'I knew,' said Muviro, after they were able to talk among themselves, 'that the chief lied to me. I should have been more careful. I should not have drunk his beer or allowed you to.'
'I saw him drink it, and so I thought it was safe,' said another.
'He only pretended to drink it,' said Muviro. 'This Udalo is a very bad man.'
'What do you think he will do with us?'
'I do not think,' said Muviro; 'I know.'
'And what do you know?'
'I have heard about these Bukena. I have heard that while they are not cannibals, they do eat the hearts of their enemies, thinking that this will make them brave, for they are great cowards.'
'They will eat our hearts?'
'Yes.'
'When?'
'That we may not know until we are led out; but if we see that they are preparing for a great feast, we shall know that our end is near.'
'And we must lie here and be slaughtered like goats?'
'If one of us can loosen his bonds, we may die as Waziri should—fighting,' replied Muviro.
'If only the big bwana could know,' said a young man; 'he would save us.'
'I think perhaps that the big bwana is already dead,' said Muviro. 'I think that Udalo has killed him, and eaten his heart; and if that is so, I am ready to die, too; for I do not care to live if the big bwana be dead.'
'Nor I,' said another. 'I am so sick and my head hurts so, that I shall be glad to die.'
Night came, but no one approached the hut to bring them water or food. They were very miserable, and Muviro was chagrined to think that he had been led into such a trap. He was ashamed of himself, and he felt that only death could atone for his great fault.
Miserable as they were, however, there was one even more miserable—a little monkey that shivered and trembled in a tree beyond the clearing that surrounded the village of Udalo , the Bukena. He heard the roar of Numa, the lion, and the cry of Sheeta, the leopard; and he climbed as high as he dared and hung there shivering and trembling waiting for the thing that he knew was about to leap upon him and devour him. For such was the life of little Nkima.
Chapter 14 Nkima Forgets
NAIKI, the daughter of Gupingu, the witch-doctor, accompanied her new captor because the only alternative was to be left alone in the jungle, a prey not only to wild beasts but to the numerous demons that infest the grim forest. At first, she momentarily expected the worst; but as time went on and no harm befell her, she gained confidence in the tall, bronzed warrior who accompanied her. Eventually all fear of him vanished.
But if she were no longer afraid of Tarzan, she was far from being without fear; for the jungle night was very black and she conjured in that Stygian gloom all manner of horrifying creatures lying in wait to spring upon her. She could not understand how he travelled so surely through the darkness, and she marvelled at his great courage.
She knew that few men are so brave, and therefore it occurred to her that he must be a demon.
Here, indeed, was an adventure, one that she, Naika, could boast about as long as she lived; for had she not travelled at night through the jungle with a demon? She should have liked to ask him point-blank, but of course there was always the danger of offending a demon. Perhaps if she questioned him adroitly, he might accidentally reveal the truth.
It took quite a little will-power to screw up her courage to the point where she might ask him any question at all; but finally she succeeded. 'What country are you from?' she asked.
'I am from the land of the Waziri.'
'What sort of men are they?'
'They are black men.'
'But you are white.'
'Yes,' he replied, 'but many years ago, when I was much younger, I was adopted into the tribe.'
'Have you ever met a demon?' she asked.
'No, there are no such things.'
'Then you are not a demon?'
'I am Tarzan of the Apes.'
'Then you are not a Kavuru?'
'I told you I am from the land of the Waziri. When you are back among your people, tell them that Tarzan of the Apes is not a Kavuru. Tell them also that he rescued you from the Kavuru, and that they must always be friends with Tarzan and the Waziri.'
'I will tell them,' said Naika; and, after a moment, 'I am very tired.'
'We will stop here the rest of the night,' said the ape-man.
Picking her up, he carried her high among the trees until she was very much afraid; and when he set her down upon a branch she clung frantically to the bole of the tree.
Here the moon was filtering through the foliage, and it was much less dark than on the ground. In this semi- light, Tarzan cut branches and built a platform upon which Naika could lie during the night.
In the early morning, Tarzan gathered food for himself and the girl; and after they had eaten, they resumed their journey toward the village of the Bukena.
Feeling that she was approaching her home, and with all her fears dissipated, Naika's spirits rose. She laughed and chatted happily; and so at last they came to the edge of the clearing that encircles the village of the Bukena.
'You are safe now, Naika,' said the ape-man. 'Return to your people and tell them that Tarzan of the Apes is not their enemy.' Then he turned and disappeared into the forest, but not before a pair of sharp little eyes had seen him; and as Naika ran shouting toward the gates of the village, little Nkima swung through the trees screaming at the top of Ms voice, as he pursued his lord and master into the forest.
The diminutive monkey soon overtook the ape-man, and with a final ecstatic yelp leaped to one of his broad shoulders.
Tarzan reached up and took the little fellow in his hand. 'So Nkima is back again,' he said; 'Sheeta did not get him.'
'Nkima is not afraid of Sheeta,' boasted the monkey. 'Sheeta came into the trees hunting for little Nkima; crouching, he crept; he came close. Little Nkima took a stick and beat Sheeta on the head. Sheeta was afraid, and ran away.'
'Yes,' said Tarzan, 'little Nkima is very brave.'
Thus encouraged, the monkey became enthusiastic and still more imaginative. 'Then came the gomangani, many goman-gani; they were going to kill little Nkima and eat him. Little Nkima took two sticks and beat them on the head. They were afraid; they ran away.'
'Yes,' said Tarzan, 'everyone is afraid of little Nkima.'
Nkima stood up in the palm of Tarzan's hand and beat his chest. He grimaced, showing his teeth, and looked very fierce. 'Everyone is afraid of Nkima,' he said.
Back along the trail to the north, in search of the village of the Kavuru went Tarzan and Nkima; and in the village of the Bukena Naika was the center of an admiring and curious throng.
She told her story well, omitting nothing, adding considerable embroidery; it was a good story and it held her listeners spell-bound. She told it many times, for the blacks like repetition; and always she stressed the fact that Tarzan had saved her, that he was the friend of the Bukena and that they must never harm Tarzan or the Waziri; and at that time she did not know that ten Waziri lay bound in a nearby hut waiting for the orgy that would spell their doom.
The Bukena warriors looked at one another and at Udalo, their chief. Udalo was slightly disconcerted; his runners had long since reached their destinations, and by this time the inhabitants of several villages must be on their way toward his kraal. Udalo did not know what to do about it.
