Those who remained without the gates waited with impatience, tormented by uncertainty. Only Pandion was motionless and apathetic as he lay on the litter that had been removed from the pack animals. It seemed to them all that a long time had elapsed before the Etruscan reappeared in the gateway accompanied by a crowd of men, women and children. The inhabitants of the village smiled in welcoming manner, waving broad leaves and speaking incomprehensible but friendly-sounding words.
The gates were opened and the former slaves passed between rows of big houses whose mud walls, built in the form of a circle, were surmounted by steep conical roofs thatched with coarse grass.
On an open space under two trees stood an especially big house with the roof extending over the entrance. Here the chiefs had gathered to meet the newcomers. Almost all the inhabitants of the village crowded round them, excited by the unusual events of the day.
At the request of the paramount chief the Negro with the broken leg again told the story of the terrible rhinoceros hunt, frequently pointing to Pandion who still lay motionless on his litter.
With appropriate exclamations the villagers expressed their delight, amazement and horror at this unbelievable act performed by orders of the terrible Pharaoh of Tha-Quem.
The paramount chief rose and addressed his people in a language unknown to the newcomers. He was answered by shouts of approval. Then the chief walked over to the waiting travellers, waved his hand in a circle embracing the whole village and bowed his head.
Through the interpreter Cavius thanked the chief and his people for their hospitality. That evening the newcomers were invited to a feast to be held in honour of their arrival.
A crowd of villagers surrounded Pandion’s litter. The men gazed at him with respect, the women with sympathy. A girl in a blue mantle walked boldly out of the crowd and bent over the young Hellene. After his lengthy sojourn in the hot, sunny lands of Tha-Quem and Nub, Pandion differed from his companions only in the somewhat lighter shade of his skin which now had a golden tone. His hair, however, had grown long and its tangled and matted curls, together with the clear-cut features of his thin face, betrayed him as a foreigner.
The girl, moved by pity for the handsome, helpless young hero lying on the litter, cautiously stretched out her hand and pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen on Pandion’s forehead.
The heavy eyelids slowly opened showing eyes of a golden colour, such as she had never before seen, and a slight shudder passed over the girl. The eyes of the stranger did not see her, his dull glance was fixed on the branches that waved above him.
“Iruma!” the girl’s friends called to her.
Cavius and Kidogo came up, lifted the litter and carried their wounded friend away, but the girl remained standing; with eyes lowered, she stood as motionless and impassive as the young Hellene who had attracted her attention.
VI. THE ROAD OF DARKNESS
The tender care of Kidogo and Cavius had its effect and Pandion’s bones mended. His former strength, however, did not return to him. For days on end he lay, apathetic and listless, in the gloom of the big hut, answered his friends unwillingly and in monosyllables, ate without appetite and made no effort to rise. He had grown very thin, his face with its deep-sunken, usually closed eyes, was overgrown with a soft beard.
The time had come to set out on the long road to the sea and home. Kidogo had long since questioned the local inhabitants about the way to the shores of the Southern Horn.
Of the thirty-nine former slaves, who had sought refuge in the village, twelve had gone off in various directions — they had formerly lived in this country and could reach their homes without any great difficulty or danger.
Those who remained were urging Kidogo to start out. Now that they were all free and healthy their distant homes called more strongly to them; every day of inactivity seemed like a crime to them. Since their return home depended on Kidogo, they worried him constantly with requests and reminders.
Kidogo got out of the situation by making indefinite promises — he could not leave Pandion. After these talks the Negro would sit for hours beside the bed of his friend, torn with doubts — when would there be a change in the sick man’s condition? On Cavius’ advice Pandion was carried out of the house in the cool of the evening. Even this did not bring any noticeable improvement. The only times Pandion brightened up was when it rained — the rolling of the thunder and the roaring downpour of rain made the sick man raise himself on to his elbow and listen, as though in these sounds he heard some call unheard by the others. Cavius called in two local medicine men. They burnt grass with an acrid smoke over the patient, buried a pot with some roots in it in the earth, but still his condition did not improve.
One evening when Pandion was lying near the hut and Cavius was sitting beside him, lazily keeping off the buzzing flies with a leafy branch, a girl in a blue mantle came up to them. This was Iruma, the daughter of the best hunter in the village, the girl whose attention Pandion had attracted the day the travellers arrived.
From under her mantle the girl extended a slender arm on which the bracelets rattled; in her hand she held a small bag of plaited grass. Iruma offered the bag to Cavius — the Etruscan had by this time learned a few words of the local language — and tried to explain to him that these were magic nuts from the western forests that would cure the sick man. She tried to explain to him how to prepare medicine from them but Cavius could not understand her. Iruma hung her head in perplexity but immediately brightened up again, told Cavius to give her a flat stone, that was used for crushing corn, and to bring her a cup of water. Cavius entered the house and she looked round in all directions, then dropped to her knees at the sick man’s head and peered intently into his face. She laid her tiny hand on Pandion’s forehead, but hearing Cavius’ heavy tread she hurriedly withdrew it.
She tipped some small nuts, something like chestnuts, out of the bag, broke them and crushed the kernels on the stone, rubbing them into a sort of thin porridge which she mixed with some milk that Kidogo had at that moment brought. As soon as the Negro saw the nuts, he gave a mighty yell and began to dance round Cavius in joy.
Kidogo explained to the astonished Cavius that in the western forests and in the forests of his country there is a tree with a straight trunk whose branches grow shorter towards the top, so that it looks pointed. These trees bear large numbers of nuts that have marvellous healing properties. They give new strength to the exhausted, banish fatigue and bring joy and happiness to the healthy. (Cola nuts, now known the world over for their medicinal properties.)
The girl fed Pandion with the porridge made from the magic nuts and then all three of them sat down by his bedside and began patiently awaiting results. After a few minutes had passed Pandion’s feeble breathing became stronger and more regular, the skin on his hollow cheeks took on a rosy hue. All the moroseness suddenly left the Etruscan. As though under a spell, he sat watching the effect of the mysterious medicine. Pandion heaved a deep sigh, opened his eyes widely and sat up.
His sun-coloured eyes wandered from Cavius to Kidogo and then remained fixed on the girl. Pandion stared in amazement at a face the colour of dark bronze with an astonishingly smooth skin that seemed very much alive.
Between the inner corners of her long, slightly slanting eyes, faint wrinkles, full of mischief, ran across the bridge of her nose. The whites of her eyes showed clear and bright through half-closed lids; the nostrils of her broad but well-formed nose twitched nervously, and her thick, vivid lips opened in a frank but bashful smile, that revealed a row of strong, pearly teeth. The whole of her round face was so filled with bold and at the same time gentle mischief, with the joyous play of youthful life, that Pandion could not help but smile. And his golden eyes, till then dull and apathetic, flashed and sparkled. Iruma lowered her eyes in confusion and turned away.