Cinq semaines en ballon. English

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIFTH.

  What happened to Joe.--The Island of the Biddiomahs.--The Adorationshown him.--The Island that sank.--The Shores of the Lake.--The Treeof the Serpents.--The Foot-Tramp.--Terrible Suffering.--Mosquitoes andAnts.--Hunger.--The Victoria seen.--She disappears.--The Swamp.--OneLast Despairing Cry.

  What had become of Joe, while his master was thus vainly seeking forhim?

  When he had dashed headlong into the lake, his first movement oncoming to the surface was to raise his eyes and look upward. He saw theVictoria already risen far above the water, still rapidly ascending andgrowing smaller and smaller. It was soon caught in a rapid current anddisappeared to the northward. His master--both his friends were saved!

  "How lucky it was," thought he, "that I had that idea to throw myselfout into the lake! Mr. Kennedy would soon have jumped at it, and hewould not have hesitated to do as I did, for nothing's more natural thanfor one man to give himself up to save two others. That's mathematics!"

  Satisfied on this point, Joe began to think of himself. He was in themiddle of a vast lake, surrounded by tribes unknown to him, and probablyferocious. All the greater reason why he should get out of the scrapeby depending only on himself. And so he gave himself no farther concernabout it.

  Before the attack by the birds of prey, which, according to him, hadbehaved like real condors, he had noticed an island on the horizon, anddetermining to reach it, if possible, he put forth all his knowledge andskill in the art of swimming, after having relieved himself of the mosttroublesome part of his clothing. The idea of a stretch of five or sixmiles by no means disconcerted him; and therefore, so long as he wasin the open lake, he thought only of striking out straight ahead andmanfully.

  In about an hour and a half the distance between him and the island hadgreatly diminished.

  But as he approached the land, a thought, at first fleeting and thentenacious, arose in his mind. He knew that the shores of the lake werefrequented by huge alligators, and was well aware of the voracity ofthose monsters.

  Now, no matter how much he was inclined to find every thing in thisworld quite natural, the worthy fellow was no little disturbed bythis reflection. He feared greatly lest white flesh like his might beparticularly acceptable to the dreaded brutes, and advanced only withextreme precaution, his eyes on the alert on both sides and all aroundhim. At length, he was not more than one hundred yards from a bank,covered with green trees, when a puff of air strongly impregnated with amusky odor reached him.

  "There!" said he to himself, "just what I expected. The crocodile isn'tfar off!"

  With this he dived swiftly, but not sufficiently so to avoid coming intocontact with an enormous body, the scaly surface of which scratched himas he passed. He thought himself lost and swam with desperate energy.Then he rose again to the top of the water, took breath and dived oncemore. Thus passed a few minutes of unspeakable anguish, which all hisphilosophy could not overcome, for he thought, all the while, thathe heard behind him the sound of those huge jaws ready to snap him upforever. In this state of mind he was striking out under the water asnoiselessly as possible when he felt himself seized by the arm and thenby the waist.

  Poor Joe! he gave one last thought to his master; and began to strugglewith all the energy of despair, feeling himself the while drawn along,but not toward the bottom of the lake, as is the habit of the crocodilewhen about to devour its prey, but toward the surface.

  So soon as he could get breath and look around him, he saw that he wasbetween two natives as black as ebony, who held him, with a firm gripe,and uttered strange cries.

  "Ha!" said Joe, "blacks instead of crocodiles! Well, I prefer it as itis; but how in the mischief dare these fellows go in bathing in suchplaces?"

  Joe was not aware that the inhabitants of the islands of Lake Tchad,like many other negro tribes, plunge with impunity into sheets of waterinfested with crocodiles and caymans, and without troubling their headsabout them. The amphibious denizens of this lake enjoy the well-deservedreputation of being quite inoffensive.

  But had not Joe escaped one peril only to fall into another? That wasa question which he left events to decide; and, since he could notdo otherwise, he allowed himself to be conducted to the shore withoutmanifesting any alarm.

  "Evidently," thought he, "these chaps saw the Victoria skimming thewaters of the lake, like a monster of the air. They were the distantwitnesses of my tumble, and they can't fail to have some respect for aman that fell from the sky! Let them have their own way, then."

  Joe was at this stage of his meditations, when he was landed amid ayelling crowd of both sexes, and all ages and sizes, but not of allcolors. In fine, he was surrounded by a tribe of Biddiomahs as black asjet. Nor had he to blush for the scantiness of his costume, for he sawthat he was in "undress" in the highest style of that country.

  But before he had time to form an exact idea of the situation, there wasno mistaking the agitation of which he instantly became the object, andthis soon enabled him to pluck up courage, although the adventure ofKazah did come back rather vividly to his memory.

  "I foresee that they are going to make a god of me again," thought he,"some son of the moon most likely. Well, one trade's as good as anotherwhen a man has no choice. The main thing is to gain time. Should theVictoria pass this way again, I'll take advantage of my new positionto treat my worshippers here to a miracle when I go sailing up into thesky!"

  While Joe's thoughts were running thus, the throng pressed around him.They prostrated themselves before him; they howled; they felt him;they became even annoyingly familiar; but at the same time they had theconsideration to offer him a superb banquet consisting of sour milkand rice pounded in honey. The worthy fellow, making the best of everything, took one of the heartiest luncheons he ever ate in his life, andgave his new adorers an exalted idea of how the gods tuck away theirfood upon grand occasions.

  When evening came, the sorcerers of the island took him respectfullyby the hand, and conducted him to a sort of house surrounded withtalismans; but, as he was entering it, Joe cast an uneasy look at theheaps of human bones that lay scattered around this sanctuary. But hehad still more time to think about them when he found himself at lastshut up in the cabin.

  During the evening and through a part of the night, he heard festivechantings, the reverberations of a kind of drum, and a clatter of oldiron, which were very sweet, no doubt, to African ears. Then there werehowling choruses, accompanied by endless dances by gangs of natives whocircled round and round the sacred hut with contortions and grimaces.

  Joe could catch the sound of this deafening orchestra, through themud and reeds of which his cabin was built; and perhaps under othercircumstances he might have been amused by these strange ceremonies;but his mind was soon disturbed by quite different and less agreeablereflections. Even looking at the bright side of things, he found it bothstupid and sad to be left alone in the midst of this savage countryand among these wild tribes. Few travellers who had penetrated to theseregions had ever again seen their native land. Moreover, could he trustto the worship of which he saw himself the object? He had good reason tobelieve in the vanity of human greatness; and he asked himself whether,in this country, adoration did not sometimes go to the length of eatingthe object adored!

  But, notwithstanding this rather perplexing prospect, after some hoursof meditation, fatigue got the better of his gloomy thoughts, and Joefell into a profound slumber, which would have lasted no doubt untilsunrise, had not a very unexpected sensation of dampness awakened thesleeper. Ere long this dampness became water, and that water gained sorapidly that it had soon mounted to Joe's waist.

  "What can this be?" said he; "a flood! a water-spout! or a new tortureinvented by these blacks? Faith, though, I'm not going to wait here tillit's up to my neck!"

  And, so saying, he burst through the frail wall with a jog of hispowerful shoulder, and found himself--where?--in the open lake! Islandthere was none. It had sunk during the night. In its place, the wateryimmen
sity of Lake Tchad!

  "A poor country for the land-owners!" said Joe, once more vigorouslyresorting to his skill in the art of natation.

  One of those phenomena, which are by no means unusual on Lake Tchad, hadliberated our brave Joe. More than one island, that previously seemedto have the solidity of rock, has been submerged in this way; and thepeople living along the shores of the mainland have had to pick up theunfortunate survivors of these terrible catastrophes.

  Joe knew nothing about this peculiarity of the region, but he was nonethe less ready to profit by it. He caught sight of a boat driftingabout, without occupants, and was soon aboard of it. He found it to bebut the trunk of a tree rudely hollowed out; but there were a couple ofpaddles in it, and Joe, availing himself of a rapid current, allowed hiscraft to float along.

  "But let us see where we are," he said. "The polar-star there, that doesits work honorably in pointing out the direction due north to everybodyelse, will, most likely, do me that service."

  He discovered, with satisfaction, that the current was taking him towardthe northern shore of the lake, and he allowed himself to glide withit. About two o'clock in the morning he disembarked upon a promontorycovered with prickly reeds, that proved very provoking and inconvenienteven to a philosopher like him; but a tree grew there expressly to offerhim a bed among its branches, and Joe climbed up into it for greatersecurity, and there, without sleeping much, however, awaited the dawn ofday.

  When morning had come with that suddenness which is peculiar to theequatorial regions, Joe cast a glance at the tree which had shelteredhim during the last few hours, and beheld a sight that chilled themarrow in his bones. The branches of the tree were literally coveredwith snakes and chameleons! The foliage actually was hidden beneaththeir coils, so that the beholder might have fancied that he saw beforehim a new kind of tree that bore reptiles for its leaves and fruit. Andall this horrible living mass writhed and twisted in the first rays ofthe morning sun! Joe experienced a keen sensation or terror mingled withdisgust, as he looked at it, and he leaped precipitately from the treeamid the hissings of these new and unwelcome bedfellows.

  "Now, there's something that I would never have believed!" said he.

  He was not aware that Dr. Vogel's last letters had made known thissingular feature of the shores of Lake Tchad, where reptiles are morenumerous than in any other part of the world. But after what he had justseen, Joe determined to be more circumspect for the future; and, takinghis bearings by the sun, he set off afoot toward the northeast,avoiding with the utmost care cabins, huts, hovels, and dens of everydescription, that might serve in any manner as a shelter for humanbeings.

  How often his gaze was turned upward to the sky! He hoped to catch aglimpse, each time, of the Victoria; and, although he looked vainlyduring all that long, fatiguing day of sore foot-travel, his confidentreliance on his master remained undiminished. Great energy of characterwas needed to enable him thus to sustain the situation with philosophy.Hunger conspired with fatigue to crush him, for a man's system is notgreatly restored and fortified by a diet of roots, the pith of plants,such as the Mele, or the fruit of the doum palm-tree; and yet, accordingto his own calculations, Joe was enabled to push on about twenty milesto the westward.

  His body bore in scores of places the marks of the thorns with which thelake-reeds, the acacias, the mimosas, and other wild shrubbery throughwhich he had to force his way, are thickly studded; and his torn andbleeding feet rendered walking both painful and difficult. But at lengthhe managed to react against all these sufferings; and when evening cameagain, he resolved to pass the night on the shores of Lake Tchad.

  There he had to endure the bites of myriads of insects--gnats,mosquitoes, ants half an inch long, literally covered the ground; and,in less than two hours, Joe had not a rag remaining of the garments thathad covered him, the insects having devoured them! It was a terriblenight, that did not yield our exhausted traveller an hour of sleep.During all this time the wild-boars and native buffaloes, reenforcedby the ajoub--a very dangerous species of lamantine--carried on theirferocious revels in the bushes and under the waters of the lake, fillingthe night with a hideous concert. Joe dared scarcely breathe. Even hiscourage and coolness had hard work to bear up against so terrible asituation.

  At length, day came again, and Joe sprang to his feet precipitately; butjudge of the loathing he felt when he saw what species of creaturehad shared his couch--a toad!--but a toad five inches in length, amonstrous, repulsive specimen of vermin that sat there staring at himwith huge round eyes. Joe felt his stomach revolt at the sight, and,regaining a little strength from the intensity of his repugnance, herushed at the top of his speed and plunged into the lake. This suddenbath somewhat allayed the pangs of the itching that tortured his wholebody; and, chewing a few leaves, he set forth resolutely, again feelingan obstinate resolution in the act, for which he could hardly accounteven to his own mind. He no longer seemed to have entire control of hisown acts, and, nevertheless, he felt within him a strength superior todespair.

  However, he began now to suffer terribly from hunger. His stomach, lessresigned than he was, rebelled, and he was obliged to fasten a tendrilof wild-vine tightly about his waist. Fortunately, he could quench histhirst at any moment, and, in recalling the sufferings he had undergonein the desert, he experienced comparative relief in his exemption fromthat other distressing want.

  "What can have become of the Victoria?" he wondered. "The wind blowsfrom the north, and she should be carried back by it toward the lake.No doubt the doctor has gone to work to right her balance, but yesterdaywould have given him time enough for that, so that may be to-day--but Imust act just as if I was never to see him again. After all, if I onlyget to one of the large towns on the lake, I'll find myself no worse offthan the travellers my master used to talk about. Why shouldn't I workmy way out of the scrape as well as they did? Some of them got back homeagain. Come, then! the deuce! Cheer up, my boy!"

  Thus talking to himself and walking on rapidly, Joe came right upon ahorde of natives in the very depths of the forest, but he halted in timeand was not seen by them. The negroes were busy poisoning arrows withthe juice of the euphorbium--a piece of work deemed a great affair amongthese savage tribes, and carried on with a sort of ceremonial solemnity.

  Joe, entirely motionless and even holding his breath, was keepinghimself concealed in a thicket, when, happening to raise his eyes, hesaw through an opening in the foliage the welcome apparition of theballoon--the Victoria herself--moving toward the lake, at a height ofonly about one hundred feet above him. But he could not make himselfheard; he dared not, could not make his friends even see him!

  Tears came to his eyes, not of grief but of thankfulness; his master wasthen seeking him; his master had not left him to perish! He wouldhave to wait for the departure of the blacks; then he could quit hishiding-place and run toward the borders of Lake Tchad!

  But by this time the Victoria was disappearing in the distant sky.Joe still determined to wait for her; she would come back again,undoubtedly. She did, indeed, return, but farther to the eastward.Joe ran, gesticulated, shouted--but all in vain! A strong breeze wassweeping the balloon away with a speed that deprived him of all hope.

  For the first time, energy and confidence abandoned the heart of theunfortunate man. He saw that he was lost. He thought his master gonebeyond all prospect of return. He dared no longer think; he would nolonger reflect!

  Like a crazy man, his feet bleeding, his body cut and torn, he walkedon during all that day and a part of the next night. He even draggedhimself along, sometimes on his knees, sometimes with his hands. He sawthe moment nigh when all his strength would fail, and nothing would beleft to him but to sink upon the ground and die.

  Thus working his way along, he at length found himself close to a marsh,or what he knew would soon become a marsh, for night had set in somehours before, and he fell by a sudden misstep into a thick, clingingmire. In spite of all his efforts, in spite of his desperate struggles,he felt
himself sinking gradually in the swampy ooze, and in a fewminutes he was buried to his waist.

  "Here, then, at last, is death!" he thought, in agony, "and what adeath!"

  He now began to struggle again, like a madman; but his efforts onlyserved to bury him deeper in the tomb that the poor doomed lad washollowing for himself; not a log of wood or a branch to buoy him up;not a reed to which he might cling! He felt that all was over! His eyesconvulsively closed!

  "Master! master!--Help!" were his last words; but his voice, despairing,unaided, half stifled already by the rising mire, died away feebly onthe night.