CHAPTER XV.

Instead of hastening the speed of the caravan and fleeing before the armed and threatening host advancing against us, the order was at once given to halt and make ready to give them a warm reception. The interpreters at the same time went down the ranks of the soldiers, and warned them not to fire unless we were attacked.

This arrangement made, Nassar and several Dinkas, who had been hired by us, went to meet their fellow-countrymen for the purpose of finding out the reason of the hostile display.

After the lapse of a quarter of an hour our guide rejoined us with the information that the natives accused us of having abused their hospitality by carrying off into slavery two young girls of their village, relatives of the chief. The absence of these girls had been discovered a few moments after our departure, and the whole of the inhabitants at once set off in pursuit.

What is the meaning of the accusation? Which of the escort has dared to infringe our rules and compromise us in this fashion? Where are the women? They might be concealed, possibly, from us in the midst of some more or less compact knot of our followers, and their cries might be prevented by gags, but we are now forewarned, and discovery cannot fail to be a very simple matter.

Nassar once more approached the crowd, and declared, in our name, that if the two women were really with the caravan they should be given up at once. At the same time de Morin ordered all the soldiers and bearers, as well as the women who accompanied them, to form up in single file. When this was done, we inspected the whole line, and as each face was already familiar to us, we should soon have detected any sign of uneasiness.

The inspection passed off without our having been able to find the missing girls, and there was evidently a mistake somewhere. These two Dinka ladies must have absconded of their own free will, and, as all caravans are in bad repute, ours is accused of abduction. At my request, several of the Dinkas have joined us, and can see for themselves that their absent countrywomen are not with us.

Suddenly, a fine young fellow, about twenty years of age, who had been pointed out to us as the affianced lover of one of the runaways, made a bound over the heads of the bearers drawn up in front of us, lighted in the midst of the baggage, and sprang towards a tent which was wrapped round the pole belonging to it. Several of our Nubians left the ranks and wanted to send him away, when Delange, who happened to be close by, interfered and ordered our people to fall back and allow the Dinka to do whatever he liked. The black thereupon took hold of the knife hanging from his waist-belt, cut the cord of the tent, and lo! there appeared his beloved _fiancée_. He drew her to him, embraced her fondly, and then taking her on his shoulders, he made his way through our ranks again, and rejoined his fellow countrymen, who gave him a most enthusiastic welcome.

As soon as the man had taken his departure Delange cut the cord of another tent, and set free the second prisoner, to whom the Dinka, satisfied with the recovery of his lady-love, had not given a thought. This woman, as soon as she was liberated, rubbed her eyes, dazzled by the glare of the sun, looked round her with astonishment, saw the people of her tribe, and went towards them without the slightest hesitation. It was, consequently, very evident that these two women had not left their country of their own free will, neither had they found a voluntary concealment in the tents. They must have been carried off by main force by some of our people, and imprisoned in such a manner that they could neither be seen nor heard. This abduction is all the more annoying to us because we are looked upon as the accomplices of our servants. To save our honour as Europeans, and free ourselves from all responsibility, we must discover the culprits and punish them. To arrive at this result it is only necessary to summon the bearers of the two tents to appear. Somebody must have noticed that they lacked their wonted activity, that the tents had in them some weighty, moving objects, and the silence of these men, and their willingness to carry an excessive load pointed them out clearly as either the authors or the abettors of the abduction.

We were destined, when, questioning them, to make a further and more disgraceful discovery. The bearers of these tents are only paid accomplices, deluded wretches, and to reach the real culprit, we most raise our eyes higher and search our own ranks.

Alas! he belongs to the European colony, he is as white as we are, made almost after our own image. It is Joseph!

The bearers, when threatened with the whip, confessed that M. de Morin's servant had given them three pearl necklets and some iron rings, to seize upon the two girls, stifle their cries, swaddle them in a tent, and carry them off. Joseph thought that the two captives, converted for the nonce into bales of goods, would disappear without being noticed, that he would unpack them on the following day, as soon as the caravan reached another district, and that he would thus have got possession of two slaves, destined either to be exchanged for elephant's tusks, or to prepare his turtle soup, for which the Dinka women, who aire excellent cooks, are renowned.

Joseph was summoned. He at first attempted to deny everything, and accused the bearers of wishing to lower him in the eyes of his masters. But he soon became confused, contradicted himself, and finally, when found out in a lie, confessed all.

The next question was, what punishment to inflict? Our first thought was to transfer to him the thrashing destined for his accomplices, and he richly deserved it. But we were afraid of diminishing the _prestige_ attaching to all white men, whatever their position, if we inflicted corporal punishment on an European, and after consultation, it was resolved that Joseph, to expiate his crime, should make the remainder of the journey on foot—in other words, that he should at once dismount from his donkey. In addition, he was sentenced to hand over the animal to the two Dinka women by way of compensation for the inconvenience he had caused them.

Joseph made some demur at this, but de Morin told him plainly that if he did not at once do as he was bid, he should be given up to the people he had outraged. This threat had an immediate effect. Joseph trotted off on his donkey, and, dismounting, presented his steed to his former prisoners.

This present filled the two women with joy. They rushed to the donkey and covered it with caresses, and, then, from its neck they passed to that of their abductor, and embraced him as only negresses know how.

As soon as he could disengage himself from their arms, Joseph dragged himself, or rather rolled towards us, lamenting loudly his demonstrative slaves and his patient ass. The latter, on the contrary, comprehending that he had got rid of his bulky rider, set to work to bray for joy. The Dinkas, who are clever at imitating the cries of animals, joined in the chorus with the donkey, the drums of the caravan beat, the cymbals clanged, the trumpets sounded, and, with every good wish from the natives, once more our friends, we again set out on our southward way.

Our route brought us into the midst of a small tribe, forming an isolated community amongst the powerful surrounding tribes. These people, to whom our interpreters gave the name of Al-waj, inhabit a large forest, frequented by giraffes, monkeys and elephants, and in this forest we were destined to witness one of their punishments, of which, notwithstanding the horror inspired by the mere recollection, we are bound, as faithful historians, to give some account.