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Page 23
'How? Thus. There was water to fetch from the shore when we could find
it, as well as wild fruit and grasses, and sand for scrubbing of the
decks and benches to keep them sweet. Also we hauled the ship out on low
islands and emptied all her gear, even to the iron wedges, and burned
off the weed, that had grown on her, with torches of rush, and smoked
below the decks with rushes dampened in salt water, as Hlaf the Woman
orders in her Ship-Book. Once when we were thus stripped, and the ship
lay propped on her keel, the bird cried, "Out swords!" as though she saw
an enemy. Witta vowed he would wring her neck.'
'Poor Polly! Did he?' said Una.
'Nay. She was the ship's bird. She could call all the rowers by name.... Those were good days--for a wifeless man--with Witta and his
heathen--beyond the world's end. ... After many weeks we came on the
great Shoal which stretched, as Witta's father had said, far out to sea.
We skirted it till we were giddy with the sight and dizzy with the sound
of bars and breakers, and when we reached land again we found a naked
black people dwelling among woods, who for one wedge of iron loaded us
with fruits and grasses and eggs. Witta scratched his head at them in
sign he would buy gold. They had no gold, but they understood the sign
(all the gold-traders hide their gold in their thick hair), for they
pointed along the coast. They beat, too, on their chests with their
clenched hands, and that, if we had known it, was an evil sign.'
'What did it mean?' said Dan.
'Patience. Ye shall hear. We followed the coast eastward sixteen days
(counting time by sword-cuts on the helm-rail) till we came to the
Forest in the Sea. Trees grew there out of mud, arched upon lean and
high roots, and many muddy waterways ran all whither into darkness,
under the trees. Here we lost the sun. We followed the winding channels
between the trees, and where we could not row we laid hold of the
crusted roots and hauled ourselves along. The water was foul, and great
glittering flies tormented us. Morning and evening a blue mist covered
the mud, which bred fevers. Four of our rowers sickened, and were bound
to their benches, lest they should leap overboard and be eaten by the
monsters of the mud. The Yellow Man lay sick beside the Wise Iron,
rolling his head and talking in his own tongue. Only the Bird throve.
She sat on Witta's shoulder and screamed in that noisome, silent
darkness. Yes; I think it was the silence we most feared.'
He paused to listen to the comfortable home noises of the brook.
'When we had lost count of time among those black gullies and swashes we
heard, as it were, a drum beat far off, and following it we broke into a
broad, brown river by a hut in a clearing among fields of pumpkins. We
thanked God to see the sun again. The people of the village gave the
good welcome, and Witta scratched his head at them (for gold), and
showed them our iron and beads. They ran to the bank--we were still in
the ship--and pointed to our swords and bows, for always when near shore
we lay armed. Soon they fetched store of gold in bars and in dust from
their huts, and some great blackened elephants' teeth. These they piled
on the bank, as though to tempt us, and made signs of dealing blows in
battle, and pointed up to the tree-tops, and to the forest behind. Their
captain or chief sorcerer then beat on his chest with his fists, and
gnashed his teeth.
'Said Thorkild of Borkum: "Do they mean we must fight for all this
gear?" and he half drew sword.
'"Nay," said Hugh. "I think they ask us to league against some enemy."
'"I like this not," said Witta, of a sudden. "Back into mid-stream."
'So we did, and sat still all, watching the black folk and the gold they
piled on the bank. Again we heard drums beat in the forest, and the
people fled to their huts, leaving the gold unguarded.
'Then Hugh, at the bows, pointed without speech, and we saw a great
Devil come out of the forest. He shaded his brows with his hand, and
moistened his pink tongue between his lips--thus.'
'A Devil!' said Dan, delightfully horrified.
'Yea. Taller than a man; covered with reddish hair. When he had well
regarded our ship, he beat on his chest with his fists till it sounded
like rolling drums, and came to the bank swinging all his body between
his long arms, and gnashed his teeth at us. Hugh loosed arrow, and
pierced him through the throat. He fell roaring, and three other Devils
ran out of the forest and hauled him into a tall tree out of sight. Anon
they cast down the blood-stained arrow, and lamented together among the
leaves.
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