Events in Kenya - Chapter 1

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18^th – 21^st March 1925

Travelling to Mombassa by ship.

22^nd March

Arrive in Mombassa late at night; stay overnight in the King’s Hotel.

23^rd March

The party travel inland on the Ugandan Railway. On this line seating is by class and by colour. The flatcar, directly behind the locomotive and its tender, is left for baggage, light freight and poor blacks; the third-class car is mostly left for “brown” peoples – Indians, Arabs and wealthier blacks. The last car, the one furthest from the smoky, smelly engine, is reserved for whites. It is here that the party choose to ride – Janvillem was particularly interested in the well-stocked bar.

The journey takes 17 hours. After climbing out of a narrow coastal belt of open forest and dense brush, the party saw the wide plains of Africa. The line climbed steadily, passing by the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro to the west.

Long after sunset, less than an hour from Nairobi, two balls of fire appeared on either side of the train carriage. Like living stars, they entities hovered in the night just outside the windows, keeping pace with the train. Screams and shouts of astonishment from the other passengers alerted the group to this bizarre phenomenon. The walls of the coach began to buckle, discolour and smoke as the things began to burn their way in – almost as if they were seeking out the investigators!

Once they broke into the carriage, panic ensued. The party’s firearms seemed ineffective at driving the things off. But eventually Rupert had the idea of using the soda-stream from the bar to soak the entities. This had the desired effect and once the others had joined in with other fire-fighting equipment, the things were driven off.

24^th March

The train was severely delayed, and did not arrive in Nairobi until morning. Upon arrival the investigators were severely chastised by both the train company and the police, who seemed convinced that the party were in some way responsible for the fire. Although the group spent most of the day talking to the police, no charges were pressed and they were eventually released.

25^th March

The party began their investigations, initially talking to Roger Corydon (Colonial Secretary for Internal Affairs) but learnt nothing. Attempts to find Sam Mariga (mentioned in Elias Jackson’s notes) proved fruitless initially. The party were convinced that someone was following them.

26^th March

Eventually they locate Sam Mariga (the guide who led the authorities to the site of the Carlyle massacre). He was employed as a gardener at the railway station. After some small talk about the excellence of the floral displays in the station (and indeed they were excellent), the conversation eventually turned to the party’s quest, and Mariga directed them to Johnstone Kenyatta a black political leader.

Kenyatta was found in the office of the Kikuyu Central association, a black African organisation devoted to gaining black representation in the colonial government. The party were conspicuous in being the only whites in Blacktown, although there was no trouble. When the party mentioned their mission, Kenyatta invited them into his back office to discuss matters in private. Kenyatta spoke perfect English and was clearly an intelligent and perceptive man. He listened carefully until he understood the party’s mission in some detail before speaking his mind:

“These old ways are cruel, and my knowledge of them imperfect. More than twenty years ago I fled my home where I heard many such stories, for my grandfather was a great murogi, a diviner. I have tried to leave that world behind and to enter yours, gentlemen. How ironic that, as I strain toward your heritage, you reach toward mine. Much of what you say I do not understand, and even more of it I find hard to believe. But I perceive something about your party. Perhaps traces of my grandfather cling to me. If you are willing, there is a man you should meet. I did not send Jackson Elias to him, for Elias seemed doomed to me, and I could not burden my friend with such a difficult gift. But your destinies are unfinished, perhaps you have great victories to live for – or perhaps you will undergo tragedies as terrible as can befall mortal men”

The party agreed to meet the man about which Kenyatta spoke, and were instructed to follow a guide (at a discrete distance) to a secret location in Blacktown – a yellow door.

Progress through Blacktown went smoothly and eventually they came to the yellow door, through which their guide had already entered. Beyond the door was a small shed with a battered Rolls Royce car with the guide at the driver’s seat. The party got in, and the car set off down a dirt track.

After several miles they arrived at the small village of Boyovu. Here, apparently, lived Old Bundari, one of the most powerful and respected tribal magicians of East Africa. Bundari’s right hand man, Okomu, spoke at length with the party. He was reluctant to allow them to see his master. He knew of the Bloody Tongue and confirmed that the cult were responsible for the Carlyle massacre. “The deaths were the result of evil magic by which unnatural beasts were summoned from the Other Sides to kill and carry off victims.” He went on to explain “those carried away were brought to the Mountain of the Black Wind, a terrible place shunned by everyone. Even the greatest spells cast against that place have no effect. It is so called because a terrible god inhabits it. Once per year the god unleashes the Black Wind, which brings, plague, famine and disaster. To satisfy the god, the cult abducts villagers and sacrifices them. Then the god appears in all his terrible glory. He is nearly as tall as the mountain itself. He has no face; only a blood-red tongue hands down from where the top of his head would be. The mere sight of this god can drive men mad.” Those amongst the party who had seen the paintings by Miles Shipley in London immediately recognised this image as being one that he had portrayed in one of his horrible works.

Eventually, convinced of the party’s sincerity Okomu agreed to lead the group to meet with Bundari. From outside, the old wizard’s hut had the smooth curves of a Masai hut, but inside it was formed into the shape of a snail’s shell – the entrance passage wound all the way around the outside of the single centre room before opening into it. The walls were decorated with strange and arcane symbols – which the group recognised as warding symbols.

Across the central room sat an old man, sitting so still he, at first, appeared to be dead. Occasionally Okomu unfolded a leg and rubbed it to restore the circulation before folding it back to its original position. The party were instructed to wait in silence “for if you converse it will too rapidly draw out Old Bundari from his interdimensional voyages”. At last the old man’s body stiffened and sat up. He spoke a secret to each of the investigators, thereby showing them that he could see hidden truths. Using Okuma as a translator, he began to speak:

”Your mission is perilous, and the time is desperate. Shall I tell you pleasant things, or the truth? The Bloody Tongue grows arrogant. People across the land disappear into the mountain stolen by the cult for a horrible sacrifice to come. Leaders are brought low by corrupt thoughts and deeds. Many of us must pray continuously to Ngai, the lord of the Kere-Nyaga (Mount Kenya) to stave off this evil. If you seekers have courage, you may achieve much. You must hurry. The god’s priestess, M’Weru lives in the mountain. It was she who prophesised the coming of the god’s child, part human and part monster, who is soon to soak the land with blood. Okomu can help make the arrangements you need. But he cannot do what I can: I have gifts for you”

At this point the old man handed the party two objects; the first was an ebony flywhisk with Kikuyu symbols carved upon it “This is a defence against evil magic”. The second was a small wooden cage containing a strange-looking reptile, a warty grey-brown thing with three horns sticking forward from its forehead “This is my friend, Who-Is-Not-What-She-Seems. You may call her Who for short. Take her with you and feed her well and daily with flies. She will protect you once, but not against magic. You need but open her cage and free her”.

The party showed Budari the fragment of stone taken from the Red Pyramid with the design painted on to it. Both men became very interested in the piece and confirmed that it was part of a very powerful warding symbol. Unfortunately, they did not know the rituals required to activate it.

At this point Okomu indicated that the meeting was concluded. He agreed to draw a map showing the location of the Mountain of the Black Wind, but from this point on the party were on their own.