The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile, Samuel White Baker [inspirational novels .TXT] 📗

each rip of a thorn I gave a warning shout—

“Thorn!” for those behind, and a cry of “Hole!” for any deep rut that

lay in the path. It was fortunately moonlight, but the jungle was so

thick that the narrow track was barely perceptible; thus both camels and

donkeys ran against the trunks of trees, smashing the luggage, and

breaking all that could be broken; nevertheless, the case was urgent;

march we must, at all hazards.

 

My heart sank whenever we came to a deep ravine, or Hor; the warning cry

of “halt” told those in the rear that once more the camels must be

unloaded, and the same fatiguing operation must be repeated. For hours

we marched: the moon was sinking; the path, already dark, grew darker;

the animals, overloaded even for a good road, were tired out; and the

men were disheartened, thirsty, and disgusted. I dismounted from my

horse and loaded him with sacks, to relieve a camel that was perfectly

done—but on we marched. Every one was silent; the men were too tired

to speak; and through the increasing gloom we crept slowly forward

Suddenly another ravine, but not so deep; and we trusted that the camels

might cross it without the necessity of unloading; down went the leading

camel, rolling completely over with his load to the bottom. Now, the boy

Saat was the drummer; but being very tired, he had come to the

conclusion that the drum would travel quite as easily upon a camel’s

back as upon his shoulders; he had accordingly slung it upon the very

camel that had now performed a somersault and solo on the drum. The

musical instrument was picked up in the shape of a flat dish, and

existed no longer as a drum, every note having been squeezed out of it.

The donkey is a much more calculating animal than the camel, the latter

being an excessively stupid beast, while the former is remarkably clever

—at least I can answer for the ability of the Egyptian species. The

expression “what an ass!” is in Europe supposed to be slightly

insulting, but a comparison with the Egyptian variety would be a

compliment. Accordingly my train of donkeys, being calculating and

reasoning creatures, had from thus night’s experience come to the

conclusion that the journey was long; that the road was full of ravines;

that the camels who led the way would assuredly tumble into these

ravines unless unloaded; and that as the reloading at each ravine would

occupy at least half an hour, it would be wise for them (the donkeys) to

employ that time in going to sleep—therefore, as it was just as cheap

to lie down as to stand, they preferred a recumbent posture, and a

refreshing roll upon the sandy ground. Accordingly, whenever the word

“halt” was given, the clever donkeys thoroughly understood their

advantage, and the act of unloading a camel on arrival at a ravine was a

signal sufficient to induce each of twenty-one donkeys to lie down. It

was in vain that the men beat and swore at them to keep them on their

legs; the donkeys were determined, and lie down they would. This

obstinacy on their part was serious to the march—every time that they

lay down they shifted their loads; some of the most wilful (sic)

persisted in rolling, and of course upset their packs. There were only

seventeen men, and these were engaged in assisting the camels; thus the

twenty-one donkeys had it all their own way; and what added to the

confusion was the sudden cry of hyenas in close proximity, which so

frightened the donkeys that they immediately sprang to their feet, with

their packs lying discomfited, entangled among their legs. Thus, no

sooner were the camels reloaded on the other side of the ravine, than

all the donkeys had to undergo the same operation; during which time the

camels, however stupid, having observed the donkeys’ “dodge,” took the

opportunity of lying down also, and necessarily shifted their loads. The

women were therefore ordered to hold the camels, to prevent them from

lying down while the donkeys were being reloaded; but the women were

dead tired, as they had been carrying loads; they themselves laid down,

and it being dark, they were not observed until a tremendous scream was

heard, and we found that a camel had lain down on the TOP OF A WOMAN who

had been placed to watch it, but who had herself fallen asleep. The

camel was with difficulty raised, and the woman dragged from beneath.

Everything was tired out. I had been working like a slave to assist, and

to cheer the men; I was also fatigued. We had marched from 4.30 P.M.—

it was now 1 A.M.; we had thus been eight hours and a half struggling

along the path. The moon had sunk, and the complete darkness rendered a

further advance impossible; I therefore, on arrival at a large plateau

of rock, ordered the animals to be unloaded, and both man and beast to

rest. The people had no water; I had a girba full for Mrs. Baker and

myself, which was always slung on my saddle; this precaution I never

neglected.

 

The men were hungry. Before leaving Gondokoro I had ordered a large

quantity of kisras (black pancakes) to be prepared for the march, and

they were packed in a basket that had been carried on a camel;

unfortunately Mrs. Baker’s pet monkey had been placed upon the same

camel, and he had amused himself during the night’s march by feasting

and filling his cheeks with the kisras, and _throwing the remainder

away_ when his hunger was satisfied. There literally was not a kisra

remaining in the basket.

 

Every one lay down supperless to sleep. Although tired, I could not rest

until I had arranged some plan for the morrow. It was evident that we

could not travel over so rough a country with the animals thus

overloaded; therefore determined to leave in the jungle such articles as

could be dispensed with, and to rearrange all the loads.

 

At 4 A.M. I woke, and lighting a lamp, I tried in vain to wake any of

the men who lay stretched upon the ground, like so many corpses, sound

asleep. At length Saat sat up, and after rubbing his eyes for about ten

minutes, he made a fire, and began to boil the coffee; meanwhile I was

hard at work lightening the ship. I threw away about 100 lbs. of salt;

divided the heavy ammunition more equally among the animals; rejected a

quantity of odds and ends that, although most useful, could be forsaken;

and by the time the men woke, a little before sunrise, I had completed

the work. We now reloaded the animals, who showed the improvement by

stepping out briskly. We marched well for three hours at a pace that bid

fair to keep us well ahead of the Turks, and at length we reached the

dry bed of a stream, where the Latooka guides assured us we should

obtain water by digging. This proved correct; but the holes were dug

deep in several places, and hours passed before we could secure a

sufficient supply for all the men and animals. The great sponging-bath

was excessively useful, as it formed a reservoir out of which all the

animals could drink.

 

While we were thus engaged some natives appeared carrying with them the

head of a wild boar in a horrible state of decomposition, and alive with

maggots. On arrival at the drinking-place they immediately lighted a

fire, and proceeded to cook their savoury pork by placing it in the

flames. The skull becoming too hot for the inmates, crowds of maggots

rushed pele-mele from the ears and nostrils like people escaping from

the doors of a theatre on fire. The natives merely tapped the skull with

a stick to assist in their exit, and proceeded with their cooking until

completed; after which they ate the whole, and sucked the bones. However

putrid meat may be, it does not appear to affect the health of these

people.

 

My animals requiring rest and food, I was obliged to wait unwillingly

until 4.30 P.M. The natives having finished their boar’s head, offered

to join us; and accordingly we rode on a considerable distance ahead of

our people with our active guides, while the caravan followed slowly

behind us. After ascending for about a mile through jungle, we suddenly

emerged upon an eminence, and looked down upon the valley of Tollogo.

This was extremely picturesque. An abrupt wall of grey granite rose on

the east side of the valley to a height of about a thousand feet: from

this perpendicular wall huge blocks had fallen, strewing the base with a

confused mass of granite lumps ten to forty feet in diameter; and among

these natural fortresses of disjointed masses were numerous villages.

The bottom of the valley was a meadow, in which grew several enormous

fig trees by the side of a sluggish, and in some places stagnant, brook.

The valley was not more than half a mile wide, and was also walled in by

mountains on the west, having the appearance of a vast street.

 

We were now about a mile ahead of our party; but accompanied by our two

Latooka guides, and upon descending to the valley and crossing a deep

gully, we soon arrived beneath a large fig tree at the extremity of the

vale. No sooner was our presence observed than crowds of natives issued

from the numerous villages among the rocks, and surrounded us. They were

all armed with bows and arrows and lances, and were very excited at

seeing the horses, which to them were unknown animals. Dismounting, I

fastened the horses to a bush, and we sat down on the grass under a

tree.

 

There were five or six hundred natives pressing round us. They were

excessively noisy, hallooing to us as though we were deaf, simply

because we did not understand them. Finding that they were pressing

rudely around us, I made signs to them to stand off; when at that moment

a curiously ugly, short, humped-back fellow came forward and addressed

me in broken Arabic. I was delighted to find an interpreter, and

requesting him to tell the crowd to stand back, I inquired for their

chief. The humpback spoke very little Arabic, nor did the crowd appear

to heed him, but they immediately stole a spear that one of my Latooka

guides had placed against the tree under which we were sitting. It was

getting rather unpleasant; but having my revolver and a double-barrelled

rifle in my hands, there was no fear of their being stolen.

 

In reply to a question to the humpback, he asked me “Who I was?” I

explained that I was a traveller. “You want ivory?” he said. “No,” I

answered, “it is of no use to me.” “Ah, you want slaves!” he replied.

“Neither do I want slaves,” I answered. This was followed by a burst of

laughter from the crowd, and the humpback continued his examination.

“Have you got plenty of cows?” “Not one; but plenty of beads and

copper.” “Plenty? Where are they?” “Not far off; they will be here

presently with my men;” and I pointed to the direction from which they

would arrive. “What countryman are you?” “An Englishman.” He had never

heard of such people. “You are a Turk?” “All right,” I replied; “I am

anything you like.” “And that is your son?” (pointing at Mrs. Baker.)

“No, she is my wife.” “Your wife! What a lie! He is a boy.” “Not a bit

of it,” I replied; “she is my wife, who has come with me to see the

women of this country.” “What a lie!” he again politely re joined in the

one expressive Arabic word, “Katab.” After