The Three Mulla-mulgars

  CHAPTER XXII

  When at last day streamed in silver across the peaks, the storm hadspent itself. But Nod did not stir, nor draw near to the fire to drinkof the hot pepper-water the travellers had brewed against the cold.Thumb came at last and stooped over him. "Get up now, Ummanodda, littlebrother, and do not mope and sulk any more. I was angry because I wasafraid. How should we have gone a day in safety without the Nizza-neelaand his Wonderstone? Come nearer to the fire, and dry your soddensheep's-coat."

  Nod crept forlornly to the fire, and sat there shivering. He could noteat. He crouched low on his heels, nor paid any heed to what was said ordone around him. And presently he fell into a cold, uneasy sleep, fullof dreadful dreams and voices. When he awoke, he peered sullenly out ofhis jacket, and saw Ghibba with three of the five Moona-mulgars that hehad taken with him sitting hunched up round the fire. They had come backbruised and bedraggled, and torn with thorns. One of them, stumbling inthe gloom on the green rocks, had fallen headlong into the cataract, andhad not been seen again; and one had been pounced on and carried off bysome unknown beast while they were hobbling back in the torchlessdarkness towards the beacon above the cataract. There was no way beyondthe ravine. All was dense low forest, rocks and thorns, and pouringwaterways. And the travellers knew not what to be doing.

  Nod could not bear to look at them nor listen to their lisping, mournfulvoices. He covered up his face again, weary of the journey and of thedream of Tishnar's Valleys, weary of his brothers, of the very daylight,but weariest of himself.

  After long palaver, Ghibba came shuffling over to him, and sat downbeside him.

  "Is the Mulla-mulgar ill, that he sits alone, hiding his eyes?" he said.

  Nod shook his head. "I am in my second sleep, Mountain-mulgar. A littlefrost has cankered my bones. It is the Harp Nod hears, not Zevvera'sz[=o][=o]ts."

  Ghibba sat with a very solemn look on his grey scarred face. "TheMulla-mulgars say there can be no turning back, Nizza-neela. And, by theway I have come, it is certain that there is no going onward. Then, saythey, being Mulgars-of-a-race, we must float with the mountain-waterinto the great cavern, and trust our hearts to the fishes. Maybe it willcarry us to where every shadow comes at last; maybe these are the watersof the Fountains of Assasimmon."

  "I see no boat," yapped Nod scornfully. "The only boat my brothers everfloated in was an old Gunga's Oomgar-nugga's bobberie that now is a nestin Obea-Munza for Coccadrilloes' eggs."

  "Already my people are gathering branches," said Ghibba, "to makefloating mats or rafts, such as I saw one of the Fishing-mulgarssquatting on while he dangled his tail for fish-bait. Comfort your wearybones, then, Eengenares. Tishnar, who guards you, Tishnar, whose Princeyou are, Tishnar, who feasted even Utts like me on fruits ofsleeping-time, will not forsake us now."

  Nod turned cold, and trembling, as if to tell this solemn Man of theMountains that his Wonderstone was gone. But he swallowed his spittle,and was ashamed. So he rose up and listlessly hobbled after him to wherethe rest of the travellers were toiling to gather branches for theirrafts.

  The storm had snapped and stripped off many branches from the trees.These the travellers dragged down to the water. Others they hauled downwith Cullum ropes, and some smaller saplings they charred through withfire at the root. When they had heaped together a big pile of boughs andSamarak, Cullum and all kinds of greenery, Ghibba and Thumb bound themclumsily one by one together, letting them float out on to the water,until the raft was large and buoyant enough to bear two or three Mulgarswith their bags. For one great raft that would have carried them all insafety would have been too unwieldy to enter the mouth of the cavern,besides being harder for these ignorant sailors to navigate. The torrentflowed swiftly into the cavern. And if but two or three sailed intogether, Fortune might drown or lose many in the dark windings of themountain-water, but one or two at least might escape.

  They toiled on till evening, by which time four strong green raftsbobbed side by side at their mooring-ropes on the water. Then, tiredout, sore and blistered with their day's labours, the travellers heapedup a great watch-fire once more, and supped merrily together, since itmight be for many of them for the last time. Nor did themountain-mulgars raise their drone for their kinsfolk beneath thecataract, wishing to keep a brave heart for the dangers before them.

  Only Nod sat gloomy and downcast, waiting impatiently till all should belying fast asleep. One by one the outwearied travellers laid themselvesdown, with the palms of their feet towards the fire. Nod heard thecalling of the beasts in the ravine, and ever and again from far up themountain-side broke out the long hungry howl of the little wolves. OnlyNod and the Mountain-mulgar whose turn it was to keep watch were nowawake. He was a queer old Mulgar, blind of one eye, but he could standwide awake for hours mumbling in his mouth a shaving of their bluecheese-rind. And when he had turned his back for a moment on the fire,Nod wriggled softly away, and, hobbling off into the forest, soonreached the water-side.

  He crept forward under the gigantic dragon-tree, and down the steep bankto the little creek where he had first heard the singing of theWater-midden. All was shadowy and still. Only the dark water murmured inits stony channel, and the faint night-wind rustled in the sedge. Nodleaned on his belly over the water, and, gazing into it, called assoftly and clearly as his harsh voice could: "Water-midden,Water-midden, here am I, Ummanodda, come as you bade me."

  No one answered. He stooped lower, and called again. "It is me, theMulla-mulgar, child of Tishnar, who trusted to you his Wonderstone,beautiful Midden. Nod, who believed in you, calls--your friend, thesorrowful Nod!"

  "Sing, Mulla-mulgar!" croaked a scornful sedge-bird. "The Princess lovessweet music."

  A lean fish of the changing colours of a cherry swam softly to theglimmering surface and stared at Nod.

  "Tell me, Jacket-of-Loveliness," whispered Nod, "where is thy mistressthat she does not answer me?"

  The fish stared solemnly on wavering fin.

  "Hsst, brother," said Nod, and let fall a bunch of Soota-berries intothe stream. The fish leapt in the water, and caught the little fruit inits thin, curved teeth, and nibbled greedily till all was gone.Whereupon, staring solemnly at Nod once more, he let the leaves andstalk float onward with the stream, then with a flash and flicker oftail dived down, down, and was gone. All again was silent. Only theblazing stars and the shadowy phantoms of the distant firelight moved onthe water.

  "O Tishnar," muttered the little Mulgar to himself, "help once thiswretched Nod!"

  Suddenly, as he watched, as if it were the amber or ivory beam of alantern in the water, he saw a pale brightness ascending. And all in amoment the Water-midden was there rocking on the dark green waterbeneath the arching sedge. But her hands, when Nod looked to see, wereempty, floating like rose-leaves open on the water. But he spoke gently,for he could not look into her beautiful wild face, and her eyes, thatwere like the forest for darkness and the moonlit mountains of Tishnarfor loveliness, and still be angry, nor even sad.

  "Tell me, O Water-midden, where is my Wonderstone?" he said.

  The Water-midden smoothed slowly back her gold locks. "You told mefalse, Mulla-mulgar," she answered. "All day long have I been sittingrubbing, rubbing with my small tired thumb, but no magic has answered.It is but a common water-pebble roughened into the beasts' shapes. Itmeans nothing, and I am weary."

  And Nod guessed she had been rubbing the Wonderstone craft to cudgel,and not as the magic went, sama-weeza--right to left.

  "If it is but a water-pebble, give it back to me, then, Midden, for itwas my mother who gave it me."

  But the Midden smiled with her red lips. "You did deceive me, then,Mulla-mulgar, so that you might seem strange and wonderful, and farabove the other hoarse-voiced travellers, the beloved of Tishnar? Youmay deceive me again, perhaps. I think I will not give you back yourstone. Perhaps, too," she said, throwing back her tiny chin, so that herface lay like a flower in leaves of gold--"perhaps I rubbed not wisely.You shall tell me how."

/>   "Show me, then, my Wonderstone. I am tired out for want of sleep, andlong no more for Tishnar's fountains."

  Then the Midden floated out into the middle of the stream, and with onelight hand kept herself in front of Nod, her narrow shoulders slowlytwirling the while in the faintly-rosied starlight. She took with theother a long thick strand of her hair, and, unwinding it slowly,presently out of it let fall into her palm the angry-flamingWonderstone. "See, Mulla-mulgar, here is your Wonderstone. Now inpatience tell me how to make magic."

  And Nod said softly: "Float but a span nearer to me, Midden--a span andjust a half a span."

  And the Water-midden drew in a little, still softly twirling.

  "Oh, but just a thumb-nail nearer," said Nod.

  Laughing, she floated in closer yet, till her beautiful eyes werelooking up into his bony and wrinkled face. Then with a sudden spring hethrust his hand deep into the silken mesh of her hair and held tight.

  She moved not a finger; she still looked laughing up. "Listen, listen,Midden," he said: "I will not harm you--I could not harm you, beautifulone, though you never gave me back my Wonderstone again, and I wanderedforsaken till I died of hunger in the forest. What use is the stone toyou now? Tishnar is angry. See how wildly it burns and sulks. Give it,then, into my hand, and I promise--not a promise, Midden, fading in oneevening--I will give you any one thing else whatsoever it is you ask."

  And the Water-midden looked up at him unfrightened, and saw the truthand kindness in his eyes. "Be not angry with me, little brother," sheanswered. "I did not pretend with you, sorrowful Nizza-neela!" And shedropped the Wonderstone into his outstretched hand.

  Tears sprang up into Nod's tired, aching eyes. He smoothed softly withhis hairy fingers the golden strands floating in the ice-cold water."Till I die, O beautiful one," he said, "I will not forget you. Tell meyour wish!"

  Then the Water-midden looked long and gravely at him out of darklingeyes. She put out her hand and touched his. "This shall be my sorrowfulwish, little Mulgar: it is that when you and your brothers come at lastto the Kingdom of Assasimmon, and the Valleys of Tishnar, you will notforget me."

  "O Midden," Nod answered, "it needed no asking--that. It may be we shallnever reach the Valleys. For now we must plunge into the water-cavern onour floating rafts, and all is haste and danger. But I mind no dangernow, Midden. That Mulla-mulgar, my father Seelem, chose to wander, andnot to sit fat and idle with Princes. So, too, would I. Tell me a harderwish. Ask anything, Water-midden, and my Wonderstone shall give it you."

  And the Water-midden gazed sorrowfully into his face. "That is all Iask, Mulla-mulgar," she repeated softly--"that you will not forget me. Ifear the Wonderstone. All day it has been crickling and burning in myhair. All that I ask, I ask only of you." So Nod stooped once more overthat gold and beauty, and he promised the Water-midden.

  And she drew out a slender, fine strand of her hair, and cut it throughwith the sharp edge of a little shell, and she wound it seven timesround Nod's left wrist. "There," she said; "that will bid you rememberme when you come to the end. Have no fear of the waters, Nizza-neela; mypeople will watch over you."

  And Nod could not think what in his turn to give the Water-midden for aremembrance and a keepsake. So he gave her Battle's silver groat withthe hole in it, and hung it upon a slender shred of Cullum round herneck, and he tore off also one of the five out of his nine ivory buttonsthat still clung to his coat, and gave her that, too.

  "And if my brothers stay here one day more, come in the darkness, OWater-midden; I shall not sleep for thinking of you." And he saidgood-bye to her, kneeling above the dark water. But long after he hadsafely wrapped his Wonderstone in the blood-stained leaf from Battle'slittle book again, and had huddled himself down beside the slumberingtravellers, he still seemed to hear the forlorn singing of theWater-midden, and in his eyes her small face haunted, amid the darknessof his dreams.

  All the next morning the travellers slaved at their rafts. They madethem narrow and buoyant and very strong, for they knew not what mightlie beyond the mouth of the cavern. And now the sun shone down sofiercely that the Mulgars, climbing, hacking, dragging at the branches,and moiling to and fro betwixt forest and water, teased by flies andstinging ants, hardly knew what to do for the heat. Thumb and Thimblestripped off the few rags left of their red jackets, and worked in theirskins with better comfort. And they laughed at Nod for sweating on inhis wool.

  "Look, Thumb," laughed Thimble, peering out from under a tower ofgreenery, "the little Prince is so vain of his tattered oldsheep's-jacket that he won't walk in his bare an instant, yet he is sohot he can scarcely breathe."

  Nod made no answer, but worked stolidly on, bunched up in his hotjacket, because he feared if he went bare his brothers would see thethin strand of bright hair about his wrist, and mock at the Midden.When the sun was at noon the Mulgars had finished the building of theirrafts. They lay merrily bobbing in a long string moored to an Ollacondaon the swift-running water. They tied up bundles of nuts, and oldNanoes, roots, and pepper-pods, and scores of torches, and bound thesedown securely to the smallest of the rafts. Then, wearied out, withsting-swollen chops and bleeding hands, they raised theirshadow-blankets, and having bound up their heads with cool leaves, alllay down beside the embers of their last night's fire for the "glare."

  There were now seventeen travellers, and they had built nine lightrafts--two Mulgars for every raft, except two; one of which two was wideenough to float in comfort three of the lighter Moona-mulgars, who weighscarce more than Meermuts at the best of times; the other and least wasfor their bundles and torches and all such stuff as they needed, overand above what each Mulgar carried for himself.

  In the full and stillness of afternoon they ate their last meal thisside of Arakkaboa, and beat out their fire. A sprinkle of hail fell,hopping on their heads as they stood in the sunshine making ready to putoff. It seemed as if there would never come an end to their labour, andmany a strange face stared down on them from the brooding galleries ofthe forest.