Popular Adventure Tales

by Mayne Reid

  CHAPTER III.

  THE SPRING-HAAN.

  "Ah _the springaan_!" cried Von Bloom, recognising the Dutch name forthe far-famed migratory locust.

  The mystery was explained. The singular cloud that was spreading itselfover the plain was neither more nor less than a flight of locusts!

  It was a sight that none of them, except Swartboy, had ever witnessedbefore. His master had often seen locusts in small quantities, and ofseveral species,--for there are many kinds of these singular insects inSouth Africa. But that which now appeared was a true migratory locust(_Gryllus devastatorius_); and upon one of its great migrations--anevent of rarer occurrence than travellers would have you believe.

  Swartboy knew them well; and, although he announced their approach in astate of great excitement, it was not the excitement of terror.

  Quite the contrary. His great thick lips were compressed athwart hisface in a grotesque expression of joy. The instincts of his wild racewere busy within him. To them a flight of locusts is not an object ofdread, but a source of rejoicing--their coming as welcome as a take ofshrimps to a Leigh fisherman, or harvest to the husband-man.

  The dogs, too, barked and howled with joy, and frisked about as if theywere going out upon a hunt. On perceiving the cloud, their instinctenabled them easily to recognise the locusts. They regarded them withfeelings similar to those that stirred Swartboy--for both dogs andBushmen eat the insects with avidity!

  At the announcement that it was only locusts, all at once recovered fromtheir alarm. Little Trueey and Jan laughed, clapped their hands, andwaited with curiosity until they should come nearer. All had heardenough of locusts to know that they were only grasshoppers that neitherbit nor stung any one, and therefore no one was afraid of them.

  Even Von Bloom himself was at first very little concerned about them.After his feelings of apprehension, the announcement that it was aflight of locusts was a relief, and for a while he did not dwell uponthe nature of such a phenomenon, but only regarded it with feelings ofcuriosity.

  Of a sudden his thoughts took a new direction. His eye rested upon hisfields of maize and buckwheat, upon his garden of melons, and fruits,and vegetables: a new alarm seized upon him; the memory of many storieswhich he had heard in relation to these destructive creatures rushedinto his mind, and as the whole truth developed itself, he turned pale,and uttered new exclamations of alarm.

  The children changed countenance as well. They saw that their fathersuffered; though they knew not why. They gathered inquiringly aroundhim.

  "Alas! alas! Lost! lost!" exclaimed he; "yes, all our crop--our labourof the year--gone, gone! O my dear children!"

  "How lost, father?--how gone?" exclaimed several of them in a breath.

  "See the springaan! they will eat up our crop--all--all!"

  "'Tis true, indeed," said Hans, who being a great student had often readaccounts of the devastations committed by the locusts.

  The joyous countenances of all once more wore a sad expression, and itwas no longer with curiosity that they gazed upon the distant cloud,that so suddenly had clouded their joy.

  Von Bloom had good cause for dread. Should the swarm come on, and settleupon his fields, farewell to his prospects of a harvest. They wouldstrip the verdure from his whole farm in a twinkling. They would leaveneither seed, nor leaf, nor stalk behind them.

  All stood watching the flight with painful emotions. The swarm was stilla full half-mile distant. They appeared to be coming no nearer,--good!

  A ray of hope entered the mind of the field-cornet. He took off hisbroad felt hat, and held it up to the full stretch of his arm. The windwas blowing from the north, and the swarm was directly to the west ofthe kraal. The cloud of locusts had approached from the north, as theyalmost invariably do in the southern parts of Africa.

  "Yes," said Hendrik, who having been in their midst could tell what waythey were drifting, "they came down upon us from a northerly direction.When we headed our horses homewards, we soon galloped out from them, andthey did not appear to fly after us; I am sure they were passingsouthwards."

  Von Bloom entertained hopes that as none appeared due north of thekraal, the swarm might pass on without extending to the borders of hisfarm. He knew that they usually followed the direction of the wind.Unless the wind changed they would not swerve from their course.

  He continued to observe them anxiously. He saw that the selvedge of thecloud came no nearer. His hopes rose. His countenance grew brighter. Thechildren noticed this and were glad, but said nothing. All stoodsilently watching.

  An odd sight it was. There was not only the misty swarm of the insectsto gaze upon. The air above them was filled with birds--strange birdsand of many kinds. On slow, silent wing soared the brown "oricou," thelargest of Africa's vultures; and along with him the yellow "chassefiente," the vulture of Kolbe. There swept the bearded "lamvanger," onbroad extended wings. There shrieked the great "Caffre eagle," and sideby side with him the short-tailed and singular "bateleur." There, toowere hawks of different sizes and colours, and kites cutting through theair, and crows and ravens, and many species of _insectivora_.

  But far more numerous than all the rest could be seen the little_springhaan-vogel_, a speckled bird of nearly the size and form of aswallow. Myriads of these darkened the air above--hundreds of themcontinually shooting down among the insects, and soaring up again eachwith a victim in its beak. "Locust-vultures" are these creatures named,though not vultures in kind. They feed exclusively on these insects, andare never seen where the locusts are not. They follow them through alltheir migrations, building their nests, and rearing their young, in themidst of their prey!

  It was, indeed, a curious sight to look upon, that swarm of wingedinsects, and their numerous and varied enemies; and all stood gazingupon it with feelings of wonder. Still the living cloud approached nonearer, and the hopes of Von Bloom continued to rise.

  The swarm kept extending to the south--in fact, it now stretched alongthe whole western horizon; and all noticed that it was gradually gettinglower down--that is, its top edge was sinking in the heavens. Were thelocusts passing off to the west? No.

  "Da am goin roost for da nacht--now we'll get 'em in bag-full," saidSwartboy, with a pleased look; for Swartboy was a regular locust-eater,as fond of them as either eagle or kite,--aye, as the "springhaan-vogel"itself.

  It was as Swartboy had stated. The swarm was actually settling down onthe plain.

  "Can't fly without sun," continued the Bushman. "Too cold now. Dey godead till da mornin."

  And so it was. The sun had set. The cool breeze weakened the wings ofthe insect travellers; and they were compelled to make halt for thenight upon the trees, bushes, and grass.

  In a few minutes the dark mist that had hid the blue rim of the sky, wasseen no more; but the distant plain looked as if a fire had swept overit. It was thickly covered with the bodies of the insects, that gave ita blackened appearance as far as the eye could reach.

  The attendant birds, perceiving the approach of night, screamed forawhile, and then scattered away through the heavens. Some perched uponthe rocks, while others went to roost among the low thickets of mimosa;and now for a short interval both earth and air were silent.

  Von Bloom now bethought him of his cattle. Their forms were seen afaroff in the midst of the locust-covered plain.

  "Let 'em feed um little while, baas," suggested Swartboy.

  "On what?" inquired his master. "Don't you see the grass is covered!"

  "On de springhaan demself, baas," replied the Bushman; "good for fattenbig ox--better dan grass--ya, better dan _mealies_."

  But it was too late to leave the cattle longer out upon the plain. Thelions would soon be abroad--the sooner because of the locusts, for theking of the beasts does not disdain to fill his royal stomach with theseinsects--when he can find them.

  Von Bloom saw the necessity of bringing his cattle at once to theirkraal.

  A third horse was saddled, which the field-cornet himself mounted, an
drode off, followed by Hendrik and Swartboy.

  On approaching the locusts they beheld a singular sight. The ground wascovered with these reddish-brown creatures, in some spots to the depthof several inches. What bushes there were were clustered with them,--allover the leaves and branches, as if swarms of bees had settled uponthem. Not a leaf or blade of grass that was not covered with theirbodies!

  They moved not, but remained silent, as if torpid or asleep. The cold ofthe evening had deprived them of the power of flight.

  What was strangest of all to the eyes of Von Bloom and Hendrik, was theconduct of their own horses and cattle. These were some distance out inthe midst of the sleeping host; but instead of being alarmed at theirodd situation, they were greedily gathering up the insects in mouthfuls,and crunching them as though they had been corn!

  It was with some difficulty that they could be driven off; but the roarof a lion, that was just then heard over the plain, and the repeatedapplication of Swartboy's _jambok_, rendered them more tractable, and atlength they suffered themselves to be driven home, and lodged withintheir kraals.

  Swartboy had provided himself with a bag, which he carried back full oflocusts.

  It was observed that in collecting the insects into the bag, he actedwith some caution, handling them very gingerly, as if he was afraid ofthem. It was not them he feared, but snakes which, upon such occasionsare very plenteous, and very much to be dreaded--as the Bushman fromexperience well knew.