The Ivory Child Read online

  CHAPTER IV

  HARUT AND MARUT

  After Lord Ragnall had seen his guests to the door in the old-fashionedmanner, he returned and asked me if I played cards, or whether Ipreferred music. I was assuring him that I hated the sight of a cardwhen Mr. Savage appeared in his silent way and respectfully inquiredof his lordship whether any gentleman was staying in the house whoseChristian name was _Here-come-a-zany_. Lord Ragnall looked at him with asearching eye as though he suspected him of being drunk, and then askedwhat he meant by such a ridiculous question.

  "I mean, my lord," replied Mr. Savage with a touch of offence in histone, "that two foreign individuals in white clothes have arrived atthe castle, stating that they wish to speak at once with a _Mr.Here-come-a-zany_ who is staying here. I told them to go away as thebutler said he could make nothing of their talk, but they only sat downin the snow and said they would wait for _Here-come-a-zany_."

  "Then you had better put them in the old guardroom, lock them up withsomething to eat, and send the stable-boy for the policeman, who is azany if ever anybody was. I expect they are after the pheasants."

  "Stop a bit," I said, for an idea had occurred to me. "The message maybe meant for me, though I can't conceive who sent it. My native name isMacumazana, which possibly Mr. Savage has not caught quite correctly.Shall I go to see these men?"

  "I wouldn't do that in this cold, Quatermain," Lord Ragnall answered."Did they say what they are, Savage?"

  "I made out that they were conjurers, my lord. At least when I told themto go away one of them said, 'You will go first, gentleman.' Then, mylord, I heard a hissing sound in my coat-tail pocket and, putting myhand into it, I found a large snake which dropped on the ground andvanished. It quite paralysed me, my lord, and while I stood therewondering whether I was bitten, a mouse jumped out of the kitchenmaid'shair. She had been laughing at their dress, my lord, but _now_ she'sscreaming in hysterics."

  The solemn aspect of Mr. Savage as he narrated these unholy marvels wassuch that, like the kitchenmaid, we both burst into ill-timed merriment.Attracted by our laughter, Miss Holmes, Miss Manners, with whom she wastalking, and some of the other guests, approached and asked what was thematter.

  "Savage here declares that there are two conjurers in the kitchenpremises, who have been producing snakes out of his pocket and mice fromthe hair of one of the maids, and who want to see Mr. Quatermain," LordRagnall answered.

  "Conjurers! Oh, do have them in, George," exclaimed Miss Holmes;while Miss Manners and the others, who were getting a little tired ofpromiscuous conversation, echoed her request.

  "By all means," he answered, "though we have enough mice here withouttheir bringing any more. Savage, go and tell your two friends that _Mr.Here-come-a-zany_ is waiting for them in the drawing-room, and that thecompany would like to see some of their tricks."

  Savage bowed and departed, like a hero to execution, for by his pallor Icould see that he was in a great fright. When he had gone we set towork and cleared a space in the middle of the room, in front of which wearranged chairs for the company to sit on.

  "No doubt they are Indian jugglers," said Lord Ragnall, "and will wanta place to grow their mango-tree, as I remember seeing them do inKashmir."

  As he spoke the door opened and Mr. Savage appeared through it, walkingmuch faster than was his wont. I noted also that he gripped the pocketsof his swallow-tail coat firmly in his hand.

  "Mr. Hare-root and Mr. Mare-root," he announced.

  "Hare-root and Mare-root!" repeated Lord Ragnall.

  "Harut and Marut, I expect," I said. "I think I have read somewherethat they were great magicians, whose names these conjurers have taken."(Since then I have discovered that they are mentioned in the Koran asmasters of the Black Art.)

  A moment later two men followed him through the doorway. The first wasa tall, Eastern-looking person with a grave countenance, a long, whitebeard, a hooked nose, and flashing, hawk-like eyes. The second wasshorter and rather stout, also much younger. He had a genial, smilingface, small, beady-black eyes, and was clean-shaven. They were verylight in colour; indeed I have seen Italians who are much darker; andthere was about their whole aspect a certain air of power.

  Instantly I remembered the story that Miss Holmes had told me at dinnerand looked at her covertly, to see that she had turned quite pale andwas trembling a little. I do not think that anyone else noticed this,however, as all were staring at the strangers. Moreover she recoveredherself in a moment, and, catching my eye, laid her finger on her lipsin token of silence.

  The men were clothed in thick, fur-lined cloaks, which they took offand, folding them neatly, laid upon the floor, standing revealed inrobes of a beautiful whiteness and in large plain turbans, also white.

  "High-class Somali Arabs," thought I to myself, noting the while that asthey arranged the robes they were taking in every one of us with theirquick eyes. One of them shut the door, leaving Savage on this side ofit as though they meant him to be present. Then they walked towardsus, each of them carrying an ornamental basket made apparently of splitreeds, that contained doubtless their conjuring outfit and probably thesnake which Savage had found in his pocket. To my surprise they camestraight to me, and, having set down the baskets, lifted their handsabove their heads, as a person about to dive might do, and bowed tillthe points of their fingers touched the floor. Next they spoke, not inArabic as I had expected that they would, but in Bantu, which of courseI understood perfectly well.

  "I, Harut, head priest and doctor of the White Kendah People, greet you,O Macumazana," said the elder man.

  "I, Marut, a priest and doctor of the People of the White Kendah, greetyou, O Watcher-by-night, whom we have travelled far to find," said theyounger man. Then together,

  "We both greet you, O Lord, who seem small but are great, O Chief witha troubled past and with a mighty future, O Beloved of Mameena who has'gone down' but still speaks from beneath, Mameena who was and is of ourcompany."

  At this point it was my turn to shiver and become pale, as any may guesswho may have chanced to read the history of Mameena, and the turn ofMiss Holmes to watch _me_ with animated interest.

  "O Slayer of evil men and beasts!" they went on, in their rich-voiced,monotonous chant, "who, as our magic tells us, are destined to deliverour land from the terrible scourge, we greet you, we bow before you, weacknowledge you as our lord and brother, to whom we vow safety among usand in the desert, to whom we promise a great reward."

  Again they bowed, once, twice, thrice; then stood silent before me withfolded arms.

  "What on earth are they saying?" asked Scroope. "I could catch a fewwords"--he knew a little kitchen Zulu--"but not much."

  I told him briefly while the others listened.

  "What does Mameena mean?" asked Miss Holmes, with a horrible acuteness."Is it a woman's name?"

  Hearing her, Harut and Marut bowed as though doing reverence to thatname. I am sorry to say that at this point I grew confused, thoughreally there was no reason why I should, and muttered something about anative girl who had made trouble in her day.

  Miss Holmes and the other ladies looked at me with amused disbelief,and to my dismay the venerable Harut turned to Miss Holmes, and with hisinevitable bow, said in broken English:

  "Mameena very beautiful woman, perhaps more beautiful than you, lady.Mameena love the white lord Macumazana. She love him while she live, shelove him now she dead. She tell me so again just now. You ask white lordtell you pretty story of how he kiss her before she kill herself."

  Needless to say all this very misleading information was received by theaudience with an attention that I can but call rapt, and in a kind ofholy silence which was broken only by a sudden burst of sniggering onthe part of Scroope. I favoured him with my fiercest frown. Then I fellupon that venerable villain Harut, and belaboured him in Bantu, whilethe audience listened as intently as though they understood.

  I asked him what he meant by coming here to asperse my character. Iasked him who the deuce h
e was. I asked him how he came to know anythingabout Mameena, and finally I told him that soon or late I would be evenwith him, and paused exhausted.

  He stood there looking for all the world like a statue of the patriarchJob as I imagine him, and when I had done, replied without moving amuscle and in English:

  "O Lord, Zikali, Zulu wizard, friend of mine! All great wizard friendjust like all elephant and all snake. Zikali make me know Mameena,and she tell me story and send you much love, and say she wait foryou always." (More sniggers from Scroope, and still intenser interestevinced by Miss Holmes and others.) "If you like, I show you Mameena'fore I go." (Murmurs from Miss Holmes and Miss Manners of "Oh, _please_do!") "But that very little business, for what one long-ago lady out ofso many?"

  Then suddenly he broke into Bantu, and added: "A jest is a jest,Macumazana, though often there is meaning in a jest, and you shall seeMameena if you will. I come here to ask you to do my people a servicefor which you shall not lack reward. We, the White Kendah, the People ofthe Child, are at war with the Black Kendah, our subjects who outnumberus. The Black Kendah have an evil spirit for a god, which spirit fromthe beginning has dwelt in the largest elephant in all the world, abeast that none can kill, but which kills many and bewitches more. Whilethat elephant, which is named Jana, lives we, the People of the Child,go in terror, for day by day it destroys us. We have learned--how itdoes not matter--that you alone can kill that elephant. If you will comeand kill it, we will show you the place where all the elephants go todie, and you shall take their ivory, many wagon-loads, and grow rich.Soon you are going on a journey that has to do with a flower, and youwill visit peoples named the Mazitu and the Pongo who live on an islandin a lake. Far beyond the Pongo and across the desert dwell my people,the Kendah, in a secret land. When you wish to visit us, as you will do,journey to the north of that lake where the Pongo dwell, and stay thereon the edge of the desert shooting till we come. Now mock me if youwill, but do not forget, for these things shall befall in their season,though that time be far. If we meet no more for a while, still do notforget. When you have need of gold or of the ivory that is gold, thenjourney to the north of the lake where the Pongo dwell, and call on thenames of Harut and Marut."

  "And call on the names of Harut and Marut," repeated the younger man,who hitherto appeared to take no interest in our talk.

  Next, before I could answer, before I could think the thing out indeed,for all this breath from savage and mystical Africa blowing on mesuddenly here in an Essex drawing-room, seemed to overwhelm me, theineffable Harut proceeded in his English conjurer's patter:

  "Rich ladies and gentlemen want see trick by poor old wizard from centreAfrica. Well, we show them, but please 'member no magic, all quitesimple trick. Teach it you if you pay. Please not look too hard, no wantyou learn how it done. What you like see? Tree grow out of nothing, eh?Good! Please lend me that plate--what you call him--china."

  Then the performance began. The tree grew admirably upon the china plateunder the cover of an antimacassar. A number of bits of stick dancedtogether on the said plate, apparently without being touched. At awhistle from Marut a second snake crawled out of the pocket of thehorrified Mr. Savage, who stood observing these proceedings at arespectful distance, erected itself on its tail upon the plate and tookfire till it was consumed to ashes, and so forth.

  The show was very good, but to tell the truth I did not take much noticeof it, for I had seen similar things before and was engaged in thoughtsmuch excited by what Harut had said to me. At length the pair pausedamidst the clapping of the audience, and Marut began to pack up theproperties as though all were done. Then Harut observed casually:

  "The Lord Macumazana think this poor business and he right. Very poorbusiness, any conjurer do better. All common trick"--here his eye fellupon Mr. Savage who was wriggling uneasily in the background. "Whatmatter with that gentleman? Brother Marut, go see."

  Brother Marut went and freed Mr. Savage from two more snakes whichseemed to have taken possession of various parts of his garments. Also,amidst shouts of laughter, from a large dead rat which he appeared todraw from his well-oiled hair.

  "Ah!" said Harut, as his confederate returned with these prizes, leavingSavage collapsed in a chair, "snake love that gentleman much. He earngreat money in Africa. Well, he keep rat in hair; hungry snake alwayswant rat. But as I say, this poor business. Now you like to see somebetter, eh? Mameena, eh?"

  "No," I replied firmly, whereat everyone laughed.

  "Elephant Jana we want you kill, eh? Just as he look this minute."

  "Yes," I said, "very much indeed, only how will you show it me?"

  "That quite easy, Macumazana. You just smoke little Kendah 'bacco andsee many things, if you have gift, as I _think_ you got, and as I almost_sure_ that lady got," and he pointed to Miss Holmes. "Sometimes theythings people want see, and sometimes they things people not want see."

  "Dakka," I said contemptuously, alluding to the Indian hemp on whichnatives make themselves drunk throughout great districts of Africa.

  "Oh! no, not dakka, that common stuff; this 'bacco much better thandakka, only grow in Kendah-land. You think all nonsense? Well, you see.Give me match please."

  Then while we watched he placed some tobacco, at least it looked liketobacco, in a little wooden bowl that he also produced from his basket.Next he said something to his companion, Marut, who drew a flute fromhis robe made out of a thick reed, and began to play on it a wild andmelancholy music, the sound of which seemed to affect my backbone asstanding on a great height often does. Presently too Harut broke into alow song whereof I could not understand a word, that rose and fell withthe music of the flute. Now he struck a match, which seemed incongruousin the midst of this semi-magical ceremony, and taking a pinch of thetobacco, lit it and dropped it among the rest. A pale, blue smoke arosefrom the bowl and with it a very sweet odour not unlike that of thetuberoses gardeners grow in hot-houses, but more searching.

  "Now you breath smoke, Macumazana," he said, "and tell us what yousee. Oh! no fear, that not hurt you. Just like cigarette. Look," and heinhaled some of the vapour and blew it out through his nostrils, afterwhich his face seemed to change to me, though what the change was Icould not define.

  I hesitated till Scroope said:

  "Come, Allan, don't shirk this Central African adventure. I'll try ifyou like."

  "No," said Harut brusquely, "_you_ no good."

  Then curiosity and perhaps the fear of being laughed at overcame me. Itook the bowl and held it under my nose, while Harut threw over my headthe antimacassar which he had used in the mango trick, to keep in thefumes I suppose.

  At first these fumes were unpleasant, but just as I was about to dropthe bowl they seemed to become agreeable and to penetrate to the inmostrecesses of my being. The general affect of them was not unlike that ofthe laughing gas which dentists give, with this difference, that whereasthe gas produces insensibility, these fumes seemed to set the mindon fire and to burn away all limitations of time and distance. Thingsshifted before me. It was as though I were no longer in that room buttravelling with inconceivable rapidity.

  Suddenly I appeared to stop before a curtain of mist. The mist rolledup in front of me and I saw a wild and wonderful scene. There lay a lakesurrounded by dense African forest. The sky above was still red with thelast lights of sunset and in it floated the full moon. On the easternside of the lake was a great open space where nothing seemed to grow andall about this space were the skeletons of hundreds of dead elephants.There they lay, some of them almost covered with grey mosses hanging totheir bones, through which their yellow tusks projected as though theyhad been dead for centuries; others with the rotting hide still on them.I knew that I was looking on a cemetery of elephants, the place wherethese great beasts went to die, as I have since been told the extinctmoas did in New Zealand. All my life as a hunter had I heard rumoursof these cemeteries, but never before did I see such a spot even in adream.

  See! There was one dying now, a huge ga
unt bull that looked as though itwere several hundred years old. It stood there swaying to and fro. Thenit lifted its trunk, I suppose to trumpet, though of course I couldhear nothing, and slowly sank upon its knees and so remained in the lastrelaxation of death.

  Almost in the centre of this cemetery was a little mound of water-washedrock that had endured when the rest of the stony plain was denuded inpast epochs. Suddenly upon that rock appeared the shape of the mostgigantic elephant that ever I beheld in all my long experience. It hadone enormous tusk, but the other was deformed and broken off short. Itssides were scarred as though with fighting and its eyes shone red andwickedly. Held in its trunk was the body of a woman whose hair hung downupon one side and whose feet hung down upon the other. Clasped in herarms was a child that seemed to be still living.

  The rogue, as a brute of this sort is called, for evidently such it was,dropped the corpse to the ground and stood a while, flapping its ears.Then it felt for and picked up the child with its trunk, swung it to andfro and finally tossed it high into the air, hurling it far away. Afterthis it walked to the elephant that I had just seen die, and chargedthe carcass, knocking it over. Then having lifted its trunk as though totrumpet in triumph, it shambled off towards the forest and vanished.

  The curtain of mist fell again and in it, dimly, I thought I saw--well,never mind who or what I saw. Then I awoke.

  "Well, did you see anything?" asked a chorus of voices.

  I told them what I had seen, leaving out the last part.

  "I say, old fellow," said Scroope, "you must have been pretty clever toget all that in, for your eyes weren't shut for more than ten seconds."

  "Then I wonder what you would say if I repeated everything," I answered,for I still felt dreamy and not quite myself.

  "You see elephant Jana?" asked Harut. "He kill woman and child, eh?Well, he do that every night. Well, that why people of White Kendahwant you to kill _him_ and take all that ivory which they no dare touchbecause it in holy place and Black Kendah not let them. So he livestill. That what we wish know. Thank you much, Macumazana. You very goodlook through-distance man. Just what I think. Kendah 'bacco smoke workvery well in you. Now, beautiful lady," he added turning to Miss Holmes,"you like look too? Better look. Who knows what you see?"

  Miss Holmes hesitated a moment, studying me with an inquiring eye. But Imade no sign, being in truth very curious to hear _her_ experience.

  "Yes," she said.

  "I would prefer, Luna, that you left this business alone," remarked LordRagnall uneasily. "I think it is time that you ladies went to bed."

  "Here is a match," said Miss Holmes to Harut who was engaged in puttingmore tobacco into the bowl, the suspicion of a smile upon his graveand statuesque countenance. Harut received the match with a low bowand fired the stuff as before. Then he handed the bowl, from which onceagain the blue smoke curled upwards, to Miss Holmes, and gently andgracefully let the antimacassar fall over it and her head, which itdraped as a wedding veil might do. A few seconds later she threw off theantimacassar and cast the bowl, in which the fire was now out, on to thefloor. Then she stood up with wide eyes, looking wondrous lovely and,notwithstanding her lack of height, majestic.

  "I have been in another world," she said in a low voice as though shespoke to the air, "I have travelled a great way. I found myself in asmall place made of stone. It was dark in the place, the fire in thatbowl lit it up. There was nothing there except a beautiful statue of anaked baby which seemed to be carved in yellow ivory, and a chair madeof ebony inlaid with ivory and seated with string. I stood in front ofthe statue of the Ivory Child. It seemed to come to life and smile atme. Round its neck was a string of red stones. It took them from itsneck and set them upon mine. Then it pointed to the chair, and I satdown in the chair. That was all."

  Harut followed her words with an interest that I could see was intense,although he attempted to hide it. Then he asked me to translate them,which I did.

  As their full sense came home to him, although his face remainedimpassive, I saw his dark eyes shine with the light of triumph. MoreoverI heard him whisper to Marut words that seemed to mean,

  "The Sacred Child accepts the Guardian. The Spirit of the White Kendahfinds a voice again."

  Then as though involuntarily, but with the utmost reverence, both ofthem bowed deeply towards Miss Holmes.

  A babel of conversation broke out.

  "What a ridiculous dream," I heard Lord Ragnall say in a vexed voice."An ivory child that seemed to come to life and to give you a necklace.Whoever heard such nonsense?"

  "Whoever heard such nonsense?" repeated Miss Holmes after him, as thoughin polite acquiescence, but speaking as an automaton might speak.

  "I say," interrupted Scroope, addressing Miss Manners, "this is adrawing-room entertainment and a half, isn't it, dear?"

  "I don't know," answered Miss Manners, doubtfully, "it is rather tooqueer for my taste. Tricks are all very well, but when it comes to magicand visions I get frightened."

  "Well, I suppose the show is over," said Lord Ragnall. "Quatermain,would you mind asking your conjurer friends what I owe them?"

  Here Harut, who had understood, paused from packing up his propertiesand answered,

  "Nothing, O great Lord, nothing. It is we owe you much. Here we learnwhat we want know long time. I mean if elephant Jana still kill peopleof Kendah. Kendah 'bacco no speak to us. Only speak to new spirit. Yougot great gift, lady, and you too, Macumazana. You not like smoke moreKendah 'bacco and look into past, eh? Better look! Very full, past,learn much there about all us; learn how things begin. Make youunderstand lot what seem odd to-day. No! Well, one day you look p'raps,'cause past pull hard and call loud, only no one hear what it say.Good night, O great Lord. Good night, O beautiful lady. Good night,O Macumazana, till we meet again when you come kill elephant Jana.Blessing of the Heaven-Child, who give rain, who protect all danger, whogive food, who give health, on you all."

  Then making many obeisances they walked backwards to the door where theyput on their long cloaks.

  At a sign from Lord Ragnall I accompanied them, an office which, fearingmore snakes, Mr. Savage was very glad to resign to me. Presently westood outside the house amidst the moaning trees, and very cold it wasthere.

  "What does all this mean, O men of Africa?" I asked.

  "Answer the question yourself when you stand face to face with the greatelephant Jana that has in it an evil spirit, O Macumazana," repliedHarut. "Nay, listen. We are far from our home and we sought tidingsthrough those who could give it to us, and we have won those tidings,that is all. We are worshippers of the Heavenly Child that is eternalyouth and all good things, but of late the Child has lacked a tongue.Yet to-night it spoke again. Seek to know no more, you who in due seasonwill know all things."

  "Seek to know no more," echoed Marut, "who already, perhaps, know toomuch, lest harm should come to you, Macumazana."

  "Where are you going to sleep to-night?" I asked.

  "We do not sleep here," answered Harut, "we walk to the great city andthence find our way to Africa, where we shall meet you again. You knowthat we are no liars, common readers of thought and makers of tricks,for did not Dogeetah, the wandering white man, speak to you of thepeople of whom he had heard who worshipped the Child of Heaven? Go in,Macumazana, ere you take harm in this horrible cold, and take with youthis as a marriage gift from the Child of Heaven whom she met to-night,to the beautiful lady stamped with the sign of the young moon who isabout to marry the great lord she loves."

  Then he thrust a little linen-wrapped parcel into my hand and with hiscompanion vanished into the darkness.

  I returned to the drawing-room where the others were still discussingthe remarkable performance of the two native conjurers.

  "They have gone," I said in answer to Lord Ragnall, "to walk to Londonas they said. But they have sent a wedding-present to Miss Holmes," andI showed the parcel.

  "Open it, Quatermain," he said again.

  "No, George," interrupte
d Miss Holmes, laughing, for by now she seemedto have quite recovered herself, "I like to open my own presents."