After Two Hours Had Elapsed, Two More Rhinoceros Approached Me In
The Same Stealthy, Fidgety Way As The First One.
They came even
closer than the first, but, the moon having passed beyond their
meridian, I could not obtain so clear a mark.
Still they were
big marks, and I determined on doing my best before they had time
to wind us; so stepping out, with the sheikh's boys behind me
carrying the second rifle to meet all emergencies, I planted a
ball in the larger one, and brought him round with a roar and
whooh-whooh, exactly to the best position I could wish for
receiving a second shot; but, alas! on turning sharply round for
the spare rifle, I had the mortification to see that both the
black boys had made off, and were scrambling like monkeys up a
tree. At the same time the rhinoceros, fortunately for me, on
second consideration turned to the right-about, and shuffled
away, leaving, as is usually the case when conical bullets are
used, no traces of blood.
Thus ended the night's work. We now went home by dawn to apprise
all the porters that we had flesh in store for them, when the two
boys who had so shamelessly deserted me, instead of hiding their
heads, described all the night's scenes with such capital mimicry
as to set the whole camp in a roar. We had all now to hurry back
to the carcass before the Wagogo could find it; but though this
precaution was quickly taken, still, before the tough skin of the
beast could be cut through, the Wagogo began assembling like
vultures, and fighting with my men. A more savage, filthy,
disgusting, but at the same time grotesque, scene than that which
followed cannot be conceived. All fell to work armed with
swords, spears, knives, and hatchets - cutting and slashing,
thumping and bawling, fighting and tearing, tumbling and
wrestling up to their knees in filth and blood in the middle of
the carcass. When a tempting morsel fell to the possession of
any one, a stronger neighbour would seize and bear off the prize
in triumph. All right was now a matter or pure might, and lucky
it was that it did not end in a fight between our men and the
villagers. These might be afterwards seen, one by one, covered
with blood, scampering home each with his spoil - a piece of
tripe, or liver, or lights, or whatever else it might have been
his fortune to get off with.
We were still in great want of men; but rather than stop a day,
as all delays only lead to more difficulties, I pushed on to
Magomba's palace with the assistance of some Wagogo carrying our
baggage, each taking one cloth as his hire. The chief wazir at
once come out to meet me on the way, and in an apparently affable
manner, as an old friend, begged that I would live in the palace-
-a bait which I did not take, as I knew my friend by experience a
little too well. he then, in the politest possible manner, told
me that a great dearth of food was oppressing the land - so much
so, that pretty cloths only would purchase grain. I now wished
to settle my hongo, but the great chief could not hear of such
indecent haste.
The next day, too, the chief was too drunk to listen to any one,
and I must have patience. I took out this time in the jungles
very profitably, killing a fine buck and doe antelope, of a
species unknown. These animals are much about the same size and
shape as the common Indian antelope, and, like them, roam about
in large herds. The only marked difference between the two is in
the shape of their horns, as may be seen by the woodcut; and in
their colour, in which, in both sexes, the Ugogo antelopes
resemble the picticandata gazelle of Tibet, except that the
former have dark markings on the face.
At last, after thousands of difficulties much like those I
encountered in Uzaramo, the hongo was settled by a payment of one
kisutu, one dubani, four yards bendera, four yards kiniki, and
three yards merikani. The wazir then thought he would do some
business on his own account, and commenced work by presenting me
with a pot of ghee and flour, saying at the same time "empty
words did not show true love," and hoping that I would prove mine
by making some slight return. To get rid of the animal I gave
him the full value of his present in cloth, which he no sooner
pocketed than he had the audacity to accuse Grant of sacrilege
for having shot a lizard on a holy stone, and demanded four
cloths to pay atonement for this offence against the "church."
As yet, he said, the chief was not aware of the damage done, and
it was well he was not; for he would himself, if I only paid him
the four cloths, settle matters quietly, otherwise there would be
no knowing what demands might be made on my cloth. It was
necessary to get up hot temper, else there was no knowing how far
he would go; so I returned him his presents, and told the sheikh,
instead of giving four, to fling six cloths in his face, and tell
him that the holy-stone story was merely a humbug, and I would
take care no more white men ever came to see him again.
Some Wanyamuezi porters, who had been left sick here by former
caravans, now wished to take service with me as far as Kaze; but
the Wagogo, hearing of their desire, frightened them off it. A
report also at this time was brought to us, that a caravan had
just arrived at our last ground, having come up from Whindi,
direct by the line of the Wami river, in its upper course called
Mukondokua, without crossing a single hill all the way; I
therefore sent three men to see if they had any porters to spare,
as it was said they had; but the three men, although they left
their bows and arrows behind, never came back.
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