CHAPTER XVI
THE START UP THE CONGO
"It was queer Dan Baxter should act so," said Sam to his uncle,when Mr. Rover came back from his interview with the bully. "Ithought he wanted to, go the worst way."
"He acted as if he had struck something else," answered RandolphRover. "He didn't even want the money I offered. Perhaps he hasreceived a remittance from home."
"Who would send it to him?" put in Dick. "His father is still injail."
"Perhaps he got Mumps to send it to him," said Sam. "But Iforgot, Mumps is away."
There was no time to discuss the situation further, for they wereto start early on the following morning, and there were yet adozen small matters which must be given attention. All were busy,and it was not until after eleven that evening that they turnedin.
The day for the departure from Boma dawned bright and clear, andCujo appeared with his assistants while they were still eatingbreakfast.
"Werry good day for um journey," he said, with a grin. "Make goodmany miles if nothing go wrong."
"You can't do any too well for me," answered Dick. "I hope ourexpedition into the interior is both short and successful."
At eight o'clock they were off. At first they had thought to goon horseback; but this was abandoned by the advice of the native,who declared that horses would prove more of a drag than a help inmany places.
"Horse canno' climb tree bridge," he explained. "No climb highrock, no go around bad hill. We go on foot an' make better time."
The town was soon left behind and they struck a highway which forseveral miles afforded easy traveling. On all sides were densegroves of tropical growth, palms, mangoes, and the like, withenormous vines festooned from one tree to the next. Underneathwere a great variety, of ferns and mosses, the homes of countlessinsects and small animals. The ground was black and whereverturned up gave forth a sickly odor of decayed vegetation.
"That is regular fever territory," explained Randolph Rover."Boys, do not sleep on the ground if you can possibly avoid it. Isincerely trust that none of us take the tropical fever."
"If I feel it coming on I'll take a good dose of quinine,"declared Tom.
Fortunately they had brought along a good supply of that valuabledrug.
Two days traveling passed without special incident. On one sideof the highway was the broad river, which glinted like molten leadin the sunshine. They could not travel very close to its bank,for here the ground was uncertain. Once Sam left the highway toget a better view of the stream, and, before Cujo noticed it,found himself up to his knees in a muck which stuck to him like somuch glue.
"Hi! help me out!" roared the youngest Rover, and all of the partyturned, to behold him waving his hand frantically toward them.
"He dun got stuck in de mud!" exclaimed Aleck, and started to goto Sam's assistance, when Cujo called him back.
"Must be werry careful," said the native. "Ground bad overdare--lose life if urn don't have a care. Wait fo' me." And heapproached Sam by a circuitous route over the tufts of grasswhich grew like so many dots amid the swamp. Soon he was closeenough to throw the youth the end of a rope he carried. The pullthat, followed nearly took Sam's arms out by the sockets; but theboy was saved, to return to the others of the party with anexperience which was destined to be very useful to him in, thefuture.
"It will teach me to be careful of where I am going after this,"he declared. "Why, that bog looked almost as safe as the groundover here!"
"Tropical places are all full of just such treacherous swamps,"returned Randolph Rover. "It will be wise for all of us toremember that we are now in a strange territory and that we musthave our eyes and ears wide open."
At half-past eleven they came to a halt for dinner. The sun wasnow almost overhead, and they were glad enough to seek the shelterof a number of palms standing in front of a--native hostelry.
"We will rest here until two o'clock," said Mr. Rover. "It is allout of the question to travel in the heat of the day, as we didyesterday, in such a climate as this. Even the natives cannotstand that."
They found the hostelry presided over by a short, fat native whoscarcely spoke a word of English. But he could speak French, andMr. Rover spoke to him in that language, while Cujo carried on atalk in the native tongue. The midday repast was cooked over afire built between several stones. The boys watched the cookingprocess with interest and were surprised to find, when it came toeating, that the food prepared tasted so good. They had antelopesteak and a generous supply of native bread, and pure cocoa, whichTom declared as good as chocolate.
After the meal they took it easy in a number of grass hammocksstretched beneath the wide spreading palms surrounding the waysideinn, if such it might be called. Aleck and Cujo fell to smokingand telling each other stories, while the Rovers dozed away, lulledto sleep by the warm, gentle breeze which was blowing.
"I don't wonder the natives are lazy," remarked Dick, when hisuncle aroused him. "I rarely slept in the daytime at home, andhere I fell off without half trying."
"The climate is very enervating, Dick. That is why this sectionof the globe makes little or no progress toward civilization.Energetic men come here, with the best intention in the world ofhustling, as it is termed, but soon their ambition oozes out ofthem like--well, like molasses out of a barrel lying on a hotdock in the sun.
"A good comparison," laughed Dick.
"Come, Tom; come, Sam!" he called out, and soon the party was onits way again.
The highway was still broad, but now it was not as even as before,and here and there they had to leap over just such a treacherousswamp as had caused Sam so much trouble. "It's a good thing wedidn't bring the horses," said Mr. Rover. "I didn't think sobefore, but I do now."
The jungle was filled with countless birds, of all sorts, sizes,and colors. Some of these sang in a fairly tuneful fashion, butthe majority uttered only sounds which were as painful to thehearing as they were tiresome.
"The sound is enough to drive a nervous fellow crazy," declaredTom. "It's a good thing nature fixed it so that a man can't growup nervous here."
"Perhaps those outrageous cries are meant to wake a chap up,"suggested Dick.
"I've a good mind to shoot some of the little pests."
"You may take a few shots later on and see what you can bring downfor supper," answered his uncle. "But just now let us push on asfast as we can."
"Yes," put in Tom. "Remember we are out here to find father, notto hunt."
"As if I would ever forget that," answered Dick, with areproachful glance.
They were now traveling a bit of a hill which took them, temporarily,out of sight of the Congo. Cujo declared this was a short routeand much better to travel than the other. The way was through aforest of African teak wood, immense trees which seemed to towerto the very skies.
"They are as large as the immense trees of California of which youhave all heard," remarked Randolph Rover. "It is a very usefulwood, used extensively in ship building."
"After all, I think a boat on the Congo would have been better touse than shoe leather," said Sam, who was beginning to grow tired.
"No use a boat when come to falls," grinned Cujo. "Soon come todem, too."
Aleck had been dragging behind, carrying a heavy load, to whichhe was unaccustomed. Now he rejoined the others with theannouncement that another party was in their rear.
"They are on foot, too," he said. "Cujo whar you dun t'ink da begwine?"
"To the next settlement, maybe," was Randolph Rover's comment,and Cujo nodded.
They waited a bit for the other party to come up, but it did not,and, after walking back, Cujo returned with the announcement thatthey were nowhere in sight.
"Perhaps they turned off on a side road," said Tom, and there thematter was dropped, to be brought to their notice very forciblythat night.
Evening found them at another hostelry, presided over by aFrenchman who had a giant negress for a wife. The pair were acrafty lo
oking couple, and did not at all please the Rovers.
"Perhaps we may as well sleep with one eye open tonight," saidRandolph Rover, upon retiring. "We are in a strange country, andit's good advice to consider every man an enemy until he proveshimself a friend."
The hostelry was divided into half a dozen rooms, all on theground floor. The Rovers were placed in two adjoining apartments,while the natives and Aleck were quartered in an addition ofbamboo in the rear.
"Keep your eyes and ears open, Aleck," whispered Dick, onseparating from the faithful colored man. "And if you findanything wrong let us know at once."
"Do you suspect anyt'ing, Massah Rober?" was Pop's anxiousquestion.
"I do and I don't. Something in the air seems to tell me thateverything is not as it should be."
"Dat Frenchman don't look like no angel, sah," and Aleck shook hishead doubtfully.
"You're right, Aleck, and his wife is a terror, or else I miss myguess."
"Dat's right, Massah Rober; nebber saw sech sharp eyes. Yes, I'lllook out-fo' my own sake as well as fo' de sake ob Ye and derest," concluded Aleck.
The Rover Boys in the Jungle; Or, Stirring Adventures in Africa Page 16
