The Fugitives: The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar Part 9

"But if that is so," said Hockins, earnestly, "what's the use o' you riskin' your life by goin' with us to Ant--Ant--all-alive-O! (I'll never git that name into my head!) Why not just sketch us out a rough chart o' the island on a bit o' bark, give us the bearin's o' the capital, an' let us steer a straight course for it. I'll be bound that we'll make our port easy enough."

"Yes, Hockins speaks wisely," added Mark. "It is very kind of you to take so much trouble for us, but there is no need to run such great risk on our account."

"You do not consider," replied Ravonino, "that it is more difficult for sailors to cross the wild forest than to find their way on the trackless sea, and you forget also that the way is long, that Madagascar is larger than Great Britain and Ireland put together. There are many tribes, too, some of which are not so hospitable as others. You could not avoid the dangers of this wilderness easily without a guide. Besides, I do not mean to enter the capital. I will merely guide you to within sight of it and then leave you. Fortunately you require no a.s.sistance from natives, not being enc.u.mbered with this world's goods."

"Das troo; ha, ha-a!" cried Ebony, opening his portentous mouth and shutting his eyes, "we've got no luggidge."

"Well, we shall only be too glad of your company," said Mark, with some feeling, "and we thank you most heartily for your disinterested kindness."

"My conduct is not altogether disinterested," returned the guide. "The truth is, I had no intention at first of doing more than guiding you to the right pa.s.s in the mountains, but since I have been with you my feelings have been modified, and the news which we have just received has--has filled me with anxiety, and raised in my mind the idea that-- that I may even make use of you!"

"That's right," exclaimed Mark, heartily, "I'm glad if there is the smallest chance of our serving you in any way. In what way can we do so?"

For some moments the guide displayed a degree of hesitancy which his friends had not before noticed in him. Then he spoke, slowly--

"Well, the truth is, that I have a friend in the palace who is, I have been told, in great danger, owing to the wrath of Ranavalona. I thought that somehow, perhaps, you might give warning to this friend, and say that Samuel Ravoninohitriniony is in the neighbouring forest, and--"

Here the guide stopped short, and seemed to be in some perplexity. Mark Breezy, whose young and romantic spirit was deeply stirred by the prospect of adventure which his words had opened up, a.s.sured him with enthusiasm that whatever was possible for man to accomplish he might depend upon being at least vigorously attempted. To which a.s.surance John Hockins begged to "putt the word ditto," and the negro fervently added, "Das so--me too!"

"But how are we to find your friend," asked Mark, "seeing that we don't know him, and have never seen him?"

"My friend is not a man, but a--a woman, a young girl," said Ravonino, with the slightest possible symptom of confusion, which opened the eyes of Mark instantly, and still further stirred his sympathies.

"Ravonino," he exclaimed, suddenly grasping the guide's hand, "treat me as a friend and trust me. You love this young girl! Is it not so?

Nay, man, don't be angry with me. I can't help sympathising. Why, I know something of your--your--a--condition myself. The morning I left England, the very last person I said good-bye to was a fair young girl, with golden hair, and a rosebud mouth, and such lovely blue--"

"Das right, Ma.s.sa," burst in Ebony, with a crow of admiration. "It doos my bery heart good to see a man as is proud ob his sweet'art. I's got one too, bress you! but _she_ ain't fair! No, she's black as de kitchen chimbly, wid a bootiful flat nose, a mout' like a coal-scuttle, an'

_such_ eyes--oh!"

"Hold your tongue, Ebony! Now, am I not right, Ravonino?"

"You are right," answered the guide, gravely, yet without displeasure.

"My Rafaravavy is in danger, and I must save her from this murderess at all hazards. It is right, however, to tell you that if you attempt to aid me you will encounter both difficulty and danger."

"Don't mention that, friend. No true man would shrink from either in a good cause," said Mark. "But when must we set out on this expedition?"

"By day-break to-morrow. Our new hiding-place is on our way, so the change will not delay us; and from what the fugitives have told us, I hope--indeed I feel sure--that the Queen will do no further mischief for some weeks to come. But now, comrades," said the guide, rising, "we must rest if we would work to-morrow. Follow me."

He led them into one of the side caves, when the whole of the people followed, as if by preconcerted arrangement. Here a much-soiled book in a leathern cover was produced. It was a portion of the Bible in the Malagasy language. A few verses were reverently read by the guide; a brief earnest prayer was offered by a very old man; a hymn was sung, and then the people dispersed to their several sections of the cave.

Finally the lights were extinguished, and the place was left in silence and darkness profound.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

DESCRIBES A MEEK MOTHER AND CROCODILE-SON. JOURNEY RESUMED AND STRANGE TREATMENT OF THE KING OF THE WATERS.

Dawn was still struggling to a.s.sert itself in the far east and the depths of the forest were still shrouded in almost midnight gloom, when the strange band of outlaws emerged from their cave, and, led by Ravonino, went forth to search for a safer dwelling-place in the still more inaccessible fastnesses of the wilderness.

They had not much difficulty in finding a suitable spot, for the particular region to which they had fled from persecution was exceedingly wild and broken in form, and abounded with concealed caverns having outlets in several directions, so that pursuit and discovery were alike difficult.

We may not delay here, however, to tell of their wanderings. Like the Christians of other lands and, more ancient times, they were hunted like wild beasts, though their only crime was a desire to serve and wors.h.i.+p G.o.d according to the dictates of their consciences. It is the old familiar story, and comment is needless to those who understand it--

"Man's inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn."

There is only one other member of the party of whom we will make mention just now, because she appears again somewhat prominently in our tale.

This was a little elderly female who seemed utterly dest.i.tute of the very common human attribute of self-a.s.sertion, and in whose amiable, almost comical, countenance, one expression seemed to overbear and obliterate all others, namely that of gus.h.i.+ng good-will to man and beast! Those who did not know Reni-Mamba thought her an amiable imbecile. Those who knew her well loved her with peculiar tenderness.

Her modesty and self-abnegation were not, so far as any one knew, the result of principle. She was too una.s.sertive to lay claim to principle!

We are not sure that she understood the meaning of principle.

Before Christianity in its doctrinal form reached her she had only one source of discomfort in life, and that was, that in _everything_ she failed! Failed to do as much as she wanted to do for other people; failed to express herself always as affectionately as she felt; failed to avoid giving slight occasions of offence, although she "never, _never_ meant to do it!" In short she was, strange to say, a victim to self-condemnation. When the Gospel of Jesus came to her, telling, as it does, that "G.o.d is Love," that Christ came to sweep away for ever the very sins that troubled her, and that His Holy Spirit would fight for and _in_ her, so as to make her "more than conqueror," she caught it to her heart as the very thing she needed.

She did not indeed condemn herself less--nay, she rather condemned herself more than formerly--but the joy of being on the winning side, of knowing that all sin was pardoned for His sake, of feeling a.s.sured of progressive victory now and complete victory in the end, thoroughly scattered her old troubles to the winds.

Her very name was characteristic. It is a common and curious custom in Madagascar for parents sometimes to drop their own names and take the name of their eldest child with the word _raini_, "father of," or _reni_, "mother of," prefixed. Now this amiable little elderly woman had been married young, and it so happened that her husband was away on an expedition to the coast when the first and only son was born. One of the first things that the child did after opening its black eyes on this life was to open its uncommonly large mouth, with the intention, no doubt, of howling. But circ.u.mstances apparently induced it to change its mind, for it shut its mouth without howling.

The effect of the gape on the mother was to remind her of one cla.s.s of inhabitants of her native rivers--the crocodile--and cause her laughingly to style the child her "young crocodile." The Malagasy word for crocodile is _mamba_, and thus the child came by his name, with the usual prefix, Ra-Mamba. After a time his mother became so proud of her young crocodile that she dropped her own name entirely--congenially, as it were, obliterated herself--and ever after was known as Reni-Mamba, "mother of the crocodile."

At the time we write of, Mamba, (we will drop the "Ra"), was a stalwart handsome youth of over twenty, with no resemblance whatever to his namesake except a goodly-sized mouth and an amazing strength of appet.i.te.

Need we say that his mother's gus.h.i.+ng powers were expended upon him with the force of a Norwegian mill-race? It is gratifying to be able to add that the crocodile was keenly responsive!

The father of little Mamba--Andrianivo--had returned to the capital soon after his son's birth. He was a man in good position among the aristocracy of the land, and occupied a post of trust in the Queen's service. At that time the first great persecution of the Christians had begun. It was known that Andrianivo favoured the Christians. On the question being put to him, he frankly admitted that he was one of them.

He was therefore despoiled of all he possessed, and banished into perpetual exile and slavery. He was sent in chains to a pestilential part of the island, with the intention that toil and disease should end his life. So secretly and promptly was he spirited away that no one could tell the precise locality to which he had been banished. His heart-broken wife and child were also sold, but were taken to a more healthy region, where the child grew and became a stout boy; his little mother, meanwhile, acting the part of a meek and faithful slave. She would probably have lived and died in this condition had not her stout son, when he grew up, resolved to become free. His mother had taught him what she knew of the Christian religion. From Ravonino he learned more, and heard of the escaped Christians who found a refuge in forests and mountains. Finally he persuaded his mother to run away with him, and thus it came about that we find them with the band of which Ravonino was leader--Laihova being lieutenant of the band.

An occasion for the display of his affectionate nature was afforded to Mamba on the morning we write of. Active as a kitten, though middle-aged, Reni-Mamba was skipping from rock to rock in a very rugged part of their route, when, her foot slipping, she fell and sprained her ankle badly.

Mamba was close to her.

"Mother!" he exclaimed, hurrying forward and raising her carefully, "why jump about like the squirrel? Are you hurt?"

"My son, help me to rise."

Gently the youth lifted her, and set her on her feet, whereupon she sank down again with a little shriek, and looked up with an expression of mingled humour and pain.

"My leg, I think, is broken!" said Reni. For the sake of brevity we will drop the "Mamba."

"Surely not, mother; it has been too tough and strong to break ever since I knew it."

Mamba spoke encouragingly; nevertheless, he examined the limb with anxious care. Being ignorant of surgery his examination was not of much use, but, fortunately, just then Mark Breezy, who had lingered behind to gather some plants, arrived on the scene. He found the injury to be a bad sprain, and did the best he could for the poor woman in the circ.u.mstances.

"Now, we must carry her," he said to the guide, "for she won't be able to walk for many days."

On this being translated, Mamba gathered his mother up as if she had been a bundle of clothes, or a baby, and marched away with her.

"Stop, stop!" cried Ravonino, "you can't carry her more than a few miles on such ground as I shall soon lead you over. We must arrange for her a _filanzana_."

The guide here referred to the sort of palanquin used by travellers in a country where there were no roads. It consisted of a shallow, oblong basket, with light wooden framework, filled in with plaited strips of sheepskin, and hung between two light poles or bamboos. As several such machines were used by some of the party to carry their few household necessaries, one of them was at once emptied and Reni put therein by her affectionate son. Four stout young men put the ends of the poles on their shoulders, and the party once more advanced, Mamba walking by the side of the _filanzana_ to be ready to a.s.sist in cases of difficulty or danger, and to relieve the bearers occasionally.