Harry Milvaine Part 42

Harry gladly promised that he would do everything in his power to come back that way.

The king had most minutely examined the rifles, but hitherto not a shot had been fired. Ammunition was far too valuable.

But one day Harry determined to give the king a treat. He took his rifle, and pointing to a great vulture that was slowly floating around the village, fired, and to his own surprise brought it down.

But the consternation among the natives was intense. It was a strange, superst.i.tious dread, and if they could have turned pale with fear I feel sure they would have done so. Harry had made thunder and lightning, smoke and flame, and killed an evil bird. No wonder the king capsized on his back on the mat, and said "Lobo!" more than a dozen times!

But Harry explained everything to him, and his majesty was satisfied.

The day before Harry's departure from the Lake of the Hundred Isles was devoted to feasting and dancing. The king even proposed killing one or two of his subjects in honour of the occasion.

Harry would not hear of this.

"Well," the king said, "he would put them up at a distance, and his guest should bring them down, with his rifle."

"No, no, no," laughed Harry; "kill hens and we can eat them, but not human beings."

It was such a drowsy island this that Harry never thought of turning out of bed till about eight o'clock.

When he got up next day, and went forth to breathe the balmy morning air, the sight that was presented to him made him open his eyes wide with astonishment. It was like a scene of enchantment.

The king's hut, and every other hut, and even the palisade around this camp, was completely covered with flowers of the most gorgeous hues and sweetest perfume, while all the ground was deeply bedded with green leaves and boughs. Even the s.h.i.+elds and spears of the amazons were decorated with flowers, and they wore garlands around their necks and heads. Near the king's tent sat a few musicians, beating low on tom-toms, and singing a dreamy kind of a chant.

It was late before the king put in an appearance; he did so at last, however, and very pleased he seemed when he gazed about him. Then his eye sought Harry's; he was anxious to know if he was also pleased with--

THE FEAST OF FLOWERS.

Harry hastened to a.s.sure him that he was more than pleased, he was delighted.

Would the queen of his country be pleased if she were here? That was his next question, and he laughed as he put it till his sides shook again. The answer was, "Undoubtedly."

I do not intend to give a complete description of all the performances of the day--they were far too numerous. Suffice it to say that there was a grand procession of warriors, headed by the flower-bedecked amazons; after the soldiers came the king's butchers or executioners; and next a crew of naked natives, bearing a pig, a goat, and several c.o.c.ks and hens for the slaughter. The goat looked rather astonished and kicked a little at times; the c.o.c.ks looked boldly unconcerned; but the pig was a l.u.s.ty one, he was not content with kicking and biting, but he screamed so loudly that the sound, or bleating one might call it, of the chanters was hardly heard. All this, accompanied by the beating of tom-toms and the occasional unearthly yells of the amazons, made up a concert that it is far beyond my powers of description to give the reader any correct notion of.

The animals were slain. The amazons danced around the hole into which the creatures' blood had been poured, frequently dipping their fingers therein and besmearing their faces, which certainly did not improve their grim beauty.

Then the procession returned to the king's enclosure, and more wild dancing was carried on, much to the delectation of his majesty.

Suddenly he wheeled round to the mat where Harry and Raggy were squatted.

"Can you dance?" said the king. "Yes, you must dance."

When Raggy translated his majesty's words Harry could not keep from laughing aloud.

The idea, he thought, of his leading one of those b.l.o.o.d.y-faced amazons through a mazy dance, or of his dancing in her majesty's uniform to please a savage king!

"No," he said, "he could not dance; but Raggy would."

Raggy whispered something to his master, and the reply was--

"So you have, Raggy; I had quite forgotten. Go and fetch it."

Raggy was back in less than a minute with a German concertina, which he had looted from Mahmoud, and which had been intended for King 'Ngaloo.

The effect of Harry's playing on this instrument was magical. There was a half-frightened silence at first, succeeded by murmurs of delight.

"Lobo! Lobo!! Lobo!!!" cried the king, emphatically, and when Harry finished he smoothed the back of his hand with one finger, as if he had been a pet rat, and Harry could have sworn he saw tears in the poor man's eyes.

"Now, Raggy," cried Harry, striking into a hornpipe, "now for your breakdown."

Raggy required no second bidding, and I am sure no stage n.i.g.g.e.r ever could have gone through one half the capers Raggy did, in that wonderful breakdown of his.

During the dance the king's face was something to behold and wonder at, his excitement was intense, and when Raggy finished he had simply to begin again. So it was "encore" and "encore" till the poor boy fairly sank on the ground panting from exertion, and the king shouted "Lobo!

Lobo! Lobo! Lobo!"

To change the programme, Harry commenced to sing "Rule Britannia," and somewhat to his surprise, while the king beat time with his hand on his knee, several of the amazons joined the chorus and actually followed the tune.

The amazons after this took chains of flowers and threw over Harry's head till he was nearly choked.

The concert ended at last and feasting began, and after this the king was led away and deposited on a couch of leaves and flowers, and at once went off to sleep.

"And no wonder," said Harry to himself, "for he has picked the bones of a couple of fowls, and eaten nearly half a goat."

Next morning his majesty was up betimes, and as bright as a lark.

He was full of business. There was Harry's boat to get ready, and also his own, for he meant to send his guest away in state.

"Ask or me anything," he said to Harry, "and I will give it if you promise to return."

"I will a.s.suredly return," replied Harry, "if the Great Father spares me."

"And now, when I think of it, I shall be for ever grateful to you for your hospitality. Will you add to it by lending me two of your people to help me as carriers on my march?"

The answer was made in the following way. The king ran rapidly along the ranks of his amazons, and dragged out two of the st.u.r.diest, whom he almost flung into Harry's arms.

Harry stepped back laughing.

"Oh, no, your majesty," he said, "not the ladies, please."

"Lobo! Lobo!" said his majesty.

The boat in which Harry and his companions embarked for the distant eastern sh.o.r.e, was bedded with beautiful flowers, and when he bade the king goodbye on the sh.o.r.e he took away with him three st.u.r.dy islanders to act as guides, and to help to carry his guns and packages.

These last contained a supply of rice sufficient to last the little expedition for many months.

When he reached the hill-top and looked back, lo! there on the beach still stood the honest king. Once more adieus were waved; then Harry and his people went down over the mountain side, and bore away to the West.

It was when in bivouac that night, halfway up a hill, with the moon and stars s.h.i.+ning in a clear blue sky and brilliantly reflected in a little lake down beneath, that Harry remembered that all the time he had been a guest of the island king, he had never spoken to either him or his people of the good tidings of the Gospel.