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Updated: June 5, 2025
"Ahoy, there!" roared Mallam, from the bottom of the stairs, "if that doctor aren't down here 'fore I count five hundred I'll fire down into the powder store and blow up the ship." "Master Carey, sir!" came through the broken skylight. "Hear that? Hadn't we better begin first?"
They've got a thumping big fire, and they're dancing round it like a lot o' little children playing at may-pole. Seems to me, sir, that these here blacks grow up to be children, and then they makes a fresh start; their bodies go on growing like anything, but their brains stops still and never grows a day older. Hark, there he goes again." "What, Mallam?"
The old mallam further observed, that as soon as the sultan of Youri heard of their death, he was much affected, but it was out of his power to punish the people, who had driven them into the water. A pestilence reached Boussa at the time, swept off the king and most of the habitants, particularly those who were concerned in the transaction.
"Come and help with these," and he pointed to the bucket of glistening pearls. "Get me something to put them in." Carey thought for a moment, and then went below, to return with the first things he thought suitable, and Mallam nodded his satisfaction. "They'll do," he said. "'Bout dry now. Your back's easier than mine. Pour 'em in. No smugging "
The head Mallam read a few pages from the Koran, after which a sheep was sacrificed; the blood was then poured into a calibash, and the king and some of his subjects washed their hands in it, and sprinkled the drops on the ground. After this a few old muskets were discharged, and the king and his chiefs rode about the ground, armed, and in gay attire.
Carey Cranford saw the great treasures in pearls, pearl shell, and valuables collected from wrecked vessels in the course of some twenty years, during which Dan Mallam had reigned paramount in a lonely island off the north-west coast of Australia, for Jackum piloted the steamer there in triumph, and looked proud of his achievement, while he pointed out everything he thought of value to Carey, and could not understand the lad's hanging back from helping himself to articles he did not want.
The present had the desired effect, for on the following day the king came to them with great joy, and informed them that he had been down to the Niger with his mallam, and that the result of his visit was highly favourable to their wishes as well as to his own, the river having promised to conduct them in safety its termination.
But if it came to the worst, I should jump overboard and try to swim ashore." "To be taken by a shark or a crocodile?" "Well, that would be a more natural way of coming to one's end, sir. But, pooh! we're not going to be beaten, doctor. We must get Mr Dan Mallam Old King Cole, Bob calls him shut up below somewhere and out of sight of the blacks. They'd obey us then, and we should be all right.
The next moment he was in again, crawling like a huge black slug head first down the stairs, till they saw only the soles of his feet, and then they disappeared, the other looking on grinning as he squatted down. "It's not snoring, Bob," whispered Carey. "There is something terrible below. I think the doctor is dead, after wounding Mallam badly."
The chief mallam no sooner began a prayer, than the talking and noise of the multitude ceased, and the deepest attention seemed to be paid by every one, though the substance of what he said could only be guessed at, because it was in Arabic, which none of them understood a word of.
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