A WEEK IN THE WOODS--A TORNADO--THE LEOPARDS PROWLING ABOUT--I KILL
A COBRA AND A SCORPION--FIGHT WITH A BUFFALO--HUNTING FOR WILD
BOARS--A LEOPARD TAKES A RIDE ON A BULL--SICK WITH THE FEVER.
Now, boys, fancy yourselves transported into the midst of a very dense
and dark forest, where the trees never shed their leaves all at one
time, where there is no food to be had, except what you can get with
your gun, and where wild beasts prowl around you at night, while you
sleep.
I found myself in such a place.
Immediately after we arrived in those gloomy solitudes we began to
build an olako to shelter us from the rains.
I must tell you that Benito is a very strange country. It is situated,
as you have seen by the map, near the equator. Of course, you know
what the equator is? There, at a certain time of the year, the sun is
directly above your head at noon, and hence it is the hottest part of
the earth. The days and nights are of the same length. The sun rises at
six o'clock in the morning, and the sunset takes place at six o'clock
in the evening. There is only a difference of a few minutes all the
year round. There is no twilight, and half an hour before sunrise
or after sunset it is dark. There is no snow, except on very high
mountains. There is no winter. There are only two seasons--the rainy
season and the dry season. Our winter time at home is the time of the
rainy season in Equatorial Africa, and it is also the hottest period
of the year. It rains harder there than in any other country. No such
rain is to be witnessed either in the United States or Europe. And as
to the thunder and lightning! You never have heard or seen the like;
it is enough to make the hair on your head stand on end. Then come the
tornados, a kind of hurricane which, for a few minutes, blows with
terrific violence, carrying before it great trees. How wild the sky
looks! How awful to see the black clouds sweeping through the sky with
fearful velocity!
So you will not wonder that we busied ourselves in preparing our
shelter, for I remember well it was in the month of February. We
took good care not to have big trees around us, for fear they might
be hurled upon us by a tornado, and bury us all alive under their
weight. Accordingly we built our olako near the banks of a beautiful
little stream, so that we could get as much water as we wanted. Then
we immediately began to fell trees. We carried two or three axes with
us, for the axe is an indispensable article in the forests. With the
foliage we made a shelter to keep off the rain.
While the men were busy building the olako, the women went in search
of dried wood to cook our supper. We had brought some food from the
village with us.
We were ready just in time. A most terrific tornado came upon us. The
rain poured down in torrents. The thunder was stunning. The lightning
flashed so vividly and often as nearly to blind us.
Our dogs had hidden themselves, indeed all animals and birds of the
forest were much frightened, which was not to be wondered at. How
thankful I was to be sheltered from such a storm! We had collected
plenty of fuel, and our fires burned brightly.
We formed a strange group while seated around the fires, the men and
women smoking their pipes and telling stories. We had several fires,
and, as they blazed up, their glare was thrown out through the gloom
of the forest, and filled it with fantastic shadows. Though tired,
everybody seemed merry. We were full of hope for the morrow. Every one
spoke of the particular animal he wished to kill, and of which he was
most fond. Some wished for an antelope, others for an elephant, a wild
boar, or a buffalo. I confess that I myself inclined towards the wild
boar; and I believe that almost every one had the same wish, for that
animal, when fat, is very good eating. Indeed, they already began to
talk as if the pig were actually before them. All fancied they could
eat a whole leg apiece, and their mouths fairly watered in thinking
about it. No wonder they are so fond of meat, they have it so seldom.
Who among us does not relish a good dinner, I should like to know?
By-and-by all became silent; one after the other we fell asleep, with
the exception of two or three men who were to watch over the fires and
keep them bright; for there were plenty of leopards prowling in the
neighbouring forest, and none of us wanted to serve as a meal for them.
In fact, before going to sleep, we heard some of these animals howling
in the far distance. During the night, one came very near our camp. He
went round and round; and, no doubt, lay in wait to see if one of us
would go out alone; and then he would have pounced upon the careless
fellow. I need not say we did not give him a chance; and you may be
sure we kept the fire blazing. Finally, we fired a few guns, and he
went off.
These leopards are dreadful animals, and eat a great many natives.
They are generally shy; but once they have tasted human flesh, they
become very fond of it, and the poor natives are carried off, one after
another, in such numbers that the villages have to be abandoned.
The next day we went hunting. I had hardly gone into the forest when
I saw, creeping on the ground under the dry leaves, an enormous black
snake: I fancy I see it still. How close it was to me! One step more
and I should have just trodden upon it, and then should have been
bitten, and a few minutes after have died, and then, boys, you know
I should have had nothing to tell you about Africa. This snake was a
cobra of the black variety (_Dendrapspis angusticeps_). It is a very
common snake in that region; and, as I have said, very poisonous.
As soon as the reptile saw me, he rose up, as if ready to spring upon
me, gave one of his hissing sounds, and looked at me, showing, as he
hissed, his sharp-pointed tongue. Of course, the first thing I did
was to make a few steps backward. Then, levelling my gun, I fired
and killed him. He was about eight feet long. I cut his head off,
and examined his deadly fangs. What horrible things they were! They
looked exactly like fish bones, with very sharp ends. I looked at
them carefully, and saw that he could raise and lower them at will;
while the teeth are firmly implanted in a pouch, or little bag, which
contains the poison. I saw in the end of the fang a little hole, which
communicated with the pouch. When the snake opens his mouth to bite, he
raises his fangs. Then he strikes them into the flesh of the animal he
bites, and brings a pressure on the pouch, and the poison comes out by
the little hole I have spoken of.
I cut open the cobra, and found in his stomach a very large bird.
Andèké packed the bird and snake in leaves, and, on our return to the
camp, the men were delighted. In the evening they made a nice soup of
the snake, which they ate with great relish.
I had also killed a beautiful little striped squirrel, upon which I
made my dinner. I felt almost sorry to kill it, it was such a pretty
creature.
In the evening, as I was siting by the fire, and looking at the log
that was burning, I spied a big ugly black scorpion coming out of one
of the crevices. I immediately laid upon its back a little stick which
I had in my hand. You should have seen how its long tail flew up and
stung the piece of wood! I shuddered as I thought that it might have
stung my feet or hands, instead of the wood. I immediately killed it,
and the natives said these scorpions were quite common, and that people
have to be careful when they handle dry sticks of wood, for these
poisonous creatures delight to live under the dry bark, or between the
crevices.
A nice country this to live in! thought I, after killing a snake and a
scorpion the same day!
So when I lay down on my pillow, which was merely a piece of wood, I
looked up to see if there was any scorpions upon it. I did not see any;
but, during the night, I awoke suddenly and started up. I thought I
felt hundreds of them creeping over me, and that one had just stung me,
and caused me to wake up. The sweat covered my body. I looked around
and saw nothing but sleeping people. There was no scorpion to be found.
I must have been dreaming.
Not far from our camp was a beautiful little prairie. I had seen,
during my rambles there, several footprints of wild buffaloes; so I
immediately told Andèké we must go in chase of them. Andèké, the son of
the king, was a very nice fellow, and was, besides, a good hunter--just
the very man I wanted.
So we went towards the little prairie, and lay hidden on the borders of
it, among the trees. By-and-by I spied a huge bull, who was perfectly
unaware of my presence, for the wind blew from him to me; had the wind
blown the other way, the animal would have scented me and made off. As
it was, he came slowly towards me. I raised my gun and fired. My bullet
struck a creeper, on its way, and glanced aside, so I only wounded the
beast. Turning fiercely, he rushed at me in a furious manner, with his
head down. I was scared; for I was, at that time, but a young hunter;
I got ready to run, though I had a second barrel in reserve. I thought
the infuriated bull was too powerful for me, he looked so big. Just as
I was about to make my escape, I found my foot entangled and hopelessly
caught in a tough and thorny creeper. The bull was dashing towards me
with head down and eyes inflamed, tearing down brushwood and creepers,
which barred his progress. Turning to meet the enemy, I felt my nerves
suddenly grow firm as a rock. If I missed the bull all would be over
with me. He would gore me to death. I took time to aim carefully, and
then fired at his head. He gave one loud, hoarse bellow, and tumbled
almost at my feet. In the meantime, Andèké was coming to the rescue.
I must say I felt very nervous after all was over. But being but a lad,
I thought I had done pretty well. It was the first direct attack a wild
beast had ever made upon me. I found afterwards, that the bulls are
generally very dangerous when wounded.
Now I must tell you how this beast looked. He was one of the wild
buffaloes frequently to be met with in this part of Africa. During
the greater part of the day they hide in the forest. When much hunted
they become very shy. They are generally found in herds of from ten to
twenty-five, though I have found them sometimes in much greater number.
This animal (_Bos brachicheros_) is called by some of the natives
"niaré." It is of the size of our cattle. It is covered with thin red
hair, which is much darker in the bull than in the cow. The hoofs are
long and sharp; the ears are fringed with most beautiful silky hair;
the horns are very handsome, and bend backward in a graceful curve.
In shape, the buffalo looks like something between an antelope and
a common cow; and, when seen afar off, you might think these wild
buffaloes were a herd of cattle at home.
How glad the people were when Andèké and I brought the news that we had
killed a bull! There was great rejoicing. But I was tired and remained
in the camp; while they went with knives and swords to cut the buffalo
to pieces, and bring in the flesh.
What a fine place it was for hunting! The animals seemed to come down
from the mountains beyond, and remain in the flat woody country along
the seashore.
There were a great many wild boars. You know we all wanted one of
these. So one night Andèké and I agreed to go and lie in wait for them
on the prairie. In order to look like Andèké, I blackened my face and
hands with charcoal, so that in the night the colour of my face could
not be distinguished.
We started from the camp before dark, and reached the prairie before
night. I stationed myself behind a large ant-hill not far from the
open space. There I lay; one hour passed--two hours--three hours, and
still neither wild boar nor buffaloes. I looked at Andèké. He was fast
asleep, at the foot of another ant-hill close by. Once I saw a whole
herd of gazelles pass by; but they were too far from me. Occasionally a
grunt or the cracking of a twig, told me that a wild boar was not far
off. At last everything became silent, and I fell asleep unconsciously.
Suddenly I was awakened by an unearthly roar--the yell of a wild beast.
I rubbed my eyes in a hurry--what could be the matter?
I looked round me, and saw nothing. The woods were still resounding
with the cry that had startled me. Then I heard a great crash in the
forest, made by some heavy animal running away. Then I saw emerge from
the forest a wild bull, on whose neck crouched an immense leopard. The
poor buffalo reared, tossed, roared and bellowed; but in vain. The
leopard's enormous claws were firmly fixed in his victim's body, while
his teeth were sunk deeply in the bull's neck. The leopard gave an
awful roar, which seemed to make the earth shake. Then both buffalo and
leopard disappeared in the forest, and the roars, and the crashing of
the trees, soon ceased. All became silent again.
I had fired at the leopard, but it was too far off. We stayed a week
here, and I enjoyed myself very much in the woods. I collected birds
and butterflies, killed a few nice little quadrupeds, and then we
returned to the seashore village. There the fever laid me low on my
bed of sickness. How wretched I felt! I had never had the fever before.
For a few days my head was burning hot. When I got better, and looked
at myself in my little looking-glass I could not recognise myself; I
had not a particle of colour left in my cheeks and I looked as yellow
and pale as a lemon. I got frightened. This fever was the forerunner of
what I had to expect in these equatorial regions.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: ENTICING THE LEOPARD.]