Chapter Five.
Jack again in Grief—The Kaffirs!—Captured.
The stretch of country so suddenly disclosed to our view was one of surpassing loveliness. We had much diverged from our path, owing to the impervious walls of the hook thorn, and the sea was no longer visible, indeed, it might have been miles away, the country we looked upon had such an air of inland vegetation. The vast plain that lay before us slightly sloped down till near the centre, where it became flat, even, and, like the sides, covered by grass of a splendid emerald green. Around this, on our side and to the left, was the bush, the peculiar and splendid trees, and parasitical plants composing it, lending a powerful aid to the general picturesqueness of the scene.
Before us, a hill not of much altitude closed in the horizon, while to the right suddenly rose up a range of rocks, covered with trees of the cactus species, and others of quaint form, of the names of which we were ignorant. Between these, flashing red in the light of the setting sun, which was now making the blue sky aflame, was a cataract, that must have bounded from rock to rock with the roar of thunder, but which, owing to the distance, only came as a pleasant murmur to our ear as it passed under the trees, that, clinging to the rocks by their roots, seemed, as they bent over the water, ever about to plunge in, and be carried away to annihilation.
On a closer acquaintance with this cataract I found it fell into a dark gloomy ravine, dense with vegetation, whose foliage concealed the wary paths of the lion, wild cat, and tiger, the sinuous, graceful movements of the deadly serpent, and other venomous reptiles.
But as dangerous enemies as all these were, in our opinion, still nearer at hand.
In the centre of the plain were some fifty to a hundred blacks, whom the missionary instantly declared to be Kaffirs. We were too far off to distinguish features, but I know, expecting, as I did, to find the natives of the same type as the common African, or that of the Guinea coast, often in our country designated as “niggers,” I was infinitely surprised to see them of a good height, slim, gracefully yet firmly made, with an erect carriage, and an easy grace in all their movements. Nevertheless, any man, had he been perfection itself, would scarcely have looked anything but grotesque and comical when going through the antics these men were performing, which evidently was intended as a dance commemorating some triumph.
At the side further from, yet facing us, sat a Kaffir, no doubt a chief, from the authority he seemed to exercise, though certainly my above description of the race did not extend to him, for he was of the most pursy, nay, fat and unwieldy build imaginable. His dress was apparently two aprons of fur or feather, fastened round the waist, so as to fall behind as in front; several bracelets decked his pudgy arms, while his head appeared perfectly denuded of hair, but ornamented with a hard dark ring, and a large round tuft of some material fastened to the top of the forehead like that on a private soldier’s hat. By his side was a roughly made utensil, evidently containing liquid, for he drank from it continually; while extended on the ground just before him were the carcases of several recently slaughtered animals.
In front of his chiefship were nearly all the other Kaffirs, dressed in a similar fashion, but without the tuft on the forehead, and dancing the wildest dance I ever saw. Dance they did like mad, yet evidently according to some rude idea of figure, the time being perfect. Each waved in one hand a kind of spear, ornamented with a bunch of feathers, and in the other carried a large oval shield. They stood in lines, advanced and retired in perfect order, all the while shouting, singing, and working themselves apparently to the highest pitch of wild frenzy.
“I say, Galbraith,” said Thompson, as, concealed in the bush, we watched their fierce movements and listened to their horrible yelling, “they are not quite the right sort of customers to which I care to entrust my life, though I ain’t more particular about it than others are of theirs.”
I nodded acquiescence when Mr Ferguson, who had overheard Jack, spoke:
“They certainly do not look very peacefully inclined, yet we ought not to judge them from what we see of them now.”
“I can say, for myself, Sir,” put in Jack, “that I don’t care to see them again. So rather let my verdict stand.”
“No doubt,” laughed the missionary, “yet the ceremony to me seems a harmless one. I fancy it is a rejoicing after a successful hunting expedition. Look yonder how thickly the game lies.”
“By that little fat man,” said Jack. “Lor’! what a sight of good things he must have eaten to have reached such a girth.”
“What do you say, Thompson,” laughed Mr Ferguson, “shall we make a descent on them, or no?”
There was a most eloquent silence on Jack’s part, whereupon the missionary turned to me—
“Well, Galbraith, what do you say? With the few resources we have here, starvation may soon be our lot, if we are not previously devoured by some of the fierce denizens of the bush.”
“That is true, Sir,” I replied, “and I have no desire for either one nor the other. If I had but a rifle and a few rounds of powder and ball, I would not fear, Crusoe-like, living on these shores, despite the animals and those black dancers, till I could hail a ship; but the ocean is not so kind to us as to him, and has not cast up chests containing just the things we want. Still, as to joining those gentlemen in undress below there, I confess I am rather of Jack’s opinion, for those frantic movements with the spear, and demoniacal yells scarcely look friendly.”
“You are probably right, Galbraith; yet were I alone it would be my duty as a true soldier of my Master’s cross to go among them, and try to sow in these ignorant minds the seeds of His Word, and so I would do, only I will not lead others into the danger I would run myself, for if I have not read the disposition of you two wrongly, were I to go you would follow.”
“That we would,” echoed Jack, and I also responded in the affirmative.
“But see!” continued Thompson, “what are they after?”
I looked back to the spot from which my attention had been momentarily withdrawn, and perceived the chief had arisen, and with a waddling gait was moving to the hill opposite, followed by the other Kaffirs, some of whom had lifted up and were carrying the slaughtered game. As quickly as the slow pace of the fat chief would permit, they crossed the hill and vanished over the other side.
When the last black fellow had gone, Mr Ferguson said—
“They are returning to their dwellings, called here Kraals, which no doubt are pretty near at hand.”
“Which is sartain,” put in Thompson, “or that little fat man of theirs will have to be carried as well as the game.”
“Well, then, let us stay here till the sun sets, and when the night—as it does in all tropical countries—quickly follows, we will track them and reconnoitre more closely as to their vicinity.”
Agreeing upon this, the minister and I—for Jack’s arm having grown stiff and sore, would not allow him to make himself useful—set about procuring bananas, nuts, and other edible fruits to stay our hunger. Even had we come across another rock rabbit I doubt whether we should have ventured to kill it, being, as we were, in such close quarters with the natives.
Thompson once or twice argued that we should make again for the shore, and I half agreed with him till Mr Ferguson, overhearing a few of his whispered remarks, convinced me to the contrary by asking—
“If we did make directly back, and build a hut of rock as Jack proposed, how first should we catch the fish he mentions, and how should we obtain water? without which we must in this hot climate inevitably die of thirst and madness.”
This sensible reasoning convinced Jack and me also, when the minister continued—
“As certainly we have no chance of sighting a ship here, suppose we make our course as straight in advance as we can, when we shall assuredly reach the banks of some river such as the Imfolosi or Umlalaze, along whose banks we can proceed till we again reach the shore, where then, if you like, we can build a hut, for we shall have both fish and fresh water close at hand.”
There could not be a better plan proposed, and we were for instantly putting it into execution.
“We must wait till the sun has set, and then we shall not be able to go far to-night, for we must traverse the bush, not to be seen by the Kaffirs. Indeed, I do not think we shall do more than cross the plain, and wait for the moon to rise that we may each select the branches of some tree to rest in till dawn, when we must start instantly, taking the bush, and working towards the east, for the Kaffirs generally build their kraals far inland.”
Accordingly, directly the night closed in, we set out. Our “straight course” led us nearly in the same tracks the Kaffirs had gone, that is as well as we could judge in the darkness; therefore we had to proceed with much caution, and hoped to reach the crest of the hill before the moon rose, least our figures, crouch down as we would, should attract the keen glance of some Kaffir, whose kraal might be for what we knew, within a few yards of the other side.
As we went, distant sounds, such as a distant roar and creaking of branches, told us that the fierce dwellers among its luxuriance were out in search of food, and we all shuddered at the idea of what our position would have been at that moment, had we lost ourselves in the terrible bush.
We had more than half crossed the plain, and were hurrying on in silence, when my steps were suddenly arrested by a cry, partly of surprise, partly of terror from Jack Thompson who had been walking by my side. I started round, fully expecting to find ourselves once more in the presence of the King of Beasts or some other animal, though I do not think its red eyes would have astonished me more than what did indeed meet my view—which was nothing; yes, nothing. Jack Thompson had entirely vanished.
“Good heavens! Mr Ferguson,” I exclaimed, catching his arm, “where is Thompson; just now he was by my side, and see, he has gone!”
As I spoke, a voice coming up apparently from our feet addressed us—
“Shiver my top-sails, but if I ain’t in another cussed fix! Here, Galbraith lad, lend a hand to help us out.”
Looking down in surprise we discovered that we were on the very edge of what in the darkness appeared a vast chasm, the depths of which we could not penetrate. Instinctively I recoiled from my close proximity; but the next moment drew near again, for it was from this pit that Jack Thompson’s voice had proceeded.
“Jack!” I called down; “is it deep? I can’t see you; are you hurt, or can you reach me your hand?”
“I have fallen on my wounded arm and the pain’s awful,” he responded; then as if he had tried, he added, “no, I don’t think you can reach me, for it’s precious deep. But can’t you find some way to get me out of this infernal place?”
“What shall we do?” I asked, turning to Mr Ferguson, “how ever are we to help him?”
“The darkness may make him misjudge the depth,” he replied. “Let us try to reach the poor fellow.”
Lying flat on the ground, therefore, I bade him, if possible, seize my hand, but soon found he was unable to do so—being remarkably short of stature, besides which his falling on his wounded arm had rendered him faint and unfit for exertion.
“It is useless,” said Mr Ferguson, after he also had tried. “One of us must go to the bush, and get some baboon ropes.”
I was on my feet in an instant, but the next moment’s reflection made me say—
“That plan would be useless, sir, for in this vast plain, even if I got the ropes, how could I find you again in the darkness, and to call for directions would undoubtedly bring the Kaffirs upon us.”
“True; you ever have your wits about you, Galbraith, but what are we to do?”
“Why the moon will be up in less than half an hour, and whatever the danger, we must wait till then.”
Having told Jack what we were compelled to do, and bidding him rest assured we would not leave him, we took our places at the pit’s mouth to wait. We did not speak for we had no heart to. Even at the very moment, the vast plain was perhaps peopled with beasts in search of prey, which each instant they might find in our vicinity. The brave man may face a danger, however terrible, without the quiver of a nerve when he does face it; but it would require the bravest, if indeed, the one ever did exist, who could sit calmly in the midst of a strange country, which he knows to be inhabited by Kaffirs, lions and tigers, and feels that any moment the spear of the one, or the fangs of the other might be quivering in his flesh, without his being able to raise a hand in self-defence. I own, for my part it was a time of terror, and my blood even now runs chill in my veins when I recall the sensations I then experienced.
Once, Jack broke the silence in a rather loud whisper, saying,—
“I say, Dick Galbraith, old fellow just ask the minister to take a peep at that book-larning he carries in his head, and see if he can’t tell me why this cussed hole was made—if its natur or Kaffir architecture.”
“I believe, my friend,” answered the minister, “that you have fallen into a pit, dug by its depth, to catch giraffes. Ah! by the way, tell me, is there not a bank of earth left in the centre?”
“Yes,” answered Thompson, “that there is; and but for my arm, I’d climb it and be out in a jiffy, but this here member burns—saving your presence, Mr Ferguson—like blazes, and won’t move no how.”
While he was talking, an idea occurred to me, and I said,—
“If it be as Jack says, about that bank of earth, the mouth of the hole not being very large, for I have walked round it, do you not think by my getting down, I might help Thompson up?”
“That is very possible, but you being the strongest, Galbraith I think had better remain here, so that when I hoist him on to the point of earth, you can pull him out.”
“And you?” I said.
“Can afterwards very easily climb out with your aid. What a pity we did not think of this before. What time it might have saved. See yonder, in the sky is already the reflection of the moon.”
I could have said that I was not aware as to the kind of pit-fall it was, but only remarked—
“Never mind, Sir, let us set to work as quickly as we can now.”
Whereupon he, warning Jack of his coming, lowered himself into the pit, and dropped.
I waited impatiently, and so occupied were we all with our work that I did not perceive that the moon, rising higher and higher, was disclosing the outline of many dusky forms which were hovering about me. It was just as Mr Ferguson exclaimed, “Now Galbraith, he is getting on my shoulders, be ready to seize him,” that there echoed in my ears a yell as if arising from the throats of a myriad of fiends. I sprang to my feet, and gazed around.
The moon was up—from it a ray of broad silver light fell over the plain, disclosing to my terrified glance the black forms of some thirty to fifty Kaffirs ranged in a circle about the pit’s mouth, all in defiant attitudes, their spears upraised. My wisest plan would have been, I know, to have thrown myself on the ground, and let them come up quietly, but in my surprise I made a few steps backward, hastily whispering to the others to keep still, as any efforts they could make would be useless against such numbers. The action was a foolish one, and might have proved my death-warrant, for the next instant a cloud of spears whistled around me, one of which, piercing my arm, brought me to the ground. At this, with renewed yells of triumph, the Kaffirs came rushing and capering, jabbering and leaping like fiends incarnate, as if with the intention to tear my wretched body limb from limb; their eyes, their teeth gleamed down upon me, and with the belief that my last hour had indeed come, I fainted.