"Sure to, sahib."
Harry considered a short time, then--
"Well, Nanungamanoo, my good fellow, it won"t do to get in front of him.
He would soon find our trail."
"Yes, sahib, and kill us with fire."
"Would he now? That would not be pleasant, Nanungamanoo. By the way, Nanungamanoo, what an awful name you have! Excuse me, Nanungamanoo, but we must really try to find you a shorter. Do you understand, Mr Nanungamanoo? We"ll boil that name of yours down, or extract the essence of it and let you have that. But touching this pretty priest, this amiable individual, who hesitates not to buy poor slaves for rum, although he is far too good to fight for them. He"ll be along this way in a day or two. Now I greatly object to be hurried, especially when I am out upon a little pleasure trip like the present--ha! ha! I don"t think for a moment that either an Arab or any of you Somali fellows are half so clever at picking up a trail as your genuine North American backwoods Indian; but then, you know, even an Arab or a Somali couldn"t go past the mark of an old camp-fire without smelling a rat. Do you understand, Mr Nanungamanoo?--bother your name, it"s a regular twice-round the clock business!"
"I understand," replied Nanungamanoo, "much that you say even in English."
"Well, Mr Nanungamanoo, if you behave yourself and are long with me, I"ll put you to school and teach you myself--good English. But,"
continued Harry, "we must have this angelic Mahmoud on ahead of us. So if you can find a place to hide, we will let him pa.s.s and give him a fair start. For, as you say that you know this route well, and no other, we must be content to keep it for some time to come at all events."
"Yes, sahib; and I know the place to hide. Come."
"I"ll follow as fast as you like, Mr Nanungamanoo. But, first and foremost, just let us see what you have in that bundle of yours--to eat, I mean. I haven"t really felt so genuinely hungry since I was taken prisoner. My eyes! Nanungamanoo, what a size your bundle is! You seem to have looted the whole camp."
The Somali laid down the burden and prepared to open it. It was wrapped in a kind of coa.r.s.e blue-striped cloth, much admired by certain tribes of savages.
They had reached a patch of high clearing in the jungle, the moon was shining very brightly, so, although there were lions about, there was very little fear of an attack, these gentry much preferring to catch their foes unawares and by daylight.
The Somali undid his bundle precisely like a packman of olden times, showing off the wares he had for sale.
"This is the food," he said.
"What! dry rice? Why, my good fellow, I"m not a fowl."
"Fowl--yes, yes," cried Nanungamanoo, the first words he had spoken in English. "Here is fowl and rice curry."
"Ha! glorious!" cried Harry. "Capitally cooked too, done to a turn, tastes delicious. Have a bit yourself, old man. No doubt Mahmoud had intended this for his own little breakfast. I feel double the individual now, Nanungamanoo," said Harry, after he had done ample justice to the viands of his late lord and master, "double the individual. Now suppose we proceed to investigate still further the contents of your mysterious pack? That"s the ammunition, is it? A goodly lot too! But what is in that other pack? There are wheels within wheels, and packs within packs, my clever Nanungamanoo. You are afraid to touch it--to open it. Give it to me, I will."
So saying he quickly undid the lashing.
"Why," he continued in astonishment, as he lifted the things up one by one, "my own best uniform jacket--two pairs of white duck pants--my Sunday-go-meeting pairs--one--two--three--four flannel shirts, my best ones too--a pair of canvas shoes--a packet of new uniform b.u.t.tons, and a yard of gold lace--three cakes of eating chocolate, and a box of cough drops that old Yonitch gave me as a parting gift. Why, Nanungamanoo, as sure as we"re squatting here, and the moon shining down over us both, that old thief has been and gone and robbed my sea-chest! I see his little game, Nanungamanoo: he was taking these things of mine away into the interior to that happy hunting-ground of his, to swop them away along with myself to the drunken old king for slaves. Yes, and they would have stripped me of the uniform I now wear, and given me an old cow"s hide instead with the horns stuck over my brow and the tail hanging down behind. Oh! Mr Mahmoud, but I have spoiled your fun.
But there they are, goodness be praised, and I must not be too hard on old Mahmie after all, for he did save my life."
Nanungamanoo laughed a sneering laugh.
"You were too valuable to burn," he said.
"Do you really suppose then, my worthy Nanungamanoo, that Mahmoud looked upon the matter as a commercial transaction?"
"Now you speak Hindustanee. I do not know."
"Never mind, make up the bundle again, and let us trudge. From the position of the moon it must be getting on towards morning."
Nanungamanoo held up three fingers and proceeded with his work.
"Three o"clock, is it? Well, heave round, let us up anchor and be off."
After re-establishing his valuable pack, Nanungamanoo carefully collected the bones of the feast and threw them under a bush, and was proceeding to obliterate the marks they had made on the withered gra.s.s by raising it again with his foot, when a twig cracked in a neighbouring thicket. Both Harry and Nanungamanoo speedily clutched their rifles.
Almost immediately after a black and nearly naked figure emerged slowly into the moonlight, and stood at some little distance, holding up one arm across his face as if to protect it from the blow of the bullet Nanungamanoo would have fired, but Harry thrust his arm up.
Then Raggy m.u.f.fin advanced.
"Golla-mussy, ma.s.sa! What for you want to shoot poor Raggy?"
"But, Raggy," cried Harry, "in the name of mystery how came you here?"
"I came, ma.s.sa, to cut your cords ob bondage, all same as de little mouse cut de cords ob de great big lion."
"But where did you come from, Raggy? Sit down, poor boy, your cheeks are thin, sit down and pick a bone."
"No, no, ma.s.sa, not here, not here. Dey am all alive in Mahmoud"s camp, I can "ssure you ob dat."
"You came through there?"
"I came to cut your cords ob bondage, ma.s.sa."
"Well?"
"Well, den I see dat de bird hab flown."
"Yes, Raggy."
"Den I pick up ebery ting I see lying about handy, ma.s.sa. Den I follow your trail."
"Ha! ha! ha! So you"ve been looting too, have you? Well, Raggy, get your parcel and let us be off. Lead on, Nanungamanoo."
"La! ma.s.sa," said Raggy, grinning all over, "suppose I hab one long name like dat n.i.g.g.e.r, I cut it all up into leetle pieces, and hab one for ebery day in de week."
The march was now recommenced.
The Somali trode gingerly on ahead, picking his way through the flowery sward, as if afraid to leave the slightest trail.
Harry and Raggy came up behind.
It was evident the Somali was now making a _detour_; at all events they shortly found themselves at the river, which was here broad and shallow.
This they forded, taking care to keep their packs and rifles dry.
Into a weird-looking bit of forest they now plunged.
A weird-looking forest indeed. Every tree seemed an ogre in the moonlight. Yet the air was heavily odorous with the sweet breath of some species of mimosa bloom, and the ground was for the most part free from undergrowth.
The forest grew darker and darker as they proceeded, and they could hear a lion growl in the distance. He was far away, yet Harry clutched his rifle and drew little Raggy close up to his side.