“The voices came nearer and I saw a large canoe”
The voices came nearer and I saw a large canoe through a small opening. I counted twenty paddlers and saw three captives fettered with chains round their necks. They were evidently slaves that came from some tribes further up the river. I waited a while and when I thought the canoe was out of sight I left my hiding-place.
I paddled close to the shore, often under the overhanging branches of the trees. I began to notice that a large eagle was following me, soaring above my head. Not knowing exactly what the eagle intended to do, and becoming suspicious that the big bird of prey might perhaps pounce upon me and tear my eyes out, I stopped, put my shot-gun to my shoulder and, as the great bird soared over my head, I fired. The eagle uttered a scream, then plunged downward and fell into the water near me. I took his talons as a trophy.
Ere long it became so hot that I filled my panama hat with green leaves and dipped it now and then into the water to keep my head cool. Further along the heat became so great that I hauled my canoe ashore to rest in the shade of the forest. I found a rivulet of clear water close by, and there I lighted a fire and roasted two plantains and a part of a monkey King Mombo had given me. Then I lay under a tree and soon after fell asleep with “Bulldog” in my arms. When I awoke I looked at my watch—it was three o’clock. Soon after, I was paddling again. I was so interested in looking round that the time passed quickly. The height of the sun warned me that in about one hour more it would be sunset, and dark shortly afterwards, for under or near the equator the days and the nights are about equal, and it is nearly twelve hours between sunrise and sunset.
A short time after I saw a few plantain trees on the shore of a small creek. I paddled in their direction, when, a little further on, hundreds of plantain trees came in sight—then I saw a path through them, and hauling my canoe by its side, I landed, taking “Omemba” and “Bulldog” with me.
CHAPTER X
SOUNDS OF HUMAN VOICES—I ENCOUNTER REGUNDO AND HIS WIFE, SLAVES OF KING MOMBO—OTHER SLAVES—HUNTERS AND WARRIORS OF MOMBO.
I followed the path. I had hardly walked fifteen steps when I heard the sound of an axe—some one evidently was chopping wood. The path was a well beaten one, showing that many people passed over it. The sound made by the axe became louder and louder as I advanced inland. Then I heard human voices, and stopped to listen. After a while I found that two people were talking to each other, but I was too far away to hear the language they spoke. I wondered if these two people would be friendly, or would run away at sight of me.
I advanced cautiously, and soon saw the roof of a house, then the whole house, which had a veranda; and under the veranda were a man and a woman talking to each other. The house was built of the bark of trees. The man was gray-headed, the woman likewise; they were almost naked and only wore a little strip of soft bark round their loins.