Two Hangmen, One Scaffold Book I: Baiting the Hangman

Chapter 17

153 C Chapter 17 ecause most elders of the apostolic sect deduced the arrival of the demon was imminent, they agreed to attend a caucus meeting Madzibaba Tinashe convened under a shady mango tree in the compound of Sakis Mine. Had the meeting been strictly for the elders alone, the elders would’ve deemed it sublime and held it at the sect’s shrine on the hill. Owing to the magnitude of the threat, Madzibaba Tinashe asked the village Chief, the Headman and all interested people in the vicinity to convene under the tree at 11 am on 29 November. The Chief availed his octogenarian uncle to stand in for him. Apart from the representative, no one else from the community attended because non-members of the sect scoffed at the prophecies. Many nonbelievers thronged the shrine to satisfy curiosity and for entertainment. By now, all the major prophecies were common knowledge at the mine and throughout the surrounding gold claims and farmlands. Most people invited to the meeting brushed the prediction of the looming devil as a fallacy. Altogether fourteen people assembled under the tree some minutes before the stipulated hour. Twelve of the men were the sect’s elders, all in their flowing white garments. Humbly sitting on the ground, the men had girded their loins and legs in white cloths seemingly like loose napkins. The thirteenth man was the chief’s representative who sat on a low wooden stool, constantly stuffing his nostrils with snuff to the disdain of the believers. Madzibaba Remegio was the fourteenth figure. Though he was single and too youthful for the elders to refer to him as a man, or an elder for that matter, he was a teenager driven by religious zeal, as most people understood him. His office as the prophet’s acolyte appeared to be his visa to the gathering. B 154 Madzibaba Tinashe stood up. “Elders and the Chief’s representative, I greet you. I’m convinced Heaven will reward all of you for sparing time to heed Madzibaba Jatropha’s prophecy and possibly deliberate as men of flesh and blood on how we could protect ourselves from the danger in the offing,” he said. “Most of us heard the prophecy direct from the divine messenger’s lips. He said a demon was coming to Sakis Mine. The demon could be on the horizon. I felt it was improper for us to fold our arms and await the arrival of the menace as if it’s Father Christmas bringing us festive gifts. I leave the floor to contributors. May the peace of our Lord dwell with you.” “Amen,” the believers said collectively. Remegio stood up and inhaled deeply. “Elders, I greet you. I don’t stand here to belittle Madzibaba Tinashe’s efforts and concern. Any man fearful of God must have a heart and should be considerate of others. I suppose it’s out of his love and concern for Madzimai Matipa’s family and Sakis Mine at large that the elder convened this meeting. May the peace of the Lord abide in you.” “Amen!” “When the Messiah was about to ascend,” the teenager continued, “what did He say to his disciples? He said the world would know them because of their love for each other.” The elders nodded their heads. Remegio adjusted the shawl on his left shoulder. “I applaud Madzibaba Tinashe for an exhibition of such love. However, God’s favourites are those who believe and trust in his prophecies, not exhibitors of anything, be it machismo, fear or love. From the onset, may it be understood Madzibaba Jatropha, a man led by the Spirit, didn’t sanction this meeting as we can all tell from his absence.” The elders exchanged baffled glances. Remegio raised his voice to a sermonic pitch. “When the Israelites faced the Red Sea, had their lives ended?” he paused dramatically. “No, is the answer.” 155 “It only appeared as if their lives had ended,” added Madzibaba Tinashe. “Behind them Pharaoh’s innumerable army was closing in on them,” went on the teenager. “Horses neighed amid hooting war cries from Egyptian soldiers whose swords were out of their scabbards. None of the cornered people knew God had charted a path for the tribe across the tumultuous sea. May the peace of the Lord abide in you.” “Amen!” Remegio shook his head mournfully. “This gathering is an exhibition to the...