The happiness that now beamed in the faces of Makarooroo, Okandaga, and
Njamie was a sufficient reward to us for all the trouble we had taken
and all the risk we had run on their account. Poor Njamie was
exceedingly grateful to us. She sought by every means in her power to
show this, and among other things, hearing us call her son by the name
of Puggy, she at once adopted it, to the immense amusement and delight
of Peterkin.
After the first excitement of our meeting had subsided somewhat, we
consulted together as to what we should now do. On the one hand, we
were unwilling to quit the scene of our hunting triumphs and adventures;
on the other hand, Makarooroo and his bride were anxious to reach the
mission stations on the coast and get married in the Christian manner.
"Our opposing interests are indeed a little perplexing," said Jack,
after some conversation had passed on the subject.--"No doubt, Mak, you
and Mbango with his friends might reach the coast safely enough without
us; but then what should we do without an interpreter?"
Our poor guide, whose troubles seemed as though they would never end,
sighed deeply and glanced at his bride with a melancholy countenance as
he replied--
"Me'll go wid you, massa, an' Okandaga'll go to coast an' wait dere for
me come."
"Ha!" ejaculated Peterkin, "that's all very well, Mak, but you'll do
nothing of the sort. That plan won't do, so we'll have to try again."
"I agree with you, Peterkin," observed Jack. "That plan certainly will
not do; but I cannot think of any other that will, so we must just
exercise a little self-denial for once, give up all further attacks on
the wild beasts of Africa, and accompany Mak to the coast."
"Could we not manage a compromise?" said I.
"What be a cumprumoise?" asked Makarooroo, who had been glancing
anxiously from one to the other as we conversed.
Peterkin laid hold of his chin, pursed up his mouth, and looked at me
with a gleeful leer.
"There's a chance for you, Ralph," said he; "why don't you explain?"
"Because it's not easy to explain," said I, considering the best way in
which to convey the meaning of such a word.--"A compromise, Mak, is--is
a bargain, a compact--at least so Johnson puts it--"
"Yes," interposed Peterkin; "so you see, Mak, when you agree with a
trader to get him an elephant-tusk, that's a cumprumoise, according to
Johnson."
"No, no, Mak," said I quickly; "Peterkin is talking nonsense. It is not
a bargain of that kind; it's a--a--You know every question has two
sides?"
"Yis, massa."
"Well, suppose you took one side."
"Yis."
"And suppose I took the other side."
"Then suppose we were to agree to forsake our respective sides and meet,
as it were, half-way, and thus hold the same middle course--"
"Ay, down the middle and up again; that's it, Mak," again interrupted
Peterkin--"that's a cumprumoise. In short, to put it in another and a
clearer light, suppose that I were to resolve to hit you an awful whack
on one side of your head, and suppose that Ralph were to determine to
hit you a frightful bang on the other side, then suppose that we were to
agree to give up those amiable intentions, and instead thereof to give
you, unitedly, one tremendous smash on the place where, if you had one,
the bridge of your nose would be--_that_ would be a cumprumoise."
"Ho! ha! ha! hi!" shouted our guide, rolling over on the grass and
splitting himself with laughter; for Makarooroo, like the most of his
race, was excessively fond of a joke, no matter how bad, and was always
ready on the shortest notice to go off into fits of laughter, if he had
only the remotest idea of what the jest meant. He had become so
accustomed at last to expect something jocular from Peterkin, that he
almost invariably opened his mouth to be ready whenever he observed our
friend make any demonstration that gave indication of his being about to
speak.
From the mere force of sympathy Mbango began to laugh also, and I know
not how long the two would have gone on, had not Jack checked them by
saying--
"I suspect we are not very well fitted to instruct the unenlightened
mind," ("Ho--hi!" sighed Makarooroo, gathering himself up and settling
down to listen), "and it seems to me that you'll have to try again,
Peterkin, some other mode of explanation."
"Very good, by all means," said our friend.--"Now, Mak, look here. You
want to go _there_" (pointing to the coast with his left hand), "and we
want to go there" (pointing to the interior with his right hand). "Now
if we both agree to go there," (pointing straight before him with his
nose), "_that_ will be a cumprumoise. D'ye understand?"
"Ho yis, massa, me compiperhend now."
"Exactly so," said I; "that's just it. There is a branch of this river
that takes a great bend away to the north before it turns towards the
sea, is there not? I think I have heard yourself say so before now."
"Yis, massa, hall right."
"Well, let us go by that branch. We shall be a good deal longer on the
route, but we shall be always nearing the end of our journey, and at the
same time shall pass through a good deal of new country, in which we may
hope to see much game."
"Good," said Jack; "you have wisdom with you for once, Ralph--it seems
feasible.--What say you, Mak? I think it a capital plan."
"Yis, massa, it am a copitle plan, sure 'nuff."
The plan being thus arranged and agreed to, we set about the execution
of it at once, and ere long our two canoes were floating side by side
down the smooth current of the river.
The route which we had chosen led us, as I had before suspected, into
the neighbourhood of the gorilla country, and I was much gratified to
learn from Mbango, who had travelled over an immense portion of
south-western Africa, that it was not improbable we should meet with
several of those monstrous apes before finally turning off towards the
coast. I say that I was much gratified to learn this; but I little
imagined that I was at that time hastening towards a conflict that
well-nigh proved fatal to me, and the bare remembrance of which still
makes me shudder.
It occurred several weeks after the events just related. We had gone
ashore for the purpose of hunting, our supply of provisions chancing at
that time to be rather low. Feeling a desire to wander through the
woods in solitude for a short time, I separated from my companions. I
soon came to regret this deeply, for about an hour afterwards I came
upon the tracks of a gorilla. Being armed only with my small-bore
double rifle, and not being by any means confident of my shooting
powers, I hesitated some time before making up my mind to follow the
tracks.
At first I thought of retracing my steps and acquainting my comrades
with the discovery I had made; but the little probability there was of
my finding them within several hours deterred me. Besides, I felt
ashamed to confess that I had been afraid to prosecute the chase alone;
so, after pondering the matter a little, I decided on advancing.
Before doing so, however, I carefully examined the caps of my rifle and
loosened my long hunting-knife in its sheath. Then I cautiously
followed up the track, making as little noise as possible, for I was
well aware of the watchfulness of the animal I was pursuing.
The footprints at first were not very distinct, but ere long I came on a
muddy place where they were deeply imprinted, and my anxiety was
somewhat increased by observing that they were uncommonly large--the
largest I had ever seen--and that, therefore, they had undoubtedly been
made by one of those solitary and gigantic males, which are always found
to be the most savage.
I had scarcely made this discovery when I came unexpectedly on the
gorilla itself. It was seated at the foot of a tree about fifty yards
from the spot where I stood, the space between us being comparatively
clear of underwood. In an instant he observed me, and rose, at the same
time giving utterance to one of those diabolical roars which I have
before referred to as being so terrible.
I halted, and felt an irresistible inclination to fire at once; but
remembering the oft-repeated warnings of my companions, I restrained
myself. At that moment I almost wished, I freely confess, that the
gorilla would run away. But the monster had no such intention. Again
uttering his horrible roar, he began slowly to advance, at the same time
beating his drum-like chest with his doubled fist.
I now felt that my hour of trial had come. I must face the gorilla
boldly, and act with perfect coolness. The alternative was death. As
the hideous creature came on, I observed that he was considerably larger
than the biggest we had yet seen; but, strange to say, this fact made no
deeper impression upon me. I suppose that my whole mental and nervous
being was wound up to the utmost possible state of tension. I _felt_
that I was steady and able to brave the onset. But I was not aware of
the severity of the test to which I was destined to be subjected.
Instead of coming quickly on and deciding my fate at once, the savage
animal advanced slowly, sometimes a step or two at a time, and then
pausing for a moment ere it again advanced. Sometimes it even sat down
on its haunches for a second or two, as if the weight of its overgrown
body were too much for its hind legs; but it did not cease all that time
to beat its chest, and roar, and twist its features into the most
indescribable contortions. I suppose it took nearly five minutes to
advance to within twelve yards of me, but those five minutes seemed to
me an hour. I cannot describe the mental agony I endured.
When within ten yards of me I could restrain myself no longer. I raised
my rifle, aimed at its chest, and fired. With a terrible roar it
advanced. Again I fired, but without effect, for the gorilla rushed
upon me. In despair, I drew my hunting-knife and launched it full at
the brute's chest with all my might. I saw the glittering blade enter
it as the enormous paw was raised to beat me down. I threw up my rifle
to ward off the fatal blow, and at the same moment sprang to one side,
in the hope of evading it. The stock of the rifle was shattered to
pieces in an instant, and the blow, which would otherwise have fallen
full on my head or chest, was diverted slightly, and took effect on my
shoulder, the blade of which was smashed as I was hurled with stunning
violence to the ground. For one moment I felt as if I were falling
headlong down a precipice; the next, I became unconscious.
On recovering, I found myself lying on my back at the bottom of what
appeared to be a large pit. I must have lain there for a considerable
time, for I felt cold and stiff; and when I attempted to move, my
wounded shoulder caused me unutterable anguish. I knew, however, that I
must certainly perish if I did not exert myself; so with much difficulty
I crept out of the pit. The first object that met my eyes, on rising to
my feet, was the carcass of my late antagonist; which, on examination, I
found, though badly wounded by both bullets, had eventually been killed
by the knife. It must have died almost immediately after giving me the
blow that had hurled me into the pit. I had not observed this pit,
owing to the screen of bushes that surrounded it, but I have now no
doubt that it was the means of saving my life.
My recollections of what followed this terrible adventure are
exceedingly confused. I remember that I wandered about in a state of
dreamy uncertainty, endeavouring to retrace my steps to our encampment.
I have a faint recollection of meeting, to my surprise, with Jack and
Peterkin, and of their tender expressions of sympathy; and I have a very
vivid remembrance of the agony I endured when Jack set my broken
shoulder-blade and bandaged my right arm tightly to my side. After
that, all was a confused dream, in which all the adventures I had ever
had with wild beasts were enacted over again, and many others besides
that had never taken place at all.
Under the influence of fever, I lay in a state of delirium for many days
in the bottom of the canoe; and when my unclouded consciousness was at
length restored to me, I found myself lying in a bed, under the
hospitable roof of a missionary, the windows of whose house looked out
upon the sea.
And now, reader, the record of our adventures is complete. During the
few weeks that I spent with the kind missionary of the Cross, I gained
strength rapidly, and amused myself penning the first chapters of this
book. Makarooroo and Okandaga were married, and soon became useful
members of the Christian community on that part of the African coast.
Mbango and his friends also joined the missionary for a time, but
ultimately returned to the interior, whither I have no doubt they
carried some of the good influences that they had received on the coast
along with them.
King Jambai proved faithful to his engagement. All our packages and
boxes of specimens arrived safely at the coast; and when unpacked for
examination, and displayed in the large schoolroom of the station, the
gorillas, and other rare and wonderful animals, besides curious plants,
altogether formed a magnificent collection, the like of which has not
yet been seen in Great Britain, and probably never will be.
When I was sufficiently restored to stand the voyage, Jack and Peterkin
and I embarked in a homeward-bound trading vessel, and taking leave of
our kind friends of the coast, and of Makarooroo and Okandaga, who wept
much at the prospect of separation from us, we set sail for Old England.
"Farewell," said I, as we leaned over the vessel's side and gazed sadly
at the receding shore--"farewell to you, kind missionaries and faithful
negro friends."
"Ay," added Peterkin, with a deep sigh, "and fare-you-well, ye monstrous
apes; gorillas, fare-you-well!"