The Mission

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER XXV.

  "Well, what sport have you had?" was Swinton's first question when hewas joined by Alexander and the Major. Replied the latter--"Pretty well;we saw an antelope quite new to us, which we tried very hard to shoot,but were prevented by an unexpected meeting with a lioness." The Majorthen gave an account of his perceiving the tail of the lioness, and hisrapid retreat.

  "I am very glad to hear that you were so prudent, Major; it would havebeen a very rash thing to attack a lioness with only three guns. So theantelopes escaped?"

  "Yes, but we have the elands, which you say are such good eating. Do westay here any longer, or do we proceed up the river?"

  "You must ask Wilmot to decide that point," said Swinton.

  "It is just as you please," said Alexander; "but they say that the moreyou go to the northward, the more plentiful is the game."

  "Yes, and we shall fall in with the giraffe," said the Major, "which isnow the great object of my ambition. I have killed the rhinoceros andelephant, and now I must have the giraffe; they can kill the two firstanimals in India, but the other is only to be had in this country."

  "And when you meet again your Indian friends, you wish to say that youhave killed what they have not?"

  "Certainly; what is the good of traveling so far, if one has notsomething to boast of when one returns? If I say I have hunted andkilled the rhinoceros and elephant, they may reply to me, 'So have we;'but if I add the giraffe, that will silence them; don't you observe,Swinton, I then remain master of the field? But here come the Hottentotswith our game; come, Swinton, leave your preparations for a littlewhile, and see what our morning's sport has been."

  Swinton put aside the skin of the sassaby that he was cleaning, andwalked with them to where the men were assembled, and was not a littlesurprised when he saw the skins and jaws of the lion and lioness. He wasstill more so when the Major recounted how they had been shot.

  "You certainly have run a great risk," said he, "and I am glad that youhave been so successful. You are right in saying that I should havepersuaded you not to attempt it; you are like two little boys who havetaken advantage of the absence of their tutor to run into mischief.However, I am glad that it has been done, as I now hope your desire tokill a lion will not again lead you into unnecessary danger."

  "No, indeed," replied Alexander; "having once accomplished the feat, andbeing fully aware of the great risk that is run, we shall be moreprudent in future."

  "That is all I ask of you," said Swinton, "for I should be unhappy if wedid not all three return safe to the Cape. I never saw a finer lion'sskin: I will arrange it for you, that it shall arrive at the Cape ingood order."

  As usual, the afternoon was by the Hottentots devoted to eating as muchas they could possibly contrive to get down their throats; the flesh ofthe eland was pronounced excellent by our travelers, and there was muchmore than they could possibly consume. The Hottentots were only allowedto bring a certain quantity into the camp, that they might not attractthe wild beasts. They would have brought it all in, although they nevercould have eaten it. The cattle were driven up in the evening, the fireslighted, and the night passed quietly away.

  At daylight they turned the cattle out to graze for a couple of hours,and then yoked and proceeded on their journey, keeping as near as theycould to the banks of the river. They saw many hippopotami, snorting andrising for a moment above the water, but they passed by them withoutattempting to shoot at them, as they did not wish to disturb the othergame. As they advanced, the variety of flowers which were in bloomattracted the notice of Alexander, who observed--"Does not this plainput you in mind of a Turkey carpet, Major; so gay with every variety ofcolor?"

  "Yes, and as scentless," replied the Major; "they are all very brilliantin appearance; but one modest English violet is, to my fancy, worth themall."

  "I agree with you," replied Swinton; "but still you must acknowledgethat this country is beautiful beyond description,--these grassy meadsso spangled with numerous flowers, and so broken by the masses of groveand forest! Look at these aloes blooming in profusion, with their coraltufts--in England what would they pay for such an exhibition?--and thecrimson and lilac hues of these poppies and amaryllis blended together:neither are you just in saying that there is no scent in this gayparterre. The creepers which twine up those stately trees are verysweetly scented; and how picturesque are the twinings of those vinesupon the mimosas. I can not well imagine the garden of Eden to have beenmore beautiful."

  "And in another respect there is a resemblance," said the Major,laughing; "the serpent is in it"

  "Yes, I grant that," replied Swinton.

  "Well, I can feel no real pleasure without security; if I am to be everon the alert, and turning my eyes in every direction, that I may nottread upon a puff adder, or avoid the dart of the cobra capella, I canfeel little pleasure in looking at the rich hues of those flowers whichconceal them. As I said before, give me the violet and the rose ofEngland, which I can pick and smell in security."

  "I agree with you, Major," said Alexander; "but," continued he,laughing, "we must make allowance for Swinton, as a naturalist. A puffadder has a charm for him, because it adds one more to the numerousspecimens to be obtained; and he looks upon these flowers as abotanist, rejoicing as he adds to his herbal, or gathers seeds and bulbsto load his wagon with. You might as well find fault with a husbandmanfor rejoicing in a rich harvest."

  "Or with himself, for being so delighted at the number and the varietyof the animals which fall to his rifle," replied Swinton, smiling."There I have you, Major."

  "I grant it," replied the Major; "but what is that in the river--theback of a hippopotamus?"

  "No, it is the back of an elephant, I should rather think; but the reedsare so high, that it is difficult to ascertain. There may be a herdbathing in the river, nothing more likely."

  "Let us stop the caravan; the creaking of these wheels would drive awayany thing," replied the Major; "we will then ride forward and see whatit is. It is not more than half a mile from us."

  "Be it so," replied Swinton. "Omrah, get the rifles, and tell Bremen tocome here. Now, Major, is it to be a regular hunt, or only a passingshot at them; for I now perceive through my glass that they areelephants?"

  "Well, I think a passing shot will be best; for if we are to hunt, wemust send a party on the opposite side of the river, and that will be atedious affair."

  "I think myself it will be better to proceed," said Swinton; "so nowthen, to scatter the enemy."

  They soon arrived at that part of the river where they had at a distancediscovered the elephants bathing; but as they approached, the high reedsprevented them from seeing the animals, although they could hear themplainly. At last, as they proceeded a little further up the river, theydiscovered a female with its young one by its side; the mother playingwith its offspring, pouring water over it with its trunk, and now andthen pressing it into the water, so as to compel it to swim. Theywatched the motions of the animals for some time, and the Major firstbroke silence by saying, "I really have not the heart to fire at thepoor creature; its maternal kindness, and the playing of the little one,are too interesting. It would be cruel, now that we do not want meat,for an eland is to be killed every ten minutes."

  "I am glad to hear you say so," replied Swinton. "Let us fire over them,and set them all in motion."

  "Agreed," said the Major; "this is to start them," and he fired off hisrifle in the air.

  The noise that ensued was quite appalling; the shrieks and cries of theelephants, and the treading down and rushing through the reeds, thesplashing and floundering in the mud, for a few seconds, was followed bythe bounding out of the whole herd on the opposite bank of the river,tossing their trunks, raising up their ears, roaring wildly, andstarting through the bushes into the forest from which they haddescended. Two large males only were to be perceived among the wholeherd, the rest were all females and their young ones, who scrambled awayafter the males, crowding together, but still occasionally l
ookingbehind after their young ones, till they had all disappeared in theforest, the cracking and crushing of the bushes in which were heard formany minutes afterward.

  "That was a splendid scene," said Alexander.

  "Yes, it was a living panorama, which one must come to Africa tobehold."

  "I do not think that I shall ever become a true elephant-hunter," saidthe Major. "I feel a sort of repugnance to destroy so sagacious ananimal, and a degree of remorse when one lies dead. At the same time, ifonce accustomed to the fearful crashing and noise attending theirmovements, I do not consider them very dangerous animals to pursue."

  "Not if people are cool and collected. We have had several famouselephant-hunters among the Dutch farmers. I remember that one of them,after a return from a successful chase, made a bet that he would go upto a wild elephant and pluck eight hairs out of his tail. He did so andwon his bet, for the elephant can not see behind him, and is not veryquick in turning round. However, a short time afterward he made the sameattempt, and being foolhardy from success, the animal was too quick forhim, and he was crushed to death."

  Bremen now came up to them, to say that there was a party of people tothe eastward, and he thought that there was a wagon. On examination withtheir telescopes, they found that such was the case; and our travelersturned their horses' heads in the direction, to ascertain who they mightbe, leaving the caravan to proceed by the banks of the river. In aboutan hour, they came close to them, and Swinton immediately recognizedthem as Griquas, or mixed European and Hottentot races. Of course, theymet in the most friendly manner, and the Griquas said that they had cometo hunt the elephant, eland, and other animals; the former for theirivory, and the latter for their flesh. Their wagon, which was a very oldone, was loaded with flesh, cut in long strips, and hanging to dry; andthey had a great many hundred-weight of ivory, which they had alreadycollected. As soon as our travelers had explained to them their ownmotions, the Griquas said that they would bring their wagon down in theevening and encamp with them. Our travelers then returned to thecaravan.

  As they promised, the Griquas joined them late in the afternoon. Theywere a party of sixteen; all stout fellows, and armed with the long gunsused by the Dutch boors. They said that they had been two months fromGriqua-town, and were thinking of returning very soon, as their wagonwas loaded to the extent that it would bear. The Major stating that itwas their intention to hunt the giraffe, the Griquas informed them thatthey would not find the animal to the southward of the Val River, andthey would have to cross over into the territories of the kingMoselekatsee, who ruled over the Bechuana country, to the northward ofthe river; and that it would be very dangerous to attempt so to dowithout his permission; indeed, that there would be danger in doing so,even with it.

  "Do you know any thing of this person, Swinton?"

  "Yes, I have heard of him, but I did not know that he had extended hisconquests so low down as to the Val River."

  "Who is he?"

  "You have heard of Chaka, the king of the Zoolus, who conquered thewhole country, as far as Port Natal to the eastward?"

  "Yes," replied Alexander; "we have heard of him."

  "Well, Moselekatsee was a chief of two or three tribes, who, when hardpressed by his enemies, took refuge with Chaka, and became one of hisprincipal warrior chiefs. After a time he quarreled with Chaka, aboutthe distribution of some cattle they had taken, and aware that he had nomercy to expect from the tyrant, he revolted from him with a largeforce, and withdrew to the Bechuana country. There he conquered all thetribes, enrolled them in his own army, and gradually became asformidable as Chaka himself. In the arrangements of his army, hefollowed the same plans as Chaka, and has now become a most powerfulmonarch, and, they do say, is almost as great a tyrant and despot asChaka himself was. I believe that the Griquas are right in saying therewould be danger in passing through his dominions without hispermission."

  "But," said Alexander, "I suppose if we send a message to him andpresents, there will be no difficulty?"

  "Perhaps not, except that our caravan may excite his cupidity, and hemay be induced to delay us to obtain possession of its contents.However, we had better put this question to the Griquas, who probablycan answer it better."

  The Griquas, on being questioned, replied, that the best plan would beto send a message to the Matabili capital, where Moselekatsee resided,requesting permission to hunt in the country, and begging the monarch tosend some of his principal men to receive the presents which they had tooffer;--that it would not take long to receive an answer, as it wouldonly be necessary to deliver the message to the first officer belongingto Moselekatsee, at the advanced post. That officer would immediatelydispatch a native with the message, who would arrive much sooner thanany one they could send themselves. Bremen and three other Hottentotsoffered to take the message, if our travelers wished it. This was agreedto, and that afternoon they mounted their horses, and crossed the river.By the advice of the Griquas, the camp was shifted about a mile furtherup the river, on account of the lions.

  The weather now threatened a change; masses of clouds accumulated, butwere again dispersed. The next day the weather was again threatening;thunder pealed in the distant mountains, and the forked lightning flewin every direction; but the rain, if any, was expended on theneighboring hills.

  A strong wind soon blew up so as to try the strength of the canvasawning of their wagons, and they found it difficult to keep their firesin at night. They had encamped upon a wide plain covered with highgrass, and abounding with elands and other varieties of antelopes: herethey remained for five days, waiting the reply of the king of theMatabili, and went out every day to procure game. On the Sabbath-day,after they had, as usual, performed Divine service, they observed aheavy smoke to windward, which, as the wind was fresh, soon bore downupon them and inconvenienced them much.

  Swanevelt stated that the high grass had been fired by some means oranother, and as it threatened to come down upon the encampment, theHottentots and Griquas were very busy beating down the grass round aboutthem. When they had so done, they went to windward some hundred yardsand set fire to the grass in several places; the grass burned quickly,till it arrived at where it had been beaten down, and the fire wasextinguished. That this was a necessary precaution was fully proved, foras the night closed in, the whole country for miles was on fire, and thewind bore the flames down rapidly toward them.

  The sky was covered with clouds, and the darkness of the night made theflames appear still more vivid; the wind drove them along with a loudcrackling noise, sweeping over the undulating ground, now rising and nowdisappearing in the hollows, the whole landscape lighted up for miles.

  As our travelers watched the progress of the flames, and every now andthen observed a terrified antelope spring from its lair, and appearinglike a black figure in a phantasmagoria, suddenly the storm burst uponthem and the rain poured down in torrents, accompanied with largehailstones and thunder and lightning. The wind was instantly lulled, andafter the first burst of the storm a deathlike silence succeeded to thecrackling of the flames. A deluge of rain descended, and in an instantevery spark of the conflagration was extinguished, and the pitchydarkness of the night was unbroken by even a solitary star.

  The next morning was bright and clear, and after breakfast, theyperceived the Hottentots who had been sent on their message toMoselekatsee, on the opposite bank of the river, accompanied by three ofthe natives; they soon crossed the river and came to the encampment. Thenatives, who were Matabili, were tall, powerful men, well proportioned,and with regular features; their hair was shorn, and surmounted with anoval ring attached to the scalp, and the lobe of their left ears wasperforated with such a large hole, that it contained a small gourd,which was used as a snuff-box. Their dress was a girdle of strips ofcatskins, and they each carried two javelins and a knobbed stick forthrowing.

  They were heartily welcomed by our travelers, who placed before them alarge quantity of eland-steaks, and filled their boxes with snuff. Assoon as they h
ad finished eating, and drawn up a large quantity of snuffinto their nostrils, they explained through the Griquas, who could speaktheir language, that they had come from the greatest of all monarchs inthe world, Moselekatsee, who wished to know who the strangers were, whatthey wanted of him, and what presents they had brought.

  Swinton, who was spokesman, returned for answer that they were hunters,and not traders; that they had come to see the wonders of the countrybelonging to so great a monarch, and that hearing that his majesty hadanimals in his country which were not to be found elsewhere, they wantedpermission to kill some, to show upon their return to their own peoplewhat a wonderful country it was that belonged to so great amonarch;--that they had brought beads and copper wire, and knives, andboxes for making fire, and snuff and tobacco, all of which they wishedto present to the great monarch; a part as soon as they had receivedhis permission to enter his territory, and another part when they wereabout to leave it. A handsome present of the above articles was thenproduced, and the messengers of the king, having surveyed the articleswith some astonishment, declared that their king would feel very gladwhen he saw all these things, and that he had desired them to tell ourtravelers that they might come into his dominions with safety, and killall the animals that they pleased. That his majesty had commanded one ofthem to remain with the party, and that as soon as he had received hispresents, he would send a chief to be answerable for their safety. TheMatabili then packed up the articles presented, and two of them set offat full speed on their return to the king. The third, who remained,assured our travelers that they might cross the river and enter theMatabili country as soon as they pleased.

  A debate now ensued as to whether they should go with their whole forceor not. The Matabili had informed them that in three days' journey theywould fall in with the giraffe, which they were in search of, and asthere would be some risk in crossing the river, and they had everyreason to expect that it would soon rise, the question was whether itwould be prudent to take over even one of the wagons. The opinion of theGriquas was asked, and it was ultimately arranged that they should takeover Alexander's wagon only, with fifteen pair of oxen, and that some ofthe Griquas should accompany them, with Swanevelt, Omrah, andMahomed;--that Bremen and the Hottentots should remain where they were,with the other three wagons and the rest of the Griquas, until ourtravelers should return.

  This arrangement was not at all disagreeable to the Hottentots, who didnot much like the idea of entering the Matabili country, and were veryhappy in their present quarters, as they were plentifully provided withgood meat. Alexander's wagon was therefore arranged so as to carry thebedding and articles they might require, all other things being removedto the other wagons. Their best oxen were selected, and eight of thefleetest of their horses, and on the following morning, havingascertained from the Matabili the best place to cross the river, ourtravelers set off, and in an hour were on the other side.

  There was no change in the country during the first day's journey; thesame variety and brilliancy of flowers were every where to be seen. Theeland and the other antelopes were plentiful, and they were soon joinedby parties of the natives, who requested them to shoot the animals forthem, which they did in quantities even sufficient to satisfy them.Indeed if they found them troublesome, our travelers had only to bringdown an eland, and the natives were immediately left behind, that theymight devour the animal, which was done in an incredibly short space oftime. The Matabili who had conducted them proved to be a chief, and ifhe gave any order, it was instantly obeyed; so that our travelers had notrouble with the natives except their begging and praying for snuff,which was incessant, both from the men and women. Neither did they fearany treachery from the Matabili king, as they were well armed, and theGriquas were brave men, and the superiority of their weapons made them amatch for a large force. Every precaution, however, was taken when theyhalted at night, which they invariably did in the center of an openplain, to prevent any surprise; and large fires were lighted round thewagon.

  They traveled on in this way for two days more, when in the evening theyarrived at a large plain sprinkled with mimosa-trees, and abutting onthe foot of a low range of hills. The Matabili told them that they wouldfind the giraffes on these plains, and the Major, who was very anxious,kept his telescope to his eyes, looking round in every direction tillnightfall, but did not succeed in descrying any of the objects of hissearch. They retired that night with anxious expectation for thefollowing morning, when they anticipated that they should fall in withthese remarkable animals. Their guns were examined and every precautiontaken, and having lighted their fires and set the watch, they went tobed; and, after commending themselves to the care of Providence, weresoon fast asleep.