Forest of the Pygmies(56)
Beyé-Dokou did not hesitate. "Fine," he said.
Alexander knew that his friend believed he was protected by the fossil. He didn't know that it would serve only against cutting weapons and would not shield him from the commandant's superhuman strength. He would tear him apart with his bare hands. Alex led Brother Fernando aside to plead with him not to accept those conditions, but the missionary replied that God watched over the cause of the just.
"Beyé-Dokou won't have a chance! The commandant is much, much stronger!" Alexander exclaimed.
"As the bull is much stronger than the torero. The trick is to wear the beast down," the missionary indicated.
Alexander opened his mouth to reply but instantly understood what Brother Fernando was trying to tell him. He shot off to prepare his friend for the tremendous test before him.
?
At the other end of the village, Nadia had pulled back the bolt and opened the large door to the pen where the Pygmy women were kept. A couple of the hunters who had not gone to the square with the others ran up, bringing spears they distributed among the women, who slipped like ghosts between the huts and took places around the square, hidden by the night shadows, ready to perform their part when called on. Nadia joined Alexander, who was instructing Beyé-Dokou while the soldiers laid out the ring in the usual place.
"You don't need to worry about the guns, Jaguar, just the pistol Mbembelé wears at his waist. That's the only one we couldn't get to," said Nadia.
"What about the Bantu guards?"
"We don't know how they're going to react, but Kate had an idea," she replied.
"Do you think I should tell Beyé-Dokou that the amulet won't protect him against Mbembelé?" he asked.
"Why?" she replied. "It will just rob him of his confidence."
Alexander noticed that Nadia's voice sounded hoarse, not entirely human; it was almost like a caw. Her eyes were glassy, and she was very pale and breathing hard.
"What's the matter with you, Eagle?" he asked.
"Nothing. Be very careful, Jaguar. I have to go."
"Where?"
"I'm going to look for help against the three-headed monster, Jaguar."
"Remember Má-Bangesé's prophecy! We're supposed to stay together."
Nadia gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and hurried off. In all the excitement going on in the village, no one except Alexander saw the white eagle that rose above the huts and flew out of sight in the direction of the forest.
?
At one corner of the square stood Commandant Mbembelé. He was barefoot and naked except for the broad leather belt that held his pistol and the shorts he wore beneath the royal mantle. He had rubbed his body with palm oil; his massive muscles looked as if they were sculpted from stone, and his skin gleamed like obsidian in the flickering light of the hundred torches. The ritual scars on his arms and cheeks accentuated his extraordinary appearance. His shaved head looked very small atop his bull neck. The classic features of his face would have been handsome had they not been disfigured by a bestial expression. Despite the loathing the man evoked, no one could help but admire his stupendous physique.
By contrast, the tiny man in the opposite corner was a dwarf; he barely came to the gigantic Mbembelé's waist. There was nothing beautiful about his out-of-proportion limbs and torso, or his flat-nosed face and shortened forehead… only the courage and intelligence gleaming in his eyes. He had removed his filthy yellow T-shirt, and he, too, was practically naked and slathered with oil. Around his neck hung a piece of rock on a cord: Alexander's magic dragon dropping.
"A friend of mine named Tensing, who knows more about the art of wrestling than anyone I know, told me that the enemy's strength is also his weakness," Alexander explained to Beyé-Dokou.
"What does that mean?" the Pygmy asked.
"Mbembelé's strength is in his size and his weight. He's like a buffalo, nothing but muscle. Since he weighs so much, he's clumsy and he tires quickly. Besides that, he's arrogant; he isn't accustomed to being challenged. It's been many years since he had to hunt or fight. You are at your best form."
"And I have this," Beyé-Dokou added, stroking the amulet.
"More important that that, my friend," Alexander replied, "is that you are fighting for your life and for the lives of your family. Mbembelé is fighting for pleasure. He's a killer, and like all killers, he's a coward."
Jena, Beyé-Dokou's wife, went to her husband, gave him a brief hug, and said a few words into his ear. At that instant the drums announced the beginning of the fight.
?
Around the square lit by torches and moonlight stood the soldiers of the Brotherhood of the Leopard, holding their rifles. Bantu guards made up the second file, and pushing against them were the villagers of Ngoubé, all in a dangerous state of agitation. On orders from Kate, who was not going to lose an opportunity to write a fabulous article for International Geographic, Joel was preparing to photograph the event.
Brother Fernando cleaned off his glasses and took off his shirt. His slim, wiry, ascetic's body was a sickly white. Wearing only pants and boots, he was ready to referee, even though he had little hope that he could enforce basic rules of any sort. He realized that he was dealing with a fight to the death, and his deepest desire was to prevent that from happening. He kissed the scapulary around his neck and put his faith in God.