He sank suddenly upon his haunches. The drums ceased. A slave appeared bearing a pure white kid. Kingata Mata took the animal and held it before Kawa Kendi, who muttered a long incantation over it and cut the throat with a spear head. Then to Marufa was the bleeding carcass carried and while still alive he slit open the belly, smeared the liquid over his chest and right arm, and tore out the guts. The corpse was removed. Marufa, working only with the enchanted arm, turned the entrails over and about, peering closely.
There was silence. The shadows grew in depth. From the village came an occasional bleat and the voice of a distant girl chanting.
After a prolonged and studious search, Marufa caught up and wrapt round his neck an intestine. As he rose, the group of witch-doctors broke out into a mighty groaning. Marufa speeded across the small clearing and kneeled before Kawa Kendi. Through the bloody necklet he whispered two syllables: “kuma.”
The groaning ceased as suddenly as it had commenced. Kawa Kendi cried out in a loud voice:
“The bride is found!”
Instantly the drums began a furious beat. A mighty shout rose from all assembled and they fell to the chest and belly grunting: “Eh! Ahh! … Eh! Ahh! …” as Bakahenzie and Marufa began to dance the dance of thanksgiving.
Bakuma had been doomed to be the victim for the Feast of the Harvest Festival, to be sacrificed in the orgy as the Bride of the Spirit of the Banana, because Marufa had discovered by divination that two syllables of her name were those of the secret name which only the King-God knew, of the Unmentionable One, the Usakuma.