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

immense mass of the granite

rock might have detached itself from a high mountain, and, in falling to

the valley, it might have bounded from a projection on the mountain’s

side, and thus have caused a double report.

 

June 13.–I shot ten ducks and geese before breakfast, including one of

the large black and white geese with the crimson head and neck. On my

return to camp I weighed this—exactly eleven pounds; this goose has on

either pinion-joint a sharp, horny spur, an inch in length. During my

morning stroll I met hundreds of natives running excitedly with shields

and spears towards Adda’s village: they were going to steal the cattle

from a village about four miles distant; thus there will be a fight in

the course of the day. The Latooka stream is now full, and has the

appearance of a permanent river carrying a considerable body of water to

the Sobat.

 

I met with two thieves while duck-shooting this morning—the one an

eagle, and the other a native. The beautiful white-throated fish-eagle

may generally be seen perched upon a bough overhanging the stream, ready

for any prey that may offer. This morning I shot two ducks right and

left as they flew down the course of the river–one fell dead in the

water, but the other, badly hit, fluttered along the surface for some

distance, and was immediately chased and seized by a fish-eagle which,

quite reckless of the gun, had been watching the sport from a high tree,

and evinced a desire to share the results. My men, not to be done out of

their breakfast, gave chase, shouting and yelling to frighten the eagle,

and one of them having a gun loaded with buckshot, fired, and the

whirr-r of the charge induced the eagle to drop the duck, which was

triumphantly seized by the man.

 

The other thief was a native. I fired a long shot at a drake; the bird

flew a considerable distance and towered, falling about a quarter of a

mile distant. A Latooka was hoeing close to where it fell, and we

distinctly saw him pick up the bird and run to a bush, in which he hid

it: upon our arrival he continued his work as though nothing had

happened, and denied all knowledge of it: he was accordingly led by the

ear to the bush, where we found the duck carefully secreted.

 

June 14.–The natives lost one man killed in the fight yesterday,

therefore the night was passed in singing and dancing.

 

The country is drying up; although the stream is full there is no rain

in Latooka, the water in the river being the eastern drainage of the

Obbo mountains, where it rains daily.

 

Ibrahimawa, the Bornu man, alias “Sinbad the Sailor,” the great

traveller, amuses and bores me daily with his long and wonderful stories

of his travels. The style of his narratives may be conjectured from the

following extracts: “There was a country adjoining Bornu, where the king

was so fat and heavy that he could not walk, until the doctors OPENED

HIS BELLY AND CUT THE FAT OUT, which operation was repeated annually.”

 

He described another country as a perfect Paradise, where no one ever

drank anything so inferior as water. This country was so wealthy that

the poorest man could drink merissa (beer). He illustrated the general

intoxication by saying, that “after 3 P.M. no one was sober, throughout

the country, and from that hour the cows, goats, and fowls WERE ALL

DRUNK, as they drank the merissa left in the jars by their owners, who

were all asleep.”

 

He knew all about England, having been a servant, on a Turkish frigate

that was sent to Gravesend. He described an evening entertainment most

vividly. He had been to a ball at an “English Pasha’s in Blackwall,” and

had succeeded wonderfully with some charming English ladies excessively

“decollete,” upon whom he felt sure he had left a lasting impression, as

several had fallen in love with him on the spot, supposing him to be a

Pasha.

 

Such were instances of life and recollections of Ibrahimawa, the Bornu.

 

On June 16, Koorshid’s people returned from Obbo. Ibrahim and a few men

had remained there, and distrusting the warlike spirit of the Latookas,

he now recalled the entire establishment from Tarrangolle, intending to

make a station at the more peaceful country of Obbo. An extract from my

journal on that day explains my feelings: “This is most annoying; I had

arranged my camp and garden, &c. for the wet season, and I must now

leave everything, as it is impossible to remain in this country with my

small force alone; the natives have become so bad (since the cattle

razzia) that a considerable armed party is obliged to go to the stream

for water. It is remarkably pleasant travelling in the vicinity of the

traders;—they convert every country into a wasp’s nest;—they have

neither plan of action nor determination, and I, being unfortunately

dependent upon their movements, am more like a donkey than an explorer,

that is saddled and ridden away at a moment’s notice. About sixty

natives of Obbo accompanied the men sent by Ibrahim to carry the

effects;—I require at least fifty, as so many of my transport animals

are dead.” Nothing can exceed the laziness and dogged indolence of my

men; I have only four who are worth having,–Richarn, Hamed, Sali, and

Taher.

 

All the men in either camp were discontented at the order to move, as

they had made themselves comfortable, expecting to remain in Latooka

during the wet season. The two chiefs, Moy and Commoro, found themselves

in a dilemma, as they had allied themselves with the Turks in the attack

upon the neighbouring town, depending upon them for future support; they

were now left in the lurch, and felt themselves hardly a match for their

enemies. A few extracts from my journal will close our sojourn at

Latooka:

 

“June 18th.—The white ants are a curse upon the country; although the

hut is swept daily and their galleries destroyed, they rebuild

everything during the night, scaling the supports to the roof and

entering the thatch. Articles of leather or wood are the first devoured.

The rapidity with which they repair their galleries is wonderful; all

their work is carried on with cement; the earth is contained in their

stomachs, and this being mixed with some glutinous matter they deposit

it as bees do their wax. Although the earth of this country if tempered

for house-building will crumble in the rain, the hills of the white ants

remain solid and waterproof, owing to the glue in the cement. I have

seen three varieties of white ants—the largest about the size of a

small wasp: this does not attack dwellings, but subsists upon fallen

trees. The second variety is not so large; this species seldom enters

buildings. The third is the greatest pest: this is the smallest, but

thick and juicy;—the earth is literally alive with them, nor is there

one square foot of ground free from them in Latooka.

 

“June 19th.—Had a bad attack of fever yesterday that has been hanging

about me for some days. Weighed all the luggage and packed the stores in

loads of fifty pounds each for the natives to carry.

 

“June 20th.—Busy making new ropes from the bark of a mimosa; all hands

at work, as we start the day after tomorrow. My loss in animals makes a

difference of twenty-three porters’ loads. I shall take forty natives as

the bad roads will necessitate light loads for the donkeys. I have now

only fourteen donkeys; these are in good condition, and would thrive,

were not the birds so destructive by pecking sores upon their backs.

These sores would heal quickly by the application of gunpowder, but the

birds irritate and enlarge them until the animal, is rendered useless. I

have lost two donkeys simply from the attacks of these birds;—the only

remaining camel and some of the donkeys I have covered with jackets made

of tent-cloth.

 

“June 21st.—Nil.

 

“June 22d.—We were awoke last night by a report from the sentry that

natives were prowling around the camp;—I accordingly posted three

additional guards. At a little after 2 A.m. a shot was fired, followed

by two others in quick succession, and a sound as of many feet running

quickly was heard passing the entrance of the camp. I was up in a

moment, and my men were quickly under arms: the Turks’ drum beat, and

their camp (that was contiguous to mine) was alive with men, but all was

darkness. I lighted my policeman’s lantern, that was always kept ready

trimmed, and I soon arrived at the spot where the shot had been fired.

The natives had been endeavouring to steal the cattle from the Turks’

kraal, and favoured by the darkness they had commenced burrowing with

the intention of removing the thorn bushes that formed the fence.

Unfortunately for the thieves, they were unaware that there were

watchers in the kraal among the cattle: it was a pitch dark night, and

nothing could be distinguished; but the attention of one of the sentries

was attracted by the snorting and stamping of the goats, that evidently

denoted the presence of something uncommon. He then perceived close to

him, on the other side the hedge, a dark object crouching, and others

standing, and he heard the bushes moving as though some one was at work

to remove them. He immediately fired; and the sound of a rush of men in

retreat induced both him and the other sentry to repeat the shot. By the

light of the lantern we now searched the place, and discovered the body

of a native lying close to the fence just above a considerable hole that

he had scraped beneath the thorns, in order to extract the stems that

were buried in the ground, and thus by drawing away the bushes he would

have effected an entrance. He had commenced operations exactly opposite

the sentry, and the musket being loaded with mould-shot, he had received

the contents at close quarters. Although he had tempted fate and met

with deserved misfortune, it was most disgusting to witness the

brutality of the Turks, who, tying ropes to the ankles, dragged the body

to the entrance of the camp, and wished for amusement to drive their

bayonets through the chest.

 

“Although dying, the man was not dead: a shot had entered one eye,

knocking it out; several had entered the face, chest, and thighs, as he

was in a stooping position when the gun was fired. I would not allow him

to be mutilated, and after groaning in agony for some time, he died. The

traders’ people immediately amputated the hands at the wrists, to detach

the copper bracelets, while others cut off his helmet of beads, and the

body was very considerately dragged close to the entrance of my camp.

 

“June 22nd.—Finding that the disgusting Turks had deposited the dead

body almost at my door, I had it removed a couple of hundred yards to

leeward. The various birds of prey immediately collected—buzzards,

vultures, crows, and the great Marabou stork. I observed a great

bare-necked vulture almost succeed in turning the body over by pulling

at the flesh of the arm at the opposite side to that where it stood. I

have noticed that birds of prey invariably commence their attack upon

the eyes, inner portions of the thighs, and beneath the arms, before

they devour the coarser portions. In a few hours a well-picked skeleton

was all that was left of the Latooka.”

 

We were to start on the following day. My wife was dangerously ill with

bilious fever, and was unable to stand, and I endeavoured to persuade

the traders’ party to postpone their departure for a