In that dull, dispiriting gloom I knew not the time of the _maghrib_ or
the _isha_, nor the direction of the Ka'abah of the Holy City,
nevertheless I spread my mat and prayed fervently to Allah, the
Compassionate, the Merciful, to allow the light of his blessing to shine
upon me and guide my footsteps to where I might obtain the clue I
sought. Tiamo stood regarding me with a look which plainly told that he
considered my prayers as mere empty forms and ceremonies. One of his
peculiarities was that he believed not in Allah nor in his apostle
Mohammed, and holding the pious in contempt, he placed faith in spirits,
magic and sacrifices to the pagan deities.
Having toiled on in the forest for twenty days and discovering no sign
of the Aruwimi, we began seriously to doubt whether we were not
penetrating those sunless glades in the wrong direction, and travelling
parallel with the river instead of towards its bank. Without sun or
star to guide us, we were wandering beneath the giant trees, the foliage
and creepers of which had become so dense that now and then further
progress in that depressing darkness seemed impossible. Yet ever and
anon we found tracks of elephants and hippopotami, which we took, our
eyes ever strained before us to behold some welcome gleam of light which
would show us where ran the river.
All was dark, gloomy, rayless. Though neither of us admitted it, we
both were aware that we were lost amid that primeval mass of tropical
vegetation, into the depths of which even the savages themselves dare
not venture. We had one day crossed a number of small swamps, and
thick, scum-faced quagmires, green with rank weeds, emitting a stench
most sickening, and on emerging from the foetid slough into which our
feet sank at every step, a dozen black heads suddenly appeared above the
undergrowth.
Next second, ere we could recover from our surprise, the weird echoes of
the forest were awakened by fiendish yells, as twenty black warriors,
veritable companions of the left hand, wearing strange head-dresses with
black tufts of feathers, and unclothed save for a piece of bark-cloth
around their loins, and a thick pad of goat-skin on the left arm to
protect it from the bow string, bounded towards us, running long and
low, with heads stretched forward and spears trailing, shouting,
brandishing their long, broad-headed weapons, and drawing their bows
ready to send their poisoned arrows through our bodies.
They had evidently lain in ambush, believing us to be scouts of Kabba
Rega, or of Ugarrowwa, Abed bin Salem, or some other ivory-raider from
the Congo, and so suddenly did they appear, screaming, threatening and
gesticulating, that I deemed it best to throw down my rifle and raised
my hands to show I had no hostile intent. Seized quickly by these tall,
slim, thick-lipped, monkey-eyed men, who bore quivers full of arrows
smeared freshly with a dark, copal-coloured substance, we were dragged
onward in triumph for nearly two hours, preceded by a band of leaping,
exultant warriors who, from the interest they took in our asses and the
close manner in which they all scrutinised them, I judged had never seen
such animals before.
One of our captors, snatching my rifle from my grasp, held it aloft in
glee, crying,--
"Tippu-tib! Tippu-tib!" whereat his companions laughed and yelled
triumphantly.
This incident brought to my memory that the renown of the relentless
slave-raider Tippu-Tib had reached Omdurman, and that this name had been
bestowed upon him by the natives because the noise made by the rifles of
his dreaded band sounded like "tippu-tib." This savage's joy when, a
few moments later, on touching the trigger the rifle discharged, was
unbounded. The others crowded around him, chattering and gesticulating
like apes, then finding they could not cause another explosion they
handed it to me, compelling me to reload it. Again it was fired, one of
the dusky denizens of the forest narrowly escaping, for the bullet
struck his head-dress and carried it away, much to the amusement of his
companions.
While this was proceeding our position was exceedingly critical. As
prisoners in the hands of these vicious warriors our lives were in
greatest danger, and whither they were hurrying us we knew not.
As in sorry plight we were dragged forward, Tiamo addressed a question
to one of the sinewy savages who held him. At first it was apparent
that their tongue was different to any he knew, but after some questions
and replies, the dwarf, in a wail of dismay, cried to me in Arabic,--
"We are lost, O master! We are lost!"
"Keep a stout heart," I answered. "We may yet escape."
"Alas! never," he answered, in despair. "We have fallen into the hands
of the ghoulish Avisibba!"
"It is these men of whom we have been in search," I observed.
"Yea, O master! But have we not been told that they kill and eat their
captives? Have we not been warned that they are among the fiercest
cannibals of the Forest of the Congo?"
The truth of his assertion I could not deny. I glanced at the two
half-nude warriors who held me, and saw their white teeth had been filed
to points. The distinguishing mark upon their bodies appeared to be
double rows of tiny cicatrices across the chest and abdomen; they wore
wristlets of polished metal, several small rings in their ears, and
around their necks I distinguished in the twilight objects which caused
me to shudder in horror. Each wore around his neck a string of human
teeth!
Roughly they dragged us onward, until presently we struck a native path
tramped by travel to exceeding smoothness and hardness, but so narrow
that we were compelled to walk in single file through the dense jungle.
The path diverged suddenly at a point where a tree trunk had fallen
across it, and this point was avoided by my captors, who, instead of
stepping over the obstruction, plunged into the jungle and rejoined the
path further on. The reason of this I was not slow in ascertaining. I
found that in that fallen tree was one of the defences of the village we
were approaching. Just beyond the trunk, where the stranger would place
his foot in stepping over it, these crafty forest satyrs had placed a
number of sharp skewers smeared with arrow-poison, concealed by dead
leaves that had apparently floated down from the trees. Therefore, an
enemy approaching would receive a puncture, which in a few minutes would
result in death.
Suddenly, through the gnarled boles of the trees before us, we saw a
gleam of blue sky, and shortly afterwards found ourselves at a small
clearing on the bank of a broad river, which our captors told us was the
Nouellie, or, as some termed it, the Aruwimi. At the bank two
war-canoes were moored near a small village, and our asses having been
carefully tethered we were placed in one of the boats, and, escorted by
the remainder of the yelling, exultant cannibals, rowed up the winding
river a considerable distance, keeping along the opposite bank.
It was evident we were to be taken to the principal village, being
regarded as valuable prizes.
Accustomed as my companion and myself had grown to the perpetual
twilight, the sudden sunlight and brilliance of day dazzled us. The
waters seemed stagnant and motionless; the sun was at its zenith, and
the heat so terrible that even the black rowers, in spite of their
exultation at having captured two strangers, ceased rowing for a few
moments, keeping in the deep shadows of the mangroves and allowing the
canoe to drift. Again they rowed, and the boat, dividing the waters,
continued its sinuous course up the river, threading its way quickly
between the sombre forests. Upon the banks we could see great blue
alligators, stretched lazily in the mud, their slimy mouths agape, as on
their backs perched tiny, white birds, resting to plume themselves. On
the entwining, interlacing roots of the mangroves, brilliant
martin-fishers and curious lizards took their afternoon siesta, while
butterflies, with gorgeous wings, flitted here and there, sparkling like
jewels in the sunshine.
The scene was brilliant and beautiful after the darkness of the Great
Forest, but we had no time to admire the river's charms, for in a few
moments our canoe was turned suddenly into a creek, our captors sprang
ashore, dragging us out, and while several men ran on in front to
announce in the village the arrival of prisoners, the others pushed us
forward with scant politeness.
As soon as we came within sight of the village--a large collection of
low huts surrounded by a tall palisade, which we learned was called
Avisibba--hundreds of yelling savages of both sexes came forth to meet
us, and as we were triumphantly dragged along the wide space between the
two rows of huts, the crowd pressed around us, heaping curses upon us,
and causing a continual and ear-splitting din. Between the village and
the Aruwimi was a belt of forest about two gunshots wide. Each house
was surrounded by strong, tall palisades of split logs, higher than a
man, which rendered the place defensible even against rifles, and as we
were marched into the centre of the place with our captors holding up
our rifles, exhibiting them to the people, I noticed their threatening
expressions.
The populace were urging their warriors to kill us, and I feared the
worst. Pondering on the difficulties of the situation, I could discern
no ray of hope for the success of my mission.
When, however, our belongings had been thoroughly examined by the people
in the centre of the village, the excitement slowly abated, and after
every man, woman and child had come to gaze upon us with open-mouthed
curiosity, we were lashed securely to two trees opposite one another and
left to our own sad thoughts while our savage captors leaped, beat their
tam-tams and held great rejoicings within our sight, pointing in our
direction and capering gleefully before us.
In the centre of the village we could see men and women busily
constructing some kind of platform of roughly-hewn logs. Transfixed
with horror, our breath came and went quickly. We knew that these
people were fierce cannibals of bad repute, and, bound and helpless,
dreaded the worst.
They were erecting a kind of rude altar whereon our life-blood was to be
shed, and our hearts torn out and held up to the execration of the
dusky, screaming mob.