`That will be fine,' Gregory agreed. `No doubt, old Elboeuf will appear on the scene and start creating a fuss. He'll naturally believe that you lied to him when you said that Lacost was not employed by you, and think that the Colons having failed, you're now taking over. But…
`In such a matter I should never lie,' the young Ratu broke in indignantly. `I shall tell him, as I have meant to ever since we learned that de Carvalho had got ahead of us in securing a licence, that as the Hereditary Ruler of Tujoa I consider the treasure mine by right. That I mean to take it and, if necessary, will fight my title to it in the courts.'
Soon after four o'clock that afternoon they again left the bure in the jeep. This time they took a road that led inland, mounting gradually as it wound through well cultivated land. After covering a mile they were high enough to see over the tops of the trees that screened the left sickle point of the bay. Beyond them lay a small, well wooded island, separated from the shore by a channel only a few hundred yards wide. Pointing to it, James said:
`That's where old Roboumo lives.'
`And who may he be?' Gregory enquired.
`I told you about him when we were in Rio. He is the great witch doctor of Tujoa and, for lack of a better expression, my enemy.'
`Yes, I remember now. He runs a sort of protection racket, doesn't he? Blackmails the natives with the aid of a gang of toughs, who tell the people that he'll put a curse on them if they don't pay up"'
`That's it. And he's naturally opposed to modernisation of any kind, because it would tend to lessen their superstitious fear of him, or, rather, of the White Witch who is his partner. They think she is a kind of goddess and even a mention of her scares the pants off them.'
`The White Witch,' Gregory repeated. `That rings a bell somehow. I've heard of her before, but I can't think where. Is she really a white woman?'
`I don't know, but I doubt it. I should think it more likely that she is either a very fair skinned Polynesian or just one of our natives who paints her face and the exposed parts of her body white. Anyway, there is no question about her potency. I've had ample proof that her curses do bring misfortune and even death to people.'
`Then why don't you clear out this nest of vipers? Old Elboeuf mentioned your body guard, although I haven't seen it. If you have fifty stout warriors at your disposal you should be able to overrun Roboumo's island any night.'
James laughed. `My body guard is really not much more than a piece of tradition. Six of them are my house servants; the rest are employed working in my plantations. They could, of course, be mustered in an emergency; but they have no modem weapons and have not been called on to fight for many years. All they do is attend me on State occasions, such as a visit from the Governor of New Caledonia, or at the funeral of one of my family. I've no doubt they would obey me in most matters; but, with the exception of a few of the more enlightened ones, like Aleamotu'a, not if I called on them to attack old Roboumo's stronghold and invite the anger of the White Witch.'
By this time they could no longer see the sea. The jeep had entered a valley, on one side of which there rose a mountain. Parts of it were covered with thick jungle; others consisted of sheer cliffs of brown rock. Down one of the cliffs there gushed a hundred foot high waterfall. Clouds of fine spray steamed off the tall white pillar that it made before crashing with a roar and churning wildly below a stone bridge over which they passed.
A few minutes later they came out of the valley and saw the sea again, blue and sparkling, in another bay. The descent there was precipitous, but, with the ease of long practice in driving on such roads, James brought the jeep down to the white, palm fringed beach.
Some way off, a launch was waiting and Aleamotu'a waved to them from her. Gregory and James were wearing only towelling robes over bathing trunks. Leaving their robes in the jeep, they waded, then swam out to the launch. As soon as they were aboard, Aleamotu'a headed her across the lagoon towards the reef. A few hundred yards short of the breaking waves, a buoy marked the site of the wreck. Near it a small speed boat, manned by two natives, was waiting. As they approached, its engine started up and, with spray festooning from either side of her bows, she began to race round in a narrow circle.
`What are those fellows up to?' Gregory asked.
`They are our shark patrol,' James answered lightly. 'Churning up the water scares the brutes away. And those boys have eyes like hawks. If they spot one they'll give us warning.'
Far from happy at the thought that sharks might be about, Gregory allowed Aleamotu'a to adjust on his head and shoulders the mask and cylinders of an aqua lung, then put rubber flippers on his feet. He had believed that they were only going to swim on the surface with snorkels which would enable them to peer down at the wreck, and he did not at all like the idea of actually descending to her. But, not wishing to lose face, he followed James over the side without protest.
Through the shimmering waves on the surface he had been able to see nothing below from the boat, but once he was totally submerged, the undersea world became crystal clear for several fathoms down. On the shore side of the gently rocking launch a great cliff of tumbled rock rose up to within six feet of her bottom. Brightly coloured fish darted in and out of hollows among the rocks, fans of coral waved lazily from it as he passed; he saw hermit crabs and sea anemones, a star fish and various kinds of seaweed that formed an underwater garden. On the seaward side of the launch there lay a deep valley. At the bottom of it was the wreck. Her outline was indistinct, as for over a century and a half submarine growths of many kinds had fastened themselves on her timbers. Apparently in some great hurricane she had been thrown right up on the nearby reef, had her bottom torn out, then sunk on her side to become wedged in the long pit between the reef and the cliff of rock.
He found the silent world below the surface fascinating and would have liked to linger ten feet down opposite the cliff face. But James grasped him by the ankle and pulled him further under. Lightly, his flippered feet touched the slowly waving fronds of yellow green growth that edged the broken bulwark of the ship. He then saw that the upper deck had caved in. The stump of a mast protruded from a chaotic cluster of planks, beams, spars and a cannon, all of which were so overgrown with barnacles and seaweed that they seemed to have coalesced into one solid mass.
With an arm that waved in slow motion, James beckoned him down towards a hole in the hillock of broken, slimy timbers, then disappeared into it. Far from happy, Gregory followed. He had always been a little vulnerable to claustrophobia. Now, the thought of being trapped down there, perhaps by another section of the deck collapsing, made the blood pound in his head and his breath come fast. It was almost dark and very eerie. As he pulled himself forward along the uneven passageway, his hand came to rest on a squashy substance that moved under it. His heart gave a lurch, then he realised that he was grasping a large sea slug. Next moment a foot long red fish darted out from a crevice, stared at him goggle eyed for a moment, then streaked over his shoulder, only a few inches from his helmet. Automatically, he had thrown himself backwards. His right elbow came into sharp contact with the end of a small, jutting beam. It gave under the impact and other nearby pieces of the wreck shifted slightly. Deciding that he had had more than enough, he kicked out with his feet, thrusting himself back up the slope and out on to the slanting deck: There he encountered a squid the size of a croquet ball, with long tentacles. More frightened of him than he was of it, the squid discharged its inky fluid and made off, leaving Gregory enveloped in a cloud of blackened water. Jerking himself upright, he kicked and clawed his way towards the surface.
Aleamotu'a pulled him in over the side of the launch. Ripping off his headpiece, he sat panting for a few moments in the stern. He knew that if he had to go down through that dark tunnel to achieve something of real importance he could have forced himself to do it. But not for this, which amounted to no more than a gambling game. Others could play it if they wished, but it was not his idea of fun. Swimming slowly about below the
surface of the deliciously warm sea, delighting in the colour and 'beauty of Nature's innumerable marine miracles yes. But crawling about in a submerged wreck where at any moment a dislodged beam might glide down and pin one there for good definitely no.
James stayed down for a further fifteen minutes, then reappeared, the drops of water glistening like jewels on his splendid bronzed torso. He made no comment on Gregory's early withdrawal, except to say, `You were down there long enough to get an idea how much there is to be done before we can reach the treasure. As no work can be carried out during periods of rough weather, even with two fully equipped professional divers it would take many weeks to clear away that mass of broken timber. But with a dozen good native divers to assist by clearing all the smaller stuff, while the crane lifts the big beams, we might do it during a single spell of calm weather.'
By seven o'clock they were back at the bure. When Gregory went to turn on his bath a loud croaking noise came up from the waste. Calling Kalabo, he asked what it was. Grinning, the man explained that it was toads, many of which made their homes in drainpipes.
After dinner they went out into the garden, which was now lit by half a hundred flaming torches fixed to long stakes, to witness the meke. Many people had assembled there, the majority well down the slope; but a number of notables were seated cross legged in a line in front of the house. In the centre of the line two armchairs had been placed for James and Gregory. There were grave obeisance’s from the Elders, and
Gregory noticed that if any of them had occasion to pass in front of their Ratu they did so bent nearly double.
In the left foreground squatted a group of men. Several had guitars, one a long wooden lali drum extended across his knees, another a hollowed out tree trunk to serve as a gong, a third a pair of clappers, while standing in a row behind them were six men holding upright bamboos of varying thicknesses, to imitate the noise of stamping on the ground. In front of the musicians squatted the singers. One of them opened on a high, single note, giving the others the key, then the rest joined in.
Presently the dancers emerged in a long, snake like line from a group of trees. The heads of the women, crowned by their great puff balls of black hair, swayed to the rhythm of the music. So did the leis of flowers swinging from their shoulders, and full skirts patterned in black, white and brown. By then each Elder had beside him a tin of black tobacco and a piece of dried banana leaf for rolling cigarettes. Courteously, they passed bowls of yaggona from one to another.
Now and then there came a precisely measured series of hand claps from the singers, or the guitars temporarily ceased, to allow the lali drum and stumping bamboos to dictate more clearly the intricate steps of the dancers. Like European ballet, each meke demonstrated in dumb show a particular theme; but, being a stranger to their customs, Gregory could not have told what their actions were meant to portray had not James explained to him in a low voiced running commentary.
Later, six young girls came and sat in a line in front of James, then performed a different type of dance. It consisted of swaying their bodies while gracefully gesturing with their arms and outspread fingers. It was a delightful performance and recalled to Gregory the dances he had seen when in Bangkok. But there the Thai dancers had the advantage of displaying their beautiful sinuous bodies in the nude, but for jewelled belts, sandals and breast ornaments, and wore high, pointed, pagoda like gilded helmets.
Shortly before midnight, James stood up. Complete silence fell while obeisance’s were made by everyone. There followed three ear shattering claps as Gregory followed him into the bure.
All the house servants were still outside, joining in renewed singing that had now become universal. In the great, lofty chamber only one benzine lamp had been left burning; so, for a moment, in the dim light, they did not notice a figure seated cross legged on the floor.
The figure rose. It was a man: tall, gaunt, his face painted black, and dressed in barbaric splendour. Round the blackened face there was a complete aureole of white hair. From well back on the forehead it descended unbroken in bushy side whiskers to a rounded beard. The sight of it at once reminded Gregory of the pictures he had seen of King Thakobau.
The old man made the customary genuflection to his Ratu, but as he rose, the light was sufficient for Gregory to see that on his face there was a mocking smile.
Abruptly James addressed him. His reply was soft voiced, but held a tone of insolence. Turning to Gregory, James said, `This is Roboumo, of whom I have told you. He has come here to talk to us about the wreck.'
Roboumo made a slight bow to Gregory and broke into pidgin French. `Monsieur Salut. Have heard about. Interested in wreck too, yes? My spies very good. Learn everything. Others also wish Spanish gold. But no!'
The deep set eyes in the wrinkled, leathery face took on a malignant glare. 'Frenchmen’s from Tahiti. They come here, make much plan. My spies, they listen. Frenchmen’s say, “With gold we make Revika tourist trap. Build hotel. Surfboarding. Deep sea fish. Motor ride to waterfall. Make place for golf play. Plenty Americans, they come. We make much rich.” But when I told, I say No! No! No! Will not have. To get gold from sea divers must have. I send the word. Divers not work. Diver work and I destroy him. White Witch will curse.'
So that, thought Gregory, is the answer to the riddle that has been puzzling me all day.
The tall, skinny old witch doctor went on, `The Frenchmen’s send Portuguese man to me. He argue; offer much money. I will not take. He very angry. He say I go to hell, he get divers from Fiji. I tell him, “Do that and the White Witch place curse of death on you. Forget gold or you live only till full moon. Full moon come, death strike you down”.'
A moment after he had ceased speaking Roboumo uttered a high pitched chuckle. Then he said, `I have power to overlook Portuguese. You know that, Ratu. He seeks divers, I learn it. Then next week he dead.' Turning to Gregory, he added, `This warning also for you. Leave bad gold where it lie. Try to get and White Witch curse you same as Portuguese man from Brazil.'
14
Midnight at the Grave
Without another word, the lean, sinewy old man turned away and, his naked feet making hardly a sound on the mats, disappeared through the rear door of the bure.
`A nasty bit of work if ever there was one,' Gregory remarked. `Anyhow, we know now why the divers refused to work for Lacost, de Carvalho and Co. How is this likely to affect us? Do you think the divers will refuse to work for you?'
James gave an unhappy nod. `I'm afraid so. The poor fellows will find themselves between the devil and the deep sea. They will feel terribly bad about refusing me, but they won't dare defy Roboumo. And there is another thing. In view of his threat to have the White Witch curse us, I don't think I'd now be prepared to go on.'
`My dear James!' Gregory's voice was a trifle sharp. `You really surprise me. It is understandable that ignorant natives should be intimidated by such threats, but not an educated man like you: As he spoke, he moved towards the drink table and added, `May I help myself to a brandy and soda?'
`By all means. I'm sorry that, owing to custom, you've had to drink yaggona all the evening. It has very little kick in it, but it suits my people. They have no head for spirits, so I publicly discourage the drinking of them. In fact, in some Melanesian islands they are still prohibited altogether, because the “dragon” whisky and “crocodile” gin the traders used to sell them led to so many outbreaks of violence. But to get back to Roboumo. I feel that we must take his threat seriously.'
`All right, but let's examine it critically. What evidence have you that these spells really work?'
`Plenty. And there is no doubt at all that the vuniduvas, as the sorcerers are called, can overlook people when separated from them by great distances. They often produce information about happenings in the outer islands here that they could not possibly have known by normal means. And sometimes it is to do good. For instance, last year one of them told a servant of mine that he must buy certain medicines and take the
m at once to the small island where his family lived because his young son had had a serious accident. Of course, I at once gave him leave to go, and when he returned a fortnight later he told me that the sorcerer had been quite right. The boy had fallen from a tree while collecting coconuts, injured his leg and the wound had become infected. If it had not been treated within a few days he would have died.'
Gregory shrugged. `That's fair enough. Thought transference has been scientifically proved, and distant vision is a form of it. But being capable of putting a curse on a person so that he dies is a very different matter.!
'It happens, though. Here witchcraft is called drau ni kau, and it is still widely practised. Men who have money will pay a big sum to a vuniduva to put a death curse on a really hated enemy. The victim simply weakens and dies. Then the man who has caused the curse to be put on him goes to his grave in the middle of the night and drives several sharp stakes down into the body, to prevent the spirit from returning to haunt him. I have several times seen such stakes in the graves of newly dead.'
`I'm not doubting your beliefs, James, and, in spite of the fact that for the purposes of the war I once had to take a Satanist into partnership, I don't really know that much about the occult. But it is generally held to be a fact that curses do not work on people who are convinced that they will have no effect. How, otherwise, could comparatively few white men have subjugated many thousands of Negroes in Africa? Or the people here in the South Seas, for that matter? The witch doctors would have killed them off in no time. Anyway, I don't believe for one moment that Roboumo and his White Witch have the power to kill me by occult means. And it was I the old bad hat threatened, not you.'
`True, it was to you that he actually spoke his threat; but only, I imagine, because he knows I would not be able to tackle the job if you withdrew your financial backing. If he finds that you refuse to be intimidated I think it certain that his next step will be to threaten me, in the hope that I have enough say in matters to make you throw in your hand.!
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