We arose on the following morning with the dawn of day, and began to
make preparation for our departure.
To our satisfaction we found the king quite willing that we should go;
so embarking our goods in one of the native canoes, we ordered our
negroes to embark, and commenced our journey amid the firing of guns and
the good wishes of the natives. I must confess that I felt some
probings of conscience at the thought of the double part we were
compelled to play; but the recollection of the horrid fate that awaited
the poor negro girl put to flight such feelings, and induced a longing
for the time of action to arrive.
I have more than once referred to our goods. Perhaps it may be as well
to explain that, when we first landed on the African coast, we made
inquiries of those who were best acquainted with the nature and
requirements of the country we were about to explore, as to what goods
we ought to purchase of the traders, in order to be in a position to pay
our way as we went along; for we could not, of course, expect the
savages to feed us and lodge us and help us on our way for nothing.
After mature consideration, we provided ourselves with a supply of such
things as were most necessary and suitable--such as tobacco, powder, and
shot, and ball, a few trade-guns, several pieces of brightly-coloured
cloth, packages of beads (some white enamelled, others of coloured
glass), coffee and tea, knives, scissors, rings, and a variety of other
knick-knacks. These, with a little brandy to be used medicinally, our
blankets and camp cooking utensils, formed a heavy load for ten men;
but, of course, as we advanced, the load was lightened by the
consumption of our provisions and the giving away of goods. The
additions which I made, however, in the shape of stuffed specimens,
began in the course of time to more than counterbalance this advantage.
Being resolved to impress the natives with a respect for our physical
powers, we made a point of each carrying a pretty heavy load on our
journeys--excepting, of course, when we went out a-hunting. But to
return.
Our crew worked willingly and well, so that ere night closed in upon us
we were a considerable distance away from the village. As the sun set
we landed, and ordering our men to advance in the canoe to a certain
bend in the river, and there encamp and await our return, we landed and
went off into the woods as if to search for game.
"Now, Makarooroo, quick march, and don't draw rein till we reach the
cave," said Jack when we were out of sight of the canoe.
Our guide obeyed in silence, and for the next two hours we travelled
through the woods at a sort of half trot that must have carried us over
the ground at the rate of five miles in hour. The pace was indeed
tremendous, and I now reaped the benefit of those long pedestrian
excursions which for years past I had been taking, with scientific ends
in view, over the fields and hills of my native land. Jack and Peterkin
seemed both to be made of iron, and incapable of suffering from fatigue.
But I have no doubt that the exciting and hazardous nature of the
expedition on which we had embarked had much to do with our powers of
endurance.
After running and doubling, gliding and leaping through the dense woods,
as I have said, for two hours, we arrived at a broken, rocky piece of
ground, over which we passed, and eventually came upon a thick jungle
that concealed a vast cliff almost entirely from view. The cracking of
the bushes as we approached showed that we had disturbed the slumbers of
more than one of the wild beasts that inhabited the spot. Here
Makarooroo paused, and although it was intensely dark I could observe
that he was trembling violently.
"Come, Mak," said I in a whisper, "surely you, who have received a
Christian education, do not really believe that devils inhabit this
spot?"
"Me don know, massa. Eber since me was be a pikaniny me 'fraid--
horrobably 'fraid ob dat cave."
"Come, come," said Jack impatiently; "we have no time for fears of any
kind this night. Think of Okandaga, Mak, and be a man."
This was sufficient. The guide pushed boldly forward, and led us to the
mouth of a large cavern, at which he halted and pointed to the gloomy
interior.
"You have the matches, Peterkin; quick, strike a light. It is getting
late," said Jack.
In another moment a light was struck, and with it we kindled three
goodly-sized torches with which we had provided ourselves. Holding
these high over our heads, we entered the cavern--Jack first, Peterkin
second, I next, and the terrified negro in rear.
We had scarcely entered, and were peering upwards at the black vault
overhead, when an indescribable rushing sound filled the air of the
cavern, and caused the flame of our torches to flicker with such
violence that we could not see any object distinctly. We all came to a
sudden pause, and I confess that at that moment a feeling of
superstitious dread chilled the blood in my veins. Before we could
discover the cause of this strange effect, several large black objects
passed through the air near our heads with a peculiar muffled noise.
Next instant the three torches were extinguished.
Unable to command himself any longer, the negro uttered a cry of terror
and turned to fly; but Jack, whose wits seemed always prepared for any
emergency, had foreseen the probability of this, and springing quickly
after him, threw his arms round his neck and effectually prevented his
running away.
The noise caused by the scuffle seemed to arouse the fury of all the
evil spirits of the place, for a perfect hurricane of whirring sounds
raged around us for a few seconds.
"It's only bats," cried Jack.--"Look alive, Peterkin; another light."
In a few seconds the torches were rekindled, and we advanced into the
cavern; and Mak, after recovering from his fright and learning the cause
thereof, became much bolder. The cave was about a hundred yards deep by
about fifty wide; but we could not ascertain its height, for the light
of our torches failed to penetrate the deep gloom overhead. It was
divided into two natural chambers, the outer being large, the inner
small--a mere recess, in fact. In this latter we planted our torches,
and proceeded with our hasty preparations. Peterkin was ready first.
We endeavoured to make ourselves as like to the natives in all respects
as possible; and when I looked at my companions, I was obliged to
confess that, except in the full blaze of the torch-light, I could not
discern any point of difference between them and our guide.
"Now then, Jack," said Peterkin, "as you're not quite ready and I am, I
shall employ myself in preparing a little plan of my own which I intend
to put in force if the savages dare to venture into the cavern after
us."
"Very good; but see that you finish it in less than five minutes, for
I'll be ready in that time."
Peterkin immediately poured out a large quantity of powder on a flat
rock, and mingling with it a little water from a pool near by, converted
it into a semi-moist ball. This he divided into three parts, and
forming each part into the shape of a tall cone, laid the whole
carefully aside.
"There!" said he, "lie you there until you are wanted."
At this moment, while Jack and I were bending down fastening the latchet
of our shoes, our ears were saluted with one of the most appalling yells
I ever listened to. Makarooroo fell flat to the earth in his fright,
and my own heart chilled with horror, while Jack sprang up and
instinctively grasped the handle of his hunting-knife.
"Very good," said Peterkin, as he stood laughing at us quietly, and we
immediately perceived that it was he who uttered the cry.
"Why, what mean you?" said Jack, almost angrily. "Surely this is no
time for foolish jesting."
"I am anything but jesting, Jack. I'm only rehearsing another part of
my plan."
"But you ought to give us warning when you are about to do such
startling things," said I remonstratively.
"Nay, that would not have done at all, because then I should not have
known what effect my cry is likely to produce on unexpectant ears."
"Well, now, are you all ready?" inquired Jack. "Then let us go."
Issuing forth armed only with our double-barrelled guns and heavy
hunting-knives, we hastened towards the native village. When within a
hundred yards of the edge of the wood that skirted it we stopped to pull
off our shoes, for it was necessary that we should have nothing about
our persons to tell who we were should any one chance to see us as we
ran. We also left our rifles beside the shoes at a spot where we could
find them in an instant in passing, and then slowly approached the
outskirts of the village.
Presently we heard the hum of distant voices shouting, and the fear that
the scene of bloodshed had already begun induced us to quicken our pace
to a smart run. I never saw a man so deeply affected as was our poor
guide, and when I looked at him I felt extremely anxious lest his state
of mind should unfit him for acting with needful caution.
We gained the first cottages--they were empty. The village having been
recently built, no stockade had yet been thrown round it, so our
progress was unimpeded.
"We must be very cautious now," observed Jack in a whisper.--"Restrain
yourself, Makarooroo; Okandaga's life depends on our coolness."
On reaching the back of the next hut, which was also empty. Jack
motioned to us to halt, and coming close to us looked earnestly in each
of our faces without saying a word. I supposed that, like a wise
general, he was reviewing his troops--seeing whether the men he was
about to lead into battle were fit for their work.
"Now," said he rapidly, "it's evident from the shouting that's going on
that they won't waste much time with their palaver. The hut in which
she is confined is not fifty yards off; I took care to ascertain its
position before leaving this morning. What we have to do is simple.
Spring on the guards and knock them down with our fists or the hilts of
our hunting-knives, or with bits of stick, as suits us best. But
_mind_"--here he looked pointedly at our guide--"no shedding of blood if
it can be avoided. These men are not our enemies. Follow me in single
file; when I halt, come up into line; let each single out the man
nearest to him, and when I hold up my hand spring like wild-cats. If
there happen to be five or six guards instead of four, leave the
additional ones to me." We merely nodded assent, and in another minute
were close upon the prison. Peterkin, Mak, and I had provided us with
short heavy bludgeons on our way. These we held in our right hands; our
left hands we kept free either to grasp our opponents with, or to draw
our knives if necessary. Jack carried his long knife--it might almost
have been termed a short sword--in his left hand, and from the manner in
which he clinched his right I saw that he meant to make use of it as his
principal weapon.
On gaining the back of the house we heard voices within, but could see
nothing, so we moved softly round to the front, keeping, however, well
behind the screen of bushes. Here Jack halted, and we ranged up
alongside of him and peeped through the bushes. The hut was quite open
in front and the interior was brightly lighted by a strong fire, round
which the four guards--stout fellows all of them--were seated with their
spears beside them on the ground. They were conversing in an excited
tone, and taking no notice of Okandaga, who sat behind them, partially
in the shade, with her face buried in her hands. She was not tied in
any way, as the guards knew well enough that she could not hope to
escape them by mere running way.
One rapid glance showed us all this, and enabled us to select our men.
Then Jack gave the signal, and without an instant's hesitation we darted
upon them. I know not in what manner my comrades acted their part.
From the moment I set eyes on the negro nearest to me, my blood began to
boil. Somehow or other I saw Jack give the signal without taking my
eyes off my intended victim, then I sprang forward, and he had barely
time to look up in alarm when I struck him with all my force on the
right temple. He fell without a groan. I looked round instantly, and
there lay the other three, with my companions standing over them. Our
plan had been so well concerted and so promptly executed that the four
men fell almost at the same instant, and without a cry.
Poor Okandaga leaped up and uttered a faint scream of alarm, but
Makarooroo's voice instantly reassured her, and with an exclamation of
joy she sprang into his arms. There was no time for delay. While the
scene I have described was being enacted the shouts in the centre of the
village had been increasing, and we guessed that in a few minutes more
the bloodthirsty executioners would come for their helpless victim. We
therefore left the hut at once, and ran as fast as we could towards the
place where our guns and shoes had been left. Our guide seized Okandaga
by the wrist and dragged her along; but indeed she was so nimble that at
first she required no assistance. In a short time, however, we were
obliged to slacken our pace in order to enable her to keep up. We
reached the guns in safety; but while we were in the act of lifting them
a burst of wild cries, that grew louder and fiercer as they approached,
told that the natives were rushing tumultuously towards the prison.
"Now, lads," said Jack, "we must put on full speed.--Mak, take her right
hand.--Here, Okandaga, your left."
At that instant there was a shout in the village, so loud that we knew
the escape was discovered. An indescribable hubbub ensued, but we soon
lost it in the crackling of the underwood as we burst through it in our
headlong flight towards the cave. The poor girl, feeling that her life
depended on it, exerted herself to the utmost, and with the aid of Jack
and her lover kept well up.
"She'll never hold out to the end," said Peterkin, glancing over his
shoulder as he ran.
The cries of the savages filled the woods in all directions, showing
that they had instantly scattered themselves in the pursuit, in order to
increase their chances of intercepting us. We had already traversed the
greater part of the wood that lay between the village and the haunted
cavern, when two negroes, who must have taken a shorter route, descried
us. They instantly uttered a yell of triumph and followed us at full
speed, while from the cries closing in upon us we could tell that the
others had heard and understood the shout. Just then Okandaga's
strength began to fail, and her extreme terror, as the pursuers gained
on us, tended still further to increase her weakness. This was all the
more unfortunate that we were now almost within a couple of hundred
yards of the mouth of the cave.
Makarooroo spoke encouragingly to her, but she was unable to reply, and
it became evident that she was about to sink down altogether. Jack
glanced over his shoulder. The two negroes were within fifty yards of
us, but no others were in sight.
"Hold my gun," said Jack to me sharply.
I seized it. He instantly stooped down, grasped Okandaga round the
waist, and without stopping, swung her, with an exertion of strength
that seemed to me incredible, into his arms. We gained the mouth of the
cavern; Jack dropped Okandaga, who immediately ran in, while the rest of
us stopped abruptly and faced about.
"Back, all of you," cried Jack, "else they will be afraid to come on."
The words had scarcely passed his lips when the two negroes came up, but
halted a few yards from the mouth of the cave on seeing such a giant
form guarding the entrance.
To let those men escape and reveal the place of our concealment was not
to be thought of. Jack darted out upon them. They separated from each
other as they turned to fly. I was peeping out of the cave, and saw
that Jack could not secure them both; I therefore darted out, and
quickly overtaking one, seized him by the hair of the head and dragged
him into the cave with the aid of Peterkin. Jack lifted the other
savage completely from the ground, and carried him in struggling in his
gripe like a child in its nurse's arms.
This last episode was enacted so quickly that the two negroes were
carried into the cavern and gagged before the other pursuers came up.
At the cave's mouth the whole of the men of the village shortly
assembled with the king at their head. Thus far the excitement of the
chase had led them; but now that the first burst of their rage was over,
and they found themselves on the threshold of that haunted cavern, the
fear of which had been an element in their training from infancy, they
felt, no doubt, overawed by superstitious dread, and hesitated to enter,
although most of them must have been convinced that the fugitives were
there. Their fears increased as their anger abated, and they crowded
round King Jambai, who seemed loath to take upon himself the honour of
leader.
"They must have sought shelter here," said the king, pointing to the
cavern and looking round with an assumption of boldness which he was
evidently far from feeling. "Who among my warriors will follow me?"
"Perhaps the evil spirits have carried them away," suggested one of the
sable crew.
"That is the word of a coward," cried the king, who, although somewhat
timorous about spirits, was in reality a bold, brave man, and felt
nettled that any of his warriors should show the white feather. "If
evil spirits are there, our fetishman will drive them away. Let the
doctor stand forth."
At that moment the doctor, worthy knave, must have wished in his inmost
soul that he had remained quietly at home and left to warriors the task
of capturing the fugitives, but there was no resisting the mandate of
the king; besides, his honour and credit as a fetishman was at stake;
moreover, no doubt he felt somewhat emboldened by the presence of such a
large number of men--there were certainly several hundreds on the
ground--so, all things considered, he thought it best to accept the post
of leader with a good grace. Stepping quickly forward, he cried, "Let
torches be brought, and I will lead the way."
A murmur of approbation ran through the crowd of blacks, who, like a
flock of sheep, felt bold enough to follow a leader blindly.
While the consultation was going on outside, we were making hasty
preparation for defending ourselves to the last extremity. Peterkin, in
particular, was extremely active, and, to say truth, his actions
surprised us not a little. I once or twice fancied that excitement had
turned his brain. He first dressed up his head in a species of wild
turban made of dried grass and tall sedgy leaves; then he put several
patches of red and white earth on his black face, as well as on his body
in various places, and fastened a number of loose pieces of rag, torn
from a handkerchief, and bits of tattered leaves to his arms and legs in
such a manner as to give him an extremely wild and dishevelled
appearance. I must say that when his hasty toilet was completed he
seemed to me the most horrible-looking demon I had ever conceived of.
He next poured out nearly a whole flask of gunpowder on a ledge of rock,
the edge of which was visible from the entrance to the cave, while the
rock itself concealed him from view. Last of all, he took up the three
cones of moistened gunpowder which the reader will remember he had made
before we left the cave to attack the village. One of these he placed
among the grass and branches on his head, the other two he held in his
hands.
"Now, boys," he said, when all was ready, "all I have to ask of you is
that you will stand by with matches, and when I give the word light the
points of those three cones of gunpowder simultaneously and instantly,
and leave me to finish the remainder of my part. Of course you will be
prepared to back me up with your rifles if need be, but keep well out of
sight at first."
We now saw the drift of our eccentric friend's intention, but for my
part I felt little confidence in his success. The plan seemed
altogether too wild and absurd. But our danger was imminent. No way of
escape seemed possible, and it is wonderful how readily men will grasp
at anything in the shape of a ruse or stratagem, no matter how silly or
wild, that affords the most distant chance of escape from danger. Jack,
too, I could see from the look of his face, put little faith in the
plan; and I observed an expression on the countenance of our negro guide
which seemed to indicate that his respect for Peterkin's wisdom was on
the wane.
We had not to wait long. The doctor, with several torch-bearers,
suddenly darted in with a shout, followed closely by the warriors, who
yelled furiously, in order, no doubt, to keep up their courage.
Alarmed by such an unusual hubbub in their usually quiet domain, the
bats came swooping from their holes in the walls by hundreds, and the
torches were extinguished almost instantly. The savages who were near
the entrance drew back in haste; those who had entered stood rooted to
the spot in terror.
"Now!" whispered Peterkin eagerly.
We struck our lights at once and applied them to the points of the
gunpowder cones, which instantly began to spout forth a shower of sparks
with great violence. Peterkin darted out from behind the rock with a
yell so appalling that we ourselves were startled by it, having
forgotten that it formed an element in his plan. In passing he allowed
a few sparks to fall on the heap of powder, which exploded with so
bright a flame that the whole cavern was illuminated for an instant. It
also set fire to the ragged scraps with which Peterkin had decked
himself out--a result which had neither been intended nor anticipated--
so that he rushed towards the mouth of the cave howling with pain as
well as with a desire to scare the savages.
The effect of this apparition was tremendous. The negroes turned and
crushed through the narrow entrance screaming and shrieking with terror.
The bats, no less alarmed than the men, and half suffocated with smoke,
fled out of the cave like a whirlwind, flapping their wings on the heads
of the negroes in their flight, and adding, if that were possible, to
their consternation. The negroes ran as never men ran before, tumbling
over each other in their mad haste, dashing against trees and crashing
through bushes in their terror, while Peterkin stood leaping in the
cave's mouth, smoking and blazing and spurting, and unable to contain
himself, giving vent to prolonged peals of demoniacal laughter. Had the
laugh been that of negroes it might have been recognised; but Peterkin's
was the loud, violent, British guffaw, which, I make no doubt, was
deemed by them worthy of the fiends of the haunted cave, and served to
spur them on to still greater rapidity in their wild career.
Returning into the cave's innermost recess, we lighted one of the
torches dropped by the savages, and placing it in a sort of natural
niche, seated ourselves on several pieces of rock to rest.
Our first act was to look earnestly in each other's faces; our next to
burst into peals of laughter.
"I say, comrades," I exclaimed, checking myself, "don't we run some risk
in giving vent to our feelings so freely?"
"No fear," cried Peterkin, who was still smoking a little from
unextinguished sparks. "There is not a man in the whole crew who will
draw rein till he is sitting, with the teeth still chattering in his
head, at his own fireside. I never saw men in such a fright since I was
born. Depend upon it, we are safe enough here from this day forth.--
Don't you think so, Mak?"
Our guide, who was now trying to reassure his trembling bride, turned,
with a broad grin on his sable countenance, and said--
"Safe? ho! yis, massa. Dere not be a man as'll come to dis yere cuvern
for de nix tree hun'r year or more. Massa Peterkin be de most
horriboble ghost dey ever did saw, an' no mistake. But, massas, we mus'
go 'way quick an' git to our camp, for de king sure to go dere an' see
if you no hab someting to do wid it all. Him's a bery clebber king, am
Jambai--bery clebber; him's no be bughummed bery easy."
"Humbugged, you mean," said Jack, laughing. "You're right, Mak; we must
set off at once. But what _are_ we to do with poor Okandaga, now that
we have got her?"
This was indeed a puzzling question. It was impossible to take her to
our camp and account to the negroes for her appearance in a satisfactory
manner; besides, if Jambai took it into his head to pursue us, in order
to ascertain whether we had had anything to do with the rescue, our case
would be hopeless. It was equally impossible to leave her where she
was, and to let her try to make her escape through the woods alone was
not to be thought of. While we pondered this dilemma an idea occurred
to me.
"It seems to me," said I, "that men are seldom, perhaps never, thrown
into a danger or difficulty in this world without some way of escape
being opened up, which, if they will but grasp at it promptly, will
conduct them at last out of their perplexities. Now, it has just
occurred to me that, since everything else seems to be impossible, we
might send Okandaga into the woods, with Makarooroo to guide and defend
her and to hunt for her. Let them travel in a line parallel with the
river route which we intend to follow. Each night Mak will make a
secure shelter for her, and then return to our camp as if he had come in
from hunting. Each morning he will set off again into the woods as if
to hunt, rejoin Okandaga; and thus we will journey together, as it were,
and when we reach the next tribe of natives we will leave the girl in
their charge until we return from the gorilla country. What do you
think of that plan?"
"Not a bad one," replied Jack; "but if Mak is away all day, what are we
to do for an interpreter?"
"Make him describe to us and to the men the day's route before leaving
us," suggested Peterkin; "and as for the talking, we can manage that
well enough for all needful purposes by a mixture of the few phrases we
know with signs."
In the excitement of this whole affair we had totally forgotten our two
prisoners, who lay not far from us on the ground, gagged and pinioned.
We were now reminded of their presence rather abruptly. We must have
secured their fastenings badly, for during the time we were conversing
they managed to free themselves, and made a sudden dash past us. Jack's
eye fortunately caught sight of them in time. He sprang up, rushed at
the one nearest him, and throwing out his foot as he passed, tripped him
up. It chanced that at that spot there was a deep hole in the floor of
the cavern. Into this the poor wretch plunged head first, and he was
killed on the spot. Meanwhile, the other gained the outlet of the cave,
and had almost escaped into the forest, when Makarooroo darted after him
with the speed of an antelope. In a few seconds we heard a cry, and
shortly after our guide returned with his knife clotted with blood. He
had overtaken and slain the other negro.
I cannot convey to the reader the horror that filled me and my two
companions at this unexpected and melancholy termination of the affair.
Yet we felt that we were guiltless of rashly spilling human blood, for
Jack had no intention of killing the poor negro whom he tripped up; and
as to the other, we could not have prevented our guide from doing what
he did. He himself deemed it justifiable, and said that if that man had
escaped to the village, and told who it was that frightened them out of
the cave, they would certainly have come back and murdered us all.
There was truth in this. Still we could not but feel overwhelmed with
sadness at the incident.
We were now doubly anxious to get away from this cave, so we rapidly
finished the discussion of our plan, and Jack arranged that he should
accompany what may be termed the overland part of our expedition. This
settled, we washed the charcoal off our persons, with the exception of
that on our faces, having been advised by King Jambai himself to hunt
with black faces, as wild animals were quicker to perceive our white
skins than their black ones. Then we resumed our garments, and quitting
the haunted cavern, set out on our return journey to the camp.