Forest of the Pygmies(20)
It stopped raining during the morning, and the entire crew seized the opportunity to wash their clothes with the strong lye soap Angie had in her luggage and lay them out to dry in the sun. They had a breakfast of roast meat, crackers, and tea, and were working on the plan Alexander had suggested the first day—to build a raft and float down river to the nearest village—when two canoes came into view. Their relief and joy were so explosive that they ran toward them howling with jubilation, like the castaways they were. At that reception the canoes slowed, turned, and started moving in the opposite direction. There were two men in each canoe, dressed in shorts and T-shirts. Angie hailed them in English and in all the local languages she could remember, pleading with them to come back, stating that they would gladly pay them for help. The men talked among themselves and finally curiosity, or greed, got the upper hand, and they began cautiously to paddle toward shore. They had established that the group consisted of one robust woman, an odd-looking old woman, two teenagers, a skinny man with thick eyeglasses, and another from whom they could see they had nothing to fear. It was, on the whole, quite a ridiculous group. Once they were convinced that the six strangers presented no danger, despite the weapon in the hands of one of the women, the men waved and got out of the canoes.
The new arrivals introduced themselves as fishermen from a village some miles to the south. They were strong, heavy-bodied—almost square—with very dark skin, and they were armed with machetes. According to Brother Fernando, they belonged to the Bantu peoples.
Because of colonization, the second language of the region was French. To her grandson's surprise, it turned out that Kate spoke passable French and so was able to exchange a few words with the fishermen. Brother Fernando and Angie knew several African languages, and they took a try at anything that could not be communicated in French. They explained their accident to the men, showed them the damaged plane, and asked for their help in getting out of there. The Bantus drank the warm beers they were offered and devoured some strips of boar, but they did not seem interested until a price was reached and Angie handed out cigarettes, which had the effect of softening them up.
In the meantime Alexander had a good look at the canoes, and, as he saw no fishing gear, concluded that the men were lying and could not be trusted. No one among the stranded travelers was easy in his mind.
?
While the men in the canoes ate, drank, and smoked, the International Geographic party moved away to discuss their situation. Angie's advice was for everyone to stay on guard, for they could be murdered and their goods stolen, though Brother Fernando was sure the men had been sent by heaven to help him accomplish his mission.
"These men will take us upriver toward Ngoubé. According to the map—" he began.
"Are you out of your mind?" Angie interrupted. "We'll head south, to these men's village. There must be some form of communication there. I have to get another propeller and get back to my plane."
"We're very close to Ngoubé. I can't abandon my companions," Brother Fernando rebutted. "Who knows what they're going through."
"Don't you think we already have enough problems?" was the pilot's reply.
"You have no respect for the work of missionaries!"
"And do you respect the African religions? Why do you try to impose your beliefs on us?"
"Be calm, both of you! We have more urgent matters at hand," Kate directed.
"I suggest we split up," Brother Fernando proposed. "Those who want can go south with you, and those who want to go with me can come to Ngoubé in the second canoe."
"No way! We're much safer together," Kate interrupted.
"Why don't we put it to a vote?" Alexander suggested.
"Because, my boy, in this case democracy doesn't apply," said the missionary dictatorially.
"Then we should allow God to decide," said Alexander.
"How?"
"We'll flip a coin: Heads, we go south; tails, it's to the north. We'll leave it in the hands of God, or of fate, whichever you prefer," the youth outlined, taking a coin from his pocket.
Angie and Brother Fernando hesitated a moment and then both burst out laughing. The idea seemed irresistibly humorous.
"Deal!" they exclaimed in chorus.
Everyone else agreed as well. Alexander handed the coin to Nadia, who tossed it up in the air. They held their breath and watched it fall onto the sand.
"Tails! We're going north!" Brother Fernando shouted in triumph.
"I will give you three days total. If you haven't found your friends in that length of time, we come back. Understood?" roared Angie.
"Five days."
"Four."
"All right, four days and not a minute less."
?
Convincing the supposed fishermen to take them to the place they pointed out on the map turned out to be more of a job than they had foreseen. The men explained that no one ventured into that area without the authorization of King Kosongo, who had no great love for foreigners.
"King? There are no kings in this country. There is a president and a parliament; it's supposed to be a democracy," said Kate.
Angie clarified that in addition to the national government, certain African clans and tribes had kings, and even queens, whose role was more symbolic than political, just like that of certain sovereigns in Europe.