CHAPTER VI
THE SEA-COW HUNT
Now it had been my intention to push forward across the river at once,but here luck, or our old friend, Fate, was against me. To begin withseveral of Umslopogaas' men fell sick with a kind of stomach trouble,arising no doubt from something they had eaten. This, however, was nottheir view, or that of Umslopogaas himself. It happened that one ofthese men, Goroko by name, who practised as a witch-doctor in hislighter moments, naturally suspected that a spell had been cast uponthem, for such people see magic in everything.
Therefore he organised a "smelling-out" at which Umslopogaas, who wasas superstitious as the rest, assisted. So did Hans, although he calledhimself a Christian, partly out of curiosity, for he was as curious asa magpie, and partly from fear lest some implication should be broughtagainst him in his absence. I saw the business going on from a littledistance, and, unseen myself, thought it well to keep an eye upon theproceedings in case anything untoward should occur. This I did with MissInez, who had never witnessed anything of the sort, as a companion.
The circle, a small one, was formed in the usual fashion; Goroko riggedup in the best witch-doctor's costume that he could improvise, dulycame under the influence of his "Spirit" and skipped about, waving awildebeeste's tail, and so forth.
Finally to my horror he broke out of the ring, and running to a groupof spectators from the village, switched Thomaso, who was standing amongthem with a lordly and contemptuous air, across the face with the gnu'stail, shouting out that he was the wizard who had poisoned the bowels ofthe sick men. Thereon Thomaso, who although he could be insolent, likemost crossbreeds was not remarkable for courage, seeing the stir thatthis announcement created amongst the fierce-faced Zulus and fearingdevelopments, promptly bolted, none attempting to follow him.
After this, just as I thought that everything was over and that the timehad come for me to speak a few earnest words to Umslopogaas, pointingout that matters must go no further as regards Thomaso, whom I knew thathe and his people hated, Goroko went back to the circle and was seizedwith a new burst of inspiration.
Throwing down his whisk, he lifted his arms above his head and stared atthe heavens. Then he began to shout out something in a loud voice whichI was too far off to catch. Whatever it may have been, evidently itfrightened his hearers, as I could see from the expressions on theirfaces. Even Umslopogaas was alarmed, for he let his axe fall for amoment, rose as though to speak, then sat down again and covered hiseyes with his hands.
In a minute it was over; Goroko seemed to become normal, took some snuffand as I guessed, after the usual fashion of these doctors, began toask what he had been saying while the "Spirit" possessed him, which heeither had, or affected to have, forgotten. The circle, too, broke upand its members began to talk to each other in a subdued way, whileUmslopogaas remained seated on the ground, brooding, and Hans slippedaway in his snake-like fashion, doubtless in search of me.
"What was it all about, Mr. Quatermain?" asked Inez.
"Oh! a lot of nonsense," I said. "I fancy that witch-doctor declaredthat your friend Thomaso put something into those men's food to makethem sick."
"I daresay that he did; it would be just like him, Mr. Quatermain, as Iknow that he hates them, especially Umslopogaas, of whom I am very fond.He brought me some beautiful flowers this morning which he had foundsomewhere, and made a long speech which I could not understand."
The idea of Umslopogaas, that man of blood and iron, bringing flowersto a young lady, was so absurd that I broke out laughing and even thesad-faced Inez smiled. Then she left me to see about something and Iwent to speak to Hans and asked him what had happened.
"Something rather queer, I think, Baas," he answered vacuously, "thoughI did not quite understand the last part. The doctor, Goroko, smelt outThomaso as the man who had made them sick, and though they will not killhim because we are guests here, those Zulus are very angry with Thomasoand I think will beat him if they get a chance. But that is only thesmall half of the stick," and he paused.
"What is the big half, then?" I asked with irritation.
"Baas, the Spirit in Goroko----"
"The jackass in Goroko, you mean," I interrupted. "How can you, who area Christian, talk such rubbish about spirits? I only wish that my fathercould hear you."
"Oh! Baas, your reverend father, the Predikant, is now wise enoughto know all about Spirits and that there are some who come into blackwitch-doctors though they turn up their noses at white men and leavethem alone. However, whatever it is that makes Goroko speak, got holdof him so that his lips said, though he remembered nothing of itafterwards, that soon this place would be red with blood--that therewould be a great killing here, Baas. That is all."
"Red with blood! Whose blood? What did the fool mean?"
"I don't know, Baas, but what you call the jackass in Goroko, declaredthat those who are 'with the Great Medicine'--meaning what you wear,Baas--will be quite safe. So I hope that it will not be our blood; alsothat you will get out of this place as soon as you can."
Well, I scolded Hans because he believed in what this doctor said, forI could see that he did believe it, then went to question Umslopogaas,whom I found looking quite pleased, which annoyed me still more.
"What is it that Goroko has been saying and why do you smile, Bulalio?"I asked.
"Nothing much, Macumazahn, except that the man who looks like tallowthat has gone bad, put something in our food which made us sick, forwhich I would kill him were he not Red-beard's servant and that it wouldfrighten the lady his daughter. Also he said that soon there will befighting, which is why I smiled, who grow weary of peace. We came out tofight, did we not?"
"Certainly not," I answered. "We came out to make a quiet journey instrange lands, which is what I mean to do."
"Ah! well, Macumazahn, in strange lands one meets strange men with whomone does not always agree, and then _Inkosikaas_ begins to talk," and hewhirled the great axe round his head, making the air whistle as it wasforced through the gouge at its back.
I could get no more out of him, so having extracted a promise from himthat nothing should happen to Thomaso who, I pointed out, was probablyquite unjustly accused, I went away.
Still, the whole incident left a disagreeable impression on my mind,and I began to wish that we were safe across the Zambesi without moretrouble. But we could not start at once because two of the Zulus werestill not well enough to travel and there were many preparations tobe made about the loads, and so forth, since the waggon must be leftbehind. Also, and this was another complication--Hans had a sore uponhis foot, resulting from the prick of a poisonous thorn, and it wasdesirable that this should be quite healed before we marched.
So it came about that I was really glad when Captain Robertson suggestedthat we should go down to a certain swamp formed, I gathered, by somesmall tributary of the Zambesi to take part in a kind of hippopotamusbattue. It seemed that at this season of the year these great animalsalways frequented the place in numbers, also that by barring a neck ofdeep water through which they gained it, they, or a proportion of them,could be cut off and killed.
This had been done once or twice in the past, though not of late,perhaps because Captain Robertson had lacked the energy to organise sucha hunt. Now he wished to do so again, taking advantage of my presence,both because of the value of the hides of the sea-cows which were cut upto be sent to the coast and sold as _sjamboks_ or whips, and because ofthe sport of the thing. Also I think he desired to show me that he wasnot altogether sunk in sloth and drink.
I fell in with the idea readily enough, since in all my hunting life Ihad never seen anything of the sort, especially as I was told that theexpedition would not take more than a week and I reckoned that the sickmen and Hans would not be fit to travel sooner. So great preparationswere made. The riverside natives, whose share of the spoil was to be thecarcases of the slain sea-cows, were summoned by hundreds and sent offto their appointed stations to beat the swamps at a signal given by thefiring of a
great pile of reeds. Also many other things were done uponwhich I need not enter.
Then came the time for us to depart to the appointed spot over twentymiles away, most of which distance it seemed we could trek in thewaggon. Captain Robertson, who for the time had cut off his gin, wasas active about the affair as though he were once more in command of amail-steamer. Nothing escaped his attention; indeed, in the care whichhe gave to details he reminded me of the captain of a great ship thatis leaving port, and from it I learned how able a man he must once havebeen.
"Does your daughter accompany us?" I asked on the night before westarted.
"Oh! no," he answered, "she would only be in the way. She will be quitesafe here, especially as Thomaso, who is no hunter, remains in chargeof the place with some of the older natives to look after the women andchildren."
Later I saw Inez herself, who said that she would have liked to come,although she hated to see great beasts killed, but that her father wasagainst it because he thought she might catch fever. So she supposedthat she had better remain where she was.
I agreed, though in my heart I was doubtful, and said that I would leaveHans, whose foot was not as yet quite well, and with whom she had madefriends as she had done with Umslopogaas, to look after her. Also therewould be with him the two great Zulus who were now recovering from theirattack of stomach sickness, so that she would have nothing to fear. Sheanswered with her slow smile that she feared nothing, still, she wouldhave liked to come with us. Then we parted, as it proved for a longtime.
It was quite a ceremony. Umslopogaas, "in the name of the Axe" solemnlygave over Inez to the charge of his two followers, bidding them guardher with so much earnestness that I began to suspect he feared somethingwhich he did not choose to mention. My mind went back indeed to theprophecy of the witch-doctor Goroko, of which it was possible that hemight be thinking, but as while he spoke he kept his fierce eyes fixedupon the fat and pompous quarter-breed, Thomaso, I concluded that herewas the object of his doubts.
It might have occurred to him that this Thomaso would take theopportunity of her father's absence to annoy Inez. If so I was sure thathe was mistaken for various reasons, of which I need only quote one,namely, that even if such an idea had ever entered his head, Thomaso wasfar too great a coward to translate it into action. Still, suspectingsomething, I also gave Hans instructions to keep a sharp eye on Inezand generally to watch the place, and if he saw anything suspicious, tocommunicate with us at once.
"Yes, Baas," said Hans, "I will look after 'Sad-Eyes'"--for so withtheir usual quickness of observation our Zulus had named Inez--"asthough she were my grandmother, though what there is to fear for her, Ido not know. But, Baas, I would much rather come and look after you, asyour reverend father, the Predikant, told me to do always, which is myduty, not girl-herding, Baas. Also my foot is now quite well and--I wantto shoot sea-cows, and----" Here he paused.
"And what, Hans?"
"And Goroko said that there was going to be much fighting and if thereshould be fighting and you should come to harm because I was not thereto protect you, what would your reverend father think of me then?"
All of which meant two things: that Hans never liked being separatedfrom me if he could help it, and that he much preferred a shooting tripto stopping alone in this strange place with nothing to do except eatand sleep. So I concluded, though indeed I did not get quite to thebottom of the business. In reality Hans was putting up a most gallantstruggle against temptation.
As I found out afterwards, Captain Robertson had been giving him strongdrink on the sly, moved thereto by sympathy with a fellow toper. Also hehad shown him where, if he wanted it, he could get more, and Hans alwayswanted gin very badly indeed. To leave it within his reach was likeleaving a handful of diamonds lying about in the room of a thief. Thishe knew, but was ashamed to tell me the truth, and thence came muchtrouble.
"You will stop here, Hans, look after the young lady and nurse yourfoot," I said sternly, whereon he collapsed with a sigh and asked forsome tobacco.
Meanwhile Captain Robertson, who I think had been taking a stirrup cupto cheer him on the road, was making his farewells down in what wasknown as "the village," for I saw him there kissing a collection ofhalf-breed children, and giving Thomaso instructions to look after themand their mothers. Returning at length, he called to Inez, who remainedupon the veranda, for she always seemed to shrink from her father afterhis visits to the village, to "keep a stiff upper lip" and not feellonely, and commanded the cavalcade to start.
So off we went, about twenty of the village natives, a motley crew armedwith every kind of gun, marching ahead and singing songs. Then came thewaggon with Captain Robertson and myself seated on the driving-box,and lastly Umslopogaas and his Zulus, except the two who had been leftbehind.
We trekked along a kind of native road over fine veld of the samecharacter as that on which Strathmuir stood, having the lower-lyingbush-veld which ran down to the Zambesi on our right. Before nightfallwe came to a ridge whereon this bush-veld turned south, fringing thattributary of the great river in the swamps of which we were to hunt forsea-cows. Here we camped and next morning, leaving the waggon in chargeof my _voorlooper_ and a couple of the Strathmuir natives, for thedriver was to act as my gun-bearer--we marched down into the sea ofbush-veld. It proved to be full of game, but at this we dared not firefor fearing of disturbing the hippopotami in the swamps beneath, whencein that event they might escape us back to the river.
About midday we passed out of the bush-veld and reached the place wherethe drive was to be. Here, bordered by steep banks covered with bush,was swampy ground not more than two hundred yards wide, down the centreof which ran a narrow channel of rather deep water, draining a vastexpanse of morass above. It was up this channel that the sea-cowstravelled to the feeding ground where they loved to collect at thatseason of the year.
There with the assistance of some of the riverside natives we made ourpreparations under the direction of Captain Robertson. The rest of thesemen, to the number of several hundreds, had made a wide detour to thehead of the swamps, miles away, whence they were to advance at a certainsignal. These preparations were simple. A quantity of thorn trees werecut down and by means of heavy stones fastened to their trunks, anchoredin the narrow channel of deep water. To their tops, which floated on theplacid surface, were tied a variety of rags which we had brought withus, such as old red flannel shirts, gay-coloured but worn-out blankets,and I know not what besides. Some of these fragments also were attachedto the anchored ropes under water.
Also we selected places for the guns upon the steep banks that I havementioned, between which this channel ran. Foreseeing what would happen,I chose one for myself behind a particularly stout rock and what ismore, built a stone wall to the height of several feet on the landwardside of it, as I guessed that the natives posted near to me would provewild in their shooting.
These labours occupied the rest of that day, and at night we retired tohigher ground to sleep. Before dawn on the following morning we returnedand took up our stations, some on one side of the channel and some onthe other which we had to reach in a canoe brought for the purpose bythe river natives.
Then, before the sun rose, Captain Robertson fired a huge pile of driedreeds and bushes, which was to give the signal to the river nativesfar away to begin their beat. This done, we sat down and waited, aftermaking sure that every gun had plenty of ammunition ready.
As the dawn broke, by climbing a tree near my _schanze_ or shelter, Isaw a good many miles away to the south a wide circle of little fires,and guessed that the natives were beginning to burn the dry reeds of theswamp. Presently these fires drew together into a thin wall of flame.Then I knew that it was time to return to the _schanze_ and prepare. Itwas full daylight, however, before anything happened.
Watching the still channel of water, I saw ripples on it and bubblesof air rising. Suddenly there appeared the head of a greatbull-hippopotamus which, having caught sight of our rag barricade,either above o
r below water, had risen to the surface to see what itmight be. I put a bullet from an eight-bore rifle through its brain,whereon it sank, as I guessed, stone dead to the bottom of the channel,thus helping to increase the barricade by the bulk of its great body.Also it had another effect. I have observed that sea-cows cannot bearthe smell and taint of blood, which frightens them horribly, so thatthey will expose themselves to almost any risk, rather than get it intotheir nostrils.
Now, in this still water where there was no perceptible current, theblood from the dead bull soon spread all about so that when the herd,following their leader, began to arrive they were much alarmed. Indeed,the first of them on winding or tasting it, turned and tried to getback up the channel where, however, they met others following, andthere ensued a tremendous confusion. They rose to the surface, blowing,snorting, bellowing and scrambling over each other in the water, whilecontinually more and more arrived behind them, till there was a perfectpandemonium in that narrow place.
All our guns opened fire wildly upon the mass; it was like a battleand through the smoke I caught sight of the riverside natives who wereacting as beaters, advancing far away, fantastically dressed, screamingwith excitement and waving spears, or sometimes torches of flamingreeds. Most of these were scrambling along the banks, but some ofthe bolder spirits advanced over the lagoon in canoes, driving thehippopotami towards the mouth of the channel by which alone they couldescape into the great swamps below and so on to the river. In all myhunting experience I do not think I ever saw a more remarkable scene.Still, in a way, to me it was unpleasant, for I flatter myself that I ama sportsman and a battle of this sort is not sport as I understand theterm.
At length it came to this; the channel for quite a long way wasliterally full of hippopotami--I should think there must have been ahundred of them or more of all sorts and sizes, from great bulls down tolittle calves. Some of these were killed, not many, for the shooting ofour gallant company was execrable and almost at hazard. Also for everysea-cow that died, of which number I think that Captain Robertson andmyself accounted for most--many were only wounded.
Still, the unhappy beasts, crazed with noise and fire and blood, did notseem to dare to face our frail barricade, probably for the reason thatI have given. For a while they remained massed together in the water, orunder it, making a most horrible noise. Then of a sudden they seemed totake a resolution. A few of them broke back towards the burning reeds,the screaming beaters and the advancing canoes. One of these, indeed,a wounded bull, charged a canoe, crushed it in its huge jaws and killedthe rower, how exactly I do not know, for his body was never found. Themajority of them, however, took another counsel, for emerging from thewater on either side, they began to scramble towards us along the steepbanks, or even to climb up them with surprising agility. It was at thispoint in the proceedings that I congratulated myself earnestly uponthe solid character of the water-worn rock which I had selected as ashelter.
Behind this rock together with my gun-bearer and Umslopogaas, who, ashe did not shoot, had elected to be my companion, I crouched and bangedaway at the unwieldy creatures as they advanced. But fire fast as Imight with two rifles, I could not stop the half of them--they weredrawing unpleasantly near. I glanced at Umslopogaas and even thenwas amused to see that probably for the first time in his life thatredoubtable warrior was in a genuine fright.
"This is madness, Macumazahn," he shouted above the din. "Are we to stophere and be stamped flat by a horde of water-pigs?"
"It seems so," I answered, "unless you prefer to be stamped flatoutside--or eaten," I added, pointing to a great crocodile that had alsoemerged from the channel and was coming along towards us with open jaws.
"By the Axe!" shouted Umslopogaas again, "I--a warrior--will not diethus, trodden on like a slug by an ox."
Now I have mentioned a tree which I climbed. In his extremityUmslopogaas rushed for that tree and went up it like a lamplighter, justas the crocodile wriggled past its trunk, snapping at his retreatinglegs.
After this I took no more note of him, partly because of the advancingsea-cows, and more for the reason that one of the village natives postedabove me, firing wildly, put a large round bullet through the sleeveof my coat. Indeed, had it not been for the wall which I built thatprotected us, I am certain that both my bearer and I would have beenkilled, for afterwards I found it splashed over with lead from bulletswhich had struck the stones.
Well, thanks to the strength of my rock and to the wall, or as Hans saidafterwards, to Zikali's Great Medicine, we escaped unhurt. The rush wentby me; indeed, I killed one sea-cow so close that the powder from therifle actually burned its hide. But it did go by, leaving us untouched.All, however, were not so fortunate, since of the village natives twowere trampled to death, while a third had his leg broken.
Also, and this was really amusing--a bewildered bull charging at fullspeed, crashed into the trunk of Umslopogaas' tree, and as it was notvery thick, snapped it in two. Down came the top in which the dignifiedchief was ensconced like a bird in a nest, though at that moment therewas precious little dignity about him. However, except for scratches hewas not hurt, as the hippopotamus had other business in urgent need ofattention and did not stop to settle with him.
"Such are the things which happen to a man who mixes himself up withmatters of which he knows nothing," said Umslopogaas sententiously tome afterwards. But all the same he could never bear any allusion to thistree-climbing episode in his martial career, which, as it happened, hadtaken place in full view of his retainers, among whom it remained thegreatest of jokes. Indeed, he wanted to kill a man, the wag of theparty, who gave him a slang name which, being translated, means"_He-who-is-so-brave-that-he-dares-to-ride-a-water-horse-up-a-tree._"
It was all over at last, for which I thanked Providence devoutly. A goodmany of the sea-cows were dead, I think twenty-one was out exact bag,but the majority of them had escaped in one way or another, many as Ifear, wounded. I imagine that at the last the bulk of the herd overcameits fears and swimming through our screen, passed away down the channel.At any rate they were gone, and having ascertained that there wasnothing to be done for the man who had been trampled on my side of thechannel, I crossed it in the canoe with the object of returning quietlyto our camp to rest.
But as yet there was to be no quiet for me, for there I found CaptainRobertson, who I think had been refreshing himself out of a bottle andwas in a great state of excitement about a native who had been killednear him who was a favourite of his, and another whose leg was broken.He declared vehemently that the hippopotamus which had done this hadbeen wounded and rushed into some bushes a few hundred yards away, andthat he meant to take vengeance upon it. Indeed, he was just setting offto do so.
Seeing his agitated state I thought it wisest to follow him. Whathappened need not be set out in detail. It is sufficient to say thathe found that hippopotamus and blazed both barrels at it in the bushes,hitting it, but not seriously. Out lumbered the creature with its mouthopen, wishing to escape. Robertson turned to fly as he was in its path,but from one cause or another, tripped and fell down. Certainly he wouldhave been crushed beneath its huge feet had I not stepped in front ofhim and sent two solid eight-bore bullets down that yawning throat,killing it dead within three feet of where Robertson was trying to rise,and I may add, of myself.
This narrow escape sobered him, and I am bound to say that his gratitudewas profuse.
"You are a brave man," he said, "and had it not been for you by now Ishould be wherever bad people go. I'll not forget it, Mr. Quatermain,and if ever you want anything that John Robertson can give, why, it'syours."
"Very well," I answered, being seized by an inspiration, "I do wantsomething that you can give easily enough."
"Give it a name and it's yours, half my place, if you like."
"I want," I went on as I slipped new cartridges into the rifle, "I wantyou to promise to give up drink for your daughter's sake. That's whatnearly did for you just now, you know."
"Man, you as
k a hard thing," he said slowly. "But by God I'll try forher sake and for yours too."
Then I went to help to set the leg of the injured man, which was all therest I got that morning.