________________________________________________
_ In due course we left Lamu, and ten days afterwards we found
ourselves at a spot called Charra, on the Tana River, having gone
through many adventures which need not be recorded here. Amongst
other things we visited a ruined city, of which there are many on
this coast, and which must once, to judge from their extent and
the numerous remains of mosques and stone houses, have been very
populous places. These ruined cities are immeasurably ancient,
having, I believe, been places of wealth and importance as far
back as the Old Testament times, when they were centres of trade
with India and elsewhere. But their glory has departed now--the
slave trade has finished them--and where wealthy merchants from
all parts of the then civilized world stood and bargained in the
crowded market-places, the lion holds his court at night, and
instead of the chattering of slaves and the eager voices of the
bidders, his awful note goes echoing down the ruined corridors.
At this particular place we discovered on a mound, covered up
with rank growth and rubbish, two of the most beautiful stone
doorways that it is possible to conceive. The carving on them
was simply exquisite, and I only regret that we had no means of
getting them away. No doubt they had once been the entrances to
a palace, of which, however, no traces were now to be seen,
though probably its ruins lay under the rising mound.
Gone! quite gone! the way that everything must go. Like the
nobles and the ladies who lived within their gates, these cities
have had their day, and now they are as Babylon and Nineveh, and
as London and Paris will one day be. Nothing may endure. That
is the inexorable law. Men and women, empires and cities,
thrones, principalities, and powers, mountains, rivers, and
unfathomed seas, worlds, spaces, and universes, all have their
day, and all must go. In this ruined and forgotten place the
moralist may behold a symbol of the universal destiny. For this
system of ours allows no room for standing still--nothing can
loiter on the road and check the progress of things upwards
towards Life, or the rush of things downwards towards Death. The
stern policeman Fate moves us and them on, on, uphill and
downhill and across the level; there is no resting-place for the
weary feet, till at last the abyss swallows us, and from the
shores of the Transitory we are hurled into the sea of the
Eternal.
At Charra we had a violent quarrel with the headman of the
bearers we had hired to go as far as this, and who now wished to
extort large extra payment from us. In the result he threatened
to set the Masai--about whom more anon--on to us. That night he,
with all our hired bearers, ran away, stealing most of the goods
which had been entrusted to them to carry. Luckily, however,
they had not happened to steal our rifles, ammunition, and
personal effects; not because of any delicacy of feeling on their
part, but owing to the fact that they chanced to be in the charge
of the five Wakwafis. After that, it was clear to us that we had
had enough of caravans and of bearers. Indeed, we had not much
left for a caravan to carry. And yet, how were we to get on?
It was Good who solved the question. 'Here is water,' he said,
pointing to the Tana River; 'and yesterday I saw a party of
natives hunting hippopotami in canoes. I understand that Mr
Mackenzie's mission station is on the Tana River. Why not get
into canoes and paddle up to it?'
This brilliant suggestion was, needless to say, received with
acclamation; and I instantly set to work to buy suitable canoes
from the surrounding natives. I succeeded after a delay of three
days in obtaining two large ones, each hollowed out of a single
log of some light wood, and capable of holding six people and
baggage. For these two canoes we had to pay nearly all our
remaining cloth, and also many other articles.
On the day following our purchase of the two canoes we effected a
start. In the first canoe were Good, Sir Henry, and three of our
Wakwafi followers; in the second myself, Umslopogaas, and the
other two Wakwafis. As our course lay upstream, we had to keep
four paddles at work in each canoe, which meant that the whole
lot of us, except Good, had to row away like galley-slaves; and
very exhausting work it was. I say, except Good, for, of course,
the moment that Good got into a boat his foot was on his native
heath, and he took command of the party. And certainly he worked
us. On shore Good is a gentle, mild-mannered man, and given to
jocosity; but, as we found to our cost, Good in a boat was a
perfect demon. To begin with, he knew all about it, and we
didn't. On all nautical subjects, from the torpedo fittings of a
man-of-war down to the best way of handling the paddle of an
African canoe, he was a perfect mine of information, which, to
say the least of it, we were not. Also his ideas of discipline
were of the sternest, and, in short, he came the royal naval
officer over us pretty considerably, and paid us out amply for
all the chaff we were wont to treat him to on land; but, on the
other hand, I am bound to say that he managed the boats
admirably.
After the first day Good succeeded, with the help of some cloth
and a couple of poles, in rigging up a sail in each canoe, which
lightened our labours not a little. But the current ran very
strong against us, and at the best we were not able to make more
than twenty miles a day. Our plan was to start at dawn, and
paddle along till about half-past ten, by which time the sun got
too hot to allow of further exertion. Then we moored our canoes
to the bank, and ate our frugal meal; after which we ate or
otherwise amused ourselves till about three o'clock, when we
again started, and rowed till within an hour of sundown, when we
called a halt for the night. On landing in the evening, Good
would at once set to work, with the help of the Askari, to build
a little 'scherm', or small enclosure, fenced with thorn bushes,
and to light a fire. I, with Sir Henry and Umslopogaas, would go
out to shoot something for the pot. Generally this was an easy
task, for all sorts of game abounded on the banks of the Tana.
One night Sir Henry shot a young cow-giraffe, of which the
marrow-bones were excellent; on another I got a couple of
waterbuck right and left; and once, to his own intense
satisfaction, Umslopogaas (who, like most Zulus, was a vile shot
with a rifle) managed to kill a fine fat eland with a Martini I
had lent him. Sometimes we varied our food by shooting some
guinea-fowl, or bush-bustard (paau)--both of which were
numerous--with a shot-gun, or by catching a supply of beautiful
yellow fish, with which the waters of the Tana swarmed, and which
form, I believe, one of the chief food-supplies of the
crocodiles.
Three days after our start an ominous incident occurred. We were
just drawing in to the bank to make our camp as usual for the
night, when we caught sight of a figure standing on a little
knoll not forty yards away, and intensely watching our approach.
One glance was sufficient--although I was personally unacquainted
with the tribe--to tell me that he was a Masai Elmoran, or young
warrior. Indeed, had I had any doubts, they would have quickly
been dispelled by the terrified ejaculation of 'MASAI!' that
burst simultaneously from the lips of our Wakwafi followers, who
are, as I think I have said, themselves bastard Masai.
And what a figure he presented as he stood there in his savage
war-gear! Accustomed as I have been to savages all my life, I do
not think that I have ever before seen anything quite so
ferocious or awe-inspiring. To begin with, the man was
enormously tall, quite as tall as Umslopogaas, I should say, and
beautifully, though somewhat slightly, shaped; but with the face
of a devil. In his right hand he held a spear about five and a
half feet long, the blade being two and a half feet in length, by
nearly three inches in width, and having an iron spike at the end
of the handle that measured more than a foot. On his left arm
was a large and well-made elliptical shield of buffalo hide, on
which were painted strange heraldic-looking devices. On his
shoulders was a huge cape of hawk's feathers, and round his neck
was a 'naibere', or strip of cotton, about seventeen feet long,
by one and a half broad, with a stripe of colour running down the
middle of it. The tanned goatskin robe, which formed his
ordinary attire in times of peace, was tied lightly round his
waist, so as to serve the purposes of a belt, and through it were
stuck, on the right and left sides respectively, his short
pear-shaped sime, or sword, which is made of a single piece of
steel, and carried in a wooden sheath, and an enormous
knobkerrie. But perhaps the most remarkable feature of his
attire consisted of a headdress of ostrich-feathers, which was
fixed on the chin, and passed in front of the ears to the
forehead, and, being shaped like an ellipse, completely framed
the face, so that the diabolical countenance appeared to project
from a sort of feather fire-screen. Round the ankles he wore
black fringes of hair, and, projecting from the upper portion of
the calves, to which they were attached, were long spurs like
spikes, from which flowed down tufts of the beautiful black and
waving hair of the Colobus monkey. Such was the elaborate array
of the Masai Elmoran who stood watching the approach of our two
canoes, but it is one which, to be appreciated, must be seen;
only those who see it do not often live to describe it. Of
course I could not make out all these details of his full dress
on the occasion of this my first introduction, being, indeed,
amply taken up with the consideration of the general effect, but
I had plenty of subsequent opportunities of becoming acquainted
with the items that went to make it up.
Whilst we were hesitating what to do, the Masai warrior drew
himself up in a dignified fashion, shook his huge spear at us,
and, turning, vanished on the further side of the slope.
'Hulloa!' holloaed Sir Henry from the other boat; 'our friend the
caravan leader has been as good as his word, and set the Masai
after us. Do you think it will be safe to go ashore?'
I did not think it would be at all safe; but, on the other hand,
we had no means of cooking in the canoes, and nothing that we
could eat raw, so it was difficult to know what to do. At last
Umslopogaas simplified matters by volunteering to go and
reconnoitre, which he did, creeping off into the bush like a
snake, while we hung off in the stream waiting for him. In half
an hour he returned, and told us that there was not a Masai to be
seen anywhere about, but that he had discovered a spot where they
had recently been encamped, and that from various indications he
judged that they must have moved on an hour or so before; the man
we saw having, no doubt, been left to report upon our movements.
Thereupon we landed; and, having posted a sentry, proceeded to
cook and eat our evening meal. This done, we took the situation
into our serious consideration. Of course, it was possible that
the apparition of the Masai warrior had nothing to do with us,
that he was merely one of a band bent upon some marauding and
murdering expedition against another tribe. But when we recalled
the threat of the caravan leader, and reflected on the ominous
way in which the warrior had shaken his spear at us, this did not
appear very probable. On the contrary, what did seem probable
was that the part was after us and awaiting a favourable
opportunity to attack us. This being so, there were two things
that we could do--one of which was to go on, and the other to go
back. The latter idea was, however, rejected at once, it being
obvious that we should encounter as many dangers in retreat as in
advance; and, besides, we had made up our minds to journey
onwards at any price. Under these circumstances, however, we did
not consider it safe to sleep ashore, so we got into our canoes,
and, paddling out into the middle of the stream, which was not
very wide here, managed to anchor them by means of big stones
fastened to ropes made of coconut-fibre, of which there were
several fathoms in each canoe.
Here the mosquitoes nearly ate us up alive, and this, combined
with anxiety as to our position, effectually prevented me from
sleeping as the others were doing, notwithstanding the attacks of
the aforesaid Tana mosquitoes. And so I lay awake, smoking and
reflecting on many things, but, being of a practical turn of
mind, chiefly on how we were to give those Masai villains the
slip. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and, notwithstanding
the mosquitoes, and the great risk we were running from fever
from sleeping in such a spot, and forgetting that I had the cramp
very badly in my right leg from squatting in a constrained
position in the canoe, and that the Wakwafi who was sleeping
beside me smelt horribly, I really began to enjoy myself. The
moonbeams played upon the surface of the running water that
speeded unceasingly past us towards the sea, like men's lives
towards the grave, till it glittered like a wide sheet of silver,
that is in the open where the trees threw no shadows. Near the
banks, however, it was very dark, and the night wind sighed sadly
in the reeds. To our left, on the further side of the river, was
a little sandy bay which was clear of trees, and here I could
make out the forms of numerous antelopes advancing to the water,
till suddenly there came an ominous roar, whereupon they all made
off hurriedly. Then after a pause I caught sight of the massive
form of His Majesty the Lion, coming down to drink his fill after
meat. Presently he moved on, then came a crashing of the reeds
about fifty yards above us, and a few minutes later a huge black
mass rose out of the water, about twenty yards from me, and
snorted. It was the head of a hippopotamus. Down it went
without a sound, only to rise again within five yards of where I
sat. This was decidedly too near to be comfortable, more
especially as the hippopotamus was evidently animated by intense
curiosity to know what on earth our canoes were. He opened his
great mouth, to yawn, I suppose, and gave me an excellent view of
his ivories; and I could not help reflecting how easily he could
crunch up our frail canoe with a single bite. Indeed, I had half
a mind to give him a ball from my eight-bore, but on reflection
determined to let him alone unless he actually charged the boat.
Presently he sank again as noiselessly as before, and I saw no
more of him. Just then, on looking towards the bank on our
right, I fancied that I caught sight of a dark figure flitting
between the tree trunks. I have very keen sight, and I was
almost sure that I saw something, but whether it was bird, beast,
or man I could not say. At the moment, however, a dark cloud
passed over the moon, and I saw no more of it. Just then, too,
although all the other sounds of the forest had ceased, a species
of horned owl with which I was well acquainted began to hoot with
great persistency. After that, save for the rustling of trees
and reeds when the wind caught them, there was complete silence.
But somehow, in the most unaccountable way, I had suddenly become
nervous. There was no particular reason why I should be, beyond
the ordinary reasons which surround the Central African
traveller, and yet I undoubtedly was. If there is one thing more
than another of which I have the most complete and entire scorn
and disbelief, it is of presentiments, and yet here I was all of
a sudden filled with and possessed by a most undoubted
presentiment of approaching evil. I would not give way to it,
however, although I felt the cold perspiration stand out upon my
forehead. I would not arouse the others. Worse and worse I
grew, my pulse fluttered like a dying man's, my nerves thrilled
with the horrible sense of impotent terror which anybody who is
subject to nightmare will be familiar with, but still my will
triumphed over my fears, and I lay quiet (for I was half sitting,
half lying, in the bow of the canoe), only turning my face so as
to command a view of Umslopogaas and the two Wakwafi who were
sleeping alongside of and beyond me.
In the distance I heard a hippopotamus splash faintly, then the
owl hooted again in a kind of unnatural screaming note, *{No
doubt this owl was a wingless bird. I afterwards learnt that the
hooting of an owl is a favourite signal among the Masai tribes.
--A. Q.} and the wind began to moan plaintively through the
trees, making a heart-chilling music. Above was the black bosom
of the cloud, and beneath me swept the black flood of the water,
and I felt as though I and Death were utterly alone between them.
It was very desolate.
Suddenly my blood seemed to freeze in my veins, and my heart to
stand still. Was it fancy, or were we moving? I turned my eyes
to look for the other canoe which should be alongside of us. I
could not see it, but instead I saw a lean and clutching black
hand lifting itself above the gunwale of the little boat. Surely
it was a nightmare! At the same instant a dim but
devilish-looking face appeared to rise out of the water, and then
came a lurch of the canoe, the quick flash of a knife, and an
awful yell from the Wakwafi who was sleeping by my side (the same
poor fellow whose odour had been annoying me), and something warm
spurted into my face. In an instant the spell was broken; I knew
that it was no nightmare, but that we were attacked by swimming
Masai. Snatching at the first weapon that came to hand, which
happened to be Umslopogaas' battleaxe, I struck with all my force
in the direction in which I had seen the flash of the knife. The
blow fell upon a man's arm, and, catching it against the thick
wooden gunwale of the canoe, completely severed it from the body
just above the wrist. As for its owner, he uttered no sound or
cry. Like a ghost he came, and like a ghost he went, leaving
behind him a bloody hand still gripping a great knife, or rather
a short sword, that was buried in the heart of our poor servant.
Instantly there arose a hubbub and confusion, and I fancied,
rightly or wrongly, that I made out several dark heads gliding
away towards the right-hand bank, whither we were rapidly
drifting, for the rope by which we were moored had been severed
with a knife. As soon as I had realized this fact, I also
realized that the scheme had been to cut the boat loose so that
it should drift on to the right bank (as it would have done with
the natural swing of the current), where no doubt a party of
Masai were waiting to dig their shovel-headed spears into us.
Seizing one paddle myself, I told Umslopogaas to take another
(for the remaining Askari was too frightened and bewildered to be
of any use), and together we rowed vigorously out towards the
middle of the stream; and not an instant too soon, for in another
minute we should have been aground, and then there would have
been an end of us.
As soon as we were well out, we set to work to paddle the canoe
upstream again to where the other was moored; and very hard and
dangerous work it was in the dark, and with nothing but the notes
of Good's stentorian shouts, which he kept firing off at
intervals like a fog-horn, to guide us. But at last we fetched
up, and were thankful to find that they had not been molested at
all. No doubt the owner of the same hand that severed our rope
should have severed theirs also, but was led away from his
purpose by an irresistible inclination to murder when he got the
chance, which, while it cost us a man and him his hand,
undoubtedly saved all the rest of us from massacre. Had it not
been for that ghastly apparition over the side of the boat--an
apparition that I shall never forget till my dying hour--the
canoe would undoubtedly have drifted ashore before I realized
what had happened, and this history would never have been written
by me. _
Read next: CHAPTER III - THE MISSION STATION
Read previous: CHAPTER I - THE CONSUL'S YARN
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