CHAPTER XVII
A Buffalo Hunt
"Dear old uncle!" said Jack as he handed the letter to Barney. "'Ponmy soul, I'd forgotten my own birthday, and I haven't the ghost of anotion what the day of the month is; have you, Barney?"
"Divil a bit, sorr."
"Though, of course, I could reckon it out by counting up the Sundays.D'you know, Barney, I almost wish I'd made these negroes knock off workone day a week."
"Sure it wouldn't have answered atall atall sorr. A day's idlenesswould mean a day's quarrelling. Uv coorse 'tis a pity they're ignoranthaythens, an' I wish we could have Father Mahone out for a month or twoto tache the poor craturs; but until they can be tached in the properway, betther let 'em alone, sorr."
"Perhaps you're right, Barney. Doesn't it seem to you odd that Unclesays nothing about the rubber question? His first letter, youremember, was full of it."
"Master's a wise man, sorr. What he does not say says more than whathe does. He wouldn't be sure, you see, that his letter would iverreach you. And bedad, if he'd had good things to say uv the Stateofficers, wouldn't he have said 'em? He's found 'em out, sorr, 'tis mybelief."
"I shall be jolly glad to see him, dear old boy."
"And so will I, sorr, an' to see some things fit for a Christian toate. Master's stomach won't take niggers' food, an' mine wouldn't if Icould help it."
"But you're getting fat, man!"
"Sure that's the terrible pity uv it. Wid dacent food I kept as leanas a rake, and I'd niver have believed that the only way to get fat wasto ate pig's food; for that's what it is, sorr, this maniac and otherstuff. I'll now be wanting to get thin again, sorr."
The white men's stores had long since given out. For weeks they hadhad no sugar, no coffee, tea, or cocoa. Jack as well as Barney had toshare the natives' food. Jack did not mind the change, and he believedthat Barney's objection was more than half feigned, for the Irishmanate with unfailing appetite. The native diet was indeed nutritious andnot unappetising. It included fish from the streams, which they ateboth fresh and smoked; bananas, pine-apples, plantains, Indian corn,manioc, ground-nuts, and sweet potatoes. Manioc was their mostimportant food, and Jack after a time began to like it, as made into_kwanga_. The root of the plant is pounded to a pulp, soaked fortwenty-four hours in running water, and when it ferments, is worked upinto a stiff dough. Cut into slices and fried in ground-nut oil it isvery palatable. Jack also found the groundnuts delicious when roasted.A few goats kept in the settlement provided milk, and they had aregular supply of eggs from their fowls, so that Jack at leastconsidered himself very well off.
The crops around the settlement ripened and were gathered: fine fieldsof Indian corn, amazing quantities of manioc and ground-nuts, thatripen beneath the soil. Yet Jack began to wonder whether hisplantations would meet the needs of the population. It was stillgrowing. The renown of Lokolobolo and Ilombekabasi had evidentlyspread far and wide, for every week more refugees came in from villagesfar apart. Besides the men of Jack's original party, there were nownearly two hundred people in the settlement, and Jack always had toremember that these might any day be increased by the four hundred fromImbono's villages, if Elbel returned to avenge Boloko's expulsion, ashe certainly would do. Further, Mr. Martindale would no doubt bringback with him a certain number of trained workmen--carpenters,engine-men, and so forth; all these must be provided with house roomand food. Jack was glad that he had planned the settlement on generouslines, though as he looked around he asked himself somewhat anxiouslywhether it would suffice to accommodate all. And what would his unclesay to it? Would he endorse what Jack had done, and take upon himselfthe protection of these outcasts against their own lawfullyconstituted, however unlawfully administered, government? Only timecould decide that, and Jack awaited with growing impatience his uncle'sreturn.
One morning a messenger came in from Ilola to say that news had reachedImbono of a herd of buffaloes which were feeding about five miles offin the open country to the west. Hitherto Jack had not had leisure toindulge his tastes for sport; but the knowledge that big game was nowso near at hand prompted him to try his luck. Leaving Barney in chargeof the settlement, he set off the same morning with Imbono and Mboyo,who had both become very fair marksmen, the former with an Albini riflethat had been Boloko's, the latter with a Mauser presented to him byJack.
Samba and Lepoko were in attendance, carrying lunch for the party.Though Jack had picked up a good deal of the language, he found it insome respects so extraordinarily difficult that he was always glad ofLepoko as a stand-by.
By the time they had reached the spot where the herd had first beensighted, it had moved some distance away; but it was easily tracked,and by dint of careful stalking up the wind the party got within threehundred yards without being discovered by the keen-scented beasts.Then, however, the country became so open that to approach nearerunseen was impossible, and Jack decided to take a shot at them withoutgoing farther.
He had brought the heavy sporting rifle which had accounted forImbono's enemy the hippopotamus in the river. Selecting the largest ofthe herd--they were the red buffaloes of the district, a good dealsmaller than the kind he had seen in America--he fired and brought itdown. The others broke away towards a clump of euphorbias, and Jackgot another shot as they disappeared; but neither this nor thesmall-bore bullets of the chiefs' rifles appeared to take effect, forin an instant, as it seemed, the whole remaining herd vanished fromsight.
Jack slipped two more cartridges into his empty chamber, and, leavingthe bush from behind which he had fired, ran towards his kill. It washis first buffalo, and only those who have known the delight of baggingtheir first big game could appreciate his elation and excitement. Heoutstripped the rest of his party. The two chiefs, chagrined at theirfailure to bring down the animals at which they had aimed, seemed tohave lost all interest in the hunt. Samba left them discussing withLepoko the relative merits of their rifles, and hurried on after hismaster.
Jack bent over the prostrate body. Despite the tremor of excitement hehad felt as he cocked his rifle he found that his aim had been true:the buffalo had been shot through the brain. At that moment--sostrange are mental associations--he wished his school chum Tom Ingestrecould have been there. Tom was the keenest sportsman in the school;how he would envy Jack when he saw the great horns and skull hanging asa trophy above the mantelpiece when he paid that promised visit to NewYork!
But while recollections of "Tiger Tom," as the school had nicknamedhim, were running through his mind, Jack was suddenly startled by abellow behind him and a couple of shots. Springing erect, he facedround towards the sound, to see Samba's dark body darting betweenhimself and a second buffalo plunging towards him from the direction ofthe bushes. As happened once to Stanley travelling between Vivi andIsangila, the suddenness of the onset for the moment paralysed hiswill; he was too young a sportsman to be ready for every emergency.But the most seasoned hunter could not have dared to fire, for Samba'sbody at that instant almost hid the buffalo from view, coming as it didwith lowered head.
The animal was only ten yards away when Samba crossed its track; butthe boy's quick action broke its charge, and it stopped short, asthough half inclined to turn in pursuit of Samba, who had now passed toits left. Then it again caught sight of Jack and the dead buffalo, andwith another wild bellow dashed forward. In these few instants,however, Jack had recovered his self-possession, and raised his rifleto his shoulder. As the beast plunged forward it was met by a bulletwhich stretched it inert within a few feet of Jack's earlier victim.
"Bonolu mongo!"[1] exclaimed Jack, clapping Samba on the shoulder."But for your plucky dash I should have been knocked over and probablykilled. You saw him coming, eh?"
"Njenaki!"[2] replied Samba, with his beaming smile.
Meanwhile the two chiefs had run up with Lepoko and were examining thesecond buffalo, with an air of haste and excitement. They began totalk at one another so loud and fiercely, and to gesticulate
soviolently, that Jack, though he could not make out a word of what theywere saying, saw that a pretty quarrel was working up.
"Now, Lepoko," he said, putting himself between the chiefs and sittingon the buffalo's head, "what is all this about?"
"Me tell massa," said Lepoko. "Imbono he say he kill ngombo; Mboyo sayno, he kill ngombo; Lepoko say massa kill ngombo; no can tell; me finkone, two, free hab kill ngombo all same."
"Well, my own opinion is pretty well fixed, but we'll see. Why, thereare three bullet marks in his hide besides mine. That's mine, you see,that large hole in the middle of the forehead. One of you two musthave hit him twice. And I'm hanged if the bullets didn't go cleanthrough him. No wonder he was in a rage. Tell them what I say,Lepoko."
On hearing what Jack had said, the chiefs began to jabber at each otheragain.
"Kwa te!" said Jack. "What do they say now, Lepoko?"
"Imbono say he make two holes, Mboyo say no, he make two holes. Lepokofink bofe make two holes--how can do uvver way?"
"Two and one make three, my man, not four. I'll soon tell you who madethe two."
By comparing the wounds he found that two of them had been made byMauser bullets and one by an Albini.
"There's no doubt about it, Mboyo hit him twice. But to put an end toyour squabble let me tell you that you both might have fired at him allday and never killed him if you hit him in those parts. Neither of youdid him any damage, though you might have done for me, irritating himas you did. We'll settle the matter by saying he is Samba's buffalo.It was Samba who got in his way and gave me time to take good aim athim. And Samba might have been killed himself. I am grateful to yourson, Mboyo, and proud of him, and when I get back I shall give him oneof the rifles I have left, as a reward."
This end to the controversy satisfied both the chiefs. Neither grudgedSamba anything. As for the boy, he was more than delighted. He hadnever dreamt of handling a rifle until he was at least fifteen, whenthe negro boy is as old as the white boy of twenty; and to have one hisvery own made him enormously proud.
"He say larn shoot one time, massa," said Lepoko. "Lepoko plentymislable. What for? 'Cos he shoot plenty well; but massa no tell himto bring gun. No; Lepoko must lib for talk, talk, talk all time; me nohappy all same."
"You shall have your chance next time. Now, Samba, run off to the campand bring some men to cut up the buffaloes. We will wait hereaboutsuntil you come back."
When Samba had gone it occurred to Jack that he would eat his luncheonat the summit of a small hill that rose steeply about half a mile fromthe spot where the buffaloes had been killed. The chiefs, disinclinedlike all Africans for exertion that was avoidable and seemed to have noobject, pointed out that their present situation was quite suited forhaving the meal, and they were quite hungry enough without climbing foran appetite. But Jack persisted. He wished to ascertain whether therewas a clear view from the hill, and though he might have ascended italone, he feared lest in his absence the chiefs would again fall outover the buffalo. With an air of resignation the negroes accompaniedhim on the short walk, and luncheon was eaten on the hill-top.
Jack at least felt that he was well rewarded for his climb. Amagnificent panorama was open to his view--a vast extent of forest-cladcountry, with here and there strips of open ground such as that belowin which they had discovered the buffaloes. The forest stretched in analmost unbroken mass of foliage as far as the eye could reach,approaching on the north-east very close to Imbono's village.
After luncheon Jack got up and walked about the hilltop, taking anearer view of the country through his field-glass. Here he caught aglimpse of the river, a small bluish patch amid the green; there, of alittle spire of smoke rising perhaps from the fire of one of Imbono'sscouts. All at once he halted and stood for some moments gazingintently in one direction. Far away, across a clearing only justvisible through the trees, something was moving, continuously, in onedirection. So great was the distance that the appearance was as of anarmy of ants. But he fancied he detected a patch or two of white amidthe mass of black.
"Mboyo, look here!" he called.
The chief went to his side, and, stretching his head forward, gazedfixedly at the moving mass.
"Soldiers!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Black soldiers, and white chiefs!They are going to Ilola."
Imbono sprang to his side.
"It is true," he cried. "Mboyo speaks the truth. They are going toIlola!"
Jack drew a deep breath. The long-expected was coming to pass. Theenemy was at hand! And it was ominous that he was coming from the westby land instead of by river from the south. This must have involved adetour of many miles, through difficult forest country; but thus theenemy avoided the certainty of his approach being heralded in advance,as it would have been if he had come by the river. Elbel was planninga surprise!
There was no time to be lost in getting ready for his coming.
"Can they reach Ilola to-day, coming through the forest?" Jack askedImbono.
It was just possible, replied the chief, but only by dint of very hardmarching, and they could not arrive before nightfall.
"We must get back," said Jack. "Come, my brothers."
They descended the hill, and set off at full speed for Ilombekabasi.On the way they met a party of men coming under Samba's guidance tobring in the buffaloes. Jack bade them hasten in their task; they werefar from any probable line of march of the enemy, and the meat mightnow prove very valuable. Hurrying on to his camp, Jack told Barneywhat he had seen.
"We're in for it now, Barney," he said.
"And we're ready, sorr, praise be!" said Barney.
Jack lost no time. At his request Imbono sent out scouts to get moreexact particulars of the column and its progress, warning them to usethe utmost care to avoid discovery. Imbono himself returned to Ilolato prepare his people for a migration to Ilombekabasi. Later in theday the scouts returned with the news that the enemy had pitched theircamp about ten miles away. The force consisted of some two hundredforest guards armed with rifles, and a much larger number of followerscarrying spears. Boloko was with them, and Elobela, and two otherwhite men. The line of march had been direct for Ilola, and strictsilence was kept. One of the scouts had seen Elobela himself strike aman who had incautiously shouted to his comrades.
"There's no doubt of their intentions, Barney," said Jack. "They wantto surprise Ilola. That means a massacre; but by God's mercy we knowin time!"
The inhabitants of Ilola and of Imbono's other villages were alreadyflocking into the camp, bringing with them large supplies of food andtheir principal belongings. Before the sun set the villages weredeserted. Jack was glad now to think that this contingency had been solong foreseen. It would have been impossible to make adequatearrangements for so large an additional population if he had waiteduntil the danger was upon them. As it was, the huts stood ready.
It was a strange and impressive scene as Imbono's people filed in.They were excited, but not with alarm or fear. Some of them even weremerry, laughing at little mishaps--the dropping of a basket of manioc,the breaking of a pot, the sprawling of children as Pat dashed in andout among them, barking as though it was he that was shepherding thethrong. Barney was the master of ceremonies. With Samba's help heseparated the various families, and showed each father the hut or hutshe was to occupy. It was not a wealthy community, and only a few ofthe men had more wives than one; but these tried Barney's patiencesorely, and he sighed for Father Mahone to come and tache the haythensbetther manners.
"Only what could he do, if he came?" he said. "Whin a man has beenfool enough to marry two or three wives, faith, I don't see how ye canalter it unless ye make 'em all widders."
About two miles from the camp there was a spot above the river fromwhich the clearing and village of Ilola could be seen. An hour beforedawn Jack went out with Samba to this spot and waited. Just after dayhad broken they perceived a large body of men rushing out from theforest towards the village stockade
. Through his field-glasses Jacksaw that the negroes were led by two men in white. Imbono, before heleft, had had the gate of Ilola closed and barricaded. The invadersdid not pause to break it down; they swarmed up the stockade andmomentarily hesitated at the top, as though suspecting, from thesilence of the village, that a trap had been laid for them. Then someof them could be seen dropping down inside; the rest instantlyfollowed; and Jack smiled as he saw them assemble in little groups inthe deserted compound, gesticulating in their excitement.
A few minutes later dense volumes of smoke rose from the village. Theforest guards had fired the huts, no doubt in their first fury at theescape of the villagers. Jack could not help thinking that they wouldregret their hasty action. If they intended any long stay in theneighbourhood, the village would have been more useful to them intactthan as a ruin. He had dismantled his own former camp, so that unlessElbel's men set about building for themselves they would have noshelter. Their folly only confirmed Jack's belief that they were but apoorly-disciplined rabble, and that Elbel himself was out of hiselement in work of a military kind.
Having learnt all that he wished to know, Jack returned to his camp.Elbel had clearly not expected the village to be abandoned. Jackwondered if he had learnt of the formation of the new camp. It seemedlikely that news of it would long since have been carried down theriver. He had apparently planned to wipe out the villagers first andtackle Jack later.
"Bedad, sorr, if he's any sinse at all he will lave us alone," saidBarney when Jack told him what he had seen.
"I don't expect that. I'm sure he'll use his men against me. He'llwant his revenge, for one thing; and then he has his eye on the gold,remember. He didn't dig about the cataract for nothing. He'll be gladof any excuse for attacking, if he sees a fair chance of beating us.You may depend upon it he knows all that Uncle has been doing, and ifhe can manage to drive us out and occupy this ground before Uncle getsback, it's all up with poor Uncle's claim, Barney. Possession is morethan nine points of the law in this State. If Uncle had known the sortof things that go on here, he'd have thought twice before spending hismoney."
Very soon after Jack regained his camp, Imbono's scouts came in toreport that the enemy was on the move. Before midday the head of thecolumn was sighted making its way up the stream, this forming on thewhole an easier approach than the rough stony ground on either bank.There was immense excitement in the camp as the people watched theadvancing crowd. Jack could not but be touched as he observed thedemeanour of the people. A few months before the sight of so many ofthe dreaded forest guards would have made them cower in abject fear;now, so great was their trust in the young Inglesa who had twicedefeated Elobela, and who had prepared for them this fine new villagewith its wonderful defences, that they viewed the progress of the enemywith feelings only of anticipated triumph.
"Please God, I won't fail them," thought Jack.
About half a mile below the cataract the column came to a halt, andthree men in white, attended by half a dozen armed negroes, advanced towithin less than a quarter of a mile of the wall.
"The impident scoundhrels!" quoth Barney, standing at Jack's side.
"They do show a pretty cool trust in our forbearance," said Jack; "wecould pick them off easily enough."
"Begorra, I would, sorr; do they deserve any betther? Elbel was adeceitful villain--you remimber, sorr, whin he fired under a flag uvtruce at the ould camp. I wouldn't have any more mercy on him than Iwould on a rat."
"Yes, you would, Barney. We must play the game, whatever they do. AndI wonder what they're up to. Here comes a man with a white flag. Weshall soon see."
[1] "Brave boy."
[2] "I saw."
Samba: A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo Page 20
