ANTELOPES ON THE SETTITE.
OUR course lay as usual along the banks of the river, which we
several times forded to avoid the bends. Great numbers of
antelopes were upon the river's bed, having descended to drink;
by making a circuit, I cut off one party upon their retreat, and
made two good shots with the Fletcher No. 24, bagging two tetel
(Antelopus Bubalis), at considerable ranges. I also shot an ariel
(G. Dama), and, upon arriving at a deep pool in the river, I shot
a bull hippopotamus, as a present for Taher Sheriff and his
brothers. We decided upon encamping at a spot known to the Arabs
as Delladilla; this was the forest upon the margin of the river
where I had first shot the bull elephant, when the aggageers
fought with him upon foot. The trees were larger in this locality
than elsewhere, as a great portion of the country was flooded by
the river dnring the rainy season, and much rich soil had been
deposited; this, with excessive moisture, had produced a forest
of fine timber, with an undergrowth of thick nabbuk. We fixed
upon a charming spot for a camp, beneath a large tree that bore
a peculiar fruit, suspended from the branches by a strong but
single fibre, like a cord; each fruit was about eighteen inches
in length, by six in diameter; it was perfectly worthless, but
extremely ornamental. We had arrived beneath this tree, and were
still on horseback; my wife had just suggested that it would be
unpleasant should one of the large fruit fall upon our heads if
we camped under the branches, when suddenly a lioness glided by
us, within three yards of the horses, and almost immediately
disappeared in the thick thorns; unfortunately, I had the moment
before given my rifle to a servant, prior to dismounting. I
searched the bushes in every direction, but to no purpose.
This spot was so favourably situated that I determined to remain
for some time, as I could explore the country on horseback to a
great distance upon all sides. We immediately set to work to
construct our new camp, and by the evening our people had cleared
a circle of fifty yards diameter; this was swept perfectly clean,
and the ground being hard, though free from stones, the surface
was as even as a paved floor. The entire circle was well
protected with a strong fence of thorn bushes, for which the
kittar is admirably adapted; the head being mushroom-shaped, the
entire tree is cut down, and the stem being drawn towards the
inside of the camp, the thick and wide-spreading thorny crest
covers about twelve feet of the exterior frontage; a fence thus
arranged is quickly constructed, and is quite impervious. Two or
three large trees grew within the camp; beneath the shade of this
our tent was pitched. This we never inhabited, but it served as
an ordinary room, and a protection to the luggage, guns, &c. The
horses were well secured within a double circle of thorns, and
the goats wandered about at liberty, as they were too afraid of
wild animals to venture from the camp: altogether this was the
most agreeable spot we had ever occupied; even the night-fires
would be perfectly concealed within the dense shade of the nabbuk
jungle, thus neither man nor beast would be aware of our
presence. We were about a hundred paces distant from the margin
of the river; late in the evening I took my rod, and fished in
the deep bend beneath a cliff of conglomerate pebbles. I caught
only one fish, a baggar, about twelve pounds, but I landed three
large turtles; these creatures were most determined in taking the
bait; they varied in size from fifty to about ninety pounds, and
were the same species as that which inhabits the Nile (Trionis
Nilotica). From one of them we took upwards of a hundred eggs
which we converted into omelettes, but they were rather strong in
flavour.
Although this species of turtle is unprepossessing in appearance,
having a head very like that of a snake, with a dark green shell
spotted with yellow, it produces excellent soup; the body is
exceedingly flat, and the projecting edges of the shell are soft;
it runs extremely fast upon the shore, and is suggestive of the
tortoise that beat the hare in the well-known race. Throughout
the Nile and its tributaries there are varieties of fish and
reptiles closely connected, and the link can be distinctly traced
in the progression of development. There is a fish with a hard
bony frame, or shell, that includes the head, and extends over
more than half the body; this has two long and moveable spikes
beneath the fore fins, upon which it can raise itself as upon
legs when upon the land; when first caught, this fish makes a
noise something like the mewing of a cat: this appears to be
closely linked to the tortoise. The Lepidosiren Annectens, found
in the White Nile, is a link between the fish and the frog; and
certain varieties of mud fish that remain alive throughout a dry
season in the sun-baked earth, and reappear with the following
rains exhibit a close affinity to reptiles.
On the morning after our arrival, I started to explore the
country with the aggageers, and rode about forty miles, From this
point, hills of basalt and granite commenced, connected by rugged
undulations of white quartz, huge blocks of which were scattered
upon the surface; in many of these I found thin veins of galena.
All the rocks were igneous; we had left the sandstone that had
marked the course of the Atbara and the valley of the Settite as
far as Ombrega, and I was extremely puzzled to account for the
presence of the pure white and rose-coloured limestone that we
had found only in one place--Geera. As we were now among the
hills and mountains, the country was extremely beautiful; at the
farthest point of that day's excursion we were close to the high
range from which, in the rainy season, innumerable torrents pour
into the Settite; some of these gorges were ornamented with the
dark foliage of large tamarind trees, while upon rocks that did
not appear to offer any sustenance, the unsightly yet mighty
baobab* grasped with its gnarled roots the blocks of granite, and
formed a peculiar object in the wild and rugged scenery.
* The largest baobab (Adansonia digitata) that I have
measured was fifty-one feet and one inch in circumference.
Through this romantic wilderness, the Settite flowed in a clear
and beautiful stream, sometimes contracted between cliffs to a
width of a hundred yards, at others stretching to three times
that distance. The hippopotami were in great numbers; many were
lying beneath the shady trees upon the banks, and splashed into
the water as we appeared; others were basking in large herds upon
the shallows; while the young calves, supported upon the backs of
their mothers, sailed about upon their animated rafts in perfect
security. The Base had been here recently, as we discovered their
footprints upon the sand, and we arrived at some tobacco
plantations that they had formed upon the sandbanks of the river.
The aggageers expressed their determination to sabre them should
we happen to meet, and were much displeased at my immediately
placing a veto upon their bloody intentions, with a reservation
for necessity in self-defence.
The Base were far too wide awake, and, although seen once during
the day by my people, they disappeared like monkeys; their spies
had doubtless reported our movements ever since we had entered
their country, and, fearing the firearms, they had retreated to
their fastnesses among the mountains.
During the day's march we had seen a large quantity of game, but
I had not wished to shoot until on our return towards the camp.
We were about four miles from home, when a nellut (A.
Strepsiceros) bounded away from a ravine. I was riding Tetel,
whom I had taught to stand fire, in which he was remarkably
steady. I made a quick shot with the little Fletcher from the
saddlle; but, as the nellut ran straight before me, the bullet
struck the haunch: away went the aggageers after the wounded
animal, like greyhounds, and in a few hundred yards the sword
finished the hunt.
The Nellut is the handsomest of all the large antelopes; the male
is about thirteen hands high, and carries a pair of beautiful
spiral horns, upwards of three feet in length; the colour of the
hide is a dark mouse-grey, ornamented with white stripes down the
flanks, and a white line along the back from the shoulder to the
tail. The female is without horns, but is in other respects
similar to the male. These beautiful animals do not inhabit the
plains like the other varieties of antelopes, but are generally
found in deep-wooded ravines. In South Africa it is known as the
koodoo.
The aggageers quickly flayed and quartered the game, which was
arranged upon the horses, and thus it was carried to our camp, at
which we arrived late in the evening.
On the following morning, at my usual hour of starting, a little
before sunrise, we crossed a deep portion of the river, through
which the horses were obliged to swim; on this occasion I rode
Aggahr, who was my best hunter. In that very charming and useful
book by Mr. Francis Galton, "The Art of Travel," advice is given
for crossing a deep river, by holding to the tail of the swimming
horse. In this I cannot agree; the safety of the man is much
endangered by the heels of the horse, and his security depends
upon the length of the animal's tail. In rivers abounding in
crocodiles, which generally follow an animal before they seize,
the man hanging on to the tail of the horse is a most alluring
bait, and he would certainly be taken, should one of these
horrible monsters be attracted to the party. I have always found
great comfort in crossing a river by simply holding to the mane,
just in front of the saddle, with my left hand, with the bridle
grasped as loosely as possible, so that the horse does not feel
the bit; in this position, on the off side, the animal does not
feel any hindrance; the man not only can direct his horse, but
his presence gives it confidence, as he can speak to it coaxingly
while swimming with one arm by its side. Upon landing, he at once
controls the horse by the reins within his left grasp.
Many horses become exceedingly scared in swimming a rapid river,
and will frequently lose their presence of mind, and swim with
the current, in which case they may miss the favourable landing
place; if the man holds by the tail, he has no control over the
horse upon landing, and, if wild or vicious, the animal will
probably kick up its heels and bolt away, leaving the unfortunate
proprietor helpless. In swimming a river with the horse, the
powder, &c. should be made into a parcel with your outer garment,
and tied upon the head; then lead your horse gently into the
water, and for a moment allow it to drink, to prevent all
shyness; continue to lead it until you lose your depth, when, by
holding with your left hand to the mane, both horse and man will
cross with perfect ease.
We had crossed the river, and, as we passed through an opening in
the belt of jungle on the banks, and entered upon a plain
interspersed with clumps of bush, we perceived, at about two
hundred yards distance, a magnificent lion, whose shaggy yellow
mane gave him a colossal appearance, as he stalked quietly along
the flat sandy ground towards the place of his daily retreat. The
aggageers whispered, "El Assut!" (the lion), and instinctively
the swords flashed from their sheaths. In an instant, the horses
were at full speed sweeping over the level ground. The lion had
not observed us; but, upon hearing the sound of the hoofs, he
halted and raised his head, regarding us for a moment with
wonder, as we rapidly decreased our distance, when, thinking
retreat advisable, he bounded off, followed by the excited
hunters, as hard as the horses could be pressed. Having obtained
a good start, we had gained upon him, and we kept up the pace
until we at length arrived within about eighty yards of the lion,
who, although he appeared to fly easily along like a cat, did not
equal the speed of the horses. It was a beautiful sight. Aggahr
was an exceedingly fast horse, and, having formerly belonged to
one of the Hamran hunters, he thoroughly understood his work. His
gallop was perfection, and his long steady stride was as easy to
himself as to his rider; there was no necessity to guide him, as
he followed an animal like a greyhound, and sailed between the
stems of the numerous trees, carefully avoiding their trunks, and
choosing his route where the branches allowed ample room for the
rider to pass beneath. In about five minutes we had run the lion
straight across the plain, through several open strips of
mimosas, and we were now within a few yards, hut unfortunately,
just as Taher and Abou Do dashed forward in the endeavour to ride
upon either flank, he sprang down a precipitous ravine, and
disappeared in the thick thorns.
The ravine formed a broad bottom, which, covered with dense green
nabbuk, continued for a great distance, and effectually saved the
lion. I was much disappointed, as we should have had a glorious
fight, and I had long sought for an opportunity of witnessing an
attack upon the lion with the sword. The aggageers were equally
annoyed, and they explained that they should have been certain to
kill him. Their plan was to ride upon either flank, at a few
yards' distance, when he would have charged one man, who would
have dashed away, while the other hunter would have slashed the
lion through the back with his sword. They declared that a good
hunter should be able to protect himself by a back-handed blow
with his sword, should the lion attack the horse from behind; but
that the great danger in a lion hunt arose when the animal took
refuge in a solitary bush, and turned to bay. In such instances
the hunters surrounded the bush, and rode direct towards him,
when he generally sprang out upon some man or horse; he was then
cut down immediately by the sabre of the next hunter. The
aggageers declared that, in the event of an actual fight, the
death of the lion was certain, although one or more men or horses
might be wounded, or perhaps killed.
The morning gallop had warmed our nags after their bath in the
cool river, and we now continued leisurely towards the stream,
upon the margin of which we rode for several miles. We had
determined to set fire to the grass, as, although upon poorer
soil it had almost disappeared through the withering of the
roots, upon fertile ground it was almost nine feet high, and not
only concealed the game, but prevented us from riding. We
accordingly rode towards a spot where bright yellow herbage
invited the fire-stick; but hardly had we arrived, when we
noticed a solitary bull buffalo (Bos Caffer), feeding within
about a hundred and fifty yards. I immediately dismounted, and,
creeping towards him to within fifty paces, I shot him through
the neck with one of my Reilly No. 10 rifles. I had hoped to drop
him dead by the shot, instead of which he galloped off, of course
followed by the aggageers, with the exception of one, who held my
horse. Quickly mounted, we joined in the hunt, and in about three
minutes we ran the buffalo to bay in a thicket of thorns on the
margin of the river. These thorns were just thick enough to
conceal him at times, but to afford us a glance of his figure as
he moved from his position. There was a glade which cut through
and divided the jungle, and I wished the aggageers to drive him,
if possible, across this, when I should have a good opportunity
of shooting. To my astonishment, one of the most daring hunters
jumped off his horse with his drawn sword, and, telling me to
look out, he coolly entered the jungle alone to court the attack
of the buffalo. I would not allow him to risk his life for an
animal that I had been the first to wound, therefore I insisted
upon his return, and begging Abou Do to hold my bridle when I
should fire, I rode with him carefully along the skirts of the
jungle along the glade, keeping a good look-out among the thorns
for the buffalo. Presently I heard a short grunt within twenty
yards of us, and I quickly perceived the buffalo standing
broadside on, with his head to the wind, that brought down the
scent of the people on the other side.
I had my little Fletcher No. 24 in my hand--that handy little
weapon that almost formed an extra bone of myself, and,
whispering to Abou Do to hold my bridle close to the bit, as
Aggahr was not very steady under fire, I took a clean shot direct
at the centre of the shoulder. The ball smacked as though it had
struck an iron target. Aggahr gave a start, and for the moment
both Abou Do and myself were prepared for a rush; but the buffalo
had never flinched, and he remained standing as though
immoveable. Abon Do whispered, "You missed him, I heard the
bullet strike the tree;" I shook my head, and quickly
re-loaded--it was impossible to miss at that distance, and I knew
that I had fired steadily. Hardly had I rammed the bullet down,
when, with a sudden thump, down fell the buffalo upon his side,
and, rolling over upon his back, he gave a few tremendous
struggles, and lay dead.
Great caution should be invariably used in approaching a fallen
buffalo and all other dangerous animals, as they are apt to
recover sufficiently, upon seeing the enemy, to make a last
effort to attack, which is generally more serious than any other
phase of the hunt. We accordingly pitched a few large stones at
him to test the reality of death, and then walked up and examined
him. The Reilly No. 10 had gone quite through the neck, but had
missed a vital part. The little Fletcher had made a clean and
minute hole exactly through the shoulder, and upon opening the
body we found the ball sticking in the ribs on the opposite side,
having passed through the very centre of the lungs.
The aggageers now carefully flayed it, and divided the tough hide
into portions accurately measured for shields. One man galloped
back to direct the two water-camels that were following in our
tracks, while others cut up the buffalo, and prepared the usual
disgusting feast by cutting up the reeking paunch, over which
they squeezed the contents of the gall-bladder, and consumed the
whole, raw and steaming.* On the arrival of the camels they were
quickly loaded, and we proceeded to fire the grass on our return
to camp. The Arabs always obtained their fire by the friction of
two pieces of wood; accordingly, they set to work. A piece of dry
nabbuk was selected, about as thick as the little finger. A notch
was cut in this, and it was laid horizontally upon the ground,
with the notch uppermost; into this was fixed the sharp point of
a similar piece of wood, about eighteen inches long, which, being
held perpendicularly with both hands, was worked between the
palms like a drill, with as great a pressure as possible, from
the top to the bottom, as the hands descended with the motion of
rubbing or rolling the stick. After about two minutes of great
labour, the notch began to smoke, a brown dust, like ground
coffee, fell from the singed wood, and this charred substance,
after increased friction, emitted a still denser smoke, and
commenced smouldering; the fire was produced. A rag was torn from
the thorn-brushed drawers of one of the party, in which the fire
was carefully wrapped and fanned with the breath; it was then
placed in a wisp of dry grass, and rapidly turned in the air
until the flame burst forth. A burning-glass should be always
carried in these countries, where a cloudless sky ensures an
effect. Although in Arab hands the making of fire appears
exceedingly simple, I have never been able to effect it. I have
worked at the two sticks until they have been smoking and I have
been steaming, with my hands blistered, but I have never got
beyond the smoke; there is a peculiar knack which, like playing
the fiddle, must be acquired, although it looks very easy. It is
not every wood that will produce fire by this method; those most
inflammable are the cotton-tree and the nabbuk. We now descended
to the river, and fired the grass; the north wind was brisk, and
the flames extended over miles of country within an hour.
* All these Arabs, in like manner with the Abyssinians,
are subject to the attacks of intestinal worms, induced
by their habit of eating raw flesh.
We returned towards the camp. On the way we saw numerous
antelopes; and, dismounting, I ordered one of the hunters to lead
my horse while I attempted to stalk a fine buck mehedehet
(Redunca Ellipsyprimna). There were several in the herd, but
there was a buck with a fine head a few yards in advance; they
were standing upon an undulation on open ground backed by high
grass. I had marked a small bush as my point of cover, and
creeping unobserved towards this, I arrived unseen within about
a hundred and twenty yards of the buck. With the Fletcher 24 I
made a good shoulder-shot; the buck gave a few bounds and fell
dead; the does looked on in astonishment, and I made an equally
lucky shot with the left-hand barrel, bringing down what I at
first had mistaken to be a doe, but I discovered it to be a young
buck.
The Mehedehet is an antelope of great beauty; it resembles the
red deer in colour, but the coat is still rougher; it stands
about thirteen hands in height, with a pair of long
slightly-curved annulated horns. The live weight of the male
would be about five hundred pounds; the female, like the nellut
(Tragelaphus Strepsiceros), is devoid of horns, and much
resembles the female of the Sambur deer of India. This antelope
is the "water-buck" of South Africa.
On arrival at the camp, I resolved to fire the entire country on
the following day, and to push still farther up the course of the
Settite to the foot of the mountains, and to return to this camp
in about a fortnight, by which time the animals that had been
scared away by the fire would have returned. Accordingly, on the
following morning, accompanied by a few of the aggageers, I
started upon the south bank of the river, and rode for some
distance into the interior, to the ground that was entirely
covered with high withered grass. We were passing through a mass
of kittar and thorn-bush, almost hidden by the immensely high
grass, when, as I was ahead of the party, I came suddenly upon
the tracks of a rhinoceros; these were so unmistakeably recent
that I felt sure we were not far from the animals themselves. As
I had wished to fire the grass, I was accompanied by my
Tokrooris, and my horse-keeper, Mahomet No. 2. It was difficult
ground for the men, and still more unfavourable for the horses,
as large disjointed masses of stone were concealed in the high
grass.
We were just speculating as to the position of the rhinoceros,
and thinking how uncommonly unpleasant it would be should he
obtain our wind, when whiff! whiff! whiff! We heard the sharp
whistling snort, with a tremendous rush through the high grass
and thorns close to us; and at the same moment two of these
determined brutes were upon us in full charge. I never saw such
a scrimmage; sauve qui peut! There was no time for more than one
look behind. I dug the spurs into Aggahr's flanks, and clasping
him round the neck, I ducked my head down to his shoulder, well
protected with my strong hunting-cap, and I kept the spurs going
as hard as I could ply them, blindly trusting to Providence and
my good horse, over big rocks, fallen trees, thick kittar thorns,
and grass ten feet high, with the two infernal animals in full
chase only a few feet behind me. I heard their abominable
whiffing close to me, but so did good horse also, and the good
old hunter flew over obstacles that I should have thought
impossible, and he dashed straight under the hooked thorn bushes
and doubled like a hare. The aggageers were all scattered;
Mahomet No. 2 was knocked over by a rhinoceros; all the men were
sprawling upon the rocks with their guns, and the party was
entirely discomfited. Having passed the kittar thorn, I turned,
and, seeing that the beasts had gone straight on, I brought
Aggahr's head round, and tried to give chase, but it was
perfectly impossible; it was only a wonder that the horse had
escaped in ground so difficult for riding. Although my clothes
were of the strongest and coarsest Arab cotton cloth, which
seldom tore, but simply lost a thread when caught in a thorn, I
was nearly naked. My blouse was reduced to shreds; as I wore
sleeves only half way from the shoulder to the elbow, my naked
arms were streaming with blood; fortunately my hunting cap was
secured with a chin strap, and still more fortunately I had
grasped the horse's neck, otherwise I must have been dragged out
of the saddle by the hooked thorns. All the men were cut and
bruised, some having fallen upon their heads among the rocks, and
others had hurt their legs in falling in their endeavours to
escape. Mahomet No. 2, the horse-keeper, was more frightened than
hurt, as he had been knocked down by the shoulder and not by the
horn of the rhinoceros, as the animal had not noticed him; its
attention was absorbed by the horse.
I determined to set fire to the whole country immediately, and
descending the hill towards the river to obtain a favourable
wind, I put my men in a line, extending over about a mile along
the river's bed, and they fired the grass in different places.
With a loud roar, the flame leapt high in air and rushed forward
with astonishing velocity; the grass was as inflammable as
tinder, and the strong north wind drove the long line of fire
spreading in every direction through the country.
We now crossed to the other side of the river to avoid the
flames, and we returned towards the camp. On the way, I made a
long shot and badly wounded a tetel, but lost it in thick thorns;
shortly after, I stalked a nellut (A. Strepsiceros), and bagged
it with the Fletcher rifle.
We arrived early in camp, and on the following day we moved
sixteen miles farther up stream, and camped under a tamarind tree
by the side of the river. No European had ever been farther than
our last camp, Delladilla, and that spot had only been visited by
Johann Schmidt and Florian. In the previous year, my aggageers
had sabred some of the Base at this very camping-place; they
accordingly requested me to keep a vigilant watch during the
night, as they would be very likely to attack us in revenge,
unless they had been scared by the rifles and by the size of our
party. They advised me not to remain long in this spot, as it
would be very dangerous for my wife to be left almost alone
during the day, when we were hunting, and that the Base would be
certain to espy us from the mountains, and would most probably
attack and carry her off when they were assured of our departure.
She was not very nervous about this, but she immediately called
the dragoman, Mahomet, who knew the use of a gun, and she asked
him if he would stand by her in case they were attacked in my
absence; the faithful servant replied, "Mahomet fight the Base?
No, Missus; Mahomet not fight; if the Base come, Missus fight;
Mahomet run away; Mahomet not come all the way from Cairo to get
him killed by black fellers; Mahomet will run--Inshallah!"
(please God).
This frank avowal of his military tactics was very reassuring.
There was a high hill of basalt, something resembling a pyramid,
within a quarter of a mile of us; I accordingly ordered some of
my men every day to ascend this look-out station, and I resolved
to burn the high grass at once, so as to destroy all cover for
the concealment of an enemy. That evening I very nearly burnt our
camp; I had several times ordered the men to clear away the dry
grass for about thirty yards from our resting-place; this they
had neglected to obey. We had been joined a few days before by a
party of about a dozen Hamran Arabs, who were hippopotami
hunters; thus we mustered very strong, and it would have been the
work of about half an hour to have cleared away the grass as I
had desired.
The wind was brisk, and blew directly towards our camp, which was
backed by the river. I accordingly took a fire-stick, and I told
my people to look sharp, as they would not clear away the grass.
I walked to the foot of the basalt hill, and fired the grass in
several places. In an instant the wind swept the flame and smoke
towards the camp. All was confusion; the Arabs had piled the
camel-saddles and all their corn and effects in the high grass
about twenty yards from the tent; there was no time to remove all
these things; therefore, unless they could clear away the grass
so as to stop the fire before it should reach the spot, they
would be punished for their laziness by losing their property.
The fire travelled quicker than I had expected, and, by the time
I had hastened to the tent, I found the entire party working
frantically; the Arabs were slashing down the grass with their
swords, and sweeping it away with their shields, while my
Tokrooris were beating it down with long sticks and tearing it
from its withered and fortunately tinder-rotten roots, in
desperate haste. The flames rushed on, and we already felt the
heat, as volumes of smoke enveloped us; I thought it advisable to
carry the gunpowder (about 20 lbs.), down to the river, together
with the rifles; while my wife and Mahomet dragged the various
articles of luggage to the same place of safety. The fire now
approached within about sixty yards, and dragging out the iron
pins, I let the tent fall to the ground. The Arabs had swept a
line like a highroad perfectly clean, and they were still tearing
away the grass, when they were suddenly obliged to rush back as
the flames arrived.
Almost instantaneously the smoke blew over us, but the fire had
expired upon meeting the cleared ground. I now gave them a little
lecture upon obedience to orders; and from that day, their first
act upon halting for the night was to clear away the grass, lest
I should repeat the entertainment. In countries that are covered
with dry grass, it should be an invariable rule to clear the
ground around the camp before night; hostile natives will
frequently fire the grass to windward of a party, or careless
servants may leave their pipes upon the ground, which fanned by
the wind would quickly create a blaze. That night the mountain
afforded a beautiful appearance as the flames ascended the steep
sides, and ran flickering up the deep gullies with a brilliant
light.
We were standing outside the tent admiring the scene, which
perfectly illuminated the neighbourhood, when suddenly an
apparition of a lion and lioness stood for an instant before us
at about fifteen yards distance, and then disappeared over the
blackened ground before I had time to snatch a rifle from the
tent. No doubt they had been disturbed from the mountain by the
fire, and had mistaken their way in the country so recently
changed from high grass to black ashes. In this locality I
considered it advisable to keep a vigilant watch during the
night, and the Arabs were told off for that purpose.
A little before sunrise I accompanied the howartis, or
hippopotamus hunters, for a day's sport. There were numbers of
hippos in this part of the river, and we were not long before we
found a herd. The hunters failed in several attempts to harpoon
them, but they succeeded in stalking a crocodile after a most
peculiar fashion. This large beast was lying upon a sandbank on
the opposite margin of the river, close to a bed of rushes.
The howartis, having studied the wind, ascended for about a
quarter of a mile, and then swam across the river, harpoon in
hand. The two men reached the opposite bank, beneath which they
alternately waded or swam down the stream towards the spot upon
which the crocodile was lying. Thus advancing under cover of the
steep bank, or floating with the stream in deep places, and
crawling like crocodiles across the shallows, the two hunters at
length arrived at the bank of rushes, on the other side of which
the monster was basking asleep upon the sand. They were now about
waist-deep, and they kept close to the rushes with their harpoons
raised, ready to cast the moment they should pass the rush bed
and come in view of the crocodile. Thus steadily advancing, they
had just arrived at the corner within about eight yards of the
crocodile, when the creature either saw them, or obtained their
wind; in an inatant it rushed to the water; at the same moment,
the two harpoons were launched with great rapidity by the
hunters. One glanced obliquely from the scales; the other stuck
fairly in the tough hide, and the iron, detached from the bamboo,
held fast, while the ambatch float, running on the surface of the
water, marked the course of the reptile beneath.
The hunters chose a convenient place, and recrossed the stream to
our side, apparently not heeding the crocodiles more than we
should fear pike when bathing in England. They would not waste
their time by securing the crocodile at present, as they wished
to kill a hippopotamus; the float would mark the position, and
they would be certain to find it later. We accordingly continued
our search for hippopotami; these animals appeared to be on the
qui vive, and, as the hunters once more failed in an attempt, I
made a clean shot behind the ear of one, and killed it dead. At
length we arrived at a large pool in which were several sandbanks
covered with rushes, and many rocky islands. Among these rocks
was a herd of hippopotami, consisting of an old bull and several
cows; a young hippo was standing, like an ugly little statue, on
a protruding rock, while another infant stood upon its mother's
back that listlessly floated on the water.
This was an admirable place for the hunters. They desired me to
lie down, and they crept into the jungle out of view of the
river; I presently observed them stealthily descending the dry
bed about two hundred paces above the spot where the hippos were
basking behind the rocks. They entered the river, and swam down
the centre of the stream towards the rock. This was highly
exciting:--the hippos were quite unconscious of the approaching
danger, as, steadily and rapidly, the hunters floated down the
strong current; they neared the rock, and both heads disappeared
as they purposely sunk out of view; in a few seconds later they
reappeared at the edge of the rock upon which the young hippo
stood. It would be difficult to say which started first, the
astonished young hippo into the water, or the harpoons from the
hands of the howartis! It was the affair of a moment; the hunters
dived directly they had hurled their harpoons, and, swimming for
some distance under water, they came to the surface, and hastened
to the shore lest an infuriated hippopotamus should follow them.
One harpoon had missed; the other had fixed the bull of the herd,
at which it had been surely aimed. This was grand sport! The bull
was in the greatest fury, and rose to the surface, snorting and
blowing in his impotent rage; but as the ambatch float was
exceedingly large, and this naturally accompanied his movements,
he tried to escape from his imaginary persecutor, and dived
constantly, only to find his pertinacious attendant close to him
upon regaining the surface. This was not to last long; the
howartis were in earnest, and they at once called their party,
who, with two of the aggageers, Abou Do and Suleiman, were near
at hand; these men arrived with the long ropes that form a
portion of the outfit for hippo hunting.
The whole party now halted on the edge of the river, while two
men swam across with one end of the long rope. Upon gaining the
opposite bank, I observed that a second rope was made fast to the
middle of the main line; thus upon our side we held the ends of
two ropes, while on the opposite side they had only one;
accordingly, the point of junction of the two ropes in the centre
formed an acute angle. The object of this was soon practically
explained. Two men upon our side now each held a rope, and one of
these walked about ten yards before the other. Upon both sides of
the river the people now advanced, dragging the rope on the
surface of the water until they reached the ambatch float that
was swimming to and fro, according to the movements of the
hippopotamus below. By a dexterous jerk of the main line, the
float was now placed between the two ropes, and it was
immediately secured in the acute angle by bringing together the
ends of these ropes on our side.
The men on the opposite bank now dropped their line, and our men
hauled in upon the ambatch float that was held fast between the
ropes. Thus cleverly made sure, we quickly brought a strain upon
the hippo, and, although I have had some experience in handling
big fish, I never knew one pull so lustily as the amphibious
animal that we now alternately coaxed and bullied. He sprang out
of the water, gnashed his huge jaws, snorted with tremendous
rage, and lashed the river into foam; he then dived, and
foolishly approached us beneath the water. We quickly gathered in
the slack line, and took a round turn upon a large rock, within
a few feet of the river. The hippo now rose to the surface, about
ten yards from the hunters, and, jumping half out of the water,
he snapped his great jaws together, endeavouring to catch the
rope, but at the same instant two harpoons were launched into his
side. Disdaining retreat, and maddened with rage, the furious
animal charged from the depths of the river, and, gaining a
footing, he reared his bulky form from the surface, came boldly
upon the sandbank, and attacked the hunters open-mouthed. He
little knew his enemy; they were not the men to fear a pair of
gaping jaws, armed with a deadly array of tusks, but half a dozen
lances were hurled at him, some entering his mouth from a
distance of five or six paces, at the same time several men threw
handfuls of sand into his enormous eyes. This baffled him more
than the lances; he crunched the shafts between his powerful jaws
like straws, but he was beaten by the sand, and, shaking his huge
head, he retreated to the river. During his sally upon the shore,
two of the hunters had secured the ropes of the harpoons that had
been fastened in his body just before his charge; he was now
fixed by three of these deadly instruments, but suddenly one rope
gave way, having been bitten through by the enraged beast, who
was still beneath the water. Immediately after this he appeared
on the surface, and, without a moment's hesitation, he once more
charged furiously from the water straight at the hunters, with
his huge mouth open to such an extent that he could have
accommodated two inside passengers. Suleiman was wild with
delight, and springing forward lance in hand, he drove it against
the head of the formidable animal, but without effect. At the
same time, Abou Do met the hippo sword in hand, reminding me of
Perseus slaying the sea-monster that would devour Andromeda, but
the sword made a harmless gash, and the lance, already blunted
against the rocks, refused to penetrate the tough hide; once more
handfuls of sand were pelted upon his face, and, again repulsed
by this blinding attack, he was forced to retire to his deep hole
and wash it from his eyes. Six times during the fight the valiant
bull hippo quitted his watery fortress, and charged resolutely at
his pursuers; he had broken several of their lances in his jaws,
other lances had been hurled, and, falling upon the rocks, they
were blunted, and would not penetrate. The fight had continued
for three hours, and the sun was about to set, accordingly the
hunters begged me to give him the coup de grace, as they had
hauled him close to the shore, and they feared he would sever the
rope with his teeth. I waited for a good opportunity, when he
boldly raised his head from water about three yards from the
rifle, and a bullet from the little Fletcher between the eyes
closed the last act. This spot was not far from the pyramidical
hill beneath which I had fixed our camp, to which I returned
after an amusing day's sport.
The next morning, I started to the mountains to explore the limit
that I had proposed for my expedition on the Settite. The Arabs
had informed me that a river of some importance descended from
the mountains, and joined the main stream about twelve miles from
our camp. The aggageers were seriously expecting an attack from
the Base, and they advised me not to remain much longer in this
spot. The route was highly interesting: about five miles to the
south-east of the camp we entered the hilly and mountainous
country; to the east rose the peaked head of Allatakoora, about
seven thousand feet from the base, while S.S.E. was the lofty
table-mountain, known by the Arabs as Boorkotan. We rode through
fertile valleys, all of which were free from grass, as the
various fires had spread throughout the country; at times we
entered deep gorges between the hills, which were either granite,
quartz, or basalt, the latter predominating. In about three hours
and a half we arrived at Hor Mehetape, the stream that the Arabs
had reported. Although a powerful torrent during the rains, it
was insignificant as one of the tributaries to the Settite, as
the breadth did not exceed twenty-five yards. At this season it
was nearly dry, and at no time did it appear to exceed a depth of
ten or twelve feet. As we had arrived at this point, some
distance above the junction, we continued along the margin of the
stream for about two miles until we reached the Settite. The Hor
(a ravine) Mehetape was the limit of my exploration; it was
merely a rapid mountain torrent, the individual effect of which
would be trifling; but we were now among the mountains whose
drainage caused the sudden rise of the Atbara river and the Nile.
Far as the eye could reach to the south and east, the range
extended in a confused mass of peaks of great altitude, from the
sharp granite head of one thousand, to flat-topped basalt hills
of five or six thousand feet, and other conical points far
exceeding, and perhaps double, that altitude.
The Settite was very beautiful in this spot, as it emerged from
the gorge between the mountains, and it lay in a rough stony
valley about two hundred feet below our path as we ascended from
the junction of the Hor to better riding ground. In many places,
our route lay over broken stones, which sloped at an inclination
of about thirty degrees throughout the entire distance of the
river below; these were formed of decomposed basalt rocks that
had apparently been washed from decaying hills by the torrents of
the rainy season. At other parts of the route, we crossed above
similar debris of basalt that lay at an angle of about sixty
degrees, from a height of perhaps two hundred feet to the water's
edge, and reminded me of the rubbish shot from the side of a
mountain when boring a tunnel. The whole of the basalt in this
portion of the country was a dark slate colour; in some places it
was almost black; upon breaking a great number of pieces I found
small crystals of olivine. Much of the granite was a deep red,
but the exterior coating was in all cases decomposed, and
crumbled at a blow; exhibiting a marked contrast to the
hard-faced granite blocks in the rainless climate of Lower Egypt.
We saw but little game during the march--a few nellut and tetel,
and the smaller antelopes, but no larger animals.
We returned to camp late in the evening, and I found the howartis
had secured the crocodile of yesterday, but the whole party was
anxious to return to the camp at Delladilla, as unpleasant
reports were brought into camp by our spies, who had seen parties
of the Base in several directions.