As arranged, they did not travel on the Sunday. Early in the morning
the oxen and horses and sheep were turned out to pasture: all except the
horse which had been ridden by Alexander on the preceding day, and which
was found to be suffering so much, that they took away a large quantity
of blood from him, before he was relieved.
The Bushmen still remained with them, and were likely so to do as long
as there was any prospect of food. The four buffaloes which had been
killed, as well as the horse which had been gored to death, were found
picked clean to the bones on the following day, by the hyenas and other
animals which were heard prowling during the whole night. But as large
quantities of the buffalo-flesh had been cut off, and hung upon the
trees near the caravan, there was more than sufficient for a second
feast for the Bushmen and Hottentots, and there was nothing but frying
and roasting during the whole of the day.
The sun was intensely hot, and Alexander and the Major both felt so
fatigued from the exertions of the day before, that after breakfast they
retired to their waggons, and Swinton did not attempt to disturb them,
as they were in a sound sleep till the evening, when they were much
refreshed and very hungry. Swinton said, he had thought it better that
they should not be awakened, as the heat was so overpowering, and they
could perform Divine service in the evening, if they thought proper,
when it would be cooler. This was agreed to, and, after an early
supper, they summoned all the Hottentots, who, although gorged, were
still unwilling to leave their fires; as they said the Bushmen would
devour all the flesh that was left, in their absence.
This remonstrance was not listened to, and they all assembled. The
prayers were read and the service gone through by the light of a large
fire, for it was very dark before the service was finished. The
Bushmen, as the Hottentots prophesied, had taken advantage of their
absence, to help themselves very liberally; and as Swinton read the
prayers, the eyes of the Hottentots were continually turning round to
their own fires, where the Bushmen were throwing on large pieces of
buffalo-flesh, and, before they were even heated through, were chewing
them and tearing them to pieces with their teeth.
Never perhaps was there a congregation whose attention was so divided,
and who were more anxious for the conclusion of the service. This
uneasiness shown by the Hottentots appeared at last to be communicated
to the oxen, which were tied up round the waggons. The fire required
replenishing, but none of the Hottentots moved to perform the office;
perhaps they thought that if Swinton could no longer see, the service
must conclude: but Swinton knew it by heart, and continued reading the
Commandments, which was the last portion which he read, and Alexander
and the Major repeated the responses. The Major, whose face was towards
the cattle, had observed their uneasiness, and guessed the cause, but
did not like to interrupt the service, as it was just over. Begum began
clinging to him in the way she always did when she was afraid; Swinton
had just finished, and the Major was saying, "Swinton, depend upon it,"
when a roar like thunder was heard, and a dark mass passed over their
heads.
The bellowing and struggling of the oxen was almost instantaneously
succeeded by a lion, with an ox borne on his shoulder, passing right
through the whole congregation, sweeping away the remnants of the fire
and the Hottentots right and left, and vanishing in a moment from their
sight. As may be imagined, all was confusion and alarm. Some screamed,
some shouted and ran for their guns; but it was too late. On
examination, it was found that the lion had seized the ox which had been
tied up near to where they were sitting; their fire being nearly
extinguished, and the one which should have been kept alight next to it
having been altogether neglected by the Hottentots, in their anxiety to
keep up those on which they had been broiling their buffalo-steaks.
The leather thongs by which the ox had been tied up were snapped like
threads, and many of the other oxen had, in their agony of fear, broken
their fastenings and escaped. As the lion bounded away through the
assembled party, it appeared as if the ox was not a feather's weight to
him. He had, however, stepped rather roughly upon two of the
Hottentots, who lay groaning, as if they had been severely hurt; but
upon examination it was found that they had only been well scratched and
covered with ashes. The Bushmen, however had left their meal, and with
their bows and small poisoned arrows had gone in pursuit. Bremen and
one or two of the Hottentots proposed also to go, but our travellers
would not permit them. About an hour afterwards the Bushmen returned,
and Omrah had communication with them; and through Bremen they learnt
that the Bushmen had come up with the lion about a mile distant, and had
discharged many of their arrows at him, and, they were convinced, with
effect, as a heavy growl or an angry roar was the announcement when he
was hit; but, although he was irritated, he continued his repast. Omrah
then said, "Lion dead to-morrow,--Bushmen find him."
"Well," said Alexander, as they went to their waggons, which, in
consequence of this event, and their having to make up large fires
before they went to bed, they did not do till late, "I believe this is
the first time that Divine service was ever wound up by such intrusion."
"Perhaps so," replied Swinton; "but I think it proves that we have more
cause for prayer, surrounded as we are by such danger. The lion might
have taken one of us, and by this time we should have suffered a horrid
death."
"I never felt the full force of the many similes and comparisons in the
Scriptures, where the lion is so often introduced, till now," observed
Alexander.
"It was indeed a most awful sermon after the prayers," said the Major:
"I trust never to hear such a one again: but is it not our own fault?
This is the second time that one of our oxen has been carried off by a
lion, from the circle of fires not being properly attended to. It is
the neglect of the Hottentots, certainly; but if they are so neglectful,
we should attend to them ourselves."
"It will be as well to punish them for their neglect," said Swinton, "by
stopping their tobacco for the week; for if they find that we attend to
the fires ourselves, they will not keep one in, that you may depend
upon. However, we will discuss that point to-morrow, so good-night."
Omrah came to the Major the next morning before the oxen were yoked, to
say that the Bushmen had found the lion, and that he was not yet dead,
but nearly so; that the animal had dragged away that portion of the ox
that he did not eat, about half a mile further; that there he had lain
down, and he was so sick that he could not move.
At this intelligence they mounted their horses, and, guided by the
Bushmen, arrived at the bush where the lion lay. The Bushmen entered at
once, for they had previously reconnoitred, and were saluted with a low
snarl, very different from the roar of the preceding night. Our
travellers followed, and found the noble creature in his last agonies,
his strength paralysed, and his eyes closed. One or two of the small
arrows of the Bushmen were still sticking in his hide, and did not
appear to have entered more than half an inch; but the poison was so
subtile, that it had rapidly circulated through his whole frame; and
while they were looking down upon the noble beast, it dropped its jaws
and expired.
As our travellers turned back to join the caravan, Alexander observed:
"Those Bushmen, diminutive as they are in size, and contemptible as
their weapons appear, must be dangerous enemies, when the mere prick of
one of their small arrows is certain death. What is their poison
composed of?"
"Of the venom extracted from snakes, which is mixed up with the juice of
the euphorbia, and boiled down till it becomes of the consistency of
glue. They then dip the heads of the arrows into it, and let it dry
on."
"Is then the venom of snakes so active after it has been taken away from
the animal?"
"Yes, for a considerable time after. I remember a story, which is, I
believe, well-authenticated, of a man who had been bitten through his
boot by a rattle-snake in America. The man died, and shortly afterwards
his two sons died one after the other, with just the same symptoms as
their father, although they had not been bitten by snakes. It was
afterwards discovered, that upon the father's death, the sons had one
after the other taken possession of and put on his boots, and the boots
being examined, the fang of the rattle-snake was discovered to have
passed through the leather and remained there. The fang had merely
grazed the skin of the two sons when they put on the boots, and had thus
caused their death."
"Are the snakes here as deadly in their poison as the rattle-snake of
America?"
"Equally so,--that is, two or three of them; some are harmless. The
most formidable is the cobra capella (not the same as the Indian snake
of the same name). It is very large, being usually five feet long; but
it has been found six and even seven feet. This snake has been known to
dart at a man on horseback, and with such force as to overshoot his aim.
His bite is certain death, I believe, as I never heard of a man
recovering from the wound."
"Well, that is as bad as bad can be. What is the next?"
"The next is what they call the puff adder. It is a very heavy,
sluggish animal, and very thick in proportion to its length, and when
attacked in front, it cannot make any spring. It has, however, another
power, which, if you are not prepared for it, is perhaps equally
dangerous--that of throwing itself backward in a most surprising manner.
This is, however, only when trod upon or provoked; but its bite is very
deadly. Then two of the mountain adders are among the most dangerous
snakes here. The mountain adder is small, and, from its not being so
easily seen and so easily avoided, is very dangerous, and its bite as
fatal as the others."
"I trust that is the end of your catalogue?"
"Not exactly; there is another, which I have specimens of, but whose
faculties I have never seen put to the test, which is called the
spirting snake. It is about three feet long, and its bite, although
poisonous, is not fatal. But it has a faculty, from which its name is
derived, of spirting its venom into the face of its assailant, and if
the venom enters the eye, at which the animal darts it, immediate
blindness ensues. There are a great many other varieties, some of which
we have obtained possession of during our journey. Many of them are
venomous, but not so fatal as the first three I have mentioned.
"Indeed, it is a great blessing that the Almighty has not made the
varieties of snakes aggressive or fierce,--which they are not.
Provided, as they are, with such dreadful powers, if they were so, they
would indeed be formidable; but they only act in self-defence, or when
provoked. I may as well here observe, that the Hottentots, when they
kill any of the dangerous snakes, invariably cut off the head and bury
it; and this they do, that no one may by chance tread upon it, as they
assert that the poison of the fangs is as potent as ever, not only for
weeks but months afterwards."
"That certainly is a corroboration of the story that you told us of the
rattle-snake's fang in the boot."
"It is so; but although there are so many venomous snakes in this
country, it is remarkable how very few accidents or deaths occur from
them. I made an inquiry at the Moravian Mission, where those venomous
snakes are very plentiful, how many people they had lost by their bites,
and the missionaries told me, that out of 800 Hottentots belonging to
the Mission, they had only lost two men by the bites of snakes during a
space of seven years; and in other places where I made the same inquiry,
the casualties were much less in proportion to the numbers."
"Is the boa constrictor found in this part of Africa?"
"Not so far south as we now are, but it is a few degrees more to the
northward. I have never seen it, but I believe there is no doubt of its
existence."
"The South American Indians have a very subtile poison with which they
kill their game. Are you aware, Swinton, of its nature? Is it like the
Bushmen's poison?"
"I know the poison well; it was brought over by Mr Waterton, whose
amusing works you may have read. It is called the wourali poison, and
is said to be extracted from a sort of creeping vine which grows in the
country. The natives, however, add the poison of snakes to the extract;
and the preparation is certainly very fatal, as I can bear witness to."
"Have you ever seen it tried?"
"Yes, I have tried it myself. When I was in Italy I became acquainted
with Mr W, and he gave two or three of us, who were living together, a
small quantity, not much more than two grains of mustard-seed in size.
We purchased a young mule to make the experiment upon; an incision was
made in its shoulder, and the poison inserted under the skin. I think
in about six or seven minutes the animal was dead. Mr W said that the
effects would have been more instantaneous, if the virtue of the poison
had not somewhat deteriorated from its having been kept so long."
"The wourali poison only acts upon the nerves, I believe?" said the
Major.
"Only upon the nerves; and although so fatal, if immediate means are
resorted to, a person who is apparently dead from it may be brought to
life again by the same process as is usual in the recovery of drowned or
suffocated people. A donkey upon which the poison had acted was
restored in this manner, and for the remainder of his days permitted to
run in Sir Joseph Banks's park. But the poison of snakes acts upon the
blood, and therefore occasions death without remedy."
"But there are remedies, I believe, for even the most fatal poisons?"
"Yes, in his provident mercy God has been pleased to furnish remedies at
hand, and where the snake exists the remedy is to be found. The
rattle-snake root is a cure, if taken and applied immediately; and it is
well known that the ichneumon when bitten by the cobra capella, in his
attack upon it, will hasten to a particular herb and eat it immediately,
to prevent the fatal effect of the animal's bite."
"I once saw a native of India," said the Major, "who for a small sum
would allow himself to be bitten by a cobra capella. He was well
provided with the same plant used by the ichneumon, which he swallowed
plentifully, and also rubbed on the wound. It is impossible to say,
but, as far as I could judge, there was no deception."
"I think it very possible; if the plant will cure the ichneumon, why not
a man? I have no doubt but that there are many plants which possess
virtues of which we have no knowledge. Some few, and perhaps some of
the most valuable, we have discovered; but our knowledge of the
vegetable kingdom, as far as its medicinal properties are known, is very
slight; and perhaps many which were formerly known have, since the
introduction of mineral antidotes, been lost sight of."
"Why, yes; long before chemistry had made any advances, we do hear in
old romances of balsams of most sovereign virtues," said Alexander,
laughing.
"Which, I may observe, is almost a proof that they did in reality exist;
and the more so, because you will find that the knowledge of these
sovereign remedies was chiefly in the hands of the Jews, the oldest
nation upon the earth; and from their constant communication with each
other, most likely to have transmitted their knowledge from generation
to generation."
"We have also reason to believe that not only they had peculiar
_remedies_ in their times, but also--if we are to credit what has been
handed down to us--that the art of _poisoning_ was much better
understood," said the Major.
"At all events, they had not the knowledge of chemistry, which now leads
to its immediate detection," replied Swinton. "But, Alexander, there
are three hippopotami lying asleep on the side of the river. Have you a
mind to try your skill?"
"No, not particularly," replied Alexander; "I have had enough of
hippopotami. By-the-bye, the river is much wider than it was."
"Yes, by my calculation we ought to travel no more to the westward after
to-day. We must now cut across to the Yellow or Vaal River. We shall
certainly be two days without water or pasturage for the cattle, but
they are in such good condition that they will not much feel it. There
is a river which we shall cross near its head, but the chance of water
is very small; indeed, I believe we shall find it nowhere, except in
these great arteries, if I may so call them."
"Well; I was thinking so myself, Swinton, as I looked at the map
yesterday, when I lay in my waggon," said the Major; "so then to-morrow
for a little variety; that is, a desert."
"Which it will most certainly be," replied Swinton; "for, except on the
banks of the large rivers, there are no hopes of vegetation in this
country at this season of the year; but in another month we may expect
heavy falls of rain."
"The Bushmen have left us, I perceive," said Alexander.
"Yes, they have probably remained behind to eat the lion."
"What, will they eat it now that it has been poisoned?"
"That makes no difference to them; they merely cut out the parts
wounded, and invariably eat all the carcasses of the animals which they
kill, and apparently without any injury. There is nothing which a
Bushman will not eat. A flight of locusts is a great feast to him."
"I cannot imagine them to be very palatable food."
"I have never tasted them," replied Swinton; "but I should think not.
They do not, however, eat them raw; they pull off their wings and legs,
and dry their bodies; they then beat them into a powder."
"Do you suppose that St. John's fare of locusts and wild honey was the
locust which we are now referring to?"
"I do not know, but I should rather think not, and for one reason, which
is, that although a person in the wilderness might subsist upon these
animals, if always to be procured, yet the flights of locusts are very
uncertain. Now there is a tree in the country where St. John retired,
which is called the locust-tree, and produces a large sweet bean, shaped
like the common French bean, but nearly a foot long, which is very
palatable and nutritious. It is even now given to cattle in large
quantities; and I imagine that this was the locust referred to; and I
believe many of the commentators on the holy writings have been of the
same opinion. I think we have now gone far enough for to-day; we may as
well halt here. Do you intend to hunt, Major? I see some animals there
at a distance."
"I should say not," said Alexander; "if we are to cross a desert tract
to-morrow, we had better not fatigue our horses."
"Certainly not. No, Swinton, we will remain quiet, unless game comes to
us."
"Yes, and look after our water-kegs being filled, and the fires lighted
to-night," said Alexander; "and I trust we may have no more sermons from
lions, although Shakespeare does say `sermons from stones, and good in
everything.'"
They halted their caravan upon a rising ground, and having taken the
precaution to see the water-kegs filled and the wood collected, they sat
down to dinner upon fried ham and cheese; for the Hottentots had
devoured all the buffalo-flesh, and demanded a sheep to be killed for
supper. This was consented to, although they did not deserve it; but as
their tobacco had been stopped for their neglect of providing fuel and
keeping up the fires, it was considered politic not to make them too
discontented.
Alexander had been walking by the side of the river with the Major,
while the Hottentots were arranging the camp, and Swinton was putting
away some new specimens in natural history which he had collected, when
Omrah, who was with them, put his finger to his lips and stopped them.
As they perfectly understood what he required, they stood still and
silent. Omrah then pointed to something which was lying on the low
bank, under a tuft of rushes; but they could not distinguish it, and
Omrah asked by signs for the Major's rifle, took aim, and fired. A loud
splashing was heard in the water, and they pushed their way through the
high grass and reeds, until they arrived at the spot, where they
perceived an animal floundering in the agonies of death.
"An alligator!" exclaimed the Major; "well, I had no idea that there
were any here inland. They said that there were plenty at the mouths of
the rivers, on the coast of the Eastern Caffres, but I am astonished to
find one here."
"What did you fire at?" asked Swinton, who now joined them.
"An alligator, and he is dead. I am afraid that he won't be very good
eating," replied the Major.
"That's not an alligator, Major," said Swinton, "and it is very good
eating. It is a large lizard of the iguana species, which is found
about these rivers; it is amphibious, but perfectly harmless, subsisting
upon vegetables and insects. I tell you it is a great delicacy, ugly as
it looks. It is quite dead, so let us drag it out of the water, and
send it up to Mahomed by Omrah."
The animal, which was about four feet long, was dragged out of the water
by the tail, and Omrah took it to the camp.
"Well, I really thought it was a small alligator," said the Major; "but
now I perceive my mistake. What a variety of lizards there appears to
be in this country."
"A great many, from the chameleon upwards," replied Swinton. "By the
bye, there is one which is said to be very venomous. I have heard many
well-authenticated stories of the bite being not only very dangerous,
but in some instances fatal. I have specimens of the animal in my
collection. It is called here the geitje."
"Well, it is rather remarkable, but we have in India a small lizard,
called the gecko by the natives, which is said to be equally venomous.
I presume it must be the same animal, and it is singular that the names
should vary so little. I have never seen an instance of its poisonous
powers, but I have seen a whole company of sepoys run out of their
quarters because they have heard the animal make its usual cry in the
thatch of the building; they say that it drops down upon people from the
roof."
"Probably the same animal; and a strong corroboration that the report of
its being venomous is with good foundation."
"And yet if we were to make the assertion in England, we should in all
probability not be believed."
"Not by many, I grant--not by those who only know a little; but by those
who are well informed, you probably would be. The fact is from a too
ready credulity, we have now turned to almost a total scepticism, unless
we have ocular demonstration. In the times of Marco Polo, Sir John
Mandeville, and others,--say in the fifteenth century, when there were
but few travellers and but little education, a traveller might assert
almost anything, and gain credence; latterly a traveller hardly dare
assert anything. Le Vaillant and Bruce, who travelled in the South and
North of Africa, were both stigmatised as liars, when they published
their accounts of what they had seen, and yet every tittle has since
been proved to be correct. However, as people now are better informed,
they do not reject so positively; for they have certain rules to guide
them between the possible and the impossible."
"How do you mean?"
"I mean, for instance, that if a person was to tell me that he had seen
a mermaid, with the body of a woman and the scaly tail of a fish, I
should at once say that I could not believe him. And why? because it is
contrary to the laws of nature. The two component parts of the animal
could not be combined, as the upper portion would belong to the
mammalia, and be a hot-blooded animal, the lower to a cold-blooded class
of natural history. Such a junction would, therefore, be impossible.
But there are, I have no doubt, many animals still undiscovered, or
rather still unknown to Europeans, the description of which may at first
excite suspicion, if not doubt. But, as I have before observed, the
account would, in all probability, not be rejected by a naturalist,
although it might be by people without much knowledge of the animal
kingdom, who would not be able to judge by comparison whether the
existence of such an animal was credible. Even fabulous animals have
had their origin from existing ones. The unicorn is, no doubt, the
gemsbok antelope; for when you look at the animal at a distance, its two
horns appear as if they were only one, and the Bushmen have so portrayed
the animal in their caves. The dragon also is not exactly imaginary;
for, the _Lacerta volans_, or flying lizard of Northern Africa, is very
like a small dragon in miniature. So that even what has been considered
as fabulous has arisen from exaggeration or mistake."
"You think, then, Swinton, that we are bound to believe all that
travellers tell us?"
"Not so; but not to reject what they assert, merely because it does not
correspond with our own ideas on the subject. The most remarkable
instance of unbelief was relative to the aerolites or meteoric stones
formed during a thunder-storm in the air, and falling to the earth. Of
course you have heard that such have occurred?"
"I have," replied the Major, "and I have seen several in India."
"This was treated as a mere fable not a century back; and when it was
reported (and not the first time) that such a stone had fallen in
France, the _savants_ were sent in deputation to the spot. They heard
the testimony of the witnesses; that a loud noise was heard in the air;
that they looked up and beheld an opaque body descending; that it fell
on the earth with a force which nearly buried it in the ground, and was
so hot at the time that it could not be touched with the hand. It after
became cold. Now the _savants_ heard all this, and pronounced that it
could not be; and for a long while every report of the kind was treated
with contempt. Now every one knows, and every one is fully satisfied of
the fact, and not the least surprise is expressed when they are told of
the circumstance. As Shakespeare makes Hamlet observe very
truly--`There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are
dreamt of in your philosophy.'"