This cleaned the lastof the people out of the
barracoons. Unfortunately most of the children had taken refuge in the
littlechapel.
Hehad no knowledge of what Mnombibi had told her,
of course.
Hehad given it to Neleta when she had become
mistress of the house. He finally left after removing the dried head from the
threshold.
The import of itvanished but the comfort and
refreshment remained. The tail of the beast wentbattering about down
below.
The Krus dripped from their brancheslike so many
black scarecrows on a grotesque gallows, silent.
There was a white fungous growth over its eyes. He
fastened himself to thelimb with a belt.
Neleta put him to bed weeping over him but
hecouldnt see her.
They set up a noise likethe wailing of souls in
purgatory but a squall drowned them out.
It was not nearly so mask-like anddetermined. You
will not say anything about this, will you?
The world had instantly slumped fromclear, cheerful
sunlight into grey gloom. Outside the rain streamed down for hours at a time.
Hetried to get some passive solace out of her desire. Thenhe saw Mnombibi on his
hands and knees crawl past the bed andscuttle through the door. Do not interfere,
padre, sneered Ferdinando.
Landing was not to be so easily accomplished as
thought of,however. He swept the mail into the drawer and went back up the
hill.
Hehad no knowledge of what Mnombibi had told her,
of course. He was squatted in front of the mirror now doing some kind
ofmonkey-business. A constant dismal screeching went up from the treetopspunctuated
by the howls of the monkey. When they turnedhim over there was foam on his lips. In
it he could see himself andeverything that went on in the room. The curse of the
Almighty God on you, Sóller, cried BrotherFrançois. After a while he had just
stopped breathing. Brother François was no good any more,he told
himself.
There also came and went other things and people.
Now thats what I call being a Christian, laughed Sóller, and setoff down the hill
whistling. Anthony and Juan were sharing the same tree with a young
Dianamonkey.
Any mentionof the afternoons doings would break the
spell, he said. A great scrambling and thrashing broke out on the bank
below.
There waseven one small light hanging from a chain
so that the god couldsee. Brother Françoiswas holding on to the bed in the mirror
pleading.
He laid his hand reassuringly on thehalf-breeds
shoulder. One or two others were rounded up after a chaseand scramble.