[Illustration: UNDER WAY IN AFRICA.]
WILD LIFE
UNDER THE EQUATOR.
NARRATED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
BY PAUL DU CHAILLU,
AUTHOR OF
“DISCOVERIES IN EQUATORIAL AFRICA,” “STORIES OF THE GORILLA COUNTRY,”
ETC.
_WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS._
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1869.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the
Southern District of New York.
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]
CONTENTS.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER Page 13
CHAPTER II.
Parrot Island.—How the Parrots build their Nests.—Parrot Soup 15
CHAPTER III.
An African Creek.—A Leopard among the Chickens.—A night Watch
for Leopards 25
CHAPTER IV.
Hunting Elephants and Buffaloes.—A venomous Serpent.—A Snake
charmer.—He is bitten.—He commits Suicide 34
CHAPTER V.
At Court in Africa.—Costumes of the Court.—An African
Household.—A false Alarm 44
CHAPTER VI.
Hunt for Gorillas.—A large one shot.—The Negroes make Charms of
his Brain.—Mourning in a Bakalai Town 50
CHAPTER VII.
An African Fireside.—A Camp by the Sea-shore.—The first Gorilla
Hunter.—Negro Blarney 61
CHAPTER VIII.
Hippopotamus hunting.—We kill one.—The Men eat it.—Poor
Beef.—What the Tusks are for 69
CHAPTER IX.
A great Gorilla 75
CHAPTER X.
Death in an African Village.—Lamentations.—The Funeral
Ceremonies.—An African Cemetery 82
CHAPTER XI.
A Tornado.—Before the Storm.—Thunder and Lightning.—After the
Storm 87
CHAPTER XII.
A Creek infested by Snakes.—Snake in the Boat.—An ugly Visitor 93
CHAPTER XIII.
Drinking the Mboundou.—How Olanga-Condo could do it.—How the
Mboundou is made.—The Effect of the Poison 101
CHAPTER XIV.
A royal Feast.—On the Banks of the Ovenga.—Preparations.—The
Bill of Fare.—A taste of Elephant and a mouthful of Monkey 108
CHAPTER XV.
The terrible Bashikouay.—March of an ant Army.—They build
Bridges.—They enter Houses.—Their Habits 114
CHAPTER XVI.
The Sorrows of the Birds.—Curious African Birds.—The Barbatula
du Chaillui.—The Barbatula Fuliginosa.—The Sycobius
Nigerrimus 125
CHAPTER XVII.
On the Ofoubou River.—Elephants bathing.—Pursuit through the
Swamp.—Escape of the Elephants 138
CHAPTER XVIII.
Njali-Coudié.—An African Town.—The Chief.—Courtship and
Marriage in Africa.—Buying a Wife.—Quarrel over the Spoils 145
CHAPTER XIX.
The Feast of Njambai.—The talking Idol.—Secret Proceedings.—The
Women and their Mysteries 150
CHAPTER XX.
Sick in a strange Land.—Adventure with a Snake.—How a Squirrel
was charmed 157
CHAPTER XXI.
Witchcraft.—Accusation of Pendé.—Result of his Trial 163
CHAPTER XXII.
Gorilla hunting.—Preparations.—We kill a male Gorilla.—Bringing
him to Camp 169
CHAPTER XXIII.
In the Buffalo Country.—The Paradise of Flies.—The various
Species 177
CHAPTER XXIV.
Elephant Pits.—A Captive.—Dividing the Meat.—The Alethe
Castanea 183
CHAPTER XXV.
A deserted Village.—Fear of Death.—Wars between
Villages.—African wild Boar.—The Hunt 189
CHAPTER XXVI.
In the wild Forest.—Hostile Tribes.—An intrenched Camp.—Forays
for Provisions 197
CHAPTER XXVII.
We discover human Foot-prints.—We spy out the Enemy.—A female
Gorilla.—Maternal Fondness 208
CHAPTER XXVIII.
How we were received at Camp.—Threatened with Starvation.—A
Night in Camp.—Malaouen’s Story 215
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
UNDER WAY IN AFRICA _Frontispiece._
PARROT ISLAND 21
AN AFRICAN WAR DANCE 27
ENCOUNTER WITH A LEOPARD 30
LYING LOW FOR ELEPHANTS 35
THE SNAKE CHARMER 41
APPEARANCE OF THE KING AND HIS COURT 45
FIERCE ATTACK OF A GORILLA 55
EVENING AMUSEMENTS IN AFRICA 63
HUNTING HIPPOPOTAMI 71
HEAD OF HIPPOPOTAMUS 74
FOOT-PRINTS OF THE GORILLA 76
FEMALE GORILLA AND HER YOUNG 79
MOURNING THE DEAD 84
A NIGHT STORM IN AFRICA 89
IN THE CREEK OF SNAKES 95
DRINKING THE MBOUNDOU 103
MARCH OF BASHIKOUAY ANTS 119
THE BASHIKOUAY ANT, MAGNIFIED TO TWICE ITS NATURAL SIZE 123
THE BARBATULA WORKING 131
AFRICAN HANGING BIRDS’ NESTS 133
HUNTING ELEPHANTS 143
INTERIOR OF THE NJAMBAI-HOUSE 154
CHARMING THE SQUIRREL 161
THE TRIAL OF PENDÉ 165
DEATH OF A MALE GORILLA 173
DANCING AROUND THE ELEPHANT MEAT 186
KILLING FOUR WILD BOARS 195
SMOKING OUT THE BEES 204
TRAPPING THE MONKEY 206
WE DISCOVER FOOT-PRINTS 209
ARRIVAL AT THE STOCKADE 217
GOOD-BYE TO THE BAKALAIS 227
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]
WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR.
PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.
Dear young folks!—In the book I wrote for you last _year_, called
“Stories of the Gorilla country,” I said to you “_au revoir_:” that
means good-bye till I come again.
I have come again to my publishers, who are also my good friends, and
who have let me have my own way about the illustrations of this book;
they have told me that you were pleased with the last book. Not only
have they told me so, but many of you have said the same thing to me.
This was good news, for I delight to tell stories to young folks, and
“Stories of the Gorilla Country” being the first book I ever wrote for
you, I was delighted to hear of its success.
I felt quite happy when I learned that I had been able to interest you
in what interested me, while travelling in far-distant countries.
I have taken my pen once more. I am going to lead you into the great
forest of Equatorial Africa. I am going to try to make you travel with
me in the wild country I have explored. I am going to bring you face to
face with the gorilla, and lead you into the midst of the wild tribes of
men I have discovered. I will tell you how they live, what queer
superstitions they have, and what sort of people these poor savages are.
I shall tell you about snakes, leopards, elephants, hippopotami, and
other wild beasts of the forest. About insects, wonderful ants, and many
other curious things.
You will follow me in that great jungle; you will get lost in it; you
will build your camp with me, and you will hunt with me; you will be
hungry with me; you will have the flies to plague you; you will have
lots of adventures, and perhaps when you close this book you will shout,
“What a glorious time we have had with our friend Paul!” I hope you will
not only be amused, but that you will be also instructed.
I have written two large volumes—“Explorations in Equatorial Africa” and
“Journey to Ashango Land”—for older people than yourselves, and I do not
see why I should not write for young folks. Now let me lead you into
that land of wonders, where no civilized man had ever trodden before me.
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]
CHAPTER II.
PARROT ISLAND.—HOW THE PARROTS BUILD THEIR NESTS.—PARROT SOUP.
There is an Island by the sea, in a far country, called Nengue Ngozo.
I shall always remember that Island; for when I went there I was young
and wild—as wild as the waves of that sea. I had no mother to care for
me; I had no sister to love me when I came to this Island. The wide
world was before me. But I loved to roam in wild and distant countries;
I loved to look upon and study the men, the beasts, the birds, the
fishes, the insects, and the trees. I had no one with me, but God was
kind to me, and took care of me, and he has now brought me back safely,
so that I might tell you all I have seen.
On Nengue Ngozo there was a little village. That village had a King, who
instead of a crown wore a woolen cap, and for a sceptre he had a cane.
Indeed, the Island of Nengue Ngozo, which means Parrot Island, is a
little kingdom of itself. It is covered with forest, and is situated in
the estuary called the Gaboon, formed in the bight of Guinea, on the
west coast of Africa, some fifteen or sixteen miles north of the
equator, and a few miles from the sea. Not far from it there is another
Island called Konikey. (Both of these islands are marked in the map
published in my work called “Explorations in Equatorial Africa.”)
One part of Nengue Ngozo is tolerably high, the other part is low and
swampy. It is covered with a great forest; some of the trees are very
large and tall, and the foliage of the palm-trees is very beautiful.
The Island is but a few miles in circumference.
The people of this Island are safe from wild beasts, as there are no
leopards to carry them away or kill their goats, no elephants to destroy
their plantations, and no gorillas to roam about and frighten them. The
cries of the chimpanzee are not heard, the wild buffalo is not to be
seen, the graceful antelopes and gazelles are unknown, and the chatter
of monkeys does not fall upon the ear of the people or resound strangely
in the woods. But all these roam at leisure on the main-land, where the
villages of the warlike Shekiani and Bakalai people are scattered over
the great, wild forest.
As I looked upon the water I could see the majestic pelican chasing the
fishes, and the gulls flying in great numbers through the air, their
shrill cries sounding strangely in the midst of the grand solitude by
which I was surrounded.
Cranes and other birds were walking to and fro on the beach in search of
their food. How quiet, silent and sly they were as they stepped from
place to place looking for their prey; and, when they saw it, how
quickly their long beaks dipped into the water to seize it!
It was a very warm day when I landed on Nengue Ngozo. The rays of the
sun were powerful, and there was not a ripple on the water. It was so
hot that my men had not even strength to paddle. Our sail, made of
natives’ mats, flapped against the mast and was not of the slightest use
except to fan us. Happily the tide carried us toward the Island. I had
an umbrella over my head, and now and then I wetted a handkerchief which
was in my hat to keep my head cool. I felt that I was as red as a boiled
lobster. I remember well how much I suffered from the heat that day.
[Sidenote: _SHARKS._]
Now and then we could see the fins of sharks as they came near our
canoe, and a shudder went through us all, for we knew well what would
become of us if by some misfortune we were to upset.
A few days before a fine boy had been devoured by these monsters. The
sight of a shark when I am in a canoe always makes me shudder. I fear a
shark more than I do snakes. Which is saying a great deal!
How glad I was when I landed and rested myself under the shade of the
forest which grew to the very water’s edge. I quenched my thirst in a
little brook which rose in the interior of the Island, and oh! how much
better I felt afterward. I had to drink out of a large leaf which I
folded in the form of a cornucopia.
I saw on the sands what I knew to be the foot-prints of men; we followed
them and at last came to the very small village of which I have spoken
to you. The men with me were Mpongwes, and belonged to the same tribe as
the people of the Island.
The King and his people at first stared at me, but a word or two from my
men made every thing right.
The luggage was landed from our canoe, the canoe was then hauled on to
the main-land and put under the shade of the trees, and we were ready to
rest, for we were all very tired and I felt rather feverish.
The wives of the King cooked food for us, and in the mean time huts had
been given to us by his sable Majesty.
I hardly tasted the food that was presented to me. After my sham meal I
fell asleep, and when I awoke the sun had set, and all was dark and
silent. I felt better, however, and came out of my hut; the King was
quietly smoking his pipe, and we had a chat together; the Queen came
forth also; then a few old men of the place, whom we may call the
gray-beards, made their appearance.
These people of course knew what the sea was, knew that the vessels
sailed upon it to come to their country; but they asked me many
questions about the white man’s country. For instance:—
Had we men with only one eye in the middle of the forehead?
Did our babies feed on milk? They had heard they fed on spirits.
Of what material were our houses? Were they built with the bark of
trees? And many other apparently foolish questions.
When I told them that we had no people with one eye in the middle of
their foreheads they did not believe me. They had never seen any white
man manufacturing before them the goods we brought, therefore they
thought another species of men must make them, from whom we bought them.
At last, looking at my watch, I saw that it was ten o’clock: time to go
to bed: so I bade good-night to the King and his people and went back to
my hut. I barricaded myself; slept with my gun by my side, and for my
pillow laid my head on my revolvers.
[Sidenote: _THE PARROTS COME._]
Toward three or four o’clock in the morning I was startled by a
tremendous noise. At first, just waking up, I could not make out what it
was; when lo! I discovered it was made by parrots, chattering away in a
most jolly and discordant manner. I had never heard such a noise in my
life before. The Island must have been full of them. I tried in vain to
sleep—turned myself one way, then the other, but it was of no avail; the
noise was so terrific there was no rest for me. I don’t think a hundred
bells tolling together could have made more noise. At any rate as they
went on I wondered if they could understand each other, and how they
could have come to the Island. They had probably arrived while I was
asleep, just before sunset.
Before the morning twilight came I was out, and as soon as the dawn of
day made its appearance, flock after flock flew from the trees and went
in different directions toward the main-land. I followed them as far as
my eyes could reach, but soon lost sight of them, for they were going
far away, very far away. They were in flocks, and each flock went in
search of places where they knew food was abundant. They went off by
tens, by twenties, and by hundreds together.
By sunrise not a parrot was to be seen on the Island, and I could only
hear the chatter of other birds. How silent then every thing seemed!
During the day I went to the top of the hill in search of land shells,
and after five o’clock in the afternoon the parrots began to arrive
again. From the top of the hill I could see them as far as my eyes could
reach: they were coming from immense distances. They continued pouring
in and pouring in, and I should not wonder if some had come from thirty
or forty miles, or perhaps even more. They came and they came, and they
continued coming, even after the sun had set, and two flocks came when
it was almost dark. These had probably come from far away and had
miscalculated the time their flight would take; or perhaps they had been
detained by some dainty fruit on the road. At any rate they came very
late. I calculated that at least twenty thousand parrots had arrived on
the Island, although there may have been one hundred thousand, for I do
not claim to have counted them all. They came to spend the night on the
Island of Nengue Ngozo, and I now ceased to wonder at the strange name
the natives had given to the Island.
These gray parrots are said to live to be a hundred years old and even
more. Some years ago I myself knew a sea-captain in New York by the name
of Brown, an old trader on the African coast, who had a parrot which he
had kept for thirty years. I wish you could have heard him talk and sing
songs. Captain Brown is dead, and I know not where his widow has gone,
but perhaps the parrot is still living. I could not help thinking that
some of these old parrots had come here every day, perhaps, for a
hundred years.
They perched by hundreds and perhaps thousands on the same trees, and
the trees on which they perched showed their heads far above those of
the other trees. How beautifully their gray plumage and their red tails
contrasted with the green leaves from the midst of which they appeared!
Some of the old ones were almost white. When old their feathers seem to
be covered with a white powder, and if you pass your hand over their
plumage this powder comes off. I have killed wild ones perfectly
splendid, much larger and handsomer than any I have seen tame.
[Sidenote: _HOW PARROTS BUILD THEIR NESTS._]
I wondered why these parrots had chosen this Island as their bedroom.
Why did they come from such distances every day when there were so many
tall trees in the forest on the main-land? I found that it was because
they were safer than on the main-land; there were no _genetta_ (a kind
of wild cat) to pounce upon them and disturb, or rather devour, them at
night.
[Illustration: PARROT ISLAND.]
Days passed, and every morning and every evening the parrots went away
and the parrots came back, and between three and four o’clock in the
morning began their _charming_ noise; but I became quite accustomed to
it and did not mind it at all after a while. I noticed also that
generally the same number that started together in the morning came back
together.
These parrots must certainly be endowed with a very great instinct to
know the way to the Island, as they come from great distances, and from
every direction.
Not only do they come to the Island of Nengue Ngozo to sleep, but in the
month of February and the beginning of March many remain and have their
nests on the Island. They all would have had their nests, I am sure, if
there had been hollows of trees enough for them.
These gray parrots do not build a regular nest, but choose a tree where
there is a deep hollow to lay their eggs in. The nests are discovered by
hearing their young calling all day long for their parents to feed them.
I never saw more than two young ones in one nest, or hollow of a tree,
and very funny they looked when covered with down before their feathers
had grown.
What awful cries they utter as they see the human hand coming through
the darkness ready to catch hold of them. And you had better look out
for your fingers, for they bite terribly hard, I assure you, as I know
by experience, and that in despite of their being very young. There were
days when I hid myself near a tree close by the place where they came to
sleep, but the parrots seemed to know it, and would fly round and round
it, and then go away. It is but very seldom that I ever was able to
approach parrots when they were perched on a tree standing by itself:
they would fly away before I could come within gunshot distance. They
are exceedingly shy.
When they approach their nests they always come in the most silent
manner, not uttering a single cry.
[Sidenote: _PARROT SOUP._]
For a while after they have taken their flight the young ones will
follow their parents; after a while the birds of the same age flock
together. A young gray parrot has entirely black eyes. Before he is a
year old a change takes place: a ring shows itself round the black,
which gradually turns yellow, then whitish-yellow. In the breeding
season the natives capture a great many young ones in their nests before
they can fly away.
After a few days the fowls of the little kingdom of Nengue Ngozo became
scarce, and at last the King had no more to give me; so I said to
myself, Why should not I kill some parrots and cook them?
One morning I awoke before daylight. Two evenings before I had watched a
tree not far away where the parrots were roosting in great numbers, and
had made a path leading to it. When I went by that path it was pitch
dark; I could not help thinking of snakes, but at last I came to the
foot of the tree. It was just before daybreak; the birds did not see me,
but they seemed to mistrust something, for, though I had come very
noiselessly, their chatter was of that kind which showed distinctly that
they were disturbed.
At last I raised my gun in the direction of what I thought the midst of
the tree; then I touched both triggers, and, _bang! bang!_ I let go both
barrels at the same time. The gun gave an awful recoil which almost
knocked me down, and I heard a shower of parrots falling all round me;
one fell right on the top of my head and nearly frightened the life out
of me, for I fancied a snake had just tumbled on top of me, or that a
bough of the tree was coming down.
What a terrific noise followed my two shots! I had never heard any thing
like it. They fled in dismay, screaming with all their might; but where
were they to go? it was dark, and the whole population of parrots was in
terrible trouble. The next evening not a parrot came upon that tree, and
they were all very suspicious as they came to the Island, flying round
and round the trees before they roosted.
When daylight came, I found twenty dead parrots on the ground, and had a
grand feast. I had parrot soup, which was not at all bad; roasted
parrot; and grilled parrot. The old parrots were very tough, but the
young ones were excellent; their flesh was black and resembled in taste
that of the pigeon.
Now I have told you all I know about Nengue Ngozo. Nengue, as I have
said before, means an Island, and Ngozo, parrot. Should any one of you
ever go to the Gaboon country he will find the Island, and he will see
the parrots—unless the natives have cut down all the trees.
In that part of Africa there are only two kinds of parrots: the gray
sort—which is very abundant, and much handsomer than the gray one found
near Sierra Leone, the gray being of a lighter color—and the green one,
which is very rare.
But I have one now in my possession, the only one I have ever seen which
is extraordinary. It is pink and gray; that is, it has pink and gray
feathers, and is a very beautiful bird, the rarest that was ever brought
to America or Europe, and probably the only one of its kind that ever
existed, for it is not a distinct species, but a freak of Nature.
[Illustration: [Fleuron]]