ZIFFAK.
Fred Ashman was so startled by hearing the giant native utter his
submission in unmistakable English, that he came near dropping his
leveled Winchester to the earth in sheer amazement.
He had not dreamed that the savage understood a word of that tongue,
but judged from his own posture, with his weapon pointed at him, that
the other knew when an enemy had "the drop" on him. Even if such were
the fact, he counted upon a desperate resistance, and was prepared to
give the fellow his quietus by a shot from his rifle.
The savage held his ponderous javelin in his hand, but made no effort
to use it. His black eyes were fixed on the face of the handsome
American, and he could not have failed to note the expression of
bewilderment and wonder caused by the words that had just dropped from
his dusky lips. Indeed, Ashman fancied he detected something akin to a
smile lighting up the forbidding countenance.
It may be said that the young explorer for the moment felt himself in
the position of the man who drew an elephant in a lottery--he didn't
know what to do with his prize. It had come to him so unexpectedly
that he was bewildered.
But he was quick to rally from his dazed condition. The fact that the
giant had shown such a knowledge of the English tongue suggested the
possibility not only of obtaining important information, but of making
a friend of this personage, who must possess great influence among his
people.
True, the events of the afternoon and evening were against anything in
the nature of comity or good will, but no harm could come from an
attempt to bring about an understanding between the people and the
explorers that had become involved in such fierce conflicts with them.
"Drop that spear!" commanded Ashman.
"I have surrendered," said the savage, in a low, coarse voice; "and
Ziffak does not lie."
Nevertheless, while the words were passing his lips, he unclosed his
right hand and allowed the implement to fall to the ground.
"Is your weapon poisoned?" asked Ashman, still mystified by the
extraordinary situation and hardly knowing what to say.
"Your man in the wood was pierced by one of our spears; ask him."
"Such a warrior as Ziffak does not need to tip his weapons with
poison," said Ashman, glancing significantly at the carcass of the
puma. "It is cowardly to use such means against your enemies."
The savage shook his head and an ugly flash appeared in his eyes.
"Do not the whites from the Great River use fire to slay the natives
before they can come nigh enough to use their spears?"
"But they have no wish to use them against your people; we would be
their friends, and it pains us to do them harm; we would not have done
so had they not compelled us."
Ziffak stood a moment as motionless as a statue, with his piercing
black eyes fixed with burning intensity on the white man. The latter
would have given much could he have read his thoughts, of which an
intimation came with the first words that followed.
"Waggaman and Burkhardt told our people that if we allowed the white
folks to come into our country, they would bring others and slay all
our men, women and children."
"Who are Waggaman and Burkhardt?" asked the explorer, uncertain whether
he was awake or dreaming.
"They have lived with the Murhapas for years; they are white men, but
they are our friends."
Ashman recalled the story told by Bippo and his companions earlier in
the evening. It must be that the names mentioned belonged to those two
mysterious individuals, who beckoned them across the Xingu. For some
reason of their own, they wished to keep all others of their race out
of the country.
It was plain that Ziffak was a remarkable person and the explorer
determined to use every effort to win his good will.
"Waggaman and Burkhardt have told you lies; we are your friends."
"Why do you not stay at home and leave us alone?"
"We expect to go back, after ascending the river a short distance
further; nothing would persuade us to live here, and, as I have told
you, we would not harm any person if they would leave us alone."
Ziffak seemed on the point of saying something, but checked himself and
held his peace, meanwhile looking steadily at the man who had made him
a prisoner in such clever style.
Ashman resolved on a rash proceeding.
"Take up your spear again, Ziffak; go back to your people, and, if you
believe what I say, tell them my words, and ask them to give us a
chance to prove that we mean all I have uttered."
"My people know nothing about you," was the strange response.
"You heard but a few minutes ago the sounds of guns and the shouts from
the direction of the rapids, which show they were fighting."
"Those people are not mine," said the native; "but they are my friends,
and I fight for them."
"From what you said, you are a Murhapa?"
Ziffak nodded his head in the affirmative.
"Where do they live?"
He extended his hand and pointed up the river.
"One day's ride above the rapids and you reach the villages of the
Murhapas. There live Waggaman and Burkhardt; they came many years ago.
I am a chieftain, and they rule with me."
"It was from them you learned to speak my tongue?"
Ziffak again nodded his head, adding:
"Many of my people speak it as well as I."
"Tell me, Ziffak, why, if your home is so far above the rapids, you are
here among these people, whose name I do not know?"
"They are Aryks; they have much less people than the Murhapas, and are
our slaves. Some days ago word was brought to us that a party of white
men were making their way up the Xingu. Waggaman and Burkhardt and I
set out to learn for ourselves and to stop them. They went down the
other side of the river and I came down to the Aryk village. I roused
them to kill you before you could pass above the rapids, but we were
able to slay only one of them."
"And it was a sad mistake that you did that; for he was a good man, who
wished you no evil. Where are Waggaman and Burkhardt?"
The native shook his head. He had picked up his spear, but made no
movement toward taking his departure. Ashman hoped he would not, for
everything said not only convinced him of the first importance of
gaining the fellow's confidence, but encouraged him in the belief that
he was fast doing so. He resolved to leave no stone unturned looking
to that end.
"Why did not your two white friends help you in the fight, to keep us
from going further up the Xingu?"
"_Maybe they did_," replied Ziffak, with a significant glance up
stream, which left no doubt that he referred to the conflict that had
taken place there while the couple were talking on the margin of the
river.
"I don't believe it," Ashman hastened to say, hopeful that such was the
case; for, with two white men and their firearms, the peril of his
friends must have been greatly increased.
"Why do you seek to enter our country?" asked the dusky giant, after a
brief pause.
"We want to learn about your people; but I pledge you we wish not to
harm a hair of their heads."
It was not to be expected that a savage who has heard nothing else for
years except that any penetration of his territory by white men meant
destruction, could give up that belief simply on the pledge of one of
the race accused.
But it was equally clear that this particular savage was favorably
disposed toward Ashman. It may have been that his good will was won by
the neat manner in which he had got the best of Ziffak, the most
terrible warrior ever produced by that people. A brave man respects
another brave man.
"Why did Waggaman and Burkhardt visit your villages and make their home
with you for so many years?"
"I do not know," replied Ziffak, with another shake of his head; "but
they have proven they are friends. They do not want to go back to
their people, who are all bad."
The thought occurred to Ashman, though he did not express it, that the
strange white men were criminals. They may have escaped from the
diamond mines, which were at no great distance, and naturally preferred
the free, wild life of the interior to the labor and tyranny which the
miserable wretches condemned to service in those regions undergo.
"Ziffak," said the explorer, lowering his weapon, "will you walk back
to the camp of my people? You have my promise that no harm shall be
offered you by any one."
The herculean native nodded his head, and the strange couple started up
the bank in the direction of the camp, which was now as silent as
though not a hostile shot had been fired, or a savage blow been struck.