We Feared That In
Experimenting He Had Over-Drugged Himself; But We Gave Him A Dose Of
Our Fever Pills; On The Third Day He Rode The One Of The Two Donkeys
That Would Allow Itself To Be Mounted, And On The Sixth He Marched As
Well As Any Of Us.
This case is mentioned in order to illustrate
what we have often observed, that moving the patient from place to
place is most conducive to the cure; and the more pluck a man has -
the less he gives in to the disease - the less likely he is to die.
Supplied with water by the pools in the Podebode, we again joined the
Zambesi at the confluence of the rivulet. When passing through a dry
district the native hunter knows where to expect water by the animals
he sees. The presence of the gemsbuck, duiker or diver, springbucks,
or elephants, is no proof that water is near; for these animals roam
over vast tracts of country, and may be met scores of miles from it.
Not so, however, the zebra, pallah, buffalo, and rhinoceros; their
spoor gives assurance that water is not far off, as they never stray
any distance from its neighbourhood. But when amidst the solemn
stillness of the woods, the singing of joyous birds falls upon the
ear, it is certain that water is close at hand.
Our men in hunting came on an immense herd of buffaloes, quietly
resting in the long dry grass, and began to blaze away furiously at
the astonished animals. In the wild excitement of the hunt, which
heretofore had been conducted with spears, some forgot to load with
ball, and, firing away vigorously with powder only, wondered for the
moment that the buffaloes did not fall. The slayer of the young
elephant, having buried his four bullets in as many buffaloes, fired
three charges of No. 1 shot he had for killing guinea-fowl. The
quaint remarks and merriment after these little adventures seemed to
the listener like the pleasant prattle of children. Mbia and
Mantlanyane, however, killed one buffalo each; both the beasts were
in prime condition; the meat was like really excellent beef, with a
smack of venison. A troop of hungry, howling hyenas also thought the
savour tempting, as they hung round the camp at night, anxious to
partake of the feast. They are, fortunately, arrant cowards, and
never attack either men or beasts except they can catch them asleep,
sick, or at some other disadvantage. With a bright fire at our feet
their presence excites no uneasiness. A piece of meat hung on a
tree, high enough to make him jump to reach it, and a short spear,
with its handle firmly planted in the ground beneath, are used as a
device to induce the hyena to commit suicide by impalement.
The honey-guide is an extraordinary bird; how is it that every member
of its family has learned that all men, white or black, are fond of
honey? The instant the little fellow gets a glimpse of a man, he
hastens to greet him with the hearty invitation to come, as Mbia
translated it, to a bees' hive, and take some honey. He flies on in
the proper direction, perches on a tree, and looks back to see if you
are following; then on to another and another, until he guides you to
the spot. If you do not accept his first invitation he follows you
with pressing importunities, quite as anxious to lure the stranger to
the bees' hive as other birds are to draw him away from their own
nest. Except while on the march, our men were sure to accept the
invitation, and manifested the same by a peculiar responsive whistle,
meaning, as they said, "All right, go ahead; we are coming." The
bird never deceived them, but always guided them to a hive of bees,
though some had but little honey in store. Has this peculiar habit
of the honey-guide its origin, as the attachment of dogs, in
friendship for man, or in love for the sweet pickings of the plunder
left on the ground? Self-interest aiding in preservation from danger
seems to be the rule in most cases, as, for instance, in the bird
that guards the buffalo and rhinoceros. The grass is often so tall
and dense that one could go close up to these animals quite
unperceived; but the guardian bird, sitting on the beast, sees the
approach of danger, flaps its wings and screams, which causes its
bulky charge to rush off from a foe he has neither seen nor heard;
for his reward the vigilant little watcher has the pick of the
parasites on his fat friend. In other cases a chance of escape must
be given even by the animal itself to its prey; as in the rattle-
snake, which, when excited to strike, cannot avoid using his rattle,
any more than the cat can resist curling its tail when excited in the
chase of a mouse, or the cobra can refrain from inflating the loose
skin of the neck and extending it laterally, before striking its
poison fangs into its victim. There are many snakes in parts of this
pass; they basked in the warm sunshine, but rustled off through the
leaves as we approached. We observed one morning a small one of a
deadly poisonous species, named Kakone, on a bush by the wayside,
quietly resting in a horizontal position, digesting a lizard for
breakfast. Though openly in view, its colours and curves so closely
resembled a small branch that some failed to see it, even after being
asked if they perceived anything on the bush. Here also one of our
number had a glance at another species, rarely seen, and whose swift
lightning-like motion has given rise to the native proverb, that when
a man sees this snake he will forthwith become a rich man.
We slept near the ruined village of the murdered chief, Mpangwe, a
lovely spot, with the Zambesi in front, and extensive gardens behind,
backed by a semicircle of hills receding up to lofty mountains.
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