The King of the Maleggas only left us at the farthest extremity of
his kingdom, and very sorry we were to part with this intelligent,
humane, and, relatively speaking, civilized chief, who has behaved so
well to our caravan. He, too, had tears in his eyes as he warmly
shook hands with us, and for a long time we could see him following
us with his gaze as we went farther and farther away from him. Miss
Poles, of course, assumed that all this was intended for her, and, by
way of reply, sent countless kisses through the intervening air. But
Delange, notwithstanding his protests, had constituted himself the
guardian of this impressionable creature, and he had taken very good
care to confine Miss Poles to aerial osculation.
Ali has not misled us; the country through which we are passing does
not in any way resemble that of the Maleggas. No more pasture land,
no more cultivation, no more pretty little villages nestling among
wooded slopes; torrents, rocks, and sharp-pointed stones have
replaced all these. We are evidently upon an old spur of the mountain
range already visible in the horizon. Some severe volcanic shock must
have produced this effect in days gone by; a portion of the mountain
must have been detached, in the first instance, and subjected
afterwards to a leveling process which has brought about the stony,
unequal, deeply indented ground over which we have been passing
to-day.
But vegetation is so luxuriant and irresistible in these parts that
superb trees raise their heads amidst weird and jagged ridges, and
palms, with their bare stems and fan-like foliage, stand side by side
with aloes on the banks of the torrents.
The temperature, in this semi-desert, is stifling; there is but an
imperceptible line of shadow at the foot of the rocks, and the earth
seems to faint under the burden of the heat. Our army winds slowly,
like a huge serpent, along the turnings and twistings of the road.
The men march in silence, step by step, rifles in hand, and ready for
any emergency. A scouting party has been organized by de Morin to
warn us of coming danger, and the army is composed of several
battalions, subdivided into companies. We occupy the centre of this
force with our own personal escort, and the Monbuttoos whom we have
trained in the use of the rifle.
Munza, still suffering from his wound, is close to us, carried on a
shield. Madame de Guéran reclines in a hammock slung from large
poles, borne by eight Nubians, who advance with measured step.
Delange, de Morin, and I are on foot, the last horse we had having
been attacked in the Malegga country by the _tsetse_, a fly whose
bite, though harmless to human beings and wild animals, is fatal to
horses.
Finally, Joseph, induced by his natural indolence to prolong his
period of convalescence, is carried on the back of an ox, converted
for the nonce into a beast of burden. The flocks and herds follow
after, and they are of considerable dimensions, thanks to the
generosity of Kadjoro. We cannot count upon receiving any hospitality
at the hands of the Walindis, and we have taken our precautions
accordingly. Our caravan and the army generally are plentifully
supplied with cattle and grain, for we have come to an arrangement
with Munza that there shall be no plundering until we are attacked.
However, there are at present no symptoms of hostility; nobody
opposes our advance; no one flies at our approach. On the contrary,
in front of every village (we go round them instead of passing
through them) the inhabitants assemble to see us pass.
Has Queen Walinda changed her mind about us, or is she at this moment
collecting her forces and waiting until we have advanced farther into
the interior of her country to attack us? This latter supposition is
the more probable one.
The natives of this district are evidently conscious of their
strength, and are not tormented by a thousand and one fears on the
approach of strangers. Consequently, when we see them gathered
together, it often happens that Delange, de Morin, and I leave the
army for the purpose of making a more minute inspection of them.
They are a fine race, superior even to the Maleggas, whose physical
attractions have already commanded our admiration. Their facial angle
is strictly correct, the forehead rather wide, the lips thick but not
swollen, the teeth good and even, and if their noses are not aquiline
they are, at all events, delicately rounded. The most complete nudity
appears to be obligatory throughout the entire tribe, a decree of
banishment having apparently been pronounced against the slightest
strip of hide, or the minutest leaf. Some sovereign, in order to give
his people full liberty to develop themselves and spread out
unfettered, must have decreed a sumptuary law on the most radical
lines.
We are not yet in the presence of the regular amazons, those who,
according to the report of M. de Guéran, form part of the active
army; we only see here and there the sedentary ones, national guards
at the disposal of the chiefs of the various districts. Nevertheless,
these second-class women, if I may call them so, would be eagerly
sought after as models by all our sculptors. Their necks are well set
on spreading shoulders, their limbs are muscular and admirably
proportioned, and the play of their muscles is very marked.
"They are superb," says Delange, always enthusiastic over the human
form divine in living bronze. "The natives of this country are
evidently daughters of Venus, and that goddess of antiquity must have
had amongst her numerous train of admirers some negro deity who has
been discreetly ignored in the Mythology."
As is the case with several other tribes, the women of Ulindi,
disdaining all clothing and ornament, give way to considerable luxury
in the manner of dressing their hair. Their thick, abundant tresses,
curly rather than woolly, are restrained by a fillet, or network of
bark. Instead of falling over the temples, the neck, or the
shoulders, all the plaits and straggling locks are gathered together
on the top of the head, and rise one above the other until they form
a thick pad of hair, a species of extremely solid cushion, capable of
resisting any sword cut, however well directed. The majority of these
new-fangled helmets are stained with red ochre, a natural dye
obtained from the clay deposited by the streams in the ravines of the
country. Some coquettes also dye their eyelashes and eyebrows with
this ochre, and from a distance they look like red-haired negroes, a
combination which nature, notwithstanding her eccentricities, never
allows.
We managed, also, to gain access to some of the huts, surrounded by
three circular walls like regular bastions, and surmounted by a
spherical roof made of rushes bound together by a fine, flexible sort
of grass. As soon as you have stooped down and made your way on all
fours through the aperture which serves as a door to these huts, you
experience an indefinable sense of enjoyment; to the equatorial heat
outside succeeds a most refreshing coolness. In a moment, however,
you are anxious to get out again, and make for the door, or hole, to
speak more correctly. This arises from the circumstance that two or
three brands, placed in a corner of the cabin, are kept continually
smoking in order to drive away the mosquitoes and dry the skins which
curtain the walls of the hut. I saw many lion skins, there being
numbers of those animals, so we were told, in the neighbouring
districts. Against these the amazons wage a continual warfare,
because in the chances of the chase, as well as of war, they can gain
the husband, the reward of their bravery.
December 8th.—For twelve days we have been marching in Ulindi, and
still have no news of the Queen! It might be supposed that she was
either entirely ignorant of our arrival in her dominions, or that she
does not condescend to bother her head about us. But there is
evidently some scheme on foot; the chiefs of these districts fly at
our approach for fear we should question them. All the able-bodied
men, and all the women capable of fighting have disappeared from the
villages. There only remain the children and old men, who, in fear
and trembling, make all sorts of grimaces instead of answering our
questions. An appalling void has been created all around us.
We shall soon find out the answer to this terrible riddle, for Ali
tells us that we are scarcely three days' march from the royal
residence. Moreover, the mountains, which serve as the south eastern
frontier of Ulindi, rear themselves up about a dozen leagues from us.
We can see their crests, and distinguish every bend in them. In the
foreground, and in the centre is Mount Maccorly or M'Caroli, from
fifteen to eighteen hundred feet high; behind it are two long chains,
one behind the other, whose peaks are lost in the clouds. They lie
almost due N.N.E. and S.S.W., and extend for about thirty leagues.
Our telescopes are not only levelled towards this distant horizon;
they are turned in all directions and scan every feature of the
landscape. We ourselves do duty as scouts, and we do not allow the
army to advance without reconnoitring at short intervals. This army,
moreover, is a source of astonishment to us. Is it conscious of the
danger it runs, and does it obey us instinctively? Has the discipline
we have attempted to introduce into it had a great effect on these
savages? Or is it reserving its strength for a grand _razzia_ of
lovely prisoners, and a meal off the most appetizing of them?
Whatever may be the reason, not a soul strays from the line of march
we mark out in advance; there is no quarrelling; the natives and
their dwellings are alike respected. We are indeed glad of it; let
the battle come—we have right on our side.
Of all the Monbuttoos, Munza, who ought to set an example of calmness
and self-possession, is certainly the least tractable and the most
excited. If it had not been for Madame de Guéran, who is occupied
incessantly in soothing him, he would already have burnt a village or
two, and massacred a goodly number of natives. His inaction weighs
upon him, the unknown unnerves him, the utter silence and void around
us, which are day by day becoming more marked, make him uneasy. He
longs, even at the risk of imprudence, to emerge from out the
profound night in which we now are. As soon, too, as he again saw
Madame de Guéran, who is regaining her strength, as soon as he could
be by her side, and she could speak to him, his insane passion
appeared to return in all its strength.
Good heavens, what a situation! If we are attacked and conquered by
the Walindis, it is death! If we are victors, we shall have to fight
another battle with Munza to regain our freedom—and we have armed him
against us! Eighty of his picked men are in possession of rifles and
revolvers, all his troops have now some idea of fighting, and he is
in a position to command them. We have taught him all we know! De
Morin imparted to me, in confidence, these fears and, heaven knows, I
share them.
Delange continues to deplore, very cheerfully all the same, the
filial affection of Dr. Desrioux, which led to his taking that loving
son's place. But, above all, he envies Pommerelle who, after having
risked his life once as far as Monaco, has not hit upon the happy
idea of journeying two thousand leagues farther to bring us
reinforcements and cigars.
"He is a selfish egotist," says Delange. "He prefers whispering soft
nothings into the ear of that questionable flame of his, who will
hook him in the end! And he will have missed seeing Ulindi! A country
of adorable, but unapproachable women!"
Miss Poles utters no sound; her thoughts, her regrets, and her
amorous despair drive away all fear. She is marching on to death with
her eyes shut. Perhaps she courts it! Without Kadjoro, life is
wearisome!
Joseph, on the contrary, is fully alive to the situation, and
protests as vehemently as his fat will allow him to do. But de Morin
disposes of him very quickly by informing him that he is quite at
liberty to return alone to the Rue Taitbout.
December 11th.—About five o'clock this morning I left my tent to look
about me. Large, confused bodies of people are moving on the rising
ground which surrounds us on every side. The army of the Walindis has
taken advantage of the night to advance towards us, and is now
endeavouring to close in upon us.