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

changing my clothes in a grove of plantains for my

dressing room, and altering my costume to a tweed suit, something

similar to that worn by Speke, I climbed up a high and almost

perpendicular rock that formed a natural pinnacle on the face of the

cliff, and, waving my cap to the crowd on the opposite side, I looked

almost as imposing as Nelson in Trafalgar Square.

 

I instructed Bacheeta, who climbed up the giddy height after me, to

shout to the people that an English lady, my wife, had also arrived, and

that we wished immediately to be presented to the king and his family,

as we had come to thank him for his kind treatment of Speke and Grant,

who had arrived safe in their own county. Upon this being explained and

repeated several times, the canoe approached the shore.

 

I ordered all our people to retire, and to conceal themselves among the

plantains, that the natives might not be startled by so imposing a

force, while Mrs. Baker and I advanced alone to meet Kamrasi’s people,

who were men of some importance. Upon landing through the high reeds,

they immediately recognized the similarity of my beard and general

complexion to that of Speke; and their welcome was at once displayed by

the most extravagant dancing and gesticulating with lances and shields,

as though intending to attack, rushing at me with the points of their

lances thrust close to my face, and shouting and singing in great

excitement.

 

I made each of them a present of a bead necklace, and explained to them

my wish that there should be no delay in my presentation to Kamrasi, as

Speke had complained that he bad been kept waiting fifteen days before

the king had condescended to see him; that, if this occurred, no

Englishman would ever visit him, as such a reception would be considered

an insult. The headman replied that he felt sure I was not an impostor;

but that very shortly after the departure of Speke and Grant in the

previous year, a number of people had arrived in their name, introducing

themselves as their greatest friends: they had been ferried across the

river, and well received by Kamrasi’s orders, and had been presented

with ivory, slaves, and leopard skins, as tokens of friendship; but they

had departed, and suddenly returned with Rionga’s people, and had

attacked the village in which they had been so well received; and upon

the country being assembled to resist them, about three hundred of

Kamrasi’s men had been killed in the fight. The king had therefore given

orders that, upon pain of death, no stranger should cross the river. He

continued: that when they saw our people marching along the bank of the

river, they imagined them to be the same party that had attacked them

formerly, and they were prepared to resist them, and had sent on a

messenger to Kamrasi, who was three days’ march from Karuma, at his

capital M’rooli; until they received a reply, it would be impossible to

allow us to enter the country. He promised to despatch another messenger

immediately to inform the king who we were, but that we must certainly

wait until his return. I explained that we had nothing to eat, and that

it would be very inconvenient to remain in such a spot; that I

considered the suspicion displayed was exceedingly unfair, as they must

see that my wife and I were white people like Speke and Grant, whereas

those who had deceived them were of a totally different race, all being

either black or brown.

 

I told him that it did not much matter; that I had very beautiful

presents intended for Kamrasi; but that another great king would be only

too glad to accept them, without throwing obstacles in my way. I should

accordingly return with my presents.

 

At the same time I ordered a handsome Persian carpet, about fifteen feet

square, to be displayed as one of the presents intended for the king.

The gorgeous colours, as the carpet was unfolded, produced a general

exclamation before the effect of astonishment wore off, I had a basket

unpacked, and displayed upon a cloth a heap of superb necklaces, that we

had prepared while at Obbo, of the choicest beads, many as large as

marbles, and glittering with every colour of the rainbow. The garden of

jewels of Aladdin’s wonderful lamp could not have produced more enticing

fruit. Beads were extremely rare in Kamrasi’s land; the few that existed

had arrived from Zanzibar, and all that I exhibited were entirely new

varieties. I explained that I had many other presents, but that it was

not necessary to unpack them, as we were about to return with them to

visit another king, who lived some days’ journey distant. “Don’t go;

don’t go away,” said the headman and his companions. “Kamrasi will—.”

 

Here an unmistakeable pantomimic action explained their meaning better

than words; throwing their heads well back, they sawed across their

throats with their forefingers, making horrible grimaces, indicative of

the cutting of throats. I could not resist laughing at the terror that

my threat of returning with the presents had created, they explained,

that Kamrasi would not only kill them, but would destroy the entire

village of Atada should we return without visiting him, but that he

would perhaps punish them in precisely the same manner should they ferry

us across without special orders. “Please yourselves,” I replied; “if my

party is not ferried across by the time the sum reaches that spot on the

heavens (pointing to the position it would occupy at about 3 P.M.), I

shall return.” In a state of great excitement they promised to hold a

conference on the other side, and to see what arrangements could be

made. They returned to Atada, leaving the whole party, including

Ibrahim, exceedingly disconcerted—having nothing to eat, an impassable

river before them, and five days’ march of uninhabited wilderness in

their rear.

 

Karuma Falls were about three hundred yards to our left as we faced

Atada; they were very insignificant, not exceeding five feet in height,

but curiously regular, as a ridge of rock over which they fell extended

like a wall across the river. The falls were exactly at the bend of the

river, which, from that point, turned suddenly to the west. The whole

day passed in shouting and gesticulating our peaceful intentions to the

crowd assembled on the heights on the opposite side of the river, but

the boat did not return until long after the time appointed; even then

the natives would only approach sufficiently near to be heard, but

nothing would induce them to land. They explained, that there was a

division of opinion among the people on the other side; some were in

favour of receiving us, but the greater number were of opinion that we

intended hostilities; therefore we must wait until orders could be sent

from the king.

 

To assure the people of our peaceful intentions, I begged them to take

Mrs. Baker and myself ALONE, and to leave the armed party on this side

of the river until a reply should be received from Kamrasi. At this

suggestion the boat immediately returned to the other side.

 

The day passed away, and as the sun set we perceived the canoe again

paddling across the river; this time it approached direct, and the same

people landed that had received the necklaces in the morning. They said

that they had held a conference with the headman, and that they had

agreed to receive my wife and myself, but no other person. I replied,

that my servants must accompany us, as we were quite as great personages

as Kamrasi, and could not possibly travel without attendants. To this

they demurred; therefore I dropped the subject, and proposed to load the

canoe with all the presents intended for Kamrasi. There was no objection

to this, and I ordered Richarn, Saat, and Ibrahim to get into the canoe

to stow away the luggage as it should be handed to them, but on no

account to leave the boat. I had already prepared everything in

readiness; and a bundle of rifles tied up in a large blanket, and 500

rounds of ball cartridge, were unconsciously received on board as

PRESENTS. I had instructed Ibrahim to accompany us as my servant, as he

was better than most of the men in the event of a row; and I had given

orders, that in case of a preconcerted signal being given, the whole

force should swim the river, supporting themselves and guns upon bundles

of papyrus rush.

 

The men thought us perfectly mad, and declared that we should be

murdered immediately when on the other side; however, they prepared for

crossing the river in case of treachery.

 

At the last moment, when the boat was about to leave the shore, two of

the best men jumped in with their guns; however, the natives positively

refused to start; therefore, to avoid suspicion, I ordered them to

retire, but I left word that on the morrow I would send the canoe across

with supplies, and that one or two men should endeavour to accompany the

boat to our side on every trip.

 

It was quite dark when we started. The canoe was formed of a large

hollow tree, capable of holding twenty people, and the natives paddled

us across the rapid current just below the falls. A large fire was

blazing upon the opposite shore, on a level with the river, to guide us

to the landing place. Gliding through a narrow passage in the reeds, we

touched the shore and landed upon a slippery rock, close to the fire,

amidst a crowd of people, who immediately struck up a deafening welcome

with horns and flageolets, and marched us up the steep face of the rocky

cliff through a dark grove of bananas. Torches led the way, followed by

a long file of spearmen; then came the noisy band and ourselves—I

towing my wife up the precipitous path, while my few attendants followed

behind with a number of natives who had volunteered to carry the

luggage.

 

On arrival at the top of the cliff, we were about 180 feet above the

river, and after a walk of about a quarter of a mile, we were

triumphantly led into the heart of the village, and halted in a small

courtyard in front of the headman’s residence.

 

Keedja waited to receive us by a blazing fire. Not having had anything

to eat, we were uncommonly hungry, and to our great delight a basketful

of ripe plantains was presented to us; these were the first that I had

seen for many years. A gourd bottle of plantain wine was offered, and

immediately emptied; it resembled extremely poor cider. We were now

surrounded by a mass of natives, no longer the naked savages to whom we

had been accustomed, but well-dressed men, wearing robes of bark cloth,

arranged in various fashions, generally like the Arab “tope,” or the

Roman toga. Several of the headmen now explained to us the atrocious

treachery of Debono’s men, who had been welcomed as friends of Speke and

Grant, but who had repaid the hospitality by plundering and massacreing

their hosts. I assured them that no one would be more wroth than Speke

when I should make him aware of the manner in which his name had been

used, and that I should make a point of reporting the circumstance to

the British Government. At the same time I advised them not to trust any

but white people, should others arrive in my name, or in those of Speke

and Grant. I upheld their character as that of Englishmen, and I begged

them to state “if ever they had deceived them?” They replied, that

“there