About an hour after sunrise on the following morning I again presented
myself before the king, with the request that I be permitted to continue
my journey. I was very cordially received by His Majesty, who again
thanked me for the service which I had rendered him on the preceding day
by slaying the buffalo, and so saving him from the ignominy of flight,
or the almost equally unpleasant alternative of submitting to be charged
by the brute. In the privacy of his itunkulu he was much more expansive
than he had been on the previous day in the presence of his indunas,
unhesitatingly admitting that, had he been compelled to accept either of
the above-mentioned alternatives, he would have suffered serious loss of
prestige in the eyes of his own people. He informed me that upon his
return to the kraal on the preceding day he had given instructions that
a body of men should be dispatched to bring in the carcasses of the
slaughtered buffalo, which had been done, and he now made the offer
that, if I pleased, he would have the skins carefully dressed, and the
skulls and horns preserved, so that I might take the whole back with me
to civilisation, as trophies, upon my return. Of course I thanked him
for his exceedingly generous offer, which I gladly accepted so far as
the three buffalo killed by myself were concerned; and therewith we
parted upon the very best of terms, the king according me full
permission to go where I pleased in his country, remain in it as long as
I chose, and kill all the game that I had a mind to, while I made His
Majesty inexpressibly proud and happy by presenting him with a
burning-glass and showing him how to kindle a fire by its means. Then,
my ceremonial visit being at an end, I returned to the wagon, ordered
the oxen to be inspanned, and resumed my journey.
The ensuing fortnight was spent in progressing slowly northward through
that part of Basutoland which lies between the Machacha mountain range
and what is now known as the Caledon River, hunting all the way. But
although the sport, such as it was, was good, enabling me to bag five
lions, eight leopards, and three splendid specimens of rhinoceros, and
although buck of all kinds, and buffalo, were plentiful enough to have
enabled me to fill the wagon with their skins and horns, had I desired
to do so, the sport was not the kind that I desired; I was out after
elephant, and Basutoland was not elephant country. Therefore, at the
end of the fortnight, I crossed the headwaters of the Caledon, and
entered what in after years became the Orange Free State, and, still
later, the Orange River Colony. Thence, passing between the two
mountain ranges which later received the names of Witte and Roode
Bergen, we "struck" a wide expanse of level, open country; through this
a stream flowed in a northerly direction, along the left bank of which
we trekked for a full week, not only for the sake of the water and the
richer grass growing in the immediate vicinity of the stream, but also
because if there was any game in the neighbourhood it was sure to be
found within easy reach of the water. And here I got my first slice of
luck, potting a brace of elephants, both of them magnificent tuskers, as
well as another rhinoceros, three giraffes, and seven cock ostriches in
perfect plumage. Then, crossing the Wilge River, and, two days later,
the Klip River, we entered the country now known as the Transvaal, the
Klip River being, as a matter of fact, the headwater of the Vaal.
And now I found myself in a very hunter's paradise, for the country was
literally swarming with game of almost every description, consisting of
eland, gemsbok, springbok, reitbok, and antelope of all kinds, often in
herds numbering several thousands; also that curious-looking beast the
gnu, of which I now got my first glimpse; troops of quagga and zebra;
giraffes, rhinoceroses, lions, leopards, and ostriches; hippopotami and
crocodiles in the rivers; but still very few elephants, and those so shy
that it was only with the utmost difficulty I succeeded in securing
three within the first fortnight after crossing the Klip River. And
during all this time, although I enjoyed some splendid hunting, I did
not meet with a single adventure worthy of record, and met very few
natives, while those whom I encountered were either very friendly
disposed on the one hand, or, on the other, too shy to come near me.
But I saw several very curious sights, one or two of which I may perhaps
be excused for recording.
For instance, about a week after crossing the Klip River we found
ourselves striking northward across a tract of practically level
country, dotted here and there with herds of various kinds of game,
which took but little notice of us beyond moving leisurely out of our
way when we seemed to be approaching them rather too closely for their
liking. Piet and I were, as usual, riding forward about a mile ahead of
the wagon, on the lookout for ostriches or elephant spoor, when we
sighted a troop of the great birds which we were seeking some two miles
ahead of us, immediately in line with a range of those curious
flat-topped hills which are such a distinctive feature of the South
African landscape. Away to our left, about a quarter of a mile distant,
was a small kopje, about two hundred feet high, consisting of an outcrop
of rock the sides of which, although almost perpendicular, were so rough
that I believed they might be easily climbed; and as the summit of the
kopje promised to afford an excellent spying place from which to observe
the movements of the ostriches, we turned our horses' heads toward it
and approached it at a gallop, reining up at its base. Upon arriving at
the foot of the kopje I at once saw that it might be scaled without the
slightest difficulty, for not only were the rocky projections so bold
and rough as almost to amount to steps, but on the southern or shady
side of the hill--which was the face that we approached--a multitude of
tough, fern-like plants were sprouting from the interstices, affording
excellent hold for the hands; therefore, dismounting and handing my
horse's bridle to Piet, and bidding him remain where he was, in the
shadow of the rock, I took my rifle in one hand, and with the small but
very powerful telescope which I always carried when out after game slung
over my shoulder, proceeded to scale the kopje.
Reaching its summit without difficulty, I found, as I had expected, that
my lofty perch afforded a magnificent outlook over the plain in every
direction. The ostriches whose movements I particularly desired to
watch were now in plain view, and with the aid of my telescope I could
not only distinguish the cocks from the hens, but could also perceive
that the plumage of the former was in the very pink of perfection. But,
in addition to the ostriches, there were several other exceedingly
interesting objects and sights clearly distinguishable from the summit
of the kopje, of which no hint was obtainable from the level of the
plain below.
For instance, upon removing the telescope from my eye, after an
exhaustive study of the movements and behaviour of the great birds, I
allowed my gaze to travel over the surface of the grassy plain
immediately before me, and presently became aware of a solitary
antelope, of a species which was quite new to me, grazing at a distance
of some two hundred yards from the base of the kopje. The creature was
about the size of a bushbok, was a dirty white in colour, and carried a
pair of horns about two and a half feet in length, slightly curved,
enormously thick at the base, strongly ridged for about half their
length, and thence sweeping smoothly away to points as sharp apparently
as those of bayonets. The most curious thing about it, however, was
that its coat was long and thick, like that of a goat, but apparently
very much finer and more silky; and I was speculating upon the
possibility of capturing and domesticating a few specimens, with the
view of testing the commercial value of the hair, when suddenly the
animal ceased feeding, threw up its head, twitched its long ears
nervously to and fro, and proceeded to sniff the air anxiously, turning
its head hither and thither as it did so.
Finally it faced right round, almost broadside-on to me, and stood
motionless, very erect, and with its body seemingly braced in readiness
to bound away upon confirmation of its evident suspicion that an enemy
was somewhere in its immediate neighbourhood. I knew that the suspected
enemy could not possibly be myself, for I was dead to leeward of the
animal, and I therefore proceeded to reconnoitre with the view of
ascertaining whether danger was threatening it from some other quarter.
And presently I became aware of certain suspicious-looking movements of
the long grass, about a hundred yards distant, suggestive of the
presence of an animal of some kind approaching the antelope cautiously
along a sort of wavering, serpentine course. When I first discovered
this movement the creature that caused it was at such a distance that it
was completely concealed among the long grass, even from the elevation
which I occupied; but a minute later I was able to catch occasional
glimpses of a darkish grey body, thickly dotted with irregularly shaped
spots of lighter grey, slinking toward the antelope, which still
remained perfectly motionless and expectantly watchful. The course
pursued by the approaching creature was such as gradually to bring it
into full view from where I crouched on the summit of the kopje, and at
length I made it out to be also an animal hitherto unknown to me, about
the size of a half-grown leopard, and of very similar build and shape,
except that its tail was only about a foot long, thick, and of uniform
dimensions right to its extremity; its ears were tufted like those of a
lynx, and indeed in general appearance it greatly resembled a lynx,
excepting that it was very much larger.
It was very interesting to watch the progress of this little drama--was
it a tragedy?--which was rapidly unfolding itself almost at my very
feet, and I was curious to see what steps the threatened antelope would
take to provide for its safety--for it was certain that the creature was
fully conscious of the fact that danger threatened it. Why did it not
seek safety in flight, as most creatures of the antelope species are
wont to do? Or did some subtle instinct warn it that flight could but
prolong its agony, and that the superior endurance of its approaching
enemy would cause it to be run down and brought to bay sooner or later;
and that its best chance lay in facing the danger now, before its
strength should be worn out by a prolonged and exhausting flight?
Apparently some such instinct or conviction must have possessed it, for
the antelope remained standing motionless, as though carved out of
stone, the only signs of life which it betrayed being a continuous
quivering of its nostrils and an occasional slight twitching of its
forward-pointing ears, while its enemy slunk sinuously toward it, foot
by foot, like a cat stalking a bird. At length the would-be destroyer
arrived within about twenty feet of its quarry--at which distance I
suspected that each animal was able to obtain at least an occasional
partial glimpse of the other--when it halted, and seemed to be gathering
itself together for a sudden rush, while the antelope still stood as
though rooted to the spot.
Why did not the latter take to its heels and run? I wondered. Was it
that the creature was paralysed with terror, and so unable to make any
effort to save itself? I thought not, for I could detect no sign of
terror; all the indications were in favour of the conviction that while
the antelope was undoubtedly fully aware of the close proximity of its
enemy, and was alertly watchful for the next movement on the part of the
latter, its attitude and aspect were in nowise suggestive of a feeling
of dismay--on the contrary, the idea conveyed to me was that of reckless
temerity. Yet surely the poor, misguided beast could never be so
foolish as to imagine that it stood the slightest chance of victory in
the event of a fight? I was not allowed very much time to ponder the
question, for, after a pause of about half a dozen seconds, the
lynx-like creature made a sudden lightning-like dash at the motionless
antelope, which I fully expected to see go down instantly, with the
formidable fangs of its enemy buried deep in its throat. Not so,
however, for as the lithe, spotted form darted through the grass the
antelope rose from the ground, as though shot into the air by a powerful
spring, descending fair and square upon its enemy's back, its four
sharp-pointed hoofs digging viciously through the spotted hide and
extorting a scream of mingled rage and pain from the astonished
assailant; and then, so quickly that the eye could hardly follow the
movement, a second vigorous leap landed the antelope fully twenty feet
away, while the power expended in the leap sent the screaming, snarling
enemy rolling and sprawling helplessly in the grass.
"Well done, antelope!" thought I. "Now is your chance to make a clean
bolt for it, before your enemy has time to recover from his amazement."
But not a bit of it; evidently the very last thing that the antelope
contemplated was flight, for no sooner did its hoofs touch the earth
than it swung round like lightning, facing toward its adversary, while
the latter picked itself up and, with four little streams of blood
trickling down its sides, proceeded afresh to the attack. Again it
crept up to within a short distance of the waiting antelope, paused, and
suddenly dashed in; and again the antelope leaped into the air, alighted
upon its enemy's back, inflicting four fresh wounds with its stabbing
hoofs, and sprang away, spurning the snarling foe with such violence
that once more it was sent sprawling in the grass.
This performance was repeated some eight or ten times, until at length
it became quite evident that the antelope was getting very much the
better of the fight, for thus far it had not received a single scratch,
while its enemy's back was punctured all over with wounds that, although
none of them were very deep, were bleeding freely, and in the aggregate
were probably very painful. It was clear that matters were fast nearing
the point at which the grey-spotted beast would be more than willing to
regard the fight as a drawn battle, for every bout left it less willing
to continue the fight; but the plucky little antelope evidently
disapproved of half-measures, and was determined to press the matter to
a definite conclusion, for when his antagonist began to betray a
disinclination to continue the fight he no longer waited for the onset,
but boldly advanced, leaping hither and thither with astounding
rapidity, each leap landing him nearer his enemy, until the latter was
compelled, in self-defence, to continue. But at length a moment arrived
when the feline lay moaning and snarling, covered with blood, and either
unable or unwilling to continue the combat; and then the antelope, after
approaching the enemy by the usual bewildering series of leaps and
bounds, stood for several seconds meditatively regarding him.
Finally, the plucky little beast seemed to come to the conclusion that
the decisive moment had arrived, for, suddenly placing his head between
his fore legs, so that his long, powerful horns pointed straight at his
opponent's body, he hurled himself violently forward, like a bolt shot
from a catapult; the sharp, bayonet-like horns buried themselves deeply
in the grey-spotted, blood-smeared body; and as a prolonged yell of
agony rent the air the antelope turned a complete somersault over his
antagonist and staggered to his feet, bewildered but unhurt, the force
with which the final stroke had been delivered having been so tremendous
that the horns had disengaged themselves by the simple process of
tearing two ghastly slashes in the fearfully lacerated carcass of the
now defunct enemy. Then, after satisfying himself, by sight and smell,
that nothing further was to be feared from his victim, the conqueror
bent his head and resumed his grazing as calmly as though nothing had
happened.
The extraordinary combat took some twenty minutes to reach its
unexpected conclusion, and then, there being nothing to detain me any
longer on the summit of the slope, I descended, rejoined Piet where he
was patiently awaiting me within the shadow of the rock, remounted, and
rode forward, our appearance at once putting the plucky little victor to
precipitate flight. I had a mind to secure the skin of the conquered
lynx-like creature, not only as a curiosity and an interesting memento
of a rather remarkable occurrence, but also because of its interest to
the zoologists upon my return to civilisation; but when we presently
found the carcass it proved to be so terribly mauled that I saw it would
be impossible to remove the pelt otherwise than in fragments, and so
abandoned the idea. But we went after the ostriches, and succeeded in
securing the two full-grown cocks of the troop, with the result that I
became the richer by about ten pounds' worth of the most magnificent
plumes I had ever seen.
A few days later, our route at the time lying through hilly country, it
became a question whether we should enter a long ravine which divided a
range of hills ahead, trusting to the possibility of our being able to
pass through it and emerge at the other end, or whether it would be
necessary to make a rather wide detour round one or the other extremity
of the range. The route through the ravine would suit us best from
every point of view, provided that it did not prove to be a cul de sac,
because it led straight in the desired direction, and appeared to be
tolerably level, also it would probably save us nearly forty miles;
therefore I ordered Jan to outspan upon his arrival at the mouth of the
ravine, while Piet and I rode on ahead to reconnoitre, taking our rifles
with us, as usual, as well as the two dogs, Thunder and Juno.
The range of hills lying in front of us was about twenty miles in
length, running almost due east and west, and the ravine which it was my
purpose to explore pierced it as nearly as might be in its middle,
running practically north and south; and even at the first glance I was
impressed by the remarkable character of the place. For the ravine
irresistibly suggested the idea that at some time in the more or less
remote past a giant had taken a shovel measuring about a quarter of a
mile in width, and with this gigantic tool had cut a gap right through
the range. The most singular feature of the case, however, was that,
although the gap was undoubtedly there, and although a vast quantity of
material must have been removed in order to create it, there was nothing
whatever to show what had become of that material. The floor of the gap
was quite smooth and level, unencumbered by boulders or debris of any
kind, and its rocky sides were absolutely vertical, rising in the centre
to a height of very nearly three thousand feet, which height they
maintained for about half a mile before they started to dip toward the
far end. Small patches of wait-a-bit and other thorn bushes sparsely
dotted the floor of the ravine, or gorge, and about halfway through
there was a little grove of mimosa, in the midst of which we caught
fleeting, indistinct glimpses of certain moving things which Piet
declared were giraffes.
Now, I had not yet shot a giraffe, and was rather anxious to obtain a
really good--or it would be nearer the truth to say an exceptionally
fine--specimen; therefore, hastily taking cover behind the nearest clump
of bush, we proceeded to approach the creatures warily until we had
arrived within about half a mile of them. Then, detecting certain signs
of growing uneasiness among them, which I attributed to the possibility
of their having sighted our moving figures, I dismounted, and, leaving
Piet with the dogs and horses well sheltered behind a big clump of bush,
took my rifle and set off to complete the stalk through the long grass
alone and on foot. I reckoned upon being able to manage this without
very much difficulty, for the wind was blowing from the west right
across the ravine, while the giraffes were upon the eastern side, and I
was to the southward of them; therefore I knew that I ought to be able
to get quite close to them before they could wind me, while the grass
was tall enough to enable me to approach them unseen. Nevertheless,
although I was stalking them with the utmost caution, using the wind to
guide me, and only raising my head to reconnoitre at rare intervals and
with the exercise of the greatest care, I was annoyed to observe that
the uneasiness of my quarries was rapidly increasing; they had ceased to
feed, and were standing at attention, with their ears switching quickly
to and fro and their heads continually turning this way and that, as
though they scented danger of some sort but could not determine its
character or, more important still, from which direction it was coming:
and I began to fear that before I could get near enough to put in a
decisive shot they would stampede and I should lose them altogether.
And, sure enough, that was precisely what they did, a great bull
giraffe, evidently the leader of the herd, and the animal which I had
finally fixed upon as my own particular prey, suddenly tossing up his
head and breaking away up the valley in a long, lumbering, ungainly
canter, instantly followed by the rest of the herd.
I was not only intensely annoyed but also greatly puzzled at this
behaviour on the part of the great, long-legged, long-necked creatures,
for I could not believe that the flight had been the result of any
carelessness on my part; but while I stood watching them rapidly
increasing the distance between themselves and me I became aware of a
curious dimming of the atmosphere along the top edge of the cliffs on
the western side of the ravine, and while I was still wondering what
this might be, a low, murmurous, rumbling sound gradually evolved itself
out of the faint sigh of the breeze over the grass and through the
foliage of the bush--a sound which, as I listened, rapidly developed
into the beat of innumerable hoofs, mingled with the bleatings and
barkings of a veritable army of bucks of various descriptions. Then I
knew that the dimming of the atmosphere along the summit of the western
cliffs was due to a cloud of light, impalpable dust, swept along before
a great migrating army of game crossing the mountain range, probably on
the march in search of water, and I waited to see what would happen when
the vanguard of the army should reach the edge of the cliffs.
I had not very long to wait; the dust cloud rapidly thickened, and the
low rumbling beat of hoofs on the hard dry soil of the hill crest
quickly increased in volume until it became like the thunderous roar of
surf upon a rock-bound shore, mingled with the continuous cries of a
countless host of animals all herded together under the influence of
some mysterious but powerful influence. And presently the advance guard
of the great army appeared against the skyline on the edge of the
beetling cliffs, almost immediately opposite where I was standing; first
a solitary eland, then three gemsbok, closely followed by seven or eight
hartebeeste, then a small troop of quagga, upon the heels of which came
a herd of some fifty klipspringers. All these advanced right up to the
edge of the cliff, halted abruptly, staring down into the ravine below,
and then, wheeling sharply to right and left, threw up their heads and,
with characteristic cries of dismay, took to their heels and galloped
furiously along the very edge of the cliff, in an evident effort to
escape the pressure of the great army in their rear. But as these first
arrivals wheeled and sped, terrified, to right and left, others appeared
in increasing numbers and, suddenly realising their danger, sought to
escape it, some following in the footsteps of the vanguard, while others
faced about and strove to retreat along the way by which they had come.
It soon became evident, however, that escape was impossible, for even as
I stood watching their efforts the front rank of the main body appeared,
a great compact mass of animals extending fully half a mile along the
edge of the cliff; and although it was evident that this front rank now
realised that danger threatened it in front, and was trying to hang
back, the pressure of the vast multitude in its rear was irresistible,
and foot by foot it was pushed forward until in a few seconds I was
gazing at the awful spectacle of hundreds of helpless animals being
thrust over the cliff edge and falling to their death more than two
thousand feet below, while the air throbbed and vibrated with their
cries of terror. It was a terrible experience to stand there and
helplessly watch those unfortunate creatures pouring over the cliff like
the waters of a cataract, to listen to their cries as they found
themselves being irresistibly thrust forward to their death, and to see
the long and rapidly growing pile of the dead stretching along the foot
of the cliffs.
There were several varieties of animals in this great migrating army
which was being so disastrously wiped out, some of them being of a kind
that set me wondering by what extraordinary accident they could have
become entangled among such incongruous companions. For example,
tightly wedged in among a herd of blesbok I saw a full-grown lion forced
over the cliff; and the only way in which I could possibly account for
the presence of the beast was upon the assumption that he had been
following the herd, and in springing upon some victim had become so
closely involved that he had found it impossible to make his way out
again.
I have always stoutly maintained that animals possess the power of
communicating with each other, and what I witnessed now only tended to
confirm me in my belief: for after the thing which I have been
attempting to describe had continued for some ten minutes it suddenly
came to an end; the remainder of the army had evidently halted, for
although the cries from above still created a tremendous volume of
sound, indicating that an innumerable multitude of animals survived up
there on the top of the cliff, the thunder of the trampling hoofs had
died down to almost nothing, while the animals, instead of being thrust
helplessly over the edge, advanced thereto in little groups, gazed down
into the ravine, and then retired again. When this had continued for
some few minutes the sound of hoofs again became audible; but now the
hoofs were retiring instead of advancing, and in the space of ten
minutes had become inaudible. The creatures had retired to seek a safer
road elsewhere.
Then, emerging into the open, and beckoning Piet, who also had quitted
cover, to join me, I walked over to the foot of the fatal cliff to
examine more closely the ghastly pile of carcasses that lay there, and
by the time that I arrived the air was already darkening with the vast
flock of vultures which was gathering to the feast thus bountifully
provided for them.
The lion that I had seen come hurtling over the precipice in company
with the herd of blesbok happened to be lying in such a position that I
could get at him without very much difficulty, and I determined to have
his hide if upon examination it should prove worth taking. Accordingly,
upon the arrival of Piet, we both clambered up on the mound of dead and
dying animals until we reached the spot where the lion lay doubled up in
a heap and partially buried beneath the carcasses of the animals that
had fallen on top of him. He was quite dead, his spine, and almost
every other bone in his body apparently, being broken; but his skin was
uninjured, so far as we could see. Piet and I therefore each seized one
of his great fore paws, and, with a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull
all together, contrived to drag him clear and roll him down to the
bottom of the heap, to which we quickly followed him. He proved to be a
magnificent beast, quite young but full-grown, in perfect condition,
with a most formidable set of claws and fangs, a smooth, glossy hide of
a rich deep tawny hue, and a splendid mane, of so deep a tint as to be
almost black; altogether he was a specimen well worth having, and we
quickly stripped him of his hide, taking also the head, which we
deposited in close proximity to an ants' nest in the full assurance that
the industrious little creatures would clear the skull of every particle
of flesh in the course of a few hours. Then, leaving Piet to clean the
skin and prepare it for packing, I sprang into the saddle and, taking my
rifle, cantered off down the ravine to explore the remaining portion of
it and ascertain whether, as I conjectured, there was a means of egress
at the far end.
I found that, as I had anticipated, the ravine, or gorge, passed right
through the range of hills, and gave access to the open country beyond;
that the route was quite practicable for a wagon throughout its entire
length; and that by making use of it I should save a distance of about
forty miles, or the equivalent of two days' trek: and having satisfied
myself upon these points, I turned my horse's head and proceeded to ride
leisurely back to the wagon, intending to pick up Piet and the lion's
skin on the way.
I had returned about three miles along the ravine, allowing Prince to
proceed at his own pace, with the bridle hanging loose upon his neck,
when I was aroused from a reverie into which I had fallen by a low
whinny from my horse as he suddenly flung up his head, twitched his ears
forward, and directed his glances toward a point some distance ahead and
to the left. I knew at once that he had either sighted or scented
something, or both; and, glancing in the direction indicated, I became
aware that we were approaching an enormous flat boulder, which had
attracted my attention some two hours earlier on my outward journey
because of its immense size and the impossibility of accounting
satisfactorily for its presence just where it was.
But now the boulder was remarkable for quite another reason; for whereas
when I first passed it its flat top was perfectly bare, I perceived that
in the interim it had become a scene of feverish activity, a troop of
quite a hundred monkeys seeming to have taken possession of it. There
was of course nothing very extraordinary in that; the strangeness of the
matter consisted in the fact that they were all hard at work, apparently
in concert with another troop of their brethren down below who seemed to
be rushing to and fro between the rock and an adjacent clump of thorn
bush. A touch on the bridle brought Prince to a halt, and I then
produced my telescope and brought it to bear upon the busy party, when I
perceived, to my amazement, that the gang of monkeys who were rushing to
and fro between the clump of bush and the boulder were engaged in
collecting and dragging to the rock a great number of branches of
thorns, which they were passing up to their comrades upon the surface of
the rock; and that these, in their turn, as it seemed to me, were
constructing a scherm, or hedge of thorns, working in such feverish
haste that their lives might have been depending upon its speedy
completion.
The behaviour of that active gang of simians was so extraordinary that I
determined to wait and see the thing out. I therefore remained where I
was, at such a distance that my presence would not be likely to disturb
or alarm them, and kept my telescope focused upon them, with the result
that I soon began to realise, from their behaviour, that, rapid as were
all their movements, the monkeys were nevertheless taking considerable
pains to preserve silence. I noticed that none of them attempted to
drag the thorns after them through the grass; every branch was carried
at arm's length overhead; and when it was passed up to those on the top
of the rock it was not permitted to scrape or grate against the surface
of the rock, but was carefully held away from it, although it was
evident that some of the monkeys got more or less severely pricked
during the process. I also observed that those monkeys who were
actually engaged in the construction of the scherm laid the bunches of
thorns in place with elaborate care and, as it appeared to me, with
quite amazing skill and cunning.
Some ten or twelve minutes after I had come to a halt the scherm was
finished, and then came an end to the silence which the monkeys had been
at such pains to observe during the progress of the work; for, with its
completion, the creatures set up a sudden chattering and howling and
shrieking which distinctly reached me even at the distance of a good
half-mile. And with the outbreak of the clamour, all hands beat a
precipitate retreat from the surface of the rock, and arranged
themselves in a circle round it down below, at a sufficient distance
away to enable them to see anything that might happen on the top of the
boulder. But what, I asked myself, could happen up there; why had those
monkeys taken the trouble to construct that fine scherm; and why, in the
name of fortune, were they exerting themselves to create such a terrific
row? The answer was not long in coming; for, as I sat there intently
scanning the scene through my telescope, I saw the head and about six
feet of the body of an enormous python upreared from inside the scherm,
its appearance being greeted by a yell of delight from the monkeys that
caused Prince to snort and stamp with excitement. I saw the huge
reptile up-rear itself still further and attempt to get out of the
scherm; but it could not do so without crawling over the hedge of
thorns, and the moment that its body touched these it recoiled, its
immense jaws gaped open, its tongue flickered in and out, and I could in
imagination hear its angry hisses as plainly as I could hear the howls
of derision and defiance with which the monkeys greeted its appearance.
And then I understood, or believed I understood, the whole thing. The
python, doubtless, had its lair somewhere in the immediate vicinity of
the boulder, the flat top of which was probably its favourite basking
place; the troop of monkeys, perhaps gambolling about on the face of the
adjacent cliff, had chanced to see the huge snake lying asleep upon the
rock, and, instantly seizing the opportunity to take their enemy at a
disadvantage, had, with diabolical ingenuity, hastened to enclose the
creature in a circular fence of thorns, from which it now seemed that it
would find it impossible to escape--for I saw it make several attempts,
at various points around the circumference of the scherm, and upon each
occasion, when it essayed to crawl over the thorns, it shrank back,
baffled by the innumerable sharp points which everywhere met it. At
length, after I had watched its unavailing efforts for about a quarter
of an hour, I cantered up to the rock--putting the monkeys to flight
amid a chorus of angry protests--and, after a careful survey, proceeded
to climb to the top, taking the precaution to carry my rifle with me. I
now found that the scherm, constructed of small branches of formidable
thorns--each thorn being nearly three inches long, and sharp-pointed as
a needle--was about waist high, a yard in thickness, and some ten yards
in diameter, completely hemming in the great python, who was now
wideawake and rapidly circling the interior of his prison, in an
atrociously bad temper, vainly seeking some spot through which he might
force his way and escape. But the monkeys had evidently known quite
well what they were about; instinct or observation had taught them that,
once completely surrounded by a ring of thorns, the creature could not
possibly escape, because its every effort would result in the
self-infliction of so many severe wounds that it would rather remain a
prisoner than persevere. And that was precisely what was happening; the
moment that, in attempting to crawl over the barrier, the python's
ponderous weight was thrown upon the encircling fence, the long, sharp
thorns pierced it in twenty or thirty places, and already, as it circled
inside the enclosure, it was leaving a broad trail of blood behind it
and emitting a powerful, sickening, musky odour which I only endured
with difficulty. The creature glared at me murderously every time it
came opposite me in its frantic circling of the scherm, and once made a
determined effort to reach me, but the thorns were too much for it; and
finally, when I was at length convinced that it could not possibly
escape, I levelled my rifle and sent a bullet crashing through its
enormous head, instantly thereafter beating a hasty retreat from the top
of the rock, in order to avoid the terrific threshing of its
convolutions, which now, in its death agonies, sent the thorns flying in
all directions.