This was too much even for Mashoku. Alarmed at the prospect of such wholesale slaughter, the executioner immediately let Kapella know what was in store for him, and without the loss of a moment the commander-in-chief aroused his two wives, his brother, who was sleeping in an adjoining hut, his young son, and three of his most trustworthy servants, and took to flight. On the way to the river-bank Kapella had called upon Westbeech, and informed him of the desperate step he was driven to take; and he, ever a friend in need, had supplied him with ammunition and a number of necessaries for the journey.
Taking possession of the first two canoes they could find, the fugitives hurried down the stream, and while it was still dark found themselves twenty miles away from Sesheke; here they landed, sent their boats adrift, and proceeded on foot towards the Masupia settlement above Impalera. This was under the jurisdiction of a brother of Makumba’s, a staunch ally of Sepopo’s; but Kapella hoped to reach the place while the natives were still in bed, and to make use of their boats to cross the Chobe. It was a most difficult journey; the passage through the reeds was in some places dangerous in the extreme, and Kapella would never have risked it but in the greatest emergency. However, nothing went amiss, and the party all arrived safely before dawn; but early as it was, some of the Masupia fishermen were already on the move. Terrified at the sight of two armed chiefs, and probably recognizing who they were, they water-logged their canoes, and ran off to raise an alarm in the town. This was Kapella’s opportunity; quick as thought he had the canoes dragged to land, emptied them of the water, and made use of them to ferry his party to the opposite shore.
The chieftain, on hearing what had occurred, took no immediate action. He was aware that Kapella was a wonderful shot, and this rather indisposed him to take any precipitate measures to arrest him. He came to the decision that a council of the village should be called, and during the hours of deliberation the fugitives were getting safely far away, so that when the bailiffs arrived at our quarters they had no chance of overtaking them, and after ransacking the woods for a short time they gave up the pursuit and took themselves off.
Diamond’s next hunting-expedition proved a great success; and he shot a fine buffalo. He made his servants put him up a grass hut close to the place where the carcase was lying, that it might be guarded from the attacks of any beasts of prey; but not only had the old sportsman now lost much of his former zest, but he had contracted rather too great a love for brandy, so that although he distinctly heard the beasts gnawing at the prey, he did not rouse himself to go to the rescue. The consequence was that in the morning it was found that the carcase had been considerably mangled by lions, the entrails especially having furnished the materials for their feast. We were, however, all glad to see the hind-quarters, quite free from mutilation, conveyed safely to our camp.
A few evenings afterwards Diamond came to me in great haste, and told me that two Marutse men had just come in search of Kapella and Moia, with strict orders from Sepopo to kill them at once if they could find them. I did not wait to see the men, but sent out peremptory instructions that they were to be off about their business, or they would have to rue their delay. My vexation was very great when I afterwards ascertained that Diamond, through his ignorance of the Serotse dialect, had quite misunderstood their errand. It turned out that instead of being bailiffs acting on behalf of Sepopo, they were two of Kapella’s own servants, whom their master had sent to beg for some food.
The 12th was quite a day of bustle; both in the morning and in the afternoon several troops of Masupias arrived from Impalera with ivory, and one of Westbeech’s servants passed through on his way to Panda ma Tenka to fetch bullocks for the waggons. That night I slept better than usual; the feeling that Westbeech was really on his way towards me revived my drooping spirits, and I was inclined next morning to rise at an early hour, and as soon as Narri had dressed me, I took my seat upon the box of the waggon, enjoying the morning air, which although probably by no means healthy, certainly seemed very refreshing. As Narri was preparing the kaffir-corn coffee, he drew my attention to the sound of voices a long way down the valley. I inquired of the other servants what it meant, and after listening for a few seconds they unanimously affirmed that it was Westbeech’s cavalcade, carrying their burdens of ivory and singing as they marched.
As I sat pondering, only occasionally saying a word to Narri, my attention was suddenly arrested by the dusky form of a man advancing towards the camp, and within fifty yards of us. He was quite unarmed. I hardly believed my eyes, and yet I felt that I could not be mistaken. The man undoubtedly was Kapella, no longer the powerful commander, but a sad and dejected fugitive. I was too weak to alight from the waggon and go to meet him, but he was immediately at my side. “Help me, help me, intate (friend),” he cried; “I am hungry; my wife, my child, my brother are starving in the woods!” Probably he would have said more, but his keen ear caught the sound of the Masupias singing almost close at hand, and he paused; his face, ordinarily beaming with good nature, became distorted with terror. The excitement of the moment seemed to give me renewed strength. I can hardly tell how I did it, but I leaned back, and catching hold of a sack containing about a bushel of corn that was lying in the waggon, I lifted it into Kapella’s arms. He smiled, and made a hasty gesture of thanks; and before the Masupias had come in sight he had made his way into the long grass towards his retreat.
One of the heaviest storms that I ever remember in South Africa occurred a few days afterwards. It came on suddenly, and so violently that my servants were obliged to throw sand and earth upon the fires, that the wind should not carry the flames into the dry grass; and the downpour of rain was so great, that I had to use all my wraps and extra clothing to protect my collections. The top of the waggon swayed to and fro in the gale; and cumbrous as the vehicle was, it rattled and shook as if it were the plaything of the hurricane. One of the grass-huts was completely overturned, and several others in which my people had sought shelter had their sides blown in, and it was only owing to the lightness of the material of which they were constructed, that no injury was done to life or limb. When the storm had subsided in the evening, they found that it was necessary to build two entirely new huts, one for themselves and one for my baggage, so that the waggons which we had been occupying should be left free for Westbeech’s ivory.
Westbeech’s long-anticipated arrival took place on the 16th. He complained very much of Sepopo’s behaviour to him after my departure, and avowed his intention of never going so far as Sesheke again, but of disposing of his goods in the valley of the Chobe. He gave me all the latest news, and said that the disposition to revolt, and the determination to dethrone the king, were fast gaining ground among the chiefs. A recent proceeding on Sepopo’s part had done much to accelerate the growth of the general disaffection. In his rage at Kapella’s flight, he had not only, as usual, vented his temper on his attendants by laying about him with his kiri, but he had openly declared his intention of preparing a charm which should have such an effect upon the senses of the fugitives that they would be sure to make their way back to Sesheke; once there, they should be handed over to Mashoku. Accordingly he gave orders that an ox should be slaughtered, that the fat from the region of the heart should be affixed to the end of some cleft-sticks, and that the sticks should be planted in front of the doors of the huts of the runaways. It was the first time that Sepopo had ever prepared any incantations, or even mentioned his system of charms in public, and the eyes of his people were only now opened to the detestable humbug which was the chief feature of his character.
Nor was it only his own subjects that had become thoroughly dissatisfied with his proceedings. The Portuguese traders had failed to get payment for the goods they had supplied, and had been put off time after time with equivocal excuses.