* * *
Henrique, watching the fuss made over Maurício, was privately amused. He knew of the epithet, “He Who Talks,” which had been given to Maurício, and had told Maria that once the Africans knew Maurício better, they would no doubt change it to “He Who Talks Too Much.”
But for the moment, it worked to the Gustavans’ advantage. Henrique and Maurício were ceremoniously ushered into the hut of Faye, the leader of the Mandinka.
* * *
“So,” concluded Heyndrick, “the people who freed you now call upon you to fight with them against the Imbangala threat.”
The reaction of the Coromantee miners wasn’t quite what he had hoped for.
“What’s in it for us?” asked Antoa.
“That’s right,” said Owusu. “We’re here on the west side of the river, and the Imbangala are on the east. Let the Imbangala and the Ndongo kill each other.”
Heyndrick tugged nervously at his earlobe. “Maurício tells me that the Imbangala have crossed rivers before.”
Antoa shrugged. “They’re afraid of your ships with the cannon, so they aren’t going to cross.”
“Perhaps not this month, or next, but they will cross once they have enough numbers. If only to get at our goods,” Heyndrick warned.
“The good whites are helping me find my children,” interjected Kojo. Heyndrick gave him a quick smile of thanks.
“Fine, when they bring the children to you, we can talk again,” said Antoa.
Maria whispered to Heyndrick.
“Let us talk more after dinner,” Heyndrick declared.
* * *
“That didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped,” Heyndrick muttered. “What makes you think that they will be more receptive after dinner?”
“Actually, it’s tomorrow morning that they will be more receptive,” said Maria. “So don’t press too hard after dinner.”
“I would think that tonight, when they’re drunk, they’ll feel more martial than tomorrow morning, when they’re all nursing hangovers.”
“Trust me, I know the Coromantees. And now you must excuse me.” Maria rose.
“Where are you going?”
“I must be polite and help the Coromantee womenfolk prepare dinner.”
* * *
Heyndrick followed Maria’s advice. The next morning, Owusu and Antoa were the first to lay their spears at Heyndrick’s feet.
Heyndrick was dumbfounded. What had happened?
Maria gave him a nudge. “Uh, thank you,” said Heyndrick. “Take up your weapons, warriors.” He raised his pistol. “Victory!”
They brandished their spears. “Victory!”
* * *
“What just happened there?” asked Heyndrick, as the Eikhoorn made its way upstream toward the Marshall’s Creek settlement.
“I had a word with the womenfolk, as I told you. And they made it clear to our valiant warriors that if they didn’t go off to war, the ladies would make them wish they were already dead.”
* * *
The crew of the Walvis’ pinnace pulled at the oars. They picked their way through the mangroves, and stared into the verdant growth of the Suriname coast. Now and then the leaves were disturbed as a bird landed or took flight, but they saw no sign of the presence of man.
David de Vries, sitting beside the helmsman, wondered just how, exactly, he was going to find the Ndongo, let alone bring them into the alliance.
Coqui stood at the prow, and occasionally gestured to turn one way or another. David hoped that he, or the local Indian woman, Tetube, who sat behind him, had some idea of where to look.
Eventually, they beached the boat, and left a couple of guards behind. The rest followed Coqui and Tetube, who led them to a trail. Tetube, it seemed, knew of a friendly Indian village in the area.
Friendly to her tribe, at least.
But there wasn’t cause to worry. The Indians were indeed friendly. And while they had no contact with the Ndongo, they knew another tribe, which traded with them. David distributed a few presents, and acquired a new guide, who went back to the pinnace with them and directed them to the mouth of a nearby creek. Not far up it, they encountered a Ndongo fisherman.
When he spotted them, he immediately sat down and reached for a paddle. Clearly, his trust in the good intentions of a party of white men, even here in Suriname rather than in Africa, was minimal. However, after a moment he obviously decided that there was no way he could outpaddle the crew of the pinnace, even for the moments needed to reach the bank and disappear into the forest. He set down the paddle and slumped, head bowed.
David identified himself as the “Father” of the Gustavans. The fisherman recognized the name of the colony and this seemed to soften his attitude toward them. At least fractionally. David rummaged in a chest and produced a metal fishhook, which he presented to their new acquaintance. That finally loosened the fisherman’s tongue.