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ADVENTURES 
 ON THE GREAT RIVERS 
 
ADVENTURES 
 
 ON 
 
 THE GREAT RIVERS 
 
 ROMANTIC INCIDENTS AND PERILS 
 
 OF TRAVEL, SPORT, AND EXPLORATION 
 
 THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 
 
 RICHARD STEAD, B.A. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "WILL OF THE DALES," ETC., ETC. 
 
 WITH SIXTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 
 
 LONDON : SEELEY to* CO. LIMITED 
 
 1907 
 

 -/<?£$ <?6 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The adventures met with on great rivers by travellers 
 and big-game hunters, and especially by explorers, are 
 wonderful in their variety. And as a matter of fact, each 
 zone of the earth seems to have its peculiar difficulties 
 and dangers. In tropical regions there are the larger and 
 more formidable wild beasts to encounter, the lion, the 
 tiger, the elephant, the hippopotamus, [or the rhinoceros 
 in the Old World, the puma, the jaguar, and what not in 
 the New. As for the insects, and the creeping and crawl- 
 ing things innumerable, their attacks are so incessant, so 
 determined, and so exasperating, that it is a question 
 whether these smaller pests are not more to be dreaded 
 than the bigger and apparently more dangerous beasts 
 that roam the forests and plains, or infest the rivers and 
 their banks. Then there is the whole family of deadly 
 snakes to be reckoned with, and, by river travellers, the 
 crocodile and the rest of the amphibious of stream- 
 haunting reptiles. 
 
 The Arctic and sub-Arctic districts have their own 
 dangers, the cold, the frozen torrent, the ice-floe, the 
 scarcity, the starvation even. And the more temperate 
 zones not seldom bring difficulties and risks to the ad- 
 venturous traveller or the hunter. Floods, rapids, and 
 
PREFACE 
 
 cataracts are there ; mountain valleys have their glaciers, 
 their avalanches, their precipices; wolves and bears are 
 foes not to be despised. Last, but not least, there are 
 often enemies in human shape more formidable than even 
 the fiercest of the lower animals — the cannibal or the 
 brutal savage of civilized regions, or the more crafty and 
 generally more unscrupulous semi-civilized man. 
 
 In meeting all these perils, the pluck, the endurance, 
 the resourcefulness shown by many of the explorers — and 
 not least amongst them our own countrymen — are often 
 beyond praise. On the contributions to our geographical 
 and scientific knowledge made by these adventurous and 
 gallant men there is little need to dwell ; they are known 
 to all intelligent folk. 
 
 The author hereby offers his grateful thanks to the 
 several distinguished writers and eminent publishers who 
 have so kindly granted permission to use their works — to 
 Lady Stanley, Dr. Cheadle, and Messrs. Francis Galton, 
 Trevor-Battye, and W. Lidstone amongst the former, and 
 to Mr. J. Murray, Mr. E. Arnold, Mr. Fisher Unwin, 
 Messrs. A. Constable and Co., Messrs. Hurst and Blackett, 
 Messrs. Smith, Elder, and Co., and Messrs. Sampson Low, 
 and Co., amongst the latter. Fuller acknowledgements 
 will be found appended to the various chapters concerned. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 i 
 
 CROSSING THE YELLOW EIVER pages 
 
 The Abbe Hue, the great French missionary, travels in China and 
 Tartary — Journeys from Pekin towards Thibet — Passage of the 
 Yellow River a formidable difficulty — River in high flood — A 
 wide belt of mud to be crossed first — Haggling with the Chinese 
 ferrymen — Hoaug-ho banks reached — Night spent in a river 
 temple — A struggle to get a camel on board — An unwieldy boat- 
 load — A novel plan — Another mud stretch — The " Little River " 
 — Rescue by a native Christian. ...... 17-28 
 
 II 
 WITH WATERTON ON THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 Waterton the famous naturalist — An adventurous life — On the 
 Demerara River — Fever — Foot injured — A deadly coulacanara 
 snake — A labarri made to poison himself — Baiting for a cayman 
 — A formidable hook — Hook and bait swallowed — Waterton 
 faces the brute — Jumps upon its back — Rides for forty yards — 
 Another labarri adventure — Vampires and their attacks — A 
 second coulacanara found under a fallen tree — Waterton and two 
 niggers on the watch — Snake comes forth and is held down with 
 spear — Waterton and negro throw themselves upon him — Snake 
 made to coil itself round lance — Bagged ! — Snake in bedroom 
 all night — Ten men release it from sack in the morning — Snake 
 killed 29-39 
 
 III 
 
 THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 Clapperton's failure to trace the Niger to its mouth — Richard Lander 
 his servant undertakes another expedition, in company with his 
 brother John Lander — They arrive at Badagry — Human sacrifices 
 — Land journey to Boussa on the Niger — Attack by twenty 
 savages — Some relics of Mungo Park's expedition recovered — 
 Alarming demonstrations at the mouth of the Tchadda — Cool- 
 ness of the Landers — A critical moment — Damuggoo and its 
 friendly king — Attack by one of a crowd of canoes at Kirree — 
 Narrow escape — Natives quarrel as to booty — The expedition 
 party made prisoners — Native canoes overturned — A terrifying 
 scene — A few things restored — King Obie demands enormous 
 ransom — King Boy buys prisoners — Carried in war canoes down 
 stream — Further demands by King Forday — The mystery 
 solved. .......... 40-51 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 IV 
 
 THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE PAGES 
 
 Mr. Petherick, once British Consul for the Soudan, undertakes the 
 exploration of the Upper Nile, in conjunction with the ivory trade 
 — Starts from Khartoum — Crocodiles and hippopotamuses — The 
 crocodile and the fellah — Daring attack by hippopotamus — 
 Hostile demonstration from the shore — Conference with hostile 
 chief — Wh ite chief scores over black — A struggle for a tusk — 
 Insulting conduct of chief — Rival expeditions in search of ivory 
 come up the White Nile — One of them comes to grief — Re- 
 joicing amongst natives — Their arrogance — Plot to attack Mr. 
 Petherick — Englishman with six men out in the bush stockades 
 his camp — Six weeks' siege — Reinforcements come up — Reprisals 
 made on cattle-kraals of natives — A pitched battle — Signal 
 victory for Englishman's forces — He astonishes the blacks by 
 setting free every prisoner he had taken 52-62 
 
 COSSACKS AND CIRCASSIANS 
 
 The River Kouban — Dr. Clarke a traveller of the early part of the nine- 
 teenth centuiy — Plague of mosquitoes — Astonishing abundance 
 of reptiles — Carriage dragged through swamps — Marshes and 
 reed forests — The Englishmen make short excursion across 
 river to Circassian territory — Extraordinary precautions taken 
 for their safety — A threatening reception — The Ataman of Eka- 
 terinedara — Peacemaking ceremonies — A magnificent display — 
 Circassian camp on the bank of the river — Cossack troops drawn 
 up on the heights above — Meeting between the notables on 
 either side — Pasha crosses in a crowded canoe — Mutual mistrust 
 between Cossacks and Circassians — An angry altercation — 
 Fortunate escape. ........ 63-71 
 
 VI 
 
 PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 Everything in South America on a large scale — The brothers Robert- 
 son, explorers in Paraguayan districts — The " thistleries " — Mr. 
 W. Robertson sails in a brigantine up the Parana — Fearful tempest 
 — Slow progress — Haulage operations — Lifting the ship off sand- 
 banks — Mosquito plagues — Jaguars and their daring — Sad death 
 of a young fellow on the eve of his marriage — An alligator in 
 the canoe — Robertson leaves the brigantine at Corrientes — 
 Crosses river in the dark — Dangers from the insurgent bands — 
 The King's Ferry — In the hands of the insurgents — Terror of 
 Robertson's servant — The two allowed to go — A terrible night — 
 Jaguars in numbers — Risky way of crossing the rivers and deeper 
 lagoons — Loss of bag with the money — Its wonderful recovery — 
 A very narrow escape from jaguars — Scarcity of food — Lost in 
 the woods — Arrival at Assuncion. ..... 72-82 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 VII 
 
 STEAMING UP THE DANUBE SEVENTY TEARS AGO 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Backward state of the Lower Danube peoples half-a-century ago — 
 Miss Skene embarks on a Danube steamer — Bad weather in the 
 Black Sea — Russian mouth of river entered — Solitary sentries 
 on shore — A floating corpse in the river — River in high flood — 
 Evidences of destruction caused in the late Balkan War — Turk- 
 ish passengers — Their contempt for the Christians— A Bulgarian 
 family — Miss Skene's cabin invaded — A frightful storm — Terror 
 of a Turk on seeing a woman run at full speed — Passengers on 
 shore attacked by villagers — A hasty retreat— Steamer left, and 
 a long boat employed — Rapids — Dangers of the "Iron Gate" 
 — New steamboat boarded at Orsova — A frightful gorge. . 83-93 
 
 VIII 
 
 DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES AND ITS TRIBUTARIES 
 
 Sir Henry Layard's early travels in Persia — He takes passage in a 
 fuel boat on the river Karun — Disagreeable passage — Violent 
 dispute as to the fare — Pilgrims to Kerbela — Layard robbed of 
 his money — Strange scenes on the Jerrahi — Whole population 
 take to rafts — Layard left in a deserted village— Dogs and 
 jackals — He makes a raft and gets away — Marauding cavalry — 
 Layard travels along the Euphrates valley with a postman — 
 Attacked by robbers — Blackmail — Chased by Arabs on drome- 
 daries — Village attacked in the night by Shammar tribe — A Turk 
 — Narrow escape — Stripped naked and left — The first steamer on 
 the Karun — The rapids — Stranded on land away from the river 
 — Fort constructed round ship — Sudden rise of the river in the 
 night — Vessel floated back to the river — Navigability of the 
 Karun 94-105 
 
 IX 
 
 LIVINGSTONE AS AN ELEPHANT HUNTER 
 
 Livingstone not strictly a big-game hunter — Larder had to be re- 
 plenished, however — Buffalo behind, elephants in front — Dam 
 elephant and calf stalked by blacks — Animals apostrophized — 
 Dam deserts calf at first — At bay — Hippopotamus destructive 
 to crops — Marvellous amount of wild animals in Zambesi valley 
 — The beasts have no fear of man — Speared elephant resembles 
 gigantic porcupine — Mr. Oswell, Livingstone's companion — The 
 terrible nature of the thorn scrub — Oswell encounters a huge 
 elephant in the thorn thickets — Thrown from his horse — Under 
 the elephant's body — Throws his legs apart — Remarkable 
 escape 106-114 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 PAOBS 
 
 The Nile a mystery from very ancient times — Speke discovers 
 Victoria Nyanza — Sent out again to prove whether the lake is 
 the source of the Nile — Lands at Zanzibar — His men take to 
 marauding — Natives terrified by guns— Speke and 'his com- 
 panion Grant for a time follow different routes — A three-mile 
 swamp— Bank of Nile reached— River traced up to the Victoria 
 Nyanza — Speke's triumphant feelings — Ripon Falls — His men 
 again turn piratical — The difficulties in the Unyoro territory — 
 Wanyoro boats attack the expedition — Critical situation — 
 "They are women !" — Grant returns with unfavourable news 
 of N'yamyon jo, a native official— Speke and Grant compelled 
 to abandon Nile passage. 115-125 
 
 XI 
 
 A FLORIDA BEAR 
 
 Wakassare river in Florida — English game hunter's camp on its bank 
 Difficulties of crossing — Rude raft made of pine logs— First voy- 
 age — Great cane-brake to be cut through— Pony nearly causes 
 disaster on the third crossing — Alligators plentiful — Dense fog 
 — A bear dashes through the camp — Hue and cry in the fog — 
 Bear found in a cane-brake — Rough experiences of the dogs — 
 The doctor tumbles headlong in front of the bear— Two ineffec- 
 tual shots, powder damp — Grave peril of the doctor — He throws 
 his axe — Weapon misses — Bear off again — Takes refuge in a 
 tree — Doctor's dog almost killed— Mike fires a lucky" shot — 
 Bear falls 126-133 
 
 XII 
 
 TINDER FIRE ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 War between Russians and Turks in Trans-Caucasia — Laurence Oli- 
 phant, an English artist-correspondent with Turkish forces — 
 Many British officers under Omar Pasha — Col. Ballard recon- 
 noitres the banks of the river Ingour — No ford discoverable — 
 Russian fire — The artist as a military engineer — His coolness 
 and adroitness — Battery formed — Omar Pasha arrives with 
 Turkish force— Ballard sent on with advance troops — Smaller 
 branch of stream crossed — Wooded island traversed — A bit of 
 open — A formidable Russian battery — Hot fight between Bal- 
 lard's troops and the battery — A narrow escape — Osman Pasha 
 crosses the river lower down — Russian guard overcome — Sim- 
 mons makes good his passage higher up — Enemy taken in the 
 reverse — Battery captured — Hidaiot's ruse — Victory of the 
 Turks 134-144 
 
 XIII 
 
 AN ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 M. Louis Riel, the President of the " Red River Republic" — Gen. 
 Wolseley sent to punish him— Major Butler goes on ahead as scout 
 — Butler takes steamer at Pembina for Fort Garry — During pas- 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 sage down Red River, mounted horsemen seen on banks — It was 
 clear that information was being taken in advance to insurgents 
 at Fort Garry — Butler and a Canadian gentleman land, in dark- 
 ness, short of Fort Garry — Butler makes tracks across country 
 towards Lower Fort Garry, where was an English force — Mean- 
 while a hue and cry at the fort — Riel sends men in pursuit of 
 Butler — "Dead or alive ! " — " Whisky Tom's " and its effects — 
 Friendly clergyman — Lower Fort Garry reached — Palaver with 
 friendly Ojibbeways — By help of these Indians, Butler begins 
 ascent of Winnipeg river to meet Wolseley — A cataract and its 
 difficulties — A gallant fight with the falls — The cataract con- 
 quered at last, an extraordinary victory. . . . 145-156 
 
 XIV 
 
 RUNNING THE GAUNTLET ON THE OXUS 
 
 The far-famed Oxus — American war - correspondent, Captain 
 Mac Gahan, toilsacross the terrible desert of Kyzil-Kum — Desires 
 to join column of Russian General Kaufmann — Five divisions of 
 Russian army bearing down on Khiva — Mac Gahan reaches Oxus 
 valley, tired, dispirited, and dreading dangers — No sign of 
 General Kaufmann — A night amongst the sand dunes — Fascin- 
 ated by sight of the mighty and mysterious Oxus — Marks of 
 cannon — Whose ? — A score of Khivans seen on in front — A 
 great storm — Constant alarms by sight of foes in the distance 
 — "Nerves unstrung" — Sound of guns — A battle observed from 
 hill-top — Approach of troop of horse — Mac Gahan and men hide 
 in sand — New-comers prove to be friendly Kirghiz — Push joy- 
 fully on — Russians bombard fort across the river — Battle of 
 Sheik-Arik — Khivans defeated — Mac Gahan complimented by 
 Russian General Golovatchoff — "A molodyetz." . . 157-168 
 
 XV 
 
 ELK-HUNTING IN CEYLON 
 
 Fort McDonald River — A fine elk found — Elk at bay crosses river — 
 Two dogs follow — Straggle in the water — Near the edge of a 
 great cataract — Danger imminent — Marvellous escape of dogs — 
 Elk in stream now followed by the other hounds — One carried 
 over the fall and lost — Hunters cross the river — Elk perched on 
 a cliff three hundred feet high — An exciting scene on the ledge 
 — Buck at bay — Leaps over the precipice — A doe chased by 
 dogs also falls over the precipice — A dog drawn into a subter- 
 ranean pool — Strange escape — Another buck chased by a single 
 greyhound — Animals near the edge of a huge perpendicular 
 rock — Hound stops short, elk goes over the cliff. . . 169-177 
 
 XVI 
 
 PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 Glaciers as part of a river course — Mr. Ball, with four companions, 
 approaches the Glacier du Tour — The ice-cornice — Fearful ex- 
 perience and narrow escape — Glacier de Trient — The "window " 
 xi 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGES 
 
 — Glacier de Salena — Dangerous descent — Great chasm with a 
 torrent at bottom— An ice cataract — Precipices close in upon 
 the mountaineers — Darkness comes on — Great torrent below — 
 The climbers encamp for the night on a steep slope — Difficulty 
 of keeping up the h're — Little food left — Sleep impossible — A 
 start at earliest dawn — Another tremendous hollow — A great 
 climb necessary — Level of the glacier reached again — Glacier 
 rivers and pool — A cold bath and toilet — Long march down the 
 river valley to Orsieres 178-190 
 
 XVII 
 
 HUNTING ADVENTURES ON THE NILE TRIBUTARIES 
 
 Seven big-game hunters start for the Abyssinian tributaries of the 
 Nile — Lions, giraffes and buffaloes on the Settite — Mr. Colvin 
 charged by bull buffalo — The result of using conical bullets — 
 Narrow escape from crocodile — Fine fishing in the Settite — The 
 "kelb-el-bahr," a terrible fish — Wild beasts at the pool — Two 
 "lions "wounded in the night — They pro\e to be panthers — 
 Lion stalking — Sheep used to attract the lions — Two wounded, 
 one a magnificent specimen — Both found and killed next day — 
 Hippopotamus flesh much prized — Bad blood between Base 
 tribes and Abyssinians — A war scare — Hunters surrounded 
 by hostile Abyssinians — A "view-halloo" scares away the 
 enemy — Mahomet, servant to the Englishmen, speared by the 
 Abyssinians 191-202 
 
 XVIII 
 
 ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 Amazon less explored than it deserves — The Amazon Steam Naviga- 
 tion Company sends out three Englishmen to survey — Mr. Lid- 
 stone, an engineer, ascends the Tapajos tributary— A crazy boat 
 and a crew of two — The rains and the heat — Frightful thunder- 
 storms — Mr. Lidstone spends time in a tumble-down hut — The 
 two men in the boat swamped — Provisions spoilt — Novel caulking 
 materials — A weary round of violent storms — Loss of rudder — 
 Of oars — Fourteen hours for seven miles — Party make for San- 
 tarem — Another terrible tempest — Insect pests — Mosquitoes — 
 "Wasps — Ants — Bees — An adventure with a centipede — Alliga- 
 tors and jaguars — Enormous toads — One of the explorers bitten 
 by a scorpion — At death's door — Strange cure, and wonderful 
 recovery. ......... 203-216 
 
 XIX 
 
 ON CANADIAN TORRENTS 
 
 Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle attempt the North-West Passage by 
 land — River McLeod reached — Horses set the forest on lire — 
 Desperate efforts of the men to extinguish it — Horses in a 
 panic — Fire mastered at last — Dangers in the Myette valley — A 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGES 
 
 stream flowing west unexpectedly met with — The " divide " had 
 been reached — Western or Pacific slope of Eocky Mountains — 
 Fraser River struck — Narrow rock path blocked— Obstruction 
 dislodged — Two horses get into the Fraser and are carried away 
 — Indian rescues one — Pluckiest deed of the whole journey — 
 Other horse lost with many valuable things. . . . 217-227 
 
 XX 
 
 STIRRING SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 Mr. Gouger prepares to sail up the Irrawady to Ava — A Buddhist 
 priest "blown up" at Rangoon — Visit to dropping- well — 
 Shivering fits and fevers— Death of one of the party — A black 
 servant drowned — Alligator story — Ava reached — Successful 
 trading — War breaks out between Britain and Burmah — Re- 
 view of Burmese army — Water manoeuvres — Serious position 
 of Englishmen in Burmah — Gouger thrown into prison — Long 
 and terrible imprisonment — Taken from prison and carried 
 down the river in a Burmese war-boat — Boat stopped by a 
 beaten Burmese general— Allowed to proceed — A British flotilla 
 seen in the distance — Burmese boat brought up by a warning 
 shot — Gouger rescued and seut on to the steamer Diana — Fright 
 of the Burmese crew at the sight of the steamer — Peace signed 
 — Unexpected attack from the river bank — Boat's crew go in 
 chase — A final capture, a splendid Burmese war-boat. . 228-239 
 
 XXI 
 
 BIG GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 Mr. Francis Galton in Damaraland — A prowling lion — Lost in the 
 thicket — Another night visit — Grand hunt organized and the lion 
 killed — Hyena and lion attack horses and mules — Another hunt — 
 Narrow escape of Galton — His marvellous coolness — Big game 
 plentiful but shy — An empty larder — Giraffe sighted — Long 
 stalk along bed of river — Giraffe at bay — Horse frightened — 
 Hunter follows the chase on foot — Giraffe killed — Larder 
 replenished — Frightful thunderstorm — Man killed — Baiting 
 with an old woman — Hyena killed — Bare legs and thorns — Hyena 
 killed in moonlight — A lively bit of work — Koodoo or lion ? — A 
 great fright — Splendid black lion — Most critical situation for the 
 traveller — Lion beats retreat 240-249 
 
 XXII 
 
 ON THE WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 Major Rickard reaches the valley of the San Juan — River forded — 
 Alarm in the night — Pumas attack mules — A fierce fight — Two 
 pumas killed— Two mules also — The windings of the river— The 
 Major tries a short cut — Steep and risky path — No sign of habit- 
 ation — Darkness comes on — A wall of rock with a cleft in it — 
 A tramp of three hours — Back at the cleft — A salt marsh — Make 
 a fire and camp for night — No fresh water — A farm and break- 
 fast — The San Juan river once more — Frequent crossings again — 
 The Major thrown from his mule into the flood — Saved by the 
 mule's tail — Arrival at the town of San Juan. . . . 250-259 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 XXIII 
 
 A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND PACES 
 
 Floods even in Australia — A Danish emigrant on the banks of a 
 Queensland river — Attacked by a ruffian, who comes off second 
 best — Rains and storms set in — The Dane pitches his tent near 
 the river — Tremendous floods — Imprisoned for three weeks by 
 the waters — Food runs short — Traveller famishing — About to 
 cross the swollen river — Finds a man dying of hunger — Eisks 
 the passage to a farm on the opposite shore — Food refused — The 
 Dane takes some by force for the dying man — Helps his sick 
 friend forward — Necessary to cross the river again — A horse 
 carried away by the floods — The Dane resigns his remaining 
 horse to the sick man — Himself attempts the passage on foot — 
 Exciting time — Narrowly escapes drowning — Black ingratitude 
 of the befriended man 260-270 
 
 XXIV 
 
 THE FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NTASSA 
 
 Mr. Young goes to superintend the building and launching of a 
 steamboat on Nyassa — Vessel taken in sections to the Cape, 
 thence to the Zambesi mouths — Difficulty in finding the proper 
 channel — Bolts and nuts found to be rusty — Boat launched and 
 the voyage up the Zambesi begun — Loss of the cutter — Difficul- 
 ties with shallows — The Shire river entered — Heat and mosqui- 
 toes — Dangerous gorge — The Falls reached — Exceptional port- 
 age, 800 men employed — Boat, machinery, boiler, tackle, stores, 
 all carried for 70 miles to a point above the cataracts — Food runs 
 short, hippopotamuses killed— Hostility of the Arab slave-traders 
 — Steamboat reconstructed — Steams out of Shire into the lake. 271-282 
 
 XXV 
 
 WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 The Upper Parana streams — Mr. Bigg-Wither, an English engineer 
 — Boat bearing down upon a series of cataract-rapids — First fall 
 negotiated with difficulty — Boat dashed over second fall — 
 Capsizes — Severe struggle in the waters — Canoe upside down — ■ 
 Mr. Bigg-Wither and his servant Messeno saved at length — 
 Tropical insects — The "berne" — Wild pigs — A formidable 
 assailant — The boar killed — Dead boar given to a German to 
 carry — Man chaffed by his mates- — Falls from tree bridge with 
 his burden — An alarm — " Indians !" — A dark form enters hut 
 in the night — Proves to be a fine ocelot — Snake on a man's arm 
 — A tapir hunt — Another tapir chased by a jaguar — Animals 
 collide with hut — Cobra drops into a canoe containing a single 
 man — Man fell out as cobra fell in. .... 283-294 
 
 XXVI 
 
 AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 Sir Henry Stanley, the discoverer of Livingstone — He sets himself 
 to explore the great Congo river — Starts from the Tanganyika 
 country — Within three degrees of the Ecpuator — A brush with 
 the natives at Unya-N'sing6 — Frank Pocock — Poisoned arrows 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 TAOS 
 
 — Capture of three native women — Blood-brotherhood — Stanley- 
 occupies market-green of a village on bank — A terrific fight 
 from behind the stockade — A night of fear — A village seized — 
 Strongly fortified — A vain effort by the blacks to storm the 
 camp — A second and more formidable attack — Stanley's men 
 show admirable steadiness and pluck — A bad half-hour — 
 Arrival of Tippu-Tib with reinforcements — Stanley makes a 
 desperate resolve — Enemy's canoes cut adrift in the night and 
 captured — Stanley dictates terms to the baffled negroes — Blood- 
 brotherhood ceremonies — End of a memorable struggle. . 295-309 
 
 XXVII 
 
 THE WILD YUKON 
 
 Mr. Pike with two friends ascends the Stikine river — Description of 
 canoe used — The current tremendous— Heavy hauling — Hard to 
 keep to true river course — "Little Canon " — Almost insuperable 
 difficulties— Whites and Indians in concert to navigate ' ' Little 
 Carion " — Canoe drill — Success at last, and a better part of river 
 reached — A seventy mile portage to Francis Lake — Intense cold 
 of winter— Dangers attending it — A broken rifle and a grizzly 
 bear — Map of Pelly river rectified by Mr. Pike— Yukon navi- 
 gation — Portage into the Kuskokvim — Voyage down to Behring's 
 Sea — Then on to Ounalaska Island. .... 310-319 
 
 XXVIII 
 
 KLONDYKE MINEES ON THE RAPIDS 
 
 The rush to Klondyke— Voyage out to Juneau, in Alaska— Chilcoot 
 Pass — Break-up of ice— The Eva launched— A leak repaired 
 —Voyage down the Yukon begun— Miles Canon— Three men 
 in a boat come to grief — The Eva ventures the passage and 
 accomplishes it— The White Horse Rapids— An inspection— A 
 trial trip by a log— A thrilling experience— Safely through- 
 Mosquitoes terrible— Dawson City reached— Cabin built outside 
 the town — No success in getting claims for gold-mining — A 
 miner brings a dead body to be taken care of— The leader of the 
 Canadian mining party leaves Klondyke— By steamboat down 
 the Yukon— Stranded on a sand-bar— Passengers taken off 
 and carried to Behring's Sea. 320-329 
 
 XXIX 
 
 CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 The crossing of rivers often a great difficulty to a traveller— Mr. Trevor- 
 Battye on his way from Kolguev to Archangel— Up the Petchora 
 — Passage of the Tsilma— Ponies unable to mount the steep frozen 
 bank— Hauled up by ropes — Boat returns across river to fetch 
 another horse — Boat, with two men and horse on board, wedged 
 
 fast in ice— Carried down stream— Had to be left to their fate 
 
 A happy sequel— The Mezen to be crossed— Novel bridge con- 
 struction—A plucky lad— The bridge sags ominously — A crash, 
 but all saved — The " Governor " a name to conjure with — The 
 Mezen— A wolf hunt— The fate of the runaway horse— The 
 Vashka— The Pinega— The Northern Dwina— A villanous 
 ferryman on the Volga. ...... 330-340 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 HOW HE ESCAPED HE NEVER KNEW . Frontispiece 112 
 
 / 
 FORDING THE YELLOW RIVER UNDER DIFFICULTIES . 26 
 
 TAKING AN ALLIGATOR ALIVE . . . .34 
 
 LANDER WAS PULLED OUT OF THE RIVER . . 46 
 
 THE FIRST RIFLE DISCHARGE THEY HAD EVER HEARD . 54 
 
 HE FIRED AT THE JAGUAR .... 76 
 
 THE WHOLE POPULATION FLED . . . .96 
 
 SPEKE HARANGUED THE EXCITED WARRIORS . 122 
 
 THE PONY GOT RESTIVE . . . . .128 
 
 THE ELK CHARGED THE HOUNDS . . . 170 
 
 THE ROCK CAME CRASHING DOWN . . .184 
 
 HE WAS THROWN DOWN . . . . 192 
 
 AN INDIAN OF THE AMAZONS . . . .212 
 
 THE BOATS WERE PROPELLED BY BEATING THE AIR 232 
 
 THE LION WAS AT BAY ..... 242 
 
 THEY TOWED IT THROUGH THE CANON . . 314 
 
ADVENTURES 
 ON THE GREAT RIVERS 
 
 i 
 
 CROSSING THE YELLOW RIVER 
 
 The Abbe* Hue, the great French Missionary, travels in China and 
 Tartary — Journeys from Pekin towards Thibet— Passage of the Yellow 
 River a formidable difficulty — River in high flood — A wide belt of 
 mud to be crossed first — Haggling with the Chinese ferrymen — 
 Hoang-ho banks reached — Night spent in a river temple — A struggle 
 to get a camel on board — An unwieldy boatload — A novel plan — 
 Another mud stretch — The "Little River" — Rescue by a native 
 Christian. 
 
 The Yellow River, otherwise the Hoang-ho, carries 
 
 down to the ocean one of the mightiest of river floods 
 
 the crossing of which at certain seasons involves the 
 
 adventurous traveller in difficulties and dangers to daunt 
 
 all but the boldest and most determined spirits. It was 
 
 at such a season that the attempt was made by the 
 
 intrepid Abbe Hue, the famous French missionary, who 
 
 some sixty years ago penetrated into then unknown 
 
 regions of China and Tartary. He was travelling with 
 
 his companions westward from Pekin, his intention being 
 2 17 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 to reach, if human energy and endurance could accomplish 
 it, Lhassa, the far-off and mysterious capital of Thibet. 
 
 One of the most formidable difficulties in his way was 
 the Yellow River, whose swollen and dangerous stream 
 he must cross, or, as the only alternative, he must turn 
 with the river towards the north, and follow its banks for 
 an enormous stretch, even to the Great Wall of China 
 and the vast desert of Gobi, a thing not to be thought of. 
 
 As soon as the Abbe made known to the natives his 
 intention of crossing the Hoang-ho, he was met by a 
 universal chorus of objections and sinister forebodings. 
 The passage was declared to be utterly impossible, for 
 the river had been in high flood for more than a week. 
 The waters had risen over the banks and had flooded 
 many a square mile of the adjoining lowlands. The in- 
 formation came like a thunder-clap on the missionary 
 party. It was not even the rainy season ; on the contrary, 
 it was the middle of the dry season, and that year it had 
 been specially dry. The Chinese boats were miserable, 
 the current was swift and impetuous ; and as not only 
 men and baggage, but horses, and, far worse, camels, had 
 to be ferried over, the passage seemed to be hazardous 
 indeed. 
 
 A survey from a little eminence proved the full truth 
 
 of the reports. The Hoang-ho could scarcely be called a 
 
 river ; it was rather a vast sea that met the eyes of the 
 
 travellers. The course of the river itself could not be 
 
 ms&de out. For leagues on either side, the ground was 
 
 either out of sight, hidden under the floods, or it was 
 
 thick with mud that made it dangerous to traverse. In 
 
 many places were wide and deep bogs, where the conse- 
 
 18 
 
CROSSING THE YELLOW RIVER 
 
 quences of a fall would almost certainly be fatal. To get 
 even to the river bank, would need, according to the most 
 favourable prophecies, fully three days — days of hardship, 
 fatigue and risk. Nevertheless, the task must be faced. 
 
 Next morning the party set out, having prudently laid 
 in a stock of food for several days, in case they should be 
 kept prisoners by the inundations. The Tartar with 
 whom they had spent a couple of days, pointed out to 
 them a faint band of mist in the far distance. That mist, 
 he informed them, marked the bed of the river itself. 
 The stream was held in at ordinary times by a dike or 
 embankment, for its waters were always at a level above 
 that of the country through which it flowed. The old 
 man pointed to a pagoda towards which the travellers 
 were to steer their way. 
 
 The camels were soon floundering up to their knees in 
 thick mud, or rather in a sticky mixture of mud and 
 water, which rested on a layer of somewhat firmer mud. 
 A horse and a mule, which the travellers had with them, 
 fared hardly better. In no long time the animals were in 
 a deplorable condition, trembling in every limb, covered 
 with a lather of sweat, and keeping themselves on their 
 feet only with the greatest possible difficulty. The whole 
 morning was occupied in traversing a couple of miles, to 
 a spot where stood a wretched water-sodden village, with 
 its few inhabitants in a deplorable condition. 
 
 Beyond the village no dry land at all appeared; the 
 
 country in front was an immense lake, stretching away up 
 
 and down stream far beyond the travellers' view. This 
 
 vast sheet of water must be crossed if they would reach 
 
 the bank of the river, and the leader of the expedition 
 
 19 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 began to bargain with the natives of the miserable village 
 for their assistance in the passage. The fellows replied 
 that they would certainly carry across men, baggage, 
 horse, mule, and camels — everything — and for a mere 
 nothing. Hue pressed them to name the exact sum they 
 wanted, but to no purpose. The wily villagers answered 
 that they and the strangers were all brothers ; that, if 
 they were not so poor, they would take the party across 
 without reward of any kind. At last, driven into a corner, 
 they declared that as the travellers were teachers of 
 religion, they would charge only the nominal sum of two 
 thousand sapeks. The price was simply ridiculous, and the 
 Abbe was not the man to be imposed upon in that way. 
 " If you really want to let out your boats," he cried, " it 
 is useless to ask two thousand sctpeks. But if you are 
 prepared to take five hundred, bring up your boats, and 
 let us get in at once, for we have already lost much 
 time." 
 
 This seemed to determine the men, and they began to 
 lead the animals to the boats. What was the chagrin 
 of the Europeans, when one of the boatmen cried out to 
 his fellows — before a thing had been put on board — "We 
 are not in luck to-day ; we shall have only fifteen hundred 
 sapeks to divide amongst the eight of us." 
 
 " Fifteen hundred sctpeks ! " exclaimed the Abbe, " You 
 
 are mocking us; we will return," and the party turned 
 
 their backs on the boatmen and began to retrace their 
 
 steps. At last somebody came to the rescue as mediator, 
 
 and, after much bargaining, the sum to be paid was fixed 
 
 at eight hundred sapeks, still a high figure, but the best 
 
 terms that could be obtained. 
 
 20 
 
CROSSING THE YELLOW RIVER 
 
 The embarkation was effected very quickly, and a start 
 made. Special precautions had to be taken with respect 
 to the camels. A man went on before in a little boat, 
 and with a long pole constantly sounded the depth of the 
 water. The course marked out by the boatman was 
 closely and carefully followed by one of the drivers, who, 
 mounted on one of the camels, led the other two. It was 
 very slow progress, and at times only the heads and the 
 humps of the animals appeared above the surface of the 
 lake. As the camels were unable to swim, and the ground 
 on which they trod was slippery and full of holes, it needed 
 only a single false step to engulf the poor brutes, and then 
 they would almost to a certainty have been lost. 
 
 However, all risks passed, the party were at length 
 landed on the bank or dike bounding the waters of the 
 Hoang-ho itself. Along this embankment they held their 
 way for a good half-hour, and reached the spot where it 
 had been indicated to them that the ferry-boat lay. The 
 boatmen immediately declared that it was impossible to 
 make the passage of the river that day, for it was now the 
 hour of sunset. In the morning they would be ready to 
 convey the party across. 
 
 " Very well," returned the missionaries, " in the morning 
 we will start. But let us settle the price at once, so that 
 we may lose no time in bargaining when we want to 
 set off." 
 
 This plan was not to the liking of the ferryman, who 
 
 would have much preferred to leave that detail till the 
 
 last moment, when in all likelihood the travellers would 
 
 be willing to give a much larger sum. A repetition of 
 
 the scene in the village away back beyond the lake ensued. 
 
 21 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 The most preposterous terms were at first named. Luckily 
 there were rival ferrymen, and the competition at length 
 brought the sum down to a more moderate figure, namely 
 a thousand sa/peks. This was still a large sum, but the 
 labour and difficulties attendant on the passage would 
 be great. 
 
 The travellers passed the night in a small temple that 
 stood not far away on the dike, a temple dedicated to the 
 god of the river, the deity represented by a hideous little 
 idol. They dared not trust their baggage in the cottages 
 of the natives, knowing well how little their honesty was 
 to be reckoned on. 
 
 A magnificent moonlight night followed, the Yellow 
 Rwer presenting a fine spectacle as the wayfarers watched 
 its majestic floods swirl by in the glittering radiance. 
 Placing their baggage in a pile, the travellers lay down on 
 the floor of the temple in such a way as to surround and 
 thus protect their property. The ugly image with mon- 
 strous protruding eyes stood on its pedestal within. The 
 weary men were just dropping off to sleep, when a native 
 with a paper lantern in his hand appeared, and, prostrat- 
 ing himself before the idol, burnt some incense. Then 
 suddenly the fellow took to his heels. In the morning 
 the reason for his precipitate flight was found ; the Abbe's 
 handkerchief was missing. He remembered that he had 
 placed it on the window-sill. 
 
 Morning arrived, the party proceeded to get themselves 
 
 and their belongings on board the boats. The difficulty 
 
 was with the camels. At all times these animals are hard 
 
 to persuade to enter a small boat, and there was one of 
 
 Hue's camels, a whitish-coloured animal, which had never 
 
 22 
 
CROSSING THE YELLOW RIVER 
 
 been known to take to a vessel of any sort. The Abbe 
 would have none of the baggage put on board till he had 
 seen what could be done with the camels, saying that 
 such a proceeding would be useless in the event of the 
 animals refusing utterly to embark. The ferrymen were 
 sarcastic, and inquired where the camels came from that 
 they should decline to get into people's boats. They 
 declared that if the white camel had never before crossed 
 a river he was going to do so now. 
 
 One of the fellows seized hold of the string in the camel's 
 nose, while another began to belabour the poor beast un- 
 mercifully with a thick cudgel he had fetched. The one 
 tugged hard at the string, while the other laid on with 
 the stick till he was weary. It was a sorry spectacle, and 
 presently the Abbe refused to allow it to go on. The 
 beast was trembling in every limb, while the blood 
 dropped from its nose. It was plain the camel would 
 sooner allow its legs to be broken than enter the boat. 
 
 Here was a pretty pass ! The camels could not be left 
 
 behind, yet here was the great river to be crossed. Not 
 
 all the ingenuity of the Europeans could see a way out of 
 
 the difficulty. At last one of the ferrymen jumped up, 
 
 fired with a brilliant notion. He directed his companion 
 
 to hold the string gently, and to keep the animal's feet as 
 
 near the bows of the boat as possible. Then he went 
 
 back for a few yards, and dashing forward flung himself 
 
 with all his might against the animal's rear. The brute 
 
 tottered under the shock, and his fore-legs gave way a 
 
 little. A second and equally vigorous impetus behind 
 
 would have brought him head first to the ground had he 
 
 not, to save himself, thrown his feet forward, and so into 
 
 23 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the boat ! The first step was gained ; and at length, by 
 dint of much pushing and pulling, the camel that had 
 never before entered a boat was now fairly aboard, the 
 party greatly relieved and delighted. The two other 
 camels were got on board by the use of similar tactics, 
 and the craft prepared to make a start. 
 
 But the ferryman would not leave the shore till the 
 camels should bring their unwieldy bodies into a kneeling 
 condition. If they remained standing, a movement on 
 their part might well capsize the boat, and pitch men, 
 baggage and animals into the racing waters of the swollen 
 Hoang-ho. The man's proceedings to effect his purpose 
 were amusing to a degree. He went from animal to 
 animal, pulling down each in succession. But as soon as 
 he left one of the prostrate beasts to go to another, the 
 first rose to its feet again. Then worse followed. The 
 big white camel, bearing in mind the treatment it had 
 lately received from this very fellow, greeted him with a 
 copious discharge into his face of half-chewed grass from 
 its jaws. The boatman returned the compliment by 
 spitting in the animal's face. 
 
 The other camels now followed the lead of their white 
 brother, and soon the ferrymen were quite covered with 
 the green and evil-smelling pulp the angry brutes spat 
 upon them each time they came near. And all the while 
 the progress made in the work of bringing the camels to 
 a kneeling position was just none. For a time the on- 
 lookers were intensely amused, but at last the camel- 
 drivers exerted their authority, and the beasts were 
 brought to and kept in the required position. 
 
 Once on the river, the boatmen, of whom there were 
 
 24 
 
CROSSING THE YELLOW RIVER 
 
 four, found their task an arduous one. The current was 
 running with such strength that it was hardly possible by 
 any exertions to make headway against it. Nevertheless 
 the boat was at length, though very slowly, driven into 
 the middle of the river. At this movement one of the 
 camels suddenly rose to its feet, almost upsetting the 
 craft altogether. For the instant the danger was ex- 
 treme. Unsteady with the swaying it had itself caused, 
 the poor brute, yielding to every movement of the boat, 
 seemed certain to bring about an immediate and dire 
 catastrophe. The boatmen, swearing violently, cried that 
 if the travellers did not look after their camels the whole 
 party would be engulfed and swept away by the flood. 
 One of the attendants made for the animal in a moment, 
 and fortunately induced it to kneel again, thus saving the 
 boat from disaster. 
 
 The farther side was at last reached safely, and all 
 gladly prepared to disembark. The horse was so eager 
 to set foot on solid land again that it leapt overboard 
 somewhat prematurely. It slipped on the mud and fell 
 over on its side. But there was no better landing ground 
 for the rest of the party, and the travellers had to take off 
 their shoes and wade through the slimy mud with their 
 baggage, which they carried to a little hillock hard by, 
 so that it might be clear of the damp. 
 
 The Hoang-ho proper had thus been passed without 
 
 serious mishap, if with difficulty and danger. But there 
 
 remained the vast stretch of mud, and bog, and water on 
 
 the farther side of it. Last of all there was a final task in 
 
 store, the crossing of the Paga-Gol, or the Little River, a 
 
 branch of the main stream. This lay at some distance 
 
 25 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 beyond the belt of inundated country. M. Hue inquired 
 of the ferrymen how long it would take to traverse the 
 flooded tract. The man's reply was that it would be noon 
 first. " By the evening," he went on, " you will reach the 
 banks of the Little River ; to-morrow you will be on dry 
 ground again." 
 
 Disheartening enough the missionaries found the pros- 
 pect thus held out to them. And their experiences on 
 the way did not tend to cheer their spirits. In truth, 
 their progress on this farther side of the river was as try- 
 ing as it had been through the former inundated belt. 
 Not a sign of any road was to be seen ; every trace had 
 been wiped out by the floods. Not seldom they would 
 descry ahead what seemed to be a grassy flat and so to 
 promise a firmer footing for man and beast, but on a 
 nearer approach it was found to be a horrible quagmire, 
 whose surface was covered with a thick scum of green 
 slime. The utmost circumspection had to be observed by 
 all, lest an incautious step should overwhelm one or other 
 of the party in some gulf of liquid mud. 
 
 The animals, wearied with their exertions, became at 
 length alarmed, and were scarce able to proceed at all. 
 Then they were encumbered by the tall stems of the 
 marsh plants twisting around their legs and throwing 
 them down. One of them fell three times, but lucidly 
 each time on fairly firm ground ; had it been otherwise, 
 the luckless beast would certainly have been smothered 
 in the mud. 
 
 But the resolution of the leaders and their servants met 
 
 with its reward, and late in the day the party reached a 
 
 fairly dry district where they found a small settlement of 
 
 26 
 
Fording the Yellow River under Difficulties 
 
CROSSING THE YELLOW RIVER 
 
 Tartars, wretched though the situation was for human 
 habitation. The poor natives were very hospitable, and 
 the travellers were refreshed with tea. 
 
 The Little River, notwithstanding its name, proved a 
 formidable obstacle in the way of the missionary band. 
 To recount all the details of the crossing would be to 
 repeat in the main the narrative of the passage of the 
 principal stream itself. But there is one incident worth 
 relating. The river being shallow, and, so it was averred 
 by the guide employed, fordable for the animals, this 
 guide rode the horse in front, leading the mule, while one 
 of the camel-drivers, a young native converted to Chris- 
 tianity, followed with his animals. The rest of the band 
 crossed by boat. All went well, and indeed most pros- 
 perously, till suddenly loud cries arose from the camels, 
 and those animals, together with the horse and the mule, 
 were perceived to be in difficulties, floundering in deep 
 water in a struggling and helpless fashion. It was at 
 once evident that the fellow who had undertaken to act 
 as guide through the shallows was quite incompetent, and 
 ignorant of the state of the river and its bed. 
 
 To turn back instantly was the only safe course to pur- 
 sue. But the poor beasts had by this time become so 
 frightened that it was found impossible to induce them to 
 retrace their steps. To go on meant destruction. In vain 
 the guide used all his efforts ; the horse he was riding 
 would not budge an inch. With only their heads out of 
 the water the animals were in the greatest danger of 
 being swept off by the rolling current. To make matters 
 worse, the guide presently fell headlong into the water, 
 
 and for a time disappeared. To the relief of the rest of 
 
 27 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the party, the man was seen at length, his head just 
 above the surface. Matters were certainly in bad plight, 
 and it seemed likely that all the animals would perish. 
 
 At this awkward juncture the young Christian convert, 
 the camel-driver, with admirable courage and devotion to 
 his master, threw off his clothes and sprang into the 
 rapidly flowing flood. The water was icy cold, and the 
 danger great. But the beasts seemed to gain confidence, 
 and allowed themselves to be gradually led back to land 
 again, to the joy of the grateful Abbe and his companions. 
 The services of a more competent guide were secured, 
 and at the second attempt all were got over in safety. 
 The Yellow River had been crossed at last ! 
 
 28 
 
II 
 
 WITH WATERTON ON THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 "Waterton the famous naturalist — An adventurous life — On the Demerara 
 River — Fever — Foot injured — A deadly coulacanara snake — A labarri 
 made to poison himself — Baiting for a cayman — -A formidable hook — 
 Hook and bait swallowed — "Waterton faces the brute — Jumps upon 
 its back — Rides for forty yards — Another labarri adventure — Vampires 
 and their attacks — A second coulacanara found under a fallen tree- — 
 "Waterton and two niggers on the watch — Snake comes forth and is 
 held down with spear — "Waterton and negro throw themselves upon 
 him — Snake made to coil itself round lance — Bagged ! — Snake in 
 bedroom all night — Ten men release it from sack in the morning — 
 Snake killed. 
 
 A couple of generations ago few names were better 
 known in England than that of the famous naturalist, 
 explorer, and traveller, Charles Waterton, and few were 
 the naturalists who did not make a pilgrimage to his 
 ancestral home, Walton Hall, near Wakefield. And what 
 a home that was ! There collected together were the 
 treasures he had secured on his many wanderings, the 
 whole forming such a sight as was not to be seen in any- 
 other private house in England, or in the world, for that 
 matter. 
 
 The naturalist's travels extended not only over Europe 
 and other more or less civilized parts of the world, but 
 over the outlying portions of the United States, the West 
 
 Indies, and a considerable tract of South America. His 
 
 29 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 adventures were exceptionally numerous, and of every 
 variety. Fevers, falls, encounters with savage or poison- 
 ous animals, narrow escapes from drowning, exciting ex- 
 periences with caymans and other strange beasts — all 
 these with many more fell to his share. 
 
 At one time he was making his way up the Demerara 
 River. The weather had been very damp of late, and 
 Waterton took a chill to which he paid little attention. 
 His neglect soon issued in a bad attack of yellow fever. 
 His pulse ran up to a hundred and twenty, and then 
 increased till it reached a hundred and thirty. He was 
 racked by a frightful headache. He bled himself, taking 
 away from his veins sixteen ounces of blood. This had 
 the effect of reducing the pulse and relieving the head- 
 ache. His feet he placed in hot water, and he applied 
 cold water to his head. He dosed himself with jalap, 
 calomel, castor oil, and what not, and in the end came 
 safely through a most dangerous time. He had been, as 
 he himself says, at the very gates of death. 
 
 He had no sooner recovered from the fever, than he 
 injured his foot in the course of an eager chase after a 
 red-headed woodpecker. In his excitement he trod on a 
 stump of wood, which entered his foot and made a very 
 serious wound. Again he was his own doctor. The chief 
 remedy he employed was a poultice of warm and soft cow's 
 dung. In three weeks he was able to get out again in his 
 canoe and indulge his hunting and collecting propensities. 
 
 Waterton seemed to have a strange immunity from 
 injury from snakes; indeed, his coolness and courage in 
 facing even the most deadly of the tribe was astounding. 
 Here is a sample. Seeing a young snake of the coula- 
 
THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 canara species crawling along, he instantly dropped on one 
 
 knee and seized the animal by the tail with his left 
 
 hand. Then with his right holding out his hat as a sort 
 
 of shield, he held himself in readiness. The snake, of 
 
 course, darted its head at him, opening its mouth and 
 
 setting up a loud hissing. Waterton waited till the 
 
 brute's jaws were within a couple of feet of him, and 
 
 then struck a violent blow with his hat-protected fist. 
 
 For an instant the snake was stunned, and before it could 
 
 recover itself, the naturalist had it gripped fast by the 
 
 throat, just below the head, so that it was impossible for 
 
 it to bite. The coulacanara wound itself round his arm 
 
 and body, but was not strong enough to crush him. A 
 
 negro attendant, who came up attracted by the noise, 
 
 turned almost sick at the sight, and made for home as fast 
 
 as his legs could carry him. 
 
 Wishing to try an experiment, Waterton managed to 
 
 catch alive a labarri, one of the deadliest of the snakes of 
 
 the district. As usual he gripped the animal so near the 
 
 jaw that it was unable to bite him. To do this " only 
 
 required a little resolution and coolness," he tells us. He 
 
 then held a bit of stick to the head, and the brute seized 
 
 it at once, the fang piercing the wood. The liquid that 
 
 was squirted out through the hollow fang was of a deep 
 
 yellow, something like strong camomile tea. This was the 
 
 deadly poison. He forced the labarri to bite itself, and it 
 
 buried its fang in its own body. In the course of a few 
 
 minutes the snake appeared to be dying ; then, strange to 
 
 say, it began to recover. Soon it w T as not a whit the 
 
 worse, and Waterton had proved that the reptile was proof 
 
 against its own poison. 
 
 31 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 But the Yorkshire squire's adventures in the matter of 
 cayman hunting were the most extraordinary. In fact, 
 when he first committed them to print, he was mercilessly 
 ridiculed by almost the whole English people, who were 
 quite incredulous. Yet the genuineness of Waterton's 
 account is now accepted by almost everybody. 
 
 The cayman is a kind of alligator, and a frightful 
 creature. In almost every way these brutes are repulsive. 
 Their ferocity and cunning make them most dangerous ; 
 they emit an awful sound, long-continued and penetrating, 
 and a smell so disgusting as to be unbearable. Waterton 
 made up his mind that he would possess himself of a live 
 specimen, a proposal that staggered the negro attendants, 
 and made even the Indian hunters shrug their shoulders 
 incredulously. But the naturalist was not a man to be 
 easily daunted. 
 
 For several nights unsuccessful attempts were made. A 
 
 huge hook was baited and placed in the water. The 
 
 cayman would be tempted and would get the bait into his 
 
 mouth. Then the men would begin to pull, but too soon, 
 
 and the animal letting drop his mouthful would make off. 
 
 Waterton now had a stage put up near the water's edge, 
 
 intending to shoot the beast therefrom. Unluckily in 
 
 the midst of the preparations the men were interrupted 
 
 by the roar of a jaguar at no great distance. Waterton 
 
 kept on with his work, but his people rushed off after the 
 
 jaguar. The animal proved to be a very fine specimen. 
 
 One of the negroes took aim, but the ball probably missed 
 
 the beast, for he at once darted back into the woods. As 
 
 no trace of blood could be found, it was evident the black's 
 
 fright had interfered with the accuracy of his aim. 
 
 32 
 
THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 Four fruitless nights were spent, and yet the cayman 
 was no nearer being caught than before, so the naturalist 
 determined to try another plan, namely, to dispense with 
 his negro helpers and call in some Indian hunters, whom 
 however, he had to bribe to undertake the business. They 
 laughed at a shark hook Waterton proposed to try, saying 
 that such a thing would not hold the cayman. And this 
 prediction proved to be a true one, for the brute came and 
 took the hook into his mouth, but would not swallow it. 
 The Indians now set about fashioning a contrivance of 
 their own. It consisted of four stout pieces of wood a 
 foot long and barbed at both ends. These were fastened 
 securely round a stoat rope and baited. 
 
 This formidable apparatus was suspended in a suitable 
 place, and the party went off to their hammocks and to 
 sleep, the hook to be left till morning. Quite early, 
 however, one of the Indians went silently to see how 
 matters were progressing. A tremendous shout from him 
 brought all the rest to the spot in the shortest possible 
 time. Waterton stayed a couple of minutes to " don his 
 trousers," he tells us; the Indians had none to don. 
 
 They found that a cayman had swallowed the huge 
 barbed contrivance and some of the rope, and was fast 
 enough. Waterton declared that he intended to get the 
 brute out of the water alive, so that the hide should be un- 
 injured, and thus a perfect specimen. On this the Indians 
 expressed the utmost astonishment and incredulity ; they 
 did more, they declined to assist in so hazardous a busi- 
 ness, saying that the cayman would eat them all. They 
 wanted to shoot the animal with arrows, but the English- 
 man would have none of it, as the skin would then be 
 3 33 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 spoiled for his purpose. He rated the party for their 
 
 cowardice. But not a man would stir to help. 
 
 In this pass, Waterton bethought him of another device. 
 
 Taking the mast of the canoe, a pole eight feet long and 
 
 the thickness of a man's wrist, he tied the sail round the 
 
 end of it. Then, dropping on one knee, he held the pole 
 
 before him as a soldier holds his bayonet, intending to 
 
 thrust the thing down the cayman's throat, should the 
 
 brute in his fury rush out upon him. He held in readiness 
 
 also a formidable knife. His men, seven in number, were 
 
 now told off to pull at the rope and thus drag the animal 
 
 fairly out of the water, a task the fellows undertook in 
 
 fear and trembling, being reconciled to the position only 
 
 by the fact that the master was between them and the 
 
 danger. They were instructed to slacken the rope at once 
 
 should the animal begin to plunge. 
 
 The pull began, and the cayman was compelled to show 
 
 his face above water, an ugly sight to the man kneeling 
 
 there in frcnt of him. But the beast plunged so 
 
 desperately that the rope had to be slackened. Another 
 
 try, this time the men being told to pull, whatever 
 
 happened, till they had the brute out of the water. For 
 
 an instant, the naturalist stood in front, gazing steadfastly 
 
 into the cayman's eye.. He could see the animal was 
 
 afraid of him. 
 
 Now comes the extraordinary part of the tale. Suddenly 
 
 throwing down his pole, Waterton sprang on the animal's 
 
 back, turning in his spring so that when seated he had 
 
 his face towards the head. Then with wonderful pluck and 
 
 dexterity he seized the fore legs and brought them up 
 
 over the back and held them tight in that position ! 
 
 34 
 

 ^^^S^T^; 
 
 p***^ 
 
 
 Taking an Alligator Alive 
 
 Much fun was made of Waterton's account of his ride on an alligator at the time his 
 book was published, but it is now accepted as perfectly true. 
 
THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 The beast had been dazed at first, but now he came to 
 himself, and at once made the most desperate efforts to 
 escape and to attack his captor. His tail lashed violently, 
 but could not reach to do any harm to the ride*-; the 
 plungings of the victim, however, made that rider's seat 
 anything but an easy one. The fellows now cheered and 
 roared with delight, pulling stoutly and drawing the cay- 
 man and Waterton over the sand, till a distance of forty 
 yards had been covered. But what if the rope had broken 
 under the strain ? As the naturalist says, " there would 
 have been every chance of going down to the regions 
 under water with the cayman." 
 
 The brute's struggles at length exhausted it, and then 
 the victor coolly proceeded to tie up its jaws and fasten its 
 fore legs in the position in which they had been held for 
 the ride. After another severe struggle the animal was 
 taken to the canoe, and thence to the settlement, where it 
 was killed. 
 
 It was a marvel that Waterton did not fall a victim to 
 
 these alligators, so daring was he, and so often exposed to 
 
 their attacks. Once he was in a canoe on the same river 
 
 when he saw a very fine labarri snake in a bush by the 
 
 brink. He fired at it and evidently wounded it badly. 
 
 Seeing that it had not much life left in it, he leant over 
 
 the boat to seize the reptile by the throat. The steersman 
 
 in mortal terror turned the boat's course, and so suddenly 
 
 that the naturalist, who had caught hold of the bush, was 
 
 pulled instantly out of the craft and thrown into the 
 
 water. Here he was with the deadliest of all the Guiana 
 
 snakes in front of him, and possible caymans about ! 
 
 The man's marvellous good luck attended him as usual. 
 
 35 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 One of the crew quickly reversed the rudder and brought 
 the boat to the side again, and Waterton was pulled in all 
 haste into it. So keen was he after his specimen, however, 
 that he gripped the labarri by its neck and carried it 
 aboard with him. The terror of the crew was intense, 
 as may well be imagined. But the Englishman assured 
 them that the snake was too far gone to do any mischief! 
 The next morning a huge cayman passed the boat near 
 this spot. It was the largest of its kind any man 
 there had ever seen, measuring at least thirty feet in 
 length ! 
 
 This extraordinary man seemed actually to court diffi- 
 culties and even injuries at times. He had a strange wish 
 to receive a bite from a vampire bat, and would sleep with 
 his foot outside his hammock in the hope that one would 
 attack him. But though his followers and companions 
 now and then were severely wounded by vampires, which 
 carried away a big triangular piece of flesh at a bite, and 
 though the stables had to be guarded at night with wire 
 netting to keep the horses safe, yet Waterton himself 
 never got a single bite from the blood-sucking bat. 
 
 Perhaps, however, no episode in all Waterton's adven- 
 tures more clearly exhibits the man's marvellous coolness 
 when dealing with dangerous reptiles, than that of the 
 second coulacanara snake he tackled, a monster of its kind. 
 The naturalist had long been wanting such a specimen, 
 and had offered a reward to the negro who should discover 
 one for him. He had not long to wait, for one Sunday 
 a black ran up in hot haste to tell the master that his 
 dog had found a snake, of a rare and poisonous kind, 
 
 under a fallen tree. 
 
 36 
 
THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 Waterton sprang up, and, seizing a lance, rushed off, 
 calling upon the negro to follow. Barefoot and with 
 nothing on but his shirt and trousers, the Englishman ran, 
 two negroes also joining in the adventure. Cautiously 
 he advanced to the spot and soon found he had to do with 
 a formidable creature of the coulacanara breed, which, 
 though only fourteen feet long, as it proved, was thicker 
 in the body than a boa-constrictor of four-and-twenty feet. 
 Waterton found later on, after he had skinned the animal, 
 that he could easily get his head into its mouth. 
 
 He resolved to take the reptile alive, if possible, seeing 
 that the day was far advanced, and that if the animal 
 were killed that evening, it would be impossible to keep 
 the carcass till the morning in a state fit for dissection. 
 This resolution on the part of the master threw the negroes 
 into an agony of terror. But they were still more alarmed 
 when the Englishman, taking a cutlass, threatened to cut 
 them down if they ran away. Though he said this with a 
 smile, it was enough. 
 
 So one of the blacks stood near with the cutlass, while 
 the second man kept guard behind, lance in hand. Mean- 
 while the master cut away the intervening twigs, working 
 with the utmost caution and in dead silence. Then the 
 snake was seen to protrude his head from his lair, and 
 appeared to be on the point of coming out, whereupon all 
 three men retired quietly to a little distance. The terror 
 of the blacks increased every moment, and they evidently 
 began to think they were in for a very dangerous adventure. 
 They implored the master to be allowed to run for a gun, 
 but once more the naturalist grimly threatened them with 
 the cutlass if they stirred. 
 
 37 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 At length a moment favourable for operations arrived. 
 Waterton seized the lance and began to advance towards 
 the coulacanara, the negroes horror-stricken and but faintly 
 consoled by the fact that the master stood between them 
 and the snake. Indeed, the Englishman confesses in his 
 book that his own heart, in spite of all he could do, beat 
 quicker than usual. The onset can hardly be more 
 graphically described than in his own words. 
 
 " The snake had not moved ; and on getting up to him 
 I struck him with the lance on the near side, just behind 
 the neck, and pinned him to the ground. That moment 
 the negro next to me seized the lance and held it firm in 
 its place, while I dashed head-foremost into the den to 
 grapple with the snake, and to get hold of his tail before 
 he could do any mischief. On being pinned to the ground 
 with the lance he gave a tremendous loud hiss, and the 
 little dog ran away, howling as he went. We had a sharp 
 fray in the den, the rotten sticks flying on all sides, and 
 each party struggling for superiority. I called out to the 
 second negro to throw himself upon me, as I found I was 
 not heavy enough. He did so, and the additional weight 
 was of great service. I had now got firm hold of his tail, 
 and after a violent struggle or two he gave in, finding 
 himself overpowered." 
 
 In short, within a few more minutes, the snake found 
 
 himself a prisoner, securely bound by his captor's braces. 
 
 More, the naturalist actually contrived to make the animal 
 
 twist itself round the shaft of the lance before it was tied 
 
 up ! With their prize the three men left the field of 
 
 action, the master supporting the head and preventing 
 
 accidents, while the men supported the belly and tail. 
 
 38 
 
THE DEMERARA RIVER 
 
 All the way the reptile fought hard for freedom, but in 
 vain ; it was compelled to accompany its captors. It took 
 a long time to convey the animal to the house, the weight 
 being almost too much for the three men. 
 
 Darkness came down swiftly, and it was too late to 
 think of dissecting the snake that night. On the other 
 hand, if it had been killed then, the body would have 
 become putrid before morning. So the extraordinary 
 Englishman coolly popped the huge animal into a big 
 and strong sack he had. The sack was firmly tied at the 
 mouth and then placed on the floor. As the snake was 
 loose in the bag, he was able to wriggle about to his 
 heart's content. But it was quite impossible for it to 
 make a hole in the sack, the canvas yielding whenever 
 pressure was put upon any part of it. Thus the coulana- 
 cara was left to his fate till the morning. 
 
 His captor proceeded to his bed, in a loft just above, 
 the floor of which was rotten and full of great holes ! " I 
 cannot say he allowed me to have a quiet night," Waterton 
 writes ; " he was very restless and fretful. However, 
 nothing serious occurred." 
 
 The end of the adventure was worthy of the rest. With 
 ten negroes to help him, Waterton in the morning untied 
 the bag, keeping the snake down by main force. Then he 
 cut its throat, and it bled like an ox. The dissection 
 occupied him the whole day. He found that the teeth 
 were of no use to the animal for the purposes of mastica- 
 tion, but were merely for seizing and holding its prey. 
 
 39 
 
Ill 
 
 THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 Clapperton's failure to trace the Niger to its mouth — Richard Lander, his 
 servant, undertakes another expedition, in company with his brother 
 John Lander — They arrive at Badagry — Human sacrifices — Land 
 journey to Boussa on the Niger — Attack by twenty savages — Some 
 relics of Mungo Park's expedition recovered — Alarming demon strations 
 at the mouth of the Tchadda — Coolness of the Landers — A critical 
 moment — Damuggoo and its friendly king — Attack by one of a crowd 
 of canoes at Kirree— Narrow escape — Natives quarrel as to booty — 
 The expedition party made prisoners — Native canoes overturned — A 
 terrifying scene — A few things restored — King Obie demands enor- 
 mous ransom — King Boy buys prisoners — Carried in war canoes down 
 stream — Further demands by King Forday — The mystery solved. 
 
 Not the least important of notable geographical dis- 
 coveries are those which have been made by men of 
 humble, or of comparatively humble birth. The results 
 of the journeyings of Richard Lander and his brother John 
 well illustrate this. The wonderful but ill-fated expedi- 
 tions of Mungo Park had left unsettled the great Niger 
 question. The famous Scotch explorer had traced that 
 mysterious river to Boussa, where he was killed. After 
 him had come Clapperton, who had travelled a little 
 farther down the stream, dying at Sackatoo. With 
 Clapperton had been Richard Lander, his servant, and this 
 noble fellow was filled with a burning desire to finish what 
 
 his master had begun, namely, to follow the great Niger 
 
 40 
 
THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 down to the ocean, if it should prove to go so far, or, if 
 otherwise, to see what did become of its mighty floods. 
 
 In England, to which he returned after Clapperton's 
 decease, Richard Lander met with but little encourage- 
 ment, presumably on account of his lowly position. At 
 last, however, he was sent out at the head of another 
 expedition, taking with him his brother John as his 
 lieutenant. . The money furnished for the work assigned 
 to him was barely enough, and the sole reward he was to 
 expect for success was a gratuity of a hundred pounds. 
 The two brothers landed at Badagry, on the Gulf of 
 Guinea, where the king of the district at once inspected 
 their baggage, and took for himself whatever his fancy 
 coveted. He further made extraordinary demands ; requir- 
 ing, for instance, such things as four regimental coats 
 similar to those worn by the King of England, forty others 
 somewhat less grand, and the like! All this before he 
 would allow the explorers to pass through his territory, or 
 to enjoy his protection. 
 
 Badagry was found to be a populous and important 
 place, but the travellers were pestered all day long by the 
 curiosity of the inhabitants. At last they had to beat a 
 hasty retreat from the town in order to avoid a horrible 
 spectacle, the murder of three hundred people in cold 
 blood. These victims were required to follow into the 
 other world a chief who had just died. One of the chiefs 
 wives was made to swallow poison while her grave was 
 being dug before her eyes ; a second wife hid herself but 
 was discovered. It is more than probable this poor 
 woman perished too. 
 
 Travelling by Eyeo and Keeshee, the Landers found 
 
 41 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 themselves in a country infested with dangerous wild 
 beasts, and by still more dangerous savages. A score of 
 these latter attacked the caravan, and things seemed bad 
 for the explorers. But when one of the brothers levelled 
 his gun at them, the whole black gang immediately took 
 to their heels. After a long, roundabout, and perilous 
 journey the Landers at length arrived at Boussa, on the 
 Niger. Here they intended to begin their voyage of 
 discovery. The king and queen of the country professed 
 to be very friendly towards the travellers, and even wept 
 for the death of Captain Clapperton ! Lander gave them 
 various little trinkets, over which their majesties squab- 
 bled like little children. 
 
 For various reasons, wise or otherwise, Richard Lander 
 decided to ask permission to travel only to Youri and 
 Bornou, and not to voyage the whole length of the Niger 
 to the sea. His suspicions as to this monarch proved 
 afterwards to have been without foundation. Youri was 
 reached, the prince there professing great friendship. 
 This man, however, was a wily and extortionate individual, 
 demanding a hundred dollars for a single canoe. He made all 
 kinds of excuses for dela}dng the travellers, and it seemed 
 as if the latest Niger expedition were fated to end there. 
 In their trouble the Landers sent a message to the King 
 of Boussa, whom they had hitherto distrusted, and to their 
 great joy, a strong warning was sent to the chief of Youri, 
 and the journey was allowed to be resumed. 
 
 The reception of the party at Wawa was curious. The 
 
 prince for a while was unable to see the travellers officially, 
 
 a messenger who was expected from Boussa not having 
 
 yet arrived, and etiquette demanding that no reception 
 
 ' 42 
 
THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 should take place till then. So his majesty stood exactly 
 like a statue, motionless, speechless, only coming back to 
 life when the messenger appeared. When once the ice 
 was broken the king proved friendly. He was so interested 
 in the proposed voyage of discovery that he insisted on 
 consulting an oracle, making a solemn inquiry as to whether 
 the expedition would be successful. The answer given was 
 a favourable one. 
 
 The Englishmen had done everything in their power to 
 trace and acquire all relics of Mungo Park and his dis- 
 astrous expedition. They were specially desirous of 
 possessing themselves of the great traveller's journal, 
 and at last believed themselves to be on the right track. 
 A peasant of the district had a book, which he produced ; 
 to the extreme disappointment of the Landers the volume 
 proved to be nothing but a book of nautical tables. There 
 were a few papers in the leaves, but nothing of any great 
 moment. 
 
 Passing over various less important stages of the long 
 voyage, we may follow the travellers to the town of Kacunda. 
 Here they received from the peaceful inhabitants alarming 
 accounts of the hostile and cruel disposition of the savage 
 tribes lower down the river. The servants of the expedi- 
 tion became terrified, and it required all the persuasions 
 of the two brothers to induce their subordinates to con- 
 tinue. Nothing very serious occurred, however, till they 
 had entered a very large tributary river, three or four 
 miles broad at the confluence with the Niger. On the 
 bank of this great stream — the Tchadda, as they after- 
 wards knew it to be — the explorers landed, being fatigued 
 
 with- their exertions. A search for sticks for the fire 
 
 43 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 resulted in the discovery of a village near, the occupants 
 of which for the moment were all women. These imme- 
 diately fled to the fields, where were the men of the 
 settlement. 
 
 In no long time one of Lander's men observed the 
 approach of a savage and uncouth band, and at once cried 
 out in alarm, " War is coming ! Oh, war is coming ! " 
 There was cause for fear. The blacks carried a great 
 variety of weapons, including even muskets. The number 
 of men bearing down on the little expedition was far too 
 great to admit of successful resistance, and the brothers 
 determined at once to try to make peace. The coolness 
 of the Englishmen at such a juncture was extraordinary. 
 All round were crowds of fierce, yelling savages, bent on 
 hostility and murder. Here is Lander's own account of 
 the incident — 
 
 " Throwing down our pistols, which we had snatched up 
 in the first moment of surprise, my brother and I walked 
 very composedly and unarmed towards the chief. As we 
 approached him we made all the signs and motions we 
 could with our arms, to deter him and his people from 
 firing on us. His quiver was dangling at his side, his 
 bow was bent, and an arrow, which was pointed at our 
 breasts, already trembled on the string, when we were 
 within a few yards of his person. This was a highly 
 critical moment — the next might be our last. But the 
 hand of Providence averted the blow; for just as the chief 
 was about to pull the fatal cord, a man that was nearest 
 him rushed forward and stayed his arm." 
 
 The sequel was as extraordinary as it was unexpected. 
 
 Kneeling, the white men held out their hands, which 
 
 44 
 
THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 trembled like aspen leaves. The chief gazed on their 
 faces, all the passions of his nature seeming to gleam 
 through his dark eyes. All at once the black understood ; 
 these men were no enemies, but friendly wayfarers. A 
 revulsion of feeling came to him. " He dropped his head, 
 eagerly grasped our proffered hands, and burst into tears. 
 This was a sign of friendship ; harmony followed, and war 
 and bloodshed were thought of no more. Peace and friend- 
 liness now reigned among us." The subjects of the chief 
 were not less delighted than their master, and for a time 
 they displayed all the extravagant joy of little children. 
 As Lander says, " It was a narrow escape ; in another 
 minute our bodies would have been as full of arrows as a 
 porcupine's is full of quills." 
 
 At Damuggoo, lower down the Niger, the explorers met 
 with a particularly friendly chief. Many of the people of 
 the interior hereabouts had never before seen a white man, 
 and while some of them regarded the Englishmen with 
 wonder and alarm, others were highly amused. The chief 
 promised to send canoes with the travellers down to the 
 sea, if only they would wait a few days. Lander told his 
 majesty how an account of this friendly reception would 
 be given to the King of England later on, and the black 
 seemed immensely impressed to learn that the great white 
 chief would hear of all the doings at Damuggoo. When 
 crowds of natives swarmed about the door of the hut 
 assigned to the Englishmen, the dark-skinned monarch 
 calmly recommended that the Landers should cut off 
 the heads of them all ! 
 
 But a change came over the prospects of the travellers 
 
 at the town of Kirree, to which they came presently. A 
 
 45 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 fleet of fifty big canoes advancing up the river encountered 
 Richard Lander at this large market-town. The boats 
 carried various flags, one of them, to Lander's delight, 
 being the Union Jack. This apparently denoted friend- 
 liness on the part of the natives who manned the boats, 
 and Lander was under no apprehensions. He was quickly 
 undeceived when a big negro on board one of the canoes 
 made fierce signs to him to go to him. The Englishman 
 hesitated, not unnaturally in the presence of hostile de- 
 monstrations. In a moment the black crew had levelled 
 their muskets at him. Lander's discretion was at such a 
 juncture better than the courage he at first felt tempted 
 to display. It would have been absurd on his part to 
 attempt a struggle with so great a multitude of savage 
 yelling negroes all well armed. The object of the un- 
 friendly blacks was soon seen. The fellows leapt on board 
 Lander's boat, and seized everything they could lay their 
 hands upon. One of the prizes taken was the wife of 
 Pascoe, a servant of the expedition. This was too much 
 for Richard Lander, who at once threatened the chief of 
 the blacks with his gun. The weapon was instantly 
 snatched from his hand; in the end, however, he suc- 
 ceeded in rescuing the woman. This was later on, when 
 the enemy, having seized all they could, made for the 
 shore. To the surprise and relief of the Englishman, none 
 of the other canoes seconded the efforts of the robber crew, 
 and thus he was emboldened to set off in chase of the 
 thieves. 
 
 All this time John Lander had been coming down the 
 river in another boat, but two hours behind his brother. 
 
 In the course of his voyage he met a craft containing a 
 
 46 
 
One of the Natives pulled Lander out of the Water 
 
 The canoes were crowded round the spot, their crews all being eager to share the booty, 
 and Lander and his companions were thrown into the water. 
 
THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 couple of animals, which he at once recognized as the 
 property of the expedition. He immediately gave chase, 
 and managed to get back the stolen sheep and goat. 
 What puzzled him was the fact that the animals were 
 being carried off by only a couple of men. How it had 
 come to pass that his brother had yielded to so small a 
 force he could not in the least understand. His amaze- 
 ment was vastly increased when presently he came upon 
 the large fleet of canoes, with many European flags among 
 them, and with his brother Richard on board one boat. 
 John had hardly time to collect his thoughts when several 
 of the canoes bore down upon him. As the boats were 
 unusually large, and heavily armed, resistance was out of 
 the question. His attempt to escape was speedily ended, 
 two or three of the canoes being driven up against his 
 own boat with such force that it was overturned, and 
 Lander and his companions thrown into the water. John 
 swam towards a canoe in which were a couple of women, 
 thinking that they perhaps might show more pity than 
 the men. Instantly a huge negro caught hold of him, 
 and, lifting him out of the water, threw him down into 
 the bottom of the boat, as if he had been a log of 
 wood. 
 
 A scene which might have been prophesied, under the 
 circumstances, was presently witnessed. The canoes were 
 crowded round the spot, their crews all being eager to 
 share the booty. The inevitable result occurred ; several 
 of the craft were capsized, and men, women and children 
 were in a moment struggling for life in the waters, shout- 
 ing and shrieking. John Lander at this instant came 
 
 within sight of his brother again. Richard immediately 
 
 47 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 held up his hand, pointing towards Heaven, as if to say, 
 
 " Trust in God," and John, who in his despair had almost 
 
 ceased to struggle, at once took courage, and made renewed 
 
 efforts. At last he managed to reach his brother ; that is 
 
 to say, he came alongside the canoe in which Richard was. 
 
 The natives offered no objection to the latter throwing his 
 
 shirt over John's naked body, but the half-drowned man 
 
 was not allowed to get into the boat. The two brothers 
 
 were in a luckless plight. 
 
 But a turn in the tide of events was at hand, though 
 
 they did not know it. Amongst the crew of the Landers 
 
 were certain people from Damuggoo, and these in the 
 
 excitement had been plundered equally with the white 
 
 men. These blacks now began to cry aloud for justice, 
 
 and they were seconded both by a number of the more 
 
 important women of the town and by the Mohammedan 
 
 inhabitants of the place. So a meeting was called in the 
 
 market-place, and it was decided that the robber ringleader 
 
 should be punished with death, while all the stolen goods 
 
 that could be found should be restored to the owners. A 
 
 curious scene followed, a medley of articles being brought 
 
 to the place — books, medicine-chest, clothes, and John 
 
 Lander's diary. But the goods lost were many, and some 
 
 of them very valuable, including nine elephants' tusks. 
 
 The plunderers were not disposed to give up their boot}' 
 
 tamely, and a wild fight took place in the market. In the 
 
 end order was restored. As for the expedition party, they 
 
 were informed that they must be sent to the king of Eboe 
 
 to be dealt with, the ruler of Kirree being absent from the 
 
 country just then. 
 
 Here then were the adventurous white men virtually 
 
 48 
 
THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 prisoners, and they were escorted down the river by big 
 war canoes. An odd regulation was made by their 
 captors. The Niger god, said the negroes, had never 
 seen a white man, and should he get a glance of them, 
 canoes and all in them would suffer instant destruction. 
 To avert so serious a disaster the Landers were compelled 
 to lie all day long in the bottom of the boat, covered with 
 thick mats. 
 
 Obie, as the ruler of the Eboe country was called, 
 proved to be less fierce than the brothers had been led to 
 anticipate. They had, indeed, looked with dread upon 
 their interview with that monarch. His handshake, how- 
 ever, meant little or nothing, as the sequel showed. In 
 truth, the difficulties facing the travellers now that their 
 goal was all but reached, appeared likely to be amongst 
 the most serious of their journey. Obie demanded an 
 enormous ransom for the white prisoners, namely, twenty 
 bars, or as much as would buy twenty slaves. Till that 
 sum should be received from the white men or their 
 friends, the king went on to say, they and their servants 
 must remain at Eboe. That such a stipulation threw the 
 brothers into consternation we may well believe. Where 
 to obtain so great a sum of money they did not know. 
 
 A most ridiculous thing now came to pass. A dispute 
 
 arose as to which branch of the Niger delta the travellers 
 
 should be permitted to use, should the ransom be brought, 
 
 the Bonny branch, or the Brass branch. There was more 
 
 in this squabble than might appear at first sight, for on 
 
 the decision depended the disposal of the ransom money, 
 
 seeing that it must go to the chief of the district through 
 
 which the travellers passed. The dispute grew keen, and 
 4 49 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the people of the Brass territory went so far as to swear 
 that the Bonny arm of the river was dried up and no 
 longer available for boats ! 
 
 Now came in another ruler, King Boy. He proposed 
 to pay to Obie the amount of his demand, and to take 
 over the prisoners. But he first insisted on receiving 
 from the Englishmen an order for the sum on Captain 
 Lake, of the English ship Thomas, which was lying near 
 the mouth of the Niger. Obie was delighted, and, handing 
 over his captives to King Boy, requested the white men 
 to give him a good character when they came to report 
 on their voyage to the King of England ! King Boy 
 embarked his purchases on board a very large canoe, and 
 the journey down the river was resumed. In no long time 
 the lands of Forday, another ruler, were reached, and he 
 demanded an order for the price of four slaves. To enforce 
 the keeping of the bargain, Forday detained John Lander 
 and seven others, Richard being permitted to go on alone. 
 
 With King Boy the elder brother sailed down the 
 
 Niger, every hour nearing the sea and the end of his 
 
 expedition. At last he came upon several foreign vessels 
 
 lying at anchor, including the English ship. But to 
 
 Richard's disgust and intense dismay, the captain of the 
 
 British vessel refused to part with a single shilling. He 
 
 waxed furious and abusive. King Boy was no less angry. 
 
 He indeed seemed to stand a fair chance of losing every 
 
 penny he had advanced to Obie, and he declined to carry 
 
 Lander to Bonny, where were other English vessels. 
 
 Leaving Richard, the black ruler rushed back to where 
 
 John was confined, and there heaped on the prisoner's 
 
 head every abuse his tongue could utter. " English 
 
 50 
 
THE NIGER MYSTERY SOLVED 
 
 captain no will !" he exclaimed fiercely, "you thief man; 
 English captain no will ! " What would be the upshot 
 of it all John did not know, and his apprehensions were 
 not less than those of his brother, who was waiting for 
 him lower down the river. 
 
 To John Lander's surprise and delight, King Boy set 
 free his prisoner, a day or two later, on the occasion of a 
 feasting bout, and soon John beheld the waters of the 
 ocean gleaming in the tropical moonlight — even as his 
 brother had already done. What a moment it was for 
 him we may faintly guess when he " could perceive in the 
 distance the long-wished-for Atlantic, with the moonbeams 
 reposing in peaceful beauty upon its surface, and could 
 also hear the sea breaking and roaring over the sandy 
 bar which stretches across the mouth of the river. The 
 solemn voice of ocean never sounded more melodiously in 
 my ear than it did at that moment. O ! it was enchanting 
 as the harp of David ! " 
 
 The long and hazardous journey of the intrepid brothers 
 was at an end. The mighty waters of the Niger had 
 yielded their long-hidden secret. Henceforth all the world 
 would know of the rise, the course, the ending of that vast 
 and hitherto mysterious stream. What great travellers 
 like Park and Clapperton had in vain given their lives to 
 accomplish, that the humble Landers had been permitted 
 to achieve. 
 
 It is worth while to add that the British Government 
 eventually sent to the African chiefs the full amount of 
 the various ransoms demanded. 
 
 51 
 
IV 
 
 THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE 
 
 Mr. Petherick, once British Consul for the Soudan, undertakes the explora- 
 tion of the Upper Nile, in conjunction with the ivory trade — Starts from 
 Khartoum — Crocodiles and hippopotamuses — The crocodile and the 
 fellah — Daring attack by hippopotamus — Hostile demonstration from 
 the shore — Conference with hostile chief — "White chief scores over 
 black — A struggle for a tusk — Insulting conduct of chief — Rival 
 expeditions in search of ivory come up the "White Nile — One of them 
 comes to grief — Rejoicing amongst natives — Their arrogance — Plot to 
 attack Mr. Petherick — Englishman with six men out in the bush 
 stockades his camp — Six weeks' siege — Reinforcements come up — 
 Reprisals made, on cattle-kraals of natives — A pitched battle — 
 Signal victory for Englishman's forces — He astonishes the blacks by 
 setting free every prisoner he had taken. 
 
 Mr. John Petherick was, more than half-a-century 
 ago, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul for the Soudan, under 
 the rule of Mehemet Ali Pacha. On the death of this 
 potentate he spent some years at El Obeid, where he 
 carried on the gum-arabic trade. But in the year 1853 
 Mr. Petherick began a series of excursions and explora- 
 tions into the Upper Nile regions, for which kind of thing 
 he seems to have always had a bent. Greater explorers 
 than he, perhaps, have come before the world since his 
 days, but he will always deserve a place amongst the 
 upper ranks of African pioneers of exploration. It must 
 not be forgotten that until close upon his times the Blue 
 
 Nile had been thought to be the main feeder of that 
 
 52 
 
THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE 
 
 Hystericus historic stream. But in the forties the White 
 Nile had been followed for a considerable distance, the 
 result of the investigations being the establishment of the 
 fact that the White Nile is the Nile, and that the Blue 
 Nile cannot at the best be considered as more than the 
 chief tributary to the principal stream. 
 
 Acquiring a suitable boat, and selecting a party of a 
 score or so of likely Arabs, Mr. Petherick started, in 
 November 1853, on his trip up the White Nile. He 
 knew of the discoveries that had been made by the excel- 
 lent French explorers, D'Arnaud, Thibaut and De Malzac, 
 and he was anxious to emulate the achievements of those 
 early pioneers. Besides the twenty Arabs, his party con- 
 sisted of a dozen boatmen proper, and two Dinka in- 
 terpreters. When the boat passed Khartoum the people 
 turned out in their thousands to give the expedition a 
 good send-off. Gradually civilization was left behind, and 
 crocodiles and hippopotamuses began to be plentiful. 
 These furnished good practice for the Arab musketeers, 
 whom the leader of the expedition had for two months 
 been drilling in the use of firearms. 
 
 So bold were the crocodiles in that district that they 
 would dart suddenly out of the river after a man on 
 the bank. A curious proof of this was afforded by an 
 experience that had just come to one of the natives. He 
 was walking along the bank of the river, when all at once 
 a huge crocodile dashed out of the water and made for 
 him. The man had only time to leap down into the 
 trench, where was one of the levers used for raising water. 
 The brute thrust his head into this trench, which was 
 open on the river side, and with such force that it became 
 
 53 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 jammed. The crocodile, within a yard of the man, could 
 get neither forward nor backward, but remained fixed 
 there, with gaping jaws, and in a violent rage. The poor 
 fellow, crouching helplessly at the end of the trench, 
 awaited in extremest terror the moment when those awful 
 jaws should close upon him with their fatal snap. Luckily 
 for the man some of the villagers came to his help, and 
 the animal was killed with lances. 
 
 It became evident quite early in the voyage that the 
 inhabitants of the regions through which they were 
 passing were not disposed to give a friendly welcome to 
 the new-comers. At one place a number of native horse- 
 men appeared on the bank, and galloped along with the 
 boat, showering insults on its occupants. The exploring 
 party stood it all for a time, but at last fired a rifle over 
 the heads of the fellows. Like magic the insulters fled 
 and were seen no more. But it was not only against the 
 explorers these men of Bagara made demonstrations. A 
 little later on Mr. Petherick saw a curious sight, namely, a 
 party of Bagara warriors set out on a warlike expedition 
 against the Dinka tribe, or at least against one of the 
 Dinka settlements. The warriors were all naked, and all 
 rode bare-backed. Their weapons were spears. Coming 
 to the Nile the men took off the bridles from the animals. 
 The horses then swam across the broad river, the men 
 simply placing a hand on the quarters to support them- 
 selves. At the other side the bridles were replaced, and 
 the troop of horsemen vanished quickly into the interior. 
 
 Game, small and large, came the way of the expedition, 
 
 of course, and the Englishman was able to give his men 
 
 some signal proof of his ability as a marksman. His first 
 
 54 
 
It was the first Rifle Discharge they had heard 
 
 Half a century or so ago the blacks of the Upper Nile districts had hardly seen 
 a white man. 
 
THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE 
 
 shot at a hippopotamus was made one evening when, 
 hearing a cry and a crash, he rushed on deck. The vessel 
 had had in tow a small boat which contained two or three 
 sheep, and this boat a hippopotamus had crushed with his 
 enormous jaws, breaking also the rope by which the boat 
 was fastened to the ship. Mr. Petherick arrived just in 
 time to note the beast disappearing below the surface, 
 and to see half-a-dozen of his men leap into the river, 
 which they did without hesitation. The Arabs managed 
 to run the damaged boat ashore and save the sheep, but 
 the hippopotamus had gone. The reckless disregard of 
 such risks on the part of his men the leader had many 
 opportunities of observing. Giraffes, elephants, and other 
 bio: game fell to the rifles of the leader and his best 
 shooters. 
 
 But it is with the inhabitants of the Nile borders, and 
 their attitude towards the party of discoverers, that 
 Mr. Petherick's narrative is largely concerned, and his 
 accounts of his dealings with them are of special interest. 
 He started with the intention of making every possible 
 advance in the way of friendliness towards the rude tribes 
 with whom he would have to come in contact. At the 
 same time he was fully determined to carry out the plans 
 he had formed, and to secure for himself, in spite of all 
 opposition, a free passage up and down the river. Almost 
 at once he began a regular system of trading and barter 
 with the blacks, having brought with him for that purpose 
 several tons of beads and other articles likely to attract 
 the savages. At first the Arabs and others of the English- 
 man's crew were greatly afraid of the natives, if the least 
 
 show of hostility were made, but they grew ashamed of 
 
 55 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 their pusillanimity later on. Here is a specimen of 
 Mr. Petherick's first experiences of the kind. This was 
 on the shores of a large reedy lake that was found about 
 lat. 8° N,, where at least a couple of hundred negroes 
 came together on the opposite shore, and made fierce 
 demonstrations of ill-will — 
 
 " Our terrified guide crouched under the bulwarks of 
 the boat, and no inducement could move him to address 
 the savages, and state to them our pacific intentions. My 
 Dinka interpreter's assurances thereof, and our desire to 
 open a barter-trade with them, were met with insult and 
 ridicule ; and at last I determined to embark in the small 
 boat, and with a few men approach them, and, in the 
 event of an attack, force a landing. With astonishment 
 and disgust, I found not a man would follow me, nor a 
 sailor man the boat. Orders were met with respectful 
 non-compliance, whilst, at the same time, all encourage- 
 ment and persuasion on my part proving useless, I had 
 no alternative but to return." 
 
 The men made up for their cowardice when, after 
 entering the Sobat, the leader wished to do business with 
 some of the Dinka tribes. Every man was willing to go 
 ashore, at whatever risk. As it fell out, there was no 
 risk, the inhabitants proving friendly. The Englishman 
 showed the peaceableness of his intentions by his tactful 
 conduct in a little matter that might easily have led to 
 difficulties. Amongst the things bought was a magnifi- 
 cent tusk. As this, after the price bargained for had been 
 paid, was being carried towards the boat, half-a-dozen 
 natives seized the tusk, demanding some recompense, on 
 
 the ground that they had helped to bring the heavy 
 
 53 
 
THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE 
 
 article from a distance. The sailors held to their purchase, 
 and immediately a struggle began. Mr. Petherick bought 
 off the blacks by giving them a few beads, whereupon 
 others pressed forward and made a similar claim. Thus 
 the two parties tugged and pulled. Although so far the 
 contest had been conducted with good-humour on the 
 part of the savages, it was pretty plain a more serious 
 state of things might soon ensue. Thereupon the 
 Englishman scrambled a few beads among the crowd, 
 which had the effect of drawing off the fellows struggling 
 for the possession of the tusk. The coast thus clear, 
 the sailors hurried their prize with all speed to the 
 boat. 
 
 But the explorer was not always to avoid hostilities on 
 the part of the blacks. At a later stage of his travels, he 
 came to the Wadi Konig, and at one village landed, taking 
 up his quarters under some magnificent tamarind trees, to 
 await the arrival of the chief. After three hours this 
 ruler came, and, striking his club violently on the ground, 
 angrily demanded how the white man had dared to come 
 into his territory. An explanation that the intention of 
 the strangers was only to do peaceful trade produced a 
 peremptory order to leave the district at once. As for 
 ivory, the chief said, he had none, and if the intruders did 
 not immediately depart, he would not answer for the con- 
 sequences. Mr. Petherick's reply was to the point. He 
 and his men, he explained, had successfully passed many 
 other tribes on the river, and they were not going to be 
 stopped now. He and those with him were in want of 
 provisions, and these they were ready to buy. If food 
 could not be obtained by peaceful purchase it would be 
 
 57 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 taken by force. The chief's own huts would be the first 
 to be raided. On this the chief abated his haughty anger 
 somewhat, and evidently was puzzled what to say. His 
 interlocutor thereupon asked him at what distance he 
 could kill a man, and received for reply that the chief was 
 able to spear a man at a distance of twenty yards. Mr. 
 Petherick selected a tree about a hundred and fifty yards 
 away, and informed the black that his gun, which he 
 showed, could kill a man at that distance. The chief was 
 overwhelmed with astonishment. 
 
 The Englishman was still unwilling to come to blows, 
 and with some trouble induced the chief to go with him 
 into a hut. Next morning the black ruler was shown an 
 exhibition of the white man's skill in the use of firearms, 
 the first report of the gun scaring the natives almost out 
 of their wits. The astounding powers of the rifle intimi- 
 dated them, and Mr. Petherick hoped that now the tribe 
 might be inclined to be more friendly. But when the 
 chief had departed, he sent a message to the effect that 
 he would supply nothing to the intruders, who must 
 instantly leave the territory. Meanwhile the blacks had 
 assembled in great force along the banks, and the explorers 
 were greeted with every sign of contempt and hostility. 
 The position was a difficult one, for a fresh supply of food 
 for the ship was urgently necessary. The leader of the 
 expedition managed once more to entice the chief to his 
 quarters, and then swore that unless provisions were 
 brought before sunset, the village should be sacked. As 
 for the chief, he would be detained as a prisoner till even- 
 ing, when, if the demands were not complied with, he 
 
 would be shot. The black was terrified by the threat, 
 
 58 
 
THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE 
 
 and soon everything was brought that had been asked 
 for. 
 
 By the time Mr. Petherick had made two or three of 
 his successful expeditions up the Nile and its tributaries, 
 a good deal of jealousy had arisen among the merchants 
 of Khartoum, who much over-estimated his gains. Rival 
 expeditions had accordingly been fitted out. One of these 
 had come to grief in the lake Bahr-el-Ghazal. Their 
 goods had been seized by the negroes, and the men them- 
 selves sold as slaves into the interior. True, these latter 
 were eventually repurchased by the merchants their 
 masters, but the prestige of the ivory-seeking parties had 
 suffered immensely. The Dinkas had fallen upon one or 
 two and had murdered some of the men, whose wretched 
 firearms had not enabled them to make a successful stand. 
 
 Things like this were reported far and wide, and it was 
 with less surprise than concern that Mr, Petherick learnt 
 of a great combination of black forces against him. No 
 fewer than six tribes, he heard, had joined their men to 
 attack him. The first hint of the plot he got when one 
 night a hitherto friendly tribe near departed, to a man, 
 without giving any explanation ; with the exception of 
 Mekir, the son of one of the chiefs. The Englishman had 
 with him only six capable men, nevertheless he bade the 
 alarmed Mekir to be of good cheer. The young black, 
 terrified at the thought of the vengeance his fellows would 
 inflict on him for going over to the white man, was hardly 
 reassured by the leader's assertions that he was well able 
 to protect him. 
 
 The Englishman's plans were soon conceived and 
 
 matured. He was camped for the time being at a 
 
 59 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 distance from the river, and so from the rest of his force 
 He determined to put his camp into such a state that it 
 would stand a siege. Mekir was asked to provide six 
 negroes with hatchets at once, a request that threw the 
 youngster into an agony of fear. But the white man was 
 not to be trifled with, and when he threatened to burn the 
 chiefs huts, and to hang Mekir himself, unless the order 
 were complied with directly, the negroes were forthcoming. 
 With the trembling blacks Mr. Petherick proceeded to 
 fortify his camp. A strong fence was made round the 
 place, and at each corner a lofty wooden tower or stage 
 was erected, these communicating by means of a staircase 
 with the enclosure. The work occupied four heavy days. 
 All this time the hostile negroes remained at a distance, 
 but their scouts evidently kept them well informed as to 
 the progress of the work. By means of a spy whom he 
 employed Mr. Petherick learnt with satisfaction that the 
 blacks were mightily impressed by the white man's 
 astounding skill in fortification. 
 
 For six long weeks the intrepid and determined English- 
 man kept his fort, none of all the great crowds of blacks 
 allied against him daring to make an attack upon him 
 and his six men. In the coolest manner possible he 
 sallied forth from his fastness every day to shoot game. 
 Never once on these risky expeditions did he meet a 
 native. The truth was, his skill as a marksman had 
 frightened the whole country side. There were, of course, 
 others of his men away with the ship on the river, but 
 these had been so terrified by the massacres of other 
 Arabs by the Dinkas, that for all those weeks they dared 
 
 not venture to the relief of their besieged master. Mr. 
 
 60 
 
THE WHITE CHIEF ON THE NILE 
 
 Petherick had also a considerable number of men away 
 ivory-hunting, and at length some of these, hearing of 
 their leader's difficulties, hastened to his assistance. The 
 long siege came to an end, to the Englishman's intense 
 satisfaction naturally. He had kept up a marvellous 
 show of courage all the while, but he well knew in what 
 jeopardy he had stood every moment of those six weeks. 
 
 A rival chief, the declared enemy of the Dinkas, now 
 came and invited the white man to leave his stockade 
 and encamp in the village where the chief lived. This 
 proposal was one not to be neglected, for it was clear that 
 out in the woods there it would be impossible to obtain 
 porters to convey to the boats the ivory, of which a large 
 quantity had been collected in the fort. The friendly 
 chief was willing to lend men to take the ivory to the 
 village, though he was not prepared to let them carry it 
 right through the enemy's country to the river. So the 
 valuables were safely stocked in the Dor village, and the 
 Englishman was free to take action against his foes. 
 
 He was certain that he would be attacked on his 
 journey to the vessel, and resolved to be beforehand with 
 the blacks. He rightly guessed that a raid upon their 
 cattle-kraals would touch them most keenly, and he pre- 
 pared his plans. He divided the men at his disposal into 
 two bands, one of eighty Khartoumers, who were instructed 
 to march during the night and to loot the cattle-stations 
 by day. The other band, about forty men, he kept with 
 himself to defend the settlement. Nothing more was 
 heard of the advance party till about three the following 
 afternoon. Then a sound of sharp firing put the camp on 
 
 the qui vive. The reports came from a direction quite 
 
 61 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 other than that expected, and Mr. Petherick concluded 
 that his men had met with defeat at the hands of the 
 Dinkas, and had been chased to the quarter whence the 
 sounds had come. 
 
 The eighty Khartoumers, however, had not sped in the 
 way their master in his camp was fearing. They had 
 had a severe encounter with the hordes of Dinkas, but 
 their courage and skill had been rewarded by a signal 
 victory. No fewer than six hundred head of cattle had 
 been captured, besides two flocks of sheep and goats. 
 Further, the Khartoumers had made fifty-three prisoners, 
 mostly women and children. In their joy the victors fired 
 a volley to announce their success. It was the sound of 
 this firing that had alarmed Mr. Petherick. This was the 
 state of affairs when the Englishman, with one-half the 
 force he had at his disposal, arrived on the spot. 
 
 The lesson must have been a severe one. Yet the 
 sequel to the adventure called down on the white man 
 the blessings of the blacks, even of those women who had 
 lost husbands in the battle. The whole of the trembling 
 prisoners, who had been expecting to be sold into slavery, 
 were at once set free. The surprise was beyond descrip- 
 tion, says Mr. Petherick, and several of the women, " for- 
 getting for the moment the loss of their husbands, their 
 eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude, took an affec- 
 tionate leave of me by spitting on my hand ! " 
 
 62 
 
V 
 
 COSSACKS AND CIRCASSIANS 
 
 The River Kouban — Dr. Clarke a traveller of the early part of the nine- 
 teenth century — Plague of mosquitoes — Astonishing abundance of 
 reptiles — Carriage dragged through swamps — Marshes and reed 
 forests — The Englishmen make short excursion across river to Cir- 
 cassian territory — Extraordinary precautious taken for their safety — 
 A threatening reception — The Ataman of Ekaterinedara — Peace- 
 making ceremonies — A magnificent display — Circassian camp on the 
 bank of the river — Cossack troops drawn up on the heights above — 
 Meeting between the notables on either side — Pasha crosses in a 
 crowded canoe — Mutual mistrust between Cossacks and Circassians — 
 An angry altercation— Fortunate escape. 
 
 Where is the River Kouban? It is probable that the 
 
 average reader would be puzzled to answer this question 
 
 straight off. Yet the Kouban is no small river, being in 
 
 length more than twice the largest stream in the British 
 
 Isles. It rises in a range loftier even than the Alps ; it 
 
 flows through magnificent scenery for the most part ; its 
 
 course extends to fully five hundred miles ; finally, it gives 
 
 its name to an entire province in south Russia. 
 
 In this district a noted traveller of the early years of 
 
 the nineteenth century — Dr. E. D. Clarke — spent some 
 
 time, studying the region well and meeting with not a 
 
 few remarkable experiences. The amount of insect and 
 
 reptile life by the Kouban banks was enormous, and 
 
 troublesome to a degree. The mosquitoes especially 
 
 63 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 made life hardly worth living. " No contrivance on our 
 part," says the traveller, " could prevent millions of 
 mosquitoes from filling the inside of our carriage; in 
 spite of gloves, clothes, and handkerchiefs, they rendered 
 our bodies one entire wound. The excessive irritation 
 and painful swelling caused by the stings of these furious 
 insects, together with the hot pestilential air, excited a 
 considerable degree of fever." The Cossacks lighted fires 
 during the night to drive away the mosquitoes. Further, 
 they slept in sacks, which covered nearly the whole of 
 their bodies, but often the insects had their way in spite 
 of all these precautions. Dr. Clarke heard that the 
 Russian soldiers stationed along the Kouban lost both 
 men and horses not a few from these terrible insect 
 antagonists. 
 
 Nor were the mosquitoes the only inconvenience to the 
 travellers. The number of toads, frogs and other reptiles 
 was astounding. At night it was impossible to sleep for 
 the din made by the bull-frogs, accompanied as it was by 
 the loud and incessant humming of the insects, the barking 
 of dogs, and the lowings of the tortured cattle. ' The 
 ground seemed literally alive with toads ; it was impossible 
 to get away from them. 
 
 The traveller and his companions had an unpleasant 
 
 experience at one of the military stations. For hours it 
 
 had been necessary to drag the carriage through pools of 
 
 water. Everything in and about the vehicle had been 
 
 soaked, and was covered with deposits of slimy mud. 
 
 Even the trunks had been invaded by the water, and 
 
 clothes and books were wet. It was in the middle of hot 
 
 July, and soon the stench from the carriage and its 
 
 64 
 
COSSACKS AND CIRCASSIANS 
 
 contents became unbearable. Nevertheless, Mr. Cripps, 
 one of the party, tortured by the insects, shut himself up 
 in the vehicle that night to try to get a little sleep. But 
 even into this closed fastness the mosquitoes made their 
 way in vast swarms. The unfortunate man tied up his 
 head and face in his handkerchief, yet in spite of it the 
 insects got into his ears and nostrils, and if he opened his 
 mouth it was filled with them. He lighted a large lamp, 
 but this " was instantly extinguished by such a prodigious 
 number of mosquitoes, that their dead bodies actually 
 remained heaped in a cone over the burner for several 
 days afterwards; and perhaps there is no method of 
 describing the nature of such an afflicting visitation better 
 than by the simple statement of this fact." 
 
 A portion of Dr. Clarke's journey on the Russian bank 
 of the Kouban proved very disagreeable, from the swampy 
 and unhealthy nature of the district. For many miles the 
 land is one continuous marsh. The reeds grow to a very 
 great height, a sure sign of swampiness in the ground, and 
 the carriage had to make its way through whole forests of 
 these tall reeds, which waved their tops a dozen or twenty 
 feet above the vehicle. The croakings of the toads and 
 frogs, and the humming of the innumerable mosquitoes in 
 such a place, proved a positive torture to the Englishmen. 
 The river side had elevated poles set up here and there, 
 and on the top of each pole was a little look-out place, from 
 which a Russian (Cossack) soldier, gun in hand, watched 
 the live-long day, to spy any approach of Circassians that 
 might be observed on the other side of the river. The 
 whole district was subject to sudden incursions from the 
 lawless tribes. Many of the stations were simply intoler- 
 5 65 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 able. All the plagues of Egypt seemed to have settled 
 on one such place — "bad air, bad water, swarms of 
 mosquitoes, with various kinds of locusts, beetles, in- 
 numerable flies, lizards and spotted toads." 
 
 The Englishmen were seized with a great desire to 
 make a short excursion into Circassia, a risky proceeding 
 at the best. At last the Russian Commander-in-Chief 
 gave his consent. But extraordinary precautions had to 
 be made. A party of Cossacks were sent across the 
 Kouban first, to reconnoitre. The general himself was 
 posted with a force on the high ground overlooking the 
 river and the opposite bank. On this height guns were 
 placed that commanded a good area. The Englishmen 
 were ordered to go back instantly, if they heard a gun 
 fired. With these preparations Dr. Clarke and his 
 companions were allowed to cross the river, in the 
 company of a Cossack guard. They wished to enter the 
 woods, which were but a short walk from the bank of the 
 stream, but the Cossacks utterly refused to accompany 
 them, to the chagrin of the travellers. How well-grounded 
 were the fears of the guard was presently shown, when a 
 band of sixty Circassians suddenly emerged from the 
 shelter of some willows hard by. These men made a 
 great noise and began a loud and threatening questioning. 
 It was plain the fellows were in a state of great irritation ; 
 the Circassians having suffered defeat in the late war. 
 They were, in fact, not to be trusted for a moment. The 
 Englishmen were compelled to withdraw, and it was lucky 
 for them that they came off no worse. As it was, the 
 presence of the Cossack guard, and more especially the 
 knowledge that the place was commanded by the Russian 
 
 66 
 
COSSACKS AND CIRCASSIANS 
 
 guns on the heights on the opposite bank of the river, 
 kept the Circassians at bay, till the adventurers had 
 regained their canoes and crossed the Kouban in safety. 
 
 The travellers were fortunate enough to witness some 
 curious and stirring scenes in connection with the conclu- 
 sion of the peace made between the Russians and the 
 Circassians, after the war that has just been mentioned. 
 The ceremonies took place at Ekaterinedara, from which 
 town a fine view of the lofty snowy peaks of the 
 Caucasus could be obtained. The very evening of their 
 arrival Dr. Clarke and his friends were visited by the 
 Ataman, as the chief officer of the town was called. 
 This dignitary and his officers, the traveller says, wore the 
 most gorgeous and striking robes in the world. Their 
 breasts were covered with gold lace and gold chains ; their 
 boots were red or yellow, their caps of black velvet were 
 ornamented with silver chains ; their waists were bound 
 with silk sashes ; their sabres, pistols and other weapons 
 were of the richest description. The Ataman informed 
 the strangers that several Circassian princes had crossed 
 the Kouban, in order to assist at the peace ratification 
 ceremonies on the morrow, and he ended by inviting the 
 Englishmen to be present. It was an opportunity not to 
 be lost. 
 
 The next morning the general sent his drosky to fetch 
 up the strangers, a Cossack guard under an officer attend- 
 ing also. Dr. Clarke and his friends were informed that 
 the Ataman was waiting for them to join his procession to 
 the banks of the river, where were encamped the Circassian 
 notables. This procession to the spot was a remarkable 
 one. The Ataman led the long cavalcade, and a more 
 
 67 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 brilliantly-dressed mortal surely never lived. Rich blues, 
 scarlets and gold predominated in his official habits, while 
 he rode the most magnificent of horses. His chief officers 
 rode on either side of him, and behind came troops 
 of splendidly-dressed and splendidly-mounted Cossack 
 soldiers. The Englishmen were given a place of 
 distinguished honour in the procession. 
 
 The princes of Circassia, of which the chief was the 
 Pasha of Anapa, were seated smoking in their tents close 
 by the water's edge. Many of the men were attired in the 
 most savage costumes, and their appearance betokened 
 extraordinary ferocity. On the other side of the river were 
 ranged a crowd of their Circassian subjects. It was plain 
 they were mistrustful, as if they did not know how the 
 day's proceedings might end. Line upon line of Cossack 
 cavalry was drawn up on the high ground close at 
 hand commanding the river and the tents of the Cir- 
 cassian princes. To these latter the Ataman and his 
 great officers advanced, and the Englishmen were allowed 
 the privilege of accompanying them. The high con- 
 tracting parties received each other bareheaded and on 
 foot. An interpreter was present. The dress of the Cir- 
 cassian lords was as beggarly as that of the Ataman and 
 his subordinates was magnificent. The clothes of the 
 former were, indeed, ragged and scanty; on their necks 
 and legs they wore nothing at all. But they were all 
 armed to an extraordinary degree, their armour including 
 even a shirt of mail to protect the breast. 
 
 It was evident that the Pasha of Anapa did not like the 
 look of the great body of Cossack cavalry drawn up on 
 the heights above and the forest of lances lining the bank 
 
 68 
 
COSSACKS AND CIRCASSIANS 
 
 of the river. The prince was outwardly polite, but he 
 could not conceal his fears. He regarded the Cossacks as 
 a barbarous and savage race, on whom no man could 
 depend for a moment. The astonishment of the Pasha 
 reached its height when, in answer to a question, he was 
 informed that the strangers present were Englishmen, 
 and travelling among the Cossacks for pleasure ! To him 
 the notion was simply astounding. But he spoke highly 
 of the English. It is not necessary to describe in detail 
 all the procedure on that day. Peace was duly signed, 
 and the Circassian princes departed. 
 
 The Pasha himself entered a canoe of small proportions, 
 and squatted on some rushes in the bottom. His boat 
 was filled with attendants in such number that its edge 
 was all but level with the water. In this manner he 
 crossed the Kouban, the spectators looking all the while 
 to see the craft swamped and the occupants struggling in 
 the rapid stream. Then numbers of the Circassians from 
 the farther bank began to cross to the Cossack side, bring- 
 ing wood, honey and arms to exchange for salt, this being 
 their practice in times of peace. A scene of lively rejoic- 
 ings followed. Bargainings over, the company, Cossack 
 and Circassian, began to indulge in merriment. One of the 
 Circassians was a marvellous performer on a sort of flute 
 called a Camil. It shows the simplicity of the race when, 
 on Dr. Clarke's offering to purchase the instrument, the 
 man would not accept his money for it. To him coins 
 were of no value, and had no meaning, save as adornment 
 for the person. 
 
 With the Englishman's usual curiosity, the strangers 
 
 were most anxious to go over the river to get a closer 
 
 69 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 acquaintance with the Circassians, who were encamped on 
 the opposite shore. As usual, the Russian authorities 
 were very unwilling to grant the permission asked for; 
 even though peace had just been made between them 
 and their former enemies. At last the Commander-in- 
 Chief gave way, and ordered the Ataman, with a Cossack 
 guard, to accompany the foolhardy travellers, for such the 
 Englishmen were evidently thought to be. The Cir- 
 cassians had gathered in force from all parts of their terri- 
 tory, and groups of them lined the river side at intervals. 
 The Ataman and his party took care to land a couple of 
 hundred yards or so from any of the groups. 
 
 This keeping aloof from the wild fellows did not suit the 
 Englishmen, and they desired the Ataman to approach 
 nearer. For some time the official was very unwilling to 
 brace himself up to it, but at length, drawing his sabre 
 from its sheath, said, " If it be your desire, you shall not 
 feel disappointment upon my account ; but you little know 
 what sort of people these Circassians are." He concluded 
 by prophesying that some mischief would be done before 
 they could get back across the river and to safety. Then 
 with hesitating steps the Ataman advanced towards the 
 groups, the Englishmen and the Cossack guard following. 
 
 In a moment the Circassians, seeing their intentions, 
 seized their weapons and stood on the defensive, their 
 faces showing defiance the while. The new-comers en- 
 deavoured to explain that their intentions were nothing 
 but friendly ; in vain, not a word did either side under- 
 stand of the other's talk. Louder and louder grew the 
 conversation, and ever more threatening the attitude of 
 
 the Circassians. The visitors were soon convinced that 
 
 70 
 
COSSACKS AND CIRCASSIANS 
 
 they were running great risks. The Ataman in particular 
 was in a state of the greatest perturbation, and as time 
 went on his fears grew rather than diminished. 
 
 At last the uneasiness of the whole party of visitors be- 
 came too serious, and they made signs to their boatmen to 
 draw near. On the arrival of the canoes they precipitately 
 embarked and beat a retreat, no doubt incurring the con- 
 tempt of the Circassians. Yet the Ataman and his men 
 thought it best to preserve a show of dignity and of cool- 
 ness even in their trepidation. They therefore took off 
 their hats as they retired, and bowed, as a sign of civility 
 and friendliness. The effect was hardly what the English- 
 men had prepared themselves to expect. With one accord 
 the whole body of the Circassians standing around burst 
 into a violent fit of merriment. "They all* roared with 
 loud and savage laughter, and, mocking our manner of 
 making obeisance, seemed to invite us to a repetition of 
 the ceremony ; and as often as we renewed it, they set 
 up fresh peals of laughter." 
 
 Thus the incident ended in a piece of comedy, but it 
 might as easily have turned into a tragedy. The Cossack 
 officers, who had been of the company all the time, 
 assured the English travellers that the Circassians who 
 inhabit the banks of the Kouban were known to be the 
 savagest and most lawless of their race. Their main aim 
 was to lurk within a short distance of the river, and to 
 seize on any unfortunate stragglers who came within their 
 grasp. Such captives were always carried off into Persia, 
 and there sold as slaves. 
 
 71 
 
VI 
 
 PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 Everything in South America on a large scale— The brothers Robertson, 
 explorers in Paraguayan districts— The " thistleries "— Mr. W. Robert- 
 son sails in a brigantine up the Parana — Fearful tempest— Slow progress 
 — Haulage operations— Lifting the ship off sand-banks — Mosquito 
 plagues — Jaguars and their daring — Sad death of a young fellow on 
 the eve of his marriage— An alligator in the canoe — Robertson leaves 
 the brigantine at Corrientes— Crosses river in the dark — Dangers 
 from the insurgent bands — The King's Ferry — In the hands of the 
 insurgents — Terror of Robertson's servant— The two allowed to go— 
 A terrible night— Jaguars in numbers— Risky way of crossing the 
 rivers and deeper lagoons — Loss of bag with the money — Its wonder- 
 ful recovery— A very narrow escape from jaguars— Scarcity of food — 
 Lost in the woods — Arrival at Assuneion. 
 
 "Everything in South America is on a grand scale. 
 Their mountains are stupendous — their rivers are immense 
 — their plains are interminable — their forests have no end 
 — their trees are gigantic — their miles are thrice the 
 length of ours — and then " (here the general took a doub- 
 loon, a gold coin the size of a dollar, out of his pocket, 
 and laid it on the table) " look at their guineas ! " Such 
 was the description said to have been given by a distin- 
 guished Spanish officer, who had seen much service in 
 South America in the early years of the nineteenth 
 century, and his account has in all essentials been borne 
 out by other travellers. 
 
 About the time when the late Queen Victoria was 
 
PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 beginning her long and glorious reign, two brothers, 
 Scotchmen of the name of Robertson, were among the 
 adventurous explorers who penetrated into the depths of 
 the enormous regions watered by the wonderful river 
 system that converges at length upon and merges itself 
 into the mighty La Plata. One of the brothers, Mr. W. P. 
 Robertson, found himself at Santa Fe, on the Paraguay, 
 or the Parana, as the stream is more often called at that 
 part of its course. He was anxious to proceed up the 
 river to Corrientes and thence to Assuncion. At all 
 times this was and still remains a long and arduous task, 
 but at the period of Robertson's journey ings the difficul- 
 ties and dangers were enormously increased by the civil 
 war going on in those regions. An insurgent, Don 
 Artigas, with his troops, who had been christened Artigue- 
 iios, held the river banks, and his fellows were as rough 
 and desperate a set as could be found anywhere on the 
 continent. 
 
 Few things astonished Mr. Robertson more than the 
 size and number of the thistles in the neighbourhood of 
 Santa Fe. One part, known specially as the carclales, or 
 " thistleries," extended for leagues around. He, a Scotch- 
 man, naturally supposed himself to hail from the land of 
 thistles. " But," says he, " I now found that those of my 
 native land, as compared with the ' thistleries ' of the 
 Pampas, were as a few scattered Lilliputians to the 
 serried ranks of the Brobdignagians." The thistles, in 
 fact, towered over men and beasts, and even houses. In 
 the lanes cut through the dense growth nothing whatever 
 could be seen but the thistles themselves and the sky 
 
 above. The plants were formidable things to encounter, 
 
 73 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 so stout and so many were their prickles. The thistle 
 tracts, moreover, forming such excellent cover, were 
 haunted by highwaymen and loose characters of various 
 sorts. In short, like South American things in general, 
 the thistles were on a grand scale. 
 
 The traveller's weary detention at Santa F6 was 
 brought to an end by the arrival of a brigantine on its 
 way to Assuncion. The vessel started on her course up- 
 stream in the darkness of night, and managed thus to 
 get in safety past the Artiguenos posted on the river 
 bank. But the current was very strong, and with but 
 little in the way of favouring wind the vessel was by 
 next morning almost at a standstill. Then came on one 
 of the most violent storms even the South Americans had 
 ever seen. The brigantine seemed to be in the very 
 vortex of the tempest. The lightning became "almost 
 one continual flash," while the thunder was terrifying. 
 The wind suddenly became a hurricane, and before any 
 precautions could be taken to prevent it, every shred of 
 sail was blown to atoms. The rain poured down in an 
 almost unbroken sheet of water, while tree after tree was 
 shivered by the lightning before the very eyes of the 
 travellers. The storm went on all day, and when at last 
 the sky cleared, the ship was left without a rag of sail to 
 carry it on. 
 
 Under the best circumstances the brigantine would not 
 have been able to make more than five miles an hour, and 
 from that three miles would have to be deducted for the 
 flow of the opposing current, so that a couple of miles an 
 hour was all the progress that could have been counted on 
 even while the sails remained. Now they were gone, the 
 
 74 
 
PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 captain and his crew had to fall back upon haulage. A 
 couple of canoes were kept at work, carrying ropes to the 
 banks of the river, and the vessel was laboriously and 
 slowly hauled up. Not more than six miles a day could 
 be made, and even that amount of progress was liable to 
 be diminished by any slight accident. Often no advance 
 could be made the whole day, and on one occasion the 
 brigantine was " tied up " for eight days at a stretch. 
 
 The numerous sand-banks, too, proved a source of 
 trouble and annoyance. It was impossible for a sailing 
 ship, dependent on the wind, to run at full speed ahead, 
 or to back off, and so get clear, as is often done in the 
 case of a steamboat. The method of procedure on the 
 Paraguay was this. Two stout logs or trestles, with the 
 top ends forked, were placed in position, one on either side 
 of the boat, the forked part of the posts sticking high out 
 of the water. On this a purchase was obtained by means 
 of blocks and ropes. A whole day was often spent in 
 getting the vessel off the sand-bank, and then it might be 
 impossible to proceed for want of wind. The windings of 
 the river, moreover, and the necessity of hiding whenever 
 the posts of the Artiguerlos were being passed, made the 
 voyage a trying one. 
 
 Of course our travellers had their experiences with the 
 terrible mosquito, and Mr. Robertson remarks that to him 
 this enemy was much more dreadful than the bands of 
 Artiguerlos, for the mosquitoes were everywhere, and in 
 entirely overwhelming force. Says the writer, " This 
 buzzing insect is bad enough anywhere ; but on a South 
 American river, during a close, and sultry, and breezeless 
 
 night, the mosquito is a demon which torments you with 
 
 75 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 indefatigable assiduity. In such case, in such a place, I 
 
 have found nothing impervious to the mosquito." Cover 
 
 yourself as you will, " he will get at you, — sting you, — sing 
 
 at your ear, — sting you again, — blister you, — and in short 
 
 do all that lies in his power to drive you mad." The 
 
 north wind it was which brought both the intolerable 
 
 heat and the mosquito ; the south wind cleared away both 
 
 these troubles, as if by magic, and made life tolerable 
 
 once more. 
 
 The jaguar, or South American tiger, was often heard, 
 
 but as yet no person belonging to the ship had been in 
 
 any danger from his attacks, the captain refusing to allow 
 
 any of his people to go far from the shore. But that the 
 
 ravages of these brutes were real enough and only too 
 
 common, was shown by the little crosses so plentifully 
 
 met with on the shore. Each cross was intended to mark 
 
 the place where some human being had been slain by a 
 
 jaguar. The travellers heard one sad story, of the death 
 
 of a fine young fellow that had but recently taken place. 
 
 The young man was engaged to be married, and with him 
 
 was the brother of his intended wife, together with others. 
 
 The party had left their boat to cook their supper on the 
 
 bank, when without the smallest warning a jaguar sprang 
 
 in among them, and the young fellow was seized. His 
 
 shriek, and the cry of the rest, startled his intended 
 
 brother-in-law, who was close at hand. He fired at the 
 
 savage beast, and unfortunately shot his friend through 
 
 the heart. It was a terrible experience, but when the 
 
 body of the young man came to be examined it was found 
 
 that his wounds, inflicted before the shot had been fired, 
 
 must have been fatal. 
 
 76 
 
PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 One night there was a great cry from the brigantine's 
 crew. A most extraordinary sight was seen; a huge 
 cayman had somehow got itself into one of the ship's 
 canoes, which it entirely filled. It was bedtime, but in a 
 moment an exciting hunt began. Every weapon on 
 which the men could lay their hands was brought to bear 
 on the cayman — axes, pikes, rusty sabres and guns. 
 Blows rained thick and fast on the beast, and he received 
 many wounds. Strange to say, however, the animal 
 managed to back himself out of the canoe, and dropped 
 into the water to disappear. This was the only alligator 
 Mr. Robertson saw in the whole course of his voyage up 
 the Parana, oddly enough. 
 
 After thirty-two days of this slow progress Robertson 
 determined to leave the brigantine when it should arrive 
 at Corrientes. The distance already made from Santa Fe 
 was not more than seventy-five leagues, or an average of less 
 than two-and-a-half leagues a day ! But he was influenced 
 much more by a letter which was put into his hands 
 by some unknown correspondent. He took it that the 
 epistle came from one of his brother's assistants. The 
 captain and the rest of those on board the brigantine 
 were in great alarm when Mr. Robertson communicated 
 his intentions to them. To leave the vessel, they de- 
 clared, was to fall into the hands of the bloodthirsty 
 Artiguefios, and that meant virtual suicide. It was only 
 with immense difficulty that the Scotchman persuaded 
 the captain to put him ashore. 
 
 The ship was tied up for the night on the opposite 
 shore to that on which stands the town of Corrientes, and 
 hid there in the darkness. At four in the morning 
 
 77 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Robertson stepped into a canoe, six of the men offering 
 to row him across the river. It was pitch dark as the 
 canoe shot silently across the four leagues of water that 
 separated the brigantine from Corrientes. The sailors 
 were frightened almost out of their wits at the prospect 
 of meeting with any of the dreaded Artigueflos on the 
 further bank, and not a word was spoken on the passage. 
 It was still dark when Robertson stepped ashore, and the 
 men paddled away immediately. 
 
 Here then stood the lonely traveller, hardly knowing 
 what course to pursue. He was in an entirely strange 
 country, and knew not a soul ; he had no passport ; he 
 was in a land at war with the territory from which he 
 had come. But it came to his mind that his brother had 
 an agent at Corrientes, and to this man Robertson deter- 
 mined to go. He found the agent just getting up, and 
 was rejoiced by a warm welcome. Through this person 
 the Scotchman received a special passport at the hands 
 of the governor. As this governor was one of the most 
 important officers under Don Artigas, the insurgent, the 
 permit was of special value to one about to travel in the 
 country of the Artiguenos. Behold Robertson presently 
 fitted out for his further journey, with horse, arms, goods, 
 and a servant and guide, one Geronimo. He was about 
 to take the " coast road " to Assuncion. This was the 
 road that runs more or less along the banks of the 
 Parana, or at least in the valley of that river. 
 
 The point to be hurried past, in the first instance, was 
 the Paso del Rey, or King's Ferry, some seven leagues 
 from Corrientes. This place was entirely in the hands of 
 
 the Artiguenos, and Robertson was very loth to spend a 
 
 78 
 
PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 night among them. As for Geronimo, the man enlarged 
 on the dangers to be apprehended from the lawless fellows. 
 In truth Geronimo was a great coward, notwithstanding 
 the array of weapons with which he was armed. It was 
 late when the two men reached the ferryman's hut, to 
 find that both the boats were away from home for the 
 moment. At this juncture the galloping of horses was 
 heard behind, accompanied by the clanking of swords. 
 Geronimo turned as white as a sheet. The next minute 
 a couple of Artiguenos sprang from their saddles. 
 
 The fellows were certainly a fierce-looking pair, with 
 thick, black, matted hair, and small scowling eyes peeping 
 from under their shaggy eyebrows. Besides his dangling 
 sabre each man bore a carbine, and had a huge knife 
 stuck in his girdle. Even the bolder Scotchman was not 
 without the fear that his servant showed only too plainly. 
 However, he put a good face on the matter, and accosted 
 the soldiers pleasantly enough. In the end the travellers 
 were carried off to the guard-house, where the men 
 pretended to read Robertson's passport, a thing not a 
 man among them was able to do, as it soon appeared. 
 Robertson read the document for them, and then pro- 
 posed that they should ferry him and his guide across. 
 This proposition threw Geronimo into a fever, and when 
 a number of the soldiers entered the hut his terror 
 became extreme. " Let us mount," he pleaded. " Oh, 
 let us mount, and return to Corrientes. If you do not, 
 be assured, when we are half-way across the Parana, they 
 will shoot us and throw our bodies into the river ! " 
 
 In spite of the fears of the man, however, both he and 
 
 his master were safely deposited on the further shore of 
 
 79 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the river, but two miles below the proper landing-place, 
 the Artigueiios having proved bad boatmen. The chief 
 danger was yet to come. The two had been set down 
 where the forest was at its densest, and as it was already 
 getting dark, it was necessary to reach, if possible, some 
 place where a fire could be made to scare off the 
 numerous jaguars that infested the spot. Geronimo's 
 fears increased every moment. " We shall be lost," he 
 cried, "we shall be devoured by the tigers; let us 
 endeavour to hasten back to the river side." In spite 
 of all this, Robertson pushed on in the darkness, not 
 without suffering much from the briars and prickly trees. 
 At length the two came to a halt, and tried to make a 
 fire, an operation that took a full half-hour. It was high 
 time, for hardly had the blaze begun to gain strength 
 when the howlings of the jaguars were heard on all sides. 
 
 The men were but two in number; the beasts were 
 many and daring. It was absolutely necessary to keep 
 the fire burning strongly, and the benighted travellers 
 redoubled their efforts to find fuel. Every now and then 
 they fired their pistols, with the view of scaring still 
 more the savage jaguars. A most anxious night was 
 passed, and it was with extreme thankfulness the men 
 saw the dawn approach, and knew by the djdng away of 
 the cries that the animals were returning to their lairs. 
 
 Later on, after they had reached the valley of the 
 Paraguay proper, the wayfarers came upon a district of 
 formidable swamps, intersected, moreover, by numerous 
 and difficult streams. The crossing of these was by no 
 means an experience to be recommended to a nervous 
 
 man. A square hide was tied at the corners, so as to 
 
 80 
 
PERILS IN PARAGUAY 
 
 make a sort of bag. In the middle of this Robertson 
 sat, his goods with him. He dared not stir in the pelota, 
 as this frail craft was called. Francisco, a new servant 
 whom he had secured in place of Geronimo, took the 
 rope of the pelota in his mouth, and, swimming across, 
 pulled the craft and its load along. Often it was necessary 
 to travel for leagues with the water of the swamps up to 
 their saddle-girths. All went fairly well with the pelota 
 for a time, but at length came the inevitable accident, 
 and Robertson was tumbled out of his fragile craft into 
 the racing waters, and it was only with great difficulty 
 that he was rescued by his follower. After that he would 
 have no more of the pelota, but crossed the rivers and 
 deeper lagoons on the back of his horse. 
 
 One day the two had a fright of a kind not usual 
 among travellers, perhaps. They had just succeeded with 
 much trouble in getting across a horribly pestilential and 
 mosquito-haunted marsh, when, to their dismay, they 
 found that the valise had been lost from Francisco's 
 saddle. As the bag contained the master s money, the 
 loss was serious indeed. In a fit of despair Francisco 
 dashed back through bog and swamp and stream, Robert- 
 son sitting down to await his return. A couple of hours 
 later the faithful fellow reappeared triumphant, having 
 found the bag hanging among the branches of a tree 
 under which they had passed. It was a marvellous 
 recovery, considering the nature of the country through 
 which they were journeying. But the recovery entailed 
 still more delays, for Francisco declared he had vowed to 
 light four candles at the shrine of Our Lady of Favours, 
 
 in Capilla, three leagues away, as a thank-offering, and 
 6 81 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 nothing could dissuade the man from his purpose, so there 
 was nothing for the master but to wait the convenience 
 of his servant. 
 
 The next morning the travellers had a very narrow 
 escape. They were preparing to cross a wood in the 
 early dawn, before the sun had risen above the horizon, 
 a dangerous thing to do, for the tigers do not cease their 
 prowling for the night till the sun is well up. On this 
 occasion, as it fell out, the men were compelled to remain 
 within the shelter of a hut for some time, a heavy shower 
 falling. When at length they did start, in full sunshine, 
 they found jaguar tracks close at hand, near the very 
 entrance into the wood, and the tracks were quite recent. 
 It was plain that the tigers had been on the watch, and 
 had not retired till a quarter-of-an-hour or so before. 
 
 It was the last serious danger that threatened the two 
 on this particular journey, for notwithstanding hardships 
 of various kinds — scarcity of food, if not actual starva- 
 tion ; being lost in the woods ; having for days together 
 no dry place in which they might sleep — they reached 
 the city of Assuncion in safety. 
 
 82 
 
VII 
 
 STEAMING UP THE DANUBE SEVENTY YEARS AGO 
 
 Backward state of the Lower Danube peoples half-a- century ago — Miss 
 Skene embarks on a Danube steamer — Bad weather in the Black Sea 
 — Russian mouth of river entered — Solitary sentries on shore — A 
 floating corpse in the river — River in high flood— Evidences of 
 destruction caused in the late Balkan War — Turkish passengers — 
 Their contempt for the Christians — A Bulgarian family — Miss Skene's 
 cabin invaded — A frightful storm — Terror of a Turk on seeing a 
 woman run at full speed— Passengers on shore attacked by villagers — 
 A hasty retreat — Steamer left, and a long boat employed — Rapids — 
 Dangers of the " Iron Gate " — New steamboat boarded at Orsova — A 
 frightful gorge. 
 
 It is curious and in a manner almost startling to find 
 
 how backward was the state of portions of even Europe 
 
 itself at a period but little more than half-a-century ago. 
 
 The voyage of a lady on one of the early Danube steamers 
 
 well illustrates this want of civilization on the part of 
 
 many of the peoples inhabiting the banks of the noble 
 
 Danube — Turks, Bulgarians, and what not. 
 
 The Black Sea passage, from Constantinople to the 
 
 mouths of the Danube, had proved a trying one, continuous 
 
 tempests having shattered the spirits of most of the 
 
 passengers, so that it was with intense relief they learnt 
 
 they were within a score of miles of the entrance to the 
 
 river. Now the Danube has no fewer than seven mouths, 
 
 and there had lately been a treaty made between Russia 
 
 83 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 and Austria as to these mouths. With astonishing 
 unselfishness Russia had claimed for itself but one of all 
 these mouths, the most northern of them, while the 
 remaining six had been handed over in generous fashion 
 to her neighbours. But the branch retained by Russia 
 was the only one of the seven that could be used by large 
 ships ! It was into this mouth that the vessel steamed. 
 
 At first it was almost impossible to see whether it was 
 really the river, or still the sea, so enormously wide was 
 the mouth, and so low and distant the muddy shores. In 
 time it narrowed down somewhat, so that it could now be 
 perceived to be a veritable river, but the banks were 
 hardly above the level of the water, and altogether the 
 region presented a most desolate aspect. There was, 
 however, always to be seen at his post one figure, to wit, 
 the Russian soldier on duty near his wretched little 
 sentry-box. At every half-league stood one of these boxes, 
 and the miserable soldier, as often as not up to his knees 
 in water, and with spear in hand, kept his lonely watch. 
 It was a striking illustration of Russian power and 
 Russian methods. Each man elevated his spear as the 
 steamer passed his beat. The poor fellows, the travellers 
 afterwards learnt, were on duty for six months at a 
 stretch, the experience often proving too much for them, 
 in such a water-logged and unhealthy district. 
 
 While the boat was ploughing its way up the river, a 
 
 floating corpse became entangled in the paddle-wheel, to 
 
 the horror of the lady who writes the narrative. Her cry 
 
 brought up the captain, and he gave orders that the dead 
 
 body should be picked up. This was done, when it was 
 
 seen that the man had been barbarously murdered. In a 
 
 84 
 
STEAMING UP THE DANUBE 
 
 moment, by the command of the captain, the sailors flung 
 the body overboard again, to the surprise and disgust of 
 Miss Skene and others of the passengers. The captain 
 explained that it would be incurring too great a risk to 
 carry the corpse to land and to a quiet grave. In other 
 words, he feared lest the authorities should roundly accuse 
 him or his passengers of having murdered the man on 
 board the steamer. This was near Galatz, and Miss 
 Skene noted that when the body floated near any of the 
 other numerous vessels in the river, it was invariably 
 pushed off with all haste. The whole thing illustrated in 
 an unmistakable manner the methods of the Russian 
 authorities at that date. 
 
 Owing to the quarantine regulations, the vessel was not 
 allowed to land any person, and the regulations were 
 strictly observed, even in the most remote part of the 
 Bulgarian shores. Even thus far inland the Danube still 
 presented the appearance of an enormously long lake 
 rather than that of a river. But in truth the stream was 
 in high flood. The volume of brown muddy water that 
 passed onward to the sea was tremendous, and the vast 
 stream flowed down with a majesty that impressed the 
 travellers greatly. On the banks village after village was 
 under water, only the roofs of the wretched huts showing 
 above the surface. Huge trees torn up by the roots 
 swirled past, while near the shores many a tree was 
 standing up out of the floods, but tottering, till at length 
 its roots, too, should give way before the force of the water 
 stream, and float off bodily seawards. 
 
 In due time the scenery began to improve, and when 
 
 the town of Hirsova was reached, the situation was found 
 
 85 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 to be very picturesque. The place had been destroyed not 
 so long before, in the Balkan campaign, by Russia, but 
 the passengers admired the position. The country began 
 to assume quite a pleasant aspect, yet everywhere the 
 signs of the havoc wrought in the recent wars were 
 evident. The district was a desolate one at the best, and 
 the cries of the pelican and the stork were plentiful. 
 Often a sort of long roar was heard, especially at night ; 
 it was the roar of the buffaloes that roamed in freedom 
 over. the vast plains of Silistria. 
 
 A number of Turks had by this time been taken on 
 board, and the captain induced them to confine themselves 
 to a portion of the vessel, the stern. This left the other 
 passengers more room to move about. The Turks when 
 once seated on the deck rarely stirred from their places. 
 Miss Skene went to look at the party, and found them 
 seated round a huge bowl of rice, which they were cram- 
 ming down their throats as fast as they could. The lady 
 wished them a good appetite, but had reason to repent 
 her politeness. The Turks immediately began to roll up 
 in the palms of their hands big balls of rice, and these 
 they were anxious to throw down her throat, a knack they 
 had acquired to great perfection. The lady was in 
 danger of being choked, and had to cry off. But it was 
 clear that the Turks despised their Christian neighbour, 
 especially as she was a woman. One fat old fellow, who 
 was blessed with a portentous appetite, was at no pains 
 to conceal his disgust that a female should move about in 
 such unrestricted fashion. 
 
 At Gurgievo, the port of Bucharest, a Bulgarian family 
 
 was added to the list of ship's passengers, and it was 
 
 86 
 
STEAMING UP THE DANUBE 
 
 strange to note how entirely unused to the outside world 
 these people were. Bat indeed all along the river the 
 natives received the boat with yells of wonder and delight ; 
 the steamers were yet new to them. The head of the 
 family, " a frightfully ugly Turk," however, put on the 
 most knowing of airs, and though he had certainly never 
 before been on board a steamboat, yet he walked about 
 the ship as if it were the most ordinary thing for him. 
 His dignity was never for a moment lost. Not so with 
 his pipe-bearer. This fellow could not keep his feet at all 
 on board, but tumbled here and there, and plunged head- 
 long into all sorts of odd places, uttering wild cries at 
 every fresh thing he saw. At last his wanderings brought 
 him to the engine-room, where the great engine was in 
 full motion. One peep was enough for the Turk; he 
 evidently thought the place the entrance to the bottomless 
 pit. With a frightful yell he started back, and, losing his 
 footing, rolled heels over head. 
 
 About this time Miss Skene's cabin was invaded by the 
 whole strength of the women and children belonging to 
 the Bulgarian Turk. " They shrieked with delight, and 
 gesticulated in a most uncouth manner ; and at once pro- 
 ceeded to a most violent examination of all the objects, 
 animate and inanimate, which the room contained ; they 
 scattered everything about, tried on every article of dress 
 which they could find, and then, snatching the pencil out 
 of my hand with which I was drawing, absolutely shouted 
 with glee when they found they could themselves produce 
 marks upon the paper." So primitive were the manners 
 of the Turks in the " Forties." One young gentleman, 
 the son and heir of the head of the family, tried to drink 
 
 87 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the ink out of the bottle, but the liquor not being to his 
 taste, he instantly flung the whole thing into the water. 
 
 The character of the scene improved immensely as the 
 vessel gained the higher parts of the magnificent Danube, 
 and now and then some of the passengers were allowed to 
 make a little excursion on shore. On one occasion Miss 
 Skene and the rest were admiring the view from a little 
 height, when the sky suddenly grew black, and vivid 
 lightning could be seen in the distance. The passengers 
 turned and ran for shelter. As Miss Skene was flying at 
 full speed down the steep descent, a little door opened and 
 a fat Turk made his appearance. Catching sight of 
 this thing in female garb whisking past he became con- 
 vulsed with terror. Never before had he seen a woman 
 run ; for to a Turkish woman running is a physical impos- 
 sibility. The man tore his turban over his eyes in a fit of 
 veritable panic, and almost burst in his door in his anxiety 
 to get out of the way of what he evidently believed to be a 
 ghost or a deadly ghoul. 
 
 The storm that ensued when the passengers had reached 
 the shelter of the vessel was such as most of them had 
 never before witnessed. The blasts of the wind were tre- 
 mendous, and the river was lashed into all the fury of a 
 tempestuous sea, the waves rising to a very considerable 
 height. The captain was fain to make fast under the 
 shelter of the high bank, there to ride out the storm. 
 The rain fell in a perfect deluge, the water coming down 
 in tremendons torrents, while the earth was covered with 
 darkness like that of midnight. The storm ended as 
 suddenly as it had begun, the sun shining out brilliantly 
 
 almost without a moment's warning. 
 
 88 
 
STEAMING UP THE DANUBE 
 
 At a certain village of good size the captain gave a 
 reluctant permission to some of his people to land. He 
 warned them that the natives of the place would be likely 
 to prove hostile, if not worse, since the boat's passengers 
 would probably be the very first foreigners the villagers 
 had seen. The sequel proved that the captain was not far 
 wrong. A tremendous crowd had assembled to see the 
 landing, and the visitors thought it best to be as polite as 
 possible. From the first, however, mutterings were heard 
 amongst the crowd. As the new-comers made their way 
 along the streets they were greeted with loud yells from 
 the women, while insults began to be showered upon the 
 party from all quarters. " Giaours ! " " Dogs of Christians ! " 
 and the like were hurled at them. So serious did the 
 threatenings become that the ship's party thought it best 
 to make a right-about-face and return. The instant their 
 intention was observed a storm of yells, shrieks and 
 hootings filled the air, and volleys of stones were thrown. 
 The retreat became a hasty flight, and the passengers 
 rushed pell-mell along the main streets. Their passage 
 was soon blocked by the Turks, and the hunted folk there- 
 upon turned down a narrow side-street, followed by the 
 townspeople. The race proved that the Christians were 
 the better runners, and the bank of the river was gained. 
 Luckily the captain, seeing the tumult on shore, had sent 
 a boat for his passengers, and all got safely away, with 
 nothing more serious than a few bruises from falls and 
 from the missiles hurled at them. Miss Skene received a 
 nasty blow on the shoulder just as the boat was pushing 
 off. 
 
 With Servian territory was reached a more critical part 
 
 89 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 of the river. A stretch of violent rapids, which the captain 
 called cataracts, had to be passed, the series culminating in 
 the wonderful gorge known as the " Iron Gate." At the 
 beginning of the rapids the passengers had to leave the 
 steamer and take their seats in a long, flat-bottomed boat, 
 which was waiting to convey them up-stream. All were 
 seated under the covered fore part of the boat, and the 
 baggage was stowed on deck in the after portion ; the 
 captain took his place at the bow. To the craft was 
 fastened a long rope, and some score of Bulgarian peasants 
 proceeded to tow the vessel up the rapids. The progress 
 was of course slow and tedious, yet the passengers found 
 an interest in the scene around them. The river was 
 enclosed between lofty banks of rock, and though the width 
 was still enormous, the dimensions of the Danube had 
 shrunk considerably. The floods had raised the level of 
 the water by several feet, and the volume of the rushing 
 river seemed stupendous. Here and there rocks stood 
 out above the surface or were only just concealed 
 beneath. 
 
 So dangerous did the passage appear to some of the 
 people that they begged to be allowed to walk along the 
 bank. They found the task a laborious one, the rocks 
 being high and difficult. It was plain that these solitudes 
 had rarely been invaded by human feet, for vast flocks of 
 birds were disturbed at every moment, while deer were 
 seen in plenty in the bordering thickets. The woods were 
 full of game of every sort, including bears and wild boars ; 
 the latter, luckily for the passengers, kept at a distance. 
 
 On approaching the formidable " Iron Gate," the pas- 
 sengers were compelled to betake themselves to the 
 
 90 
 
STEAMING UP THE DANUBE 
 
 boat again, and soon the dreaded spot was reached. An 
 enormous rock ridge, a couple of thousand yards in length, 
 stretched across the river, leaving only a very narrow 
 and shallow passage. Over the ridge the mighty Danube 
 poured its Avaters in a vast cataract, the crest broken into 
 a thousand whirlpools and eddies by the sharp protruding 
 rocks. The place alarmed the passengers, as well it might, 
 for it was at all times terribly dangerous. When the 
 water is low the passage is impossible for a craft of any 
 size, but fortunately for Miss Skene and her neighbours 
 the floods had rendered the passage practicable. The 
 captain was himself in a state of nervous anxiety. When, 
 after a period of frightened suspense on the part of every- 
 body, the boat emerged upon the smoother water of the 
 upper river, even the captain seemed to be intensely 
 relieved. 
 
 Orsova was at last reached, and the passengers stepped 
 from their boat on to Austrian soil. Here, after a short 
 rest, Miss Skene went on board a new steamer, the pas- 
 sengers of which were quite a different set from those with 
 whom she had companied for so long. The scenery rapidly 
 changed as the boat made its progress up the river. The 
 mountains began to close in on the stream, and at length 
 an enormous precipice appeared in front. So far as 
 could be seen, voyage and river alike had come to a 
 sudden termination. As the place was neared, however, 
 a narrow passage through the towering heights was seen, 
 and through that the steamboat made its way. Im- 
 mediately the precipice seemed to close again behind 
 
 them, and the occupants found themselves in a " defile of 
 
 91 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 such surpassing grandeur " that Miss Skene was certain 
 nothing anywhere else could equal it. 
 
 The savage wildness of the place impressed every person 
 on board, and perhaps frightened the greater part of the 
 folk. The cliffs towered up to inaccessible heights on 
 either hand. In the face could be seen caverns, some of 
 them half hidden by the drooping branches of trees. The 
 breadth of the Danube was only about a couple of hundred 
 feet, though no great way back it had been more than a 
 couple of miles. The water, the party were told, is a 
 hundred and seventy feet deep at this place, or a depth 
 far exceeding that of the greater part of the Straits of 
 Dover. The water " came rolling, thundering and foam- 
 ing down between the rock walls with the most terrific 
 force, the whole of its vast volume in a very convulsion, as 
 it twined its glittering length, serpentlike, round these 
 mighty rocks, and licked their rugged sides with its 
 clouds of froth. There was something really awful in 
 this scene. The deep roaring of the waters, as grand 
 as it was terrible — the lofty height of the inaccessible 
 precipices — and the rapidity with which, twisting and 
 turning, every instant presented some new feature of 
 the sublime landscape — certainly rendered it a most 
 singularly imposing sight." 
 
 To face the extraordinary current running through this 
 
 stupendous gorge taxed all the powers of the steamer and 
 
 all the skill of master and crew. The vessel reeled from 
 
 side to side, and the " greatest promptitude and care were 
 
 needed in the management of the vessel," to " avoid the 
 
 innumerable Scyllas and Charybdis of the defile." A 
 
 92 
 
STEAMING UP THE DANUBE 
 
 huge rock, called " Kazan," stands gaunt and threatening 
 in the very narrowest and worst part of the passage, a 
 source of great danger. Fortunately for the passengers, 
 even this most terrifying part of the Danube was navigated 
 in safety, though for all the rest of that day the ship had 
 to plough its way between the towering cliffs and among 
 the seething, frothing waves of the agitated river. 
 
 93 
 
VIII 
 
 DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES AND ITS TRIBUTARIES 
 
 Sir Henry Layard's early travels in Persia — He takes passage in a fuel 
 boat on the River Karun — Disagreeable passage — Violent dispute as 
 to the fare — Pilgrims to Kerbela— Layard robbed of his money — 
 Strange scenes on the Jerrahi — "Whole population take to rafts — 
 Layard left in a deserted village — Dogs and jackals — He makes a raft 
 and gets away — Marauding cavalry — Layard travels along the 
 Euphrates valley with a postman — Attacked by robbers — Blackmail 
 — Chased by Arabs on dromedaries — Village attacked in the night by 
 Shammar tribe — A Turk — Narrow escape — Stripped naked and left — 
 The first steamer on the Karun — The rapids — Stranded on land away 
 from the river — Fort constructed round ship — Sudden rise of the river 
 in the night — Vessel floated back to the river — Navigability of the 
 Karun. 
 
 Some sixty-six years ago the famous traveller, Sir A. H. 
 Layard, then a young man, his remarkable Nineveh ex- 
 plorations all as yet in the future, was travelling in Persia. 
 His experiences in that distant and imperfectly civilized 
 land w ere varied enough to satisfy the greediest of adven- 
 ture-lovers. We may join him at the town of Shuster, an 
 important place situated on two navigable streams, of 
 which the Karun, a considerable affluent of the Euphrates, 
 is the principal. He had his horse stolen here, the place 
 being just then subject to the unwelcome attentions of 
 certain robber tribes. He accordingly took his passage 
 
 in an undecked boat for Ahwaz, an Arab station some fifty 
 
 94 
 
DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES 
 
 miles below on the river. The boat was small and dirty, 
 and nearly all the space was filled with firewood. The few 
 other passengers were Persians on their way to the holy 
 city of Kerbela. 
 
 The voyage began at sunset and continued till a wood 
 was reached, when the crew landed to cut down fuel for 
 sale. The boat became more laden than ever, and the 
 passengers had no very comfortable time of it. Mr. Layard 
 occupied himself in sounding the river at various points, 
 with the object of finding to what extent the stream was 
 navigable. At Ahwaz all the passengers disembarked, and 
 the Englishman offered the captain the ordinary fare, 
 amounting to but a few pence. The man refused the sum 
 with scorn and indignation. He knew his passenger to 
 be an Englishman, and presumed he was wealthy, and 
 able to pay an amount that would have represented the 
 hire of the whole boat. The traveller stoutly refused to 
 pay more than his fellow-passengers, having received 
 nothing more than they. An angry dispute immediately 
 ensued, in which the men on the shore joined. Words 
 ran high on the part of the captain and his friends, 
 and things began to look serious. The fellows drew their 
 swords, or produced heavy wooden clubs, whereupon the 
 Englishman levelled his gun and swore to shoot the first 
 man who molested him. How the ugly-looking affair 
 would have ended had not a peacemaker appeared on the 
 scene it is hard to say. This was an Arab whom Mr. 
 Layard had known in Shuster. The captain of the boat 
 accepted the fare tendered, but carried off the English- 
 man's saddle. 
 
 But now the pilgrims for Kerbela began to weep and 
 
 95 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 lament. They had hoped to be let off the payment of 
 
 their passage altogether, but the captain did not view 
 
 things in that light. A tremendous crying and hubbub 
 
 resulted, and at last a Persian offered to bear the whole 
 
 expense of their pilgrimage. This man was himself one 
 
 of the pilgrims, and his generosity appeared to Layard so 
 
 astonishing in a Persian that he began to suspect there 
 
 was something wrong. There was; the traveller now 
 
 discovered that he had been robbed of his belt, which 
 
 contained the whole of his money save a trifle of loose 
 
 cash, worth some five shillings. The wily Persian had 
 
 taken the belt while the Englishman slept on board 
 
 the boat. An appeal to the local justice brought no 
 
 redress, the official being evidently in league with the 
 
 captain of the boat and other rascals of the town. 
 
 Hence then the explorer, reduced in resources to a few 
 
 shillings, had to make his way as best he could. After a 
 
 rough time of it he found himself on the banks of the 
 
 Jerrahi, at the little town of Kareiba. Next morning the 
 
 stranger witnessed extraordinary scenes in the town. A 
 
 messenger arrived with orders from the chief that the 
 
 inhabitants should at once abandon the place. This was 
 
 on account of a rebellion then on foot, the head of which 
 
 was a certain Mehemet Taki Khan, though it was not 
 
 Mehemet they feared. It was reported that this insurgent 
 
 had crossed the Jerrahi only three miles above Kareiba. 
 
 The greatest confusion instantly prevailed in the town. 
 
 Huts were torn down in order that the materials might 
 
 be made into rafts. The whole population sought to float 
 
 themselves, their children, and their belongings down the 
 
 river to Fellahiyah. "Domestic utensils, such as cald- 
 
 96 
 

 
DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES 
 
 rons, cooking-pots, and iron plates for making bread, with 
 quilts, carpets, sacks of corn and rice, and the poultry, 
 which had been in the meantime captured by the naked 
 children, were piled upon them. The herdsmen were 
 collecting: their cattle and their flocks. All were scream- 
 ing at the top of their voices, and sometimes the men, 
 ceasing from their work, and joining hands, would dance 
 in a circle, shouting their war song." 
 
 By this time plenty of rafts from the higher parts of the 
 river began to float past, the orders of the chief having 
 been promptly obeyed there. By the afternoon most of 
 the folks of the village had gone off on their rafts, while 
 the few who were left were in terrible dread lest the 
 irregular cavalry under Matamet, who was in chase of 
 Mehemet Taki Khan, should swoop down upon them. 
 It was Matamet who was to be feared, not the rebel 
 Mehemet. 
 
 The English traveller found himself in a quandary. 
 The roads were impracticable, the whole countryside being 
 under water. As a matter of fact, the dikes of the rivers 
 and canals had been destroyed. The people of Kareiba 
 had no time or though c to give to a stranger, and Mr. 
 Layard had much ado Eo get a meal. By the evening, the 
 sheikh of the village was ready to depart, his wives and 
 children with his goods having been put on board a large 
 boat, the only one of which the village could boast. There 
 was room to spare, and the traveller begged for a passage. 
 To the request, the sheikh answered insultingly that he 
 would not pollute his boat by taking an infidel Christian. 
 The surly fellow then pushed off, leaving Layard the only 
 human being in the place. Tired out, the solitary man 
 7 97 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 gathered together a few bits of carpet and tried to get 
 some sleep. But his peace was soon broken by the dogs, 
 many of which had been abandoned by the villagers in 
 their hasty flight. The brutes gave vent to piteous howls, 
 and he had a good deal of trouble to keep them at a dis- 
 tance. Hundreds of jackals had invaded the deserted 
 village in search of any food that might have been left, 
 and their cries were noisy and disquieting, to say the least 
 of it. It was, moreover, quite possible that lions might 
 make their appearance, while, worse than all, there were 
 prowling bands of cavalry on the look-out for plunder. 
 These robber horsemen were scouring the country in all 
 directions, and might at any moment pay a visit to 
 Kareiba. Anything more forlorn and dispiriting than 
 Mr. Layard's position at that time, it is not easy to 
 imagine. 
 
 He sat in the darkness till the moon arose; then he 
 began to bestir himself. Collecting a number of reeds, 
 and a couple of tent-poles, he managed to make a raft 
 capable of bearing his weight. When all was ready he 
 pushed off into the river, the howling dogs following him 
 for a little distance. He kept as far as possible in the 
 middle of the stream and floated easily down. Every- 
 where the banks of the river lower down showed the same 
 extraordinary excitement and feverish haste that had been 
 witnessed at Kareiba not many hours before. Whole 
 herds of camels, buffaloes and sheep were being made to 
 swim across the river and the canals. Men were sitting 
 astride of inflated sheepskins, carrying their children on 
 their shoulders, thus crossing to what was considered to 
 
 be the safer side of the Jerrahi. Clouds of smoke filled 
 
 98 
 
DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES 
 
 the air in various parts, the people having fired all the 
 grain crops that were ripe. Every man was getting him- 
 self and his away with the least possible delay. Thus 
 within a few hours a populous country — for the district 
 was crowded with villages — was entirely depopulated. 
 We "need not follow the Englishman in his dealings and 
 adventures with the insurgent Mehemet Tali Khan, whose 
 acquaintance he had made some time before, and with 
 whose demands for reform and better government on the 
 part of the Shah he sympathized. 
 
 At a later stage of his travels, Layard suffered many 
 things from the Arab robbers who infested the country. 
 This was in the valley of the mighty Euphrates, or rather 
 in and about the marshes which run for a great distance 
 on both sides of its banks. He had left the far-famed 
 Basrah — the Bassorah of the Arabian Nights — in the 
 company of a man carrying the letters, no steamer to 
 Baghdad being available. Mr. Layard thought it well to 
 disguise himself, the dangers of the way being certain and 
 formidable. The journey began with a long wade of three 
 miles through the marshes, and then the'postmen and his 
 companions betook themselves to the hills till night per- 
 mitted them to approach the marsh and the valley again. 
 All night long the travellers had to be on the watch. At 
 any moment a lion might be encountered, or bands of 
 robber horsemen might make their appearance. Next 
 morning a long drove of camels was met, the fellows with 
 them being a rough-looking set. Salutations were ex- 
 changed between the herdsmen and the postman's party, 
 and the danger seemed past, when all at once some of the 
 
 Arabs on foot seized one of the riders by the leg and 
 
 99 
 
 LOFC. 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 jerked him to the ground. The unfortunate man was 
 instantly stripped of everything he wore. The fellows 
 evidently intended to try the same sort of game on the 
 foreigner, but he was on the watch. The postman now 
 explained that he and his companions were carrying 
 dispatches for the English Government. The chief man 
 of the herdsmen thereupon demanded blackmail for per- 
 mission to go through his territory. In the end the 
 Arabs, after stealing one or two of the silver pieces they 
 found on the party, allowed them to proceed on their 
 journey. But this was not quite the end of the affair, 
 after all ; though the chief might be satisfied, some of his 
 men were not, and they had to be beaten off with clubs 
 by the sheikh and another of the tribe. 
 
 Within an hour the postman and his friends found 
 themselves chased by a couple of Arabs on dromedaries. 
 There were a number of sand-heaps scattered about the 
 valley, and for some time an exciting game of hide-and- 
 seek was kept up. Then a couple more dromedary riders 
 joined their fellows, and it became a race between horse 
 and dromedary. Though the former beasts were wearied 
 with their heavy journey, they gradually drew away from 
 the pursuers, and the Englishman and his travelling 
 companions escaped farther robbery and ill-treatment. 
 
 In the Semawa district lived a notorious Arab tribe, 
 and to avoid passing through the midst of them, the party 
 hired a boat, and in this they proceeded for five miles on 
 the Euphrates itself. The risks attending the voyage 
 were great, and Mr. Layard had to lie all the time at the 
 bottom of the craft, and covered, lest he should be ob- 
 served. Had he been found, there is no doubt the Arabs 
 
 100 
 
DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES 
 
 would have extorted a large sum of money from him. On 
 leaving the boat the party managed to procure fresh 
 horses, of which they stood in sore need. But they were 
 not destined to have an easy journey even now. They 
 reached a flooded district ; in truth the country presented 
 an extraordinary spectacle. The swollen Euphrates had 
 burst its banks, and the Persian authorities had made no 
 attempt to repair the damage. The result was that an 
 enormous tract of country was lying deep in water, a 
 country that recently had been thickly populated and well 
 tilled. 
 
 From bad the wayfarers presently fell into worse. At a 
 small village to which they came, they heard alarming 
 news. A large body of Shammar Arabs was declared to 
 be plundering right and left about the country. That this 
 was no false alarm was proved by the events of that same 
 night, when the village suffered an attack at the hands of 
 the marauders. There was much firing, much noise, and 
 much excitement, but the enemy finally left the place, and 
 Mr. Layard was enabled to spread his carpet and sleep in 
 peace. Being assured next morning that the district was 
 now clear of the Shammar robbers, the Englishman and 
 his friend the postman set out once more. In the course 
 of the day they heard the Bedouin war-cry, and perceived 
 that they were being pursued by a gang of Shammar 
 horsemen. The tired beasts which carried Mr. Layard 
 and the rest of his party were no match for the splendid 
 horses of the insurgent gang. 
 
 They were soon overtaken, the Arabs coming on at full 
 
 speed, and drawing up only when their spear-points were 
 
 within an inch or two of the Englishman's body. In an 
 
 101 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 instant he and the postman were thrown from their horses. 
 The critical scene that followed is best told in Sir Henry's 
 own words. 
 
 " When I fell my ' keffiyeh ' dropped off, and exposed a 
 red ' tarbush,' or fez, which I had put on under it to pro- 
 tect my head from the sun. One of the Arabs cried out 
 that I was a ' Toork,' and a man who had dismounted, 
 seizing hold of me as I lay upon the ground, drew a knife, 
 and endeavoured to kneel upon my chest. I struggled, 
 thinking he intended to cut my throat, calling out to 
 one of the party who, mounted upon a fine mare, appeared 
 to be a sheikh, that I was not a ' Toork,' but an English- 
 man. He ordered the man to release me, and then told 
 me to get up." The sheikh, a good-looking fellow, ex- 
 amined the traveller's features closely, and then exclaimed, 
 " Billah ! he tells the truth. He is the English ' hakim ' 
 (doctor) of Baghdad, and he is my friend, and the English 
 are the friends of our tribe." It was clear to Mr. Layard 
 that the sheikh had mistaken him for Dr. Ross, another 
 Englishman, resident at Baghdad. It is certain that to 
 this mistake Layard owed his life. As it was the Arabs 
 stripped him and the postman before they went, leaving 
 the two men naked almost to the skin. To their infinite 
 relief they sighted Baghdad the next day, and, managing 
 to cross the Tigris on a raft, arrived in a deplorable con- 
 dition indeed, but safe and sound. 
 
 Not the least interesting of Layard's experiences in 
 
 Persia were the attempts to navigate the river Karun, of 
 
 which stream, he had, as we have seen, made a goodly 
 
 number of soundings. The first steamer to attempt the 
 
 ascent was the Assyria, under Lieutenant Selby, and Mr. 
 
 102 
 
DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES 
 
 Layard was one of those who assisted on the occasion. 
 The river was swollen high, the floods expending far 
 beyond the normal banks, and the current was exceedingly 
 swift ! The chief difficulty in the early part of the passage 
 was with the rapids at Ahwaz. It seemed impossible that 
 the vessel should pass the rock-strewn eddies and whirl- 
 pools. But Selby was not a man to be daunted easily. 
 He had a hawser made fast to the shore, and his crew held 
 themselves in readiness to pull at a given signal, adding 
 their strength to that of the engines. Then full steam 
 ahead was ordered, and as the Assyria neared the only 
 practicable opening, she trembled from stem to stern with 
 the force of the current. " It was a moment of intense 
 anxiety and excitement, for, had any accident occurred, 
 such as the parting of the rope, she would have been in 
 imminent danger of being driven against the rocks below 
 the bend, and of being shattered to pieces. I was stand- 
 ing on one of the paddle-boxes watching her with bated 
 breath. For a moment she was motionless, as if struggling 
 for the mastery." Then a hearty cheer announced the 
 success of the efforts made, and the ship was in compar- 
 atively smooth water. 
 
 Yet the progress made in ascending the stream was slow 
 at the best, the rapidity with which the current was flow- 
 ing making the passage difficult. Selby therefore kept 
 away from the river proper, navigating the outer floods, 
 in fact. The imprudence of this plan appeared presently, 
 when, after several groundings, the Assyria stuck for 
 good, apparently, and remained immovable. She lay 
 outside the river course, and the floods were rapidly sub- 
 siding. Next morning the boat was high and dry, and 
 
 103 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 a goodish way from the Karun, not a pleasant position, 
 more especially as gangs of Arab robbers were prowling 
 about the country. 
 
 There were, as a matter of fact, two dangers to be 
 guarded against ; the robbers might attack, or, a not less 
 likely event, the Persian authorities might attempt to 
 seize the steamer. To forestall either party Lieutenant 
 Selby threw up earthworks round the vessel, and disem- 
 barking the guns, placed them in position. The fort was 
 defended by the crew and a number of marines. This 
 singular state of things can rarely have been paralleled. 
 Here was a steamboat actually within the enclosure of a 
 land fort, no water anywhere near ! 
 
 But the problem of getting off the Assyria was pressing. 
 All attempts to move the vessel by means of rollers 
 proved fruitless; the rainy season was nearing its end; 
 the river was daily sinking. Selby consequently deter- 
 mined to dig a big trench to the Karun. At once the 
 work of moving everything movable from the ship was 
 begun. Stores, furniture, and goods of all kinds were 
 brought out and laid on the bank. Even the machinery 
 was taken to pieces. By the help of a large number of 
 hired men the trench was dug, slowly but surely. The 
 digging operations were nearing their close, and soon, it 
 was hoped, the result of all the heavy labours would be 
 seen. 
 
 By the irony of fate, the river suddenly began to rise, in 
 
 the middle of the night, and without the least previous 
 
 warning. Welcome as the sight of the rising floods was 
 
 to the crew, it yet caused consternation. All the goods, 
 
 provisions, machinery, and the like were lying on the 
 
 104 
 
DANGERS ON THE EUPHRATES 
 
 bank and in imminent danger of being swept off or 
 damaged irretrievably. All hands were turned out at 
 once in the darkness of the night, and a scene of strenu- 
 ous exertions was witnessed. Luckily everything was got 
 on board the Assyria in time, and next morning the 
 floods had risen to such an extent that the vessel was 
 easily floated into the river again, without the help of 
 the canal that had been dug at the cost of so much 
 labour. Eventually the Assyria was navigated to within 
 a mile of the town of Shuster, where farther progress was 
 stopped by a stone dam. A most important fact had 
 been established ; a vessel of the size of the Assyria could 
 reach, "from the Euphrates, the foot of the mountains 
 over which tracks lead to Ispahan and into the very heart 
 of Persia." 
 
 105 
 
IX 
 
 LIVINGSTONE AS AN ELEPHANT HUNTER 
 
 Livingstone not strictly a big-game hunter — Larder had to be replenished, 
 however— Buffalo behind, elephants in front — Dam elephant and 
 calf stalked by blacks — Animals apostrophized — Dam deserts calf at 
 first — At bay — Hippopotamus destructive to crops — Marvellous 
 'amount of wild animals in Zambesi valley — The beasts have no fear 
 of man — Speared elephant resembles gigantic porcupine — Mr. Oswell, 
 Livingstone's companion — The terrible nature of the thorn scrub — 
 Oswell encounters a huge elephant in the thorn thickets — Thrown 
 from his horse — Under the elephant's body — Throws his legs apart — 
 Remarkable escape. 
 
 The famous missionary traveller, Dr. Livingstone, would 
 
 most certainly have disclaimed for himself any such 
 
 title as " big-game hunter." With the abounding pity 
 
 always lying in his breast, he would have been the last 
 
 man in the world to kill for mere sport's sake. Yet, in 
 
 self-defence at one time, or driven by the necessity of 
 
 feeding himself and his company at all times, it was 
 
 necessary to hunt to the death, now a hippopotamus, now 
 
 a buffalo, and again an elephant. It sometimes fell out 
 
 that quite a number of adventures with the same kind of 
 
 animal followed one another in close succession. This was 
 
 the case when for the second time he was making his way 
 
 to the lordly Zambesi. 
 
 The missionary party were traversing a specially 
 
 beautiful valley, in which big game was very plentiful. 
 
 The first animal to catch the Doctor's eye was a buffalo, 
 
 106 
 
LIVINGSTONE, ELEPHANT HUNTER 
 
 and as the larder was by no means well stored just then, 
 he put three bullets into him. The buffalo, however, 
 was by no means killed, and prepared to charge his 
 aggressors. Everybody made for the shelter of some 
 rocks near. But their hasty stampede in that direction 
 was brought to a sudden stop by the sight of three 
 elephants, which blocked the way. Here was an awkward 
 pass — an infuriated buffalo behind, three huge African 
 elephants in front. Then an unexpected turn of events 
 came ; the elephants wheeled round and made off. At the 
 same time the buffalo was observed to be moving away 
 with all speed. Livingstone, disappointed at his failure to 
 procure a fresh supply of meat, took a long shot at one of 
 the elephants. To the joy of his men, the bullet brought 
 the animal down, its leg broken. It was speedily 
 dispatched by the next shot, this time at close quarters, 
 which pierced the brain. The killing of the elephant 
 brought, from the neighbourhood round, quite a gathering 
 of natives, all eager to share the unwonted plenty. 
 
 On the very next day, while the carcass was being cut 
 up, Livingstone ascended some rocks to survey the valley, 
 and saw, a couple of miles away, a dam elephant and her 
 calf. The two were playing together by the water's edge, 
 and the young one was rolling in the mud with the 
 utmost delight. Before long the Doctor noted, by the aid 
 of his field glass, a string of his own men away on the 
 farther side of the two elephants. He guessed that they 
 were about to stalk the animals, and he watched their 
 proceedings, being curious to see their methods of dealing 
 with large game of that kind. 
 
 As yet the elephants were quite unconscious of the near 
 
 107 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 presence of foes, and were engaged in besmearing each 
 other with mud. Then suddenly the blacks began a call, 
 making the noise either with a tube of some kind, or with 
 their hands closed. This was to attract the attention of 
 the game. The words thus shouted were, " O chief ! 
 chief! we have come to kill you. chief! chief! many 
 more will die besides you," and so on in similar strain. 
 
 The elephants listened, and then, seeing the men 
 running towards them, left the water. The calf ran 
 away, but, finding itself confronted by foes, went back to 
 the mother, who stroked it with her trunk as if to reassure 
 it. All this time the black fellows kept up a tremendous 
 din, shouting, piping, yelling. The dam seemed hardly 
 to know whether to stay to protect her young one or to 
 dash off to the encounter with the enemies who had dared 
 to invade their retreat. The men were in two gangs, and 
 these gradually approached the elephants from different 
 quarters, till, as the animals took to the river, they came 
 up with them, or at least to the bank of the stream. 
 
 Many spears were now thrown at the beast, and soon 
 
 her flanks were red with blood. Livingstone was very 
 
 anxious to spare the calf, and accordingly sent a man to 
 
 give instructions to that effect. However, before the 
 
 messenger had reached the spot, the little one had been 
 
 killed in the water. Now the mother, which had been 
 
 making off as if fearful for her own safety, and not so 
 
 much concerned for her calf, suddenly stopped. Then 
 
 with a mad roar she charged furiously. The hunters 
 
 scattered right and left in hot haste, and the elephant, 
 
 keeping a straight course, actually ran quite through the 
 
 party without injuring anybody. Indeed, she did not 
 
 108 
 
LIVINGSTONE, ELEPHANT HUNTER 
 
 seem to make for any particular man, except one, who 
 wore a piece of bright-coloured cloth on his shoulders. 
 Such showy colours are always dangerous to the wearer in 
 situations of this sort. Again and again the dam charged, 
 each time sending her persecutors flying in all directions. 
 Then she recrossed the river, receiving more spears on the 
 passage, and again she made a stand. Thus the hunt 
 went on, till at length the animal fell through sheer loss 
 of blood. This occurred as she was attempting another 
 charge. She sank to the ground in a kneeling position. 
 Livingstone writes : " I did not see the whole hunt. . . . 
 I turned from the spectacle of the destruction of noble 
 animals, which might be made so useful in Africa, with a 
 feeling of sickness, and it was not relieved by the recollec- 
 tion that the ivory was mine, though that was the case. I 
 regretted to see them killed, and more especially the calf, 
 the meat not being at all necessary at that time ; but it is 
 right to add that I did not feel sick when my blood was 
 up the day before. We ought perhaps to judge those 
 deeds more leniently in which we ourselves have no 
 temptation to engage." And the Doctor adds that he 
 had no room to pride himself on his superior humanity, 
 seeing that he himself had been guilty of the very same 
 sort of thing. 
 
 Leaving the elephant country, Livingstone reached the 
 river Kafue, which was forded at a place where it was at 
 least two hundred and fifty yards wide. Here hippo- 
 potamuses were plentiful, so plentiful, indeed, that the 
 natives of the district are obliged to devise means for the 
 
 protection of their grain crops. This they accomplish by 
 
 109 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 making pitfalls, into which the animals often drop. The 
 
 Doctor shot a cow hippopotamus, meat having run 
 
 short. 
 
 His first notion had been to follow the river Kafue to 
 
 its junction with the Zambesi, but on second thoughts 
 
 it seemed better to make a short cut across the intervening 
 
 hills. Here the party found themselves in an elephant 
 
 district once more, and the men managed to secure three 
 
 of the animals. A glorious view was the reward of the 
 
 missionary when, after a toilsome ascent, he found himself 
 
 at the top of the ridge, with the magnificent Zambesi 
 
 valley spread out below. Not only was the view splendid, 
 
 but the country had in it more large game than any other 
 
 place he had ever seen, even in Africa. Buffaloes and 
 
 zebras by the hundred were seen grazing in every open 
 
 space ; pigs of a red colour stood staring in wonder at the 
 
 men ; above all, the huge elephants were so plentiful and 
 
 so tame, that almost anywhere it was possible to approach 
 
 to within two or three hundred yards of them without 
 
 disturbing them. It was, in truth, a marvellous sight, 
 
 and one that, as population increases, will not much 
 
 longer be possible on this earth of ours. The animals 
 
 seemed, moreover, to be little if at all afraid of man. 
 
 The explanation was that the place was hardly ever 
 
 visited, even by the natives, and practically never hunted ; 
 
 thus the animals had it all their own way. Of a particular 
 
 spot in the district the missionary writes : " The numbers 
 
 of large game were quite astonishing. I never saw 
 
 elephants so tame as those near the Chiponga; they 
 
 stood close to our path without being in the least afraid. 
 
 110 
 
LIVINGSTONE, ELEPHANT HUNTER 
 
 This is different from their conduct where they have 
 been used to guns, for there they take alarm at the 
 distance of a mile, and begin to run if a shot is fired even 
 at a longer distance." His men killed another elephant 
 here, the flesh being left to the villagers, who had most 
 generously given the party of their meal. 
 
 So tame were the animals hereabouts, in fact, that the 
 buffaloes would come close up to look at Livingstone's 
 oxen. Stranger still, the party had often to shout at the 
 elephants, which would stand on the very path, gazing at 
 the strangers. Here a female elephant was found with 
 three young ones of different sizes. The Doctor had 
 never seen an elephant with more than one calf before. 
 This animal, with her young, suddenly took alarm, and 
 the whole four swept down right upon the company, 
 causing the carriers to throw down their burdens and 
 scatter in all directions. For its pains the poor brute 
 received a spear, but both dam and calves got away 
 without further damage. 
 
 The magnificent Zambesi was now reached, and the 
 good missionary was entranced with the scene, and 
 astonished at the dimensions of the river. By this time 
 his party had become a very numerous one, and conse- 
 quently there was needed a good deal of meat. The 
 game was always there, however, and only needed 
 successful hunting. The men attacked a whole troop 
 of elephants they met with one day, provisions having 
 become scarce. One of the animals in its haste to run 
 away fell into a hole. Before he could struggle out 
 
 again he had received a perfect hail of spears. Every 
 
 111 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 one of the seventy or eighty men of the party had 
 thrown more than one spear at the poor beast, so that 
 when he came out of the hole he presented the appear- 
 ance of a gigantic porcupine. Livingstone, in order to 
 put the animal out of his pain, shot into different parts 
 of him no fewer than twelve two-ounce bullets ! But all 
 this did not kill him, and the Doctor left the creature 
 till next day, feeling sure he would find him dead in the 
 morning. When the daylight came, however, not a trace 
 of the elephant could be seen. The traveller gives it as 
 his opinion, that it is almost certain death to any hunter 
 who adopts with the African elephant the plan used by 
 elephant hunters in Ceylon, namely, to stand directly in 
 front of the animal, and shoot at close quarters, with the 
 notion of piercing the brain. 
 
 The missionary adds an account of an elephant adven- 
 ture that befell, not himself, but his friend and companion, 
 Mr. Oswell. This gentleman, Livingstone says, had had 
 more narrow escapes than any other man living, but his 
 modesty was such as to forbid him from talking about 
 himself and his exploits. It was on the banks of the 
 Zouga river. The neighbourhood of the banks was as 
 usual covered with a thick fringe of stout thorn bushes. 
 These thorns are serious things to encounter, and in 
 truth horses cannot be induced to face them at all. The 
 spines are placed in pairs on " opposite sides of the 
 branches, and these turn round on being pressed against, 
 one pair brings the other exactly into the position in 
 which it must pierce the intruder. They cut like knives." 
 
 Into a dense thicket of this kind Mr. Oswell pursued 
 
 112 
 
LIVINGSTONE, ELEPHANT HUNTER 
 
 an elephant, that animal being accustomed to betake 
 himself to such bushes for safety when attacked. The 
 Englishman was on horseback, and followed the elephant 
 along a narrow pathway there was in the thicket. He 
 lifted up the opposing branches here and there where 
 necessary, in his anxiety to keep close on the trail. 
 Suddenly, at a spot where he had got himself jammed 
 in pretty tightly among the thorns, Mr. Oswell descried 
 the elephant, which he had almost lost sight of, bearing 
 straight down upon him. He turned and sought to flee, 
 trying hard to force his horse through the bushes, there 
 being no time to lift up branches. This he could not do, 
 and realizing the extremity of the danger in which he 
 stood, he tried to dismount, so as to make off on foot. 
 Unfortunately his foot was caught by a branch, and this 
 caused his spur to drag along the horse's flank, scoring 
 it badly/ The animal gave a plunge and threw his rider 
 violently to the ground, face towards the elephant. The 
 unwieldy brute, full of rage, was upon him in a moment, 
 and he beheld one of the huge fore-feet descending upon 
 his prostrate body, or rather upon his legs. Quick as 
 thought, the man threw his legs apart, and so escaped the 
 first step. Then he drew in his breath to stand the 
 awful pressure of the other descending foot. Luckily, and 
 most strangely, that, too, missed him. There as he lay, 
 he saw the whole body of the huge beast pass over him, 
 yet he was not touched. Presently he was able to spring 
 to his feet again, when he found that his horse had like- 
 wise received no injury. It was a remarkable escape, 
 
 and the Doctor states that he never heard of more than 
 8 113 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 one other authentic instance in which an elephant went 
 over a man without injury. And he adds that, " for any 
 one who knows the nature of the bush in which this 
 occurred, the very thought of an encounter in it with 
 such a foe is appalling." 
 
 114 
 
X 
 
 WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 The Nile a mystery from very ancient times — Speke discovers Victoria 
 Nyanza — Sent out again to prove whether the lake is the source of 
 the Nile — Lands at Zanzibar — His men take to marauding — Natives 
 terrified by guns — Speke and his companion Grant for a time follow 
 different routes — A three-mile swamp — Bank of Nile reached — 
 River traced up to the Victoria Nyanza — Speke's triumphant feelings 
 — Ripon Falls — His men again turn piratical — The difficulties in the 
 Unyoro territory — Wanyoro boats attack the expedition — Critical 
 situation — "They are women!" — Grant returns with unfavourable 
 news of N'yamyon jo, a native official — Speke and Grant compelled to 
 abandon Nile passage. 
 
 Ever since the earliest dawn of history, and doubtless 
 
 for untold ages before, until almost our own time, the 
 
 origin of the mighty and sacred river Nile has been a 
 
 mystery to civilized man. Whence does it spring ? was 
 
 the question asked by so many inquiring minds in ancient 
 
 as in modern days. From what far-off and hidden spot 
 
 in the " Dark Continent " does that mighty stream start 
 
 to make its way to the distant Mediterranean waters ? 
 
 The nineteenth century answered those questions, thanks 
 
 to the determination, the skill, and the courage of various 
 
 explorers, the more notable among them being our own 
 
 countrymen, a fact of which the British people are proud, 
 
 and justly proud. 
 
 In the year 1858 one of the finest of our African 
 
 explorers, J. H. Speke, discovered the great lake, the 
 
 115 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Victoria Nyanza, far away in equatorial Africa, and on his 
 return to England in the spring of 1859 he asserted that 
 this vast lake would prove to be the real source of the 
 Nile. The Royal Geographical Society eagerly proposed 
 another expedition, that Speke might prove, if possible, 
 the truth of the assertion. Some vexatious delays came, 
 but at last, in the spring of 1860, accompanied by Captain 
 Grant, he set out once more for the wilds of east-central 
 Africa. 
 
 We may pass by their earlier doings, between Zanzibar, 
 where the explorers landed, and the territory of Uganda, 
 ruled over by the powerful king Mtesa. From the capital 
 of this monarch, Speke marched eastward towards the 
 Nile, his intention being, when he had struck the river, to 
 trace it to the point whence, as he believed, it would be 
 found to issue from the Victoria Nyanza. If he found 
 it did so issue, his main work would be done, and the 
 long-sought source of old Father Nile would have been 
 discovered ! 
 
 The expedition reached the settlement of Kari after 
 some days' march, but not without troubles. Speke's 
 native servants could not be induced to keep their hands 
 off the property of the blacks, who fled from every village 
 as the exploring party approached. In spite of all orders 
 and threats, Speke found it impossible to stop the plunder- 
 ing habits of his men, and the expedition became, as he 
 remarks, more like a marauding campaign than a peaceful 
 journey of discovery. The result would be seen later on, 
 as the chief explorer well knew. 
 
 He had not long to wait. While staying at Kari for a 
 
 day or two, one of the men of the party went off plunder- 
 
 116 
 
WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 ing on his own account, taking with him only a few boys 
 of the Waganda escort. The raiders approached a village, 
 quite expecting the inhabitants to run away in the usual 
 fashion. As it happened, there were only the women of 
 the settlement visible, but these set up a loud yelling, 
 which soon brought out the men of the place. The 
 would-be robbers now turned tail and would have fled ; 
 but they were overtaken, and Kari, the man who had 
 started the thieving expedition, pointed his gun at the 
 assailants. Unluckily for him, it was not charged. The 
 savages looked upon the weapon as a magic horn, and 
 killed Kari with their spears, and made off. The news 
 was carried back by the survivors, and later in the day the 
 dead body was brought into the camp. It was a most 
 untoward event, to say the least of it. 
 
 Speke and his companion now parted company for a 
 while. As it was their intention to procure boats and 
 make their way up the Nile, it was most advisable to 
 conciliate the powerful chiefs through whose territories 
 they would have to pass. Of these chiefs the principal 
 was the ruler of the Unyoro country, Kamrasi. To this 
 man Grant set off with a number of followers across 
 country in a northerly direction, while Speke himself 
 pursued his eastern course to the banks of the Nile, which 
 he intended to strike at a place called Urondogani. On 
 the way Speke came upon a huge rush-grown swamp 
 some three miles broad, or rather a river, for it drains into 
 the Nile. The cows carried along with the expedition 
 swam across this formidable obstruction, the black servants 
 holding on to the tails of the animals. The leader and 
 others of his following were able to ford the Luajerri, as 
 
 117 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the stream is called, till they were quite near the further 
 bank ; the last portion had to be done in boats. It was a 
 long and heavy task to get everybody and everything 
 over, the business taking four hours. The mosquitoes in 
 myriads made the passage anything but a pleasant one. 
 The travellers after this lost their way for want of guides, 
 but at last reached the desired point, Urondogani, and the 
 Nile. 
 
 " Here at last I stood on the brink of the Nile," writes 
 Speke, with pardonable enthusiasm ; "most beautiful was 
 the scene ; nothing could surpass it ! It was the very per- 
 fection of the kind of effect aimed at in a highly-kept park ; 
 with a magnificent stream from six to seven hundred yards 
 wide, dotted with islets and rocks, the former occupied by 
 fishermen's huts, the latter by sterns and crocodiles bask- 
 ing in the sun — flowing between fine high grassy banks, 
 with rich trees and plantains in the background, where 
 herds of the nsunnu and hartebeest could be seen grazing, 
 while the hippopotami were snorting in the water, and 
 florikan and guinea-fowl rising at our feet." 
 
 Speke's plan was now to ascend the river, to the 
 
 Victoria Nyanza, to prove fully what he felt sure 
 
 must be the case, namely, that the Nile is connected 
 
 with and drains that vast expanse of water. He first 
 
 marched as far as the Isamba Rapids, where are some falls 
 
 in the Nile, the spot the most lovely he had ever seen 
 
 outside of a theatre, as he whimsically tells us. Even the 
 
 Wanguana, or the freedmen of Zanzibar, who accompanied 
 
 the expedition as hired servants, were amazed by the 
 
 wild and romantic beauty of the place. 
 
 A vigorous push on brought the party at last to the 
 
 118 
 
WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 goal they had so long desired, the place where the 
 majestic Nile leaves the magnificent lake ! We can 
 imagine the feelings of triumph with which Speke gazed 
 on the spectacle. The river of mystery had yielded up 
 its secret at last ! The Nile rises in the Victoria Nyanza, 
 its actual source being the most remote point, at the 
 southern end of the lake. The length of this great river 
 is thus over two thousand three hundred miles, or " more 
 than one-eleventh of the circumference of our globe," as 
 Speke puts it. 
 
 Close to the point where the river issues from the lake, 
 at its northern end, that is, are the Ripon Falls, "the 
 most interesting sight I had seen in Africa," the explorer 
 writes. Fine though the falls are, however, the lake itself 
 cannot be seen from them, the view being interrupted by 
 a spur of hill. The fall is about twelve feet, and the 
 breadth of the river there four or five hundred feet. 
 
 " It was a sight that attracted one to it for hours — the 
 roar of the waters, the thousands of passenger-fish, leaping 
 at the falls with all their might, the Wasoga and Waganda 
 fishermen coming out in boats and taking post on all the 
 rocks with rod and hook, hippopotami and crocodiles lying 
 sleepily on the water, the ferry at work above the falls, 
 and cattle driven down to drink at the margin of the lake 
 — made, in all, with the pretty nature of the country, as 
 interesting a picture as I could wish to see." So writes 
 the leader of the expedition. 
 
 But Speke was now ready to begin his passage down 
 
 the Nile. Unfortunately for him the petty native chief who 
 
 had undertaken to provide the necessary boats was not so 
 
 ready, and all there were for the use of the party were 
 
 119 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 five miserable canoes. Each boat consisted of five planks 
 tied together with rags, and in these travelled Speke and 
 his company of Wanguana, twelve in number, with a 
 native named Kasoro and his page-boys, besides baggage, 
 dogs and goats. The explorer's goal was Kamrasi's 
 palace in Unyoro, lower down the river, but what time 
 would have to be spent in getting there no one could say. 
 The canoes were propelled by paddles, but the crews were 
 a lazy set. 
 
 Kasoro soon began to give trouble, turning pirate and 
 thus disgracing the Union Jack the boats carried. Meet- 
 ing a number of canoes laden with food and other things 
 belonging to the Wanyoro tribe, Kasoro made a raid upon 
 them before Speke was aware of what was taking place. 
 The Wanyoro fled in hot haste, and then Kasoro coolly 
 began his plundering work. His leader, however, soon 
 made the thieves restore the property they had taken. 
 He pointed out to Kasoro how mad such a course as this 
 was, seeing that it was through the country of these very 
 Wanyoro the expedition had to pass. The piratical 
 African promised to behave better in future. Then the 
 canoes were brought to the bank for the night, and the 
 Wanyoro craft were thus enabled to get on in front. 
 
 But a serious difficulty now confronted the travellers. 
 
 They were about to leave the territory of the friendly 
 
 king of Uganda, and pass into Unyoro. Permission to 
 
 enter this new country would have to be obtained from 
 
 N'yamyon jo, the native officer in charge of the frontier. 
 
 This man was represented to have a hundred boats, and 
 
 his character was painted in dark colours. Speke's men 
 
 declared that if they attempted to force a passage, and 
 
 120 
 
WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 did not first speak with N'yamyon jo, there would be 
 trouble and great danger. Kasoro flatly refused to go 
 on till matters had been settled. Speke, however, argued 
 that Grant must by that time have arrived at Kamrasi's 
 palace and made all right with that monarch. At last, 
 after a hot discussion, it was agreed that Bombay, one of 
 the party, should proceed by land to N'yamyon jo with a few 
 of the men, while the rest went on with the boats. The 
 territory of N'yamyon jo was accordingly entered, the 
 leader of the expedition flattering himself that now his 
 difficulties were over, and that he would have nothing 
 to do but float down tranquilly on the broad bosom of 
 the Nile. 
 
 Alas for his expectations ! The boats had not gone 
 very far before an enormous canoe was observed coming 
 towards them, full of well-armed men. Nevertheless the 
 leader pressed on, and the hostile boat turned, as if in 
 fear. Faster and faster paddled Speke's men, while the 
 page-boys kept up a continual banging on the drums. A 
 veritable chase ensued, the Wanyoro boat with its more 
 numerous crew winning. At sunset the party came near 
 N'yamyon jo's place, and the banks of the river were found 
 to be crowded with blacks, all dancing about and brandish- 
 ing their spears, and yelling in the most frantic manner. 
 At first Speke took these fellows to be Waganda folk, and 
 friendly, the demonstration intended as a sign of welcome, 
 but a glance at Kasoro soon undeceived him. Lines of 
 huts now appeared, and more and more men, all drawn 
 up in arms. The prospect before the strangers grew 
 rapidly blacker. 
 
 At this moment, the big war canoe, which had fled 
 
 121 
 
 r 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 before the boats of the expedition, turned broadside 
 towards the latter, and its crew added their hostile yells 
 to those of their brethren on the shore. Speke stood up 
 in his boat, and, removing his hat, addressed the enemy. 
 He declared himself to be an Englishman, and bound for 
 Kamrasi's residence. He might have spared his words, 
 for the natives refused to believe anything he said. They 
 replied that they had heard the drums beat, and that was 
 a challenge to war ; no more was needed to show that the 
 strangers had come with hostile intent. War was meant, 
 war then let it be. On this the drums began to beat 
 loudly from both sides of the river, and the men to prepare 
 for a conflict. The little exploring party were in a tight 
 place indeed. 
 
 Now another Wanyoro canoe full of armed men came 
 out from the rushes where it had been hidden, and took 
 up a position to the rear of the strangers. Speke was 
 thus cut off from either advance or retreat. Nevertheless, 
 retreat seemed to offer the best chance, and as it was 
 getting dark, and the boats were badly manned, the leader 
 thought it safer to bring his craft together. All the boats 
 obeyed his order save one, the crew of which seemed to 
 have lost their senses through fright. It " kept spinning 
 round anoT round like a crippled duck." 
 
 The enemy, when they saw the retreat, shouted exult- 
 
 ingly, "They are women, they are running, let us at 
 
 them ! " Speke implored his own men to keep together 
 
 and to come to him for powder. But it was all in vain. 
 
 No sooner had one boat been supplied with ammunition 
 
 than it went off at full speed up the river so as to get out 
 
 of danger if possible, while the crew of another canoe 
 
 122 
 
Speke harangued the excited Warriors in vain 
 
 The hostility of the natives prevented Speke from carrying out hi^ darling project, that ot 
 navigating the Nile from source to mouth. 
 
WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 made for the rushes as a hiding-place in the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 By this time it had become very dark. The enemy 
 could no longer be seen, but their stealthy approach was 
 heard. The attack began by an onset being made on the 
 canoe that had hidden in the rushes by the shore. The 
 spears thrown by the hostile Wanyoro fortunately fell into 
 the river. But now the savages brought grappling-hooks 
 to bear, and the boat in the rushes was linked to one of 
 the native canoes. Speke's men, beside themselves with 
 fear, did nothing but cry, " Help, Bana ! (Speke), they are 
 killing us ! " Not a soul amongst the crews, with the 
 leader out in the stream, would respond to Speke's frantic 
 shouts of encouragement. When he cried, " Go in, go in, 
 and the victory will be ours ! " his fellows answered with 
 a miserable, " Mother, mother, help us ! " 
 
 However, the men who had hooked the boat got more 
 than they bargained for. The crew, with more pluck 
 than their brethren out in the open stream, fired upon 
 the enemy. The three shots brought down two of the 
 blacks, one of them killed. On this the Wanyoro sheered 
 off instantly, and were heard muttering that their foes 
 were not cowardly Waganda folk. Thus at one stroke 
 the passage up the river was cleared. And after all the 
 hostile treatment Speke and his followers had met with, 
 not a man of them had been injured. 
 
 Meanwhile Bombay had, hours before, reached N'yam- 
 
 yon jo's place, and had asked to see that powerful officer. 
 
 He had, however, been kept waiting a very long time, on 
 
 the plea that the chief was away from home on business. 
 
 The village folk accused the exploring party of robbing 
 
 123 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the peaceful natives on their way, to which Bombay 
 replied that Speke had done all in his power to prevent 
 it, and had restored to the owners everything his men had 
 taken. Evening came on, and still Bombay was kept 
 waiting ; and at length the villagers reminded him that 
 he had not been asked to spend the night there, and had 
 better take himself off. Bombay answered that he should 
 not budge till he had seen N'yamyon jo. To this the 
 natives responded with a "Well, you have got your 
 warning ; now look out for yourselves." 
 
 Drums now began to beat, and the men of the settle- 
 ment rushed to arms. After a while Bombay heard shots, 
 and, realizing what was the position of affairs, dashed 
 away into the bush, the few Waganda men he had with 
 him as escort followed suit. They dared not keep to the 
 ordinary path, but crashed through the jungle in mortal 
 terror, tearing themselves with the thorns. At last, late 
 at night, the messengers, lame and bleeding, reached 
 Speke. 
 
 Their report of the conduct of N'yamyon jo and his 
 
 people was not encouraging, and Speke's men were too 
 
 much frightened to proceed without that great man's 
 
 permission, a thing most unlikely to be obtained after 
 
 what had happened. It was useless for the leader of 
 
 the expedition to urge that they should not think of 
 
 giving in ; that Grant would certainly obtain Kamrasi's 
 
 leave to pass through the territory, and in that case it 
 
 would not matter what N'yamyon jo said or did. The 
 
 men replied that N'yamyon jo was a powerful man, and 
 
 really an independent chief; moreover, he did not like 
 
 strangers prying about in his fastnesses. Nothing but 
 
 124 
 
WITH SPEKE ON THE UPPER NILE 
 
 death awaited the party within his district, for some of 
 his people had been killed. 
 
 It was to no purpose that the bold leader of the explor- 
 ing band argued and entreated, and though the next 
 morning crowds of the Waganda came to hail him as a 
 victor, since he had shot Wanyoro men and still remained 
 alive, yet Speke was forced to give in. " I turned my 
 back on the Nile," he says, " and the following day came 
 on to the Luajerri." Thus for the time he had to abandon 
 his intended voyage down the stream of the great river, 
 whose source he had discovered. 
 
 125 
 
XI 
 
 A FLORIDA BEAR 
 
 Wakassare river in Florida — English game hunter's camp on its bank — 
 t Difficulties of crossing — Rude raft made of pine logs — First voyage 
 —Great cane-brake to be cut through — Pony nearly causes disaster 
 on the third crossing — Alligators plentiful — Dense fog — A bear 
 dashes through the camp — Hue and cry in the fog — Bear found in 
 a cane-brake — Rough experiences of the dogs — The doctor tumbles 
 headlong in front of the bear — Two ineffectual shots, powder damp 
 — Grave peril of the doctor — He throws his axe — Weapon misses — 
 Bear off again — Takes refuge in a tree — Doctor's dog almost killed 
 — Mike fires a lucky shot — Bear falls. 
 
 That everything in America is large, is a common 
 
 saying; but we do not always realize clearly, how large 
 
 that continent is. Many people, for instance, looking at 
 
 a map of Florida, are disposed to regard it as simply 
 
 a corner of the United States. That there should be 
 
 room enough in Florida for a great river, would come 
 
 upon them as a surprise. For all that, Florida does 
 
 possess considerable rivers, rivers that by comparison 
 
 with some of our own which we are accustomed to look 
 
 upon as important, are very large streams. One of these 
 
 is the Wakassare, whose dark, deep waters flow on, sluggish 
 
 and slow, through the big bordering swamps with their 
 
 fringes of thick forest. 
 
 Mr. Whitehead, an English gentleman, and a big-game 
 
 hunter of the da} r s of half-a-century ago, found himself, 
 
 126 
 
A FLORIDA BEAR 
 
 with his companions and servants, nearing this formidable 
 stream. His camp was pitched for the night not far from 
 the bank of the Wakassare. Behind was a dense forest ; 
 around him were his horses and dogs ; by the fire sat the 
 tired hunters in comfort, after their heavy day's toil. 
 Bat there in front of them, seen through the few inter- 
 vening trees, flowed the waters of the river, dark and 
 forbidding, while across, on the other shore, stretched 
 what appeared to be a limitless cane-brake. On the 
 morrow these black waters had to be crossed, and the 
 problem was already exercising the minds of every 
 member of the party. 
 
 The morning came, but scarcely daylight with it. The 
 earth was enveloped in a dense fog, a fog so heavily 
 charged with moisture, that as it condensed among the 
 trees it descended on the camp in a continuous rain, 
 wetting everything through and through, causing the 
 men to shiver, even in hot Florida. A number of pine 
 logs were cut down as a preliminary. These were tied 
 together in pairs with the stout and pliant vines that 
 grew plentifully enough everywhere. Several of these 
 pairs of logs were then bound together by means of ropes, 
 tier above tier, till at last something like a raft was 
 made. A ruder and more unsafe raft eye never saw, 
 and the hunters regarded the thing ruefully. 
 
 However, the servants proceeded to tie the construction 
 
 to a tree on the bank, and Mike, one of the servants of 
 
 the party, with a couple of negroes, launched it. On it 
 
 was placed the supply of powder, which was to form the 
 
 cargo on the first trip. The three men then pushed the 
 
 raft gently away from the shore, the combined weight of 
 
 127 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 men and goods almost causing the thing to go under 
 altogether. Carefully the raft was pushed along by 
 means of a pole till the deeper water was reached, when 
 paddles were used. By marvellous good luck the craft 
 at length touched the green of the farther bank, and to 
 a casual spectator it might have seemed that the first 
 voyage had been safely performed. As a matter of fact 
 the difficulties were only just beginning. 
 
 Mike and his fellows found to their dismay that there 
 was no landing. The tall canes grew in dense miniature 
 forests out of the black, ooze-laden water, blocking all 
 progress. Vain attempts were made to push the raft in 
 among the thick brake; it was an impossibility. And 
 up and down stream, as far as could be seen, this great 
 and impassable cane-thicket extended. There was nothing 
 for it, therefore, but to cut a way through. This Mike 
 and the black fellows proceeded to do, and inch by inch 
 a lane for the raft was carved out. After infinite labour 
 the end of the cane-brake came, and something like solid 
 land was gained. The powder was lifted out and placed 
 on the bank out of the reach of the waters. 
 
 There was no tree at hand to which to fasten the other 
 
 end of the guide-rope which Mike had brought over, but 
 
 he made shift with a sturdy cabbage-palm, and then set 
 
 off back for another cargo. On the second trip one of the 
 
 ponies shared the passage with his masters. To have 
 
 made the animal swim across would have been to consign 
 
 the poor brute to almost certain destruction, for the river 
 
 was full of alligators. Even the dogs had to be ferried 
 
 across ; moreover, it was necessary to tie them well on the 
 
 raft, to prevent their springing into the water in mid- 
 128 
 
Eh 2 
 
A FLORIDA BEAR 
 
 stream. The passengers were not particularly comfortable 
 on the passage, for the raft began to show signs of coming 
 to pieces. A sudden dissolution of logs on the way would 
 have meant a breakfast for some of the hungry alligators 
 that could be observed hovering near. 
 
 On the third trip the remaining pony was taken, with 
 other things, and the animal came near to bringing 
 destruction on both himself and those with him. In the 
 middle of the black waters the beast turned restive, 
 frightened no doubt by the novelty of his position. His 
 kicks and plunges, together with the efforts of the men 
 to keep him quiet, soon played havoc with the crazy raft. 
 Log began to part from log, and utter dissolution was at 
 hand. It was an anxious time both for those who guided 
 the raft and those who watched it from the shore. By 
 great good fortune the, construction held together in some 
 fashion till land was reached. One negro, Scipio, had 
 been left unferried across, and to him fell the business 
 of hauling back the raft empty, of unfastening the rope 
 from the tree, and then of getting himself across, a feat 
 that involved no little risk, for the condition of the raft 
 had by this time become hopeless. 
 
 The hunting party had observed be ov tracks in the 
 
 cane-brake on their passage, and in one place on the 
 
 damp mud of the bank appeared a recent paw print, all 
 
 this bringing excitement not less to the whining dogs 
 
 than to the eager men. The brake and the bounding 
 
 marsh were, in truth, alive with animals. Ducks were 
 
 there in crowds, while the heron, the turkey, the rail, 
 
 and other birds, were plentiful enough. Tracks of deer, 
 
 bear and racoon were found on all sides. Not far away 
 9 129 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 could be heard the howl of a wolf; altogether the region 
 was a populous one. All this time, however, the fog did 
 not permit of anything being seen at a greater distance 
 than a few feet. The grass was heavy with the dew, 
 soaking through the foot-gear of the men. A camp fire 
 had been made, and the hunters settled down to breakfast. 
 
 All at once a sharp yelp came from a small dog, and 
 this was followed by a prolonged howl from a big one. 
 " What dat ? " cried Scipio, looking up hastily from the 
 food he was preparing. " Nebber you mind," answered a 
 brother black ; " you cook." The words were scarcely out 
 of the man's mouth when out of the dense fog dashed a 
 black bear, almost as big as a bull. In a trice he had 
 invaded the camp, passed right through the middle of it, 
 and across the very fire. One of the gentlemen of the 
 party, a doctor, was bowled over like a ninepin, while, 
 worse fate still, poor Scipio was knocked clean on to the 
 ashes of the fire on which his cooking-pots stood. 
 
 Here was excitement enough to satisfy the keenest of 
 sportsmen. " Bress de Lord ! " ejaculated Scipio, as he 
 picked himself up hurriedly from his predicament. " Tally- 
 ho, doctor !" shouted one of the gentlemen; "after him, 
 Mike ! " The dogs on their part needed no urging, but 
 rushed off headlong into the fog after the bear. The 
 whole camp made a charge towards the cane-brake. 
 Helter-skelter flew the hunters and their servants. One 
 man fell precipitately into an ugly slough, from which he 
 had much ado to extricate himself. A second, who had 
 a similar piece of bad luck, was left behind to pick himself 
 up. Others in their haste stumbled over fallen logs, or 
 
 pitched headlong over the low bank. 
 
 130 
 
A FLORIDA BEAK 
 
 For a time nothing could be seen of Master Bruin ; but 
 at length the lifting of the fog discovered him sitting in 
 the brake, his back against the bank of the river. He 
 was snorting with rage as he rested on his haunches in 
 the ooze. His eyes were bloody red, his mouth wide open 
 and foaming. The brute was clearly at bay, having been 
 brought thereto by the dogs, whose scent had enabled 
 them to track him even through the fog. When the 
 men first caught sight of them, the dogs were ranged in 
 a semicircle round the bear, and some bore marks of his 
 claws. 
 
 A more alarming as well as a more ludicrous spectacle 
 was presented by the doctor. In his haste that gentleman 
 had fallen headlong over the bank of the river, had turned 
 a somersault, and made a half-turn; now he was found 
 by his companions sitting in the mud, directly in front of 
 the bear's nose, and not half-a-dozen paces from the 
 brute. In his hand the doctor carried an axe, which he 
 had snatched up as the first available weapon that came 
 to his hand. It was evident that both man and bear 
 were in no little consternation at finding themselves thus 
 situated with regard to each other. But if the bear was 
 alarmed, not less so was the doctor. 
 
 " Hurrah ! Have at him ! " shouted one of the hunters, 
 
 to which the doctor replied with a cry of " Shoot him ! " 
 
 Mr. Whitehead levelled his gun and drew the trigger 
 
 without an instant's delay ; the situation of his friend 
 
 ensured that. No report came, and the hunter tried 
 
 again. It was of no use ; the powder was damp and the 
 
 situation was becoming serious. 
 
 All these movements had roused the bear, and he began 
 
 131 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 to utter ominous growls. The dogs by this time had 
 grown frantic, and danced madly about Bruin, every now 
 and then making a dash nearer the brute. But woe to 
 the luckless hound that came within reach of his big paw ! 
 A sounding and stunning slap sent the dog spinning 
 through the air. One of the animals flew to a distance of 
 a dozen feet with the force of the blow. 
 
 The doctor now begins a demonstration on his own 
 account. Poising his axe in the air he aims at the bear's 
 head, and flings it with all his might. As ill luck would 
 have it, the brute moved on one side at that instant, and 
 the axe flew past him harmlessly ; in a moment it had 
 disappeared in the mud and was lost. As for the doctor, 
 he had overbalanced himself with his throw, and falling 
 flat on his face, had buried his head in the liquid 
 slime. 
 
 Bruin lost no time in beating a retreat, and immediately 
 there was a mighty hue and cry as dogs and men dashed 
 after him. The chase did not last long, though, consider- 
 ing the nature of the swamp the difficulties of following 
 must have been many and serious. But coming at length 
 to a tree, the brute swarmed up and out of reach. There 
 he sat on a branch and looked down on his pursuers with 
 a calm and even a bland look. He was at bay again, but 
 so little fear did he show, that he occupied himself in 
 quietly and unconcernedly scratching his side. The 
 hunters had now an opportunity of observing the animal 
 more closely, and it was seen to be a he-bear and a very 
 fine specimen of its kind. 
 
 Mike had brought up his rifle, and cries of " Shoot 
 
 him ! " arose on all sides. But attention was called away 
 
 132 
 
A FLORIDA BEAR 
 
 to the dog belonging to the doctor, which in his eagerness 
 for the fray had come off very badly. The bear had half 
 torn the poor beast to pieces with his terrible claws. 
 
 " Shoot him ! " was still the cry. Mike smiled ; he was 
 sure of his game and was not disposed to hurry matters. 
 He took deliberate aim, while the spectators looked on 
 with keenest interest. Would the powder prove damp as 
 before ? No ; the report rings out, and Bruin falls heavily 
 to the ground. The brute was no longer dangerous ; he 
 had been hit full in the eye, and was already dead. 
 
 Mike did not even turn his head to look at his victim, 
 but with a satisfied smile reloaded his rifle. 
 
 133 
 
XII 
 
 UNDER FIRE ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 War between Russians and Turks in Trans-Caucasia — Laurence Oliphant, 
 an English artist-correspondent with Turkish forces — Many British 
 officers under Omar Pasha — Col. Ballard reconnoitres the banks of 
 the river Ingour — No ford discoverable — Russian fire — The artist as a 
 military engineer — His coolness and adroitness — Battery formed — 
 Omar Pasha arrives with Turkish force — Ballard sent on with advance 
 troops — Smaller branch of stream crossed — Wooded island traversed 
 — A bit of open — A formidable Russian battery — Hot fight between 
 Ballard's troops and the battery — A narrow escape — Osman Pasha 
 crosses the river lower down — Russian guard overcome — Simmons 
 makes good his passage higher up — Enemy taken in the reverse — 
 Battery captured — Hidaiot's ruse — Victory of the Turks. 
 
 The famous Crimean war of 1854-5 was followed by 
 
 operations between the Russian and Turkish armies in 
 
 Armenia and the Caucasus district. Many British officers 
 
 were attached to the Turkish forces, as is well known, and 
 
 very excellent service was rendered by not a few of them 
 
 under the Turkish Commander-in-Chief, Omar Pasha. 
 
 One of the more conspicuous of these British officers, 
 
 Colonel Ballard, had attached to his forces Mr. Laurence 
 
 Oliphant, an English barrister, who was present during 
 
 the campaign as artist and war-correspondent. This 
 
 gentleman saw not a little of many of the stirring scenes 
 
 that were witnessed, especially during that part of the 
 
 campaign which had its base in the province of Mingrelia. 
 
 134 
 
ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 Mr. Oliphant having bought his own horses, was by 
 orders from Omar Pasha himself provided with a tent and 
 rations, and by invitation from Colonel Ballard, joined the 
 body of Rifles under that gallant officer. Hardly had 
 Oliphant reached the quarters of Colonel Ballard when 
 orders were received to march at once to the banks of the 
 Ingour, one of the many rivers that take their rise in the 
 stupendous Caucasus range and make their way down into 
 the Black Sea. The detachment that left the main sta- 
 tion of the Turkish army was under the command of Abdi 
 Pasha, and consisted of a couple of battalions of Rifles and 
 about six thousand infantry and artillery. The march 
 ceased a mile or two from the bank of the Ingour, and 
 camp was pitched on a plain, which was separated from the 
 river by a belt of wood. 
 
 The Rifles were the finest troops in the Turkish service, 
 and these, as has been said, were under the immediate 
 orders of Colonel Ballard. He invited Oliphant to go 
 with him to the banks of the river, and after winding 
 through the thick woods the little reconnoitring party 
 managed to reach the bank unseen by the Russians, who 
 were strongly posted on the other side of the stream. The 
 Russian stockades could be well seen, and even the heads 
 of the soldiers within, while the gleam of a bayonet now 
 and then showed that the enemy were on the alert. 
 
 Next morning Oliphant again visited the river, with the 
 
 view of making some sketches. He had with him some 
 
 half-dozen riflemen. They found that the river was 
 
 divided into two branches by a long narrow island. This 
 
 island was bare of trees, but the other bank of the river 
 
 was densely wooded, a circumstance the Russians had not 
 
 135 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 failed to take advantage of. For more than a mile they 
 had cut down trees plentifully, and had cleverly interlaced 
 them with the growing trees, the whole forming a stockade 
 or fence of the most difficult character. In one place was 
 an earthwork, defended by about forty Russians. 
 
 Russians and Turks stood staring at each other for a 
 little while, from opposite sides of the river, but presently 
 Colonel Ballard arrived with a detachment of men, and 
 some firing began. Before long a Russian bullet pierced 
 the leg of a young prince. This boy, with a younger 
 brother, had been sent to see some active service, and he 
 was the first i to be wounded. However, the case proved 
 not to be a fatal one. The Turkish rifles soon compelled 
 the enemy to keep themselves hidden as much as possible, 
 and the Turks themselves were not less willing to lie in 
 ambush whenever they could. But this rifle practice 
 soon grew tiring, and Ballard drew off his men. Later it 
 was found that the Russians magnified this into a defeat 
 of their foes ? 
 
 Next day the artist-correspondent went down again to 
 the river, and found the Russians more on the alert than 
 ever. Whenever a bit of red showed itself on the Turkish 
 side of the Ingour, a score or two of bullets was speedily 
 showered into the place. Sketching under these condi- 
 tions became a little too exciting, and Oliphant and those 
 with him had to crawl about on all fours from bush to 
 bush. The risky part was to cross a bit of open, from one 
 clump of bush to another. He ordered his men not to fire, 
 as a shot would show at once their position, and then the 
 consequent hail of bullets would put a decided stop to the 
 
 progress of the drawing. But the fellows found it hard to 
 
 136 
 
ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 obey such an order, and every now and then one of them 
 would fire at some particularly tempting mark. An imme- 
 diate reply would then send the sketch er and his party 
 scuttling away like rabbits. One of the Turkish riflemen 
 hit a Russian soldier at a distance of at least two hundred 
 yards. And Oliphant had not only his men to keep in 
 order. " Once my horse," he writes, " who was concealed 
 in some bushes in the rear, smelt a friend and neighed' 
 when he was immediately astonished by half-a-dozen 
 balls whizzing past his nose. In fact, the Russians kept 
 such an uncommonly good look-out, that it was sketching 
 under difficulties." 
 
 But now the artist had to play what was an entirely 
 new part for him. By good luck he found a place where 
 the river was fordable ; it was just in front of the Russian 
 stockade. The Commander-in-Chief, Omar Pasha, came 
 next day, and at once ordered the erection of two batteries 
 to command the passage. The Turkish army numbered 
 very few engineers, so Colonel Simmons, another of the 
 Englishmen, gave Oliphant a lesson or two in fortification, 
 and then sent him to Skender Pasha, to get the necessary 
 materials for the construction of one battery, while he 
 himself saw to the erection of the other. In the dark, 
 Skender took the barrister-artist to be an officer, and gave 
 him not only the men and materials necessary for the con- 
 struction of the fort, but also put under his command a 
 regiment of infantry and a couple of field-pieces ! 
 
 Here was a pretty pass for a man who was not a soldier ! 
 
 However, with characteristic British coolness he marched 
 
 his numerous body of men away, and began the making of 
 
 the fort. Not a single word of command in Turkish did 
 
 137 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the intrepid artist know. Moreover, everything had to be 
 done in the pitchy darkness of the night, and with the 
 least possible amount of noise. The work was advancing 
 well, when suddenly there was a whisper that the Russians 
 were coming down the river, and in force, a discomposing 
 announcement certainly. To give a decidedly strong 
 appearance of truth to the report, there, on the opposite 
 bank, could be made out three black lines drawn up. The 
 scare was becoming a serious matter. Then an opera- 
 glass was brought to bear, and lo ! the mystery was 
 cleared up. The three Russian lines proved to be nothing 
 more or less than three rows of logs, which different floods 
 had at some time left stranded on the brink of the river. 
 
 Mr. Oliphant's battery was finished in good time, and 
 then he went away to see how the other was progressing. 
 Here he found a striking scene. The position was much 
 nearer to the water, and consequently to the Russians ; 
 thus more caution was needed. But there was so much 
 chopping involved that it was not possible to keep the 
 operations noiseless. Every man was straining to the 
 utmost to get the work finished in the time, that is to 
 say, before the return of morning light should show the 
 enemy what was going on. On every side were drawn 
 faces and feverish energy. " The hurried orders were 
 given, and impatient demands for more gabions made, in 
 whispers. The most profound darkness reigned over all : 
 these men worked like ants, without the glimmer of a 
 torch to light, or even the spark of a pipe to cheer them. 
 Every now and then the challenge of a Russian sentry 
 came across the water to remind us of the necessity of 
 
 renewed exertion, and the long lines of soldiers bearing 
 
 138 
 
ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 gabions seemed never ending as they forced their way 
 along the narrow path." 
 
 The correspondent was presently seated on a drum, by 
 a big fire, chatting to Skender Pasha. That veteran 
 soldier was immensely amused when he learnt the real 
 profession of the man to whom he had but lately entrusted 
 so responsible a command. Skender related some of his 
 military experiences, and few greater fire-eaters existed in 
 his day and generation. A number of reports lower down 
 the river showed that the enemy had begun the fray ; 
 nevertheless Oliphant managed to snatch a little sleep. 
 
 Next day the whole of the Turkish forces had arrived 
 in the neighbourhood, and Omar Pasha began to prepare 
 for a decisive battle, which was now impending, and at 
 that place. The artist had full opportunity, during a day 
 of inactivity that followed, to study the habits of the Turks. 
 All day long, officers came to pay visits of ceremony to the 
 commander, that being considered the proper thing to do. 
 The general must have found the thing a terrible bore 
 after a while. Just before dinner, at roll-call, a picturesque 
 scene was witnessed. Regiment after regiment shouted 
 three cheers of blessing on the Sultan — an impressive 
 moment. 
 
 Next morning the Turkish soldiers were early in readi- 
 ness, and the various generals received their final orders. 
 One division was to march along the bank of the Ingour, 
 with the view of turning the Russian position lower down 
 the river, where a ford was available for crossing. Oliphant 
 found himself with his friend Colonel Ballard and an 
 advance guard proceeding down-stream. The first part 
 
 of the river was crossed easily enough, and the party 
 
 139 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 proceeded along the island, which was everywhere covered 
 with a dense growth of bush and scrub. So far nothing had 
 been seen of the enemy, and indeed Colonel Ballard's men 
 could scarcely have been observed in their copse. 
 
 Suddenly the woods ceased and the Rifles found them- 
 selves in the open, still on the island, of course. Then, 
 without the least warning, a shower of shot came pouring 
 in upon their ranks. It was now seen that on the other 
 side of the river — across the main branch, that is — stood 
 a battery. At the same time, firing came from beyond 
 the open clearing, on the island itself. The woods began 
 again almost at once, in truth, and it was from this con- 
 tinuation of the copse that one portion of the attack came. 
 There was nothing for it but to dash across the open as 
 quickly as possible and dislodge the Russians from the 
 wood. It was a hazardous thing to do, to all appearance, 
 but as soon as Ballard's troops began their rush across the 
 bit of clearing the enemy's firing ceased, and the wood was 
 seized without difficulty. 
 
 Now came to the front a more serious matter. It 
 
 was high time to cross the main stream, if the Russians 
 
 were to be met to any purpose, and accordingly search was 
 
 made for a ford. This search was carried on under a very 
 
 heavy fire of grape and musketry from the other side of 
 
 the wide stream, and at length it had to be given up, no 
 
 fordable place being discovered. There was nothing for it, 
 
 therefore, but to return the Russian fire with what vigour 
 
 might be possible. Ballard's position was one of the 
 
 greatest danger. The battery beyond the river was doing 
 
 deadly mischief amongst the Turkish Rifles, while the 
 
 Russians themselves kept within their fort, showing them- 
 
 140 
 
ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 selves not at all. For three long hours this kind of thing 
 
 went on. Ballard placed his men as near the bank of the 
 
 river as he could, at the same time instructing them to 
 
 take advantage of every scrap of cover — a tree, a fallen 
 
 stump, or a stray log. What execution his own fire was 
 
 doing in the Russian fort over the water the colonel had 
 
 no means of knowing at the time, but it was learnt later 
 
 on that his bullets had done most serious damage to the 
 
 enemy, and that, as a matter of fact, his plucky resistance 
 
 had done much to gain the day. However, Ballard's own 
 
 losses were very heavy, already more than a hundred 
 
 casualties having occurred. 
 
 Meanwhile Colonel Simmons was desirous of finding a 
 
 way by which the rest of the army might reach the spot 
 
 without having to expose themselves in the open to the 
 
 terrific Russian fire, and the artist-correspondent went 
 
 with him to assist in the search. A way out of the 
 
 difficulty was hit upon presently, namely, to make use of 
 
 the bed of the other or minor branch of the Ingour, which 
 
 they had already crossed. Though the island was not 
 
 more than fifty yards wide, yet by walking near the 
 
 water's edge the men passed the spot in comparative 
 
 safety, hidden for the most part by the slightly raised bank 
 
 of the smaller stream. Another English officer, Colonel 
 
 Caddell, had a narrow escape. He was talking to a Pasha 
 
 when a ball flew between the two men, passing clean 
 
 through the colonel's horse, killing the interpreter, then 
 
 plunging into a regiment behind, and finally rolling down 
 
 the bank of the river. The Pasha disappeared and was 
 
 not seen on the field again that day. 
 
 Ballard's vigorous fire was still being kept up. His 
 
 141 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 energy was marvellous. "Whenever he saw a man 
 unwilling to take up his position near the edge of the 
 river, he pricked him, not with his sword's point, but with 
 that sharper weapon which a Turk fears more — quiet 
 irony. ' Make a gabion of me, my good fellow ; put your 
 gun on my shoulder, and then you're sure not to be hit,' 
 was a home-thrust which irresistibly impelled the object of 
 it forward." But the number of fallen men all around 
 told of the execution being done by the Russian muskets, 
 and it was found necessary to organize a temporary- 
 hospital in a hut or two that stood in the island woods. 
 And at length ammunition began to run short, and 
 another regiment was sent to the support of the Rifles. 
 
 Evening was drawing near, and as yet nothing decisive 
 had been done ; apparently the day was to end doubtfully 
 and without effective result. But now Osman Pasha, who 
 commanded a division, was seen marching his men past in 
 the rear, and, thinking he might be going in search of a 
 ford lower down the river, the artist went after him, in 
 his usual fashion. At the end of a mile and a half of 
 tramp, they found a smaller island in the main stream, and 
 to this the Turkish troops crossed. Yet another island 
 lay alongside, and to this also the men made their way. 
 So far things had been easy ; now there lay between them 
 and the opposite bank a breadth of river, less indeed in 
 width than the three hundred feet of the ordinary main 
 stream of the Ingour, but still swift and deep. Instantly 
 the Turkish troops dashed across this, to be met, as they 
 neared the farther shore, by a galling Russian fire. Soon 
 a hundred and fifty men had fallen by the brink of the 
 
 fatal river. But Osman Pasha pressed on, not withstand - 
 
 142 
 
ON A CAUCASIAN RIVER 
 
 ing the reception, and his pluck and dash had their reward 
 in the flight of the enemy, who, seeing the determination 
 of their foes, turned and ran, and were lost in the woods. 
 
 Osman had under him some five thousand men, and it 
 was calculated that the number of Russian troops opposed 
 to him at the crossing-place was about fifteen hundred. 
 Oliphant had passed over the river with the Pasha's 
 division, and the men were taking possession of the new 
 ground, when suddenly a great shout arose on the air. 
 What could it mean? Nothing less than the taking of 
 the deadly Russian battery up the river could have given 
 rise to so much rejoicing. Yet that surely was an impossi- 
 bility ! However, news began to arrive before long that 
 such was the case. The river had been crossed, and 
 the battery captured. The day had been gained by Omar 
 Pasha's forces — the battle of the Ingour had been fought 
 and won — but how, was a mystery. It was not till next 
 day that the artist-correspondent learnt the truth con- 
 cerning this final stroke. 
 
 About the same time as Osman Pasha had been en- 
 gaged in making good his passage lower down the Ingour, 
 Colonel Simmons had suggested the advisability of trying 
 for a ford higher up the river, so that the enemy might be 
 taken in the reverse, as it were. The Commander-in- 
 Chief approved of the suggestion, and Simmons with a 
 detachment set off. By good fortune he found at last a 
 place where the bed of the river was studded with a 
 number of small islands, and the passage of the stream was 
 a fairly easy matter, and the more so, as it was unhampered 
 by any attentions from the Russians. The enemy, in 
 truth, not expecting any attack from such a quarter, had 
 
 143 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 left that side altogether undefended, and Simmons was 
 able to advance unobserved to within quite a short 
 distance of the deadly battery, opposite which the gallant 
 Ballard and his Rifles still made good play. When the 
 Turkish troops were at last perceived, they were met by 
 a terrific fire, but in spite of the fact that he was attacked 
 by two columns at once, one in front, and one on his flank, 
 Colonel Simmons dashed on, right through the first 
 column, and into the very battery itself. 
 
 Hot work followed, but luckily the struggle was brief. 
 It was terminated in a curious fashion. Amongst the 
 officers in the Turkish service was a Pole of the name of 
 Hidaiot, who had formerly served under the Czar. This 
 man was hardly distinguishable from a Russian officer. 
 Taking advantage of this fact, and of his knowledge of 
 Russian, Hidaiot shouted at the top of his voice, heard 
 above all the noise of battle, " My children, fly ; my 
 children, you are surrounded — whole regiments of these 
 infidels are coming through the wood ! " In a moment 
 every living Russian fled, and the battery was left in the 
 hands of the triumphant Simmons and his men. For his 
 signal service on this occasion Hidaiot was made a major, 
 and later received the order of the Mejidieh. 
 
 Thus terminated a day of heavy fighting, carried on 
 always close to the water's edge, on the banks and in the 
 stream of the formidable Ingour. 
 
 144 
 
XIII 
 
 AN ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 M. Louis Riel, the President of the "Red River Republic" — Gen. 
 Wolseley sent to punish him — Major Butler goes on ahead as scout — 
 Butler takes steamer at Pembina for Fort Garry — During passage 
 down Red River, mounted horsemen seen on banks — It was clear that 
 information was being taken in advance to insurgents at Fort Garry — 
 Butler and a Canadian gentleman land, in darkness, short of Fort 
 Garry — Butler makes tracks across country towards Lower Fort Garry, 
 where was an English force — Meanwhile a hue and cry at the fort — 
 Riel sends men in pursuit of Butler— "Dead or alive ! " — "Whisky 
 Tom's " and its effects — Friendly clergyman — Lower Fort Garry 
 reached — Palaver with friendly Ojibbeways — By help of these 
 Indians, Butler begins ascent of Winnipeg River to meet Wolseley — A 
 cataract and its difficulties — A gallant fight with the falls — The 
 cataract conquered at last, an extraordinary victory. 
 
 Few of the younger generation of British folk have 
 heard much of the Red River rebellion of six or seven 
 and thirty years ago. Yet M. Louis Riel, a Canadian 
 half-breed, the head of this outbreak, caused no little 
 talk in his day. He was often called the Napoleon of 
 Canada, a description not altogether unwarranted by the 
 man's appearance and character. He had seized upon 
 the Upper Fort Garry, on the Red River, near the meeting- 
 place of the waters of that river with those of the Assine- 
 boine ; he had defied Her Majesty's rule and government ; 
 he had murdered an unfortunate Canadian named Scott. It 
 was time for the home authorities to interfere, and General 
 
 Wolseley was ordered to put down the insurrection. 
 10 145 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Major Butler, an intrepid officer, was called upon to 
 render assistance, chiefly in the way of gaining informa- 
 tion as to the condition of things in Kiel's district, 
 and as to the rebel movements. There was a considerable 
 dash of risk in the duties Major Butler had undertaken, 
 a thing to rejoice the heart of a gallant soldier and a 
 born traveller, however. 
 
 Butler approached the disturbed district from the 
 United States. We may, in imagination, join him on 
 board the steamer International, as it leaves the frontier 
 town of Pembina, on the border line between the States 
 and British territory. 
 
 The boat steamed away from Pembina, and soon was 
 within the limits of the Red River Settlement, and thus 
 in the domain claimed by M. Louis Riel, the arch-plotter. 
 The captain of the steamer congratulated his military 
 passenger on having got across the border so easily, the 
 frontier line being carefully and constantly watched. 
 Nothing at first was seen of the much-talked-about guard 
 the papers were full of, the guard that was said to stretch 
 for one hundred and fifty miles, from the Red River at 
 Pembina to the Lake of the Woods. 
 
 The gallant major was just beginning to think the 
 
 whole Red River rebellion a myth, when there appeared 
 
 on the prairie a couple of horsemen, whose horses' heads 
 
 were turned towards Fort Garry. From the lofty deck 
 
 of the International he caught glimpses of the riders 
 
 during the day. Their pace was a rapid one, and it was 
 
 evident they meant to reach the fort at least as soon as 
 
 the steamer. Taking advantage of the bends in the 
 
 river, cutting across country whenever it was possible, 
 
 146 
 
ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 the horsemen managed to keep up with the boat by dint 
 of hard riding. Major Butler meanwhile learnt from one 
 of the crew of the steamer that word had been sent from 
 Pembina to Fort Garry as to the expected arrival of the 
 officer at the latter place. There was clearly trouble ahead. 
 
 Darkness set in at length, and the British scout turned 
 over in his mind the difficulties of his situation and the 
 way out of them. The prospect was anything but en- 
 couraging; he was coming every moment nearer the 
 clutches of the rebel leader and his supporters ; anything 
 might happen. The Upper Fort Garry, Bid's head-quarters, 
 was now within an hour's steaming. There was one thing 
 Butler did not mean to do ; he would not, if human skill 
 could avoid it, fall into the hands of the so-called Presi- 
 dent of the Red River Republic. His object was to give 
 that worthy the slip and to make his way to the Lower 
 Fort Garry, a score of miles farther on, and near Lake 
 Winnipeg. But how to avoid being taken under Riel's 
 own eyes at the Upper Fort ! 
 
 Major Butler spent the interval in studying the map. 
 No other place than the Lower Fort, which was in 
 British hands, offered safety; how to reach that place 
 of safety was the problem. His great want, once he 
 had managed to land without observation, was a horse ; 
 without that his course by land to the British fort would 
 be slow ; more, it would be impossible. Luckily there was 
 on board a gentleman of the district, who was evidently 
 no great friend to the President, Riel having, in fact, con- 
 fiscated much of this gentleman's goods. Entering into 
 the officer's plans, this man offered to go ashore with him, 
 and, if at all possible, provide him with a horse. 
 
 147 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Butler's plan was this. He would get the captain to 
 stop the boat at the junction of the Assineboine with the 
 Red River, quite near to Fort Garry, but clear of observa- 
 tion. This was in reality the suggestion of his Canadian 
 friend on the ship, his own idea having been to step off 
 at the usual landing-place and rush away, trusting to his 
 revolver and a fourteen-shot repeating rifle he had. As 
 for his baggage, he must be content to leave it to fall 
 into the hands of the rebels. His weapons, his ammunition 
 and his dog he would not abandon. 
 
 It was eleven o'clock and the night very dark, the moon 
 not yet risen. Fort Garry was ahead and close at hand. 
 From the deck the lights and even moving figures could 
 be seen. Butler, his carbine concealed under his great- 
 coat, stood ready in the bows, his friend the Canadian 
 gentleman by his side. The confluence of the two rivers 
 was reached, and the vessel, turning into the Assineboine, 
 suddenly shut off her steam. Then it brushed against 
 the shore on the opposite side of the river to the fort. 
 The Canadian in an instant leapt ashore, and the major, 
 dragging the dog after him, sprang also, only just in 
 time, for the vessel was beginning to sheer off again. 
 It was a risky thing, but nevertheless, aided by the dark- 
 ness, the two men made their way unseen to the top of 
 the bank, and then struck across to the village of Winni- 
 peg, only a few hundred yards away. 
 
 The first step had been gained ; the rest must come as 
 it would. Here the Canadian left the officer, giving him 
 directions as to his road. He promised to send a man 
 with a horse to the first bridge on the road to the Lower 
 
 Fort. The next moment Butler found himself alone, the 
 
 148 
 
ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 village at hand, the lights of fort and steamer showing at 
 no great distance. No wonder he stood in doubt for a 
 moment. But it was for only a moment, and he began 
 to walk rapidly along the road that had been indicated 
 to him. 
 
 He was soon at the first wooden bridge, the place where 
 he was to await the horse that had been promised. Stand- 
 ing on the bridge was a man. Whether this were a guard 
 or sentinel, or only a private citizen, it would clearly be 
 folly to linger about the place ; such a thing would at 
 once excite suspicion. 
 
 At this moment the dog got loose from the lead, and 
 his master, unwilling to lose the animal, stopped at the 
 farther end of the bridge to whistle him back. He never 
 saw the dog again, however. But now as to the horse. 
 Nothing could be seen of it, and Butler reflected that if 
 the animal should appear, the place was ill-chosen, being, 
 as it was, in possession of a sentinel. So he determined 
 to proceed without the horse, and hurried off into the 
 misty darkness of the prairie. 
 
 After an hour of heavy tramping along the rough track 
 he saw the last-quarter moon rise, and the better light 
 enabled him to see the bearings of his course and some- 
 thing of the surrounding country. For two or three 
 hours he plodded steadily but rapidly on. He was all 
 the while calculating his chances of getting clear away. 
 He knew that he would be able to hear any pursuers 
 while they were yet at a distance, and there were en- 
 closures where he might conceal himself. Then, given 
 that the number of his assailants was not overwhelming, 
 
 the fourteen-shooter would probably cause a fright amongst 
 
 149 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 them and a stampede back to the fort. Parched with 
 thirst the runaway found with delight a little creek, and 
 went down into the hollow for water. 
 
 Meanwhile there had been scenes in the fort. News 
 that an officer in Her Majesty's service was on board the 
 International had caused much excitement amongst the 
 leading rebels, and a number of fellows, " not afraid to 
 fight," as the President expressed it, were in readiness to 
 board the vessel the moment it touched at Fort Garry. 
 This they did, searching every corner and cranny of the 
 ship, eVen breaking open doors and fastenings in their 
 scrutiny. In the midst of it all the information leaked 
 out that a couple of men had sprung ashore only a few 
 minutes before. Kiel was wild with rage, and stamped 
 and cursed like a maniac. Nearly everybody on board 
 was made prisoner, and in a very short space of time the 
 Canadian gentleman had been fetched from his house, and 
 threatened with the hangman's rope. He was questioned 
 as to the whereabouts of his companion in the escapade, 
 and replied that beyond the fact that the officer was in 
 the Queen's service and had gone to the Lower Fort, he 
 knew nothing. 
 
 " After him ! " the President had yelled. " Bring him 
 back, dead or alive ! " 
 
 Half-a-dozen fellows, chiefly half-breeds and filibusters, 
 
 started after the runaway, discussing what they had heard 
 
 concerning him. For extraordinary rumours were afloat 
 
 amongst them, it appeared. The officer was declared to 
 
 be a man of gigantic size, and as for the dog with him, 
 
 its proportions were awful ! The pursuing party made 
 
 good headway for the first eight miles beyond the village 
 
 150 
 
ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 of Winnipeg, as far as a place known as " Whisky Tom's," 
 a suggestive title, as the major says. It was never made 
 clear whether the rebel pursuers ever got beyond the 
 seductions of the whisky store ; most likely not, for they 
 did not overtake the fugitive, as they should have done 
 had they kept vigorously on the track. 
 
 The major, now but four miles, by his reckoning, from 
 the British quarters at Lower Fort Garry, came to a 
 village, and at once proceeded to knock up the worthy 
 parson at the manse. The reverend gentleman was 
 alarmed at his visitor's appearance, as well he might 
 be, for Butler looked every inch the bandit. However, a 
 little explanation cleared up matters, and the major was 
 soon enjoying a meal in the parsonage, and explaining to 
 his delighted host the situation of affairs. The clergy- 
 man, breakfast over, soon had out his buggy, and trotted 
 his guest rapidly over the remaining four miles to the 
 Lower Fort. The sun had just risen. 
 
 It was now time the runaway had a rest, and he lay 
 down to sleep in the fort. While the major slept, the 
 officer in charge of the fort began to hear tidings of the 
 pursuit by Kiel's men. One caller after another dropped 
 in with information, and there appeared to be no doubt 
 that the President was bent on capturing the Englishman. 
 
 " The French are after you ! " the officer in charge at 
 length whispered in Butler's ears. The weary major had 
 been asleep a couple of hours or so. " The French are 
 after you ! " was the summons repeated. 
 
 " The French ! " The half-awake man sat up and 
 
 looked about him as though he imagined himself to be 
 
 in France, and it was some moments before he realized 
 
 151 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 that he was in the Far-away Red River Settlement, and 
 in a position of considerable danger. 
 
 Notwithstanding all dangers, distant or imminent, 
 however, Major Butler coolly sat down to enjoy a mutton 
 chop and a cup of tea before he started to run again. 
 His friend of the fort proposed to drive his guest to the 
 Indian settlement, where the Ojibbeways, faithful subjects 
 of Her Majesty, would give a smart reply to any inquirers 
 of the Gallic stock, and Pahaouza-Uu-ka, " the Great 
 Scalp-taker," would have much work cut out for him. 
 These redskins had a settlement along the Red River, 
 a few miles before it joins its floods to the waters of 
 Lake Winnipeg. As good as his word, the Lower Fort 
 officer presently drove the runaway to the Mission 
 Station, some eight miles lower down the river. His 
 reception by the Indians was picturesque and striking, 
 to say the least of it. 
 
 There came along the road a couple of hundred warriors 
 
 in all the glory of their war-paint. At their head 
 
 marched various of the Ojibbeway chiefs, Big Apron, 
 
 Little Long Ears, and the Man who flies round the 
 
 Feathers. The whole body wheeled into the court before 
 
 the Mission House, the chiefs and elders coming to the 
 
 front and sitting down in a circle, while their trusty 
 
 followers stood around. In front of all stood the first of 
 
 the chiefs, with an interpreter and a pipe-bearer. A 
 
 salute from their old-fashioned flint-lock weapons greeted 
 
 the major, who, coming out and standing on the step, 
 
 received the further welcome of a volley of loud "Ho, 
 
 ho's " from the two hundred braves. 
 
 The chief began his speech. He and his brethren, he 
 
 152 
 
ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 said, were the most faithful children of the Great Mother, 
 and they were ready to fight against the bad men who 
 had risen against her, and who were fattening on the 
 goods they had stolen, while the Great Mother's children 
 were very poor, almost starving. Now they welcomed 
 one who, they had been told, came from the great chief 
 who was over the Great Mother's warriors. But the 
 faithful children were sorely in doubt ; long they had 
 watched for the arrival of the Great Mother's warriors, 
 but always in vain. They had begun to fear that the 
 reports they had heard were not true, and that the great 
 warrior chief with his men would never come to the help 
 of the poor starving children and bring not only help but 
 plenty. 
 
 Butler's reply was short, but in the highest degree 
 satisfying to the Ojibbeways. It was true what they had 
 heard, he said. The big chief was indeed coming, and 
 with many braves in his army. The Great Mother's arm 
 was long, able to stretch over rivers, and forests, conti- 
 nents, and seas. The great chief would reward the faithful 
 children for their good behaviour. Soon the big chief 
 himself would be here. He himself, the speaker, was 
 even now on his way to meet the chief, and he would tell 
 him how true the redskins had been. When the chief 
 arrived, all would be well, and there would be plenty 
 in the land. For the present they should have flour, 
 pemmican, tea, and tobacco. 
 
 A loud chorus of " Ho's ! " showed how much the 
 speech was to the liking of the Indians, and after shak- 
 ing hands with the chiefs, Major Butler sent the warriors 
 
 on to the Lower Fort with an order for a big feed and a 
 
 153 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 long pipe. Then, after another salute from the guns, the 
 Ojibbeways filed off. 
 
 A message had arrived from General Wolseley himself, 
 and the major determined to go by way of the Winnipeg 
 river to the head-quarters of the expedition, away back 
 somewhere on the shores of Lake Superior. The passage 
 up this marvellous river was likely to be hard, and even 
 dangerous, so many are the rapids and cataracts on the 
 three hundred and sixty miles of its course. However, 
 with the help of the faithful Ojibbeways, he had no 
 hesitation in making the attempt. By a curious turn 
 of events, which need not be gone into here, Butler was 
 enabled to visit the Upper Fort Garry, the scene of his 
 recent escapade, and have an interview with the rebel 
 leader, Riel. The President declared that he was in no 
 way hostile to the Queen ; he was merely defending his 
 brethren against injustice, he said. He was surprised 
 to hear of Butler's proposals to ascend the Winnipeg. 
 
 It was not without forebodings on the part of some of 
 the Indian fortune-tellers that the major started off on 
 his long journey up the river, but he had a magnificent 
 send-off from the assembled tribe. His exciting experi- 
 ences on the passage were many. But one of them need 
 be recounted. 
 
 There is a great noise on ahead, and a turn round 
 a bend reveals a wild cataract, or rather a stretch of 
 tumbling, impetuous rapids, framed in by toAvering rocks, 
 and overshadowed by dark trees. A splendid spectacle as 
 a spectacle, but one to fill with dismay the breast of any 
 but the boldest traveller who has to surmount so formid- 
 able an obstacle. The enormous mass of water, maddened 
 
 154 
 
ESCAPADE ON THE RED RIVER 
 
 by its fall, rushes headlong amongst the outjutting rocks 
 that stud the bed of the river. 
 
 The Indians are equal to the occasion. Quickly they 
 steer their frail canoe into the quieter belt of water near 
 the bank, a bit of calm produced by the formation of a 
 back-current between the main central rush of the stream 
 and the shore. It is ticklish work, for there within a foot 
 or two dashes the resistless down-current. The calmer 
 back-water is followed till the boat is at the very foot of 
 the falls, and all the help has been got from it that is 
 possible. But what is now to be done ! 
 
 One of the men, the wielder of the bow paddle, at this 
 moment gives a great shout. Instantly every paddle is 
 struck deep into the rushing flood, and the craft is 
 quivering in the very midst of the boiling foam. The 
 steersman with the most astonishing skill keeps her head 
 ever straight for the falls, and the men work like giants. 
 It is a wild and exciting spectacle. All around is the 
 mighty surging rush of waters, dashing against the boat 
 and leaping high above it ; the men are straining every 
 nerve; a single false stroke, or the slightest error of 
 judgment, and the imagination needs no spur to enable 
 it to picture the result ! It is a matter of life and death. 
 
 But surely no human hands can prevail, in the long 
 
 run, against the opposing dash of these falling floods ! 
 
 It is true. In spite of all efforts the bark is being slowly 
 
 forced back. But all the time it is being also forced 
 
 across, towards the rocky islet that hangs on the very 
 
 edge of the falls, and spreads out for a short space below 
 
 among the boiling waters. The. next instant the boat is 
 
 under the lee of the lower portion of the island, and safe ! 
 
 155 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Joyfully the men spring ashore, rending the air with 
 their shouts of victory, a victory gained against the most 
 formidable of enemies. The redskins laugh aloud in 
 their delight. 
 
 To carry the cargo up to the higher level of the islet, 
 feet above, is the work of ten minutes or so. Then the 
 shell of a bark is lifted carefully from the water, for the 
 slightest tap against jagged rock would do irreparable 
 damage to so frail a thing, and is borne to the upper 
 edge, where, poised for a while on the ground, it looks 
 upon the reach of river above the cataract. On either 
 side the flood is curving for its leap, here in the midst is 
 comparatively smooth water, into which the canoe may 
 be launched. After an interval for rest the men restore 
 their craft to its element, the cargo is put on board once 
 more, the men re-embark, and with a shout and a mighty 
 pull the boat is shot off from the bank of the islet. The 
 cataract is conquered ! 
 
 Note. — From Butler's Gh'eat Lone Land, by permission from Messrs. 
 Sampson Low, and Co. 
 
 156 
 
XIV 
 
 RUNNING THE GAUNTLET ON THE OXUS 
 
 The far-faniecUOxus — American war-correspondent, Captain Mac Gahan, 
 toils across the terrible desert of Kyzil-Kum — Desires to join column 
 of Russian General Kaufmann — Five divisions of Russian army 
 bearing down on Khiva — Mac Gahan reaches Oxus valley, tired, 
 dispirited, and dreading dangers — No sign of General Kaufmann — A 
 night amongst the sand dunes — Fascinated by sight of the mighty 
 and mysterious Oxus — Marks of cannon — Whose ? — A score of 
 Khivans seen on in front — A great storm— Constant alarms by sight 
 of foes in the distance — "Nerves unstrung" — Sound of guns — A 
 battle observed from hill-top — Approach of troop of horse — Mac Gahan 
 and men hide in sand — New-comers prove to be friendly Kirghiz — 
 Push joyfully on — Russians bombard fort across the river — Battle of 
 Sheik- Arik — Khivans defeated — Mac Gahan complimented by Russian 
 General Golovatchoff — "A molodydz." 
 
 " Forward we urge our jaded horses ; to-day we must 
 reach the river, for we have neither water nor provisions. 
 Lower sinks the sun down the western sky, until it hangs 
 on the horizon round and red, and projects long shadows 
 of ourselves over the desert : then drops out of sight. 
 Suddenly flash up on the western sky broad flame-like 
 streaks of red, purple and golden light, beneath which, 
 far away on the edge of the horizon, we at last catch the 
 glimmer of water. The Oxus at last ! " 
 
 Thus writes the bold American war-correspondent, 
 Captain Mac Gahan, after a long, toilsome, and most 
 dangerous journey of a month across the desert of Kyzil- 
 Kum, which lies to the east of the great Asiatic inland 
 
 157 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 sea Aral, and between the ancient twin streams, the 
 Jaxartes and the Oxus. 
 
 It was in the year 1873, and Mac Gahan was on his 
 way to join the Russian column under General Kaufmann, 
 to accompany it on the expedition against the rebellious 
 town of Khiva and its Khan. No fewer than five Russian 
 divisions were moving on that far-off city, from different 
 points of the compass. That under Kaufmann was known 
 to have left Tashkend, but since that time nothing had 
 been heard of it. Mac Gahan, in order to intercept, if 
 possible, the general's line of march, had formed the bold, 
 nay, the extraordinary resolution of attempting to cross 
 the wild desert, from the north. With three or four 
 servants he had accomplished the impossible, and now, 
 worn out with fatigue, hungry and thirsty, dirty, tattered 
 and drooping, he saw himself in the valley of the ancient 
 and mysterious Oxus, a river that has been famous ever 
 since history has been written. 
 
 More troubles, however, lay in front of him. By 
 
 marvellous good fortune he had escaped all the hostile 
 
 Turcomans on his rash journey across the desert, a piece 
 
 of good fortune that seemed incredible to all who heard 
 
 the story later on. But now he was coming into the 
 
 neighbourhood of Khiva itself. At any moment he might 
 
 meet with a roving band of the enemy, or a handful of 
 
 scouts. If that should happen, it needed no prophet to 
 
 tell what would be the fate of the daring American and 
 
 his companions. If only he could fall in with the Russian 
 
 force he was seeking, all would be well. But where was 
 
 General Kaufmann ? Had he passed the spot and gone 
 
 on towards Khiva ? Or would Mac Gahan fall in with 
 
 158 
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 
 
 some hostile force sent out from Khiva to meet the 
 advancing Russians ? It was a vain thing to ask such 
 questions. 
 
 Cautiously the little band approached the river, whose 
 bank they did not reach till dark. They hid themselves 
 and their beasts as well as they could among the sand 
 dunes, and waited for morning. What would that morn- 
 ing bring? Would it show the proximity of the white 
 Russian uniform, or the tall black caps of the foe ? The 
 camping party dared not light a fire, so they lay down in 
 the sand by the river to pass the night as best they might. 
 
 At daylight they are afoot again, and to their surprise 
 find that the water hard by is not the Oxus at all, but a 
 swamp. Near is a little hill, and that the men ascend to 
 peer about the country. Not a soldier of any sort is 
 visible, but there down below is the river in reality. The 
 war-correspondent was so fascinated with the sight of that 
 famous stream that for the moment he forgot Russian and 
 Khivan alike. " It was almost with an effort," he writes, 
 " that I could bring myself to believe that I was really 
 looking on that river, which stretches its mighty course 
 from the mountains of India to the Aral sea ; and which 
 has been the scene of so many historic events from almost 
 the earliest ages of man. It seemed still more strange 
 when I thought how few of my race had seen this river ; 
 how few that had reached it had lived ; and how, if I had 
 been here two days ago, my life would not have been worth 
 a pin's fee." 
 
 His field-glass gave him a view of the country for 
 
 twenty miles up and down the Oxus, but in all that 
 
 stretch there was no sign of camp or soldiery. Terror 
 
 159 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 began to seize on the man, and he rushed down to the 
 river. There he found the cold ashes of a great number 
 of camp fires. But whose camp fires ? 
 
 The marks of cannon tracks now observed at the foot of 
 the pigmy hills and the dead fires showed that Kaufmann 
 had passed the spot. But whether he had crossed the 
 river there or had kept on along its bank there was 
 nothing to show. Mac Gahan decided to keep on for the 
 present without attempting the passage of the stream. 
 There was a little band of green grass on either side of 
 the river. 
 
 Thus the party followed the trail, finding plenty of 
 indications of the progress of troops, and hoping at any 
 turn to catch a glimpse of the rear of the Russian column. 
 Their disappointment grew keener in proportion as it was 
 longer continued, and the danger of the situation increased 
 every hour. 
 
 Presently the track led along the foot of some over- 
 hanging cliffs, and as the party were moving quietly 
 below, they were alarmed by a camel which came crashing 
 down close to them, having fallen from the rocks above. 
 The animal had broken its neck in the fall. The first 
 thought of the wayfarers was that the beast had been 
 thrown down upon them by Turcomans, and they expected 
 to be assailed the next moment with a shower of bullets. 
 They held their own rifles ready, prepared to defend 
 themselves to the utmost, but no enemy appeared, and 
 they ventured to go up to the fallen animal. They found 
 it to be blind, and they concluded that it must be one of 
 the camels abandoned by Kaufmann on his march. 
 
 Hardly had the men recovered from this fright when, 
 
 160 
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 
 
 turning a corner, they suddenly saw five horsemen 
 advancing towards them. Again Mac Gahan and his 
 companions stood on the defensive. But, to their no little 
 relief, the enemy dashed unexpectedly into the Oxus, and 
 made their way across, and so in the direction of Khiva. 
 A shot or two sent after the fellows failed to reach them. 
 
 After this the American and his followers gained the 
 top of the cliffs, and well for them it was they had done 
 so, for soon the guide caught sight of pretty nearly a score 
 of Khivans encamped on the river bank down below, but 
 at some distance. Such a number of the enemy could not 
 be encountered, so a detour was made of some miles 
 inland — into the desert — and the river was struck again a 
 league or two below. 
 
 Night was coming on, and just before it became dark, a 
 couple of men were observed watching the party from the 
 other shore of the river. However, Mac Gahan pushed on 
 through the darkness, he and his men creeping silently 
 and like spirits along the bank of the stream. Their 
 situation was becoming every moment more dangerous. 
 Twice they had been seen from the other side ; at any 
 instant the enemy might be upon them. As the gallant 
 leader says, their " nerves were getting unstrung." Their 
 sole hope was that at any bend now they might catch a 
 sight of the Russian camp fires. 
 
 From the top of the cliff's a storm was presently seen to 
 be approaching, and from their elevated position the 
 travellers saw the lightning flash out far away to the west, 
 and in the direction of Khiva itself. Suddenly one of the 
 party fancies he sees a light ahead. It appears no more, 
 but evidently it will not do to advance with the enemy 
 H 161 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 possibly close in front. Tired out, for they had marched 
 five-and-forty miles that day, the party halt by the river 
 brink till daylight. Not a soul among the followers could 
 be induced to mount guard ; all were dead with fatigue, 
 and the leader himself had to undertake sentry duty. For 
 hours he marched up and down in his loneliness, for the 
 rest were sound asleep. The risk was, of course, very great. 
 The weirdness of the situation was increased by the storm 
 that continued. Every now and then a brilliant flash 
 would light up cliff and river, and reveal the ghost-like 
 faces of the sleepers, and then the darkness would resume 
 its sway, the night blacker than ever. 
 
 The morning came at length, and the march was 
 resumed. The first mile proved how great the danger 
 had been, for there were the still smouldering ashes of a 
 camp fire. As it was the only fire around, it could not 
 have been a Russian fire, but that of a Khivan scouting 
 party. Had the American and his men gone on for a few 
 minutes longer the previous night, it is certain he would 
 not have lived to write his stirring account of his Oxus 
 adventures. 
 
 Another hour, and a roar as of distant thunder strikes 
 the ear, startling the wayfarers. It is followed by other 
 rolling thunders. There is no mistaking the meaning ; it 
 is the boom of camion ! 
 
 Kaufmann at last ! There was no doubt upon the 
 
 point. And an engagement was taking place. But were 
 
 the Turcomans between the war- correspondent and his 
 
 Russian friends ? If so, the situation was more serious 
 
 than ever. The American's companions were seized with 
 
 mortal terror, and it was with great difficulty he induced 
 
 162 
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 
 
 one of them to accompany him to the top of a small hill, 
 whence a view might be obtained of the conflict going on 
 in the distance. The view, however, was bounded by 
 another and a somewhat loftier hill, a mile on in front. 
 So far as Mac Gahan could judge, the scene of the battle 
 would be about five miles away. He determined to make 
 a bee-line for the cannonading, and was just about to 
 start for the further hill when half-a-dozen horsemen came 
 dashing over the crest. The fellows, seeing the travellers, 
 made for the river at once and were no more seen. As 
 the intrepid correspondent says, it was beginning "to 
 grow exciting." 
 
 Pushing on with all speed through the loose sand the 
 party gain the next hill, and lie down amongst the grass 
 to peer over. Now there is a sight that fascinates 
 them ! 
 
 Some two miles away they could see a long line of 
 horses, a hundred probably, stretching loosely over a mile 
 of ground. Mac Gahan himself could not see the riders, 
 but his men assured him there were riders. It was 
 impossible to tell at that distance whether the horsemen 
 were Kirghiz or Turcomans, but their dress proclaimed 
 them to be one of the two, and not Russians. If they 
 should prove to be Kirghiz all would be well ; if Turco- 
 mans, then the position was desperate. To go back, or to 
 make a big detour to circumvent the enemy, would be 
 impossible with horses so utterly exhausted. To attempt 
 concealment till nightfall and then to slip through the 
 Turcoman lines was hopeless. The district afforded no 
 cover save a few pigmy sand dunes. 
 
 By this time the guns had ceased firing, and the 
 
 163 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 travellers hid themselves in the sand, awaiting with 
 beating hearts the issue. Then all at once a couple of 
 men were observed coming towards them. The crisis of 
 events had arrived, for escape was now out of the question. 
 Mac Gahan gave the order to his men to hide in the sand 
 as well as they could and have their guns ready. Every 
 man was well armed, but whether any among them could 
 be trusted to hit anything the leader was very doubtful. 
 He was uncertain even whether they would stick to their 
 posts. His own plan was to let the enemy get within ten 
 yards, and then fire. If the shots should prove effective, 
 he would confiscate the fresh horses and attempt flight. 
 Even so, his chances of reaching the Russian lines were 
 not great, but the risk must be undertaken. In any and 
 every case the position was a desperate one, for, of course, 
 at the first sound of firing, the main band of the horsemen 
 over there would rush to the defence of their fellows, and 
 then 
 
 The horsemen, now within fifty yards, were inclined to 
 be cautious, as if scenting a foe. Mac Gahan glanced at 
 his companions, but did not find much encouragement 
 there, except in the case of a young Kirghiz he had with 
 him. The cannonading suddenly began again in the 
 distance at that instant. The American, his finger on the 
 trigger, awaited the nearer approach of the two riders, 
 and he was assured in a whisper by one of his men that 
 they were really Turcomans he had to do with. 
 
 The fellows were now within a score or so of yards, and 
 
 the leader of the little party was just on the point of 
 
 firing, when Mustruf, one of his servants, sprang with 
 
 a joyful cry from the ground, and threw up his cap, wild 
 
 164 
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 
 
 with delight. He had recognized in one of the horsemen 
 an acquaintance, a Kirghiz ! What a revulsion of feeling 
 must have come to the breasts of the little band in 
 hiding ! 
 
 The Kirghiz men were found to be in the Russian 
 service, and on their way back to Khala-ata. From them 
 the correspondent learnt that the Russian force was only 
 three miles on in front, and that it was engaged in 
 storming a fort situated on the other bank of the 
 river. 
 
 To spring joyfully into saddle again and push on to a 
 nearer view of the operations, and to the proximity of 
 friends, was the work of a moment. After half-an-hour's 
 progress a most excellent coign of vantage was gained, a 
 miniature sand-hill by the river's brink, with a good 
 view of all the country round. The heart of the war- 
 correspondent leapt with joy. He had arrived in the very 
 nick of time — time to enable him to see the whole of the 
 stirring events that were taking place at that hour. Had 
 he had the full arrangement of matters in his own hands, 
 he could not have timed his arrival better. 
 
 The Oxus at that point was about three-quarters of a 
 mile broad, but the opposite shore could be seen well 
 enough. And a busy scene it was that met Mac Gahan's 
 eyes there. Near the water's edge stood a fort, and below 
 it a couple of cannon, which the enemy kept in constant 
 action. The firing of the Khivans, in fact, was almost as 
 rapid as that of the Russians. The watchers were sur- 
 prised to see with what accuracy the enemy's guns were 
 worked. Ball after ball came down right into the 
 
 165 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Russian troops across the stream. They were but old- 
 fashioned cannon-balls, or the damage would have been 
 great ; as it was, the shot appeared to strike the ground 
 without causing harm to the Russians, merely ploughing 
 up the earth for a distance. 
 
 The effect of the Russian return fire was very different, 
 and it could easily be seen even across the wide river. 
 Each shell threw up the earth in all directions. It was 
 wonderful the Khivans stood their ground as they did ; 
 their two guns kept well at their work, however. It must 
 have been an exciting time for all who witnessed this 
 historic scene. This was the sixth time the forces of the 
 Czar had tried to reach this place. Four times they had 
 failed utterly, overcome by the distance, the weather, the 
 difficulties attending the campaign. On one other occa- 
 sion a body of Russians had succeeded, indeed, in making 
 their way into the town of Khiva, but every man among 
 them had been done to death through the treachery of 
 the Khan and his people. Would this sixth attempt 
 meet with any better success than the other five ? No 
 wonder Mac Gahan looked on with intensest interest. 
 
 The farther bank of the Oxus, where were posted the 
 
 Khivans, was elevated somewhat above the river level, 
 
 whereas that on which stood the Russian attacking force 
 
 was very little higher than the surface of the water. The 
 
 Khivans appeared to have thrown up earthworks — so at 
 
 least the Russians thought — but it was found later on 
 
 that it was merely the raised bank of a canal that had 
 
 been seen from across the river. Above and beyond this 
 
 embankment a peep could be obtained of trees and 
 
 166 
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET 
 
 gardens. A number of Khivan cavalry were clashing 
 about by the shore. All this the American could well 
 make out from his position of vantage. 
 
 All at once came a change over the scene. One of the 
 Russian shells exploded in the very midst of the Khivan 
 horse. The effect was great and immediate. The fellows, 
 terror-stricken, fled in every direction. Presently, how- 
 ever, a number of horses returned, and the two field-pieces 
 were dragged off from the bank and out of sight. In a 
 few minutes the Khivan shore of the Oxus was entirely 
 deserted, not a single soul remaining there. So ended 
 the engagement henceforth to be known in history as the 
 battle of Sheik-Arik. 
 
 The war-correspondent lost no time now in making his 
 way to his Russian friends, a matter accomplished not 
 without some little trouble, the intervening country being 
 intersected by numbers of canals and ditches. A Russian 
 officer came out to meet him, and shouted, " Who are 
 you 1 " 
 
 " American," Mac Gahan replied. 
 
 " You are the man who crossed the Kyzil-Kum 
 alone ? " 
 
 On replying that he was the very man, the correspondent 
 was taken to General Golovatchoff, who was quietly 
 smoking, seated on a gun. Not far away were lying a 
 dismounted cannon and the dead bodies of a couple of 
 horses. These comprised the entire losses the Russians 
 had sustained in the battle. Though the ground about 
 had been torn up in every quarter, yet, strange to say, not 
 a man had been hit. 
 
 167 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 The Russian troops showed every kindness towards the 
 gallant Mac Gahan, and when, a little later on, he was 
 presented to General Kaufmann, that distinguished officer 
 paid him a well-deserved compliment by calling him a 
 molodyctz, a brave fellow. 
 
 Note. — From Mac Gahan's Campaigning on tJie Ozus, by permission from 
 Messrs. Sampson Low, and Co. 
 
 168 
 
XV 
 
 ELK-HUNTING IN CEYLON 
 
 Fort McDonald River — A fine elk found — Elk at bay crosses river — Two 
 dogs follow — Struggle in the water — Near tlie edge of a great cataract 
 —Danger imminent — Marvellous escape of dogs — Elk in stream now 
 followed by the other hounds — One carried over the fall and lost — 
 Hunters cross the river — Elk perched on a cliff three hundred feet high 
 — An exciting scene on the ledge — Buck at bay — Leaps over the preci- 
 pice — A doe chased by dogs also falls over the precipice — -A dog drawn 
 into a subterranean pool — Strange escape — Another buck chased by a 
 single greyhound — Animals near the edge of a huge perpendicular rock 
 — Hound stops short, elk goes over the cliff. 
 
 It is said that once upon a time a British Postmaster- 
 General suggested the building of a bridge between 
 Australia and Tasmania, in order to expedite the trans- 
 mission of the mails from one island to the other ! He 
 was mightily surprised to learn that the intervening strait 
 is no less than a hundred and eighty miles across. In like 
 manner a good many untravelled folk are inclined to look 
 upon such an island as Ceylon as on the whole a small 
 place, a place where, for instance, it is impossible to find 
 anything like a big mountain or a formidable river. Such 
 was not the experience of the renowned sportsman and 
 soldier, Sir Samuel Baker. The Fort McDonald River 
 alone gave him plenty of work and not a few exciting 
 
 situations. 
 
 169 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 The river runs at the bottom of an immense V-shaped 
 gorge, and abounds in fine cataracts, " all of which," to use 
 the hunter's own description, " however grand individually, 
 are completely eclipsed by its last great plunge of three 
 hundred feet perpendicular depth into a dark and narrow 
 chasm of wall-bound cliffs. The bed of the river is the 
 most frightful place that can be conceived, being choked 
 by enormous fragments of rock, amidst which, the irresist- 
 ible torrent howls with a fury that it is impossible to 
 describe." It was in this locality that were witnessed 
 some of the intrepid general's elk-hunting exploits. 
 
 Ten couple of baying hounds were turned out early one 
 May morning. Almost at once they found, and soon they 
 were all coming at a great pace down the steep mountain 
 side. The elk passed within a short distance of the 
 hunters, and though he could not be seen for the jungle, 
 it was clear from his track that the animal was a noble 
 fellow. Down, down the hill slipped the men, in full pur- 
 suit. So sharp was the slope that they had to hang on 
 to the bushes now and then to prevent themselves from 
 flying off irresistibly and down to the formidable river 
 far below. After a considerable downward course, they 
 met with some natives whose information sent them along 
 the flank at that level. The sound of the dogs was lost 
 now ; then all at once the ba}dng of a single hound showed 
 that the elk was making straight for the river. That 
 river was a dreaded locality, and both men and dogs had 
 evidently rough work cut out for them. 
 
 Again the steep scramble down began, the hunters hold- 
 ing by the tufts of grass to prevent a too precipitous 
 descent. At last the elk was seen standing on a grassy 
 
 170 
 
The Elk charged and scattered the Hounds 
 
 The elk in Ceylon, when hunted in the narrow and precipitous valleys, has a habit of 
 making for the river, and therein lies the danger to both men and dogs. 
 
ELK-HUNTING IN CEYLON 
 
 level within three hundred yards of the river. The whole 
 pack of hounds was about him, eager for the attack. But 
 the animal again and again charged them, scattering them 
 in all directions, but always to gather once more. Between 
 the grassy platform on which were the animals and the 
 spot of sloping bank where stood the hunter, was a deep 
 ravine, and down the side of this he dashed at headlong- 
 speed. Presently he got a full view of the elk, and found 
 him to be one of the finest fellows of his kind ever seen. 
 The buck was thirteen hands high and carried a wonder- 
 ful head of horns. Quickly Sir Samuel dropped to the 
 bottom of the ravine, and then swung himself up the 
 opposite bank till he was but a yard or two away. 
 
 The elk turned and surveyed his new enemy, and not 
 liking the looks of him, began to descend by narrow elk- 
 paths towards the river, the dogs hard after him. The 
 sportsman's blood was now hot, and in his excitement he 
 followed the track over the most risky places. At last he 
 found himself above a cataract of some eighty feet deep, 
 though it was not the great cataract of all, which was a 
 hundred yards lower down the stream. From this height 
 Baker looked down upon elk and dogs, which had made 
 their way to the brink of the river itself below. Though 
 the hounds were so near, no sound of their voices reached 
 their master, the awful thunders of the cataracts drowning 
 all other noise. The elk appeared to be in a tight spot ; 
 before him was the boiling torrent ; behind him a perpen- 
 dicular wall of rock, all but in one part, where was the narrow 
 path by which he had come down. That path was now 
 crowded with dogs. 
 
 Suddenly the buck sprang across the rapids, and leaping 
 
 171 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 from one rock to another in the bed of the stream, reached 
 the other bank. Here, however, the ascent was so steep 
 that he could not gain a footing. In spite of all his efforts 
 he slipped back into the furious torrent. By this time 
 two of the hounds, to their master's horror, had bounded 
 across the river after the buck, and the three animals 
 rolled into the seething waters together. The elk re- 
 appeared swimming strongly ; the dogs, unable to stem 
 the rush of the torrent, were rapidly carried away in the 
 foam towards the falls. 
 
 It was a trying and exciting moment for the hunter. 
 He saw his dogs within a few feet of the edge of the cata- 
 ract, spinning round helplessly in the whirlpools. He 
 shouted frantically to encourage them, but they were 
 unable to hear a sound from him. All the time, however, 
 they were making the most desperate efforts to escape the 
 horrible fate that was impending. The struggling hounds 
 were now hid from view by tufts of grass, but as they 
 were almost at the very edge of the falls, their case was 
 hopeless. Surely they had gone over ! The master felt 
 himself sick. 
 
 Then a sudden and most unlooked-for change ! The poor 
 brutes were seen struggling up the steep bank. At the 
 very last instant they had scrambled out of the frightful 
 rush of the waters. A narrower escape was never wit- 
 nessed, and the hunter sent up a joyful hurrah ! 
 
 The elk meanwhile had held his own in the rapids a 
 
 little above. The rest of the dogs in their mad eagerness 
 
 had plunged in after him. That the whole pack would be 
 
 lost, the master never doubted. Turned over and over by 
 
 the whirling eddies, half smothered in foam, the hounds 
 
 172 
 
ELK-HUNTING IN CEYLON 
 
 were being rapidly swept to their destruction. One of 
 them, " Phrenzy," was caught in the strongest part of the 
 current. " Round she spun in the giddy vortex ; nearer 
 and nearer she approached the verge — her struggles were 
 unavailing — over she went ! and was of course never 
 heard of afterwards. This was a terrible style of hunting ; 
 rather too much so to be pleasant." 
 
 Sir Samuel dashed to the river level as quickly as he 
 could, but only just in time to see the elk making his way 
 up the opposite bank with a whole crowd of dogs hard 
 after him. Luckily but one was missing; every hound 
 had saved himself save the ill-fated " Phrenzy." To cross 
 the river was now the problem, but the hunter found a 
 place where a risky passage was made by leaping from 
 rock to rock. With others of his party he crawled up 
 the steep side of the ravine, and a quarter of an hour's 
 scramble amongst the tall lemon-grass succeeded. The 
 men could not see a foot before them for the grass, and 
 did not know whether their very next move would not 
 precipitate them headlong down some perpendicular wall 
 of rock. Neither elk nor dogs could now be seen, and the 
 noise of the falls, not so far away, prevented any sound of 
 baying reaching the ears of the hunters. For a time they 
 were at a loss, but kept scrambling on, away from the 
 distracting roar of the falls. 
 
 At last the voices of the dogs at bay were distinctly 
 
 heard. The next moment the buck was seen standing on 
 
 a rock platform a little ahead, the rock dropping almost 
 
 sheer down into the river far below. For the second time 
 
 both elk and hounds had got themselves into an awkward 
 
 position. Should the elk charge the hounds, some of 
 
 173 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 them must inevitably be knocked over the edge of the 
 towering cliff on which they stood. On the other hand, 
 there was no other escape for the elk himself. 
 
 The men went down with care and succeeded in reaching 
 the platform. It was of very limited extent, being, in 
 fact, but a few yards square. The cliff stood a good three 
 hundred feet above the gorge. The buck was a splendid 
 fighter, and ever and anon would turn upon the dogs, 
 coming almost within reach of the spear carried by one of 
 the natives. Without firearms it was very difficult to kill 
 the animal, and indeed it would have been dangerous to 
 make an attempt in so confined a place. The dogs seemed 
 to be aware of the dangers of the situation, and kept away 
 from the edge of the precipice and near their master. 
 The elk soon settled matters. Suddenly, to the intensest 
 amazement of all present, the buck plunged into the 
 gorge below ! A second or two later a thud was heard, 
 and then nothing more save the thunder of the waters. 
 The hounds gazed fearfully over the edge. 
 
 It needed a course of half-a-mile, over frightfully rough 
 and precipitous ground, to bring the hunters to the bottom 
 of the cliff from which the animal had fallen. There lay 
 the dead body, almost every bone of it smashed. Carry- 
 ing the carcass out of such a gorge was, of course, im- 
 possible to so small a force, and so the sportsman cut off 
 the antlers, the finest he ever secured in all his hunting 
 experiences. Later on the village folk went to fetch away 
 the body, when, to their surprise, they found it had been 
 removed. Following the marks on the ground they 
 presently came upon the remains of the carcass, and a 
 
 couple of leopards were scared away by the approach of 
 
 174 
 
ELK-HUNTING IN CEYLON 
 
 the people. The leopards had disposed of an astonishing 
 amount of the flesh. 
 
 The McDonald River seemed to be full of dangers for 
 both hunter and hunted. On another occasion a doe was 
 started, and was soon racing down the steep rugged sides of 
 the valley, followed by the whole pack of dogs. The men 
 could not get near in time, but they heard the doe scream ; 
 some of the dogs had evidently bitten her. In no long 
 time the hounds returned, and the master scolded them 
 for their want of success. The cause was seen before 
 long, when the dead body of the poor brute was found at 
 the bottom of a precipice. One of the dogs had seized 
 it by the ear, but the ear had torn, thereby saving the 
 dog's life. The elk was found dead in the river below, her 
 thigh broken. 
 
 An extraordinary misadventure befell one of the dogs 
 
 as the master was opening the dead doe. It was pushed 
 
 into a pool in the river by a greyhound. The pool was 
 
 surrounded by rocks, and it was immediately seen that 
 
 there was a strong downward current. The unfortunate 
 
 dog was struggling for life, making the most desperate 
 
 efforts to prevent itself from being sucked down into the 
 
 depths of the pool. The master with difficulty reached 
 
 over, and, making a slip-noose with his handkerchief, 
 
 managed to throw it over the head of the hound. But 
 
 the distance was too great to admit of his exerting enough 
 
 strength to pull in the dog. A moment more and the 
 
 noose had slipped from the head, and down the poor brute 
 
 went instantly. That all was over for the poor animal, 
 
 Sir Samuel did not doubt, but he went round the rock to 
 
 see if the dead body would be thrown out by the current. 
 
 175 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 To his surprise and delight the hound appeared, half 
 drowned by its passage through the subterranean water- 
 course, but still safe and uninjured. 
 
 A third elk, started in the grassy plain, made for the 
 ravine, or rather for the first of two ravines there were. 
 Here he stopped to sniff the breeze, and evidently scented 
 the enemy. Making off he turned into the other ravine, 
 bringing himself thus quite near the hunters. Three 
 greyhounds were after him in an instant, and a fine up-hill 
 chase commenced. The elk was no match for the grey- 
 hounds in speed, but two of the dogs lost sight of him. 
 The third dog kept gallantly on, and was soon within two 
 or three score yards of the animal. All alone the dog 
 turned the elk, and in a moment the course was down-hill, 
 the pace tremendous. 
 
 From his position, Baker could see the chase in every 
 detail. The hound kept to its work well, gaining on the 
 quarry every moment. But the watchers had soon cause 
 for alarm. The buck was making straight for a sheer 
 precipice. If the present pace continued, hunted and 
 hunter must inevitably go over the cliff. The excitement 
 grew; the elk was now quite near the fatal edge, yet 
 seemed to be as yet all unaware of the danger. The dog 
 made a grab at his ear, as usual. The ear gave way, but 
 the hound's speed was checked for the moment. It was 
 enough to save the greyhound's life, even as its master 
 was shouting, " He'll be over ! " 
 
 Far less time had elapsed in this last headlong chase 
 
 than it takes to read the description of it. And the elk ? 
 
 At the instant when the dog had checked his career, the 
 
 buck had bounded over the cliff. " He flew outwards, and, 
 
 176 
 
ELK-HUNTING IN CEYLON 
 
 with frightfully increasing momentum, he spun round and 
 round in his descent, until the centrifugal motion drew 
 out his legs as straight as a line. A few seconds of this 
 multiplying velocity, and . . . crash ! " The greyhound 
 had pulled up at the very last second, the buck had met 
 an undeserved fate. Sir Samuel tells us that he was 
 really sorry for the poor brute, whose fate seemed so 
 unfair. But to see the huge animal flying in such a way 
 through the air was one of the most " terribly grand " 
 sights that could be imagined. Within a few days two 
 bucks had thus gone over precipices. 
 
 The men made their way to the base of the cliff, a depth 
 of two hundred and fifty feet. The body was much 
 smashed, having dropped upon a number of loose bits of 
 rock lying at the base. 
 
 Sir Samuel Baker's elk-hunting experiences were almost 
 too numerous to remember, and they were for the most 
 part wonderfully successful. The very next morning after 
 the events just related he killed another fine buck. This 
 time the animal did not leap down a precipice, but was 
 killed in open run. Then, in the course of a twelve days' 
 hunt, he secured a bag of no less than twelve elks and 
 two red deer. The elk has an invariable habit of making 
 for the river, if it be at all possible for him to do so, and 
 therein lies the danger to the dogs, which follow the 
 quarry even into the most ugly rapids, as we have seen 
 from the accounts just given. 
 
 12 177 
 
XVI 
 
 PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 Glaciers as part of a river course — Mr. Ball, with four companions, 
 approaches the Glacier du Tour — The ice-cornice — Fearful ex- 
 perience and narrow escape — Glacier de Trient — The "window" — 
 Glacier de Salena — Dangerous descent — Great chasm with a torrent 
 at bottom — An ice cataract — Precipices close in upon the mountain- 
 eers — Darkness comes on — Great torrent below — The climbers encamp 
 for the night on a steep slope— Difficulty of keeping up the fire- 
 Little food left — Sleep impossible — A start at earliest dawn — Another 
 tremendous hollow — A great climb necessary — Level of the glacier 
 reached again — Glacier rivers aud pool — A cold bath and toilet — Long 
 march down the river valley to Orsieres. 
 
 Everybody is familiar enough with the expression " ice 
 
 stream," often used, especially by men of science, for 
 
 glacier. Yet not everybody realizes that a glacier is a 
 
 stream — a river — which flows down-hill — however slowly 
 
 — winds along the bottom of its valley, and, in short, has 
 
 all the characteristics of a river. True, the glacier is for 
 
 the most part a hard-frozen river, but it is none the less 
 
 a real river for that. To realize the truth of this, we have 
 
 only to consider what we should see if some great change 
 
 in climate, or some enormous heating, were to melt the 
 
 whole of the vast ice-field. In place of the lofty and 
 
 crevasse-seamed waste of ice, we should find a rushing 
 
 178 
 
PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 torrent at the bottom of the valley, and part of the sides 
 of the valley which were once covered by the accumulated 
 ice would now show to the light of day. The torrent 
 would contribute its waters to the stream below just as 
 did the melting foot of the glacier aforetime. In other 
 words, the river, which before the melting of the glacier 
 seemed to begin at the foot of that glacier, would now be 
 carried farther back into the heart of the mountains. 
 
 Take the magnificent series of glaciers, for instance, 
 that lie in the northern valleys of the great Mont Blanc 
 range. These melting at their northern ends — their lower 
 portions, that is — all send down contributory streams to 
 the valley of Chamouni, where flows the river Arve, which 
 itself is an important feeder of the great river Rhone. 
 Every one of those glaciers may thus be regarded as upper 
 sections of the Rhone, as much a part of that river as the 
 reach on which stands Lyons itself. 
 
 There is a nest or group of these glaciers standing at 
 the eastern end of the great Alpine mountain section just 
 mentioned, the glaciers of Le Tour, Trient, Orny, and 
 Salena. Fifty years ago the Glacier du Tour was very 
 little known to climbers, but Mr. J. Ball, with two other 
 gentlemen and two guides, made a notable journey amongst 
 this glacier group in 1859. 
 
 The weather was exceedingly unfavourable for a start, 
 wind, rain and mist combining to make things decidedly 
 unpleasant. However, the party rose early, and set off from 
 the little hostelry in the valley where they hadjspent the 
 night, believing that the weather showed signs of an 
 improvement. The Glacier du Tour, majestic as it is 
 
 179 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 is almost altogether concealed from view till you are 
 fairly in its valley, and, as it were, upon it. The travellers 
 ascended the flank of the mountain, for the most part 
 shrouded in fog, but they were rewarded by a marvellous 
 glimpse of the sunshine gilding the pointed top of the 
 Aiguille Verte, almost over their heads. Then from the 
 edge of the precipice they had gained, they looked down 
 on the surface of the glacier, a thousand feet below them. 
 The ice river was pouring itself, however imperceptibly, 
 over the ridge to the lower portions just as if it had been 
 water in the liquid condition. There was, in fact, an ice 
 cataract on a splendid scale. 
 
 It was no easy matter to descend to the level of the 
 upper glacier, but the mountaineers had no time to spare, 
 and pressed on. The brilliancy of the atmosphere and 
 the glitter of the snow soon compelled the men to put 
 on their spectacles. The difficulties of the path increased 
 every moment. Huge crevasses were everywhere, and 
 very dangerous. Many of these they had to pass crawling 
 along like snails, and even so, they had to lay their alpen- 
 stocks on the snow to distribute their weight more evenly. 
 At last, after numberless experiences of this kind, the 
 party came to a crevasse of such width that it would have 
 been madness to attempt to cross it in the same fashion. 
 Whichever way they turned they found their path barred, 
 and at length they got themselves into such a labyrinth 
 of crevasses that it took them some time to find their way 
 out again. 
 
 A high and steep bank of ice had now to be climbed, 
 
 and as the guides were heavily laden, Mr. Ball himself led 
 
 180 
 
PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 the way. Thus at length the upper end of the Glacier du 
 Tour was gained, from which elevation there was a mar- 
 vellous view, and the climbers were fain to stop awhile to 
 admire. The Aiguille d'Argentieres towered up over 
 their heads from amidst the ice fields in truly superb 
 fashion, while the surface of the glaciers below was a 
 waving sea, the ice in hummocks and knolls and rolling 
 billows, as if the mountain hollows were filled with huge 
 storm-tossed seas and fiords. 
 
 The climbers had now traced the Glacier du Tour — the 
 upper and frozen part of one of the Rhone feeders — to its 
 highest part, under the immense rock wall that bounds it 
 on the south. Near there was observed another needle- 
 shaped peak rising out of the mountain mass, and between 
 this aiguille and the glacier was seen a little passage. 
 Towards this cleft or passage the men made their way, 
 ever upwards, by the laborious method of step-cutting for 
 the most part. It was work toilsome in the extreme, bub 
 the reward came when suddenly the gap was reached, and 
 the wonder of the peep through revealed itself to their 
 gaze. Beneath them, but hundreds of feet below, lay the 
 whole Glacier de Trient, its surface apparently a perfect 
 and spotless sheet. Not a crevasse could be observed in 
 it from that height. The mountaineers were, in truth, 
 looking down upon another of the many — nay, the count- 
 less — valleys whose waters go to make up the rapid 
 Rhone. 
 
 How to get down to the level of the Glacier de Trient 
 
 so far below them, Mr. Ball and his companions were for 
 
 a long time puzzled to see, and when at last they decided 
 
 181 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 to go down a sharp knife-like ridge, they found it both 
 difficult and dangerous. They were reallytravelling along 
 an overhanging cornice of snow. Mr. Ball and one of the 
 guides reached the bottom, or rather a sort of stopping 
 station, in safety. But one of the other Englishmen had 
 a terrible experience here. He was sliding down a section 
 of the cornice, but losing his direction, was nearing the 
 fatal edge, from which there was an awful ice-slope of 
 three or four hundred feet. Mr. Ball thus tells the rest 
 of the story : "It was a terrible moment, as there was 
 only one chance. It was utterly impossible for him to 
 stop himself, or for either of the men to help him. Bal- 
 mat was already some distance below, cutting steps, and 
 Cachat was engaged with W., twenty or thirty paces 
 higher up. R. showed great presence of mind. He did 
 not utter a word, but threw himself on his right side, so 
 as to pass as near to the edge as possible, and stretched 
 out his arm for me to grasp. Fortunately he passed just 
 within my reach, and I was able to catch his hand and 
 arrest his progress, otherwise it might have been a very 
 sad day for all of us." He adds that Mr. R. showed great 
 prudence and forbearance, and said nothing that could 
 shake the nerves of the others of the party. The rest of 
 the journey down was so heavy a bit of work that it tried 
 the strength of even the strongest of the guides. 
 
 They now crossed over to another gap in the rocks 
 beyond, a gap they had seen for a long time. To reach it 
 the men had to cross a frail bridge of ice, but luckily it 
 held under their weight. The spot was one of the wildest 
 
 bits of all the wild Alpine country, no description at all 
 
 182 
 
PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 adequate being possible to any pen. One of the guides 
 christened the gap " la f entire," the window. Through 
 this grand window they had a wonderful view of another 
 of the Pennine river-valleys, the valley occupied by the 
 Glacier de Salena. This third glacier lay hundreds of 
 feet below the Glacier de Trient, just as that lay far 
 below the level of the Glacier du Tour. The descent was 
 long and extremely rough, and meanwhile the day was 
 advancing rapidly. A view of a fourth ice-field was 
 obtainable, that of the Glacier d'Orny, to the east of 
 their position. 
 
 But by this time it had become evident to the party of 
 mountaineers that their chances of reaching a roof, either 
 at Orsieres, or any other place, were very small indeed. 
 The evening was coming on apace, and here they were on 
 the glacier, with a stupendous rock- wall bounding their 
 southerly progress, and apparently no practicable egress 
 on any other side. Weary, hungry, faint, they began to 
 climb again, the only escape possible seeming to necessi- 
 tate that step. In the course of time they found them- 
 selves at an elevation of at least two thousand feet above 
 the Glacier de Salena, which they had last left. So steep 
 was the ground that a stone thrown from their post would 
 have bounded and rebounded till at length it would have 
 landed on the very surface of the glacier itself. They 
 found a curious pool of melted snow lying in a hollow of 
 the glacier, and in the pool were reflected some of the 
 magnificent towering peaks. 
 
 Then a steep descent began towards the Salena glacier, 
 
 and as Mr. R was suffering from lameness, it tried him 
 
 183 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 severely. It was by this time pretty plain to all except 
 Balmat the guide, that it would be necessary to pass the 
 night on the mountain. This being the case, Mr. Ball 
 and his companions were delighted when, after the lower 
 level had been reached, a turn brought the party to a 
 number of dwarf rhododendrons growing among the rocks. 
 A fire, at any rate, was now possible, a most desirable thing 
 amidst those wind-swept wastes of snow and ice. The 
 last bit of the descent, however, proved to be almost a 
 precipice, and it was not at first seen how it could be 
 achieved. 
 
 Mr. Ball at this point had his narrow escape, just as 
 Mr. R. had had his above. He and Balmat had as usual 
 hurried on, and had reached the debris at the bottom of 
 the precipice, when suddenly a big stone was dislodged 
 by one of the men higher up. Mr. Ball heard it coming, 
 and darted away from its track. But the next instant 
 the bounding stone struck a rock, which, turning its 
 course, sent the missile right in his direction. It missed 
 his head by an inch or so, whizzing past at a frightful 
 speed. 
 
 Difficulty followed upon difficulty. At the extremity 
 of the glacier, the chasm between it and the rock was so 
 deep and so awful that it was impossible for the climbers 
 to cross it. There was, in fact, no other way of getting off 
 the glacier than by crossing it to another part, and then 
 making yet one more trying ascent. And the path now 
 lay across very broken and trying ground, the accumula- 
 tions of debris fallen from the heights above. At raid-day 
 
 it would have been exceedingly dangerous to pass beneath 
 
 184 
 
The Rock came crashing down 
 
 The dangers of the Alps are many, and those from falling stones are amongst the 
 most frequent and serious. 
 
PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 this intermittent shower of stones and rubbish, but now 
 at the close of the day the risk was less great, and the 
 party managed to cross the place in safety. By this time 
 the rays of the sun gilded the tops of some of the peaks, 
 and those only ; darkness was at hand. Balmat still 
 hoped to find a cattle-track by which they might be 
 guided to some habitation. 
 
 Another rapid descent brought the mountaineering 
 party at last to a practicable part of the glacier. Then, 
 lower, they came to a place where the glacier went 
 tumbling down over a ledge, just like a veritable waterfall. 
 Now a very steep-sided ravine had to be crossed, a feat 
 accomplished only with much trouble. Then, to the 
 delight of the wearied men, they came into a valley whose 
 stony sides were plentifully covered with various mountain- 
 shrubs, junipers, dwarf rhododendrons, and the like. Find- 
 ing a sheep-track the party pressed on, but it was now quite 
 dark. Shelter for the night was the only thing to be 
 thought of, and they saw many likely places among the 
 rocks, but there was no water to be had near. 
 
 And now the great precipices began to close in upon 
 
 them on every side. Hearing the noise of a torrent far 
 
 below, they scrambled down towards it for some distance, 
 
 but the more they advanced the less they seemed to be 
 
 approaching the sound of the water, and a halt was called. 
 
 Balmat, however, volunteered to descend till he had found 
 
 the torrent. The man was away for so long a time that 
 
 the rest began to be afraid that some accident had 
 
 befallen him, and a great hallooing was set up. No reply 
 
 came for some time, but at last his shouts were heard, 
 
 185 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 and after an interval Balmat re-appeared out of the pitchy 
 darkness. His advice was to ascend once more so as to 
 strike the torrent higher up its course, but this proposal 
 all declared to be out of the question. They stumbled up 
 a little way, and then, utterly exhausted, they refused to 
 travel farther. A fire must be made on the spot, and 
 they must trust to finding water by the aid of its 
 glare. 
 
 Balmat had brought on a load of rotten sticks from a 
 fir- wood they had passed some time before, and with these 
 a blazing fire was soon made. Around grew bilberry and 
 rhododendron, and material from these kept up the fire. 
 It was now between eight and nine o'clock. The two 
 guides took each a lighted stick, to seek for water, and 
 fortunately a small trickle was found at no very great 
 distance. It was more than twelve hours since the men 
 had had their last meal, and it was with a good deal of 
 misgiving they hunted in their knapsacks for whatever 
 food there might be left. They found some mutton, three 
 or four pounds of bread, raisins, chocolate, sugar, and half 
 a flask of kirschwasser. One of the party had some citric 
 acid and lemon essence, and with these and the icy water 
 a satisfying if cold drink was made. Altogether, the stock 
 of food was about enough for half a meal for the five. 
 And when they would get more food no man among them 
 could say. 
 
 The question of sleeping accommodation now had to be 
 discussed. There was nothing to lie upon except the 
 saturated bilberry clumps. The ground was, moreover, so 
 steep that it was impossible for any sleeper to prevent 
 
 186 
 
PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 himself from rolling down the hill, unless he could find 
 
 some little hollow to serve as a nest. The travellers were 
 
 desirous of getting on their way again at the first signs of 
 
 daylight, say, soon after four. Meanwhile the fire must 
 
 be kept in, or the results might be serious indeed. It 
 
 was resolved that the night should be split up into five 
 
 watches. Then four of the five men turned in as best 
 
 they could. Mr. Ball himself found that it was only by 
 
 clinging hard to the bilberry shrubs that he could prevent 
 
 himself from slipping down the slope. He was compelled 
 
 to move away from the fire altogether, and managed to 
 
 find a little hollow to sit in, and a rock to support his 
 
 back. He tied his handkerchief about his head, and tried 
 
 to think he was warm and happy, but it was a miserable 
 
 failure, for he was perishing with cold. At length the 
 
 resourceful Balmat bethought him of a useful thing. He 
 
 carried the shivering mortal a stone warmed by the fire, 
 
 and on this Mr. Ball sat. 
 
 It was a marvellous night, and even the discomforts 
 
 and dangers of their position could not keep such of the 
 
 climbers as were wakeful enough from admiring the sky. 
 
 But it was now Mr. Ball's own turn to take watch and 
 
 manage the fire. He found his task no light one, and it 
 
 was as much as he could do to keep it going well. The 
 
 bilberry was consumed in a moment, and the junipers 
 
 were terribly prickly, and tried the hands severely. He 
 
 had to go farther and farther afield for fuel, and at length 
 
 found an alder, branches of which he sawed off with his 
 
 big knife. He was very glad when his own watch ended, 
 
 after midnight, and another man came on duty, leaving 
 
 187 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 him at liberty to go back to his hollow and the warm 
 stone. Sleep, however, was out of the question ; hunger 
 forbade it. After two o'clock, in fact, not a man could sleep. 
 All were cold, famished, weary, dirty, and the haggard 
 looks of the party proclaimed how seriously every man 
 had suffered. The cold increased towards the morning, 
 and a chilling fog came on. The wind cut like a knife, 
 and every moment the frost seemed to become more 
 severe. 
 
 Never did night seem so long ; never was dawn so long 
 in coming. The watchers tried every possible position. 
 If they sat to windward of the fire they were speedily 
 frozen stiff; if they got on the warmer side the smoke 
 was driven by the gale into their faces to such an extent 
 that they were almost blinded and suffocated. When at 
 last a faint blush of red in the sky heralded the approach 
 of dawn, every man was ready to jump up and shoulder 
 his knapsack. Their way lay through wet scrub, and 
 their legs were soon wet through and icy cold. Altogether 
 they presented a dirty, unkempt, and forlorn spectacle. 
 
 The descent was very steep, but picking up their sheep- 
 track of the former night once more, they followed it down. 
 They found themselves overlooking a tremendous hollow, 
 between a lofty precipice on the one side and the glacier 
 on the other. To have clambered down this would, it 
 was clear to them, have saved much time and distance, 
 but they were baulked by the presence of a number of huge 
 boulders lying in the way, and they had to keep to the 
 glacier still. After an hour's descent, the wayfarers came 
 
 upon a beautiful little streamlet, with one part extended 
 
 188 
 
PERILS ON THE RHONE GLACIERS 
 
 into a miniature lake. Here the party stopped for toilet 
 operations. Some of them threw off their clothes and 
 plunged boldly into the lakelet, though the cold must 
 have been intense. Then washed, combed, brushed a 
 little, they went on their way again, rather more like 
 civilized beings. But their appetite was keener than 
 before, and they were still far from a breakfast. 
 
 It was by no means straightforward going even yet. 
 The path led down a goodish bit, and then all at once it 
 became necessary to mount again, and that to a consider- 
 able height. From this elevation they could look down 
 on the glacier, and were surprised to find that it still 
 stretched on down the valley, and ever down. It seemed as 
 if the ice-field were going to keep on its course to the very 
 end of the valley in which it ran. Mr. R. was by this 
 time so much distressed that it was proposed to leave him 
 behind and hasten on to fetch help, but that gentleman 
 was too plucky to give in, and plodded on manfully. A 
 fir- wood hid every glance of the fertile and sunny valley 
 below, the Val Ferret. 
 
 The change that came over the scene presently was 
 absolutely startling in its suddenness. Emerging from 
 the wood the men found themselves in a different land. 
 Behind them, above the wood, reigned winter and desola- 
 tion — glacier, mountain torrent, awful precipice, frowning 
 peak, snowy waste ; now, before them, lay a smiling, sun- 
 lit and fertile country, with its beautiful fresh green 
 grass, and many a homely chalet studding the land. Yet 
 they were in the very same valley as before. The Rhone 
 
 torrent tributary was now dashing along merrily enough, 
 
 189 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 but it was the same stream whose long, frozen upper 
 reaches had given the travellers so much trouble. 
 
 It was not till half-past ten that the mountaineers 
 reached Orsieres, having accomplished a feat memorable 
 even among the many memorable exploits of Alpine 
 climbers. 
 
 190 
 
XVII 
 
 HUNTING ADVENTURES ON THE NILE TRIBUTARIES 
 
 Seven big-game hunters start for the Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile — 
 Lions, giraffes, and buffaloes on the Settite — Mr. Colvin charged by 
 bull buffalo — The result of using conical bullets — Narrow escape 
 from crocodile — Fine fishing in the Settite — The "kelb-el-bakr," a 
 terrible fish— Wild beasts at the pool— Two " lions " wounded in the 
 night — They prove to be panthers — Lion stalking — Sheep used to 
 attract the lions — Two wounded, one a magnificent specimen — Both 
 found and killed next day — Hippopotamus flesh much prized — Bad 
 blood between Bas6 tribes and Abyssinians — A war scare — Hunters 
 surrounded by bostile Abyssinians — A "view-halloo" scares away 
 the enemy — Mahomet, servant to the Englishmen, speared by the 
 Abyssinians. 
 
 A party of seven English gentlemen, accompanied by 
 
 English and African servants, spent a part of the winter 
 
 of 1881-2 in the Soudan, Abyssinia, and the basin of the 
 
 Atbara and its feeders. One of their chief objects in 
 
 visiting such a region was sport — big-game hunting — and 
 
 of this they had their fill. All kinds of game abounded, 
 
 from the graceful and timid antelope to the panther, the 
 
 buffalo, the lion, and the elephant. The rivers furnished 
 
 excellent fishing. Baboons and others of the monkey 
 
 tribe were plentiful enough, but these the sportsmen were 
 
 unwilling to kill. 
 
 One day when the party were on the river Settite, a 
 
 fine tributary of the famous Atbara, a report was brought 
 
 191 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 that a herd of elephants had visited a pool not far away, 
 and that a few hours later a number of buffaloes had 
 come to the same spot to drink. Three of the sportsmen 
 determined to pass the night in watching the pool. 
 About three in the morning several shots were heard by 
 those who had remained in the camp, and it was hoped 
 that the hunters had brought down an elephant. By 
 noon next day the sportsmen returned and told their 
 story. A giraffe had come to the pool to drink, but the 
 night being dark they had been unable to make anything 
 of him. Some time later a herd of buffaloes, numbering 
 twenty or thirty, had come up, and, notwithstanding the 
 feebleness of the moon, the party had brought down one 
 of the animals, the rest beating a retreat. Nevertheless, 
 it was believed that a second buffalo had been hit, and as 
 soon as it was light the sportsmen set to work to track 
 the wounded animal. For five hours in the blazing sun 
 the chase was kept up, and just when they were about to 
 abandon the track, the animal suddenly appeared, and 
 charged them. A fortunate shot in the forehead pre- 
 vented the buffalo from doing damage. It was found on 
 examination that the first bullet had lodged in the hind leg. 
 It is not to be wondered at when we read that the 
 attractions of that particular pool drew some of the 
 hunters to the spot again the next night. They shot a 
 cow buffalo before midnight, and then had a lively time 
 of it for the rest of the watch. First to arrive at the pool 
 was a big herd of buffaloes, but these seem to have taken 
 alarm at once and made off. Two bulls next appeared, 
 and one of them the party evidently wounded, as the 
 
 bellows of the beast were heard at intervals through the 
 
 192 
 
The Hunter was thrown in one direction, his Gun in anothei 
 
ADVENTURES ON THE NILE 
 
 night. Then in the early dawn a second herd, numbering 
 some thirty buffaloes, came along. One of these was 
 wounded, but escaped. Hurriedly swallowing breakfast, 
 the three sportsmen began to track the injured animal. 
 Suddenly the buffalo darted from its hiding-place behind 
 a bush, and furiously charged one of them, Mr. Arthur 
 James. That gentleman fired both barrels, and both balls 
 took effect, though they did not stay the career of the now 
 maddened beast. In an instant the buffalo turned upon 
 Mr. Colvin, another of the party. So unexpected was this 
 charge that Mr. Colvin had hardly time to lift his rifle to 
 his shoulder before he was struck by the animal. The 
 hunter flew in one direction, his gun in the other, and the 
 buffalo fell between the two. The shot had not killed the 
 animal, but had lamed it so that it was unable to get up 
 again when it fell. This was an exceedingly narrow 
 escape, too much so to be at all comfortable. 
 
 The party went on, in search of the bull buffalo that 
 had been wounded earlier in the night. A long track 
 they had, and, to add to their excitement, they found un- 
 mistakable proofs that the animal had been pursued by 
 no fewer than three lions. In one spot the marks plainly 
 showed that the bull had turned and attacked the enemy. 
 According to the reading of the various signs along the 
 track by one of the African servants, two out of the three 
 lions had after a time given up the chase, while the third 
 had kept on for a great distance. The hunters, however, 
 saw nothing of the lions themselves. 
 
 Excellent though the guns were that were carried by 
 
 the hunters, yet on one or two occasions the weapons 
 
 seem to have played them sorry tricks. One of the party 
 13 193 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 decided to try for the first time pointed or conical, instead 
 of the usual round bullets. Apparently this was more 
 than the gun could stand. The report was deafening, 
 and, what was worse, the recoil was so great as to send 
 the sportsman spinning. For the moment he was dazed 
 and helpless, and it would have gone hard with him had 
 an infuriated beast been upon him at the time. An 
 examination showed that both barrels had gone off at 
 once, the jarring caused by the one shot having fired the 
 other. This being the second time such a thing had 
 happened, it was decided that the use of the conical balls 
 must for the future be abandoned. 
 
 The experience of the Englishmen led them to the 
 conclusion, quite unexpected by them probably, that the 
 crocodile is on the whole a shy animal. Not that these 
 creatures are really afraid of man ; not at all, but they are 
 disposed to keep out of the way as a rule, except in deep 
 water. Mr. F. James had, however, one narrow escape. 
 He and his brother had gone to the brink of the river to 
 drink, at a place where the water was very deep, and was 
 stooping down and drinking out of his hand, when his 
 brother suddenly pulled him back. There, within a 
 couple of feet, was a huge crocodile, making straight for 
 him. It was a narrow escape. The crocodile made off at 
 once when the men sprang back. Had the brute not 
 been observed, it is more than likely that he would have 
 knocked one or both into the river with his tail, in which 
 case their chance of escape would have been small 
 indeed. 
 
 There was excellent fishing in the Settite, and with both 
 
 net and rod the sportsmen were very successful. The 
 
 194 
 
ADVENTURES ON THE NILE 
 
 number of fish was most satisfactory, but the size was 
 seldom at all extraordinary, the largest caught by any of 
 the party being some five-and-thirty pounds. There was 
 no doubt that bigger fish were to be found in the river, 
 but none happened to be caught. The net brought good 
 hauls — one day a hundred and fourteen fish, whose weight 
 totalled up to some three hundred and sixty-five pounds. 
 The African servants were very loth to join in the heavy 
 work of pulling the nets, though they were ready enough 
 to take their share of the result in the way of fish. 
 
 There was one species of fish, called by the natives 
 " kelb-el-bahr," a terrible fellow to fight. His teeth fit 
 into one another like those of a rat-trap. Moreover, he 
 possesses a moveable upper jaw. When this fellow gets a 
 good hold there is a bad time of it in store for the victim. 
 These ferocious fish fight to the very last gasp, often 
 smashing tackle wholesale, and a bite from one of them is 
 a serious matter, as one of the servants found to his cost 
 when a kelb seized him by the ankle. 
 
 The buffalo was by no means the only savage animal 
 
 that came in the way of the hunting party. Often a few 
 
 hours would bring near them quite a variety of big game. 
 
 Lying in ambush one brilliant moonlight night, they 
 
 hoped that a lion might come to the water hard by. The 
 
 excitement was naturally great. Two or three little 
 
 jackals were the first of the thirsty beasts to pay the pool 
 
 a visit. They barked like dogs, and after a good drink 
 
 departed, the hunters in no way molesting them. In no 
 
 long time after the departure of the jackals some larger 
 
 animal appeared, a leopard or a panther, so far as the 
 
 watchers could judge. The shot fired missed, to the 
 
 195 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 chagrin of the sportsmen, and the animal scampered off 
 into the bush again. Determining to fire both barrels at 
 once should the same animal return, the men kept a brisk 
 look-out. The brute did come back at the end of a 
 quarter of an hour, but the couple of shots fired at him 
 seemed at first to have taken no effect, for he stood for a 
 space. Then he made for the bank, but his wounds did 
 not permit him to ascend, and he lay all night where he fell. 
 
 Now a roaring near at hand proclaimed the approach 
 of a lion, as the watchers fully believed, and the excitement 
 grew more intense. The animal could be seen broadside 
 towards the hunters, and both meo fired together. The 
 luckless beast was evidently badly wounded, for with a 
 roar he sprang up from the pool and took to the bush. 
 He did not get far, apparently, for he was heard groaning 
 at intervals through the night. 
 
 When morning light came, the men left their place of 
 concealment to look for the two wounded beasts. The 
 first proved to be a small panther, while the second, the 
 " lion," turned out to be a very big panther. 
 
 But there were lions about notwithstanding. On the way 
 
 back to the camp, Mr. F. James ascended a hill to get a look 
 
 around and to see if any game could be observed. On the 
 
 way he saw giraffes, but could not get a shot. He tried 
 
 his hand at a sort of wild cat, but missed. On arriving at 
 
 the top of the hill, he at once noted a lion lying under a 
 
 tree two or three hundred yards away. This was the first 
 
 lion he had seen that year, and he was anxious to secure 
 
 it. He made cautiously for the spot, but his approach 
 
 would seem to have disturbed the animal, for he was 
 
 unable to see anything of it. 
 
 196 
 
ADVENTURES ON THE NILE 
 
 Meanwhile Mr. James's two brothers had been more 
 fortunate. They, with Messrs. Aylmer and Colvin, had 
 also been watching through the night, but in a different 
 place. The four gentlemen posted themselves in suitable 
 spots, each man having with him a native with a spare 
 gun. Mr. Arthur James was posted near the water, and 
 his brother William under a bush in the open, close by 
 which ran the tracks of the lions coming down to drink. 
 A sheep had been tied to a bush near the water, to attract 
 the carnivora. 
 
 How intense the excitement must have been under the 
 circumstances, even the least imaginative reader will under- 
 stand. The poor sheep, trembling, tugged vainly at its 
 rope ; the watchers trembled also, but with excitement 
 and suspense. Presently Mr. William James was visited 
 by no fewer than five lions at once. The animals stood in 
 a group under a tree at some little distance, then one of 
 them suddenly sprang furiously and with a loud roar upon 
 the unfortunate sheep. Mr. James fired and grassed the 
 lion, but did not kill him. The beast made off groaning. 
 
 No long time after this another lion, the sixth that 
 night, came up and stood looking at the sheep. When 
 Mr. James, having waited till he could secure a really 
 good aim, was about to pull the trigger, the beast ran off 
 with a loud growl, to the sportsman's keen disgust. How- 
 ever, the lion returned after a while, and, spying the man, 
 stood evidently wondering what he was. As the distance 
 was only about forty yards, Mr. James took careful aim at 
 the chest. The result was a roar of pain from the beast, 
 who made off at once, and rejoined the other wounded 
 
 197 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 lion not far away. The two could be heard groaning 
 together all night. 
 
 The other men, who had heard the shots during the 
 darkness, were naturally eager to learn what had happened, 
 and came up at daylight to inquire. A search revealed 
 one of the lions still groaning in the bush. Stones were 
 thrown to make him come out, but without the desired 
 result. So the party cautiously advanced and found the 
 poor brute just dying. The ball had entered the chest 
 and was found embedded in one of the flanks, having 
 travelled the whole length of the body. This lion proved 
 to be a magnificent specimen, measuring over nine feet in 
 length. The other wounded beast was tracked by the 
 blood-marks for several miles, but it was not seen again. 
 
 Mr. Arthur James, who, it will be remembered, passed the 
 night in ambush near the water, had also his experiences. 
 He saw only two of the noble brutes, but both came very 
 near. They were a lion and a lioness. The watcher fired 
 at the latter, her companion at the same moment making 
 off. The lioness passed actually within eight yards of the 
 hunter. At daybreak he found the animal dead, the 
 lungs pierced, and one leg broken. On this occasion 
 also his rifle played him the trick of sending off both 
 barrels at once. Had the shots not taken effect, and had 
 the animal made for the man, as it might well have done, 
 his situation would have been a dangerous one indeed. 
 
 The hippopotamus is getting scarcer every year, even 
 
 on the upper parts of the Nile and its tributaries ; from all 
 
 the lower portions of that river it has disappeared entirely. 
 
 Mr. Aylmer was the first of the hunting party to secure 
 
 198 
 
ADVENTURES ON THE NILE 
 
 one of these huge animals. The first shot had the effect 
 of half stunning it, but a good many more were required 
 to give the hippopotamus his quietus. The flesh of this 
 animal was greatly prized by the Arabs, who speedily 
 indulged in a big feed. The rest of the flesh they cut into 
 strips and hung on the trees to dry. The tusks are often 
 large and valuable ; they make desirable trophies for the 
 big-game hunters. The fat is excellent for cooking pur- 
 poses, and the hide is used for the making of whips. Mr. 
 Colvin the same day shot a hippopotamus a few miles higher 
 up the river. It sunk to the bottom when struck. Presently 
 a hippo was seen coming up to breathe, and the sportsmen 
 naturally took it to be the wounded animal. This the 
 Arabs declared to be a mistake, saying that the carcass 
 would be seen floating before long. The Arabs were correct 
 in their surmise, for the following morning the huge body 
 was found on the surface, and a photograph of it was 
 secured. 
 
 But it was not always the wild and savage beast with 
 which the Englishmen had to do. The country through 
 which they were travelling, or at any rate a portion of it, 
 was occupied by the Base tribe. The natives of the dis- 
 trict were disposed to be friendly towards the new-comers, 
 almost too friendly at times, for they would follow the 
 hunters about in numbers to secure any spare meat there 
 might be. Now and then the sportsmen had to send all 
 their Base" followers but two or three to a distance, before 
 any attempt could be made with success to approach the 
 game. At that time there was bad blood between the 
 Base - tribes and the Dembelas, a neighbouring Abyssinian 
 
 people. There had been many alarms respecting these 
 
 199 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Dembelas, but so far no hostilities had interfered with the 
 Englishmen and their sport. 
 
 One day, while some of the hunting party were tracking a 
 buffalo, they were startled by the sudden appearance among 
 them of a Base, who, with torn face and bleeding legs, yelled 
 out that the Abyssinians were coming. He was followed by 
 five or six more of his tribe. The Englishmen, however, 
 regarding these black fellows as cowards, went on with 
 their search. While the party were eating their lunch, 
 they saw some others of their servants galloping in frantic 
 haste towards the camp. The fugitives called out in great 
 excitement that the Abyssinians had come in a numerous 
 body, and that Messrs. Aylmer and Phillips had been sur- 
 rounded by them. Naturally the hunters made all speed 
 back to the camp, their appearance there being greeted 
 joyfully by their anxious comrades who had not been of 
 the buffalo-tracking band. The men in camp were well 
 aware that those who had just returned had gone in much 
 the same direction as the unfortunates who had been 
 surprised by the enemy, hence their anxiety. Meanwhile 
 they had hastily done what they could to strengthen the 
 little camp, and had fired all the grass around, so as to 
 deprive the foe of cover should they attack the place. 
 They had also served out guns to the natives, possibly 
 without much expectation that the blacks would be able 
 to use the weapons with any effect. 
 
 Messrs. Aylmer and Phillips, on their part, had in the 
 course of their hunting expedition wandered eight or nine 
 miles from home, when they saw an Abyssinian run across 
 the dry bed of a stream. He was followed by a second ; 
 
 then a third was observed. The Base men with the 
 
 200 
 
ADVENTURES ON THE NILE 
 
 Englishmen at once turned tail and fled in mortal terror. 
 It was these fellows who had startled the buffalo-hunting 
 party. A minute later the Englishmen, Mr. Phillips and 
 Mr. Aylmer, found themselves in the midst of a band of 
 some hundred or more of the Dembelas. One of the Arab 
 servants, who had remained with their masters, yelled 
 " Fire ! Fire ! " Another, who knew the country better, 
 was against that course, and said it would be wiser under 
 the circumstances to make friends, or a?nan, as the phrase 
 in use had it. 
 
 Accordingly, the hunters laid their rifles on the ground 
 before the Abyssinians, and endeavoured to show every 
 token of peaceableness and amity, to which the fellows 
 replied by kissing their hands in sign of friendship. The 
 next moment they showed their real intentions by pouncing 
 upon the guns, fighting wildly among each other for the 
 possession of them. The Arab servants thereupon made 
 a dash for safety. The enemy rushed to get hold of Mr. 
 Phillips's horse, a move Mr. Aylmer attempted to frustrate 
 by using his revolver. Strange to say, the weapon would 
 not go off, a lucky thing for the Englishman, who could 
 have had no chance against so overwhelming a force. 
 
 Then an extraordinary thing happened. Mr. Phillips 
 set up a loud view-halloo, an unaccustomed sound that 
 caused an immediate panic among the foe, who fled helter- 
 skelter. The two Englishmen were thus enabled to make 
 for the camp and their comrades, the Arab servants follow- 
 ing with all haste. They had escaped with their lives, but 
 had lost three guns, a revolver and one of their horses. 
 
 Turning back to help the Arabs, they heard, to their 
 dismay and horror, that Mahomet, a fine specimen of a 
 
 201 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 man, had been terribly wounded. He had been struck in 
 the abdomen with a spear, and his intestines were pro- 
 truding. He was hurt in two or three other places. The 
 wounded man, who had fallen behind, could not be found 
 that night, though a search party sought long for him. 
 Next morning Mahomet struggled back into the camp, 
 having made a most heroic effort to reach the place, but 
 his case was hopeless from the first, and death soon released 
 him from his sufferings. The sportsmen were deeply 
 affected by this worthy fellow's death. 
 
 Note. — From The Wild Tribes of the Soudan (F. L. James), by kind 
 permission from Mr. John Murray. 
 
 202 
 
XVIII 
 
 ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 Amazon less explored than it deserves — The Amazon Steam Navigation 
 Company sends out three Englishmen to survey — Mr. Lidstone, an 
 engineer, ascends the Tapajos tributary — A crazy boat and a crew of 
 two — The rains and the heat — Frightful thunderstorms — Mr. Lidstone 
 spends time in a tumble-down hut — The two men in the boat 
 swamped — Provisions spoilt — Novel caulking materials — A weary 
 round of violent storms — Loss of rudder — Of oars — Fourteen hours 
 for seven miles — Party make for Santarem — Another terrible tempest 
 — Insect pests — Mosquitoes — Wasps — Ants — Bees — An adventure 
 with a centipede — Alligators and jaguars — Enormous toads — One of 
 the explorers bitten by a scorpion —At death's door — Strange cure, 
 and wonderful recovery. 
 
 For reasons perhaps not far to seek, less interest has 
 been taken by the ordinary European in the exploration 
 of the Amazon than in some others of the great rivers of 
 the globe. Yet the Amazon is the mightiest of them all, 
 and not a few travellers of first rank have visited and 
 written charmingly on the vast area intersected by this 
 enormous river — Humboldt, Waterton, Bates, and others. 
 Excellent reading is to be had in the narratives penned 
 by more recent travellers, too. In the year 1873 three 
 British gentlemen were sent out on a surveying expe- 
 dition by the Amazon Steam Navigation Company, of 
 London, and their account of their adventures and 
 
 experiences is well worth perusal. 
 
 203 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 The difficulties the party had to encounter were both 
 many and serious — the heat, the storms, the insect and 
 other pests, to say nothing of the minor but very real 
 difficulties in the way of procuring food, shelter, boats, 
 and men. And if some of their misadventures were 
 laughable enough, there were others that must have been 
 heavy and disheartening at the time. 
 
 At the junction of the Amazon with the Tapajos, 
 one of the largest of its tributaries, the exploring party 
 thought it well to divide their forces for a time, two of 
 them keeping to the main stream, while Mr. Lidstone, 
 a civil engineer, went to survey the banks of the 
 Tapajos. 
 
 His troubles began from the very start, and indeed 
 before it. After a weary search no other boat could be 
 found than a leaky old craft, with the merest rag for a 
 sail, and with no toldo, or deck-cover, an absolute necessity 
 in a land where the mid-day sun is straight overhead. 
 For crew he had at his disposal only three Portuguese 
 sailors, and as one of them fell ill with fever, he was, 
 of course, left behind. Thus two only remained, neither 
 of whom spoke English, and the engineer's Portuguese 
 was not exactly fluent. 
 
 Rigging up a huge toldo of palm thatch, and mending 
 
 his sail with some coarse sacking, Mr. Lidstone departed, 
 
 taking with him as provisions mainly salt beef, codfish, 
 
 potatoes, biscuits, and coffee, with no other chattels and 
 
 goods than such as were absolutely necessary to the 
 
 surveyor. It was in the month of January, and the rainy 
 
 season. The prospects were black from the first, yet if 
 
 204 
 
ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 the opportunity were neglected now, the work could not 
 be taken up again for another six months. 
 
 The heat was awful, and even the woodwork of the 
 boat became so hot under the rays of the sun that it was 
 painful to touch any part of it. The engineer was com- 
 pelled to creep under the cover to escape the scalding 
 heat. Naturally Jose and Antonio, the two Portuguese 
 sailors, fell asleep. When master and men awoke they 
 found that an ominous change had come over the face of 
 the sky. The heavens were of a leaden hue, while the 
 dead air left the surface of the river as smooth as glass. 
 There was, in truth, the wonderful stillness that all the 
 world over portends and immediately precedes a violent 
 thunderstorm. So absolutely quiet was everything around 
 that even the croaking of the frogs on the distant shore 
 could be heard. 
 
 Seizing their oars, the occupants of the boat endeavoured 
 to make for a village on the bank, where shelter might 
 perchance be found. The lightnings began their startling 
 and almost incessant illuminations, whilst the thunder 
 was deafening and alarming to a degree. Luckily the 
 rain kept off till the shore was reached. Then it began 
 in earnest. No shelter was available save an empty 
 house. The school-master, who lived next door, sent his 
 slave to remove the palm-thatch screen that stood for a 
 door, a ludicrously unnecessary proceeding, seeing that 
 every flash of lightning showed numerous other apertures 
 in the sides of the building. 
 
 All alone in this dark and desolate shanty the engineer 
 
 spent the long hours of that terrific night, for the sailors 
 
 205 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 had had to creep under the cover of the boat as best they 
 might, to guard the stores. 
 
 The morning dawned dull and dispiriting, though now 
 the rain was not so heavy, and the travellers set out for 
 Jurucui Bay, not far distant in actual miles. Yet it took 
 some hours of hard rowing to reach the place. By this 
 time the sweeping downpour had begun again, and there 
 was nothing for it but to put up a little tent and settle 
 down for the night, Jose and Antonio remaining under 
 the toldo, as on the previous night. As for Mr. Lidstone, 
 he found it almost impossible to sleep at all, so incessant 
 and thunderous was the roar of the tropical rain on the 
 canvas of the tent. He had just fallen into a sound early 
 morning nap, when he was awakened by a frantic hubbub. 
 The boat had sunk with the two men and all the valuable 
 possessions aboard. The men had scrambled out quickly 
 enough, but the damage to the cargo was serious, some of 
 the provisions being entirely spoiled. The next hour or 
 two saw a medley of clothing and eatables spread out on 
 the bushes to dry, the sun now having shown himself 
 once more. 
 
 Part of the stock brought along by the Portuguese was 
 
 a box of coarse brown sugar; this, after its ducking, 
 
 presented the appearance of a greenish-brown mud. It 
 
 was placed on the beach to dry, but to no purpose, for it 
 
 persistently refused to recrystallize during the whole of 
 
 the Tapajos survey. To crown all, swarms of bees at once 
 
 flocked to the exposed sugar, and men and insects had a 
 
 lively time of it till the stuff could be placed under cover 
 
 again. 
 
 206 
 
ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 The boat when fished up was in no encouraging 
 condition. The heat of the sun had made the seams 
 yawn wide, and it was through these ample rifts that the 
 stormy waters of the river had made their way and sunk 
 the boat. No other caulking materials being at hand, 
 the master had to give up one of his towels for the 
 purpose, the strips being thrust into the cracks as well as 
 the travellers were able. 
 
 A fine Sunday only served to usher in a stormy 
 Monday, and there followed a week trying beyond 
 measure. A weary round it was of storms, violent winds, 
 terrific lightnings and deluging rains, the waters of the 
 river all the while rolling in on the beach like huge sea- 
 billows. To all appearance, in truth, the Tapajos was a 
 sea, for so wide was it there that the travellers were 
 unable to perceive the opposite bank, except in fine 
 weather. Many a time the crazy boat rocked so violently 
 that it threatened to dash itself to pieces against the 
 beach, tugging wildly at the heavy anchor all the while. 
 Attempts to kindle a fire were not seldom as unsuccessful 
 as they were frantic and prolonged. 
 
 Little progress in the surveying operations was to be 
 
 expected under such circumstances, but the leader, with 
 
 British doggedness, held on his way, meeting with varied 
 
 experiences. At one time Jose pitched the camp near a 
 
 dead porpoise, and the party had to beat a hasty retreat. 
 
 Another day, at the hour for the morning start, the rudder 
 
 was found to be missing. It had been left on the beach 
 
 to be used as a bathing-board, but the Tapajos had risen 
 
 in the night and swept it away. A long search for it was 
 
 207 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 unsuccessful, and at length the boat had to proceed with- 
 out rudder. Dodging about in this crippled condition, the 
 craft was directed hither and thither as the triangulation 
 work needed, and then suddenly about noon what had been 
 lost was found. It had been carried for two or three miles 
 along the bank, though there was everywhere a thick 
 growth of bushes that projected over the edge of the water. 
 
 The loss of one of the two oars was more serious. A 
 heavy wave swept it overboard, and though it was seen 
 dancing among the waves, not all the most desperate 
 efforts of the three men could secure it again, and it 
 floated at last out of sight. A substitute had to be made 
 by nailing the side of a small box to the rough branch of 
 a tree. But Jose, who had fallen sick, was unable to take 
 his share of the rowing. 
 
 Antonio now determined to hoist the sail, though the 
 wind was adverse, and though the master had warned the 
 man that it was a useless proceeding. Then followed a 
 long and memorable struggle. From eight in the morn- 
 ing till three in the afternoon — seven weary hours — the 
 fight with the elements went on, the craft all but capsized 
 times without number. The sole result was the gradual 
 drifting of the boat farther from the shore. Not an inch 
 of ground had been gained ! Still the effort was con- 
 tinued, and towards evening with some slight success. 
 Late at night, after fourteen hours of laborious and 
 incessant struggle, the magnificent distance of seven miles 
 had been accomplished. 
 
 Mr. Lidstone was now making for Santarem and the 
 
 Amazon, having done all man could do at such a time and 
 
 208 
 
ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 under such conditions. The ill-luck that had dogged 
 
 every step of this subordinate surveying expedition clung 
 
 to it to the end. The last few miles of the voyage were 
 
 performed under exciting circumstances. A frightful 
 
 storm was seen to be brewing, and every effort was put 
 
 forth by the three men to reach Santarem, which could 
 
 be descried in the distance ahead, before the full fury of 
 
 the hurricane burst upon them. What proved to be the 
 
 most terrible of all the storms they had yet experienced 
 
 broke suddenly in all its violence, the lights of Santarem 
 
 still some way off. It was a race between storm and boat, 
 
 and the former proved the winner. When, in a moment, 
 
 wind and rain together struck the river, the boat staggered 
 
 and refused to face it. Nothing like this hurricane had 
 
 afflicted the three travellers before. It seemed as if all 
 
 the waters in and above the heavens were descending 
 
 simultaneously. With immense difficulty the boat was 
 
 got to land, the storm now at its very worst. Mr. Lidstone 
 
 instantly sprang to shore, and with his mackintosh drawn 
 
 tightly about his form, made a dash for the house of a 
 
 friend, Dr. S . The streets were veritable rivers, and 
 
 the engineer splashed through a foot of water all the 
 
 way. The Doctor at first was unable to recognize the 
 
 half-drowned friend at his door, but when he did, he 
 
 greeted him with a hearty and most welcome cry of 
 
 " Come right along in," a cheering and hospitable sound 
 
 to the storm-driven traveller. 
 
 But the weather, vile as it was, was far from being the 
 
 only trouble the travellers had to encounter during their 
 
 long journeyings on the Amazon. There were the insect 
 14 209 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 pests, for instance, a severe trial at all times, and in some 
 cases even dangerous. Mosquitoes there were, of course, 
 but as every traveller in tropical or sub-tropical lands 
 meets with them, little need be said here. These insects 
 hung about the woods all day, and at night swarmed into 
 the habitations of men. The tiniest light attracted them 
 in myriads, and the explorers were not seldom fain to give 
 up their little game of cards of an evening and retire to 
 bed and into their nets. And woe to the unhappy wight 
 who had no insect net ! For him there was no such 
 luxury as sleep. 
 
 As for wasps, they were encountered everywhere, and 
 in crowds — big wasps in huge nests, little wasps with a 
 tiny nest under a single leaf, middle-sized wasps in count- 
 less throngs. The trees in places were full of wasps' 
 nests, the structures looking like huge puddings among 
 the branches. As the travellers moved through the 
 woods the nests aloft often received a shake, when down 
 swarmed the angry inhabitants to punish the disturbers. 
 On one occasion, after a long and hot journey across 
 country, the surveyors, half dead with thirst, were cheered 
 by the welcome sight of a spring of water ahead. What 
 was their surprise and dismay to find the pool in possession 
 of a swarm of thousands of wasps, every inch of surface 
 being covered with the drinking insects ! How to get at 
 the water, so much coveted and needed, was for some 
 time a sore puzzle to the parched wayfarers. But human 
 ingenuity proved equal to the difficulty. A fire was set 
 going amongst the surrounding grass, and the approach 
 
 of the circling flame soon routed the formidable enemy. 
 
 210 
 
ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 Then the travellers, brushing aside the corpses of the foe, 
 took their fill of the cool element, their thirst too great to 
 admit of any squeamishness. 
 
 Worse even than the wasps were the ants. The variety 
 of their ways of inflicting torture upon the human subject 
 was as astonishing as the numbers of the insects were 
 incalculable. Almost everywhere the bushes were full of 
 these pests, and they dropped in their thousands on the 
 heads of the travellers. Other kinds advanced on the 
 ground from all quarters of the compass. Certain of the 
 milder sort simply tickled in an irritating fashion, but did 
 no other harm. In some cases the odour emitted was 
 atrocious — sickening. But far worse were the ferocious 
 kind, including the majority of the tropical ants. These 
 stung and bit with results to the victim that were 
 maddening. Some kinds were not far short of an inch 
 in length, and against these the utmost caution had to 
 be observed. Their holes were about the roots of bushes, 
 and whenever there was any cutting of wood to be done, 
 a careful watch had to be kept lest they should sally forth 
 and attack the bare feet. 
 
 Not less troublesome were the bees. There was a very 
 small sort that would persist in settling about the eyes of 
 the explorers during the heat of the day, to drink up the 
 perspiration they found there. Others of enormous size 
 wheeled about and suddenly swooped down on their faces 
 at lightning speed, the injury received being not from 
 their stings, but from the cutting force of the impact. 
 There was nothing for it but to run when any of these 
 horrible insects were about. And they would sally out 
 
 211 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 on the intruder on the slightest disturbance. Often the 
 travellers had to devise dodges for getting past their holes 
 scot free. This was usually done by advancing cautiously 
 when the bees were at peace in their fastnesses, and 
 suddenly plugging up the hole with a bit of wood. 
 
 In and near the sandy plains, the clouds of flies were 
 so great as to prevent the surveyors from reading their 
 instruments. 
 
 At Prainha, one of the Amazon towns, there was a far 
 worse plague than all, a plague of ticks. Some of these 
 were of the tiniest kind, like grains of dust, whilst one 
 huge and disgusting sort were almost as large as pearl 
 buttons. With these fearful creatures the bushes swarmed, 
 and they stood on their hind legs, ever ready to bear down 
 upon any advancing victim. In every direction they were 
 seen coming, and it is no wonder the travellers had often 
 to spend a full hour after reaching their camp, in ridding 
 themselves and their clothing of these loathsome pests. 
 As the writers observe, " Insects were the supreme rulers ; 
 the whole creation groaned because of them, every beast 
 or bird had its own peculiar parasites and tormentors." 
 And elsewhere they say that the insects were practically 
 the tyrants and masters of all in those tropical regions. 
 
 An adventure with a centipede is worth relating. One 
 
 evening, Mr. Brown, the leader of the expedition, was 
 
 quietly reading in the tent, when suddenly, with a yell, 
 
 he threw down his book and sprang from the ground. A 
 
 centipede had bit deeply into his knee. Seizing his leg 
 
 tightly with one hand, to stop the upward journeying of 
 
 the brute, with the other he endeavoured to crush the life 
 
 212 
 
An Indian of the Amazons 
 
ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 out of the thing — a useless attempt, for the shell of the 
 centipede was far too stout. The sufferer had now a 
 ticklish time of it, trying with one hand to unfasten and 
 slip off his nether garments, while with the other hand he 
 kept the foe from inflicting more damage. With consider- 
 able dexterity he managed it all, jumping away from his 
 cast raiment with laughable celerity. Thankful was he 
 when one of the party, a naturalist, promptly thrust the 
 unwelcome intruder into a bottle of spirit, and made a 
 sj)ecimen of him. 
 
 Thus, strange as it may appear, there was much more 
 to be feared from the smaller enemies than the greater, 
 from the flying and creeping things than from the fierce 
 land animals or the river monsters. These bigger enemies 
 troubled the explorers but little, in a general way. True, 
 there were alligators not far away, when the men took 
 their cooling and delightful headers into the waters of 
 the rivers at eventide or in the early morning hours. 
 And it was necessary sometimes to keep a boy or two 
 on the watch, to give warning if one of these beasts 
 should be seen approaching too near. Then there were 
 the jaguars, or South American tigers, as they are often 
 called. They were now and then observed, but almost 
 always at a little distance. For the most part the jaguar 
 kept in the recesses of the woods, and there it was not 
 often the explorers were called on to penetrate. Now 
 and again one of the brutes would roar at the surveyors 
 from the bank of the river. And on one occasion a jaguar 
 was observed swimming across the stream, just ahead of 
 
 the boat's bows. A gun was levelled at him, and he 
 
 213 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 received the contents full in his face. But it was only 
 small shot, and apparently did him little harm. With a 
 yell he made off into the woods and disappeared. 
 
 Toads of enormous size were sometimes encountered, 
 one kind bearing on its shoulders great protuberances 
 or knobs, for all the world like a hen's egg, and quite 
 equal to one in bulk. Then there were prodigious earth- 
 worms, not far short of a yard in length, and as thick as a 
 man's finger. These, and such as these, though they were 
 in no way dangerous, did not help to make life happier on 
 the borders of those interminable tropical forests. 
 
 The expedition came near to ending disastrously with 
 the death of its engineer. It was towards the close of 
 their operations. Mr. Lidstone was one day lifting a log, 
 when suddenly he became aware of a frightful and agoniz- 
 ing pain in his hand, that shot up at once into the armpit. 
 To begin to suck the tiny wound was the work of an 
 instant. While this was being done, he made a search 
 for his assailant, but found nothing. The pain almost 
 at once grew so violent, that he knew the injury must 
 be a serious one, and he made for his companions. It 
 was with the utmost difficulty he reached the rest of the 
 party, and when he did arrive, it was in a most distressed 
 condition. The wound was examined and pronounced to 
 be from the bite of a scorpion. Whether the hurt had 
 been received from the white or less dangerous sort, or 
 from the more venomous kind, no one could say. It was 
 most unfortunate that there was no remedy at hand. 
 
 Very soon the sufferer was in an alarming state, his 
 
 legs doubling beneath him, and his body rigid with cramp, 
 
 214 
 
ROUGH TIMES ON THE AMAZON 
 
 which seemed to attack every muscle of his frame. He 
 
 was placed in a litter, and his limbs were rubbed with 
 
 great vigour. " I am dying ! " was all the poor fellow 
 
 could manage to get out, so swollen and twisted was his 
 
 tongue. His companions did what they could to cheer 
 
 him, though themselves losing hope. 
 
 An hour passed, spent in vigorous rubbing, but all 
 
 efforts to keep up the circulation appeared to have failed, 
 
 and Mr. Lidstone grew cold and white. He was still 
 
 conscious, however. At this juncture one of the servants 
 
 of the party, an Indian, made a lucky suggestion, namely, 
 
 that a piece of ginger he had found in his pocket should 
 
 be given to the now dying man, for in truth there seemed 
 
 no hope of recovery for the patient. Only too glad to try 
 
 anything at so grave a crisis, his companions administered 
 
 the ginger, sending to the camp with all speed for brandy 
 
 at the same time. 
 
 But the camp was a long way off, and before the 
 
 messengers returned with the brandy, the worst was past, 
 
 fortunately. The ginger seemed to have a wonderful 
 
 effect, its heat gradually restoring the circulation. Soon 
 
 the symptoms became much more encouraging to the 
 
 anxious watchers. Presently the sick man was attacked 
 
 by a violent vomiting fit. This gave much pain, but no 
 
 doubt was of incalculable service. He now became feverish, 
 
 and suffered from an insatiable thirst. His temperature 
 
 was astonishingly high. 
 
 But the sickness had taken a favourable turn, and the 
 
 engineer grew rapidly better. For a day or so he was 
 
 obliged to lie by, but recovered enough by the third day 
 
 215 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 to be able to attend a little to his duties. In the end he 
 recovered completely. His hired servants welcomed him 
 into their midst again, as they might have welcomed one 
 who had risen from the dead. The oldest of the men 
 took off his hat and made a little speech. How nearly 
 the engineer's life had come to a premature and painful 
 end, his companions well knew. 
 
 Note. — From Fifteen Thousand Miles on the Amazon and its Tributaries 
 (Stanford), by kind permission of Mr. "W. Lidstone. 
 
 216 
 
XIX 
 
 ON CANADIAN TORRENTS 
 
 Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle attempt the North-West Passage by land- 
 River McLeod reached — Horses set the forest on fire — Desperate 
 efforts of the men to extinguish it — Horses in a panic — Fire mastered 
 at last — Dangers in the Myette valley — A stream flowing west un- 
 expectedly met with — The "divide" had been reached — Western or 
 Pacific slope of Rocky Mountains — Fraser River struck — Narrow rock 
 path blocked — Obstruction dislodged — Two horses get into the Fraser 
 and are carried away — Indian rescues one — Pluckiest deed of the 
 whole journey — Other horse lost with many valuable things. 
 
 During the earlier part of the nineteenth century the 
 air was full, so to speak, of talk about the North-West Pas- 
 sage, the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific waters 
 by the northern route. Britain had sent of her best — a 
 Franklin, a Ross, a Parry, a McClintock, with many 
 another — and had, alas ! lost some of the grandest of them 
 all in the effort to track a way through the great frozen 
 seas that bound the northern shores of the vast American 
 continent. It occurred to a notable hunter and explorer, 
 Viscount Milton, that a way might be found by land from 
 the eastern to the western shores of North America, even 
 in the high latitudes of the Hudson's Bay Territory. And 
 with his friend Dr. Cheadle, Lord Milton set out on the 
 long and arduous journey before them. Few books of 
 travel are so fascinating, so full of adventures, as that 
 
 217 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 written by those two gentlemen on their return. Not 
 the least remarkable thing is that they actually managed 
 to cross the great range of the Rockies almost without 
 losing sight of a stream. They might almost have been 
 said to traverse the Rocky Mountains oy water. 
 
 By rushing river or smaller stream, or along the banks 
 of such, the adventurous two, with their hired servants 
 and their companions, had reached the McLeod River, along 
 whose course they kept for a couple of days. They were 
 far on their course from the eastern coasts to the line of 
 the Rockies now, and had imperceptibly risen a good deal 
 more than they suspected at the time. By the banks of 
 the McLeod an adventure of quite a fresh sort awaited 
 them. The trees stood so thickly together that the party 
 were obliged to clear a space for the camp. Then two 
 fires were made, a smaller one for the human beings, and 
 a larger fire at a little distance for the horses. 
 
 The explorers were lying comfortably by their own fire, 
 
 or were cooking their meal, when suddenly a loud outcry was 
 
 made. The trees near the bigger fire were discovered to 
 
 be ablaze. It was an alarming sight, and the men sprang 
 
 to their feet with horror. The fire had been caused by 
 
 the stragglings of the horses to get near the warmth ; 
 
 they had kicked some of the burning logs amongst the 
 
 growing trees. These, though green, blazed up amazingly. 
 
 Dr. Cheadle ran with an axe and began to cut down the 
 
 trees for very life, while Lord Milton rushed for water. 
 
 Soon the two men were almost surrounded by burning 
 
 trees, the heat becoming terrible. The conflagration 
 
 spread like magic. 
 
 By this time panic had seized upon the horses, which 
 
 218 
 
ON CANADIAN TORRENTS 
 
 began to dash about in the wildest fashion. One of the 
 poor brutes in his frenzy managed to fall down right in 
 the thickest of the fire. Dropping axe and bucket the 
 two men endeavoured to drag the burning animal from 
 his dangerous position. For a space all their efforts were 
 in vain, and in their desperation they began to beat the 
 horse about the head. Then all at once the beast sprang 
 up and dashed away in his agony. It was a close 
 thing, for the explorers had been just on the point of 
 leaving everything to its fate and making for the river. 
 As for the horse, it was afterwards found to be badly burnt 
 about the legs and singed almost all over its body; it 
 survived, however. 
 
 Meanwhile the forest fire had gained ground in an awful 
 fashion, and it says much for the pluck and dogged deter- 
 mination of the Englishmen when it is stated that they 
 made a second attempt to subdue the flames. The task 
 seemed hopeless, but they worked on, exerting every 
 muscle to the utmost, and this in spite of heat and blind- 
 ing smoke and the serious risk involved. Gradually they 
 cleared a ring round the camp side of the fire, and at 
 length had the satisfaction of seeing their tremendous 
 efforts crowned with success. A tragedy even may have 
 its humorous side, and the comic element was not wanting 
 here. Travelling for a time with the explorers was a 
 classical scholar, a Mr. O'B., whose futile feebleness on all 
 occasions was well exemplified now. He for a time took 
 no part in the work of extinguishing the flames, but 
 remained quietly enjoying his rest, reclining on the moss, 
 his boots off. Being at length called upon to do his share 
 
 in the heavy work, Mr. O'B. took to putting his boots on, 
 
 219 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 an operation that occupied much time. At last he was 
 ready, and he appeared on the scene from time to time 
 bringing half-pints of water in his little drinking-mug, 
 and throwing them upon the roaring, leaping flames ! 
 
 The following day the party turned away from the 
 banks of the McLeod and traversed a belt of pine forest, 
 the day finishing up with one of the most fearful thunder- 
 storms they had yet encountered. In no long time they 
 found themselves on the Athabasca, a splendid swollen 
 stream, fully two hundred yards wide, even there. To 
 cross this formidable river seemed an impossible task, and 
 the Englishmen were much relieved when their Indian 
 followers declared that the trail ran alongside the stream 
 for some distance yet. When at last they did cross, it 
 was only with difficulty and risk, for the waters were still 
 broad and rapid. When they had got over, they found 
 they had unfortunately left behind one of their two 
 axes, but in spite of the serious nature of the loss, they 
 did not think it worth while to re-cross so formidable 
 an obstruction to fetch it. 
 
 The way now lay up a narrow ravine, that of the tribu- 
 tary river, the Myette, where, owing to the precipitous 
 nature of the banks, and the extreme narrowness of the 
 valley, the travellers were compelled to cross and re-cross 
 the stream times out of number, or to make what progress 
 they could along the bed of the torrent itself. The way 
 was blocked or hampered by fallen trees or by big boulders 
 which lay in every direction, and the horses had to leap 
 the obstructions or scramble over them. Much of their 
 course at this stage involved great risk, for the water was 
 
 in places deep and the current swift. 
 
 220 
 
ON CANADIAN TOKRENTS 
 
 The last fording- place over the Myette proved to be the 
 worst. The waters rushed along in a boiling cataract, as 
 it were, and it was only with great hesitation that the 
 party entrusted their horses to the mercies of the torrent. 
 The way was led by one of the Indians, an Iroquois. This 
 man, after a hard struggle, gained the opposite bank. Then 
 the pack-horses were driven into the water, and lastly the 
 chiefs of the expedition plunged in. Mr. O'B., as usual, 
 was in a terrible fright, and on nearing the other shore 
 promptly dashed up the bank and left his horse to fend 
 for itself. The pack-horses for the most part were carried 
 down the stream, and it was fully expected some of them 
 would be lost; however, next day, all were recovered. 
 The flour and the pemmican with which they were laden 
 had suffered badly. 
 
 The track still led along the bank of the Myette, and a 
 rough bit of travelling it presented, the ground being an 
 almost continuous bog. Then it became necessary to 
 cross this most tiresome river yet again, and the travellers 
 were preparing for another fording. To their great joy 
 they discovered a little raft moored to the bank, but it 
 was the further bank. One of the Indian boys volunteered 
 to go and fetch it, and mounted a horse for the purpose. 
 The rest watched his progress with anxiety. The other 
 bank was so steep that the horse could not get up it 
 at all, and in its efforts to raise itself out of the water, 
 threw the boy into the flood. He managed to grasp the 
 mane and scramble out, but he had had enough, and re- 
 turned without the raft. Another Indian, an Assiniboine, 
 now tied a rope to the tail of a horse and made the at- 
 tempt. He, too, gained the other bank, but without the 
 
 221 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 rope, which had slipped off the tail in the passage. This 
 put the party in a quandary for a time, till the Indian, 
 with ready wit, suggested that the rope should be tied to 
 his dog. This was done, and the animal swam over with 
 it at the call of his master. A few ferryings across 
 brought over the baggage, and the travellers bade 
 farewell gladly to the troublesome Myette. 
 
 The normal difficulties of the track were immensely 
 increased at this stage by the number of the fallen trees. 
 There had been an extensive forest fire recently, and the 
 charred trunks were lying everywhere. The horses grew 
 tired of the constant jumping over these obstacles, and 
 such of them as were loose would dart off, whenever 
 possible, into the thick part of the wood. It was only 
 that morning the explorers had left the Myette, and now, 
 the same evening found them encamped beside another 
 stream, the Pipestone River, a feeder of the Myette, as 
 they afterwards learnt. The spot was very beautiful, 
 surrounded on almost all sides by the grand moun- 
 tains. 
 
 The Englishmen had reached an important point in 
 their journey sooner than they had anticipated. Before 
 the end of the following day's march, they were sur- 
 prised to come across a streamlet flowing in a westerly 
 direction. Was it possible they had come to the " divide " 
 without knowing it ? Were they now actually looking 
 down the Pacific slope of the gigantic Rocky Mountains ? 
 Such, in truth, was the case. "We had unconsciously 
 passed the height of land," they write, " and gained the 
 water-shed of the Pacific. The ascent had been so gradual 
 
 and imperceptible, that, until we had the evidence of the 
 
 222 
 
ON CANADIAN TORRENTS 
 
 water-flow, we had no suspicion that we were even near 
 the dividing ridge." 
 
 Passing Buffalo-dung Lake, the travellers were delighted 
 with the fine appearance made by two lofty peaks on its 
 shores. The Iroquois wished to name these two mountains 
 " Montagne de Milord," and " Montagne de Docteur " 
 respectively, but the leaders of the expedition determined 
 to call them Mount Fitzwilliam and Mount Bingley. 
 A little farther on the Fraser River was struck, one of 
 the longer and more important of the streams that drain 
 the western or Pacific side of the Rockies. 
 
 The difficulties of the way were by no means lessened 
 now that that way lay down the western slope. The 
 Fraser valley proved trying to a degree. The river was 
 so swollen as to fill nearly all the narrow ravine in which 
 it ran, and the travellers had for weary hours to plod 
 along, the water often up to the saddle-girths or over, 
 and at the best the path lay through boggy swamps, 
 where there was no possibility of pitching a tent. That 
 day's march had to be prolonged till actual darkness, and 
 the party were only too glad to come at length on a bit 
 of dry ground where they could encamp. In short, this 
 part of the long tramp proved everywhere most difficult 
 and trying. Even apparently trifling matters became on 
 occasion mishaps that might end seriously. For example, 
 one of the horses was found to have got itself during the 
 night to the other side of the Fraser. To fetch back the 
 animal, the Iroquois plunged into the ice-cold and dangerous 
 torrent and swam across at the risk of his life. 
 
 After a day or two the trail left the banks of the river, 
 
 and made a steep ascent of the lofty bluff. The path 
 
 223 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 was very narrow, so narrow, indeed, that there was barely 
 room for the horses to set foot. The rock was of loose 
 and crumbling slate, and the track was about as dangerous 
 as it well could be. However, it was safely followed for 
 some distance. Then the progress of the party came to 
 a sudden stop, for a time. A huge fallen boulder com- 
 pletely blocked the path. To go back was impossible 
 for the horses; to go on was equally impossible. Mean- 
 while the poor brutes were standing on a narrow rocky 
 ledge, the steep sides of the valley dropping for hundreds 
 of feet down to the river. The men hit on the expedient 
 of cutting down pines and using the poles as levers. 
 An hour's hard work sent the obstructing rock crashing 
 down, till with a great bound it plunged into the river 
 below. The Englishmen were interested to note the 
 presence of slate-rock now. It meant that they were 
 nearing the gold-bearing regions, slate being the "bed- 
 rock" of the Californian miners. 
 
 The fifteenth of July proved to be a day of misfortune 
 to the expedition, a day the explorers had reason to 
 remember. The story of the mishap was this. Two of the 
 horses were left to run loose as the party made their way 
 along the Fraser. Presently they got off the bank, which 
 was covered with the swollen waters, and wandered off 
 into the river itself. In an instant the rapid rush of the 
 flood carried them away, and the Iroquois and a boy 
 went off in pursuit. The rest followed hard after, along 
 the bank. A mile lower down the animals were found 
 now in shallower water but right out in the middle of the 
 river. 
 
 It was hoped that the sight of the other horses would 
 
 224 
 
ON CANADIAN TORRENTS 
 
 tempt the two to come out of the water, and one of them, 
 Bucephalus by name, at length started to swim towards 
 the shore. Then the other horse, well named " The Fool," 
 began to go down stream once more. Bucephalus hesitated 
 a moment, and then followed his unwise companion, and 
 soon the pair were being borne off at incredible speed. 
 It was quite impossible for the pursuers to keep up with 
 the animals, or even to keep them in sight. Then the 
 Assiniboine quickly drew away from the rest of the men, 
 covering the ground at an astonishing speed. The others, 
 far behind, caught an occasional glimpse of the horses, 
 which in the distance appeared like mere specks on the 
 surface of the foaming floods. The excitement grew more 
 intense every moment. 
 
 A couple of miles lower down the river a shallow 
 occurred again, and this enabled the frightened beasts 
 to rest for a trifling space, and the Assiniboine to come 
 up to the spot. Soon the poor horses were carried off 
 their feet once more. Now Bucephalus, noting the presence 
 of the Indian on the bank attempted to reach him. At 
 this point the current was frightfully rapid, and it was 
 impossible for the animal to stay his course for a second. 
 However, his movements having brought him nearer the 
 bank, the Assiniboine made a plucky dash into the boiling 
 rapids, and succeeded in throwing his arms round the 
 neck of the terrified Bucephalus. With a neigh of grati- 
 tude the horse responded to the efforts of the man, and 
 each supporting the other, the two at last struggled to 
 shore. " The escape of the Assiniboine seemed marvellous," 
 say the explorers, " and we did not fail amply to reward 
 
 him for the intrepidity he had displayed. Few men 
 15 225 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 would have dared to plunge into such a boiling torrent, 
 and as we looked at the huge rolling waves after it was 
 over, we could hardly believe it possible that the thing 
 had in reality occurred." 
 
 Quickly spreading out to dry all the saturated baggage 
 carried by Bucephalus, the men dashed after his unfortunate 
 companion, The Fool. A mile lower down the animal was 
 found, but he was under the steep opposite shore. The 
 horse's head was in the thick of the bushes, but the bank 
 was too abrupt to admit of his escaping from the water 
 at that place. Meanwhile the rush of the torrent was 
 making it almost impossible for him to keep his feet. 
 To attempt to cross the river in any fashion would have 
 been simple suicide, and the Englishmen were obliged to 
 leave the poor brute to his fate. 
 
 One of the Indians now started off at full speed for 
 a native settlement he knew of, and which he thought 
 would not be more than seven miles or so away. Next 
 morning the man returned, with two others from the 
 settlement, bringing with them canoes, with which they 
 managed to cross the river. The three went at once to 
 the spot where The Fool had last been seen, when it was 
 found that the animal had made a desperate fight for 
 life. He had evidently made frantic efforts to get up 
 the steep bank, but had at last slipped, rolled over, and 
 down into the raging torrent. Not a trace of the poor 
 beast was ever found. 
 
 The misfortune to the explorers was a more serious 
 
 one than might appear at first sight. The Fool had 
 
 carried the company's entire stock of tea, salt, and tobacco, 
 
 so that for the rest of the long journey the party would 
 
 226 
 
ON CANADIAN TORRENTS 
 
 have to do without those adjuncts to their meals. Then, 
 again, all the matches and powder were lost, except the 
 small quantity the men had about their persons. Of 
 clothing, too, a good deal had gone. Many papers, letters 
 of credit, and other valuable things of that sort had been 
 swept away, as well as watches, instruments of various 
 kinds, and Dr. Cheadle's collection of plants. On the 
 other hand, none of the actual necessaries of life had been 
 taken, and no human life had been lost. Lastly, the 
 explorers' journals had been saved with Bucephalus, a 
 fortunate thing for the world, since without them their 
 fascinating book could never have been written. 
 
 Note. — From TJie North- West Passage by Land, by Viscount Milton and 
 Dr. Cheadle (Cassell). The author hereby acknowledges with 
 grateful thanks the permission accorded in such kindly terms 
 by Dr. Cheadle. 
 
 227 
 
XX 
 
 STIRRING SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 Mr. Gouger prepares to sail up the Irrawady to Ava — A Buddhist priest 
 " blown up" at Rangoon — Visit to dropping-well — Shivering fits and 
 fevers — Death of one of the party — A black servant drowned — Alli- 
 gator story — Ava reached — Successful trading — War breaks out 
 between Britain and Burmah — Review of Burmese army — Water 
 manoeuvres — Serious position of Englishmen in Burmah — Gouger 
 thrown into prison — Long and terrible imprisonment — Taken from 
 prison and carried down the river in a Burmese war-boat — Boat stop- 
 ped by a beaten Burmese general — Allowed to proceed — A British flotilla 
 seen in the distance — Burmese boat brought up by a warning shot — 
 Gouger rescued and sent on to the steamer Diana — Fright of the 
 Burmese crew at the sight of the steamer — Peace signed — Unex- 
 pected attack from the river bank — Boat's crew go in chase — A final 
 capture, a splendid Burmese war-boat. 
 
 " Most nations have undergone great changes during the 
 last forty years, and the Burmese seem to have kept pace 
 with them." Thus wrote Mr. H. Gouger in the year 
 1860, and if his remark was true then how much more is 
 it so in our own days. But what the country of Burmah 
 was like in the early part of the last century his account 
 of his own experiences and adventures there well shows. 
 He had already made one journey to the capital of the 
 country, and had seen with quick and discerning eye what 
 enormous profits might be realized as the result of intelli- 
 gent trading with that far-off semi-barbarous country. 
 We meet with him at Rangoon, preparing to make his 
 
 228 
 
SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 long voyage up the broad Irrawady to Ava and the 
 interior. He had three boats, one of which was put in 
 charge of his companion and friend, Mr. Richardson. 
 Then a Mr. Stockdale, who had his own boat, joined the 
 expedition for a distance. 
 
 A curious incident delayed the embarkation for a short 
 time. The people of Rangoon, in festive attire, were 
 streaming out of the town, and Mr. Gouger followed in 
 their train. He found that the object of the sight-seers 
 was to witness the ceremony of blowing up a Buddhist 
 priest who had just died. He was considered to be a 
 specially holy man, and worthy of special funeral honours. 
 The corpse was lying in a small pagoda-like shed, in which 
 was a quantity of powder, and such like. At this were 
 fired, from a distance of a hundred yards or more, a num- 
 ber of rockets. The rockets were on wheels, strange to 
 say. The marksmanship of the funeral party was indif- 
 ferent, and one after another the rockets were fired with- 
 out effect. The danger, indeed, was not to the shed, but 
 to the crowds that surrounded it on all sides. In the end 
 a rope had to be stretched along as a guide to the projec- 
 tile, and then the company were rewarded by a grand 
 explosion, which blew the pagoda and its contents to 
 fragments. 
 
 Very pleasant was the ascent of the river at first. Each 
 of the travellers had his own boat, in which he could re- 
 cline at his ease, merely keeping an eye on his steersman. 
 But this happy state of things was destined to end all too 
 quickly and sadly. A day or two's journey above Prome 
 
 the travellers stopped to pay a visit to a beautiful drop- 
 
 229 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 ping-well, which lay somewhat less than a mile from the 
 bank of the river. The path led through the tall grass of 
 the jungle, towering feet above the heads of the men. 
 The guide for the occasion was one of the boatmen. The 
 day was frightfully hot, and the jungle was steaming with 
 moisture from the recent rains, and swarming with 
 insects. That the place was reported to be infested with 
 tigers did not tend to make the travellers feel happier. 
 What the report did do, was to make the party hurry 
 along, and the result was that they reached the dropping- 
 well thoroughly tired out and bathed in perspiration. To 
 drink of the icy water was under the circumstances the 
 most natural thing to do ; it was also the most fatal. 
 Though the men beat a hasty retreat the moment they 
 felt a chill, the mischief was done. Mr. Gouger and Mr. 
 Stockdale were seized with shivering fits, and soon fever 
 supervened. The former swallowed a glass of brandy, and 
 this it was, doubtless, that saved him. As for Mr. Stock- 
 dale, he grew worse and worse, and died just as the voyage 
 was nearing its end. 
 
 Another misfortune came presently to the party of 
 travellers. One of the servants wishing to land, did not 
 wait till the boat had touched shore, but sprang while it 
 was yet a few feet away. He fell into the water, but as 
 he was known to be a good swimmer his companions were 
 in no particular hurry to rush to his aid. To the surprise 
 of all, the force of the current swept the poor fellow at 
 once into deep water and away down-stream. He made a 
 brave struggle for life, but before the boats could come up 
 
 with him he had sunk for the last time. 
 
 230 
 
SCENES ON THE IRKAWADY 
 
 And not long after this melancholy event the leader of 
 the expedition himself came near to losing his life. He 
 was taking a walk one evening by the river-side, when his 
 progress was stopped by a small tributary stream. He 
 threw off his clothes and plunged in, nothing doubting his 
 powers as a swimmer. He soon found he had miscalcu- 
 lated the strength of the current, which carried him off 
 his feet. He had a tough struggle, but succeeded in 
 reaching the other bank. There he sat awhile to recover 
 from his severe exertions, and to reflect that he must 
 attempt the passage again, or remain for a long time 
 without clothes. The return passage proved almost too 
 much for the swimmer. 
 
 " Bathing in the rivers of India is at all times a hazard- 
 ous and foolish practice," writes Mr. Gouger, " especially 
 in the Irrawady, which is teeming with alligators of huge 
 size and terrible voracity. ... I have seen them at times 
 basking on the rushy bank, apparently asleep, with their 
 horrid jaws wide open, and distended almost to a right 
 angle. The natives say that while they are indulging in 
 this way, their pestiferous breath attracts the swarms of 
 flies and insects abounding on such sedgy banks, and that 
 when their mouths are well lined with them a single snap 
 secures the prey." Though Mr. Gouger did not on this 
 particular voyage meet with any mishap from the alliga- 
 tors, he heard, when he reached Ava, a terrible story of 
 the death of one of the servants of a missionary expedition. 
 This man, while standing in the water near the bank of 
 the river, was seized by a huge alligator, which, making its 
 appearance without the least noise, disappeared with its 
 
 231 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 victim under water just as quietly. The horrifying part 
 of the story was that the next minute the beast suddenly 
 elevated its body several feet above the water, the man 
 still held in the jaws by his middle. Instantly the alli- 
 gator brought down the body with tremendous force upon 
 the surface of the water, thereby no doubt breaking it up 
 more easily. All this took place close to the boat in 
 which were the horror-struck companions of the poor 
 fellow. 
 
 It was not till after an unusually long journey of seven 
 weeks — due to the swollen and rapid downward cur- 
 rent of the river — that the Englishman reached Ava, the 
 Burmese capital, which he now visited for the second 
 time, after an absence of about a year. He was presently 
 received in audience by the Burmese king, whom he had 
 seen on many occasions during his former sojourn in 
 the capital. The trading prospects proved good, indeed 
 excellent, and it was soon apparent to the Englishmen 
 that, given a year or two of peace and prosperity, they 
 would be able to return home rich men. 
 
 But a cloud appeared on the horizon. Rumours of a 
 
 disagreement between the British Government and Bur- 
 
 mah began to be heard, and it was soon evident that a 
 
 war with Britain would be much to the liking of the 
 
 Burmese. The clouds gathered and' thickened rapidly, 
 
 and presently Mr. Gouger could no longer conceal from 
 
 himself the fact that in the event of hostilities breaking 
 
 out, not only would his trading be ruined, but the lives of 
 
 himself and his companions would be in the greatest 
 
 jeopardy. There were but a very few Europeans in Ava, 
 
 232 
 
The Burmese propelled their Boats by beating the air 
 with their Paddles 
 
 The feats of skill on water and the extraordinary boat-manceuvres in the presence ot 
 the old Burmese kings were amongst the most wonderful ever witnessed. 
 
SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 the merest handful, but the natives were not likely to 
 leave them long alive, when once the war had broken out. 
 Preparations began by a muster of troops, and Mr. Gouger 
 saw the whole spectacle from his house by the river bank. 
 Some six thousand picked troops were to cross the river, 
 and for this purpose a fleet of splendid boats was in readi- 
 ness. The men were all gaily dressed, and there was a 
 profusion of flags and plenty of military music. The writer 
 thus graphically describes the scene : 
 
 " Chiefs took their seats at the prows of their boats (the 
 post of honour, as the stern is with us), and in the middle of 
 each boat a soldier, selected for his skill, danced a kind of 
 hornpipe. When all was ready, the whole fleet, lining the 
 bank for a considerable distance, dashed all at once across 
 the river, nearly a mile wide ; the loud song bursting from 
 six thousand lusty throats, while the stroke from thousands 
 of oars and paddles kept time to their music. It was an 
 exciting spectacle, on which, but for certain misgivings of 
 its purport, I should have looked with delight." 
 
 The series of manoeuvres that took place on the river, 
 
 in the presence of the Burmese king and his court, was a 
 
 revelation to the Englishmen. A full account of them 
 
 would fill pages. Every kind of exercise possible on water 
 
 was carried on with astonishing skill ; races were run at 
 
 incredible speeds ; fleets of boats or canoes swept hither 
 
 and thither in graceful but most intricate mazes ; and all 
 
 without a mistake or an accident occurring. One of the 
 
 most wonderful of the feats was the propelling forward of 
 
 the boats by the beating of the paddles, not against the 
 
 water, but against the air. To perform this feat the crew 
 
 233 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 stood upright in the boat and waved lustily a specially- 
 long kind of paddle. The most beautiful of the perform- 
 ances, the Englishman declares to have been that of a par- 
 ticularly powerful crew who urged their boat at full speed 
 past the Water Palace, then suddenly the craft was hidden 
 in a splendid shower of glittering spray, the whole thrown 
 up by the cleverness of the men at the oars. The spray 
 was just of the kind seen about a cataract, and the boat 
 seemed to be ever disappearing in a perfect atmosphere 
 of it. 
 
 Picturesque as all this was, it was but too plainly the 
 preliminary to war, and consequently to imminent danger 
 for all Europeans who might be unfortunate enough to find 
 themselves in Burmese clutches. Gouger soon saw how 
 matters were turning. A charge of stealing some of Mr. 
 Stockdale's money was trumped up against him, and 
 it was only by a heavy bribe that he got himself clear of 
 entanglements on this account. So bad did the outlook 
 appear, indeed, that it became a question whether the 
 Englishmen should not flee while there was yet time. But 
 there was a large amount of property to be left behind, 
 and one of them ought to stay to watch over it. At 
 length Mr. Richardson, after much urging on the part of 
 his friend, was induced to make his escape, and he was 
 smuggled out of the place, as it might have been dangerous 
 to ask permission to leave. A small but fast boat carried 
 him in safety to Rangoon. 
 
 One Sunday morning Mr. Gouger paddled across the 
 
 Irrawady to attend service at the missionary settlement, 
 
 as was his wont. The worship was interrupted by the 
 
 234 
 
SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 hasty entrance of a man with the terrible tidings that war 
 had actually begun between Britain and Burmah, and that 
 a British fleet had bombarded and taken Rangoon, the 
 inhabitants of which had fled. A more appalling announce- 
 ment for the Englishman could hardly have been made. 
 The missionaries were Americans and had less to fear. 
 
 Mr. Gouger's account of his imprisonment in Ava, 
 though one of the most thrilling of narratives, must not 
 be dwelt upon here. For months his life was in extreme 
 danger ; every kind of hardship was endured ; times out of 
 count he was within an inch of death's door, so to speak, 
 yet he came at last safely through, after incredible suffer- 
 ing, bodily and mental. It seemed nothing less than 
 miraculous when one day he was dragged from his prison 
 by a ruffianly set, and carried on board a Burmese man-of- 
 war on the Irrawady. There he found a British officer, 
 who had been taken prisoner. Fifty strong fellows at the 
 oars caused the boat to fly like an arrow down-stream. It 
 was inexpressibly delightful to watch the leaping vessel, 
 every stroke of the oars carrying the tortured Englishman 
 nearer to his friends, as he fondly trusted. 
 
 At three o'clock in the morning a loud shout from the 
 bank startled the prisoner, for such Mr. Gouger still was, 
 and the boat was brought to by the shore. What was his 
 dismay when he found himself in the power of a detach- 
 ment of the Burmese army, a detachment that had just 
 suffered defeat at the hands of the British. The English- 
 man was landed and carried at once to the quarters of the 
 commander, hard by the bank of the Irrawady. It was 
 
 an ominous interruption, and might mean a renewal of 
 
 235 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 imprisonment, or worse. The men encamped by the bank 
 were in a most miserable plight ; they had no shelter, few 
 comforts, little food, having had to make a precipitate 
 flight. For an hour the fate of the merchant hung on a 
 thread, but at last, to his intense joy, the commander 
 allowed him to proceed. 
 
 The sun was just rising as Gouger again took his place 
 in the war-boat. It was intensely cold, but he did not 
 notice it in the joy he felt at having got out of the hands 
 of the beaten crowd he had just left. And presently he 
 was suffering from the other extreme of temperature ; the 
 heat was almost unendurable. All day long the boatmen 
 kept on their course down the broad river, the power of 
 the sun almost driving their prisoner mad. Ever he was 
 on the look-out for some sign of the near presence of 
 British forces, but hour after hour the vessel sped on 
 without any such sign being seen. It seemed unaccount- 
 able that the beaten Burmese army could have fled so far 
 from their British antagonists. But the fact was the river 
 pursued a very winding course, so that, as he afterwards 
 learnt, the actual distance in a direct line was not so great. 
 At every bend the Burmese sailors anxiously surveyed the 
 new reach that presented itself to their gaze. It was 
 evident they were on the alert. 
 
 At last, about four in the afternoon, some of the fellows 
 
 perceived a number of vessels in the distance. Though 
 
 these were yet miles away, at the extreme end of a very 
 
 long straight reach, they were declared to be foreign boats. 
 
 Mr. Gouger heard this with a feeling of stupefaction, if 
 
 indeed in his miserable and dazed condition he had any 
 
 236 
 
SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 feeling left at all. But every stroke of the oars was bring- 
 ing him nearer sweet liberty. Yet could he after all 
 escape with his life ? Would no untoward accident — what 
 a number of such he had already met ! — snatch his freedom 
 from him at the very last hour ? 
 
 Presently one of the flotilla of British boats advanced to 
 meet the Burmese man-of-war, and soon a gun was fired 
 in its direction. The sound sent the sailors into a fit of 
 terror; they did not understand the salutation. They 
 prepared to turn in flight. It was a critical and an agoniz- 
 ing moment for the lost Englishman. With all his powers 
 he persuaded the men to keep on to meet the British 
 boat, assuring them that all would be well. It was evident 
 the fellows expected to be blown to atoms by the enemy's 
 guns, but they continued their course. " I am free ! " was 
 Mr. Gouger's one thought, as he came alongside the British 
 craft. It was a strange and a wonderful escape. 
 
 The vessel proved to be H.M.S. Alligator, and the offi- 
 cer in command was astounded to see a lost and miserable 
 countryman of his own sink on the deck before him with 
 uplifted, supplicating hands. Probably he thought the 
 man out of his wits, as indeed Gouger in a manner must 
 have been. The Englishman's story was told to the kindly 
 officer, who at once gave his orders. The command was 
 to the Burmese to take their quondam prisoner on board 
 once more, and to carry him down the river till they came 
 to a steamer, the Diana. Hardly anything could have 
 alarmed the fellows more. A steamboat was a new thing, 
 inspiring the utmost terror amongst the natives of that 
 part of the world. The crew of the Burman boat begged 
 
 237 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 and prayed to be delivered from the necessity of going to 
 the dreaded monster. It was all in vain, and they had to 
 go. " Never did timid bird approach its fascinating enemy 
 with more fluttering alarm, nor with less chance of escape, 
 than did the Captain of my war-boat, this work of Enchant- 
 ment." 
 
 General Sir A. Campbell took the Englishman in his 
 boat with him to Rangoon, the kindness he received from 
 everybody doing much to restore him to health and 
 strength. Peace had been signed, yet an experience on 
 the passage down the river serves to show how little that 
 may go for in a barbarous and hostile country. The 
 General's boat was rowed by a crew of twenty men. One 
 evening, after Prome had been passed, while the occupants 
 were seated at supper on the deck, a hail of bullets 
 suddenly poured in from the bank ; luckily they were 
 aimed too high and passed harmlessly over the heads of 
 the party. For two or three minutes this fusillade was 
 kept up, but the enemy were entirely concealed by the 
 long grass with which the bank of the Irrawady was lined. 
 It would have been easy enough to get out of the way 
 of the bullets, for the river is a mile wide at that place. 
 But Campbell's blood was up, and he gave the order 
 to steer right for the spot whence came the attack. 
 
 The old soldier did more ; he actually donned his cocked 
 hat, thus presenting a splendid mark for the assailants, 
 themselves unseen. With the General on deck were his 
 son and Gouger. The whole thing seemed a trifle fool- 
 hardy, and the merchant could not be blamed if he hid 
 
 behind the palanquin. The boat carried a twelve-pounder 
 
 238 
 
SCENES ON THE IRRAWADY 
 
 at the bow, and Campbell at once treated the invisible 
 enemy to a round or two of grape. Catching sight of 
 Gouger behind his screen, the General rallied him on the 
 strength of the material — leather — on which he was relying 
 for protection from the bullets. 
 
 As soon as the vessel touched the bank the whole of the 
 men sprang out, each armed with a formidable boarding- 
 pike. Then a line was formed, Gouger taking his place 
 with the rest, and a dashing charge was made. What the 
 number of the enemy might be the Britishers did not stop 
 to consider. Through the long jungle grass the gallant 
 fellows rushed, the assailants retiring before them. This 
 continued for several hundreds of yards, till the jungle 
 came to an end. The pursuers were just in time to see a 
 considerable body of men making good their escape across 
 a small creek, the entrance to which from the river had 
 been hidden by the long tangled growth about it. The 
 chase became hot, and it had its reward. A fine war-boat 
 was discovered, hidden amongst the tall rush-brake ; it 
 formed a fitting last prize. As for its Burmese crew they 
 fled pell-mell and disappeared. This interesting trophy of 
 his victory the General carried with him to Rangoon. 
 
 239 
 
XXI 
 
 BIG GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 Mr. Francis Galton in Damaraland — A prowling lion — Lost in the thicket 
 — Another night visit — Grand hunt organized and the lion killed — 
 Hyena and lion attack horses and mules — Another hunt — Narrow 
 escape of Galton — His marvellous coolness — Big game plentiful but 
 shy — An empty larder — Giraffe sighted — Long stalk along bed of 
 river — Giraffe at bay — Horse frightened — Hunter follows the chase on 
 foot — Giraffe killed — Larder replenished —Frightful thunderstorm — 
 Man killed — Baiting with an old woman — Hyena killed — Bare legs 
 and thorns — Hyena killed in moonlight — A lively bit of work — 
 Koodoo or lion ? — A great fright — Splendid black lion — Most critical 
 situation for the traveller — Lion beats retreat. 
 
 The district of Damaraland, beyond the boundaries of the 
 
 Cape Colony regions, on the west coast of South Africa, may 
 
 be looked upon as almost a riverless country by one who 
 
 gives but a cursory glance at the map. As a matter of 
 
 fact, however, it abounds in streams, all of them flowing 
 
 freely enough during the rainy season, and some of them, 
 
 such as the Swakop, being at all times considerable rivers, 
 
 and great rivers in times of flood. In the dry season, it 
 
 is true, the courses of many of the streams become mere 
 
 dry river-beds, or, if there is any water left in them at all, 
 
 it is the poorest trickle, or a series of stagnant pools. It 
 
 was in this region that Mr. afterwards Sir Francis Galton 
 
 travelled, now more than fifty years ago. His many 
 
 240 
 
BIG GAI\1E IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 adventures are well described in his own narrative. A 
 few of them may well be retold here. 
 
 He was staying at a missionary station on an island in 
 the middle of the river Kuisip at a time when the settle- 
 ment was troubled by the unwelcome visits of a lion. 
 For some days the beast had been prowling about, as was 
 evident from his tracks. Mr. Galton lay awake in bed for 
 some time listening for the roar of the lion, but in time 
 dropped off to sleep. In the morning, however, it was 
 clear that the beast had again been on the prowl, and it 
 was determined to endeavour to track him. The mis- 
 sionary went with Mr. Galton, who took also two of his 
 own servants and a few natives. The animals the party 
 rode were oxen, this not much to the traveller's liking. 
 The lion's tracks were so numerous that it was some time 
 before the men could get on his trail. At last they found 
 a spot where the brute had been lying only a few minutes 
 before, as was evident from the warm state of the sand. 
 
 Caution was now necessary ; the beast might be close at 
 hand. As a matter of fact he was, and suddenly he rose 
 not a dozen paces away. Before the party could get their 
 guns to their shoulders he had quietly but swiftly dis- 
 appeared. It was perhaps as well that he did so, for the 
 men were so mixed up and so unprepared for an immediate 
 attack, that, had he sprung upon the hunters, it would 
 have been a serious matter for some of them. To their 
 disgust they were obliged to return without the lion's 
 skin, the thicket into which the animal had gone being 
 too dense to admit of his being followed. But that night 
 the brute was about the settlement by the river once 
 more. 
 
 16 241 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 A grand hunt was now organized, and next morning the 
 whole force of the station set off, some on horseback, the 
 missionary, as usual, on his ox, and the blacks on foot. 
 For eight miles the trail was followed, right into a bit of 
 thick bush. Here stones were thrown to dislodge him, 
 and at once the beast made his appearance some hundred 
 yards or so away. Mr. Galton did not fire, his horse not 
 being accustomed to that sort of thing ; nor did any of 
 the rest shoot, reserving their fire till they should be able 
 to get a nearer and more favourable shot. A halloo was 
 set up and a scamper after the lion began. The men did 
 their best to keep the game in view, but the bushes were 
 in the way, and several times he was lost sight of alto- 
 gether. Indeed, but for the help of some Hottentots, the 
 animal would have made good his escape. It was hours 
 before the party came within shot. The lion was trotting 
 along, sixty yards ahead, and Mr. Galton at once took aim, 
 trusting that his horse would not shy and throw him. 
 The shot took effect, and the lion bit the wound. As for 
 the horse, he was too tired to make much of a demonstra- 
 tion. The lion now turned to bay at the foot of a little 
 sand-hill. Dismounting, Mr. Galton and others circum- 
 vented him, climbing to the top of the hill, right above 
 him, while the attendants closed in round. The 
 animal was madly enraged, and had he come to close 
 quarters he would have been an ugly customer. A lucky 
 shot from one of the hunters brought the beast to the 
 ground dead. One of the dogs was found in his stomach. 
 
 Another lion adventure came to the distinguished tra- 
 veller very shortly afterwards. This was in the delightful 
 
 valley of the Swakop, where there were known to be vast 
 
 242 
 
The Lion was at bay 
 
 The African lion is often an ugly customer, as Mr. Galton, the famous scientist-explorer found. 
 Nothing but a lucky shot saved his life on this occasion. 
 
BIG GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 quantities of- game. The party were charmed with the 
 magnificent Swakop gorge, with its bordering heights 
 towering a thousand feet above the bed of the river. A 
 good bathe in the cool water was not the least of the 
 pleasures of the stay in this happy valley. But presently 
 the hunters had an unpleasant experience. One morning 
 a mule-driver who had been sent to look after the animals 
 returned in a terrible state of panic, and with alarming 
 news. He had found one of the mules dead, and a hyena 
 eating the carcass, while not far away lay the dead body 
 of the biggest of the horses, with a lion in possession. 
 The man had also observed the tracks of a number of mules ; 
 the animals had evidently been in full flight, and along 
 with the tracks they had made appeared those of several 
 lions. Of course Mr. Galton and his companions set off 
 instantly to the spot, and soon found the body of the mule 
 in the river-bed. Near the carcass of the horse the tracks 
 of no fewer than six lions were observed. As the party 
 was getting very short of animal food a quantity of flesh 
 was taken from the mule and the horse, and carried to the 
 top of the cliff to be out of the way of the wild beasts. 
 
 All the day the hunters searched for the lions, but in 
 vam. At nightfall, however, the brutes would return. 
 When twilight had come on, the men from their post of 
 observation could see several animals in the valley below ; 
 these they took to be deer. But the Swakop valley was 
 in deep shadow, so that it was impossible at the distance 
 to distinguish clearly. Later on it was discovered that 
 the supposed deer were lions. Mr. Galton and one or two 
 of his companions went down to the river to reconnoitre, 
 and to fetch up the last joints from the horse and mule. 
 
 243 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 As Mr. Galton was tugging at his load of meat a man 
 suddenly cried, " Good God, sir, the lion's above you ! " a 
 shout that made the explorer's flesh creep. With the 
 most astonishing coolness, however, he stuck to the meat, 
 walking steadily on, looking frequently over his shoulder 
 as he marched. When he came to the place where his 
 men stood, he could see what they had before seen, but which 
 till now had been hidden from his eyes. There, on the 
 top of the ledge under which he had been walking, stood 
 the lion, his ears pricked up, and his gaze fixed upon him. 
 The risk the hunter had run had been great. The mis- 
 sionary brought his gun to bear, but the shot was too low, 
 merely splintering the rock at the animal's feet. It was 
 in reality too dark for a good aim, and the lion got away. 
 
 A somewhat heavy time for the travellers came on. 
 The weather was overpoweringly hot ; they were knocked 
 up and out of condition ; food ran short. During the day 
 it was found wiser to travel a good deal in the dry beds of 
 the rivers, and at night they camped near water-holes in 
 the same sandy beds. Every night lions were on the 
 prowl, and it was necessary to fire the long, dry grass 
 around. The grass made fine bonfires, which not only 
 kept off the numerous wild beasts, but later on improved 
 the herbage. Rhinoceros tracks were seen. The ther- 
 mometer registered a temperature of 95° in the shade, 
 and 143° in the sun. The least cut or scratch on their 
 bodies the travellers found to fester at once, and to be 
 long in healing. Such are some of the discomforts of 
 travelling in that region. 
 
 The larder was actually empty, when luckily the spoor 
 
 — quite fresh — of a giraffe was found. Whether to go 
 
 244 
 
BIG GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 after the animal Mr. Galton did not know, as he was weak 
 and ailing and his horse was in very bad condition. How- 
 ever, he followed the giraffe in spite of everything. It 
 was in the bed of the Tsobis river, a vale hemmed in by 
 towering and unscalable cliffs. He knew, therefore, that 
 the animal would be unable to get far out of the way. 
 The course of the river was followed for some miles, the 
 hunter keeping a couple of miles in front of his party. 
 At length he espied his giraffe under a tree. Taking ad- 
 vantage of what cover there was, Mr. Galton pushed on his 
 horse at full speed. He got within a hundred yards of 
 the animal before it observed him ; then off like the wind 
 it flew, followed hard by the pursuer. The horse was at 
 a disadvantage, the bush being a sore trouble to it, 
 whereas to the giraffe it gave no inconvenience at all 
 apparently. Seeing that he was scarcely gaining ground, 
 the hunter tried a shot, which struck the animal in the 
 quarter. The odds now seemed likely to be all in favour 
 of the horse, but the poor beast was sadly blown, and the 
 bushes were worse than ever. A second shot, at a distance 
 of thirty yards, had no effect on the giraffe ; doubtless the 
 bullet flew wide of it altogether. 
 
 The chase was becoming exciting. By this time the 
 pursuer had come up abreast of his quarry, and tried to 
 get in front and head the animal back. As luck would 
 have it, just then a watercourse intervened. The horse, 
 if it had been fresh, would have jumped the obstruction 
 readily enough, but in its present distressed state it fell 
 short, and breasted the bank. Somehow or other the 
 hunter got his mount over and into speed again. At last 
 
 he was forty yards ahead, and, turning, faced the giraffe. 
 
 245 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 The beast did not stop her course, strange to say, but 
 came on at the assailant viciously. The man waited 
 almost too long, then fired, the ball striking the nostril. 
 The wounded beast staggered, turned, and retreated, 
 presently coming to rest under a tree. But by this time 
 the horse was too frightened to be any longer available, 
 and the sportsman got down and advanced on foot. It 
 went to the hunter's heart as he saw the look in the eyes 
 of his unhappy victim, but necessity knows no law, and 
 with another shot the matter was ended. So grand an 
 accession of food to hungry men caused infinite rejoicing 
 among the party. It was indeed high time for a re- 
 plenishing of the larder. 
 
 A most violent thunderstorm broke over the Swakop 
 district, after a long drought, and the river was soon in 
 high flood, the water rushing along in vast volumes and 
 with great turbulence. The lightning was practically 
 continuous, so much so that Mr. Galton was able to read 
 a newspaper without stopping, noting enough words at 
 one flash to carry him on till the next. Ever a man of 
 science, he observed, too, that he was able to see the 
 colours of the flowers growing near, a very rare thing in 
 the case of lightning. A negro was killed by one of the 
 flashes. Mr. Galton observed four men running; after 
 the flash there were but three. The change in the dead 
 negro's features was very slight, he remarked. 
 
 The travellers had recently been entertained with a 
 
 tale of a man's nose having been bitten off by a hyena, 
 
 while the man was lying on his back asleep, and this story 
 
 was much ridiculed. Strangely enough, an incident 
 
 occurred at that very same missionary station on the 
 
 246 
 
BIG GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 Swakop, which seemed to argue that the story might be 
 literally true. An old negress was sleeping near a fire, 
 under a rough erection, her feet stretching away into the 
 darkness beyond. Suddenly a hyena prowling about 
 seized one of the feet and dragged the old woman bodily 
 out of the rude hut or tent that sheltered the greater 
 part of her person. Her yells frightened the animal, and 
 the woman got off with nothing worse than a wounded 
 foot. Next night Mr. Galton and a companion sat up to 
 watch for the hyena. The former hid behind the hut, 
 while his friend watched from near a side path. The old 
 woman was induced to sleep in the hut as before, to act 
 as a bait. To the hunters the notion of baiting with an 
 old woman seemed a good joke ; the old lady herself was 
 frightened almost out of her wits at the situation. The 
 hyena came duly to carry to a conclusion his last night's 
 project, and the watcher in the side path put a speedy 
 finish to his plans. 
 
 But other hyenas troubled the settlement ; they were 
 in truth too numerous, and inconceivably bold. Many 
 attempts to get at them were made, but for long without 
 result. At last the dogs managed to start one in the 
 night-time and held him at bay. The men were all asleep 
 on the other side of the Swakop, which at that point had 
 a width of three hundred yards. Mr. Galton sprang out 
 of bed, and, undressed as he was, went off helter-skelter. 
 He stumbled along in the moonlight, the sharp thorns 
 doing grievous damage to his bare legs. But so great 
 was the excitement of the moment that he kept on his 
 
 course. When he reached the spot where the dogs were, 
 
 247 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 he found that the hyena had dropped back into the deep 
 shade of the thorns and rocks. The hunter would have 
 given much for his stout leather trousers at that moment. 
 He could not see the brute till, the dogs setting him up, 
 he actually brushed past Mr. Galton's naked legs. In the 
 course of time the dogs got the game out into a bit of 
 bright moonlight, not more than four or five feet away 
 from him. So good an opportunity was not lost ; and a 
 bullet broke the hyena's backbone. Altogether a lively 
 piece of work, the sportsman remarks. 
 
 At a later stage of his travels, on the river Omoramba, 
 Mr. Galton had an unusual experience. He was saunter- 
 ing about, his rifle loaded with the merest pinch of powder 
 and a round ball, the game being scarce. Presently he 
 spied an animal at a distance, which he took to be a 
 koodoo. To drop to the ground and begin the stalking of 
 the koodoo was the work of a moment. Unluckily the 
 intervening space was filled with abominable thorns, and 
 the sportsman's person suffered in consequence. For all 
 that, he crept on hands and knees till he gained a position 
 within fifty yards of the animal. Then stealthily rising 
 he put his rifle between the bushes and prepared to shoot. 
 What was his horror to find that the game was no koodoo, 
 but a magnificent black lion ! There the animal stood on 
 a little mound, his eyes looking straight at the hunter. 
 And the hunter was practically unarmed ! The intrepid 
 coolness of the man doubtless saved his life. He showed 
 himself fully to the beast, and then turning round walked 
 calmly away. As he himself says, he was in an awful 
 
 fright; he was sure the animal must be hungry, the 
 
 248 
 
BIG GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA 
 
 quantity of game about being so small. However, the 
 lion watched the man till he had retreated a score or two 
 of yards ; then he trotted off. As Mr. Galton remarks, 
 the lion was " certainly as much astonished as myself, for 
 unless he was a great traveller he could never before have 
 seen a white man or one dressed in clothes." 
 
 Note. — From Narrative of an Explorer in Tropical South Africa (Ward, 
 Lock and Co.), by kind, permission of Mr. Francis Galton 
 F.R.S. 
 
 249 
 
XXII 
 
 ON THE WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 Major Kickard reaches the valley of the San Juan— River forded — Alarm 
 in the night— Pumas attack mules — A fierce fight — Two pumas killed 
 — Two mules also — The windings of the river — The Major tries a short 
 cut — Steep and risky path — No sign of habitation — Darkness comes 
 on — A wall of rock with a cleft in it — A tramp of three hours — Back 
 at the cleft — A salt marsh — Make a fire and camp for night — No fresh 
 water — A farm and breakfast — The San Juan river once more — 
 Frequent crossings again— The Major thrown from his mule into the 
 flood — Saved by the mule's tail — Arrival at the town of San Juan. 
 
 Amongst the pioneers of exploration many members of 
 the engineering and surveying professions hold honour- 
 able rank. Indeed, as various chapters of the present 
 volume show, they have often played a notable part in 
 such expeditions. And their scientific acquirements, 
 their habits of observation, and their life-long familiarity 
 with out-door occupations, make these gentlemen specially 
 valuable travellers and explorers, more particularly when, 
 as is generally the case, they possess also a keen love of 
 sport and adventure. 
 
 Amongst these engineer explorers, Major Rickard, 
 Government Inspector of Mines for the Argentine Re- 
 public, occupies a worthy place. He was sent out to 
 inspect the newly-discovered silver-mines of San Juan, 
 
 away amongst the eastern slopes of the great Andes range, 
 
 250 
 
WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 and during his journeyings he crossed the entire breadth 
 of the continent, from Valparaiso on the Pacific to the 
 city of Buenos Ayres. 
 
 The major had reached the wide Barrial valley, through 
 which runs the river San Juan. Along the course of this 
 stream his route lay for a time, and he thought it well to 
 employ a guide. The San Juan winds to such an extent 
 that it was necessary to cross it many times. The 
 engineer borrowed a tall horse to help him in his fordings 
 of the deep stream ; his mule, as he soon found, being 
 unsuitable for the purpose, unless the rider were prepared 
 for a soaking at each fording. Well provided with food, 
 the major and his men left Calingasta for the town of San 
 Juan, which latter place they trusted to reach in a couple 
 of days. Almost at once the river had to be forded, 
 and while the master on his big steed was in good case, 
 the adventures of his men on their mules caused no 
 little merriment, though there was a certain amount of 
 danger attending the passage. The current, as is generally 
 the case with mountain torrents, was very rapid, and it 
 was all the animals could do to prevent themselves from 
 being swept bodily away, with their riders on their 
 backs. 
 
 A good place for the camp was found in the evening, 
 
 and after supper the men turned in, with the exception 
 
 of two, who were sent to a little distance to watch over 
 
 the animals grazing. The major himself preferred sleeping 
 
 in the open air. During the night the camp was alarmed 
 
 by a loud shout from one of the sentinels, and the report 
 
 of a gun. Instantly every man sprang up and seized his 
 
 rifle, not knowing what to expect, but fearing that it 
 
 251 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 might be an attack from the Indians, though they were 
 not thought to be in the neighbourhood at all. 
 
 On being asked what was the matter, the sentinel shouted 
 that a large puma, or so-called " lion," had startled him. 
 The animal had, however, made off, and the man apologized 
 for disturbing his master without due cause. A search 
 was set up, but no trace of the puma being seen, the 
 party were about to turn in once more, when it occurred 
 to the leader that the mules might be in danger. A yell 
 from a distant part of the valley showed that the surmise 
 was correct. The major bolted off at full speed towards 
 the sound, leaving some of his men to guard the camp, 
 but taking with him the rest. 
 
 The party came up just as a furious fight was going on 
 between a couple of pumas and two of the mules. The 
 other mules in their alarm had stampeded and were no- 
 where to be seen. The fellows who had been left in charge 
 of the pasture ground were striving in vain to separate 
 the struggling beasts, or to frighten the pumas. Yet the 
 men were so alarmed themselves that they dared not go 
 nearer than twenty or thirty yards from them, and at 
 such a distance a shot from an indifferent marksman 
 might have been more fatal to the mules than to the 
 pumas. It was seen at once by the new-comers that it 
 would be impossible to save the poor beasts, for they were 
 far gone already. But the major was determined to have 
 his revenge, and, coolly advancing to within a few yards, 
 took aim at a puma, and with one ball rolled the savage 
 brute over. The puma had been struck just below the ear, 
 and, quitting his hold of his victim, he dashed about on 
 
 the ground in his agony. With their big knives the men, 
 
 252 
 
WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 rushing forward, finished the beast. One of the mules 
 died almost at once, the other survived only till the 
 morning. The remaining puma had, of course, been 
 immediately covered, and that, too, fell a victim to the 
 guns of the party. 
 
 The largest of the pumas proved to be a formidable 
 fellow, his length being found to be no less than five feet 
 to the root of the tail. In the Andes districts it is never 
 safe to leave horses and other domestic animals unattended 
 and far from camp or settlement. The puma will seldom 
 attack a man, but almost every other animal he will 
 assail. Oddly enough, however, there is one animal that 
 seems well able to match itself against even the dreaded 
 puma, namely, the donkey. He, when attacked, holds his 
 head well between his legs, and, keeping up a constant 
 " bucking," prevents the enemy sticking on his back long 
 enough to do serious damage. 
 
 The whole troop of Major Eickard's mules had, needless 
 to say, disappeared. Luckily two of the animals were 
 caught near the camp fire, and on these a long hunt for 
 the rest was made. All the efforts of the party failed to 
 bring back some of the lost mules, and five or six had to 
 be obtained at a post-house which was reached later on. 
 These others were borrowed in the name of the Govern- 
 ment, and it is curious to relate that when, later on, the 
 animals were returned to the owner, he was even more 
 surprised than delighted. He had evidently been little 
 accustomed to such honest treatment as that. 
 
 The San Juan was found to be a most troublesome 
 stream ; in certain parts of its course it had to be crossed 
 every hour or so. It is no wonder, therefore, that when 
 
 253 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the explorers met a party of gauchos presently, and learnt 
 from them that there was a shorter cut, through a newly- 
 discovered pass, it was determined to leave the bank of 
 the river for a time, and strike up to the pass. The 
 gauchos declared that by taking this new path the ex- 
 pedition would save many leagues of the desperately bad 
 road alongside the stream. 
 
 Major Rickard, accompanied by an excellent companion, 
 Don Joaquin, the Sub-Inspector of Mines, pushed on in 
 front, leaving the others to follow in charge of an officer. 
 The path was a tortuous one, and led across a line of 
 hills. By half-past four in the afternoon, according to 
 the gauchos, a post-house should be reached, where the 
 night might be spent. The special informant among 
 the fellows grinned broadly as the leader and his friend 
 trotted off, but it was not discovered till too late what a 
 trick the gaucho had played them. The path, which had 
 appeared both short and easy, turned out to<be about the 
 stiffest ascent the major had ever made on horseback. 
 And the steepness was not the worse feature ; the track 
 was a regular zigzag, and, moreover, lay along the very 
 edge of the mountain shelf on which they were travelling. 
 The top was reached at length, after an arduous ascent. 
 The view of the country around was magnificent — where 
 the rising mist had not blotted out every feature and 
 every sign of the track down. The promised post-house 
 was nowhere to be seen. The fog grew denser, and the 
 garments of the two men were soon quite wet through. 
 To crown all, the darkness fell, and by half-past five it 
 was scarce possible to advance at all with safet} T . 
 
 Still the two men kept cautiously on their way down 
 
 254 
 
WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 the hill, the darkness and fog all around them, the damp 
 cold chilling them through. There was no post-house, 
 and no dinner for the travellers, who were becoming 
 furiously hungry. Hours passed, and the situation was 
 growing serious. Then all at once a dark mass loomed 
 up in front. The post-house, of course ! Alas ! it turned 
 out to be a wall of rock, and apparently it stopped the 
 path completely. But a moment's examination showed 
 what appeared to be an immense cleft in the solid rock, 
 and that was the only passage forward. The mule would 
 on no account enter this dark and alarming fissure, ex- 
 hibiting the same sort of hesitation that had more than 
 once saved her master's life. 
 
 Getting down from his mount, Major Rickard stepped 
 into the huge crack, and began to feel about with his 
 sword. The next instant he was lying on his back in 
 some soft, wet substance. In his fall he had felt some- 
 thing hard in one of his pockets, and this proving to be a 
 matchbox, he struck a light. He had stumbled down a 
 little rock step of a couple of feet, and was lying on the 
 damp sand at the bottom of the crack. The path being 
 lighted up by more matches, the mule was now willing to 
 enter the cleft, and soon the travellers emerged at the 
 farther side, the fissure being only a hundred yards 
 long. 
 
 The hungry men were chagrined, but there was no help 
 
 for it, and they plodded on in the darkness, the ground 
 
 now furnishing a better pathway. On and on they went, 
 
 listening hard for any sound that might indicate the 
 
 presence of man. It was now between ten and eleven, 
 
 and yet no sign of an end to this most unfortunate 
 
 255 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 " short cut." The night grew a little lighter, and at 
 length a second wall loomed in front. Thank goodness ! 
 the station at last. But it was another wall of rock. And 
 in the wall was another fissure. A most extraordinary 
 country this; two rock walls with two fissures as like 
 each other as two peas ! A loud burst of laughter rang 
 out on the night air from Don Joaquin, who happened to 
 be leading at that moment. Then the travellers found 
 that for the last three hours they had described a circle, 
 and that here they were back at the same cleft. 
 
 They resolved now to consult their pocket-compass 
 more frequently, and plodded on. To attract the attention 
 of any person there might be in the neighbourhood, the 
 benighted explorers fired off revolvers, whistled, and made 
 plenty of din. They trusted, at any rate, to fall in with 
 the rest of their own men. All to no purpose, so, wetter 
 than ever with the drizzle that had begun, they kept on 
 their weary, famished way. At length, at midnight or 
 thereabouts, the major's mule stopped, her feet sinking 
 deep into the ground. The rider sprang off, and found 
 himself in a quagmire, submerged to the height of his 
 knees. Don Joaquin was able to escape a like fate, being 
 a little in the rear. So thoroughly demoralized had the 
 gallant major become by this time, that he expressed his 
 determination to spend the remaining fraction of the 
 night just where he was, a proposition to which the Sub- 
 Inspector moved an amendment, viz. that they should 
 seek a drier spot and try to make a fire. 
 
 The two succeeded in finding a little hillock, which, 
 
 though not dry, was a great improvement on the bog. 
 
 Here, in spite of the rain, they managed to get a good 
 
 256 
 
WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 blazing fire with the help of some old roots. They settled 
 down for the night, making the best of a trifle of stale 
 biscuit they had, and a little cognac that remained in the 
 flask. To dilute the latter, water was needed, and of that 
 there was plenty and to spare. But a little examination 
 showed that the bog was a salina, or salt marsh, whose 
 water was, of course, undrinkable. The men found a 
 trickle in a cow-path, which promised to be more potable, 
 and they had to make shift with it. But the major 
 explains that even this contained at least ten per cent, of 
 Epsom salts ! By their fire they spread their sheepskins 
 and went to sleep, holding the bridles of their animals 
 in their hands. Towards morning the drizzle became a 
 downpour. 
 
 With the daylight the mist cleared off, and they saw 
 the big cleft some twelve miles away against the sky. 
 They knew that fissure ; they had passed it twice. They 
 could now understand how easily they had contrived to 
 come again to the same place; the hill was round in 
 shape, and they had simply ridden about its circular 
 flank. By half-past ten in the morning the famished 
 travellers had sighted a farm-house, the first habitation 
 they had seen since their start from the banks of the San 
 Juan. The breakfast they were provided with there, was 
 enjoyed injio ordinary way. Of the rest of their party 
 the engineers could hear nothing, and they concluded that 
 their men had fared no better than themselves, always 
 saving the fact that the men had with them beds and 
 food, whereas the masters had neither. San Juan, the 
 farmer informed them, was about seven leagues away, a 
 
 17 25 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 journey that should not take more than four hours with 
 the mules. 
 
 Half-an-hour's progress from the outlying farm brought 
 the major and his friend to the bank of the San Juan 
 once more, and they rejoiced, understanding now what a 
 mistake they had made when they had left it the previous 
 evening, to take a short cut in order to avoid the tiresome 
 windings of the stream. Yet even the river had its 
 drawbacks, the old experiences being repeated. The two 
 forded the stream, but not without some hesitation. Here 
 the San Juan was much wider ; the current was certainly 
 not less rapid ; they had no guide ; finally, their animals 
 were only mules, and not tall horses. It was found 
 necessary to make repeated fordings, just as it had been 
 higher up the river, and the banks were everywhere steep 
 and lofty. This last fact compelled the men in places 
 even to make the bed of the river their high-road, it being 
 impossible to climb the cliffs on either side. 
 
 The last crossing of this river was almost too much for 
 
 the major, who was no swimmer. His mule was of no 
 
 great height, while the water was deeper than usual. 
 
 His thighs were below the surface of the racing flood, and 
 
 the water poured into his big riding boots, or rather into 
 
 the boot on the current side of him. Suddenly weighted 
 
 in this way, and the mule plunging along at the same 
 
 moment, off came the rider, who plunged head foremost 
 
 into the torrent. Fortunately for himself, he managed to 
 
 catch hold of the mule's tail, and thus scrambled out. 
 
 Don Joaquin was hard-hearted enough to indulge in a 
 
 hearty laugh. His luckless chief had to pull off his boots 
 
 258 
 
WINDINGS OF THE SAN JUAN 
 
 and empty them before he could take to the saddle again. 
 Even after that, he rode a heavier man by twenty pounds 
 than he had been before his ducking. That day and the 
 previous night, he tells us, had been amongst the most 
 miserable of his life. 
 
 At the town of San Juan they were able to gain no 
 tidings of the rest of their party, and they concluded that 
 they, too, had lost their road. A day and a half later, this 
 was proved to be the case, when men and beasts arrived 
 at the town far-travelled and weary. 
 
 Note. — From A Mining Journey across the Great Andes, by Major 
 Eickard. By kind permission from Messrs. Smith, Elder, 
 and Co. 
 
 259 
 
XXIII 
 
 A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND 
 
 Floods even in Australia — A Danish emigrant on the banks of a Queens- 
 land river — Attacked by a ruffian, who comes off second best — Rains 
 and storms set in — The Dane pitches his tent near the river — 
 Tremendous floods — Imprisoned for three weeks by the waters — Food 
 runs short — Traveller famishing — About to cross the swollen river — 
 Finds a man dying of hunger — Risks the passage to a farm on the 
 opposite shore — Food refused — The Dane takes some by force for the 
 dying man — Helps his sick friend forward — Necessary to cross the 
 river again — A horse carried away by the floods — The Dane resigns 
 his remaining horse to the sick man — Himself attempts the passage 
 on foot — Exciting time — Narrowly escapes drowning — Black ingrati- 
 tude of the befriended man. 
 
 That there can be floods, and serious floods, even in 
 dry Australia, is well shown by the experiences of a 
 Danish emigrant who went to Queensland away back in 
 the seventies. His scrambling life out there also illus- 
 trates the dangers and difficulties the emigrant had often 
 to face in those days in the lonely, outlandish parts of the 
 country. 
 
 The emigrant on one occasion had been led into a 
 hollow by a tramp he had casually met on his way. 
 There the tramp — swagsman, as his class was called — had 
 done his best to murder the Dane for the sake of his 
 horses and other property. A desperate struggle had 
 
 taken place, the victory coming at last to the Dane, who 
 
 260 
 
A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND 
 
 thereupon mounted his horse and made off with all 
 speed. 
 
 The emigrant was following the course of one of the 
 rivers, and was nearly a hundred miles from the town he 
 wished to reach. The weather had been fearfully hot 
 and dry, but now it began to rain. It rained incessantly 
 for days, and rained in sheets, a condition of things that 
 soon made a vast difference to the river. Thus far, 
 indeed, the river had been but a perfectly dry sandy 
 trough, but now it became a mighty, tearing stream. It 
 was evident to the emigrant that he was in for a big 
 flood, and he began to be anxious, for the country around 
 was very flat. He pitched his tent in the best spot 
 available, so far as his judgment went, but a gang of 
 stockmen who visited him directed him to a better 
 location. This was a narrow little ridge a mile or so from 
 the river. Here the wanderer would have to remain in 
 his loneliness till the floods should subside, as he well 
 knew. 
 
 Next morning he saw with some dismay that the 
 
 swollen waters of the river had advanced much nearer 
 
 his tent than on the previous evening. Before the end 
 
 of that day the emigrant was entirely surrounded by the 
 
 floods, the patch on which he had squatted being now not 
 
 more than ten acres or so. On every side, as far as the 
 
 eye could reach, the roaring waters raged and rushed. 
 
 For three whole weeks the man and his horses were 
 
 prisoners in that awful spot. Not a soul could be seen, 
 
 not a morsel of food could be procured for the man, 
 
 beyond what he happened to have with him. It was 
 
 utterly impossible to get away or to communicate with 
 
 261 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the outside world. Moreover, there was no guarantee 
 that a further rise of the waters might not sweep him off 
 to destruction. Even if that worst possibility was never 
 realized, the man had no notion how long his imprison- 
 ment might continue. The situation was an appalling one. 
 
 He now bethought him of an old shepherd, of whom 
 he had heard from the stockmen, who had visited the tent 
 at the beginning of the flood. This shepherd lived a 
 mile and a half away, on a sort of island formed in the 
 river, and he was the nearest neighbour. So the emigrant 
 began to yell, and the old shepherd answered. But it 
 was out of the question for either man to reach the other. 
 Probably the shepherd did not mind the floods in the 
 least ; likely enough, he was accustomed to go for weeks 
 without seeing a soul. With the Dane, the case was very- 
 different ; he longed to see the face of a fellow mortal 
 again. 
 
 At length the waters subsided somewhat, and the 
 prisoner struck his tent and determined to make an effort 
 to get away. It was time ; his remaining stock of food 
 consisted of a single loaf of bread. The ground was in 
 a very water-logged state, and full of nasty dangerous 
 holes. With care, however, he managed to reach a 
 station, where he hoped to be able to obtain more pro- 
 visions. To his dismay the people at the station refused 
 to sell him anything, and the next station brought the 
 traveller similar bad luck. The case was becoming 
 desperate, and for days the poor fellow proceeded on 
 his way with scarcely any food to keep body and soul 
 together. In this miserable plight, the Dane reached a 
 
 point within four-and-twenty miles of the town. 
 
 262 
 
A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND 
 
 But now the river had to be crossed — if that should 
 prove possible. On the other side could be seen the 
 houses of a farm station. Just as he was about to 
 attempt the passage of the river, the houses only a 
 couple of hundred yards away, the horses shied suddenly. 
 There, lying helpless in the middle of the road, was a 
 terrible object, a man dying from hunger. The poor 
 wretch desired nothing but to be left to die in peace, so 
 he informed the Dane. " What ! " cried the latter, " die 
 of hunger right in front of a station here ! Pshaw ! In 
 half-an-hour you shall have something to eat," to which 
 speech the man on the road replied with a bitter laugh. 
 And he proceeded to unfold a strange, miserable tale. 
 The squatter opposite had driven him away with curses, 
 refusing him food or help of any kind. 
 
 Beyond measure astonished, the Dane determined at 
 
 once to cross the river, if possible, to buy food for himself 
 
 and the unfortunate, and, promising to be back before 
 
 evening, he set off. The river was still in flood, and 
 
 quite unfordable, but the horse swam across safely, and 
 
 the farm was reached. At a stable door near, the Dane 
 
 was stopped by the sound of groaning. Entering the 
 
 stable he found a man lying on his face, and apparently 
 
 in a miserable state. A conversation ensued, in the 
 
 course of which it came out that this poor fellow was 
 
 blind, having been seized by the sand-blight. He was 
 
 unable to help himself, and he, too, was all but starving. 
 
 He knew of the other poor fellow, whom the Dane had 
 
 left lying on the further bank of the river, and told a 
 
 woeful story of the hard-heartedness of the squatter. 
 
 He further assured the emigrant that he would be unable 
 
 263 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 to buy anything from the farmer, who would refuse even 
 money. 
 
 The squatter proved to be all that the man in the 
 stable had represented him to be. He would sell nothing, 
 he said. In vain the new-comer spoke of the luckless 
 wretch dying of hunger just across the water there. 
 The farmer laughed the notion to scorn, and asserted 
 that the fellow was only a loafer. " Let him go to the 
 town," the man concluded. 
 
 The Dane indignantly pointed out that a dying man 
 could not get to town, a distance of over twenty miles ; 
 he could not even get himself across the river. And in 
 spite of all entreaties the hard-hearted squatter rode 
 away to his work, leaving the other standing hungry, 
 speechless, filled with righteous anger. The emigrant 
 thought of his own famished condition ; he thought also 
 of the still more unfortunate being not far away. Some- 
 thing must be done, and he made up his mind to try the 
 old woman at the farm. She had been out twice during 
 the talk with her husband, and had all but thrown her 
 slops at the stranger. 
 
 So the Dane knocked at the door. No answer came, 
 
 and he stepped inside the kitchen. There was cookery 
 
 going on, the smell of which was tempting to a degree to 
 
 a man as empty as the traveller. The old woman now 
 
 ran in from another room, and ordered out the stranger 
 
 angrily. To enforce the command she seized a big stick 
 
 of firewood and struck at him. This was too much for 
 
 the hungry man. Suddenly whipping out a formidable 
 
 knife, he put on a furious look, and without further 
 
 ceremony lifted the lid of one of the saucepans. The 
 
 264 
 
A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND 
 
 old lady was probably too scared to do more than object 
 mildly, and the thief, for such he was for the moment, 
 drew out a lump of meat weighing five or six pounds. 
 It was robbery with threats, but Decessity knows no law. 
 
 With the meat the emigrant, faithful to his word, 
 recrossed the swollen river, once more getting over safely. 
 Soon he and the poor wretch he was succouring were 
 enjoying a hearty meal, which they were able to supple- 
 ment by the tea they made. During the repast the 
 unfortunate man told his story to his benefactor, and a 
 terrible story it was. It appeared that he, too, had camped 
 out all the flood-time, only, unlike the Dane, he had had 
 no tent. Somehow he had managed to keep a fire always 
 alight, and had put his blanket over a stick to make what 
 shelter it might from the incessant rain and wind storms. 
 Then he had begun his wanderings once more. On one 
 part of the way, he had waded through water shoulder- 
 deep for five miles, and had only kept his direction at all 
 by the help of the posts sticking here and there out of 
 the floods. Occasionally he had received trifling help 
 from people he had met with, but for the most part his 
 state had gone from bad to worse, till he had lain him 
 down to die, here in front of the house of a well-to-do 
 squatter. 
 
 By the time the man's tale was ended he had become 
 
 very sick ; he had eaten too much for his famished and 
 
 weakened stomach. At that moment a diversion occurred. 
 
 The report of a gun was heard from the farm over the 
 
 stream. It was probable the farmer had returned, and 
 
 that his old wife had told him of the robbery that morning. 
 
 She had most likely not tried to minimize the guilt of the 
 
 265 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 offender. Would the squatter come to take summary 
 vengeance for the raid upon his kitchen ? The Dane did 
 not know, anyhow he could not leave his helpless friend, 
 whatever happened. But no farmer came, and the Dane 
 concluded that the man was either too much of a gentle- 
 man or too much of a coward to come out and try 
 conclusions with the robber. 
 
 The emigrant was now anxious to get on his way once 
 more, and prepared to start, when a strange and unlucky 
 accident befell him. One of his horses was suddenly 
 carried away by the rushing river, and drowned. The 
 poor beasts had been rendered mad by the sand-flies, 
 which were so troublesome that it was only possible for 
 even the men to keep at all clear of them by sitting right 
 in the thick of the smoke from the fire. The horse in its 
 madness had dashed into the river, and being hobbled, it 
 could do nothing but float helplessly down the stream. 
 It was the Dane's best animal, and his saddle-horse. 
 
 The two men remained on the spot all night, unmolested 
 
 by the squatter. Next morning they were almost as 
 
 hungry as ever. To get across the river once more was 
 
 now the task before them. The owner led his remaining 
 
 horse to the bank and tried many places to see if the 
 
 stream were fordable, but found no part where a horse 
 
 might walk across. That he himself could get over he 
 
 knew, the animal being able to swim with a man on his 
 
 back. But there was the poor wretch who possessed no 
 
 horse. He was unable to ride, he declared, and even had 
 
 he been a horseman, the animal would not allow him to 
 
 mount, rearing and bucking in vigorous fashion whenever 
 
 the attempt was made. Neither of the men could swim. 
 
 2b6 
 
A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND 
 
 And the sick man was very short of stature, so that it 
 might be clays before the river had fallen enough to 
 enable him to ford it. As for the Dane, he spent most of 
 the day wading about the water with a long pole in his 
 hand, trying to find a sufficiently shallow place. He was 
 fully determined not to leave the other till he had seen 
 him safely across and in a more hopeful condition. 
 
 A couple of hours before sunset the Dane prepared to 
 try the passage, come what might. He was, in truth, 
 utterly weary of his companion's repinings and lamenta- 
 tions. The undertaking was a dangerous one for him, 
 because he was about to make it on foot, the horse being 
 assigned by him to his less fortunate friend. He wrote a 
 few lines to the manager of the bank in which his money 
 was, telling him what to do with the cash in case of a 
 fatal result. This the kindly fellow put into an envelope 
 and entrusted to the other to post. The rest of his 
 property the emigrant gave to his companion, should he 
 alone survive the passage. 
 
 The weaker man was placed on the horse, which did not 
 now resent it, and directed to remain on the bank till the 
 owner of the animal should get across in safety. That 
 once effected, the horse would, on being called for by his 
 master, swim over readily enough. Thus was the generous- 
 hearted Dane deliberately risking his own life to help a 
 poor wretch he had casually met with. 
 
 The emigrant's first step was to strip off all his clothes, 
 and place the bundle, strapped to the pack-saddle, on his 
 head, to give him extra weight, so as to increase his 
 chances of standing against the strength of the current. 
 Then he cut a pole of about fifteen feet in length, and 
 
 267 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 entered the water. Advancing across the current he 
 managed to reach the middle of the stream, which was 
 sixty or seventy yards wide, say, about the width of the 
 Thames at Teddington. The struggle was severe. The 
 water rushed along with great force, almost carrying him 
 off his feet. When he lifted the pole to feel for the bottom 
 in a fresh place, he found it almost impossible to get the 
 thing into the water again. 
 
 At length his strength was utterly exhausted. He was 
 standing on tiptoe, his face barely above the surface of the 
 water. With all the force he could muster he could 
 hardly keep his feet. It could not last long at this rate. 
 Yet there, but a few feet in front of him, were the 
 pendent boughs of a large tree, which drooped to the 
 water level. The drowning man had but to grasp those 
 branches and he would be safe. Alas ! they were as 
 much beyond his reach as if they had been a mile off ! 
 The poor fellow felt that his last hour had come, and his 
 whole past life seemed to flit before his eyes. 
 
 Then a mocking " Ha, ha ! " rang out on the air. 
 
 Turning his head, the Dane beheld the miserable being 
 
 he was giving his life to help, comfortably astride of the 
 
 horse and still on the bank, laughing a jeering laugh at the 
 
 predicament his benefactor was in. This was the Dane's 
 
 first thought, but then it occurred to him that it was 
 
 after all only the other's way of cheering him on. Yet the 
 
 sound was an ugly and unpleasant one all the same. It 
 
 had one effect, that of making the struggling man flush up 
 
 and nerve himself for a last big effort. Never would he 
 
 drown in that wretched muddy stream ! 
 
 Throwing aside his pole, he made a dash forward. He 
 
 268 
 
A FLOOD IN QUEENSLAND 
 
 rolled over into the flood, and in a trice his saddle and 
 clothing were gone — swept away. However, by great good 
 fortune, he managed to grasp a branch. A moment or 
 two more, and he was lying safe on the farther bank, 
 but in a dead faint. It was the first and only time in 
 his life the man had fainted. 
 
 When he came to himself again, he found his companion 
 had already made the passage, and, with the horse, was 
 standing near. The sick man was in capital spirits. Here 
 he was over the dreaded river and likely now to get to 
 the town, with some effort. The two determined to push 
 on all night so as to reach the place by the early morning. 
 The Dane advised the feebler man to walk on a little, so 
 as not to lose time. As for himself, he would follow on 
 horseback, he said, as soon as he had pulled himself 
 together a little, after his efforts and the consequent 
 swoon. 
 
 And now an incredible thing happened. The emigrant 
 was entirely naked, his bundle of clothes having gone with 
 the saddle, as^ has been related. Naturally, therefore, he 
 suggested to the fellow he had ventured his life to save, 
 that he should give him some of the spare garments he had 
 in his sack. To the astonishment of the naked man, his 
 companion, pulling out a couple of shirts and two pairs of 
 breeches he had bought in Liverpool — the fellow was an 
 Englishman — offered to sell the articles, a shirt for five 
 shillings, a pair of breeches for eight, or five, if that were 
 thought to be too much ! 
 
 " I was completely amazed," the Danish emigrant says. 
 
 " Was this the man for whom I had risked my life, and as 
 
 nearly as possible lost it ? For whom — call it what you 
 
 269 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 like — I had begged and taken by force at the station what 
 I had thought necessary to save his life ? " 
 
 It was certainly a situation that, to the credit of human- 
 ity, is seldom seen even in this hard world of ours. There 
 sat the naked man, unable to proceed without clothing ; 
 there, in front of him, stood the man he had saved, with 
 spare clothing in his bag. The wretch did not seem to 
 have the least notion that he was in any way indebted to 
 the generous and plucky Dane. No, his preserver must 
 buy clothing with hard cash, or go without ! 
 
 There was nothing for it but to pay the price, and after 
 the benefactor had clothed himself in an old shirt, and a 
 pair of breeches a foot too short for him, he watched the 
 sordid scoundrel depart quite happy on his way. It is 
 hardly to be wondered at that the Dane, as he sat in his 
 soreness and amazement, should vow that never again 
 would he succour a needy fellow mortal. 
 
 Note. — From Missing Friends, by kind permission of Mr. T. Fisher 
 Unwin. 
 
 270 
 
XXIV 
 
 THE FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NY ASS A 
 
 Mr. Young goes to superintend the building and launching of a steamboat 
 on Nyassa — Vessel taken in sections to the Cape, thence to the Zam- 
 besi mouths — Difficulty in finding the proper channel — Bolts and 
 nuts found to be rusty — Boat launched and the voyage up the Zam- 
 besi begun — Loss of the cutter — Difficulties with shallows — The Shire 
 river entered — Heat and mosquitoes — Dangerous gorge — The Falls 
 reached — Exceptional portage, eight hundred men employed — Boat, 
 machinery, boiler, tackle, stores, all carried for seventy miles to a point 
 above the cataracts — Food runs short, hippopotamuses killed — Hos- 
 tility of the Arab slave-traders — Steamboat reconstructed — Steams out 
 of Shire into the lake. 
 
 " It was proved possible to carry a steam -vessel over 
 very great natural obstacles, up mountainous passes and 
 through break-neck gorges." 
 
 The story of how this feat was accomplished, from the 
 very modestly-worded account of Lieutenant Young, of 
 the Royal Navy, the man who carried so difficult a matter 
 to a successful conclusion, is worth telling. 
 
 Mr. Young was a coastguard officer, who obtained leave 
 from his post at Dungeness for the purpose of super- 
 intending the work in view, viz., the conveying of a steam- 
 boat to the far-off and almost inaccessible waters of Nyassa, 
 that veritable inland sea which forms by no means the 
 least important feeder of the mighty river Zambesi. The 
 
 vessel was intended mainly for missionary purposes. But 
 
 271 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 it was hoped that its presence on the blue waters of the 
 great lake would do something to frighten the scoundrels 
 who carried on the cruel slave trade everywhere around 
 its shores. The appearance of the ship on the waters of 
 the Nyassa was a splendid triumph for British persever- 
 ance and pluck, and an auspicious event for the progress 
 of civilization. 
 
 The vessel was built on the Thames, and was so con- 
 structed that it could be taken in pieces, each of a 
 portable size. All but the boilers, that is, for it was 
 impossible to do the necessary riveting away on the 
 banks of the Zambesi. The boat was named the Ilala, 
 from the name of the distant African village where Mrs. 
 Livingstone had died years before. The steamer would 
 soon, it was hoped, be passing Ilala itself, and it was be- 
 lieved the natives would hail the coming of a vessel with 
 a name so familiar, and hallowed by its associations to all 
 who were Christians among them. A trial trip was made 
 on the Thames, and a speed of eleven or twelve knots was 
 easily obtained. 
 
 The boat was now taken to pieces and shipped by one 
 of the Donald Currie liners to the Cape, where the 
 German steamer Hara was chartered to carry it to the 
 mouth of the Zambesi. Here the real difficulties began, 
 and they began at once, and continued to the very hour 
 that saw the Ilala ploughing its way for the first time on 
 the Nyassa lake itself. 
 
 A storm came on between the Cape and the river 
 
 mouth, or, rather, mouths, for the Zambesi pours its 
 
 immense floods into the sea through many outlets. In 
 
 truth, it is often hard to say which is an actual channel, 
 
 272 
 
FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NYASSA 
 
 and so the missionary party now found. Heavy squalls 
 came on, and the Kara was compelled to stand off the 
 coast for a while. In the end the vessel was steered into 
 one of the mouths of the river, and this turned out to be 
 the Kongone mouth, whereas the captain had been of 
 opinion at first that it was the Luabo mouth. It was not 
 without difficulty that this was managed, what with 
 the mists and the shallows, or bar across the entrance. 
 
 Soon a number of natives came flocking around in their 
 canoes, the greater part delighted to see the " Ingereze," 
 or English, again. To hire a gang of the blacks to cut 
 wood, help with the sheds, and so forth, was Young's first 
 care. A slip-way was made and the keel laid down. The 
 captain of the German steamer gave every help in his 
 power. The sections of the new steam-vessel were taken 
 out and carried ashore. Presently the actual work of 
 construction was going on merrily. 
 
 A great disappointment now came. To the dismay 
 of Lieutenant Young and his artificers nearly all the 
 screws and bolts were found to be covered with rust. 
 Apparently they were useless, but the officer, not to be 
 defeated, engaged a number of natives to clean and scour 
 the bolts, one by one, with sand and oil. The sun's heat 
 was scorching, and the labour excessive, and altogether 
 the work and the delay were very trying. 
 
 However, the day for launching the new craft came at 
 
 length. It was a marvel the launching was effected at 
 
 all, for the ways had slipped. The help of the Kara, 
 
 however, proved to be sufficient to bring the Mala to 
 
 water. The trip up the Zambesi was begun without delay. 
 
 Minor disasters were plentiful, and some of the troubles 
 18 273 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 were more serious. The month was August, and should 
 have been fine and dry, but there came on a spell of 
 rain, the downpour being of the true tropical character. 
 This meant hard work for all hands. Then the Ilala 
 grounded on a sand-bank and stuck fast, and presently a 
 worse thing happened. The black cook, who had been 
 trusted to bring along the vessel's cutter, turned up one 
 night with the tale that his boat had been upset in a 
 squall, and that not only had a considerable quantity of 
 valuable stores been lost, but two of the crew had been 
 drowned. Amongst the articles lost in the river were 
 nearly all Mr. Young's clothes, and, still more serious, the 
 stock of boots. 
 
 At the settlement of Mazaro, where the expedition pro- 
 posed to hire men and lay in food, it was found that 
 nearly everything had at least doubled in price. This 
 was owing to a civil war that had been afoot some little 
 time before. It was Portuguese territory, and the slave- 
 trading gentry did not look on the advent of the British 
 steamer with any very friendly eye. 
 
 The ship stood away for Shupanga, the spot where Mr. 
 Young himself, with others, had, many years before, laid 
 to rest the departed wife of the great missionary, David 
 Livingstone. Here it was, too, that the predecessor of the 
 Ilala had been launched. For there had been a pre- 
 decessor to the new vessel, a steamboat that Livingstone 
 had fondly hoped might do what the Ilala was about to 
 accomplish — sail on the waters of Nyassa. This earlier 
 vessel, the Lady Nyassa, had been found to be too heavy 
 for its purpose, and had had to be taken to pieces again, 
 
 as useless for that place and work. 
 
 274 
 
FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NYASSA 
 
 The Bala drew four feet of water, and an anxious and 
 laborious time the crew had of it right up the mouth of 
 the Shire, of which confluent of the great Zambesi the 
 lake Nyassa is but a vast widening-out. Anchors had 
 often to be laid out, much straining and hauling had to 
 be done, and, heavier task still, part of the cargo had to 
 be lifted out and then lifted in again when the sand-bank 
 was passed. 
 
 It was about a fortnight after the launching of the 
 vessel when she entered the Shire\ Young now found 
 that since his last visit to the district the river had greatly 
 altered its course, with the result that he was confronted 
 by no little difficulty. His own words will serve to make 
 clearer the situation. 
 
 "The land lying in the fork at the junction of the two 
 rivers is, at the best of times, little more than a swampy 
 plain, sacred to buffaloes, water-buck and mosquitoes. 
 Two years ago an extraordinary flood occurred, and the 
 mighty torrent of the Zambesi put forth all its power. 
 One consequence is that it no longer keeps its even 
 course from Senna, but takes a turn through a great 
 shallow lake, to the confusion of those who now almost 
 despair of finding the waters of the Shire in the various 
 currents which mingle here. Do what we could, we could 
 make nothing of it. If we hit on a channel that was 
 navigable, it ended in a cul-de-sac, or led us to the Zam- 
 besi; and at last, after two miserable days and nights, 
 with very stormy weather, I sent a boat's crew away to 
 try and find some natives to pilot us out of this abomin- 
 able place. These they succeeded in finding, and so at 
 
 last we had a chance of being extricated. To bring this 
 
 275 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 about we were taken back a long way, and had eventually 
 to cut an opening through a wall of reeds and grass 
 extending quite half a mile." 
 
 The members of the expedition had now no doubt about 
 being actually in the Shire ; the number and voracity of 
 the mosquitoes settled that point. Calling at Ruo to 
 place a cross on the grave of the devoted Bishop Mackenzie, 
 Mr. Young prepared to face the Elephant marshes, a 
 region where no wood for the engines was to be found. 
 That a favourable wind might spring up, therefore, every- 
 body fervently hoped. The natives for some seventy 
 miles of the river stretch were full of deadly hostility to 
 the Portuguese, and from every village — all stockaded — 
 along the banks they were ready to attack any vessel 
 flying the Portuguese flag. Young, more fortunate, found 
 an old friend among the chiefs, and thus passed safely 
 enough. More, the Makololo people showed their friendli- 
 ness by heaping on the party of English a great number 
 of presents of all kinds. 
 
 The Ilala was approaching the Cataracts, but it was 
 not there yet. To reach Matiti, where the vessel would 
 have to be taken to pieces once more, it was necessary to 
 pass through a rock-strewn gorge. At low water several 
 of these dangerous obstacles showed above the surface. 
 The current ran with a strength so great that it was 
 almost impossible to steer through the narrow spaces 
 between the protruding rocks. At any moment the ship 
 might have been swung round upon one of them, and 
 then it would have been all over with the Ilala. The 
 commander had a very anxious time of it. 
 
 The steamer reached the Falls at length, jusb about a 
 
 276 
 
FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NYASSA 
 
 month after it had left the stocks at the Zambesi mouth. 
 There remained the most arduous, if the most beautiful, 
 portion of the route before the broad bosom of the lake 
 should appear. For nearly seventy miles there was an 
 almost continuous succession of cataracts and rapids, 
 where the waters were broken and tossed about " hither 
 and thither, over rocks and precipices, in whirlpools and 
 eddies, in dark glens and again in sunlit stretches of 
 surpassing beauty." 
 
 Young had now to make portage arrangements on the 
 largest scale, a scale rarely attempted by even the boldest 
 and most distinguished explorers and pioneers. The Bala, 
 with all its machinery and attendant boats, all its tackling, 
 its stores, and the other thousand and one things stowed 
 in it, had to be carried on men's shoulders over miles of 
 country, with bad, broken ground, hampered by obstacles, 
 often with steep ascents. Further, the district was one 
 where malarial and other fevers were rife, where dangerous 
 animals abounded, where food was scarce. Then the 
 native porters would have to be trusted absolutely, for 
 their number would have to be far too great to admit of 
 supervision on the journey. And should one among them 
 throw away or make off with a single important portion 
 of the ship or its machinery, the whole object of the 
 expedition would be defeated. Lieutenant Young's 
 anxieties at that time must have been many and heavy. 
 
 No time was lost, however, in setting to work to take 
 the Ilala to pieces. The place, Matiti, was not only 
 intolerably hot, but notoriously unhealthy. To get the 
 men away from the spot with their burdens as quickly as 
 possible was imperative. Luckily the Makololos were in 
 
 277 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 great force thereabout, and to them Young applied for 
 assistance in the heavy portage operations. The more 
 porters the chief could bring in the merrier, he said. The 
 load to be assigned to each man was not to exceed fifty 
 pounds in weight, and the price to be paid per man was 
 to be six yards of calico, each individual to find his own 
 food for the journey. 
 
 To prevent disputes and grumblings as to the exact 
 weight of each load, Mr. Young had a steelyard hung 
 from a tree, and this settled the matter. Six days after 
 the arrival at the foot of the Cataracts the first two 
 hundred and fifty men with their burdens were sent off — 
 a good start. But now the supply of carriers ran short, 
 and the leader of the expedition had to beat about the 
 country for more. A delay thus occurred, and a trying 
 thing it was, for the temperature was 100° in the shade, 
 and this, too, in a place where the air was saturated with 
 moisture. 
 
 Now the engineers and carpenters having done their 
 
 work below the falls, started off to the upper waters, to 
 
 be ready to receive the various portions of the ship as 
 
 they arrived. So terrible was the heat that it was only 
 
 with the utmost difficulty the white men reached their 
 
 destination. Meanwhile the commander himself remained 
 
 behind, fretting his soul at the delay. But soon his 
 
 heart was rejoiced by the Makololo chief turning up with 
 
 three hundred more men. Some of these fellows had 
 
 come from a distance of forty miles to take part in the 
 
 portage. They were set on their long tramp with their 
 
 burdens. 
 
 There remained now only the boiler and certain stores 
 
 278 
 
FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NYASSA 
 
 that Young wished to keep to the last. With the stores 
 a hundred men brought up the rear. The boiler was 
 another matter. There were two boilers in reality, but 
 an ingenious suggestion had been made by a friend in 
 England, by the adoption of which, one of these could, it 
 was hoped and believed, be dispensed with. Accordingly 
 one of the two was left behind. To carry the other 
 Mr. Young had provided a sort of carriage on wheels, and 
 on this the weighty metal was laid. The toil involved 
 in the dragging along of so ponderous a thing can only 
 be faintly imagined. The sun was so fierce that it was 
 impossible to lay a hand on the boiler itself in the 
 day-time. As the leader says, " it was a stern fight 
 between flesh and muscle on one hand, and the dead 
 weight on the other." 
 
 For eight miles onwards, and ever upwards, the burdens 
 big and little had been painfully dragged. Then the 
 supply of food ran short. The poor fellows had provided 
 for their long and arduous journey all too scantily, and 
 many of them were in danger of dropping from want of 
 food. Fortunately the body of a huge eland was discovered 
 on the path, and without any show of squeamishness the 
 hungering porters set to work to cook the flesh. The 
 smell that arose was only too perceptible to the nose 
 of the commander. But better luck still came. Young 
 shot a couple of hippopotamuses, a perfect god-send to a 
 famishing throng. 
 
 Ten days had been occupied in the carriage of the ship 
 
 and its adjuncts, but at last the required level, above all 
 
 falls, was reached. To the sorrow of the commander the 
 
 place proved to be pestilential to a degree, and many of 
 
 279 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the men were down with the fever at once. The work of 
 reconstructing the vessel was accordingly pushed on with- 
 out delay. The heat, the malarial air and the mosquitoes 
 made the labour most irksome. The leader tried smoking 
 to keep away the vicious little insect pests, but to no 
 purpose. With pipe in mouth, he tells us, he had no 
 fewer than six mosquitoes settled on his nose at the same 
 time ! The final batch of one hundred and sixty-eight 
 carriers turned up a couple of days after the commander, 
 having had to bring on certain goods that had been left 
 for a time at Mazaro. 
 
 Lieutenant Young's trust in r the fidelity and honesty 
 of the poor black fellows had been amply justified. 
 Eight hundred of them had been employed, and these 
 men, with every opportunity to slip away or throw down 
 their burdens, had yet worked desperately and faithfully 
 for their master. " At the end of the sixty miles we had 
 everything delivered up to us unmolested, untampered 
 with and unhurt, and every man merry and content with 
 his well-earned wages. Let this ever stand to the 
 African's credit ! " 
 
 Just under a fortnight from the arrival of the party 
 above the cataracts the little vessel was ready and afloat 
 once more. A couple of days were spent in setting the 
 engines and getting on board the stores. The time for 
 the trial trip had now come. What would be the 
 behaviour of the Mala with its single boiler ? The 
 engineers had no faith in the success of the experiment, 
 and for a time it seemed as if their doubts were not 
 unreasonable. The thing would not move, and already 
 visions of another month amongst mosquitoes and malarias, 
 
 280 
 
FIRST STEAMER ON LAKE NYASSA 
 
 till what time the remaining boiler could be fetched up, 
 passed vividly before the minds of them all. But the 
 leader's faith never wavered. Certain little alterations 
 were made, and then, with fifty pounds of steam up, the 
 trim craft bounded merrily along ! There was but to 
 forge ahead up-stream into the lake itself, and the task 
 was accomplished. 
 
 A sort of shallow lake intervened, and through this the 
 vessel snorted and puffed its way, to the terror of the large 
 company of hippopotamuses inhabiting the place. One of 
 these unwieldly beasts attempted to dive under the vessel's 
 stern, and got a nasty gash from the screw for his pains. 
 The natives assembled in crowds to see the strange sight. 
 
 Young now called upon M'Ponda, the great chief of the 
 district. To his surprise he found that ruler's attitude 
 not so friendly as of old. The reason soon appeared. 
 The Arab slave-traders, fearful lest the coming of the 
 English and their steamboat should interfere with their 
 horrid trade, had made attempts to prejudice the king 
 against the new-comers. It required some tact to win 
 back the black chieftain, but Young managed it. He 
 offered to take the king for a cruise, but at the last 
 moment MToncla's courage failed him. 
 
 The eventful day, October 12, which was to see the 
 
 Ilala enter the lake, dawned auspiciously. The weather 
 
 was magnificent. At early dawn all was ready, steam 
 
 well up. The whistle brought together thousands of 
 
 spectators. The commander first amused the natives on 
 
 the banks by steaming up and down past them at full 
 
 speed several times, to their intense delight. Then the 
 
 Ilala's head was put for the lake itself. 
 
 281 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 It was a moment of great excitement and thankfulness, 
 the commander tells us, and we can well believe it. " God 
 speed you ! " he cried to his crew, and a loud and sincere 
 " Amen " followed. Then the beautiful vessel sailed out 
 of the river, and " for the first time the great blue waters 
 of Nyassa received the first steam- vessel that had ever 
 entered upon an African lake ! " 
 
 Livingstone's darling plan was at length an accom- 
 plished fact. " Who amongst us," writes Young, " could 
 help feeling the sacred breath of a blessing upon him at 
 such an hour ? " 
 
 Note. — From Lieut. Young's Nyassa, by kind permission of Mr. John 
 Murray. 
 
 282 
 
XXV 
 
 WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 The Upper Parana streams — Mr. Bigg-Wither, an English engineer — Boat 
 bearing down upon a series of cataract-rapids — First fall negotiated 
 with difficulty — Boat dashed over second fall — Capsizes — Severe 
 struggle in the waters — Canoe upside down — Mr. Bigg- Wither and 
 his servant Messeno saved at length — Tropical insects — The "berne" 
 — Wild pigs — A formidable assailant — The boar killed — Dead boar 
 given to a German to carry — Man chaffed by his mates — Falls from 
 tree bridge with his burden — An alarm — " Indians ! " — A dark form 
 enters hut in the night — Proves to be a fine ocelot — Snake on a man's 
 arm — A tapir hunt — Another tapir chased by a jaguar — Animals 
 collide with hut — Cobra drops into a canoe containing a single man — 
 Man fell out as cobra fell in. 
 
 Thirty or forty years ago the district of the Upper 
 
 Parana streams was one of the least known of the South 
 
 American regions to Europeans. Even now it is a country 
 
 into which comparatively few travellers make their way. 
 
 Yet some of the Parana tributaries are fine streams, and 
 
 flow through a magnificent country. The river valleys 
 
 themselves have all the characteristics of the tropical 
 
 river basins, heat, abundant animal and vegetable life, 
 
 dangerous wild beasts, snakes, insect pests. But there is 
 
 also a more or less elevated prairie district which is much 
 
 cooler and pleasanter for Europeans. Mr. Bigg- Wither, 
 
 an English civil engineer, had experience of both of these 
 
 tracts of country. He greatly preferred the prairie, but 
 
 283 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 his fate kept him mainly to the banks of the Tibagy and 
 Ivahy, two very large tributaries of the great Parana. 
 
 Within about a mile from the camp occupied by Mr. 
 Bigg- Wither and his men was a cataract, which it was 
 necessary to pass now and then. When the water was 
 low this was not so difficult a feat ; sometimes, indeed, it 
 was simply a question of getting out of the canoe into 
 the water and guiding her among the ugly protruding 
 rocks. At length came a time when the river was in 
 roaring flood, and had to be navigated in spite of it. The 
 canoe party had forgotten the fact till all at once the 
 thunder of the falls reminded them that their course was 
 not without danger. " We are lost ! " shouted one of the 
 men, as all at once they realized that they were in the 
 power of the current, and must inevitably be drawn over 
 the cataract. The full extent of the risk came vividly 
 before their minds as, with the dazzling sunset blinding 
 their eyes, they raced impetuously down the first slippery 
 reach that preceded the cataract proper. 
 
 At the bottom of this water-slide there was a wall of 
 
 foam, and into this the canoe dashed. The water surged 
 
 on board in huge volumes, and for a moment it seemed as 
 
 if everything and everybody was doomed to destruction. 
 
 But a second more brought the craft to the surface again. 
 
 So far so good, but there was a similar line of breakers 
 
 ahead, marking another rocky ledge. This had to be 
 
 faced with the canoe half-full of water, and the boat was 
 
 bound to go under. Mr. Bigg- Wither grasped his valuable 
 
 gun with one hand, while with the other he seized his 
 
 still more valuable parcel of survey note-books. He was 
 
 284 
 
WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 only just in time, for the waters came upon them im- 
 mediately with a hiss, covering them completely. He felt 
 at once that the canoe had gone, as he was swirled over 
 the rocky ledge. 
 
 Then a moment later he perceived the boat floating 
 upside down close to him. He seized it with one hand, 
 but it rolled over and threw him under water a second 
 time. Again and again the same thing happened, till he 
 was all but choked and blinded by the waves. To keep 
 himself on the surface at all required efforts so great that 
 he was thoroughly exhausted. He says : " I expected 
 momentarily to be dashed against some hidden rock, 
 when the question of ' to be or not to be ' would have 
 been definitely settled in the negative. The mighty 
 roaring of the waters all around us, and the still more 
 horrid hiss which told of a rock barely covered, over 
 which we were passing at the rate of twelve miles an 
 hour, would have shaken my nerves had I had time to 
 think." 
 
 But the worst was past now ; the cataract with its great- 
 est dangers behind him. Then he observed his companion 
 Messeno calmly sitting astride of the up-turned canoe, 
 a thing his free hands had enabled him to do. Mr. Bigg- 
 Wither managed to get one arm round the keel, but was 
 far too exhausted to make any further effort. At that 
 instant a large canoe came in sight, racing at a tremend- 
 ous pace down-stream. To stop was out of the power of 
 the crew of the large boat. But they managed dexter- 
 ously to get their big canoe across stream somewhat, so as 
 
 to detain the upturned boat for a little while. Just in 
 
 285 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 the nick of time Mr. Bigg- Wither was pulled in, as well 
 as his companion Messeno. Another moment, and the 
 engineer must have dropped both gun and books. "From 
 that day forth," he writes, " I entertained a wholesome 
 respect for the power of water in motion. I had practic- 
 ally proved how utterly helpless a man must be under 
 such conditions." 
 
 With the usual insect plagues of the tropics, the engi- 
 neer grew only too familiar. But there was one pest that 
 deserves special mention. Feeling a strange and irritating 
 pain in his flesh, a pain that at intervals grew excruciating, 
 he was told that it was caused by a " berne." This results 
 from an egg laid by a species of fly. The sting is not 
 severe, and the pain of it goes at once, but the egg is 
 deposited. Within a week the grub has grown enor- 
 mously, and when it is fully developed it measures an 
 inch and a quarter in length and half an inch in diameter. 
 There are five dark-coloured rings round the body, and on 
 examination these are found to be fringes of minute hairs 
 or bristles. The hairs are the feeders of the animal, and 
 as it has the habit of making a portion of a revolution 
 about itself at intervals, they tear the flesh of the luckless 
 victim. The sufferer is, in truth, being slowly eaten 
 alive. The engineer was vexed to think he had such 
 vermin about his person, but there was no help for it, and 
 he had to submit to an operation for the removal of the 
 intruder. Dogs suffer terribly from the "berne" pest, 
 and the traveller saw on one occasion two hundred of 
 these grubs extracted from the body of a single dog in 
 
 the course of an hour's operations. 
 
 286 
 
WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 A sudden rush in the bushes one morning startled Mr. 
 Bigg- Wither and his man Jaca; a curious noise like the 
 rattling of " nigger-bones " followed. " Wild pigs ! " whis- 
 pered Jaca excitedly, and he at once drew his pistol and 
 went off after the animal, his master hard behind him. 
 The clack, clack, sounded now close to them, now from 
 a distance. The hindering branches were swiftly cut 
 aside by Jaca's sharp knife, the blade running through 
 them as if they had been butter. Pell-mell the two men 
 dashed along, the clack at times seeming almost under 
 their feet. Then they would stop and try to penetrate 
 the gloom of the thick undergrowth of the jungle. Pre- 
 sently the clacking sounds began to come from all sides ; 
 the hunters had evidently come across a whole herd of 
 the pigs. The master now worked off towards the right, 
 the man towards the left, both ready with knife and gun. 
 Suddenly two animals at once rushed past Mr. Bigg- 
 Wither ; both his barrels were emptied into one of the 
 pigs, and he darted quickly after his victim, knife in hand. 
 He found the poor brute badly wounded, but attempting 
 to drag himself away on his fore-legs, the others being 
 broken by the shots. 
 
 A formidable assailant even yet the boar looked, his 
 naming eyes, his enormous tusks and his savage attitude 
 presenting a terrifying spectacle to a beginner at the 
 business of pig-sticking. The animal made a desperate 
 attempt to charge, mouth open, but the hunter was too 
 quick for him, and in an instant had pierced his neck 
 several times. Even in death the savageness of the boar's 
 look was remarkable. He was a fine animal, and Mr. 
 
 287 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 Bigg- Wither was delighted with the result of his first 
 
 attempt at the game. While he was looking at his prize 
 
 he heard the report of a pistol, but before long Jaca 
 
 turned up without any result to boast of ; he had missed 
 
 his pig. Yet the number of pigs about showed, he said, 
 
 that the district must have an abundance of jaguars and 
 
 pumas, the tigers and lions of South America, since those 
 
 savage animals were always found in plenty where the 
 
 wild pigs were numerous. 
 
 The dead boar was given to one of the men to carry, a 
 
 German, who for various reasons was the butt of the 
 
 party. Now it happened that the river had to be crossed 
 
 twice on the homeward course, and the only sort of bridge 
 
 available consisted of a single tree, which had been felled 
 
 close to the banks of the stream and allowed to fall across. 
 
 These tree bridges were the terror of the German's life, 
 
 and he usually preferred to wade or swim rather than 
 
 attempt to cross by the fallen tree. To-day, however, his 
 
 comrades dared him to cross the bridge with the pig on 
 
 his shoulders, and in a weak moment the man gave way, 
 
 not relishing the chaffing of which there was plenty. Yet 
 
 when he reached the bridge and saw its narrowness and 
 
 its slipperiness his courage began to fail him, whereupon 
 
 his mates began again to chaff him unmercifully. With 
 
 the heavy pig strapped to his shoulders, therefore, Dagan 
 
 stepped on to the bridge, and more or less unsteadily 
 
 made his way to the middle of it. Then his heart gave 
 
 way, and he began to totter ominously, first leaning in 
 
 this direction, now in that. Fixing his eyes firmly on the 
 
 bank for which he was making, he made another start. 
 
 288 
 
WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 Three steps he took, each bringing his centre of gravity 
 more over the water, then with the third step man and 
 pig fell with a great splash some twenty feet into the 
 stream below. His mates, notwithstanding their chaff, 
 were ready with help, and presently Dagan was drawn 
 out of danger. But he was thoroughly scared ; the thing 
 had got on his nerves, and he begged the master to dis- 
 pense with his future services and allow him to return to 
 his home. 
 
 New Year's Eve the Englishman spent in his own little 
 hut, a short distance away from his comrades. This 
 separate cabin he had had constructed in order to get 
 away from the swarms of fleas with which, in spite of all 
 their care, the general camp was infested. He could just 
 see the camp fire through the trees, and make out the 
 dark forms of the men against it. He was in a sort of 
 half-doze, when a slight but unusual sound reaching his 
 ear straightway put him on the alert. He listened, 
 holding his breath, and the same sounds were repeated. 
 " The Indians ! " he thought in a moment, for there had 
 been rumours that some of the tribes might possibly 
 attack the surveying expedition. He felt for his rifle, 
 but made no noise. He was soon convinced it could not 
 be the Indians, the noise being too continuous, for the 
 Indians in their attacks keep the strictest silence till with 
 a yell they rush in to strike. 
 
 Soon a dark form was seen to enter the hut and 
 
 gradually advance farther into the interior, but whether 
 
 the visitor were man or beast there was not light enough 
 
 to determine. The fire had died down to a few ruddy 
 19 289 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 embers. Raising his rifle to his shoulders the Englishman 
 prepared to shoot, his eye vainly trying to mark the 
 sight. All he could see was the line of red made along 
 the barrel by the reflection from the fire. By this time 
 the intruder had advanced beyond the fire and was close 
 upon the hammock. In an instant the loud report rang 
 out into the forest, while the shooter had been nearly 
 knocked bodily out of his hammock by the recoil of the 
 big rifle. 
 
 Men and dogs from the camp came rushing madly to 
 the hut, but Mr. Bigg- Wither was already out on the 
 floor, regardless of the risk he was running. The advent 
 of a light enabled him to see his prize. It was an ocelot, 
 a fine specimen of the animal too, almost as large as one 
 of the hunting dogs, as could be plainly seen when he 
 seized the brute by the leg and held up the body. From 
 the nose to the end of the tail the ocelot was found to 
 measure three feet nine inches. It was only the second 
 of the kind met with by the expedition. The surveyor 
 spent the rest of the night in skinning the animal, a 
 trying operation, for the scent of the ocelot, like that of 
 all the cat tribe, is pungent and penetrating to a degree. 
 
 A most extraordinary adventure came one night soon 
 after, to two men. One of them, Von Sydow by name, 
 while asleep in his hammock was roused by feeling some- 
 thing sucking hard at his finger. He sprang out of bed 
 and got a light, but could see nothing. However, as his 
 finger was sore, he proceeded to doctor it a little. Mean- 
 while Morant, another of the expedition, was sleeping not 
 far away, his arm hanging out from his hammock, the 
 
 290 
 
WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 night being very warm. Presently he too was awakened 
 by feeling something cold on his arm. Imagine his 
 horror when, in the dim gleam from Von Sydow's light, 
 Morant beheld a snake coiled round his arm ! Its head 
 was waving backwards and forwards within a few inches 
 of his face ! The horror of the situation must for the 
 moment have been intense. " A snake ! help ! " he called 
 out to Von Sydow, to which that individual replied only 
 with a " Ja, ja," probably not understanding what his 
 companion said. A second agonized call produced no 
 better results. By this time the unfortunate man was 
 almost beside himself, anything was better than this 
 horrible suspense ; he could no longer bear to watch with 
 staring eyes the wavings of that head, which at any 
 instant might dart forward and plunge its death-dealing 
 fangs into his face. He must risk all. 
 
 Then the man flung himself wildly out of his hammock, 
 and, with a mighty swing of his arm, threw the beast 
 from him. The snake glided noiselessly away into the 
 bush and was lost. Morant was safe, but the reaction 
 produced a feeling of sickness. One moment in the 
 greatest danger, the next moment safe ! What the kind 
 of snake was, could not be told with certainty, but it was 
 believed to be a species of rattlesnake, and of the deadliest 
 sort. 
 
 An exciting tapir hunt ended oddly. There was a 
 
 great hue and cry after the animal, men and dogs rushing 
 
 off in great excitement. The beast led the chase hither 
 
 and thither amongst the jungle, but at length took to 
 
 the river. The hunters lost no time in springing into 
 
 291 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 their canoes, while the dogs with wild yelps flung them- 
 selves into the water and followed. The quarry was 
 a little ahead, but the tip of his snout could be seen as 
 he swam gallantly down-stream. The pursuit grew hotter, 
 and at length one of the party fired. The shot did not 
 take effect, and at that instant the animal disappeared 
 from view round a bend in the river. For a little while 
 the sight of the tapir was lost to the party, and they 
 were about to give up the chase. Then, out in the 
 middle of the stream, a little distance away, the nose of 
 the animal could be perceived once more, and the men 
 pressed on at full speed. Gradually the boats gained on 
 the poor brute, while the dogs, having left the water, 
 were barking with all their might from the further bank. 
 The instant arrived when another shot might profitably 
 be tried. Steadying himself, the surveyor took good aim 
 at the snout, and with the ringing report that followed, 
 the head sank under water. In his eagerness Mr. Bigg- 
 Wither jumped out of the boat, unwilling to let the 
 body be carried away by the stream and be lost. It was 
 a dangerous thing thus to commit himself to the water, 
 but he gave no heed to the matter. Diving to the bottom 
 he presently appeared above water again, bringing up the 
 dead body of — not the tapir, but a deer ! The animal 
 they had started to hunt had made good its escape at 
 the bend in the river, while the unfortunate deer, at that 
 moment engaged in swimming the stream, had taken its 
 place as the victim. 
 
 One night the Englishman had another disturbance 
 
 at his separate little hut, this time not from the intrusion 
 
 292 
 
WILD LIFE ON THE PARANA 
 
 of an ocelot. Hearing a noise in the gloom of night, he 
 peered through the chinks and saw a dark object approach- 
 ing through the bush. It was coming at a headlong pace, 
 and was making straight for the hut. Whether it would 
 pass to the right or to the left the watcher could not tell, 
 but he held his gun ready. Before he could use it, the 
 beast — he could now make out by the outline that it was 
 a tapir — ran with great force right upon one of the 
 corner posts, almost knocking the whole structure down. 
 The surveyor sprang out of bed, and rushed out with a 
 shout. This had the effect of bringing up his men, and 
 a search was made for the tapir, but without success. 
 When the daylight appeared, the corner post was examined, 
 and was found to have on it a tuft of greyish-coloured 
 hair. It was evident that it had not been left by the 
 tapir, which is of a different hue, and the men pronounced 
 the hair to be that of a jaguar. It was now clear that 
 the tapir had been closely chased by a jaguar, and that 
 when in its fright it had cannoned against the post, 
 the pursuer, unable to stop himself or turn his course, 
 had also come into violent collision with the same 
 obstacle. Probably the two impacts had occurred so 
 nearly together that the occupant of the hut felt but one 
 heavy jar. The correctness of the theory propounded 
 by the men was shown a little later on in the morning. 
 The party killed a tapir not far away, and the marks on 
 its back showed that it had been badly mauled by a 
 jaguar. 
 
 Of snake adventures the surveying expedition had 
 
 more than enough. Probably not the least alarming of 
 
 293 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 them must have been that when, without warning, a 
 deadly cobra dropped from a branch above into a canoe 
 in which was a solitary man. That the man sprang out 
 into the river as the cobra tumbled in, we may well 
 believe, notwithstanding the fact that to fall into the 
 water was almost as risky as to remain in the tiny boat 
 with the cobra. 
 
 Note. — From Bigg- Wither' s Pioneering in South Brazil, by kind permission 
 from Mr. John Murray. 
 
 294 
 
XXVI 
 
 AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 Sir Henry Stanley, the discoverer of Livingstone — He sets himself to 
 explore the great Congo river — Starts from the Tanganyika country — 
 "Within three degrees of the Equator — A brush with the natives at 
 Unya-N'singe — Frank Pocock — Poisoned arrows — Capture of three 
 native women — -Blood-brotherhood — Stanley occupies market-green of 
 a village on bank — A terrific fight from behind the stockade — A night 
 of fear — A village seized — Strongly fortified — A vain effort by the 
 blacks to storm the camp — A second and more formidable attack — 
 Stanley's men show admirable steadiness and pluck — A bad half-hour 
 — Arrival of Tippu-Tib with reinforcements — Stanley makes a desperate 
 resolve — Enemy's canoes cut adrift in the night and captured — Stanley 
 dictates terms to the baffled negroes — Blood-brotherhood ceremonies 
 — End of a memorable struggle. 
 
 Among the long roll of British explorers, few have 
 attained to greater fame than Sir Henry Stanley, the 
 intrepid discoverer of Livingstone. His pluck, his dash, 
 his resourcefulness, must at any rate be admitted to 
 have been extraordinary. 
 
 All the world knows how the man set himself a task, 
 the magnitude of which cannot well be overstated, namely, 
 the tracking to its mysterious end that vast Central 
 African river which had been named the Livingstone. Its 
 sources in Lake Tanganyika and the hill country of the 
 eastern parts of the continent were known ; its latter 
 course and the ultimate destination of its mighty floods 
 were utterly unknown. 
 
 From the very first the difficulties and dangers at every 
 
 turn made the task almost hopeless — the hardships, the 
 
 295 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 fever, the hostility of the natives, to say nothing of lesser 
 
 but still very real trials, combining to make it so. Worse 
 
 than all, the river itself seemed bent on defeating Stanley's 
 
 ambitious project. For months of their wanderings the 
 
 great stream kept on perversely and unaccountably to 
 
 northward, and when the explorers had approached Unya- 
 
 N'singe, a place within three degrees of the equator itself, 
 
 there was not the smallest sign of a turning westward on 
 
 the part of the Livingstone. It seemed quite possible 
 
 now, that the river might prove to be a feeder of the 
 
 Niger, or even of the ancient Nile. Yet it might equally 
 
 turn towards the setting sun after all, and empty its 
 
 waters into the Atlantic, through that vast river mouth 
 
 known on the coast as the Congo. Nevertheless, the 
 
 traveller determined to proceed, in the face of all obstacles 
 
 and disappointments. Little could he have foreseen the 
 
 thrilling experiences of even the next few days. 
 
 Hardly had the exploring expedition reached Unya- 
 
 N'singe when the noise of war-horns sounded from the 
 
 right bank. About four in the afternoon eight large 
 
 canoes were seen coming up the river, along the islands in 
 
 mid-stream, and half-a-dozen more under the left bank. 
 
 Instantly the canoes formed in line of battle in front of 
 
 Stanley's camp, and near a small islet, a quarter of a mile 
 
 away. The savages shouted to the party to come out to 
 
 combat in the middle of the river. The commander 
 
 replied through his interpreter that he had but one boat, 
 
 and five canoes full of sick folk, and that, moreover, he had 
 
 come with friendly intent, an announcement received by 
 
 the natives with laughter and jeers. It was plain that 
 
 another struggle was at hand. 
 
 296 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 There was now only one Englishman among Stanley's 
 party, Frank Pocock, a sturdy son of Kent, and a skilled 
 Medway waterman to boot, the sole survivor of three who 
 had started from England as lieutenants to the gallant 
 explorer. The main body of the attendants were the 
 Wangwana, or freemen, of the Zanzibar district, con- 
 spicuous amongst whom was Uledi, the coxswain. The 
 rest of the party were natives and their families hired as 
 occasion required. 
 
 Another moment and the canoes were dashing forward 
 to the combat with wild yells from the occupants, who, 
 when they had approached within fifty yards, began the 
 fray by sending a flight of poisoned arrows. These came 
 from only half the native canoes, however, the other half 
 continuing to paddle inshore. 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost. As the savages were 
 about to land they received the contents of some thirty 
 muskets, a reception that was evidently not one they 
 could stand, for they immediately fell back to a respectful 
 distance. Stanley followed at once, with a well-chosen 
 boat's crew. Orders were given to the men left on shore 
 to keep up the firing meanwhile. The enemy yelled with 
 delight at this move. But their exultation was short- 
 lived, for the boat being now within easy reach, the guns 
 did terrible execution among them. A minute of this hot 
 work decided the day, and the wild foes turned tail and 
 fled, paddling desperately down the stream. 
 
 This first affair with the people of Wasongora Meno 
 had terminated quickly and happily, to the intense satis- 
 faction of the leader of the expedition. Three of his men 
 
 297 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 had been struck by arrows, but the poison was neutralized 
 by the application of caustic. 
 
 " All's well that ends well," runs the old saying. But 
 all was not ended in the way of hostile encounter with 
 the savage tribes, nor likely to be ended yet on that long 
 and adventurous voyage. Stanley remained on the alert, 
 well knowing what he had to expect. He had not long to 
 wait ; in truth, the next few days were passed in almost 
 constant conflict. 
 
 Opposite Mutako, a settlement a little lower down the 
 river, the cannibals made another and a brilliant dash, and 
 things would have gone hard with the exploring party but 
 for the watchfulness and well-planned precautions of the 
 intrepid leader. The people of Mpika, a neighbouring 
 district, mustered in large numbers, beating their drums 
 and blowing their war-horns with every sign of hostility. 
 To all appearance matters had come to a desperate pass. 
 
 Luckily, however, Stanley's scouts managed to catch 
 cleverly three native women, fine creatures, who had come 
 to the ferry. These captives he gave up on condition that 
 the savages should make blood-brotherhood. So the 
 journey was resumed amidst shouts from the shore of 
 Mwende Kivuke-vuke, " Go in peace." 
 
 More serious times were at hand for the expedition, 
 unfortunately. Only ten miles lower down the stream a 
 man in one of the hospital canoes suddenly gave a great 
 shriek, and an arrow was seen sticking in his chest, while 
 other arrows came near to striking the leader himself. 
 
 Pulling hard down the river, Stanley and his men 
 
 were lucky enough to find the market-green of a village 
 
 298 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 untenanted, and here boat and canoes were quickly drawn 
 inshore. Then, while ten scouts were sent into the jungle 
 to keep watch, the rest, about thirty men all told, pro- 
 ceeded to fortify the place. The fellows worked desper- 
 ately, well knowing that the alternative was to be eaten, 
 and that speedily. Strong fences of brushwood were 
 placed round the camp, the dense hedges furnishing good 
 shelter for the riflemen. 
 
 The scouts came running in with shouts of " Prepare, 
 prepare, they are coming!" and immediately the fifty 
 yards or so of cleared space outside the camp was filled 
 with hundreds of natives. From all sides except the 
 river Stanley was beset, the savages being clearly of 
 opinion that he and his men were flying through fear. 
 
 " But they were mistaken," writes Sir Henry, " for we 
 were at bay, and desperate in our resolve not to die 
 without fighting. Accordingly, at such close quarters 
 the contest soon became terrific. Again and again the 
 savages hurled themselves upon our stockade, launching 
 spear after spear with deadly force into the camp, to be 
 each time repulsed. Sometimes the muzzles of our guns 
 almost touched their breasts. The shrieks, cries, shouts 
 of encouragement, the rattling volleys of musketry, the 
 booming war-horns, the yells and defiance of the com- 
 batants, the groans and screams of the women and 
 children in the hospital camp, made together such a 
 medley of hideous noises as can never be effaced from 
 my memory." 
 
 It was a desperate conflict, so desperate, indeed, that 
 the Wangwana would have run to the boats and made off, 
 had not Pocock and Uledi driven them back with clubbed 
 
 299 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 muskets. The fight lasted for two whole hours, and even 
 after dusk, when the enemy retreated into the bush again, 
 the hideous noise of war-horn and drum continued. " Now 
 and again," says Stanley, " a vengeful poison-arrow flew 
 by with an ominous whizz to quiver in the earth at our 
 feet, or fall harmlessly into the river behind us." 
 
 Sleep was of course impossible under such conditions ; 
 worse, Stanley's men were in so despairing and demoralized 
 a state, that not even the fear of being eaten could rouse 
 them to a manly and determined resistance. Kettles of 
 cold water had to be poured on the heads of many of 
 them, even, to keep them awake that fearful night. 
 
 At any moment an attack might be made by the 
 savages. A little before midnight, those on the alert 
 within perceived a dark form crawling on all fours from 
 the scrub towards the camp, and the watchful coxswain, 
 Uledi, slipped with a couple of companions through a thin 
 place in the hedge to meet him. Soon Uledi sprang upon 
 the prostrate savage. But a warning rustle in the bush 
 showed that the fellow's comrades were at hand the three 
 men slipped back into the camp, and a midnight encounter 
 began. 
 
 This affair was short but sharp. Fast fell the rain of 
 
 arrows from the enemy, who, in return, were met with a 
 
 hail of shot, bullets, and slugs, that swept all the edge of 
 
 the jungle, the besieged well protected the while by the 
 
 brushwood fence. The natives were speedily overcome, 
 
 and the conflict ceased for the time, though an occasional 
 
 poisoned arrow flew within the stockade, yet harmlessly, 
 
 the fence making excellent cover as the defenders crouched 
 
 low behind it. 
 
 300 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 Next morning, Stanley, after such scanty breakfast as 
 the camp could afford, proceeded in a boat to explore the 
 neighbourhood. What was his surprise to find himself in 
 unpleasantly close proximity to a large town, which, like 
 other towns he had met with above, consisted of a series 
 of villages dotted in a line uniformly along the bank of 
 the river. That it was a populous place was evident from 
 its size, while the extensive plantations of palms and 
 bananas around proved the settlement to be a flourishing 
 one. Stanley bethought himself that this must be the 
 district of the formidable chief of Vinya-Njara, a ruler 
 whose forces were so great, according to native reports, 
 that it would be utterly impossible to pass his territory. 
 The position of affairs for the exploring party was rapidly 
 becoming as grave as it well could be. 
 
 The ready-witted leader determined that his wisest 
 plan would be to seize the first of the long line of villages, 
 a step absolutely necessary, in truth, not only that the 
 sick might be housed, but also that communication might 
 be kept up with the land division, so soon as it should 
 appear. This land portion of Stanley's company was 
 under the command of Tippu-Tib, an Arab chief, and a 
 Zanzibari trader, a man of resource and courage. He and 
 his little troop were daily expected. 
 
 As the explorers had not dared to unload the boats, in 
 a moment all had taken their seats, and a start was made, 
 regardless of the showers of arrows that fell around. 
 Fortune attended the operations, and the village was 
 successfully rushed and occupied, evidently to the no small 
 surprise and chagrin of the cannibals. Luckily the village 
 was empty, and the commander quickly perceived that a 
 
 301 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 few felled trees at either end of the compound would make 
 the place defensible. 
 
 But now the natives, pulling themselves together again 
 after their first surprise, made desperate efforts to dislodge 
 the new-comers. The chief aim of Stanley was to guard 
 the two ends of the village, and there an incessant firing 
 was kept up, while sharpshooters, hidden in the foliage of 
 tall trees, were able to pick off any savage who might show 
 himself in the open or near the edge of the bush, thus 
 efficiently protecting the rear of the settlement. All the 
 while the sick in the camp, for the first time for many 
 hours, had ample space in which to move about. 
 
 It was impossible that this violent conflict could last, 
 and Stanley, making a sortie with five-and-twenty men, 
 succeeded in clearing the outskirts of the village. The 
 rest of the day was passed in comparative peace. Luckily 
 in the sally one prisoner had been made, and Stanley 
 welcomed the prize, intending to use the man, if it should 
 be possible, in negotiations for peace. 
 
 The day was spent in strenuous exertions to strengthen 
 the camp. While the scouts protected the ends of the 
 enclosure, the remainder spent several hours in cutting 
 down all cover, in the shape of grass and weeds, for a 
 space of a hundred yards around the settlement. More- 
 over, nests, or commanding shelters, for the riflemen were 
 contrived at either end of the village, being placed in the 
 trees at a height of fifteen feet from the ground. 
 
 A terrific " bo-bo-ing " came with the dawn of another 
 
 day, and the savages, who had never been wholly quiet 
 
 through the night, at once made a fierce assault. Thanks 
 
 to the precautions that had been taken, however, they 
 
 302 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 found their efforts in vain, and they were fain to retreat 
 to the jungle again, evidently beyond measure surprised 
 to see the magnitude of the preparations that had been 
 made within so short a time. They now kept up a 
 deafening din with their war-horns. 
 
 The war cry, by the way, was strange to the explorers. 
 Hitherto they had heard cries of "Ooh-hu-hu, ooh-hu, 
 ooh-hu-hu," but now the shout of defiance was a singular 
 
 o 
 
 "Bo-bo, bo-bo, bo-bo-o-o-oh," a cry listened to, even by 
 the Africans of the party, with curiosity. They were in a 
 new territory, in fact, and that the territory of one of the 
 most formidable of the cannibal chiefs, the terrible ruler 
 of Vinya-Njara. All the fighting hitherto experienced 
 by the exploring party was but as child's play in com- 
 parison with what was clearly close at hand. 
 
 About noon an enormous gathering of canoes was seen 
 coming up the river under the left bank. The mass of 
 blacks was so great that there might well have been any- 
 thing up to eight hundred or a thousand of them. The 
 canoes kept on their course, passing the village, till they 
 were a good half-mile above. Then, with the current in 
 their favour, they swooped down upon the settlement, 
 amid the din of war-horns and drums. ' At the same 
 instant, away in the forest, resounded answering cries. 
 Clearly it was a concerted affair. Scarcely had the 
 occupants of the village time to place themselves in 
 position when, from the woods behind, poured ' in a hail 
 of arrows. 
 
 Now was found the advantages of the nests erected at 
 the ends of the enclosure. The ten men in each were able 
 to keep the besiegers at bay on the land side. Of these 
 
 303 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 stations Frank Pocock and Sheikh Abdallah, another of 
 the Zanzibar Arabs of the party, were respectively in 
 command. Stanley himself undertook the heavy task 
 of defending the river bank, with twenty men to help 
 him. 
 
 This was by far the most serious position in which the 
 expedition had yet found itself, a state of affairs that had 
 been clearly foreseen, however. Every man was well 
 aware that if he did not fight with the utmost desperation, 
 his headless body would quickly be flung into the rolling 
 waters of the river. Fortunately, even the most demoral- 
 ized of them began to be animated with reviving courage. 
 Moreover, they felt their superiority, man for man, to the 
 enemy, in itself a thing to bring back lost heart. And 
 the many lucky escapes they had had tended to produce 
 in them a feeling that they were invulnerable. To the 
 delight of the leader, he perceived how signally his 
 followers were now distinguishing themselves. Surely, 
 even these poor fellows, of low and undeveloped type, 
 had in them the making of good men. Much, indeed, 
 had been already accomplished. The few months of 
 training and sharp service they had experienced, and the 
 leadership of hardy and intelligent white men, had made 
 of them trustworthy soldiers. These last few days, it is 
 true, had been trying in the extreme, but the experience 
 had done wonders for all who had gone through it. 
 
 In the face of such overwhelming numbers of the enemy, 
 
 this change of attitude and behaviour on the part of his 
 
 men was in the highest degree cheering to Stanley, who 
 
 delightedly observed that every single man among them 
 
 was desirous of emulating even Uledi, the intrepid cox- 
 
 304 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 swain. This, too, notwithstanding the frightful, exulting 
 din that proceeded from the savages, a din that came from 
 men clearly accustomed to triumph in battle. 
 
 For half-an-hour the fighting went on, the energy 
 displayed being desperate, and intense because it was 
 desperate. The abundance of ammunition enabled the 
 besieged to work terrible havoc among their savage foes. 
 Nothing but the direst necessity could have justified that 
 fearful slaughter. Certainly the numbers of the cannibal 
 savages were so overwhelming that there must have 
 seemed little doubt in the minds of the defenders as to 
 the ultimate issue of the struggle. As it was, it is clear 
 that had there been a trifle more of odds against the 
 leader, neither he nor his gallant companions would ever 
 again have been heard of. Humanly speaking, they were 
 doomed, and doomed to a horrible fate. 
 
 But help was at hand. At a most critical moment, the 
 advance-guard of the land division, under Tippu-Tib, 
 appeared. The warning blasts from the horns of the 
 natives on shore, to their brethren in the canoes, showed 
 that the arrival of reinforcements for the camp had been 
 perceived. At the actual moment of that arrival the 
 savages were putting forth most desperate and deter- 
 mined efforts to make good a landing. That once effected, 
 the fate of the expedition would have been sealed. Now, 
 on the receipt of the signals from their comrades on shore, 
 the canoemen paddled away. Even so they did not leave 
 without yells of contempt and defiance, supplemented by 
 the throwing of water from their paddles towards the 
 explorers, an action intended to show their scorn for 
 
 their foes. Then, with loud shouts that they were 
 20 305 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 determined to prevent all passage, either up or down 
 stream, they disappeared from view, hidden by an island 
 about a mile away, and opposite the camp, leaving the 
 defenders at peace for a time, indeed, but in a very bad 
 plight. Want of food, want of sleep, and the heavy and 
 exciting work of the last three days had told their tale. 
 
 Stanley now called together his followers, to the number 
 of forty or so. Distributing cloth to them, he pointed out 
 that as the savages had retired no farther away than the 
 back of the island opposite, they clearly meant another 
 attack. They would not improbably add largely to their 
 numbers during the night. At all costs and risks this 
 fresh attack must be prevented. 
 
 Stanley was, in fact, preparing for an exploit which 
 stands out for boldness and cleverness, even amongst his 
 adventurous deeds. The commander proposed, in short, 
 to make a night expedition, and cut the canoes adrift. 
 That operation successfully performed, the natives would 
 have no option but to abandon their assault next day. 
 
 "Besides," concluded Stanley, "if we can do the job in 
 a complete way, the enormous loss of canoes will have 
 such an effect on them that it will clear our progress 
 down the river." 
 
 A counsel of desperation it seemed ; yet there was no 
 hesitation on the part of the followers. The chief re- 
 sponsibility, of course, rested on the two white men — the 
 leader himself, and his lieutenant, Frank Pocock. The 
 latter was given his choice of crews. He was to take four 
 canoes, carrying some score of men, and proceed to the 
 south of the islet, behind which lay the boats of the 
 enemy. There Frank was to spread out his boats across 
 
 306 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 the channel, between the island and the river bank. The 
 commander himself would make for the north end of the 
 island, and then, seeking out the native canoes in the 
 darkness, cut them adrift. These, as they floated down- 
 stream, were to be intercepted and retained by Frank. 
 Such was the extraordinary plan. 
 
 A dark and blustering night it proved, and so far 
 nothing could have been better for the purpose in view. 
 With muffled oars, Stanley and Pocock set out at the hour 
 of deepest sleep, the latter to take up the position assigned 
 to him at the southern end of the islet, the former to begin 
 his own hazardous operations. 
 
 Keaching the spot, Stanley commenced to search the 
 bank. Notwithstanding that a fire was seen in one place, 
 he rowed cautiously inshore, and there found eight large 
 canoes, each fastened to the bank by a short length of 
 cable. They were soon set free Uledi and two of the 
 Zanzibar Arabs, Bwana Abdallah and Hamadi, being of 
 the utmost assistance to their audacious leader. A light 
 push to each canoe sent it gliding down the stream. 
 Following on, Stanley soon descried four others and 
 these likewise he sent adrift. 
 
 How risky this enterprise was may be gathered from the 
 fact that, as the numerous fires showed, the bulk of the 
 savages were camped on the islet itself. The boat's party 
 could hear the sound of the voices and the shivering 
 coughs ; they could even note the baleful effects on the 
 savages of the pernicious Ihang, a sort of wild hemp, 
 smoked by many African natives. 
 
 Nevertheless, keeping well in the blackness, under the 
 
 steep banks and the overhanging trees, Stanley and his 
 
 307 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 companions glided on their way, all unperceived. Canoe 
 after canoe was set free, its paddles and scoops aboard, 
 and sent down-stream, there to be stopped in due course 
 by the vigilant Frank. 
 
 The result of this extraordinary and exciting expedition 
 was the capture of no fewer than six-and-thirty canoes, 
 many of them of the largest size. These were still to be 
 conveyed to the camp, of course. Stanley hoisted sail in 
 his own boat, and with ten of the prizes in tow made his 
 way up-stream and successfully brought them to shore 
 within the limits of his own defence- works. Leaving this 
 first batch of captures in charge of the Wangwana, the 
 commander immediately went back to Frank, who made 
 known his whereabouts by blowing a trumpet. By five 
 in the morning all was finished, and the camp was reached 
 with the last set of captured craft. Rarely has been 
 recorded a more successful night expedition than this. 
 And the exploit had been wholly a bloodless one. 
 
 And what of the cannibals ? A visit was made to the 
 island again a few hours later. To the astonishment 
 of the exploring party the spot was almost entirely 
 abandoned ! The overwhelming swarm of fierce blacks 
 had disappeared ! There were but two or three left, in 
 fact, and to these Stanley began to talk through his 
 interpreters. 
 
 And here comes the most surprising part of the whole 
 
 narrative. With marvellous pluck and self-confidence, 
 
 the leader of the expedition dictated to the remnant of 
 
 the natives his conditions. They were these. Unless 
 
 the blacks came to terms, and desisted from all further 
 
 hostilities, the commander declared he would seize upon 
 
 308 
 
AMONG THE CONGO CANNIBALS 
 
 and occupy Viuya-Njara ; he would also keep the whole 
 of the canoes he had captured ! 
 
 Surely never was conqueror more arrogant ! And this 
 from a man who could oppose but the merest handful 
 of troops, and some of them sick, to a horde of cruel and 
 determined cannibals, outnumbering his own forces by at 
 least twenty — perhaps fifty — to one ! Stanley added, that 
 if blood-brotherhood should be made, on the other hand, 
 he would set free the prisoner he held. He proposed a 
 meeting in mid-stream, two canoes, with the chiefs from 
 each side, to come to the rendezvous. 
 
 The natives replied that in the absence of their principal 
 chiefs they would be unable to give a reply till the follow- 
 ing day. Stanley, nevertheless, showed his good disposi- 
 tion towards them by throwing them presents of shells. 
 
 The meeting took place at the appointed time, and the 
 blood-brotherhood ceremony was duly performed between 
 the king of Vinya-Njara, and Safeni, the chieftain of a 
 tribe from farther east, whom, with certain of his men, 
 Stanley had hired. Twenty- four of the canoes were 
 purchased by the expedition at a satisfactory price; the 
 rest, with the single prisoner, were given back to the 
 natives. 
 
 Thus was ended a harassing and terrible time, and a 
 desperate struggle, a struggle that must ever remain 
 memorable as one of the bravest things of its kind on 
 record. 
 
 309 
 
XXVII 
 
 THE WILD YUKON 
 
 Mr. Pike, with two friends, ascends the Stikine River — Description of canoe 
 used — The current tremendous — Heavy hauling — Hard to keep to 
 true river course — " Little Canon " — Almost insuperable difficulties — 
 "Whites and Indians in concert to navigate the "Little Canon" — 
 Canoe drill — Success at last, and a better part of river reached — A 
 seventy mile portage to Francis Lake — Intense cold of winter — 
 Dangers attending it — A broken rifle and a grizzly bear — MapofPelly 
 River rectified by Mr. Pike — Yukon navigation — Portage into the 
 Kuskokvim — Voyage down to Behring's Sea — Then on to Ounalaska 
 Island. 
 
 Of the great rivers of our globe, few are less known than 
 those of the North-west corner of the North American 
 continent, of which the Yukon is the largest. There 
 are obvious reasons for this — the distance from civiliza- 
 tion, the rigours of the climate, and the difficulties 
 and dangers attending the navigation of these great 
 streams. These difficulties and dangers are well illus- 
 trated in Mr. Warburton Pike's charming account of his 
 long canoe voyages up to the Stikine River, to the Pelly 
 Lakes, and down the Yukon to the Behring's Sea. 
 
 Mr. Pike's business in these rapid but often frozen 
 waters was a geological survey for the Canadian Govern- 
 ment, and he had with him a brother Canadian, Mr. 
 Gladman, and Mr. Reed, a big-game hunting English- 
 man. These three gentlemen travelled without attendants, 
 
 310 
 
THE WILD YUKON 
 
 the prices asked by the Indians for their services being 
 absurdly exorbitant. 
 
 The canoe used for the expedition was only eighteen 
 feet long, three feet six wide, and twenty inches deep, 
 with a total weight of one hundred and thirty lbs., a 
 small craft, apparently, for the rough work cut out for it. 
 Yet this little boat successfully navigated no less than 
 four thousand miles of water, was dragged on sledges 
 over a couple of hundred miles of rough forest land, was 
 carried on men's shoulders for long distances, yet came 
 out into the sea again in excellent condition, having 
 needed but one insignificant bit of repairs during the 
 whole journey, an almost unique achievement for such 
 a boat, one would think. 
 
 It was a hard matter for the canoeists to get away from 
 Fort Wrangel, the miners insisting on treating the ad- 
 venturous trio to one farewell drink after another. But 
 at last the travellers found themselves fairly in the Stikine 
 river, between two breadths of dense forest. The sources 
 of this Stikine River are as yet unknown to civilized man. 
 The current is tremendous. Mr. Pike says : " We were 
 unable to make headway with the paddles against the 
 current, in mid-stream, at any point in the hundred and 
 fifty miles ; so that we had always to creep along the 
 bank that seemed most likely to offer slack water." 
 
 It was impossible to get out and tow the boat up against 
 
 the stream in this stretch of the Stikine, the trees growing 
 
 up to the very edge of the banks, leaving no room for a 
 
 beach of any sort. Often a tree had fallen across the 
 
 stream, and it became necessary to round the obstruction. 
 
 This meant leaving the safe slack water at the sides of the 
 
 311 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 river and getting out into the full rush of the current. 
 Then, even after the fallen tree had been passed, it was 
 frequently just a toss-up whether the canoe would not be 
 driven back upon it, her nose under the prostrate trunk. 
 This would have resulted in instant and serious disaster 
 for the party. Then, too, the Stikine was far too deep 
 for poleing. Sometimes the boat had to be pulled along 
 by main force, the crew hanging hard on to the over- 
 hanging bushes. Or, again, a rope would have to be made 
 fast to some tree a little ahead on the brink, and the craft 
 hauled up-stream hand over hand. All this involved 
 heavy work, and no little loss of time, the rope frequently 
 getting fouled with a snag or bit of hidden rock. 
 
 It was not always easy to keep on the true river, islands 
 often parting the stream into several branches. A long 
 paddle up one of these branches would now and then 
 result in the discovery that the party had pulled them- 
 selves into a backwater, from which there was no egress 
 save by the way they had come. And every evening the 
 boat had to be unloaded and drawn clear of the stream, 
 the risk of damage from floating logs during the night 
 being too great. 
 
 For a time the canoeists had fine weather. Then a pour- 
 ing wet period set in with its discomforts. It was useless 
 to wait for fair weather, for that might mean a delay of a 
 whole month. They pushed on, therefore, now in company 
 with a party of Indians, who had left Fort Wrangel in 
 their canoe a couple of days later than Mr. Pike and his 
 friends. 
 
 A serious difficulty had presently to be tackled — the 
 
 passage of the Little Canon, a short but formidable gorge 
 
 312 
 
THE WILD YUKON 
 
 in the Stikine. It is narrow, and on either side it is 
 hemmed in by high rocky cliffs. Whites and Indians had 
 now to help each other, that was plain, if the passage were 
 to be made at all, a thing that seemed to the voyagers very 
 unlikely, judging from the look of the place. The river at 
 this point is not more than fifty yards wide, the granite 
 cliffs on both banks towering up to a height of two or 
 three hundred feet. Portage of the canoes was out of the 
 question, for it would have involved the cutting of a track 
 through a mile of thick burnt timber, and over a rough 
 hill. 
 
 The first attempt to pass the lower eddies proved a dead 
 failure, hoisted sail and the most desperate paddling of 
 nine men not at all availing against the strength of the 
 current. Again and again, after a trifling headway made, 
 the canoe was flung back like a mere cork into the lower 
 waters. 
 
 Next day a different method was tried. Three men 
 
 remained in the boat that was to be hauled up, while the 
 
 rest, carrying a long line to the top of the cliffs, dragged 
 
 the canoe and its occupants bodily over the lower falls. 
 
 After a hard fight a quarter of a mile was gained in this 
 
 way. Then it became necessary to pass to the opposite 
 
 bank. The men in the boat pushed off from the cliff, 
 
 hoping to cross the river and catch the slack water of an 
 
 eddy on the other side. Unluckily they missed the eddy, 
 
 and but for a shout of " Back water ! " they would have 
 
 been the next instant on a sharp point of rock. Helpless, 
 
 the men saw their craft carried down the stream again, 
 
 and in a minute or two, after an exciting and arrow-like 
 
 rush, they found themselves opposite the spot whence they 
 
 313 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 had that morning started, all the heavy hauling having 
 resulted in nothing. 
 
 The captain of the Indians now took up the case, and 
 each morning and afternoon turned out the whole of the 
 men, whites as well as reds, for canoe drill. Four days 
 were spent in this exercise, and often the boat was within 
 a trifle of getting through, yet as often it was at last forced 
 back, and failure resulted. 
 
 When the fifth morning came, the Indians all appeared 
 with faces newly and brilliantly painted. One fellow, not 
 a particularly exemplary person, but an excellent bowsman, 
 came out in most gorgeous scarlet. It was evident the 
 Indians meant succeeding this time. The long drill had 
 made the crews acquainted with every inch of the cliffs 
 and with the peculiarities of the current at various critical 
 points. The prognostications of the natives were not 
 falsified. By great good fortune no mistake or mishap 
 occurred this time, and in six hours the boats had both 
 been drawn clear of the canon, and, as it proved, into 
 quite a different kind of country. The Little Canon is 
 said to be only a trifle more than half-a-mile in length, 
 yet its passage had involved the spending of several days, 
 and hard and dangerous work for a strong force of men. 
 
 Above this formidable gorge the voyagers for a time 
 found the conditions a good deal better than they had 
 been of late. Often they were able to hoist a bit of sail, 
 and, under a good breeze, to get along in spanking fashion. 
 Yet even this had its dangers, for in places where the 
 current was specially rapid, the canoe, instead of making 
 progress, would bury its nose under water. And it re- 
 quired extreme watchfulness on the part of the crew to 
 
 314 
 
Days passed before they contrived to tow it through the Canon 
 
 The Little Canon is a short but formidable gorge on the Stikine. It is narrow, and hemmed in by rocky 
 cliffs on either side. The passage involved hard and dangerous work for a strong force of men. 
 
THE WILD YUKON 
 
 prevent their boat from being filled and sunk before they 
 had fully realized the danger. A very nasty stretch was 
 met with near Glenora, where the current runs eight 
 knots an hour in mid -stream. More than one fatal 
 accident was known to have happened there, but Mr. 
 Pike and his friends passed the reach without accident. 
 
 A heavy bit of portage had now to be arranged for. 
 The whites desired to get to Francis Lake, seventy miles 
 distant. They had been prepared to do the portage them- 
 selves, not at all expecting to be able to hire the required 
 hands in the district. However, a couple of Indians under- 
 took the job, and carried out everything satisfactorily. 
 The boat and all the other belongings of the voyagers 
 were carried across the intervening country on the backs 
 of five mules. 
 
 Winter came on by November, and everything was 
 speedily fast-frozen. Yet life on the banks of the Dease 
 River, to which the travellers had by this time come, was 
 found to be on the whole pleasant enough. The scenery 
 around was strikingly beautiful, and the game was abund- 
 ant. True, the cold had to be reckoned with, and that 
 was at times intense, the thermometer one day (in 
 February) indicating 68° of frost ! Mr. Pike, with 
 another man, went out hunting that very day, following 
 the river Liard for miles, perspiring much from his exer- 
 tions. Later on, however, when the hunter was hungry 
 and weary, the cold seized him in its grip. There was no 
 time to be lost, or the consequences would have been 
 fatal, and that very soon. So, leaving his rifle, Mr. Pike 
 started to run back to the camp, fully ten miles away. 
 
 His hard running did not suffice to warm him, and he 
 
 315 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 arrived home in a sorry state, his nose and cheeks badly 
 frozen. 
 
 It is never safe, the traveller states, for a man to go out 
 alone into the woods in such extreme temperatures. The 
 least accident that delays his progress, or even a simple 
 wetting from the breaking of a bit of thin ice, means 
 death, unless the sufferer can light a fire at once. So 
 intense and so powerful is the cold that the moment a 
 man grasps the handle of a tool, such as an axe, a layer of 
 ice forms between the outer part of his mittens and the 
 inside lining. In such a case he cannot use his hand even 
 to strike a match. At night, with a good fire, the tra- 
 vellers in those regions may manage to make themselves 
 tolerably comfortable. But there is always an unwilling- 
 ness to turn out to replenish the fire when it is beginning 
 to burn low, each man pretending to be fast asleep, whereas 
 he is all the while peeping out of the corner of his eye to 
 see if any of his mates will be more self-sacrificing than 
 himself. 
 
 Of game hunting there was always plenty, the moose 
 being especially in request for its flesh. Birds of various 
 kinds were numerous, particularly when the spring came 
 on. Fish of many sorts were to be had for the catching. 
 Now and then more important game in the shape of a 
 huge bear came the way of the voyagers. But out in 
 these far-off spots an accident may at any moment occur, 
 and bring with it serious results, though the same sort of 
 accident in a civilized and populous country would be a 
 matter of no account. 
 
 On a certain occasion Mr. Pike left his rifle below 
 
 while he went up a hill to collect geological specimens. 
 
 316 
 
THE WILD YUKON 
 
 Before long he observed his companion throw down upon 
 the gun a heavy log of firewood. The result was a broken 
 stock, and the inside mechanism badly damaged, and no 
 tools at hand to repair it. An attempt to patch up the 
 broken weapon resulted in this : the gun missed fire three 
 times out of four, an awkward result for a man who has 
 to depend on his rifle for his dinner. How much more 
 awkward it may be under certain circumstances Mr. Pike 
 soon found. This was later on in his journeyings, in the 
 neighbourhood of Hoole Canon, a few miles below the 
 Hoole River. 
 
 He was sitting quietly smoking one evening, above the 
 wild gorge, when a grizzly bear came out of the woods, and 
 he determined to stalk the animal if possible. But the 
 bear came near to him much more quickly than he had 
 expected, and the hunter was surprised to see him eating 
 berries from a bush but a few yards away. Raising his 
 rifle to his shoulder, the Canadian pulled the trigger. The 
 thing would not go off. Five times the cartridge snapped, 
 but, luckily for the man, the animal went on with his 
 currants. Then Mr. Pike inserted a fresh cartridge, but 
 at the same moment the bear trotted off, having, as the 
 traveller puts it, " come to the conclusion that he had 
 given me enough chances." The bear made for a grove 
 of poplars, and " when he was well among the trees the 
 rifle roared off in grand style, and, of course, missed the 
 bear. A fighting grizzly, such as are always encountered 
 by the whisky-shop bear-hunters of the West, would have 
 had a splendid opportunity of displaying his powers that 
 evening at Hoole Canon." Thus light-heartedly did the 
 sportsman regard the risks he ran. 
 
 317 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 In the course of his travels in this wild and little known 
 country, Mr. Pike was able to rectify the maps of the 
 Pelly and Yukon rivers. He proved that the Pelly is a 
 much longer and more important river than had been 
 hitherto thought. Moreover, he found that the same 
 river has a far greater claim to be considered the main 
 branch of the Yukon than has the Lewes, which up to 
 that time had been reckoned to be the superior stream 
 of the two. In other words, the Lewes must now be 
 considered to run into the Pelly, and not the Pelly into 
 the Lewes. 
 
 Proceeding down the Yukon the canoeist came in one 
 
 place to a spot where the roar of waters told of dangers 
 
 ahead. Leaving the boat, some of the party went to look, 
 
 and found a bad bit of rapids, with many scattered rocks at 
 
 the upper end and very rough water at the lower. The 
 
 current was strong and there were no slack eddies. Once 
 
 fairly launched on this bit of water, the canoe must go. The 
 
 risks in such a spot and under the conditions were serious 
 
 enough. The party were five hundred miles from the 
 
 nearest trading post, and the results of an accident would 
 
 be more than serious. Capsizing meant the loss not only 
 
 of the boat, but of everything. Even if the half-drowned 
 
 and shivering crew should manage to save their lives and 
 
 find their way to shore, what a predicament would theirs 
 
 be ! They would not have even matches for lighting a 
 
 fire, and that in the Yukon district ! They would have 
 
 nothing to eat, and no gun to get themselves anything. 
 
 As for axe to build some sort of raft or boat, that would 
 
 also be out of the question. 
 
 Fortunately for Mr. Pike and those with him, none of 
 
 318 
 
THE WILD YUKON 
 
 these dire results came. Using a line, they carefully- 
 lowered the boat from point to point. The worst part of 
 the rapids, it was wisely thought, might best be avoided 
 by portage, and the canoe was carried for a quarter of a 
 mile into navigable waters again. 
 
 The width of the Yukon lower down its course becomes 
 enormous, the miners putting it at anything between ten 
 miles and seventy. But the navigation at length grew 
 terribly monotonous to the canoeists, although they could 
 easily make eighty or a hundred miles a day with good 
 paddling. Eventually they turned off and marched across 
 country to the River Kuskokvim, and thence made their 
 way to the salt sea once more. Even then the plucky 
 Canadian was not satisfied, but, in spite of all evil pro- 
 phecies, actually navigated his canoe along the open sea 
 to the island of Ounalaska, one of the Aleutian group. 
 
 319 
 
XXVIII 
 
 KLONDYKE MINERS ON THE RAPIDS 
 
 The rush to Klondyke — Voyage out to Juneau, in Alaska — Chilcoot Pass 
 — Break up of ice — The Eva launched — A leak repaired — Voyage down 
 the Yukon begun- — Miles Canon — Three men in a boat come to grief — 
 The Eva ventures the passage and accomplishes it — The "White Horse 
 Rapids — An inspection — A trial trip by a log — A thrilling experience 
 — Safely through — Mosquitoes terrible — Dawson City reached — Cabin 
 built outside the town — No success in getting claims for gold-mining 
 — A miner brings a dead body to be taken care of — The leader of the 
 Canadian mining party leaves Klondyke — By steamboat down the 
 Yukon — Stranded on a sand-bar — Passengers taken off and carried to 
 Behring's Sea. 
 
 The expedition to Klondyke, which was the dream of so 
 
 many a few years ago, was essentially a river expedition, 
 
 though all the world did not always bear the fact in mind. 
 
 That it was an expedition entailing terrible hardships 
 
 and much danger all the world did know. These dangers 
 
 and hardships are well shown by the amusing but graphic 
 
 description of his journey to Klondyke — a voyage, it should 
 
 rather be called — given us by a Canadian gentleman, 
 
 Mr. Secretan, who went out in 1897, in charge of a 
 
 mining party. 
 
 Passing over the sea voyage from Victoria, in British 
 
 Columbia, to Juneau, in Alaska, and a subsequent coasting 
 
 extension to Dyea, we may turn at once to the land 
 
 journey over the dreadful Chilcoot Pass and down to the 
 
 320 
 
KLONDYKE MINERS 
 
 waters of Lake Lindermann, where it was intended to 
 launch the canoes the party proposed to build. For a few 
 miles the goods could be carried on flat-bottomed boats 
 up the Dyea River to the foot of the pass. The pass 
 itself proved a terrible experience for all the struggling 
 multitudes who had to face it. Chilcoot Pass is always 
 covered with snow ; it is exposed to the fiercest of winds ; 
 and the ascent is steep to a degree the travellers had 
 little expected. By the time the summit was reached, 
 everybody was too exhausted and too wretched to carry 
 on all the stuff they had brought up, and much of it was 
 left on the top, to be routed out from under the snow 
 later on. 
 
 The summer was approaching, and the ice on river and 
 lake was beginning to break up. It was a wonderful 
 sight to see the great streams at this time. Huge masses 
 of ice were swirling down to the sea, grinding against 
 each other or against the banks in tumultuous fashion, 
 and the gold-seekers had to wait till the last floes had 
 whirled by and the water was clear. The hundreds of 
 people waiting were all occupied in making craft of one 
 sort or another — the most miscellaneous set of boats ever 
 seen. 
 
 At length, on a fine day, the first of June, Mr. Secretan 
 launched his canoe, the Eva, and taking with him five 
 other men and a dog he made haste to start. More than 
 five hundred miles of waterway lay in front of the party 
 before Klondyke could be reached. The Eva was twenty- 
 six feet long and seven wide. It had been designed in a 
 few minutes, and quickly made from green wood just cut 
 
 down from the forest. 
 
 21 321 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 It was found to leak badly at the very beginning, and 
 even as the cargo was being put aboard by some of the 
 hands others had to bale out the water. It was not a 
 promising beginning, and when the crew had rounded the 
 corner and got out of sight of the jeering mob who had 
 watched the start, they pulled up for repairs. It was ten 
 o'clock at night, but broad daylight. It was soon dis- 
 covered that the carpenter had neglected to caulk one of 
 the seams. The omission was made good, and the Eva 
 was ready to proceed on her long voyage again. 
 
 The course was north, almost due north, and when a 
 southerly wind came along the canoe soon spun over the 
 score of miles to Cariboo Crossing and Tahgish Lake. 
 The leader now divided his crew into regular watches, 
 four men always on duty, while two slept. Mr. Secretan 
 tells us that as captain he himself did not keep watch, 
 thereby missing much grand scenery. But he had always 
 the pleasure of listening to a full account of it from the 
 other men in the morning. 
 
 Day after day passed, and the Eva was making good 
 
 progress, her sailing qualities enabling her to pass the 
 
 other boats going in the Klondyke direction. Marsh 
 
 Lake and the Lewes River were duly traversed, till a red 
 
 flag on the shore told of the near vicinity of the Miles 
 
 Canon. The travellers had heard much of the famous 
 
 " White Horse Rapids," which they would presently have 
 
 to get past in some way. Nobody seemed to be able to 
 
 give any very clear account of this dreaded obstruction. 
 
 The leader of the little expedition failed utterly to glean 
 
 any satisfactory information respecting the place — till he 
 
 was face to face with the thing itself. 
 
 322 
 
KLONDYKE MINERS 
 
 Examining Miles Caiion, which came first, the captain 
 of the mining party " came to the conclusion that it was 
 perfectly easy, and could be run with comparative safety 
 by the others ! " He preferred to watch the experiment 
 about to be tried by three men in another boat, one an 
 irrepressible Yankee, who acted as boss for the passage. 
 This man assured his two scared companions that there 
 wasn't the slightest particle of danger ; they had only not 
 to be " skeared," but to look straight in front of them, 
 and pull their best. 
 
 The boat, which was a frail thing of very indifferent 
 build and construction, was pushed out into the middle of 
 the rushing current, while the Canadian and his men 
 watched their neighbours from the bank. The boat shot 
 away to the first drop or plunge, the Yankee shouting 
 " Klondyke, or bust." In a moment the paddle had been 
 forced from his hand, and he had fallen flat on his face 
 into the bottom of the canoe. His mates were unable to 
 use their paddles, and it was utterly impossible to guide 
 the craft. She dashed into the frightful rollers, swung 
 violently round, and then hurled herself with a crash 
 against the rock wall of the canon. Fortunately the 
 luckless but foolish three were picked up lower down the 
 stream. Their looks told plainly that they had had enough 
 of it. 
 
 Miles Canon is only five-eighths of a mile long, but for 
 
 that distance the whole of the water of the river has to 
 
 pass through a narrow channel, and it dashes along with 
 
 incredible speed, the water in mid-stream being four feet 
 
 higher than that at the sides. Mr. Secretan, having a 
 
 superior boat, ventured to run this bad bit of river after 
 
 323 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 all, and arrived safely at the farther end in a minute and 
 three-quarters ! His two smaller boats, canoes, he had 
 carried over the canon along the bank. A mile and a 
 half of very rough water, plentifully studded with rocks, 
 followed, but here the party were able to tow the two 
 canoes. 
 
 The worst part of the stretch still remained to be faced, 
 the fatal " White Horse." The leader went ashore and on 
 ahead to look at the place. He heard from another man 
 that two poor fellows had been drowned at the spot 
 the day before. Nevertheless, after an inspection, the 
 Canadian determined to try his luck, mainly because to 
 carry the six thousand pounds in weight of the cargo 
 stowed on board would have involved very heavy portage 
 for so few hands, and would have meant delay. Still the 
 danger was not to be explained away, and the sight of a 
 smashed canoe lying below did not tend to put the crew 
 in better spirits. 
 
 The captain tried experiments with a big log, and the 
 result certainly could not be called encouraging. The 
 log swept off in beautiful style at first, at a speed of some 
 forty miles an hour. Just as Mr. Secretan was beginning 
 to think the passage almost ridiculously easy, the " log 
 suddenly stood up straight on end, and, looking me in the 
 face, plunged out of sight into some subterranean passage 
 which was not laid down on the chart, disappearing for 
 ever." The humorous gentleman concluded that if the 
 Eva should imitate the example of the log, the expedition 
 would come to a sudden and untimely end. 
 
 With astonishing coolness the boat was shoved off, 
 
 everything protected against the floods by tarpaulins tied 
 
 324 
 
KLONDYKE MINERS 
 
 tight down. It was soon over, the chronicler informs us 
 — " a rapid run to the brink, a couple of plunges, a ton or 
 so of water on deck, a blinding smother of foam — then 
 congratulations and a horn of rum for all hands, in- 
 cluding the cook." The time occupied in the passage 
 he calculates to have been the fiftieth of a minute, " or 
 thereabouts." 
 
 Dropping rapidly down Lewes River, the current being 
 very strong, the Eva was soon navigating Lake Labarge, 
 where there was fine fishing, salmon trout of up to ten 
 pounds being available. After the lake there came a run 
 of thirty-two miles with a very rapid current, with many 
 rocks in the bed of the stream, a condition of things that 
 made the run both good exercise for the steersman's 
 muscles and an exciting pastime for all the crew. The 
 party did not think much of the " Five Finger Rapids " 
 after the " White Horse." Meanwhile the mosquitoes 
 had come for the summer, and had come in their strength. 
 " No one has seen mosquitoes," Mr. Secretan says, " who has 
 not had experience of the Yukon variety." The mosquito 
 was, as a matter of fact, the only wild animal the gold- 
 miners encountered, but he was enough in himself. 
 
 Bennet Lake, Fort Selkirk, Stewart River, Sixty-Mile 
 Post all passed, after many long and toilsome days, at last 
 the much-desired Klondyke came in sight, some five 
 hundred and seventy-five miles from Dyea, a distance it 
 had taken the Canadian and his men forty-five days to 
 travel. 
 
 Dawson city, the Klondyke capital, was a collection 
 
 of tents that ran along the river banks for a mile and a 
 
 half, together with liquor stores, saw-mills, warehouses, 
 
 325 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 and the like. Gambling was the great amusement, the 
 saloons running all night as well as all day. Miners 
 in luck would often bring their hard-earned bags of 
 gold-dust — a fortune for life, in some cases — and lose all 
 in the course of an evening ; then, after a day or two of 
 wretchedness, would calmly go back to the diggings. 
 
 The city was too much for the Canadian, and he pitched 
 his tent near a spring, a little outside the town, and in a 
 lovely spot by the river side. Throwing himself on the 
 soft moss with which the ground was plentifully carpeted, 
 he slept the sleep of the weary. But not for long ; 
 presently he awoke, feeling chilled to his very bones. 
 And no wonder ; there, a few inches below the moss, was 
 a layer of hard blue ice, which no summer sun of the 
 Klondyke district could ever melt. Before long he and 
 his men built a cabin, the mining operations not having 
 begun, for no satisfactory " claim " had as yet been 
 acquired. 
 
 Mr. Secretan himself seldom left his cabin for the 
 distractions of the " city," but he had always before him 
 the grand if gloomy spectacle of the rushing, mighty 
 river, its waters too muddy to be drinkable. The summer 
 wore on, and still no suitable location had been found, 
 every likely and unlikely claim having been taken up. 
 Then a terrific thunderstorm with fearful lightning 
 showed that the short summer was about to break up. 
 
 The Canadian had a most curious experience while 
 
 staying all alone in his cabin. One day an old miner 
 
 came to him and asked him if he was afraid of ghosts. 
 
 He replied, after the manner in fashion at Klondyke, that 
 
 he was afraid of nothing. The miner thereupon pro- 
 
 326 
 
KLONDYKE MINERS 
 
 ceeded to point to his boat, which he had tied up to the 
 bank a few yards away, and informed the occupant of the 
 cabin that the boat contained a dead man, and that he 
 proposed to leave boat and body there for a few days. 
 The dead man had been the miner's partner, but had 
 been killed by the falling of a tree. The deceased had a 
 brother away at the mines, and it was necessary to wait 
 for his arrival before the dead man could be buried. 
 Meanwhile the body had been placed in a sort of tin box 
 and soldered tight down. Mr. Secretan suggested that 
 an immediate funeral was desirable, but of this the miner 
 would not hear. The brother must have time to arrive, 
 he explained. So the body remained in the boat under 
 the bushes a few yards below the cabin for a day or two. 
 The Canadian saw the old miner each morning when he 
 came to see if his " pardner " was still safe in his boat. 
 When the funeral did at last take place it was made the 
 occasion for a big turn-out of the mining population, who 
 seemed to love a funeral mightily. 
 
 By July, Mr. Secretan had had more than enough of 
 Klondyke. He had not succeeded in accomplishing what 
 he had hoped to do, and he longed to get back to civiliza- 
 tion. So he embarked on a miserable steamer to traverse 
 the eighteen hundred miles of Yukon waters that still 
 intervened between him and the salt sea. His men 
 remained to look after the claims that had at last been 
 secured. The long winter of the Arctic regions would 
 have to be faced by them before they would be able 
 to get to actual work on the claims. 
 
 The steamboat was crowded, and the accommodation 
 wretched. The very first night out, when the Canadian 
 
 327 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 was asleep in an upper berth, the whole thing came down 
 with a crash, injuring one man who was sleeping below 
 and frightening another. After that it seemed wisest to 
 sleep on the floor. Circle City was passed later on, and 
 then, some miles below, the steamer stuck fast on a 
 sand-bank. 
 
 The Yukon at that part of its course is thirty miles 
 wide, but it is full of shoals and sand-bars, and the district 
 is appropriately enough named the " Flats." Here, stuck in 
 a couple of feet of water, the vessel was destined to stay for 
 many days. Hours passed, then days, then weeks — it was 
 eighteen days before the miserable passengers were able 
 to get away from their prison house. All manner of 
 devices were tried to get the ship off the bar, but the 
 only result seemed to be to push her farther on to it. 
 Digging out was tried, but on so feeble a scale that it was 
 useless. The crew who had to turn out to do the digging 
 were Indians, and less work for a given time than was 
 done by these loafers no one had ever seen done by men. 
 The Canadian surveyor, with his turn for calculations of 
 the kind, estimated that it would take the available force 
 more than seven years to dig out a channel big enough to 
 float the vessel. It seemed as if the whole population of 
 the ship, passengers as well as crew, would have to spend 
 the rest of their lives on that sand-bar. In fact, till some 
 other vessel should come and take them off, it was 
 impossible for the passengers to get away. 
 
 Another steamer was at last seen coming up the river, 
 
 but, to the disgust of everybody on board the stranded 
 
 boat, the captain held on his way up-stream to Dawson 
 
 City, and it was only on his return that the prisoners 
 
 328 
 
KLONDYKE MINERS 
 
 were taken off — or some of them — and placed once more 
 in the way of continuing their voyage down the Yukon. 
 
 The lower portion of this mighty river was found to be 
 most dreary, and everybody was glad when the delta — 
 said to be more than a hundred miles broad — came in 
 sight, and Behring's Sea was reached. Of the many 
 changes of boats, and the infinite trouble and delay the 
 Canadian had to experience before he set foot again on 
 civilized territory, it is not necessary to speak. He had 
 traversed the whole length of the wonderful Arctic river, 
 that length running to nigh upon two thousand five 
 hundred miles. 
 
 329 
 
XXIX 
 
 CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 The crossing of rivers often a great difficulty to a traveller — Mr. Trevor- 
 Battye on his way from Kolguev to Archangel — Up the Petchora — 
 Passage of the Tsilma — Ponies unable to mount the steep frozen bank 
 — Hauled up by ropes — Boat returns across river to fetch another 
 horse — Boat, with two men and horse on board, wedged fast in ice — 
 Carried down-stream — Had to be left to their fate — A happy sequel — 
 The Mezen to be crossed — Novel bridge construction — A plucky lad — 
 The bridge sags ominously — A crash, but all saved — The ' ' Governor " 
 a name to conjure with — The Mezen — A wolf hunt — The fate of the 
 runaway horse — The Vashka — The Pinega — The Northern Dwina — 
 A villanous ferryman on the Volga. 
 
 One of the commonest difficulties met with by travellers 
 in uncivilized or thinly-populated regions is the crossing 
 of the streams, big and little, that intersect their path. 
 A mere streamlet, or even a good-sized river, if it is 
 shallow and slow, may present but a very small hindrance. 
 But it is quite a different matter if it is an Obi, or a 
 Congo, that forms the obstacle in the traveller's way. 
 And not the least serious of his difficulties arise in con- 
 nection with rivers within or near the Arctic Circle. 
 
 The experiences of Mr. Trevor-Battye at any rate go to 
 prove this last statement. He had been in the Arctic 
 island of Kolguev, and was making his way to the city of 
 Archangel on the White Sea. His course lay up the 
 great Petchora River, and then across many other streams 
 
 of similar character. 
 
 330 
 
CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 Leaving the Petchora at Ust-Tsilma, after a lengthy 
 passage up the great waterway, the traveller struck off 
 across country in a general westerly direction, to traverse 
 a land watered by a series of rivers of the first importance, 
 the Mezen and the Northern Dwina, of which even some 
 of the tributaries are grand streams. His progress was 
 soon stopped by the Tsilma, a great feeder of the Petchora 
 he had just left. The passage of this river promised to be 
 a formidable affair. 
 
 Finding the boat too small to carry across all his three 
 ponies at once, he left one, a grey, tied on the bank till 
 the other two should be safely ferried over. There was 
 floating ice in the river, and to avoid this the traveller 
 and his men were compelled to land their ponies on a 
 high and steep bank, or at least on a ledge at the foot of 
 it. To haul up the baggage to the top of this awkward 
 incline was tough work, but it was simplicity itself when 
 compared with the difficulty of getting up the horses. 
 The poor brutes, not being roughed, could not mount a 
 yard up the slope, and dared not move for fear of slipping 
 into the river itself. 
 
 This was a pretty pass, and the Russian peasants, after 
 
 the manner of their kind, as Mr. Trevor-Battye found, 
 
 declared it to be impossible to go on ; there was nothing 
 
 for it, they insisted, but to put the animals into the boat 
 
 again and go back to the place whence they had started. 
 
 This notion did not recommend itself to him, and he began 
 
 to cast about him for some method of getting the ponies 
 
 up to the top. His first step was to scramble up the 
 
 slippery bank himself, not an easy task. There were 
 
 some small trees growing there, and it occurred to him 
 
 331 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 that with ropes passed round these it might be possible to 
 haul up the ponies. But he had with him only the ropes 
 that secured the baggage, and a number of raw hide 
 thongs. 
 
 To the amazement of the peasants the traveller pro- 
 ceeded to adjust the ropes round the body of one of the 
 animals, and climbing up a second time he put the other 
 ends of his cords round the trunk of a tree, bringing his 
 men to the top to pull. Descending once more he gave 
 the signal to the men above to haul, while he stayed 
 below to help the animal. The poor frightened brute 
 plunged wildly, but at every plunge he was forced upwards 
 willy-nilly, till at length, after an exciting time, he was 
 landed on the level. The traveller breathed more freely, 
 for he had fully expected to see the ropes break under the 
 strain, and the poor pony dashed headlong to destruction. 
 The other animal was got up in a similar manner. 
 
 All this time the grey had been waiting his turn on the 
 other bank. The ice-floes were swirling down the broad 
 river at a great rate, but presently a clear cross-channel 
 opening out, one of the peasants offered to take his son, a 
 lad of fourteen, with him to fetch the horse across. The 
 fellow declared that it could easily be done. Meanwhile 
 the rest of the party stayed on the top of their high bank 
 to watch the proceedings. The boat made the outward 
 journey safely, and the horse was shipped. 
 
 For a time the return passage went well, the men 
 
 taking advantage of every bit of open water. But then 
 
 came a turn of events unexpected by those in the boat, 
 
 but clearly foreseen by the rest of the party from their 
 
 elevated perch on the top of the bank. Huge ice-blocks 
 
 332 
 
CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 were whirling about in the middle of the river, grinding 
 against each other in a fashion that meant destruction to 
 the boat should it get caught between two of them. 
 After a period of crunching and grinding one against 
 another the blocks swirled off. Many of them drifted into 
 a narrow channel, where they speedily froze into one solid 
 piece. The boat was gradually being hemmed in, and the 
 chance of exit from the formidable ice-barriers was every 
 moment becoming less. The men on the cliff shouted 
 with all their might, seeing the imminent danger. But 
 it was all in vain ; before many more minutes had passed 
 the craft was wedged in fast. Escape was now hopeless 
 for the boat ; as for men and horse, their difficulties before 
 they could feel themselves safe were likely to be many and 
 serious. They were being carried rapidly down-stream 
 with the general ice mass, and no help could be given 
 from the bank, the snow lying too thick by the side of 
 the river to admit of the men there following the receding 
 boat. Man and beast had to be left to their fate, a 
 state of things that caused great anxiety to the English 
 traveller. Whether he would ever hear of them again, 
 he did not know, but it was with a foreboding heart that 
 he went on reluctantly to the next posting-house, evening 
 being at hand. 
 
 Luckily the sequel proved a happy one. About mid- 
 night the sleeping inmates of the post-house were aroused 
 by a great shouting, and there appeared the two boatmen 
 leading the grey. Except for a little lameness, his leg 
 having been cut by the ice, the horse was little the worse. 
 It appeared that the two fellows had pulled the animal 
 
 out of the boat on to the ice, and that it had then made 
 
 333 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 for the shore, cleverly jumping from floe to floe, the men 
 following. They had made good their escape only just in 
 the nick of time. Hardly had they reached the bank 
 when a huge piece of ice parted from the rest and carried 
 away the boat down the flood to its destruction. 
 
 Travelling on, the party came in due time to the basin 
 of the Mezen. Here they found it a hard matter to get 
 across even a small tributary of that river. There had 
 been a bridge, and one end of it was still fairly sound. 
 But the nearer end was broken, and was lying under the 
 foaming and ice-encumbered waters, huge frozen masses 
 dashing madly through the opening. The party con- 
 sisted of three men and a boy, and they had with them 
 four sledges and five horses. The Russians declared at 
 once that it was impossible to cross the stream ; this was 
 the way of their countrymen. But Mr. Trevor-Battye 
 had no intention of turning back defeated. 
 
 Taking their axes the men cut down two or three pines, 
 to throw into the river just above the bridge so as to 
 serve as a screen against the ice-blocks. To their dis- 
 appointment the current carried off like straws the trees 
 thrown into it. At last, however, a couple were got into 
 position and there stuck, though it was evident that 
 sooner or later they too would be swept off. Then for the 
 bridge proper. 
 
 A couple of long poplars were felled, but the difficult 
 
 problem was how to get these trunks to span the breach 
 
 so that their further ends should rest on the sound part of 
 
 the bridge. The lad was plucky enough to venture across 
 
 on the pines that had been thrown into the river. It was 
 
 a risky thing to attempt, for failure meant a wetting at 
 
 334 
 
CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 the very least, and in such weather, with no chance of a 
 
 change of clothes for an hour or two, a wetting was 
 
 no light matter. The boy succeeded in making the 
 
 passage, fortunately, and secured the end of a rope he had 
 
 carried with him to the sound end of the bridge. This 
 
 rope was attached to the trunk of one of the poplars. 
 
 The Englishman by this time had found a shallow, over 
 
 which the horses were taken. The flood nearly carried 
 
 the animals off their feet, but after a struggle they 
 
 managed to scramble up the further bank. The problem 
 
 was half solved, and it did not take long to haul the two 
 
 poplars into position, side by side, across a stream. One 
 
 of the sledges was placed on the trunks in such a way 
 
 that the runners would, it was hoped, prevent it from 
 
 falling over into the water. But when the weight of the 
 
 sledge, together with that of the man who walked behind 
 
 to steady the thing, came upon the frail structure, the 
 
 trees sagged ominously. So threatening was the position, 
 
 indeed, that the fellow beat a hasty retreat to the bank 
 
 again, leaving the sledge to its fate. The vehicle, with 
 
 its load, wobbled fearfully, and seemed every moment as 
 
 if about to make a plunge into the swirling waters below. 
 
 It was an anxious time, and even at the very last moment, 
 
 when the sledge was just about to touch the sound portion 
 
 of the old bridge, the Englishman had to throw himself 
 
 precipitately upon it and hold with all his might. This 
 
 timely help had the effect of causing the falling sledge to 
 
 right itself, and the next instant it was safe. The other 
 
 sledges were all got across in similar fashion, but not 
 
 without imminent danger in every case. 
 
 Just as the travellers were starting on their way again, 
 
 335 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 with a loud swish the structure they had engineered with 
 
 so much difficulty went off with a rush down the river, as 
 
 if it had been the merest bit of stick. The next day a 
 
 stream, covered with ice too thin to bear, had to be 
 
 crossed. The passage was effected by breaking a narrow 
 
 channel across, and filling the gap with trees, till a 
 
 temporary but risky causeway had been made. 
 
 The River Neza presented a magnificent spectacle in 
 
 the moonlight when the travellers reached its bank — 
 
 wide, covered with broken ice patches, its shores fringed 
 
 with snow-laden trees. On the opposite shore was a 
 
 village, and the wayfarers set up manful shouts to attract 
 
 the attention of the ferryman. The only reply received 
 
 was the common one of the Russian peasantry, 
 
 " Impossible ! " Here then was the Englishman, late at 
 
 night, stranded with his men and baggage on the brink of 
 
 a formidable river, and no help to be had for the passage. 
 
 The situation was not cheering, to say the least of it, to 
 
 cold, weary and shelterless travellers. But presently one 
 
 of the peasants with him yelled out something in which 
 
 Mr. Trevor-Battye detected more than once the word 
 
 " Governor." Whatever may have been the exact purport 
 
 of the speech, the effect of it was at any rate satisfactory. 
 
 Before long a speck was seen approaching across the wide 
 
 waters, and presently a boat appeared. The passage was 
 
 not without many dangers ; the boat was laden down to 
 
 the gunwale, and the ice-floes had every moment to be 
 
 kept off by the vigorous and watchful use of poles. 
 
 There is little doubt that the Russian peasant had 
 
 represented to the ferryman that it was the governor of 
 
 the province who was waiting to be ferried over. 
 
 336 
 
CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 The Mezen itself provided the Englishman and his 
 servants with no less excitement than the rest of the 
 rivers that intersected their path. They had, in truth, a 
 specially hazardous passage of it. But they had their 
 reward in finding on the other side accommodation of a 
 superior kind, such as they rarely met with on their 
 journey. 
 
 Here a diversion occurred to relieve the monotony of 
 the way. Mr. Trevor-Battye was roused in the early 
 hours of the morning by a great noise in the yard. Going 
 down he found the place in a state of intense excitement. 
 Wolves had actually come into the very middle of the 
 village, had broken open the stable door, and had frightened 
 away one of the three horses. The other two poor beasts 
 were in a lather of sweat through fear. 
 
 Quickly harnessing the trembling brutes, the English- 
 man and a companion were soon off in pursuit. It was 
 a bitterly cold morning. The tracks made by horse and 
 wolves showed that two of the latter had run on one side 
 of the steed and one on the other. The hunted horse and 
 his hunters had had a considerable start. Yet the 
 Englishman knew that the body of the poor beast must 
 be found at length, for it was impossible he should finally 
 escape the pitiless, tireless wolves at his heels. It was 
 easy to picture the scene of the pursuit, and Mr. Trevor- 
 Battye saw everything in his mind's eye as if he had been 
 an actual observer — the savage brutes drawing gradually 
 nearer and nearer the maddened horse, biding their time 
 — at last venturing to give the animal an ugly bite — the 
 waning strength of the pursued — the untired freshness of 
 
 the bloody pursuers. 
 
 22 337 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 For miles the tracks ran on, and at length the other 
 man would have returned. But the Englishman was 
 very keen, and very eager to follow on. Before long a 
 little blood was found upon the ground. It was evident 
 this was the beginning of the end ; the wolves had grown 
 bold enough to snatch an occasional mouthful of flesh 
 from the horse's quivering body. Still the tracks ran on 
 and on, till at last even the keen sportsman in the sledge 
 was about to give up the chase. All at once, however, 
 the two men found themselves on the bank of a broad 
 frozen river. There, on the ice in the very middle of the 
 river, lay the mangled remains of the poor hunted beast. 
 The wolves in their savage hunger had even broken off 
 from the vertebrae several of the animal's ribs ! Such is 
 the strength of jaw possessed by these brutes. 
 
 The Vashka river was not crossed till after two hours' 
 hard work with oars and poles, the swift current having 
 meanwhile carried the party three versts down-stream, 
 notwithstanding all their efforts. Then came the Pinega, 
 which the travellers crossed twice before they knew it 
 was the Pinega. When they proposed to cross it a third 
 time, they were earnestly entreated by the peasants not 
 to attempt to traverse that country at all, as it was 
 terribly infested with wolves, and full of dangers to way- 
 farers. Mr. Trevor-Battye was not a man to be stopped 
 by mere reports, and went on his way. Fortunately he 
 fell in with a postman who showed him a way of reaching 
 Archangel without crossing the Northern Dwina, a big 
 river presenting difficulties unusual even in northern 
 Russia. 
 
 It is worth noting that even in far more civilized parts 
 
 338 
 
CROSSING NORTH RUSSIAN RIVERS 
 
 of Russia, the want of bridges or of other means of 
 crossing great streams often gives much trouble to 
 travellers. Mr. Trevor-Battye, at a later stage of his 
 journeyings, found himself late one night on the bank of 
 the Volga, opposite the town of Yaroslavl. He had just 
 alighted from an express train, slow but luxurious in 
 comparison with his earlier vehicles in Russia. He was 
 anxious to get across the Volga, to catch a night train 
 from Yaroslavl. To his dismay he found that the steam 
 ferry-boat had ceased running on account of the fringe of 
 ice that had formed along both banks. He then asked if 
 there were no other boat, and found that the only rowing 
 ferry-boat had been requisitioned by the Governor. 
 
 In this awkward pass — a dark, cold night, with little 
 or nothing in the way of a shelter till the dawn should 
 come — an evil-looking fellow appeared and offered to 
 ferry over the luckless traveller. His charge was at first 
 enormous, and his services were rejected. However, he 
 came at length down to five roubles, at which a bargain 
 was struck. Soon the passenger and his belongings were 
 stowed away in the boat, and the villanous-looking ferry- 
 man started to cross the dark, cold Volga. When but a 
 fraction of the way had been made, the lights of Yaroslavl 
 still showing far off, the fellow suddenly stopped and 
 demanded thirty roubles. This was too much for the 
 passenger, who, observing that there was not now time to 
 catch his train, determined to show the scoundrel what an 
 Englishman was made of. So the boatman was ordered 
 to turn about at once and put back. This had the effect 
 of bringing the man a little more to his senses, and he 
 
 offered to go on at the price originally agreed upon. But 
 
 339 
 
ADVENTURES ON GREAT RIVERS 
 
 his fare was too angry to consent, and so he was landed 
 at the place from which he had started, and was com- 
 pelled to pass the night in a miserable little cabin, where, 
 however, as he tells us, " the fleas were fairly merciful." 
 This within hail of express trains and the electric light. 
 
 THE END 
 
 
 Richard Clay # Sons, Limited, London and Bungay. 
 

 
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