CHAPTER XXI
INTO THE HEART OF AFRICA
"Well, I sincerely trust we have no more such adventures."
The speaker was Randolph Rover. He was seated on an old bench inone of the rooms of the fort, binding up a finger which had beenbruised in the fray. It was two hours later, and the fight hadcome to an end some time previous. Nobody was seriously hurt,although Sam, Dick, and Aleck were suffering from several smallwounds. Aleck had had his ear clipped by a bullet from CaptainVillaire's pistol and was thankful that he had not been killed.
Baxter, the picture of misery, was a prisoner. The bully's facewas much swollen and one eye was in deep mourning. He sat huddledup in a heap in a corner and wondering what punishment would bedealt out to him. "I suppose they'll kill me," he groaned, and itmay be added that he thought he almost deserved that fate.
"You came just in time," said Dick. "Captain Villaire was aboutto torture us into writing letters home asking for the money hewanted as a ransom. Baxter put it into his head that we were veryrich."
"Oh, please don't say anything more about it!" groaned theunfortunate bully. "I--that Frenchman put up this job all onhis own hook."
"I don't believe it," came promptly from Randolph Rover. "You methim, at Boma; you cannot deny it."
"So I did; but he didn't say he was going to capture you, and I--"
"We don't care to listen to your falsehoods, Baxter," interruptedDick sternly.
"You are fully as guilty as anybody. You admitted it before."
Cujo had gone off to watch Captain Villaire and his party. He nowcame back, bringing word that the brigand had taken a fallen treeand put out on the Congo and was drifting down the stream alongwith several of his companions in crime.
"Him won't come back," said the tall African. "Him had enough ofurn fight."
Nevertheless the whole party remained on guard until morning,their weapons ready for instant use. But no alarm came, and whenday, dawned they soon made sure that they had the entire localityaround the old fort to themselves, the Frenchman with a broken armhaving managed to crawl off and reach his friends.
What to do with Dan Baxter was a conundrum.
"We can't take him with us, and if we leave him behind he willonly be up to more evil," said Dick. "We ought to turn him overto the British authorities."
"No, no, don't do that," pleaded the tall youth. "Let me go andI'll promise never to interfere with you again."
"Your promises are not worth the breath used in uttering them,"replied Tom. "Baxter, a worse rascal than you could not beimagined. Why don't you try to turn over a new leaf?"
"I will--if you'll only give me one more chance," pleaded theformer bully of Putnam Hall.
The matter was discussed in private and it was at last decided tolet Baxter go, providing he would, promise to return straight tothe coast.
"And remember," said Dick, "if we catch you following us again wewill shoot you on sight."
"I won't follow--don't be alarmed," was the low answer, and thenBaxter was released and conducted to the road running down toBoma. He was given the knife he had carried, but the Rovers kepthis pistol, that he might not be able to take a long-range shot atthem. Soon he was out of their sight, not to turn up again for along while to come.
It was not until the heat of the day had been spent that theexpedition resumed its journey, after, an excellent meal made fromthe supplies Captain Villaire's party had left behind in theirhurried flight. Some of the remaining supplies were done up intobundles by Cujo, to replace those which had been lost when thenatives hired by Randolph Rover had deserted.
"It's queer we didn't see anything of that man and woman from theinn," remarked Dick, as they set off. "I reckon they got scaredat the very start."
They journeyed until long after nightfall, "To make up for losttime," as Mr. Rover expressed it, and so steadily did Cujo push onthat when a halt was called the boys were glad enough to rest.They had reached a native village called Rowimu. Here Cujo waswell known and he readily procured good accommodations for allhands.
The next week passed without special incident, excepting that oneafternoon the whole party went hunting, bringing down a largequantity of birds, and several small animals, including anantelope, which to the boys looked like a Maine deer excepting forthe peculiar formation of its horns.
"I wonder how Mr. Blaze is making out?" said Tom, when they werereturning to camp from the hunt.
"Oh, I reckon he is blasting away at game," laughed Sam, and Tomat once groaned over the attempted joke.
"Perhaps we will meet him some day--if he's in this territory,"put in Dick. "But just now I am looking for nobody but father."
"And so are all of us," said Tom and Sam promptly.
They were getting deeper and deeper into the jungle and had totake good care that they did not become separated. Yet Cujo saidhe understood the way perfectly and often proved his words bymentioning something which they would soon reach, a stream, alittle lake, or a series of rocks with a tiny waterfall.
"Been ober dis ground many times," said the guide.
"I suppose this is the ground Stanley covered in his famousexpedition along the Congo," remarked Dick, as they journeyedalong. "But who really discovered the country, Uncle Randolph?"
"That is a difficult question to answer, Dick. The Portuguese,the Spanish, and the French all claim that honor, along with theEnglish. I fancy different sections, were discovered by differentnationalities. This Free State, you know, is controlled by half adozen nations."
"I wonder if the country will ever be thoroughly civilized?"
"It will take a long while, I am afraid. Christianity will haveto come first. Many of the tribes in Africa are, you mustremember, without any form of religion whatever, being even worsethan what we call heathens, who worship some sort of a God."
"Don't they believe in anything?" asked Sam.
"Nothing, Sam. And their morality is of the lowest grade inconsequence. They murder and steal whenever the chance offers,and when they think the little children too much care for themthey pitch them into the rivers for the crocodiles to feed upon."
"The beasts!" murmured Tom. "Well, I reckon at that rate,civilization can't come too quick, even if it has to advancebehind bayonets and cannon."