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

my sacred stock, as I had nothing else to give

them. This they boiled and mixed with honey, and they were shortly

sitting round an immense circular bowl of this rarity, enjoying

themselves thoroughly, but nevertheless grumbling as usual. In the

coolest manner possible the great and greedy chief, Legge, who had

refused to give or even to sell anything to keep us from starving, no

sooner saw the men at their novel repast than he sat down among them and

almost choked himself by cramming handfuls of the hot rice and honey

into his mouth, which yawned like that of an old hippopotamus. The men

did not at all approve of this assistance, but as it is the height of

bad manners in Arab etiquette to repel a self-invited guest from the

general meal, he was not interfered with, and was thus enabled to

swallow the share of about three persons.

 

Legge, although worse than the rest of his tribe, had a similar

formation of head. The Bari and those Tollogo and Ellyria have generally

bullet-shaped heads, low foreheads, skulls heavy behind the ears and

above the nape of the neck: altogether their appearance is excessively

brutal, and they are armed with bows six feet long and arrows horribly

barbed and poisoned.

 

CHAPTER V.

 

LEAVE ELLYRIA.

 

ALTHOUGH Ellyria was a rich and powerful country, we had not been able

to procure any provisions—the natives refused to sell, and their

general behaviour was such that assured me of their capability of any

atrocity had they been prompted to attack us by the Turks. Fortunately

we had a good supply of meal that had been prepared for the journey

prior to our departure from Gondokoro: thus we could not starve. I also

had a sack of corn for the animals, a necessary precaution, as at this

season there was not a blade of grass; all in the vicinity of the route

having been burnt.

 

We started on the 30th March, at 7.30 A.M., and opened from the valley

of Ellyria upon a perfectly flat country interspersed with trees. After

an hour’s march we halted at a small stream of bad water. We had kisras

and honey for breakfast; but, for several days not having tasted meat, I

took the rifle for a stroll through the forest in search of game. After

an hour’s ramble I returned without having fired a shot. I had come upon

fresh tracks of Tetel (hartebeest) and guinea-fowl, but they had

evidently come down to the stream to drink, and had wandered back into

the interior. If game was scarce, fruit was plentiful—both Richarn

and I were loaded with a species of yellow plum as large as an egg;

these grew in prodigious numbers upon fine forest trees, beneath which

the ground was yellow with the quantities that had fallen from the

boughs; these were remarkably sweet, and yet acid, with much juice, and

a very delicious flavour.

 

At 11:25 we again started for a long march, our course being east. The

ground was most favourable for the animals, being perfectly flat and

free from ravines. We accordingly stepped along at a brisk pace, and the

intense heat of the sun throughout the hottest hours of the day made the

journey fatiguing for all but the camels. The latter were excellent of

their class, and now far excelled the other transport animals, marching

along with ease under loads of about 600 lbs. each.

 

My caravan was at the rear of the trader’s party; but the ground being

good, we left our people and cantered on to the advanced flag. It was

curious to witness the motley assemblage in single file extending over

about half a mile of ground:—several of the people were mounted on

donkeys; some on oxen: the most were on foot, including all the women to

the number of about sixty, who were the slaves of the trader’s people.

These carried heavy loads; and many, in addition to the burdens, carried

children strapped to their backs in leather slings.

 

After four or five hours’ march during the intense heat many of the

overloaded women showed symptoms of distress, and became footsore;—

the grass having been recently burnt had left the sharp charred stumps,

which were very trying to those whose sandals were not in the best

condition. The women were forced along by their brutal owners with sharp

blows of the coorbatch; and one who was far advanced in pregnancy could

at length go no farther. Upon this the savage to whom she belonged

belaboured her with a large stick, and not succeeding in driving her

before him, he knocked her down and jumped upon her. The woman’s feet

were swollen and bleeding, but later in the day again saw her hobbling

along in the rear by the aid a bamboo.

 

The traders march in good form; one flag leads the party, guarded by

eight or ten men, while a native carries a box of five hundred

cartridges for their use in case of an attack. The porters and baggage

follow in single file, soldiers being at intervals to prevent them from

running away; in which case the runner is invariably fired at The supply

of ammunition is in the centre, carried generally by about fifteen

natives, and strongly escorted by guards. The rear of the party is

closed by another flag behind which no straggler is permitted. The rear

flag is also guarded by six or eight men, with a box of spare

ammunition. With these arrangements the party is always ready to support

an attack.

 

Ibrahim, my new ally, was now riding in front of the line, carrying on

his saddle before him a pretty little girl, his daughter, a child of a

year and a half old; her mother, a remarkably pretty Bari girl, one of

his numerous wives, was riding behind him on an ox. We soon got into

conversation;—a few pieces of sugar given to the child and mother by

Mrs. Baker was a sweet commencement; and Ibrahim then told me to beware

of my own men, as he knew they did not intend to remain with me; that

they were a different tribe from his men, and they would join Chenooda’s

people and desert me on our arrival at their station in Latooka. This

was a corroboration of all I had heard previous to leaving Gondokoro,

therefore I had the promised mutiny in perspective. I had noticed that

my men were even more sullen than usual since I had joined Ibrahim;

however, I succeeded in convincing him that he would benefit so

decidedly by an alliance with me, that he now frankly told me that I

should receive no opposition from his party. So far all had prospered

beyond my most sanguine expectations. We were fairly launched upon our

voyage, and now that we were in the wild interior, I determined to crush

the mutiny with an iron hand should the rascals attempt to carry their

murderous threats into execution. Two or three of the men appeared

willing, but the original ringleader, “Bellaal,” would literally do

nothing, not even assisting at loading the animals; but swaggering about

with the greatest insolence.

 

After a fatiguing march of eight hours and ten minutes through a

perfectly flat country interspersed with trees, we halted at a little

well of excessively bad water at 7.35 P.M. The horses were so much in

advance that the main party did not arrive until 11 P.M. completely

fatigued. The night being fine, we slept on a hillock of sand a few

yards from the well, rejoiced to be away from the mosquitoes of

Gondokoro.

 

On the following morning we started at sunrise, and in two hours’ fast

marching we arrived at the Kanieti river Although there had been no

rain, the stream was very rapid and up to the girths of the horses at

the ford. The banks were very abrupt and about fifteen feet deep, the

bed between forty and fifty yards wide; thus a considerable volume of

water is carried down to the river Sobat by this river during the rains.

The whole drainage of the country, tends to the east, and accordingly

flows into the Sobat.

 

The range of mountains running south from Ellyria is the watershed

between the east and west drainage; the Sobat receiving it on the one

hand, and the White Nile on the other, while the Nile eventually

receives the entire flow by the Sobat, as previously mentioned, in lat.

9 degrees 22 minutes. Having scrambled up the steep bank of the Kanieti

river, we crossed a large field of dhurra, and arrived at the village of

Wakkala. The village, or town, is composed of about seven hundred

houses, the whole being most strongly protected by a system of palisades

formed of “babanoose,” the hard iron wood of the country. Not only is it

thus fortified, but the palisades are also protected by a hedge of

impervious thorns that grow to a height of about twenty feet. The

entrance to this fort is a curious archway, about ten feet deep, formed

of the ironwood palisades, with a sharp turn to the right and left

forming a zigzag. The whole of the village thus fenced is situated in

the midst of a splendid forest of large timber. The inhabitants of

Wakkala are the same as the Ellyria, but governed by an independent

chief. They are great hunters; and as we arrived I saw several parties

returning from the forest with portions of wild boar and buffalo.

 

From Gondokoro to this spot I had not seen a single head of game, but

the immediate neighbourhood of Wakkala was literally trodden down by the

feet of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, rhinoceros, and varieties of

large antelopes.

 

Having examined the village, I ordered my people to unload the animals

in the forest about a quarter of a mile from the entrance. The soil was

extremely rich, and the ground being shaded from the scorching rays of

the sun by the large trees, there was abundance of fine grass, which

accounted for the presence of the game: good pasturage, extensive

forests, and a plentiful supply of water insuring the supply of wild

animals.

 

In a few minutes my horses and donkeys were luxuriating on the rich

herbage, not having tasted grass for some days; the camels revelled in

the foliage of the dark green mimosas; and the men, having found on the

march a buffalo that had been caught in a trap and there killed by a

lion, obtained some meat, and the whole party were feeding. We had

formed a kind of arbour by hacking out with a sabre a delightful shady

nook in the midst of a dense mass of creepers, and there we feasted upon

a couple of roast fowls that we had procured from the natives for glass

beads. This was the first meat we had tasted since we had quitted

Gondokoro.

 

At 5.10 P.M. we left this delightful spot, and marched. Emerging from

the forest we broke upon a beautiful plain of fine low grass, bounded on

our right hand by jungle. This being the cool hour of evening, the plain

was alive with game, including buffaloes, zebras, and many varieties of

large antelopes. It was a most enlivening sight to see them scouring

over the plain as we advanced; but our large party, and three red flags

streaming in the breeze, effectually prevented us from getting

sufficiently near for a shot.

 

I was sorely tempted to remain in this Elysium for a few days’ shooting,

but the importance of an advance was too great to permit of any thoughts

of amusement; thus, I could only indulge a sportsman’s feelings by

feasting my eyes upon the beautiful herds before me.

 

At a quarter past seven we bivouacked in thick jungle. In