By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XI: A HOSTILE TRIBE

  Every step that he went the ground grew softer and more swampy, andhe at length determined to push on no farther in this direction, butturning to his left to try and gain higher ground, and then to continueon the line he had marked out for himself.

  His progress was now very slow. The bush was thick and close, thornyplants and innumerable creepers continually barred his way, and thenecessity for constantly looking up through the trees to catch a glimpseof the sun, which was his only guide, added to his difficulty. Atlength, when his watch told him it was eleven o'clock, he came to astandstill, the sun being too high overhead to serve him as a reliableguide. He had now been walking for nearly six hours, and he was utterlyworn out and exhausted, having had no food since his midday meal onthe previous day. He was devoured with thirst, having merely rinsed hismouth in the black and poisonous water of the swamps he had crossed. Hissleepless night, too, had told on him. He was bathed in perspiration,and for the last hour had scarcely been able to drag his feet along.

  He now lay down at the foot of a great tree, and for three or four hoursslept heavily. When he awoke he pursued his journey, the sun servingas a guide again. In two hours' time he had got upon higher ground. Thebrushwood was less dense, and he again turned his face to the north, andstepped forward with renewed hopes.

  It was late in the afternoon when he came upon a native path. Here hesat down to think. He did not remember having crossed such a path onthe day before. Probably it crossed the stream at some point above theencampment. Therefore it would serve as a guide, and he might, too, comeupon some native village where he could procure food. By following itfar enough he must arrive somewhere. He sat for a quarter of an hour torest himself, and then proceeded along the path, whose direction seemedto be the northwest.

  For an hour he proceeded and then paused, hearing a sudden outcry ahead.Scampering along the path came a number of great baboons, and Frank atonce stepped aside into the bush to avoid them, as these are formidablecreatures when disturbed. They were of a very large species, and severalof the females had little ones clinging around their necks. In thedistance Frank could hear the shouts of some natives, and supposed thatthe monkeys had been plundering their plantations, and that they weredriving them away. The baboons passed without paying any attention tohim, but Frank observed that the last of the troop was carrying a littleone in one of its forearms.

  Frank glanced at the baby monkey and saw that it had round its waist astring of blue beads. As a string of beads is the only attire which anegro child wears until it reaches the age of ten or eleven years old,the truth at once flashed upon Frank that the baboons were carrying offa native baby, which had probably been set down by its mother while sheworked in the plantation. Instantly he drew his pistol, leaped into theroad, and fired at the retreating ape. It gave a cry, dropped the babyand turned to attack its aggressor.

  Frank waited till it was within six feet, and then shot it through thehead. He sprang forward and seized the baby, but in a moment he wasattacked by the whole party of baboons, who, barking like dogs, anduttering angry cries, rushed at him. Frank stood his ground, anddischarged the four remaining barrels of his revolver at the foremostanimals. Two of these dropped, but the others who were only woundedsprang upon him. Frank struck out with the butt end of his pistol, butin a minute he was overpowered.

  One monkey seized him by the leg with his teeth, while another bit hisarm. Others struck and scratched at him, and he was at once thrown down.He tried to defend his face with his arms, kicking and struggling tothe best of his power. With one hand he drew the long knife for skinninganimals, which he wore at his belt, and struck out fiercely, but ababoon seized his wrist in its teeth, and Frank felt that all was over,when suddenly his assailants left him, and the instant afterwards he waslifted to his feet by some negroes.

  He had, when attacked by the apes, thrown the baby into a clump of fernsclose by, in order to have the use of both his hands, and when he lookedround he found that a negress had already picked it up, and was cryingand fondling it. The negroes appeared intensely astonished at Frank'scolor, and he judged by their exclamations of surprise that, not onlyhad they not seen a white man before, but that they had not heard of onebeing in the neighborhood.

  Frank had been too severely bitten and mauled by the baboons to be ableto walk, and the negroes, seeing this, raised him, and four of themcarried him to their village, which was but a quarter of a mile distant.Here he was taken to the principal hut, and laid on a bed. His woundswere dressed with poultices formed of bruised leaves of some plant, thenatives evincing the utmost astonishment as Frank removed his clothes toenable these operations to be performed.

  By pointing to his lips he indicated that he was hungry and thirsty.Water was brought to him, and cakes made from pounded yams pressed andbaked. Having eaten and drank he closed his eyes and lay back, and thenatives, who had before been all noisily chattering together, now becamesuddenly silent, and stealing away left the strange white visitor tosleep.

  When Frank woke he could see by the light that it was early morning. Awoman with a child in her lap, whom Frank recognized as the negresswho had picked up the baby, was sitting on a low stool by his side. Onseeing him open his eyes she came to the bed, took his hand and put itto her lips, and then raised the baby triumphantly and turned it roundand round to show that it had escaped without damage. Then when Frankpointed again to his lips she brought him a pineapple, roughly cut offthe skin, and sliced it. Frank ate the juicy fruit, and felt immenselyrefreshed, for the West Coast pineapple is even more delicious thanthat found in the West Indies. Then the woman removed the bandages andapplied fresh poultices to his wounds, talking in low soft tones, and,as Frank had no doubt, expressing sorrow at their cause.

  Frank now endeavored to explain to her that he had a white companionin the woods, but the woman, not understanding, brought in two or threeother natives, who stood round the couch and endeavored to gather whathe wished to say.

  Frank held up two fingers. Then he pointed to himself and shut down onefinger, keeping the other erect, and then pointed all round to signifythat he had a friend somewhere in the wood. A grin of comprehensionstole over the faces of the negroes, and Frank saw that he wasunderstood.

  Then he again held up his two fingers, and taking the hands of thenegress raised all her fingers by the side of the white ones to signifythat there were many natives with them. Then he took aim, with animaginary gun, up at the roof of the hut, and said "Bang" very loud,and a chorus of approving laughter from the negroes showed that he wasunderstood. Then one of them pointed towards the various points of thecompass, and looked interrogatively at Frank. The sun was streaming inthrough the doorway, and he was thus able to judge of the directionin which the camp must lie. He made a sweep with his hand towards thenorthwest, signifying that they were somewhere in that direction.

  That afternoon fever set in, and for the two next days Frank wasdelirious. When he recovered consciousness he found Mr. Goodenoughsitting beside him. The latter would not suffer him to talk, but gavehim a strong dose of quinine and told him to lie quiet and go to sleep.

  It was not till the next day that Frank learned what had happened inhis absence. The Houssa had not returned until long after nightfall. Hereported that Frank had told him to wait with the guns, and that he hadwaited until it grew nearly dark. Then he had fired several times andhad walked about, firing his gun at intervals. Obtaining no responses hehad made his way back to the camp, where his arrival alone caused greatconsternation.

  It was impossible to do anything that night, and the next morning Mr.Goodenough, accompanied by five of the Houssas, one only remaining tokeep guard over the camp, had gone to the place where Frank had lastbeen seen. Then they scattered in various directions, shouting andfiring their guns. The search had been continued all day withoutsuccess, and at nightfall, disheartened and worn out, they had returnedto the camp. The next day the search had been continued with an equalwant of success, a
nd the fears that a leopard had attacked and killedFrank became stronger and stronger. On the third day the whole of thecarriers were sent out with instructions to search the woods for nativepaths, to follow these to villages, and to enlist the natives in thesearch. One of these men had met one of the villagers on the search forthe party of the white man.

  It was another ten days before Frank was sufficiently recovered from hisfever and wounds to march back to the camp. After a stay there of twoor three more days, to enable him completely to regain his strength, theparty started again on their journey.

  In another three weeks they had descended the hills, and the Fansannounced their unwillingness to travel farther. Mr. Goodenough,however, told them quietly that they had promised to go on until hecould obtain other carriers, and that if they deserted him he should paythem nothing. They might now expect every day to meet people of anothertribe, and as soon as they should do so they would be allowed to depart.Finding that he was firm, and having no desire to forfeit the wages theyhad earned, the Fans agreed to go forward, although they were now in acountry entirely unknown to them, where the people would presumably behostile. They had, however, such faith in the arms carried by the whitemen and Houssas, that they felt comparatively easy as to the result ofany attack which might be made upon them.

  The very day after this little mutiny, smoke was seen curling up fromthe woods. Mr. Goodenough deemed it inexpedient to show himself at oncewith so large a number of men. He, therefore, sent forward Ostik withtwo of the Fans, each of whom could speak several native dialects, toannounce his coming. They returned in an hour saying that the villagewas a very large one, and that the news of the coming of two white menhad created great excitement. The people spoke of sending at once totheir king, whom they called Malembe, whose place, it seemed, was aday's march off.

  They now prepared to enter the village. Ostik went first carryinghimself with the dignity of a beadle at the head of a school procession.Two of the Houssas walked next. Mr. Goodenough and Frank followed, theirguns being carried by two Fans behind them. Then came the long line ofbearers, two of the Houssas walking on each side as a baggage guard.The villagers assembled in great numbers as they entered. The head manconducted the whites to his hut. No women or children were to be seen,and the expression of the men was that of fear rather than curiosity.

  "They are afraid of the Fans," Mr. Goodenough said. "The other tribesall have a species of terror of these cannibals. We must reassure themas soon as possible."

  A long palaver then took place with the chief, with whose language oneof the Fans was sufficiently acquainted to make himself understood.It was rather a tedious business, as each speech had to be translatedtwice, through Ostik and the Fan.

  Mr. Goodenough informed the chief that the white men were friends of hispeople, that they had come to see the country and give presents to thechiefs, that they only wished to pass quietly through and to journeyunmolested, and that they would pay handsomely for food and all thatthey required. They wished to obtain bearers for their baggage, andthese they would pay in cloth and brass rods, and as soon as theyprocured carriers the Fans would return to their own country.

  The chief answered expressing his gratification at seeing white men inhis village, saying that the king would, no doubt, carry out all theirwishes. One of the boxes was opened and he was presented with five yardsof bright colored calico, a gaudy silk handkerchief, and several stringsof bright beads. In return a large number of plantains were presented tothe white men. These were soon distributed among the Fans.

  "Me no like dat nigger," Ostik said. "Me think we hab trouble. You seeall women and children gone, dat bad. Wait till see what do when kingcome."

  That day and the next passed quietly. The baggage had been piled in acircle, as usual, in an open space outside the village; the tent beingpitched in the center, and Ostik advised Mr. Goodenough to sleep hereinstead of in the village. The day after their arrival passed butheavily. The natives showed but little curiosity as to the newcomers,although these must have been far more strange to them than tothe people nearer the coast. Still no women or children made theirappearance. Towards evening a great drumming was heard in the distance.

  "Here is his majesty at last," Mr. Goodenough said, "we shall soon seewhat is his disposition."

  In a short time the village was filled with a crowd of men all carryingspears and bows and arrows. The drumming came nearer and nearer, andthen, carried in a chair on the shoulders of four strong negroes,while ten others armed with guns marched beside him, the king made hisappearance.

  Mr. Goodenough and Frank advanced to meet him. The king was a tall manwith a savage expression of countenance. Behind Mr. Goodenough, Ostikand the Fan who spoke the language advanced. The king's chair waslowered under the shade of a tree, and two attendants with palm leaffans at once began to fan his majesty.

  "Tell the king," Mr. Goodenough said, "that we are white men who havecome to see his country, and to pass through to the countries beyond. Wehave many presents for him, and wish to buy food and to hire carriers inplace of those who have brought our things thus far."

  The king listened in silence.

  "Why do the white men bring our enemies into our land?" he askedangrily.

  "We have come up from the coast," Mr. Goodenough said; "and as we passedthrough the Fan country we hired men there to carry our goods, just aswe wish to hire men here to go on into the country beyond. There werenone of the king's men in that country or we would have hired them."

  "Let me see the white men's presents," the king said.

  A box was opened, a bright scarlet shirt and a smoking cap of the samecolor, worked with beads, a blue silk handkerchief and twenty yards ofbright calico, were taken out. To these were added twelve stair rods,five pounds of powder, and two pounds of shot.

  The king's eye sparkled greedily as he looked at the treasures.

  "The white men must be very rich," he said, pointing to the pile ofbaggage.

  "Most of the boxes are empty," Mr. Goodenough said. "We have broughtthem to take home the things of the country and show them to the whitemen beyond the sea;" and to prove the truth of his words, Mr. Goodenoughhad two of the empty cases opened, as also one already half filled withbird skins, and another with trays of butterflies and beetles.

  The king looked at them with surprise.

  "And the others?" he asked, pointing to them.

  "The others," Mr. Goodenough said, "contain, some of them, food suchas white men are accustomed to eat in their own country, the others,presents for the other kings and chiefs I shall meet when we have passedon.

  "The fellow is not satisfied," he said to Ostik, "give him two of thetrade guns and a bottle of brandy."

  The king appeared mollified by these additional presents, and sayingthat he would talk to the white men in the morning, he retired into thevillage.

  "I don't like the looks of things," Mr. Goodenough said. "I fear thatthe presents we have given the king will only stimulate his desire formore. However, we shall see in the morning."

  When night fell, two of the Houssas were placed on guard. The Fans sleptinside the circle formed by the baggage. Several times in the night theHoussas challenged bodies of men whom they heard approaching, but theseat once retired.

  In the morning a messenger presented himself from the king, saying thathe required many more presents, that the things which had been givenwere only fit for the chief of a village, and not for a great king.Mr. Goodenough answered, that he had given the best he had, that thepresents were fit for a great king, and that he should give no more.

  "If we are to have trouble," he said to Frank, "it is far better to haveit at once while the Fans are with us, than when we are alone with noone but the Houssas and the subjects of this man. The Fans will fight,and we could hold this encampment against any number of savages."

  A quarter of an hour later the drums began beating furiously again. Loudshouts and yells arose in the village, and the natives could be seenmoving excite
dly about. Presently these all disappeared.

  "Fight come now," Ostik said.

  "You'd better lower the tent at once, Ostik. It will only be in ourway."

  The tent was speedily lowered. The Fans grasped their spears and laydown behind the circle of boxes and bales, and the six Houssas, the twowhite men and Ostik, to whom a trade musket had been entrusted, tooktheir places at regular intervals round the circle, which was someeight yards in diameter. Presently the beat of the drums again broke thesilence, and a shower of arrows, coming apparently from all points ofthe compass, fell in and around the circle.

  "Open fire steadily and quietly," Mr. Goodenough said, "among thebushes, but don't fire fast. We must tempt them to show themselves."

  A dropping fire commenced against the invisible foe, the fire being nomore frequent than it would have been had they been armed with muzzleloading weapons. Presently musketry was heard on the enemy's side, theking's bodyguard having opened fire. This was disastrous to them, for,whereas the arrows had afforded but slight index as to the position ofthose who shot them, the puffs of smoke from the muskets at once showedthe lurking places of those who used them, and Mr. Goodenough and Frankreplied so truly that in a very short time the musketry fire of theenemy ceased altogether. The rain of arrows continued, the yells of thenatives rose louder and louder, and the drums beat more furiously.

  "They will be out directly," Mr. Goodenough said. "Fire as quickly asyou can when they show, but be sure and take good aim."

  Presently the sound of a war horn was heard, and from the wood all rounda crowd of dark figures dashed forward, uttering appalling yells. Onthe instant the dropping fire of the defenders changed into an almostcontinuous fusillade, as the Sniders of the Houssas, the breech loadingrifle of Mr. Goodenough, and the repeating Winchester of Frank werebrought into play at their full speed. Yells of astonishment brokefrom the natives, and a minute later, leaving nearly a score of theircomrades on the ground, the rest dashed back into the forest.

  There was silence for a time and then the war drums began again.

  "Dey try again hard dis time, massa," Ostik said. "King tell 'em he cutoff deir heads dey not win battle."

  This time the natives rushed forward with reckless bravery, in spite ofthe execution made among them by the rapid fire of the defenders, andrushed up to the circle of boxes. Then the Fans leaped to their feet,and, spear in hand, dashed over the defenses and fell upon the enemy.

  The attack was decisive. Uttering yells of terror the natives fled, andtwo minutes later not a sound was to be heard in the forest.

  "I tink dey run away for good dis time, sar," Ostik said. "Dey hav''nuf of him. Dey fight very brave, much more brave than people down nearcoast. Dere in great battle only three, four men killed. Here as manymen killed as we got altogether."

  This was so, nearly fifty of the natives having fallen between the treesand the encampment. When an hour passed and all was still, it becamenearly certain that the enemy had retreated, and the Houssas, who aresplendid scouts, divested themselves of their clothing and crawled awayinto the wood to reconnoiter. They returned in half an hour in highglee, bearing the king's chair.

  "Dey all run away, sar, ebery one, de king an' all, and leab his chairbehind. Dat great disgrace for him."

  A council was now held. The Fans were so delighted with the victory theyhad won, that they expressed their readiness to remain with their whitecompanions as long as they chose, providing these would guarantee thatthey should be sent home on the expiration of their service. This Mr.Goodenough readily promised. After discussing the question with Frank,he determined to abstain from pushing farther into the interior, but tokeep along northward, and then turning west with the sweep of the coastto travel slowly along, keeping at about the same distance as at presentfrom the sea, and finally to come down either upon Cape Coast or SierraLeone.

  This journey would occupy a considerable time. They would crosscountries but little known, and would have an ample opportunity for thecollection of specimens, which they might, from time to time, send downby the various rivers they would cross, to the trading stations at theirmouths.

  It was felt that after this encounter with the natives it would beimprudent in the extreme to push further into the interior. They wouldhave continual battles to fight, large numbers of the natives wouldbe killed, and their collecting operations would be greatly interferedwith. As a lesson to the natives the village was burnt to the ground;the presents, which the king in the hurry of his flight had left behindhim, being recovered.

  A liberal allowance of tobacco was served out as a "dash" or present tothe Fans, and a bright silk handkerchief given to each. Then theyturned off at right angles to the line they had before been pursuing andcontinued their journey.

  Two days later Mr. Goodenough was prostrated by fever, and for severaldays lay between life and death. When he became convalescent herecovered strength very slowly. The heat was prodigious and themosquitos rendered sleep almost impossible at night. The country at thisplace was low and swampy, and, weak as he was, Mr. Goodenough determinedto push forward. He was, however, unable to walk, and, for the firsttime, a hammock was got out and mounted.

  There is no more comfortable conveyance in the world than a hammock inAfrica. It is slung from a long bamboo pole, overhead a thick awningkeeps the sun from the hammock. Across the ends of the pole boards ofsome three feet long are fastened. The natives wrap a piece of clothinto the shape of a muffin and place it on their heads, and then taketheir places, two at each end of the pole, with the ends of the board ontheir heads. They can trot along at the rate of six miles an hour, forgreat distances, often keeping up a monotonous song. Their action isperfectly smooth and easy, and the traveler in the hammock, by shuttinghis eyes, might imagine himself swinging in a cot on board ship on analmost waveless sea.

  After two days traveling they got on to higher ground, and here theycamped for some time, Mr. Goodenough slowly recovering strength, andFrank busy in adding to their collections. In this he was in no slightdegree assisted by the Fans, who, having nothing else to do, had nowcome to enter into the occupation of their employers. A good supply ofmuslin had been brought, and nets having been made, the Fans capturedlarge quantities of butterflies, the great difficulty being inconvincing them that only a few of each species were required. They werestill more valuable in grubbing about in the decaying trunks of fallentrees, under loose bark, and in broken ground, for beetles and larvae,a task which suited them better than running about after butterflies,which, moreover, they often spoilt irreparably by their rough handling.Thus Frank was able to devote himself entirely to the pursuit of birds,and although all the varieties more usually met with had been obtained,the collection steadily increased in size.

  Frank himself had severe attacks of fever, but none of these were sosevere as that which he had had on the day of the death of the leopards.

  At the end of a month Mr. Goodenough had recovered his strength, andthey again moved forward.