For many days they had gorged themselves on meat, but
eventually a stronger body of troops had come and fallen upon
their village by night to revenge the death of their comrades.
That night the black soldiers of the white man had had
meat a-plenty, and this little remnant of a once powerful
tribe had slunk off into the gloomy jungle toward the
unknown, and freedom.
But that which meant freedom and the pursuit of happiness
to these savage blacks meant consternation and death to
many of the wild denizens of their new home.
For three days the little cavalcade marched slowly through
the heart of this unknown and untracked forest, until finally,
early in the fourth day, they came upon a little spot near the
banks of a small river, which seemed less thickly overgrown
than any ground they had yet encountered.
Here they set to work to build a new village, and in a
month a great clearing had been made, huts and palisades
erected, plantains, yams and maize planted, and they had
taken up their old life in their new home. Here there were no
white men, no soldiers, nor any rubber or ivory to be gathered
for cruel and thankless taskmasters.
Several moons passed by ere the blacks ventured far into
the territory surrounding their new village. Several had
already fallen prey to old Sabor, and because the jungle was so
infested with these fierce and bloodthirsty cats, and with lions
and leopards, the ebony warriors hesitated to trust themselves
far from the safety of their palisades.
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