THE KING PROPOSES TO SEND US OUT ON A HUNTING EXPEDITION--CAPTAIN
RODERICK RECOGNISES HARRY AND ME IN OUR TRUE CHARACTERS--THE START FOR
THE CHASE--A PLEASANT SURPRISE--WE MEET PRINCE KENDO WHO HAS COMMAND OF
THE PARTY--A SUCCESSFUL DAY--CHARLEY AS A HUNTER--THE RETURN--CAPTAIN
RODERICK'S MYSTERIOUS WARNING--HIS SORROW AT HIS OWN WASTED LIFE--THE
LOSS OF GROWLER--ILLNESS OF THE QUEEN--THE WITCH-DOCTOR SENT FOR--WE ARE
AGAIN FORCED TO GO HUNTING--STRANGE ARRIVAL IN CAMP OF THE TWO PIRATES--
A DANGEROUS MAN--MURDER OF CAPTAIN RODERICK--EFFECT OF HIS DEATH ON THE
BLACKS--THE SOLITARY GRAVE--CONTINUATION OF THE HUNT--ENCOUNTER WITH A
WILD MAN OF THE WOODS--RETURN TO THE VILLAGE WITH A QUANTITY OF GAME.
We had now been six months in Africa, and, wonderful to relate, none of
us had been ill or even hurt, with the exception of Tom. We, however,
often felt sad, not on our own account, but on that of the loved ones at
home, who, we knew, would be suffering intense anxiety about us, even if
they did not suppose that we had lost our lives. As Tom remarked, we
knew very well where we were and what we hoped to be able to do, but
those at home knew nothing, but that ship after ship arrived and no
tidings of us reached them.
A thick, black wall, as it were, intervened between them and us, through
which their loving eyes could not penetrate. How we longed for some
bird of rapid wing to carry home a message for us.
Captain Roderick did not come near us for the remainder of the day. The
following morning, however, he appeared, saying that the king would not
hear of our going away, as he wanted to employ us for elephant hunting,
under the belief that with our rifles we should obtain a far greater
number of tusks than could his own people.
"You will be well-fed, and as the sport is highly exciting, I don't
think you have any cause to complain," said the Captain.
"That may depend upon circumstances," observed Charley. "When are we to
set out?"
"To-morrow, or perhaps the next day; as soon as the hunters are ready.
They only returned from an expedition a few days ago and require time to
rest."
While the Captain was speaking, I saw him eyeing Harry and me in a far
more searching manner than he had done before. Suddenly he asked me my
name. I told him without hesitation,--indeed, I supposed all along that
he must have known it. He then turned to Harry, and I saw his
countenance change as Harry replied, "My name is Bracewell."
The Captain started as Harry spoke, and as he looked at him a frown
gathered on his brow.
"I might have known you before, but your dress and sunburnt countenances
deceived me. When I first saw you on board the `Arrow'--"
"Captain Roderick, let bygones be bygones!" exclaimed Charley, who had
heard from me all that had happened in England between Captain Roderick
and my friend--"Do not let us refer to the past. Here we are, five
Englishmen together among savages. If we quarrel our destruction is
certain. We can help you and you can help us."
The captain's features resumed their usual look, showing that he was
somewhat moved by this address.
"I have no quarrel with any of you, and have already shown you my
readiness to render you assistance. I have told you that I will exert
my influence with the king to procure your release, and I intend to keep
my promise."
Captain Roderick did not long remain with us; he went away, as he said,
to have a talk with the king.
"My idea is, that that fellow wants us to stop and hunt for him,"
observed Charley. "Depend upon it he would take possession of the tusks
of the elephants we killed. It may be wise in us, however, to do so for
the sake of procuring our liberty."
"He has got a hand over us at present, and as we cannot help ourselves,
we had better make the best of a bad job," observed Tom.
Accordingly, the next morning, when we saw a number of people collecting
in the square, armed for the chase, we agreed that, if invited, we would
accompany them without showing any objection. We had just taken our
breakfast, when we saw a young man approaching, who by the ornaments he
wore on his arms and ankles, the chain round his neck, and the circlet
of feathers on his head, we knew to be a person of consequence.
"Why, I believe he's no other than the young fellow who married Miss
Iguma," said Tom; "and if so, he ought to help us, for if it hadn't been
for you, Mr Westerton, the young lady would have lost her life."
Prince Kendo at once knew us, indeed, I suspect he was well aware of our
being in the village, but had kept out of the way, supposing that we
were enemies of Captain Roderick's, and not wishing to offend him. He
now, however, came forward in a friendly manner, and invited us to
accompany him on the hunting expedition of which he was to be the
leader.
As agreed, we accepted it and joined his party of about fifty men. Soon
after leaving the village a couple of hundred more, coming from various
quarters, united with us, until we formed quite a little army. We
marched along for a whole day, however, without seeing any elephants,
although we came upon smaller game, of which, for the sake of the meat,
we killed several. Charley was fortunate enough to knock over a
buffalo, and Harry and I each killed a deer. Tom shot two hogs--
curious-looking creatures, the most active of the pig species. Those
which made their escape leapt over the trunks of trees several feet
high, and a stream five or six yards broad. They were enormous
creatures, having red bodies and white faces, on which were several
lumps between the nose and the eyes, which latter were surrounded by
long bristles, while their ears were exceedingly long, having at their
tips tufts of coarse hair. We knocked over several monkeys, and a huge
ape, just as it was about to strike a man who had approached and had had
his spear snatched out of his hand.
Prince Kendo complimented us, and evidently looked upon us as great
hunters. After encamping for the night, as was usual, we again set out,
and just as we reached the edge of the forest, beyond which was a plain,
we caught sight of a huge elephant standing by himself, while he kept
flapping his ears and whisking round his tail. As we watched him the
trees around him looked like mere shrubs, so vast was his size. Charley
insisted on shooting him. Kendo, as he looked at the animal, whispered
that he was afraid that he would make for the open plain should his own
men attempt to kill him. On this Charley volunteered to shoot the huge
creature. I felt very anxious about it, but he said that he was
confident, unless his rifle failed him, that he should kill the beast.
Having ascertained the way the wind was blowing, we made a slight round
so as to get to leeward. We got behind some trees, while Charley,
imitating the native way of approaching the enormous creatures, stooped
down among the grass, and began to creep up slowly towards the elephant,
keeping himself entirely concealed, while only occasionally could we get
a glimpse of him to assure us that he was moving on. I regretted that I
had not insisted on accompanying him, to fire in case he should miss,
though he himself had no apprehensions on that score. For several
minutes we could perceive no motion in the long grass. Not a word was
spoken. No sound came from any part of the forest, except that we
fancied we could hear the flapping of the elephant's ears. For a few
seconds even that ceased, and then there came a sharp report, ringing
through the forest and across the plain. I dashed forward and saw the
elephant raise its trunk in the air, and move on as if about to destroy
its enemy, but the instant afterwards the trunk dropped, the huge animal
staggered, and down it came with a crash on the shrubs and rotten wood
beneath the trees. Charley started up scarcely three yards from where
the creature fell. Numbers of monkeys and birds shrieking and screaming
clambered chattering away amid the branches, or flew off across the
plain at the report of Charley's rifle, while the blacks came rushing
forward, shouting and congratulating him and us on the success of his
shot. Never had they seen an animal brought down so suddenly. This was
the first elephant we had killed on the expedition. Charley killed two
others from the ground, while Harry and I each shot one while we were
perched on a tree, a far safer, if not so honourable a position. All
the natives together had, in the meantime, only killed three, by
piercing them with their spears, and they had lost two men crushed by
the monsters' feet. Altogether, Kendo acknowledged that it was the most
successful hunting expedition he had ever engaged in, while our success
raised us greatly in the estimation of the blacks, but also made them
more anxious than ever to retain us. We were well aware of this, and
came to the conclusion that if we were to get away, it must be by
stealth, as we had escaped from the other savages. On approaching the
village, we were met by some women howling and wailing, and on inquiring
the reason, we were informed that queen Hugga Mugga, the favourite wife
of the king, was desperately ill, and had been bewitched, and that the
king had sent for a learned sorcerer to discover the guilty persons. On
inquiring for Captain Roderick we found also that he, during our
absence, had been away. We saw him, however, coming along the street.
Charley and I went out to meet him, advising Harry to keep in the house.
He appeared to be in a very different humour to that in which we had
before seen him. He appeared greatly out of spirits. Seating himself
in our veranda, without attempting to enter the house, he turned to
Charley.
"You have been more successful even than I expected," he said, "and I
have to compliment you on your skilful hunting. You might remain out
here and make your fortunes in a very short time, but I suspect that
your lives would not be safe in this place. You have already excited
the jealousy and hatred of Mundungo, and he is, I have discovered, a
friend or relative of the fetish doctor who has been sent for, and will
probably accuse you of causing, by your incantations, the illness of
Kickubaroo's wife. Come here," and he approached a palm tree which grew
on one side of the house, from which he cut a long branch. "If I
ascertain that you are in danger, I will find means to send you a
similar branch to this, in the basket with your provisions, in which
case do not leave the house until nightfall, then, as soon as the people
have gone to their houses, and are asleep, make your way directly to the
bank of the river, where I will cause two canoes to be prepared with
paddles and food in them. Embark at once, and make your way down the
stream. You must not ask why I did not long ago follow the course I
advise you to take."
I was struck by the man's melancholy countenance and the mournful tone
in which he spoke, so different to his usual overbearing confident
language.
Charley and I expressed our thanks, feeling more pity for him than we
had ever done before. Keeping the palm branch in his hand, he resumed
his seat in the veranda, then turning to me he said--
"If you ever reach home, tell my brother that you met me, and that I
asked his forgiveness for my conduct towards him. I do not suppose that
he will withhold it, when he knows that I intend never again to resume
my former mode of life. I wish I could feel as certain that all my sins
are forgiven."
I pointed out to him the only way by which man's sins can be forgiven.
He turned his head from me, and said abruptly to Charley--
"You must be surprised at the change you perceive has come over me."
"For some reasons I am glad of it," answered Charley, "although I hope
it is not because you feel yourself suffering from illness."
"No," answered Captain Roderick, "I am as well as ever, still I believe
that my days are numbered. My enemies here have succeeded in destroying
my faithful dog Growler. While you were away I missed him while out
shooting, and after some time he crawled back to me with a poisoned
arrow sticking in his ribs. I drew it out, hoping that the flow of
blood would prevent the poison taking effect. In less than ten minutes
he was seized with violent convulsions, between the paroxysms of which
he endeavoured to lick my hand, and gasped out his last breath in the
attempt. He was the only friend I ever had in the world in whom I could
truly trust."
After sitting some time, Captain Roderick took up his gun and hat, which
he had placed by his side while enjoying the shade of the veranda, and
proceeded towards the house he inhabited, close to that occupied by the
king. Going in we told Harry what Captain Roderick had said.
"He exhibits very little true remorse and sorrow for his misdeeds," said
Harry; "like many men with fierce, ill-regulated minds, he is overcome
with superstitious fears, and probably his present temper will not last
very long. I only hope he will give us warning in due time, and enable
us to make our escape, we shall then have good reason to thank him."
We were now expecting the arrival of the witch-doctor, who, however, we
discovered lived at a considerable distance, and might not make his
appearance for two or three days. We scarcely supposed, however, that
he would accuse us of bewitching the queen. We felt, indeed, rather a
curiosity to see how he would proceed, than any fear of bad consequences
to ourselves. Soon after Captain Roderick's visit, Prince Kendo
appeared, and invited us to accompany him that evening on another
shooting expedition. Some elephants, he said, had been seen a short
distance off up the river, and as there was plenty of the food they
liked thereabouts they would not probably have gone away. As we were
glad of something to do, we accepted the offer, and all four of us, with
Aboh and Shimbo, set out with the party the prince had already
collected, and who were waiting at the outskirts of the village. It was
too dark, however, by the time we reached the part of the forest where
the elephants had been seen to go in search of them. We therefore
encamped, and lighted a fire to cook the provisions we had brought with
us. Soon after we had begun supper, two figures appeared from amidst
the brushwood surrounding the open spot we had selected for our camp.
The gleam of the fire fell upon them. We saw by their dress and faces
that they were white men. Their haggard countenances showed that they
were suffering from hunger. Tom Tubbs, who had started to his feet,
advanced a few paces towards them--
"Why, as I live," he exclaimed, "I think I know you fellows."
"Like enough you do, mate," answered one of the men, "like enough you
do, but before you have any palaver, just hand us out some of that grub,
and a drink of water or anything stronger if you've got it, for we are
well-nigh famished."
"So you look," said Tom; "sit down, the gentlemen here will be glad
enough to share their provisions with you, so will this nigger prince,
and after that we will hear what you have got to tell about yourselves."
The men without uttering another word sat down close to the fire, and
eagerly seizing the food we offered them, began munching away in a style
which fully confirmed the account they had given of their famished
state.
Looking at their countenances more narrowly, I at once recognised the
two seamen, Caspar Caper and Herman Jansen, who had escaped during the
massacre of the Frenchmen.
The two men exhibited a marked contrast, and it seemed surprising that
they should have associated together. Caspar seemed a good-natured,
honest fellow, and as soon as he had satisfied his hunger, he began to
laugh and joke with Tom, and to describe the adventures they had gone
through, while Jansen sat moody and silent, a frown on his brow, and his
looks averted from us. Even when Tom spoke to him he answered only in
monosyllables, or did not answer at all, holding out the gourd which had
been given him for a further supply of palm-wine.
"I shouldn't like to meet that fellow by myself were I unarmed in a dark
place, he looks as if he would attempt to kill a man merely for the
satisfaction of committing murder," whispered Charley to me; "I wonder
he has not before now shot his companion, and I suspect that only the
desire of self-preservation has restrained him."
I fully agreed with my brother, and we settled that we would not allow
him to associate with us more than we could help. At present common
humanity demanded that we should give him food, and such protection as
we might be able to afford against the savages. After eating and
drinking as much as he required, he got up and strolled away from the
camp towards the lake, the shore of which was at no great distance.
We now spoke more freely about him. Harry suggested that hunger and
privation had given him the expression we remarked in his features, and
that he might notwithstanding be a useful addition to our party, and
assist us, should we make our escape, in navigating our canoe down the
river.
"What's the matter with your friend?" I asked, turning to Caspar.
"He's in one of his sulks," was the answer; "he is often like that, and
I have been in fear of my life over and over again, but I have kept an
eye upon him, and generally managed to get hold of his long sheath
knife, and to hide it until he got better again. Lately he has become
worse, and I would have left him had I been able to do so. My idea is,
that he'll do some harm to himself, or he will try to kill some one
else, and if he had a gun I should not think any one of us was safe
sitting down here."
"Should there be a chance of his injuring himself, it is our duty to try
and prevent him," observed Harry, "we must deprive him of his weapon,
and watch him narrowly. Perhaps after he has been well-fed for a few
days he may recover his temper. I think it would be as well now to go
and watch him, and see that he doesn't throw himself into the lake."
I agreed with Harry, and both getting up accompanied by Caspar, we
walked on in the direction Jansen had taken.
The moon which had just risen, afforded us light sufficient to make our
way through the forest, which was here not so thick as in most places.
We had gone some little way, when we reached an open spot or glade close
to the lake.
"Stop here," said Caspar, "I think I see him coming along, it is as well
he should not discover us."
We concealed ourselves behind some bushes. We could hear approaching
footsteps, and thought that Jansen, having gone on some way, had turned
back and intended to rejoin us at the camp. Just then I saw that the
figure of the person approaching was not that of Herman Jansen, but of
Captain Roderick. I concluded that he had followed us intending to
treat with Prince Kendo for the ivory we had procured, or else that he
had come to warn us of some danger to which we might be exposed, should
we return to the village. I was on the point of stepping out of our
place of concealment to go and meet him, when another person sprang up
from behind a bank where he had been concealed, with a large knife in
his hand, and before I could cry out to warn the captain, the other had
plunged the weapon into his breast. With one piercing cry Captain
Roderick fell back, while his assailant having driven the weapon home,
left it sticking in the wound, and with a howl like a wild beast plunged
into the forest, which immediately hid him from our sight. We all
hurried forward, eager to give assistance to the wounded man; Caspar
drew out the knife.
"Yes," he said, "this was Jansen's, he had vowed vengeance against the
captain, and we had good reason to hate him, but this is a foul cowardly
deed notwithstanding."
Harry and I meantime lifted up the wounded man; his arms dropped
downwards, not a groan, not a breath escaped him, his eyes were fixed
and staring in death. The weapon had struck too deeply home for human
power to save him. His spirit had fled. We notwithstanding sent Caspar
back to obtain assistance, that we might carry the body to the camp.
In a short time Caspar returned with Charley and Tom and several blacks.
A litter was formed, and we conveyed him to the camp. Though we had
every reason to dislike the man who had been the cause of all the
hardships and sufferings we were enduring, yet we felt no animosity
towards him, and were horror-struck at his appalling death. Prince
Kendo expressed his astonishment at the captain's death. What he said
was to the effect that he thought that no human power could injure him,
"but I now see that white men can die like black men," he observed with
a peculiar expression which made us feel that it would be dangerous to
offend the black Prince.
"But it was a white man that killed him, remember that," said Tom, "the
black fellows, from what I hear, tried it very often but could not
succeed."
"Yes, that was the case, but he had a friendly spirit always by to
protect him, but that got killed at last, and so you see his power
departed from him."
The prince alluded to Growler, whose death we thus discovered was well
known, although Captain Roderick had endeavoured to conceal the fact.
"The sooner we bury the poor fellow the better," observed Charley.
"While he is in their sight the blacks will be thinking about him, and
being reminded how easily a white man is killed, they may take it into
their heads to try and put us out of the way, and possess themselves of
our guns and the contents of our knapsacks."
We accordingly asked Kendo to allow some of his people to assist us in
digging a grave. Though they at first showed some indications of fear,
yet on Tom suggesting that the spirit of the dead man would haunt them
if they did not, they eagerly set about the work, and saved us any
trouble whatever. At first they made only a shallow hole, but Tom told
them that that would never do, that it was necessary to bury a white man
very far down in the earth, as they had such potent spirits that they
would otherwise quickly force their way up again. On this they eagerly
recommenced their labours, and managed to dig a grave six feet deep. We
were going to put the body into it, when Tom advised that we should
examine his pockets, and take possession of any documents or valuables
he might have about him. We found nothing, however, except some
ammunition, a knife, and a tinder-box. Not a line or document of any
sort to prove his identity. Had we not witnessed his death, or
discovered his body, no one would have known how he met with his
untimely end. Like many another evil-doer, he would have disappeared
from the face of the earth and left no trace behind him.
At a late hour we lay down to rest. By Harry's advice, however, one of
us kept awake lest the blacks should attempt to play us any trick, or,
as was very likely, lest they should all go to sleep, and a leopard
steal into the camp and carry some one of us off, or a troop of
elephants come rushing along and trample us under foot. Next morning,
although we were very unwilling to continue the hunt, judging it safer
to get back to the village and attempt to make our escape without delay,
Prince Kendo insisted that we should remain, promising that we should
have a share of the tusks of any elephants we might kill.
We thought it wise to make a virtue of necessity, but determined, should
we find a canoe on the banks of the river, to appropriate it, and
without taking leave to make our way down the stream.
We had not gone far when our ears were saluted by a terrific roar which
seemed to come from the depths of the forest. My companions looked at
each other, wondering what animal could produce the sound. Roar
succeeded roar, and I guessed it must come from one of the big man apes
which I had before encountered. Charley and Harry, upon my telling
them, were both eager to see the creature, and keeping our guns in
readiness we approached the spot whence the fearful sounds proceeded.
The roars were accompanied by a loud drumming noise, followed by a
fierce bark-like yelp, which, as Harry observed, sounded like the
horrible ravings of a madman. Kendo and several of the other blacks
accompanied us, but kept well in our rear, ready to take to flight
should we fail to kill the beast. "There he is," exclaimed Charley,
"let one fire at a time. Dick, you fire first, if you miss I'll have a
shot at him, and if I miss, Tom, you must take the next shot, and you,
Harry, must be in reserve. Remember that our lives will depend upon the
steadiness of your aim."
These arrangements had just been made when the boughs were put aside by
a pair of long arms, and the next instant a huge hairy creature, with a
hideous countenance, appeared in sight, advancing slowly into the open;
I could distinguish its fierce eyes glowing at us, the face black and
wrinkled, and distorted with rage, as it came forward balancing its
monstrous body with its long arms, while at every few seconds it stopped
and beat its breast, at the same time throwing back its head to give
utterance to one of its tremendous roars. We might have been excused
had we really taken it for a forest demon, for nothing which the
imagination of man has pictured could be more calculated to inspire its
beholders with awe.
The natives ceased their chattering and drew back. The creature still
advanced, but every now and then stopped to sit down and roar. One
circumstance, however, showed that its power was limited. Its legs were
short and slight, and unable firmly to sustain its huge body, they
tottered beneath its weight. While it hobbled forward it had a somewhat
ridiculous appearance, which made Tom burst into a loud laugh. This
seemed to increase the creature's rage; unable to spring forward, it sat
down and began to roar and beat its breast. Once more it rose with the
aid of its long arms, and advanced. I waited until it was about ten
yards off, when I fired, half expecting, however, to see the animal when
the smoke cleared off still coming towards us. I was prepared to spring
back to let Charley fire, when throwing up its arms down it came with a
crash to the ground. The blacks set up a shout of triumph.
"Take care, sirs, a bite from those big teeth would not be pleasant,"
exclaimed Tom, as he saw Harry and me rushing forward.
The creature, however, made no movement, and the blacks coming up,
turned it over without ceremony and thrust the end of their spears into
its eyes to show that it was dead. They then began singing and dancing
around it in triumph, as they would round the body of a dead human
enemy, indeed, even now I could scarcely persuade myself that the
creature had not something human in it. It was not until very many
years afterwards that I ascertained that this man ape, as I have called
it, was what is now known as the gorilla. When I afterwards described
it in England, no one would believe that it was of the size I have
mentioned, and I got credit for indulging in travellers' tales.
The natives at once skinned the beast and then cut the body into pieces,
which they afterwards cooked and ate with great gusto. None of us,
however, could persuade ourselves to touch it.
We later in the day killed three elephants, much in the way I have
before described, and early next morning our party, carrying the skin of
the ape and the elephants' tusks, with large quantities of meat,
returned to the village.