A Millionaire of Yesterday
CHAPTER V
The howls became a roar, blind passion was changed into purposeful fury.Who were these white men to march so boldly into the presence of theKing without even the formality of sending an envoy ahead? For the Kingof Bekwando, drunk or sober, was a stickler for etiquette. It pleasedhim to keep white men waiting. For days sometimes a visitor was keptwaiting his pleasure, not altogether certain either as to his ultimatefate, for there were ugly stories as to those who had journeyed toBekwando and never been seen or heard of since. Those were the sort ofvisitors with whom his ebon Majesty loved to dally until they becamepale with fright or furious with anger and impatience; but men like thiswhite captain, who had brought him no presents, who came in overwhelmingforce and demanded a passage through his country as a matter of rightwere his special detestation. On his arrival he had simply marched intothe place at the head of his columns of Hausas without ceremony, almostas a master, into the very presence of the King. Now he had come againwith one of those other miscreants who at least had knelt before him andbrought rum and many other presents. A slow, burning, sullen wrath waskindled in the King's heart as the three men drew near. His people,half-mad with excitement and debauch, needed only a cry from him to haveclosed like magic round these insolent intruders. His thick lips wereparted, his breath came hot and fierce whilst he hesitated. But awayoutside the clearing was that little army of Hausas, clean-limbed,faithful, well drilled and armed. He choked down his wrath. There weregrim stories about those who had yielded to the luxury of slaying thesewhite men--stories of villages razed to the ground and destroyed, ofa King himself who had been shot, of vengeance very swift and verymerciless. He closed his mouth with a snap and sat up with drunkendignity. Oom Sam, in fear and trembling, moved to his side.
"What they want?" the King asked.
Oom Sam spread out the document which Trent had handed him upon atree-stump, and explained. His Majesty nodded more affably. The documentreminded him of the pleasant fact that there were three casks of rum tocome to him every year. Besides, he rather liked scratching his royalmark upon the smooth, white paper. He was quite willing to repeat theperformance, and took up the pen which Sam handed him readily.
"Him white man just come," Oom Sam explained; "want see you do this."
His Majesty was flattered, and, with the air of one to whom the signingof treaties and concessions is an everyday affair, affixed a thick,black cross upon the spot indicated.
"That all right?" he asked Oom Sam.
Oom Sam bowed to the ground.
"Him want to know," he said, jerking his head towards Captain Francis,"whether you know what means?"
His forefinger wandered aimlessly down the document. His Majesty's replywas prompt and cheerful.
"Three barrels of rum a year."
Sam explained further. "There will be white men come digging," he said;"white men with engines that blow, making holes under the ground andcutting trees."
The King was interested. "Where?" he asked.
Oom Sam pointed westward through the bush.
"Down by creek-side."
The King was thoughtful "Rum come all right?" he asked.
Oom Sam pointed to the papers.
"Say so there," he declared. "All quite plain."
The King grinned. It was not regal, but he certainly did it. If whitemen come too near they must be shot--carefully and from ambush. Heleaned back with the air of desiring the conference to cease. Oom Samturned to Captain Francis.
"King him quite satisfied," he declared. "Him all explained before--heagree."
The King suddenly woke up again. He clutched Sam by the arm, andwhispered in his ear. This time it was Sam who grinned.
"King, him say him signed paper twice," he explained. "Him want fourbarrels of rum now."
Trent laughed harshly.
"He shall swim in it, Sam," he said; "he shall float down to hell uponit."
Oom Sam explained to the King that, owing to the sentiments of affectionand admiration with which the white men regarded him, the three barrelsshould be made into four, whereupon his Majesty bluntly pronounced theaudience at an end and waddled off into his Imperial abode.
The two Englishmen walked slowly back to the hut. Between them there hadsprung up from the first moment a strong and mutual antipathy. The bluntsavagery of Trent, his apparently heartless treatment of his weakerpartner, and his avowed unscrupulousness, offended the newcomer much inthe same manner as in many ways he himself was obnoxious to Trent. Hisimmaculate fatigue-uniform, his calm superciliousness, his obvious airof belonging to a superior class, were galling to Trent beyond measure.He himself felt the difference--he realised his ignorance, his unkemptand uncared-for appearance. Perhaps, as the two men walked side by side,some faint foreshadowing of the future showed to Trent another anda larger world where they two would once more walk side by side, theoutward differences between them lessened, the smouldering irritation ofthe present leaping up into the red-hot flame of hatred. Perhaps it wasjust as well for John Francis that the man who walked so sullenly byhis side had not the eyes of a seer, for it was a wild country and Trenthimself had drunk deep of its lawlessness. A little accident with aknife, a carelessly handled revolver, and the man who was destined tostand more than once in his way would pass out of his life for ever. Butin those days Trent knew nothing of what was to come--which was just aswell for John Francis.
* * * * *
Monty was sitting up when they reached the hut, but at the sight ofTrent's companion he cowered back and affected sleepiness. This time,however, Francis was not to be denied. He walked to Monty's side, andstood looking down upon him.
"I think," he said gently, "that we have met before."
"A mistake," Monty declared. "Never saw you in my life. Just off tosleep."
But Francis had seen the trembling of the man's lips, and his nervouslyshaking hands.
"There is nothing to fear," he said; "I wanted to speak to you as afriend."
"Don't know you; don't want to speak to you," Monty declared.
Francis stooped down and whispered a name in the ear of the sullen man.Trent leaned forward, but he could not hear it--only he too saw theshudder and caught the little cry which broke from the white lips of hispartner.
Monty sat up, white, despairing, with strained, set face and bloodshoteyes.
"Look here," he said, "I may be what you say, and I may not. It's nobusiness of yours. Do you hear? Now be off and leave me alone! Such asI am, I am. I won't be interfered with. But--" Monty's voice became ashriek.
"Leave me alone!" he cried. "I have no name I tell you, no past, nofuture. Let me alone, or by Heaven I'll shoot you!"
Francis shrugged his shoulders, and turned away with a sigh.
"A word with you outside," he said to Trent--and Trent followed himout into the night. The moon was paling--in the east there was a faintshimmer of dawn. A breeze was rustling in the trees. The two men stoodface to face.
"Look here, sir," Francis said, "I notice that this concession of yoursis granted to you and your partner jointly whilst alive and to thesurvivor, in case of the death of either of you."
"What then?" Trent asked fiercely.
"This! It's a beastly unfair arrangement, but I suppose it's too late toupset it. Your partner is half sodden with drink now. You know what thatmeans in this climate. You've the wit to keep sober enough yourself.You're a strong man, and he is weak. You must take care of him. You canif you will."
"Anything else?" Trent asked roughly.
The officer looked his man up and down.
"We're in a pretty rough country," he said, "and a man gets into thehabit of having his own way here. But listen to me! If anything happensto your partner here or in Buckomari, you'll have me to reckon with. Ishall not forget. We are bound to meet! Remember that!"
Trent turned his back upon him in a fit of passion which choked down allspeech. Captain Francis lit a cigarette and walked across towards hisc
amp.