Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little HandHaggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
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Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little Hand
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider)
Africa -- Fiction; Hunting guides -- Fiction; Quatermain, Allan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Revenge -- Fiction
“That evening Every had the first pipe of tobacco that he had tasted
for six years. Poor fellow, he nearly cried with joy over it. The night
passed without any sign of attack, and on the following morning we
began to see the effect of our message, for women, children, and a few
men came in in little knots, and took possession of their huts. It was
of course rather difficult to prevent our men from looting, and
generally going on as natives, and for the matter of that white men
too, are in the habit of doing after a victory. But one man who after
warning was caught maltreating a woman was brought out and killed by
Nala’s order, and though there was a little grumbling, that put a stop
to further trouble.
“On the second morning the head men and numbers of their followers came
in in groups, and about midday a deputation of the former presented
themselves before us without their weapons. They were conquered, they
said, and Wambe was dead, so they came to hear the words of the great
lion who had eaten them up, and of the crafty white man, the jackal,
who had dug a hole for them to fall in, and of Maiwa, Lady of War, who
had led the charge and turned the fate of the battle.
“So we let them hear the words, and when we had done an old man rose
and said, that in the name of the people he accepted the yoke that was
laid upon their shoulders, and that the more gladly because even the
rule of a woman could not be worse than the rule of Wambe. Moreover,
they knew Maiwa, the Lady of War, and feared her not, though she was a
witch and terrible to see in battle.
“Then Nala asked his daughter if she was willing to become chieftainess
of the tribe under him.
“Maiwa, who had been very silent since her revenge was accomplished,
answered yes, that she was, and that her rule should be good and gentle
to those who were good and gentle to her, but the froward and
rebellious she would smite with a rod of iron; which from my knowledge
of her character I thought exceedingly probable.
“The head man replied that that was a good saying, and they did not
complain at it, and so the meeting ended.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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