An idea occurred to Alan, who had small faith in Jeekie’s
“ma” as a messenger.
“The Ogula prisoners could show them,”
he said; “at any rate as far as the forest,
and after that they could find out. May they not
go, Asika?”
“If you will,” she answered carelessly.
“Let them be ready to start to-morrow at the
dawn, all except their chief, Fahni, who must stop
here as a hostage. I do not trust those Ogula,
who more than once have threatened to make war upon
us,” she added, then turned and bade the priests
bring in the bearers to receive their instructions.
Presently they came, picked men all of them, under
the command of an Asiki captain, and with them the
Ogula, whom she summoned also.
“Go where the white lord sends you,” she
said in an indifferent voice, “carrying with
you these packages. I do not know where it is,
but these man-eaters will show you some of the way,
and if you fail in the business but live to come back
again, you shall be sacrificed to Bonsa at the next
feast; if you run away then your wives and children
will be sacrificed. Food shall be given you for
your journey, and gold to buy more when it is gone.
Now, Vernoon, tell them what they have to do.”
So Alan, or rather Jeekie, told them, and these directions
were so long and minute, that before they were finished
the Asika grew tired of listening and went away, saying
as she passed the captain of the company:
“Remember my words, man, succeed or die, but
of your land and its secrets say nothing.”
“I hear,” answered the captain, prostrating
himself.
That night Alan summoned the Ogula and spoke to them
through Jeekie in their own language. At first
they declared that they would not leave their chief,
preferring to stay and die with him.
“Not so,” said Fahni; “go, my children,
that I may live. Go and gather the tribe, all
the thousands of them who are men and can fight, and
bring them up to attack Asiki-land, to rescue me if
I still live, or to avenge me if I am dead. As
for these bearers, do them no harm, but send them
on to the coast with the white man’s goods.”
So in the end the Ogula said that they would go, and
when Alan woke up on the following morning, he was
informed that they and the Asiki porters had already
departed upon their journey. Then he dismissed
the matter from his mind, for to tell the truth he
never expected to hear of them any more.
ALAN FALLS ILL
After the departure of the messengers a deep melancholy
fell upon Alan, who was sure that he had now no further
hope of communicating with the outside world.
Bitterly did he reproach himself for his folly in having
ever journeyed to this hateful place in order to secure—what?
About L100,000 worth of gold which of course he never
could secure, as it would certainly vanish or be stolen
on its way to the coast. For this gold he had
become involved in a dreadful complication which must
cost him much misery, and sooner or later life itself,
since he could not marry that beautiful savage Asika,
and if he refused her she would certainly kill him
in her outraged pride and fury.
