The Jungles Had Thinned; We Found Ourselves
Unexpectedly Standing On The Edge Of A Plateau, On The West Of
Which,
For distance interminable, lay apparently a low flat
country of grass, yellowed by the sun, with a few trees or
Shrubs
only thinly scattered over the surface; while, from fifteen to
twenty miles in the rear, bearing south by west, stood
conspicuously the hill of Kisuga, said to be situated in Chopi,
not far from the refractory brothers. But this view was only for
the moment; again we dived into the grasses and forced our way
along. Presently elephants were seen, also buffalo; and the
guide, to make the journey propitious, plucked a twig, denuded it
of its leaves and branches, waved it like a wand up the line of
march, muttered some unintelligible words to himself, broke it in
twain, and threw the separated bits on either side of the path.
Immediately after starting, the guide ran up on an ant-hill and
pointed out to us all the glories of the country round. In our
rear we could see back upon Wire and the hill of Kisuga; to the
west were the same low plains of grass; east and by south, the
jungles of Kidi; and to the northward, over downs of grass, the
tops of some hills, which marked the neighbouring village of
Koki, which we were making for. Its appearance in the distance
warned us that we were closing on the habitations of men, and we
were told that Bombay had drunk pombe there. Then plunging
through grass again over our heads, and crossing constant swamps,
we arrived at a stream which drains all these lands to westward,
and rested a while that the men might bathe, and also that they
might set fire to the grass as a telegraph to the settlement of
Koko, to apprise the people of our advance, and be ready with
their pombe ere our arrival. Shortly after, towards the close of
the day's work, as a solitary buffalo was seen grazing by a
brook, I put a bullet through him, and allowed the savages the
pleasure of despatching him in their own wild fashion with
spears.
It was a sight quite worthy of a little delay. No sooner was it
observed that the huge beast could not retire, than, with
springing bounds, the men, all spear in hand, as if advancing on
an enemy, went top speed at him, over rise and fall alike, till,
as they neared the maddened bull, he instinctively advanced to
meet his assailants with the best charge his exhausted body could
muster up. Wind, however, failed him soon; he knew his
disadvantage, and tried to hide by plunging in the water, - the
worst policy he could have pursued, for the men from the bank
above him soon covered him with bristling spears, and gained
their victory. Now, what was to be done with this huge carcass?
No one could be induced to leave it. A cow was ordered as a bribe
on reaching camp; but no, the buffalo was bigger than a cow, and
must be quartered on the spot; so, to gain our object, we went
ahead and left the rear men to follow, thus saving a cow in
rations, for we required to slaughter one every day.
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