CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
BAVIAN'S POOL--PLACE AUX ROI--GIANT BATHERS--AN ELEPHANT HUNT--THE"NICK" OF TIME--NICK'S OVATION--DE WALDEN ARRESTED.
It took Kobo and the two lads a good hour to reach Bavian's Pool. Itlay in a different direction from any which they had yet pursued,through dense bush, in which they would soon have lost themselves, if ithad not been for Kobo's attendance. Occasionally they came on the spoorof the elephants, a large herd of which had evidently passed that waynot many hours previously. The gigantic footprints were traced sharpand clear in the sandy soil; the young trees, that had been broken offor trodden down by their bulky frames, exhibited fresh white fractures;those which had only been bent by the weight of the animals in passing,seemed hardly yet to have regained their former positions. Kobo, whospoke under his breath in awe, as it seemed, of these forest kings, toldthem that the herd, in all likelihood, were reposing at the distance ofnot more than a quarter of a mile from the path they were nowtraversing. This intelligence appearing to excite the lads a good deal.He added, that they must not attempt to get a sight of them now, orthey would certainly spoil their pleasure that evening, and probablyprevent the elephant hunt, which was to take place the next day. Thewhole tribe, he said, was going out in the morning, and it was hopedthat a good many animals would be killed; and as there were several veryfine males among them, a large prize in the way of ivory wasanticipated. But if the herd should be disturbed, and especially if itshould be fired upon, they would probably retreat northwards towards thegreat lake, and the Bechuanas would see nothing of them but their spoorand dung.
The boys yielded to his representations; and, turning in a differentdirection from that followed by the elephants, they arrived in anotherquarter of an hour at Bavian's Pool, which lay in the very heart of thebush, with a clear space overgrown with grass and short rushes of abouttwenty yards all round. On the west side appeared the rocks of whichKobo had told them, and which presented a most picturesque appearance.They rose abruptly from the bank of the tarn, to the height of perhapstwenty feet, and sank down with a sharp descent to the level groundeverywhere, except in one place where a series of crags, piled one onanother, presented a kind of rude and very steep staircase, by which thetop might be attained. Up this the party climbed, and ensconcedthemselves snugly under a shelf of rock from which they could see thewhole of the pool and the surrounding banks.
It was still broad daylight when they reached their place of ambush, andthe spot was as vacant and still as though the whole landscape had beena part of the great Kalahari itself But they had not been there aquarter of an hour, when the sun disappeared behind the belt of woodlandwhich bounded the sight, and the night of the tropics succeeded with itsstartling rapidity. The green waste of thorns and shrubs grew firstdusky brown, and then deep black; the bright sparkling water a dullgleamy mirror, faintly rendering back the pale opal of the sky. Butpresently there came a further change. The moon rose higher in theheavens, and the stars came forth in all the unimaginable glories of asouthern night--not mere specks of light as seen in the more cloudyskies of the north, but hung like cressets in the glowing air, the moonitself a bright globe of liquid fire. A clear soft radiancy diffuseditself over the whole scene, tipping every tree top and distant eminencewith silver, and causing the surface of the tarn, as it rippled lazilyunder the evening breeze, to flash in circlets of light. Presentlythere came a pattering of feet, as a crowd of small animals came downfrom different points of the compass to quench their thirst--antelopeswith their slender legs and liquid eyes, glancing timidly round them;elands and koodoos tossing their stately heads; gnus and buffaloes inlarge herds consorting together for mutual protection; hyenas, jackals,and zebras, plunging to the mid-leg in the cool dancing waters, andbounding lightly away when their drought was satisfied. It was abeautiful sight to watch them come and go, like the scenes in amagic-lantern.
By and by, as the night deepened, the larger beasts of the forest madetheir appearance. The tall graceful heads of giraffes were seen overthe tops of the bushes; tigers made their approach, singly or in pairs,with their stealthy and noiseless step; lions stalked proudly down, asthough they felt that the sovereignty of the woods belonged by naturalright to them; occasionally the ponderous bulk of the rhinoceros mightbe discerned, as he sucked in the refreshing water with his hugemisshapen snout, and retreated with a grunt of satisfaction when hisappetite had been appeased. Frank and Nick looked on withever-increasing interest, though it needed Kobo's oft-repeatedremonstrances to keep them from discharging their rifles at some of thelarger specimens, which came within tempting distance of their fire.
It was nearly midnight, and the shores of the pool were beset by a crowdof animals, consisting mostly of the larger beasts of prey, when asudden sensation of alarm seemed to agitate the whole of themiscellaneous group. The giraffes lifted their stately heads, snuffedthe air for a moment, and then bounded silently away; the panthers andnylghaus moved more slowly off; the lions uttered low growls, apparentlyof dissatisfaction, but nevertheless followed the retreat of the others.Even the sullen black rhinoceros, after bending his head awhile tolisten, beat a leisurely retreat, viciously snorting as he retired. Ina few minutes the shores of the pool were as still and vacant as theyhad been when the boys arrived, five or six hours before.
"What does this mean?" asked Nick in a whisper. "What have these brutesseen or heard, to alarm them so? Are your countrymen on their way toattack them?"
"No, it not that," answered Kobo, in the same subdued accents. "Beastshear elephant coming down to drink. All get out of elephant's way. Heking among them. Listen, you hear them."
"Do you really mean it, Kobo?" asked Nick, astonished at thisinformation. "The lions and rhinoceroses can't really be so much afraidof the elephants as that comes to?"
"I believe it's true," said Frank; "I know I've been told so before. Alion or a rhinoceros wouldn't mind a single elephant much, I dare say;but it's the whole troop of 'em together that they're afraid of. They'drun right over a lion, or a rhinoceros either, and trample the life outof them, before they knew where they were. Yes, Kobo's right. Herethey come over that low bit of hill there. What a lot! and whatthundering big beasts!"
As he spoke, a dull heavy sound, like the roll of loaded waggons along ahard road was heard; and the figure of an enormous elephant emerged fromthe cover of the thicket, its broad flat head, huge misshapen ears, andwhite tusks glistening in the broad moonlight. It was followed byanother, and another, each seeming to loom larger than the last, untilten of the monsters had reached the banks of the tarn, all of themmales, and of the largest size.
"All bull," whispered Kobo; "bull drink first, females wait till theydone."
While he was speaking, the elephants had advanced up to their mid-legsin the water, and dipping their trunks in, sucked up the cooling streamwith a loud gurgling noise. Frank's fingers insensibly stole to thelock of his rifle. One of the largest of the giants was now scarcelymore than four or five yards from him, its figure as plainly visible inthe clear cold light, as though it had been noonday. Kobo had again tolay his hand on the boy's shoulder, and whisper in his ear, "No shoot,spoil hunt to-morrow," or he might not have been able to resist thetemptation.
Presently, however, the males had satisfied their thirst, and moving offslowly in a different direction from that by which they had approachedthe pond, re-entered the thicket. The cow elephants now took theirplaces, some twenty or thirty in number, many of them with calves ofvarious ages at their sides. There was scarcely room in the tarn forthe whole herd, and before they retired, the bright and sparkling watershad become a turbid and discoloured flood. At length, however, they didretire, and before the moon had set, the last of the bulky figures haddisappeared among the foliage.
"Now lie down and sleep;" said Kobo, "no more animals to-night."
The boys complied, and lying down among the bushes which grew here andthere between the masses of rocks, were soon buried in slumber. Theywer
e awakened by Kobo at daybreak; and having eaten their breakfast, andtaken a dip in the tarn, which by this time had recovered itstranslucent clearness, announced to Kobo that they were ready to takethe field.
They accompanied the Bechuana accordingly, as he proceeded cautiously tofollow the track left by the herd on the previous evening, for half amile or so through the bush. Then desiring them to climb two trees ofsome size, which stood on either side of the path in the heart of thewoodland--an acacia and a motjeerie--he crept on alone through theshrubs, making his way as secretly and noiselessly as a snake, and soonvanished from their view.
Presently he reappeared, with the information that the herd werebrowsing at the distance of a few hundred yards only, and seemed to haveno apprehension of danger. Chuma, however, and the other hunters wouldnow soon make their appearance from the opposite side, and woulddoubtless attack the bull elephants with their assegais, their tusksbeing a valuable prize. Kobo told them that they could not do betterthan remain where they were. The elephants would almost certainly bedriven past the tree in which they lodged, and so give them theopportunity they desired of trying their skill as marksmen. There wereother trees, he said, at no great distance which were larger, andtherefore safer, but the elephants might never come near them at all;whereas, in their present position, they were almost sure to see whatpassed.
"All right, Kobo," said Frank, "we'll stay here and take our chance.After all, it must be a jolly big elephant that would bowl this treeover."
Kobo again vanished, and the boys sat on the tiptoe of expectation forthe next hour or so, but without hearing any sound at all except thesong of the birds and the buzzing of the insects. Suddenly, however,there broke forth a Babel of discordant sounds. The yells of theKaffirs--as advancing at the same time from different quarters, theyassailed the elephants with their assegais and arrows--were overpoweredby the trumpeting of the huge brutes, and the crash of the thorn andseringa bushes, which gave way on every side before them, offering nomore serious obstacle to their career, than long grass would to that ofa man. Presently the whole herd broke from the cover of the jungle,hurrying on in a transport of mingled rage and terror--the solid earthseeming to tremble under their tread. The Bechuanas followed, dartingtheir assegais from a distance, or thrusting them into the mostvulnerable parts of the animals, according as opportunities presentedthemselves. They had broken up into two or three parties, each of whichchose out one of the largest of the male elephants as the point ofattack. Some of these were already so severely wounded, that it waswith difficulty that they could continue their flight. It was a strangespectacle to witness. The great bulls, pierced with a perfect grove ofspears, and dripping with the blood which poured from innumerablewounds, staggered along, screaming with pain and fury; while the Kaffirscontinued to overwhelm them with more darts--mingling their blows withentreaties to the huge beasts not to gore or trample on them, but tohave mercy and spare their lives, at the very moment when they wereinflicting torture and death on the creatures, whose forbearance theyimplored!
Several huge animals passed in this manner in front of the trees, wherethe two lads were seated; but none of them offered the desiredopportunity of a fair shot. Sometimes a tree intervened; sometimes theanimal's head was hidden by a bush at the moment when they levelledtheir rifles; sometimes the Bechuanas engaged in the attack approachedthe line of their aim too nearly to render it safe for them to fire. Atlength, however, the opportunity did come. One of the largest of themales, fully twelve foot high, had escaped the notice of the assailants;and forcing his way through the haak-doorns and young motjikaaras asthough they had been so much paper, bid fair to accomplish his escapewithout a wound. Both lads fired as he passed. Nick, who had levelledat the shoulder, missed his mark by several inches; and his bulletstriking the creature's side, inflicted only a slight wound, which theelephant hardly heeded. But Frank's aim was more successful. Thebullet struck the eye, though not precisely at the spot where it wouldhave been instantly fatal; and the pain was so acute, as to arrest themonster in his panic-stricken flight. He stopped short and glared roundhim, seeking for the author of the outrage. Catching sight of thebarrel of Frank's rifle as it glanced in the morning sun, he chargeddirectly at the tree in which he was seated. It was an acacia oftolerable size, and the branch which bore him was above the reach of theanimal's trunk. But so terrific was the force of his rush, that thetrunk snapped like a rotten bough, and Frank, gun and all, was hurled tothe ground. He sprang up, having been fortunately only bruised by thefall, and leaving his rifle to take care of itself, took to his heels ashard as he could.
"Come here, come here!" shouted Nick; "this tree will hold us both, andit's too big for him to break. Besides, I'm ready for him again now."Frank cast a rapid glance round him, and saw that Nick was right. Theseringas and oomahaamas near him were thinly scattered, and afforded nocover at all; and the brute which had now recovered itself from theeffect of the stunning blow it had received, was preparing to charge himagain. Frank flew, rather than ran, to the tree, and springing lightlyup, caught the lowest bough and swung himself on to it. From this hemounted to those above it with the agility of a squirrel. But theelephant was upon him, before he could reach the spot where hiscompanion was seated. On it came, with its trunk stretched to the fulllength, and just caught Frank by the toe of the left foot, as he drewthe other out of its reach. Frank thought it was all over with him.The tip of the trunk had caught firm hold of the shoe; and though it wasonly the tip, so that the animal could not exert its full strength, hefelt himself drawn downwards with a force which he could not longresist. He had thrown both his arms and the other leg round the branch,so that the elephant had not merely the resistance of the boy's musclesto encounter, but the solid and massive limb of the great motjeerie.Nevertheless, all would speedily have given way, if Nick, leaningforward and resting his rifle on the bough beneath him, had not fireddirectly into the monster's eye, as it glared--not two feet below--uponhim. Frank felt the deadly grip relax, as the elephant sank downwardsand rolled over on its side, in its death agony, ploughing up the earthwith its tusks, and presenting to the eye a vast quivering mass of dullgrey hide, that gradually settled down into stillness.
Before Nick could fairly realise to himself his own success, theBechuanas had surrounded the carcass, and were greeting the two boyswith shouts of admiration and approval. They had not witnessed themanner in which the elephant had come by his death, a belt of shrubshaving cut them off from the tree, in which Nick had been seated. Theyconcluded that the animal had simply been brought down, as it wasrushing by, by a successful shot from the lad's rifle; which must indeedhave been fired with extraordinary skill to be so instantaneously fatal.The elephant slain was the great leader of the herd, fully twelve feetin height, and with tusks that projected at least two feet beyond thelip. It was by far the most valuable prize of the day, and its ivorywould fetch a considerable sum in the market. They overwhelmed thesuccessful sportsman with applause; and mounting Nick on theirshoulders, carried him back in triumph to the village, which lay at thedistance of not more than a couple of miles. Nick, who did notparticularly relish the honours bestowed upon him, nor the closecontiguity to the persons of the natives into which he was brought, didhis best to explain the occurrence to his bearers, and request them todesist from rendering compliments which were altogether unmerited.
"I say, darky," he cried, "drop that, will you? I can walk home quitewell without your help, thank you all the same. I'm not much of a shotwith a rifle, and shouldn't have killed the chap, I expect, if he hadn'tcome and obligingly put his eye within half a yard of me! Bother itman, put me down. How their skins do stink--to be sure! Here, Kobo,Kobo"--he had just caught sight of his attendant, as he spoke--"justexplain to these fellows, will you, that I prefer my own legs to theirarms, if they have no objection; and the flavour of grease and red ochreisn't agreeable to everybody. I prefer a different style of perfumemyself!"
"Bechuanas carry whi
te boy, 'cause he great hunter, kill big elephant,pay him great honour," returned Kobo.
"I understand that plain enough," said Nick, "but I wish they'd honourme according to my own notions, instead of theirs."
"Take it easy, Nick," said Frank, laughing. "We shall soon enter thekraal now. I hope that brute, Maomo, will be in the way to see ourentry. It will do him good."
As they ran on in this way, they approached the Bechuana kraal, whereindeed, in accordance, as it seemed, with Wilmore's wish, nearly thewhole population, that had remained behind from the elephant hunt, wereassembled. Maomo was in the middle of them, apparently engaged inmaking some address of a warning or threatening character to hishearers, which had the effect of exciting and terrifying them. As thelads approached nearer, they saw that the people were gathered roundsome object stretched on the ground; to which the prophet continuallypointed during the pauses of his speech. Presently they perceived thatthe object was an ox, dying in great suffering from some malady. Thepoor brute's limbs were swollen to a huge size, froth was issuing fromits mouth and nostrils, the eyes rolled dim and bloodshot, and every nowand then its whole frame was shaken by violent convulsions. As thechief, who was only a few paces behind the two boys, came on the scene,Maomo burst forth into a torrent of declamation, having reserved hisenergies, it appeared, for Chuma's more especial hearing.
"See you here," he exclaimed; "the pestilence has smitten the oxen, thispoor beast will die, and no one can heal it; what has happened to onewill happen to all. There will not be an ox left alive in the villagein two or three days more. And who has caused it? The White Prophet.He prays to the wicked Spirits, and they hear him and send thepestilence! Every day, for many weeks past, he and the young prophethave been praying to the Spirits to punish the Bechuanas, because theywill not worship his bad gods. Why does not Chuma forbid him? Why doeshe not punish him? Does not Chuma care that our cattle die? Chuma'sown cattle will die also."
The Bechuana chief had halted, as he reached the spot where the ox waslying, and was now standing over it with a face of evident perplexityand dismay. There was no mistaking the symptoms of the malady, which,some years previously, had nearly caused a famine in the village, by thenumber of horned cattle which it had swept off. Nor was there any knownremedy for the disease. Its appearance in the village might well causethe utmost alarm. It was almost impossible to account for thevisitation. It had been generally attributed in former years to droughtand deficient pasturage; but those causes could not be assigned now, asthere had been abundance both of water and sweet grass for many weekspast. He did not suspect the truth--that Maomo had paid a secret visitto a distant tribe where the disease was raging, and brought back withhim some of the virus, with which he had inoculated some two or threeisolated cows. All Chuma's former suspicions of De Walden rushed backupon the chief with accumulated force.
"How do you know that the White Prophet has caused this?" he asked,taking advantage of the first pause in Maomo's oration.
"My Spirits have told me so," replied Maomo. "They have sent good rainsand healthy seasons to the Bechuanas, and now the White Falsehood-manhas come among them and taught them to worship false and wicked Spirits,and many of the Bechuanas are beginning to pray to them, and the wickedSpirits hear them, and answer their evil prayers."
"This is not true," exclaimed Chuma, angrily. "I have forbidden theWhite Prophet to offer prayers to his Spirits. I have forbidden any ofmy people to hearken to his words. Who is there that would dare todisobey me."
"The White Prophet treats your words as if they had been the idlewinds," returned the rainmaker, "and he has persuaded many of the peopleto disregard them too. He thinks his Spirits are strong enough toprotect him against your anger; and so they would be if it were not thatmy Spirits are stronger still; but he does not know that, and presumesto set you at open defiance."
"Is this true?" cried the chief, whose passion was now strongly excited."Does this white man pray, as the rainmaker says? Do any presume tojoin in his prayers, if he so offers them?"
His eye was fixed sternly upon Kobo, whom he regarded in a general wayas answerable for De Walden's movements.
Frank and Nick glanced anxiously at their friend, hoping that he wouldsay something which might allay Chuma's anger; but to their surprise anddismay Kobo answered--
"It is true, chief I have not ventured to speak for fear that the WhiteProphet should do me some hurt; but Maomo will protect me. It is true.He prays every day in the big hut to his Spirits, and many of theBechuanas pray with him, but not Kobo. It is not their fault. TheWhite Prophet has bewitched them."
"Let some one fetch him hither," said Chuma. "If his prayers have donethis harm, his prayers shall undo it, and that without delay, or itshall be the worse for him."
"I will go to fetch him," said Kobo. "I know where he is to be metwith, and how to take him when he is off his guard. Let the rainmakercome with me, and we will bind and bring him hither."
With a smile of gratified malice the wizard accepted the invitation, andhurried off to De Walden's hut, accompanied by half a dozen stoutBechuanas. The chief stood in gloomy silence awaiting his return, whileFrank and Nick looked on in an agony of doubt and apprehension.