My Friends the Savages

flight?-?Masters of the camp!?-?Mortal weariness?-?A morning greeting without a

leep, or rather one of us had to sleep whilst the other watched, as we had agreed to take turns. In our ignorance we had calculated upon finding ourselves surrounded by a solemn nocturnal stillness in these remote regions; such calm quietness as one enjoys during the night on the Alpine and Appennine woods. We were soon made aware of our mistake, however, for the monkeys, frightened at the glare of the

round in their furious course, and the crashing of bamboo, which with them is a favourite food. One might have said that an immense legion of demons had invaded the forest, because in its intense, impenetrable obscurity, only dimly lighted for a yard or two by the blaze of our fires, everything seemed

log upon the burning piles whilst thousands of sparks f

e yells and wails of the weak. It rose up against us, as though pronouncing a malediction upon the intruders, upon the

away. Evidently at the first streak of dawn the wild beasts had returned to their dens. The monkeys were the last to finish as they had been the first to begin, but

morning. At its appearance a new concert commenced, but now it was with the pleasant

stiffened and benumbed by the horrors of the past night, and the thick dew th

eir affinity in the liking of human blood, believe me there is a great difference, and it was perhaps for this

listless, but the bare idea of being exposed to the same torment and fear another time, gave us courage and strength to press on as far as possible

ng in front of us for some opening in the thick foliage an

d-and it had begun to drizzle, when we saw, at not a great distance from us, t

ant a vast clearing for the erection of huts and, in consequen

pen space closed in by the felled trunks of enormous tre

been cut down. We were just able to catch a glimpse of some men lying about on the ground, whilst some women we

saw us, saw me-a white man-and full of fright they sprang to their feet. Like lightning they gathered up their provisions, the women slung the children on to

tone those who looked at it, had given them wings to escape they could n

ght brownish tint, but this for the moment satisfied me as I knew that at last I

ery way that I had even lost the power

ound some hot potatoes (which were quickly devoured) and a curious

e we had experienced the previous night (for we knew what we had to expect from quadruped enemies, but were ignorant of how our biped foes would treat our

tch, awoke me. It was his turn to sleep. Nothing had happened, as yet, to excite suspicion or inq

sign that the Sakais were still near us. Was this a good or a bad omen? Day would without doubt bring the answer. And d

cheer up my spirits (for recent events had greatly depressed them)

n arrow, which had just fallen there, after having perforated my head-covering and softly touched my thin locks. It was a hair breadth esc

me back to the bitter reality of my position, and warned m

in their primitive superstition they would have believed me an evil spirit and as such would have speedily despatched me to another world. The only thing to be done wa

fact was perhaps due to the similitude of his race with t

told them that I had come laden with gifts and full of good-will towards them. But the Sakais would no

getting into a dress suit. They were in three, two stalwart youths and a m

them any harm, that on the contrary it was my desire to help them in whatever way I could and that I sho

them, and then suggested that it would be better for me to go to a smal

a recompense, where we had left our sack of provisions.

e thoroughly exhausted state in which I knew myself to be, I re-commenced my journey with a light heart, esc

sects. In order to prove my sufferings to my companions I showed my livid limbs to them and I saw an expres

s ate some rice with us. We then lay down to repose for the night, but if Sleep close

e the same thing took place as on the previous day. In spite of my being in the company of three of their own people

munication with their brethren and after a while

he reason of this interdiction I learnt later on. It had been a prescription of the Alà, a sort of sorcerer, wh

d and pretty comfortable cabin near a rivulet and not

that I accidentally called them Sakais. They c

cause you insult us a

y the other people but that I knew they were really May Darats whose kindness and gentleness had often been abused b

he civilized society from which I had voluntarily withdrawn myself, persuaded that if my character and habits incapacitated me for the dubious and not always straightforward transactions of the commercial world