Courage, True Hearts: Sailing in Search of Fortune

  CHAPTER III.--CHILDREN OF THE SKY.

  I have been down in a diving-bell, and have traversed or been ledthrough the dark and seemingly interminable seams of a coal-mine, andfelt no very exaggerated sense of exhilaration in either situation, butthe glad free feeling one has when afloat in a balloon, and after thefirst nervous shudder of trepidation has passed off, is well worthrisking life and limb to experience, and is, moreover, in my opinion, aproof that man was made and meant for better things than grovelling onearth like a stranded tadpole thrown out of its pond by the hands ofsome idle school-boy.

  It is always the unknown that strikes the greatest amount of terror intoman's soul. Therefore I claim for my young heroes the possession of anamount of courage and pluck, that you shall seldom find in any otherhearts save those of British-born boys.

  The balloon ascended with inconceivable rapidity at first, swaying justa little from side to side, and causing the inmates to grasp the sidesof the car with some degree of nervous terror. When, however, theyfound that to fall out would be the most unlikely thing that couldhappen, they took heart of grace, and began to laugh and talk.

  "Isn't it just too awfully lovely for anything," said Frank. "I say,you know, Conal, I'm a sort of sorry I didn't bring my fiddle."

  "It's a fine sensation," said Conal. "It must be just like going toheaven."

  "Yes"--from Duncan--"but we should have somebody to meet us when we goton shore there. But we don't know where this aerial tour may end."

  "Well, we're going high enough anyhow," said Frank. "And," he added,"I'm not half so funky as I thought I'd be. I've often thought, mindyou, that I'd like the going up in a balloon, 'cause there is plenty ofsky-room, and nothing to knock your head against. It was the thoughts ofalighting on earth again that always had terrors for me, hitting againstpoplar-trees and steeples and such, or spiked on the weather-cock of atown-hall and left to kick. But this is glorious, and I suppose we'llget down all straight."

  Duncan held down his hand to Viking, and the honest dog licked it withhis soft tongue.

  "It is so good of you to take me, master," he seemed to say. "I don'tknow where in all the world you're off to, but you're here, and that'sgood enough for old Vike."

  "I say, Duncan," said Conal, "aren't we taking an easterly direction?"

  Duncan was rated "captain of the car", so all questions were referred tohim.

  "It really looks a little like it," was the reply, "unless the islanddown yonder, with our dear friends on it, has broken adrift, and isbound for the mainland."

  They could talk lightly, almost joyously now, so bracing was the air,and so delicious the sensation of floating through space.

  "I say, captain," said Frank, "hadn't we better put another man to thewheel, and tack and half tack for a time. Or suppose we lie to, eh?"

  "Providence is at the wheel, Frank, but we're at the mercy of everybreeze that may blow."

  They were evidently being driven out to sea, but there was no help forit.

  And so easterwards, ever easterwards, they drifted for many hours. Theisland itself was now but a little dark dot on the blue, and severalother islets had come into view, and latterly, oh, joy! a steamer.

  Evidently on her way to China or Japan!

  Could they communicate?

  In case of meeting a ship, several tin flagons had been prepared andballasted, with letters in them.

  The balloon was drifting but slowly now, and seemed to be on the turn.

  Signals were accordingly made, while Conal, with the telescope, kept theship's quarter-deck well under observation.

  "Ha!" he cried, "they see us, and are signalling back."

  Overboard now were thrown not one flask only, but three, and each wouldtell the same story of the ship-wrecked mariners, dying slowly for wantof water on the lonely island far to the west. The latitude andlongitude of this was given also.

  It was evident that the flasks fell near the ship, for presently theycould see a boat lowered, as if to pick them up. It soon returned tothe ship and was hauled up.

  But for a long time those in the balloon waited in vain for a signal.It came at last. A flag--bright red--was hoisted to the peak andrapidly lowered again.

  Then the ship held on its course.

  "Gracious heavens!" cried Duncan excitedly, "they are leaving our poorfriends to their fate."

  "I do not believe it possible," said Frank.

  "No, it cannot be. See, see, they have stopped ship."

  This was true. And it was evident also that a consultation was beingheld on board, as to whether they should really alter their course, andseek for the uninhabited island and perishing mariners or not.

  "I know how it is," said Duncan. "It is, as usual, a question of money,like everything else in the world. That is no doubt a mail steamer, andthe loss of time means a heavy fine, even though they might prove theyhad been on an errand of mercy."

  But to their infinite joy our heroes saw at last the ship's prow turnedwestwards.

  Night fell now, down on the sea that is. For at the great altitudewhich they had attained the sun was still visible.

  The very last thing they noted was that the captain of that steamer hadapparently changed his mind once more, and that the vessel was stopped.There she lay without or breath or motion

  "As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean".

  "Cruel! cruel!" cried Frank.

  "We must not judge," said Duncan. "Down there it is now almost dark,and in mercy let us believe they are merely dodging to await themoonrise.

  When day returned, the brave balloonists found themselves not over thesea any longer, but over a dense dark forest of Africa's mainland.

  During the darkness a strange kind of stupor had weighed their eyelidsdown, and every one had slept.

  But the balloon had changed its course, and was now driving inland onthe wings of an easterly wind.

  By aid of the telescope they could just perceive a long line of blue'twixt the sky and the greenery of the woods.

  But this itself soon disappeared as the balloon kept floating westwardsand away.

  The last thing they had done was to throw over the car at intervals, asthey swept on, no less than six tell-tale flasks, and each had a littlewhite flag over it.

  But now came the question--what was to be done? Would it not be betterat once to attempt a descent, and make their way eastwards through theforests and across the streams, which they could see here and there likesilver strips among the woods and hills.

  It was a question that needed some little consideration.

  To alight in a forest did not seem feasible. Here, to say nothing ofthe danger of such a descent, they could find no natives to help them,and they should be exposed to the attacks of wild beasts and venomousreptiles.

  They could see mountains far ahead, and among these there woulddoubtless be many an inhabited glen; so they agreed to keep on for a fewhours longer.

  "Besides," said Duncan, "there is a chance of a change of wind, whichwill blow us coastwards far more quickly than we could ever get onfoot."

  All hands were hungry, so breakfast would be a most enjoyable pastime.

  Something more than a pastime, however. They settled down to itseriously, poor Viking standing up to receive his share.

  Breakfast in a balloon--how strange it seems!

  What did they have to eat? Enough and to spare, but, saving thebiscuits--a considerable percentage of which was weevils fresh andalive--all else was tinned meat.

  They made a hearty meal nevertheless, washing it down with a modicum ofwine and water.

  They were now ready for further adventures, but of course had no ideawhat was in store for them.

  Well, the forest was soon left far behind, and, much to theirastonishment, they perceived mountains ahead of them so high that snowlay white on their conical summits.

  In an hour or two they were over a charming valley, and so low down thatthey could see the black natives runn
ing about in a great state ofexcitement, having evidently caught sight of the aeronauts.

  "Fortune favours the brave," cried Duncan exultantly. "Here shall wedescend, and make assurance doubly sure, and the safety of our friendscertain."

  With a little manipulation of the valves, a descent was made far moreeasily than any one could have imagined. Anchors were let go, and soonit was possible for all hands, including even Vike, to get out of thecar.

  An innovation awaiting them which they had little expected. Here wereat least a thousand spear-armed warriors assembled, and as they cametowards them, all threw themselves on their faces, or bent themselves inattitudes of worship.

  "Here's a wind-up to a windy day," cried Frank laughing. "Why, thesechaps evidently take us for gods!"

  "It would seem so," said Duncan, "but I for one don't feel quite up tothat form."

  One of the savages was held aloft in a kind of sedan-chair, and wasevidently the chief or king. He was the most hideous-looking savage itis possible to imagine; extremely corpulent, with a cruel, cut-throatexpression of face; small deep-set eyes, and cheeks covered withparallel scars about an inch long. His hair in front hung straight downin tiny ringlets over a retreating forehead.

  One should never show fear before savages. Duncan knew this, andwalking boldly up to the huge travelling throne he saluted him in anoff-hand way, and addressed him in English.

  His majesty only shook his hideous head, but pointed with his speartowards his army.

  Every one sprang up and stood erect, but silent as the grave.

  "C'rambo!" said the king.

  And C'rambo advanced smiling.

  Very different was this tall, lithe, and supple-looking savage to anyabout him. His skin was yellow instead of black. His smile was aforbidding, sarcastic leer, and although our heroes knew nothing ofAfrican savages, any coasting sailor could have told them this man was aSomali.

  In his right hand he carried three ugly spears, one of which wasattached by a cord to his wrist, while on his left forearm was a smallround shield--such as are worn by the tribes on the eastern coast northof the line.

  This fellow first salaamed to the chief, addressing him in a harsh andguttural jangle of words. Then he turned haughtily towards our heroes.

  "Who am you, and whe' you comes from?"

  "First and foremost," replied Duncan, quite as haughtily, "who are you?Whose country are we in, and how far from the coast are we?"

  "Humph! You feels dam bold, eh? Suppose I holds up my leetle whitefinger, King Slaleema's men den cut all your troats plenty much quick."

  In spite of a feeling of doubt and fear that dwelt at his heart, Duncanburst out laughing.

  "Your little white finger, my friend, is as yellow as a duck's foot.

  "You see this little revolver?" he added. "Your life and five more ofyour beastly lot, including your pig of a king, lie in these chambers.Have you any particular longing to be stretched? If not, civility willpay you. Now, will you answer?"

  Both Frank and Conal, following their captain's lead, had laid theirhands on their pistol-butts.

  "Pay?" said the fellow. "S'pose you gift me, I do most anything. Wotyou wants foh to know?"

  "We will give you gifts. What would you like?"

  "English food, tools, a lifel (rifle). Money no good."

  "You're modest, but we are liberal. How far are we from the coast?"

  "Foh one Englishmans six week. Foh one gentleman Somali, plaps one."

  "How many miles?"

  "I not count, free undled, plaps. Plaps mo'. Plenty savage, plentyfolest (forest), lion, tiger, and 'gators in de ribbers. Pletty soon degobble up poo' little Englishmans."

  "Where did you learn your English?"

  "At de court ob de Sultan ob Zanzibar. But I cut de troats ob two treemen and den fly in one canoe. I now King Slaleema's plime minister."

  "And a bonnie ticket you are," said Duncan. "Now, listen; if you willcarry a letter to Lamoo and bring an answer you shall have a gun on yourreturn with the reply. The letter shall be for the Sultan. Are youagreed?"

  The fellow seized Duncan's hand and pressed it to his brow.

  "De bargain am made," he cried. "I'se ready. All de way I run.Carrambo hab de good legs."

  "Who called you Carrambo?"

  "De dam Portugee. I cut tree, four troats all de same."

  The recollection caused him to laugh. But he now spat viciously on theground.

  "De Portugee all fools. Pah!" he cried in disgust.

  "Now," he added, "I ver goot man. I not cheatee you. I come backplenty twick (quick). Bling de answer all same too. But take care."

  "Care of what?"

  "Ob you' dam troats. Dese savage tink you come flom 'eaben (heaven). Itell 'em, dis quite tlue. S'pose dey not b'lieve, den dey kill and eatyou."

  "Hah! Cannibals, are they? How very comforting!"

  "Eberyone cannibals heah. De dog, dey tink, am de debbil. Again I sayto Slaleema, all tlue."

  "Well, Carrambo, perhaps you are a much more honest fellow than youlook. And you don't look a saint."

  "All beesiness, sah. You gib me one gun and plenty 'munition, den Iselve (serve) you. S'pose a Portugee say I gib you tree gun, cut allder troats; I cut all your troats plenty much quick, and King Slaleemahe gobble you up foh tlue."

  "You're an honest, faithful fellow, Carrambo," said Duncansarcastically.

  "Beesiness, sah, beesiness," replied the prime minister. "Wot dis wo'ldbe widout beesiness, tell me dat?"

  Carrambo held his head a little to one side and both open palms out infront of him.

  As, however, the question was too philosophical in its nature, Duncanmade no reply.

  "'Scuse me one moment, sah."

  He hurried away, and presently afterwards reappeared from behind a hut,dragging a poor little naked girl by one hand.

  "You take lifel and s'oot de chile," he said. "She foh de king'sdinner. Dis will make one good implession on dese pore ignolantsavages."

  This might have been true, but Duncan nevertheless did not see his wayto become the king's executioner.

  He shot a fowl, however, and at the flash and report the savages, whohad never seen white men before, and never heard the sound of a gun,screamed wildly, and rushed off with such precipitation, that theyseemed to be all a mist of long black scraggy legs and arms.

  But Carrambo's voice recalled them, and they returned awed andterror-struck.

  The dead fowl, moreover, was evidence of the terrible power possessed bythese great "children of the air".

  What might they not do next?

  These innocent wretches trembled to think. I call them innocent simplybecause they knew not sin.

  "If then," says the apostle, "knowing these things, happy are ye if yedo them."

  For knowledge brings with it responsibility, and this neglected isaccounted to us as sin.

  This night our young heroes spent in the car of the balloon, and honestViking went on guard. But even if the savages--for savages they were ofthe most demoniacal type--possessed any longing to do them to death,fear, natural and supernatural, deterred them.

  Next morning early, Carrambo, the king's prime minister, departed uponhis long and dangerous mission, taking two young warriors with him, andpromising faithfully to return in two weeks at the farthest.

  "S'pose you not see me den," he added sententiously, "den I gone deadedfoh tlue."

  The place seemed more lonesome now that Carrambo had gone, for,scoundrel though he undoubtedly was, he was someone to speak to.

  They now began seriously to consider their situation and prospects.

  In their heart of hearts they believed that they had been the means ofsending succour to their marooned shipmates, on that lonely isle of theocean. Their minds were easy enough on that score, for if even thesteamer they had hailed had resumed her course without making anyattempt to find the isle and rescue the mariners, the Sultan of Lamoo,Duncan fully understood, had alwa
ys been friendly with the British, andwould immediately despatch assistance in some shape or other.

  Duncan, before doing anything else, got out his instruments ofobservation, and as well as could be made out, the glen in which theywere virtually imprisoned was between two and three hundred miles offthe coast, and some degrees south of the line.

  He was puzzled at first as to why the place had never been discovered byBritish explorers.

  But there are hundreds of such tribe-lands that have never yet beentrodden by the foot of Christian men.

  There was one clue to the mystery, however, and this was probably thetrue one, but they did not find it out just then.

  "Now," said Duncan, "for a visit of ceremony to that fat old pig ofking. And we must take him some presents, too."

  Duncan had not forgotten that there were on board the _Flora_ many largeand beautiful strings of beads, which had been intended for barteringwith any natives they might meet, and he had stowed away many such inthe balloon car.

  "Come, Conal, or Frank," he said, "I don't care which. But one of youwith Vike must stay by the car and stand by your guns, in case thecupidity of these cut-throat natives gets the better of their fear."

  "I'll stay," cried the Cockney boy, as pluckily as ever Englishmanspoke.

  So down the hill towards the village, revolvers in their belts andrifles cocked, marched Duncan and Conal.

  They found the king sitting cross-legged outside his kraal or greatgrass hut, and being assiduously fanned by his wives.

  These were no beauties, but Duncan lifted his cap and salaamed to theking first and then to them.

  They seemed both pleased and tickled, and giggled inordinately, untilthe king rounded on them, scowling and drawing his fore-finger acrosshis throat in a most significant manner.

  The young Britons, as they approached his majesty, tried not to look atthe awful remains of his last night's feast, but the sickening sightobtruded itself upon them in spite of all they could do.

  Besides the beads, they had brought with them a four-pound tin ofpreserved beef.

  They had expected his majesty to take a little of this, but were not alittle surprised when he seized the tin and began digging out andswallowing huge lumps of it, with a guttural ejaculation of delightbetween each mouthful.

  "Goo--goo--goo!" he exclaimed, as with about a yard of hideous tongue hefinished off by licking out the tin.

  "Nothing more horrible have I ever seen!" said Duncan.

  "That is true," said Conal.

  The king threw down the empty tin--he couldn't swallow that--smiled,nodded, and pointed towards the clouds.

  "Goo--goo--goo--" he cried interrogatively.

  Duncan nodded and smiled in turn, although he had wished the brute hadchoked himself.

  But the horror of the brothers is not to be described when, at a callfrom the king, accompanied by a string of words that consisted mostly ofvowels, two slaves came forward and offered them the roasted forearms ofa child--no doubt those of the girl which Carrambo had asked them toshoot the day before.

  They turned away, and shook their heads, but fearing to give offence,immediately presented his majesty with a string of beautiful beads.

  His delight was childish-like and unbounded, and he immediately calledfor his sedan-chair of bamboo cane, and was trotted through the villageof huts that his subjects might admire him.

  That same forenoon Duncan, accompanied only by Viking, went on a voyageof discovery as he called it. He wanted to find out the lay of the land.

  Two natives, impelled by curiosity, followed him, and when he beckonedto them and gave each a bead, they readily accompanied him as escort.

  Vike kept aloof.

  He didn't like the looks of these savages.

  But after climbing a conical hill, Duncan found out the true reason forthe isolation of these savages. Their country was at least a thousandfeet above the level of the land. And this last, except on one sidewhere the mountains hid their snow-capped heads in the clouds,everywhere were dark and seemingly impenetrable forests.