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Page 54
At this moment our conference was interrupted by the cry that
messengers had come from the king. Advancing to the door of the hut we
ordered that they should be admitted, and presently three men entered,
each bearing a shining shirt of chain armour, and a magnificent
battle-axe.
"The gifts of my lord the king to the white men from the Stars!" said
a herald who came with them.
"We thank the king," I answered; "withdraw."
The men went, and we examined the armour with great interest. It was
the most wonderful chain work that either of us had ever seen. A whole
coat fell together so closely that it formed a mass of links scarcely
too big to be covered with both hands.
"Do you make these things in this country, Infadoos?" I asked; "they
are very beautiful."
"Nay, my lord, they came down to us from our forefathers. We know not
who made them, and there are but few left.[*] None but those of royal
blood may be clad in them. They are magic coats through which no spear
can pass, and those who wear them are well-nigh safe in the battle.
The king is well pleased or much afraid, or he would not have sent
these garments of steel. Clothe yourselves in them to-night, my
lords."
[*] In the Soudan swords and coats of mail are still worn by Arabs,
whose ancestors must have stripped them from the bodies of
Crusaders.--Editor.
The remainder of that day we spent quietly, resting and talking over
the situation, which was sufficiently exciting. At last the sun went
down, the thousand watch fires glowed out, and through the darkness we
heard the tramp of many feet and the clashing of hundreds of spears,
as the regiments passed to their appointed places to be ready for the
great dance. Then the full moon shone out in splendour, and as we
stood watching her rays, Infadoos arrived, clad in his war dress, and
accompanied by a guard of twenty men to escort us to the dance. As he
recommended, we had already donned the shirts of chain armour which
the king had sent us, putting them on under our ordinary clothing, and
finding to our surprise that they were neither very heavy nor
uncomfortable. These steel shirts, which evidently had been made for
men of a very large stature, hung somewhat loosely upon Good and
myself, but Sir Henry's fitted his magnificent frame like a glove.
Then strapping our revolvers round our waists, and taking in our hands
the battle-axes which the king had sent with the armour, we started.
On arriving at the great kraal, where we had that morning been
received by the king, we found that it was closely packed with some
twenty thousand men arranged round it in regiments. These regiments
were in turn divided into companies, and between each company ran a
little path to allow space for the witch-finders to pass up and down.
Anything more imposing than the sight that was presented by this vast
and orderly concourse of armed men it is impossible to conceive. There
they stood perfectly silent, and the moon poured her light upon the
forest of their raised spears, upon their majestic forms, waving
plumes, and the harmonious shading of their various-coloured shields.
Wherever we looked were line upon line of dim faces surmounted by
range upon range of shimmering spears.
"Surely," I said to Infadoos, "the whole army is here?"
"Nay, Macumazahn," he answered, "but a third of it. One third is
present at this dance each year, another third is mustered outside in
case there should be trouble when the killing begins, ten thousand
more garrison the outposts round Loo, and the rest watch at the kraals
in the country. Thou seest it is a great people."
"They are very silent," said Good; and indeed the intense stillness
among such a vast concourse of living men was almost overpowering.
"What says Bougwan?" asked Infadoos.
I translated.
"Those over whom the shadow of Death is hovering are silent," he
answered grimly.
"Will many be killed?"
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