Adventures in Africa

  CHAPTER SIX.

  Mr Welbourn had a good stock of ammunition, and with the supply webrought it was considered that we had sufficient to enable us tocontinue the journey northward into a region where elephants abounded.The cattle were in good condition, and, provided we could escape thetsetse and were not cut off by savage enemies, we might expect to obtainfull loads of tusks. Besides three Hottentot drivers and a dozenMakololo, Mr Welbourn was accompanied by a white hunter, Hans Scarff,who had joined him on his way from the coast. His appearance was not inhis favour, for a more sinister countenance I had seldom met with. He,however, was said to be a bold hunter and a first-rate horseman, and hisassistance was therefore likely to prove useful.

  The head man of the Makololoes, Toko, as he was called, was a fine,tall, active fellow with an intelligent countenance, who, if nothandsome according to our notion, was good-looking for a black, and abrave faithful fellow. Besides the oxen to drag the waggons, we hadeight fine horses, most of them well trained to encounter the elephantand rhinoceros, or any other wild beasts of the forest.

  Near our camp a stream of clear water fell into the river, and in theevening Harry asked me to go down and bathe. Hans said he would joinus.

  "Are there no crocodiles there?" I asked, and I told him of the numbersI had seen in the river.

  "No fear of the brutes there," answered Hans; "the water is tooshallow--"

  "Or hippopotami," I put in.

  "Still less likely," said Hans. "The monsters never come up suchstreams as these."

  We started off, and on reaching the stream separated from each other.While looking out for a clear pool free from lilies, or other aquaticplants, presently. Harry, who had gone up the stream, cried out--

  "I've found a capital place. We can leap into deep water from thebank."

  Just then I heard my uncle shout out--

  "Where are you going, boys? The crocodiles come up here to lay theireggs. It is as dangerous a part as any in the country."

  At that moment Harry shouted out, "Hulloa! I'm in!"

  I was rushing to his assistance, when I heard a fearful cry from Hans,who, his foot slipping, had fallen into the water. As he did so, a hugecrocodile darted across the stream.

  My uncle and Mr Welbourn were descending the bank, and were much nearerthan I was. I was undecided to whose assistance I should run, when, tomy horror, I saw the crocodile seize Hans by the arm, before he couldregain his feet. I fortunately had my large hunting-knife in my belt,though I had not; brought my rifle. Little as I liked Hans, I felt thatit was my duty to go to his assistance. Unless I did so he would bequickly dragged off into deep water, and become the prey of thecrocodile. Seeing that his father and my uncle had already got hold ofHarry, drawing my hunting-knife I dashed forward, shouting with all mymight to try to frighten the savage brute. Hans had caught hold of thebranch of a fallen tree, which he grasped with his left arm, holding onto it for his life. Every moment I expected to see him let go, when hisfate would have been sealed. Not for an instant did I think of thedanger I was running. I can scarcely even now understand how I acted asI did. With a single bound I sprang over the branches close to the headof the crocodile, and seizing the man with one hand, I plunged the knifeinto the eye of the monster, who immediately opened his jaws, and as hedid so, Hans, with an activity I could scarcely have expected, hauledhimself up to the top of the bough, where I sprang after him, while thecrocodile, giving a whisk of his tail which nearly knocked us off ourperch, retreated into deep water, the next instant to turn lifeless onits back, when, floating down a few yards, its huge body was brought upby a ledge of rocks which projected partly out of the water.

  "Well done, Fred, my boy," shouted my uncle and Mr Welbourn in chorus.

  Having placed Harry on the bank they hurried forward to assist me inlifting Hans off the bough to which he was clinging, and to place himbeside Harry. For some seconds he lay, scarcely knowing what hadhappened. On examining his arm, though it was fearfully crushed,wonderful as it may seem, no bone was actually broken. After a littletime he revived, and, accompanied by Harry, we led him back to the camp.My uncle exerted all his medical skill to doctor him, and the nextmorning, though his arm was useless, he was able to move about as wellas ever. He did not exhibit any special feeling of gratitude to me, butI won the good opinion of the natives, and of Toko in particular. Hadanybody told me that I should have been able to perform the act, Ishould have declared it was impossible, and all I know is that I did it.

  As all the ivory in the neighbourhood for which we had goods to give inexchange had been purchased, we pushed forward to the north-east to acountry inhabited by tribes which had hitherto had little or nointercourse with Europeans. It is not, however, my object so much todescribe the people as the adventures we met with. I cannot exactly saywith the naval officer, who, describing the customs of the people hevisited, in his journal wrote, "Of manners they have none, and theircustoms are beastly." Savage those we met were in many respects, buttheir savagery arose from their ignorance and gross idolatry.

  We travelled in a very luxurious manner, compared to our journey withthe single ox across the desert. As we advanced we saw numbers of largegame, and one evening nearly a hundred buffaloes defiled before us inslow procession, almost within gun-shot, while herds of elands passed uswithout showing any signs of fear. We at the moment had abundance ofmeat in the camp, or some of them would have fallen victims to ourfire-arms.

  The next day, seeing a herd of zebras in the distance, taking my rifle,I started off, hoping to shoot one of them. As the wind was from themto me, and as there were some low bushes, I expected to get up to themwithin gun-shot, before they perceived me. I was not disappointed; and,firing, I wounded one of them severely in the leg. The rest of the herdtook to flight, but the wounded animal went off towards our camp, fromwhich several of our men issued to attack it.

  I was walking along leisurely when, hearing the sound of feet in thedirection from which I had come, I turned round and saw a solitarybuffalo galloping towards me. The nearest place of safety was a tree,but it was upwards of a hundred yards off. I had, of course, reloaded,and now got my rifle ready, hoping to hit the brute in the forehead.Just then the thought occurred to me, "What would be my fate should mygun miss fire?" The buffalo came on at a tremendous speed, butfortunately a small bush in its way made it swerve slightly and exposeits shoulder. Now was the moment for action, and as I heard the bulletstrike the animal I fell flat on my face. The buffalo bounded on overmy body, apparently not perceiving me. I lay perfectly still. It hadgot to a considerable distance, when it was met by the men who had comeout to kill the zebra, and was quickly shot down.

  Toko shook his head when he saw me, exclaiming that I must not go outagain without him, lest I should be killed by some savage animal.

  "But I have my rifle to defend myself," I observed.

  "Your rifle may miss fire sometimes, or you may fail to kill theelephant or rhinoceros you attack better have two rifles. I will gowith you," he answered, in his peculiar lingo.

  Our plan was always to encamp near water, and where we could obtain woodfor our fires; for such regions were certain to be frequented by avariety of animals. Sometimes we remained two or three days in the samespot, provided no villages were near; though people were generallygrateful to us for destroying the wild beasts, as even the elephants areapt to injure their plantations by breaking in and trampling over them.

  Harry and I, who had become fast friends, generally went out together,accompanied by Toko, sometimes on foot, sometimes on horseback. One daywe had all three gone out on foot, prepared for any game. That we mightbe more likely to fall in with some creature or other, we separated ashort distance; keeping, however, within hail, and agreeing that, shouldone of us shout, the other two were to close in towards him. I was inthe centre, Toko on the left, and Harry on the right.

  We had gone some distance when I heard Toko shout, "Elephant, elephant!"I uttered the sa
me cry to Harry, but he did not apparently hear me,and, at all events, I could not see him. After running for thirty orforty yards, I caught sight of Toko up a tree. He cried out to me toclimb another a short distance off, the branches of which would affordan easy ascent. Wishing to follow his advice, I was running along, whenmy foot caught in a creeper and I fell to the ground with considerableforce, letting my rifle drop as I did so, but in vain attempted toregain my legs, so severely had I sprained my ankle. I naturally calledto Toko to come to my assistance. He did not move or reply, butcontinued shouting and shrieking at the top of his voice. What was myhorror just then to see a huge elephant, with trunk uplifted, burst outfrom among the trees on one side, while, at the same moment, a largelion approached with stealthy steps on the other. I gave myself up forlost, expecting to be carried off in the jaws of the lion, or trampledto death by the feet of the elephant. Toko sat immovable, with hisrifle levelled at the lion's head, and just as the brute was about tomake its fatal spring he fired. As he did so, I saw the elephant,startled by the sound, swerve on one side, its feet passing close towhere I lay, but it did not appear even to see me. Away it went,trumpeting loudly and crashing through the underwood.

  The next instant Toko leaped down from his perch and hurried towards me,when, turning my head, I caught sight of the lion struggling on itsback, and attempting to regain its feet. Toko, lifting me in his arms,carried me a few paces off, and taking up my rifle again approached thelion and shot it dead. Almost at the same instant the sound of anotherrifle reached our ears.

  "Go and help Harry," I said to Toko; "he may want your assistance."

  "I place you in safer place dan dis," he answered; and, again taking meup, he propped me against the root of a large tree close by; thenreloading my rifle, he put it into my hands. He next reloaded his own.

  "I must go and help Harry," he said; and away he bounded.

  I had wished him to go and assist my friend, but scarcely had hedisappeared than the dreadful idea came into my head that another lion--companion of the one just killed--might be prowling about and discoverme. In spite of the pain I suffered, I endeavoured to rise on my knees,so that should one appear I might take a better aim than I could lyingdown. Still, should my apprehensions be realised, I felt that I shouldbe placed in a very dangerous predicament. One thing, however, wascertain, that it could not be worse than the one from which I had justescaped. Few people have been situated as I have been, with a lionabout to spring from one side, and an elephant appearing on the other.

  Doing my best to keep up my spirits, I listened attentively to try andascertain what was happening to Harry. Presently there was more loudtrumpeting and directly afterwards two shots were fired in rapidsuccession. This assured me that Harry had escaped and that Toko hadreached the scene of action. The Makololo was too clever andexperienced an elephant hunter to be taken at disadvantage, and I hadgreat hopes that he had succeeded in killing the animal.

  I did not forget my fears about another lion, and cast my eyes anxiouslyaround almost expecting to see one emerge from the thicket, while at thesame time I looked out eagerly for the return of my friend.

  Once more the trumpeting burst forth, the sounds echoing through theforest. I thus knew that the elephant had not yet fallen. A minuteafterwards I heard the crashing of boughs and brushwood some way off. Iguessed, as I listened, that the animal was coming towards where I lay.The sounds increased in loudness. Should it discover me it wouldprobable revenge itself by crushing me to death, or tossing me in theair with its trunk. I had my rifle ready to fire. There was a chancethat I might kill it or make it turn aside. The ground where I laysloped gradually downwards to a more open spot. I expected the nextinstant that the elephant would appear. It did so, but further off thanI thought it would, and I thus began to hope that I should escape itsnotice. It was moving slowly, though trumpeting with pain and rage.The instant I caught sight of it another huge creature rushed out of thethicket on the opposite side of the glade. It was a huge bullrhinoceros with a couple of sharp-pointed horns one behind the other.

  The elephant on seeing it stopped still, as if wishing to avoid acontest with so powerful an antagonist, I fully expected to witness along and terrible fight, and feared that, in the struggle, the animalsmight move towards where I lay and crush me. That the elephant waswounded I could see by the blood streaming down its neck. This probablymade it less inclined to engage in a battle with the rhinoceros.Instead of advancing it stood whisking its trunk about and trumpeting.The rhinoceros, on the contrary, after regarding it for a moment, rushedfearlessly forward and drove its sharp-pointed horns into its body whileit in vain attempted to defend itself with its trunk. The two creatureswere now locked together in a way which made it seem impossible for themto separate, unless the horns of the rhinoceros were broken off. Neverdid I witness a more furious fight. The elephant attempted to throwitself down on the head of its antagonist, and thereby only drove thehorns deeper into its own body. So interested was I, that I forgot thepain I was suffering, while I could hear no other sounds than thoseproduced by the two huge combatants. While I was watching them, I felta hand on my shoulder, and saw Harry standing over me.

  "I am sorry you have met with this accident!" he exclaimed. "The sooneryou get away from this the better. There is a safer spot a littlehigher up the bank, Toko and I will carry you there."

  I willingly consenting, my friends did as they proposed, as from thenceI could watch the fight with greater security. They, having placed mein safety, hurried towards the combatants, hoping to kill both of thembefore they separated.

  The elephant, already wounded, appeared likely to succumb without ourfurther interference. There was indeed little chance of its attemptingto defend itself against them. Toko, making a sign to Harry to remainwhere he was, sprang forward until he got close up to the animals, andfiring he sent a bullet right through the elephant's heart. The hugecreature fell over, pressing the rhinoceros to the ground. Leaping backToko again loaded, and Harry advancing they fired together into the bodyof the survivor, which after giving a few tremendous struggles, sankdown dead.

  The battle over, Harry proposed carrying me at once to the camp, andthen returning to bring away the elephant's tusks, the lion's skin, andas much of the meat of the two first animals as was required for the useof the party. I was very thankful to accept his offer, as I wanted toget my ankle looked to, having an uncomfortable fear that it was broken,in which case my hunting would be put a stop to for many a week to come.He and Toko were not long in manufacturing a litter to carry me, bymeans of two long poles, on their shoulders. Having placed me on itthey set off for the camp. Fortunately we had not very far to go. Ihoped that in the mean time we should meet with neither elephants norlions.

  Only under rare circumstances are rhinoceroses to be dreaded, for theyare generally mild and well-disposed creatures, and usually take toflight when they come in sight of human beings.

  We had gone about half-way, when a lion, bursting out from a thicketclose by, stalked across the path some distance ahead. My bearersplaced me on the ground and handled their rifles.

  "We'll stand by and defend you, don't be alarmed," cried Harry.

  "I'm not afraid of your running away," I answered, "but don't fire atthe creature unless it approaches to attack us. If you only wound it,its rage may be excited, and I to a certainty shall become its victim."

  The lion regarded us for a few seconds when--we raising a loud shout--it, greatly to my satisfaction, bounded on and disappeared in the wood.Indeed a lion when alone will seldom, especially in the day-time, attackhuman beings who show a bold front, though it will follow like a cat, asdo most other savage brutes, if a man runs from it.

  My friends again taking me up, we proceeded, though I own that I peeredsomewhat anxiously into the wood where the lion had retreated, lest itshould change its mind and rush out upon us.

  My uncle returned soon after we reached the camp, and at once examinedmy
ankle. Greatly to my relief he assured me that it was not broken,and that, if he bound it up in a water bandage, I should probably bewell in a day or two. As it was already late, the blacks were unwillingto go through the forest at night for the purpose of bringing in ourspoils, for fear of being carried off by lions. All night long we couldhear them muttering and roaring. Harry suggested that they weremourning for their late companion. Occasionally the death-cry of someunfortunate deer which they had pulled down reached our ears, whilevarious other sounds, some produced by insects or bullfrogs, or birds,disturbed the silence of the forest. I, however, managed, in spite ofthe noise and the pain I suffered, to go to sleep, and in the morning,greatly to my satisfaction, I found my ankle much better than Iexpected.

  As meat was wanted, several of the party proposed to set off at an earlyhour to bring in some from the animals we had killed; my uncle, MrWelbourn, and Harry going also. As I did not like to be left behind, Ibegged to be allowed to mount a horse and to ride with them. I shouldhave been wiser to have remained quietly at the camp, but I wanted torevisit the scene of our encounter the previous day. Jan followedbehind with several of the blacks, who were to be loaded with ourspoils. As we neared the spot, I heard my friends exclaiming in varioustones--

  "Where is it? What has become of the creature!"--and, pushing forward,I caught sight of the elephant and the dead lion at a distance, butnowhere was the rhinoceros to be seen. It was very evident that itcould not have been killed as we had supposed, and that, having onlybeen stunned, it, at length recovering itself, had made off.

  Toko cried out that he had discovered its spoor, and I saw him hurryingforward evidently hoping to find the creature. The other blacksmeanwhile set to work to cut out the tusks, and select a few slices offsuch parts of the body as were most to their taste, including the feet,the value of which we knew from experience.

  While they were thus occupied, my three white friends were busy inflaying the lion. I kept my eye on Toko, expecting that, should hediscover the rhinoceros, he would summon some of the party to hisassistance. I saw him look suspiciously into a thicket, then he turnedto fly. The next moment a huge beast rushed out, which I had no doubtwas the rhinoceros we fancied that we had killed on the previous day.Toko made for a tree behind which he could shelter himself. I called tomy friends to draw their attention to the danger in which he was placed,but to my dismay before he could reach the tree the rhinoceros was uponhim. There was no time to leap either to the one side or the other, butas the animal's sharp horn was about to transfix him, he made a springas if to avoid it, but he was not in time, and the animal, throwing upits head, sent him and his rifle floating into the air to the height ofseveral feet. The rhinoceros then charged on towards the men cutting upthe elephant, when my uncle and his companions, having seized theirrifles, began blazing away at it. Fortunately one of their shots tookeffect, and before it had reached the blacks, down it sank to theground. While Harry hastened on to where Toko lay, my uncle and MrWelbourn, quickly reloading, fired into its head and finished itsexistence.

  I had ridden up to the Makololo, expecting to find every bone in hisbody broken. As I approached, to my satisfaction I saw him get up; andthough he limped somewhat, after shaking himself and picking up hisrifle, he declared that he was not much the worse for the fearful tosshe had received, and was as ready as ever for work.

  He soon rejoined the rest of the men, and assisted in packing the oxenwith the tusks and meat. Some of the flesh of the rhinoceros was alsocut off, and with the lion-skin packed up. Rhinoceros meat, thoughtough, is of good flavour. The portions we carried off were from theupper part of the shoulder and from the ribs, where we found the fat andlean regularly striped to the depth of two inches. Some of the skin wasalso taken for the purpose of making some fresh ox-whips. We of coursecarried away the horns, which are about half the value of ivory.Altogether, the adventure which at one time appeared likely to prove sodisastrous, afforded us no small amount of booty.