The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile - Samuel White Baker (paper ebook reader .TXT) 📗
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them. This they boiled and mixed with honey, and they were shortly
sitting round an immense circular bowl of this rarity, enjoying
themselves thoroughly, but nevertheless grumbling as usual. In the
coolest manner possible the great and greedy chief, Legge, who had
refused to give or even to sell anything to keep us from starving, no
sooner saw the men at their novel repast than he sat down among them and
almost choked himself by cramming handfuls of the hot rice and honey
into his mouth, which yawned like that of an old hippopotamus. The men
did not at all approve of this assistance, but as it is the height of
bad manners in Arab etiquette to repel a self-invited guest from the
general meal, he was not interfered with, and was thus enabled to
swallow the share of about three persons.
Legge, although worse than the rest of his tribe, had a similar
formation of head. The Bari and those Tollogo and Ellyria have generally
bullet-shaped heads, low foreheads, skulls heavy behind the ears and
above the nape of the neck: altogether their appearance is excessively
brutal, and they are armed with bows six feet long and arrows horribly
barbed and poisoned.
CHAPTER V.
LEAVE ELLYRIA.
ALTHOUGH Ellyria was a rich and powerful country, we had not been able
to procure any provisions—the natives refused to sell, and their
general behaviour was such that assured me of their capability of any
atrocity had they been prompted to attack us by the Turks. Fortunately
we had a good supply of meal that had been prepared for the journey
prior to our departure from Gondokoro: thus we could not starve. I also
had a sack of corn for the animals, a necessary precaution, as at this
season there was not a blade of grass; all in the vicinity of the route
having been burnt.
We started on the 30th March, at 7.30 A.M., and opened from the valley
of Ellyria upon a perfectly flat country interspersed with trees. After
an hour’s march we halted at a small stream of bad water. We had kisras
and honey for breakfast; but, for several days not having tasted meat, I
took the rifle for a stroll through the forest in search of game. After
an hour’s ramble I returned without having fired a shot. I had come upon
fresh tracks of Tetel (hartebeest) and guinea-fowl, but they had
evidently come down to the stream to drink, and had wandered back into
the interior. If game was scarce, fruit was plentiful—both Richarn
and I were loaded with a species of yellow plum as large as an egg;
these grew in prodigious numbers upon fine forest trees, beneath which
the ground was yellow with the quantities that had fallen from the
boughs; these were remarkably sweet, and yet acid, with much juice, and
a very delicious flavour.
At 11:25 we again started for a long march, our course being east. The
ground was most favourable for the animals, being perfectly flat and
free from ravines. We accordingly stepped along at a brisk pace, and the
intense heat of the sun throughout the hottest hours of the day made the
journey fatiguing for all but the camels. The latter were excellent of
their class, and now far excelled the other transport animals, marching
along with ease under loads of about 600 lbs. each.
My caravan was at the rear of the trader’s party; but the ground being
good, we left our people and cantered on to the advanced flag. It was
curious to witness the motley assemblage in single file extending over
about half a mile of ground:—several of the people were mounted on
donkeys; some on oxen: the most were on foot, including all the women to
the number of about sixty, who were the slaves of the trader’s people.
These carried heavy loads; and many, in addition to the burdens, carried
children strapped to their backs in leather slings.
After four or five hours’ march during the intense heat many of the
overloaded women showed symptoms of distress, and became footsore;—
the grass having been recently burnt had left the sharp charred stumps,
which were very trying to those whose sandals were not in the best
condition. The women were forced along by their brutal owners with sharp
blows of the coorbatch; and one who was far advanced in pregnancy could
at length go no farther. Upon this the savage to whom she belonged
belaboured her with a large stick, and not succeeding in driving her
before him, he knocked her down and jumped upon her. The woman’s feet
were swollen and bleeding, but later in the day again saw her hobbling
along in the rear by the aid a bamboo.
The traders march in good form; one flag leads the party, guarded by
eight or ten men, while a native carries a box of five hundred
cartridges for their use in case of an attack. The porters and baggage
follow in single file, soldiers being at intervals to prevent them from
running away; in which case the runner is invariably fired at The supply
of ammunition is in the centre, carried generally by about fifteen
natives, and strongly escorted by guards. The rear of the party is
closed by another flag behind which no straggler is permitted. The rear
flag is also guarded by six or eight men, with a box of spare
ammunition. With these arrangements the party is always ready to support
an attack.
Ibrahim, my new ally, was now riding in front of the line, carrying on
his saddle before him a pretty little girl, his daughter, a child of a
year and a half old; her mother, a remarkably pretty Bari girl, one of
his numerous wives, was riding behind him on an ox. We soon got into
conversation;—a few pieces of sugar given to the child and mother by
Mrs. Baker was a sweet commencement; and Ibrahim then told me to beware
of my own men, as he knew they did not intend to remain with me; that
they were a different tribe from his men, and they would join Chenooda’s
people and desert me on our arrival at their station in Latooka. This
was a corroboration of all I had heard previous to leaving Gondokoro,
therefore I had the promised mutiny in perspective. I had noticed that
my men were even more sullen than usual since I had joined Ibrahim;
however, I succeeded in convincing him that he would benefit so
decidedly by an alliance with me, that he now frankly told me that I
should receive no opposition from his party. So far all had prospered
beyond my most sanguine expectations. We were fairly launched upon our
voyage, and now that we were in the wild interior, I determined to crush
the mutiny with an iron hand should the rascals attempt to carry their
murderous threats into execution. Two or three of the men appeared
willing, but the original ringleader, “Bellaal,” would literally do
nothing, not even assisting at loading the animals; but swaggering about
with the greatest insolence.
After a fatiguing march of eight hours and ten minutes through a
perfectly flat country interspersed with trees, we halted at a little
well of excessively bad water at 7.35 P.M. The horses were so much in
advance that the main party did not arrive until 11 P.M. completely
fatigued. The night being fine, we slept on a hillock of sand a few
yards from the well, rejoiced to be away from the mosquitoes of
Gondokoro.
On the following morning we started at sunrise, and in two hours’ fast
marching we arrived at the Kanieti river Although there had been no
rain, the stream was very rapid and up to the girths of the horses at
the ford. The banks were very abrupt and about fifteen feet deep, the
bed between forty and fifty yards wide; thus a considerable volume of
water is carried down to the river Sobat by this river during the rains.
The whole drainage of the country, tends to the east, and accordingly
flows into the Sobat.
The range of mountains running south from Ellyria is the watershed
between the east and west drainage; the Sobat receiving it on the one
hand, and the White Nile on the other, while the Nile eventually
receives the entire flow by the Sobat, as previously mentioned, in lat.
9 degrees 22 minutes. Having scrambled up the steep bank of the Kanieti
river, we crossed a large field of dhurra, and arrived at the village of
Wakkala. The village, or town, is composed of about seven hundred
houses, the whole being most strongly protected by a system of palisades
formed of “babanoose,” the hard iron wood of the country. Not only is it
thus fortified, but the palisades are also protected by a hedge of
impervious thorns that grow to a height of about twenty feet. The
entrance to this fort is a curious archway, about ten feet deep, formed
of the ironwood palisades, with a sharp turn to the right and left
forming a zigzag. The whole of the village thus fenced is situated in
the midst of a splendid forest of large timber. The inhabitants of
Wakkala are the same as the Ellyria, but governed by an independent
chief. They are great hunters; and as we arrived I saw several parties
returning from the forest with portions of wild boar and buffalo.
From Gondokoro to this spot I had not seen a single head of game, but
the immediate neighbourhood of Wakkala was literally trodden down by the
feet of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, rhinoceros, and varieties of
large antelopes.
Having examined the village, I ordered my people to unload the animals
in the forest about a quarter of a mile from the entrance. The soil was
extremely rich, and the ground being shaded from the scorching rays of
the sun by the large trees, there was abundance of fine grass, which
accounted for the presence of the game: good pasturage, extensive
forests, and a plentiful supply of water insuring the supply of wild
animals.
In a few minutes my horses and donkeys were luxuriating on the rich
herbage, not having tasted grass for some days; the camels revelled in
the foliage of the dark green mimosas; and the men, having found on the
march a buffalo that had been caught in a trap and there killed by a
lion, obtained some meat, and the whole party were feeding. We had
formed a kind of arbour by hacking out with a sabre a delightful shady
nook in the midst of a dense mass of creepers, and there we feasted upon
a couple of roast fowls that we had procured from the natives for glass
beads. This was the first meat we had tasted since we had quitted
Gondokoro.
At 5.10 P.M. we left this delightful spot, and marched. Emerging from
the forest we broke upon a beautiful plain of fine low grass, bounded on
our right hand by jungle. This being the cool hour of evening, the plain
was alive with game, including buffaloes, zebras, and many varieties of
large antelopes. It was a most enlivening sight to see them scouring
over the plain as we advanced; but our large party, and three red flags
streaming in the breeze, effectually prevented us from getting
sufficiently near for a shot.
I was sorely tempted to remain in this Elysium for a few days’ shooting,
but the importance of an advance was too great to permit of any thoughts
of amusement; thus, I could only indulge a sportsman’s feelings by
feasting my eyes upon the beautiful herds before me.
At a quarter past seven we bivouacked in thick jungle. In
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