Elbel's Barrels
The negro looked by no means comfortable as he clambered up the steep
side of the gully from the bed of the stream and approached the fort.
There was no gate in the western face, and the man seemed somewhat
uncertain what to do. But perceiving that he had a note in his hand,
Jack ordered Lepoko to lean over the wall and take the paper on the
point of a spear.
"Now let's see what he has to say," said Jack, unfolding the paper.
"Listen, Barney. 'Having returned with a force sufficient to
re-establish law and order in this part of the Congo State, I call upon
you instantly to surrender the camp which you have constructed without
permission on the territory of the State. The negroes who are with you
are subjects of the State, and will be dealt with by me in accordance
with the powers that I possess. You, being a foreigner, will be taken
to Boma, to be tried under due form of law by the State Courts.'"
"Which means quick murder for the niggers, sorr, and slow murder for
you. Don't answer his impidence, sorr."
"Oh, I must answer. We can't let things go by default, and we can go
one better than he, Barney. He hasn't copied his letter, you see.
It's very lucky I've got a duplicate book; who knows?--these documents
may come in handy some day."
He wrote a brief reply, saying that he was not aware there was anything
illegal in constructing a suitable camp on ground leased from the
Societe Cosmopolite; that, on the other hand, the natives who had
sought shelter with him complained of treatment which was clearly
against all law and justice; and that in these circumstances he
proposed to remain where he was. When this note reached Elbel, he read
it to the two white men with him, laughed, put it in his pocket-book,
then returned with his party down the stream.
"A pretty little farce!" said Jack. "He knew what my answer would be;
all he wanted was a chance of examining our defences."
"Sure he didn't get much for his trouble. He'd have to be a deal
taller to see much uv us, sorr."
During the rest of the day Elbel was seen in the distance on various
sides of the camp making further observations. From a point on the
slope above he could overlook part of the enclosure, and what he
observed from there through his field-glass evidently gave him food for
thought, for before sunset he marched all his men down the stream,
followed cautiously by Imbono's scouts. These reported by and by that
the enemy had encamped about two miles away. The white men had tents,
the natives were cutting branches to form temporary shelters. Foragers
had been sent out in all directions. Jack knew that they would do
little good. There were no people to harry, all were within his walls,
and the crops around the villages had been gathered in. But this
dearth was not likely to affect the besiegers for the present; for the
scouts reported that some of their canoes had now come up the river
loaded with stores.
Jack concluded from the fact of Elbel being in command that the
Administration of the Congo State had not yet seen fit to intervene and
equip an expedition under regular military officers. The Societe
Cosmopolite, in fact, an extremely wealthy corporation, had determined
to root out this source of disaffection and revolt within its
territory. The force commanded by Elbel represented practically the
whole military establishment of the Company. He had no doubt received
telegraphic authority from Europe to undertake the expedition, and
could rely on the ultimate support of the State Government, which
meanwhile would prefer the work to be done by the Company's troops
rather than magnify the affair by employing its own forces.
It soon became clear to Jack that the lesson of his previous reverse
had not been lost on Elbel. For a time, at least, there was to be no
repetition of the rushing tactics that had proved so disastrous. Two
days passed, and he had made no move. Scouts reported that he was
busily engaged in building and fortifying his camp. The site chosen
was a good deal nearer to Ilombekabasi than the first night's bivouac.
It lay in a hollow somewhat more than half a mile from the cataract--in
the face of an equal or inferior enemy, a very dangerous position,
commanded, as it was, on almost all sides by the heights around. But
it was sheltered from rifle-fire from the fort, and had a good water
supply from a brook that fell some distance below into the stream that
flanked Jack's settlement. Elbel could afford to ignore its
strategical weakness by reason of his greatly superior numbers. For
Jack could not occupy the rim of the hollow without drawing most of his
men out of the fort, thus leaving it open to attack; and in any case,
with only forty-five rifles, he could not do much to endanger a camp
held by two hundred.
[Illustration: Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing Elbel's
First Camp in Foreground]
These reflections passed through his mind as he pondered on the
information given by the scouts. His constant preoccupation during the
past months with problems of attack and defence had given rise to a
habit of looking at every move or incident in its military bearings.
"I wonder whether the fellows in the army class would envy me or pity
me most!" he thought.
Elbel attempted nothing in the way of fortification for his camp except
a light stockade--with his superior numbers defensive work seemed
almost a superfluity. By comparing the reports of various scouts--who,
as usual with negroes, were somewhat erratic in their ideas of
number--and by his own observation through his field-glass, Jack
concluded that Elbel had, in addition to his two hundred rifles, about
five hundred spearmen. Jack himself had, in addition to his forty-five
rifles, three hundred spearmen. The mere numbers were, of course, no
real index to the proportionate strength of the two forces. In
ordinary circumstances, indeed, the spearmen might almost be neglected;
the striking power was to be measured in rifles alone. But Jack hoped
that, with the drill and discipline his men had undergone, it would be
proved that a determined fellow behind a spear was still by no means a
combatant to be held lightly. Had not the Arabs of the Soudan shown
this? He had no little confidence that, when the time of trial came,
his three hundred spearmen would prove every whit as staunch as the
dervishes who broke the British square at Abu Klea and threw away their
lives by the thousand at Omdurman.
On the second morning after Elbel's appearance Jack found that pickets
were posted all round the fort. Clearly it was no longer safe to send
out scouts, at all events by daylight. The danger was little
diminished after dark, for fires were lit at various points and a
regular patrol was established.
"I don't care about sending out any of the men now," said Jack to
Barney. "If one of our fellows was caught, his fate would be horrible.
It's to prevent scouting, I suppose, that Elbel has posted men round
us."
"Might it not be to prevent reinforcements from reaching us, sorr?"
"Not likely. There are no people for scores of miles round, and the
country indeed is mostly virgin forest. The only reinforcement likely
to reach us is my uncle's contingent, and their arrival is sure to be
advised all along the river for days or perhaps weeks in advance; and
that's one of my worries, Barney. I don't want Uncle to fall into
Elbel's hands, but how can I stop it?"
"Send a couple of men off to meet him, sorr, and tell him of the
danger."
"I might do that, perhaps. But, as you see, they'd have to run the
gauntlet of Elbel's forest guards. Elbel either wants to catch my
uncle, or he has got some scheme of attack in preparation which he's
anxious we shouldn't discover. Whichever it is he means to keep us
bottled up."
Jack was sitting at the door of his hut with Barney, talking by the
light of a small fire. Samba had been hovering about for some time,
waiting, as Barney thought, until the time should come for him to curl
himself up as usual at the entrance to the hut after his friend the
Irishman had entered. The conversation ceased for a moment, Jack
bending forward and drawing patterns on the ground with his stick.
Samba came up and began to speak.
"Begorra, massa," he said, "me can do."
"What can you do, my boy?" asked Jack, smiling a little at the
exclamation Samba had adopted from Barney.
Samba struggled to find words in the white man's puzzling tongue. But,
recognizing that his small stock of phrases was insufficient, he ran
off and fetched Lepoko.
"Me tell massa all same," said the interpreter, when Samba had spoken
to him. "Samba boy say, sah, he lib for go out see fings for massa.
He no 'fraid. He go in dark, creep, creep, no 'fraid nuffin nobody.
He lib for see eberyfing massa want see, come back one time say all
same fings he see."
"No, no, it's too dangerous. Samba is the very last of my people I
should wish to fall into Elbel's hands."
Samba laughed when Lepoko repeated this to him.
"He no 'fraid Elobela," said Lepoko. "He hab got foot like leopard,
eye like cat, he make Elobela plenty much 'fraid. Want go plenty much,
sah; say Mboyo one fader, massa two fader; two times he want go."
"Shall we let him go, Barney?" asked Jack doubtfully.
"To be sure I would, sorr. He's gone through the forest and cheated
the lions and tigers and all the other beasts and creeping things,
ivery wan uv 'm a mighty power cleverer than Elbel."
"Barring the lions and tigers, I think you're right, Barney. Well, if
he's to go we must do all we can to help him. Could he get down the
gully side, I wonder?"
"He say dat plenty good way, sah. He lib for swim like fish, go
through water, come back all same."
"We'll let him down by a rope, Barney, and we'll place Mboyo at the
stockade in charge of it; he'll have the greatest interest in seeing
that the boy goes in and out safely. And look here, I've heard Samba
imitating the cries of various animals; he'd better arrange with Mboyo
to be ready for him when he hears a certain cry. And he must carry
enough food with him to last a day in case he is prevented from getting
back. If he's out more than one day he must fend for himself; but I
fancy, after what he has already been through, at least it'd be a very
bare country where he couldn't pick up enough to keep him going. He's
a splendid little fellow."
"That's the truth's truth, sorr; and sure, whin we leave this haythen
country, he'd better come back wid us to London, sorr. Wid him wan
side uv me an' Pat the other, I'd be on me way to be Lord Mayor, bedad!"
Thus it was arranged. With a tinful of food slung about him, Samba was
let down by a rope from the stockade, and crept in the darkness down
the gully. A few minutes later, from some point on the other side,
came the strident call of a forest-beetle twice repeated, and Mboyo
knew that his son was safely across.
When morning broke, Jack saw that the pickets were placed as they had
been on the previous day. He could easily have disposed of several of
them, either by rifle fire or by a quick sally; but even at the present
stage he had a great reluctance to open hostilities, which must involve
much bloodshed and suffering. He resolved to bide his time, knowing
that so far as food supply was concerned he had enough for at least a
couple of months, and was in that respect probably better placed than
Elbel, while the secret of the water supply with good luck would escape
detection. Now that the purpose of the tank was known, Jack's prestige
among the natives, great as it had been before, was much enhanced, and
they had added to their stock of songs one in which the wonderful
providence of the Inglesa in arranging that the daily water should not
fail was glowingly extolled.
The day passed undisturbed. Jack was puzzled to account for the
enemy's silence. Elbel must have a scheme in preparation, he thought.
What could it be? Jack had heard a good deal of hammering going on in
the camp below, the sound coming faintly on the breeze; except for that
there was no sign of activity; and the hammering was sufficiently
accounted for by the work of finishing off the construction of the camp.
Before turning in for the night he went to the spot where Mboyo was
posted, to learn whether anything had been heard of Samba. While he
was there, he caught the low rasping notes of the forest-beetle.
"Samba n'asi!"[1] cried Mboyo, springing up.
He lowered the rope over the stockade. In a few moments it was gently
tugged, and soon Samba slipped over the stockade and stood beside Jack.
He had an interesting report to make. In the forest, he said, a large
number of men were tapping certain trees for a resinous gum, which was
being run into small barrels. It was the work of making these barrels
that had caused the continuous hammering Jack had noticed.
"Good boy!" said Jack. "I suppose you are very tired now, Samba?"
No, he was not tired; he was ready to go out again at once if
Lokolobolo wished. But Jack said he had done enough for one day, and
bade him go to sleep.
"So that's their game!" said Jack to Barney, when all was quiet.
"There's only one use for resin here, and that's to fire our fort, and
they can't intend to make fireballs, or they wouldn't take the trouble
to make barrels. They want barrels for carriage, and that means that
they intend to bring the resin here. They can't shy barrels at the
natives' huts, and so much of the wall is stone that it won't easily
catch fire. What else is there inflammable?"
"There's the blockhouses at the corners, sorr."
"You're right. They are going to fire the blockhouses. I'm sorry now
I didn't make 'm of stone as I intended. But we had enough trouble
with the wall, and the natives are so little used to stonework that
perhaps after all they'd have made a poor job of it."
"Sure, I don't see how they are going to get near enough to do any
damage, sorr. They can't come up under fire. Do the spalpeens think
they'll catch us napping, begore?"
"Can't say, Barney. We must wait and see. The sentries are arranged
for the night, eh?"
"They are that, sorr. 'Tis mighty hard to keep the niggers awake; not
wan uv 'm but would see the inside uv the guard-room pretty often if
they were in the Irish Fusiliers. But Samba and me just take turns to
go the rounds all night and keep 'm stirring, sorr; and 'twould be a
lucky man that got across into this place widout a crack over the head."
The full purpose of Elbel was seen earlier than Jack had expected. A
little before dawn Makoko, who had been on duty at the gate in the
northern wall, hurried down to say that he had heard a sound as of a
number of men marching for some distance up the hill above the fort.
Jack accompanied him back, gently reprimanding him on the way for
leaving his post. Judging by the sounds, there was unquestionably a
large body of men on the move. They were approaching as quietly as
negroes can; it is not an easy matter to persuade a force of black men
to keep perfect silence.
While Jack was still with Makoko, another man came running up from the
southern end of the fort and reported that he had heard the sound of
many men advancing up the stream. Clearly a serious attack was
intended at last. Sending word to Barney to remain on the _qui vive_
at the southern wall, Jack waited anxiously for the glimmering light of
dawn to reveal the enemy.
At last he could see them. They took little pains to conceal
themselves. Elbel's riflemen were assembling on the ridge of the slope
above. Among them were men carrying each a small barrel on his
shoulder. They must have made a wide circuit from their camp below so
that their movements might not be suspected until they were well in
position.
The word was rapidly passed round the fort. In a few seconds every man
was at his appointed place. The women and children had been bidden to
remain in their huts, for a part of the enclosure being exposed to fire
from the slope above, it would have been dangerous for any one to
cross. Barney and his men at the southern wall were protected from
this fire in their rear by the huts. At the northern wall Jack stood
on a narrow platform by the gate, similar to that which he had used at
his former camp near Ilola. His riflemen were posted below him, half
of them at loop-holes left at intervals in the wall, the remainder just
behind, ready to take their places at the word of command.
Jack was surprised to feel how little flustered he was. The
responsibilities of the past months had bred self-control, and the
capacity to grasp a situation quickly and act at once. And constant
work with the same men, whom he had learned to know thoroughly, had
created a mutual confidence which augured well for their success when
put to the test.
A glance assured Jack that the main attack, if attack was intended,
would be made by the riflemen. The spearmen in the valley of the river
were designed to create a diversion and weaken the force available to
oppose the principal assault. Barney could be trusted to hold his own
against them.
So little did the enemy, having gained the position above, seek to
conceal their movements, that Jack was tempted to salute them with a
volley that must have done great execution--the range being scarcely
two hundred yards. But Elbel seemed to know by instinct the feeling by
which Jack would be animated. He evidently counted on being allowed to
fire first. And indeed there was little time for Jack to consider the
matter, for even as he made a mental note of the enemy's bravado, he
heard a word of command given in a loud voice, and saw Elbel emerge
from a small clump of bushes at the edge of the gully. The whole
force, except ten men carrying barrels, flung themselves flat on their
faces; and Jack had only time to give a rapid warning to his men when a
scattered volley flashed from the line of prone figures, the bullets
pattering on the stone wall like hail on a greenhouse.
Next moment the men with the barrels dashed forward, some making for
the blockhouse above the gully, others for that at the opposite end of
the northern wall. Through the clear space between the two parties the
riflemen continued to fire as fast as they could reload. It was clear
to Jack that Elbel expected the fire of his two hundred rifles, added
to the unexpectedness of the movement, to keep down the fire of the
defenders long enough to enable the barrel men to reach the
blockhouses. But in this he was disappointed; nothing but a direct and
combined assault on the wall would have gained the time he required.
His rifle fire from a distance was quite ineffective. Jack had ordered
his men to keep out of sight, and to fire through the loop-holes in the
wall, aiming, not at the riflemen lying on the ground, but at the men
sprinting with the barrels. Consequently, when the twenty-five rifles
within the fort replied to the first volley, three of the runners fell
on the one side and two on the other, their barrels rolling down the
slope, some over the edge into the gully, others towards the copse on
the east.
The other men, seeing the fate of their comrades, thought of nothing
but their own safety. They dropped their barrels and rushed back. But
even then they did not take the safe course. Instead of scattering and
so lessening the chances of being hit, the two parties joined, and ran
up the slope in a compact group. None of them reached the line of
prostrate riflemen who were still blazing away ineffectually at the
walls and blockhouses. The unfortunate men were caught in full flight
and fell almost at the same moment, each man struck by several bullets.
Not till then did Jack allow his riflemen to turn their attention to
the enemy's firing line. But one volley was sufficient. Elbel saw
that his scheme had totally failed, and his position was untenable.
Not a man of his opponents could be seen; his men had only small
loop-holes to fire at, and the average negro is not a sufficiently good
marksman to be formidable in such conditions. The defenders, on the
other hand, found the enemy an excellent target; for, by some
inexplicable piece of folly, Elbel had not ordered them to seek cover
behind the many rocks and boulders that were scattered over the ground.
He had lost all his barrel men and several of his riflemen, and within
five minutes of the first volley he drew off his troops.
A yell of delight from the stockade followed his retirement. The men
slapped their thighs and shouted "Yo! Yo!" until they were hoarse.
The women and children poured out of the huts and danced about with
wild enjoyment. Imbono's drummer banged with all his might. Some of
the boys had made small trumpets of rolled banana leaves, and tootled
away to their hearts' content, the sound being not unlike that made by
blowing through tissue paper on a comb. Amid all the uproar Pat's
joyous bark acclaimed the success.
"Faith, sorr, 'tis real mafficking, to be sure."
"Not quite, Barney. There's nobody drunk."
"True, an' the haythen sets an example to the Christian. There are no
grog-shops here, praise be, wan at this corner and wan at that, to
tempt the poor craturs."
"I only hope they're not shouting too soon, Barney. We haven't done
with Elbel yet."
[1] Below.