Courage, True Hearts: Sailing in Search of Fortune

  CHAPTER VIII.--THE BATTLE AT THE FORD.

  Even Viking seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation, forwhile he watched with great earnestness, not to say joy, the hurriedpreparations for departure, he never once barked.

  All was ready at last, and just a little before midnight a start wasmade.

  Nothing had been forgotten, and luckily the two men who had charge ofthe elephants knew how to load these. On the first, a very largeanimal, was a low but strong howdah, in which were packed theinstruments, spare arms, and ammunition, food, cooking utensils, rugsand wraps, &c. It was built low and of wattle, not only for lightness'sake, but that it might not catch against any trees they might have toget under, during their long and dangerous march towards the coast.

  But a strange and curious band they formed, had anyone been there tobehold them. Let us count and see how many souls they numbered. Sixmen in all, Lilywhite and Jeannie, Viking, and the two elephants. Elevenall told.

  Why, I do believe I have given a soul to each. But just listen, boys,while I, the author of this book, make a confession. The generality ofus poor upstarts have an idea we are immensely superior to the beings weare all so fond of calling "the lower animals". We imagine--the majorityof us, I mean--that these were all made for our use, and they are badlyused accordingly. What utter rot, and what a shame! There is no greatgulf fixed between us and them. Their minds differ but in degree, not inkind, from our own, and if we have a future existence, be sure andcertain that your pet dog or cat that died not long ago--and whom youcannot forget--will live again also. Nothing good ever dies--only sin!

  So I certainly should not think of withholding a soul from those twomarvellously-wise elephants, and of course Viking was more wise and farhigher in the scale of intellect than many and many a drink-besottedEnglishman or Scotsman, whom I see making heavy weather and steeringbadly as he marches homewards of a Saturday night.

  Well, Lilywhite and Jeannie occupied the other howdah, and I'm sure Ishould not be mean enough to deny the possession of a soul to either.

  Pray, love the lower animals, boys, for, mind you, the same God who madeyou made them.

  "Oh happy living things! no tongue Their beauty may declare; If springs of love gush from your heart You bless them unaware."

  Well, this good Somali, Carrambo, was to be depended upon. That wasevident. He was indeed a strange being in many ways, and held everylife but his own very cheap indeed, but he was going to be faithful tohis employers. He had a certain code of morality which he consideredbinding on him, else he could have robbed our heroes and delivered theminto Goo-goo's hands very easily indeed. But he had no such thought.

  He now walked in front, as the elephants felt their way with cautioussteps adown the hill towards a ford in the stream, an attendant close bythe head of each.

  Carrambo did not mean to take his party through that demon-hauntedforest, but by a more circuitous and safer route.

  Well was it for all that they had abandoned the fort and the hill at thetime they did; for the savages had worked themselves up into a kind ofmurderous frenzy, and determined to attack and slay the whites longbefore daybreak.

  On looking behind them while still some distance from the ford, our boyscould hear their bloodthirsty and maniacal howls, and knew they hadreached the fort and found it empty.

  And then they knew they were being pursued!

  The full moon had now arisen, and its pure silvery light was bathinghill and glen and forest. Even the distant snow-clad mountain-peakscould be seen sparkling like koh-i-noors in its radiance.

  But here is the ford, and it is quickly negotiated. None too quickly,however, for hardly are they on the other bank ere the savages hadreached the stream.

  A battle was now unavoidable.

  So all wheeled.

  Spears were thrown in a cloud from the other side, but each one missedits mark.

  "Steady now, men!" cried Duncan. "Be cautious! Fire!"

  It was a rattling and a most destructive volley they poured into thatsavage mob. The terrible shrieking increased, but it was now mingledwith howls of pain and impotent rage.

  Five more volleys were fired, and as the natives were crowded closetogether the effect was fearful.

  They reeled, they turned, and were about to seek safety in flight whenone painted wretch, more brave than his fellows, waving his spear aloft,dashed into the river and commenced to cross.

  More than one were following, and had they succeeded in getting over,the fight would doubtless have had a sad and speedy ending.

  But now something happened that at once turned the tide of battle.

  Vike had hitherto been only a very interested spectator of the fight,but now, seeing that savage half-way across, with a howl and a roar heleapt into the river, and quickly ploughed his way towards him.

  All the courage that the cannibal possessed deserted him at once, whenhe saw what he thought was an evil spirit coming towards him. With ayell that quite demoralized his companions behind, he dropped his spearand tried to rush back.

  A man cannot walk in deepish water so quickly as a dog can swim, and soViking seized him before he had gone many yards.

  Do savages faint, I wonder? I never have seen one "go off", as oldwives call it, and require smelling-salts and burned feathers.Nevertheless this fellow became insensible when Vike proceeded to shakehim out of his skin.

  So the dog towed him in.

  Carrambo drew his knife, and would have killed him at once but forDuncan's interference.

  "No, no," he shouted, "spare his life, Carrambo!"

  Firing had never slackened, and now as the enemy gave way it was morerapid and deadly than ever. But in a few minutes' time there was not asavage left on the opposite bank. Only the dead, only the woundedtossing and writhing in agony in the moonlight.

  There was still a chance, however, of the attack being renewed. Forthis reason: King Goo-goo had adopted a plan of his own for punishingthose who were defeated in battle, and invariably the first half-dozenmen who returned were clubbed to death. Goo-goo was rather partial tobrain fritters, and cared very little whose brains contributed to thislittle _entree_.

  And now the march was resumed.

  Sometimes the little band was so close to the forest that they couldhear the howling and din of the gorillas, at other times they werestretching over arid tracts of a kind of prairie land. Nor were thesesilent and uninhabited. Beasts of the desert were leopards and evenlions.

  The former fled on sight, the latter did not dare to attack.

  Yet when one leapt up almost close to the foremost elephants, and beganslowly to retreat with head and tail erect and growling like loudestthunder, bold Carrambo levelled and fired. The bullet must have piercedthe splendid beast's heart, for he at once dropped dead in his tracks.

  Carrambo was indeed a proud man now, and although the boys knew the shotwas only a fluke, he was patted on the back and permitted to wear thelaurels he had won.

  Yes, but Carrambo had the skin as well as the laurels. And this, afterrubbing the inside well with a kind of earth he found near by, and whichis often used as a preservative, he stowed it away in one of thehowdahs.

  On and on they marched all that night, often having to cross smallrivers and streams, or journey long distances by the banks of largerones, which proved unfordable, till at daylight they found themselves ona tree-covered little hill, and here Duncan called a halt forrefreshment and for rest.

  All were tired, except little Lilywhite. For with the child-gorilla inher arms she had slept most of the way.

  She was helped down. Both the shes in fact, and Jeannie soon jumpedinto Frank's arms, caressing him in the most affectionate manner.

  "Behold how she loves her father!" said the boy laughing.

  "Well," he added, "I would rather have one little hairy gorilla wholoved me, than a thousand hairless bipeds of men who didn't give shucksfor me."

  To a stream close by ran Lily, and
in a surprisingly quick time returnedwith fish enough for all hands.

  And these, one of the men having lit a fire, she speedily cooked.

  Lily was, indeed, a jewel in her own way--though a black one.

  After a hearty breakfast, of which fruit formed a not unimportantportion, rugs were spread in the shade, and leaving Carrambo onguard--his time for rest would come afterwards--all lay down to snatch afew hours' sleep.

  Lily squatted at Conal's head, fanning him with a broad leaf, tillfinally he slept.

  Jeannie curled up beside Frank, and Viking with Duncan. So everyone wascontented and happy.

  I do not think the boys ever slept more soundly than they did under thecool green shadow of those trees, and when the sun had gone a certaindistance round, and Carrambo, acting on his instructions, awoke them,they felt as fresh as meadow larks, and quite fit to resume the journey.

  "I hope we won't have any more fighting, boys," said Duncan.

  "Why not?" said Frank the Cockney. "I think fighting is good fun.

  "Especially," he added, "when you win."

  "That's just it, Frank; but the bother is, that if we are hard pressed,the other fellows will win next time, because our cartridges would soonbe all expended."

  "Let us hope for the best," said Conal. "We have plenty of ammunitionfor our revolvers."

  "True, Conal; but when you are near enough to shoot a savage with arevolver, he is near enough to scupper you with his spear."

  They encamped that night close to the banks of a sandy-bottomed river,which Duncan said looked as if it contained gold. And once moreLilywhite assumed the responsibility of cooking.

  Then, keeping the fire still alight to keep wild beasts at bay, the boysleft Vike on watch and curled up.

  In spite of the warm attentions of scores of very musical mosquitoesthey slept long and soundly, and daylight was almost breaking beforethey awoke.

  On and on they journeyed day by day, and many and strange were theiradventures among wild beasts and wilder men. But although our heroesalways showed a bold front when trouble seemed rising, they found itsafest and best, if possible, to make friends with the different tribesthey came into contact with.

  The beads they still possessed went a long way to cement friendship.

  They had been on the road for over a month, for they did not hurry,knowing the advantage of harbouring their strength in case of having tofight for dear life itself.

  One day about this time, after crossing a high and desert upland, theydescended a hill and found themselves among a very strange peopleindeed, and in a strangely beautiful country.

  As the inhabitants were friendly, Duncan resolved to stay with them fora time, that all might recruit their health, and that Conal might regainhis.

  The poor lad, in a skirmish with some savages that had taken placefarther inland, had been wounded by a poisoned arrow, and although heappeared to have recovered, the wound had broken out afresh, and he wasnow in so low a condition, that he had to be carried on a bed of grassmade for him in one of the howdahs.

  A cool grass hut was set apart for the poor white boy, as the nativescalled him, and Lily was a most attentive nurse to him. But indeed allthe people near by were unremitting in their attentions, not only toConal, but to everyone in the camp.

  This was a country of villages, scattered here and there wherever thewater was most plentiful for themselves and the cattle they owned. Butscattered though these were, and but sparsely inhabited, yet if thetocsin of war sounded, they speedily flocked to one standard to repel aninvading foe. It was a real republic, owning no king or chief, andplacing the law in the hands of their elders in virtue of their age andwisdom.

  As there was perfect peace and good understanding between these simplepastoral natives and Duncan's little band, the latter were very happyindeed.

  Conal got slowly well, but all hands had to remain in this happy landfor nearly six weeks before the journey could be renewed.

  And poor little Lilywhite stayed here for better or for worse.

  Here is how it happened. Shortly before Duncan was about to resume themarch towards the big river and city of Lamoo, Carrambo one day cameforward, leading a tall and rather ungainly young savage, and addressedConal as follows:--

  "Dis dam young rascal he say you all de same's one fadder to Lily. Hewant to mally Lily. He gib tree goat foh Lily."

  Here he struck the suitor under the chin.

  "Hol' you head up, Choo-ka!" he cried. "De white man no eat de likes obyou!"

  Choo-ka would have blushed if he hadn't been black.

  "Is Lily willing?" said Conal, laughing.

  "Oh ees, sah, she plenty willin' 'nuff."

  "Well, consider it all arranged."

  So Conal lost his nurse, and Choo-ka gained a bride. As, however, thegirl had taken a great fancy for Jeannie, Frank gave the gorilla to heras a wedding gift, and Duncan presented her with a string of beautifulbeads.

  And so they were married, and no doubt lived, or will live, for my storydoes not date back any very extraordinary number of years, happy everafter.

  The journey was now resumed, and with the exception of some adventureswith pythons and alligators, they reached the river without much furthertrouble, and in a few days after this struck the outlying huts of thelarge Arab city of Lamoo, and were received in the most hospitable way,not only by the Portuguese, but by the Arabs, and even by the sultanhimself.

  A question now arose as to what they should do with the elephants. Itwould be impossible to take these to sea with them.

  But a very wealthy Arab merchant offered to buy them, and after aconsiderable deal of haggling he became the purchaser, and the boys werepaid in gold.

  ----

  They had half expected to find a gun-boat here, but were disappointed.

  So after waiting for a whole week, they paid poor Carrambo off, aftertelling him that they meant to revisit his country another day and openthe "debbil pits" in spite of old Goo-goo, then took passage in a largeArab dhow for Zanzibar, with all their goods and chattels, their goldand diamonds.

  Two weeks after this there landed on the white sandy beach of thatplace, three as jolly and as happy boys as anyone ever shook hands with.