“You seem to be taking it easy, old boy,” said a voice close to my elbow.
I started, and looked up hastily.
“Ah! Peterkin. You there?”
“Ay; and may I not reply, with some surprise, you here?”
“Truly you may,—but what could I do? The men ran away from me, whether I would or no; and you are aware I could not make myself understood, not being able to— But where is Jack1?”
I asked this abruptly2, because it occurred to me at that moment that he and Peterkin should have been together.
“Where is Jack?” echoed Peterkin; “I may ask that of you, for I am ignorant on the point. He and I got separated in endeavouring to escape from the scrimmage caused by your valiant3 attack. You seem to have scattered4 the whole force to the winds. Oh, here he is, and Mak along with him.”
Jack and our guide came running into the camp at that moment.
“Well, Ralph, what of Okandaga?”
“Ah! what of her indeed?” said Peterkin. “I forgot her. You don’t moan to say she was not in the camp?”
“Indeed she was,” said I, “and so were Mbango, and his wife Njamie, and one or two others whom I did not know; but my men went at them with such ferocity that they fled along with our enemies.”
“Fled!” cried Jack.
“Ay; and I fear much that it will fare ill with them if they are overtaken, for the men were wild with excitement and passion.”
“Come, this must be looked to,” cried Jack, seizing his rifle and tightening5 his belt; “we must follow, for if they escape our hands they will certainly be retaken by their former captors.”
We followed our comrade, without further remark, in the direction of the fugitives6; but although we ran fast and long, we failed to come up with them. For two hours did we dash through bush and brake, jungle and morass7, led by Makarooroo, and lighted by the pale beams of the moon. Then we came to a halt, and sat down to consult.
“Dem be gone,” said our wretched guide, whose cup of happiness was thus dashed from his hand just as he was about to raise it to his lips.
“Now, don’t look so dismal8, Mak,” cried Peterkin, slapping the man on the shoulder. “You may depend upon it, we will hunt her up somehow or other. Only let us keep stout9 hearts, and we can do anything.”
“Very easily said, Master Peterkin,” observed Jack; “but what course do you propose we should follow just now?”
“Collect our scattered men; go back to the village; have a palaver10 with King Jambai and his chiefs; get up a pursuit, and run the foxes to earth.”
“And suppose,” said Jack, “that you don’t know in which direction they have fled, how can we pursue them?”
“It is very easy to suppose all manner of difficulties,” retorted Peterkin. “If you have a better plan, out with it.”
“I have no better plan, but I have a slight addition to make to yours, which is, that when we collect a few of our men, I shall send them out to every point of the compass, to make tracks like the spokes12 of a wheel, of which the village shall be the centre; and by that means we shall be pretty certain to get information ere long as to the whereabouts of our fugitives. So now let us be up and doing; time is precious to-night.”
In accordance with this plan, we rapidly retraced13 our steps to the dell, which had been appointed as our place of rendezvous15. Here we found the greater part of our men assembled; and so well-timed had Jack’s movements been, that not one of them all had been able to overtake or slay16 a single enemy. Thus, by able generalship, had Jack gained a complete and bloodless victory.
Having detached and sent off our scouts17—who, besides being picked men, travelled without any other encumbrance19 than their arms—we resumed our journey homeward, and reached the village not long after sunrise, to the immense surprise of Jambai, who could scarcely believe that we had routed the enemy so completely, and whose scepticism was further increased by the total, and to him unaccountable, absence of prisoners, or of any other trophies20 of our success in the fight. But Jack made a public speech, of such an elaborate, deeply mysterious, and totally incomprehensible character, that even Makarooroo, who translated, listened and spoke11 with the deepest reverence21 and wonder; and when he had concluded, there was evidently a firm impression on the minds of the natives that this victory was—by some means or in some way or other quite inexplicable22 but highly satisfactory—the greatest they had ever achieved.
The king at once agreed to Jack’s proposal that a grand pursuit should take place, to commence the instant news should be brought in by the scouts. But the news, when it did come, had the effect of totally altering our plans.
The first scout18 who returned told us that he had fallen in with a large body of the enemy encamped on the margin23 of a small pond. Creeping like a snake through the grass, he succeeded in getting near enough to overhear the conversation, from which he gathered two important pieces of information—namely, that they meant to return to their own lands in a north-easterly direction, and that their prisoners had escaped by means of a canoe which they found on the banks of the river that flowed past King Jambai’s village.
The first piece of information decided24 the king to assemble his followers25, and go off in pursuit of them at once; the second piece of news determined26 us to obtain a canoe and follow Mbango and his companions to the sea-coast, whither, from all that we heard, we concluded they must certainly have gone. As this, however, was a journey of many weeks, we had to take the matter into serious consideration.
“It is quite evident,” said Jack, as we sat over our supper on the night after receiving the above news—“it is quite evident that they mean to go to the coast, for Mbango had often expressed to Mak a wish to go there; and the mere27 fact of their having been seen to escape and take down stream, is in itself pretty strong evidence that they did not mean to return to their now desolated28 village, seeing that the country behind them is swarming29 with enemies; and of course they cannot know that we have conquered the main body of these rascals30. I therefore propose that we should procure31 a canoe and follow them: first, because we must at all hazards get hold of poor Okandaga, and relieve the anxiety of our faithful guide Makarooroo; and second, because it is just as well to go in that direction as in any other, in order to meet with wild animals, and see the wonders of this land.”
“But what if King Jambai takes it into his black woolly head to decline to let us go?” said Peterkin.
“In that case we must take French leave of him.”
Jack received this remark with a shake of his head and a look of great perplexity; and Peterkin said, “Ah, Ralph, I fear there’s no help for it. You must make up your mind to say good-bye to your mummies—big puggies and all.”
“But you do not know,” said I energetically, “that Jambai will detain us against our will.”
“Certainly not,” replied Jack; “and for your sake I hope that he will not. At any rate I will go to see him about this point after supper. It’s of no use presenting a petition either to king, lord, or common while his stomach is empty. But there is another thing that perplexes me: that poor sick child, Njamie’s son, must not be left behind. The poor distracted mother has no doubt given him up for lost. It will be like getting him back from the grave.”
“True,” said I; “we must take him with us. Yet I fear he is too ill to travel, and we cannot await his recovery.”
“He is not so ill as he seemed,” observed Peterkin. “I went to see him only half an hour ago, and the little chap was quite hearty33, and glad to see me. The fact is, he has been ill-used and ill-fed. The rest and good treatment he has received have, even in the short time he has been here, quite revived him.”
“Good,” said Jack; “then he shall go with us. I’ll engage to take him on my back when he knocks up on the march—for we have a march before us, as I shall presently explain—and when we get into a canoe he will be able to rest.”
“But what march do you refer to?” I asked.
“Simply this. Mak, with whom I have had a good deal of conversation on the subject, tells me that the river makes a considerable bend below this village, and that by taking a short cut of a day’s journey or so over land we can save time, and will reach a small hamlet where canoes are to be had. The way, to be sure, is through rather a wild country; but that to us is an advantage, as we shall be the more likely to meet with game. I find, also, that the king has determined to follow the same route with his warriors34 in pursuit of the enemy, so that thus far we may travel together. At the hamlet we will diverge35 to the north-east, while we, if all goes well, embarking36 in our canoe, will proceed toward the west coast, where, if we do not overtake them on the way, we shall be certain to find them on our arrival. Okandaga has often longed to go to the mission station there, and as she knows it is in vain to urge Mbango to return to his destroyed village, she will doubtless advise him to go to the coast.”
“What you say seems highly probable,” said I; “and I think the best thing you can do is to go to the king at once and talk him over.”
“Trust Jack for that,” added Peterkin, who was at that moment deeply engaged with what he called the drumstick of a roast monkey. “Jack would talk over any creature with life, so persuasive37 is his eloquence38. I say, Ralph,” he added, holding the half-picked drumstick at arm’s length, and regarding it with a critical gaze, “I wonder, now, how the drumstick of an ostrich39 would taste. Good, I have no doubt, though rather large for one man’s dinner.”
“It would be almost equal to gorilla40 ham, I should fancy,” said Jack, as he left the hut on his errand to the king.
“O you cannibal, to think of such a thing!” cried Peterkin, throwing the bone of his drumstick after our retreating comrade.—“But ’tis always thus,” he added, with a sigh: “man preys41 upon man, monkey upon monkey. Yet I had hoped better things of Jack. I had believed him to be at least a refined species of gorilla. I say, Ralph, what makes you look so lugubrious42?”
“The difficulties, I suppose, that beset43 our path,” said I sadly; for, to say truth, I did not feel in a jesting humour just then. I was forced, however, in spite of myself, to laugh at the expression of mingled44 disgust and surprise that overspread the mobile countenance45 of my friend on hearing my reply.
“‘The difficulties,’” echoed he, “‘that beset our path!’ Really, Ralph, life will become insupportable to me if you and Jack go on in this fashion. A man of nerve and sanguine46 temperament47 might stand it, but to one like me, of a naturally timid and leaning nature, with the addition of low spirits, it is really crushing—quite crushing.”
I laughed, and replied that he must just submit to be crushed, as it was impossible for Jack and me to change our dispositions48 to suit his convenience; whereupon he sighed, lighted his pipe, and began to smoke vehemently49.
In the course of little more than an hour Jack returned, accompanied by Makarooroo, and from the satisfied expression of their faces I judged that they had been successful.
“Ah! I see; it’s all right,” said Peterkin, raising himself on one elbow as they entered the hut and seated themselves beside the fire. “Old Jambai has been ‘talked over.’”
“Right; but he needed a deal of talk—he was horribly obstinate,” said Jack.
“Ho, yis; ho! ho! horribubly obsterlate,” added Makarooroo in corroboration50, rubbing his hands and holding his nose slyly over the bowl of Peterkin’s pipe, in order to enjoy, as it were, a second-hand51 whiff.
“Here, there’s a bit for yourself, old boy. Sit down and enjoy yourself while Jack tells us all about his interview with royalty,” said Peterkin, handing a lump of tobacco to our guide, whose eyes glistened52 and white teeth gleamed as he received the much-prized gift.
Jack now explained to us that he had found the king in a happy state of satiety53, smoking in his very curious and uneasy-looking easy-chair; that he had at first begged and entreated54 him (Jack) to stay and take command of his warriors, and had followed up his entreaties55 with a hint that it was just possible he might adopt stronger measures if entreaty56 failed.
To this Jack replied in a long speech, in which he pointed14 out the impossibility of our complying with the king’s request under present circumstances, and the absolute necessity of our returning at some period or other to our native land to tell our people of the wonders we had seen in the great country of King Jambai. Observing that his arguments did not make much impression on the king, he brought up his reserve force to the attack, and offered all the remainder of our goods as a free gift to his majesty57, stipulating58 only that he (the king) should, in consideration thereof, carefully send our boxes of specimens down to the coast, where the messengers, on arriving, should be handsomely paid if everything should arrive safely and in good order.
These liberal offers had a visible influence on the sable59 monarch60, whose pipe indicated the state of his mind pretty clearly—thin wreaths of smoke issuing therefrom when he did not sympathise with Jack’s reasoning, and thick voluminous clouds revolving61 about his woolly head, and involving him, as it were, in a veil of gauze, when he became pleasantly impressed. When Jack made mention of the valuable gifts above referred to, his head and shoulders were indistinctly visible amid the white cloudlets; and when he further offered to supply him with a few hundreds of the magical paper balls that had so effectually defeated his enemies the day before, the upper part of his person was obliterated62 altogether in smoke.
This last offer of Jack’s we deemed a great stroke of politic63 wisdom, for thereby64 he secured that the pending65 war should be marked by the shedding of less blood than is normal in such cases. He endeavoured further to secure this end by assuring the king that the balls would be useless for the purpose for which they were made if any other substance should be put into the gun along with them, and that they would only accomplish the great end of putting the enemy to flight if fired at them in one tremendous volley at a time when the foe66 had no idea of the presence of an enemy.
All things being thus amicably67 arranged, we retired68 to rest, and slept soundly until daybreak, when we were awakened69 by the busy sounds of preparation in the village for the intended pursuit.
We, too, made active arrangements for a start, and soon after were trooping over the plains and through the jungle in the rear of King Jambai’s army, laden70 with such things as we required for our journey to the coast, and Jack, besides his proportion of our food, bedding, cooking utensils71, etcetera, carrying Njamie’s little sick boy on his broad shoulders.
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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palaver
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| adj.壮丽堂皇的；n.废话，空话 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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spokes
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| n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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desolated
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| adj.荒凉的，荒废的 | |
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swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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diverge
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| v.分叉，分歧，离题，使...岔开，使转向 | |
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36
embarking
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| 乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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37
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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40
gorilla
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| n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手 | |
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41
preys
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| v.掠食( prey的第三人称单数 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
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42
lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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43
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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44
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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45
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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46
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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48
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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49
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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50
corroboration
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| n.进一步的证实，进一步的证据 | |
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51
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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52
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
satiety
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| n.饱和；(市场的)充分供应 | |
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54
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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stipulating
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| v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的现在分词 )；规定，明确要求 | |
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sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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62
obliterated
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| v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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amicably
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| adv.友善地 | |
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68
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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69
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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70
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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71
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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