06 African Adventure by Willard Price Page A

pain. His body became as stiff as the trunk of a tree. His son said if he died the witchdoctor must also die.’
    That must have frightened the witchdoctor.’
    ‘He was much afraid. He told the people it was their own fault that the medicine had not worked. It was because they did -not believe. They did not have enough faith. They had not sacrificed enough. It was too easy to get a goat - they must do something more difficult. And he gave them something very hard to do.’
    ‘What was that?’
    ‘Their headman was no ordinary man, he said, he was their great chief, and a great man must have a great sacrifice. They must feed him the heart of a leopard. Then he would be well. If they did not give him the heart of a leopard within twelve hours, he would die.’
    ‘He was asking the impossible. Leopards cannot be found so easily. It might take them days or weeks to find a leopard.’
    ‘It is so,’ Toto said. ‘The witchdoctor gave them this hard thing to do and hoped they could not do it. He thought the chief would die. Then the people could not blame the witchdoctor. He could say, ‘I told you what to do and you didn’t do it. If you had brought me a leopard within twelve hours, I could have cured your chief. His death is your own fault.’ The men turned one to the other in long palaver. Though they talked much, no one could say where they might catch a leopard. And I, weary of much listening, came back to camp.’
    ‘I can guess what happened then,’ said John Hunt. ‘Someone must have remembered that we had two leopards here in camp. So one of the men sneaked down and waited his chance, and after the cubs were let out he grabbed Chu.’
     
    Roger leaped to his feet. Already the witchdoctor’s knife might be cutting out the heart of little Chu.
    ‘Let’s get up there in a hurry.’
    Hal rose. ‘Wait, Hal,’ his father said. Take the medicine kit with you.’
    Hal seized the kit, and the two boys and Toto started on the run up the hill to the village.
    They heard the beating of wooden drums, shouting of men, chattering of women. The villagers must be highly excited. Above all this noise rose the howling of a single voice, probably that of the witchdoctor as he worked himself up into a frenzy in preparation for the sacrifice.
    The three burst through the ring of huts. They had not arrived a moment too soon.
    There was little Chu, standing on his hind feet, strapped to a post by his neck and his heels, his chest exposed ready for the knife. His little forepaws waved helplessly in the air. He was mewing pitifully.
    Before him danced the witchdoctor. His body and face were painted in many colours. Strapped to his forehead was a pair of antelope horns. Tall egret feathers and ostrich plumes rose from his hair and waved wildly as he leaped about. A lion’s mane had been strapped to his chin so that it looked like an enormous beard.
    Hanging from his neck by a cord was a tin can with crocodile teeth dangling in front of it. Every move of his body made the teeth crash against the can, keeping up an unearthly din.
    Around his throat was a necklace of hyenas’ claws. His only clothing was a strip of giraffe skin round his loins. His bare legs and bare trunk were oiled with crocodile fat and he smelt to high heaven.
    As he leaped, stooped, twisted, and yelled, the long knife in his hand flashed in the sun, and at every sweep its savage point came closer to the frightened leopard.
    Around these two central figures danced the people of the village, chanting, praying, shouting, while drummers behind them pounded on hollow logs.
    Roger, seeing his pet in danger, did not stop to think of his own safety. He plunged in through the circle of dancers, jerked out his hunting-knife, cut the cords binding Chu, and gathered the whimpering leopard in his arms.
    Hal and Toto were at once beside him. The noise stopped abruptly. The people stared in astonishment, their mouths hanging open. They waited for the witchdoctor to strike