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

this charmingly frank

conversation he addressed the crowd, explaining, I suppose, that I was

endeavouring to pass off a boy for a woman. Mrs. Baker was dressed

similarly to myself, in a pair of loose trowsers and gaiters, with a

blouse and belt—the only difference being that she wore long sleeves,

while my arms were bare from a few inches below the shoulder. I always

kept my arms bare, as being cooler than if covered.

 

The curiosity of the crowd was becoming impertinent, when at an

opportune moment the chief appeared. To my astonishment I recognised him

as a man who had often visited me at Gondokoro, to whom I had given many

presents without knowing his position.

 

In a few moments he drove away the crowd, screaming and gesticulating at

there as though greatly insulted; re serving the humpback as

interpreter, he apologized for the rudeness of his people. Just at this

instant I perceived, in the distance, the English flag leading the

caravan of camels and donkeys from the hillside into the valley, and my

people and baggage shortly arrived. The chief now brought me a large

pumpkin-shell containing about a gallon of merissa, or native beer,

which was most refreshing. He also brought a gourd-bottle full of honey,

and an elephant’s tusk; the latter I declined, as ivory was not

required.

 

We were now within six miles of Ellyria, and by means of the humpback I

explained to Tombe, the chief, that we wished to start the first thing

in the morning, and that I would engage the humpback as interpreter.

This was agreed upon, and I now had hopes of getting through Ellyria

before the arrival of the Turks. My caravan having arrived, the interest

first bestowed upon the horses, as being a new kind of animal, was now

transferred to the camels. The natives crowded round them, exclaiming,

“that they were the giraffes of our country.” They were amazed at the

loads that they carried, and many assisted in unloading.

 

I noticed, however, that they stuck their fingers through the baskets to

investigate the contents; and when they perceived twenty baskets full of

beads, and many of copper bracelets—the jingling of which betrayed

the contents—they became rather too eager in lending a helping hand;

therefore I told the chief to order his men to retire while I opened one

bag of beads to give him a present. I had a bag always in reserve that

contained a variety of beads and bracelets, which obviated the necessity

of opening one of the large baskets on the road. I accordingly made the

chief happy, and also gave a present to the humpback. The crowd now

discovered an object of fresh interest, and a sudden rush was made to

the monkey, which, being one of the red variety from Abyssinia, was

quite unknown to them. The monkey, being far more civilized than these

naked savages, did not at all enjoy their society; and attacking the

utterly unprotected calves of their legs, “Wallady” soon kept his

admirers at a distance, and amused himself by making insulting grimaces,

which kept the crowd in a roar of laughter. I often found this monkey of

great use in diverting the attention of the savages from myself. He was

also a guarantee of my peaceful intentions, as no one intending

hostility would travel about with a monkey as one of the party. He was

so tame and affectionate to both of us that he was quite unhappy if out

of sight of his mistress: but he frequently took rough liberties with

the blacks, for whom he had so great an aversion and contempt that he

would have got into sad trouble at Exeter Hall. “Wallady” had no idea of

a naked savage being “a man and a brother.”

 

That night we slept soundly, both men and beasts being thoroughly

fatigued. The natives seemed to be aware of this, and a man was caught

in the act of stealing copper bracelets from a basket. He had crept like

a cat upon hands and knees to the spot where the luggage was piled, and

the sleepy sentry bad not observed him.

 

There was no drum-call on the following morning, that useful instrument

having been utterly smashed by the camel; but I woke the men early, and

told them to be most careful in arranging the loads securely, as we had

to thread the rocky pass between Tollogo and Ellyria. I felt sure that

the Turks could not be far behind us, and I looked forward with anxiety

to getting through the pass before them.

 

The natives of both Tollogo and Ellyria are the same in appearance and

language as the Bari; they are very brutal in manner, and they collected

in large crowds on our departure, with by no means a friendly aspect.

Many of them ran on ahead under the base of the rocks, apparently to

give notice at Ellyria of our arrival. I had three men as an advance

guard,—five or six in the rear,—while the remainder drove the

animals. Mrs. Baker and I rode on horseback at the head of the party. On

arriving at the extremity of the narrow valley we had to thread our way

through the difficult pass. The mountain of Ellyria, between two and

three thousand feet high, rose abruptly on our left, while the base was

entirely choked with enormous fragments of grey granite that, having

fallen from the face of the mountain, had completely blocked the pass.

Even the horses had great difficulty in threading their way through

narrow alleys formed of opposing blocks, and it appeared impossible for

loaded camels to proceed. The path was not only thus obstructed, but was

broken by excessively deep ravines formed by the torrents that during

the rains tore everything before them in their impetuous descent from

the mountains. To increase the difficulties of the pass many trees and

bushes were growing from the interstices of the rocks; thus in places

where the long legs of the camels could have cleared a narrow cleft, the

loads became jammed between the trees. These trees were for the most

part intensely hard wood, a species of lignum vitae, called by the Arabs

“babanoose,” and were quite proof against our axes. Had the natives been

really hostile they could have exterminated us in five minutes, as it

was only necessary to hurl rocks from above to insure our immediate

destruction. It was in this spot that a trader’s party of 126 men, well

armed, had been massacred to a man the year previous.

 

Bad as the pass was, we had hope before us, as the Latookas explained

that beyond this spot there was level and unbroken ground the whole way

to Latooka. Could we only clear Ellyria before the Turks I had no fear

for the present; but at the very moment when success depended upon

speed, we were thus baffled by the difficulties of the ground. I

therefore resolved to ride on in advance of my party, leaving them to

overcome the difficulties of the pass by constantly unloading the

animals, while I would reconnoitre in front, as Ellyria was not far

distant. My wife and I accordingly rode on, accompanied only by one of

the Latookas as a guide. After turning a sharp angle of the mountain,

leaving the cliff abruptly rising to the left from the narrow path, we

descended a ravine worse than any place we had previously encountered,

and we were obliged to dismount, in order to lead our horses up the

steep rocks on the opposite side. On arrival on the summit, a lovely

view burst upon us. The valley of Ellyria was about four hundred feet

below, at about a mile distant. Beautiful mountains, some two or three

thousand feet high, of grey granite, walled in the narrow vale; while

the landscape of forest and plain was bounded at about fifty or sixty

miles’ distance to the east by the blue mountains of Latooka. The

mountain of Ellyria was the commencement of the fine range that

continued indefinitely to the south. We were now in the very gorge of

that chain. Below us, in the valley, I observed some prodigious trees

growing close to a Hor (ravine), in which was running water, and the

sides of the valley under the mountains being as usual a mass of debris

of huge detached rocks, were thronged with villages, all strongly

fortified with thick bamboo palisades. The whole country was a series of

natural forts, occupied by a large population.

 

A glance at the scene before me was quite sufficient;—to fight a way

through a valley a quarter of a mile wide, hemmed in by high walls of

rock and bristling with lances and arrows, would be impossible with my

few men, encumbered by transport animals. Should the camels arrive, I

could march into Myria in twenty minutes, make the chief a large

present, and pass on without halting until I cleared the Ellyria valley.

At any rate I was well before the Turks, and the forced march at night,

however distressing, had been successful. The great difficulty now lay

in the ravine that we had just crossed; this would assuredly delay the

caravan for a considerable time.

 

Tying our horses to a bush, we sat upon a rock beneath the shade of a

small tree within ten paces of the path, and considered the best course

to pursue. I hardly liked to risk an advance into Ellyria alone, before

the arrival of my whole party, as we had been very rudely received by

the Tollogo people on the previous evening;—nevertheless I thought it

might be good policy to ride unattended into Ellyria, and thus to court

an introduction to the chief. However, our consultation ended in a

determination to wait where we then were, until the caravan should have

accomplished the last difficulty by crossing the ravine; when we would

all march into Ellyria in company. For a long time we sat gazing at the

valley before us in which our fate lay hidden, feeling thankful that we

had thus checkmated the brutal Turks. Not a sound was heard of our

approaching camels; the delay was most irksome.

 

There were many difficult places that we had passed through, and each

would be a source of serious delay to the animals. At length we heard

them in the distance. We could distinctly hear the men’s voices; and we

rejoiced that they were approaching the last remaining obstacle;—that

one ravine passed through, and all before would be easy. I heard the

rattling of the stones as they drew nearer; and, looking towards the

ravine, I saw emerge from the dark foliage of the trees within fifty

yards of us the hated RED FLAG AND CRESCENT, LEADING THE TURKS’ PARTY!

We were outmarched! One by one, with scowling looks, the insolent

scoundrels filed by us within a few feet, without making the customary

salaam; neither noticing us in any way, except by threatening to shoot

the Latooka, our guide, who had formerly accompanied them.

 

Their party consisted of a hundred and forty men armed with guns; while

about twice as many Latookas acted as porters, carrying beads,

ammunition, and the general effects of the party. It appeared that we

were hopelessly beaten.

 

However, I determined to advance, at all hazards, on the arrival of my

party; and should the Turks incite the Ellyria tribe to attack us, I

intended, in the event of a fight, to put the first shot through the

leader.

 

To be thus beaten, at the last moment, was unendurable. Boiling with

indignation as the insolent wretches filed past, treating me with the

contempt of a dog, I longed for the moment of action, no matter what

were the odds against us. At length their leader, Ibrahim, appeared in

the rear of the