An additional danger and difficulty here for the attacking party.
The lieutenant and his small band of black soldiers had, after a
stiff fight, succeeded in forcing the entrance to this, when their
ammunition gave out, and they had to fall back. The Bueans,
regarding this as their victory, rallied, and a chance shot killed
the lieutenant instantly. A further expedition was promptly sent up
from Victoria and it wiped the error out of the Buean mind and
several Bueans with it. But it was a very necessary expedition.
These natives were a constant source of danger to the more peaceful
trading tribes, whom they would not permit to traverse their
territory. The Bueans have been dealt with mercifully by the
Germans, for their big villages, like Sapa, are still standing, and
a continual stream of natives come into the barrack-yard, selling
produce, or carrying it on down to Victoria markets, in a perfectly
content and cheerful way. I met this morning a big burly chief with
his insignia of office - a great stick. He, I am told, is the chief
or Sapa whom Herr von Lucke has called to talk some palaver with
down in Victoria.
At last I leave Herr Liebert, because everything I say to him causes
him to hop, flying somewhere to show me something, and I am sure it
is bad for his foot. I go and see that my men are safely quartered.
Kefalla is laying down the law in a most didactic way to the
soldiers. Herr Liebert has christened him "the Professor," and I
adopt the name for him, but I fear "Windbag" would fit him better.
At 7.30 a heavy tornado comes rolling down upon us. Masses of
indigo cloud with livid lightning flashing in the van, roll out from
over the wall of the great crater above; then with that malevolence
peculiar to the tornado it sees all the soldiers and their wives and
children sitting happily in the barrack yard, howling in a minor key
and beating their beloved tom-toms, so it comes and sits flump down
on them with deluges of water, and sends its lightning running over
the ground in livid streams of living death. Oh, they are nice
things are tornadoes! I wonder what they will be like when we are
up in their home; up atop of that precious wall? I had no idea
Mungo was so steep. If I had - well, I am in for it now!
CHAPTER XVIII. ASCENT OF THE GREAT PEAK OF CAMEROONS - (continued).
Wherein is recounted how the Voyager sets out from Buea, and goes up
through the forest belt to the top of the S.E. crater of Mungo Mah
Lobeh, with many dilemmas and disasters that befell on the way.
