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

year of Central Africa without quinine

appeared to warrant death; it was a race against time, all was untrodden

ground before us, and the distance quite uncertain. I trembled for my

wife, and weighed the risk of another year in this horrible country

should we lose the boats. With the self-sacrificing devotion that she

had shown in every trial, she implored me not to think of any risks on

her account, but to push forward and discover the lake–that she had

determined not to return until she had herself reached the “M’wootan

N’zige.”

 

I now requested Kamrasi to allow us to take leave, as we had not an hour

to lose. In the coolest manner he replied, “I will send you to the lake

and to Shooa, as I have promised; but, YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR WIFE WITH ME!”

At that moment we were surrounded by a great number of natives, and my

suspicions of treachery at having been led across the Kafoor river

appeared confirmed by this insolent demand. If this were to be the end

of the expedition I resolved that it should also be the end of Kamrasi,

and, drawing my revolver quietly, I held it within two feet of his

chest, and looking at him with undisguised contempt, I told him that if

I touched the trigger, not all his men could save him: and that if he

dared to repeat the insult I would shoot him on the spot. At the same

time I explained to him that in my country such insolence would entail

bloodshed, and that I looked upon him as an ignorant ox who knew no

better, and that this excuse alone could save him. My wife, naturally

indignant, had risen from her seat, and, maddened with the excitement of

the moment, she made him a little speech in Arabic (not a word of which

he understood), with a countenance almost as amiable as the head of

Medusa. Altogether the Mise en Scene utterly astonished him; the woman

Bacheeta, although savage, had appropriated the insult to her mistress,

and she also fearlessly let fly at Kamrasi, translating as nearly as she

could the complimentary address that Medusa had just delivered.

 

Whether this little coup de theatre had so impressed Kamrasi with

British female independence that he wished to be off his bargain, I

cannot say, but with an air of complete astonishment, he said, “Don’t be

angry! I had no intention of offending you by asking for your wife; I

will give you a wife, if you want one, and I thought you might have no

objection to give me yours; it is my custom to give my visitors pretty

wives, and I thought you might exchange. Don’t make a fuss about it; if

you don’t like it, there’s an end of it; I will never mention it again.”

This very practical apology I received very sternly, and merely insisted

upon starting. He seemed rather confused at having committed himself,

and to make amends he called his people and ordered them to carry our

loads.

 

His men ordered a number of women, who had assembled out of curiosity,

to shoulder the luggage and carry it to the next village, where they

would be relieved. I assisted my wife upon her ox, and with a very cold

adieu to Kamrasi, I turned my back most gladly on M’rooli.

 

The country was a vast flat of grass land interspersed with small

villages and patches of sweet potatoes; these were very inferior, owing

to the want of drainage. For about two miles we continued on the banks

of the Kafoor river; the women who carried the luggage were straggling

in disorder, and my few men were much scattered in their endeavours to

collect them. We approached a considerable village; but just as we were

nearing it, out rushed about six hundred men with lances and shields,

screaming and yelling like so many demons. For the moment, I thought it

was an attack, but almost immediately I noticed that women and children

were mingled with the men.

 

My men had not taken so cool a view of the excited throng that was now

approaching us at full speed, brandishing their spears, and engaging

with each other in mock combat. “There’s a fight!–there’s a fight! “my

men exclaimed; “we are attacked! fire at them, Hawaga.” However, in a

few seconds I persuaded them that it was a mere parade, and that there

was no danger. With a rush, like a cloud of locusts, the natives closed

around us, dancing, gesticulating, and yelling before my ox, feigning to

attack us with spears and shields, then engaging in sham fights with

each other, and behaving like so many madmen. A very tall chief

accompanied them; and one of their men was suddenly knocked down, and

attacked by the crowd with sticks and lances, and lay on the ground

covered with blood: what his offence had been I did not hear. The entire

crowd were most grotesquely got up, being dressed in either leopard or

white monkey skins, with cows’ tails strapped on behind, and antelopes’

horns fitted upon their heads, while their chins were ornamented with

false beards, made of the bushy ends of cows’ tails sewed together.

Altogether, I never saw a more unearthly set of creatures; they were

perfect illustrations of my childish ideas of devils—horns, tails,

and all, excepting the hoofs; they were our escort! furnished by Kamrasi

to accompany us to the lake. Fortunately for all parties the Turks were

not with us on that occasion, or the satanic escort would certainly have

been received with a volley when they so rashly advanced to compliment

us by their absurd performances.

 

We marched till 7 P.M. over flat, uninteresting country, and then halted

at a miserable village which the people had deserted, as they expected

our arrival. The following morning I found much difficulty in getting

our escort together, as they had been foraging throughout the

neighbourhood; these “devil’s own” were a portion of Kamrasi’s troops,

who considered themselves entitled to plunder ad libitum throughout the

march; however, after some delay, they collected, and their tall chief

approached me, and begged that a gun might be fired as a curiosity. The

escort had crowded around us, and as the boy Saat was close to me, I

ordered him to fire his gun. This was Saat’s greatest delight, and bang

went one barrel unexpectedly, close to the tall chief’s ear. The effect

was charming. The tall chief, thinking himself injured, clasped his head

with both hands, and bolted through the crowd, which, struck with a

sudden panic, rushed away in all directions, the “devil’s own” tumbling

over each other, and utterly scattered by the second barrel which Saat

exultingly fired in derision as Kamrasi’s warlike regiment dissolved

before a sound. I felt quite sure, that in the event of a fight, one

scream from the “Baby,” with its charge of forty small bullets, would

win the battle, if well delivered into a crowd of Kamrasi’s troops.

 

That afternoon, after a march through a most beautiful forest of large

mimosas in full blossom, we arrived at the morass that had necessitated

this great detour from our direct course to the lake. It was nearly

three-quarters of a mile broad, and so deep, that in many places the

oxen were obliged to swim; both Mrs. Baker and I were carried across on

our angareps by twelve men with the greatest difficulty; the guide, who

waded before us to show the way, suddenly disappeared in a deep hole,

and his bundle that he had carried on his head, being of light

substance, was seen floating like a buoy upon the surface; after a

thorough sousing, the guide reappeared, and scrambled out, and we made a

circuit, the men toiling frequently up to their necks through mud and

water. On arrival at the opposite side we continued through the same

beautiful forest, and slept that night at a deserted village, M’Baze. I

obtained two observations; one of Capella, giving lat. 1 degrees 24

minutes 47 seconds N., and of Canopus 1 degree 23 minutes 29 seconds.

 

The next day we were much annoyed by our native escort; instead of

attending to us, they employed their time in capering and dancing about,

screaming and gesticulating, and suddenly rushing off in advance

whenever we approached a village, which they plundered before we could

arrive. In this manner every place was stripped; nor could we procure

anything to eat unless by purchasing it for beads from the native

escort. We slept at Karche, lat. 1 degree 19 minutes 31 seconds N.

 

We were both ill, but were obliged to ride through the hottest hours of

the sun, as our followers were never ready to start at an early hour in

the morning. The native escort were perfectly independent, and so

utterly wild and savage in their manner, that they appeared more

dangerous than the general inhabitants of the country.

 

My wife was extremely anxious, since the occasion of Kamrasi’s

“proposal,” as she was suspicious that so large an escort as three

hundred men had been given for some treacherous purpose, and that I

should perhaps be waylaid to enable them to steal her for the king. I

had not the slightest fear of such an occurrence, as sentries were

always on guard during the night, and I was well prepared during the

day.

 

On the following morning we had the usual difficulty in collecting

porters, those of the preceding day having absconded, and others were

recruited from distant villages by the native escort, who enjoyed the

excuse of hunting for porters, as it gave them an opportunity of

foraging throughout the neighbourhood. During this time we had to wait

until the sun was high; we thus lost the cool hours of morning, and it

increased our fatigue. Having at length started, we arrived in the

afternoon at the Kafoor river, at a bend from the south where it was

necessary to cross over in our westerly course. The stream was in the

centre of a marsh, and although deep, it was so covered with thickly

matted water-grass and other aquatic plants, that a natural floating

bridge was established by a carpet of weeds about two feet thick: upon

this waving and unsteady surface the men ran quickly across, sinking

merely to the ankles, although beneath the tough vegetation there was

deep water. It was equally impossible to ride or to be carried over this

treacherous surface; thus I led the way, and begged Mrs. Baker to follow

me on foot as quickly as possible, precisely in my track. The river was

about eighty yards wide, and I had scarcely completed a fourth of the

distance and looked back to see if my wife followed close to me, when I

was horrified to see her standing in one spot, and sinking gradually

through the weeds, while her face was distorted and perfectly purple.

Almost as soon as I perceived her, she fell, as though shot dead.

 

In an instant I was by her side; and with the assistance of eight or ten

of my men, who were fortunately close to me, I dragged her like a corpse

through the yielding vegetation, and up to our waists we scrambled

across to the other side, just keeping her head above the water: to have

carried her would have been impossible, as we should all have sunk

together through the weeds. I laid her under a tree, and bathed her head

and face with water, as for the moment I thought she had fainted; but

she lay perfectly insensible, as though dead, with teeth and hands

firmly clenched, and her eyes open, but fixed. It was a coup de soleil.

 

Many of the porters had gone on ahead with the baggage; and I started

off