The Order of Merit
"Bad cess to you, you young varmint!" exclaimed Barney, waking with a
start. "What do you say at all?"
"Ba-lofundu bao ya! Boloko!"
"Be jabers if I know what you'd be meaning. Off! Run! Nando! And
it's pitch dark it is."
The boy scampered, Pat still at his heels. The dog had evidently been
impressed by Samba's warnings, for he ran silently, without growl or
bark. They came to the spot where Nando lay, beneath a spreading
acacia. Samba shook him without ceremony.
"Ba-lofundu bao ya!" he cried. "Betsua! Betsua!"[1]
Nando growled and bade him be off; but when the boy poured his story
with eager excitement into the big negro's sleepy ears, Nando at last
bestirred himself, and hurried to Mr. Martindale's tent, bidding Samba
remain at hand.
"Samba him uncle, berrah bad man, come to fight," said Nando
breathlessly when Jack came to the door of the tent. "Bad man go round
round, hide in trees, come like leopard. Massa gone 'sleep: massa him
men all lib for big sleep; Boloko shoot; one, two, massa dead all same."
"What, what!" said Mr. Martindale, flinging off his rug. "Another
alarm, eh?" He pressed the button of an electric torch and threw a
bright light on the scene.
"An attack in force this time, uncle," said Jack. "Some black fellows
are coming to surprise us in the rear."
"How many are the villains?" said Mr. Martindale, pulling on his
trousers.
"Two, free, hundred, fousand."
"A dozen all told, I suppose! Well, we'll fight 'em."
"Rather risky that, uncle," said Jack. "There may be more than a
dozen, after all, and our men are not armed: we two couldn't do much
against a hundred, say."
"True. Why was I such a fool? That Britisher at Matadi said I'd
better arm my men, and I wish I'd taken his tip. We're in a tight
corner, Jack, if the nigger is correct. Here, Nando, are you sure of
this?"
"Sartin sure, sah. Me see fousand fifty black men creep, creep 'long
ribber, sah: big lot guns, 'Bini guns, massa, go crack, crack. Come
all round, sah; run like antelope: no time for massa run away."
Nando's face expressed mortal terror; there was no doubt he believed in
the reality of the danger.
"How did they come?" asked Mr. Martindale.
"In boat, sah."
"Where are they?"
"Small small up ribber, sah."
"And I suppose you've alarmed the camp?"
"No, sah, no. Me no tell one boy at all."
"Well, it looks as if we're going to be wiped out, Jack. We can't
fight a hundred armed men. If our fellows were armed, we might lay a
trap for 'em; but we aren't strong enough for that. But perhaps if we
show we're ready for 'em, and they're not going to surprise us, they
may sheer off."
"Then why not take the offensive, uncle?"
"What d'you mean?"
"Attack the canoes while the most of them are marching round. They'd
hear our shots and bolt back, as sure as a gun."
"That's slim. We'll try it. Go and wake Barney, Jack."
Barney, however, was already on his way to the tent, Jack explained the
situation to him.
"Here's a revolver, Barney," said Mr. Martindale, as the Irishman came
up. "You must do the best you can if there's a rush. Jack and I are
going right away to the river: you're in charge."
Barney handled the revolver gingerly.
"Sure I'd feel more at home wid me shillelagh!" he muttered as he went
away. Mr. Martindale turned to the negro.
"Now you, Nando, lead the way."
The man's eyes opened wide with fear.
"Me plenty sick in eyes, sah," he stammered. "Me only see small small.
Boy Samba him eyes berrah fine and good, see plenty quick, massa; he
show way."
"I don't care who shows the way," said Mr. Martindale, too much
preoccupied with his hunting rifle and ammunition to notice the
inconsistency between Nando's statement and the story he had already
told. Nando called to Samba and told him what was required, and the
party set off, the boy going ahead with Pat, Mr. Martindale and Jack
following with their rifles, and Nando in great trepidation bringing up
the rear.
Mr. Martindale puffed and panted as he scaled the bluff, and breathed
very hard as he followed Samba down the rough descent to the brink of
the river. When they came to comparatively level ground they halted.
"How far now?" asked Mr. Martindale, in a whisper.
"Small small, massa," replied Nando.
"Well, Jack, when we come near these precious canoes we'll fire both
barrels one slick after the other, then reload."
"And go at them with a rush, uncle?"
"Rush! How can I rush? I'm pretty well blown already. But I could
fetch wind enough to shout. We'll shout, Jack. Nando, you'll bawl
your loudest, and the boy too. If I know these niggers they'll bolt.
And look here, Jack, fire in the air: we don't want to hit 'em. If
they stand their ground and resist, we can fire in good earnest; but
they won't."
They took a few cautious steps forward, then Samba ran back, clutched
Nando by the arm and whispered--
"Boat dah, sah," said the negro, under his breath. "Oh! me feel plenty
sick inside!"
"Hush! Howl, then, when we fire. Now, Jack, ready? I'll let off my
two barrels first."
Next moment there was a flash and a crack, followed immediately by a
second. Nando and Samba had begun to yell at the top of their voices.
Mr. Martindale bellowed in one continuous roll, and Pat added to the
din by a furious barking. The noise, even to those who made it, was
sufficiently startling in the deep silence of the night. Jack fired
his two shots, but before his uncle had reloaded there was a yell from
the direction of the canoes, then the sound of men leaping on shore and
crashing through the bushes. Immediately afterwards faint shouts came
from the forest at the rear of the bluff.
"We've done the trick," said Mr. Martindale with a chuckle. "Now we'll
get back. They've had a scare. Let's hope we shall have no more
trouble to-night."
He flashed his electric torch on the river bank below, and revealed
five large canoes drawn up side by side.
"There must be more than a hundred of them," he added. "Each of those
canoes can carry thirty men."
On the way back to the camp, they heard renewed shouts as the men who
had marched into the forest broke out again in a wild dash for the
threatened canoes. The camp was in commotion. Barney was volubly
adjuring the startled natives to be aisy; but they were yelling,
running this way and that, tumbling over one another in the darkness.
The sight of Mr. Martindale's round red face behind his electric torch
reassured them; and when Nando, who had now quite recovered his
spirits, told them that he, with the white men's assistance, had put to
flight twenty thousand bad men and Boloko, they laughed and slapped
their thighs, and settled down in groups to discuss the event and make
much of Nando during the rest of the night.
There was no more sleep for any of the party except Samba. He,
satisfied that his new friends were safe, curled himself up on his mat
with the inseparable terrier, and slept until the dawn. But Mr.
Martindale sat smoking in his tent, discussing the events of the night
with his nephew.
"I don't like it, Jack. We're on top this time, thanks to a little
bluff. But there must have been a large number of them to judge by the
canoes and the yells; and but for that fellow Nando we might easily
have been wiped out. And from what Nando says they are those
villainous forest guards of the Concession. What's the meaning of it?
It may be that the Concession have repented of their bargain and want
to keep me out, or perhaps Elbel is terrified lest I shall expose him
when I get back to Boma. Either way, it seems as if we're going to
have a bad time of it."
"I don't think it can be Elbel's doing, uncle. It's such a risky game
to play, your expedition being authorized by his own people."
"I don't imagine Elbel is such a fool as to attack us officially. He
can always disavow the actions of those natives. At any rate, I shall
make a point of getting rifles for the men as soon as I can."
"They can't use them."
"Of course they can't; but you'll have to turn yourself into a musketry
instructor. Meanwhile I must give that fellow Nando some sort of
reward. It will encourage him and the others too."
When daylight broke Mr. Martindale went down to the river while Barney
was preparing breakfast. There was no trace of the enemy. Presumably
they had set their canoes afloat and drifted down stream in the
darkness. They had no doubt reckoned on surprising the camp, and their
calculations had been upset by the certainty of meeting with
resistance, the fact that the travellers were poorly armed being
forgotten in the panic bred of the sudden uproar in the night.
After breakfast Mr. Martindale had the men paraded in a semicircle
around the tent, and, sitting on a stool in front of it, with Jack on
one side and Barney on the other, he called Nando forward.
"We are very much pleased with your watchfulness, Nando."
The negro grinned, and with a ludicrous air of importance translated
the sentence to his comrades.
"It is due to you that we were not surprised in the dark: you did very
well, and set an excellent example to the men."
"Me plenty clebber, sah, oh yes!"
"I shall take care in future to have our camp more closely guarded, and
punish any carelessness. But now, to show how pleased I am with you, I
am going to give you a little present."
Nando's mouth spread from ear to ear. He translated the announcement
to the negroes, looking round upon them with an expression of
triumphant satisfaction that tickled Jack's sense of humour. Barney
had shut one eye; his lips were twitching.
"But before I do that," went on Mr. Martindale, "I want you to tell us
how you came to discover the enemy in the darkness."
Nando for a moment looked a little nonplussed, scratching his head and
shifting from foot to foot. Then inspiration seized him; he
elaborately cleared his throat, snapped his fingers, crossed his arms
on his brawny chest, and began--
"Me no get sleep, me get up and go round about, fink see if massa's
fings all right. Me stop, go sick inside; one, two eyes like twinkle
twinkle look down out of tree." He waved his arm towards the acacia
under which he had been sleeping. "Me fink dis plenty bad; what for
man lib for hide in tree and look at Nando? Me no 'fraid, no, no; me
walk all same, like me no see nuffin. Yah! me see all same, wait long
time, man no fit for see Nando. Bimeby man come down like snake,
creep, creep, 'long, 'long; me go too, what for? 'cos man plenty bad
man, him go 'Bini gun, him go into wood. What for? Muss see; s'pose
he go fetch bad man and shoot massa? He no come dis way 'less he lib
for do bad fings. Him got 'Bini gun, me got spear; no good! Me no
'fraid. Plenty debbils in forest! Me no 'fraid. Massa say Nando look
after fings; all same: Nando look after, no 'fraid, 'Bini gun, debbils
and all. What for? Massa him Nando him fader and mudder. S'pose bad
men shoot; s'pose debbil come; all same: muss do what massa say, look
after fings, look after massa. Me no 'fraid!"
Again Nando paused and scratched his head, looking troubled. Then his
face cleared; he took a deep breath and continued--
"Me go 'long 'long after bad man. He come to place no trees, grass all
same: one, two, twenty, fousand bad men dah. Bad man say 'Kwa te! Kwa
te!'[2] Dey talk, oh yes! whish! whish! same as trees when wind make
talk. Me get behind tree; me hab got two, four, twenty ears. Me
listen! Dey say come, creep, creep, bring 'Bini gun; white man all
'sleep; black man come, no nise, shoot: oh my gracious! White man all
lib for dead! Me no 'fraid!"
"Who was the chief of these bad men?" interrupted Mr. Martindale.
"Boloko, sah!--Samba him uncle."
"But how could you tell that in the dark?"
"Dey hab got light: one, two, twenty tiny small fire on stick."
"Torches, he means, I suppose," said Mr. Martindale. "How did you find
your way back in the dark?"
"Yah! Me know all 'bout dat. Me lib long time in forest, oh yes! Me
fight little tiny men; dey plenty small, plenty good fighter all same;
shoot one, two, free arrow; one, two, free fings gone dead. Me fight
dem; so me find way like leopard."
"Well, you're a clever fellow, and you did very well. Here is a
present for you."
He took from his pocket a huge bone-handled penknife, and displayed its
various parts one by one: four blades, a corkscrew, a file, a hook, and
an awl. Nando's eyes opened wide with delight; he chuckled gloatingly
as one after another these treasures came to view. Mr. Martindale was
shutting them up before handing over the knife when Barney stepped
quietly forward, touched his cap and said--
"If you plase, sorr, before you part wid this handsome presentation,
will I have yer leave to ax Mr. Nando wan question?"
"Why, you can if you like," said Mr. Martindale in surprise.
"Thank you, your honour. Now Mr. Nando, would you plase tell us if you
ate a big supper uv maniac last night?"
"Manioc, Barney," corrected Jack with a smile.
"Sure that's what I said, sorr! Would you plase tell his honour, Mr.
Nando?"
The man looked in amazement from one to another. He seemed to suspect
a pitfall, but was puzzled to make out the bearing of the question.
"Sure I speak plain. Did ye, or did ye not, eat a big supper uv
anything at all last night?"
"Me eat plenty little manioc," said Nando, thinking he was expected to
defend himself against a charge of gluttony. "Me no pig like common
black man."
"And you did not get a pain?"--here Barney helped out his meaning with
pantomime--"nor dream all that terrible wild stuff you have just been
telling us?"
"Me no can dream!" cried Nando, indignantly. "Me say true fings all
same."
"Sure, thin, if your supper didn't give ye the nightmare, mine did.
Begorra! 'twas a mighty terrible dream I dreamt, indeed, Mr. Nando. I
dreamt you was snoring like a pig--like a common black pig, to be sure;
and there came a little spalpeen uv a black bhoy, a common black bhoy,
and shook ye by the shoulder, and called 'Baa! Baa! Bloko!' and some
more I disremimber now; and thin----"
Nando, who had been looking more and more uneasy, here interrupted,
hurriedly addressing Mr. Martindale--
"Me plenty sick inside, sah," he said, pressing his hands to the pit of
his stomach. "Me eat plenty too much manioc all same."
Crestfallen and abashed the big fellow slunk away, Jack roaring with
laughter, Mr. Martindale looking on in speechless amazement.
"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "'tis a born liar he is. He was fast in
the arms uv murphies, or maniac, speaking by the card, till the bhoy
Samba woke him up. 'Twas Samba, sorr, that spied the enemy, and 'twas
me little darlint uv a dog that gave the first alarm. Give a dog his
due, sorr, and if you plase, give Samba the knife."
Mr. Martindale first looked annoyed, then broke into hearty laughter.
He called for Samba, who came up smiling, with Pat at his heels.
"Where's that villain Nando?" cried Mr. Martindale. "He shall come and
interpret."
In response to a summons Nando came from behind the crowd of natives.
He had recovered his composure, and translated with glib and smiling
unconcern the story which Samba told. Only when Mr. Martindale handed
Samba the knife did the negro look sorry.
"Me no lib for eat too big lot manioc nudder time," he said glumly, as
he went away.
[1] Wake up!
[2] Hush!