Hair-Breadth Escapes: The Adventures of Three Boys in South Africa

by H. C. Adams

  CHAPTER NINE.

  MEASURING THE ENEMY--POISONED ARROWS--SUBSTITUTES FOR WATER--OSTRICHES--A SAD CASUALTY--A NEW MODE OF DEERSTALKING--OMATOKO TRIUMPHANT.

  Warley was still resting, half sitting, half kneeling, on a large stoneby the side of the pool, when the sound of voices was heard, and Laviecame up, accompanied by the two boys. They were all evidently in highspirits. The doctor carried over his shoulder the carcass of a goat,which was large and heavy enough to give him plenty of trouble; andWilmore and Nick each led a young kid by an extempore halter of rushes.The pockets of all three were distended by a goodly heap of wildmedlars, which, in accordance with Omatoko's suggestion, they hadgathered, and which they had found extremely refreshing.

  "Hallo, Omatoko!" shouted Gilbert as they approached the pool. "Justcome here and take charge of this chap, will you? You are more used tothis kind of thing than I am. He has done nothing but attempt to boltthe whole way home. I suppose we must eat up the old lady first,otherwise I should suggest that this fellow should be roasted forsupper, if only to make sure that he won't run away again."

  The Hottentot came out from the hut as he spoke. "One, two, threegoat," he said, "dat good, plenty food, all time we stay here."

  "Ay, ay," said Nick, "they say it is an ill wind that blows no one good;and the hurricane we had an hour or two ago, is, I suppose, a case inpoint. Any way, it was obliging enough to blow down a big tree, whichfell upon the goat there, and finished her outright. She's a trifle oldand tough, I expect; but she'll make first-rate mulligatawney soupnevertheless; and there will be her two kids, as tender as spring lamb,into the bargain. It makes one's mouth water to think of them. And,then, there's those medlars--but, hallo! I say, Ernest, what is thematter? Why, you look as pale and weak as if you were just recoveringfrom a typhus fever. What's befallen you?"

  "I have had a very narrow escape from a most terrible death, Nick,"returned Warley, gravely, "and my nerves haven't got over it."

  "Hallo! what?" again exclaimed Gilbert. "Escape from death, do you say?Why, what has happened?"

  "Just go in there--into that hut to the right, and you'll see," was theanswer.

  Lavie and Wilmore had by this time learned the main outline of what hadoccurred, from the Hottentot, and they all went into the cottage toexamine the remains of the great snake.

  "A proper brute, that," observed Gilbert, as they stood by the side ofthe reptile, which had by this time ceased to wriggle. "That is thebiggest snake I ever came across. There's his head gone, and a bit ofhis tail; but I don't think what remains can be less than twenty feet.Lion, old fellow," he continued, caressing the dog while Frank pattedhis head, "you did that well, and shall have a first-chop supper."

  "We can ascertain its length exactly," said Lavie; "I have got a yardmeasure here; and here too is the remainder of the tail. Stretch thebody straight out, Frank, and I'll soon tell you the measurement."

  The serpent was accordingly measured, and was found to be some inchesmore than nineteen feet long.

  "What kind of snake is it?" asked Frank, when this point had beendetermined.

  "A python, or boa-constrictor, no doubt," answered the surgeon; "theygive them other names in these parts, but that is the creature. Noother description of serpents that I ever heard of attempts to crush upits prey by muscular pressure."

  "But serpents which do that are seldom or never venomous, are they?"inquired Wilmore.

  "I believe not," answered Lavie, "but that point has been disputed.Omatoko calls the reptile an `ondara,' and insists upon it that its biteis not only poisonous, but causes certain death. It may be so. It isevident that it would have bitten Ernest if it could; and serpents thatare devoid of venom do not often bite. Well, I suppose now that we havedone measuring the snake, we may throw him away. The Hottentots, Ibelieve, eat their flesh. But I conclude none of us have any greatinclination to make our dinner off him."

  "No, thank you, sir," said Frank, "not for me."

  "Nor for me either, doctor," cried Nick. "I think I'd rather go withoutfood for a week. Here, Ernest, old fellow--you had better go and liedown a bit. You look as if you were having it out with the pythonstill."

  Warley was too unwell to rejoin the party all that day and the next.The shock he had undergone was a very severe one; and would in alllikelihood have prostrated any one of his companions for a far longerperiod. He lay under the shade of the trees on the soft grass the wholeday, neither speaking himself nor heeding the remarks of others. Alwaysinclined to be serious and thoughtful, this incident had had the effectof turning his mind to subjects for which his light-hearted companionshad little relish, and which Lavie himself could hardly follow. Evenwhen he resumed the old round of occupations, as he did in the course ofthe third day, Frank and Nick noticed a change in him, which they couldnot understand.

  Meanwhile Omatoko's bow and arrows proceeded rapidly, and were completedon the morning of the third day. Their construction was a great puzzleto the English lads. The bow was a little less than three feet long,and perhaps three-quarters of an inch thick--neatly enough shaped, androunded off, but looking little better than a child's toy. Omatoko hadstrung it with some sinew from the carcass of the goat. He had loopedthis over the upper end of the bow, and rolled it round the other insuch a fashion that by merely twisting the string like a tourniquet, itmight be strung to any degree of tension. The arrows too were whollydifferent from any they had ever seen. The strong reeds brought fromthe edge of the water had been cut off in lengths of about two feet. Atone end the notch was inserted; to the other a movable head, made ofbone, was attached, which stuck fast enough to the shaft during itsflight through the air, but which became detached from it as soon as itwas fixed in the body of any animal. These bone-heads, Omatoko toldthem, were always dipped in some poison, which caused even a slightpuncture made by them to be fatal. The entrails of the kaa, or poisongrub, were considered the most efficient for this purpose; but this wasnot to be met with at all times or in all places, and the juice of theeuphorbia or the venom of serpents was sometimes substituted. In thepresent instance he meant to steep the bone-heads in the poison of theondara, which he had carefully preserved. Omatoko assured them thatwhen they set out for his village (as they probably would on thefollowing day), they would soon have an opportunity of testing theefficiency of his weapons, and laughingly challenged them to a trial ofskill between his bow and arrows and their guns.

  On the following morning accordingly they resumed their route. Each ofthem carried some of the flesh of the kids, a dozen medlars, and amelon. It was found that the strength of the Hottentot was now so farrestored that he could keep up with the usual pace at which the otherswalked, and only required a rest of half an hour or so, every two orthree miles. They accomplished about a dozen miles that day; and atnightfall had reached a wide stony plain, covered here and there withpatches of grass, but entirely destitute of shrub or tree. Omatokopointed out a place where a deep projecting slab of rock, resting on twoenormous stones, and bearing a rude resemblance to a giant'schimney-piece, afforded as convenient a shelter for the night as mightbe desired. It would effectually protect the party from rain and wind,nor was there the least fear of wild animals, as none were ever known tocome within two or three miles of the spot, there being neitherpasturage nor water.

  "No water," repeated Frank, "that's rather a doubtful advantage, isn'tit? What are we to drink, I wonder?"

  The Hottentot only grinned in reply; and disengaging the knife whichalways hung at Nick's girdle, began grubbing in the ground among thestones. In a few minutes he dug up several round, or rather sphericalroots, two or three feet in circumference. These he cut open with theknife, displaying the inside, which had a white appearance, and was softand pulpy. The boys had no sooner applied this to their lips than theybroke out into exclamations of delight. "That's your sort," exclaimedNick; "it's like a delicious melon, only it's twice as refreshing."

  "Omatoko, you're a trump," cried Fr
ank. "You'd make a fortune, if youcould only sell these in Covent Garden market. Nobody that could getthem would ever drink water again."

  "What are they called, Charles," asked Warley. "Are they to be met withelsewhere in South Africa, or only here?"

  "The root is called the `markwhae,' I believe," answered the doctor,"and it is to be found in almost every neighbourhood where there is awant of water. It is another of those wonderful provisions of DivineWisdom for the wants of its creatures, with which this land abounds. Insome parts, such of the wild animals as are herbivorous, are continuallydigging up and devouring these roots. Vangelt told me that he once cameupon a tribe of Hottentots which subsisted entirely without water, thesucculent plants supplying even the cattle with sufficient liquid."

  "Well, that is very wonderful," said Frank. "I declare I feel morerefreshed by that one root, than if I had drunk a pailful of water. Arethere any more of these roots on the way to your village, Omatoko?"

  "Omatoko's village, one, two days away. No roots, plenty water,"returned the Hottentot. "Well, that will do as well, I suppose. Butthis is a thing worth knowing, if one should find one's self in a placewhere there is no water."

  The next day at sunrise they resumed their way, and made their mid-dayhalt on the skirts of a dense growth of mingled aloes and underwood,which was scarcely anywhere more than five feet in height. Here theysat down by the side of a spring, which gushed forth from a limestonerock into a small natural basin, whence it spread itself in alldirections, sustaining a rich emerald carpet for a few feet round, butsoon disappearing in the sand.

  "Plenty of visitors here at night," remarked Warley, gazing curiouslyround him on the numerous footmarks of all shapes and sizes, with whichthe borders of the spring were indented. "It must be a curious sight towitness such an _omnium gatherum_. Only I suppose the more timidanimals make sure that the lions and leopards are well out of the way,before they venture here themselves."

  "Of what creature is that the spoor?" asked Frank, pointing to a broad,deep mark, much larger than the rest. "That is the track of some beastwhich I do not recognise."

  "It is not the track of a beast," said the surgeon. "Unless I ammistaken, that is the spoor of the ostrich--is it not, Omatoko?"

  "Ya, ostrich--plenty 'bout here. See yonder." He pointed as he spoketo a distant part of the bush, where the heads of a troop of ostrichesmight be seen as they stalked easily along, browsing as they went.

  "Eh, ostriches! You don't mean it," exclaimed Frank, starting up ingreat excitement. "I never saw an ostrich. I want to see one beyondanything! Couldn't we shoot one, Charles? Are they quite out of shot?"

  "Much too far to make it worth while trying," said Lavie. "But we mightbring one or two down by a stratagem, perhaps. If you four spreadyourselves in all directions to the right yonder, and drive them thisway, I could hide behind the rock there and bring one down as they wentpast. Couldn't that be managed, Omatoko?"

  "One, two, three, four drive ostrich this way. Omatoko kill one, two--with bow and arrow. Omatoko no miss."

  "What, do you think your bow and arrow better than Charles's rifle?"exclaimed Nick; "well, that is coming it strong, anyhow."

  "I tell you what," said Warley, "this will be a famous opportunity foryou to have the match out for which you were so anxious the other day.You and Charles shall both hide behind the rock there, and Frank, Nick,and myself will fetch a compass and drive the ostriches past you. Thenwe shall see which will take the longest and truest shot. What do yousay, Charles?"

  "I have no objection, I am sure," said Lavie, laughing; "only I hope thetrial won't go against me. It would be most ignominious to be beaten bya bow and arrows. I should never hear the last of it, I expect!"

  "Don't be afraid, Charles, there's no fear of that," returned Warley,reciprocating the laugh. "Well, now let us be off. If you'll take theright side, Nick, and you, Frank, the left, I'll take the middle, andwe'll come upon them all together. Lion had better stay here."

  The three lads set out accordingly, creeping noiselessly through thecover of the scrub, at a distance too far for even the quick-earedostriches to perceive them, until they had all attained their appointedplaces. Then they advanced on the birds, shouting and hallooing, andwaving sticks over their heads.

  The ostriches instantly took to flight after their fashion, skimmingalong with expanded wings, and covering twelve or fourteen feet at everystride. They passed the rock behind which the two marksmen wereconcealed, at a speed which would have far outstripped the swiftestracehorse at Newmarket. But as they darted by, there came the crack ofthe doctor's rifle, and at the same moment Omatoko's arrow leaped fromhis bow. Both missiles hit their mark, but with a different result.Charles's bullet struck the bird he aimed at just under the wing; theshot was mortal, and the ostrich staggering forward a few paces felldead to the ground Omatoko's arrow pierced his quarry through the neck,and the barbed point remained in the wound, rendering death equallycertain, but not so speedy. Perceiving that the ostrich did not fall,Lion sprang after it, heedless of the doctor's order to him to return,and a sharp chase began. The ostrich would speedily have distanced itspursuer, if it had not been for the pain and exhaustion of the wound ithad received, and the effect of the poison, which had now begun to work.The dog soon began to gain ground, and presently came up with thefugitive; which turned to bay at last in the agony of its rage and fear.Lion had never been trained for the chase of the ostrich, which canonly be approached with safety from behind. As he came bounding up, thebird kicked at him, throwing its leg forward as a man does, and withsuch tremendous force that the mastiff fell to the ground on theinstant, bleeding and stunned, if not dead. Then the wounded birdstaggered away into the scrub, its strength and courage giving way moreand more every moment.

  The boys had no time to congratulate their friend on his victory, oreven to examine the fallen ostrich. Their thoughts were wholly occupiedwith the disaster which had befallen Lion.

  "Lion, Lion, dear old boy, how could you be so foolish?" exclaimedFrank, as he picked up the bleeding and insensible body of hisfavourite. "I am afraid he's killed. That kick would have finished ahorse, let alone a dog. What fearful strength those creatures musthave! Oh, Lion, Lion, my poor old fellow! I'd rather have broken myleg any day than lost you."

  "Let me take a look at him," said Lavie, who had now come up. "Alldepends on where the ostrich's foot struck him. No, I don't think he'skilled, Frank," he added presently, after feeling the animal all over."There are a couple of ribs broken, and a large bruise in the side, butthat seems to be the extent of the casualty. I'll set the ribs, and hemust keep quiet for some days, and then I expect he'll be right again."

  "Oh, I am so glad," said Wilmore. "Yes, you're right, Charles," hecontinued, as the dog opened its eyes again and attempted to get up, butfell back on the grass with a low moan of pain. "Never mind, Lion,we'll nurse you through it, old chap, won't we?"

  "Relieve each other in alternate watches, change bandages, and applyfresh lotion every three hours," suggested Nick. "But with all possiblerespect for Lion, how are we to do that? Where are the bandages, andwhere the lotion? Nay, where is the hospital bed to which the patientis to be consigned?"

  "Omatoko must put up a hut, and we must stay here until Lion can go withus," said Wilmore gruffly. "If we could wait three days for a paganHottentot, we may wait as many, surely, for a Christian dog!"

  "I don't think you'll get Omatoko to stay here for all the dogs thatever were whelped," said Nick. "He's in too much of a hurry to put salton the tails of those Bushmen."

  "He must stay, and he shall!" returned Wilmore angrily; "I won't havethe dog thrown over. We are four, and he is only one. Stay he shall, Isay."

  "Gently, Frank," said the doctor. "I'm against throwing Lion over asmuch as you are, but I don't see how we can stay here. The dog won't befit to walk--no, not a hundred yards--for this fortnight, and it wouldprobably kill him, if he attempted it."

>   "What's to be done, then?" rejoined Frank shortly.

  "Do as we did with Omatoko. Make a litter and carry him to theHottentot kraal. It is not more than seven or eight miles, and we canrelieve one another. Luckily he is not such a weight as Omatoko. Isuppose that will satisfy you, won't it?"

  "Yes, of course, Charles," said Wilmore. "It is very kind of you. I amafraid I was rather cross, wasn't I? but you see--"

  "All right, old fellow, I know you're fond of Lion; so we all are,though perhaps not _so_ fond. Do you go and cut some of the osiersthere, Omatoko will soon make them into a basket, large enough to holdthe dog, and we'll carry it on a pole slung across our shoulders.Meanwhile I'll dress the old fellow's wounds."

  Omatoko proved to be as skilful a basket-maker as Lavie had predicted;and the party were making preparations for a start, when the Hottentot,who had just returned from the osier bed with a last supply of twigs,announced that there was a herd of noble koodoos about half a mile off,feeding on a patch of sweet grass. They were rare in that part of thecountry, and the best of eating. "Suppose we kill two, three, four ofthem; my people like them much. They come fetch them."

  "Two, three, or four," exclaimed Frank--"who is going to do that? Why,these koodoos, if I have been told rightly, are the shyest of all theboks, and won't let any one come near them. We might possibly get oneshot, but certainly not more."

  "Me do it," said the Hottentot; "no want help; white boy only sitstill."

  There seemed no reason for refusing his request, and the boys, layingaside the various articles with which they had loaded themselves,watched his proceedings with a good deal of interest. He first took theknife, and going to the spot where the body of the ostrich was lying,passed it round the creature's throat and under the wings, severingthese parts from the rest of the carcass. He then slit open the longneck from top to bottom, removed the bones and flesh, and introduced intheir place a strong stick, over which he neatly sewed up the skinagain. He then cleared away in like manner the blood and the fat fromthe back and wings, and sewed another pad of skin under them. Thesepreparations took a considerable time; but Omatoko assured thelookers-on that there was little fear of the koodoos leaving theirpresent pasture for several hours to come at the least, unless theyshould be molested.

  The Hottentot had now nearly done his work; his last act was to gatherup in his hand some light-tinted earth, which was nearly of the samecolour as an ostrich's legs, and dipping it in water, besmeared his ownsupporters with it. Then taking his bow and arrows in one hand, and theback and neck of the slain bird in the other, he crept down into thebush. Presently the boys saw the figure of an ostrich appear above theshrubs and stalk leisurely along, pecking at the herbage right and left,as it advanced.

  "That can't be Omatoko, to be sure," cried Frank in amazement; "that's areal ostrich! Where can he be hiding?"

  "He is waiting for the others," said Warley. "See yonder, the wholeflock are returning. Omatoko will no doubt slip in among them. Weshall distinguish him, if we watch narrowly."

  It seemed as if Ernest was right. The ostriches came straggling backthrough the bush, and the one they had noticed first lingered about tillthey had overtaken him, when he accompanied them as they strayed ontowards the koodoos.

  "Do you see Omatoko?" asked Nick, as the ostriches and boks becamemingled together.

  "No, I don't," said Frank, "He can't have come out yet. He is bidinghis time, I expect."

  At this moment there came a faint sound like the distant twanging of abow, and one of the boks was seen to fall. The herd started and lookedsuspiciously round them; and the ostriches seemed to share theiruneasiness. But there was no enemy in sight, and after a few minutes ofanxious hesitation, they recommenced browsing. A second twang wassucceeded by a second fall, and the boks again tossed their heads andsnuffed the air, prepared for immediate flight. They still lingered,however, until the overthrow of a third of their number effectuallyroused them. They bounded off at their utmost speed, but not before afourth shaft had laid one of the fugitives low. Then the lads, full ofastonishment and admiration, came racing up, and Omatoko, throwing offhis disguise, exclaimed exultingly--

  "Two, three, four; Omatoko said `four.' White boy believe Omatoko now!"

  "He has you there, Frank," said Nick, laughing; "but I must own I couldnot have believed it possible, if I had not seen it."

  "Live and learn," said Lavie. "I had seen it before, or I might havebeen of your mind. Well, Omatoko, what now? We have stayed so longthat. We shan't be able to reach your village to-night, if we carry thedog."

  "Omatoko go alone. He bring men to-morrow; carry koodoo, dog and all."

  "Very good," said the doctor, "and we'll camp here. That will suit usall."