Hair-Breadth Escapes Part 27

"That where rainmaker fasten Patoto 'bout six months ago. Patoto strong brave man, favourite with Chuma. Maomo jealous. He pretend Patoto bewitch people. Nyzee, Chuma's young wife, very sick, Maomo say Patoto bewitched her, and Nyzee believe it and persuade Chuma. Patoto say it no true, but no one believe him. He sentenced to same death as White Prophet. Kobo saw him fastened to ant-hill. Six strong posts driven into ground. Patoto's feet tied with rheims to two; his hands to two more; broad rhinoceros straps fastened to other two over Patoto's belly.

They strip him naked first, for why--no good to leave clothes on him, ants eat--"

"I understand, Kobo," exclaimed Warley, interrupting the horrible narrative, which he could not endure to hear. "But why did not you set him at liberty, as you have set us?"

"Eh! Patoto only black man--not like White Prophet," answered Kobo, coolly; "besides, chief set men to watch, for fear Patoto himself get away when ant begin to eat--"

"Be silent, for Heaven's sake," exclaimed De Walden, who had hitherto repressed his emotion, but could now bear no more. "Blessed be His holy name, who has delivered His servant from torments, which are unendurable even in thought. Let us speak no further of them. How far, and in what direction, do you propose that we should proceed to-night?"

"We fly towards Basuto country. Basutos and Bechuanas not friends, or Chuma send message for White Prophet to be given back to him."

"The Basutos! Very good. I can speak their language, and they will very likely shelter us until we are rested sufficiently to travel to Cape Town. But the Basuto country lies at some distance, does it not?"

"Yes, several days' journey. But when we have pa.s.sed Koodoo's kloof, all safe."

"Koodoo's kloof? What, on the Vaal river? The river is not pa.s.sable there."

"Ah, you not know. We pa.s.s all safe, so they not catch us."

The missionary said no more. Kobo evidently knew what he was about, and there was very little chance of their escaping from their pursuers except through his help. By his skilful management they had probably secured several hours' start, but that was all. The Bechuanas would be sure to be on their track on the following day, and their swiftness of foot was proverbial even among the Kaffir tribes. He resolved to attend implicitly to Kobo's instructions, and a few words from him prevailed on the lads to do the same.

They hurried on till the forenoon of the next day, and then rested only a few hours during the meridian heat, resuming their journey with a speed which taxed the boys' powers to the utmost, and against which they would have rebelled, if they had not been plainly told by their guide that their lives depended on the speed with which that and the following day's travel could be accomplished. Kobo allowed another halt shortly before midnight, and the lads were further refreshed by a bathe in a deep cavity in the rock where the rain water had collected, before setting out on the following morning. The character of the country they were traversing now became more pleasing, and seemed to promise abundant shade and plenty as they advanced. The landscape was varied by groves of palms and sycamores; and not unfrequently date trees and figs offered to the travellers their ripe and tempting fruit. The dark-foliaged moshoma was relieved by the yellow of the mimosa, and the lilac of the plumbago. Herds of antelopes, and occasionally graceful koodoos and elands, bounded by them, and little rivulets, evidently on their way to mingle with some large river, covered the ground with a carpet of verdure.

"Vaal river near now," remarked Kobo, when they paused a little before moonrise on the evening of the second day. "White boys travel fast-- travel like men. Bechuanas not catch them."

"That is good hearing at all events," remarked Nick. "A fellow never knows what he can do till he's tried. I didn't believe I could have gone such a distance in three days, as I really have gone in less than two--no, not to save my life."

"Well, it has been to save your life," remarked Warley; "you forget that."

"No, I don't," retorted the other. "It's about the only thing I'm safe not to forget! Well, Kobo, when shall we get to this kloof of yours-- to-night, or to-morrow morning?"

"To-morrow," said the Bechuana, "'bout ten o'clock, if all well."

They resumed their journey before daybreak, in no way abating their speed, though the stamina of the three younger travellers seemed now on the point of giving way. They struggled on, however, hour after hour, until the sun began to mount high in the heavens, and the heat to grow every moment more intolerable. Then, suddenly, Kobo pointed with his finger to a narrow ravine, richly wooded with trees of every variety of leaf, running between two lofty mountain ridges, and exclaimed--

"That Koodoo's kloof. We safe now!"

Another quarter of an hour brought them within the shelter of the n.o.ble trees, which extended their network of delicious shade overhead. Kobo led them on by a path, which gradually sloped downwards for nearly half a mile, till the sound of running water broke upon their ears, and they found themselves on the margin of a broad and rapid river.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

A RAFT--FATE OF MAOMO--THE ISLAND--A STRANGE APPARITION--A HIPPOPOTAMUS HUNT--THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGER--NICK AGAIN--THE HIPPOPOTAMUS TRAP.

"Well, we are here," said Frank, an hour or so afterwards as they still lay on the gra.s.sy bank of the stream, enjoying alike the rest to their limbs, and the delicious coolness of the river breeze. "We are here, thanks to you, Kobo, for the same. But how we are to get across beats me altogether. This is not a narrow channel over which you could drop a tree; and if it had been, the cliffs opposite are two or three hundred feet high, and go down straight into the water. It is too deep to ford, and too rapid to swim, even if there was a landing-place on the other side, which there is not."

"No want to cross river," answered the Bechuana, briefly.

"Not want to cross it, Kobo?" asked Warley, "why I thought you said this was the point to which Chuma might pursue us, but he dare not go beyond it."

"So I did. See now; give me the axe."

He got up as he spoke, and began lopping off the boughs of a large willow, which grew at no great distance from the spot where they had been resting, choosing those which were about six inches in diameter.

When he had collected a sufficient number of them, he reduced them all to an uniform length of some ten feet, and laid them on the ground side by side. He then tore down a number of parasitical creepers, which were almost as tough and pliant as so many cords, and began binding the logs together by their means.

"What are you making, Kobo?" inquired Nick, after contemplating his proceeding for some minutes with much interest. "Make raft, cover it with reeds, and launch it on river. It carry us to island yonder." He pointed as he spoke to a group of trees, growing apparently in the middle of the river's channel, at the distance of perhaps a mile.

"There we rest, find plenty of food, fruit, and fish too. Then I go to look for Basuto people, and tell them 'bout white men."

"Cover the raft with reeds? Hadn't we better go and cut some, then?"

suggested Warley; "or, rather, hadn't. Nick and Frank better go and gather them, while I help you to tie the logs."

"Very good. They two take axe, one cut reeds, other bring them in armfuls."

Mr De Walden did not awake from the sleep into which he had fallen immediately on reaching the bank, until the raft was nearly completed.

He understood at once the purpose for which it was constructed. "It will bear us safely enough, no doubt," he said, "and we shall find abundance of food on the island; but will not the Bechuanas suspect the place of our retreat, and follow us?"

"Bechuanas not venture on Yellow River," said Kobo; "besides, if they make raft, we shoot them from island, as easy as so many sheep. Kobo kill them all with bow and arrow--say nothing of guns."

"That is true," said De Walden; "and besides we could use our own raft to escape to the opposite sh.o.r.e before they came up. Well, we had better push the raft into the stream, hadn't we? It seems to be finished; and there is no wisdom in staying here longer than can be helped."

Kobo a.s.sented, and Frank coming up at that moment with his last heap of reeds, the four, by their united exertions, launched their handiwork, which was found to float very well. The guns, with the rest of the baggage, were then put on board; some long poles selected to serve as paddles, or puntpoles, as occasion might require; and the adventurers prepared to commence their voyage as soon as Nick joined them.

This he did almost immediately afterwards, but in breathless haste and alarm.

"Get on to the raft and push off," he cried, as soon as he was able to command his voice. "The Bechuanas are after us, with that scoundrel Maomo at their head."

He was obeyed with the utmost prompt.i.tude. In two minutes they had pushed from the sh.o.r.e and were beginning to catch the current, when the truth of Gilbert's words was proved by a headlong rush of Bechuanas to the riverside, made in the hope of arresting the progress of the raft.

They darted their a.s.segais after the travellers, and cast long la.s.soes of leather; some of them even rushed into the water, trying to seize the logs with their hands.

"Stoop down!" shouted Kobo; "they shoot arrows." All five threw themselves on their faces among the reeds, just in time to allow a flight of arrows to pa.s.s over them and bespatter the surface of the river beyond.

"Ah, you catch that," cried Kobo, as he drew his bowstring in answer, and saw his arrow quivering in the neck of the rainmaker. "You no cure that, Maomo--you clever doctor, but no cure that! Him dead," he continued, complacently addressing his companions, "him dead in half an hour. Poison quite fresh and good!"

"Unhappy wretch!" exclaimed the missionary, as he watched the Bechuanas gather in dismay round their fallen prophet. "I have no doubt you speak the truth, Kobo; and the impostor drew his fate upon himself. But it is a fearful ending! When will the light of G.o.d's truth shine in this benighted land?"

"Yes, Kobo speak truth," said the guide, answering the only part of De Walden's speech which he understood. "Kobo speak truth--Maomo dead for certain--he suffer bad pain too. Ah, they carry him away. No trouble us more."

The raft was by this time in the central channel of the river, sweeping rapidly down towards the island. In about half an hour this was reached; and Kobo steering it towards a spot where several willows stretched out into the stream, contrived to lodge it securely between two of them. The party then landed, and carried all their goods on sh.o.r.e; after which Kobo directed them to haul the raft also on to the bank, and hide it carefully among the long gra.s.s and rushes.

"People no come that way," he said, pointing down the river; "large deep falls, and no come from that bank--rocks too steep and high. But may come from other bank, or same way as we, from further down. Sometimes Basutos hunt ''potmus,' as white man call him."

"Hippopotamuses!" exclaimed Frank. "Are there any of them hereabouts?"

"Plenty 'potmus. All along that bank--wonder we not see them. All among canes there--feed at night mostly--come out by and by."

The raft was by this time hidden away, and the boys, under Kobo's guidance, proceeded to explore the island, which was perhaps two hundred feet in length, by thirty in width. It was covered with a rich growth of mossy gra.s.s, interspersed with flowers of every variety of colour, and of the rarest fragrance. Wild geraniums, jessamines, arums, lilies scarlet and blue and purple, spread like a gorgeous carpet underfoot.

Overhead pear trees, pomegranates, and wild plums, figs, quinces, and bananas, were intermingled with the foliage of the cypress, the gum, the willow, and a hundred others. Kobo might well say there was plenty of food to be obtained in the island, which seemed to them to be like an enchanted garden. They were delighted with the prospect of remaining there some days to rest and refresh themselves, while Kobo went on his errand. They soon chose the spot where they meant to fix their headquarters. Just about the middle of the islet, three large fig trees and a date grew so near to one another, that their interlacing boughs formed a roof impenetrable alike to sun or storm. The undergrowth of shrubs between the boles was soon cleared away by the help of the axe, and left a sort of bower about twelve feet square, open only on one side, and tapestried, as it were, with the loveliest flowers. Here they piled together the heaps of reed from the raft, which the sun had already dried, to make their beds, and here they sat down, an hour or two after their arrival, to enjoy the luxury of an abundant repast, and a long night of unbroken rest after it.