The Fugitives: The Tyrant Queen of Madagascar Part 13

"They've got baccy, an' don't smoke!" murmured Hockins to himself in a kind of meditative surprise, as though he had just been told that the natives possessed food and did not eat.

"But _you_ don't smoke?" remarked the guide.

"That's 'cause I hain't got baccy nor pipe. You give me pipe and baccy an' I'll smoke you into fits in no time."

"Do you feel the want of it much?"

"Not much. At first I did, most awful, but now I'm gettin' over it."

The guide was silent. He might have remarked, "Yet now, if you had the chance, you would enslave yourself _again_!" but, not being of an argumentative turn of mind, he merely shook his head and changed the subject. It was well, for Hockins was one of those people who, "if convinced against their will, remain of the same opinion still."

After breakfast, while the young men of the tribe armed themselves and made preparation for the expedition, Ravonino took his friends through the village, the inhabitants of which were evidently as deeply interested in seeing the white men as the latter were in seeing the brown; for each were objects of curiosity to the other.

During the stroll our friends saw the weaving of the _lamba_--the large plaid-like garment of hempen cloth worn extensively in the island. The looms were rude and simple, but the fabrics produced were wonderfully good in appearance and texture, some being made of a kind of coa.r.s.e silk. Many of them were ornamented, and rendered very heavy with immense quant.i.ties of small leaden beads fastened to the garment either in straight or curved rows, the lead having been procured from traders at the coast, and the beads having been manufactured by themselves.

These natives wore but little clothing--merely a cloth round the loins, and sometimes a jacket made of coa.r.s.e material. The _lamba_ is usually worn over the shoulders in the cool of the morning, but at the time we write of most of the men who used the garment, had bound it tightly round their waists.

Our travellers were made acquainted at this time with a game which interested them greatly--especially arousing the enthusiasm of the negro. It was a kicking game, played by some of the more active among the young men, who, having got ready for the field quickly, were waiting for their slower companions. The chief peculiarity of the game consisted in the mode of kicking, namely backwards, in the horse or donkey fas.h.i.+on. The guide explained that the name of the game, when literally translated, was, "striking blue with the sole of the foot!"

It is a desperate game, and when played, as it frequently is, by hundreds of active and powerful young men, the results are sometimes sprained ankles, broken legs, etcetera.

"Oh! das de game for me!" cried the enthusiastic Ebony, who could hardly be restrained from joining. "De sole ob my foot's awrful broad, an' I could strike black as well as blue. Do let me try, ma.s.sa!"

Fortunately, perhaps, for our negro, the chief came out of his hut at that moment and gave the signal for the hunters to advance, thus bringing the game and Ebony's aspirations to an abrupt end. The young men at once fell to the rear, and the whole party sallied forth into the forest.

It was magnificent weather, with just cloud enough to prevent the sun being overpoweringly hot, and the tract of country over which they pa.s.sed was surpa.s.singly beautiful. To Mark Breezy it seemed as if all the winged insects in the island had come forth to welcome him. There were b.u.t.terflies of various sizes and brilliant colours flitting to and fro among the wild-flowers, besides dragon-flies, gra.s.shoppers of exquisite beauty, spiders with coats of gold and silver, caterpillars half-a-foot long in gorgeous array of black, scarlet, and yellow, and many other creatures which we may not pause to describe here, though Mark and the guide frequently paused to look at them, insomuch that they were often left a considerable way behind. One of the b.u.t.terflies which Mark caught at that time was very beautiful, and a slow flier. It actually measured eight inches across the extended wings.

Of larger animals they saw none; and it may be as well to remark here that there are no large carnivora in Madagascar--no lions, tigers, leopards panthers, or creatures of that sort--nothing larger than a wild-cat and a wolf being known. Neither are there elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, hippopotami, antelope, nor deer; the only large animals being two species of ox, and the wild-boar, goats and sheep, and crocodiles. There are also huge bats, an animal of the monkey tribe called the lemur, hedgehogs, and rabbits.

The lemurs are very pretty little things, and, being gentle affectionate creatures, are sometimes tamed and kept as pets.

The scenery, we have said, was beautiful. At one turn of the road in particular a landscape of such beauty appeared suddenly before them that Mark was arrested as if spell-bound; it was such a gorgeous combination of luxuriant foliage--ferns and palms and bamboos, interlaced with creepers, and enlivened by streams which brawled and tumbled in picturesque cascades, over which hundreds of b.u.t.terflies sported in the suns.h.i.+ne. From the height of land on which they stood a wide, well-watered plain was seen to extend far below them. It was hemmed in on either side by wooded hills and backed by the interior highlands.

Far down the hill-side their companions could be seen wending their way through the tangled shrubbery, just in rear of the native hunters, led by their energetic chief Voalavo. As the men carried spears, the points of which glittered in the sun, the party had quite a martial aspect.

To our young student the whole scene was enchanting. It had the effect of subduing and solemnising his feelings in a way which he had never before experienced. The earnest, religious cast of his companion's spirit also tended not a little to deepen this feeling and induce him for the first time in his life to understand that "nature's G.o.d" was in very truth present with him.

"Is not the hand of the Master here?" said Ravonino, after a long silence.

"Truly, my friend, it is," replied the young man, "and your remark puts me to shame. For many a time, through the microscope and the human frame and the surrounding world, might I have seen this Master-hand everywhere--if my eyes had been open."

The guide turned on Mark an earnest, inquiring look.

"Friend," he said, impressively, "if this be so, you are now very specially awakened to the Truth. If you have pa.s.sed through and seen so much without recognising G.o.d in his creatures, you have been brought for the first time to know yourself. Turn now--now--to the Saviour, and you will henceforth see a glory in all things that you never saw before.

Turn, my friend--for `now is the accepted time.'"

Ravonino spoke with such an earnest look and tone that the youth could not doubt the sincerity of his belief in the Saviour whom he so affectionately held up to his view.

"Ravonino, I believe you are right. G.o.d help me to turn!"

"He _has_ helped you already," said the guide. "That prayer, _if true_, never yet came from an unrenewed heart."

As he spoke a shout from those further down the hill-side stopped the conversation and obliged the friends to resume the descent.

"That is the plain, I am told," said Ravonino, "where they expect to find wild cattle, and where we shall have to encamp, no doubt, till night enables us to hunt."

"Not a very cheerful time to go sporting," said Mark.

"They do not count it sport," remarked his comrade, gravely. "They are short of meat, and hunt for food."

A few minutes later and the party was encamped in the thick woods that bordered the plain.

CHAPTER TEN.

TELLS OF A GRAND HUNT AND OTHER THINGS.

While the party of hunters awaited the approach of night, (for the wild cattle feed chiefly at night), they kept as quiet as possible. The scouts had brought news that a large herd was feeding on a part of the plain which was not far distant, although concealed from view by the formation of the land.

Still thinking of the recent conversation which he had had with the guide, Mark Breezy retired a little from the rest of the party and flung himself on the ground under a tree to rest and meditate.

He was not left long, however, in solitude, for Hockins and Ebony soon discovered his retreat. Each of these worthies was armed with a spear.

"Hallo, Doctor," exclaimed the former, as he came up, "are you not supplied with a weapon?"

"Yes, I am," replied Mark, pointing to a native spear which lay at his side, "but I think I won't use it."

"Why not, ma.s.sa?" asked Ebony.

"Because I don't yet know how to go about this style of hunting, and if I were to attempt anything I might spoil the sport. I intend merely to look on."

"Right you are, sir," remarked the sailor. "P'r'aps it'll be as well for all of us to keep in the background."

"Pooh!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Ebony, turning up his nose--a needless action, as it was well-turned up already--"pooh! I not keep in de background! You're all wrong. W'en you knows nuffin, jest you wait till you knows suffin'--ebber so little--an' den go at 'im."

"That's just what I said I should do, Ebony. I will merely look on at first."

"But how long does you prepose to look on, ma.s.sa? Ain't five or six minits enuff? Dis is what I's a-gwine to do. I'll foller close on de chief--what you call 'im?--Vollyvo--an' w'en I sees him stick one hox, das nuff for me. I den go at 'im on my own hook, an' stick away right an' left!"

"I'll give you a wide berth, then, for it's as like as not that you'll stick some o' the hunters in the dark," said Hockins, rising, for just then there was a stir in the camp as if preparation was being made to go out.

A few minutes later and Laihova came to them with the news that he had heard the chief say they were getting ready, as it was necessary to make a long round through the woods to get well to leeward of the cattle.

This process of getting ready consisted in every man stripping and was.h.i.+ng himself all over in order to get rid of the smell of the smoke of their huts. Even the guests were obliged to conform to the custom.

Then they set off in profound silence, every man being armed with a couple of spears, excepting the guests, who were allowed only one spear each, it being feared that if they carried two they might chance to rattle them together and thus alarm the game, for the kind of cattle they were about to attack are exceedingly active and suspicious--always on the alert, continually snuffing and snorting at the bare idea, as it were, of an approaching enemy. Unlike the tame cattle of the island, these animals have no hump, but strongly resemble the ordinary cattle of England, save that their horns are shorter and their bellowings deeper.

They are, however, very savage, and when wounded or annoyed are apt to attack their enemies with terrible ferocity.

To Mark Breezy and his companions the expedition proved to be full of excitement, for, apart from the novelty of the situation, and uncertainty as to what lay before them or was expected of them, the extreme darkness of the night, and the quick silent stealthy motion of the almost invisible hunters, filled their minds with--if we may say so--awfully pleasurable antic.i.p.ations!

The whole band followed their chief in single file, and as he was intimately familiar with the topography of the region, the only anxiety of each man was to tread carefully in his footsteps.