CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
OUR PLANS ARE SUDDENLY ALTERED--WICKED DESIGNS DISCOVERED.
For several weeks after this we wandered about in the woods searchingfor gorillas. We were very successful, and shot so many that I had thesatisfaction of making elaborate notes of specimens of nearly all agesand kinds.
But an event was looming in the future which we little thought of, andwhich ultimately compelled us to abandon the gorilla country and retraceour steps towards the southern part of the continent.
One day we set out, as was our wont, to hunt for gorillas, accompaniedonly by our faithful follower Makarooroo. It chanced to be a lovelyday, and the country through which we were passing was exceedinglybeautiful, so that we found more pleasure at that time in conversingtogether on the beauties of nature and on the wonderful works ofnature's God than in contemplating our chances of falling in with game.
"It's a splendid country," said Jack, as we walked along under the shadeof some magnificent ebony trees. "I wish that it were inhabited by aChristian people. Perhaps this may be the case one of these days, but Idon't think we shall live to see it."
"There's no saying, Jack," observed Peterkin. "Does not the Bible speakof a `nation being born in a day?' Of course that must be figurativelanguage; nevertheless it must mean something, and I incline to thinkthat it means that there shall be a time when men shall flock rapidly,and in unusually great numbers, to the Saviour."
"It may be so," observed I, "but I have made up my mind on this point,that Christian people are not sufficiently awake to the terriblecondition of the natives of countries such as this, or to the fact thatthey have much in their power to do for the amelioration of both theirtemporal and spiritual welfare. I, for one, will, if spared to returnhome, contribute more largely than I have been wont to do to the causeof missions."
"Talking of that," said Peterkin, "do you think it right to support themissions of other churches besides your own?"
"Do I think it right?" I exclaimed in surprise. "Of course I do. Ithink it one of the greatest evils that can befall a Christian, that heshould become so narrow-minded as to give only to his own church, andthink _only_ of his own church's missions. Why, surely a soul saved, ifa matter of rejoicing in heaven, ought to be a matter of joy on earth,without reference to the particular church which was the instrument usedby the Holy Spirit for that end. I feel very strongly that allChristians who love our Saviour with deep sincerity must of necessityhave a warm feeling towards His people in _all_ churches. At any ratewe ought to cultivate such a feeling."
"Who can these be?" cried Jack, stopping and pointing to some figuresthat appeared to be approaching us in the distance.
"They are negroes, at any rate," said I; "for they seem to be black, andare evidently naked."
"Warriors, too, if I mistake not. They have not yet observed us. Shallwe hide and let them pass?"
Jack hesitated a moment, then leaping behind a bush, cried--
"Ay, 'tis well to be cautious when nothing is to be gained by daring.These fellows outnumber us, and war-parties are not to be trusted--atleast not if these of Africa resemble those of North America."
"Hollo! there's a white man with them," cried Peterkin, as he peepedover the bushes behind which we were hid.
"You don't say so, eh? So there is. Come; we have nothing to fear fromthe party of a traveller.--What, Mak, you shake your head! What meanyou?"
Makarooroo increased the shaking of his head, and said, "Me no know_dat_, massa. P'raps hab more to fear dan you tink."
"Oh, stuff! come along. Why, Mak, it seems as if gorilla-hunting hadfailed to improve your courage."
As Jack said this he stepped out from among the bushes and advanced tomeet the strangers. Of course we all followed, and although we carriedour rifles in a careless manner, as if we expected no evil, yet we heldourselves in readiness to take instant action if necessary.
The moment the negroes perceived us, they set up a great shout andbrandished their spears and guns, but the voice of their leader wasinstantly heard commanding them to halt. They obeyed at once, and theEuropean stranger advanced alone to meet us. As he drew near weobserved that he was a splendid-looking man, nearly as large as Jackhimself, with a handsome figure and a free, off-hand gait. But oncoming closer we saw that his countenance, though handsome, wore aforbidding, stern expression.
"Dat am a slabe-dealer," whispered our guide, as the stranger came upand saluted us in French.
Jack replied in the same language; but on learning that we wereEnglishmen, he began to talk in our own tongue, although he evidentlyunderstood very little of it.
"Do you travel alone with the natives?" inquired Jack, after a fewpreliminary remarks.
"Yaas, sair, I doos," replied the stranger, who was a Portuguese trader,according to his own account.
"You seem to carry little or no merchandise with you," said Jack,glancing towards the party of natives, who stood at some distancelooking at us and conversing together eagerly.
"I has none wis me, true, bot I has moche not ver' far off. I bees gojust now to seek for ivory, and ebony, and sl-a---w'at you call him?barwood."
The man corrected himself quickly, but the slip confirmed Makarooroo'sremark and our own suspicions that he was a slave-dealer.
"De day is far gone," he continued, putting as amiable a smile on hiscountenance as possible; "perhaps you vill stop and we have dinetogedder."
Although we did not much like the appearance of our new friend or hisparty, we felt that it would be uncourteous in so wild a country, wherewe had so few chances of meeting with white faces, to refuse, so weagreed. A camp-fire was speedily kindled, and the two parties mingledtogether, and sat down amicably to discuss roast monkey and venisonsteaks together.
During the course of the meal the Portuguese trader became socommunicative and agreeable that we all began to think we had judged himharshly. We observed, too, that Makarooroo and the negroes hadfraternised heartily, and our guide was singing and laughing, and makinghimself agreeable at a very uncommon rate, so much so as to call forthour surprise.
"Mak seems to be mad to-day," observed Peterkin, as one of our guide'sjovial laughs rang through the wood and was echoed by his newacquaintances.
"Bees him not always so?" inquired the Portuguese.
"He's always hearty enough," replied Jack, "but I must confess I neversaw him in such high spirits as he seems to be in just now. It must bethe effect of meeting with new faces, I suppose."
"Ah! s'pose so," remarked the trader.
I was struck with the manner in which this was said. There was a toneof affected indifference, such as one assumes when making a passingremark, but at the same time a dark frown rested for one moment on hisbrow, and he cast a piercing vindictive glance at our guide. Nextmoment he was smiling blandly and making some humorous remark toPeterkin.
I looked at my companions, but they had evidently not observed thislittle piece of by-play. It seemed to me so unaccountable, consideringthat the two men had never met before, that I resolved to watch them. Isoon observed that Makarooroo's mirth was forced, that he was in factacting a part, and I noticed once or twice that he also cast anoccasional stealthy and piercing glance at the Portuguese. Itafterwards turned out that both men had been acting the same part, andthat each had suspected what the other was doing.
When our meal was concluded we prepared to resume our separate routes.
"I goes to de west," observed the Portuguese, in a casual way, as hebuckled on the belt that supported his hunting-knife.
"Indeed! I had understood you to say that you were going south."
"No; you not have onderstand me. I goes to de west, ver' long way."
"Then, sir, I wish you a safe and pleasant journey," said Jack, liftinghis cap.
"De same to you, sairs, an' goot plenty of gorillas to you. Farder norddey be more plenty. Adieu!"
We took off our caps to each other, and saying farewell, we turned away,and soon lo
st sight of the party.
"Ho! de yaller-faced villain," exclaimed Makarooroo between his clinchedteeth, after we were out of earshot.
"Why, what's wrong, Mak?" inquired Peterkin, in great surprise.
"Ho! noting porteekler," replied the guide, with an air and tone ofsarcasm that quite amused us. "Hims not go sout', ho no! hims go west,ho yis! Hims advise us to go nort', ho dear! dat bery clibber, berymush clibber; but we is clibberer, we is, ho! ho! ho!"
Our worthy guide looked so terribly fierce as he uttered this fiendishlaugh, that we all came to a stand and gazed at him in surprise; wefancied that something must have deranged his mind.
"Mak," said Peterkin, "you are mad. What mean you by such grimaces?"
Pursing his lips tightly, and looking at each of us for a few moments insilence, he finally crossed his arms on his chest, and turning eagerlyto Jack, said with extreme volubility--
"Dat rascal! dat tief! Him's no trader, him's slabe-dealer; hims no gowest, hims go south; an' w'at for hims go? W'at for hims carry guns somany, eh? Hims go" (here the guide dropped his voice into a whisper ofintense bitterness)--"hims go for attack village an' take all peepilsaway for be slabes. No pay for 'em--tief!--take dem by force."
"Why, how did you come to know all this," said Jack, "or rather tosuspect it? for you cannot be sure that you are right."
"W'at, no can be sure me right? ho, yis, me sartin sure. Me beryclibber. Stop, now. Did him--dat tief!--speak bery mush?"
"Certainly he did, a good deal."
"Yis, ho! An' did him make _you_ speak bery mush?"
"I rather think he did," replied Peterkin, laughing at our guide'seagerness.
"Yis, ho! hims did. An' did him ax you plenty question, all 'bout whereyou go, an' where you come from, an' _de way back_ to village where webe come from? An' did hims say, when him find you was come from _sout_,dat hims was go _west_, though before dat hims hab say dat hims be go_sout_, eh?"
"Certainly," said Jack, with a thoughtful look, "he did say all that,and a great deal more to that effect."
"Yis, ho! hims did. Me know bery well. Me see him. An' me also doodto de niggers what hims do to you. Me talk an' laugh an' sing, _den meax dem questions_. But dey bery wise; dey no speak mush, but dey manageto speak 'nuff for me. Yis, me bam--bam--eh?"
"Boozle," suggested Peterkin.
"Vis, bamboozle dem altogidder, ho! ho!"
After a little further explanation we found that this Portuguese traderwas a man-stealer, on his way to one of the smaller villages, with theintention of attacking it. Makarooroo ascertained that they meant toproceed direct to that of King Jambai, first, however, getting one ofthe neighbouring tribes to pick a quarrel with that monarch and go towar with him; and we now recollected, with deep regret, that in ourignorance of what the Portuguese was, we had given him a great deal ofinformation regarding the village of our late hospitable entertainerwhich might prove very useful to him, and very hurtful to poor KingJambai, in the event of such a raid being carried out.
But, in addition to this, Makarooroo had ascertained that it waspossible that, before going to King Jambai's village, they might perhapsmake a descent on that of our friend Mbango, with whom we had left poorOkandaga. It was this that raised the wrath of our guide to such apitch.
The instant we heard it Jack said--
"Then that settles the question of our future proceedings. We must bidadieu to the gorillas at once, and dog the steps of this maraudingparty, so as to prevent our good friends Mbango and Jambai beingsurprised and carried into slavery along with all their people. Itseems to me that our path is clear in this matter. Even if we were notbound in honour to succour those who have treated us hospitably, weought to do our best to undo the evil we have done in telling theirenemies so much about them. Besides, we must save Okandaga, whateverhappens. What say you, comrades?"
"Of course we must," said Peterkin. I also heartily concurred.
"You's a good man," said Makarooroo, his eyes glistening with emotion.
"If I did not stand by you at such a time as this," replied Jack,smiling, "I should certainly be a very bad man."
"But what are we to do about our goods?" inquired I, "We cannot hope tokeep up with these robbers if we carry our goods with us; and yet itseems hard to leave them behind, for we should fare ill, I fear, in thiscountry if we travel as beggars."
"We shall easily manage as to that," replied Jack. "I have observedthat one of our niggers is a sensible, and, I am disposed to think, atrustworthy fellow--"
"D'you mean the man with the blind eye and the thumping big nose?"inquired Peterkin.
"The same. Well, I shall put him in charge, and tell him to follow usto Mbango's village; then we four shall start off light, and hunt ourway south, travelling as fast as we can, and carrying as many strings ofbeads, by way of small change, as we can stuff into our pockets andfasten about our persons."
"The very thing," cried Peterkin. "So let's put it in practice atonce."
"Ay, this very night," said Jack, as we hurried back to the spot whereour goods had been left.
As we went along in silence I noticed that Peterkin sighed once or twicevery heavily, and I asked him if he was quite well.
"Well? Ay, well enough in body, Ralph, but ill at ease in mind. Howcan it be otherwise when we are thus suddenly and unexpectedly about totake leave of our dear friends the gorillas? I declare my heart is fitto break."
"I sympathise with you, Peterkin," said I, "for I have not yet madenearly as many notes in regard to these monster-monkeys as I could havewished. However, I am thankful for what I have got, and perhaps we maycome back here again one of these days."
"What bloodthirsty fellows!" cried Jack, laughing. "If you talk so, Ifear that Mak and I shall have to cut your acquaintance; for, you see,he and I have got a _little_ feeling left."
"Well, it's natural, I fancy," observed Peterkin, "that gorillas shouldfeel for their kindred. However, I console myself with the thought thatthe country farther south is much better filled with other game,although the great puggy is not there. And then we shall come amonglions again, which we can never find, I believe, in the gorilla country.I wonder if the gorilla has really driven them out of this part ofAfrica."
"Some think it probable," observed I, "but we cannot make sure of thatpoint."
"Well, we can at all events make sure of this point," cried Peterkin, aswe came in sight of our encampment, "that lions are thick enough in thecountry whither we are bound; so let's have a good supper, and hurrahfor the south! It's a bright prospect before us. A fair lady to besaved; possibly a fight with the niggers, and lion, elephant,rhinoceros, alligator, hippopotamus, and buffalo shooting by way ofrelaxation in the intervals of the war!"