CHAPTER X
THE SACRED ANKH
"When I came to," continued Montenay, "I thought sure I was crazy. I waslyin' in a palm-thatch hut, on a floor littered wi' bones an' refuse an'smellin' to high heaven. To one side was a little dish full o' palm oil,with a lighted wick floatin' in it. Leanin' up against the wall, behindthe lamp, was a big painted mummy. Layin' in front o' the mummy was anankh, four foot long an' made out o' solid gold."
"What!" Mr. Wallace stared at the other, almost speechless. The twoboys, fascinated by the deadly earnestness of Montenay's recital, werepale with excitement. "But go ahead, man. I can talk later."
"I was still trussed up like a turkey, but I wriggled and squirmed untilI got loose. My shoulder was badly torn up," went on Captain Mac, "and Iwas nigh frantic wi' the pain. A little o' the palm oil helped, but wi'them things around me I thought sure I was crazy. I crawled to thedoor, an' found I was in the hut inside the ivory zareba.
"The whole business must ha' gone to my head, for I don't remember verywell what happened then. I know I went back to the mummy an' saw thathis neck was torn open. There was somethin' shinin', and I grabbed atit. Just then I heard somethin' behind me, an' there was the big lion,standin' and lashin' his tail. I remember laughing, then I caught up thelamp an' flung it at him. The oil blazed up as the vessel smashed himfair between the eyes, he gave a roar, and I fainted again.
"Next I remember was Mbopo bending over me. The poor fellow had come tothe hut in the mornin' an' found me. It seemed that I had been stakedout as a sacrifice to Pongo. This Pongo was a combination o' the lionand ankh. The ankh was the real god, but the lion had taken up livin' inthe hut, so the lion was called Pongo and worshipped as the reg'lardeity. In short, whoever had possession o' the ankh could boss the wholecountry. Pongo, which was the lion, had carried me to the hut. I was inpossession o' the hut an' was the first who had ever escaped thesacrifice. Therefore, I was sacred and in the way o' bein' a godmysel'. I didn't find this all out right off, mind. I stayed in thatvillage for six months.
"I taught Mbopo some English an' learned some pigmy talk. No, I didn'tbother none whatever wi' the lion. He showed up later an' tookpossession o' the hut again. My shoulder was a long time healin' and Iguess my nerve was gone for a while. Man, but I wanted to carry off thatgold ankh an' that ivory! But the thing was impossible. After six monthsI got a chance while I was out wi' hunters, and I lit out. I worked myway out by strikin' a bunch of Arabs who treated me white. That's theyarn."
There was a moment of silence. Burt and Critch stared at Montenay infascination. Mr. Wallace was looking down at the table. Finally heglanced up and spoke, slowly.
"Mac, you said something about proofs."
"I did that." Captain Mac unbuckled his belt, and took a smallsilk-wrapped package from it. "I told ye that I grabbed something fromthe mummy. Here it is."
Mr. Wallace unwrapped the package, while the boys leaned over hisshoulder in high excitement. From the oiled silk fell out three linkedscarabs, set in wrought gold. Critch gave a gasp, but Mr. Wallace turnedover the scarabs and held them closer to the light as he examined theirinscriptions.
"Hm!" he exclaimed at length. "Montenay, your proofs are pretty good.This seems to have formed part of a necklace belonging to oneTa-En-User, high priest of Maat. I should say the scarabs belonged toabout the Twenty-first Dynasty."
"Ye're no child yersel'," chuckled Captain Mac in delight. "That's justwhat they told me at the British Museum. Now, here's another queerthing.
"Ye know more about old Egypt than I do, Wallace. From what I couldlearn from Mbopo, it seemed that long ago these white pigmies migratedfrom the east to where they are now. On their way they struck ahalf-ruined "City of the Gods," as Mbopo called it. They brought away alot o' stuff from there, which they looked on as sacred. All that's leftis the mummy and the ankh. Is that possible?"
"Possible," returned Mr. Wallace, "but hardly probable. They might haverun across one of the extreme southern Egyptian cities, and indeed thatwould be the only logical explanation of the presence of these things sofar west. Yes, the tradition must be true. It's a strange bit ofprehistoric African history you've run into, Mac."
"It is that," rejoined the other. "Well, for a year I've been tryin' tomake up a party to carry off that ivory an' that gold ankh. I got holdo' Tom Reynolds at Cairo, an' put it up to him. He called me a plainfool. I found McConnell in London. He laughed at the yarn. I tried tofind you, but ye'd vanished around Tripoli. So at last I came down totackle the job alone.
"When I struck your party, I knew right off that wi' the laddies alongye'd never tackle it. Man, I was fair desperate! I determined to lead yeoff to the edge o' the pigmy country, where we are now, an' then put itup to ye. There ye are, Wallace. Will ye come in wi' me an' try it? Thepigmies won't hurt me, mind."
Mr. Wallace stared at the scarabs. Burt stole a glance at his chum, andthe two waited in breathless interest, not daring to urge the project.At length Mr. Wallace sighed.
"You've tempted me, Mac, tempted me more than you know! I'd like nothingbetter than to make a dash for that place with you--not only for thetreasure, but for the discoveries we could make. But with the boys hereit is impossible. I am responsible for them, and I dare not go off andleave them in this country. If you'd told me this back up the river I'dhave left them at the trading station and made a dash in with you."
"Oh, uncle!" burst out Burt, dismayed. "Ain't it perfectly safe? Takeus! Let's all go! Cap'n Mac says they won't hurt him; he's a kind o'god, an' he can fix it so's we'll all--"
"No," broke in his uncle decisively. "I refuse to take the risk, Burt.No use, lad. That's final. You'll have to trust to my judgment in thisaffair."
"Ye're right," nodded Montenay dejectedly. "I can't blame ye, Wallace.But do ye understand? Ye won't hold the compass business against me--"
Mr. Wallace sprang to his feet and held out his hand.
"Nonsense! Shake, old chap, and forget it!" And the two clasped handssilently, while the boys gave a shout of delight.
"I knew it!" cried Burt joyously, dancing around the two men. "I knewCap'n Mac was all right! Hurray!"
"I wish you'd take us an' get after them white pigmies, though," put inCritch disconsolately.
"I'd certainly like to get hold of that mummy," asserted Mr. Wallace,his eyes sparkling. "To say nothing of the ankh!"
"An' to say nothin' o' the ivory an' gold," laughed Montenay.
"But," cried Burt excitedly, "why didn't you get after that lion an'kill him? I should ha' thought you'd do that right away!"
"No," and Montenay shook his head. "As I told ye, my nerve was prettywell gone, laddy. The pigmies had guns, but they were old trade-muskets.None o' them except Mbopo, mebbe, would ha' stood up to the lion. Thatchap Mbopo was a good sort. He stood by me right along, took care o' mewhen I was sick wi' fever, cured up my wounds, an' learned to speakpassable Scots dialect. It was amusin' to hear the boy speak thetongue."
"That feudal business interests me," said Mr. Wallace thoughtfully. "Wasthis Mbopo a chief?"
"I don't know, rightly," returned the other. "The old witch-doctor wasthe boss, but Mbopo seemed to be second in charge. The women o' theplace cultivated yams an' plantains, while the men hunted. They didn'tseem to use poison, like the black dwarfs. That's another queer thing.They had poisoned weapons, right enough, but they got supplies o' thestuff from the blacks. Ye mind, the Wambuti and other black dwarfs aresimply parasites on the bigger tribes. Well, these white chaps wereparasites on the black dwarfs, near's I could figure it out."
Critch related what had happened on the launch coming upstream, when theblack boy had caught a glimpse of Montenay's shoulder. The eccentricexplorer laughed heartily.
"They all know it," he said. "The whites couldn't draw it out o' themwi' tortures, but every tribe hereabouts knows what Pongo is, or thinkthey do. It's mostly reputation. These niggers are mightysuperstitious."
"Well, we ain't goin' to leave that white pigmy business w
ithout doin'anything, are we?" asked Burt. Captain Mac glanced at his uncle.
"Not if I can help it," he smiled. "How about my original proposition,Wallace? Now that ye know the yarn, will ye wait here for me while Itake a crack at the pigmies?"
"Why, yes," returned Mr. Wallace slowly. "But frankly, Mac, I think youwould be foolish. We are on the edge of their country, but you'd have toget through the black fellows first. They wouldn't know you, and in anyevent would probably have forgotten all about you. By the way, in whichdirection is this place of Mbopo's?"
"Northeast from here," returned Montenay, "as near as I know. I'm prettysure I'll be all right, Wallace. I can show the beggars my shoulder ifnecessary. Once I get to Mbopo with a few bearers, we'll bring off theivory."
"If they'll let you," supplemented Mr. Wallace. "You're too cocksureabout it, Mac. While I'd be perfectly willing to go along if I wasalone, my personal opinion is that it's mighty risky."
"Nothing venture, nothing win," laughed Captain Mac gayly. "Man, but I'meager to be done wi' the caravan and into the pigmy country! Now let'ssettle our plans. How long would ye be willin' to wait here?"
"That depends on how long you'll be," answered Mr. Wallace, Yankee-like."If you meet with opposition I suppose you'll come back?"
"That I will," responded Montenay. "Suppose ye wait here two weeks forme. If I don't show up by then, work up towards the Makua. If I get thestuff I'll hit the headwaters o' the Makua, get some canoes, an' comedown. How's that?"
"Sounds all right to me," rejoined the American. "We'll give you twoweeks, then. If we hear nothing from you by that time we'll move upslowly toward the Makua. It will be easy enough to learn whether or notyou have passed downstream. We'll wait there another two weeks, whichis all I dare give. That will make about six weeks in all."
"Vera good," announced Montenay with a nod of satisfaction. "Now aboutthe boys. I'll take twenty, if that suits you. Some rockets might comein handy, too."
These rockets were some that Mr. Wallace had obtained at Boma, made sothey could be fired from a gun or revolver. They were intended forsignaling at night, but had not been used so far.
"Half the caravan is yours," laughed the American. "You'll leave yourguns here, I suppose?"
"All but my Express," returned Montenay. "I'll travel light."
"When will you start?" asked Burt.
"To-morrow morning," grinned the explorer, calling for John. When thatworthy appeared he was instructed to make all arrangements and select ascore of the best Bantus as porters. A bustle of excitement soon rosefrom the camp, while the four discussed the final arrangements. In halfan hour John reappeared and informed them that all was ready for thestart.
Before daybreak the boys were up and at breakfast. With the first streakof gray in the east Captain Montenay called his men together, and allleft the camp. Mr. Wallace and the boys had decided to accompany him fora mile or two in order to see him off safely.
The party started toward the northeast, in which direction the forestextended and dipped down into heavier jungle and lower ground. Aftertwo miles they came to a small stream, and here the farewells were said.Montenay shook hands all around, with no display of emotion.
"If ye're no seein' me again," he said to Mr. Wallace, while the porterswere fording the stream, "ye'll deliver the letter I gave ye lastnight?"
"I will," answered Mr. Wallace soberly. "And what's more, I'll ship theboys home and come back for you. So long, old man!"
"So long. Good luck to ye," and Montenay was caught up between two ofhis men and carried across the shallow stream. On the opposite bank heturned and waved, the three gave him a hearty cheer, and with his littleband he was lost in the heavy foliage.
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