MYalu hesitated.

"Aye, thus shall it be done," he a.s.sented reluctantly.

"It is agreed?" inquired Marufa.

"May my cord be lost!" swore MYalu, and gesturing to the slaves, hurried away.

A slight grin flecked the old man's eyes as he turned into the hut.

"Already hath he drunken of her blood," he mumbled. "Ya, Inkombana! take the tusk!"

When Marufa emerged, a head-dress of the tail feathers of the green parrot, professional uniform and potent specific against evil spirits, fluffed gently as he slowly stalked towards the council house. From the other side of a hut walked MYalu as if he had come from a different direction. In the open gate of the royal enclosure sat a muscular young man upon his haunches, tending the royal fire, which fed hungrily upon small f.a.ggots. Beyond him across the yellow glare upon the cleared ground beneath a thatched awning, stood an idol of wood, whose lopsided mouth snarled beneath a bridgeless nose; narrow slits for eyes squinted; baby arms stuck down beside triangular b.r.e.a.s.t.s above a melon belly having a protuberant navel like a small cuc.u.mber-the incarnation of the Snake-G.o.d, Usak.u.ma.

Without the palisade of the sacred ground was a taller one, barring the doings of the council of witch-doctors and chiefs from the lay public, who were confined to their own huts under the penalty of a hideous death, or an enormous fine, as the witch-doctors should decide.

To the rear of the idol, cross-legged against the wall of the entrance to the conical hut, were the musicians beating a monotonous rhythm upon big and small drums and tw.a.n.ging a primitive lyre of five strings. Just as Marufa and MYalu took their respective places without among the wizards and the chiefs, a young goat skipped into the open and stared inquisitively at the Keeper of the Fires. As the man waved the animal back from the sacred ground, the goat lowered its head and threatened to charge, suddenly recollected its mate lying in the shade a few feet away, and began to bleat absent-mindedly.

Gravely and silently sat the a.s.sembly: continuously throbbed the drums.

The sun beat diagonally. As a lizard darted like a flash of a prism from the gra.s.s palisade, the band ceased. A man emerged from behind the idol.

Although the grey woolly tufts upon his chin, the sacred snake skin around his waist above the cat skin loin-cloth, the jingle of the ivory bangles on arms and ankles, and his stature, imparted an air of barbaric royalty, King MFunya MPopo advanced with the manner of a pariah dog ordered to his master's side.

As the King approached, the Keeper of the Fires hastily threw on a handful of f.a.ggots and bowed his head. In the centre of the opening of the enclosure the King squatted down with his back to the fire which streamed blue smoke. Not a limb or a muscle moved among the group of wizards and chiefs in the council house. Attracted by the movement, the goat stopped bleating and stared at the King; then, putting down its head, charged him.

With a horrified click, the Keeper of the Fires sprang. But he was not swift enough to prevent the impact of the animal's horns with the royal arm thrust out in self-defence. Three young chiefs came running; one caught up the goat and carried it away bleating bellicosely; the others knelt, and while one carefully collected a gout of blood upon the King's forearm in a piece of banana leaf, his companion wiped the wound. When they were satisfied that the bleeding had ceased, the pieces were meticulously wrapped in another leaf and borne away by the Keeper of the Fires to be deposited in the temple: for as every man knows, the royal blood must not be spilt upon the ground lest the site be accursed for ever and like the tooth of the dragon of Colchis, arise from the spot ghostly warriors to annihilate the tribe.

Neither upon the face of any of the elders nor upon the features of MFunya MPopo, the King, had a muscle moved. Yet the incident was regarded as an evil omen.... Then suddenly did Bakahenzie, the chief witch-doctor, plumed with a tall scarlet feather in addition to the green ones and a necklace of finger bones upon his bronze chest, who sat in the centre with Kawa Kendi, the King's son upon his right, and Zalu Zako, the grandson, upon his left, begin to chant in a high wailing voice to the rapid rhythm of the drums:

"Is there not a shadow come over the land?

The frown of the One-not-to-be-mentioned?

I, Bakahenzie, have seen it! have seen it!"

And from the group within the council house, immobile, came the ba.s.s chorus of a.s.sent:

"Ough! Ough!"

"Is there not a dry curse come over the land?

Is it not the hot breath of the soul of the Snake?

I, Bakahenzie, have seen it! have seen it!"

"Ough! Ough!"

"Where is the false spirit that hath sinned in the act?

He that hath sinned in the shade of the name?

I, Bakahenzie, have seen him! have seen him!"

"Ough! Ough!"

"Does not the keen sting of him scorch up the land?

Hath not the young bread of our bellies been slain?

I, Bakahenzie, have seen it! have seen it!"

"Ough! Ough!"

The throb of the drums grew faster. Bakahenzie leaped from the crowd.

Immediately in front of the King he began to dance and to scream:

"Is the Burden too great for the Guard of the Name?

Aie! Aie!

Hath the Bearer, too, fumbled the weight of the World?

Aie! Aie!

Is His spirit bewitched by the soul of a girl?

Aie! Aie!

Hath His magical power been slain by the sin?

Aie! Aie!

Hath a prophet made words in the act of a goat?

Aie! Aie!

Does a saviour in hairs thirst the blood of a King?

Aie! Aie!

Shall we hearken, O Chiefs, to the wish of the One?

Aie! Aie!

Or be shrivelled and die in the drought of His wrath?

Aie! Aie!"

Kawa Kendi, a man in early middle age, powerful and lithe-limbed, sat as motionless as the King, his father, staring, as did all, with the fixed stare of the anagogic.

Abruptly the drums ceased. Again came a hot silence as Bakahenzie paused in front of MFunya MPopo. Then with a piercing yell, the witch-doctor spun on his toes. The drums broke into an hysterical rhythm. Bakahenzie leaped high in the air; whirled around and around screaming hoa.r.s.ely; leaped and spun continually.

The chiefs and doctors began to grunt; continued in crescendo until the whole body throbbed and grunted to the rhythm of the drums. Yet immobile sat MFunya MPopo.

Suddenly Bakahenzie changed the erratic course of his wild dance. He whirled and screamed in front of the King and fell headlong, as if in a fit, with eyes injected and foam upon the black tufts of beard. Bakahenzie clutched his belly and began to howl like a hyena at the moon. The drums stopped. Howl and writhe did Bakahenzie as if a thousand fiends were tearing out his entrails.

He lay rigid. The air seemed to quiver. The lines of every man's limbs, except the King's, were drawn in tension. Then from the prostrate body of the witch-doctor, whose legs and arms were twisted as in agony, whose dribbling mouth was closed like a vise, came a ventriloquous falsetto:

"Aie-e! Aie-e! I am the spirit of Kintu!

Aie-e! Aie-e! I am he who first was!

Aie-e! Aie-e! I am the banana from whom I was made!

Aie-e! Aie-e! The Keeper of the Name hath betrayed me!

Aie-e! Aie-e! The Bride of me is defiled!

Aie-e! Aie-e! Let him arise who is pure!

Aie-e! Aie-e! Let him arise who is bidden!

Aie-e! Aie-e! Let the fires be put out!

Aie-e! Aie-e! Let a new fire arise from the ashes!

Aie-e! Aie-e! I have spoken, I, the Father of men!

Aie-e! Aie-e! I, Tarum, the soul of your ancestors!"

From the a.s.sembly came the belly grunt of acceptance. In silence rose Kawa Kendi, the heir-apparent. His face was as expressionless as his father's.

He stepped around the body of Bakahenzie and across the open s.p.a.ce followed by a young man, Kingata Mata. Ten feet away from the enclosure, Kingata Mata sank upon his haunches. Before MFunya MPopo squatted his son.

They spat each in the other's hand and swallowed the spittle. Then the head of Kawa Kendi bent to the lips of MFunya MPopo to receive the sacred Name.

In unison with Kawa Kendi rose Kingata Mata, who to him handed a cord of twisted bark. Bending behind the King, who remained motionless with the closed eyes of one already dead, Kingata Mata swiftly adjusted the cord and handed it back to the son, Kawa Kendi....

When the muscular young Keeper of the Fires had poured solemnly a gourd of water upon the royal fire of MFunya MPopo, he knelt submissively and was strangled beside his master....