Witch-Doctors | Page 8

of the soul of the Snake? I, Bakahenzie, have seen it! have seen it!" "Ough! Ough!"
"Where is the false spirit that hath sinned in the act? He that hath sinned in the shade of the name? I, Bakahenzie, have seen him! have seen him!" "Ough! Ough!"
"Does not the keen sting of him scorch up the land? Hath not the young bread of our bellies been slain? I, Bakahenzie, have seen it! have seen it!" "Ough! Ough!"
The throb of the drums grew faster. Bakahenzie leaped from the crowd. Immediately in front of the King he began to dance and to scream:
"Is the Burden too great for the Guard of the Name? Aie! Aie! Hath the Bearer, too, fumbled the weight of the World? Aie! Aie! Is His spirit bewitched by the soul of a girl? Aie! Aie! Hath His magical power been slain by the sin? Aie! Aie! Hath a prophet made words in the act of a goat? Aie! Aie! Does a saviour in hairs thirst the blood of a King? Aie! Aie! Shall we hearken, O Chiefs, to the wish of the One? Aie! Aie! Or be shrivelled and die in the drought of His wrath? Aie! Aie!"
Kawa Kendi, a man in early middle age, powerful and lithe-limbed, sat as motionless as the King, his father, staring, as did all, with the fixed stare of the anagogic.
Abruptly the drums ceased. Again came a hot silence as Bakahenzie paused in front of MFunya MPopo. Then with a piercing yell, the witch-doctor spun on his toes. The drums broke into an hysterical rhythm. Bakahenzie leaped high in the air; whirled around and around screaming hoarsely; leaped and spun continually.
The chiefs and doctors began to grunt; continued in crescendo until the whole body throbbed and grunted to the rhythm of the drums. Yet immobile sat MFunya MPopo.
Suddenly Bakahenzie changed the erratic course of his wild dance. He whirled and screamed in front of the King and fell headlong, as if in a fit, with eyes injected and foam upon the black tufts of beard. Bakahenzie clutched his belly and began to howl like a hyena at the moon. The drums stopped. Howl and writhe did Bakahenzie as if a thousand fiends were tearing out his entrails.
He lay rigid. The air seemed to quiver. The lines of every man's limbs, except the King's, were drawn in tension. Then from the prostrate body of the witch-doctor, whose legs and arms were twisted as in agony, whose dribbling mouth was closed like a vise, came a ventriloquous falsetto:
"Aie-e! Aie-e! I am the spirit of Kintu! Aie-e! Aie-e! I am he who first was! Aie-e! Aie-e! I am the banana from whom I was made! Aie-e! Aie-e! The Keeper of the Name hath betrayed me! Aie-e! Aie-e! The Bride of me is defiled! Aie-e! Aie-e! Let him arise who is pure! Aie-e! Aie-e! Let him arise who is bidden! Aie-e! Aie-e! Let the fires be put out! Aie-e! Aie-e! Let a new fire arise from the ashes! Aie-e! Aie-e! I have spoken, I, the Father of men! Aie-e! Aie-e! I, Tarum, the soul of your ancestors!"
From the assembly came the belly grunt of acceptance. In silence rose Kawa Kendi, the heir-apparent. His face was as expressionless as his father's. He stepped around the body of Bakahenzie and across the open space followed by a young man, Kingata Mata. Ten feet away from the enclosure, Kingata Mata sank upon his haunches. Before MFunya MPopo squatted his son. They spat each in the other's hand and swallowed the spittle. Then the head of Kawa Kendi bent to the lips of MFunya MPopo to receive the sacred Name.
In unison with Kawa Kendi rose Kingata Mata, who to him handed a cord of twisted bark. Bending behind the King, who remained motionless with the closed eyes of one already dead, Kingata Mata swiftly adjusted the cord and handed it back to the son, Kawa Kendi.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}
When the muscular young Keeper of the Fires had poured solemnly a gourd of water upon the royal fire of MFunya MPopo, he knelt submissively and was strangled beside his master.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~}
From the assembly went up a great shout:
"The fire is put out!"
And from the village, listening in awe to the mighty doings, came like an echo:
"The fire is put out! Aie! Aie-e!"
Then shouted the elders and wizards:
"Let there be a new fire!"
Again came the wailing repetition from the village:
"Let there be a new fire!"
As in the Place of Fires was kindled a new fire by Kingata Mata with two sacred sticks, one of which is male and the other female, the assembled chiefs and magicians groaned in allegiance to the new King-God of the unmentionable spirit of the Snake, Usakuma, the Idol.
CHAPTER 3
At five-thirty zu Pfeiffer was stretched in the long Bombay chair in