Listen, I'll see
if I can make out what else they are saying."
The character of the shouts and chants changed abruptly, and the
dancing increased in fervor, even the children throwing themselves
wildly about. The witch-doctors ran around like so many maniacs, and
it looked as much like an American Indian war dance as anything
else.
"I've got it!" shouted Mr. Durban, for he had to call loudly to be
heard above the din. "They are asking us to make it rain. It seems
there has been a dry spell here, and their own rain-makers and
witch-doctors haven't been able to get a drop out of the sky. Now,
they take it that we have come to help them. They think we are going
to bring rain."
"And if we don't, what will happen?" asked Tom.
"Maybe they won't be quite so glad to see us," was the answer.
"Well, if they don't mean war, we might as well put up our weapons,"
suggested Mr. Anderson. "If they're going to be friendly, so much
the better, and if it should happen to rain while we're here, they'd
think we brought it, and we could have almost anything we wanted.
Perhaps they have a store of ivory hidden away, Mr. Durban. Some of
these tribes do."
"It's possible, but the chances for rain are very small.
Pages:
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115