Chapter 11
The Baka set a blistering pace through the jungle that surprisingly left all but Lee struggling to keep up. They moved silently through the foliage whereas the Americans once again announced their approach like an elephant run amok. At times Bakumu and his men would just hang their heads in disgust that their passage through the jungle was being so loudly broadcast.
After two hours of continuous hiking the Baka took pity on the party behind them and stopped to give the other men an opportunity to catch their breath. The jungle was stiflingly hot and humid and they were struggling just to breathe not being accustomed to the environment. Dropping their packs to the ground, they quickly followed them gratefully lowering themselves to the jungle floor.
They pulled out their water bottles and drank greedily quenching their thirsts. After a few minutes Chip began rustling through his pack and pulled out a number of energy bars and offered them around to the entire group. The Baka accepted the bars and cautiously bit into them then smiled and finished them off with relish.
As the group rested Bakumu motioned Lee over to him for a discussion. "You are keeping up well Dunkuza, we are all quite impressed," he started. "Your friends however seem to have trouble keeping pace."
"Thank you, Bakumu. My father taught me well," Lee answered. "It is only because they are not used to the jungle heat and the difficulty of moving through the forest. They've not had the benefit of Baka instruction to allow them to move easily, and silently," Lee added and shot Bakumu a knowing smile.
"You read my thoughts well, you truly are a son of the rainforest," Bakumu laughed. "As we draw nearer to where Dharbaka is camped I think we need to leave your friends behind so that we may approach him without announcing our presence too soon. I will dispatch Kimbe to find out if he's still there then we will come in and hopefully catch him unawares. We can't do that with your friends sounding like bull elephants battling during rut."
Lee laughed out loud and nodded letting Bakumu know he was not offended by his words and observations. He looked over at his friends and winked at them. "I totally understand and like you have cringed at the sound of our passage. I will let them know your plan and when you feel it's time to press on without us we will stop and await your call to join you."
"I have no problem with you coming with us, you move much like a ghost. As I said we are most impressed how well you walk through the jungle given your huge size," Bakumu replied also laughing as he kidded Lee about his extreme height. "I would think that we all can continue for another hour, then we will leave your friends behind. You should accompany us if you are able since it is you affected by Dharbaka's mingehe. He needs to know what his actions have caused."
Lee nodded in agreement. "I will inform my friends of your plan, I think it's a wise course of action." Lee arose and walked back to where his group was relaxing.
"What did Bakumu want Lee?" Harri asked as Lee sat down next to him.
"He said we'll continue on for about another hour then he would like you four to remain behind as we close in on Dharbaka," he replied.
"Really?" asked Chip. "Did he say why?"
Lee fought hard to bite back the smile. "He basically said you all sound like bull elephants battling during rut and he didn't want to announce our approach too soon so Dharbaka could slip away again."
"I didn't think we were making that much noise," Jamie interjected looking almost affronted by Bakumu's observation.
Unable to contain the laugh at the perplexed looks on his companion's faces Lee chuckled and smiled. "It's all relative Jamie. Compared to other non-Baka you were rather stealthy however to the Baka ears you created enough noise to alert the entire jungle. Don't be offended, he realizes you're not of the people and haven't lived your lives here. He just wants to bring this to an end as quickly as possible."
"I take it he wants you to continue on with them?" Harri asked.
"Yes sir, if I'm able. He wants me to confront Dharbaka and show him what his evil magic has caused."
"I also take it he doesn't think you sound like an elephant in rut?" Chip interjected teasingly.
"Quite the contrary Chip, they complimented me on my ghost-like abilities to move through the jungle despite my freakish height." Lee replied seriously then broke out laughing and was quickly joined by the rest.
(oo)
After a brief break, Bakumu gave the sign and they all resumed their march towards Dharbaka. Now feeling rather self-conscious following the remarks regarding their abilities to move silently through the jungle Harri, Chip, Jamie and Kevin were endeavoring much harder to keep their movements quiet. Lee would look back from time to time to watch their exaggerated moves to avoid making a sound and would have to fight hard to bite back the laughter. On one such occasion Harri caught him in the act and sent him a withering glare that would have peeled paint. Lee smiled brightly not even trying to disguise his enjoyment of the moment.
As promised after about an hour of hiking Bakumu called them to a halt. They all quickly dropped their packs and claimed their water bottles. The Baka stood quietly in front of the group listening intently for any sounds of Kimbe's return. Hearing the cry of a bird in the distance ahead of them the Baka smiled and then sat down to await the tracker's arrival.
Five minutes later Kimbe strolled silently up to them startling the visitors. He spoke quickly with Bakumu and pointed in the direction he had just come. Bakumu nodded then stepped away from his men and motioned Lee to join him.
"Kimbe says that Dharbaka is still there and seems somewhat ill or tired; perhaps his mingehe is now drawing strength from him instead of you. That should make our effort to surround him much easier. We will go forward now and capture him, then I will send Balu back to bring your friends to us." Bakumu stated. "You have been moving very well with us do you think you are able to complete the trek to the clearing?"
"Yes, I don't think I will have any problems. This break has allowed me to recoup my strength and I am ready to end this," Lee answered.
Bakumu nodded and smiled. He then opened the small pouch at his waist and pulled out a folded banana leaf. He quickly opened it revealing a gummy paste inside. "Here Dunkuza take a portion of this and eat it, it will give you the strength you need to face Dharbaka and the mingehe."
Lee accepted the leaf and scraped a finger full from the mass. "What is it?" he asked as he sniffed it then placed it in his mouth. The paste was incredibly bitter and sour and he screwed his eyes shut as he fought the urge to spit it out.
Bakumu laughed. "That is concentrated medicine we use to cure onaye poisoning. It is also mixed with various extracts from roots and leaves to make you alert and strong. We rarely use it at full strength but this situation calls for it. You should feel the effects shortly."
Lee nodded and tried desperately to force it down. Fearing he would gag, he quickly grabbed a water bottle from Kevin and gulped down the contents taking the paste along with it. It had a horrible aftertaste somewhere along the lines of rotted fish wrapped in a groady old gym sock, soaked in monkey pee and left to ferment in the sun for a year. He gave serious thought to taking out his knife and scraping the taste buds off of his tongue. The Baka laughed openly at Lee's reaction.
"What was that?" Kevin asked, intrigued by Lee's reaction as well.
"Super concentrated anti-onaye medicine," Lee replied as he coughed and tried to generate enough saliva to spit. "It's supposed to give me extra strength and alertness, though I think I'd welcome death about now. Ugh!"
Finally recovering his composure, Lee smiled and flexed his muscles. "I can feel it working already," he stated and caught a smirk from Bakumu. The other men laughed as well.
"We're ready split up now," Lee stated. "We're going to go in and surround the clearing and keep Dharbaka from disappearing into the forest. Once that's done Balu will come back to collect you and lead you to our location."
"Are you going to be up to this, son?" Harri inquired earnestly.
"Yes, I'm definitely up to this. And despite how retched that stuff tasted it really seems to be working. I feel more alert and physically stronger. I don't even want to know what was in it; I'm pretty sure I would fail a piss test," Lee replied with a laugh which elicited a similar response from the NIMR group.
Receiving a nod from Bakumu indicating they were ready to move, Lee quickly bent over and began unlacing his boots. He kicked them off along with his socks then walked over to join the Baka. He truly needed to be a ghost and anything but bare feet would give them away. Bakumu again nodded in approval and they were off, disappearing without a sound into the jungle before them.
(oo)
The smaller group took off towards the old campsite; their pace made the previous march feel like a cake walk as they flew through the underbrush and other foliage. Lee easily kept up thankful for his long legs and whatever was in that paste Bokumu had given him. They reached the outskirts of the clearing in less than 30 minutes.
Bringing the group to a halt Bokumu waved them close. "Kimbe you take the right side, Balu the left, Dunkuza and Maki circle around to the back. I will enter the clearing and you four will be responsible for keeping him from running off. Everyone understand?" He was greeted with affirmative nods. He smiled back and then motioned for them to disperse and take up their positions.
The men peeled off and moved silently through the jungle to their assigned places. The jungle gradually became quiet as they reached their slots signaling to Dharbaka that someone or something was around. Just as he stood to survey the periphery of the clearing Bakumu boldly walked into the middle confronting the shaman. Dharbaka immediately bolted but quickly ran into a giant white man that emerged from the leaves. He gaped in amazement then after taking a moment to recover his wits he spun around and charged back into the clearing looking for another avenue of escape.
"Dharbaka, stop!" called out Bakumu, drawing the man's attention. "You are completely surrounded and have nowhere to go." To prove his point, Kimbe, Maki and Balu entered the clearing taking position around him making escape impossible. The diminutive shaman dressed only in the traditional raffia waist band sighed in defeat and sank to the ground as the circle of men drew closer around him.
"You know why we are here, yes?" Bakumu asked the cowering man.
"Yes. The mingehe has been returned home and you are here to force me to take possession again," Dharbaka replied quietly.
"Yes your mingehe has returned to the village but it is still active and we are here to force you to destroy it and free the man that has been marked for revenge," Bakumu answered.
"What?!" That's not possible. No one has ever survived once a mingehe has been set on their trail."
"Dunkuza, here is such a man," Bakumu explained as he pointed to Lee. "Amherst set the mingehe after him and in the process managed to be killed by his minion of death. The mingehe is still alive and although contained by the box and its collar, is still very much intent on completing its task."
Dharbaka's eyes grew wide with fear as he digested what he had heard and went over the implications in his mind. He looked up at Lee cautiously and regarded the only known marked survivor of a mingehe attack. As he made eye contact with him he noticed the startled look of recognition in the man's eyes.
"Have we met before?" Dharbaka asked quietly.
"Only in a dream," Lee replied cryptically. Seeing the confusion on the old man's face he explained further. "Since being bitten by the mingehe I have suffered from terrible dreams that always result in me and any of my friends with me in the dream being killed by the mandrill. Yesterday when I slept I had another dream and it took place here in this clearing and you were part of it."
"How did the dream end?" Dharbaka asked curiously.
"I don't know, I was awakened by my friends before I reached the end," Lee answered evasively. He was not about to tell the one man he needed to save his life that the mingehe tortured and killed him before it went after its true target. This man owed him a solution to this problem and he wasn't about to take a chance on him refusing to help given what he had seen in his dream.
Having detained Dharbaka, Bakumu dispatched Balu to collect the other men and bring them to the clearing. He made a point of telling Balu that he should stress to the men that silent passage was no longer required and to come as quickly as possible. Lee laughed quietly as he listened to Bakumu's instructions and garnered a wide smile from the chief and the other men from the village.
"Can you destroy this thing, Dharbaka?" Lee asked.
"I will resolve this, I promise you that. I owe you at least that much," he replied.
"May I ask you another question?" Lee inquired. Dharbaka nodded his assent. "Did you enchant the mingehe after a raid by the insurgents that killed your wife and sons?"
Dharbaka nodded, surprised that Dunkuza would know of the event. "Yes. I was a young man then. I had only been married four years and had a loving wife and three young boys. The insurgents attacked the village while most of the men were away hunting and killed almost everyone left behind. My family was slaughtered for no good reason and I swore on their souls that I would avenge their deaths and make them ALL pay."
Given the grief and hatred conveyed in his explanation, Lee knew the sense of loss had lost none of its sting over the intervening years. As he considered the man's response he tripped over something he had said.
"You said you were a young man then? That doesn't make sense to me," Lee replied. "Dharbaka how old are you?"
Dharbaka sighed deeply. "I am 39."
Lee's eyes grew wide. The man before him looked to be at least in his 80's if he was a day. It seemed inconceivable that he was only 39. "Pardon me for saying so, but you look as though you are 80, how is that possible?"
"When you dispatch a mingehe to carry out your vengeance there is a price to be paid by everyone involved, victim and dispatcher. The victim pays with his whole life, the dispatcher likewise pays with his life providing the energy the mingehe needs to carry out its task. It sucks the life force from your body and should the mingehe sustain any injury or damage you likewise experience its pain. In my anger and grief I set the mingehe on every member of the raiding party that killed my family, but I didn't stop there. I sent it to kill any in their tribe that shared blood. It killed over thirty people, young and old, and for each one of those lives I gave up a year of my own." Dharbaka explained.
The four men remaining in the clearing stared in amazement at Dharbaka's explanation. None had ever heard that part of the bargain before and that cleared up why he appeared to have aged so fast.
"Since we are asking questions, how is it that you speak Baka and have a Baka name, Dunkuza?" Lee quickly related how all that came about and as he finished his tale a stroke of recognition hit Dharbaka.
"You are the Dunkuza who led Chukara's people against the insurgents and drove them out?" Lee nodded. "You helped make it safe for the Baka again. I am truly sorry this has befallen you, we owe you a great deal. What was it you did to Amherst that he felt he needed to be avenged?
Lee explained what Amherst had told him as he confronted him in sick bay following the first attack. Dharbaka shook his head in disgust at the reason.
"I am truly sorry I gave him the mingehe. It was such a waste to give up his life and the life of the other man for such a trivial reason. And also to bring such pain and horror to those who survived; none deserved what they received. One more question if you don't mind, how is it that Amherst is dead and you live? The mingehe should never have attacked him."
"We're not quite sure why I was spared and the mingehe suddenly stopped and shrank in size, but we think it's because Amherst didn't have the collar and chain with him when he brought the mingehe into my room to complete the job. When it attacked it was going for me but Amherst simply got in the way. From what you said, it sounds as though the mingehe lost its power source when it killed its master."
"That is probably a safe assumption," Dharbaka replied, having no other explanation himself.
As they sat there waiting for Balu to return with the others the jungle suddenly grew silent. "Ah they are here, or at least should be in the next 30 minutes," Maki said causing the other members of their group to laugh.
(oo)
