The morning after the chief's arrival there was a great commotion in the
kraal. Men ran to and fro, there was shouting and much talking, and at
last, followed by his warriors, the chief Umhleswa came down from the
council enclosure, and taking his way among the huts, halted at the
entrance of that which had been assigned to the white men. Umhleswa
found them seated under the tree which overshadowed their home, and,
whatever he might think of them, his own appearance was in no way
prepossessing. Under the middle height, his legs were curved, or bowed,
his forehead low and retreating, the part of the head behind the ears
being very massive. The ears themselves were enormous, and the mouth
very large; the nose flattened, and the lips thick. He wore the usual
set of small buttons let into the flesh, but they were of virgin gold;
and a panther skin was attached by a golden clasp round the waist,
falling like a Highland kilt. A number of small objects of glass,
beads, and ivory hung down from his waist, making a rattle as he walked.
Bound his ankles, wrists, and the fleshy part of the arm were circles
of copper. He carried no arms, but held in his hand a stick, also of
gold, about a foot long, and his teeth were filed, giving an appearance
of savage ferocity to his repulsive face. The white men rose, and some
additional skins being brought, the three chiefs, Umhleswa, the
missionary, and the soldier, seated themselves, the warriors squatting
in a circle around.
"The white chiefs are not traders, but like gold," said the savage,
after a prolonged stare. "They seek some fallen huts, formerly made by
their white fathers?" asked he, speaking in the Zulu tongue.
"Achmet Ben Arif spoke truly when he told you so, Umhleswa," was the
reply.
"The white chiefs saw the fallen house at Sofala. In the mountains at
Gorongoza are caves; the traders of the Zambesi built the house, the
worshippers of the white man's God lived at Gorongoza. There are no
other remains of them."
"And the stone tablets on the mountain?" eagerly asked the missionary.
The lips of the savage parted, showing the sharp filed teeth. "They are
the graves of those who served the white man's god."
"And no other ruined huts are here?"
"None. Let the white chiefs hunt with my warriors, they are welcome;
the elephant and the rhinoceros are in plenty. The Zambesi is not far
distant, when they are tired of the hunt."
The missionary was terribly disappointed, for the chief's face bore on
it a look of truthfulness. There was no reason for doubting him, and he
did not do so.
"Umhleswa would see the chiefs hunt himself. Cattle were carried away
from his kraal last night. The robbers were three in number, and are
panthers. My scouts are out on the spoor: will the white men join my
braves this day?"
"Willingly," replied the missionary, who at once explained what had
passed to the soldier. Tired of a week's inactivity, the latter was
enchanted at the chance. The rifles and ammunition were soon ready.
One of the scouts came in with his report that the spoor had been
followed into a neighbouring wood, and that the three panthers had not
left it. The party consisted of the Europeans and the Matabele chief,
together with Umhleswa and about thirty of his tribe. The men were
armed with spears, some carrying bows and arrows, the chief alone having
an old Spanish long-barrelled fowling piece, damascened with gold.
About four miles of plain lay stretched between the Amatonga village and
the forest line, and it was to this the whole troop of noisy savages,
headed by their chief and the two white men, took their way in a body.
The forest-land, broken at intervals by patches of plain watered by a
small stream, stretched away to the mountains, and once it was reached,
Umhleswa made his arrangements. All the men armed with assegais were
told off as beaters, and advancing in a long line they carried the bush
before them. The rest, armed with bows and arrows, were stationed in
small groups at the further extremity of the thick cover. Several
patches of bush had thus been beaten out, and no game was found.
"What immense numbers of parrots these woods contain," said Hughes.
"And how slowly and well these savages beat. I should not like to face
a panther with nothing but an assegai," replied Wyzinski.
The two were standing close to the chief as the missionary spoke, a
strong party of the bowmen near, when a tremendous uproar took place
among the spearmen, a shrill, piercing scream sounding high above the
clamour.
"The panther has struck down one of my braves," exclaimed the Amatonga
chief, listening eagerly.
The clamour became louder and louder, seeming to recede.
"Look out, Hughes, they are doubling back, and, if they don't succeed,
must break out."
Hardly had the words been uttered, when three panthers dashed out from
the cover, about twenty paces only from where Umhleswa stood. They
looked beautiful but dangerous, as they crouched for a few moments on
their bellies in the sand, the bright sun streaming over their painted
hides, the end of the tail moving slowly to and fro, and showing their
white teeth; then rising, the three, evidently male and female, with
their young one a little behind them, came slowly forward, ever
crouching for the spring and snarling savagely.
"Are you ready, Wyzinski?" said Hughes, in a low hoarse tone; "take the
female--it is nearest to you."
The men with the bows had disappeared; not so Umhleswa, who stood his
ground firmly.
"Take the young one, chief," whispered the missionary to the Amatonga.
Both the rifles united in one common report, the Spanish piece ringing
out a second later. The male panther sprang into the air and fell,
nearly at the feet of the little party, quite dead. The female, badly
wounded, broke away towards the mountains, while the young one made his
spring, striking down the Amatonga chief, and, dashing through a party
of the assegai men, again sought shelter in the bush. The fore-arm of
the female panther was broken, but it ultimately gained the mountains,
with a party of some dozen men after it, yelling, shouting, and
discharging their arrows at impossible distances. The poor fellow who
had been struck down in the bush was dead, and his body was laid beside
the carcass of the leopard. Umhleswa was a good deal hurt; the blow
having struck his head, but the animal being young, weak, and
frightened, had inflicted only a scalp wound; nevertheless, the chief
was stunned, and it was an hour before he recovered consciousness.
For the first time since their arrival among the Amatongas the white men
were left to their own device. The confusion was very great, and all
assembled round their unconscious chief. A litter was constructed, and
they started for the kraal, the whole party of savages accompanying it.
The two Europeans, having once more loaded their rifles, stood watching
the retiring and discomfited savages.
"We ought to have that second tiger, Wyzinski; you fired too low," at
last observed Hughes.
"I suppose I did, confused doubtless by the three leaping animals. I am
sorry for it. Umhleswa missed his, and it is humiliating that I only
wounded mine."
"Well, what say you, shall we follow the spoor; it will lead us to
yonder mountains, where we shall in all probability find the wounded
panther?"
"What if we were to follow the young one?"
"No, it would lead us into the forest, and besides it is unwounded. The
Amatonga chief missed, and his braves ran away; let us bring in the
female; and besides that, now that the hope of finding your cherished
ruins has vanished, we have nothing to do but look for sport. The more
reason we should not lose this chance."
The missionary stood leaning on his rifle, and he slowly shook his head
as he answered--
"My faith in the existence of those ruins is unshaken; but there was a
look of truth in the face of the savage when he assured us none such
existed here. Well, we will go to Manica, and perhaps Machin, who is
represented as a powerful chief, may throw some light on that."
"Ay, but how will you get over the sacred nature of the ruins if they do
exist?"
"By bribery; depend upon it, nothing succeeds better with the virtuous
Amatonga."
"Well, good-bye to the ruins at present; and whether Solomon knew the
land or not, or whether Ophir be here of elsewhere, our object is the
skin of the panther."
Their rifles at the trail, the two hunters moved forward towards the
mountains, from which they were separated by several belts of forest,
guided by the gouts of blood which the wounded animal had left. These
tracks led at first across the open. Here there could be no mistake,
for the bowmen had followed the animal for some distance, shouting and
firing off their arrows, but the two hunters soon struck into the brush
once more, and still guided by the spots of blood, pressed on cautiously
but quickly. Hardly a word was spoken as they forced their way onward,
the yells and shouts of the Amatongas dying away; and, with the
exception of the breaking of the branches, and the sound of running
water in the bed of the stream, all was still. After heavy rains this
river must be a considerable one, but at that moment it was small, so
the hunters followed, so far as was practicable, its course, the wounded
panther having done the same. After having proceeded thus some two
miles in the brush, sometimes stumbling over the boulders of stone,
sometimes with difficulty forcing a pathway among the trees and bushes,
the river turned suddenly to the right, and as suddenly the forest
ceased.
The missionary halted, and looked about him anxiously.
"What's the matter?" asked Hughes in a low tone, cocking his rifle as he
spoke.
"See," answered the other, "the stream has been dammed up here, and
there are evident traces of masonry. This is strange."
"We are close to the end of this belt of forest-land, and shall soon
solve the mystery, if there be one."
"There is a considerable sheet of water here, and why should it exist?
Can we be near some large kraal?"
Slowly the two moved forward, and as they did so the trees became
gradually further apart, the banks of the stream seemed quite clear,
even from brushwood. A sharp bend led to the right, and there before
them, tumbled here and there among the mighty trees, looking like masses
of rock, lay scattered far as the eye could reach, following the bend of
the river, fallen masonry.
Both stopped dead in utter astonishment, looking like men at once
frightened and bewildered, the missionary's usually calm and impassive
countenance growing one moment deadly, pale, the next flushing a deep
crimson. So great was the shock, so totally unexpected the event--for
he had perfectly believed in what the Amatonga had said--that the tears
stood in his eyes.
Here, then, was a confirmation of all his theories. Here the vast ruins
among the gold fields of king Solomon; here the source of the Sabe, or
Golden River, down whose stream the boats of bygone days floated gold,
cedar-wood, and precious stones. An Englishman's first impulse at once
seized on Hughes, and, yielding to it, the two exchanged a vigorous
shake of the hand.
"What could induce Umhleswa to tell us such an untruth?" were the first
words which broke from the missionary's lips.
"Because the ruins are sacred, and these people believe no rain will
fall for three years if they be molested," was the reply. A sense of
the danger now stole upon the missionary's mind as his comrade spoke.
"Hughes, I shall go on; but I have no right and no wish to endanger your
life. Leave the adventure to me; return to camp while there is yet
time."
The soldier's face flushed to the roots of his hair, and he made no
reply, simply grasping his rifle and moving forward.
"Stay," urged the missionary, laying his hand on the other's shoulder,
"I meant no unkindness. As a matter of simple prudence you ought to
return. If harm happened to one of us, it would not matter as far as
the world is concerned; if to both, this secret would be lost with us."
"Don't talk nonsense," replied Hughes, firmly, "but come along. We are
comrades in danger as in all else. What one shares, the other does too.
This must have been once a vast pile."
"Gold, cedars, and now the ruins; we have found all," muttered the
missionary, as, yielding the point, he strode onward, once more sinking
into reverie.
There rose right in front of them two massive ruins of pyramidical form,
which must at one time have been of great height. Even now, broken and
fallen as they were, the solid bases only remaining, they were noble and
imposing. Part had come tumbling down, in one jumbled mass, into the
bed of the river, while the dwarf acacia and palm were shooting up among
the stones, breaking and disjointing them. The two gazed long and
silently at these vast mounds, the very memory of whose builders had
passed away.
Awe-struck and surprised, they sat down by the stream, and, without
exchanging a word, drank of the clear water. Their clothes torn, hands
and faces bleeding from the exertions made in forcing their way through
the bush, their skin tanned to a deep mahogany colour, there they stood
at last among the ruined cities of a lost race. By the banks of the
stream the pomegranate, the plantain, and the mango, were growing in
wild luxuriance--trees not known in the land, consequently imported.
Overshadowing the fallen blocks of stone, the date-tree and palmyra
waved their fan-like leaves. Dense masses of powerful creepers crept up
the ruins, rending the solid masonry; and the seeds of the trees
dropping year by year had produced a rapid undergrowth, those which had
once been valuable fruit-trees having degenerated into wild ones. Chaos
had, in a word, re-appeared where once trade and prosperity, order and
regularity reigned.
"Let us gather some of the custard-apples, and climb yonder ruin," said
the missionary, speaking for the first time.
It was no easy task; for the accumulation of fallen masonry, and the
dense growth of the brush, rendered it often necessary for the onward
path to be cleared by the use of the knife. The whole mass appeared at
one time to have been encircled by a wall, now fallen, the entrances to
which could be distinctly traced, and this confirmed the report which,
had been gathered by the missionaries of Santa Lucia Bay.
Slowly the two forced their way towards the vast ruined mound they were
striving to gain, often stumbling and falling among the loose stones and
treacherous creepers.
A crowd of half-fallen passages led away to right and left, terminating
in what appeared to be a court-yard, in which were the remains of
pillars of stone.
"There has once been carved work on these pillars, Hughes," said the
missionary, as they paused, breathless with their exertions, before a
mighty column. "The action of ages has worn it away."
"And what is more singular," replied Hughes, who now seemed as much
interested in the ruins as his comrade, "no mortar of any kind appears
to have been used, the massive stones fitting into one another exactly."
"This temple or palace has stood upon a kind of platform of masonry,"
remarked the missionary, "with broad steps leading up to it. What a
commanding object it must then have been."
"The difficulty will be to climb what was once the flight of steps,"
said Hughes. "I don't see how we can manage it."
Slinging their rifles behind them, and after many failures, the two
helping each other from time to time, and taking advantage of every
projection, stood at last on the raised platform on which the building
had rested. Below them ran a maze of crumbled galleries and
court-yards: and wherever the eye could penetrate, mounds of fallen
masonry cropped up amidst the dense forest growth.
The vast ruin itself was now a shapeless mass, being utterly broken and
defaced. The top of the mound was overgrown by bush, interlaced with
creeping plants, and, as using their knives, the two cut their way
onward, the light of day penetrated feebly into a ruined chamber of vast
size. A dead silence reigned therein, and as they paused at the
entrance and looked back on the scene which lay below, perhaps the first
Europeans who had stood on that weird spot for many ages, the missionary
could not but feel dispirited.
"The day-dream of my life realised. I stand among the ruins of the
cities of old; but where they begin, or where they end I know not. The
forest has re-asserted her old rights, torn from her by the hand of
civilisation," he remarked.
"Look where you will there is nothing to be seen but broken mounds and
tottering walls; it would require a brigade of men and years of work to
clear these ruins," replied Hughes.
"Yes, the extent of them is a mystery at present. We can but affirm
their existence. What a deep dead silence hangs over the spot. Let us
go on."
They penetrated the ruined chamber, but hardly had they put their feet
across the threshold, when bats in vast numbers came sweeping along,
raising, as they did so, a fine dust, which was nearly blinding. The
ruins seemed their home, and there they lived, bred, and died in
countless numbers. Some were of a sickly-looking greenish colour, and
of heavy and lumbering flight, often striking against the two explorers
as they came along.
At one moment the missionary was surrounded by these tenants of the
ruined palace, these winged things which had taken for themselves the
abodes of the Pharaohs of old. He struck out in self-defence and killed
several, measuring one for curiosity. Its length was only between five
and six inches, but when the wings were spread it was at least nineteen
from tip to tip. Their numbers seemed to increase, for troops of
others, of a dull brownish-red colour, joined their loathsome
companions, and then a third species of a chestnut brown, mingled with
dingy white, came trooping along. What the building had been it was
impossible to tell; but it must have once seemed a mighty pile standing
on its platform of stonework, with a flight of broad steps leading to
it. These steps had disappeared; but remains of them could be noticed,
and from the elevation where the two stood the line which had once been
the wall of the town could be traced here and there. There were not any
remains of a purely Egyptian character, save a worn arabesque
representing the process of maize-grinding; but this was to be seen
daily practised among the tribes, and therefore proved nothing, for it
remained an open question whether the natives had taken it from the
sculptor, or whether he had imitated the natives. Here and there were
remains of carvings representing serpents, birds, and beasts of uncouth
form, leading to the belief that the building had once been a temple.
Passing along, nearly blinded by the fine dust, their knives cut them a
way out, and the breeze and sunshine seemed doubly welcome after the
dank, confined air of the old ruin. Huge lizards glided away among the
broken stones as they emerged from the corridor--for such it seemed--and
monkeys were to be seen darting away among the trees as they let
themselves down from the platform. These animals had not any tails,
resembling those found among the Atlas mountains; while the jackal and
hyena, surprised at the sight of human beings in this solitary spot,
sneaked away among the masses of fallen masonry, snarling as they looked
back. Near the stream the spoor of the elephant was distinctly visible,
and it was evident this was one of their favourite feeding grounds, for
the banks were strewed with the broken branches of the mashuka-trees,
and the debris of the plantains. The tamarind-trees and palmyra grew
luxuriantly, and for hours the two wandered among the ruins or, seated
on the fallen heaps, lost themselves in conjectures on the past, "It is
impossible," at last said Wyzinski, seating himself, fairly wearied out,
"for us to explore further these relics of the past. We can but tell of
their existence, I repeat."
"The axe, or fire--perhaps both--would be necessary before even their
extent could be known," replied Hughes. "Look at that mass of masonry,
thickly hedged round with date, camel thorn, and white mimosa. Mark the
thick undergrowth and the strange creeping vine-like shrubs running
along the ground, and festooning themselves to the trees, and the
difficulty will be realised."
"There seem to me to be caves cut in yonder mountain-side: let us go
there."
In rear of the ruins rose the slopes of the Malopopo hills, and leading
in that direction was a kind of passage through a lower range, the river
flowing in the middle. On each side rose the rocks, scarped down
towards the bed of the stream, from which coal was cropping out. The
summits of the hills were worn and rounded by the action of time, and
here and there clumps of trees were growing on the river banks. It was
up this cut the two advanced, Hughes leading. Stopping as he turned a
shoulder of the rock, the missionary joined him. Seven rhinoceroses
were sleeping quietly by the water side under the trees, the boughs of
which were literally bending under the mass of nests made by the same
bright yellow bird which had been seen so numerous on the Sofala river.
The animals were totally different from any other that had been seen.
"They have a perfectly smooth skin," remarked Hughes.
"Yes, and are of a pale yellow colour instead of brown, like the one
which treated me so unceremoniously in the country of the Matabele.
Both the horns too are pointed, and both long."
"We had better look out. See they have awoke, and are getting into line
ready to charge us."
In fact the brutes seemed very savage, and so soon as they perceived the
intruders on their solitude, they charged down the glen. Scrambling up
a rock, the danger was easily avoided. The herd passed on except one
old cow with its young one, who halted after having gone some twenty
yards, and turning deliberately round returned, gazing with apparently
great curiosity at the white men. It was impossible to pass; and there
stood the great lumbering animal fairly mounting guard over the two who,
perched on the rock, were only wishful to be left alone.
There was nothing for it, however, but to get rid of the troublesome
visitor; so, leaning the rifles on the flat rock on which they were
lying, by agreement both aimed for the centre of the forehead. The two
reports seemed as one, as for a moment the rhinoceros stood firmly, and
then fell over into the river, dyeing the water with blood. It was a
great size, measuring close upon twelve feet in length, and ten in
girth, while the horns were so nearly matched that there was not a
quarter of an inch difference between them. The openings of several
caves were to be seen, and near one there appeared to have been some
fight lately, for blood, evidently quite fresh, was lying about.
To this cave the two climbed, entering very cautiously. Chance had
again favoured them, for there lay the leopard quite dead. Bones of
different kinds were heaped about, showing that for a time at least it
had been the abode of wild animals. It was about twenty feet high, and
there were some curious carvings on the walls, the entrance having
evidently been scarped down by the hand of man. Close to the doorway
were two colossal carvings, as if to guard the mouth of the cave. Each
represented the figure of a nearly naked warrior, having a covering only
round the loins; and each held in his hand two spears, and not having
any shield--in this widely differing from the present race. The faces
of these figures seemed of an Arab type. There was no trace of door,
but some broken remains would seem to indicate that the entrance had
once been walled up, while close by lay a slab of stone bearing a
tracing on it of the figure of the African elephant. There were many
similar caverns here and there in the mountain-side.
"The sun is sinking, Wyzinski," said Hughes, "It will be impossible to
retrace our way in the darkness, and the moon does not rise until eleven
o'clock; we had better stay where we are."
"I am tired out," replied the missionary. "I don't doubt but that these
caverns have once been the graves of the dead belonging to yonder city.
This may well serve for ours, only we must contrive a fire."
"Yes, or we may have the young leopard back, if Umhleswa's Spanish rifle
has not done for him. We have still half an hour of daylight: the
branches dragged down by the elephants lie in heaps down yonder, and are
dry."
The half hour sufficed, a fire was lit at the entrance of the cave on
the ledge outside, and the missionary, lying down, was soon buried in
sleep.
The day had been very hot, and what with the excitement, fatigue, and
want of nourishment, the two were tired out. Still Hughes determined to
watch, as heaping wood on the fire, he placed his rifle on his knees,
and leaned back in a sitting posture against the rock. Night came on;
the cries of the animals began to be heard, and the jackals soon found
out the carcass of the rhinoceros. The stars were very brilliant, and
the soldier sat thinking of the past, and peopling in imagination those
fantastic masses of fallen ruin which had once at that hour rang with
bustle and merriment. The wind came in hot puffs, making the date and
palmyra leaves rustle as they waved to and fro; the noise of the stream
breaking over the fallen masonry was very monotonous, and soon the
sentry found himself dozing. He rose, heaped fresh wood on the fire,
looked out from the ledge into the night, listened to the cracking of
the branches, which told him that elephants were not far off, and then
again sat down.
The moon rose, silvering with its beams the finely-cut leaves of the
tall palmyra and the broken ruins, shining on the human figure at the
entrance of the cave, and gleaming on the bright barrel and lock of the
English rifle; but the soldier slept on his post; the jackals fought
over the carrion, the fire burned lower and lower, and finally went out.
Day was dawning, when a loud shout close to the mouth of the cavern
woke both the soldier and the missionary, but only to find themselves
surrounded by a band of the Amatonga warriors fully armed, while the
savage eyes and filed teeth of their chief Umhleswa, seemed to give a
more vindictive expression than ever to his repulsive face.
Volume 1, Chapter XI.