The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile by Samuel White Baker (best ebook reader for chromebook .txt) 📖

Latookas, like the Baris, are excellent blacksmiths, producing a

result that would astonish an English workman, considering the rough

nature of their tools, which are confined to a hammer, anvil, and tongs;

the latter formed of a cleft-stick of green wood, while the two former

are stones of various sizes. Their bellows consist of two pots about a

foot deep; from the bottom of each is an earthenware pipe about two feet

long, the points of which are inserted in a charcoal fire. The mouths of

the pots are covered with very pliable leather, loose and well greased;

in the centre of each leather covering is an upright stick about four

feet long, and the bellows-blower works these rapidly with a

perpendicular motion, thus producing a strong blast. The natives are

exceedingly particular in the shape of their molotes, and invariably

prove them by balancing them on their heads and ringing them by a blow

with the finger.

 

The Latookas being much engaged in preparing for cultivation, I had some

difficulty in arranging a hunting party; my men abhorred the idea of

elephant hunting, or of anything else that required hard work and

included danger. However, I succeeded in engaging Adda, the third chief

of Latooka, and several natives, to act as my guides, and I made my

arrangements for a stated day.

 

On the 17th of April I started at 5 A.M. with my three horses and two

camels, the latter carrying water and food. After a march of two or

three hours through the beautiful hunting-grounds formed by the valley

of Latooka, with its alternate prairies and jungles, I came upon the

tracks of rhinoceros, giraffes, and elephants, and shortly moved a

rhinoceros, but could get no shot, owing to the thick bush in which he

started and disappeared quicker than I could dismount. After a short

circuit in search of the rhinoceros, we came upon a large herd of

buffaloes, but at the same moment we heard elephants trumpeting at the

foot of the mountains. Not wishing to fire, lest the great game should

be disturbed, I contented myself with riding after the buffaloes,

wonderfully followed on foot by Adda, who ran like a deer, and almost

kept up with my horse, hurling his three lances successively at the

buffaloes, but without success. I had left the camels in an open plain,

and returning from the gallop after the buffaloes, I saw the men on the

camels beckoning to me in great excitement.

 

Cantering towards them, they explained that a herd of bull elephants had

just crossed an open space, and had passed into the jungle beyond. There

was evidently abundance of game; and calling my men together, I told

them to keep close to me with the spare horses and rifles, while I sent

the Latookas ahead to look out for the elephants: we followed at a short

distance.

 

In about ten minutes we saw the Latookas hurrying towards us, and almost

immediately after, I saw two enormous bull elephants with splendid tusks

about a hundred yards from us, apparently the leaders of an approaching

herd. The ground was exceedingly favourable, being tolerably open, and

yet with sufficient bush to afford a slight cover. Presently, several

elephants appeared and joined the two leaders—there was evidently a

considerable number in the herd, and I was on the point of dismounting

to take the first shot on foot, when the Latookas, too eager, approached

the herd: their red and blue helmets at once attracted the attention of

the elephants, and a tremendous rush took place, the whole herd closing

together and tearing off at full speed. “Follow me!” I hallooed to my

men, and touching my horse with the spur, I intended to dash into the

midst of the herd. Just at that instant, in his start, my horse slipped

and fell suddenly upon his side, falling upon my right leg and thus

pinning me to the ground. He was not up to my weight, and releasing

myself, I immediately mounted my old Abyssinian hunter, “Tetel,” and

followed the tracks of the elephants at full speed, accompanied by two

of the Latookas, who ran like hounds. Galloping through the green but

thornless bush, I soon came in sight of a grand bull elephant, steaming

along like a locomotive engine straight before me.

 

Digging in the spurs, I was soon within twenty yards of him; but the

ground was so unfavourable, being full of buffalo holes, that I could

not pass him. In about a quarter of an hour, after a careful chase over

deep ruts and gullies concealed in high grass, I arrived at a level

space, and shooting ahead, I gave him a shoulder shot with the Reilly

No. 10 rifle. I saw the wound in a good place, but the bull rushed along

all the quicker, and again we came into bad ground that made it unwise

to close. However, on the first opportunity I made a dash by him, and

fired my left-hand barrel at full gallop. He slackened his speed, but I

could not halt to reload, lest I should lose sight of him in the high

grass and bush.

 

Not a man was with me to hand a spare rifle. My cowardly fellows,

although light-weights and well mounted, were nowhere; the natives were

outrun, as of course was Richarn, who, not being a good rider, had

preferred to hunt on foot. In vain I shouted for the men; and I followed

the elephant with an empty rifle for about ten minutes, until he

suddenly turned round, and stood facing me in an open spot in grass

about nine or ten feet high. “Tetel” was a grand horse for elephants,

not having the slightest fear, and standing fire like a rock, never even

starting under the discharge of the heaviest charge of powder. I now

commenced reloading, when presently one of my men, Yaseen, came up upon

“Filfil.” Taking a spare gun from him, I rode rapidly past the elephant,

and suddenly reining up, I made a good shot exactly behind the

bladebone. With a shrill scream, the elephant charged down upon me like

a steam-engine. In went the spurs. “Tetel” knew his work, and away he

went over the ruts and gullies, the high dry grass whistling in my ears

as we shot along at full speed, closely followed by the enraged bull for

about two hundred yards.

 

The elephant then halted; and turning the horse’s head, I again faced

him and reloaded. I thought he was dying, as he stood with trunk

drooping, and ears closely pressed back upon his neck. Just at this

moment I heard the rush of elephants advancing through the green bush

upon the rising ground above the hollow formed by the open space of high

withered grass in which we were standing facing each other. My man

Yaseen had bolted with his fleet horse at the first charge, and was not

to be seen. Presently, the rushing sound increased, and the heads of a

closely packed herd of about eighteen elephants showed above the low

bushes, and they broke cover, bearing down directly upon me, both I and

my horse being unobserved in the high grass. I never saw a more lovely

sight; they were all bulls with immense tusks. Waiting until they were

within twenty yards of me, I galloped straight at them, giving a yell

that turned them. Away they rushed up the hill, but at so great a pace,

that upon the rutty and broken ground I could not overtake them, and

they completely distanced me. Tetel, although a wonderfully steady

hunter, was an uncommonly slow horse, but upon this day he appeared to

be slower than usual, and I was not at the time aware that he was

seriously ill. By following three elephants separated from the herd I

came up to them by a short cut, and singling out a fellow with enormous

tusks, I rode straight at him. Finding himself overhauled, he charged me

with such quickness and followed me up so far, that it was with the

greatest difficulty that I cleared him. When he turned, I at once

returned to the attack; but he entered a thick thorny jungle through

which no horse could follow, and I failed to obtain a shot.

 

I was looking for a path through which I could penetrate the bush, when

I suddenly heard natives shouting in the direction where I had left the

wounded bull. Galloping towards the spot, I met a few scattered natives;

among others, Adda. After shouting for some time, at length Yaseen

appeared upon my horse Filfil; he had fled as usual when he saw the

troop of elephants advancing, and no one knows how far he had ridden

before he thought it safe to look behind him. With two mounted gun-bearers and five others on foot I had been entirely deserted through the

cowardice of my men. The elephant that I had left as dying, was gone.

One of the Latookas had followed upon his tracks, and we heard this

fellow shouting in the distance. I soon overtook him, and he led rapidly

upon the track through thick bushes and high grass. In about a quarter

of an hour we came up with the elephant; he was standing in bush, facing

us at about fifty yards’ distance, and immediately perceiving us, he

gave a saucy jerk with his head, and charged most determinedly. It was

exceedingly difficult to escape, owing to the bushes which impeded the

horse, while the elephant crushed them like cobwebs: however, by turning

my horse sharp round a tree, I managed to evade him after a chase of

about a hundred and fifty yards. Disappearing in the jungle after his

charge, I immediately followed him. The ground was hard, and so trodden

by elephants that it was difficult to single out the track. There was no

blood upon the ground, but only on the trees every now and then, where

he had rubbed past them in his retreat. After nearly two hours passed in

slowly following upon his path, we suddenly broke cover and saw him

travelling very quietly through an extensive plain of high grass. The

ground was gently inclining upwards on either side the plain, but the

level was a mass of deep, hardened ruts, over which no horse could

gallop. Knowing my friend’s character, I rode up the rising ground to

reconnoitre: I found it tolerably clear of holes, and far superior to

the rutty bottom. My two mounted gun-bearers had now joined me, and far

from enjoying the sport, they were almost green with fright, when I

ordered them to keep close to me and to advance.

 

I wanted them to attract the elephant’s attention, so as to enable me to

obtain a good shoulder shot. Riding along the open plain, I at length

arrived within about fifty yards of the bull, when he slowly turned.

Reining “Tetel” up, I immediately fired a steady shot at the shoulder

with the Reilly No. 10:—for a moment he fell upon his knees, but,

recovering with wonderful quickness, he was in full charge upon me.

Fortunately I had inspected my ground previous to the attack, and away I

went up the inclination to my right, the spurs hard at work, and the

elephant screaming with rage, GAINING on me. My horse felt as though

made of wood, and clumsily rolled along in a sort of cow-gallop;—in

vain I dug the spurs into his flanks, and urged him by rein and voice;

not an extra stride could I get out of him, and he reeled along as

though thoroughly exhausted, plunging in and out of the buffalo holes

instead of jumping them. Hamed was on my horse “Mouse,” who went three

to “Tetel’s” one, and instead of endeavouring to divert the elephant’s

attention, he shot