The Man Who Did the Right Thing: A Romance
withdrawn herself to a folding chair placed by Halima under the thin
shade of a fire-scorched tree. Ann was examining the vestiges of the
Stott property which the looters had left behind: school books and
primers in the Swahili language, empty ink-pots, broken slates,
enamelled iron plates and some substantial tables of native timber, too
heavy for either the fugitives or their enemies to carry away. Ann's
white solar "topi" and white dress were already smudged and sooted from
the burnt wood and thatch.
"Ghastly, isn't it!" he went on. "I've just returned from a
reconnaissance in which we rounded up three Masai youths--not warriors
but the hulking boys that attend on the spearmen. Two men in my
_safari_ understand Masai and they are now trying to make out the story
these boys tell. They evidently deny emphatically that the Stotts were
killed. They keep pointing to the north-west as the direction in which
they have gone, and say every now and then 'Irangi.' My interpreters
infer that this place was attacked about a week ago by a party of
Ruga-ruga coming from the Nyaturu country and travelling towards the
coast. They besieged the station, and killed some of the Mission boys,
but the Stotts apparently were not hurt. They defended themselves for
some time, till a party of Masai came to their relief, and then the
Ruga-ruga and 'black' Arabs were beaten off. Nevertheless the Stotts
left the station afterwards and went away to the north-west with the
Masai escorting them.... I want to see if I get on their tracks or if I
can find any real natives who saw the attack.... You seem to have a head
on your shoulders ... and an influence over the natives. I'll leave all
but five of the men here under your orders. Already they're at work
reconstructing the 'boma.' I propose skirmishing around and finding out
also if the Arabs and Ruga-ruga are still in the neighbourhood. I'll be
back before dark...."
_Ann_: "You'd much better give up such a wild-goose chase as looking for
the Stotts. Make for Kilimanjaro and the Mvita coast with Lucy. We've
got mission stations in Taita and at Jomvu, near Mvita, where you could
place her in comparative safety. I'd much rather return to Hangodi
instead of floundering about in the wilderness, mad with thirst and
unable to wash. I'm only a drag on you with my women porters whom your
men can't leave alone--I daren't take my eyes off them. Lucy'll soon be
well enough to ride your donkey--which I'm at present using. If the
Arabs haven't plundered the Wagogo or if there are Masai bands in the
neighbourhood you could easily buy a few donkeys--Masai breed, you know.
They're quickly broken in to riding, especially with your Maskat donkey
to show 'em how. And then you could travel much quicker. I don't think
you'll have trouble with the Arabs farther north. It's a Masai country,
and the Masai and the Muhammadans are at daggers drawn...."
_Brentham_ (hesitating): "No. I don't think I ought to let you go ... I
..." (His thoughts were saying: "_Let_ her go. She's a tiresome
termagant, she, with her fifteen women porters who'll cause the
deuce-and-all of a lot of trouble before we've gone far. It would be
lovely to have a long journey back to the coast with Lucy. _Of course_
I'd respect her. I should simply treat her as a sister" ... and his
pulses quickened)....
_Ann_: "_Let_ me go? I'm my own mistress and not going to be ordered
about by anybody. If I choose to go back, I'll go, even if I have to
walk all the way. But there! I don't want to be tiresome. You go off
on your prospecting and leave Lucy in my charge. I'll promise not to do
a bolt till you return--and whenever I promise, I keep my promise."
(Lucy came up at this juncture and was told rather impatiently by Ann
the dilemma in which the three of them were placed.) Captain Brentham
turned away, called up his headman, gave him instructions, and finally
went off with five gunmen and the three Masai youths. These were put in
a good humour by being crammed with broiled meat and rice, the latter a
food they had never tasted before, but accepted without demur at the
hands of the godlike white man.
Ann, thus placed in authority, set to work to carry out her plans. She
had the interior of the station circle cleaned as much as possible of
half-burnt house material, and gathered together what remained in the
ruins of books, clothes, trade goods. The looting had evidently been
very hurried, and no doubt the Stotts had conveyed some things with them
on their retreat. Lucy, sharply ordered by Ann not to over-exert
herself, sat in the shade in a deck chair, very apprehensive as to the
future and worried that Roger should have gone away.
The news that white people were back at Burungi--as this station was
called--penetrated quickly through this seemingly deserted region. So
often in Africa there occurs this wireless telegraphy, really due
perhaps to the lurking here and there in the brush and herbage of
invisible natives, observing what goes on and bounding away noiselessly
to carry the news to other prowlers. In the afternoon when Ann within
the thorn enclosure had made things a little more tidy and presentable
there appeared in the middle distance numbers of Wagogo warriors gazing
at the new arrivals with kindly neutrality, occasionally calling out
friendly, deprecatory greetings. Encouraged by Ann's answering shouts
in Kagulu they approached the "boma," and even ventured within the camp
enclosure, squatting then on their heels to exchange information. Their
confidence was sealed by little gifts of tobacco. The attack on the
Mission Station was described. The white people had been taken by
surprise, but had held their own till the Wagogo and Masai came to their
assistance. The Ruga-ruga shot fire-arrows in among the thatched roofs
and set fire to some of the houses. They even broke in through one part
of the "boma," but three of them were killed by the white man's people.
The fight had lasted half-a-day and one day. Then the Wangwana had
drawn off--to the south. Two days more and the white people had
gone--there were the white man--"Sitoto," they called him--and the white
woman chief--she was a great "doctor"--and three white children ... they
had all gone off with a party of the Masai--to the north somewhere. The
Masai had sold them donkeys to ride. Some Wagogo had gone with them.
It was perhaps four days since they went away. No! the Wagogo had _not_
plundered the white man's place. They were frightened to come there
because of the white man's "medicine." ...
"Then how did you get that?" said Ann, pointing to a soiled white
petticoat which an elderly man wore over one shoulder and across his
chest.
"That? That had been given him by the white woman herself for running
to summon the Masai." ...
"See here," said Ann, in fragmentary Kagulu. "You've got donkeys--Masai
donkeys--among you. The Ruga-ruga have not raided _you_. You bring me
here _three good strong donkeys_ and I will buy them for a good price:
white cloth, brass rings, iron wire, red cloth and gunpowder."
They conferred among themselves and thought they might produce three
donkeys--for a price.
"Well, then fetch them--_at once_. Otherwise the big white man, the
great chief of all the white men on the coast, the Balozi, will believe
you helped to plunder this station and make you give up the property
you've stolen." ...
Roger returned late that evening in brilliant moonlight to find that Ann
had purchased with his trade goods three good stout grey asses with
broad shoulder stripes. One she reserved for herself, the other two she
transferred to Brentham. They would serve for him to ride and also
provide his Goanese cook with a mount. [This Portuguese-Indian was a
very poor marcher and much inclined to fever; yet in some ways the
second most important person of the caravan, decent cooking being such
an enormous help to good health in Africa.] Lucy, who had grown much
stronger for this change and excitement, could ride the Maskat donkey
and her hammock men could return to Hangodi with some of Ann's loads.
Ann would further borrow five of Brentham's gun-men to escort her and
her fifteen women-porters--her Big-geru--back to Hangodi. She had also
engaged at extravagant pay a dozen of the Wagogo, fleet of foot and
brave hunters. These, armed with their long-bladed spears, would guide
and precede her little party, scaring away the wild beasts by their
cries. Lions and rhinoceroses were distinctly a danger to be reckoned
with.... By forced marching, especially at night, Ann would be back at
Hangodi in two days. It was therefore unwise to miss a single moonlight
night as the moon would soon be on the wane. The Ruga-ruga and Wangwana
never attacked at night, and if they were anywhere in the
neighbourhood--which the Wagogo scouts would soon find out--the party
would hide in the daylight hours.
Meantime Brentham and Lucy could remain encamped at Burungi awaiting the
return of Ann's escort. If the message was "All's well," they could
start off for the coast by the roundabout northern route....
"You seem to be a very capable woman," said Brentham, "as well as being
an obstinate one. I agree to your plan, though I have a presentiment I
may regret it. If you change your mind and come back I shan't reproach
you for being fickle. And besides, you may bring us later news. I must
in any case stay here for a few days to prepare for the big march. I
must shoot game and have a lot of 'biltong'[#] made for the men...."
[#] Strips of lean meat dried in the sun and thus preserved for a
considerable time in dry weather.
"I'm glad you agree," said Ann. "I know I shall be in the right place
at Hangodi--for many reasons. As it is, I've already had an idea. The
Stotts seem to have been saved by the Masai. The Masai that our Walunga
people call 'Wahumba' are on good terms with us. We brought about peace
between them and Mbogo. They come to our station to trade and we have
cured several of their wounded men from bad lion bites. We will send
messengers to the Humba Masai asking for a large war party of spearmen
to await down below in the plains any attack by the Arabs. I think the
mere knowledge the Masai are there will keep the Arabs from coming near
Ulunga."
So the next morning Ann rode off at five o'clock astride her Masai
donkey, on which some makeshift arrangement of padded cloths had been
tied by way of saddle. Her buxom Big-geru hoisted their light loads and
struck up a Moody and Sankey hymn translated by Ann into Kagulu. The
grinning Wanyamwezi gunmen brought up the rear, and the wild, unclothed
Wagogo with fantastic ostrich feather or zebra-mane head-dresses dashed
on ahead, whooping and leaping and shouting their determination to scare
away the beasts of the field from the white woman-chief who talked like
a man.
*CHAPTER XI*
*THE HAPPY VALLEY*
Roger, left alone with Lucy, resolved he would "do the right thing,"
clenched his teeth so to speak on the vow. He was the more fiercely
determined to act honourably because he felt himself to be fighting
against her own weakness of fibre, against her overpowering inclination
as well as his own. Her attractiveness for him had greatly increased
since the renewal of their comradeship. In the early days of the
acquaintance, though her prettiness and virginal charm were appealing,
she had the naivete and insipidity of an inexperienced girl which soon
weary a man of the world who tires of the relation between master and
pupil. Now she was a married woman; tempered, rendered more subtle by
suffering and experience of mankind, who was readier to express her