"Well, boys, at last we are having our desires and realising our wildest
dreams."
Ned was the speaker, and Fred and Clarence the recipients of his
sentiments. Six weeks had gone by since the night they first slept at
Salisbury, and now they were encamped in the heart of unknown Africa.
Cecil Rhodes, their benefactor, had taken up their idea of exploring,
and as he never did things by half or in a dilatory fashion, he had
fitted them with every requisite on a princely scale. As it was
dangerous, even with all his great influence, to keep them within the
limits of civilisation, he packed them off promptly and secretly to the
kraal of a native ally, and there they remained perdu until their
carriers and luggage were sent to them.
They were young and lacking in experience, but, as Rhodes said, so was
Joseph Thomson when he led his first expedition across Africa, and what
the son of a Scottish borderman could accomplish, so ought these plucky
and well-educated young Englishmen. They had all the rudiments of
science needful for their purpose, and experience would teach them the
rest.
He therefore drew out a careful chart for them to follow, gave them full
instructions how to treat with the natives, and, what was of most
service, sent with them a full complement of tried native hunters,
guides, interpreters, and carriers. They had not a boy that was not
faithful and trustworthy. Each of them knew the man who had sent them,
and could depend upon being well rewarded on their return.
Amongst their servants, to their great delight, were Cocoeni and six of
their fellow-prisoners. The rest had decided to return to their own
people, but these, having nowhere else to go, volunteered gladly to join
the expedition.
Cocoeni had some adventures to tell them of their perils by the way.
Fortunately, however, they had all got clear of the Transvaal without
disaster.
Their outfit was thoroughly complete to the smallest detail. A dozen of
properly salted horses accompanied them, while they had eighty carriers
to bear their luggage. A good waterproof tent was amongst the items,
with medicines, beads, and bales of showy cotton to pay their way along.
As for arms and ammunition, they had every weapon that was wanted for
the largest game, as well as for smaller kinds. They were also amply
provided with the best and latest improvements in rifles and revolvers,
and sufficient ammunition to last them for a couple of years.
Ned, of course, took the leadership, and his orders from headquarters
were most liberal. He was given a wide track of yet unexplored country
to traverse, with full licence to use his own discretion.
"Keep a diary," said Rhodes. "And jot down anything that interests you
specially. Watch carefully the lands you pass through, and their
condition and possibilities, and make the best maps you can of rivers,
mountains, and plains. Above all, look carefully after your own health
and that of your boys, and avoid as much as possible swampy and
malarious ground."
For all the rest they were to do as they liked. Hunt, enjoy themselves,
make friends as much as possible with the chiefs, and avoid anything
like aggression.
"Go, and stay away for at least six months, and when you return, bring a
good report of yourselves. And may the Lord watch over you."
These were the final words of their commander, who, with his lieutenant,
Dr Jim, had come to see them make the start.
It gave them great confidence to have this great man as their friend and
backer. They knew that he had smoothed many difficulties out of their
path, and also that he would not be idle in their behalf during their
absence. Kruger would not have it quite all his own way with Cecil
Rhodes at their back.
What a difference had those six months of freedom and responsibility
made upon them! They were master men now in all respects excepting
years. With this large following to look after and provide for, what
remained of their boyhood, which the prison had not shown, now had left
them for ever. Cecil Rhodes knew what he was about when he sent them
off on their own account to face the dangers and trials of exploration.
"If they come back, as I firmly believe they will, we shall have three
worthy successors to Selous. These boys have brains and good pluck, and
their prison experience will be all to their advantage. I am pleased
with them, and have every confidence in their fitness for the task."
So Cecil Rhodes said, as he waved his riding-whip to them for the last
time, and returned to his own heavy and multifold duties.
Filled with fortitude and high hopes, our heroes departed, leading their
company of followers into the tropical forest. They were on the outlook
for adventures, and from the first day they were not disappointed.
Every hour brought some fresh excitement, and opened new wonders to
their eyes. They were passing through a land perfectly crammed with
animal-life, so that there was no fear of going supperless to sleep, so
far at least.
Our heroes had been wonderfully particular in keeping their diaries for
the first week or two. A good deal oppressed with the importance of
their mission, and fresh to the work of note-taking, they cudgelled
their brains to find far-fetched and varied expressions, so as to give
their efforts literary style. Their models in style were those
ponderous and laboured essays which generally find favour with dictation
masters, where a word repeated is considered bad form. The result was
that their descriptions were of the grand, verbose, and vague order,
rather than the terse and realistic. Striving to produce effect and
variety of language, they at times forgot the main object, which was to
make themselves intelligible, and present the route vividly in few
words. Redundancy is the failing of juvenile literature. Brevity the
soul of experience as well as wit, and simplicity the gift only of poets
and matured masters.
They went along, more often thinking of what they should write, than
watching for material by the way. They pulled out their pocket-books
when any particularly erudite words or expressions occurred to them, and
jotted these down with supreme satisfaction, to drag them in somehow in
the day's log. At nights, while sitting at their camp fires, they
compared these high-falutin notes, and mutually congratulated each other
over these jaw-crackers. It was a sweet joy to read them over aloud,
and roll them round their tongues. They were most generous to each
other in imparting their critical advice, and sharing their choice
expressions, while, as they had all been educated in the same school,
the three logs, rolled into one, was written down by Ned, and after
great deliberation and corrections, was laid aside as the final copy.
This was composed and written, as they fondly imagined, for the
printers. They were mighty particular, therefore, over it, so that it
would read smoothly and roundly, and when done, they compared it with
other travellers' works that they had read, with happy conceit.
Herodotus and Mungo Parke, they admitted modestly, had done as well,
perhaps. Joseph Thomson also was pretty fair with his wise and moral
reflections; but as for those other slovenly writers like Stanley,
Selous, and such-like, they thought their amalgamated journal would keep
them at a respectful distance.
This juvenile mutual admiration and camp log rolling was a great solace
to them for the first week or so. The journal interfered a good deal
with sport and real business, of course. Thinking of it made them miss
many a fine chance and good shot, and several times ran them into real
danger; but it consoled them all the same, while the novelty lasted, for
those other unavoidable mischances.
Their carriers did not object, as it gave them many opportunities for
resting, which they would not have had otherwise.
But Cocoeni and the hunters protested often and vehemently against this
waste of time and opportunities. The hunters, who had started full of
faith in their young masters, lost a good deal of their enthusiasm and
respect, and might have turned heel altogether in disgust, if Cocoeni
had not flagged up their weakening interest. Cocoeni was, however,
their right-hand man and staunch supporter. He was an enthusiast in
deeds of daring and destruction, and equally ready to wash his spear in
wild beast or hostile man. If he grunted impatiently when he saw the
note-book produced instead of the gun, he always did his best to excuse
the weakness and explain the mistake away to his sable brethren.
"Bah! this is nothing," he would say, when he saw the carefully tracked
animal bound away unscathed, all on account of those note-books. "Don't
be afraid. This is only the beginning. By-and-by you will see our
masters wake up and do great deeds. By-and-by they will not write. We
have been together before, and I know them to be men."
A timely accident, for which Cocoeni was to blame, either with intent or
through carelessness, terminated this fit of cocoethes scribendi for the
rest of that expedition, at least, and woke them up to sterner duties.
Cocoeni, whom they trusted with their most valuable effects, was one day
carrying the small valise which contained their entire stock of
writing-material. They were crossing a mountain torrent, which rushed
tumultuously through a chasm and over a series of cataracts, when his
foot slipped, and in an instant the precious packet was swept out of his
grasp and whirled out of sight.
The caravan was instantly stopped and a wild search ordered, in which
Cocoeni willingly took the lead.
But, alas! all that was found of the contents of the valise were a
couple of closely written sheets. These Cocoeni brought back in a
smudged and soapy condition after many hours' absence. As for the
broken valise and its pulpy contents, he said he had seen a greedy
crocodile bolt these without compunction at one gulp, and straightway
disappear into a dark pool as if he had taken enough.
Our heroes spent a doleful night, looking at their crammed note-books
and those two hardly legible sheets of paper, all that remained of their
painful and laboured efforts.
They had plenty of pencils, but not one blank scrap of paper to use them
on. The wail of Ramma rang in their hearts, and for a time they were
disconsolate.
Then Ned plucked up his courage and cheered his chums.
"We'll just have to do a bit of memory practice after this, boys, and
put down all we have seen when we get back to civilisation."
"Let us keep these two sheets carefully as a specimen of what we are
capable of. I fancy they will rather impress our great chief when he
reads them."
Comforted with this reflection, they packed their note-books and the
manuscript carefully inside their medicine-chest, and devoted their
future days to adventures, and their evenings to criticism on the faulty
writings of other travellers. This cheered and elevated their minds
greatly, until the time came when note-books and style were completely
swallowed up by action as their valise had been by the saurian.
When Cecil Rhodes read those two rescued pages he laid back in his chair
and wept. When asked by Dr Jim the cause of his emotion, he replied
that it was out of pity for that poor crocodile. Even the most
loathsome of reptiles deserved commiseration for such a dire fate.
We quote a few extracts from the precious manuscript which affected this
most reticent of men so visibly. A little will be sufficient to prove
how thoroughly in earnest our heroes were.
"July 28.--The palaeolithic region over which we are passing possesses
fertile streaks of fluviatile deposits that are most encouraging to
future agriculturists. This superincumbent alluvium is most effusive on
the depressed basins or watersheds. Here also the tsetse fly is
indigenous and multitudinous. Three of our horses have succumbed to the
virulence of these pestiferous and dipterous insects.
"Memo.--The tsetse is similar in appearance and magnitude to the
ordinary house epidemic.
"July 29.--After traversing for the past lunar month over more or less
elevated plateaux, with intermissions of gorges and kloofs, we have
commenced our descent into a deep depression, or valley. Before us
extends an umbrageous and interminable wilderness. Precipitous cliffs
bar our progress to the right and left, which have been gradually
approaching each other until we are enclosed in a circumscribed upland
chasm. We must either retrace our steps or enter this lower level. We
have decided to proceed downwards. Hitherto we have been on friendly
terms with the inhabitants. They have welcomed our presence and
imparted to us all the information at their command. They have also
accepted our presents with the most affable liberality.
"The country over which we have passed has been generally adequately
populated, with distinct communities and agglomerations of huts of
considerable magnitude. It is well watered by rivers and tributaries,
and each village has its own fructiferous plantation, also fields of
maize, manioc, and other granuliferous produce. The Carnivora
fissipedia is well represented in these upland regions, likewise the
ungulated order. We have encountered several lions and leopards, and
demolished a pair of the first and one of the latter species."
[One of these first-named Carnivora fissipedia had nearly demolished Ned
while he was making his notes for this elaborate extract, only that
Cocoeni came to his rescue just in the nick of time. Ned, however, did
not think this narrow escape worth making a note about. It was merely a
personal item, he said, which could not possibly interest the great
public that he was striving so hard and conscientiously to instruct.]
"We have been dining on buffalo-steak and elephant heart tonight, having
bagged one of each species this afternoon in a reedy swamp through which
we passed. The pecora was a tough customer to deal with, as we failed
to kill him at the first volley, but eventually he was subdued. The
tusks of the proboscidean weighed over a hundred pounds. We have
inhumed this ivory until our return. Tomorrow we vertigate the forest."