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Updated: May 28, 2025
And, turning away, he forthwith entered into energetic conversation with 'Msusa, which ultimately resulted in that savage giving certain instructions to his friends, who, after a tremendous amount of palaver, interspersed with frequent references from 'Msusa to the professor, at length set to work to gather four large piles of branches, dry leaves, and other combustibles, which they proceeded to arrange on spots indicated by von Schalckenberg.
Surely the river cannot be so very far away!" Von Schalckenberg tried 'Msusa again, but without success. "The fellow speaks such a barbarous dialect that I find it almost impossible to understand him," explained the professor; "but he informs me that, for some reason or other, it is out of the question for us to go forward to-day." "Hm!" commented Sir Reginald.
A minute later 'Msusa, watching the four white men from beneath a pile of skins heaped up just within the doorway of his hut, saw them walk in under the huge, mysterious thing that had just descended from the clouds, and inexplicably disappear.
Treachery, so far from being a crime, almost amounts to a virtue, under certain circumstances, with all these African savages; and I must confess that I have noticed one or two little things that, to me, seemed to bear rather a sinister significance. But what can we do? We cannot take 'Msusa by the scruff of the neck and insist upon his becoming our guide to the river."
"This fellow, who calls himself 'Msusa, and his tribe the Luewi, informs me so far as I can comprehend him that they attacked us because, some time ago I cannot make out how long some people, wearing long beards, like ourselves, came here and stole a large number of their young men; and the Luewi, when they saw us, mistook us for those same thieves come back upon another man-stealing expedition, which they promptly determined to nip in the bud."
"Yes," admitted von Schalckenberg, "I had. The fact is that, for some reason which I do not understand, 'Msusa is very anxious that we should remain in the village all night; and, since he has already discovered that force will not avail with us, he is now trying guile.
At length, however, 'Msusa turned to his friends and explained the situation to them, with the result that the four white men were ultimately invited to enter the village, partake of refreshments, and remain there for the night, upon the understanding that a guide to the river would be furnished to them the next morning. "All right," agreed Sir Reginald.
As soon as the piles were of sufficient size to yield a good dense body of smoke they were simultaneously ignited by the four white men by the simple agency of an ordinary match, to the intense astonishment and admiration of the blacks and then the quartette sat down patiently to await events, while 'Msusa and his friends, incited thereto by the professor, continued to pile upon the fires further quantities of grass, green branches, and other things calculated to produce the maximum quantity of smoke.
"Do you think, Professor, that these people are to be trusted; or is there some deep scheme to get us into their power behind this reluctance to help us to go forward this evening?" "I don't know," answered the professor. "'Msusa speaks fairly enough, but one can never tell.
And, by the way, did you mention that we are tired and hungry, and wish to be guided to the river?" "Not yet," answered the professor. "Our friend 'Msusa was so busy explaining and apologising for the attack upon us that I have not yet had the chance. But I will, though, at once."
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