ROGALA LEAVES THE CAMP--NON-APPEARANCE OF SHINSHOOKO AND ALAPAI--WHAT
HAPPENED TO ROGALA ON HIS JOURNEY--HE RETURNS AFTER FOUR DAYS WITH A
POWERFUL MONDAH WHICH HE BURIES BEFORE THE CAMP
THE next day after our talk Rogala, bending low and taking one of my
feet in both his hands, said with great fervor: "Oguizi, I want to
go home, and if you let me go I will be back in four days. Yes," he
repeated, "I will be back in four days. Shinshooko and Alapai will
remain with you."
I said: "You can go, Rogala." I did not wish to ask him why he wanted
to go home, but I suspected that he wanted to consult the big idol
about the illness from which he had recovered, and to try to find out
who had bewitched him.
Early the following morning he departed, and I followed him for a short
distance and bade him an affectionate farewell.
I had learned to love Rogala, for he was thoughtful, affectionate, and
brave. When with me I always felt that he would never leave me in the
lurch.
Strange to say, Shinshooko and Alapai did not come back that day or
night. Were they lost, or had they been killed by gorillas or elephants?
Andekko seemed to know that I was left all alone, and was watching most
carefully, walking constantly around our fence and sniffing to find
out if there were intruders near. When he had gone round two or three
times, he would come back and lie at my feet. Twice during the day he
growled, but a few words addressed to him prevented him from barking.
We had taught him not to bark when within the camp, but at every growl
he gave I listened attentively. Perhaps he had heard the footsteps
of Shinshooko and Alapai. Each time the noise had probably been made
by some passing antelope or other animal. At any rate, my ladder was
inside, and no enemy could reach me unawares.
I did not go out that day. I cleaned "Bulldog" and my other guns, and
mended my clothes.
At night I lighted two extra big fires. How strange was the glare of
the flames among the big trees that surrounded me! The wind was blowing
very hard, for I could hear the rustling of the leaves on the top of
the trees. Twice I heard the piercing cries of owls.
I hardly slept. Andekko was wide awake, his ears pricking up at the
least noise. Now and then he would go round and round, and when he had
made sure that there was nothing, he would return and lie by the fire.
At last morning came.
After my breakfast I left the camp, leaving the premises in charge
of Andekko, after giving him a good meal and providing more food for
him. As I marched along, Ndova, who accompanied me, was looking for
something to eat. I heard him utter the chuckle that always meant he
had found something good. I went towards him, and found him regaling
himself. Looking round, I saw growing on the trunk of a tree large
grape-like bunches of a beautiful fruit of a bright scarlet color. Each
fruit was of the shape of a very large olive. There were about ten of
these bunches on the trunk, and each was about fifteen to eighteen
inches long. The seed was large, but the pulp was quite juicy and
somewhat acid, with a very pleasant flavor. I petted Ndova to show him
that I appreciated his discovery.
* * * * *
If I could have followed Rogala with my eyes on his way from the time
he left the camp, I could have seen him (as I afterwards learned from
his own account, when he returned) the first day tramping along as fast
as he could, now and then stopping and taking his idol from his bag
and putting it on the ground, and then talking to her as he would to an
old trusted friend; asking her to protect him against witchcraft, to
kill his enemies, and to let him go back safe to the Oguizi. When the
evening came, he lighted several fires, and took again his little idol
from his bag, and made numerous invocations to her. Poor Rogala was
very unhappy, for he was fully persuaded that somebody had bewitched
him. During the night he heard an owl, and he thought some of his
enemies had taken that shape and were following him.
The following day, at daybreak, Rogala left the place where he had
slept, and walked as fast as his legs could carry him; then he came
to a small plantation where lived a great medicine man, and promised
him three brass rods which I had given him if he would follow him. The
medicine man assented; then they went to a place where years before
Rogala had buried a powerful mondah to drive away witchcraft from the
place.
The medicine man made many incantations over the mondah before Rogala
dug it out. The mondah was composed of several skulls of nshiegos and
bones of other animals. When he had dug up all the relics, Rogala
packed them carefully in the otaitai he had with him, then rose and
retraced his steps towards our camp, carrying with him the powerful
mondah which was to drive away witchcraft from our camp. He was now
happy.
The morning of the day that Rogala had promised to return I went
into the forest without taking Ndova or Andekko with me. I had
"Bulldog,"--not that I wanted to use it, but I thought it was prudent
to have my most powerful weapon with me; "for, who knows?" said I to
myself, "somebody might come into our camp and steal my best friend
'Bulldog.' It is better to be on the safe side in case something
unforeseen should happen." I also took with me a hundred steel-pointed
bullets.
I found a place where there was a kind of berry I had not seen before,
but I did not dare to eat any before Ndova had tasted of them. I took
a few of them with me to give them to him on my return. If they were
good, then I would come to get more the following day. I continued
to go further, thinking that I might find a koola tree, when, to my
terror, I found that I had been on the point of stepping over a huge
snake, my heel almost brushing it as it touched the ground. The snake
lay across the path, and was just the color of the dead leaves. I ran
instinctively from the reptile, then stopped. I could not help it, but
every time I came unawares upon a dangerous snake my first impulse was
always to move away quickly. Then, when I thought I was out of danger,
I took my hunting-knife and cut a long, somewhat slender stick, then
retraced my steps and looked at the snake. It was thick and short,
with a triangular head. I could see by the shape of its head that it
was poisonous. Raising my stick, I let it fall heavily upon its spine,
breaking it and thus preventing the ugly reptile from turning upon me
and from retreating or advancing. But the breaking of his spine did not
prevent him from hissing at me when I faced him. Another blow crushed
his head; his fangs could not possibly do any more harm, and how big
these were! I cut his head off and threw it away. Then I saw that he
had swallowed a tiny little gazelle that was not yet digested. I cut
the snake into several pieces to take with me to the camp, for I knew
that my hunters were very fond of snakes. Then I retraced my steps
towards the camp.
As I approached, I thought I saw through the jungle a man by the fence
just at the foot of the ladder. I was astounded. I could not believe my
eyes. Had any one discovered our abode? Was the inside of our fortress
full of enemies waiting for Rogala, Shinshooko, Alapai, and me? How was
it that Andekko did not bark? Had they killed dear Andekko? Ndova's
voice was not to be heard. Was he killed also? I looked at "Bulldog,"
then lay flat on the ground and crawled, like a snake, on my stomach
towards the man. I lost sight of him for a few seconds, and I thought
he had gone. "Then," said I to myself, "our abode has been discovered,
and this man has gone to tell the news to his people, who will surely
come and attack us."
Fortunately I got sight of the man again. I stood perfectly still,
watching him through the jungle. Suddenly it occurred to me that his
skin was of the same color as that of Rogala. I looked and looked.
Yes, it was Rogala. There was no mistake about it. I recognized his
body, though at first I could not recognize his face, for it was so
disfigured by being painted with ochre. One side was yellow, the other
side white, and his forehead was red.
But what was he doing? I came nearer and watched. I saw his idol by his
side, and near it skulls of animals, pieces of broken plates from the
white man's country, and some large sea-shells. I recognized the skulls
as those of nshiegos and two or three as those of monkeys. I saw Rogala
bury them at the foot of the ladder; then he covered them with earth,
put dead leaves upon the spot, and tried to make it as natural-looking
as it was before. Then he went to the place where we hid the ladder,
and came back with it. Taking a monkey he had killed, he climbed the
ladder, and soon after was inside. I heard Andekko's bark of joy and
Ndova's muttering of contentment.
I remained still awhile, then went hunting again, so that when I
returned Rogala could not possibly suspect that I had seen him, and
about two hours afterwards I returned to the camp.
Dear Rogala was very happy to see me again. Immediately after his
arrival he had made a big fire to get charcoal in order to roast the
monkey he had killed on his way back to the camp. In the meantime I
presented him with the pieces of the snake I had killed. The berries I
had gathered were good, for Ndova ate them, and when I tasted them I
found them very palatable. Then Rogala lighted his pipe and looked at
me.
His body had been cut very badly by the sword-grass; so he washed
himself with warm water, then rubbed himself with oil, and lay flat on
a mat by the fire. He was very tired. As he saw that I was looking at
him, he said:
"The reason I am so cut by the sword-grass is because I travelled a
part of the night. I had told you that I would be back on the fourth
day and I wanted to keep my word. I walked with a torch which I made
from the gum of an elimi tree I found on the way, but though the torch
gave a good light, once in a while I found myself entangled in the
midst of long sword-grass." Then he added: "If I had not found that
elimi tree, I could not have walked in the dark, for if I had been
without a torch a prowling leopard in search of prey might have pounced
upon me, and then you would never have seen your friend Rogala again."
Before we went to sleep I said: "Rogala, I know where you have been, I
know why you left me." Rogala's face began to appear frightened, for he
evidently thought I knew what he had done. Without giving him time to
reply, I continued: "You went to dig up an old mondah from the ground,
and you brought it here; you have buried it where we hang our ladder."
Rogala looked at me with a sort of dread, then taking hold of my feet,
he said: "Oguizi, you know everything." Then he told me what I have
just recounted to you, and concluded: "Now no witchcraft can come here."
Shortly afterwards Shinshooko and Alapai, who had gone to see if any
animals had been caught in their various traps, returned, but without
game.