“Go, we will follow,” said the King, and the party followed the man from the avenue into the field to the left.
The body of natives moved, upon seeing the King and party approaching, to one side, disclosing the object which had so interested them. The party looked and saw the body of an African negress with a child strapped to her back.
But how had it gotten here?
CHAPTER XXVII.
IN THE HOLE.
Yes, it was a negro mother and her babe. The body was that of a slight woman, weighing not more than one hundred pounds, and perfectly black. The babe was probably three months old, and was strapped to the back of her mother. The features of the mother were flat and broad, and showed but little intelligence. Both bodies were considerably mutilated; this being caused, very likely, by the storm; not a rag of clothing covered the bodies. Silently the native men and women stood gazing on the strange figures; they could offer no explanation on this as to how these bodies had come here or from whence they had come; they looked at the bodies and then at the white strangers as if to trace some likeness, but there was none, and this puzzled them all the more. Involuntarily they glanced into the heavens, as if expecting to see a new planet looming up in the midday sun from which these black bodies had fallen. That they had come from the same world which they themselves inhabited—that world which was theirs alone, they could not believe, of course.
Onrai looked at one of the guests and then at another, as if expecting some explanation from them, but they offered none; they being nearly as much in the dark as was he. But finally Onrai, stepping up to Mr. Bruce, said:
“You know so much of the heavens and of the stars, can you not tell me whence came this woman!”
“I can only offer one explanation,” answered Mr. Bruce, “and that is that the woman and child were caught up by the great storm and blown from their own country into this.”
“Ah,” said Onrai, “that explanation maybe truthful, and looking over his people he called them all closely about him and told them what Mr. Bruce had said. It seemed to satisfy them, but it raised their curiosity to a greater extent, and they crowded more closely about the bodies. The hot sun had poured down on these bodies until they were in a bad state of decomposition and our friends soon moved away, leaving the find wholly in possession of the natives.
“What shall we do with these bodies?” asked Onrai of Mr. Graham.