Dennis Wheatley - The White Witch of the South Seas

`It looks as if you are going to have difficulty getting that dress off. If you do, give me a shout and I'll come, and help.'

`I'm sure you would like to,' she replied a shade tartly, `but at the moment I'm in no mood to accept such attentions from a gentleman.'

`Now, don't pretend to be a prude,' he mocked her. `No woman with such a lovely figure as yours isn't glad of an excuse to show herself off in a bikini or her undies. As for the “attentions” you appear to fear, you wrong me. I indulge in that sort of pastime only in warm and comfortable surroundings, with a magnum of champagne at hand and after having given my companion an excellent dinner.'

Before she could reply, sounds came from the front door and a little group of people came hurrying into the room. At their head was the old `Godfather'; he was followed by a gangling limbed but quite well dressed young Negro of about nineteen and three of the Negresses who had taken part in the ceremony, their long white skirts now slushing round their ankles.

The old man looked at Gregory, gave a sudden start and dropped his stick. Picking it up, he stared at Gregory for a moment as though seeing a ghost, then spoke to him in what Gregory took to be a bastard form of Portuguese. Hoping that one of them understood some English and choosing the simplest words he could, he explained that he and Manon had taken refuge there from the storm. Whereupon the youth said in a squeaky voice

'Americanos, eh? I speek yo' language. Am educating at university. My father an' the womans not. My name Enrico.'

Gregory then asked if it was possible for him to get them a car, to which Enrico replied, `I 'ave auto in garage. Later I takes yo' to city. But not yet. Much, much rain. Yo' wait here fo' while.'

Having thanked him, Gregory asked if Manon could be provided with a change of clothes. The youth translated to the women, who had been standing staring wide eyed at them from the doorway. Their black faces broke into wide grins, then they beckoned to Manon and she went off down the passage with them.

Meanwhile, the old Macumba priest had seated himself in a rocking chair. He had a white film over one eye, but the other was as keen as that of an eagle. He was regarding Gregory in a by no means friendly fashion.

Glancing at Enrico, Gregory said, `Please tell your father how distressed we are for him that the storm should have spoilt his ceremony:

Enrico translated, then said in English, `He much opset. He believe yo' an' yo' friends who come with Police enemies of him an' make bad magic that bring rain.'

Gregory raised his eyebrows in surprise. `Please assure him that is not so. We came only out of scientific interest and were just as disappointed as he is that the ceremony had to be stopped.'

When he learned this the old man looked slightly mollified and Gregory said, `I would very much like to hear what would have taken place if the ceremony had continued.!

'Spirits enter bodies of some of the womans,' Enrico answered. `Then spirits talk; denounce bad peoples, make prophecy, help father to tell future.'

Manon had just re entered the room with the other women. She had not accepted a loan of clothes but stripped and wrung her own out, knowing that in the intense heat they would soon dry on her. Hearing Enrico's last words, she said with swift interest, `So your father, 'e tells fortunes. 'E make me very 'appy if 'e tell mine.'

Enrico grinned at her. `I make persuade him. That is, if yo' pay 'im good money.'

Turning to Gregory, she said in French, `When you were carrying me down that stairway I dropped my bag. Could you lend me enough money for this?

'I expect so,' he smiled, and took a two inch thick wad of half sodden notes out of his jacket pocket. They looked to be worth a small fortune, as most of them were five thou sand cruzeiro bills, the highest value normally then in circulation in Brazil. But, largely owing to the immense sums expended in recent years on the new capital of Brasilia, Brazil 's finances have fallen into such a parlous state that the cruzeiro had slumped to over six thousand to the pound sterling. So, to the considerable inconvenience of people who live fairly expensively, such unwieldy packages of currency had to be carried about.

Peeling off five of the five thousand cruzeiro notes, Gregory offered them to the old man while Enrico was making Manon's request. His solitary eye glinting brightly, he stretched out a claw like hand and took the money.

Enrico then walked over to the desk. From a drawer he took a canvas bag and a piece of similar material, both of which he handed to his father.

The `Godfather' eased himself out of his rocking chair on

to his knees and spread the piece of canvas on the floor. It was about two feet square and marked on it in black there were a number of crude symbols. Picking up the floppy bag, he began to mutter what was evidently an incantation, meanwhile shaking the bag gently up and down and to and fro.

With each movement something inside the bag made a soft clicking sound and, from what Gregory had read of Negro magic, he had little doubt that this descendant of long dead African witch doctors was about to `throw the bones'.

He proved right. After chanting in a low voice for about five minutes, the old man loosened the string round the neck of the bag and tipped a score or more of small bones out on to the square of canvas.

For quite a while he silently studied the way they had fallen in relation to the symbols, while the three Negresses peered timidly over his shoulder. Then he looked up and spoke to Enrico, who translated:

`My father, he say yo' soon have new lover. But yo' very fond of another mans. Also, with him yo' have big money interest. So your heart divided; understand? Much happiness for yo' with new lover, but to keep much courage needed. My father then ask: “Have yo' ever ” Kill a man, that is. He think yo' have.'

Manon suddenly went pale and her brown eyes distended until they looked enormous. Giving a slight nod, she whispered, `Yes, but -but only because I had to.'

The old man spoke again and Enrico interpreted. `My father, he say, “Then yo' should kill again. There is a White Witch. She comes into yo' life. Yo' will lose yo's happiness lose all, unless yo' kills her when yo' has the chance”.'

There fell a sudden silence. Having understood what the `Godfather' had said, the Negresses were regarding Manon with awed curiosity. Enrico had thrust his thumb between the first and second fingers of his hand, and was pointing it at her as a defence against her possibly malign influence. Gregory, hearing her confess to having killed a man, caught himself looking at her with increased interest. To break the tension, he again pulled out his wad of notes, peeled off another five and offered them with the request that the bones should be thrown for him.

The old man swiftly gathered up the bones and thrust them back into the bag, but he did not take the money.

Waving it away, he got from his knees and spoke swiftly to his son.

Enrico's mouth fell open and he gave a slight gulp. Then, recovering himself, he said in a tremulous voice `My father, he say yo' have no future to tell. Sometimes he have visions. Jus' now, when he come in this room, he have one. He seeyo' this time tomorrow night as dead-​dead in a ditch.'

2 ?His Last Twenty four Hours

Again a shocked silence fell. They could hear the rain still pattering on the roof, but none of them noticed that its beat had lessened or had registered the fact that thunder now rumbled only in the distance. At length Gregory said to Enrico

`Please thank your father for his warning. And now, with my apologies for having abused your hospitality while you were absent, do you think I could have a little more rum?'