_Count Gosamer thrown by Sphinx into the snow on the top of
Teneriffe--Gog and Magog conduct Sphinx for the rest of the voyage--The
Baron arrives at the Cape, and unites his former chariot, &c., to
his new retinue--Passes into Africa, proceeding from the Cape
northwards--Defeats a host of lions by a curious stratagem--Travels
through an immense desert--His whole company, chariot, &c., overwhelmed
by a whirlwind of sand--Extricates them, and arrives in a fertile
country._
The brave Count Gosamer, with a pair of hell-fire spurs on, riding upon
Sphinx, directed the whole retinue towards the Madeiras. But the Count
had no small share of an amiable vanity, and perceiving great multitudes
of people, Gascons, &c., assembled upon the French coast, he could not
refrain from showing some singular capers, such as they had never seen
before: but especially when he observed all the members of the National
Assembly extend themselves along the shore, as a piece of French
politeness, to honour this expedition, with Rousseau, Voltaire, and
Beelzebub at their head; he set spurs to Sphinx, and at the same time
cut and cracked away as hard as he could, holding in the reins with all
his might, striving to make the creature plunge and show some uncommon
diversion. But sulky and ill-tempered was Sphinx at the time: she
plunged indeed--such a devil of a plunge, that she dashed him in one
jerk over her head, and he fell precipitately into the water before her.
It was in the Bay of Biscay, all the world knows a very boisterous sea,
and Sphinx, fearing he would be drowned, never turned to the left or
the right out of her way, but advancing furious, just stooped her head
a little, and supped the poor count off the water, into her mouth,
together with the quantity of two or three tuns of water, which she
must have taken in along with him, but which were, to such an enormous
creature as Sphinx, nothing more than a spoonful would be to any of you
or me. She swallowed him, but when she had got him in her stomach, his
long spurs so scratched and tickled her, that they produced the effect
of an emetic. No sooner was he in, but out he was squirted with the
most horrible impetuosity, like a ball or a shell from the calibre of
a mortar. Sphinx was at this time quite sea-sick, and the unfortunate
count was driven forth like a sky-rocket, and landed upon the peak of
Teneriffe, plunged over head and ears in the snow--_requiescat in pace!_
I perceived all this mischief from my seat in the ark, but was in such a
convulsion of laughter that I could not utter an intelligible word. And
now Sphinx, deprived of her postillion, went on in a zigzag direction,
and gambolled away after a most dreadful manner. And thus had everything
gone to wreck, had I not given instant orders to Gog and Magog to sally
forth. They plunged into the water, and swimming on each side, got at
length right before the animal, and then seized the reins. Thus they
continued swimming on each side, like tritons, holding the muzzle
of Sphinx, while I, sallying forth astride upon the creature's back,
steered forward on our voyage to the Cape of Good Hope.
Arriving at the Cape, I immediately gave orders to repair my former
chariot and machines, which were very expeditiously performed by the
excellent artists I had brought with me from Europe. And now everything
being refitted, we launched forth upon the water: perhaps there never
was anything seen more glorious or more august. 'Twas magnificent to
behold Sphinx make her obeisance on the water, and the crickets chirp
upon the bulls in return of the salute; while Gog and Magog, advancing,
took the reins of the great John Mowmowsky, and leading towards us
chariot and all, instantly disposed of them to the forepart of the ark
by hooks and eyes, and tackled Sphinx before all the bulls. Thus the
whole had a most tremendous and triumphal appearance. In front floated
forwards the mighty Sphinx, with Gog and Magog on each side; next
followed in order the bulls with crickets upon their heads; and then
advanced the chariot of Queen Mab, containing the curious seat and
orrery of heaven; after which appeared the boat and ark of council,
overtopped with two balloons, which gave an air of greater lightness and
elegance to the whole. I placed in the galleries under the balloons, and
on the backs of the bulls, a number of excellent vocal performers,
with martial music of clarionets and trumpets. They sung the "Watery
Dangers," and the "Pomp of Deep Cerulean!" The sun shone glorious on the
water while the procession advanced toward the land, under five hundred
arches of ice, illuminated with coloured lights, and adorned in the most
grotesque and fanciful style with sea-weed, elegant festoons, and shells
of every kind; while a thousand water-spouts danced eternally before
and after us, attracting the water from the sea in a kind of cone, and
suddenly uniting with the most fantastical thunder and lightning.
Having landed our whole retinue, we immediately began to proceed toward
the heart of Africa, but first thought it expedient to place a number of
wheels under the ark for its greater facility of advancing. We journeyed
nearly due north for several days, and met with nothing remarkable
except the astonishment of the savage natives to behold our equipage.
The Dutch Government at the Cape, to do them justice, gave us every
possible assistance for the expedition. I presume they had received
instruction on that head from their High Mightinesses in Holland.
However, they presented us with a specimen of some of the most excellent
of their Cape wine, and showed us every politeness in their power. As
to the face of the country, as we advanced, it appeared in many places
capable of every cultivation, and of abundant fertility. The natives
and Hottentots of this part of Africa have been frequently described
by travellers, and therefore it is not necessary to say any more about
them. But in the more interior parts of Africa the appearance, manners,
and genius of the people are totally different.
We directed our course by the compass and the stars, getting every
day prodigious quantities of game in the woods, and at night encamping
within a proper enclosure for fear of the wild beasts. One whole day in
particular we heard on every side, among the hills, the horrible roaring
of lions, resounding from rock to rock like broken thunder. It seemed
as if there was a general rendezvous of all these savage animals to fall
upon our party. That whole day we advanced with caution, our hunters
scarcely venturing beyond pistol shot from the caravan for fear of
dissolution. At night we encamped as usual, and threw up a circular
entrenchment round our tents. We had scarce retired to repose when we
found ourselves serenaded by at least one thousand lions, approaching
equally on every side, and within a hundred paces. Our cattle showed the
most horrible symptoms of fear, all trembling, and in cold perspiration.
I directly ordered the whole company to stand to their arms, and not to
make any noise by firing till I should command them. I then took a large
quantity of tar, which I had brought with our caravan for that purpose,
and strewed it in a continued stream round the encampment, within which
circle of tar I immediately placed another train or circle of gunpowder,
and having taken this precaution, I anxiously waited the lions'
approach. These dreadful animals, knowing, I presume, the force of our
troop, advanced very slowly, and with caution, approaching on every
side of us with an equal pace, and growling in hideous concert, so as
to resemble an earthquake, or some similar convulsion of the world. When
they had at length advanced and steeped all their paws in the tar, they
put their noses to it, smelling it as if it were blood, and daubed their
great bushy hair and whiskers with it equal to their paws. At that very
instant, when, in concert, they were to give the mortal dart upon us, I
discharged a pistol at the train of gunpowder, which instantly exploded
on every side, made all the lions recoil in general uproar, and take to
flight with the utmost precipitation. In an instant we could behold
them scattered through the woods at some distance, roaring in agony, and
moving about like so many Will-o'-the-Wisps, their paws and faces all on
fire from the tar and the gun-powder. I then ordered a general pursuit:
we followed them on every side through the woods, their own light
serving as our guide, until, before the rising of the sun, we followed
into their fastnesses and shot or otherwise destroyed every one of them,
and during the whole of our journey after we never heard the roaring of
a lion, nor did any wild beast presume to make another attack upon our
party, which shows the excellence of immediate presence of mind, and
the terror inspired into the savage enemies by a proper and well-timed
proceeding.
We at length arrived on the confines of an immeasurable desert--an
immense plain, extending on every side of us like an ocean. Not a tree,
nor a shrub, nor a blade of grass was to be seen, but all appeared an
extreme fine sand, mixed with gold-dust and little sparkling pearls.
The gold-dust and pearls appeared to us of little value, because we
could have no expectation of returning to England for a considerable
time. We observed, at a great distance, something like a smoke arising
just over the verge of the horizon, and looking with our telescopes we
perceived it to be a whirlwind tearing up the sand and tossing it about
in the heavens with frightful impetuosity. I immediately ordered my
company to erect a mound around us of a great size, which we did with
astonishing labour and perseverance, and then roofed it over with
certain planks and timber, which we had with us for the purpose. Our
labour was scarcely finished when the sand came rolling in like the
waves of the sea; 'twas a storm and river of sand united. It continued
to advance in the same direction, without intermission, for three days,
and completely covered over the mound we had erected, and buried us all
within. The intense heat of the place was intolerable; but guessing,
by the cessation of the noise, that the storm was passed, we set about
digging a passage to the light of day again, which we effected in a
very short time, and ascending, perceived that the whole had been so
completely covered with the sand, that there appeared no hills, but one
continued plain, with inequalities or ridges on it like the waves of the
sea. We soon extricated our vehicle and retinue from the burning sands,
but not without great danger, as the heat was very violent, and began to
proceed on our voyage. Storms of sand of a similar nature several times
attacked us, but by using the same precautions we preserved ourselves
repeatedly from destruction. Having travelled more than nine thousand
miles over this inhospitable plain, exposed to the perpendicular rays of
a burning sun, without ever meeting a rivulet, or a shower from heaven
to refresh us, we at length became almost desperate, when, to our
inexpressible joy, we beheld some mountains at a great distance, and on
our nearer approach observed them covered with a carpet of verdure and
groves and woods. Nothing could appear more romantic or beautiful than
the rocks and precipices intermingled with flowers and shrubs of every
kind, and palm-trees of such a prodigious size as to surpass anything
ever seen in Europe. Fruits of all kinds appeared growing wild in the
utmost abundance, and antelopes and sheep and buffaloes wandered about
the groves and valleys in profusion. The trees resounded with the melody
of birds, and everything displayed a general scene of rural happiness
and joy.