CHAPTER XXII
A HURRICANE IN THE JUNGLE
On and on went the expedition. In the past many small towns andvillages had been visited where there were more or less whitepeople; but now they reached a territory where the blacks heldfull sway, with--but this was rarely--a Christian missionaryamong them.
At all of the places which were visited Cujo inquired about KingSusko and his people, and at last learned that the African hadpassed to the southeast along the Kassai River, driving before himseveral hundred head of cattle which he had picked up here andthere.
"Him steal dat cattle," explained Cujo, "but him don't say datstealin', him say um--um--"
"A tax on the people?" suggested Dick.
"Yes, um tax. But him big Vief."
"He must be, unless he gives the people some benefit for the taxthey are forced to pay," said Tom.
At one of the villages they leaned that there was anotherAmerican Party in that territory, one sent out by an Easterncollege to collect specimens of the flora of central Africa. Itwas said that the party consisted of an elderly man and half adozen young fellows.
"I wouldn't mind meeting that crowd," said Sam. "They mightbrighten up things a bit."
"Never mind; things will pick up when once we meet King Susko,"said Dick. "But I would like to know where the crowd is from andwho is in it."
"It's not likely we would know them if they are from the East,"said Sam. "Probably they hail from Yale or Harvard."
Two days later the storm which Cujo had predicted for some timecaught them while they were in the midst of an immense forest ofteak and rosewood. It was the middle of the afternoon, yet thesky became as black as night, while from a distance came the lowrumble of thunder. There was a wind rushing high up in the air,but as yet this had not come down any further than the treetops.The birds of the jungle took up the alarm and filled the forestwith their discordant cries, and even the monkeys, which were nownumerous, sit up a jabber which would have been highly trying tothe nerves of a nervous person.
"Yes, we catch um," said Cujo, in reply to Dick's question. "Melook for safe place too stay."
"You think the storm will be a heavy one?" asked Randolph Roveranxiously.
"Werry heavy, massah; werry heavy," returned Cujo. "Come wid me,all ob you," and he set off on a run.
All followed as quickly as they could, and soon found themselvesunder a high mass of rocks overlooking the Kassai River. They hadhardly gained the shelter when the storm burst over their heads inall of its wild fury.
"My, but this beats anything that I ever saw before!" cried Sam,as the wind began to rush by them with ever-increasing velocity.
"Him blow big by-me-by," said Cujo with a sober face. "Him bigstorm, dis."
"The air was full of a moanin' sound," to use Aleck's way ofexpressing it. It came from a great distance and caused themonkeys and birds to set up more of a noise than ever. The treeswere now swaying violently, and presently from a distance came acrack like that of a big pistol.
"Was that a tree went down?" asked Randolph Rover, and Cujonodded. "It is a good thing, then, that we got out of theforest."
"Big woods werry dangerous in heap storm like dis," answered theAfrican. "Tree come down, maybe kill um. Hark! now um comin'!"
He crouched down between two of the largest rocks and instinctivelythe others followed suit. The "moanin" increased until, with aroar and a rush, a regular tropical hurricane was upon them.The blackness of the atmosphere was filled with flying treebranches and scattered vines, while the birds, large and small,swept past like chips on a swiftly flowing river, powerless tosave themselves in those fierce gusts.
"Keep down, for your lives!" shouted Randolph Rover; but the roarof the elements drowned out his voice completely. However, nobodythought of rising, and the tree limbs and vines passed harmlesslyover their heads.
The first rush of wind over, the rain began, to fall, at first indrops as big as a quarter-dollar and then in a deluge whichspeedily converted the hollows among the rocks into deep pools andsoaked everybody to his very skin. Soon the water was up to theirknees and pouring down into the river like a regular cataract.
"This is a soaker and no mistake," said Sam, during a brief lullin the downpour. "Why, I never saw so much water come down in mylife."
"It's a hurricane," answered Randolph Rover, "It may keep on--"
He got no further, for at that instant a blinding flash oflightning caused everybody to jump in alarm. Then came anear-splitting crack of thunder and up the river they saw amagnificent baobab tree, which had reared its stately head over ahundred feet high from the ground, come crashing down, split intwain as by a Titan's ax. The blackened stump was left standing,and soon--this burst into flames, to blaze away until anotherdownpour of rain put out the conflagration.
"My, but that dun been awful!" murmured Aleck with a shiver. "Iseglad we didn't take no shelter under dat tree."
"Amen," said Tom. He had been on the point of making some jokeabout the storm, but now the fun was knocked completely out ofhim.
It rained for the rest of the day and all of the night, and foronce all hands felt thoroughly, miserable. Several times theyessayed to start a fire, by which to dry themselves and makesomething hot to drink, but each time the rain put out the blaze.What they had to eat was not only cold, but more or lesswater-soaked, and it was not until the next noon that they managed tocook a meal.
When at last the sun did come out, however, it shone, so Sam putit, "with a vengeance." There was not a cloud left, and thedirect rays of the great orb of day caused a rapid evaporation ofthe rain, so that the ground seemed to be covered with a sort ofmist. On every side could be seen the effects of the hurricane-brokentrees, washed-out places along the river, and dead birdsand small animals, including countless monkeys. The monkeys madethe boys' hearts ache, especially one big female, that was foundtightly clasping two little baby monkeys to her breast.
The storm had swollen the river to such an extent that they wereforced to leave the beaten track Cujo had been pursuing and taketo another trail which reached out to the southward. Here theypassed a small village occupied entirely by negroes, and Cujolearned from them that King Susko had passed that way but fivedays before. He had had no cattle with him, the majority of hisfollowers having taken another route. It was thought by some ofthe natives that King Susko was bound for a mountain known as theHakiwaupi--or Ghost-of-Gold.
"The Ghost-of-Gold!" repeated Dick. "Can that be the mountainfather was searching for when he came to Africa?"
Inquiries from Cujo elicited the information that the mountainmentioned was located about one hundred miles away, in the centerof an immense plain. It was said to be full of gold, but likewisehaunted by the ghost of a departed warrior known to the natives asGnu-ho-mumoli--Man-of-the-Gnu-eye.
"I reckon that ghost story, was started, by somebody who wanted,to keep the wealth of che mountain to himself," observed Tom. "Idon't believe in ghosts, do you, Cujo?"
The tall African shrugged his ebony shoulders, "Maybe no ghost--butif dare is, no want to see 'um," he said laconically.Nevertheless he did not object to leading them in the direction ofthe supposedly haunted mountain.
So far the natives had been more or less friendly, but now thosethat were met said but little to Cujo, while scowls at the whiteswere frequent. It was learned that the college party from theEast was in the vicinity.
"Perhaps they did something to offend the natives," observedRandolph Rover. "As you can see, they are simple and childlike intheir ways, and as quickly offended on one hand as they arepleased on the other. All of you must be careful in yourtreatment of them, otherwise we may get into serious trouble."
The Rover Boys in the Jungle; Or, Stirring Adventures in Africa Page 22