MOUNT KENIA
Now began the real march--a swift, ceaseless trek over veldt and through
the foot-hills, for Schoverling was in haste to reach Mount Kenia,
secure the cow and calf skins, and be gone on the real work of the
expedition, which lay farther on. Had he been able to foresee just what
that work would be, his eagerness would have been increased tenfold.
"Gholab," he said that afternoon, "we are going to push for Kenia as
hard as we can. Can we push the oxen day and night?"
"Easily, sahib. Halt for three hours at dawn, at noon, and at nightfall.
This will rest the beasts well, and the rest of the time we can march.
There will be a good moon for a week yet."
The Masai seemed to make little of a forced march, and so it was agreed
upon. The Indians and Masai did not mix, but Bakari and his men yielded
ready obedience to the semi-uniformed figure of Gholab Singh. That
afternoon the real work of the two boys began.
"Charlie, you and Jack come over here," called Schoverling, who was
sitting with von Hofe in one of the wagons, poring over a map. "We'll
have to have meat for these Masai by sundown. I must go over our route
with the doctor, so it's up to you. Get busy."
"Aye, aye, General!" and the boys saluted in high delight. They called
their two gun-bearers, but Guru the Sikh refused to be left out of the
part, so all five cantered off ahead, followed by the eager Masai at a
little distance.
Their first taste was not very encouraging. One of the Masai had leaped
ahead to a ridge in the veldt, and motioned them that there was game on
the other side. Slipping from their horses, the boys stole up gun in
hand, to see a herd of at least fifty wildebeest and zebra grazing about
three hundred yards off. But before they could get up their guns, the
quick-eyed beasts were off like the wind and out of range in an instant.
"Pretty rotten," exclaimed Charlie disgustedly. "Say, they move like a
streak!"
"You bet. Well, there's lots more where they came from."
And there was. Half a mile farther on they came upon a dozen
kongoni--another form of antelope--feeding about some bushes. Happening
on a drift, or dry water-course, the boys and Guru crawled up this and
managed to get a shot. This time Charlie dropped a buck perfectly, but
Jack had to place a second bullet in his animal. The Masai took charge
of the bodies, tying the hoofs together, placing a long spear between,
and two men trotting off with each toward the wagons.
Guru declared that this was not half enough meat for them all, so
accompanied by the rest of the Masai, they rode on, just within sight of
the caravan. Suddenly an eland dashed out from a clump of bushes barely
a hundred yards off, not having heard their approach. Jack fired,
missed, fired again, and the eland gave one high spring and rolled heels
over head. But as he did so Bakari let out a yell, and they drew rein
suddenly at sight of a lion leaping toward them through the long grass,
plainly bent on mischief.
"We've roused him up, all right," exclaimed Charlie hastily, as he drew
bead. "I'll give him a chance to turn off."
But the lion, as they discovered later, had been disturbed at his
feeding, and came straight for them. The Masai showed no signs of
flinching, and the horses trembled but stood still. Anxiously Charlie
waited until the great beast had come within two hundred yards, flying
over the grass-hummocks in great bounds, then he drew trigger.
The lion went down, but was up again instantly with a roar of pain.
Charlie gave him another bullet, but with no better result. At a hundred
yards the Masai spread out, spears and arrows ready, but with his third
bullet Charlie dropped the huge beast for the last time, the ball
piercing the eye to the brain.
"Good shot, old man," cried Jack, as the other wiped the sweat from his
face. That had been an anxious moment.
"Had to hit him in the eye," returned Charlie. "Didn't see where else to
shoot, after I missed his shoulder."
But he had not missed the shoulder. His first shot had been a mortal
one, and his second had struck nearly in the same place; the tremendous
vitality and energy of the lion had served to carry him forward until
the third bullet pierced his brain. This gave Guru a chance to point out
the advisability of shooting for the shoulder, in which case the lion
would be crippled and could not charge.
The lion was packed off to be inspected, then photographed, and on the
way back Jack knocked over a small Grant's gazelle, which would make the
food supply a sufficient one. Charlie received many compliments on his
first lion from von Hofe and Schoverling, and regretted that keeping the
skin was impossible under the circumstances.
At six that evening they outspanned the oxen, fed and watered them at a
waterhole, and rested for three hours, during which all the party slept
save Schoverling, who remained on guard. At nine the march was taken up
again, and they went on steadily until four in the morning. The night
was cold. Overhead on the horizon blazed the Southern Cross, while the
moon afforded a good light.
At seven in the morning the oxen were inspanned and they went forward
until noon. On this occasion the General accompanied the boys, and they
brought in enough game for the rest of the day and night. During their
noon halt they met a freighter's wagon-safari trekking west to some of
the outlying ranches, but the men were all Boers or natives, and no stop
was made.
So during four days and nights they pushed on relentlessly. During the
last two days they ran into a driving, cold rain, but finally this was
gone and the boys found themselves on the verge of the heavily forested
country about Mount Kenia.
At the last stopping place, a shallow drift, or river, in a valley under
the western slopes of the great hills, it was decided to make camp here
beside the drift, as a sort of headquarters. They had met scattered
parties of Kikuyu men, and had passed one or two of the native villages,
so after a day's rest a number of the Masai were sent out to bring in
some of the natives.
"They can tell us any news of the elephants," declared Schoverling, "and
can guide us to the herds. It's ticklish business going without some of
them along."
"Why so?" inquired Charlie, "Are they such good hunters?"
"Never mind," laughed the explorer. "You wait and you'll see something."
With this the boys were forced to be content. The lower slopes of the
mountains were heavily forested, while the valleys were nothing but
jungle. Great trees reached far up above, and between them giant bamboos
formed an almost impenetrable mass.
Bakari returned with a dozen Kikuyu hunters, who readily agreed to lead
the party to elephants. There was a herd of about fifty, they declared,
a day's journey to the east, and as it was morning now, the General
determined to start out at once.
"Now, Doctor, just what stuff do you want to take along?"
"My sketching kit," replied the German, all action on the instant. "My
small camera I have in my pocket. Beyond this, nothing."
The two Somalis were appointed to take care of the doctor's needs. Half
a dozen of the Masai volunteered to serve as porters, for the tents and
some supplies had to be carried. It was arranged that the camp should be
supplied with fowls, pigs and vegetables from the nearest village, but
at the last moment it developed that they would have to do without
pigs, the Gurkhas being Mohammedans and refusing to allow pigs in the
camp for fear of defilement.
The horses would of course have to be left behind. For an hour the camp
was in a buzz of excited preparation. The elephant guns and cordite
ammunition were broken out, the blankets, slickers and other necessaries
were loaded up on the porters, and the three hunters donned their
moccasins for the first time.
"Feels mighty good to get back into moosehide," laughed Charlie, as he
laced up the water-tight flaps. "What are the Masai chattering about,
Jack?"
"Making a corral--zareba, they call it--out of thorns," answered the
other, looking out through the end of the wagon. "For the oxen, I
suppose. I heard the General giving them orders about it. Gholab's
bossing things lively."
Charlie finished first, and had barely emerged from the wagon-tilt when
he saw that something was wrong. The horses were pulling wildly at their
pickets, and a number of the porters had dropped their loads. Von Hofe
and Schoverling were in the other wagon, making final preparations. But
they were not fated to leave the camp for that day at least.
"Hey, Jack! General!" shouted Charlie. "Tumble out lively--something's
busted!"
At this moment Guru and Amir Ali ran up excitedly, uncasing the heavy
guns and loading them as they ran. Amir reached Charlie first, and
thrust the weapon into his hand.
"Rhino, sahib! Rhino coming through the bushes from the river!"
Jack and the explorer leaped to the ground from the wagons as Akram ran
up with the third gun. The Masai had clustered at the edge of the camp,
but as the explorer took in the situation the warriors broke and fled
before a huge dun shape that crashed bushes and trees down before it in
blind rage. Charlie gasped at the size of the beast, for he had not yet
seen a rhino.
"Female," stated the General quietly. "Going to tear things up, too.
Ready, boys?"
By this time the ground was littered with cast-off loads, while the
natives fled in all directions. Fortunately, the zareba and oxen were at
the other end of the camp, and the courageous Gholab ran down to the
horses and loosed them as the rhinoceros charged.
This made the three hunters unable to fire for an instant. Gholab ducked
behind a huge tree, and the infuriated brute crashed full into it,
knocking off a great flake of the bark and wood. Stunned for an instant,
it stood glaring around, and in that instant Schoverling fired.
His bullet took the rhino behind the shoulder, but the beast, rage
darting from its deep-set eyes, whirled in the direction of the wagons.
It was barely fifty yards from them, and as the explorer fired his
second barrel, Charlie pulled trigger also. The tremendous charges
halted and shook the big animal, but for an instant only. Then, rocking
and stumbling, it came on full tilt for the wagons, the wicked-looking
head held low.
One of the Kikuyu porters had started to slip across the open space, and
was caught before he could escape. As the terrified man turned, the head
of the rhino caught him and tossed him a dozen feet into the air. But
that gave Jack and Charlie their chance. As the head went up, they fired
together.
Jack's bullet broke the rhino's off-shoulder; that of Charlie tore into
her throat. Jack fired again, and at this instant Guru handed back
Schoverling's rifle, reloaded; but another bullet was unnecessary. The
huge beast stood for a moment quite still, then swayed and plunged down,
dead.
"Good!" came the calm voice of von Hofe from behind them. "Now led us
see how the man hurd iss."
Only his accent betrayed his excitement as he led the way to the injured
porter. The man had been gored in the side by the horn, but had saved
himself from mortal injury. The doctor dressed his wound and saw him
borne off to the village; meanwhile, the others had gathered about the
dead rhino, the natives with wild shouts and chants, the two boys in
silent wonder.
"You chaps'll have to give me lessons in shooting," laughed the General.
"See here--my first bullet missed her shoulder, and my second likewise.
She couldn't have gone far, though; but she could have finished us right
enough. That was good shooting, boys."
"Wouldn't have been," admitted Charlie, "if she hadn't lifted her head.
Jumping Sandhills! How that fellow did go up!"
"Lucky he wasn't killed," added Jack. "I got her with both bullets,
right in the shoulder. Chuck's bullet must have gone clear through to
her tail."
It proved that the bullet fired by Charlie through her throat had
penetrated to the spine, thus paralyzing her. But as the honors were
equal, it did not matter greatly. The Masai took possession of the hide,
while the Kikuyu bore off the flesh to their village.
"I guess that ends our trip for to-day," said Schoverling ruefully, as
Gholab was directing the re-ordering of the camp. "Everything is badly
mussed up; even the men are demoralized. Well, no matter. We can leave
the camp in better shape, perhaps."
So, content with their conquest of that day, they gave all their
attention to putting the camp in better order. Jack learned how the
thorn zareba was built, and Charlie visited the Kikuyu village with his
camera. The elephant trip was to take place the next day, and guides
came over that night, with a fresh party of natives.