CHAPTER SEVEN.
DESCRIBES RIVER HUNTING.
"Well, major, what are your orders for the day?" asked Tom Brown onefine morning after breakfast, while they were enjoying their usual pipeunder the shade of a large umbrageous tree.
"You'd better try the river that we have just come to," said the major.
"Do you think me amphibious, that you should always assign me thatwork?" asked Tom.
"Not exactly, Tom, but I know you are fond of telling fibs, and perhapsthe amphibious animals may afford you some scope in that way. At allevents they are capable of such astonishing feats that if you merelyrelate the truth about them you will be sure to get credit in Englandfor telling fibs--like poor Mungo Park, who was laughed at all his lifefor a notorious drawer of the long-bow, although there never was a moretruthful man."
"People won't judge _us_ so harshly, major," said Wilkins; "for so manyAfrican travellers have corroborated Mungo Park's stories that the truthis pretty well known and believed by people of average education. Butpray is it your lordship's pleasure that I should accompany Tom? Youknow he cannot take care of himself, and no one of the party can act sopowerfully as a check on his inveterate propensity to inordinate smokingas myself."
"You must have studied Johnson's dictionary very closely in yourboyhood," said Tom, puffing a prolonged cloud as a termination to thesentence.
"But, major, if you do condemn me to his company, please let us haveMafuta again, for Wilkins and I are like two uncongenial stones, and heacts as lime to keep us together."
"Don't you think that Hicks had better be consulted before we makearrangements?" suggested Pearson.
"Hear, hear," cried Ogilvie; "and I should like to know what is to bedone with Brand and Anson, for they are both very much down with feverof some sort this morning."
"Leave Jumbo with them," said Tom Brown; "he's better at nursing thanhunting. By the way, was it not he who nursed the native that died lastnight in the kraal?"
"It was, and they say he killed the poor nigger by careless treatment,"said Pearson.
"What nigger do you refer to?" asked Ogilvie.
"The one who died--but, I forgot, you were out after that hyena when ithappened, and so I suppose have not heard of it," said Pearson. "We hada funeral in the village over there last night, and they say that ourfellow Jumbo, who it seems was once a friend of the sick man, offered tosit up with him last night. There is a rumour that he was an enemy ofJumbo's, and that our cowardly scoundrel made this offer in order tohave an opportunity of killing him in a quiet way. Hicks even goes thelength of saying he is sure that Jumbo killed him, for when he saw thesick man last he was under the impression what he had got the turn, andgave him a powder that would have been certain to cure--"
"Or kill," interrupted Tom Brown; "I've no faith in Hicks's skill as apractitioner."
"Of course not," said Wilkins, "proverbial philosophy asserts andrequires that doctors should disagree."
"Be that as it may," continued Pearson, "the native did die and wasburied, so that's an end of him, and yonder sits Jumbo eating hisbreakfast at the camp-fire as if he had done a most virtuous action.The fact is, I don't believe the reports. I cannot believe that poorJumbo, coward though he is, would be guilty of such an act."
"Perhaps not," said the major, rising, "but there's no possibility ofsettling the question now, and here comes Hicks, so I'll go and makearrangements with him about the day's proceedings."
"They have a primitive mode of conducting funerals here," said Tom Brownwhen the major had left. "I happened to be up at the kraal curryingfavour with the chief man, for he has the power of bothering us a gooddeal if he chooses, and I observed what they did with this same deadman. I saw that he was very low as I passed the hut where he lay, andstopped to look on. His breath was very short, and presently he fellinto what either might have been a profound sleep, or a swoon, or death;I could not be quite sure which, not being used to black fellows. Iwould have examined the poor man, but the friends kicked up a great rowand shoved me off. Before the breath could have been well out of hisbody, they hoisted him up and carried him away to burial. I followedout of mere curiosity, and found that the lazy rascals had shoved thebody into an ant-eater's hole in order to save the trouble of digging agrave."
While Tom and his friends were thus conversing over their pipes, theirattention was attracted by a peculiar cry or howl of terror, such asthey had never heard from any animal of those regions. Starting up theyinstinctively grasped their guns and looked about them. The utterer ofthe cry was soon obvious in the person of Jumbo, who had leaped upsuddenly--overturning his breakfast in the act--and stood gazing beforehim with his eyes starting out of their sockets, his teeth rattlingtogether like a pair of castanets, his limbs quivering, and in fact hiswhole person displaying symptoms of the most abject terror of which thehuman frame is capable.
The major and Hicks, who stood not far from him, were both unusuallypale in the face, as they gazed motionless before them.
The fixedness of their looks directed the eyes of Tom Brown and hiscomrades towards a neighbouring thicket, where they beheld an objectthat was well calculated to inspire dread. It appeared to be a livingskeleton covered with a black skin of the most ghastly appearance, andcame staggering towards them like a drunken man. As it drew nearerJumbo's limbs trembled more and more violently and his face became of aleaden blue colour. At last he became desperate, turned round, dashedright through the embers of the fire, and fled wildly from the spot witha howl that ended in a shriek of terror.
"No wonder he's terrified," observed Tom Brown to his alarmed comrades;"I felt more than half certain the nigger was not dead last night, andnow it is beyond question that they had buried him alive. Jumboevidently thinks it's his ghost!"
"_Won't_ he give his friend a fright?" said Wilkins, on observing thatthe poor man went staggering on in the direction of the kraal.
"He will," said Hicks, laughing; "but they'll make up for their haste bytaking good care of him now. I declare I thought for a moment or twothat it was a real ghost! Come now, gentlemen, if you want good sportyou've got the chance before you to-day. The last party that passedthis way left an old boat on the river. I dare say it won't be veryleaky. Some of you had better take it and go after the 'potimusses.There's plenty of buffalo and elephants in this region also, and thenatives are anxious to have a dash at them along with you. Divideyourselves as you choose, and I'll go up to make arrangements with theold chief."
In accordance with the trader's advice the party was divided. TomBrown, Wilkins, and Mafuta, as on a former occasion, determined to sticktogether and take to the boat. The others, under the major, went withHicks and the natives after elephants.
"Another capital stream," remarked Tom to his companion as they emergedfrom the bushes on the banks of a broad river, the surface of which wasdotted here and there with log-like hippopotami, some of which werefloating quietly, while others plunged about in the water.
"Capital!" exclaimed Wilkins, "now for the boat! According todirections we must walk upstream till we find it."
As they advanced, they came suddenly on one of the largest crocodilesthey had yet seen. It was lying sound asleep on a mud-bank, notdreaming, doubtless, of the daring bipeds who were about to disturb itsrepose.
"Hallo!" exclaimed Wilkins, cocking and levelling his gun, "what asplendid chance!"
It was indeed a splendid chance, for the brute was twenty feet long atleast; the rugged knobs of its thick hide showed here and there througha coat of mud with which it was covered, and its partially open jawsdisplayed a row of teeth that might have made the lion himself shrink.The mud had partially dried in the sun, so that the monster, as it laysprawling, might have been mistaken for a dead carcass, had not a gentlemotion about the soft parts of his body given evidence of life.
Before Wilkins could pull the trigger, Mafuta seized him by the arm witha powerful grip.
"Hold on!" he cried with a look of inte
nse anxiety, "what you go do?Fright all de 'potimus away for dis yer crackodl. Oh fy! go away."
"That's true, Bob," said Tom Brown, who, although he had prepared tofire in case of need, intended to have allowed his friend to take thefirst shot; "'twould be a pity to lose our chance of a sea-cow, which isgood for food, for the sake of a monster which at the best could onlygive us a fine specimen-head for a museum, for his entire body is toobig to haul about through the country after us."
Well, be it so, said Wilkins, somewhat disappointed, "but I'm determinedto kick him up anyhow."
Saying this he advanced towards the brute, but again the powerful handof Mafuta seized him.
"What you do? want git kill altogidder? You is a fool! (the black hadlost temper a little). Him got nuff strong in hims tail to crack off delegs of 'oo like stem-pipes. Yis, kom back?"
Wilkins felt a strong tendency to rebel, and the Caffre remonstrated inso loud a voice that the crocodile awoke with a start, and immediatelyconvinced the obstinate hunter that he had at least been saved brokenbones by Mafuta, for he never in his life before had seen anything likethe terrific whirl that he gave his tail, as he dashed into the watersome fifteen yards ahead. Almost immediately afterwards he turnedround, and there, floating like a log on the stream, took a cool surveyof the disturbers of his morning's repose!
"It's hard to refuse such an impudent invitation to do one's worst,"said Wilkins, again raising his gun.
"No, you mustn't," cried Tom Brown, grasping his friend's arm; "comealong, I see the bow of the boat among the rushes not far ahead of us,and yonder is a hippopotamus, or sea-cow as they call it here, waitingto be shot."
Without further delay they embarked in the boat, which, though small,was found to be sufficiently tight, and rowed off towards the spot wherethe hippopotamus had been seen. Presently his blunt ungainly head rosewithin ten feet of them. Wilkins got such a start that he tripped overone of the thwarts in trying to take aim, and nearly upset the boat. Herecovered himself, however, in a moment, and fired--sending a ball intothe brute which just touched the brain and stunned it. He then firedhis second barrel, and while he was loading Tom put two more balls intoit. It proved hard to kill, however, for they fired alternately, andput sixteen bullets--seven to the pound--into different parts of itshead before they succeeded in killing it.
They towed their prize to the shore, intending to land and secure it,when a calf hippopotamus shoved its blunt nose out of the water close athand, gazed stupidly at them and snorted. Tom at once shot it in thehead, and it commenced to bellow lustily. Instantly the mother's headcleft the surface of the water as she came up to the rescue and rushedat the boat, the gunwale of which she seized in her mouth and pulled itunder.
"Quick!" shouted Tom, as he fired his second barrel into her ear.
Wilkins did not require to be urged, as the water was flowing into theboat like a deluge. He delivered both shots into her almostsimultaneously, and induced her to let go! Another shot from Tom in theback of her neck entered the spine and killed her.
By this time a large band of natives had collected, and were gazingeagerly on the proceedings. They had come down from the kraal to enjoythe sport and get some of the meat, of which they are particularly fond.They were not disappointed in their expectations, for the hippopotamiwere very numerous in that place, and the sportsmen shot well. Fourother animals fell before their deadly guns before another hour hadpassed, and as the bay was shallow the natives waded in to drag themashore.
This was a very amusing scene, because crocodiles were so numerous thatit was only possible for them to accomplish the work safely by enteringthe water together in large numbers, with inconceivable noise, yellingand splashing, in order to scare them away. They would not haveventured in singly, or in small numbers, on any account whatever; but onthe present occasion, being numerous, they were very courageous, andjoining hands, so as to form a line from the shore to the floatinganimals, soon dragged them out.
As the carcasses belonged to Hicks the trader, these black fellows knewwell enough that they were not at liberty to do with them as theypleased, so they waited as patiently as they could for the gloriousfeast which they fondly hoped was in store for them.
When the sportsmen at last landed to look after their game, they foundfour fine sea-cows and the calf drawn up on the banks, side by side,with upwards of a hundred Caffres gazing at them longingly! Nothingcould be more courteous than the behaviour of these savages when Mafutacut off such portions as his party required; but no sooner was theremainder of the spoil handed over to them than there ensued a scene ofindescribable confusion. They rushed at the carcasses like vultures,with assegais, knives, sticks, and axes, hallooing, bellowing, shoving,and fighting, in a manner that would have done credit to the wildest ofthe wild beasts by which they were surrounded! Yet there was a distinctsense of justice among them. It was indeed a desperate fight to obtainpossession, but no one attempted to dispossess another of what he hadbeen fortunate enough to secure. The strongest savages got at thecarcasses first, and cut off large lumps, which they hurled to theirfriends outside the struggling circle. These caught the meat thusthrown, and ran with it, each to a separate heap, on which he depositedhis piece and left it in perfect security.
In order to introduce a little more fair play, however, for the benefitof the weaker brethren, Mafuta dashed in among them with a terriblesjambok, or whip, of rhinoceros hide, which he laid about him withwonderful effect. In a very short time the whole of the meat wasdisposed of, not a scrap being left large enough to satisfy the cravingsof the smallest conceivable crocodile that ever dwelt in that river!
The effects of this upon the native mind was immediate and satisfactory.That night the sportsmen received from the kraal large and gratifyinggifts of eggs, bread, rice, beer, pumpkins, and all the produce of theland.
But we must not forestall. Before these dainties were enjoyed thatnight the other members of the expedition had to come in with the resultof their day's hunt. Let us therefore turn for a little to follow theirfootsteps.