Part 46 (2/2)
”Take me away. Take me away out of here.”
Those words made Somali Jack and Raggy very happy, and even the other boys were rejoiced, for truth to tell, they all dearly loved their brave young master.
All that day Jack and his comrades were very busy indeed. They were making an ambulance hammock. When complete it was simplicity itself.
Only a couple of strong bamboos of great length, and between them a sheet of gra.s.s-cloth, add to this a rude pillow stuffed with withered moss, and the whole is complete.
It was a long and a slow journey which they started on next morning, before even the stars had paled before the advancing beams of the sun.
But ere ever he had set behind the western hills it had been safely accomplished.
And so by degrees, as Harry's strength could bear it, stage after stage of the return march was got over and at length, to the invalid's inexpressible joy, they arrived once more at the banks of the lake of the hundred isles. Walda quickly gathered together an immense heap of withered gra.s.s, and quickly had it on flame; then he put on top of it green branches, so that a dense volume of white-blue smoke rose up on the evening air.
They saw it from the king's island.
King Googagoo--they have strange names, these chiefs of the interior, the repet.i.tion of syllables and even words in names is very common--King Googagoo himself came to meet Harry in his barge, but he brought no retinue. He was a very simple king.
As soon as he landed Walda, Peela, and Popa went and threw themselves on their faces in front of his majesty, burying their knives in the earth as they did so. Nor did they rise until he had thrice touched each one with the flat of his spear.
He now went speedily towards Harry, and scanned him very anxiously.
Harry smiled feebly, and held out a hand which the king took and pressed.
”My son has been ill,” he said, ”my son has been at the door of the cave of death. No matter, he lives; my son will soon be well. The king will make him well; he shall eat honey and milk, and drink of the blood of she-goats until he is once more strong.”
When landed at the island, the king led the way to his own tent, and Harry was brought here and laid on a bed or dais covered with lions'
skins.
As he s.h.i.+vered with cold, a fire was lit in the middle of the floor.
The smoke found its way up almost spirally, and out through a hole in the roof, over which was placed a triple fan kept in constant motion by slaves without.
Another warm lion's skin was spread over Harry, Somali Jack prepared him a decoction of boiled milk mixed with honey and some pleasant bitter herb. After swallowing this Harry remembered seeing the king squatting on a mat by the fire, and his own boys in a corner; he noticed that whenever any one entered the tent his majesty lifted a beckoning finger, warning them to keep silence. He remembered little more that day, for he fell into a soothing perspiration, and soon after into a deep and dreamless sleep.
It was broad daylight when he wakened, and he felt so much better that he even attempted to rise. It was then he noticed how feeble and weak he was.
Whether or not the bitter medicine mingled with the warm and honeyed milk partook of the nature of an opiate or not, Harry had no means of ascertaining, but for nearly three days he did little else but sleep-- and perspire during the intervals of taking nourishment.
He was aware, however, that the great kind-hearted king was almost constantly in the tent, and that he moved about on tiptoe, and talked in whispers, never failing to lift his finger and shake it at any one who entered.
Sometimes an amazon came in and looked at Harry, then smiled a grim smile and retired, and once a terrible-looking old man with triangular teeth like Walda's put in an appearance. He had a fowl in his arm, which after many strange antics--that showed he was working a fetish--he slew. He then dipped his finger in the blood and smeared Harry's forehead.
After this another fowl was brought to him, and he then made motions with his hand and arm over the patient, of a semi-mesmeric kind, or as if he were drawing something invisible towards the fowl in his arms.
The latter was immediately after chased out of the tent, and from the noise out of doors it was evidently being hunted out of the enclosure entirely.
Next morning a cocoanut sh.e.l.l full of pure warm blood was handed to him; this was not unpleasant to drink, and was repeated three times a day, and day after day for a week. [The blood-cure is not unknown in Europe, but I believe some of the African tribes used it ages and ages ago.-- G.S.]
Every hour now, almost, Harry felt himself getting stronger. He was soon able to sit up for hours, then the king exhibited all the exuberant joy of a child of six. With his own hands he brought his patient a small dish of delightfully curried chicken and rice, and as Harry ate it King Googagoo laughed till his black, fat sides shook again.
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