The "market value" that he attributed to his prisoner would evidently be a safeguard for her, and protect her for the time, at least, against any temptation that might put her in danger.
Perhaps she would think of a compromise that would restore her to her husband without obliging Mr. Weldon to come to Kazounde.
On receipt of a letter from his wife, she well knew that James Weldon would set out. He would brave the perils of this journey into the most dangerous countries of Africa.
But, once at Kazounde, when Negoro should have that fortune of a hundred thousand dollars in his hands, what guaranty would James W. Weldon, his wife, his son and Cousin Benedict have, that they would be allowed to depart?
Could not Queen Moini's caprice prevent them?
Would not this "sale" of Mrs. Weldon and hers be better accomplished if it took place at the coast, at some point agreed upon, which would spare Mr. Weldon both the dangers of the journey to the interior, and the difficulties, not to say the impossibilities, of a return?
So reflected Mrs. Weldon.
That was why she had refused at once to accede to Negoro's proposition and give him a letter for her husband.
She also thought that, if Negoro had put off his second visit for eight days, it was because he needed that time to prepare for his journey. If not, he would return sooner to force her consent.
"Would he really separate me from my child?" murmured she.
At that moment Jack entered the hut, and, by an instinctive movement, his mother seized him, as if Negoro were there, ready to snatch him from her.
"You are in great grief, mother?" asked the little boy.
"No, dear Jack," replied Mrs. Weldon; "I was thinking of your papa!
You would be very glad to see him again?"
"Oh! yes, mother!
Is he going to come?"
"No! no!
He must not come!"
"Then we will go to see him again?"
"Yes, darling Jack!"
"With my friend Dick—and Hercules—and old Tom?"
"Yes! yes!" replied Mrs. Weldon, putting her head down to hide her tears.
"Has papa written to you?" asked little Jack.
"No, my love."
"Then you are going to write to him, mother?"
"Yes—yes—perhaps!" replied Mrs. Weldon.
And without knowing it, little Jack entered directly into his mother's thoughts.
To avoid answering him further, she covered him with kisses.
It must be stated that another motive of some value was joined to the different reasons that had urged Mrs. Weldon to resist Negoro's injunctions.
Perhaps Mrs. Weldon had a very unexpected chance of being restored to liberty without her husband's intervention, and even against Negoro's will.
It was only a faint ray of hope, very vague as yet, but it was one.
In fact, a few words of conversation, overheard by her several days before, made her foresee a possible succor near at hand—one might say a providential succor.
Alvez and a mongrel from Oujiji were talking a few steps from the hut occupied by Mrs. Weldon.
It is not astonishing that the slave-trade was the subject of conversation between those worthy merchants.
The two brokers in human flesh were talking business. They were discussing the future of their commerce, and were worried about the efforts the English were making to destroy it—not only on the exterior, by cruisers, but in the interior, by their missionaries and their travelers.
Jose-Antonio Alvez found that the explorations of these hardy pioneers could only injure commercial operations.
His interlocutor shared his views, and thought that all these visitors, civil or religious, should be received with gun-shots.
This had been done to some extent.
But, to the great displeasure of the traders, if they killed some of these curious ones, others escaped them. Now, these latter, on returning to their country, recounted "with exaggerations," Alvez said, the horrors of the slave-trade, and that injured this commerce immensely—it being too much diminished already.
The mongrel agreed to that, and deplored it; above all, concerning the markets of N'yangwe, of Oujiji, of Zanzibar, and of all the great lake regions. There had come successively Speke, Grant, Livingstone, Stanley, and others.
It was an invasion!
Soon all England and all America would occupy the country!
Alvez sincerely pitied his comrade, and he declared that the provinces of Western Africa had been, till that time, less badly treated—that is to say, less visited; but the epidemic of travelers was beginning to spread.
If Kazounde had been spared, it was not so with Cassange, and with Bihe, where Alvez owned factories.
It may be remembered, also, that Harris had spoken to Negoro of a certain Lieutenant Cameron, who might, indeed, have the presumption to cross Africa from one side to the other, and after entering it by Zanzibar, leave it by Angola.
In fact, the trader had reason to fear, and we know that, some years after, Cameron to the south and Stanley to the north, were going to explore these little-known provinces of the west, describe the permanent monstrosities of the trade, unveil the guilty complicities of foreign agents, and make the responsibility fall on the right parties.
Neither Alvez nor the mongrel could know anything yet of this exploration of Cameron's and of Stanley's; but what they did know, what they said, what Mrs. Weldon heard, and what was of such great interest to her—in a word, what had sustained her in her refusal to subscribe at once to Negoro's demands, was this: Before long, very probably, Dr. David Livingstone would arrive at Kazounde.
Now, the arrival of Livingstone with his escort, the influence which the great traveler enjoyed in Africa, the concourse of Portuguese authorities from Angola that could not fail to meet him, all that might bring about the deliverance of Mrs. Weldon and hers, in spite of Negoro, in spite of Alvez.
It was perhaps their restoration to their country within a short time, and without James W. Weldon risking his life in a journey, the result of which could only be deplorable.
But was there any probability that Dr. Livingstone would soon visit that part of the continent?