"How many more days, Jan, will it be before we get across this
abominable desert?" I asked of our black guide, as we trudged along, he
leading our sole remaining ox, while my uncle, Mr Roger Farley, and I
led our two horses laden with the remnants of our property.
"May be ten days, may be two ten," answered Jan Jigger, whose knowledge
of numerals was somewhat limited.
I gave a groan, for I was footsore and weary, and expected to have had a
more satisfactory answer. We were making our way over a light-coloured
soft sand, sprinkled in some places with tall grass, rising in tufts,
with bare spots between them. In other parts were various creeping
plants, and also--though I called the region a desert--there were
extensive patches of bushes, above which here and there rose clumps of
trees of considerable height. This large amount of vegetation, however,
managed to exist without streams or pools, and for miles and miles
together we had met with no water to quench our own thirst or that of
our weary beasts. My uncle was engaged in the adventurous and not
unprofitable occupation of trading with the natives in the interior of
Africa. He had come down south some months before to dispose of the
produce of his industry at Graham's Town, where I had joined him, having
been sent for from England. After purchasing a fresh supply of goods,
arms, powder, and shot, and giving a thorough repair to his waggons, he
had again set off northward for the neighbourhood of lake Ngami, where
he was to meet his partner, Mr Welbourn, who had with him his son
Harry, with whom I had been at school, and who was about my own age. We
had, beyond the borders of the colony, been attacked by a party of
savages, instigated by the Boers, two or three of whom indeed led them.
They had deprived us of our cattle and men, we having escaped with a
small portion only of our goods, two of our horses, a single ox and our
one faithful Bechuana. To get away from our enemies we had taken a
route unusually followed across the Kalahari desert. We were aware of
the dangers and difficulties to be encountered, but the road was much
shorter than round either to the east or west; and though we knew that
wild animals abounded, including elephants, rhinoceroses, lions,
leopards, and hyaenas, yet we believed that we should be able to contend
with them, and that we should not be impeded by human savages. Day
after day we trudged forward. The only water we could obtain was by
digging into certain depressions in the ground which our guide pointed
out, when, having scraped out the sand with the single spade we
possessed and our hands, we arrived at a hard stratum, beyond which he
advised us not to go. In a short time the water began to flow in
slowly, increasing by degrees until we had enough for ourselves and our
cattle.
We had now, however, been travelling sixty miles or more, without
finding one of these water-holes; and though we had still a small
quantity of the precious liquid for ourselves, our poor horses and ox
had begun to suffer greatly. Still Jan urged us to go forward.
"Water come soon, water come soon!" he continued saying, keeping his eye
ranging about in every direction in search of the expected hole.
Trusting to Jan's assurances, thirst compelled us to consume the last
drop of our water. Still, hour after hour went by, and we reached no
place at which we could replenish it. Our sufferings became terrible.
My throat felt as if seared by a hot iron. Often I had talked of being
thirsty, but I had never before known what thirst really was. My uncle,
I had no doubt, was suffering as much as I was, but his endurance was
wonderful.
We had seen numbers of elands sporting round us in every direction, but
as soon as we approached them, off they bounded.
"Surely those deer do not live without water; it cannot be far away," I
observed.
"They are able to pass days and weeks without tasting any," said my
uncle. "They can besides quickly cover thirty or forty miles of ground
if they wish to reach it. We must try to shoot one of them for supper,
which may give us both meat and drink. See, in the wood yonder we can
leave our horses and the ox under Jan's care, and you and I will try to
stalk one of the animals."
On reaching the wood, my uncle and I, with our guns in our hands, took a
direction which would lead us to leeward of the herd, so that we might
not be scented as we approached.
By creeping along under the shelter of some low bushes as we neared
them, the elands did not see us. Hunger and thirst made us unusually
cautious and anxious to kill one. My uncle told me to reserve my fire,
in case he should fail to bring the eland down; but as he was a much
better shot than I was, I feared that should he miss, I also should
fail. Presently I saw him rise from among the grass. Lifting his rifle
to his shoulder he fired; the eland gave a bound, but alighting on its
feet was scampering off, when I eagerly raised my rifle and pulled the
trigger. As the smoke cleared off, to my infinite delight I saw the
eland struggling on the grass. We both rushed forward, and my uncle's
knife quickly deprived it of life. It was a magnificent animal, as big
as an ox, being the largest of the South African antelopes.
On opening its stomach we discovered water, which, on being allowed to
cool, was sufficiently pure to quench our burning thirst. We secured a
portion of it for Jan, and loading ourselves with as much meat as we
could carry, we returned to where we had left him. A fire was soon
lighted, and we lost no time in cooking a portion of the flesh. With
our thirst partially relieved we were able to eat. We had made our fire
at some distance from the shrubs for fear of igniting them, while we
tethered our horses and ox among the longest grass we could find. In
that dry region no shelter was required at night, so we lay down to
sleep among our bales, with our saddles for pillows, and our rifles by
our sides. I had been sleeping soundly, dreaming of purling streams and
babbling fountains, when I awoke to find my throat as dry and parched as
ever. Hoping to find a few drops of water in my bottle, I sat up to
reach for it; when, as I looked across the fire, what was my dismay to
see a large tiger-like animal stealthily approaching, and tiger I fully
believed it to be. On it came, exhibiting a pair of round bright
shining eyes. I expected every moment to see it spring upon us. I was
afraid that by crying out I might only hasten its movements, so I felt
for my rifle and, presenting at the creature's head shouted--
"A tiger, uncle; a tiger, Jan!"
"A tiger!" exclaimed my uncle, springing up in a moment. "That's not a
tiger, it's a leopard, but if pressed by hunger may prove as ugly a
customer. Don't fire until I tell you, for if wounded it will become
dangerous."
All this time the leopard was crawling on, though it must have heard the
sound of our voices; perhaps the glare of the fire in its eyes prevented
it from seeing us, for it still cautiously approached. I saw my uncle
lift his rifle; he fired, but though his bullet struck the creature,
instead of falling as I expected, it gave a bound and the next instant
would have been upon us. Now was my time. As it rose, I fired, and my
bullet must have gone through its heart, for over it rolled without a
struggle, perfectly dead.
"Bravo! Fred," exclaimed my uncle. "This is the second time within a
few hours your rifle has done good service. You'll become a first-rate
hunter if you go on as you've begun. How that leopard came here it's
difficult to say, unless it was driven from the hills, and has been
wandering over the desert in search of prey; those creatures generally
inhabit a high woody country."
Jan exhibited great delight at our victory, and having made up the fire,
we spent some time in skinning the beast. Its fur was of great beauty,
and although it would add to the load of our ox, we agreed to carry it
with us, as it would be a welcome present to any chief who might render
us assistance.
Having flayed the animal and pegged down the skin, we returned to our
beds, hoping to finish the night without interruption. As soon as there
was light sufficient to enable us to see our way, we pushed forward,
earnestly praying that before the sun was high in the heavens, we might
fall in with water. Notwithstanding that Jan repeatedly exclaimed,
"Find water soon! Find water soon!" not a sign of it could we see. A
glare from a cloudy sky was shed over the whole scene; clumps of trees
and bushes looking so exactly alike, that after travelling several
miles, we might have fancied that we had made no progress. At length
even the trees and bushes became scarcer, and what looked like a
veritable desert appeared before us.
I had gone on a short distance ahead, when to my delight I saw in front
a large lake, in the centre of which the waves were dancing and
sparkling in the sunlight, the shadows of the trees being vividly
reflected on the mirror-like surface near the shores, while beyond I saw
what I took to be a herd of elephants flapping their ears and
intertwining their trunks.
"Water, water!" I shouted; "we shall soon quench our thirst. We must
take care to avoid those elephants, however," I added, pointing them out
to my uncle. "It would be a fearful thing to be charged by them."
The horses and ox lifted up their heads and pressed forward. Jan to my
surprise said nothing, though I knew he was suffering as well as my
uncle and I were. I was rushing eagerly forward, when suddenly a haze
which hung over the spot, broke and dispelled the illusion. A vast
salt-pan lay before us. It was covered with an effervescence of lime,
which had produced the deceptive appearance. Our spirits sank lower
than ever. To avoid the salt-pan, we turned to the right, so as to
skirt its eastern side. The seeming elephants proved to be zebras,
which scampered off out of reach. We now began to fear that our horses
would give in, and that we should have to push forward with our ox
alone, abandoning everything it could not carry. Still my uncle cried
"Forward!" Jan had evidently mistaken the road, and passed the spot
where he had expected to find water. Still he observed that we need
have no fear of pursuing our course. Evening was approaching and we
must again camp: without water we could scarcely expect to get through
the night.
Presently Jan looking out ahead, darted forward and stopped at where a
small plant grew with linear leaves and a stalk not thicker than a
crow's quill. Instantly taking a spade fastened to the back of the ox,
he began eagerly digging away; and after he had got down to the depth of
a foot, he displayed to us a tuber, the size of an enormous turnip. On
removing the rind, he cut it open with his axe, and showed us a mass of
cellular tissue filled up with a juicy substance which he handed to us,
and applying a piece to his own mouth ate eagerly away at it. We
imitated his example, and were almost immediately much refreshed. We
found several other plants of the same sort, and digging up the roots
gave them to the horses and ox, who crunched them up with infinite
satisfaction.
Our thirst was relieved in a way I could scarcely have supposed
possible. The animals too, trudged forward with far lighter steps than
before. Relieved of our thirst and in the hopes of finding either water
or more tubers next morning, we lay down thankful that we had escaped
the fearful danger we had apprehended. As we advanced we looked out
anxiously for the tuber-bearing plants, but not one could we see. I had
gone on some little distance ahead, when I caught sight of a round
object some way off, which, as the rays of sun fell on it, appeared of
scarlet hue. I ran towards it, when I saw what looked like a small
oblong red melon.
"Here's something worth having!" I exclaimed, cutting into it with my
knife. When I applied it to my mouth, to my disappointment I found
that, although juicy in the extreme, it was perfectly bitter. I threw
it down in disgust. Jan soon afterwards, on coming near, said:
"Dis no good, but find oders presently!"
Hurrying along, he struck one after another, and quickly handed me one
perfectly sweet; when he collected many more, with which we returned to
where my uncle had halted with the animals.
The fruit was far more gratifying to the taste than the tubers. We
allowed the animals to eat as many as they wished, and, loading them
with a supply in case we should fail to find others further on, we
continued our journey.
Those melons lasted us another whole day and a night, and afforded the
only liquid which passed our mouths. As we were on foot our view over
the level desert was limited.
I was walking alongside my uncle, discussing our future plans, having
begun to hope that, in spite of the difficulties we had to contend
against, we should get through, when I saw some objects moving rapidly
in the distance. They were coming towards us.
"They are ostriches!" cried my uncle; "we must try and kill a few to
obtain their plumes."
We halted, and remained perfectly still, hoping that the birds might
approach us. Now they ran as fleet as a race-horse, now they stopped
and went circling round. Two or three odd-looking birds, as they
seemed, were moving at a much slower rate.
"Those Bosjeemen!" cried Jan.
We at length saw that the latter were human beings, their legs covered
with white pigment and carrying the head and feathers of an ostrich on
their backs, while each had in his hand a bow and a number of arrows.
Presently they cautiously approached the ostriches to leeward, stopping
every now and then and pretending to be feeding. The ostriches would
look at the strange birds, but, not suspecting danger, allowed them to
approach. One of the Bosjeemen then shot an arrow, when the wounded
bird and his companions ran off; the former, however, quickly dropped,
when the other birds stopped to see what was the matter, and thus
allowed their enemy to draw near enough to shoot another arrow.
In this way three little yellow-skinned fellows each shot, in a short
time, four magnificent ostriches. They had seen us in the distance, but
instead of running away, as we feared they would do, one of them,
guessing we were traders, came forward to bargain for the sale of the
feathers, and Jan acting as interpreter, my uncle expressed a
willingness to trade. The Bosjeemen then produced a number of reeds,
scarcely the thickness of my little finger. Having plucked off the
feathers, they pushed them into the reeds; and, thus preserved, the
feathers were fit to travel any distance without being spoilt.
It was late by the time the whole operation was performed, and we had
given the articles they had agreed to take in exchange. As the reeds
weighed but little, the loads were considerably lightened.
Jan now explained to our new friends that they would be further rewarded
if they would conduct us to water. They at once agreed to do so, and
one of them, hurrying away to a spot at a distance where they had left
their travelling equipage, returned with a dozen ostriches' eggs in a
net at his back; he then made a sign to us to follow him, while his
companions remained with the ostriches they had shot. Sooner than we
expected he reached a hole, into which he rapidly dug with his hand;
then, inserting a long reed, he began to suck away with might and main.
In a short time the water flowed, and was led down by another reed into
a hole at the end of an ostrich egg, which was soon filled with water.
As we had a leathern bucket we were enabled to give our animals a drink,
though we could not allow them as much as they would have liked.
The Bosjeeman then, refilling the egg-shells, returned with us to where
we had left his companions. We found that they had built themselves a
hut, if so it could be called, in a thick mimosa bush, by bending the
boughs so as to form a roof, covered by reeds lightly fastened together.
The inside was lined with dried leaves, grass, and the coarser feathers
of the ostrich. When they saw that we were encamped, the three hunters
lighted a fire and sat themselves down before it to enjoy a sumptuous
repast of ostrich flesh. Though unattractive in appearance, they were
honest little fellows, and we slept in perfect security, knowing that
they would give us timely notice of the approach of an enemy.
Jan assured us that we might trust them, as it was a high mark of
confidence on their part to show us where we could procure water, for
they are always careful to hide such spots from those they think
unfriendly.
They accompanied us the following day, and led us to a pool, the only
one we had met with while crossing the desert. Probably in many seasons
that also would have been empty. Here our animals got as much water as
they could drink, and we filled our water-bottles. We then parted from
our yellow friends, who said that, as they were ignorant of the country
to the northward, they could not venture farther. Trusting to Jan's
sagacity to find water, we proceeded in good spirits.
We had hoped to trade largely with the natives, but as we had lost the
greater part of our goods, we should have to depend upon our own
exertions to obtain the ivory and skins which would repay us for the
difficulties and dangers of our journey. We had fortunately saved the
greater part of our ammunition, which would enable us to hunt for some
months to come.
Of course we knew Mr Welbourn would be much disappointed at seeing us
arrive with so slender an equivalent for the skins and ivory my uncle
had taken south, instead of the waggon full of goods which he had
expected.
"He is a sensible, good-natured fellow, and will know that it was from
no fault of ours we were plundered," observed my uncle. "We shall still
do well, and shall probably encounter more adventures than we should
have met with had we confined ourselves to simple trading with the
natives. I should, however, have preferred that to undergoing the
fatigues of hunting; besides which we might the sooner have returned
with our cargo of ivory to the coast."
Several more days passed by during which we came to three spots where we
were able to obtain a sufficient amount of water to satisfy ourselves
and our thirsty animals. Sometimes for miles together not a drop could
be procured, and had it not been for the tubers, and the little red
melons I have described, the horses and our patient ox must have
perished. At length the sheen of water in the bright sunlight was seen
in the distance. This time we were convinced that it was not a mirage.
We pushed forward, hoping that our sufferings from thirst were at an
end. Trees of greater height than any we had yet met with since leaving
the colony fringed the banks of a fine river. On examining the current
we found that it was flowing to the north-east, and we therefore hoped
that by following it up we should reach the lake for which we were
bound. Our black guide, however, advised that we should cross the
river, which was here fordable, and by steering north, considerably
shorten the journey. On wading through the water we looked out sharply
for crocodiles and hippopotami, lest one of those fresh-water monsters
should venture to attack us; we got over, however, without accident.
Having allowed our animals to drink their full of water, and replenished
our bottles, we encamped for the night under a magnificent _baobab_ tree
with a trunk seventy feet in girth as high as we could reach, while our
animals found an abundance of rich grass on which to satisfy their
hunger.
What pigmies we felt as we stood beneath that giant tree. An army might
have found shelter from the sun under its wide-spreading boughs. We
thought the spot a perfect paradise after our long journey across the
plain.
We had not long been seated round our camp-fire, when Jan made a dart at
his foot and caught a fly which had settled on it; and, exhibiting it to
my uncle, exclaimed--
"No good, no good!"
It was of a brownish colour with three yellow bars across the body, and
scarcely larger than a common house-fly. We soon saw others buzzing
about in considerable numbers.