RIPON FALLS.--THE OUTLET OF THE VICTORIA N'YANZA.
As they approached the northern end of the lake they passed a high hill,
which was marked on the chart as "Jack's Mount." Referring to Stanley's
account of his voyage around the lake, they ascertained that the hill
received its name in honor of one of the four-footed companions of that
explorer.
[Illustration: JACK.]
When Stanley left England he took, as members or _attachés_ of his
expedition, five dogs, three of which died before he reached Ugunda.
"Jack" and his companion, "Bull," were the survivors when they arrived
near this mountain. A wild cow that had been given by one of the chiefs
behaved so badly that Jack deemed it his duty to correct her; but she
was not to be intimidated. In the struggle for control the unfortunate
dog was gored to death. Stanley says: "He died regretted by all who had
known his many good qualities. His companion, Bull, when he beheld his
poor mate stretched out still and dead, also expressed, as clearly as
canine nature would allow, his great sorrow at his lamentable fate.
Grave and deliberate, from years and long travel, he walked round the
body two or three times, examining it carefully, and then advanced to
me, with his honest eyes wide open, as if to ask, 'What has caused
this?' Receiving no answer, he went aside and sat down, with his back
toward me, solemn and sad, as though he were ruminating despondingly on
the evils which beset dog and man alike in this harsh and wicked world."
The little flotilla turned northward after passing Jack's Mount, and
entered a bay, from which the Victoria Nile flows out of the lake. This
bay is known on the map as Napoleon Channel, and is ten or twelve miles
wide at its entrance. A large island lies across the opening, and during
the wars between M'tesa and the people of Usoga it has been occupied
repeatedly by both the hostile armies; consequently, it is not a
desirable place of residence for peacefully-inclined natives, and at the
time our friends made their excursion to Ripon Falls it was quite
deserted. They landed on the island, and from some of the fields a
goodly supply of yams and other vegetables was obtained, without the
necessity of paying for them.
The bay narrowed as the party advanced to the north; and, after a few
miles had been made from the end of the island, the men ceased rowing,
and allowed the boats to drift with the current, which became stronger
every minute.
The boys were eager to catch the first glimpse of Ripon Falls, and Frank
asked if there was a column of spray to indicate their location, as
there is at Niagara and other great cataracts of America.
"You are not likely to see anything of the kind," replied the Doctor,
"as the river makes a descent of only a few feet. The cataract is so
small that the natives frequently pass it in their canoes, though not
without danger."
"The natives call the place 'The Stones' instead of 'Falls,'" said
Abdul, "for the reason, I suppose, that the river passes over the
stones, or rocks, which stretch across it. The descent is about twelve
feet in the ordinary state of the river, and diminishes to not more than
nine feet in the season when the rains are not falling."
The river narrowed to a width varying from four to six hundred yards.
The banks were hilly, and covered with dense forests in some places, but
presenting open spaces like clearings at frequent intervals. There were
villages on both banks, though none of any great extent. The natives
came out to gaze on the flotilla, but offered no opposition, or gave any
indication of more than ordinary interest in the intrusion. Back of the
villages were banana-fields and groves of cocoa-trees, and moored in
front of each village were several boats, together with nets and other
equipments for fishing.
Where a rocky point jutted into the river the boats came to land. A
scramble over the neck of this peninsula and through tangled vines and
low bushes brought the travellers to the bank of the river again, and
close to Ripon Falls.
Running rather than walking down the narrow path, Frank and Fred reached
the river side by side so exactly that neither could claim precedence.
Here they were at last at what may be called the head of the Nile,
until the tributaries of the Victoria N'yanza are traced to their
sources.
[Illustration: RIPON FALLS: THE NILE FLOWING OUT OF THE VICTORIA
N'YANZA.]
They sat down on the sloping bank, close to a little hut belonging to
some of the native fishermen, and studied the picture which was unfolded
to their eyes.
The river at the falls was not more than five or six hundred feet in
width, and the passage of the water was barred by several islands, which
recalled to the youths the broken sheet of water at Niagara.
"We will call the big one in the centre Goat Island," said Frank, "and
try to think we are looking at Niagara again."
"That's all right," replied his cousin; "but what shall we do with the
other two islands? They must have names of their own, or they'll feel
slighted."
Frank thought a moment, and then suggested the names of Mary and Effie.
Fred assented, and thus the islands at Ripon Falls received their
appellations in honor of two young ladies who were far away. But it is
doubtful if future geographers will recognize them, and thus far the
names have not appeared on any chart of the lakes of Central Africa.
While the conversation was going on the youths were busy with their
sketch-books, and soon had creditable pictures of the falls; then they
watched the fish leaping the cataract, and the natives securing them
with spears.
[Illustration: A GROUP OF HIPPOPOTAMI.]
Every little while the head of a hippopotamus was seen rising in the
water below the falls, and Frank thought it would be a nice thing to get
out the rifles and have a hunt for this noble game. With the Doctor's
consent, he took a shot at one of the huge fellows, but with no better
luck than to see his bullet strike the water about six inches from the
mark. As far as the hippo was concerned it was a timely warning, which
he heeded by disappearing immediately.
Abdul said the place was a good one for crocodiles, and that the natives
were very cautious about venturing into the water. Once in a while it
happened that a fishing-boat was overturned; and if it was well out in
the river at the time of the accident, the unfortunate natives were
seized by these terrible scourges of the Nile before they could reach
the shore.
"We are about forty miles a little north of east from M'tesa's palace,"
said Abdul; "and if there was a good road we could easily get back in a
couple of days. But the country is marshy, with a very thick growth of
bushes, so that travelling is slow and disagreeable. There used to be a
good supply of game through this region, but it has been killed off to
quite an extent since the king came into possession of rifles and
shot-guns in place of the old weapons of Africa.
"Elephants were formerly very troublesome here, and the natives were
unable to protect their banana plantations from their ravages. A herd of
wild elephants may wander all around a plantation, and if they have
never tasted bananas a very slight fence will keep them off; but when
the taste for this food has been created they seem unwilling to live on
anything else, and will run great risks to obtain it."
"There is one animal of Africa we have not yet made much acquaintance
with," said one of the youths.
"What is that?" the other asked.
"The rhinoceros," was the reply.
"We are not in the region where he most abounds," said Abdul, "though he
is not by any means unknown here. His proper country is South Africa,
and he formerly flourished nearly down to the Cape of Good Hope. The
settlement of the country drove him to the interior along with the
elephant, the lion, and other noble game; and now the rhinoceros must be
sought in the interior wilds, and is not always found when sought."
"This is a good place to have a talk about him," said the Doctor, as
they sat on the bank near the falls and watched the water pouring
through its contracted channel; "and perhaps we may have a chance to
shoot at one of these thick-skinned creatures before we leave the
neighborhood of the highest cataract of the Nile.
[Illustration: READY FOR BUSINESS.]
"Scientifically considered," the Doctor continued, "the rhinoceros may
be set down as an ungulate mammal, secondary only to the elephant in
point of size among terrestrial animals. He is distinguished by his
horn, which is supported on the end of the nose, but not connected with
it, as it comes away with the hide, to which it and its broad base
entirely belong."
"His horn is a powerful weapon, I believe?" said one of the boys.
"It is one of the most powerful weapons belonging to any animal,"
replied Doctor Bronson, "as it is more conveniently situated for use
than the tusks of an elephant or the horns of a bull.
"With his horn he can kill an elephant, and frequently does it. The
elephant and rhinoceros in a wild state are enemies, and when they meet
there is pretty sure to be a fierce battle, resulting in the death of
one, and perhaps both, of the adversaries. But when domesticated they
are quite friendly, and instances have occurred wherein two of these
beasts have shown great affection for each other. The rhinoceros at
home is a savage brute; he does not wait to be assaulted, but often
begins an attack upon peaceful travellers: sometimes he will travel a
long distance with the evident intention of making a disturbance.
"Dr. Livingstone is an excellent authority on the rhinoceros, as he had
many opportunities of seeing him at home. He says that among some of the
tribes he visited in South Africa a man is obliged to kill a rhinoceros
before he is allowed to marry and be considered more than a youth.
Probably the custom has been changed in the last few years, owing to the
scarcity of these animals, and the impossibility of finding enough of
them to meet the wants of the rising generation."
Frank asked the size of the rhinoceros, and whether or not he was quick
in his movements.
"As to the figures," answered the Doctor, "we learn, on the authority of
those who have hunted him, that the white rhinoceros of Africa will
sometimes measure fourteen feet from nose to tail, and his girth often
exceeds eleven feet. His horn will sometimes be five feet long, but much
more frequently it is about three feet. One variety of the rhinoceros
has a double horn, the second one being a little back from the first and
considerably shorter--frequently nothing more than a protuberance.
"Gordon Cumming says that, notwithstanding his short legs and generally
unwieldy body, the rhinoceros is quick in his movements, and a horseman
can scarcely overtake him. Another hunter says he can dart like
lightning, and in strength is unsurpassed by any animal of the forest.
There is an old story that a rhinoceros was once sent as a present to
the King of Portugal. One day in a rage he destroyed the ship on which
he was being transported, and the sailors had great difficulty to escape
in the boats. When we think of the frail construction of ships two or
three centuries ago and the strength of the rhinoceros, we can hardly
treat the story as a gross fabrication."
"You mentioned the white rhinoceros a moment ago," said one of the boys.
"Is he more dangerous than his black brother?"
"He is the larger but the less offensive of the two," said the Doctor,
in response to the question. "The black one will attack without
provocation, while the white rhinoceros, though the larger, asks to be
let alone, and only shows fight when compelled to defend himself.
[Illustration: TROUBLE IN THE RHINOCEROS FAMILY.]
"The black rhinoceros is ready to attack man, elephant, or lion without
warning, and sometimes, when he is anxious for a fight, he will get one
up with his own brother or a near relative. It is a providential
circumstance that his eye is small, and so badly placed that he cannot
see with ease. If he had good eyesight he would be vastly more dangerous
than he is.
[Illustration: BAD FOR THE DOG.]
"Mr. Oswell, an African hunter and explorer, who discovered Lake
N'gami, tells how he was one day walking quietly to camp, when he saw
two large rhinoceroses feeding on the plain. At sight of him the animals
advanced in his direction, and he stopped and took aim at one of them.
He knew that a shot in the forehead of the rhinoceros has no worse
effect than to tickle him, as though it were the touch of a fan; but, as
the beast might be angry at being struck with a fan, he is liable to
resent a shot on his skull. Mr. Oswell did not get a chance to fire at a
vulnerable point, and as the animals continued to approach he determined
to try a run past them, trusting to their bad eyesight to enable him to
escape.
"He brushed close to one of them in his rush to escape, but a loud snort
told him he had been seen. He turned and fired, and the next moment felt
himself impaled on the animal's horn.
"His next sensation was that of being on the back of a pony which was
led by one of his men. He angrily inquired why they were not following
the track of the beast; but hardly had he spoken before he discovered
that his hand, which had been resting on his side, was full of clotted
blood, and he met his men, who had come from camp to bury him. He didn't
need burying just then, but the wound required some time to heal, and he
carried the scar for the rest of his life.
[Illustration: RHINOCEROS HEADS.]
"When Anderson killed his first rhinoceros he was wild with delight.
Immediately on approaching his prostrate game he plunged his knife into
its back, to ascertain if it was fat. The natives warned him not to
repeat the experiment, as a short time before a native had done the same
thing and got into serious trouble. The rhinoceros had been stunned
instead of killed. The stroke of the knife revived him, and he rose and
ran toward the river, with the unfortunate native clinging to his back.
"The situation was anything but pleasant for the man, who dared not
spring to the ground, for fear of being transfixed by the brute's horn,
and ran the risk of being drowned if he stayed where he was till the
river was reached. Happily the rhinoceros paused long enough to allow
somebody else to send a shot that settled him and released the native
from his free but involuntary ride."
"His case reminds me," said Fred, "of a question I once heard proposed
for a debating society in the country."
"What is that?" said Frank.
"'If a man is holding a tiger by the tail, which is the best for his
personal safety--to hold on or let go?'"
"A good deal might be said on both sides of that question," the Doctor
remarked, "but perhaps the tiger would not permit a prolonged
discussion. In one way the native on the rhinoceros had the advantage of
the tiger man."
"How was that?"
"Why, the tiger might devour his caudal retainer, while the rhinoceros
would not do so with his rider. He is strictly graminivorous, and never
touches flesh to eat it. He devours grass, young trees, and similar
things, and in this respect has quite a resemblance to the hippopotamus,
whose cousin he is sometimes called."
One of the boys asked if it was really true that the hide of the
rhinoceros was impervious to bullets, except in a few places. The Doctor
explained that an ordinary musket-ball, fired at a distance of fifty
yards and more, had no effect, and even a rifle-ball might be deflected
from most parts of this tough-hided beast. "It is no use to fire at the
head with anything less than a cannon," he continued. "The only
vulnerable point is about three inches behind the shoulder, and when a
bullet is planted there at the proper angle it penetrates the lungs and
causes death almost instantaneously.
"The natives hunt the rhinoceros by driving him into pitfalls, and then
piercing him with hundreds of spears. By the time they are through with
the business he is stuck so full of the weapons that he resembles a
gigantic porcupine, with quills on a colossal scale. The slaughter of a
rhinoceros is a formidable affair with them, and they look with wonder
on the weapons of the white man and the comparative ease with which this
powerful animal is brought down by it.
"One day, while Captain Speke was in the country of King Rumanika, he
asked the monarch to allow him to hunt the rhinoceros. Of course the
king was glad to have him do so, and sent two of his sons to manage the
affair. They went to a thicket where the rhinoceros was said to abound,
and as soon as Speke had taken up a good position the beaters went to
work to drive out the game.
"They roused up a fine old rhinoceros, which paused close to where the
hunter was standing, and enabled him to creep up and give the beast a
shot in the side. The animal trotted off, bleeding internally, and soon
lay down and gave a chance for a finishing shot. A little time afterward
three others were started; two of them were bagged by Speke, who ordered
the heads cut off and sent to the king, as proofs of what the white man
could do.
[Illustration: SPEKE DELIVERING THE SPOILS OF HIS HUNT TO KING
RUMANIKA.]
"Speke then went home to breakfast. As soon as he was through with his
meal he went to meet the king, who was just examining the trophies of
the hunter's prowess. For a man to kill three of these huge beasts
simply to get up an appetite for breakfast was too much for the king's
equanimity, and he gave vent to his astonishment and admiration in no
measured terms.
"'This must have been done with something more potent than powder,' his
majesty exclaimed; 'neither the Arabs nor N'anaji, although they talk of
their shooting powers, could have accomplished such a great feat as
this. It is no wonder the English are the greatest men in the world.'
"Before we drop the topic of the rhinoceros," said the Doctor, "I must
tell you about his horn, and some of the fables connected with it.
"It was formerly gravely stated that the horn of the rhinoceros was
ordinarily flexible, like the trunk of an elephant, and became stiffened
into a weapon only when the beast was enraged. The story probably arose
from the fact, as I have before stated, that the horn is not attached to
the nose, but rests on a basis of bone connected with the skin.
"The horn of the beast is a good substitute for ivory in some of its
uses, and brings about half its price. It is used for making cups and
other ornaments, and for the handles of knives and similar things.
Shavings and scrapings of the horn were supposed to cure children of
spasms and convulsions, and in former times it was supposed that cups of
this material would detect the presence of poison. Several writers have
affirmed this, and I believe the superstition still prevails among the
Dutch settlers in Cape Colony. To show how this idea once prevailed let
me quote from Kolbe, a German traveller and naturalist, who visited
South Africa about two hundred years ago, and published an account of
what he had seen in his wanderings.
"'This horn,' he says, 'will not endure the touch of poison. I have
often been a witness of this. Many people of fashion at the Cape have
cups turned out of this rhinoceros-horn; some have them set in silver,
and some in gold. If wine is poured into one of these cups it
immediately rises and bubbles up, as though it were boiling; and if
there be poison in it the cup immediately splits. If poison be put into
one of these cups it in an instant flies to pieces. Though this matter
is known to thousands of persons, yet some writers have affirmed that
the rhinoceros horn has no such virtue.'"
"There's a word in our language," said Fred, "which begins with the
letter L, which might apply to Kolbe, the German traveller. But it isn't
altogether a polite one, and so we'll call him a deliberate romancer."
"He ought to have a niche by the side of Sir John Mandeville and others
of his kind," said Frank. "Sir John describes the cotton-plant as having
eyes, ears, and horns, and bleating like a sheep; and he tells how he
successfully tried the experiment of raising young diamonds from a pair
of old ones, with other interesting experiences, which are set down with
sober earnest.
"But you must remember," said the Doctor, "that in the time of these old
travellers they had everything their own way, as they were in no danger
of contradiction. Besides, the spirit of the age demanded something
marvellous, and if a traveller came home and told the story of his
journey without filling it with goblins, fairies, dragons, and similar
impossible things, he was charged with having seen nothing, and quite
likely his neighbors would assert that during all the time of his
pretended absence he was remaining quietly at home.
"Nowadays the world is so well known that the romancing traveller is
speedily detected, and his fictions meet a deserved exposure. Explorers
follow each other so rapidly that no untruthful story can remain long
without contradiction, and we may fairly conclude that the day of the
marvellous in travellers' tales has substantially ended."
[Illustration: IN CAPTIVITY.]