WE BUILD A FORTIFIED CAMP IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST--STRUCTURE OF
THE CAMP--LAYING IN STORES OF PROVISIONS--KOOLA NUTS--SOURCE OF MY
INFLUENCE OVER THE NATIVES
ONE evening as Rogala, Shinshooko, Alapai, and I were seated around a
blazing fire, we talked about gorillas, elephants, and other big game,
and determined to go and build an "olako" camp in the deep and gloomy
recesses of the forest, taking with us Andekko and Ndova.
The following day the women put a large quantity of cassava roots or
manioc in the stream running near Rogala's house; these were to remain
in the water three days, after which they were to be cut, pounded,
cooked, and made into cakes.
I was short of soap; so my hunters collected a quantity of palm nuts,
the kind from which palm oil is made. These nuts we boiled until the
pulp became quite soft. Then the women pounded the nuts in wooden
mortars, and the pulp furnished the oil. I then gathered all the ashes
from the fires, boiled these for a long time, then leaving the ashes at
the bottom of the vessel, took the water and boiled it with a certain
amount of palm oil. By this process I made soft soap.
I had to wash my own clothes, for not only did the people not know how,
but in one sense did not know what clean linen was. They could not
tell whether my clothes were soiled or not. I did not wonder, seeing
the way they made their toilet. After taking a bath, they rubbed their
bodies with oil mixed with clay, or with oil mixed with the powder of
odoriferous woods. This was what they called making themselves clean.
The wives of the men and the children were to go with us to help carry
the food to our camp; and when the day of our departure arrived, three
canoes were loaded with food, bunches of plantain, and our outfit.
We had four axes with us, queer-looking ones, several machetes, two
sharpening stones, and ammunition; above all, my "precious box" with
its invaluable instruments.
Our party divided and went in different canoes.
After ascending the river for a few hours, we stopped by a path which
had led formerly to the village of Rotembo's slaves. There we camped,
landing our outfit. A few miles further navigation stopped. We lighted
many fires, and the men collected branches of trees for me to sleep
upon.
Early the next morning we got ready to start. We followed in single
file the footpath--which was almost obliterated, for it was seldom
used now except for hunting--and passed through former plantations of
plantain and cassava, now covered with a dense impenetrable jungle, far
worse than any part of the forest.
The walking was very tedious, for since the path had been used but
seldom, numerous trees or their branches had fallen across it.
We halted a little after midday to rest and to eat near a lonely
crystal-like little rivulet from which we could get delicious water to
drink. Then we continued our way until almost sunset.
Rogala, who was leading, suddenly stopped, and I followed his example.
The rest of the party, who were behind, gradually came up with us one
by one. Then the men said: "Here, Oguizi, we are to build our camp,"
pointing to a little spring bubbling out of the ground.
I said to myself: "We need not bother about water if we are besieged in
our camp, for the spring will be within our enclosure."
We slept under the trees, and the next morning we were all at work
getting material for our camp. The men went to cut poles; the women
carried them to the camping-ground, or went after leaves to be twisted
into ropes.
The cutting of long poles was the most laborious work, for a great many
were required. The axes had to be sharpened many times. But after much
hard toil we succeeded in making a fortified encampment forty feet
square, with the spring in one of the corners.
After that we built separate shelters for every one of those who were
to remain behind, to sleep under; then a little house made entirely of
sticks close together for Ndova, in which we were to shut him when we
went into the forest without him, so that he might be protected from
snakes, or birds of prey, such as eagles, or carnivorous animals. Then
we made two ladders with lianas. They were almost as flexible as if
they had been ropes made of hemp. One was to hang inside and the other
outside. I made two shelters to keep our powder in, for I did not want
to have the whole of it in one place in case of fire. We cut all kinds
of briars, thorn-bushes, big aloes, and small branches of trees, and
put them outside the fence for quite a distance, so that if any one
came through them, no matter how careful he might be, we should hear
them.
In the centre of our encampment was a tree from which we could look
over the fence, and we left uncut two thick bushes in which we could
hide.
I said to Rogala: "My 'precious box' must not remain on the ground, for
the white ants (nchelaylays) are sure to eat the wood at the bottom and
penetrate within. So we will hang it to a branch of a young tree, where
it will be safe, for, as you know, the white ants never ascend a green
tree-trunk."
There was a koola tree close to our encampment, and we collected the
nuts that had fallen. These were to be kept in reserve, and were to be
eaten only in case of starvation and not otherwise. For I did not know
what might happen; fierce natives might find us out, and lie in wait
for us and besiege us.
"Woe to any one who attacks us," I exclaimed to my men.
"Yes," shouted Rogala, his eyes shining with fierceness, "woe to them,
for the Oguizi will show them how he fights."
It was good for me that these wild men thought I was endowed with
extraordinary power. I never told them I was an Oguizi, or spirit,
but I never told them I was not. My safety depended entirely on their
superstitious regard for me. If it had not been so, and if they had
thought I was a man like themselves, I should not have lived to tell
the tale of my wanderings.
After five days of hard work our encampment was finished. By that time
almost all our plantains had been eaten up, but we had all the cassava,
and the cakes of it would last us a goodly number of days.
The women and the children now thought of returning home. We followed
them as far as the river. They were soon in their canoes, taking only
two with them. The other was left for us to use on our return. We bade
them good-bye, and soon they were out of sight. Then we hid our canoe
in the forest.