IN THE AFRICAN WILDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 308, 29 December 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

IN THE AFRICAN WILDS.

(By Moll; Altken, 2."2, Stout Street Gisborne, age 15.)

"Daddy—daddy—daddy." tlie voice grew agonised. '"Where are you, daddy?" There was no answer; and Nancy ran out of the wood bordering the. river, in search of him. She was frightened, for she had heard fierce yells from the direction of the camp when; her father, ill - . Corson, was putting his specimens in cases.

With fear in her heart she ran into the little enmp. Stools were upset, crockery broken, all her father's specimens were scattered and broken, and, worst of all, her father was not there. She- stumbled out of the tent and peered into the woods for some sign of her father.

Suddenly a joyful cry escaped her. She saw a figure gagged and bound to a tree. Pulling out her scout-knife, she ran to her father, for it was he who was the prisoner. In dismay she remembered that the blade of her knife was broken. She was about to take her father's knife from his belt, when a twig cracked behind her. She spun round—but too bite—a cloth was Hung over her face and someone hit her or. the head, and she sank unconscious to the ground.

AVhen she regained consciousness her head was throbbing and she was gagged and bound. She did not move, for it hurt her, and she soon knew" she was in a canoe on the river, for she heard the swish of the water and the rhythmic dip of the paddles. It lulled her to sleep and she did not wake till she felt herself lifted from the canoe and put on some sort of a litter. She was carried thus for some time and then she again sank into dreamless sleep.

This time she was awakened by being put down with somewhat of a bump. The bonds round her wrists and ankles •were severed and the cloth over her face •was also removed.

When she grew accustomed to the gloom, Nancy found herself alone in a small mud hut. The door was shut, but a narrow shaft of sunlight crept under it. The only article of furniture was a rude couch on one side of the 1 /1. Xancy began to rub her wrists when a native -woman entered with a bowl of coarse dirty rice, which she set beside her and then she left by the door. It was not in the least tempting—in fact it was dirty and horrid.,but Nancy was so famished that she ate it. Seeing that no light came under the door, she knew it to* be night, and lay down on the couch.

She did not wake till late. Her wristlet watch said half past nine. The native woman entered and proceeded to put on Nancy some queer, fantastic, native dress. Then two men came in and each took one of her arms and led her into the daylight and past a number of huts before she came to a large open space, where about 200 natives ■were assembled. Her captors halted a few yards away from a small wizened man -whom Xaiicy took to be a witchdoctor.

From another hut was brought another closelv-guarded white man. "With a cry of "Daddy, daddy, thank Cod you're safe," she struggled to reach him, but the natives held them both fast.

Then from another came a young white man. He also was guarded, though not so closely. He walked along with bent head till he tame before the witch doctor, and spoke to Jiim in native dialect. N i/.eron. the witch doctor, made a lengthy speech, the object of which seemed to be Xancy. At the end of it the young man turned to Xnncy, saying, "I can't tell you all my history, but I'm Clive Evans, X was out here hunting, and this tribe captured me and kept me to act as interpreter. The last chief had a vision, when he was dying. Nizeron was told by the chief that the tribe would prosper when a goldenhaired pale face ~irl became their queen. You Bctm to tit into the vision and so they are making you queen of their tribe, the Yuiuirms."

"Queen; 1 queen?" exclaimed Nancy in horroi-, "but i don't want to be queen. I couldift. Please tell them it is impossible." ■Tin afraid they are thinking of their prosperity and not your wishes, .Miss JTancy," ho replied. Poor I\ancy was so bewildered by this interview that the following happenings were not observed by her. .She was led back to the hut and spent some hours pondering an escape. .Many ideas presented themselves, but were"all rejected. In a fever she was walking up and down when she stopped suddenly with a slow smile on her face.

She opened tlie door and stepped out. Two natives sprang up at her side, but they did not tlinist her back into the hut as she half expected. They did not even touch her. They merely walked one at each side, silently, like shadows. Nancy walked along to the'hut from whic*h she had seen Clivo Evans appear. She knocked and we; admitted, her

guards remaining outside. Clive was sitting on a rough cliuii' reading a mucliworn book, lie rose and motioned Nancy to the chair he vacated. Her first words were: "Can any of the natives understand English 1" "Xo," answered Clive. "Well then, we can talk without any of them understanding:" "Yes. !Miss Nancy—that is your name, isn't if:' , "M-in. Look—l have a plan for escape. Did the chiefs vision mean that it bad to be golden hair?" "Yes." '•Then if my hair was black or brown they would not make niu be quvcil!" •■V.y jove! 1 get you! No. 1 don't think they would have you lor tiie'.r queen. they're frightfully superstitious." "Well then, there is only one more thing necessary to make our escape certain'. Have you anything that wouli! colour my hair'; 1 have heard of some sort of berry that makes a black dye. Do von know ':''

"Christopher Wren! Yes. I have. Some queer old guy practically forced me to buy some sort of dye the last day 1 was in* Durban: I've still got it. 1 was going to chuck it away and then 1 thought it might come in handy. It's in here." and going to a box ill a corner of the hut. he took out a small bottle and gave it to Nancy. "Oood luck," lie said. "I'll be there to help you tomorrow."

Nancy put the phial in her pocket mill left him. She next went down to the river accompanied by her two guards. This river was only a stream, fairly deep and fairly wide in places. It ran along its bed about two hundred yards from Nancy's hut. There was a largo earthenware bowl beside the water, and Xancy looked at her captors, pointed first to the bowl, then to the water and then at her hut. The' man understood. He filled the bowl and carried it to the hut. '•So far so aood," said Nancy to herself. She was now forced to wait till the native woman had left her for the night. She closed the door, and unplaitiiic her hair, she wet it thoroughly in the water. Then. lmvin« added lin'f Hi" contents of Olive's bottle, she washed it in the black liquid. She next poured the black water on to the sandy Moor of her hut so that the natives should not Mud out what she had done. It was now dark, and Nancy lay down on her couch. She felt she could hardly wait till mornin" to see if the dye had done its work. The hours of darkness crept slowly to Nancv wailing ill suspense. However, she fell asleep in the early hours of morning. When she woke a pule sunbeam had crept under the door. She held a lock of her hair in it and then jumped for joy. It was dark brown. With the help of a pocket mirror she found it was brown all over. Nancy could sleep no more, and as BOOH as the first sound of the natives stirrin" in the camp announced the 'morning to be properly begun, die left her hut and wended her way to Line a dwelling. All the natives stared at her in amaze, for the change was startling. She hardly looked the same girl. Clive was smoking at his door. She saw his eyes sparkle, but he kept his words till they were safely in the hut, away from the' natives' prying eyes. "It acted then';" asked he. "Yes, beautifully. How am T to tell Nizeron?" . "I'll ">'« and tell him now. ou wait here. He'll call a meeting, I expbet," said Clive as he strode away. In a little while. Nancy heard the beating of drums and Clive came back. "Look a bit sor- ' rier," he whispered, "don't look quite so elated or you'll raise their suspicious.' Nanev acted on his advice and forced down the exultant feeling that showed on her face. Once more she stood liefore Xizeron as he and Clive spoke ill the native language. "You see," said Clive. "your god has ■riven voii a sign by turning her hair dark, that this is not your queen." Xizeron nodded. Then Xancy broke in, "You see your "od does not'wish me to be your queen, and so you'll let me and my father and Mr. Evans go back down the river to Klapdrnk, will you not?" Clive translated it to Nizeron, who consulted some of the chief warriors of the. tribe before answering. When Uive translated his answer he spoke in a queer voice and Xancv heard him with a face which was white with .horror and dread. "He says their god certainly does not wish you to be the queen of the Yunanas and they will not have you, but he says you had "olden hair yesterday and now it is brown, and so the god must be displeased with you, so Nizeron says they will sacrifice you and your father tomorrow at sunset." Now Xancy sa\ whv Clive and Xizeron had had a fierce argument before Clive interpreted this Nancy, she had escaped one fate on ty to find a worse one "Oh, surely tlicV wouldn't do that," she cried, forcjn" bade the faintness that was stealing over her- . , T ... "It is their custom, Xancy, out J will ~... my best to think of some, plan for escape before to-morrow, bo keep your

:ker up, old girl. My biins have

jcver t'aiiuU uiu jet, aim 1 iruat they won't fail you now." uive spoKe in a gay voice which was just put on. Nancy "live liiin a very faint ami watery smile and said, '"I hope they won't."

Xluit niglic Miitii -Miiu-y was tossing on her hard vouch, she was surprised to hear a grunt wailing unci moaning from near Miwrun's hut. She put out her head and by gesticulations asked hei guard the cause of it. Now Nancy liad [licked up a smattering of Yunana language, for one of the boatmen who had brought them up the river was a Yunnnu and he had taught her enough to understand the man's answer. 'Nizeron, the witch doctor, is dying of a terrible disease." Bv the flicUering of the torches, she "saw dive pass through the erowd surrounding the hut and enter it. Her heart gave a leap. "Had Clive thought of a plan? Was this part of it?" she asked herself again and again during the sleepless night. Early next morning a meeting of the natives was fulled by.Clive. Nancy and her lather were both there and (.lives face was so woe-hegone that Nancy's hopes were dashed to the ground, (.live deliberately winked at her as he passed and her spirits rose once more. Clive Evans turned to the natives and said, in a loud voice in the Yunaiia tongue, "Xizeron, your witch doctor, is dead. He died 'through the wrath ol your iiod. .1 was with him and lie told me of"the vision that he had. Me said 1 was to tell you and that you had better obey the wish* of your god unless you wish his wrath to kill you too. In the vision he saw the two white captives sacrificed and then it seemed that great trouble fell on the Yunauas. The hind became desert and no food was procurable, and plague killed numbers of them. while those who escaped these' were killed by {heir enemies. Also, his god appeared to him in a vision, saying. 'Unhappy Ni/.eron, I have decreed that you shall die because you have ill-treated my three nrophets'— ("live laid emphasis on the 'three.' 'Did you not know that when I changed my daughter's hair from golden to brown, that she was sacred time and must not be harmed. If you had harmed a hair of her bead, the whole of your tribe would have been wiped out. but as she is. unharmed you only will die, but your tribe must let my throe prophets go their way. or disasters will fall on the Yunaims.' When he had told me of this lie begged me to give you the message of the god." The people moaned and wailed afresh, but Clive said, in a truly awful voice,

"Are you going to briny trouble to the Vuniiiias or are you going to free the prophets of voiir nod V * "We will free the prophets!" cried the people. (/live then came over to Xancy and Mr. Corson who bad rushed into each other's arms as soon us their captors freed them, lie told them briefly what he had told the natives, adding, "My brain did not fail you Nancy." Nancy only smiled and hud'her small hand in his outstretched one. He gave it a squeeze and smiled down at her. She tried to thank him, but "■ lump rose in her throat and he stopped her, saying, "Tut, tut, Miss Nancy, good friends do not thank each other." An hour later, Xancy, Mr. Corson, and Clive were conducted to a canoe on the river. It was well xovisioned, and, after a ceremonial farewell from the natives, they pushed oIT and paddlei down the river. Five native canoes accompanied them for a mile or so, and after another farewell, the three fugitives departed. As soon as the natives were out of sight Clive said, "Slick's the word now. Nizeron's seeming death will pass off ill a counle of hours and lie'll he in a hell of a fury—l'll use the word with your permission Miss Nancy—because I have outwitted hifti." "TTe is not dead, then?" asked Nancy. "Oh. no! I'm not as bad as that, Nancy." "Was his sickness genuine, or was it one of your contrivances'" asked Mr. Corson. "Well, I guess the pain was genuine all right." said Clive, with a chuckle. "I put two mothballs in his wine last night." "Poor Nizeron," said Nancy unfeel"Then I drugged him when I went to him later, and" he really looked dead enough, but it will pass off in an hour or two and lie'll be after us good oh."

They paddled steadily dnwil the river all that day with one or two halts tut meals. At eight the itiuct iiiorninjt 'tile three of tlicni walked Into tile hotel in Klapdnik, the first Kiiropvnn town on the downward journey. They cli'iuped rooms and at Mr. C'orson's suggestion they repaired to tl>eir respective rnonifi to 'remove- the stains of travel—"and your dye," Miiil .Nancy, lo Clive.

Later, in the evcniiijr, Mr. Corson am'. Nancy were standing on the hank of the river talking over tlieir adventures. Mr. Corson, who was londliu- Nann-'s now golden curls, said. •'Your golden curls very nearly cost me dear Xancv. didn't they?" "Oil, dad, won't T liave something to tell J.oniinc mid Win mid nil the kir.s at school when I pet buck. My, won't they envv me! 1 don't suppose they'll believe all of it.'" "Tell them to as|< me. if thev don't. little pill, and I'll 90011 make them believe,"' said (live as .lie joined them.