IN WHICH THE TRAVELLERS ENJOY THEMSELVES EXTREMELY, AND DISCO
LILLIHAMMER SEES SEVERAL ASTONISHING SIGHTS.
Behold our travellers, then, fairly embarked on the waters of the great
African river Zambesi, in two canoes, one of which is commanded by
Harold Seadrift, the other by Disco Lillihammer.
Of course these enterprising chiefs were modest enough at first to allow
two of the Makololo men, Jumbo and Zombo, to wield the steering-oars,
but after a few days' practice they became sufficiently expert, as Disco
said, to take the helm, except when strong currents rendered the
navigation difficult, or when the weather became so "piping hot" that
none but men clad in black skins could work.
We must however guard the reader here from supposing that it is always
piping hot in Africa. There are occasional days when the air may be
styled lukewarm, when the sky is serene, and when all nature seems
joyful and enjoyable,--days in which a man opens his mouth wide and
swallows down the atmosphere; when he _feels_ his health and strength,
and rejoices in them, and when, if he be not an infidel, he also feels a
sensation of gratitude to the Giver of all good.
On such a day, soon after entering the East Luavo mouth of the Zambesi,
the explorers, for such we may almost venture to style them, ascended
the smooth stream close to the left bank, Harold leading, Disco
following closely in his wake.
The men rowed gently, as if they enjoyed the sweet calm of early
morning, and were unwilling to disturb the innumerable flocks of
wild-fowl that chuckled among the reeds and sedges everywhere. Harold
sat in the stern, leaning back, and only dipping the steering-oar lazily
now and then to keep the canoe from running on the bank, or plunging
into a forest of gigantic rushes. Disco, having resolved to solace
himself with a whiff of his darling pipe, had resigned "the helm" to
Jumbo, and laid himself in a position of comfort which admitted of his
resting his head on the gunwale in such a manner that, out of the
corners of his eyes, he could gaze down into the water.
The part of the river they had reached was so perfectly still that every
cloud in the sky, every mangrove, root and spray, and every bending
bulrush, was perfectly reproduced in the reflected world below.
Plaintive cries of wild-fowl formed appropriate melody, to which
chattering groups of monkeys and croaking bull-frogs contributed a fine
tenor and bass.
"Hallo, Disco!" exclaimed Harold in a subdued key, looking over his
shoulder.
"Ay, ay, sir?" sighed the seaman, without moving his position.
"Range up alongside; I want to speak to you."
"Ay, ay, sir.--Jumbo, you black-faced villain, d'ee hear that? give way
and go 'longside."
Good-humoured Jumbo _spoke_ very little English, but had come to
understand a good deal during his travels with Dr Livingstone. He
wrinkled his visage and showed his brilliant teeth on receiving the
order. Muttering a word to the men, and giving a vigorous stroke, he
shot up alongside of the leader's canoe.
"You seem comfortable," said Harold, with a laugh, as Disco's vast
visage appeared at his elbow.
"I is."
"Isn't this jolly?" continued Harold.
"No, sir, 'taint."
"Why, what d'you mean?"
"I means that jolly ain't the word, by a long way, for to express the
natur' o' my feelin's. There ain't no word as I knows on as 'ud come up
to it. If I wor a fylosipher, now, I'd coin a word for the occasion.
P'raps," continued Disco, drawing an unusually long whiff from his pipe,
"p'raps, not bein' a fylosipher, I might nevertheless try to coin one.
Wot's the Latin, now, for heaven?"
"Caelum," replied Harold.
"Sailum, eh? An' wot's the 'arth?"
"Terra."
"Terra? well now, wot rediklous names to give to 'em," said Disco,
shaking his head gravely, "I can't see why the ancients couldn't ha' bin
satisfied with the names that _we'd_ given 'em. Hows'ever, that's
neither here nor there. My notion o' the state o' things that we've got
into here, as they now stand, is, that they are sailumterracious, which
means heaven-upon-earth, d'ee see?"
As Disco pronounced the word with a powerful emphasis on the _u-m_ part
of it the sound was rather effective, and seemed to please him.
"Right; you're right, or nearly so," replied Harold; "but don't you
think the word savours too much of perfection, seeing that breakfast
would add to the pleasure of the present delightful state of things, and
make them even more sailumterracious than they are?"
"No, sir, no; the word ain't too parfect," replied Disco, with a look of
critical severity; "part of it is 'arth, and 'arth is imparfect, bein'
susceptible of a many improvements, among which undoubtedly is
breakfast, likewise dinner an' supper, to say nothin' of lunch an' tea,
which is suitable only for babbies an' wimen; so I agrees with you, sir,
that the state o' things will be sailumterraciouser if we goes ashore
an' has breakfast."
He tapped the head of his very black little pipe on the edge of the
canoe, and heaved a sigh of contentment as he watched the ash-ball that
floated away on the stream; then, rousing himself, he seized the
steering-oar and followed Harold into a small creek, which was
pleasantly overshadowed by the rich tropical foliage of that region.
While breakfast was being prepared by Antonio, whose talents as
_chef-de-cuisine_ were of the highest order, Harold took his rifle and
rambled into the bush in search of game--any kind of game, for at that
time he had had no experience whatever of the sport afforded by the
woods of tropical Africa, and, having gathered only a few vague ideas
from books, he went forth with all the pleasurable excitement and
expectation that we may suppose peculiar to discoverers.
Disco Lillihammer having only consumed his first pipe of tobacco, and
holding it to be a duty which he owed to himself to consume two before
breakfast, remained at the camp-fire to smoke and chaff Antonio, whose
good-nature was only equalled by his activity.
"Wot have 'ee got there?" inquired Disco, as Antonio poured a quantity
of seed into a large pot.
"Dis? vy, hims be mapira," replied the interpreter, with a benignant
smile. "Hims de cheef food ob dis konterie."
It must be remarked here that Antonio's English, having been acquired
from all sorts of persons, in nearly every tropical part of the globe,
was somewhat of a jumble, being a compound of the broken English spoken
by individuals among the Germans, French, Portuguese, Arabs, and
Negroes, with whom he had at various times associated, modified by his
own ignorance, and seasoned with a dash of his own inventive fancy.
"Is it good?" asked Disco.
"Goot!" exclaimed Antonio. Being unable to find words to express
himself, the enthusiastic cook placed his hand on the region which was
destined ere long to become a receptacle for the mapira, and rolled his
eyes upwards in rapture. "Hah! oo sall see behind long."
"Before long, you mean," observed the seaman.
"Dat all same ting, s'long's you onerstand him," replied Antonio
complacently.--"Bring vatter now, Jumbo. Put him in careful. Not spill
on de fire--zo--goot."
Jumbo filled up the kettle carefully, and a broad grin overspread his
black visage, partly because he was easily tickled into a condition of
risibility by the cool off-hand remarks of Disco Lillihammer, and partly
because, having acquired his own small smattering of English from Dr
Livingstone, he was intelligent enough to perceive that in regard to
Antonio's language there was something peculiar.
"Now, go fitch noder kittle--queek."
"_Yis_, sar--zo--goot," replied Jumbo, mimicking the interpreter, and
going off with a vociferous laugh at his little joke, in which he was
joined by his sable clansmen, Masiko and Zombo.
"Hims got 'nuff of impoodidence," said the interpreter, as he bustled
about his avocations.
"He's not the only one that's got more than enough impoodidence," said
Disco, pushing a fine straw down the stem of his "cutty," to make it
draw better. "I say, Tony," (our regardless seaman had already thus
mutilated his name), "you seem to have plenty live stock in them parts."
"Plenty vat?" inquired the interpreter, with a perplexed expression.
"Why, plenty birds and beasts,--live stock we calls it, meanin' thereby
livin' creeturs." He pointed towards an opening in the mangroves,
through which were visible the neighbouring mud and sand flats, swarming
with wild-fowl, and conspicuous among which were large flocks of
pelicans, who seemed to be gorging themselves comfortably from an
apparently inexhaustible supply of fish in the pools left by the
receding tide.
"Ho, yis, me perceive; yis, plenty bird and beast--fishes too, and
crawbs--look dare."
He pointed to a part of the sands nearest to their encampment which
appeared to be alive with some small creatures.
"That's coorious," said Disco, removing his pipe, and regarding the
phenomenon with some interest.
"No, 'taint koorous, it's crawbs," replied Antonio.
"Crabs, is it?" said Disco, rising and sauntering down to the sands; for
he possessed an inquiring mind, with a special tendency to investigate
the habits (pranks, as he called them) of the lower animals, which, in
other circumstances, might have made him a naturalist.
Muttering to himself--he was fond of muttering to himself, it felt
companionable,--"coorious, very coorious, quite 'stroanary," he crept
stealthily to the edge of the mangroves, and there discovered that the
sands were literally alive with myriads of minute crabs, which were
actively engaged--it was supposed by those who ought to know best--in
gathering their food. The moment the tide ebbed from any part of the
sands, out came these crablets in swarms, and set to work, busy as bees,
ploughing up the sand, and sifting it, apparently for food, until the
whole flat was rendered rough by their incessant labours. Approaching
cautiously, Disco observed that each crab, as he went along sidewise,
gathered a round bit of moist sand at his mouth, which was quickly
brushed away by one of his claws, and replaced by another, and another,
as fast as they could be brushed aside.
"Eatin' sand they are!" muttered Disco in surprise; but presently the
improbability of sand being very nutritious food, even for crabs, forced
itself on him, and he muttered his conviction that they "was scrapin'
for wittles."
Having watched the crabs a considerable time, and observed that they
frequently interrupted their labours to dart suddenly into their holes
and out again--for the purpose, he conjectured, of "havin' a drop o'
summat to wet their whistles,"--Disco thrust the cutty into his vest
pocket, and walked a little further out on the flat in the hope of
discovering some new objects of interest. Nor was he disappointed.
Besides finding that the pools left by the tide swarmed with varieties
of little fish--many of them being "coorious,"--he was fortunate enough
to witness a most surprising combat.
It happened thus:--Perceiving, a little to his right, some small
creature hopping about on the sand near to a little pool, he turned
aside to observe it more closely. On his drawing near, the creature
jumped into the pool. Disco advanced to the edge, gazed intently into
the water, and saw nothing except his own reflected image at the bottom.
Presently the creature reappeared. It was a small fish--a familiar
fish, too--which he had known in the pools of his native land by the
name of blenny. As the blenny appeared to wish to approach the edge of
the pool, Disco retired, and, placing a hand on each knee, stooped, in
order to make himself as small as possible. He failed, the diminution
in his height being fully counterbalanced by the latitudinal extension
of his elbows!
Presently the blenny put its head out of the water, and looked about.
We speak advisedly. The blenny is altogether a singular, an exceptional
fish. It can, and does, look sidewise, upwards and downwards, with its
protruding eyes, as knowingly, and with as much vivacity, as if it were
a human being. This power in a fish has something of the same awesome
effect on an observer that might possibly result were a horse to raise
its head and smile at him.
Seeing that the coast was clear, for Disco stood as motionless as a
mangrove tree, blenny hopped upon the dry land. The African blenny is a
sort of amphibious animal, living nearly as much out of the water as in
it. Indeed its busiest time, we are told, [_See Dr Livingstone's
Zambesi and its Tributaries_, page 843.] is at low water, when, by means
of its pectoral fins it crawls out on the sand and raises itself into
something of a standing attitude, with its bright eyes keeping a sharp
look-out for the light-coloured flies on which it feeds.
For several seconds Disco gazed at the fish, and the fish gazed around,
even turning its head a little, as well as its eyes, on this side and on
that. Presently a small fly, with that giddy heedlessness which
characterises the race, alighted about two inches in front of blenny's
nose. Instantly the fish leaped that vast space, alighted with its
underset mouth just over the fly, which immediately rose into it and was
entombed.
"Brayvo!" passed through Disco's brain, but no sound issued from his
lips.
Presently another of the giddy ones alighted in front of blenny about a
foot distant. This appeared to be much beyond his leaping powers, for,
with a slow, stealthy motion, like a cat, he began deliberately to stalk
his victim. The victim appeared to be blind, for it took no notice of
the approaching monster. Blenny displayed marvellous powers of
self-control, for he moved on steadily without accelerating his speed
until within about two inches of his prey--then he leapt as before, and
another fly was entombed.
"Well done!" exclaimed Disco, mentally, but still his lips and body were
motionless as before.
At this point an enemy, in the shape of another blenny, appeared on the
scene. It came up out of a small pool close at hand, and seemed to
covet the first blenny's pool, and to set about taking possession of it
as naturally as if it had been a human being; for, observing, no doubt,
that its neighbour was busily engaged, it moved quietly in the direction
of the coveted pool. Being a very little fish, it was not observed by
Disco, but it was instantly noticed by the first blenny, which, being
rather the smaller of the two, we shall style the Little one.
Suddenly Big Blenny threw off all disguise, bounded towards the pool,
which was about a foot square, and plunged in. No mortal blenny could
witness this unwarrantable invasion of its hearth and home without being
stirred to indignant wrath. With eyes that seemed to flash fire, and
dorsal fin bristling up with rage, Little Blenny made five tremendous
leaps of full three inches each, and disappeared. Another moment and a
miniature storm ruffled the pool: for a few seconds the heavings of the
deep were awful; then, out jumped Big Blenny and tried to flee, but out
jumped Little Blenny and caught him by the tail; round turned the big
one and caught the other by the jaw.
"Hallo, Disco! breakfast's ready--where are you?" shouted Harold from
the woods.
Disco replied not. It is a question whether he heard the hail at all,
so engrossed was he in this remarkable fight.
"Brayvo!" he exclaimed aloud, when Little Blenny shook his big enemy off
and rolled over him.
"Cleverly done!" he shouted, when Big Blenny with a dart took refuge in
the pool.
"I knowed it," he cried approvingly, when Little Blenny forced him a
second time to evacuate the premises, "Go in an' win, little 'un,"
thought Disco.
Thus the battle raged furiously, now in the water, now on the sand,
while the excited seaman danced round the combatants--both of whom
appeared to have become deaf and blind with rage--and gave them strong
encouragement, mingled with appropriate advice and applause. In fact
Disco's delight would have been perfect, had the size of the
belligerents admitted of his patting the little blenny on the back; but
this of course was out of the question!
At last having struck, worried, bitten, and chased each other by land
and sea for several minutes, these pugnacious creatures seized each
other by their respective throats, like two bull-dogs, and fell
exhausted on the sand.
"It's a draw!" exclaimed Disco, rather disappointed.
"No, 'tain't," he said, as Little Blenny, reviving, rose up and renewed
the combat more furiously than ever; but it was soon ended, for Big
Blenny suddenly turned and fled to his own pool. Little Blenny did not
crow; he did not even appear to be elated. He evidently felt that he
had been called on to perform a disagreeable but unavoidable duty, and
deemed it quite unnecessary to wave banners, fire guns, or ring bells in
celebration of his victory, as he dived back into his pool amid the
ringing cheers of Disco Lillihammer.
"Upon my word, if you have not gone stark mad, you must have had a
sunstroke," said Harold, coming forward, "what's the matter?"
"Too late! too late!" cried Disco, in a mingled tone of amusement and
regret.
"D'ye think it is? Are you incurable already?" asked his friend.
"Too late to see the most a-stonishin' scrimmage I ever did behold in
_my_ life," said Disco.
The description of this scrimmage gave the worthy seaman a subject for
conversation and food for meditation during the greater part of the time
spent over the morning meal, and there is no saying how long he would
have kept referring to and chuckling over it--to the great admiration
and sympathy of the black fellows, who are, as a race, excessively fond
of jocularity and fun--had not another of the denizens of the mangrove
jungle diverted his attention and thoughts rather suddenly.
This was a small monkey, which, seated on a branch overhead, peered at
the breakfast-party from among the leaves, with an expression of inquiry
and of boundless astonishment that it is quite impossible to describe.
Surprise of the most sprightly nature, if we may say so, sat enthroned
on that small monkey's countenance, an expression which was enhanced by
the creature's motions, for, not satisfied with taking a steady look at
the intruders from the right side of a leaf, it thrust forward its
little black head on the left side of it, and then under it, by way of
variety; but no additional light seemed to result from these changes in
the point of observation, for the surprise did not diminish.
In one of its intent stares it caught the eye of Disco. The seaman's
jaws stopped, as if suddenly locked, and his eyes opened to their
widest.
The monkey seemed to feel uneasily that it had attracted attention, for
it showed the smallest possible glimpse of its teeth. The action,
coupled with the leafy shadows which fell on its countenance, had the
effect of a smile, which caused Disco to burst into a loud laugh and
point upwards. To bound from its position to a safer retreat, and
thence stare at Disco with deep indignation, and a threatening display
of all its teeth and gums, in addition to its looks of surprise, was the
work of a moment on the part of the small monkey, whereat Disco burst
into a renewed roar of laughter, in which he was joined by the whole
party.
"Are there many o' them fellows hereabouts?" inquired the seaman of
Antonio.
"Ho, yis, lots ob 'em. T'ousands ebery whars; see, dare am morer."
He pointed to another part of the umbrageous canopy overhead, where the
face of a still smaller monkey was visible, engaged, like the previous
one, in an earnest scrutiny of the party, but with a melancholy, rather
than a surprised, expression of visage.
"Wot a miserable, broken-hearted thing!" said Disco, grinning, in which
act he was immediately copied by the melancholy monkey, though from
different motives.
Disco was very fond of monkeys. All his life he had felt a desire to
pat and fondle those shivering creatures which he had been accustomed to
see on barrel-organs in his native land, and the same strong impulse
came over him now.
"Wot a pity the creeturs smell so bad, and ain't cleanly," he remarked,
gazing affectionately up among the leaves, "they'd make such capital
pets; why, there's another."
This remark had reference to a third monkey, of large dimensions and
fierce countenance, which at that moment rudely thrust the melancholy
monkey aside, and took its place. The latter, with a humble air and
action, took up a new position, somewhat nearer to the fire, where its
sad countenance was more distinctly seen.
"Well, it does seem a particularly sorrowful monkey, that," said Harold,
laughing, as he helped himself to another canful of tea.
"The most miserable objic' I ever did see," observed Disco.
The negroes looked at each other and laughed. They were accustomed to
monkeys, and took little notice of them, but they were mightily tickled
by Disco's amusement, for he had laid down his knife and fork, and shook
a good deal with internal chuckling, as he gazed upwards.
"One would suppose, now," he said softly, "that it had recently seen its
father and mother, and all its brothers and sisters, removed by a
violent death, or sold into slavery."
"Ha! they never see that," said Harold; "the brutes may fight and kill,
but they never _enslave_ each other. It is the proud prerogative of man
to do that."
"That's true, sir, worse luck, as Paddy says," rejoined Disco. "But
look there: wot's them coorious things round the creetur's waist--a pair
o' the werry smallest hands--and, hallo! a face no bigger than a button!
I do believe that it's--"
Disco did not finish the sentence, but he was right. The small
melancholy monkey was a mother!
Probably that was the cause of its sorrow. It is a touching thought
that anxiety for its tiny offspring perhaps had furrowed that monkey's
visage with the wrinkles of premature old age. That danger threatened
it on every side was obvious, for no sooner had it taken up its new
position, after its unceremonious ejection by the fierce monkey, than
the sprightly monkey, before referred to, conceived a plot which it
immediately proceeded to carry into execution. Observing that the tail
of the sad one hung down in a clear space below the branch on which it
sat, the sprightly fellow quickly, but with intense caution and silence,
crept towards it, and when within a yard or so sprang into the air and
caught the tail!
A wild shriek, and what Disco styled a "scrimmage," ensued, during which
the mother monkey gave chase to him of the lively visage, using her
arms, legs, and tail promiscuously to grasp and hold on to branches, and
leaving her extremely little one to look out for itself. This it seemed
quite capable of doing, for no limpet ever stuck to a solid rock with
greater tenacity than did that infant to the maternal waist throughout
the chase. The hubbub appeared to startle the whole monkey race,
revealing the fact that troops of other monkeys had, unobserved, been
gazing at the strangers in silent wonder, since the time of their
landing.
Pleasant however, though this state of things undeniably was, it could
not be expected to last. Breakfast being concluded, it became necessary
that Disco should tear himself from the spot which, having first solaced
himself with a pipe, he did with a good grace, remarking, as he
re-embarked and "took the helm" of his canoe, that he had got more
powerful surprises that morning than he had ever before experienced in
any previous twelvemonth of his life.
Before long he received many more surprises, especially one of a very
different and much less pleasant nature, an account of which will be
found in the next chapter.