companions and hailed them with:
"We have had our trouble for nothing, after all. The best thing we can
now do is to make our way back to the ship with all speed, when we can
renew the pursuit, unless, as seems only too probable, we are about to
have our hands full with the coming storm. We have not a moment to
lose, I should say; so I would suggest that each of us put his best foot
foremost."
"Ay, ay," replied Mildmay, "crowd sail we must; for, unless I am greatly
mistaken, we are about to have a regular tornado."
"A tornado!" gasped the professor. "Run--run for your lives; I verily
believe _I forgot to moor the ship_!"
Forgot to moor the ship! Could such fatal carelessness be possible? If
so, they must indeed run for their lives; for should the storm burst
before they reached the ship she would be whirled away over the plain
like an empty bladder before the blast, to what distance and with what
results it was difficult just then to foreshadow; but among the
possibilities which instantly presented themselves to the mind was that
of death to the two inmates of the ship, irreparable damage to the craft
herself, and four persons left to shift for themselves in the very
centre of Africa, with nothing but the clothes they wore, the rifles
they carried, and about a dozen rounds of ammunition apiece. The
prospect was appalling enough to send a momentary spasm of horror
thrilling through the stoutest heart there, but it also at the same time
endowed them with a temporary access of almost supernatural energy; and
the four men at once started for the ship at a speed which, even at the
moment and to themselves, seemed incredible.
The distance they had to traverse was but short, a mere half-mile or so
perhaps; but to the runners it seemed, notwithstanding their speed, as
though they would _never_ reach their goal. The grass was long and
tangled, and rapid progress through it was possible only by a series of
leaps or bounds; any other mode of progression would simply have
resulted in their being tripped up at every other step. This, to men
unaccustomed to such exercise, was in itself a sufficiently fatiguing
process; but in addition to this they had to contend with the stifling
heat of the stagnant atmosphere, which had been oppressive enough even
whilst they had been in a condition of comparative inactivity; now it
seemed to completely sap their strength and cause their limbs to hang
heavy as lead about them. Then, too, the air had become so rarefied
that it seemed impossible to breathe, whilst the blood rushed to their
heads, and their hearts thumped against their ribs until it seemed as
though nature could bear the tremendous exertion no more, and that the
runners must drop dead upon the plain. Still, however, the men sped on,
the portentous aspect of the heavens serving as an effectual spur to
their flagging energies. The dark slate-coloured cloud had already
reached the zenith, deepening in tint meanwhile until it had grown
almost literally as black as ink. Presently a few great drops of hot
rain splashed down upon the panting runners; and, as they rounded the
end of the bush clump and came within view of the _Flying Fish_, a
blinding flash of lightning blazed out from the sable canopy overhead,
accompanied by a deafening peal of thunder which rattled and crashed and
boomed and rumbled and rolled until its echoes gradually died away in
the distance. A perfect deluge of rain almost immediately followed,
wetting the runners to the skin in an instant as effectually as though
they had been plunged into the sea. This lasted for perhaps ten
seconds, during which every object, even to the racing figures of their
companions, was hidden from view by the dense volume of falling water.
Then the rain ceased as abruptly as it had begun, the travellers finding
themselves at the same instant close to the towering hull of the _Flying
Fish_.
"Last man in, close the trap!" gasped the baronet as he dashed up first
to the opening in the ship's bottom. The others were only a few yards
behind him and heard his command; so he wasted no more time in
conversation, but bounded up the long spiral staircase leading to the
pilot-house, having reached which he laid his hands upon the engine
lever and tiller, and gaspingly awaited the signal shout which should
tell him he might move the ship, gazing anxiously out through the
windows meanwhile on the watch for some sign of the bursting of the
hurricane.
He had not long to wait. Almost before he had found time to remove his
hat and wipe the perspiration from his brow a shout came echoing up the
staircase shaft from the bottom of the ship, announcing the fact that
the trap-door was securely closed; and Sir Reginald instantly raised the
ship from the ground, sending the engines gently ahead at the same
moment, and putting the helm hard over so as to bring the _Flying Fish_
stem-on to the direction from which he expected the hurricane.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
A BATTLE ON LAKE TANGANYIKA.
The ship had risen about one hundred feet from the ground, and her
engines had just completed a single revolution, when the black pall of
murky cloud suddenly burst apart on the south-western horizon, revealing
a broad patch of livid coppery-looking sky behind it; and at the same
moment a low moaning sound became audible in the breathless air. A dull
smoky grey veil of vapour seemed at the same time to overspread the more
distant features of the landscape in that quarter, and through it the
baronet and his three companions, who had now rejoined him, saw the
trees and foliage of the most remote clumps of bush bowing themselves
almost to the ground before some mighty invisible force. The moaning
sound rapidly increased in power and volume, the cloud of vapour rushed
down toward them with appalling speed; the long billowy grass was
flattened down to the earth, as if under the pressure of a heavy roller;
the successive clumps of bush were seen to yield one after the other to
the resistless power of the hurricane, and the air in that direction
grew dark with the leaves and branches which were torn from the trees.
"Raise the ship higher. Lift her above the power of the hurricane
altogether if you have still time to do so," shouted the professor in
Sir Reginald's ear, as the roar of the approaching tornado thundered in
their ears with almost deafening intensity.
"No," shouted back the baronet; "I am going to try the experiment of
seeing how she will bear the stroke of the gale. Hold on tight all of
you!"
And as he spoke he sent the engines ahead at full speed, and drove the
ship forward right in the teeth of the hurricane.
The next instant, with an appalling burst of sound, the gale was upon
them. Contrary to their expectations, there was scarcely any
perceptible shock, but the ship's speed was rapidly checked much as is
the speed of an express train when the brakes are suddenly and
powerfully applied, and in some six seconds, though the engines were
still going ahead at their utmost speed, the progress of the _Flying
Fish_ over the ground was as effectually checked as though she had been
lying at anchor.
Meanwhile the air was one vast volume of awful sound, and thick with the
clouds of dust, and tufts of grass, and leaves, and hurtling branches
which were being whirled furiously along upon the wings of the tornado,
so that the inmates of the pilot-house could neither hear each other
speak nor see any object beyond a quarter of a mile away on either side.
This lasted for perhaps three minutes, when the wind suddenly lulled,
and the ship at once began to forge rapidly ahead. The lull lasted
perhaps half a minute, and then ensued a repetition of all that had gone
before, excepting that perhaps the wind was not _quite_ so strong as at
the first outburst. But it was of longer duration, the second
instalment of the gale lasting fully half an hour, after which the wind
gradually dropped to a gentle breeze, the sky cleared, the sun
reappeared in all his wonted splendour, and the air resumed its usual
transparency.
But what a sight was now presented to the view of the travellers; what a
scene of devastation was that which lay outspread around them! The long
grass was pressed so flat to the ground that it would scarcely have
afforded cover to the smallest animal; stately trees were lying
prostrate, either uprooted altogether, or their massive trunks snapped
short off, whilst others still retained their upright position indeed,
but stood denuded of every branch. Other trees again, whilst less
mutilated as to their branches, retained only a few straggling leaves
here and there, and the same thing applied to those dense patches of
creeper-like tangled growth known as "bush," the upper portions of which
presented merely a bristling array of leafless twigs. And in some spots
could be seen huge clumps of "bush" which had been torn bodily out of
the ground and swept remorselessly along for perhaps miles of distance.
But the strangest sight of all was presented by the animals. From a
height of one thousand feet, to which the _Flying Fish_ had by this time
risen, a very wide extent of the plateau below could be surveyed, and on
this in every direction could be seen the wild creatures of the forest,
the jungle, and the plain, many of them suffering from injuries more or
less severe, received during the progress of the tornado, and all of
them exhibiting unmistakable and in some instances surprising evidences
of demoralisation and terror. Deer and antelopes of various species lay
crouched upon the ground palpably quivering with fear, or limped
painfully about on three legs, the fourth being doubtless injured
through the creature having been hurled violently to the ground, or
struck by some falling branch. The lion and his mate could be seen here
and there wandering harmlessly and aimlessly to and fro in the midst of
hundreds of creatures which on ordinary occasions would afford them a
welcome prey, but which were now too completely overcome with terror to
notice their presence. In one place a fine elephant lay prostrate, his
massive spine apparently broken by the fall of an enormous tree, the
trunk of which had pinned him to the ground; and in another, an immense
assemblage of animals of the most mixed and antagonistic species were
seen huddled promiscuously together under the lee of an immense belt of
bush, where they seemed to have found a shelter from which they were
evidently still afraid to venture.
At length, having seen enough to afford them a tolerably clear idea of
the destruction wrought by the storm, the professor suggested the
retracing of their steps with the object of again finding, if possible,
the troop of unicorns. The ship was accordingly put about, and in a
short time the spot was reached on which still lay the carcasses of the
leopard and the female unicorn. Here she was again brought temporarily
to the ground in order that the party might secure the two skins, which
was done; but the hide of the unicorn was so dreadfully lacerated by the
claws of the leopard that the professor was plunged into the lowest
depths of chagrin and despondency. The pursuit of the lost animals was
now once more taken up; the ship rising to a height of five thousand
feet into the air and then going ahead dead slow in the direction taken
by the unicorns, the four gentlemen, armed with their most powerful
telescopes, posting themselves in advantageous positions on deck and
minutely examining every yard of the ground over which they passed.
This method of proceeding was continued until nightfall without result;
and it then became evident that the animals of which they were in
pursuit had somehow eluded them.
"Well," said the professor, endeavouring to put a good face upon his
disappointment, as, the ship having been carefully brought to earth and
securely moored for the night, the party left the pilot-house and went
below to take their evening bath previous to dinner, "it is
disappointing, but it cannot be helped. Perhaps we shall be fortunate
enough to encounter them or others to-morrow as we wend our way
southward. And, _a propos_ of our next destination, I have a suggestion
which I should like to make, and which I will lay before you when we
meet at the dinner-table."
Accordingly, when they had fairly settled down to the meal that evening,
Sir Reginald called upon the scientist for his suggestion or proposal.
"I must preface it," said von Schalckenberg, "by informing you that I
have again been diving into my lamented friend's note-book, which I may
say _en passant_ is the most remarkable volume I have ever come across.
And in it I find, under the heading of `Africa,' a most clever and
scholarly disquisition on `the site of ancient Ophir,' the place from
which it is recorded that David obtained gold for the building of
Solomon's temple. I need not inflict upon you the various arguments and
authorities which are cited in the endeavour to identity the position of
this most interesting spot; suffice it to say, that I am morally
convinced I can lay my finger upon it on the map. The principal, indeed
I may say the _only_ reasons why the region has never yet been explored
are, first, its extreme difficulty of access except by sea; and
secondly, the fact that all recorded attempts to penetrate it have been
thwarted by the inhabitants, who are a most jealous, warlike, and savage
race of people. _We_, however, are fortunately possessed of
exceptional, or I should rather say unique, means of approach to this
unknown country; and my suggestion is that we should--"
"Do it," interrupted the baronet. "Most certainly we _will_, my dear
sir, and I am exceedingly obliged to you for the proposal. The
adventure will doubtless possess a piquant flavouring of danger about
it, but I presume that will scarcely be regarded by any of us as a
drawback?" glancing across the table to the colonel and Mildmay.
"Scarcely," echoed Lethbridge lazily, as he held his glass of wine up
critically to the light.
"Did you say `danger?'" laughed Mildmay. "This craft of yours is so
confoundedly safe, Sir Reginald, that upon my word I have almost
forgotten what danger is; so if you really think you can find a place
where we may once more come within hail of it, pray take us there
without loss of time. For my part, I am becoming positively effeminate,
and unless I can speedily have a chance of getting my head broken I
shall be utterly ruined for `the service' when I go back to it."
"So be it," said the baronet. "Ancient Ophir is our next destination;
and we will start to-morrow morning. You, professor, I know will not
shrink from danger when the solving of so interesting a question is
concerned."
"Ah, ah! try me," laughed the professor joyously--"try me, my friend,
and you shall see."
Accordingly, on the following morning after breakfast a general
adjournment was made to the pilot-house, where, with map and chart
spread out before them, and the professor's treasured volume beside them
for reference, the probable site of ancient Ophir was at length
definitely located; when the course and distance were ascertained, and a
start made.
Being anxious to see as much as possible of the country during their
passage over it, a low rate of speed--averaging about twenty miles per
hour--was maintained; the day's journey beginning at six o'clock in the
morning, and terminating at the same hour in the evening, when a halt
was called and the ship brought to earth for the night.
On the fourth day of this part of their journey, shortly after effecting
their morning's start, they came within sight of an immense lake; and a
slight deviation from their prescribed course was made in order that a
thorough examination of it might be effected. A long range of hills,
which had been sighted on the previous day, lay on their left hand; and,
on clearing the southern spurs of these, they found that another large
body of water lay beyond or to the eastward of them; a river connecting
the two lakes, afterwards identified by them as lakes Albert Nyanza and
Tanganyika. Rising in the air to a height of about ten thousand feet,
they slowly traversed the latter from its northern extremity, reaching
its widest part--which they estimated to be about sixty miles across--at
mid-day.
And here a most exciting scene presented itself. An hour previously a
dark mass had been sighted near the western shore of the lake, which
mass had at first been taken for an island; but, on a nearer approach,
the supposed island had resolved itself into an immense fleet of canoes,
in number about three hundred, manned by from four to twenty men in
each, rapidly making its way toward the western shore. So large a
concourse of craft, coupled with the fact that the crews were
elaborately "got up" with paint, feathers, and skins, and were well
provided with bows and arrows, spears, shields, and clubs--to say
nothing of a few very antiquated-looking muskets which the travellers'
glasses revealed here and there--seemed to point to the conclusion that
a hostile expedition was afoot, or, rather, afloat; and the explorers
resolved upon a temporary pause in order to watch the course of events.
The natives were so intent upon their paddling that--facing forward as
they all were, with the _Flying Fish_ somewhat in their rear and nearly
a mile above them--not one of them seemed to have detected the near
vicinity of the aerial ship; and the fleet diligently pursued its course
landward, the short broad-bladed paddles moving to the time of a deep,
sonorous, but somewhat monotonous song, which, issuing as it did from
the throats of probably quite two thousand warriors, was distinctly
audible on board the _Flying Fish_, and really had quite an impressive
effect.
The flotilla had reached within about four miles of the shore, and of a
tolerably extensive native settlement built thereon on both sides of a
river which at that point emptied itself into the lake, when a sudden
confused beating of drums and blowing of horns seemed to indicate that
the menaced tribe had at last become awakened to the unpleasant fact
that an invasion of their territory was imminent. The summons was
responded to with very commendable celerity, the men swarming out of the
settlement like ants out of an ant-heap; and in less than ten minutes
nearly a hundred canoes were launched and manned, and advancing boldly
to meet the enemy, whilst the laggards pushed off by twos and threes as
soon afterwards as they could get down to the beach, all making the most
strenuous efforts to join the main body.
To the observers on board the _Flying Fish_ it seemed that the attacked
party had made a grave mistake in thus taking to their canoes and
advancing in them to meet the enemy; the colonel's impression being that
they would have done better if they had awaited their foes on the beach
and harassed them during their attempt to effect a landing. But it soon
became evident that the threatened tribe knew perfectly well what they
were about, their canoes being larger and steadier than those of their
opponents, and their method of handling them greatly superior.
The opposing forces encountered each other at a distance of about two
miles from the western shore of the lake, when a simultaneous discharge
of arrows was poured in by both sides, after which the two fleets
closed, and a most determined and sanguinary battle commenced. The
invaders outnumbered their opponents nearly in the proportion of two to
one; yet the latter not only gallantly held their own, but actually
appeared now and then to gain some slight temporary advantage. Spears
were thrown and arrows were shot by hundreds; the heavily-knobbed war-
clubs were wielded with untiring activity and terrible effect; and,
occasionally, a flash and a faint puff of smoke followed by a report
told that one of the ancient muskets had been brought into play. The
shouting of commands, the cries of anguish or defiance, the shrieks of
the wounded, and the yells of triumph united in the creation of a most
deafening din; and that it was not noise only, but work as well, was
speedily manifested by the numerous bodies, splashing and struggling in
the agonies of death, or floating quiescent on the surface of the lake.
"How stubbornly the rascals fight!" remarked Lethbridge at last, when
the battle had been hotly raging for fully three-quarters of an hour
without yielding to either side any decided advantage. "I wonder what
the quarrel is all about?"
"It is difficult to say," answered the professor, who seemed to consider
the question as addressed to himself; "it may be a simple case of tribal
animosity; it may be an attack of retaliation; or it may be a slave-
hunting expedition. It is pretty sure to be one or the other of those
three, but it is impossible to say which."
"Well," remarked Mildmay, "whatever the cause of the fight, my
sympathies are all with the weaker side. Cannot we help the poor
wretches a little? A shot or two from our rifles--"
"Would ensure to either party a victory," interrupted the baronet.
"Yes; that is quite true. But how can we tell which party--if either--
is fighting in the cause of right and justice? We cannot take the part
of either the aggressors or the defenders without a certain lurking
doubt that in so doing we may perhaps be unwittingly giving aid and
encouragement to the evil-doer. My sympathies are, like yours, on the
side of the defenders; but I am afraid we must let them fight it out
unaided."
And fight it out they did in the most gallant manner, the invaded
baffling all attempts on the part of the invaders to get even a small
portion of their force between them and the shore; and finally, by what
looked like a last supreme and desperate effort, putting the foe to
flight, and pursuing him triumphantly and persistently in his retreat,
harassing his rear, cutting off and capturing stragglers, and in every
possible way worrying and annoying him so thoroughly that, to those on
board the _Flying Fish_, it looked unlikely in the extreme that the
attack, whether provoked or not, would ever be repeated.
The combatants had evidently been far too busy to notice the
extraordinary apparition floating in the sky above them; but just as the
battle was about to commence a crowd of women and children, with a few
decrepit old men, had assembled on the beach, seemingly to watch the
conflict; and on bringing the telescopes to bear on these it soon became
apparent, by their gestures and cries of amazement, that they had seen
the ship.
"Yes," said the professor, peering through his telescope, "they see us
undoubtedly, but they can detect neither form nor details. The sun is
immediately behind them, you will observe; consequently, as it is
shining full upon our burnished hull, those people, in the position they
now occupy, will be able to see nothing but a shapeless blaze of
dazzling effulgence, which they will doubtless take as an outward
manifestation of their particular deity's favour, and an indication that
he is present to crown their cause with victory."
And indeed there was plenty of evidence to support this singular
opinion, for the people, though evidently astonished beyond measure,
manifested delight rather than fear at what they saw, stretching out
their hands, palms upward, by way of greeting and salute, whilst many
were seen to hurry away to the village and back, bringing with them
offerings of fruit, goats, and fowls, which they ranged in a line ("in
order to make the most of them," as Mildmay suggested) along the margin
of the lake. The proffered offering was, however, unaccepted, and, the
battle being over, the _Flying Fish_ resumed her course along the centre
line of the lake, reaching its southern extremity in time to select a
halting-place before sunset.