Four days later Stasch made a halt on a plateau that, although smaller
and narrower than Linde Mountain, bore a great resemblance to it. That
very evening Saba attacked a large baboon as he was playing with the
remains of a kite—the second of those which the children had sent up
before they started to travel toward the ocean—and after a hard fight
bit him to death. Stasch and Nell, profiting by the halt to rest
themselves, decided to continue making kites, but to send them up only
when a strong monsoon was blowing from the west toward the east. Stasch
calculated that if but one of them were to fall into the hands of
Europeans or Arabians it would certainly excite unusual interest, and
might be the means of a special expedition sent out to seek them. That
his message might stand a better chance of being understood, he wrote on
the kites not only in English and French, but also in Arabic, which was
not difficult for him, as he was familiar with that language. Shortly
after they broke up camp here Kali said that in the chain of mountains
which they saw toward the east he recognized many peaks as those which
surround the large sheet of dark water, the Basso-Narok, but he was not
quite positive, because the mountains assume different shapes, according
to the position of the observer. After having passed a fairly broad
valley covered with kousso bushes, that resembled a large pink sea, they
came upon a solitary negro hut, inside of which were two hunters, one of
whom was ill, having been bitten by a guinea-worm.[35] Both were so
savage and stupid, so dismayed at the sight of these unexpected guests,
and so certain that they intended to kill them, that at first they would
give no information. It took a few strips of smoked meat to loosen the
tongue of the sick man, who, besides being ill, was half starved, as his
comrade allowed him but little food. From him they learned that one
day’s journey farther on there were some scattered hamlets, which were
governed by two chiefs independent of each other, and that farther on,
behind a steep mountain, lay the Fumba country, which extends from this
great sheet of water toward the west and south. When Stasch heard this
he felt that a great load had been lifted from him, and he took courage
once more. For were they not near the boundary of the land belonging to
the Wa-hima tribe?
It was, of course, hard to tell how they would find the remainder of the
journey, but in any event the boy had reason to hope that it would not
be more fatiguing or longer than the terrible ride from the banks of the
Nile to the plain where they now were, which distance he had
accomplished, thanks to his wonderful quickness of action, and during
which time he had saved Nell from death. He knew that the Wa-hima would
welcome them most hospitably for Kali’s sake, and would assist them in
every way. Besides, he was accustomed to negroes, and knew how to manage
them; so he felt pretty sure he could get along with them even without
Kali.
“Do you know,” he said to Nell, “that we have already covered more than
half the distance between Fashoda and the sea, and during the remainder
of our journey we may meet more savage negroes, but we are free from the
Dervishes?”
“I prefer negroes,” answered the girl.
“Yes, as long as you pass for an idol. I was stolen from Fayoum along
with a girl called Nell, and now I am bringing a Msimu home. I shall
tell my father and Mr. Rawlison that they are not to call you by any
other name.”
Her eyes began to twinkle merrily.
“Perhaps we shall see our papas in Mombasa!”
“Perhaps. If it were not for the war raging on the banks of the
Basso-Narok, we might accomplish our journey sooner. How provoking that
Fumba should go to war just at this time!”
At these words he beckoned to Kali.
“Kali, has the sick negro heard anything about a war?”
“Yes. There is a great, a very great war between Fumba and Samburu.”
“Then what will happen? How can we travel through the Samburu land?”
“The Samburu will run away from the great man, from King and from Kali.”
“And from you?”
“And from Kali, for Kali has a gun that thunders and kills.”
Stasch began to consider what part he would have to take in the war
between the Wa-hima and Samburu tribes; he determined that the war
should not interfere with their journey. He knew that their arrival
would be a great surprise, and that it would give Fumba the upper hand.
Therefore, all he need do would be to turn the prospective victory to
his own advantage.
On arriving in the small villages of which the sick hunter had made
mention, they made further inquiries in regard to the war. And the news
became more and more reliable, but at the same time unfavorable to
Fumba. The small travelers learned that he was on the defensive, and
that the Samburu, led by Mamba, their king, had taken a considerable
portion of the Wa-hima’s country and captured a great many cows. It was
said that the seat of war was on the south bank of the large sheet of
water, where Fumba’s great “boma”[36] was situated, on a high and broad
mountain.
This news made Kali feel very sad. He begged Stasch to travel as fast as
he could over the mountain which separated them from the district that
was menaced by the war, and he promised to find a road over which they
could lead King as well as the horses. They were now in a country with
which Kali was very familiar, and he recognized the mountain peaks he
had known since childhood.
But it was no easy matter to cross the mountain, and if they had not
been assisted by the inhabitants of the last village, whose good favor
they had won with gifts, they would have had to find another road for
King. But these people knew the ravines on this side of the mountain
better than Kali did, and after a wearisome journey of two days and two
nights, during which they suffered greatly from the cold, they were
eventually able to lead the caravan over a narrow pass into a valley
which from its appearance seemed to belong to the land of the Wa-himas.
Stasch made a halt to take a rest in this barren valley, which was
enclosed by shrubbery, but Kali, who begged to be allowed to go on
horseback to reconnoiter in the direction of his father’s boma, which
lay a day’s journey distant, started off that very night. Stasch and
Nell anxiously awaited his return for a whole following day and night,
and they felt convinced that his strength must have given out, or that
he must have fallen into the hands of the enemy. At last he reappeared
on his weary and panting horse, he himself so tired and depressed that
it made one sad to see him.
He prostrated himself at Stasch’s feet and begged him to come to the
rescue.
“Oh, Great Man,” he said, “the Samburu have conquered Fumba’s warriors
and killed several of them, and those they have not killed they have
driven out; and they are besieging Fumba in the great ‘boma’ on Boko
Mountain. Fumba and his warriors have nothing to eat on the mountain and
will perish if the Great Man does not kill Mamba and all the Samburus.”
While begging, he clasped Stasch’s knees; the latter frowned and
considered what he should do, for, as always, Nell was his first
consideration.
At length he asked, “Where are the warriors of Fumba whom the Samburus
have dispersed?”
“Kali found them—and they will soon be here.”
“How many of them are there?”
The young negro moved his fingers and toes several times, but apparently
he could not give the exact number, for the simple reason that he could
not count further than ten, and that every higher number was “wengi,”
which means “many.”
“When they come, put yourself at their head and hasten to the relief of
your father,” said Stasch.
“They are afraid of the Samburus and would not go with Kali, but they
would go with the Great Man and kill wengi, wengi Samburus.”
Stasch thought the matter over once more.
“No,” he said at last. “I can neither take Bibi to the battle nor leave
her behind alone; nothing would tempt me to do it.”
Thereupon Kali arose, folded his hands, and began repeating over and
over again:
“Lunla! Lunla! Lunla!”
“What do you mean by Lunla?” asked Stasch.
“A great boma for the wives of the Wa-himas and the Samburus,” answered
the young negro.
And he began to tell quite wonderful tales. For Fumba and Mamba had been
at war with each other for several years. They had destroyed each
other’s plantations and stolen each other’s cattle. But on the south
bank of the lake there was a place called Lunla, in which—even during
the hardest battles—the women of both tribes assembled to hold their
market. This place was sacred. The war only raged between the men; the
fortunes of war did not affect the destiny of the women, who found a
safe refuge in Lunla, their spacious market-place, which was enclosed by
earthworks. During these disturbances many of them fled there with their
children and possessions. Some came from even the most distant villages,
bringing smoked meat, beans, millet, manioc, and various other kinds of
provisions. The warriors were not allowed to battle nearer Lunla than
within earshot of the crowing of a cock, and they were not allowed
within the earthworks which encircled the market-place. They could only
stand in front of the wall, and then the women handed them down
provisions by means of long bamboo rods. This was an old-fashioned
custom respected by both parties. But the victorious side always tried
to hold the road to Lunla so as to prevent the vanquished from
approaching near enough to the sacred place to hear the cock crow.
“Oh Great Man,” begged Kali once more, as he clasped Stasch’s knee, “the
Great Man will bring Bibi to Lunla, and he will take King and Kali and
the gun and the fiery snakes and he will conquer the wicked Samburus.”
Stasch believed the young negro’s story, for he had heard that in many
parts of Africa women are not affected by the wars. He remembered that a
young German missionary in Port Said had once told him that the most
warlike tribe of Masai, living in the vicinity of the great Kilima Njaro
Mountain, followed this custom, and that consequently the wives of the
warriors on either side could pass freely and unmolested to the
market-place agreed upon without fear of being attacked.[37] Stasch was
much pleased that this custom still prevailed on the banks of the
Basso-Narok, for he felt confident that Nell would not be in any danger
from the war. He also concluded to break up camp at once and take Nell
to Lunla, which he was particularly desirous of doing, because a further
journey was out of the question until the war was over, and the help of
both the Wa-himas and the Samburus was necessary.
Accustomed as he was to make quick decisions, Stasch knew at once what
to do. To release Fumba, to conquer the Samburus, to prevent the
Wa-himas from taking too bloody a revenge, to command peace and reunite
the antagonists seemed to him absolutely necessary, not only for his own
sake, but also for the negroes. “It must be accomplished and it shall
be!” he said to himself, and in the meanwhile, to pacify Kali, for whom
he felt much sympathy, he explained to him that he by no means refused
his assistance.
“How far is it from here to Lunla?” he asked.
“Half a day’s journey.”
“Then listen. We will take Bibi there at once; then I will ride on King
and drive the Samburus from your father’s boma. You will ride with me
and fight against them.”
“Kali will kill them with the gun.”
His despair changed to joy at once; he began to hop, to laugh, and to
thank Stasch with as much enthusiasm as if the victory were already won.
Further outbursts of gratitude and joy were interrupted by the arrival
of the warriors he had collected during his reconnoitering, and whom he
had commanded to appear before the white man. There were about thirty
men, armed with shields of hippotamus skins, darts, bows, and knives.
On their heads they wore feathers, manes of baboons, and bouquets of
ferns. On beholding an elephant in the service of a human being, on
seeing Saba and the horses, they were seized with fear and surprise,
just as was the case with the negroes in the villages through which the
caravan had previously passed. But Kali had already told them that they
would see a good Msimu and a powerful man, “who kills lions, who killed
a wobo, of whom the elephant is afraid, who breaks rocks, makes fiery
snakes rise in the air, etc.” So instead of running away, they formed in
a long line and stood there silent and astonished, the whites of their
eyes gleaming, for they were still uncertain whether they ought to kneel
down or fall on their faces, but they firmly believed that, with the
help of these extraordinary beings, the triumph of the Samburus would
soon be at an end. Stasch rode on the elephant through the rank and file
of the standing warriors like the leader of an army holding a review;
then he made Kali repeat his promise to release Fumba, and gave orders
to break camp for Lunla.
Kali rode in front with several warriors to tell the assembled wives of
both tribes that they were to have rarer good fortune than ever before,
in seeing the “good Msimu,” who was coming to them riding on an
elephant. This was such an extraordinary occurrence that even those
women of the Wa-hima tribe who recognized Kali as the lost heir to the
throne thought that the king’s young son was trying to make fun of them,
and they were surprised that he attempted to joke when the whole tribe
and Fumba were in such desperate straits. But several hours later, when
an enormous elephant with a white palanquin on his back was seen
approaching the earthworks, they were nearly beside themselves with joy,
and welcomed the good Msimu with such shouts and howls that Stasch
mistook the uproar for outbursts of hatred, especially as these negroes
were so hideously ugly that they looked like witches.
But this was their way of showing their great admiration. When Nell’s
tent was set up in a corner of the market-place, in the shade of two
trees with luxuriant foliage, the Wa-hima and the Samburu women adorned
it with garlands and wreaths of flowers; then they brought such a
quantity of food that it was not only enough for the goddess herself,
but also enough to last her retinue for a month. The delighted women
even bowed before Mea, who was adorned with pink percale and several
strings of blue glass beads, and for this reason, and also because she
was Msimu’s servant, she seemed to them to be of much higher rank than
an ordinary negress.
Nasibu, on account of his youth, was also allowed within the enclosure,
and he immediately profited by the offerings brought to Nell, and
applied himself so conscientiously to eating that an hour later his
little stomach resembled an African war-drum.
-----
Footnote 35:
Medinensis, a thin string-worm, from an inch to a yard in length; its
bite sometimes causes gangrene.
Footnote 36:
same as the zareba in the Soudan. A large boma may also be a kind of
castle or fortified camp.
Footnote 37:
actual fact.