The People of the River | Page 8

on a level with the second rib beneath his shoulder blade.
As the prow of the canoe grounded gently on the sandy shore she drove her spear forward, with all her might. Otapo half rose like a man who was in doubt whether he would rise or not, then he tumbled languidly into the shallow water.
M'fashimbi waded to the shore, first securing the canoe, then she guided the body to land, and exerting all her strength, drew it to a place beneath some trees.
"Otapo, you are dead," she said to the figure, "and you are better dead than living, for by your death you shall revenge me, as living you feared to do."
She took the spear and flung it a few yards farther off from where the body lay. Then she got into the canoe, washed away such bloodstains as appeared on its side, and paddled downstream.
In a day's time she came to her father's village, wailing.
She wailed so loud and so long that the village heard her before she reached the shore and came out to meet her. Her comely body she had smeared with ashes, about her waist hung long green leaves, which is a sign of sorrow; but her grief she proclaimed long and loud, and her father, who was the chief of the village, said to his elders, as with languid strokes--themselves eloquent of her sorrow--she brought her canoe to land:
"This woman is either mad or she has suffered some great wrong."
He was soon to learn, for she came running up to the bank towards him and fell before him, clasping his feet.
"Ewa! Death to my husband, Namani, who has lied about me and beaten me, O father of fathers!" she cried.
"Woman," said the father, "what is this?"
She told him a story--an outrageous story. Also, which was more serious, she told a story of the killing of Otapo.
"This man, protecting me, brought me away from my husband, who beat me," she sobbed, "and my husband followed, and as we sat at a meal by the bank of the river, behold my husband stabbed him from behind. Oe ai!"
And she rolled in the dust at her father's feet.
The chief was affected, for he was of superior rank to Namani and, moreover, held the peace of that district for my lord the Commissioner.
"This is blood and too great a palaver for me," he said, "and, moreover, you being my daughter, it may be thought that I do not deal justice fairly as between man and man."
So he embarked on his canoe and made for Isau, where Sanders was.
The Commissioner was recovering from an attack of malarial fever, and was not pleased to see the chief. Less pleased was he when he heard the story the "Eloquent Woman" had to tell.
"I will go to the place of killing and see what is to be seen." He went on board the Zaire, and with steam up the little stern-wheeler made post-haste for the spot indicated by the woman. He landed where the marks of the canoe's prow still showed on the soft sand, for hereabouts the river neither rises nor falls perceptibly in the course of a month.
He followed the woman into the wood, and here he saw all that was mortal of Otapo; and he saw the spear.
M'fashimbi watched him closely.
"Lord," she said with a whimper, "here it was that Namani slew the young man Otapo as we sat at food."
Sanders' keen eyes surveyed the spot.
"I see no sign of a fire," said Sanders suddenly.
"A fire, lord?" she faltered.
"Where people sit at food they build a fire," said Sanders shortly, "and here no fire has been since the beginning of the world."
He took her on board again and went steaming upstream to the village of Namani.
"Go you," he said to the Houssa sergeant privately, "and if the chief does not come to meet me, arrest him, and if he does come you shall take charge of his huts and his women."
Namani was waiting to greet him and Sanders ordered him on board.
"Namani," said Sanders, "I know you as an honest man, and no word has been spoken against you. Now this woman, your wife, sayest you are a murderer, having killed Otapo."
"She is a liar!" said Namani calmly. "I know nothing of Otapo."
A diligent inquiry which lasted two days failed to incriminate the chief. It served rather to inflict some damage upon the character of M'fashimbi; but in a land where women have lovers in great numbers she suffered little.
At the end of the two days Sanders delivered judgment.
"I am satisfied Otapo is dead," he said; "for many reasons I am not satisfied that Namani killed him. I am in no doubt that M'fashimbi is a woman of evil acts and a great talker, so I shall banish her to