In Far Bolivia Part 43

Leeboo rises at last, and, gathering the loose portion of her skirts around her, says: "Come, I would walk."

She is a little way ahead, and she waves her spear so prettily as she smiles her sweetest and points to the grimly ornamental gate.

And after hesitating for one moment, both Kaloomah and the young prince follow sheepishly.

The guards by the gate, grim, fully armed cut-throats, seeing that her majesty expects obedience, fall back, and the trio march through.

But I do not think that either of Leeboo's lovers is prepared for what follows.

If they had calculated on a solemn majestic walk around the plateau, they were soon very much undeceived.

Leeboo had no sooner begun to breathe the glorious mountain air, than she felt as exuberant as a child again. Indeed, she was but little else. But she placed her spear and sceptre of royalty very unceremoniously into Kaloomah's hand to hold, while she darted off after a splendid crimson specimen of dragon-fly.

Kaloomah looked at Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo looked at Kaloomah.

The one didn't love the other, it is true, yet a fellow-feeling made them wondrous kind. And the feeling uppermost in the mind of each was wonder.

Kaloomah beckoned to Kalamazoo, and pointed to the queen. The words he spoke were somewhat as follows:

"Too much choorka-choorka! Suppose the queen we lose--"

He pointed with his thumb to his neck by way of completing the sentence.

"Too much choorka-choorka!" repeated the young prince. "You old--you stop her."

"No, no, you young--you run quick, you stop her!"

That dragon-fly gave Leeboo grand sport for over half an hour. From bush to bush it flitted, and flew from flower to flower, over rocks, over cairns, and finally down the great hill that led to the plain below.

Matters looked serious, so both lovers were now in duty bound to follow their all-too-lively queen.

When they reached the bottom of the brae, however, behold!--but stay, there was no behold about it. Queen Leeboo was nowhere to be seen!

CHAPTER XXV--BENEE'S MOTHER TO THE FRONT

Here was a difficulty!

If they returned without the queen, they would be torn in pieces and quietly eaten afterwards.

They became excited. They looked here, there, and everywhere for Leeboo. Up into the trees, under the bushes, behind rocks and stones, but all in vain. The beautiful girl seemed to have been spirited away, or the earth had opened and admitted her into fairy-land, or--

But see! To their great joy, yonder comes the young queen holding aloft the dragon-fly and singing to herself.

Not a whit worse was the lovely thing; not one of its four gauzy wings was so much as rumpled.

Then she whispered something to it, and tossed it high in air.

And away it flew, straight to the north-east, as if bent upon delivering the message she had entrusted to its keeping.

She stood gazing after it with flushed cheeks and parted lips until it was no longer visible against the sky's pale blue, then turned away with a sigh.

But Leeboo was not tired yet. There were beautiful birds to be seen and their songs listened to. And there were garlands of wild flowers to be strung.

One she threw over Kaloomah's neck.

Kalamazoo looked wretched.

She made him even a larger, and he was happy. This garland quite hid his mother's frightful teeth.

But it must be said that these two lovers of Leeboo's looked--with those garlands of flowers around their necks--more foolish than ever.

She trotted them round for two whole hours. Then she resumed her sceptre, and intimated her intention to return to the palace.

For a whole week these rambles were continued day after day.

Then storm-winds blew wild from off the snow-patched mountains, and Leeboo was confined to her palace for days.

Her maids of honour, however, did all they could to please and comfort her. They brought her the choicest of fruits, and they told her strange weird tales of strange weird people and mannikins who in these regions dwell deep down in caves below the ground, and often steal little children to nurse their tiny infants.

And they sang or chanted to her also, and all night long in the drapery-hung chamber, where she reposed on a couch of skins, they lay near her, ready to start to their feet and obey her slightest command.

Leeboo ruled her empire by love. But she could be haughty and stern when she pleased, only she never made use of that terrible spear, one touch of which meant death.

In less than six-weeks' time Queen Leeboo had so thoroughly gained the confidence of her people that she was trusted to go anywhere, although always under the eyes of the young prince or Kaloomah.

I believe Leeboo would have learned to like the savages but for their cannibal tastes, and several times, when men returned from the war-path, she had to witness the most terrible of orgies.

It was always young girls or boys who were the victims of those fearful feasts. Her heart bled for them, but all remonstrance on her part was in vain.

Leeboo had got her pony back, and often had a glorious gallop over the prairie.

But something else had happened, which added greatly to Leeboo's comfort and happiness. Shooks-gee himself came to camp and brought with him little Weenah, his beautiful child-daughter.

Leeboo took to her at once, and the two became constant companions.

Weenah could converse in broken English, and so many a long delightful "confab" they had together.

Child-like, Weenah told Leeboo of her love for Benee, of their early rambles in the forest, too, and of her own wild wanderings in search of him. Told her, too, that Benee was coming back again with a fresh army of Indians and white men, with Leeboo's own lover and her brother as their captains; told her of the fearful fight that was bound to take place, but which would end in the complete triumph of the good men and the rescue of Leeboo herself.

Yes, Weenah had her prophecy all cut and dry, and her story ended with a good "curtain", as all good stories should.

Whether Weenah's prophecy would be fulfilled or not we have to read on to see, for, alas! it was a dark and gloomy race of savages that would have to be dealt with, and rather than lose their queen, Kaloomah and his people would--but there! I have no wish to paint my chapters red.