The Fugitives: The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar Part 14

As for Ebony, his whole soul and spirit were in the enterprise, as well as his black body, and the varying expression of his mobile features would have charmed the heart of a physiognomist, had such a man been there with light enough to enable him to see. As there was no physiognomist, and no light, the reader must fall back on imagination.

Intent on carrying out his pre-arranged plans, our negro walked close behind the chief--so close indeed, that he inadvertently brought his spear down rather heavily on the left shoulder of that fiery person, for which he received a buffet on the ear, and an order to keep further back. In other circ.u.mstances the plucky spirit of Ebony would have been roused to indignation--perhaps to retaliation; but a sense of justice was strong in that negro's breast. Overwhelmed with shame at his clumsiness, and eager to rectify the error--yet not daring to speak, for silence had been strictly enjoined--he raised the spear over his shoulder and turned the point backwards, thereby bringing it down on the head of the man in the rear.

Doubly shocked at this, he raised his weapon to the perpendicular, and knocked some tropical bird violently off the lower branches of a tree.

It fluttered screeching to the ground, and bounced angrily into the bushes.

The whole band of hunters came to a sudden and breathless halt, but no word was uttered. In a few moments the chief resumed his silent march, and the ghostly column moved on--Ebony, greatly subdued but by no means crushed, keeping his weapon at such a slope as would prevent its doing damage to birds above or men below.

Thus they proceeded for nearly an hour, at the end of which time they could hear the wild cattle roaring and bellowing not far-off.

When the hunters had got completely to leeward, and were beginning to draw quite near to the feeding-ground, they advanced with increased caution, and some of the men began to pull the tops of the gra.s.s with their hands, as they went, in order to mimic as nearly as possible the noise made by an ox grazing.

The instant this sound reached the ears of the cattle they became absolutely silent, neither bellowing nor feeding! It was evident that they were listening with the utmost attention. Understanding this, the hunters stood quite still, without a whisper, but a few of those who were adepts at the art continued their imitation of cropping the gra.s.s.

After listening for a time the animals appeared to arrive at the conclusion that it was a false alarm, for they re-commenced feeding, and the hunters continued their stealthy approach.

Soon they came to the thinly scattered shrubbery which marked the termination of the woods and the beginning of the plain. And now, profoundly dark though the night was, they could faintly perceive the forms of their game looming black against the dark sky beyond-- themselves being quite invisible, however, owing to their background of forest.

Nearer and nearer the men moved, still cropping the gra.s.s as they advanced, until they fairly got up to the herd, and were less liable to disturb them, for, being almost invisible, they were, no doubt, mistaken for members of the family!

As the hunters now scattered, Ebony had some difficulty in keeping close enough to the chief to observe his movements. Voalavo himself was too intent upon his work to think of anything else, or to care who was near him.

Gradually he approached close enough to an animal to thrust his spear deep into its side. It sprang from the ground and made a noise as if hurt by the horn of a comrade, but this is so common an event that the rest of the cattle were in no way disturbed by it.

The chief saw by the staggering of the animal that it was mortally wounded, and that there was no need to follow it up, as it could be easily tracked and found in daylight. He therefore turned to attack another animal that was close at hand.

"Now den," said Ebony to himself mentally, "your time's come. Go at 'im!"

Lowering his weapon to the charge, he glanced round and observed the indistinct form of an animal on his right. It was apparently a little one.

"Weal is as good as beef," thought Ebony, as he made a silent but furious rush, scarcely able to restrain a shout of antic.i.p.ated victory.

The spear-point missed the animal, just grazing its back, and went deep into the ground, while the negro plunged with crus.h.i.+ng violence on the back of John Hockins, who had been trying to approach his game _a la_ Red Indian!

To say that poor Ebony was filled with horror, as well as shame and self-abhorrence, is but a feeble statement.

"Don't speak, you black monster!" whispered the seaman in his ear, as he seized him by the throat.

The rush of apology which had sprung from Ebony's heart was checked abruptly at the lips.

Hockins released him, picked up his spear, and resumed his creeping way.

By this time several of the hunters had dealt silent death around them, but still the herd failed to take alarm!

Being left alone Ebony's courage returned, and with it his enthusiasm.

"Come," he muttered, mentally, as he drew the spear from the ground, "'Ockins not killed yet. Das one good job. No use to cry for not'ing.

You try again, Ginjah. Better luck nixt time."

Greatly encouraged by these thoughts he advanced on tip-toe--spear at the charge--eyes glancing sharply all round. Suddenly a tall form seemed to rise up right in front of him. The negro's heart leaped violently. He was on the point of charging when a doubt a.s.sailed him.

The creature before him, though scarce distinguishable from the surrounding gloom, was not long-bodied like an ox. He could perceive that clearly. It was tall like a man--very tall. Perhaps it was Mark Breezy? The recent mistake made him think anything possible!

"Is dat you, ma.s.sa?" he whispered, in anxious alarm.

A furious bellow was the reply, followed by a still more furious charge.

Ebony had forgotten that an ox "end on" and head up is tall and not long!

Happily, in stepping back he tripped, and the animal went right over him. But the alarm had been given, and a sudden thundering of feet told that the entire herd had taken to flight, while the shouting and cries of the hunters, added to the confused roaring, showed that there was now no need for concealment.

When the muster-roll was called it was found that n.o.body was missing or hurt, though several had to tell of narrow escapes, especially John Hockins, whose account of Ebony's exploit formed, at the feast that followed, subject of interesting converse and much comment during the brief intervals of relaxation between beef-steaks and marrow-bones.

Daylight revealed the fact that somewhere between thirty and forty animals had been killed outright, besides a dozen or so which, having been fatally wounded, were afterwards followed up and some of them secured.

But daylight also brought a large party of men from a distant village with a pressing invitation to Voalavo and his men to pay them a visit, and a possibly disinterested offer to a.s.sist him in the consumption of the cattle which he had slain; for it chanced that several young men of this village were encamped in the woods that night near the spot where the hunters attacked the cattle. Knowing full well what was being done, these youths hurried home to tell what was going on. The head-man of the village was on good terms with Voalavo at the time, besides being a distant relative. Hence the message and the invitation.

As our happy-go-lucky chief was out in what may be termed a larky state of mind, and had nothing particular to do, he accepted the invitation.

The meat was slung to bamboo poles, hoisted on the shoulders of his men, and away they went over the plains to pay this visit. Happily the village lay on the way to the capital, so that the guide and his party could still accompany them without losing ground.

The plain over which they pa.s.sed was a very wide one, seeming to extend to the very base of the distant mountains of the interior, but our travellers were mistaken in their ideas about it. The plain was itself part of the mountain region into which they had already advanced, but by so gradual an ascent that they had scarcely perceived the rise in the land--a deception which was increased somewhat by the frequent descents they had to make when pa.s.sing over ridges.

On the way Hockins pushed up alongside of Ravonino, who was walking beside Mark.

"Ravvy," said the seaman, (for to this had he at last curtailed the guide's name), "where do these fellows fall in wi' the iron to make their spearheads and other things?"

"In the earth," answered the guide.

"What! D'ee mean to say that you manufacture your own iron in them parts?"

"Of course we do. Think you that no people can work in iron except the British? We have plenty iron ore of good quality in the island. One of our mountains is so full of ore that we call it the iron mountain. It is named in our language the mountain of Ambohimiangavo."

"An' how d'ee work the ore o' this Am-Ambo-bo-bominable-avo mountain?"

asked the sailor.

"We smelt it, of course. We break the lumps of ore into smallish bits and spread them on charcoal, layer and layer about, in a hollow in the ground. This is covered over with a top-dressing of stone and clay.

Then we set it on fire and keep the blast going with wooden bellows, till the metal is melted and runs in a ma.s.s to the bottom of the hole.

This we break into smaller pieces, purify them with more fire, and run them into bars convenient for use. Our bellows," continued the guide, "are not like yours, with two boards and leather between. The rats would soon make short work with these. They are two cylinders formed from the trunk of a tree, with a piston in each, packed with coa.r.s.e cloth, and having valves. An old musket-barrel carries the air to the furnace, and, by pumping them time about, the blow is kept going continuously."

"Why, how do _you_ come to know so much about valves, pistons, cylinders, and such like?" asked Mark.

"You forget that my father was an Englishman," returned the guide, "and, besides being a trader, was a sort of Jack-of-all-trades. He taught me many things about which the kinsfolk of my mother know very little. You must not suppose that because some of us are only half-civilised we can do nothing neatly or well. Many of our men are skilful workers in metal, and we owe much of our power in that way to English missionaries, who brought Christian mechanics to the capital. There is hardly anything in the shape of wrought iron-work that we cannot execute if we have a model or pattern. We can work also in copper and bra.s.s. But it is not only in metals that we can work fairly well--indeed _very_ well, if we are to take the word of some of your own countrymen who have seen and judged our work--we are also pretty good at pottery and cabinet-making. As you have seen, we can weave good cloth of cotton and silk, and some of our ingenious men have even tried their hands at clock-making and musical instruments."

"From what you say, Madagascar will soon become a great country, I should think," said Mark, somewhat amused as well as interested by the evident enthusiasm of the guide.

Ravonino shook his head. "My country might become great," he returned, "but there are some things much against her. The system of forced service to the government instead of taxes is one. This tends to repress ingenuity, for the cleverer and more ingenious a man is the more will be demanded of him, both by the government and his own feudal superior. Then the love of strong drink is too common among us; and last, as well as most serious, great mult.i.tudes of our people have no regard at all for their Maker."

"Why, Ravonino," said Mark, with something of a smile, "from the way you speak of `our' people and `my' country, I fear you think more of your Malagasy than your English extraction."

For a few moments the guide was silent. At length he said, slowly, "England has indeed done us a service that we can never repay. She has sent us the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ. She is also the land of my father, and I reverence my father. He was very kind and good to me.

But this is the land of my _mother_! I am a man of Madagascar."

It was evident from the expressive features of Ebony, who had joined them, that he heartily approved of this maternal preference, but the gravity of the guide's countenance, no less than his pathetic tones, prevented his giving the usual candid vent to his ever-ready opinion.