A MOMENT OF REST
We held a mighty funeral-carnival. The heat made it necessary to rush
this matter as much as possible. My Links took no little of the meat of
the slaughtered elephants, but as soon as all were fed again I set them
to work deepening the cavern which the mines had excavated in the hill.
With creepers for ropes and with rollers to render the task more easy,
we dragged the huge carcasses into the graves by sheer force of numbers.
Collecting the Blacks was a most unpleasant labour, but it had to be
done thoroughly, and it was, although my subjects had never before
performed such an office for enemies of any description. Oddly enough we
were quite unable to discover the body of Grin.
In the pits I had several great fires ignited, to cremate as much as
possible of the flesh, after which the earth was thrown in and heaped up
until I was sure that the shallowest portion of the grave was covered
with at least ten feet of soil.
I could have rested with a very good grace after all this business of
war, but I remembered my former plans and the bear-skin waiting to be
tanned, in the boat. I feared the pelt might be ruined already, and
therefore I took the earliest opportunity of visiting my lake
possessions. When I came in sight of the boat, I had reason to be glad
that I had moored her away from the bank, for I found abundant evidence
that the Blacks had been there, undoubtedly intent on doing mischief.
Fortunately for me their dread of the water had proved greater than
their desire to destroy the boat, and their ingenuity had shown itself
deficient when they faced the problem of getting the craft ashore
without wetting their precious feet. But they had thrown every available
rock at the innocent craft, together with all the loose pieces of burnt
clay.
Thanks to the covering of clay and leaves, which permitted a slight
circulation of air, while it kept out investigative insects, the skin
was in excellent condition. Indeed I am inclined to believe the delay
had been actually beneficial in the curing process. The thing was
pliable and as sweet as a hide could possibly be—which, by the way, is
not extravagant praise. I had rowed away, out of sight of my loyal
subjects, before uncovering my treasure. Floating on the calm surface of
the lake I worked at the pelt most arduously. Nearly the whole of that
day I was rubbing it, scrubbing the parts together and otherwise keeping
it soft, while the sun and the air dried out the moisture which made it
heavy and “green.”
When I was finally ready to call it finished, the hide was much like a
soft, thick robe, such as is commonly employed for a rug, a condition
which I knew would be permanent, although in a spot or two the thing
might be inclined to stiffen. I packed it again in leaves merely to hide
it from sight and proceeded back to our beach, where I anchored the boat
as before.
Inasmuch as I felt that my actual duties were now performed, I
determined to rest for a space and enjoy the peace which we had
compelled so abruptly. I therefore lay about the camp the following
morning, doing absolutely nothing to “earn my salt.” Now and again I
caught myself feeling or looking about. There was no little Tike. When I
dozed I fancied I heard his voice, but on starting awake found nothing
beside me but faithful old Fatty, who always poked his forehead on the
ground as soon as he saw me looking upon him. Someway the camp seemed
not itself. I got no enjoyment from my streak of laziness, and I got but
little rest. It did me good to carve a bit of a board, or section of
bamboo, with the inscription:
“LITTLE MAN.”
This I planted in the mound of rocks where the tiny chap was buried.
The settlement, I thought, would never be the same to me again,
especially now that I was king. My Links were far too conscious of my
regal attributes; there was less of the feeling of fellowship than we
had enjoyed before. I had failed to appreciate our previous social
equality, but now that all were rendered so timid and humbled in my
presence, I was bored and somewhat annoyed. The crystal club I kept in
my shelter, beside the one of the gleaming nugget. Though he seemed, now
and again, to eye me somewhat sullenly and to gaze on the weapon with a
hungering expression of countenance, the ex-chief made himself an
excellent new bludgeon, with a rock at the end, which was twice the
weight of any other similarly employed in the place.
The fellow accepted a bow and a lot of arrows readily enough. We hunted
as before, employing these excellent weapons. Some of the creatures had
learned by this time to shoot with great force and precision. One sent
an arrow entirely through the belly of a hog, on one of our many
excursions to the jungle.
In a leisurely manner I provided myself with cord and sundry requisites
for masquerading as a bear. Before my rest was two days old I was weary
of it and restless to be again actively engaged. Once more the malady of
dislike for all the Links and their camp had broken out within me,
wherefore I desired to hasten matters in regard to my unknown friend, on
whose rescue I was fully determined.
I began to wonder why I had delayed this important matter for a moment.
I was eager to see this man, grasp his hand and hear him speak the
language so long denied my ears. Why, if he were half a man, we two
could accomplish anything—everything! Why had I not hastened to reach
him and to get him away while the Blacks were still demoralised by the
recent extermination of more than half their number? I would dally no
longer; I would act at once.
In order to proceed with intelligence I had need to formulate my plan.
What should I do? Do?—I would simply row my boat to Outlet river, dress
myself in the bear-skin suit and waddle into the settlement to make my
observations. This sounded simple enough, but reason told me I should
blunder no little as a bear and appear none too real in the role. I must
practice, I thought as my first sane conclusion, but my second was still
more rational—I would work the trick in semi-darkness only, when my
features would be rendered somewhat indefinite by the shadows. Should I
go there in the early morning, or should I try the game in the twilight
of evening? In the morning, I meditated, the light increases rapidly,
and my man might be asleep; daylight could readily overtake me while I
was crawling about to get my bearings. Clearly the evening would be the
better time.
Well, then, the sooner the business began the sooner I should know what
was what. I decided to be present in the camp of the Blacks that very
day, when the sun should have disappeared behind the hills.