King Mombo
[Illustration: “_These ... inquired if we wanted to barter for ivory
with them_”]
King Mombo
By
Paul Du Chaillu
Author of “The World of the Great Forest,” “The Viking Age,” “The Land
of the Long Night,” “Ivar the Viking,” “The Land of the Midnight Sun,”
“Explorations in Equatorial Africa,” “Stories of the Gorilla Country,”
“Wild Life under the Equator,” “Lost in the Jungle,” “My Apingi
Kingdom,” “The Country of the Dwarfs,” etc., etc.
_Illustrated by Victor Perard_
London
John Murray
1902
Copyright, 1902, by Charles Scribner’s Sons,
for the United States of America.
Printed at The University Press, John Wilson and Son,
Cambridge, U.S.A.
_TO_
_SOLOMON SOLIS COHEN, M.D._
_Philadelphia_
_MY DEAR SOLIS,—Looking back through the vista of years, and remembering
your solicitude when I came to you broken in health, and the care,
professional and other, through which your affection and skill restored
me to health and permitted the resumption of my literary labors, my
heart overflows. I take great pleasure in dedicating this volume to you
as a partial evidence of the gratitude and brotherly affection of_
_Ever your firm friend_,
_PAUL DU CHAILLU_.
_New York, June 19, 1901._
Contents
CHAPTER I
PAGE
I leave New York for Africa—Narrow quarters on the schooner—Our
cargo—Out of sight of land—The sea and all that therein is—A
storm brewing 1
CHAPTER II
A storm at sea—A tempest-tossed little bird—Fine weather
again—Fight between a swordfish and a whale 10
CHAPTER III
The Sargasso Sea—The northeast trade-winds—Dolphins and
bonitas—New stars come into view 17
CHAPTER IV
The “Doldrums”—Fierce heat of the sun—Strong local currents—The
southwest trade-winds—Huge sharks all around us 22
CHAPTER V
Crossing the equator—The southeast trade-winds—The equatorial
current—The Gulf Stream—Struck by a tornado—Land in sight—Africa
at last—The great forest 28
CHAPTER VI
Wandering through the forest and learning the country—I reach King
Mombo’s village—Received by the king—His fear of
witchcraft—Visits my dwelling and receives presents from me 35
CHAPTER VII
Superstitions of King Mombo—Visits to the house of his idols and
his ancestors—A strange meal followed by a strange dance 41
CHAPTER VIII
Bad luck of Mombo’s village—Ascribed to witchcraft—Arrival of a
great medicine-man—His incantations—The accused sold as slaves 50
CHAPTER IX
King Mombo gives me the stick “Omemba”—I leave the village on a
hunting trip—Parting injunctions—A herd of hippopotami 55
CHAPTER X
Sounds of human voices—I encounter Regundo and his wife, slaves of
King Mombo—Other slaves—Hunters and warriors of Mombo 63
CHAPTER XI
Wonder of the natives at my Waterbury clock, magnet, matches, and
music-box—Character of Mombo’s plantation 72
CHAPTER XII
King Mombo’s plantation—Work of the slaves in clearing and
cultivating the forest—Strange village of the slaves—Houses of
the spirits—Regundo’s account of witchcraft and its
punishment—Ovengua 79
CHAPTER XIII
The native dogs—How they hunt their own game when they are not
fed—Their ways of attack—Their usefulness to their masters in
war-time—Oshoria’s story 87
CHAPTER XIV
A great hunting-feast—“Roondah”—Different viands of the
menu—Speeches at the banquet—Music and dancing—A weird forest
scene in the torchlight 95
CHAPTER XV
A talk with King Mombo’s slaves—Why slaves do not run away—Various
features of the traffic—The cannibals of the interior—My daily
occupations 104
CHAPTER XVI
The animals of the forest—Five kinds of apes—The ngina or
gorilla—His great strength and fierceness—How he attacks man and
other animals—Oshoria’s account of him 116
CHAPTER XVII
The other apes of the great forest—Oshoria tells about the nshiego
mbouvés—Capture of a baby “man of the woods”—His mother
killed—Correspondence of the different apes with the various
human races 124
CHAPTER XVIII
Angooka, the medicine-man—His strange appearance—Eavesdropping—I
overhear the conversation of the slaves—They talk among
themselves about the Oguizi 131
CHAPTER XIX
News brought that gorillas are near by in the forest—The dogs got
ready for the hunt—Their names—A grand hunting council—Regundo’s
wise advice—Cautions to be observed 134
CHAPTER XX
We start after the gorillas—Cautious walking through the
forest—The dogs find the ngina—Yells of the monster brought to
bay—He slaughters two of the dogs—Taunts of the hunters—Shot
through the heart at last 142
CHAPTER XXI
Singular sight in the forest—All kinds of animals fleeing in one
direction—A terrible ant—The bashikouay army—Attacked everywhere
at once—How I escaped the tormentors 153
CHAPTER XXII
A journey to the elephant country—Serious annoyance from flies,
wasps, and mosquitoes—In the midst of a drove of hippopotami 158
CHAPTER XXIII
Mudbanks covered with crocodiles—How they stalk their prey—An
unsuspecting boar suddenly swallowed up—Habits of the huge
creatures 164
CHAPTER XXIV
Difficulty of making our way—Fallen trees and dense thickets—Our
meat gives out—Looking for koola trees—A meal of their
nutritious nuts—Their importance to the traveller in the forest 171
CHAPTER XXV
Lost in the forest—A herd of elephants lures me on—Separated from
my hunters—Two nights on the ground and one in a tree—Found at
last—Joy of the men 178
CHAPTER XXVI
The elephant hunting-ground—The beautiful prairie skirting the
forest—The welcome sky and sun and stars after the forest
gloom—Hunting elephants by moonlight—Three large herds—Narrow
escape of Oshoria and myself—Death of the huge tusker 193
CHAPTER XXVII
The killing of a second elephant—How bull elephants fight—The
contest for the leadership of the herd—Oshoria’s graphic account
of a battle royal witnessed by him—Return to the plantation 206
CHAPTER XXVIII
Departure from the slaves’ plantations—Arrival at King Mombo’s—A
warm greeting from the old king—His sacred promise never to part
with his slaves—Farewell to him and his people 214
List of Illustrations
“These ... inquired if we wanted to barter for ivory
with them” _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
In the cabin of the schooner 2
“The captain shouted to me: ‘A swordfish is fighting a
whale’” 14
“When he saw these presents his face beamed with joy” 38
“The king and I sat down opposite each other” 48
“Then he handed me ‘Omemba’” 59
“The voices came nearer and I saw a large canoe” 60
“He had a very determined face” 68
“Then came a profound silence. I lighted another match” 76
“Just in time to see a huge male leopard spring upon one
of the dogs” 92
“The women were preparing food” 96
“The first musician played on a ‘handja’” 102
“A big fellow, tall and slender, rose. He was tattooed
all over” 110
“A little before dark she goes up a tree with the baby
to sleep” 120
“Sometimes he suddenly gets up and charges” 140
“The big monster ... seized ‘Bloodthirsty’ and threw him
dead on the ground” 150
“Their big, ugly mouths when opened, showed us their
tusks” 162
“We dragged the board with the crocodile upon it into
the water” 168
“I pointed out the footprints to them” 174
“With some hesitation I crept upon the transverse limb” 188
“I distinguished a huge bull which was leading them” 198
“The two enormous tusks went through his side” 212
“I stood up and held ‘Omemba’ in my right hand” 218
“My hunters ... fell at my feet and clasped them” 224
KING MOMBO
CHAPTER I
I LEAVE NEW YORK FOR AFRICA—NARROW QUARTERS ON THE SCHOONER—OUR
CARGO—OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND—THE SEA AND ALL THAT THEREIN IS—A STORM
BREWING.
One summer morning I found myself on board a small schooner lying at
anchor in the beautiful bay of New York. This little vessel, though so
small, was large enough to sail safely across the Atlantic to the west
coast of Africa, to which part of the world we were bound.
On account of the small size of the schooner, the accommodations on
board were not very comfortable. The tiny cabin had three narrow
bunks—one for the captain, another for the mate, the third for myself. A
little cupboard, containing the plates, glasses, forks, spoons, knives,
etc., secured against the rolling of the ship, was near one of the
bunks.
A small table upon which our meals were served stood in the centre, and
was the only piece of furniture we had, for box-like benches along the
bunks were our seats, and these were also used as places of storage for
different things that had to be handy. Besides these there was a
medicine chest.
The only place where one could stand upright was under the skylight. Our
toilet or the washing of our faces and hands took place on deck, and
when it was raining or stormy the tin wash-basin had to be used in the
cabin, though we tried to avoid this as much as possible, it made such a
mess.
The forecastle had accommodation for the crew of four sailors and the
cook—the latter being also the steward, and having therefore to set the
table, serve the meals, wash the dishes, towels, and napkins, and attend
to our bunks.
On the deck stood the galley or kitchen, close by, a large cask
containing fresh water, with a dipper. Some other casks were safely
stored in the hold. These contained water, to us more precious than
gold, for what would gold have availed us if we had had no water to
drink?
Our cargo was composed of many things, such as brass kettles, guns,
small kegs of powder, brass rods, looking-glasses, files, knives,
plates, and a great number of beads of all sizes and colors, bright
colored cotton umbrellas, coats of gaudy hues, each coat having sleeves
and backs of different tints, brilliant colored waistcoats and many
other objects. All these were to buy for me the right of way with the
African kings, or to give away to the natives, or pay for food or pay my
porters.
[Illustration: _In the cabin of the schooner_]
When the tide served for our departure the captain gave the order to
unfurl the sails and raise the anchor. Our ship then glided out into the
bay, passed through the Narrows and breasted the broad Atlantic. When we
began to lose sight of land, strange sensations crept over me. Before me
was the bright future, the great African forest with its tribes of wild
men, strange beasts, birds, and insects. Looming above these was the
wonderful unknown, so fascinating to me and to all men, especially to
lads. Behind me were those I had left, who were dear to me, and to them
I whispered a silent farewell, telling them that I would continue to
love them and that I would never forget them. That evening with
conflicting emotions, and a sad heart I fell asleep.
The following morning when I came on deck there was no land to be seen.
The sea with its apparently boundless horizon surrounded our little
ship. Long heaving swells rose one after another, and with great wonder
my eyes followed them until they faded away in the distance. It seemed
as if some great unseen giant were asleep at the bottom of the sea, and
that his breathing caused this up-heaving of the ocean into these long
swells.
Gulls were our only companions, and followed our little ship; they
seemed to fly without any effort whatever, their spread wings remaining
perfectly still for minutes at a time. As I watched them, I said
musingly: “Dear harmless gulls, where is your home?” And it seemed to me
that they answered: “We have no home; we wander far and wide over the
ocean, which gives us our food. We rest on the waves now and then, we
care not for wind and storms. We often follow ships,—watching for things
thrown overboard. But every year we go to the sea cliffs to lay our
eggs, and take care of our young. Then we are a great throng together.”
I thought of the many birds of the sea, and of the giant albatross,
closely allied to the gulls—the largest and strongest of all sea-birds,
measuring sometimes sixteen and seventeen feet between the tips of their
extended wings.
My mind was full of reflections as I was looking at the sea, and I said
to myself: “How apparently boundless is this great Atlantic Ocean, and
how wonderful! In the far north a gigantic barrier of ice prevents the
mariner with his ship from reaching the North Pole.” And I thought of
all the heroes who had made the attempt in vain. In the far south a
still more forbidding and more extended wall of ice prevents the mariner
also from reaching the South Pole. I thought of the white bears, the
sea-lions, the walrus. I thought of the Esquimaux, of his dogs, of his
kayak or skin canoe, and wondered how men could choose such regions to
live in; for life, there, is a battle all the time; dangers meet man on
every side. The elements and the country are against him; but in spite
of all that, the Esquimaux loves the dreary ice and barren rocks where
he was born.
How strange, I thought, that no inhabitant had been found in the
southern polar regions, and that no bears had ever been discovered
there; and how wonderful it was that at the poles, the sun was in sight
for six months, and remained unseen during the six other months of the
year, so that a day of light and a day of darkness made one year. When
the sun shone at the North Pole, it was dark at the South Pole, and
_vice versa_.
I could not help it, but the view of the great ocean that surrounded us
set me continually thinking that day. I wondered at the great depth of
the sea, and that the Pacific Ocean was even deeper than the
Atlantic—the former in some places having been found to be thirty
thousand feet deep, and in a number of places the lead having failed to
reach the bottom. The pressure of the water is so great that often the
wire holding the lead breaks before reaching such great depths; but if
our eyes could pierce through this immense mass of water, we should see
that the configuration of land at the bottom of the oceans is very much
like that of the earth above the sea. We should behold high mountains,
deep ravines, and precipices, and large plains or plateaux, and see that
in some places the bottom of the sea is changing constantly, owing to
drifting deposits. These have been revealed to us by soundings.
Strange to say, under that great mass of water, as upon the land, sudden
volcanic eruptions take place which cause islands to rise high above the
sea and to disappear again. Many islands to this day have remained as
witnesses of these volcanic eruptions, and become, in the course of
ages, covered with forests and other vegetation, and are now inhabited
by man.
There is about three times as much sea as there is land; and if it were
not for the sea bringing moisture, neither tree, beast, nor man could
live on the earth. Though the oceans bear different names, they all
communicate with each other.
Then I thought of the rain, and all the rivers pouring their waters into
the sea, and I wondered why the sea did not get higher, and, in the
course of time, overflow the land. It is because of the evaporation of
the water. Do we not see, every morning, the dewdrops glitter in the sun
and then disappear? They have evaporated, and gone back to help form the
clouds, as well as the sea.
Then I thought of the whales, and of their huge size; that on land the
elephant was the largest animal, and that in the sea the whale was the
largest creature; and that, though the whale was so much larger that in
the comparison the elephant was but a pigmy, yet the home of the whale
is correspondingly greater than that of the elephant.
There are several varieties of whales. The Arctic and Greenland whale is
from forty to fifty feet in length. Its enormous head is a third of the
whole creature. There is also a species of whale which attains a length
of eighty, and even eighty-five, feet.
How strange that several species of these huge creatures, on account of
the peculiar formation of their throats, can only feed on the most
minute crustaceans and pteropods. The fecundity of some of the species
of the latter is so wonderful that they cover large areas of the
northern and southern Atlantic and Pacific, and swarm in vast shoals,
covering the sea for miles, showing their presence by a ruddy hue
contrasting with the color of the water. What a feast the whales have
when they come where these small creatures are! Their big mouths allow
them to take in barrels of water filled with these minute organisms, and
they are provided with a peculiar and delicate sieve, by which the water
is drained off and the mass of pteropods taken into their stomachs.
I said to myself: “I am now sailing over the home of the whales, and I
am going to the home of the elephants.”
But the poor whales and elephants are so much hunted that they become
fewer in number every year; and I remembered how my grandmother used to
worry at the thought of the disappearance of the whale, for no oil for
lamps could then be procured, and what would people then do for light?
After thinking of the whales, I thought of the countless millions and
varieties of fish that swim in the sea. I thought of the codfish, of the
herring, and of the mackerel, and of their innumerable numbers, and of
the many millions that are caught every year by man. Their vast shoals
seem not to diminish in spite of all.
How intelligent are the codfish, and other fishes, in their migration.
The cod come by countless millions to the same place to spawn. They make
their appearance at the same time, year after year, often coming the
very same day as the year before, and rarely more than a week before or
after their usual time of arrival. After spawning they disappear,
leaving stragglers remaining behind. No one knows where they go.
Then I thought of the relentless warfare among fishes, the big fish
feeding on the smaller ones,—one single big fish eating hundreds of
little ones in one day, the very big ones thousands. The number eaten
every day is so great that no calculation can be made of those
destroyed. But if it were not for this great destruction among
themselves, the sea would become so thick with them, the water would
become poisoned and they would all die, and the stench would spread the
plague over the world and destroy man.
The second day we saw a sail in the offing, which relieved the
loneliness of the sea. Human beings were on board. Man loves the sight
of man. The ship passed close to ours and then the wake it left behind
disappeared forever.
Towards evening the breeze freshened, the sky became dark, and clouds
hung low and sped rapidly. During the night the whistling of the wind
and the tossing of the ship told me that a storm was raging. We had
entered in the meantime the wonderful Gulf Stream, with its warm water
flowing northward. The gale was from the southwest.