Momaya poked at it with her spear, and the ugly, sullen brute drew back with an angry growl. Again Momaya called Bukawai by name, and this time there came an answer in mumbling tones that were scarce more human than those of the beast.
"Who comes to Bukawai?" queried the voice.
"It is Momaya," replied the woman; "Momaya from the village of Mbonga, the chief.
"What do you want?"
"I want good medicine, better medicine than Mbonga's witch-doctor can make," replied Momaya. "The great, white, jungle god has stolen my Tibo, and I want medicine to bring him back, or to find where he is hidden that I may go and get him.""Who is Tibo?" asked Bukawai.
Momaya told him.
"Bukawai's medicine is very strong," said the voice.
"Five goats and a new sleeping mat are scarce enough in exchange for Bukawai's medicine.""Two goats are enough," said Momaya, for the spirit of barter is strong in the breasts of the blacks.
The pleasure of haggling over the price was a sufficiently potent lure to draw Bukawai to the mouth of the cave.
Momaya was sorry when she saw him that he had not remained within. There are some things too horrible, too hideous, too repulsive for description--Bukawai's face was of these. When Momaya saw him she understood why it was that he was almost inarticulate.
Beside him were two hyenas, which rumor had said were his only and constant companions. They made an excellent trio--the most repulsive of beasts with the most repulsive of humans.
"Five goats and a new sleeping mat," mumbled Bukawai.
"Two fat goats and a sleeping mat." Momaya raised her bid;but Bukawai was obdurate. He stuck for the five goats and the sleeping mat for a matter of half an hour, while the hyenas sniffed and growled and laughed hideously.
Momaya was determined to give all that Bukawai asked if she could do no better, but haggling is second nature to black barterers, and in the end it partly repaid her, for a compromise finally was reached which included three fat goats, a new sleeping mat, and a piece of copper wire.
"Come back tonight," said Bukawai, "when the moon is two hours in the sky. Then will I make the strong medicine which shall bring Tibo back to you. Bring with you the three fat goats, the new sleeping mat, and the piece of copper wire the length of a large man's forearm.""I cannot bring them," said Momaya. "You will have to come after them. When you have restored Tibo to me, you shall have them all at the village of Mbonga.
Bukawai shook his head.
"I will make no medicine," he said, "until I have the goats and the mat and the copper wire."Momaya pleaded and threatened, but all to no avail.
Finally, she turned away and started off through the jungle toward the village of Mbonga. How she could get three goats and a sleeping mat out of the village and through the jungle to the cave of Bukawai, she did not know, but that she would do it somehow she was quite positive--she would do it or die. Tibo must be restored to her.
Tarzan coming lazily through the jungle with little Go-bu-balu, caught the scent of Bara, the deer. Tarzan hungered for the flesh of Bara. Naught tickled his palate so greatly;but to stalk Bara with Go-bu-balu at his heels, was out of the question, so he hid the child in the crotch of a tree where the thick foliage screened him from view, and set off swiftly and silently upon the spoor of Bara.
Tibo alone was more terrified than Tibo even among the apes.
Real and apparent dangers are less disconcerting than those which we imagine, and only the gods of his people knew how much Tibo imagined.
He had been but a short time in his hiding place when he heard something approaching through the jungle.
He crouched closer to the limb upon which he lay and prayed that Tarzan would return quickly. His wide eyes searched the jungle in the direction of the moving creature.
What if it was a leopard that had caught his scent! It would be upon him in a minute. Hot tears flowed from the large eyes of little Tibo. The curtain of jungle foliage rustled close at hand. The thing was but a few paces from his tree!
His eyes fairly popped from his black face as he watched for the appearance of the dread creature which presently would thrust a snarling countenance from between the vines and creepers.
And then the curtain parted and a woman stepped into full view. With a gasping cry, Tibo tumbled from his perch and raced toward her. Momaya suddenly started back and raised her spear, but a second later she cast it aside and caught the thin body in her strong arms.
Crushing it to her, she cried and laughed all at one and the same time, and hot tears of joy, mingled with the tears of Tibo, trickled down the crease between her naked breasts.
Disturbed by the noise so close at hand, there arose from his sleep in a near-by thicket Numa, the lion.
He looked through the tangled underbrush and saw the black woman and her young. He licked his chops and measured the distance between them and himself.
A short charge and a long leap would carry him upon them.
He flicked the end of his tail and sighed.