The Ghost Kings

  It was night again, still, silent night made odorous with the heavy cedarscents of the huge tree upon the mound. Rachel and Noie sat before Nya inthe cave beneath the burning lamp about which fluttered the big-winged,gilded moths.

  "Thou didst not find him yonder among the Shades," said Nya suddenly, asthough she were continuing a conversation. "Say now, Maiden, art thousatisfied, or wouldst thou seek for him again?"

  "I would seek him through all the heavens and all the earths. Mother, mysoul burns for a sight of him, and if I cannot find him, then I must die,and go perchance where he is not."

  "Good," said Nya; "the effort wearies me, for I grow weak, yet for thysake I will try to help thee, who saved me from the Red Death."

  Then the dwarf-women came in and beat upon their drums, and, as before,the old Mother of the Trees began to sing, but Noie sat aside, for in thisnight's play she would take no part. Again Rachel sank into sleep, andagain it seemed to her that she was swept from the earth into the regionof the stars and there searched world after world.

  She saw many strange and marvellous things, things so wonderful that hermemory was buried beneath the mass of them, so that when she woke againshe could not recall their details. Only of Richard she saw nothing. Yetas her life returned to her, it seemed to Rachel that for one brief momentshe was near to Richard. She could not see him, and she could not hearhim, yet certainly he was near her. Then her eyes opened, and Nya ceasingfrom her song, asked:

  "What tidings, Wanderer?"

  "Little," she answered feebly, for she was very tired, and in a faintvoice she told her all.

  "Good," said Nya, nodding her grey head. "This time he was not so faraway. To-morrow I will make thy spirit strong, and then perhaps he willcome to thee. Now rest."

  So next night Nya laid her charm upon Rachel as before, and again herspirit sought for Richard. This time it seemed to her that she did notleave the earth, but with infinite pain, with terrible struggling,wandered to and fro about it, bewildered by a multitude of faces, ledastray by myriads of footsteps. Yet in the end she found him. She heardhim not, she saw him not, she knew not where he was, but undoubtedly for awhile she was with him, and awoke again, exhausted, but very happy.

  Nya heard her story, weighing every word of it but saying nothing. Thenshe signed to the dwarfs to bring her a bowl of dew, and stared in it fora long while. The dwarf-women also stared into their bowls, and afterwardscame to her, talking to her on their fingers, after which all three ofthem upset the dew upon a rock, "breaking the pictures."

  "Hast thou seen aught?" asked Rachel eagerly.

  "Yes, Maiden," answered the mother. "I and these wise women have seensomething, the same thing, and therefore a true thing. But ask not what itwas, for we may not tell thee, nor would it help thee if we did. Only beof a good courage, for this I say, there is hope for thee."

  So Rachel went to sleep, pondering on these words, of which neither shenor Noie could guess the meaning. The next night when she prayed Nya tolay the spell upon her, the old Mother would not.

  "Not so," she said. "Thrice have I rent thy soul from thy body and sent itafar, and this I may do no more and keep thee living, nor could I if Iwould, for I grow feeble. Neither is it necessary, seeing that althoughthou knowest it not, that spirit of thine, having found him, is with himwherever he may be, yes, at his side comforting him."

  "Aye, but Where is he, Mother? Let me look in the bowl and see his face,as I believe that thou hast done."

  "Look if thou wilt," and she motioned to one of the dwarf-women to place abowl before her.

  So Rachel looked long and earnestly, but saw nothing of Richard, only manyfantastic pictures, most of which she knew again for scenes from her ownpast. At length, worn out, she thrust away the bowl, and asked in a bittervoice why they mocked her, and how it came about that she who had seen thecoming of Richard in the pool in Zululand, and the fate of Dingaan theKing in the bowl of Eddo, could now see nothing of any worth.

  "As regards the vision of the pool I cannot say, Maiden," replied Nya,"for that was born of thine own heart, and had nothing to do with ourmagic. As regards the visions in the bowl of Eddo, they were his visions,not thine, or rather my visions that I saw before he started hence. Ipassed them on to him, and he passed them on to thee, and thou didst passthem on to King Dingaan. Far-sighted and pure-souled as thou art, yet nothaving been instructed in their wizardry, thou wilt see nothing in thebowls of the dwarfs unless their blood is mingled with thy blood."

  "'Their blood mingled with my blood?' What dost thou mean, Mother?"

  "What I say, neither more nor less. If Eddo has his will, thou wilt ruleafter me here as Mother of the Trees. But first thy veins must be opened,and the veins of Eddo must be opened, and Eddo's blood must be poured intothee, and thy blood into him. Then thou wilt be able to read in the bowlsas we can, and Eddo will be thy master, and thou must do his bidding whileyou both shall live."

  "If so," answered Rachel, "I think that neither of us will live long."

  That night Rachel felt too exhausted to sleep, though why this should beshe could not guess, as she had done nothing all day save watch the mutesat their dreary tasks, and it was strange, therefore, that she should feelas though she had made a long journey upon her feet. About an hour beforethe dawn she saw Nya rise and glide past her towards the mouth of thecave, carrying in her hand a little drum, like those used by the mutewomen. Something impelled her to follow, and waking Noie at her side, shebade her come also.

  Outside of the cave by the faint starlight they saw the little shape ofNya creeping down the mound, and thence across the open space towards thewall, and went after her, thinking that she intended to pass the wall. Butthis she did not do, for when she came to its foot Nya, notwithstandingher feebleness, began to climb the rough stones as actively as any cat,and though their ascent seemed perilous enough, reached the crest of thewall sixty feet above in safety, and there sat herself down. Next theyheard her beating upon the drum she bore, single strokes always, but someof them slow, and some rapid, with a pause between every five or tenstrokes, "as though she were spelling out words," thought Rachel.

  After a while Nya ceased her beating, and in the utter silence of thenight, which was broken only, as always, by the occasional crash offalling trees, for no breath of air stirred, and all the beasts of preyhad sought their lairs before light came, both she and Noie seemed tohear, far, infinitely far away, the faint beat of an answering drum. Itwould appear that Nya heard it also, for she struck a single note uponhers as though in acknowledgement, after which the distant beating wenton, paused as though for a reply from some other unheard drum, and againfrom time to time went on, perhaps repeating that reply.

  For a long while this continued until the sky began to grow grey indeed,when Nya beat for several minutes and was answered by a single, far-offnote. Then glancing at the heavens she prepared to descend the wall, whileRachel and Noie slipped back to the cave and feigned to be asleep. Soonshe entered, and stood over them shaking her grey head and asking how itcame about that they thought that she, the Mother of the Trees, should beso easily deceived.

  "So thou sawest us," said Rachel, trying not to look ashamed.

  "No; I saw you not with my eyes, either of you, but I felt both of youfollowing me, and heard in my heart what you were whispering to eachother. Well, Inkosazana, art thou the wiser for this journey?"

  "No, Mother, but tell us if thou wilt what thou wast beating on thatdrum."

  "Gladly," she answered. "I was sending certain orders to the slave peopleswho still know me as Mother of the Trees, and obey my words. Perhaps thoudost not believe that while I sat upon yonder wall I talked across thedesert to the chiefs of the marches upon the far border of the land of theUmkulu, and that by now at my bidding they have sent out men upon anerrand of mine."

  "What was the errand, Mother?" asked Rachel curiously.

  "I said the errand was mine, not thine, Maiden. It is not pressing, but asI do not know how long my strengt
h will last, I thought it well that itshould be settled." Then without more words she coiled herself up on hermat and seemed to go to sleep.

  It was after this incident of the drums that Rachel experienced thestrangest days, or rather weeks of her life. Nya sent her into no moretrances, and to all outward seeming nothing happened. Yet within her muchdid happen. Her madness had utterly left her and still she was not asother women are, or as she herself had been in health. Her mind seemed towander and she knew not whither it wandered. Yet for long hours, althoughshe was awake and, so Noie said, talking or eating or walking as usual, itwas away from her, and afterwards she could remember nothing. Also thishappened at night as well as during the day, and ever more and more often.

  She could remember nothing, yet out of this nothingness there grew uponher a continual sense of the presence of Richard Darrien, a presence thatseemed to come nearer and nearer, closer and closer to her heart. It wasthe assurance of this presence that made those long days so happy to her,though when she was herself, she felt that it could be naught but a dream.Yet why should a dream move her so strangely, and why should a dream wearyher so much? Why, after sleeping all night, should she awake feeling asthough she had journeyed all night? Why should her limbs ache and she growthin like one who travels without cease? Why should she seem time aftertime to have passed great dangers, to have known cold, and heat and wantand struggle against waters and the battling against storms? Why shouldher knowledge of this Richard, of the very heart and soul of Richard, growever deeper till it was as though they were not twain, but one?

  She could not answer these questions, and Noie could not answer them, andwhen she asked Nya the old Mother shook her head and could not, or wouldnot answer. Only the dwarf-mutes seemed to know the answer, for when shepassed them they nudged each other, and grinned and thrust their littlewoolly heads together staring, several of them, into one bowl. But if Noieand Nya knew nothing of the cause of these things the effect of themstirred them both, for they saw that Rachel, the tall and strong, grewfaint and weak and began to fade away as one fades upon whom deadlysickness has laid its hand.

  Thus three weeks or so went by, until one day in some fashion of her ownNya caused to arise an the mind of Eddo a knowledge of her desire to speakwith him. Early the next morning Eddo arrived at the Holy Placeaccompanied only by his familiar, Hana, and Nya met them alone in themouth of the cave.

  "I see that thou art very white and thin, but still alive, old woman,"sneered Eddo, adding: "All the thousands of the people yonder thought thatlong ere this thou wouldst have passed within the Fence. May I take backthat good tidings to them?"

  The ancient Mother of the Trees looked at him sternly.

  "It is true, thou evil mocker," she said, "that I am white and thin. It istrue that I grow like to the skeleton of a rotted leaf, all ribs andnetted veins without substance. It is true that my round eyes start frommy head like to those of a bush plover, or the tree lizard, and that soonI must pass within the Fence, as thou hast so long desired that I shoulddo that thou mayest reign alone over the thousands of the People of theDwarfs and wield their wisdom to increase thy power, thou poison-bloatedtoad. All these things are true, Eddo, yet ere I go I have a word to sayto thee to which thou wilt do well to listen."

  "Speak on," said Eddo. "Without doubt thou hast wisdom of a sort; honeythou hast garnered during many years, and it is well that I should suckthe store before it is too late."

  "Eddo," said Nya, "I am not the only one in this Holy Place who growswhite and thin. Look, there is another," and she nodded towards Rachel,who walked past them aimlessly with dreaming eyes, attended by Noie, uponwhose arm she leant.

  "I see," answered Eddo; "this haunted death-prison presses the life out ofher, also I think that thou hast sent her Spirit travelling, as thouknowest how to do, and such journeys sap the strength of flesh and blood."

  "Perhaps; but now before it is too late I would send her body travellingalso; only thou, who hast the power for a while, dost bar the road."

  "I know," said Eddo, nodding his bead and looking at his companion. "Weall know, do we not, Hana? we who have heard certain beatings of drums inthe night, and studied dew drops beneath the trees at dawn. Thou wouldstsend her to meet another traveller."

  "Yes, and if thou art wise thou wilt let her go."

  "Why should I let her go," asked the priest passionately, "and with herall my greatness? She must reign here after thee, for at her feet thy Treefell, and it is the will of the people, who weary of dwarf queens anddesire one that is tall and beautiful and white. Moreover, when my bloodhas been poured into her, her wisdom will be great, greater than thine orthat of any Mother that went before thee, for she is '_Wensi_' the Virgin,and her soul is purer than them all. I will not let her go. If she leavesthis Holy Place where none may do her harm, she shall die, and then herSpirit may go to seek that other traveller."

  "Thou art mad, Eddo, mad and blind with pride and folly. Let her be, andchoose another Mother. Now, there is Noie."

  "Thy great-niece, Nya, who thinks as thou thinkest, and hates those whomthou hatest. Nay, I will have none of that half-breed. Yonder whiteInkosazana shall be our queen and no other."

  "Then, Eddo," whispered Nya, leaning forward and looking into his eyes,"she shall be the last Mother of this people. Fool, there are those whofight for her against whom thou canst not prevail. Thou knowest them not,but I know them, and I tell thee that they make ready thy doom. Have thyway, Eddo; it was not for her that I pleaded with thee, but for the sakeof the ancient People of the Ghosts, whose fate draws nigh to them. Fool,have thy way, spin thy web, and be caught in it thyself. I tell thee,Eddo, that thy death shall be redder than any thou hast ever dreamed, norshall it fall on thee alone. Begone now, and trouble me no more till inanother place all that is left of thee shall creep to my feet, praying mefor a pardon thou shalt not find. Begone, for the last leaf withers on myTree and to-morrow I pass within the Fence. Say to the people that theirMother against whom they rebelled is dead, and that she bids them prepareto meet the evil which, alive, she warded from their heads."

  Now Eddo strove to answer, but could not, for there was something in theflaming eyes of Nya which frightened him. He looked at Hana, and Hanalooked back at him, then taking each other's hand they slunk away towardsthe wall, staggering blindly through the sunshine towards the shade.