THE HOME OF ROGALA--HIS HUNTING-TROPHIES--A WEIRD SPOT--ASPECT OF THE
SURROUNDING FOREST--SHINSHOOKO AND ALAPAI--LEOPARDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
AFTER a few minutes' walk we came to a grove of plantain trees,
and there saw the home of Rogala, which was composed of four small
structures. The dwelling-house had a veranda in front. It was built of
bark with a roof thatched with palm leaves, and was about eighteen feet
long and twelve wide. It had only one door.
Under the veranda hung the tails of nearly all the elephants he had
killed. I counted ninety-five of them. Some of the tails he had got
went to Chief Rotembo. All along the roof were skulls of antelopes with
the graceful spiral horns, two skulls of male gorillas, several skulls
of nshiegos or chimpanzees, of wild boars, of buffaloes, of leopards
and other wild animals.
Four elephant skulls stood at each corner of the house. These elephants
had been killed near the plantations. Rogala was the greatest elephant
hunter of his day.
One building was composed of a single roof merely, under which cooking
was done. Here also people were received, and the space it covered was
the dining-room.
A small house near by was for Mburu, a spirit, who sometimes came
to rest there during the night. His bed lay on the ground, and was
composed of dry leaves covered with a mat. His pillow was a smooth
round piece of wood. In the fourth small house was the idol. There were
also a chicken-coop and a goat-house.
"We have chosen this spot," said Rogala, "because at a certain time of
the year the country is full of elephants. They come to eat the leaves
of a tree that is more plentiful around here than in other parts of the
forest."
A little further on I saw several other small houses; those belonged to
Shinshooko and Alapai.
The place was entirely deserted, for all the people had gone into the
forest,--the men to cut trees for new plantations, and the women to
attend to the crops that had been planted and bring back bunches of
plantain or cassava roots.
What a weird spot the hunters had chosen for their home! The little
houses of bark looked small indeed compared with the tall trees that
surrounded them. The plantain trees and the cassava grew in the midst
of branches of the trees that had been felled and burned afterwards.
Not far off was the river, flowing in the midst of the dark silent
forest, which was only disturbed now and then by the shrill cries
of parrots, or the chatter of a troop of monkeys or the tap of the
woodpecker. In the forest surrounding the houses hung huge lianas which
looked like gigantic swinging snakes. Some of the trees had gorgeous
flowers, and orchids grew on the bark of many. The foliage was greatly
diversified.
On the border of the clearing stood a gigantic elimi tree; along its
trunk came out a soft sticky whitish gum, which the people use to make
torches with. The forest seemed to be made of three or four layers of
trees growing on the top of each other, while here and there, towering
above all, rose an immense one that seemed to look down on the great
forest from its own lofty height. Under all the trees was the thick
jungle, in which roamed wild and often ferocious beasts.
Rogala brought a stool and invited me to a seat under the veranda of
his house. Towards sunset Rogala's wife returned with three boys, their
children. She carried an infant in a sling on her back. She looked at
me in fear and trembling, and she and the children ran to hide. This
annoyed Rogala very much, and he called her back in an angry tone. Then
he became milder, and told her and the children not to be afraid of his
friend the Oguizi.
[Illustration: "_She looked at me in fear and trembling, and she and
the children ran to hide._"]
Soon after two men and their wives, loaded with two large bunches of
plantain, and their children made their appearance. These men were
Shinshooko and Alapai.
Rogala bade them approach. Shinshooko was over six feet two in height,
very thin, and brown in color. He came from a country called Ashango.
Alapai was short, thickset, and very black. He came from a tribe called
Apono. These two tribes had the same language. Shinshooko and Alapai
looked at me constantly, but avoided the glance of my eyes, of which
they were afraid. But Rogala allayed their fears by telling them that I
was a good Oguizi and a great friend of their master Rotembo, who sent
word by him that they must go and hunt with me in the forest.
The three then went away to our canoe and brought back my things with
them. Shinshooko and Alapai were eager to hear what had occurred since
Rogala had left them, and how it happened that I came with him.
Rogala told all that had taken place, how his master Rotembo had given
him to me, that I was a great hunter, and that I came to hunt with them.
Shinshooko and Alapai and their families listened in profound silence
to the wonderful story of Rogala, and when he had finished it was
the turn of Shinshooko and Alapai to tell what had happened during
the absence of Rogala. Shinshooko was the speaker, and began thus:
"Leopards have made their appearance in the neighborhood since you
left, Rogala. What has brought the leopards so suddenly into our
neighborhood we cannot tell, but it must be that the bashikouay ants
have invaded and scoured a great part of the forest and driven them
away, and they have fled towards us. We have seen many tracks of their
big paws. We must look out for these leopards and make traps and catch
them and hunt them. Fortunately our goat-house is so strong and so
secure that leopards cannot break through. But we must do all we can
to kill them, for fear that some one of them might be a man-eater and
devour some of us or some of our children."
That night numerous fires were lighted to scare away the leopards. I
went into my little hut, but kept awake with "Bulldog" by my side, for
I thought a leopard might easily come through the thin roof of palm
leaves over my head. We all hoped that there was no man-eater among
the leopards, for if there were we were sure that he would lie in wait
for some one. When once they have tasted human flesh, they like it
better than anything else. But no leopard paid us a visit during the
night.