The fate of the child seemed certain. As the huge creature turned to
run, I saw that its neck was exposed. Fortunately, having loaded my
rifle with ball, I fired. By a miracle it seemed, the crocodile let the
child drop, and after making a faint attempt to recover it, gave a few
convulsive struggles, and rolled off the bank perfectly dead, for we
could see it lying on its back in shallow water.
The poor mother rushed forward and picked up the little boy, who,
although fearfully bitten about the leg, was still alive. It had not
before uttered a sound, but now it began to cry as it saw the blood
streaming from the wounded limb. As far as I could judge, no vital part
had been touched, and I told Aboh to say to the mother, that if she
would let us doctor it we would do so, as I had hopes of its recovery.
Having washed it then and there in cold water, we stopped the blood,
bound up the wounds, and gave it to the mother to carry back. Quagomolo
was, we found, especially fond of the child. It was six or seven years
old, and, being in a healthy condition, by the evening appeared no
worse. At the end of three days, as lock-jaw had not set in, and the
wounds looked healthy, we assured the king of our belief that his son
would in time get well. Quagomolo and his wife both appeared very
grateful.
"Whatever you shall ask you shall have," he said; "half my kingdom, half
of my wives, or half of my children, or half of my people for slaves."
"Tell his majesty that we are much obliged to him," answered Charley;
"but the only favour we ask is the loan of a couple of his faithful
subjects, and permission to proceed on our journey to the northward,
where we expect to fall in with some of our countrymen. We are friends
to Africa and the Africans, and wish to do the people all the good we
can, but that if he keeps us here, our plans will be defeated."
The king replied "that he would consider the matter, but that perhaps he
knew what was for our good as well as we did ourselves, and that if we
wished to benefit the Africans we should remain and exercise our skill
on him and his people."
This answer was anything but satisfactory. We had accordingly, as
before, to shrug our shoulders and submit for the present, not
intending, however, much longer to comply with the fancies of the sable
monarch.