thereupon the four white men together with the medicine man and the interpreter put their heads together, with what result will presently be seen. and at length the wizard mfum-ba, after first poking an opening in the straw wall with a finger and peering out, parted the thatch sufficiently to permit him to slip out the way he had come.
“well, things are looking up,” said jack. “but one thing puzzles me. just one little thing. did you all notice that out there in the square, whenever the old fellow spoke, his words were preceded by a peculiar rattling sound, a sound which caused a look of awe to appear on the faces of many of his hearers?”
“oh, that nothing,” said the interpreter, with the superiority of a man who has come in contact with civilizing influences and has lost his awe of home town ways. “him carry li’l bag, made of skin, underneath him robe, filled with pebbles. when him want to fool somebody him rattle bag and say spirits talk. my uncle,” he added, “him medicine man, too.”
at this naive remark, his auditors laughed heartily.
“well, now, if there’s anything to that medicine man, chief namla is due to appear,” said mr. ransome.
and scarcely had the words been uttered than one of the guards putting his head inside the doorway announced the chief wanted them in the square.
“so far so good,” said mr. hampton, rising with alacrity. “mfum-ba has made good on one promise, anyway.”
then he added: “bring your camera, niellsen, and come along. jack, i’ll send your radio stuff in by bearer. remember, my lad, everything really depends on you. but take no unnecessary risks.”
“all right. dad,” said jack, in a reassuring tone. “leave it to me.”
they went out, and in a few moments a bearer entered the hut with the two small cases containing the cabinet receiving set and aerial and the loudspeaker. putting them down he, too, retired. jack was again alone. but not for long.
he could hear voices in the grassy square outside. and peering through the doorway, he noted with satisfaction that the bearers had shifted position as if casually, so that now they stood in two groups, one of which effectively screened the doorway of the hut while the other blocked the alleyway alongside, between guest house and the prophet’s hut beyond.
things were working out according to schedule.
when he turned around, there stood the wizard mfum-ba, hand outstretched to pluck him by a shirt sleeve to attract his attention. this, too, was according to plan, and well-pleased with the way things were going, jack nodded. then he picked up the two small cases, and, one under each arm, followed mfum-ba through the parted thatch of the rear wall.
beyond some twenty paces and stretching for a considerable distance on either hand lay an eight-foot-high wattled wall, surrounding the yard of chief narnia’s abode. jack looked up and down the space intervening but it was deserted. he listened. from the square came the sound of mr. ransome’s voice upraised in speech. and as it ceased, the hum of many voices filled with uncontrollable amazement succeeded.
but he must make the most of his opportunity. and already mfum-ba had darted away from his side with surprising speed for one so aged, and stood at the rear of the adjacent hut, which jack knew was inhabited by the mysterious individual known as the prophet. immediately at the rear of this hut and towering above it rose a spreading tree of luxuriant foliage, a forest giant which had wandered down into the plain.
mfum-ba beckoned impatiently, and jack delaying no longer ran to join him. as he crossed the open alleyway between the huts, he gazed toward the square. but his view of it was cut off by the dense mass of bearers at the mouth of the alley, and so he knew that anybody looking in could not see him, either.
“working like clock work,” he thought.
to scale the tree was an easy matter. and putting down his two cases, jack in a trice was in the lower branches. then mfum-ba handed up the case containing the radio receiving set and aerial, as jack indicated. mounting into the tree, which closed about him, concealing him completely, jack carried the insulated wire of the aerial to the top. pausing only in conclusion for a hasty glance through the branches toward the square, a glance which told him nothing. descending, he placed the receiving cabinet in a crotch which had caught his eye as he passed, and where it rested as securely as if in a place especially made for it.
working at top speed, jack yet was careful that everything should be put in proper order. and when he had finished, he dropped lightly to the ground. the alley between the huts and the wattled wall was still deserted. and from the sounds reaching him from the direction of the square, jack surmised his father and the latter’s companions were successfully keeping the populace engaged.
between him and mfum-ba not a word had so far passed, for neither could have understood the other’s tongue. but gestures were more eloquent than words. mfum-ba parting the grass thatch at the rear of the prophet’s hut, as he had parted that of the guest house, stepped within, one skinny, claw-like black hand left behind and beckoning jack on. jack set his teeth, for the most dangerous part of his task yet remained. then he, too, entered the hut by this novel method, pushing ahead of him the case containing the loudspeaker.
the hut was empty save for mfum-ba and himself. but curious though he was to discover something regarding the identity of this mysterious individual who inhabited it, jack after a hasty glance around which took in the floor pallet, a writing case upon which lay a sheet of paper filled with fine writing in german script (that much he did note), and a small box in one corner, proceeded to his task.
that was to fasten the loudspeaker in the roof of the hut, so that the trumpet was on the outside but concealed by a light covering of straw. when it had been arranged to his satisfaction, and he felt certain it would stay in position and would not be discovered except by direct search, jack poked the coil of wire with which to connect it to the receiving set out of the roof so that it rolled down and dropped into the alley at the rear.
then, listening a moment to assure himself that the crowd in the square outside was still engaged, he indicated by signs to mfum-ba, who stood near the doorway, alternately peering into the square and up at him, that his task was finished. and parting the thatch of the rear wall, he stepped out with mfum-ba at his heels.
then came the first upset in his schedule, which so far had gone along precisely as planned. for as jack stepped through the thatch, he saw a tall negro passing through the alley at the rear pause not a yard away from him and stare open-mouthed as if at an apparition. if the fellow gave the alarm, all would be lost. as this reflection flashed through his brain, jack became desperate. was all his effort to go for nought, because a chance passer-by discovered him at that crucial moment? not if he could avoid it.
with panther-like swiftness jack leaped toward the negro, and his right fist shot out and caught him beneath the ear with stunning force. the black toppled over without a sound, and jack caught him in his arms as he fell. mfum-ba stood behind him, wringing his hands, at this unexpected catastrophe. but the next second the old wizard’s face became wreathed in fury, and whipping a knife from his cotton robe he would have plunged it into the heart of the poor fellow had jack not dropped his unconscious burden and seized the wizard’s upraised arm with a powerful grip.
jack was almost frantic. here he had an unconscious man on his hands, who, as soon as he returned to his senses, would give the alarm. and he had to deal with mfum-ba or the latter would knife the negro without compunction. to make matters worse, his task was not yet completed. the loudspeaker had still to be connected with the receiving set.
turning the man over, jack tied his hands behind his back with his own belt, for the naked warrior had none which could be employed for that purpose. then he seized him beneath the armpits and dragged him to the rear of the guest house, where, parting the thatch, he tumbled him inside. running to the doorway, he pulled one of the bearers standing outside with his back turned, watching events in the square, within, and indicated he should keep guard over the bound man.
then again he pushed through the thatched wall, saw by a hasty glance that mfum-ba was alone, and, picking up the wire which had fallen down from the roof of the prophet’s hut, he shinned back up the tree and connected it with the receiving set. again he dropped to the ground and pulling mfum-ba with him re-entered the guest house without discovery.
the bearer looked at him with lively curiosity, the bound warrior who had opened his eyes with the deepest respect mingled with fear, and mfum-ba with stupefaction. but jack wasn’t caring who stared at him, or how. he had never worked so fast nor so furiously in his life, nor ever under such an impulse of fear. throwing himself flat on his back he lay with eyes closed, resting, until his father’s voice aroused him when, opening his eyes, he sat up.
“where did this fellow come from, jack? and did you manage it?” asked mr. hampton anxiously.
“i’ll say i did,” said jack, and he explained what he had been through.
“what happened to you?” he asked. “did things work out as planned?”
“exactly as planned,” said mr. hampton, while mr. ransome and niellsen who stood behind mr. hampton nodded.
then he explained that when summoned to the square they had found chief namla already there, surrounded by a big crowd of his people. in fact, everybody in the place was on hand, made curious to hear what the chief’s answer to the white men’s strange request would be.
“the chief asked us to show him our machine, as mfum-ba had prompted him,” continued mr. hampton. “so niellsen set it up and let him look into the range-finder. when he saw reflected there every hut, distant volcano or warrior close at hand, at which niellsen directed the camera, he was stupefied. that was what we had expected. and so we invited his chief men to step up and have a look. the crowd became more and more excited.
“then we told the chief we had a communication from the great spirit of the white man to deliver.” he paused, glancing at mr. ransome. “i thought you did that rather well, ransome,” he said, smiling. “of course, i don’t know just what hash the interpreter made of your remarks. but at any rate, they got across.”
mr. ransome nodded.
“the prophet was brought from his hut to face us,” he said. and he laughed heartily, as if at some humorous recollection. “you could never imagine what he is, jack,” he said, “so i’ll tell you. of course, i can’t be sure. but i believe he is one of these soured german professors, a man who doesn’t know the great war ended years ago. in his warped mind there is only one thought uppermost. and that is that germany was martyred in the war, that all the world was against her without reason, and that he must obtain revenge. i think he is a little crazy.”
“at any rate, he scorned us. ‘pigs, you think to scare me,’ he said. ‘it is you who shall pay with your lives.’ nevertheless, i think he was impressed at our promise to make the great spirit speak from the air at 8 o’clock tonight. and he’ll be outside to listen. and so will everybody else in the place.”
