Un capitaine de quinze ans. English Read online

  CHAPTER IV.

  ROUGH TRAVELLING.

  Just at this moment Jack woke up and put his arms round his mother'sneck. His eyes were brighter, and there was manifestly no return offever.

  "You are better, darling!" said Mrs. Weldon, pressing him tenderly toher.

  "Yes, mamma, I am better; but I am very thirsty."

  Some cold water was soon procured, which the child drank eagerly, andthen began to look about him. His first inquiry was for his oldfriends, Dick and Hercules, both of whom approached at his summons andgreeted him affectionately.

  "Where is the horse?" was the next question.

  "Gone away, Master Jack; I am your horse now," said Hercules.

  "But you have no bridle for me to hold," said Jack, looking ratherdisappointed.

  "You may put a bit in my mouth if you like, master Jack," repliedHercules, extending his jaws, "and then you may pull as hard as youplease."

  "O, I shall not pull very hard," said Jack; "but haven't we nearly cometo Mr. Harris's farm?"

  Mrs. Weldon assured the child that they should soon be where theywanted to be, and Dick, finding that the conversation was approachingdangerous ground, proposed that the journey should be now resumed. Mrs.Weldon assented; the encampment was forthwith broken up and the marchcontinued as before.

  It was a scene only too common in Central Africa]

  In order not to lose sight of the watercourse, it was necessary to cuta way right through the underwood: progress was consequently very slow;and a little over a mile was all that was accomplished in about threehours. Footpaths had evidently once existed, but they had all becomewhat the natives term "dead," that is, they had become entirelyovergrown with brushwood and brambles. The negroes worked away with awill; Hercules, in particular, who temporarily resigned his charge toNan, wielded his axe with marvellous effect, all the time giving ventto stentorian groans and grunts, and succeeded in opening the woodsbefore him as if they were being consumed by a devouring fire.

  Fortunately this heavy labour was not of very long duration.

  After about a mile, an opening of moderate width, converging towardsthe stream and following its bank, was discovered in the underwood. Itwas a passage formed by elephants, which apparently by hundreds must bein the habit of traversing this part of the forest. The spongy soil,soaked by the downpour of the rainy season, was everywhere indentedwith the enormous impressions of their feet.

  But it soon became evident that elephants were not the only livingcreatures that had used this track. Human bones gnawed by beasts ofprey, whole human skeletons, still wearing the iron fetters of slavery,everywhere strewed the ground. It was a scene only too common inCentral Africa, where like cattle driven to the slaughter, poormiserable men are dragged in caravans for hundreds of weary miles, toperish on the road in countless numbers beneath the trader's lash, tosuccumb to the mingled horrors of fatigue, privation, and disease, or,if provisions fail, to be butchered, without pity or remorse, by swordand gun.

  That slave-caravans had passed that way was too obvious to permit adoubt. For at least a mile, at almost every step Dick came in contactwith the scattered bones; while ever and again huge goat suckers,disturbed by the approach of the travellers, rose with flapping wings,and circled round their heads.

  The youth's heart sank with secret dismay lest Mrs. Weldon shoulddivine the meaning of this ghastly scene, and appeal to him forexplanation, but fortunately she had again insisted on carrying herlittle patient, and although the child was fast asleep, he absorbed herwhole attention. Nan was by her side, almost equally engrossed. Old Tomalone was fully alive to the significance of his surroundings, and withdowncast eyes he mournfully pursued his march. Full of amazement, theother negroes looked right and left upon what might appear to them asthe upheaval of some vast cemetery, but they uttered no word of inquiryor surprise.

  Meantime the bed of the stream had increased both in breadth and depth,and the rivulet had in a degree lost its character of a rushingtorrent. This was a change which Dick Sands observed hopefully,interpreting it as an indication that it might itself become navigable,or would empty itself into some more important tributary of theAtlantic. His resolve was fixed: he would follow its course at allhazards. As soon, therefore, as he found that the elephant's track wasquitting the water's edge, he made up his mind to abandon it, and hadno hesitation in again resorting to the use of the axe. Once more,then, commenced the labour of cutting a way through the entanglement ofbushes and creepers that were thick upon the soil. It was no longerforest through which they were wending their arduous path; trees werecomparatively rare; only tall clumps of bamboos rose above the grass,so high, however, that even Hercules could not see above them, and thepassage of the little troop could only have been discovered by therustling in the stalks.

  In the course of the afternoon, the soil became soft and marshy. It wasevident that the travellers were crossing plains that in a long rainyseason must be inundated. The ground was carpeted with luxuriant mossesand graceful ferns, and the continual appearance of brown hematitewherever there was a rise in the soil, betokened the existence of arich vein of metal beneath.

  Remembering what he had read in Dr. Livingstone's account of thesetreacherous swamps, Dick bade his companions take their footing warily.He himself led the way. Tom expressed his surprise that the groundshould be so soaked when there had been no rain for some time.

  "I think we shall have a storm soon," said Bat,

  "All the more reason, then," replied Dick, "why we should get away fromthese marshes as quickly as possible. Carry Jack again, Hercules; andyou, Bat and Austin, keep close to Mrs. Weldon, so as to be able toassist her if she wants your help. But take care, take care, Mr.Benedict!" he cried out in sudden alarm; "what are you doing, sir?"

  "I'm slipping in," was poor Benedict's helpless reply. He had troddenupon a kind of quagmire and, as though a trap had been opened beneathhis feet, was fast disappearing into the slough. Assistance wasimmediately rendered, and the unfortunate naturalist was dragged out,covered with mud almost to his waist, but thoroughly satisfied becausehis precious box of specimens had suffered no injury. Actaeon undertookfor the future to keep close to his side, and endeavour to avoid arepetition of the mishap.

  The accident could not be said to be altogether free from unpleasantconsequences. Air-bubbles in great numbers had risen to the surface ofthe mire from which Benedict had been extricated, and as they burstthey disseminated an odious stench that was well-nigh intolerable. Thepassage of these pestilential districts is not unfrequently verydangerous, and Livingstone, who on several occasions waded through themin mud that reached to his breast, compares them to great spongescomposed of black porous earth, in which every footstep causes streamsof moisture to ooze out.

  For well nigh half a mile they had now to wend their cautious wayacross this spongy soil. Mrs. Weldon, ankle-deep in the soft mud, wasat last compelled to come to a stand-still; and Hercules, Bat, andAustin, all resolved that she should be spared further discomfort, andinsisted upon weaving some bamboos into a litter, upon which, aftermuch reluctance to become such a burden, she was induced, with Jackbeside her, to take her place.

  After the delay thus caused, the procession again started on itsperilous route. Dick Sands continued to walk at the head, in order totest the stability of the footing; Action followed, holding CousinBenedict firmly by the arm; Tom took charge of old Nan, who without hissupport would certainly have fallen into the quagmire; and the threeother negroes carried the litter in the rear. It was a matter of thegreatest difficulty to find a path that was sufficiently firm; themethod they adopted was to pick their way as much as possible on thelong rank grass that on the margin of the swamps was tolerably tough;but in spite of the greatest precaution, there was not one of them whoescaped occasionally sinking up to his knees in slush.

  At about five o'clock they were relieved by finding themselves onground of a more clayey character; it was still soft and porous below,but its surface was hard enough to g
ive a secure foothold. There werewatery pores that percolated the subsoil, and these gave evidentwitness to the proximity of a river-district.

  The heat would have been intolerably oppressive if it had not beentempered by some heavy storm-clouds which obstructed the directinfluence of the sun's rays. Lightning was observed to be playingfaintly about the sky, and there was now and again the low growl ofdistant thunder. The indications of a gathering storm were too manifestto be disregarded, and Dick could not help being very uneasy. He hadheard of the extreme violence of African storms, and knew that torrentsof rain, hurricanes that no tree could resist, and thunderbolt afterthunderbolt were the usual accompaniment of these tempests. And here inthis lowland desert, which too surely would be completely inundated,there would not be a tree to which they could resort for shelter, whileit would likewise be utterly vain to hope to obtain a refuge byexcavation, as water would be found only two feet below the surface.

  Another brilliant flash brought the camp once again intorelief.]

  After scrutinizing the landscape, however, he noticed some lowelevations on the north that seemed to form the boundary of the marshyplain. A few trees were scattered along their summits; if his partycould get no other shelter here, he hoped they would be able to findthemselves free from any danger caused by the rising flood.

  "Push on, friends, push on!" he cried; "three miles more, and we shallbe out of this treacherous lowland."

  His words served to inspire a fresh confidence, and in spite of all theprevious fatigue, every energy was brought into play with renewedvigour. Hercules, in particular, seemed ready to carry the whole party,if it had been in his power.

  The storm was not long in beginning. The rising ground was still twomiles away. Although the sun was above the horizon, the darkness wasalmost complete; the overhanging volumes of vapour sank lower and lowertowards the earth, but happily the full force of the deluge which mustultimately come did not descend as yet. Lightning, red and blue,flashed on every side and appeared to cover the ground with a networkof flame.

  Ever and again the little knot of travellers were in peril of beingstruck by the thunderbolts which, on that treeless plain, had no otherobject of attraction. Poor little Jack, who had been awakened by theperpetual crashes, buried his face in terror in Hercules' breast,anxious, however, not to distress his mother by any outward exhibitionof alarm. The good-natured negro endeavoured to pacify him by promisesthat the lightning should not touch him, and the child, ever confidentin the protection of his huge friend, lost something of his nervousness.

  But it could not be long before the clouds would burst and dischargethe threatened down-pour.

  "What are we to do, Tom?" asked Dick, drawing up close to the negro'sside.

  "We must make a rush for it; push on with all the speed we can."

  "But where?" cried Dick.

  "Straight on," was the prompt reply; "if the rain catches us here onthe plain we shall all be drowned."

  "But where are we to go?" repeated Dick, in despair; "if only therewere a hut! But look, look there!"

  A vivid flash of lightning had lit up the country, and Dick declaredthat he could see a camp which could hardly be more than a quarter of amile ahead.

  The negro looked doubtful.

  "I saw it too," he assented: "but if it be a camp at all it would be acamp of natives; and to fall into that would involve us in a worse fatethan the rain."

  Another brilliant flash brought the camp once again into relief; itappeared to be made up of about a hundred conical tents, arranged verysymmetrically, each of them being from twelve to fifteen feet inheight. It had the appearance, from a distance, of being deserted; ifit were really so, it would afford just the shelter that was needed;otherwise, at all hazards, it must be most carefully avoided.

  "I will go in advance," said Dick, after a moment's reflection, "andreconnoitre it."

  "Let one of us, at least, go with you," replied Tom.

  "No, stay where you are; I shall be much less likely to be discoveredif I go alone."

  Without another word, he darted off, and was soon lost in the sombredarkness that was only broken by the frequent lightning.

  Large drops of rain were now beginning to fall.

  Tom and Dick had been walking some little distance in advance of therest of the party, who consequently had not overheard theirconversation. A halt being made, Mrs. Weldon inquired what was thematter. Tom explained that a camp or village had been noticed a littleway in front, and that the captain had gone forward to investigate it.Mrs. Weldon asked no further questions, but quietly waited the result.It was only a few minutes before Dick returned.

  "You may come on," he cried.

  "Is the camp deserted?" asked Tom.

  "It is not a camp at all; it is a lot of ant-hills!"

  "Ant-hills!" echoed Benedict, suddenly aroused into a state ofexcitement.

  One after another, the whole party made their way inside]

  "No doubt of it, Mr. Benedict." replied Dick; "they are ant-hillstwelve feet high at least: and I hope we shall be able to get intothem."

  "Twelve feet!" the naturalist repeated; "they must be those of thetermites, the white ants; there is no other insect that could makethem. Wonderful architects are the termites."

  "Termites, or whatever they are, they will have to turn out for us,"said Dick.

  "But they will eat us up!" objected Benedict.

  "I can't help that," retorted Dick; "go we must, and go at once."

  "But stop a moment," continued the provoking naturalist; "stop, andtell me: I can't be wrong: I always thought that white ants could neverbe found elsewhere than in Africa."

  "Come along, sir, I say; come along, quick!" shouted Dick, terrifiedlest Mrs. Weldon should have overheard him.

  They hurried on. A wind had risen; large spattering drops were nowbeginning to fall more heavily on the ground and in a few minutes itwould be impossible to stand against the advancing tempest. The nearestof the accumulation of ant-hills was reached in time, and howeverdangerous their occupants might be, it was decided either to expelthem, or to share their quarters. Each cone was formed of a kind ofreddish clay, and had a single opening at its base. Hercules took hishatchet, and quickly enlarged the aperture till it would admit his ownhuge body. Not an ant made its appearance. Cousin Benedict expressedhis extreme surprise. But the structure unquestionably was empty, andone after another the whole party made their way inside.

  The rain by this time was descending in terrific torrents, strongenough to extinguish, one would think, the most violent explosions ofthe electric fluid. But the travellers were secure in their shelter,and had nothing to fear for the present; their tenement was of greaterstability than a tent or a native hut. It was one of those marvellousstructures erected by little insects, which to Cameron appeared evenmore wonderful than the upraising of the Egyptian pyramids by humanhands. To use his own comparison, it might be likened to theconstruction of a Mount Everest, the loftiest of the Himalayan peaks,by the united labour of a nation.