Chapter VII: Oolanga

by Bram Stoker

　　Mr. Salton had an appointment for six o'clock at Liverpool. When hehad driven off, Sir Nathaniel took Adam by the arm."May I come with you for a while to your study? I want to speak toyou privately without your uncle knowing about it, or even what thesubject is. You don't mind, do you? It is not idle curiosity. No,no. It is on the subject to which we are all committed.""Is it necessary to keep my uncle in the dark about it? He might beoffended.""It is not necessary; but it is advisable. It is for his sake thatI asked. My friend is an old man, and it might concern him unduly--even alarm him. I promise you there shall be nothing that couldcause him anxiety in our silence, or at which he could takeumbrage.""Go on, sir!" said Adam simply."You see, your uncle is now an old man. I know it, for we were boystogether. He has led an uneventful and somewhat self-containedlife, so that any such condition of things as has now arisen is aptto perplex him from its very strangeness. In fact, any new matteris trying to old people. It has its own disturbances and its ownanxieties, and neither of these things are good for lives thatshould be restful. Your uncle is a strong man, with a very happyand placid nature. Given health and ordinary conditions of life,there is no reason why he should not live to be a hundred. You andI, therefore, who both love him, though in different ways, shouldmake it our business to protect him from all disturbing influences.I am sure you will agree with me that any labour to this end wouldbe well spent. All right, my boy! I see your answer in your eyes;so we need say no more of that. And now," here his voice changed,"tell me all that took place at that interview. There are strangethings in front of us--how strange we cannot at present even guess.Doubtless some of the difficult things to understand which liebehind the veil will in time be shown to us to see and tounderstand. In the meantime, all we can do is to work patiently,fearlessly, and unselfishly, to an end that we think is right. Youhad got so far as where Lilla opened the door to Mr. Caswall and thenegro. You also observed that Mimi was disturbed in her mind at theway Mr. Caswall looked at her cousin.""Certainly--though 'disturbed' is a poor way of expressing herobjection.""Can you remember well enough to describe Caswall's eyes, and howLilla looked, and what Mimi said and did? Also Oolanga, Caswall'sWest African servant.""I'll do what I can, sir. All the time Mr. Caswall was staring, hekept his eyes fixed and motionless--but not as if he was in atrance. His forehead was wrinkled up, as it is when one is tryingto see through or into something. At the best of times his face hasnot a gentle expression; but when it was screwed up like that it wasalmost diabolical. It frightened poor Lilla so that she trembled,and after a bit got so pale that I thought she had fainted.However, she held up and tried to stare back, but in a feeble kindof way. Then Mimi came close and held her hand. That braced herup, and--still, never ceasing her return stare--she got colour againand seemed more like herself.""Did he stare too?""More than ever. The weaker Lilla seemed, the stronger he became,just as if he were feeding on her strength. All at once she turnedround, threw up her hands, and fell down in a faint. I could notsee what else happened just then, for Mimi had thrown herself on herknees beside her and hid her from me. Then there was something likea black shadow between us, and there was the nigger, looking morelike a malignant devil than ever. I am not usually a patient man,and the sight of that ugly devil is enough to make one's blood boil.When he saw my face, he seemed to realise danger--immediate danger--and slunk out of the room as noiselessly as if he had been blownout. I learned one thing, however--he is an enemy, if ever a manhad one.""That still leaves us three to two!" put in Sir Nathaniel."Then Caswall slunk out, much as the nigger had done. When he hadgone, Lilla recovered at once.""Now," said Sir Nathaniel, anxious to restore peace, "have you foundout anything yet regarding the negro? I am anxious to be postedregarding him. I fear there will be, or may be, grave trouble withhim.""Yes, sir, I've heard a good deal about him--of course it is notofficial; but hearsay must guide us at first. You know my manDavenport--private secretary, confidential man of business, andgeneral factotum. He is devoted to me, and has my full confidence.I asked him to stay on board the West African and have a good lookround, and find out what he could about Mr. Caswall. Naturally, hewas struck with the aboriginal savage. He found one of the ship'sstewards, who had been on the regular voyages to South Africa. Heknew Oolanga and had made a study of him. He is a man who gets onwell with niggers, and they open their hearts to him. It seems thatthis Oolanga is quite a great person in the nigger world of theAfrican West Coast. He has the two things which men of his owncolour respect: he can make them afraid, and he is lavish withmoney. I don't know whose money--but that does not matter. Theyare always ready to trumpet his greatness. Evil greatness it is--but neither does that matter. Briefly, this is his history. He wasoriginally a witch-finder--about as low an occupation as existsamongst aboriginal savages. Then he got up in the world and becamean Obi-man, which gives an opportunity to wealth via blackmail.Finally, he reached the highest honour in hellish service. Hebecame a user of Voodoo, which seems to be a service of the utmostbaseness and cruelty. I was told some of his deeds of cruelty,which are simply sickening. They made me long for an opportunity ofhelping to drive him back to hell. You might think to look at himthat you could measure in some way the extent of his vileness; butit would be a vain hope. Monsters such as he is belong to anearlier and more rudimentary stage of barbarism. He is in his way aclever fellow--for a nigger; but is none the less dangerous or theless hateful for that. The men in the ship told me that he was acollector: some of them had seen his collections. Suchcollections! All that was potent for evil in bird or beast, or evenin fish. Beaks that could break and rend and tear--all the birdsrepresented were of a predatory kind. Even the fishes are thosewhich are born to destroy, to wound, to torture. The collection, Iassure you, was an object lesson in human malignity. This being hasenough evil in his face to frighten even a strong man. It is littlewonder that the sight of it put that poor girl into a dead faint!"Nothing more could be done at the moment, so they separated.Adam was up in the early morning and took a smart walk round theBrow. As he was passing Diana's Grove, he looked in on the shortavenue of trees, and noticed the snakes killed on the previousmorning by the mongoose. They all lay in a row, straight and rigid,as if they had been placed by hands. Their skins seemed damp andsticky, and they were covered all over with ants and other insects.They looked loathsome, so after a glance, he passed on.A little later, when his steps took him, naturally enough, past theentrance to Mercy Farm, he was passed by the negro, moving quicklyunder the trees wherever there was shadow. Laid across one extendedarm, looking like dirty towels across a rail, he had the horrid-looking snakes. He did not seem to see Adam. No one was to be seenat Mercy except a few workmen in the farmyard, so, after waiting onthe chance of seeing Mimi, Adam began to go slowly home.Once more he was passed on the way. This time it was by LadyArabella, walking hurriedly and so furiously angry that she did notrecognise him, even to the extent of acknowledging his bow.When Adam got back to Lesser Hill, he went to the coach-house wherethe box with the mongoose was kept, and took it with him, intendingto finish at the Mound of Stone what he had begun the previousmorning with regard to the extermination. He found that the snakeswere even more easily attacked than on the previous day; no lessthan six were killed in the first half-hour. As no more appeared,he took it for granted that the morning's work was over, and wenttowards home. The mongoose had by this time become accustomed tohim, and was willing to let himself be handled freely. Adam liftedhim up and put him on his shoulder and walked on. Presently he sawa lady advancing towards him, and recognised Lady Arabella.Hitherto the mongoose had been quiet, like a playful affectionatekitten; but when the two got close, Adam was horrified to see themongoose, in a state of the wildest fury, with every hair standingon end, jump from his shoulder and run towards Lady Arabella. Itlooked so furious and so intent on attack that he called a warning."Look out--look out! The animal is furious and means to attack."Lady Arabella looked more than ever disdainful and was passing on;the mongoose jumped at her in a furious attack. Adam rushed forwardwith his stick, the only weapon he had. But just as he got withinstriking distance, the lady drew out a revolver and shot the animal,breaking his backbone. Not satisfied with this, she poured shotafter shot into him till the magazine was exhausted. There was nocoolness or hauteur about her now; she seemed more furious even thanthe animal, her face transformed with hate, and as determined tokill as he had appeared to be. Adam, not knowing exactly what todo, lifted his hat in apology and hurried on to Lesser Hill.