In Search of the Okapi

by Ernest Glanville

  CHAPTER XIX

  THE MAKER OF LAWS

  The discovery made as to the source of Deadman's Pool gave a newinterest to the valley, and the boys played the role of detectivesunder an arrangement to report the results of their investigationsat night. Each spent a day of careful observation, and at the camp-fire each wore a look of preoccupation.

  "Any success?"

  They nodded their heads.

  "I met the chief's mother at the council tree," said Mr. Hume, "andshe said she would pay us a visit in the morning. She has been ill,or she would have come before."

  "Well," said Venning, "I met a boy five minutes after I left thecave, and he stuck to me like a leech."

  "One followed me also," muttered Compton.

  "Seems to me we are under police inspection."

  "Yes; there were boys everywhere."

  "Anyway, I found a 'splash' beetle."

  "Eh!"

  "A beetle that has developed the protective instinct till it lookslike a splash of white on a rock. Here it is;" and Venning displayedhis find.

  "Doesn't help us much."

  "No; but when I took it off the rock I could hear a faint rumblingfrom below, over here to the left, between our gorge and the canonwhere the river disappears."

  "Come, that's something."

  "Yes; but as far as I could make out, there was not an opening inthe cliff on that side big enough to hold a swallow's nest."

  "Better luck to-morrow. Now, lads, if that old woman puts anyleading questions about the pool, don't give yourselves away."

  But when the chief's mother came up the next day, she never breatheda word about the pool. She talked of the "good white man" who hadlived in the cave when Muata was a boy.

  "Often have I sat here and talked with him, and well do I rememberhis teaching."

  "Let us hear, mother," said Compton.

  "He taught us how to till the land, so that it would produce othercrops than manioc. The men he showed how to win iron from the rock,and how to forge the spear-heads and the hoes for the tilling.Medicine he made from the leaves and the juices of the trees, and hebade the women keep clean the huts and the place around the village.But the thing he said most was that living here in peace, in a placeset aside for the weak, it was well we saw that no strangers whocame in should ever leave. For, said he, the strong will take fromthe weak."

  "This is a small place," said Venning--"too small for any people tofight over."

  "I thought I heard the sound of battle in the valley but two dayssince."

  "It might serve Hassan as a robber's den; but I spoke of otherpeople--white men, mother."

  "Since I had ears to hear the meaning of words," she said, "the talkwas ever of white men, and one 'white man' warned us against thosevery men who eat up the land and the waters."

  "But what use would this little spot be to them? In a short time itwill be too small for your own people."

  "When that day comes, O Spider, we would be free to go to the landof my fathers, where my son will find his kraal."

  "You will want many canoes, mother, when that day comes."

  "And they tell me," said the woman, with a keen glance, "that youwhite men are good boat-builders. Aye, I have seen your boats on thegreat river, with wings and with fire."

  "Our boat--the one you sat in--the boat down in the pool, haswings," said Venning, innocently.

  "Muata the chief tells me the boat has gone. Wow! The place istaboo; I knew the spirit people would take it; but you can buildothers."

  "We have no tools."

  "Wow! You could make them."

  "We have no skill in such work."

  The wise woman pondered. "He, the white man who lived here,consulted a familiar he carried much with him; he would find from ithow to build boats and to forge iron."

  Compton produced his log-book. "See, mother, was it like that?"

  "Wow! It was like."

  "Bring me the 'familiar' of the white man, for he was my father, asyou know, and you will hear his voice again. Maybe we will learnfrom it how to make tools for the building of boats."

  "I will search, O son of my white man."

  She sat awhile, then produced a cob-pipe, and, after getting a fillof tobacco, went off smoking with the bowl against her cheek.

  "Humph!" said Venning. "Wants to keep us as boat-builders. I betshe's taken the Okapi as the first of the fleet for the greatexodus."

  "And intends that we should be the navigators as well as thebuilders."

  Mr. Hume was of the same opinion when he joined them later on andwas in possession of the wise woman's remarks.

  "She is the power behind the throne," he said musingly, "and I havebeen wondering for some time what was her object. Now I see. I havebeen giving my consent as chief to laws which are framed evidentlyto keep us here."

  "Making laws?"

  "Been doing nothing else. There was a law making it a crime for anyman to leave the valley without the consent of the people. Anotherlaw calling on all--men as well as women--to work for the good ofthe clan. Another making it a crime to withhold knowledge that wouldbe for the general good. There was another declaring that the vice-chief must have at least two wives."

  "But you have not one wife."

  "That is easily remedied," said the Hunter, with a groan.

  "What do you mean, sir?"

  "See that?" and Mr. Hume pointed at a spot in the valley where manywomen were at work.

  "They are building a hut," said Venning.

  "My hut!" Mr. Hume filled his pipe with great deliberation, took acoal from the fire, and stared at his two companions till his handwas scorched. "I am to be married at the full moon!"

  Venning sniggered.

  "You can't mean it, sir," said Compton.

  "It's true enough," said the Hunter, solemnly. "I was passing theacts, as it were, without paying much attention when the womenclapped their hands. 'What was that last law?' I said to the chiefcouncillor, whose duty it is to keep the laws in his mind. 'Thegreat chief,' he said, 'will take to himself two wives at the fullmoon.' 'I repeal that act,' I said; but they would not understand.A law was a law when it became a law, and no one could alter it, butconsidering my position they would build my hut for me. And, as yousee, they are building it."

  He stared gloomily down into the valley; while Venning and Comptonmade singular grimaces in the effort to keep becomingly grave.

  "It is a great honour," said Compton, presently.

  "And two of them!" said Venning. "I don't know, I'm sure. I'm nolawyer, but I rather think that you, as an Englishman, would not beallowed to take two. Polygamy would become bigamy."

  "I never thought of that," said the Hunter, brightening up.

  "On the other hand," went on Venning, with a judicial air, "as youhave been sworn in as a member of the clan, you become of courseamenable to the laws, and it may be that two wives will not meet therequirements of your exalted rank."

  Mr. Hume leant forward, and caught Venning by the ear.

  "It is no joking matter," he went on. "When will the moon be at thefull?"

  "In three weeks from to-day," said Compton, grinning.

  "Then before that we must be well away, or we may find ourselveslife prisoners. Have you made any discovery to-day?"

  "None! We were 'shadowed,' as before, by boys."

  "So. Well, I will take measures to-morrow to put an end to thisspying. They have had their fun out of me as chief, but I will havemy turn."

  Next day the vice-chief had his turn. He declared the next threedays to be a period of work. Some of the men were to build a boomacross the river in the defile, others were to construct a stonewall across the gorge leading from the Deadman's Pool; while hestarted the women and children on a new set of huts, havingcondemned the old village as unfit for habitation. Further, hepassed a law that any man, woman, or child found wandering aboutidle during the three days, would have to pass a night on the banksof the "tabooed" pool tied to a tree; and, finally, he appoint
edhimself and the two sub-chiefs, the Young Lion and the Spider, asoverseers, with right to appoint substitutes in their place.

  "Those be the new laws," he said, in a roar, when the astoundedcouncil had listened to the end. "If any one disputes them, I willtie them head to heels and throw them into the river to learnwisdom."

  No one so much as murmured, for they did not like the look of thoseyellow eyes.

  "Then see that ye begin your appointed work at sunrise," he said,"for I will make medicine to see these laws are obeyed."

  Then he returned to the ledge, and spent the afternoon with the twoboys making rockets, using stout reeds as cases. In the dark thesewere fired off with great and awe-inspiring' effect on thevillagers, who scuttled into their huts, and remained hid for therest of the night, convinced that the "strong medicine" would indeedfind them out if they did not obey this strange new law.

  "I think I have fixed them for a time," said the Hunter, grimly, ashe described his new feat as a lawmaker. "For three days we shouldhave liberty to fully inspect the side of the valley above thepool."

  In the morning, at sunrise, the entire clan started out promptly totheir allotted tasks, and Mr. Hume inspected each gang. The womenand children went to the far end of the valley, where the reedsgrew, and the wise woman was appointed inspector.

  "What is this new law, O great one?" she asked quietly, having beenmuch subdued by the fiery rockets.

  "You made the law, mother, that all should work, and I have honouredit. See that you honour it also."

  "Yebo, great one. We women do not complain. It is a joy to us to seethe men work also. Maybe in time," she added significantly, "thegreat one will do his turn also."

  "Each in his turn, mother."

  He went on up to the gorge, where Venning was on duty, remained afew minutes inspecting the work of wall-building, which should havebeen done before for defence, then appointed one of the headmen asoverseer, and went on with Venning to the river outlet, whereCompton was in charge. An overseer was appointed there, and Comptonwent on a tour of inspection from gang to gang, while the other twomade a close investigation of the cliff for an entrance to thecaves. The two following days they each in turn acted as generalinspector of the works, while the two disengaged made a closeinspection of the cliff; but at the end of the third day they had nosuccess to report.

  "The only thing to do now," said Mr. Hume, "is to visit the pool,and make a close examination of the walls."

  "We could not examine the wall without swimming in the pool," saidVenning, "and before I do that I am prepared to stay here a verylong time."

  "I cannot say I relish the idea myself, but I see no other way outof the mess. We must have the Okapi before the full moon. I willtake a look at the pool alone to-morrow."