"What can have become of them?" exclaimed Natty for the twentieth time
as we stood examining the canoe. "But here come the blacks. Perhaps
they will find out."
The chief and several of his followers assembled round the canoe, and
began to talk eagerly to each other. They arrived at length at some
conclusion, but what it was we could not divine. Then they examined the
ground round, and seemed to discover certain marks, as one called the
other to look at them. Then away they ran up the path, and began
beating about in the surrounding wood. They came back shaking their
heads, and when we by signs asked them what had happened, they pointed
to the south.
"Depend upon it, Andrew," exclaimed Natty, "Leo and Mango have gone in
that direction. Let us set off after them."
"I will try and make the blacks understand that we intend to do so," I
answered.
I succeeded in explaining my wishes; but the blacks only shook their
woolly pates, and made signs that if we did, we should be knocked on the
head, or that daggers would be stuck into us.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" cried Natty, "can that have been the fate of Leo
and Mango?"
"I hope not," I said. "If anybody has carried them off, they would not
have done so for the sake of killing them. What I suspect is, that the
neighbouring tribe is at war with our present friends, and that they
happened to be making a raid into the country, and falling in with Leo
and Mango, carried them off captives. It was evident from the signs
these people made to us that they did not wish us to cross the stream,
which they probably considered the boundary line between their territory
and that of the tribe with which they are at war. I may be mistaken,
but we must try and return as soon as possible, and let Timbo and Igubo
know what has occurred. If we can ascertain from them to what place Leo
and Mango have been carried, we must lose no time in endeavouring to
release them."
"Oh yes," said Natty, "I am nearly sure they must have been carried away
prisoners, or they would have come up the river and endeavoured to
release us, as I said they would do."
When, however, I explained to the chief that we wished to return to the
part of the country from whence we had come, I found that he had no
intention of letting us go. Still I hoped, of course, that we might
find the means of escaping. At present, indeed, as we had no food, we
were not unwilling to accompany the chief to his village, to which by
signs he invited us. As we walked along I saw him eyeing my gun. I
showed it him, holding it, however, pretty tightly, lest he should think
fit to appropriate it. I saw by the way he looked at the weapon, that
he was unacquainted with its use. First he examined the lock, and then
put the muzzle to his eye and looked down the barrel. I hoped that
before long, by means of my gun, I might be able to gain the respect of
the people. I determined, therefore, not to fire until a favourable
opportunity should occur. I in the meantime took great care that no one
should wrest the weapon out of my hands. The people as we went along
gathered round us, some coming up and touching our clothes, others
putting their hands on our faces, evidently unable to understand the
light colour of our skins. When the people began to press too closely
round, the chief ordered them angrily to keep at a distance; and some
still persevering, he swung his spear round and round, hitting them,
without much ceremony, either on their shins or heads, when they quickly
retreated to a more respectful distance.
I was very glad when at length the village appeared in sight. It was
situated on the borders of a small gulf, I will call it, or the mouth of
a stream near the lake, surrounded by a belt of elegant fan-palms and a
number of gigantic wild fruit trees. Beyond it the lake was seen
extending far as the eye could reach, though in some places the water
was concealed from sight by vast masses of reeds and rushes of every
shade and hue, several beautiful little islands being dotted over it,
adorned with the richest vegetation, its many beauties heightened by the
brilliant rays of a tropical sun, somewhat softened by the silvery mist
which rose from the lake. The village was very similar in character to
that which Stanley had visited,--so I concluded from his description. A
plentiful repast was placed before us by the chief's wife and her
attendants soon after we arrived. The principal dish consisted of
hippopotamus flesh, but there were plantains and cassava porridge, with
an abundance of wild fruits, the best of which was the moshoma, both
fresh and dried. We had seen the tree growing outside the village. It
grows to a great height. The trunk was beautifully straight, and the
branches did not begin to spread out till very nearly at the summit.
The fruit can thus only be gathered when it falls to the ground. It is
then collected and exposed to the sun for some time. After it has been
dried it is pounded in a mortar, when it is fit for use. In that state
it will keep for some time. It is generally mixed with water, and made
into a sort of jelly, which tastes and looks not unlike honey. It is
especially useful for giving a flavour to the otherwise tasteless
cassava porridge.
The chief seemed very well disposed towards us, and now, as the day was
drawing to a close, he pointed to some mats in a corner of his hut, and
signified that we might sleep there. Having been in exercise all the
day, in spite of our anxiety we slept very soundly. The village was
astir at an early hour. Though the appearance of the people was not
attractive, they were more civilised than I had expected, and in the
neighbourhood of the village we saw a wide extent of fairly cultivated
ground. A bowl of cassava porridge, sweetened with moshoma, was placed
before us for our morning meal, and Natty and I did ample justice to it.
We now thought that we might let the chief know we were in a hurry to
go away, but he shook his head, saying that that could not be. What his
object was in keeping us we were unable to comprehend. It was very
evident that he had made up his mind we should stay with him, for some
time at least. The more we urged him to allow us to take our departure,
the more determined he seemed to keep us. At last I thought it wise to
give up the point for the present. We were allowed, however, to walk
about, but were always accompanied by either the chief himself, or four
or five of his attendants armed with spears, or bows and arrows. Some
of the latter were blunt-headed, and others were barbed, and, I
suspected, poisoned. We found a party of them setting out for the
forest at a short distance, and wishing to see what they were about, we
accompanied them. We found them engaged in making what we afterwards
discovered to be bee-hives. They first took off the bark of some small
trees, fifteen or eighteen inches in diameter and about five feet in
width. They managed this by making two incisions right round, the trunk
five feet apart. A longitudinal slit from one to the other enabled them
to detach the bark from the trunk. The bark immediately assumed the
shape it had before, and where the slit was made it was sewn together
again with the fibre of a tree called the _motuia_. It thus formed a
wooden cylinder. A top and bottom were next fixed in it, formed of
grass rope, the lower one having a hole in the centre for the ingress
and egress of the bees. When the hives, as I shall call them, were
completed, they carried them off, and placed them high up in lofty trees
in different parts of the forest. The bees which were flying about
seeking habitations soon discovered them, and even while we were there
some were already taken possession of. A piece of cloth was tied round
the trunk of each tree, which, when I came to inquire about the matter,
I learned was looked upon as a charm, and was sufficient to prevent any
thieves robbing the hives. In the woods a number of beautiful yellow
birds were flying about, some of which I afterwards saw in cages in the
house of the chief and several of his people. The cages were very
neatly made, and had traps on the tops to entice their still free
companions. The chief called the birds _cabazo_, and I found that they
were a species of canary. They fed them on a plant called the _lotsa_,
of which they cultivate a considerable quantity for food, and wild
canaries come and help themselves, much as sparrows do to the seeds
which the gardeners have sown at home. I saw also several tame pigeons.
Early in the morning numerous other little songsters were chirruping
merrily away, some singing quite as loudly as our English thrushes; and
one, the king-hunter, _Halcyon senegalensis_, makes a clear whirring
sound like that of a whistle with a pea in it. As we were returning,
suddenly we saw streaming out of a hole innumerable flying creatures.
They formed a dense column. Out they came; there seemed to be no end of
them. No sooner did our companions catch sight of them than they made
chase. As the insects began to scatter, they appeared like snow-flakes
floating about in the air. They were, I suspected, white ants. After
flying a considerable distance they alighted on the ground, when, as we
watched them, they bent up their tails, unhooked their wings, and began
immediately digging away with wonderful rapidity into the earth. They
had good need of haste, for birds were seen assembling from all
quarters, numerous hawks being among them, who began snapping them up
with the greatest avidity. The natives, too, immediately set to work to
collect them, giving them a pinch and putting them into baskets which
they carried at their sides. They were quite as eager to obtain them as
the birds were. On picking some of them up I found that they were fully
half an inch long, as thick as a crow-quill, and very fat. One I caught
had its wings on, and fancying from the ease with which its fellows got
rid of these appendages themselves that I could help it, I made the
attempt, but the wings appeared to me as if hooked into the body, and I
tore away a piece of the flesh at the same time. As long as an ant was
to be found, the natives continued picking them up; and I suspect, out
of the whole brood but a small number could have reached places of
safety beneath the earth.
Our companions hurried home with their prizes, when they immediately
lighted fires, and roasted the ants, much as they might have done
chestnuts. All hands gathered round and ate them eagerly, evidently
considering them among the greatest of delicacies. When they saw us
watching them, they offered us some. "No, no," said Natty; "I do not
know what I may do, but I have not come to that yet." The chief, who
had the larger share brought to him, sat on the ground, rolling his eyes
round as he dropped insect after insect into his mouth, evidently
enjoying the repast, and seemed to look with an eye of pity on us when
we declined partaking of it.
Soon after this we observed a number of the men dressing themselves up
in a curious manner. Some had covered their heads with caps made of the
skins of water-antelopes, with the horns still attached, part of the
skin hanging down over their shoulders so as to conceal the upper part
of their bodies. Others had manufactured the heads and beaks and long
necks of white cranes into coverings for their heads. Carrying their
bows and arrows in their hands, and quivers and darts at their backs,
they set forth to the bank of the lake. We watched them crawling along
amid the reeds, their heads alone being visible, and looking very like
the animals they intended to represent. I could see in the distance on
a sedgy bank several dark objects, which I guessed were crocodiles. The
hunters approached them cautiously, now stopping, just as an antelope or
crane would do to feed, now advancing again, now stopping, till they had
got within bow-shot of the creatures. Then, quickly raising their
weapons, they let fly at the same moment. The result at that distance I
could not ascertain, but it appeared to me that, although I saw some
movement among the objects, yet two or more remained on the bank. The
hunters rushed on, now careless of exhibiting themselves, and in a short
time returned with some of the flesh of the creatures they had killed.
They immediately set out again, and as I watched to ascertain the
direction they took, I saw in the far distance several buffaloes going
down to drink at the lake. They were not back till dark; but, from the
quantity of buffalo flesh they brought with them, I had no doubt they
had killed one or two of the animals. Their plump cheeks and bodies
showed that they had an abundance of food; and they were liberal in
bestowing on us as much as we could desire.
Our friends remained for a couple of days, enjoying, after the African
fashion, the abundance of food they had collected. Whenever we
signified our wish to depart, the chief, as before, strenuously opposed
it. In vain I protested against being detained, and made signs that we
were determined to go, whether he wished it or not. This made him very
angry, and from his manner when he left us, we feared that, should we
really make the attempt, he would use force to prevent us. We
therefore, as other people have done, had to yield to circumstances, and
to make the best of our position. At last we agreed that we would
appear to be contented with our lot, so as, if possible, to throw our
captors off their guard. They were the most active and persevering
hunters of any people we had yet met with. The morning after the last
piece of buffalo flesh had been eaten (it had been rather too high for
our stomachs), we found that they were preparing to set off on a hunting
expedition, and we were not sorry to find that they expected us to
accompany them. I carried my gun: I should have said I never let it out
of my hand by day, and always placed it under my mat by night, that no
one might take it from me. The chief, I fancy, looked upon it as my
fetish, and certainly regarded it with considerable awe. Whether or not
he had discovered that it had made the noise he had heard, I could not
as yet ascertain. Among the hunters was a young man, whom we found to
be the chief's son. He was one of the best-looking of the tribe, though
that is not saying much for him. He was, however, good-natured, and
seemed inclined to make friends of us. We therefore kept by his side.
About thirty hunters set out, headed by the young chief. They were
armed with long spears and bundles of javelins, on which they appeared
to depend for killing their prey, trusting to their activity and the
knowledge of the animals they might attack to get out of their way. We
passed through the wood we had before visited, and continued across an
open prairie till we arrived at a forest of considerable size, extending
on either hand as far as the eye could reach. The band at once entered
it, spreading themselves out so as to beat a large part of the wood, but
yet continuing within call, if not always within sight of each other.
Natty and I followed the young chief. After proceeding some way one of
the men came up, and presently we saw that they were all closing in
towards a point a little way ahead. As we advanced I saw, just over the
bushes, the back of a large white rhinoceros. The monster had come
there probably to enjoy the shade of the wood. It seemed to be alone.
The men all approached cautiously, concealing themselves under the
brushwood till they were close upon the creature, then, starting up,
they hurled their darts at it. The rhinoceros started forward, pursued
by the hunters, the young chief taking the lead. Suddenly the creature
seemed to stagger forward. Its front feet had sunk into a hole or
artificial pit, I could not ascertain which. As it did so, instead of
struggling, it remained perfectly quiet. At this juncture the young
chief, with his spear in his hand, leaped on the animal's back,
intending apparently to plunge the spear into its head behind the ear.
At that moment it suddenly reared itself up, and before our friend could
leap off again began tearing away at a rapid rate through the forest.
He clung to his seat in a wonderful way. His spear, however, before he
could strike it into the animal's neck, was hurled by a bough from his
hand. The hunters pursued, shrieking loudly through fear of the life of
their young chief. I too dreaded lest he should be thrown off, when the
animal would too probably turn round upon him, and, before assistance
could arrive, might transfix him with its terrible horn. I was also
afraid to fire, lest I might wound the young man. His companions
followed, shrieking and shouting as fast as they could. Natty and I
followed after, but could not make way through the thick and tangled
underwood so rapidly as the blacks. We were therefore left behind.
Presently the rhinoceros turned, and came tearing towards us, forcing
its way through the underwood. Still the black kept his seat, when the
rhinoceros, swerving on one side, passed under the bough of a tree, and
in the same manner that he had lost his spear he himself was hurled to
the ground. He attempted to rise, but his ankle had apparently been
sprained, and before he had gone many paces down he fell. The enraged
creature seemed aware that it had got rid of its rider. It stopped, and
eyeing him with a savage glance, rushed towards him with its horn
pointed at his body. Now, I felt, was the time for me to fire, or the
young man would certainly be killed. I had, providentially, a rest for
my gun, and pulling the trigger, my bullet hit the rhinoceros directly
behind the ear. The impetus it had gained sent it on several paces. A
loud shriek rent the air; but just before it reached the young chief
over it fell, and lay perfectly still. We ran forward to help up our
young friend. He glanced up in my countenance with a look which showed
that he was grateful for the service I had rendered him. He then took
my hand and pressed it to his lips. In a few minutes the rest of the
hunters came up, when he addressed them, and, I concluded, was telling
them what I had done. I certainly never fired a shot with so much
satisfaction. The men came round Natty and I, their whole demeanour
completely changed, evidently looking upon us as heroes worthy of
renown, while some begged to examine the wonderful weapon which had done
the deed.
As soon as the hunters had cut up the rhinoceros, we returned in triumph
to the village. The chief showed that he appreciated the service I had
rendered him in saving the life of his son by warmly embracing us--a
ceremony, by-the-by, with which we would gladly have dispensed. We were
now, instead of being looked upon as prisoners at large, treated with
every consideration; and when I signified that the only reward we
required was to be allowed to return to our homes, I understood him to
beg that we would remain one day longer, when he would accompany us as
far as he could venture to go.
I suspected that his tribe were at war with their neighbours, as scouts
were constantly coming and going, and that this was the reason why he
could not accompany us in our search for Leo and Mango. We would gladly
at once have set off to look for them; but when we showed a wish to go
to the south, he made us understand that they were already carried a
long way off, and that, coming from his village, we should be looked
upon as enemies, and probably murdered. This we thought so likely, that
we agreed it would be prudent to return home to obtain the assistance of
our friends.
There was a grand feast at night on the flesh of the rhinoceros, and
dancing and singing were kept up till a late hour--an amusement we would
willingly have avoided.
Natty and I talked over the possibility of returning in the canoe, but
there were no paddles; and we could scarcely have propelled her, even
had we made some. We begged the chief to take care of her till our
return, and this he promised, as far as we could understand, faithfully
to do.
Next morning we again expressed our anxiety to set off, but the chief
showed no inclination to let us go; and each time that we pressed him,
he signified that we must remain a little longer. We were the less
unwilling to do this, in the hope that we might, in the meantime, gain
some news of Leo and Mango, and we once more urged the chief to try and
discover where they were. He let us understand that he wanted first to
have another hunt, and that I must bring my gun to assist him. I, of
course, expressed my readiness to comply with his wishes, but resolved
not to expend much of our powder, as we should require it on our return
home. We were allowed to wander about the village wherever we liked,
but we observed that all the time we were carefully watched. The women
and children always started up with looks of astonishment when we came
near them, the young ones running away, frightened at our white skins,
just as European children would be alarmed at the sudden appearance of a
black man among them. On the outskirts of the village, near the river,
we came upon a group of people employed in burning large quantities of a
coarse-looking rush and stalks of a plant which I had seen growing in a
marsh near at hand. I had, the day before, by chance tasted the water
in the march, and found it slightly brackish. On examining the
proceedings of the people, I found that they were employed in
manufacturing salt. Before them were a number of funnel-shaped baskets
formed of grass rope. These were filled with the ashes, and water being
poured into them, percolated through the basket-work into calabashes
placed below to receive it. They were then put out in the sun, and the
water evaporating, left a small amount of salt in each. Although there
was not a sufficient quantity for salting fish or meat, the supply was
ample for ordinary use, and we were glad to purchase some with a few
beads which we had remaining in our pockets. Amply supplied as we are
in England with that necessary article, we can scarcely appreciate its
value in a country where it is not to be obtained without great
difficulty. Natty and I agreed to husband our little stock carefully,
as for the last few days we had felt the want of it when eating
rhinoceros flesh. We had observed several animals coming down to this
salt marsh to chew the coarse grass or to lick up the salt collected on
the reeds.
As we were walking along we heard the chief calling to us, and found
that he was prepared to set out on his proposed expedition. We saw as
we proceeded many large animals in the distance, but they had evidently
learned caution from the attacks made on them by the natives, and would
not approach the village. As we appeared they took to flight, keeping
always a long way out of range of our companions' arrows. Once I got
near a rhinoceros, but was unwilling to fire without feeling tolerably
sure of hitting the animal, as I had determined not to throw away a shot
if I could help it. At length we got into a region where we could
obtain cover among low bushes, and occasionally clumps of trees. The
natives took advantage of this, and hiding themselves under bushes,
clumps of tall reeds or grass, proceeded for some distance. Natty and I
followed their example. At last I saw, a little way from a grove of
trees, a herd of cameleopards quietly feeding. The blacks lay like logs
of wood on the ground, every now and then creeping slowly on when the
heads of the animals were turned away from them. Still they were too
far off for me to make sure of a shot. I saw, a little way on, a
solitary bush. I thought if I could reach it I might be able to bring
down one of the nearest giraffes. The natives watched me eagerly as,
trailing my gun after me, I cautiously approached the bush. I was very
anxious to kill an animal, in order still further to establish our
credit, hoping thereby also more speedily to obtain permission to
depart. I could not help constantly thinking of the alarm our prolonged
absence would cause our friends.
As I crept on I saw the giraffes turning their heads, raised high in
air, now in one direction, now in the other, as if they suspected
danger. I should have said that they were near a small grove of trees,
from the branches of which some of the herd were plucking the leaves.
This grove had partly concealed our party, or we should not have
approached so easily. I had never prided myself on being a sportsman;
but I had steady nerves, and of late had given good practice to my eye,
and thoroughly knew the range of my rifle. The bush was gained. A
large bull cameleopard stood the nearest, every now and then turning his
head to pluck a bunch of leaves from a branch which no other animal
could have reached, but still apparently on the watch for danger. I
raised myself on my knee, and lifting my rifle, took a steady aim at his
breast. At the report the whole herd moved off, swinging their legs
over the plain at a rapid rate. I thought that I must have missed, and
yet my bullet seemed to strike the creature at whom I had aimed. Away
he went with the rest. Before, however, he had proceeded fifty yards
down he suddenly fell, and lay prostrate on the earth. The blacks, with
loud shrieks and shouts, rose from their hiding-places and darted
forward, and in a few minutes the wounded giraffe was surrounded by a
band of dancing, shrieking, shouting blacks, delighted at the thought of
the meal he was about to afford them. Natty and I stood at a little
distance, when suddenly we saw the giraffe raise his neck high above the
heads of the shrieking band. Presently out went his legs, and the chief
and his followers were seen scattered here and there on every side, some
prostrate on the ground, others scampering off to avoid the fury of the
kicks of the dying animal. I thought some of them must have been
killed. It was his last effort, however, and again sinking down, he lay
perfectly quiet. The blacks picked themselves up, showing that at all
events no mortal injury had been done, and again assembled round the
body of the animal, though keeping at a more cautious distance till they
had ascertained that he was really dead. On finding this to be the
case, they sprang on the body, and began hacking away at it with their
knives, till, in a short time, it presented nothing but a mass of
mutilated flesh. The chief seemed highly delighted at our success, and
I took the opportunity of again urging him to allow us to go, trying to
make him understand that I would return, if he wished it, with
companions who were still better able to kill game for him than I was.
As a large portion of the day had been expended, without attempting to
seek for more game the chief led us back to the village.
"What do you think he will do?" asked Natty as we walked along. "If he
will not let us go willingly, I propose that we take French leave, as
Leo would say, and I do not think he will attempt to stop us by force."
At a little distance from the village there stood, under a grove of
trees, a hideous idol, at the top of a stout post. It was elaborately
carved, representing rather the face of an ape than that of a man, and
covered with red, yellow, and black paint. The hunters placed some of
the meat of the giraffe before it, on a block of stone; but only a small
quantity, and that of the least valuable parts. I guessed by this that
they had no great respect for their idol. "Poor people," said Natty,
"perhaps they guess that they can cheat even it, and that it will not be
able to distinguish between the best and worst parts." Natty and I were
also tempted to stop. He made signs to the chief, touching his own
ears, and then shaking his head and pointing to the ears of the idol, to
signify that it could not hear. Then he pointed to its mouth, and in
the same way tried to explain that it could not eat the meat placed
before it. Then he touched its head, to show that it could not
understand. We fancied that the chief comprehended his meaning, for he
laughed, and cast a contemptuous look at the ugly block. Although he
did this, however, in our presence, it is possible that he still had
some superstitious fear of the idol, or of the evil spirit it might have
been intended to represent.
"The poor Africans have no knowledge of the powerful, kind, and merciful
God," observed Natty. "The beings to whom they pay respect they believe
to be malign spirits, who will do them harm if they do not attempt to
propitiate them by gifts and observances."
I may observe here that we never paid the slightest respect to the negro
idols, and never were treated worse in consequence; indeed, I believe
that they would have despised us if we had done so, for though they may
fancy that their idols have something to do with them, they believe that
they have no power over the white men.
There was great rejoicing in the village on the arrival of the flesh of
the giraffe, the greater portion of which was consumed long before the
night was over. While seated with the chief, I again asked him to let
us go, and he seemed to intimate that he would do so the following
morning. While we were at supper, Natty proposed that we should hide as
much food as would last us for the following day. "A good idea," I
observed. The pockets of our shooting-jackets were capacious. Whenever
the chief was looking another way, we contrived to slip in large pieces
of meat and cassava cake, besides pieces of plantain. They made
somewhat of a mess in our pockets, but we could not be particular. As
the chief consumed double as much as we hid away he was not surprised at
the rapid disappearance of the food, and had not observed our manoeuvre.
Natty and I lay down to rest, hoping that before another sunset we might
be far on our way homewards.