ESCAPE AND RECAPTURE.
About six months after I had been exchanged for Kifura, and the rainy
season being finished, I was awakened from a state of apathy by
preparations being made for a journey down the Alima with a quantity of
slaves and elephants’ teeth. This was considered of such importance that
the chief himself was to go in command; and I heard it debated among the
gray heads of the tribe whether I should be taken or not.
Some argued that if other tribes, through whose country we were to pass,
saw me they would be so desirous of possessing themselves of me that
they would attack my masters, and therefore my presence would add
immensely to the risks of the journey. Others held that many tribes had
only heard of white men, and knowing that from their country came the
beads, brass rods, napkins, and cloths, so highly prized by the natives
of Africa, attribute the production to the possession of some powerful
and wonder-working magic by white men. When these tribes saw that one
of that strange and supernatural race was a slave to the passers
through their territories, they would consider their fetich was even
stronger than that of the white men, and therefore immensely superior to
that of any other tribe of blacks. Accordingly, they would abstain from
interfering with or molesting us in any way.
The _pros_ and _cons_ were eagerly urged on both sides, and, as may be
imagined, I listened with great interest. I hoped, when we reached the
great river at the end of the journey, to find among the people there
buying the slaves and ivory, if not a white man, at all events some in
constant communication with the coast, whom I might induce to ransom me,
and send me to where white men came. I thought that, even if I fell into
the hands of slave-dealers, the story of my sufferings and adventures
might induce the hardest-hearted of them all to assist me to return to
my own country.
For days the argument went on. At last it seemed as if those who were
for my being left behind would prevail, when one morning the wife of the
chief announced that during the night she had had a dream in which she
had been told that the white man’s presence would bring good fortune to
the travellers. As she was generally credited with having a more than
ordinary intimacy with the spirits of evil, her words were listened to;
and when, three days later, the party set out, I was among those
composing it, though placed under the special guard of four men, with
strict orders to kill me if I attempted to escape or communicate in any
way with strangers.
Precautions were taken in order that I might not elude the vigilance of
my guard. At all times, except when liberated to feed myself, my hands
were tied behind my back, and a line from my wrists was made fast to the
waist of one of the guards, while a sort of bag or hood was put over my
head, so that I might not see the way we were going.
Fettered and blindfolded in this manner I was placed in a canoe. I soon
felt that the crew were paddling vigorously. They sang of all the
wonderful things they were to obtain in exchange for their ivory and
slaves; and how, when they returned, they would be able to enjoy
themselves in perfect idleness, and do nothing but sing, dance, and
drink from morn to eve and from eve to morn.
I could, of course, see nothing of the country we passed through; but as
we were going down a river, I thought we must be getting nearer and
nearer to the sea. I cared little for the discomforts of my situation,
as I hoped that every day was bringing me closer to liberty and the
companionship of white and, I trusted, civilized men.
At night, when we camped on the river bank, or when we halted at one of
the numerous villages which we passed by, I was brought out and unhooded
to show my pale face to the people whose countries we were passing
through. Loud boasts were made by my owners of the great powers of
their fetich, which enabled them to become the fortunate proprietors of
a white man, and many and strange were the powers which were also
attributed to me.
Fortunately, when I was shown, the people who came to gaze at me seemed
to be desirous of propitiating me, and of getting me to exercise these
powers on their behalf. Presents of fowls, eggs, yams, plantains, and
ground-nuts were often laid at my feet, and sometimes even their desire
for good fortune so far overcame their innate avarice that a goat or a
pig was brought as a present. I always smiled and tried to look pleased,
as I found that the more that was brought the better my masters treated
me. Though but a small portion of these gifts and offerings fell
ultimately to my lot, still I hoped my masters would get more and more
free in showing me, and that the hood, which in that hot climate was
almost an intolerable nuisance, would in time be removed, as often as I
could hear people on the banks crying out to have the white man shown to
them, and offering gifts for even a glimpse of his face.
At last this was done, and a few days after we came into what seemed to
me a lake with islands bounded in part by steep hills of white sand. I
afterwards found it was only a widening of the great river into which
the Alima fell, and which was no other than the mighty Congo.
The Bateke, as the people living on the northern side of this
river-lake were called, were keen and eager traders. A few days after
our arrival among them, I was most strangely affected by a very simple
occurrence, which seemed to me an omen of approaching deliverance from
my unhappy lot.
This happened when a village chief, who was desirous of buying the
slaves and ivory which we had brought with us for sale, came to bargain
with my masters. He brought several large vessels filled with native
beer, and instead of the usual gourd or basket as a drinking vessel, he
used a common white earthenware mug, on which was a view of Clifton,
with “A present for a good boy from Clifton” printed below it.
All European manufactures, save beads and a few pieces of cloth, had
long been strangers to my sight, and now to see this mug, of which I had
seen hundreds of counterparts for sale in the shop windows during the
days of my happy school life, brought a flood of memories into my heart,
and seemed like a message to me that I should not despair. Doubtless
that cup, leaving England in some Bristol ship, perchance the _Petrel_
herself, had penetrated into that strange and unknown country by a road
by which I might find my way to the sea-coast.
I thought of good Dr. Poynter, old Abe, and my schoolfellows, and this
cup seemed a direct message to me from them not to lose heart. As I
looked at it I became so powerfully and strangely affected that I burst
into tears, and my hands at the time not being fastened, I seized upon
the senseless piece of clay and covered it with kisses.
My owners, when they saw how the sight of this cup had worked upon me,
instantly became possessed with the belief that it was some mighty
fetich, and that if I was allowed to handle it I would be able to work
them some evil and obtain my freedom. The Bateke chief also thought it
was a fetich, and it was instantly torn from my hands lest by its aid I
should render all around subservient to my wishes. My hands were again
tied behind my back, and I was taken away and lashed to a post at a
little distance, where I could see all that went on.
My owners were so desirous of possessing the mug that they offered its
owner tusks of ivory and slaves. As he saw their desire to possess it
was very keen, he refused all their offers; and at last, by their
gestures and the looks which were constantly directed towards me, I made
out that it was being discussed whether I should not be exchanged for
the mug.
The Bateke chief had seen many mugs and cups like the one in question
now, but he had never before seen a white man; and my owners, though
they were very proud of possessing a white slave, were still more eager
to possess this mug, which they thought, from the emotion it had caused
in me, must be a most powerful fetich. As I afterwards found out, they
argued that it might be dangerous for them to have both it and me, lest
in some unguarded moment the precious object might fall into my
possession, and I might, with its aid, revenge upon them all the
miseries and insults they had lavished on me. At last they consented to
exchange me for this mug, which possibly might have been worth
fourpence.
No sooner was the bargain concluded than I was untied from the post and
turned over to my new master. He put me in his canoe and took me to his
village, which was about four miles below the place where my late owners
had camped, and there he gave me in charge of his mother, an old and
wrinkled woman of at least seventy, who ruled over his numerous wives
and slaves with an iron hand.
I soon found that this old dame had not much superstitious reverence for
me as a white man. I had to go and work on her plantations and collect
firewood like any ordinary slave--the only difference between me and
others being that I was more jealously guarded, though, as being more
valuable, having slightly better food and shelter.
My old masters left for their own country soon after I had passed from
their hands. Before long I found there seemed to be little chance of my
getting away from the Bateke and making my way to the sea-coast.
Nevertheless, after some time the guard over me became less severe. The
old hag who had charge of me becoming more blind and feeble, and not
being able to keep so strict a watch over her son’s belongings as she
had hitherto done, I found opportunities of conversing with some of my
fellow-slaves, and struck up a kind of friendship with one called Duma,
a fellow a year or two older than myself.
Duma told me he belonged to a tribe that lived some distance down the
river, below some vast and fearful cataracts; and if it were not that he
was afraid of passing these he would long ago have stolen a canoe and
made his way by the river to his own people and his own home.
I asked why he had not tried to make his way past the cataracts on foot.
He replied the way was very long and difficult. So many and great were
the dangers to be encountered from wild beasts and wilder men that he
had been loath to make the attempt by himself. Among all our
fellow-slaves there was not one whom he could trust to go with him.
Indeed, he was afraid even to speak to them about escaping, for fear of
being betrayed to our master. But if I would share the hazard of the
undertaking with him he would make an attempt to steal a canoe and to
escape about the time of the next new moon, when the nights would be
long and dark.
About a fortnight had to elapse before the proper time for our start
would arrive. Duma and I employed it in secreting a store of provisions
to serve us on our journey, and in getting together a few spears, a bow
and arrows, a small fishing-net, and other little things, such as a
stick for making fire, an earthen pot, and a small hatchet. All these
things we hid in a hole in the bank of the river not far from where the
canoes of the village were usually kept. To prevent suspicion from
attaching to us for being much in the neighbourhood of the canoes, we
employed ourselves in fishing, and were most careful to bring all our
prey to our old mistress, who was exceedingly fond of fish for food, and
who was thus kept in good humour.
About three days before that fixed upon for starting, Duma came to me in
a state of great excitement. He told me that one of the women slaves,
who was a countrywoman of his, had found out our intention of
absconding, and insisted on joining us in our flight. If we did not
consent, she threatened to inform the chief that we were going to run
away.
I was nothing loath to have a third person to join us in our attempt. I
own I had rather it had been a man. Still the spirit she showed was
evidence she would not stick at anything, and of this she soon gave us
further proof.
At Duma’s request I went with him to see his countrywoman, who proved to
be a tall powerful lass of eighteen or nineteen years of age. She
asserted she was as good a hand at paddling a canoe as any man, and that
she could carry heavy loads and march far and fast. As soon as she saw
me she asked me if I could use one of the white man’s iron sticks out of
which fire came.
I, of course, knew she meant a gun, and said that I could certainly use
it. She then told me that the chief had one in his hut, and she would
try to steal it for me. I told her the gun would be of no use without
the black powder which it ate and the firestones belonging to it, and
that if she got the gun she would have to find ammunition also. This she
said would not be quite so easy a matter; but if I would give her the
shell and beads my old friend Teta had hung round my neck on parting
from me, she would try to bribe one of the chief’s wives under whose
charge the pouches and belts of the gun were, and bring them to us at
the canoe.
She also said we must be ready to start any night, and must get leave
for fishing at night, so that our absence from the slaves’ quarters need
occasion no surprise. Indeed, now that she had become one of our party,
she showed more spirit and energy than Duma and myself put together.
Agreeably to her instructions, we got leave, and a little before sunset
put out from the shore as if we were going a fishing; but when it was
well dark we came back again, took our provisions out of their
hiding-place, and stowing them in the canoe, waited the coming of Pipa,
as our confederate was called.
Presently, while we were anxiously expecting her arrival, we could see
dimly a number of canoes floating down the stream. Fearing that she had
betrayed us, we were about to restore our goods to their hiding-place,
when we were pleasantly surprised by her calling to us she had got the
gun and the things belonging to it, and had set adrift the canoes that
we had seen and which had caused us so much fright, and now she wanted
our assistance to launch some which were too heavy for her to move by
herself.
I confess I was both astonished and delighted by the courage and address
of Pipa. With Duma I hurried at once to her assistance. We soon had all
the canoes belonging to the village in the water and drifting away
down-stream, save three or four which were too big for our united
efforts to move. In order that when our escape was discovered they
should be of no use to the Bateke if they desired to pursue after us, we
damaged these, so as to render them useless. As soon as this most wise
and necessary precaution had been taken, we got on board our own craft.
Duma and Pipa taking the paddles, I had an opportunity of examining the
weapon brought us, which was the only fire-arm owned at that time by the
Bateke.
It was a curious-looking affair, and in England would have been deemed
fitter for a place in a museum or a curiosity shop than to be fired off.
The barrel was immensely long, and bound to the stock by a number of
little brass bands, while close to the breech a piece of the skin of an
elephant’s tail had been shrunk on to it to guard against bursting. The
butt, which was ornamented with cowries and a fly-flapper made of a
zebra’s tail, was very straight and awkward. However, though it was but
a clumsy, unwieldy piece, I found that the lock was in fair working
order. In the pouches obtained with good old Teta’s parting gift there
were half-a-dozen flints, besides powder and some iron bullets. I fitted
in a flint, and proceeded to load and prime the piece. Then I laid it
down carefully, ready for use if occasion should arise. Seizing a
paddle, I added my efforts to those of Duma and Pipa in putting as much
distance as possible between us and our quondam masters before our
flight should be discovered.
Favoured by the current, we must have been some seven miles away before
the lighting of fires told us that the village was alarmed. Soon we
found that not only behind us but also in front danger was to be feared.
The alarm rapidly spread, and not only astern and abreast of us, but
also ahead, we saw fires burning. It became a question whether we should
run the risk of putting out into the middle of the stream, and possibly
missing the passage out of its lake-like widening, or whether by keeping
near the bank we should make sure of striking it.
Pipa was for the latter course and Duma for the former. I had so much
faith in our female companion’s address and bravery that I sided with
her, and we kept along about five or six hundred yards from the shore.
Though we had sometimes to cease paddling and keep silence in order to
avoid attracting the attention of the crews of canoes which put out from
villages we passed by, we managed to elude all pursuit and without being
stopped to get where the river narrowed again to its ordinary width of
about half a mile or so. The current was now so strong that we hoped
before daylight to be beyond the last village of the Bateke, and among a
people who would be willing to aid Duma and Pipa in their escape.
Soon after daylight we found ourselves near a village where Pipa said
she remembered to have been when on a trading expedition with one of her
brothers, and she counselled our putting in there boldly and claiming
protection before any of our pursuers arrived. We agreed, as Duma and I
were both spent and weary with our night of toil. Running into the
landing-place, Pipa boldly asked for the chief by name, who soon came
down to see what had happened.
When Pipa had told her tale, the chief said that he was unable to resist
any attack that the Bateke might make on him. If, however, we gave him
my ancient piece of artillery he would hide us and our boat, and when
the Bateke came he would tell them that we had been seen going down the
river but had not stopped. Afterwards he would give us guides to the
nearest way by land to Pipa’s own village, which he averred might be
reached in four or five days of hard marching.
Evidently this was our best course to pursue. We immediately landed, and
our canoe was hauled into a neighbouring creek and there sunk. Under the
chief’s guidance, we went away with him to a place where he said we
would safe from our pursuers, and where we could lie hid until they
gave up the search after us. To avoid attention being attracted by my
white face, I had smeared myself all over with the river mud, and
keeping myself in the background, and allowing Pipa and Duma to do all
the talking, I fortunately managed to pass unobserved. Though our new
friends might deceive the Bateke about so small a matter as the flight
of three slaves, it was not to be expected that they would not betray us
if they knew me to be a white man.
The hiding-place the chief led us to was the hollow trunk of a great
tree, which we got into by climbing up some creepers and going through a
hole in its side some fourteen or fifteen feet from the ground. Inside
we found a pretty commodious place where there was ample room for us all
three to lie down. The bottom of the cavity being covered with decayed
wood and dead leaves, it made pretty soft lying for us. As soon as we
were safely stowed away the chief left us, saying he would send some one
to bring us food and drink when the sun went down, but that in the
meantime we were not to quit our place of refuge.
As soon as we were left alone, we fell asleep, being very tired after
our night’s work. We must have slept soundly for some hours, when we
were awakened by some people talking loudly near the bottom of our tree.
I thought that these would be the people whom the chief had promised to
send with food, and would have at once gone to the hole to see who the
people were; but Pipa caught hold of me and prevented me from doing so,
and made signs for us to be silent and listen.
We soon made out that the speakers were some Bateke in chase of us, and
that our landing had been found out through the vanity of the chief.
Proud of the brass-bound, antique weapon obtained from us, he had not
been able to refrain from firing it. The unaccustomed sound had brought
a number of the Bateke to the spot; for it was known that no one in the
neighbourhood possessed a gun besides that which we had stolen.
Pipa listened eagerly to make out if the chief had betrayed us. He had
made an excuse that he supposed we were people in pursuit of fugitives,
and the gun had been given him as a pledge of amity and a token that we
were sent out by our master. The Bateke were consulting as to what
course they should take in pursuit, and as far as we could make out the
river was the only avenue to safety left open.
After some time the Bateke who had aroused us started off again. Soon
after a messenger arrived from our friendly chief to say how sorry he
was his indiscretion had betrayed that we had landed, and to lead us to
a place where a canoe and provisions were in readiness.
We did not wait long before following the messenger. He led us by
wild-beast tracks and hippopotamus paths to a creek where the canoe was.
We immediately put out and recommenced our voyage down-stream; and
drifting and paddling during the night, we halted for the day on a small
uninhabited island.
Nothing occurred to frighten or disturb us. At sunset we again launched
our frail vessel; but we soon found that the stream was increasing in
rapidity, and hearing the sound of falling water ahead, both Duma and
Pipa said we must now abandon the canoe and take to the shore.
We accordingly put into the southern bank, just missing, owing to the
force of the current, a little creek that we had been aiming for; but
catching hold of some branches, we began to land our scanty belongings.
I was carrying away the paddles, which we intended to take with us as
weapons, or in case we might be fortunate enough to find another canoe
below the rapids, when I heard a splash and a cry. Rushing to the bank,
I saw that one of my companions had fallen overboard and that the other
had let go the tree which he or she had been holding on to, and that
both were rapidly drifting with the canoe down-stream.
I was powerless to assist. Forgetting my own safety, I made my way as
well as I could along the bank, only to arrive, long after the
catastrophe had occurred, at the head of the falls, over which they must
have been swept.
Though it did not seem probable, I imagined there might possibly be a
chance of their surviving, and with great difficulty made my way down
the rocks by the side of the river, and at the foot of the falls I
cried long and loudly, “Duma! Pipa!” No answer came in response to my
shouts save the scream of some night birds which I scared and the howl
of a prowling hyena. When the rising sun put an end to a long night of
agonizing suspense, I found that the bruised and battered bodies of my
two friends and the broken remains of the canoe had been cast ashore
almost at my feet.
I think now my brain and mind must have given way for a time, for I have
only an indistinct memory of being recaptured and bound and taken back
to the care of the old hag, my master’s mother, who was a perfect
mistress of the art of ingenious torture. I often fancied that I must
have fallen into the hands of friends. It is still a wonder to me how I
survived what I must have undergone at this time, as several large and
ugly scars prove it was not a dream but an absolute reality.