Feather Woman of the Jungle (6 page)

This was a great danger to me, because the king was badly wounded and his chair was partly damaged beyond repair.
So I admitted at the same time that the next thing that they would do was to kill me immediately. As many of them were scrambling me not to run away it was so the rest were
scrambling
their king and were taking care of him not to hurt more. At last when he became normal, he ordered one who was next to him in rank, the senior chief, to take me to his house and to bring me back to the meeting, which was postponed to five days’ time, to be killed. After that he cancelled the meeting of that night and then every one went back to his house. But they left my dogs tied up and I was not quite sure whether they forgot to loose or kill them before they had left there.

So the senior chief was pushing me along to his house and so he was ill-treating me along. After we had travelled in both darkness and rays of the moon for about one hour, he came to his house at about three o’clock in the morning. After he had pushed me in, he shut the entrance with one heavy stone and then he continued to push me along.

His house was the hole of a vast rock. It was a long and deep hole which was just like a mighty building. There were several huge holes on both sides which were just like rooms. After a while he pushed me to the room in which he was sleeping. But before he entered the room, he took my gun, he leaned it near the entrance of that room and he took my hunting-bag and hung it near the gun. Then he took the matchet and flung it away but I hastily followed it with eyes and I saw where it fell. Having done all that, he stretched hand to one corner nearby, he brought out one big chain, he put it on my neck and then tied up the second end of it to one heavy stone. When he was quite sure that I could not escape, he entered the room. He lighted up the room and then took some shots of drink. Having rested for a while, he walked back to the door, he looked at me and murmured for a few minutes before he walked back, then he lay down and slept.

Through the light, I saw clearly that there were many pots
of corals, raw gold and silver, money, expensive beads, etc. but I did not know where he had got them. Having seen all these treasures, I breathed out heavily. I thought of two things, how to save my life from him and how to take some of that treasures away.

When I noticed well that he had slept deeply and I was hearing him snoring loudly, I started to strike the chain with a stone perhaps it would break away from my waist but all my efforts were in vain. Again, I attempted to walk to the place that he hung my hunting-bag and the gun to take them but the chain was too short to allow me to reach there. At last, I left myself to what was going to happen to me in that hole.

This senior chief of the savage people woke when it was about six o’clock in the morning. After he had stretched every part of his body, he walked to the light, he put more oil in the lamp and then he walked to the corner in which there were many kinds of hot drinks. After he had taken several shots from each, he came to me, he pressed every part of my body as if he was a doctor. After that he loosened the chain away from my waist, he fastened a string of leather to my neck but in such a way that if he pulled it, it would choke my throat immediately. Having done that, he took one leather whip and then forced me to bend down and without mercy, he jumped on my back. He held the string of my neck with left hand and then started to ride me about in that hole like a horse. It was like that I started my punishment in that hole.

After a while I became tired to be carrying him about and I stopped to rest. But he flogged me and then pulled up the string of my neck so tightly that I was unable to breathe. So willing or not I continued to carry him about. As he was on my back, it was so he was scratching my body with his long and sharp nails. Sometime, he was jumping up and down on my back and it was so he was shouting and laughing very
loudly. And my back was wetted with his spat which was dropping down in large quantity as he was doing all these things.

When the punishment was too severe for me to bear, I cried for help but there was nobody to render any help. I called my dogs loudly but they were unable to come, because they were already tied up. At last, I started to beg this cruel senior chief, but the more I begged him the more he flogged me. When I did not know what to do again and I was entirely tired, that moment, I wilfully fell down, with the hope that if I did so he would come down from my back. But it was that time he held the projection of my throat and then he pressed it so hardly that I stood up suddenly and continued to carry him about.

After a while, I hid my pains but I started to sing a kind of song which I believed he, as one of the savage people, would like to hear or perhaps he would leave me when he heard it. But to my disappointment, I hardly started to sing that song when he took part in it. When I sang it in tenor, he sang it in bass. When I sang it in bass, he sang it in treble with great joy. But I blamed myself at last to form that song, because it added to my punishment instead to lessen it. For as he was singing it with me, he was just doing as if he was crazy. He enjoyed it so much that he had lost all his senses at the same time and he was jumping up so highly that his head was striking the roof of that hole. And he rode me to the roughest part of the hole which he had avoided before.

When he rode me till twelve, he went down from my back, he chained me near the door of his room and after he had loosened the string of my neck, he entered the room. After a while, he came back with some unripened bananas and he threw them on my head. But he hardly threw them on me when I snatched them and swallow all even quicker than to swallow my spat, because I was already nearly to die of hunger.

Having taken his own food which was meat and drunken many shots from each of all the drinks which were hung in the corner of his room, he lay down on the mat of corals and then he fell asleep. I sat down and leaned my back on the rock nearby. As I was thinking in mind that if I failed to escape, he would ride me to death soon or if he did not ride me to death before their next meeting, no doubt, they would kill me in the meeting. But as sleep was just as death, so I did not know when I fell asleep unnoticed.

As I was still sleeping with pains, he woke up. He walked to where I was and when he saw me that I was sleeping, he was so annoyed that he kicked me on the back. When I woke and stood up suddenly, he gave me several slaps on the face before he walked back to his room. I was very lucky that he did not ride me for the rest part of that day and I did not see him until when he was going out in the night. When he went out he closed the main entrance back with usual heavy stone, so that I might not go out or escape before he returned.

When he came back in the morning, he loosened the chain away, from my waist, he put the usual string of leather on my neck, he held the usual whip and then he mounted my back and started to ride me to and fro. But as my power could not carry him along as quickly as I had done the previous day and that I began to fall down continuously, because I was so tired that I could not even lift myself up. So instead to come down from my back, this cruel man held my head and throat with all his power and simply kept quiet.

At last, when I could not breathe well and I was dying, then having struggled for a few minutes, I stood up and he
continued
to ride me along without mercy. With extreme pains, I did not know when I began to call my dogs so loudly that they heard my call. But when they heard my call they struggled so hard that the rope with which they were tied up cut, because before that time it had already dried up by the
heat of the sun. And within a few minutes, they ran to that rock but unfortunately, they could not enter into it because the entrance was shut with a heavy stone by that cruel man. As I was still calling them loudly, they did not waste time at the entrance but they started to go around the rock, they were looking for another entrance.

But as this cruel man had seen my dogs before me he hastily covered my mouth with his thick palm, so that I might not be able to shout again. But of course, I was still struggling with him to take his palm away from my mouth. My dogs climbed the rock to the top, then they jumped into that hole through the small round space which was on top of it. They hardly jumped in when they rushed to him and began to bite him so severely that he jumped away from my back without his wish.

When he bent down and was just picking up one stone with which to beat them, they rushed to him again and they bit both his head and eyes so severely that he fell down
powerlessly
at the same time. And without hesitation, I started to beat him with a heavy stone which I found nearby. When I believed that he had no more power to revenge on me that time. I walked round the hole and I found my matchet from where he had thrown it. Again, I went to his door, I took my gun and hunting-bag and after that I went back to him. I was threatening him with my gun to give me some of his treasures. When he agreed to do so, I dragged him to his room and he allowed me to take some of each. So I took some of the raw gold, silver, coral and many other saleable articles. After that I went out of that rock with my dogs. But if he had not agreed to give me some of his property, I would not attempt to take them for I did not like to be an extortioner.

Having carried all these treasures to the village, the people rushed to my father’s house to witness them and were very surprised when I sold all for a lot of money, but they did not
know that I had been severely punished before I got them. But I was honoured greatly by the old people of the village because they knew that if a person was not bold and brave enough and again to be able to endure severe punishment, the savage people would kill him. So I stayed in the village with my people for six months before I went to another town, when the dry season was just started.

After the people had listened to the story of my third adventure, they beat the drums, danced, sang, and drank the palm-wine for a while before every one went back to his or her house in the midnight.

In the fourth night, when the people gathered in the front of my house and the drinks were served as they were dancing and singing with great joy. Then I stopped them and I addressed them first as follows: “I am very happy indeed to see all of you again in front of me and I thank every one of you for the true affection you have on me, although I am the head of the village. And I wonder greatly too to see that you are increased again this night more than ninety per cent. But (all sat quietly and paid great attention to me) when I first saw the whole of you, I was afraid, but after I thought it over again my fear was expelled. Because I first thought within myself that where to get sufficient planks to make coffins for every one of you when you die because you are too many. But when I thought it over again, I remembered that not the whole of you would need coffins to bury you when you die. Because many of you would be killed and eaten up by the wild animals. Many would die in the rivers, many would be burnt into ashes by the fire, many would be kidnapped and so many of you would be fallen into the wells. So therefore, coffins would not be required for those who died such death, and so many would not die in their homes but where their people would not see their bodies to bury with coffins.” But the people were greatly annoyed when they heard like that from me. All were snapping their ringers on heads and saying
that they would not die in the rivers or in the fire or in the wells or eaten up by the wild animals, but they would die in their homes, villages, etc., and they would be buried with coffins. But after a while, when their noises went down, I explained to them that they must not misunderstand me,
because
there was nobody on earth who could know the real place and real time he or she is going to die, or if anyone knew, let him or her tell me. And if anyone knew it, it meant I was guilty of what I had said. Having said so, I hesitated to hear the reply but there was none of the people who could reply but they admitted at last.

After they danced and drank some of their palm-wine, I started to tell them the story as follows:

One fine morning, after six months that I had returned from my third journey, I took my usual gun, hunting-bag and matchet. I bade good-bye to my father, mother, sister and brother and all my friends and my neighbours. Some of the people cautioned me very seriously not to go for any treasure again. They said that all I had brought were enough. But I told them that I must try more for we knew of today but we did not know of tomorrow.

Then I left my village that bright day and I was going to the north this time. Having travelled for several days, I came to a town. This town was very big and famous. It was near a very wide and deep river. Immediately I entered the town, I was greatly shocked first with fear when I saw the terrible appearances of the people or the inhabitants. Every one of them was so leaned that he had no more muscle on his body. Every one of them was as thin as a dried stick. The legs and arms were just like sticks. The eyes were seeing faintly in the skull except the head which was so big that the thin neck could not even carry it. Both upper and lower jaws had
already
dried up like a roasted meat. The stomach was no more seen except the breast and exposed ribs.

When I first saw them in that appearances, I thought within myself and cried out unnoticed: “Ah, how people were created so terribly like this?” Because in the first instance I did not know that they were in famine and that they were starved until when they had leaned to that state. And they were so starved that the breasts of the women had dried up. The king too was so bitterly starved that he was unable to put on his crown whenever he went out. And it was a great pity that the hunger had forced the people of the town not to respect the king or chiefs again except one who brought food to them.

But according to the custom of that town, I was first taken to the king and when he approved of my staying there, then I lodged in the house of the paramount chief which was almost next to the palace of the king. When it was night I tried to sleep but I was unable to fall asleep because of hunger. So hardly in the morning when I went to the king and told him: “Please king, I am badly hungry, will you give me something to eat now?” But he said at the same time: “Is that so? Sorry, we are in great famine since past few years, therefore, I have no food to give you except cold water which is our main food in this town at present!”

Then I went back to my room, I sat and I was expecting that the paramount chief would soon send food to me as the king had failed to give it to me. Having waited for many hours and yet he did not send anything to me. Then I sold my shame and I went to him. Without shame, I told him that I wanted to eat. But he said that their main food was cold water. He said furthermore that the famine was so serious that they had money but it was useless. They had plenty of costly clothes but the hunger did not let them wear them and even the clothes were oversized them because they had leaned too much. And again, this paramount chief advised me that I should be drinking the cold water.

Having heard like that as well from him, then without hesitation, I started to drink the cold water. But when it was not yet daybreak when I was woken by hunger in the
following
morning. I hardly got up when I went to the king’s attendants, I complained to them again that since I had come to the town I had nothing to eat except cold water which I was drinking. I complained to them perhaps they might help me. But I was very surprised that they did not allow me to tell them all of my complaints when they interrupted
immediately
they heard the word “hunger” from me. They naked themselves and told me to look how every one of them was leaned. They told me further that I too would soon become bones if I kept longer in that town.

Having failed again to get food from the attendants, I shook my head with surprise before I left them. When I
returned
to my room, I sat down quietly and I began to think how to get food by all means. I first thought to go back to my village to be bringing the food stuffs to this town for sale. But I remembered that my village was too far away from there and again, there was no real road on which to be travelled always.

As I was still suggesting within myself of what to do, it came to my mind to go to the big river which was near this town, perhaps I might get fishes from there. And without hesitation, I went to that river. Luckily, I found many canoes tied up to the trees on the bank and I loosened one. I put my matchet in it and then I pushed it on the river. I started to find fishes about to kill. But there was none to be found. But of course, as I was still paddling along, I came to the swampy bush at about twelve o’clock p.m. In that swampy bush, there were many palm-trees. When I stopped the canoe, I climbed one palm-tree but unfortunately, there was no fruits on it. But when I climbed the third one, I found two ripen bunches of palm-fruits on top of it. So I drove all the birds
which were eating them away first and then I cut both down.

After I had put them in the canoe, I first ate of them to my satisfaction and then I took the rest to the town. But I was nearly torn into pieces by the hungry people as I was carrying them along in the town to the king. However, I carried them to the king at last. With great wonder and admiration, he took them from me and thanked me greatly. Having eaten as many fruits as he could then he distributed the rest to his people.

After the people had gone back to their houses, the king invited me to one of his property rooms. He showed me all his money and many other property as gold, silver, costly beads and diamonds. He promised me that if I could be
getting
such palm-fruits for him and his people till when the famine was finished, he would give me a lot of money, gold, silver, diamond and beads as rewards. Having promised me like that, I replied with a smile that I would try my best to be supplying him the fruits till when the famine was finished and then I went back to my room, in the paramount chief’s house.

In the following morning, I went to the river again. I tried all my efforts in climbing so many palm-trees. Luckily after a while, I got one bunch of palm-fruits and I brought it to the king. After he had eaten of the fruits to his satisfaction he distributed the rest to his people. It was so I brought the fruits to the king and his people for the period of five months. But unfortunately, as the famine was not stopped in time and the season of the palm-fruits came to an end, therefore, I could not get anything for the king any more. I tried all my best to get the fruits but it was in vain.

When it was the third day that I had not eaten except to drink the cold water from morning till night, I was so weak that I thought that I would die soon. I thought of going back to my village that time but I could not trek the distance of about one mile when I would fall down, This my fourth
journey was so bad and hopeless that I said within myself that if I returned to my village this time I would never attempt to go for any treasure again.

Having failed in all my efforts to get food, then I went back to the palm-trees perhaps I might get some fruits which
probably
had fallen to the bottoms of the palm-trees during the season. So I started to search the bottom of every palm-tree and I found only one over ripen fruit when it was about three o’clock in the afternoon. I hastily picked it up. But as I held it, I said to myself sorrowfully that what a single palm-fruit could do for me. It could not satisfy my hunger.

Anyhow, I went in the canoe. But as I was paddling it along on the river and when I came to the deepest part of it, this palm-fruit was mistakenly fallen into the water. And this was affected me so badly that I threw the paddle in the canoe and then jumped in the water without hesitation. But as I was swimming here and there just to pick up the fruit, someone held my both feet and was pulling me down into the bottom of the river. Having tried all my best to take my feet from him and failed then I left myself to him. After a while he pulled me into the water and it was then I saw who was pulling me. He held one coffin, with left hand. The lid of that coffin was glass and he hardly pushed that lid to one side when he pushed me in it and he entered it as well and then covered it with that glass lid at the same time. As I was inside the coffin with him, I was breathing in and out quite easily and I saw plainly that this man covered his body from the knee to the waist with the leather of big fish. He had no hair on head but small scales instead, his arms were very short and were as strong as iron but there were fingers on each arm and they were resembled that of human being. Although he had two eyes like myself but each was as round as full moon.

But to my fear, he had fins on shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles and there were a number of moustache on his upper
jaw, which was that of a big fish. His mouth was flat but the nose was round. As the coffin was taking us deeply into the river, this man began to threat me badly. Sometime, he would scratch my face with his sharp nails, sometime he would slap me on the ear and sometime he would be
frightening
by pointing a sharp iron on my eyes. It was like that he was ill-treating me until the coffin took us to the bottom of the river. Then he pushed the lid of the coffin to one side, he came down and then pulled me out. When I came down, I noticed that we were on the land and not in the water as
before
. The river was seen no more. Then he pushed me in front of him and told me to be going along on one road which led to a very beautiful house. As I was going along it was so he was following me as fast as he could.

On both sides of that road, there were beautiful trees and flowers. Having travelled on that road for a while, I was
seeing
several men similar to this one, they lined up on both sides of the road as if they were policemen or soldiers. Having travelled further, we came to the front of that beautiful house. And it was then I saw it clearly that it was a mighty palace. As he was escorting me along in it and as we were going from one place to another, I was seeing the costly decorations which were hung on every corner. Again, I noticed the sun was so dull that there was only little difference from the full moon of the dry season. The air was a little thicker than my village’s air and the sands on the ground were as white as white cloth. The sky was almost cloudy throughout the day.

After a while, that man escorted me to the beautiful
sitting-room
in which one beautiful lady sat in royal state. Without hesitation, I stood before her and bowed down as the man who had escorted me in stood at back. But when I stood for a few minutes, I simply walked to one of the seats and then sat on it. Hardly crossed my legs when I started to glance at
every decorations which were on the walls and on the floor. Now it was revealed to me that the inhabitants of this town were the water people and that beautiful lady was the nymph of that river, so they were belonged to the fish race. The nymph and her attendants and guardsmen were very surprised as I was not afraid of them at all, but they did not know that I had surrendered myself to all what might happened to me that time.

The decorations on the walls were stuffed gold fishes, polished large sea shells, skulls of the sea animals, etc. and every part of that walls was twinkling like stars. The seats were also stuffed fishes and were as fresh as if they were still alive. The ruler or the nymph herself was dressed in the skins of beautiful fishes. The skins were so highly refined that they were as smooth as very costly clothes. Some were shining like gold, some were twinkling like the bright stars and the top ones were shining steadily like diamonds. She sat on an
arm-chair
which had many carved sea creatures on top. She stretched feet on a well-polished skull of a big whale. Many big sea tortoises were walking about on the floor and the crown on her head was full of small beautiful sea shells.