Jungle Stories, Winter, 1941

In the eerie African twilight, they heard it—the jungle-devil’s trump of doom that called
even white men to a fate stranger than death. . . .

M Y shooting trip was coming to

an end. We had just emerged
from the country where, in the
good old days, the Masai had lived and
raided, and were camped for the night by
the edge of an extinct volcano, known to
all the natives in the neighborhood as
“Milima an Muungu” (God’s Hill). Fires
 Jungle Stories 2

were lit; the safari boys were squatting that!”

round the cooking-pots, stirring their “These can,” said Juguna.
“posho” and discussing the rising price of “But why on earth,” I asked, “play
goats, with the consequent increase of the in the belly of an extinct volcano?”
monetary value of wives, which is today “Bwana,” said he, “since you have
their everlasting theme. Even in Central heard the music which they make, and
Africa the cost of luxuries has risen. after it the sounds of voices, I will tell you
Old Juguna, my gun-bearer, was the tale of the lost askaris, No other white
busy with an oily rag on the barrel of my man is acquainted with their story. I, who
.450 Holland & Holland rifle. Presently he alone know it, have told it to none—for all
finished polishing and came to where I sat are scoffers. But tonight you cannot say I
in my Roorkee chair, toasting my feet by lie, for you have heard. Therefore is there
the fire. He laid the rifle down in the tent no shame in telling.
behind me, and then, squatting on his
haunches by my fire, meditatively picked “IT was many moons ago, Bwana, when
up the stray live embers and returned them the Masai were fierce warriors and overran
to their proper place. the earth—before the white man had
An old object was Juguna: curly completely taken possession of our land
hair (resembling grey astrakhan), toothless and preventing us from proving ourselves
gums, with the thick underlip projecting an men.
inch or more, and long, slit-distorted ears, “I was a ‘toto’ then (little one).
the lobes of which rested comfortably on How old I cannot say. In my tribe there is
his shoulders and carried on their points no record of birth or death, but I had not
some heavy copper ornaments. yet become a man. That I know. My
Except for the chatter of the boys, village was half a day’s march from
now become only a murmur as they dived Milima an Muungu.
into their cooking-pots and filled their “This place was known to all as the
stomachs with mealie meal porridge, there abode of evil spirits. Very few had dared
was only the eerie silence of the African to come as near as we are now, and none
twilight! who had gone into its belly were ever
Suddenly, as clearly as if I were on known to return. So awful were the tales
a parade-ground, my ears caught the sound our fathers told, of what the evil spirits did
of a bugle-call. It was the “Retreat.” The to men, that after dark no one would
music appeared to rise from out of the vast venture within fifty spear-lengths throws
jungle-clad crater below me, and as the of Milima an Muungu.
bugle-call died away, I distinctly heard the “One night at full moon, the Masai
bleating of goats! raided our village. I saw my father killed
I gazed around in astonishment. and my baby brother placed at the end of a
“Did you hear that?” I asked Juguna, who, spear into the fire, where shortly before we
holding his scraggy black hands to the fire, had been cooking our supper. My mother
seemed lost in reverie, and a big sister, soon to become of
“Yes, Bwana,” he answered, “the marrying age, they carried away
spirits of the lost askaris!” screaming, and they collected all our
“Spirits!” I said contemptuously. goats, which were housed for the night in
“Spirits can’t play army bugle-calls like an adjoining hut, ordering me to drive
 “Bwana, Beware The Devil’s Belly!” 3

them. They knew the beasts would give shoulder.

less trouble if their daily companion “Then as he flung himself to the
escorted them. Where I sit is a scar made earth, his men doing likewise, he prayed to
by a Masai spear, because I did not move his God. “Great Scott!’ I heard him pray.
along fast enough with the raiders. “‘Boys,” he said, ‘I am responsible
“We walked till the moon fell for your lives, and though we are all
asleep. Then the Masai halted and lay longing to fight the murderous devils
down in the forest. I collected all the goats yonder, such an act would be madness. My
in a ring near them, and pretended that I other eyes show me thousands of Masai
too was drowsing, but as soon as I was and thousands of spears. We must wait
sure the raiders were dead to all noise, I and hide for twenty-four hours, till the
wriggled away on my belly, whither, I other askaris, who are only a day’s march
knew not, but when dawn broke I found behind, join up with us, then we will
myself on the edge of Milima an Muungu, attack.’
and nowhere was a sight or sound of the “‘I can hear,’ he said, ‘down in the
Masai. It must have been many hours after crater the sound of running water’ (which
noon—for I lay hidden all day too was true enough, for in the rainy season
frightened to move, and in much pain— there is much water in the belly of Milima
when I heard the tramp of men’s feet an Muungu). ‘We will hide by the water in
coming through the forest, and almost on the thick jungle down yonder till the other
the top of me there appeared a white man askaris come up.’
with a party of twenty askaris. “His men agreed. They were of a
“I flung myself at the white man’s far-distant tribe, and did not know what an
feet. evil place he was leading them.
“‘The toto is wounded,’ said he, as “But I was aghast,
he noticed the dried blood on my thigh. ‘Is “‘Bwana,’ I exclaimed, ‘you
this also the foul work of the Masai?” cannot go into the belly of Milima an
“‘Last night, Bwana,’ I answered, Muungu. True the Masai may kill you, for
‘they raided the village of my fathers. Of you are few and they are many, but death
all the family I alone remain. They from Masai spears is a million times more
dragged me along to herd our goats, which desirable than the torture and death the
they stole, and they speared me because I evil spirits will deal you, if you go down
did not move along fast enough with them. there!”
In the dark I escaped, and at dawn I found “‘Evil spirits!’ said he, and
myself here. Oh, great white man, do not laughed. ‘We can tackle them, boys, can’t
let the Masai catch me again!” we?’
“Scarcely had I spoken when, on a
not far distant hill, my eyes lit on BUT his men did not laugh. Though they
something shining—the gleam of spears. came from a far-distant tribe, they knew
“‘Bwana,’ I gasped; ‘the Masai!’ that in Central Africa there are dangerous
“He shaded his eyes and stared in places where evil spirits dwell, and I think
the direction I indicated. Apparently he fear fell upon them. But there was that
could see nothing—white men have very about this white man which makes us of
poor sight—for he took his other eyes the darker skin follow his type
from the skin bag slung across his anywhere—aye, even into that raging fire
 Jungle Stories 4

to which your padres tell us we shall one “Soon they went.

day go if we lie and steal. So they went, “Long after dawn had broken I
into single file, down into the enveloping crept out of the elephant-grass which had
jungle which carpets the belly of Milima so successfully hidden me. Below me and
an Muungu. all around was silence. And, Bwana,” said
“The white man stood till the last old Juguna, shaking his head till the
askari had passed, stroking the hair on his copper ornaments on his distorted ears
upper lip. It was the color of gold, and he jangled musically, “the tale of my fathers
was good to look upon. were true. That white man and those
“‘Come, Toto,’ he said to me, ‘I twenty askaris were never seen nor heard
will see that neither the evil spirits nor the of again. The evil spirits ate their bodies
Masai catch you.’ and turned their souls into goats.
“But I drew back. “Sometimes men hereabouts see a
“‘Your blood, then, be on your herd of twenty black wild goats. They had
own head!’ he exclaimed angrily. hit them with their spears, and the spears
“When they had all disappeared I have bounded back with the iron heads
crept into the long elephant-grass which bent nearly double. And always leading
grew by the side of the vast pit. As the the herd is one large white goat. He brings
moon rose, all around me I heard the it out of the pit’s jungle to graze on the
stealthy footsteps of the searching Masai. sweet ‘maleshwa’ which grows at the
So near did they come I caught their edge. Sometimes, too, at certain moons,
whispers. the askaris play the music which you have
“‘If the white fool and his men,’ I heard tonight, and always they play when
heard one of them say, ‘have gone down old Juguna is camping near. They
into the belly of Milima an Muungu, we remember that he warned them! They
need hunt no more! The evil spirits will know!”
save us the trouble of cleaning our spears!’