A loud moan arose from every hand--a moan which gave expression to their mingled feelings of bewilderment, reverence and fear. From that moment Crouch was "the White Wizard," greater even than the Fire-gods, as the glory of the sun outstrips the moon.
"And now," cried Crouch, lifting his hands in the air, "will you, or will you not, guide me to the Hidden River where the Fire-gods live?"
M'Wané came forward and prostrated himself upon the ground.
"The White Wizard," said he, "has only to command."
[CHAPTER IV--THE HIDDEN RIVER]
It is not necessary to describe in detail the passage up the Kasai, from the place where the leopard had been wounded to Date Palm Island, which was where M'Wané decided to disembark. During that voyage, which occupied two and a half days, they passed a mangrove swamp upon the southern bank, which the Fan chief pointed out as the place where the Hidden River joined the Kasai.
No one would have guessed it. The short, stunted trees were packed so close together that their branches formed a kind of solid roof which appeared to extend for miles. Underneath, there was darkness as of night. There was nothing to suggest that another river here joined the larger stream. The Kasai did not narrow above the swamp, nor was there any change in the colour of the water or the strength of the current.
Date Palm Island lay a day's journey by canoe above the mangrove swamp. The name of Date Palm Island was given by Edward Harden the moment he set eyes upon the little rocky islet in mid-stream, upon which stood a solitary tree. It was the custom of this explorer to name the natural features he discovered; and it was he who was also responsible for the names of other places of which, in course of time, we shall have occasion to tell, such as Solitude Peak and Hippo Pool.
In addition to the Loango boys who composed the crews, the party now included M'Wané, the Fan chief, and four of his most trusted warriors. It was on the occasion of this journey on the Upper Kasai that Edward Harden made one of the mistakes of his life. M'Wané travelled in the first canoe with themselves, and his four warriors in the other canoe which followed. Both Harden and Crouch had a natural wish to keep the object of their journey a secret. Neither knew that one of the boys in the second canoe could both speak and understand the Fan dialect, and it was he who told his companions that the Hidden River was their destination. Still, no one suspected that the secret was out, until they had unloaded all their supplies and ammunition at Date Palm Island, where they decided to form their base.
In this district, the general course of the Kasai lies due south-west. From the mangrove swamp on the southern bank, the valley of the Hidden River lies, more or less, in a direct line from north to south. M'Wané had known the Hidden River in the old days, before the Fire-gods came into the country. He said that there was a good portage across country from Date Palm Island to Hippo Pool, which was the nearest accessible point on the Hidden River above the rapids that flowed through the Long Ravine.