Atlantida - Page 110/145

I was sick and this Sister of Charity in green and bronze silk tended

me with such care as never was before. The two wild beasts, the big

and the little, were there, each side of my couch, and, during my

delirium, I saw their mysterious, sad eyes fixed on me.

In her melodious voice, Tanit-Zerga told me wonderful stories, and

among them, the one she thought most wonderful, the story of her life.

It was not till much later, very suddenly, that I realized how far

this little barbarian had penetrated into my own life. Wherever thou

art at this hour, dear little girl, from whatever peaceful shores thou

watchest my tragedy, cast a look at thy friend, pardon him for not

having accorded thee, from the very first, the gratitude that thou

deservedest so richly.

"I remember from my childhood," she said, "the vision of a yellow and

rose-colored sun rising through the morning mists over the smooth

waves of a great river, 'the river where there is water,' the Niger,

it was.... But you are not listening to me."

"I am listening to you, I swear it, little Tanit-Zerga."

"You are sure I am not wearying you? You want me to go on?"

"Go on, little Tanit-Zerga, go on."

"Well, with my little companions, of whom I was very fond, I played at

the edge of the river where there is water, under the jujube trees,

brothers of the zeg-zeg, the spines of which pierced the head of

your prophet and which we call 'the tree of Paradise' because our

prophet told us that under it would live those chosen of Paradise;[15]

and which is sometimes so big, so big, that a horseman cannot traverse

its shade in a century.

[Footnote 15: The Koran, Chapter 66, verse 17. (Note by M. Leroux.)] "There we wove beautiful garlands with mimosa, the pink flowers of the

caper bush and white cockles. Then we threw them in the green water to

ward off evil spirits; and we laughed like mad things when a great

snorting hippopotamus raised his swollen head and we bombarded him in

glee until he had to plunge back again with a tremendous splash.

"That was in the mornings. Then there fell on Gâo the deathlike lull

of the red siesta. When that was finished, we came back to the edge of

the river to see the enormous crocodiles with bronze goggle-eyes creep

along little by little, among the clouds of mosquitoes and day-flies

on the banks, and work their way traitorously into the yellow ooze of

the mud flats.

"Then we bombarded them, as we had done the hippopotamus in the

morning; and to fête the sun setting behind the black branches of the

douldouls, we made a circle, stamping our feet, then clapping our

hands, as we sang the Sonrhaï hymn.