That very evening we began our preparations to meet an attack which wasnow inevitable. Putting aside the supposed rival powers of the tribaldivinities worshipped under the names of the Child and Jana, which,while they added a kind of Homeric interest to the contest, could, wefelt, scarcely affect an issue that must be decided with cold steeland other mortal weapons, the position of the White Kendah was seriousindeed. As I think I have said, in all they did not number more thanabout two thousand men between the ages of twenty and fifty-five, or,including lads between fourteen and twenty and old men still able-bodiedbetween fifty-five and seventy, say two thousand seven hundred capableof some sort of martial service. To these might be added something undertwo thousand women, since among this dwindling folk, oddly enough, fromcauses that I never ascertained, the males out-numbered the females,which accounted for their marriage customs that were, by comparison withthose of most African peoples, monogamous. At any rate only therich among them had more than one wife, while the poor or otherwiseineligible often had none at all, since inter-marriage with other racesand above all with the Black Kendah dwelling beyond the river was sostrictly taboo that it was punishable with death or expulsion.
Against this little band the Black Kendah could bring up twenty thousandmen, besides boys and aged persons who with the women would probablybe left to defend their own country, that is, not less than ten to one.Moreover, all of these enemies would be fighting with the courage ofdespair, since quite three-fourths of their crops with many of theircattle and sheep had been destroyed by the terrific hail-burst thatI have described. Therefore, since no other corn was available in thesurrounding land, where they dwelt alone encircled by deserts, eitherthey must capture that of the White Kendah, or suffer terribly fromstarvation until a year later when another harvest ripened.
The only points I could see in favour of the People of the Childwere that they would fight on the vantage ground of their mountainstronghold, a formidable position if properly defended. Also they wouldhave the benefit of the skill and knowledge of Ragnall and myself.Lastly, the enemy must face our rifles. Neither the White nor theBlack Kendah, I should say, possessed any guns, except a few antiquatedflintlock weapons that the former had captured from some nomadic tribeand kept as curiosities. Why this was the case I do not know, sinceundoubtedly at times the White Kendah traded in camels and corn withArabs who wandered as far as the Sudan, or Egypt, nomadic tribes to whomeven then firearms were known, although perhaps rarely used by them. Butso it was, possibly because of some old law or prejudice which forbadetheir introduction into the country, or mayhap of the difficulty ofprocuring powder and lead, or for the reason that they had none to teachthem the use of such new-fangled weapons.
Now it will be remembered that, on the chance of their proving useful,Ragnall, in addition to our own sporting rifles, had brought with him toAfrica fifty Snider rifles with an ample supply of ammunition, the samethat I had trouble in passing through the Customs at Durban, all ofwhich had arrived safely at the Town of the Child. Clearly our firstduty was to make the best possible use of this invaluable store. Tothat end I asked Harut to select seventy-five of the boldest and mostintelligent young men among his people, and to hand them over to me andHans for instruction in musketry. We had only fifty rifles but I drilledseventy-five men, or fifty per cent. more, that some might be ready toreplace any who fell.
From dawn to dark each day Hans and I worked at trying to convertthese Kendah into sharpshooters. It was no easy task with men, howeverwilling, who till then had never held a gun, especially as I must bevery sparing of the ammunition necessary to practice, of which of courseour supply was limited. Still we taught them how to take cover, how tofire and to cease from firing at a word of command, also to hold therifles low and waste no shot. To make marksmen of them was more than Icould hope to do under the circumstances.
With the exception of these men nearly the entire male populationwere working day and night to get in the harvest. This proved a verydifficult business, both because some of the crops were scarcely fit andbecause all the grain had to be carried on camels to be stored in and atthe back of the second court of the temple, the only place where it waslikely to be safe. Indeed in the end a great deal was left unreaped.Then the herds of cattle and breeding camels which grazed on the farthersides of the Holy Mount must be brought into places of safety, glens inthe forest on its slope, and forage stacked to feed them. Also it wasnecessary to provide scouts to keep watch along the river.
Lastly, the fortifications in the mountain pass required unceasinglabour and attention. This was the task of Ragnall, who fortunately inhis youth, before he succeeded unexpectedly to the title, was forsome years an officer in the Royal Engineers and therefore thoroughlyunderstood that business. Indeed he understood it rather too well, sincethe result of his somewhat complicated and scientific scheme of defencewas a little confusing to the simple native mind. However, with theassistance of all the priests and of all the women and children whowere not engaged in provisioning the Mount, he built wall after wall andredoubt after redoubt, if that is the right word, to say nothing of theshelter trenches he dug and many pitfalls, furnished at the bottom withsharp stakes, which he hollowed out wherever the soil could be easilymoved, to discomfit a charging enemy.
Indeed, when I saw the amount of work he had concluded in tendays, which was not until I joined him on the mountain, I was quiteastonished.
About this time a dispute arose as to whether we should attempt toprevent the Black Kendah from crossing the river which was now runningdown, a plan that some of the elders favoured. At last the controversywas referred to me as head general and I decided against anything of thesort. It seemed to me that our force was too small, and that if I tookthe rifle-men a great deal of ammunition might be expended with poorresult. Also in the event of any reverse or when we were finally drivenback, which must happen, there might be difficulty about remounting thecamels, our only means of escape from the horsemen who would possiblygallop us down. Moreover the Tava had several fords, any one of whichmight be selected by the enemy. So it was arranged that we should makeour first and last stand upon the Holy Mount.
On the fourteenth night from new moon our swift camel-scouts who wereposted in relays between the Tava and the Mount reported that the BlackKendah were gathered in thousands upon the farther side of the river,where they were engaged in celebrating magical ceremonies. On thefifteenth night the scouts reported that they were crossing the river,about five thousand horsemen and fifteen thousand foot soldiers, andthat at the head of them marched the huge god-elephant Jana, on whichrode Simba the King and a lame priest (evidently my friend whose foothad been injured by the pistol), who acted as a mahout. This part of thestory I confess I did not believe, since it seemed to me impossible thatanyone could ride upon that mad rogue, Jana. Yet, as subsequent eventsshowed, it was in fact true. I suppose that in certain hands the beastbecame tame. Or perhaps it was drugged.
Two nights later, for the Black Kendah advanced but slowly, spreadingthemselves over the country in order to collect such crops as had notbeen gathered through lack of time or because they were still unripe,we saw flames and smoke arising from the Town of the Child beneath us,which they had fired. Now we knew that the time of trial had come anduntil near midnight men, women and children worked feverishly finishingor trying to finish the fortifications and making every preparation inour power.
Our position was that we held a very strong post, that is, strongagainst an enemy unprovided with big guns or even firearms, which, asall other possible approaches had been blocked, was only assailable bydirect frontal attack from the east. In the pass we had three main linesof defence, one arranged behind the other and separated by distances ofa few hundred yards. Our last refuge was furnished by the walls of thetemple itself, in the rear of which were camped the whole White Kendahtribe, save a few hundred who were employed in watching the herds ofcamels and stock in almost inaccessible positions on the northern slopesof the Mount.
There were perhaps five thousand people of both sexes and every agegathered in this camp, which was so well provided with food and waterthat it could have stood a siege of several months. If, however, ourdefences should be carried there was no possibility of escape, sincewe learned from our scouts that the Black Kendah, who by tradition andthrough spies were well acquainted with every feature of the country,had detached a party of several thousand men to watch the western roadand the slopes of the mountain, in case we should try to break out bythat route. The only one remaining, that which ran through the caveof the serpent, we had taken the precaution of blocking up with greatstones, lest through it our flank should be turned.
In short, we were rats in a trap and where we were there we must eitherconquer or die--unless indeed we chose to surrender, which for most ofus would mean a fate worse than death.