Satu considered the matter, and at last, to the relief of the poor wretch, called for a piece of goat’s flesh, and giving half to the slave, ate the other half himself.
The crowd that had gathered, directly they saw the piece of goat’s meat eaten, shouted: Nkombo! Nkombo! (Goat! Goat!) and fired off a salvo with their guns.
The slave was practically now a free man. The piece of goat eaten by Satu was a pledge that he would protect the man who had eaten with him from ever falling again into the hands of his old master, even though he had to use the last brass rod, or shed the last drop of blood he possessed, in so doing. And the slave, by the eating of his piece of goat, was bound, as long as life lasted, to Satu as a free man.
On the next market day Satu took the whilom slave and showed him on the market as one who had “eaten his goat,” and was now no longer a slave. Dimbula was present, and was chagrined to witness the whole affair; but he was compelled by custom to accept from Satu the merely nominal price of a slave. In selling a slave ordinarily the seller gets as much as he can, and generally makes a good profit on the exchange; but in a transaction of this kind he must take what is offered as the equivalent of a slave, and be satisfied.
Dimbula was a man of ungovernable passions, and it was not the first time that his slaves had escaped from his cruelty by “eating goat” with neighbouring chiefs; while, on the other hand, no slaves had ever run to him for protection or to “eat goat” with him. His fierce, hasty temper was well known and feared.
Slaves free in this way take the name of Nkombo, or Goat; and these “goats” are very highly prized by chiefs, as they become very faithful followers of those with whom they have “eaten the goat.”
Chapter XVI
Hunting and Bush-burning
Manner of bush-burning--Witch-doctor makes a hunting-charm--Ceremony is carefully performed--Blazing bush and rushing animals--Satu arranges with another chief to burn the bush--Dimbula breaks the law and insults Satu--War is declared--Old Plaited-Beard being unsuccessful accuses Bakula of bewitching him--He tries to restore his luck.
As the hunting season was drawing near, Satu and his people decided to engage a ngang’ a nkongo, or the “medicine man” of the hunting fetish, to make for them a powerful charm that would endow them with good luck in all kinds of hunting. The time for bush-burning had arrived, when the tall grass in their district would be thoroughly dry by reason of the long drought, and would burn like prepared tinder. It is during the bush fires and the two succeeding months that systematic hunts are organized. It was therefore needful to prepare the charm as quickly as possible.
The first thing that Satu and his people had to do was to burn carefully a belt of grass, a hundred yards wide, right round their town, lest the great, uncontrollable bush fires should come roaring up before the wind, and reducing their dwellings to ashes, destroy also their treasures and savings at the same time. For the purpose of burning this belt a damp morning, heavy with dew, was chosen; then the men and women went with sticks and knives, and cut or pushed down the grass all round the town--when the stems of grass are damp they are very pliable and are easily pressed down and will remain down as they dry in the morning sun.