JOURNEY TO YOONGOOLAPAY--HUNTING WITH NETS--THE TERRIBLE BASHIKONAY
ANTS.
On my way to the seashore from the cannibal country, I had a good deal
of trouble. I had taken quite another route to come back; Mbéné and
his people left me on the banks of a river called the Noya, at the
village of a chief called Wanga. From there I pushed my way towards
Yoongoolapay, a village, whose chief is called Alapay. But before
reaching that place, we came one evening to a village called Ezongo.
The inhabitants, seeing our heavy loads, turned out with the greatest
amount of enthusiasm to receive me. Their ardour cooled somewhat when
they learned the contents of my packages, for they were the birds and
animals I had collected. The rascally chief, thinking I must place a
great value on things I had gone so far to get, determined to detain me
till I paid a heavy price to get away; and for a while things looked
as if I should have a good deal of trouble. The king, urged on by his
people, who seemed to be a greedy set of rascals, insisted on his
price, which would have left me empty-handed.
At last my Mbicho guides from the Noya tried to settle the matter. They
were wise enough to get the king to come to me with them alone. I gave
the rascal a coat and an old shirt, and I told him, what was literally
true, that I was very poor, and could not pay what his people wanted.
After this palaver he went out at once and harangued the turbulent
extortioners.
So I passed on safely to the village of my old friend, King Alapay,
whom I had known before, and who was very glad to see me again. He
asked me to stay some days; and being really worn out with constant
exposure, much anxiety, and frequent annoyance, I determined to do so.
His village is charmingly situated upon a high hill, which overlooks
the surrounding country, and has a beautiful stream skirting its base.
Moreover, I found the people very kind, peaceable, and hospitable.
A considerable number of independent Mbicho villages lay within a
circuit of a few miles, the inhabitants of which lived in great harmony
with one another, having prudently intermarried to such a degree
that they really constitute a large family. I was made welcome among
them all, and spent some very pleasant days in hunting with these
kind-hearted people, and particularly in that kind of sport called
by them _asheza_, or net-hunting, a practice very common among the
bakalai, who called it _ashinga_.
This singular sport is very much practised in this part of Africa; and,
as it is generally successful, it is a local amusement, and brings out
the best traits of the natives. I was always very fond of it.
The ashinga nets are generally made of the fibres of the bark of a
kind of tree, which are twisted into stout cords. They are from sixty
to eighty feet long, and four to five feet high; and every well-to-do
village owns at least one. But, as few villages have enough nets to
make a great spread, it generally happens that several unite in a grand
hunt, and divide the proceeds, the game caught in any particular net
falling to the share of its owners.
The first day we went out, the people of half a dozen villages met
together at an appointed place, the men of each bringing their nets.
Then we set out for a spot about ten miles off, where they had a
clearing in the dense woods, which had been used before, and was one of
their hunting-grounds. We moved along in silence, so as not to alarm
the animals which might be near our ground. The dogs--for dogs are used
in this hunt--were kept still, and close together.
Finally, we arrived on the ground, and the work of spreading the toils
began. Each party stretched a single net, tying it up by creepers to
the lower branches of trees. As all worked in the same direction, and
each took care to join his net to that of his neighbour, in a very
short time we had a line of netting running in a wide half circle, and
at least half a mile long.
This done, a party went out on each side, to guard against the chance
of escape, and the rest of us were ready to beat the bush. We started
at about a mile from the nets, and, standing about fifty yards from
each other, we advanced gradually, shouting and making all the noise we
could, at the same time keeping our arms in readiness to shoot or spear
down anything which might come in our way.
Though this very spot had been frequently used for net-hunting, and
was therefore better cleared than the neighbouring woods, yet we were
obliged to proceed almost step by step. Nearly every native carried,
besides his gun, a heavy cutlass or bill, with which it was necessary
literally to hew out a way, the vines and creepers making a network
which only the beasts of the forest could glide through without trouble.
As we advanced, so did the men that guarded the flanks; and thus our
party gradually closed round the prey. Presently we began to hear
shouts, but we could see nothing; and I could only hold my gun in
readiness and pray that my neighbours might not shoot me by mistake;
for they are fearfully reckless when on a chase.
The dogs had for some time been let loose. At last we came in sight of
the nets. We had caught a gazelle of very minute size, called _ncheri_.
It is a very graceful little animal, and would make a pretty pet,
though I have never seen one tamed. A large antelope also was brought
to bay, and shot before I came up; and another antelope, being shot at
and missed, rushed forward and got entangled in the net.
Having drawn this cover, we gathered up the nets and went off with the
dogs, who enjoyed the sport vastly, to try another place. After walking
about three-quarters of an hour we again spread our nets. Here we had
better luck, catching a considerable number of antelopes, gazelles, and
some smaller animals. It was pretty busy work for us. Nearly all the
animals got very much entangled, and the more they tried to get through
the nets the more they became bewildered.
Before breaking up, all the game caught was laid together, that all
might see it. And now I had an opportunity to notice the curious
little sharp-eared dogs, about a foot high, which had been so useful
in driving the animals into our toils. They stood looking at their
prizes with eager and hungry eyes. These dogs often go and hunt for
themselves; and it is no unusual thing for half-a-dozen dogs to drive
an antelope to the neighbourhood of their village, when their barking
arouses the hunters, who come out and kill their quarry.
It was almost dark when we returned to the village of Alapay. One
antelope was put aside for me, being a peculiar species which I wanted
to stuff; and the rest of the meat was immediately divided. The
villagers were delighted at our luck. We were all very hungry, and
cooking began at once. I could hardly wait for the dinner, which was
one worthy of an emperor's palate. It consisted of plantain, cooked in
various ways, and venison of the tenderest sort, stewed in lemon-juice,
and afterwards roasted on charcoal.
I was glad to go to bed early, for I felt very tired. I had travelled
during the day very nearly thirty miles.
But I had scarcely got sound asleep when I was fairly turned out of the
house by a furious attack of the Bashikonay ants. They were already
upon me when I jumped up, and I was bitten by them terribly. I ran out
into the street, and called for help and torches. The natives came out,
the lights were struck, and presently I was relieved. But now we found
that the whole village was attacked. A great army of ants was pouring
in on us, attracted doubtless by the meat in the houses, which they
had smelt afar off. My unfortunate antelope had probably brought them
to my door. All hands had to turn out to defend themselves. We built
little cordons of fires, which kept them away from places they had not
entered, and in this way protected our persons from their attacks.
We scattered hot ashes and boiling water right and left; and towards
morning, having eaten everything they could get at, they left us in
peace. As was to be expected, my antelope was literally eaten up--not a
morsel left.
The vast number, the sudden appearance, and the ferocity of these
frightful creatures never ceased to astonish me. On this occasion they
had come actually in millions. The antelope on which they fed was a
vast mass of living ants, which we could not approach; and it was only
when many fires were lighted that they were forced from their onward
and victorious course, which they generally pursue. Then, however,
they retreated in parties with the greatest regularity, vast numbers
remaining to complete the work of destruction. Little would I give for
the life of a man who should be tied up to a tree when these ants pass
that way and attack him; in two or three hours nothing would be left of
him but the bare bones.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: MANGROVE SWAMP. TUMBLING AND FALLING.]