第28章

USTANE SINGS.

When the kissing operation was finishedby the way, none of the young ladies offered to pet me in this fashion, though I saw one hovering round Job, to that respectable individual's evident alarmthe old man Billali advanced, and graciously waved us into the cave, whither we went, followed by Ustane, who did not seem inclined to take the hints I gave her that we liked privacy.

Before we had gone five paces it struck me that the cave that we were entering was none of Nature's handiwork, but, on the contrary, had been hollowed by the hand of man.So far as we could judge it appeared to be about one hundred feet in length by fifty wide, and very lofty, resembling a cathedral aisle more than anything else.From this main aisle opened passages at a distance of every twelve or fifteen feet, leading, Isupposed, to smaller chambers.About fifty feet from the entrance of the cave, just where the light began to get dim, a fire was burning, which threw huge shadows upon the gloomy walls around.Here Billali halted, and asked us to be seated, saying that the people would bring us food, and accordingly we squatted ourselves down upon the rugs of skins which were spread for us, and waited.Presently the food, consisting of goat's flesh boiled, fresh milk in an earthenware pot, and boiled cobs of Indian corn, was brought by young girls.We were almost starving, and Ido not think that I ever in my life ate with such satisfaction.Indeed, before we had finished we literally ate up everything that was set before us.

When we had done, our somewhat saturnine host, Billali, who had been watching us in perfect silence, rose and addressed us.He said that it was a wonderful thing that had happened.No man had ever known or heard of white strangers arriving in the country of the People of the Rocks.Sometimes, though rarely, black men had come here, and from them they had heard of the existence of men much whiter than themselves, who sailed on the sea in ships, but for the arrival of such there was no precedent.We had, however, been seen dragging the boat up the canal, and he told us frankly that he had at once given orders for our destruction, seeing that it was unlawful for any stranger to enter here, when a message had come from "_i_ She-who-must-be-obeyed _i_ ," saying that our lives were to be spared, and that we were to be brought hither.

"Pardon me, my father," I interrupted at this point;"but if, as I understand, _i_ She-who-must-be-obeyed _i_ lives yet farther off, how could she have known of our approach?"Billali turned, and seeing that we were alonefor the young lady, Ustane, had withdrawn when he had begun to speaksaid, with a curious little laugh"Are there none in your land who can see without eyes and hear without ears? Ask no questions; _i_ She _i_knew."

I shrugged my shoulders at this, and he proceeded to say that no further instructions had been received on the subject of our disposal, and this being so he was about to start to interview " _i_ She-who-must-be-obeyed _i_ ," generally spoken of, for the sake of brevity, as "Hiya" or _i_ She _i_ simply, who he gave us to understand was the Queen of the Amahagger, and learn her wishes.

I asked him how long he proposed to be away, and he said that by travelling hard he might be back on the fifth day, but there were many miles of marsh to cross before he came to where _i_ She _i_ was.He then said that every arrangement would be made for our comfort during his absence, and that, as he personally had taken a fancy to us, he sincerely trusted that the answer he should bring from _i_ She _i_ would be one favorable to the continuation of our existence, but at the same time he did not wish to conceal from us that he thought this doubtful, as every stranger who had ever come into the country during his grandmother's life, his mother's life, and his own life, had been put to death without mercy, and in a way that he would not harrow our feelings by describing; and this had been done by the order of _i_ She _i_ herself, at least he supposed it was by her order.At any rate, she never interfered to save them.

"Why," I said, "but how can that be? You are an old man, and the time you talk of must reach back three men's lives.How, therefore, could _i_ She _i_ have ordered the death of anybody at the beginning of the life of your grandmother, seeing that she herself would not have been born?"Again he smiledthat same faint, peculiar smile, and with a deep bow departed, without making any answer;nor did we see him again for five days.

When he had gone we discussed the situation, which filled me with alarm.I did not at all like the accounts of this mysterious queen, " _i_ She-who-must-be-obeyed _i_ ," or more shortly _i_ She _i_ , who apparently ordered the execution of any unfortunate stranger in a fashion so unmerciful.Leo, too, was depressed about it, but proceeded to console himself by triumphantly pointing out that this _i_ She _i_ was undoubtedly the person referred to in the writing on the potsherd and in his father's letter, in proof of which he advanced Billali's allusions to her age and power.I was by this time so overwhelmed with the whole course of events that I had not even got the heart left to dispute a proposition so absurd, so Isuggested that we should try and go out and get a bath, of which we all stood sadly in need.