THE BLACK ABOH REMAINS WITH OUR PARTY--THE MARCH TOWARDS THE FOREST--
CHARLEY CHOSEN LEADER--SUFFERINGS FROM THIRST--WE FIND TRACES OF THE
BLACKS--AN ENEMY AT HAND--BATTLE BETWEEN THE NATIVES--FLIGHT AND PURSUIT
OF THE BEATEN PARTY--FEAR OF BEING CAPTURED--WE CONCEAL OURSELVES--I AND
ABOH ATTEMPT TO SUCCOUR THE WOUNDED--WE REJOIN OUR FRIENDS AND PUSH
FORWARD--OUR THIRST BECOMES INTENSE--I AM ON THE POINT OF SINKING--
ENCOURAGED BY HARRY, I STRUGGLE ON--WATER DISCOVERED--ABOH'S
DUCK-HUNTING--NAPPING ON GUARD--THE BIG SNAKE--WE DECIDE ON THE ROUTE TO
BE TAKEN--MAKING HATS.
Our first impulse on reaching dry ground was to kneel down and thank
Heaven for having mercifully preserved our lives, the black standing by
and watching us with a wondering look as we did so. We rose to our
feet.
"Where are the rest?" I asked of the friendly negro, whom I recognised
to be Aboh, the man to whom I had given water in the slaver's hold, and
whom I had just set at liberty.
He pointed over his shoulder, signifying that they had gone inland.
"And you wish to remain with us?" I asked, at once seeing that it would
be of importance to have a native with us who might act as our guide and
interpreter.
"Yes, massa; me like white man. Once serve board man-of-war; cappen
kind, sailors kind; but me went on shore to see me fadder, modder, me
brodder, me sister; but dey all get catchee, an' all de oder people run
'way, an' dey take me for slavee."
The beach, which was here of some height, prevented us at first from
seeing what had become of the people; but climbing up the bank of fine
sand to the summit, we caught sight of some of them making their way
towards the forest, about half a mile off.
"They have gone there, poor fellows, to look for food, or perhaps some
of them think that they are not far from home, and expect to get back
again," observed Tubbs.
This appeared very likely. Before, however, we set off to join our
companions in misfortune, we searched about for any of the white men who
might have been cast by the surf on the beach. We found several dead
bodies, but not a single living person could we discover. On looking
eastward, we observed numerous rocks, stretching out to a considerable
distance, which, now that the tide had fallen, appeared above water. It
was a mercy that the "Vulture" escaped striking on any of them, for, had
she done so, she must have been knocked to pieces at a distance from the
shore, and probably not one of us would have escaped alive.
We now sat down on the beach and consulted what to do. As it was not
likely that any ship, trader, or man-of-war, or even slaver, would
willingly come near that part of the coast, we resolved to travel either
to the north or the south, hoping to reach one of the French
settlements, which existed at the mouths of two or three of the rivers
running into the ocean in that region. On looking along the shore on
both hands, we saw a wide extent of sand.
"It will never do to attempt travelling over that, gentlemen," said
Tubbs. "We shall certainly find no shade, and probably not a drop of
water, without which we cannot get along. If you'll take my advice,
you'll follow the blacks to the forest. It's water, to a certainty,
they've gone to look after; they're thirsty beings, and their instinct
has told them where they can find it."
Aboh, who had been listening all the time, evidently understood what was
said, and nodded his head. We, that is, Charley, Harry, and I, agreed
to do as Tubbs had proposed, and we all accordingly set off eastward,
accompanied by the black. The forest appeared much further away than we
supposed, or perhaps the soft sand, into which our feet sank at every
step, made us think the distance longer than it really was. The sun,
which was now high in the heavens, beat down with terrific force upon
our heads, and as we had on only our sea-caps, which afforded little or
no protection, we felt the heat greatly. We found some comfort,
however, by shifting our packs onto our heads. Aboh, who saw how much
we suffered, offered to relieve us of them. He carried my pack and his
own on his head, and another on his shoulders, with perfect ease. I
bethought me of a handkerchief which I had in my pocket, and fastened it
like a turban over my cap; Harry imitated my example. Charley and Tom,
who were stronger than either of us, continued to carry their packs with
comparative ease on their heads. We had lost sight of the blacks, the
last of whom had disappeared before we commenced our march. At length
we reached the outskirts of the forest, and were thankful to sit down
and rest under the shade of a tree.
"I have been thinking," said Harry, "that we ought to have a leader who
should decide what we should do. It will save a good deal of trouble
and discussion."
"You are right, Mr Bracewell," said Tom, "that's what I've been
thinking too; and I propose that we at once elect Mr Westerton, Mr
Harry's brother. Although I'm older than any of you, he's a naval
officer, and I for one shall be ready to obey him."
Of course Harry and I agreed to this, and Aboh, who understood almost
everything we said, nodded his head, just to show that he also consented
to the proposal.
"I will do my best, my friends," said Charley, "although, had you chosen
Mr Tubbs, I should have been willing to follow him, for I feel
convinced that he is a man of courage and judgment."
"Thank you, sir, for your good opinion," said Tom. "You have been more
accustomed to command than I have, although I shall be happy to give you
any advice whenever you ask it, to the best of my power."
"Well, then," said Charley, "the first use I will make of my authority
is to select a northerly route. I have been trying to recall the map of
the country, which I frequently studied on board the `Rover,' and I
think we shall, by proceeding as I propose, fall in with the Gaboon
River, at the mouth of which there is a French settlement. I remember
that three days before the frigate captured the pirate we sighted Cape
Lopez, some way to the south of which I calculate we now are, in what I
think is called the Pongo country."
"I believe you are right, sir," said Tom. "We shall have to make a
pretty long march though, I suspect; but if we can manage to keep near
the coast, we may sight a ship, and by making signals, get her to send a
boat on shore to take us off; always provided there happens to be no
great amount of surf."
"Well then, friends, if you are all rested, we will commence our march,"
said Charley. "We will first, however, try to overtake the blacks, who,
as Mr Tubbs observes, have been led by their instinct, or rather their
knowledge of the country, in the direction where water is to be found;
and I daresay you all feel as I do--very thirsty."
"That I do, sir," said Tom. "I feel for all the world as if my mouth
was a dust-hole, and that a bucketful of hot cinders had been thrown
into it."
We confessed that our sensations were very similar to those Tom
described. We accordingly all got up and shouldered our packs, for
neither Harry nor I would allow Aboh to carry our any longer; not that
we thought he would attempt to run away with them. We told him,
however, when we camped in the evening, that we would divide them, so as
to give him a separate package, and thus we should all have an equal
load to carry. Aboh pointed out the direction in which, from the
appearance of the trees, he believed we should find water, and eagerly
led the way.
It was farther inland than we had intended to go, but from his
description we made out that there was a lake or pond fed by a stream
coming down from the mountains of the interior, and which afterwards
lost itself in the sand. We had gone some distance when Aboh made a
sign for us to note that the ground had been trampled down by many feet,
and that the people who had passed that way had broken off a number of
young saplings, probably to form spears, and had also torn down the
boughs to serve as other weapons of offence or defence. After going a
short distance farther, the sound of voices reached our ears. Aboh
shook his head. "No good, no good," he muttered, and made us understand
that we must advance cautiously.
Presently he again stopped, and advised us by signs to conceal
ourselves. He then crept forward, crouching down beneath the bushes, so
that he could not be perceived by any persons in front.
"I'll go forward and try and learn what his object is," I whispered to
my companions; and Charley not forbidding me, I imitated Aboh's example
and quickly overtook him. He turned on hearing my footsteps, and seeing
that I was resolved to accompany him, made a sign to me to be cautious.
We had not gone far when the sounds we had before heard became so loud
that I knew we must be close upon the people who were uttering them.
After advancing a few paces farther, on looking through the bushes I saw
a large party of blacks encamped in an open spot surrounded by tall
trees. They were evidently in an excited state, looking up the glade as
if they expected some one to approach. They were mostly employed in
sharpening the ends of long poles in several fires they had lighted. I
at once recognised them as the blacks whom we had assisted to escape
from the wreck. They numbered, however, fewer than those who had
landed, and I concluded, therefore, that some had deserted their
companions in misfortune. Those who had gone away probably belonged to
a tribe in the neighbourhood, and were endeavouring to reach their own
people.
We were not long left in doubt as to the cause of their excitement.
Some distance off we caught sight of another large party of negroes
advancing with threatening gestures, many of them being armed with
muskets and bayonets. On seeing this, Aboh, seizing me by the arm,
dragged me back, and motioned me to climb into a large tree the lower
branches of which we could reach without much difficulty, he setting me
the example and assisting me up. We soon gained a place where we were
completely concealed and protected by the thick boughs. Scarcely were
we seated than we saw the slaves advancing towards the newcomers,
flourishing the spears they had made and shouting savagely, as if not
aware that their opponents had firearms, or fearless of their effects.
They soon, however, discovered their mistake. The enemy fired a volley
which brought several of them to the ground.
Notwithstanding this they rushed forward, and a fierce hand-to-hand
conflict ensued. The slaves greatly outnumbered their opponents, of
whom there were probably not more than fifty or sixty, but nearly all
these had muskets. Some of the firearms, I observed, did not go off,
probably because they had no locks, or it may have been that their
powder was bad. The parties were indeed more evenly matched than at
first appeared to have been the case. They fought with the greatest
desperation. Those who had muskets which would go off kept at a
distance firing at the slaves, while their comrades either charged with
their bayonets, or holding the barrels in their hands, used their
weapons as clubs.
Several on both sides had fallen, when a fresh party of armed negroes
appeared in the direction from whence the others had come. On seeing
them, the slaves, who had hitherto fought so bravely, were seized with a
panic. The greater number took to flight, making their way westward
towards the coast, though they must have looked in vain for succour in
that direction. I was afraid that some of them, flying in other
directions, might pass by the spot where we had left our friends, who
would run a great risk of being killed either by them or their pursuers.
Aboh and I were so well concealed that there was not much danger of our
being discovered. As may be supposed, we crouched down among the thick
leaves, much in the same way that Charles the Second did in the oak
after the fight of Worcester. The tide of battle swept by beneath our
feet, and a more fearful din of shouts and shrieks and cries I had never
heard. Those of the slaves who had been engaged in the front rank,
deserted by their companions, were mostly bayoneted or shot down or
knocked on the head, but the courageous way in which they fought enabled
the rest to get to some distance before their rear ranks were overtaken
by their pursuers. At length not a combatant was to be seen, but the
ground was strewn with the dead and dying. As I was anxious to rejoin
my friends, I immediately descended. Had I possessed a drop of water I
would have taken it to the poor wretches, whose moans as they lay
expiring reached my ears.
"Do you think we could help some of them?" I said to Aboh, pointing to
the wounded men.
"No good," he said, and made a sign that they would soon be dead. I
went up to three or four, and was convinced from the nature of their
hurts that I could do nothing for them; indeed, the spirits of most of
them fled while I stood by. Aboh then, seizing my arm, hurried me away.
I found Charley and Harry very anxious about me, for hearing the firing,
they supposed that I must have been in the thick of it, and by my not
coming back they thought that I was either killed or taken prisoner.
"One thing is certain, we must not remain here a moment longer. The
negroes will very likely pass this way, and either kill us all or carry
us off into captivity," observed Charley. "I have heard that the black
people in this part of the country are among the most savage of the
African tribes, and that some--the Fans--are cannibals. I don't know to
what tribe Aboh belongs, but I hope he is not a Fan."
"Maybe he is, and intends to deliver us to his countrymen, to serve as a
feast given to celebrate his safe return to the bosom of his family,"
said Tom, in a tone half in joke half in earnest.
"He has hitherto shown only good feelings, and we will trust him, at all
events," said Charley.
He made signs to Aboh that we wished to move on, and being anxious to
find water, we begged that he would lead us to it as soon as possible.
He nodded, and pointed to the east. We were too thirsty to hesitate
about going in that direction, although we should thus be led farther
than we wished from the coast.
We accordingly once more set off, Aboh hurrying us along as fast as we
could make our way through the thick forest, stopping at first every now
and then to listen as the sound of distant firing was heard, and then
apparently to ascertain whether any of the blacks were coming towards
us. Aboh's object was evidently to avoid both parties. It was most
likely that the slaves whom he had deserted would murder him for having
left them, while the people of the other tribe were probably hereditary
enemies of his, and would without ceremony have put him to death. We
were by this time very hungry as well as thirsty, but our thirst
prevented us from eating, and we urged Aboh to endeavour to find water
without delay. He merely pointed eastward, and nodded his head as
before.
"Well, keep moving, my black angel; whatever you do, keep moving, and
lead us to the water," said Tubbs, patting him on the back.
We marched chiefly under the shade of the forest trees, where we found
it tolerably cool; at the same time, as Tom observed--"In the opening
the sun was hot enough to roast an ox."
At last I felt that I could go on no longer. I threw myself down at the
roots of a large tree. Harry, who was marching with me, while the rest
were ahead, endeavoured to rouse me up.
"No, no," I said; "go on. If you find water, bring me some, though I
doubt if I shall be alive by that time;" and I spoke as I felt.
"Nonsense!" cried Harry. "You are the last person of the party I should
have expected to give in. I'll stay by you until you are rested, and
then we will hurry on after our friends."
"Perhaps we shall lose them if we are separated," I answered.
The thought made me arouse myself, and rising to my feet, I staggered
on. Harry shouted to Charley and Tom, and they came back to give me
their assistance. We had not gone far after this, when Aboh shouted
out--
"Dere water, water!"
We caught sight of a bright gleam shining through the trees. Though we
were in Africa, we knew that it was no mirage, which only appears on dry
and sandy deserts. We all hurried on, knowing that our burning thirst
would soon be relieved. As we drew nearer, we saw a lake stretching out
before us, on the banks of which appeared numberless birds. There were
long-legged storks, cranes, pelicans, pink-winged flamingoes, ibises,
and similar waterfowl of various descriptions. As we appeared, those
nearest to us took to flight, the beautiful flamingoes rising in the air
with their long legs stretched out behind them. One thought, however,
occupied our minds. How to get to the water, for we feared that we
should find muddy banks, which might prove impassable. Aboh's quick
eye, however, detected a small inlet into which a rivulet fell. He led
us down to a hard, gravelly bank, where the water ran as clear as that
of an English trout-stream.
We did not stop to consider whether alligators lurked beneath the lilies
which floated on the surface, or huge snakes were concealed near at hand
waiting for their prey, but kneeling down, we plunged in our heads, and
drank huge draughts of the cooling liquid. Cooling it was to us,
although probably it would have been thought somewhat tepid in a colder
climate. In an instant I was revived, and my companions felt the same
sensations.
We could now sit down and enjoy a few mouthfuls of the food we had
brought from the wreck, which we took to stay our appetites. We
intended, before many minutes were over, to have some of the waterfowl
flying round us cooking before the fire. Charley and Harry, being
tolerable shots, agreed at once to try and knock over a sufficient
number for our wants, while Tom and I collected sticks for a fire.
Aboh, seeing them set off, started by himself in an opposite direction.
"We're not likely to starve on our journey, Mr Westerton, if we are
fortunate enough to fall in with as many birds as we see around us just
now," said Tom.
"I am afraid that we cannot expect always to camp on the borders of a
lake or river," I answered. "It will be plenty one day, and starvation
the next. However, if we are prudent, I hope that we shall get along
without much suffering. There are probably wildfowl to be found, and
then we may fall in with friendly tribes, of whom we can purchase food.
At all events, don't let us expect misfortunes until they come."
"That's what I never have done, and never intend to do," answered Tom.
"I've always held that there's `a sweet little cherub who sits up aloft,
to take care of the life of poor Jack;' and although that may sound like
a heathen song, there's truth in it notwithstanding."
We were talking thus while engaged in collecting sticks, cutting some
with our axes, and picking up others, until we had made a large pile,
sufficient, Tom averred, to roast an ox, when we saw our friends coming
back, each loaded with half a dozen ducks. Directly afterwards Aboh
appeared, carrying a still greater number, which he gave us to
understand that he had captured by swimming out into the lake, his head
concealed by a cap of rushes, towards a flock floating unsuspicious of
danger near the margin, and that, getting close to them, he had pulled
them down under water by the legs. As the slight repast we had eaten
had only just taken off the edge of our appetites, we eagerly plucked a
bird apiece, and had them spitted in a few minutes before the fire.
"If we only had some pepper and salt, we should do well," said Harry.
"Here they are, sir," said Tom, producing from his knapsack a bag of
each.
"We are greatly indebted to you, Mr Tubbs, for your forethought,"
observed Charley; "but remember, we must husband these treasures, for it
may be a long time before we are able to replenish them."
By the time we had finished our repast, the sun had sunk behind the
trees of the forest we had passed through, and as we could not go
farther that night, we agreed to camp where we were. It was important
to keep up the fire, as we might otherwise receive an unwelcome visit
from a lion, elephant, or leopard, or perhaps from a huge species of
ape, numbers of which we had reason to suspect were in the
neighbourhood, though we had not as yet seen any. It was, of course,
settled that we should keep watch, each one of us taking it in turns.
Not knowing how far Aboh might be trusted, we did not ask him. Before
sitting down we collected a further supply of fuel, and cut down some
boughs, with which we constructed a rude arbour to shelter our heads and
bodies from the night dew, although it would have been of little service
in case of a fall of tropical rain. Tom suggested that, as Charley was
leader, he ought not to keep watch.
"No, no," said Charley. "I will share with you all in that respect;"
and he offered to keep the first watch. Harry took the second, Tom the
third, and I the morning watch.
Tom called me, saying that he had been listening to the mutterings and
roars of lions, the occasional cries of deer as they were pounced on by
some savage beasts, and the shrieks and other strange noises of night
birds. "But you mustn't mind that, sir," he said; "you'll soon get
accustomed to them. If you see anything suspicious, don't mind rousing
me up, although you may not wish to awaken the whole party."
I promised to do this, and began to walk about in front of the fire.
However, feeling very tired, I sat down, placing my rifle by my side.
While thus seated, I confess that, unexpectedly, my eyes closed. It
appeared to me but for a moment, although when I opened them daylight
had broken, and a bright gleam cast from the orange-tinted sky was
thrown over the lake. I was about to spring to my feet and stoop to
pick up my rifle, when I found it had gone. On looking round, I saw
Aboh holding it in his hand and moving cautiously away from the camp,
while he presented it at some object of which he had caught sight a
little distance off, and on which his eye was intently fixed. He did
not appear to hear me as I followed, when what was my horror to see an
enormous serpent, its neck rising in the air, its mouth extended as if
about to spring. Aboh stepped behind a small tree, which afforded him
some protection, and resting the barrel of the rifle against the trunk,
fixed his eye on the creature. It seemed to me about to make its fatal
spring, when he, and perhaps my companions and I as well, might have
been destroyed. The serpent rose in the air, Aboh fired, its head
instantly dropped, although the body continued to writhe and twist along
the ground.
The report aroused the rest of the party, who sprang to their feet.
They looked greatly astonished when they found it was Aboh and not I who
had fired. This, I may say, was the first of many dangers we escaped
from the huge monsters of that region. On measuring the snake, we found
it full thirty feet in length, with a girth as large as the body of a
stout man. Indeed, we agreed that the creature could have swallowed any
of us, or all of us in succession, had he been so disposed.
"Good eat," said Aboh, as he cut off the creature's head.
While we cooked the ducks, he roasted a piece of the snake's flesh at
the fire, and ate it in preference to them.
We had now to decide what course to pursue, whether to take the eastern
or western side of the lake. Charley was disposed to think that we
should find the western very marshy, for, looking in that direction, the
ground appeared to be covered with tall reeds, while the distance round
the eastern side would evidently be much longer. On consulting Aboh, he
gave the preference to the eastern side, intimating that the people we
had seen, who had attacked the slaves, resided between the lake and the
sea, and that probably they would not allow us to pass through their
territory without depriving us of everything we possessed, even should
we escape with our lives.
"If you'll take my advice, gentlemen, before we start, you'll make some
hats to keep the sun off your heads; it won't take us long, and depend
upon it, we shall find it very hot along the borders of the lake. Mr
Westerton, I daresay, knows how to make a straw hat as well as I do."
Charley said he did, and he and Tom quickly procured a quantity of dried
palm-leaves, which, splitting up, they formed into wide rough plaits.
Harry and I imitated their example. In a few minutes they had enough
plaited to form a hat, when, with some large thorns for needles, and
fibre for thread, they stitched the plaiting together as quickly as they
made it Harry and I were longer about our task, for we managed to make
only one hat while they put together two, but in less than an hour we
were each provided with a very fair straw hat. Some handkerchiefs,
which we had brought from on board served to line them, and make them
more impervious to the sun.
Our task completed, strapping our knapsacks on our backs and shouldering
our rifles, we commenced our march along the shores of the lake.