prester john-第17章

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n。

Captain　Arcoll　listened　intently；　and　at　the　mention　of　Durban　he　laughed。　　'You　and　I　seem　to　have　been　running　on　lines　which　nearly　touched。　　I　thought　I　had　grabbed　my　friend　Laputa　that　night　in　Durban；　but　I　was　too　cocksure　and　he　slipped　off。　　Do　you　know；　Mr　Crawfurd；　you　have　been　on　the　right　trail　long　before　me？　　When　did　you　say　you　saw　him　at　his　devil…worship？　　Seven　years　ago？　　Then　you　were　the　first　man　alive　to　know　the　Reverend　John　in　his　true　colours。　　You　knew　seven　years　ago　what　I　only　found　out　last　year。'

'Well；　that's　my　story；'　I　said。　　'I　don't　know　what　the　rising　is　about；　but　there's　one　other　thing　I　can　tell　you。　　There's　some　kind　of　sacred　place　for　the　Kaffirs；　and　I've　found　out　where　it　is。'　　I　gave　him　a　short　account　of　my　adventures　in　the　Rooirand。

He　smoked　silently　for　a　bit　after　I　had　finished。　　'You've　got　the　skeleton　of　the　whole　thing　right；　and　you　only　want　the　filling　up。　　And　you　found　out　everything　for　yourself？　　Colles　was　right；　you're　not　wanting　in　intelligence；　Mr　Crawfurd。'

It　was　not　much　of　a　compliment；　but　I　have　never　been　more　pleased　in　my　life。　　This　slim；　grizzled　man；　with　his　wrinkled　face　and　bright　eyes；　was　clearly　not　lavish　in　his　praise。　　I　felt　it　was　no　small　thing　to　have　earned　a　word　of　commendation。

'And　now　I　will　tell　you　my　story；'　said　Captain　Arcoll。　　'It　is　a　long　story；　and　I　must　begin　far　back。　　It　has　taken　me　years　to　decipher　it；　and；　remember；　I've　been　all　my　life　at　this　native　business。　　I　can　talk　every　dialect；　and　I　have　the　customs　of　every　tribe　by　heart。　　I've　travelled　over　every　mile　of　South　Africa；　and　Central　and　East　Africa　too。　　I　was　in　both　the　Matabele　wars；　and　I've　seen　a　heap　of　other　fighting　which　never　got　into　the　papers。　　So　what　I　tell　you　you　can　take　as　gospel；　for　it　is　knowledge　that　was　not　learned　in　a　day。'

He　puffed　away；　and　then　asked　suddenly；　'Did　you　ever　hear　of　Prester　John？'

'The　man　that　lived　in　Central　Asia？'　I　asked；　with　a　reminiscence　of　a　story…book　I　had　as　a　boy。　'No；　no；'　said　Mr　Wardlaw；　'he　means　the　King　of　Abyssinia　in　the　fifteenth　century。　　I've　been　reading　all　about　him。　　He　was　a　Christian；　and　the　Portuguese　sent　expedition　after　expedition　to　find　him；　but　they　never　got　there。　　Albuquerque　wanted　to　make　an　alliance　with　him　and　capture　the　Holy　Sepulchre。'

Arcoll　nodded。　　'That's　the　one　I　mean。　　There's　not　very　much　known　about　him；　except　Portuguese　legends。　　He　was　a　sort　of　Christian；　but　I　expect　that　his　practices　were　as　pagan　as　his　neighbours'。　　There　is　no　doubt　that　he　was　a　great　conqueror。　　Under　him　and　his　successors；　the　empire　of　Ethiopia　extended　far　south　of　Abyssinia　away　down　to　the　Great　Lakes。'

'How　long　did　this　power　last？'　I　asked　wondering　to　what　tale　this　was　prologue。

'That's　a　mystery　no　scholar　has　ever　been　able　to　fathom。　Anyhow；　the　centre　of　authority　began　to　shift　southward；　and　the　warrior　tribes　moved　in　that　direction。　　At　the　end　of　the　sixteenth　century　the　chief　native　power　was　round　about　the　Zambesi。　　The　Mazimba　and　the　Makaranga　had　come　down　from　the　Lake　Nyassa　quarter；　and　there　was　a　strong　kingdom　in　Manicaland。　　That　was　the　Monomotapa　that　the　Portuguese　thought　so　much　of。'

Wardlaw　nodded　eagerly。　　The　story　was　getting　into　ground　that　he　knew　about。

'The　thing　to　remember　is　that　all　these　little　empires　thought　themselves　the　successors　of　Prester　John。　　It　took　me　a　long　time　to　find　this　out；　and　I　have　spent　days　in　the　best　libraries　in　Europe　over　it。　　They　all　looked　back　to　a　great　king　in　the　north；　whom　they　called　by　about　twenty　different　names。　　They　had　forgotten　about　his　Christianity；　but　they　remembered　that　he　was　a　conqueror。

'Well；　to　make　a　long　story　short；　Monomotapa　disappeared　in　time；　and　fresh　tribes　came　down　from　the　north；　and　pushed　right　down　to　Natal　and　the　Cape。　　That　is　how　the　Zulus　first　appeared。　　They　brought　with　them　the　story　of　Prester　John；　but　by　this　time　it　had　ceased　to　be　a　historical　memory；　and　had　become　a　religious　cult。　　They　worshipped　a　great　Power　who　had　been　their　ancestor；　and　the　favourite　Zulu　word　for　him　was　Umkulunkulu。　　The　belief　was　perverted　into　fifty　different　forms；　but　this　was　the　central　creed　…　that　Umkulunkulu　had　been　the　father　of　the　tribe；　and　was　alive　as　a　spirit　to　watch　over　them。

'They　brought　more　than　a　creed　with　them。　　Somehow　or　other；　some　fetich　had　descended　from　Prester　John　by　way　of　the　Mazimba　and　Angoni　and　Makaranga。　　What　it　is　I　do　not　know；　but　it　was　always　in　the　hands　of　the　tribe　which　for　the　moment　held　the　leadership。　　The　great　native　wars　of　the　sixteenth　century；　which　you　can　read　about　in　the　Portuguese　historians；　were　not　for　territory　but　for　leadership；　and　mainly　for　the　possession　of　this　fetich。　　Anyhow；　we　know　that　the　Zulus　brought　it　down　with　them。　　They　called　it　Ndhlondhlo；　which　means　the　Great　Snake；　but　I　don't　suppose　that　it　was　any　kind　of　snake。　　The　snake　was　their　totem；　and　they　would　naturally　call　their　most　sacred　possession　after　it。

'Now　I　will　tell　you　a　thing　that　few　know。　　You　have　heard　of　Tchaka。　　He　was　a　sort　of　black　Napoleon　early　in　the　last　century；　and　he　made　the　Zulus　the　paramount　power　in　South　Africa；　slaughtering　about　two　million　souls　to　accomplish　it。　Well；　he　had　the　fetich；　whatever　it　was；　and　it　was　believed　that　he　owed　his　conquests　to　it。　　Mosilikatse　tried　to　steal　it；　and　that　was　why　he　had　to　fly　to　Matabeleland。　　But　with　Tchaka　it　disappeared。　　Dingaan　did　not　have　it；　nor　Panda；　and　Cetewayo　never　got　it；　though　he　searched　the　length　and　breadth　of　the　country　for　it。　　It　had　gone　out　of　existence；　and　with　it　the　chance　of　a　Kaffir　empire。'

Captain　Arcoll　got　up　to　light　his　pipe；　and　I　noticed　that　his　face　was　grave。　　He　was　not　telling　us　this　yarn　for　our　amusement。

'So　much　for　Prester　John　and　his　charm；'　he　said。　　'Now　I　have　to　take　up　the　history　at　a　different　point。　　In　spite　of　risings　here　and　there；　and　occasional　rows；　the　Kaffirs　have　been　quiet　for　the　better　part　of　half　a　century。　　It　is　no　credit　to　us。　　They　have　had　plenty　of　grievances；　and　we　are　no　nearer　understanding　them　than　our　fathers　were。　　But　they　are　scattered　and　divided。　　We　have　driven　great　wedges　of　white　settlement　into　their　territory；　and　we　have　taken　away　their　arms。　　Still；　they　are　six　times　as　many　as　we　are；　and　they　have　long　memories；　and　a　thoughtful　man　may　wonder　how　long　the　peace　will　last。　　I　have　often　asked　myself　that　question；　and　till　lately　I　used　to　reply；　〃For　ever　because　they　cannot　find　a　leader　with　the　proper　authority；　and　they　have　no　common　cause　to　fight　for。〃　But　a　year　or　two　ago　I　began　to　change　my　mind。

'It　is　my　business　to　act　as　chief　Intelligence　officer　among　the　natives。　　Well；　one　day；　I　came　on　the　tracks　of　a　curious　person。　　He　was　a　Christian　minister　called　Laputa；　and　he　was　going　among　the　tribes　from　Durban　to　the　Zambesi　as　a　roving　evangelist。　　I　found　that　he　made　an　enormous　impression；　and　yet　the　people　I　spoke　to　were　chary　of　saying　much　about　him。　　Presently　I　found　that　he　preached　more　than　the　gospel。　　His　word　was　〃Africa　for　the　Africans；〃　and　his　chief　point　was　that　the　natives　had　had　a　great　empire　in　the　past；　and　might　have　a　great　empire　again。　　He　used　to　tell　the　story　of　Prester　John；　with　all　kinds　of　embroidery　of　his　own。　　You　see；　Prester　John　was　a　good　argument　for　him；　for　he　had　been　a　Christian　as　well　as　a　great　potentate。　'For　years　there　has　been　plenty　of　this　talk　in　South　Africa；　chiefly　among　Christian　Kaffirs。　　It　is　what　they　call　〃Ethiopianism；〃　and　American　negroes　are　the　chief　apostles。　　For　myself；　I　always　thought　the　thing　perfectly　harmless。　　I　don't　care　a　fig　whether　the　native　missions　break　away　from　the　parent　churches　in　England　and　call　themselves　by　fancy　names。　　The　more　freedom　they　have　in　their　religious　life；　the　less　they　are　likely　to　think　about　politics。　　But　I　soon　found　out　that　Laputa　was　none　of　your　flabby　educated　negroes　from　America；　and　I　began　to　watch　him。

'I　first　came　across　him　at　a　revival　meeting　in　London；　where　he　was　a　great　success。　　He　came　and