The Priests Tale - Père Etienne | Page 6

and should now be so bitterly disappointed when a
remote chance had brought it nearer realisation than had been in the
least degree likely, was indeed certainly cruel. I therefore turned to him
to make what amends I could.
"'But, old Mwezi,' I said as kindly as possible, 'doubtless you are
mistaken. It was but once that you saw the figure in your dream, and

that years ago. You dreamt of a white man dressed as I. Well, I belong
to a regiment of white men who dress alike, and for many lives it has
been the custom of that regiment to dress so. Doubtless as a boy you
had seen one of my brethren, or perchance a picture of one, and your
spirit saw him again in a dream. If I am right, and your home is on that
great river which we white men call the Zambesi, then it is not unlikely
that such a thing happened. Perhaps you have forgotten. Now in me
you see him whom you seek.'
"The old fellow's keen eyes flashed angrily. 'The white stranger mocks
me,' he said.
"I protested. 'No, father, I do not mean to mock you. Why should I do
so? But come now, can you describe the face of the man you saw?'
"'I can, and easily. His beard was white and not as thine. Moreover, he
was bald-headed, and beneath his right eye was there a little scar such
as he had perhaps received in the hunt from some beast or the other.
His face was long and thin, and his nose bigger. Am I a child that I
should not know one man from another? Thou art not he.'
"It was foolish of me, but I was surprised out of all caution. 'How could
you see so much in the dark of your hut?' I exclaimed.
"Mwezi rose to his feet and made a pathetic effort to hold his head erect.
With true native dignity, he ignored me and turned to the chief. 'With
the leave of the chief, I go,' he said. 'I am old and would rest in my
place. Fare thee well, father of thy people. The Heavens guard thee. Be
in peace.'
"I realised that I had blundered, but at the moment there was nothing to
do. We watched the procession move away again almost in silence, and
I noticed curiously that the crowd were even more interested in Mwezi
than in myself, a white stranger. When he was out of sight, I apologised
to the chief, who, however, would not hear that I had done any wrong.
He himself showed me back to the house set apart for us and invited me
to feast with him in the evening. He gave me leave to speak to his
people, and I remember that I was so dog-tired that I lay down at once

and slept for the rest of the day.
"In the morning, however, I remembered Mwezi, and told the chief that
I would like to go and call on him. I determined to do what I could for
the old fellow's peace of mind, and, with a guide and one of my own
boys, we set out.
"The way led through the native huts and without them. It was downhill
going, as the village, in African fashion, was built on the side of a rise
which culminated in the chief's hut, while Mwezi lived, very close to
the source of the river I have mentioned. We emerged through trees
into a grassy open space of perhaps thirty paces wide, and I saw at once
the old fellow sitting at the door of his hut beneath the shade of a wild
vine which grew luxuriantly over the porch and roof. I was too much
occupied in greeting him to take note at once of the building, but when
we were seated, and he had been thawed out of his first coolness, I
looked more closely at it. It interested me. It was long in shape, much
longer than the usual native hut, and with three windows narrow and
pointed, one of them now roughly blocked with sods. I examined the
stones of the walls, getting up to do so. They struck me as being old
and much more carefully laid than is usual in native work.
"'Did you build this house yourself, old man?' I asked. 'It is well made.'
"'I did not build it,' he said. 'I found it here. When I came to Mtakatifuni,
it was empty and had been empty for long. There was no roof to it in
those days, and few came near the place. But that suited me. My mind
was full of him whom I had seen, and my spirit told me that I should
await