A FISHING EXCURSION.--ENCOUNTERING A HIPPOPOTAMUS.--THE COUNTRY OF THE
NYAM-NYAMS.
The party was awake at an early hour, and there was no rest for anybody
after daylight. The camp had been made close to a small lake that was
said to abound in fish. One of the soldiers was an expert fisherman, and
our friends were surprised to learn that they were to have fresh fish
for breakfast. Frank asked Abdul how it happened, and the dragoman
proceeded to enlighten him.
[Illustration: ONE OF THE COOKS.]
"You see," said Abdul, "that the lake where these fish were caught is
the head of a small stream that runs into the Nile, and when it is full
of water the fish run up from the river. They stay here and grow. Some
of them are large enough when they leave the Nile, but, whether large or
not, they are sure to grow bigger by staying in the lake."
Fred wished to know what kind of fish they were.
"There are several kinds," was the reply, "but the most important are
the boulti and the baggera. They are a species of perch, and very fine
eating. The boulti rarely weighs more than five pounds, but the baggera
grows to an enormous size, and often exceeds a hundred pounds in weight.
The largest I ever saw tipped the scale at a hundred and fifty-two
pounds, but I have heard of their reaching two hundred and more.
[Illustration: THE SECOND DAY'S MARCH.]
"They may properly be called fishes of the Upper Nile and its
tributaries. They are found in the Lower Nile, where they are hardly fit
to eat. Travellers who have tasted them at Cairo and below the first
cataract pronounce them worthless, but they should come here to eat
them, where the flavor is delicious. The case is the same all the world
over, and a fish that is excellent in one part of a river is worthless
in another."
"I can give you a good illustration of that," said the Doctor. "In
Oregon the salmon ascend the Columbia River from the sea. The most of
the fish continue up the Columbia, and the rest turn into the
Willamette, a smaller river, on which Portland is situated. The salmon
of the Columbia are considered among the finest of their species in the
world, while those of the Willamette are of very poor quality. It is the
same on the Colorado River: the fish of the upper part are excellent,
while the same species lower down the stream are worthless.
"We have an abundance for this morning, and it is a pity we cannot keep
the surplus till we want it. They preserve the boulti here by splitting
it down the back, salting it a few hours, and then smoking it over a
wood fire. Thus prepared it will keep good a couple of days; but if it
is wanted for a long time it must be smoked and dried in the sun till it
is like a piece of board."
Frank was curious to know how the fish were taken, and so it was
arranged that he and Fred should accompany the fisherman on the first
opportunity. It happened that very evening, as there was a lake near the
second camp very much like the first.
On his return Frank told Doctor Bronson how the work was performed. "The
fisherman is a Nubian," said he, "and learned his business on the Lower
Nile, in his own country. He can swim like a duck, and is so black that
a piece of charcoal wouldn't make a mark on him. I thought he would
catch the fish with a hook, or perhaps a spear, but he didn't; he used a
net, and it was a pleasure to see him throw it.
"He laid his casting-net across his arm, and waded out till the water
was up to his waist: he does not seem afraid of the crocodiles, though
the lake is full of them. Abdul said the man had a charm that protected
him; he always wore it around his neck, and as long as it was in its
place he was safe.
[Illustration: FISHING VILLAGE IN AN AFRICAN LAKE.]
"When he reached a spot which he considered favorable he threw his net
so that it described an exact circle as it struck the water. The leaden
weights carried it straight to the bottom, and the fish within the
circle were surrounded.
"As soon as it fell the water was agitated, showing that a good cast had
been made. The man hauled away as fast as possible, so as to prevent the
fish from escaping by burrowing beneath the leads. The depth of water
was a little more than the height of the sides of the net, so that the
floats on the top were drawn under the surface.
"There was a lively splashing as the net came in toward the shore, and
it seemed as though the fish would break through and get away. They
didn't do it, though, as the net was strong, and the meshes were too
close to allow any but the very smallest to pass through. When the net
came fairly on the sand where we were standing it was a pretty sight.
There were thirty-six boulti, none of them less than a pound in weight,
while nearly a third weighed over four pounds apiece.
"The catch at that one throw made a good load for two men. Another throw
of the net secured a dozen fishes equal to the first, and a third throw
brought nothing at all. And as we thought we had done a good piece of
work we came back to camp, and did not attempt to secure any more finny
game.
"On our return Abdul said they had a way of fishing in a lake near
Gondokoro with some nets that were brought there by Baker Pacha. They
had a stop-net to keep the fish from running into the bulrushes at the
end of the lake. This stop-net was nearly five hundred feet long, and
fastened to stakes set at intervals of a few yards, and the ends were
brought around like the points of a bow.
"After the stop-net was set the lake was swept by a drag-net, hauled by
men in two boats, one at each end. As it approached the stop-net and the
ends met, the fish were imprisoned, and there was a tremendous dashing
in the water. The men sometimes became as excited as the fish, though
in a different way; but the most of the party had their wits about them
and did not lose their heads--and the fish. As many as four hundred
fishes were taken in this way at a single swoop, and some of them
weighed forty or fifty pounds. These big fellows were baggera, and
sometimes they were almost the only fish that were caught."
[Illustration: STAMPEDING THE CARAVAN.]
The same care was observed as on the first day's march to prevent the
straying of the cattle and the dispersal of the column. There was some
trouble with the animals early in the afternoon, on account of the
persistence of a portion of the herd in trying to turn back to
Gondokoro. One of the largest of the herd lost his temper and made a
furious charge at the column of porters. For a time the march was
suspended, as the porters dropped their burdens and fled, and it was not
an easy matter to persuade them to return to their work. The offending
beast was converted into beef, when the party halted for the evening,
and in this form his presence was much more agreeable than when he was
carrying himself around on the hoof.
[Illustration: HALTING-PLACE NEAR A POND.]
About noon they halted near a little pond, which looked as though it
would be a good place for a bath. Frank and Fred were desirous of trying
the water, but were dissuaded by Abdul, who told them it was full of
_sangsues_, or blood-suckers, which were not an agreeable adjunct of a
bath. Frank recalled his experience in Ceylon, where he was occupied for
half an hour after coming out in removing the leeches that clung to
him. "And besides," he remarked, "we haven't the blood to spare, even
though we don't mind the trouble of removing these African
postage-stamps."
The donkeys were not so tender of skin or feelings, and walked straight
to the water as soon as they were released from their work. Whether the
leeches tried their skill at blood-letting on these animals we are
unable to say, but if they did they probably abandoned the effort after
a few trials.
The third day brought the line of march in the neighborhood of the Nile,
owing to a bend which the river makes to the eastward. The old route to
Foueira avoided the river altogether, but the new one followed its banks
for a short distance, a circumstance by no means undesirable to the
travellers. The Nile had become to them like an old friend, and Fred
declared that he felt unhappy whenever he could not see it. No doubt he
would recover from the feeling, just as he could become accustomed to
the absence of a personal friend; but for the present he wished the Nile
ran all the way through Africa, and he could follow it till their
journey was at an end.
As they came near the river they saw several natives fishing from their
rafts of ambatch reeds, such as we have already described. Some were
lying quietly near the shore, while others were paddling about or
floating with the current. Several river-horses were visible, but they
were such a common sight in this part of the Nile that nobody gave them
the least attention.
Frank and Fred were standing on the bank, and happened to be looking at
a raft which carried two men. Evidently one of them was blind, as his
eyes were closed, and he carried no oar or paddle.
Close by them was a hippopotamus of more than ordinary size, and Fred
remarked that the raft seemed to be going directly for him.
"The man at the stern doesn't see the beast," said Frank, "or he
wouldn't be likely to run the risk of disturbing him."
"I think so too," replied his cousin, "for they haven't anything to make
a fight with, and if the 'hippo' attacks them they're in great danger."
[Illustration: HIPPOPOTAMUS ATTACKING A RAFT.]
Just as he spoke the bow of the raft touched the back of what Fred
called the "hippo," and evidently touched him with considerable force.
The animal turned, as Frank had predicted, and attacked the frail vessel
with his enormous jaws.
It was a brief combat, and an unequal one. The man at the bow was, as
they afterward learned, stone-blind, and therefore unaware of the
danger that threatened him. The beast seized him with the quickness of a
flash, overturning the raft and upsetting the other man into the water.
The victim of the attack was killed instantly. Other boats and rafts
went to the rescue of the man struggling in the water, and he was saved
from the crocodiles, with which the stream abounds.
The hippopotamus went away unmolested, as the natives had no weapons
that could make an impression on his thick hide. Doctor Bronson called
for his heaviest rifle, but before he secured it the monarch of the
river was safe below the waters.
Abdul said that when Baker was ascending the Nile with his expedition
they had considerable trouble with these animals; on several occasions
they attacked the small boats at the stern of the larger ones, and
seemed to regard them as personal enemies.
[Illustration: A NIGHT ATTACK BY A RIVER-HORSE.]
"One night," said Abdul, "we were all awakened by a tremendous
splashing close to the boat, and the cry arose that a hippo was about
attacking us. We ran on deck as fast as we could, and saw a hippo
dashing about furiously, and throwing the water in all directions. We
were lying close to a mud-bank, with the dahabeeah moored stem and
stern; consequently one side was exposed to the river, and the beast had
full tilt at it whenever he wanted.
"He upset one of the boats as though it didn't weigh an ounce, and then
he seized the other in his jaws and tried to crunch it. Mr. Baker was
roused with the rest, and sent his servant for a rifle. He brought the
rifle, but not the ammunition, and so the hippo had another chance at
the boats while the man was gone a second time. The night was clear and
the moon was up, so that the beast was distinctly visible.
"The ammunition came, and then Mr. Baker took a shot at our enemy, but
the fellow dashed about so much that it was a hard matter to get good
aim. The spot where you can put a bullet in is very small, and unless
you strike exactly on the place your shot is wasted.
"The first ball didn't seem to stop him, and three or four more only
made him more furious. He rocked the dahabeeah with his blows, and it
seemed at one time that he would make a hole in her side. After six or
eight shots he acted as though he didn't like the business. He went up
to the bank, lay down in the mud, and his body was covered with the mud
so that only his snout could be seen.
"We all thought he would die, and after waiting nearly half an hour we
went to bed.
"We had just got fairly to sleep when he came at us again, as though he
hadn't been hit at all. Mr. Baker gave him half a dozen bullets of the
largest size, and among them were two explosive ones, that should have
torn great holes in his flesh if they burst at the right moment. He went
away after striking against the boat and trying to smash it, and then he
came back once more, after a rest of a quarter of an hour.
"This time he got all he wanted and a trifle more. He was a determined
fighter, and evidently considered our presence an intrusion on his
domain. After the final shots at him he stretched himself on the bank,
and died there before daylight.
"In the morning we had a council of war over the hippo, and took note of
the shots it had required for settling him. Here is the result:
"Three shots in the flank and shoulder, and four in the head. One of the
head shots had broken his lower jaw, another passed through his nose
and, passing downward, cut off one of his tusks. Mr. Baker said his body
was covered with frightful scars of wounds received in his battles with
animals of his own species, and there were several wounds still
unhealed. One scar was about two feet long and two inches deep, and
showed that his antagonist must have given him a lively turn before the
fight was over. He was the worst of his kind I ever saw or heard of, and
all the party were glad he had been killed. Perhaps the other hippos in
the neighborhood were not at all sorry to part with him."
In the afternoon they came to an encampment of ivory merchants, or
rather to a village where several traders had a station for collecting
their goods preparatory to starting for Gondokoro. The natives had
brought in two or three dozen tusks of ivory, which were paid for in the
usual currency of the country--beads, cloth, trinkets, and other
"suc-suc," as goods for the African trade are called.
[Illustration: TYING UP IVORIES FOR THE MARCH.]
The boys were interested in looking at the piles of ivory lying on the
ground and the men engaged in tying them up for transportation. The
smaller tusks were tied in bundles of two or three, generally two,
placed with the large end of one against the small end of the other, and
then wrapped securely with strips of bark. The large tusks were wrapped
singly, as they would make a load for one man, and sometimes a tusk of
medium size was wrapped with a small one. To tie a bundle two men sat on
the ground, and while one held the tusks firmly in place the other
affixed the wrappings.
The village consisted of a dozen or more huts, like enormous hay-cocks.
They were made with a thick thatch of grass resting on a light but
strong frame, and the work was so arranged that the thatch could be
removed without difficulty, and leave the frame uncovered. This form of
construction is found very convenient when it becomes necessary to move
a village. The thatch is stripped off and thrown away, and the light
frame, mounted on the heads of four or five negroes, is borne away as
easily as though it were no more than a large basket.
[Illustration: REMOVING A VILLAGE.]
A day or two later our friends met one of these moving villages, and the
youths had the opportunity of seeing the Africans on their march. Four
men were carrying a house; one was dragging a bundle of withes used for
interlacing the framework of the dwelling; another, with a long stick,
was driving a couple of cows; another drove a sheep that was held by a
string to prevent its straying; while two women carrying baskets brought
up the rear. These people have few possessions, and therefore their
changes of residence are easily performed. Doctor Bronson said he was
reminded of the migrations of the roving Indians of the western part of
the United States, where a village may be transferred from one spot to
another at an hour's notice and leave scarcely a trace behind, except in
the places where the tents had been pitched, and the piles of ashes
where fires were kindled.
One evening, while they were discussing their route and estimating the
time it would take them to reach "Miani's Tree," Frank asked if they
would go near the country of the Nyam-Nyams, the curious people
described by the Italian explorer.
"I am sorry to say it is out of our route," replied the Doctor. "It lies
far to the west of where we are going, and therefore all that we learn
about it we must take from others, and not from our own observation."
"You said that the Dinka negro whom you saw at Cairo told you that the
Nyam-Nyams rarely exceeded the height of the two dwarfs brought away by
Miani," one of the boys remarked.
"Exactly so," was the reply; "but because the negro made that assertion
is no reason why we should accept it. However truthful the negro may be
in his civilized condition in America, he is not always absolutely
veracious in his native wilds. For 'conspicuous inexactness' it would
not be easy to find his superior.
"The same negro said it would take a year's travel from Khartoum to
reach the country of the Nyam-Nyams. He certainly exaggerated
considerably in that assertion, as a quarter of the time would be
sufficient for the journey, provided there were no more than the
ordinary delays. However, he may have included the hinderances which
sometimes come from the unwillingness of a tribe to let strangers move
on without a residence of a month or so among them. This is the custom
in several parts of Africa, and many explorers have been greatly
inconvenienced by it.
[Illustration: A NYAM-NYAM DOG.]
"Dr. Schweinfurth travelled among the Nyam-Nyams, and, while he does not
make them so small as Miani represents them, he says they are not as
large as the majority of the African race. He took the measurements of
many of their men, and the tallest stature he found was five feet ten
and a half inches. The upper part of the figure is long in proportion to
the legs, and this peculiarity gives a strange character to their
movements, though it does not impede their agility in their war-dances
and in athletic sports.
"He compares their complexion to the hue of a cake of chocolate. There
are some variations of the color, but the ground-tint is always an
earthy red in contrast to the bronze tinge of the Ethiopian races of
Nubia. They are accustomed to make tattoo-marks upon their faces, and
sometimes on other parts of their bodies, but do not practise this
disfigurement as much as the natives of some of the South Sea Islands."
Frank asked if they were as frugal in the matter of clothing as some of
the people they had seen in their journey up the Nile.
"They are not very lavish with their garments," was the reply, "but they
wear more of them than do the Shillooks or the Dinkas.
"Sometimes they wear a sort of tunic made of the bark of a tree, but
their usual apparel consists of the skins of animals. They are not sewn
together, but suspended from a girdle at the waist, and the finest and
most beautiful skins are selected in preference to those of a sombre
hue. The chiefs and other persons of high rank are allowed to cover
their heads with skins, but the more ordinary mortals must rely upon
straw hats or their natural thatch of woolly hair.
"They devote much time and trouble to the ornamentation of their hair,
and sometimes a man will spend an entire day in the arrangement of his
head-dress for a grand occasion, and sit up all night to save it from
derangement. The hair is braided and twisted in a variety of ways, and
Dr. Schweinfurth says it would be difficult to discover any kind of
plaits, tufts, or top-knots which has not already been tried by the men
of the Nyam-Nyams.
[Illustration: SINGULAR HEAD-DRESS OF A NYAM-NYAM.]
"He describes a coiffure which he pronounces the most remarkable he had
ever seen. The head of the owner was encircled by a series of rays, like
the glory in the picture of a saint; these rays were made of the man's
own hair, which had been drawn out in little tresses and stretched over
a hoop, which was ornamented around the edge with cowrie-shells. It was
held in place by four wires; these wires could be removed at night, in
order that the hoop might be folded back and allow the victim to lie
down to sleep. The inner ends of the wires were fixed to a conical
straw-hat, ornamented with a plume, and this hat was kept in its proper
position by means of numerous hair-pins.
"They are fond of decorating their hair with a string of the incisor
teeth of the dog; this is stretched along the forehead just at the edge
of the hair, in the shape of a fringe, and the effect is not at all
disagreeable even to the European eye. Then they hang on their breasts
ornaments cut out of ivory in imitation of a large circle of lions'
teeth, and you can readily understand that such a decoration makes a
noticeable contrast with their dark skins. They care little for glass
beads, and reject nearly all the varieties of those articles as
worthless."
Fred wished to know how large was the country of the Nyam-Nyams, and
what was their mode of life.
"The term Nyam-Nyam does not properly belong to them," said the Doctor,
"but is the name by which the Dinkas describe them. It means 'eaters,'
or 'great eaters,' and refers to the cannibalism which prevails among
them."
"If they are cannibals," Fred remarked, "I'm not at all sorry not to
form too intimate an acquaintance with them. It would be pleasant to
dine with the king, but I should object to his dining with me in the
fashion the cannibals have of receiving strangers."
"They are not the worst of cannibals," the Doctor continued, "and their
principal sustenance is obtained from vegetable products, and from the
chase. They are great hunters, and the men are supposed to be constantly
occupied with hunting or fighting, while the women till the fields and
perform all the labor of the house. They have generally a fertile soil,
and what they raise from it is obtained with very little exertion.
"The name by which they call themselves is 'Zandey,' and, in addition to
the Dinka appellation of Nyam-Nyams, they are variously called Manyanya,
Madyaka, Kakkarakka, Kunda, and Babungera by their neighbors. Their
country lies between the fourth and sixth degrees of north latitude, and
covers an area of about fifty thousand square miles, between Darfoor and
the valley of the Congo. The population is estimated at about two
millions; but, of course, this is only an estimate, as they have no
organized government, and never heard of taking the census.
"They are not familiar with fire-arms, their weapons being spears,
knives, and clubs; and in their fighting expeditions every man carries a
large shield--nearly large enough to cover him. Their only domestic
animals are dogs and chickens, and both of these animals are useful as
food. Dog's flesh is considered a great delicacy, and many of the
wealthiest of the natives have a regular system of fattening dogs for
their tables.
[Illustration: A NYAM-NYAM GRANARY.]
"They have granaries for storing their grain, and sometimes a single
family will have two or three of these warehouses. They are constructed
with a wide thatch for keeping off the heavy rains that fall
periodically, and are mounted on posts covered with cement, so that they
will not be eaten away by insects. The houses are grouped in little
villages, and generally placed with a view to being near land that is
easily cultivated; they are nearly always of a conical shape, like those
of the Shillooks, and provided with strong doors, to prevent attacks
from wild beasts. There are small huts, with bell-shaped roofs and
narrow doors, where the boys sleep at night. The door is at least three
feet above the ground, so as to insure the safety of the youngsters
against lions and other disagreeable visitors.
[Illustration: HUT FOR BOYS.]
"While among the Nyam-Nyams, Dr. Schweinfurth saw a good many hunters
and soldiers of the Akkas, a tribe of negroes occupying a region which
he was unable to visit. He succeeded in obtaining one of these curious
people, and brought him down the Nile, but, unfortunately, he died at
Berber, on his way to Cairo. The Akkas are probably the smallest people
of Central Africa, and are sometimes mentioned as a race of pygmies."
[Illustration: AN AKKA WARRIOR.]
"Perhaps they are the nation of dwarfs, instead of the Nyam-Nyams,"
Frank observed.
"They are certainly more entitled to the name than their neighbors," was
the reply. "The one which Dr. Schweinfurth brought to Berber was four
feet seven inches high. Six full-grown men that he measured were only
four feet ten inches, and from all he could learn a man of five feet or
more was uncommon."
[Illustration: DR. SCHWEINFURTH'S PYGMY.]
"But are there not other tribes of Africans of about the same
proportions?" one of the youths asked.
"Certainly," said Doctor Bronson, "and they seem to extend nearly across
the continent under the line of the equator, though not entirely so.
They are not dwarfs in the ordinary meaning of the word, but simply a
people of diminutive stature. They are generally of a lighter
complexion than the true Ethiopian, and with some of them the body is
more or less thickly covered with hair. Some travellers have described
them as only three or four feet high, but their statements are
unconfirmed. The Bushmen of South Africa are of the same reduced
proportions as the Akkas, and the measurements we have of them are
almost identical with those taken by Dr. Schweinfurth among the Akkas."
One of the boys asked Doctor Bronson what his opinion was concerning the
origin of these little people. The Doctor replied that he could do no
better than quote from the learned explorer from whom he had taken the
account of the Nyam-Nyams:
"Scarcely a doubt can exist but that all these people, like the Bushmen
of South Africa, may be considered as the scattered remains of an
aboriginal population now becoming extinct; and their isolated and
sporadic existence bears out the hypothesis. For centuries after
centuries Africa has been experiencing the effects of many
immigrations. For thousands of years one nation has been driving out
another; and, as the result of repeated subjugations and interminglings
of race with race, such manifold changes have been introduced into the
conditions of existence that the succession of new phases, like the
development in the world of plants, appears almost, as it were, to open
a glimpse into the infinite."
[Illustration: STANDING FOR HIS PORTRAIT.]