The Fugitives by Robert Michael Ballantyne (hardest books to read TXT) 📖

when out of ear-shot of the man, "we must pass through this village quickly, for we know not in what house the spies may have taken up their quarters."

"But, don' you tink," suggested Ebony, "dat we five could wallop any oder five men in de univarse, to say not'ing ob two spies?"

A grim smile was all the reply that the guide gave him, as he walked quickly along the path that led out of the hamlet.

"I have a friend," he said to Mark, "who lives in a solitary cottage half-a-mile further on. He is rich, and, I think, a Christian man--but secretly, for fear of the Queen. We will call at his house in passing."

As he spoke, they approached a large house by the roadside, the owner of which, a brown old gentleman, was enjoying himself with his wife and family in front of it.

"Is that your friend?" asked Mark.

"No; he lives in the house just beyond. We shall see it on clearing this group of trees."

The track which they were following led close past the large house above referred to, necessitating compliance with a custom of the country, which greatly surprised, and not a little amused, the Englishmen.

We have spoken of the residence as a house, because it belonged to one owner, but it would be more correct to call it a farm-steading, or a group of buildings. Except among the very poorest people, a Malagasy family has usually two or three houses in its enclosure--frequently more, for young married people often live beside their parents, and some houses are appropriated to slaves, while others are used as kitchens, etcetera, the whole being surrounded by a wall of clay. Where a house is near the public road they have usually a little square platform, called the _fijerena_, in an angle of the wall, or at the gate, with steps leading up to it. Here the family sits, when the work of the day is over, to watch--and, doubtless, to criticise--the passers-by; also to do the polite according to Malagasy ideas, for it must be told that these people are very courteous. Even the poorest have a natural dignity and ease of manner about them.

As our travellers approached the house they were observed with much interest by the brown old gentleman and his comfortable-looking wife, and his pretty little light-brown daughter, and a very uncomfortable-looking elderly female with her head tied up, who were all squatted on the _fijerena_.

When within hearing Laihova stopped, and said in the politest tone and manner possible--

"Will you allow me to pass, sir?"

"Pray proceed, sir," replied the old gentleman, with a gracious smile.

This interchange of civilities was entirely formal, and stood in the place of the Englishman's opening remarks on the weather, to which a Malagasy would as soon think of referring, in this connection, as he would to the hatching of crocodiles' eggs.

Then followed the conventional inquiry, "How are you? How is it with you?" which politenesses, in a number of variations unknown to Western speech, would have been continued, in ordinary circumstances, until the passers-by were beyond the range of hearing; but the appearance of the Englishmen induced the brown old gentleman on this occasion to beg the travellers to stop and accept his hospitality. This they declined to do, with many expressions of regret, on the ground that their business at the capital was urgent.

"It would have gratified me much," said the old gentleman, "to have entertained you. But you are all well, I hope?"

"Yes, we are very well," answered Laihova; "and how do _you_ feel?"

"I feel as well as possible. And is it well with _you_?"

"It is well with us. But it does not seem to be well with the lady," returned Laihova, glancing at the uncomfortable female with her head tied up.

"No, it is not well with her. She has toothache on the north side of her head. Farewell," said the brown old gentleman, re-squatting on the _fijerena_, as the travellers moved on; "may you live," he shouted after them, when nearly out of ear-shot, "and reach old age."

Great was the amusement of our travellers at all this, especially when Ravonino explained about the toothache. "You must know," he said, "that almost all the houses in the central provinces of the island are built with their length running north and south, or nearly so, and the people use the points of the compass in describing the position of things. Thus, if they tell a slave to look for a thing in the house, they will say, Look in the north, south, east, or west corner, or side; and they apply this rule to the person also. I once heard the member of a mission from England told by his host that some rice was sticking to his moustache. The missionary wiped the wrong side. `No,' said the host, `it is on the _southern_ side of your moustache.'"

"Do you know," said Mark Breezy, "that is not so strange to me as you might suppose; for I was once told by a friend who lived in the Scottish Highlands, that an old woman there actually said to her that she had toothache on the east side of her head!"

Further comment on this point was arrested by their coming suddenly in sight of the house where the guide's friend dwelt.

"You had better stay here at the edge of this wood, while I go forward alone," said the guide; "because although the man is kind, and has always professed to be my friend, I am not quite sure of him. It is well to be cautious. If I wave my hand to you, come up to the house, all will be well. If things don't seem favourable I will return to you--but keep close; don't show yourselves needlessly. You see, my friend is an officer of the palace. If friendly he can be very useful to us, if unfriendly he can be dangerous."

"But why run risk by going near him at all?" asked Mark.

"We _must_ run risk when life and death are in the balance," replied the guide, shortly.

Concealed by the bushes, the travellers watched their companion as he went up to the house. Before he reached it a man opened the door and stepped out. Suddenly this man seemed to burst into a furious passion. He grasped Ravonino by the throat, almost threw him on his back, and, seizing a stick, began to belabour him violently, while two other men appeared at the door of the house, and, from their inordinate laughter, seemed fully to enjoy the scene.

"Hi!" exclaimed Ebony in shrill falsetto, as he jumped up in blazing wrath, intending to rush to the rescue, but Hockins grasped his woolly head and pulled him back.

"Obey orders, you black grampus! D'ee think he's a babby as can't take care of himself? Didn't he tell us to keep close?"

Great as had been the surprise of the watchers at this sudden and unprovoked assault, it was as nothing compared with their astonishment when they saw their guide fairly turn tail and run towards them, closely followed by the furious man, who continued to thrash him all the time.

As Ravonino drew near, the angry man seemed to have exhausted himself, for he fell behind, and finally stopped. The guide ran on at full speed until he reached the wood, but did not even then slacken his speed. As he ran past his friends, however, he exclaimed in a sharp, stern voice--

"Follow me!"

Laihova obeyed with the unquestioning readiness of a faithful hound. The others followed suit with the open eyes of perplexity and amazement!

Reaching a sequestered dell in a few minutes, Ravonino suddenly stopped and turned round with a calm air of satisfaction.

"Well, dis am de most awrful supprise I'se had since my mudder give me my fust wollopin'."

The expression on the negro's face rendered the remark needless.

"It was well done," said the guide, seating himself on the trunk of a fallen tree.

"A'most too well done!" returned Hockins, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Do you know," continued the guide gravely, "I've had a narrow escape? The two men you saw laughing at the door are the very men we have been trying to avoid,--the Queen's spies,--whom I have long known, and who would certainly have discovered me in spite of my shaved and stained face if we had come to talk to each other in the same room. Luckily my friend is smart as well as true. He knew my voice at once. To have talked with me, or warned me, or let me enter his house, would have been fatal. His only resource lay in thrashing me off his premises--as you have seen. How he will explain matters to the spies I know not, but I can trust him for that."

"Das most awrful clebber!" exclaimed Ebony, his every feature broadening with delight at the success of the ruse.

"But what are we to do now?" asked Mark.

"Wait till he comes here. He told me to wait."

"What! Told you?"

"Ay--you don't suppose he let his tongue lie idle while he was using his stick. Of course I was myself taken aback at first when he seized me by the throat, but two or three muttered words in the midst of his anger opened my eyes, and I ran at once. All the way as he ran after and belaboured me he was giving me important information in furious tones! The spies are only staying with him for a short rest. When they are gone he will come and find us here."

"He's a born actor," said Hockins.

"True--and he acted some of his blows heavier than I could have wished, in his anxiety to impress his information on me!" said the guide.

"What is his name?" asked Mark.

"Fisatra. He is named after a great chief who lived in this district not long ago.--But here he comes to speak for himself."

At that moment a tall, fine-looking man, of very dark complexion, and clad in the ample folds of a beautiful lamba, approached them. His whole countenance was wrinkled with the lines of fun, and his brilliant teeth glistened as he smilingly held out his hand to the Englishmen, and asked them to accept his hospitality.

As they passed into the house they saw two slave-girls pounding rice in a large wooden mortar, with two enormous wooden pestles, while the savoury steam that arose from some invisible kitchen served to put a finer edge on their already sharpened appetites.

When the mats were spread, and the feast was being enjoyed, Ravonino asked the host how he had got rid of the spies, and how he managed to explain his conduct without raising their suspicions.

"Nothing easier," said Fisatra, while his broad shoulders heaved with an inward chuckle. "You know that I used to be feared in the palace in days gone bye because of my violent nature, and the way in which I used to knock about the furniture and make the household slaves--sometimes the household troops--scurry when I was in a rage. Yet I'm sure you know very well, (he looked sheepishly innocent here), that I never was an angry man--at least