CHAPTER TWENTY.
A RAFT--FATE OF MAOMO--THE ISLAND--A STRANGE APPARITION--A HIPPOPOTAMUSHUNT--THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGER--NICK AGAIN--THE HIPPOPOTAMUS TRAP.
"Well, we are here," said Frank, an hour or so afterwards as they stilllay on the grassy bank of the stream, enjoying alike the rest to theirlimbs, and the delicious coolness of the river breeze. "We are here,thanks to you, Kobo, for the same. But how we are to get across beatsme altogether. This is not a narrow channel over which you could drop atree; and if it had been, the cliffs opposite are two or three hundredfeet high, and go down straight into the water. It is too deep to ford,and too rapid to swim, even if there was a landing-place on the otherside, which there is not."
"No want to cross river," answered the Bechuana, briefly.
"Not want to cross it, Kobo?" asked Warley, "why I thought you said thiswas the point to which Chuma might pursue us, but he dare not go beyondit."
"So I did. See now; give me the axe."
He got up as he spoke, and began lopping off the boughs of a largewillow, which grew at no great distance from the spot where they hadbeen resting, choosing those which were about six inches in diameter.When he had collected a sufficient number of them, he reduced them allto an uniform length of some ten feet, and laid them on the ground sideby side. He then tore down a number of parasitical creepers, which werealmost as tough and pliant as so many cords, and began binding the logstogether by their means.
"What are you making, Kobo?" inquired Nick, after contemplating hisproceeding for some minutes with much interest. "Make raft, cover itwith reeds, and launch it on river. It carry us to island yonder." Hepointed as he spoke to a group of trees, growing apparently in themiddle of the river's channel, at the distance of perhaps a mile."There we rest, find plenty of food, fruit, and fish too. Then I go tolook for Basuto people, and tell them 'bout white men."
"Cover the raft with reeds? Hadn't we better go and cut some, then?"suggested Warley; "or, rather, hadn't. Nick and Frank better go andgather them, while I help you to tie the logs."
"Very good. They two take axe, one cut reeds, other bring them inarmfuls."
Mr De Walden did not awake from the sleep into which he had fallenimmediately on reaching the bank, until the raft was nearly completed.He understood at once the purpose for which it was constructed. "Itwill bear us safely enough, no doubt," he said, "and we shall findabundance of food on the island; but will not the Bechuanas suspect theplace of our retreat, and follow us?"
"Bechuanas not venture on Yellow River," said Kobo; "besides, if theymake raft, we shoot them from island, as easy as so many sheep. Kobokill them all with bow and arrow--say nothing of guns."
"That is true," said De Walden; "and besides we could use our own raftto escape to the opposite shore before they came up. Well, we hadbetter push the raft into the stream, hadn't we? It seems to befinished; and there is no wisdom in staying here longer than can behelped."
Kobo assented, and Frank coming up at that moment with his last heap ofreeds, the four, by their united exertions, launched their handiwork,which was found to float very well. The guns, with the rest of thebaggage, were then put on board; some long poles selected to serve aspaddles, or puntpoles, as occasion might require; and the adventurersprepared to commence their voyage as soon as Nick joined them.
This he did almost immediately afterwards, but in breathless haste andalarm.
"Get on to the raft and push off," he cried, as soon as he was able tocommand his voice. "The Bechuanas are after us, with that scoundrelMaomo at their head."
He was obeyed with the utmost promptitude. In two minutes they hadpushed from the shore and were beginning to catch the current, when thetruth of Gilbert's words was proved by a headlong rush of Bechuanas tothe riverside, made in the hope of arresting the progress of the raft.They darted their assegais after the travellers, and cast long lassoesof leather; some of them even rushed into the water, trying to seize thelogs with their hands.
"Stoop down!" shouted Kobo; "they shoot arrows." All five threwthemselves on their faces among the reeds, just in time to allow aflight of arrows to pass over them and bespatter the surface of theriver beyond.
"Ah, you catch that," cried Kobo, as he drew his bowstring in answer,and saw his arrow quivering in the neck of the rainmaker. "You no curethat, Maomo--you clever doctor, but no cure that! Him dead," hecontinued, complacently addressing his companions, "him dead in half anhour. Poison quite fresh and good!"
"Unhappy wretch!" exclaimed the missionary, as he watched the Bechuanasgather in dismay round their fallen prophet. "I have no doubt you speakthe truth, Kobo; and the impostor drew his fate upon himself. But it isa fearful ending! When will the light of God's truth shine in thisbenighted land?"
"Yes, Kobo speak truth," said the guide, answering the only part of DeWalden's speech which he understood. "Kobo speak truth--Maomo dead forcertain--he suffer bad pain too. Ah, they carry him away. No troubleus more."
The raft was by this time in the central channel of the river, sweepingrapidly down towards the island. In about half an hour this wasreached; and Kobo steering it towards a spot where several willowsstretched out into the stream, contrived to lodge it securely betweentwo of them. The party then landed, and carried all their goods onshore; after which Kobo directed them to haul the raft also on to thebank, and hide it carefully among the long grass and rushes.
"People no come that way," he said, pointing down the river; "large deepfalls, and no come from that bank--rocks too steep and high. But maycome from other bank, or same way as we, from further down. SometimesBasutos hunt `'potmus,' as white man call him."
"Hippopotamuses!" exclaimed Frank. "Are there any of them hereabouts?"
"Plenty 'potmus. All along that bank--wonder we not see them. Allamong canes there--feed at night mostly--come out by and by."
The raft was by this time hidden away, and the boys, under Kobo'sguidance, proceeded to explore the island, which was perhaps two hundredfeet in length, by thirty in width. It was covered with a rich growthof mossy grass, interspersed with flowers of every variety of colour,and of the rarest fragrance. Wild geraniums, jessamines, arums, liliesscarlet and blue and purple, spread like a gorgeous carpet underfoot.Overhead pear trees, pomegranates, and wild plums, figs, quinces, andbananas, were intermingled with the foliage of the cypress, the gum, thewillow, and a hundred others. Kobo might well say there was plenty offood to be obtained in the island, which seemed to them to be like anenchanted garden. They were delighted with the prospect of remainingthere some days to rest and refresh themselves, while Kobo went on hiserrand. They soon chose the spot where they meant to fix theirheadquarters. Just about the middle of the islet, three large fig treesand a date grew so near to one another, that their interlacing boughsformed a roof impenetrable alike to sun or storm. The undergrowth ofshrubs between the boles was soon cleared away by the help of the axe,and left a sort of bower about twelve feet square, open only on oneside, and tapestried, as it were, with the loveliest flowers. Here theypiled together the heaps of reed from the raft, which the sun hadalready dried, to make their beds, and here they sat down, an hour ortwo after their arrival, to enjoy the luxury of an abundant repast, anda long night of unbroken rest after it.
On the following morning, Kobo, having constructed for himself a muchsmaller raft, consisting simply of bundles of reed laid crosswise overone another, took himself off to the opposite bank, which, as he hadtold them, belonged to the Basutos. Here, having drawn the reedsashore, he waved his hand to the English travellers, and then vanishedamong the shrubs. Left to their own devices, De Walden and Ernestwithdrew to their arbour, to continue a conversation deeply interestingto them both, which they had begun on the previous evening; while Frankand Nick, having contrived to manufacture some extempore fishing-lines,betook themselves to a point where a shelf of stone, immediately on thewater's edge, offered them a pleasant seat, and began fishing.
They had better su
ccess than they had expected, considering the rudenessof their tackle, and their utter ignorance as to the proper bait to beused. Half a dozen tolerable-sized fish, mostly eels and barbel, soonlay lifeless on the turf at their side, and they were still pursuingtheir sport with unabated eagerness, when they were startled by a loudsplashing and snorting at no great distance from them. They leaped up,for a moment apprehending that the Bechuanas were in pursuit of them,notwithstanding Kobo's assurances that there was no fear of such a_contretemps_, and hurried to the southern extremity of the islet, wherethe noise was audible. Several dark shapeless objects, ten or twelvefeet long, were to be seen floating apparently on the water; but whetherthey were fragments of wood, or the carcasses of drowned oxen, or livinganimals, it was impossible at first to determine. Presently, however,one of the floating masses disappeared beneath the waters, and anon roseagain, with a loud grunting noise which could not be mistaken.
"They are the hippopotamuses Kobo told us of," said Nick. "It is veryodd, but I had forgotten all about them."
"Hush!" answered Frank, "they are coming this way, I think; and if so,we shall get a clear view of them. I want to see one above all things.I've seen a picture of one, but that gives no real idea."
"Yes, they are coming this way, certainly," remarked Gilbert, a fewminutes afterwards; "but how slowly and leisurely they move. I shouldthink we might get a shot at one presently, if we keep quite quiet.Luckily, it is plain that they have not seen us, or they wouldn't comethis way."
As he spoke, Frank laid his hand on his arm, and pointed silentlytowards a projecting point of the river bank, about two hundred yardsoff. The head of a canoe, formed out of the trunk of a tree apparently,and holding two persons, had just come in sight. It was followedclosely by another of the same description, a good deal larger, and atsome distance by several reed rafts, nearly as big as that which hadconveyed them to the island on the previous day. The boys drewinstantly back into the leafy covert, again fancying that the Bechuanaswere on their track. A very short examination of the new-comers,however, satisfied them that this was not the case. Not only was theirdress different in several particulars from that of the Kaffirs, but theweapons with which they were armed showed plainly that they had not comeout for the purpose of apprehending runaways, but of hunting someanimals--no doubt, indeed, the hippopotamus; for the weapons theycarried were not used in the chase of any other animal But what renderedit absolutely certain that they could not belong to their late pursuers,was the presence, in the stern of the largest canoe, of a woman--evidently a personage of rank and importance. The boys looked at her,as the boats slowly approached the islet, with great surprise andcuriosity. Her costume showed that she belonged to the same nation asthe others, and her whole bearing and demeanour was that of a personfamiliarised by long habit with the scene and employment in which shewas engaged But if it had not been for these circumstances, the boyswould certainly have supposed that she was not a native of South Africaat all. Her complexion, though somewhat darker than that of anEnglishwoman, was many shades lighter than that of her companions; herhair and eyes were totally unlike theirs. Her movements, easy andgraceful as those of savages generally are, nevertheless exhibited anindefinable refinement, which was most perplexing to the spectators.
Their attention, however, was soon directed to other matters. Allunconscious of the vicinity of strangers, the occupants of the boats andrafts glided noiselessly by the island, until they had reached thehippopotamuses, which were still lazily floating in the yellow waters;for the river, it may be observed in passing, well deserved its name.The huge animals scarcely seemed to notice the presence of the voyagers,whom they allowed to come close to them, without manifesting anysymptoms of alarm.
By and by the canoe, in which the female already described was seated,had reached the spot where the largest of the bulky herd--fully twelvefeet in length, and the same in girth--was reclining! She rose from herseat, lifting her figure to its full height, and then dexterously dartedthe barbed lance she carried into the body of the monster. The instantshe had done so, she resumed her seat, and the rowers nimbly plyingtheir oars, shot off from the vortex caused by the writhings of thewounded beast, and made for the shore. The girl bounded lightly on tothe bank as the canoe approached it, holding in her hand the line, whichwas attached to the handle of the harpoon. She was followed instantlyby the rest of the crew, who, seizing the cord, held it fast with theirunited strength to prevent the escape of the hippopotamus.
The latter had no sooner felt the wound than he dived, and commencedswimming under water, in the hope of ridding himself in that manner ofhis pursuers. But the barbed point held fast, and his struggles onlyincreased the acuteness of his sufferings. He was soon obliged to riseagain to the surface for air, and his reappearance was the signal of arecommencement of the attack. Fresh harpoons were continually lodged inthe quivering flesh; the yellow waters grew every moment redder with theblood, which poured from countless wounds; until, at last, even his hugestrength was exhausted, and the hunters were able to draw the lifelesscarcass to the shore.
All this time the remainder of the herd had continued to paddle about,or lie basking in the sun within a short distance of the spot where thechase had been going on, wholly unconcerned, to all appearance, at whatwas passing. The rowers now resumed their places, and the woman herseat in the stern, and the same scene was enacted again; but this timenot with the same success. The harpoon was thrown with equal skill, andfirmly fixed in the animal's side; but before the boat could reach theshore, which at this point of the river lay at a considerable distance,it was attacked by the infuriated beast, which seemed more inclined torevenge the wound he had received, than make his escape from furtherinjury. He swam straight towards the canoe, which he overtook before ithad gone many yards, and with a single blow from his formidable tusk,completely shattered its bottom. It sank instantly, leaving its fiveoccupants to escape to the land as they best might. The monster glaredround him as if seeking for the easiest victim, and perceiving that thefemale, who had been stationed in the bow, was the nearest to him, hemade straight at her with his huge jaws expanded to their full width,and his deadly rows of teeth displayed. Observing his approach, shedived, reappearing at the distance of a few yards, and swam swiftly forthe island, which was the nearest point of land. But the animal hadbeen on the look out for her, and made a second rush, as soon as herhead emerged from the water. She dived a second time, and rose nearerto the islet; but her strength was evidently failing her, and the weightof her clothes dragged her down. She struggled bravely, but could notget away from her pursuer. In another minute the horrid jaws would, inall likelihood, have cut her in twain, if a shot, fired opportunely atthis moment from the central clump of the eyot, had not pierced theunwieldy brute behind the shoulder, and passed directly into the vitals.With a loud snort of agony he turned over on his side, vomiting atorrent of blood, which stained the dull yellow stream a still dullercrimson, and then floated helplessly down the current.
Warley, from whose rifle this unexpected deliverance had come, nowhurried down the bank to complete her rescue. His attention, and thatof De Walden, had been attracted to the noise on the river some timepreviously, and, catching his rifle, which he had taken the precautionof loading, Ernest hurried out to learn what was passing. When he firstcaught sight of the scene, he was indisposed to interfere, thinking thehunters able to effect their own escape, and unwilling to betray theplace where he and his friends had taken refuge; but as soon as theperil of the female voyager became evident to him, he hesitated nolonger. The other two lads now came hastening up, and between them theyraised the woman, who was almost exhausted, from the water, and laid heron the bank. The natives, who were astonished beyond measure at theapparition of the white men, stood motionless on the further bank, or ontheir rafts, not knowing what was about to happen next.
The Englishmen on their sides were scarcely less astonished. The readerhas already heard the surprise with which Fr
ank and Gilbert had noticedtheir female visitor; but they had only beheld her from a distance, andhad had a very cursory view of her face and figure. Now, however, theyhad leisure to take a closer survey. She was apparently about eighteenyears old, tall and beautifully formed, and with a natural dignity ofdemeanour which would have become a princess. Her skin was somewhatdarker than that of English ladies in ordinary, but, nevertheless, avery becoming colour mantled in her cheeks. Her features were formedafter the finest type of Greek beauty--the shape of the face oval, thenose straight and slightly _retrousse_, the forehead broad and low, theeyebrows beautifully arched over orbs of the darkest hazel. Her hair,to complete the picture, bore no likeness at all to that of herattendants, but was glossy, long, and of a rich brown.
Her dress was almost as great an enigma as her face. It consisted of akind of petticoat, or rather short gown, made of antelope skin, andedged with white fur, descending from her neck almost to her knees, andcovering the arms about half-way to the wrist. Her feet were protectedby sandals, the thongs of which were wound crosswise up her legs, andsecured by a leathern garter at the knees. Round her waist she wore agirdle set with crimson beads and glittering stones. Her head had noornament, with the exception of some eagle's feathers fixed in thecoronet of dark brown hair which surmounted her forehead. Herappearance, in fact, was neither that belonging to civilised nor tosavage life, but rather that of some high-born European lady, who hadassumed, for some masquerading purpose, the costume of the desert.
After resting for a few minutes on the sloping patch of turf where herrescuers had placed her, she appeared to recover her strength andself-possession, and to be anxious to bestow her thanks on the strangerswho had come so opportunely to her rescue, but was at a loss how toexpress herself. Warley and the others felt equally embarrassed. Atlast, after a long pause, the former called to the missionary, who hadremained behind in the arbour, too much occupied with the anxietieswhich were pressing on him to take heed of what was passing outside.
"Will you be so good as to come here, Mr De Walden?" he cried. "Hereare some natives whom we cannot make understand us, but very likely theymay understand you."
A flash of intelligence passed over the girl's face as he spoke.
"I understand you myself," she said. "You are speaking English. Areyou Englishmen?"
Her accent and words were those of an English lady. Still morebewildered, Warley answered--
"We are Englishmen, madam; and I need not say rejoiced to recognise acountrywoman, as we cannot doubt you are. By what strange chance youhave been conveyed hither--"
"No," she interposed, "I am not an Englishwoman. I was born in thisland; but I am deeply interested in everything English. If it pleasesyou to accompany me to our village, which is not very far distant fromthis, my mother will be greatly pleased to welcome you as her guests."
The boys glanced at De Walden, who was standing by, regarding herattentively. He now addressed her with much respect. "You are thedaughter, I presume," he said, "of the famous White Queen of theBasutos, of whom I have heard so much. But I thought her dwelling wasconsiderably further to the east."
"Yes, I am the daughter of Queen Laura, or Lau-au, as our people callher. My own name is Ella. You are right as to our ordinary place ofresidence; but the cattle disease, which is raging in the east, hasobliged us for awhile to shift our dwelling. You, I conclude, are oneof the white teachers whom my mother ever holds in honour. She wouldgladly have received you, even if I had not owed my life to your friend.We will set out at once, if you please, as the evening is nowadvancing."
She summoned her attendants, who had been watching this interview withlooks of much curiosity, and the party were soon conveyed to theopposite shore. Then desiring them to cut off as much of the flesh ofthe two slain hippopotamuses as could be conveniently carried with them,she set off, with two of her visitors walking on either hand, at a briskpace, which an English lady would have found it difficult to maintain,but which did not appear at all to inconvenience their fair conductress.
But the day's adventures were not yet concluded. After walking for amile or two, still along the banks of the river, Nick's restless spiritseemed to grow weary of the monotony of the journey. He began to lingerby the wayside; now to pick a flower that attracted his fancy; now togather some of the fruit, of which there was plenty to be seen--figs andbananas, and ripe dates--now to examine some brilliant insect, or tochase some gorgeous butterfly. On these occasions he allowed the partyto get further and further in advance of him, until once or twice he wasin danger of being left alone in the bush, to find, as best he might,the track pursued by his companions.
On one of these occasions, after he had succeeded with considerabledifficulty in plucking a delicious watermelon, which grew in a deephollow, surrounded on all sides by thorn bushes, he discovered to hischagrin and alarm, that the rest of the party were by this time fairlyout of sight and hearing; and the dense mass of tangled shrubs andcreepers in front of him rendered it impossible to distinguish anythingat the distance of a hundred yards. He hurried on as fast as he could,in the direction which he supposed them to have taken, looking carefullyround him for the marks of footsteps. But these were nowhere to bedistinguished. Indeed all trace of a path seemed to have disappeared.A good deal alarmed, he stood still and shouted. Presently he heard ahalloo in answer, but in a direction different from that which he hadbeen pursuing. It evidently came from a considerable distance. Nickfelt there was no time to be lost, and hurried along with all the speedhe could command, though the long grass much impeded his progress. Ashe turned the corner of a thick mass of shrubs, he saw a figure which herecognised as that of De Walden advancing towards him, and holding uphis hand, urging him, as he supposed, to rejoin the party as quickly ashe could. He started accordingly at a run, but had not advanced manyyards when his foot caught against some obstacle which threw him forwardon his face. At the same moment there was a whirring noise, followed bya loud crash, and some heavy object struck the ground within a yard ofhim. Almost immediately afterwards he heard De Walden's voice.
"Another escape, Master Nick. I wonder how many more you mean to havebefore you rejoin your friends. If you had as many lives as a cat, youwould lose them all at this rate."
Nick got up, rubbing the green mud from his elbows and knees, andstaring in wonder at the object the fall of which had so astonished him.An examination of it did not tend to remove his perplexity. It was alarge heavy piece of wood, shaped evidently by the axe, so as toresemble a rude arrow, but as thick as the mast of a large cutter. Tothe end of this was attached an iron head of a corresponding size. Ithad penetrated deep into the ground, and would have been sufficient toshatter Nick's skull like an icicle if it had come in contact with it."Whatever can that be?" he exclaimed; "and how came it up there?"
"A hippopotamus trap," said the missionary; "and it is a good job thatit has not proved a man trap too. You must not leave your companions inthis wild country, Nick, or even your good luck won't keep you out oftrouble. I noticed the trap as we passed, and then perceived a minuteor two afterwards that you were not with us. It is fortunate I turnedback and called you. If you hadn't been running fast it might havecaught your head, or at all events your leg."
By this time they were rejoined by the rest of the party, and De Waldenproceeded to explain to the boys the curious construction of the machinefrom which Nick had had so narrow an escape. It was common enough, hetold them, in the neighbourhood of the haunts of the hippopotamus. Thestem of a young tree, a foot or so in diameter, was cut off at thelength of about four feet. A strong and sharp iron head was fixed atone end, and at the other an eye, to which a string was attached. Thisrude shaft was then hung up to the branch of a large tree immediatelyover the path by which the hippopotamuses were wont to go down to theriver. The string was passed over the branch, round a projecting rootat the bottom of the tree, and straight across the path, beingultimately secured to a peg driven into the earth
. This string cameinto contact with the feet of the hippopotamus, which, in walking,shambles along, scarcely raising its legs from the ground. The stringbeing in this manner broken, the heavy beam instantly falls, usuallystriking the hippopotamus in the back, and penetrating the vitals. Theblow is almost always mortal. Even if the animal is not killed on thespot, it is so badly wounded that it dies shortly afterwards.Sometimes, to make assurance doubly sure, Mr De Walden told them, theiron is steeped in poison.
"There didn't need that," said Nick, as he contemplated the barbedpoint, as big as the fluke of an anchor, and sharp as an arrow. "Theiron head would have finished me off very handsomely, without troublingthe poison-makers. Well, I'll take care another time, as the childrensay, and I can't do more. Let's be off now. I want to get to ourquarters for the night."