П’ятнадцятирічний капітан

A Royal Burial

           ThemanikinwasthenclothedwiththeroyalvestmentsweknowthatthoseclothesarenotworthmuchandtheydidnotforgettoornamentitwithCousinBenedict’sfamousspectacles.Therewassomethingterriblycomicinthismasquerade.

           Theceremonywouldtakeplacewithtorchesandwithgreatpomp.ThewholepopulationofKazounde,nativeornot,mustassistatit.

           Whentheeveninghadcome,alongcortègedescendedtheprincipalstreet,fromthetchitokaasfarastheburialplace.Cries,funeraldances,magicians’incantations,noisesfrominstrumentsanddetonationsfromoldmusketsfromthearsenalsnothingwaslackinginit.

           Jose-AntonioAlvez,Coimbra,Negoro,theArabtradersandtheiroverseershadincreasedtheranksofKazounde’speople.Noonehadyetleftthegreatlakoni.QueenMoiniwouldnotpermitit,anditwouldnotbeprudenttodisobeytheordersofonewhowastryingthetradeofsovereign.

           Thebodyoftheking,laidinapalanquin,wascarriedinthelastranksofthecortège.Itwassurroundedbyhiswivesofthesecondorder,someofwhomweregoingtoaccompanyhimbeyondthislife.QueenMoini,ingreatstate,marchedbehindwhatmightbecalledthecatafalque.Itwaspositivelynightwhenallthepeoplearrivedonthebanksofthebrook;buttheresintorches,shakenbytheporters,threwgreatburstsoflightoverthecrowd.

           Theditchwasseendistinctly.Itwascarpetedwithblack,livingbodies,fortheymovedunderthechainsthatboundthemtotheground.Fiftyslaveswerewaitingtheretillthetorrentshouldcloseoverthem.

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