
When we signified we were ready for the journey these formed a line of
march—three in front, three behind, and two on either side. All were
armed with stout spears, and each bore a bow and a quiver of
bronze-tipped arrows, as well as a knife stuck into his girdle. When we
started the chief brought up the rear of the procession, so that he
could keep an eye on us.
Duncan Moit resented the necessity of running his machine at a slow
pace, but when he started it at an ordinary walk he soon found that the
Indians were accustomed to swing along at a much swifter rate. So he
gradually increased our speed, and it was comical to see the solemn
visaged warriors trying to keep up with us without running.
Finally, however, they broke into an easy trot, which they maintained
for a long time without seeming to tire. I made Moit slow down after a
while, for I did not wish to provoke the San Blas at present, and
thought it wiser to show them some slight consideration.
The plains we were now crossing were remarkably rich and fertile, and we
passed many farms where men were cultivating the soil by dragging
sharpened sticks over the surface. In other places were fields of grain
ready for the harvest, and Nux questioned the chief and learned that the
climate was so uniform the year around that several crops could be grown
in rapid succession. They used no beasts of burden, but performed all
the labor with their own muscles, which in a measure accounted for their
powerful racial physique. There were no roads leading from one place to
another; merely paths over the meadows to indicate the lines of travel.
The houses were formed partly of logs and partly of clay baked in the
sun. They were simple and somewhat rude in construction, but appeared to
be quite clean and comfortable. So far we had seen little evidence of
luxury or refinement.
It was nearly noon when we approached a circular enclosure which proved
to be a stockade of clay held together with brushwood until the sun had
hardened it to brick. There was an arched opening in this wall, and Moit
obeyed a signal from Ogo and headed toward it.
Entering the enclosure we found a large, rambling dwelling in the center
and a row of smaller houses circling the inner side of the wall. A large
space was thus left around the central building, which we naturally
concluded to be the king’s palace.
The doorways and windows (the latter being unglazed apertures) of the
smaller huts were filled with attentive faces of women and children, but
not a sound broke the silence to which these natives seemed to be
trained. Except on extraordinary occasions the San Blas did not chatter;
they only spoke when they were required to say something of meaning.
The chief directed us to halt before a small door of the palace.
“Get out,” he commanded, in the native tongue, “and follow me to the
presence of our ruler, the mighty Nalig-Nad.”
Bryonia and Nux at once obeyed, but the chief motioned to us to come
also. We hesitated, and Bry said:
“One of our slaves must remain in the machine, to care for it. The other
may accompany us.”
“Both must come!” returned the chief, sternly.
“What! do you give me orders—do you command the Honorable Bryonia, King
of Tayakoo?” demanded our black, drawing himself up proudly and frowning
upon Ogo.
“The king shall decide,” returned the chief. “Come!”
I followed them in and Duncan remained with the machine. We passed
through a hallway and came upon a central courtyard, built in the
Spanish style. Here, upon a rude bench, sat an old warrior with a deeply
lined face and long locks sprinkled with gray. His eyes were large and
black and so piercing in their gaze that they seemed to probe one
through and through, yet the expression of the man’s countenance was
just now gentle and unassuming.
He had neither the stern nor the fierce look we had remarked in so many
of the San Blas, but one might well hesitate to deceive the owner of
that square chin and eagle-like glance.
The king wore a white robe with seven broad stripes of green woven into
its texture, and on his knees were seated two children, a curly-headed
little maid of about ten years and a calm faced boy of five. His
surroundings were exceedingly simple, and the only others present were a
group of warriors squatting in a far corner.
“Well, you are here at last,” said Nalig-Nad, looking at us over the
heads of the children as we ranged ourselves before him and bowed with
proper deference. “Which is your leader?”
“My friend, the Senator Nux, and I, the Honorable Bryonia, are alike
kings and rulers in our own country,” was the reply. “But my friend is
modest, and at his request I will speak for us both.”
“Good!” ejaculated Nalig-Nad. “Sit down, my brothers; kings must not
stand in my presence.”
They sat upon a bench, and Nux, thinking this the right time to be
impressive, got out a big cigar and lighted it, having offered another
to the king, who promptly refused it.
“Why are you here to honor me with your presence?” was the next
question, quietly put.
“In our magic travelling machine we are making a trip around the world,”
began Bryonia, in a bombastic tone. They were speaking in the native
dialect, which I clearly understood; and I must say that my men
expressed themselves much better in that than they did in English.
The king took a bit of green chalk from his pocket and made a mark upon
the bench beside him.
“Where did you get your white slaves?” he enquired.
“They were shipwrecked upon the island which we rule, and we made them
our slaves,” said Bry.
The king made a second chalk mark.
“And where did you get the magic machine for travelling upon both land
and water?” It was evident he had been well informed of our movements.
“It was made for us by a wizard of our island,” said Bry.
“What island?”
“Tayakoo.”
A third chalk mark.
“Does it belong to you?”
“Yes.”
Another mark.
“And now,” said the king, looking at them curiously, “tell me what
request you have to make.”
“A request?”
“Yes; you asked to see the King of the San Blas. Then you wish
something. I am the King.”
Bryonia hesitated.
“We wish to see all things,” said he, slowly, “and so we crave
permission to visit the different parts of your country, that we may
observe what it is like.”
“Just as a matter of curiosity?”
“Of course, my brother.”
A chalk mark.
“Do you love gold?” asked the king, abruptly.
“No, we do not care for gold.”
“Not at all?”
“Not in the least.”
The chalk mark again.
“Nor the white pebbles?” looking at them shrewdly.
“We care for no pebbles at all, white or black,” asserted Bry, beginning
to grow uneasy.
The king made another mark, and then slowly counted them.
“Seven lies!” he announced, shaking his head gravely. “My brother is not
honest with me. Otherwise there would be no lies.”
Nux put the wrong end of the cigar in his mouth, and begun to splutter
and make faces. Bryonia looked at the king, stern and indignant.
“Do you judge us by the whites?” he cried.
“No; I have found that the whites are quick to acknowledge their love of
gold.”
“If you were in my country,” said Bry, proudly, “I would not insult my
brother king.”
“What would you do if I lied to you?” asked Nalig-Nad, quickly.
“You would not lie,” declared Bry. “Kings do not lie to each
other—unless they are white.”
I wanted to yell “bravo!” the retort was so cleverly put. The king
seemed pleased, and became thoughtful, stroking the little boy’s hair
gently while the girl rested her pretty head against his broad bosom.
“The Techlas have reason to hate the whites,” he said, with a keen
glance at me. “They drove us from our old home, because they wanted to
rob us of our gold, which we loved only because it was beautiful. They
were cruel and unjust, and lied to us, and had no faith nor honesty. So
we fled; but we swore to hate them forever, and to be cruel and unjust
to them, in turn, whenever they fell into our hands.”
“I do not blame your people,” declared Bry, stoutly.
“Tell me, then, why do you of Tayakoo hate them, and make them your
slaves?”
“Why?”
“Yes; had you gold?”
“No.”
“Nor white pebbles?”
“No.”
“Then why do you hate them?”
“Because they are dangerous and wicked. They come in ships to our island
and try to make us slaves. We fight them and drive them away, but they
take some of my people and lash them with whips, and make them work like
beasts. Also some of the whites we capture—such as these we now have
with us—and then we love to force them to do our bidding. Never has
there been friendship between the white men and the men of Tayakoo.”
He spoke very earnestly, and I knew he was telling the truth, in the
main, for I had heard the same thing before. It was only because Uncle
Naboth had saved the lives of these two blacks and been kind to them
that they came to love us and to abandon the fierce hatred for the
whites that had been a part of their training from youth up.
“I will buy your white slaves,” said the king, coolly, “and then you may
go where you will in my kingdom.”
“We will not part with them. They must work for us and make our machine
go.”
“If it is magic, it does not need slaves to make it go,” observed the
king, with a smile.
“Would you deprive your brother kings of their only followers?”
“I will give you as many negroes as you require, in place of them.”
“We cannot spare them. These white dogs know our ways, and serve us
well.”
“Then I will take but one, and leave you the other.”
Bry shook his head.
“Whatever else we possess, except our wonderful travelling machine, we
will freely give to our brother,” said he. “But even Nalig-Nad has no
right to demand our slaves, and we shall keep them.”
The king seemed disappointed. After a moment’s pause,
“Think of it,” he said; “and meantime make my home your home. We will
talk of these matters again.”
He waved his hand in dismissal and turned to caress the children.
Ogo the chief said, sternly: “Come!” but Bry stood still.
“Have we the king’s permission to visit his dominions in our machine,
while we are his guests?” he asked.
“Not yet,” replied Nalig-Nad, with the first touch of impatience he had
shown; “we will talk again before you leave my village.”
“That does not sound friendly,” retorted Bryonia, frowning.
“Have you done anything to forfeit my friendship?” enquired the king,
turning a swift glance upon the speaker. “Be content. Only in the king’s
village should the brothers and guests of the king remain in peace and
comfort. My people shall be your servants, and you may command them as
you will; but you must not go outside the wall.”
We did not like this, and stood a moment silent.
“Seems to me, King Honorable Bryonia,” said Nux, speaking for the first
time during the interview and addressing his friend point blank, as if
the king’s presence was immaterial; “seems to me this new brother, King
Nalig-Nad, is not a bad fellow. I like him because he is kind to little
children, and I am sorry for him because he is not better informed. But
what can you expect, when he stays in this one-horse place and knows
nothing of the great world that bows at our feet? If he dares oppose
your will, remember how poor and ignorant he is, and forgive him. I know
what you are thinking, great King Honorable Bryonia, but I beg you not
to destroy Nalig-Nad yet, or to explode his people with the terrible
power you possess. Let us be patient. Permit this king to live on, for a
short time, anyway. What a shame to ruin this happy home! Be patient, my
mighty brother, and soon this foolish Nalig-Nad will have wisdom, and
willingly grant all that you desire.”
Having delivered himself of this speech, Nux puffed his cigar again and
looked at the king with a face expressive of great sympathy and concern.
Both Bry and I were fairly astounded. We had not expected Nux to take
part in the discussion, and the pleading tone he had adopted was as good
a bit of acting as Bryonia had yet exhibited. It impressed the king even
more than Bryonia’s dignified assurances, although at first I trembled
at the folly of threatening so clever and powerful a man as Nalig-Nad.
After all, he was merely a savage, and more liable to suspect us of
unknown powers than of unsupported audacity.
We soon discovered that Nux had grasped the situation more clearly than
we had. The ruler of the San Blas was used to trickery and cunning and
had trained himself to search for hidden reasons in all his dealings
with outsiders. The suggestion that the owners of the strange travelling
machine, who had so boldly invaded his country, had the intention and
power of “exploding” himself and all his people struck him as more
reasonable than anything he had yet heard. He was visibly worried, and
looked half fearfully at the stern and impassive countenance of the tall
South Sea Islander who stood before him.
“We will break bread,” he said, with quick decision. “Send away your
slave, my brothers, and come with me.”
“Go,” said Bry, turning to me. “And go you, also, Chief Ogo,” he added,
imperatively; “we would be alone with the king.”
The chief looked uneasily toward Nalig-Nad, who had set the children
down and allowed them to run into the house. Noting the look, the king
bowed his head to affirm Bry’s command. He might with reason fear his
strange guests, but he was no coward.
I left the courtyard, followed by Ogo, and returned to where the
automobile was standing.