Captain Singleton

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by Daniel Defoe

not but there are enough to load a thousand Sail of the biggest Ships in the

  World, by which I may be understood to mean, that the Quantity is not to be

  conceived of; seeing that as they lasted in View for above eighty Miles

  Travelling, so they might continue as far to the right Hand, and to the left as

  far, and many times as far, for ought we knew; for it seems the Number of

  Elephants hereabouts is prodigious great. In one Place in particular, we saw the

  Head of an Elephant, with several Teeth in it, but one the biggest that ever I

  saw: The Flesh was consumed to be sure many Hundred Years before, and all the

  other Bones; but three of our strongest Men could not lift this Scull and Teeth:

  The great Tooth, I believe, weighed at least 300 Weight, and this was

  particularly remarkable to me, that I observed the whole Scull was as good Ivory

  as the Teeth, and I believe all together weighed at least 600 Weight, and tho' I

  do not know but, by the same Rule, all the Bones of the Elephant may be Ivory;

  yet I think there is this just Objection against it from the Example before me,

  that then all the other Bones of this Elephant would have been there as well as

  the Head.

  I proposed to our Gunner, that seeing we had travelled now 14 Days without

  Intermission, and that we had Water here for our Refreshment, and no Want of

  Food yet, or any Fear of it; we should rest our People a little, and see at the

  same time, if perhaps we might kill some Creatures that were proper for Food.

  The Gunner, who had more Forecast of that kind, than I had, agreed to the

  Proposal, and added, why might we not try to catch some Fish out of the Lake?

  The first thing we had before us, was to try if we could make any Hooks, and

  this indeed put our Artificer to his Trumps; however, with some Labour and

  Difficulty he did it, and we catched fresh Fish of several kinds. How they came

  there, none but he that made the Lake, and all the World, knows; for to be sure

  no human Hands ever put any in there, or pulled any out before.

  We not only catched enough for our present Refreshment, but we dried several

  large Fishes of Kinds which I cannot describe, in the Sun, by which we

  lengthen'd out our Provision considerably; for the Heat of the Sun dried them so

  effectually without Salt, that they were perfectly cured dry and hard in one

  Day's time.

  We rested our selves here five Days, during which time we had Abundance of

  pleasant Adventures with the wild Creatures, too many to relate: One of them was

  very particular, which was a Chase between a She Lion, or Lioness, and a large

  Deer; and tho' the Deer is naturally a very nimble Creature, and she flew by us

  like the Wind, having perhaps about 300 Yards the Start of the Lion, yet we

  found the Lion by her Strength, and the Goodness of her Lungs, got Ground of

  her. They past by us within about a Quarter of a Mile, and we had a View of them

  a great Way, when having given them over, we were surprized about an Hour after,

  to see them come thundering back again on the other Side of us, and then the

  Lion was within 30 or 40 Yards of her, and both straining to the Extremity of

  their Speed, when the Deer coming to the Lake, plunged into the Water, and swam

  for her Life, as she had before run for it.

  The Lioness plunged in after her, and swam a little way, but came back again;

  and when she was got upon the Land, she set up the most hideous Roar that ever I

  heard in my Life, as if done in the Rage of having lost her Prey.

  We walked out Morning and Evening constantly; the Middle of the Day we refreshed

  our selves under our Tent; but one Morning early we saw another Chase, which

  more nearly concern'd us than the other; for our Black Prince, walking by the

  Side of the Lake, was set upon by a vast great Crocodile, which came out of the

  Lake upon him; and tho' he was very light of Foot, yet it was as much as he

  could do to get away: He fled amain to us, and the Truth is, we did not know

  what to do, for we were told no Bullet would enter her; and we found it so at

  first, for tho' three of our Men fired at her, yet she did not mind them; but my

  Friend the Gunner, a ventrous Fellow, of a bold Heart, and great Presence of

  Mind, went up so near as to thrust the Muzzle of his Piece into her Mouth, and

  fired but let his Piece fall, and run for it the very Moment he had fired it:

  The Creature raged a great while, and spent its Fury upon the Gun, making Marks

  upon the very Iron with her Teeth, but after some time fainted and died.

  Our Negroes spread the Banks of the Lake all this while, for Game, and at length

  killed us three Deer, one of them very large, the other two very small. There

  was Water-Fowl also in the Lake, but we never came near enough to them to shoot

  any; and, as for the Desart, we saw no Fowls any where in it, but at the Lake.

  We likewise killed two or three Civet Cats, but their Flesh is the worst of

  Carrion; we saw Abundance of Elephants at a Distance, and observed, that they

  always go in very good Company, that is to say, Abundance of them together, and

  always extended in a fair Line of Battle; and this, they say, is the way they

  defend themselves from their Enemies; for if Lions or Tygers, Wolves or any

  Creatures, attack them, they being drawn up in a Line, sometimes reaching five

  or six Miles in Length, whatever comes in their Way is sure to be trod under

  Foot, or beaten in Pieces with their Trunks, or lifted up in the Air with their

  Trunks; so that if a hundred Lions or Tygers were coming along, if they meeta

  Line of Elephants, they will always fly back till they see Room to pass by to

  the Right Hand or to the Left; and if they did not, it would be impossible for

  one of them to escape; for the Elephant, tho' a heavy Creature, is yet so

  dexterous and nimble with his Trunk, that he will not fail to lift up the

  heaviest Lion, or any other wild Creature, and throw him up in the Air quite

  over his Back, and then trample him to Death with his Feet. We saw several Lines

  of Battle thus, we saw one so long, that indeed there was no End of it to be

  seen, and, I believe, their might be 2000 Elephants in a Row, or Line. They are

  not Beasts of Prey, but live upon the Herbage of the Field, as an Ox does, and,

  it is said, that tho' they are so great a Creature, yet that a smaller Quantity

  of Forage supplies one of them, than will suffice a Horse.

  The Numbers of this kind of Creature that are in those Parts are inconceivable,

  as may be gather'd from the prodigious Quantity of Teeth, which as I said we saw

  in this vast Desart, and indeed we saw a 100 of them to one of any other Kinds.

  One Evening we were very much surprized; we were most of us laid down upon our

  Matts to Sleep, when our Watch came running in among us, being frighted with the

  sudden Roaring of some Lions just by them, which it seems they had not seen, the

  Night being dark, till they were just upon them. There was, as it proved, an old

  Lion and his whole Family, for there was the Lioness and three young Lions,

  besides the old King, who was a monstrous great one: One of the young ones, who

  were good large well grown ones too, leapt up upon one of our Negroes, who sto
od

  Centinel, before he saw him, at which he was heartily frighted, cried out, and

  run into the Tent: Our other Man, who had a Gun, had not Presence of Mind at

  first to shoot him, but struck him with the But-End of his Piece, which made him

  whine a little, and then growl at him fearfully; but the Fellow retired, and we

  being all alarmed, three of our Men snatched up their Guns, run to the

  Tent-Door, where they saw the great old Lion by the Fire of his Eyes, and first

  fired at him, but, we supposed, missed him, or at least did not kill him; for

  they went all off, but raised a most hideous Roar, which, as if they had called

  for Help, brought down a prodigious Number of Lions, and other furious

  Creatures, we know not what about them, for we could not see them; but their was

  a Noise and Yelling, and Howling, and all sort of such Wilderness Musick on

  every Side of us, as if all the Beasts of the Desart were assembled to devour

  us.

  We asked our Black Prince what we should do with them? Me go, says he, fright

  them all; so he snatches up two or three of the worst of our Matts, and, getting

  one of our Men to strike some Fire, he hangs the Matt up at the End of a Pole,

  and set it on Fire, and it blazed abroad a good while; at which the Creatures

  all moved off, for we heard them roar, and make their bellowing Noise at a great

  Distance. Well, says our Gunner, if that will do, we need not burn our Matts,

  which are our Beds to lay under us, and our Tilting to cover us. Let me alone,

  says he, so he comes back into our Tent, and falls to making some artificial

  Fire-Works, and the like; and he gave our Centinels some to be ready at Hand,

  upon Occasion, and particularly he placed a great Piece of Wild-fire upon the

  same Pole that the Matt had been tied to, and set it on Fire, and that burnt

  there so long, that all the Wild Creatures left us for that time.

  However, we began to be weary of such Company, and, to be rid of them, we set

  forward again two Days sooner than we intended. We found now, that tho' the

  Desart did not end, nor could we see any Appearance of it, yet that the Earth

  was pretty full of green Stuff, of one sort or another, so that our Cattle had

  no Want. And secondly, that there were several little Rivers which run into the

  Lake, and so long as the Country continued low, we found Water sufficient, which

  eased us very much in our Carriage, and we went on yet sixteen Days more without

  yet coming to any Appearance of better Soil: After this we found the Country

  rise a little, and by that we perceived, that the Water would fail us, so, for

  fear of the worst, we filled our Bladder Bottles with Water; we found the

  Country rising gradually thus for three Days continually, when, on the sudden,

  we perceived, that tho' we had mounted up insensibly, yet that we were on the

  Top of a very high ridge of Hills, tho' not such as at first.

  When we came to look down on the other Side of the Hills we saw, to the great

  Joy of all our Hearts, that the Desart was at an End; that the Country was

  clothed with Green, Abundance of Trees, and a large River, and we made no doubt

  but that we should find People and Cattel also; and here, by our Gunner's

  Account, who kept our Computations, we had marched above 400 Miles over this

  dismal Place of Horrour, having been four and thirty Days a-doing of it, and

  consequently were come about 1100 Miles of our Journey.

  We would willingly have descended the Hills that Night, but it was too late; the

  next Morning we saw every thing more plain, and rested our selves under the

  Shade of some Trees; which were now the most refreshing things imaginable to us,

  who had been scorched above a Month without a Tree to cover us. We found the

  Country here very pleasant, especially considering that we came from, and we

  killed some Deer here also, which we found very frequent under the Cover of the

  Woods; also we killed a creature like a Goat, whose Flesh was very god to eat,

  but it was no Goat: We found also a great Number of Fowls like Partridge, but

  something smaller, and were very tame, so that we lived here very well, but

  found no People, at least none that would be seen, no not for several Days

  Journey; and, to allay our Joy, we were almost every Night disturbed with Lions

  and Tygers; Elephants indeed we saw none here.

  In three Days March we came to a River, which we saw from the Hills, and which

  we called the Golden River, and we found it run Northward, which was the first

  Stream we had met with that did so; it run with a very rapid current, and our

  Gunner pulling out his Map, assured me that this was either the River Nile, or

  run into the great Lake; out of which the River Nile was said to take its

  Beginning; and he brought out his Carts and Maps, which by his Instruction, I

  began to understand very well; and told me, he would convince me of it, and

  indeed he seemed to make it so plain to me, that I was of the same Opinion.

  But I did not enter into the Gunner's Reason for this Enquiry, not in the least,

  till he went on with it farther, and stated it thus; if this is the River Nile,

  why should not we build some more Canoes, and go down this Stream rather than to

  expose our selves to any more Desarts and scorching Sands, in Quest of the Sea,

  which when we are come to, we shall be as much at a Loss how to get home as we

  were at Madagascar.

  The Argument was good, had there been no Objections in the Way, of a Kind which

  none of us were capable of answering; but upon the whole it was an Undertaking

  of such a Nature, that every one of us thought it impracticable, and that upon

  several Accounts; and our Surgeon, who was himself a good Scholar, and a Man of

  Reading, tho' not acquainted with the Business of Sailing, opposed it; and some

  of his Reasons, I remember, were such as these; first, the Length of the Way,

  which both he and the Gunner allowed by the Course of the Water and Turnings of

  the River, would be at least 4000 Miles. Secondly, The innumerable Crocodiles in

  the River, which we should never be able to escape. Thirdly, The dreadful

  Desarts in the Way; and lastly, the approaching rainy Season, in which the

  Streams of the Nile would be so furious, and rise so high, spreading far and

  wide over all the plain Country, that we should never be able to know when we

  were in the Channel of the River, and when not, and should certainly be cast

  away, over-set, or run a-ground so often, that it would be impossible to proceed

  by a River so excessively dangerous.

  This last Reason he made so plain to us, that we began to be so sensible of it

  our selves; so that we agreed to lay that Thought aside, and proceed in our

  first Course Westward towards the Sea: But as if we had been loath to depart, we

  continued, by way of refreshing our selves, to loyter two Days upon this River,

  in which time our Black Prince, who delighted much in wandering up and down,

  came one Evening and brought us several little Bits of something, he knew not

  what; but he found it felt heavy, and looked well, and shewed it to me, as what

  he thought was some Rarity. I took not much Notice of it to him, but stepping

 
out, and calling the Gunner to me, I shewed it him, and told him what I thought,

  viz. that it was certainly Gold: He agreed with me in that, and also in what

  follow'd, that we would take the Black Prince out with us the next Day, and make

  him shew us where he found it, that if there was any Quantity to be found, we

  would tell our Company of it, but if there was but little, we would keep

  Counsel, and have it to our selves.

  But we forgot to engage the Prince in the Secret, who innocently told so much to

  all the rest, as that they guessed what it was, and came to us to see; when we

  found it was publick, we were more concerned to prevent their suspecting that we

  had any Design to conceal it, and openly telling our Thoughts of it, we called

  our Artificer, who agreed presently that it was Gold; so I proposed, that we

  should all go with the Prince to the Place where he found it, and if any

  Quantity was to be had, we would lye here some time, and see what we could make

  of it.

  Accordingly, we went every Man of us, for no Man was willing to be left behind

  in a Discovery of such a Nature. When we came to the Place, we found it was on

  the West Side of the River, not in the main River, but in another small River or

  Stream which came from the West, and run into the other River at that Place. We

  fell to raking in the Sand, and washing it in our Hands, and we seldom took up a

  Handful of Sand, but we washed some little round Lumps as big as a Pin's Head,

  or sometimes as big as a Grapestone, into our Hands, and we found in two or

  three Hours time, that every one had got some, so we agreed to leave off, and go

  to Dinner.

  While we were eating, it came into my Thoughts, that while we work'd at this

  Rate in a thing of such Nicety and Consequence, it was ten to one if the Gold,

  which was the Makebait of the World, did not first or last set us together by

  the Ears to break our good Articles and our Understanding one among another, and

  perhaps cause us to part Companies, or worse; I therefore told them, that I was

  indeed the youngest Man of the Company, but as they had always allowed me to

  give my Opinion in things, and had sometimes been pleased to follow my Advice,

  so I had something to propose now, which I thought, would be for all our

  Advantages, and I believed they would all like it very well. I told them we were

  in a Country where we all knew there was a great deal of Gold, and that all the

  World sent Ships thither to get it; that we did not indeed know where it was,

  and so we might get a great deal, or a little, we did not know whether; but I

  offered it to them to consider whether it would not be the best Way for us, and

  to preserve the good Harmony and Friendship that had been always kept among us,

  and which was so absolutely necessary to our Safety, that what we found should

  be brought together to one common Stock, and be equally divided at last, rather

  than to run the Hazard of any Difference which might happen among us, from any

  one's having found more or less than another. I told them, that if we were all

  upon one Bottom, we should all apply our selves heartily to the Work, and

  besides that we might then set our Negroes all to Work for us, and receive

  equally the Fruit of their Labour, and of our own, and being all exactly alike

  Sharers, there could be no just Cause of Quarrel or Disgust among us.

  They all approv'd the Proposal, and every one jointly swore, and gave their

  Hands to one another, that they would not conceal the least Grain of Gold from

  the rest; and consented, that if any one or more should be found to conceal any,

  all that he had should be taken from him, and divided among the rest: And one

  thing more was added to it by our Gunner, from Considerations equally good and

  just; that if any one of us, by any Play, Bett, Game, or Wager, won any Money or

 

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