Then Turning To The Last One, Which Could
Not Escape, I Asked The Wanyambo To Polish Him Off With Their
Spears And Arrows, That I Might See Their Mode Of Sport.
As we
moved up to the animal, he kept charging with such impetuous
fury, they could not go into him; so I gave him a second ball,
which brought him to anchor.
In this helpless state the men set
at him in earnest, and a more barbarous finale I never did
witness. Every man sent his spear, assage, or arrow, into his
sides, until, completely exhausted, he sank like a porcupine
covered with quills. The day's sport was now ended, so I went
home to breakfast, leaving instructions that the heads should be
cut off and sent to the king as a trophy of what the white man
could do.
10th and 11th. - The next day, when I called on Rumanika, the
spoils were brought into court, and in utter astonishment he
said, "Well, this must have been done with something more potent
than powder, for neither the Arabs nor Nnanaji, although they
talk of their shooting powers, could have accomplished such a
great feat as this. It is no wonder the English are the greatest
men in the world."
Neither the Wanyambo nor the Wahuma would eat the rhinoceros, so
I was not sorry to find all the Wanyamuezi porters of the Arabs
at Kufro, on hearing of the sport, come over and carry away all
the flesh. They passed by our camp half borne down with their
burdens of sliced flesh, suspended from poles which they carried
on their shoulders; but the following day I was disgusted by
hearing that their masters had forbidden their eating "the
carrion," as the throats of the animals had not been cut; and,
moreover, had thrashed them soundly because they complained they
were half starved, which was perfectly true, by the poor food
that they got as their pay.
12th. - On visiting Rumanika again, and going through my
geographical lessons, he told me, in confirmation of Musa's old
stories, that in Ruanda there existed pigmies who lived in trees,
but occasionally came down at night, and, listening at the hut
doors of the men, would wait until they heard the name of one of
its inmates, when they would call him out, and, firing an arrow
into his heart, disappear again in the same way as they came.
But, more formidable even than these little men, there were
monsters who could not converse with me, and never showed
themselves unless they saw women pass by; then, in voluptuous
excitement, they squeezed them to death. Many other similar
stories were then told, when I, wishing to go, was asked if I
could kill hippopotami. Having answered that I could, the king
graciously said he would order some canoes for me the next
morning; and as I declined because Grant could not accompany me,
as a terrible disease had broken out in his leg, he ordered a
pig-shooting party.
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