THROUGH THE JUNGLE.
Page 115.
One of the huts was at once made over to Tom and me. He made signs we were to remain there till night came, which he intimated by lying down and pretending to go to sleep, and he said, “Fader come.” I found the hut very clean and comfortable, and there being a bed-place made of canes, I, thoroughly tired and worn out, threw myself on it, and was soon sound asleep.
CHAPTER X.
FETICHMEN.
When I awoke I found Tom had a meal ready for me of a sort of soup, with a pudding in it which was very sticky and satisfying, but by no means bad, which he called foofoo, and which I afterwards found was made by boiling unripe plantains and pounding them. To wash this down he produced a bottle of “square face,” or trade gin, which he said was “bery good;” and when I would not drink any he expressed much astonishment, and shared it with the fetichmen, who evidently had no scruples about spirit-drinking. I was now refreshed, and felt inclined to walk about, and seeing a gun in the hut, I asked Tom if I could take it out and try to shoot something.
He and the fetichmen had an eager discussion, and at last Tom said, “Bery good—can go;” and leading me to a door in the stockade opposite to that by which we had entered, we went out down a path towards an open marshy plain through which a stream ran, where we found great quantities of ducks and other water-fowl. I was lucky enough, though the gun was but an old flint-lock single barrel, to knock over several, and Tom ran hither and thither to pick them up like a delighted school-boy. At last he pointed out to me a cluster of a dozen ducks on the stream all swimming together, and made signs that I should fire into the middle of them, which I did, killing three and wounding four more. Tom instantly dashed off to secure them. I was with great interest watching him hunting after one of the wounded birds, when suddenly I heard some ducks rising with a loud whirr close behind me. Looking round I saw a huge python, over twenty feet in length, rearing itself up within three feet of me.
I had not reloaded the gun, and, seizing it by the barrel with both hands, I was about to club the snake on the head with it, when suddenly it lowered its head and began to creep away. I called out to Tom, who came running with the ducks, and seeing the snake, said, “Dat be big fetich,” and he signed to me to return to the fetichmen’s village at once.