Read Online 06 African Adventure by Willard Price - Free Book Online
Authors: Willard Price
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inside a school. They blame everything on the white man. You’ve heard of the Mau Mau - the secret society that makes its members promise to kill whites. It was at its worst in 1952 but popped up again in 1958, and now it has become more secret than ever and is likely to go on as long as there are white men in East Africa holding land that the blacks think should belong to them. More than twenty thousand people have been killed by this society. Most of the killers don’t want to kill - the society makes them.’
‘How can they make them want to do what they don’t want to do?’
‘Simple. They grab a black man and tell him he will be tortured to death unless he takes an oath to kill whites. If he objects, they begin the torture. When he gives in, they make him take an oath to kill, and to make him remember the oath he must eat a dinner of human brains, blood, sheep’s eyes, and dirt.’
‘And the Leopard Society?’
‘Like the Mau Mau, but very much older. The Society seizes a good man and makes a bad man out of him. He must promise to kill. He is given a leopard suit and told he can change into a leopard and must defend all leopards. The heads of the Society are usually witchdoctors. Africans have a deadly fear of witchdoctors and will do anything they tell them to do. If the new member will not promise to kill, he himself and his wife and children are killed. So what can the poor man do? He is caught in a trap.’
‘And you think Joro has been pledged to kill us?’
It certainly looks that way.’
‘Then we’d better fire him, at once. I’ll take care of it.’
‘Not so fast, Hal. As you said, he’s a good man and a good tracker. We need him. What’s more, he needs us. He needs somebody to get him out of this horrible trap they’ve got him into. Now I know it’s risky to have a man around who’s bent on killing us. But we’ve run risks bigger than that. Now that we know what to look out for, I’m sure we can take care of ourselves. Tell Roger. And both of you, watch your step.’ ‘But just what do you hope to accomplish?’ 1 don’t know yet,’ Hunt admitted. ‘Somehow, a way may open up. In the meantime, carry on with Joro as usual. He must not suspect that we know.’
Hal went out, shaking his head. He respected his father’s desire to help Joro. But wasn’t it pretty dangerous to try to help a man who was out to murder you?
Chapter 8
The colonel dances
Hal counted his troubles.
Some other time he would count his blessings, but just now he was counting his troubles. Number one was his father’s accident. Number two was the responsibility that had fallen upon him to take charge of the animal-collecting. Number three was the leopard-man. Number four was Colonel Bigg.
The first thing he saw as he came out of his father’s tent was. the colonel, posing for a photograph. He had interrupted the men who had been skinning the leopard. The dead animal lay stretched on the grass. Colonel Bigg stood, gun in hand, one foot on the leopard’s head. Mali was holding a small camera.
‘You are just in time,’ the colonel said to Hal. ‘Take the camera. Mali is not such a good photographer. It’s all set - just get me in the view-finder, then press the trigger.’
‘But what’s the-idea?’ asked Hal, quite puzzled.
Must a picture. Being a White Hunter, I have to have a few pictures. Just to show I can kill leopards and things.’
‘But you didn’t kill this leopard.’
‘What of it? I might have done.’
‘But you’re claiming credit for something you didn’t do’
‘Oh, I see, you’re jealous, young man. You killed the leopard and you think you did something great. Why, I’ve killed hundreds of leopards, thousands. Just didn’t happen to have a camera with me. Now I have the camera and here’s a leopard, and what does it matter whether it’s one of mine or not? Tell you what I’ll do - you take a shot of me, and I’ll take one of you. That way well divide the credit,
‘How can they make them want to do what they don’t want to do?’
‘Simple. They grab a black man and tell him he will be tortured to death unless he takes an oath to kill whites. If he objects, they begin the torture. When he gives in, they make him take an oath to kill, and to make him remember the oath he must eat a dinner of human brains, blood, sheep’s eyes, and dirt.’
‘And the Leopard Society?’
‘Like the Mau Mau, but very much older. The Society seizes a good man and makes a bad man out of him. He must promise to kill. He is given a leopard suit and told he can change into a leopard and must defend all leopards. The heads of the Society are usually witchdoctors. Africans have a deadly fear of witchdoctors and will do anything they tell them to do. If the new member will not promise to kill, he himself and his wife and children are killed. So what can the poor man do? He is caught in a trap.’
‘And you think Joro has been pledged to kill us?’
It certainly looks that way.’
‘Then we’d better fire him, at once. I’ll take care of it.’
‘Not so fast, Hal. As you said, he’s a good man and a good tracker. We need him. What’s more, he needs us. He needs somebody to get him out of this horrible trap they’ve got him into. Now I know it’s risky to have a man around who’s bent on killing us. But we’ve run risks bigger than that. Now that we know what to look out for, I’m sure we can take care of ourselves. Tell Roger. And both of you, watch your step.’ ‘But just what do you hope to accomplish?’ 1 don’t know yet,’ Hunt admitted. ‘Somehow, a way may open up. In the meantime, carry on with Joro as usual. He must not suspect that we know.’
Hal went out, shaking his head. He respected his father’s desire to help Joro. But wasn’t it pretty dangerous to try to help a man who was out to murder you?
Chapter 8
The colonel dances
Hal counted his troubles.
Some other time he would count his blessings, but just now he was counting his troubles. Number one was his father’s accident. Number two was the responsibility that had fallen upon him to take charge of the animal-collecting. Number three was the leopard-man. Number four was Colonel Bigg.
The first thing he saw as he came out of his father’s tent was. the colonel, posing for a photograph. He had interrupted the men who had been skinning the leopard. The dead animal lay stretched on the grass. Colonel Bigg stood, gun in hand, one foot on the leopard’s head. Mali was holding a small camera.
‘You are just in time,’ the colonel said to Hal. ‘Take the camera. Mali is not such a good photographer. It’s all set - just get me in the view-finder, then press the trigger.’
‘But what’s the-idea?’ asked Hal, quite puzzled.
Must a picture. Being a White Hunter, I have to have a few pictures. Just to show I can kill leopards and things.’
‘But you didn’t kill this leopard.’
‘What of it? I might have done.’
‘But you’re claiming credit for something you didn’t do’
‘Oh, I see, you’re jealous, young man. You killed the leopard and you think you did something great. Why, I’ve killed hundreds of leopards, thousands. Just didn’t happen to have a camera with me. Now I have the camera and here’s a leopard, and what does it matter whether it’s one of mine or not? Tell you what I’ll do - you take a shot of me, and I’ll take one of you. That way well divide the credit,
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