Post
Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:14 am
As native drummers picked up the beat, a new group appeared, dancing slowly and in a menacing fashion at the edges of the firelight. As the original group danced in a counterclockwise direction, the new group moved clockwise. The new dancers wore some sort of white makeup over most of their bodies, with large black circles ringing the eyes, and they looked quite grotesque. They were clad only in loincloths, and carried spears.
Seated on the ground in front of Monday and Kordal were a group of the chief's family members. Artie noticed that Kamaria, the chief's mother, was seated before her son, and the young girl who was her guide seemed to be speaking to her. He listened carefully, and heard:
"Now, Mother, the sea devils are circling the Mumba dancers." The old woman nodded.
Just then, the inner ring of dancers suddenly mimed being surprised by the "sea devils," and the latter group fell upon them, stabbing at them with their spears. Steve Vance was on his feet, hand on his gun, before he realized they weren't actually being stabbed. He sat back down, looking sheepish.
The "sea devils" began to dance in circles again, a triumphant dance this time, as the "Mumba" lay in various prone positions within their circle. The drummers assumed a more stately cadence. Every few steps, the "sea devils" would stop and stab at the fallen "Mumba" before continuing on.
Then a new group appeared, wearing multicolored robes and heavy masks. They had a stately bearing to them, and marched in two by two. In their hands they held long rods, and from the end of each hung a long strip of yellow or orange cloth. As they approached the dancing "sea devils," the girl said, "Now the sky gods have arrived, with lightning in their hands." The old woman smiled and nodded again.
The "sky gods" began an intricate dance, splitting apart and dancing around the fire in both directions, weaving around each other while swirling the rods bearing the "lightning." The "sea devils" seemed oblivious to them at first, continuing their torment of the "Mumba," but then they seemed to notice the "sky gods" and raised their spears against them.
The "sky gods" set upon them, striking with their rods so that the cloths seemed almost like lightning bolts falling on the "sea devils." The "sea devils" fought for a while, but shortly were driven away.
Then the "sky gods" marched around the circle to the sound of slow, martial drumbeats. As one, they turned to the fallen "Mumba" and held out their hands to lift them up. The "Mumba" paid homage to the "sky gods," and after an intricate dance together, the "sky gods" danced away, still swirling their rods to keep the cloths in flashing motion.
"Now, Mother, the sea devils are lurking, plotting their return." The excursion party could see the white-painted figures creeping toward the "Mumba," who had returned to their cheerful dance. This time as they danced closer, they were armed not with spears but with the same sort of "lightning" as the "sky gods," that is, the cloths attached to rods. Their cloths were red and green, rather than the yellow and orange of the "sky gods." With their "lightning," they laid the "Mumba" low, then began a swaggering march, twirling the "lightning" in blinding fashion.
Once again, the "sky gods" returned, and did battle with the "sea devils," but this time the odds seemed more even, and the "sky gods" had a much harder time driving them away. When at last it was done, the "sky gods" mimed weariness.
The girl said, "Here comes the sky god Bey bearing the totem." Indeed, a young man, little more than a boy really, in the garb of the "sky gods" was approaching, carrying a wooden totem taller than himself. It was carved with animals, similar to the Mundabe Totem still aboard the ship; they were arranged in bands, two to a level, seven levels tall. It was hard to tell at a distance, but Artie was pretty sure the topmost animal on the side facing him was a lion.
As "Bey" set the totem upright on the side of the fire opposite the lurking "sea devils," the other "sky gods" helped the fallen up again. They began a new dance with a faster beat around the totem, with the "sky gods" dancing in two alternate circles and the "Mumba" deftly dancing between them. Each "Mumba" made a single circle around the totem, then danced out of the circle and completely out of the firelight. At last, the "Mumba" had all gone, and the "sky gods" began a stately march away in a different direction. "Bey" picked up the totem and brought up the rear of the party.
As the "sea devils" returned to the now-empty circle, the girl said, "The sea devils have returned, but they can't find the Mumba." They danced a slow, angry dance, swinging their "lightning" at shadows, before finally dancing away into the dusk, leaving the circle around the fire empty.
For a short while, all was quiet. Then suddenly the assembled natives began to cheer and stomp the ground, and the dancers all returned, first the Mumba, then the sea devils, and last the sky gods, and each one in turn approached Monday and Kordal and gave a salute, right arm across the chest, hand flat to shoulder; Kordal returned the salutes, and after seeing him do it once, Monday began to do so also.
