Departure from Scheppmansdorf.—Cattle refractory at
starting.—Tincas.—Always travel by Night.—Rhinoceros Hunt.—The
Author in danger of a second Sun-stroke.—Reach Onanis.—A
Tribe of Hill-Damaras settled there.—Singular Manner in
which these People smoke.—Effects of the Weed.—The Euphorbia
Candelabrum.—Remarkable Properties of this vegetable
Poison.—Guinea-fowl: the best Manner of shooting them.—Meet
a troop of Giraffes.—Tjobis Fountain again.—Attacked by
Lions.—Providential Escape.—Arrival at Richterfeldt.
After only three weeks’ stay at Scheppmansdorf, and though our oxen were
but partially broken-in, Hans one day informed me that we might set out
in safety. Accordingly, the final arrangements were hastily completed,
and on the 13th of November I once more bade farewell to the place, and
its kind, obliging, and hospitable inhabitants.
At first starting, and while the sand was very deep and yielding, the
oxen caused us much trouble; but when we were on the hard and firm
Naarip, all went well, and we arrived at the Usab gorge, where we
encamped, without farther inconvenience than passing a cold and sleepless
night.
The next evening we resumed our journey, but, instead of following the
course of the Swakop—which, with our young oxen and heavy wagons, would
have been next to impossible—it was deemed advisable that we should
still continue on the Naarip, where, though water was scarce, the road
was hard and good. Tincas Mountain, which on our former journey was to
the right, was now, of course, to our left. After about fourteen hours’
fatiguing travel we reached the small River Tincas, where we unyoked, and
rested ourselves and the weary oxen until nightfall, when we were again
_en route_.
As we had now adopted the plan of traveling during the night, so as not
to distress the animals too much, we found it necessary to keep a sharp
look-out, both on account of the wild beasts, and for fear of losing our
way. The latter was particularly to be guarded against; for, in this
land of drought, any considerable deviation from the regular track is
not unfrequently followed by serious consequences. Hans and myself were
accustomed to keep watch by turns, for we never dared trust to the men;
but this night, owing to our previous fatigue, we both unfortunately fell
asleep.
When I awoke, I found that we were far out of our proper course, and all
the men were snoring in the wagons. However, as it was starlight, and the
landmarks very conspicuous, we had not much difficulty in recovering the
proper track.
Toward break of day we unyoked the tired oxen in the bed of a small dry
water-course, where we found abundance of excellent grass. The unattached
cattle did not join us till late in the afternoon, as the men in charge
of them had fallen asleep. Their negligence, however, was excused on
account of the good news they brought. It appeared that soon after it
was light they discovered a huge rhinoceros, accompanied by a nearly
full-grown calf, following in their wake, and that they had only lost
sight of the beasts when within a short distance of our bivouac.
So favorable an opportunity was too tempting to let slip. Having
hurriedly partaken of some breakfast, and provided ourselves with a
small supply of water, I, Hans, and an attendant started in pursuit of
the animals, and we had not left the camp for much more than an hour when
we fell in with their “spoor.” The beasts themselves, however, could
nowhere be seen; and as several tracks crossed each other more than
once (the animals having probably been feeding thereabouts), Hans and
I took different directions in search of the trail we were to follow.
We had hardly parted when I heard a tremendous crash among the bushes,
and about a hundred yards in advance I saw, to my great vexation, the
two rhinoceroses going away at full speed. Notwithstanding the distance
and the unfavorable position of the beasts, I fired at the mother; but,
though the ball apparently took effect, she in no wise slackened her pace.
Hans did not discharge his gun, because, as he said, the bushes prevented
him from having more than a very indistinct view of the beasts.
When I had reloaded we gave chase, and as that part of the plain we had
now reached was totally devoid of every kind of vegetation that could
obstruct the sight, we easily kept the animals in view. By degrees they
slackened their speed, and in about twenty minutes abruptly came to a
stand-still, curiously regarding me as, having (though unobserved to
myself) separated from Hans, I rapidly made up to them. When within
fifteen to twenty paces, I halted, took aim at the mother, and pulled the
trigger, but, to my great annoyance, my gun missed fire. While in the
very act of discharging my second barrel she wheeled about, and the ball,
instead of entering her heart, lodged in her hind quarters, and only
tended to quicken her pace.
In the heat of pursuit, I had taken no notice of Hans and our attendant;
but, now that my attention was no longer exclusively drawn to the
rhinoceros, I looked round to ascertain why they had not fired as well as
myself, when, to my utter astonishment, I saw both of them about half a
mile in the background, standing motionless, and watching my proceedings.
On their rejoining me, and in the first burst of indignation, I charged
them with cowardice; but Hans immediately drew himself up to his full
height, and indignantly but respectfully replied as follows:
“Sir! when you have had my experience, you will never call that man a
coward who does not attack a wounded black rhinoceros on an open and
naked plain. I would rather,” he continued, “face fifty lions than one
of these animals in such an exposed situation, for not one in a hundred
would take it as quietly as this has done. A wounded black rhinoceros
seldom waits to be attacked, but charges instantly; and there would not
have been the least chance of saving one’s life in an open place like
this. Had there been but the smallest bush or stone, I shouldn’t have
hesitated a moment, for the sight of the rhinoceros is bad, and if there
is the least cover it is easy to avoid him. Not many years ago, a great
Namaqua chief, who, contrary to the advice of his friends, had fired at
a rhinoceros under precisely similar circumstances to yourself, lost his
life by his rashness.”
I could not but be sensibly aware of the injustice of my accusation and
my own foolhardiness; yet I then felt but half convinced of the truth
of what Hans had told me, and should certainly have acted in the like
imprudent manner (as indeed I did on many subsequent occasions) had
another opportunity offered. But, after all, Hans was perfectly right,
as I am sure every one who has come much in contact with the beast in
question will readily admit. Indeed, after the severe lesson which, at an
after period, I received from a black rhinoceros, I am free to confess
that nothing in the world would ever again induce me willfully to expose
myself in the way just mentioned.
To proceed. After receiving my fire, both mother and calf galloped off as
fast as their legs would carry them; but gradually they slackened their
pace to a canter, then to a trot, and finally to a walk. By this time,
however, they were so far away that, but for the certain knowledge of
their identity, we might readily have taken them for stocks or stones.
The indistinctness of objects, moreover, even at a moderate distance, was
increased by the effects of a most perplexing mirage.
While discussing the propriety of following up the rhinoceroses, we saw
them make for an isolated tree, no doubt with the intention of sheltering
themselves from the scorching rays of the sun. This decided us on
continuing the chase; and, although suffering greatly from thirst (our
small supply of water having been long exhausted), the hope of ultimate
success gave us strength to proceed.
Approaching under cover of some stunted bushes, and when almost certain
of closing with the beasts, and putting an end to one or both, I was
startled by the report of guns close behind me, and on turning round I
found that Hans and our man had fired. I never felt more vexed in my
life, for we were still a good hundred yards from the animals, and it had
been previously agreed that—unless the beasts knew of our presence—we
were not to fire until within a very short distance of them. As, however,
the evil could not be remedied, I lost no time in firing; but the brutes
being fully one hundred and fifty paces from me, I had small hope of
inflicting serious injury. That I hit the mother, however, was very
certain, for, at the instant of discharging my gun, she bounded like a
cat into the air; and Hans, who looked upon this as a sure sign of her
being mortally wounded, exclaimed, “Aha, old girl, you are safe!” Annoyed
as I was, I could not help smiling, and ironically replied, “To be sure,
she is safe enough.” And so it proved, for we never saw her or her calf
again.
I felt disappointed at our failure and the chance of a feast, and was
moreover sorry for the poor rhinoceros; for, though she was lost to us,
I felt certain it was only to die a lingering death at a distance. From
experience, indeed, I should say that a similar fate awaits a large
portion of birds and animals that escape us after being badly wounded.
Under ordinary circumstances, I would certainly have continued the
pursuit; but this was now impossible. We could not reach our encampment
under many hours, and we suffered painfully from thirst; while, owing to
severe and continued exertions under a burning sun, I was attacked by
torturing headache. Long before we could reach the wagons, I experienced
precisely the same feelings as when I received a sun-stroke. Knowing that
a renewal of the same infliction would in all probability prove fatal,
I still toiled on; yet, at last, the faintness and exhaustion became so
overpowering, that, regardless of danger, I threw myself on a small flat
rock, so heated by the sun that I was unable to hold my hand on it for a
moment, and even the limbs protected by my dress were almost blistered. I
then urged Hans to proceed as quickly as possible, in order that, if he
found I did not immediately follow, he might send me some water.
Hans had not long been gone, however, when the rock became so intolerably
hot that, stupefied as I was, I found it necessary to rise from it; when,
with a faltering step, and in a state of almost total unconsciousness,
I made for the wagons, which I reached in safety just as Hans was about
to dispatch a man to me with an ample supply of water. My apprehensions,
however, had been vain. A few hours’ rest and quiet gradually restored me.
The oppressive heat under which I had suffered so severely had also
made the cattle very thirsty, and they refused to eat the dry and
sunburnt grass. As soon, therefore, as the air became a little cooler,
we pushed on to Onanis, where we arrived somewhat late in the evening.
Notwithstanding the darkness, and the risk of being attacked by lions,
which sometimes swarm here, we were obliged to supply our cattle with
water; and, as we had to dig for it in the bed of a small periodical
stream hard by, it was close on midnight before we could think of
refreshment or sleep.
Onanis is the permanent residence of a kraal of very poor
Hill-Damaras,[11] who subsist chiefly upon the few wild roots which their
sterile neighborhood produces. Most of them, however, manage to raise a
little tobacco, for which they have a perfect mania, and which, moreover,
they value nearly as much as the necessaries of life.
They also cultivate “dacka,” or hemp, not, as with us, for its fibre,
but for the sake of the young leaves and seeds, which they use as a
substitute for tobacco, and which is of the most intoxicating and
injurious character. It not unfrequently happens, indeed, that those who
indulge too freely in the use of this plant are affected by disease of
the brain.
The manner in which the Hill-Damaras smoke is widely different either
from Hindu, Mussulman, or Christian. Instead of simply inhaling the
smoke, and then immediately letting it escape, either by the mouth or
nostril, they _swallow it deliberately_. The process is too singular to
be passed over without notice.
[Illustration: HILL-DAMARA PIPE.]
A small quantity of water is put into a large horn—usually of a
koodoo—three or four feet long. A short clay pipe, filled either with
tobacco or “dacka,” is then introduced, and fixed vertically into the
side near the extremity of the narrow end, communicating with the
interior by means of a small aperture. This being done, the party present
place themselves in a circle, observing deep silence, and with open
mouths, and eyes glistening with delight, they anxiously abide their
turn. The chief man usually has the honor of enjoying the first pull at
the pipe. From the moment that the orifice of the horn is applied to his
lips, he seems to lose all consciousness of every thing around him, and
becomes entirely absorbed in the enjoyment. As little or no smoke escapes
from his mouth, the effect is soon sufficiently apparent. His features
become contorted, his eyes glassy and vacant, his mouth covered with
froth, his whole body convulsed, and in a few seconds he is prostrate
on the ground. A little water is then thrown over his body, proceeding
not unfrequently from the mouth of a friend; his hair is violently
pulled, or his head unceremoniously thumped with the hand. These somewhat
disagreeable applications usually have the effect of restoring him to
himself in a few minutes. Cases, however, have been known where people
have died on the spot from overcharging their stomachs with the poisonous
fumes.
The Ovaherero use tobacco in a similar manner as just described, with
this difference only, that they inhale the smoke simply through short
clay pipes without using water to cool it, which, of course makes it all
the more dangerous.
The first time we were present at a smoking bout we were disgusted and
frightened; but, from its being of every-day occurrence, we at length
became somewhat reconciled to it, as also to many other unpleasant sights
and customs.
Instead of the naked and barren Naarip, the country had now begun to
assume a more pleasing appearance; for, though every thing looked dry
and parched at this season, there was no want of vegetation. Besides a
variety of shrubs and stunted bushes, the periodical water-courses were
marked by the handsome black-stemmed mimosa, and other species of the
acacia family. The hill-sides, also, were in many places covered with
the graceful but poisonous _euphorbia candelabrum_.
The Ovaherero tip their arrows with this vegetable poison, and the
Hill-Damaras introduce it in a liquid state into pools where wild
beasts are known to drink; and the flesh of any animal thus destroyed
is perfectly wholesome. But its most remarkable property is, that while
it invariably kills the _white_ rhinoceros, it is freely and harmlessly
partaken of by the _black_ species, whether the plant itself be eaten, or
a solution of it drunk. The juice of the _euphorbia candelabrum_ has a
milk-white appearance, and is very gummy, with an acrid taste.
The wild bee is occasionally known to extract its food from the flowers
and the juice of this cactus. In such a case the honey becomes more or
less poisonous. Mr. Moffat mentions an instance of his party suffering
much pain and inconvenience from having partaken of such honey. They felt
as if their throats had been on fire.
In seasons when rain falls abundantly, Onanis becomes one of the finest
grazing localities throughout Namaqua-land, and is capable of sustaining
many hundred head of cattle for several months together. The hills then
afford a variety of shrubs and bushes of which goats and sheep are fond.
The surrounding plains are covered with fine grass, and a species of
yellow flower much relished by the cattle.
This district used to be one of Hans’ favorite camping places; for,
besides the abundant and excellent pasture-grounds, it was largely
resorted to by game of all kinds, and is still frequented by the lion,
the gemsbok, the giraffe, the zebra, the gnoo, the rhinoceros, and
several other animals.
We were to have resumed our journey on the following night, but in the
interval Hans’ right hand and arm had suddenly, and from some unknown
cause, swelled in a most alarming manner. In consequence of this mishap,
we found it necessary to devote another day to rest.
On the evening of our arrival at Onanis, we had started an immense number
of Guinea-fowls near the water, and, thinking it a favorable opportunity
to replenish our exhausted larder, I slung a double-barreled gun across
my shoulder, and immediately started off; but, though I soon found the
birds, they were so wild that for a long time I could not get within
range of them. At last, after having chased them about the rocks till I
was nearly tired, they scattered themselves among the stones, and lay so
close that, unless I almost trod upon them, they would not rise. With a
steady pointer, I believe the whole flock might easily have been killed,
and, as it was, I made a very large bag.
The flesh of the wild Guinea-fowl—that of the young, at least—is tender
and well-flavored, and their eggs are excellent. The speed of this
bird is almost incredible. On even ground a man is no match for it.
Where the country is well wooded, the best plan to shoot them is with a
“cocker,” or other dog that challenges freely to them when “treed;” for
while the birds are intently watching his movements, they may easily be
approached within gun-shot. With a small pea-rifle this sort of sport is
particularly amusing.
Early on the afternoon of the second day, Hans having now partially
recovered, we started from Onanis, and with the exception of a short
stoppage, for the purpose of preparing some coffee and to allow the
cattle to take a few mouthfuls of grass, we traveled throughout the whole
night.
Soon after daylight we discovered a numerous troop of giraffes. The
country, however, was open and unfavorable for stalking, and before we
could get within range they were off. The speed of these animals is by no
means inconsiderable, more especially on gently rising ground. In such a
locality, and from their being very long-winded, a tolerably swift horse
is seldom able to overtake them under less than two or three miles. It is
one of the most curious sights imaginable to see a troop of these animals
at full speed, balancing themselves to and fro in a manner not easily
described, and whisking, at regular intervals, from side to side, their
tails, tufted at the end, while their long and tapering necks, swaying
backward and forward, follow the motion of their bodies.
On account of the many short turns, the hilly nature of the ground in
places, and the unusual length of the wagons, we anticipated considerable
difficulty in the course of this stage. But we got safely through it
without accident of any kind, and arrived at Tjobis Fountain about nine
o’clock.
We left this place the evening of the same day, and, with the exception
of resting for an hour or two by the way, we pushed on throughout the
night.
At daybreak, and just as we reached the Swakop, we were suddenly startled
by the most tremendous roaring of lions, which evidently were close at
hand. In a few moments afterward, two of those magnificent beasts—male
and female—emerged from the bushes at about one hundred and fifty paces
ahead of us. On perceiving the cavalcade, they gave another terrific
roar, of so angry a nature as to cause the greatest consternation
among the cattle. Those attached to the foremost wagon wheeled round
instantaneously, and, before it was possible to prevent them, ran right
into the midst of the aftermost team, and I expected every moment to see
the vehicles capsized or smashed to atoms.
What with the bellowing of the oxen, the shouting and screaming of the
men, the smashing and breaking of yokes, &c., and the continued roar of
the lions, the scene was such as to baffle all description.
The lion himself, after having approached very near to us, again
retreated into the bushes; but the lioness seated herself quietly within
less than a hundred yards of the wagons, growling most furiously.
Throwing the reins over the saddle of “Spring,” who, by-the-by, had
nearly unseated me on the first appearance of the lions, I sprang to the
ground, and seizing a double-barreled gun, which I always kept loaded
for emergences, I made toward the beast, intending to punish her for her
audacity, when Hans imploringly begged me to desist. “For,” said he, “if
you do not shoot her dead on the spot, she will be down upon us in an
instant.”
Allowing myself to be guided by his advice, I refrained from firing,
but nevertheless took up my position within about fifty paces of, and
opposite to the lioness, as well to draw off her attention from the men,
and thus enable them to put the cattle and vehicles to rights, as to be
in readiness to give her a warm reception, should she think proper to
charge.
A short time before we were thus unceremoniously attacked, one of the
draft oxen, which had always been very wild, managed to escape from the
yoke, and a fleet-footed Damara was left behind to bring him on. In the
midst of our confusion, we heard cries of distress and loud shouting
behind us, and, on looking round, we saw, to our horror, the lion in
full chase as well of the refractory ox as the man, who was trying to
keep off his fierce pursuer by violently waving the fire-brand which he
carried in his hand.[12] Telling Hans to mind the lioness as well as
he could in my absence, I immediately ran to the rescue of the Damara
and his charge; but, before I had proceeded far, the ox, catching sight
of the remainder of the herd, made a successful dash right across the
lion’s path, and fortunately rejoined us in safety. The object of the
lion was clearly more the beast than the man; for, upon finding himself
thus suddenly baffled, he stopped short, and with a savage look at us,
and an angry growl, bounded out of sight as quick as thought, and by the
time I returned to the wagons, the lioness had thought fit to follow her
lord’s example. Thus, almost without any effort on our side, we were
providentially saved from this most extraordinary and dangerous attack.
At the first appearance of the lions the men took refuge in the wagons,
and long after the danger was over they trembled violently from fear and
apprehension.
As a general rule, a lion, unless previously molested, will seldom attack
an ox in the yoke or when attended by man, but long abstinence makes him
desperate.
After considerable trouble and difficulty, we succeeded in rearranging
the oxen, which had become excessively scared. Two or three hours’
further traveling brought us, without other mishap, safe to Richterfeldt,
where our hair-breadth escape was listened to with the deepest interest.
We had left Scheppmansdorf, as said, in the afternoon of the 13th of
November, and reached our present quarters early on the morning of the
22d of the same month. The whole of the distance by road could not have
been much less than one hundred and thirty miles. Having performed
this in five stages, and in about the same number of days, our rate of
traveling, at an average, had been twenty-five miles daily. Taking into
consideration the nature of the ground, the young and half-broken oxen,
&c., it may fairly be considered first-rate speed, and our efforts were
loudly praised by every one.