Part 58 (1/2)

Rising with a mysterious air, and taking down from its peg an old palm-leaf wallet, that appeared to contain some heavy article, the myal-man stepped out of the hut, closing the door behind him, lest--as he informed the mulatta, in _sotto voce_--the G.o.d might set his eyes on her, and get into a rage.

Cynthia seemed to consider the precaution scarce sufficient; for the moment the door was closed, in order to make herself still more secure against being seen, she glided up to the light and extinguished it.

Then, groping her way back to the bedstead, she staggered down upon it, and sate s.h.i.+vering with apprehension.

As the myal-man had enjoined upon her, she listened; and, as he had promised her, she heard--if not the voice of Accompong--sounds that were worthy of having proceed from the throat of that Ethiopian divinity.

At first a voice reached her which she knew to be human: since it was the voice of Chakra himself. It was uttered, nevertheless, in strange and unnatural tones, that at each moment kept changing. Now it came ringing through the interstices of the bamboos, in a kind of long-drawn solo, as if the myal-man was initiating his ceremonies with the verse of a psalm. Then the chaunt became quicker, by a sort of _crescendo_ movement, and the song appeared transformed to a _recitative_. Next were heard sounds of a very different intonation, resembling the shrill, harsh call of a cow-horn or conch-sh.e.l.l, and gradually dying off into a prolonged ba.s.s, like the groaning of a cracked trombone.

After this had continued for some moments, there ensued a dialogue--in which the listener could recognise only one of the voices as that of Chakra.

Whose could be the other? It could only be that of Accompong. The G.o.d was upon the ground!

Cynthia trembled as she thought how very near he was. How lucky she had blown out the light! With the lamp still burning, she must have been seen: for both Chakra and the deity were just outside the door, and so near that she could not only hear their voices with distinctness, but the very words that were spoken.

Some of these were in an unknown tongue, and she could not understand them. Others were in English, or rather its synonym in the form of a negro _patois_. These last she comprehended; and their signification was not of a character to tranquillise her thoughts, but the contrary.

_Chakra, chantant_:--

”Open de bottle--draw de cork, De 'pell he work--de 'pell he work; De buckra man muss die!”

”_Muss die_!” repeated Accompong, in a voice that sounded as if from the interior of an empty hogshead.

”De yella gal she gib 'im drink; It make 'im sick--it make 'im sr'ink, It send 'im to 'im grave!”

”_Him grave_!” came the response of Accompong.

”An' if de yella gal refuse, She 'tep into de buckra's shoes, An' fill de buckra's tomb.”

”_Buckra's tomb_!” echoed the African G.o.d, in a sonorous and emphatic voice, that told there was no alternative to the fate thus hypothetically proclaimed.

There was a short interval of silence, and then the shrill, conch-like sound was again heard--as before, followed by the long-drawn ba.s.s.

This was the exorcism of the G.o.d--as the same sounds, previously heard, had been his invocation.

It was also the _finale_ of the ceremony: since the moment after Chakra pushed open the door, and stood in the entrance of the hut.

”Cynthy, gal,” said he, with a look of mysterious gravity, ”why you blow out de light? But no matter for light. It's all oba. Did you hear the G.o.d 'peak?”

”I did,” murmured the mulatta, still trembling at what she had heard.

”You hear wha him say?”

”Yes--yes.”

”Den he 'peak de troof. Nuffin mor'n dat. You take heed--I 'vise you, as you friend. You go troo wif de 'pell now 'im 'gun, else you life not worth so much trash ob de sugar-cane. A say no more. Ebbery night, in um fuss gla.s.s, de full ob de crab-claw, up to de mark. Now, gal, come 'lon'.”

The last command was the more readily obeyed since Cynthia was but too glad to get away from a place whose terrors had so severely tested her courage.

Taking up the basket--in which the bottle containing the dangerous decoction had been already placed--she glided out of the hut, and once more followed the Coromantee to his canoe.