Hair-Breadth Escapes Part 10

"I am in two minds about it," replied Charles. "Part of what he says I know to be true, and everything is consistent with truth. Still his anxiety to get back to his own tribe is suspicious. He has let fall, unconsciously, some hints of his burning desire to be avenged forthwith on the enemies who had so nearly put him to a cruel death; and if he were to conduct us to Cape Town, he would have to put off the gratification of his revenge for many months at the least; and perhaps before his return, the tribe he longs to punish will have moved hundreds of miles away."

"And what do you advise that we should do?"

"I am inclined to follow his suggestions. If his tale is true, we should be running into the face of the most imminent peril by following the route I had marked out. And even if it is false, we shall probably not be delayed very long at the Hottentot village. His measures will be taken, I doubt not, promptly enough, and then he will be at liberty to attend to our affairs."

"You think, in fact, that he really means friendly by us, though he may care more for his revenge than our convenience."

"Just so, Ernest. His grat.i.tude is, I believe, quite sincere."

"Then I agree with you that we had better do as you advise. What do you two say?"

"I am of your opinion," said Wilmore.

"And I don't see what else is to be done," added Gilbert.

"That's agreed, then," said Lavie. "And now, there is another thing.

He says it won't be safe for us to sleep under these trees, even though we light a fire, and keep it up all night. It seems that the neighbourhood abounds with beast of prey. Indeed, if Omatoko is to be believed there would be a considerable risk of our being devoured by a lion or tiger--"

"Tiger!" repeated Warley. "There are no tigers in this country surely."

"Not the animal strictly called the tiger," returned the surgeon; "that is not found in South Africa at all, or indeed anywhere, I believe, except in Bengal. The beast they name the tiger here, is the leopard; but he is quite fierce and savage enough. I should observe that the leopard is not the only animal miscalled in this country. They talk of the wild horse, the camel, and the wolf, as abounding here. But none of these are to be found. What they mean are properly the zebra, the giraffe, and the hyena. But to go on, Omatoko says we must either keep watch, all of us, with our guns all night--"

"I say, bother that," broke in Nick; "a fellow can't do without sleep."

"Or else," resumed Charles; "we must climb into trees and sleep there."

"Well, we can do that," said Frank; "that is, we four can. But how about this Hottentot? He is in no case to climb a tree, I judge, much less to stick in one all night."

"And how about Lion?" added Gilbert. "He is a worse climber still, I expect."

"Omatoko advised us to cut down a lot of young pines that are growing in a thicket close by, and lay them across two of the lower branches of the largest tree we can find. There are several acacias of immense size about here. A sort of floor will thus be formed, where we can all sleep safely. The branches would probably be not more than six feet from the ground, so that both the Hottentot and Lion might easily be handed up."

"But these leopards can climb, can't they?" suggested Frank. "We should be safe from lions or rhinoceroses no doubt, but not from leopards, or bears either, if there are any about here."

"I don't think any bears are to be found hereabouts. No doubt panthers and leopards can climb trees, but remember, they could only get at us by walking along the bough on the end of which our platform rests, or by dropping down from a higher limb. Lion would be sure to rouse us before they could accomplish either feat, and they would be easy victims to our rifles."

"That's true," said Wilmore. "Well, then, do you three fall to work on the job, while I roast some parrots for to-morrow's breakfast."

They began the task accordingly. The doctor took his axe; and in half an hour had cut down a great number of stout firs about twenty feet long, and thicker round than his arm. These were brought up by Warley and laid across two of the lower branches of one of the giants of the forest, forming a tolerably flat stage some nine feet square. No fastening was required for the firs, their own weight and the shape of the branches, which bent slightly upwards at the ends, rendering them quite secure. Next, armfuls of dry gra.s.s and moss were handed up to form beds for the party; and then came the more difficult task of hoisting Omatoko to his place. This engaged the united strength of the doctor, Warley, and Wilmore below, while Nick, standing on the platform, received him from their hands. But the strength of the Hottentot was in some measure restored, and he was able to render some help himself, which greatly facilitated the job. As soon as Omatoko had been consigned to his bed, Lion was in like manner pa.s.sed up; but he was by no means so conformable as his predecessor had been, and if anybody but Frank had had charge of his head and shoulders, they might have found their undertaking an unpleasant one.

However, in process of time he was got up, and secured by a thong to one of the poles in the centre of the platform. The guns came next, and lastly their owners. It was quite dark before their arrangements were completed, and before ten minutes had elapsed, the whole of the party were fast asleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

DANGEROUS NEIGHBOURS--FREE AND EASY VISITORS--PROPOSED DEPARTURE-- JOURNEY RESUMED--AN AFRICAN STORM--A NECK AND NECK STRUGGLE.

The sun was high in the heavens before any of the party were roused from their slumbers. Then the doctor was the first to wake up, and his thoughts were at once turned to his patient. He was pleased to find him in a most satisfactory condition. His skin was cool, and his pulse, though still low, was steadily recovering its tone. As for Frank and Ernest--they had no sooner opened their eyes, than they hurried off to the pool, which lay two or three hundred yards off, to enjoy a refres.h.i.+ng bath. They were followed shortly afterwards by Lavie and Omatoko, the latter having contrived to descend from his bedchamber by the help of the doctor's arm, and to walk, though very slowly, as far as the waterside.

Having completed their ablutions, the lads set about preparing the breakfast; which, it was agreed, was to be eaten under the shade of the acacias.

"I think Omatoko must be mistaken about the wild animals," observed Frank. "I slept as sound as a top, and so did Lion; and if there had been any of his namesakes about, or tigers either, he would have been pretty sure to give us notice."

"You forget how tired we were, Frank; Lion as well as ourselves," said the doctor. "Unless they made a very great uproar we should probably not hear them."

"What does Omatoko say?" suggested Warley. "Does he think there were wild beasts about?"

The Hottentot nodded. "One, two lion," he said, pointing to some footprints in the short gra.s.s round the pool. "One, two lion; many tigers; one rhinoceros."

"Is that the spoor of a lion?" asked Warley with much interest, as he stooped down and examined the footprints. "How can you tell it from that of a large tiger?"

"You may always know the spoor of a lion by the marks of the toe-nails,"

said Lavie; "they turn in, whereas those of other feline animals project. Yes, that is a lion's spoor, sure enough, and those broad deep prints are as plainly those of a rhinoceros, and a pretty large one too.

And there are plenty of others besides, which I am not sure of.

Omatoko was certainly right. It was quite as well that we did not bivouac by this pool."

Breakfast was now announced, and the party gathered round the eatables, when it was for the first time noticed that Nick was not present.

"I suppose he is still asleep," said the surgeon. "I called to him to come and help me to get Omatoko down, but I got nothing but an intelligible growl at first, and then a sleepy a.s.surance that he would be sure to be in time for breakfast."

"No, he is not the fellow to miss that," remarked Frank. "He must be very sleepy indeed, before he'll go without his victuals. Depend upon it he will be here in a minute or two."

Half an hour however pa.s.sed away, and the meal was quite completed, and still no Nick made his appearance.

"Go, and look after him, Frank," said the doctor, "while I consult with Omatoko as to what ought to be done next. We can't afford to lose time, if it should be thought better for us to move."

Wilmore took up his gun accordingly, and walked off towards the tree where they had slept. The dense foliage almost entirely concealed the staging from sight: but as he drew nearer he was sensible of loud chattering and gibbering sounds, intermixed occasionally with shrill screams, which seemed to come from a great number of throats. Wondering what this could mean, he made his approach as noiselessly as possible, and climbing up to the top of one of the roots, which projected a foot or two upwards, he peered cautiously over the edge of the platform. A most extraordinary sight greeted him, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he restrained himself from bursting into a loud laugh.

Nick was seated in the middle of the stage, bareheaded and without shoes, and was gazing upward with a look of mingled alarm and annoyance, which seemed to the spectator of the scene irresistibly ludicrous. On the boughs immediately over his head, as far up as Frank could descry, a great number of baboons were to be seen, leaping from one resting-place to another, with hideous grimaces, and keeping up incessant and most discordant screams. The grotesqueness of their appearance was much increased by their having taken possession of such of Nick's property as they had been able to lay their paws on. One wore the blue cloth cap, with the leather peak and white edging, which was a souvenir of Dr Staines's establishment. Two more had possessed themselves, each of one of his shoes, which he had laid aside when he went to sleep; and were turning them over with an air of grave curiosity, as if to discover what their use might be. Another party had seized the knapsack, which had been pulled from under Nick's head before he was fully awake. The contents had been divided between several old baboons, who had turned the various articles to all sort of strange uses. One was scratching his ear with Gilbert's pipe; another had thrust its head into a stocking, and appeared to have some difficulty in getting it out again; a third was enveloped from head to foot in a cotton s.h.i.+rt, his head showing itself just above the collar; while a fourth was examining the contents of the flask, which it had contrived partially to open, and was making hideous faces over the taste of the gunpowder, of which it had swallowed a good spoonful. Nick had fortunately awoke in time to prevent the baboons from seizing his knife or gun. He now held the latter with a strong grip in both hands, and seemed disposed to discharge its contents at one of his a.s.sailants, if he could only make up his mind which to single out for attack.

"Don't fire, Nick," exclaimed Wilmore, as he noticed Gilbert's demeanour. "You'd enrage them greatly, if you were to wound or kill any of them. They have been known to tear a fellow to pieces, who shot one of their number. They're terribly fierce and strong, if they are provoked."

"What am I to do, then?" returned Gilbert. "They've not only carried off my knapsack and pipe, but my hat and shoes too; and I can't venture to walk a step in these parts without them."

"The best way will be to scare them away," suggested Wilmore, "if we could think of any way of doing it."

"I'll tell you," cried Nick, catching a sudden inspiration. "Do you climb up into the tree on the other side. The leaves are so thick that these brutes won't see you, and the branches are easy enough to climb.

When you're well up over their heads, let fly with your gun. I'll do the same the moment afterwards, and between the two reports they'll be so scared, I expect, that they'll cut for it straightway."

"Very well," said Frank, laughing, "I've no objection. We can but try, any way." He carefully unc.o.c.ked his gun, and began mounting the branches as quietly as possible, while Nick distracted the attention of the monkeys, by shaking his fist at them, and pelting them with fragments of bark. Presently there came the double explosion, which fully answered his expectations. Uttering a Babel of discordant screams, they dropped their recently acquired treasures, and made off at the top of their speed, bounding from tree to tree till they were lost in the distance. Nick set himself to collect the various articles thus restored, and had nearly repossessed himself of all of them, when Frank descended from his elevation and joined him on the platform.

"You get into sc.r.a.pes, Nick, more than most," he said, "but you've a wonderful knack of getting out of them again, that's certain. Well, come along, if you've got everything. The doctor is anxious to start, if this Hottentot chap will let us, and you've still your breakfast to get."

"The Hottentot let us start this morning!" repeated Gilbert. "Not if he's to go with us himself, to be sure! To look at him last night, he wouldn't be fit to walk again this side of Christmas. Perhaps he expects us to carry him, as we did yesterday--do you really think that, Frank?" continued Gilbert, stopping short, and eyeing his companion with an expression of much dismay.

"No, I don't," returned Wilmore, again bursting into a laugh; "and if he did expect it, he'd find his expectations deceive him considerably.

That's what _I_ expect, at all events."