This was perplexing indeed, but to
stop longer was useless; so we pushed forward as best we could to
a pond at the western end of the district where we found a party
of Makua sportsmen who had just killed an elephant.
They had
lived in Ugogo one year and a half, and had killed in all
seventeen elephants; half the tusks of which, as well as some
portion of the flesh, they gave to Magomba for the privilege of
residing there. There were many antelopes there, some of which
both Grant and I shot for the good of the pot, and he also killed
a crocute hyena. From the pond we went on to the middle of a
large jungle, and bivouacked for the night in a shower of rain,
the second of the season.
During a fierce downpour of rain, the porters all quivering and
quaking with cold, we at length emerged from the jungle, and
entered the prettiest spot in Ugogo - the populous district of
Usekhe - where little hills and huge columns of granite crop out.
Here we halted.
Next day came the hongo business, which was settled by paying one
dubani, one kitambi, one msutu, four yards merikani, and two
yards kiniki; but whilst we were doing it eight porters ran away,
and four fresh ones were engaged (Wanyamuezi) who had run away
from Kanyenye.
With one more march from this we reached the last district in
Ugogo, Khoko. Here the whole of the inhabitants turned out to
oppose us, imagining we had come there to revenge the Arab,
Mohinna, because the Wagogo attacked him a year ago, plundered
his camp, and drove him back to Kaze, for having shot their old
chief "Short-legs." They, however, no sooner found out who we
were than they allowed us to pass on, and encamp in the outskirts
of the Mgunda Mkhali wilderness. To this position in the bush I
strongly objected, on the plea that guns could be best used
against arrows in the open; but none would go out in the field,
maintaining that the Wagogo would fear to attack us so far from
their villages, as we now were, lest we might cut them off in
their retreat.
Hori Hori was now chief in Short-leg's stead, and affected to be
much pleased that we were English, and not Arabs. He told us we
might, he thought, be able to recruit all the men that we were in
want of, as many Wanyanuezi who had been left there sick wished
to go to their homes; and I would only, in addition to their
wages, have to pay their "hotel bills" to the Wagogo. This, of
course, I was ready to do, though I knew the Wanyamuezi had paid
for themselves, as is usual, by their work in the fields of their
hosts. Still, as I should be depriving these of hands, I could
scarcely expect to get off for less than the value of a slave for
each, and told Sheikh said to look out for some men at once,
whilst at the same time he laid in provisions of grain to last us
eight days in the wilderness, and settle the hongo.
For this triple business, I allowed three days, during which
time, always eager to shoot something, either for science or the
pot, I killed a bicornis rhinoceros, at a distance of five paces
only, with my small 40-gauge Lancaster, as the beast stood
quietly feeding in the bush; and I also shot a bitch fox of the
genus Octocyon lalandii, whose ill-omened cry often alarms the
natives by forewarning them of danger. This was rather tame
sport; but next day I had better fun.
Starting in the early morning, accompanied by two of Sheikh
Said's boys, Suliman and Faraj, each carrying a rifle, while I
carried a shot-gun, we followed a footpath to the westward in the
wilderness of Mgunda Mkhali. There, after walking a short while
in the bush, as I heard the grunt of a buffalo close on my left,
I took "Blissett" in hand, and walked to where I soon espied a
large herd quietly feeding. They were quite unconscious of my
approach, so I took a shot at a cow, and wounded her; then, after
reloading, put a ball in a bull and staggered him also. This
caused great confusion among them; but as none of the animals
knew where the shots came from, they simply shifted about in a
fidgety manner, allowing me to kill the first cow, and even fire
a fourth shot, which sickened the great bull, and induced him to
walk off, leaving the herd to their fate, who, considerably
puzzled, began moving off also.
I now called up the boys, and determined on following the herd
down before either skinning the dead cow or following the bull,
who I knew could not go far. Their footprints being well defined
in the moist sandy soil, we soon found the herd again; but as
they now knew they were pursued, they kept moving on in short
runs at a time, when, occasionally gaining glimpses of their
large dark bodies as they forced through the bush, I repeated my
shots and struck a good number, some more and some less severely.
This was very provoking; for all of them being stern shots were
not likely to kill, and the jungle was so thick I could not get a
front view of them. Presently, however, one with her hind leg
broken pulled up on a white-ant hill, and, tossing her horns,
came down with a charge the instant I showed myself close to her.
One crack of the rifle rolled her over, and gave me free scope to
improve the bag, which was very soon done; for on following the
spoors, the traces of blood led us up to another one as lame as
the last. He then got a second bullet in the flank, and, after
hobbling a little, evaded our sight and threw himself into a
bush, where we not sooner arrived than he plunged headlong at us
from his ambush, just, and only just, giving me time to present
my small 40-gauge Lancaster.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 26 of 207
Words from 25426 to 26474
of 210958
