At First The Wanguana
Attempted To Track Down The Corporal; But Finding He Would Not
Answer Their Repeated Shots, And Fearful For Their Own Safety,
They Came Into Camp And Reported The Case.
Losing no time, I
ordered twenty men, armed with carbines, to carry water for the
distressed porters, and bring the corporal back as soon as
possible.
They all marched off, as they always do on such
exploits, in high good-humour with themselves for the valour
which they intended to show; and in the evening came in, firing
their guns in the most reckless manner, beaming with delight; for
they had the corporal in tow, two men and two women captives, and
a spear as a trophy. Then in high impatience, all in a breath,
they began a recital of the great day's work. The corporal had
followed on the spoor of the mule, occasionally finding some of
his things that had been torn from the beast's back by the
thorns, and, picking up these one by one, had become so burdened
with the weight of them, that he could follow no farther. In
this fix the twenty men came up with him, but not until they had
had a scrimmage with the "savages," had secured four, and taken
the spear which had been thrown at them. Of the mule's position
no one could give an opinion, save that they imagined, in
consequence of the thickness of the bush, he would soon become
irretrievably entangled in the thicket, where the savages would
find him, and bring him in as a ransom for the prisoners.
What with the diminution of our supplies, the famished state of
the country, and the difficulties which frowned upon us in
advance, together with unwillingness to give up so good a mule,
with all its gear and ammunition, I must say I felt doubtful as
to what had better be done, until the corporal, who felt
confident he would find the beast, begged so hard that I sent him
in command of another expedition of sixteen men, ordering him to
take one of the prisoners with him to proclaim to his brethren
that we would give up the rest if they returned us the mule. The
corporal then led off his band to the spot where he last saw
traces of the animal, and tracked on till sundown; while Grant
and myself went out pot-hunting and brought home a bag consisting
of one striped eland, one saltiana antelope, four guinea-fowl,
four ringdoves, and one partridge - a welcome supply, considering
we were quite out of flesh.
Next day, as there were no signs of the trackers, I went again to
the place of the elands, wounded a fine male, but gave up the
chase, as I heard the unmistakable gun-firing return of the
party, and straightway proceeded to camp. Sure enough, there
they were; they had tracked the animal back to Marenga Mkhali,
through jungle - for he had not taken to the footpath. Then
finding he had gone on, they returned quite tired and famished.
To make the most of a bad job, I now sent Grant on to the Robeho
(or windy) Pass, on the top of the western chain, with the mules
and heavy baggage, and directions to proceed thence across the
brow of the hill the following morning, while I remained behind
with the tired men, promising to join him by breakfast-time. I
next released the prisoners, much to their disgust, for they had
not known such good feeding before, and dreaded being turned
adrift again in the jungles to live on calabash seeds; and then,
after shooting six guinea-fowl, turned in for the night.
Betimes in the morning we were off, mounting the Robeho, a good
stiff ascent, covered with trees and large blocks of granite,
excepting only where cleared for villages; and on we went
rapidly, until at noon the advance party was reached, located in
a village overlooking the great interior plateau - a picture, as
it were, of the common type of African scenery. Here, taking a
hasty meal, we resumed the march all together, descended the
great western chain, and, as night set in, camped in a ravine at
the foot of it, not far from the great junction-station Ugogi,
where terminate the hills of Usagara.
Chapter IV
Ugogo, and the Wilderness of Mgunda Mkhali
The Lie of the Country - Rhinoceros-Stalking - Scuffle of Villagers
over a Carcass - Chief "Short-Legs" and His Successors - Buffalo-
Shooting - Getting Lost - A Troublesome Sultan - Desertions from the
Camp - Getting Plundered - Wilderness March - Diplomatic Relations
with the Local Powers - Manua Sera's Story - Christmas - The Relief
from Kaze
This day's work led us from the hilly Usagara range into the more
level lands of the interior. Making a double march of it, we
first stopped to breakfast at the quiet little settlement of
Inenge, where cattle were abundant, but grain so scarce that the
villagers were living on calabash seeds. Proceeding thence
across fields delightfully checkered with fine calabash and fig
trees, we marched, carrying water through thorny jungles, until
dark, when we bivouacked for the night, only to rest and push on
again next morning, arriving at Marenga Mkhali (the saline water)
to breakfast. Here a good view of the Usagara hills is obtained.
Carrying water with us, we next marched half-way to the first
settlement of Ugogo, and bivouacked again, to eat the last of our
store of Mbumi grain.
At length the greater famine lands had been spanned; but we were
not in lands of plenty - for the Wagogo we found, like their
neighbours Wasagara, eating the seed of the calabash, to save
their small stores of grain.
The East Coast Range having been passed, no more hills had to be
crossed, for the land we next entered on is a plateau of rolling
ground, sloping southward to the Ruaha river, which forms a great
drain running from west to east, carrying off all the rainwaters
that fall in its neighbourhood through the East Coast Range to
the sea.
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