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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Samba
+       A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo
+
+Author: Herbert Strang
+
+Illustrator: William Rainey
+
+Release Date: March 5, 2012 [EBook #39061]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMBA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Cover art]
+
+
+
+
+
+[Frontispiece: Samba and the crocodile]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+SAMBA
+
+A Story of the Rubber Slaves
+
+of the Congo
+
+
+By
+
+HERBERT STRANG
+
+_Author of "One of Clive's Heroes," "Kobo," "Brown of Moukden," "Tom
+Burnaby," etc., etc_
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I.
+
+
+
+"Botofé bo le iwa!--Rubber is Death!"--_Congo Proverb_.
+
+
+
+_SECOND EDITION_
+
+
+
+
+LONDON
+
+HENRY FROWDE ------ HODDER & STOUGHTON
+
+OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS ------ WARWICK SQUARE, E.C.
+
+1908
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1906, by the BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY,
+
+in the United States of America.
+
+
+
+
+_Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London_
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+Nearly a generation has passed since King Leopold was entrusted by the
+great Powers with the sovereignty of the Congo Free State.  The
+conscience of Christendom had been shocked by the stories, brought back
+by Stanley and other travellers, of Arab slave raids on the Upper
+Congo; King Leopold, coming forward with the strongest assurances of
+philanthropic motive, was welcomed as the champion of the negro, who
+should bring peace and the highest blessings of civilization to the
+vast territory thus placed under his sway.  For many succeeding years
+it was supposed that this work of deliverance, of regeneration, was
+being prosecuted with all diligence; the power of the slave traders was
+broken, towns were built, roads made, railways opened--none of the
+outward signs of material progress were wanting.
+
+But of late the civilized world has been horrified to find that this
+imposing structure has been cemented with the life blood of the Congo
+races; that the material improvements to which the administrators of
+Congoland can point, have been purchased by an appalling amount of
+suffering inflicted upon the hapless negroes.  The collection of
+rubber, on which the whole fabric of Congo finance rests, involves a
+disregard of liberty, an indifference to suffering, a destruction of
+human life, almost inconceivable.  Those who best know the country
+estimate that the population is annually reduced, under King Leopold's
+rule, by at least a hundred thousand.  No great war, no famine, no
+pestilence in the world's history has been so merciless a scourge as
+civilization in Congoland.
+
+Yet owing to mutual jealousies, the Powers are slow to take action, and
+while they hesitate to intervene, the population of this great region,
+nearly as large as Europe, is fast disappearing.
+
+It has been my aim in this book to show, within necessary limitations,
+what the effect of the white man's rule has been.
+
+If any reader should be tempted to imagine that the picture here drawn
+is overcoloured, I would commend him to the publications issued by Mr.
+E. D. Morel and his co-workers of the Congo Reform Association, with
+every confidence that the cause of the Congo native will thereby gain a
+new adherent.
+
+I must express my very great thanks to the Rev. J. H. Harris and Mrs.
+Harris, who have spent several years on the Upper Congo, for their
+kindness in reading the manuscript and revising the proofs of this
+book, and for many most helpful suggestions and criticisms.
+
+HERBERT STRANG.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+The Coming of the White Man
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+"Rubber is Death"
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Monsieur Elbel
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+Night Alarms
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Order of Merit
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Samba is Missing
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Blood Brothers
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Jack in Command
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+Samba Meets the Little Men
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Trip with a Crocodile
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Bula Matadi Comes to Ilola
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+Samba comes Back
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+"Honour thy Father and thy Mother"
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Lokolobolo's First Fight
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A Revolt at Ilola
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+The House by the Water
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A Buffalo Hunt
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Elbel's Barrels
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Breaking the Blockade
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+David and Goliath
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+A Dash and all Together
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+A Message and a Meeting
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+Elbel Squares Accounts
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+A Solemn Charge
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A Break for Liberty
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+Turning the Tables
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+The Return of Lokolobolo
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+The Chicotte
+
+
+Chapter XXIX
+
+Reaping the Whirlwind
+
+
+Chapter XXX
+
+Sinews of War
+
+
+Chapter XXXI
+
+Summons and Surrender
+
+
+Chapter XXXII
+
+The Dawn of Freedom
+
+
+Chapter XXXIII
+
+Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+PLATE
+
+   I Samba and the Crocodile . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
+
+  II The Finding of Samba
+
+ III A Midnight Encounter
+
+  IV Jack Turns the Tables
+
+   V Jack Rushes Elbel's Camp
+
+  VI Samba Rescued from the Burning Hut
+
+Ilombekabasi and surrounding Country, showing Elbel's first
+  camp in foreground
+
+Ilombekabasi and surrounding country, showing the diverted
+  stream and Elbel's third camp
+
+
+
+
+"Every boy and youth is, in his mind and sentiments, a knight, and
+essentially a son of chivalry.  Nature is fine in him....  As long as
+there have been, or shall be, young men to grow up to maturity; and
+until all youthful life shall be dead, and its source withered for
+ever; so long must there have been, and must there continue to be, the
+spirit of noble chivalry.  To understand therefore this first and, as
+it were, natural chivalry, we have only to observe the features of the
+youthful age, of which examples surround us."
+
+EDWARD FITZGERALD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+The Coming of the White Man
+
+Samba lay face downwards upon the yellow sand, amid which his body
+shone in the sunlight like polished ebony.  Behind, the rising bank was
+thick with trees and shrubs ablaze with colour, overspread with the
+delicate tracery of lianas and, creeping plants.  Here was a spot of
+red, there a dash of orange; at intervals the pale yellow flowers of
+climbing gourds and the mauve blossoms of convolvuli peeped from the
+wall of vivid green.  Tiny rills made music as they trickled through
+the foliage; and near at hand was a path trodden by herds of antelopes
+as they came to drink.
+
+Before, rolled the brown waters of a broad river, rippling over
+whitened rocks in the bed, or over the gnarled limbs of fallen trees.
+Here, on a sandy islet, flashed the scarlet and blue of little
+kingfishers, contrasting with the sober grey of the bittern, or the
+black and white of the vulture.  A giant heron perched on a low
+overhanging branch, gazing solemnly at the ibis standing solitary by a
+distant bush.
+
+On a smooth spot at Samba's right sported innumerable butterflies, blue
+and green and crimson, amid bees and dragon-flies lazily basking in the
+heat.  Samba had but to stretch out his hand to make prisoners of what
+he chose.  But Samba's attention was already occupied.  Looking over
+the brink into the placid water, his eye was caught by a small round
+soft object lying motionless on the surface.  A tiny crocodile, only a
+few inches long, darted from beneath the leaf of a water-lily, in
+pursuit of a tinier fish.  The round object suddenly contracted: there
+was a ripple on the water, and the baby crocodile found itself in the
+grasp of a droll little proboscis that shot out, gripped its hapless
+prey, and drew it beneath the surface.  Samba smiled: he knew that just
+below lay a trionyx, the owner of that little nostrilled proboscis; he
+wasted no sympathy on the baby crocodile, which would never grow big to
+snap up little negro boys at the waterside.
+
+All around was silence, save for the hum of insects and the gentle
+lapping of the water on the sand.  Then a slight sound caught Samba's
+ear, and turning, he saw a handsome young lizard, pied with yellow and
+greenish black, flashing along in chase of a fat frog which it had
+marked for its own.  A swish of its flexible tail, a snap of its savage
+teeth, and ranunculus disappeared--a choice morsel for breakfast.
+
+Such scenes as these gave Samba constant entertainment.  He would often
+wander alone from his village, as he had done to-day, carrying his
+little broad-bladed dagger in case a snake should cross his path, and
+spend hours in the forest or by the river bank, listening to the
+chatter of the monkeys and the screams of the parrots, watching the
+little stingless bees at their work, mocking the hollow note of the
+drumbird or the wild pigeon's doleful call, studying the busy doings of
+the multitudinous ants.  There was not a bird or beast or insect within
+range of his village with whose ways Samba was not familiar.
+
+The trionyx steered himself down stream; the lizard, swishing his
+pliant tail, went off in search of other prey; and Samba's bright eyes
+followed the mazy movements of the myriad flies sporting on the surface
+of the sunlit water, and the shining fish darting this way and that in
+the clear depths.  Suddenly a scream of the fishing eagle caused him to
+glance up.  Then a shout made him spring to his feet and look
+wonderingly in the direction of the sound.  He knew no fear.  His lithe
+dusky body, bare save for a scrap of cloth about his loins and a string
+of cowries round his neck, stood erect and alert; his keen intelligent
+eyes expressed nothing but surprise and curiosity.  Again came the hail.
+
+"W'onkoe!"[1]
+
+"Em'one!"[2] called Samba in reply.
+
+A boat was being slowly paddled up the stream.  Ten stalwart Baenga
+stood at the paddles, bending forward as they made their strokes.  Two
+other negroes squatted in the forepart of the boat.  Amidships sat
+another figure, the sight of which gave Samba a delightful thrill of
+expectation.  It was a white man, with fair hair and beard, clad all in
+white.  Could this be Bula Matadi, Samba wondered, the white man whom
+his grandfather, the chief Mirambo, had seen long ago at Wanganga?  He
+waited, standing still as a rock.  The boat drew nearer, a few more
+strokes of the paddle and it came under the bank.  The white man leapt
+ashore, followed by the two men who had been seated.  They were big
+fierce-looking fellows.  Each carried a long strangely-shaped stick
+with a hollow tube; about his waist dangled a bag of skin.  The white
+man stepped up to Samba, smiled upon him, patted his woolly head.  Then
+one of the negroes began to question him.  Where was his village?  What
+was it called?  Who was its chief?  How many huts did it contain?  Was
+there much forest about it?  To these questions Samba replied frankly;
+surely it was a great honour to his grandfather that the white man
+should take such interest in him!  Then came a question that somewhat
+amused him.  Did the forest contain _botofé_?[3]  He smiled.  Of course
+it did.  Were not the drumsticks in his village made of _botofé_?  What
+a strange question to ask of a forest boy!  The white man smiled in
+return, and said something in a strange tongue to the negro who had
+spoken.  "Take us to your village," said the man; and, nothing loth,
+Samba set off like a young deer, the three men following him.
+
+Samba was eleven years old.  His home was the village of Banonga, a
+street of bamboo huts thatched with palm leaves and shadowed by the
+broad foliage of bananas and plantains and tall forest trees.  His
+grandfather Mirambo was the village chief, a tall, strong, wise old
+man, a great fighter in his day, his body scarred with wounds, his
+memory stored with the things he had seen and done.  Samba's father,
+Mboyo (or Isekasamba, "father of Samba," as he was called after his boy
+was born), was the old chief's favourite son, a daring hunter, a
+skilful fisher, and the most silent man of his tribe.  He had several
+wives, but Samba's mother was the best loved of them all, and wore
+about her ankles the brass rings that betokened her supreme place in
+her husband's affections.  Grandfather, father, mother, all doted on
+Samba, and for eleven years he had lived a happy merry life, the pet of
+the village.
+
+Nothing had troubled the peace of the little community.  Banonga was a
+secluded village, on the outskirts of a dense forest, not far from one
+of the innumerable tributaries of the great river Congo.  Life passed
+easily and pleasantly for these children of Nature.  In the morning,
+ere the sun was up, the men would spring from their simple bamboo beds,
+fling their hunting-nets or fishing-baskets on their shoulders, hang
+about their necks the charms that would preserve them from accident and
+ensure success in the work of the day, and repair to the old chief,
+who, sitting on his forked chair in the middle of the street, gave them
+the _bokaku_--the blessing without which they never left the village.
+"May you be preserved from accident," he would say; "from wild beasts,
+from snags in the path and snakes in the grass, and return with great
+plenty."  Then they would shout their farewells, and hasten with
+light-hearted laughter into the forest or down to the river.
+
+Meanwhile the women had been long astir.  Some, babe on one arm,
+calabash in the other, went singing to a forest stream, to bathe their
+children and fill their vessels with water for the day's cooking.
+Others, with baskets slung upon their backs and rude implements upon
+their shoulders, sped to the gardens and cultivated fields, to perform
+their simple operations of husbandry, and to return by and by with
+manioc, plantains, ground-nuts, which they would prepare against their
+husbands' return.  The morning's work done, they would dress their
+hair, carefully, even fastidiously; kindle the fires of three
+converging logs, and set upon them well-heaped pots of manioc, covered
+with leaves of plantain or nongoti to prevent the escape of steam.
+Some would prattle or sing lullabies to their babes, others form little
+knots and gossip, laughing and jesting without a thought of care.
+
+All day the village was cheered by the merry antics and joyous shouts
+of the children at play.  Like children all over the world, the boys
+and girls of the Congo delight in mimicking their elders.  The boys
+made little hunting-nets and ran hither and thither in mock chase, or
+spread their fishing-nets in the stream and gleefully boasted of their
+tiny catches.  The girls wove little baskets and played with beads and
+shells.  One and all, the children of Banonga were deft with their
+fingers, and none so deft as Samba.  He was always busy, shaping now a
+mortar for his mother, now a chair for his grandfather, now a wicker
+basket so close in texture that he could bring in it water from the
+stream without spilling a drop.
+
+Most of all Samba loved to squat by his grandfather's chair in the late
+afternoon, when the old chief sat alone, chin on hand, waiting for the
+return of the men.  Then, and on dark nights, Mirambo would recite, in
+his deep musical voice, interminable stories and legends, of the
+spirits that haunted the woods, of the animals he had hunted and slain,
+of narrow escapes from the greedy jaws of crocodiles, of fierce fights
+with cannibals, of adventurous journeys by field and flood.  Samba
+never tired of one story: how, years before, Mirambo had made a long
+journey to Wanganga, far, very far away, and had there seen a white
+man, who wore cloth all over his body, and had come up the river on a
+wonderful smoke-boat, driven by a fiery snorting devil that devoured
+insatiably great logs of wood.  Bula Matadi, "breaker of rocks," this
+wonderful white man was called; but Mirambo had heard that in his own
+country he was called Tanalay.[4]  Samba would listen with all his ears
+to his grandfather's long narratives, inwardly resolving that he too,
+when he became a man, would take long journeys and see marvellous
+things--white men, and smoke-boats, and all.
+
+Then, as the sun draws towards its setting, out of the forest there
+come faint strains of song.  Mirambo's monotone ceases: he sits erect,
+expectant; the women run out of the huts above which the wreathing
+smoke proclaims preparations for the evening meal; the children gather
+in a laughing chattering flock at the end of the street.  The sound of
+singing draws nearer: at length it stops abruptly, but instantly is
+followed by a loud prolonged shout; only Lianza's brazen throat can
+utter that sonorous cry:--
+
+"I-yo-li-o!  I-yo-li-o-o!"
+
+And the long-drawn hail of Lianza is broken in upon by the roar of his
+companions.  "Yo!" shout eighty men as one.  And out of the forest
+spring the dusky band, laden with their spoils, which with an exultant
+shout they set down before the chief, amid cries and hand-clapping and
+slapping of the thighs by the women and children welcoming their
+return.  The flesh is cut up, the fish divided: the women return to
+their huts to cook the supper; the children cling about their fathers'
+legs and recount the little adventures of the day.  The meal is eaten:
+the whole population form a wide circle in the street, and, squatting
+on their hams, give themselves up to the joy of watching the gyrations
+of the dancing women, who, in their aprons of long grass, decorated
+with tinkling bells, whirl around to the barbaric music of drums and
+castanets, as the day darkens and the moon throws her silvery beams
+upon the scene.
+
+Such were the daily scenes amid which Samba passed his happy boyhood,
+in the village of Banonga, whither he was now leading the white
+stranger.
+
+The village came in sight, nestling in a glade.  The laughing children
+ceased their play, and stood finger in mouth shyly contemplating the
+new comers.  The women, busily grinding manioc with pestle and mortar
+in the open, looked up with startled glance and fled into their huts,
+where they stood peeping from behind the posts of palm.  Mirambo, the
+chief, rose from his seat and awaited with dignity the approach of the
+white man.  Ceremonious greetings were exchanged.  Then ensued a long
+conversation, the white man speaking, his negroes translating to the
+chief.  He listened intently, and replied in brief phrases, most often
+contenting himself with exclamations of assent--"Inde!" "Ng'oko!" or of
+dissent--"Lako!" "O nye!"
+
+_Botofé_!  Yes, he knew where _botofé_ could be found.  And the white
+man, the Son of Heaven, wanted _botofé_; it had some value for him?
+Well, he should have it.  Who so hospitable as the men of Banonga?
+They were not as the men of Kinshassa, who met the white man with cries
+of anger, and spears, and knives.  Had not he, Mirambo, seen Bula
+Matadi, the friend of the black man?  "When my sons return from their
+hunting," said Mirambo, "they shall provide the stranger with all that
+he needs.  They shall give him plantains, and fowls, and cakes of
+_kwanga_;[5] they shall make ready a hut for him; and _botofé_--yes, if
+he needs _botofé_, my young men shall go into the forest and fill their
+baskets with _botofé_ for him.  No one shall say but that the white man
+is welcome in Banonga."
+
+
+
+[1] Are you there?
+
+[2] I am here.
+
+[3] Rubber.
+
+[4] H. M. Stanley.
+
+[5] A preparation of manioc.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+"Rubber is Death"
+
+"Whew!  This is a warm country, Jack.  There'll soon be nothing left of
+us."
+
+"There's plenty at present, uncle," replied Jack Challoner with a
+smile.  "Barney can spare less, after all."
+
+"Sure an' that's the truth's truth, sorr.  'Twas the sorrow uv me
+mother's heart that I ran to length instid uv breadth.  Whin I was a
+bhoy she had to buy breeches always a size too long for me, and me
+bones grew so fast they almost made holes in me skin--they did."
+
+"Confound it, man, that's where you score.  The mosquitoes leave you
+alone: can't find enough juice in you to make it worth their while to
+worry you.  Whereas they suck at me till I'm all ulcers.  Hi!  Nando,
+when shall we get to this Banonga we've heard so much about?"
+
+"Berrah soon, sah.  Paddle small small, sah, den Banonga."
+
+Mr. Martindale mopped his brow and drew his white umbrella closer down
+upon his head.  He was lying under a grass shelter amidships a dug-out,
+with his nephew Jack at his side and his man Barney O'Dowd at his feet.
+The clumsy native craft rocked to and fro under the paddles of twelve
+stalwart Baenga, who stood, their bodies bent slightly forward, singing
+in time with their strokes.  They were paddling against the current of
+a stream that forced its brown waters into one of the tributaries of
+the Congo.  It was a broiling day.  A rainstorm in the night had
+cleared the sky of the haze that commonly covered it, and the sun beat
+down out of a dome of fleckless blue, irradiating the crimsons and
+purples, the golds and whites, of the rich vegetation on the banks.
+
+"I tell you, Jack," continued Mr. Martindale, "I shall grumble if this
+talk of Banonga turns out to be wind.  I don't see what the Congo State
+has to gain by exterminating the natives; and we know what liars these
+blacks can be."
+
+"Suppose the talk of gold turns out to be wind, uncle?"
+
+"Eh?  What's that?  Wind!  Rubbish!  The difference is that we hear of
+Banonga from the blacks; but 'twas Barnard told me of the gold, and
+Barnard hasn't got enough imagination to say more than he knows.  No,
+the gold is there safe enough; and I tell you I shall be glad when we
+get through this Banonga and can proceed to business."
+
+John Martindale was a florid well-preserved man of fifty-five years.
+Born in New York, he had early gone west, rapidly made his pile in
+California, and retired from the direction of his mines.  But meeting
+one day in San Francisco an old friend of his, a queer stick of a
+fellow named Barnard, who spent his life in roaming over the world and
+making discoveries that laid the foundation of other men's fortunes,
+not his own, he learnt from him that clear signs of gold had been
+observed in the Maranga district on the Upper Congo.  Mr. Martindale
+was very rich; but, like many another man, he found after his
+retirement that time hung somewhat heavy on his hands.  He was still
+full of energy, and Barnard's story of gold in a new country stirred
+the imagination of the old miner.  He decided to take a trip to Africa
+and test his friend's information.  As a matter of course he invited
+Barnard to accompany him.
+
+"No, no, John," replied his friend.  "I scratched the soil; I know gold
+is there; I've no further interest in the stuff.  I'm off to the
+Philippines next week.  Go and dig, old fellow, and take plenty of
+quinine with you."
+
+It happened that Mr. Martindale's only nephew, Jack Challoner, a lad of
+seventeen, was just home from school.  He was an orphan.  His mother,
+Mr. Martindale's sister, had married an English barrister of great
+ability, who had already made a name at the Parliamentary Bar.  But he
+died when his boy was only six years old; two years later his wife
+followed him to the grave, and the guardianship of Jack fell to his
+uncle, who, being a bachelor without other ties, readily assumed the
+charge.  He surprised his friends by the course he took with the boy.
+Instead of bringing him to America, he entered him at Bilton and
+afterwards at Rugby, declaring that as the boy was English it was only
+fair he should receive an English education.  "I read _Tom Brown_ years
+ago," he would say, "and if they turn 'em out now as they did
+then--well, we can't do better this side of the herring pond."  Jack
+spent his holidays either in America, or in travelling about Europe
+with his uncle, and the two became great chums.
+
+But when Jack reached his seventeenth birthday Mr. Martindale again
+surprised his friends.  "Send him to Oxford?" he said.  "Not much!  He
+has had nearly four years at Rugby, he's in the fifth form, and I guess
+he's enough book learning to serve his turn.  He's tip-top at sports:
+he's a notion of holding his own and helping lame dogs; and I don't
+want his nose to turn up, as I believe noses have a trick of doing at
+Oxford.  No: the boy'll come home.  I don't know what he's to be; but
+I'll soon find out what he's fit for, and then he'll have to work at
+it.  The least I could do for his father's sake was to give him an
+English education; he'll come back to America for a smartening up."
+
+It was not long after Jack's return that Mr. Martindale met his friend
+Barnard.  Since Barnard would not be his companion, Jack should.  "It
+will do you no harm to see a little travel off the beaten track," he
+said, "and I'm not going to work the gold myself: my mining days are
+done.  You may tumble to it; in that case you'll stay in Africa and
+take care not to waste my capital.  You may not: that'll be one thing
+settled, anyway."
+
+Accordingly, when Mr. Martindale sailed for Europe he took Jack with
+him.  With characteristic energy he very quickly settled the
+preliminaries.  He obtained for a comparatively small sum from a
+Belgian trading company, the holders of a large concession on the Upper
+Congo, the mining rights in the Maranga district, on condition of the
+company receiving a percentage of the profits.  The first practical
+step having been taken, Mr. Martindale's interest in his project became
+keen.  He had never travelled out of America or Europe; there was a
+certain glamour about an adventure in the heart of Africa; and he was
+rich enough to indulge his humour, even if the results of Barnard's
+discovery should prove disappointing.
+
+Uncle and nephew sailed for Africa, spent a few days at Boma, travelled
+over the cataract railway from Matadi to Leopoldville, and thence went
+in a steamer for nearly three weeks up the Congo.  Then, leaving the
+main river, they embarked on a smaller steamer, plying on a tributary
+stream.  In about a week they arrived at a "head post," whence they
+continued their journey, up a tributary of a tributary, by canoe.  This
+last stream was quite a considerable river as the term would be
+understood in Europe, though neither so broad nor so deep as the one
+they had just left.  But this again was insignificant by comparison
+with the mighty Congo itself, fed by a thousand tributaries in its
+course of fifteen hundred miles from the heart of Africa to the sea.
+Mr. Martindale became more and more impressed as the journey
+lengthened, and at last burst out: "Well, now, this licks even the
+Mississippi!"
+
+But not the Shannon!  Barney O'Dowd was a true Irishman.  Mr.
+Martindale had engaged him in London as handy-man to the expedition.
+He had been in the army; he had been a gentleman's servant, wardroom
+attendant at a hospital, drill-sergeant at a boys' school, 'bus
+conductor, cabman, and chauffeur; but in none of these numerous
+vocations, he said with a sigh, had he ever grown fat.  He was long,
+lean, strong as a horse; with honest merry blue eyes, and curly lips
+that seemed made for smiling.  He drove the travellers in a hansom
+during the week they stayed in London, and looked so sorrowful when Mr.
+Martindale announced his departure that the American, on the spur of
+the moment, with bluff impulsiveness, invited him to join the
+expedition.
+
+"Sure an' 'tis me last chance, sorr," cried Barney, cheerfully
+consenting.  "A sea voyage does wonders for some.  There was Terence
+O'Bally, now, as thin as a lath in the ould counthry; he went to
+Australia, and by the powers! when he came back to say 'God bless you'
+to his ould mother, she did not know him at all at all, he was so full
+in the flesh, sorr.  Sure an' I'll come wid ye wid the greatest
+pleasure in the world, and plase the pigs I'll fatten like Terence.
+Only wan thing, sorr; ye would not have any inshuperable objection to
+Pat, sorr?"
+
+"Who on earth's Pat?"
+
+"Just a dog, sorr; a little darlint uv a terrier no fatter than me,
+sorr; as kind an' gentle as wan uv the blessed angels.  He has as poor
+appetite, sorr, an' sleeps on my coat, so he will not cost ye much for
+board and lodging.  And I would thank ye kindly, sorr, if I might but
+go home to 'm an' say, 'Pat, me darlint, times is changed.  We are in
+luck, Pat.  There's a nice, kind, fat, jolly American gentleman that
+takes very kindly to dogs an' Irishmen, an'----'"
+
+"There then, that'll do," said Mr. Martindale, laughing.  "Bring Pat,
+if you like.  But he'll have to go if he proves a nuisance."
+
+And so Pat became a member of the party.  And he lay curled up now in
+the bottom of the canoe, and cocked an eye as Barney declared with
+emphasis that the Congo was a "mighty foine river, sure an' 'tis only
+fair to say so; but by all the holy powers 'tis not to be compared wid
+the Shannon, blessed be its name!"
+
+It was Pat that sprang first ashore when the paddlers with a resounding
+"Yo!" drove the canoe alongside a turfy platform by the bank, worn
+level by the treading of innumerable feet.  The dog uttered one sharp
+bark, faced round to the river, and stood with ears pricked and stumpy
+tail wagging, to watch his master step to land.
+
+"Now, Nando," said Mr. Martindale, when all were ashore, "lead the way.
+Not too fast: and not too near skeeters or jiggers."
+
+"Berrah well, sah; me go fust; frighten skeeters all away."
+
+Leaving ten of the crew in the canoe, the rest of the party set off
+under Nando's guidance.  He led them through the mass of tall grass
+that lined the river bank, across a swampy stretch of heath, where a
+narrow path wound in and out among trees large and small, beset by
+dense undergrowth and climbing plants.  Insects innumerable flitted and
+buzzed around the travellers, provoking lively exclamations from Mr.
+Martindale and Jack, and many a vicious snap from the terrier, but
+leaving Barney almost untouched.  Once a wild pig dashed across the
+path and plunged into the thicket, with Pat barking frantically at its
+heels.  Here and there Mr. Martindale caught sight of red-legged
+partridge and quail, and sighed for his rifle.  Parrots squawked
+overhead; once, from the far distance, muffled by the foliage, came the
+trumpet of an elephant; but signs of humanity there were none, save the
+meandering track.
+
+At length, however, they came to a clear open space amid the trees,
+where, on a low hill, stood a crude open hut, consisting of upright
+supports surmounted by a roof of bamboos and leaves, and partly walled
+by cloth.
+
+"Berrah nice place, sah," said Nando cheerfully.  "Chief him missis
+buried dah."
+
+The travellers approached with curiosity.  Inside the shed they saw a
+small image, roughly carved in semblance of a human figure, set upright
+in the ground.  At one side lay two or three wicker baskets, at the
+other a bottle; in front a big iron spoon stuck out of the soil, and
+all around were strewed hundreds of small beads.  Nando explained that
+these had been the property of the deceased lady.
+
+"And is she buried under them?" asked Mr. Martindale, stepping back a
+pace.
+
+"Bit of her, sah."
+
+"What do you mean--a bit of her?"
+
+"All dey find, sah.  Bula Matadi come, make big bobbery; bang! chief
+him missis lib for[1] dead, sah.  Bad man cut up, put in pot, only
+little bit left, sah."
+
+Mr. Martindale shivered, then waxed indignant.
+
+"I don't believe it," he declared stoutly.  "Such things aren't done in
+these days.  There are no cannibals in these days--eh, Jack?"
+
+"I hope not, uncle.  But are we near Banonga, Nando?"
+
+"Small small, sah, den Banonga."
+
+"Lead on, then," cried Mr. Martindale; "I want to see with my own eyes
+whether those fellows were telling the truth."
+
+Some distance down the river, just after camping for the night, Mr.
+Martindale's rest had been disturbed by a loud and excited conversation
+between his own party and a group of newcomers who had halted to
+exchange greetings.  Inquiring the cause of the commotion, he learnt
+that the men had brought news of a terrible massacre that had taken
+place at Banonga, a village in the forest many miles up stream.  The
+villagers had been remiss in their collection of rubber; the agents of
+Bula Matadi (which, originally the native name for Sir H. M. Stanley,
+had become the name for the Congo Free State) had appeared at the
+village with a force of native soldiers, and, according to the
+informant, who had received the news from an up-country man, the whole
+population had been annihilated.  Mr. Martindale had heard, in America
+and England as well as in Africa, strange stories of the administration
+of the Congo State; but, like many others, he had been inclined to
+pooh-pooh the rumours of cruelty and atrocity as the vapourings of
+sentimentalists.  But the stories imperfectly interpreted by Nando on
+that pleasant evening by the river made a new impression on him.  He
+was a hard-headed man of business, as little inclined to sentimentality
+as any man could be; he hated any appeal to the emotions, and unasked
+gave large subscriptions to hospitals and philanthropic societies so as
+to avoid the harrowing of his feelings by collectors and other
+importunate folk; but beneath his rough husk lay a very warm heart, as
+none knew better than his nephew Jack; and the stories of cruelty told
+by the lips of these natives made him feel very uncomfortable.  At a
+distance he could shut his eyes to things--open his purse to deserving
+objects and believe that his duty was done; but here, on the spot, this
+easy course was not possible.  He did not like discomfort, bodily or
+mental; it annoyed him when any external cause ruffled the serenity of
+his life; and he made up his mind to pay a visit to Banonga on his way
+up the river, test the negroes' story, and prove to his own
+satisfaction, as he believed he would do, that it was exaggerated if
+not untrue.  That done, he would dismiss the matter from his thoughts,
+and proceed to the proper business of his journey without anything to
+disturb his peace of mind.
+
+The party left the grave on the hill and followed the same path through
+another stretch of forest until they came, almost unawares, upon a
+large clearing.
+
+"Banonga, massa," said Nando, stretching out his hand, and looking into
+Mr. Martindale's eyes with a glance as of some frightened animal.
+
+"Banonga!  But where are the huts?" said Mr. Martindale.
+
+No one answered him.  The party of five stood at the edge of the
+clearing, looking straight before them.  Pat the terrier trotted
+around, wagging his stump, and blinking up into their faces as if to
+ask a question.  What did they see?  A long broad track, leading
+between palms and plantains away into the impenetrable forest.  These
+leafy walls were vivid green, but the road itself was black.  A smell
+of charred wood and burnt vegetation filled the air.  There was not a
+complete hut to be seen.  The space once thronged with a joyous
+chattering crowd was now empty, save for ashes, half-burnt logs,
+shattered utensils.  Here and there a bird hopped and pecked, flying up
+into the trees with shrill scream as Pat sprang barking towards it.
+But for these sounds, the silence was as of death.
+
+"Come," said Mr. Martindale, stepping forward.  It was he who led the
+way now as the party left the ring of forest and walked into the
+clearing.  Barney, coming behind with Nando, groaned aloud.
+
+"Stop that noise!" cried Mr. Martindale, swinging round irritably.
+"What's the matter with you, man?"
+
+"Sorrow a bit the matter wid me, sorr; but it just brought into me
+mimory a sight I saw in the ould counthry whin I was a bhoy; sure there
+was nothing to see there either, and that's the pity uv it."
+
+Mr. Martindale walked on without speaking, poking with his stick into
+the black dust of the road.  Nando went to his side, and pointed out
+such traces of former habitations as remained: here a cooking pot,
+there a half-consumed wicker basket, a broken knife, a blackened
+bead-necklace.  And among the other scattered evidences of rapine there
+were the remains of human beings--skeletons, separate bones.
+
+"Whoever did this did it thoroughly," remarked Mr. Martindale with
+darkening brow.  "But who did it?  I won't believe it was Europeans
+till 'tis proved.  There are cannibals here; Nando said so: a cannibal
+tribe may have raided the place.  Eh?  But where are the people?"
+
+In the thick undergrowth, beyond the desolated village, crouched a
+negro boy.  His cheeks were sunken, his eyes unnaturally bright.  His
+left arm hung limp and nerveless; in his right hand he clutched a
+broad-pointed dagger.  He had been lying in a stupor until roused by a
+sharp sound, the cry of some animal strange to him.  Then he raised
+himself slowly and with difficulty to his knees, and peered cautiously,
+apprehensively, through the foliage amid which he was ensconced.
+
+He glared and shrank back when he saw that among the strangers moving
+about were two white men.  But what was this animal they had brought
+with them? he wondered.  Goats he knew, and pigs, and the wild animals
+of the forest; he knew the native dog, with its foxy head, smooth
+yellowish coat, and bushy tail; but this creature was new to him.
+True, it was like a dog, though its brown coat was rough and its tail
+stumpy; but he had never seen the dogs of his village trot round their
+masters as this was doing, never heard them speaking, as it seemed, to
+the men with this quick sharp cry.  The dogs he had known never barked;
+their only utterance was a long howl, when they were hungry or in pain.
+He hated white men, but loved animals; and, weak as he was, he raised
+himself once more, and bent forward, to look at this active dog-like
+creature that came and went in apparent joyousness.
+
+A bird flew down from a tree, and alighted hardily within a couple of
+yards of the terrier.  This was too much for Pat.  He darted at the
+audacious bird, pursued it into the thicket, then came to a sudden
+surprised stop when he descried a black form among the leaves.  He
+stood contemplating the boy with his honest brown eyes, and his tail
+was very active.  Then with one short bark he trotted back to his
+master, and looked up at him as if to say: "I have made a discovery;
+come and see."  But man's intelligence is very limited.  Barney did not
+understand.
+
+"And did the cratur' give ye the slip, then?" he said, patting the
+dog's head.
+
+"That's not the point," said Pat's barks; "I want you to come and see
+what I have found," and he ran off again towards the thicket, turning
+once or twice to see if his master was following.  But Barney paid
+little attention to him, and Pat, giving him up as hopeless, went on
+alone to scrape acquaintance.  He stood before the boy at a distance of
+a yard, blinking at him between the tendrils of a creeper.  Then he
+advanced slowly, wagging his stump, poked his nose through the leaves,
+and after a moment's sniffing deliberation put out his tongue and
+licked the black knee he found there.  The boy made with his closed
+lips the humming sound with which the negro of the Congo expresses
+pleasure, and next moment the dog's paws were in his hands, and the
+two, dog and boy, were friends.
+
+But whoever was a friend of Pat's must also be a friend of Barney
+O'Dowd.  It was not long before Pat awoke to a sense of his duty.  He
+tried with the negro the plan that had just failed with his master.  He
+retreated a little way, cocked his head round and barked, and waited
+for the boy to follow.  The latter understood at once; but he shook his
+head, and said, "O nye!  O nye!" under his breath, and lay still.  Pat
+began to see that there was something keeping the white man and the
+black boy apart.  It was very foolish, he thought; they were both such
+good fellows: it was quite clear that they ought to be friends; but
+what was a dog to do?  He trotted slowly back to Barney, and began to
+speak to him seriously, with a bark of very different intonation from
+that he had previously employed.
+
+"Well, and what is it wid ye thin?" said Barney.
+
+"He has caught the bird, I expect," said Jack, amused at the dog's
+manner, "and wants you to go and see it."
+
+"Sure thin I will," said Barney, "and mutton being scarce, we will have
+a new kind uv Irish stew, Pat me bhoy.  But why did ye not bring it, me
+darlint?"
+
+He made to follow the dog, whose tail was now beating the air with
+frantic delight.  But he had no sooner reached the edge of the
+plantation than there was a rustle among the leaves: the boy was
+leaving his hiding-place and trying to crawl away into the forest.
+
+"Begorra!" quoth Barney, "'tis a living cratur', and a bhoy, black as
+the peat on me father's bog, and not knowing a word uv Irish, to be
+sure."
+
+Pat was rubbing his nose on the boy's flank, wondering why he had taken
+to going on all fours.  But the negro did not crawl far.  Faint with
+weakness, moaning with pain, he sank to the ground.  Pat gave one bark
+of sympathy and stood watching him.  Meanwhile Jack had come up.
+
+"A boy, did you say, Barney?  What is he doing here?"
+
+"Sure I would like to know that same, sorr, but niver a word uv his
+spache did I learn.  Perhaps he has niver seen a white man, not to say
+an Irishman, before, and thinks 'tis a ghost."
+
+"Nando, come here!" called Jack.
+
+The paddler hurried up, followed quickly by Mr. Martindale.
+
+"What's this?  What's this?  A boy!  They're not all killed then."
+
+"I think he's hurt, uncle, and scared.  He tried to crawl away from us,
+but seemed too weak."
+
+"Well, lift him up, Barney; we'll see."
+
+Barney approached, but the instant he stretched forth his hands the boy
+uttered a piercing shriek, and made to thrust at him with his dagger.
+
+"Come, this will never do," said Mr. Martindale.  "Speak to him, Nando;
+tell him we are friends, and will do him no harm."
+
+Nando went up to the boy, and Pat stood by, wagging his tail and
+looking inquiringly from one to the other as the negro talked in his
+rapid staccato.  A few minutes passed; then Nando turned round and with
+a beaming smile said:
+
+"He understan' all same now, sah.  I say massa Inglesa ginleman, blood
+brudder Tanalay, oh yes.  He know 'bout Tanalay: he no 'fraid dis time;
+he come along along.  He Samba, sah."
+
+
+
+[1] i.e. _live for_, an expression commonly used in all kinds of
+circumstances by the natives, practically an intensive for various
+forms of the verb _to be_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Monsieur Elbel
+
+Samba made no resistance when Nando lifted him and carried him to the
+centre of the clearing.  He moaned once or twice as the Baenga pressed
+his wounded arm, and almost fainted when he was laid on the ground
+before Mr. Martindale.  But a sip from the traveller's flask revived
+him, and he smiled.
+
+"That's better," said Mr. Martindale.  "Poor boy!  He looks half
+starved.  Have you any food about you, Nando?"
+
+"No, sah: get some one time."[1]
+
+He went off into the thicket, and soon returned with a couple of
+scorched bananas.  These Samba devoured ravenously.
+
+"Now I wonder if he could tell us all about it?" said Mr. Martindale.
+"Ask him, Nando."
+
+Samba told his story.  His dialect was different from Nando's, but
+there is a freemasonry of speech among the tribes of the Congo, and
+Nando understood.  It was not so easy for the others to get at the
+meaning of Nando's strange jargon as he interpreted, but they listened
+patiently, and missed little of the narrative.  Mr. Martindale sat on
+an upturned pot, Jack and Barney on charred logs.  Nando squatted
+beside Samba on the ground, and Pat thrust his muzzle contentedly
+between the boy's knees and seemed to sleep.
+
+[Illustration: The finding of Samba]
+
+One night, when the moon was at the full, a messenger had come into
+Banonga village.  The time was at hand when the agent of Bula Matadi
+would attend to collect the tax--the weight of rubber exacted by the
+Congo State from every able-bodied man.  The messenger reminded the
+chief that Banonga had several times been in default.  Only a few men
+had hitherto been punished, only a few women carried away as hostages
+for the diligence of their husbands.  But the patience of Bula Matadi
+was exhausted.  If on this occasion the due measure of rubber was not
+forthcoming, the anger of Bula Matadi would blaze, the soldiers would
+come, and the men of Banonga would have cause to rue their idleness.
+
+The chief listened in silence.  He was old; his body was bowed, his
+spirit broken.  Life in Banonga was no longer the same since the white
+man came.  All the joy of life was gone; the people spent their days in
+unremitting toil, endeavouring to satisfy the cry of their rulers for
+rubber, always rubber, more rubber.  When the messenger arrived the men
+were away hunting for rubber, but Mirambo knew that, were they doubled
+in number, they could not gather the quantity required.  The vines in
+their district were exhausted; the men had not been taught how to tap
+them; they destroyed as they went, and now the whole district around
+Banonga would not yield half of what was demanded of them.  The poor
+old chief trembled when he thought of the woe that was coming to
+Banonga, for he now knew from the fate of other villages on the river
+what the messenger of Bula Matadi foreshadowed.  Unless his men could
+achieve the impossible, find rubber where there was none, the blow
+would fall.  And when it fell Banonga would be no more.  The village a
+little while ago so happy and prosperous would be destroyed, its people
+killed or scattered.  So it had happened to other villages: how could
+he hope that Banonga would be spared?  The messenger indeed had spoken
+of the leniency of Bula Matadi, but the chief might have reminded him
+of the outrages the people had suffered; of the rapacity, the ruthless
+brutalities, of the forest guards.  But he said no word of provocation;
+only, when the man had gone, Samba heard him mutter the terrible
+sentence now too often on his lips: "Botofé bo le iwa: rubber is death!"
+
+The day came: the agent of Bula Matadi appeared, with an armed escort.
+The men of Banonga had not returned.  They came dropping in by ones and
+twos and threes, worn out with their long quest.  The rubber was
+weighed: in many cases it was short; excuses were rejected, entreaties
+scoffed at.  The hapless victims suffered taunts, abuse, the terrible
+whip.  One, less enduring than the rest, resisted.  This was the
+signal.  A dozen rifles were raised--a dozen shots rang out, strong
+forms lay writhing in the agony of death.  A brief, sharp struggle;
+another fusillade; and the terrified survivors, men, women and
+children, fled helter-skelter to the forest, pursued by the shots of
+the soldiery, ruthless of age or sex.  A raid was made upon their
+deserted huts: everything that had value for the native levies was
+seized; then the match was applied, and soon what had once been a
+prosperous happy village was a heap of smouldering ruins.
+
+Samba saw it all.  He remained dauntless by his grandfather's side
+until a bullet put an end to the old chief's life; then he too fled
+into the forest, to find his father and mother, his brothers and
+sisters.  But he had delayed too long; one of the sentinels fired at
+him as he ran: his left arm was struck.  He struggled on, but his
+friends were now out of reach: he could not find them.  For several
+days he wandered about, supporting his life on roots and herbs in the
+vain search for his people.  Then, growing hourly weaker, he crept back
+to his village, hoping that by and by the survivors would return to
+their desolated homes, to rebuild their huts, and sow new crops.  But
+none came.  He was alone!  And he had lain down among the trees--as he
+thought, to die.
+
+"Poor little fellow!" said Mr. Martindale.  "How old is he, Nando?"
+
+"He say ten three years, sah," replied Nando after consulting the boy.
+
+"Thirteen.  He looks older.  This is a pretty kettle of fish.  What can
+we do with him?"
+
+"We must take him with us, uncle!" said Jack.
+
+"Take him with us, indeed!  What can we do with him?  We can't hunt for
+his father and mother: he'd be of no use to us in our job.  He wants
+doctoring: he might die on our hands."
+
+"I learnt a little doctoring in the hospital, sorr," said Barney.
+"Sure I think I could mend his arm."
+
+"Well, well, Nando and the other man had better bring him along to the
+canoe--gently, you know.  Don't make him squeal."
+
+The two negroes lifted the boy, and the party set off to return to the
+river.
+
+"A fine responsibility you have let me in for, Jack," said Mr.
+Martindale as they went along.  "I've no notion of a Crusoe and Friday
+relationship."
+
+"Why not say Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, uncle?"
+
+"A man of my girth!" said Mr. Martindale, chuckling.  "But joking
+apart, Jack, this is a serious business.  What am I to do with the boy,
+supposing he gets better?  I am not a philanthropist; I can't start a
+boys' home; and the little chap will be of no use to us in our proper
+work.  For the life of me I don't see daylight through this."
+
+"We may find him useful in other ways, uncle.  Besides, we may come
+across his people."
+
+"And we may not--we may not, Jack.  Still, have your way; only remember
+he's your protégé; I wash my hands of him.  And mind you, I'm not going
+to start a crusade.  There's been terrible work in this village: no
+mistake about it; but I'm not convinced it's the doing of white men: in
+fact, I refuse to believe it."
+
+"But they're responsible.  They shouldn't employ natives who are so
+blackguardly."
+
+"That's where it is, you see.  You Britishers employed Red Indians in
+our war of Independence, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes, and Lord Chatham thundered against it, and it was put a stop to."
+
+"They taught you history at Rugby, did they?  Glad to hear it.  Well, I
+dare say Leopold will put a stop to it if representations are made to
+him.  It's none of my business, but I'll mention the matter when I get
+back to Boma.  Now, Sambo----"
+
+"Samba, uncle."
+
+"Bo or ba, it's all the same.  You'll have to be a good boy, Samba.
+But what's the good of talking!  He can't understand what I say.
+Doesn't know good from bad, I warrant.  Well, well!"
+
+They reached the canoe and laid Samba gently down upon rugs.  The rude
+craft was soon under way.  For a time Samba lay asleep, with his arm
+about Pat's neck; but by and by, when the paddlers paused in the song
+with which they accompanied their strokes, the boy awoke, and began to
+sing himself, in a low musical voice that struck pleasantly upon the
+ear after the rougher tones of the men.
+
+"Bauro lofundo! (he sang); bauro lofundo!  Bompasu la Liwanga bao
+lindela ud' okunda ilaka nkos'i koka."
+
+This he repeated again and again until he was tired and slept once more.
+
+"Very pretty," said Mr. Martindale.  "The boy'd make a fortune in New
+York, Jack.  But what does it all mean, anyway?"
+
+"Berrah nice song, sah," said Nando.  "Me tell all 'bout it.  People of
+Bauro, sah, plenty bad lot.  Bompasu and Liwanga been and gone after
+'long 'long into de forest, not come back till parrots one two free
+twenty all dah."
+
+"Well, I can't make much of that.  Doesn't seem to have any more sense
+than the songs that our gals sing at home."
+
+But further inquiry brought out the story.  It appeared that a rubber
+collector, not satisfied with exacting from the people of Bauro the
+usual quantity of rubber, had required them to furnish him by a certain
+day with twenty young parrots which he wished to take with him to
+Europe.  Being unable to obtain so large a number by the given date,
+the people were declared to be surpassingly obstinate and wicked, and
+the sentries Bompasu and Liwanga were let loose upon them until the
+twenty parrots were delivered.
+
+"Humph!" grunted Mr. Martindale.  "Say, wasn't it Macaulay who said
+he'd write a nation's history from its ballads?  Rubber and parrots;
+what next, I wonder?  These Congo people have original ideas in
+taxation."
+
+"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "and don't I wish the taxes in the ould
+counthry were uv the same kind.  Sure and ivery man in the counthry
+would be glad to supply the collectors wid scores uv sparrows or
+peewits or any other fowl, and murphies and blackthorns--ivery mortal
+thing but money, sorr."
+
+In the course of a few hours the stream they had hitherto been
+navigating ran into a larger tributary of the Congo some hundred and
+fifty miles above the point where it joined the main river.  The canoe
+had scarcely entered the broader river when the crew suddenly stopped
+paddling, and Nando, turning round with some excitement, said--
+
+"Smoke-boat, sah."
+
+"What?"
+
+"Smoke-boat nebber dis way before, sah."
+
+"A steamer, eh?"
+
+"A launch flying the Congo State flag, uncle--blue with a golden star,"
+said Jack, standing up in the canoe and taking a long look ahead.
+
+Nando explained that the rapids, a day's paddling down stream, had
+prevented the State officers hitherto from bringing steam launches into
+this part of the river.  Evidently the vessel now approaching must have
+been carried, as a whole or in sections, overland past these rapids--a
+work of great difficulty and labour, for the rapids were at least three
+miles in length, and the shores were at some parts rocky, at others
+covered with dense scrub.
+
+Almost before Nando had finished his explanation the canoe had been put
+about, and the men began to paddle hard up stream towards the mouth of
+the little river, into which the launch could not follow them.
+
+"Hi, now, Nando, what are you about?" cried Mr. Martindale.
+
+Nando replied that it was always best to avoid the State officials.  He
+would lie in a creek until the launch was past.
+
+"I don't see why we should run away," said Mr. Martindale.  "However,
+after what we've just seen, I've no wish to meet them.  I might say
+something that would lead to a row with the Company."
+
+He lit a cigar and lay back in the canoe.  Jack turned flat on his face
+and watched the launch.  It was soon clear that Nando's plan was
+impossible.  The launch was a swift one: it came on with increased
+speed, and when within hailing distance a voice in French called
+peremptorily upon the canoe to stop.
+
+"Nando, stop paddling," said Mr. Martindale, leisurely turning round on
+his seat.  "Answer their hail, Jack."
+
+"Who are you?" shouted Jack in English.
+
+The foreigner in the bow of the launch was somewhat taken aback.  He
+had thought to do the questioning, not to be questioned.  But he
+replied stiffly--
+
+"I am Monsieur Elbel, of de Société Cosmopolite du Commerce du Congo."
+
+The launch was now within a few yards of the canoe.  Monsieur Elbel was
+a short thick-set man with reddish hair, and a thick red moustache that
+stuck out rigidly a couple of inches on each side of his nose.  He wore
+a white topee and white trousers, but his coat was blue, with brass
+buttons, and gold lace at the shoulders.  All but himself on deck were
+negroes.
+
+Mr. Martindale ordered the paddlers to bring the canoe round, so that
+he might face the Belgian.  Then, still seated, he blew out a cloud of
+smoke and said--
+
+"Well, I don't know you, Mr. Elbel, and if the work in Banonga yonder
+is due to you I don't wish to.  Paddle ahead, Nando."
+
+The crew looked somewhat awestruck, but obediently dropped their
+paddles into the stream.  Monsieur Elbel's cheeks had turned a fiery
+red several shades deeper than his hair, and the veins upon his
+forehead swelled.  The canoe sped past him while he was still
+endeavouring to collect himself.  Suddenly a tall negro at his side
+threw out his hand, exclaiming: "Ok'ok'ok'oka!"[2]
+
+The Belgian looked in the direction pointed out, and the negro followed
+up his exclamation with a rapid excited sentence.  Monsieur Elbel at
+once sent the launch in pursuit of the canoe, ran her alongside, and
+cried:
+
+"Halt!  I bid you halt.  You are rude.  I vill run you down if you have
+not care.  Dat boy I see in your canoe I know him; he belong to my
+société: I demand him to be given up."
+
+"Not so fast, Mr. Elbel.  I treat men as they treat me.  You have no
+right to stop me.  I am an American, a citizen of the United States,
+travelling in the Free State, which I believe, is open to all the
+world.  Besides, I have a patent from your company.  I propose to
+continue my journey."
+
+"But--but--I tell you, dat boy is not American: he is subject of Congo
+State, in concession of my société; still vunce, I demand him."
+
+"Sorry I can't oblige you.  The boy is in my service: he has been
+wounded--perhaps you know how; nothing but an order from the Free State
+courts will compel me to give him up.  And even then I won't, knowing
+what I know.  That's flat, Mr. Elbel.  You stop me at your risk.  Go
+ahead, Nando."
+
+The negroes dug their paddles into the water, and the canoe darted past
+the side of the launch.  Monsieur Elbel bit his moustache and savagely
+tugged its ends; then, completely losing control of his temper, he
+shouted--
+
+"You hear; I varn you.  You act illegal; you come to seek for gold; dat
+is your business: it is not your business to meddle yourself viz de
+natif.  I report you!"
+
+The launch snorted away up stream, the canoe continued its journey at a
+moderate pace, and each was soon out of sight of the other.
+
+For some minutes Mr. Martindale seemed preoccupied.
+
+"What is it, uncle?" asked Jack after a time.
+
+"I was thinking over what that fellow Elbel said.  He knows more about
+our business here than I quite like.  Of course they all know we're
+after minerals, but Barnard's find is not the dead secret he thought it
+was.  Or say, Jack, d'you think we are being watched?"
+
+"Perhaps he was fishing?"
+
+"I don't think so, for he didn't wait for an answer.  However, we
+needn't meet our difficulties half-way.  Anyhow, 'twill do Mr. Elbel no
+harm to know that we don't care a red cent for him or any other Congo
+man.  I suppose he's in charge of this section.  But what on earth did
+the fellow want with the boy?"
+
+Nando, without ceasing to ply his paddle, turned his head and spoke
+over his shoulder to Samba, now wide awake.
+
+"Samba say him uncle dah, sah: uncle Boloko, plenty bad man."
+
+"A wicked uncle, eh?"
+
+"He berrah angry, sah, 'cos Samba him fader hab got plenty more wives,
+sah; must be chief some day.  Boloko he want to be chief: berrah well:
+Banonga men all say 'Lako! lako!'[3] plenty loud.  Boloko berrah much
+angry: go to white men: tell berrah bad fings 'bout Banonga men.  Samba
+say Banonga men lib for cut off Boloko his head if catch him."
+
+"Wigs on the green, Jack.  Then I guess this Boloko fellow wanted to
+get in first.  Well, it doesn't raise my opinion of Mr. Elbel; you know
+a man by the company he keeps, eh?"
+
+"And the Company by him, uncle."
+
+
+
+[1] Immediately.
+
+[2] Exclamation of surprise.
+
+[3] Exclamation of refusal.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+Night Alarms
+
+In the course of an hour or two Mr. Martindale's canoe reached the
+camp, on a piece of rising ground immediately above the river.  Here he
+found the rest of his party--some fifty strong West African
+natives--the three canoes in which they had come up stream lying nose
+to stern along the low bank, only the first being moored, the others
+roped to it.
+
+The party had reached the spot three days before, and were resting
+after the fatigues of their journey.  These had been by no means
+slight, for the men had had to haul the canoes through the rapids, and
+sometimes to make portages for a considerable distance.  Fortunately
+the canoes were not heavily laden.  They contained merely a good stock
+of food, and a few simple mining tools.  This was only a prospecting
+trip, as Mr. Martindale was careful to explain before leaving Boma.
+
+His friend Barnard's instructions had been clear enough.  The discovery
+had been accidental.  Coming one day, in the course of his wanderings,
+to the village of Ilola, he happened to learn that the chief's son was
+down with fever.  The villagers had been somewhat unfriendly, and
+Barnard was not loth to purchase their goodwill by doing what he could
+for the boy.  He cured the fever.  The chief, like most of the negroes
+of Central Africa, had strong family affections, and was eager to give
+some practical token of his gratitude for his son's recovery.  When
+taking the boy's pulse, Barnard had timed the beats by means of his
+gold repeater.  The chief looked on in wonderment, believing that the
+mysterious sounds he heard from the watch were part of the stranger's
+magic.  When the cure was complete, he asked Barnard to present him
+with the magic box; but the American made him understand by signs that
+he could not give it away; besides, it was useful only to the white
+man.  Whereupon the chief had a happy thought.  If the yellow metal was
+valuable, his friend and benefactor would like to obtain more of it.
+There was plenty to be found within a short distance of the village.
+The chief would tell him where it was, but him alone, conditionally.
+He must promise that if he came for it, or sent any one for it, the
+people of Ilola should not be injured; for every month brought news
+from afar of the terrible things that were done by the white men in
+their hunt for rubber.  Perhaps the same might happen if white men came
+to look for gold.
+
+Barnard gave the chief the desired assurance, undertaking that no harm
+should come to him or his people if he showed where the gold was to be
+found.  The American was then led across a vast stretch of swampy
+ground to a rugged hill some three or four miles from Ilola.  Through a
+deep fissure in the hillside brawled a rapid stream, and in its sandy
+bed the traveller discerned clear traces of the precious metal.
+
+Barnard explained to Mr. Martindale that Ilola was several days'
+journey above the rapids on the Lemba, a sub-tributary of the Congo,
+and provided him with a rough map on which he had traced the course of
+the streams he would have to navigate to reach it.  But even without
+the map it might be found without much difficulty: its name was well
+known among the natives along the upper reaches of the river, the chief
+being lord of several villages.
+
+So far Mr. Martindale's journey had been without a hitch, and he was
+now within three or four days of his destination.  It was the custom of
+the party to stay at night in or near a native village.  There a hut
+could usually be got for the white men, and Barnard had told them that
+a hut was for many reasons preferable to a tent.  Sudden storms were
+not infrequent in these latitudes, especially at night--a tent might be
+blown or washed away almost without warning, while a well-built native
+hut would stand fast.  Moreover, a tent is at the best uncomfortably
+hot and close; a hut is more roomy, and the chinks in the matting of
+which its sides commonly consist allow a freer passage of air.  The
+floor too is dry and hard, often raised above the ground outside; and
+the roof, made of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves and coarse
+grasses, is rain-tight.
+
+Up to the present Mr. Martindale had met with nothing but friendliness
+from the natives, and a hut had always been at his disposal.  But he
+had now reached a part of the river where the people knew white men
+only by hearsay, and could not distinguish between inoffensive
+travellers and the grasping agents whose cruelty rumour was spreading
+through the land.  The people of the village where he wished to put up
+for this night were surly and suspicious, and he decided for once to
+sleep in his tent on the river bank instead of in a hut.
+
+The party had barely finished their evening meal when the sun sank, and
+in a few minutes all was dark.  Samba had been handed over to Barney,
+whose hospital experience enabled him to tend the boy's wound with no
+little dexterity, and the boy went happily to sleep in Barney's tent,
+his arm round Pat's neck.  Jack shared his uncle's tent.  He had been
+somewhat excited by the scenes and events of the day, and did not fall
+asleep the moment he lay down, as he usually did.  The tent was very
+warm and stuffy; the mosquitoes found weak spots in his curtains and
+sought diligently for unexplored regions of his skin, until he found
+the conditions intolerable.  He got up, envying his uncle, who was
+sound asleep, his snores vying with the distant roars of hippopotami in
+the river.  Taking care not to disturb him, Jack stepped out of the
+hut, and understood at once why the air was so oppressive.  A storm was
+brewing.  Everything was still, as if weighed down by some monstrous
+incubus.  Ever and anon the indigo sky was cut across by steel-blue
+flashes of forked lightning, and thunder rumbled far away.
+
+Jack sauntered on, past Barney's tent, towards the river bank,
+listening to noises rarely heard by day--the grunt of hippopotami, the
+constant rasping croak of frogs, the lesser noises of birds and insects
+among the reeds.  The boatmen and other natives of the party were a
+hundred yards away, beyond the tents he had just left.  Sometimes they
+would chatter till the small hours, but to-night they were silent,
+sleeping heavily after their toil.
+
+He came to a little eminence, from which he could look down towards the
+stream.  Everything was black and indistinguishable.  But suddenly, as
+a jagged flash of lightning momentarily lit the scene, he fancied he
+caught a glimpse of a figure moving below, about the spot where the
+nearest of the canoes was moored.  Was it a wild beast, he wondered,
+prowling for food?  Or perhaps his eyes had deceived him?  He moved a
+little forward; carefully, for the blackness of night seemed deeper
+than ever.  Another flash!  He had not been mistaken; it was a figure,
+moving on one of the canoes--a human form, a man, stooping, with a
+knife in his hand!  What was he doing?  Once more for an instant the
+lightning lit up the river, and as by a flash Jack guessed the man's
+purpose: he was about to cut the mooring rope!
+
+Jack's first impulse was to shout; but in a moment he saw that a sudden
+alarm might cause the natives of his party to stampede.  The intruder
+was alone, and a negro; Why not try to capture him?  Jack was ready
+with his hands: his muscles were in good order; he could wrestle and
+box, and, as became a boy of Tom Brown's school, fight.  True, the man
+had a knife; but with the advantage of surprise on his side Jack felt
+that the odds were fairly equal.  He stole down the slope to the
+waterside, hoping that the darkness would remain unbroken until he had
+stalked his man.  A solitary bush at the very brink gave him cover;
+standing behind it, almost touching the sleeping sentry who should have
+been guarding the canoes, Jack could just see the dark form moving from
+the first canoe to the second.
+
+He waited until the man bent over to cut the connecting rope; then with
+three long silent leaps he gained the side of the foremost canoe, which
+was almost resting on the bank in just sufficient water to float her.
+The man had already made two or three slashes at the rope when he heard
+Jack's splash in the shallow water.  With a dexterous twist of his body
+he eluded Jack's clutch, and swinging round aimed with his knife a
+savage blow at his assailant.  Jack felt a stinging pain in the fleshy
+part of the thigh, and, hot with rage, turned to grapple with the
+negro.  His fingers touched a greasy skin; the man drew back, wriggled
+round, and prepared to leap overboard.  At the moment when he made his
+spring Jack flung out his hands to catch him.  He was just an instant
+too late; the negro had splashed into the shallow water on the far side
+of the canoe, and disappeared into the inky blackness beyond, leaving
+in Jack's hands a broken string, with a small round object dangling
+from the end.  At the same moment there was a heavy thwack against the
+side of the canoe; and Jack, mindful of crocodiles, bolted up the bank.
+He turned after a few yards, shuddering to think that the man had
+perhaps escaped him only to fall a victim to this most dreaded scourge
+of African rivers.  But if he was indeed in the jaws of a crocodile he
+was beyond human help.  He listened for a time, but could detect no
+sound betraying the man's presence.  Pursuit, he knew, was useless.
+Except when the lightning flashed he could scarcely see a yard beyond
+him.
+
+[Illustration: A midnight encounter]
+
+Jack did not care to disturb his uncle.  He went round the camp, found
+Nando with some difficulty in the darkness, and ordered him to send ten
+of the crew to occupy the canoes for the rest of the night.  Then he
+went back to his tent, bound up his wound, and stretched himself on his
+mattress.  He lay awake for a time, wondering what motive the intruder
+could have for damaging the expedition.  At last, from sheer weariness,
+he dropped off into a troubled sleep in which he was conscious of a
+deluge of rain that descended upon the camp.
+
+The morning however broke clear.  Jack told his uncle what had occurred.
+
+"Humph!" grunted Mr. Martindale.  "What's the meaning of it, I wonder?"
+
+"Do you think it was a move of that Belgian fellow, uncle?"
+
+"Mr. Elbel?  No, I don't.  He has no reason for interfering with us.
+I've bought the rights from his company, and as they'll get royalties
+on all the gold I find, he's not such a fool as to hinder us."
+
+"But Samba, uncle?"
+
+"Bah!  He was egged on to demand the boy by that villainous-looking
+nigger, and his dignity being a trifle upset, he thought he'd try it on
+with us.  No, I don't think he was at the bottom of it.  I've always
+heard that these niggers are arrant thieves; the villagers were
+unfriendly, you remember, and most likely 'twas one of them who took a
+fancy to our canoes.  Glad you frightened him off, anyway.  What about
+your wound?"
+
+"It's nothing to speak of--a slight flesh wound.  I washed it with alum
+solution, and don't think it will give me any bother."
+
+"Lucky it's no worse.  We'll set a careful watch every night after
+this.  And take my advice: if you can't sleep, don't go prowling about;
+it isn't safe in these parts.  Try my dodge; shut your eyes and imagine
+you see forty thousand sheep jumping a patent boundary fence in single
+file; or if that don't work, say to yourself: 'How much wood would a
+woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood?'--and keep on saying
+it.  I've never known it fail."
+
+"Perhaps it's a good job I didn't know it last night," replied Jack,
+laughing.  "We should have been minus four canoes."
+
+"And all our stores.  But don't do it again, there's a good fellow.
+I've paid double passage, and I don't want to go home alone."
+
+The camp was by this time astir.  The natives, chattering like monkeys,
+were busily preparing their breakfast.  Barney was engaged in a like
+service for the white men, and Samba proved himself to be an adept at
+cleaning the fish which some of the men had caught in the early morning.
+
+"Sure an' he'll be a treasure, sorr," said Barney, as he handed Mr.
+Martindale his cup of tea and plate of broiled fish.
+
+"Is the boy getting better?"
+
+"As fast as he can, sorr.  'Twas want uv food more than wounds that was
+wrong wid him.  All he really needs is a dish uv good honest murphies
+twice a day, and sorry I am they do not grow in this haythen counthry."
+
+It was one of Barney's crosses that the only potatoes obtainable _en
+route_ were the sweet variety.  Mr. Martindale rather liked them--a
+weakness which Barney regarded with sorrow as an injustice to Ireland.
+
+Breakfast finished, the canoes were manned and the expedition resumed
+its journey.  Samba kept the negroes amused with his songs and chatter
+and clever imitations of the cries of birds and beasts.  His restless
+eyes seemed to miss nothing of the scenes along the river.  He would
+point to what appeared to be a log cast up on the sand and exclaim
+"Nkoli!" and utter shrill screams: and the log would perhaps disappear,
+leaving no trace, or move and open a sleepy eye, and Barney ejaculate,
+"A crocodile, by all the holy powers!"  Once he drew Jack's attention
+to a greenish lizard, some eight inches long, creeping down an ant-hill
+towards a tiny shrew mouse.  Spying the enemy, the little creature
+darted down the slope, and took a header into the water; but the lizard
+came close upon its heels, sprang after it, and dragged it down into
+the deep.
+
+"And what do you make of this?" said Jack suddenly, showing Samba the
+amulet he had torn from the neck of the midnight marauder.  The boy
+started, stared at the piece of bone, looked up in Jack's face and
+exclaimed--
+
+"Bokun'oka fafa!"[1]
+
+"Him say belong him uncle," Nando interpreted.
+
+Samba spoke rapidly to Nando.
+
+"Him say belong berrah bad uncle on smoke-boat, sah.  Him say how massa
+get him?"
+
+Jack related the incident of the night, Nando translating to the boy,
+who listened gravely, but smiled at the end.
+
+"Why does he smile?" asked Jack.
+
+"He say him uncle no lib for good any more: lost medicine ring; he no
+fit for do bad fings any more: get cotched ebery time."
+
+"Begorra, sorr, 'tis like me very own uncle Tim, who niver had a day's
+luck after he lost the lucky sixpence given to 'm by a ginerous kind
+gentleman for holding a horse in Sackville Street whin he was a bhoy.
+He had always been unlucky before that, sorr, and sure the lucky
+sixpence would have made a rich man uv him in time; but he lost it the
+very same day, sorr, and had no luck at all at all."
+
+"Well," said Mr. Martindale, laughing, "if the loss of this amulet
+means that the owner will never succeed in any tricks against us, I
+congratulate you, Jack.  Will you wear it yourself?"
+
+"No, uncle; I'll give it to Samba."
+
+But Samba, when the charm was given to him, looked at it seriously for
+a moment, then his face broke into a beaming smile as he slipped the
+string about Pat's neck.
+
+"Mbua end' ólótsi!"[2] he cried, clapping his hands.
+
+Pat barked with pleasure and licked the boy's face.
+
+"They're great chums already," remarked Mr. Martindale pleasantly, as
+he bit the end off a cigar.
+
+That evening, when the time for camping came, there was no village in
+sight from the river, and Nando reported that the nearest lay too far
+from the stream to suit his employer.  The banks were thickly wooded,
+and it appeared as if there would be some difficulty in finding a space
+sufficiently clear for a camp.  But at last the travellers came to a
+spot where a stretch of level grassland ran wedge-like into the
+vegetation.  At one end the ground rose gradually until it formed a
+bluff overhanging the river at a considerable height.  This seemed as
+favourable a place as was likely to be discovered, and here the camp
+was pitched, the evening meal was eaten, and the travellers sought
+repose.
+
+The night was very dark, and deep silence brooded over the
+encampment--such silence as the dweller in towns can never know.  Not
+even the shriek of a nocturnal monkey or the splash of a fish pursued
+by a crocodile broke the stillness.  Every member of the party was
+asleep.  But all at once, Samba, lying just within the flap-door of
+Barney O'Dowd's tent, one arm pillowing his head, the other clasping
+the terrier, was disturbed by a low whine.  He was awake in an instant.
+He had never heard Pat whine; the dog barked at everything; why had he
+changed his manner of speech?  Samba got up: Pat had left him and stood
+in the entrance to the tent; the whine had become a growl.  The boy
+followed him, stooped and felt in the dark for his head, then lifted
+him in his arms and went out, laying a hand on the dog's muzzle to
+silence him.  Like other terriers, Pat objected to be carried.
+
+The whine had wakened Barney also; Pat and he had passed many a night
+together.  He heard the slight sound made by Samba's departure, and
+rising, went out in his stockings to follow him.  He walked a few yards
+in the direction he supposed Samba to have taken; but it was too dark
+to see him, and neither boy nor dog made any further sound.  Barney
+retraced his steps, and, wandering a little from the way he had come,
+stumbled over the sleeping body of one of the men placed as sentinels.
+He gave him a kick.
+
+"Get up, you varmint!" he cried.  "Is that the fashion uv keeping
+gyard?"
+
+But as soon as he had passed on the man rolled over, gave a grunt, and
+was fast asleep again.
+
+Meanwhile Samba had walked on towards the river bank, stopping at
+intervals to listen.  He heard nothing; not even the usual nightly
+sounds came to him; the surrounding forest seemed asleep.  But
+suddenly, Pat became restless and uttered a rumbling growl.  Samba held
+him close and whispered to him, and the dog apparently understood, for
+the growl ceased.  Then Samba caught the faint sound of paddles
+up-stream--a sound so familiar to him that he could not be mistaken.
+
+He crept cautiously along, up the gradual ascent, until he came near
+the summit of the overhanging cliff.  Moving stealthily to the edge he
+peered over; but in the blackness he could see nothing.  The sound had
+ceased.
+
+Feeling his way carefully with his bare feet, Samba slowly made his way
+down the grassy cliff until he came near the water's edge, then crept
+along the bank up stream.  Again Pat uttered his low growl, but was
+instantly silent in response to the boy's whispered warning.  Samba
+seemed to find his way by instinct over the uneven ground.  Now and
+again he heard a beast scurry away at his approach and rustle through
+the bushes or plunge into the river; but he was not afraid: there was
+little risk of encountering a dangerous animal, and he was too far
+above the sandy level to stumble upon a crocodile lying in wait.
+
+He went on steadily.  It was not a native custom to move about in the
+dark hours, and, remembering what had happened the night before, he was
+intent upon discovering the business of the mysterious paddlers.  After
+Pat's last smothered growl he proceeded more cautiously than ever.  At
+last the sound of low voices ahead made him halt.  Whispering again to
+Pat, who licked his hand as if to reassure him, he set the dog down and
+crept forward again, bending low, and taking care, dark as it was, to
+avail himself of every bush for cover.  To judge by the voices, a large
+number of men must have gathered at some point not far ahead.  He drew
+still nearer.  All at once he halted again, and laid a hand on Pat's
+neck.  Among the voices he had distinguished one that he knew only too
+well: it was that of his uncle Boloko.  He stood rooted to the spot
+with dismay.
+
+A few minutes later his quick ears caught the sound of men moving off
+at right angles to the river in a direction that would enable them to
+skirt the cliff and come upon the sleeping camp through the forest in
+its rear.  In a flash he saw through their scheme.  Bidding Pat in a
+whisper to follow him, he turned and hurried back, climbing the face of
+the cliffs with a panther's surefootedness, and racing along at his top
+speed as soon as he came to the downward slope.  With Pat at his heels
+he dashed into Barney's tent.
+
+"Etumba!  Etumba!"[3] he exclaimed breathlessly.  "Ba-lofúndú bao
+ya!"[4]
+
+And Pat chimed in with three rapid barks.
+
+
+
+[1] My father's younger brother.
+
+[2] Good dog!
+
+[3] Fight! (the natives' alarm signal).
+
+[4] The villains are upon us!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Order of Merit
+
+"Bad cess to you, you young varmint!" exclaimed Barney, waking with a
+start.  "What do you say at all?"
+
+"Ba-lofúndú bao ya!  Boloko!"
+
+"Be jabers if I know what you'd be meaning.  Off!  Run!  Nando!  And
+it's pitch dark it is."
+
+The boy scampered, Pat still at his heels.  The dog had evidently been
+impressed by Samba's warnings, for he ran silently, without growl or
+bark.  They came to the spot where Nando lay, beneath a spreading
+acacia.  Samba shook him without ceremony.
+
+"Ba-lofúndú bao ya!" he cried.  "Betsua!  Betsua!"[1]
+
+Nando growled and bade him be off; but when the boy poured his story
+with eager excitement into the big negro's sleepy ears, Nando at last
+bestirred himself, and hurried to Mr. Martindale's tent, bidding Samba
+remain at hand.
+
+"Samba him uncle, berrah bad man, come to fight," said Nando
+breathlessly when Jack came to the door of the tent.  "Bad man go round
+round, hide in trees, come like leopard.  Massa gone 'sleep: massa him
+men all lib for big sleep; Boloko shoot; one, two, massa dead all same."
+
+"What, what!" said Mr. Martindale, flinging off his rug.  "Another
+alarm, eh?" He pressed the button of an electric torch and threw a
+bright light on the scene.
+
+"An attack in force this time, uncle," said Jack.  "Some black fellows
+are coming to surprise us in the rear."
+
+"How many are the villains?" said Mr. Martindale, pulling on his
+trousers.
+
+"Two, free, hundred, fousand."
+
+"A dozen all told, I suppose!  Well, we'll fight 'em."
+
+"Rather risky that, uncle," said Jack.  "There may be more than a
+dozen, after all, and our men are not armed: we two couldn't do much
+against a hundred, say."
+
+"True.  Why was I such a fool?  That Britisher at Matadi said I'd
+better arm my men, and I wish I'd taken his tip.  We're in a tight
+corner, Jack, if the nigger is correct.  Here, Nando, are you sure of
+this?"
+
+"Sartin sure, sah.  Me see fousand fifty black men creep, creep 'long
+ribber, sah: big lot guns, 'Bini guns, massa, go crack, crack.  Come
+all round, sah; run like antelope: no time for massa run away."
+
+Nando's face expressed mortal terror; there was no doubt he believed in
+the reality of the danger.
+
+"How did they come?" asked Mr. Martindale.
+
+"In boat, sah."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"Small small up ribber, sah."
+
+"And I suppose you've alarmed the camp?"
+
+"No, sah, no.  Me no tell one boy at all."
+
+"Well, it looks as if we're going to be wiped out, Jack.  We can't
+fight a hundred armed men.  If our fellows were armed, we might lay a
+trap for 'em; but we aren't strong enough for that.  But perhaps if we
+show we're ready for 'em, and they're not going to surprise us, they
+may sheer off."
+
+"Then why not take the offensive, uncle?"
+
+"What d'you mean?"
+
+"Attack the canoes while the most of them are marching round.  They'd
+hear our shots and bolt back, as sure as a gun."
+
+"That's slim.  We'll try it.  Go and wake Barney, Jack."
+
+Barney, however, was already on his way to the tent, Jack explained the
+situation to him.
+
+"Here's a revolver, Barney," said Mr. Martindale, as the Irishman came
+up.  "You must do the best you can if there's a rush.  Jack and I are
+going right away to the river: you're in charge."
+
+Barney handled the revolver gingerly.
+
+"Sure I'd feel more at home wid me shillelagh!" he muttered as he went
+away.  Mr. Martindale turned to the negro.
+
+"Now you, Nando, lead the way."
+
+The man's eyes opened wide with fear.
+
+"Me plenty sick in eyes, sah," he stammered.  "Me only see small small.
+Boy Samba him eyes berrah fine and good, see plenty quick, massa; he
+show way."
+
+"I don't care who shows the way," said Mr. Martindale, too much
+preoccupied with his hunting rifle and ammunition to notice the
+inconsistency between Nando's statement and the story he had already
+told.  Nando called to Samba and told him what was required, and the
+party set off, the boy going ahead with Pat, Mr. Martindale and Jack
+following with their rifles, and Nando in great trepidation bringing up
+the rear.
+
+Mr. Martindale puffed and panted as he scaled the bluff, and breathed
+very hard as he followed Samba down the rough descent to the brink of
+the river.  When they came to comparatively level ground they halted.
+
+"How far now?" asked Mr. Martindale, in a whisper.
+
+"Small small, massa," replied Nando.
+
+"Well, Jack, when we come near these precious canoes we'll fire both
+barrels one slick after the other, then reload."
+
+"And go at them with a rush, uncle?"
+
+"Rush!  How can I rush?  I'm pretty well blown already.  But I could
+fetch wind enough to shout.  We'll shout, Jack.  Nando, you'll bawl
+your loudest, and the boy too.  If I know these niggers they'll bolt.
+And look here, Jack, fire in the air: we don't want to hit 'em.  If
+they stand their ground and resist, we can fire in good earnest; but
+they won't."
+
+They took a few cautious steps forward, then Samba ran back, clutched
+Nando by the arm and whispered--
+
+"Boat dah, sah," said the negro, under his breath.  "Oh! me feel plenty
+sick inside!"
+
+"Hush!  Howl, then, when we fire.  Now, Jack, ready?  I'll let off my
+two barrels first."
+
+Next moment there was a flash and a crack, followed immediately by a
+second.  Nando and Samba had begun to yell at the top of their voices.
+Mr. Martindale bellowed in one continuous roll, and Pat added to the
+din by a furious barking.  The noise, even to those who made it, was
+sufficiently startling in the deep silence of the night.  Jack fired
+his two shots, but before his uncle had reloaded there was a yell from
+the direction of the canoes, then the sound of men leaping on shore and
+crashing through the bushes.  Immediately afterwards faint shouts came
+from the forest at the rear of the bluff.
+
+"We've done the trick," said Mr. Martindale with a chuckle.  "Now we'll
+get back.  They've had a scare.  Let's hope we shall have no more
+trouble to-night."
+
+He flashed his electric torch on the river bank below, and revealed
+five large canoes drawn up side by side.
+
+"There must be more than a hundred of them," he added.  "Each of those
+canoes can carry thirty men."
+
+On the way back to the camp, they heard renewed shouts as the men who
+had marched into the forest broke out again in a wild dash for the
+threatened canoes.  The camp was in commotion.  Barney was volubly
+adjuring the startled natives to be aisy; but they were yelling,
+running this way and that, tumbling over one another in the darkness.
+The sight of Mr. Martindale's round red face behind his electric torch
+reassured them; and when Nando, who had now quite recovered his
+spirits, told them that he, with the white men's assistance, had put to
+flight twenty thousand bad men and Boloko, they laughed and slapped
+their thighs, and settled down in groups to discuss the event and make
+much of Nando during the rest of the night.
+
+There was no more sleep for any of the party except Samba.  He,
+satisfied that his new friends were safe, curled himself up on his mat
+with the inseparable terrier, and slept until the dawn.  But Mr.
+Martindale sat smoking in his tent, discussing the events of the night
+with his nephew.
+
+"I don't like it, Jack.  We're on top this time, thanks to a little
+bluff.  But there must have been a large number of them to judge by the
+canoes and the yells; and but for that fellow Nando we might easily
+have been wiped out.  And from what Nando says they are those
+villainous forest guards of the Concession.  What's the meaning of it?
+It may be that the Concession have repented of their bargain and want
+to keep me out, or perhaps Elbel is terrified lest I shall expose him
+when I get back to Boma.  Either way, it seems as if we're going to
+have a bad time of it."
+
+"I don't think it can be Elbel's doing, uncle.  It's such a risky game
+to play, your expedition being authorized by his own people."
+
+"I don't imagine Elbel is such a fool as to attack us officially.  He
+can always disavow the actions of those natives.  At any rate, I shall
+make a point of getting rifles for the men as soon as I can."
+
+"They can't use them."
+
+"Of course they can't; but you'll have to turn yourself into a musketry
+instructor.  Meanwhile I must give that fellow Nando some sort of
+reward.  It will encourage him and the others too."
+
+When daylight broke Mr. Martindale went down to the river while Barney
+was preparing breakfast.  There was no trace of the enemy.  Presumably
+they had set their canoes afloat and drifted down stream in the
+darkness.  They had no doubt reckoned on surprising the camp, and their
+calculations had been upset by the certainty of meeting with
+resistance, the fact that the travellers were poorly armed being
+forgotten in the panic bred of the sudden uproar in the night.
+
+After breakfast Mr. Martindale had the men paraded in a semicircle
+around the tent, and, sitting on a stool in front of it, with Jack on
+one side and Barney on the other, he called Nando forward.
+
+"We are very much pleased with your watchfulness, Nando."
+
+The negro grinned, and with a ludicrous air of importance translated
+the sentence to his comrades.
+
+"It is due to you that we were not surprised in the dark: you did very
+well, and set an excellent example to the men."
+
+"Me plenty clebber, sah, oh yes!"
+
+"I shall take care in future to have our camp more closely guarded, and
+punish any carelessness.  But now, to show how pleased I am with you, I
+am going to give you a little present."
+
+Nando's mouth spread from ear to ear.  He translated the announcement
+to the negroes, looking round upon them with an expression of
+triumphant satisfaction that tickled Jack's sense of humour.  Barney
+had shut one eye; his lips were twitching.
+
+"But before I do that," went on Mr. Martindale, "I want you to tell us
+how you came to discover the enemy in the darkness."
+
+Nando for a moment looked a little nonplussed, scratching his head and
+shifting from foot to foot.  Then inspiration seized him; he
+elaborately cleared his throat, snapped his fingers, crossed his arms
+on his brawny chest, and began--
+
+"Me no get sleep, me get up and go round about, fink see if massa's
+fings all right.  Me stop, go sick inside; one, two eyes like twinkle
+twinkle look down out of tree."  He waved his arm towards the acacia
+under which he had been sleeping.  "Me fink dis plenty bad; what for
+man lib for hide in tree and look at Nando?  Me no 'fraid, no, no; me
+walk all same, like me no see nuffin.  Yah! me see all same, wait long
+time, man no fit for see Nando.  Bimeby man come down like snake,
+creep, creep, 'long, 'long; me go too, what for? 'cos man plenty bad
+man, him go 'Bini gun, him go into wood.  What for?  Muss see; s'pose
+he go fetch bad man and shoot massa?  He no come dis way 'less he lib
+for do bad fings.  Him got 'Bini gun, me got spear; no good!  Me no
+'fraid.  Plenty debbils in forest!  Me no 'fraid.  Massa say Nando look
+after fings; all same: Nando look after, no 'fraid, 'Bini gun, debbils
+and all.  What for?  Massa him Nando him fader and mudder.  S'pose bad
+men shoot; s'pose debbil come; all same: muss do what massa say, look
+after fings, look after massa.  Me no 'fraid!"
+
+Again Nando paused and scratched his head, looking troubled.  Then his
+face cleared; he took a deep breath and continued--
+
+"Me go 'long 'long after bad man.  He come to place no trees, grass all
+same: one, two, twenty, fousand bad men dah.  Bad man say 'Kwa te!  Kwa
+te!'[2]  Dey talk, oh yes! whish! whish! same as trees when wind make
+talk.  Me get behind tree; me hab got two, four, twenty ears.  Me
+listen!  Dey say come, creep, creep, bring 'Bini gun; white man all
+'sleep; black man come, no nise, shoot: oh my gracious!  White man all
+lib for dead!  Me no 'fraid!"
+
+"Who was the chief of these bad men?" interrupted Mr. Martindale.
+
+"Boloko, sah!--Samba him uncle."
+
+"But how could you tell that in the dark?"
+
+"Dey hab got light: one, two, twenty tiny small fire on stick."
+
+"Torches, he means, I suppose," said Mr. Martindale.  "How did you find
+your way back in the dark?"
+
+"Yah!  Me know all 'bout dat.  Me lib long time in forest, oh yes!  Me
+fight little tiny men; dey plenty small, plenty good fighter all same;
+shoot one, two, free arrow; one, two, free fings gone dead.  Me fight
+dem; so me find way like leopard."
+
+"Well, you're a clever fellow, and you did very well.  Here is a
+present for you."
+
+He took from his pocket a huge bone-handled penknife, and displayed its
+various parts one by one: four blades, a corkscrew, a file, a hook, and
+an awl.  Nando's eyes opened wide with delight; he chuckled gloatingly
+as one after another these treasures came to view.  Mr. Martindale was
+shutting them up before handing over the knife when Barney stepped
+quietly forward, touched his cap and said--
+
+"If you plase, sorr, before you part wid this handsome presentation,
+will I have yer leave to ax Mr. Nando wan question?"
+
+"Why, you can if you like," said Mr. Martindale in surprise.
+
+"Thank you, your honour.  Now Mr. Nando, would you plase tell us if you
+ate a big supper uv maniac last night?"
+
+"Manioc, Barney," corrected Jack with a smile.
+
+"Sure that's what I said, sorr!  Would you plase tell his honour, Mr.
+Nando?"
+
+The man looked in amazement from one to another.  He seemed to suspect
+a pitfall, but was puzzled to make out the bearing of the question.
+
+"Sure I speak plain.  Did ye, or did ye not, eat a big supper uv
+anything at all last night?"
+
+"Me eat plenty little manioc," said Nando, thinking he was expected to
+defend himself against a charge of gluttony.  "Me no pig like common
+black man."
+
+"And you did not get a pain?"--here Barney helped out his meaning with
+pantomime--"nor dream all that terrible wild stuff you have just been
+telling us?"
+
+"Me no can dream!" cried Nando, indignantly.  "Me say true fings all
+same."
+
+"Sure, thin, if your supper didn't give ye the nightmare, mine did.
+Begorra! 'twas a mighty terrible dream I dreamt, indeed, Mr. Nando.  I
+dreamt you was snoring like a pig--like a common black pig, to be sure;
+and there came a little spalpeen uv a black bhoy, a common black bhoy,
+and shook ye by the shoulder, and called 'Baa!  Baa!  Bloko!' and some
+more I disremimber now; and thin----"
+
+Nando, who had been looking more and more uneasy, here interrupted,
+hurriedly addressing Mr. Martindale--
+
+"Me plenty sick inside, sah," he said, pressing his hands to the pit of
+his stomach.  "Me eat plenty too much manioc all same."
+
+Crestfallen and abashed the big fellow slunk away, Jack roaring with
+laughter, Mr. Martindale looking on in speechless amazement.
+
+"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "'tis a born liar he is.  He was fast in
+the arms uv murphies, or maniac, speaking by the card, till the bhoy
+Samba woke him up.  'Twas Samba, sorr, that spied the enemy, and 'twas
+me little darlint uv a dog that gave the first alarm.  Give a dog his
+due, sorr, and if you plase, give Samba the knife."
+
+Mr. Martindale first looked annoyed, then broke into hearty laughter.
+He called for Samba, who came up smiling, with Pat at his heels.
+
+"Where's that villain Nando?" cried Mr. Martindale.  "He shall come and
+interpret."
+
+In response to a summons Nando came from behind the crowd of natives.
+He had recovered his composure, and translated with glib and smiling
+unconcern the story which Samba told.  Only when Mr. Martindale handed
+Samba the knife did the negro look sorry.
+
+"Me no lib for eat too big lot manioc nudder time," he said glumly, as
+he went away.
+
+
+
+[1] Wake up!
+
+[2] Hush!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Samba is Missing
+
+Nando was like a child in his humours.  His broad face
+could not long be overclouded.  When the party once
+more embarked he performed his work as chief paddler
+with his usual cheerfulness.  All that day the river washed
+the edge of a continuous forest tract--a spur, as Jack
+understood from Nando's not too lucid explanations, of the
+vast Upper Congo forest that stretched for many hundreds
+of miles across the heart of Africa.  Jack gazed with great
+curiosity, merged sometimes in a sense of awe and mystery,
+at the dark impenetrable woodland.  It was only a year
+or two since he had read Stanley's account of his wonderful
+march through the forest, and his vivid recollection
+was quickened and intensified by the sight of the actual
+scene.
+
+"And are there pigmies in that forest--little men, you
+know?" he asked Nando.
+
+"Sartin sure, sah.  Me fight fousand hundred little
+tiny men: me no 'fraid.  Dey shoot plenty good, sah:
+one arrow shoot two free birds.  Dey hab berrah fine
+eye, sah; see what big man no can see.  Massa see dem
+some day: make massa laugh plenty much."
+
+Here and there, in places where the river widened out,
+the travellers came upon herds of hippopotami disporting
+themselves in the shallows.  Their presence was often
+indicated first by strange squeals and grunts: then a huge
+head would be seen on the surface of the water as the
+beast heard the regular splash of the paddles and was
+provoked to investigate its cause; his jaws would open,
+disclosing a vast pink chasm; and having completed his long
+yawn, and satisfied himself that the strangers intended no
+harm, he would plunge his head again beneath the water,
+or turn clumsily to wallow in uncouth gambols with his
+mates.  The negroes always plied their paddles more
+rapidly at such spots.  Nando told stories of hippopotami
+which had upset canoes out of sheer mischief, and of others
+which, pricked and teased by native spears, had lain in
+wait among the rushes and wrecked the craft of fishers
+returning to their homes at dusk.
+
+"Me no 'fraid of little man," said Nando; "me plenty
+much 'fraid of hippo."
+
+Now and again a crocodile, disturbed in his slumbers by
+the splashing of the paddles or the songs of the men, would
+dart out of a creek and set off in furious chase; but finding
+the canoe a tougher morsel than he expected, would sink
+after a disappointed sniffing and disappear.  Occasionally
+Mr. Martindale or Jack would take a shot at the reptiles,
+but they were so numerous that by and by the travellers
+desisted from their "potting," Mr. Martindale regarding
+it as a waste of good ammunition.
+
+The natives whom they saw at riverside villages were
+now sometimes suspicious, and disinclined to have any
+communication with the strangers.  Returning from
+interviews with them, Nando reported that they had heard of
+the massacre at Banonga, and though he assured them
+that his employer was no friend of the tyrants, he failed
+to convince them: he was a white man; that was enough.
+It was with some difficulty, and only after the exercise
+of much tact, patience, and good humour on Nando's part,
+that he managed to secure enough food to supply the
+needs of the men.
+
+Two days passed amid similar scenes.  The journey never
+became monotonous, for in that wonderful land there is
+always something fresh to claim the traveller's attention.
+Jack began to give Samba lessons in English, and found
+him an apt enough pupil, though, in practising his
+newly-acquired words afterwards, the boy, to Jack's amusement,
+adopted a pronounced Irish accent from Barney.
+
+On the morning of the third day, when the camp became
+active, Barney was somewhat surprised to find that Samba
+and Pat did not join him as usual at breakfast.  Boy and
+dog had gone to sleep together in his tent, and he had not
+seen or heard their departure.  Breakfast was cleared
+away, everything was packed up in readiness for starting,
+and yet the missing members of the party had not appeared.
+Both were very popular; Samba's unfailing cheerfulness
+had made him a general favourite, and Pat's sagacity, his
+keen sporting instincts, and the vigour of his barking when
+hippopotami or crocodiles came too near the canoe, won
+for him a good deal of admiration from the natives.
+
+"What!  Samba gone!" exclaimed Mr. Martindale,
+when Barney told him of the disappearance.  "Have you
+called him?"
+
+"Sure me throat is sore wid it, sorr," said Barney,
+"and me lips are cracked wid whistling for Pat, bad cess
+to 'm."
+
+"The dog has gone too, eh?  I reckon Samba's a thief
+like the rest of 'em."
+
+"Begging yer pardon, sorr, it takes two to make a thief,
+one to steal, the other to be stolen.  Pat would never agree
+to be stolen, sorr; besides, he would never be such an
+ungrateful spalpeen uv a dog, not to speak uv the bad
+taste of it, as to desert his ould master for a nigger bhoy."
+
+"Well, what's become of them, then?  Nando, where's Samba?"
+
+"Me no can tell, sah.  Me fink crocodile eat him, sah.
+Little tiny black boy go walk all alone alone night time.
+Yah! crocodile come 'long, fink black boy make plenty
+good chop.  Soosh! little black boy in ribber, crocodile
+eat him all up, sah.  What for black boy go walk alone?
+One time all right, Nando eat manioc[1]; nudder time all
+wrong, crocodile eat Samba."
+
+Nando shook his head sententiously; Samba's exploit
+on the night of the alarm was evidently still rankling.
+
+"That's not it at all," said Barney.  "Pat would niver
+permit any crocodile, wid all his blarney, to eat him; and
+if a crocodile ate Samba, sure Pat would have been the
+first to come and tell us."
+
+"No, it's your Irish that has frightened the boy," said
+Jack gravely.  "I've been trying to teach him a few
+words of English; but I've noticed once or twice, after
+I've done with him, that he pronounces the words as if
+he'd learnt them in Ireland.  No decent black boy could
+stand that, you know, Barney."
+
+"Faith, 'tis Irishmen that speak the best English,"
+returned Barney; "did I not hear them wid me very own
+ears in the house uv Parlimint?"
+
+"Well, Jack, we must go on," said Mr. Martindale.
+"I was afraid the boy would be a botheration."
+
+"He has done us a good turn, uncle.  Couldn't we wait
+an hour or two and see if he appears?"
+
+"It's not business, Jack."
+
+"My dear uncle, it's no use your posing as a hard-hearted
+man of business.  You know you're quite fond
+of the boy."
+
+"Eh!  Well, I own he's a likely little fellow, and I sort
+of felt he's a part of the concern; in short, Jack, we'll
+put in an hour or two and give him a chance."
+
+An hour passed, and Pat made his appearance.  He
+trotted soberly into the camp, not frisking or barking
+joyously as was his wont.
+
+"Arrah thin, ye spalpeen, where's Samba?" cried
+Barney as the dog came to him.
+
+Pat hung his head, and put his tail between his legs and
+whined.
+
+"Go and fetch him, then," cried Barney.
+
+The terrier looked at his master, turned as if to do
+his bidding, then moved slowly round and whined
+again.
+
+"Sure 'tis not devoured by a crocodile he is, or Pat
+would be in a terrible rage.  The bhoy has deserted, sorr,
+and Pat's heart is after being broken."
+
+"Well, we'll wait a little longer, Barney," said
+Mr. Martindale; "he may turn up yet."
+
+The day wore itself out, and Samba had not returned.
+Mr. Martindale and Jack spent part of the time in shooting,
+adding a goodly number of wild ducks, a river hog and an
+antelope to the larder.  Part of the time they watched
+the men fishing, or rather harpooning, for they caught the
+fish by dexterous casts of their light spears.  Towards
+evening Mr. Martindale became seriously anxious, and a
+little testy.
+
+"I'm afraid a crocodile has made a meal of him, after
+all," he said.  "I don't reckon he'd any reason for leaving
+us; he got good victuals."
+
+"And a good knife, uncle.  Perhaps he has gone to
+find his father."
+
+"No, I don't bank on that.  Too far for a young boy
+to go alone, through the forest, too, on foot.  Anyway,
+he's an ungrateful young wretch to go without saying a
+word; I've always heard these blacks don't measure up
+to white people in their feelings."
+
+Mr. Martindale delayed his departure until the middle
+of the next day in the hope that Samba would return.
+Then, however, he declared he could wait no longer, and
+the party set off.
+
+Late in the afternoon of the next day they came to a
+spot where a gap occurred in the thick vegetation that
+lined the bank.  Here, said Nando, they must land.  Ilola,
+the principal village of the chief to whom they were bound,
+stood a short distance from the river, and the way to it lay
+through the clear space between two forest belts.  A quarter
+of an hour's walking brought them to the village, a cluster
+of tent-shaped grass huts almost hidden in the bush.  The
+settlement was surrounded by a stockade, and the plantations
+of banana, maize, and ground-nuts showed signs of
+careful cultivation.
+
+Nando went alone to interview the chief, bearing a
+present of cloth and a small copper token which Mr. Martindale
+had received from his friend Barnard.  The chief
+would recognize it as the replica of one given to him.  Nando
+returned in an hour's time, troubled in countenance.
+Imbono the chief, he said, had refused to meet the white man,
+or to have any dealings with him.  He well remembered
+the white man who had cured his son and given him the
+token two years before; had they not become blood
+brothers!  But since then many things had happened.
+Dark stories had reached his ears of the terrible consequences
+that followed the coming of the white man.  One of his
+young men--his name was Faraji--who had joined a party
+of traders carrying copper down the Congo, had just come
+back with dreadful tales of what he himself had seen.
+When Imbono was a boy his people had lived in terror of
+the white-robed men from the East.[2]  There had been a
+great white-robed chief named Tippu Tib, who sent his
+fighting men far and wide to collect ivory and slaves.
+These men knew no pity; they carried destruction
+wherever they went, tearing children from parents, husbands
+from wives, chaining them together, beating them with
+cruel whips, strewing the land with the corpses of slaves
+exhausted by long marching or slain because they were
+ill or weak.
+
+But terrible as were the warriors of Tippu Tib, surely
+the servants of the Great White Chief[3] were more terrible
+still; for it often happened that the slave hunters, having
+come once, came not again; like a fierce tempest they
+passed; but as, when a storm has devastated a forest, new
+trees grow and flourish in the room of the old, so when
+a village had been robbed of its youth, their places were in
+course of time filled by other boys and girls.  And even
+when the slave hunters came some villagers would escape,
+and hide in dens or among the forest trees until the danger
+had passed.  But the servants of the Great White Chief
+were like a blight settling for ever on the land.  They came,
+and stayed; none could escape them, none were spared,
+young or old.  Imbono feared the white man; he prayed
+him to go in peace; the men of Ilola were peaceable, and
+sought not to make enemies, but they had bows and arrows,
+and long shields, and heavy-shafted spears, and if need
+be they would defend themselves against the stranger.
+
+"I guess this is kind of awkward," said Mr. Martindale
+when Nando had finished his report.  "You can't trade
+with a man who won't see you.  Did you explain that
+we don't belong to the Great White Chief, Nando?"
+
+"Me say all dat, sah; chief shake him head."
+
+"I suppose you told him our men are not armed?"
+
+"No, sah; me forgot dat, dat am de troof."
+
+"Well, go back; tell the chief that I'm a friend and
+want to see him.  Say that I'll come into the village alone,
+or with Mr. Jack, and we'll leave our guns behind us.
+Tell him the white man he saw two years ago said he was
+a very fine fellow, and I'll trust myself unarmed among
+his people, bows and arrows and spears and all."
+
+Nando went away, and after another hour returned and
+said that Imbono, after much persuasion, had agreed to
+receive the white man because he was a friend of his blood
+brother.  Leaving their rifles and revolvers in Barney's
+charge, Mr. Martindale and Jack accompanied Nando to
+the village.  The single entrance to the stockade was
+guarded by a throng of tall warriors with curiously painted
+skins, and armed with the weapons Nando had described,
+carrying in addition knives with long leaf-shaped blades.
+
+"They ain't the daisiest of beauties," said Mr. Martindale
+as he passed them.
+
+"Ugly fellows in a scrimmage," said Jack.
+
+They went on, past the first huts, stared at by knots of
+the villagers, until they came to the chief's dwelling in the
+centre of the settlement.  Imbono was a tall, well set up,
+handsome negro, standing half a head taller than the men
+about him.  He received the strangers with grave courtesy,
+offered them a cup of palm wine, and motioned them to
+two low carved stools, seating himself on a third.
+
+Through Nando Mr. Martindale explained his business,
+dwelling on the friendly relations which had existed between
+the chief and the white man, and assuring him of his
+peaceable intentions and of his absolute independence of the
+servants of the Great White Chief.  Imbono listened in
+silence, and made a long reply, repeating what he had
+already said through Nando.  Suddenly he turned to the
+young man at his side, whom he called Faraji, and bade
+him tell the white man what he had seen.
+
+"Ongoko!  Ongoko!"[4] exclaimed the other men.  Faraji
+stepped forward and told his story, with a volubility that
+outran Nando's powers as an interpreter, and at the same
+time with a seriousness that impressed his hearers.
+
+"I come from Mpatu," he said.  "It is not my village:
+my village is Ilola.  I passed through Mpatu on my way
+home.  It is no longer a village.  Why?  The servants
+of the Great White Chief had come up the river.  They told
+the people that the lords of the world, the sons of heaven,
+had given all the land to the Great White Chief.  Mpatu
+belonged no more to the chief Lualu: it belonged to the
+Great White Chief.  But the Great White Chief was a good
+chief; he would be a father to his people.  Would he take
+their huts, their gardens, their fowls, their children?  No,
+he was a good chief.  Everything that was theirs should
+be left to them; and the Great White Chief would keep
+peace in the land, and men should live together as brothers.
+Only one thing the Great White Chief required of them.
+In the forest grew a vine that yielded a milky sap.
+This stuff when hardened with acid from another plant
+would be of use to the Great White Chief, and he
+wished them to collect it for him, and bring to his
+servants every fourteenth day so many baskets full.  Every
+man of Mpatu must bring his share.  And they said too
+that the Great White Chief was just: for all this rubber
+they collected he would pay, in brass rods, or cloth, or salt;
+and seeing the Great White Chief was so kind and good, only
+a bad man would fail in the task set him, and such bad
+men must be punished.  And two servants of the Great
+White Chief would be left in Mpatu to instruct the people
+as to the furnishing of the rubber; and these kind teachers
+the men of Mpatu would surely provide with food and
+shelter.
+
+"The men of Mpatu laughed at first.  Well they knew
+the vine!  Was there not enough of it and to spare in the
+forest?  How easily they could collect what was demanded!
+How soon would they become rich!  And they set the
+women and children to weave new baskets for the rubber,
+and made ready new and well-built huts for the men who
+were to teach them their duty to the Great White Chief.
+
+"But as time went on, woe came to Mpatu.  The two
+servants of the Great White Chief were bad men, selfish,
+cruel.  They stalked about the village, treating the people
+as their slaves; they seized the plumpest fowls and the
+choicest fruits; if any man resisted, they whipped him
+with a long whip of hippopotamus hide.
+
+"But the servants of the Great White Chief demanded
+still more.  It was not only rubber the men of Mpatu
+were bade to bring them, but so many goats, so many
+fowls, so many fish and cassava and bananas.  How could
+they do it?  The rubber vines near by were soon
+exhausted.  Every week the men must go farther into
+the forest.  They had not enough time now to hunt and
+fish for their own families.  How supply the strangers too?
+
+"Grief came to Mpatu!  For long days there was no
+man in the village save the chief Lualu and the forest
+guards.  The women cowered and crouched in their huts.
+No longer did they take pride in tidy homes and well-tended
+hair; no longer sing merrily at the stream, or croon lullabies
+to their babes; all joy was gone from them.
+
+"Some of the men fled, and with their wives and
+children lived in the forest, eating roots and leaves.  But
+even flight was vain, for the forest guards tracked
+them, hunted them down.  Some they killed as soon
+as they found them; others they flogged, chained by
+the neck, and hauled to prison.  There they are given
+heavy tasks, carrying logs and firewood, clearing the
+bush, cutting up rubber; and there is a guard over them
+with a whip which at a single blow can cut a strip from the
+body.  Many have died; they are glad to die.
+
+"And now Mpatu is a waste.  One day the rubber was
+again short; the soldiers came--they burned the huts;
+they killed men, women, and children; yea, among the
+soldiers were man-eaters, and many of Mpatu's children
+were devoured.  Only a few escaped--they wander in the
+forest, who knows where?  I tell what I have seen and
+heard."
+
+When Faraji had finished his story, there was silence for
+a time.  The chief seemed disposed to let the facts sink
+into the minds of the white men, and Mr. Martindale was
+at a loss for words.  Faraji's story, so significantly
+similar to what he had himself discovered at Banonga, had
+deeply impressed him.  Were these atrocities going on
+throughout the Congo Free State?  Were they indeed a
+part of the system of government?  It seemed only
+too probable--the rubber tax was indeed a tax of blood.
+And what could he say to convince Imbono that he
+was no friend of the white men who authorized or
+permitted such things?  How could the negro distinguish?
+
+"'Pon my soul," said the American in an aside to Jack,
+"I am ashamed of the colour of my skin."
+
+Then the chief began to speak.
+
+"The white man understands why I will have nothing
+to do with him--why I will not allow my people to trade
+with him.  It may be true that you, O white man, are
+not as these others; you may be a friend to the black man,
+and believe that the black man can feel pain and grief; but
+did not the servants of the Great White Chief say that they
+were friends of the black man?  Did they not say the
+Great White Chief loved us and wished to do us good?
+We have seen the love of the Great White Chief; it is the
+love of the crocodile for the antelope: we would have none
+of it.  Therefore I say, O white man, though I bear you
+no ill-will, you must go."
+
+Courteously as the chief spoke, there was no mistaking
+his firmness.
+
+"We must go and take stock of this," said Mr. Martindale.
+"It licks me at present, Jack, and that's a hard
+thing for an American to say.  Come right away."
+
+They took ceremonious leave of the chief, and were
+escorted to their camp at the edge of the stream.
+
+"What's to be done, my boy?" said Mr. Martindale.
+"We can't find the gold without the chief's help, unless
+we go prospecting at large: we might do that for months
+without success, and make Imbono an open enemy into
+the bargain.  We can't fight him, and I don't want to
+fight him.  After what we've seen and heard I won't be
+responsible for shedding blood; seems to me the white
+man has done enough of that already on the Congo.  This
+is a facer, Jack."
+
+"Never say die, uncle.  It's getting late: I vote we
+sleep on it.  We may see a way out of the difficulty in the
+morning."
+
+
+
+[1] The native word for any food or meal.
+
+[2] Arab slave raiders.
+
+[3] Leopold II, sovereign of the Congo Free State and king of
+the Belgians.
+
+[4] Yes, do so.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Blood Brothers
+
+But in the morning the situation appeared only more grave.  Provisions
+were threatening to run short.  Hitherto there had been no difficulty
+in procuring food from the natives met _en route_, and Mr. Martindale's
+party had carried with them only a few days' provisions, and the
+"extras" necessary for the white men's comfort.  But now they were come
+to a less populous part of the country: Imbono's villages were the only
+settlements for many miles around; and unless Imbono relaxed the rigour
+of his boycott Mr. Martindale's party would soon be in want.
+
+Mr. Martindale was talking over matters with Jack when, from the slight
+eminence on which the camp was pitched, they saw a canoe, manned by six
+paddlers, pass up stream.  Jack took a look at the craft through his
+field glass.
+
+"It's Imbono, uncle," he said; "I wonder what he is up to."
+
+He followed the progress of the canoe for some distance through the
+glass; then, looking ahead, his eye was caught by a herd of eight or
+nine hippopotami disporting themselves on a reedy flat by the river
+bank.
+
+"What do you say, uncle?  Shall we go and get some hippo meat?  It will
+relieve the drain on our stores, and Nando told me the men are rather
+fond of it."
+
+"We'll go right away, Jack.  We must keep the larder full at any rate.
+I suppose we shall have to stalk the beasts."
+
+"I don't think so, uncle.  Those we saw as we came up seemed pretty
+bold; they've such tough hides that they've no reason to be much afraid
+of the native weapons."
+
+"Well, we'll paddle up to them and see how we get on."
+
+A canoe was launched, and Mr. Martindale set off with Jack, Barney, and
+the terrier, Nando and six of the men paddling.  By the time they
+arrived opposite the feeding ground several hippos had come out from
+the reeds for a bath in the shallows of the river, only their heads and
+backs showing above the water.  The rest had moved off into the thicker
+reeds and were hidden from sight.
+
+"One will be enough for the present," said Mr. Martindale.  "Our
+fellows are great gluttons, but there's enough meat in one of those
+beasts to last even them a couple of days; and we don't want it to go
+high!"
+
+"Let us both aim at the nearest," suggested Jack.  "Fire together,
+uncle: bet you I bag him."
+
+"I guess I won't take you, and betting's a fool's trick anyway.  We'll
+aim at the nearest, as you say; are you ready?"
+
+Two shots rang out as one.  But apparently there had been a difference
+of opinion as to which of the animals was the nearest.  One of them
+disappeared; another, with a wild roar of pain and rage, plunged into
+the reeds; the rest sank below the surface.  Nando, knowing the ways of
+hippopotami, began to paddle with frantic vigour, and set the canoe
+going at a rapid pace down stream, much to the indignation of Pat, who
+stood with his forefeet on the side of the canoe, barking fiercely.
+Half a minute later a head appeared above the surface some fifty yards
+behind; then another and another: but the beasts seemed to have
+recovered from the alarm, for after a long cow-like stare at the
+receding canoe, they turned and swam ashore, to rejoin their companions
+in the reeds.
+
+"Easy all!" said Mr. Martindale.  "We'll give 'em a quarter of an hour
+to settle down, then we'll go back.  What about your bet, eh, Jack?"
+
+"It's your hippo, uncle, no doubt of that," said Jack with a rueful
+smile.  "An awful fluke, though; you didn't hit once to my twice coming
+up stream."
+
+"A fluke, was it?  I kind o' notice that when you young fellows make a
+good shot or pull off a good stroke at billiards or anything else, it's
+real good play; whereas an old boy like me can only do anything decent
+by a fluke."
+
+"Well, you've lost him, anyway.  The hippo hasn't come up."
+
+"Too cocksure, my boy; he's only just below the surface."
+
+The beast mortally wounded by Mr. Martindale's rifle was lying in
+shallow water.  Pat could no longer restrain himself.  He leapt
+overboard and swam towards the hippo, barking with excitement, and
+becoming frantic when he found that it was just out of his reach.  In
+his eagerness to attack the animal he even made an attempt to dive, so
+comical that all on board the canoe were convulsed with laughter.
+Being paddled to the spot, Mr. Martindale found that the beast was
+quite dead.
+
+"Now what are we to do with him?" said Mr. Martindale.  "Shall we go
+back and send a party to cut him up?"
+
+"No, no, sah," said Nando instantly.  "Tie rope; pull, pull; hippo he
+come 'long all behind."
+
+"Tow him, eh?  Very well.  I allow that'll save time."
+
+A rope was fastened firmly about the beast's neck and jaws; the other
+end was fixed to the canoe; and the men began to paddle down stream,
+towing the hippo.  The tendency of the animal being to sink, the canoe
+seemed to Jack to be dangerously low in the water at the stern.  But
+they had only a part of the usual complement of men on board, and the
+paddlers were among the most skilful on the Congo.  They had gone but a
+few strokes when Jack, glancing back, caught sight of Imbono's canoe
+returning.  Like Mr. Martindale's it was keeping fairly close to the
+bank.  All at once a great shout of alarm broke from the chief's
+paddlers; their easy swing was quickened to desperate exertion, and
+they pulled out violently towards the middle of the stream.
+
+"By Jove! uncle, a hippo's after them," cried Jack.
+
+Just astern of the chief's canoe, between it and the shore, a huge
+hippopotamus, with jaws distended, showing his gleaming tusks, was
+swimming along in pursuit.  For a little he gained, and Jack's pulse
+beat more quickly with excitement as he saw that the enraged beast was
+not more than half a dozen yards from the canoe.  But the gap widened
+as soon as the six strong paddlers had settled down to their quickened
+stroke.
+
+Imbono, sitting in the stern, had caught sight of the white men as his
+canoe cut for a few moments across the current, and with the natural
+vanity of the negro he began to show off.  At a word from him one of
+the crew dropped his paddle, and, catching up a spear, hurled it at the
+pursuing hippo.  There was a hoarse bellow from the animal, and a wild
+cheer from the men; the shaft of the spear was seen standing almost
+perpendicularly above the hippo's shoulder.  With fierce exertion the
+beast increased his pace, and the gap momentarily diminished; but the
+negro resumed his paddle, and again the canoe drew away.
+
+As the canoe came almost level with the towed hippo at a considerable
+distance towards mid-stream, Imbono ordered the same manoeuvre to be
+repeated.  But fortune doubly befriended the pursuing animal.  Just as
+the negro was poising his spear, a submerged tree stopped the canoe
+with a sudden jerk; the man lost his balance and fell overboard; half
+of the crew followed him into the water, the rest tumbled over one
+another into the bottom of the canoe.  Imbono had been thrown backward
+as the vessel struck the snag.  He had barely time to rise and plunge
+into the water when there was a hideous crackling sound; the stern of
+the canoe was caught between the hippo's gaping jaws and crunched to
+splinters.
+
+The consequences of the chief's temerity would have been amusing but
+for his manifest danger.  The negroes were swimming in all directions,
+keeping as much as possible under water to escape the eyes of the
+hippo; but Imbono, an older man than the rest, was not so expert a
+swimmer, and Jack saw with concern that the hippo, leaving the sinking
+canoe, was making straight for the chief.
+
+A hippopotamus may be distanced by a canoe, but not by a man swimming.
+Imbono did not look behind, but seemed to know instinctively that death
+was within a few yards of him, and he struck out more and more
+desperately for the bank.
+
+At the moment when the canoe struck the snag, Jack had seized his
+rifle; but after the catastrophe, canoe, hippo, and swimming natives
+were so intermingled that he could not venture a shot at the beast
+without the risk of hitting a man.  The hippo's huge body provided a
+target sufficiently broad, indeed; but Jack knew that to strike it
+anywhere save at a vital spot would merely add to the beast's rage and
+make it doubly formidable to the men in the water.  When he saw the
+plight of the chief, however, the great head now only a couple of yards
+behind him, the jaws already opening, disclosing the vast red chasm
+flanked by gleaming tusks and molars--when Jack saw Imbono thus in the
+very article of peril, he could no longer hesitate.  The canoe was
+already at rest.  Bidding Nando keep it steady, Jack raised his rifle
+to his shoulder and took careful aim.
+
+The chief was gasping for breath after a vain attempt to dodge the
+beast by diving; the horrid jaws were just about to snap, when a shot
+rang out.  A squealing grunt came from the closing gullet; the uncouth
+actions of the beast ceased; and he began to sink slowly and silently
+beneath the surface.
+
+"A1!" ejaculated Mr. Martindale.  "That makes up for your miss, Jack."
+
+"Oka mö!"[1] shouted the negroes.  Imbono's men had gained the bank,
+but the chief himself, overcome more by his fright than his exertions,
+seemed unable to swim any farther.
+
+"Quick, haul him in, Jack," said Mr. Martindale.  "There may be a
+crocodile after him next!"
+
+A few strokes of the paddles brought the canoe within reach of the
+chief.  Laughing heartily--the negro's laugh is always very near the
+surface--Nando and a comrade hoisted Imbono into the canoe.
+
+"Me tell Imbono he oughter die of shame," said Nando gravely.
+
+"What on earth for?" asked Mr. Martindale.
+
+"What for, sah!  Has he not made big puddle in massa's canoe?  He
+plenty much wet, sah."
+
+"Well, he couldn't help that.  Tell him we're glad he came off so well.
+You need not say anything about the puddle."
+
+But Nando had his own views as to the proper thing to do.  As he spoke
+the chief glanced at the pool of water that had flowed from his body,
+and replied in a tone that was clearly apologetic.
+
+"He say he die with shame him so wet, sah," said Nando.  "Him no do it
+no more.  Say he praise de young Inglesa for shooting de hippo; say he
+gib massa de hippo and manioc and bananas and anyfing whatever dat
+massa like.  Say he want massa and young massa to be blood brudder.  Me
+say berrah good; tell him oughter had sense before."
+
+"That's all right.  We'll accept supplies with pleasure, and pay for
+them.  The hippo is Mr. Jack's already, of course.  As for becoming his
+blood brothers, I don't just know right off what that means; but if
+it'll please him, and doesn't mean any nastiness, we'll think it over."
+
+The canoe, towing Mr. Martindale's hippo, was rapidly paddled down
+stream to the encampment, the second beast being left to drift slowly
+down the river until, in the course of some hours, it should finally
+rise to the surface.  On landing the chief renewed his protestations of
+gratitude, then went off to the village, to polish himself up, said
+Nando, and replace his ruined headdress, a curious structure of cloth
+and feathers stuck on to the chignon into which his hair was gathered.
+Mr. Martindale sent back another canoe to find and tow down the dead
+hippo.  When it was hauled up on the low sandy bank, Jack and his uncle
+went down to examine it.
+
+"You said I missed, uncle," cried Jack.  "What do you make of this?"
+
+He pointed to a furrow ploughed across the full breadth of the beast's
+forehead.
+
+"Nothing but a bullet did that, I know.  My shot must have hit him, but
+didn't enter the skull.  I suppose he hid in the reeds, and vented his
+fury on the chief.  He happened to have a harder skull than your hippo,
+uncle; you see it was a fluke after all."
+
+Mr. Martindale slowly cut and lighted a cigar.  Not until he had
+watched a big cloud of smoke float across the river did he speak.  Then
+he said quietly--
+
+"Just so!"
+
+Somehow Jack felt that he had not the better of the argument.
+
+Before the sun went down, a group of men came from Ilola staggering
+under loads of grain and fruit, a quantity large enough to supply the
+camp for several days.  That night the men had a royal feast, consuming
+so many hippo steaks that Barney professed himself indignant.
+
+"Bedad! 'tis greedy scoundhrels they are," he said, "Wheniver me mother
+gave us bhoys a stew--and 'twas not often, ye may be sure, meat being
+the price it was--'twas wan tiny morsel uv mutton, and a powerful lot
+uv murphies: she said too much meat would spoil our complexion and ruin
+our tempers.  And begorra! isn't it meself that proves it!"
+
+Mr. Martindale laughed at Barney's logic.
+
+"I'm not afraid of the niggers' complexions or their tempers," he said;
+"I only hope they won't keep up that hullabaloo all night and spoil our
+sleep."
+
+The men were indeed very uproarious, and remained around their fires
+for the greater part of the night, recounting for the hundredth time
+the exciting events of the day, and composing on the spot songs in
+praise of the young white man whose fire-stick had slain the terror of
+the river.  One of these songs seemed especially to strike their fancy,
+and it remained a favourite for many days:--
+
+  Happy Imbono!
+  Oh! oh! Imbono!
+  Who saved Imbono?
+  The good stranger!
+  The young stranger!
+  The brave stranger!
+  Good Jacko!
+  Young Jacko!
+  Brave Jacko!
+  He came to Ilola!
+  Happy Ilola!
+  Lucky Ilola!
+  He saved Imbono
+  From five hippos,
+  From ten hippos!
+  Lucky Imbono!
+  Happy Imbono!
+  Oh! oh! Imbono!
+
+
+Next morning, as soon as it was light, Imbono came to pay a visit of
+ceremony.  He had got himself up most elaborately for the occasion.  A
+strip of yellow cotton was wound about his waist.  His arms were
+covered with polished brass rings, and copper rings weighing at least
+ten pounds each encircled his wrists and ankles.  A new headdress
+decked his hair; and he must have kept his barber busy half the night
+in arranging his top-knot and painting his face with red camwood and
+white clay.  Pat by no means approved of the change, and barked at him
+furiously.
+
+"Whisht, ye spalpeen!" said Barney, calling off the excited dog.  "Sure
+'tis only his Sunday clothes!"
+
+Surrounded by a group of his young men, who were again loaded with
+offerings of food, the chief began a long speech, which was by no means
+abridged in Nando's translation.  He related the incident of the
+previous day, omitting none of the most insignificant details,
+accounting, as it appeared, for every tooth in the jaws of the huge
+animal from which he had been saved.  He went on to say that in
+gratitude to the white man he had changed his mind.  No longer would he
+withhold food; his young men even now had their hands full of the best
+products of Ilola.  No longer would he refuse his friendship; he would
+even show the white man the place where the yellow metal was to be
+found--on one condition, that the white man would become his blood
+brother.  Imbono and the white men would then be friends for ever.
+
+"Well, I'll be very glad to be friends with the chief," said Mr.
+Martindale, "and I'm right down obliged to him for agreeing to show me
+the location of the gold.  And what's this blood brother business
+anyway?  I don't size up to that without knowing something about it,
+you bet."
+
+"Me tell all 'bout it, sah.  Imbono hab got knife; he come scratch,
+scratch massa his arm; den blood come, just little tiny drop, oh yes!
+Den Imbono he lick massa him blood.  Massa he hab got knife too: he
+scratch Imbono him arm all same, lick Imbono him blood.  Me fink massa
+not like black man him blood--not berrah berrah much.  Den massa gib
+Imbono little tiny present--knife, like knife Samba stole from Nando;
+Imbono gib massa fowl, or brass ring, or anyfing massa like.  Den massa
+and Imbono dey be blood brudder, be friends for eber and eber amen."
+
+"Well, I guess the blood business sounds rather disgusting.  What do
+you think, Jack?"
+
+Jack made a grimace.
+
+"Couldn't we leave all the licking to him, uncle?"
+
+Here Nando broke in.  "Me fink massa not like black blood.  All same, I
+show de way.  Massa hold Imbono him arm tight, berrah tight, pretend to
+lick, get little drop of blood on hand; dat nuff; Imbono pleased."
+
+"If he's satisfied with that I'm willing, so fire away."
+
+The chief beamed when he learnt that the white man had given his
+consent.  The ceremony was quickly performed.  Then Imbono handed them
+each a copper ring, and received in return a pinch of salt from Mr.
+Martindale and a lucifer match from Jack, Nando assuring them that no
+more acceptable presents could have been thought of.  Imbono recited a
+sort of chant, which was explained to mean that he, his sons, his
+friends, the men of Ilola, from that time forth and for evermore would
+be the true friends of the white men; everything he had was theirs.
+With a suitable reply from Mr. Martindale and Jack the ceremony ended.
+
+Jack noticed when the chief had gone that Nando's face wore a somewhat
+woebegone look.
+
+"What's the matter, Nando?" he asked.
+
+"Nando berrah sick, sah.  Imbono hab got present, massa hab got
+present, little massa hab got present all same; Nando hab got no
+present, no nuffin.  Dat make Nando sick.  Samba hab got Nando him
+knife: what for Nando no hab nuffin at all?"
+
+"Seems to me he wants a commission on the transaction," said Mr.
+Martindale with a smile.  "Give him something, Jack; he's not a bad
+sort."
+
+"I've got a lucky sixpence, uncle; he can string that round his neck.
+Here you are, Nando."
+
+The negro took the coin with delight.
+
+"Bolotsi O!" he exclaimed.  "Nando no sick no more.  Him plenty comfy
+inside.  All jolly nice now sah: oh yes!"
+
+
+
+[1] Bully for you!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Jack in Command
+
+"We've come out of that better than I expected," said Mr. Martindale,
+when the chief had gone.  "I only hope our new brother won't carry his
+affection too far.  If he keeps piling in food in this way, our fellows
+will wax fat and kick."
+
+"You'll have to give him a hint, uncle.  Proverbs are mostly
+old-fashioned rubbish, but there's one that would suit him: 'Enough is
+as good as a feast.'"
+
+"Which no nigger would believe.  Now I wonder when he will take us to
+find this ore.  The sooner the better, although I calculate he doesn't
+know the value of time."
+
+Imbono returned in the course of the afternoon, and said that he would
+be ready to conduct the white men to the gold region next day.  But he
+stipulated that only his new brothers should accompany him.  To this
+condition no one objected but Nando, who appeared to regard it as a
+personal slight.
+
+"Berrah well, berrah well," he said, his tone suggesting that he washed
+his hands of the business.  "Nando no go, massa no can say nuffin to
+Imbono.  Berrah well; all same."
+
+Immediately after breakfast next morning the two set off in Imbono's
+company, Jack carried a prospector's pan for washing the soil, Mr.
+Martindale having declared that he didn't expect to find nuggets lying
+around.  They also carried enough food for the day.  Imbono struck off
+due west from the village; then, when well out of sight, he made a
+detour, and passing through a couple of miles of dense forest, entered
+a broken hilly country, which to Mr. Martindale's experienced eye
+showed many traces of volcanic disturbance.  At last, forcing their way
+through a belt of tangled copse, with many scratches from prickly
+sprays, they came upon a deep gully, at the bottom of which ran a
+stream of brownish water, now some twenty feet in breadth.  That it was
+much broader at certain seasons was shown by the wide edging of sand
+and pebbles at each side.
+
+The chief came to a halt at the edge of the gully, and pointing up and
+down the stream, said something in his own language.  Mr. Martindale
+nodded his head, but said to Jack--
+
+"I suppose he means we're right there.  Why on earth could not he let
+Nando come and do the translating?"
+
+"Show him your watch, uncle!"
+
+At the sight of the watch Imbono nodded his head rapidly and ejaculated
+what was clearly an affirmative.  Then he led the way down the rocky
+side of the gully, the others scrambling after him.  On reaching the
+sandy strand Mr. Martindale bent down and eagerly examined it.  Taking
+some of the sand and pebbles in his hand, he stuck a magnifying glass
+in his eye and picked them over carefully.
+
+"Looks promising, Jack," he said, with the enthusiasm of an old miner.
+"There are little granules of quartz mixed up with the sand, and a
+particle or two of iron.  But that don't prove there's gold.  We'll
+just try a little experiment."
+
+He emptied a few handfuls of the soil into the pan, filled this with
+water from the stream, and moved the pan to and fro so as to give the
+water a concentric motion, Jack and the chief watching him with equal
+interest.  Every now and then Mr. Martindale would cant off a little of
+the water, which carried off some of the lighter sand with it.
+
+"What you may call a process of elimination or reduction," he said.
+
+"_Reductio ad absurdum_, uncle?"
+
+"I hope not.  Guess you're smartening up, Jack."
+
+"Call it survival of the fittest, then."
+
+"Of the thickest, I'd say.  This washing carries off the useless light
+sand, and leaves the heavy stuff behind, and it's in that we'll find
+gold if at all."
+
+After nearly half an hour's patient manipulation of the pan, there was
+left in the bottom a blackish powder and some coarse grains of quartz,
+with just enough water to cover them.
+
+"Look at that, my boy," said Mr. Martindale.  "First time you've seen
+anything of that sort, I guess."
+
+"But where's the gold, uncle?"
+
+"That's what remains to be seen--perhaps.  Keep your eye on that groove
+as I tilt the pan round.  The black stuff is iron-stone; you needn't
+trouble about that.  See if it leaves anything else."
+
+He gently tilted the pan so that the water slowly flowed round the
+groove, carrying with it the quartz grains and the powder.  Jack
+watched narrowly.  After the contents of the pan had made the circuit
+two or three times he suddenly exclaimed--
+
+"There's a sort of glitter left behind the powder, uncle."
+
+"I reckon that's enough," said Mr. Martindale, setting down the pan.
+"We've hit it, Jack."
+
+Jack could not refrain from giving a cheer.  The chief, who had but
+half approved the proceedings at the beginning, caught the infection of
+the lad's enthusiasm, and snapped his fingers and slapped his thighs
+vigorously.
+
+"We'll have another look higher up," said Mr. Martindale.  "One swallow
+don't make a summer--another piece of what you call antiquated rubbish,
+Jack.  There's gold here, that's certain; but I don't know whether it's
+rich enough to be worth working."
+
+They walked for half a mile up the stream, and Mr. Martindale went
+through the same process with the soil there.  He was again rewarded.
+This time, however, the trace of gold was more distinct.
+
+"Jack, my boy," he said, "there's a small fortune in the bed of the
+stream alone.  But I'm not satisfied yet.  It's up to us now to
+discover the mother lode.  To judge by the size of the stream it can't
+be far off.  The botheration is we can't talk to the chief, and I say
+it's most unbrotherly to refuse us the advantage of an interpreter."
+
+"Well, we've plenty of time, uncle.  I vote we have our lunch and then
+go on again."
+
+They sat down on boulders at the edge of the river and ate the manioc
+cakes and bananas with which Barney had provided them.  Imbono seemed
+pleased when he was invited to share their lunch.  Going into the
+forest, he returned with a large leaf which he shaped like a cup, and
+in this he brought water from the stream for the white men.
+
+After lunch they followed up the stream.  At intervals Mr. Martindale
+stopped to test the gravel, and found always some trace of gold, now
+slight, now plentiful.  Some three miles up they came to a confluence.
+The stream was joined by a smaller swifter one, which evidently took
+its rise in the steep hilly country now becoming visible through the
+trees.
+
+"We'll try this, Jack."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because the bed's more gravelly than the other.  I guess the big
+stream comes out of the forest somewhere; the other will suit our book
+best."
+
+They found their progress becoming more and more difficult.  The ground
+was more rocky, the sides of the gully were steeper, and the edging of
+dry gravel diminished until by and by it disappeared altogether, and
+the prospectors had to take off their boots and socks and wade.  There
+were trees and bushes here and there on the sides and at the top of the
+gully, but the vegetation became more and more scanty as they ascended.
+Presently the sound of falling water struck upon their ears, and a
+sudden turn of the stream brought them into full view of a cataract.
+At this point the gully had widened out, and the water fell over a
+broad smooth ledge of rock, dashing on the stones after a descent of
+some fifty or sixty feet.
+
+"That's fine!" exclaimed Jack, halting to watch the cascade sparkling
+in the sunlight, and the brownish white foam eddying at the foot.
+
+"Grand!" assented Mr. Martindale.  "There's enough water power there to
+save many a thousand dollars' worth of machinery."
+
+"I was thinking of the scenery, not machinery, uncle," said Jack, with
+a laugh.
+
+"Scenery!  Why, I've got a lot finer waterfall than that on my
+dining-room wall.  It isn't Niagara one way or t'other, but it'll do a
+lot of mill grinding all the same.  Now, Jack, you're younger than I
+am.  I want to see what there is by those rocks ten feet away from the
+bottom of the fall.  Strip, my boy; a bath will do you a power of good,
+a hot day like this; and there are no crocodiles here to make you feel
+jumpy."
+
+Jack stripped and was soon waist deep in the water.  Reaching the spot
+his uncle had indicated, he stooped, and found that he could just touch
+the bottom without immersing himself.  The water was too frothy for the
+bottom to be seen; he groped along it with his hands, bringing up every
+now and then a small fragment of quartz or a handful of gravel, which
+Mr. Martindale, after inspecting it from a distance, told him to throw
+in again.
+
+At last, when he was getting somewhat tired of this apparently useless
+performance, he brought up a handful of stones, not to as eyes
+differing from what he had seen for the past half hour.  He spread them
+out for his uncle, now only two or three yards away, to examine.
+
+"I guess you can put on your clothes now," said Mr. Martindale.  "Why,
+hang it, man! you've thrown it away!"
+
+Jack had pitched the stones back into the water.
+
+"I thought you'd done, uncle," he said.
+
+"So I have, and you're done too--done brown.  D'you know you've thrown
+away a nugget worth I don't know how many dollars?"
+
+"You didn't tell me what you were after," said Jack, somewhat nettled.
+"I couldn't be expected to know you were hunting for nuggets."
+
+"No, you couldn't be expected: and that's just exactly what I brought
+you over to America for.  When you've had the kind of smartening up I
+mean you to have, you won't talk about what's expected or not expected;
+you'll just figure it out that there's some reason in everything, and
+you'll use your own share of reason accordingly."
+
+"All right, uncle," replied Jack good-humouredly.  "I might have put
+two and two together, perhaps.  At school, you see, they liked us to do
+as we were told without arguing.  'Theirs not to reason why'--you know.
+Shall I fish for that nugget?"
+
+"Not worth while.  A few dollars more or less are neither here nor
+there.  I know what I want to know, and now I think we'd better be
+getting.  Put your clothes on.  Our brother Imbono has several times
+anxiously pointed to the sun.  He evidently isn't comfortable at the
+idea of being benighted in these regions."
+
+Screwing some of the sifted gravel into a bag of leaves, Mr. Martindale
+signed to the chief that he was ready to return.  They reached the camp
+just as the sun was setting.  In honour of the recent discovery, Mr.
+Martindale invited the chief to supper, and gave him a regale which
+astonished him.  To see the white man bring peaches out of a closed pot
+made Imbono open his eyes; but the sensation of the evening was
+furnished by a bottle of soda water.  When the stopper was loosed and
+the liquid spurted over, the chief shrank back in amazement, uttering a
+startled cry.  Nando, not skilled in European politeness, guffawed
+uproariously.
+
+"Him say debbil water, sah.  Yah! yah!"
+
+Nothing would induce Imbono to drink the stuff.  But he took kindly to
+tea, and being prevailed on to try a pinch of snuff, he laughed
+heartily when the paroxysm of sneezing was over, and asked for more.
+
+"Him say like laugh-cry dust plenty much," said Nando.
+
+When the chief had eaten his fill, Mr. Martindale, with considerable
+diplomacy, explained that the discovery of gold was of little use to
+him unless he could take men to the spot, and desired the withdrawal of
+the prohibition.  Nando took a long time to convey this to Imbono, and
+Jack suspected that he was making somewhat lavish promises in the
+nature of _quid pro quo_.  Imbono at length agreed to the white man's
+request, provided none of the workers he wished to take with him were
+servants of the Great White Chief.  He consented also to lead him back
+to the cataract next day, so that he might complete his search for the
+gold-bearing rocks.
+
+On this second journey Mr. Martindale and Jack were accompanied by two
+of their negroes with picks.  On arriving at the spot the men were set
+to break away portions of the rocky wall on the left of the cataract.
+
+"You see, Jack," said Mr. Martindale, "the fact that we found gold in
+the stream shows that it is still being washed down by the water;
+otherwise it would have been swept away or buried long ago.  The rock
+must be of a soft kind that offers comparatively little resistance to
+the water, and I'm rather inclined to think that not so very many years
+ago the cataract was a good deal farther forward than it is now.  Well,
+the gold-bearing stratum must run right through the cataract,
+horizontally I suspect.  It may not be a broad one, but it will
+probably extend some distance on each side of the fall, and a few
+hours' work ought to prove it."
+
+As the rock fell away under the negroes' picks, Mr. Martindale and Jack
+carefully washed samples of it.  In less than an hour the glittering
+trail shone out clear in the wake of the granules of rock as they slid
+round the groove.
+
+"So much for the first part of our job," said Mr. Martindale, with a
+quiet sigh of satisfaction.  "The next thing is to see if the gold
+extends above the cataract."
+
+Under Imbono's guidance the party made their way by a detour to the
+river banks above the falls.  After a search of some hours Mr.
+Martindale declared himself satisfied that the lode was confined to the
+rocks over which the water poured.
+
+"We can't do much more for the present," he said.  "The next thing is
+to get machinery for working the ore.  We'll have to go back to Boma.
+We can probably get simple materials for working the alluvial deposits
+there, but the machinery for crushing the ore must be got from Europe,
+and that'll take time.  We'll pack up and start to-morrow."
+
+But after breakfast next morning, when Mr. Martindale had lighted his
+morning cigar, he startled Jack by saying suddenly--
+
+"Say, Jack, how would you like to be left here with Barney and some of
+the men while I go back to Boma?"
+
+"What a jolly lark!" said Jack, flushing with pleasure.
+
+"Humph!  That's a fool's speech, or a schoolboy's, which often comes to
+the same thing.  I'm not thinking of larks, or gulls, or geese, but of
+serious business."
+
+"Sorry, uncle.  That's only my way of saying I should like it
+immensely."
+
+"I've been turning it over in the night.  I want to make a man of you,
+Jack; I want to see if there's any grit in you.  There ought to be, if
+you're your mother's boy.  Anyway this will give you a chance.  Things
+are this way.  We've struck a fortune here.  Well, I'm an old miner,
+and I don't allow anybody to jump my claim.  I don't reckon any one is
+likely to jump it; still, you never know.  That fellow Elbel, now; he's
+an official of the Belgian company, and he knows what I'm here for.  He
+might take it into his head to steal a march on me, and though I've got
+the mining monopoly for all this district, you bet that won't be much
+of a protection of my claim all these miles from civilization.  So it's
+advisable to have a man on the spot, and it's either you or me.  You
+don't know anything about mining machinery, so I guess it's no good
+sending you to Boma.  Consequently, you must stay here."
+
+"I'm jolly glad of the chance, uncle.  I'll look after your claim."
+
+"Spoiling for a fight, eh?  But we mustn't have any fighting.  Mind
+you, all this is only speculation--foresight, prudence, call it what
+you like.  I don't calculate on any one trying to do me out of my
+rights.  And if any one tries to jump my claim, it won't do for you to
+make a fool of yourself by trying to oppose 'em by force.  All you can
+do is to sit tight and keep an eye on things till I get back.  I don't
+know I'm doing right to leave you: you're the only nephew I've got, and
+you can't raise nephews as you raise pumpkins.  But I thought it all
+out while you were snoring, and I've made up my mind to give it a
+trial.  Patience and tact, that's what you want.  You've got 'em, or
+you haven't.  If you have, I reckon it's all right: if you haven't----"
+
+"Your cigar has gone out, dear old man," said Jack, laying his hand on
+his uncle's.
+
+"So it has.  I'll try another.  Well, that's settled, eh?  I'll be as
+quick as I can, Jack: no doubt I'll find a launch when I reach the
+Congo, or even before if Elbel's boss at Makua likes to make himself
+pleasant.  But I've no doubt Elbel has coloured up our little meeting
+in his report to headquarters.  Anyhow, I should be right back in two
+or three months--not so very long after all.  I'll forward some rifles
+and ammunition from the first station where I can get 'em: the sale of
+arms is prohibited in this State, of course; but that isn't the only
+law, by all accounts, that's a dead letter here, and I don't doubt a
+little palm-oil will help me to fix up all I want.  You'll have to
+teach the men how to use 'em, and remember, they're only for
+self-defence in the last extremity.  See?"
+
+"I'll be careful, uncle.  It's lucky we've a friend in Imbono.  I think
+we'll get along first-rate.  Nando can do the interpreting till I learn
+something of the language."
+
+"Jingo!  I'd forgotten Nando.  That's a poser, Jack.  I shall want him
+to pilot me down to Boma.  I can't get along without an interpreter.
+That's a nailer on our little scheme, my boy; for of course you can't
+stay here without some one to pass your orders to the men."
+
+Jack looked very crestfallen.  The prospect of being left in charge was
+very delightful to him, and he had already been resolving to show
+himself worthy of his uncle's trust.  The thing he had regretted most
+in leaving Rugby was that he would never be in the Sixth and a "power."
+He did not shrink from responsibility; and it was hard to have his
+hopes of an independent command dashed at the moment of opportunity.
+Suddenly an idea occurred to him.  "Are you sure none of the other men
+know enough English to serve my turn?" he said.
+
+"Nando said not a man jack of 'em knows it but himself.  I'll call him
+up and ask him again."
+
+Nando came up all smiles in answer to the call.  "You told me that none
+of the men speak English but yourself," said Mr. Martindale; "is that
+true?"
+
+"Too plenty much true, sah.  Me speak troof all same, sah."
+
+"That's unfortunate.  We're going back to Boma.  I wanted to leave Mr.
+Jack here, but I can't do that unless he has some one to do the talking
+for him.  Go and get the things packed up, Nando."
+
+The negro departed with alacrity.  But not five minutes later he
+returned, accompanied by a negro a little shorter than himself, but
+otherwise showing a strong resemblance.  Both were grinning broadly.
+
+"My brudder, sah," said Nando, patting the younger man on the shoulder.
+"He berrah fine chap.  Him Lepoko.  Speak Inglesa; berrah clebber.
+Nando go with big massa, Lepoko stay with little massa; oh yes! all too
+fine and jolly."
+
+"Lepoko speaks English, does he?" said Mr. Martindale.  "Then you're a
+liar, Nando!"
+
+"No, sah, me no tell lies, not at all.  Lepoko no speak Inglesa all de
+time, sah.  What for two speak Inglesa one time?  Too much nise, massa
+no can hear what Nando say.  Nando go, all same; massa muss hab some
+one can talk.  Berrah well; den Lepoko hab go; can talk all right.  He
+show massa what can do."
+
+"One, two, free, forty, hundred fousand," began Lepoko glibly.  "Ten
+little nigger boys.  What de good of anyfink?  Way down de Swannee
+ribber----"
+
+"That'll do, that'll do!" cried Mr. Martindale, laughing.  "You've got
+your interpreter, Jack.  Nando, get ready to start.  Bring nine men
+with you, the rest will stay with Mr. Jack.  The fellow was hankering
+after the flesh-pots of Boma, I suppose," he added, when Nando had
+gone, "and that accounts for his sudden discovery of his brother's
+eloquence--too jealous of his own importance to give it away before.
+Now there's Barney, Jack.  I don't know how he'll take being left here."
+
+Barney took it very well.  When Mr. Martindale mentioned that he would
+be absent for at least two months, he remarked--
+
+"Bedad, sorr, I'll be getting fat at last.  Imbono sent another heap of
+maniac this morning, and seeing that I'll have nothing whativer to do
+for two months, sure I'll be a different man entirely by the time you
+come back."
+
+An hour later the shore was crowded with natives come to bid the white
+man farewell.  Imbono was there with all the men of his village.  At
+his final interview with Mr. Martindale he had promised to watch
+carefully over the welfare of his young blood brother; he would supply
+him and his men with food, and defend him from wild beasts and
+aggressive black men, and his villagers should at once set about
+building new huts for the party.
+
+"Remember, Jack, patience--and tact.  God bless you, my boy."
+
+"Good-bye, uncle.  Hope you'll have a pleasant journey.  And on the way
+down keep an eye lifting for Samba."
+
+Then the ten natives struck the water with their paddles, the canoe
+glided down the stream, and as it disappeared round a bend of the river
+Jack heard the men's voices uplifted in a new song composed for the
+occasion.
+
+"What are they singing, Lepoko?" he asked of his new interpreter.
+
+"Me tell massa.
+
+  "Down brown ribber,
+  Broad brown ribber,
+  White man go
+  In canoe.
+  Good-bye, Ilola,
+  Good-bye, Imbono,
+  Good-bye, Jacko,
+  Brave Jacko,
+  Young Jacko.
+  He save Imbono,
+  Lucky Imbono;
+  Down brown ribber
+  White man go."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+Samba Meets the Little Men
+
+Samba had cheerfully accompanied Mr. Martindale's expedition, in the
+confidence that one of its principal objects, if not indeed its main
+one, was the discovery of his parents.  Nando had told him, on the
+ruins of Banonga, that the white man would help him in his search, and
+the white man had treated him so kindly that he believed what Nando
+said.  But as the days passed and the canoes went farther and farther
+up stream, miles away from Banonga, the boy began to be uneasy.  More
+than once he reminded Nando of his promise, only to be put off with
+excuses: the white man was a very big chief, and such a trifling matter
+as the whereabouts of a black boy's father and mother could not be
+expected to engage him until his own business was completed.
+
+Samba became more and more restless.  He wished he could open the
+matter himself to the white men; but the few words of English he had
+picked up from Jack and Barney were as useless to him as any
+schoolboy's French.  Jack often wondered why there was so wistful a
+look upon the boy's face as he followed him about, much as Pat followed
+Samba.  He spoke to Nando about it, but Nando only laughed.  Samba
+began to distrust Nando.  What if the man's assurances were false, and
+there had never been any intention of seeking his father?  The white
+men had been kind to him; they gave him good food; he was pleased with
+the knife presented to him as a reward for his watchfulness; but all
+these were small things beside the fact that his parents were lost to
+him.  Had the white men no fathers? he wondered.
+
+At length he came to a great resolution.  If they would not help him,
+he must help himself.  He would slip away one night and set off in
+search.  He well knew that in cutting himself adrift from the
+expedition many days' journey from his old home he was exchanging ease
+and plenty for certain hardship and many dangers known and unknown.
+The forest in the neighbourhood of Banonga was as a playground to him;
+but he could not know what awaited him in a country so remote as this.
+He had never been more than half a day's journey from home, but he had
+heard of unfriendly tribes who might kill him, or at best keep him
+enslaved.  And the white men of Bula Matadi--did not they sometimes
+seize black boys, and make them soldiers or serfs?  Yet all these
+perils must be faced: Samba loved his parents, and in his case love
+cast out fear.
+
+One morning, very early, when every one in the camp was occupied with
+the first duties of the day, Samba stole away.  His own treasured knife
+was slung by a cord about his neck; he carried on his hip,
+negro-fashion, a discarded biscuit tin which he had filled with food
+saved from his meals of the previous day; and Mr. Martindale's knife
+dangled from his waist cord.  It was easy to slip away unseen; the camp
+was surrounded by trees, and within a minute he was out of sight.  He
+guessed that an hour or two would pass before his absence was
+discovered, and then pursuit would be vain.
+
+But he had not gone far when he heard a joyous bark behind him, and Pat
+came bounding along, leaping up at him, looking up in his face, as if
+to say: "You are going a-hunting: I will come too, and we will enjoy
+ourselves."  Samba stopped, and knelt down and put his arms about the
+dog's neck.  Should he take him?  The temptation was great: Pat and he
+were staunch friends; they understood each other, and the dog would be
+excellent company in the forest.  But Samba reflected.  Pat did not
+belong to him, and he had never stolen anything in his life.  The dog's
+master had been good to him: it would be unkind to rob him.  And Pat
+was a fighter: he was as brave as Samba himself, but a great deal more
+noisy and much less discreet.  Samba knew the ways of the forest; it
+was wise to avoid the dangerous beasts, to match their stealth with
+stealth; Pat would attack them, and certainly come off worst.  No, Pat
+must go back.  So Samba patted him, rubbed his head on the dog's rough
+coat, let Pat lick his face, and talked to him seriously.  Then he got
+up and pointed towards the camp and clapped his hands, and when Pat
+showed a disposition still to follow him, he waved his arms and spoke
+to him again.  Pat understood; he halted and watched the boy till he
+disappeared among the trees; then, giving one low whine, he trotted
+back with his tail sorrowfully lowered.
+
+Samba went on.  He had come to the river, but he meant to avoid it now.
+The river wound this way and that: the journey overland would be
+shorter.  He might be sought for along the bank; but in the forest
+wilds he would at least be safe from pursuit, whatever other dangers he
+might encounter.  At intervals along the bank, too, lay many villages:
+and Samba was less afraid of beasts than of men.  So, choosing by the
+instinct which every forest man seems to possess a direction that would
+lead towards his distant village, he went on with lithe and springy
+gait, humming an old song his grandfather Mirambo had taught him.
+
+His path at first led through a grassy country, with trees and bush in
+plenty, yet not so thick but that the sunlight came freely through the
+foliage, making many shining circles on the ground.  But after about
+two hours the forest thickened; the sunlit spaces became fewer, the
+undergrowth more and more tangled.  At midday he sat down by the edge
+of a trickling stream to eat his dinner of manioc, then set off again.
+The forest was now denser than anything to which he had been accustomed
+near Banonga, and he went more warily, his eyes keen to mark the tracks
+of animals, his ears alive to catch every sound.  He noticed here the
+scratches of a leopard on a tree trunk, there the trampled undergrowth
+where an elephant had passed; but he saw no living creature save a few
+snakes and lizards, and once a hare that scurried across his path as he
+approached.  He knew that in the forest it is night that brings danger.
+
+The forest became ever thicker, and as evening drew on it grew dark and
+chill.  The ground was soft with layers of rotted foliage, the air
+heavy with the musty smell of vegetation in decay.  Samba's teeth
+chattered with the cold, and he could not help longing for Barney's
+cosy hut and the warm companionship of the terrier.  It was time to
+sleep.  Could he venture to build a fire?  The smoke might attract men,
+but he had seen no signs of human habitation.  It would at any rate
+repel insects and beasts.  Yes--he would build a fire.
+
+First he sought for a tree with a broad overhanging branch on which he
+could perch himself for the night.  Then he made a wide circuit to
+assure himself that there were no enemies near at hand.  In the course
+of his round he came to a narrow clearing where an outcrop of rock had
+prevented vegetation, and on the edges of this he found sufficient dry
+brushwood to make his fire.  Collecting an armful, he carried it
+unerringly to his chosen tree, heaped it below the hospitable branch,
+and with his knife whittled a hard dry stick to a sharp point.  He
+selected then a square lump of wood, cut a little hollow in it, and,
+holding his pointed stick upright in the hollow, whirled it about
+rapidly between his hands until first smoke then a spark appeared.
+Having kindled his fire he banked it down with damp moss he found hard
+by, so as to prevent it from blazing too high and endangering his tree
+or attracting attention.  Then he climbed up into the branch; there he
+would be safest from prowling beasts.  The acrid smoke rose from the
+fire beneath and enveloped him, but it gave him no discomfort, rather a
+feeling of "homeness" and well-being; such had been the accompaniment
+of sleep all his life long in his father's hut at Banonga.  Curled up
+on that low bough he slept through the long hours--a dreamless sleep,
+undisturbed by the bark of hyenas, the squeal of monkeys, or the wail
+of tiger-cats.
+
+When he awoke he was stiff and cold.  It was still dark, but even at
+midday the sun can but feebly light the thickest parts of the Congo
+Forest.  The fire had gone out; but Samba did not venture to leave his
+perch until the glimmer of dawn, pale though it was, gave him light
+enough to see by.  He was ravenously hungry, and did not spare the food
+left in his tin; many a time he had found food in the forest near his
+home, and now that he felt well and strong, no fear of starvation
+troubled him.  Having finished his simple breakfast, he slung the empty
+can over his hip and set off on his journey.
+
+For two days he tramped on and on, plucking here the red berries of the
+phrynia, there the long crimson fruit of the amoma, with mushrooms in
+plenty.  Nothing untoward had happened.  In this part of the forest
+beasts appeared to be few.  Now and again he heard the rapping noise
+made by the soko, the gibber of monkeys, the squawk of parrots: once he
+stood behind a broad trunk and watched breathlessly as a tiger-cat
+stalked a heedless rabbit; each night he lighted his fire and found a
+serviceable branch on which to rest.
+
+But on the third day he was less happy.  The farther he walked, the
+denser became the forest, the more difficult his path.  Edible berries
+were rarer; fewer trees had fungi growing about their roots; he had to
+content himself with forest beans in their brown tough rind.  When the
+evening was drawing on he could find no dry fuel for a fire, and now,
+instead of seeking a branch for a sleeping place, he looked for a
+hollow tree which would give him some shelter from the cold damp air of
+night.  Having found his tree he gathered a handful of moss, set fire
+to it from his stick and block, which he had carefully preserved, and
+threw the smouldering heap into the hollow to smoke out noxious
+insects, or a snake, if perchance one had made his home there.
+
+The fourth day was a repetition of the third, with more discomforts.
+Sometimes the tangled vines and creepers were so thick that he had to
+go round about to find a path.  The vegetation provided still less
+food, only a few jack fruit and the wild fruit of the motanga rewarding
+his search.  He was so hungry at midday that he was reduced to
+collecting slugs from the trees, a fare he would fain have avoided.
+Fearless as he was, he was beginning to be anxious; for to make a
+certain course in this dense forest was well-nigh impossible.
+
+At dusk, when again he sought a hollow tree and dropped a heap of
+smouldering herbage into the hole, he started back with a low cry, for
+he heard an ominous hiss in the depths, and was only just in time to
+avoid a python which had been roused from sleep by the burning mass.
+In a twinkling the huge coils spread themselves like a released
+watch-spring beyond the mouth of the hole and along the lowermost
+branch of the tree.  With all his forest lore, Samba was surprised to
+find that a python could move so quickly.  The instant he heard the
+angry hiss he crouched low against the trunk, thankful that the reptile
+had chosen a branch on the other side.  Armed only with a knife, he
+knew himself no match for a twenty-foot python; had he not seen a young
+hippopotamus strangled by a python no larger than this?  Like Brer
+Rabbit, Samba lay low and said nothing: until the python, swinging
+itself on to the branch of an adjacent tree a few feet away,
+disappeared in the foliage.  Then, allowing time for the reptile to
+settle elsewhere, Samba sought safer quarters.  The python's house was
+comfortable, even commodious; but Samba would scarcely have slept as
+soundly as he was wont in uncertainty whether the disturbed owner might
+not after all return home.
+
+He felt very cramped and miserable when he rose next day to resume his
+journey.  This morning he had to start without breakfast, for neither
+fruits nor berries were to be had: a search among fallen trees failed
+even to discover ants of which to make a scanty meal.  Constant walking
+and privation were telling on his frame; his eyes were less bright, his
+step was less elastic.  But there was a great heart within him; he
+plodded on; he had set out to find his father and mother; he would not
+turn back.  The dangers ahead could be no worse than those he had
+already met, and no experienced general of army could have known better
+than Samba that to retreat is often more perilous than to advance.
+
+In the afternoon, when, having found a few berries, he had eaten the
+only meal of the day and was about to seek, earlier than usual, his
+quarters for the night, he heard, from a short distance to the left of
+his track, a great noise of growling and snarling.  The sounds were not
+like those of any animals he knew.  With cautious steps he made his way
+through the matted undergrowth towards the noise.  Almost unawares he
+came upon an extraordinary sight.  In the centre of an open space,
+scarcely twenty feet across, a small man, lighter in hue than the
+majority of Congolese natives, was struggling to free himself from the
+grip of a serval which had buried its claws deep in his body and thigh.
+Two other small men, less even than Samba in height, were leaping and
+yelling around their comrade, apparently instructing him how to act,
+though neither made use of the light spears they carried to attack the
+furious beast.  The serval, its greenish eyes brilliant with rage, was
+an unusually powerful specimen of its kind, resembling indeed a leopard
+rather than a tiger-cat.  It was bent, as it seemed, upon working its
+way upward to the man's throat, and its reddish spotted coat was so
+like his skin in hue that, as they writhed and twisted this way and
+that, an onlooker might well have hesitated to launch a spear at the
+beast for fear of hitting the man.
+
+One of the little man's hands had a grip of the serval's throat; but he
+was not strong enough to strangle it, and the lightning quickness of
+the animal's movements prevented him from gripping it with the other
+hand.  Even a sturdily-built European might well have failed to gain
+the mastery in a fight with such a foe, and the little man had neither
+the strength nor the staying power to hold out much longer.  Yet his
+companions continued to yell and dance round, keeping well out of reach
+of the terrible claws; while blood was streaming from a dozen deep
+gashes in the little man's body.
+
+Samba stood but a few moments gazing at the scene.  The instinct of the
+born hunter was awake in him, and that higher instinct which moves a
+man to help his kind.  Clutching his broad knife he bounded into the
+open, reached the fainting man in two leaps, and plunged the blade deep
+into the creature's side behind the shoulder.  With a convulsive
+wriggle the serval made a last attempt to bury its fangs in its
+victim's neck.  Then its muscles suddenly relaxed, and it fell dead to
+the ground.
+
+Samba's intervention had come too late.  The man had been so terribly
+mauled that his life was ebbing fast.  His comrades looked at him and
+began to make strange little moaning cries; then they laid him on a bed
+of leaves and turned their attention to Samba.  He knew that he was in
+the presence of Bambute, the dreaded pigmies of the forest.  Never
+before had he seen them; but he had heard of them as fearless hunters
+and daring fighters, who moved about from place to place in the forest,
+and levied toll upon the plantations of larger men.  The two little men
+came to him and patted his arms and jabbered together; but he
+understood nothing of what they said.  By signs he explained to them
+that he was hungry.  Then, leaving their wounded comrade to his fate,
+they took Samba by the hands and led him rapidly into the forest,
+following a path which could scarcely have been detected by any except
+themselves.  In some twenty minutes they arrived at a clearing where
+stood a group of two score small huts, like beehives, no more than four
+feet high, with an opening eighteen inches square, just large enough to
+allow a pigmy to creep through.  Pigmies, men and women, were squatting
+around--ugly little people, but well-made and muscular, with leaves and
+grass aprons for all clothing, and devoid of such ornaments as an
+ordinary negro loves.
+
+They sprang up as Samba approached between his guides, and a great
+babel of question and answer arose, like the chattering of monkeys.
+The story was told; none showed any concern for the man left to die;
+the Bambute acknowledge no ties, and seem to have little family
+affection.  A plentiful dinner of antelope flesh and bananas was soon
+placed before Samba, and it was clear that the pigmies were ready to
+make much of the stranger who had so boldly attacked the serval.
+
+One of them knew a little of a Congolese dialect, and he succeeded in
+making Samba understand that the chief was pleased with him, and wished
+to adopt him as his son.  Samba shook his head and smiled: his own
+parents were alive, he said; he wished for no others.  This made the
+chief angry.  The chiefs of some of the big men had often adopted pigmy
+boys and made slaves of them; it was now his turn.  The whole community
+scowled and snarled so fiercely that Samba thought the safest course
+was to feign acquiescence for the moment, and seize the first
+opportunity afterwards of slipping away.
+
+But nearly three weeks passed before a chance presented itself.  The
+pigmies kept him with them, never letting him go out of their sight.
+They fed him well--almost too well, expecting his powers of consumption
+to be equal to their own.  Never before had he seen such extraordinary
+eaters.  One little man would squat before a stalk bearing fifty or
+sixty bananas, and eat them all.  True, he lay moaning and groaning all
+night, but next morning would be quite ready to gorge an equal meal.
+Since they did not cultivate the ground themselves, Samba wondered
+where they obtained their plentiful supply of bananas and manioc.  He
+learnt by and by that they appropriated what they pleased from the
+plantations of a neighbouring tribe of big men, who had too great a
+respect for the pigmies' poisoned arrows and spears to protest.  Samba
+hoped that he might one day escape to this tribe, but a shifting of the
+village rendered this impossible, though it afforded the boy the
+opportunity for which he had so long been waiting.
+
+On the night when the pigmy tribe settled down in its new home, four
+days' journey from the old, Samba took advantage of the fatigue of his
+captors to steal away.  He had chosen the darkest hour before the dawn,
+and knowing that he would very soon be missed and followed up, he
+struck off through the forest as rapidly as he could.  With plentiful
+food he had recovered his old strength and vigour, and he strode along
+fleetly, finding his way chiefly by the nature of the ground beneath
+his feet; for there was no true path, and the forest was almost
+completely dark, even when dawn had broken elsewhere.  As the morning
+drew on the leafy arcades became faintly illuminated, and he could then
+see sufficiently well to choose the easiest way through the obstacles
+that beset his course.
+
+Despite all his exertions his progress was very slow.  Well he knew
+that, expert though he was in forest travel, he could not move through
+these tangled mazes with anything like the speed of the active little
+men who by this time were almost certainly on his track.  At the best
+he could hardly have got more than two miles' start.  As he threaded
+his way through the brushwood, hacking with his knife at obstructive
+creepers, and receiving many a scratch from briar and thorn, he tried
+to think of some way of throwing the pursuers off the scent; but every
+yard of progress demanded so much exertion that he was unequal to the
+effort of devising any likely ruse.
+
+Suddenly coming upon a shallow stream about two yards wide that ran
+across his line of march, he saw in a flash a chance of covering his
+trail.  He stepped into the stream, pausing for a moment to drink, then
+waded a few paces against the current, narrowly scanning the bordering
+trees.  They showed a close network of interlacing branches, one tree
+encroaching on another.  Choosing a bough overhanging the brook, just
+above his head, Samba drew himself up into the tree, taking care that
+no spots of water were left on the branch to betray him.  Then,
+clambering nimbly like a monkey from bough to bough, he made a path for
+himself through the trees at an angle half-way between the directions
+of the stream and of his march through the forest.  He hoped that,
+losing his track in the stream, the Bambute would jump to the
+conclusion that he was making his way up or down its bed, and would
+continue their chase accordingly.
+
+Among the trees his progress was even slower than on the ground.  Every
+now and again he had to return on his tracks, encountering a branch
+that, serviceable as it might look, proved either too high or too low,
+or not strong enough to bear his weight.  And he was making more noise
+than he liked.  There was not only the rustle and creak of parting
+leaves and bending twigs, and the crack of small branches that snapped
+under his hand; but his intrusion scared the natural denizens of the
+forest, and they clattered away with loud cries of alarm--grey parrots
+in hundreds, green pigeons, occasionally a hawk or the great blue
+plantain-eater.  The screeches of the birds smothered, indeed, any
+sound that he himself might make; but such long-continued evidence of
+disturbance might awaken the suspicion of the little men and guide them
+to his whereabouts.
+
+By and by he came to a gap in the forest.  The clear sunlight was
+welcome as a guide to his course; but he saw that to follow the
+direction which he believed would bring him towards Banonga he must now
+leave the trees.  He stopped for a few minutes to recover breath, and
+to consider what he had best do.  As he lay stretched along a bough,
+his eye travelled back over the path he had come.  The vagaries of
+lightning that had struck down two forest giants in close proximity
+disclosed to his view a stretch of some twenty yards of the stream
+which he had just crossed on his primeval suspension bridge.  What
+caused him to start and draw himself together, shrinking behind a leafy
+screen thick enough to hide him even from the practised eyes of the
+little forest men?  There, in the bed of the stream, glancing this way
+and that, at the water, the banks, the trees on every side, were a file
+of Bambute, carrying their little bows and arrows and their short light
+spears.  They moved swiftly, silently, some bending towards the ground,
+others peering to right and left with a keenness that nothing could
+escape.  Samba's heart thumped against his ribs as he watched them.  He
+counted them as they passed one after another across the gap; they
+numbered twenty, and he was not sure that he had seen the first.
+
+The last disappeared.  Samba waited.  Had his ruse succeeded?  There
+was absolute silence; he heard neither footstep nor voice.  But the
+little men must soon find out their mistake.  They would then cast back
+to the point where they had lost the scent.  Could they pick it up
+again--trace him to the tree and follow him up?  He could not tell.
+They must have been close upon him when he climbed into the tree;
+evidently he had left the path only in the nick of time.  This much he
+had gained.  But he dared not wait longer; there was no safety for him
+while they were so near; he must on.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Trip with a Crocodile
+
+Samba looked warily round, then began to descend from his perch in the
+tree, moving as slowly and with as many pauses as a timid bather
+stepping into the water.  Once more he was on the ground.  Pausing only
+to throw a rapid glance on all sides, he struck off in a direction at
+right angles to the course of the stream, and resumed his laborious
+march through the forest maze.
+
+Hour after hour he pushed on without meeting a living creature.  But he
+had heard too much of the cunning and determination of the Congo dwarfs
+to delude himself with the idea that he had finally shaken them off.
+Tired as he was, sweating in the moist oppressive heat, he dared not
+rest, even to eat in comfort the food he had brought in his tin.  He
+nibbled morsels as he went, hoping that by good speed during the whole
+day he might get far enough from the pigmies to make his ultimate
+escape secure.
+
+Towards evening he heard in front of him the long monotonous rustle of
+a stream foaming over a rocky bed.  He was careful in approaching it:
+to meet a crocodile ambushed near the bank would be as dangerous as to
+meet a man.  Pushing his way cautiously through the shrubs, he came to
+the edge of a broad river, flowing in swift eddies from white rapids
+above.  It seemed to Samba that this must be a tributary of the Lemba,
+the river on whose bank he had left the white men, and to which, lower
+down, he must ultimately make his way.  Pursuit by the white men might
+now be safely disregarded; Samba thought he could hardly do better than
+keep to the stream, taking his chance of meeting negroes at isolated
+villages on the banks.  These, if he met them, would at any rate be
+easier to elude than the Bambute.
+
+But the sun was going down, the air becoming chill.  He must find a
+shelter for the night and pursue his riverside journey next day.  A
+little search revealed, on a bluff above the river, a boulder having a
+deep cavity on one side.  Here Samba sat down to eat the little food
+left in his tin; then he curled himself up for the night.  Nothing
+disturbed his sleep.
+
+In the morning he felt more than usually hungry.  His tin was empty; he
+did not care to leave the river and go hunting in the forest, perhaps
+vainly, for berries or roots.  A little way down stream he noticed a
+spot where the dark surface of the water was scarcely disturbed by a
+ripple; was that a deep pool, he wondered, where fish might be?  He
+went down to the edge and, leaning flat upon a rock peeped over.  Yes;
+in the depths he caught the scaly gleam of darting fish.
+
+Springing up, he went to a swampy patch hard by and cut a long,
+straight, stiff reed.  Then he took the hard stick with which he made
+fire, and, sharpening the point until it pricked like a needle, he
+fitted the wood to the reed so as to make a spear.  With this in his
+hand he once more leant over the pool.  He lay still for a few moments,
+intently watching; then, with a movement of extraordinary swiftness, he
+plunged his spear into the depths, and brought it out with a silvery
+trout impaled.  The fish had stopped to nibble at a root in the bank.
+When Samba had thus caught three he was satisfied.  He did not pause to
+cook the fish.  He split them open, dexterously boned and cleaned them,
+and ate them raw.
+
+He had scarcely finished his breakfast when he saw, hurtling down the
+rapids above him, a huge forest tree--a mass of green, for most of its
+branches in full leaf were still upon it.  Clearly it had not long lost
+its grip of earth.  It came swirling towards Samba, every now and then
+stopping as its submerged part was caught by some rock, only to be
+whirled round and driven past the obstacle by the weight of water
+behind.  It made a zigzag course through the rapids, and then floated
+peacefully down the still reach of water beneath.
+
+As he watched the tree sailing gently towards him, Samba had an idea.
+Why not use it as a raft to carry him on his way?  It was strong enough
+to bear his weight; he could hide in the foliage with at least as good
+a chance of escaping observation as if he were moving along the banks.
+
+By the time he had grasped the notion the tree was past him.  He sprang
+up, raced along until he was level with it, then took a neat header
+into the water.  A minute's rapid swimming brought him to the end of
+the trunk, which, he saw, had been snapped clean off and was not
+encumbered by the roots.  He clambered up, and the trunk was so long
+that his trifling weight scarcely depressed its end.  Smiling with
+pleasure, he crawled along it until he was in the centre of the leafy
+screen.
+
+This, however, now that he was there, did not seem so dense as when he
+had viewed it from the bank; he was not concealed so well as he had
+hoped.  Every now and again, too, his novel raft gave an ominous lurch
+and roll, suggesting that the portion above water might at any moment
+change places with that below.  If that happened, Samba wondered, would
+he be able to disengage himself from the tangle of branches and swim
+clear?  But these momentary fears were banished by the novelty and
+excitement of his position.  How delightful it was, after his toilsome
+and fatiguing journey through the forest, to float down the river
+without effort of his own in a leafy arbour that defended him from the
+fierce rays of the sun!  And his voyage had the pleasures of variety.
+Sometimes the foliaged top went first; then, when the branches swept
+the bottom of the stream in shallow reaches, the trunk swung round and
+went broadside to the current.  Sometimes the branches stuck fast, the
+current carried the trunk round in a circle, and when an eddy set it
+again in motion, the trunk end became the bow of this uneasy ship.
+Bump!  That was some rock or sandbank; the tree shook, and Samba was
+nearly toppled from his perch.  Nk'oketo![1] It was all right; the
+friendly water had washed the tree clear, and Samba was off again, his
+black eyes gleaming with fun as he peered between the branches.
+
+It was early in the afternoon, and very hot even for those latitudes.
+Everything seemed asleep.  No breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees
+along the banks.  The air quivered.  Samba was dozing, lulled by the
+gentle motion of the tree, whose progress had not for some time been
+checked.
+
+All at once there was a shock.  Samba instinctively clutched a branch
+as he felt himself jerked from his seat.  His lumbering vessel was
+twirling round; and looking through the leaves, he saw that it was
+caught by the head on a sandbank in midstream.
+
+But next moment he felt a shiver run down his spine, and an eery
+creeping about the roots of his hair.  Below him, not four feet away, a
+gigantic crocodile was staring at him with his cunning baleful eyes.
+The swish of the projecting branches upon the sandbank had aroused the
+reptile from his siesta on this vantage ground, whence, at the lazy
+opening of an eye, he could survey a long stretch of the river.  And he
+had awoke to see a plump and tempting black boy at the inconsiderable
+altitude of four feet above his snout.
+
+Those who have seen the crocodile only in his hours of ease, lazily
+sunning himself on a river bank, or floating with scarcely more than
+his eyes and forehead visible on the surface of the stream, may have
+come to the comfortable conclusion that he is a slow-moving and
+lethargic beast.  But see him rushing at the bank to seize in his
+terrible jaws the unwary antelope or zebra that has come to drink, or
+to sweep it into the river with a single blow of his mighty tail.
+Watch him when, roused from his doze on a sandbank, by the sting of a
+rifle bullet on his armour, he vanishes with lightning rapidity beneath
+the water.  At one moment to all seeming as lifeless as a log, the next
+he is a raging monster, ready to tear and rend any hapless creature
+which his inertness has beguiled.
+
+Of the two, Samba and the crocodile, it was the saurian that first
+recovered his wits.  His instinct when disturbed at close quarters is
+to rush forthwith upon his enemy or victim.  Thus did the crocodile
+now.  Considering that he is a beast not built for jumping, the leap he
+attempted, with a spasmodic wriggle of his formidable tail, was quite a
+creditable feat.  With his teeth he grazed the lower part of the branch
+on which Samba sat; and the boy, gazing down into the beast's eyes,
+shuddered and shrank away.  Fortunate it was for him that his legs had
+not been dangling.  Nothing could then have saved him.
+
+The reptile, slipping back after its failure, maintained its hold on
+the lower branches with its forefeet.  Before it could make a second
+attempt, Samba had swung himself into the branch above.  The tree
+toppled slightly, and for one moment of terror Samba feared he would be
+thrown into the very jaws of the monster.  But the sandbank held the
+tree firmly, and that peril was past.
+
+With thick foliage between it and the boy, the crocodile saw no chance
+of securing its victim from its present position.  But it was
+determined not to be balked, and, cunning beast! could afford to wait.
+It seemed to know that the boy was only safe so long as he clung to his
+perch.  On the sandbank, or in the water, his end would alike be
+speedy.  So the reptile slid off the bank into the water, and swam to
+the trunk end of the tree, which had been swung round by the current
+and was now pointing down stream.  If it could not leap, it could
+crawl, and up the trunk the approach to its prey was easy.
+
+Samba's eyes were now wide with fright, as he saw the beast's
+intention.  Up a tree on the river bank he could have laughed any
+crocodile to scorn; but this sandbank in midstream was ground
+peculiarly the creature's own, even though the prey was on a branch ten
+feet above it.  With its experience of sandbanks the crocodile knew
+there was no permanency in this arrangement.
+
+The attempts of the huge reptile to gain a footing on the trunk had a
+result which caused Samba mingled hope and fear.  The tree floated
+clear of the bank, and the voyage began again.  But how different were
+the circumstances!  In the stern, no longer a cheerful smiling boy,
+carelessly watching the slow banks glide by, but a boy whose hands and
+feet gripped his perch with anxious tenacity, and whose scared eyes
+were quick to mark every movement of the unwelcome, the abhorred,
+passenger amidships.  With many a splash of its tail, and many a grunt
+of impatient fury, the monster at last made good its footing on the
+broad trunk, which under its weight was for more than a quarter of its
+length invisible beneath the surface of the water.  For some minutes it
+lay still, staring at Samba with unwinking eyes, displaying all its
+teeth as if to grin sardonically at its victim.  Samba regretted for
+the moment that he had not swarmed down from his perch and attacked the
+crocodile with his knife while he was still struggling to mount the
+trunk.  But then he reflected that he had after all done wisely, for
+the reptile would have slid back into the water, and before Samba could
+gain his retreat, he might have been swept off by one swish of the
+terrible tail.
+
+Samba, as he had shown more than once, and notably in the recent
+incident of the serval, had no lack of courage; but he had never before
+been at such close quarters with a crocodile, the most terrible of all
+the natural enemies of man in the regions of the Congo.  And as he sat
+and watched the glassy stare of the hideous reptile now wriggling inch
+by inch towards him, he felt a strange helplessness, a kind of
+fascination that seemed to chill and paralyse his power of movement as
+of thought.  He had retreated as far as he dared.  His weight had
+caused some of the slenderer and more elastic branches to bend towards
+the water; he had even imagined that, as he tested them, the pressure
+threatened to make the tree revolve.  What his fate would be if the
+whirling of the trunk on its axis brought him into the river he well
+knew.  The crocodile would slip as nimbly as an eel after him; and,
+entangled in the foliage, which to his armoured enemy would offer no
+obstacle, he would fall an easy prey.
+
+The crocodile wriggled on, till it came to the place where the first
+branch forked from the trunk.  Scarcely more than its own length now
+separated it from Samba.  Apparently it had come as near as it cared to
+venture; not being a climber, the feat of crawling up the tapering
+branch on which Samba was perched was not one to its taste.  It lay
+still, with jaws agape, its eyes half-closed in a kind of wicked leer.
+
+Samba tried to look away from the hideous beast, but in vain; he found
+his gaze drawn back uncontrollably.  He felt even more subject to the
+fascination now that the crocodile's movements had ceased.  The
+conviction was growing upon him that sooner or later he would slide
+down the branch and fall dreamily into the open jaws.  He was fast
+becoming hypnotized.
+
+But he was roused from this dangerous trancelike state by a sudden roll
+of the tree.  Perched high as he was, the motion caused him to swing
+through an arc of several yards and brought him perilously near the
+water.  The danger quickened his faculties: he clung on with a tighter
+grip, bethinking himself to look whether his fishing spear, which he
+had stuck into the bark, was still safe.  He was relieved to find that
+it was undisturbed.  The tree righted itself, and a gleam of hope
+lightened Samba's mind when he saw that the crocodile was in the water.
+Though, stretched on the trunk, the beast had felt the roll less than
+Samba above, it had a less tenacious grip and less ability to adapt
+itself; and first the tail, then the rest of its body had slid off.  It
+was violently struggling to regain its position, its jaw resting on the
+trunk, its forepaws furiously beating the water.
+
+The memory of the reptile's former difficulties in mounting inspired
+Samba with an idea, which, impelled equally by terror and hate, he was
+prompt to act upon.  The tree was still rocking slightly before
+regaining its steadiness, and the crocodile, despite its efforts, was
+unable to gain a firm grip on the moving trunk.  All its attention was
+engaged upon the accomplishment of its immediate purpose: it would lose
+the dainty morsel if it did not once more mount the tree.  Samba was
+quick to seize the critical moment.  Spear in hand he crept downwards
+along the branch on which he had been perched, careful that his
+movements should not divert the crocodile's attention.  Reaching the
+junction of the branch with the parent stem, only five or six feet from
+the reptile, he let himself down noiselessly into the river on the far
+side of the tree, and swam for a second or two until he came opposite
+the crocodile.  During these few seconds he had been hidden from the
+creature's view by the mass of the trunk, which rose out of the water
+to some height above his head.
+
+The crocodile had now managed to get its forepaws on the tree, and in
+struggling to hoist itself its snout was raised almost upright,
+exposing the soft underside, the sole part in which it is vulnerable to
+anything except a very heavy bullet.  Samba caught sight of the tip of
+the snout above the tree; here was the opportunity he had hoped for in
+making this hazardous experiment.  Taking with his left hand a firm
+grip of a wart on the trunk, he raised himself in the water, and with
+the right hand drove his spear twice into the monster's throat.  The
+crocodile made no sound; a lash of the powerful tail drove up a wave
+that caused the tree to rock violently: then the huge body slipped
+backwards into the water.
+
+The moment he had driven his spear home Samba let go his hold on the
+tree, and trod water until the current brought the foliage to him.
+Then he drew himself nimbly up into the branch he had formerly
+occupied.  He was breathless, and scarcely yet recovered from his
+scare; but there was no sign of the crocodile, and knowing that the
+reptile when mortally wounded sinks into deep water, he felt that his
+enemy had gone for ever.  He heaved a deep sigh of relief, but chancing
+to look back, he noticed with a start of renewed dread that the water
+in the wake of the tree was faintly tinged with red.  Was it possible
+that the crocodile, though wounded, was still following?  He felt a
+shiver thrill through him, and, bending down from his perch, kept his
+eyes fixed in a stare on that ominous sanguine thread.
+
+The minutes passed.  Still the water showed that faint persistent
+tidge.  Samba was becoming more and more nervous.  Like the reptile's
+eyes but a little while ago, that line of red held his gaze in a
+strange fascination.  He was still watching it when the tree suddenly
+gave a violent lurch, and turned half over.  Samba, whose hold had
+relaxed in his nervousness, was flung off the branch into a clump of
+bushes at the side of the river, which here began to race rapidly
+through a deep gorge.  Scratched and dazed by the fall he picked
+himself up slowly.  He rubbed his eyes.  What was this?  He was in the
+midst of a group of pigmies, who were pointing excitedly, uttering
+their strange coughing cry, to the branches of the tree.  In its lurch
+it had been turned almost completely round, so that the foliage
+formerly beneath the water was now uppermost.  And there, firmly wedged
+in a fork of two boughs, lay the lifeless body of the crocodile.
+
+The Bambute jabbered to Samba, stroked his arms, patted his back,
+examined the spear which, though it was broken in his fall, he had not
+let go.  From the bank they had witnessed the boy's bold fight, and
+they had followed the course of the floating tree until it ran ashore
+on a jutting bed of rock.  Samba made signs that he wished to pursue
+his journey on foot; but the Bambute shook their heads and grunted and
+carried him away with them.  Once more he was a prisoner.
+
+
+
+[1] Nothing wrong!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Bula Matadi comes to Ilola
+
+"Well, Barney," said Jack, when Mr. Martindale's canoe had disappeared,
+"I don't know how a first mate would feel if he lost his captain in
+mid-ocean, but I should fancy he'd feel pretty much as I do now."
+
+"And what sort of feeling is now consuming ye, sorr?"
+
+"Mixed, Barney, very mixed!  I like the idea of being left in charge,
+trusted, you know; there's something jolly pleasant about that.  But
+that's the point, you see; I am left in charge."
+
+"Sure I see your maning widout your telling me, sorr.  'Tis just the
+very same feeling I used to have whin a bhoy, and me mither put the
+baby in me arms and tould me to sit wid her on the doorstep.  'Twas a
+sweet pretty colleen, an' I thought a powerful deal uv having such a
+heap uv loveliness in me arms; but thin, just as you say, sorr, she was
+in me arms, an' they being thin an' she being fat--begorra!  I was soon
+mighty tired uv it, an' I wished she was ugly so that I might hate her
+widout sin."
+
+"I hope I shan't feel quite so bad as that, Barney," said Jack with a
+laugh.  "But I own I'm a little anxious with so many people in my
+charge."
+
+"And not wan uv them to be trusted, saving Pat and meself."
+
+"And this mining claim of my uncle's to keep an eye on and defend
+without using force."
+
+"And wild beasts prowling around----"
+
+"And that villainous uncle of Samba's somewhere in the neighbourhood, I
+suppose, waiting a chance to molest us."
+
+"And bedad! if he does, he'll find an Irishman, an Englishman, and a
+terrier, Irish by breed and Irish by nature, and them three are a match
+for any fifty Blokos, widout a doubt."
+
+"You're an optimist, Barney.  But you're right.  It's silly to meet
+troubles half-way.  We had better set about doing something.  I used to
+think our house-master kept our noses rather too close to the
+grindstone, but I begin to see he was right when he said work was the
+best cure for the dumps."
+
+"And for what the advertisements call a tindency to corpilence.  But
+what will you be after doing at all, sorr?"
+
+"Well, don't you think that, now our numbers are reduced, it would be
+as well to move our camp nearer to Imbono's village?  We shall be here
+for a couple of months or so, and if Boloko is still on our tracks we
+should be less open to surprise near Ilola.  Besides, it will give the
+men something to do.  They'd better build grass huts for the whole
+party, and I don't see why we shouldn't try our hands at architectural
+improvements."
+
+"Indeed, 'tis a good notion, sorr.  But are ye sure Imbono would be
+willing to have us for close neighbours?"
+
+"We can try.  He's my blood brother, you know.  And I dare say we can
+put him up to a thing or two."
+
+The chief made no objection to the suggested change of site; indeed, he
+offered the assistance of his men in the construction of the new huts.
+This, however, Jack declined in the politest terms, thinking it better
+to provide plenty of work for his own men until he had had time to take
+his bearings.  The new huts were built within a short distance of
+Ilola, near a stream.  They were the ordinary grass huts of the
+natives, but Jack, seeing a number of wooden slabs taken from the
+bottoms of old canoes, had purchased them from Imbono, and when shaped
+a little they made a very fair substitute for flooring boards.  The new
+settlement was surrounded with a stockade in the native manner, space
+enough being left within to accommodate Mr. Martindale and his party
+when they should return.
+
+This work occupied a fortnight.  Everything had gone smoothly, save for
+trifling squabbles among the natives.  These Jack managed to settle
+with little difficulty, in great part through the excellent qualities
+of Lepoko, who turned out to be a much better man all round than his
+brother Nando.  When the new village was completed, Jack set the men to
+make Indian clubs from the trees near at hand, and spent part of the
+cool hours in instructing his followers in their use.  They took
+readily to the new pastime, and very quickly became proficient in
+executing a great variety of intricate figures.  Jack was elated at the
+success of his experiment: it not only provided an admirable drill for
+the men, but accustomed them to take commands from him and thus
+consolidated his authority.
+
+Imbono's men caught the infection: Indian clubs were soon the order of
+the day in Ilola; and it gave Jack and Barney no little amusement to
+see men, women, and children at all times of the day whirling clubs
+around their heads.  Imbono saw that his men's performances were
+greatly lacking in rhythm and grace, and he begged his blood brother
+(whom he had named Lokolobolo, "strong leg") to allow some of his men
+to join in the daily practising.  Jack was nothing loth; the more
+influence he could obtain in this way the better his chances of success
+in the task his uncle had set him.
+
+He was casting about for some new employment to occupy and interest his
+men, when a couple of canoes came up the river bearing a letter from
+Mr. Martindale, and a small consignment of Mauser rifles and
+ammunition.  The letter was dated from Baraka.
+
+
+DEAR JACK,--
+
+I've got here safely, no interference, no upsets.  I've managed to get
+hold of some rifles--I won't tell you how--and send them to you in
+charge of some canoe "boys."  Hope they'll reach you safely.  I've paid
+the boys well, and promised them as much more if they return and meet
+me with an acknowledgment from you.  I'm off to Boma; will write you
+again from there if I can find a means of sending the letter.  Let me
+know by the bearer how you are getting on.
+
+On the way down I made more particular inquiries than were possible in
+coming up as to the methods of the Congo Government.  At Stanleyville I
+met a Frenchman who told me a good deal, and here got rather chummy
+with an English missionary on his way home to tell the British public
+some of the effects of King Leopold's rule.  One need only look at the
+man to see that he is the right sort, with the stuff in him for
+martyrdom if the call came.  The things he told me made my skin creep.
+Leopold seems to be doing his best to depopulate the country.  He'll
+soon make Vanderbilt sing small as a multi-millionaire; but when his
+pile's made this State of his will be a wilderness.
+
+I find that the natives are required to bring in four kilos of rubber
+every fortnight.  They're supposed to be paid for it, and they do get
+brass rods or something of the sort; but the pay works out at the rate
+of three cents a pound--when rubber to my knowledge fetches about
+eighty cents a pound in the European market!  I hear of cases where
+they don't even get that; a spoonful of salt is supposed to be
+sufficient.  If the rubber don't measure up to the standard, the least
+punishment the poor wretches get is twenty-five lashes with a whip of
+hippo hide--the _chicotte_, an outrageous thing that would cut through
+a pine log.  But they don't stop at twenty-five; a hundred ain't
+uncommon; no wonder some of the poor creatures peg out after it.
+
+But that's not the worst.  These precious "forest guards," as they call
+them, seem to be little less than fiends.  I saw with my own eyes, at
+one of the villages on the way down, a basket filled with hands, cut
+from the people these savages have killed for not bringing in enough
+rubber.  The Frenchman told me they have to produce these hands before
+the Commissary to prove they haven't wasted their cartridges.
+According to State law they oughtn't to be armed with rifles, but
+they've got a Belgian thing called the Albini, and that's how they use
+it.  I wouldn't believe that this hand-chopping was done with the
+knowledge of the officials, though even then it don't relieve them of
+responsibility; but I heard of a State officer at one of the outposts
+who actually paid in brass rods for the hands brought him.
+
+Law doesn't count here, and justice is only a name.  What do you think
+of this?  A Belgian official quartered himself with twenty native
+soldiers on a small village, and because they couldn't fix up at once
+the food required for the visitors, he carried the chief and some of
+his men to his camp up river, and kept 'em there tied up for a month
+till a fine of 5,000 brass rods had been paid--ruination for such a
+small place.  The missionary told me that "fights" are constantly
+taking place, and "fight" simply means massacre.  Districts that once
+held a thousand people are now reduced to a hundred; what natives are
+not killed get so worn out and dispirited that they are bowled over by
+sleeping sickness.  If this sort of thing goes on much longer, the
+whole population will be wiped out.
+
+You'll be surprised to get such a long letter; but fact is, I can't
+think of anything else just now.  It makes me fairly sick to think that
+America had a hand in putting this huge territory under the control of
+a man whose philanthropic high-falutin comes to this.  The whole system
+is organized murder and pillage under the form of law, and for this
+King Leopold, who pockets a thumping profit, is responsible before God
+and man.  Now I've told you this you'll know how to deal with that
+fellow Elbel if he tries any tricks.  But remember, no fighting except
+in self-defence.  Patience, my boy--_toujours la patience_, as the
+Frenchman said to me when I was boiling with rage and wanted to go
+right away and speak my mind to the Governor.
+
+Your affectionate uncle,
+  JOHN MARTINDALE.
+
+P.S.--I saw and heard nothing of Samba.
+
+
+There was plenty of food for thought here, especially when Jack learnt
+from the head paddler who had brought the letter that the officials of
+the Trust in which Ilola was situated were coming up the river to
+establish new dépôts for the rubber.  He wrote a brief account of what
+he had been doing, and despatched it by the same men.  Then, to be
+prepared for eventualities, he picked out the most intelligent of his
+followers and began to teach them the use of the rifle.  Only a few of
+them showed any promise as marksmen.  But Jack was very patient with
+them; and having a good stock of ammunition and the promise of more, he
+did not spare practice, and in a short time had about fifteen fairly
+trustworthy shots.  One man, named Makoko, took to the rifle from the
+first and ran Jack close as a marksman.  Jack was very proud of his
+pupil.  He himself had been the crack shot of his school company; and
+though there was all the difference in the world between shooting at
+the butts from a position of rest and shooting at alligators or hippos
+from a canoe, he had tested his marksmanship with success as he came up
+the Congo.
+
+Now that some of his men had rifles it occurred to Jack to teach them
+what he remembered of his company drill.  It was a welcome change after
+their long practice with the Indian clubs, and they entered into it
+with the pleasure and zest of children.  Lepoko was gratified with the
+rank of sergeant, and Makoko made corporal in recognition of his
+diligence and skill in musketry.  When the company was formed Barney
+reminded Jack that he had been a corporal in the Irish Fusiliers.  "And
+sure I'd be in the army now, sorr, only they didn't invent the Irish
+Guards till I was a time-expired man.  But having been a corporal, it's
+meself that is cut out to be your liftinant here, sorr.  We've got Pat
+for the pet uv the reg'mint," he added, "and the only thing that's
+wanting is the uniform."
+
+"Well, Barney, perhaps for the sake of uniformity we'd better strip and
+take to the loincloth."
+
+"Ah! you must always be having your bit uv fun, sorr.  We'd be far too
+conspicuous, for my skin at any rate would turn red wid modesty, and
+the generals say that red coats make the best targets for the inemy."
+
+The drilling of Jack's company was followed with great interest and
+admiration by Imbono and his men.  They never failed to attend the
+daily parade, and soon desired to join it.  Jack delighted the chief by
+putting the villagers through the same exercises as his own men,
+excepting, of course, the musketry practice, for which they had no
+rifles.  Before long Jack found himself captain of a company a hundred
+and fifty strong, all but his fifteen riflemen being spearmen.
+
+Nearly two months had now passed.  Jack had not heard again from his
+uncle, whose return he daily expected.  He was anxious to see him
+again, for lately news had been brought in by excited natives that the
+servants of the Great White Chief were drawing nearer, their progress
+being attended by wanton cruelties which boded ill for the men of
+Ilola.  So distressed was Imbono at the tales he heard from these
+messengers that he thought of dismantling his village and migrating
+into the depths of the forest.  There for a time he and his people
+might hide from the destroyer.  But to a people accustomed to the open
+the prospect of making a new home in the forest was gloomy indeed.
+Most of them would probably die of disease before they became
+acclimatised, and there was great risk of starving while clearings were
+being made and brought under cultivation.  Imbono resolved to wait a
+little longer, hoping that Bula Matadi might turn back, sated with the
+spoils from lower reaches of the Lemba.
+
+One day, the visitors so long expected and so little desired arrived at
+the village.  Jack's settlement being on the further side of Ilola from
+the river, he did not know of their approach until informed of it by a
+messenger from Imbono.  Thirty forest guards of the Great White Chief
+had come, and with them twenty nondescripts, hangers-on of the licensed
+pillagers.  Their leader was not a white man, as Imbono had expected,
+but a black man like themselves.  This surprised Jack.  It was of
+rather ill omen that the first representatives of King Leopold in
+Imbono's village should be negroes free from white men's control.  But
+the strangers reported that a white man--his name, they said, was
+Elobela--was coming up the river behind them.  Meanwhile they, in his
+name, called upon the chief to supply rubber.  Imbono desired that his
+brother Lokolobolo would come into the village and give him advice.
+
+"Faith, I'd do nothing of the sort, sorr," said Barney.  "What would ye
+have any truck wid Elbel's scoundhrels for?"
+
+"But it would be a poor return for Imbono's kindness to refuse.  I
+shall certainly go; the question is, shall I go armed?"
+
+"The blessed angels help ye if ye don't, sorr.  Take your revolver;
+I'll come wid ye, and so will Pat; 'tis right to make a good show for
+the honour of the reg'mint."
+
+Accordingly captain, lieutenant, and regimental pet, with Lepoko as
+interpreter, left the stockaded camp and crossed to Ilola.  They found
+the thirty forest guards already swaggering about the village as if it
+belonged to them.  They were big muscular Ngombe, armed with rifle,
+cutlass, and whip.  Their leader was engaged in conversation with the
+chief.  No sooner did Pat perceive him than he darted forward with a
+growl, and coming to the negro, began to bark furiously at his heels.
+The man turned round quickly and aimed a blow with his whip at the dog,
+which made Pat bark and jump more vigorously than ever.  At the same
+moment the man caught sight of Jack, and his face expressed surprise,
+guilt, and bravado in turn.
+
+"Begorra!" said Barney under his breath, "'tis Bloko himself!"
+
+The chief's countenance cleared; he was unmistakably pleased at Jack's
+ready response to his request.  Then he anxiously asked what he should
+do.
+
+"I don't think you can do anything but obey," replied Jack.
+"Undoubtedly the Great White Chief is lord of the land.  By the laws he
+has made you are bound to supply these people with rubber.  It is your
+tax.  If you resist it will mean ruin to yourself and your villages.
+How is the rubber to be paid for?"
+
+"In brass rods."
+
+"Well, let your men do their best.  We will see if you get your due
+pay.  My uncle will soon be back; he is a determined man, and if you
+are not properly treated he will take care that somebody hears of it."
+
+Boloko scowled, then laughed, when Lepoko translated this answer to the
+chief.  He swaggered away to his men, and the whole crowd were soon
+laughing heartily, every now and then making derisive gestures at the
+white men.  With some difficulty Barney had got hold of Pat, whose
+barking had subsided into a rumbling growl.  But for his restraining
+hand Barney knew well that the dog would have thrown prudence to the
+winds and set upon the strange negroes.
+
+From that day Imbono's villagers began the collection of rubber.
+Boloko and his men seized as many huts as they required, and demanded
+regular and copious supplies of food for themselves and their
+hangers-on.  Before twenty-four hours had passed Boloko, with half a
+dozen of his guards, strolled over to Jack's village, and looked in at
+the gateway of the stockade.  Jack had already decided to adopt
+military precautions.  Two of his best men were doing sentry-go at the
+gate.  When Boloko saw them and their rifles he thought better of
+entering as he had purposed.  He stood for some time taking stock of
+the tidy compound and the neat new huts around, and discussing with his
+men this unexpected discovery.  Then with a malignant scowl he returned
+to Ilola.
+
+For some days Jack saw no more of Boloko.  He remained within his own
+stockade, thinking it would do the chief no good if he too openly
+showed friendship.  Every day he put the men through their usual drill,
+never giving the least sign that he was aware of being closely observed
+by the forest guards.  The drilling of Imbono's men had ceased; the
+adult villagers were now engaged in the collection of rubber.
+
+From what Jack heard from his men, it soon became clear to him that
+Boloko was anxious to pick a quarrel with the chief.  His motive, Jack
+guessed, was partly to show his authority, partly to flaunt his
+contempt of the friendship between Imbono and the white men.  His
+design was to some extent kept in check by the knowledge that Jack had
+fifteen men well armed and trained, and the presence of the two white
+men, Inglesa too--he had a wholesome respect for the Inglesa--was in
+itself a considerable deterrent.  But he began to find fault with the
+quality of the rubber brought in; declared that the villagers kept the
+best fish for themselves and gave him the worst; complained that his
+men were made ill by rotten manioc.  Imbono took care that the details
+of these grievances were carried to Jack, who, however, held aloof,
+still feeling that interference on his part would do no good, while it
+would certainly aggravate the situation.  When the Congo Free State
+entrusted the collection of its revenue to such subordinates as Boloko,
+commanding ruthless savages like the forest guards, there was nothing
+to be done.
+
+One evening, after sunset, Lepoko came into Jack's hut to say that the
+chief desired to see him.  Jack hurried out, and found Imbono in
+company with one of his villagers.  He invited them into his hut,
+lighted a candle, and setting food and palm wine before them, inquired
+the object of their visit.
+
+"Look, my brother!" said the chief, pointing to his companion.
+
+The man turned, and showed three terrible gashes in his back.  He
+lifted his right foot and removed a bandage; Jack saw that two of the
+toes were missing.
+
+"You see, brother!" said Imbono.  "Ifumi was eating caterpillars in his
+hut.  The guard Bomolo saw him and came to him and said, 'Your rubber
+is short.  You eat caterpillars instead of collecting rubber.'  Ifumi
+said: 'No, my rubber is not short.  There is my basket; you see it is
+full.'  But Bomolo cut three gashes in his back, and struck off two of
+his toes with his knife."
+
+"That is the truth, Ifumi?" asked Jack.
+
+"It is true," replied the man.
+
+"You did not provoke Bomolo?"
+
+"No, I said to him only what the chief has told."
+
+"You did right to come, Imbono," said Jack quietly.  "Go back now: you
+had better not be seen here.  I will send you a message in the morning."
+
+The two men thanked him and went away, Ifumi limping as he walked,
+supported by the chief's arm.  Jack called Barney and told him what had
+happened.
+
+"It makes my blood boil, Barney.  I hoped it would not come to this.
+Poor wretches--to be at the mercy of such savages!  I can't stand by
+and see such things done.  I'm sure my uncle would not wish me to.  Yet
+what can I do?  We could fight Boloko and his men, and beat them I
+hope; but goodness knows what that would lead to.  Whatever little
+right they have to maim these poor people, we have none whatever to
+interfere, and we should have the regular forces of the State down on
+us for treason or rebellion or what not.  But something must be done.
+I wish my uncle were here!"
+
+"Well, sorr, I'm ready for anything.  The quickest and easiest way
+would be to fight, for wid all this drill wan uv our men is worth two
+uv those blagyards."
+
+"No, my uncle said we were to fight only in self-defence.  I can't go
+against that.  Couldn't we persuade Boloko to keep his men in
+order--bribe him, perhaps?"
+
+"I'd sooner try to persuade the divil, sorr."
+
+"Well, I shall try it.  I'll invite him to a palaver.  We'll give him a
+feast--open our last bottle of soda water; a good dinner improves a
+man's temper sometimes, you know, Barney."
+
+"True, sorr; but it sometimes makes a man very impident.  Will I send
+Lepoko over wid the invitation the morn's morn, sorr?"
+
+"Yes, directly after breakfast.  Say that I shall be pleased if Boloko
+will come to see me in my camp.  He may bring his rifle and half a
+dozen of his men."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+Samba Comes Back
+
+As Jack had expected, Boloko was flattered by the invitation, with its
+implied recognition of his importance.  There is nothing a negro likes
+better than an opportunity for talk, and Boloko declared himself quite
+ready to meet the Inglesa.  But he would not venture into the camp; the
+meeting must take place outside.  The objection, considering the
+thinly-veiled hostility of the two parties, was not unreasonable.  Jack
+gave up the idea of a banquet, and, about eight o'clock in the morning,
+went with Barney and Lepoko to the site of his original camp, where he
+found Boloko and half a dozen of his men already assembled.
+
+It is of the essence of a palaver to be deliberate, not to say
+long-winded, and Jack followed the advice of Lepoko in passing many
+compliments and talking about a great variety of matters before he came
+to the point.  Then, however, he made the point perfectly clear.  He
+spoke of what he had learnt of the forest guards' behaviour in the
+village, and of Bomolo's outrage in particular.
+
+"You must know," he concluded, "that it is against the law of the land
+to injure or assault the people.  Your duty is to see that they do not
+destroy the vines by improper cutting, and that they go regularly into
+the forest.  You have no right to ill-use them."
+
+"The white man speaks very wisely; he knows much more than Boloko.
+Boloko knows nothing of law or right; he does what is the custom."
+
+"But you know, my friend, it is a wrong custom."
+
+"It may be as the white man says, but the Inglesa is not my master.  My
+master is Elobela.  Let the Inglesa complain to Elobela.  As for right,
+what right has the Inglesa to interfere?  He is a stranger; he is not a
+servant of the Great White Chief."
+
+"I am indeed a stranger; I am not a servant of the Great White Chief.
+But the Great Spirit who made the world and all men bids me speak if I
+see wrong done."
+
+Boloko broke out in insolent laughter, and said something to his men
+which Lepoko refused to translate.
+
+"Him say berrah nasty fing 'bout massa; me no can tell massa."
+
+Jack saw that it was time to bring the interview to a close.  There was
+no coping with insolence.
+
+"Very well," he said sternly.  "It will be my duty to report at Boma
+what I have seen and heard in the village.  And more, Boloko; I shall
+lay a complaint against you for attempting to cut loose our canoes, and
+for conducting an attack by night upon our camp."
+
+Boloko looked startled and began to bluster when this was translated to
+him.  But it was evident that this manner was assumed as a cloak to a
+real uneasiness.  The moment Lepoko had concluded, Jack walked away
+from the meeting, and as he returned to his own quarters he heard the
+guards discussing in excited and vehement tones what he had said.  For
+all his bluster, Boloko had been impressed.  For a few days Jack heard
+of no overt acts of violence.  Imbono's gratitude for the intervention
+was almost overwhelming.  He heaped praise and compliments upon his
+brother Lokolobolo, and, not content with words, made him a valuable
+present.  Half a dozen of his men staggered to Jack's hut one night
+under the weight of a huge tusk of ivory, which Imbono had kept since
+the time when elephant-hunting was a profitable occupation.
+
+Two days after the palaver a canoe arrived with another dozen Mauser
+rifles and ammunition from Mr. Martindale.  The head paddler was
+cautious enough to send one of his men in advance to the camp to
+announce his arrival, and Jack managed to get the rifles brought
+secretly within his stockade under cover of night.  It was just as
+well, he thought, to keep Boloko in ignorance of this new acquisition
+of strength.
+
+The man reported that he had been despatched from Irebo by an Inglesa
+who had entrusted him with a bonkanda[1] for the young Inglesa.  Jack
+opened the note eagerly.  This time it was very short:--
+
+
+DEAR JACK,--
+
+All going well.  Have been delayed by little investigating trips I have
+made in the concessions of the Abir Trust and the Domaine de la
+Couronne.  Atrocities even worse than I thought.  Hope all well with
+you.  Patience--and tact.
+
+J.M.
+
+P.S.--I am sending a dozen rifles and some ammunition; can't get any
+more.
+
+
+The paddler said that he had had great difficulty in eluding the white
+men and their agents.  Only a few days before, he and his companions
+had almost run into a white man who was coming up the river in a
+smoke-boat, establishing new outposts for the collection of rubber.  No
+doubt an outpost would be established at Ilola; for Imbono was the
+chief of several villages and had many young men.
+
+This news gave Jack no little uneasiness.  Instinctively he felt that
+the difficulties arising from Boloko's presence would be increased by
+the arrival of his Belgian superior.  For after what he had learnt from
+his uncle he could not doubt that the tyranny of the forest guards was
+practised at least with the connivance, if not by the actual authority,
+of the officials.  As a precaution he took care to have men constantly
+on the look-out at the river bank for the approach of strange boats,
+and when one day Elbel's launch was sighted, he withdrew all his men
+within the stockade and posted double sentries.  He felt pretty sure
+that the white man in command was Monsieur Elbel, the man with whom Mr.
+Martindale had already had a brush; and of Elbel he had a profound
+mistrust, formed at first sight and accentuated by all that he had
+subsequently heard.
+
+Boloko and his satellites went in a crowd to the bank of the river to
+greet the new arrivals.  From behind his stockade Jack watched them
+through his field-glass as they landed from the launch and set off for
+the village.  The white man was certainly Elbel.  He was accompanied by
+a number of forest guards armed like Boloko's, and by a crowd of
+hangers-on--negroes of many varieties.  On the way up to the village
+Boloko walked by Elbel's side, talking very earnestly, and Jack saw the
+Belgian throw a keen and inquisitive glance in the direction of his
+camp.
+
+Not an hour afterwards Elbel left the village and walked over to Jack's
+settlement, which the natives had named Ilombikambua, "house of the
+dog," in reference to Pat the terrier.  Jack had given orders that the
+white man was to be admitted if he came, but no black man in his
+company.  The Belgian had come alone, and looked a little surprised
+when the sentries at the gate received him with a correct military
+salute.  Jack rose from his stool in front of his hut and doffed his
+hat courteously.  Outwardly he was calm enough; but he felt by no means
+easy in mind, realizing that his responsibility was far from being the
+"jolly lark" he had light-heartedly called it when Mr. Martindale
+announced his intention of leaving him in charge.
+
+"Good morning, sir," said the Belgian in his foreign accent.
+
+"Good morning.  I think I have the pleasure of addressing Monsieur
+Elbel?"
+
+"Dat is my name.  I do not know your name."
+
+"John Challoner."
+
+"Yes, I believe I see you before in a canoe."
+
+"When I was coming up the river with my uncle."
+
+"Who is now returned to Boma.  Yes, I heard of dat.  Mr. Martindale--I
+zink dat is de name--have found de gold he sought?"
+
+"I am not at liberty to discuss Mr. Martindale's business."
+
+"Exactly.  I see.  Ve must not be indiscreet, hein?  Now as for your
+Mr. Martindale, I am not pleased, I say at vunce.  I am not pleased viz
+Mr. Martindale.  He refuse to give me up de black boy dat vas in your
+canoe.  Dat vas against de law: it is not permitted in de Congo State
+for de natives to leave deir village."
+
+"But if the village no longer exists, Mr. Elbel?"
+
+The Belgian shrugged.
+
+"Dat make no difference!  But I have more to say.  I have learn dat
+your men have rifles; I see dem myself; dey even hold deir rifles at de
+salute, dey have military training, hein?  Now it is not permitted to
+have rifles in de Congo State: dey are vat you call contraband.  I muss
+ask you to be so kind and give de rifles to me."
+
+"I am afraid I can't oblige you, Mr. Elbel.  The rifles belong to my
+uncle."
+
+"Dat make no difference!  I find de rifles here: I muss ask you in de
+name of de Free State to give dem up."
+
+"I don't know that you have any right to speak in the name of the Congo
+State.  I believe, sir, you are an official of the Société Cosmopolite
+du Commerce du Congo--a private trust.  I can't recognize your
+authority, Mr. Elbel."
+
+"But it is de law."
+
+"If you talk of law! ... are your practices legal, Mr. Elbel?  Is it
+legal to shoot and maim the natives as you have been doing for a
+hundred miles and more along the river?  Is it legal to incite a night
+attack on peaceable travellers?"  (Here Elbel could not suppress a
+start, and looked far from comfortable.)  "But whether I am acting
+legally or not, I cannot recognize your authority.  If you want the
+rifles, I must ask you to wait until Mr. Martindale's return and demand
+them from him.  Until then they are in my charge, and I cannot give
+them up."
+
+Jack thought afterwards that he might have spoken a little less
+bluntly; but he wished to put an end to a disagreeable interview.  His
+firmness made the Belgian angry.
+
+"Ver' vell, ver' vell!" he said, flushing with annoyance.  "You vill
+suffer for dis.  You not recognize my right: vell, Capitaine Van Vorst,
+an officer of de State, comes up de river; he have right; and I say,
+Mr. Chon Shalloner, you shall be arrest and made to pay heavy
+amende--if not put in prison."
+
+Jack's bow was a courteous intimation that the interview was ended.
+But the Belgian caught the flicker of a smile on his face, and flung
+away in a rage which he made no attempt to disguise.  Jack's sentries,
+who again brought their rifles to the salute, shrank back before
+Elbel's scowl as he passed out of the gate.
+
+Jack was not ill-pleased with the result of the interview.  You have
+always scored a point when the enemy loses his temper.  Apparently
+Elbel did not intend to take strong measures himself.  He knew the
+weakness of his position.  The situation would be changed if a State
+officer was indeed on his way up the river: but Jack did not allow
+himself to be disturbed by Elbel's threat; his uncle would doubtless be
+back in a few days, and he had unbounded faith in Mr. Martindale's
+judgment and discretion.
+
+From that time he took care that either Barney or himself should be
+always in the stockaded camp.  His men had become a well-disciplined
+force, but he could not answer for their being able to act discreetly
+towards a white man whom they had reason to dread.
+
+For a day or two there was no sign of hostility from Elbel.  He did not
+repeat his visit, which Jack did not feel called upon to return.  But
+news came from Ilola that, while the Belgian's arrival had checked the
+ghastly ferocities of the forest guards, the chicotte had been still
+more freely in play than before.  Every man whose basket did not
+contain the requisite five kilos of rubber, or the quality of whose
+rubber did not approve itself to Elbel, was unmercifully flogged.
+Those with whom no fault could on any pretext be found were paid with
+perhaps a piece of cloth or some trumpery article which was useless to
+them, and which in many cases they threw away.
+
+Imbono sent word one day that the most distant of his villages had been
+burnt.  It contained a hundred adult male inhabitants, but only fifty
+had brought rubber to Ilola, the remainder having been engaged in
+hunting down a herd of elephants which had been ravaging their crops.
+Elbel had refused to accept the explanation.  He had retained the fifty
+men as hostages, and sent a detachment of his forest guards to bring in
+the unruly fifty and burn their village down.  Jack could only express
+his sympathy: he felt that there was nothing to be done.
+
+One morning Barney, who acted as storekeeper to the camp, reported that
+food was running short.
+
+"Well, Imbono will supply us," replied Jack.
+
+"Beggin' your pardon, sorr, Imbono has little enough for himself since
+Elbel and his blagyards came to the place.  The thieving villains will
+have the best, and divil a ha'penny do they pay for it."
+
+"We must have food.  When I was at Akumbi the other day I saw a good
+crop of ground-nuts.  I'll go over myself and see if I can arrange for
+a supply."
+
+Akumbi was the smallest of the chief's villages, situated about five
+miles up the river.  Jack set off early with Lepoko, taking the
+well-worn path through the fringe of forest.  As he approached the
+village he heard cries of pain.  Instinctively he quickened his steps
+and hurried through the gateway in the stockade; then he came upon a
+scene that made his blood boil.  Tied to a tree was a youth, who,
+Lepoko told him, was the son of Lofundo, the sub-chief of the village.
+Elbel was thrashing the captive with the chicotte, every lash cutting
+into the quivering flesh and provoking shrieks of agony.  Not another
+villager was to be seen; all had fled either into their huts or into
+the forest.
+
+Infuriated at the sight, Jack forgot all counsels of prudence.  He
+rushed towards the spot, peremptorily calling on Elbel to desist.  The
+Belgian swung round savagely, gave one disdainful look at the
+interrupter, and raised his arm with the intention of putting all his
+force into another stroke.  But Jack sprang at the uplifted arm, caught
+Elbel by the wrist and arrested the blow.  Wrenching himself free, the
+Belgian, livid with rage, made a fierce cut at Jack.  He was too near
+for the long lash to have the full effect intended; but Jack felt the
+sting as the flexible thong curled round him.  Then his attitude
+changed.  Before, he had merely been conscious of a desire to protect
+the negro; now, he was afire with a personal grievance.  Elbel had not
+time to raise the whip for a second stroke.  Flinging out his left fist
+Jack caught him a smashing blow on the cheek, and followed it up with a
+right-hander which hurled him half senseless to the ground.  Elbel
+staggered to his feet, presenting a piteous spectacle, blood streaming
+from his nose, his left eye half closed.  He groped for his revolver,
+but the sight of Jack standing over him, pale but determined, revolver
+in hand ready for the next move, cowed him.  He fumbled for a few
+seconds at his belt, then slunk away without a word.
+
+[Illustration: Jack turns the tables]
+
+The village compound was immediately filled with a crowd of natives,
+who poured out of the huts: whence they had secretly watched the scene.
+Jack was overwhelmed with protestations of gratitude.  He cut the boy
+loose and restored him, bleeding from the lash, to his father.  Then he
+extricated himself from the excited throng, took Lofundo aside, waived
+his demonstrations, and, completing the business on which he had come,
+left the village as soon as he could.  Now that the heat of the moment
+was passed, he feared he had not done the villagers or himself any
+good.  A personal affray with Elbel was the last thing he would have
+desired; and though he felt that he could hardly have acted otherwise
+than he had done, he was in anything but an elated mood when he
+returned to his camp.
+
+He at once told Barney of what had occurred, and spoke of his
+misgivings.
+
+"Arrah thin, sorr," said the Irishman, "I do not see any cause for
+disthress at all at all.  The villain got his deserts, and 'twill tache
+him a lesson.  Sure I'd like to have seen his face, the spalpeen!"
+
+"But I'd no right to interfere, Barney; you can't get over that."
+
+"Begging your pardon, sorr, I do not agree wid that at all.  Ye may say
+a father has the right to thrash his children; 'twas the holy Solomon
+himself said so!  But if he lays it on too heavy, the law steps in and
+says 'Hands off!'  A farmer has a right to get work out uv his horse;
+but if he overtaxes the poor baste, the law steps in again and says 'No
+more uv that.'  These poor niggers seem to have to work widout fair
+pay, and pay rent into the bargain.  That's more than an Irishman would
+stand; and when the nigger-driver begins to maul 'em as well, worse
+than poor dumb beasts widout souls uv their own--be jabers! sorr, what
+would I do, if I saw a man ill-treating my Pat?  I would knock him
+down, sorr, if he was the Lord-Liftinant himself!"
+
+The fact that several days passed without any sign of resentment or
+vengeance on Elbel's part did not make Jack less uneasy.  So far from
+his trouncing having a deterrent effect, the treatment of the natives
+became steadily worse.  Things were following the inevitable course.
+The vines in the neighbourhood of the village had yielded all the
+rubber of which they were at present capable, and the men had to go
+continually further afield.  This necessitated their remaining for days
+at a time away from their homes, in improvised shelters which afforded
+poor protection against the weather and the wild beasts.  They had to
+put up with indifferent food that gave scanty nourishment.  When,
+having collected the rubber, they returned at last to their homes, they
+could only remain there a couple of days, for the next demand was upon
+them.  Meanwhile their families had been at the mercy of the forest
+guards.  Day by day complaints came to Jack from Imbono of the
+brutalities of these ruffians, some of them so horrible that his whole
+being quivered with passionate indignation.  Why did not his uncle
+return?  How long must he remain helpless here, unable to lift a hand
+in defence of the oppressed?
+
+One evening, just as he had retired to rest, he was woke by Barney and
+told that a strange negro had come to the gate and asked admittance.
+He had specially desired to see the Inglesa.  Jack sent word that the
+man was to be brought to him, and awaited his coming outside the hut.
+
+The negro came up in charge of Lepoko.  By the light of his electric
+torch Jack saw a tall man, so much emaciated that he appeared almost a
+skeleton.  His cheeks were sunken in, his arms and legs were no thicker
+than a child's, and--what was this!  The man held up one arm; the hand
+was gone!
+
+"Who is he?" asked Jack, shuddering at the sight of the half-healed
+stump.
+
+"Him call Batukuno, sah.  Come from Nsongo.  Him carry baumba[2] to
+brudder, sah: Ekila, him forest guard, meet Batukuno, say, 'Gib me
+baumba.'  Batukuno say, 'No can do: me carry to brudder.'  Rubber day
+come.  Batukuno bring basket; Ekila say, 'Rubber too much bad,
+Batukuno.'  Batukuno say, 'No bad at all; good rubber all same.'  Ekila
+laugh, sah; cut off Batukuno him hand."
+
+"Just in revenge for not getting the baumba?"
+
+"Rebenge, sah, rebenge, all same."
+
+"But how came he here?"
+
+"Boy Samba, sah.  Him tell Batukuno Inglesa massa good white man,
+brudder Tanalay, oh yes!  Inglesa no 'fraid Boloko, no 'fraid Elobela;
+Inglesa gib Batukuno hut, gib food, gib plenty rings.  Him come long
+long way: hurt berrah much, sah, berrah sick; want eat, no can find
+nuff.  Him hide long time 'cos 'fraid Boloko.  Now hab got massa; no
+'fraid no more; Boloko, Elobela, dem 'fraid now."
+
+"Where is Samba then?"
+
+"Samba him long long way: him go find fader and mudder."
+
+"I was right after all," said Jack turning to Barney.  "I'm glad to
+hear the boy's alive.  Well, Lepoko, take Batukuno to one of the huts
+and give him some supper.  Another sign of King Leopold's fatherly
+treatment, Barney!  Uncle said they cut the hands from the dead, but it
+appears that the living are mutilated too."
+
+"The curse uv Cromwell on them, sorr.  But, begging your pardon, you
+made a mistake."
+
+"How's that?"
+
+"Sure you said 'twas my Irish English that sent little Samba away."
+
+"Did I?" said Jack, laughing.  "I'd forgotten it.  He's a capital
+little fellow, Barney.  Fancy, going by himself that long journey
+through the forest to find his people!  And yet there are fools who
+think that because a man is black he hasn't feelings or affections like
+ourselves."
+
+Batukuno was only the firstfruits of Samba's missionary zeal.  From day
+to day, men, women, and children began to drop in at Jack's camp, many
+of them mutilated, all showing terrible signs of ill-usage and
+privation.  Some were survivors of Samba's own people, the villagers of
+Banonga; but they numbered among them men from other tribes.  Some had
+heard of the benevolent Inglesa from Samba's own lips; others from
+people he had told.  Among them was an old chief, who appeared
+heart-broken at having been compelled to leave his country.
+
+"Why did I leave, you ask, O white man!" he said in reply to a question
+of Jack's.  "In the morning, bullets; in the evening, bullets.  They
+shot our mouths away, they shot through our hearts and our sides.  They
+robbed us of everything we had.  Why should we stay to be killed like
+that?  That is why I ran away."
+
+"Were many of your people killed?"
+
+"Ah, ah!" he replied, "once we were as bafumba[3] in multitude; now we
+are only as these."
+
+He spread out his fingers twice or thrice.
+
+"And they have been killed--not dying by the sleeping sickness?"
+
+"No.  We have lost a few by the sleeping sickness, but only a few.  It
+is rubber that has killed our people.  Botofé bo le iwa!"
+
+Jack's sympathy was keenly enlisted on behalf of these unfortunate
+people; and he looked forward more and more eagerly for Mr.
+Martindale's return.  He could not but smile a little whimsically,
+remembering his uncle's protestations, to find that Mr. Martindale was
+gaining a reputation for general philanthropy through a large section
+of the Upper Congo territory.  But as the stream of fugitives showed no
+signs of diminishing he began to feel a certain embarrassment.  It was
+all very well to open a cave Adullam for every one that was distressed:
+to start a hospital for the halt and lame and blind; but the space he
+had at command within his stockade was limited: already the huts he had
+reserved for Mr. Martindale and his men were occupied, and every
+fugitive meant another mouth to feed.  He feared, too, lest the peace
+and order of his settlement should be disturbed by the influx of so
+many idle strangers.  And more than all, he feared that some of the
+poor wretches who came seeking asylum with him would fall into the
+hands of Elbel ere they reached their desired haven.  It was that
+consideration that induced him to refuse none who sought admittance.
+Elbel had been absent for some days from Ilola, and the fugitives, by
+choosing always the fall of night to approach the place, had so far
+managed to elude observation by their enemies.  But that could not
+continue; the presence of strangers in Ilombikambua must soon become
+known to Elbel; then a watch would be set, and the wanderers would be
+intercepted.  What their fate then would be Jack knew too well.  None
+suffered so terribly at the hands of the forest guards as people caught
+straying from their villages.  Such absences interfered with the
+regularity of the rubber supply, which in turn affected the revenue and
+reduced profits.  No runagate serf in medićval Europe was more severely
+dealt with than the Congo native who dared to range afield.
+
+Jack could not hand the people over to Elbel's tender mercies; yet it
+would soon be impossible to find room for more.  While he was puzzling
+how to deal with this perplexing situation it was suddenly made still
+more complicated.  Early one morning he heard Pat barking with more
+than his usual vigour, and with a note of wild pleasure which he had
+not expressed for many a day.  Leaving his hut to ask what had
+happened, he was met by the terrier, who ran up to him, leaped this way
+and that, darted off towards the gate, then back again, all the time
+barking with frantic joy.  In a moment Jack saw the meaning of the
+dog's excitement.  Samba himself was running towards him!
+
+The boy flung himself down at Jack's feet, paying no attention even to
+Pat.
+
+"I am glad to see you, very glad," said Jack in Samba's own tongue.
+"What have you been doing?"
+
+His knowledge of the language was not great enough to permit him to
+follow Samba's answer, poured out as it was with great rapidity, and a
+pitiful earnestness that brought a lump to Jack's throat.  But Lepoko
+was at hand, and translated faithfully.
+
+Samba was in terrible distress.  He had found his father and mother,
+and had brought them through peril and privation to the very verge of
+safety, when they fell among a number of forest guards evidently placed
+to intercept fugitives.  All three were captured and taken to Boloko,
+who was beside himself with delight at the sight of his brother Mboyo a
+prisoner.  He had a special grudge against him, dating from their old
+rivalry in Banonga.  Elbel had just returned from a visit to outlying
+villages; the prisoners had been carried before him, and when Boloko
+explained who they were, the Belgian ordered them to be tied up, and
+sentenced them to be thrashed publicly on the next day.  Samba had
+contrived to escape from custody, and had now come to implore the
+Inglesa to save his parents.  They were so worn out by their long
+journey, so ill from the hardships they had suffered, that they would
+certainly die under the whip.
+
+"Poor little fellow!" said Jack, laying his hand soothingly on the
+boy's head.  "The whipping is to be to-morrow?  You are sure?"
+
+Yes; Elobela would be absent this day; he would not return till the
+evening.  The flogging was fixed for dawn on the following morning.
+
+"Come into my hut; we will see what can be done.  Barney, you come too."
+
+"Niggers have no feelings!" said Barney, releasing Pat from the grasp
+in which he had been struggling while Samba told his story.  "Begorra!
+they might as well say the same uv dogs!"
+
+
+
+[1] Any kind of letter or document.
+
+[2] Riches.
+
+[3] Driver ants.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+"Honour thy Father and thy Mother"
+
+Jack felt himself in a distressing predicament.  Could he allow Samba's
+father and mother, for whom he suspected the boy must have made heroic
+exertions, to undergo a punishment which, as he had learnt from more
+than one of the refugees, frequently ended in the death of the victim?
+Yet how prevent it?  Whatever might be urged against it, the use of the
+chicotte had become established as a recognized instrument of
+administration in the Congo Free State.  As a stranger and a foreigner
+he had, to begin with, no right to interfere, and his previous
+relations with Elbel had been such that a protest and an attempt at
+dissuasion would be equally useless.  His action on behalf of Lofundo's
+son had been taken on the spur of the moment; it would not dispose
+Elbel to pay any attention to calmer and more deliberate measures now.
+Even a threat to report him would probably have no effect on the
+Belgian.  He was only doing what the officers of the State, or the
+officials of the Trusts holding authority from the State, were
+accustomed to do, whether by themselves or their agents.  A protest
+from Jack would merely aggravate the punishment of the wretched people.
+
+Although Elbel had not taken any open step against Jack since their
+last meeting, the latter felt assured that he was nursing his spite and
+only awaiting a favourable opportunity to indulge it.  Indeed it was
+likely that something had already been done.  Perhaps Elbel was in
+communication with Boma.  He had mentioned that a captain of the State
+forces was on his way up the river; for all that Jack knew the officer
+might deal very summarily with him when he arrived.  That Elbel would
+tamely endure the humiliation he had suffered Jack did not for a moment
+believe.
+
+Jack put these points to Barney.
+
+"If I attempt to do anything for Samba's people," he added, "I must be
+prepared to back up my demands by force, and that will mean bloodshed.
+I can't run the risk, Barney.  Uncle left me in charge, and, as I've
+told you, said I wasn't to fight except in self-defence."
+
+"Bedad, sorr, but he'd fight himself if he were here."
+
+"That may be, but I can't take the responsibility."
+
+"Cannot we get the people out uv the scoundhrel's clutches widout
+fighting, sorr?  The bhoy escaped, to be sure."
+
+"True; how did you get away, Samba?"
+
+The boy explained that he had been imprisoned separately from his
+parents: he did not know why.  They had been chained by the neck and
+fastened to a tree in front of Boloko's hut; he had been roped by the
+ankle and secured to another tree farther away.  In the middle of the
+night he had wriggled and strained at his bonds until, after much toil
+and pain, he had released his foot.  Then, when the sentry's back was
+turned, he had slipped away, stolen behind the huts, and with great
+difficulty clambered over the stockade.
+
+"And are your parents still chained to the tree?"
+
+Samba did not know.  He had not ventured to approach them after
+releasing himself, for his sole hope was in the Inglesa, and if he were
+recaptured he knew that his parents' fate was sealed.  But if the
+Inglesa wished, he would steal back into the village and see if the
+prisoners were still at the same spot.
+
+"That will never do," said Jack.  "The boy would certainly be caught,
+Barney."
+
+"That's the truth, sorr.  But 'tis the morning for Lingombela to go to
+the village for eggs; could he not find out what you wish to know?"
+
+"He's a discreet fellow.  Yes, let him try.  He must be very careful.
+I wonder that Elbel has not forbidden our men to go into the village;
+and if he suspects any interference there'll be trouble."
+
+Barney went out to send Lingombela on his errand.  Meanwhile Jack got
+Samba to tell him, through Lepoko, how he had found his parents.  The
+boy gave briefly the story of his wanderings, his perils from the wild
+beasts of the forest, his hunger and want, his capture by the Bambute,
+his escape, his adventure with the crocodile, his second capture and
+more successful escape under cover of a great forest storm.  Jack was
+deeply impressed at the time; but many of the details came to him later
+from others, and each new fact added to his admiration for the
+indomitable young traveller.
+
+The pigmies who had captured Samba at the river were a different tribe
+from those with whom he had lived in the forest.  Like those, however,
+they made much of him, giving him plenty of food, but never letting him
+go out of their sight.
+
+One night, a fierce tempest swept through the forest, snapping great
+trees and whirling them about like feathers.  Thunder crashed,
+lightning cut black paths through the foliage; and the Bambute cowered
+in their huts, dreading lest these should be crushed by a falling tree
+or scorched by the lightning's flame, yet feeling safer within than
+without.  But Samba rejoiced in the elemental disturbance.  Reckless of
+the terrors of the storm in his fixed determination to escape, he stole
+out when the uproar was at its height and plunged into the forest.  All
+other peril was banished by the fury of the tempest.  Once he passed a
+leopard within a few feet, but the beast was too much scared by the
+lightning to seize the opportunity of securing an easy meal.
+
+After many days of wandering and privation Samba came within a day's
+journey of what had been his village.  Stumbling accidentally upon one
+of his fellow-villagers, he told him his story, and was taken by him to
+a cave in the forest where several of the fugitives from Banonga were
+in hiding, some badly wounded.  Samba came to them like a sunbeam.
+What he told them about Mr. Martindale gave them courage and hope.
+Some set off at once to seek out the Inglesa whose praise Samba was so
+loud in singing; they would implore his protection: others, more
+timorous or less hardy, dreading the long and toilsome journey,
+resolved to remain where they were, for they were at least in no
+straits for food.  None of them could give Samba any news of his
+parents: so after remaining a day or two with them he went on alone.
+He reached the site of the desolated village in the evening, and took
+refuge in the branches of a tree.  His intention was to push on next
+day and search the forest beyond the village.  But with morning light
+something impelled him to wander round the scene of his happy
+childhood.  Here had stood his father's hut; there, not far away, the
+old chief Mirambo had dwelt.  It seemed to Samba that the place was
+altered in appearance since he had left it in company with Mr.
+Martindale.  An attempt had been made to repair the ruins of Mirambo's
+hut.  Somewhat startled, Samba approached it curiously, and was still
+more startled to hear low groans proceeding from a spot where a corner
+of the site had been covered with rough thatch.  Entering, he
+discovered with mingled joy and terror that his father and mother lay
+there, nearly dead from wounds and starvation.
+
+With the negro's instinct for returning to his old haunts, Mboyo had
+come back with his wife to Banonga, and managed to rig up a precarious
+shelter in his father's shattered hut.  Then his strength failed him.
+He had been wounded in the attack on the village, but had made good his
+escape to the forest with his favourite wife.  His other wives and
+children had disappeared; of them he never heard again.  The unwonted
+exposure soon told upon his wife Lukela; she fell ill, and, weakened as
+Mboyo was by his wounds, they were unable to scour the forest as they
+might otherwise have done for food.  As the days passed their condition
+had gone from bad to worse, and at last they had painfully,
+despairingly, made their way back to their old home, to die.
+
+But Samba did not mean them to die.  He set himself at once to rescue
+them.  As he knew well, there was little or no food near by; the wanton
+destruction of plantations had been very thorough.  They were too weak
+to travel.  He emptied his tin, to which he had clung through all his
+wanderings, of the food it contained, and making a rough barrier for
+them against wild beasts, cheered them with hopeful words and started
+back on his tracks for a further supply of food.
+
+When he reached the cavern where he had left his fellow-villagers, he
+found it empty.  Apparently even the timid ones had set off to seek the
+protection of the good Inglesa.  He could do nothing that night, but
+next morning he went down to the stream whence they had obtained their
+supply of fish and plied his spear until he had caught several.  Then
+he made the long journey back, filling his tin as he went with berries
+and nuts and anything else from which nourishment could be obtained.
+His parents were already a little better, thanks to the food he had
+already given them, and perhaps also to the new spirit awakened in them
+by the unexpected arrival of their dearly loved son.
+
+Thus for several days Samba watched over them, making long journeys for
+food.  Each time he left them his absence became more prolonged; food
+was harder to get, and he was less able to hunt for it.  While his
+parents slowly regained a little strength, Samba weakened from day to
+day.  At last he could scarcely drag one foot after the other; he was
+worn out by the terrible fatigue of constant marching through the
+forest, and by want of sleep, for he stinted himself of rest so that
+his parents might be left alone as little as possible.  More than once
+he sank exhausted to the ground, feeling that he could go no farther,
+do no more.  His strength was spent; his head swam with dizziness; a
+mist gathered before his eyes.  Thus he would remain, half conscious,
+perhaps for minutes, perhaps for hours; he knew not: he had lost count
+of time.  Then with the enforced rest the small remnant of his strength
+returned to him, and with it the memory of his parents' plight.  Upon
+him depended the life of the two beings he held dearest in the world.
+As the perils to which they were exposed were borne in upon his fevered
+intelligence he would struggle to his feet, and grope his way painfully
+along the forest track, his feet blistered, his flesh torn with spikes
+and thorns: above all, a dreadful gnawing hunger within him, for he
+would scarcely spare himself sufficient food for bare sustenance while
+his parents were ill and in want.
+
+This dark and terrible period was illumined by one ray of hope.  His
+weariness and toil were bearing fruit.  Day by day his parents grew
+stronger; in a fortnight they were able to move about, and a week later
+they were ready to start for the cavern.  But now it was Samba who
+required tendance.  He could walk only a few yards at a time, supported
+by Mboyo, who almost despaired of reaching the cavern before starvation
+again overtook them.  But the weary journey was completed at last, and
+after a few days' stay at the cavern within easier reach of food, the
+party became fit to undertake a longer march, and set out hopefully for
+Mr. Martindale's camp.
+
+Jack could only conjecture what the terrors of that march had been, for
+before Samba's story was finished Lepoko returned from the village.  He
+reported that Elobela, furious at the boy's escape, had announced that
+he would double the punishment to be meted out to his parents.  This
+practice of striking at children through parents, and at parents
+through children, was so much the rule in the Congo system of tax
+collection that Jack did not doubt Elbel would carry out his threat.
+Meanwhile the two prisoners had been removed from the open air before
+Boloko's hut at the far side of the village, and conveyed to a
+stoutly-built fetish hut near the stockade.  This change of quarters
+had provoked murmurs not only from the villagers, but from Elbel's own
+men.  The fetish hut was sacred to the medicine man of the village, and
+even he affected to approach it with fear and trembling.  The whole
+population was talking about the desecration of the hut by the presence
+of the two captives; men were shaking their heads and saying that
+something would happen; and the medicine man himself--a hideous figure
+with his painted skin--did not fail to seize the opportunity of
+inflaming the minds of the villagers against the impious white man.
+But no one ventured to remonstrate with Elbel.  He meanwhile had gone
+off with a number of forest guards to an outlying village, leaving
+orders that the captives were to be watched with particular vigilance.
+
+Samba's face was an image of despair as he listened to Lepoko's report.
+What hope was there of his parents' rescue now?
+
+"Poor little chap!" said Jack.  "After going through so much for them
+he'll be heart-broken if he loses them now.  What can we do for him,
+Barney?"
+
+"Faith, I can see nothing for it, sorr, but to lead a storming party.
+And I would go first, wid the greatest pleasure in life."
+
+"That's out of the question, especially as Elbel's away.  All's fair in
+war, they say, Barney; but I shouldn't like to attack the village in
+Elbel's absence.  In any case I don't want to fight if there's any
+other way.  Samba, run away with Pat; don't go beyond the gate; I want
+to see if I can think of any way of helping your parents."
+
+Both the white men were touched by the boy's wistful look as he left
+the hut.  Jack stuck his legs out straight in front of him, plunged his
+hands into his pockets, and bent his head upon his breast as he
+pondered and puzzled.  Barney sat for a time leaning forward with his
+elbows on his knees, smoking an old clay pipe.  But he soon tired of
+inaction, and rising, proceeded to open a tin of oatmeal biscuits in
+anticipation of lunch.  He had just wrenched the lid off when Jack
+sprang up with a sudden laugh and slapped him on the shoulder.
+
+"I have it, Barney!" he cried.  "They said something would happen;
+well, they were right; something shall happen, old man.  And it's your
+doing!"
+
+"Mine, sorr!  Niver a thing have I done this blessed day but smoke me
+pipe, and just this very minute tear a hole in my hand wid this
+confounded tin."
+
+"That's it, Barney!  It was the tin gave me the idea.  You know how
+giants are made for the Christmas pantomimes?"
+
+"Divil a bit, sorr."
+
+"Well, don't look so surprised.  Empty that tin of biscuits while I
+tell you, and when that's empty, open another and do the same."
+
+"Bedad, sorr, but all the biscuits will spoil."
+
+"Let 'em spoil, man, let 'em spoil.  No, I don't mean that, but at
+present I think more of the tissue paper in those tins than of the
+biscuits.  We'll make a framework, Barney--any stalks or sticks will do
+for that--and cover it with that tissue paper, and paint a giant's face
+and shoulders on the paper, and we must find some coloured glass or
+something for the eyes, and something white for the teeth.  We have
+some candles left, luckily.  Don't you think, Barney, a lighted candle
+behind the paper would make a very decent sort of bogie?"
+
+"And is that the way, sorr, they make the giants at the pantomime?"
+
+"Something like that, Barney.  But what do you think of the idea?"
+
+"'Tis the divil's own cleverness in it, sorr.  But I'll niver enjoy a
+pantomime any more, now that I know the way 'tis done.  And how will ye
+go to work wid the bogie, sorr?"
+
+"Why, we'll make the framework to fit my shoulders.  Then you'll see.
+The first thing is to get it made.  Go and get the materials.  We shall
+want sticks about three feet long, and ngoji cane[1] to tie them
+together, as there are no nails here.  And you must send over to Imbono
+and ask for some colouring matter.  Red and black are all we shall
+need.  I don't know what we shall do for the eyes; there's no coloured
+glass handy, I suppose.  We must do without if we can't find anything.
+Now, hurry up, Barney, and send Lepoko to me."
+
+For the rest of the day Jack and Barney were very busy in the hut.  It
+was an easy matter to put the bamboo framework together.  The tissue
+paper from the two biscuit tins proved just sufficient to cover it.
+When this was done, Jack sketched with his pencil as ugly a face as his
+artistic imagination was capable of suggesting, then laid on the
+pigments with his shaving brush, no other being at hand.  He gave the
+giant very thick red lips, opened in a hideous grin, heightening the
+effect by carefully tying in a number of goat's teeth.  The eyes
+presented a difficulty.  No coloured glass could be found among any of
+the villagers' treasures, and after several attempts to supply its
+place with leaves, petals of red flowers, and glass beads stuck
+together, Jack decided that the best effect would be made by leaving
+the eye slits empty.  The making of the bogie was kept a close secret
+between himself and Barney; but he got some of his men to make two
+light bamboo ladders, which they did with great expedition, wondering
+not a little to what use Lokolobolo would put them.
+
+In the afternoon, as soon as he was assured that his bogie would turn
+out a success, Jack sent Lepoko into Ilola to foment the villagers'
+fear that the desecration of the fetish hut would certainly be followed
+by a visit from the offended spirit.  He was to talk very seriously of
+a great medicine man he had once met on the coast, who knew all about
+the spirits of the streams and woods, and those who protected the
+forest villages.  One of these spirits, said the medicine man, took the
+form of a giant, and any mortal upon whom he breathed would surely die.
+Jack knew that this story would be repeated by the villagers to the
+forest guards, and would soon be the property of the whole community.
+Reckoning upon the fact that Elbel had his quarters near the gate of
+the stockade, and that the fetish hut was on the opposite side of the
+enclosure, not far from the stockade itself, so that the whole width of
+the village separated them, Jack hoped to create such a panic among the
+superstitious sentries that he would have time to free the captives
+before Elbel could intervene.
+
+At dead of night, when he believed that the enemy must be sound asleep,
+Jack left his camp silently, accompanied only by Samba.  He himself
+carried the bogie; the boy had the ladders.  But even his own parents
+would not have recognized the Samba of this midnight sortie.  Jack had
+been much interested on the way up the Congo by a kind of acacia which,
+when cut with an axe, exudes a sticky substance, emitting in the
+darkness a strong phosphorescent glow.  With this substance a series of
+rings had been drawn on Samba's body, and he wore on his head a number
+of palm leaves arranged like the Prince of Wales's feathers, smeared
+with the same sticky material.  He made an awful imp in attendance on
+the horrific monster.
+
+Samba stepping close behind Jack to avoid observation, the two made
+their way stealthily around the village, keeping within the fringe of
+the encircling forest.  Then Jack fixed the bogie upon his shoulders,
+lighted the candles placed in sconces of twigs cunningly constructed by
+Barney, and crept forward towards the stockade, closely followed by
+Samba, both bending low so as to escape discovery before the right
+moment.
+
+Lepoko had reported that two sentries had been placed over the fetish
+hut.  Jack guessed that by this time their nerves would be at pretty
+high tension, and that they would not improbably be keeping a safe
+distance from the awful place they had been set to guard.  One of the
+ladders was planted by Samba against the stockade.  On this Jack
+mounted, and the hideous countenance rose slowly and majestically above
+the palisade.
+
+A small oil lamp swung from the eaves of the hut.  By its light Jack
+saw the two sentries some distance away, but near enough to keep an eye
+on the entrance so that the inmates could not break out unnoticed.  At
+first they did not see the apparition.  To quicken their perception,
+Jack gave a weird chuckle--a sound that would have startled even sturdy
+English schoolboys in the depth of night.  The negroes turned round
+instantly; there was one moment of silence: then shrieking with fear
+they rushed helter-skelter into the darkness.
+
+Taking the second ladder from Samba, Jack calmly descended on the other
+side, and was quickly followed by the boy.  The latter made straight
+for the fetish hut.  A light shone through the entrance immediately he
+had entered; there was a muffled shriek; then voices in rapid talk,
+followed by the sound of heavy hammering.  By the light of Jack's
+electric torch Samba was breaking the fetters.
+
+By this time the whole village was astir.  At the first instant of
+alarm every man, woman, and child gave utterance to a yell; but as soon
+as they caught sight of the dreadful apparition, the vengeful spirit
+Whose visit had been predicted, the giant with hideous jaw and flaming
+eyes, they ceased their cries, and scampered in awestruck silence
+across the compound towards the gate.
+
+Slowly Samba's parents limped out of the hut after him, and with his
+assistance mounted the ladder and descended on the other side of the
+stockade.  Jack had bidden Samba take them for a time into the forest.
+To harbour them in his camp would involve further embroilment with
+Elbel, a thing to be avoided if possible.  They had barely disappeared
+in the darkness when a shot rang out, and Jack felt something strike
+the framework above his head.  Elbel had been awakened from sleep by
+the first yell, but on leaving his hut found himself enveloped in so
+thick a crowd of quivering, panic-stricken negroes that he could
+neither see what had caused their alarm nor get an answer to his
+irritable questions.  The delay had been just long enough to allow the
+prisoners to escape.
+
+Jack heard Elbel's voice raging at the people.  As another shot whizzed
+by he reached up and extinguished the candles, then slipped over the
+stockade, drawing the ladder after him.  Burdened with the bogie and
+the two ladders he hastened away into the forest.  For some minutes he
+wandered about, missing the guidance of Samba, who was with his
+parents.  At length he struck the path, and making his best speed
+regained his camp.  Barney was awaiting him at the gate with loaded
+rifle, the trained men drawn up under arms.
+
+"The bogie did it!" he cried, feeling very hot and tired now that his
+task was accomplished.
+
+"Praise be!" ejaculated Barney.  "Eyes front!  Present arrms!  Dismiss!"
+
+
+
+[1] This abounds in the forest, and is alike nails, string, and rope
+for the natives.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Lokolobolo's First Fight
+
+"I am afraid we are in for it now," said Jack, as he sat with Barney,
+when the camp had become quiet, discussing the situation.  "Elbel will
+know well enough who played the bogie, and he has now another grievance
+against me.  I wonder what he will do."
+
+"I would not disthress meself about it at all, sorr," said Barney.  "He
+had a peep at a Pepper's ghost widout paying for a ticket, and 'tis
+himself that ought to be plased."
+
+"Don't you ever have a fit of the dumps, Barney?  You seem to live
+always in the top of spirits."
+
+"What would be the good uv doing anything else, sorr?  I've too little
+flesh on me bones now; what would I be if I grizzled?"
+
+"I'm glad enough, I assure you.  I don't know what I should have done
+without you.  Uncle little imagined what he was leaving me to.  Do you
+think anything has happened to him?  It is three months since he went
+away, and five weeks since I had any news of him.  I am getting
+anxious."
+
+"'Tis true he is behind, like the cow's tail, sorr.  An 'tis meself can
+explain it.  Ye see, sorr, I've noticed wan thing about these niggers.
+Time is not much to an Irishman, to be sure, but 'tis less than nothing
+to a nigger.  They don't keep count uv the days; an almanac would be
+clean beyond them; and 'tis my belief Nando has just put the master
+back a month, sorr, unbeknown."
+
+"That's an original explanation, at any rate.  But by Jove! here's
+Samba again.  What does he want now?"
+
+"Him say mudder lib for plenty sick, sah," said Lepoko, called in to
+interpret.  "Mudder plenty tired fust; muss stand all de night in hut;
+no gib no food; her no can go no more; tumble down in forest.  Samba
+say please massa, let fader and mudder come; please, please, massa,
+please, massa, him say please massa plenty too much all time."
+
+"We must have them in, I suppose," said Jack, unable to resist the
+appeal in Samba's eyes and gestures.  "I didn't want them here, they
+only add to our dangers and difficulties.  Let him fetch them, Lepoko;
+he must be careful; if they are captured again they are sure to be
+shot."
+
+Samba's face shone with delight.  He scampered away.  An hour passed
+before he returned.  Mboyo was carrying his wife in his arms; she was
+in the last stage of exhaustion.  They were given shelter in Lepoko's
+hut; and that night, when Samba curled himself up to sleep with Pat,
+for the first time for many weeks he was a happy boy.
+
+Jack had but just finished his breakfast next morning when a note was
+brought him from Elbel.
+
+
+MONSIEUR,--
+
+On m'a fait informer que les deux individus échappés de ce village sont
+a présent réfugiés dans votre camp.  J'ai l'honneur de vous sommer de
+rendre ces individus immédiatement, en outre le petit garçon dont j'ai
+déjŕ demandé la reddition.  Au cas que lesdits sujets de PEtat du Congo
+ne soient pas ramenés dans ce village avant midi cejourd'hui, je serai
+obligé de faire ŕ leur égard des démarches qui me sembleront bonnes.
+
+Agréez, monsieur, l'assurance de ma
+  considération distinguée,
+      ELBEL,
+  _Agent de la Société cosmopolite
+      du Commerce du Congo_.
+
+
+"What do you think of this, Barney?  He says he's been told that the
+two persons who escaped from Ilola are now in my camp.  He has the
+honour to request that I will give them up at once.  Listen: 'In case
+the said subjects of the Congo State are not brought back to this
+village by noon to-day, I shall be compelled to take such steps in
+regard to them as may seem to me good.' Very precise and formal.  My
+answer shall be a little shorter."
+
+He lost no time in penning his reply.  He wrote:
+
+
+SIR,--
+
+The three people you mention are with me.  I shall be glad to learn the
+offence with which they are charged, and by what authority you take it
+upon yourself to try them and punish them.
+
+Yours truly,
+    JOHN CHALLONER.
+
+
+"We shall get no answer to that, Barney."
+
+But he was mistaken.  A second note was brought him in which Elbel
+refused to explain or justify his actions to Monsieur Challoner.  He
+was responsible to his Société and to the administration of the Free
+State.  He repeated his threat that at twelve o'clock, failing
+compliance with his demand, he would take steps to recover the
+fugitives, and concluded by saying that Monsieur Challoner must be
+answerable for the consequences.
+
+"The fat's in the fire now, sorr," said Barney, when Jack had
+translated this letter to him.  "I suppose you'll just say 'Go and be
+hanged' in answer to that?"
+
+"No.  I shan't answer it on paper.  The crisis has come at last,
+Barney.  I couldn't attack Elbel yesterday and be responsible for the
+first blow.  But things are changed now.  His action in regard to these
+poor people is sheer persecution; they've sought my protection, and no
+Englishman that I ever heard of has given up a wretch fleeing from
+persecution.  We'll have to stand firm now, Barney.  Elbel shan't get
+hold of them if I can prevent it."
+
+"I'm wid ye, sorr, heart and soul.  Sure an Irishman is not the man to
+stand by and see poor people ill-treated.  What'll we do to get ready
+for him, sorr?"
+
+"You can go and get some of the men to rig up platforms at several
+points inside the stockade.  What a lucky thing it was we taught 'em
+how to board and floor the huts!  Those planks will come in handy now.
+And stay: set two or three men to bore loopholes in the stockade--not
+our riflemen; the men who've lost their right hands can manage that,
+perhaps, with their left if they try.  Meanwhile, parade the riflemen.
+I'll come out to them in a few minutes."
+
+When the men were paraded, Jack felt very proud of his little company.
+They were all alert, eager, ready.  Jack explained to them through
+Lepoko what the difficulty was.
+
+"I don't want you to fight against your will," he said.  "If any man is
+unwilling to fight he may leave the camp if he chooses, or remain and
+do any other work required.  But if he elects to fight he must obey
+orders, do his best, and never give in.  You understand that: never
+give in!"
+
+The men responded with loud cries of approval.  Not a man of them fell
+out of the ranks.  The exercise and drill they had undergone had filled
+them with military ardour; they were proud of their new
+accomplishments, and evidently eager to test them in earnest.  And the
+white officials were so well hated that the opportunity of setting one
+at defiance was in itself a sufficient motive.  Jack paid them a
+compliment on their readiness to serve--the negro dearly loves
+praise--and after inspecting each man's rifle and ammunition, dismissed
+them to various duties in the camp until the moment for action arrived.
+
+The day's water supply had scarcely been got in, and there were no
+vessels at hand for storing a large quantity.  The stock of food in the
+camp was sufficient to keep the whole population for three days on full
+rations, and might be eked out for a week or more if each man's
+allowance was reduced.  It was inevitable that the idea of a siege
+should cross Jack's mind, and he foresaw that the difficulty about
+water would prove serious.  Meanwhile, he could at least send out a few
+men to obtain supplies of food from the chief's other villages.  He
+chose for this errand the men least likely to be useful as fighters,
+and impressed on them the necessity of avoiding Elbel's men.  It would
+not be long before Elbel had the surrounding country closely patrolled,
+and then no man would be able to approach without taking his life in
+his hand.  What supplies they should succeed in collecting were to be
+held concealed in the forest until there was an opportunity of
+conveying them into the camp without danger.
+
+There were now within his stockade, besides himself and Barney,
+twenty-two men armed with rifles; the chief Mboyo, with his wife and
+Samba; fifteen men, ten women, and twenty-five children who had sought
+asylum with him; and the livestock of the natives--a few goats and
+fowls.  Pat was one by himself.  There were rifles for twenty men
+besides the twenty-two, but the fugitives were too much maimed, or too
+much reduced in strength by their sufferings, to make it seem worth
+while to arm them.  Four or five, however, had recovered very rapidly,
+and seemed likely to prove useful recruits.  They had at any rate
+enough reason for fighting well; not only on behalf of their chief, but
+in memory of their own sufferings.  Pending an opportunity of teaching
+them the use of the rifle, Jack armed them with spears and employed
+them as sentries.  A careful watch was kept to guard against surprise,
+which was little likely to occur in broad daylight across the wide open
+space between the two settlements.
+
+Jack awaited with no little anxiety the approach of noon, trying to
+forecast Elbel's course of action.  The Belgian had, so far as he had
+been able to gather, about sixty men armed with Albini rifles, with
+probably as many hangers-on; but the natives' conceptions of arithmetic
+are so vague that this information could not be relied on; the actual
+number might be larger or smaller.  It was not likely that the
+followers of the forest guards could be utilized as fighting men; but
+the guards themselves were well armed and full of confidence, for they
+had become accustomed to lording it over the virtually unarmed and
+helpless populace from whose forced labour the Congo Free State derives
+its profits.  Jack was quite prepared to find that Elbel, knowing that
+his opponent's men had but recently been armed, and were not, like his
+own men, to all intents professional soldiers, would think himself
+strong enough to rush the camp, especially as, since the day of his
+arrival, the Belgian had appeared to show no further interest in the
+force at Jack's disposal.
+
+"Perhaps he thinks we've drilled them merely for parade," he remarked
+with a smile to Barney.  "But I think he'll find we can hold our own.
+I'm not afraid of a direct attack.  But if he tries to starve us out
+it'll be a different matter.  I'm bothered about the water."
+
+"Be aisy, sorr.  Whin I was a bhoy me mother often did not know at
+breakfast time where the supper was coming from; but I only went to bed
+wance widout it, and that was whin I'd eaten it before the time, and
+was put to bed early as a punishment."
+
+Soon after twelve o'clock the sentries reported that the white man was
+approaching from the direction of the village.  Jack hastened to the
+platform near the gate, which he had had barricaded, and saw Elbel at
+the head of about forty men, at his side a negro bearing a white flag.
+About fifty yards from the stockade he halted, and formally demanded
+the surrender of the fugitives.  In phrases as formal as his own Jack
+replied that they would not be given up.
+
+While this brief exchange of courtesies was going on, the sentries
+stationed on similar platforms within the stockade had turned round
+with natural curiosity to see what was passing, and withdrew their
+attention from the ground they were supposed to be watching.  All at
+once Jack felt a tug at his arm, and looking round, saw Samba excitedly
+pointing to the rear of the camp.  A score of Elbel's riflemen were
+scurrying across the open ground.  To Jack's surprise they were headed
+by a white man in military uniform.  Was this the Captain Van Vorst, he
+wondered, who, Elbel had told him, was coming up the river?  Had he to
+contend with a regular officer of the State as well as an official of
+the Concession?  One thing was clear, that while his attention was
+being held by the parade of the men in front, an attempt was being made
+to rush the camp from the rear.
+
+Jack gave no sign of his discovery, but quietly ordered Barney to take
+ten men with rifles and five with spears and deal with the attackers
+when their heads or hands appeared above the stockade.
+
+"Keep out of sight until they're upon you," he added in a low tone.
+"Fifteen men on the platform will be equal to more than double their
+number trying to scramble over."
+
+He had kept his face turned towards Elbel as he spoke, apparently
+intent upon a serious consideration of what the Belgian was saying.
+
+"I varn you.  Dis is not child's play.  Vunce more I say gif up de
+people; den I interfere no more.  I am satisfied.  But if you refuse,
+den I repeat: I will haf de people, and you shall see vat it is to defy
+de officers of de Free State."
+
+Jack was spared the necessity of replying.  A series of yells and cries
+of pain told that the rear attack had begun.  Next moment a couple of
+shots rang out from the trees behind Elbel, and Jack, whose head just
+appeared over the stockade, felt one bullet whistle close above his
+topee, while a second embedded itself beside him in one of the saplings
+of which the stockade was constructed.  Taken in conjunction with the
+attempted surprise, this was as close an approximation to the methods
+of an assassin as could well be imagined; and Jack, as he dodged down
+out of harm's way, felt, not for the first time, that he had to deal
+with a man who was not only astute but quite unscrupulous.
+
+In less than a minute the attack on the stockade had become general.
+The assailants showed no want of dash.  Perhaps they were encouraged by
+the impunity with which they had hitherto made their assaults on native
+villages similarly protected.  But the conditions were different now.
+The defenders were armed with weapons as precise and deadly as those of
+the attackers themselves.  Elbel's men came forward at a rush, in a
+more or less compact body, and Jack was amply satisfied with the result
+of his training as his men, at a sign from him, poured a volley through
+the loopholes bored in the stockade, while the enemy were still a dozen
+yards distant.  Several of them dropped; Jack's men were completely
+screened from any effectual reply.
+
+The moral effect of white leadership became apparent when the forest
+guards, scarcely realizing their losses in the excitement of their dash
+towards the stockade, helped one another to swarm up, many effecting a
+lodgment on the top.  It was at this point that in ninety-nine cases
+out of a hundred the defenders of an African village would have flung
+away their arms and run.  But the discipline of the past two months
+told.  At Jack's command, before the enemy on the stockade had made
+their footing sufficiently sure to enable them to use their weapons,
+the men within, clubbing their rifles, sprang at them and hurled them
+to the ground.
+
+Meanwhile Barney, who thanks to Samba's watchfulness had been enabled
+to forestall the surprise in the rear, had beaten off the attack and
+sent the enemy scurrying for cover.  Leaving only three or four men
+under Lepoko to watch the position there, Jack was able to bring almost
+the whole of his force to bear on repelling the main attack.  Elbel had
+greatly reduced his chances of success by detaching a third of his
+body; and he entirely lost their co-operation, for when they were
+repulsed by Barney they made no attempt to rally, but simply
+disappeared from the fight.
+
+Elbel and his men were crouching at the foot of the stockade in
+temporary security, for in that position the defenders could not bring
+their rifles to bear upon them.  Jack heard him give his men an order;
+in a few seconds a crowd of black heads again appeared above the
+stockade, but now some thirty yards from the point where the first
+assault had been made.  With Barney at his right hand Jack led his men
+to the spot.  From his platform he might have shot the attackers down
+with comparative ease; but he was determined from the first to do his
+best to avoid bloodshed, never forgetting his uncle's injunction to use
+rifles only in the last resort.  The enemy themselves had no chance of
+firing, for they no sooner showed their heads above the palisade than
+they were beset by the defenders.  There was a brisk five minutes in
+which Jack and Barney found plenty to do leading their men wherever the
+show of heads, hands, and shoulders over the stockade was thickest.
+Barney was in his element.  His rifle fell like a flail, and for every
+blow that got home he shouted a wild "Hurroo!" which evoked responsive
+yells from the negroes beside him, catching his enthusiasm.  Jack's
+heart glowed as he saw how stoutly they fought.
+
+It was not until the enemy had made two attempts to mount the stockade
+that they realized how very different their present task was from the
+massacre of unresisting men, women, and children that had hitherto
+represented their idea of fighting.  The first repulse merely surprised
+and enraged them: they could not understand it; they were not
+accustomed to such a reception; and they yelled forth threats of
+exacting a terrible vengeance.  But when for the second time they found
+themselves hurled back, they had no heart for further effort.  Suddenly
+Elbel discovered that he was alone, except for one man lying stark
+beside him; the unwounded had scampered across the open to the shelter
+of the nearest trees.  Some half dozen who had been hit with rifle
+bullets or clubbed at the palisade, were dragging themselves painfully
+towards the same shelter.
+
+Jack, watching from his platform, perceived that Elbel was not among
+the retreating crowd.  Was he hurt, he wondered?  The next moment,
+however, he saw the Belgian sprint after his men, bending his head
+between his shoulders as a boy does to avoid a snowball.  Several of
+Jack's men who had joined him on the platform brought their rifles to
+the shoulder, and only a curt stern order from Jack to drop their
+weapons saved Elbel from almost certain death.
+
+"Bedad, thin, 'tis a pity not to let them have their way, sorr,"
+expostulated Barney.
+
+"That may be," replied Jack, "but I'm only on the defensive, remember.
+We're in no danger for the present; they've had enough of it; it's not
+for me to continue the fight.  I hope Elbel has learnt a lesson and
+will leave us alone."
+
+"Sure I do not agree wid you at all at all, sorr," said Barney, shaking
+his head.  "To judge by the phiz uv him, Elbel is a disp'rate bad
+character.  And isn't it all his deeds that prove it, with his whips
+and his forest guards--blagyards I call 'em--and all?  Why, sorr, whin
+ye knocked him down the other day, why didn't he stand up fair and
+square and have it out wid ye?  'Twas an illigant chance which no
+gentleman, no Irishman, bedad! would have missed for worlds.
+Gentleman!  'Tis not the fortieth part uv a gentleman he has anywhere
+about him.  'Twas not the trick uv a gentleman to try to take ye by the
+back stairs while he blarneyed ye at the front door.  And did he not
+try to murder ye before the fight began?  A dirty trick, sorr; I would
+have let my men shoot him widout the hundredth part uv a scruple."
+
+Jack was compelled to smile at Barney's honest indignation.
+
+"All you say is very true," he said, "but we couldn't take a leaf out
+of his book, you know, Barney.  Besides, look at it in another way.
+Suppose we shot Elbel?  What would happen to uncle's mining venture?
+There's another Belgian here--I wonder where he came from.  Apparently
+he has skedaddled.  He'd certainly go and report to the authorities
+what had happened.  You may be sure he wouldn't put our side of the
+case; and even if he did, there's no knowing how the Free State people
+would twist the evidence.  They say the Free State judges are
+completely under the thumb of the executive.  No doubt Elbel
+himself--who I suppose has to account for the cartridges his men
+use--will report this fight as a little affair with natives revolting
+against the rubber collection.  He hasn't come well enough out of it to
+be anxious to call general attention to the matter.  We've got off with
+a few bruises, I'm thankful to say; and we may very well be satisfied
+to let the quarrel rest there if Elbel takes no further steps."
+
+Barney shook his head.
+
+"Ye're a powerful hand at argyment, sorr," he said, "and ye'd be
+elected at the top uv the poll if ye stood as mimber uv Parlimint for
+Kilkenny.  But an Irishman niver goes by argyment: he goes by his
+feelings, and my feeling is that there's no good at all in a man who
+refuses such an illigant chance uv a stand-up fight."
+
+"Well, he's not altogether a ruffian.  Look! there are three of his
+negroes coming with a flag of truce, to fetch the poor fellow who was
+killed, I expect.  The State officials as a rule look on the negro as
+so much dirt; but Elbel seems to have some of the instincts of a human
+being."
+
+"Bedad thin, I wouldn't be surprised if they're cannibals come for
+their dinner."
+
+"Shut up, Barney.  It's too terrible to think of.  You'll take away my
+appetite; here's Samba, coming to tell us, I hope, that dinner's ready."
+
+Jack scanned the neighbourhood.  Save for the negroes carrying their
+dead comrade there was no sign of the enemy.  He left two sentries on
+guard and returned to his hut, hot and famished.  The sultry heat of
+the tropical afternoon settled down over the camp.  Outside the
+stockade all was still; inside, the natives squatted in front of their
+huts, volubly discussing the incidents of the morning, and watching the
+antics of Pat, who, having been tied up, much to his disgust, during
+the fight, was profiting by his liberty to romp with the children.
+
+The victory did not pass unchronicled.  Before the negroes retired to
+rest, one of them had composed a song which will be handed down from
+father to son and become a tradition of his tribe:--
+
+             To the house of the dog
+             To fight Lokolobolo.
+             Inglesa was he,
+             Brave Lokolobolo,
+             Lion and leopard,
+             Friend of Imbono,
+             Chief of Ilola.
+
+             Came Elobela,
+  (_Chorus_) Yah!
+             Bad Elobela,
+  (_Chorus_) Yo!
+             To the house of the dog
+             Came Lokolobolo,
+  (_Chorus_) Yah!  Yo!
+             Short was the fight.
+             Where is he now,
+             Sad Elobela?
+             Gone to the forest,
+             Beating his head,
+             Hiding his eyes
+             From Lokolobolo,
+             Friend of Imbono,
+             Lion and leopard,
+             Brave Lokolobolo.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A Revolt at Ilola
+
+Every day since the advent of Elbel, Jack had been conscious of the
+growing danger of his position.  A negro village, in the grip of rubber
+collectors; adjacent to it, a little settlement occupied mainly by
+negroes, many of whom were fugitives from a tyranny illegal indeed, but
+regularized by custom; in both settlements, natives who looked to him
+for help against their oppressors.  It was a situation difficult enough
+to daunt the pluckiest lad not yet eighteen.  But it is lads like Jack
+Challoner who make one of the prime glories of our Anglo-Saxon race.
+Is not page after page of our national annals filled with the deeds of
+youths--drummers, buglers, ensigns, midshipmen--who have stepped
+forward in moments of crisis, and shown a noble courage, a devotion to
+duty, and a capacity beyond their years?
+
+Jack did not quail before the responsibility his uncle had all
+unwittingly thrown upon him, even though he knew that his victory over
+the Belgian might enormously increase his difficulties.  Already he had
+wondered why Elbel had not put his settlement in a state of siege.  The
+only conclusion he could come to was that the man was little more than
+a blusterer, without enough imagination to conceive the right means to
+adopt, or destitute of sufficient organizing power to put them in
+force.  It would have been a comparatively simple matter, seeing his
+overwhelming strength in point of numbers, to prevent Jack from
+securing his needful supply of water from the stream; but day by day
+Elbel had allowed the women with their calabashes to go and come
+unmolested.  Surely, Jack thought, he would now at any rate take that
+most obvious step towards the reduction of his enemy.  And as he sat in
+his hut that evening, his head racked with pain from long thinking, he
+felt sick at heart as he realized how the fate of these poor people who
+had sought his aid seemed to depend on him alone.
+
+Just as darkness had fallen, the chief Imbono came into the camp.
+Elbel had forbidden any one to leave the village, but the chief had
+bribed the sentry and been allowed to pass.  He came to report that his
+young men had just returned from their rubber hunt after a week's
+absence in the forest, and learning of what had taken place, were bent
+on exacting vengeance for the insults and injuries inflicted on their
+people by the forest guards and by Elbel himself.  With his defeat the
+Belgian's prestige had utterly gone, and to the ignorant negroes the
+opportunity seemed favourable for revenge.  But Imbono, more far-seeing
+than they, had come to ask advice.  He had great difficulty in holding
+his men in.  Should he let them loose, to work their will upon their
+oppressors?
+
+Jack earnestly advised the chief to do his utmost to restrain them.
+
+"Believe me, my brother," he said, "if they do as you say they wish to
+do, it will almost certainly bring ruin upon you.  Elobela will be only
+too glad to have an excuse for visiting upon you the rancour caused by
+his reverse.  True, he failed to force my camp; but he is still
+stronger in arms and men than I.  I could do nothing to help you; for
+if I once move out of the shelter of my stockade, I shall be at
+Elobela's mercy.  In the open it is only rifles that count."
+
+"I will do as you say, O Lokolobolo.  But it is hard for me, for since
+the coming of Elobela my people do not obey me as they used to do.  If
+I say, do this, Elobela forbids it; if I say, refrain from this,
+Elobela bids them do it.  It is hard for them to serve two masters.
+But I will tell them what my brother says; I can do no more."
+
+"You have another white man with you now, besides Elobela?"
+
+"It is true, and he was struck by one of the balls from your guns, and
+is now lying sick in my hut: they have turned me out, and Elobela has
+said that I am no more to provide food for you, my brother, either from
+Ilola or from my other villages.  But one of my young men told me that
+the party you sent out have obtained a supply, and wait in the forest
+until you bid them bring it in."
+
+Jack thanked the chief, who returned to his village.
+
+The news he brought was not of a kind to lessen Jack's anxiety.  What
+he had expected had at last happened.  He had little doubt that the
+commandeering of food would soon be followed by the stoppage of his
+water supply.  Without access to water the camp was doomed.  It was
+possible that if he made common cause with Imbono their united forces
+might overcome Elbel's forest guards; but the attempt could be made
+only at a terrible risk, and if it failed the whole population of the
+two settlements must be annihilated.  Jack saw now that the presence of
+his camp so near Ilola was a source of danger to it.  This could not
+have been foreseen; but how much better it would have been, he thought,
+if he had chosen a different site.  At another spot, remote from the
+village, with a more defensible position, and near a good water supply,
+the present weaknesses would not have existed, and at all events Imbono
+might not have been involved in the consequences of the quarrel with
+Elbel.
+
+But it was too late to think of that.  Certainly no move could be made
+while Elbel was close by with a considerable force.  If Elbel took
+advantage of his superiority to hold the camp closely invested, there
+would never be any possibility of moving at all.  Deprived of water,
+Jack must soon choose between the alternatives--to surrender, or to
+make a sally at the head of his men and put all to the hazard of an
+open fight.
+
+Two days passed.  Jack kept a close watch on Ilola through his
+field-glass; all seemed quiet there, and of Elbel himself he saw
+nothing.  What was his amazement, when at daybreak he took his stand on
+the platform overlooking Ilola, to see Elbel marching out at the head
+of the greater part of his force, and making for the river bank.  He
+waited an hour, and when they did not return, and the patrols had not
+appeared, he sent out a couple of men by a roundabout way to follow the
+movements of the force, and allowed the usual water carriers to go out
+with their calabashes.  These, returning soon with water, reported a
+strange thing.  From the women of Ilola whom they had met on a like
+errand at the river, they had learnt that Elobela had set off with his
+men in their smoke-boat, and that Boloko had been left in charge of the
+village with about as many men as he had brought at first.  Several
+hours later Jack's scouts came back, and said that they had followed
+along the bank the course of Elobela's launch; he was going rapidly
+down the river.  They could only suppose that he was making for the
+headquarters of his company some hundreds of miles away.
+
+"What did I say at all at all?" remarked Barney when Jack told him the
+great news.  "He's no gentleman, that's as plain as the nose on his
+face, sorr.  A man who will take two lickings and thin run away is not
+fit to wipe your shoes on."
+
+"You seem disappointed, Barney, but frankly I'm very glad.  I could
+fling up my hat and cheer if I hadn't to keep up my dignity before
+these natives.  Though I fear we haven't seen the last of Mr. Elbel by
+any means.  We shall have him upon us sooner or later with an
+overwhelming force.  But sufficient unto the day; my uncle should be
+back long before that, if Elbel doesn't meet and stop him on the road.
+Well, we now have a chance to move our camp, for if Elbel is on his way
+to headquarters he can't get back for weeks.  And first of all, Barney,
+take a dozen men and bring in that food that's waiting in the forest.
+We shan't be able to move for a day or two, at any rate; we must choose
+our site more carefully this time."
+
+Thinking over the matter, Jack was not long in coming to the decision
+that the best place to establish his new camp would be near the
+cataract.  From his recollection of the ground above it he thought it
+was admirably situated from a strategical point of view.  It would have
+the incidental advantage of protecting Mr. Martindale's claim.
+
+The one disadvantage was its distance from the sources of food supply.
+But this caused Jack to give serious consideration to a matter which
+had once or twice dimly suggested itself to him.  He had been more and
+more impressed with the necessity of his party being self-supporting,
+so far as the staple articles of food were concerned, if they were to
+make a long stay in this country.  He remembered how Stanley during his
+search for Emin Pasha had been able to sow, grow, and reap crops at
+Fort Bodo in a remarkably short time.  Why should not he do the same?
+When he was joined by Mr. Martindale's contingent a large quantity of
+food would be needed.  No doubt they would bring stores with them; but
+these could not last very long, especially in view of the unexpected
+drain upon the resources of the expedition caused by the arrival of the
+fugitives from Banonga and elsewhere.
+
+"I wonder what Uncle will say when he sees them," Jack remarked to
+Barney, when he opened up to him this question of food supply.  "You
+remember at Banonga he said he wasn't going to start a boys' home; this
+is still more serious--a sort of convalescent home for non-paying
+patients."
+
+"'Tis meself that isn't wan little bit afraid uv what the master will
+say.  Sure don't I know to a letther what 'twill be!  'My gracious
+me!'--don't ye hear him, sorr?--'what in the world will I want wid all
+these disgraceful lookin' objects?  This ain't business.  I'm not a
+philanthrophy, an' I don't exactly see my way to run a croosade.'  An'
+thin he'll say, 'Poor fellow!' an' 'Poor wumman!' an' 'Poor little
+chap!' an' he'll dive his hands into his pockets an' suddenly remimber
+himself that money is no manner uv good in this counthry, an' he'll
+say: 'We must kind uv fix up some sort uv something for 'em, Barney.'
+Didn't I know 'm by heart the first day I drove him in London, and he
+went up to the horse and opened his jaw an' looked in his eyes an' says
+'He'll do.'  Sure I'd niver have named me little darlint uv a Pat to 'm
+if I hadn't known the kind uv gintleman he was at all."
+
+Jack smiled at Barney's way of putting it, but admitted the truth of
+the portrait.  Mr. Martindale was indeed a capable man of affairs--an
+example of the best type of the American man of business, the
+embodiment of the qualities by which the extraordinary commercial
+prosperity of the United States has been built up.  But Jack knew that
+he was more than a man of business.  His was a big heart, and it was
+one of the minor vexations of his life that he had to take some trouble
+to conceal it.
+
+Jack's final conclusion was that there was not only every prospect of
+an extended stay if this mining scheme was to be followed up, but that
+the number of persons to be provided for would be more considerable
+than it was possible at present to calculate.  Obviously, then, it
+behoved him to employ the time before Mr. Martindale's arrival in
+preparing for contingencies.
+
+Elbel's departure had immediate consequences in Ilola.  His presence
+had in some measure curbed the worse propensities of his black
+followers: they could only be brutal in obedience to orders; but the
+moment he was gone they began to show themselves once more in their
+true light.  Before a day had passed Imbono came into the camp to
+complain of the insolence and rapacity of Boloko and his men.  Jack
+advised him to do nothing to give Boloko any excuse for violence, but
+he had still to plumb the depths of savagery and brutality in the men
+whom the Free State Government callously allowed the trading companies
+to employ in the exploitation of rubber.  He had still to learn that
+where violence was intended, not even the shadow of an excuse was any
+longer considered necessary.
+
+One morning Imbono came to him in a frenzy of rage and indignation.
+His third wife had been tending her cooking pot when Boloko came up and
+asked what food she was preparing.  "A fowl," she replied civilly.
+"Give it me," he demanded.  "It is not yet cooked, O Boloko," the poor
+woman answered.  "You refuse me, Ngondisi?" cried the ruffian.  "Lift
+your hands and open your eyes wide that I may see the white of them, or
+I will shoot you."  Ngondisi in terror obeyed.  "You do not open them
+wide enough," said the wretch with a laugh, and he lifted the gun and
+fired; and the woman fell upon her face; she would never open her eyes
+again.
+
+But Boloko had in this case reckoned without the spirit of confidence
+engendered in the natives by the discomfiture of Elbel.  He had only
+ten men in the village when the incident occurred; the rest were
+absent, levying toll on Imbono's other villages a few miles distant.
+Even while Imbono, with tears of anguish, was telling Jack what had
+been done, the spark had been applied to the tinder.  An extraordinary
+commotion was heard in the direction of Ilola: shots, yells, the war
+cry of infuriate men.  Rushing out with Imbono, Jack arrived in the
+village to find that retaliation had at last been wreaked for months of
+wrong.  It was difficult at first to make out what had happened.  It
+appeared that in Imbono's absence the men of the village had suddenly
+seized their arms, and flung themselves in one desperate rush upon
+Boloko and his men.  What cared they if several of their number fell
+before the tyrants' rifles?  Heedless of wounds they closed about the
+forest guards; there was a brief hand-to-hand fight, eight of Boloko's
+men had fallen to weapons wielded with the energy of despair, and of
+the party only Boloko himself and two men had made their escape into
+the forest.
+
+Elate with their victory, the men of Ilola had hastened off to the
+other villages, to surprise the guards there.  It was too late now to
+recall them, but Jack had arrived on the spot just in time to rescue
+one man, whom the villagers were on the point of massacring.  The white
+sous-officier who had been wounded in the fight before Jack's camp had
+been placed in Imbono's hut.  Roused by the sound of firing, he had
+dragged himself from his mattress and, rifle in hand, came to the
+entrance of the hut just as Jack entered the gate with the chief.  The
+villagers had forgotten him; but when they saw in their power a white
+man, one of those to whom all their afflictions were due, a band of
+them sprang towards him with uplifted spears.  He fired: one of the men
+fell.  The rest paused for an instant, and were on the point of dashing
+forward to make an end of their enemy when Jack rushed between them and
+their prey, and cried to them in Imbono's name to stay their hands.
+Reluctantly, with lowering countenances, they obeyed the command of
+their chief's white brother.  No mercy had been shown to them: why
+should they show mercy?  But when Imbono reminded them that the slaying
+of a white man would bring upon them the hordes of Bula Matadi, and
+that Elobela had already gone down the river, probably to bring many
+soldiers back with him, they sullenly drew off, and allowed Jack to
+remove the man to the safety of his own camp.
+
+The Belgian knew no English, but Jack had a fair working knowledge of
+French which he found was equal to the occasion.  The man explained
+that he was an ex-noncommissioned officer of the State forces, whose
+services had been enlisted by Elbel in dealing with the refractory
+natives.  He seemed quite unable to understand Jack's point of view.
+To him the natives were so many parasites, the goods and chattels of
+the State, with no property and no rights.
+
+"Why, monsieur," he said, "we pay them for the work they do; we have a
+right to demand labour of them for nothing.  See what we have done for
+their country!  Look at the rubber stations on the river, the fine
+buildings, the telegraphs, the cataract railway; where would all these
+blessings of civilization have been but for the noble self-sacrifice of
+King Leopold?"
+
+Jack gave up the attempt to argue with him that the country belonged
+primarily to its natural inhabitants, forbore to point out that King
+Leopold had expressly declared that he had the advancement of the
+natives at heart.  He contented himself with insisting that the actions
+of which Elbel and his minions had been guilty in Ilola were contrary
+to the law of the Free State itself.  He was much struck by the
+Belgian's answer.
+
+"Ah, monsieur, we have no book of rules, no code of laws.  What can we
+do?  We are the only law.  Yes, monsieur, we are the only God in the
+Maranga."
+
+Next day Jack went with Imbono and Lepoko to the waterfall, to survey
+the place as a possible site for a camp, or, to speak more strictly, a
+settlement.  The chief was troubled and displeased at the prospect of
+the removal of his blood brother's camp, but made no urgent
+remonstrance.  On arriving at the spot, Jack at once detected signs
+that some one had recently been making investigations there.  He had no
+doubt that this was Elbel.  The secret of the gold had probably been
+disclosed in an incautious moment to one of his escort by the men who
+had accompanied Mr. Martindale on his second visit.  Elbel already knew
+enough of the American's business to make him keenly interested, and
+alert to follow up the slightest clue.  Knowing what he now knew of the
+methods of the State officials, Jack was ready to believe that Elbel
+would strain every nerve to get Mr. Martindale hounded out of the
+country, in order to have an opportunity of turning the discovery of
+gold to his own profit.  Could his sudden departure from the village,
+Jack wondered, have been his first move in this direction?
+
+Carefully examining the ground above the waterfall, Jack saw that a
+good deal would have to be done to make it suitable for a settlement.
+He heard from Imbono that during several months of the year the stream
+was much broader than at present, and at the point where it debouched
+from the hill, three or four miles below, it and other streams
+overflowed their banks, forming a wide swamp, almost a lake, some ten
+miles from east to west and more than half a mile broad.  This, during
+the rainy season, practically cut off all communication from the
+direction of the village.  On the far side of the hill the bluffs were
+so precipitous as to make access very difficult.  This isolated hill
+formed therefore a kind of huge castle, of which the swamp for half the
+year was the natural moat.
+
+It seemed to Jack that the most convenient site for his new camp was
+the slope of the hill immediately above the cataract.  The incline here
+was very slight; the hill face only became steep again about a quarter
+of a mile from the fall; there it rose abruptly for fully fifty or
+sixty yards, sloping gently for the next half mile.  Jack saw that if
+he built his entrenched camp in the neighbourhood of the waterfall, it
+would be to a slight extent commanded by an enemy posted on the steep
+ascent above.  But by raising his defences somewhat higher on that side
+he hoped to overcome this disadvantage.
+
+With a little labour, he thought, the soil around the cataract could be
+made suitable for planting food-stuffs.  It was virgin soil, and owing
+to the slight fall of the ground at this spot, and to the fact that it
+was partially protected by the contour of the hill against floods from
+above, the leaves that for ages past had fallen from the thick copses
+fringing the banks, and from the luxuriant undergrowth on the small
+plateau itself, had not been washed down.  These deposits had greatly
+enriched the alluvium, and Imbono said that large crops of manioc,
+maize, groundnuts, and sweet potatoes could easily be grown, as well as
+plantains and bananas and sugar cane.
+
+On returning to his camp by Ilola, Jack told Barney the results of his
+investigation, and announced that he had definitely made up his mind to
+settle on the new site.
+
+"Very good, sorr," said Barney; "but what'll become uv Ilola?  Beggin'
+your pardon, sorr, 'twas a very solemn affair, that ceremony uv
+brotherhood, an' though sure it had niver a blessing from a priest--an'
+like enough Father Mahone would think it a poor haythen sort uv
+business--still, to the poor niggers, sorr, it may be just as great a
+thing as if the priest had blessed it in the name uv Almighty God."
+
+"Well, what are you driving at, Barney?"
+
+"Why this, sorr.  The chief and you made a bargain to help wan another;
+an' sure ye've kept it, both uv you.  Well, if we go away, there's no
+more help for either uv you, an' 'tis Imbono will be most in need uv
+it."
+
+"You mean that I'm deserting my ally, eh?"
+
+"Bedad, sorr, isn't it me that knows ye'd niver do it?  But I just
+speak for the look uv the thing, sorr.  Sure niver a man knows betther
+than Barney O'Dowd that things are not always what they seem."
+
+"To tell you the truth, Barney, I've been thinking it over on the way
+back.  I could see that Imbono doesn't like the idea of our moving,
+though he was too polite to mention it----"
+
+"'Tis a rale Irish gintleman he is, sorr," interrupted Barney.
+
+"There's no doubt that Elbel, or Boloko, or both, will come back sooner
+or later.  Leaving me out of the question, the slaughter of Boloko's
+party won't go unpunished.  To overlook that would ruin the authority
+of the forest guards for hundreds of miles round.  Well, what does it
+mean when they return?  They'll make a terrible example of Ilola.
+Imbono and his people will be wiped out.  And you're quite right in
+believing that I couldn't stand by and see that done.  But you see what
+it involves.  We must plan our camp so as to be able to take in the
+whole of Imbono's people from the three villages--I suppose about four
+hundred in all, children included.  That's a large order, Barney."
+
+"True it is, sorr.  But you wouldn't keep out the childher, poor little
+souls; an' mighty proud uv Pat they are, too.  Besides, sorr, they'll
+all help, ivery soul, to build the camp; many hands make light work;
+an' ye couldn't expect 'em to set up a lot uv huts for us barring they
+saw a chance uv bein' invited now and again, at least as payin' guests,
+sorr."
+
+"Well, Barney, I'd made up my mind to it all along, but I thought I'd
+like to sound you first.  So all we've got to do now is to relieve
+Imbono's suspense and set to work.  We'll start with clearing the soil
+for crops.  It will take some time to plan the new camp, and we've
+always this one to retreat to.  Take Lepoko over to Ilola and make the
+announcement yourself, Barney."
+
+"I will, sorr, wid the greatest pleasure in life.  'Deed, 'twas meself
+that took the news to Biddy O'Flaherty whin her pig had won the prize
+at Ballymahone Show, and was just coming away wid a penny in me pocket
+when I met Mike Henchie.  'An' what would ye be afther, Mike?' says I.
+'Carryin' the news to Biddy O'Flaherty, to be sure,' says he.  'Arrah
+thin, 'tis too late ye are,' says I.  'Isn't it meself that's just got
+a penny for that same news?' 'Bedad,' says he, 'what will have come to
+Biddy at all?'  'What is it ye'd be maning?' says I; 'sure she didn't
+give me a penny,' says Mike, 'last year whin I brought her the news.
+She gave me a screech and went black in the face, an' sure 'twas for
+the same fun I'm here this blessed minute?'  'Husht!' says I.  'Biddy
+didn't win the prize last year at all.  'Twas Patsy M'Manus.'  'An' who
+is it this time but that same Patsy?' says Mike.  'But I heard the
+judge wid me very own ears give it to Biddy!' says I.  'Deed so,' says
+he; 'but some wan renumbered him that Patsy had won it two years on
+end.  "Me old friend Patsy!" says he.  "Sure I couldn't break her heart
+by spoilin' the third time.  I'll give it to Patsy," says he.'  An'
+Patsy hadn't shown a pig at all that year, sorr."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+The House by the Water
+
+With characteristic energy, Jack next day set about the work in
+earnest.  He posted sentinels several miles down the river and on the
+only forest paths by which a force was likely to approach, to give him
+timely notice if the enemy appeared.  Then, with as many men as he
+could muster, and a great number of women, he hastened to the
+waterfall, and began the work of clearing the ground.  He had decided
+to start from the site of the proposed settlement and work outwards, so
+that the crops would be as much as possible under the protection of the
+camp: it would never do to raise a harvest for the enemy to reap.
+
+He placed Mboyo, Samba's father, in command of all his own people who
+had turned up, and of such people from other tribes as now came
+dropping in daily, the news of the white men who helped the negroes and
+feared not Bula Matadi having by this time spread abroad in the land.
+Every new contingent of fugitives brought a fresh tale of outrage,
+causing Jack to persevere under the discouragements with which he met,
+and to vow that he would do all in his power to protect the poor people
+who looked to him for succour.  What the ultimate result of his action
+would be he did not stay to consider.  It was enough for him that a
+work of urgent need lay ready to his hand.
+
+He did not blink the fact that he and his followers were now in reality
+in revolt against the constituted authorities of the Free State.
+Elbel, it was true, was only a servant of a concessionnaire company,
+vested with certain trading and taxing privileges; but government as
+understood in the Free State was conducted by the delegation of powers
+from the central authority to private or corporate trading concerns.
+How far the powers of such a man as Elbel really extended in point of
+law Jack did not know.  But he had been driven into his present
+position by a series of events in the face of which he could not find
+that any other course of action than the one he had adopted was open to
+him.  And while he recognized fully the essential weakness of his
+position, however well fortified he might regard himself on grounds of
+humanity, he faced boldly what seemed the likeliest immediate
+consequence of his actions--the return of Elbel in force.
+
+Meanwhile he was beginning to be a little concerned at not hearing from
+Mr. Martindale.  It was many weeks since his last note had arrived.
+Jack was not yet seriously anxious about his uncle's non-appearance in
+person, for he could easily conceive that delays might occur in the
+prosecution of his business in strange places and among strange people,
+and when he reflected he came to the conclusion that Mr. Martindale
+might naturally hesitate to send many messengers.  They were very
+expensive, having to come so many hundreds of miles, and moreover there
+was always a chance that a letter might miscarry.  The Congo was not
+too safe a highway; the Free State methods had not been such as to
+instil a respect for "law" among the victims of its rule.  Jack knew
+full well that if a messenger from his uncle fell into Elbel's hands,
+he would not be allowed to proceed.  It was possible that Mr.
+Martindale's purchase of rifles, and their destination, had been
+discovered; and the idea that he might be involved in some trouble with
+the courts made Jack feel uneasy at times.
+
+But he was so extremely busy that he had little leisure for speculation
+of any kind.  The work of clearing the ground proceeded with wonderful
+rapidity.
+
+"They talk about the negro being lazy," he remarked one day to Barney;
+"he doesn't look like it now."
+
+"Ah, sorr, they say the same about my counthrymen.  Perhaps the truth
+is the same in Ireland as 'tis here.  For why are the niggers here not
+lazy, sorr?  Just because you'd explained to them what the work's for,
+and they know they'll get the good uv it.  There may be scuts uv
+spalpeens that won't work at any time for anything or anybody at all.
+'Tis they I'd use that chicotte on, sorr; but I don't see any here, to
+be sure."
+
+When enough ground had been cleared and sowed to furnish a considerable
+crop, Jack turned the whole of his available force on to the work of
+building the entrenched camp.  Imbona had welcomed with gratitude and
+enthusiasm the suggestion that the new settlement should be made large
+enough to contain the whole population of his villages in case of need;
+and his men having discontinued their unprofitable search for rubber
+when the forest guards disappeared, he could employ them almost all in
+the work.  For Jack did not recognize the prescriptive right of the men
+to leave all the field work, when the clearing had been done, to the
+women, as is the invariable negro custom.  Whether in the fields or on
+the new defences, he insisted on all taking a share.
+
+The greatest difficulty he encountered in the construction of his new
+camp was the want of materials.  The country in the immediate vicinity
+of the waterfall was only sparsely wooded, and too much time and labour
+would be consumed in hauling logs from the forest below.  But he found
+a large copse bordering the stream, higher up, and here he felled the
+trees, floating the logs down to the side of his settlement, not
+without difficulty, owing to the narrow tortuous bed.  These, however,
+proved quite insufficient for the construction of a thick and
+impenetrable stockade round the whole circuit of the chosen site.  Jack
+therefore determined to use the boulders that lay in the course of the
+stream, thus unawares making his camp a cross between an Afghan stone
+sangar and a log fort, such as were built by the pioneers and
+fur-traders of the American west.  The labour of transporting the heavy
+boulders to the site of the settlement was very great; but the heart of
+the labourers being, as Barney had said, in their work, they toiled
+ungrudgingly, and, with the ingenuity that the negro often unexpectedly
+displays, they proved very fertile in simple labour-saving devices.
+
+The fort was built on the left bank of the stream just above the
+cataract, so that the steep cliffs formed an effective defence to its
+southern side.  Before falling over the precipice, the stream ran
+through a gully some twelve feet deep.  The western side of the fort
+rested on the gully, and was thus with difficulty accessible in this
+quarter.  Only on the north and east was it necessary to provide strong
+defensive works.  These faces were each about a hundred yards long.  At
+the western extremity of the northern face, where it rested on the
+stream, Jack placed a solid blockhouse of logs.  He constructed a
+similar blockhouse at the eastern extremity of this face, and a third
+at the south-east corner where the stone wall abutted on the precipice.
+All three blockhouses were constructed as bastions, so as to enfilade
+the northern and eastern faces.
+
+When the outer defences were thus completed, the negroes were set to
+work to build the necessary habitations within.  Hundreds of tall
+stems, thousands of climbers, vines, and creepers, piles of palm and
+phrynia leaves, were collected, and in an amazingly short time the
+space so lately bare was covered with neat huts built in native fashion
+for the negroes, with three more substantial dwellings, somewhat apart
+from the rest, for Mr. Martindale, Jack, and Barney.  A wide open space
+was left in the middle.  At one point a great heap of boulders was
+collected for repairing the wall if necessary; and Jack placed his
+ammunition securely in an underground magazine.
+
+In two months from the departure of Elbel Jack was able to transfer his
+stores to the new settlement.  The crops in the cultivated area were
+already far advanced.  Jack was amazed to see how quickly in this
+teeming soil the bare brown face of the earth became covered with the
+tender shoots of green, and how rapid was the progress to full
+maturity.  Clearly the new village, to which the natives had given the
+name Ilombekabasi, "the house by the water," would be in no straits for
+its food supply.
+
+It was Barney who suggested a doubt about the water.  Jack found him as
+a rule a good commentator, but a poor originator; he could very
+prettily embroider an idea, but very rarely had an idea of his own.
+But on this occasion he had a flash of insight.
+
+"By the powers, sorr," he said one morning, as Jack and he were walking
+along the stream, "I do remimber just this very minute two lines uv
+poethry, out uv a poethry book I was made to learn whin I was a bhoy
+an' they talked uv sendin' me in for 'zamination by the Intermaydiate
+Board.  It never come to anything, to be sure, because by the time I
+was old enough to sit for the 'zamination I was too old, sorr."
+
+"Well, what are the lines?"
+
+  '"Water, water iverywhere,
+  An' not a dhrop to dhrink.'"
+
+'Twas about some poor sailor man that shot a bird at sea, an 'twas a
+holy bird, an' whin 'twas dead the wind did not blow, an' the sailors
+dropped down dead, an' ghosts came aboard, an' the sky was like a hot
+copper, an' this poor divil uv a fellow was alone, all, all alone, as
+the book said, wid the dead bird slung round his neck, an' his lips
+parched, an' water all about, but as salt as a herring, so that he
+couldn't drink it; bedad, sorr, I remimber how mighty bad I felt meself
+whin my ould tacher--rest his sowl!--read out those lines in a sort uv
+whisper, an' me lips went as dhry as an old boot, sorr."
+
+The idea, you perceive, was by this time pretty well smothered under
+its embroidery.
+
+"You mean that the enemy might try to divert the stream if they
+attacked our camp?"
+
+"'Tis the very marrow uv it, sorr, an' mighty aisy it would be.  Sure
+there are plenty uv boulders left, an' they could make a dam that would
+turn this stream at the narrow part above, an' niver a blessed dhrop uv
+dhrink should we get."
+
+"You're right, Barney.  We must be prepared for anything.  Let us go
+and look round."
+
+Strolling up stream, they came, within a short distance of the spot
+where inspiration had flashed upon Barney, to a small spring bubbling
+up near the river bank.
+
+"Here's water, Barney," said Jack.  "It rather suggests that we'd find
+water inside the camp if we sank a well."
+
+"True, sorr; but I'm thinking that would need a terrible deal uv
+diggin'."
+
+"Still it may have to be done.  We can't use this spring; it's a
+hundred yards at least away from the stockade--too far to come, under
+fire from Albini rifles."
+
+"And we couldn't make it run into the camp, sorr, more's the pity."
+
+"Stop a bit.  I don't know that we couldn't.  We might make a conduit."
+
+"What might that be, sorr?"
+
+"A pipe.  It would have to be underground."
+
+"And if we got a pipe, an' could lay it, the marks uv the diggin' would
+bethray us.  Don't the streets uv London prove it whin the County
+Council has been taking up the drains?"
+
+"Unless we could cover them in some way.  That might be managed.  A
+greater difficulty is the natives.  They've worked very well, but we
+don't know yet how far they can be trusted; and if they knew of this
+water-pipe we propose, they might blab the secret and undo all our
+work."
+
+"And where's the pipe, sorr?  There are no gas pipes or drain pipes in
+this haythen counthry."
+
+"No, but there are plenty of bamboos.  We could make an excellent pipe
+of them.  The digging is the difficulty.  We can't get the natives to
+do it without giving our plan away, and we can't do it ourselves for
+the same reason.  I shall have to think this out, Barney."
+
+"Sleep on it, sorr.  Begorra, I remimber two more lines from that same
+poetry book--
+
+  'Sleep, sleep, it is a blessed thing
+  Beloved from pole to pole';
+
+an' no wonder at all, for many a time I've gone to me bed bothered
+about wan thing or another, and bedad, the morn's morn 'twas all as
+clear as the blessed daylight, sorr."
+
+"Well, I'll sleep on it, Barney, and let you know to-morrow what the
+result is."
+
+It was close thought, however, before he fell asleep that gave Jack the
+solution of the problem.  All the natives now knew that the object of
+the white man's presence here was to search for gold; they knew also
+that to obtain the gold the soil had to be excavated.  Why not turn
+their knowledge to good account?  Instead of laying his conduit in a
+direct line from the spring to the nearest point of the stockade, he
+would lay it along, or rather in, the side of the gully; it would thus
+be more likely to escape observation, and the disturbed ground could be
+planted with quick-growing creepers or covered up with boulders.  As a
+blind to the natives, he would have a number of excavations made at the
+edge of the gully, both above and below the waterfall, and one of these
+could be used for the bamboo pipe without anybody being the wiser save
+the few who must necessarily be in the secret.
+
+Next morning, accordingly, Jack, under pretence of continuing the
+search for gold, set the men to make a series of shallow excavations.
+Most of these were cut below the cataract, and, using the prospector's
+pan, Jack obtained what he hoped his uncle would consider good results
+from the soil.  He carefully noted the places along the exposed bed of
+the stream in which the best returns were found.  But the excavations
+were abandoned one by one, and attention was not unduly directed to any
+of them.
+
+One of the excavations above the waterfall was the channel for the
+conduit.  Jack carried it from within a few yards of the spring to a
+spot near the north-west blockhouse, overlooking the gully.  At one
+time it seemed that his plan would be wrecked, literally upon a rock,
+for a huge mass of stone of almost granite hardness was met with a
+little less than half-way from the spring.  But Jack was relieved to
+find soft earth beneath it, and the obstacle was turned by sinking the
+conduit at this place some feet below the usual level.
+
+At a short distance from the blockhouse, within the stockade, Jack set
+the men to excavate a large tank, with a surface outlet over the
+cataract; and from the bottom of the tank he drove a tunnel, just large
+enough to accommodate a bamboo pipe, to the nearest point of the gully.
+
+The tank was an object of great curiosity to the natives, both those
+who had dug it and those who looked on.  The children amused themselves
+by jumping in and out until the bottom became so deep as to make that
+sport dangerous; their elders congregated at the edge, chattering among
+themselves, some suggesting that it was intended as a storehouse for
+grain, others, as a grave in which to bury Elobela and his men when
+they were killed in the fight that all expected.
+
+Meanwhile Jack had taken two of the natives into his confidence.  They
+were Mboyo and Samba.  The former was silent by nature and habit.
+Samba would have torn out his tongue rather than divulge any secret of
+his master's.  Jack entrusted to them the construction of the conduit.
+He knew enough of their language by this time to be able to explain
+what he wanted without Lepoko's assistance, and they quickly seized his
+idea.  Working by themselves in a bamboo plantation at Ilola, they
+selected stalks of slightly different thickness which would fit into
+one another; and Jack found that by carefully packing the joints with
+earth from the peaty swamp, he could make a pipe of the required length
+practically free from leakage.
+
+It remained to lay the conduit in position.  This task he reserved for
+himself and Barney, with the assistance of Mboyo and Samba.  To avoid
+observation by the people, it was necessary to do the work at night.
+Accordingly one day Jack gave orders that no one was to leave the camp
+without permission after the evening meal was eaten.  Immediately after
+sunset the four quickly issued from the gate in the northern wall of
+the fort, one at a time so as not to attract attention.  Mboyo and
+Samba brought the sections of the pipe from the place where they had
+concealed them, and under Jack's direction they laid them along the
+gully, covering up each length of bamboo as it was placed.  The trench
+having been already prepared, the actual labour involved was not great,
+the only difficulty being to remove as far as possible the traces of
+their operations.  But it took time, and was impeded by the darkness,
+so that on the first night, after several hours of work, only the pipe
+had been laid, no connexion having yet been made with the tank or the
+spring.
+
+The work was continued under similar conditions on the following night.
+A connexion having been made with the tank, it only remained to tap the
+spring.  A hole, some three feet deep, was dug where the water bubbled
+up, and formed into a fairly water-tight chamber by lining it with
+stone chipped from the boulders.  Into this one end of the conduit was
+carried.  Then the hole was filled in, and covered with two heavy
+pieces of rock, placed in as natural and unstudied a position as
+possible.  While this was being done by Mboyo and Samba, Jack and
+Barney dibbled the roots of sweet potato creepers into the soil along
+the whole length of the conduit, knowing that they would grow so
+rapidly that in a few weeks every trace of their work would be hidden
+by the foliage; moreover the plant would serve a double purpose.
+
+The spring was a small one; nevertheless, by the time the night's task
+was completed, and the party returned to the camp, there were already
+two or three inches of water in the tank, and it was steadily rising.
+Barney was even more delighted than Jack.
+
+"'Tis wonderful what a power uv good poethry can do in the world,
+sorr," he said.  "An' sure the commissionaires uv education in the ould
+counthry would be proud men the day did they know that Barney O'Dowd,
+though he didn't pass his 'zamination, has made a mighty fine use uv
+the little poethry book."
+
+Great was the surprise of the natives when they awoke next morning to
+see the mysterious tank full of water, and a tiny overflow trickling
+from it over the cataract.  They discussed it for the whole of the day,
+inventing every explanation but the right one.  The original spring had
+been so near the river and so inconspicuous that its disappearance was
+not noticed.
+
+Jack felt a glow of satisfaction as he looked round on his work.  Here
+was an orderly settlement, on an excellent natural site, defended by a
+stockade and wall impregnable save to artillery, with fresh clean huts,
+well-cultivated fields, and an inexhaustible water supply.  It had
+involved much thought and care and toil; how amply they had been
+rewarded!
+
+His men were now all transferred from their old settlement to the new
+one.  Imbono's people still remained in their villages, not without
+reluctance.  They knew that the gate of Ilombekabasi would always be
+open to them if danger threatened; but they felt the attractions of the
+place, and wished to migrate at once.  And they were particularly
+jealous of the refugees.  These people were strangers; why should they
+have better habitations and stronger defences than they themselves?
+Why were they permitted to remain in Imbono's country at all?  Jack had
+much ado to keep the peace between the two parties.  Quarrels were
+frequent, and that they did not develop into open strife was a tribute
+to Jack's diplomacy, and to the strange influence which Samba had
+acquired.  The winning qualities which had captivated Mr. Martindale
+seemed to have a magical effect upon the people.  The boy had always
+been a special pet among his own folks; his merry nature won the
+affection of Imbono's subjects also.  Jack kept an observant eye upon
+him, and more than once saw him quietly approach a group where
+bickering and recrimination were going on, and by some grace of
+address, or some droll antic played with his inseparable companion Pat,
+turn frowns to smiles, and suspicion to good fellowship.
+
+Among the inhabitants of Ilombekabasi was the Belgian sergeant rescued
+from the villagers in Ilola.  He gave his parole not to attempt to
+escape, and indeed endured captivity patiently, for he knew not how far
+away his friends might be, and to wander alone in this forest country
+meant death.  Jack sometimes talked with him, taking the opportunity of
+airing his French, and finding some little interest in sounding the
+man's views.  At first the Belgian would not admit that the natives had
+any rights, or that there was anything particularly obnoxious in the
+system of administration.  But he changed his mind one day when Jack
+put to him a personal question.
+
+"How would you, a Belgian, like it if some strange sovereign--the
+German emperor, say--came down upon you and compelled you to go into
+your woods and collect beech-nuts for him, paying you at the rate of a
+sou a day, or not at all, and thrashing or maiming or killing you if
+you did not collect enough?"
+
+The question was unanswerable, and from that time the Belgian became a
+meditative man.
+
+The refugees were gradually increasing in number.  By the time the camp
+was finished Mboyo's command had grown to sixty men, with nearly as
+many women and twice as many children.  All brought stories of the
+barbarous deeds of the rubber collectors; many bore in maimed limbs or
+scarred backs the personal evidences of the oppressors' cruelty.  Jack
+was moved almost to tears one day.  A fine-looking negro came into the
+camp carrying something wrapped in palm leaves, and asked to be taken
+to Lokolobolo.  When brought before Jack he removed the wrappings, and,
+unutterable woe depicted on his face, displayed a tiny black hand and
+foot.  His village had been raided, he said, and with his wife and
+children and a few others he had fled to the forest, where they lived
+on roots and leaves and nuts.  The forest guards tracked them out.  One
+day, when he was absent fishing, a brutal sentry came upon his wife as
+she was collecting leaves for the evening meal.  He learnt from one of
+his friends what happened.  Before the woman could escape the sentry
+shot her, and as she was only wounded, his "boys" chopped her with
+their knives till she died.  Others of his hangers-on took the
+children; and when the father returned to the place where he had left
+them, he found the dead body of his wife, and one hand and foot, all
+that remained of his little ones from the cannibal feast.
+
+It was incidents like these that stiffened Jack's back.  He had crossed
+his Rubicon: the gate of Ilombekabasi stood open to all who chose to
+come.  And they came steadily.  For a time many of them were too weak
+to be useful members of the little society.  But as with good food and
+freedom from care their strength increased, they began to be
+self-supporting, Mboyo employed them in attending to the crops and
+bringing new ground under cultivation.  Several were artificers, and
+were useful in doing smith's or carpenter's work.
+
+In addition to keeping the villagers employed, Jack set apart a portion
+of every day for military exercises.  Every able-bodied man was armed;
+those for whom there were no rifles carried the native spears.  When
+Boloko fled from Ilola he left a number of Albini rifles and a stock of
+ammunition behind.  These Jack appropriated, so that his corps of
+riflemen now numbered sixty.  He used his cartridges very sparingly,
+for his stock was not large, and he saw no possibility of replenishing
+it.
+
+Now and again he arranged for a sham fight.  One party of men was told
+off to storm the stockade, an equal party to defend it.  No firearms
+were used on these occasions; the weapons employed were wooden poles
+with wadded ends.  Such fights afforded excellent practice against a
+real attack, and not a little amusement and enjoyment to the natives,
+who entered into the spirit of them enthusiastically, and took the hard
+knocks and bruises with as much cheerfulness as schoolboys on a
+football field.  These little operations were useful to Jack also.  By
+their means he discovered the weak spots in his defences, and was able
+to strengthen them accordingly.
+
+But he was now becoming seriously alarmed at Mr. Martindale's continued
+absence.  Eight weeks had passed since his last letter came to hand,
+nearly five months since his departure.  What could have happened?
+Jack could not think that his uncle had willingly left him so long to
+bear his heavy responsibility, and now that he had more leisure he
+could not prevent himself from imagining all kinds of mishaps and
+disasters.  At last, when he was on the point of sending a special
+messenger down the river to make inquiries, a negro arrived at the
+settlement with a letter.  He had come within a hundred and fifty miles
+of Ilombekabasi as a paddler on a white man's canoe; the remainder of
+the distance he had covered on foot.  Jack opened the letter eagerly.
+It read:--
+
+
+MY DEAR JACK,--
+
+Sorry to leave you so long.  Have been on my back with an attack of
+malaria; three weeks unconscious, they told me.  No need to be anxious:
+I'm on the mend; soon be as fit as a riddle.  Pretty weak, of course;
+malaria isn't exactly slathers of fun.  It will be a fortnight or three
+weeks before I can start; then must travel slowly.  Expect me somewhat
+over a month after you get this.  I've been in a stew about you.  Hope
+you've had no trouble.  Can you stomach native food?  Didn't forget
+your birthday.  Got a present for you--quite a daisy.
+
+Your affectionate uncle,
+  JOHN MARTINDALE.
+
+P.S.--Got some hydraulic plant at Boma: a bargain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A Buffalo Hunt
+
+"Dear old uncle!" said Jack as he handed the letter to Barney.  "'Pon
+my soul, I'd forgotten my own birthday, and I haven't the ghost of a
+notion what the day of the month is; have you, Barney?"
+
+"Divil a bit, sorr."
+
+"Though, of course, I could reckon it out by counting up the Sundays.
+D'you know, Barney, I almost wish I'd made these negroes knock off work
+one day a week."
+
+"Sure it wouldn't have answered atall atall sorr.  A day's idleness
+would mean a day's quarrelling.  Uv coorse 'tis a pity they're ignorant
+haythens, an' I wish we could have Father Mahone out for a month or two
+to tache the poor craturs; but until they can be tached in the proper
+way, betther let 'em alone, sorr."
+
+"Perhaps you're right, Barney.  Doesn't it seem to you odd that Uncle
+says nothing about the rubber question?  His first letter, you
+remember, was full of it."
+
+"Master's a wise man, sorr.  What he does not say says more than what
+he does.  He wouldn't be sure, you see, that his letter would iver
+reach you.  And bedad, if he'd had good things to say uv the State
+officers, wouldn't he have said 'em?  He's found 'em out, sorr, 'tis my
+belief."
+
+"I shall be jolly glad to see him, dear old boy."
+
+"And so will I, sorr, an' to see some things fit for a Christian to
+ate.  Master's stomach won't take niggers' food, an' mine wouldn't if I
+could help it."
+
+"But you're getting fat, man!"
+
+"Sure that's the terrible pity uv it.  Wid dacent food I kept as lean
+as a rake, and I'd niver have believed that the only way to get fat was
+to ate pig's food; for that's what it is, sorr, this maniac and other
+stuff.  I'll now be wanting to get thin again, sorr."
+
+The white men's stores had long since given out.  For weeks they had
+had no sugar, no coffee, tea, or cocoa.  Jack as well as Barney had to
+share the natives' food.  Jack did not mind the change, and he believed
+that Barney's objection was more than half feigned, for the Irishman
+ate with unfailing appetite.  The native diet was indeed nutritious and
+not unappetising.  It included fish from the streams, which they ate
+both fresh and smoked; bananas, pine-apples, plantains, Indian corn,
+manioc, ground-nuts, and sweet potatoes.  Manioc was their most
+important food, and Jack after a time began to like it, as made into
+_kwanga_.  The root of the plant is pounded to a pulp, soaked for
+twenty-four hours in running water, and when it ferments, is worked up
+into a stiff dough.  Cut into slices and fried in ground-nut oil it is
+very palatable.  Jack also found the groundnuts delicious when roasted.
+A few goats kept in the settlement provided milk, and they had a
+regular supply of eggs from their fowls, so that Jack at least
+considered himself very well off.
+
+The crops around the settlement ripened and were gathered: fine fields
+of Indian corn, amazing quantities of manioc and ground-nuts, that
+ripen beneath the soil.  Yet Jack began to wonder whether his
+plantations would meet the needs of the population.  It was still
+growing.  The renown of Lokolobolo and Ilombekabasi had evidently
+spread far and wide, for every week more refugees came in from villages
+far apart.  Besides the men of Jack's original party, there were now
+nearly two hundred people in the settlement, and Jack always had to
+remember that these might any day be increased by the four hundred from
+Imbono's villages, if Elbel returned to avenge Boloko's expulsion, as
+he certainly would do.  Further, Mr. Martindale would no doubt bring
+back with him a certain number of trained workmen--carpenters,
+engine-men, and so forth; all these must be provided with house room
+and food.  Jack was glad that he had planned the settlement on generous
+lines, though as he looked around he asked himself somewhat anxiously
+whether it would suffice to accommodate all.  And what would his uncle
+say to it?  Would he endorse what Jack had done, and take upon himself
+the protection of these outcasts against their own lawfully
+constituted, however unlawfully administered, government?  Only time
+could decide that, and Jack awaited with growing impatience his uncle's
+return.
+
+One morning a messenger came in from Ilola to say that news had reached
+Imbono of a herd of buffaloes which were feeding about five miles off
+in the open country to the west.  Hitherto Jack had not had leisure to
+indulge his tastes for sport; but the knowledge that big game was now
+so near at hand prompted him to try his luck.  Leaving Barney in charge
+of the settlement, he set off the same morning with Imbono and Mboyo,
+who had both become very fair marksmen, the former with an Albini rifle
+that had been Boloko's, the latter with a Mauser presented to him by
+Jack.
+
+Samba and Lepoko were in attendance, carrying lunch for the party.
+Though Jack had picked up a good deal of the language, he found it in
+some respects so extraordinarily difficult that he was always glad of
+Lepoko as a stand-by.
+
+By the time they had reached the spot where the herd had first been
+sighted, it had moved some distance away; but it was easily tracked,
+and by dint of careful stalking up the wind the party got within three
+hundred yards without being discovered by the keen-scented beasts.
+Then, however, the country became so open that to approach nearer
+unseen was impossible, and Jack decided to take a shot at them without
+going farther.
+
+He had brought the heavy sporting rifle which had accounted for
+Imbono's enemy the hippopotamus in the river.  Selecting the largest of
+the herd--they were the red buffaloes of the district, a good deal
+smaller than the kind he had seen in America--he fired and brought it
+down.  The others broke away towards a clump of euphorbias, and Jack
+got another shot as they disappeared; but neither this nor the
+small-bore bullets of the chiefs' rifles appeared to take effect, for
+in an instant, as it seemed, the whole remaining herd vanished from
+sight.
+
+Jack slipped two more cartridges into his empty chamber, and, leaving
+the bush from behind which he had fired, ran towards his kill.  It was
+his first buffalo, and only those who have known the delight of bagging
+their first big game could appreciate his elation and excitement.  He
+outstripped the rest of his party.  The two chiefs, chagrined at their
+failure to bring down the animals at which they had aimed, seemed to
+have lost all interest in the hunt.  Samba left them discussing with
+Lepoko the relative merits of their rifles, and hurried on after his
+master.
+
+Jack bent over the prostrate body.  Despite the tremor of excitement he
+had felt as he cocked his rifle he found that his aim had been true:
+the buffalo had been shot through the brain.  At that moment--so
+strange are mental associations--he wished his school chum Tom Ingestre
+could have been there.  Tom was the keenest sportsman in the school;
+how he would envy Jack when he saw the great horns and skull hanging as
+a trophy above the mantelpiece when he paid that promised visit to New
+York!
+
+But while recollections of "Tiger Tom," as the school had nicknamed
+him, were running through his mind, Jack was suddenly startled by a
+bellow behind him and a couple of shots.  Springing erect, he faced
+round towards the sound, to see Samba's dark body darting between
+himself and a second buffalo plunging towards him from the direction of
+the bushes.  As happened once to Stanley travelling between Vivi and
+Isangila, the suddenness of the onset for the moment paralysed his
+will; he was too young a sportsman to be ready for every emergency.
+But the most seasoned hunter could not have dared to fire, for Samba's
+body at that instant almost hid the buffalo from view, coming as it did
+with lowered head.
+
+The animal was only ten yards away when Samba crossed its track; but
+the boy's quick action broke its charge, and it stopped short, as
+though half inclined to turn in pursuit of Samba, who had now passed to
+its left.  Then it again caught sight of Jack and the dead buffalo, and
+with another wild bellow dashed forward.  In these few instants,
+however, Jack had recovered his self-possession, and raised his rifle
+to his shoulder.  As the beast plunged forward it was met by a bullet
+which stretched it inert within a few feet of Jack's earlier victim.
+
+"Bonolu mongo!"[1] exclaimed Jack, clapping Samba on the shoulder.
+"But for your plucky dash I should have been knocked over and probably
+killed.  You saw him coming, eh?"
+
+"Njenaki!"[2] replied Samba, with his beaming smile.
+
+Meanwhile the two chiefs had run up with Lepoko and were examining the
+second buffalo, with an air of haste and excitement.  They began to
+talk at one another so loud and fiercely, and to gesticulate so
+violently, that Jack, though he could not make out a word of what they
+were saying, saw that a pretty quarrel was working up.
+
+"Now, Lepoko," he said, putting himself between the chiefs and sitting
+on the buffalo's head, "what is all this about?"
+
+"Me tell massa," said Lepoko.  "Imbono he say he kill ngombo; Mboyo say
+no, he kill ngombo; Lepoko say massa kill ngombo; no can tell; me fink
+one, two, free hab kill ngombo all same."
+
+"Well, my own opinion is pretty well fixed, but we'll see.  Why, there
+are three bullet marks in his hide besides mine.  That's mine, you see,
+that large hole in the middle of the forehead.  One of you two must
+have hit him twice.  And I'm hanged if the bullets didn't go clean
+through him.  No wonder he was in a rage.  Tell them what I say,
+Lepoko."
+
+On hearing what Jack had said, the chiefs began to jabber at each other
+again.
+
+"Kwa te!" said Jack.  "What do they say now, Lepoko?"
+
+"Imbono say he make two holes, Mboyo say no, he make two holes.  Lepoko
+fink bofe make two holes--how can do uvver way?"
+
+"Two and one make three, my man, not four.  I'll soon tell you who made
+the two."
+
+By comparing the wounds he found that two of them had been made by
+Mauser bullets and one by an Albini.
+
+"There's no doubt about it, Mboyo hit him twice.  But to put an end to
+your squabble let me tell you that you both might have fired at him all
+day and never killed him if you hit him in those parts.  Neither of you
+did him any damage, though you might have done for me, irritating him
+as you did.  We'll settle the matter by saying he is Samba's buffalo.
+It was Samba who got in his way and gave me time to take good aim at
+him.  And Samba might have been killed himself.  I am grateful to your
+son, Mboyo, and proud of him, and when I get back I shall give him one
+of the rifles I have left, as a reward."
+
+This end to the controversy satisfied both the chiefs.  Neither grudged
+Samba anything.  As for the boy, he was more than delighted.  He had
+never dreamt of handling a rifle until he was at least fifteen, when
+the negro boy is as old as the white boy of twenty; and to have one his
+very own made him enormously proud.
+
+"He say larn shoot one time, massa," said Lepoko.  "Lepoko plenty
+mislable.  What for?  'Cos he shoot plenty well; but massa no tell him
+to bring gun.  No; Lepoko must lib for talk, talk, talk all time; me no
+happy all same."
+
+"You shall have your chance next time.  Now, Samba, run off to the camp
+and bring some men to cut up the buffaloes.  We will wait hereabouts
+until you come back."
+
+When Samba had gone it occurred to Jack that he would eat his luncheon
+at the summit of a small hill that rose steeply about half a mile from
+the spot where the buffaloes had been killed.  The chiefs, disinclined
+like all Africans for exertion that was avoidable and seemed to have no
+object, pointed out that their present situation was quite suited for
+having the meal, and they were quite hungry enough without climbing for
+an appetite.  But Jack persisted.  He wished to ascertain whether there
+was a clear view from the hill, and though he might have ascended it
+alone, he feared lest in his absence the chiefs would again fall out
+over the buffalo.  With an air of resignation the negroes accompanied
+him on the short walk, and luncheon was eaten on the hill-top.
+
+Jack at least felt that he was well rewarded for his climb.  A
+magnificent panorama was open to his view--a vast extent of forest-clad
+country, with here and there strips of open ground such as that below
+in which they had discovered the buffaloes.  The forest stretched in an
+almost unbroken mass of foliage as far as the eye could reach,
+approaching on the north-east very close to Imbono's village.
+
+After luncheon Jack got up and walked about the hilltop, taking a
+nearer view of the country through his field-glass.  Here he caught a
+glimpse of the river, a small bluish patch amid the green; there, of a
+little spire of smoke rising perhaps from the fire of one of Imbono's
+scouts.  All at once he halted and stood for some moments gazing
+intently in one direction.  Far away, across a clearing only just
+visible through the trees, something was moving, continuously, in one
+direction.  So great was the distance that the appearance was as of an
+army of ants.  But he fancied he detected a patch or two of white amid
+the mass of black.
+
+"Mboyo, look here!" he called.
+
+The chief went to his side, and, stretching his head forward, gazed
+fixedly at the moving mass.
+
+"Soldiers!" he exclaimed suddenly.  "Black soldiers, and white chiefs!
+They are going to Ilola."
+
+Imbono sprang to his side.
+
+"It is true," he cried.  "Mboyo speaks the truth.  They are going to
+Ilola!"
+
+Jack drew a deep breath.  The long-expected was coming to pass.  The
+enemy was at hand!  And it was ominous that he was coming from the west
+by land instead of by river from the south.  This must have involved a
+detour of many miles, through difficult forest country; but thus the
+enemy avoided the certainty of his approach being heralded in advance,
+as it would have been if he had come by the river.  Elbel was planning
+a surprise!
+
+There was no time to be lost in getting ready for his coming.
+
+"Can they reach Ilola to-day, coming through the forest?" Jack asked
+Imbono.
+
+It was just possible, replied the chief, but only by dint of very hard
+marching, and they could not arrive before nightfall.
+
+"We must get back," said Jack.  "Come, my brothers."
+
+They descended the hill, and set off at full speed for Ilombekabasi.
+On the way they met a party of men coming under Samba's guidance to
+bring in the buffaloes.  Jack bade them hasten in their task; they were
+far from any probable line of march of the enemy, and the meat might
+now prove very valuable.  Hurrying on to his camp, Jack told Barney
+what he had seen.
+
+"We're in for it now, Barney," he said.
+
+"And we're ready, sorr, praise be!" said Barney.
+
+Jack lost no time.  At his request Imbono sent out scouts to get more
+exact particulars of the column and its progress, warning them to use
+the utmost care to avoid discovery.  Imbono himself returned to Ilola
+to prepare his people for a migration to Ilombekabasi.  Later in the
+day the scouts returned with the news that the enemy had pitched their
+camp about ten miles away.  The force consisted of some two hundred
+forest guards armed with rifles, and a much larger number of followers
+carrying spears.  Boloko was with them, and Elobela, and two other
+white men.  The line of march had been direct for Ilola, and strict
+silence was kept.  One of the scouts had seen Elobela himself strike a
+man who had incautiously shouted to his comrades.
+
+"There's no doubt of their intentions, Barney," said Jack.  "They want
+to surprise Ilola.  That means a massacre; but by God's mercy we know
+in time!"
+
+The inhabitants of Ilola and of Imbono's other villages were already
+flocking into the camp, bringing with them large supplies of food and
+their principal belongings.  Before the sun set the villages were
+deserted.  Jack was glad now to think that this contingency had been so
+long foreseen.  It would have been impossible to make adequate
+arrangements for so large an additional population if he had waited
+until the danger was upon them.  As it was, the huts stood ready.
+
+It was a strange and impressive scene as Imbono's people filed in.
+They were excited, but not with alarm or fear.  Some of them even were
+merry, laughing at little mishaps--the dropping of a basket of manioc,
+the breaking of a pot, the sprawling of children as Pat dashed in and
+out among them, barking as though it was he that was shepherding the
+throng.  Barney was the master of ceremonies.  With Samba's help he
+separated the various families, and showed each father the hut or huts
+he was to occupy.  It was not a wealthy community, and only a few of
+the men had more wives than one; but these tried Barney's patience
+sorely, and he sighed for Father Mahone to come and tache the haythens
+betther manners.
+
+"Only what could he do, if he came?" he said.  "Whin a man has been
+fool enough to marry two or three wives, faith, I don't see how ye can
+alter it unless ye make 'em all widders."
+
+About two miles from the camp there was a spot above the river from
+which the clearing and village of Ilola could be seen.  An hour before
+dawn Jack went out with Samba to this spot and waited.  Just after day
+had broken they perceived a large body of men rushing out from the
+forest towards the village stockade.  Through his field-glasses Jack
+saw that the negroes were led by two men in white.  Imbono, before he
+left, had had the gate of Ilola closed and barricaded.  The invaders
+did not pause to break it down; they swarmed up the stockade and
+momentarily hesitated at the top, as though suspecting, from the
+silence of the village, that a trap had been laid for them.  Then some
+of them could be seen dropping down inside; the rest instantly
+followed; and Jack smiled as he saw them assemble in little groups in
+the deserted compound, gesticulating in their excitement.
+
+A few minutes later dense volumes of smoke rose from the village.  The
+forest guards had fired the huts, no doubt in their first fury at the
+escape of the villagers.  Jack could not help thinking that they would
+regret their hasty action.  If they intended any long stay in the
+neighbourhood, the village would have been more useful to them intact
+than as a ruin.  He had dismantled his own former camp, so that unless
+Elbel's men set about building for themselves they would have no
+shelter.  Their folly only confirmed Jack's belief that they were but a
+poorly-disciplined rabble, and that Elbel himself was out of his
+element in work of a military kind.
+
+Having learnt all that he wished to know, Jack returned to his camp.
+Elbel had clearly not expected the village to be abandoned.  Jack
+wondered if he had learnt of the formation of the new camp.  It seemed
+likely that news of it would long since have been carried down the
+river.  He had apparently planned to wipe out the villagers first and
+tackle Jack later.
+
+"Bedad, sorr, if he's any sinse at all he will lave us alone," said
+Barney when Jack told him what he had seen.
+
+"I don't expect that.  I'm sure he'll use his men against me.  He'll
+want his revenge, for one thing; and then he has his eye on the gold,
+remember.  He didn't dig about the cataract for nothing.  He'll be glad
+of any excuse for attacking, if he sees a fair chance of beating us.
+You may depend upon it he knows all that Uncle has been doing, and if
+he can manage to drive us out and occupy this ground before Uncle gets
+back, it's all up with poor Uncle's claim, Barney.  Possession is more
+than nine points of the law in this State.  If Uncle had known the sort
+of things that go on here, he'd have thought twice before spending his
+money."
+
+Very soon after Jack regained his camp, Imbono's scouts came in to
+report that the enemy was on the move.  Before midday the head of the
+column was sighted making its way up the stream, this forming on the
+whole an easier approach than the rough stony ground on either bank.
+There was immense excitement in the camp as the people watched the
+advancing crowd.  Jack could not but be touched as he observed the
+demeanour of the people.  A few months before the sight of so many of
+the dreaded forest guards would have made them cower in abject fear;
+now, so great was their trust in the young Inglesa who had twice
+defeated Elobela, and who had prepared for them this fine new village
+with its wonderful defences, that they viewed the progress of the enemy
+with feelings only of anticipated triumph.
+
+"Please God, I won't fail them," thought Jack.
+
+About half a mile below the cataract the column came to a halt, and
+three men in white, attended by half a dozen armed negroes, advanced to
+within less than a quarter of a mile of the wall.
+
+"The impident scoundhrels!" quoth Barney, standing at Jack's side.
+
+"They do show a pretty cool trust in our forbearance," said Jack; "we
+could pick them off easily enough."
+
+"Begorra, I would, sorr; do they deserve any betther?  Elbel was a
+deceitful villain--you remimber, sorr, whin he fired under a flag uv
+truce at the ould camp.  I wouldn't have any more mercy on him than I
+would on a rat."
+
+"Yes, you would, Barney.  We must play the game, whatever they do.  And
+I wonder what they're up to.  Here comes a man with a white flag.  We
+shall soon see."
+
+
+
+[1] "Brave boy."
+
+[2] "I saw."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Elbel's Barrels
+
+The negro looked by no means comfortable as he clambered up the steep
+side of the gully from the bed of the stream and approached the fort.
+There was no gate in the western face, and the man seemed somewhat
+uncertain what to do.  But perceiving that he had a note in his hand,
+Jack ordered Lepoko to lean over the wall and take the paper on the
+point of a spear.
+
+"Now let's see what he has to say," said Jack, unfolding the paper.
+"Listen, Barney.  'Having returned with a force sufficient to
+re-establish law and order in this part of the Congo State, I call upon
+you instantly to surrender the camp which you have constructed without
+permission on the territory of the State.  The negroes who are with you
+are subjects of the State, and will be dealt with by me in accordance
+with the powers that I possess.  You, being a foreigner, will be taken
+to Boma, to be tried under due form of law by the State Courts.'"
+
+"Which means quick murder for the niggers, sorr, and slow murder for
+you.  Don't answer his impidence, sorr."
+
+"Oh, I must answer.  We can't let things go by default, and we can go
+one better than he, Barney.  He hasn't copied his letter, you see.
+It's very lucky I've got a duplicate book; who knows?--these documents
+may come in handy some day."
+
+He wrote a brief reply, saying that he was not aware there was anything
+illegal in constructing a suitable camp on ground leased from the
+Société Cosmopolite; that, on the other hand, the natives who had
+sought shelter with him complained of treatment which was clearly
+against all law and justice; and that in these circumstances he
+proposed to remain where he was.  When this note reached Elbel, he read
+it to the two white men with him, laughed, put it in his pocket-book,
+then returned with his party down the stream.
+
+"A pretty little farce!" said Jack.  "He knew what my answer would be;
+all he wanted was a chance of examining our defences."
+
+"Sure he didn't get much for his trouble.  He'd have to be a deal
+taller to see much uv us, sorr."
+
+During the rest of the day Elbel was seen in the distance on various
+sides of the camp making further observations.  From a point on the
+slope above he could overlook part of the enclosure, and what he
+observed from there through his field-glass evidently gave him food for
+thought, for before sunset he marched all his men down the stream,
+followed cautiously by Imbono's scouts.  These reported by and by that
+the enemy had encamped about two miles away.  The white men had tents,
+the natives were cutting branches to form temporary shelters.  Foragers
+had been sent out in all directions.  Jack knew that they would do
+little good.  There were no people to harry, all were within his walls,
+and the crops around the villages had been gathered in.  But this
+dearth was not likely to affect the besiegers for the present; for the
+scouts reported that some of their canoes had now come up the river
+loaded with stores.
+
+Jack concluded from the fact of Elbel being in command that the
+Administration of the Congo State had not yet seen fit to intervene and
+equip an expedition under regular military officers.  The Société
+Cosmopolite, in fact, an extremely wealthy corporation, had determined
+to root out this source of disaffection and revolt within its
+territory.  The force commanded by Elbel represented practically the
+whole military establishment of the Company.  He had no doubt received
+telegraphic authority from Europe to undertake the expedition, and
+could rely on the ultimate support of the State Government, which
+meanwhile would prefer the work to be done by the Company's troops
+rather than magnify the affair by employing its own forces.
+
+It soon became clear to Jack that the lesson of his previous reverse
+had not been lost on Elbel.  For a time, at least, there was to be no
+repetition of the rushing tactics that had proved so disastrous.  Two
+days passed, and he had made no move.  Scouts reported that he was
+busily engaged in building and fortifying his camp.  The site chosen
+was a good deal nearer to Ilombekabasi than the first night's bivouac.
+It lay in a hollow somewhat more than half a mile from the cataract--in
+the face of an equal or inferior enemy, a very dangerous position,
+commanded, as it was, on almost all sides by the heights around.  But
+it was sheltered from rifle-fire from the fort, and had a good water
+supply from a brook that fell some distance below into the stream that
+flanked Jack's settlement.  Elbel could afford to ignore its
+strategical weakness by reason of his greatly superior numbers.  For
+Jack could not occupy the rim of the hollow without drawing most of his
+men out of the fort, thus leaving it open to attack; and in any case,
+with only forty-five rifles, he could not do much to endanger a camp
+held by two hundred.
+
+[Illustration: Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing Elbel's
+First Camp in Foreground]
+
+These reflections passed through his mind as he pondered on the
+information given by the scouts.  His constant preoccupation during the
+past months with problems of attack and defence had given rise to a
+habit of looking at every move or incident in its military bearings.
+
+"I wonder whether the fellows in the army class would envy me or pity
+me most!" he thought.
+
+Elbel attempted nothing in the way of fortification for his camp except
+a light stockade--with his superior numbers defensive work seemed
+almost a superfluity.  By comparing the reports of various scouts--who,
+as usual with negroes, were somewhat erratic in their ideas of
+number--and by his own observation through his field-glass, Jack
+concluded that Elbel had, in addition to his two hundred rifles, about
+five hundred spearmen.  Jack himself had, in addition to his forty-five
+rifles, three hundred spearmen.  The mere numbers were, of course, no
+real index to the proportionate strength of the two forces.  In
+ordinary circumstances, indeed, the spearmen might almost be neglected;
+the striking power was to be measured in rifles alone.  But Jack hoped
+that, with the drill and discipline his men had undergone, it would be
+proved that a determined fellow behind a spear was still by no means a
+combatant to be held lightly.  Had not the Arabs of the Soudan shown
+this?  He had no little confidence that, when the time of trial came,
+his three hundred spearmen would prove every whit as staunch as the
+dervishes who broke the British square at Abu Klea and threw away their
+lives by the thousand at Omdurman.
+
+On the second morning after Elbel's appearance Jack found that pickets
+were posted all round the fort.  Clearly it was no longer safe to send
+out scouts, at all events by daylight.  The danger was little
+diminished after dark, for fires were lit at various points and a
+regular patrol was established.
+
+"I don't care about sending out any of the men now," said Jack to
+Barney.  "If one of our fellows was caught, his fate would be horrible.
+It's to prevent scouting, I suppose, that Elbel has posted men round
+us."
+
+"Might it not be to prevent reinforcements from reaching us, sorr?"
+
+"Not likely.  There are no people for scores of miles round, and the
+country indeed is mostly virgin forest.  The only reinforcement likely
+to reach us is my uncle's contingent, and their arrival is sure to be
+advised all along the river for days or perhaps weeks in advance; and
+that's one of my worries, Barney.  I don't want Uncle to fall into
+Elbel's hands, but how can I stop it?"
+
+"Send a couple of men off to meet him, sorr, and tell him of the
+danger."
+
+"I might do that, perhaps.  But, as you see, they'd have to run the
+gauntlet of Elbel's forest guards.  Elbel either wants to catch my
+uncle, or he has got some scheme of attack in preparation which he's
+anxious we shouldn't discover.  Whichever it is he means to keep us
+bottled up."
+
+Jack was sitting at the door of his hut with Barney, talking by the
+light of a small fire.  Samba had been hovering about for some time,
+waiting, as Barney thought, until the time should come for him to curl
+himself up as usual at the entrance to the hut after his friend the
+Irishman had entered.  The conversation ceased for a moment, Jack
+bending forward and drawing patterns on the ground with his stick.
+Samba came up and began to speak.
+
+"Begorra, massa," he said, "me can do."
+
+"What can you do, my boy?" asked Jack, smiling a little at the
+exclamation Samba had adopted from Barney.
+
+Samba struggled to find words in the white man's puzzling tongue.  But,
+recognizing that his small stock of phrases was insufficient, he ran
+off and fetched Lepoko.
+
+"Me tell massa all same," said the interpreter, when Samba had spoken
+to him.  "Samba boy say, sah, he lib for go out see fings for massa.
+He no 'fraid.  He go in dark, creep, creep, no 'fraid nuffin nobody.
+He lib for see eberyfing massa want see, come back one time say all
+same fings he see."
+
+"No, no, it's too dangerous.  Samba is the very last of my people I
+should wish to fall into Elbel's hands."
+
+Samba laughed when Lepoko repeated this to him.
+
+"He no 'fraid Elobela," said Lepoko.  "He hab got foot like leopard,
+eye like cat, he make Elobela plenty much 'fraid.  Want go plenty much,
+sah; say Mboyo one fader, massa two fader; two times he want go."
+
+"Shall we let him go, Barney?" asked Jack doubtfully.
+
+"To be sure I would, sorr.  He's gone through the forest and cheated
+the lions and tigers and all the other beasts and creeping things,
+ivery wan uv 'm a mighty power cleverer than Elbel."
+
+"Barring the lions and tigers, I think you're right, Barney.  Well, if
+he's to go we must do all we can to help him.  Could he get down the
+gully side, I wonder?"
+
+"He say dat plenty good way, sah.  He lib for swim like fish, go
+through water, come back all same."
+
+"We'll let him down by a rope, Barney, and we'll place Mboyo at the
+stockade in charge of it; he'll have the greatest interest in seeing
+that the boy goes in and out safely.  And look here, I've heard Samba
+imitating the cries of various animals; he'd better arrange with Mboyo
+to be ready for him when he hears a certain cry.  And he must carry
+enough food with him to last a day in case he is prevented from getting
+back.  If he's out more than one day he must fend for himself; but I
+fancy, after what he has already been through, at least it'd be a very
+bare country where he couldn't pick up enough to keep him going.  He's
+a splendid little fellow."
+
+"That's the truth's truth, sorr; and sure, whin we leave this haythen
+country, he'd better come back wid us to London, sorr.  Wid him wan
+side uv me an' Pat the other, I'd be on me way to be Lord Mayor, bedad!"
+
+Thus it was arranged.  With a tinful of food slung about him, Samba was
+let down by a rope from the stockade, and crept in the darkness down
+the gully.  A few minutes later, from some point on the other side,
+came the strident call of a forest-beetle twice repeated, and Mboyo
+knew that his son was safely across.
+
+When morning broke, Jack saw that the pickets were placed as they had
+been on the previous day.  He could easily have disposed of several of
+them, either by rifle fire or by a quick sally; but even at the present
+stage he had a great reluctance to open hostilities, which must involve
+much bloodshed and suffering.  He resolved to bide his time, knowing
+that so far as food supply was concerned he had enough for at least a
+couple of months, and was in that respect probably better placed than
+Elbel, while the secret of the water supply with good luck would escape
+detection.  Now that the purpose of the tank was known, Jack's prestige
+among the natives, great as it had been before, was much enhanced, and
+they had added to their stock of songs one in which the wonderful
+providence of the Inglesa in arranging that the daily water should not
+fail was glowingly extolled.
+
+The day passed undisturbed.  Jack was puzzled to account for the
+enemy's silence.  Elbel must have a scheme in preparation, he thought.
+What could it be?  Jack had heard a good deal of hammering going on in
+the camp below, the sound coming faintly on the breeze; except for that
+there was no sign of activity; and the hammering was sufficiently
+accounted for by the work of finishing off the construction of the camp.
+
+Before turning in for the night he went to the spot where Mboyo was
+posted, to learn whether anything had been heard of Samba.  While he
+was there, he caught the low rasping notes of the forest-beetle.
+
+"Samba n'asi!"[1] cried Mboyo, springing up.
+
+He lowered the rope over the stockade.  In a few moments it was gently
+tugged, and soon Samba slipped over the stockade and stood beside Jack.
+He had an interesting report to make.  In the forest, he said, a large
+number of men were tapping certain trees for a resinous gum, which was
+being run into small barrels.  It was the work of making these barrels
+that had caused the continuous hammering Jack had noticed.
+
+"Good boy!" said Jack.  "I suppose you are very tired now, Samba?"
+
+No, he was not tired; he was ready to go out again at once if
+Lokolobolo wished.  But Jack said he had done enough for one day, and
+bade him go to sleep.
+
+"So that's their game!" said Jack to Barney, when all was quiet.
+"There's only one use for resin here, and that's to fire our fort, and
+they can't intend to make fireballs, or they wouldn't take the trouble
+to make barrels.  They want barrels for carriage, and that means that
+they intend to bring the resin here.  They can't shy barrels at the
+natives' huts, and so much of the wall is stone that it won't easily
+catch fire.  What else is there inflammable?"
+
+"There's the blockhouses at the corners, sorr."
+
+"You're right.  They are going to fire the blockhouses.  I'm sorry now
+I didn't make 'm of stone as I intended.  But we had enough trouble
+with the wall, and the natives are so little used to stonework that
+perhaps after all they'd have made a poor job of it."
+
+"Sure, I don't see how they are going to get near enough to do any
+damage, sorr.  They can't come up under fire.  Do the spalpeens think
+they'll catch us napping, begore?"
+
+"Can't say, Barney.  We must wait and see.  The sentries are arranged
+for the night, eh?"
+
+"They are that, sorr.  'Tis mighty hard to keep the niggers awake; not
+wan uv 'm but would see the inside uv the guard-room pretty often if
+they were in the Irish Fusiliers.  But Samba and me just take turns to
+go the rounds all night and keep 'm stirring, sorr; and 'twould be a
+lucky man that got across into this place widout a crack over the head."
+
+The full purpose of Elbel was seen earlier than Jack had expected.  A
+little before dawn Makoko, who had been on duty at the gate in the
+northern wall, hurried down to say that he had heard a sound as of a
+number of men marching for some distance up the hill above the fort.
+Jack accompanied him back, gently reprimanding him on the way for
+leaving his post.  Judging by the sounds, there was unquestionably a
+large body of men on the move.  They were approaching as quietly as
+negroes can; it is not an easy matter to persuade a force of black men
+to keep perfect silence.
+
+While Jack was still with Makoko, another man came running up from the
+southern end of the fort and reported that he had heard the sound of
+many men advancing up the stream.  Clearly a serious attack was
+intended at last.  Sending word to Barney to remain on the _qui vive_
+at the southern wall, Jack waited anxiously for the glimmering light of
+dawn to reveal the enemy.
+
+At last he could see them.  They took little pains to conceal
+themselves.  Elbel's riflemen were assembling on the ridge of the slope
+above.  Among them were men carrying each a small barrel on his
+shoulder.  They must have made a wide circuit from their camp below so
+that their movements might not be suspected until they were well in
+position.
+
+The word was rapidly passed round the fort.  In a few seconds every man
+was at his appointed place.  The women and children had been bidden to
+remain in their huts, for a part of the enclosure being exposed to fire
+from the slope above, it would have been dangerous for any one to
+cross.  Barney and his men at the southern wall were protected from
+this fire in their rear by the huts.  At the northern wall Jack stood
+on a narrow platform by the gate, similar to that which he had used at
+his former camp near Ilola.  His riflemen were posted below him, half
+of them at loop-holes left at intervals in the wall, the remainder just
+behind, ready to take their places at the word of command.
+
+Jack was surprised to feel how little flustered he was.  The
+responsibilities of the past months had bred self-control, and the
+capacity to grasp a situation quickly and act at once.  And constant
+work with the same men, whom he had learned to know thoroughly, had
+created a mutual confidence which augured well for their success when
+put to the test.
+
+A glance assured Jack that the main attack, if attack was intended,
+would be made by the riflemen.  The spearmen in the valley of the river
+were designed to create a diversion and weaken the force available to
+oppose the principal assault.  Barney could be trusted to hold his own
+against them.
+
+So little did the enemy, having gained the position above, seek to
+conceal their movements, that Jack was tempted to salute them with a
+volley that must have done great execution--the range being scarcely
+two hundred yards.  But Elbel seemed to know by instinct the feeling by
+which Jack would be animated.  He evidently counted on being allowed to
+fire first.  And indeed there was little time for Jack to consider the
+matter, for even as he made a mental note of the enemy's bravado, he
+heard a word of command given in a loud voice, and saw Elbel emerge
+from a small clump of bushes at the edge of the gully.  The whole
+force, except ten men carrying barrels, flung themselves flat on their
+faces; and Jack had only time to give a rapid warning to his men when a
+scattered volley flashed from the line of prone figures, the bullets
+pattering on the stone wall like hail on a greenhouse.
+
+Next moment the men with the barrels dashed forward, some making for
+the blockhouse above the gully, others for that at the opposite end of
+the northern wall.  Through the clear space between the two parties the
+riflemen continued to fire as fast as they could reload.  It was clear
+to Jack that Elbel expected the fire of his two hundred rifles, added
+to the unexpectedness of the movement, to keep down the fire of the
+defenders long enough to enable the barrel men to reach the
+blockhouses.  But in this he was disappointed; nothing but a direct and
+combined assault on the wall would have gained the time he required.
+His rifle fire from a distance was quite ineffective.  Jack had ordered
+his men to keep out of sight, and to fire through the loop-holes in the
+wall, aiming, not at the riflemen lying on the ground, but at the men
+sprinting with the barrels.  Consequently, when the twenty-five rifles
+within the fort replied to the first volley, three of the runners fell
+on the one side and two on the other, their barrels rolling down the
+slope, some over the edge into the gully, others towards the copse on
+the east.
+
+The other men, seeing the fate of their comrades, thought of nothing
+but their own safety.  They dropped their barrels and rushed back.  But
+even then they did not take the safe course.  Instead of scattering and
+so lessening the chances of being hit, the two parties joined, and ran
+up the slope in a compact group.  None of them reached the line of
+prostrate riflemen who were still blazing away ineffectually at the
+walls and blockhouses.  The unfortunate men were caught in full flight
+and fell almost at the same moment, each man struck by several bullets.
+
+Not till then did Jack allow his riflemen to turn their attention to
+the enemy's firing line.  But one volley was sufficient.  Elbel saw
+that his scheme had totally failed, and his position was untenable.
+Not a man of his opponents could be seen; his men had only small
+loop-holes to fire at, and the average negro is not a sufficiently good
+marksman to be formidable in such conditions.  The defenders, on the
+other hand, found the enemy an excellent target; for, by some
+inexplicable piece of folly, Elbel had not ordered them to seek cover
+behind the many rocks and boulders that were scattered over the ground.
+He had lost all his barrel men and several of his riflemen, and within
+five minutes of the first volley he drew off his troops.
+
+A yell of delight from the stockade followed his retirement.  The men
+slapped their thighs and shouted "Yo!  Yo!" until they were hoarse.
+The women and children poured out of the huts and danced about with
+wild enjoyment.  Imbono's drummer banged with all his might.  Some of
+the boys had made small trumpets of rolled banana leaves, and tootled
+away to their hearts' content, the sound being not unlike that made by
+blowing through tissue paper on a comb.  Amid all the uproar Pat's
+joyous bark acclaimed the success.
+
+"Faith, sorr, 'tis real mafficking, to be sure."
+
+"Not quite, Barney.  There's nobody drunk."
+
+"True, an' the haythen sets an example to the Christian.  There are no
+grog-shops here, praise be, wan at this corner and wan at that, to
+tempt the poor craturs."
+
+"I only hope they're not shouting too soon, Barney.  We haven't done
+with Elbel yet."
+
+
+
+[1] Below.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Breaking the Blockade
+
+Throughout that day Jack was on the alert in anticipation of another
+move on the part of the enemy.  But Elbel's men, except the pickets,
+did not come within sight of the fort, and nothing was heard of them.
+Samba wished to go out again on a scouting mission, but Jack refused to
+allow him to leave the fort in daylight; perhaps in the darkness he
+might risk a journey once more.
+
+Although the attempt to fire the blockhouses had been foiled, Jack,
+thinking over the matter, saw that the feat would not have been
+impossible with the exercise of a little common sense coupled with
+dash.  A second attempt, better organized, might be successful.
+
+"I wish we could guard against the risk," he said to Barney.  "We don't
+want to be continuously on the fidget in case the blockhouses are
+fired.  Yet we can't make 'em fireproof."
+
+"That's true, sorr; still, something might be done to rejuce the
+inflammation."
+
+"What's that?" said Jack without a smile.  To call in question Barney's
+English was to wound him in the tenderest part.
+
+"Why, sorr, why not drop down some uv them boulders we keep for
+repairing the wall?  If we let them down wid care to the foot uv the
+blockhouses, close up against the woodwork, 'twould prevent any wan
+from setting a match to 'm."
+
+"A good idea! we'll try it.  Get the men to carry the stones up to the
+wall.  We won't do anything more till it is dark."
+
+When the sun had set, Jack had the stones hauled up to the roof of the
+blockhouse at the north-west corner, and then dropped down outside, as
+close to the woodwork as possible.  The task was carried on in almost
+total darkness, only a few rushlights inside the camp preventing the
+workers from colliding with one another.  But it was impossible to
+contrive that the heavy stones should fall silently, and a shot from up
+the slope soon told that the enemy had discovered what was going on.
+Active sniping for a time gave Jack a good deal of annoyance, and one
+or two of his men were hit; but he persevered in his work, and had
+partially accomplished it, when another danger suddenly threatened.
+
+Up the slope, near the position occupied by the enemy in the morning,
+there appeared small points of light, which moved apparently at random
+for a few moments, and then came all in one direction, down the hill.
+They all started fairly close together, and Jack counted twelve in a
+line; but soon some diverged from the rest and went off at an angle.
+The others came on more and more rapidly towards the fort, jumping
+occasionally, but keeping on the whole a surprisingly straight course.
+
+"Barrels again!" said Jack to Barney.
+
+Only a few seconds after he had first observed them, they came with a
+quick succession of thuds against the wall and the half-finished
+rampart at the foot of the blockhouse, and the points of light spread
+out into fierce tongues of flame.  Lighted matches had been attached to
+the barrels, and with the bursting of these by the stonework the resin
+they contained had taken fire.  Of the dozen barrels that started, only
+four had reached their goal, the rest having rolled over the gully on
+the western slope as had happened during the day.
+
+Jack hoped that his new stonework was sufficient to protect the logs at
+the base of the blockhouse.  But one of the barrels, under the impetus
+gained in its passage down the hill, had jumped the boulders, and
+breaking as it crashed over, burst into flame within an inch or two of
+the woodwork.  Another line of barrels was starting down the slope.
+Jack had called up his best marksmen at the first alarm, and ordered
+them to take pot-shots at the twinkling points of light, or the figures
+above, dimly lit up by the matches attached to the barrels.  Whether
+any of the shots got home he could not tell; another set of barrels was
+trundling down towards the fort.
+
+It appeared to Jack that nothing could save the blockhouse.  Burning
+resin could only be extinguished by a deluge of water, and he had no
+means of bringing water from the tank in sufficient quantities.  The
+logs were dry, and, when once fairly alight, would burn furiously.
+Barney suggested dropping a heavy boulder on the barrel most
+dangerously near, but Jack saw that the effect of this would be merely
+to spread the flames without necessarily extinguishing them.  The fire
+would continue beneath the stone; it would lick the lowest logs, and in
+a few minutes the whole base of the blockhouse would be ablaze.  The
+imminence of the danger acted as a spur to Jack's resourcefulness.  It
+flashed upon him that there was one chance of saving the fort.  Calling
+to Samba to follow him, he rushed from the roof of the blockhouse down
+the ladders connecting it with the second floor and this with the
+ground, and ran at full speed to his hut, where he seized an empty
+tobacco-tin and searched for a piece of wire.  For a few moments he
+could not lay hands on any, but he then bethought himself of the wired
+cork of a Stephens' ink-bottle.  Wrenching this out, he hastened to the
+underground magazine where the ammunition was, stored.  Samba had
+preceded him thither with a lighted candle in a little lantern of
+bamboo.
+
+Among the ammunition was a keg of loose powder sent up by Mr.
+Martindale for refilling cartridge cases.  While Samba very cautiously
+held the lantern out of harm's way, Jack, with the brad of a penknife,
+bored two thin holes in the tin and two corresponding holes in the lid.
+Then he inserted the wire and filled the tin with powder.  Clapping on
+the lid and firmly securing it by twisting up the wire, he rushed back
+to the blockhouse, up to the roof, and cleared out all the men
+helter-skelter, bidding them go with Samba and bring baskets full of
+earth to the base of the wall.
+
+The place was now reeking with acrid smoke from the burning resin,
+great black eddies of it whirling over the roof, stinging Jack's eyes
+and making him cough and choke.  When none but himself was left--for
+there was some danger in what he purposed--he went to the edge of the
+roof, and bending over, almost blinded by the fumes, he marked the spot
+where the flame seemed the fiercest, and dropped the tin into the midst
+of it.  Though he sprang back at once, he had not reached the inmost
+edge of the roof when there was a loud explosion.  The blockhouse
+rocked; clouds of sparks flew up; and feeling the tremor beneath him,
+Jack feared he had destroyed rather than saved.  But the trembling
+ceased.  He rushed back to the fore edge of the roof and peered over.
+As the smoke cleared away he saw no longer a blazing mass below him;
+nothing of the barrel was left; but all the ground for many yards
+around was dotted with little tongues of flame.  The force of the
+explosion had broken up the huge devouring fire into a thousand
+harmless ones.
+
+But the woodwork near which the barrel had rested was smouldering.
+There was still a danger that the blockhouse would burn.  While that
+danger remained Jack felt that his task was not yet done, and he
+instantly prepared to meet it.  Flames from the other barrels that had
+struck the wall were lighting up the scene.  To carry out his purpose
+involved a great risk, but it was a risk that must be run.  Calling to
+Samba, who had remained nearest at hand, he bade him bring a rope and
+send Barney and Makoko to him.  When they arrived he got them to knot
+the rope about him, and let him down over the wall on the gully side,
+which was in deep shadow.  Creeping round the blockhouse on the narrow
+ledge between it and the gully, he called to the men above to lower
+some of the baskets of earth which had been placed in readiness.  As
+they reached him he emptied them upon the smouldering logs.  It was
+impossible now to keep in the shadow; his every movement was betrayed
+by the still flaming barrels; and his work was not completed when
+bullets began to patter about him.  His only protection was the rough
+rampart of boulders which had been thrown over from the roof.  But he
+bent low; it is difficult even for expert marksmen to aim without the
+guidance of the riflesights, and Elbel's men were far from being
+experts; Jack finished his job as rapidly as might be, and escaped
+without a scratch.  Then creeping round once more to the gully, he laid
+hold of the rope and was drawn up into safety.
+
+The other blockhouses meanwhile had been in no danger.  That at the
+north-east corner was defended by the nature of the ground, which
+sloped so rapidly that a barrel rolled from above could never hit the
+mark.  That at the southeast corner, being at the edge of the
+precipice, could only be fired by the hand of man, and no man could
+approach it safely.  By averting the danger at the north-west Jack had
+saved the camp.
+
+But the attempt had been so nearly successful that he resolved to lose
+no time in completing the work of protection already begun.  The moment
+was come, too, for showing Elbel that he could only maintain a thorough
+investment of the fort with the acquiescence of the besieged.  At any
+time a sally must break the chain of pickets, for Elbel's force was not
+large enough to support them adequately all round.  Averse as Jack was
+from shedding blood, he felt that it was necessary to teach the enemy a
+wholesome lesson.
+
+Before he could do anything, however, he must know how the force was
+distributed, and how the pickets were placed.  He remembered his half
+promise that Samba should be allowed to go scouting that night.  No
+other could be trusted to move so warily or act so intelligently.
+Samba was accordingly let down into the gully.  While he was gone Jack
+explained to Barney the plan he proposed to try should the boy's
+information favour it.
+
+"I shall lead some of the men out, I don't know yet in what direction.
+At least it will surprise Elbel.  I hope it will alarm his men and
+throw them into confusion.  You must take advantage of it to go on with
+our defences.  Let down more boulders from the roof, and build them up
+as fast as you can to form a facing three or four feet high to the two
+northern blockhouses.  You'll only have about half an hour for the job,
+for Elbel will have got his whole force together by then, and I shan't
+be able to fight them all.  But we've plenty of men to turn on to it,
+and when I give the signal they must tumble over the wall and get to
+work."
+
+Within an hour Samba returned.  He reported that the enemy had all
+retired to their camp except the pickets.  About forty men were posted
+about a camp fire up stream near the place where the barrels had been
+rolled down.  Another picket of the same strength was lying at the edge
+of the copse about a quarter of a mile to the east, and a third picket
+lay across the gully to the west.  Samba had had great difficulty in
+eluding this western picket, and would have returned sooner but for the
+detour he had been obliged to make.
+
+All favoured Jack's enterprise.  The pickets were so far from the camp
+below the southern face of the fort that some time must elapse before
+help could reach them.  They could only support one another, and the
+idea of a ruse to prevent that had already flashed through Jack's mind.
+
+Selecting fifteen of his steadiest riflemen, including Makoko and
+Lepoko, Jack had them lowered one by one into the gully, and then
+himself followed.  The night was fortunately very dark; all the flames
+from the barrels had gone out, and he trusted that the enemy would be
+quite unprepared for any movement from the fort.  When all were
+assembled, they crept up the gully in dead silence, walking as far from
+the water as the steep sides allowed, so as to avoid kicking stones
+into it and making a splash.  At first the gully was at least twelve
+feet deep, but it became more shallow as they proceeded, until by and
+by its top barely rose above their heads.
+
+They had not gone far when they heard laughing and talking beyond them.
+However Elbel might regard his defeat, it had evidently not affected
+the spirits of his men; the negro's cheerfulness is hard to quench.  At
+a bend in the stream, out of sight from the fort, shone the faint glow
+of the camp fire; and Jack, peeping cautiously round, saw a sentry on
+each bank, moving backwards and forwards, but stopping now and again to
+exchange pleasantries, or more often fatuous remarks about food, with
+the rest of the picket at the fire.  It was nothing new to Jack that
+the Congo soldier's idea of sentry-go is somewhat loose.
+
+Again Jack was favoured by circumstances.  The glow of the fire did not
+extend far into the darkness of the gully; the noise of the laughing
+and talking was loud enough to drown all slight sounds for some
+distance around.  Thus the sixteen men in the gully could approach very
+near the camp fire without being seen or heard.  Jack's plan, already
+half formed before he started, was quickly adapted to the conditions.
+Silently gathering his men together, he ordered them in a whisper to
+follow him in a charge with the bayonet; not to fire except at the word
+of command; not in their pursuit of the enemy to go beyond the camp
+fire.  It would have been easy to dispose of at least a third of the
+picket by firing upon them from the darkness; the distance was only
+about a hundred yards, and every shot would tell, for they were huddled
+together.  Such an act would be justified by all the rules of warfare.
+Jack knew that in a like case he would receive no mercy from the enemy;
+but he was too young a campaigner to deal with them as they would deal
+with him; he could not give the order to shoot them down unawares.
+
+When his men clearly understood what was required of them he led the
+way, and they all crept forward again.  The glow of the fire now made
+them dimly visible to one another, but not to the picket, who were in
+the full light, nor to the sentries, whose attention was largely taken
+up by the proceedings of their comrades.  When the sound of talking
+lulled for a few moments, Jack halted; when it grew in force, and he
+heard the sentries join in the chatter, he seized the opportunity to
+steal forward a few yards more.  So by slow degrees they approached
+within forty paces.
+
+To go further without discovery seemed to Jack impossible.  Pausing for
+a moment to whisper once more to his men, he suddenly shouted the order
+to charge, and, springing up the bank, dashed forward with a cheer that
+was reinforced by the yells from fifteen lusty throats.  The sounds of
+joviality about the camp fire died on the instant; the cheer from the
+river, echoed by the rocky walls of the gully, seemed to come from a
+host of men.  Yells of alarm broke from the dusky figures by the fire.
+Some of the men seemed for the moment spellbound; others leapt to their
+feet and made a dash for the rifles stacked close by, tumbling over one
+another in their agitation; the majority simply scurried away like
+hares into the darkness, only anxious to get as far away as possible
+from this shouting host that had sprung as it were out of nothingness.
+As Jack's men rushed up there were a few reports of rifles hastily shot
+off, and eight or nine men made as if to stand firm near the camp fire;
+but they could not face the steel gleaming red in the glow.  One or two
+hapless wretches were bayonetted before they had time to run; the rest,
+with a wild howl, flung down their weapons and bolted.
+
+The sound of the conflict, Jack knew, would be taken by Barney as the
+signal to begin work outside the blockhouses.  What would be its effect
+on the enemy?  Would it draw their pickets on the right and left to the
+support of their comrades?  Or would they be so much alarmed that
+nothing but flight would occur to them?  He thought the probabilities
+favoured the former, for the firing having ceased, the immediate cause
+of alarm would seem to have been removed.  Without staying to consider
+that the chain of investment would be broken by their action, the outer
+pickets would in all likelihood move towards each other for mutual
+support.
+
+Here was an opportunity which Jack was quick to seize.  Without a
+moment's loss of time, he called his men together and hurried back down
+the gully, where he ordered them to line the banks on both sides,
+keeping well in shadow from the light of the fire.  The position they
+took up was about forty yards below the bivouac, almost the same spot
+from which the charge had been made.  The men had only just established
+themselves when the picket from the eastern quarter came running up.
+Jack's situation was now so serious that he had no longer any
+compunction.  As the negroes emerged from the gloom into the light of
+the camp fire, he ordered his men on the opposite bank to shoot.
+Several of the enemy fell; the rest turned tail, finding their comrades
+falling about them without being able to see their assailants.  But
+they did not run far; when they had passed beyond the circle of light
+they halted.
+
+Meanwhile all was quiet from the direction of the other picket beyond
+the gully.  If this was advancing, it was with more caution.  For some
+minutes no sound was heard; then on his left hand Lepoko detected a
+slight rustle in the brushwood, and he whispered to Jack that the enemy
+were creeping forward, feeling their way.  At the same time there were
+sounds of movement on the right.
+
+Now was the chance to attempt a ruse.  Withdrawing his men stealthily
+down the stream for a hundred yards, Jack halted.  The camp fire was
+dying down for want of fresh fuel; he hoped that the two parties would
+mistake each other in the gloom.  A quarter of an hour passed.  Then
+the air rang with shots and shouts; the two pickets had met and come
+into conflict.  The error was soon discovered, and then there arose a
+terrific clamour as each party accused the other.
+
+Jack considered that the work of the fort should have been completed by
+this time, all danger of interruption by the pickets having been
+removed by his sortie.  He therefore led his men back along the gully,
+and arrived to find Barney putting the finishing touches to the work by
+the light of his bamboo lantern.
+
+"All well?" said Jack.
+
+"All well, sorr.  You're not hurt at all?"
+
+"Not a bit.  None of us scratched.  Now we'll get back.  I don't think
+they'll try that particular dodge again."
+
+They had hardly returned within the stockade when they heard the sound
+of a considerable body of men moving up the opposite bank of the stream
+towards the pickets above.
+
+"Too late!" said Jack with a chuckle.
+
+"Truth, sorr.  That Elbel was niver intended for a sojer, 'tis plain.
+But who are the two white men wid him, thin?  Sure, I thought he'd
+brought 'em wid him to tache him what to do, but they would all seem to
+be birds uv wan feather, sorr."
+
+"We may find out by and by, perhaps to our cost.  Meanwhile we had
+better man the walls and blockhouses in case he's going to favour us
+with a night attack."
+
+But the sounds of movement among the enemy ceased, and the remainder of
+the night passed in unbroken quietness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+David and Goliath
+
+Next morning Jack's men found resting against the stone wall of the
+fort several barrels of resin which had not burned.  The bumping they
+had received in rolling down the slope had shaken out the fuses.  This
+was a lucky discovery.  The inflammable contents of the barrels would
+come in useful--for making fireballs, if for no other purpose.  Jack
+had them carried into the fort and stored in the magazine.
+
+Very soon after daybreak Jack saw what seemed to be the greater portion
+of Elbel's force moving up the hill.  He counted at least five hundred
+men, and noticed that only about a hundred of these were riflemen, the
+remainder carrying spears, or tools of some kind.
+
+"You see what they are at, Barney?" he said.
+
+"Shifting their camp, by what it appears, sorr."
+
+"No, I don't think that's it.  Elbel has failed with fire; he's now
+going to try water.  He's going to cut off our water supply."
+
+"Sure he's entitled to, as we don't pay rates, which is rubber.  But we
+can do widout his water supply, sorr, having a private distillery uv
+our own."
+
+"I'm pretty sure I'm right, for you see the men are going a great deal
+farther up the hill than they need if they're merely looking for
+another base of attack."
+
+"Bedad, why shouldn't we have a little rifle practice at 'em, sorr?
+'Tis long range firing, indeed, but mighty good practice."
+
+"No.  Our ammunition is too precious to be wasted; and even if we hit a
+few of them, that wouldn't stop Elbel's scheme, whatever it is.  We'll
+keep our eye on the river and see if there's any shrinkage."
+
+It was not until late in the afternoon that he got positive proof that
+Elbel was in fact diverting the stream.  He had fancied for some time
+that the height of the water was less, but only about four o'clock did
+the fall become decided.  After that, however, the stream dwindled very
+rapidly, until, towards nightfall, there was only a thin trickle of
+water in the river bed below the fort, where in the morning the stream
+had been twenty feet broad and nearly six feet deep.  At the same time
+a remarkable change in the appearance of the country east of the fort
+had attracted the attention of the natives, who swarmed upon the
+platform on that side and gazed in amazement.  Lokolobolo had brought
+water into their camp; but who had made water run in a swift river
+where no river had ever been before?
+
+Nearly a mile away to the east, a broad shallow stream was rushing down
+the slope that extended from the precipice on which the fort stood to
+the foothills two miles beneath.  The river, dammed no doubt by
+boulders far up the hill, had now been forced into the course which,
+but for a rocky barrier, it would long since have discovered for itself.
+
+"A very pretty scheme, bedad!" said Barney.  "And I just wish we could
+set a fountain going, like those in Trafalgar Square, just to show Mr.
+Elbel that he may have his river all to himself if he pleases."
+
+"That wouldn't do at all, Barney.  We don't want to flaunt our good
+fortune.  In fact, our best course is to keep Elbel in the dark.
+Indeed I think we had better stop that overflow from our tank.  Now
+that the cataract has dried up, the overflow would easily be seen."
+
+"But what'll we do wid the overflow, sorr?  Sure, we don't want a flood
+in the camp!"
+
+"Certainly not.  We'll break it up into a number of tiny trickles, and
+let them find their way through the wall at different points.  They'll
+be sucked up or disappear before they reach the ground below."
+
+"Bedad, now, I would niver have thought of that!  Mr. Elbel will think
+we get our water from heaven, sorr, if he's iver heard uv it."
+
+The work of damming the river having been accomplished, the main body
+of the enemy marched down just before dark and regained their camp.  As
+they passed within earshot of the fort, Elbel's negroes could not
+refrain from flinging taunts at the men of their colour within the
+walls, telling them that they could no longer cook their food, much
+less wash their babies.  This made the men very angry; they prepared to
+blaze away with their rifles at the gibing enemy, and Jack's command to
+drop their weapons might, perhaps, for once have been disregarded had
+not Samba suddenly struck up the song which one of the men had
+composed, chronicling Lokolobolo's great deeds with water and fire:
+
+  Lokolobolo
+  In Ilombekabasi
+  Dug a great hole,
+  Filled it with waters
+  Great is his magic!
+  How can we praise him--
+  Lokolobolo?
+  Lo!  Elobela
+  Came with the fire tubs
+  To Ilombekabasi.
+  But the Inglesa
+  Lokolobolo
+  Filled a pot with the fire-stuff.
+  What a noise!
+  What a smoke!
+  Fire tubs are broken.
+  Ha!  Elobela!
+  Where is your fire now?
+  What is the good of you?
+  Inglesa's magic
+  No one can master.
+  Is it fire?
+  Is it water?
+  Lokolobolo
+  In Ilombekabasi
+  Quenches the fire,
+  Keeps water for black men.
+  Ha!  Elobela,
+  Go home to your cook-pot.
+  No good in this land,
+  In Ilombekabasi.
+
+
+The song was taken up one by one by the people, and in the delight of
+singing Lokolobolo's praise and Elobela's shame, the jeers of the
+negroes outside were forgotten.
+
+That night Elbel posted no regular pickets round the fort.  He had
+clearly given up the idea of a strict blockade, which was indeed
+impossible with the force at his command; but except for the desire to
+mask his own movements, he lost nothing by the withdrawal of his
+pickets, for even if the garrison took advantage of it to issue from
+the fort, they could make little use of their freedom in a country bare
+of supplies.  Jack did not doubt that Elbel had many scouts abroad, and
+would be on the watch for an attempt to obtain water.  He would imagine
+that none was procurable save from a distance of at least half a mile
+from the fort, and was doubtless already congratulating himself on the
+success of his strategy.
+
+Several days passed, and life went on in the camp as peacefully as
+though no enemy was near.  The women performed their daily tasks of
+cleaning and cooking; the men drilled and exercised; the children
+amused themselves as children always can.  Jack took it into his head
+to teach them some of the round games popular with English children,
+knowing that the elders were sure to copy them; and every little
+novelty tended to amuse them and keep them cheerful.  Indeed, he found
+the men so like children in their capacity for finding easy amusement,
+that one day he started a game of leap-frog for them, and soon the
+whole camp was hilarious, the men springing over one another's backs
+all round the enclosure with great shouts of laughter.
+
+As Jack expected, Elbel kept a sharp watch by means of scouts all round
+the fort, to ensure that no water reached the besieged.  Jack smiled as
+he pictured the Belgian's amazement, when day after day went by without
+any sign of distress.  Now that the regular night pickets were removed,
+some of Jack's men found it easy to get out for little scouting
+expeditions; and except for an occasional brush between men of the two
+forces employed in this duty, there was nothing to show that four
+hundred men on the one side, and seven hundred on the other, were
+engaged in deadly warfare.  In these duels the men of Ilombekabasi
+invariably came off best.  They were at home equally in the forest and
+the plain; the enemy were for the most drawn from the Lower Congo--an
+inferior type of negro and less used to fighting in wooded districts.
+And a long immunity had rendered them careless.  They were accustomed
+to see whole villages panic-stricken at the sight of an Albini rifle.
+They had had no need to cultivate the art of scouting, except in
+tracking runaways; nor even the higher kind of marksmanship; for it was
+their practice to tie their victim to a tree before shooting: in this
+way the State or the Concessionary Company was saved ammunition.
+Indeed, one cartridge was frequently sufficient to account for two or
+more men, women, or children, if they were tied up with due regard for
+the convenience of the marksman.  It was a new and very disconcerting
+experience to meet men of their own colour who were not afraid of them,
+and they did not easily adapt themselves to the new condition of things.
+
+For this work of scouting Jack had found no man yet to match Samba.
+The boy seemed to be endowed with a sixth sense, for he went safely in
+the most dangerous places, returned more quickly than the rest, and
+brought more information.  And though he soon made himself expert with
+the rifle presented him by Jack after the buffalo hunt, he never took
+it with him on these scouting trips, preferring to go unencumbered.  He
+relied on his knife.
+
+One morning, when Jack was awakened as usual by Barney, he noticed a
+very comical look on the Irishman's face.
+
+"Anything happened?" he said.
+
+"Bedad, sorr, I didn't mean to tell ye till ye were dressed.  What d'ye
+think that little varmint has done now?"
+
+"Samba?  No mischief, I hope."
+
+"Mischief, begorra!  Just after daybreak, whin you were sound asleep,
+sorr, and I was going the rounds as usual, Mboyo calls to me from the
+wall, and whin I comes up to 'm, there he is hauling like the divil on
+the rope.  'Samba must be getting fat like me,' says I to meself,
+lending a hand, 'for sure the boy will not need such a mighty big
+haul.'  Mboyo jabbered away, but I couldn't understand him.  And then,
+sorr, up comes a villainous ugly head, followed by a body ten times the
+size of Samba's, and a big nigger comes over, almost choked with a new
+kind uv necklace he was wearing, and shaking with the most terrible
+fright mortal man was iver in.  Mboyo lets down the rope again, and up
+comes Samba, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
+
+"'Me hab catch,' says he.  'Catch what?' says I.  'Begorra!' says he,
+'bont'one!'[1]  Which was Dutch to me, sorr, only he pointed to the
+nigger.  'Catch him?' says I.  He nodded his head till I thought
+'twould break off.  'Ku?'[2] says I.  'Nyango!'[3] says he; and thin I
+laughed, sorr, 'cos the idea uv a boy taking prisoner a man ten times
+his size----"
+
+"Draw it mild, Barney."
+
+"True, sorr, he doesn't look quite so big as he did.  I wished to wake
+ye at once, but Samba said no, he'd keep the prisoner safe till your
+usual time, and here he is, sorr, and the prisoner too."
+
+Jack had been putting on his clothes while Barney spoke.  Leaving the
+hut he saw Samba holding one end of the tendril of a creeper, the other
+end being looped about the neck of a tall strong negro.  Jack listened
+patiently, and with the aid of many questions, was able to piece out
+his story.
+
+Creeping in the darkness up the dry river bed some distance from the
+fort, Samba had seen for a moment the form of a man dimly silhouetted
+against the starlit sky.  Then the man disappeared; but it was child's
+play to find him again, for he made his way into the channel and moved
+slowly down towards the fort.  He had a rifle, and was head and
+shoulders taller than Samba; but neither his strength nor his weapon
+was to avail him against the ingenuity and cat-like agility of his
+young enemy.
+
+It would have been easy for Samba to stalk him and make an end of him
+with the knife; but a brilliant idea occurred to the boy: how much
+better to capture him and take a living prisoner to the fort!  For two
+hours Samba kept in touch with him, never more than a few yards away,
+yet never by the slightest sound betraying his presence.  At last the
+man found a position above the fort which satisfied him, for he
+established himself there, apparently intending to wait for the dawn.
+
+Samba felt sure that when he moved to regain his own camp he would
+retrace his steps up stream.  To go down would bring him within view of
+the fort.  His course would be to ascend the channel and fetch a wide
+circuit back to his own people.
+
+Samba acted quickly on this assumption.  As silently as a shadow he
+glided past the man until, some distance up the channel, groping on the
+bank, he came across a tough creeper.  From this he cut off three or
+four yards of a pliant tendril, and with deft fingers made a slip-knot
+at one end.  Then he went again down stream, and made his way to a rock
+overhanging the left bank, whence he had many a time speared fish while
+the fort was being built.  On this rock he lay at full length, ready to
+move at the slightest sign of the negro stirring.
+
+When dawn broke Samba saw that the man was staring intently at the
+fort.  After a prolonged examination he turned, and, as Samba expected,
+moved up the gully, keeping under the left bank to avoid observation
+from the walls.  Slowly and cautiously he picked his way upward, little
+recking of the lithe form stretched like a panther on the rock above.
+He was passing the rock, the rifle in his left hand, the right hand
+assisting his wary steps over the rugged channel, when the lasso curled
+gently over his head; a short vigorous tug, and the man, dropping his
+rifle and clutching at the strangling cord around his throat, was
+pulled backward on to the rocky side of the gully.  Samba had marked
+where the rifle fell, and leapt nimbly down.  Before the negro,
+wriggling to his feet, had succeeded in loosing the terrible noose,
+Samba was at his side, the Albini in his hand.
+
+The suddenness of the onset and the shock of his fall had robbed the
+man of all power of action.  When Samba said that he must either
+accompany him to Ilombekabasi or be shot, he saw no third course and
+accepted the first.  Perhaps he was tired of his service with Elobela;
+perhaps he was curious to see the village of the wonderful Lokolobolo;
+certainly he was very much afraid of being shot.  So he made no
+resistance, but went quickly down the gully, a step or two in advance
+of Samba, who carried the rifle, as he did not fail to remind his
+captive from time to time.
+
+Through Lepoko Jack questioned the man.  He showed no reluctance to
+answer; no wish to conceal his employer's purposes.  _Esprit de corps_,
+Jack surmised, was a sentiment not cultivated on the Congo.  The
+prisoner confessed that Elobela exulted in the belief that within a few
+days the fort would be compelled to surrender by lack of water.  And he
+had promised his men an orgy when the surrender should take place.  Not
+a soul should be spared.  There were man-eaters among his force, and
+they were looking forward to a choice banquet; many young and tender
+children frolicked in Ilombekabasi.
+
+Jack felt himself turn pale as he heard this.  The facts were coming
+home to him.  The thought that little Bakota, the chubby boy whom
+Barney employed to wash dishes, or little Ilangala, the girl whom the
+same indefatigable factotum had taught to darn his socks, might fall
+into the hands of these ruthless cannibals, to be torn limb from limb,
+and sacrificed to their brutal appetites, kindled emotion within him
+much more poignant than the mere report that such things had happened
+in the collection of rubber on the Congo, somewhere, at some time.
+
+He dismissed the man under guard, and went to his hut, wishing to be
+alone.  An hour or two later Lepoko came to him; the prisoner had given
+more information.
+
+"Him say, sah, big massa lib for come back up ribber.  Him say Elobela
+no let massa come to Ilombekabasi; catch him, sah."
+
+Here was a new source of uneasiness and anxiety.  Jack had longed for
+his uncle's return; now he almost wished that something had happened to
+prevent his departure.  Already he had had such proofs of Elbel's
+vindictive and unscrupulous temper that he dreaded what might happen
+should Mr. Martindale fall into his hands.  But for the moment he saw
+no means of warning his uncle, and he tried to crush his fears and
+forebodings.
+
+During the next few days several of Elbel's scouts were killed or
+wounded by Jack's men, who had so far been wonderfully successful in
+escaping injury.  One man of the enemy who was brought in wounded
+confirmed the first prisoner's statement that the Inglesa was said to
+be on his way.  The river was being watched at various points of its
+course, and Jack recognized the hopelessness of attempting to evade
+these sentinels and give his uncle timely warning.
+
+Ten days had passed since the stream had been diverted, and the last
+captured scout said that Elobela was growing very impatient.  He could
+not understand how the fort had been able to hold out so long.  Every
+day he expected to see a flag of truce hoisted, and to receive a
+message asking for the terms of surrender.  One evening another scout
+was captured, and from him Jack learnt that his secret had at last been
+partially discovered.  Angry at being so long baulked, Elbel had
+determined to find out the source whence the defenders obtained the
+water he knew they must have.  He sent out scouts for this express
+purpose.  One of them, creeping up the bed of the stream below the
+southern face of the fort, had discovered that the precipice, which
+from a distance looked dry, was running with water, and that a thin
+stream was trickling into the gully.  The ground had gradually become
+saturated, and the overflow, which had at first disappeared into the
+earth, was now making itself only too visible.  When the discovery was
+reported to Elbel, he concluded that there must be a spring within the
+fort.  Great was his fury at having wasted so much time and labour
+fruitlessly.  In his anger he declared that the defenders should have
+plenty of water in future.
+
+"What did he mean by that?" asked Jack.
+
+The man did not know.  Elobela did not tell all his purposes to the
+black men.
+
+The very next morning it was observed that a large body of men was
+again on the move up the hill.  Jack hurried to the top of the
+north-west blockhouse and followed the movements through his
+field-glass.  This time an even larger force was engaged than had been
+previously employed to dam the stream.  Two parties, riflemen and
+spearmen, numbering in all, as he estimated, nearly six hundred, were
+marching up the heights.  Clearly some new work was to be undertaken,
+and it must be of no little magnitude.  There were no signs of
+preparation for an immediate attack.  The troops continued their upward
+march for at least a mile.  Then Jack was surprised to see them set to
+work rolling boulders down the hill towards the slope at the north-east
+of the fort and the new course of the river.  Whatever the scheme was,
+it involved a great deal of labour, for the whole day was spent upon
+it, and still the parties of workers had made but small progress down
+the hillside.  It became clear to Jack that the supply of boulders
+lower down had been used up in constructing the dam.  More boulders
+were evidently required, and to procure these Elbel had had to take his
+men a considerable distance up the hill.
+
+Late in the afternoon the negroes were marched back to camp.  As soon
+as it appeared safe, Jack sent Samba out to ascertain what had been
+done.  When he came back he reported that a large quantity of stones
+had been collected near the dam, and that though the main body had
+returned to their camp, there were still several large parties engaged
+in hauling boulders nearly a mile away from this point.
+
+Jack could form no idea of what Elbel's plan was; but it seemed to him
+that in any case the time had come to meet it with a counterstroke.
+For hours that night he sat with Barney discussing every means of
+striking a blow that occurred to him; but he came to no decision.  A
+stand-up fight in the open was impossible; there could only be one end
+to that, outnumbered as Jack was in riflemen by nearly five to one, and
+at present the enemy's movements did not suggest to him any opportunity
+for stratagem.
+
+Next morning he stood with Barney at the wall, watching the enemy as
+once more they marched up to the scene of the previous day's work.  As
+usual, he did his best to count them--no easy matter, for the men did
+not march in orderly ranks like a disciplined regiment, but either in
+small groups or in several long files.
+
+"Elbel is getting impatient," remarked Jack at last.  "He wants to
+hurry up that work of his, for I make out that he is taking over fifty
+more men up to-day."
+
+"Sure there can't be more than fifty left in camp, sorr."
+
+"I suppose not.  That's rather risky," he added thoughtfully--"in an
+enemy's country, Barney."
+
+"Would you be meaning to go for them, sorr?" returned Barney, his eyes
+lighting up.  "Bedad, I'd rejoice in that same.  I haven't told ye,
+sorr, but many's the time I've felt I should just go raging mad if I
+had to stay in this camp much longer.  'Tis all very safe and
+comfortable, sorr, but 'tis a prison all the same, and there's no man
+on earth likes to be caged up less than an Irishman."
+
+"D'you think we could do it, Barney?  The camp is only about half a
+mile below us; Elbel's men are a mile above, some at least a mile and a
+half.  Could we rush the camp before the main body could be brought to
+its relief?"
+
+"Say 'tis two miles between 'em as the crow flies; they could run that
+in twelve minutes widout distressing themselves."
+
+"But they couldn't take the shortest road, because that would bring
+them under fire from our walls.  The distance would be a good deal more
+than two miles.  And we should have to cover half that distance to the
+camp and back, the return journey up hill.  It doesn't leave much
+margin, Barney."
+
+"Five minutes at the very most, sorr.  But a man can do a power uv
+fighting in five minutes."
+
+"Let us think it out carefully.  We mustn't throw away all our success
+by a mad enterprise now.  We oughtn't to weaken the defensive strength
+here much, for Elbel has such numbers that he could afford to lose a
+few in storming."
+
+"And we needn't, sorr.  'Tis not numbers that will count in rushing the
+camp; 'tis dash, sorr, and ivery man together."
+
+"That's quite true.  And I think our men will work together better than
+Elbel's.  But there's a very serious difficulty--that outpost of his
+half-way between us and his camp.  It's the only post he has kept up
+permanently, and now it's a nuisance to us."
+
+He referred to a couple of men stationed at the edge of a copse to the
+west of the stream.  They were screened by rocks, and from their
+position they could see the blockhouses and the tops of the huts, and
+keep the west and south quarters of the fort under fairly strict
+observation.
+
+"You see, they would instantly detect any movement of ours down the
+hill; and by the time we got to the camp the enemy would be on the _qui
+vive_."
+
+"There's only wan thing to be done, sorr."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Shut the eyes and the ears and the mouths uv the niggers at the
+outpost."
+
+"All very well; but they're too well screened to be shot at, and
+killing them is the only way to destroy all their senses.  Besides, it
+would be madness to fire.  The sound would alarm the enemy and spoil
+our plans."
+
+"'Twas not meself that thought uv firing at all at all, sorr.  I was
+thinking uv Samba."
+
+"Samba!  What can he do?"
+
+"Sure and I don't know no more than the dead, or I'd tell it you
+meself, sorr.  But Samba's the ould wan himself at schaming; will I
+fetch him?"
+
+"Certainly.  We'll see if he can do anything.  Hurry up!"
+
+
+
+[1] This man.
+
+[2] Are you speaking the truth?
+
+[3] Mother!--the strongest affirmative.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+A Dash and All Together
+
+Barney brought back with him both father and son.  Mboyo was a
+finely-built negro, but Samba, who had been growing rapidly, promised
+to outstrip his father in height, as he already excelled him in
+nimbleness of wit.  He had a noble brow, and eyes of extraordinary
+lustre; and Jack could not help contrasting him with the mean-looking
+white man, who, in the providence of King Leopold, was entrusted with
+the lives of such people as these.
+
+Jack explained his purpose, and the difficulty which seemed to stand in
+the way.  A glance was exchanged between Samba and his father; then the
+boy said that they would deal with the outpost.
+
+"How will you do it?"
+
+"We will creep upon them."
+
+"But it is daylight."
+
+"True.  We may fail; but we will do our best."
+
+"Very well.  Now we must get our men together, Barney.  It will be
+useless for Samba and Mboyo to start until we are ready.  In fact, we
+will postpone the whole thing for an hour or two.  In the hottest part
+of the day the men in the camp will very likely be dozing or fast
+asleep; even if they're awake, they'll probably not have all their wits
+about them."
+
+He selected twenty riflemen, including Imbono, Makoko, and Lepoko, and
+fifty spearmen, the pick of the force, and ordered them to assemble at
+a given signal at a small exit he had recently had cut in the base of
+the wall on the gully side.  The hole had been made at a spot where the
+gully was very rugged and covered with creepers, so that any one
+leaving the fort by this small aperture could scarcely be detected
+except by an observer placed immediately opposite.  The portion of the
+wall which had been removed could be replaced, and it would be
+impossible, save on very close scrutiny, to discover the existence of
+the exit.
+
+A dozen of the men, besides carrying their weapons, were to sling round
+their shoulders some large fireballs which had been made under Barney's
+superintendence from the resin in the confiscated barrels.
+
+"Begorra, sorr, 'tis meself that has an idea!" cried Barney in the
+midst of these preparations.  "Couldn't we do something to hould the
+attention uv those villains at the outpost while Samba and the chief
+are doing their job?"
+
+"A good idea, indeed.  What do you suggest?"
+
+"'Deed now, I wish we had Mike Henchie and Denis O'Sullivan and a few
+more uv the bhoys.  We'd treat the niggers to the finest dancing wid
+the shillelagh that iver was seen this side uv Limerick."
+
+"I wish we had!  You speak of shillelaghs.  Won't Indian clubs do?  I
+have it!  We'll get some of the children to go through their exercises.
+Go and collect them, Samba--Lofinda and Ilafa and Lokilo and Isungila,
+they're the best, and about a dozen more.  But hang it!  I forgot.
+They won't be seen over the wall."
+
+"Sure there's the platform by the blockhouse, sorr.  'Tis uncommon
+small for a stage play, but 'tis meself could make it wider in a brace
+uv shakes."
+
+"Then do so, like a good fellow.  It's a capital idea of yours, Barney."
+
+The platform was quickly enlarged.  Then, just after midday, when the
+sun was blazing fiercely, and in the ordinary course of things
+everybody would be at rest in the huts, Barney marshalled some twenty
+children, boys and girls, on the platform, and Jack accompanied Mboyo
+and Samba to the little exit.
+
+"You must give me a signal if you succeed with the outpost," said Jack,
+as they prepared to slip through.  "It must not be a sound.  You had
+better show yourself for a moment above the rocks, Samba."
+
+The instant they had reached the gully, Imbono's drummer began to beat
+his drum, not with the powerful strokes that would have sent a
+thunderous boom echoing for miles around, but with gentle taps that
+would scarcely be heard beyond the two outposts.  At the same time two
+or three children blew softly through their little trumpets of banana
+leaves.  In a moment two woolly heads could be seen cautiously peeping
+over the rocks for which Mboyo and Samba were making.  Then the
+performance began.  Instructed by Barney, the children on the platform
+swung their clubs about, wondering why they were forbidden to sing the
+song about Lokolobolo which usually accompanied their exercise.  They
+knew nothing of the intention of their instructor, nor why he had
+chosen this hot hour instead of the cool of the evening; but they loved
+him, and delighted in the rhythmic motion, and they plied their clubs
+gracefully, all unconscious of the four curious eyes watching them from
+the rocks a few hundred yards away.
+
+Jack saw nothing of their pretty movements.  He was at the wall.  The
+two men of the outpost gazed at the children.  Jack gazed at them.
+Below him squatted his warriors, subdued to unnatural quietness by the
+thought of what was before them.  Impatiently they waited for the word.
+They did not know exactly what they were to do; Lokolobolo had simply
+said they were to follow him.  But they knew Lokolobolo; had he not
+time and again brought Elobela's schemes to nought?  Lokolobolo had
+said they were to follow him; and they were confident that where he led
+was the one place in the world for them.
+
+Twenty minutes passed.  The performance on the platform still went on.
+Then Jack suddenly saw the two black heads above the rocks disappear.
+Next moment Samba's head showed itself where they had been.
+
+"Aiyoko!"[1] said Jack to his men.
+
+Quickly, one by one, they slipped through the narrow hole, and formed
+up under cover of the thick-growing creepers in the gully.  Jack went
+last, saw that the opening was closed behind him, and turned to address
+his men.
+
+"We are going to Elobela's camp," he said.  "We shall go down the gully
+until we come opposite to it, then I shall lead you; you will come
+behind me silently, keeping your ranks.  I hope the men in the camp may
+be asleep.  You will not fire until I give the word.  When we have
+driven them out of the camp, those of you who have fireballs will set
+fire to their huts.  Then seize on all the guns and ammunition you can
+find, and return as quickly as possible to the fort."
+
+The men's eyes gleamed with excitement.  Stealthily as panthers they
+crept down the dry gully after their leader.  They did not know that
+behind them, at the wall, Barney, having abruptly dismissed the
+children, was watching with a very wistful look.  The good fellow
+wished that he were with them.
+
+Down they went, as rapidly as the rough ground permitted, scarcely
+making a sound.  At length Jack halted.  He turned and gave one quick
+glance over the eager faces; there was no falterer among his band.
+Then he scrambled over the brink of the gully.  Lepoko was first after
+him, Makoko was second; the rest of the men stood upon no order of
+going, but made each for the easiest point of ascent.  And there Mboyo
+and Samba joined them.  Standing on gently sloping ground Jack looked
+eagerly ahead.  Had his movement been detected?  There, two hundred
+yards away, was the camp within its light stockade.  Not a man was to
+be seen.  The midday sun beat fiercely down; doubtless the garrison
+were enjoying a siesta.  No sentry was posted, or, if posted, he had
+forgotten his duty.  The gate of Ilombekabasi on the northern face was
+far away; what simple negro would suppose that the enemy was
+approaching silently from the nearer end?
+
+In compact and orderly ranks Jack's men were sprinting noiselessly
+after him, holding their weapons so that no clash or click should
+disturb the silent camp.  They were within a few yards of the stockade
+when suddenly there was a cry.  All were black men in the camp save
+one.  At that moment he, in the intolerable heat, was about to leave
+his tent and bathe in a clear stream that ran through the enclosure.
+He saw the running band; he cried to his men, and, flinging away his
+towel, sprang back to his hut to get his rifle.  He was too late.
+Jack, getting a "shove up" from one of his men, was on and over the
+stockade in a few seconds; his men were leaping all around him.  And
+now their tongues were loosened.  Yells and rifle shots aroused the
+lethargic garrison, some from sleep within their huts, some from drowsy
+lolling in shady quarters by the stockade.  For most of them one glance
+was enough.  Here was Lokolobolo, the Inglesa, and with him a crowd of
+men among whom they recognized some they had beaten in Ilola with the
+whip.  With frantic yells of alarm they ran for dear life across the
+compound to the gate on the further side, out into the open, never
+pausing until they had gained the forest fringe, with half a mile
+between them and the men they feared.
+
+But not all; the white man had seized his rifle and collected a small
+band about him.  Mboyo, near Jack, gave a cry; among the negroes around
+the white man he saw Boloko, his renegade brother.  Taking cover where
+they could, they began to fire at the invaders, hastily, frantically.
+But Jack had his men in hand.  Bidding them also take cover, he sent
+those who had fireballs to creep round the camp and set light to the
+huts.  Soon volumes of dense suffocating smoke bellied across the camp,
+screening attackers from defenders.  Then Jack gave the order to close
+in upon the few who resisted.  With triumphant yells his men swept
+forward through the smoke--a few shots were fired; one or two men fell;
+then the white man, with Boloko and the rest of his band at his heels,
+made a dash for the gate.  Two men dropped ere they could pass through;
+but the white man and Boloko and half a dozen others were more
+fortunate.  Out in the open they ran like hunted deer; and Elobela's
+burning camp was left in the hands of Lokolobolo.
+
+Jack lost no time.  The stockade and the huts on the windward side were
+ablaze; soon the whole place must be in flames.  The sound of the
+shots, the sight of the smoke, would bring back Elbel and all his
+force.  Shouting to his men to collect all the arms and ammunition they
+could carry and then rush back to the fort, Jack went outside the
+stockade beyond the cloud of smoke to keep watch.  The flames were
+roaring and crackling behind him; but even at this distance, nearly two
+miles from the place where Elbel was at work, he fancied he heard the
+shouts of the amazed and angry enemy.  Then suddenly the deep resonant
+note of Imbono's drum struck his ear.  Barney must be warning him!  He
+turned and called to his men to delay no longer.  Back to the fort!
+Meanwhile Barney had followed the movements of the gallant band.  He
+heard the shots and yells, and saw the first spiral of smoke; then he
+hastened to the northwest blockhouse, calling to all the riflemen left
+with him to line the wall overlooking the gully.  In a few minutes he
+saw the negroes above dashing helter-skelter down the slope.  And yes!
+there was Elbel at their head, a figure in white, running as though he
+were running for a prize.  Barney smiled with satisfaction.
+
+"Begorra!  They're forgetting me!" he murmured pleasantly, as he saw
+that the enemy, in their frantic haste, were making for the shortest
+path along the further edge of the gully, within easy range of the
+camp.  Barney determined to wait until they were well abreast of him,
+and then give them a volley.  But the impatience of a negro forced his
+hand.  In the excitement of the moment one of the riflemen, free from
+Jack's restraining presence, fired his piece.  The shot brought Elbel
+to his senses.  He suddenly remembered the danger into which he was
+running.  Turning sharp to the right, he sprinted straight to the cover
+of the copse.  Some of his men followed him; others ran heedlessly on.
+Growling at the man who had spoilt his scheme, Barney gave the order to
+fire, and half a dozen of the enemy fell.  But Elbel had escaped; and
+the rest of his men took warning and diverged from the direct course as
+he had done.  Barney saw that further efforts would be wasted; so,
+ordering his men to cease fire, he returned to the other end of the
+fort to see how Jack was faring.
+
+[Illustration: Jack rushes Elbel's camp]
+
+Here they come!  Makoko is leading, staggering up the gully under the
+weight of half a dozen rifles.  Behind him is Lombola, poising a load
+of ammunition on his head.  There is Lingombela, with a bundle of
+cartridge pouches roped to his back.  So one after another they file up
+the gully.  Barney opens the little gate in the wall; willing helpers
+within haul the loads through.  No man enters until all the rifles and
+ammunition have been handed in; then they scramble through, laughing
+and jesting; and Jack comes last of all.
+
+"Well done, sorr!" said Barney heartily.
+
+"Well done, Barney!" returned Jack, gripping his hand.  "By Jove!
+What's that?"
+
+A loud explosion set the air trembling, and a hundred echoes flying
+from the rocks around.  A dense volume of flame and smoke rose from the
+site of Elbel's camp.
+
+"There goes the last of their ammunition!" said Jack with a laugh.
+"We've got best part of it here."
+
+"Bedad, sorr, now's the chance for me meself.  Give me leave, sorr, and
+I'll go at them wid the men and wipe them clean off the face uv the
+earth."
+
+"Stop, stop, Barney!  We mustn't be impatient.  They've no more
+ammunition in reserve, but every man who was with Elbel will have a
+good many rounds with him.  We can't risk a pitched battle against two
+hundred rifles."
+
+"Ochone, sorr!  Will I niver get a chance at all?"
+
+"Cheer up!  Your chance will come, and you've done splendidly as it is.
+It was a fine idea of yours to sound that drum when you saw them
+running down.  And it was your idea to set something going here to
+occupy the attention of the outpost.  By the by, I haven't had time to
+ask Samba yet how they dealt with those fellows."
+
+He called up the boy.  His story was very simple.  Mboyo and he had
+crawled round under cover of the rocks and bushes, and came upon the
+unsuspecting sentries from the rear.  They had their knives; the men
+died without a sound.  Jack shuddered.  It was not an Englishman's way
+of dealing with an enemy; it was the negro's way.  But his feeling of
+compunction was somewhat diminished when Samba added that one of the
+men was Bomolo, the brutal forest guard who had been the terror of
+Imbono's people.  For how many maimings and murders had this man been
+responsible?  Surely in this quick death he had met with far less than
+his deserts!
+
+Jack had every reason to be satisfied with the success of his sortie.
+To have burned the enemy's camp; captured more than half his reserve
+ammunition, and destroyed the rest, was no mean feat.  And as for the
+people of Ilombekabasi, they were frantic with delight.  So quietly had
+Jack made his preparations that the majority of the people knew nothing
+of what was happening until they heard the first shot.  Then they
+crowded to the wall and watched eagerly.  The camp itself was hidden
+from them by the contour of the hill, but they saw the smoke rising
+above the bushes and hailed it with loud shouts.  When they understood
+the meaning of the great noise that followed Lokolobolo's return they
+were almost beside themselves with joy.  And in the cool of the evening
+Jack allowed them to hold a great feast, after which Imbono reeled off
+a long oration in praise of Lokolobolo, and the village bard composed
+and chanted a new song in numerous stanzas, the whole populace roaring
+the chorus:--
+
+  O kelaki na?
+  Bomong'ilombe,
+  Bosak'owa wanga,[2]
+  Lokolobolo!
+
+
+For several days after the sortie Jack was left undisturbed.  He
+guessed how Elbel was occupied, and his conjecture was confirmed by
+Samba, who at once resumed his scouting work.  Elbel was constructing
+another camp a good distance east of his former position.  And he was
+spending more time and labour on it; the stockade was more than usually
+high and thick, and was flanked with bastions after the model of the
+blockhouses at Ilombekabasi.
+
+Samba also discovered that on the day after the burning of the camp one
+of the white men with twenty paddlers had gone down the river.  Jack
+had no doubt that he had been despatched to the headquarters of his
+Company for more ammunition.  Clearly Elbel was rendered only the more
+determined by his successive rebuffs.
+
+"And I don't wonder at it," remarked Jack, talking the situation over
+with Barney.  "We are making hay of the rubber collection in this
+district, and Elbel's Company will be pretty mad with him.  I
+understand why he hasn't got help before this from the State forces.
+For one thing he has got to rehabilitate himself with his Company,
+who'll certainly cashier him if he doesn't find a way out of the mess
+he has got into.  For another thing, if he brings the State forces on
+the scene, he'll most likely lose all chance of collaring uncle's gold,
+and I believe that's at the bottom of it right through.  But things
+can't last much longer as they are.  The State must intervene soon,
+whether Elbel likes it or not."
+
+"And what then, sorr?"
+
+"Then it will be all up with us, I'm afraid.  But we won't look forward
+to that.  I only wish I could find some means of sending word to
+England of what goes on here, and what we're doing."
+
+"What would be the good uv it, sorr?  Sorrow a bit."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"Why!  Because in England they're all too busy making money to attend
+to such things--making money, sorr, or fighting tooth and nail about
+education, or dreaming about football.  Now if Ireland had Home
+Rule----"
+
+"No politics, Barney!  I don't agree with you.  I'm as sure as I'm
+alive that if the people at home really knew how abominably the natives
+are treated--knew about the floggings and maimings and murders, they'd
+make such an outcry that either King Leopold would be forced to change
+his policy, or some one would step in and manage things for him.  If
+only England and America would join hands!"
+
+When Elbel had completed his new camp, he resumed the work far up the
+hill which the sortie had interrupted.  Jack was still at a loss to
+understand what the Belgian's scheme was, and he was prevented from
+finding out, by the fact that every night a strong body was left on
+guard, as he knew by the many camp fires at the top of the ridge.
+
+One afternoon, however, the secret was explained.  One of the men
+placed on the look-out at the north-eastern blockhouse reported that he
+saw a stream of water rushing down the hill.  Jack hastened to the spot
+with his field-glass, and was somewhat alarmed to see that the man's
+information was correct; water was certainly streaming down over the
+rocky ground, making a course that seemingly would bring it right
+against the fort wall.
+
+"He's going to flood us out!" thought Jack.  "He must have built an
+embankment across the new course of the river."
+
+This was a manoeuvre which he had not foreseen, and one which it seemed
+impossible to counter.  The water, gathering impetus as it flowed down
+the hill, would almost infallibly undermine the wall, even if it had
+not force enough to wash it away altogether.  But as he watched, for
+the moment so much taken aback that he could not think of anything to
+be done, his consternation was changed to amusement, for about two
+hundred yards up the hill the water made a swerve to his right, and
+flowed with increasing rapidity in that direction.  The slope was such
+that, instead of coming straight down as Elbel had evidently expected,
+the stream, finding the easiest course, took at this point a trend to
+the south-east.  After all it would only wash the blockhouse on which
+Jack stood.
+
+Jack instantly saw what he ought to do.  Running down to the base of
+the stockade, he summoned a large body of workers, and set some of them
+to dismantle the blockhouse, the remainder to pull down the wall and
+build it up again several feet behind its former position, and in such
+a way that instead of forming the angle of a square it lay across,
+making a line parallel with the course of the stream.
+
+They had hardly got to work before the full body of water was upon
+them.  But so many men were employed, and they moved so rapidly, that
+only one or two logs were carried away by the current, the solidly
+built blockhouse serving as a dam and protecting the workers behind.
+The main stream fell with a roar over the steep slope on the edge of
+which the blockhouse stood--a slope only less precipitous than that of
+the cataract, now a thing of the past, at the opposite corner of the
+fort.
+
+Only a few minutes later a tremendous outcry was heard from the
+direction of Elbel's new camp.  For a moment it startled Jack.  Had the
+enemy taken advantage of the sudden flood to organize an attack in
+force?  But the thought had hardly crossed his mind when he burst into
+laughter, causing his workers to pause and look round in astonishment.
+
+"A magnificent idea!" he said to Barney.  "D'you see what has happened?
+The silly fellow is flooding his own camp!"
+
+"Bedad, sorr, that's what comes uv being too clever by half."
+
+"It comes of playing with things he knows nothing about.  He's tried an
+engineer's job without experience and without surveying instruments.
+It's ticklish work interfering with the course of nature, and you never
+know what will happen if you set water on the run.  Look at them,
+Barney!  'Pon my soul, it's the funniest thing I've ever seen.  There's
+Elbel himself, do you see? scampering down the hill like a madman."
+
+"Like a mad gorilla, sorr."
+
+"And all his men after him!  By Jove! can't they yell!  He'll have to
+shift his quarters again, Barney."
+
+"And sure I hope all his food is soaked and all his clothes in the
+wash-tub.  A bath will do those greasy niggers no harm."
+
+"We'll build up our blockhouse a few yards to the left, and be none the
+worse.  Let's go and lend a hand."
+
+
+
+[1] Now.
+
+[2] Who did it?
+    The master of the house,
+    A most clever person.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+A Message and a Meeting
+
+Ilombekabasi had peace.  Elbel was sufficiently occupied for a couple
+of days in constructing a third camp, which he placed still further
+eastward in the direction of Ilola, but still between Jack and the main
+river.  And even when the camp was completed he gave no sign of further
+operations.  Jack was forced to conclude that his enemy was tired of
+his continual failures, and would now wait inactive until
+reinforcements reached him.
+
+One afternoon, about a week after the flooding of the camp, a negro was
+seen running up the gully.  Shots rang out in the distance, and far
+down the gully appeared a band of Elbel's men, who relinquished the
+pursuit of the runner on coming within sight of the fort.  The man
+scampered up to the hole in the stockade.  He was unarmed save for the
+universal dagger.  He cried out to be admitted; he had a message for
+the Inglesa; and Jack ordered him to be hauled up through the aperture.
+
+"Me nearly lib for dead," he said panting, "me run too fast."
+
+"Well, who are you, and what do you want?"
+
+"Me Lofembi, sah.  Me boy massa him uncle."
+
+"What!"
+
+"Yes, sah; me massa Martindale boy."
+
+"Where is he?" cried Jack, feeling himself go pale with excitement at
+the sudden news.
+
+"He long long in forest, sah.  Come up ribber in boat; one man say
+young massa shut up in Ilombekabasi; old massa get out of boat, hide in
+forest so long for young massa to know.  He plenty sick at Boma, sah;
+nearly gone dead.  Fust small small better, sah! lib for go sick all
+same; talk small small, sah; no make head straight.  He try write; no
+can hold black stick; he fit for go sleep."
+
+"Good heavens, Barney!  Poor old Uncle!"
+
+"Sure, the man may be a liar, sorr," said Barney.
+
+Jack gave the man a keen glance.
+
+"My uncle tried to write, you say.  What did he try to write?"
+
+"Bonkanda to massa; oh yes!  He want say he come; he want know what he
+fit to do.  No want see bad man; no; want to come to Ilombekabasi.
+Plenty hard job, 'cos bad man dah."  He pointed in the direction of
+Elbel's camp.
+
+"If he is so very sick, how did he come from the river into the forest?"
+
+"Four five men carry him, sah.  Plenty big lump; oh yes."
+
+"Why did he send you?  Where's Nando?"
+
+"Nando lib for sick at Leo[1]; no fit to come; him plenty sick; oh yes.
+Me Lofembi; me come, do talk for massa.  Massa gib fing to show young
+massa; here he am."
+
+He produced a gold scarf ring and handed it to Jack.
+
+"This is my uncle's, sure enough, Barney.  It's genuine.  What on earth
+can we do?  Poor old Uncle!  In his last note he said he was
+recovering; he must have had a relapse.  How can we get him into the
+fort?  We must bring him in somehow.  It's awful to think of him lying
+ill in the forest without any one to look after him; and I am cooped up
+here!"
+
+"Send Samba to fetch him, sorr."
+
+"I can't, Barney," said Jack after a moment's thought.  "Samba goes
+alone safely, but I simply can't trust him to lead a party in,
+especially as Uncle seems to be too bad to move.  I can't see any way
+out of it.  If I took some men out myself, and made a dash for it, the
+enemy would be on our track, and we should have to fight our way in
+against the whole lot of them.  Impossible; they outnumber us so
+greatly."
+
+Barney was sympathetic, but unable to offer a suggestion.  Bidding him
+keep an eye on Lofembi, Jack went back to his hut to think the matter
+out by himself.  He was torn with anxiety.  An unlucky chance might at
+any moment reveal his uncle's whereabouts, and he knew what mercy Mr.
+Martindale might expect if he fell into the hands of Elbel.  Something
+must be done; yet what?  A dozen plans occurred to him, only to be
+rejected.
+
+One thing was clear; whatever was done must be done either by Barney or
+himself.  Mr. Martindale being incapacitated, another white man must
+lead his party, for the natives, unless properly led, might be seized
+with panic at the slightest check and bolt.
+
+Barney he could not send.  There was no finesse about him; he was a
+good fighter, with any amount of pluck, but the very antithesis of a
+scout.  Jack felt that he must go himself if his uncle was to have the
+best chance of getting in.  There was no other course that offered the
+same prospect of success.
+
+What were his chances?  His sortie against the enemy's camp had been a
+brilliant success.  Since then Elbel had been practically on the
+defensive; he was afraid of wasting ammunition; afraid also of leaving
+any small body unsupported by his main force.  During the past week
+Jack's scouts had reported night after night that no pickets had been
+posted as formerly around the fort, so that, except on the south-east,
+where Elbel's camp was, the neighbourhood was open.  He could thus
+easily steal out at the gate in the northern wall under cover of
+darkness, and by making a wide detour ought to be able to bring Mr.
+Martindale and his party back in safety.
+
+Yet he had qualms.  Ought he in any case to leave the fort?  Supposing
+he failed, what would happen to the hundreds of people who depended on
+him?  Driven by force of circumstances into a life-and-death struggle
+with Elbel's Company, he had not ventured to look forward to its
+ultimate issue.  The duty of the moment seemed to be to hold on, to
+keep the poor negroes out of the clutches of their oppressors, and
+leave the end with God.  Could he trust Barney to continue his work if
+he should be removed?  Ought he to think of it?  Thus he pondered and
+puzzled, the arguments for and against chasing one another in a circle
+through his mind.
+
+He had reached no conclusion when Barney came to the hut.  The good
+fellow seemed a little uncomfortable; he stood hesitating at the
+entrance, his readiness of speech having apparently deserted him.
+
+"Barney, I'm the most miserable fellow alive," said Jack, looking up.
+
+"All but wan, sorr; all but wan.  'Tis the master who is more miserable
+than you or me, sorr.  Think uv it; alone in the forest, wid none but
+black idjuts to wait upon 'm.  I've been thinking mighty hard, sorr,
+and the end uv it is this; 'tis you that must go, sorr.  Sure I can
+hold the fort while you are gone."
+
+"But what if I never come back, Barney?"
+
+"'Twould be a desp'rate hard case, sorr.  But what thin?  I'm an
+Irishman, and, bedad! 'twas for hard cases Irishmen was born.  Niver a
+fear but I'd stick to it, sorr.  We've beaten the scuts all along.  And
+if the captain goes, sorr, sure the liftinant takes his place and does
+his best to fill it dacently.  What would have happened if ye had got
+knocked on the head in that sortie uv yours?  Do ye think Barney O'Dowd
+would have hung out a white rag and surrindered?  Sorrow a bit!  I'd
+have nailed my colours to the mast, speakin' by the card, and dared the
+rufn'ns to come and take 'em."
+
+"You're a brick, Barney!" cried Jack, springing up and gripping him by
+the hand.  "I'll go!  I'll take Samba, this very night, and bring dear
+old Uncle in."
+
+"That's right, sorr.  And we'll nurse him back to health and strength,
+and make him colonel uv the reg'mint."
+
+"Call out those men who captured Elbel's camp with me, and place them
+at the gate to make a dash if they hear firing.  And meanwhile you man
+the wall and hold yourself ready to cover our entry.  And, Barney, if
+I'm caught and Uncle doesn't come in, hold the fort as long as you can.
+Don't make sorties; simply sit tight.  The rainy season will be on us
+soon, Imbono said, and Elbel's camp is so badly placed that when the
+rains come he will be swamped.  He may then get tired of the siege and
+draw off.  If he does, I should arrange with the two chiefs for a trek
+into the forest.  But if Elbel still presses the siege and food begins
+to run short--it won't last for ever, you know--you had better choose a
+dark night and make a dash out to the north-east.  If you go quickly
+you'll get a good many hours' start before Elbel realizes what has
+happened; and when once in the forest you may shake off pursuit.  Our
+rifles will form a rearguard."
+
+"I'll do all that same, sorr.  But I hope it will not be me fate to do
+it at all.  I'd sooner be liftinant for iver, sorr."
+
+Shortly after nightfall, Jack, Samba, and Lofembi the messenger, made
+their exit by the hole in the wall.  Jack had wished to follow his
+original intention and leave by the northern gate, but Lofembi
+earnestly begged him not to do this, saying that he would not be able
+to find the way if he did not go out by the same gate that he had
+entered.  At the moment of departure Barney gripped Jack's hand.
+
+"The blessed angels go wid ye, sorr, and bring poor ould master back in
+safety."
+
+"Good-bye, Barney.  Hope for the best, and remember--hold the fort."
+
+It was slow work moving across the broken hilly country by night; but
+Lofembi had previously pointed out to Samba the general direction in
+which they had to go, and the boy was able to keep a fairly straight
+course.  They had to strike, said Lofembi, a path through the forest
+following the course of the sun.  Mr. Martindale's camp was pitched
+close to the path, not far from where two large trees had fallen across
+it.  In about an hour they came to the outskirts of the forest in that
+direction, the course being in the main the same as that taken by Jack
+some weeks previously on his buffalo hunt, but leaving the open country
+somewhat earlier.  So far there had been no sign of the enemy.
+
+Progress was even slower in the forest itself.  More than once Lofembi
+halted in doubt; then after a whispered colloquy with Samba he started
+again, guiding himself by the stars seen through the tree tops.  Save
+for these whispered conversations not a word was spoken.  Jack was too
+much absorbed in his mission, too anxious about his uncle, to have any
+inclination to talk, even if the risk of coming upon a scout of Elbel's
+had not been present to his mind.
+
+At length the three came upon the narrow track Lofembi had been
+seeking.  Here they went in Indian file, the guide leading, Jack coming
+next, then Samba.  The path was so narrow and so beset by obstructions
+that walking was a toil.  Sometimes Lofembi swerved to one side or the
+other to avoid a prickly bush; sometimes they had to clamber over a
+fallen tree; more often the path wound round the obstacle.  It seemed
+to Jack many hours since they started; in reality it was scarcely more
+than three before they came upon the two fallen trees.  Lofembi stopped.
+
+"Small small now, massa," he whispered.
+
+He gave a long low-pitched call.  From the blackness on the left came a
+similar call in reply.  The guide moved forward, plunging boldly along
+a narrow path--more narrow even than that by which they had reached
+this spot--in the direction of the sound.  Jack was about to follow him
+when Samba touched him on the arm.
+
+"Samba go first," said the boy.
+
+"No, no," said Jack kindly.  "We are all right; this is my place,
+Samba."
+
+His heart beat faster under the stress of his emotion as he followed
+Lofembi through the tangled undergrowth.  How would he find his uncle?
+Was he very ill?  Surely, surely, he was not in danger--he would not
+die?  Beads of sweat broke out upon Jack's brow as the terrible
+possibility occurred to him.  He went on almost blindly.  Three
+minutes' groping in the darkness brought them to a natural clearing, in
+which, by the dim light of the stars, Jack saw a couple of tents, and,
+some little distance from them, what appeared to be a number of roughly
+made grass huts.
+
+"Dis way, massa," said Lofembi, touching Jack on the arm.
+
+"Which one?" said Jack in a low tone,
+
+"Dat one," replied Lofembi, pointing to the nearer of the two huts.
+
+He stepped forward into the clearing.  At the same moment a score of
+dusky forms rose and closed in stealthily from the undergrowth around.
+With a little cry Samba plucked Jack by the sleeve.  But almost
+unconsciously he shook off the detaining hand, so full of anxiety was
+he.  His uncle must be very ill, or he would be standing by the tent to
+welcome him.  He sprang forward, stopped, and raised the flap of the
+tent.  By the light of a small oil lamp swinging from the top he saw a
+form stretched upon a camp bed.
+
+"Uncle! uncle!" he cried, falling on his knees by the side of the
+prostrate figure.
+
+A low murmur answered him.  At the same moment he heard a sighing
+groan, as it were, from the entrance to the hut, and the sound of a
+heavy fall.  Then the forest glade rang with fierce shouts and the
+crack of a rifle.  Jack rose to his feet, confused by this sudden
+turmoil coming when his nerves were overstrung.  As he half turned, a
+figure came out of the darkness towards him.
+
+"Good efening, Mr. Shalloner," said a smooth voice.
+
+Jack started back.
+
+"Yes, it is me--Guillaume Elbel, bien entendu!"
+
+
+
+[1] Leopoldville.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+Elbel Squares Accounts
+
+Jack saw through it all now.  Elbel had captured his uncle, and used
+him to decoy from the fort the enemy whom fair fighting and open
+manoeuvres had failed to dislodge.  He could have shot the Belgian with
+his rifle where he stood, but saw in a flash how vain the action would
+be.  Outside was a horde of savage natives, who would instantly wreak
+vengeance on the white men.  Mr. Martindale was too weak to resist, and
+what he would suffer at their hands was too horrible to be thought of.
+
+When Elbel had spoken Jack turned once more to his uncle, and kneeling
+down by his bedside clasped his hand.  His pressure was returned but
+feebly.  Mr. Martindale's weakness, coupled with his distress at Jack's
+capture, rendered him unable to speak.
+
+"I beg you listen to me," said Elbel.  "I have a varrant for the arrest
+of Chon Martindale, Chon Shalloner, and a third man, whose name I do
+not know, on a charge dat dey incite de natives to rebel against de
+Congo Free State.  I have two of the dree; dat is vell.  It vill be for
+your advantage, to-morrow, to send a written order to de third man to
+render dat fort on de hill.  It vill be for your advantage at de trial.
+If de fort resist longer, and cause blood to spill, it vill be so much
+de vorse for you ven you appear before de court in Boma."
+
+"Where is your warrant, Mr. Elbel?" asked Jack.
+
+"Ah!  I have it not viz me; of course, it is in my camp."
+
+"I suppose you are going to take us there?  You can show it to me when
+we get there."
+
+"No, you meestake.  I vill not take you to my camp.  I vill send you
+both at vunce to Boma, vere you vill be tried."
+
+"But my uncle is not in a condition to travel; you know that."
+
+"Bah!  He vas in condition to travel here; vell, he is in condition to
+travel back."
+
+"But that is preposterous, Mr. Elbel.  Are you absolutely inhuman?  I
+find my uncle so ill that he cannot even speak to me.  God knows how
+much his illness is due to you or your friends.  At least you will
+allow him to remain until I can give him some little attention--until
+he regains a little strength.  To do anything else will be nothing less
+than murder."
+
+"Dat is not my affair," said Elbel with a shrug.  "It is instructed me
+to send you to Boma.  To Boma zerefore muss you go, and at vunce."
+Then, as a thought struck him, he added, "Though truly I will vait vun
+day, two days perhaps, if you give command to de man in de fort to
+render himself."
+
+"Never!" came in a fierce whisper from the bed.  Mr. Martindale had
+gathered his little strength for Jack's sake.  "Never!  We will make no
+terms with you.  What my nephew has done he has done merely in
+self-defence against the acts, the illegal acts, of you and your
+freebooters.  I am an American citizen; he is a British subject; as
+you, yes, and your Free State, will find to your cost."
+
+He spoke in feeble gasps, yet with an energy that spoke of an
+unconquerable spirit.  The exertion exhausted him, and he fell back on
+the bed from which he had half risen.
+
+"Bah!  Fine vords!" said Elbel.  "Ver' fine vords, monsieur.  You say
+you are American--you dink dat frighten me!  Vy, I laugh.  Vat good is
+de American or de English in de Congo Free State?  Ve mock of dem.  Ve
+have our own vays to deal viz such canaille.  You vill not send order
+to de fort?  Ver' vell; I do vizout."
+
+"Your warrant won't hold in any case.  No one can order the arrest of a
+man unnamed."
+
+"You zink so?  Ver' vell, it does not matter.  You vill have
+opportunity to zink about my vords as you promenade yourselves to Boma.
+So I vish you bonsoir.  To attempt to escape, I tell you it is
+impossible.  You see dat?  You hab revolver, Mr. Shalloner.  Be so kind
+to gif me dat."
+
+Jack hesitated.  But he saw that resistance was useless, and handed
+over the weapon.
+
+"Danks.  In de morning you vill begin your promenade to Boma.  Au
+revoir, messieurs; au revoir Monsieur Chon Shalloner!"
+
+He left the tent.  The interview had been too much for Mr. Martindale.
+He lay half unconscious, and was scarcely roused when Elbel, in a
+couple of minutes, returned in a towering rage.
+
+"You, Chon Shalloner!" he shouted.  "You make de natives to rebel, and
+more, you make dem to do murder.  Dat man, who I sent to the fort, he
+lie now outside, a dead man.  Some vun dat come viz you he stab him in
+de back.  You English hombog, I teach you.  Dey shall know of dis in
+Boma."
+
+Jack did not condescend to answer him, and Elbel flung out of the tent.
+If his messenger was dead, he had paid the penalty of his treachery.
+Jack could only pity the poor wretch for meeting with such an end in
+such a service.  No doubt it was Samba's doing.  Jack remembered now
+the groan and the fall outside.  Had Samba escaped?  He was anxious on
+the boy's behalf, but it was impossible to ascertain what had happened
+to him.  From Elbel's manner and words he inferred that Samba was safe.
+And as for Elbel's indignation at the deed Jack was not impressed by
+it.  When he thought of the murders and maimings this man was
+answerable for, he could find no blame for the faithful boy who had
+punished as his instincts taught him, the spy who had betrayed his
+master.
+
+Jack was left alone with his uncle.  He looked vainly round the tent
+for a restorative--a drug, a flask of brandy, even a cup of water.
+There was nothing.  He bent over the still form, and touching the brow,
+gently, felt it burning with the heat of fever.  He knew that his uncle
+was accustomed to keep a small phial of quinine pills in his waistcoat
+pocket, and searching for that he found it and persuaded the sick man
+to swallow a little of the medicine.  Then he sat on the foot of the
+bed, not knowing what to do.
+
+How fully his forebodings had been justified!  It had been a mistake to
+leave the fort.  And yet he could not rue it, for otherwise he might
+never have seen his uncle again.  He looked at the face with the
+half-closed eyes; how thin it was! how pale!  The ruddy hue, the
+rounded shape of health, were gone.  Where was that bright twinkling
+eye that looked so shrewdly out from beneath a shaggy brow?  What
+sufferings he must have undergone!  At that moment Jack looked over the
+past months to the day when he so light-heartedly bade his uncle
+good-bye, and so cheerfully accepted the charge laid upon him.  How he
+wished they had never been parted!
+
+And then another thought drove out his regret.  But for this parting
+Ilombekabasi would never have been, and several hundreds of poor black
+people would almost certainly have been tortured, mutilated, done to
+death, in the name of law.  Could he have done otherwise than he had
+done?  Had Providence, moving in mysterious ways, arranged all
+this--that one should suffer for the sake of many?  He did not know; he
+could not think; his mind seemed to be wrapt in a cloud of mist,
+through which he saw nothing but the present fact--that his uncle lay
+before him, sick--perhaps unto death.
+
+By and by a negro entered, bearing food and palm wine.  Mr. Martindale
+could not eat, but the wine revived him.
+
+"Jack, old boy!"
+
+Jack knelt by the bedside, clasping his uncle's hand.
+
+"Jack, I must tell you what happened."
+
+"Don't, Uncle; you will distress yourself."
+
+"No, I shall do myself no harm.  If you will be patient--for I shall be
+slow--a little at a time, Jack.  You must know.  I've got pretty nearly
+to the end of my tether, dear boy.  I shan't live to do anything for
+these poor niggers, but you will--you will, Jack.  And I want you to
+vow here, at this moment, to do what I must leave undone--fight the
+Congo State, Jack, fight Leopold, with your hands, your tongue, your
+pen, here, in Europe, in America; fight him in the name of humanity and
+of God.  Promise me that, Jack, so that if I do not live till the
+morning I shall at least die happy."
+
+"God helping me, Uncle, I will."
+
+Mr. Martindale pressed his hand.  For some time there was silence, then
+the elder man began again.
+
+"I must try to speak calmly, my boy; I have so little strength; but it
+is hard.  I told you in my first letter of what I had learnt about the
+ways of the Congo State.  You wondered, I dare say, why I never
+mentioned them again.  You will understand why.  When I got to Boma, I
+reported to the Governor-General, in a written memorial, the incidents
+that occurred as we went up the river--the altercation with Elbel, the
+attempt on our canoes, the night attack on our camp, frustrated by
+Samba.  (I can't tell you how glad I was, Jack, when you told me the
+boy had returned to you.)  I forestalled the probable answer that Elbel
+had nothing to do with those attempts by pointing out that the negroes
+Samba saw were fully armed, and must have been under a white man's
+control.  Even then it was illegal, for I found that men in Elbel's
+position, representing Concessions, are not entitled to take more than
+five riflemen as escort beyond the limits of their trading factories.
+In my memorial I said that, after these attacks on me, I should be
+forced in self-defence to arm a certain number of my followers, and I
+disclaimed responsibility for the consequences.  I also reported the
+scene of desolation at Banonga, and the story I had heard from Samba's
+lips; and called upon the Governor-General to take instant action in
+the matter."
+
+Jack moistened his uncle's lips, and he continued:
+
+"I got an acknowledgment, polite enough, even pleasant, promising that
+these matters should be inquired into.  The Governor-General added that
+the possession of firearms and the arming of the natives being
+prohibited by law, I should become liable to heavy penalties and
+imprisonment if the law was broken.  I had luckily already sent you the
+rifles and ammunition; though had I not done so, I could easily have
+bribed an official to give me a permit to carry arms; it would have
+cost me five hundred francs for the licence, and as much as I chose for
+the bribe.
+
+"For a week I heard no more.  I was deceived by the politeness of the
+Governor-General's letter into believing that I was perfectly safe, and
+free to do, in this Free State, what I had come to do.  I set about my
+business, and, as I told you, bought a little machinery, from a fellow
+named Schwab, agent for a Düsseldorf firm.  But I was a marked man.
+One day an officer came and asked me to show my patent.  I did so.  The
+man complained that it was not properly filled up; my name was spelled
+with an 'e' instead of an 'i'--Martendale!  I laughed at him, and he
+went away in a huff.  Next day another fellow came and said that my
+patent was worthless.  Since it had been granted a new arrangement had
+been entered into between the Concession and the State, and all the
+mineral rights in the district reverted to the State.  I laughed at
+that; a patent granted by the Concession and authorized by the State
+could not be revoked; it had five years to run, and I meant to stick to
+it.  They wanted to bluff me--an American!--out of it.
+
+"But things began to go badly with me.  I was practically boycotted,
+Jack.  None of the storekeepers would supply me with anything I wanted.
+One of them frankly told me that to do so was as much as his life was
+worth.  I did not believe him at first.  But I found it was only too
+true.  A storekeeper in Boma I heard of--a British subject, Jack, from
+the Gold Coast--had a part in showing up the rascality of some legal
+proceedings that had recently taken place.  The officials gave the
+word.  He was boycotted; his trade dwindled; he became bankrupt; one of
+his sons was driven mad by the persecution he suffered; and his
+troubles and worries so preyed upon the old man's mind that he took his
+own life.
+
+"Then I fell ill.  It was a near touch, Jack.  Only the devotion of a
+fellow-countryman--a fine fellow from Milwaukee--saved my life.
+Remember his name, Jack--Theodore Canrehan; if you ever meet him, and
+can do him a good turn, do it for my sake.  When I got on my feet
+again, I was amazed to find the tune changed.  Everybody was as sweet
+as butter.  The officers came and apologized to me; they regretted the
+unfortunate misunderstandings that had arisen; they would do all in
+their power to forward my business.  I arranged for the dispatch of the
+machinery I had ordered from Europe, and started to return.  I couldn't
+make out what had made them suddenly so attentive; thought it was
+because I was an American, and they had some respect for the Stars and
+Stripes after all.  Canrehan told me that since I sailed a strong
+feeling had been growing in America with regard to the Congo question;
+and I flattered myself the State authorities weren't anxious to add
+fuel to the flames by provoking a real serious grievance in which an
+American was concerned.  But it was all a trap, Jack--all a trap.  I
+saw it too late--too late."
+
+Hitherto Mr. Martindale had spoken slowly and calmly, husbanding his
+strength.  But at this point his feeling overcame him.
+
+"Don't talk any more now, Uncle," said Jack, fearing that the exertion
+would be too much for him.  "Tell me the rest another time.  Try to
+sleep.  I will watch over you.  Thank God I shall be with you in the
+journey to Boma.  You'll pull through even now, and we shall be able to
+fight together."
+
+Mr. Martindale had already fallen into a doze.  Jack did his best to
+make his bed more comfortable, and watched him through the night,
+pacing round the tent for hours together to keep himself awake.  From
+time to time his thoughts went back to the fort.  What was Barney
+doing?  What would he do when morning came and yet the absent had not
+returned?  What would be the fate of the poor people committed to his
+charge?  At present all was dark to Jack.  It seemed that he and all
+connected with him were now in the fell grip of the Congo State.
+
+As soon as it was light Elbel came into the tent.
+
+"I hope you had good night," he said, with a grin.  "You vill have
+breakfast, den you vill begin your promenade.  Tventy-five Askari vill
+escort you.  You vill go to de river vere Mr. Martindale left his
+canoes; dey are still dere.  Ah! he did hide dem, but vat good?  You
+vill go on canoes till you come to de falls; dere you vill for a time
+voyage overland.  By and by you come to Stanleyville; dere you find
+steamer; de State officers vill have care of you de rest of de vay to
+Boma.  You understan'?"
+
+"I warn you, Mr. Elbel, that I shall hold you responsible for my
+uncle's safety down the river.  You see for yourself he is not fit to
+travel.  I shall take the earliest opportunity of informing the
+American Government of your actions--your persecution, for it is no
+less."
+
+"Dat is all right," returned Elbel, grinning again.  "De courts at Boma
+vill give immediate attention.  De judges, dey are excellent.  Now
+still vunce before you go, write de order to de vite man in your fort
+to render himself.  It vill profit you."
+
+"Never!" said Jack.  "Go and execute your warrant."
+
+"Ver' vell, ver' vell.  It matters noding.  In a half-hour de Askari
+vill be here.  You be ready."
+
+Jack managed to get his uncle to eat a little food.  He seemed somewhat
+stronger and less feverish than on the preceding evening.  At seven
+o'clock the twenty-five soldiers appeared, accompanied by eight men as
+carriers.  Mr. Martindale recognized these as belonging to the party he
+had brought up the river; the rest of his men, he supposed, had been
+impressed by Elbel for service in his camp.  It being obvious that the
+sick man was unable to walk, a litter had been constructed for him.  He
+was placed on this.  Four men were told off to carry it, the other four
+bearing food sufficient to last the whole party until they reached the
+canoes.
+
+Jack had wondered whether he was to be manacled; but the prestige of
+the white man, not any consideration for his feelings, had prevented
+Elbel from going to such extremes.  But as he stood behind his uncle's
+litter, two Askari with loaded rifles placed themselves one on each
+side of him.
+
+When the party were ready to start, Elbel sauntered up, his hands
+behind his back, and, approaching Jack, said with a smile:
+
+"Now, Mr. Shalloner, before ve part I have a little vat you call
+reckoning viz you.  You strike me vunce, tvice, viz your feest.  Dat is
+de English vay--de boxe, hein?"  Elbel showed his teeth.  "On de Congo
+ve have anoder vay--de chicotte.  Vun does not soil vun's hands.  So!"
+
+He took from behind his back a hippopotamus-hide whip, and, cutting
+short so as to avoid the Askari close beside Jack, dealt him two cuts
+with his utmost strength.  Jack clenched his teeth to stifle a cry as
+the edges of the thong cut through his thin clothes.
+
+"Dere!  Now are ve quits!"
+
+As he spoke Jack, blazing with anger and mortification, made a fierce
+spring at him.  But Elbel was ready: he jumped nimbly backwards, while
+half a dozen Askari rushed between them, and pinioned Jack's arms.
+
+Honour was satisfied--so Elbel appeared to think, for with a grin of
+malicious triumph he nodded to the Askari in charge: the party might
+now proceed.
+
+"You see," said Elbel, as they moved away, "if you try to escape you
+vill be shot.  I vish you agreeable promenade."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+A Solemn Charge
+
+The party set off.  They marched all day, with brief intervals for food
+and rest.  Jack was only allowed to speak to his uncle during these
+pauses.  The sick man lay inert, with closed eyes, protected from the
+heat by a light covering of grass, which his bearers made and fixed
+above his litter.  Jack watched him anxiously.  He seemed no worse when
+they arrived at the river just before sunset.  Mr. Martindale had
+brought up four canoes; two of these had already been appropriated by
+Elbel and conveyed up the river; the other two remained.  They passed
+the night on the canoes, and in the small hours, when the natives were
+asleep, Mr. Martindale insisted on continuing the story broken off the
+night before.
+
+"Better now, dear boy," he said, when Jack implored him to wait until
+he was stronger.  "I shall never see Boma; Elbel knows that.  He knows
+that in this climate a sick man cannot survive a journey of over a
+thousand miles.  I want you to understand clearly before I go what
+these officials are doing.  They call it the Free State!--free!  No one
+is free but the officials!  The natives, poor wretches! are not free.
+Never, when slavery was an institution, were there slaves in such
+abject misery as these slaves of the Congo.  Why, they made a great
+to-do about slavery in my country fifty years ago, and some of the
+pictures in Uncle Tom's Cabin were lurid enough.  But the American
+slave's life was Paradise compared with this hell upon earth.  Trade on
+the Congo was to be free.  Is there any such freedom?  Look at my case.
+They give me a patent to work minerals; they let me make my prospecting
+trip; then when I have located the gold and ordered my machinery they
+revoke my patent.  I make the loaf, they eat it.  Oh! it was all
+planned from the beginning.  We have been fooled right through, Jack."
+
+"But what of their courts, Uncle?  Surely there is some redress for
+injustice."
+
+"Their courts!  They're all of a piece, Jack.  The State grants a
+concession to a trading company.  Half the time the State _is_ the
+trading company; it takes up the larger portion of the shares.  The
+Congo Free State is nothing but a big commercial speculation, and the
+courts dare not do anything that conflicts with its interests.  Men
+come here, Belgians, Germans, Italians, good fellows some, honest,
+well-meaning; but they haven't been here long before they have to swim
+with the current, or throw up their careers.  One poor fellow, a
+district judge, ventured to protest against an illegal sentence passed
+by a court-martial; he was broken, and hounded out of the country.  In
+a sense he was lucky, for it is easier for such a man to get into this
+country than to get out of it--alive!  A man who does justice and loves
+righteousness has no place in the Congo Free State.
+
+"You see now why they let me go.  They let me make what arrangements I
+pleased--engage a large party, buy a large quantity of stores; well
+knowing that at any moment of my journey they could arrest me and
+plunder my goods.  And they knew of your doings up here, be sure of
+that.  They intended to let me get into the neighbourhood of your fort
+and use me to decoy you out.  They've done it.  Oh! it was all planned
+in Boma.  Neither you nor I will ever reach Boma if Elbel and the
+officials have their way.  Elbel's suggestion of delaying so that we
+could get Barney to surrender the fort was all a part of the trick; it
+would make no difference to our treatment, and it would be the
+death-warrant of those poor negroes.  Jack, I approve of all that you
+have done--approve with all my heart.  I am proud of you, dear boy.
+What does it matter that I've lost my money, and my gold mine, and very
+likely my life too!  I am thankful to Almighty God that we came to this
+country, glad that He has put it into our power to do some little good.
+I wouldn't undo any of it; I am proud that one of my blood has been
+called to this good work.  Jack, Providence has made us responsible for
+the poor negroes who have trusted their lives to us.  Do you remember I
+said at Banonga that I wasn't a philanthropist and wasn't set on
+starting a crusade?  I spoke lightly, my boy.  I would say now that if
+God spared my life I would spend all my strength and all my energy in a
+nobler work than ever medićval crusader undertook.  I shall not live to
+do it; but I leave it to you.  Were this my last breath I would say,
+help the negroes of the Congo, fight the corrupt Government that
+enriches itself on their blood; go to the fountain-head and expose the
+hypocrisy of King Leopold."
+
+"He may not know of it, Uncle.  So far away he cannot check and control
+all the actions of his agents."
+
+"Not know of it!  How can he help knowing of it?  Are not these things
+happening every day?  And it is his business to know of it.  Suppose I
+had a factory in the United States, and it was proved that while I was
+coining millions my hands were dying of overwork, or of insanitary
+buildings, or getting wages insufficient to keep them decently clothed
+and fed; wouldn't there be an outcry?  Wouldn't the law step in, or if
+the law failed, public opinion?  Where does Leopold get his dollars
+from?  Who pays for the estates he is buying, the palace he is
+building, the fine public works he is presenting to Belgium?  It is
+these poor black people.  He is draining the life-blood out of the
+country he vowed before Almighty God to rule justly and administer
+wisely for the good of the people; and the cries and groans of these
+negroes, men like himself, are rising to Heaven, terrible witnesses of
+his broken vows, his callousness, his selfish apathy.  Oh!  I grant him
+good intentions to begin with.  Twenty years ago he did not foresee all
+this; no man is a villain all at once!  But it might have been
+foreseen.  He was king of a few hundred miles of country; with a stroke
+of the pen he became sovereign of a State as big as Europe; and if a
+man has the passion for getting, unlimited opportunities of doing so
+will bring him to any villainy unless he has the grace of God in him."
+
+Jack was deeply moved by his uncle's earnestness.  At the same time he
+was concerned to see the exhaustion that followed his passionate
+speech.  He gave him a little wine, imploring him to spare himself.
+
+"Don't trouble, dear boy," said Mr. Martindale with a smile.  "The fire
+is burning out; what does it matter if it burns a little more quickly?
+But I won't distress you; you will think over my words when I am gone."
+
+In the morning the river journey was begun.  It continued for several
+days, until with their arrival at the falls progress by water was
+interrupted, and a long portage had to be made.
+
+It was just at this point that they met a party of Askari marching in
+the other direction.  As soon as they came in sight the leader of
+Jack's escort cried--
+
+"O etswa?"[1]
+
+"O!" replied the leader of the approaching band.
+
+"Where are you going?"
+
+"To the camp of Elobela."
+
+"What have you got in those bundles?"
+
+"Cartridges for Elobela's guns."
+
+"Bolotsi O!  He will be glad of them.  He has very few left."
+
+"Has he killed many people?"
+
+"No.  But Lokolobolo captured nearly all his cartridges."
+
+"Mongo!  Who is Lokolobolo?"
+
+"Here he is!  An Inglesa who has built a fort and fights Elobela.  But
+we have got him at last, and he goes with an old Inglesa to Boma.  Oh!
+he will fight no more."
+
+"O kend'o?"
+
+"O!"
+
+During the river journey Mr. Martindale had grown steadily weaker.  He
+fought hard against his illness; he had a new motive for desiring life;
+and Jack, observing his occasional rallies, hoped still that he would
+pull through.  But he was so weak when lifted from the canoe that he
+fainted, and Jack feared that he would not survive the day.  He rallied
+again, and once more Jack had a gleam of hope.
+
+The horrors of that overland march will haunt Jack's memory till he
+dies.  For some time the Askari had been ill-using the carriers.  The
+greater part of the stores which Mr. Martindale had taken up the river
+had been appropriated by Elbel, and the food left in the canoes was not
+sufficient for full meals for the whole party.  It was the carriers who
+went short.  They had to bear the burdens, to make frequent journeys to
+and fro up the steep river banks, while the Askari looked on and had
+the best of the food.  When the portage was begun, one of the canoes
+was added to their load.  The other was left hidden in the bush to be
+fetched later.  Weak from lack of proper nourishment, they could go but
+slowly, and Jack's blood boiled as he saw them quiver, heard them
+shriek, under the merciless chicotte.  Before the first day was ended,
+two of the men fell, worn out with hunger and fatigue.  Jack heard
+shots behind him, and saw that the wretched men had been put out of
+their misery.  On the second day another man succumbed; what little
+life was left in him was beaten out with the clubbed rifles of the
+Askari.  Three men ran away during the night, preferring the perils of
+the forest to the certain fate that awaited them at the hands of their
+fellow-men.  Only two carriers were now left, and since these were
+useless they were shot in cold blood.  Jack's heart was like a stone
+within him.  These atrocities recalled the worst horrors of the old
+Arab slave-raiding days; and he was unable to lift a hand to oppose
+them.  If he had been the only white man with the party he felt that he
+would have risked anything in an effort to save the poor wretches; but
+while his uncle still lived he could do nothing that might involve his
+own death.
+
+The bearers being all gone, the Askari had to take turns themselves in
+carrying the canoe, the remainder of their provisions, and Mr.
+Martindale's litter.  This necessity did not improve their temper or
+their manners, and the litter-bearers went so carelessly over the rough
+ground that Jack was constrained to protest.  He implored, he
+threatened, feeling that the only chance for his uncle was to make more
+frequent halts; the fatigue of constant travelling would certainly kill
+him.  But the Askari roughly replied that they had orders to continue
+their journey without delay, and the march was resumed.  After his
+protest Jack was forced to walk at a distance from the litter, and even
+when the caravan halted for food he was not allowed to attend his
+uncle.  Sick at heart he plodded on, torn by his anxieties, yet still
+nourishing a hope that when they arrived at a station where a doctor
+might be found, and whence the journey would be continued by steamer,
+all might yet be well.
+
+But one evening, when the halt was made, he heard his uncle faintly
+calling.  The sound of his voice struck a chill through him.  In
+desperation, snatching a rifle from the guard next him, he threatened
+to shoot any one who tried to keep him from the dying man.
+
+"It's all up with me, old boy," said Mr. Martindale feebly, when Jack
+knelt by his litter.  "Elbel is having his way.  I shan't see another
+morning."
+
+Jack gripped his hands; they were chill and clammy.  A lump came into
+his throat; he could not speak the yearning affection that filled his
+heart.
+
+"Bend down, Jack; I'm afraid I cannot make you hear.
+Remember--remember what I have said; it is my bequest to you--the cause
+of the Congo natives.  Do what you can for them.  Fight!  It is called
+the Free State; fight to make it free.  I cannot see the future; all is
+dark; I dread what may await you in Boma.  But buck up, dear fellow.
+Barney--remember him.  Go to the British consul; tell him all.  Your
+people have generous sympathies; wake them up; wake them up!  If they
+are roused, all this wrong will come to an end."
+
+"I will do all I can, Uncle," murmured Jack.
+
+"Don't mourn overlong for me.  I've had a good time.  And this year the
+best of all.  I wouldn't lose it, Jack.  Tell my friends I'm not sorry;
+I'm glad, glad to have seen with my own eyes something that's worth
+doing.  And I have faith in the future--in my fellow-men, in God.  What
+is it about wicked doers?  'They encourage themselves in mischief, and
+commune how they may lay snares; they imagine wickedness and practise
+it.  But God shall suddenly shoot at them with a swift arrow; yea,
+their own tongues shall make them fall.'  How does it go on?  I cannot
+remember.  'The righteous shall rejoice----.'  Jack, are you there?"
+
+"Yes, Uncle, I am here," replied Jack, tightening his clasp.
+
+"Is it the fifteenth Psalm?  'He that walketh uprightly----'  I cannot
+remember, Jack.--Is that boy Samba better?  Poor little chap!  No
+father and mother!--Barnard said there was gold; why can't he find
+it?--No, that's not a nugget, that's----  Only a dog, eh?  I'm kind o'
+set on dogs...."
+
+And so he rambled on, muttering incoherently in his delirium; and Jack
+did not stir, but remained cramped while the slow hours crawled on, and
+nocturnal insects hummed, and frogs croaked, and the leaves faintly
+rustled above him.
+
+Then, as the dawn was creeping up the sky, Mr. Martindale opened his
+eyes.  They rested on Jack's pale drawn face, and the dying man smiled.
+
+"Buck up!" he whispered.  "Remember!  'Though I walk through the valley
+of the shadow....'"
+
+And so he died.
+
+
+
+[1] Are you awake?  (the morning greeting)
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A Break for Liberty
+
+With his own hands Jack dug a grave near the brink of the river, and
+there he laid his uncle to rest.  The Askari looked on stolidly as he
+gathered stones from below the bank and heaped them to form a low rude
+cairn.  Then he went back with them to their camping-place.  He could
+not touch the food they offered him, and when they told him the time
+was come to march he got up silently and moved away mechanically with
+the rest.
+
+He trudged on among his captors, a prey to utter dejection, conscious
+of nothing but his irreparable loss.  He saw nothing, heard nothing, of
+what was going on around him, walking automatically in a kind of
+stupor.  His uncle was dead!--for the moment the world had for him no
+other fact.  By degrees, as his first dazed feeling passed away, he
+recalled little incidents in his past life that till then had lain
+dormant in his memory.  He remembered the first time he had consciously
+seen his uncle, when he was a child of four, and he was dragged in all
+grubby from the garden, face and hands stained with strawberry juice,
+to see a big man with a red face, who laughed at him, and showed him a
+rough yellow lump that he wore on his watch-chain.  He remembered the
+letter when his father died; and that other letter when his mother
+died; and the first visit to school, when, shown into the headmaster's
+study, the headmaster being absent, Mr. Martindale had made friends of
+the dog, and was found by the great man in the act of balancing a pen
+on the animal's nose.  He remembered too the delightful holidays,
+climbing in Switzerland, roaming in Normandy, gondoliering in Venice.
+Odd things came to his recollection, and there was not one of them but
+recalled some trait of character, reminded him of some past happiness.
+
+Then as he walked his grief took on a new complexion--a longing for
+vengeance on the miscreant whom he regarded as directly responsible for
+his uncle's death--morally as culpable as if he had with his own hands
+committed the murder.  Was this villain to remain unpunished?  The
+thought of Elbel induced a new change of feeling.  What of the natives
+who for so many months had looked to him for guidance and leadership?
+What was Barney doing?  Had Samba escaped the clutches of his enemy and
+got back to the fort?  Was the fort, indeed, still there?  He
+remembered his promise to his uncle.  At the most solemn moment of his
+life, under the very shadow of death, he had vowed to do all in his
+power to help the negroes of the Congo--and here he was, himself a
+prisoner among soldiers of this iniquitous government, on his way to an
+unknown fate.
+
+Thus recalled to actuality, he roused himself and began to think.  He
+had no longer his uncle to consider; that good man was beyond reach of
+chicanery and spite.  Why should he go to Boma?  Nothing good awaited
+him there.  He would be thrown into prison on arrival--supposing he
+ever arrived; he would be tried, sentenced no doubt: at Boma in such
+cases there were none of the law's delays; he might never be heard of
+again.  What chance was there of fulfilling his uncle's wishes there?
+Was not his place at the fort, at Ilombekabasi, with Barney and Imbono
+and Mboyo, the people for and with whom he had already toiled and
+fought?  There at the fort was tangible good to be done; he felt an
+overpowering impulse to return to his friends.  Elbel had been worsted;
+if the resistance could be still further prolonged surely the Belgian
+would withdraw, though it were only to gather strength for a crushing
+blow; and the interval might be seized to migrate with the whole
+community into the forest or across the frontier.
+
+But there was the rub.  Between him and the fort there was a band of
+well-armed Askari and several days' journey by river and forest.  Even
+if he escaped the former, what chance was there of success?  A white
+man was very helpless in these African wilds--easily seen and followed,
+not used to fend for himself in obtaining the necessaries of life.
+Even Samba, forest-bred, had barely survived the perils of a solitary
+journey: how could a white man expect to fare so well?
+
+Yet, so strong was Jack's longing, he resolved that, be the
+difficulties and dangers what they might, he would seize the barest
+chance of escape that offered itself.  Anything would be better than to
+be carried on to Boma, with the terrible uncertainty, not merely
+regarding his own ultimate fate at the hands of an unscrupulous
+officialdom and a tainted judicature, but still more as to the fate of
+his friends at Ilombekabasi.
+
+From that moment his whole mental attitude changed.  He did not forget
+his grief; that pitiful scene by the river's brink could never be
+effaced from his mind and heart; but he resolutely set his wits to work
+to find an avenue of escape, and the mere effort brought relief to his
+sorrow.  No longer was he inattentive to his surroundings.  Without
+allowing his guards to suspect him, he was keenly on the alert,
+watching everything.
+
+It was not until the midday meal that accident befriended him.  The
+Askari came to a village which had clearly been for some time
+deserted--another monument, Jack supposed, to King Leopold's rule.  He
+took refuge from the burning heat, which did not appear to incommode
+the negroes, in one of the empty and half-ruined huts.  There he ate
+his meal of rancid _kwanga_--all that his guards would allow him.
+While he squatted on the floor eating, his eye was attracted by a
+bright light, the reflection of the sun on some polished surface in the
+wall of the hut.  Out of sheer curiosity he stepped across, and drew
+from the interlaced wattles the head of a small axe.  Its edge was very
+sharp, as Jack found to his cost when he drew his finger across it; and
+although in parts rusty, it appeared to be of very fine steel, too fine
+to be of native workmanship.  Wondering who had been its owner, and how
+it came to be stuck, separate from its shaft, into the wall of a rough
+native hut, he slipped it into his pocket; it might prove a weapon of
+value to an otherwise unarmed man.
+
+There was nothing to cause his guards to suspect him when the march was
+once more resumed.  In an hour or two they came to a place below the
+series of rapids where it was safe to launch the canoe.  There the
+party divided.  The carriers being all gone, the canoe left behind
+could only be fetched by some of the Askari; and after some squabbling,
+ten of them went back, the rest promising to wait for them at a
+convenient spot down the river.  As they paddled away, Jack gathered
+from the talk of his escort, in a dialect which had some slight
+resemblance to that of the men of Banonga, that they expected to arrive
+at this place, an old camping-ground of theirs by the river, before
+nightfall.  They had placed him in the bow of the canoe, a light one
+suitable for portage, with no platform, and therefore nothing between
+him and the water but the thin side.
+
+Keenly he watched the banks, hoping to be able at a favourable moment
+to turn his observations to account.  But except for a few hippos half
+hidden in the long grass or reeds at the river-side, and here and there
+a crocodile basking on a rock or sandbank, its scaly back scarcely
+distinguishable from the soil, the river was deserted.  Forest lined
+the banks on both sides, its continuity only occasionally broken by
+clearings showing signs of burnt villages.  The trees were beginning to
+throw long shadows over the water; sunset must be fast approaching;
+still no means of escape had suggested itself.  Yet escape, if effected
+at all, must be effected soon, for he did not know when, with his
+transference to a steamer, his immediate fate would be sealed.
+
+Should he risk all, spring overboard, and swim for the bank?  He was
+tempted to do so, though he could not repress a shudder as he thought
+of the crocodiles now beginning to wake from their afternoon nap.  But
+he knew that as soon as he came to the surface he would be overhauled
+in two or three strokes of the paddles, even if the paddlers did not
+think his attempt to escape sufficient justification for a little
+Albini practice.  In any case his death or capture could be a matter of
+only a few minutes.
+
+But as time passed, Jack resolved that he would chance the crocodiles
+if he could elude his guards.  He would run any risk rather than go to
+Boma and submit himself to the tender mercies of the Congo State
+officials.  A crocodile, after all, might prove a more merciful enemy!
+
+They came to a part of the river where the channel narrowed, and though
+the fall was not enough to deserve the name of a rapid, the increased
+velocity of the current and the presence of large rocks necessitated
+some caution on the part of the paddlers.  Jack could not help hoping
+that the canoe would come to grief.  In the confusion there might be a
+bare chance of escape, though, being no more than a fair swimmer, he
+was not blind to the added risk he would run owing to the strength of
+the current and the danger of being dashed against the rocks.
+
+But the Askari, experienced voyageurs, successfully navigated this
+stretch of the river, and as the canoe shot safely into smoother water
+Jack's hopes again fell.  Then a thought occurred to him: Why wait upon
+chance?  Why not make his own opportunity?  He felt in his pocket; the
+axe-head was still there; its edge was sharp.  If the canoe did not
+meet with disaster from without, why not from within?  He was sitting
+on one of the thwarts amidships; the paddlers were standing on the
+thwarts forward and astern of him.  All the Askari were paddling except
+three, and these were squatting, two at the one end of the canoe, one
+at the other, with their rifles between their knees.  In his position
+Jack was almost completely screened from them.  The paddlers had their
+rifles slung over their shoulders; the baggage was equally distributed
+over the whole length of the canoe.
+
+Though built of the frailest material, the canoe was of considerable
+length.  This was the one drawback to the plan which had suggested
+itself to Jack--to drive a hole in the craft at any moment when the
+attention of the crew seemed sufficiently engaged to give him a chance
+of doing so unobserved, for the size of the canoe rendered it doubtful
+whether any hole he might make would be large enough to sink the vessel
+before it could be paddled ashore.  This could only be proved by making
+the attempt.
+
+Time passed on; no opportunity occurred.  The passage here was easy,
+and the paddlers did their work almost automatically.  It needed no
+attention.  Jack was almost giving up the idea when a chance suddenly
+came.  He heard the leader of the Askari call out: "There is the gorge
+just ahead: soon we shall be at our camping ground.  Be steady!"
+
+The canoe went faster and faster, and in a few minutes entered a gorge
+strewn with jagged rocks threatening destruction at every yard.  The
+men stopped singing--they sang at their paddles from morning till
+night--and shouted with excitement when the vessel escaped as by a
+miracle being dashed to pieces on one or other of the rocks in
+mid-stream.  Choosing the moment when the shouting was loudest and the
+danger probably greatest, Jack stooped down from his thwart and,
+drawing the axe-head from his pocket, thrust it with all his strength
+into the side of the canoe near the bottom, where there was already an
+inch of bilge water.  Working the steel to and fro, he enlarged the
+hole as much as he could, and then withdrew his clumsy implement; the
+water rushed in with a gurgling noise which must, he feared, attract
+the attention of the paddler just above him.  But the man gave no sign;
+he was too intent upon his task.
+
+A few seconds later Jack seized another moment of excitement to repeat
+his work on the other side of the canoe.  His heart jumped to his mouth
+as he heard one of the men shout a word of warning; but he maintained
+his stooping position, thinking there was less chance of detection than
+if he suddenly moved.  In consequence of the water rising in the bottom
+the second hole was made somewhat higher than the first; and as Jack
+watched the level of the water gradually creeping up, he felt that the
+gaps were not large enough to prevent the paddlers from beaching the
+canoe if they ran into smooth water during the next few minutes.  The
+bark seemed to close up as soon as the axe-head was withdrawn, leaving
+only as a narrow slit what had been a gaping rent.  A glance ahead
+showed smooth water within a few yards.  There might be just time to
+make two more rapid cuts.  He plunged his hand into the water, now some
+inches deep, and drove the steel with all his force twice into the
+bottom beneath his feet.  As soon as the canoe left the race, the heavy
+going due to the water that had been shipped would at once be detected,
+even if none of the paddlers, indeed, should happen to glance down and
+see the water washing the packages.  True, they might suppose that it
+had come over the sides of the canoe during their recent rough passage;
+but the mistake must soon be discovered.
+
+Jack saw that there was little chance of the canoe sinking in
+midstream.  What could he do?  Was this, apparently his only
+opportunity, to be lost?  He had only a few seconds to decide.  He
+would wait until the leaks were discovered, and the canoe was headed
+towards the shore.  Then if he dived into the river his guards would be
+torn between two impulses--the one to pursue him, the other to beach
+the canoe before she sank with them and their stores.  To them the
+situation would be complex; they would waste time in their confusion;
+and with a sinking canoe beneath them they would scarcely be able to
+use their rifles.
+
+Things happened almost exactly as Jack expected.  When the canoe left
+the troubled reaches one of the Askari suddenly caught sight of the
+water slowly rising, and washing from side to side with every stroke of
+the paddles.  "A leak!" he shouted, inferring that a hole had been
+knocked in the bottom by a rock.  The leader at once cried to the men
+to run for the right bank.  Jack's time came as the canoe was swinging
+round.  Rising suddenly from his seat, with a vigorous shove he sent
+the paddler behind him rolling back upon the next man; he in his turn
+fell upon the next; until four of the paddlers in the after part of the
+canoe were floundering in the water, and the frail craft rocked almost
+gunwale under.  The other paddlers were so much occupied in adjusting
+themselves to the difficulty and preventing the canoe from being
+swamped that they were hardly aware of what their prisoner was doing
+until it was too late to prevent him.  While the vessel was tilted
+over, Jack placed one foot on the side farthest from the bank towards
+which they were paddling, and dived into the river.
+
+The leader of the Askari immediately shouted to the men in the water to
+pursue him, pointing out the direction in which he had disappeared
+beneath the surface.  He was making for the left bank.  Glancing back
+when he came up, Jack saw that two men were swimming after him, and
+realized that he was no match for them.  He was only a fair swimmer;
+his pursuers, drawn from one of the riverine villages of the Lower
+Congo, were as dexterous in the water as they were in the canoe.  When
+Jack became aware that he was being rapidly overhauled, he gripped more
+tightly the axe-head which he had never let go, resolving to fight to
+the last rather than suffer recapture.  The negroes had divested
+themselves of their rifles, or had lost these when thrown so suddenly
+into the river; and even such a clumsy weapon as an axe-head might
+prove very formidable to unarmed men.
+
+In the excitement, Jack had forgotten all about the constant peril of
+the Congo--the crocodiles.  Straining every nerve, he was wondering
+whether he should stop swimming before he ran the risk of being
+completely exhausted, since there seemed little chance of his gaining
+the opposite bank before his pursuers, when he was startled by a
+despairing scream behind.  The horrible meaning of it flashed upon him;
+he glanced back; only one swimmer was to be seen, and he was no longer
+coming towards him; he had turned and with frantic haste was making for
+the nearest point of the bank.  The second man had disappeared; the
+crocodile had proved a better swimmer than any.  Shuddering in every
+limb, Jack for a moment felt his strength leaving him.  As in a
+nightmare he seemed to see the horrid jaws of crocodiles all round him
+waiting to tear him limb from limb.  But he recovered in a moment; and,
+still gripping the axe-head, he struck out desperately for the far
+bank, which was now, indeed, scarcely more distant than the other.  He
+touched the sandy bottom, struggled panting up the bank, and,
+completely exhausted by the physical and mental strain of this day's
+events, crawled rather than walked to a spot where he felt himself
+secure at least from the dreaded reptile.  For several minutes he lay
+with his head upon his arms, so much spent as to be almost careless of
+what might become of him.  But, rousing himself at length, he rose and
+scanned the river for signs of his late escort.  What was his alarm to
+see them hastening towards him from the opposite bank; three minutes'
+hard paddling would bring them within reach of him.  The sight of them
+woke Jack fully to his danger; he turned his back on the river and
+plunged into the thick bushes that came almost to the water's edge, and
+extended into, the forest behind.  With what marvellous quickness, he
+thought, had the Askari brought their waterlogged vessel to the bank,
+emptied her of water, and temporarily stopped the leaks!  No doubt they
+had been spurred to their utmost effort by the knowledge of what
+awaited them if they returned to their commander with the report that
+the prisoner had escaped them by any means but death.
+
+It was now late in the afternoon.  Within three or four minutes the
+pursuers would have beached the canoe and dashed in pursuit.  Jack knew
+that he must make the most of his few minutes' start.  If he could
+evade them for an hour he would be concealed by the darkness.  Already,
+indeed, it was dim and dusky in the forest shades he had now entered.
+There was no path; he could but plunge on where the undergrowth seemed
+thinnest, his general direction being as nearly as he could judge at an
+obtuse angle with the stream.  The Askari would expect him either to
+follow the river, or to strike directly inland; at least he hoped that
+the diagonal between these two courses would not occur to them.  While
+daylight lasted his trail would betray him, of course; but even if the
+men were trained forest trackers the light would in a few minutes be
+too bad for them to pick up his trail.
+
+In a few minutes he heard muffled shouts behind him.  The pursuers had
+landed.  Then all was silent, save for the forest sounds now familiar
+to him.  He moved as cautiously as the necessity for haste permitted,
+aware that the breaking of a twig, a stumble, any unusual sound, might
+bring his quick-eared enemy upon his track.  But with all his care he
+could not avoid accidents.  Here a branch of cactus would rip a great
+rent in his thin linen coat, with a sound that set the teeth on edge.
+There a low-growing creeper would trip him up, so that he fell with a
+crash headlong, and rose with his face bleeding from a dozen deep
+scratches.  But he kept the axe-head always in his grasp; that was his
+only defence.
+
+The fall of night found him still pressing resolutely forward; but when
+he could no longer see to thread his way in the close tangle of
+vegetation he halted, and became aware that he was dripping wet, and
+that he had to spend the night, soaked as he was, without shelter in
+the primeval forest.  It would not have been a pleasant prospect even
+to a native inured to forest travel; the negroes indeed are careful not
+to be benighted far from their villages.  In other circumstances, as
+black darkness wrapt him round, Jack might have felt not a few tremors;
+from Samba he had learnt something of the perils of night in
+densely-wooded places.  But he had lately passed through experiences so
+trying that the visionary terrors of these gloomy depths had no power
+to trouble him.  He sought, however, a suitable tree and climbed out of
+the reach of prowling beasts, hoping that he would also escape the
+attentions of leopards and pythons, which made no account of the lower
+branches.
+
+He had never spent a more uncomfortable night.  Insects stung him;
+caterpillars crawled over him; woodlice worried him.  Dozing in spite
+of these annoyances, he would wake with a start and the nightmare
+feeling that he was falling, falling helplessly through space.  His wet
+clothes stuck clammily to his skin; he shivered as with ague, his teeth
+chattered, his head was racked with pain.  Stiff and sore from his
+narrow perch and his cramped position he clung on through the night;
+and when, after the long darkness, the pale dawn at last stole through
+the foliage, and he dropped to the ground, he moved like an old man,
+with aching limbs, unrefreshed, feeling the want of food, yet utterly
+without appetite.
+
+But he must go on.  His enemies had not discovered him; no beast had
+attacked him; these were positive gains.  He could make no plans; all
+that he could do was to follow a course calculated by the sun to take
+him in the direction of the river, going up stream.  He walked stiffly,
+but steadily, during the morning, picking here and there handfuls of
+phrynia berries--the only berries of the forest which he knew to be
+edible.
+
+About midday he resolved to risk a more direct course to the river, in
+the hope that his pursuers, finding no trace of him, had given up the
+hunt.  But it was easier to decide than to carry out.  For all he knew
+he might have been wandering in a circle, and the windings of the river
+might make every step he took one in the wrong direction.  After some
+hesitation he turned somewhat to the left and trudged on, so intent
+upon his immediate surroundings that his range of vision was restricted
+to a few yards.
+
+He noticed that the ground, as he walked, was becoming a little less
+thickly covered with undergrowth; but it was with a shock of alarm
+that, at a sudden lifting of the eyes, he saw, standing in front of
+him, a young straight dusky figure armed with a long rifle.  Springing
+instinctively behind the nearest tree, he grasped the axe-head ready to
+do battle.
+
+But what was this?  A voice spoke to him, a voice that he knew, giving
+him pleasant salutation, calling him by name.
+
+"Lokolobolo losako[1]!"
+
+He came from behind the tree and went forward, stretching forth his
+hands.
+
+"Samba!" he cried joyously.
+
+
+
+[1] Salutation addressed to a superior.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+Turning the Tables
+
+Samba at once led the way in a different direction from that lately
+followed by Jack, saying that he would explain his presence as they
+went along.
+
+Jack had hardly reached the tent to which he had been decoyed by
+Elbel's messenger before Samba knew that his uneasy feeling was
+justified; his master had fallen into a trap.  Stealing up close behind
+Lofembi he had plunged his knife into the man's back, and dashed into
+the forest.  He had no difficulty in escaping from the spot; but the
+report of the rifle fired after him had reached Elbel's camp below the
+fort, and Samba found that he had to make a very wide detour to avoid
+the enemy's scouts.  But he managed at last to get into the fort, and
+implored Barney to send out a party to rescue his captain.  Barney was
+much distressed by the news, but resolutely refused to throw away lives
+and risk the safety of the fort in a forlorn hope of that kind.  All
+that he would do was to allow Samba, with three other men, Makoko,
+Lianza, and Lingombela, to follow up Mr. Martindale and Jack, and
+rescue them if any chance occurred; if not, to see what became of them.
+
+But the four had great difficulty in getting out of the fort
+undetected; the enemy's vigilance appeared to be doubled, and a full
+day elapsed before they were able to set off in the track of the
+prisoners.  Failing to overtake the party in the forest before they
+embarked on the canoes, they had had to cover on foot the long distance
+for which the Askari were able to use the river, though they shortened
+the journey to some extent by cutting straight across country when the
+river wound.
+
+At last, when Samba had all but given up hope, they saw a party of ten
+Askari coming towards them from down the river.  Samba did not suspect
+at first that these men were connected with those he sought.  But
+keeping well out of sight he tracked them to a spot where a canoe was
+concealed, and then he guessed at once that the men had been sent back
+to fetch a canoe left behind for want of sufficient carriers.  It would
+be easy to keep ahead of this party, burdened as they were with the
+vessel; so Samba and his three companions pushed on, and soon came upon
+tracks of Mr. Martindale and Jack.  They had noticed the newly-made
+grave with its stone cairn: it had puzzled them, and they did not know
+it was a grave until Samba pointed out that the litter had ceased to be
+used: there were no longer the marks of four men walking always at the
+same distance apart; they then concluded that the elder Inglesa had
+died.
+
+They came by and by to the place where the party had re-embarked.
+Samba's only hope of overtaking them now was that they would certainly
+wait at some part of their journey until they were caught up by the
+other canoe; and it seemed to him that his expectation was borne out
+when, scouting ahead of the three, he sighted in the dusk a long canoe
+lying under the opposite bank in charge of three Askari.  He ran back
+to his companions and told them to hide in the bush; then he returned
+to the spot, and from a safe concealment prepared to wait and watch.
+Night fell: the river was too broad for him to see across it; but
+presently he heard the sound of men approaching the canoe, and soon
+afterwards voices.  Then all was silent.  He kept up his watch for some
+time, half expecting to hear the sound of paddles; but concluding from
+the continued silence that the men would not move till the morning, he
+went to sleep in a tree.
+
+Waking before dawn, he resumed his watch.  In the early morning he saw
+eleven men land and make off in two parties into the forest, leaving
+three men on guard.  Instantly he jumped to the conclusion that
+Lokolobolo had escaped; and a daring scheme suggested itself to him.
+Returning to his friends, he told them what he had seen, and what he
+proposed.  The four immediately set about building a light raft of
+bamboos and cane "tie," and when it was finished they carried it some
+distance along the bank launched it out of sight of the men in charge
+of the canoe' and punted themselves across to the other side.  An hour
+later only one man remained in the enemy's canoe, and he was a prisoner.
+
+Jack forbore to inquire what had become of the others; Samba merely
+said that their ammunition had been spoilt by the water.  Samba and his
+companions were Congo natives; free from the restraining influence of
+the white man, it would be scarcely surprising if they took the
+opportunity of paying off some of the wrongs they had suffered at the
+hands of the Askari.
+
+From the prisoner Samba learnt the whole history of the party since the
+time it left Elbel in the forest.  Tying the man up, Samba and his
+companions at once set to work to find the trail of the fugitive, and
+of the men who had gone in pursuit.  In the morning light it was easy
+to a practised scout like Samba to find what he sought.  He soon
+discovered that the two parties of Askari had failed to track their
+quarry, and were going haphazard through the forest.  He himself then
+started to follow Jack up, and his three companions went forth to the
+canoe to await the return of the enemy.  It was unlikely that the two
+bands would appear at the same time.  If they returned separately, the
+three scouts in ambush would only have to deal with six men or five
+men, as the case might be.  They were still waiting.
+
+What would they do, asked Jack, when the enemy came back?
+
+"Fire upon them from behind the trees," replied Samba.  "Three men will
+certainly be killed; are not the scouts Makoko, Lianza, and Lingombela,
+three of the best marksmen in Ilombekabasi?  If the two or the three
+men left do not run away, they will fight them.  If they run away, they
+will follow them up and fire at them from behind trees."
+
+Even as Samba spoke there came through the trees a sound as of distant
+firing.  Samba quickened his steps; for an hour or more his master and
+he plunged through the forest, the boy halting every now and then to
+listen intently.  At length whispering "Nkakayoko!"[1] he laid his hand
+on Jack's sleeve and gave a low call like the rough scratching sound of
+a forest beetle.  It was answered from the right hand.  Striking off
+sharply in that direction he led the way through a thin copse, and in a
+few moments the two stood at the brink of the river beside the canoe.
+Samba looked keenly around, whispered "Mpiko!"[2] and pointed to a low
+bushy tree close at hand.  For a second or two Jack could see nothing
+but green: but then through the dense foliage he caught the glint of a
+rifle barrel, and behind it--yes, a black face.  The man came out with
+a low chuckle of amusement.  It was Makoko.  "Bolotsi o!" he said.  His
+forest craft had been too much for Lokolobolo.
+
+Suddenly Samba held up his hand in warning.  They listened; it must
+have been the flight of a forest bird.
+
+"What was the firing?" asked Samba in a low voice.
+
+"The killing of five men," replied Makoko.
+
+Jack caught the last words, "Bant'atanu!" and started.
+
+"Where are they?" he asked.
+
+"Gone to feed the crocodiles.  Three first, then two."
+
+Again Samba raised his hand.  All listened intently.  Jack heard
+nothing; but Samba whispered, "They come!" and plucked him by the
+sleeve.  All three hid among the trees.  Two men came out from the
+other side--they were Lianza and Lingombela.
+
+"They are coming--six men," said Lianza in answer to Samba's question.
+"Quickly! they heard the shots."
+
+"We must shoot again from behind the trees," said Samba.
+
+But Jack could not bear the idea of shooting down the unsuspecting
+wretches in cold blood.
+
+"Perhaps we can make them surrender," he whispered.
+
+"Lako! lako!" said the negroes indignantly.
+
+"Yes; we will try."
+
+Makoko and the other two men grumbled, but Samba silenced them.
+
+"It is Lokolobolo's order," he said.
+
+He offered Jack his Mauser, but Jack refused it with a smile, taking
+one of the Albinis which had been removed from the canoe.  With the
+four he concealed himself behind the bushes.  He had already noticed
+that all traces of the recent incidents had been carefully obliterated.
+
+A few minutes later six Askari came from the thick wall of bush.  They
+started and looked at one another when they saw the canoe unguarded.
+Then they called their comrades.  Receiving no answer, they began to
+discuss the strange disappearance of the three men who had been left in
+charge.  With a sign to Samba to follow him, Jack came out from behind
+his bush.  The men ceased their chatter; their jaws dropped, they
+stared at their late captive in blank amazement.  He spoke to them
+quietly, Samba translating.
+
+"I was hiding: I come to save you from being killed.  Your eight
+comrades are already dead.  If one of you lifts his hand, he is a dead
+man.  Behind the bushes my men wait ready to shoot you.  Listen!  They
+will answer when I call.  You will see how hopeless it is to resist.
+Makoko!"
+
+"Em'one!"
+
+"Lingombela!"
+
+"Em'one!"
+
+"Lianza!"
+
+"Em'one!"
+
+"Lay down your rifles," continued Jack, "and beg for mercy."
+
+There was but a moment's hesitation, then one of the men sullenly
+obeyed, and the rest, one after another, followed his example.  At
+Jack's call the three scouts came from their hiding-place.  Two of them
+covered the Askari with their rifles, while the third collected the
+surrendered Albinis and placed them in the canoe.
+
+How Jack's position had altered!  An hour or two ago he was a fugitive,
+practically unarmed, with nearly a score of Askari hunting him down.
+Now he was in command of four scouts fully armed, and in possession of
+a canoe and half a dozen prisoners, who had proved themselves on the
+journey down to be expert paddlers.  But, as Samba reminded him, he had
+still to deal with the ten Askari who had been sent back to fetch the
+second canoe.  They must be on their way down stream: perhaps they were
+near at hand.  Something must be done with them.  To let them pass, or
+to leave them behind, would be equally unwise; they would almost
+certainly follow up Jack and his party, perhaps find a means of sending
+word to Elbel in time to cut them off from the fort.  The safety of
+himself and his men demanded that this second band should be disposed
+of.
+
+To deal with them as he had dealt with the six would not be easy.  They
+would come by water, not by land.  He did not wish to kill them.  What
+other course was open to him?
+
+He remembered that the Askari had spoken of an old camping-place a
+little below the spot on which they stood.  This had doubtless been
+fixed as the rendezvous of the whole party.  The prisoners would know
+its exact locality.  With a little luck, he thought, all the ten might
+be captured unharmed.  He got Samba to question the sullen men.  Yes,
+they knew the camping-ground.
+
+"Then they must paddle us to it," said Jack.
+
+Making sure that the holes he had cut in the canoe had been
+sufficiently caulked to allow of a short passage without danger, Jack
+embarked with all the men, and in a quarter of an hour reached the
+camping-ground.  It was about a hundred yards back from the opposite
+bank, pretty well hidden from the river.  A few rough grass shelters,
+somewhat tumbledown, and traces of former encampments, showed that it
+was a frequent place of call for parties going up or down.  When all
+had landed, Jack sent Makoko and Lianza along the bank up the river to
+look for the oncoming of the Askari, who, though they must necessarily
+have moved slowly while carrying the canoe, would no doubt make rapid
+progress when once more afloat.  The six Askari looked a little hopeful
+when they saw the two scouts leave; but Samba damped their spirits at
+once when he told them that at the slightest sign of revolt they would
+be shot without mercy.  To make things sure, and prevent the scheme he
+had in mind from being foiled, Jack ordered the men to be bound hand
+and foot, which was very quickly done by Samba and Lingombela with the
+stripped tendrils of climbing plants.
+
+It was dark before the scouts returned.  They reported that the Askari
+had camped for the night some distance up stream, and would certainly
+arrive early next morning.  Jack arranged that when the canoe should
+come in sight, only himself and two of his prisoners would be visible
+in the centre of the camp.  The Askari would suppose that the rest of
+the party were out foraging--taking, as the custom is with the troops
+of the Free State and the Concessions, what they pleased from the black
+subjects of King Leopold, and paying nothing, except perhaps blows, in
+return.  The newcomers, not expecting any change in the relations of
+their comrade with the white prisoner, would march unconcernedly into
+camp.  Jack was pretty confident that if things came to this point, he
+would succeed in making the men surrender without fighting.
+
+In the early morning the Askaris' paddling song was heard as they came
+down the river.  The singing ceased; there was a shout; and Jack
+ordered the captured Askari by his side to call an answering greeting.
+Then the party came in sight, eight men in a straggling line
+approaching up the path.  The remaining two had evidently been left
+behind to tie up the canoe.
+
+The first man addressed a chaffing remark to the Askari with Jack, and
+then asked where the rest of the party were.  The men pointed vaguely
+to the forest; their comrades were, in fact, there, gagged and securely
+bound to the trees.  Half a dozen rifles were stacked in the middle of
+the camping ground, the newcomers placed theirs close by, and then
+began to chatter about trifles in the African's way.
+
+Meanwhile Jack was keeping a keen eye on the men.  The two captured
+Askari were obviously ill at ease.  There were the rifles within a few
+yards of them, yet they dared not move towards them, for they knew that
+in the shelter of the trees behind stood Samba with the three scouts
+ready to shoot them down.  They replied briefly to their comrades'
+questions; and then, in obedience to instructions given by Jack
+previously, suggested that the newcomers should go to a cane-brake a
+few yards down stream, and bring back a supply of canes for building
+shelters like those already erected; there were not sufficient for the
+whole party.  The men moved off.  No sooner had they disappeared than
+Samba and the three men came from behind the trees, removed all the
+rifles into the huts, and all except Samba stationed themselves in
+hiding on the side of the encampment opposite to that through which the
+Askari had just gone.  Samba remained with Jack.
+
+In a quarter of an hour the men returned.  To their amazement the white
+prisoner went forward to meet them.  Through Samba he spoke to them.
+
+"It will not be necessary for you to build the huts."
+
+"Why?  What does the white man mean by talking to us?  And who are you?"
+
+Samba did not reply to their questions: he waited for the next words
+from Jack.
+
+"There are enough empty huts here!"
+
+"How can that be?  There are ten of us, and fifteen before.  The huts
+will not hold half of us; and who are you?"
+
+"The fifteen are dead, or taken prisoners."
+
+The men gaped, unable to appreciate the full import of the news.  They
+dropped their loads of cane and looked at the boy in astonishment.
+
+"What do you mean?  What has happened?  Who are you?"
+
+"Tell them, Samba."
+
+"I am Samba, the servant of Lokolobolo.  I came down the river with
+other servants of Lokolobolo.  We fell upon your comrades and scattered
+them like the leaves of the forest.  We have the rifles--your rifles."
+
+The men gave a startled glance to where the stacks of arms had been.
+Jack thought they paled beneath their dusky skin.
+
+"See!" continued Samba, "if Lokolobolo lifts his hand you will all be
+shot.  His men are there, behind the trees.  You have no rifles.  Of
+what good are knives against guns?  You will be even as the men who are
+short with their rubber.  You will be shot down before you can strike a
+blow.  No; do not move," he said quickly, as the men appeared inclined
+to make a dash for the forest.  "You cannot run so fast as the bullets.
+You know that, you men who shoot boys and women as they flee from you.
+Throw down your knives at Lokolobolo's feet, if you wish to live!"
+
+The man who had acted as spokesman for his comrades obeyed without a
+word.  The rest were but little behind him.  At a sign from Jack,
+Makoko and the others came from their place of hiding, and tied the
+feet of the prisoners, in such a way that while they could walk with
+short steps, they were unable to run.  In a few moments the two men
+left at the canoe were similarly disposed of.
+
+And now Jack was in command of four armed scouts and sixteen unarmed
+prisoners.  He at once decided to make use of the Askari as paddlers.
+One canoe would be sufficient; he would sink the vessel in which he had
+dug the holes.  With sixteen men expert in the use of the paddle, he
+would make a rapid journey up stream.
+
+He was about to give the order to start when it suddenly occurred to
+him that it would be well to assure himself first that the coast was
+clear.  So far he had seen no natives either on river or on land since
+he left Elbel, save those of his own party and the band coming up with
+ammunition.  The riverine villages had all been deserted, and the
+tributary down which he had travelled was at all times little
+frequented.  But it seemed very unlikely that many more days should
+pass without his seeing a stranger, and when he began to think on these
+lines, he wondered whether perhaps Elbel himself might not have
+occasion for sending messengers down stream, and whether the party they
+had met conveying stores to Elbel's force might not be returning.
+Having escaped by such wonderful good fortune, it would be sheer folly
+to throw away his chances of getting back to Ilombekabasi by any want
+of caution.  Accordingly he sent Makoko up the river and Samba down the
+river to do a little preliminary scouting.
+
+About midday Samba came running back in a state of great excitement.
+He had run so fast that his legs were trembling, and sweat poured from
+his body.  Not an hour's paddling distant, he had seen a smoke-boat and
+a large number of canoes coming up the river.  He had never seen so
+many boats before, and they were crowded with men.  And on the
+smoke-boat there were white men.
+
+"At last!" ejaculated Jack.  This, he supposed, was the Captain Van
+Vorst, of whom Elbel had spoken, coming up with regular troops of the
+State.  Whoever was in command, the flotilla could portend no good to
+Jack or Ilombekabasi, and he saw at once that he must give up the idea
+of using the Askaris' canoe.  He could certainly travel faster than the
+expedition, which must go at the pace of its slowest cargo boats; but
+scouting or foraging parties of the enemy might push on ahead and sight
+him on one of the long stretches of the river; and his men could be
+descried from a long distance as they made the portage.  Pursuit and
+capture would then be almost certain.
+
+His mind was instantly made up.  His journey to the fort must be a land
+march, and it must be begun in all haste.  He quickly gave his orders.
+The canoes were unloaded, and the stores and ammunition given to the
+Askari to carry.  The vessels were then scuttled and sunk, and the
+whole party plunged into the forest, after a time taking a course
+almost the same as that which Samba had followed on his solitary
+journey.  But before they had gone far, Jack, not disposed to leave the
+neighbourhood without getting more exact particulars of the advancing
+host, went back with Samba, leaving the rest of the party to continue
+their march.
+
+Samba rapidly wormed his way through the forest back to the river bank.
+They reached a position, whence, unseen themselves, they could command
+a long reach of the river.  There they waited.
+
+Soon they heard the regular beat of the steamer's paddles; then the
+songs of the canoe-boys.  By and by a steam launch came into view round
+a bend of the river.  It was crowded.  Far away as it was as yet, Jack
+could easily distinguish the white-clad figures of three Europeans on
+deck, amid a crowd of negroes in the tunic, pantaloons, and fez of the
+State troops.  Clearly it was as he had feared.  The Concession had
+followed the usual course, when the rapacity of its officials had
+provoked a revolt too formidable to be coped with by its own forces,
+and had called in the aid of the regular army.  As canoe after canoe
+appeared in the wake of the steamer, Jack could not help a feeling of
+dismay at the size of the force arrayed against him.  His spirits sank
+lower and lower as he watched.  By the time the steamer came abreast of
+his hiding-place, the flotilla filled the whole of the stretch of river
+open to his view.  In the still air, amid the songs and chatter of the
+natives, he could hear the laughter of the Europeans as they passed.
+He knew that only a portion of the men in this armada were fighting
+men; the rest were paddlers and carriers, not part of the combatant
+force.  But a rough attempt to count the men bearing rifles gave him at
+least three hundred, and he started as he saw in one canoe what was
+clearly the shield of a machine gun.  Captain Van Vorst, if it was he,
+undoubtedly meant business.  Before the last canoe had passed their
+hiding-place Jack and Samba started to overtake their party.  The
+former was deep in thought.
+
+"We must reach the fort before them," he said.
+
+"They go very slow," was Samba's reply.
+
+"Yes, and the carrying of all their stores and canoes up the rapids
+will take many days.  But we must hurry as fast as we can."
+
+"Much chicotte for the paddlers," said Samba, with a grin.
+
+Jack did not reply.  He could not adopt the barbarous methods of the
+enemy; but he had not the heart to dash Samba's very natural hopes of
+paying back to the Askari something of what they had dealt to the
+carriers on the way down.  Short of thrashing them he would urge them
+to their utmost speed.  What difficulties he might meet with in
+regaining the fort he did not stop to consider.  The thought of Barney
+holding his own there--had he been able to hold his own?--and of the
+large reinforcements coming to support Elbel, was a spur to activity.
+Ilombekabasi and its people were in danger; and the post of danger
+demanded the presence of Lokolobolo.
+
+
+
+[1] Immediately.
+
+[2] There.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+The Return of Lokolobolo
+
+"Lokolobolo!  Lokolobolo!  Lokolobol'olotsi!  Lokolobolo is here!
+Lokolobolo has come back to us!  Bolotsi O!  Why do we laugh?  Why do
+we sing?  Samba has found Lokolobolo!  Samba has brought him back to
+us!"
+
+Ilombekabasi was delirious with joy.  Men and women were shouting,
+laughing, singing; the children were dancing and blowing strident notes
+upon their little trumpets; Imbono's drummer was banging with all his
+might, filling the air with shattering thunder.  Jack quivered with
+feeling; his lips trembled as he sat once more in his hut, listening to
+the jubilant cries his arrival had evoked.  It was something, it was
+much, that he had been able so to win the devoted affection of these
+poor negroes of the Congo.
+
+Outside, the two chiefs Imbono and Mboyo were talking of the joyful
+event.
+
+"Yes! wonderful!  Lokolobolo is here! and with him two strange white
+chiefs.  Wonderful!  Did you ever see such a big man?  I am big," said
+Imbono, "but I am not so big as Makole the chief of Limpoko, and one of
+the strange white men is bigger than he."
+
+"It needed two ropes to draw him up from the gully," said Mboyo.  "I am
+strong, but though I had four men to help me it was hard work.  He must
+be a very great chief."
+
+"And the other must be a great chief too.  Did not Samba say that
+Lokolobolo gave him his last bottle of devil water?"
+
+"But the big man is hurt.  It is the leg.  It is not so bad as Ikola's;
+but Ikola was shot.  They have put him in Barnio's hut; the other chief
+is with Lokolobolo.  It is good that the white chiefs have come.  Now
+Lokolobolo will sweep Elobela down the hillside, even as a straw in the
+storm."
+
+"But what of the smoke-boat that Samba says is coming with the white
+men in white, and the black men in cloth the colour of straw, and
+things on their heads the colour of fire?  Will Lokolobolo be able to
+beat them too?"
+
+"Lokolobolo is able to beat all Bula Matadi; and he has the other white
+men to help.  Never fear!  Lokolobolo will beat them all.  We shall
+see.  There he is, coming out of his hut with the white chief.
+Lokolobolo wanda!"[1]
+
+"You must be a proud man to-day, Mr. Challoner," said the stranger.
+
+"I am too anxious to be proud," said Jack with a smile.  "I haven't the
+heart to stop them shouting and making a noise, but it's a pity to
+disturb our enemy in the camp down yonder.  I shall have to go and make
+a speech to them, I suppose; it is more in your line than mine, Mr.
+Arlington.  Luckily I'm not sufficiently fluent in their language to be
+long-winded."
+
+They went together into the midst of the throng.
+
+When within three marches of Ilombekabasi Jack's party had stumbled
+upon a wretched encampment in the forest which proved to contain two
+white men and three negroes.  Samba came upon them first, and, startled
+to find white men at this spot, he was cocking his rifle, supposing
+them to be State officers, when one of them called to him in a Congo
+dialect not to shoot; he was an Inglesa.  When Jack came up he found
+that the taller of the two men, the one who had spoken, a huge fellow
+with a great black beard, was a missionary named Dathan, the other
+being the Honourable George Arlington, with whose name Jack was
+familiar.  Mr. Arlington was a man of mark.  After a brilliant career
+at Cambridge he had entered Parliament, and became an Under-Secretary
+of State at a younger age than almost any one before him.  When his
+party was out of office he took the opportunity of travelling in many
+quarters of the globe, to study at first hand the great problems which
+more and more demand the attention of British statesmen.  Now, in his
+fortieth year, he was recognized as an authority on the subjects which
+he had so specially made his own.  He had come out to make a personal
+study of the Congo question, and in order to secure freedom of
+observation had decided to enter Congo territory, not from Boma, whence
+he would be shadowed throughout by officials, but from British
+territory through Uganda.  In Unyoro he had met his old college chum
+Frank Dathan, now a missionary engaged on a tour of inspection of his
+Society's work in Central Africa.  Dathan, having completed his task in
+Uganda, was to make his way into the Congo State and visit several
+mission stations there.  The two friends thereupon arranged to travel
+together.
+
+Mr. Arlington being anxious to see a little of what was an almost
+unexplored part of Africa, they chose as their route the northern
+fringe of the great forest.  But they got into difficulties when they
+entered country which, though not yet "administered," or "exploited,"
+was nominally Free State territory.  At the sight of white men the
+natives they met with one accord took to the woods.  The result was
+that the travellers were once or twice nearly starved; many of their
+carriers deserted with their loads; and they both suffered a good deal
+from exposure and privation.  To crown their misfortunes, Dathan fell
+with a loose rock one day when he was climbing down a steep bank to get
+water, and broke his leg.  Arlington tried without success to set the
+bone, and was hurrying on in the hope of finding a Free State outpost
+and a doctor when Jack came upon them.
+
+Jack at once frankly explained his position.  He did not give details
+of his work at Ilombekabasi, but he saw no reason for concealing the
+circumstances which had driven him into antagonism with the officials
+of the Concession.  He related what had happened to his uncle, and how
+he had escaped from the net woven about him by Elbel; he told the
+strangers also what he had actually seen of the Congo Government's
+method of dealing with the natives.  Then he asked them whether they
+would like to place themselves under the care of Elbel, who could, if
+he were disposed, send them under escort to Stanleyville, where the
+missionary might receive competent treatment.  Both were disinclined to
+do this; they would prefer to keep themselves free from the Congo State
+or its Trusts.  The alternative seemed to be to accompany Jack.  This
+might certainly give rise to complications; Mr. Dathan especially was
+loth to appear to identify himself with an armed revolt against the
+State.  Missionaries, as he told Jack, were already in bad odour with
+the authorities; they had told too much of what was going on.  In many
+parts they had come to be looked upon as the natives' only defenders,
+and had done a little, a very little, towards mitigating the worst
+features of their lot.  But he was still more loth even to seem to
+countenance Elbel's proceedings by seeking his camp; and Mr. Arlington
+thought that his presence in Ilombekabasi, when it became known to
+Elbel, might have a salutary effect on him.  Ultimately, then, they
+decided to run the blockade with Jack into the fort.
+
+The augmented party had had no difficulty in reaching their
+destination.  The same general course was followed as had been arranged
+for the reception of Mr. Martindale's party.  They halted in a copse on
+an eminence about six miles from the fort and above it.  To reach this
+spot they had to make a longer circuit than either Mr. Martindale or
+Elbel in his first attempt to surprise Ilola.  But before going farther
+it was necessary to discover how the land lay.  Samba was obviously the
+best of the party for this scouting work, but he could hardly be spared
+if the fort happened to be too closely invested for the entrance of the
+whole party to be made.  Jack therefore chose Makoko, a sturdy fellow
+and an excellent scout, scribbled a brief note to Barney, hid it in the
+negro's thick woolly hair, and sent him on alone.  If he came safely to
+Ilombekabasi and it seemed to Barney possible to run the blockade, a
+flag was to be hoisted on one of the blockhouses.  The signal would be
+acted on as soon as possible in the darkness.
+
+Makoko left at nightfall.  Before dawn Samba went on some two miles
+ahead to a place whence he could see the fort.  He returned with the
+welcome news that a piece of red cloth was flying on the northern
+blockhouse.  Jack waited impatiently throughout the day; as soon as it
+was dark Samba led the party forward.  They moved slowly, partly to
+allow time for careful scouting, partly because Mr. Dathan had to be
+carried, and proved a heavy burden even for six strong Askari.  No
+difficulties were met with; Elbel had ceased to patrol the surroundings
+of the fort at night, and in the early hours of the morning in pitch
+darkness the party marched quietly in at the gate on the north side of
+the fort.  Jack put his own hut at Mr. Arlington's disposal.  Mr.
+Dathan was carried to Barney's; and before hearing what had happened
+during his absence Jack insisted on the missionary's having his
+injuries attended to.  Barney managed to set the broken limb, though
+not without causing a good deal of pain for which he whimsically
+apologized.  Then Jack listened eagerly to his account of what had
+happened.
+
+Elbel had made two serious attacks.  The first was an attempt to carry
+the fort by assault, from the place whence he had sent his fire barrels
+rolling.  But after the capture of Elbel's rifles and ammunition a
+considerable number of Jack's men who had hitherto been spearmen had
+been trained in the use of the Albini; so that Barney had a force of
+nearly ninety riflemen with which to meet the attack, half of them at
+least being good shots.  One charge was enough for the enemy; the fire
+from the wall and blockhouses mowed down the advancing negroes by the
+score; they never reached the defences, but turned and fled to cover in
+the gully and behind the rocks above.
+
+[Illustration: Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing the
+Diverted Stream and Elbel's Third Camp]
+
+Then Elbel demolished the dam he had built on the slope, and allowed
+the river to flow again in the channel it had cut for itself down the
+long incline to the eastward.
+
+"What would he be doing that for, sorr?  Seems to me he has wasted a
+terrible deal uv good time in putting up and pulling down.  Two men I
+sent out as scouts niver came back, and I wondered to meself whether
+they'd been bagged, sorr, and had let out something that made Elbel
+want to play more tricks wid nature.  Often did I see Elbel himself
+dodging round the fort wid his spyglass in his hand, and 'tis the
+truth's truth I let some uv the men have a little rifle practice at
+him.  Sure he must have a cat's nine lives, sorr, for ten uv the
+niggers said they were sartin sure they'd hit him."
+
+"Trying to solve our water puzzle, Barney!  Go on."
+
+There was an interval of some days; then, at daybreak one morning,
+while a strong demonstration, apparently the preliminary of an attack,
+was observed on the north and east, a body of men crept up the gully
+and made a sudden rush with ladders for the hole in the wall by which
+the scouts had been accustomed to go in and out.  It was clear that
+Elbel's best men were engaged in this job, for Barney heard loud cries
+for help from the small body he had thought sufficient to leave on the
+western face of the fort.  Rushing to the place with a handful of men,
+he was just in time to prevent the enemy from effecting an entrance.
+There was a brisk fight for two or three minutes; then the ladders
+placed against the wall were hurled into the gully, and with them the
+forlorn hope of the storming party.
+
+"That was three days ago, sorr.  And two or three uv our men declared
+they saw Mbota among the enemy, pointing out the very spot where the
+hole is--whin it is a hole.  You remember Mbota, sorr--the man who
+brought in his wife on his back, her wid the hands cut off.  'Twas he I
+sent out scouting.  Sure the chicotte had been at work wid him; for
+niver a wan uv our men, I would swear before the Lord Chancellor uv
+Ireland, would turn traitor widout they were in mortal terror for their
+lives, or even worse."
+
+"And you have not been attacked since?"
+
+"No, sorr.  But I've had me throubles all the same.  Samba ought to be
+made, beggin' your pardon, sorr, high constable uv this fort."
+
+"Indeed!"
+
+"Yes, sorr, 'cos it seems 'tis only he that can keep the peace.  Would
+you believe it, sorr, the very next day after you were gone, Imbono's
+men and Mboyo's men began to quarrel; 'twas Orange and Green, sorr, and
+a fine shindy.  Whin Samba was here, he'd make 'em laugh, and 'twas all
+calm as the Liffey; but widout Samba--bedad! sorr, I didn't know what
+in the world to do wid 'em.  Sure I wished Elbel would fight all the
+time, so that there'd be no time left for the spalpeens here to fight
+wan another.  But at last, sorr, a happy thought struck me; quite an
+intimation, as one might say.  I remimbered the day when the
+master--rest his soul!--and you made yourselves blood-brothers uv
+Imbono.  That was a mighty fine piece uv work, thinks I.  So wan
+morning I had a big palaver--likambo the niggers call it, your honour."
+(Barney's air as he gave this information to Mr. Arlington was
+irresistibly laughable.)  "I made a spache, and Lepoko turned it into
+their talk as well as he could, poor fellow; and sure they cheered it
+so powerful hard that I thought 'twas a mimber uv Parlimint I ought to
+be.  Well, sorr, the end was I made Imbono and Mboyo blood-brothers,
+and niver a word uv difference have they had since."
+
+"A plan that might be tried with leaders of parties at home," said Mr.
+Arlington with a smile.
+
+"There's wan other thing that throubles me," added Barney.  "Our food
+is getting low, sorr.  We had such a powerful lot that wan would have
+thought 'twould last for iver.  But in a fortnight we shall be on very
+short commons; we've been on half rations this week or more."
+
+"That's bad news indeed.  But we shall know our fate in a fortnight.
+The State troops are coming at last, Barney."
+
+Barney pulled a long face when Jack told him about the flotilla he had
+seen coming up the river.  But the next moment he smiled broadly.
+
+"Sure 'twill be our salvation, sorr.  There'll be a power uv food on
+those canoes, and 'twill come in the nick uv time to save us from
+famine."
+
+"But we've got to capture it first!"
+
+"And won't it be aisy, sorr?  It won't drop into our mouths, to be
+sure, but there's niver a doubt we'll get it by this or that."
+
+Jack smiled at Barney's confidence, which he could hardly share.  He
+estimated that he had about a week's grace before the State troops
+could arrive, unless they made a forced march ahead of their stores,
+which was not very likely.  He could not look forward without
+misgiving.  Elbel's troops, strongly reinforced and commanded by an
+experienced military officer, would prove a very different enemy.  He
+doubted whether it would be wise to wait the issue of a fight.  Apart
+from the risk of being utterly crushed, there was a strong political
+reason against it, as Mr. Arlington did not fail to point out.
+Hitherto Jack had been dealing with an officer of the Société
+Cosmopolite, and he could argue reasonably that he was only opposing
+unwarranted interference.  But if he resisted an armed force of the
+State, it became at once open rebellion.
+
+"You render yourself liable to the punishment of a rebel, Mr.
+Challoner," said Mr. Arlington, "and your British nationality will not
+help you.  You might be shot or hanged.  What I suggest to you is this.
+When the State forces appear, let me open negotiations with them.  They
+will probably know my name; I have a certain influence in high
+quarters; I could probably make terms for you."
+
+"But the people, Mr. Arlington!  You could not make terms for them.
+What would happen to them?  They would fall into the power of their
+oppressors, and the old tale would be continued--illegal demands and
+exactions, floggings, maimings, murders.  It was a solemn charge from
+my uncle to stand by the defenceless negroes; it is no less the dictate
+of humanity: we, they and I, are in the same boat, sir, and we must
+sink or swim together."
+
+As it was of supreme importance to Jack to know at what rate the
+hostile column was moving, he sent out that night Samba, Makoko, and
+Lingombela with orders to report the progress of the expedition from
+day to day.  By taking the road through the forest they should get into
+touch with the enemy by the time they reached the place where Mr.
+Martindale had left his canoes.  If the scouts should find themselves
+unable to return to the fort they were to light a large fire on the
+spot whence Samba had seen Barney's flag flying, as a signal that the
+expedition had passed the place in question.  If a small column should
+be coming on in advance they were to light two fires a little apart
+from one another.  Samba was even more light-hearted than usual when he
+left the fort with his comrades.  He seemed to feel that this was a
+mission of special importance, the prelude to a final victory for
+Lokolobolo; for the possibility of defeat for Lokolobolo never
+suggested itself to any man in Ilombekabasi.  Mboyo and Lukela were at
+the wall to bid their son goodbye.  He laughed as he slipped down into
+the darkness.
+
+"Ekeke e'afeka!"[2] he whispered gleefully, and hastened to overtake
+Makoko and Lingombela, who were already some distance up the gully.
+
+Shortly after dawn next day the sentries reported a sound as of a large
+body of men moving up the hill.  Jack instantly called the garrison to
+arms.  There was a good deal of noise in the darkness above the fort.
+Here and there a dim light showed for a few moments, and was promptly
+fired at.  When day broke Jack saw that the enemy had built a rough
+wall of stones loosely piled up, some fifty yards long and about four
+feet high, parallel with the north wall of the fort, one end resting on
+the edge of the gully.  From a convenient spot in the gully, about two
+hundred yards above the fort, the enemy could creep to the extremity of
+the wall without coming under the fire of the garrison.  It had
+evidently been erected to screen some operations going on behind it.
+To guard against a sortie from the fort a covering force had been
+placed on the hill a quarter of a mile farther up; and between the
+ill-fitting stones there were small gaps which would serve as loopholes
+for the riflemen.
+
+During the day the enemy were hard at work digging a trench under cover
+of the wall.  Jack wondered at first whether Elbel was going to make
+approaches to the fort by sap and mine, in the manner he had read of in
+histories of the great sieges.  But another and still more disturbing
+thought occurred to him.  Would the trench cut across the line of his
+conduit?  Had Elbel at last fathomed the secret of his water supply?
+He anxiously examined the landmarks, which had been disturbed somewhat
+by the construction of the wall.  As nearly as he could judge, the
+spring was a few yards south of the wall, and neither it nor the
+conduit would be discovered by the men digging the trench.  Yet he
+could not but feel that Elbel's latest move was not so much an attempt
+to undermine the defences of the fort as to discover the source of its
+water supply.  If he should have hit upon the fact that the water was
+derived, not from a well inside the walls, but from a spring outside,
+he would not be long in coming to the conclusion that it must be from a
+spot opposite the northern face; and by cutting a trench or a series of
+trenches across the ground in that direction he must sooner or later
+come upon the conduit.
+
+The work proceeded without intermission during the whole of the day,
+and apparently without success, for the level of the water in the fort
+tank did not fall.  But Elbel's activity was not stopped by the
+darkness.  When morning dawned Jack saw that during the night an
+opening about five feet wide had been made in the wall, giving access
+to a passage-way of about the same height leading towards the fort and
+roughly covered with logs, no doubt as a protection against rifle fire.
+Only about twenty yards of this passage-way had been completed.  The
+end towards the fort was closed by a light screen of timber resting on
+rollers, and sufficiently thick to be impervious to rifle fire, as Jack
+soon found by experiment.  Evidently another trench was to be dug near
+the fort.  To avoid the labour of building a second covering wall,
+Elbel had hit on the idea of a passage-way through which his men might
+reach the spot where he desired the new trench to be begun.  Protected
+by the screen, they could dig a hole several feet deep, and then, too
+low to be hit by shots from the fort, could proceed with the trench in
+safety.
+
+Jack wondered whether Elbel had not yet heard of the approach of the
+State forces.  Such feverish activity was surely unnecessary when
+reinforcements were only a few days' march distant.  It was Barney who
+suggested that Elbel had made such a mess of things hitherto that he
+was eager to do something, to gain a success of some kind, before the
+regular forces should arrive.
+
+Under cover of the wooden screen the enemy, as Jack had expected,
+started to dig another trench parallel with the wall.  They had no lack
+of labourers; as soon as one gang was tired another was ready to take
+its place; and the work was carried on very rapidly.  With growing
+anxiety Jack watched the progress of the trench towards the gully.  His
+conduit was only three feet from the surface of the ground.  Judging by
+the fact that his marksmen never got an opportunity of taking aim at
+the diggers, the trench must be at least five feet deep; and if an
+opening were made into the gully the conduit was sure to be exposed.
+There was just one hope that they would fail.  Jack remembered the
+outcrop of rock which had necessitated the laying of the pipes, for a
+length of some yards, several feet lower than the general level.  If
+the enemy should happen to have struck this point there was a fair
+chance of the conduit escaping their search; for, coming upon the layer
+of rock, they would probably not guess that pipes were carried beneath
+it.  To reassure himself, Jack called up Imbono and Mboyo and asked
+them if they could locate the spot where the rock occurred.  Their
+impression agreed with his, that it must at any rate be very near the
+place where the enemy's trench would issue into the gully.
+
+But Jack's anxiety was not relieved at the close of the day, for again
+the work was carried on all night.  He thought of a sortie, but
+reflected that this would be taken by Elbel as an indication that he
+was hot on the scent.  And while a sortie might inflict loss on the
+enemy, it would not prevent Elbel from resuming his excavations as soon
+as the garrison had retired again within their defences.
+
+With great relief Jack at last heard the sound of pick-axes striking on
+rock.  It seemed too good to be true that the enemy had come upon the
+exact dozen yards of rock where alone the conduit was in little danger
+of being laid bare.  Yet this proved to be the case.  In the morning
+Elbel drew off his workmen, apparently satisfied, before the trench had
+been actually completed to the gully, that he was on the wrong track.
+A great load was lifted from Jack's mind.  If the secret of the water
+supply had been discovered, he knew that the end could only be a matter
+of a few days.
+
+As soon as the enemy drew off, Jack's men issued forth, demolished the
+wall, and filled up the trench.
+
+Three days passed in comparative inactivity.  During these days Jack
+had much of his time taken up by Mr. Arlington, who required of him a
+history of all that had happened since the first meeting with Elbel.
+The traveller made copious jottings in his note-book.  He asked the
+most minute questions about the rubber traffic and the methods of the
+State and the Concessions; he had long interviews with Imbono and
+Mboyo, and endured very patiently Lepoko's expanded versions of
+statements already garrulous; he took many photographs with his kodak
+of the people who had been maimed by the forest guards, and asked Jack
+to present him with a chicotte--one of those captured along with the
+Askari.  He said very little, probably thinking the more.  Certainly he
+let nothing escape his observation.
+
+Meanwhile Mr. Dathan was making friends of all the children.  Unable to
+endure the stuffiness of the hut, he had himself carried on a sheltered
+litter into the open, where, propped up on pillows, his burly form
+might be seen in the midst of a large circle of little black figures,
+who looked at him earnestly with their bright intelligent eyes and
+drank in the wonderful stories he told them.  Many of their elders
+hovered on the fringe of the crowd; and when the lesson was finished,
+they went away and talked among themselves of Nzakomba[3] the great
+Spirit Father who, as the bont' ok'ota-a-a-li[4] said, had put it into
+the heart of Lokolobolo to defend and help them.
+
+Before the dawn one morning Lingombela came into the fort.  He reported
+that the new enemy had only just finished the portage of their canoes
+and stores.  The steamer had been left below the rapids, and the white
+men were embarking on canoes.  There were not enough to convey the
+whole expedition at one time, although some had been sent down the
+river to meet them.  Two or three had been lost through attempting to
+save time by dragging them up the rapids.  Lingombela had himself seen
+this, with Samba.  Samba had no doubt already told what he had seen,
+but he did not know about the big gun which could fire as many shots as
+a hundred men, for the white men had not begun to practise at a mark in
+their camp above the rapids until Samba had left.
+
+"But we have seen nothing of Samba; where is he?"
+
+"He started to return to Ilombekabasi a day before I did."
+
+"And Makoko?"
+
+"Makoko is still watching."
+
+Lingombela's statement about Samba alarmed Jack.  What had become of
+the boy?  Had he fallen into the enemy's hands?  It was too much to be
+feared.  What else could have delayed him?  In threading the forest
+none of the scouts could travel so fast as he.  If he had started a day
+before Lingombela he should have gained at least five or six hours.
+
+The news soon flew through the settlement that Samba was missing.
+Mboyo and his wife came to Jack to ask whether Lingombela had told the
+truth.  Their troubled looks touched Jack, and he tried to cheer them.
+
+"Samba has not arrived yet, certainly," he said, "but he may not have
+come direct.  Something may have taken him out of his course; he would
+go a long way round if he thought it would be of use to us.  Don't be
+worried.  He has gone in and out safely so often that surely he will
+come by and by."
+
+The negroes went away somewhat comforted.  But Jack felt very anxious,
+and his feeling was fully shared by Barney.
+
+"'Tis meself that fears Elbel has got him," he said.  "Pat has been
+most uncommon restless for two days.  He looks up in the face uv me and
+barks, whin he's not wanting anything at all.  'Tis only Samba can
+rightly understand all Pat says, and seems to me Pat has got an idea
+that something has happened to Samba."
+
+An hour later Pat also had disappeared.  He had broken his strap and
+run away.
+
+
+
+[1] The highest salutation, given to a person of great dignity.
+
+[2] The last time.
+
+[3] God.
+
+[4] Very tall man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+The Chicotte
+
+A small palm, spared for the sake of its welcome shade when the rest of
+the ground was cleared, sheltered Monsieur Elbel's tent from the
+fiercest rays of the tropical sun, In the tent Monsieur Elbel, smoking
+a bad Belgian cigar, his camp chair tilted back to a perilous angle,
+his feet on a small rickety table, read and re-read with a smile of
+satisfaction a short official communication that had just reached him
+from Brussels.  Owing to the retirement of the Company's principal
+agent, and in recognition of Monsieur Elbel's energy in doubling the
+consignment of rubber from his district during the past year, the
+Comité had been pleased to appoint Monsieur Elbel to be administrative
+chief of the Maranga Concession.  At the same time the Comité hoped
+that Monsieur Elbel would see his way to deal promptly and effectively
+with the reported outbreak at Ilola, without incurring undue expense,
+and that the American who had been giving trouble, and whose patent was
+now revoked (with the concurrence of the State) would be persuaded of
+the necessity of leaving the country.
+
+Monsieur Elbel was gratified by the news of his promotion; although it
+was his due by all the standards of conduct set up for the guidance of
+officials, whether State or Trust, charged with the exploitation of
+Congoland.  Under no officer had the development of King Leopold's
+African dominions gone more blithely forward than under Monsieur Elbel.
+Where he and his men went they left a wilderness behind them; but the
+amount of rubber they collected was most gratifying; and if Maranga
+stock stood high it was largely through their exertions.  True, in
+twenty years there would be no people left in Maranga, even if there
+were rubber to collect.  But after all that was not Monsieur Elbel's
+concern: in twenty years he would not be on the Congo; those who came
+after him must find their own collectors.  He and the King took short
+views: sufficient unto the day--they were both men of business.  Yes,
+as a man of affairs Guillaume Elbel was hard to beat.  It was no wonder
+that the Comité had promoted him to the vacant post; if he had been
+passed by, where would be the inducement to zeal, to loyal faithful
+service?  Where indeed?
+
+In the circumstances Monsieur Elbel was in good humour, a relaxation he
+rarely allowed himself.  He drank the remains of his absinthe, tilted
+his chair back to the critical angle, and blowing a cloud of smoke
+skywards saw in the curling eddies visions of snug directorates in
+Brussels.  Why not?  He flattered himself there were none who knew more
+about the Congo than he; he could estimate to a few francs the
+possibilities of any district as expressed in rubber; and, what is
+more, he knew how to get it.  With him the people always lasted as long
+as the rubber.  There was no waste; he plumed himself on the point.
+_He_ had never burnt a village before the rubber was exhausted,
+whatever might be said of other agents.  For after all, his business
+was to promote commerce--that is, collect rubber--not mere destruction.
+And if he did not know his business there was nobody who could teach
+him.  Yes--his Majesty had an eye to men of his stamp.  A
+directorate--a few directorates--a snug place at Court--who knows? ...
+
+Monsieur Elbel again glanced at the official letter; and again smiled
+and blew a ring artistically true.  Then his eye caught the word
+"expense," and his expression changed.  This Ilola difficulty would not
+only reduce his rubber consignments; it would mean a considerable
+outlay--how much he did not like to think.  And then there was the
+column of State troops now on its way.  No doubt the Concession would
+have to pay for that, too.  Peste! if only he could finish this
+business before Van Vorst came up!  He did not desire the presence of
+Van Vorst or any other State officer, if it could be avoided.  For
+there was gold in the stream, without a doubt; and those State
+officials were greedy rascals; they were capable of edging him
+out--they had no scruples--his moral claim would go for nothing,
+absolutely.  Yes, the fort must be captured at once before Van Vorst
+came up.  If only he could tap the water supply it would be easy
+enough.  It could be done; the little fool had let out so much; but
+how?--that was what he had to find out, and his name was not Elbel if
+he couldn't do it.
+
+He rose and went to the door of the tent.  A few yards away, securely
+tied to the trunk of the slender palm, was a negro boy.  Monsieur Elbel
+looked at him critically as if measuring his strength.  Last night,
+although threatened with the chicotte, the boy had refused to speak.
+Only once, when Elbel had offered him freedom and rewards if he would
+point out the source of the water in the camp above, did he open his
+lips, saying fiercely: "I will never tell you!"--betraying to the
+questioner that he had some knowledge of the secret.  Now he had had
+twelve hours of hunger and thirst to help him to a more reasonable
+frame of mind.  All night the cords had been eating into his wrists and
+ankles; he was weak from want of food, and consumed with an intolerable
+thirst.  He stood there in the blazing sun, a listless, pitiable
+figure, held upright only by the thongs that bound his wrists; and
+Monsieur Elbel as he looked at him, felt not a little irritated.  It
+was absurd that he should be inconvenienced; nay, more, that the
+development of the Concession should be delayed, and expense
+incurred--avoidable, unnecessary expense--expense without any return in
+rubber--all because this slip of a boy refused to tell what he knew.
+
+Elbel beckoned to his servant and interpreter, standing close by,
+attentive and expectant.
+
+"Tell him," he said, "that I will give him one more chance.  If he will
+not speak he shall be thrashed with the chicotte until he does."
+
+The man roughly grasped the boy by the shoulders and translated his
+master's words.  The captive slowly shook his head.
+
+"Fetch the chicotte," said Elbel sharply.  "We'll see what that will
+do."
+
+The man entered the tent, where the chicotte invariably lay ready to
+hand; and when he emerged the space in front of Elbel's quarters was
+filling with Askari and their followers flocking like vultures to the
+feast.  Samba, the son of Mboyo, chief of Banonga, was to be whipped.
+Boloko had caught him last night: he was a clever man, Boloko.  And
+Samba knew where the Inglesa got the water for his camp, the secret was
+to be cut from him by the chicotte.  That was good; it would be a sight
+to see.
+
+No time was lost.  Elbel signed to the man as he approached, and
+stepping back left him a clear space to swing the whip.  The negro
+prided himself upon his skill; as Elbel's servant, indeed, he had more
+opportunities of perfecting himself with this typical instrument of
+Congo government than falls to most.  He could deliver a stroke with
+great delicacy, raising only a long red weal upon the skin, or if the
+case called for real severity could cut the offender's flesh from his
+body almost as neatly as with a knife.
+
+In this case his master desired information; it was not a mere question
+of punishing a sullen defaulter.  He would begin gently lest the
+prisoner should lose the power of speech and shame the executioner
+before his master and the crowd.
+
+A slight convulsive shiver shook the boy's frame as the whip fell, but
+he clenched his teeth and no sound escaped him.  The man waited for a
+moment.
+
+"Will you tell?"
+
+There was no answer.
+
+Again the whip rose and fell, this time with a more vicious sound; it
+was answered by a low groan; but still to the same question there was
+no reply.
+
+By slow degrees the executioner increased the vigour of his stroke.
+The Askari applauded, and surely he was meriting praise from his
+master, for after many strokes the prisoner was quite conscious, as his
+pallid face and staring eyes and clenched teeth clearly showed.  And
+besides, did he not writhe and groan with every blow?
+
+But there is no reckoning with the vagaries of the white man.  The
+culprit's obstinate silence irritated Monsieur Elbel more and more as
+the punishment went on.  It was intolerable that he should be defied in
+this way.  It was a bad example to the natives.  Where would the white
+man's authority be if this kind of thing were permitted?  They would
+lose all respect: the collection of rubber would become a farce.
+Suddenly he blazed out in anger, snatched the whip from the hands of
+his servant, and, whirling it round his head, brought it down with all
+his force on the bruised and bleeding form.  It cut a deep purple gash
+in the boy's back; but Monsieur Elbel's wrath had come too late; before
+the lash fell Samba had fainted.
+
+Elbel hesitated for a moment; then, seeing that further punishment
+would be a mere waste of time, he gave a curt order.  They cut Samba's
+cords and carried him away.  He was to be whipped again to-morrow.
+
+
+That afternoon Lepoko came to Jack with a broad grin on his face.
+
+"Mbota come back, sah."
+
+"That's the scout of Massa Barney's who was captured, isn't it?"
+
+"Yussah!  He come back, sah.  Oh!  it make me laugh plenty much.
+Elobela send Mbota back; he say, 'You go back, cut off Lokolobolo him
+head.  Me gib you twenty, fousand, plenty, plenty brass rods!'  Mbota
+say, 'All same, massa.  Anyfing what massa like.  Me get plenty men
+what help.'  Den Mbota come back; he laugh, sah; Elobela plenty big
+fool fink him lib for hurt Lokolobolo."
+
+"Bring Mbota to me at once."
+
+When the man came, Jack got out of him a more lucid story than Lepoko
+had given.  Elbel had promised freedom and large rewards if he would
+stir up a revolt against Jack, or assassinate him.  The negro had
+readily promised, with no intention but to reveal the whole scheme to
+his beloved Lokolobolo.
+
+Jack was still talking to the man when he heard loud cries.  Running
+out of his hut, he found Barney clutching by the arm a strange negro,
+thronged about by a shouting crowd of the men of Ilombekabasi.
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"'Tis wan uv Elbel's men, sorr.  Lianza caught him in the forest, and
+brought him in.  The men are simply mad to get at him, sorr, especially
+since they've heard uv what Elbel said to Mbota."
+
+"Leave him to me.  I will deal with him."
+
+The men slowly dispersed.  Jack took the trembling negro to his hut and
+questioned him.
+
+"Do you know anything of Samba, the son of Mboyo and nephew of Boloko,
+one of your master's men?"
+
+Yes, he knew.--Was there a man in Elobela's camp who did not know?--who
+had not exulted when the news spread that Samba, the best of
+Lokolobolo's scouts, had been captured and was to pay the penalty?
+Surely not a man was absent when Samba suffered the torture.  Had not
+many of them tried in vain to discover the secret which Samba would be
+forced to betray?
+
+The scout described to Jack the whole pitiful scene, in the glowing
+language, with the telling dramatic gestures, which the negro has at
+command when he feels that his audience is interested.  And while the
+man told his story Jack went hot and cold by turns--cold with sheer
+horror of the scene conjured up by the man's vivid words, hot with a
+great wrath, a burning passionate desire to seek instant vengeance upon
+the evildoer.
+
+Bidding Barney keep the negro carefully under guard, he went back to
+his hut, at the entrance to which Mr. Arlington had been anxiously
+watching the scene.
+
+"It is devilish, sir," he burst out.  "Elbel not only offers rewards
+for assassinating me, but he uses his brutal whip on a boy, to force
+him to reveal the secret of our water supply.  Samba is probably
+half-dead--he fainted under the lash but would not betray us--brave
+little fellow!  Think of the agony he must have suffered!  And he is
+only one; thousands have suffered in the same way before him, and are
+suffering to-day in one part or another of this State.  Do you blame me
+now, sir?"
+
+"No, I don't blame you.  I am deeply sorry for the poor boy.  The whole
+thing is an outrage upon human nature, so revolting that any action
+that can be taken against it is fully justified.  I have been thinking
+over what we said the other day.  It is not for me to advise; indeed,
+my friends at home would open their eyes at the idea of my abetting
+resistance to authority; but I will give you my opinion.  You must hold
+your fort.  While the banner of revolt is kept flying there is always a
+prospect of forcing the hand of the officials in the direction of
+effective reform.  They have an enormous area to control--a disaffected
+area seething with indignation against bitter wrong.  A successful
+revolt will encourage outbreaks elsewhere.  If you can only hold out;
+if you can make yourself strong enough here in this remote corner to
+defy the authorities, it will be an opportunity of forcing the
+government to terms--to the granting of elementary rights of justice
+and liberty to its own subjects, and the throwing open of this
+sorely-afflicted country to free intercourse with the outside world."
+
+"Ah!  If only I can do it, sir!  But I can only hold the fort now by
+striking a blow at Elbel before his reinforcements join him.  If the
+forces unite, they will be strong enough to carry on a strict siege.
+Our food is giving out; the people have been for some time on half
+rations; they don't grumble, but it will have to be quarter rations
+soon, and then the end is not far off.  We must either surrender or
+trek."
+
+"If you have to trek, it would be better to do so at once, while you
+have food to take your party on your way."
+
+"Yes, we must either do that or thoroughly beat Elbel.  That would ease
+the pressure; the others would think twice before attacking us; they
+might even draw off until an overwhelming force could be brought
+against us.  That would give time for us to grow more crops, and for
+you to go back to England, sir, and raise your voice against this
+atrocious government."
+
+"I shall certainly do that.  But you talk of fighting Elbel; have you
+thought of the risk?"
+
+"Till my head aches with thinking.  I know that failure will mean ruin.
+It must be a smashing blow; pin-pricks are no good; and I can't smash
+him without taking a large force out of the fort.  If we were obliged
+to retreat we should be followed up; they might rush the fort, and
+there would be an end of everything."
+
+"It is a difficult position.  I can't help you; I am not a soldier--it
+seems to me you ought to be one, Mr. Challoner.  I could take no active
+part; I should in any case be little good.  I feel that you have landed
+me in a very awkward position," he added with a smile.  "But it can't
+be helped now; I can only wait and see you go through with it."
+
+At the back of Jack's mind there was another consideration which he did
+not mention.  He could not have said how far he allowed it to count.
+It was the bare chance of rescuing Samba--if Samba was still alive.  If
+it had been put to him, he would probably not have admitted it.  The
+good of the community could not be jeopardized by any action on behalf
+of an individual, whatever his claim; the circumstances were too
+critical.  But that the fate of Samba was an additional argument in
+favour of the course he was on other grounds inclined to adopt there
+can be no doubt.
+
+Next day the urgency of the situation was brought home to him.  Two
+fires were seen at the appointed spot; Makoko had done his work.  Five
+or six hours later, just after nightfall, Makoko himself came in.  He
+reported that one white man with twenty soldiers in two canoes, with
+many paddlers, had started up river in advance of the bulk of the
+force, which had now reached camp at the head of the rapids.  Jack
+guessed that the white man was the officer in command, probably the
+Captain Van Vorst of whom Elbel had spoken, coming ahead to view the
+position and select an encampment for his followers.
+
+About noon on the next day there was a great sound of jubilation from
+the camp below.  Van Vorst, if it was he, had arrived.  He must have
+travelled night and day, the river route being so much longer than the
+forest one that otherwise he could hardly have reached the camp in
+another twelve hours.  But his paddlers were no doubt pressed men from
+the riverine villages, costing nothing and having no rights, and a
+Congo State commandant in a hurry would not hesitate to drive them.
+
+In the afternoon a negro bearing a white flag was seen approaching the
+fort from the south.  He evidently expected to be admitted by the hole
+in the wall.  But at Jack's bidding Lianza of the brazen throat called
+to him to come round to the gate on the north; it was well to observe
+due order and ceremony.
+
+The man brought a note signed "Van Vorst," demanding the instant
+surrender of the fort.  In reply Jack wrote asking for the assurance
+that his people, having acted throughout in self defence against the
+illegalities of the Société Cosmopolite, should be guaranteed liberty
+to depart, and immunity except against the regular legal process of the
+courts.  In half an hour the messenger returned with a curt summons to
+unconditional surrender.  Jack sent back a polite refusal, feeling that
+he had now burnt his boats.
+
+Shortly afterwards he saw a party of three white men and about twenty
+State soldiers, all armed with rifles, making a tour round the
+position, keeping carefully under cover.  Through his field-glass Jack
+recognized Elbel, one of his subordinates, and one of the officers he
+had seen on the steamer.  Elbel pointed this way and that with
+outstretched hand, and appeared to be talking with some excitement.
+Occasionally they came within easy range of the fort, and Barney begged
+Jack to let the men fire upon them; but Jack resolutely stuck to his
+determination to refrain from provocation.
+
+The party by and by reached a position above the fort, near the spot
+whence the abortive barrel-rolling had been started.  From this place a
+small area of the fort enclosure was open to the view of the enemy.
+All at once Jack saw the strange officer take a rifle from one of the
+soldiers and raise it to his shoulder.  Jack instantly ordered his men,
+who were crowding the wall, to drop down out of sight.  The officer
+fired: there was a moment's silence; then Jack heard a great yell of
+rage from the men behind him.  Turning, he saw an old woman lying
+huddled in the centre of the enclosure.  Two calabashes lay near; she
+had been crossing the exposed portion of the area to fetch water from
+the tank when Van Vorst's bullet struck her.  A shout of delight from
+the negro soldiers up the hill acclaimed the successful shot of their
+officer; the old woman was quite dead.
+
+Jack went hot with rage.  And Mr. Arlington, who had witnessed the
+officer's action, was stirred out of his usual philosophic calm.
+
+"That is not an act of warfare, Mr. Challoner, but of sheer
+savagery--the act of a callous marksman showing off.  It invites
+reprisal."
+
+"You see how the State treats its subjects, Mr. Arlington.  They have
+taken cover; it's too late to fire now.  But it settles the matter for
+me.  The State has fired the first shot and killed a non-combatant.  I
+shall do my best this very night to deal the enemy a staggering blow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+Reaping the Whirlwind
+
+During the inaction of the past two days Jack had been carefully
+thinking out his plan.  Stout-hearted as he was, he felt oppressed by
+the difficulties of his position.  He had now four hundred men in all;
+scarcely a hundred of them were armed with rifles, and not more than
+fifty were practised shots.  How could he hope to dislodge from a
+stockaded camp more than seven hundred, of whom some two hundred and
+fifty, including Van Vorst's advance guard, were riflemen?  It seemed
+at the best a desperate hazard, but the alternative was worse, and
+having resolved upon his course he rejected all half measures.  Some
+few of his own men must be left in the fort, if only to prevent a
+panic; but those must be the minimum--he would need every man he could
+muster.  He was staking all on the cast of a die; it would never do to
+risk failure by timorousness in using all his effective combatant
+strength.  He would throw his whole available force against the enemy
+in one supreme effort to break and scatter him.
+
+The offensive, he knew, counted for much, especially with men who had
+not known defeat.  Where he and Barney led he felt sure they would
+follow.  But a check might be fatal.  A single well-directed volley
+from the enemy might sweep his little company of riflemen away, and his
+spearmen would then never get to close quarters.
+
+He gave full weight to all these considerations.  But having decided
+that the attempt must be made he devoted long hours of anxious thought
+to the devising of a plan that would give best promise of success.  He
+had to do his thinking alone.  Barney was a fighter, not a strategist.
+He could be trusted to strike hard and carry out orders to the minutest
+detail; he could not plan or organize.  Mr. Arlington and the
+missionary of course must not be consulted.  So that when Barney was
+called into Jack's hut that afternoon, it was to learn particulars of a
+scheme worked out by Jack alone.  When he left it an hour or two later,
+his eyes were glowing with a new light.
+
+"Sure 'tis me chance that has come at last!" he said to himself.
+
+
+It was two o'clock in the morning.  Ilombekabasi was astir.  Men and
+boys were moving this way and that.  The night was dark, but by the
+light of the small lamps kept burning before a few of the principal
+huts it could be seen that every face was tense with excitement and a
+subdued energy.  In one spot congregated the maimed people, armed with
+such weapons as they could wield, for the news that a great movement
+was intended had spread in the camp, and every man and many of the
+girls and women had begged to be allowed to bear arms.  Near the
+south-eastern blockhouse the bulk of the able-bodied men and boys were
+squatting, rifles and spears lying beside them.  At the gate in the
+north wall stood twenty-five men, the picked men of the corps, the men
+whom Lokolobolo had twice led out to victory.  There was Lepoko, all
+smiles and consequence.  There was Makoko, hugging his rifle as though
+he loved it.  There was Lianza of the brazen throat, and Lingombela the
+man of hard bargains, and Imbono, the prudent chief of Ilola, and
+Mboyo, solemn and silent, thinking of Samba.  On the ground lay a
+number of bundles and bales, large and small.
+
+A group approached the gate from Lokolobolo's hut.  Lokolobolo himself,
+and Barnio, as the natives called him, came first, walking slowly side
+by side.  Behind came Mr. Arlington, his strong features fixed
+impassively.  At his side was the litter of Mr. Dathan, borne by four
+negroes.
+
+"Is it quite clear?" said Jack to Barney.  "You have twenty good men
+here, besides another twenty of the maimed who may be of use in an
+emergency.  Batukuno will be left in command.  All the rest will go
+with you; yes, let the boys go; they can use their knives even if they
+cannot throw a spear.  Get them all paraded an hour before dark, ladder
+men first.  Keep them as quiet as you can.  Wait till you hear shots in
+the enemy's camp; that will be the signal.  Then send your men out,
+over the stockade by the south-eastern blockhouse; they can scramble
+down the slope there.  You had better take half of them first and form
+them up at the bottom.  The rest can follow as soon as they see you
+move off.  Lead them at the double straight down the hill and fling
+them at the stockade.  The second party will be just in time to support
+you if the first rush is checked.  But there must be no check; we
+daren't admit the possibility.  This is your job, Barney."
+
+"Amen, sorr.  For the honour uv ould Ireland and the sake uv these poor
+niggers I'll do me very best."
+
+"I know you will, old fellow."
+
+They grip hands, looking into each other's eyes.  This may be their
+last good-bye.  One long hand-clasp, one moment of tense emotion, then,
+clearing his throat, Jack gives an order to his men.  They stoop to
+their bundles, then file quietly out of the gate.  Each man has a
+package to carry, such a package as forms part of every white man's
+baggage in Africa: one a trunk, another a gun-case, a third a canvas
+bag, others bales of various kinds.  Two strong negroes at the end of
+the line bear, slung on ropes, a package, strangely shapeless, and to
+all appearance particularly heavy.
+
+The last has gone out into the darkness.  Then Jack turns once more.
+
+"Good-bye, Mr. Arlington."
+
+"Good-bye!  Success to you."
+
+"Good-bye, Mr. Dathan."
+
+"God help you, my dear lad," says the missionary.
+
+Then Jack too leaves Ilombekabasi, and the darkness swallows him up.
+
+Towards dusk on the following evening, a party of twenty-five carriers
+were marching through the forest in the direction of Elbel's stockaded
+camp.  In the midst were four men carrying a litter.  They followed the
+path leading from the river--the path along which Captain Van Vorst had
+come a few days earlier.  For some time they had been shadowed by a
+negro bearing the arms of a forest guard.  They paused for a few
+moments to rest, and the negro, apparently satisfied by his
+observations, came up and accosted them.
+
+"You are the servants of Mutela?"
+
+"Yes, that is so.  Has Mutela arrived?"
+
+Mutela was the native name for Van Vorst.
+
+"Oh yes!  He came two or three days ago."
+
+"Are we on the right road?"
+
+"Certainly.  The camp is but a little way beyond us.  I will lead you
+to it.  You have heavy loads."
+
+"Ah!  Mutela is a man of riches.  He has many pots, and many bottles,
+and very many coats for his back.  And guns too; see, here is his
+elephant rifle.  Mutela is a great hunter; a great man of war."
+
+"True, he is a great man of war.  Yesterday he killed a woman in the
+fort of the Inglesa.  I saw it.  I laughed; we all laughed; it was so
+funny!  But who is in the litter?"
+
+"A white officer.  Oh yes!  He is as great a man of war as Mutela.  But
+he is sick; white men so easily turn sick!  And he sleeps, although it
+is a rough road."
+
+"Aha!  It is a pity he is sick.  Mutela will be sorry.  Mutela is going
+to kill all the men in the Inglesa's fort.  Lokolobolo they call him.
+Aha! we shall see how strong he is!  See, there is the camp yonder
+through the trees."
+
+When the party were still within some yards of the gate, the scout gave
+a hail.  It was answered by a negro whose face appeared just above the
+stockade.  By the time the leading men reached the gate it had been
+thrown open by one of Elbel's European subordinates, and a crowd of
+negro soldiers and hangers-on was collected to witness the entrance of
+the white officer and Mutela's baggage.
+
+Lepoko, who had led the file, deposited his bundle just inside the gate
+and burst into a roar of laughter, holding his sides and bending his
+body in uncontrollable mirth.  He was soon surrounded by a crowd of
+negroes, to whom he began to relate a very funny story; how Ekokoli,
+the daring Ekokoli, had mounted a crocodile's back just below the
+rapids, and had a splendid ride.  The comical story set the throng
+laughing in chorus, and they begged to hear it again.  Meanwhile, the
+rest of the carriers had filed in with their burdens, the litter had
+been set down, and the white officer, though so sick, stepped out quite
+briskly to greet the Belgian, whose attention was divided between the
+laughing negroes and his guest.  At the same time the four bearers drew
+out from the litter a rifle apiece--for a sick man rifles surely made
+an uncomfortable couch!--and also half a dozen objects which to a man
+of Ilombekabasi would have looked suspiciously like fire-balls.  From
+the packages which lay near the gate each of the other carriers with a
+single pull abstracted a Mauser or an Albini; while the two men who had
+staggered along at the end of the line under the weight of a clumsy
+heavy bundle dropped it in the gateway with a thud that suggested the
+fall of a rock rather than a carrier's ordinary load.  It lay against
+the gate, preventing it from being closed.
+
+Lepoko was already telling his story for the second time.  Elbel's
+officer, about to speak to the sick white man, who had just stepped out
+of the litter, suddenly hesitated, wheeled round, and with a loud cry
+of alarm rushed toward the centre of the camp, where, in a large tent,
+Elbel was at that moment regaling Captain Van Vorst with a dinner that
+did much credit to his native cook.  His cry passed unnoticed by the
+delighted negroes whom Lepoko was so humorously entertaining.  But next
+moment they choked their guffaws, and, without waiting for the end of
+the story, scampered with more speed than grace after their white
+officer towards Elobela's tent.  What had startled them?  The sick man
+from the litter, after one hasty glance round, had suddenly fired into
+the air the rifle he bore.  And the carriers who seemed so tired and so
+glad to lay down their burdens had all at once sprung into feverish
+activity.  Dividing into two parties they had disappeared behind the
+huts nearest to the stockade on each side of the gateway, and if the
+hubbub had not been so great, an attentive listener might have heard
+sundry scratches that ensued upon their disappearance.  But there was
+no one to hear.  The garrison of the camp were rushing still towards
+the centre with loud cries; the carriers and the sick officer were no
+longer to be seen; and what was this?  Clouds of smoke, thick, acrid,
+suffocating, were floating on the south wind from the huts towards
+Elobela's tent.
+
+And now the camp was in an uproar.  Mingled with the yells of alarm
+were distinct cries, "Mutela!" "Elobela!" "Lokolobolo!"  And amid all
+the din came ever and anon the sharp piercing bark of a dog.
+
+Monsieur Guillaume Elbel, of the Société Cosmopolite du Commerce du
+Congo, had just opened a second bottle of Madeira for the delectation
+of his guest Captain Van Vorst, of the Congo State Forces.  The dinner
+had been a good one; the Captain had praised his cook, the best cook on
+the Congo; and Monsieur Elbel was in better humour than he had been
+since the arrival of the State troops.  He was even pleasantly boasting
+of the coming triumph at Ilombekabasi, and discussing what they should
+do with the Englishman after they had caught him, when sounds from
+outside so startled him that he poured the wine on to the tablecloth
+instead of into the glass, and interrupted himself with the sudden
+exclamation--
+
+"What's that?"
+
+He snatched up a rifle and hurried out, followed more slowly by his
+companion, who had seen too many camp quarrels to be greatly alarmed by
+this sudden outbreak.  Elbel at first could distinguish nothing in the
+confusion.  The short dusk of a tropical evening was already becoming
+darkness, but he could see that crowds of men were pouring out of the
+huts, rushing, hustling, in a state that was very like panic.  And a
+pungent smoke saluted his nostrils; it was drifting in great whorls
+northwards over the camp, and surely behind it he saw here and there
+little red flashes of flame.
+
+Who had fired that shot which had so shaken Monsieur Elbel's hand?  He
+did not know; it had been a single shot; surely the camp could not be
+attacked, for other shots would have followed long before this.  But
+the moment he appeared outside the tent a volley rang out, and Elbel
+saw that it was fired by his own men into the midst of the smoke.  He
+was hurrying across the camp to inquire into the meaning of all this
+when a volley flashed from the other direction--from the very heart of
+the smoke.  Shrieks proclaimed that some of the shots had told.
+"Fools!" cried Elbel, "don't you see they're screened by the smoke,
+whoever they are?  What's the good of firing when you can't take aim?
+Curse that dog!  I can't hear myself speak!"
+
+Another volley flashed from the smoke.  Men were dropping on every
+side; there were wild rushes for cover.  Soon the central space was
+deserted, and the panic-stricken garrison fled for shelter behind the
+huts on the north side of the camp.  While Elbel and Van Vorst were
+shouting themselves hoarse in a vain attempt to stem this tide of
+flight, the sergeant who had opened the gate had rushed to the north
+side, where Van Vorst's contingent were quartered, and hastily got them
+into some sort of order, together with those of Elbel's men who, having
+their huts on that side, has been less affected by the sudden alarm.
+Dividing the company of about a hundred men into two parties, he sent
+them skirmishing forward in the spaces between the huts towards the
+enemy he supposed to be approaching on the east and west.
+
+That enemy, however, was not approaching.  Jack had fired the huts and
+thrown the camp into confusion; his little party was not strong enough
+to turn the confusion to utter rout.  Its smallness would be perceived
+if he led it into the open; his was a waiting game.  The wisdom of his
+policy was soon proved.  A sharp volley came from the men whom the
+Belgian sergeant had got together.  Jack heard the man beside him groan
+heavily and fall to the ground; then he himself felt a stinging burning
+pain below the left knee.  He called to his men to keep within cover,
+and hastily bound a handkerchief about the wound.  And now the wind
+dropped, and the smoke which had hitherto screened his movements
+floated upwards.  A scattering volley from the enemy reduced his band
+by two more men.  The State troops were working round on each side of
+him; and the red glare from the burning huts was lighting up the whole
+camp.  It would soon be seen how small his little company was; then one
+determined rush would annihilate it.
+
+Less than four minutes had passed since he entered the gate; it seemed
+an age.  Would Barney never come?  Why was he delaying?  Surely he had
+heard the signal shot; surely by this time he must have seen the ruddy
+glare!  The enemy were regaining confidence; their cries of alarm were
+changed to yells of defiance.  Elbel and Van Vorst had taken command,
+one on each side; each was steadily moving down from the northern
+stockade towards the gate.  Barney, Barney, will you never come?
+
+Hark!  What is that?  The cries of the enemy are suddenly drowned in a
+babel of yells behind them.  They halt, amazed; Van Vorst shouts an
+order; the men wheel round and dash northwards, leaving only a few to
+watch the rear.  The Belgian sees now the meaning of this daring
+scheme.  What has he to gain by routing the little band behind?  Before
+him is pandemonium; a whole host must be upon him; here is the danger
+to be met.
+
+But he is too late!  "Lokolobolo!  Lokolobolo!"  Two hundred voices
+roar the name.  And Lokolobolo himself sees a portion of the northern
+stockade black with moving figures, and rifle barrels, spear heads,
+gleaming red in the light of the flaming huts.  Towards him rushes the
+greater part of the garrison, their first fright trebled.  These guards
+of the forest can fight unarmed despairing rubber collectors, but their
+hearts are as water when the villagers prove to be men.  Let the men in
+uniform, the clad soldiers of Bula Matadi, fight if they will; this is
+no place for forest guards; the gate! the gate!
+
+Van Vorst's handful of more disciplined men present a bolder front to
+the enemy.  But it would need many times the number he can muster to
+break the wave of exultant warriors now swarming over the stockade.
+There is Barney!  Jack sees him drop to the ground, brandishing in one
+hand a rifle, an ancient cutlass in the other.  "Hurroo! hurroo!" he
+shouts.  A second, no more, and then the crest of the wave breaks over
+the stockade into the camp.
+
+"Barnio!  Lokolobolo!"  With a great roar the men of Ilombekabasi
+follow their leader.  They are already sweeping the garrison like
+sea-wrack before them, when another wave comes tumbling behind, the
+shrill cries of boys mingling with the deeper shouts of the men.  See,
+they come, furiously, irresistibly!  And who is this?  A tall
+white-clad figure springs over with the movement of a hurdle-racer.  It
+is Mr. Arlington himself, stirred for the nonce out of his habitual
+calmness, caught up and carried away in this roaring current.
+
+The enemy fire once, then, though Van Vorst may rave and storm, they
+turn their backs and flee helter-skelter for the gate.  "Lokobololo!
+Barnio!"  The tempestuous war-cries pursue them.  Struggling, yelling,
+they converge to the narrow gateway.  It is jammed, wedged tight with
+human forms, squeezed by the presence of the frantic crowd behind into
+a solid mass of feebly struggling wretches lost to all consciousness
+but that of a great fear.  The weaker men fall and are trampled to
+death; the stronger push and pull, and scramble over the fallen, mad
+with fright.  Some win through or over, and rush with blind haste into
+the forest.  Others, despairing of escape by that one constricted
+outlet, climb the palisade.  Some impale themselves on the
+sharp-pointed stakes, and, hapless benefactors! serve as gangways for
+their comrades who follow.
+
+Seeing the utter rout of the enemy, Jack had already ordered his men to
+cease fire.  His end was gained; he had no lust for useless slaughter.
+But although Makoko and Lingombela and the rest with him loyally
+obeyed, nothing could check the storming party.  They heard nothing,
+saw nothing, but the enemy in front.  Not one of them but had a father,
+or mother, a wife or child, to avenge--a ruined home, a blasted life.
+As well attempt to bridle the whirlwind as this infuriate flood.  On
+and on they pressed, past the spot where Jack held his men in leash;
+and as they ran they shot and stabbed, yelling "Barnio!  Lokolobolo!"
+And as they were accustomed to receive no mercy, so now, in this hour
+of retribution, they gave none.
+
+As Jack made his way towards the gateway, hoping to do something to
+ensure quarter for the fleeing wretches, he caught sight of a figure
+crawling painfully forth from a burning hut.  At one moment he
+recognized the man and the man him.
+
+"Nando!" he cried.
+
+"Sabe me, massa!"
+
+"Getaway to the other end.  Wait for me there.  Any other men in the
+hut?"
+
+"No, massa, no! only me!"
+
+But as he turned to run Jack heard the bark which ever and anon had
+struck his ears during these full minutes, and felt a tug at his coat.
+The cloth, already tattered, gave way; but Pat caught his trousers,
+then ran a little way ahead, then back again, then once more towards
+the burning hut.  Tearing off his coat, Jack wrapped it round his head
+and dashed in.  The smoke was so dense that nothing could be seen save
+here and there spurts of flame.  Scarcely able to breathe he flung
+himself on the ground and began to grope round the right of the hut.
+By and by his hands touched a human body, and then the shaggy coat of
+the terrier.  Lifting the body in both arms he staggered with it to the
+entrance, guided by the dog's barks.  He gasped and drew long breaths
+when once again he came into the open air; but as he laid his burden
+upon the ground he stumbled and fell beside it, sick and dizzy.
+
+[Illustration: Samba rescued from the burning hut]
+
+He was unconscious but for a few moments.  When he came to himself and
+sat up, he saw that Samba lay in his father's arms.  Mboyo was sobbing,
+rocking his body to and fro, murmuring endearing words.  Pat was
+stretched beside him, his eyes fixed on Samba, his ears pricked forward.
+
+"He dies, O Lokolobolo!" said Mboyo piteously, seeing Jack rise.
+
+"No, no!  Get water!  Take him to the other end of the camp.  I will
+come to you when I can."
+
+Jack hurried off.  Many of the huts were blazing; now that the fire had
+done its part it must be checked, or the stores and ammunition which
+would be invaluable in Ilombekabasi would be destroyed.  Collecting
+such of the men as had not dashed out of the camp in pursuit of the
+enemy, Jack set them to beat out the flames where they could, and to
+demolish one or two of the still unburnt huts that were most in danger
+of catching fire.  Luckily the wind had dropped; there was little risk
+of sparks or cinders flying through the air.
+
+Then he set some of the boys to make torches, and by their light he
+surveyed the camp.  He shuddered as he passed over the scene of the
+disastrous flight and pursuit.  The forms of dead and wounded lay
+scattered over the ground.  He ordered Nando and other of Mr.
+Martindale's carriers who had been left in the camp to attend the
+wounded as well as they were able, and sternly forbade the despatching
+of those of the enemy who were still alive but unable through injuries
+to escape.  Then he went towards the gate.  It was with a shock that he
+saw, amid the black bodies crushed to death in the gateway, the
+white-clad form of Van Vorst.  In that terrible struggle for precedence
+the white man's skin had not saved him.  But he was the only European
+left in the camp; Jack looked for Elbel and his subordinate; they were
+nowhere to be seen.
+
+Complete darkness had settled over the country, and put a stop to the
+pursuit.  Jack's men began to return, at first in ones and twos, by and
+by in groups that grew larger as the night drew on.  They came laughing
+and singing; once more Elobela, even aided by Mutela, had been beaten
+by Lokolobolo.  What a night it was for the men of Ilombekabasi!  And
+Barnio!--was it not Barnio who had led them to the stockade with that
+wild war-cry of his?  They must not forget Barnio! and Lianza made a
+song as he marched back to the camp:
+
+  Barnio!  Barnio!
+  Down from the forty
+  From Ilombekabasi,
+  Dashed in the night,
+  Sought Elobela,
+  Cruel Mutela.
+  Hurroo!  Hurroo!
+  Barnio leads,
+  After him black men,
+  Hundreds and thousands,
+  Sweep like the wind,
+  Rage like the torrent,
+  Over the wall.
+  Hurroo!  Hurroo!
+  Big clouds of smoke,
+  Forests of flame,
+  Into the midst,
+  Barnio!  Barnio!
+  Over the wall,
+  Into the camp,
+  Straight for the gate
+  Barnio rushes,
+  After him black men.
+  Hurroo!  In the gate
+  Thousands of black men,
+  Only one white man,
+  Cruel Mutela!
+  Ha!  He will never,
+  Never whip black men,
+  Never kill women,
+  Never kill children,
+  Laugh again never!
+  Dead is Mutela!
+  Why do we sing?
+  Why do we laugh?
+  Whom do we praise?
+  Barnio!  Barnio!
+  Lokolobolo!
+  Friends of Imbono,
+  Friends of the black men
+  Of Ilombekabasi.
+  Hurroo!
+  Begorra!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+Sinews of War
+
+Barney came back to the camp tired out.  Following up the only party
+that seemed to have cohesion after leaving the fort--a party led by the
+Belgian sergeant--he had soon found himself left far behind in the
+race.  But his men had done their work thoroughly; they had dispersed
+the band, few of whom escaped.
+
+"'Twas for this I was born, sorr," said Barney as he gripped Jack's
+hand.  "Sure I'll be a fighter for iver more."
+
+"You did splendidly, old fellow.  I knew all was well when I heard your
+hurroo!  But there are five hundred men roaming the country and only a
+score of able-bodied men in our fort.  We must look after that.  Get
+fifty fellows together and send them back under Imbono, Barney."
+
+"And what'll ye be afther doing yourself, sorr?"
+
+"Oh!  I'm going down to the river.  The job's only half done while that
+flotilla is intact.  I'm going to have a shot at it before the enemy
+get over their fright.  I'll take a couple of hundred men with me.
+You'll keep a hundred and remove all the stores and ammunition here to
+the fort; get the women and children to help; you can light the way
+with flares.  When the camp's empty burn it.  And look after Samba,
+Barney; he's here, nearly dead, poor little chap!  Mboyo's got him;
+we'll go and see how he is getting on."
+
+Making their way to the north side of the camp they found Samba laid on
+the floor of a hut, his father on one side of him, Pat on the other.
+The dog leapt up excitedly when he saw his master, and invited him with
+a yelp to come and see Samba.  By the light of a torch Barney tenderly
+examined the boy.  He was conscious, and smiled, even though he winced
+under the gentlest of touches.
+
+"Ochone!  Ochone!" exclaimed Barney.  "'Tis the divil's own work, sorr.
+His poor flesh is wan jelly.  By all the holy powers, if I catch that
+murdering ruff'n uv a fellow, that Elbel----  And I've no ointment at
+all at all.  Bedad! but now I remimber Mr. Arlington has a whole
+docthor's shop in wan uv his traps, and if he hasn't got boracic
+ointment among his stuff, sure I'll think a mighty deal less uv him.
+'Twill take a month or more, sorr, to heal all the wounds on this poor
+body; but we'll do it, plase God! and make a man of him yet."
+
+"He dies, O Lokolobolo?" said Mboyo, looking up yearningly into Jack's
+face.
+
+"No, Barnio says no.  He is very ill, but in a month he may be well,
+and Barnio says he is going to make a man of him."
+
+"Bolotsi O!  Bolotsi O!" cried the negro, slapping his thighs.  "N'dok
+'olo aiyoko!"[1]
+
+He laughed and clapped his hands like a child.
+
+"It was Pat that showed me where Samba was," said Jack to Barney.
+"Nando was tied up in a hut with him--he must have been captured with
+dear old Uncle--and the wretch saved himself by burning his ropes
+through and left Samba to perish in the flames.  Pat dragged me to the
+spot."
+
+"The darlint is worth his weight in gold," cried Barney delighted.
+"That's twice he has saved Samba, sorr.  Black men and white men are
+brothers, or ought to be, and there's niver a doubt that dogs are
+cousins at the very least.  And beggin' your pardon, sorr, I'll take a
+pleasure in kicking Nando whin I get a look uv him.  'Tis a little
+military discipline he needs, to be sure."
+
+"You can give him that in the fort.  And by the way, you'll find a lot
+of rifles here; the enemy either hadn't time to get hold of them or
+else threw them away.  Arm some of our spearmen; they can tell the
+muzzle from the stock at any rate, and if any attempt is made to rush
+the fort they could do a good deal of damage at close quarters.  And
+keep scouts out.  We don't know the exact whereabouts of Van Vorst's
+main body, and it won't do to risk anything.  But I hope you won't have
+any trouble."
+
+Bidding Barney farewell, Jack called up Makoko and Lingombela, and sent
+them out with orders to discover the exact position of the flotilla,
+and to return at daybreak.  An hour afterwards, with a hundred and
+fifty picked spearmen, sixty rifles, and a body of carriers with food
+for three days, he began a night march to the river.  He himself was
+unable to walk.  His wound was becoming more and more painful, but he
+had said nothing about it to Barney, being resolved not to spare
+himself while anything remained to be done to complete his work.  Four
+men, relieved at frequent intervals, carried him in the litter of which
+he had made such effective use to gain an entrance to the enemy's camp.
+This time, he thought with a smile, there was no pretence about it.
+
+He guessed that Van Vorst's flotilla would be found about half way
+between Ilola and the spot where Mr. Martindale's canoes had been
+hidden.  It was one day's march across country, a much longer distance
+by the river.  For some hours he followed the path on which his uncle
+and he had been escorted by the Askari.  The recollection of that march
+brought sad thoughts to his mind.  Lying in the litter amid his men, as
+the column wound its slow way along the forest track, the red glare of
+their torches throwing weird shadows around, he had plenty of time for
+melancholy reflections.  The incidents of his uncle's last days were
+burnt into his memory.  He remembered the drawn, wasted features, now
+pale with exhaustion, now bright with the hectic flush of fever; the
+quick uneasy breath; the slow labouring voice.  He remembered the tale
+of persecution and wrong.  More than all he remembered the earnest,
+passionate words in which the dying man had bequeathed to him the cause
+of the Congo natives, and besought him to use his utmost strength on
+their behalf.  "Dear old Uncle!" he thought; "I am trying to do what
+you would have wished me to do.  I can't do much; this is only a small
+corner of the plague-ridden country; how many thousands of poor people
+are without even such help as I can give!  But it will be something if
+only the few hundreds in Ilombekabasi can regain and keep a little of
+their former happiness; and Uncle would be pleased; he is pleased, if
+he knows."
+
+Then the other side of the picture stood out sharply to his mental
+view.  He saw the fleeing crowds of the enemy; the jammed gateway; the
+camp enclosure strewn with dead and wounded.  Once or twice, even, his
+marching column came upon wounded men, too weak to crawl away into the
+bush, and he could do nothing for them.  This terrible loss of life,
+this misery--was not this too due to the evil government of a monarch
+who, far away, in wealth and luxury and ease, spoke with two
+voices--one the voice of beneficence, benignity, zeal for peace and
+good order; the other the voice of greed, avarice, the callous demand
+for riches even at the price of blood?  "Botofé bo le iwa!  Rubber is
+death!"--the woful proverb haunted him like a knell: death to the
+dwellers in this well-favoured land, death to the minions of the power
+that oppressed them, death to those who, like his uncle, dared to make
+a stand for freedom and found themselves engulfed in the whirlpool of
+injustice and wrong.
+
+As Jack approached the river, these gloomy thoughts gave way to the
+necessities of the moment.  Lepoko, leading the column, announced that
+the river was very near.  Then Jack ordered the torches to be put out,
+and the men to creep forward even more silently than they had already
+done.  Had news of the storming of the camp been carried, he wondered,
+by fugitives to the flotilla?  Since they had left the direct path to
+the river and struck obliquely towards it there had been no sign of
+fugitives.  He supposed that the scared enemy had kept to the route
+they knew, and would follow the river bank until they reached the
+canoes.  This involved many extra miles through the winding of the
+stream, unless the flotilla had come farther up than he thought was
+likely.
+
+The principal danger was that some of Elbel's scouts, knowing the
+country better than the majority of the garrison, might already have
+taken the short cut Jack was now taking and would reach the flotilla
+before him.  There were two white officers in charge; they might set
+off at once to the relief of their superior and reach the fort while
+Jack was still absent.  Would Barney be strong enough to hold out
+against them?
+
+The march was continued with brief rests throughout the night.  Shortly
+after dawn a man sprang panting out of the thicket to the right of the
+path, and hurried to Jack's litter.
+
+"O Lokolobolo!" he cried, "I have news!"
+
+Jack saw that it was Lofundo, sub-chief of Akumbi.
+
+"It was in the smoke and the flame, Lokolobolo.  I saw Elobela, with
+fear in his face, climb over the fence and rush out into the night.
+After him I sprang--I, and Bolumbu, and Iloko, and others.  It was
+Elobela, the cruel, the pitiless!  After him, into the night! but first
+Iloko tired, then Bolumbu, then the others.  I, Lofundo, I did not
+tire; no; was it not Elobela whose men ill-used and slew my people and
+burnt my village, and who with his own hands flogged my son?  I ran and
+ran, hot on his trail, and in the morning light I came up with him, and
+saw him with fear in his face; and I had my knife; and now Elobela is
+dead, yonder, in the forest."
+
+"Is it far, Lofundo?"
+
+"A little march in the forest, Lokolobolo."
+
+Jack had himself carried to the spot.  There, beneath a tree, covered
+with felled branches and leaves to protect it from beasts, lay the
+stark body of Guillaume Elbel.  Jack could not help pitying the wretch
+whose zeal in an evil cause had brought him to so miserable an end.
+But as he thought of the misery this man had caused--the ruined homes,
+the desolated lives: as he remembered his uncle, lying in his lonely
+grave, and Samba, lacerated by this man's cruel whip, pity froze within
+him.
+
+"Cover him up," he said.
+
+He waited while his men buried Elbel, there at the foot of the tree.
+
+"Let us go!" he said; "we have work to do."
+
+When Jack's column, according to Lepoko, was still an hour's march from
+the river, Lingombela, one of the advance scouts, came back with a
+negro in his grasp.  He had captured him, said Lingombela, as he was
+running from the river into the forest.  Jack questioned the man
+through Lepoko.  He said that his name was Bandoka, and he had been a
+paddler in Mutela's flotilla, and had suffered many times from the
+chicotte; he showed the marks on his back.  Just after daybreak several
+men had come rushing madly into the clearing on the river bank where
+the soldiers of Bula Matadi had halted for the night.  There was great
+confusion in the camp.  He had heard it said among the paddlers that
+there had been a fight up the river at the Inglesa's fort, and that the
+men of Elobela had been badly beaten.  The paddlers had already heard
+the name of Lokolobolo.  The fugitives said that Mutela was sorely in
+need of help, and the white officer had at once started up the river in
+swift canoes, with most of the fighting men, leaving the rest to follow
+with the carriers.  In the confusion attending the departure of the
+force with three days' stores, Bandoka had contrived to slip away into
+the forest.  He would rather brave anything than endure further service
+with Bula Matadi.
+
+Jack's first thought on hearing this news was that it simplified his
+position.  The Congo officers had two days' journey before them; it was
+strange if he, with his lightly equipped force of men thoroughly
+acquainted with the country, knowing the short cuts through the forest,
+the fordable places on the river, could not do much to impede and
+harass their advance.  But on subsequent reflection a still bolder
+course suggested itself to him.  Was it possible to cut off the main
+body from its stores?  The fighting men under their white commander had
+already started up the river; the stores would follow more slowly;
+Jack's line of march would strike the river at a point between the two
+portions of the enemy's force.  If he could capture the stores, would
+he not have the main body at his mercy?
+
+"How many fighting men are left to escort the canoes?" he asked.
+
+"Him say no can tell.  He run away plenty soon; plenty much nise, all
+talk one time."
+
+In the absence of precise information Jack could only conjecture.  The
+news brought by the fugitive from Elbel's camp was such that a force
+despatched in support would probably consist of at least two-thirds of
+the available combatant strength.  The officer must be aware that a
+body of men that could defeat Elbel with his seven hundred mixed troops
+could scarcely be met with less than two hundred and fifty rifles.  No
+doubt he would expect to be joined by some of Elbel's men; the full
+magnitude of the disaster would hardly be known; and like any other
+white commander he would be inclined to discount the alarmist reports
+of the fugitives.  It would be safe to assume, thought Jack, that not
+more than a hundred rifles had been left with the stores.  How many of
+the paddlers were also fighting men, how many impressed like Bandoka,
+it was impossible to guess.
+
+"Bandoka is sure the white officers are not coming through the forest?"
+he asked, as the bare chance of meeting them occurred to him.
+
+"Sartin sure, massa.  Dey come in boats.  Bandoka he fit to paddle in
+white man's canoe.  'No, no,' he say; 'me no like dat.  White man lib
+for go too fast; me know what dat mean; dat mean chicotte!'  Den he run
+away, sah."
+
+"Well, I wish I knew a little more about the men with the stores."
+
+"Know plenty more one time," said Lepoko, pointing ahead.  "Dat am
+Makoko."
+
+Makoko, a scout in a thousand, had brought just the news Jack most
+desired.  He had counted the fighting men on the canoes: there were a
+hundred and ten with rifles and more than two hundred with spears.  On
+each cargo canoe there was a rifleman--to encourage the paddlers,
+thought Jack.  The flotilla had just started when Makoko left the
+river, at least two hours after the main body had left.  One white
+officer had gone with the swift canoes, a second remained with the
+stores.  The line of boats was headed by two large war canoes, each
+containing twenty riflemen besides the paddlers; and two similar canoes
+similarly manned brought up the rear.
+
+It was clear to Jack that the enemy was doing everything possible to
+hasten progress.  But the canoes were heavily laden, and the paddlers
+had the stream against them.  Meanwhile Barney must be warned of the
+approaching expedition.  Jack was not anxious about the fate of the
+fort.  Behind the walls Barney's hundred and twenty riflemen and three
+times as many spearmen could easily hold their own.  The enemy's
+machine gun, a deadly weapon in the open, would be of little use
+against stone walls.  So, confident in Barney's ability to sit tight,
+Jack sent Lingombela back through the forest to give him timely notice
+of the troops coming towards him by the river.
+
+The arrangements made by the officer in charge of the convoy of stores,
+as reported by Makoko, were well enough adapted for progress through a
+country in which the natives, even if hostile, were armed only with
+bows and arrows or spears.  By keeping in mid-stream the canoes were
+practically out of danger from the banks, and an enemy on the water
+could be effectively dealt with by the leading canoes, carrying a
+strong force of riflemen armed with Albinis.  The similar force acting
+as a rearguard discouraged any tendency on the part of the crews of the
+store-boats to bolt down stream.  And each canoe had a forest guard
+ready with a chicotte to stimulate the paddlers' zeal.
+
+Jack felt sure that by setting an ambush at a suitable point he could
+produce a panic among the guards and paddlers almost as effectual for
+his purpose as the panic in Elbel's camp.  But he had a not unnatural
+shrinking from such a course.  An ambuscade--concealing oneself to
+shoot another man down--went against the grain with him.  He knew that
+it was fair by all the rules of warfare, and warfare had been thrust
+upon him by the State troops.  But he preferred if possible to attain
+his end by other means, involving the minimum of bloodshed and
+suffering.  The scenes in Elbel's camp and in the forest were too fresh
+in his memory for him to court a repetition of this wholesale
+destruction, even of the savages who wore the uniform of King Leopold.
+
+The disposition of the enemy's forces suggested a plan whereby his end
+might be gained with little or no serious fighting.  If the plan failed
+there still remained the alternative of an attack in force on the
+long-drawn-out line of the flotilla.
+
+He had noticed, when coming up the river to Ilola with his uncle, that,
+about half a day's paddling from the flotilla's point of departure, the
+channel was divided by a small island.  Only on the near side was the
+river navigable at this season, even by canoes; on the other side the
+channel was wide but shallow, thickly beset by sandbanks.  By striking
+to the left and taking a short cut through the forest known to Makoko,
+the river bank opposite this island could be reached in two hours' hard
+marching.  There would still be a good margin of time to make all
+necessary arrangements for carrying out his plan before the head of the
+convoy came into view.  The men had already had a couple of hours'
+rest; the worst of their fatigue after the night march was gone; there
+was now no time to be lost, and Jack gave the order to move off under
+Makoko's lead.
+
+Before midday the troops were halted opposite the island, a
+lozenge-shaped eyot about a third of a mile in length and a hundred
+yards across, covered with rank vegetation and patched with one or two
+clumps of large trees.  On reaching the spot Jack left his litter to
+superintend the men's work, in spite of his stiff leg.  He posted
+scouts in each direction, up and down the river, to guard against
+surprise, then set the men to cut a large number of tough creepers
+which abounded in the forest, and by twisting and knotting the tendrils
+to make a rope about eighty yards long.  While this was being done with
+marvellous speed by the expert negroes, a few saplings were uprooted
+and lashed together to form a raft, too slight indeed for serious
+navigation, but strong enough to convey a few men at a time across the
+river.  When the rope was finished one end was taken across to the eyot
+and firmly secured to one of the large trees; the other end was left
+for the present loose.  The place where the rope entered the water on
+each side was carefully screened from view, and a few stones attached
+to it at intervals sank it beneath the surface of the stream.
+
+Jack directed the work untiringly, encouraging the workers with praise.
+
+"Bravo!" he cried, when all was done.  "Now we'll have some chop,
+Lepoko."
+
+"Plenty hungry, massa," returned the man.  "Men all want to know
+somefing, massa."
+
+"Well, what is it?"
+
+"Dey say: 'Lokolobolo make us do plenty fings.  What for?  We lib for
+do anyfing for Lokolobolo; no fit to know what for.'  Dat am what dey
+say, sah."
+
+Jack smiled.
+
+"Well, Lepoko, I'll tell you in confidence, and I know it won't go any
+further.  We're going to see an exhibition of swimming."
+
+"Me no like big talk like dat," said Lepoko, looking puzzled.
+
+"Here's little talk, then.  Men no want to swim; we want to see them
+swim.  Savvy?"
+
+"Me know all 'bout dat, sah," cried Lepoko delighted, and he went off
+to tell the men, Jack smiling at their satisfaction with an explanation
+that explained so little.
+
+The whole force had a meal, keeping almost perfect silence in obedience
+to an impressive order from Jack.  They were concealed within the
+forest fringe.  When the meal was finished a dozen men with rifles were
+sent across to hide themselves amid the vegetation on the island, and
+all waited with rifles ready.
+
+Presently the scout from down stream came running up with the news that
+the leading canoes of the flotilla were approaching a bend in the river
+half a mile below the eyot.  The paddlers, who had apparently had a
+meal and a rest, were sending the canoes along at a good rate.  Jack
+bade twelve of his men grasp the rope of creepers, and stand ready to
+pull when he gave the word.  There was dead silence among the troops.
+They heard the enemy drawing near--the songs of the paddlers, the
+chatter of the fighting men, occasionally a yell as the chicotte fell
+with stinging force upon a paddler's back.  Jack watched from his coign
+of vantage in the bush.  There were the two war canoes as Makoko had
+described them; in the second of them was a white officer.  They passed
+the eyot.  Then came the store canoes, one after another, keeping about
+the same distance apart.  Jack forgot to count them, for he was beyond
+measure delighted to see in one of them the shield of the machine gun.
+"What luck!  What tremendous luck!" he thought.  "Where the shield is
+the gun is sure to be."  The last of the store canoes passed.  Then, at
+a little longer interval than separated the store canoes, came the
+first war canoe of the rearguard, the second about a boat's length
+behind.  Jack signed to his twelve men to be ready.  Watching carefully
+the point at which the rope entered the water and the point on the
+opposite side where it reached the eyot, he waited for the first of the
+war canoes to approach the line.  The nose of the vessel was within two
+or three yards of the rope when he gave his men the signal.
+
+With desperate energy the twelve sturdy negroes hauled on the rope.
+Jack could not have timed the movement more fortunately.  As the rope
+became taut and rose to the surface it struck the bottom of the canoe
+about a fourth of its length from the bow.  The united pull of the
+twelve men lifted the forepart of the vessel bodily from the water; the
+stern dipped under, and in a moment the canoe filled and its occupants
+were struggling in the water.
+
+At any other time such a feat would have provoked yells of triumph from
+the performers.  It was a tribute to Jack's discipline that his men
+made no other sound than a grunt of satisfaction, which must be
+entirely smothered by the shouts of the men in the water.  And at a
+word from Jack they rushed at full speed down stream with the rope,
+holding it a few inches above the gunwale level of the last canoe, the
+crew of which were frantically back-paddling to escape the mysterious
+fate of the other.  But the paddlers had not got into their swing when
+the rope, stretched tight between the fastening on the eyot and the
+running men, overtook them.  It caught them about the knees; they were
+swept from the thwarts, and fell towards the opposite bank; and the
+sudden weight on the starboard side turned the canoe completely over.
+Not half a minute from the time when Jack gave the first sign the whole
+of the rearguard was out of action.  In mortal dread of crocodiles the
+men swam desperately for the banks, some on one side, some on the
+other; but as they landed they fell an easy prey to Jack's men, and
+were promptly hauled into the forest and tied up.
+
+But while they were still in the water the news of the disaster had
+been communicated with marvellous rapidity from canoe to canoe, and
+reached the head of the flotilla and the white officer.  Standing up
+and lifting his field glass to his eyes he could just see, over the
+intervening vessels, a capsized canoe, a number of men swimming in the
+river, and others moving on the bank.  There was no sign of the cause
+of the disaster.  The paddlers indeed were shouting "Lokolobolo!
+Lokolobolo!" in accents of terror; but the name appeared to convey
+nothing to the lieutenant, who was disposed to attribute the upset to a
+hippopotamus or a snag.
+
+Certainly it was causing a great deal of confusion in the flotilla, and
+some of the paddlers, the rearguard being removed, seemed inclined to
+turn their canoes and head down stream.  It was very annoying.
+Shouting to the men in the leading war canoe to paddle just enough to
+keep their vessel stationary against the stream, the lieutenant hurried
+to the scene of the accident.  On the way the shouts of the paddlers
+became more coherent; what was this they were saying?  Ilombekabasi?
+Absurd!  But it was as well to prepare for anything that might occur,
+so the officer ordered his men to be ready to fire when he gave the
+word.  At present he saw nobody to fire at.
+
+His canoe was going rapidly on the current towards the eyot when a
+volley flashed from the undergrowth on the right bank, and he heard the
+shots strike the side of his vessel.  The effect of the discharge at a
+range of only thirty yards was instantaneous.  Jack had ordered his men
+to aim at or near the waterline; not a man had been hit; but the
+paddlers waited for no more.  With one accord they sprang overboard and
+swam for the nearest shore, that of the eyot.  One or two of the
+soldiers replied to the volley, aiming hap-hazard at the bank; the rest
+awaited the order of their officer, who, however, was either dazed by
+the unexpected attack or unwilling to waste ammunition by aimless
+firing into the bush.  The boat meanwhile was drifting down the stream:
+a second volley bored another score of tiny holes in the thin side.
+The occupants were without paddlers or paddles; they had no means of
+beaching the vessel; and Jack, watching her progress, felt that it was
+only a question of minutes before, riddled like a sieve, she would have
+shipped enough water to sink her.  Then the occupants, officer and men,
+would share the fate of their comrades.  He sent Makoko with twenty
+rifles and twice as many spearmen to the nearest point where the
+hapless party might be expected to land; and at the same time he
+despatched a band of the same size up river to deal with the war canoe,
+which had by this time gone out of sight.
+
+In a few minutes the lieutenant and his men struggled one after another
+up the bank.  Those who retained their weapons were unable to use them,
+for they were dripping wet.  Jack's men dealt with them as with the
+others, leaving the white officer, however, unbound.  Him they led to
+Jack, who commiserated the crestfallen man on his unfortunate plight,
+and promised him excellent treatment if he made no attempt to escape.
+
+For some time Jack's party had made no further effort to conceal
+themselves.  The store canoes had been moving aimlessly about the
+river, the paddlers not knowing whether to go ahead or to retreat.  At
+Jack's bidding Lepoko now ordered them to beach their vessels,
+promising that Lokolobolo would protect them, and, if they pleased,
+would take them into his service.  They obeyed with alacrity, and soon
+the whole of the stores and the machine gun were in Jack's possession.
+He wondered why the latter had not been taken up the river with the
+main body, and questioning the officer, learnt that in the haste and
+confusion one of the parts of the gun could not be found, and but for
+the delay in searching for it he himself would have arrived an hour or
+more earlier.
+
+The capture of the convoy had been effected so quickly that Jack felt
+there might still be time by a forced march to reach the fort before
+the arrival of the enemy's main column.  Hastily selecting from the
+stores such food and other articles as he urgently needed, and taking
+care to bring with him the machine gun, he made instant preparations to
+return.  He placed Makoko in charge of the flotilla, with a body of
+thirty riflemen and eighty spearmen, ordering him to drop down the
+river half a day's paddling and await further instructions.  He
+arranged for a chain of messengers to keep up communication between
+Makoko and himself; then he set out with the bulk of his force for
+Ilombekabasi, sending a scout to order the men who had gone up river to
+join him across country as soon as they had captured the only remaining
+canoe.
+
+
+
+[1] Now I am well.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+Summons and Surrender
+
+Two days after, on a strip of open ground half-way between Ilombekabasi
+and Elbel's ruined camp, a group of six negroes were assembled.  Three
+of them were in the uniform of the State troops; the other three were
+Lepoko, Imbono, and Mboyo.  All were unarmed.  In the midst of the
+group were two rough chairs such as were used by native chiefs.  The
+southern wall of Ilombekabasi was thronged with men, women, and
+children eagerly surveying the scene; lower down the hill the State
+troops, in a rude encampment hastily constructed on the previous day,
+were drawn up in orderly ranks, and gazed north with equal intentness.
+
+All at once a great cry of "Lokolobolo!" rent the air, and floated down
+the hill from the fort to the camp.  No answering shout met it.  But an
+officer in white left the camp and walked slowly up the slope.  At the
+same time a tall figure in tattered garments of European cut limped out
+of the fort, and moved downwards.  The group of negroes fell apart as
+the white men arrived.  The latter touched their helmets in military
+salute; and the younger of the two smilingly motioned to the elder to
+seat himself on one of the chairs, he himself taking the other.  They
+sat facing each other, and the negroes moved a few paces back on each
+side.
+
+The two men formed a strange contrast: the one, a tall slim young
+fellow not yet nineteen, his bronzed face clean shaved, showing firm
+well-cut lips and an obstinate kind of chin; his nose prominent, his
+brown eyes large and searching, his hair black as night and somewhat
+unruly; not a handsome face, but a strong one, worth looking at twice
+and not easily forgotten: the other nearly as tall, but much broader
+and more stiffly built; some ten years older; lips and chin concealed
+by thick brown moustache and beard, blue irritable eyes blinking
+through big spectacles under fierce and shaggy brows.
+
+"Instead of replying to your summons to surrender, Monsieur Jennaert,"
+said Jack slowly in his best French, "I thought it better to meet you,
+so that we might clearly understand each other.  I am obliged to you
+for so readily agreeing to my proposal."
+
+The Belgian bowed.
+
+"Yours, monsieur, is the third or fourth summons of the same kind.
+Monsieur Elbel summoned us----"
+
+"Where is Monsieur Elbel, monsieur?"
+
+"Monsieur Elbel, monsieur, is dead."  Lieutenant Jennaert started.
+
+"Dead, monsieur?"
+
+"Yes, he was pursued into the forest by a man whose son he had
+thrashed, whose relatives his men had maimed and butchered, whose
+village he had burned.  The man killed him.  Well, as I was about to
+say, Monsieur Elbel summoned us more than once.  At first he was much
+stronger than we were, both in arms and men.  But when he began to back
+his summons by force of arms he failed,--more than once.  As you know,
+four days ago we captured his camp for the second time and dispersed
+his troops, largely with the aid of rifles which had once been his."
+
+"Yes, I know that," said Lieutenant Jennaert somewhat impatiently.
+"But Monsieur Elbel was not a trained soldier, and his men were only
+forest guards.  I did not come to hear of your exploits, monsieur, but
+to receive your surrender.  I am a soldier; my men are State troops;
+the case is different."
+
+"Quite so, monsieur.  I appreciate the difference between his men and
+yours.  But you will pardon my pointing out that you are in a far more
+critical position than Monsieur Elbel before his camp was stormed."
+
+"You think so, monsieur?" said the officer with an amused smile.
+"Would it be indiscreet to ask your reasons?"
+
+"Not at all.  I wish to be entirely frank.  It is to the interest of us
+both."
+
+"Assuredly, monsieur."
+
+Lieutenant Jennaert's smile was now quite indulgent.  He was at first
+inclined to be peremptory with this young man, who appeared to presume
+on the victories he had obtained over a Company's official, and a
+captain taken at a disadvantage, and never particularly competent, in
+his subordinate's opinion.  But the young fellow was certainly very
+polite; why not humour him by letting him talk?  So Jennaert smiled
+again.  The other continued--
+
+"Well, monsieur, what is the position?  Take mine first.  You see
+before you a fortified camp, difficult of approach, as Monsieur Elbel
+could have told you, and as you can judge for yourself; well
+provisioned, and with a good water supply; garrisoned by four hundred
+or more well-armed men--all now provided with Albinis or Mausers, and a
+machine gun."
+
+The officer started.
+
+"A machine gun?"
+
+"Yes--a machine gun."
+
+"Monsieur Elbel made no mention of a machine gun."
+
+"No, it is a new acquisition.  But if you would like to assure yourself
+on the point I can convince you."
+
+The officer hesitated.  Jack turned to Lepoko.
+
+"Run up and tell Mr. Barney to show the big gun on the blockhouse."
+
+Lepoko ran away.
+
+"It is very hot, monsieur," said Jack pleasantly.  "The rains, I am
+told by my friends the chiefs here, are long overdue.  I am afraid you
+would have found your journey rather more difficult if it had been a
+little later, with the river in flood.--Ah! there it is!"
+
+A number of men had hoisted the gun on to the edge of the parapet, in
+full view of the group below.
+
+"You see, monsieur, we are well provided.  A machine gun, you will
+admit, is even more useful within walls than without.  Now as to your
+position.  You have under your command some three hundred men
+trained--more or less.  Whether as a military force they are better
+than our men can only be decided if unfortunately you determine to put
+the matter to the test.  But consider your risks.  Two days ago we
+captured your stores."--The officer jumped.--"Your rearguard is in our
+hands, and that was your machine gun."--The officer stared.--"You are
+at least three weeks from your base, with perhaps two days' provisions
+in hand, no reserve of ammunition, and, as I said, the rains overdue.
+Yonder country, during the rains, is a swamp."
+
+Lieutenant Jennaert turned pale.  His messengers sent back to hurry on
+the dilatory convoy had strangely failed to return.  But recovering
+himself, with a feeble attempt to smile he said--
+
+"You are joking, monsieur.  You permit yourself a ruse.  Ah! ah!  I am
+not to be entrapped in that way."
+
+"Pardon me, monsieur.  You shall have the fullest assurance as to the
+truth of what I am saying.  Lepoko, ask Mr. Barney to send out the
+white officer."
+
+The Belgian was now looking very uncomfortable.  This was a strange
+turning of the tables; his summons to surrender had been completely
+forgotten.  Jack had no need to kill time by keeping up the
+conversation, for in a minute or two the lieutenant captured in the
+river left the fort under an armed guard and walked quickly down.
+
+"Beuzemaker!" exclaimed Lieutenant Jennaert under his breath.
+
+"Yes, monsieur--Monsieur Beuzemaker."
+
+Lieutenant Beuzemaker smiled ruefully as he joined the group.  He gave
+a rapid narrative of the capture of the convoy.
+
+"It only remains, therefore," said Jack, "for you to decide upon your
+course, monsieur.  May I make you a proposal?  You shall surrender your
+arms and ammunition except a dozen rifles.  I will supply you with
+canoes to take your men down the river, and provisions for a fortnight.
+Within ten days you should enter a district where more food can be
+obtained.  As you know, the country hereabouts has been made almost a
+desert by your people."
+
+But this was too much.  Was it he, Lieutenant Jennaert, who was being
+called upon to surrender?  He rose in a fury.
+
+"Never!  The thing is absurd!  Monsieur, I take my leave.
+Beuzemaker!----"
+
+He stopped, biting his lips.
+
+"Monsieur Beuzemaker is my prisoner," said Jack suavely, rising.  "He
+will accompany me back to my camp.  Of course, if you accept our terms,
+we will release all the prisoners."
+
+The Belgian turned away in a rage.  The meeting broke up; the two
+parties went their several ways.  Jack, as he walked back to the fort,
+hoped that on thinking the matter over the officer would see the wisdom
+of compliance.  The alternative was starvation.  He must see that it
+would be no easy matter to storm the fort, and that Jack had only to
+sit tight for a few days.  The State troops, none too well disciplined
+at the best, would soon be clamouring for food.  With a starving
+soldiery, an active well-fed enemy on his rear, and a swarm of scouts
+cutting off his foraging parties, he must see the impossibility of
+making his way back through several hundred miles of country inhabited
+by tribes only waiting an opportunity to rise against their oppressors.
+So that when Barney met him as he re-entered the fort, and asked
+eagerly, "Well, sorr, and did the patient swallow the pill?" he smiled
+as he shook his head, saying--
+
+"Not yet, Barney.  But he _will_ swallow it, bitter as it is."
+
+"Or his men will swallow him, bedad!"
+
+And a few hours later a negro soldier marched up the hill with a white
+flag.  Lieutenant Jennaert's note was very brief.
+
+
+MONSIEUR,--
+
+J'agrée vos conditions.
+
+JENNAERT,
+  _Lieutenant dans l'armée de l'État du Congo_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+The Dawn of Freedom
+
+It was a fortnight later.  Ilombekabasi was the scene of great
+activity.  Gangs of negroes were busy carrying, hauling, stones of all
+shapes and sizes from the dry bed of the stream that once flowed past
+the fort; other gangs were building a wall above the original northern
+wall of the fort, a few yards beyond the spring whence the water supply
+was derived.  On the cultivable land on the west and east men and women
+were digging, ploughing, planting, hoeing, for in some parts seed sown
+only two weeks before was already sprouting.  Barney O'Dowd
+superintended the mason work, sporting a red fez taken from one of the
+slain Askari and dry-cleaned by a process of his own.  In his mouth was
+his old short clay pipe, in which, after long deprivation, he was
+smoking a mixture made by himself from tobacco grown on a bed in front
+of his hut.  It was not shag, he said, nor twist, but it made a betther
+smoke than cavendish, and sure 'twould give a man a little comfort till
+the rale thing could be grown.  The agriculturists were directed by
+Imbono.  An air of cheerful industry pervaded the whole settlement.
+
+When the State troops under Lieutenant Jennaert had disappeared, Jack
+determined, after a breathing space, to enlarge the fort and to plant
+new crops.  The enlargement was prompted not merely by the wish to have
+the source of the water supply within the wall, but by the expectation
+that the defeat of Bula Matadi would cause an increase of the
+population.  And, in fact, within a week of Jennaert's departure,
+natives from distant parts to which the news had penetrated came
+flocking into Ilombekabasi to join the community which looked up to
+Lokolobolo as its invincible chief.
+
+Looking round upon the cheerful faces of the people; observing their
+willingness to work, and eagerness to please; watching the happy family
+life they led when unmolested and free from anxieties, Jack felt that
+his toil had not been in vain, and was immeasurably glad that
+Providence had laid this charge upon him.  If only his uncle had lived
+to see this day!
+
+Jack found that his feelings were shared by Mr. Arlington and his
+friend the missionary.  They had awaited the issue of his hazardous
+enterprise with more anxiety than they cared to admit, and while they
+hailed his success with cordial congratulations, they were scarcely
+less troubled about the future.  The Congo State could not permit this
+leaven of revolt to spread; it would certainly organize an
+expeditionary force of sufficient strength to crush Jack and his
+people; and then would not their lot be infinitely worse than it had
+ever been?
+
+"Even so we shall have had some months of happiness, and set an
+example," said Jack, talking things over with his friends the day
+before they left Ilombekabasi.  "But I hope for better things.  We may
+have the rains upon us any day now; the country for miles around will
+be one vast morass; we shall be safe in our castle for six months,
+perhaps.  And what may not be done in six months, Mr. Arlington?"
+
+"You mean?"
+
+"I mean if you and Mr. Dathan will hurry home and tell what you have
+seen and know.  Mr. Arlington, you are no longer a member of
+Parliament, I believe?"
+
+"No.  The House of Commons is no longer what it was."
+
+"Surely it is what men like you choose to make it, sir.  If you would
+go home, stand at a bye-election, and return to the House, what an
+immense influence a man with your record might wield!  Do you know what
+I would do in your place, sir?  You do not mind my speaking out?"
+
+"Not a bit.  I am deeply interested."
+
+"Well, sir, I would badger the Foreign Secretary; I would move the
+country until England moved the world."
+
+"Go on the stump like Gladstone?"
+
+"Why not, sir?  Isn't the cause of the negroes every bit as good as the
+cause of the Bulgarians or Macedonians or Armenians?  Nay, ten times
+better, because they're more helpless and suffer under a Christian
+King!  And you would succeed, sir."
+
+"I haven't Gladstone's power of moving the masses."
+
+"What does that matter?  The facts don't need any eloquence to back
+them, sir.  I don't mean that you are not eloquent," he added with a
+smile.  "I haven't heard you speak, but I have read your speeches; and
+if you tell what you have seen here, the country must listen, and
+something will surely be done.  Why, if you go to my old school and
+speak to the fellows in the schoolhouse, I'll back there's not a boy
+there but will want to rush off here by the first train, to lend a
+hand!"
+
+"Upon my word, Mr. Challoner, I think you'd better come back with us
+and do the stumping yourself."
+
+"No, no," said Jack, his face flushing.  "I cannot leave these people.
+My place is here, and here I'll stick until I'm driven out, or until
+Leopold is brought to book."
+
+"Well, I'll do what I can.  I promise you that.  Perhaps I've ploughed
+the lonely furrow long enough.  What do you say, Dathan?  Shall we join
+hands in this?  We rowed in the same boat at Trinity; we kept the head
+of the river.  This boat's rather low down now, but d'you think we
+could make a bump?"
+
+"We'll make a shot for it, George.  And please God, we like Bishop
+Latimer, will light such a candle in England as shall not be put out
+until this wrong is crushed and right is done."
+
+Jack felt more than satisfied.  If his countrymen had not grown
+strangely deaf, surely they would listen to these two--ay, and do more
+than listen.
+
+"You leave to-morrow?" he said.
+
+"Yes.  My leg won't carry me yet, but with a canoe and a litter I can
+make shift to get along until we reach the Nyanza.  Can you lend me an
+interpreter?"
+
+"Lepoko is a good fellow.  I think I can spare him now.  We'll see what
+he says."
+
+He sent for the man, and explained that he wished him to accompany the
+travellers during the first part of their journey.
+
+"Me plenty sorry, massa," said Lepoko.  "Me no fit to go.  What for?
+Me comfy heah!  No lib for go talk talk for nudder massa.  What for?
+Nando go to Boma with old massa; what den?  He come back, get cotched,
+chicotte, feel plenty bad.  No, no, sah; Lepoko know all 'bout dat.
+Lepoko go long long, do anyfing for massa; he lib for lub Lokolobolo,
+no nudder massa dis time.  Why, me hab got wife in Ilombekabasi; what
+for leabe wife?  No good at all; dat what Bula Matadi make black man
+do, leabe wife, leabe pickin, go 'way all 'lone 'lone.  Make black man
+sick inside, sah; feel awful bad.  No, no, I tell massa.  Nando go.  He
+know Inglesa plenty fine; he hab no got wife; he die of shame 'cos he
+leabe Samba in fire hut; no one lub Nando now.  Oh yes, sah!  Nando go:
+me tell him one time."
+
+After this breathless speech, Lepoko ran off to find his brother.
+Nando at first was by no means disposed to leave the fort on so long
+and hazardous a journey.  But at last he was persuaded, though on
+bidding Jack good-bye he said earnestly--
+
+"Me nebber, nebber, nebber lib for hab nudder brudder what talk
+Inglesa: oh no!"
+
+One afternoon a few days after this, one of the look-outs on the
+south-eastern blockhouse reported that he saw a crowd of people
+emerging from the forest a couple of miles away.  Hurrying to the spot,
+Jack took a long look through his field-glasses and made out that the
+approaching throng was composed of natives, men, women, and children,
+the women being laden with babies and bundles.  When the crowd came
+within earshot of the fort, a negro stepped forward, and, lifting his
+hands to his mouth, vociferated--
+
+"Yo!  Yo!"
+
+"Answer him, Lianza," said Jack to the man of the brazen throat.
+
+"I am here," shouted Lianza.
+
+"Is that Ilombekabasi?"
+
+"It is Ilombekabasi."
+
+"And Lokolobolo?"
+
+"And Lokolobolo."
+
+"I am Lokua.  My chief is Makole.  We come from Limpoko to see
+Lokolobolo."
+
+"Lokolobolo says that Makole and Lokua may enter, but no more."
+
+"I am going."
+
+"Are you going?"
+
+"O!"
+
+The negro returned to his company, who were now squatting in a series
+of circles just above the site of Elbel's ruined camp.  He presently
+returned with a negro in chief's array, a head taller than himself.
+
+The two negroes were admitted.  Makole stood before Jack, a bundle of
+palm leaves in one hand.  They exchanged greetings.
+
+"I am proud to see Lokolobolo," said Makole.  "I come from Limpoko.
+All my people have come with me, my four wives, my children, all my
+people.  We have heard of the great things done by Lokolobolo in
+Ilombekabasi, and how he beat Elobela and Mutela and other servants of
+the Great White Chief who eats up the black men.  We come to ask
+Lokolobolo to let us be his people.  I am Makole, the chief; I have
+four wives and many children; but I say I will be Lokolobolo's servant;
+all my people shall be his servants, if he will take us into
+Ilombekabasi and let us live in peace."
+
+"Why do you wish to leave Limpoko?" asked Jack.
+
+"We do not wish to leave Limpoko.  But what can we do, O Lokolobolo?
+The rubber is done; we have no more of it; day by day the servants of
+the Great White Chief beat us and kill us because we cannot fill our
+baskets; Limpoko will soon be a wilderness.  We come before we are all
+gone, and we beg Lokolobolo to hear our entreaty."
+
+"Shall we admit Makole?" asked Jack of Imbono, who had come to his side.
+
+"Makole is a tall man, a great chief.  We will be blood brothers and
+live together."
+
+"You may bring your people in, Makole.  But I warn you it may not be to
+live in peace.  We have offended Bula Matadi; Bula Matadi will come
+with a great host to destroy us.  All who live in Ilombekabasi must not
+look for ease and peace, but for work and war.  Your people must share
+with the rest; they must build their own huts, till the fields, repair
+the walls, learn to scout and to fight in our way.  It is not peace,
+Makole."
+
+"I praise Lokolobolo!  I trust Lokolobolo!  I will do all he says, and
+my people shall learn all that he teaches," cried the chief, slapping
+his thighs.  Then, unwrapping the bundle of palm leaves, he displayed a
+shrivelled hand, and said--
+
+"This is my gift to Lokolobolo."
+
+"What is this, Makole?" asked Jack, shuddering.
+
+"It is the hand of Boloko, who whipped us and killed us, who can say
+how many?  We met him as we came through the forest, and my young men
+killed him, and I bring his hand to Lokolobolo to show that he is dead,
+and will trouble us no more."
+
+"But we do not deal with our enemies thus," said Jack.
+
+The chief looked surprised.
+
+"It is the way of the servants of the Great White Chief," he said.
+"They kill us, and cut off our hands, and take them to their chiefs,
+and the chiefs are pleased and pay brass rods for them.  I thought
+Lokolobolo would be pleased."
+
+"Lokolobolo is Inglesa," said Lepoko.  "It is only Bula Matadi that
+pays for the hands of black men.  Give it to Mboyo; he is Boloko's
+brother.  Boloko hated Mboyo,  he hated Samba; Mboyo will be pleased."
+
+"Bury it at once, out of sight," said Jack, "Bring your people in,
+Makole.  Lepoko, take him to Mr. Barney; he will show him where to
+build his huts."
+
+All Ilombekabasi flocked to the gates to see the entrance of this new
+contingent.  They came in laughing, singing, dancing, the mothers
+eagerly asking where was Lokolobolo that they might point him out to
+their little ones.  But Lokolobolo was not to be seen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+Conclusion
+
+Jack had turned sadly from the sight of this joyous entry, and made his
+way towards the largest of the huts--the hut built for Mr. Martindale.
+There Samba lay--had lain since Barney, with a woman's tenderness, had
+carried him from Elbel's camp to the beloved Ilombekabasi which he had
+thought never to see again.  Little indeed he saw of the fort and of
+what was passing there as he lay, day by day, on his simple bamboo bed;
+for though his wounds slowly healed, not all the loving care lavished
+upon him by his parents and by Barney, who spent every spare hour at
+his bedside--not the constant companionship of Pat himself--brought
+back strength to his slowly wasting form.
+
+Still, he was always cheerful.  The ready smile lit up his face as
+Lokolobolo appeared in the narrow doorway.  Barney rose as Jack entered
+and made room for him at the head of the bed.
+
+"How are you now, Samba?" asked Jack, taking his hand.
+
+"Better, master, better," answered the boy, his voice scarcely audible.
+
+"That's right.  Getting a little appetite, eh?  Must eat, you know, if
+you're to grow strong."
+
+"See my _kwanga_," said the mother, coming forward.  "He eats no more
+than a bird."
+
+"It is nice, mother; I will eat more by and by.  I am so tired now."
+
+"Poor little fellow!  You are in no pain?"
+
+"No, master, no pain; only tired."
+
+"Cheer up!  You will feel better in the morning."
+
+He pressed the boy's hand and turned to leave with Barney.  At the door
+Mboyo overtook him.
+
+"He will not go yet to the Great Spirit, O Lokolobolo?" he whispered
+anxiously.
+
+"We cannot tell, Mboyo.  All we can do is to tend him well.  Hope for
+the best."
+
+"Poor bhoy!" said Barney as they went away; "'tis mighty little betther
+he is, sorr, I'm fearing.  'Twould tax the strength uv a horse to get
+over it, widout docthors an' all."
+
+As they walked across the camp, here a man, there a woman, paused in
+their work to ask Lokolobolo how Samba was.  Children came up--Lofinda,
+for whom Samba had shaped a tiny gun; Lokilo, proud of his little
+fishing-rod, Samba's gift; Isangila, wearing a necklace of dried maize
+he had made for her--and asked shyly when Samba would come out and play
+with them again.  Some brought offerings of food specially prepared,
+delicate fish and rare fruits, the choicest spoil of forest and stream
+for miles around.  Everybody loved the boy; and Jack loved him with a
+particular affection.  Over and above his winning ways, Samba stood for
+so much to Jack, who, in thoughtful moods, seemed to see him as the
+spirit of the negro race, the embodiment of all that was best in the
+black man, the representative of millions of his kind, helpless pawns
+in a royal game of beggar my neighbour.  It was Samba whose woful
+plight had first brought home to his heart the terrible realities of
+the rubber slavery; it was Samba who had been the means of founding
+Ilombekabasi; to him was due the torch of freedom lit at last in this
+stricken land--a torch that Jack, in his heart of hearts, dared to hope
+would never be extinguished.  Surely the conscience of Christendom was
+awakening!  Pray God the awakening came not too late!
+
+
+A great silence lay upon Ilombekabasi.  To a stranger beyond the walls
+the place might have seemed deserted, so still it was, with none of the
+cheerful bustle that marks the beginning of a new day.  Men and women
+were gathered in little knots; they talked in whispers; some were
+sobbing; the eyes of most were dim with tears.  Even the children were
+subdued and quiet; they forgot their play, staring at their elders with
+puzzled, solemn eyes.  Why was the world so sad to-day?  Was it because
+Samba was going away?  Surely he would come back to them; he had come
+back before.
+
+Samba was leaving Ilombekabasi.
+
+Four persons stood by the little bamboo bed.  At the foot a dog
+crouched, whimpering.  Father and mother bent in mute agony over their
+son; Lukela, the fountain of her tears dried through long weeping,
+hovering above her boy as though by sheer power of love to guard him
+from the dread visitant already at the threshold; Mboyo rocking himself
+to and fro in the abandonment of sorrow.  And the two white men bowed
+their heads in silent sympathy and grief.  They knew that the end was
+very near.
+
+Jack felt a great lump in his throat as he gazed at the still form,
+lying with outstretched arms, too weak to move.  Poor little fellow!
+Was this the end of the bright young life, so full of promise?  He
+thought of the days of health, when the boy with happy face went hither
+and thither, eager to do some service for his beloved master, no matter
+how hard or how perilous.  He thought of the dangers Samba had faced
+for his parents' sake, and the brightness he had brought into their
+lives and the lives of hundreds of his people.  He thought with agony
+of the terrible scene when Samba, rather than say a word to the undoing
+of those he loved, had endured the tortures inflicted by the inhuman
+agent of a detestable tyranny.  And now the end was at hand!  The
+blithe spirit was departing, the poor body done to death by the greed
+of a Christian King.  "Botofé bo le iwa!  Rubber is death!"  The words
+rang in Jack's ears; would they were the knell of this despotism, this
+monstrous "system" that bought wealth with the price of blood!
+
+The end came soon.  Samba moved his hand, and turned his eyes, and
+murmured "Pat!"  The watchers barely caught the word, but the dog
+sprang up, and went to the bed, and nestled his head on the boy's
+shoulder.  Samba murmured his pleasure, a happy smile lit up the brave
+young eyes, and then the light faded, and went out.  Samba had left
+Ilombekabasi.
+
+They buried him next day in the forest he knew and loved so well, with
+the ceremonies of his people, and as befitted the son of a chief.
+
+All the people of Ilombekabasi, men, women, and little children,
+followed him to the grave.  They laid by his side the few possessions
+of the boy--his rifle, his knife, his tin, his wooden spear.  And some
+of his comrades, Makoko and Lingombela and Lianza and Lepoko, fired a
+salute over him and left him there among the trees.
+
+That night, sitting in Jack's hut, Barney talked of the past and the
+future.
+
+"Poor ould master came here for gold, sorr.  All the gold in all the
+world is not worth little Samba's life.  Whin the master looks down out
+uv Paradise and sees the people here, I know what he'll say, just as if
+I heard 'm.  He'll say: 'I was niver a philanthrophy, niver did hould
+wid that sort uv thing.  But I'm rale glad that bhoy uv mine wint out
+wid me in time to make a few poor black people happy.  Poor craturs!
+God bless 'em!'  Sure, sorr, black people have got their feelings--same
+as dogs."
+
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+_Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London_
+
+
+
+
+
+
+JUST PUBLISHED
+
+_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
+
+
+One of Clive's Heroes
+
+A STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR INDIA
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.
+
+The Headmaster of Harrow: "I have read it and think it a very good
+book.  The historical accuracy is really wonderful in a romance, and
+the local Indian colour well preserved.  Mr. Strang is to be
+congratulated."
+
+Athenaeum: "An absorbing story....  The narrative not only thrills, but
+also weaves skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our
+fierce struggle for India."
+
+Aberdeen Free Press: "Mr. Strang may congratulate himself on having
+achieved another superlatively good story."
+
+Guardian: "An excellent tale.  Mr. Herbert Strang's care and accuracy
+in detail are far beyond those of the late Mr. Henty, with whom it is
+the fashion to compare his work, while he tells a story infinitely
+better."
+
+Christian World: "A book from Mr. Herbert Strang is now as regular and
+welcome an event as in former days were Mr. Henty's yearly volumes.
+_One of Clive's Heroes_ will thrill many a young heart during the
+Christmas holidays.  Sound history and thrilling romance."
+
+Lady's Pictorial: "When in doubt what to buy for a boy, or boys, for a
+Christmas gift, choose Mr. Herbert Strang's _One of Clive's Heroes_."
+
+Church Times: "Boys are fortunate indeed to have found in Mr. Strang a
+worthy successor to their old friend, the late G. A. Henty."
+
+Notts Guardian: "'The successor to Henty' is a title that needs living
+up to; but Mr. Herbert Strang, upon whom it has been conferred, richly
+deserves it."
+
+Educational Times: "Far better than Henty."
+
+Education: "A splendid book for boys.  We used to think that no one
+could take Henty's place; and we feel certain that no one will ever be
+able to take Mr. Strang's."
+
+Saturday Review: "Herbert Strang tells a story as well as Henty told
+it, and his style is much more finished."
+
+
+HODDER AND STOUGHTON
+
+PUBLISHERS LONDON
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+JUST PUBLISHED
+
+_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
+
+(HERBERT STRANG'S FIRST HALF-CROWN BOOK)
+
+Jack Hardy
+
+OR, A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.
+
+Bookman: "A story about a gallant young middy could not have a more
+alluring sub-title than 'A Hundred Years Ago.'  On his way to join the
+_Fury_ the gallant midshipman discovered a hotbed of smuggling at
+Luscombe, and unearthed a spy of Napoleon's.  Jack's first fight with
+the smugglers ended disastrously, and he soon found himself in a French
+prison.  Thence he made a daring escape, recaptured the _Fury_, and
+picked up a fine prize ship on his way back to Portsmouth.  The
+characters in the story are drawn with originality and humour,
+especially that fine seaman Babbage....  Finally Jack triumphs all
+along the line, and his gallantry is rewarded by his appointment to
+join the _Victory_.  Boys will expect to hear more of Jack Hardy, and
+of what he did at Trafalgar."
+
+Athenaeum: "Herbert Strang is second to none in graphic power and
+veracity....  Here is the best of character sketching in bold outline."
+
+Speaker: "A greater than Henty."
+
+School Guardian: "Mr. Herbert Strang fills in stories for boys the
+place of the late Mr. Henty."
+
+Tribune: "Herbert Strang's former books 'caught on' with our boys as no
+other books of adventure since Henty's industrious pen fell from his
+hand."
+
+Dublin Express: "It has become a truism to say that the mantle of Henty
+has descended to Herbert Strang, and indeed in some respects Mr. Strang
+surpasses Henty."
+
+
+HODDER AND STOUGHTON
+
+PUBLISHERS LONDON
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Kobo
+
+A STORY OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
+
+Athenaeum: "In Kobo, Herbert Strang has provided much more than a good
+boys' book for the Christmas market.  Whilst readers of _Tom Burnaby_
+will not be disappointed of an ample meal of stirring adventures and
+hard war fights, readers of a more serious turn will find an excellent
+picture of Japanese life and character, ... not to mention some vivid
+sketches of modern naval warfare."
+
+Spectator: "An excellent story, such as one might expect to have from
+the author of that capital book, _Tom Burnaby_....  'With a Japanese,
+duty comes inexorably first.'  This, indeed, is the key-note of the
+whole story.  This principle of action dominates Bob's friend, and it
+dominates the story."
+
+Saturday Review: "Last year a new name of great promise appeared in the
+list of writers of boys' books.  This year the promise shown by Mr.
+Herbert Strang in _Tom Burnaby_ is more than borne out by _Kobo_ and
+_Boys of the Light Brigade_....  He shares the late Mr. Henty's
+knowledge of history and war; he is less encyclopaedic in his
+descriptive methods perhaps than was Henty, though he gives the same
+air of verisimilitude to his chapters by means of maps and charts ...
+he has an admirable style, and a sense of humour which he handles with
+the more effect because he never turns a situation into broad farce."
+
+Academy: "For vibrant actuality there is nothing to come up to Mr.
+Strang's _Kobo_."
+
+Daily Telegraph: "This vivid story owes not a little of its
+attractiveness to its many picturesque touches of local colour."
+
+Pall Mall Gazette  "Mr. Herbert Strang, whose splendid story, _Tom
+Burnaby_, proved so brilliantly successful last year, has written
+another that will rank as its equal for vivid interest."
+
+Westminster Gazette: "An adventure story after a boy's own heart."
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Brown of Moukden
+
+Athenaeum: "Herbert Strang may be congratulated on another first-rate
+book....  Characterization is a strong feature, ... and Ah Lum, the
+literary chief of the brigands, is a memorable type."
+
+Spectator: "Mr. Strang has very rightly taken up again the subject in
+which his story of _Kobo_ achieved such a success last year....  The
+story is very skilfully constructed....  Of particular scenes we may
+single out for mention the episode of the railway train, ... a most
+effective piece of narrative....  The relief of humorous passages and
+situations has been given, and without stint....  Ah Lum, the
+spectacled brigand chief, with all the wisdom of Confucius and Lao-Tze
+at his finger tips, is a most amusing person....  _Brown of Moukden_ is
+certainly a success."
+
+Academy: "Related with the same spirit and intimate knowledge of the
+East that made _Kobo_ a marked success."
+
+Church Times: "The incident of the locomotive race down the Siberian
+Railway is, for breathless interest, the equal of anything we know of
+in the whole range of juvenile fiction....  The book will hold boy
+readers spellbound."
+
+Army and Navy Gazette: "When Mr. Henty died boys were disconsolate, for
+they had lost a real friend; but now we have Mr. Herbert Strang most
+capably taking his place.  He was welcomed as showing great promise in
+_Tom Burnaby_, but he did better in _Kobo_, that strong story of the
+earlier pages of the Russo-Japanese War, and now he has done better
+still in _Brown of Moukden_."
+
+Gentlewoman: "Mr. Herbert Strang may really be said to be the successor
+of the late Mr. Henty, and parents and others on the look-out for
+desirable boys' books must be grateful to him each year for an
+excellent story at Christmastide....  This is the literature we want
+for young England."
+
+Journal of Education: "Mr. Strang's former books have led us to expect
+great things from his pen, and these volumes prove him to be in the
+foremost rank of writers of boys' books.  They are thoroughly healthy
+in tone, full of stirring adventures; and in each case linked to
+history in a manner that is never oppressive, and adds considerably to
+the interest of the story."
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Boys of the Light Brigade
+
+A STORY OF SPAIN AND THE PENINSULAR WAR
+
+Spectator: "Mr. Strang's name will suffice to assure us that the
+subject is seriously treated, and a better subject could hardly be
+found....  Altogether a capital story."
+
+Professor Oman (Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford, and
+Author of _A History of the Peninsular War_): "Pray accept thanks from
+a historian for having got historical accuracy, combined with your fine
+romantic adventures."
+
+Outlook: "Let us be thankful for a boy's book really worth reading."
+
+Schoolmaster: "We have read this book with great interest and delight.
+More than four hundred pages of the most thrilling events are told with
+a marvellous fidelity to history."
+
+Standard: "It is a book which no boy will be able to put down when once
+started."
+
+
+
+
+The Adventures of Harry Rochester
+
+A STORY OF THE DAYS OF MARLBOROUGH AND EUGENE
+
+Academy: "_Tom Burnaby_ and _Kobo_--the best books of their
+season--have a worthy successor in _The Adventures of Harry Rochester_."
+
+Glasgow Herald: "Mr. Herbert Strang again displays all the qualities
+that attracted attention and secured for him such a brilliant success
+when he made his appearance two years ago as the author of _Tom
+Burnaby_....  We recommend it to all parents who want something
+thoroughly sound, as well as interesting, to put into the hands of
+their boys."
+
+Army and Navy Gazette: "The descriptive power and characterization are
+quite remarkable."
+
+Dundee Advertiser: "In some essentials, such as constancy in bold
+action, this well-studied and finely-coloured tale is superior to any
+written by the lamented Henty.  With the need of some one to take
+Henty's vacant place has come the man."
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Tom Burnaby
+
+Field-Marshal Lord Wolseley: "It is just the sort of book I would give
+to any schoolboy, for I know he would enjoy every page of it."
+
+Sir A. Conan Doyle: "... I think it is a really excellent picture of
+African life."
+
+Mr. J. L. Paton, Head-master of Manchester Grammar School: "... It is
+worth reading and thoroughly wholesome.  I wish it all success."
+
+Dr. R. P. Scott, Secretary of the Head-masters' Association: "... I
+have read the book from cover to cover, and found it thoroughly
+interesting, vivid, healthful, and helpful.  I can cordially recommend
+it to boys, and will do so whenever opportunity offers."
+
+Pall Mall Gazette: "That splendid story _Tom Burnaby_."
+
+Educational News: "The stirring pages of _Tom Burnaby_."
+
+Literary World: "... Mr. Strang ... has put as much work into this
+story as one finds in a really good novel; the little bits of useful
+information that he sprinkles through it are palatable and readily
+digestible, and the 'atmosphere' (if one may mix one's metaphors)
+'rings true.'"
+
+Mark Lane Express: "... Mr. Strang has come to the front rank with a
+bound...."
+
+World: "... The tone of the story is excellent; manly and spirited, it
+cannot fail to rouse a response in a boy's heart."
+
+Financial News: "As a writer of stirring stories the author of the
+famous _Tom Burnaby_ stands in the front rank of those who devote their
+talents to the edification of the rising generation."
+
+School Government Chronicle: "Mr. Herbert Strang understands the taste
+and temper of the British public-school boy."
+
+Liverpool Mercury: "The record of his career deserved to be bound in
+leather and blocked on all sides with gold."
+
+Dundee Advertiser: "... as good as the plot is the way in which the
+author conveys a living impression of the region and its inhabitants."
+
+Glasgow Evening News: "... a masterpiece in the Henty manner."
+
+Englishman (Calcutta): "It is a book that every wholesome-minded boy
+will revel in, for it is alive with action and picturesque adventure."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+
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+The Project Gutenberg E-text of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+</title>
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Samba
+       A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo
+
+Author: Herbert Strang
+
+Illustrator: William Rainey
+
+Release Date: March 5, 2012 [EBook #39061]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMBA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<br /><br /><br />
+<a id="img-cover.jpg"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-cover.jpg" alt="Cover art" />
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<br /><br /><br />
+<a id="img-front"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-front.jpg" alt="Samba and the crocodile" />
+<br />
+Samba and the crocodile
+</p>
+
+<h1>
+<br /><br /><br />
+SAMBA
+</h1>
+
+<h2>
+A Story of the Rubber Slaves
+<br />
+of the Congo
+</h2>
+
+<p class="t3">
+<br />
+By
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+HERBERT STRANG
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<i>Author of "One of Clive's Heroes," "Kobo," <br />
+"Brown of Moukden," "Tom Burnaby," etc., etc</i>
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<br /><br />
+ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I.
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<br /><br />
+"Botofé bo le iwa!&mdash;Rubber is Death!"&mdash;<i>Congo Proverb</i>.
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<br /><br />
+<i>SECOND EDITION</i>
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3">
+<br /><br /><br />
+LONDON
+<br />
+HENRY FROWDE &mdash;&mdash;&mdash; HODDER &amp; STOUGHTON
+<br />
+OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS &mdash;&mdash;&mdash; WARWICK SQUARE, E.C.
+<br />
+1908
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<br /><br /><br />
+Copyright, 1906, by the BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY,
+<br />
+in the United States of America.
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<br /><br /><br />
+<i>Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London</i>
+</p>
+
+<h3>
+<br /><br /><br />
+PREFACE
+</h3>
+
+<p>
+Nearly a generation has passed since King Leopold was entrusted by the
+great Powers with the sovereignty of the Congo Free State.  The
+conscience of Christendom had been shocked by the stories, brought back
+by Stanley and other travellers, of Arab slave raids on the Upper
+Congo; King Leopold, coming forward with the strongest assurances of
+philanthropic motive, was welcomed as the champion of the negro, who
+should bring peace and the highest blessings of civilization to the
+vast territory thus placed under his sway.  For many succeeding years
+it was supposed that this work of deliverance, of regeneration, was
+being prosecuted with all diligence; the power of the slave traders was
+broken, towns were built, roads made, railways opened&mdash;none of the
+outward signs of material progress were wanting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But of late the civilized world has been horrified to find that this
+imposing structure has been cemented with the life blood of the Congo
+races; that the material improvements to which the administrators of
+Congoland can point, have been purchased by an appalling amount of
+suffering inflicted upon the hapless negroes.  The collection of
+rubber, on which the whole fabric of Congo finance rests, involves a
+disregard of liberty, an indifference to suffering, a destruction of
+human life, almost inconceivable.  Those who best know the country
+estimate that the population is annually reduced, under King Leopold's
+rule, by at least a hundred thousand.  No great war, no famine, no
+pestilence in the world's history has been so merciless a scourge as
+civilization in Congoland.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Yet owing to mutual jealousies, the Powers are slow to take action, and
+while they hesitate to intervene, the population of this great region,
+nearly as large as Europe, is fast disappearing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It has been my aim in this book to show, within necessary limitations,
+what the effect of the white man's rule has been.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+If any reader should be tempted to imagine that the picture here drawn
+is overcoloured, I would commend him to the publications issued by Mr.
+E. D. Morel and his co-workers of the Congo Reform Association, with
+every confidence that the cause of the Congo native will thereby gain a
+new adherent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+I must express my very great thanks to the Rev. J. H. Harris and Mrs.
+Harris, who have spent several years on the Upper Congo, for their
+kindness in reading the manuscript and revising the proofs of this
+book, and for many most helpful suggestions and criticisms.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+HERBERT STRANG.
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+<br /><br /><br />
+CONTENTS
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+CHAPTER I
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap01">The Coming of the White Man</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER II
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap02">"Rubber is Death"</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER III
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap03">Monsieur Elbel</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER IV
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap04">Night Alarms</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER V
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap05">The Order of Merit</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER VI
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap06">Samba is Missing</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER VII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap07">Blood Brothers</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER VIII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap08">Jack in Command</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER IX
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap09">Samba Meets the Little Men</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER X
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap10">A Trip with a Crocodile</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XI
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap11">Bula Matadi Comes to Ilola</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap12">Samba comes Back</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XIII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap13">"Honour thy Father and thy Mother"</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XIV
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap14">Lokolobolo's First Fight</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XV
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap15">A Revolt at Ilola</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XVI
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap16">The House by the Water</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XVII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap17">A Buffalo Hunt</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XVIII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap18">Elbel's Barrels</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XIX
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap19">Breaking the Blockade</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XX
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap20">David and Goliath</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXI
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap21">A Dash and all Together</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap22">A Message and a Meeting</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXIII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap23">Elbel Squares Accounts</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXIV
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap24">A Solemn Charge</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXV
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap25">A Break for Liberty</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXVI
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap26">Turning the Tables</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXVII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap27">The Return of Lokolobolo</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap28">The Chicotte</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+Chapter XXIX
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap29">Reaping the Whirlwind</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+Chapter XXX
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap30">Sinews of War</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+Chapter XXXI
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap31">Summons and Surrender</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+Chapter XXXII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap32">The Dawn of Freedom</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="chapnum">
+<br />
+Chapter XXXIII
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#chap33">Conclusion</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+<br /><br /><br />
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+PLATE
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+&nbsp;&nbsp;I <a href="#img-front">Samba and the Crocodile</a> . . . . . . <i>Frontispiece</i><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+II <a href="#img-019">The Finding of Samba</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+II <a href="#img-033">A Midnight Encounter</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+IV <a href="#img-121">Jack Turns the Tables</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+&nbsp;&nbsp;V <a href="#img-225">Jack Rushes Elbel's Camp</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+VI <a href="#img-311">Samba Rescued from the Burning Hut</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#img-190">Ilombekabasi and surrounding Country, showing Elbel's first
+camp in foreground</a>
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#img-282">Ilombekabasi and surrounding country, showing the diverted
+stream and Elbel's third camp</a>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<br /><br /><br />
+"Every boy and youth is, in his mind and sentiments, a knight, and
+essentially a son of chivalry.  Nature is fine in him....  As long as
+there have been, or shall be, young men to grow up to maturity; and
+until all youthful life shall be dead, and its source withered for
+ever; so long must there have been, and must there continue to be, the
+spirit of noble chivalry.  To understand therefore this first and, as
+it were, natural chivalry, we have only to observe the features of the
+youthful age, of which examples surround us."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+EDWARD FITZGERALD.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap01"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER I
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+The Coming of the White Man
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Samba lay face downwards upon the yellow sand, amid which his body
+shone in the sunlight like polished ebony.  Behind, the rising bank was
+thick with trees and shrubs ablaze with colour, overspread with the
+delicate tracery of lianas and, creeping plants.  Here was a spot of
+red, there a dash of orange; at intervals the pale yellow flowers of
+climbing gourds and the mauve blossoms of convolvuli peeped from the
+wall of vivid green.  Tiny rills made music as they trickled through
+the foliage; and near at hand was a path trodden by herds of antelopes
+as they came to drink.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before, rolled the brown waters of a broad river, rippling over
+whitened rocks in the bed, or over the gnarled limbs of fallen trees.
+Here, on a sandy islet, flashed the scarlet and blue of little
+kingfishers, contrasting with the sober grey of the bittern, or the
+black and white of the vulture.  A giant heron perched on a low
+overhanging branch, gazing solemnly at the ibis standing solitary by a
+distant bush.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On a smooth spot at Samba's right sported innumerable butterflies, blue
+and green and crimson, amid bees and dragon-flies lazily basking in the
+heat.  Samba had but to stretch out his hand to make prisoners of what
+he chose.  But Samba's attention was already occupied.  Looking over
+the brink into the placid water, his eye was caught by a small round
+soft object lying motionless on the surface.  A tiny crocodile, only a
+few inches long, darted from beneath the leaf of a water-lily, in
+pursuit of a tinier fish.  The round object suddenly contracted: there
+was a ripple on the water, and the baby crocodile found itself in the
+grasp of a droll little proboscis that shot out, gripped its hapless
+prey, and drew it beneath the surface.  Samba smiled: he knew that just
+below lay a trionyx, the owner of that little nostrilled proboscis; he
+wasted no sympathy on the baby crocodile, which would never grow big to
+snap up little negro boys at the waterside.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All around was silence, save for the hum of insects and the gentle
+lapping of the water on the sand.  Then a slight sound caught Samba's
+ear, and turning, he saw a handsome young lizard, pied with yellow and
+greenish black, flashing along in chase of a fat frog which it had
+marked for its own.  A swish of its flexible tail, a snap of its savage
+teeth, and ranunculus disappeared&mdash;a choice morsel for breakfast.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such scenes as these gave Samba constant entertainment.  He would often
+wander alone from his village, as he had done to-day, carrying his
+little broad-bladed dagger in case a snake should cross his path, and
+spend hours in the forest or by the river bank, listening to the
+chatter of the monkeys and the screams of the parrots, watching the
+little stingless bees at their work, mocking the hollow note of the
+drumbird or the wild pigeon's doleful call, studying the busy doings of
+the multitudinous ants.  There was not a bird or beast or insect within
+range of his village with whose ways Samba was not familiar.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The trionyx steered himself down stream; the lizard, swishing his
+pliant tail, went off in search of other prey; and Samba's bright eyes
+followed the mazy movements of the myriad flies sporting on the surface
+of the sunlit water, and the shining fish darting this way and that in
+the clear depths.  Suddenly a scream of the fishing eagle caused him to
+glance up.  Then a shout made him spring to his feet and look
+wonderingly in the direction of the sound.  He knew no fear.  His lithe
+dusky body, bare save for a scrap of cloth about his loins and a string
+of cowries round his neck, stood erect and alert; his keen intelligent
+eyes expressed nothing but surprise and curiosity.  Again came the hail.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"W'onkoe!"[<a id="chap01fn1text"></a><a href="#chap01fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Em'one!"[<a id="chap01fn2text"></a><a href="#chap01fn2">2</a>] called Samba in reply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A boat was being slowly paddled up the stream.  Ten stalwart Baenga
+stood at the paddles, bending forward as they made their strokes.  Two
+other negroes squatted in the forepart of the boat.  Amidships sat
+another figure, the sight of which gave Samba a delightful thrill of
+expectation.  It was a white man, with fair hair and beard, clad all in
+white.  Could this be Bula Matadi, Samba wondered, the white man whom
+his grandfather, the chief Mirambo, had seen long ago at Wanganga?  He
+waited, standing still as a rock.  The boat drew nearer, a few more
+strokes of the paddle and it came under the bank.  The white man leapt
+ashore, followed by the two men who had been seated.  They were big
+fierce-looking fellows.  Each carried a long strangely-shaped stick
+with a hollow tube; about his waist dangled a bag of skin.  The white
+man stepped up to Samba, smiled upon him, patted his woolly head.  Then
+one of the negroes began to question him.  Where was his village?  What
+was it called?  Who was its chief?  How many huts did it contain?  Was
+there much forest about it?  To these questions Samba replied frankly;
+surely it was a great honour to his grandfather that the white man
+should take such interest in him!  Then came a question that somewhat
+amused him.  Did the forest contain <i>botofé</i>?[<a id="chap01fn3text"></a><a href="#chap01fn3">3</a>]  He smiled.  Of course
+it did.  Were not the drumsticks in his village made of <i>botofé</i>?  What
+a strange question to ask of a forest boy!  The white man smiled in
+return, and said something in a strange tongue to the negro who had
+spoken.  "Take us to your village," said the man; and, nothing loth,
+Samba set off like a young deer, the three men following him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba was eleven years old.  His home was the village of Banonga, a
+street of bamboo huts thatched with palm leaves and shadowed by the
+broad foliage of bananas and plantains and tall forest trees.  His
+grandfather Mirambo was the village chief, a tall, strong, wise old
+man, a great fighter in his day, his body scarred with wounds, his
+memory stored with the things he had seen and done.  Samba's father,
+Mboyo (or Isekasamba, "father of Samba," as he was called after his boy
+was born), was the old chief's favourite son, a daring hunter, a
+skilful fisher, and the most silent man of his tribe.  He had several
+wives, but Samba's mother was the best loved of them all, and wore
+about her ankles the brass rings that betokened her supreme place in
+her husband's affections.  Grandfather, father, mother, all doted on
+Samba, and for eleven years he had lived a happy merry life, the pet of
+the village.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nothing had troubled the peace of the little community.  Banonga was a
+secluded village, on the outskirts of a dense forest, not far from one
+of the innumerable tributaries of the great river Congo.  Life passed
+easily and pleasantly for these children of Nature.  In the morning,
+ere the sun was up, the men would spring from their simple bamboo beds,
+fling their hunting-nets or fishing-baskets on their shoulders, hang
+about their necks the charms that would preserve them from accident and
+ensure success in the work of the day, and repair to the old chief,
+who, sitting on his forked chair in the middle of the street, gave them
+the <i>bokaku</i>&mdash;the blessing without which they never left the village.
+"May you be preserved from accident," he would say; "from wild beasts,
+from snags in the path and snakes in the grass, and return with great
+plenty."  Then they would shout their farewells, and hasten with
+light-hearted laughter into the forest or down to the river.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the women had been long astir.  Some, babe on one arm,
+calabash in the other, went singing to a forest stream, to bathe their
+children and fill their vessels with water for the day's cooking.
+Others, with baskets slung upon their backs and rude implements upon
+their shoulders, sped to the gardens and cultivated fields, to perform
+their simple operations of husbandry, and to return by and by with
+manioc, plantains, ground-nuts, which they would prepare against their
+husbands' return.  The morning's work done, they would dress their
+hair, carefully, even fastidiously; kindle the fires of three
+converging logs, and set upon them well-heaped pots of manioc, covered
+with leaves of plantain or nongoti to prevent the escape of steam.
+Some would prattle or sing lullabies to their babes, others form little
+knots and gossip, laughing and jesting without a thought of care.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All day the village was cheered by the merry antics and joyous shouts
+of the children at play.  Like children all over the world, the boys
+and girls of the Congo delight in mimicking their elders.  The boys
+made little hunting-nets and ran hither and thither in mock chase, or
+spread their fishing-nets in the stream and gleefully boasted of their
+tiny catches.  The girls wove little baskets and played with beads and
+shells.  One and all, the children of Banonga were deft with their
+fingers, and none so deft as Samba.  He was always busy, shaping now a
+mortar for his mother, now a chair for his grandfather, now a wicker
+basket so close in texture that he could bring in it water from the
+stream without spilling a drop.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Most of all Samba loved to squat by his grandfather's chair in the late
+afternoon, when the old chief sat alone, chin on hand, waiting for the
+return of the men.  Then, and on dark nights, Mirambo would recite, in
+his deep musical voice, interminable stories and legends, of the
+spirits that haunted the woods, of the animals he had hunted and slain,
+of narrow escapes from the greedy jaws of crocodiles, of fierce fights
+with cannibals, of adventurous journeys by field and flood.  Samba
+never tired of one story: how, years before, Mirambo had made a long
+journey to Wanganga, far, very far away, and had there seen a white
+man, who wore cloth all over his body, and had come up the river on a
+wonderful smoke-boat, driven by a fiery snorting devil that devoured
+insatiably great logs of wood.  Bula Matadi, "breaker of rocks," this
+wonderful white man was called; but Mirambo had heard that in his own
+country he was called Tanalay.[<a id="chap01fn4text"></a><a href="#chap01fn4">4</a>]  Samba would listen with all his ears
+to his grandfather's long narratives, inwardly resolving that he too,
+when he became a man, would take long journeys and see marvellous
+things&mdash;white men, and smoke-boats, and all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then, as the sun draws towards its setting, out of the forest there
+come faint strains of song.  Mirambo's monotone ceases: he sits erect,
+expectant; the women run out of the huts above which the wreathing
+smoke proclaims preparations for the evening meal; the children gather
+in a laughing chattering flock at the end of the street.  The sound of
+singing draws nearer: at length it stops abruptly, but instantly is
+followed by a loud prolonged shout; only Lianza's brazen throat can
+utter that sonorous cry:&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I-yo-li-o!  I-yo-li-o-o!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the long-drawn hail of Lianza is broken in upon by the roar of his
+companions.  "Yo!" shout eighty men as one.  And out of the forest
+spring the dusky band, laden with their spoils, which with an exultant
+shout they set down before the chief, amid cries and hand-clapping and
+slapping of the thighs by the women and children welcoming their
+return.  The flesh is cut up, the fish divided: the women return to
+their huts to cook the supper; the children cling about their fathers'
+legs and recount the little adventures of the day.  The meal is eaten:
+the whole population form a wide circle in the street, and, squatting
+on their hams, give themselves up to the joy of watching the gyrations
+of the dancing women, who, in their aprons of long grass, decorated
+with tinkling bells, whirl around to the barbaric music of drums and
+castanets, as the day darkens and the moon throws her silvery beams
+upon the scene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such were the daily scenes amid which Samba passed his happy boyhood,
+in the village of Banonga, whither he was now leading the white
+stranger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The village came in sight, nestling in a glade.  The laughing children
+ceased their play, and stood finger in mouth shyly contemplating the
+new comers.  The women, busily grinding manioc with pestle and mortar
+in the open, looked up with startled glance and fled into their huts,
+where they stood peeping from behind the posts of palm.  Mirambo, the
+chief, rose from his seat and awaited with dignity the approach of the
+white man.  Ceremonious greetings were exchanged.  Then ensued a long
+conversation, the white man speaking, his negroes translating to the
+chief.  He listened intently, and replied in brief phrases, most often
+contenting himself with exclamations of assent&mdash;"Inde!" "Ng'oko!" or of
+dissent&mdash;"Lako!" "O nye!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<i>Botofé</i>!  Yes, he knew where <i>botofé</i> could be found.  And the white
+man, the Son of Heaven, wanted <i>botofé</i>; it had some value for him?
+Well, he should have it.  Who so hospitable as the men of Banonga?
+They were not as the men of Kinshassa, who met the white man with cries
+of anger, and spears, and knives.  Had not he, Mirambo, seen Bula
+Matadi, the friend of the black man?  "When my sons return from their
+hunting," said Mirambo, "they shall provide the stranger with all that
+he needs.  They shall give him plantains, and fowls, and cakes of
+<i>kwanga</i>;[<a id="chap01fn5text"></a><a href="#chap01fn5">5</a>] they shall make ready a hut for him; and <i>botofé</i>&mdash;yes, if
+he needs <i>botofé</i>, my young men shall go into the forest and fill their
+baskets with <i>botofé</i> for him.  No one shall say but that the white man
+is welcome in Banonga."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap01fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap01fn1text">1</a>] Are you there?
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap01fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap01fn2text">2</a>] I am here.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap01fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap01fn3text">3</a>] Rubber.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap01fn4"></a>
+[<a href="#chap01fn4text">4</a>] H. M. Stanley.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap01fn5"></a>
+[<a href="#chap01fn5text">5</a>] A preparation of manioc.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap02"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER II
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+"Rubber is Death"
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"Whew!  This is a warm country, Jack.  There'll soon be nothing left of
+us."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's plenty at present, uncle," replied Jack Challoner with a
+smile.  "Barney can spare less, after all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure an' that's the truth's truth, sorr.  'Twas the sorrow uv me
+mother's heart that I ran to length instid uv breadth.  Whin I was a
+bhoy she had to buy breeches always a size too long for me, and me
+bones grew so fast they almost made holes in me skin&mdash;they did."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Confound it, man, that's where you score.  The mosquitoes leave you
+alone: can't find enough juice in you to make it worth their while to
+worry you.  Whereas they suck at me till I'm all ulcers.  Hi!  Nando,
+when shall we get to this Banonga we've heard so much about?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Berrah soon, sah.  Paddle small small, sah, den Banonga."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale mopped his brow and drew his white umbrella closer down
+upon his head.  He was lying under a grass shelter amidships a dug-out,
+with his nephew Jack at his side and his man Barney O'Dowd at his feet.
+The clumsy native craft rocked to and fro under the paddles of twelve
+stalwart Baenga, who stood, their bodies bent slightly forward, singing
+in time with their strokes.  They were paddling against the current of
+a stream that forced its brown waters into one of the tributaries of
+the Congo.  It was a broiling day.  A rainstorm in the night had
+cleared the sky of the haze that commonly covered it, and the sun beat
+down out of a dome of fleckless blue, irradiating the crimsons and
+purples, the golds and whites, of the rich vegetation on the banks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I tell you, Jack," continued Mr. Martindale, "I shall grumble if this
+talk of Banonga turns out to be wind.  I don't see what the Congo State
+has to gain by exterminating the natives; and we know what liars these
+blacks can be."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Suppose the talk of gold turns out to be wind, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Eh?  What's that?  Wind!  Rubbish!  The difference is that we hear of
+Banonga from the blacks; but 'twas Barnard told me of the gold, and
+Barnard hasn't got enough imagination to say more than he knows.  No,
+the gold is there safe enough; and I tell you I shall be glad when we
+get through this Banonga and can proceed to business."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+John Martindale was a florid well-preserved man of fifty-five years.
+Born in New York, he had early gone west, rapidly made his pile in
+California, and retired from the direction of his mines.  But meeting
+one day in San Francisco an old friend of his, a queer stick of a
+fellow named Barnard, who spent his life in roaming over the world and
+making discoveries that laid the foundation of other men's fortunes,
+not his own, he learnt from him that clear signs of gold had been
+observed in the Maranga district on the Upper Congo.  Mr. Martindale
+was very rich; but, like many another man, he found after his
+retirement that time hung somewhat heavy on his hands.  He was still
+full of energy, and Barnard's story of gold in a new country stirred
+the imagination of the old miner.  He decided to take a trip to Africa
+and test his friend's information.  As a matter of course he invited
+Barnard to accompany him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, no, John," replied his friend.  "I scratched the soil; I know gold
+is there; I've no further interest in the stuff.  I'm off to the
+Philippines next week.  Go and dig, old fellow, and take plenty of
+quinine with you."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It happened that Mr. Martindale's only nephew, Jack Challoner, a lad of
+seventeen, was just home from school.  He was an orphan.  His mother,
+Mr. Martindale's sister, had married an English barrister of great
+ability, who had already made a name at the Parliamentary Bar.  But he
+died when his boy was only six years old; two years later his wife
+followed him to the grave, and the guardianship of Jack fell to his
+uncle, who, being a bachelor without other ties, readily assumed the
+charge.  He surprised his friends by the course he took with the boy.
+Instead of bringing him to America, he entered him at Bilton and
+afterwards at Rugby, declaring that as the boy was English it was only
+fair he should receive an English education.  "I read <i>Tom Brown</i> years
+ago," he would say, "and if they turn 'em out now as they did
+then&mdash;well, we can't do better this side of the herring pond."  Jack
+spent his holidays either in America, or in travelling about Europe
+with his uncle, and the two became great chums.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But when Jack reached his seventeenth birthday Mr. Martindale again
+surprised his friends.  "Send him to Oxford?" he said.  "Not much!  He
+has had nearly four years at Rugby, he's in the fifth form, and I guess
+he's enough book learning to serve his turn.  He's tip-top at sports:
+he's a notion of holding his own and helping lame dogs; and I don't
+want his nose to turn up, as I believe noses have a trick of doing at
+Oxford.  No: the boy'll come home.  I don't know what he's to be; but
+I'll soon find out what he's fit for, and then he'll have to work at
+it.  The least I could do for his father's sake was to give him an
+English education; he'll come back to America for a smartening up."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not long after Jack's return that Mr. Martindale met his friend
+Barnard.  Since Barnard would not be his companion, Jack should.  "It
+will do you no harm to see a little travel off the beaten track," he
+said, "and I'm not going to work the gold myself: my mining days are
+done.  You may tumble to it; in that case you'll stay in Africa and
+take care not to waste my capital.  You may not: that'll be one thing
+settled, anyway."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Accordingly, when Mr. Martindale sailed for Europe he took Jack with
+him.  With characteristic energy he very quickly settled the
+preliminaries.  He obtained for a comparatively small sum from a
+Belgian trading company, the holders of a large concession on the Upper
+Congo, the mining rights in the Maranga district, on condition of the
+company receiving a percentage of the profits.  The first practical
+step having been taken, Mr. Martindale's interest in his project became
+keen.  He had never travelled out of America or Europe; there was a
+certain glamour about an adventure in the heart of Africa; and he was
+rich enough to indulge his humour, even if the results of Barnard's
+discovery should prove disappointing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Uncle and nephew sailed for Africa, spent a few days at Boma, travelled
+over the cataract railway from Matadi to Leopoldville, and thence went
+in a steamer for nearly three weeks up the Congo.  Then, leaving the
+main river, they embarked on a smaller steamer, plying on a tributary
+stream.  In about a week they arrived at a "head post," whence they
+continued their journey, up a tributary of a tributary, by canoe.  This
+last stream was quite a considerable river as the term would be
+understood in Europe, though neither so broad nor so deep as the one
+they had just left.  But this again was insignificant by comparison
+with the mighty Congo itself, fed by a thousand tributaries in its
+course of fifteen hundred miles from the heart of Africa to the sea.
+Mr. Martindale became more and more impressed as the journey
+lengthened, and at last burst out: "Well, now, this licks even the
+Mississippi!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But not the Shannon!  Barney O'Dowd was a true Irishman.  Mr.
+Martindale had engaged him in London as handy-man to the expedition.
+He had been in the army; he had been a gentleman's servant, wardroom
+attendant at a hospital, drill-sergeant at a boys' school, 'bus
+conductor, cabman, and chauffeur; but in none of these numerous
+vocations, he said with a sigh, had he ever grown fat.  He was long,
+lean, strong as a horse; with honest merry blue eyes, and curly lips
+that seemed made for smiling.  He drove the travellers in a hansom
+during the week they stayed in London, and looked so sorrowful when Mr.
+Martindale announced his departure that the American, on the spur of
+the moment, with bluff impulsiveness, invited him to join the
+expedition.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure an' 'tis me last chance, sorr," cried Barney, cheerfully
+consenting.  "A sea voyage does wonders for some.  There was Terence
+O'Bally, now, as thin as a lath in the ould counthry; he went to
+Australia, and by the powers! when he came back to say 'God bless you'
+to his ould mother, she did not know him at all at all, he was so full
+in the flesh, sorr.  Sure an' I'll come wid ye wid the greatest
+pleasure in the world, and plase the pigs I'll fatten like Terence.
+Only wan thing, sorr; ye would not have any inshuperable objection to
+Pat, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Who on earth's Pat?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Just a dog, sorr; a little darlint uv a terrier no fatter than me,
+sorr; as kind an' gentle as wan uv the blessed angels.  He has as poor
+appetite, sorr, an' sleeps on my coat, so he will not cost ye much for
+board and lodging.  And I would thank ye kindly, sorr, if I might but
+go home to 'm an' say, 'Pat, me darlint, times is changed.  We are in
+luck, Pat.  There's a nice, kind, fat, jolly American gentleman that
+takes very kindly to dogs an' Irishmen, an'&mdash;&mdash;'"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There then, that'll do," said Mr. Martindale, laughing.  "Bring Pat,
+if you like.  But he'll have to go if he proves a nuisance."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so Pat became a member of the party.  And he lay curled up now in
+the bottom of the canoe, and cocked an eye as Barney declared with
+emphasis that the Congo was a "mighty foine river, sure an' 'tis only
+fair to say so; but by all the holy powers 'tis not to be compared wid
+the Shannon, blessed be its name!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was Pat that sprang first ashore when the paddlers with a resounding
+"Yo!" drove the canoe alongside a turfy platform by the bank, worn
+level by the treading of innumerable feet.  The dog uttered one sharp
+bark, faced round to the river, and stood with ears pricked and stumpy
+tail wagging, to watch his master step to land.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now, Nando," said Mr. Martindale, when all were ashore, "lead the way.
+Not too fast: and not too near skeeters or jiggers."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Berrah well, sah; me go fust; frighten skeeters all away."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leaving ten of the crew in the canoe, the rest of the party set off
+under Nando's guidance.  He led them through the mass of tall grass
+that lined the river bank, across a swampy stretch of heath, where a
+narrow path wound in and out among trees large and small, beset by
+dense undergrowth and climbing plants.  Insects innumerable flitted and
+buzzed around the travellers, provoking lively exclamations from Mr.
+Martindale and Jack, and many a vicious snap from the terrier, but
+leaving Barney almost untouched.  Once a wild pig dashed across the
+path and plunged into the thicket, with Pat barking frantically at its
+heels.  Here and there Mr. Martindale caught sight of red-legged
+partridge and quail, and sighed for his rifle.  Parrots squawked
+overhead; once, from the far distance, muffled by the foliage, came the
+trumpet of an elephant; but signs of humanity there were none, save the
+meandering track.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At length, however, they came to a clear open space amid the trees,
+where, on a low hill, stood a crude open hut, consisting of upright
+supports surmounted by a roof of bamboos and leaves, and partly walled
+by cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Berrah nice place, sah," said Nando cheerfully.  "Chief him missis
+buried dah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The travellers approached with curiosity.  Inside the shed they saw a
+small image, roughly carved in semblance of a human figure, set upright
+in the ground.  At one side lay two or three wicker baskets, at the
+other a bottle; in front a big iron spoon stuck out of the soil, and
+all around were strewed hundreds of small beads.  Nando explained that
+these had been the property of the deceased lady.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And is she buried under them?" asked Mr. Martindale, stepping back a
+pace.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bit of her, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What do you mean&mdash;a bit of her?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All dey find, sah.  Bula Matadi come, make big bobbery; bang! chief
+him missis lib for[<a id="chap02fn1text"></a><a href="#chap02fn1">1</a>] dead, sah.  Bad man cut up, put in pot, only
+little bit left, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale shivered, then waxed indignant.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't believe it," he declared stoutly.  "Such things aren't done in
+these days.  There are no cannibals in these days&mdash;eh, Jack?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I hope not, uncle.  But are we near Banonga, Nando?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Small small, sah, den Banonga."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lead on, then," cried Mr. Martindale; "I want to see with my own eyes
+whether those fellows were telling the truth."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Some distance down the river, just after camping for the night, Mr.
+Martindale's rest had been disturbed by a loud and excited conversation
+between his own party and a group of newcomers who had halted to
+exchange greetings.  Inquiring the cause of the commotion, he learnt
+that the men had brought news of a terrible massacre that had taken
+place at Banonga, a village in the forest many miles up stream.  The
+villagers had been remiss in their collection of rubber; the agents of
+Bula Matadi (which, originally the native name for Sir H. M. Stanley,
+had become the name for the Congo Free State) had appeared at the
+village with a force of native soldiers, and, according to the
+informant, who had received the news from an up-country man, the whole
+population had been annihilated.  Mr. Martindale had heard, in America
+and England as well as in Africa, strange stories of the administration
+of the Congo State; but, like many others, he had been inclined to
+pooh-pooh the rumours of cruelty and atrocity as the vapourings of
+sentimentalists.  But the stories imperfectly interpreted by Nando on
+that pleasant evening by the river made a new impression on him.  He
+was a hard-headed man of business, as little inclined to sentimentality
+as any man could be; he hated any appeal to the emotions, and unasked
+gave large subscriptions to hospitals and philanthropic societies so as
+to avoid the harrowing of his feelings by collectors and other
+importunate folk; but beneath his rough husk lay a very warm heart, as
+none knew better than his nephew Jack; and the stories of cruelty told
+by the lips of these natives made him feel very uncomfortable.  At a
+distance he could shut his eyes to things&mdash;open his purse to deserving
+objects and believe that his duty was done; but here, on the spot, this
+easy course was not possible.  He did not like discomfort, bodily or
+mental; it annoyed him when any external cause ruffled the serenity of
+his life; and he made up his mind to pay a visit to Banonga on his way
+up the river, test the negroes' story, and prove to his own
+satisfaction, as he believed he would do, that it was exaggerated if
+not untrue.  That done, he would dismiss the matter from his thoughts,
+and proceed to the proper business of his journey without anything to
+disturb his peace of mind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The party left the grave on the hill and followed the same path through
+another stretch of forest until they came, almost unawares, upon a
+large clearing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Banonga, massa," said Nando, stretching out his hand, and looking into
+Mr. Martindale's eyes with a glance as of some frightened animal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Banonga!  But where are the huts?" said Mr. Martindale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No one answered him.  The party of five stood at the edge of the
+clearing, looking straight before them.  Pat the terrier trotted
+around, wagging his stump, and blinking up into their faces as if to
+ask a question.  What did they see?  A long broad track, leading
+between palms and plantains away into the impenetrable forest.  These
+leafy walls were vivid green, but the road itself was black.  A smell
+of charred wood and burnt vegetation filled the air.  There was not a
+complete hut to be seen.  The space once thronged with a joyous
+chattering crowd was now empty, save for ashes, half-burnt logs,
+shattered utensils.  Here and there a bird hopped and pecked, flying up
+into the trees with shrill scream as Pat sprang barking towards it.
+But for these sounds, the silence was as of death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Come," said Mr. Martindale, stepping forward.  It was he who led the
+way now as the party left the ring of forest and walked into the
+clearing.  Barney, coming behind with Nando, groaned aloud.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Stop that noise!" cried Mr. Martindale, swinging round irritably.
+"What's the matter with you, man?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sorrow a bit the matter wid me, sorr; but it just brought into me
+mimory a sight I saw in the ould counthry whin I was a bhoy; sure there
+was nothing to see there either, and that's the pity uv it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale walked on without speaking, poking with his stick into
+the black dust of the road.  Nando went to his side, and pointed out
+such traces of former habitations as remained: here a cooking pot,
+there a half-consumed wicker basket, a broken knife, a blackened
+bead-necklace.  And among the other scattered evidences of rapine there
+were the remains of human beings&mdash;skeletons, separate bones.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Whoever did this did it thoroughly," remarked Mr. Martindale with
+darkening brow.  "But who did it?  I won't believe it was Europeans
+till 'tis proved.  There are cannibals here; Nando said so: a cannibal
+tribe may have raided the place.  Eh?  But where are the people?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the thick undergrowth, beyond the desolated village, crouched a
+negro boy.  His cheeks were sunken, his eyes unnaturally bright.  His
+left arm hung limp and nerveless; in his right hand he clutched a
+broad-pointed dagger.  He had been lying in a stupor until roused by a
+sharp sound, the cry of some animal strange to him.  Then he raised
+himself slowly and with difficulty to his knees, and peered cautiously,
+apprehensively, through the foliage amid which he was ensconced.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He glared and shrank back when he saw that among the strangers moving
+about were two white men.  But what was this animal they had brought
+with them? he wondered.  Goats he knew, and pigs, and the wild animals
+of the forest; he knew the native dog, with its foxy head, smooth
+yellowish coat, and bushy tail; but this creature was new to him.
+True, it was like a dog, though its brown coat was rough and its tail
+stumpy; but he had never seen the dogs of his village trot round their
+masters as this was doing, never heard them speaking, as it seemed, to
+the men with this quick sharp cry.  The dogs he had known never barked;
+their only utterance was a long howl, when they were hungry or in pain.
+He hated white men, but loved animals; and, weak as he was, he raised
+himself once more, and bent forward, to look at this active dog-like
+creature that came and went in apparent joyousness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A bird flew down from a tree, and alighted hardily within a couple of
+yards of the terrier.  This was too much for Pat.  He darted at the
+audacious bird, pursued it into the thicket, then came to a sudden
+surprised stop when he descried a black form among the leaves.  He
+stood contemplating the boy with his honest brown eyes, and his tail
+was very active.  Then with one short bark he trotted back to his
+master, and looked up at him as if to say: "I have made a discovery;
+come and see."  But man's intelligence is very limited.  Barney did not
+understand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And did the cratur' give ye the slip, then?" he said, patting the
+dog's head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's not the point," said Pat's barks; "I want you to come and see
+what I have found," and he ran off again towards the thicket, turning
+once or twice to see if his master was following.  But Barney paid
+little attention to him, and Pat, giving him up as hopeless, went on
+alone to scrape acquaintance.  He stood before the boy at a distance of
+a yard, blinking at him between the tendrils of a creeper.  Then he
+advanced slowly, wagging his stump, poked his nose through the leaves,
+and after a moment's sniffing deliberation put out his tongue and
+licked the black knee he found there.  The boy made with his closed
+lips the humming sound with which the negro of the Congo expresses
+pleasure, and next moment the dog's paws were in his hands, and the
+two, dog and boy, were friends.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But whoever was a friend of Pat's must also be a friend of Barney
+O'Dowd.  It was not long before Pat awoke to a sense of his duty.  He
+tried with the negro the plan that had just failed with his master.  He
+retreated a little way, cocked his head round and barked, and waited
+for the boy to follow.  The latter understood at once; but he shook his
+head, and said, "O nye!  O nye!" under his breath, and lay still.  Pat
+began to see that there was something keeping the white man and the
+black boy apart.  It was very foolish, he thought; they were both such
+good fellows: it was quite clear that they ought to be friends; but
+what was a dog to do?  He trotted slowly back to Barney, and began to
+speak to him seriously, with a bark of very different intonation from
+that he had previously employed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, and what is it wid ye thin?" said Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He has caught the bird, I expect," said Jack, amused at the dog's
+manner, "and wants you to go and see it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure thin I will," said Barney, "and mutton being scarce, we will have
+a new kind uv Irish stew, Pat me bhoy.  But why did ye not bring it, me
+darlint?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He made to follow the dog, whose tail was now beating the air with
+frantic delight.  But he had no sooner reached the edge of the
+plantation than there was a rustle among the leaves: the boy was
+leaving his hiding-place and trying to crawl away into the forest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra!" quoth Barney, "'tis a living cratur', and a bhoy, black as
+the peat on me father's bog, and not knowing a word uv Irish, to be
+sure."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pat was rubbing his nose on the boy's flank, wondering why he had taken
+to going on all fours.  But the negro did not crawl far.  Faint with
+weakness, moaning with pain, he sank to the ground.  Pat gave one bark
+of sympathy and stood watching him.  Meanwhile Jack had come up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A boy, did you say, Barney?  What is he doing here?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure I would like to know that same, sorr, but niver a word uv his
+spache did I learn.  Perhaps he has niver seen a white man, not to say
+an Irishman, before, and thinks 'tis a ghost."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nando, come here!" called Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The paddler hurried up, followed quickly by Mr. Martindale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What's this?  What's this?  A boy!  They're not all killed then."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I think he's hurt, uncle, and scared.  He tried to crawl away from us,
+but seemed too weak."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, lift him up, Barney; we'll see."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney approached, but the instant he stretched forth his hands the boy
+uttered a piercing shriek, and made to thrust at him with his dagger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Come, this will never do," said Mr. Martindale.  "Speak to him, Nando;
+tell him we are friends, and will do him no harm."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando went up to the boy, and Pat stood by, wagging his tail and
+looking inquiringly from one to the other as the negro talked in his
+rapid staccato.  A few minutes passed; then Nando turned round and with
+a beaming smile said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He understan' all same now, sah.  I say massa Inglesa ginleman, blood
+brudder Tanalay, oh yes.  He know 'bout Tanalay: he no 'fraid dis time;
+he come along along.  He Samba, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap02fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap02fn1text">1</a>] i.e. <i>live for</i>, an expression commonly used in all kinds of
+circumstances by the natives, practically an intensive for various
+forms of the verb <i>to be</i>.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap03"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER III
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Monsieur Elbel
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Samba made no resistance when Nando lifted him and carried him to the
+centre of the clearing.  He moaned once or twice as the Baenga pressed
+his wounded arm, and almost fainted when he was laid on the ground
+before Mr. Martindale.  But a sip from the traveller's flask revived
+him, and he smiled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's better," said Mr. Martindale.  "Poor boy!  He looks half
+starved.  Have you any food about you, Nando?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, sah: get some one time."[<a id="chap03fn1text"></a><a href="#chap03fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He went off into the thicket, and soon returned with a couple of
+scorched bananas.  These Samba devoured ravenously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now I wonder if he could tell us all about it?" said Mr. Martindale.
+"Ask him, Nando."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba told his story.  His dialect was different from Nando's, but
+there is a freemasonry of speech among the tribes of the Congo, and
+Nando understood.  It was not so easy for the others to get at the
+meaning of Nando's strange jargon as he interpreted, but they listened
+patiently, and missed little of the narrative.  Mr. Martindale sat on
+an upturned pot, Jack and Barney on charred logs.  Nando squatted
+beside Samba on the ground, and Pat thrust his muzzle contentedly
+between the boy's knees and seemed to sleep.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-019"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-019.jpg" alt="The finding of Samba" />
+<br />
+The finding of Samba
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One night, when the moon was at the full, a messenger had come into
+Banonga village.  The time was at hand when the agent of Bula Matadi
+would attend to collect the tax&mdash;the weight of rubber exacted by the
+Congo State from every able-bodied man.  The messenger reminded the
+chief that Banonga had several times been in default.  Only a few men
+had hitherto been punished, only a few women carried away as hostages
+for the diligence of their husbands.  But the patience of Bula Matadi
+was exhausted.  If on this occasion the due measure of rubber was not
+forthcoming, the anger of Bula Matadi would blaze, the soldiers would
+come, and the men of Banonga would have cause to rue their idleness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief listened in silence.  He was old; his body was bowed, his
+spirit broken.  Life in Banonga was no longer the same since the white
+man came.  All the joy of life was gone; the people spent their days in
+unremitting toil, endeavouring to satisfy the cry of their rulers for
+rubber, always rubber, more rubber.  When the messenger arrived the men
+were away hunting for rubber, but Mirambo knew that, were they doubled
+in number, they could not gather the quantity required.  The vines in
+their district were exhausted; the men had not been taught how to tap
+them; they destroyed as they went, and now the whole district around
+Banonga would not yield half of what was demanded of them.  The poor
+old chief trembled when he thought of the woe that was coming to
+Banonga, for he now knew from the fate of other villages on the river
+what the messenger of Bula Matadi foreshadowed.  Unless his men could
+achieve the impossible, find rubber where there was none, the blow
+would fall.  And when it fell Banonga would be no more.  The village a
+little while ago so happy and prosperous would be destroyed, its people
+killed or scattered.  So it had happened to other villages: how could
+he hope that Banonga would be spared?  The messenger indeed had spoken
+of the leniency of Bula Matadi, but the chief might have reminded him
+of the outrages the people had suffered; of the rapacity, the ruthless
+brutalities, of the forest guards.  But he said no word of provocation;
+only, when the man had gone, Samba heard him mutter the terrible
+sentence now too often on his lips: "Botofé bo le iwa: rubber is death!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day came: the agent of Bula Matadi appeared, with an armed escort.
+The men of Banonga had not returned.  They came dropping in by ones and
+twos and threes, worn out with their long quest.  The rubber was
+weighed: in many cases it was short; excuses were rejected, entreaties
+scoffed at.  The hapless victims suffered taunts, abuse, the terrible
+whip.  One, less enduring than the rest, resisted.  This was the
+signal.  A dozen rifles were raised&mdash;a dozen shots rang out, strong
+forms lay writhing in the agony of death.  A brief, sharp struggle;
+another fusillade; and the terrified survivors, men, women and
+children, fled helter-skelter to the forest, pursued by the shots of
+the soldiery, ruthless of age or sex.  A raid was made upon their
+deserted huts: everything that had value for the native levies was
+seized; then the match was applied, and soon what had once been a
+prosperous happy village was a heap of smouldering ruins.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba saw it all.  He remained dauntless by his grandfather's side
+until a bullet put an end to the old chief's life; then he too fled
+into the forest, to find his father and mother, his brothers and
+sisters.  But he had delayed too long; one of the sentinels fired at
+him as he ran: his left arm was struck.  He struggled on, but his
+friends were now out of reach: he could not find them.  For several
+days he wandered about, supporting his life on roots and herbs in the
+vain search for his people.  Then, growing hourly weaker, he crept back
+to his village, hoping that by and by the survivors would return to
+their desolated homes, to rebuild their huts, and sow new crops.  But
+none came.  He was alone!  And he had lain down among the trees&mdash;as he
+thought, to die.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Poor little fellow!" said Mr. Martindale.  "How old is he, Nando?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He say ten three years, sah," replied Nando after consulting the boy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Thirteen.  He looks older.  This is a pretty kettle of fish.  What can
+we do with him?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must take him with us, uncle!" said Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Take him with us, indeed!  What can we do with him?  We can't hunt for
+his father and mother: he'd be of no use to us in our job.  He wants
+doctoring: he might die on our hands."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I learnt a little doctoring in the hospital, sorr," said Barney.
+"Sure I think I could mend his arm."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, well, Nando and the other man had better bring him along to the
+canoe&mdash;gently, you know.  Don't make him squeal."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two negroes lifted the boy, and the party set off to return to the
+river.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A fine responsibility you have let me in for, Jack," said Mr.
+Martindale as they went along.  "I've no notion of a Crusoe and Friday
+relationship."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why not say Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A man of my girth!" said Mr. Martindale, chuckling.  "But joking
+apart, Jack, this is a serious business.  What am I to do with the boy,
+supposing he gets better?  I am not a philanthropist; I can't start a
+boys' home; and the little chap will be of no use to us in our proper
+work.  For the life of me I don't see daylight through this."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We may find him useful in other ways, uncle.  Besides, we may come
+across his people."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And we may not&mdash;we may not, Jack.  Still, have your way; only remember
+he's your protégé; I wash my hands of him.  And mind you, I'm not going
+to start a crusade.  There's been terrible work in this village: no
+mistake about it; but I'm not convinced it's the doing of white men: in
+fact, I refuse to believe it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But they're responsible.  They shouldn't employ natives who are so
+blackguardly."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's where it is, you see.  You Britishers employed Red Indians in
+our war of Independence, didn't you?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, and Lord Chatham thundered against it, and it was put a stop to."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They taught you history at Rugby, did they?  Glad to hear it.  Well, I
+dare say Leopold will put a stop to it if representations are made to
+him.  It's none of my business, but I'll mention the matter when I get
+back to Boma.  Now, Sambo&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba, uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bo or ba, it's all the same.  You'll have to be a good boy, Samba.
+But what's the good of talking!  He can't understand what I say.
+Doesn't know good from bad, I warrant.  Well, well!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They reached the canoe and laid Samba gently down upon rugs.  The rude
+craft was soon under way.  For a time Samba lay asleep, with his arm
+about Pat's neck; but by and by, when the paddlers paused in the song
+with which they accompanied their strokes, the boy awoke, and began to
+sing himself, in a low musical voice that struck pleasantly upon the
+ear after the rougher tones of the men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bauro lofundo! (he sang); bauro lofundo!  Bompasu la Liwanga bao
+lindela ud' okunda ilaka nkos'i koka."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This he repeated again and again until he was tired and slept once more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Very pretty," said Mr. Martindale.  "The boy'd make a fortune in New
+York, Jack.  But what does it all mean, anyway?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Berrah nice song, sah," said Nando.  "Me tell all 'bout it.  People of
+Bauro, sah, plenty bad lot.  Bompasu and Liwanga been and gone after
+'long 'long into de forest, not come back till parrots one two free
+twenty all dah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I can't make much of that.  Doesn't seem to have any more sense
+than the songs that our gals sing at home."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But further inquiry brought out the story.  It appeared that a rubber
+collector, not satisfied with exacting from the people of Bauro the
+usual quantity of rubber, had required them to furnish him by a certain
+day with twenty young parrots which he wished to take with him to
+Europe.  Being unable to obtain so large a number by the given date,
+the people were declared to be surpassingly obstinate and wicked, and
+the sentries Bompasu and Liwanga were let loose upon them until the
+twenty parrots were delivered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Humph!" grunted Mr. Martindale.  "Say, wasn't it Macaulay who said
+he'd write a nation's history from its ballads?  Rubber and parrots;
+what next, I wonder?  These Congo people have original ideas in
+taxation."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "and don't I wish the taxes in the ould
+counthry were uv the same kind.  Sure and ivery man in the counthry
+would be glad to supply the collectors wid scores uv sparrows or
+peewits or any other fowl, and murphies and blackthorns&mdash;ivery mortal
+thing but money, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the course of a few hours the stream they had hitherto been
+navigating ran into a larger tributary of the Congo some hundred and
+fifty miles above the point where it joined the main river.  The canoe
+had scarcely entered the broader river when the crew suddenly stopped
+paddling, and Nando, turning round with some excitement, said&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Smoke-boat, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Smoke-boat nebber dis way before, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A steamer, eh?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A launch flying the Congo State flag, uncle&mdash;blue with a golden star,"
+said Jack, standing up in the canoe and taking a long look ahead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando explained that the rapids, a day's paddling down stream, had
+prevented the State officers hitherto from bringing steam launches into
+this part of the river.  Evidently the vessel now approaching must have
+been carried, as a whole or in sections, overland past these rapids&mdash;a
+work of great difficulty and labour, for the rapids were at least three
+miles in length, and the shores were at some parts rocky, at others
+covered with dense scrub.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Almost before Nando had finished his explanation the canoe had been put
+about, and the men began to paddle hard up stream towards the mouth of
+the little river, into which the launch could not follow them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Hi, now, Nando, what are you about?" cried Mr. Martindale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando replied that it was always best to avoid the State officials.  He
+would lie in a creek until the launch was past.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't see why we should run away," said Mr. Martindale.  "However,
+after what we've just seen, I've no wish to meet them.  I might say
+something that would lead to a row with the Company."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He lit a cigar and lay back in the canoe.  Jack turned flat on his face
+and watched the launch.  It was soon clear that Nando's plan was
+impossible.  The launch was a swift one: it came on with increased
+speed, and when within hailing distance a voice in French called
+peremptorily upon the canoe to stop.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nando, stop paddling," said Mr. Martindale, leisurely turning round on
+his seat.  "Answer their hail, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Who are you?" shouted Jack in English.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The foreigner in the bow of the launch was somewhat taken aback.  He
+had thought to do the questioning, not to be questioned.  But he
+replied stiffly&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am Monsieur Elbel, of de Société Cosmopolite du Commerce du Congo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The launch was now within a few yards of the canoe.  Monsieur Elbel was
+a short thick-set man with reddish hair, and a thick red moustache that
+stuck out rigidly a couple of inches on each side of his nose.  He wore
+a white topee and white trousers, but his coat was blue, with brass
+buttons, and gold lace at the shoulders.  All but himself on deck were
+negroes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale ordered the paddlers to bring the canoe round, so that
+he might face the Belgian.  Then, still seated, he blew out a cloud of
+smoke and said&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I don't know you, Mr. Elbel, and if the work in Banonga yonder
+is due to you I don't wish to.  Paddle ahead, Nando."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The crew looked somewhat awestruck, but obediently dropped their
+paddles into the stream.  Monsieur Elbel's cheeks had turned a fiery
+red several shades deeper than his hair, and the veins upon his
+forehead swelled.  The canoe sped past him while he was still
+endeavouring to collect himself.  Suddenly a tall negro at his side
+threw out his hand, exclaiming: "Ok'ok'ok'oka!"[<a id="chap03fn2text"></a><a href="#chap03fn2">2</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Belgian looked in the direction pointed out, and the negro followed
+up his exclamation with a rapid excited sentence.  Monsieur Elbel at
+once sent the launch in pursuit of the canoe, ran her alongside, and
+cried:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Halt!  I bid you halt.  You are rude.  I vill run you down if you have
+not care.  Dat boy I see in your canoe I know him; he belong to my
+société: I demand him to be given up."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not so fast, Mr. Elbel.  I treat men as they treat me.  You have no
+right to stop me.  I am an American, a citizen of the United States,
+travelling in the Free State, which I believe, is open to all the
+world.  Besides, I have a patent from your company.  I propose to
+continue my journey."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But&mdash;but&mdash;I tell you, dat boy is not American: he is subject of Congo
+State, in concession of my société; still vunce, I demand him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sorry I can't oblige you.  The boy is in my service: he has been
+wounded&mdash;perhaps you know how; nothing but an order from the Free State
+courts will compel me to give him up.  And even then I won't, knowing
+what I know.  That's flat, Mr. Elbel.  You stop me at your risk.  Go
+ahead, Nando."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negroes dug their paddles into the water, and the canoe darted past
+the side of the launch.  Monsieur Elbel bit his moustache and savagely
+tugged its ends; then, completely losing control of his temper, he
+shouted&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You hear; I varn you.  You act illegal; you come to seek for gold; dat
+is your business: it is not your business to meddle yourself viz de
+natif.  I report you!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The launch snorted away up stream, the canoe continued its journey at a
+moderate pace, and each was soon out of sight of the other.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For some minutes Mr. Martindale seemed preoccupied.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What is it, uncle?" asked Jack after a time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I was thinking over what that fellow Elbel said.  He knows more about
+our business here than I quite like.  Of course they all know we're
+after minerals, but Barnard's find is not the dead secret he thought it
+was.  Or say, Jack, d'you think we are being watched?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Perhaps he was fishing?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't think so, for he didn't wait for an answer.  However, we
+needn't meet our difficulties half-way.  Anyhow, 'twill do Mr. Elbel no
+harm to know that we don't care a red cent for him or any other Congo
+man.  I suppose he's in charge of this section.  But what on earth did
+the fellow want with the boy?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando, without ceasing to ply his paddle, turned his head and spoke
+over his shoulder to Samba, now wide awake.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba say him uncle dah, sah: uncle Boloko, plenty bad man."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A wicked uncle, eh?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He berrah angry, sah, 'cos Samba him fader hab got plenty more wives,
+sah; must be chief some day.  Boloko he want to be chief: berrah well:
+Banonga men all say 'Lako! lako!'[<a id="chap03fn3text"></a><a href="#chap03fn3">3</a>] plenty loud.  Boloko berrah much
+angry: go to white men: tell berrah bad fings 'bout Banonga men.  Samba
+say Banonga men lib for cut off Boloko his head if catch him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Wigs on the green, Jack.  Then I guess this Boloko fellow wanted to
+get in first.  Well, it doesn't raise my opinion of Mr. Elbel; you know
+a man by the company he keeps, eh?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And the Company by him, uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap03fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap03fn1text">1</a>] Immediately.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap03fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap03fn2text">2</a>] Exclamation of surprise.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap03fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap03fn3text">3</a>] Exclamation of refusal.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap04"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER IV
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Night Alarms
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+In the course of an hour or two Mr. Martindale's canoe reached the
+camp, on a piece of rising ground immediately above the river.  Here he
+found the rest of his party&mdash;some fifty strong West African
+natives&mdash;the three canoes in which they had come up stream lying nose
+to stern along the low bank, only the first being moored, the others
+roped to it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The party had reached the spot three days before, and were resting
+after the fatigues of their journey.  These had been by no means
+slight, for the men had had to haul the canoes through the rapids, and
+sometimes to make portages for a considerable distance.  Fortunately
+the canoes were not heavily laden.  They contained merely a good stock
+of food, and a few simple mining tools.  This was only a prospecting
+trip, as Mr. Martindale was careful to explain before leaving Boma.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His friend Barnard's instructions had been clear enough.  The discovery
+had been accidental.  Coming one day, in the course of his wanderings,
+to the village of Ilola, he happened to learn that the chief's son was
+down with fever.  The villagers had been somewhat unfriendly, and
+Barnard was not loth to purchase their goodwill by doing what he could
+for the boy.  He cured the fever.  The chief, like most of the negroes
+of Central Africa, had strong family affections, and was eager to give
+some practical token of his gratitude for his son's recovery.  When
+taking the boy's pulse, Barnard had timed the beats by means of his
+gold repeater.  The chief looked on in wonderment, believing that the
+mysterious sounds he heard from the watch were part of the stranger's
+magic.  When the cure was complete, he asked Barnard to present him
+with the magic box; but the American made him understand by signs that
+he could not give it away; besides, it was useful only to the white
+man.  Whereupon the chief had a happy thought.  If the yellow metal was
+valuable, his friend and benefactor would like to obtain more of it.
+There was plenty to be found within a short distance of the village.
+The chief would tell him where it was, but him alone, conditionally.
+He must promise that if he came for it, or sent any one for it, the
+people of Ilola should not be injured; for every month brought news
+from afar of the terrible things that were done by the white men in
+their hunt for rubber.  Perhaps the same might happen if white men came
+to look for gold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barnard gave the chief the desired assurance, undertaking that no harm
+should come to him or his people if he showed where the gold was to be
+found.  The American was then led across a vast stretch of swampy
+ground to a rugged hill some three or four miles from Ilola.  Through a
+deep fissure in the hillside brawled a rapid stream, and in its sandy
+bed the traveller discerned clear traces of the precious metal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barnard explained to Mr. Martindale that Ilola was several days'
+journey above the rapids on the Lemba, a sub-tributary of the Congo,
+and provided him with a rough map on which he had traced the course of
+the streams he would have to navigate to reach it.  But even without
+the map it might be found without much difficulty: its name was well
+known among the natives along the upper reaches of the river, the chief
+being lord of several villages.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So far Mr. Martindale's journey had been without a hitch, and he was
+now within three or four days of his destination.  It was the custom of
+the party to stay at night in or near a native village.  There a hut
+could usually be got for the white men, and Barnard had told them that
+a hut was for many reasons preferable to a tent.  Sudden storms were
+not infrequent in these latitudes, especially at night&mdash;a tent might be
+blown or washed away almost without warning, while a well-built native
+hut would stand fast.  Moreover, a tent is at the best uncomfortably
+hot and close; a hut is more roomy, and the chinks in the matting of
+which its sides commonly consist allow a freer passage of air.  The
+floor too is dry and hard, often raised above the ground outside; and
+the roof, made of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves and coarse
+grasses, is rain-tight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Up to the present Mr. Martindale had met with nothing but friendliness
+from the natives, and a hut had always been at his disposal.  But he
+had now reached a part of the river where the people knew white men
+only by hearsay, and could not distinguish between inoffensive
+travellers and the grasping agents whose cruelty rumour was spreading
+through the land.  The people of the village where he wished to put up
+for this night were surly and suspicious, and he decided for once to
+sleep in his tent on the river bank instead of in a hut.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The party had barely finished their evening meal when the sun sank, and
+in a few minutes all was dark.  Samba had been handed over to Barney,
+whose hospital experience enabled him to tend the boy's wound with no
+little dexterity, and the boy went happily to sleep in Barney's tent,
+his arm round Pat's neck.  Jack shared his uncle's tent.  He had been
+somewhat excited by the scenes and events of the day, and did not fall
+asleep the moment he lay down, as he usually did.  The tent was very
+warm and stuffy; the mosquitoes found weak spots in his curtains and
+sought diligently for unexplored regions of his skin, until he found
+the conditions intolerable.  He got up, envying his uncle, who was
+sound asleep, his snores vying with the distant roars of hippopotami in
+the river.  Taking care not to disturb him, Jack stepped out of the
+hut, and understood at once why the air was so oppressive.  A storm was
+brewing.  Everything was still, as if weighed down by some monstrous
+incubus.  Ever and anon the indigo sky was cut across by steel-blue
+flashes of forked lightning, and thunder rumbled far away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack sauntered on, past Barney's tent, towards the river bank,
+listening to noises rarely heard by day&mdash;the grunt of hippopotami, the
+constant rasping croak of frogs, the lesser noises of birds and insects
+among the reeds.  The boatmen and other natives of the party were a
+hundred yards away, beyond the tents he had just left.  Sometimes they
+would chatter till the small hours, but to-night they were silent,
+sleeping heavily after their toil.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He came to a little eminence, from which he could look down towards the
+stream.  Everything was black and indistinguishable.  But suddenly, as
+a jagged flash of lightning momentarily lit the scene, he fancied he
+caught a glimpse of a figure moving below, about the spot where the
+nearest of the canoes was moored.  Was it a wild beast, he wondered,
+prowling for food?  Or perhaps his eyes had deceived him?  He moved a
+little forward; carefully, for the blackness of night seemed deeper
+than ever.  Another flash!  He had not been mistaken; it was a figure,
+moving on one of the canoes&mdash;a human form, a man, stooping, with a
+knife in his hand!  What was he doing?  Once more for an instant the
+lightning lit up the river, and as by a flash Jack guessed the man's
+purpose: he was about to cut the mooring rope!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack's first impulse was to shout; but in a moment he saw that a sudden
+alarm might cause the natives of his party to stampede.  The intruder
+was alone, and a negro; Why not try to capture him?  Jack was ready
+with his hands: his muscles were in good order; he could wrestle and
+box, and, as became a boy of Tom Brown's school, fight.  True, the man
+had a knife; but with the advantage of surprise on his side Jack felt
+that the odds were fairly equal.  He stole down the slope to the
+waterside, hoping that the darkness would remain unbroken until he had
+stalked his man.  A solitary bush at the very brink gave him cover;
+standing behind it, almost touching the sleeping sentry who should have
+been guarding the canoes, Jack could just see the dark form moving from
+the first canoe to the second.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He waited until the man bent over to cut the connecting rope; then with
+three long silent leaps he gained the side of the foremost canoe, which
+was almost resting on the bank in just sufficient water to float her.
+The man had already made two or three slashes at the rope when he heard
+Jack's splash in the shallow water.  With a dexterous twist of his body
+he eluded Jack's clutch, and swinging round aimed with his knife a
+savage blow at his assailant.  Jack felt a stinging pain in the fleshy
+part of the thigh, and, hot with rage, turned to grapple with the
+negro.  His fingers touched a greasy skin; the man drew back, wriggled
+round, and prepared to leap overboard.  At the moment when he made his
+spring Jack flung out his hands to catch him.  He was just an instant
+too late; the negro had splashed into the shallow water on the far side
+of the canoe, and disappeared into the inky blackness beyond, leaving
+in Jack's hands a broken string, with a small round object dangling
+from the end.  At the same moment there was a heavy thwack against the
+side of the canoe; and Jack, mindful of crocodiles, bolted up the bank.
+He turned after a few yards, shuddering to think that the man had
+perhaps escaped him only to fall a victim to this most dreaded scourge
+of African rivers.  But if he was indeed in the jaws of a crocodile he
+was beyond human help.  He listened for a time, but could detect no
+sound betraying the man's presence.  Pursuit, he knew, was useless.
+Except when the lightning flashed he could scarcely see a yard beyond
+him.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-033"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-033.jpg" alt="A midnight encounter" />
+<br />
+A midnight encounter
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack did not care to disturb his uncle.  He went round the camp, found
+Nando with some difficulty in the darkness, and ordered him to send ten
+of the crew to occupy the canoes for the rest of the night.  Then he
+went back to his tent, bound up his wound, and stretched himself on his
+mattress.  He lay awake for a time, wondering what motive the intruder
+could have for damaging the expedition.  At last, from sheer weariness,
+he dropped off into a troubled sleep in which he was conscious of a
+deluge of rain that descended upon the camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The morning however broke clear.  Jack told his uncle what had occurred.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Humph!" grunted Mr. Martindale.  "What's the meaning of it, I wonder?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Do you think it was a move of that Belgian fellow, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mr. Elbel?  No, I don't.  He has no reason for interfering with us.
+I've bought the rights from his company, and as they'll get royalties
+on all the gold I find, he's not such a fool as to hinder us."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But Samba, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bah!  He was egged on to demand the boy by that villainous-looking
+nigger, and his dignity being a trifle upset, he thought he'd try it on
+with us.  No, I don't think he was at the bottom of it.  I've always
+heard that these niggers are arrant thieves; the villagers were
+unfriendly, you remember, and most likely 'twas one of them who took a
+fancy to our canoes.  Glad you frightened him off, anyway.  What about
+your wound?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It's nothing to speak of&mdash;a slight flesh wound.  I washed it with alum
+solution, and don't think it will give me any bother."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lucky it's no worse.  We'll set a careful watch every night after
+this.  And take my advice: if you can't sleep, don't go prowling about;
+it isn't safe in these parts.  Try my dodge; shut your eyes and imagine
+you see forty thousand sheep jumping a patent boundary fence in single
+file; or if that don't work, say to yourself: 'How much wood would a
+woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood?'&mdash;and keep on saying
+it.  I've never known it fail."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Perhaps it's a good job I didn't know it last night," replied Jack,
+laughing.  "We should have been minus four canoes."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And all our stores.  But don't do it again, there's a good fellow.
+I've paid double passage, and I don't want to go home alone."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The camp was by this time astir.  The natives, chattering like monkeys,
+were busily preparing their breakfast.  Barney was engaged in a like
+service for the white men, and Samba proved himself to be an adept at
+cleaning the fish which some of the men had caught in the early morning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure an' he'll be a treasure, sorr," said Barney, as he handed Mr.
+Martindale his cup of tea and plate of broiled fish.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Is the boy getting better?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"As fast as he can, sorr.  'Twas want uv food more than wounds that was
+wrong wid him.  All he really needs is a dish uv good honest murphies
+twice a day, and sorry I am they do not grow in this haythen counthry."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was one of Barney's crosses that the only potatoes obtainable <i>en
+route</i> were the sweet variety.  Mr. Martindale rather liked them&mdash;a
+weakness which Barney regarded with sorrow as an injustice to Ireland.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Breakfast finished, the canoes were manned and the expedition resumed
+its journey.  Samba kept the negroes amused with his songs and chatter
+and clever imitations of the cries of birds and beasts.  His restless
+eyes seemed to miss nothing of the scenes along the river.  He would
+point to what appeared to be a log cast up on the sand and exclaim
+"Nkoli!" and utter shrill screams: and the log would perhaps disappear,
+leaving no trace, or move and open a sleepy eye, and Barney ejaculate,
+"A crocodile, by all the holy powers!"  Once he drew Jack's attention
+to a greenish lizard, some eight inches long, creeping down an ant-hill
+towards a tiny shrew mouse.  Spying the enemy, the little creature
+darted down the slope, and took a header into the water; but the lizard
+came close upon its heels, sprang after it, and dragged it down into
+the deep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And what do you make of this?" said Jack suddenly, showing Samba the
+amulet he had torn from the neck of the midnight marauder.  The boy
+started, stared at the piece of bone, looked up in Jack's face and
+exclaimed&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bokun'oka fafa!"[<a id="chap04fn1text"></a><a href="#chap04fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say belong him uncle," Nando interpreted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba spoke rapidly to Nando.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say belong berrah bad uncle on smoke-boat, sah.  Him say how massa
+get him?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack related the incident of the night, Nando translating to the boy,
+who listened gravely, but smiled at the end.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why does he smile?" asked Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He say him uncle no lib for good any more: lost medicine ring; he no
+fit for do bad fings any more: get cotched ebery time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra, sorr, 'tis like me very own uncle Tim, who niver had a day's
+luck after he lost the lucky sixpence given to 'm by a ginerous kind
+gentleman for holding a horse in Sackville Street whin he was a bhoy.
+He had always been unlucky before that, sorr, and sure the lucky
+sixpence would have made a rich man uv him in time; but he lost it the
+very same day, sorr, and had no luck at all at all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well," said Mr. Martindale, laughing, "if the loss of this amulet
+means that the owner will never succeed in any tricks against us, I
+congratulate you, Jack.  Will you wear it yourself?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, uncle; I'll give it to Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Samba, when the charm was given to him, looked at it seriously for
+a moment, then his face broke into a beaming smile as he slipped the
+string about Pat's neck.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mbua end' ólótsi!"[<a id="chap04fn2text"></a><a href="#chap04fn2">2</a>] he cried, clapping his hands.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pat barked with pleasure and licked the boy's face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They're great chums already," remarked Mr. Martindale pleasantly, as
+he bit the end off a cigar.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That evening, when the time for camping came, there was no village in
+sight from the river, and Nando reported that the nearest lay too far
+from the stream to suit his employer.  The banks were thickly wooded,
+and it appeared as if there would be some difficulty in finding a space
+sufficiently clear for a camp.  But at last the travellers came to a
+spot where a stretch of level grassland ran wedge-like into the
+vegetation.  At one end the ground rose gradually until it formed a
+bluff overhanging the river at a considerable height.  This seemed as
+favourable a place as was likely to be discovered, and here the camp
+was pitched, the evening meal was eaten, and the travellers sought
+repose.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The night was very dark, and deep silence brooded over the
+encampment&mdash;such silence as the dweller in towns can never know.  Not
+even the shriek of a nocturnal monkey or the splash of a fish pursued
+by a crocodile broke the stillness.  Every member of the party was
+asleep.  But all at once, Samba, lying just within the flap-door of
+Barney O'Dowd's tent, one arm pillowing his head, the other clasping
+the terrier, was disturbed by a low whine.  He was awake in an instant.
+He had never heard Pat whine; the dog barked at everything; why had he
+changed his manner of speech?  Samba got up: Pat had left him and stood
+in the entrance to the tent; the whine had become a growl.  The boy
+followed him, stooped and felt in the dark for his head, then lifted
+him in his arms and went out, laying a hand on the dog's muzzle to
+silence him.  Like other terriers, Pat objected to be carried.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The whine had wakened Barney also; Pat and he had passed many a night
+together.  He heard the slight sound made by Samba's departure, and
+rising, went out in his stockings to follow him.  He walked a few yards
+in the direction he supposed Samba to have taken; but it was too dark
+to see him, and neither boy nor dog made any further sound.  Barney
+retraced his steps, and, wandering a little from the way he had come,
+stumbled over the sleeping body of one of the men placed as sentinels.
+He gave him a kick.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Get up, you varmint!" he cried.  "Is that the fashion uv keeping
+gyard?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But as soon as he had passed on the man rolled over, gave a grunt, and
+was fast asleep again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Samba had walked on towards the river bank, stopping at
+intervals to listen.  He heard nothing; not even the usual nightly
+sounds came to him; the surrounding forest seemed asleep.  But
+suddenly, Pat became restless and uttered a rumbling growl.  Samba held
+him close and whispered to him, and the dog apparently understood, for
+the growl ceased.  Then Samba caught the faint sound of paddles
+up-stream&mdash;a sound so familiar to him that he could not be mistaken.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He crept cautiously along, up the gradual ascent, until he came near
+the summit of the overhanging cliff.  Moving stealthily to the edge he
+peered over; but in the blackness he could see nothing.  The sound had
+ceased.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Feeling his way carefully with his bare feet, Samba slowly made his way
+down the grassy cliff until he came near the water's edge, then crept
+along the bank up stream.  Again Pat uttered his low growl, but was
+instantly silent in response to the boy's whispered warning.  Samba
+seemed to find his way by instinct over the uneven ground.  Now and
+again he heard a beast scurry away at his approach and rustle through
+the bushes or plunge into the river; but he was not afraid: there was
+little risk of encountering a dangerous animal, and he was too far
+above the sandy level to stumble upon a crocodile lying in wait.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He went on steadily.  It was not a native custom to move about in the
+dark hours, and, remembering what had happened the night before, he was
+intent upon discovering the business of the mysterious paddlers.  After
+Pat's last smothered growl he proceeded more cautiously than ever.  At
+last the sound of low voices ahead made him halt.  Whispering again to
+Pat, who licked his hand as if to reassure him, he set the dog down and
+crept forward again, bending low, and taking care, dark as it was, to
+avail himself of every bush for cover.  To judge by the voices, a large
+number of men must have gathered at some point not far ahead.  He drew
+still nearer.  All at once he halted again, and laid a hand on Pat's
+neck.  Among the voices he had distinguished one that he knew only too
+well: it was that of his uncle Boloko.  He stood rooted to the spot
+with dismay.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later his quick ears caught the sound of men moving off
+at right angles to the river in a direction that would enable them to
+skirt the cliff and come upon the sleeping camp through the forest in
+its rear.  In a flash he saw through their scheme.  Bidding Pat in a
+whisper to follow him, he turned and hurried back, climbing the face of
+the cliffs with a panther's surefootedness, and racing along at his top
+speed as soon as he came to the downward slope.  With Pat at his heels
+he dashed into Barney's tent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Etumba!  Etumba!"[<a id="chap04fn3text"></a><a href="#chap04fn3">3</a>] he exclaimed breathlessly.  "Ba-lofúndú bao
+ya!"[<a id="chap04fn4text"></a><a href="#chap04fn4">4</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And Pat chimed in with three rapid barks.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap04fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap04fn1text">1</a>] My father's younger brother.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap04fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap04fn2text">2</a>] Good dog!
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap04fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap04fn3text">3</a>] Fight! (the natives' alarm signal).
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap04fn4"></a>
+[<a href="#chap04fn4text">4</a>] The villains are upon us!
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap05"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER V
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+The Order of Merit
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"Bad cess to you, you young varmint!" exclaimed Barney, waking with a
+start.  "What do you say at all?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ba-lofúndú bao ya!  Boloko!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Be jabers if I know what you'd be meaning.  Off!  Run!  Nando!  And
+it's pitch dark it is."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boy scampered, Pat still at his heels.  The dog had evidently been
+impressed by Samba's warnings, for he ran silently, without growl or
+bark.  They came to the spot where Nando lay, beneath a spreading
+acacia.  Samba shook him without ceremony.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ba-lofúndú bao ya!" he cried.  "Betsua!  Betsua!"[<a id="chap05fn1text"></a><a href="#chap05fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando growled and bade him be off; but when the boy poured his story
+with eager excitement into the big negro's sleepy ears, Nando at last
+bestirred himself, and hurried to Mr. Martindale's tent, bidding Samba
+remain at hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba him uncle, berrah bad man, come to fight," said Nando
+breathlessly when Jack came to the door of the tent.  "Bad man go round
+round, hide in trees, come like leopard.  Massa gone 'sleep: massa him
+men all lib for big sleep; Boloko shoot; one, two, massa dead all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What, what!" said Mr. Martindale, flinging off his rug.  "Another
+alarm, eh?" He pressed the button of an electric torch and threw a
+bright light on the scene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"An attack in force this time, uncle," said Jack.  "Some black fellows
+are coming to surprise us in the rear."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How many are the villains?" said Mr. Martindale, pulling on his
+trousers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Two, free, hundred, fousand."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A dozen all told, I suppose!  Well, we'll fight 'em."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Rather risky that, uncle," said Jack.  "There may be more than a
+dozen, after all, and our men are not armed: we two couldn't do much
+against a hundred, say."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True.  Why was I such a fool?  That Britisher at Matadi said I'd
+better arm my men, and I wish I'd taken his tip.  We're in a tight
+corner, Jack, if the nigger is correct.  Here, Nando, are you sure of
+this?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sartin sure, sah.  Me see fousand fifty black men creep, creep 'long
+ribber, sah: big lot guns, 'Bini guns, massa, go crack, crack.  Come
+all round, sah; run like antelope: no time for massa run away."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando's face expressed mortal terror; there was no doubt he believed in
+the reality of the danger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How did they come?" asked Mr. Martindale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"In boat, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where are they?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Small small up ribber, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And I suppose you've alarmed the camp?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, sah, no.  Me no tell one boy at all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, it looks as if we're going to be wiped out, Jack.  We can't
+fight a hundred armed men.  If our fellows were armed, we might lay a
+trap for 'em; but we aren't strong enough for that.  But perhaps if we
+show we're ready for 'em, and they're not going to surprise us, they
+may sheer off."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Then why not take the offensive, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What d'you mean?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Attack the canoes while the most of them are marching round.  They'd
+hear our shots and bolt back, as sure as a gun."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's slim.  We'll try it.  Go and wake Barney, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney, however, was already on his way to the tent, Jack explained the
+situation to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Here's a revolver, Barney," said Mr. Martindale, as the Irishman came
+up.  "You must do the best you can if there's a rush.  Jack and I are
+going right away to the river: you're in charge."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney handled the revolver gingerly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure I'd feel more at home wid me shillelagh!" he muttered as he went
+away.  Mr. Martindale turned to the negro.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now you, Nando, lead the way."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man's eyes opened wide with fear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me plenty sick in eyes, sah," he stammered.  "Me only see small small.
+Boy Samba him eyes berrah fine and good, see plenty quick, massa; he
+show way."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't care who shows the way," said Mr. Martindale, too much
+preoccupied with his hunting rifle and ammunition to notice the
+inconsistency between Nando's statement and the story he had already
+told.  Nando called to Samba and told him what was required, and the
+party set off, the boy going ahead with Pat, Mr. Martindale and Jack
+following with their rifles, and Nando in great trepidation bringing up
+the rear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale puffed and panted as he scaled the bluff, and breathed
+very hard as he followed Samba down the rough descent to the brink of
+the river.  When they came to comparatively level ground they halted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How far now?" asked Mr. Martindale, in a whisper.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Small small, massa," replied Nando.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Jack, when we come near these precious canoes we'll fire both
+barrels one slick after the other, then reload."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And go at them with a rush, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Rush!  How can I rush?  I'm pretty well blown already.  But I could
+fetch wind enough to shout.  We'll shout, Jack.  Nando, you'll bawl
+your loudest, and the boy too.  If I know these niggers they'll bolt.
+And look here, Jack, fire in the air: we don't want to hit 'em.  If
+they stand their ground and resist, we can fire in good earnest; but
+they won't."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They took a few cautious steps forward, then Samba ran back, clutched
+Nando by the arm and whispered&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Boat dah, sah," said the negro, under his breath.  "Oh! me feel plenty
+sick inside!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Hush!  Howl, then, when we fire.  Now, Jack, ready?  I'll let off my
+two barrels first."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next moment there was a flash and a crack, followed immediately by a
+second.  Nando and Samba had begun to yell at the top of their voices.
+Mr. Martindale bellowed in one continuous roll, and Pat added to the
+din by a furious barking.  The noise, even to those who made it, was
+sufficiently startling in the deep silence of the night.  Jack fired
+his two shots, but before his uncle had reloaded there was a yell from
+the direction of the canoes, then the sound of men leaping on shore and
+crashing through the bushes.  Immediately afterwards faint shouts came
+from the forest at the rear of the bluff.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We've done the trick," said Mr. Martindale with a chuckle.  "Now we'll
+get back.  They've had a scare.  Let's hope we shall have no more
+trouble to-night."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He flashed his electric torch on the river bank below, and revealed
+five large canoes drawn up side by side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There must be more than a hundred of them," he added.  "Each of those
+canoes can carry thirty men."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the way back to the camp, they heard renewed shouts as the men who
+had marched into the forest broke out again in a wild dash for the
+threatened canoes.  The camp was in commotion.  Barney was volubly
+adjuring the startled natives to be aisy; but they were yelling,
+running this way and that, tumbling over one another in the darkness.
+The sight of Mr. Martindale's round red face behind his electric torch
+reassured them; and when Nando, who had now quite recovered his
+spirits, told them that he, with the white men's assistance, had put to
+flight twenty thousand bad men and Boloko, they laughed and slapped
+their thighs, and settled down in groups to discuss the event and make
+much of Nando during the rest of the night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was no more sleep for any of the party except Samba.  He,
+satisfied that his new friends were safe, curled himself up on his mat
+with the inseparable terrier, and slept until the dawn.  But Mr.
+Martindale sat smoking in his tent, discussing the events of the night
+with his nephew.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't like it, Jack.  We're on top this time, thanks to a little
+bluff.  But there must have been a large number of them to judge by the
+canoes and the yells; and but for that fellow Nando we might easily
+have been wiped out.  And from what Nando says they are those
+villainous forest guards of the Concession.  What's the meaning of it?
+It may be that the Concession have repented of their bargain and want
+to keep me out, or perhaps Elbel is terrified lest I shall expose him
+when I get back to Boma.  Either way, it seems as if we're going to
+have a bad time of it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't think it can be Elbel's doing, uncle.  It's such a risky game
+to play, your expedition being authorized by his own people."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't imagine Elbel is such a fool as to attack us officially.  He
+can always disavow the actions of those natives.  At any rate, I shall
+make a point of getting rifles for the men as soon as I can."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They can't use them."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Of course they can't; but you'll have to turn yourself into a musketry
+instructor.  Meanwhile I must give that fellow Nando some sort of
+reward.  It will encourage him and the others too."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When daylight broke Mr. Martindale went down to the river while Barney
+was preparing breakfast.  There was no trace of the enemy.  Presumably
+they had set their canoes afloat and drifted down stream in the
+darkness.  They had no doubt reckoned on surprising the camp, and their
+calculations had been upset by the certainty of meeting with
+resistance, the fact that the travellers were poorly armed being
+forgotten in the panic bred of the sudden uproar in the night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After breakfast Mr. Martindale had the men paraded in a semicircle
+around the tent, and, sitting on a stool in front of it, with Jack on
+one side and Barney on the other, he called Nando forward.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We are very much pleased with your watchfulness, Nando."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negro grinned, and with a ludicrous air of importance translated
+the sentence to his comrades.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is due to you that we were not surprised in the dark: you did very
+well, and set an excellent example to the men."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me plenty clebber, sah, oh yes!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I shall take care in future to have our camp more closely guarded, and
+punish any carelessness.  But now, to show how pleased I am with you, I
+am going to give you a little present."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando's mouth spread from ear to ear.  He translated the announcement
+to the negroes, looking round upon them with an expression of
+triumphant satisfaction that tickled Jack's sense of humour.  Barney
+had shut one eye; his lips were twitching.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But before I do that," went on Mr. Martindale, "I want you to tell us
+how you came to discover the enemy in the darkness."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando for a moment looked a little nonplussed, scratching his head and
+shifting from foot to foot.  Then inspiration seized him; he
+elaborately cleared his throat, snapped his fingers, crossed his arms
+on his brawny chest, and began&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me no get sleep, me get up and go round about, fink see if massa's
+fings all right.  Me stop, go sick inside; one, two eyes like twinkle
+twinkle look down out of tree."  He waved his arm towards the acacia
+under which he had been sleeping.  "Me fink dis plenty bad; what for
+man lib for hide in tree and look at Nando?  Me no 'fraid, no, no; me
+walk all same, like me no see nuffin.  Yah! me see all same, wait long
+time, man no fit for see Nando.  Bimeby man come down like snake,
+creep, creep, 'long, 'long; me go too, what for? 'cos man plenty bad
+man, him go 'Bini gun, him go into wood.  What for?  Muss see; s'pose
+he go fetch bad man and shoot massa?  He no come dis way 'less he lib
+for do bad fings.  Him got 'Bini gun, me got spear; no good!  Me no
+'fraid.  Plenty debbils in forest!  Me no 'fraid.  Massa say Nando look
+after fings; all same: Nando look after, no 'fraid, 'Bini gun, debbils
+and all.  What for?  Massa him Nando him fader and mudder.  S'pose bad
+men shoot; s'pose debbil come; all same: muss do what massa say, look
+after fings, look after massa.  Me no 'fraid!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Again Nando paused and scratched his head, looking troubled.  Then his
+face cleared; he took a deep breath and continued&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me go 'long 'long after bad man.  He come to place no trees, grass all
+same: one, two, twenty, fousand bad men dah.  Bad man say 'Kwa te!  Kwa
+te!'[<a id="chap05fn2text"></a><a href="#chap05fn2">2</a>]  Dey talk, oh yes! whish! whish! same as trees when wind make
+talk.  Me get behind tree; me hab got two, four, twenty ears.  Me
+listen!  Dey say come, creep, creep, bring 'Bini gun; white man all
+'sleep; black man come, no nise, shoot: oh my gracious!  White man all
+lib for dead!  Me no 'fraid!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Who was the chief of these bad men?" interrupted Mr. Martindale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Boloko, sah!&mdash;Samba him uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But how could you tell that in the dark?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dey hab got light: one, two, twenty tiny small fire on stick."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Torches, he means, I suppose," said Mr. Martindale.  "How did you find
+your way back in the dark?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yah!  Me know all 'bout dat.  Me lib long time in forest, oh yes!  Me
+fight little tiny men; dey plenty small, plenty good fighter all same;
+shoot one, two, free arrow; one, two, free fings gone dead.  Me fight
+dem; so me find way like leopard."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, you're a clever fellow, and you did very well.  Here is a
+present for you."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He took from his pocket a huge bone-handled penknife, and displayed its
+various parts one by one: four blades, a corkscrew, a file, a hook, and
+an awl.  Nando's eyes opened wide with delight; he chuckled gloatingly
+as one after another these treasures came to view.  Mr. Martindale was
+shutting them up before handing over the knife when Barney stepped
+quietly forward, touched his cap and said&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"If you plase, sorr, before you part wid this handsome presentation,
+will I have yer leave to ax Mr. Nando wan question?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why, you can if you like," said Mr. Martindale in surprise.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Thank you, your honour.  Now Mr. Nando, would you plase tell us if you
+ate a big supper uv maniac last night?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Manioc, Barney," corrected Jack with a smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure that's what I said, sorr!  Would you plase tell his honour, Mr.
+Nando?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man looked in amazement from one to another.  He seemed to suspect
+a pitfall, but was puzzled to make out the bearing of the question.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure I speak plain.  Did ye, or did ye not, eat a big supper uv
+anything at all last night?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me eat plenty little manioc," said Nando, thinking he was expected to
+defend himself against a charge of gluttony.  "Me no pig like common
+black man."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And you did not get a pain?"&mdash;here Barney helped out his meaning with
+pantomime&mdash;"nor dream all that terrible wild stuff you have just been
+telling us?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me no can dream!" cried Nando, indignantly.  "Me say true fings all
+same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure, thin, if your supper didn't give ye the nightmare, mine did.
+Begorra! 'twas a mighty terrible dream I dreamt, indeed, Mr. Nando.  I
+dreamt you was snoring like a pig&mdash;like a common black pig, to be sure;
+and there came a little spalpeen uv a black bhoy, a common black bhoy,
+and shook ye by the shoulder, and called 'Baa!  Baa!  Bloko!' and some
+more I disremimber now; and thin&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando, who had been looking more and more uneasy, here interrupted,
+hurriedly addressing Mr. Martindale&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me plenty sick inside, sah," he said, pressing his hands to the pit of
+his stomach.  "Me eat plenty too much manioc all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Crestfallen and abashed the big fellow slunk away, Jack roaring with
+laughter, Mr. Martindale looking on in speechless amazement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "'tis a born liar he is.  He was fast in
+the arms uv murphies, or maniac, speaking by the card, till the bhoy
+Samba woke him up.  'Twas Samba, sorr, that spied the enemy, and 'twas
+me little darlint uv a dog that gave the first alarm.  Give a dog his
+due, sorr, and if you plase, give Samba the knife."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale first looked annoyed, then broke into hearty laughter.
+He called for Samba, who came up smiling, with Pat at his heels.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where's that villain Nando?" cried Mr. Martindale.  "He shall come and
+interpret."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In response to a summons Nando came from behind the crowd of natives.
+He had recovered his composure, and translated with glib and smiling
+unconcern the story which Samba told.  Only when Mr. Martindale handed
+Samba the knife did the negro look sorry.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me no lib for eat too big lot manioc nudder time," he said glumly, as
+he went away.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap05fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap05fn1text">1</a>] Wake up!
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap05fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap05fn2text">2</a>] Hush!
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap06"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER VI
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Samba is Missing
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Nando was like a child in his humours.  His broad face
+could not long be overclouded.  When the party once
+more embarked he performed his work as chief paddler
+with his usual cheerfulness.  All that day the river washed
+the edge of a continuous forest tract&mdash;a spur, as Jack
+understood from Nando's not too lucid explanations, of the
+vast Upper Congo forest that stretched for many hundreds
+of miles across the heart of Africa.  Jack gazed with great
+curiosity, merged sometimes in a sense of awe and mystery,
+at the dark impenetrable woodland.  It was only a year
+or two since he had read Stanley's account of his wonderful
+march through the forest, and his vivid recollection
+was quickened and intensified by the sight of the actual
+scene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And are there pigmies in that forest&mdash;little men, you
+know?" he asked Nando.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sartin sure, sah.  Me fight fousand hundred little
+tiny men: me no 'fraid.  Dey shoot plenty good, sah:
+one arrow shoot two free birds.  Dey hab berrah fine
+eye, sah; see what big man no can see.  Massa see dem
+some day: make massa laugh plenty much."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here and there, in places where the river widened out,
+the travellers came upon herds of hippopotami disporting
+themselves in the shallows.  Their presence was often
+indicated first by strange squeals and grunts: then a huge
+head would be seen on the surface of the water as the
+beast heard the regular splash of the paddles and was
+provoked to investigate its cause; his jaws would open,
+disclosing a vast pink chasm; and having completed his long
+yawn, and satisfied himself that the strangers intended no
+harm, he would plunge his head again beneath the water,
+or turn clumsily to wallow in uncouth gambols with his
+mates.  The negroes always plied their paddles more
+rapidly at such spots.  Nando told stories of hippopotami
+which had upset canoes out of sheer mischief, and of others
+which, pricked and teased by native spears, had lain in
+wait among the rushes and wrecked the craft of fishers
+returning to their homes at dusk.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me no 'fraid of little man," said Nando; "me plenty
+much 'fraid of hippo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Now and again a crocodile, disturbed in his slumbers by
+the splashing of the paddles or the songs of the men, would
+dart out of a creek and set off in furious chase; but finding
+the canoe a tougher morsel than he expected, would sink
+after a disappointed sniffing and disappear.  Occasionally
+Mr. Martindale or Jack would take a shot at the reptiles,
+but they were so numerous that by and by the travellers
+desisted from their "potting," Mr. Martindale regarding
+it as a waste of good ammunition.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The natives whom they saw at riverside villages were
+now sometimes suspicious, and disinclined to have any
+communication with the strangers.  Returning from
+interviews with them, Nando reported that they had heard of
+the massacre at Banonga, and though he assured them
+that his employer was no friend of the tyrants, he failed
+to convince them: he was a white man; that was enough.
+It was with some difficulty, and only after the exercise
+of much tact, patience, and good humour on Nando's part,
+that he managed to secure enough food to supply the
+needs of the men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two days passed amid similar scenes.  The journey never
+became monotonous, for in that wonderful land there is
+always something fresh to claim the traveller's attention.
+Jack began to give Samba lessons in English, and found
+him an apt enough pupil, though, in practising his
+newly-acquired words afterwards, the boy, to Jack's amusement,
+adopted a pronounced Irish accent from Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the morning of the third day, when the camp became
+active, Barney was somewhat surprised to find that Samba
+and Pat did not join him as usual at breakfast.  Boy and
+dog had gone to sleep together in his tent, and he had not
+seen or heard their departure.  Breakfast was cleared
+away, everything was packed up in readiness for starting,
+and yet the missing members of the party had not appeared.
+Both were very popular; Samba's unfailing cheerfulness
+had made him a general favourite, and Pat's sagacity, his
+keen sporting instincts, and the vigour of his barking when
+hippopotami or crocodiles came too near the canoe, won
+for him a good deal of admiration from the natives.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What!  Samba gone!" exclaimed Mr. Martindale,
+when Barney told him of the disappearance.  "Have you
+called him?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure me throat is sore wid it, sorr," said Barney,
+"and me lips are cracked wid whistling for Pat, bad cess
+to 'm."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The dog has gone too, eh?  I reckon Samba's a thief
+like the rest of 'em."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begging yer pardon, sorr, it takes two to make a thief,
+one to steal, the other to be stolen.  Pat would never agree
+to be stolen, sorr; besides, he would never be such an
+ungrateful spalpeen uv a dog, not to speak uv the bad
+taste of it, as to desert his ould master for a nigger bhoy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, what's become of them, then?  Nando, where's Samba?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me no can tell, sah.  Me fink crocodile eat him, sah.
+Little tiny black boy go walk all alone alone night time.
+Yah! crocodile come 'long, fink black boy make plenty
+good chop.  Soosh! little black boy in ribber, crocodile
+eat him all up, sah.  What for black boy go walk alone?
+One time all right, Nando eat manioc[<a id="chap06fn1text"></a><a href="#chap06fn1">1</a>]; nudder time all
+wrong, crocodile eat Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando shook his head sententiously; Samba's exploit
+on the night of the alarm was evidently still rankling.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's not it at all," said Barney.  "Pat would niver
+permit any crocodile, wid all his blarney, to eat him; and
+if a crocodile ate Samba, sure Pat would have been the
+first to come and tell us."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, it's your Irish that has frightened the boy," said
+Jack gravely.  "I've been trying to teach him a few
+words of English; but I've noticed once or twice, after
+I've done with him, that he pronounces the words as if
+he'd learnt them in Ireland.  No decent black boy could
+stand that, you know, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Faith, 'tis Irishmen that speak the best English,"
+returned Barney; "did I not hear them wid me very own
+ears in the house uv Parlimint?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Jack, we must go on," said Mr. Martindale.
+"I was afraid the boy would be a botheration."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He has done us a good turn, uncle.  Couldn't we wait
+an hour or two and see if he appears?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It's not business, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"My dear uncle, it's no use your posing as a hard-hearted
+man of business.  You know you're quite fond
+of the boy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Eh!  Well, I own he's a likely little fellow, and I sort
+of felt he's a part of the concern; in short, Jack, we'll
+put in an hour or two and give him a chance."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+An hour passed, and Pat made his appearance.  He
+trotted soberly into the camp, not frisking or barking
+joyously as was his wont.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Arrah thin, ye spalpeen, where's Samba?" cried
+Barney as the dog came to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pat hung his head, and put his tail between his legs and
+whined.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Go and fetch him, then," cried Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The terrier looked at his master, turned as if to do
+his bidding, then moved slowly round and whined
+again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure 'tis not devoured by a crocodile he is, or Pat
+would be in a terrible rage.  The bhoy has deserted, sorr,
+and Pat's heart is after being broken."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, we'll wait a little longer, Barney," said
+Mr. Martindale; "he may turn up yet."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day wore itself out, and Samba had not returned.
+Mr. Martindale and Jack spent part of the time in shooting,
+adding a goodly number of wild ducks, a river hog and an
+antelope to the larder.  Part of the time they watched
+the men fishing, or rather harpooning, for they caught the
+fish by dexterous casts of their light spears.  Towards
+evening Mr. Martindale became seriously anxious, and a
+little testy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'm afraid a crocodile has made a meal of him, after
+all," he said.  "I don't reckon he'd any reason for leaving
+us; he got good victuals."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And a good knife, uncle.  Perhaps he has gone to
+find his father."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, I don't bank on that.  Too far for a young boy
+to go alone, through the forest, too, on foot.  Anyway,
+he's an ungrateful young wretch to go without saying a
+word; I've always heard these blacks don't measure up
+to white people in their feelings."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale delayed his departure until the middle
+of the next day in the hope that Samba would return.
+Then, however, he declared he could wait no longer, and
+the party set off.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Late in the afternoon of the next day they came to a
+spot where a gap occurred in the thick vegetation that
+lined the bank.  Here, said Nando, they must land.  Ilola,
+the principal village of the chief to whom they were bound,
+stood a short distance from the river, and the way to it lay
+through the clear space between two forest belts.  A quarter
+of an hour's walking brought them to the village, a cluster
+of tent-shaped grass huts almost hidden in the bush.  The
+settlement was surrounded by a stockade, and the plantations
+of banana, maize, and ground-nuts showed signs of
+careful cultivation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando went alone to interview the chief, bearing a
+present of cloth and a small copper token which Mr. Martindale
+had received from his friend Barnard.  The chief
+would recognize it as the replica of one given to him.  Nando
+returned in an hour's time, troubled in countenance.
+Imbono the chief, he said, had refused to meet the white man,
+or to have any dealings with him.  He well remembered
+the white man who had cured his son and given him the
+token two years before; had they not become blood
+brothers!  But since then many things had happened.
+Dark stories had reached his ears of the terrible consequences
+that followed the coming of the white man.  One of his
+young men&mdash;his name was Faraji&mdash;who had joined a party
+of traders carrying copper down the Congo, had just come
+back with dreadful tales of what he himself had seen.
+When Imbono was a boy his people had lived in terror of
+the white-robed men from the East.[<a id="chap06fn2text"></a><a href="#chap06fn2">2</a>]  There had been a
+great white-robed chief named Tippu Tib, who sent his
+fighting men far and wide to collect ivory and slaves.
+These men knew no pity; they carried destruction
+wherever they went, tearing children from parents, husbands
+from wives, chaining them together, beating them with
+cruel whips, strewing the land with the corpses of slaves
+exhausted by long marching or slain because they were
+ill or weak.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But terrible as were the warriors of Tippu Tib, surely
+the servants of the Great White Chief[<a id="chap06fn3text"></a><a href="#chap06fn3">3</a>] were more terrible
+still; for it often happened that the slave hunters, having
+come once, came not again; like a fierce tempest they
+passed; but as, when a storm has devastated a forest, new
+trees grow and flourish in the room of the old, so when
+a village had been robbed of its youth, their places were in
+course of time filled by other boys and girls.  And even
+when the slave hunters came some villagers would escape,
+and hide in dens or among the forest trees until the danger
+had passed.  But the servants of the Great White Chief
+were like a blight settling for ever on the land.  They came,
+and stayed; none could escape them, none were spared,
+young or old.  Imbono feared the white man; he prayed
+him to go in peace; the men of Ilola were peaceable, and
+sought not to make enemies, but they had bows and arrows,
+and long shields, and heavy-shafted spears, and if need
+be they would defend themselves against the stranger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I guess this is kind of awkward," said Mr. Martindale
+when Nando had finished his report.  "You can't trade
+with a man who won't see you.  Did you explain that
+we don't belong to the Great White Chief, Nando?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me say all dat, sah; chief shake him head."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I suppose you told him our men are not armed?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, sah; me forgot dat, dat am de troof."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, go back; tell the chief that I'm a friend and
+want to see him.  Say that I'll come into the village alone,
+or with Mr. Jack, and we'll leave our guns behind us.
+Tell him the white man he saw two years ago said he was
+a very fine fellow, and I'll trust myself unarmed among
+his people, bows and arrows and spears and all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando went away, and after another hour returned and
+said that Imbono, after much persuasion, had agreed to
+receive the white man because he was a friend of his blood
+brother.  Leaving their rifles and revolvers in Barney's
+charge, Mr. Martindale and Jack accompanied Nando to
+the village.  The single entrance to the stockade was
+guarded by a throng of tall warriors with curiously painted
+skins, and armed with the weapons Nando had described,
+carrying in addition knives with long leaf-shaped blades.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They ain't the daisiest of beauties," said Mr. Martindale
+as he passed them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ugly fellows in a scrimmage," said Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They went on, past the first huts, stared at by knots of
+the villagers, until they came to the chief's dwelling in the
+centre of the settlement.  Imbono was a tall, well set up,
+handsome negro, standing half a head taller than the men
+about him.  He received the strangers with grave courtesy,
+offered them a cup of palm wine, and motioned them to
+two low carved stools, seating himself on a third.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Through Nando Mr. Martindale explained his business,
+dwelling on the friendly relations which had existed between
+the chief and the white man, and assuring him of his
+peaceable intentions and of his absolute independence of the
+servants of the Great White Chief.  Imbono listened in
+silence, and made a long reply, repeating what he had
+already said through Nando.  Suddenly he turned to the
+young man at his side, whom he called Faraji, and bade
+him tell the white man what he had seen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ongoko!  Ongoko!"[<a id="chap06fn4text"></a><a href="#chap06fn4">4</a>] exclaimed the other men.  Faraji
+stepped forward and told his story, with a volubility that
+outran Nando's powers as an interpreter, and at the same
+time with a seriousness that impressed his hearers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I come from Mpatu," he said.  "It is not my village:
+my village is Ilola.  I passed through Mpatu on my way
+home.  It is no longer a village.  Why?  The servants
+of the Great White Chief had come up the river.  They told
+the people that the lords of the world, the sons of heaven,
+had given all the land to the Great White Chief.  Mpatu
+belonged no more to the chief Lualu: it belonged to the
+Great White Chief.  But the Great White Chief was a good
+chief; he would be a father to his people.  Would he take
+their huts, their gardens, their fowls, their children?  No,
+he was a good chief.  Everything that was theirs should
+be left to them; and the Great White Chief would keep
+peace in the land, and men should live together as brothers.
+Only one thing the Great White Chief required of them.
+In the forest grew a vine that yielded a milky sap.
+This stuff when hardened with acid from another plant
+would be of use to the Great White Chief, and he
+wished them to collect it for him, and bring to his
+servants every fourteenth day so many baskets full.  Every
+man of Mpatu must bring his share.  And they said too
+that the Great White Chief was just: for all this rubber
+they collected he would pay, in brass rods, or cloth, or salt;
+and seeing the Great White Chief was so kind and good, only
+a bad man would fail in the task set him, and such bad
+men must be punished.  And two servants of the Great
+White Chief would be left in Mpatu to instruct the people
+as to the furnishing of the rubber; and these kind teachers
+the men of Mpatu would surely provide with food and
+shelter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The men of Mpatu laughed at first.  Well they knew
+the vine!  Was there not enough of it and to spare in the
+forest?  How easily they could collect what was demanded!
+How soon would they become rich!  And they set the
+women and children to weave new baskets for the rubber,
+and made ready new and well-built huts for the men who
+were to teach them their duty to the Great White Chief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But as time went on, woe came to Mpatu.  The two
+servants of the Great White Chief were bad men, selfish,
+cruel.  They stalked about the village, treating the people
+as their slaves; they seized the plumpest fowls and the
+choicest fruits; if any man resisted, they whipped him
+with a long whip of hippopotamus hide.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But the servants of the Great White Chief demanded
+still more.  It was not only rubber the men of Mpatu
+were bade to bring them, but so many goats, so many
+fowls, so many fish and cassava and bananas.  How could
+they do it?  The rubber vines near by were soon
+exhausted.  Every week the men must go farther into
+the forest.  They had not enough time now to hunt and
+fish for their own families.  How supply the strangers too?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Grief came to Mpatu!  For long days there was no
+man in the village save the chief Lualu and the forest
+guards.  The women cowered and crouched in their huts.
+No longer did they take pride in tidy homes and well-tended
+hair; no longer sing merrily at the stream, or croon lullabies
+to their babes; all joy was gone from them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Some of the men fled, and with their wives and
+children lived in the forest, eating roots and leaves.  But
+even flight was vain, for the forest guards tracked
+them, hunted them down.  Some they killed as soon
+as they found them; others they flogged, chained by
+the neck, and hauled to prison.  There they are given
+heavy tasks, carrying logs and firewood, clearing the
+bush, cutting up rubber; and there is a guard over them
+with a whip which at a single blow can cut a strip from the
+body.  Many have died; they are glad to die.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And now Mpatu is a waste.  One day the rubber was
+again short; the soldiers came&mdash;they burned the huts;
+they killed men, women, and children; yea, among the
+soldiers were man-eaters, and many of Mpatu's children
+were devoured.  Only a few escaped&mdash;they wander in the
+forest, who knows where?  I tell what I have seen and
+heard."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Faraji had finished his story, there was silence for
+a time.  The chief seemed disposed to let the facts sink
+into the minds of the white men, and Mr. Martindale was
+at a loss for words.  Faraji's story, so significantly
+similar to what he had himself discovered at Banonga, had
+deeply impressed him.  Were these atrocities going on
+throughout the Congo Free State?  Were they indeed a
+part of the system of government?  It seemed only
+too probable&mdash;the rubber tax was indeed a tax of blood.
+And what could he say to convince Imbono that he
+was no friend of the white men who authorized or
+permitted such things?  How could the negro distinguish?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Pon my soul," said the American in an aside to Jack,
+"I am ashamed of the colour of my skin."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then the chief began to speak.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The white man understands why I will have nothing
+to do with him&mdash;why I will not allow my people to trade
+with him.  It may be true that you, O white man, are
+not as these others; you may be a friend to the black man,
+and believe that the black man can feel pain and grief; but
+did not the servants of the Great White Chief say that they
+were friends of the black man?  Did they not say the
+Great White Chief loved us and wished to do us good?
+We have seen the love of the Great White Chief; it is the
+love of the crocodile for the antelope: we would have none
+of it.  Therefore I say, O white man, though I bear you
+no ill-will, you must go."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Courteously as the chief spoke, there was no mistaking
+his firmness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must go and take stock of this," said Mr. Martindale.
+"It licks me at present, Jack, and that's a hard
+thing for an American to say.  Come right away."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They took ceremonious leave of the chief, and were
+escorted to their camp at the edge of the stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What's to be done, my boy?" said Mr. Martindale.
+"We can't find the gold without the chief's help, unless
+we go prospecting at large: we might do that for months
+without success, and make Imbono an open enemy into
+the bargain.  We can't fight him, and I don't want to
+fight him.  After what we've seen and heard I won't be
+responsible for shedding blood; seems to me the white
+man has done enough of that already on the Congo.  This
+is a facer, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Never say die, uncle.  It's getting late: I vote we
+sleep on it.  We may see a way out of the difficulty in the
+morning."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap06fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap06fn1text">1</a>] The native word for any food or meal.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap06fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap06fn2text">2</a>] Arab slave raiders.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap06fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap06fn3text">3</a>] Leopold II, sovereign of the Congo Free State and king of
+the Belgians.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap06fn4"></a>
+[<a href="#chap06fn4text">4</a>] Yes, do so.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap07"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER VII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Blood Brothers
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+But in the morning the situation appeared only more grave.  Provisions
+were threatening to run short.  Hitherto there had been no difficulty
+in procuring food from the natives met <i>en route</i>, and Mr. Martindale's
+party had carried with them only a few days' provisions, and the
+"extras" necessary for the white men's comfort.  But now they were come
+to a less populous part of the country: Imbono's villages were the only
+settlements for many miles around; and unless Imbono relaxed the rigour
+of his boycott Mr. Martindale's party would soon be in want.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale was talking over matters with Jack when, from the slight
+eminence on which the camp was pitched, they saw a canoe, manned by six
+paddlers, pass up stream.  Jack took a look at the craft through his
+field glass.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It's Imbono, uncle," he said; "I wonder what he is up to."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He followed the progress of the canoe for some distance through the
+glass; then, looking ahead, his eye was caught by a herd of eight or
+nine hippopotami disporting themselves on a reedy flat by the river
+bank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What do you say, uncle?  Shall we go and get some hippo meat?  It will
+relieve the drain on our stores, and Nando told me the men are rather
+fond of it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We'll go right away, Jack.  We must keep the larder full at any rate.
+I suppose we shall have to stalk the beasts."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't think so, uncle.  Those we saw as we came up seemed pretty
+bold; they've such tough hides that they've no reason to be much afraid
+of the native weapons."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, we'll paddle up to them and see how we get on."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A canoe was launched, and Mr. Martindale set off with Jack, Barney, and
+the terrier, Nando and six of the men paddling.  By the time they
+arrived opposite the feeding ground several hippos had come out from
+the reeds for a bath in the shallows of the river, only their heads and
+backs showing above the water.  The rest had moved off into the thicker
+reeds and were hidden from sight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"One will be enough for the present," said Mr. Martindale.  "Our
+fellows are great gluttons, but there's enough meat in one of those
+beasts to last even them a couple of days; and we don't want it to go
+high!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Let us both aim at the nearest," suggested Jack.  "Fire together,
+uncle: bet you I bag him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I guess I won't take you, and betting's a fool's trick anyway.  We'll
+aim at the nearest, as you say; are you ready?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two shots rang out as one.  But apparently there had been a difference
+of opinion as to which of the animals was the nearest.  One of them
+disappeared; another, with a wild roar of pain and rage, plunged into
+the reeds; the rest sank below the surface.  Nando, knowing the ways of
+hippopotami, began to paddle with frantic vigour, and set the canoe
+going at a rapid pace down stream, much to the indignation of Pat, who
+stood with his forefeet on the side of the canoe, barking fiercely.
+Half a minute later a head appeared above the surface some fifty yards
+behind; then another and another: but the beasts seemed to have
+recovered from the alarm, for after a long cow-like stare at the
+receding canoe, they turned and swam ashore, to rejoin their companions
+in the reeds.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Easy all!" said Mr. Martindale.  "We'll give 'em a quarter of an hour
+to settle down, then we'll go back.  What about your bet, eh, Jack?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It's your hippo, uncle, no doubt of that," said Jack with a rueful
+smile.  "An awful fluke, though; you didn't hit once to my twice coming
+up stream."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A fluke, was it?  I kind o' notice that when you young fellows make a
+good shot or pull off a good stroke at billiards or anything else, it's
+real good play; whereas an old boy like me can only do anything decent
+by a fluke."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, you've lost him, anyway.  The hippo hasn't come up."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Too cocksure, my boy; he's only just below the surface."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The beast mortally wounded by Mr. Martindale's rifle was lying in
+shallow water.  Pat could no longer restrain himself.  He leapt
+overboard and swam towards the hippo, barking with excitement, and
+becoming frantic when he found that it was just out of his reach.  In
+his eagerness to attack the animal he even made an attempt to dive, so
+comical that all on board the canoe were convulsed with laughter.
+Being paddled to the spot, Mr. Martindale found that the beast was
+quite dead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now what are we to do with him?" said Mr. Martindale.  "Shall we go
+back and send a party to cut him up?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, no, sah," said Nando instantly.  "Tie rope; pull, pull; hippo he
+come 'long all behind."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Tow him, eh?  Very well.  I allow that'll save time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A rope was fastened firmly about the beast's neck and jaws; the other
+end was fixed to the canoe; and the men began to paddle down stream,
+towing the hippo.  The tendency of the animal being to sink, the canoe
+seemed to Jack to be dangerously low in the water at the stern.  But
+they had only a part of the usual complement of men on board, and the
+paddlers were among the most skilful on the Congo.  They had gone but a
+few strokes when Jack, glancing back, caught sight of Imbono's canoe
+returning.  Like Mr. Martindale's it was keeping fairly close to the
+bank.  All at once a great shout of alarm broke from the chief's
+paddlers; their easy swing was quickened to desperate exertion, and
+they pulled out violently towards the middle of the stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"By Jove! uncle, a hippo's after them," cried Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just astern of the chief's canoe, between it and the shore, a huge
+hippopotamus, with jaws distended, showing his gleaming tusks, was
+swimming along in pursuit.  For a little he gained, and Jack's pulse
+beat more quickly with excitement as he saw that the enraged beast was
+not more than half a dozen yards from the canoe.  But the gap widened
+as soon as the six strong paddlers had settled down to their quickened
+stroke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Imbono, sitting in the stern, had caught sight of the white men as his
+canoe cut for a few moments across the current, and with the natural
+vanity of the negro he began to show off.  At a word from him one of
+the crew dropped his paddle, and, catching up a spear, hurled it at the
+pursuing hippo.  There was a hoarse bellow from the animal, and a wild
+cheer from the men; the shaft of the spear was seen standing almost
+perpendicularly above the hippo's shoulder.  With fierce exertion the
+beast increased his pace, and the gap momentarily diminished; but the
+negro resumed his paddle, and again the canoe drew away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the canoe came almost level with the towed hippo at a considerable
+distance towards mid-stream, Imbono ordered the same manoeuvre to be
+repeated.  But fortune doubly befriended the pursuing animal.  Just as
+the negro was poising his spear, a submerged tree stopped the canoe
+with a sudden jerk; the man lost his balance and fell overboard; half
+of the crew followed him into the water, the rest tumbled over one
+another into the bottom of the canoe.  Imbono had been thrown backward
+as the vessel struck the snag.  He had barely time to rise and plunge
+into the water when there was a hideous crackling sound; the stern of
+the canoe was caught between the hippo's gaping jaws and crunched to
+splinters.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The consequences of the chief's temerity would have been amusing but
+for his manifest danger.  The negroes were swimming in all directions,
+keeping as much as possible under water to escape the eyes of the
+hippo; but Imbono, an older man than the rest, was not so expert a
+swimmer, and Jack saw with concern that the hippo, leaving the sinking
+canoe, was making straight for the chief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A hippopotamus may be distanced by a canoe, but not by a man swimming.
+Imbono did not look behind, but seemed to know instinctively that death
+was within a few yards of him, and he struck out more and more
+desperately for the bank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the moment when the canoe struck the snag, Jack had seized his
+rifle; but after the catastrophe, canoe, hippo, and swimming natives
+were so intermingled that he could not venture a shot at the beast
+without the risk of hitting a man.  The hippo's huge body provided a
+target sufficiently broad, indeed; but Jack knew that to strike it
+anywhere save at a vital spot would merely add to the beast's rage and
+make it doubly formidable to the men in the water.  When he saw the
+plight of the chief, however, the great head now only a couple of yards
+behind him, the jaws already opening, disclosing the vast red chasm
+flanked by gleaming tusks and molars&mdash;when Jack saw Imbono thus in the
+very article of peril, he could no longer hesitate.  The canoe was
+already at rest.  Bidding Nando keep it steady, Jack raised his rifle
+to his shoulder and took careful aim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief was gasping for breath after a vain attempt to dodge the
+beast by diving; the horrid jaws were just about to snap, when a shot
+rang out.  A squealing grunt came from the closing gullet; the uncouth
+actions of the beast ceased; and he began to sink slowly and silently
+beneath the surface.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A1!" ejaculated Mr. Martindale.  "That makes up for your miss, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Oka mö!"[<a id="chap07fn1text"></a><a href="#chap07fn1">1</a>] shouted the negroes.  Imbono's men had gained the bank,
+but the chief himself, overcome more by his fright than his exertions,
+seemed unable to swim any farther.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Quick, haul him in, Jack," said Mr. Martindale.  "There may be a
+crocodile after him next!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few strokes of the paddles brought the canoe within reach of the
+chief.  Laughing heartily&mdash;the negro's laugh is always very near the
+surface&mdash;Nando and a comrade hoisted Imbono into the canoe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me tell Imbono he oughter die of shame," said Nando gravely.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What on earth for?" asked Mr. Martindale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What for, sah!  Has he not made big puddle in massa's canoe?  He
+plenty much wet, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, he couldn't help that.  Tell him we're glad he came off so well.
+You need not say anything about the puddle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Nando had his own views as to the proper thing to do.  As he spoke
+the chief glanced at the pool of water that had flowed from his body,
+and replied in a tone that was clearly apologetic.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He say he die with shame him so wet, sah," said Nando.  "Him no do it
+no more.  Say he praise de young Inglesa for shooting de hippo; say he
+gib massa de hippo and manioc and bananas and anyfing whatever dat
+massa like.  Say he want massa and young massa to be blood brudder.  Me
+say berrah good; tell him oughter had sense before."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's all right.  We'll accept supplies with pleasure, and pay for
+them.  The hippo is Mr. Jack's already, of course.  As for becoming his
+blood brothers, I don't just know right off what that means; but if
+it'll please him, and doesn't mean any nastiness, we'll think it over."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The canoe, towing Mr. Martindale's hippo, was rapidly paddled down
+stream to the encampment, the second beast being left to drift slowly
+down the river until, in the course of some hours, it should finally
+rise to the surface.  On landing the chief renewed his protestations of
+gratitude, then went off to the village, to polish himself up, said
+Nando, and replace his ruined headdress, a curious structure of cloth
+and feathers stuck on to the chignon into which his hair was gathered.
+Mr. Martindale sent back another canoe to find and tow down the dead
+hippo.  When it was hauled up on the low sandy bank, Jack and his uncle
+went down to examine it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You said I missed, uncle," cried Jack.  "What do you make of this?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He pointed to a furrow ploughed across the full breadth of the beast's
+forehead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nothing but a bullet did that, I know.  My shot must have hit him, but
+didn't enter the skull.  I suppose he hid in the reeds, and vented his
+fury on the chief.  He happened to have a harder skull than your hippo,
+uncle; you see it was a fluke after all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale slowly cut and lighted a cigar.  Not until he had
+watched a big cloud of smoke float across the river did he speak.  Then
+he said quietly&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Just so!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Somehow Jack felt that he had not the better of the argument.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before the sun went down, a group of men came from Ilola staggering
+under loads of grain and fruit, a quantity large enough to supply the
+camp for several days.  That night the men had a royal feast, consuming
+so many hippo steaks that Barney professed himself indignant.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad! 'tis greedy scoundhrels they are," he said, "Wheniver me mother
+gave us bhoys a stew&mdash;and 'twas not often, ye may be sure, meat being
+the price it was&mdash;'twas wan tiny morsel uv mutton, and a powerful lot
+uv murphies: she said too much meat would spoil our complexion and ruin
+our tempers.  And begorra! isn't it meself that proves it!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale laughed at Barney's logic.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'm not afraid of the niggers' complexions or their tempers," he said;
+"I only hope they won't keep up that hullabaloo all night and spoil our
+sleep."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men were indeed very uproarious, and remained around their fires
+for the greater part of the night, recounting for the hundredth time
+the exciting events of the day, and composing on the spot songs in
+praise of the young white man whose fire-stick had slain the terror of
+the river.  One of these songs seemed especially to strike their fancy,
+and it remained a favourite for many days:&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+Happy Imbono!<br />
+Oh! oh! Imbono!<br />
+Who saved Imbono?<br />
+The good stranger!<br />
+The young stranger!<br />
+The brave stranger!<br />
+Good Jacko!<br />
+Young Jacko!<br />
+Brave Jacko!<br />
+He came to Ilola!<br />
+Happy Ilola!<br />
+Lucky Ilola!<br />
+He saved Imbono<br />
+From five hippos,<br />
+From ten hippos!<br />
+Lucky Imbono!<br />
+Happy Imbono!<br />
+Oh! oh! Imbono!<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+Next morning, as soon as it was light, Imbono came to pay a visit of
+ceremony.  He had got himself up most elaborately for the occasion.  A
+strip of yellow cotton was wound about his waist.  His arms were
+covered with polished brass rings, and copper rings weighing at least
+ten pounds each encircled his wrists and ankles.  A new headdress
+decked his hair; and he must have kept his barber busy half the night
+in arranging his top-knot and painting his face with red camwood and
+white clay.  Pat by no means approved of the change, and barked at him
+furiously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Whisht, ye spalpeen!" said Barney, calling off the excited dog.  "Sure
+'tis only his Sunday clothes!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Surrounded by a group of his young men, who were again loaded with
+offerings of food, the chief began a long speech, which was by no means
+abridged in Nando's translation.  He related the incident of the
+previous day, omitting none of the most insignificant details,
+accounting, as it appeared, for every tooth in the jaws of the huge
+animal from which he had been saved.  He went on to say that in
+gratitude to the white man he had changed his mind.  No longer would he
+withhold food; his young men even now had their hands full of the best
+products of Ilola.  No longer would he refuse his friendship; he would
+even show the white man the place where the yellow metal was to be
+found&mdash;on one condition, that the white man would become his blood
+brother.  Imbono and the white men would then be friends for ever.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I'll be very glad to be friends with the chief," said Mr.
+Martindale, "and I'm right down obliged to him for agreeing to show me
+the location of the gold.  And what's this blood brother business
+anyway?  I don't size up to that without knowing something about it,
+you bet."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me tell all 'bout it, sah.  Imbono hab got knife; he come scratch,
+scratch massa his arm; den blood come, just little tiny drop, oh yes!
+Den Imbono he lick massa him blood.  Massa he hab got knife too: he
+scratch Imbono him arm all same, lick Imbono him blood.  Me fink massa
+not like black man him blood&mdash;not berrah berrah much.  Den massa gib
+Imbono little tiny present&mdash;knife, like knife Samba stole from Nando;
+Imbono gib massa fowl, or brass ring, or anyfing massa like.  Den massa
+and Imbono dey be blood brudder, be friends for eber and eber amen."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I guess the blood business sounds rather disgusting.  What do
+you think, Jack?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack made a grimace.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Couldn't we leave all the licking to him, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here Nando broke in.  "Me fink massa not like black blood.  All same, I
+show de way.  Massa hold Imbono him arm tight, berrah tight, pretend to
+lick, get little drop of blood on hand; dat nuff; Imbono pleased."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"If he's satisfied with that I'm willing, so fire away."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief beamed when he learnt that the white man had given his
+consent.  The ceremony was quickly performed.  Then Imbono handed them
+each a copper ring, and received in return a pinch of salt from Mr.
+Martindale and a lucifer match from Jack, Nando assuring them that no
+more acceptable presents could have been thought of.  Imbono recited a
+sort of chant, which was explained to mean that he, his sons, his
+friends, the men of Ilola, from that time forth and for evermore would
+be the true friends of the white men; everything he had was theirs.
+With a suitable reply from Mr. Martindale and Jack the ceremony ended.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack noticed when the chief had gone that Nando's face wore a somewhat
+woebegone look.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What's the matter, Nando?" he asked.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nando berrah sick, sah.  Imbono hab got present, massa hab got
+present, little massa hab got present all same; Nando hab got no
+present, no nuffin.  Dat make Nando sick.  Samba hab got Nando him
+knife: what for Nando no hab nuffin at all?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Seems to me he wants a commission on the transaction," said Mr.
+Martindale with a smile.  "Give him something, Jack; he's not a bad
+sort."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I've got a lucky sixpence, uncle; he can string that round his neck.
+Here you are, Nando."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negro took the coin with delight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bolotsi O!" he exclaimed.  "Nando no sick no more.  Him plenty comfy
+inside.  All jolly nice now sah: oh yes!"
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap07fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap07fn1text">1</a>] Bully for you!
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap08"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER VIII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Jack in Command
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"We've come out of that better than I expected," said Mr. Martindale,
+when the chief had gone.  "I only hope our new brother won't carry his
+affection too far.  If he keeps piling in food in this way, our fellows
+will wax fat and kick."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You'll have to give him a hint, uncle.  Proverbs are mostly
+old-fashioned rubbish, but there's one that would suit him: 'Enough is
+as good as a feast.'"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Which no nigger would believe.  Now I wonder when he will take us to
+find this ore.  The sooner the better, although I calculate he doesn't
+know the value of time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Imbono returned in the course of the afternoon, and said that he would
+be ready to conduct the white men to the gold region next day.  But he
+stipulated that only his new brothers should accompany him.  To this
+condition no one objected but Nando, who appeared to regard it as a
+personal slight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Berrah well, berrah well," he said, his tone suggesting that he washed
+his hands of the business.  "Nando no go, massa no can say nuffin to
+Imbono.  Berrah well; all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Immediately after breakfast next morning the two set off in Imbono's
+company, Jack carried a prospector's pan for washing the soil, Mr.
+Martindale having declared that he didn't expect to find nuggets lying
+around.  They also carried enough food for the day.  Imbono struck off
+due west from the village; then, when well out of sight, he made a
+detour, and passing through a couple of miles of dense forest, entered
+a broken hilly country, which to Mr. Martindale's experienced eye
+showed many traces of volcanic disturbance.  At last, forcing their way
+through a belt of tangled copse, with many scratches from prickly
+sprays, they came upon a deep gully, at the bottom of which ran a
+stream of brownish water, now some twenty feet in breadth.  That it was
+much broader at certain seasons was shown by the wide edging of sand
+and pebbles at each side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief came to a halt at the edge of the gully, and pointing up and
+down the stream, said something in his own language.  Mr. Martindale
+nodded his head, but said to Jack&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I suppose he means we're right there.  Why on earth could not he let
+Nando come and do the translating?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Show him your watch, uncle!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the sight of the watch Imbono nodded his head rapidly and ejaculated
+what was clearly an affirmative.  Then he led the way down the rocky
+side of the gully, the others scrambling after him.  On reaching the
+sandy strand Mr. Martindale bent down and eagerly examined it.  Taking
+some of the sand and pebbles in his hand, he stuck a magnifying glass
+in his eye and picked them over carefully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Looks promising, Jack," he said, with the enthusiasm of an old miner.
+"There are little granules of quartz mixed up with the sand, and a
+particle or two of iron.  But that don't prove there's gold.  We'll
+just try a little experiment."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He emptied a few handfuls of the soil into the pan, filled this with
+water from the stream, and moved the pan to and fro so as to give the
+water a concentric motion, Jack and the chief watching him with equal
+interest.  Every now and then Mr. Martindale would cant off a little of
+the water, which carried off some of the lighter sand with it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What you may call a process of elimination or reduction," he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"<i>Reductio ad absurdum</i>, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I hope not.  Guess you're smartening up, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Call it survival of the fittest, then."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Of the thickest, I'd say.  This washing carries off the useless light
+sand, and leaves the heavy stuff behind, and it's in that we'll find
+gold if at all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After nearly half an hour's patient manipulation of the pan, there was
+left in the bottom a blackish powder and some coarse grains of quartz,
+with just enough water to cover them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Look at that, my boy," said Mr. Martindale.  "First time you've seen
+anything of that sort, I guess."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But where's the gold, uncle?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's what remains to be seen&mdash;perhaps.  Keep your eye on that groove
+as I tilt the pan round.  The black stuff is iron-stone; you needn't
+trouble about that.  See if it leaves anything else."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He gently tilted the pan so that the water slowly flowed round the
+groove, carrying with it the quartz grains and the powder.  Jack
+watched narrowly.  After the contents of the pan had made the circuit
+two or three times he suddenly exclaimed&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's a sort of glitter left behind the powder, uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I reckon that's enough," said Mr. Martindale, setting down the pan.
+"We've hit it, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack could not refrain from giving a cheer.  The chief, who had but
+half approved the proceedings at the beginning, caught the infection of
+the lad's enthusiasm, and snapped his fingers and slapped his thighs
+vigorously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We'll have another look higher up," said Mr. Martindale.  "One swallow
+don't make a summer&mdash;another piece of what you call antiquated rubbish,
+Jack.  There's gold here, that's certain; but I don't know whether it's
+rich enough to be worth working."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They walked for half a mile up the stream, and Mr. Martindale went
+through the same process with the soil there.  He was again rewarded.
+This time, however, the trace of gold was more distinct.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Jack, my boy," he said, "there's a small fortune in the bed of the
+stream alone.  But I'm not satisfied yet.  It's up to us now to
+discover the mother lode.  To judge by the size of the stream it can't
+be far off.  The botheration is we can't talk to the chief, and I say
+it's most unbrotherly to refuse us the advantage of an interpreter."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, we've plenty of time, uncle.  I vote we have our lunch and then
+go on again."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They sat down on boulders at the edge of the river and ate the manioc
+cakes and bananas with which Barney had provided them.  Imbono seemed
+pleased when he was invited to share their lunch.  Going into the
+forest, he returned with a large leaf which he shaped like a cup, and
+in this he brought water from the stream for the white men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After lunch they followed up the stream.  At intervals Mr. Martindale
+stopped to test the gravel, and found always some trace of gold, now
+slight, now plentiful.  Some three miles up they came to a confluence.
+The stream was joined by a smaller swifter one, which evidently took
+its rise in the steep hilly country now becoming visible through the
+trees.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We'll try this, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Because the bed's more gravelly than the other.  I guess the big
+stream comes out of the forest somewhere; the other will suit our book
+best."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They found their progress becoming more and more difficult.  The ground
+was more rocky, the sides of the gully were steeper, and the edging of
+dry gravel diminished until by and by it disappeared altogether, and
+the prospectors had to take off their boots and socks and wade.  There
+were trees and bushes here and there on the sides and at the top of the
+gully, but the vegetation became more and more scanty as they ascended.
+Presently the sound of falling water struck upon their ears, and a
+sudden turn of the stream brought them into full view of a cataract.
+At this point the gully had widened out, and the water fell over a
+broad smooth ledge of rock, dashing on the stones after a descent of
+some fifty or sixty feet.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's fine!" exclaimed Jack, halting to watch the cascade sparkling
+in the sunlight, and the brownish white foam eddying at the foot.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Grand!" assented Mr. Martindale.  "There's enough water power there to
+save many a thousand dollars' worth of machinery."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I was thinking of the scenery, not machinery, uncle," said Jack, with
+a laugh.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Scenery!  Why, I've got a lot finer waterfall than that on my
+dining-room wall.  It isn't Niagara one way or t'other, but it'll do a
+lot of mill grinding all the same.  Now, Jack, you're younger than I
+am.  I want to see what there is by those rocks ten feet away from the
+bottom of the fall.  Strip, my boy; a bath will do you a power of good,
+a hot day like this; and there are no crocodiles here to make you feel
+jumpy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack stripped and was soon waist deep in the water.  Reaching the spot
+his uncle had indicated, he stooped, and found that he could just touch
+the bottom without immersing himself.  The water was too frothy for the
+bottom to be seen; he groped along it with his hands, bringing up every
+now and then a small fragment of quartz or a handful of gravel, which
+Mr. Martindale, after inspecting it from a distance, told him to throw
+in again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last, when he was getting somewhat tired of this apparently useless
+performance, he brought up a handful of stones, not to as eyes
+differing from what he had seen for the past half hour.  He spread them
+out for his uncle, now only two or three yards away, to examine.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I guess you can put on your clothes now," said Mr. Martindale.  "Why,
+hang it, man! you've thrown it away!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had pitched the stones back into the water.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I thought you'd done, uncle," he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"So I have, and you're done too&mdash;done brown.  D'you know you've thrown
+away a nugget worth I don't know how many dollars?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You didn't tell me what you were after," said Jack, somewhat nettled.
+"I couldn't be expected to know you were hunting for nuggets."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, you couldn't be expected: and that's just exactly what I brought
+you over to America for.  When you've had the kind of smartening up I
+mean you to have, you won't talk about what's expected or not expected;
+you'll just figure it out that there's some reason in everything, and
+you'll use your own share of reason accordingly."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All right, uncle," replied Jack good-humouredly.  "I might have put
+two and two together, perhaps.  At school, you see, they liked us to do
+as we were told without arguing.  'Theirs not to reason why'&mdash;you know.
+Shall I fish for that nugget?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not worth while.  A few dollars more or less are neither here nor
+there.  I know what I want to know, and now I think we'd better be
+getting.  Put your clothes on.  Our brother Imbono has several times
+anxiously pointed to the sun.  He evidently isn't comfortable at the
+idea of being benighted in these regions."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Screwing some of the sifted gravel into a bag of leaves, Mr. Martindale
+signed to the chief that he was ready to return.  They reached the camp
+just as the sun was setting.  In honour of the recent discovery, Mr.
+Martindale invited the chief to supper, and gave him a regale which
+astonished him.  To see the white man bring peaches out of a closed pot
+made Imbono open his eyes; but the sensation of the evening was
+furnished by a bottle of soda water.  When the stopper was loosed and
+the liquid spurted over, the chief shrank back in amazement, uttering a
+startled cry.  Nando, not skilled in European politeness, guffawed
+uproariously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say debbil water, sah.  Yah! yah!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nothing would induce Imbono to drink the stuff.  But he took kindly to
+tea, and being prevailed on to try a pinch of snuff, he laughed
+heartily when the paroxysm of sneezing was over, and asked for more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say like laugh-cry dust plenty much," said Nando.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the chief had eaten his fill, Mr. Martindale, with considerable
+diplomacy, explained that the discovery of gold was of little use to
+him unless he could take men to the spot, and desired the withdrawal of
+the prohibition.  Nando took a long time to convey this to Imbono, and
+Jack suspected that he was making somewhat lavish promises in the
+nature of <i>quid pro quo</i>.  Imbono at length agreed to the white man's
+request, provided none of the workers he wished to take with him were
+servants of the Great White Chief.  He consented also to lead him back
+to the cataract next day, so that he might complete his search for the
+gold-bearing rocks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On this second journey Mr. Martindale and Jack were accompanied by two
+of their negroes with picks.  On arriving at the spot the men were set
+to break away portions of the rocky wall on the left of the cataract.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see, Jack," said Mr. Martindale, "the fact that we found gold in
+the stream shows that it is still being washed down by the water;
+otherwise it would have been swept away or buried long ago.  The rock
+must be of a soft kind that offers comparatively little resistance to
+the water, and I'm rather inclined to think that not so very many years
+ago the cataract was a good deal farther forward than it is now.  Well,
+the gold-bearing stratum must run right through the cataract,
+horizontally I suspect.  It may not be a broad one, but it will
+probably extend some distance on each side of the fall, and a few
+hours' work ought to prove it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the rock fell away under the negroes' picks, Mr. Martindale and Jack
+carefully washed samples of it.  In less than an hour the glittering
+trail shone out clear in the wake of the granules of rock as they slid
+round the groove.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"So much for the first part of our job," said Mr. Martindale, with a
+quiet sigh of satisfaction.  "The next thing is to see if the gold
+extends above the cataract."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Under Imbono's guidance the party made their way by a detour to the
+river banks above the falls.  After a search of some hours Mr.
+Martindale declared himself satisfied that the lode was confined to the
+rocks over which the water poured.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We can't do much more for the present," he said.  "The next thing is
+to get machinery for working the ore.  We'll have to go back to Boma.
+We can probably get simple materials for working the alluvial deposits
+there, but the machinery for crushing the ore must be got from Europe,
+and that'll take time.  We'll pack up and start to-morrow."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But after breakfast next morning, when Mr. Martindale had lighted his
+morning cigar, he startled Jack by saying suddenly&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Say, Jack, how would you like to be left here with Barney and some of
+the men while I go back to Boma?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What a jolly lark!" said Jack, flushing with pleasure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Humph!  That's a fool's speech, or a schoolboy's, which often comes to
+the same thing.  I'm not thinking of larks, or gulls, or geese, but of
+serious business."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sorry, uncle.  That's only my way of saying I should like it
+immensely."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I've been turning it over in the night.  I want to make a man of you,
+Jack; I want to see if there's any grit in you.  There ought to be, if
+you're your mother's boy.  Anyway this will give you a chance.  Things
+are this way.  We've struck a fortune here.  Well, I'm an old miner,
+and I don't allow anybody to jump my claim.  I don't reckon any one is
+likely to jump it; still, you never know.  That fellow Elbel, now; he's
+an official of the Belgian company, and he knows what I'm here for.  He
+might take it into his head to steal a march on me, and though I've got
+the mining monopoly for all this district, you bet that won't be much
+of a protection of my claim all these miles from civilization.  So it's
+advisable to have a man on the spot, and it's either you or me.  You
+don't know anything about mining machinery, so I guess it's no good
+sending you to Boma.  Consequently, you must stay here."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'm jolly glad of the chance, uncle.  I'll look after your claim."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Spoiling for a fight, eh?  But we mustn't have any fighting.  Mind
+you, all this is only speculation&mdash;foresight, prudence, call it what
+you like.  I don't calculate on any one trying to do me out of my
+rights.  And if any one tries to jump my claim, it won't do for you to
+make a fool of yourself by trying to oppose 'em by force.  All you can
+do is to sit tight and keep an eye on things till I get back.  I don't
+know I'm doing right to leave you: you're the only nephew I've got, and
+you can't raise nephews as you raise pumpkins.  But I thought it all
+out while you were snoring, and I've made up my mind to give it a
+trial.  Patience and tact, that's what you want.  You've got 'em, or
+you haven't.  If you have, I reckon it's all right: if you haven't&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Your cigar has gone out, dear old man," said Jack, laying his hand on
+his uncle's.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"So it has.  I'll try another.  Well, that's settled, eh?  I'll be as
+quick as I can, Jack: no doubt I'll find a launch when I reach the
+Congo, or even before if Elbel's boss at Makua likes to make himself
+pleasant.  But I've no doubt Elbel has coloured up our little meeting
+in his report to headquarters.  Anyhow, I should be right back in two
+or three months&mdash;not so very long after all.  I'll forward some rifles
+and ammunition from the first station where I can get 'em: the sale of
+arms is prohibited in this State, of course; but that isn't the only
+law, by all accounts, that's a dead letter here, and I don't doubt a
+little palm-oil will help me to fix up all I want.  You'll have to
+teach the men how to use 'em, and remember, they're only for
+self-defence in the last extremity.  See?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'll be careful, uncle.  It's lucky we've a friend in Imbono.  I think
+we'll get along first-rate.  Nando can do the interpreting till I learn
+something of the language."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Jingo!  I'd forgotten Nando.  That's a poser, Jack.  I shall want him
+to pilot me down to Boma.  I can't get along without an interpreter.
+That's a nailer on our little scheme, my boy; for of course you can't
+stay here without some one to pass your orders to the men."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack looked very crestfallen.  The prospect of being left in charge was
+very delightful to him, and he had already been resolving to show
+himself worthy of his uncle's trust.  The thing he had regretted most
+in leaving Rugby was that he would never be in the Sixth and a "power."
+He did not shrink from responsibility; and it was hard to have his
+hopes of an independent command dashed at the moment of opportunity.
+Suddenly an idea occurred to him.  "Are you sure none of the other men
+know enough English to serve my turn?" he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nando said not a man jack of 'em knows it but himself.  I'll call him
+up and ask him again."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nando came up all smiles in answer to the call.  "You told me that none
+of the men speak English but yourself," said Mr. Martindale; "is that
+true?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Too plenty much true, sah.  Me speak troof all same, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's unfortunate.  We're going back to Boma.  I wanted to leave Mr.
+Jack here, but I can't do that unless he has some one to do the talking
+for him.  Go and get the things packed up, Nando."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negro departed with alacrity.  But not five minutes later he
+returned, accompanied by a negro a little shorter than himself, but
+otherwise showing a strong resemblance.  Both were grinning broadly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"My brudder, sah," said Nando, patting the younger man on the shoulder.
+"He berrah fine chap.  Him Lepoko.  Speak Inglesa; berrah clebber.
+Nando go with big massa, Lepoko stay with little massa; oh yes! all too
+fine and jolly."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lepoko speaks English, does he?" said Mr. Martindale.  "Then you're a
+liar, Nando!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, sah, me no tell lies, not at all.  Lepoko no speak Inglesa all de
+time, sah.  What for two speak Inglesa one time?  Too much nise, massa
+no can hear what Nando say.  Nando go, all same; massa muss hab some
+one can talk.  Berrah well; den Lepoko hab go; can talk all right.  He
+show massa what can do."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"One, two, free, forty, hundred fousand," began Lepoko glibly.  "Ten
+little nigger boys.  What de good of anyfink?  Way down de Swannee
+ribber&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That'll do, that'll do!" cried Mr. Martindale, laughing.  "You've got
+your interpreter, Jack.  Nando, get ready to start.  Bring nine men
+with you, the rest will stay with Mr. Jack.  The fellow was hankering
+after the flesh-pots of Boma, I suppose," he added, when Nando had
+gone, "and that accounts for his sudden discovery of his brother's
+eloquence&mdash;too jealous of his own importance to give it away before.
+Now there's Barney, Jack.  I don't know how he'll take being left here."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney took it very well.  When Mr. Martindale mentioned that he would
+be absent for at least two months, he remarked&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, I'll be getting fat at last.  Imbono sent another heap of
+maniac this morning, and seeing that I'll have nothing whativer to do
+for two months, sure I'll be a different man entirely by the time you
+come back."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+An hour later the shore was crowded with natives come to bid the white
+man farewell.  Imbono was there with all the men of his village.  At
+his final interview with Mr. Martindale he had promised to watch
+carefully over the welfare of his young blood brother; he would supply
+him and his men with food, and defend him from wild beasts and
+aggressive black men, and his villagers should at once set about
+building new huts for the party.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Remember, Jack, patience&mdash;and tact.  God bless you, my boy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good-bye, uncle.  Hope you'll have a pleasant journey.  And on the way
+down keep an eye lifting for Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then the ten natives struck the water with their paddles, the canoe
+glided down the stream, and as it disappeared round a bend of the river
+Jack heard the men's voices uplifted in a new song composed for the
+occasion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What are they singing, Lepoko?" he asked of his new interpreter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me tell massa.
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+"Down brown ribber,<br />
+Broad brown ribber,<br />
+White man go<br />
+In canoe.<br />
+Good-bye, Ilola,<br />
+Good-bye, Imbono,<br />
+Good-bye, Jacko,<br />
+Brave Jacko,<br />
+Young Jacko.<br />
+He save Imbono,<br />
+Lucky Imbono;<br />
+Down brown ribber<br />
+White man go."<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap09"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER IX
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Samba Meets the Little Men
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Samba had cheerfully accompanied Mr. Martindale's expedition, in the
+confidence that one of its principal objects, if not indeed its main
+one, was the discovery of his parents.  Nando had told him, on the
+ruins of Banonga, that the white man would help him in his search, and
+the white man had treated him so kindly that he believed what Nando
+said.  But as the days passed and the canoes went farther and farther
+up stream, miles away from Banonga, the boy began to be uneasy.  More
+than once he reminded Nando of his promise, only to be put off with
+excuses: the white man was a very big chief, and such a trifling matter
+as the whereabouts of a black boy's father and mother could not be
+expected to engage him until his own business was completed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba became more and more restless.  He wished he could open the
+matter himself to the white men; but the few words of English he had
+picked up from Jack and Barney were as useless to him as any
+schoolboy's French.  Jack often wondered why there was so wistful a
+look upon the boy's face as he followed him about, much as Pat followed
+Samba.  He spoke to Nando about it, but Nando only laughed.  Samba
+began to distrust Nando.  What if the man's assurances were false, and
+there had never been any intention of seeking his father?  The white
+men had been kind to him; they gave him good food; he was pleased with
+the knife presented to him as a reward for his watchfulness; but all
+these were small things beside the fact that his parents were lost to
+him.  Had the white men no fathers? he wondered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At length he came to a great resolution.  If they would not help him,
+he must help himself.  He would slip away one night and set off in
+search.  He well knew that in cutting himself adrift from the
+expedition many days' journey from his old home he was exchanging ease
+and plenty for certain hardship and many dangers known and unknown.
+The forest in the neighbourhood of Banonga was as a playground to him;
+but he could not know what awaited him in a country so remote as this.
+He had never been more than half a day's journey from home, but he had
+heard of unfriendly tribes who might kill him, or at best keep him
+enslaved.  And the white men of Bula Matadi&mdash;did not they sometimes
+seize black boys, and make them soldiers or serfs?  Yet all these
+perils must be faced: Samba loved his parents, and in his case love
+cast out fear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One morning, very early, when every one in the camp was occupied with
+the first duties of the day, Samba stole away.  His own treasured knife
+was slung by a cord about his neck; he carried on his hip,
+negro-fashion, a discarded biscuit tin which he had filled with food
+saved from his meals of the previous day; and Mr. Martindale's knife
+dangled from his waist cord.  It was easy to slip away unseen; the camp
+was surrounded by trees, and within a minute he was out of sight.  He
+guessed that an hour or two would pass before his absence was
+discovered, and then pursuit would be vain.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he had not gone far when he heard a joyous bark behind him, and Pat
+came bounding along, leaping up at him, looking up in his face, as if
+to say: "You are going a-hunting: I will come too, and we will enjoy
+ourselves."  Samba stopped, and knelt down and put his arms about the
+dog's neck.  Should he take him?  The temptation was great: Pat and he
+were staunch friends; they understood each other, and the dog would be
+excellent company in the forest.  But Samba reflected.  Pat did not
+belong to him, and he had never stolen anything in his life.  The dog's
+master had been good to him: it would be unkind to rob him.  And Pat
+was a fighter: he was as brave as Samba himself, but a great deal more
+noisy and much less discreet.  Samba knew the ways of the forest; it
+was wise to avoid the dangerous beasts, to match their stealth with
+stealth; Pat would attack them, and certainly come off worst.  No, Pat
+must go back.  So Samba patted him, rubbed his head on the dog's rough
+coat, let Pat lick his face, and talked to him seriously.  Then he got
+up and pointed towards the camp and clapped his hands, and when Pat
+showed a disposition still to follow him, he waved his arms and spoke
+to him again.  Pat understood; he halted and watched the boy till he
+disappeared among the trees; then, giving one low whine, he trotted
+back with his tail sorrowfully lowered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba went on.  He had come to the river, but he meant to avoid it now.
+The river wound this way and that: the journey overland would be
+shorter.  He might be sought for along the bank; but in the forest
+wilds he would at least be safe from pursuit, whatever other dangers he
+might encounter.  At intervals along the bank, too, lay many villages:
+and Samba was less afraid of beasts than of men.  So, choosing by the
+instinct which every forest man seems to possess a direction that would
+lead towards his distant village, he went on with lithe and springy
+gait, humming an old song his grandfather Mirambo had taught him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His path at first led through a grassy country, with trees and bush in
+plenty, yet not so thick but that the sunlight came freely through the
+foliage, making many shining circles on the ground.  But after about
+two hours the forest thickened; the sunlit spaces became fewer, the
+undergrowth more and more tangled.  At midday he sat down by the edge
+of a trickling stream to eat his dinner of manioc, then set off again.
+The forest was now denser than anything to which he had been accustomed
+near Banonga, and he went more warily, his eyes keen to mark the tracks
+of animals, his ears alive to catch every sound.  He noticed here the
+scratches of a leopard on a tree trunk, there the trampled undergrowth
+where an elephant had passed; but he saw no living creature save a few
+snakes and lizards, and once a hare that scurried across his path as he
+approached.  He knew that in the forest it is night that brings danger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The forest became ever thicker, and as evening drew on it grew dark and
+chill.  The ground was soft with layers of rotted foliage, the air
+heavy with the musty smell of vegetation in decay.  Samba's teeth
+chattered with the cold, and he could not help longing for Barney's
+cosy hut and the warm companionship of the terrier.  It was time to
+sleep.  Could he venture to build a fire?  The smoke might attract men,
+but he had seen no signs of human habitation.  It would at any rate
+repel insects and beasts.  Yes&mdash;he would build a fire.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+First he sought for a tree with a broad overhanging branch on which he
+could perch himself for the night.  Then he made a wide circuit to
+assure himself that there were no enemies near at hand.  In the course
+of his round he came to a narrow clearing where an outcrop of rock had
+prevented vegetation, and on the edges of this he found sufficient dry
+brushwood to make his fire.  Collecting an armful, he carried it
+unerringly to his chosen tree, heaped it below the hospitable branch,
+and with his knife whittled a hard dry stick to a sharp point.  He
+selected then a square lump of wood, cut a little hollow in it, and,
+holding his pointed stick upright in the hollow, whirled it about
+rapidly between his hands until first smoke then a spark appeared.
+Having kindled his fire he banked it down with damp moss he found hard
+by, so as to prevent it from blazing too high and endangering his tree
+or attracting attention.  Then he climbed up into the branch; there he
+would be safest from prowling beasts.  The acrid smoke rose from the
+fire beneath and enveloped him, but it gave him no discomfort, rather a
+feeling of "homeness" and well-being; such had been the accompaniment
+of sleep all his life long in his father's hut at Banonga.  Curled up
+on that low bough he slept through the long hours&mdash;a dreamless sleep,
+undisturbed by the bark of hyenas, the squeal of monkeys, or the wail
+of tiger-cats.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he awoke he was stiff and cold.  It was still dark, but even at
+midday the sun can but feebly light the thickest parts of the Congo
+Forest.  The fire had gone out; but Samba did not venture to leave his
+perch until the glimmer of dawn, pale though it was, gave him light
+enough to see by.  He was ravenously hungry, and did not spare the food
+left in his tin; many a time he had found food in the forest near his
+home, and now that he felt well and strong, no fear of starvation
+troubled him.  Having finished his simple breakfast, he slung the empty
+can over his hip and set off on his journey.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For two days he tramped on and on, plucking here the red berries of the
+phrynia, there the long crimson fruit of the amoma, with mushrooms in
+plenty.  Nothing untoward had happened.  In this part of the forest
+beasts appeared to be few.  Now and again he heard the rapping noise
+made by the soko, the gibber of monkeys, the squawk of parrots: once he
+stood behind a broad trunk and watched breathlessly as a tiger-cat
+stalked a heedless rabbit; each night he lighted his fire and found a
+serviceable branch on which to rest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But on the third day he was less happy.  The farther he walked, the
+denser became the forest, the more difficult his path.  Edible berries
+were rarer; fewer trees had fungi growing about their roots; he had to
+content himself with forest beans in their brown tough rind.  When the
+evening was drawing on he could find no dry fuel for a fire, and now,
+instead of seeking a branch for a sleeping place, he looked for a
+hollow tree which would give him some shelter from the cold damp air of
+night.  Having found his tree he gathered a handful of moss, set fire
+to it from his stick and block, which he had carefully preserved, and
+threw the smouldering heap into the hollow to smoke out noxious
+insects, or a snake, if perchance one had made his home there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fourth day was a repetition of the third, with more discomforts.
+Sometimes the tangled vines and creepers were so thick that he had to
+go round about to find a path.  The vegetation provided still less
+food, only a few jack fruit and the wild fruit of the motanga rewarding
+his search.  He was so hungry at midday that he was reduced to
+collecting slugs from the trees, a fare he would fain have avoided.
+Fearless as he was, he was beginning to be anxious; for to make a
+certain course in this dense forest was well-nigh impossible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At dusk, when again he sought a hollow tree and dropped a heap of
+smouldering herbage into the hole, he started back with a low cry, for
+he heard an ominous hiss in the depths, and was only just in time to
+avoid a python which had been roused from sleep by the burning mass.
+In a twinkling the huge coils spread themselves like a released
+watch-spring beyond the mouth of the hole and along the lowermost
+branch of the tree.  With all his forest lore, Samba was surprised to
+find that a python could move so quickly.  The instant he heard the
+angry hiss he crouched low against the trunk, thankful that the reptile
+had chosen a branch on the other side.  Armed only with a knife, he
+knew himself no match for a twenty-foot python; had he not seen a young
+hippopotamus strangled by a python no larger than this?  Like Brer
+Rabbit, Samba lay low and said nothing: until the python, swinging
+itself on to the branch of an adjacent tree a few feet away,
+disappeared in the foliage.  Then, allowing time for the reptile to
+settle elsewhere, Samba sought safer quarters.  The python's house was
+comfortable, even commodious; but Samba would scarcely have slept as
+soundly as he was wont in uncertainty whether the disturbed owner might
+not after all return home.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He felt very cramped and miserable when he rose next day to resume his
+journey.  This morning he had to start without breakfast, for neither
+fruits nor berries were to be had: a search among fallen trees failed
+even to discover ants of which to make a scanty meal.  Constant walking
+and privation were telling on his frame; his eyes were less bright, his
+step was less elastic.  But there was a great heart within him; he
+plodded on; he had set out to find his father and mother; he would not
+turn back.  The dangers ahead could be no worse than those he had
+already met, and no experienced general of army could have known better
+than Samba that to retreat is often more perilous than to advance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the afternoon, when, having found a few berries, he had eaten the
+only meal of the day and was about to seek, earlier than usual, his
+quarters for the night, he heard, from a short distance to the left of
+his track, a great noise of growling and snarling.  The sounds were not
+like those of any animals he knew.  With cautious steps he made his way
+through the matted undergrowth towards the noise.  Almost unawares he
+came upon an extraordinary sight.  In the centre of an open space,
+scarcely twenty feet across, a small man, lighter in hue than the
+majority of Congolese natives, was struggling to free himself from the
+grip of a serval which had buried its claws deep in his body and thigh.
+Two other small men, less even than Samba in height, were leaping and
+yelling around their comrade, apparently instructing him how to act,
+though neither made use of the light spears they carried to attack the
+furious beast.  The serval, its greenish eyes brilliant with rage, was
+an unusually powerful specimen of its kind, resembling indeed a leopard
+rather than a tiger-cat.  It was bent, as it seemed, upon working its
+way upward to the man's throat, and its reddish spotted coat was so
+like his skin in hue that, as they writhed and twisted this way and
+that, an onlooker might well have hesitated to launch a spear at the
+beast for fear of hitting the man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One of the little man's hands had a grip of the serval's throat; but he
+was not strong enough to strangle it, and the lightning quickness of
+the animal's movements prevented him from gripping it with the other
+hand.  Even a sturdily-built European might well have failed to gain
+the mastery in a fight with such a foe, and the little man had neither
+the strength nor the staying power to hold out much longer.  Yet his
+companions continued to yell and dance round, keeping well out of reach
+of the terrible claws; while blood was streaming from a dozen deep
+gashes in the little man's body.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba stood but a few moments gazing at the scene.  The instinct of the
+born hunter was awake in him, and that higher instinct which moves a
+man to help his kind.  Clutching his broad knife he bounded into the
+open, reached the fainting man in two leaps, and plunged the blade deep
+into the creature's side behind the shoulder.  With a convulsive
+wriggle the serval made a last attempt to bury its fangs in its
+victim's neck.  Then its muscles suddenly relaxed, and it fell dead to
+the ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba's intervention had come too late.  The man had been so terribly
+mauled that his life was ebbing fast.  His comrades looked at him and
+began to make strange little moaning cries; then they laid him on a bed
+of leaves and turned their attention to Samba.  He knew that he was in
+the presence of Bambute, the dreaded pigmies of the forest.  Never
+before had he seen them; but he had heard of them as fearless hunters
+and daring fighters, who moved about from place to place in the forest,
+and levied toll upon the plantations of larger men.  The two little men
+came to him and patted his arms and jabbered together; but he
+understood nothing of what they said.  By signs he explained to them
+that he was hungry.  Then, leaving their wounded comrade to his fate,
+they took Samba by the hands and led him rapidly into the forest,
+following a path which could scarcely have been detected by any except
+themselves.  In some twenty minutes they arrived at a clearing where
+stood a group of two score small huts, like beehives, no more than four
+feet high, with an opening eighteen inches square, just large enough to
+allow a pigmy to creep through.  Pigmies, men and women, were squatting
+around&mdash;ugly little people, but well-made and muscular, with leaves and
+grass aprons for all clothing, and devoid of such ornaments as an
+ordinary negro loves.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They sprang up as Samba approached between his guides, and a great
+babel of question and answer arose, like the chattering of monkeys.
+The story was told; none showed any concern for the man left to die;
+the Bambute acknowledge no ties, and seem to have little family
+affection.  A plentiful dinner of antelope flesh and bananas was soon
+placed before Samba, and it was clear that the pigmies were ready to
+make much of the stranger who had so boldly attacked the serval.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One of them knew a little of a Congolese dialect, and he succeeded in
+making Samba understand that the chief was pleased with him, and wished
+to adopt him as his son.  Samba shook his head and smiled: his own
+parents were alive, he said; he wished for no others.  This made the
+chief angry.  The chiefs of some of the big men had often adopted pigmy
+boys and made slaves of them; it was now his turn.  The whole community
+scowled and snarled so fiercely that Samba thought the safest course
+was to feign acquiescence for the moment, and seize the first
+opportunity afterwards of slipping away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But nearly three weeks passed before a chance presented itself.  The
+pigmies kept him with them, never letting him go out of their sight.
+They fed him well&mdash;almost too well, expecting his powers of consumption
+to be equal to their own.  Never before had he seen such extraordinary
+eaters.  One little man would squat before a stalk bearing fifty or
+sixty bananas, and eat them all.  True, he lay moaning and groaning all
+night, but next morning would be quite ready to gorge an equal meal.
+Since they did not cultivate the ground themselves, Samba wondered
+where they obtained their plentiful supply of bananas and manioc.  He
+learnt by and by that they appropriated what they pleased from the
+plantations of a neighbouring tribe of big men, who had too great a
+respect for the pigmies' poisoned arrows and spears to protest.  Samba
+hoped that he might one day escape to this tribe, but a shifting of the
+village rendered this impossible, though it afforded the boy the
+opportunity for which he had so long been waiting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the night when the pigmy tribe settled down in its new home, four
+days' journey from the old, Samba took advantage of the fatigue of his
+captors to steal away.  He had chosen the darkest hour before the dawn,
+and knowing that he would very soon be missed and followed up, he
+struck off through the forest as rapidly as he could.  With plentiful
+food he had recovered his old strength and vigour, and he strode along
+fleetly, finding his way chiefly by the nature of the ground beneath
+his feet; for there was no true path, and the forest was almost
+completely dark, even when dawn had broken elsewhere.  As the morning
+drew on the leafy arcades became faintly illuminated, and he could then
+see sufficiently well to choose the easiest way through the obstacles
+that beset his course.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Despite all his exertions his progress was very slow.  Well he knew
+that, expert though he was in forest travel, he could not move through
+these tangled mazes with anything like the speed of the active little
+men who by this time were almost certainly on his track.  At the best
+he could hardly have got more than two miles' start.  As he threaded
+his way through the brushwood, hacking with his knife at obstructive
+creepers, and receiving many a scratch from briar and thorn, he tried
+to think of some way of throwing the pursuers off the scent; but every
+yard of progress demanded so much exertion that he was unequal to the
+effort of devising any likely ruse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Suddenly coming upon a shallow stream about two yards wide that ran
+across his line of march, he saw in a flash a chance of covering his
+trail.  He stepped into the stream, pausing for a moment to drink, then
+waded a few paces against the current, narrowly scanning the bordering
+trees.  They showed a close network of interlacing branches, one tree
+encroaching on another.  Choosing a bough overhanging the brook, just
+above his head, Samba drew himself up into the tree, taking care that
+no spots of water were left on the branch to betray him.  Then,
+clambering nimbly like a monkey from bough to bough, he made a path for
+himself through the trees at an angle half-way between the directions
+of the stream and of his march through the forest.  He hoped that,
+losing his track in the stream, the Bambute would jump to the
+conclusion that he was making his way up or down its bed, and would
+continue their chase accordingly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the trees his progress was even slower than on the ground.  Every
+now and again he had to return on his tracks, encountering a branch
+that, serviceable as it might look, proved either too high or too low,
+or not strong enough to bear his weight.  And he was making more noise
+than he liked.  There was not only the rustle and creak of parting
+leaves and bending twigs, and the crack of small branches that snapped
+under his hand; but his intrusion scared the natural denizens of the
+forest, and they clattered away with loud cries of alarm&mdash;grey parrots
+in hundreds, green pigeons, occasionally a hawk or the great blue
+plantain-eater.  The screeches of the birds smothered, indeed, any
+sound that he himself might make; but such long-continued evidence of
+disturbance might awaken the suspicion of the little men and guide them
+to his whereabouts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By and by he came to a gap in the forest.  The clear sunlight was
+welcome as a guide to his course; but he saw that to follow the
+direction which he believed would bring him towards Banonga he must now
+leave the trees.  He stopped for a few minutes to recover breath, and
+to consider what he had best do.  As he lay stretched along a bough,
+his eye travelled back over the path he had come.  The vagaries of
+lightning that had struck down two forest giants in close proximity
+disclosed to his view a stretch of some twenty yards of the stream
+which he had just crossed on his primeval suspension bridge.  What
+caused him to start and draw himself together, shrinking behind a leafy
+screen thick enough to hide him even from the practised eyes of the
+little forest men?  There, in the bed of the stream, glancing this way
+and that, at the water, the banks, the trees on every side, were a file
+of Bambute, carrying their little bows and arrows and their short light
+spears.  They moved swiftly, silently, some bending towards the ground,
+others peering to right and left with a keenness that nothing could
+escape.  Samba's heart thumped against his ribs as he watched them.  He
+counted them as they passed one after another across the gap; they
+numbered twenty, and he was not sure that he had seen the first.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The last disappeared.  Samba waited.  Had his ruse succeeded?  There
+was absolute silence; he heard neither footstep nor voice.  But the
+little men must soon find out their mistake.  They would then cast back
+to the point where they had lost the scent.  Could they pick it up
+again&mdash;trace him to the tree and follow him up?  He could not tell.
+They must have been close upon him when he climbed into the tree;
+evidently he had left the path only in the nick of time.  This much he
+had gained.  But he dared not wait longer; there was no safety for him
+while they were so near; he must on.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap10"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER X
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Trip with a Crocodile
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Samba looked warily round, then began to descend from his perch in the
+tree, moving as slowly and with as many pauses as a timid bather
+stepping into the water.  Once more he was on the ground.  Pausing only
+to throw a rapid glance on all sides, he struck off in a direction at
+right angles to the course of the stream, and resumed his laborious
+march through the forest maze.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hour after hour he pushed on without meeting a living creature.  But he
+had heard too much of the cunning and determination of the Congo dwarfs
+to delude himself with the idea that he had finally shaken them off.
+Tired as he was, sweating in the moist oppressive heat, he dared not
+rest, even to eat in comfort the food he had brought in his tin.  He
+nibbled morsels as he went, hoping that by good speed during the whole
+day he might get far enough from the pigmies to make his ultimate
+escape secure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Towards evening he heard in front of him the long monotonous rustle of
+a stream foaming over a rocky bed.  He was careful in approaching it:
+to meet a crocodile ambushed near the bank would be as dangerous as to
+meet a man.  Pushing his way cautiously through the shrubs, he came to
+the edge of a broad river, flowing in swift eddies from white rapids
+above.  It seemed to Samba that this must be a tributary of the Lemba,
+the river on whose bank he had left the white men, and to which, lower
+down, he must ultimately make his way.  Pursuit by the white men might
+now be safely disregarded; Samba thought he could hardly do better than
+keep to the stream, taking his chance of meeting negroes at isolated
+villages on the banks.  These, if he met them, would at any rate be
+easier to elude than the Bambute.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the sun was going down, the air becoming chill.  He must find a
+shelter for the night and pursue his riverside journey next day.  A
+little search revealed, on a bluff above the river, a boulder having a
+deep cavity on one side.  Here Samba sat down to eat the little food
+left in his tin; then he curled himself up for the night.  Nothing
+disturbed his sleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the morning he felt more than usually hungry.  His tin was empty; he
+did not care to leave the river and go hunting in the forest, perhaps
+vainly, for berries or roots.  A little way down stream he noticed a
+spot where the dark surface of the water was scarcely disturbed by a
+ripple; was that a deep pool, he wondered, where fish might be?  He
+went down to the edge and, leaning flat upon a rock peeped over.  Yes;
+in the depths he caught the scaly gleam of darting fish.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Springing up, he went to a swampy patch hard by and cut a long,
+straight, stiff reed.  Then he took the hard stick with which he made
+fire, and, sharpening the point until it pricked like a needle, he
+fitted the wood to the reed so as to make a spear.  With this in his
+hand he once more leant over the pool.  He lay still for a few moments,
+intently watching; then, with a movement of extraordinary swiftness, he
+plunged his spear into the depths, and brought it out with a silvery
+trout impaled.  The fish had stopped to nibble at a root in the bank.
+When Samba had thus caught three he was satisfied.  He did not pause to
+cook the fish.  He split them open, dexterously boned and cleaned them,
+and ate them raw.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had scarcely finished his breakfast when he saw, hurtling down the
+rapids above him, a huge forest tree&mdash;a mass of green, for most of its
+branches in full leaf were still upon it.  Clearly it had not long lost
+its grip of earth.  It came swirling towards Samba, every now and then
+stopping as its submerged part was caught by some rock, only to be
+whirled round and driven past the obstacle by the weight of water
+behind.  It made a zigzag course through the rapids, and then floated
+peacefully down the still reach of water beneath.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he watched the tree sailing gently towards him, Samba had an idea.
+Why not use it as a raft to carry him on his way?  It was strong enough
+to bear his weight; he could hide in the foliage with at least as good
+a chance of escaping observation as if he were moving along the banks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By the time he had grasped the notion the tree was past him.  He sprang
+up, raced along until he was level with it, then took a neat header
+into the water.  A minute's rapid swimming brought him to the end of
+the trunk, which, he saw, had been snapped clean off and was not
+encumbered by the roots.  He clambered up, and the trunk was so long
+that his trifling weight scarcely depressed its end.  Smiling with
+pleasure, he crawled along it until he was in the centre of the leafy
+screen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This, however, now that he was there, did not seem so dense as when he
+had viewed it from the bank; he was not concealed so well as he had
+hoped.  Every now and again, too, his novel raft gave an ominous lurch
+and roll, suggesting that the portion above water might at any moment
+change places with that below.  If that happened, Samba wondered, would
+he be able to disengage himself from the tangle of branches and swim
+clear?  But these momentary fears were banished by the novelty and
+excitement of his position.  How delightful it was, after his toilsome
+and fatiguing journey through the forest, to float down the river
+without effort of his own in a leafy arbour that defended him from the
+fierce rays of the sun!  And his voyage had the pleasures of variety.
+Sometimes the foliaged top went first; then, when the branches swept
+the bottom of the stream in shallow reaches, the trunk swung round and
+went broadside to the current.  Sometimes the branches stuck fast, the
+current carried the trunk round in a circle, and when an eddy set it
+again in motion, the trunk end became the bow of this uneasy ship.
+Bump!  That was some rock or sandbank; the tree shook, and Samba was
+nearly toppled from his perch.  Nk'oketo![<a id="chap10fn1text"></a><a href="#chap10fn1">1</a>] It was all right; the
+friendly water had washed the tree clear, and Samba was off again, his
+black eyes gleaming with fun as he peered between the branches.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was early in the afternoon, and very hot even for those latitudes.
+Everything seemed asleep.  No breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees
+along the banks.  The air quivered.  Samba was dozing, lulled by the
+gentle motion of the tree, whose progress had not for some time been
+checked.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All at once there was a shock.  Samba instinctively clutched a branch
+as he felt himself jerked from his seat.  His lumbering vessel was
+twirling round; and looking through the leaves, he saw that it was
+caught by the head on a sandbank in midstream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But next moment he felt a shiver run down his spine, and an eery
+creeping about the roots of his hair.  Below him, not four feet away, a
+gigantic crocodile was staring at him with his cunning baleful eyes.
+The swish of the projecting branches upon the sandbank had aroused the
+reptile from his siesta on this vantage ground, whence, at the lazy
+opening of an eye, he could survey a long stretch of the river.  And he
+had awoke to see a plump and tempting black boy at the inconsiderable
+altitude of four feet above his snout.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Those who have seen the crocodile only in his hours of ease, lazily
+sunning himself on a river bank, or floating with scarcely more than
+his eyes and forehead visible on the surface of the stream, may have
+come to the comfortable conclusion that he is a slow-moving and
+lethargic beast.  But see him rushing at the bank to seize in his
+terrible jaws the unwary antelope or zebra that has come to drink, or
+to sweep it into the river with a single blow of his mighty tail.
+Watch him when, roused from his doze on a sandbank, by the sting of a
+rifle bullet on his armour, he vanishes with lightning rapidity beneath
+the water.  At one moment to all seeming as lifeless as a log, the next
+he is a raging monster, ready to tear and rend any hapless creature
+which his inertness has beguiled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Of the two, Samba and the crocodile, it was the saurian that first
+recovered his wits.  His instinct when disturbed at close quarters is
+to rush forthwith upon his enemy or victim.  Thus did the crocodile
+now.  Considering that he is a beast not built for jumping, the leap he
+attempted, with a spasmodic wriggle of his formidable tail, was quite a
+creditable feat.  With his teeth he grazed the lower part of the branch
+on which Samba sat; and the boy, gazing down into the beast's eyes,
+shuddered and shrank away.  Fortunate it was for him that his legs had
+not been dangling.  Nothing could then have saved him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The reptile, slipping back after its failure, maintained its hold on
+the lower branches with its forefeet.  Before it could make a second
+attempt, Samba had swung himself into the branch above.  The tree
+toppled slightly, and for one moment of terror Samba feared he would be
+thrown into the very jaws of the monster.  But the sandbank held the
+tree firmly, and that peril was past.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With thick foliage between it and the boy, the crocodile saw no chance
+of securing its victim from its present position.  But it was
+determined not to be balked, and, cunning beast! could afford to wait.
+It seemed to know that the boy was only safe so long as he clung to his
+perch.  On the sandbank, or in the water, his end would alike be
+speedy.  So the reptile slid off the bank into the water, and swam to
+the trunk end of the tree, which had been swung round by the current
+and was now pointing down stream.  If it could not leap, it could
+crawl, and up the trunk the approach to its prey was easy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba's eyes were now wide with fright, as he saw the beast's
+intention.  Up a tree on the river bank he could have laughed any
+crocodile to scorn; but this sandbank in midstream was ground
+peculiarly the creature's own, even though the prey was on a branch ten
+feet above it.  With its experience of sandbanks the crocodile knew
+there was no permanency in this arrangement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The attempts of the huge reptile to gain a footing on the trunk had a
+result which caused Samba mingled hope and fear.  The tree floated
+clear of the bank, and the voyage began again.  But how different were
+the circumstances!  In the stern, no longer a cheerful smiling boy,
+carelessly watching the slow banks glide by, but a boy whose hands and
+feet gripped his perch with anxious tenacity, and whose scared eyes
+were quick to mark every movement of the unwelcome, the abhorred,
+passenger amidships.  With many a splash of its tail, and many a grunt
+of impatient fury, the monster at last made good its footing on the
+broad trunk, which under its weight was for more than a quarter of its
+length invisible beneath the surface of the water.  For some minutes it
+lay still, staring at Samba with unwinking eyes, displaying all its
+teeth as if to grin sardonically at its victim.  Samba regretted for
+the moment that he had not swarmed down from his perch and attacked the
+crocodile with his knife while he was still struggling to mount the
+trunk.  But then he reflected that he had after all done wisely, for
+the reptile would have slid back into the water, and before Samba could
+gain his retreat, he might have been swept off by one swish of the
+terrible tail.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba, as he had shown more than once, and notably in the recent
+incident of the serval, had no lack of courage; but he had never before
+been at such close quarters with a crocodile, the most terrible of all
+the natural enemies of man in the regions of the Congo.  And as he sat
+and watched the glassy stare of the hideous reptile now wriggling inch
+by inch towards him, he felt a strange helplessness, a kind of
+fascination that seemed to chill and paralyse his power of movement as
+of thought.  He had retreated as far as he dared.  His weight had
+caused some of the slenderer and more elastic branches to bend towards
+the water; he had even imagined that, as he tested them, the pressure
+threatened to make the tree revolve.  What his fate would be if the
+whirling of the trunk on its axis brought him into the river he well
+knew.  The crocodile would slip as nimbly as an eel after him; and,
+entangled in the foliage, which to his armoured enemy would offer no
+obstacle, he would fall an easy prey.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The crocodile wriggled on, till it came to the place where the first
+branch forked from the trunk.  Scarcely more than its own length now
+separated it from Samba.  Apparently it had come as near as it cared to
+venture; not being a climber, the feat of crawling up the tapering
+branch on which Samba was perched was not one to its taste.  It lay
+still, with jaws agape, its eyes half-closed in a kind of wicked leer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba tried to look away from the hideous beast, but in vain; he found
+his gaze drawn back uncontrollably.  He felt even more subject to the
+fascination now that the crocodile's movements had ceased.  The
+conviction was growing upon him that sooner or later he would slide
+down the branch and fall dreamily into the open jaws.  He was fast
+becoming hypnotized.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he was roused from this dangerous trancelike state by a sudden roll
+of the tree.  Perched high as he was, the motion caused him to swing
+through an arc of several yards and brought him perilously near the
+water.  The danger quickened his faculties: he clung on with a tighter
+grip, bethinking himself to look whether his fishing spear, which he
+had stuck into the bark, was still safe.  He was relieved to find that
+it was undisturbed.  The tree righted itself, and a gleam of hope
+lightened Samba's mind when he saw that the crocodile was in the water.
+Though, stretched on the trunk, the beast had felt the roll less than
+Samba above, it had a less tenacious grip and less ability to adapt
+itself; and first the tail, then the rest of its body had slid off.  It
+was violently struggling to regain its position, its jaw resting on the
+trunk, its forepaws furiously beating the water.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The memory of the reptile's former difficulties in mounting inspired
+Samba with an idea, which, impelled equally by terror and hate, he was
+prompt to act upon.  The tree was still rocking slightly before
+regaining its steadiness, and the crocodile, despite its efforts, was
+unable to gain a firm grip on the moving trunk.  All its attention was
+engaged upon the accomplishment of its immediate purpose: it would lose
+the dainty morsel if it did not once more mount the tree.  Samba was
+quick to seize the critical moment.  Spear in hand he crept downwards
+along the branch on which he had been perched, careful that his
+movements should not divert the crocodile's attention.  Reaching the
+junction of the branch with the parent stem, only five or six feet from
+the reptile, he let himself down noiselessly into the river on the far
+side of the tree, and swam for a second or two until he came opposite
+the crocodile.  During these few seconds he had been hidden from the
+creature's view by the mass of the trunk, which rose out of the water
+to some height above his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The crocodile had now managed to get its forepaws on the tree, and in
+struggling to hoist itself its snout was raised almost upright,
+exposing the soft underside, the sole part in which it is vulnerable to
+anything except a very heavy bullet.  Samba caught sight of the tip of
+the snout above the tree; here was the opportunity he had hoped for in
+making this hazardous experiment.  Taking with his left hand a firm
+grip of a wart on the trunk, he raised himself in the water, and with
+the right hand drove his spear twice into the monster's throat.  The
+crocodile made no sound; a lash of the powerful tail drove up a wave
+that caused the tree to rock violently: then the huge body slipped
+backwards into the water.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The moment he had driven his spear home Samba let go his hold on the
+tree, and trod water until the current brought the foliage to him.
+Then he drew himself nimbly up into the branch he had formerly
+occupied.  He was breathless, and scarcely yet recovered from his
+scare; but there was no sign of the crocodile, and knowing that the
+reptile when mortally wounded sinks into deep water, he felt that his
+enemy had gone for ever.  He heaved a deep sigh of relief, but chancing
+to look back, he noticed with a start of renewed dread that the water
+in the wake of the tree was faintly tinged with red.  Was it possible
+that the crocodile, though wounded, was still following?  He felt a
+shiver thrill through him, and, bending down from his perch, kept his
+eyes fixed in a stare on that ominous sanguine thread.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The minutes passed.  Still the water showed that faint persistent
+tidge.  Samba was becoming more and more nervous.  Like the reptile's
+eyes but a little while ago, that line of red held his gaze in a
+strange fascination.  He was still watching it when the tree suddenly
+gave a violent lurch, and turned half over.  Samba, whose hold had
+relaxed in his nervousness, was flung off the branch into a clump of
+bushes at the side of the river, which here began to race rapidly
+through a deep gorge.  Scratched and dazed by the fall he picked
+himself up slowly.  He rubbed his eyes.  What was this?  He was in the
+midst of a group of pigmies, who were pointing excitedly, uttering
+their strange coughing cry, to the branches of the tree.  In its lurch
+it had been turned almost completely round, so that the foliage
+formerly beneath the water was now uppermost.  And there, firmly wedged
+in a fork of two boughs, lay the lifeless body of the crocodile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Bambute jabbered to Samba, stroked his arms, patted his back,
+examined the spear which, though it was broken in his fall, he had not
+let go.  From the bank they had witnessed the boy's bold fight, and
+they had followed the course of the floating tree until it ran ashore
+on a jutting bed of rock.  Samba made signs that he wished to pursue
+his journey on foot; but the Bambute shook their heads and grunted and
+carried him away with them.  Once more he was a prisoner.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap10fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap10fn1text">1</a>] Nothing wrong!
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap11"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XI
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Bula Matadi comes to Ilola
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Barney," said Jack, when Mr. Martindale's canoe had disappeared,
+"I don't know how a first mate would feel if he lost his captain in
+mid-ocean, but I should fancy he'd feel pretty much as I do now."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And what sort of feeling is now consuming ye, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mixed, Barney, very mixed!  I like the idea of being left in charge,
+trusted, you know; there's something jolly pleasant about that.  But
+that's the point, you see; I am left in charge."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure I see your maning widout your telling me, sorr.  'Tis just the
+very same feeling I used to have whin a bhoy, and me mither put the
+baby in me arms and tould me to sit wid her on the doorstep.  'Twas a
+sweet pretty colleen, an' I thought a powerful deal uv having such a
+heap uv loveliness in me arms; but thin, just as you say, sorr, she was
+in me arms, an' they being thin an' she being fat&mdash;begorra!  I was soon
+mighty tired uv it, an' I wished she was ugly so that I might hate her
+widout sin."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I hope I shan't feel quite so bad as that, Barney," said Jack with a
+laugh.  "But I own I'm a little anxious with so many people in my
+charge."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And not wan uv them to be trusted, saving Pat and meself."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And this mining claim of my uncle's to keep an eye on and defend
+without using force."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And wild beasts prowling around&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And that villainous uncle of Samba's somewhere in the neighbourhood, I
+suppose, waiting a chance to molest us."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And bedad! if he does, he'll find an Irishman, an Englishman, and a
+terrier, Irish by breed and Irish by nature, and them three are a match
+for any fifty Blokos, widout a doubt."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You're an optimist, Barney.  But you're right.  It's silly to meet
+troubles half-way.  We had better set about doing something.  I used to
+think our house-master kept our noses rather too close to the
+grindstone, but I begin to see he was right when he said work was the
+best cure for the dumps."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And for what the advertisements call a tindency to corpilence.  But
+what will you be after doing at all, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, don't you think that, now our numbers are reduced, it would be
+as well to move our camp nearer to Imbono's village?  We shall be here
+for a couple of months or so, and if Boloko is still on our tracks we
+should be less open to surprise near Ilola.  Besides, it will give the
+men something to do.  They'd better build grass huts for the whole
+party, and I don't see why we shouldn't try our hands at architectural
+improvements."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Indeed, 'tis a good notion, sorr.  But are ye sure Imbono would be
+willing to have us for close neighbours?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We can try.  He's my blood brother, you know.  And I dare say we can
+put him up to a thing or two."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief made no objection to the suggested change of site; indeed, he
+offered the assistance of his men in the construction of the new huts.
+This, however, Jack declined in the politest terms, thinking it better
+to provide plenty of work for his own men until he had had time to take
+his bearings.  The new huts were built within a short distance of
+Ilola, near a stream.  They were the ordinary grass huts of the
+natives, but Jack, seeing a number of wooden slabs taken from the
+bottoms of old canoes, had purchased them from Imbono, and when shaped
+a little they made a very fair substitute for flooring boards.  The new
+settlement was surrounded with a stockade in the native manner, space
+enough being left within to accommodate Mr. Martindale and his party
+when they should return.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This work occupied a fortnight.  Everything had gone smoothly, save for
+trifling squabbles among the natives.  These Jack managed to settle
+with little difficulty, in great part through the excellent qualities
+of Lepoko, who turned out to be a much better man all round than his
+brother Nando.  When the new village was completed, Jack set the men to
+make Indian clubs from the trees near at hand, and spent part of the
+cool hours in instructing his followers in their use.  They took
+readily to the new pastime, and very quickly became proficient in
+executing a great variety of intricate figures.  Jack was elated at the
+success of his experiment: it not only provided an admirable drill for
+the men, but accustomed them to take commands from him and thus
+consolidated his authority.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Imbono's men caught the infection: Indian clubs were soon the order of
+the day in Ilola; and it gave Jack and Barney no little amusement to
+see men, women, and children at all times of the day whirling clubs
+around their heads.  Imbono saw that his men's performances were
+greatly lacking in rhythm and grace, and he begged his blood brother
+(whom he had named Lokolobolo, "strong leg") to allow some of his men
+to join in the daily practising.  Jack was nothing loth; the more
+influence he could obtain in this way the better his chances of success
+in the task his uncle had set him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was casting about for some new employment to occupy and interest his
+men, when a couple of canoes came up the river bearing a letter from
+Mr. Martindale, and a small consignment of Mauser rifles and
+ammunition.  The letter was dated from Baraka.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+DEAR JACK,&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+I've got here safely, no interference, no upsets.  I've managed to get
+hold of some rifles&mdash;I won't tell you how&mdash;and send them to you in
+charge of some canoe "boys."  Hope they'll reach you safely.  I've paid
+the boys well, and promised them as much more if they return and meet
+me with an acknowledgment from you.  I'm off to Boma; will write you
+again from there if I can find a means of sending the letter.  Let me
+know by the bearer how you are getting on.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the way down I made more particular inquiries than were possible in
+coming up as to the methods of the Congo Government.  At Stanleyville I
+met a Frenchman who told me a good deal, and here got rather chummy
+with an English missionary on his way home to tell the British public
+some of the effects of King Leopold's rule.  One need only look at the
+man to see that he is the right sort, with the stuff in him for
+martyrdom if the call came.  The things he told me made my skin creep.
+Leopold seems to be doing his best to depopulate the country.  He'll
+soon make Vanderbilt sing small as a multi-millionaire; but when his
+pile's made this State of his will be a wilderness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+I find that the natives are required to bring in four kilos of rubber
+every fortnight.  They're supposed to be paid for it, and they do get
+brass rods or something of the sort; but the pay works out at the rate
+of three cents a pound&mdash;when rubber to my knowledge fetches about
+eighty cents a pound in the European market!  I hear of cases where
+they don't even get that; a spoonful of salt is supposed to be
+sufficient.  If the rubber don't measure up to the standard, the least
+punishment the poor wretches get is twenty-five lashes with a whip of
+hippo hide&mdash;the <i>chicotte</i>, an outrageous thing that would cut through
+a pine log.  But they don't stop at twenty-five; a hundred ain't
+uncommon; no wonder some of the poor creatures peg out after it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But that's not the worst.  These precious "forest guards," as they call
+them, seem to be little less than fiends.  I saw with my own eyes, at
+one of the villages on the way down, a basket filled with hands, cut
+from the people these savages have killed for not bringing in enough
+rubber.  The Frenchman told me they have to produce these hands before
+the Commissary to prove they haven't wasted their cartridges.
+According to State law they oughtn't to be armed with rifles, but
+they've got a Belgian thing called the Albini, and that's how they use
+it.  I wouldn't believe that this hand-chopping was done with the
+knowledge of the officials, though even then it don't relieve them of
+responsibility; but I heard of a State officer at one of the outposts
+who actually paid in brass rods for the hands brought him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Law doesn't count here, and justice is only a name.  What do you think
+of this?  A Belgian official quartered himself with twenty native
+soldiers on a small village, and because they couldn't fix up at once
+the food required for the visitors, he carried the chief and some of
+his men to his camp up river, and kept 'em there tied up for a month
+till a fine of 5,000 brass rods had been paid&mdash;ruination for such a
+small place.  The missionary told me that "fights" are constantly
+taking place, and "fight" simply means massacre.  Districts that once
+held a thousand people are now reduced to a hundred; what natives are
+not killed get so worn out and dispirited that they are bowled over by
+sleeping sickness.  If this sort of thing goes on much longer, the
+whole population will be wiped out.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+You'll be surprised to get such a long letter; but fact is, I can't
+think of anything else just now.  It makes me fairly sick to think that
+America had a hand in putting this huge territory under the control of
+a man whose philanthropic high-falutin comes to this.  The whole system
+is organized murder and pillage under the form of law, and for this
+King Leopold, who pockets a thumping profit, is responsible before God
+and man.  Now I've told you this you'll know how to deal with that
+fellow Elbel if he tries any tricks.  But remember, no fighting except
+in self-defence.  Patience, my boy&mdash;<i>toujours la patience</i>, as the
+Frenchman said to me when I was boiling with rage and wanted to go
+right away and speak my mind to the Governor.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Your affectionate uncle,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;JOHN MARTINDALE.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+P.S.&mdash;I saw and heard nothing of Samba.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+There was plenty of food for thought here, especially when Jack learnt
+from the head paddler who had brought the letter that the officials of
+the Trust in which Ilola was situated were coming up the river to
+establish new dépôts for the rubber.  He wrote a brief account of what
+he had been doing, and despatched it by the same men.  Then, to be
+prepared for eventualities, he picked out the most intelligent of his
+followers and began to teach them the use of the rifle.  Only a few of
+them showed any promise as marksmen.  But Jack was very patient with
+them; and having a good stock of ammunition and the promise of more, he
+did not spare practice, and in a short time had about fifteen fairly
+trustworthy shots.  One man, named Makoko, took to the rifle from the
+first and ran Jack close as a marksman.  Jack was very proud of his
+pupil.  He himself had been the crack shot of his school company; and
+though there was all the difference in the world between shooting at
+the butts from a position of rest and shooting at alligators or hippos
+from a canoe, he had tested his marksmanship with success as he came up
+the Congo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Now that some of his men had rifles it occurred to Jack to teach them
+what he remembered of his company drill.  It was a welcome change after
+their long practice with the Indian clubs, and they entered into it
+with the pleasure and zest of children.  Lepoko was gratified with the
+rank of sergeant, and Makoko made corporal in recognition of his
+diligence and skill in musketry.  When the company was formed Barney
+reminded Jack that he had been a corporal in the Irish Fusiliers.  "And
+sure I'd be in the army now, sorr, only they didn't invent the Irish
+Guards till I was a time-expired man.  But having been a corporal, it's
+meself that is cut out to be your liftinant here, sorr.  We've got Pat
+for the pet uv the reg'mint," he added, "and the only thing that's
+wanting is the uniform."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Barney, perhaps for the sake of uniformity we'd better strip and
+take to the loincloth."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah! you must always be having your bit uv fun, sorr.  We'd be far too
+conspicuous, for my skin at any rate would turn red wid modesty, and
+the generals say that red coats make the best targets for the inemy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The drilling of Jack's company was followed with great interest and
+admiration by Imbono and his men.  They never failed to attend the
+daily parade, and soon desired to join it.  Jack delighted the chief by
+putting the villagers through the same exercises as his own men,
+excepting, of course, the musketry practice, for which they had no
+rifles.  Before long Jack found himself captain of a company a hundred
+and fifty strong, all but his fifteen riflemen being spearmen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nearly two months had now passed.  Jack had not heard again from his
+uncle, whose return he daily expected.  He was anxious to see him
+again, for lately news had been brought in by excited natives that the
+servants of the Great White Chief were drawing nearer, their progress
+being attended by wanton cruelties which boded ill for the men of
+Ilola.  So distressed was Imbono at the tales he heard from these
+messengers that he thought of dismantling his village and migrating
+into the depths of the forest.  There for a time he and his people
+might hide from the destroyer.  But to a people accustomed to the open
+the prospect of making a new home in the forest was gloomy indeed.
+Most of them would probably die of disease before they became
+acclimatised, and there was great risk of starving while clearings were
+being made and brought under cultivation.  Imbono resolved to wait a
+little longer, hoping that Bula Matadi might turn back, sated with the
+spoils from lower reaches of the Lemba.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One day, the visitors so long expected and so little desired arrived at
+the village.  Jack's settlement being on the further side of Ilola from
+the river, he did not know of their approach until informed of it by a
+messenger from Imbono.  Thirty forest guards of the Great White Chief
+had come, and with them twenty nondescripts, hangers-on of the licensed
+pillagers.  Their leader was not a white man, as Imbono had expected,
+but a black man like themselves.  This surprised Jack.  It was of
+rather ill omen that the first representatives of King Leopold in
+Imbono's village should be negroes free from white men's control.  But
+the strangers reported that a white man&mdash;his name, they said, was
+Elobela&mdash;was coming up the river behind them.  Meanwhile they, in his
+name, called upon the chief to supply rubber.  Imbono desired that his
+brother Lokolobolo would come into the village and give him advice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Faith, I'd do nothing of the sort, sorr," said Barney.  "What would ye
+have any truck wid Elbel's scoundhrels for?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But it would be a poor return for Imbono's kindness to refuse.  I
+shall certainly go; the question is, shall I go armed?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The blessed angels help ye if ye don't, sorr.  Take your revolver;
+I'll come wid ye, and so will Pat; 'tis right to make a good show for
+the honour of the reg'mint."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Accordingly captain, lieutenant, and regimental pet, with Lepoko as
+interpreter, left the stockaded camp and crossed to Ilola.  They found
+the thirty forest guards already swaggering about the village as if it
+belonged to them.  They were big muscular Ngombe, armed with rifle,
+cutlass, and whip.  Their leader was engaged in conversation with the
+chief.  No sooner did Pat perceive him than he darted forward with a
+growl, and coming to the negro, began to bark furiously at his heels.
+The man turned round quickly and aimed a blow with his whip at the dog,
+which made Pat bark and jump more vigorously than ever.  At the same
+moment the man caught sight of Jack, and his face expressed surprise,
+guilt, and bravado in turn.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra!" said Barney under his breath, "'tis Bloko himself!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief's countenance cleared; he was unmistakably pleased at Jack's
+ready response to his request.  Then he anxiously asked what he should
+do.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't think you can do anything but obey," replied Jack.
+"Undoubtedly the Great White Chief is lord of the land.  By the laws he
+has made you are bound to supply these people with rubber.  It is your
+tax.  If you resist it will mean ruin to yourself and your villages.
+How is the rubber to be paid for?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"In brass rods."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, let your men do their best.  We will see if you get your due
+pay.  My uncle will soon be back; he is a determined man, and if you
+are not properly treated he will take care that somebody hears of it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Boloko scowled, then laughed, when Lepoko translated this answer to the
+chief.  He swaggered away to his men, and the whole crowd were soon
+laughing heartily, every now and then making derisive gestures at the
+white men.  With some difficulty Barney had got hold of Pat, whose
+barking had subsided into a rumbling growl.  But for his restraining
+hand Barney knew well that the dog would have thrown prudence to the
+winds and set upon the strange negroes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From that day Imbono's villagers began the collection of rubber.
+Boloko and his men seized as many huts as they required, and demanded
+regular and copious supplies of food for themselves and their
+hangers-on.  Before twenty-four hours had passed Boloko, with half a
+dozen of his guards, strolled over to Jack's village, and looked in at
+the gateway of the stockade.  Jack had already decided to adopt
+military precautions.  Two of his best men were doing sentry-go at the
+gate.  When Boloko saw them and their rifles he thought better of
+entering as he had purposed.  He stood for some time taking stock of
+the tidy compound and the neat new huts around, and discussing with his
+men this unexpected discovery.  Then with a malignant scowl he returned
+to Ilola.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For some days Jack saw no more of Boloko.  He remained within his own
+stockade, thinking it would do the chief no good if he too openly
+showed friendship.  Every day he put the men through their usual drill,
+never giving the least sign that he was aware of being closely observed
+by the forest guards.  The drilling of Imbono's men had ceased; the
+adult villagers were now engaged in the collection of rubber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From what Jack heard from his men, it soon became clear to him that
+Boloko was anxious to pick a quarrel with the chief.  His motive, Jack
+guessed, was partly to show his authority, partly to flaunt his
+contempt of the friendship between Imbono and the white men.  His
+design was to some extent kept in check by the knowledge that Jack had
+fifteen men well armed and trained, and the presence of the two white
+men, Inglesa too&mdash;he had a wholesome respect for the Inglesa&mdash;was in
+itself a considerable deterrent.  But he began to find fault with the
+quality of the rubber brought in; declared that the villagers kept the
+best fish for themselves and gave him the worst; complained that his
+men were made ill by rotten manioc.  Imbono took care that the details
+of these grievances were carried to Jack, who, however, held aloof,
+still feeling that interference on his part would do no good, while it
+would certainly aggravate the situation.  When the Congo Free State
+entrusted the collection of its revenue to such subordinates as Boloko,
+commanding ruthless savages like the forest guards, there was nothing
+to be done.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One evening, after sunset, Lepoko came into Jack's hut to say that the
+chief desired to see him.  Jack hurried out, and found Imbono in
+company with one of his villagers.  He invited them into his hut,
+lighted a candle, and setting food and palm wine before them, inquired
+the object of their visit.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Look, my brother!" said the chief, pointing to his companion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man turned, and showed three terrible gashes in his back.  He
+lifted his right foot and removed a bandage; Jack saw that two of the
+toes were missing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see, brother!" said Imbono.  "Ifumi was eating caterpillars in his
+hut.  The guard Bomolo saw him and came to him and said, 'Your rubber
+is short.  You eat caterpillars instead of collecting rubber.'  Ifumi
+said: 'No, my rubber is not short.  There is my basket; you see it is
+full.'  But Bomolo cut three gashes in his back, and struck off two of
+his toes with his knife."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That is the truth, Ifumi?" asked Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is true," replied the man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You did not provoke Bomolo?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, I said to him only what the chief has told."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You did right to come, Imbono," said Jack quietly.  "Go back now: you
+had better not be seen here.  I will send you a message in the morning."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two men thanked him and went away, Ifumi limping as he walked,
+supported by the chief's arm.  Jack called Barney and told him what had
+happened.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It makes my blood boil, Barney.  I hoped it would not come to this.
+Poor wretches&mdash;to be at the mercy of such savages!  I can't stand by
+and see such things done.  I'm sure my uncle would not wish me to.  Yet
+what can I do?  We could fight Boloko and his men, and beat them I
+hope; but goodness knows what that would lead to.  Whatever little
+right they have to maim these poor people, we have none whatever to
+interfere, and we should have the regular forces of the State down on
+us for treason or rebellion or what not.  But something must be done.
+I wish my uncle were here!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, sorr, I'm ready for anything.  The quickest and easiest way
+would be to fight, for wid all this drill wan uv our men is worth two
+uv those blagyards."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, my uncle said we were to fight only in self-defence.  I can't go
+against that.  Couldn't we persuade Boloko to keep his men in
+order&mdash;bribe him, perhaps?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'd sooner try to persuade the divil, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I shall try it.  I'll invite him to a palaver.  We'll give him a
+feast&mdash;open our last bottle of soda water; a good dinner improves a
+man's temper sometimes, you know, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True, sorr; but it sometimes makes a man very impident.  Will I send
+Lepoko over wid the invitation the morn's morn, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, directly after breakfast.  Say that I shall be pleased if Boloko
+will come to see me in my camp.  He may bring his rifle and half a
+dozen of his men."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap12"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Samba Comes Back
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+As Jack had expected, Boloko was flattered by the invitation, with its
+implied recognition of his importance.  There is nothing a negro likes
+better than an opportunity for talk, and Boloko declared himself quite
+ready to meet the Inglesa.  But he would not venture into the camp; the
+meeting must take place outside.  The objection, considering the
+thinly-veiled hostility of the two parties, was not unreasonable.  Jack
+gave up the idea of a banquet, and, about eight o'clock in the morning,
+went with Barney and Lepoko to the site of his original camp, where he
+found Boloko and half a dozen of his men already assembled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is of the essence of a palaver to be deliberate, not to say
+long-winded, and Jack followed the advice of Lepoko in passing many
+compliments and talking about a great variety of matters before he came
+to the point.  Then, however, he made the point perfectly clear.  He
+spoke of what he had learnt of the forest guards' behaviour in the
+village, and of Bomolo's outrage in particular.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You must know," he concluded, "that it is against the law of the land
+to injure or assault the people.  Your duty is to see that they do not
+destroy the vines by improper cutting, and that they go regularly into
+the forest.  You have no right to ill-use them."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The white man speaks very wisely; he knows much more than Boloko.
+Boloko knows nothing of law or right; he does what is the custom."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But you know, my friend, it is a wrong custom."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It may be as the white man says, but the Inglesa is not my master.  My
+master is Elobela.  Let the Inglesa complain to Elobela.  As for right,
+what right has the Inglesa to interfere?  He is a stranger; he is not a
+servant of the Great White Chief."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am indeed a stranger; I am not a servant of the Great White Chief.
+But the Great Spirit who made the world and all men bids me speak if I
+see wrong done."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Boloko broke out in insolent laughter, and said something to his men
+which Lepoko refused to translate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say berrah nasty fing 'bout massa; me no can tell massa."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack saw that it was time to bring the interview to a close.  There was
+no coping with insolence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Very well," he said sternly.  "It will be my duty to report at Boma
+what I have seen and heard in the village.  And more, Boloko; I shall
+lay a complaint against you for attempting to cut loose our canoes, and
+for conducting an attack by night upon our camp."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Boloko looked startled and began to bluster when this was translated to
+him.  But it was evident that this manner was assumed as a cloak to a
+real uneasiness.  The moment Lepoko had concluded, Jack walked away
+from the meeting, and as he returned to his own quarters he heard the
+guards discussing in excited and vehement tones what he had said.  For
+all his bluster, Boloko had been impressed.  For a few days Jack heard
+of no overt acts of violence.  Imbono's gratitude for the intervention
+was almost overwhelming.  He heaped praise and compliments upon his
+brother Lokolobolo, and, not content with words, made him a valuable
+present.  Half a dozen of his men staggered to Jack's hut one night
+under the weight of a huge tusk of ivory, which Imbono had kept since
+the time when elephant-hunting was a profitable occupation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two days after the palaver a canoe arrived with another dozen Mauser
+rifles and ammunition from Mr. Martindale.  The head paddler was
+cautious enough to send one of his men in advance to the camp to
+announce his arrival, and Jack managed to get the rifles brought
+secretly within his stockade under cover of night.  It was just as
+well, he thought, to keep Boloko in ignorance of this new acquisition
+of strength.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man reported that he had been despatched from Irebo by an Inglesa
+who had entrusted him with a bonkanda[<a id="chap12fn1text"></a><a href="#chap12fn1">1</a>] for the young Inglesa.  Jack
+opened the note eagerly.  This time it was very short:&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+DEAR JACK,&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All going well.  Have been delayed by little investigating trips I have
+made in the concessions of the Abir Trust and the Domaine de la
+Couronne.  Atrocities even worse than I thought.  Hope all well with
+you.  Patience&mdash;and tact.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+J.M.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+P.S.&mdash;I am sending a dozen rifles and some ammunition; can't get any
+more.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+The paddler said that he had had great difficulty in eluding the white
+men and their agents.  Only a few days before, he and his companions
+had almost run into a white man who was coming up the river in a
+smoke-boat, establishing new outposts for the collection of rubber.  No
+doubt an outpost would be established at Ilola; for Imbono was the
+chief of several villages and had many young men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This news gave Jack no little uneasiness.  Instinctively he felt that
+the difficulties arising from Boloko's presence would be increased by
+the arrival of his Belgian superior.  For after what he had learnt from
+his uncle he could not doubt that the tyranny of the forest guards was
+practised at least with the connivance, if not by the actual authority,
+of the officials.  As a precaution he took care to have men constantly
+on the look-out at the river bank for the approach of strange boats,
+and when one day Elbel's launch was sighted, he withdrew all his men
+within the stockade and posted double sentries.  He felt pretty sure
+that the white man in command was Monsieur Elbel, the man with whom Mr.
+Martindale had already had a brush; and of Elbel he had a profound
+mistrust, formed at first sight and accentuated by all that he had
+subsequently heard.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Boloko and his satellites went in a crowd to the bank of the river to
+greet the new arrivals.  From behind his stockade Jack watched them
+through his field-glass as they landed from the launch and set off for
+the village.  The white man was certainly Elbel.  He was accompanied by
+a number of forest guards armed like Boloko's, and by a crowd of
+hangers-on&mdash;negroes of many varieties.  On the way up to the village
+Boloko walked by Elbel's side, talking very earnestly, and Jack saw the
+Belgian throw a keen and inquisitive glance in the direction of his
+camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Not an hour afterwards Elbel left the village and walked over to Jack's
+settlement, which the natives had named Ilombikambua, "house of the
+dog," in reference to Pat the terrier.  Jack had given orders that the
+white man was to be admitted if he came, but no black man in his
+company.  The Belgian had come alone, and looked a little surprised
+when the sentries at the gate received him with a correct military
+salute.  Jack rose from his stool in front of his hut and doffed his
+hat courteously.  Outwardly he was calm enough; but he felt by no means
+easy in mind, realizing that his responsibility was far from being the
+"jolly lark" he had light-heartedly called it when Mr. Martindale
+announced his intention of leaving him in charge.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good morning, sir," said the Belgian in his foreign accent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good morning.  I think I have the pleasure of addressing Monsieur
+Elbel?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dat is my name.  I do not know your name."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"John Challoner."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, I believe I see you before in a canoe."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"When I was coming up the river with my uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Who is now returned to Boma.  Yes, I heard of dat.  Mr. Martindale&mdash;I
+zink dat is de name&mdash;have found de gold he sought?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am not at liberty to discuss Mr. Martindale's business."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Exactly.  I see.  Ve must not be indiscreet, hein?  Now as for your
+Mr. Martindale, I am not pleased, I say at vunce.  I am not pleased viz
+Mr. Martindale.  He refuse to give me up de black boy dat vas in your
+canoe.  Dat vas against de law: it is not permitted in de Congo State
+for de natives to leave deir village."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But if the village no longer exists, Mr. Elbel?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Belgian shrugged.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dat make no difference!  But I have more to say.  I have learn dat
+your men have rifles; I see dem myself; dey even hold deir rifles at de
+salute, dey have military training, hein?  Now it is not permitted to
+have rifles in de Congo State: dey are vat you call contraband.  I muss
+ask you to be so kind and give de rifles to me."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am afraid I can't oblige you, Mr. Elbel.  The rifles belong to my
+uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dat make no difference!  I find de rifles here: I muss ask you in de
+name of de Free State to give dem up."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't know that you have any right to speak in the name of the Congo
+State.  I believe, sir, you are an official of the Société Cosmopolite
+du Commerce du Congo&mdash;a private trust.  I can't recognize your
+authority, Mr. Elbel."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But it is de law."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"If you talk of law! ... are your practices legal, Mr. Elbel?  Is it
+legal to shoot and maim the natives as you have been doing for a
+hundred miles and more along the river?  Is it legal to incite a night
+attack on peaceable travellers?"  (Here Elbel could not suppress a
+start, and looked far from comfortable.)  "But whether I am acting
+legally or not, I cannot recognize your authority.  If you want the
+rifles, I must ask you to wait until Mr. Martindale's return and demand
+them from him.  Until then they are in my charge, and I cannot give
+them up."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack thought afterwards that he might have spoken a little less
+bluntly; but he wished to put an end to a disagreeable interview.  His
+firmness made the Belgian angry.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ver' vell, ver' vell!" he said, flushing with annoyance.  "You vill
+suffer for dis.  You not recognize my right: vell, Capitaine Van Vorst,
+an officer of de State, comes up de river; he have right; and I say,
+Mr. Chon Shalloner, you shall be arrest and made to pay heavy
+amende&mdash;if not put in prison."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack's bow was a courteous intimation that the interview was ended.
+But the Belgian caught the flicker of a smile on his face, and flung
+away in a rage which he made no attempt to disguise.  Jack's sentries,
+who again brought their rifles to the salute, shrank back before
+Elbel's scowl as he passed out of the gate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was not ill-pleased with the result of the interview.  You have
+always scored a point when the enemy loses his temper.  Apparently
+Elbel did not intend to take strong measures himself.  He knew the
+weakness of his position.  The situation would be changed if a State
+officer was indeed on his way up the river: but Jack did not allow
+himself to be disturbed by Elbel's threat; his uncle would doubtless be
+back in a few days, and he had unbounded faith in Mr. Martindale's
+judgment and discretion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From that time he took care that either Barney or himself should be
+always in the stockaded camp.  His men had become a well-disciplined
+force, but he could not answer for their being able to act discreetly
+towards a white man whom they had reason to dread.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For a day or two there was no sign of hostility from Elbel.  He did not
+repeat his visit, which Jack did not feel called upon to return.  But
+news came from Ilola that, while the Belgian's arrival had checked the
+ghastly ferocities of the forest guards, the chicotte had been still
+more freely in play than before.  Every man whose basket did not
+contain the requisite five kilos of rubber, or the quality of whose
+rubber did not approve itself to Elbel, was unmercifully flogged.
+Those with whom no fault could on any pretext be found were paid with
+perhaps a piece of cloth or some trumpery article which was useless to
+them, and which in many cases they threw away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Imbono sent word one day that the most distant of his villages had been
+burnt.  It contained a hundred adult male inhabitants, but only fifty
+had brought rubber to Ilola, the remainder having been engaged in
+hunting down a herd of elephants which had been ravaging their crops.
+Elbel had refused to accept the explanation.  He had retained the fifty
+men as hostages, and sent a detachment of his forest guards to bring in
+the unruly fifty and burn their village down.  Jack could only express
+his sympathy: he felt that there was nothing to be done.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One morning Barney, who acted as storekeeper to the camp, reported that
+food was running short.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Imbono will supply us," replied Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Beggin' your pardon, sorr, Imbono has little enough for himself since
+Elbel and his blagyards came to the place.  The thieving villains will
+have the best, and divil a ha'penny do they pay for it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must have food.  When I was at Akumbi the other day I saw a good
+crop of ground-nuts.  I'll go over myself and see if I can arrange for
+a supply."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Akumbi was the smallest of the chief's villages, situated about five
+miles up the river.  Jack set off early with Lepoko, taking the
+well-worn path through the fringe of forest.  As he approached the
+village he heard cries of pain.  Instinctively he quickened his steps
+and hurried through the gateway in the stockade; then he came upon a
+scene that made his blood boil.  Tied to a tree was a youth, who,
+Lepoko told him, was the son of Lofundo, the sub-chief of the village.
+Elbel was thrashing the captive with the chicotte, every lash cutting
+into the quivering flesh and provoking shrieks of agony.  Not another
+villager was to be seen; all had fled either into their huts or into
+the forest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Infuriated at the sight, Jack forgot all counsels of prudence.  He
+rushed towards the spot, peremptorily calling on Elbel to desist.  The
+Belgian swung round savagely, gave one disdainful look at the
+interrupter, and raised his arm with the intention of putting all his
+force into another stroke.  But Jack sprang at the uplifted arm, caught
+Elbel by the wrist and arrested the blow.  Wrenching himself free, the
+Belgian, livid with rage, made a fierce cut at Jack.  He was too near
+for the long lash to have the full effect intended; but Jack felt the
+sting as the flexible thong curled round him.  Then his attitude
+changed.  Before, he had merely been conscious of a desire to protect
+the negro; now, he was afire with a personal grievance.  Elbel had not
+time to raise the whip for a second stroke.  Flinging out his left fist
+Jack caught him a smashing blow on the cheek, and followed it up with a
+right-hander which hurled him half senseless to the ground.  Elbel
+staggered to his feet, presenting a piteous spectacle, blood streaming
+from his nose, his left eye half closed.  He groped for his revolver,
+but the sight of Jack standing over him, pale but determined, revolver
+in hand ready for the next move, cowed him.  He fumbled for a few
+seconds at his belt, then slunk away without a word.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-121"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-121.jpg" alt="Jack turns the tables" />
+<br />
+Jack turns the tables
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The village compound was immediately filled with a crowd of natives,
+who poured out of the huts: whence they had secretly watched the scene.
+Jack was overwhelmed with protestations of gratitude.  He cut the boy
+loose and restored him, bleeding from the lash, to his father.  Then he
+extricated himself from the excited throng, took Lofundo aside, waived
+his demonstrations, and, completing the business on which he had come,
+left the village as soon as he could.  Now that the heat of the moment
+was passed, he feared he had not done the villagers or himself any
+good.  A personal affray with Elbel was the last thing he would have
+desired; and though he felt that he could hardly have acted otherwise
+than he had done, he was in anything but an elated mood when he
+returned to his camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He at once told Barney of what had occurred, and spoke of his
+misgivings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Arrah thin, sorr," said the Irishman, "I do not see any cause for
+disthress at all at all.  The villain got his deserts, and 'twill tache
+him a lesson.  Sure I'd like to have seen his face, the spalpeen!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But I'd no right to interfere, Barney; you can't get over that."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begging your pardon, sorr, I do not agree wid that at all.  Ye may say
+a father has the right to thrash his children; 'twas the holy Solomon
+himself said so!  But if he lays it on too heavy, the law steps in and
+says 'Hands off!'  A farmer has a right to get work out uv his horse;
+but if he overtaxes the poor baste, the law steps in again and says 'No
+more uv that.'  These poor niggers seem to have to work widout fair
+pay, and pay rent into the bargain.  That's more than an Irishman would
+stand; and when the nigger-driver begins to maul 'em as well, worse
+than poor dumb beasts widout souls uv their own&mdash;be jabers! sorr, what
+would I do, if I saw a man ill-treating my Pat?  I would knock him
+down, sorr, if he was the Lord-Liftinant himself!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fact that several days passed without any sign of resentment or
+vengeance on Elbel's part did not make Jack less uneasy.  So far from
+his trouncing having a deterrent effect, the treatment of the natives
+became steadily worse.  Things were following the inevitable course.
+The vines in the neighbourhood of the village had yielded all the
+rubber of which they were at present capable, and the men had to go
+continually further afield.  This necessitated their remaining for days
+at a time away from their homes, in improvised shelters which afforded
+poor protection against the weather and the wild beasts.  They had to
+put up with indifferent food that gave scanty nourishment.  When,
+having collected the rubber, they returned at last to their homes, they
+could only remain there a couple of days, for the next demand was upon
+them.  Meanwhile their families had been at the mercy of the forest
+guards.  Day by day complaints came to Jack from Imbono of the
+brutalities of these ruffians, some of them so horrible that his whole
+being quivered with passionate indignation.  Why did not his uncle
+return?  How long must he remain helpless here, unable to lift a hand
+in defence of the oppressed?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One evening, just as he had retired to rest, he was woke by Barney and
+told that a strange negro had come to the gate and asked admittance.
+He had specially desired to see the Inglesa.  Jack sent word that the
+man was to be brought to him, and awaited his coming outside the hut.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negro came up in charge of Lepoko.  By the light of his electric
+torch Jack saw a tall man, so much emaciated that he appeared almost a
+skeleton.  His cheeks were sunken in, his arms and legs were no thicker
+than a child's, and&mdash;what was this!  The man held up one arm; the hand
+was gone!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Who is he?" asked Jack, shuddering at the sight of the half-healed
+stump.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him call Batukuno, sah.  Come from Nsongo.  Him carry baumba[<a id="chap12fn2text"></a><a href="#chap12fn2">2</a>] to
+brudder, sah: Ekila, him forest guard, meet Batukuno, say, 'Gib me
+baumba.'  Batukuno say, 'No can do: me carry to brudder.'  Rubber day
+come.  Batukuno bring basket; Ekila say, 'Rubber too much bad,
+Batukuno.'  Batukuno say, 'No bad at all; good rubber all same.'  Ekila
+laugh, sah; cut off Batukuno him hand."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Just in revenge for not getting the baumba?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Rebenge, sah, rebenge, all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But how came he here?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Boy Samba, sah.  Him tell Batukuno Inglesa massa good white man,
+brudder Tanalay, oh yes!  Inglesa no 'fraid Boloko, no 'fraid Elobela;
+Inglesa gib Batukuno hut, gib food, gib plenty rings.  Him come long
+long way: hurt berrah much, sah, berrah sick; want eat, no can find
+nuff.  Him hide long time 'cos 'fraid Boloko.  Now hab got massa; no
+'fraid no more; Boloko, Elobela, dem 'fraid now."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where is Samba then?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba him long long way: him go find fader and mudder."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I was right after all," said Jack turning to Barney.  "I'm glad to
+hear the boy's alive.  Well, Lepoko, take Batukuno to one of the huts
+and give him some supper.  Another sign of King Leopold's fatherly
+treatment, Barney!  Uncle said they cut the hands from the dead, but it
+appears that the living are mutilated too."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The curse uv Cromwell on them, sorr.  But, begging your pardon, you
+made a mistake."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How's that?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure you said 'twas my Irish English that sent little Samba away."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Did I?" said Jack, laughing.  "I'd forgotten it.  He's a capital
+little fellow, Barney.  Fancy, going by himself that long journey
+through the forest to find his people!  And yet there are fools who
+think that because a man is black he hasn't feelings or affections like
+ourselves."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Batukuno was only the firstfruits of Samba's missionary zeal.  From day
+to day, men, women, and children began to drop in at Jack's camp, many
+of them mutilated, all showing terrible signs of ill-usage and
+privation.  Some were survivors of Samba's own people, the villagers of
+Banonga; but they numbered among them men from other tribes.  Some had
+heard of the benevolent Inglesa from Samba's own lips; others from
+people he had told.  Among them was an old chief, who appeared
+heart-broken at having been compelled to leave his country.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why did I leave, you ask, O white man!" he said in reply to a question
+of Jack's.  "In the morning, bullets; in the evening, bullets.  They
+shot our mouths away, they shot through our hearts and our sides.  They
+robbed us of everything we had.  Why should we stay to be killed like
+that?  That is why I ran away."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Were many of your people killed?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah, ah!" he replied, "once we were as bafumba[<a id="chap12fn3text"></a><a href="#chap12fn3">3</a>] in multitude; now we
+are only as these."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He spread out his fingers twice or thrice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And they have been killed&mdash;not dying by the sleeping sickness?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No.  We have lost a few by the sleeping sickness, but only a few.  It
+is rubber that has killed our people.  Botofé bo le iwa!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack's sympathy was keenly enlisted on behalf of these unfortunate
+people; and he looked forward more and more eagerly for Mr.
+Martindale's return.  He could not but smile a little whimsically,
+remembering his uncle's protestations, to find that Mr. Martindale was
+gaining a reputation for general philanthropy through a large section
+of the Upper Congo territory.  But as the stream of fugitives showed no
+signs of diminishing he began to feel a certain embarrassment.  It was
+all very well to open a cave Adullam for every one that was distressed:
+to start a hospital for the halt and lame and blind; but the space he
+had at command within his stockade was limited: already the huts he had
+reserved for Mr. Martindale and his men were occupied, and every
+fugitive meant another mouth to feed.  He feared, too, lest the peace
+and order of his settlement should be disturbed by the influx of so
+many idle strangers.  And more than all, he feared that some of the
+poor wretches who came seeking asylum with him would fall into the
+hands of Elbel ere they reached their desired haven.  It was that
+consideration that induced him to refuse none who sought admittance.
+Elbel had been absent for some days from Ilola, and the fugitives, by
+choosing always the fall of night to approach the place, had so far
+managed to elude observation by their enemies.  But that could not
+continue; the presence of strangers in Ilombikambua must soon become
+known to Elbel; then a watch would be set, and the wanderers would be
+intercepted.  What their fate then would be Jack knew too well.  None
+suffered so terribly at the hands of the forest guards as people caught
+straying from their villages.  Such absences interfered with the
+regularity of the rubber supply, which in turn affected the revenue and
+reduced profits.  No runagate serf in medićval Europe was more severely
+dealt with than the Congo native who dared to range afield.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack could not hand the people over to Elbel's tender mercies; yet it
+would soon be impossible to find room for more.  While he was puzzling
+how to deal with this perplexing situation it was suddenly made still
+more complicated.  Early one morning he heard Pat barking with more
+than his usual vigour, and with a note of wild pleasure which he had
+not expressed for many a day.  Leaving his hut to ask what had
+happened, he was met by the terrier, who ran up to him, leaped this way
+and that, darted off towards the gate, then back again, all the time
+barking with frantic joy.  In a moment Jack saw the meaning of the
+dog's excitement.  Samba himself was running towards him!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boy flung himself down at Jack's feet, paying no attention even to
+Pat.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am glad to see you, very glad," said Jack in Samba's own tongue.
+"What have you been doing?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His knowledge of the language was not great enough to permit him to
+follow Samba's answer, poured out as it was with great rapidity, and a
+pitiful earnestness that brought a lump to Jack's throat.  But Lepoko
+was at hand, and translated faithfully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba was in terrible distress.  He had found his father and mother,
+and had brought them through peril and privation to the very verge of
+safety, when they fell among a number of forest guards evidently placed
+to intercept fugitives.  All three were captured and taken to Boloko,
+who was beside himself with delight at the sight of his brother Mboyo a
+prisoner.  He had a special grudge against him, dating from their old
+rivalry in Banonga.  Elbel had just returned from a visit to outlying
+villages; the prisoners had been carried before him, and when Boloko
+explained who they were, the Belgian ordered them to be tied up, and
+sentenced them to be thrashed publicly on the next day.  Samba had
+contrived to escape from custody, and had now come to implore the
+Inglesa to save his parents.  They were so worn out by their long
+journey, so ill from the hardships they had suffered, that they would
+certainly die under the whip.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Poor little fellow!" said Jack, laying his hand soothingly on the
+boy's head.  "The whipping is to be to-morrow?  You are sure?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Yes; Elobela would be absent this day; he would not return till the
+evening.  The flogging was fixed for dawn on the following morning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Come into my hut; we will see what can be done.  Barney, you come too."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Niggers have no feelings!" said Barney, releasing Pat from the grasp
+in which he had been struggling while Samba told his story.  "Begorra!
+they might as well say the same uv dogs!"
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap12fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap12fn1text">1</a>] Any kind of letter or document.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap12fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap12fn2text">2</a>] Riches.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap12fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap12fn3text">3</a>] Driver ants.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap13"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XIII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+"Honour thy Father and thy Mother"
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Jack felt himself in a distressing predicament.  Could he allow Samba's
+father and mother, for whom he suspected the boy must have made heroic
+exertions, to undergo a punishment which, as he had learnt from more
+than one of the refugees, frequently ended in the death of the victim?
+Yet how prevent it?  Whatever might be urged against it, the use of the
+chicotte had become established as a recognized instrument of
+administration in the Congo Free State.  As a stranger and a foreigner
+he had, to begin with, no right to interfere, and his previous
+relations with Elbel had been such that a protest and an attempt at
+dissuasion would be equally useless.  His action on behalf of Lofundo's
+son had been taken on the spur of the moment; it would not dispose
+Elbel to pay any attention to calmer and more deliberate measures now.
+Even a threat to report him would probably have no effect on the
+Belgian.  He was only doing what the officers of the State, or the
+officials of the Trusts holding authority from the State, were
+accustomed to do, whether by themselves or their agents.  A protest
+from Jack would merely aggravate the punishment of the wretched people.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although Elbel had not taken any open step against Jack since their
+last meeting, the latter felt assured that he was nursing his spite and
+only awaiting a favourable opportunity to indulge it.  Indeed it was
+likely that something had already been done.  Perhaps Elbel was in
+communication with Boma.  He had mentioned that a captain of the State
+forces was on his way up the river; for all that Jack knew the officer
+might deal very summarily with him when he arrived.  That Elbel would
+tamely endure the humiliation he had suffered Jack did not for a moment
+believe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack put these points to Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"If I attempt to do anything for Samba's people," he added, "I must be
+prepared to back up my demands by force, and that will mean bloodshed.
+I can't run the risk, Barney.  Uncle left me in charge, and, as I've
+told you, said I wasn't to fight except in self-defence."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, but he'd fight himself if he were here."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That may be, but I can't take the responsibility."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Cannot we get the people out uv the scoundhrel's clutches widout
+fighting, sorr?  The bhoy escaped, to be sure."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True; how did you get away, Samba?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boy explained that he had been imprisoned separately from his
+parents: he did not know why.  They had been chained by the neck and
+fastened to a tree in front of Boloko's hut; he had been roped by the
+ankle and secured to another tree farther away.  In the middle of the
+night he had wriggled and strained at his bonds until, after much toil
+and pain, he had released his foot.  Then, when the sentry's back was
+turned, he had slipped away, stolen behind the huts, and with great
+difficulty clambered over the stockade.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And are your parents still chained to the tree?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba did not know.  He had not ventured to approach them after
+releasing himself, for his sole hope was in the Inglesa, and if he were
+recaptured he knew that his parents' fate was sealed.  But if the
+Inglesa wished, he would steal back into the village and see if the
+prisoners were still at the same spot.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That will never do," said Jack.  "The boy would certainly be caught,
+Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's the truth, sorr.  But 'tis the morning for Lingombela to go to
+the village for eggs; could he not find out what you wish to know?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He's a discreet fellow.  Yes, let him try.  He must be very careful.
+I wonder that Elbel has not forbidden our men to go into the village;
+and if he suspects any interference there'll be trouble."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney went out to send Lingombela on his errand.  Meanwhile Jack got
+Samba to tell him, through Lepoko, how he had found his parents.  The
+boy gave briefly the story of his wanderings, his perils from the wild
+beasts of the forest, his hunger and want, his capture by the Bambute,
+his escape, his adventure with the crocodile, his second capture and
+more successful escape under cover of a great forest storm.  Jack was
+deeply impressed at the time; but many of the details came to him later
+from others, and each new fact added to his admiration for the
+indomitable young traveller.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The pigmies who had captured Samba at the river were a different tribe
+from those with whom he had lived in the forest.  Like those, however,
+they made much of him, giving him plenty of food, but never letting him
+go out of their sight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One night, a fierce tempest swept through the forest, snapping great
+trees and whirling them about like feathers.  Thunder crashed,
+lightning cut black paths through the foliage; and the Bambute cowered
+in their huts, dreading lest these should be crushed by a falling tree
+or scorched by the lightning's flame, yet feeling safer within than
+without.  But Samba rejoiced in the elemental disturbance.  Reckless of
+the terrors of the storm in his fixed determination to escape, he stole
+out when the uproar was at its height and plunged into the forest.  All
+other peril was banished by the fury of the tempest.  Once he passed a
+leopard within a few feet, but the beast was too much scared by the
+lightning to seize the opportunity of securing an easy meal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After many days of wandering and privation Samba came within a day's
+journey of what had been his village.  Stumbling accidentally upon one
+of his fellow-villagers, he told him his story, and was taken by him to
+a cave in the forest where several of the fugitives from Banonga were
+in hiding, some badly wounded.  Samba came to them like a sunbeam.
+What he told them about Mr. Martindale gave them courage and hope.
+Some set off at once to seek out the Inglesa whose praise Samba was so
+loud in singing; they would implore his protection: others, more
+timorous or less hardy, dreading the long and toilsome journey,
+resolved to remain where they were, for they were at least in no
+straits for food.  None of them could give Samba any news of his
+parents: so after remaining a day or two with them he went on alone.
+He reached the site of the desolated village in the evening, and took
+refuge in the branches of a tree.  His intention was to push on next
+day and search the forest beyond the village.  But with morning light
+something impelled him to wander round the scene of his happy
+childhood.  Here had stood his father's hut; there, not far away, the
+old chief Mirambo had dwelt.  It seemed to Samba that the place was
+altered in appearance since he had left it in company with Mr.
+Martindale.  An attempt had been made to repair the ruins of Mirambo's
+hut.  Somewhat startled, Samba approached it curiously, and was still
+more startled to hear low groans proceeding from a spot where a corner
+of the site had been covered with rough thatch.  Entering, he
+discovered with mingled joy and terror that his father and mother lay
+there, nearly dead from wounds and starvation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With the negro's instinct for returning to his old haunts, Mboyo had
+come back with his wife to Banonga, and managed to rig up a precarious
+shelter in his father's shattered hut.  Then his strength failed him.
+He had been wounded in the attack on the village, but had made good his
+escape to the forest with his favourite wife.  His other wives and
+children had disappeared; of them he never heard again.  The unwonted
+exposure soon told upon his wife Lukela; she fell ill, and, weakened as
+Mboyo was by his wounds, they were unable to scour the forest as they
+might otherwise have done for food.  As the days passed their condition
+had gone from bad to worse, and at last they had painfully,
+despairingly, made their way back to their old home, to die.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Samba did not mean them to die.  He set himself at once to rescue
+them.  As he knew well, there was little or no food near by; the wanton
+destruction of plantations had been very thorough.  They were too weak
+to travel.  He emptied his tin, to which he had clung through all his
+wanderings, of the food it contained, and making a rough barrier for
+them against wild beasts, cheered them with hopeful words and started
+back on his tracks for a further supply of food.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he reached the cavern where he had left his fellow-villagers, he
+found it empty.  Apparently even the timid ones had set off to seek the
+protection of the good Inglesa.  He could do nothing that night, but
+next morning he went down to the stream whence they had obtained their
+supply of fish and plied his spear until he had caught several.  Then
+he made the long journey back, filling his tin as he went with berries
+and nuts and anything else from which nourishment could be obtained.
+His parents were already a little better, thanks to the food he had
+already given them, and perhaps also to the new spirit awakened in them
+by the unexpected arrival of their dearly loved son.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus for several days Samba watched over them, making long journeys for
+food.  Each time he left them his absence became more prolonged; food
+was harder to get, and he was less able to hunt for it.  While his
+parents slowly regained a little strength, Samba weakened from day to
+day.  At last he could scarcely drag one foot after the other; he was
+worn out by the terrible fatigue of constant marching through the
+forest, and by want of sleep, for he stinted himself of rest so that
+his parents might be left alone as little as possible.  More than once
+he sank exhausted to the ground, feeling that he could go no farther,
+do no more.  His strength was spent; his head swam with dizziness; a
+mist gathered before his eyes.  Thus he would remain, half conscious,
+perhaps for minutes, perhaps for hours; he knew not: he had lost count
+of time.  Then with the enforced rest the small remnant of his strength
+returned to him, and with it the memory of his parents' plight.  Upon
+him depended the life of the two beings he held dearest in the world.
+As the perils to which they were exposed were borne in upon his fevered
+intelligence he would struggle to his feet, and grope his way painfully
+along the forest track, his feet blistered, his flesh torn with spikes
+and thorns: above all, a dreadful gnawing hunger within him, for he
+would scarcely spare himself sufficient food for bare sustenance while
+his parents were ill and in want.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This dark and terrible period was illumined by one ray of hope.  His
+weariness and toil were bearing fruit.  Day by day his parents grew
+stronger; in a fortnight they were able to move about, and a week later
+they were ready to start for the cavern.  But now it was Samba who
+required tendance.  He could walk only a few yards at a time, supported
+by Mboyo, who almost despaired of reaching the cavern before starvation
+again overtook them.  But the weary journey was completed at last, and
+after a few days' stay at the cavern within easier reach of food, the
+party became fit to undertake a longer march, and set out hopefully for
+Mr. Martindale's camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack could only conjecture what the terrors of that march had been, for
+before Samba's story was finished Lepoko returned from the village.  He
+reported that Elobela, furious at the boy's escape, had announced that
+he would double the punishment to be meted out to his parents.  This
+practice of striking at children through parents, and at parents
+through children, was so much the rule in the Congo system of tax
+collection that Jack did not doubt Elbel would carry out his threat.
+Meanwhile the two prisoners had been removed from the open air before
+Boloko's hut at the far side of the village, and conveyed to a
+stoutly-built fetish hut near the stockade.  This change of quarters
+had provoked murmurs not only from the villagers, but from Elbel's own
+men.  The fetish hut was sacred to the medicine man of the village, and
+even he affected to approach it with fear and trembling.  The whole
+population was talking about the desecration of the hut by the presence
+of the two captives; men were shaking their heads and saying that
+something would happen; and the medicine man himself&mdash;a hideous figure
+with his painted skin&mdash;did not fail to seize the opportunity of
+inflaming the minds of the villagers against the impious white man.
+But no one ventured to remonstrate with Elbel.  He meanwhile had gone
+off with a number of forest guards to an outlying village, leaving
+orders that the captives were to be watched with particular vigilance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba's face was an image of despair as he listened to Lepoko's report.
+What hope was there of his parents' rescue now?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Poor little chap!" said Jack.  "After going through so much for them
+he'll be heart-broken if he loses them now.  What can we do for him,
+Barney?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Faith, I can see nothing for it, sorr, but to lead a storming party.
+And I would go first, wid the greatest pleasure in life."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's out of the question, especially as Elbel's away.  All's fair in
+war, they say, Barney; but I shouldn't like to attack the village in
+Elbel's absence.  In any case I don't want to fight if there's any
+other way.  Samba, run away with Pat; don't go beyond the gate; I want
+to see if I can think of any way of helping your parents."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Both the white men were touched by the boy's wistful look as he left
+the hut.  Jack stuck his legs out straight in front of him, plunged his
+hands into his pockets, and bent his head upon his breast as he
+pondered and puzzled.  Barney sat for a time leaning forward with his
+elbows on his knees, smoking an old clay pipe.  But he soon tired of
+inaction, and rising, proceeded to open a tin of oatmeal biscuits in
+anticipation of lunch.  He had just wrenched the lid off when Jack
+sprang up with a sudden laugh and slapped him on the shoulder.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I have it, Barney!" he cried.  "They said something would happen;
+well, they were right; something shall happen, old man.  And it's your
+doing!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mine, sorr!  Niver a thing have I done this blessed day but smoke me
+pipe, and just this very minute tear a hole in my hand wid this
+confounded tin."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's it, Barney!  It was the tin gave me the idea.  You know how
+giants are made for the Christmas pantomimes?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Divil a bit, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, don't look so surprised.  Empty that tin of biscuits while I
+tell you, and when that's empty, open another and do the same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, but all the biscuits will spoil."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Let 'em spoil, man, let 'em spoil.  No, I don't mean that, but at
+present I think more of the tissue paper in those tins than of the
+biscuits.  We'll make a framework, Barney&mdash;any stalks or sticks will do
+for that&mdash;and cover it with that tissue paper, and paint a giant's face
+and shoulders on the paper, and we must find some coloured glass or
+something for the eyes, and something white for the teeth.  We have
+some candles left, luckily.  Don't you think, Barney, a lighted candle
+behind the paper would make a very decent sort of bogie?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And is that the way, sorr, they make the giants at the pantomime?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Something like that, Barney.  But what do you think of the idea?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis the divil's own cleverness in it, sorr.  But I'll niver enjoy a
+pantomime any more, now that I know the way 'tis done.  And how will ye
+go to work wid the bogie, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why, we'll make the framework to fit my shoulders.  Then you'll see.
+The first thing is to get it made.  Go and get the materials.  We shall
+want sticks about three feet long, and ngoji cane[<a id="chap13fn1text"></a><a href="#chap13fn1">1</a>] to tie them
+together, as there are no nails here.  And you must send over to Imbono
+and ask for some colouring matter.  Red and black are all we shall
+need.  I don't know what we shall do for the eyes; there's no coloured
+glass handy, I suppose.  We must do without if we can't find anything.
+Now, hurry up, Barney, and send Lepoko to me."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For the rest of the day Jack and Barney were very busy in the hut.  It
+was an easy matter to put the bamboo framework together.  The tissue
+paper from the two biscuit tins proved just sufficient to cover it.
+When this was done, Jack sketched with his pencil as ugly a face as his
+artistic imagination was capable of suggesting, then laid on the
+pigments with his shaving brush, no other being at hand.  He gave the
+giant very thick red lips, opened in a hideous grin, heightening the
+effect by carefully tying in a number of goat's teeth.  The eyes
+presented a difficulty.  No coloured glass could be found among any of
+the villagers' treasures, and after several attempts to supply its
+place with leaves, petals of red flowers, and glass beads stuck
+together, Jack decided that the best effect would be made by leaving
+the eye slits empty.  The making of the bogie was kept a close secret
+between himself and Barney; but he got some of his men to make two
+light bamboo ladders, which they did with great expedition, wondering
+not a little to what use Lokolobolo would put them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the afternoon, as soon as he was assured that his bogie would turn
+out a success, Jack sent Lepoko into Ilola to foment the villagers'
+fear that the desecration of the fetish hut would certainly be followed
+by a visit from the offended spirit.  He was to talk very seriously of
+a great medicine man he had once met on the coast, who knew all about
+the spirits of the streams and woods, and those who protected the
+forest villages.  One of these spirits, said the medicine man, took the
+form of a giant, and any mortal upon whom he breathed would surely die.
+Jack knew that this story would be repeated by the villagers to the
+forest guards, and would soon be the property of the whole community.
+Reckoning upon the fact that Elbel had his quarters near the gate of
+the stockade, and that the fetish hut was on the opposite side of the
+enclosure, not far from the stockade itself, so that the whole width of
+the village separated them, Jack hoped to create such a panic among the
+superstitious sentries that he would have time to free the captives
+before Elbel could intervene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At dead of night, when he believed that the enemy must be sound asleep,
+Jack left his camp silently, accompanied only by Samba.  He himself
+carried the bogie; the boy had the ladders.  But even his own parents
+would not have recognized the Samba of this midnight sortie.  Jack had
+been much interested on the way up the Congo by a kind of acacia which,
+when cut with an axe, exudes a sticky substance, emitting in the
+darkness a strong phosphorescent glow.  With this substance a series of
+rings had been drawn on Samba's body, and he wore on his head a number
+of palm leaves arranged like the Prince of Wales's feathers, smeared
+with the same sticky material.  He made an awful imp in attendance on
+the horrific monster.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba stepping close behind Jack to avoid observation, the two made
+their way stealthily around the village, keeping within the fringe of
+the encircling forest.  Then Jack fixed the bogie upon his shoulders,
+lighted the candles placed in sconces of twigs cunningly constructed by
+Barney, and crept forward towards the stockade, closely followed by
+Samba, both bending low so as to escape discovery before the right
+moment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lepoko had reported that two sentries had been placed over the fetish
+hut.  Jack guessed that by this time their nerves would be at pretty
+high tension, and that they would not improbably be keeping a safe
+distance from the awful place they had been set to guard.  One of the
+ladders was planted by Samba against the stockade.  On this Jack
+mounted, and the hideous countenance rose slowly and majestically above
+the palisade.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A small oil lamp swung from the eaves of the hut.  By its light Jack
+saw the two sentries some distance away, but near enough to keep an eye
+on the entrance so that the inmates could not break out unnoticed.  At
+first they did not see the apparition.  To quicken their perception,
+Jack gave a weird chuckle&mdash;a sound that would have startled even sturdy
+English schoolboys in the depth of night.  The negroes turned round
+instantly; there was one moment of silence: then shrieking with fear
+they rushed helter-skelter into the darkness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Taking the second ladder from Samba, Jack calmly descended on the other
+side, and was quickly followed by the boy.  The latter made straight
+for the fetish hut.  A light shone through the entrance immediately he
+had entered; there was a muffled shriek; then voices in rapid talk,
+followed by the sound of heavy hammering.  By the light of Jack's
+electric torch Samba was breaking the fetters.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By this time the whole village was astir.  At the first instant of
+alarm every man, woman, and child gave utterance to a yell; but as soon
+as they caught sight of the dreadful apparition, the vengeful spirit
+Whose visit had been predicted, the giant with hideous jaw and flaming
+eyes, they ceased their cries, and scampered in awestruck silence
+across the compound towards the gate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Slowly Samba's parents limped out of the hut after him, and with his
+assistance mounted the ladder and descended on the other side of the
+stockade.  Jack had bidden Samba take them for a time into the forest.
+To harbour them in his camp would involve further embroilment with
+Elbel, a thing to be avoided if possible.  They had barely disappeared
+in the darkness when a shot rang out, and Jack felt something strike
+the framework above his head.  Elbel had been awakened from sleep by
+the first yell, but on leaving his hut found himself enveloped in so
+thick a crowd of quivering, panic-stricken negroes that he could
+neither see what had caused their alarm nor get an answer to his
+irritable questions.  The delay had been just long enough to allow the
+prisoners to escape.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack heard Elbel's voice raging at the people.  As another shot whizzed
+by he reached up and extinguished the candles, then slipped over the
+stockade, drawing the ladder after him.  Burdened with the bogie and
+the two ladders he hastened away into the forest.  For some minutes he
+wandered about, missing the guidance of Samba, who was with his
+parents.  At length he struck the path, and making his best speed
+regained his camp.  Barney was awaiting him at the gate with loaded
+rifle, the trained men drawn up under arms.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The bogie did it!" he cried, feeling very hot and tired now that his
+task was accomplished.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Praise be!" ejaculated Barney.  "Eyes front!  Present arrms!  Dismiss!"
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap13fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap13fn1text">1</a>] This abounds in the forest, and is alike nails, string, and rope
+for the natives.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap14"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XIV
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Lokolobolo's First Fight
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"I am afraid we are in for it now," said Jack, as he sat with Barney,
+when the camp had become quiet, discussing the situation.  "Elbel will
+know well enough who played the bogie, and he has now another grievance
+against me.  I wonder what he will do."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I would not disthress meself about it at all, sorr," said Barney.  "He
+had a peep at a Pepper's ghost widout paying for a ticket, and 'tis
+himself that ought to be plased."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Don't you ever have a fit of the dumps, Barney?  You seem to live
+always in the top of spirits."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What would be the good uv doing anything else, sorr?  I've too little
+flesh on me bones now; what would I be if I grizzled?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'm glad enough, I assure you.  I don't know what I should have done
+without you.  Uncle little imagined what he was leaving me to.  Do you
+think anything has happened to him?  It is three months since he went
+away, and five weeks since I had any news of him.  I am getting
+anxious."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis true he is behind, like the cow's tail, sorr.  An 'tis meself can
+explain it.  Ye see, sorr, I've noticed wan thing about these niggers.
+Time is not much to an Irishman, to be sure, but 'tis less than nothing
+to a nigger.  They don't keep count uv the days; an almanac would be
+clean beyond them; and 'tis my belief Nando has just put the master
+back a month, sorr, unbeknown."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's an original explanation, at any rate.  But by Jove! here's
+Samba again.  What does he want now?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say mudder lib for plenty sick, sah," said Lepoko, called in to
+interpret.  "Mudder plenty tired fust; muss stand all de night in hut;
+no gib no food; her no can go no more; tumble down in forest.  Samba
+say please massa, let fader and mudder come; please, please, massa,
+please, massa, him say please massa plenty too much all time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must have them in, I suppose," said Jack, unable to resist the
+appeal in Samba's eyes and gestures.  "I didn't want them here, they
+only add to our dangers and difficulties.  Let him fetch them, Lepoko;
+he must be careful; if they are captured again they are sure to be
+shot."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba's face shone with delight.  He scampered away.  An hour passed
+before he returned.  Mboyo was carrying his wife in his arms; she was
+in the last stage of exhaustion.  They were given shelter in Lepoko's
+hut; and that night, when Samba curled himself up to sleep with Pat,
+for the first time for many weeks he was a happy boy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had but just finished his breakfast next morning when a note was
+brought him from Elbel.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+MONSIEUR,&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On m'a fait informer que les deux individus échappés de ce village sont
+a présent réfugiés dans votre camp.  J'ai l'honneur de vous sommer de
+rendre ces individus immédiatement, en outre le petit garçon dont j'ai
+déjŕ demandé la reddition.  Au cas que lesdits sujets de PEtat du Congo
+ne soient pas ramenés dans ce village avant midi cejourd'hui, je serai
+obligé de faire ŕ leur égard des démarches qui me sembleront bonnes.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Agréez, monsieur, l'assurance de ma<br />
+considération distinguée,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ELBEL,<br />
+<i>Agent de la Société cosmopolite<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;du Commerce du Congo</i>.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+"What do you think of this, Barney?  He says he's been told that the
+two persons who escaped from Ilola are now in my camp.  He has the
+honour to request that I will give them up at once.  Listen: 'In case
+the said subjects of the Congo State are not brought back to this
+village by noon to-day, I shall be compelled to take such steps in
+regard to them as may seem to me good.' Very precise and formal.  My
+answer shall be a little shorter."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He lost no time in penning his reply.  He wrote:
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+SIR,&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The three people you mention are with me.  I shall be glad to learn the
+offence with which they are charged, and by what authority you take it
+upon yourself to try them and punish them.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Yours truly,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;JOHN CHALLONER.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+"We shall get no answer to that, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he was mistaken.  A second note was brought him in which Elbel
+refused to explain or justify his actions to Monsieur Challoner.  He
+was responsible to his Société and to the administration of the Free
+State.  He repeated his threat that at twelve o'clock, failing
+compliance with his demand, he would take steps to recover the
+fugitives, and concluded by saying that Monsieur Challoner must be
+answerable for the consequences.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The fat's in the fire now, sorr," said Barney, when Jack had
+translated this letter to him.  "I suppose you'll just say 'Go and be
+hanged' in answer to that?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No.  I shan't answer it on paper.  The crisis has come at last,
+Barney.  I couldn't attack Elbel yesterday and be responsible for the
+first blow.  But things are changed now.  His action in regard to these
+poor people is sheer persecution; they've sought my protection, and no
+Englishman that I ever heard of has given up a wretch fleeing from
+persecution.  We'll have to stand firm now, Barney.  Elbel shan't get
+hold of them if I can prevent it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'm wid ye, sorr, heart and soul.  Sure an Irishman is not the man to
+stand by and see poor people ill-treated.  What'll we do to get ready
+for him, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You can go and get some of the men to rig up platforms at several
+points inside the stockade.  What a lucky thing it was we taught 'em
+how to board and floor the huts!  Those planks will come in handy now.
+And stay: set two or three men to bore loopholes in the stockade&mdash;not
+our riflemen; the men who've lost their right hands can manage that,
+perhaps, with their left if they try.  Meanwhile, parade the riflemen.
+I'll come out to them in a few minutes."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the men were paraded, Jack felt very proud of his little company.
+They were all alert, eager, ready.  Jack explained to them through
+Lepoko what the difficulty was.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't want you to fight against your will," he said.  "If any man is
+unwilling to fight he may leave the camp if he chooses, or remain and
+do any other work required.  But if he elects to fight he must obey
+orders, do his best, and never give in.  You understand that: never
+give in!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men responded with loud cries of approval.  Not a man of them fell
+out of the ranks.  The exercise and drill they had undergone had filled
+them with military ardour; they were proud of their new
+accomplishments, and evidently eager to test them in earnest.  And the
+white officials were so well hated that the opportunity of setting one
+at defiance was in itself a sufficient motive.  Jack paid them a
+compliment on their readiness to serve&mdash;the negro dearly loves
+praise&mdash;and after inspecting each man's rifle and ammunition, dismissed
+them to various duties in the camp until the moment for action arrived.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day's water supply had scarcely been got in, and there were no
+vessels at hand for storing a large quantity.  The stock of food in the
+camp was sufficient to keep the whole population for three days on full
+rations, and might be eked out for a week or more if each man's
+allowance was reduced.  It was inevitable that the idea of a siege
+should cross Jack's mind, and he foresaw that the difficulty about
+water would prove serious.  Meanwhile, he could at least send out a few
+men to obtain supplies of food from the chief's other villages.  He
+chose for this errand the men least likely to be useful as fighters,
+and impressed on them the necessity of avoiding Elbel's men.  It would
+not be long before Elbel had the surrounding country closely patrolled,
+and then no man would be able to approach without taking his life in
+his hand.  What supplies they should succeed in collecting were to be
+held concealed in the forest until there was an opportunity of
+conveying them into the camp without danger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There were now within his stockade, besides himself and Barney,
+twenty-two men armed with rifles; the chief Mboyo, with his wife and
+Samba; fifteen men, ten women, and twenty-five children who had sought
+asylum with him; and the livestock of the natives&mdash;a few goats and
+fowls.  Pat was one by himself.  There were rifles for twenty men
+besides the twenty-two, but the fugitives were too much maimed, or too
+much reduced in strength by their sufferings, to make it seem worth
+while to arm them.  Four or five, however, had recovered very rapidly,
+and seemed likely to prove useful recruits.  They had at any rate
+enough reason for fighting well; not only on behalf of their chief, but
+in memory of their own sufferings.  Pending an opportunity of teaching
+them the use of the rifle, Jack armed them with spears and employed
+them as sentries.  A careful watch was kept to guard against surprise,
+which was little likely to occur in broad daylight across the wide open
+space between the two settlements.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack awaited with no little anxiety the approach of noon, trying to
+forecast Elbel's course of action.  The Belgian had, so far as he had
+been able to gather, about sixty men armed with Albini rifles, with
+probably as many hangers-on; but the natives' conceptions of arithmetic
+are so vague that this information could not be relied on; the actual
+number might be larger or smaller.  It was not likely that the
+followers of the forest guards could be utilized as fighting men; but
+the guards themselves were well armed and full of confidence, for they
+had become accustomed to lording it over the virtually unarmed and
+helpless populace from whose forced labour the Congo Free State derives
+its profits.  Jack was quite prepared to find that Elbel, knowing that
+his opponent's men had but recently been armed, and were not, like his
+own men, to all intents professional soldiers, would think himself
+strong enough to rush the camp, especially as, since the day of his
+arrival, the Belgian had appeared to show no further interest in the
+force at Jack's disposal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Perhaps he thinks we've drilled them merely for parade," he remarked
+with a smile to Barney.  "But I think he'll find we can hold our own.
+I'm not afraid of a direct attack.  But if he tries to starve us out
+it'll be a different matter.  I'm bothered about the water."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Be aisy, sorr.  Whin I was a bhoy me mother often did not know at
+breakfast time where the supper was coming from; but I only went to bed
+wance widout it, and that was whin I'd eaten it before the time, and
+was put to bed early as a punishment."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Soon after twelve o'clock the sentries reported that the white man was
+approaching from the direction of the village.  Jack hastened to the
+platform near the gate, which he had had barricaded, and saw Elbel at
+the head of about forty men, at his side a negro bearing a white flag.
+About fifty yards from the stockade he halted, and formally demanded
+the surrender of the fugitives.  In phrases as formal as his own Jack
+replied that they would not be given up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While this brief exchange of courtesies was going on, the sentries
+stationed on similar platforms within the stockade had turned round
+with natural curiosity to see what was passing, and withdrew their
+attention from the ground they were supposed to be watching.  All at
+once Jack felt a tug at his arm, and looking round, saw Samba excitedly
+pointing to the rear of the camp.  A score of Elbel's riflemen were
+scurrying across the open ground.  To Jack's surprise they were headed
+by a white man in military uniform.  Was this the Captain Van Vorst, he
+wondered, who, Elbel had told him, was coming up the river?  Had he to
+contend with a regular officer of the State as well as an official of
+the Concession?  One thing was clear, that while his attention was
+being held by the parade of the men in front, an attempt was being made
+to rush the camp from the rear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack gave no sign of his discovery, but quietly ordered Barney to take
+ten men with rifles and five with spears and deal with the attackers
+when their heads or hands appeared above the stockade.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Keep out of sight until they're upon you," he added in a low tone.
+"Fifteen men on the platform will be equal to more than double their
+number trying to scramble over."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had kept his face turned towards Elbel as he spoke, apparently
+intent upon a serious consideration of what the Belgian was saying.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I varn you.  Dis is not child's play.  Vunce more I say gif up de
+people; den I interfere no more.  I am satisfied.  But if you refuse,
+den I repeat: I will haf de people, and you shall see vat it is to defy
+de officers of de Free State."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was spared the necessity of replying.  A series of yells and cries
+of pain told that the rear attack had begun.  Next moment a couple of
+shots rang out from the trees behind Elbel, and Jack, whose head just
+appeared over the stockade, felt one bullet whistle close above his
+topee, while a second embedded itself beside him in one of the saplings
+of which the stockade was constructed.  Taken in conjunction with the
+attempted surprise, this was as close an approximation to the methods
+of an assassin as could well be imagined; and Jack, as he dodged down
+out of harm's way, felt, not for the first time, that he had to deal
+with a man who was not only astute but quite unscrupulous.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In less than a minute the attack on the stockade had become general.
+The assailants showed no want of dash.  Perhaps they were encouraged by
+the impunity with which they had hitherto made their assaults on native
+villages similarly protected.  But the conditions were different now.
+The defenders were armed with weapons as precise and deadly as those of
+the attackers themselves.  Elbel's men came forward at a rush, in a
+more or less compact body, and Jack was amply satisfied with the result
+of his training as his men, at a sign from him, poured a volley through
+the loopholes bored in the stockade, while the enemy were still a dozen
+yards distant.  Several of them dropped; Jack's men were completely
+screened from any effectual reply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The moral effect of white leadership became apparent when the forest
+guards, scarcely realizing their losses in the excitement of their dash
+towards the stockade, helped one another to swarm up, many effecting a
+lodgment on the top.  It was at this point that in ninety-nine cases
+out of a hundred the defenders of an African village would have flung
+away their arms and run.  But the discipline of the past two months
+told.  At Jack's command, before the enemy on the stockade had made
+their footing sufficiently sure to enable them to use their weapons,
+the men within, clubbing their rifles, sprang at them and hurled them
+to the ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Barney, who thanks to Samba's watchfulness had been enabled
+to forestall the surprise in the rear, had beaten off the attack and
+sent the enemy scurrying for cover.  Leaving only three or four men
+under Lepoko to watch the position there, Jack was able to bring almost
+the whole of his force to bear on repelling the main attack.  Elbel had
+greatly reduced his chances of success by detaching a third of his
+body; and he entirely lost their co-operation, for when they were
+repulsed by Barney they made no attempt to rally, but simply
+disappeared from the fight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elbel and his men were crouching at the foot of the stockade in
+temporary security, for in that position the defenders could not bring
+their rifles to bear upon them.  Jack heard him give his men an order;
+in a few seconds a crowd of black heads again appeared above the
+stockade, but now some thirty yards from the point where the first
+assault had been made.  With Barney at his right hand Jack led his men
+to the spot.  From his platform he might have shot the attackers down
+with comparative ease; but he was determined from the first to do his
+best to avoid bloodshed, never forgetting his uncle's injunction to use
+rifles only in the last resort.  The enemy themselves had no chance of
+firing, for they no sooner showed their heads above the palisade than
+they were beset by the defenders.  There was a brisk five minutes in
+which Jack and Barney found plenty to do leading their men wherever the
+show of heads, hands, and shoulders over the stockade was thickest.
+Barney was in his element.  His rifle fell like a flail, and for every
+blow that got home he shouted a wild "Hurroo!" which evoked responsive
+yells from the negroes beside him, catching his enthusiasm.  Jack's
+heart glowed as he saw how stoutly they fought.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not until the enemy had made two attempts to mount the stockade
+that they realized how very different their present task was from the
+massacre of unresisting men, women, and children that had hitherto
+represented their idea of fighting.  The first repulse merely surprised
+and enraged them: they could not understand it; they were not
+accustomed to such a reception; and they yelled forth threats of
+exacting a terrible vengeance.  But when for the second time they found
+themselves hurled back, they had no heart for further effort.  Suddenly
+Elbel discovered that he was alone, except for one man lying stark
+beside him; the unwounded had scampered across the open to the shelter
+of the nearest trees.  Some half dozen who had been hit with rifle
+bullets or clubbed at the palisade, were dragging themselves painfully
+towards the same shelter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack, watching from his platform, perceived that Elbel was not among
+the retreating crowd.  Was he hurt, he wondered?  The next moment,
+however, he saw the Belgian sprint after his men, bending his head
+between his shoulders as a boy does to avoid a snowball.  Several of
+Jack's men who had joined him on the platform brought their rifles to
+the shoulder, and only a curt stern order from Jack to drop their
+weapons saved Elbel from almost certain death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, thin, 'tis a pity not to let them have their way, sorr,"
+expostulated Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That may be," replied Jack, "but I'm only on the defensive, remember.
+We're in no danger for the present; they've had enough of it; it's not
+for me to continue the fight.  I hope Elbel has learnt a lesson and
+will leave us alone."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure I do not agree wid you at all at all, sorr," said Barney, shaking
+his head.  "To judge by the phiz uv him, Elbel is a disp'rate bad
+character.  And isn't it all his deeds that prove it, with his whips
+and his forest guards&mdash;blagyards I call 'em&mdash;and all?  Why, sorr, whin
+ye knocked him down the other day, why didn't he stand up fair and
+square and have it out wid ye?  'Twas an illigant chance which no
+gentleman, no Irishman, bedad! would have missed for worlds.
+Gentleman!  'Tis not the fortieth part uv a gentleman he has anywhere
+about him.  'Twas not the trick uv a gentleman to try to take ye by the
+back stairs while he blarneyed ye at the front door.  And did he not
+try to murder ye before the fight began?  A dirty trick, sorr; I would
+have let my men shoot him widout the hundredth part uv a scruple."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was compelled to smile at Barney's honest indignation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All you say is very true," he said, "but we couldn't take a leaf out
+of his book, you know, Barney.  Besides, look at it in another way.
+Suppose we shot Elbel?  What would happen to uncle's mining venture?
+There's another Belgian here&mdash;I wonder where he came from.  Apparently
+he has skedaddled.  He'd certainly go and report to the authorities
+what had happened.  You may be sure he wouldn't put our side of the
+case; and even if he did, there's no knowing how the Free State people
+would twist the evidence.  They say the Free State judges are
+completely under the thumb of the executive.  No doubt Elbel
+himself&mdash;who I suppose has to account for the cartridges his men
+use&mdash;will report this fight as a little affair with natives revolting
+against the rubber collection.  He hasn't come well enough out of it to
+be anxious to call general attention to the matter.  We've got off with
+a few bruises, I'm thankful to say; and we may very well be satisfied
+to let the quarrel rest there if Elbel takes no further steps."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney shook his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ye're a powerful hand at argyment, sorr," he said, "and ye'd be
+elected at the top uv the poll if ye stood as mimber uv Parlimint for
+Kilkenny.  But an Irishman niver goes by argyment: he goes by his
+feelings, and my feeling is that there's no good at all in a man who
+refuses such an illigant chance uv a stand-up fight."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, he's not altogether a ruffian.  Look! there are three of his
+negroes coming with a flag of truce, to fetch the poor fellow who was
+killed, I expect.  The State officials as a rule look on the negro as
+so much dirt; but Elbel seems to have some of the instincts of a human
+being."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad thin, I wouldn't be surprised if they're cannibals come for
+their dinner."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Shut up, Barney.  It's too terrible to think of.  You'll take away my
+appetite; here's Samba, coming to tell us, I hope, that dinner's ready."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack scanned the neighbourhood.  Save for the negroes carrying their
+dead comrade there was no sign of the enemy.  He left two sentries on
+guard and returned to his hut, hot and famished.  The sultry heat of
+the tropical afternoon settled down over the camp.  Outside the
+stockade all was still; inside, the natives squatted in front of their
+huts, volubly discussing the incidents of the morning, and watching the
+antics of Pat, who, having been tied up, much to his disgust, during
+the fight, was profiting by his liberty to romp with the children.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The victory did not pass unchronicled.  Before the negroes retired to
+rest, one of them had composed a song which will be handed down from
+father to son and become a tradition of his tribe:&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To the house of the dog<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To fight Lokolobolo.<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Inglesa was he,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Brave Lokolobolo,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lion and leopard,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Friend of Imbono,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chief of Ilola.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Came Elobela,<br />
+(<i>Chorus</i>) Yah!<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Bad Elobela,<br />
+(<i>Chorus</i>) Yo!<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To the house of the dog<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Came Lokolobolo,<br />
+(<i>Chorus</i>) Yah!  Yo!<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Short was the fight.<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Where is he now,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sad Elobela?<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gone to the forest,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beating his head,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hiding his eyes<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From Lokolobolo,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Friend of Imbono,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lion and leopard,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Brave Lokolobolo.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap15"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XV
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Revolt at Ilola
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Every day since the advent of Elbel, Jack had been conscious of the
+growing danger of his position.  A negro village, in the grip of rubber
+collectors; adjacent to it, a little settlement occupied mainly by
+negroes, many of whom were fugitives from a tyranny illegal indeed, but
+regularized by custom; in both settlements, natives who looked to him
+for help against their oppressors.  It was a situation difficult enough
+to daunt the pluckiest lad not yet eighteen.  But it is lads like Jack
+Challoner who make one of the prime glories of our Anglo-Saxon race.
+Is not page after page of our national annals filled with the deeds of
+youths&mdash;drummers, buglers, ensigns, midshipmen&mdash;who have stepped
+forward in moments of crisis, and shown a noble courage, a devotion to
+duty, and a capacity beyond their years?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack did not quail before the responsibility his uncle had all
+unwittingly thrown upon him, even though he knew that his victory over
+the Belgian might enormously increase his difficulties.  Already he had
+wondered why Elbel had not put his settlement in a state of siege.  The
+only conclusion he could come to was that the man was little more than
+a blusterer, without enough imagination to conceive the right means to
+adopt, or destitute of sufficient organizing power to put them in
+force.  It would have been a comparatively simple matter, seeing his
+overwhelming strength in point of numbers, to prevent Jack from
+securing his needful supply of water from the stream; but day by day
+Elbel had allowed the women with their calabashes to go and come
+unmolested.  Surely, Jack thought, he would now at any rate take that
+most obvious step towards the reduction of his enemy.  And as he sat in
+his hut that evening, his head racked with pain from long thinking, he
+felt sick at heart as he realized how the fate of these poor people who
+had sought his aid seemed to depend on him alone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just as darkness had fallen, the chief Imbono came into the camp.
+Elbel had forbidden any one to leave the village, but the chief had
+bribed the sentry and been allowed to pass.  He came to report that his
+young men had just returned from their rubber hunt after a week's
+absence in the forest, and learning of what had taken place, were bent
+on exacting vengeance for the insults and injuries inflicted on their
+people by the forest guards and by Elbel himself.  With his defeat the
+Belgian's prestige had utterly gone, and to the ignorant negroes the
+opportunity seemed favourable for revenge.  But Imbono, more far-seeing
+than they, had come to ask advice.  He had great difficulty in holding
+his men in.  Should he let them loose, to work their will upon their
+oppressors?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack earnestly advised the chief to do his utmost to restrain them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Believe me, my brother," he said, "if they do as you say they wish to
+do, it will almost certainly bring ruin upon you.  Elobela will be only
+too glad to have an excuse for visiting upon you the rancour caused by
+his reverse.  True, he failed to force my camp; but he is still
+stronger in arms and men than I.  I could do nothing to help you; for
+if I once move out of the shelter of my stockade, I shall be at
+Elobela's mercy.  In the open it is only rifles that count."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I will do as you say, O Lokolobolo.  But it is hard for me, for since
+the coming of Elobela my people do not obey me as they used to do.  If
+I say, do this, Elobela forbids it; if I say, refrain from this,
+Elobela bids them do it.  It is hard for them to serve two masters.
+But I will tell them what my brother says; I can do no more."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You have another white man with you now, besides Elobela?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is true, and he was struck by one of the balls from your guns, and
+is now lying sick in my hut: they have turned me out, and Elobela has
+said that I am no more to provide food for you, my brother, either from
+Ilola or from my other villages.  But one of my young men told me that
+the party you sent out have obtained a supply, and wait in the forest
+until you bid them bring it in."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack thanked the chief, who returned to his village.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The news he brought was not of a kind to lessen Jack's anxiety.  What
+he had expected had at last happened.  He had little doubt that the
+commandeering of food would soon be followed by the stoppage of his
+water supply.  Without access to water the camp was doomed.  It was
+possible that if he made common cause with Imbono their united forces
+might overcome Elbel's forest guards; but the attempt could be made
+only at a terrible risk, and if it failed the whole population of the
+two settlements must be annihilated.  Jack saw now that the presence of
+his camp so near Ilola was a source of danger to it.  This could not
+have been foreseen; but how much better it would have been, he thought,
+if he had chosen a different site.  At another spot, remote from the
+village, with a more defensible position, and near a good water supply,
+the present weaknesses would not have existed, and at all events Imbono
+might not have been involved in the consequences of the quarrel with
+Elbel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But it was too late to think of that.  Certainly no move could be made
+while Elbel was close by with a considerable force.  If Elbel took
+advantage of his superiority to hold the camp closely invested, there
+would never be any possibility of moving at all.  Deprived of water,
+Jack must soon choose between the alternatives&mdash;to surrender, or to
+make a sally at the head of his men and put all to the hazard of an
+open fight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two days passed.  Jack kept a close watch on Ilola through his
+field-glass; all seemed quiet there, and of Elbel himself he saw
+nothing.  What was his amazement, when at daybreak he took his stand on
+the platform overlooking Ilola, to see Elbel marching out at the head
+of the greater part of his force, and making for the river bank.  He
+waited an hour, and when they did not return, and the patrols had not
+appeared, he sent out a couple of men by a roundabout way to follow the
+movements of the force, and allowed the usual water carriers to go out
+with their calabashes.  These, returning soon with water, reported a
+strange thing.  From the women of Ilola whom they had met on a like
+errand at the river, they had learnt that Elobela had set off with his
+men in their smoke-boat, and that Boloko had been left in charge of the
+village with about as many men as he had brought at first.  Several
+hours later Jack's scouts came back, and said that they had followed
+along the bank the course of Elobela's launch; he was going rapidly
+down the river.  They could only suppose that he was making for the
+headquarters of his company some hundreds of miles away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What did I say at all at all?" remarked Barney when Jack told him the
+great news.  "He's no gentleman, that's as plain as the nose on his
+face, sorr.  A man who will take two lickings and thin run away is not
+fit to wipe your shoes on."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You seem disappointed, Barney, but frankly I'm very glad.  I could
+fling up my hat and cheer if I hadn't to keep up my dignity before
+these natives.  Though I fear we haven't seen the last of Mr. Elbel by
+any means.  We shall have him upon us sooner or later with an
+overwhelming force.  But sufficient unto the day; my uncle should be
+back long before that, if Elbel doesn't meet and stop him on the road.
+Well, we now have a chance to move our camp, for if Elbel is on his way
+to headquarters he can't get back for weeks.  And first of all, Barney,
+take a dozen men and bring in that food that's waiting in the forest.
+We shan't be able to move for a day or two, at any rate; we must choose
+our site more carefully this time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thinking over the matter, Jack was not long in coming to the decision
+that the best place to establish his new camp would be near the
+cataract.  From his recollection of the ground above it he thought it
+was admirably situated from a strategical point of view.  It would have
+the incidental advantage of protecting Mr. Martindale's claim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The one disadvantage was its distance from the sources of food supply.
+But this caused Jack to give serious consideration to a matter which
+had once or twice dimly suggested itself to him.  He had been more and
+more impressed with the necessity of his party being self-supporting,
+so far as the staple articles of food were concerned, if they were to
+make a long stay in this country.  He remembered how Stanley during his
+search for Emin Pasha had been able to sow, grow, and reap crops at
+Fort Bodo in a remarkably short time.  Why should not he do the same?
+When he was joined by Mr. Martindale's contingent a large quantity of
+food would be needed.  No doubt they would bring stores with them; but
+these could not last very long, especially in view of the unexpected
+drain upon the resources of the expedition caused by the arrival of the
+fugitives from Banonga and elsewhere.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I wonder what Uncle will say when he sees them," Jack remarked to
+Barney, when he opened up to him this question of food supply.  "You
+remember at Banonga he said he wasn't going to start a boys' home; this
+is still more serious&mdash;a sort of convalescent home for non-paying
+patients."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis meself that isn't wan little bit afraid uv what the master will
+say.  Sure don't I know to a letther what 'twill be!  'My gracious
+me!'&mdash;don't ye hear him, sorr?&mdash;'what in the world will I want wid all
+these disgraceful lookin' objects?  This ain't business.  I'm not a
+philanthrophy, an' I don't exactly see my way to run a croosade.'  An'
+thin he'll say, 'Poor fellow!' an' 'Poor wumman!' an' 'Poor little
+chap!' an' he'll dive his hands into his pockets an' suddenly remimber
+himself that money is no manner uv good in this counthry, an' he'll
+say: 'We must kind uv fix up some sort uv something for 'em, Barney.'
+Didn't I know 'm by heart the first day I drove him in London, and he
+went up to the horse and opened his jaw an' looked in his eyes an' says
+'He'll do.'  Sure I'd niver have named me little darlint uv a Pat to 'm
+if I hadn't known the kind uv gintleman he was at all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack smiled at Barney's way of putting it, but admitted the truth of
+the portrait.  Mr. Martindale was indeed a capable man of affairs&mdash;an
+example of the best type of the American man of business, the
+embodiment of the qualities by which the extraordinary commercial
+prosperity of the United States has been built up.  But Jack knew that
+he was more than a man of business.  His was a big heart, and it was
+one of the minor vexations of his life that he had to take some trouble
+to conceal it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack's final conclusion was that there was not only every prospect of
+an extended stay if this mining scheme was to be followed up, but that
+the number of persons to be provided for would be more considerable
+than it was possible at present to calculate.  Obviously, then, it
+behoved him to employ the time before Mr. Martindale's arrival in
+preparing for contingencies.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elbel's departure had immediate consequences in Ilola.  His presence
+had in some measure curbed the worse propensities of his black
+followers: they could only be brutal in obedience to orders; but the
+moment he was gone they began to show themselves once more in their
+true light.  Before a day had passed Imbono came into the camp to
+complain of the insolence and rapacity of Boloko and his men.  Jack
+advised him to do nothing to give Boloko any excuse for violence, but
+he had still to plumb the depths of savagery and brutality in the men
+whom the Free State Government callously allowed the trading companies
+to employ in the exploitation of rubber.  He had still to learn that
+where violence was intended, not even the shadow of an excuse was any
+longer considered necessary.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One morning Imbono came to him in a frenzy of rage and indignation.
+His third wife had been tending her cooking pot when Boloko came up and
+asked what food she was preparing.  "A fowl," she replied civilly.
+"Give it me," he demanded.  "It is not yet cooked, O Boloko," the poor
+woman answered.  "You refuse me, Ngondisi?" cried the ruffian.  "Lift
+your hands and open your eyes wide that I may see the white of them, or
+I will shoot you."  Ngondisi in terror obeyed.  "You do not open them
+wide enough," said the wretch with a laugh, and he lifted the gun and
+fired; and the woman fell upon her face; she would never open her eyes
+again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Boloko had in this case reckoned without the spirit of confidence
+engendered in the natives by the discomfiture of Elbel.  He had only
+ten men in the village when the incident occurred; the rest were
+absent, levying toll on Imbono's other villages a few miles distant.
+Even while Imbono, with tears of anguish, was telling Jack what had
+been done, the spark had been applied to the tinder.  An extraordinary
+commotion was heard in the direction of Ilola: shots, yells, the war
+cry of infuriate men.  Rushing out with Imbono, Jack arrived in the
+village to find that retaliation had at last been wreaked for months of
+wrong.  It was difficult at first to make out what had happened.  It
+appeared that in Imbono's absence the men of the village had suddenly
+seized their arms, and flung themselves in one desperate rush upon
+Boloko and his men.  What cared they if several of their number fell
+before the tyrants' rifles?  Heedless of wounds they closed about the
+forest guards; there was a brief hand-to-hand fight, eight of Boloko's
+men had fallen to weapons wielded with the energy of despair, and of
+the party only Boloko himself and two men had made their escape into
+the forest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elate with their victory, the men of Ilola had hastened off to the
+other villages, to surprise the guards there.  It was too late now to
+recall them, but Jack had arrived on the spot just in time to rescue
+one man, whom the villagers were on the point of massacring.  The white
+sous-officier who had been wounded in the fight before Jack's camp had
+been placed in Imbono's hut.  Roused by the sound of firing, he had
+dragged himself from his mattress and, rifle in hand, came to the
+entrance of the hut just as Jack entered the gate with the chief.  The
+villagers had forgotten him; but when they saw in their power a white
+man, one of those to whom all their afflictions were due, a band of
+them sprang towards him with uplifted spears.  He fired: one of the men
+fell.  The rest paused for an instant, and were on the point of dashing
+forward to make an end of their enemy when Jack rushed between them and
+their prey, and cried to them in Imbono's name to stay their hands.
+Reluctantly, with lowering countenances, they obeyed the command of
+their chief's white brother.  No mercy had been shown to them: why
+should they show mercy?  But when Imbono reminded them that the slaying
+of a white man would bring upon them the hordes of Bula Matadi, and
+that Elobela had already gone down the river, probably to bring many
+soldiers back with him, they sullenly drew off, and allowed Jack to
+remove the man to the safety of his own camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Belgian knew no English, but Jack had a fair working knowledge of
+French which he found was equal to the occasion.  The man explained
+that he was an ex-noncommissioned officer of the State forces, whose
+services had been enlisted by Elbel in dealing with the refractory
+natives.  He seemed quite unable to understand Jack's point of view.
+To him the natives were so many parasites, the goods and chattels of
+the State, with no property and no rights.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why, monsieur," he said, "we pay them for the work they do; we have a
+right to demand labour of them for nothing.  See what we have done for
+their country!  Look at the rubber stations on the river, the fine
+buildings, the telegraphs, the cataract railway; where would all these
+blessings of civilization have been but for the noble self-sacrifice of
+King Leopold?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack gave up the attempt to argue with him that the country belonged
+primarily to its natural inhabitants, forbore to point out that King
+Leopold had expressly declared that he had the advancement of the
+natives at heart.  He contented himself with insisting that the actions
+of which Elbel and his minions had been guilty in Ilola were contrary
+to the law of the Free State itself.  He was much struck by the
+Belgian's answer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah, monsieur, we have no book of rules, no code of laws.  What can we
+do?  We are the only law.  Yes, monsieur, we are the only God in the
+Maranga."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next day Jack went with Imbono and Lepoko to the waterfall, to survey
+the place as a possible site for a camp, or, to speak more strictly, a
+settlement.  The chief was troubled and displeased at the prospect of
+the removal of his blood brother's camp, but made no urgent
+remonstrance.  On arriving at the spot, Jack at once detected signs
+that some one had recently been making investigations there.  He had no
+doubt that this was Elbel.  The secret of the gold had probably been
+disclosed in an incautious moment to one of his escort by the men who
+had accompanied Mr. Martindale on his second visit.  Elbel already knew
+enough of the American's business to make him keenly interested, and
+alert to follow up the slightest clue.  Knowing what he now knew of the
+methods of the State officials, Jack was ready to believe that Elbel
+would strain every nerve to get Mr. Martindale hounded out of the
+country, in order to have an opportunity of turning the discovery of
+gold to his own profit.  Could his sudden departure from the village,
+Jack wondered, have been his first move in this direction?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Carefully examining the ground above the waterfall, Jack saw that a
+good deal would have to be done to make it suitable for a settlement.
+He heard from Imbono that during several months of the year the stream
+was much broader than at present, and at the point where it debouched
+from the hill, three or four miles below, it and other streams
+overflowed their banks, forming a wide swamp, almost a lake, some ten
+miles from east to west and more than half a mile broad.  This, during
+the rainy season, practically cut off all communication from the
+direction of the village.  On the far side of the hill the bluffs were
+so precipitous as to make access very difficult.  This isolated hill
+formed therefore a kind of huge castle, of which the swamp for half the
+year was the natural moat.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It seemed to Jack that the most convenient site for his new camp was
+the slope of the hill immediately above the cataract.  The incline here
+was very slight; the hill face only became steep again about a quarter
+of a mile from the fall; there it rose abruptly for fully fifty or
+sixty yards, sloping gently for the next half mile.  Jack saw that if
+he built his entrenched camp in the neighbourhood of the waterfall, it
+would be to a slight extent commanded by an enemy posted on the steep
+ascent above.  But by raising his defences somewhat higher on that side
+he hoped to overcome this disadvantage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With a little labour, he thought, the soil around the cataract could be
+made suitable for planting food-stuffs.  It was virgin soil, and owing
+to the slight fall of the ground at this spot, and to the fact that it
+was partially protected by the contour of the hill against floods from
+above, the leaves that for ages past had fallen from the thick copses
+fringing the banks, and from the luxuriant undergrowth on the small
+plateau itself, had not been washed down.  These deposits had greatly
+enriched the alluvium, and Imbono said that large crops of manioc,
+maize, groundnuts, and sweet potatoes could easily be grown, as well as
+plantains and bananas and sugar cane.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On returning to his camp by Ilola, Jack told Barney the results of his
+investigation, and announced that he had definitely made up his mind to
+settle on the new site.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Very good, sorr," said Barney; "but what'll become uv Ilola?  Beggin'
+your pardon, sorr, 'twas a very solemn affair, that ceremony uv
+brotherhood, an' though sure it had niver a blessing from a priest&mdash;an'
+like enough Father Mahone would think it a poor haythen sort uv
+business&mdash;still, to the poor niggers, sorr, it may be just as great a
+thing as if the priest had blessed it in the name uv Almighty God."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, what are you driving at, Barney?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why this, sorr.  The chief and you made a bargain to help wan another;
+an' sure ye've kept it, both uv you.  Well, if we go away, there's no
+more help for either uv you, an' 'tis Imbono will be most in need uv
+it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You mean that I'm deserting my ally, eh?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, isn't it me that knows ye'd niver do it?  But I just
+speak for the look uv the thing, sorr.  Sure niver a man knows betther
+than Barney O'Dowd that things are not always what they seem."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"To tell you the truth, Barney, I've been thinking it over on the way
+back.  I could see that Imbono doesn't like the idea of our moving,
+though he was too polite to mention it&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis a rale Irish gintleman he is, sorr," interrupted Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's no doubt that Elbel, or Boloko, or both, will come back sooner
+or later.  Leaving me out of the question, the slaughter of Boloko's
+party won't go unpunished.  To overlook that would ruin the authority
+of the forest guards for hundreds of miles round.  Well, what does it
+mean when they return?  They'll make a terrible example of Ilola.
+Imbono and his people will be wiped out.  And you're quite right in
+believing that I couldn't stand by and see that done.  But you see what
+it involves.  We must plan our camp so as to be able to take in the
+whole of Imbono's people from the three villages&mdash;I suppose about four
+hundred in all, children included.  That's a large order, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True it is, sorr.  But you wouldn't keep out the childher, poor little
+souls; an' mighty proud uv Pat they are, too.  Besides, sorr, they'll
+all help, ivery soul, to build the camp; many hands make light work;
+an' ye couldn't expect 'em to set up a lot uv huts for us barring they
+saw a chance uv bein' invited now and again, at least as payin' guests,
+sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Barney, I'd made up my mind to it all along, but I thought I'd
+like to sound you first.  So all we've got to do now is to relieve
+Imbono's suspense and set to work.  We'll start with clearing the soil
+for crops.  It will take some time to plan the new camp, and we've
+always this one to retreat to.  Take Lepoko over to Ilola and make the
+announcement yourself, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I will, sorr, wid the greatest pleasure in life.  'Deed, 'twas meself
+that took the news to Biddy O'Flaherty whin her pig had won the prize
+at Ballymahone Show, and was just coming away wid a penny in me pocket
+when I met Mike Henchie.  'An' what would ye be afther, Mike?' says I.
+'Carryin' the news to Biddy O'Flaherty, to be sure,' says he.  'Arrah
+thin, 'tis too late ye are,' says I.  'Isn't it meself that's just got
+a penny for that same news?' 'Bedad,' says he, 'what will have come to
+Biddy at all?'  'What is it ye'd be maning?' says I; 'sure she didn't
+give me a penny,' says Mike, 'last year whin I brought her the news.
+She gave me a screech and went black in the face, an' sure 'twas for
+the same fun I'm here this blessed minute?'  'Husht!' says I.  'Biddy
+didn't win the prize last year at all.  'Twas Patsy M'Manus.'  'An' who
+is it this time but that same Patsy?' says Mike.  'But I heard the
+judge wid me very own ears give it to Biddy!' says I.  'Deed so,' says
+he; 'but some wan renumbered him that Patsy had won it two years on
+end.  "Me old friend Patsy!" says he.  "Sure I couldn't break her heart
+by spoilin' the third time.  I'll give it to Patsy," says he.'  An'
+Patsy hadn't shown a pig at all that year, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap16"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XVI
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+The House by the Water
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+With characteristic energy, Jack next day set about the work in
+earnest.  He posted sentinels several miles down the river and on the
+only forest paths by which a force was likely to approach, to give him
+timely notice if the enemy appeared.  Then, with as many men as he
+could muster, and a great number of women, he hastened to the
+waterfall, and began the work of clearing the ground.  He had decided
+to start from the site of the proposed settlement and work outwards, so
+that the crops would be as much as possible under the protection of the
+camp: it would never do to raise a harvest for the enemy to reap.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He placed Mboyo, Samba's father, in command of all his own people who
+had turned up, and of such people from other tribes as now came
+dropping in daily, the news of the white men who helped the negroes and
+feared not Bula Matadi having by this time spread abroad in the land.
+Every new contingent of fugitives brought a fresh tale of outrage,
+causing Jack to persevere under the discouragements with which he met,
+and to vow that he would do all in his power to protect the poor people
+who looked to him for succour.  What the ultimate result of his action
+would be he did not stay to consider.  It was enough for him that a
+work of urgent need lay ready to his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He did not blink the fact that he and his followers were now in reality
+in revolt against the constituted authorities of the Free State.
+Elbel, it was true, was only a servant of a concessionnaire company,
+vested with certain trading and taxing privileges; but government as
+understood in the Free State was conducted by the delegation of powers
+from the central authority to private or corporate trading concerns.
+How far the powers of such a man as Elbel really extended in point of
+law Jack did not know.  But he had been driven into his present
+position by a series of events in the face of which he could not find
+that any other course of action than the one he had adopted was open to
+him.  And while he recognized fully the essential weakness of his
+position, however well fortified he might regard himself on grounds of
+humanity, he faced boldly what seemed the likeliest immediate
+consequence of his actions&mdash;the return of Elbel in force.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile he was beginning to be a little concerned at not hearing from
+Mr. Martindale.  It was many weeks since his last note had arrived.
+Jack was not yet seriously anxious about his uncle's non-appearance in
+person, for he could easily conceive that delays might occur in the
+prosecution of his business in strange places and among strange people,
+and when he reflected he came to the conclusion that Mr. Martindale
+might naturally hesitate to send many messengers.  They were very
+expensive, having to come so many hundreds of miles, and moreover there
+was always a chance that a letter might miscarry.  The Congo was not
+too safe a highway; the Free State methods had not been such as to
+instil a respect for "law" among the victims of its rule.  Jack knew
+full well that if a messenger from his uncle fell into Elbel's hands,
+he would not be allowed to proceed.  It was possible that Mr.
+Martindale's purchase of rifles, and their destination, had been
+discovered; and the idea that he might be involved in some trouble with
+the courts made Jack feel uneasy at times.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he was so extremely busy that he had little leisure for speculation
+of any kind.  The work of clearing the ground proceeded with wonderful
+rapidity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They talk about the negro being lazy," he remarked one day to Barney;
+"he doesn't look like it now."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah, sorr, they say the same about my counthrymen.  Perhaps the truth
+is the same in Ireland as 'tis here.  For why are the niggers here not
+lazy, sorr?  Just because you'd explained to them what the work's for,
+and they know they'll get the good uv it.  There may be scuts uv
+spalpeens that won't work at any time for anything or anybody at all.
+'Tis they I'd use that chicotte on, sorr; but I don't see any here, to
+be sure."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When enough ground had been cleared and sowed to furnish a considerable
+crop, Jack turned the whole of his available force on to the work of
+building the entrenched camp.  Imbona had welcomed with gratitude and
+enthusiasm the suggestion that the new settlement should be made large
+enough to contain the whole population of his villages in case of need;
+and his men having discontinued their unprofitable search for rubber
+when the forest guards disappeared, he could employ them almost all in
+the work.  For Jack did not recognize the prescriptive right of the men
+to leave all the field work, when the clearing had been done, to the
+women, as is the invariable negro custom.  Whether in the fields or on
+the new defences, he insisted on all taking a share.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The greatest difficulty he encountered in the construction of his new
+camp was the want of materials.  The country in the immediate vicinity
+of the waterfall was only sparsely wooded, and too much time and labour
+would be consumed in hauling logs from the forest below.  But he found
+a large copse bordering the stream, higher up, and here he felled the
+trees, floating the logs down to the side of his settlement, not
+without difficulty, owing to the narrow tortuous bed.  These, however,
+proved quite insufficient for the construction of a thick and
+impenetrable stockade round the whole circuit of the chosen site.  Jack
+therefore determined to use the boulders that lay in the course of the
+stream, thus unawares making his camp a cross between an Afghan stone
+sangar and a log fort, such as were built by the pioneers and
+fur-traders of the American west.  The labour of transporting the heavy
+boulders to the site of the settlement was very great; but the heart of
+the labourers being, as Barney had said, in their work, they toiled
+ungrudgingly, and, with the ingenuity that the negro often unexpectedly
+displays, they proved very fertile in simple labour-saving devices.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fort was built on the left bank of the stream just above the
+cataract, so that the steep cliffs formed an effective defence to its
+southern side.  Before falling over the precipice, the stream ran
+through a gully some twelve feet deep.  The western side of the fort
+rested on the gully, and was thus with difficulty accessible in this
+quarter.  Only on the north and east was it necessary to provide strong
+defensive works.  These faces were each about a hundred yards long.  At
+the western extremity of the northern face, where it rested on the
+stream, Jack placed a solid blockhouse of logs.  He constructed a
+similar blockhouse at the eastern extremity of this face, and a third
+at the south-east corner where the stone wall abutted on the precipice.
+All three blockhouses were constructed as bastions, so as to enfilade
+the northern and eastern faces.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the outer defences were thus completed, the negroes were set to
+work to build the necessary habitations within.  Hundreds of tall
+stems, thousands of climbers, vines, and creepers, piles of palm and
+phrynia leaves, were collected, and in an amazingly short time the
+space so lately bare was covered with neat huts built in native fashion
+for the negroes, with three more substantial dwellings, somewhat apart
+from the rest, for Mr. Martindale, Jack, and Barney.  A wide open space
+was left in the middle.  At one point a great heap of boulders was
+collected for repairing the wall if necessary; and Jack placed his
+ammunition securely in an underground magazine.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In two months from the departure of Elbel Jack was able to transfer his
+stores to the new settlement.  The crops in the cultivated area were
+already far advanced.  Jack was amazed to see how quickly in this
+teeming soil the bare brown face of the earth became covered with the
+tender shoots of green, and how rapid was the progress to full
+maturity.  Clearly the new village, to which the natives had given the
+name Ilombekabasi, "the house by the water," would be in no straits for
+its food supply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was Barney who suggested a doubt about the water.  Jack found him as
+a rule a good commentator, but a poor originator; he could very
+prettily embroider an idea, but very rarely had an idea of his own.
+But on this occasion he had a flash of insight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"By the powers, sorr," he said one morning, as Jack and he were walking
+along the stream, "I do remimber just this very minute two lines uv
+poethry, out uv a poethry book I was made to learn whin I was a bhoy
+an' they talked uv sendin' me in for 'zamination by the Intermaydiate
+Board.  It never come to anything, to be sure, because by the time I
+was old enough to sit for the 'zamination I was too old, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, what are the lines?"
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+'"Water, water iverywhere,<br />
+An' not a dhrop to dhrink.'"<br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+'Twas about some poor sailor man that shot a bird at sea, an 'twas a
+holy bird, an' whin 'twas dead the wind did not blow, an' the sailors
+dropped down dead, an' ghosts came aboard, an' the sky was like a hot
+copper, an' this poor divil uv a fellow was alone, all, all alone, as
+the book said, wid the dead bird slung round his neck, an' his lips
+parched, an' water all about, but as salt as a herring, so that he
+couldn't drink it; bedad, sorr, I remimber how mighty bad I felt meself
+whin my ould tacher&mdash;rest his sowl!&mdash;read out those lines in a sort uv
+whisper, an' me lips went as dhry as an old boot, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The idea, you perceive, was by this time pretty well smothered under
+its embroidery.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You mean that the enemy might try to divert the stream if they
+attacked our camp?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis the very marrow uv it, sorr, an' mighty aisy it would be.  Sure
+there are plenty uv boulders left, an' they could make a dam that would
+turn this stream at the narrow part above, an' niver a blessed dhrop uv
+dhrink should we get."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You're right, Barney.  We must be prepared for anything.  Let us go
+and look round."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Strolling up stream, they came, within a short distance of the spot
+where inspiration had flashed upon Barney, to a small spring bubbling
+up near the river bank.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Here's water, Barney," said Jack.  "It rather suggests that we'd find
+water inside the camp if we sank a well."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True, sorr; but I'm thinking that would need a terrible deal uv
+diggin'."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Still it may have to be done.  We can't use this spring; it's a
+hundred yards at least away from the stockade&mdash;too far to come, under
+fire from Albini rifles."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And we couldn't make it run into the camp, sorr, more's the pity."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Stop a bit.  I don't know that we couldn't.  We might make a conduit."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What might that be, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A pipe.  It would have to be underground."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And if we got a pipe, an' could lay it, the marks uv the diggin' would
+bethray us.  Don't the streets uv London prove it whin the County
+Council has been taking up the drains?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Unless we could cover them in some way.  That might be managed.  A
+greater difficulty is the natives.  They've worked very well, but we
+don't know yet how far they can be trusted; and if they knew of this
+water-pipe we propose, they might blab the secret and undo all our
+work."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And where's the pipe, sorr?  There are no gas pipes or drain pipes in
+this haythen counthry."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, but there are plenty of bamboos.  We could make an excellent pipe
+of them.  The digging is the difficulty.  We can't get the natives to
+do it without giving our plan away, and we can't do it ourselves for
+the same reason.  I shall have to think this out, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sleep on it, sorr.  Begorra, I remimber two more lines from that same
+poetry book&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+'Sleep, sleep, it is a blessed thing<br />
+Beloved from pole to pole';<br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+an' no wonder at all, for many a time I've gone to me bed bothered
+about wan thing or another, and bedad, the morn's morn 'twas all as
+clear as the blessed daylight, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I'll sleep on it, Barney, and let you know to-morrow what the
+result is."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was close thought, however, before he fell asleep that gave Jack the
+solution of the problem.  All the natives now knew that the object of
+the white man's presence here was to search for gold; they knew also
+that to obtain the gold the soil had to be excavated.  Why not turn
+their knowledge to good account?  Instead of laying his conduit in a
+direct line from the spring to the nearest point of the stockade, he
+would lay it along, or rather in, the side of the gully; it would thus
+be more likely to escape observation, and the disturbed ground could be
+planted with quick-growing creepers or covered up with boulders.  As a
+blind to the natives, he would have a number of excavations made at the
+edge of the gully, both above and below the waterfall, and one of these
+could be used for the bamboo pipe without anybody being the wiser save
+the few who must necessarily be in the secret.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next morning, accordingly, Jack, under pretence of continuing the
+search for gold, set the men to make a series of shallow excavations.
+Most of these were cut below the cataract, and, using the prospector's
+pan, Jack obtained what he hoped his uncle would consider good results
+from the soil.  He carefully noted the places along the exposed bed of
+the stream in which the best returns were found.  But the excavations
+were abandoned one by one, and attention was not unduly directed to any
+of them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One of the excavations above the waterfall was the channel for the
+conduit.  Jack carried it from within a few yards of the spring to a
+spot near the north-west blockhouse, overlooking the gully.  At one
+time it seemed that his plan would be wrecked, literally upon a rock,
+for a huge mass of stone of almost granite hardness was met with a
+little less than half-way from the spring.  But Jack was relieved to
+find soft earth beneath it, and the obstacle was turned by sinking the
+conduit at this place some feet below the usual level.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At a short distance from the blockhouse, within the stockade, Jack set
+the men to excavate a large tank, with a surface outlet over the
+cataract; and from the bottom of the tank he drove a tunnel, just large
+enough to accommodate a bamboo pipe, to the nearest point of the gully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tank was an object of great curiosity to the natives, both those
+who had dug it and those who looked on.  The children amused themselves
+by jumping in and out until the bottom became so deep as to make that
+sport dangerous; their elders congregated at the edge, chattering among
+themselves, some suggesting that it was intended as a storehouse for
+grain, others, as a grave in which to bury Elobela and his men when
+they were killed in the fight that all expected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Jack had taken two of the natives into his confidence.  They
+were Mboyo and Samba.  The former was silent by nature and habit.
+Samba would have torn out his tongue rather than divulge any secret of
+his master's.  Jack entrusted to them the construction of the conduit.
+He knew enough of their language by this time to be able to explain
+what he wanted without Lepoko's assistance, and they quickly seized his
+idea.  Working by themselves in a bamboo plantation at Ilola, they
+selected stalks of slightly different thickness which would fit into
+one another; and Jack found that by carefully packing the joints with
+earth from the peaty swamp, he could make a pipe of the required length
+practically free from leakage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It remained to lay the conduit in position.  This task he reserved for
+himself and Barney, with the assistance of Mboyo and Samba.  To avoid
+observation by the people, it was necessary to do the work at night.
+Accordingly one day Jack gave orders that no one was to leave the camp
+without permission after the evening meal was eaten.  Immediately after
+sunset the four quickly issued from the gate in the northern wall of
+the fort, one at a time so as not to attract attention.  Mboyo and
+Samba brought the sections of the pipe from the place where they had
+concealed them, and under Jack's direction they laid them along the
+gully, covering up each length of bamboo as it was placed.  The trench
+having been already prepared, the actual labour involved was not great,
+the only difficulty being to remove as far as possible the traces of
+their operations.  But it took time, and was impeded by the darkness,
+so that on the first night, after several hours of work, only the pipe
+had been laid, no connexion having yet been made with the tank or the
+spring.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The work was continued under similar conditions on the following night.
+A connexion having been made with the tank, it only remained to tap the
+spring.  A hole, some three feet deep, was dug where the water bubbled
+up, and formed into a fairly water-tight chamber by lining it with
+stone chipped from the boulders.  Into this one end of the conduit was
+carried.  Then the hole was filled in, and covered with two heavy
+pieces of rock, placed in as natural and unstudied a position as
+possible.  While this was being done by Mboyo and Samba, Jack and
+Barney dibbled the roots of sweet potato creepers into the soil along
+the whole length of the conduit, knowing that they would grow so
+rapidly that in a few weeks every trace of their work would be hidden
+by the foliage; moreover the plant would serve a double purpose.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The spring was a small one; nevertheless, by the time the night's task
+was completed, and the party returned to the camp, there were already
+two or three inches of water in the tank, and it was steadily rising.
+Barney was even more delighted than Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis wonderful what a power uv good poethry can do in the world,
+sorr," he said.  "An' sure the commissionaires uv education in the ould
+counthry would be proud men the day did they know that Barney O'Dowd,
+though he didn't pass his 'zamination, has made a mighty fine use uv
+the little poethry book."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Great was the surprise of the natives when they awoke next morning to
+see the mysterious tank full of water, and a tiny overflow trickling
+from it over the cataract.  They discussed it for the whole of the day,
+inventing every explanation but the right one.  The original spring had
+been so near the river and so inconspicuous that its disappearance was
+not noticed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack felt a glow of satisfaction as he looked round on his work.  Here
+was an orderly settlement, on an excellent natural site, defended by a
+stockade and wall impregnable save to artillery, with fresh clean huts,
+well-cultivated fields, and an inexhaustible water supply.  It had
+involved much thought and care and toil; how amply they had been
+rewarded!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His men were now all transferred from their old settlement to the new
+one.  Imbono's people still remained in their villages, not without
+reluctance.  They knew that the gate of Ilombekabasi would always be
+open to them if danger threatened; but they felt the attractions of the
+place, and wished to migrate at once.  And they were particularly
+jealous of the refugees.  These people were strangers; why should they
+have better habitations and stronger defences than they themselves?
+Why were they permitted to remain in Imbono's country at all?  Jack had
+much ado to keep the peace between the two parties.  Quarrels were
+frequent, and that they did not develop into open strife was a tribute
+to Jack's diplomacy, and to the strange influence which Samba had
+acquired.  The winning qualities which had captivated Mr. Martindale
+seemed to have a magical effect upon the people.  The boy had always
+been a special pet among his own folks; his merry nature won the
+affection of Imbono's subjects also.  Jack kept an observant eye upon
+him, and more than once saw him quietly approach a group where
+bickering and recrimination were going on, and by some grace of
+address, or some droll antic played with his inseparable companion Pat,
+turn frowns to smiles, and suspicion to good fellowship.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the inhabitants of Ilombekabasi was the Belgian sergeant rescued
+from the villagers in Ilola.  He gave his parole not to attempt to
+escape, and indeed endured captivity patiently, for he knew not how far
+away his friends might be, and to wander alone in this forest country
+meant death.  Jack sometimes talked with him, taking the opportunity of
+airing his French, and finding some little interest in sounding the
+man's views.  At first the Belgian would not admit that the natives had
+any rights, or that there was anything particularly obnoxious in the
+system of administration.  But he changed his mind one day when Jack
+put to him a personal question.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How would you, a Belgian, like it if some strange sovereign&mdash;the
+German emperor, say&mdash;came down upon you and compelled you to go into
+your woods and collect beech-nuts for him, paying you at the rate of a
+sou a day, or not at all, and thrashing or maiming or killing you if
+you did not collect enough?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The question was unanswerable, and from that time the Belgian became a
+meditative man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The refugees were gradually increasing in number.  By the time the camp
+was finished Mboyo's command had grown to sixty men, with nearly as
+many women and twice as many children.  All brought stories of the
+barbarous deeds of the rubber collectors; many bore in maimed limbs or
+scarred backs the personal evidences of the oppressors' cruelty.  Jack
+was moved almost to tears one day.  A fine-looking negro came into the
+camp carrying something wrapped in palm leaves, and asked to be taken
+to Lokolobolo.  When brought before Jack he removed the wrappings, and,
+unutterable woe depicted on his face, displayed a tiny black hand and
+foot.  His village had been raided, he said, and with his wife and
+children and a few others he had fled to the forest, where they lived
+on roots and leaves and nuts.  The forest guards tracked them out.  One
+day, when he was absent fishing, a brutal sentry came upon his wife as
+she was collecting leaves for the evening meal.  He learnt from one of
+his friends what happened.  Before the woman could escape the sentry
+shot her, and as she was only wounded, his "boys" chopped her with
+their knives till she died.  Others of his hangers-on took the
+children; and when the father returned to the place where he had left
+them, he found the dead body of his wife, and one hand and foot, all
+that remained of his little ones from the cannibal feast.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was incidents like these that stiffened Jack's back.  He had crossed
+his Rubicon: the gate of Ilombekabasi stood open to all who chose to
+come.  And they came steadily.  For a time many of them were too weak
+to be useful members of the little society.  But as with good food and
+freedom from care their strength increased, they began to be
+self-supporting, Mboyo employed them in attending to the crops and
+bringing new ground under cultivation.  Several were artificers, and
+were useful in doing smith's or carpenter's work.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In addition to keeping the villagers employed, Jack set apart a portion
+of every day for military exercises.  Every able-bodied man was armed;
+those for whom there were no rifles carried the native spears.  When
+Boloko fled from Ilola he left a number of Albini rifles and a stock of
+ammunition behind.  These Jack appropriated, so that his corps of
+riflemen now numbered sixty.  He used his cartridges very sparingly,
+for his stock was not large, and he saw no possibility of replenishing
+it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Now and again he arranged for a sham fight.  One party of men was told
+off to storm the stockade, an equal party to defend it.  No firearms
+were used on these occasions; the weapons employed were wooden poles
+with wadded ends.  Such fights afforded excellent practice against a
+real attack, and not a little amusement and enjoyment to the natives,
+who entered into the spirit of them enthusiastically, and took the hard
+knocks and bruises with as much cheerfulness as schoolboys on a
+football field.  These little operations were useful to Jack also.  By
+their means he discovered the weak spots in his defences, and was able
+to strengthen them accordingly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he was now becoming seriously alarmed at Mr. Martindale's continued
+absence.  Eight weeks had passed since his last letter came to hand,
+nearly five months since his departure.  What could have happened?
+Jack could not think that his uncle had willingly left him so long to
+bear his heavy responsibility, and now that he had more leisure he
+could not prevent himself from imagining all kinds of mishaps and
+disasters.  At last, when he was on the point of sending a special
+messenger down the river to make inquiries, a negro arrived at the
+settlement with a letter.  He had come within a hundred and fifty miles
+of Ilombekabasi as a paddler on a white man's canoe; the remainder of
+the distance he had covered on foot.  Jack opened the letter eagerly.
+It read:&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+MY DEAR JACK,&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Sorry to leave you so long.  Have been on my back with an attack of
+malaria; three weeks unconscious, they told me.  No need to be anxious:
+I'm on the mend; soon be as fit as a riddle.  Pretty weak, of course;
+malaria isn't exactly slathers of fun.  It will be a fortnight or three
+weeks before I can start; then must travel slowly.  Expect me somewhat
+over a month after you get this.  I've been in a stew about you.  Hope
+you've had no trouble.  Can you stomach native food?  Didn't forget
+your birthday.  Got a present for you&mdash;quite a daisy.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Your affectionate uncle,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;JOHN MARTINDALE.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p>
+P.S.&mdash;Got some hydraulic plant at Boma: a bargain.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap17"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XVII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Buffalo Hunt
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"Dear old uncle!" said Jack as he handed the letter to Barney.  "'Pon
+my soul, I'd forgotten my own birthday, and I haven't the ghost of a
+notion what the day of the month is; have you, Barney?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Divil a bit, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Though, of course, I could reckon it out by counting up the Sundays.
+D'you know, Barney, I almost wish I'd made these negroes knock off work
+one day a week."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure it wouldn't have answered atall atall sorr.  A day's idleness
+would mean a day's quarrelling.  Uv coorse 'tis a pity they're ignorant
+haythens, an' I wish we could have Father Mahone out for a month or two
+to tache the poor craturs; but until they can be tached in the proper
+way, betther let 'em alone, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Perhaps you're right, Barney.  Doesn't it seem to you odd that Uncle
+says nothing about the rubber question?  His first letter, you
+remember, was full of it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Master's a wise man, sorr.  What he does not say says more than what
+he does.  He wouldn't be sure, you see, that his letter would iver
+reach you.  And bedad, if he'd had good things to say uv the State
+officers, wouldn't he have said 'em?  He's found 'em out, sorr, 'tis my
+belief."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I shall be jolly glad to see him, dear old boy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And so will I, sorr, an' to see some things fit for a Christian to
+ate.  Master's stomach won't take niggers' food, an' mine wouldn't if I
+could help it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But you're getting fat, man!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure that's the terrible pity uv it.  Wid dacent food I kept as lean
+as a rake, and I'd niver have believed that the only way to get fat was
+to ate pig's food; for that's what it is, sorr, this maniac and other
+stuff.  I'll now be wanting to get thin again, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The white men's stores had long since given out.  For weeks they had
+had no sugar, no coffee, tea, or cocoa.  Jack as well as Barney had to
+share the natives' food.  Jack did not mind the change, and he believed
+that Barney's objection was more than half feigned, for the Irishman
+ate with unfailing appetite.  The native diet was indeed nutritious and
+not unappetising.  It included fish from the streams, which they ate
+both fresh and smoked; bananas, pine-apples, plantains, Indian corn,
+manioc, ground-nuts, and sweet potatoes.  Manioc was their most
+important food, and Jack after a time began to like it, as made into
+<i>kwanga</i>.  The root of the plant is pounded to a pulp, soaked for
+twenty-four hours in running water, and when it ferments, is worked up
+into a stiff dough.  Cut into slices and fried in ground-nut oil it is
+very palatable.  Jack also found the groundnuts delicious when roasted.
+A few goats kept in the settlement provided milk, and they had a
+regular supply of eggs from their fowls, so that Jack at least
+considered himself very well off.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The crops around the settlement ripened and were gathered: fine fields
+of Indian corn, amazing quantities of manioc and ground-nuts, that
+ripen beneath the soil.  Yet Jack began to wonder whether his
+plantations would meet the needs of the population.  It was still
+growing.  The renown of Lokolobolo and Ilombekabasi had evidently
+spread far and wide, for every week more refugees came in from villages
+far apart.  Besides the men of Jack's original party, there were now
+nearly two hundred people in the settlement, and Jack always had to
+remember that these might any day be increased by the four hundred from
+Imbono's villages, if Elbel returned to avenge Boloko's expulsion, as
+he certainly would do.  Further, Mr. Martindale would no doubt bring
+back with him a certain number of trained workmen&mdash;carpenters,
+engine-men, and so forth; all these must be provided with house room
+and food.  Jack was glad that he had planned the settlement on generous
+lines, though as he looked around he asked himself somewhat anxiously
+whether it would suffice to accommodate all.  And what would his uncle
+say to it?  Would he endorse what Jack had done, and take upon himself
+the protection of these outcasts against their own lawfully
+constituted, however unlawfully administered, government?  Only time
+could decide that, and Jack awaited with growing impatience his uncle's
+return.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One morning a messenger came in from Ilola to say that news had reached
+Imbono of a herd of buffaloes which were feeding about five miles off
+in the open country to the west.  Hitherto Jack had not had leisure to
+indulge his tastes for sport; but the knowledge that big game was now
+so near at hand prompted him to try his luck.  Leaving Barney in charge
+of the settlement, he set off the same morning with Imbono and Mboyo,
+who had both become very fair marksmen, the former with an Albini rifle
+that had been Boloko's, the latter with a Mauser presented to him by
+Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba and Lepoko were in attendance, carrying lunch for the party.
+Though Jack had picked up a good deal of the language, he found it in
+some respects so extraordinarily difficult that he was always glad of
+Lepoko as a stand-by.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By the time they had reached the spot where the herd had first been
+sighted, it had moved some distance away; but it was easily tracked,
+and by dint of careful stalking up the wind the party got within three
+hundred yards without being discovered by the keen-scented beasts.
+Then, however, the country became so open that to approach nearer
+unseen was impossible, and Jack decided to take a shot at them without
+going farther.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had brought the heavy sporting rifle which had accounted for
+Imbono's enemy the hippopotamus in the river.  Selecting the largest of
+the herd&mdash;they were the red buffaloes of the district, a good deal
+smaller than the kind he had seen in America&mdash;he fired and brought it
+down.  The others broke away towards a clump of euphorbias, and Jack
+got another shot as they disappeared; but neither this nor the
+small-bore bullets of the chiefs' rifles appeared to take effect, for
+in an instant, as it seemed, the whole remaining herd vanished from
+sight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack slipped two more cartridges into his empty chamber, and, leaving
+the bush from behind which he had fired, ran towards his kill.  It was
+his first buffalo, and only those who have known the delight of bagging
+their first big game could appreciate his elation and excitement.  He
+outstripped the rest of his party.  The two chiefs, chagrined at their
+failure to bring down the animals at which they had aimed, seemed to
+have lost all interest in the hunt.  Samba left them discussing with
+Lepoko the relative merits of their rifles, and hurried on after his
+master.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack bent over the prostrate body.  Despite the tremor of excitement he
+had felt as he cocked his rifle he found that his aim had been true:
+the buffalo had been shot through the brain.  At that moment&mdash;so
+strange are mental associations&mdash;he wished his school chum Tom Ingestre
+could have been there.  Tom was the keenest sportsman in the school;
+how he would envy Jack when he saw the great horns and skull hanging as
+a trophy above the mantelpiece when he paid that promised visit to New
+York!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But while recollections of "Tiger Tom," as the school had nicknamed
+him, were running through his mind, Jack was suddenly startled by a
+bellow behind him and a couple of shots.  Springing erect, he faced
+round towards the sound, to see Samba's dark body darting between
+himself and a second buffalo plunging towards him from the direction of
+the bushes.  As happened once to Stanley travelling between Vivi and
+Isangila, the suddenness of the onset for the moment paralysed his
+will; he was too young a sportsman to be ready for every emergency.
+But the most seasoned hunter could not have dared to fire, for Samba's
+body at that instant almost hid the buffalo from view, coming as it did
+with lowered head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The animal was only ten yards away when Samba crossed its track; but
+the boy's quick action broke its charge, and it stopped short, as
+though half inclined to turn in pursuit of Samba, who had now passed to
+its left.  Then it again caught sight of Jack and the dead buffalo, and
+with another wild bellow dashed forward.  In these few instants,
+however, Jack had recovered his self-possession, and raised his rifle
+to his shoulder.  As the beast plunged forward it was met by a bullet
+which stretched it inert within a few feet of Jack's earlier victim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bonolu mongo!"[<a id="chap17fn1text"></a><a href="#chap17fn1">1</a>] exclaimed Jack, clapping Samba on the shoulder.
+"But for your plucky dash I should have been knocked over and probably
+killed.  You saw him coming, eh?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Njenaki!"[<a id="chap17fn2text"></a><a href="#chap17fn2">2</a>] replied Samba, with his beaming smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the two chiefs had run up with Lepoko and were examining the
+second buffalo, with an air of haste and excitement.  They began to
+talk at one another so loud and fiercely, and to gesticulate so
+violently, that Jack, though he could not make out a word of what they
+were saying, saw that a pretty quarrel was working up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now, Lepoko," he said, putting himself between the chiefs and sitting
+on the buffalo's head, "what is all this about?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me tell massa," said Lepoko.  "Imbono he say he kill ngombo; Mboyo say
+no, he kill ngombo; Lepoko say massa kill ngombo; no can tell; me fink
+one, two, free hab kill ngombo all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, my own opinion is pretty well fixed, but we'll see.  Why, there
+are three bullet marks in his hide besides mine.  That's mine, you see,
+that large hole in the middle of the forehead.  One of you two must
+have hit him twice.  And I'm hanged if the bullets didn't go clean
+through him.  No wonder he was in a rage.  Tell them what I say,
+Lepoko."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On hearing what Jack had said, the chiefs began to jabber at each other
+again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Kwa te!" said Jack.  "What do they say now, Lepoko?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Imbono say he make two holes, Mboyo say no, he make two holes.  Lepoko
+fink bofe make two holes&mdash;how can do uvver way?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Two and one make three, my man, not four.  I'll soon tell you who made
+the two."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By comparing the wounds he found that two of them had been made by
+Mauser bullets and one by an Albini.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's no doubt about it, Mboyo hit him twice.  But to put an end to
+your squabble let me tell you that you both might have fired at him all
+day and never killed him if you hit him in those parts.  Neither of you
+did him any damage, though you might have done for me, irritating him
+as you did.  We'll settle the matter by saying he is Samba's buffalo.
+It was Samba who got in his way and gave me time to take good aim at
+him.  And Samba might have been killed himself.  I am grateful to your
+son, Mboyo, and proud of him, and when I get back I shall give him one
+of the rifles I have left, as a reward."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This end to the controversy satisfied both the chiefs.  Neither grudged
+Samba anything.  As for the boy, he was more than delighted.  He had
+never dreamt of handling a rifle until he was at least fifteen, when
+the negro boy is as old as the white boy of twenty; and to have one his
+very own made him enormously proud.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He say larn shoot one time, massa," said Lepoko.  "Lepoko plenty
+mislable.  What for?  'Cos he shoot plenty well; but massa no tell him
+to bring gun.  No; Lepoko must lib for talk, talk, talk all time; me no
+happy all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You shall have your chance next time.  Now, Samba, run off to the camp
+and bring some men to cut up the buffaloes.  We will wait hereabouts
+until you come back."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Samba had gone it occurred to Jack that he would eat his luncheon
+at the summit of a small hill that rose steeply about half a mile from
+the spot where the buffaloes had been killed.  The chiefs, disinclined
+like all Africans for exertion that was avoidable and seemed to have no
+object, pointed out that their present situation was quite suited for
+having the meal, and they were quite hungry enough without climbing for
+an appetite.  But Jack persisted.  He wished to ascertain whether there
+was a clear view from the hill, and though he might have ascended it
+alone, he feared lest in his absence the chiefs would again fall out
+over the buffalo.  With an air of resignation the negroes accompanied
+him on the short walk, and luncheon was eaten on the hill-top.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack at least felt that he was well rewarded for his climb.  A
+magnificent panorama was open to his view&mdash;a vast extent of forest-clad
+country, with here and there strips of open ground such as that below
+in which they had discovered the buffaloes.  The forest stretched in an
+almost unbroken mass of foliage as far as the eye could reach,
+approaching on the north-east very close to Imbono's village.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After luncheon Jack got up and walked about the hilltop, taking a
+nearer view of the country through his field-glass.  Here he caught a
+glimpse of the river, a small bluish patch amid the green; there, of a
+little spire of smoke rising perhaps from the fire of one of Imbono's
+scouts.  All at once he halted and stood for some moments gazing
+intently in one direction.  Far away, across a clearing only just
+visible through the trees, something was moving, continuously, in one
+direction.  So great was the distance that the appearance was as of an
+army of ants.  But he fancied he detected a patch or two of white amid
+the mass of black.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mboyo, look here!" he called.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief went to his side, and, stretching his head forward, gazed
+fixedly at the moving mass.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Soldiers!" he exclaimed suddenly.  "Black soldiers, and white chiefs!
+They are going to Ilola."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Imbono sprang to his side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is true," he cried.  "Mboyo speaks the truth.  They are going to
+Ilola!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack drew a deep breath.  The long-expected was coming to pass.  The
+enemy was at hand!  And it was ominous that he was coming from the west
+by land instead of by river from the south.  This must have involved a
+detour of many miles, through difficult forest country; but thus the
+enemy avoided the certainty of his approach being heralded in advance,
+as it would have been if he had come by the river.  Elbel was planning
+a surprise!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was no time to be lost in getting ready for his coming.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Can they reach Ilola to-day, coming through the forest?" Jack asked
+Imbono.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was just possible, replied the chief, but only by dint of very hard
+marching, and they could not arrive before nightfall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must get back," said Jack.  "Come, my brothers."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They descended the hill, and set off at full speed for Ilombekabasi.
+On the way they met a party of men coming under Samba's guidance to
+bring in the buffaloes.  Jack bade them hasten in their task; they were
+far from any probable line of march of the enemy, and the meat might
+now prove very valuable.  Hurrying on to his camp, Jack told Barney
+what he had seen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We're in for it now, Barney," he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And we're ready, sorr, praise be!" said Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack lost no time.  At his request Imbono sent out scouts to get more
+exact particulars of the column and its progress, warning them to use
+the utmost care to avoid discovery.  Imbono himself returned to Ilola
+to prepare his people for a migration to Ilombekabasi.  Later in the
+day the scouts returned with the news that the enemy had pitched their
+camp about ten miles away.  The force consisted of some two hundred
+forest guards armed with rifles, and a much larger number of followers
+carrying spears.  Boloko was with them, and Elobela, and two other
+white men.  The line of march had been direct for Ilola, and strict
+silence was kept.  One of the scouts had seen Elobela himself strike a
+man who had incautiously shouted to his comrades.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's no doubt of their intentions, Barney," said Jack.  "They want
+to surprise Ilola.  That means a massacre; but by God's mercy we know
+in time!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The inhabitants of Ilola and of Imbono's other villages were already
+flocking into the camp, bringing with them large supplies of food and
+their principal belongings.  Before the sun set the villages were
+deserted.  Jack was glad now to think that this contingency had been so
+long foreseen.  It would have been impossible to make adequate
+arrangements for so large an additional population if he had waited
+until the danger was upon them.  As it was, the huts stood ready.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was a strange and impressive scene as Imbono's people filed in.
+They were excited, but not with alarm or fear.  Some of them even were
+merry, laughing at little mishaps&mdash;the dropping of a basket of manioc,
+the breaking of a pot, the sprawling of children as Pat dashed in and
+out among them, barking as though it was he that was shepherding the
+throng.  Barney was the master of ceremonies.  With Samba's help he
+separated the various families, and showed each father the hut or huts
+he was to occupy.  It was not a wealthy community, and only a few of
+the men had more wives than one; but these tried Barney's patience
+sorely, and he sighed for Father Mahone to come and tache the haythens
+betther manners.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Only what could he do, if he came?" he said.  "Whin a man has been
+fool enough to marry two or three wives, faith, I don't see how ye can
+alter it unless ye make 'em all widders."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About two miles from the camp there was a spot above the river from
+which the clearing and village of Ilola could be seen.  An hour before
+dawn Jack went out with Samba to this spot and waited.  Just after day
+had broken they perceived a large body of men rushing out from the
+forest towards the village stockade.  Through his field-glasses Jack
+saw that the negroes were led by two men in white.  Imbono, before he
+left, had had the gate of Ilola closed and barricaded.  The invaders
+did not pause to break it down; they swarmed up the stockade and
+momentarily hesitated at the top, as though suspecting, from the
+silence of the village, that a trap had been laid for them.  Then some
+of them could be seen dropping down inside; the rest instantly
+followed; and Jack smiled as he saw them assemble in little groups in
+the deserted compound, gesticulating in their excitement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later dense volumes of smoke rose from the village.  The
+forest guards had fired the huts, no doubt in their first fury at the
+escape of the villagers.  Jack could not help thinking that they would
+regret their hasty action.  If they intended any long stay in the
+neighbourhood, the village would have been more useful to them intact
+than as a ruin.  He had dismantled his own former camp, so that unless
+Elbel's men set about building for themselves they would have no
+shelter.  Their folly only confirmed Jack's belief that they were but a
+poorly-disciplined rabble, and that Elbel himself was out of his
+element in work of a military kind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Having learnt all that he wished to know, Jack returned to his camp.
+Elbel had clearly not expected the village to be abandoned.  Jack
+wondered if he had learnt of the formation of the new camp.  It seemed
+likely that news of it would long since have been carried down the
+river.  He had apparently planned to wipe out the villagers first and
+tackle Jack later.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, if he's any sinse at all he will lave us alone," said
+Barney when Jack told him what he had seen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't expect that.  I'm sure he'll use his men against me.  He'll
+want his revenge, for one thing; and then he has his eye on the gold,
+remember.  He didn't dig about the cataract for nothing.  He'll be glad
+of any excuse for attacking, if he sees a fair chance of beating us.
+You may depend upon it he knows all that Uncle has been doing, and if
+he can manage to drive us out and occupy this ground before Uncle gets
+back, it's all up with poor Uncle's claim, Barney.  Possession is more
+than nine points of the law in this State.  If Uncle had known the sort
+of things that go on here, he'd have thought twice before spending his
+money."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Very soon after Jack regained his camp, Imbono's scouts came in to
+report that the enemy was on the move.  Before midday the head of the
+column was sighted making its way up the stream, this forming on the
+whole an easier approach than the rough stony ground on either bank.
+There was immense excitement in the camp as the people watched the
+advancing crowd.  Jack could not but be touched as he observed the
+demeanour of the people.  A few months before the sight of so many of
+the dreaded forest guards would have made them cower in abject fear;
+now, so great was their trust in the young Inglesa who had twice
+defeated Elobela, and who had prepared for them this fine new village
+with its wonderful defences, that they viewed the progress of the enemy
+with feelings only of anticipated triumph.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Please God, I won't fail them," thought Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About half a mile below the cataract the column came to a halt, and
+three men in white, attended by half a dozen armed negroes, advanced to
+within less than a quarter of a mile of the wall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The impident scoundhrels!" quoth Barney, standing at Jack's side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They do show a pretty cool trust in our forbearance," said Jack; "we
+could pick them off easily enough."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra, I would, sorr; do they deserve any betther?  Elbel was a
+deceitful villain&mdash;you remimber, sorr, whin he fired under a flag uv
+truce at the ould camp.  I wouldn't have any more mercy on him than I
+would on a rat."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, you would, Barney.  We must play the game, whatever they do.  And
+I wonder what they're up to.  Here comes a man with a white flag.  We
+shall soon see."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap17fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap17fn1text">1</a>] "Brave boy."
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap17fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap17fn2text">2</a>] "I saw."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap18"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XVIII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Elbel's Barrels
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+The negro looked by no means comfortable as he clambered up the steep
+side of the gully from the bed of the stream and approached the fort.
+There was no gate in the western face, and the man seemed somewhat
+uncertain what to do.  But perceiving that he had a note in his hand,
+Jack ordered Lepoko to lean over the wall and take the paper on the
+point of a spear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now let's see what he has to say," said Jack, unfolding the paper.
+"Listen, Barney.  'Having returned with a force sufficient to
+re-establish law and order in this part of the Congo State, I call upon
+you instantly to surrender the camp which you have constructed without
+permission on the territory of the State.  The negroes who are with you
+are subjects of the State, and will be dealt with by me in accordance
+with the powers that I possess.  You, being a foreigner, will be taken
+to Boma, to be tried under due form of law by the State Courts.'"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Which means quick murder for the niggers, sorr, and slow murder for
+you.  Don't answer his impidence, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Oh, I must answer.  We can't let things go by default, and we can go
+one better than he, Barney.  He hasn't copied his letter, you see.
+It's very lucky I've got a duplicate book; who knows?&mdash;these documents
+may come in handy some day."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He wrote a brief reply, saying that he was not aware there was anything
+illegal in constructing a suitable camp on ground leased from the
+Société Cosmopolite; that, on the other hand, the natives who had
+sought shelter with him complained of treatment which was clearly
+against all law and justice; and that in these circumstances he
+proposed to remain where he was.  When this note reached Elbel, he read
+it to the two white men with him, laughed, put it in his pocket-book,
+then returned with his party down the stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A pretty little farce!" said Jack.  "He knew what my answer would be;
+all he wanted was a chance of examining our defences."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure he didn't get much for his trouble.  He'd have to be a deal
+taller to see much uv us, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the rest of the day Elbel was seen in the distance on various
+sides of the camp making further observations.  From a point on the
+slope above he could overlook part of the enclosure, and what he
+observed from there through his field-glass evidently gave him food for
+thought, for before sunset he marched all his men down the stream,
+followed cautiously by Imbono's scouts.  These reported by and by that
+the enemy had encamped about two miles away.  The white men had tents,
+the natives were cutting branches to form temporary shelters.  Foragers
+had been sent out in all directions.  Jack knew that they would do
+little good.  There were no people to harry, all were within his walls,
+and the crops around the villages had been gathered in.  But this
+dearth was not likely to affect the besiegers for the present; for the
+scouts reported that some of their canoes had now come up the river
+loaded with stores.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack concluded from the fact of Elbel being in command that the
+Administration of the Congo State had not yet seen fit to intervene and
+equip an expedition under regular military officers.  The Société
+Cosmopolite, in fact, an extremely wealthy corporation, had determined
+to root out this source of disaffection and revolt within its
+territory.  The force commanded by Elbel represented practically the
+whole military establishment of the Company.  He had no doubt received
+telegraphic authority from Europe to undertake the expedition, and
+could rely on the ultimate support of the State Government, which
+meanwhile would prefer the work to be done by the Company's troops
+rather than magnify the affair by employing its own forces.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It soon became clear to Jack that the lesson of his previous reverse
+had not been lost on Elbel.  For a time, at least, there was to be no
+repetition of the rushing tactics that had proved so disastrous.  Two
+days passed, and he had made no move.  Scouts reported that he was
+busily engaged in building and fortifying his camp.  The site chosen
+was a good deal nearer to Ilombekabasi than the first night's bivouac.
+It lay in a hollow somewhat more than half a mile from the cataract&mdash;in
+the face of an equal or inferior enemy, a very dangerous position,
+commanded, as it was, on almost all sides by the heights around.  But
+it was sheltered from rifle-fire from the fort, and had a good water
+supply from a brook that fell some distance below into the stream that
+flanked Jack's settlement.  Elbel could afford to ignore its
+strategical weakness by reason of his greatly superior numbers.  For
+Jack could not occupy the rim of the hollow without drawing most of his
+men out of the fort, thus leaving it open to attack; and in any case,
+with only forty-five rifles, he could not do much to endanger a camp
+held by two hundred.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-190"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-190.jpg" alt="Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing Elbel's First Camp in Foreground" />
+<br />
+Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing Elbel's First Camp in Foreground
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These reflections passed through his mind as he pondered on the
+information given by the scouts.  His constant preoccupation during the
+past months with problems of attack and defence had given rise to a
+habit of looking at every move or incident in its military bearings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I wonder whether the fellows in the army class would envy me or pity
+me most!" he thought.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elbel attempted nothing in the way of fortification for his camp except
+a light stockade&mdash;with his superior numbers defensive work seemed
+almost a superfluity.  By comparing the reports of various scouts&mdash;who,
+as usual with negroes, were somewhat erratic in their ideas of
+number&mdash;and by his own observation through his field-glass, Jack
+concluded that Elbel had, in addition to his two hundred rifles, about
+five hundred spearmen.  Jack himself had, in addition to his forty-five
+rifles, three hundred spearmen.  The mere numbers were, of course, no
+real index to the proportionate strength of the two forces.  In
+ordinary circumstances, indeed, the spearmen might almost be neglected;
+the striking power was to be measured in rifles alone.  But Jack hoped
+that, with the drill and discipline his men had undergone, it would be
+proved that a determined fellow behind a spear was still by no means a
+combatant to be held lightly.  Had not the Arabs of the Soudan shown
+this?  He had no little confidence that, when the time of trial came,
+his three hundred spearmen would prove every whit as staunch as the
+dervishes who broke the British square at Abu Klea and threw away their
+lives by the thousand at Omdurman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the second morning after Elbel's appearance Jack found that pickets
+were posted all round the fort.  Clearly it was no longer safe to send
+out scouts, at all events by daylight.  The danger was little
+diminished after dark, for fires were lit at various points and a
+regular patrol was established.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I don't care about sending out any of the men now," said Jack to
+Barney.  "If one of our fellows was caught, his fate would be horrible.
+It's to prevent scouting, I suppose, that Elbel has posted men round
+us."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Might it not be to prevent reinforcements from reaching us, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not likely.  There are no people for scores of miles round, and the
+country indeed is mostly virgin forest.  The only reinforcement likely
+to reach us is my uncle's contingent, and their arrival is sure to be
+advised all along the river for days or perhaps weeks in advance; and
+that's one of my worries, Barney.  I don't want Uncle to fall into
+Elbel's hands, but how can I stop it?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Send a couple of men off to meet him, sorr, and tell him of the
+danger."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I might do that, perhaps.  But, as you see, they'd have to run the
+gauntlet of Elbel's forest guards.  Elbel either wants to catch my
+uncle, or he has got some scheme of attack in preparation which he's
+anxious we shouldn't discover.  Whichever it is he means to keep us
+bottled up."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was sitting at the door of his hut with Barney, talking by the
+light of a small fire.  Samba had been hovering about for some time,
+waiting, as Barney thought, until the time should come for him to curl
+himself up as usual at the entrance to the hut after his friend the
+Irishman had entered.  The conversation ceased for a moment, Jack
+bending forward and drawing patterns on the ground with his stick.
+Samba came up and began to speak.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra, massa," he said, "me can do."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What can you do, my boy?" asked Jack, smiling a little at the
+exclamation Samba had adopted from Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba struggled to find words in the white man's puzzling tongue.  But,
+recognizing that his small stock of phrases was insufficient, he ran
+off and fetched Lepoko.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me tell massa all same," said the interpreter, when Samba had spoken
+to him.  "Samba boy say, sah, he lib for go out see fings for massa.
+He no 'fraid.  He go in dark, creep, creep, no 'fraid nuffin nobody.
+He lib for see eberyfing massa want see, come back one time say all
+same fings he see."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, no, it's too dangerous.  Samba is the very last of my people I
+should wish to fall into Elbel's hands."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba laughed when Lepoko repeated this to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He no 'fraid Elobela," said Lepoko.  "He hab got foot like leopard,
+eye like cat, he make Elobela plenty much 'fraid.  Want go plenty much,
+sah; say Mboyo one fader, massa two fader; two times he want go."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Shall we let him go, Barney?" asked Jack doubtfully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"To be sure I would, sorr.  He's gone through the forest and cheated
+the lions and tigers and all the other beasts and creeping things,
+ivery wan uv 'm a mighty power cleverer than Elbel."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Barring the lions and tigers, I think you're right, Barney.  Well, if
+he's to go we must do all we can to help him.  Could he get down the
+gully side, I wonder?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He say dat plenty good way, sah.  He lib for swim like fish, go
+through water, come back all same."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We'll let him down by a rope, Barney, and we'll place Mboyo at the
+stockade in charge of it; he'll have the greatest interest in seeing
+that the boy goes in and out safely.  And look here, I've heard Samba
+imitating the cries of various animals; he'd better arrange with Mboyo
+to be ready for him when he hears a certain cry.  And he must carry
+enough food with him to last a day in case he is prevented from getting
+back.  If he's out more than one day he must fend for himself; but I
+fancy, after what he has already been through, at least it'd be a very
+bare country where he couldn't pick up enough to keep him going.  He's
+a splendid little fellow."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's the truth's truth, sorr; and sure, whin we leave this haythen
+country, he'd better come back wid us to London, sorr.  Wid him wan
+side uv me an' Pat the other, I'd be on me way to be Lord Mayor, bedad!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus it was arranged.  With a tinful of food slung about him, Samba was
+let down by a rope from the stockade, and crept in the darkness down
+the gully.  A few minutes later, from some point on the other side,
+came the strident call of a forest-beetle twice repeated, and Mboyo
+knew that his son was safely across.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When morning broke, Jack saw that the pickets were placed as they had
+been on the previous day.  He could easily have disposed of several of
+them, either by rifle fire or by a quick sally; but even at the present
+stage he had a great reluctance to open hostilities, which must involve
+much bloodshed and suffering.  He resolved to bide his time, knowing
+that so far as food supply was concerned he had enough for at least a
+couple of months, and was in that respect probably better placed than
+Elbel, while the secret of the water supply with good luck would escape
+detection.  Now that the purpose of the tank was known, Jack's prestige
+among the natives, great as it had been before, was much enhanced, and
+they had added to their stock of songs one in which the wonderful
+providence of the Inglesa in arranging that the daily water should not
+fail was glowingly extolled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day passed undisturbed.  Jack was puzzled to account for the
+enemy's silence.  Elbel must have a scheme in preparation, he thought.
+What could it be?  Jack had heard a good deal of hammering going on in
+the camp below, the sound coming faintly on the breeze; except for that
+there was no sign of activity; and the hammering was sufficiently
+accounted for by the work of finishing off the construction of the camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before turning in for the night he went to the spot where Mboyo was
+posted, to learn whether anything had been heard of Samba.  While he
+was there, he caught the low rasping notes of the forest-beetle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba n'asi!"[<a id="chap18fn1text"></a><a href="#chap18fn1">1</a>] cried Mboyo, springing up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He lowered the rope over the stockade.  In a few moments it was gently
+tugged, and soon Samba slipped over the stockade and stood beside Jack.
+He had an interesting report to make.  In the forest, he said, a large
+number of men were tapping certain trees for a resinous gum, which was
+being run into small barrels.  It was the work of making these barrels
+that had caused the continuous hammering Jack had noticed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good boy!" said Jack.  "I suppose you are very tired now, Samba?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No, he was not tired; he was ready to go out again at once if
+Lokolobolo wished.  But Jack said he had done enough for one day, and
+bade him go to sleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"So that's their game!" said Jack to Barney, when all was quiet.
+"There's only one use for resin here, and that's to fire our fort, and
+they can't intend to make fireballs, or they wouldn't take the trouble
+to make barrels.  They want barrels for carriage, and that means that
+they intend to bring the resin here.  They can't shy barrels at the
+natives' huts, and so much of the wall is stone that it won't easily
+catch fire.  What else is there inflammable?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's the blockhouses at the corners, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You're right.  They are going to fire the blockhouses.  I'm sorry now
+I didn't make 'm of stone as I intended.  But we had enough trouble
+with the wall, and the natives are so little used to stonework that
+perhaps after all they'd have made a poor job of it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure, I don't see how they are going to get near enough to do any
+damage, sorr.  They can't come up under fire.  Do the spalpeens think
+they'll catch us napping, begore?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Can't say, Barney.  We must wait and see.  The sentries are arranged
+for the night, eh?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They are that, sorr.  'Tis mighty hard to keep the niggers awake; not
+wan uv 'm but would see the inside uv the guard-room pretty often if
+they were in the Irish Fusiliers.  But Samba and me just take turns to
+go the rounds all night and keep 'm stirring, sorr; and 'twould be a
+lucky man that got across into this place widout a crack over the head."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The full purpose of Elbel was seen earlier than Jack had expected.  A
+little before dawn Makoko, who had been on duty at the gate in the
+northern wall, hurried down to say that he had heard a sound as of a
+number of men marching for some distance up the hill above the fort.
+Jack accompanied him back, gently reprimanding him on the way for
+leaving his post.  Judging by the sounds, there was unquestionably a
+large body of men on the move.  They were approaching as quietly as
+negroes can; it is not an easy matter to persuade a force of black men
+to keep perfect silence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While Jack was still with Makoko, another man came running up from the
+southern end of the fort and reported that he had heard the sound of
+many men advancing up the stream.  Clearly a serious attack was
+intended at last.  Sending word to Barney to remain on the <i>qui vive</i>
+at the southern wall, Jack waited anxiously for the glimmering light of
+dawn to reveal the enemy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last he could see them.  They took little pains to conceal
+themselves.  Elbel's riflemen were assembling on the ridge of the slope
+above.  Among them were men carrying each a small barrel on his
+shoulder.  They must have made a wide circuit from their camp below so
+that their movements might not be suspected until they were well in
+position.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The word was rapidly passed round the fort.  In a few seconds every man
+was at his appointed place.  The women and children had been bidden to
+remain in their huts, for a part of the enclosure being exposed to fire
+from the slope above, it would have been dangerous for any one to
+cross.  Barney and his men at the southern wall were protected from
+this fire in their rear by the huts.  At the northern wall Jack stood
+on a narrow platform by the gate, similar to that which he had used at
+his former camp near Ilola.  His riflemen were posted below him, half
+of them at loop-holes left at intervals in the wall, the remainder just
+behind, ready to take their places at the word of command.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was surprised to feel how little flustered he was.  The
+responsibilities of the past months had bred self-control, and the
+capacity to grasp a situation quickly and act at once.  And constant
+work with the same men, whom he had learned to know thoroughly, had
+created a mutual confidence which augured well for their success when
+put to the test.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A glance assured Jack that the main attack, if attack was intended,
+would be made by the riflemen.  The spearmen in the valley of the river
+were designed to create a diversion and weaken the force available to
+oppose the principal assault.  Barney could be trusted to hold his own
+against them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So little did the enemy, having gained the position above, seek to
+conceal their movements, that Jack was tempted to salute them with a
+volley that must have done great execution&mdash;the range being scarcely
+two hundred yards.  But Elbel seemed to know by instinct the feeling by
+which Jack would be animated.  He evidently counted on being allowed to
+fire first.  And indeed there was little time for Jack to consider the
+matter, for even as he made a mental note of the enemy's bravado, he
+heard a word of command given in a loud voice, and saw Elbel emerge
+from a small clump of bushes at the edge of the gully.  The whole
+force, except ten men carrying barrels, flung themselves flat on their
+faces; and Jack had only time to give a rapid warning to his men when a
+scattered volley flashed from the line of prone figures, the bullets
+pattering on the stone wall like hail on a greenhouse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next moment the men with the barrels dashed forward, some making for
+the blockhouse above the gully, others for that at the opposite end of
+the northern wall.  Through the clear space between the two parties the
+riflemen continued to fire as fast as they could reload.  It was clear
+to Jack that Elbel expected the fire of his two hundred rifles, added
+to the unexpectedness of the movement, to keep down the fire of the
+defenders long enough to enable the barrel men to reach the
+blockhouses.  But in this he was disappointed; nothing but a direct and
+combined assault on the wall would have gained the time he required.
+His rifle fire from a distance was quite ineffective.  Jack had ordered
+his men to keep out of sight, and to fire through the loop-holes in the
+wall, aiming, not at the riflemen lying on the ground, but at the men
+sprinting with the barrels.  Consequently, when the twenty-five rifles
+within the fort replied to the first volley, three of the runners fell
+on the one side and two on the other, their barrels rolling down the
+slope, some over the edge into the gully, others towards the copse on
+the east.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The other men, seeing the fate of their comrades, thought of nothing
+but their own safety.  They dropped their barrels and rushed back.  But
+even then they did not take the safe course.  Instead of scattering and
+so lessening the chances of being hit, the two parties joined, and ran
+up the slope in a compact group.  None of them reached the line of
+prostrate riflemen who were still blazing away ineffectually at the
+walls and blockhouses.  The unfortunate men were caught in full flight
+and fell almost at the same moment, each man struck by several bullets.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Not till then did Jack allow his riflemen to turn their attention to
+the enemy's firing line.  But one volley was sufficient.  Elbel saw
+that his scheme had totally failed, and his position was untenable.
+Not a man of his opponents could be seen; his men had only small
+loop-holes to fire at, and the average negro is not a sufficiently good
+marksman to be formidable in such conditions.  The defenders, on the
+other hand, found the enemy an excellent target; for, by some
+inexplicable piece of folly, Elbel had not ordered them to seek cover
+behind the many rocks and boulders that were scattered over the ground.
+He had lost all his barrel men and several of his riflemen, and within
+five minutes of the first volley he drew off his troops.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A yell of delight from the stockade followed his retirement.  The men
+slapped their thighs and shouted "Yo!  Yo!" until they were hoarse.
+The women and children poured out of the huts and danced about with
+wild enjoyment.  Imbono's drummer banged with all his might.  Some of
+the boys had made small trumpets of rolled banana leaves, and tootled
+away to their hearts' content, the sound being not unlike that made by
+blowing through tissue paper on a comb.  Amid all the uproar Pat's
+joyous bark acclaimed the success.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Faith, sorr, 'tis real mafficking, to be sure."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not quite, Barney.  There's nobody drunk."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True, an' the haythen sets an example to the Christian.  There are no
+grog-shops here, praise be, wan at this corner and wan at that, to
+tempt the poor craturs."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I only hope they're not shouting too soon, Barney.  We haven't done
+with Elbel yet."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap18fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap18fn1text">1</a>] Below.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap19"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XIX
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Breaking the Blockade
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Throughout that day Jack was on the alert in anticipation of another
+move on the part of the enemy.  But Elbel's men, except the pickets,
+did not come within sight of the fort, and nothing was heard of them.
+Samba wished to go out again on a scouting mission, but Jack refused to
+allow him to leave the fort in daylight; perhaps in the darkness he
+might risk a journey once more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although the attempt to fire the blockhouses had been foiled, Jack,
+thinking over the matter, saw that the feat would not have been
+impossible with the exercise of a little common sense coupled with
+dash.  A second attempt, better organized, might be successful.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I wish we could guard against the risk," he said to Barney.  "We don't
+want to be continuously on the fidget in case the blockhouses are
+fired.  Yet we can't make 'em fireproof."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's true, sorr; still, something might be done to rejuce the
+inflammation."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What's that?" said Jack without a smile.  To call in question Barney's
+English was to wound him in the tenderest part.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why, sorr, why not drop down some uv them boulders we keep for
+repairing the wall?  If we let them down wid care to the foot uv the
+blockhouses, close up against the woodwork, 'twould prevent any wan
+from setting a match to 'm."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A good idea! we'll try it.  Get the men to carry the stones up to the
+wall.  We won't do anything more till it is dark."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the sun had set, Jack had the stones hauled up to the roof of the
+blockhouse at the north-west corner, and then dropped down outside, as
+close to the woodwork as possible.  The task was carried on in almost
+total darkness, only a few rushlights inside the camp preventing the
+workers from colliding with one another.  But it was impossible to
+contrive that the heavy stones should fall silently, and a shot from up
+the slope soon told that the enemy had discovered what was going on.
+Active sniping for a time gave Jack a good deal of annoyance, and one
+or two of his men were hit; but he persevered in his work, and had
+partially accomplished it, when another danger suddenly threatened.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Up the slope, near the position occupied by the enemy in the morning,
+there appeared small points of light, which moved apparently at random
+for a few moments, and then came all in one direction, down the hill.
+They all started fairly close together, and Jack counted twelve in a
+line; but soon some diverged from the rest and went off at an angle.
+The others came on more and more rapidly towards the fort, jumping
+occasionally, but keeping on the whole a surprisingly straight course.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Barrels again!" said Jack to Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Only a few seconds after he had first observed them, they came with a
+quick succession of thuds against the wall and the half-finished
+rampart at the foot of the blockhouse, and the points of light spread
+out into fierce tongues of flame.  Lighted matches had been attached to
+the barrels, and with the bursting of these by the stonework the resin
+they contained had taken fire.  Of the dozen barrels that started, only
+four had reached their goal, the rest having rolled over the gully on
+the western slope as had happened during the day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack hoped that his new stonework was sufficient to protect the logs at
+the base of the blockhouse.  But one of the barrels, under the impetus
+gained in its passage down the hill, had jumped the boulders, and
+breaking as it crashed over, burst into flame within an inch or two of
+the woodwork.  Another line of barrels was starting down the slope.
+Jack had called up his best marksmen at the first alarm, and ordered
+them to take pot-shots at the twinkling points of light, or the figures
+above, dimly lit up by the matches attached to the barrels.  Whether
+any of the shots got home he could not tell; another set of barrels was
+trundling down towards the fort.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It appeared to Jack that nothing could save the blockhouse.  Burning
+resin could only be extinguished by a deluge of water, and he had no
+means of bringing water from the tank in sufficient quantities.  The
+logs were dry, and, when once fairly alight, would burn furiously.
+Barney suggested dropping a heavy boulder on the barrel most
+dangerously near, but Jack saw that the effect of this would be merely
+to spread the flames without necessarily extinguishing them.  The fire
+would continue beneath the stone; it would lick the lowest logs, and in
+a few minutes the whole base of the blockhouse would be ablaze.  The
+imminence of the danger acted as a spur to Jack's resourcefulness.  It
+flashed upon him that there was one chance of saving the fort.  Calling
+to Samba to follow him, he rushed from the roof of the blockhouse down
+the ladders connecting it with the second floor and this with the
+ground, and ran at full speed to his hut, where he seized an empty
+tobacco-tin and searched for a piece of wire.  For a few moments he
+could not lay hands on any, but he then bethought himself of the wired
+cork of a Stephens' ink-bottle.  Wrenching this out, he hastened to the
+underground magazine where the ammunition was, stored.  Samba had
+preceded him thither with a lighted candle in a little lantern of
+bamboo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the ammunition was a keg of loose powder sent up by Mr.
+Martindale for refilling cartridge cases.  While Samba very cautiously
+held the lantern out of harm's way, Jack, with the brad of a penknife,
+bored two thin holes in the tin and two corresponding holes in the lid.
+Then he inserted the wire and filled the tin with powder.  Clapping on
+the lid and firmly securing it by twisting up the wire, he rushed back
+to the blockhouse, up to the roof, and cleared out all the men
+helter-skelter, bidding them go with Samba and bring baskets full of
+earth to the base of the wall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The place was now reeking with acrid smoke from the burning resin,
+great black eddies of it whirling over the roof, stinging Jack's eyes
+and making him cough and choke.  When none but himself was left&mdash;for
+there was some danger in what he purposed&mdash;he went to the edge of the
+roof, and bending over, almost blinded by the fumes, he marked the spot
+where the flame seemed the fiercest, and dropped the tin into the midst
+of it.  Though he sprang back at once, he had not reached the inmost
+edge of the roof when there was a loud explosion.  The blockhouse
+rocked; clouds of sparks flew up; and feeling the tremor beneath him,
+Jack feared he had destroyed rather than saved.  But the trembling
+ceased.  He rushed back to the fore edge of the roof and peered over.
+As the smoke cleared away he saw no longer a blazing mass below him;
+nothing of the barrel was left; but all the ground for many yards
+around was dotted with little tongues of flame.  The force of the
+explosion had broken up the huge devouring fire into a thousand
+harmless ones.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the woodwork near which the barrel had rested was smouldering.
+There was still a danger that the blockhouse would burn.  While that
+danger remained Jack felt that his task was not yet done, and he
+instantly prepared to meet it.  Flames from the other barrels that had
+struck the wall were lighting up the scene.  To carry out his purpose
+involved a great risk, but it was a risk that must be run.  Calling to
+Samba, who had remained nearest at hand, he bade him bring a rope and
+send Barney and Makoko to him.  When they arrived he got them to knot
+the rope about him, and let him down over the wall on the gully side,
+which was in deep shadow.  Creeping round the blockhouse on the narrow
+ledge between it and the gully, he called to the men above to lower
+some of the baskets of earth which had been placed in readiness.  As
+they reached him he emptied them upon the smouldering logs.  It was
+impossible now to keep in the shadow; his every movement was betrayed
+by the still flaming barrels; and his work was not completed when
+bullets began to patter about him.  His only protection was the rough
+rampart of boulders which had been thrown over from the roof.  But he
+bent low; it is difficult even for expert marksmen to aim without the
+guidance of the riflesights, and Elbel's men were far from being
+experts; Jack finished his job as rapidly as might be, and escaped
+without a scratch.  Then creeping round once more to the gully, he laid
+hold of the rope and was drawn up into safety.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The other blockhouses meanwhile had been in no danger.  That at the
+north-east corner was defended by the nature of the ground, which
+sloped so rapidly that a barrel rolled from above could never hit the
+mark.  That at the southeast corner, being at the edge of the
+precipice, could only be fired by the hand of man, and no man could
+approach it safely.  By averting the danger at the north-west Jack had
+saved the camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the attempt had been so nearly successful that he resolved to lose
+no time in completing the work of protection already begun.  The moment
+was come, too, for showing Elbel that he could only maintain a thorough
+investment of the fort with the acquiescence of the besieged.  At any
+time a sally must break the chain of pickets, for Elbel's force was not
+large enough to support them adequately all round.  Averse as Jack was
+from shedding blood, he felt that it was necessary to teach the enemy a
+wholesome lesson.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before he could do anything, however, he must know how the force was
+distributed, and how the pickets were placed.  He remembered his half
+promise that Samba should be allowed to go scouting that night.  No
+other could be trusted to move so warily or act so intelligently.
+Samba was accordingly let down into the gully.  While he was gone Jack
+explained to Barney the plan he proposed to try should the boy's
+information favour it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I shall lead some of the men out, I don't know yet in what direction.
+At least it will surprise Elbel.  I hope it will alarm his men and
+throw them into confusion.  You must take advantage of it to go on with
+our defences.  Let down more boulders from the roof, and build them up
+as fast as you can to form a facing three or four feet high to the two
+northern blockhouses.  You'll only have about half an hour for the job,
+for Elbel will have got his whole force together by then, and I shan't
+be able to fight them all.  But we've plenty of men to turn on to it,
+and when I give the signal they must tumble over the wall and get to
+work."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Within an hour Samba returned.  He reported that the enemy had all
+retired to their camp except the pickets.  About forty men were posted
+about a camp fire up stream near the place where the barrels had been
+rolled down.  Another picket of the same strength was lying at the edge
+of the copse about a quarter of a mile to the east, and a third picket
+lay across the gully to the west.  Samba had had great difficulty in
+eluding this western picket, and would have returned sooner but for the
+detour he had been obliged to make.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All favoured Jack's enterprise.  The pickets were so far from the camp
+below the southern face of the fort that some time must elapse before
+help could reach them.  They could only support one another, and the
+idea of a ruse to prevent that had already flashed through Jack's mind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Selecting fifteen of his steadiest riflemen, including Makoko and
+Lepoko, Jack had them lowered one by one into the gully, and then
+himself followed.  The night was fortunately very dark; all the flames
+from the barrels had gone out, and he trusted that the enemy would be
+quite unprepared for any movement from the fort.  When all were
+assembled, they crept up the gully in dead silence, walking as far from
+the water as the steep sides allowed, so as to avoid kicking stones
+into it and making a splash.  At first the gully was at least twelve
+feet deep, but it became more shallow as they proceeded, until by and
+by its top barely rose above their heads.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They had not gone far when they heard laughing and talking beyond them.
+However Elbel might regard his defeat, it had evidently not affected
+the spirits of his men; the negro's cheerfulness is hard to quench.  At
+a bend in the stream, out of sight from the fort, shone the faint glow
+of the camp fire; and Jack, peeping cautiously round, saw a sentry on
+each bank, moving backwards and forwards, but stopping now and again to
+exchange pleasantries, or more often fatuous remarks about food, with
+the rest of the picket at the fire.  It was nothing new to Jack that
+the Congo soldier's idea of sentry-go is somewhat loose.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Again Jack was favoured by circumstances.  The glow of the fire did not
+extend far into the darkness of the gully; the noise of the laughing
+and talking was loud enough to drown all slight sounds for some
+distance around.  Thus the sixteen men in the gully could approach very
+near the camp fire without being seen or heard.  Jack's plan, already
+half formed before he started, was quickly adapted to the conditions.
+Silently gathering his men together, he ordered them in a whisper to
+follow him in a charge with the bayonet; not to fire except at the word
+of command; not in their pursuit of the enemy to go beyond the camp
+fire.  It would have been easy to dispose of at least a third of the
+picket by firing upon them from the darkness; the distance was only
+about a hundred yards, and every shot would tell, for they were huddled
+together.  Such an act would be justified by all the rules of warfare.
+Jack knew that in a like case he would receive no mercy from the enemy;
+but he was too young a campaigner to deal with them as they would deal
+with him; he could not give the order to shoot them down unawares.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When his men clearly understood what was required of them he led the
+way, and they all crept forward again.  The glow of the fire now made
+them dimly visible to one another, but not to the picket, who were in
+the full light, nor to the sentries, whose attention was largely taken
+up by the proceedings of their comrades.  When the sound of talking
+lulled for a few moments, Jack halted; when it grew in force, and he
+heard the sentries join in the chatter, he seized the opportunity to
+steal forward a few yards more.  So by slow degrees they approached
+within forty paces.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To go further without discovery seemed to Jack impossible.  Pausing for
+a moment to whisper once more to his men, he suddenly shouted the order
+to charge, and, springing up the bank, dashed forward with a cheer that
+was reinforced by the yells from fifteen lusty throats.  The sounds of
+joviality about the camp fire died on the instant; the cheer from the
+river, echoed by the rocky walls of the gully, seemed to come from a
+host of men.  Yells of alarm broke from the dusky figures by the fire.
+Some of the men seemed for the moment spellbound; others leapt to their
+feet and made a dash for the rifles stacked close by, tumbling over one
+another in their agitation; the majority simply scurried away like
+hares into the darkness, only anxious to get as far away as possible
+from this shouting host that had sprung as it were out of nothingness.
+As Jack's men rushed up there were a few reports of rifles hastily shot
+off, and eight or nine men made as if to stand firm near the camp fire;
+but they could not face the steel gleaming red in the glow.  One or two
+hapless wretches were bayonetted before they had time to run; the rest,
+with a wild howl, flung down their weapons and bolted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sound of the conflict, Jack knew, would be taken by Barney as the
+signal to begin work outside the blockhouses.  What would be its effect
+on the enemy?  Would it draw their pickets on the right and left to the
+support of their comrades?  Or would they be so much alarmed that
+nothing but flight would occur to them?  He thought the probabilities
+favoured the former, for the firing having ceased, the immediate cause
+of alarm would seem to have been removed.  Without staying to consider
+that the chain of investment would be broken by their action, the outer
+pickets would in all likelihood move towards each other for mutual
+support.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here was an opportunity which Jack was quick to seize.  Without a
+moment's loss of time, he called his men together and hurried back down
+the gully, where he ordered them to line the banks on both sides,
+keeping well in shadow from the light of the fire.  The position they
+took up was about forty yards below the bivouac, almost the same spot
+from which the charge had been made.  The men had only just established
+themselves when the picket from the eastern quarter came running up.
+Jack's situation was now so serious that he had no longer any
+compunction.  As the negroes emerged from the gloom into the light of
+the camp fire, he ordered his men on the opposite bank to shoot.
+Several of the enemy fell; the rest turned tail, finding their comrades
+falling about them without being able to see their assailants.  But
+they did not run far; when they had passed beyond the circle of light
+they halted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile all was quiet from the direction of the other picket beyond
+the gully.  If this was advancing, it was with more caution.  For some
+minutes no sound was heard; then on his left hand Lepoko detected a
+slight rustle in the brushwood, and he whispered to Jack that the enemy
+were creeping forward, feeling their way.  At the same time there were
+sounds of movement on the right.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Now was the chance to attempt a ruse.  Withdrawing his men stealthily
+down the stream for a hundred yards, Jack halted.  The camp fire was
+dying down for want of fresh fuel; he hoped that the two parties would
+mistake each other in the gloom.  A quarter of an hour passed.  Then
+the air rang with shots and shouts; the two pickets had met and come
+into conflict.  The error was soon discovered, and then there arose a
+terrific clamour as each party accused the other.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack considered that the work of the fort should have been completed by
+this time, all danger of interruption by the pickets having been
+removed by his sortie.  He therefore led his men back along the gully,
+and arrived to find Barney putting the finishing touches to the work by
+the light of his bamboo lantern.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All well?" said Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All well, sorr.  You're not hurt at all?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not a bit.  None of us scratched.  Now we'll get back.  I don't think
+they'll try that particular dodge again."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They had hardly returned within the stockade when they heard the sound
+of a considerable body of men moving up the opposite bank of the stream
+towards the pickets above.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Too late!" said Jack with a chuckle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Truth, sorr.  That Elbel was niver intended for a sojer, 'tis plain.
+But who are the two white men wid him, thin?  Sure, I thought he'd
+brought 'em wid him to tache him what to do, but they would all seem to
+be birds uv wan feather, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We may find out by and by, perhaps to our cost.  Meanwhile we had
+better man the walls and blockhouses in case he's going to favour us
+with a night attack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the sounds of movement among the enemy ceased, and the remainder of
+the night passed in unbroken quietness.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap20"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XX
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+David and Goliath
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Next morning Jack's men found resting against the stone wall of the
+fort several barrels of resin which had not burned.  The bumping they
+had received in rolling down the slope had shaken out the fuses.  This
+was a lucky discovery.  The inflammable contents of the barrels would
+come in useful&mdash;for making fireballs, if for no other purpose.  Jack
+had them carried into the fort and stored in the magazine.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Very soon after daybreak Jack saw what seemed to be the greater portion
+of Elbel's force moving up the hill.  He counted at least five hundred
+men, and noticed that only about a hundred of these were riflemen, the
+remainder carrying spears, or tools of some kind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see what they are at, Barney?" he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Shifting their camp, by what it appears, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, I don't think that's it.  Elbel has failed with fire; he's now
+going to try water.  He's going to cut off our water supply."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure he's entitled to, as we don't pay rates, which is rubber.  But we
+can do widout his water supply, sorr, having a private distillery uv
+our own."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'm pretty sure I'm right, for you see the men are going a great deal
+farther up the hill than they need if they're merely looking for
+another base of attack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, why shouldn't we have a little rifle practice at 'em, sorr?
+'Tis long range firing, indeed, but mighty good practice."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No.  Our ammunition is too precious to be wasted; and even if we hit a
+few of them, that wouldn't stop Elbel's scheme, whatever it is.  We'll
+keep our eye on the river and see if there's any shrinkage."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not until late in the afternoon that he got positive proof that
+Elbel was in fact diverting the stream.  He had fancied for some time
+that the height of the water was less, but only about four o'clock did
+the fall become decided.  After that, however, the stream dwindled very
+rapidly, until, towards nightfall, there was only a thin trickle of
+water in the river bed below the fort, where in the morning the stream
+had been twenty feet broad and nearly six feet deep.  At the same time
+a remarkable change in the appearance of the country east of the fort
+had attracted the attention of the natives, who swarmed upon the
+platform on that side and gazed in amazement.  Lokolobolo had brought
+water into their camp; but who had made water run in a swift river
+where no river had ever been before?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nearly a mile away to the east, a broad shallow stream was rushing down
+the slope that extended from the precipice on which the fort stood to
+the foothills two miles beneath.  The river, dammed no doubt by
+boulders far up the hill, had now been forced into the course which,
+but for a rocky barrier, it would long since have discovered for itself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A very pretty scheme, bedad!" said Barney.  "And I just wish we could
+set a fountain going, like those in Trafalgar Square, just to show Mr.
+Elbel that he may have his river all to himself if he pleases."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That wouldn't do at all, Barney.  We don't want to flaunt our good
+fortune.  In fact, our best course is to keep Elbel in the dark.
+Indeed I think we had better stop that overflow from our tank.  Now
+that the cataract has dried up, the overflow would easily be seen."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But what'll we do wid the overflow, sorr?  Sure, we don't want a flood
+in the camp!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Certainly not.  We'll break it up into a number of tiny trickles, and
+let them find their way through the wall at different points.  They'll
+be sucked up or disappear before they reach the ground below."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, now, I would niver have thought of that!  Mr. Elbel will think
+we get our water from heaven, sorr, if he's iver heard uv it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The work of damming the river having been accomplished, the main body
+of the enemy marched down just before dark and regained their camp.  As
+they passed within earshot of the fort, Elbel's negroes could not
+refrain from flinging taunts at the men of their colour within the
+walls, telling them that they could no longer cook their food, much
+less wash their babies.  This made the men very angry; they prepared to
+blaze away with their rifles at the gibing enemy, and Jack's command to
+drop their weapons might, perhaps, for once have been disregarded had
+not Samba suddenly struck up the song which one of the men had
+composed, chronicling Lokolobolo's great deeds with water and fire:
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+Lokolobolo<br />
+In Ilombekabasi<br />
+Dug a great hole,<br />
+Filled it with waters<br />
+Great is his magic!<br />
+How can we praise him&mdash;<br />
+Lokolobolo?<br />
+Lo!  Elobela<br />
+Came with the fire tubs<br />
+To Ilombekabasi.<br />
+But the Inglesa<br />
+Lokolobolo<br />
+Filled a pot with the fire-stuff.<br />
+What a noise!<br />
+What a smoke!<br />
+Fire tubs are broken.<br />
+Ha!  Elobela!<br />
+Where is your fire now?<br />
+What is the good of you?<br />
+Inglesa's magic<br />
+No one can master.<br />
+Is it fire?<br />
+Is it water?<br />
+Lokolobolo<br />
+In Ilombekabasi<br />
+Quenches the fire,<br />
+Keeps water for black men.<br />
+Ha!  Elobela,<br />
+Go home to your cook-pot.<br />
+No good in this land,<br />
+In Ilombekabasi.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+The song was taken up one by one by the people, and in the delight of
+singing Lokolobolo's praise and Elobela's shame, the jeers of the
+negroes outside were forgotten.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That night Elbel posted no regular pickets round the fort.  He had
+clearly given up the idea of a strict blockade, which was indeed
+impossible with the force at his command; but except for the desire to
+mask his own movements, he lost nothing by the withdrawal of his
+pickets, for even if the garrison took advantage of it to issue from
+the fort, they could make little use of their freedom in a country bare
+of supplies.  Jack did not doubt that Elbel had many scouts abroad, and
+would be on the watch for an attempt to obtain water.  He would imagine
+that none was procurable save from a distance of at least half a mile
+from the fort, and was doubtless already congratulating himself on the
+success of his strategy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Several days passed, and life went on in the camp as peacefully as
+though no enemy was near.  The women performed their daily tasks of
+cleaning and cooking; the men drilled and exercised; the children
+amused themselves as children always can.  Jack took it into his head
+to teach them some of the round games popular with English children,
+knowing that the elders were sure to copy them; and every little
+novelty tended to amuse them and keep them cheerful.  Indeed, he found
+the men so like children in their capacity for finding easy amusement,
+that one day he started a game of leap-frog for them, and soon the
+whole camp was hilarious, the men springing over one another's backs
+all round the enclosure with great shouts of laughter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As Jack expected, Elbel kept a sharp watch by means of scouts all round
+the fort, to ensure that no water reached the besieged.  Jack smiled as
+he pictured the Belgian's amazement, when day after day went by without
+any sign of distress.  Now that the regular night pickets were removed,
+some of Jack's men found it easy to get out for little scouting
+expeditions; and except for an occasional brush between men of the two
+forces employed in this duty, there was nothing to show that four
+hundred men on the one side, and seven hundred on the other, were
+engaged in deadly warfare.  In these duels the men of Ilombekabasi
+invariably came off best.  They were at home equally in the forest and
+the plain; the enemy were for the most drawn from the Lower Congo&mdash;an
+inferior type of negro and less used to fighting in wooded districts.
+And a long immunity had rendered them careless.  They were accustomed
+to see whole villages panic-stricken at the sight of an Albini rifle.
+They had had no need to cultivate the art of scouting, except in
+tracking runaways; nor even the higher kind of marksmanship; for it was
+their practice to tie their victim to a tree before shooting: in this
+way the State or the Concessionary Company was saved ammunition.
+Indeed, one cartridge was frequently sufficient to account for two or
+more men, women, or children, if they were tied up with due regard for
+the convenience of the marksman.  It was a new and very disconcerting
+experience to meet men of their own colour who were not afraid of them,
+and they did not easily adapt themselves to the new condition of things.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For this work of scouting Jack had found no man yet to match Samba.
+The boy seemed to be endowed with a sixth sense, for he went safely in
+the most dangerous places, returned more quickly than the rest, and
+brought more information.  And though he soon made himself expert with
+the rifle presented him by Jack after the buffalo hunt, he never took
+it with him on these scouting trips, preferring to go unencumbered.  He
+relied on his knife.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One morning, when Jack was awakened as usual by Barney, he noticed a
+very comical look on the Irishman's face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Anything happened?" he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, I didn't mean to tell ye till ye were dressed.  What d'ye
+think that little varmint has done now?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba?  No mischief, I hope."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mischief, begorra!  Just after daybreak, whin you were sound asleep,
+sorr, and I was going the rounds as usual, Mboyo calls to me from the
+wall, and whin I comes up to 'm, there he is hauling like the divil on
+the rope.  'Samba must be getting fat like me,' says I to meself,
+lending a hand, 'for sure the boy will not need such a mighty big
+haul.'  Mboyo jabbered away, but I couldn't understand him.  And then,
+sorr, up comes a villainous ugly head, followed by a body ten times the
+size of Samba's, and a big nigger comes over, almost choked with a new
+kind uv necklace he was wearing, and shaking with the most terrible
+fright mortal man was iver in.  Mboyo lets down the rope again, and up
+comes Samba, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Me hab catch,' says he.  'Catch what?' says I.  'Begorra!' says he,
+'bont'one!'[<a id="chap20fn1text"></a><a href="#chap20fn1">1</a>]  Which was Dutch to me, sorr, only he pointed to the
+nigger.  'Catch him?' says I.  He nodded his head till I thought
+'twould break off.  'Ku?'[<a id="chap20fn2text"></a><a href="#chap20fn2">2</a>] says I.  'Nyango!'[<a id="chap20fn3text"></a><a href="#chap20fn3">3</a>] says he; and thin I
+laughed, sorr, 'cos the idea uv a boy taking prisoner a man ten times
+his size&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Draw it mild, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True, sorr, he doesn't look quite so big as he did.  I wished to wake
+ye at once, but Samba said no, he'd keep the prisoner safe till your
+usual time, and here he is, sorr, and the prisoner too."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had been putting on his clothes while Barney spoke.  Leaving the
+hut he saw Samba holding one end of the tendril of a creeper, the other
+end being looped about the neck of a tall strong negro.  Jack listened
+patiently, and with the aid of many questions, was able to piece out
+his story.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Creeping in the darkness up the dry river bed some distance from the
+fort, Samba had seen for a moment the form of a man dimly silhouetted
+against the starlit sky.  Then the man disappeared; but it was child's
+play to find him again, for he made his way into the channel and moved
+slowly down towards the fort.  He had a rifle, and was head and
+shoulders taller than Samba; but neither his strength nor his weapon
+was to avail him against the ingenuity and cat-like agility of his
+young enemy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It would have been easy for Samba to stalk him and make an end of him
+with the knife; but a brilliant idea occurred to the boy: how much
+better to capture him and take a living prisoner to the fort!  For two
+hours Samba kept in touch with him, never more than a few yards away,
+yet never by the slightest sound betraying his presence.  At last the
+man found a position above the fort which satisfied him, for he
+established himself there, apparently intending to wait for the dawn.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba felt sure that when he moved to regain his own camp he would
+retrace his steps up stream.  To go down would bring him within view of
+the fort.  His course would be to ascend the channel and fetch a wide
+circuit back to his own people.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba acted quickly on this assumption.  As silently as a shadow he
+glided past the man until, some distance up the channel, groping on the
+bank, he came across a tough creeper.  From this he cut off three or
+four yards of a pliant tendril, and with deft fingers made a slip-knot
+at one end.  Then he went again down stream, and made his way to a rock
+overhanging the left bank, whence he had many a time speared fish while
+the fort was being built.  On this rock he lay at full length, ready to
+move at the slightest sign of the negro stirring.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When dawn broke Samba saw that the man was staring intently at the
+fort.  After a prolonged examination he turned, and, as Samba expected,
+moved up the gully, keeping under the left bank to avoid observation
+from the walls.  Slowly and cautiously he picked his way upward, little
+recking of the lithe form stretched like a panther on the rock above.
+He was passing the rock, the rifle in his left hand, the right hand
+assisting his wary steps over the rugged channel, when the lasso curled
+gently over his head; a short vigorous tug, and the man, dropping his
+rifle and clutching at the strangling cord around his throat, was
+pulled backward on to the rocky side of the gully.  Samba had marked
+where the rifle fell, and leapt nimbly down.  Before the negro,
+wriggling to his feet, had succeeded in loosing the terrible noose,
+Samba was at his side, the Albini in his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The suddenness of the onset and the shock of his fall had robbed the
+man of all power of action.  When Samba said that he must either
+accompany him to Ilombekabasi or be shot, he saw no third course and
+accepted the first.  Perhaps he was tired of his service with Elobela;
+perhaps he was curious to see the village of the wonderful Lokolobolo;
+certainly he was very much afraid of being shot.  So he made no
+resistance, but went quickly down the gully, a step or two in advance
+of Samba, who carried the rifle, as he did not fail to remind his
+captive from time to time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Through Lepoko Jack questioned the man.  He showed no reluctance to
+answer; no wish to conceal his employer's purposes.  <i>Esprit de corps</i>,
+Jack surmised, was a sentiment not cultivated on the Congo.  The
+prisoner confessed that Elobela exulted in the belief that within a few
+days the fort would be compelled to surrender by lack of water.  And he
+had promised his men an orgy when the surrender should take place.  Not
+a soul should be spared.  There were man-eaters among his force, and
+they were looking forward to a choice banquet; many young and tender
+children frolicked in Ilombekabasi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack felt himself turn pale as he heard this.  The facts were coming
+home to him.  The thought that little Bakota, the chubby boy whom
+Barney employed to wash dishes, or little Ilangala, the girl whom the
+same indefatigable factotum had taught to darn his socks, might fall
+into the hands of these ruthless cannibals, to be torn limb from limb,
+and sacrificed to their brutal appetites, kindled emotion within him
+much more poignant than the mere report that such things had happened
+in the collection of rubber on the Congo, somewhere, at some time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He dismissed the man under guard, and went to his hut, wishing to be
+alone.  An hour or two later Lepoko came to him; the prisoner had given
+more information.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say, sah, big massa lib for come back up ribber.  Him say Elobela
+no let massa come to Ilombekabasi; catch him, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here was a new source of uneasiness and anxiety.  Jack had longed for
+his uncle's return; now he almost wished that something had happened to
+prevent his departure.  Already he had had such proofs of Elbel's
+vindictive and unscrupulous temper that he dreaded what might happen
+should Mr. Martindale fall into his hands.  But for the moment he saw
+no means of warning his uncle, and he tried to crush his fears and
+forebodings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the next few days several of Elbel's scouts were killed or
+wounded by Jack's men, who had so far been wonderfully successful in
+escaping injury.  One man of the enemy who was brought in wounded
+confirmed the first prisoner's statement that the Inglesa was said to
+be on his way.  The river was being watched at various points of its
+course, and Jack recognized the hopelessness of attempting to evade
+these sentinels and give his uncle timely warning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ten days had passed since the stream had been diverted, and the last
+captured scout said that Elobela was growing very impatient.  He could
+not understand how the fort had been able to hold out so long.  Every
+day he expected to see a flag of truce hoisted, and to receive a
+message asking for the terms of surrender.  One evening another scout
+was captured, and from him Jack learnt that his secret had at last been
+partially discovered.  Angry at being so long baulked, Elbel had
+determined to find out the source whence the defenders obtained the
+water he knew they must have.  He sent out scouts for this express
+purpose.  One of them, creeping up the bed of the stream below the
+southern face of the fort, had discovered that the precipice, which
+from a distance looked dry, was running with water, and that a thin
+stream was trickling into the gully.  The ground had gradually become
+saturated, and the overflow, which had at first disappeared into the
+earth, was now making itself only too visible.  When the discovery was
+reported to Elbel, he concluded that there must be a spring within the
+fort.  Great was his fury at having wasted so much time and labour
+fruitlessly.  In his anger he declared that the defenders should have
+plenty of water in future.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What did he mean by that?" asked Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man did not know.  Elobela did not tell all his purposes to the
+black men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The very next morning it was observed that a large body of men was
+again on the move up the hill.  Jack hurried to the top of the
+north-west blockhouse and followed the movements through his
+field-glass.  This time an even larger force was engaged than had been
+previously employed to dam the stream.  Two parties, riflemen and
+spearmen, numbering in all, as he estimated, nearly six hundred, were
+marching up the heights.  Clearly some new work was to be undertaken,
+and it must be of no little magnitude.  There were no signs of
+preparation for an immediate attack.  The troops continued their upward
+march for at least a mile.  Then Jack was surprised to see them set to
+work rolling boulders down the hill towards the slope at the north-east
+of the fort and the new course of the river.  Whatever the scheme was,
+it involved a great deal of labour, for the whole day was spent upon
+it, and still the parties of workers had made but small progress down
+the hillside.  It became clear to Jack that the supply of boulders
+lower down had been used up in constructing the dam.  More boulders
+were evidently required, and to procure these Elbel had had to take his
+men a considerable distance up the hill.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Late in the afternoon the negroes were marched back to camp.  As soon
+as it appeared safe, Jack sent Samba out to ascertain what had been
+done.  When he came back he reported that a large quantity of stones
+had been collected near the dam, and that though the main body had
+returned to their camp, there were still several large parties engaged
+in hauling boulders nearly a mile away from this point.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack could form no idea of what Elbel's plan was; but it seemed to him
+that in any case the time had come to meet it with a counterstroke.
+For hours that night he sat with Barney discussing every means of
+striking a blow that occurred to him; but he came to no decision.  A
+stand-up fight in the open was impossible; there could only be one end
+to that, outnumbered as Jack was in riflemen by nearly five to one, and
+at present the enemy's movements did not suggest to him any opportunity
+for stratagem.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next morning he stood with Barney at the wall, watching the enemy as
+once more they marched up to the scene of the previous day's work.  As
+usual, he did his best to count them&mdash;no easy matter, for the men did
+not march in orderly ranks like a disciplined regiment, but either in
+small groups or in several long files.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Elbel is getting impatient," remarked Jack at last.  "He wants to
+hurry up that work of his, for I make out that he is taking over fifty
+more men up to-day."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure there can't be more than fifty left in camp, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I suppose not.  That's rather risky," he added thoughtfully&mdash;"in an
+enemy's country, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Would you be meaning to go for them, sorr?" returned Barney, his eyes
+lighting up.  "Bedad, I'd rejoice in that same.  I haven't told ye,
+sorr, but many's the time I've felt I should just go raging mad if I
+had to stay in this camp much longer.  'Tis all very safe and
+comfortable, sorr, but 'tis a prison all the same, and there's no man
+on earth likes to be caged up less than an Irishman."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"D'you think we could do it, Barney?  The camp is only about half a
+mile below us; Elbel's men are a mile above, some at least a mile and a
+half.  Could we rush the camp before the main body could be brought to
+its relief?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Say 'tis two miles between 'em as the crow flies; they could run that
+in twelve minutes widout distressing themselves."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But they couldn't take the shortest road, because that would bring
+them under fire from our walls.  The distance would be a good deal more
+than two miles.  And we should have to cover half that distance to the
+camp and back, the return journey up hill.  It doesn't leave much
+margin, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Five minutes at the very most, sorr.  But a man can do a power uv
+fighting in five minutes."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Let us think it out carefully.  We mustn't throw away all our success
+by a mad enterprise now.  We oughtn't to weaken the defensive strength
+here much, for Elbel has such numbers that he could afford to lose a
+few in storming."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And we needn't, sorr.  'Tis not numbers that will count in rushing the
+camp; 'tis dash, sorr, and ivery man together."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's quite true.  And I think our men will work together better than
+Elbel's.  But there's a very serious difficulty&mdash;that outpost of his
+half-way between us and his camp.  It's the only post he has kept up
+permanently, and now it's a nuisance to us."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He referred to a couple of men stationed at the edge of a copse to the
+west of the stream.  They were screened by rocks, and from their
+position they could see the blockhouses and the tops of the huts, and
+keep the west and south quarters of the fort under fairly strict
+observation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see, they would instantly detect any movement of ours down the
+hill; and by the time we got to the camp the enemy would be on the <i>qui
+vive</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's only wan thing to be done, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Shut the eyes and the ears and the mouths uv the niggers at the
+outpost."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All very well; but they're too well screened to be shot at, and
+killing them is the only way to destroy all their senses.  Besides, it
+would be madness to fire.  The sound would alarm the enemy and spoil
+our plans."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Twas not meself that thought uv firing at all at all, sorr.  I was
+thinking uv Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba!  What can he do?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure and I don't know no more than the dead, or I'd tell it you
+meself, sorr.  But Samba's the ould wan himself at schaming; will I
+fetch him?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Certainly.  We'll see if he can do anything.  Hurry up!"
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap20fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap20fn1text">1</a>] This man.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap20fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap20fn2text">2</a>] Are you speaking the truth?
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap20fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap20fn3text">3</a>] Mother!&mdash;the strongest affirmative.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap21"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXI
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Dash and All Together
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Barney brought back with him both father and son.  Mboyo was a
+finely-built negro, but Samba, who had been growing rapidly, promised
+to outstrip his father in height, as he already excelled him in
+nimbleness of wit.  He had a noble brow, and eyes of extraordinary
+lustre; and Jack could not help contrasting him with the mean-looking
+white man, who, in the providence of King Leopold, was entrusted with
+the lives of such people as these.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack explained his purpose, and the difficulty which seemed to stand in
+the way.  A glance was exchanged between Samba and his father; then the
+boy said that they would deal with the outpost.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How will you do it?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We will creep upon them."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But it is daylight."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True.  We may fail; but we will do our best."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Very well.  Now we must get our men together, Barney.  It will be
+useless for Samba and Mboyo to start until we are ready.  In fact, we
+will postpone the whole thing for an hour or two.  In the hottest part
+of the day the men in the camp will very likely be dozing or fast
+asleep; even if they're awake, they'll probably not have all their wits
+about them."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He selected twenty riflemen, including Imbono, Makoko, and Lepoko, and
+fifty spearmen, the pick of the force, and ordered them to assemble at
+a given signal at a small exit he had recently had cut in the base of
+the wall on the gully side.  The hole had been made at a spot where the
+gully was very rugged and covered with creepers, so that any one
+leaving the fort by this small aperture could scarcely be detected
+except by an observer placed immediately opposite.  The portion of the
+wall which had been removed could be replaced, and it would be
+impossible, save on very close scrutiny, to discover the existence of
+the exit.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A dozen of the men, besides carrying their weapons, were to sling round
+their shoulders some large fireballs which had been made under Barney's
+superintendence from the resin in the confiscated barrels.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra, sorr, 'tis meself that has an idea!" cried Barney in the
+midst of these preparations.  "Couldn't we do something to hould the
+attention uv those villains at the outpost while Samba and the chief
+are doing their job?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A good idea, indeed.  What do you suggest?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Deed now, I wish we had Mike Henchie and Denis O'Sullivan and a few
+more uv the bhoys.  We'd treat the niggers to the finest dancing wid
+the shillelagh that iver was seen this side uv Limerick."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I wish we had!  You speak of shillelaghs.  Won't Indian clubs do?  I
+have it!  We'll get some of the children to go through their exercises.
+Go and collect them, Samba&mdash;Lofinda and Ilafa and Lokilo and Isungila,
+they're the best, and about a dozen more.  But hang it!  I forgot.
+They won't be seen over the wall."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure there's the platform by the blockhouse, sorr.  'Tis uncommon
+small for a stage play, but 'tis meself could make it wider in a brace
+uv shakes."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Then do so, like a good fellow.  It's a capital idea of yours, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The platform was quickly enlarged.  Then, just after midday, when the
+sun was blazing fiercely, and in the ordinary course of things
+everybody would be at rest in the huts, Barney marshalled some twenty
+children, boys and girls, on the platform, and Jack accompanied Mboyo
+and Samba to the little exit.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You must give me a signal if you succeed with the outpost," said Jack,
+as they prepared to slip through.  "It must not be a sound.  You had
+better show yourself for a moment above the rocks, Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The instant they had reached the gully, Imbono's drummer began to beat
+his drum, not with the powerful strokes that would have sent a
+thunderous boom echoing for miles around, but with gentle taps that
+would scarcely be heard beyond the two outposts.  At the same time two
+or three children blew softly through their little trumpets of banana
+leaves.  In a moment two woolly heads could be seen cautiously peeping
+over the rocks for which Mboyo and Samba were making.  Then the
+performance began.  Instructed by Barney, the children on the platform
+swung their clubs about, wondering why they were forbidden to sing the
+song about Lokolobolo which usually accompanied their exercise.  They
+knew nothing of the intention of their instructor, nor why he had
+chosen this hot hour instead of the cool of the evening; but they loved
+him, and delighted in the rhythmic motion, and they plied their clubs
+gracefully, all unconscious of the four curious eyes watching them from
+the rocks a few hundred yards away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack saw nothing of their pretty movements.  He was at the wall.  The
+two men of the outpost gazed at the children.  Jack gazed at them.
+Below him squatted his warriors, subdued to unnatural quietness by the
+thought of what was before them.  Impatiently they waited for the word.
+They did not know exactly what they were to do; Lokolobolo had simply
+said they were to follow him.  But they knew Lokolobolo; had he not
+time and again brought Elobela's schemes to nought?  Lokolobolo had
+said they were to follow him; and they were confident that where he led
+was the one place in the world for them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Twenty minutes passed.  The performance on the platform still went on.
+Then Jack suddenly saw the two black heads above the rocks disappear.
+Next moment Samba's head showed itself where they had been.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Aiyoko!"[<a id="chap21fn1text"></a><a href="#chap21fn1">1</a>] said Jack to his men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Quickly, one by one, they slipped through the narrow hole, and formed
+up under cover of the thick-growing creepers in the gully.  Jack went
+last, saw that the opening was closed behind him, and turned to address
+his men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We are going to Elobela's camp," he said.  "We shall go down the gully
+until we come opposite to it, then I shall lead you; you will come
+behind me silently, keeping your ranks.  I hope the men in the camp may
+be asleep.  You will not fire until I give the word.  When we have
+driven them out of the camp, those of you who have fireballs will set
+fire to their huts.  Then seize on all the guns and ammunition you can
+find, and return as quickly as possible to the fort."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men's eyes gleamed with excitement.  Stealthily as panthers they
+crept down the dry gully after their leader.  They did not know that
+behind them, at the wall, Barney, having abruptly dismissed the
+children, was watching with a very wistful look.  The good fellow
+wished that he were with them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Down they went, as rapidly as the rough ground permitted, scarcely
+making a sound.  At length Jack halted.  He turned and gave one quick
+glance over the eager faces; there was no falterer among his band.
+Then he scrambled over the brink of the gully.  Lepoko was first after
+him, Makoko was second; the rest of the men stood upon no order of
+going, but made each for the easiest point of ascent.  And there Mboyo
+and Samba joined them.  Standing on gently sloping ground Jack looked
+eagerly ahead.  Had his movement been detected?  There, two hundred
+yards away, was the camp within its light stockade.  Not a man was to
+be seen.  The midday sun beat fiercely down; doubtless the garrison
+were enjoying a siesta.  No sentry was posted, or, if posted, he had
+forgotten his duty.  The gate of Ilombekabasi on the northern face was
+far away; what simple negro would suppose that the enemy was
+approaching silently from the nearer end?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In compact and orderly ranks Jack's men were sprinting noiselessly
+after him, holding their weapons so that no clash or click should
+disturb the silent camp.  They were within a few yards of the stockade
+when suddenly there was a cry.  All were black men in the camp save
+one.  At that moment he, in the intolerable heat, was about to leave
+his tent and bathe in a clear stream that ran through the enclosure.
+He saw the running band; he cried to his men, and, flinging away his
+towel, sprang back to his hut to get his rifle.  He was too late.
+Jack, getting a "shove up" from one of his men, was on and over the
+stockade in a few seconds; his men were leaping all around him.  And
+now their tongues were loosened.  Yells and rifle shots aroused the
+lethargic garrison, some from sleep within their huts, some from drowsy
+lolling in shady quarters by the stockade.  For most of them one glance
+was enough.  Here was Lokolobolo, the Inglesa, and with him a crowd of
+men among whom they recognized some they had beaten in Ilola with the
+whip.  With frantic yells of alarm they ran for dear life across the
+compound to the gate on the further side, out into the open, never
+pausing until they had gained the forest fringe, with half a mile
+between them and the men they feared.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But not all; the white man had seized his rifle and collected a small
+band about him.  Mboyo, near Jack, gave a cry; among the negroes around
+the white man he saw Boloko, his renegade brother.  Taking cover where
+they could, they began to fire at the invaders, hastily, frantically.
+But Jack had his men in hand.  Bidding them also take cover, he sent
+those who had fireballs to creep round the camp and set light to the
+huts.  Soon volumes of dense suffocating smoke bellied across the camp,
+screening attackers from defenders.  Then Jack gave the order to close
+in upon the few who resisted.  With triumphant yells his men swept
+forward through the smoke&mdash;a few shots were fired; one or two men fell;
+then the white man, with Boloko and the rest of his band at his heels,
+made a dash for the gate.  Two men dropped ere they could pass through;
+but the white man and Boloko and half a dozen others were more
+fortunate.  Out in the open they ran like hunted deer; and Elobela's
+burning camp was left in the hands of Lokolobolo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack lost no time.  The stockade and the huts on the windward side were
+ablaze; soon the whole place must be in flames.  The sound of the
+shots, the sight of the smoke, would bring back Elbel and all his
+force.  Shouting to his men to collect all the arms and ammunition they
+could carry and then rush back to the fort, Jack went outside the
+stockade beyond the cloud of smoke to keep watch.  The flames were
+roaring and crackling behind him; but even at this distance, nearly two
+miles from the place where Elbel was at work, he fancied he heard the
+shouts of the amazed and angry enemy.  Then suddenly the deep resonant
+note of Imbono's drum struck his ear.  Barney must be warning him!  He
+turned and called to his men to delay no longer.  Back to the fort!
+Meanwhile Barney had followed the movements of the gallant band.  He
+heard the shots and yells, and saw the first spiral of smoke; then he
+hastened to the northwest blockhouse, calling to all the riflemen left
+with him to line the wall overlooking the gully.  In a few minutes he
+saw the negroes above dashing helter-skelter down the slope.  And yes!
+there was Elbel at their head, a figure in white, running as though he
+were running for a prize.  Barney smiled with satisfaction.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Begorra!  They're forgetting me!" he murmured pleasantly, as he saw
+that the enemy, in their frantic haste, were making for the shortest
+path along the further edge of the gully, within easy range of the
+camp.  Barney determined to wait until they were well abreast of him,
+and then give them a volley.  But the impatience of a negro forced his
+hand.  In the excitement of the moment one of the riflemen, free from
+Jack's restraining presence, fired his piece.  The shot brought Elbel
+to his senses.  He suddenly remembered the danger into which he was
+running.  Turning sharp to the right, he sprinted straight to the cover
+of the copse.  Some of his men followed him; others ran heedlessly on.
+Growling at the man who had spoilt his scheme, Barney gave the order to
+fire, and half a dozen of the enemy fell.  But Elbel had escaped; and
+the rest of his men took warning and diverged from the direct course as
+he had done.  Barney saw that further efforts would be wasted; so,
+ordering his men to cease fire, he returned to the other end of the
+fort to see how Jack was faring.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-225"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-225.jpg" alt="Jack rushes Elbel's camp" />
+<br />
+Jack rushes Elbel's camp
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here they come!  Makoko is leading, staggering up the gully under the
+weight of half a dozen rifles.  Behind him is Lombola, poising a load
+of ammunition on his head.  There is Lingombela, with a bundle of
+cartridge pouches roped to his back.  So one after another they file up
+the gully.  Barney opens the little gate in the wall; willing helpers
+within haul the loads through.  No man enters until all the rifles and
+ammunition have been handed in; then they scramble through, laughing
+and jesting; and Jack comes last of all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well done, sorr!" said Barney heartily.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well done, Barney!" returned Jack, gripping his hand.  "By Jove!
+What's that?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A loud explosion set the air trembling, and a hundred echoes flying
+from the rocks around.  A dense volume of flame and smoke rose from the
+site of Elbel's camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There goes the last of their ammunition!" said Jack with a laugh.
+"We've got best part of it here."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, now's the chance for me meself.  Give me leave, sorr, and
+I'll go at them wid the men and wipe them clean off the face uv the
+earth."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Stop, stop, Barney!  We mustn't be impatient.  They've no more
+ammunition in reserve, but every man who was with Elbel will have a
+good many rounds with him.  We can't risk a pitched battle against two
+hundred rifles."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ochone, sorr!  Will I niver get a chance at all?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Cheer up!  Your chance will come, and you've done splendidly as it is.
+It was a fine idea of yours to sound that drum when you saw them
+running down.  And it was your idea to set something going here to
+occupy the attention of the outpost.  By the by, I haven't had time to
+ask Samba yet how they dealt with those fellows."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He called up the boy.  His story was very simple.  Mboyo and he had
+crawled round under cover of the rocks and bushes, and came upon the
+unsuspecting sentries from the rear.  They had their knives; the men
+died without a sound.  Jack shuddered.  It was not an Englishman's way
+of dealing with an enemy; it was the negro's way.  But his feeling of
+compunction was somewhat diminished when Samba added that one of the
+men was Bomolo, the brutal forest guard who had been the terror of
+Imbono's people.  For how many maimings and murders had this man been
+responsible?  Surely in this quick death he had met with far less than
+his deserts!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had every reason to be satisfied with the success of his sortie.
+To have burned the enemy's camp; captured more than half his reserve
+ammunition, and destroyed the rest, was no mean feat.  And as for the
+people of Ilombekabasi, they were frantic with delight.  So quietly had
+Jack made his preparations that the majority of the people knew nothing
+of what was happening until they heard the first shot.  Then they
+crowded to the wall and watched eagerly.  The camp itself was hidden
+from them by the contour of the hill, but they saw the smoke rising
+above the bushes and hailed it with loud shouts.  When they understood
+the meaning of the great noise that followed Lokolobolo's return they
+were almost beside themselves with joy.  And in the cool of the evening
+Jack allowed them to hold a great feast, after which Imbono reeled off
+a long oration in praise of Lokolobolo, and the village bard composed
+and chanted a new song in numerous stanzas, the whole populace roaring
+the chorus:&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+O kelaki na?<br />
+Bomong'ilombe,<br />
+Bosak'owa wanga,[<a id="chap21fn2text"></a><a href="#chap21fn2">2</a>]<br />
+Lokolobolo!<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+For several days after the sortie Jack was left undisturbed.  He
+guessed how Elbel was occupied, and his conjecture was confirmed by
+Samba, who at once resumed his scouting work.  Elbel was constructing
+another camp a good distance east of his former position.  And he was
+spending more time and labour on it; the stockade was more than usually
+high and thick, and was flanked with bastions after the model of the
+blockhouses at Ilombekabasi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba also discovered that on the day after the burning of the camp one
+of the white men with twenty paddlers had gone down the river.  Jack
+had no doubt that he had been despatched to the headquarters of his
+Company for more ammunition.  Clearly Elbel was rendered only the more
+determined by his successive rebuffs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And I don't wonder at it," remarked Jack, talking the situation over
+with Barney.  "We are making hay of the rubber collection in this
+district, and Elbel's Company will be pretty mad with him.  I
+understand why he hasn't got help before this from the State forces.
+For one thing he has got to rehabilitate himself with his Company,
+who'll certainly cashier him if he doesn't find a way out of the mess
+he has got into.  For another thing, if he brings the State forces on
+the scene, he'll most likely lose all chance of collaring uncle's gold,
+and I believe that's at the bottom of it right through.  But things
+can't last much longer as they are.  The State must intervene soon,
+whether Elbel likes it or not."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And what then, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Then it will be all up with us, I'm afraid.  But we won't look forward
+to that.  I only wish I could find some means of sending word to
+England of what goes on here, and what we're doing."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What would be the good uv it, sorr?  Sorrow a bit."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why do you say that?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why!  Because in England they're all too busy making money to attend
+to such things&mdash;making money, sorr, or fighting tooth and nail about
+education, or dreaming about football.  Now if Ireland had Home
+Rule&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No politics, Barney!  I don't agree with you.  I'm as sure as I'm
+alive that if the people at home really knew how abominably the natives
+are treated&mdash;knew about the floggings and maimings and murders, they'd
+make such an outcry that either King Leopold would be forced to change
+his policy, or some one would step in and manage things for him.  If
+only England and America would join hands!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Elbel had completed his new camp, he resumed the work far up the
+hill which the sortie had interrupted.  Jack was still at a loss to
+understand what the Belgian's scheme was, and he was prevented from
+finding out, by the fact that every night a strong body was left on
+guard, as he knew by the many camp fires at the top of the ridge.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One afternoon, however, the secret was explained.  One of the men
+placed on the look-out at the north-eastern blockhouse reported that he
+saw a stream of water rushing down the hill.  Jack hastened to the spot
+with his field-glass, and was somewhat alarmed to see that the man's
+information was correct; water was certainly streaming down over the
+rocky ground, making a course that seemingly would bring it right
+against the fort wall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He's going to flood us out!" thought Jack.  "He must have built an
+embankment across the new course of the river."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was a manoeuvre which he had not foreseen, and one which it seemed
+impossible to counter.  The water, gathering impetus as it flowed down
+the hill, would almost infallibly undermine the wall, even if it had
+not force enough to wash it away altogether.  But as he watched, for
+the moment so much taken aback that he could not think of anything to
+be done, his consternation was changed to amusement, for about two
+hundred yards up the hill the water made a swerve to his right, and
+flowed with increasing rapidity in that direction.  The slope was such
+that, instead of coming straight down as Elbel had evidently expected,
+the stream, finding the easiest course, took at this point a trend to
+the south-east.  After all it would only wash the blockhouse on which
+Jack stood.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack instantly saw what he ought to do.  Running down to the base of
+the stockade, he summoned a large body of workers, and set some of them
+to dismantle the blockhouse, the remainder to pull down the wall and
+build it up again several feet behind its former position, and in such
+a way that instead of forming the angle of a square it lay across,
+making a line parallel with the course of the stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They had hardly got to work before the full body of water was upon
+them.  But so many men were employed, and they moved so rapidly, that
+only one or two logs were carried away by the current, the solidly
+built blockhouse serving as a dam and protecting the workers behind.
+The main stream fell with a roar over the steep slope on the edge of
+which the blockhouse stood&mdash;a slope only less precipitous than that of
+the cataract, now a thing of the past, at the opposite corner of the
+fort.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Only a few minutes later a tremendous outcry was heard from the
+direction of Elbel's new camp.  For a moment it startled Jack.  Had the
+enemy taken advantage of the sudden flood to organize an attack in
+force?  But the thought had hardly crossed his mind when he burst into
+laughter, causing his workers to pause and look round in astonishment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A magnificent idea!" he said to Barney.  "D'you see what has happened?
+The silly fellow is flooding his own camp!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bedad, sorr, that's what comes uv being too clever by half."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It comes of playing with things he knows nothing about.  He's tried an
+engineer's job without experience and without surveying instruments.
+It's ticklish work interfering with the course of nature, and you never
+know what will happen if you set water on the run.  Look at them,
+Barney!  'Pon my soul, it's the funniest thing I've ever seen.  There's
+Elbel himself, do you see? scampering down the hill like a madman."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Like a mad gorilla, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And all his men after him!  By Jove! can't they yell!  He'll have to
+shift his quarters again, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And sure I hope all his food is soaked and all his clothes in the
+wash-tub.  A bath will do those greasy niggers no harm."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We'll build up our blockhouse a few yards to the left, and be none the
+worse.  Let's go and lend a hand."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap21fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap21fn1text">1</a>] Now.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap21fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap21fn2text">2</a>] Who did it?<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The master of the house,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A most clever person.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap22"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Message and a Meeting
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Ilombekabasi had peace.  Elbel was sufficiently occupied for a couple
+of days in constructing a third camp, which he placed still further
+eastward in the direction of Ilola, but still between Jack and the main
+river.  And even when the camp was completed he gave no sign of further
+operations.  Jack was forced to conclude that his enemy was tired of
+his continual failures, and would now wait inactive until
+reinforcements reached him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One afternoon, about a week after the flooding of the camp, a negro was
+seen running up the gully.  Shots rang out in the distance, and far
+down the gully appeared a band of Elbel's men, who relinquished the
+pursuit of the runner on coming within sight of the fort.  The man
+scampered up to the hole in the stockade.  He was unarmed save for the
+universal dagger.  He cried out to be admitted; he had a message for
+the Inglesa; and Jack ordered him to be hauled up through the aperture.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me nearly lib for dead," he said panting, "me run too fast."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, who are you, and what do you want?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me Lofembi, sah.  Me boy massa him uncle."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, sah; me massa Martindale boy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where is he?" cried Jack, feeling himself go pale with excitement at
+the sudden news.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He long long in forest, sah.  Come up ribber in boat; one man say
+young massa shut up in Ilombekabasi; old massa get out of boat, hide in
+forest so long for young massa to know.  He plenty sick at Boma, sah;
+nearly gone dead.  Fust small small better, sah! lib for go sick all
+same; talk small small, sah; no make head straight.  He try write; no
+can hold black stick; he fit for go sleep."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good heavens, Barney!  Poor old Uncle!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure, the man may be a liar, sorr," said Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack gave the man a keen glance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"My uncle tried to write, you say.  What did he try to write?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bonkanda to massa; oh yes!  He want say he come; he want know what he
+fit to do.  No want see bad man; no; want to come to Ilombekabasi.
+Plenty hard job, 'cos bad man dah."  He pointed in the direction of
+Elbel's camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"If he is so very sick, how did he come from the river into the forest?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Four five men carry him, sah.  Plenty big lump; oh yes."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why did he send you?  Where's Nando?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nando lib for sick at Leo[<a id="chap22fn1text"></a><a href="#chap22fn1">1</a>]; no fit to come; him plenty sick; oh yes.
+Me Lofembi; me come, do talk for massa.  Massa gib fing to show young
+massa; here he am."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He produced a gold scarf ring and handed it to Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"This is my uncle's, sure enough, Barney.  It's genuine.  What on earth
+can we do?  Poor old Uncle!  In his last note he said he was
+recovering; he must have had a relapse.  How can we get him into the
+fort?  We must bring him in somehow.  It's awful to think of him lying
+ill in the forest without any one to look after him; and I am cooped up
+here!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Send Samba to fetch him, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I can't, Barney," said Jack after a moment's thought.  "Samba goes
+alone safely, but I simply can't trust him to lead a party in,
+especially as Uncle seems to be too bad to move.  I can't see any way
+out of it.  If I took some men out myself, and made a dash for it, the
+enemy would be on our track, and we should have to fight our way in
+against the whole lot of them.  Impossible; they outnumber us so
+greatly."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney was sympathetic, but unable to offer a suggestion.  Bidding him
+keep an eye on Lofembi, Jack went back to his hut to think the matter
+out by himself.  He was torn with anxiety.  An unlucky chance might at
+any moment reveal his uncle's whereabouts, and he knew what mercy Mr.
+Martindale might expect if he fell into the hands of Elbel.  Something
+must be done; yet what?  A dozen plans occurred to him, only to be
+rejected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One thing was clear; whatever was done must be done either by Barney or
+himself.  Mr. Martindale being incapacitated, another white man must
+lead his party, for the natives, unless properly led, might be seized
+with panic at the slightest check and bolt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney he could not send.  There was no finesse about him; he was a
+good fighter, with any amount of pluck, but the very antithesis of a
+scout.  Jack felt that he must go himself if his uncle was to have the
+best chance of getting in.  There was no other course that offered the
+same prospect of success.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+What were his chances?  His sortie against the enemy's camp had been a
+brilliant success.  Since then Elbel had been practically on the
+defensive; he was afraid of wasting ammunition; afraid also of leaving
+any small body unsupported by his main force.  During the past week
+Jack's scouts had reported night after night that no pickets had been
+posted as formerly around the fort, so that, except on the south-east,
+where Elbel's camp was, the neighbourhood was open.  He could thus
+easily steal out at the gate in the northern wall under cover of
+darkness, and by making a wide detour ought to be able to bring Mr.
+Martindale and his party back in safety.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Yet he had qualms.  Ought he in any case to leave the fort?  Supposing
+he failed, what would happen to the hundreds of people who depended on
+him?  Driven by force of circumstances into a life-and-death struggle
+with Elbel's Company, he had not ventured to look forward to its
+ultimate issue.  The duty of the moment seemed to be to hold on, to
+keep the poor negroes out of the clutches of their oppressors, and
+leave the end with God.  Could he trust Barney to continue his work if
+he should be removed?  Ought he to think of it?  Thus he pondered and
+puzzled, the arguments for and against chasing one another in a circle
+through his mind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had reached no conclusion when Barney came to the hut.  The good
+fellow seemed a little uncomfortable; he stood hesitating at the
+entrance, his readiness of speech having apparently deserted him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Barney, I'm the most miserable fellow alive," said Jack, looking up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"All but wan, sorr; all but wan.  'Tis the master who is more miserable
+than you or me, sorr.  Think uv it; alone in the forest, wid none but
+black idjuts to wait upon 'm.  I've been thinking mighty hard, sorr,
+and the end uv it is this; 'tis you that must go, sorr.  Sure I can
+hold the fort while you are gone."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But what if I never come back, Barney?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Twould be a desp'rate hard case, sorr.  But what thin?  I'm an
+Irishman, and, bedad! 'twas for hard cases Irishmen was born.  Niver a
+fear but I'd stick to it, sorr.  We've beaten the scuts all along.  And
+if the captain goes, sorr, sure the liftinant takes his place and does
+his best to fill it dacently.  What would have happened if ye had got
+knocked on the head in that sortie uv yours?  Do ye think Barney O'Dowd
+would have hung out a white rag and surrindered?  Sorrow a bit!  I'd
+have nailed my colours to the mast, speakin' by the card, and dared the
+rufn'ns to come and take 'em."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You're a brick, Barney!" cried Jack, springing up and gripping him by
+the hand.  "I'll go!  I'll take Samba, this very night, and bring dear
+old Uncle in."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's right, sorr.  And we'll nurse him back to health and strength,
+and make him colonel uv the reg'mint."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Call out those men who captured Elbel's camp with me, and place them
+at the gate to make a dash if they hear firing.  And meanwhile you man
+the wall and hold yourself ready to cover our entry.  And, Barney, if
+I'm caught and Uncle doesn't come in, hold the fort as long as you can.
+Don't make sorties; simply sit tight.  The rainy season will be on us
+soon, Imbono said, and Elbel's camp is so badly placed that when the
+rains come he will be swamped.  He may then get tired of the siege and
+draw off.  If he does, I should arrange with the two chiefs for a trek
+into the forest.  But if Elbel still presses the siege and food begins
+to run short&mdash;it won't last for ever, you know&mdash;you had better choose a
+dark night and make a dash out to the north-east.  If you go quickly
+you'll get a good many hours' start before Elbel realizes what has
+happened; and when once in the forest you may shake off pursuit.  Our
+rifles will form a rearguard."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I'll do all that same, sorr.  But I hope it will not be me fate to do
+it at all.  I'd sooner be liftinant for iver, sorr."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shortly after nightfall, Jack, Samba, and Lofembi the messenger, made
+their exit by the hole in the wall.  Jack had wished to follow his
+original intention and leave by the northern gate, but Lofembi
+earnestly begged him not to do this, saying that he would not be able
+to find the way if he did not go out by the same gate that he had
+entered.  At the moment of departure Barney gripped Jack's hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The blessed angels go wid ye, sorr, and bring poor ould master back in
+safety."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good-bye, Barney.  Hope for the best, and remember&mdash;hold the fort."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was slow work moving across the broken hilly country by night; but
+Lofembi had previously pointed out to Samba the general direction in
+which they had to go, and the boy was able to keep a fairly straight
+course.  They had to strike, said Lofembi, a path through the forest
+following the course of the sun.  Mr. Martindale's camp was pitched
+close to the path, not far from where two large trees had fallen across
+it.  In about an hour they came to the outskirts of the forest in that
+direction, the course being in the main the same as that taken by Jack
+some weeks previously on his buffalo hunt, but leaving the open country
+somewhat earlier.  So far there had been no sign of the enemy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Progress was even slower in the forest itself.  More than once Lofembi
+halted in doubt; then after a whispered colloquy with Samba he started
+again, guiding himself by the stars seen through the tree tops.  Save
+for these whispered conversations not a word was spoken.  Jack was too
+much absorbed in his mission, too anxious about his uncle, to have any
+inclination to talk, even if the risk of coming upon a scout of Elbel's
+had not been present to his mind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At length the three came upon the narrow track Lofembi had been
+seeking.  Here they went in Indian file, the guide leading, Jack coming
+next, then Samba.  The path was so narrow and so beset by obstructions
+that walking was a toil.  Sometimes Lofembi swerved to one side or the
+other to avoid a prickly bush; sometimes they had to clamber over a
+fallen tree; more often the path wound round the obstacle.  It seemed
+to Jack many hours since they started; in reality it was scarcely more
+than three before they came upon the two fallen trees.  Lofembi stopped.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Small small now, massa," he whispered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He gave a long low-pitched call.  From the blackness on the left came a
+similar call in reply.  The guide moved forward, plunging boldly along
+a narrow path&mdash;more narrow even than that by which they had reached
+this spot&mdash;in the direction of the sound.  Jack was about to follow him
+when Samba touched him on the arm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba go first," said the boy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, no," said Jack kindly.  "We are all right; this is my place,
+Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His heart beat faster under the stress of his emotion as he followed
+Lofembi through the tangled undergrowth.  How would he find his uncle?
+Was he very ill?  Surely, surely, he was not in danger&mdash;he would not
+die?  Beads of sweat broke out upon Jack's brow as the terrible
+possibility occurred to him.  He went on almost blindly.  Three
+minutes' groping in the darkness brought them to a natural clearing, in
+which, by the dim light of the stars, Jack saw a couple of tents, and,
+some little distance from them, what appeared to be a number of roughly
+made grass huts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dis way, massa," said Lofembi, touching Jack on the arm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Which one?" said Jack in a low tone,
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dat one," replied Lofembi, pointing to the nearer of the two huts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He stepped forward into the clearing.  At the same moment a score of
+dusky forms rose and closed in stealthily from the undergrowth around.
+With a little cry Samba plucked Jack by the sleeve.  But almost
+unconsciously he shook off the detaining hand, so full of anxiety was
+he.  His uncle must be very ill, or he would be standing by the tent to
+welcome him.  He sprang forward, stopped, and raised the flap of the
+tent.  By the light of a small oil lamp swinging from the top he saw a
+form stretched upon a camp bed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Uncle! uncle!" he cried, falling on his knees by the side of the
+prostrate figure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A low murmur answered him.  At the same moment he heard a sighing
+groan, as it were, from the entrance to the hut, and the sound of a
+heavy fall.  Then the forest glade rang with fierce shouts and the
+crack of a rifle.  Jack rose to his feet, confused by this sudden
+turmoil coming when his nerves were overstrung.  As he half turned, a
+figure came out of the darkness towards him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good efening, Mr. Shalloner," said a smooth voice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack started back.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, it is me&mdash;Guillaume Elbel, bien entendu!"
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap22fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap22fn1text">1</a>] Leopoldville.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap23"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXIII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Elbel Squares Accounts
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Jack saw through it all now.  Elbel had captured his uncle, and used
+him to decoy from the fort the enemy whom fair fighting and open
+manoeuvres had failed to dislodge.  He could have shot the Belgian with
+his rifle where he stood, but saw in a flash how vain the action would
+be.  Outside was a horde of savage natives, who would instantly wreak
+vengeance on the white men.  Mr. Martindale was too weak to resist, and
+what he would suffer at their hands was too horrible to be thought of.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Elbel had spoken Jack turned once more to his uncle, and kneeling
+down by his bedside clasped his hand.  His pressure was returned but
+feebly.  Mr. Martindale's weakness, coupled with his distress at Jack's
+capture, rendered him unable to speak.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I beg you listen to me," said Elbel.  "I have a varrant for the arrest
+of Chon Martindale, Chon Shalloner, and a third man, whose name I do
+not know, on a charge dat dey incite de natives to rebel against de
+Congo Free State.  I have two of the dree; dat is vell.  It vill be for
+your advantage, to-morrow, to send a written order to de third man to
+render dat fort on de hill.  It vill be for your advantage at de trial.
+If de fort resist longer, and cause blood to spill, it vill be so much
+de vorse for you ven you appear before de court in Boma."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where is your warrant, Mr. Elbel?" asked Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah!  I have it not viz me; of course, it is in my camp."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I suppose you are going to take us there?  You can show it to me when
+we get there."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, you meestake.  I vill not take you to my camp.  I vill send you
+both at vunce to Boma, vere you vill be tried."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But my uncle is not in a condition to travel; you know that."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bah!  He vas in condition to travel here; vell, he is in condition to
+travel back."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But that is preposterous, Mr. Elbel.  Are you absolutely inhuman?  I
+find my uncle so ill that he cannot even speak to me.  God knows how
+much his illness is due to you or your friends.  At least you will
+allow him to remain until I can give him some little attention&mdash;until
+he regains a little strength.  To do anything else will be nothing less
+than murder."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dat is not my affair," said Elbel with a shrug.  "It is instructed me
+to send you to Boma.  To Boma zerefore muss you go, and at vunce."
+Then, as a thought struck him, he added, "Though truly I will vait vun
+day, two days perhaps, if you give command to de man in de fort to
+render himself."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Never!" came in a fierce whisper from the bed.  Mr. Martindale had
+gathered his little strength for Jack's sake.  "Never!  We will make no
+terms with you.  What my nephew has done he has done merely in
+self-defence against the acts, the illegal acts, of you and your
+freebooters.  I am an American citizen; he is a British subject; as
+you, yes, and your Free State, will find to your cost."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He spoke in feeble gasps, yet with an energy that spoke of an
+unconquerable spirit.  The exertion exhausted him, and he fell back on
+the bed from which he had half risen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bah!  Fine vords!" said Elbel.  "Ver' fine vords, monsieur.  You say
+you are American&mdash;you dink dat frighten me!  Vy, I laugh.  Vat good is
+de American or de English in de Congo Free State?  Ve mock of dem.  Ve
+have our own vays to deal viz such canaille.  You vill not send order
+to de fort?  Ver' vell; I do vizout."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Your warrant won't hold in any case.  No one can order the arrest of a
+man unnamed."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You zink so?  Ver' vell, it does not matter.  You vill have
+opportunity to zink about my vords as you promenade yourselves to Boma.
+So I vish you bonsoir.  To attempt to escape, I tell you it is
+impossible.  You see dat?  You hab revolver, Mr. Shalloner.  Be so kind
+to gif me dat."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack hesitated.  But he saw that resistance was useless, and handed
+over the weapon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Danks.  In de morning you vill begin your promenade to Boma.  Au
+revoir, messieurs; au revoir Monsieur Chon Shalloner!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He left the tent.  The interview had been too much for Mr. Martindale.
+He lay half unconscious, and was scarcely roused when Elbel, in a
+couple of minutes, returned in a towering rage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You, Chon Shalloner!" he shouted.  "You make de natives to rebel, and
+more, you make dem to do murder.  Dat man, who I sent to the fort, he
+lie now outside, a dead man.  Some vun dat come viz you he stab him in
+de back.  You English hombog, I teach you.  Dey shall know of dis in
+Boma."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack did not condescend to answer him, and Elbel flung out of the tent.
+If his messenger was dead, he had paid the penalty of his treachery.
+Jack could only pity the poor wretch for meeting with such an end in
+such a service.  No doubt it was Samba's doing.  Jack remembered now
+the groan and the fall outside.  Had Samba escaped?  He was anxious on
+the boy's behalf, but it was impossible to ascertain what had happened
+to him.  From Elbel's manner and words he inferred that Samba was safe.
+And as for Elbel's indignation at the deed Jack was not impressed by
+it.  When he thought of the murders and maimings this man was
+answerable for, he could find no blame for the faithful boy who had
+punished as his instincts taught him, the spy who had betrayed his
+master.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was left alone with his uncle.  He looked vainly round the tent
+for a restorative&mdash;a drug, a flask of brandy, even a cup of water.
+There was nothing.  He bent over the still form, and touching the brow,
+gently, felt it burning with the heat of fever.  He knew that his uncle
+was accustomed to keep a small phial of quinine pills in his waistcoat
+pocket, and searching for that he found it and persuaded the sick man
+to swallow a little of the medicine.  Then he sat on the foot of the
+bed, not knowing what to do.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+How fully his forebodings had been justified!  It had been a mistake to
+leave the fort.  And yet he could not rue it, for otherwise he might
+never have seen his uncle again.  He looked at the face with the
+half-closed eyes; how thin it was! how pale!  The ruddy hue, the
+rounded shape of health, were gone.  Where was that bright twinkling
+eye that looked so shrewdly out from beneath a shaggy brow?  What
+sufferings he must have undergone!  At that moment Jack looked over the
+past months to the day when he so light-heartedly bade his uncle
+good-bye, and so cheerfully accepted the charge laid upon him.  How he
+wished they had never been parted!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And then another thought drove out his regret.  But for this parting
+Ilombekabasi would never have been, and several hundreds of poor black
+people would almost certainly have been tortured, mutilated, done to
+death, in the name of law.  Could he have done otherwise than he had
+done?  Had Providence, moving in mysterious ways, arranged all
+this&mdash;that one should suffer for the sake of many?  He did not know; he
+could not think; his mind seemed to be wrapt in a cloud of mist,
+through which he saw nothing but the present fact&mdash;that his uncle lay
+before him, sick&mdash;perhaps unto death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By and by a negro entered, bearing food and palm wine.  Mr. Martindale
+could not eat, but the wine revived him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Jack, old boy!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack knelt by the bedside, clasping his uncle's hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Jack, I must tell you what happened."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Don't, Uncle; you will distress yourself."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, I shall do myself no harm.  If you will be patient&mdash;for I shall be
+slow&mdash;a little at a time, Jack.  You must know.  I've got pretty nearly
+to the end of my tether, dear boy.  I shan't live to do anything for
+these poor niggers, but you will&mdash;you will, Jack.  And I want you to
+vow here, at this moment, to do what I must leave undone&mdash;fight the
+Congo State, Jack, fight Leopold, with your hands, your tongue, your
+pen, here, in Europe, in America; fight him in the name of humanity and
+of God.  Promise me that, Jack, so that if I do not live till the
+morning I shall at least die happy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"God helping me, Uncle, I will."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale pressed his hand.  For some time there was silence, then
+the elder man began again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I must try to speak calmly, my boy; I have so little strength; but it
+is hard.  I told you in my first letter of what I had learnt about the
+ways of the Congo State.  You wondered, I dare say, why I never
+mentioned them again.  You will understand why.  When I got to Boma, I
+reported to the Governor-General, in a written memorial, the incidents
+that occurred as we went up the river&mdash;the altercation with Elbel, the
+attempt on our canoes, the night attack on our camp, frustrated by
+Samba.  (I can't tell you how glad I was, Jack, when you told me the
+boy had returned to you.)  I forestalled the probable answer that Elbel
+had nothing to do with those attempts by pointing out that the negroes
+Samba saw were fully armed, and must have been under a white man's
+control.  Even then it was illegal, for I found that men in Elbel's
+position, representing Concessions, are not entitled to take more than
+five riflemen as escort beyond the limits of their trading factories.
+In my memorial I said that, after these attacks on me, I should be
+forced in self-defence to arm a certain number of my followers, and I
+disclaimed responsibility for the consequences.  I also reported the
+scene of desolation at Banonga, and the story I had heard from Samba's
+lips; and called upon the Governor-General to take instant action in
+the matter."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack moistened his uncle's lips, and he continued:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I got an acknowledgment, polite enough, even pleasant, promising that
+these matters should be inquired into.  The Governor-General added that
+the possession of firearms and the arming of the natives being
+prohibited by law, I should become liable to heavy penalties and
+imprisonment if the law was broken.  I had luckily already sent you the
+rifles and ammunition; though had I not done so, I could easily have
+bribed an official to give me a permit to carry arms; it would have
+cost me five hundred francs for the licence, and as much as I chose for
+the bribe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"For a week I heard no more.  I was deceived by the politeness of the
+Governor-General's letter into believing that I was perfectly safe, and
+free to do, in this Free State, what I had come to do.  I set about my
+business, and, as I told you, bought a little machinery, from a fellow
+named Schwab, agent for a Düsseldorf firm.  But I was a marked man.
+One day an officer came and asked me to show my patent.  I did so.  The
+man complained that it was not properly filled up; my name was spelled
+with an 'e' instead of an 'i'&mdash;Martendale!  I laughed at him, and he
+went away in a huff.  Next day another fellow came and said that my
+patent was worthless.  Since it had been granted a new arrangement had
+been entered into between the Concession and the State, and all the
+mineral rights in the district reverted to the State.  I laughed at
+that; a patent granted by the Concession and authorized by the State
+could not be revoked; it had five years to run, and I meant to stick to
+it.  They wanted to bluff me&mdash;an American!&mdash;out of it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But things began to go badly with me.  I was practically boycotted,
+Jack.  None of the storekeepers would supply me with anything I wanted.
+One of them frankly told me that to do so was as much as his life was
+worth.  I did not believe him at first.  But I found it was only too
+true.  A storekeeper in Boma I heard of&mdash;a British subject, Jack, from
+the Gold Coast&mdash;had a part in showing up the rascality of some legal
+proceedings that had recently taken place.  The officials gave the
+word.  He was boycotted; his trade dwindled; he became bankrupt; one of
+his sons was driven mad by the persecution he suffered; and his
+troubles and worries so preyed upon the old man's mind that he took his
+own life.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Then I fell ill.  It was a near touch, Jack.  Only the devotion of a
+fellow-countryman&mdash;a fine fellow from Milwaukee&mdash;saved my life.
+Remember his name, Jack&mdash;Theodore Canrehan; if you ever meet him, and
+can do him a good turn, do it for my sake.  When I got on my feet
+again, I was amazed to find the tune changed.  Everybody was as sweet
+as butter.  The officers came and apologized to me; they regretted the
+unfortunate misunderstandings that had arisen; they would do all in
+their power to forward my business.  I arranged for the dispatch of the
+machinery I had ordered from Europe, and started to return.  I couldn't
+make out what had made them suddenly so attentive; thought it was
+because I was an American, and they had some respect for the Stars and
+Stripes after all.  Canrehan told me that since I sailed a strong
+feeling had been growing in America with regard to the Congo question;
+and I flattered myself the State authorities weren't anxious to add
+fuel to the flames by provoking a real serious grievance in which an
+American was concerned.  But it was all a trap, Jack&mdash;all a trap.  I
+saw it too late&mdash;too late."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hitherto Mr. Martindale had spoken slowly and calmly, husbanding his
+strength.  But at this point his feeling overcame him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Don't talk any more now, Uncle," said Jack, fearing that the exertion
+would be too much for him.  "Tell me the rest another time.  Try to
+sleep.  I will watch over you.  Thank God I shall be with you in the
+journey to Boma.  You'll pull through even now, and we shall be able to
+fight together."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Martindale had already fallen into a doze.  Jack did his best to
+make his bed more comfortable, and watched him through the night,
+pacing round the tent for hours together to keep himself awake.  From
+time to time his thoughts went back to the fort.  What was Barney
+doing?  What would he do when morning came and yet the absent had not
+returned?  What would be the fate of the poor people committed to his
+charge?  At present all was dark to Jack.  It seemed that he and all
+connected with him were now in the fell grip of the Congo State.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As soon as it was light Elbel came into the tent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I hope you had good night," he said, with a grin.  "You vill have
+breakfast, den you vill begin your promenade.  Tventy-five Askari vill
+escort you.  You vill go to de river vere Mr. Martindale left his
+canoes; dey are still dere.  Ah! he did hide dem, but vat good?  You
+vill go on canoes till you come to de falls; dere you vill for a time
+voyage overland.  By and by you come to Stanleyville; dere you find
+steamer; de State officers vill have care of you de rest of de vay to
+Boma.  You understan'?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I warn you, Mr. Elbel, that I shall hold you responsible for my
+uncle's safety down the river.  You see for yourself he is not fit to
+travel.  I shall take the earliest opportunity of informing the
+American Government of your actions&mdash;your persecution, for it is no
+less."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dat is all right," returned Elbel, grinning again.  "De courts at Boma
+vill give immediate attention.  De judges, dey are excellent.  Now
+still vunce before you go, write de order to de vite man in your fort
+to render himself.  It vill profit you."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Never!" said Jack.  "Go and execute your warrant."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ver' vell, ver' vell.  It matters noding.  In a half-hour de Askari
+vill be here.  You be ready."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack managed to get his uncle to eat a little food.  He seemed somewhat
+stronger and less feverish than on the preceding evening.  At seven
+o'clock the twenty-five soldiers appeared, accompanied by eight men as
+carriers.  Mr. Martindale recognized these as belonging to the party he
+had brought up the river; the rest of his men, he supposed, had been
+impressed by Elbel for service in his camp.  It being obvious that the
+sick man was unable to walk, a litter had been constructed for him.  He
+was placed on this.  Four men were told off to carry it, the other four
+bearing food sufficient to last the whole party until they reached the
+canoes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had wondered whether he was to be manacled; but the prestige of
+the white man, not any consideration for his feelings, had prevented
+Elbel from going to such extremes.  But as he stood behind his uncle's
+litter, two Askari with loaded rifles placed themselves one on each
+side of him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the party were ready to start, Elbel sauntered up, his hands
+behind his back, and, approaching Jack, said with a smile:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Now, Mr. Shalloner, before ve part I have a little vat you call
+reckoning viz you.  You strike me vunce, tvice, viz your feest.  Dat is
+de English vay&mdash;de boxe, hein?"  Elbel showed his teeth.  "On de Congo
+ve have anoder vay&mdash;de chicotte.  Vun does not soil vun's hands.  So!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He took from behind his back a hippopotamus-hide whip, and, cutting
+short so as to avoid the Askari close beside Jack, dealt him two cuts
+with his utmost strength.  Jack clenched his teeth to stifle a cry as
+the edges of the thong cut through his thin clothes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dere!  Now are ve quits!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke Jack, blazing with anger and mortification, made a fierce
+spring at him.  But Elbel was ready: he jumped nimbly backwards, while
+half a dozen Askari rushed between them, and pinioned Jack's arms.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Honour was satisfied&mdash;so Elbel appeared to think, for with a grin of
+malicious triumph he nodded to the Askari in charge: the party might
+now proceed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see," said Elbel, as they moved away, "if you try to escape you
+vill be shot.  I vish you agreeable promenade."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap24"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXIV
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Solemn Charge
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+The party set off.  They marched all day, with brief intervals for food
+and rest.  Jack was only allowed to speak to his uncle during these
+pauses.  The sick man lay inert, with closed eyes, protected from the
+heat by a light covering of grass, which his bearers made and fixed
+above his litter.  Jack watched him anxiously.  He seemed no worse when
+they arrived at the river just before sunset.  Mr. Martindale had
+brought up four canoes; two of these had already been appropriated by
+Elbel and conveyed up the river; the other two remained.  They passed
+the night on the canoes, and in the small hours, when the natives were
+asleep, Mr. Martindale insisted on continuing the story broken off the
+night before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Better now, dear boy," he said, when Jack implored him to wait until
+he was stronger.  "I shall never see Boma; Elbel knows that.  He knows
+that in this climate a sick man cannot survive a journey of over a
+thousand miles.  I want you to understand clearly before I go what
+these officials are doing.  They call it the Free State!&mdash;free!  No one
+is free but the officials!  The natives, poor wretches! are not free.
+Never, when slavery was an institution, were there slaves in such
+abject misery as these slaves of the Congo.  Why, they made a great
+to-do about slavery in my country fifty years ago, and some of the
+pictures in Uncle Tom's Cabin were lurid enough.  But the American
+slave's life was Paradise compared with this hell upon earth.  Trade on
+the Congo was to be free.  Is there any such freedom?  Look at my case.
+They give me a patent to work minerals; they let me make my prospecting
+trip; then when I have located the gold and ordered my machinery they
+revoke my patent.  I make the loaf, they eat it.  Oh! it was all
+planned from the beginning.  We have been fooled right through, Jack."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But what of their courts, Uncle?  Surely there is some redress for
+injustice."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Their courts!  They're all of a piece, Jack.  The State grants a
+concession to a trading company.  Half the time the State <i>is</i> the
+trading company; it takes up the larger portion of the shares.  The
+Congo Free State is nothing but a big commercial speculation, and the
+courts dare not do anything that conflicts with its interests.  Men
+come here, Belgians, Germans, Italians, good fellows some, honest,
+well-meaning; but they haven't been here long before they have to swim
+with the current, or throw up their careers.  One poor fellow, a
+district judge, ventured to protest against an illegal sentence passed
+by a court-martial; he was broken, and hounded out of the country.  In
+a sense he was lucky, for it is easier for such a man to get into this
+country than to get out of it&mdash;alive!  A man who does justice and loves
+righteousness has no place in the Congo Free State.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see now why they let me go.  They let me make what arrangements I
+pleased&mdash;engage a large party, buy a large quantity of stores; well
+knowing that at any moment of my journey they could arrest me and
+plunder my goods.  And they knew of your doings up here, be sure of
+that.  They intended to let me get into the neighbourhood of your fort
+and use me to decoy you out.  They've done it.  Oh! it was all planned
+in Boma.  Neither you nor I will ever reach Boma if Elbel and the
+officials have their way.  Elbel's suggestion of delaying so that we
+could get Barney to surrender the fort was all a part of the trick; it
+would make no difference to our treatment, and it would be the
+death-warrant of those poor negroes.  Jack, I approve of all that you
+have done&mdash;approve with all my heart.  I am proud of you, dear boy.
+What does it matter that I've lost my money, and my gold mine, and very
+likely my life too!  I am thankful to Almighty God that we came to this
+country, glad that He has put it into our power to do some little good.
+I wouldn't undo any of it; I am proud that one of my blood has been
+called to this good work.  Jack, Providence has made us responsible for
+the poor negroes who have trusted their lives to us.  Do you remember I
+said at Banonga that I wasn't a philanthropist and wasn't set on
+starting a crusade?  I spoke lightly, my boy.  I would say now that if
+God spared my life I would spend all my strength and all my energy in a
+nobler work than ever medićval crusader undertook.  I shall not live to
+do it; but I leave it to you.  Were this my last breath I would say,
+help the negroes of the Congo, fight the corrupt Government that
+enriches itself on their blood; go to the fountain-head and expose the
+hypocrisy of King Leopold."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He may not know of it, Uncle.  So far away he cannot check and control
+all the actions of his agents."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not know of it!  How can he help knowing of it?  Are not these things
+happening every day?  And it is his business to know of it.  Suppose I
+had a factory in the United States, and it was proved that while I was
+coining millions my hands were dying of overwork, or of insanitary
+buildings, or getting wages insufficient to keep them decently clothed
+and fed; wouldn't there be an outcry?  Wouldn't the law step in, or if
+the law failed, public opinion?  Where does Leopold get his dollars
+from?  Who pays for the estates he is buying, the palace he is
+building, the fine public works he is presenting to Belgium?  It is
+these poor black people.  He is draining the life-blood out of the
+country he vowed before Almighty God to rule justly and administer
+wisely for the good of the people; and the cries and groans of these
+negroes, men like himself, are rising to Heaven, terrible witnesses of
+his broken vows, his callousness, his selfish apathy.  Oh!  I grant him
+good intentions to begin with.  Twenty years ago he did not foresee all
+this; no man is a villain all at once!  But it might have been
+foreseen.  He was king of a few hundred miles of country; with a stroke
+of the pen he became sovereign of a State as big as Europe; and if a
+man has the passion for getting, unlimited opportunities of doing so
+will bring him to any villainy unless he has the grace of God in him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was deeply moved by his uncle's earnestness.  At the same time he
+was concerned to see the exhaustion that followed his passionate
+speech.  He gave him a little wine, imploring him to spare himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Don't trouble, dear boy," said Mr. Martindale with a smile.  "The fire
+is burning out; what does it matter if it burns a little more quickly?
+But I won't distress you; you will think over my words when I am gone."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the morning the river journey was begun.  It continued for several
+days, until with their arrival at the falls progress by water was
+interrupted, and a long portage had to be made.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was just at this point that they met a party of Askari marching in
+the other direction.  As soon as they came in sight the leader of
+Jack's escort cried&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"O etswa?"[<a id="chap24fn1text"></a><a href="#chap24fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"O!" replied the leader of the approaching band.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where are you going?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"To the camp of Elobela."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What have you got in those bundles?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Cartridges for Elobela's guns."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bolotsi O!  He will be glad of them.  He has very few left."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Has he killed many people?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No.  But Lokolobolo captured nearly all his cartridges."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mongo!  Who is Lokolobolo?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Here he is!  An Inglesa who has built a fort and fights Elobela.  But
+we have got him at last, and he goes with an old Inglesa to Boma.  Oh!
+he will fight no more."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"O kend'o?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"O!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the river journey Mr. Martindale had grown steadily weaker.  He
+fought hard against his illness; he had a new motive for desiring life;
+and Jack, observing his occasional rallies, hoped still that he would
+pull through.  But he was so weak when lifted from the canoe that he
+fainted, and Jack feared that he would not survive the day.  He rallied
+again, and once more Jack had a gleam of hope.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The horrors of that overland march will haunt Jack's memory till he
+dies.  For some time the Askari had been ill-using the carriers.  The
+greater part of the stores which Mr. Martindale had taken up the river
+had been appropriated by Elbel, and the food left in the canoes was not
+sufficient for full meals for the whole party.  It was the carriers who
+went short.  They had to bear the burdens, to make frequent journeys to
+and fro up the steep river banks, while the Askari looked on and had
+the best of the food.  When the portage was begun, one of the canoes
+was added to their load.  The other was left hidden in the bush to be
+fetched later.  Weak from lack of proper nourishment, they could go but
+slowly, and Jack's blood boiled as he saw them quiver, heard them
+shriek, under the merciless chicotte.  Before the first day was ended,
+two of the men fell, worn out with hunger and fatigue.  Jack heard
+shots behind him, and saw that the wretched men had been put out of
+their misery.  On the second day another man succumbed; what little
+life was left in him was beaten out with the clubbed rifles of the
+Askari.  Three men ran away during the night, preferring the perils of
+the forest to the certain fate that awaited them at the hands of their
+fellow-men.  Only two carriers were now left, and since these were
+useless they were shot in cold blood.  Jack's heart was like a stone
+within him.  These atrocities recalled the worst horrors of the old
+Arab slave-raiding days; and he was unable to lift a hand to oppose
+them.  If he had been the only white man with the party he felt that he
+would have risked anything in an effort to save the poor wretches; but
+while his uncle still lived he could do nothing that might involve his
+own death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The bearers being all gone, the Askari had to take turns themselves in
+carrying the canoe, the remainder of their provisions, and Mr.
+Martindale's litter.  This necessity did not improve their temper or
+their manners, and the litter-bearers went so carelessly over the rough
+ground that Jack was constrained to protest.  He implored, he
+threatened, feeling that the only chance for his uncle was to make more
+frequent halts; the fatigue of constant travelling would certainly kill
+him.  But the Askari roughly replied that they had orders to continue
+their journey without delay, and the march was resumed.  After his
+protest Jack was forced to walk at a distance from the litter, and even
+when the caravan halted for food he was not allowed to attend his
+uncle.  Sick at heart he plodded on, torn by his anxieties, yet still
+nourishing a hope that when they arrived at a station where a doctor
+might be found, and whence the journey would be continued by steamer,
+all might yet be well.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But one evening, when the halt was made, he heard his uncle faintly
+calling.  The sound of his voice struck a chill through him.  In
+desperation, snatching a rifle from the guard next him, he threatened
+to shoot any one who tried to keep him from the dying man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It's all up with me, old boy," said Mr. Martindale feebly, when Jack
+knelt by his litter.  "Elbel is having his way.  I shan't see another
+morning."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack gripped his hands; they were chill and clammy.  A lump came into
+his throat; he could not speak the yearning affection that filled his
+heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bend down, Jack; I'm afraid I cannot make you hear.
+Remember&mdash;remember what I have said; it is my bequest to you&mdash;the cause
+of the Congo natives.  Do what you can for them.  Fight!  It is called
+the Free State; fight to make it free.  I cannot see the future; all is
+dark; I dread what may await you in Boma.  But buck up, dear fellow.
+Barney&mdash;remember him.  Go to the British consul; tell him all.  Your
+people have generous sympathies; wake them up; wake them up!  If they
+are roused, all this wrong will come to an end."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I will do all I can, Uncle," murmured Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Don't mourn overlong for me.  I've had a good time.  And this year the
+best of all.  I wouldn't lose it, Jack.  Tell my friends I'm not sorry;
+I'm glad, glad to have seen with my own eyes something that's worth
+doing.  And I have faith in the future&mdash;in my fellow-men, in God.  What
+is it about wicked doers?  'They encourage themselves in mischief, and
+commune how they may lay snares; they imagine wickedness and practise
+it.  But God shall suddenly shoot at them with a swift arrow; yea,
+their own tongues shall make them fall.'  How does it go on?  I cannot
+remember.  'The righteous shall rejoice&mdash;&mdash;.'  Jack, are you there?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, Uncle, I am here," replied Jack, tightening his clasp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Is it the fifteenth Psalm?  'He that walketh uprightly&mdash;&mdash;'  I cannot
+remember, Jack.&mdash;Is that boy Samba better?  Poor little chap!  No
+father and mother!&mdash;Barnard said there was gold; why can't he find
+it?&mdash;No, that's not a nugget, that's&mdash;&mdash;  Only a dog, eh?  I'm kind o'
+set on dogs...."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so he rambled on, muttering incoherently in his delirium; and Jack
+did not stir, but remained cramped while the slow hours crawled on, and
+nocturnal insects hummed, and frogs croaked, and the leaves faintly
+rustled above him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then, as the dawn was creeping up the sky, Mr. Martindale opened his
+eyes.  They rested on Jack's pale drawn face, and the dying man smiled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Buck up!" he whispered.  "Remember!  'Though I walk through the valley
+of the shadow....'"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so he died.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap24fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap24fn1text">1</a>] Are you awake?  (the morning greeting)
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap25"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXV
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+A Break for Liberty
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+With his own hands Jack dug a grave near the brink of the river, and
+there he laid his uncle to rest.  The Askari looked on stolidly as he
+gathered stones from below the bank and heaped them to form a low rude
+cairn.  Then he went back with them to their camping-place.  He could
+not touch the food they offered him, and when they told him the time
+was come to march he got up silently and moved away mechanically with
+the rest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He trudged on among his captors, a prey to utter dejection, conscious
+of nothing but his irreparable loss.  He saw nothing, heard nothing, of
+what was going on around him, walking automatically in a kind of
+stupor.  His uncle was dead!&mdash;for the moment the world had for him no
+other fact.  By degrees, as his first dazed feeling passed away, he
+recalled little incidents in his past life that till then had lain
+dormant in his memory.  He remembered the first time he had consciously
+seen his uncle, when he was a child of four, and he was dragged in all
+grubby from the garden, face and hands stained with strawberry juice,
+to see a big man with a red face, who laughed at him, and showed him a
+rough yellow lump that he wore on his watch-chain.  He remembered the
+letter when his father died; and that other letter when his mother
+died; and the first visit to school, when, shown into the headmaster's
+study, the headmaster being absent, Mr. Martindale had made friends of
+the dog, and was found by the great man in the act of balancing a pen
+on the animal's nose.  He remembered too the delightful holidays,
+climbing in Switzerland, roaming in Normandy, gondoliering in Venice.
+Odd things came to his recollection, and there was not one of them but
+recalled some trait of character, reminded him of some past happiness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then as he walked his grief took on a new complexion&mdash;a longing for
+vengeance on the miscreant whom he regarded as directly responsible for
+his uncle's death&mdash;morally as culpable as if he had with his own hands
+committed the murder.  Was this villain to remain unpunished?  The
+thought of Elbel induced a new change of feeling.  What of the natives
+who for so many months had looked to him for guidance and leadership?
+What was Barney doing?  Had Samba escaped the clutches of his enemy and
+got back to the fort?  Was the fort, indeed, still there?  He
+remembered his promise to his uncle.  At the most solemn moment of his
+life, under the very shadow of death, he had vowed to do all in his
+power to help the negroes of the Congo&mdash;and here he was, himself a
+prisoner among soldiers of this iniquitous government, on his way to an
+unknown fate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus recalled to actuality, he roused himself and began to think.  He
+had no longer his uncle to consider; that good man was beyond reach of
+chicanery and spite.  Why should he go to Boma?  Nothing good awaited
+him there.  He would be thrown into prison on arrival&mdash;supposing he
+ever arrived; he would be tried, sentenced no doubt: at Boma in such
+cases there were none of the law's delays; he might never be heard of
+again.  What chance was there of fulfilling his uncle's wishes there?
+Was not his place at the fort, at Ilombekabasi, with Barney and Imbono
+and Mboyo, the people for and with whom he had already toiled and
+fought?  There at the fort was tangible good to be done; he felt an
+overpowering impulse to return to his friends.  Elbel had been worsted;
+if the resistance could be still further prolonged surely the Belgian
+would withdraw, though it were only to gather strength for a crushing
+blow; and the interval might be seized to migrate with the whole
+community into the forest or across the frontier.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But there was the rub.  Between him and the fort there was a band of
+well-armed Askari and several days' journey by river and forest.  Even
+if he escaped the former, what chance was there of success?  A white
+man was very helpless in these African wilds&mdash;easily seen and followed,
+not used to fend for himself in obtaining the necessaries of life.
+Even Samba, forest-bred, had barely survived the perils of a solitary
+journey: how could a white man expect to fare so well?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Yet, so strong was Jack's longing, he resolved that, be the
+difficulties and dangers what they might, he would seize the barest
+chance of escape that offered itself.  Anything would be better than to
+be carried on to Boma, with the terrible uncertainty, not merely
+regarding his own ultimate fate at the hands of an unscrupulous
+officialdom and a tainted judicature, but still more as to the fate of
+his friends at Ilombekabasi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From that moment his whole mental attitude changed.  He did not forget
+his grief; that pitiful scene by the river's brink could never be
+effaced from his mind and heart; but he resolutely set his wits to work
+to find an avenue of escape, and the mere effort brought relief to his
+sorrow.  No longer was he inattentive to his surroundings.  Without
+allowing his guards to suspect him, he was keenly on the alert,
+watching everything.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not until the midday meal that accident befriended him.  The
+Askari came to a village which had clearly been for some time
+deserted&mdash;another monument, Jack supposed, to King Leopold's rule.  He
+took refuge from the burning heat, which did not appear to incommode
+the negroes, in one of the empty and half-ruined huts.  There he ate
+his meal of rancid <i>kwanga</i>&mdash;all that his guards would allow him.
+While he squatted on the floor eating, his eye was attracted by a
+bright light, the reflection of the sun on some polished surface in the
+wall of the hut.  Out of sheer curiosity he stepped across, and drew
+from the interlaced wattles the head of a small axe.  Its edge was very
+sharp, as Jack found to his cost when he drew his finger across it; and
+although in parts rusty, it appeared to be of very fine steel, too fine
+to be of native workmanship.  Wondering who had been its owner, and how
+it came to be stuck, separate from its shaft, into the wall of a rough
+native hut, he slipped it into his pocket; it might prove a weapon of
+value to an otherwise unarmed man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was nothing to cause his guards to suspect him when the march was
+once more resumed.  In an hour or two they came to a place below the
+series of rapids where it was safe to launch the canoe.  There the
+party divided.  The carriers being all gone, the canoe left behind
+could only be fetched by some of the Askari; and after some squabbling,
+ten of them went back, the rest promising to wait for them at a
+convenient spot down the river.  As they paddled away, Jack gathered
+from the talk of his escort, in a dialect which had some slight
+resemblance to that of the men of Banonga, that they expected to arrive
+at this place, an old camping-ground of theirs by the river, before
+nightfall.  They had placed him in the bow of the canoe, a light one
+suitable for portage, with no platform, and therefore nothing between
+him and the water but the thin side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Keenly he watched the banks, hoping to be able at a favourable moment
+to turn his observations to account.  But except for a few hippos half
+hidden in the long grass or reeds at the river-side, and here and there
+a crocodile basking on a rock or sandbank, its scaly back scarcely
+distinguishable from the soil, the river was deserted.  Forest lined
+the banks on both sides, its continuity only occasionally broken by
+clearings showing signs of burnt villages.  The trees were beginning to
+throw long shadows over the water; sunset must be fast approaching;
+still no means of escape had suggested itself.  Yet escape, if effected
+at all, must be effected soon, for he did not know when, with his
+transference to a steamer, his immediate fate would be sealed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Should he risk all, spring overboard, and swim for the bank?  He was
+tempted to do so, though he could not repress a shudder as he thought
+of the crocodiles now beginning to wake from their afternoon nap.  But
+he knew that as soon as he came to the surface he would be overhauled
+in two or three strokes of the paddles, even if the paddlers did not
+think his attempt to escape sufficient justification for a little
+Albini practice.  In any case his death or capture could be a matter of
+only a few minutes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But as time passed, Jack resolved that he would chance the crocodiles
+if he could elude his guards.  He would run any risk rather than go to
+Boma and submit himself to the tender mercies of the Congo State
+officials.  A crocodile, after all, might prove a more merciful enemy!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They came to a part of the river where the channel narrowed, and though
+the fall was not enough to deserve the name of a rapid, the increased
+velocity of the current and the presence of large rocks necessitated
+some caution on the part of the paddlers.  Jack could not help hoping
+that the canoe would come to grief.  In the confusion there might be a
+bare chance of escape, though, being no more than a fair swimmer, he
+was not blind to the added risk he would run owing to the strength of
+the current and the danger of being dashed against the rocks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the Askari, experienced voyageurs, successfully navigated this
+stretch of the river, and as the canoe shot safely into smoother water
+Jack's hopes again fell.  Then a thought occurred to him: Why wait upon
+chance?  Why not make his own opportunity?  He felt in his pocket; the
+axe-head was still there; its edge was sharp.  If the canoe did not
+meet with disaster from without, why not from within?  He was sitting
+on one of the thwarts amidships; the paddlers were standing on the
+thwarts forward and astern of him.  All the Askari were paddling except
+three, and these were squatting, two at the one end of the canoe, one
+at the other, with their rifles between their knees.  In his position
+Jack was almost completely screened from them.  The paddlers had their
+rifles slung over their shoulders; the baggage was equally distributed
+over the whole length of the canoe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Though built of the frailest material, the canoe was of considerable
+length.  This was the one drawback to the plan which had suggested
+itself to Jack&mdash;to drive a hole in the craft at any moment when the
+attention of the crew seemed sufficiently engaged to give him a chance
+of doing so unobserved, for the size of the canoe rendered it doubtful
+whether any hole he might make would be large enough to sink the vessel
+before it could be paddled ashore.  This could only be proved by making
+the attempt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Time passed on; no opportunity occurred.  The passage here was easy,
+and the paddlers did their work almost automatically.  It needed no
+attention.  Jack was almost giving up the idea when a chance suddenly
+came.  He heard the leader of the Askari call out: "There is the gorge
+just ahead: soon we shall be at our camping ground.  Be steady!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The canoe went faster and faster, and in a few minutes entered a gorge
+strewn with jagged rocks threatening destruction at every yard.  The
+men stopped singing&mdash;they sang at their paddles from morning till
+night&mdash;and shouted with excitement when the vessel escaped as by a
+miracle being dashed to pieces on one or other of the rocks in
+mid-stream.  Choosing the moment when the shouting was loudest and the
+danger probably greatest, Jack stooped down from his thwart and,
+drawing the axe-head from his pocket, thrust it with all his strength
+into the side of the canoe near the bottom, where there was already an
+inch of bilge water.  Working the steel to and fro, he enlarged the
+hole as much as he could, and then withdrew his clumsy implement; the
+water rushed in with a gurgling noise which must, he feared, attract
+the attention of the paddler just above him.  But the man gave no sign;
+he was too intent upon his task.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few seconds later Jack seized another moment of excitement to repeat
+his work on the other side of the canoe.  His heart jumped to his mouth
+as he heard one of the men shout a word of warning; but he maintained
+his stooping position, thinking there was less chance of detection than
+if he suddenly moved.  In consequence of the water rising in the bottom
+the second hole was made somewhat higher than the first; and as Jack
+watched the level of the water gradually creeping up, he felt that the
+gaps were not large enough to prevent the paddlers from beaching the
+canoe if they ran into smooth water during the next few minutes.  The
+bark seemed to close up as soon as the axe-head was withdrawn, leaving
+only as a narrow slit what had been a gaping rent.  A glance ahead
+showed smooth water within a few yards.  There might be just time to
+make two more rapid cuts.  He plunged his hand into the water, now some
+inches deep, and drove the steel with all his force twice into the
+bottom beneath his feet.  As soon as the canoe left the race, the heavy
+going due to the water that had been shipped would at once be detected,
+even if none of the paddlers, indeed, should happen to glance down and
+see the water washing the packages.  True, they might suppose that it
+had come over the sides of the canoe during their recent rough passage;
+but the mistake must soon be discovered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack saw that there was little chance of the canoe sinking in
+midstream.  What could he do?  Was this, apparently his only
+opportunity, to be lost?  He had only a few seconds to decide.  He
+would wait until the leaks were discovered, and the canoe was headed
+towards the shore.  Then if he dived into the river his guards would be
+torn between two impulses&mdash;the one to pursue him, the other to beach
+the canoe before she sank with them and their stores.  To them the
+situation would be complex; they would waste time in their confusion;
+and with a sinking canoe beneath them they would scarcely be able to
+use their rifles.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Things happened almost exactly as Jack expected.  When the canoe left
+the troubled reaches one of the Askari suddenly caught sight of the
+water slowly rising, and washing from side to side with every stroke of
+the paddles.  "A leak!" he shouted, inferring that a hole had been
+knocked in the bottom by a rock.  The leader at once cried to the men
+to run for the right bank.  Jack's time came as the canoe was swinging
+round.  Rising suddenly from his seat, with a vigorous shove he sent
+the paddler behind him rolling back upon the next man; he in his turn
+fell upon the next; until four of the paddlers in the after part of the
+canoe were floundering in the water, and the frail craft rocked almost
+gunwale under.  The other paddlers were so much occupied in adjusting
+themselves to the difficulty and preventing the canoe from being
+swamped that they were hardly aware of what their prisoner was doing
+until it was too late to prevent him.  While the vessel was tilted
+over, Jack placed one foot on the side farthest from the bank towards
+which they were paddling, and dived into the river.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The leader of the Askari immediately shouted to the men in the water to
+pursue him, pointing out the direction in which he had disappeared
+beneath the surface.  He was making for the left bank.  Glancing back
+when he came up, Jack saw that two men were swimming after him, and
+realized that he was no match for them.  He was only a fair swimmer;
+his pursuers, drawn from one of the riverine villages of the Lower
+Congo, were as dexterous in the water as they were in the canoe.  When
+Jack became aware that he was being rapidly overhauled, he gripped more
+tightly the axe-head which he had never let go, resolving to fight to
+the last rather than suffer recapture.  The negroes had divested
+themselves of their rifles, or had lost these when thrown so suddenly
+into the river; and even such a clumsy weapon as an axe-head might
+prove very formidable to unarmed men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the excitement, Jack had forgotten all about the constant peril of
+the Congo&mdash;the crocodiles.  Straining every nerve, he was wondering
+whether he should stop swimming before he ran the risk of being
+completely exhausted, since there seemed little chance of his gaining
+the opposite bank before his pursuers, when he was startled by a
+despairing scream behind.  The horrible meaning of it flashed upon him;
+he glanced back; only one swimmer was to be seen, and he was no longer
+coming towards him; he had turned and with frantic haste was making for
+the nearest point of the bank.  The second man had disappeared; the
+crocodile had proved a better swimmer than any.  Shuddering in every
+limb, Jack for a moment felt his strength leaving him.  As in a
+nightmare he seemed to see the horrid jaws of crocodiles all round him
+waiting to tear him limb from limb.  But he recovered in a moment; and,
+still gripping the axe-head, he struck out desperately for the far
+bank, which was now, indeed, scarcely more distant than the other.  He
+touched the sandy bottom, struggled panting up the bank, and,
+completely exhausted by the physical and mental strain of this day's
+events, crawled rather than walked to a spot where he felt himself
+secure at least from the dreaded reptile.  For several minutes he lay
+with his head upon his arms, so much spent as to be almost careless of
+what might become of him.  But, rousing himself at length, he rose and
+scanned the river for signs of his late escort.  What was his alarm to
+see them hastening towards him from the opposite bank; three minutes'
+hard paddling would bring them within reach of him.  The sight of them
+woke Jack fully to his danger; he turned his back on the river and
+plunged into the thick bushes that came almost to the water's edge, and
+extended into, the forest behind.  With what marvellous quickness, he
+thought, had the Askari brought their waterlogged vessel to the bank,
+emptied her of water, and temporarily stopped the leaks!  No doubt they
+had been spurred to their utmost effort by the knowledge of what
+awaited them if they returned to their commander with the report that
+the prisoner had escaped them by any means but death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was now late in the afternoon.  Within three or four minutes the
+pursuers would have beached the canoe and dashed in pursuit.  Jack knew
+that he must make the most of his few minutes' start.  If he could
+evade them for an hour he would be concealed by the darkness.  Already,
+indeed, it was dim and dusky in the forest shades he had now entered.
+There was no path; he could but plunge on where the undergrowth seemed
+thinnest, his general direction being as nearly as he could judge at an
+obtuse angle with the stream.  The Askari would expect him either to
+follow the river, or to strike directly inland; at least he hoped that
+the diagonal between these two courses would not occur to them.  While
+daylight lasted his trail would betray him, of course; but even if the
+men were trained forest trackers the light would in a few minutes be
+too bad for them to pick up his trail.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In a few minutes he heard muffled shouts behind him.  The pursuers had
+landed.  Then all was silent, save for the forest sounds now familiar
+to him.  He moved as cautiously as the necessity for haste permitted,
+aware that the breaking of a twig, a stumble, any unusual sound, might
+bring his quick-eared enemy upon his track.  But with all his care he
+could not avoid accidents.  Here a branch of cactus would rip a great
+rent in his thin linen coat, with a sound that set the teeth on edge.
+There a low-growing creeper would trip him up, so that he fell with a
+crash headlong, and rose with his face bleeding from a dozen deep
+scratches.  But he kept the axe-head always in his grasp; that was his
+only defence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fall of night found him still pressing resolutely forward; but when
+he could no longer see to thread his way in the close tangle of
+vegetation he halted, and became aware that he was dripping wet, and
+that he had to spend the night, soaked as he was, without shelter in
+the primeval forest.  It would not have been a pleasant prospect even
+to a native inured to forest travel; the negroes indeed are careful not
+to be benighted far from their villages.  In other circumstances, as
+black darkness wrapt him round, Jack might have felt not a few tremors;
+from Samba he had learnt something of the perils of night in
+densely-wooded places.  But he had lately passed through experiences so
+trying that the visionary terrors of these gloomy depths had no power
+to trouble him.  He sought, however, a suitable tree and climbed out of
+the reach of prowling beasts, hoping that he would also escape the
+attentions of leopards and pythons, which made no account of the lower
+branches.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had never spent a more uncomfortable night.  Insects stung him;
+caterpillars crawled over him; woodlice worried him.  Dozing in spite
+of these annoyances, he would wake with a start and the nightmare
+feeling that he was falling, falling helplessly through space.  His wet
+clothes stuck clammily to his skin; he shivered as with ague, his teeth
+chattered, his head was racked with pain.  Stiff and sore from his
+narrow perch and his cramped position he clung on through the night;
+and when, after the long darkness, the pale dawn at last stole through
+the foliage, and he dropped to the ground, he moved like an old man,
+with aching limbs, unrefreshed, feeling the want of food, yet utterly
+without appetite.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he must go on.  His enemies had not discovered him; no beast had
+attacked him; these were positive gains.  He could make no plans; all
+that he could do was to follow a course calculated by the sun to take
+him in the direction of the river, going up stream.  He walked stiffly,
+but steadily, during the morning, picking here and there handfuls of
+phrynia berries&mdash;the only berries of the forest which he knew to be
+edible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About midday he resolved to risk a more direct course to the river, in
+the hope that his pursuers, finding no trace of him, had given up the
+hunt.  But it was easier to decide than to carry out.  For all he knew
+he might have been wandering in a circle, and the windings of the river
+might make every step he took one in the wrong direction.  After some
+hesitation he turned somewhat to the left and trudged on, so intent
+upon his immediate surroundings that his range of vision was restricted
+to a few yards.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He noticed that the ground, as he walked, was becoming a little less
+thickly covered with undergrowth; but it was with a shock of alarm
+that, at a sudden lifting of the eyes, he saw, standing in front of
+him, a young straight dusky figure armed with a long rifle.  Springing
+instinctively behind the nearest tree, he grasped the axe-head ready to
+do battle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But what was this?  A voice spoke to him, a voice that he knew, giving
+him pleasant salutation, calling him by name.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lokolobolo losako[<a id="chap25fn1text"></a><a href="#chap25fn1">1</a>]!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He came from behind the tree and went forward, stretching forth his
+hands.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba!" he cried joyously.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap25fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap25fn1text">1</a>] Salutation addressed to a superior.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap26"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXVI
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Turning the Tables
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Samba at once led the way in a different direction from that lately
+followed by Jack, saying that he would explain his presence as they
+went along.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had hardly reached the tent to which he had been decoyed by
+Elbel's messenger before Samba knew that his uneasy feeling was
+justified; his master had fallen into a trap.  Stealing up close behind
+Lofembi he had plunged his knife into the man's back, and dashed into
+the forest.  He had no difficulty in escaping from the spot; but the
+report of the rifle fired after him had reached Elbel's camp below the
+fort, and Samba found that he had to make a very wide detour to avoid
+the enemy's scouts.  But he managed at last to get into the fort, and
+implored Barney to send out a party to rescue his captain.  Barney was
+much distressed by the news, but resolutely refused to throw away lives
+and risk the safety of the fort in a forlorn hope of that kind.  All
+that he would do was to allow Samba, with three other men, Makoko,
+Lianza, and Lingombela, to follow up Mr. Martindale and Jack, and
+rescue them if any chance occurred; if not, to see what became of them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the four had great difficulty in getting out of the fort
+undetected; the enemy's vigilance appeared to be doubled, and a full
+day elapsed before they were able to set off in the track of the
+prisoners.  Failing to overtake the party in the forest before they
+embarked on the canoes, they had had to cover on foot the long distance
+for which the Askari were able to use the river, though they shortened
+the journey to some extent by cutting straight across country when the
+river wound.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last, when Samba had all but given up hope, they saw a party of ten
+Askari coming towards them from down the river.  Samba did not suspect
+at first that these men were connected with those he sought.  But
+keeping well out of sight he tracked them to a spot where a canoe was
+concealed, and then he guessed at once that the men had been sent back
+to fetch a canoe left behind for want of sufficient carriers.  It would
+be easy to keep ahead of this party, burdened as they were with the
+vessel; so Samba and his three companions pushed on, and soon came upon
+tracks of Mr. Martindale and Jack.  They had noticed the newly-made
+grave with its stone cairn: it had puzzled them, and they did not know
+it was a grave until Samba pointed out that the litter had ceased to be
+used: there were no longer the marks of four men walking always at the
+same distance apart; they then concluded that the elder Inglesa had
+died.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They came by and by to the place where the party had re-embarked.
+Samba's only hope of overtaking them now was that they would certainly
+wait at some part of their journey until they were caught up by the
+other canoe; and it seemed to him that his expectation was borne out
+when, scouting ahead of the three, he sighted in the dusk a long canoe
+lying under the opposite bank in charge of three Askari.  He ran back
+to his companions and told them to hide in the bush; then he returned
+to the spot, and from a safe concealment prepared to wait and watch.
+Night fell: the river was too broad for him to see across it; but
+presently he heard the sound of men approaching the canoe, and soon
+afterwards voices.  Then all was silent.  He kept up his watch for some
+time, half expecting to hear the sound of paddles; but concluding from
+the continued silence that the men would not move till the morning, he
+went to sleep in a tree.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Waking before dawn, he resumed his watch.  In the early morning he saw
+eleven men land and make off in two parties into the forest, leaving
+three men on guard.  Instantly he jumped to the conclusion that
+Lokolobolo had escaped; and a daring scheme suggested itself to him.
+Returning to his friends, he told them what he had seen, and what he
+proposed.  The four immediately set about building a light raft of
+bamboos and cane "tie," and when it was finished they carried it some
+distance along the bank launched it out of sight of the men in charge
+of the canoe' and punted themselves across to the other side.  An hour
+later only one man remained in the enemy's canoe, and he was a prisoner.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack forbore to inquire what had become of the others; Samba merely
+said that their ammunition had been spoilt by the water.  Samba and his
+companions were Congo natives; free from the restraining influence of
+the white man, it would be scarcely surprising if they took the
+opportunity of paying off some of the wrongs they had suffered at the
+hands of the Askari.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From the prisoner Samba learnt the whole history of the party since the
+time it left Elbel in the forest.  Tying the man up, Samba and his
+companions at once set to work to find the trail of the fugitive, and
+of the men who had gone in pursuit.  In the morning light it was easy
+to a practised scout like Samba to find what he sought.  He soon
+discovered that the two parties of Askari had failed to track their
+quarry, and were going haphazard through the forest.  He himself then
+started to follow Jack up, and his three companions went forth to the
+canoe to await the return of the enemy.  It was unlikely that the two
+bands would appear at the same time.  If they returned separately, the
+three scouts in ambush would only have to deal with six men or five
+men, as the case might be.  They were still waiting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+What would they do, asked Jack, when the enemy came back?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Fire upon them from behind the trees," replied Samba.  "Three men will
+certainly be killed; are not the scouts Makoko, Lianza, and Lingombela,
+three of the best marksmen in Ilombekabasi?  If the two or the three
+men left do not run away, they will fight them.  If they run away, they
+will follow them up and fire at them from behind trees."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Even as Samba spoke there came through the trees a sound as of distant
+firing.  Samba quickened his steps; for an hour or more his master and
+he plunged through the forest, the boy halting every now and then to
+listen intently.  At length whispering "Nkakayoko!"[<a id="chap26fn1text"></a><a href="#chap26fn1">1</a>] he laid his hand
+on Jack's sleeve and gave a low call like the rough scratching sound of
+a forest beetle.  It was answered from the right hand.  Striking off
+sharply in that direction he led the way through a thin copse, and in a
+few moments the two stood at the brink of the river beside the canoe.
+Samba looked keenly around, whispered "Mpiko!"[<a id="chap26fn2text"></a><a href="#chap26fn2">2</a>] and pointed to a low
+bushy tree close at hand.  For a second or two Jack could see nothing
+but green: but then through the dense foliage he caught the glint of a
+rifle barrel, and behind it&mdash;yes, a black face.  The man came out with
+a low chuckle of amusement.  It was Makoko.  "Bolotsi o!" he said.  His
+forest craft had been too much for Lokolobolo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Suddenly Samba held up his hand in warning.  They listened; it must
+have been the flight of a forest bird.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What was the firing?" asked Samba in a low voice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The killing of five men," replied Makoko.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack caught the last words, "Bant'atanu!" and started.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where are they?" he asked.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Gone to feed the crocodiles.  Three first, then two."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Again Samba raised his hand.  All listened intently.  Jack heard
+nothing; but Samba whispered, "They come!" and plucked him by the
+sleeve.  All three hid among the trees.  Two men came out from the
+other side&mdash;they were Lianza and Lingombela.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They are coming&mdash;six men," said Lianza in answer to Samba's question.
+"Quickly! they heard the shots."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must shoot again from behind the trees," said Samba.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Jack could not bear the idea of shooting down the unsuspecting
+wretches in cold blood.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Perhaps we can make them surrender," he whispered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lako! lako!" said the negroes indignantly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes; we will try."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Makoko and the other two men grumbled, but Samba silenced them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is Lokolobolo's order," he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He offered Jack his Mauser, but Jack refused it with a smile, taking
+one of the Albinis which had been removed from the canoe.  With the
+four he concealed himself behind the bushes.  He had already noticed
+that all traces of the recent incidents had been carefully obliterated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later six Askari came from the thick wall of bush.  They
+started and looked at one another when they saw the canoe unguarded.
+Then they called their comrades.  Receiving no answer, they began to
+discuss the strange disappearance of the three men who had been left in
+charge.  With a sign to Samba to follow him, Jack came out from behind
+his bush.  The men ceased their chatter; their jaws dropped, they
+stared at their late captive in blank amazement.  He spoke to them
+quietly, Samba translating.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I was hiding: I come to save you from being killed.  Your eight
+comrades are already dead.  If one of you lifts his hand, he is a dead
+man.  Behind the bushes my men wait ready to shoot you.  Listen!  They
+will answer when I call.  You will see how hopeless it is to resist.
+Makoko!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Em'one!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lingombela!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Em'one!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lianza!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Em'one!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lay down your rifles," continued Jack, "and beg for mercy."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was but a moment's hesitation, then one of the men sullenly
+obeyed, and the rest, one after another, followed his example.  At
+Jack's call the three scouts came from their hiding-place.  Two of them
+covered the Askari with their rifles, while the third collected the
+surrendered Albinis and placed them in the canoe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+How Jack's position had altered!  An hour or two ago he was a fugitive,
+practically unarmed, with nearly a score of Askari hunting him down.
+Now he was in command of four scouts fully armed, and in possession of
+a canoe and half a dozen prisoners, who had proved themselves on the
+journey down to be expert paddlers.  But, as Samba reminded him, he had
+still to deal with the ten Askari who had been sent back to fetch the
+second canoe.  They must be on their way down stream: perhaps they were
+near at hand.  Something must be done with them.  To let them pass, or
+to leave them behind, would be equally unwise; they would almost
+certainly follow up Jack and his party, perhaps find a means of sending
+word to Elbel in time to cut them off from the fort.  The safety of
+himself and his men demanded that this second band should be disposed
+of.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To deal with them as he had dealt with the six would not be easy.  They
+would come by water, not by land.  He did not wish to kill them.  What
+other course was open to him?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He remembered that the Askari had spoken of an old camping-place a
+little below the spot on which they stood.  This had doubtless been
+fixed as the rendezvous of the whole party.  The prisoners would know
+its exact locality.  With a little luck, he thought, all the ten might
+be captured unharmed.  He got Samba to question the sullen men.  Yes,
+they knew the camping-ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Then they must paddle us to it," said Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Making sure that the holes he had cut in the canoe had been
+sufficiently caulked to allow of a short passage without danger, Jack
+embarked with all the men, and in a quarter of an hour reached the
+camping-ground.  It was about a hundred yards back from the opposite
+bank, pretty well hidden from the river.  A few rough grass shelters,
+somewhat tumbledown, and traces of former encampments, showed that it
+was a frequent place of call for parties going up or down.  When all
+had landed, Jack sent Makoko and Lianza along the bank up the river to
+look for the oncoming of the Askari, who, though they must necessarily
+have moved slowly while carrying the canoe, would no doubt make rapid
+progress when once more afloat.  The six Askari looked a little hopeful
+when they saw the two scouts leave; but Samba damped their spirits at
+once when he told them that at the slightest sign of revolt they would
+be shot without mercy.  To make things sure, and prevent the scheme he
+had in mind from being foiled, Jack ordered the men to be bound hand
+and foot, which was very quickly done by Samba and Lingombela with the
+stripped tendrils of climbing plants.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was dark before the scouts returned.  They reported that the Askari
+had camped for the night some distance up stream, and would certainly
+arrive early next morning.  Jack arranged that when the canoe should
+come in sight, only himself and two of his prisoners would be visible
+in the centre of the camp.  The Askari would suppose that the rest of
+the party were out foraging&mdash;taking, as the custom is with the troops
+of the Free State and the Concessions, what they pleased from the black
+subjects of King Leopold, and paying nothing, except perhaps blows, in
+return.  The newcomers, not expecting any change in the relations of
+their comrade with the white prisoner, would march unconcernedly into
+camp.  Jack was pretty confident that if things came to this point, he
+would succeed in making the men surrender without fighting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the early morning the Askaris' paddling song was heard as they came
+down the river.  The singing ceased; there was a shout; and Jack
+ordered the captured Askari by his side to call an answering greeting.
+Then the party came in sight, eight men in a straggling line
+approaching up the path.  The remaining two had evidently been left
+behind to tie up the canoe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The first man addressed a chaffing remark to the Askari with Jack, and
+then asked where the rest of the party were.  The men pointed vaguely
+to the forest; their comrades were, in fact, there, gagged and securely
+bound to the trees.  Half a dozen rifles were stacked in the middle of
+the camping ground, the newcomers placed theirs close by, and then
+began to chatter about trifles in the African's way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Jack was keeping a keen eye on the men.  The two captured
+Askari were obviously ill at ease.  There were the rifles within a few
+yards of them, yet they dared not move towards them, for they knew that
+in the shelter of the trees behind stood Samba with the three scouts
+ready to shoot them down.  They replied briefly to their comrades'
+questions; and then, in obedience to instructions given by Jack
+previously, suggested that the newcomers should go to a cane-brake a
+few yards down stream, and bring back a supply of canes for building
+shelters like those already erected; there were not sufficient for the
+whole party.  The men moved off.  No sooner had they disappeared than
+Samba and the three men came from behind the trees, removed all the
+rifles into the huts, and all except Samba stationed themselves in
+hiding on the side of the encampment opposite to that through which the
+Askari had just gone.  Samba remained with Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In a quarter of an hour the men returned.  To their amazement the white
+prisoner went forward to meet them.  Through Samba he spoke to them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It will not be necessary for you to build the huts."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why?  What does the white man mean by talking to us?  And who are you?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba did not reply to their questions: he waited for the next words
+from Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There are enough empty huts here!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How can that be?  There are ten of us, and fifteen before.  The huts
+will not hold half of us; and who are you?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The fifteen are dead, or taken prisoners."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men gaped, unable to appreciate the full import of the news.  They
+dropped their loads of cane and looked at the boy in astonishment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What do you mean?  What has happened?  Who are you?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Tell them, Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am Samba, the servant of Lokolobolo.  I came down the river with
+other servants of Lokolobolo.  We fell upon your comrades and scattered
+them like the leaves of the forest.  We have the rifles&mdash;your rifles."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men gave a startled glance to where the stacks of arms had been.
+Jack thought they paled beneath their dusky skin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"See!" continued Samba, "if Lokolobolo lifts his hand you will all be
+shot.  His men are there, behind the trees.  You have no rifles.  Of
+what good are knives against guns?  You will be even as the men who are
+short with their rubber.  You will be shot down before you can strike a
+blow.  No; do not move," he said quickly, as the men appeared inclined
+to make a dash for the forest.  "You cannot run so fast as the bullets.
+You know that, you men who shoot boys and women as they flee from you.
+Throw down your knives at Lokolobolo's feet, if you wish to live!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man who had acted as spokesman for his comrades obeyed without a
+word.  The rest were but little behind him.  At a sign from Jack,
+Makoko and the others came from their place of hiding, and tied the
+feet of the prisoners, in such a way that while they could walk with
+short steps, they were unable to run.  In a few moments the two men
+left at the canoe were similarly disposed of.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now Jack was in command of four armed scouts and sixteen unarmed
+prisoners.  He at once decided to make use of the Askari as paddlers.
+One canoe would be sufficient; he would sink the vessel in which he had
+dug the holes.  With sixteen men expert in the use of the paddle, he
+would make a rapid journey up stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was about to give the order to start when it suddenly occurred to
+him that it would be well to assure himself first that the coast was
+clear.  So far he had seen no natives either on river or on land since
+he left Elbel, save those of his own party and the band coming up with
+ammunition.  The riverine villages had all been deserted, and the
+tributary down which he had travelled was at all times little
+frequented.  But it seemed very unlikely that many more days should
+pass without his seeing a stranger, and when he began to think on these
+lines, he wondered whether perhaps Elbel himself might not have
+occasion for sending messengers down stream, and whether the party they
+had met conveying stores to Elbel's force might not be returning.
+Having escaped by such wonderful good fortune, it would be sheer folly
+to throw away his chances of getting back to Ilombekabasi by any want
+of caution.  Accordingly he sent Makoko up the river and Samba down the
+river to do a little preliminary scouting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About midday Samba came running back in a state of great excitement.
+He had run so fast that his legs were trembling, and sweat poured from
+his body.  Not an hour's paddling distant, he had seen a smoke-boat and
+a large number of canoes coming up the river.  He had never seen so
+many boats before, and they were crowded with men.  And on the
+smoke-boat there were white men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"At last!" ejaculated Jack.  This, he supposed, was the Captain Van
+Vorst, of whom Elbel had spoken, coming up with regular troops of the
+State.  Whoever was in command, the flotilla could portend no good to
+Jack or Ilombekabasi, and he saw at once that he must give up the idea
+of using the Askaris' canoe.  He could certainly travel faster than the
+expedition, which must go at the pace of its slowest cargo boats; but
+scouting or foraging parties of the enemy might push on ahead and sight
+him on one of the long stretches of the river; and his men could be
+descried from a long distance as they made the portage.  Pursuit and
+capture would then be almost certain.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His mind was instantly made up.  His journey to the fort must be a land
+march, and it must be begun in all haste.  He quickly gave his orders.
+The canoes were unloaded, and the stores and ammunition given to the
+Askari to carry.  The vessels were then scuttled and sunk, and the
+whole party plunged into the forest, after a time taking a course
+almost the same as that which Samba had followed on his solitary
+journey.  But before they had gone far, Jack, not disposed to leave the
+neighbourhood without getting more exact particulars of the advancing
+host, went back with Samba, leaving the rest of the party to continue
+their march.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba rapidly wormed his way through the forest back to the river bank.
+They reached a position, whence, unseen themselves, they could command
+a long reach of the river.  There they waited.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Soon they heard the regular beat of the steamer's paddles; then the
+songs of the canoe-boys.  By and by a steam launch came into view round
+a bend of the river.  It was crowded.  Far away as it was as yet, Jack
+could easily distinguish the white-clad figures of three Europeans on
+deck, amid a crowd of negroes in the tunic, pantaloons, and fez of the
+State troops.  Clearly it was as he had feared.  The Concession had
+followed the usual course, when the rapacity of its officials had
+provoked a revolt too formidable to be coped with by its own forces,
+and had called in the aid of the regular army.  As canoe after canoe
+appeared in the wake of the steamer, Jack could not help a feeling of
+dismay at the size of the force arrayed against him.  His spirits sank
+lower and lower as he watched.  By the time the steamer came abreast of
+his hiding-place, the flotilla filled the whole of the stretch of river
+open to his view.  In the still air, amid the songs and chatter of the
+natives, he could hear the laughter of the Europeans as they passed.
+He knew that only a portion of the men in this armada were fighting
+men; the rest were paddlers and carriers, not part of the combatant
+force.  But a rough attempt to count the men bearing rifles gave him at
+least three hundred, and he started as he saw in one canoe what was
+clearly the shield of a machine gun.  Captain Van Vorst, if it was he,
+undoubtedly meant business.  Before the last canoe had passed their
+hiding-place Jack and Samba started to overtake their party.  The
+former was deep in thought.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We must reach the fort before them," he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"They go very slow," was Samba's reply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, and the carrying of all their stores and canoes up the rapids
+will take many days.  But we must hurry as fast as we can."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Much chicotte for the paddlers," said Samba, with a grin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack did not reply.  He could not adopt the barbarous methods of the
+enemy; but he had not the heart to dash Samba's very natural hopes of
+paying back to the Askari something of what they had dealt to the
+carriers on the way down.  Short of thrashing them he would urge them
+to their utmost speed.  What difficulties he might meet with in
+regaining the fort he did not stop to consider.  The thought of Barney
+holding his own there&mdash;had he been able to hold his own?&mdash;and of the
+large reinforcements coming to support Elbel, was a spur to activity.
+Ilombekabasi and its people were in danger; and the post of danger
+demanded the presence of Lokolobolo.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap26fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap26fn1text">1</a>] Immediately.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap26fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap26fn2text">2</a>] There.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap27"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXVII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+The Return of Lokolobolo
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+"Lokolobolo!  Lokolobolo!  Lokolobol'olotsi!  Lokolobolo is here!
+Lokolobolo has come back to us!  Bolotsi O!  Why do we laugh?  Why do
+we sing?  Samba has found Lokolobolo!  Samba has brought him back to
+us!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ilombekabasi was delirious with joy.  Men and women were shouting,
+laughing, singing; the children were dancing and blowing strident notes
+upon their little trumpets; Imbono's drummer was banging with all his
+might, filling the air with shattering thunder.  Jack quivered with
+feeling; his lips trembled as he sat once more in his hut, listening to
+the jubilant cries his arrival had evoked.  It was something, it was
+much, that he had been able so to win the devoted affection of these
+poor negroes of the Congo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Outside, the two chiefs Imbono and Mboyo were talking of the joyful
+event.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes! wonderful!  Lokolobolo is here! and with him two strange white
+chiefs.  Wonderful!  Did you ever see such a big man?  I am big," said
+Imbono, "but I am not so big as Makole the chief of Limpoko, and one of
+the strange white men is bigger than he."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It needed two ropes to draw him up from the gully," said Mboyo.  "I am
+strong, but though I had four men to help me it was hard work.  He must
+be a very great chief."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And the other must be a great chief too.  Did not Samba say that
+Lokolobolo gave him his last bottle of devil water?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But the big man is hurt.  It is the leg.  It is not so bad as Ikola's;
+but Ikola was shot.  They have put him in Barnio's hut; the other chief
+is with Lokolobolo.  It is good that the white chiefs have come.  Now
+Lokolobolo will sweep Elobela down the hillside, even as a straw in the
+storm."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But what of the smoke-boat that Samba says is coming with the white
+men in white, and the black men in cloth the colour of straw, and
+things on their heads the colour of fire?  Will Lokolobolo be able to
+beat them too?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lokolobolo is able to beat all Bula Matadi; and he has the other white
+men to help.  Never fear!  Lokolobolo will beat them all.  We shall
+see.  There he is, coming out of his hut with the white chief.
+Lokolobolo wanda!"[<a id="chap27fn1text"></a><a href="#chap27fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You must be a proud man to-day, Mr. Challoner," said the stranger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am too anxious to be proud," said Jack with a smile.  "I haven't the
+heart to stop them shouting and making a noise, but it's a pity to
+disturb our enemy in the camp down yonder.  I shall have to go and make
+a speech to them, I suppose; it is more in your line than mine, Mr.
+Arlington.  Luckily I'm not sufficiently fluent in their language to be
+long-winded."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They went together into the midst of the throng.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When within three marches of Ilombekabasi Jack's party had stumbled
+upon a wretched encampment in the forest which proved to contain two
+white men and three negroes.  Samba came upon them first, and, startled
+to find white men at this spot, he was cocking his rifle, supposing
+them to be State officers, when one of them called to him in a Congo
+dialect not to shoot; he was an Inglesa.  When Jack came up he found
+that the taller of the two men, the one who had spoken, a huge fellow
+with a great black beard, was a missionary named Dathan, the other
+being the Honourable George Arlington, with whose name Jack was
+familiar.  Mr. Arlington was a man of mark.  After a brilliant career
+at Cambridge he had entered Parliament, and became an Under-Secretary
+of State at a younger age than almost any one before him.  When his
+party was out of office he took the opportunity of travelling in many
+quarters of the globe, to study at first hand the great problems which
+more and more demand the attention of British statesmen.  Now, in his
+fortieth year, he was recognized as an authority on the subjects which
+he had so specially made his own.  He had come out to make a personal
+study of the Congo question, and in order to secure freedom of
+observation had decided to enter Congo territory, not from Boma, whence
+he would be shadowed throughout by officials, but from British
+territory through Uganda.  In Unyoro he had met his old college chum
+Frank Dathan, now a missionary engaged on a tour of inspection of his
+Society's work in Central Africa.  Dathan, having completed his task in
+Uganda, was to make his way into the Congo State and visit several
+mission stations there.  The two friends thereupon arranged to travel
+together.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mr. Arlington being anxious to see a little of what was an almost
+unexplored part of Africa, they chose as their route the northern
+fringe of the great forest.  But they got into difficulties when they
+entered country which, though not yet "administered," or "exploited,"
+was nominally Free State territory.  At the sight of white men the
+natives they met with one accord took to the woods.  The result was
+that the travellers were once or twice nearly starved; many of their
+carriers deserted with their loads; and they both suffered a good deal
+from exposure and privation.  To crown their misfortunes, Dathan fell
+with a loose rock one day when he was climbing down a steep bank to get
+water, and broke his leg.  Arlington tried without success to set the
+bone, and was hurrying on in the hope of finding a Free State outpost
+and a doctor when Jack came upon them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack at once frankly explained his position.  He did not give details
+of his work at Ilombekabasi, but he saw no reason for concealing the
+circumstances which had driven him into antagonism with the officials
+of the Concession.  He related what had happened to his uncle, and how
+he had escaped from the net woven about him by Elbel; he told the
+strangers also what he had actually seen of the Congo Government's
+method of dealing with the natives.  Then he asked them whether they
+would like to place themselves under the care of Elbel, who could, if
+he were disposed, send them under escort to Stanleyville, where the
+missionary might receive competent treatment.  Both were disinclined to
+do this; they would prefer to keep themselves free from the Congo State
+or its Trusts.  The alternative seemed to be to accompany Jack.  This
+might certainly give rise to complications; Mr. Dathan especially was
+loth to appear to identify himself with an armed revolt against the
+State.  Missionaries, as he told Jack, were already in bad odour with
+the authorities; they had told too much of what was going on.  In many
+parts they had come to be looked upon as the natives' only defenders,
+and had done a little, a very little, towards mitigating the worst
+features of their lot.  But he was still more loth even to seem to
+countenance Elbel's proceedings by seeking his camp; and Mr. Arlington
+thought that his presence in Ilombekabasi, when it became known to
+Elbel, might have a salutary effect on him.  Ultimately, then, they
+decided to run the blockade with Jack into the fort.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The augmented party had had no difficulty in reaching their
+destination.  The same general course was followed as had been arranged
+for the reception of Mr. Martindale's party.  They halted in a copse on
+an eminence about six miles from the fort and above it.  To reach this
+spot they had to make a longer circuit than either Mr. Martindale or
+Elbel in his first attempt to surprise Ilola.  But before going farther
+it was necessary to discover how the land lay.  Samba was obviously the
+best of the party for this scouting work, but he could hardly be spared
+if the fort happened to be too closely invested for the entrance of the
+whole party to be made.  Jack therefore chose Makoko, a sturdy fellow
+and an excellent scout, scribbled a brief note to Barney, hid it in the
+negro's thick woolly hair, and sent him on alone.  If he came safely to
+Ilombekabasi and it seemed to Barney possible to run the blockade, a
+flag was to be hoisted on one of the blockhouses.  The signal would be
+acted on as soon as possible in the darkness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Makoko left at nightfall.  Before dawn Samba went on some two miles
+ahead to a place whence he could see the fort.  He returned with the
+welcome news that a piece of red cloth was flying on the northern
+blockhouse.  Jack waited impatiently throughout the day; as soon as it
+was dark Samba led the party forward.  They moved slowly, partly to
+allow time for careful scouting, partly because Mr. Dathan had to be
+carried, and proved a heavy burden even for six strong Askari.  No
+difficulties were met with; Elbel had ceased to patrol the surroundings
+of the fort at night, and in the early hours of the morning in pitch
+darkness the party marched quietly in at the gate on the north side of
+the fort.  Jack put his own hut at Mr. Arlington's disposal.  Mr.
+Dathan was carried to Barney's; and before hearing what had happened
+during his absence Jack insisted on the missionary's having his
+injuries attended to.  Barney managed to set the broken limb, though
+not without causing a good deal of pain for which he whimsically
+apologized.  Then Jack listened eagerly to his account of what had
+happened.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elbel had made two serious attacks.  The first was an attempt to carry
+the fort by assault, from the place whence he had sent his fire barrels
+rolling.  But after the capture of Elbel's rifles and ammunition a
+considerable number of Jack's men who had hitherto been spearmen had
+been trained in the use of the Albini; so that Barney had a force of
+nearly ninety riflemen with which to meet the attack, half of them at
+least being good shots.  One charge was enough for the enemy; the fire
+from the wall and blockhouses mowed down the advancing negroes by the
+score; they never reached the defences, but turned and fled to cover in
+the gully and behind the rocks above.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-282"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-282.jpg" alt="Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing the Diverted Stream and Elbel's Third Camp" />
+<br />
+Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing the Diverted Stream and Elbel's Third Camp
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then Elbel demolished the dam he had built on the slope, and allowed
+the river to flow again in the channel it had cut for itself down the
+long incline to the eastward.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What would he be doing that for, sorr?  Seems to me he has wasted a
+terrible deal uv good time in putting up and pulling down.  Two men I
+sent out as scouts niver came back, and I wondered to meself whether
+they'd been bagged, sorr, and had let out something that made Elbel
+want to play more tricks wid nature.  Often did I see Elbel himself
+dodging round the fort wid his spyglass in his hand, and 'tis the
+truth's truth I let some uv the men have a little rifle practice at
+him.  Sure he must have a cat's nine lives, sorr, for ten uv the
+niggers said they were sartin sure they'd hit him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Trying to solve our water puzzle, Barney!  Go on."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was an interval of some days; then, at daybreak one morning,
+while a strong demonstration, apparently the preliminary of an attack,
+was observed on the north and east, a body of men crept up the gully
+and made a sudden rush with ladders for the hole in the wall by which
+the scouts had been accustomed to go in and out.  It was clear that
+Elbel's best men were engaged in this job, for Barney heard loud cries
+for help from the small body he had thought sufficient to leave on the
+western face of the fort.  Rushing to the place with a handful of men,
+he was just in time to prevent the enemy from effecting an entrance.
+There was a brisk fight for two or three minutes; then the ladders
+placed against the wall were hurled into the gully, and with them the
+forlorn hope of the storming party.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That was three days ago, sorr.  And two or three uv our men declared
+they saw Mbota among the enemy, pointing out the very spot where the
+hole is&mdash;whin it is a hole.  You remember Mbota, sorr&mdash;the man who
+brought in his wife on his back, her wid the hands cut off.  'Twas he I
+sent out scouting.  Sure the chicotte had been at work wid him; for
+niver a wan uv our men, I would swear before the Lord Chancellor uv
+Ireland, would turn traitor widout they were in mortal terror for their
+lives, or even worse."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And you have not been attacked since?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, sorr.  But I've had me throubles all the same.  Samba ought to be
+made, beggin' your pardon, sorr, high constable uv this fort."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Indeed!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, sorr, 'cos it seems 'tis only he that can keep the peace.  Would
+you believe it, sorr, the very next day after you were gone, Imbono's
+men and Mboyo's men began to quarrel; 'twas Orange and Green, sorr, and
+a fine shindy.  Whin Samba was here, he'd make 'em laugh, and 'twas all
+calm as the Liffey; but widout Samba&mdash;bedad! sorr, I didn't know what
+in the world to do wid 'em.  Sure I wished Elbel would fight all the
+time, so that there'd be no time left for the spalpeens here to fight
+wan another.  But at last, sorr, a happy thought struck me; quite an
+intimation, as one might say.  I remimbered the day when the
+master&mdash;rest his soul!&mdash;and you made yourselves blood-brothers uv
+Imbono.  That was a mighty fine piece uv work, thinks I.  So wan
+morning I had a big palaver&mdash;likambo the niggers call it, your honour."
+(Barney's air as he gave this information to Mr. Arlington was
+irresistibly laughable.)  "I made a spache, and Lepoko turned it into
+their talk as well as he could, poor fellow; and sure they cheered it
+so powerful hard that I thought 'twas a mimber uv Parlimint I ought to
+be.  Well, sorr, the end was I made Imbono and Mboyo blood-brothers,
+and niver a word uv difference have they had since."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A plan that might be tried with leaders of parties at home," said Mr.
+Arlington with a smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"There's wan other thing that throubles me," added Barney.  "Our food
+is getting low, sorr.  We had such a powerful lot that wan would have
+thought 'twould last for iver.  But in a fortnight we shall be on very
+short commons; we've been on half rations this week or more."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's bad news indeed.  But we shall know our fate in a fortnight.
+The State troops are coming at last, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Barney pulled a long face when Jack told him about the flotilla he had
+seen coming up the river.  But the next moment he smiled broadly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure 'twill be our salvation, sorr.  There'll be a power uv food on
+those canoes, and 'twill come in the nick uv time to save us from
+famine."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But we've got to capture it first!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And won't it be aisy, sorr?  It won't drop into our mouths, to be
+sure, but there's niver a doubt we'll get it by this or that."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack smiled at Barney's confidence, which he could hardly share.  He
+estimated that he had about a week's grace before the State troops
+could arrive, unless they made a forced march ahead of their stores,
+which was not very likely.  He could not look forward without
+misgiving.  Elbel's troops, strongly reinforced and commanded by an
+experienced military officer, would prove a very different enemy.  He
+doubted whether it would be wise to wait the issue of a fight.  Apart
+from the risk of being utterly crushed, there was a strong political
+reason against it, as Mr. Arlington did not fail to point out.
+Hitherto Jack had been dealing with an officer of the Société
+Cosmopolite, and he could argue reasonably that he was only opposing
+unwarranted interference.  But if he resisted an armed force of the
+State, it became at once open rebellion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You render yourself liable to the punishment of a rebel, Mr.
+Challoner," said Mr. Arlington, "and your British nationality will not
+help you.  You might be shot or hanged.  What I suggest to you is this.
+When the State forces appear, let me open negotiations with them.  They
+will probably know my name; I have a certain influence in high
+quarters; I could probably make terms for you."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But the people, Mr. Arlington!  You could not make terms for them.
+What would happen to them?  They would fall into the power of their
+oppressors, and the old tale would be continued&mdash;illegal demands and
+exactions, floggings, maimings, murders.  It was a solemn charge from
+my uncle to stand by the defenceless negroes; it is no less the dictate
+of humanity: we, they and I, are in the same boat, sir, and we must
+sink or swim together."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As it was of supreme importance to Jack to know at what rate the
+hostile column was moving, he sent out that night Samba, Makoko, and
+Lingombela with orders to report the progress of the expedition from
+day to day.  By taking the road through the forest they should get into
+touch with the enemy by the time they reached the place where Mr.
+Martindale had left his canoes.  If the scouts should find themselves
+unable to return to the fort they were to light a large fire on the
+spot whence Samba had seen Barney's flag flying, as a signal that the
+expedition had passed the place in question.  If a small column should
+be coming on in advance they were to light two fires a little apart
+from one another.  Samba was even more light-hearted than usual when he
+left the fort with his comrades.  He seemed to feel that this was a
+mission of special importance, the prelude to a final victory for
+Lokolobolo; for the possibility of defeat for Lokolobolo never
+suggested itself to any man in Ilombekabasi.  Mboyo and Lukela were at
+the wall to bid their son goodbye.  He laughed as he slipped down into
+the darkness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ekeke e'afeka!"[<a id="chap27fn2text"></a><a href="#chap27fn2">2</a>] he whispered gleefully, and hastened to overtake
+Makoko and Lingombela, who were already some distance up the gully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shortly after dawn next day the sentries reported a sound as of a large
+body of men moving up the hill.  Jack instantly called the garrison to
+arms.  There was a good deal of noise in the darkness above the fort.
+Here and there a dim light showed for a few moments, and was promptly
+fired at.  When day broke Jack saw that the enemy had built a rough
+wall of stones loosely piled up, some fifty yards long and about four
+feet high, parallel with the north wall of the fort, one end resting on
+the edge of the gully.  From a convenient spot in the gully, about two
+hundred yards above the fort, the enemy could creep to the extremity of
+the wall without coming under the fire of the garrison.  It had
+evidently been erected to screen some operations going on behind it.
+To guard against a sortie from the fort a covering force had been
+placed on the hill a quarter of a mile farther up; and between the
+ill-fitting stones there were small gaps which would serve as loopholes
+for the riflemen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the day the enemy were hard at work digging a trench under cover
+of the wall.  Jack wondered at first whether Elbel was going to make
+approaches to the fort by sap and mine, in the manner he had read of in
+histories of the great sieges.  But another and still more disturbing
+thought occurred to him.  Would the trench cut across the line of his
+conduit?  Had Elbel at last fathomed the secret of his water supply?
+He anxiously examined the landmarks, which had been disturbed somewhat
+by the construction of the wall.  As nearly as he could judge, the
+spring was a few yards south of the wall, and neither it nor the
+conduit would be discovered by the men digging the trench.  Yet he
+could not but feel that Elbel's latest move was not so much an attempt
+to undermine the defences of the fort as to discover the source of its
+water supply.  If he should have hit upon the fact that the water was
+derived, not from a well inside the walls, but from a spring outside,
+he would not be long in coming to the conclusion that it must be from a
+spot opposite the northern face; and by cutting a trench or a series of
+trenches across the ground in that direction he must sooner or later
+come upon the conduit.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The work proceeded without intermission during the whole of the day,
+and apparently without success, for the level of the water in the fort
+tank did not fall.  But Elbel's activity was not stopped by the
+darkness.  When morning dawned Jack saw that during the night an
+opening about five feet wide had been made in the wall, giving access
+to a passage-way of about the same height leading towards the fort and
+roughly covered with logs, no doubt as a protection against rifle fire.
+Only about twenty yards of this passage-way had been completed.  The
+end towards the fort was closed by a light screen of timber resting on
+rollers, and sufficiently thick to be impervious to rifle fire, as Jack
+soon found by experiment.  Evidently another trench was to be dug near
+the fort.  To avoid the labour of building a second covering wall,
+Elbel had hit on the idea of a passage-way through which his men might
+reach the spot where he desired the new trench to be begun.  Protected
+by the screen, they could dig a hole several feet deep, and then, too
+low to be hit by shots from the fort, could proceed with the trench in
+safety.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack wondered whether Elbel had not yet heard of the approach of the
+State forces.  Such feverish activity was surely unnecessary when
+reinforcements were only a few days' march distant.  It was Barney who
+suggested that Elbel had made such a mess of things hitherto that he
+was eager to do something, to gain a success of some kind, before the
+regular forces should arrive.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Under cover of the wooden screen the enemy, as Jack had expected,
+started to dig another trench parallel with the wall.  They had no lack
+of labourers; as soon as one gang was tired another was ready to take
+its place; and the work was carried on very rapidly.  With growing
+anxiety Jack watched the progress of the trench towards the gully.  His
+conduit was only three feet from the surface of the ground.  Judging by
+the fact that his marksmen never got an opportunity of taking aim at
+the diggers, the trench must be at least five feet deep; and if an
+opening were made into the gully the conduit was sure to be exposed.
+There was just one hope that they would fail.  Jack remembered the
+outcrop of rock which had necessitated the laying of the pipes, for a
+length of some yards, several feet lower than the general level.  If
+the enemy should happen to have struck this point there was a fair
+chance of the conduit escaping their search; for, coming upon the layer
+of rock, they would probably not guess that pipes were carried beneath
+it.  To reassure himself, Jack called up Imbono and Mboyo and asked
+them if they could locate the spot where the rock occurred.  Their
+impression agreed with his, that it must at any rate be very near the
+place where the enemy's trench would issue into the gully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Jack's anxiety was not relieved at the close of the day, for again
+the work was carried on all night.  He thought of a sortie, but
+reflected that this would be taken by Elbel as an indication that he
+was hot on the scent.  And while a sortie might inflict loss on the
+enemy, it would not prevent Elbel from resuming his excavations as soon
+as the garrison had retired again within their defences.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With great relief Jack at last heard the sound of pick-axes striking on
+rock.  It seemed too good to be true that the enemy had come upon the
+exact dozen yards of rock where alone the conduit was in little danger
+of being laid bare.  Yet this proved to be the case.  In the morning
+Elbel drew off his workmen, apparently satisfied, before the trench had
+been actually completed to the gully, that he was on the wrong track.
+A great load was lifted from Jack's mind.  If the secret of the water
+supply had been discovered, he knew that the end could only be a matter
+of a few days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As soon as the enemy drew off, Jack's men issued forth, demolished the
+wall, and filled up the trench.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Three days passed in comparative inactivity.  During these days Jack
+had much of his time taken up by Mr. Arlington, who required of him a
+history of all that had happened since the first meeting with Elbel.
+The traveller made copious jottings in his note-book.  He asked the
+most minute questions about the rubber traffic and the methods of the
+State and the Concessions; he had long interviews with Imbono and
+Mboyo, and endured very patiently Lepoko's expanded versions of
+statements already garrulous; he took many photographs with his kodak
+of the people who had been maimed by the forest guards, and asked Jack
+to present him with a chicotte&mdash;one of those captured along with the
+Askari.  He said very little, probably thinking the more.  Certainly he
+let nothing escape his observation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Mr. Dathan was making friends of all the children.  Unable to
+endure the stuffiness of the hut, he had himself carried on a sheltered
+litter into the open, where, propped up on pillows, his burly form
+might be seen in the midst of a large circle of little black figures,
+who looked at him earnestly with their bright intelligent eyes and
+drank in the wonderful stories he told them.  Many of their elders
+hovered on the fringe of the crowd; and when the lesson was finished,
+they went away and talked among themselves of Nzakomba[<a id="chap27fn3text"></a><a href="#chap27fn3">3</a>] the great
+Spirit Father who, as the bont' ok'ota-a-a-li[<a id="chap27fn4text"></a><a href="#chap27fn4">4</a>] said, had put it into
+the heart of Lokolobolo to defend and help them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before the dawn one morning Lingombela came into the fort.  He reported
+that the new enemy had only just finished the portage of their canoes
+and stores.  The steamer had been left below the rapids, and the white
+men were embarking on canoes.  There were not enough to convey the
+whole expedition at one time, although some had been sent down the
+river to meet them.  Two or three had been lost through attempting to
+save time by dragging them up the rapids.  Lingombela had himself seen
+this, with Samba.  Samba had no doubt already told what he had seen,
+but he did not know about the big gun which could fire as many shots as
+a hundred men, for the white men had not begun to practise at a mark in
+their camp above the rapids until Samba had left.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But we have seen nothing of Samba; where is he?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He started to return to Ilombekabasi a day before I did."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And Makoko?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Makoko is still watching."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lingombela's statement about Samba alarmed Jack.  What had become of
+the boy?  Had he fallen into the enemy's hands?  It was too much to be
+feared.  What else could have delayed him?  In threading the forest
+none of the scouts could travel so fast as he.  If he had started a day
+before Lingombela he should have gained at least five or six hours.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The news soon flew through the settlement that Samba was missing.
+Mboyo and his wife came to Jack to ask whether Lingombela had told the
+truth.  Their troubled looks touched Jack, and he tried to cheer them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Samba has not arrived yet, certainly," he said, "but he may not have
+come direct.  Something may have taken him out of his course; he would
+go a long way round if he thought it would be of use to us.  Don't be
+worried.  He has gone in and out safely so often that surely he will
+come by and by."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negroes went away somewhat comforted.  But Jack felt very anxious,
+and his feeling was fully shared by Barney.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis meself that fears Elbel has got him," he said.  "Pat has been
+most uncommon restless for two days.  He looks up in the face uv me and
+barks, whin he's not wanting anything at all.  'Tis only Samba can
+rightly understand all Pat says, and seems to me Pat has got an idea
+that something has happened to Samba."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+An hour later Pat also had disappeared.  He had broken his strap and
+run away.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap27fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap27fn1text">1</a>] The highest salutation, given to a person of great dignity.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap27fn2"></a>
+[<a href="#chap27fn2text">2</a>] The last time.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap27fn3"></a>
+[<a href="#chap27fn3text">3</a>] God.
+</p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap27fn4"></a>
+[<a href="#chap27fn4text">4</a>] Very tall man.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap28"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+The Chicotte
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+A small palm, spared for the sake of its welcome shade when the rest of
+the ground was cleared, sheltered Monsieur Elbel's tent from the
+fiercest rays of the tropical sun, In the tent Monsieur Elbel, smoking
+a bad Belgian cigar, his camp chair tilted back to a perilous angle,
+his feet on a small rickety table, read and re-read with a smile of
+satisfaction a short official communication that had just reached him
+from Brussels.  Owing to the retirement of the Company's principal
+agent, and in recognition of Monsieur Elbel's energy in doubling the
+consignment of rubber from his district during the past year, the
+Comité had been pleased to appoint Monsieur Elbel to be administrative
+chief of the Maranga Concession.  At the same time the Comité hoped
+that Monsieur Elbel would see his way to deal promptly and effectively
+with the reported outbreak at Ilola, without incurring undue expense,
+and that the American who had been giving trouble, and whose patent was
+now revoked (with the concurrence of the State) would be persuaded of
+the necessity of leaving the country.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Monsieur Elbel was gratified by the news of his promotion; although it
+was his due by all the standards of conduct set up for the guidance of
+officials, whether State or Trust, charged with the exploitation of
+Congoland.  Under no officer had the development of King Leopold's
+African dominions gone more blithely forward than under Monsieur Elbel.
+Where he and his men went they left a wilderness behind them; but the
+amount of rubber they collected was most gratifying; and if Maranga
+stock stood high it was largely through their exertions.  True, in
+twenty years there would be no people left in Maranga, even if there
+were rubber to collect.  But after all that was not Monsieur Elbel's
+concern: in twenty years he would not be on the Congo; those who came
+after him must find their own collectors.  He and the King took short
+views: sufficient unto the day&mdash;they were both men of business.  Yes,
+as a man of affairs Guillaume Elbel was hard to beat.  It was no wonder
+that the Comité had promoted him to the vacant post; if he had been
+passed by, where would be the inducement to zeal, to loyal faithful
+service?  Where indeed?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the circumstances Monsieur Elbel was in good humour, a relaxation he
+rarely allowed himself.  He drank the remains of his absinthe, tilted
+his chair back to the critical angle, and blowing a cloud of smoke
+skywards saw in the curling eddies visions of snug directorates in
+Brussels.  Why not?  He flattered himself there were none who knew more
+about the Congo than he; he could estimate to a few francs the
+possibilities of any district as expressed in rubber; and, what is
+more, he knew how to get it.  With him the people always lasted as long
+as the rubber.  There was no waste; he plumed himself on the point.
+<i>He</i> had never burnt a village before the rubber was exhausted,
+whatever might be said of other agents.  For after all, his business
+was to promote commerce&mdash;that is, collect rubber&mdash;not mere destruction.
+And if he did not know his business there was nobody who could teach
+him.  Yes&mdash;his Majesty had an eye to men of his stamp.  A
+directorate&mdash;a few directorates&mdash;a snug place at Court&mdash;who knows? ...
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Monsieur Elbel again glanced at the official letter; and again smiled
+and blew a ring artistically true.  Then his eye caught the word
+"expense," and his expression changed.  This Ilola difficulty would not
+only reduce his rubber consignments; it would mean a considerable
+outlay&mdash;how much he did not like to think.  And then there was the
+column of State troops now on its way.  No doubt the Concession would
+have to pay for that, too.  Peste! if only he could finish this
+business before Van Vorst came up!  He did not desire the presence of
+Van Vorst or any other State officer, if it could be avoided.  For
+there was gold in the stream, without a doubt; and those State
+officials were greedy rascals; they were capable of edging him
+out&mdash;they had no scruples&mdash;his moral claim would go for nothing,
+absolutely.  Yes, the fort must be captured at once before Van Vorst
+came up.  If only he could tap the water supply it would be easy
+enough.  It could be done; the little fool had let out so much; but
+how?&mdash;that was what he had to find out, and his name was not Elbel if
+he couldn't do it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He rose and went to the door of the tent.  A few yards away, securely
+tied to the trunk of the slender palm, was a negro boy.  Monsieur Elbel
+looked at him critically as if measuring his strength.  Last night,
+although threatened with the chicotte, the boy had refused to speak.
+Only once, when Elbel had offered him freedom and rewards if he would
+point out the source of the water in the camp above, did he open his
+lips, saying fiercely: "I will never tell you!"&mdash;betraying to the
+questioner that he had some knowledge of the secret.  Now he had had
+twelve hours of hunger and thirst to help him to a more reasonable
+frame of mind.  All night the cords had been eating into his wrists and
+ankles; he was weak from want of food, and consumed with an intolerable
+thirst.  He stood there in the blazing sun, a listless, pitiable
+figure, held upright only by the thongs that bound his wrists; and
+Monsieur Elbel as he looked at him, felt not a little irritated.  It
+was absurd that he should be inconvenienced; nay, more, that the
+development of the Concession should be delayed, and expense
+incurred&mdash;avoidable, unnecessary expense&mdash;expense without any return in
+rubber&mdash;all because this slip of a boy refused to tell what he knew.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elbel beckoned to his servant and interpreter, standing close by,
+attentive and expectant.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Tell him," he said, "that I will give him one more chance.  If he will
+not speak he shall be thrashed with the chicotte until he does."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man roughly grasped the boy by the shoulders and translated his
+master's words.  The captive slowly shook his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Fetch the chicotte," said Elbel sharply.  "We'll see what that will
+do."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man entered the tent, where the chicotte invariably lay ready to
+hand; and when he emerged the space in front of Elbel's quarters was
+filling with Askari and their followers flocking like vultures to the
+feast.  Samba, the son of Mboyo, chief of Banonga, was to be whipped.
+Boloko had caught him last night: he was a clever man, Boloko.  And
+Samba knew where the Inglesa got the water for his camp, the secret was
+to be cut from him by the chicotte.  That was good; it would be a sight
+to see.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No time was lost.  Elbel signed to the man as he approached, and
+stepping back left him a clear space to swing the whip.  The negro
+prided himself upon his skill; as Elbel's servant, indeed, he had more
+opportunities of perfecting himself with this typical instrument of
+Congo government than falls to most.  He could deliver a stroke with
+great delicacy, raising only a long red weal upon the skin, or if the
+case called for real severity could cut the offender's flesh from his
+body almost as neatly as with a knife.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In this case his master desired information; it was not a mere question
+of punishing a sullen defaulter.  He would begin gently lest the
+prisoner should lose the power of speech and shame the executioner
+before his master and the crowd.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A slight convulsive shiver shook the boy's frame as the whip fell, but
+he clenched his teeth and no sound escaped him.  The man waited for a
+moment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Will you tell?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was no answer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Again the whip rose and fell, this time with a more vicious sound; it
+was answered by a low groan; but still to the same question there was
+no reply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By slow degrees the executioner increased the vigour of his stroke.
+The Askari applauded, and surely he was meriting praise from his
+master, for after many strokes the prisoner was quite conscious, as his
+pallid face and staring eyes and clenched teeth clearly showed.  And
+besides, did he not writhe and groan with every blow?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But there is no reckoning with the vagaries of the white man.  The
+culprit's obstinate silence irritated Monsieur Elbel more and more as
+the punishment went on.  It was intolerable that he should be defied in
+this way.  It was a bad example to the natives.  Where would the white
+man's authority be if this kind of thing were permitted?  They would
+lose all respect: the collection of rubber would become a farce.
+Suddenly he blazed out in anger, snatched the whip from the hands of
+his servant, and, whirling it round his head, brought it down with all
+his force on the bruised and bleeding form.  It cut a deep purple gash
+in the boy's back; but Monsieur Elbel's wrath had come too late; before
+the lash fell Samba had fainted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Elbel hesitated for a moment; then, seeing that further punishment
+would be a mere waste of time, he gave a curt order.  They cut Samba's
+cords and carried him away.  He was to be whipped again to-morrow.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+That afternoon Lepoko came to Jack with a broad grin on his face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Mbota come back, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's the scout of Massa Barney's who was captured, isn't it?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yussah!  He come back, sah.  Oh!  it make me laugh plenty much.
+Elobela send Mbota back; he say, 'You go back, cut off Lokolobolo him
+head.  Me gib you twenty, fousand, plenty, plenty brass rods!'  Mbota
+say, 'All same, massa.  Anyfing what massa like.  Me get plenty men
+what help.'  Den Mbota come back; he laugh, sah; Elobela plenty big
+fool fink him lib for hurt Lokolobolo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bring Mbota to me at once."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the man came, Jack got out of him a more lucid story than Lepoko
+had given.  Elbel had promised freedom and large rewards if he would
+stir up a revolt against Jack, or assassinate him.  The negro had
+readily promised, with no intention but to reveal the whole scheme to
+his beloved Lokolobolo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack was still talking to the man when he heard loud cries.  Running
+out of his hut, he found Barney clutching by the arm a strange negro,
+thronged about by a shouting crowd of the men of Ilombekabasi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Who is he?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Tis wan uv Elbel's men, sorr.  Lianza caught him in the forest, and
+brought him in.  The men are simply mad to get at him, sorr, especially
+since they've heard uv what Elbel said to Mbota."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Leave him to me.  I will deal with him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men slowly dispersed.  Jack took the trembling negro to his hut and
+questioned him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Do you know anything of Samba, the son of Mboyo and nephew of Boloko,
+one of your master's men?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Yes, he knew.&mdash;Was there a man in Elobela's camp who did not know?&mdash;who
+had not exulted when the news spread that Samba, the best of
+Lokolobolo's scouts, had been captured and was to pay the penalty?
+Surely not a man was absent when Samba suffered the torture.  Had not
+many of them tried in vain to discover the secret which Samba would be
+forced to betray?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The scout described to Jack the whole pitiful scene, in the glowing
+language, with the telling dramatic gestures, which the negro has at
+command when he feels that his audience is interested.  And while the
+man told his story Jack went hot and cold by turns&mdash;cold with sheer
+horror of the scene conjured up by the man's vivid words, hot with a
+great wrath, a burning passionate desire to seek instant vengeance upon
+the evildoer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Bidding Barney keep the negro carefully under guard, he went back to
+his hut, at the entrance to which Mr. Arlington had been anxiously
+watching the scene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is devilish, sir," he burst out.  "Elbel not only offers rewards
+for assassinating me, but he uses his brutal whip on a boy, to force
+him to reveal the secret of our water supply.  Samba is probably
+half-dead&mdash;he fainted under the lash but would not betray us&mdash;brave
+little fellow!  Think of the agony he must have suffered!  And he is
+only one; thousands have suffered in the same way before him, and are
+suffering to-day in one part or another of this State.  Do you blame me
+now, sir?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, I don't blame you.  I am deeply sorry for the poor boy.  The whole
+thing is an outrage upon human nature, so revolting that any action
+that can be taken against it is fully justified.  I have been thinking
+over what we said the other day.  It is not for me to advise; indeed,
+my friends at home would open their eyes at the idea of my abetting
+resistance to authority; but I will give you my opinion.  You must hold
+your fort.  While the banner of revolt is kept flying there is always a
+prospect of forcing the hand of the officials in the direction of
+effective reform.  They have an enormous area to control&mdash;a disaffected
+area seething with indignation against bitter wrong.  A successful
+revolt will encourage outbreaks elsewhere.  If you can only hold out;
+if you can make yourself strong enough here in this remote corner to
+defy the authorities, it will be an opportunity of forcing the
+government to terms&mdash;to the granting of elementary rights of justice
+and liberty to its own subjects, and the throwing open of this
+sorely-afflicted country to free intercourse with the outside world."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah!  If only I can do it, sir!  But I can only hold the fort now by
+striking a blow at Elbel before his reinforcements join him.  If the
+forces unite, they will be strong enough to carry on a strict siege.
+Our food is giving out; the people have been for some time on half
+rations; they don't grumble, but it will have to be quarter rations
+soon, and then the end is not far off.  We must either surrender or
+trek."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"If you have to trek, it would be better to do so at once, while you
+have food to take your party on your way."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, we must either do that or thoroughly beat Elbel.  That would ease
+the pressure; the others would think twice before attacking us; they
+might even draw off until an overwhelming force could be brought
+against us.  That would give time for us to grow more crops, and for
+you to go back to England, sir, and raise your voice against this
+atrocious government."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I shall certainly do that.  But you talk of fighting Elbel; have you
+thought of the risk?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Till my head aches with thinking.  I know that failure will mean ruin.
+It must be a smashing blow; pin-pricks are no good; and I can't smash
+him without taking a large force out of the fort.  If we were obliged
+to retreat we should be followed up; they might rush the fort, and
+there would be an end of everything."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is a difficult position.  I can't help you; I am not a soldier&mdash;it
+seems to me you ought to be one, Mr. Challoner.  I could take no active
+part; I should in any case be little good.  I feel that you have landed
+me in a very awkward position," he added with a smile.  "But it can't
+be helped now; I can only wait and see you go through with it."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the back of Jack's mind there was another consideration which he did
+not mention.  He could not have said how far he allowed it to count.
+It was the bare chance of rescuing Samba&mdash;if Samba was still alive.  If
+it had been put to him, he would probably not have admitted it.  The
+good of the community could not be jeopardized by any action on behalf
+of an individual, whatever his claim; the circumstances were too
+critical.  But that the fate of Samba was an additional argument in
+favour of the course he was on other grounds inclined to adopt there
+can be no doubt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next day the urgency of the situation was brought home to him.  Two
+fires were seen at the appointed spot; Makoko had done his work.  Five
+or six hours later, just after nightfall, Makoko himself came in.  He
+reported that one white man with twenty soldiers in two canoes, with
+many paddlers, had started up river in advance of the bulk of the
+force, which had now reached camp at the head of the rapids.  Jack
+guessed that the white man was the officer in command, probably the
+Captain Van Vorst of whom Elbel had spoken, coming ahead to view the
+position and select an encampment for his followers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About noon on the next day there was a great sound of jubilation from
+the camp below.  Van Vorst, if it was he, had arrived.  He must have
+travelled night and day, the river route being so much longer than the
+forest one that otherwise he could hardly have reached the camp in
+another twelve hours.  But his paddlers were no doubt pressed men from
+the riverine villages, costing nothing and having no rights, and a
+Congo State commandant in a hurry would not hesitate to drive them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the afternoon a negro bearing a white flag was seen approaching the
+fort from the south.  He evidently expected to be admitted by the hole
+in the wall.  But at Jack's bidding Lianza of the brazen throat called
+to him to come round to the gate on the north; it was well to observe
+due order and ceremony.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man brought a note signed "Van Vorst," demanding the instant
+surrender of the fort.  In reply Jack wrote asking for the assurance
+that his people, having acted throughout in self defence against the
+illegalities of the Société Cosmopolite, should be guaranteed liberty
+to depart, and immunity except against the regular legal process of the
+courts.  In half an hour the messenger returned with a curt summons to
+unconditional surrender.  Jack sent back a polite refusal, feeling that
+he had now burnt his boats.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shortly afterwards he saw a party of three white men and about twenty
+State soldiers, all armed with rifles, making a tour round the
+position, keeping carefully under cover.  Through his field-glass Jack
+recognized Elbel, one of his subordinates, and one of the officers he
+had seen on the steamer.  Elbel pointed this way and that with
+outstretched hand, and appeared to be talking with some excitement.
+Occasionally they came within easy range of the fort, and Barney begged
+Jack to let the men fire upon them; but Jack resolutely stuck to his
+determination to refrain from provocation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The party by and by reached a position above the fort, near the spot
+whence the abortive barrel-rolling had been started.  From this place a
+small area of the fort enclosure was open to the view of the enemy.
+All at once Jack saw the strange officer take a rifle from one of the
+soldiers and raise it to his shoulder.  Jack instantly ordered his men,
+who were crowding the wall, to drop down out of sight.  The officer
+fired: there was a moment's silence; then Jack heard a great yell of
+rage from the men behind him.  Turning, he saw an old woman lying
+huddled in the centre of the enclosure.  Two calabashes lay near; she
+had been crossing the exposed portion of the area to fetch water from
+the tank when Van Vorst's bullet struck her.  A shout of delight from
+the negro soldiers up the hill acclaimed the successful shot of their
+officer; the old woman was quite dead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack went hot with rage.  And Mr. Arlington, who had witnessed the
+officer's action, was stirred out of his usual philosophic calm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That is not an act of warfare, Mr. Challoner, but of sheer
+savagery&mdash;the act of a callous marksman showing off.  It invites
+reprisal."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see how the State treats its subjects, Mr. Arlington.  They have
+taken cover; it's too late to fire now.  But it settles the matter for
+me.  The State has fired the first shot and killed a non-combatant.  I
+shall do my best this very night to deal the enemy a staggering blow."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap29"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXIX
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Reaping the Whirlwind
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+During the inaction of the past two days Jack had been carefully
+thinking out his plan.  Stout-hearted as he was, he felt oppressed by
+the difficulties of his position.  He had now four hundred men in all;
+scarcely a hundred of them were armed with rifles, and not more than
+fifty were practised shots.  How could he hope to dislodge from a
+stockaded camp more than seven hundred, of whom some two hundred and
+fifty, including Van Vorst's advance guard, were riflemen?  It seemed
+at the best a desperate hazard, but the alternative was worse, and
+having resolved upon his course he rejected all half measures.  Some
+few of his own men must be left in the fort, if only to prevent a
+panic; but those must be the minimum&mdash;he would need every man he could
+muster.  He was staking all on the cast of a die; it would never do to
+risk failure by timorousness in using all his effective combatant
+strength.  He would throw his whole available force against the enemy
+in one supreme effort to break and scatter him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The offensive, he knew, counted for much, especially with men who had
+not known defeat.  Where he and Barney led he felt sure they would
+follow.  But a check might be fatal.  A single well-directed volley
+from the enemy might sweep his little company of riflemen away, and his
+spearmen would then never get to close quarters.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He gave full weight to all these considerations.  But having decided
+that the attempt must be made he devoted long hours of anxious thought
+to the devising of a plan that would give best promise of success.  He
+had to do his thinking alone.  Barney was a fighter, not a strategist.
+He could be trusted to strike hard and carry out orders to the minutest
+detail; he could not plan or organize.  Mr. Arlington and the
+missionary of course must not be consulted.  So that when Barney was
+called into Jack's hut that afternoon, it was to learn particulars of a
+scheme worked out by Jack alone.  When he left it an hour or two later,
+his eyes were glowing with a new light.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sure 'tis me chance that has come at last!" he said to himself.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+It was two o'clock in the morning.  Ilombekabasi was astir.  Men and
+boys were moving this way and that.  The night was dark, but by the
+light of the small lamps kept burning before a few of the principal
+huts it could be seen that every face was tense with excitement and a
+subdued energy.  In one spot congregated the maimed people, armed with
+such weapons as they could wield, for the news that a great movement
+was intended had spread in the camp, and every man and many of the
+girls and women had begged to be allowed to bear arms.  Near the
+south-eastern blockhouse the bulk of the able-bodied men and boys were
+squatting, rifles and spears lying beside them.  At the gate in the
+north wall stood twenty-five men, the picked men of the corps, the men
+whom Lokolobolo had twice led out to victory.  There was Lepoko, all
+smiles and consequence.  There was Makoko, hugging his rifle as though
+he loved it.  There was Lianza of the brazen throat, and Lingombela the
+man of hard bargains, and Imbono, the prudent chief of Ilola, and
+Mboyo, solemn and silent, thinking of Samba.  On the ground lay a
+number of bundles and bales, large and small.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A group approached the gate from Lokolobolo's hut.  Lokolobolo himself,
+and Barnio, as the natives called him, came first, walking slowly side
+by side.  Behind came Mr. Arlington, his strong features fixed
+impassively.  At his side was the litter of Mr. Dathan, borne by four
+negroes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Is it quite clear?" said Jack to Barney.  "You have twenty good men
+here, besides another twenty of the maimed who may be of use in an
+emergency.  Batukuno will be left in command.  All the rest will go
+with you; yes, let the boys go; they can use their knives even if they
+cannot throw a spear.  Get them all paraded an hour before dark, ladder
+men first.  Keep them as quiet as you can.  Wait till you hear shots in
+the enemy's camp; that will be the signal.  Then send your men out,
+over the stockade by the south-eastern blockhouse; they can scramble
+down the slope there.  You had better take half of them first and form
+them up at the bottom.  The rest can follow as soon as they see you
+move off.  Lead them at the double straight down the hill and fling
+them at the stockade.  The second party will be just in time to support
+you if the first rush is checked.  But there must be no check; we
+daren't admit the possibility.  This is your job, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Amen, sorr.  For the honour uv ould Ireland and the sake uv these poor
+niggers I'll do me very best."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I know you will, old fellow."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They grip hands, looking into each other's eyes.  This may be their
+last good-bye.  One long hand-clasp, one moment of tense emotion, then,
+clearing his throat, Jack gives an order to his men.  They stoop to
+their bundles, then file quietly out of the gate.  Each man has a
+package to carry, such a package as forms part of every white man's
+baggage in Africa: one a trunk, another a gun-case, a third a canvas
+bag, others bales of various kinds.  Two strong negroes at the end of
+the line bear, slung on ropes, a package, strangely shapeless, and to
+all appearance particularly heavy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The last has gone out into the darkness.  Then Jack turns once more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good-bye, Mr. Arlington."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good-bye!  Success to you."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Good-bye, Mr. Dathan."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"God help you, my dear lad," says the missionary.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then Jack too leaves Ilombekabasi, and the darkness swallows him up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Towards dusk on the following evening, a party of twenty-five carriers
+were marching through the forest in the direction of Elbel's stockaded
+camp.  In the midst were four men carrying a litter.  They followed the
+path leading from the river&mdash;the path along which Captain Van Vorst had
+come a few days earlier.  For some time they had been shadowed by a
+negro bearing the arms of a forest guard.  They paused for a few
+moments to rest, and the negro, apparently satisfied by his
+observations, came up and accosted them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You are the servants of Mutela?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, that is so.  Has Mutela arrived?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mutela was the native name for Van Vorst.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Oh yes!  He came two or three days ago."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Are we on the right road?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Certainly.  The camp is but a little way beyond us.  I will lead you
+to it.  You have heavy loads."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ah!  Mutela is a man of riches.  He has many pots, and many bottles,
+and very many coats for his back.  And guns too; see, here is his
+elephant rifle.  Mutela is a great hunter; a great man of war."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"True, he is a great man of war.  Yesterday he killed a woman in the
+fort of the Inglesa.  I saw it.  I laughed; we all laughed; it was so
+funny!  But who is in the litter?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A white officer.  Oh yes!  He is as great a man of war as Mutela.  But
+he is sick; white men so easily turn sick!  And he sleeps, although it
+is a rough road."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Aha!  It is a pity he is sick.  Mutela will be sorry.  Mutela is going
+to kill all the men in the Inglesa's fort.  Lokolobolo they call him.
+Aha! we shall see how strong he is!  See, there is the camp yonder
+through the trees."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the party were still within some yards of the gate, the scout gave
+a hail.  It was answered by a negro whose face appeared just above the
+stockade.  By the time the leading men reached the gate it had been
+thrown open by one of Elbel's European subordinates, and a crowd of
+negro soldiers and hangers-on was collected to witness the entrance of
+the white officer and Mutela's baggage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lepoko, who had led the file, deposited his bundle just inside the gate
+and burst into a roar of laughter, holding his sides and bending his
+body in uncontrollable mirth.  He was soon surrounded by a crowd of
+negroes, to whom he began to relate a very funny story; how Ekokoli,
+the daring Ekokoli, had mounted a crocodile's back just below the
+rapids, and had a splendid ride.  The comical story set the throng
+laughing in chorus, and they begged to hear it again.  Meanwhile, the
+rest of the carriers had filed in with their burdens, the litter had
+been set down, and the white officer, though so sick, stepped out quite
+briskly to greet the Belgian, whose attention was divided between the
+laughing negroes and his guest.  At the same time the four bearers drew
+out from the litter a rifle apiece&mdash;for a sick man rifles surely made
+an uncomfortable couch!&mdash;and also half a dozen objects which to a man
+of Ilombekabasi would have looked suspiciously like fire-balls.  From
+the packages which lay near the gate each of the other carriers with a
+single pull abstracted a Mauser or an Albini; while the two men who had
+staggered along at the end of the line under the weight of a clumsy
+heavy bundle dropped it in the gateway with a thud that suggested the
+fall of a rock rather than a carrier's ordinary load.  It lay against
+the gate, preventing it from being closed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lepoko was already telling his story for the second time.  Elbel's
+officer, about to speak to the sick white man, who had just stepped out
+of the litter, suddenly hesitated, wheeled round, and with a loud cry
+of alarm rushed toward the centre of the camp, where, in a large tent,
+Elbel was at that moment regaling Captain Van Vorst with a dinner that
+did much credit to his native cook.  His cry passed unnoticed by the
+delighted negroes whom Lepoko was so humorously entertaining.  But next
+moment they choked their guffaws, and, without waiting for the end of
+the story, scampered with more speed than grace after their white
+officer towards Elobela's tent.  What had startled them?  The sick man
+from the litter, after one hasty glance round, had suddenly fired into
+the air the rifle he bore.  And the carriers who seemed so tired and so
+glad to lay down their burdens had all at once sprung into feverish
+activity.  Dividing into two parties they had disappeared behind the
+huts nearest to the stockade on each side of the gateway, and if the
+hubbub had not been so great, an attentive listener might have heard
+sundry scratches that ensued upon their disappearance.  But there was
+no one to hear.  The garrison of the camp were rushing still towards
+the centre with loud cries; the carriers and the sick officer were no
+longer to be seen; and what was this?  Clouds of smoke, thick, acrid,
+suffocating, were floating on the south wind from the huts towards
+Elobela's tent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now the camp was in an uproar.  Mingled with the yells of alarm
+were distinct cries, "Mutela!" "Elobela!" "Lokolobolo!"  And amid all
+the din came ever and anon the sharp piercing bark of a dog.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Monsieur Guillaume Elbel, of the Société Cosmopolite du Commerce du
+Congo, had just opened a second bottle of Madeira for the delectation
+of his guest Captain Van Vorst, of the Congo State Forces.  The dinner
+had been a good one; the Captain had praised his cook, the best cook on
+the Congo; and Monsieur Elbel was in better humour than he had been
+since the arrival of the State troops.  He was even pleasantly boasting
+of the coming triumph at Ilombekabasi, and discussing what they should
+do with the Englishman after they had caught him, when sounds from
+outside so startled him that he poured the wine on to the tablecloth
+instead of into the glass, and interrupted himself with the sudden
+exclamation&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What's that?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He snatched up a rifle and hurried out, followed more slowly by his
+companion, who had seen too many camp quarrels to be greatly alarmed by
+this sudden outbreak.  Elbel at first could distinguish nothing in the
+confusion.  The short dusk of a tropical evening was already becoming
+darkness, but he could see that crowds of men were pouring out of the
+huts, rushing, hustling, in a state that was very like panic.  And a
+pungent smoke saluted his nostrils; it was drifting in great whorls
+northwards over the camp, and surely behind it he saw here and there
+little red flashes of flame.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Who had fired that shot which had so shaken Monsieur Elbel's hand?  He
+did not know; it had been a single shot; surely the camp could not be
+attacked, for other shots would have followed long before this.  But
+the moment he appeared outside the tent a volley rang out, and Elbel
+saw that it was fired by his own men into the midst of the smoke.  He
+was hurrying across the camp to inquire into the meaning of all this
+when a volley flashed from the other direction&mdash;from the very heart of
+the smoke.  Shrieks proclaimed that some of the shots had told.
+"Fools!" cried Elbel, "don't you see they're screened by the smoke,
+whoever they are?  What's the good of firing when you can't take aim?
+Curse that dog!  I can't hear myself speak!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Another volley flashed from the smoke.  Men were dropping on every
+side; there were wild rushes for cover.  Soon the central space was
+deserted, and the panic-stricken garrison fled for shelter behind the
+huts on the north side of the camp.  While Elbel and Van Vorst were
+shouting themselves hoarse in a vain attempt to stem this tide of
+flight, the sergeant who had opened the gate had rushed to the north
+side, where Van Vorst's contingent were quartered, and hastily got them
+into some sort of order, together with those of Elbel's men who, having
+their huts on that side, has been less affected by the sudden alarm.
+Dividing the company of about a hundred men into two parties, he sent
+them skirmishing forward in the spaces between the huts towards the
+enemy he supposed to be approaching on the east and west.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That enemy, however, was not approaching.  Jack had fired the huts and
+thrown the camp into confusion; his little party was not strong enough
+to turn the confusion to utter rout.  Its smallness would be perceived
+if he led it into the open; his was a waiting game.  The wisdom of his
+policy was soon proved.  A sharp volley came from the men whom the
+Belgian sergeant had got together.  Jack heard the man beside him groan
+heavily and fall to the ground; then he himself felt a stinging burning
+pain below the left knee.  He called to his men to keep within cover,
+and hastily bound a handkerchief about the wound.  And now the wind
+dropped, and the smoke which had hitherto screened his movements
+floated upwards.  A scattering volley from the enemy reduced his band
+by two more men.  The State troops were working round on each side of
+him; and the red glare from the burning huts was lighting up the whole
+camp.  It would soon be seen how small his little company was; then one
+determined rush would annihilate it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Less than four minutes had passed since he entered the gate; it seemed
+an age.  Would Barney never come?  Why was he delaying?  Surely he had
+heard the signal shot; surely by this time he must have seen the ruddy
+glare!  The enemy were regaining confidence; their cries of alarm were
+changed to yells of defiance.  Elbel and Van Vorst had taken command,
+one on each side; each was steadily moving down from the northern
+stockade towards the gate.  Barney, Barney, will you never come?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hark!  What is that?  The cries of the enemy are suddenly drowned in a
+babel of yells behind them.  They halt, amazed; Van Vorst shouts an
+order; the men wheel round and dash northwards, leaving only a few to
+watch the rear.  The Belgian sees now the meaning of this daring
+scheme.  What has he to gain by routing the little band behind?  Before
+him is pandemonium; a whole host must be upon him; here is the danger
+to be met.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he is too late!  "Lokolobolo!  Lokolobolo!"  Two hundred voices
+roar the name.  And Lokolobolo himself sees a portion of the northern
+stockade black with moving figures, and rifle barrels, spear heads,
+gleaming red in the light of the flaming huts.  Towards him rushes the
+greater part of the garrison, their first fright trebled.  These guards
+of the forest can fight unarmed despairing rubber collectors, but their
+hearts are as water when the villagers prove to be men.  Let the men in
+uniform, the clad soldiers of Bula Matadi, fight if they will; this is
+no place for forest guards; the gate! the gate!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Van Vorst's handful of more disciplined men present a bolder front to
+the enemy.  But it would need many times the number he can muster to
+break the wave of exultant warriors now swarming over the stockade.
+There is Barney!  Jack sees him drop to the ground, brandishing in one
+hand a rifle, an ancient cutlass in the other.  "Hurroo! hurroo!" he
+shouts.  A second, no more, and then the crest of the wave breaks over
+the stockade into the camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Barnio!  Lokolobolo!"  With a great roar the men of Ilombekabasi
+follow their leader.  They are already sweeping the garrison like
+sea-wrack before them, when another wave comes tumbling behind, the
+shrill cries of boys mingling with the deeper shouts of the men.  See,
+they come, furiously, irresistibly!  And who is this?  A tall
+white-clad figure springs over with the movement of a hurdle-racer.  It
+is Mr. Arlington himself, stirred for the nonce out of his habitual
+calmness, caught up and carried away in this roaring current.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The enemy fire once, then, though Van Vorst may rave and storm, they
+turn their backs and flee helter-skelter for the gate.  "Lokobololo!
+Barnio!"  The tempestuous war-cries pursue them.  Struggling, yelling,
+they converge to the narrow gateway.  It is jammed, wedged tight with
+human forms, squeezed by the presence of the frantic crowd behind into
+a solid mass of feebly struggling wretches lost to all consciousness
+but that of a great fear.  The weaker men fall and are trampled to
+death; the stronger push and pull, and scramble over the fallen, mad
+with fright.  Some win through or over, and rush with blind haste into
+the forest.  Others, despairing of escape by that one constricted
+outlet, climb the palisade.  Some impale themselves on the
+sharp-pointed stakes, and, hapless benefactors! serve as gangways for
+their comrades who follow.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seeing the utter rout of the enemy, Jack had already ordered his men to
+cease fire.  His end was gained; he had no lust for useless slaughter.
+But although Makoko and Lingombela and the rest with him loyally
+obeyed, nothing could check the storming party.  They heard nothing,
+saw nothing, but the enemy in front.  Not one of them but had a father,
+or mother, a wife or child, to avenge&mdash;a ruined home, a blasted life.
+As well attempt to bridle the whirlwind as this infuriate flood.  On
+and on they pressed, past the spot where Jack held his men in leash;
+and as they ran they shot and stabbed, yelling "Barnio!  Lokolobolo!"
+And as they were accustomed to receive no mercy, so now, in this hour
+of retribution, they gave none.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As Jack made his way towards the gateway, hoping to do something to
+ensure quarter for the fleeing wretches, he caught sight of a figure
+crawling painfully forth from a burning hut.  At one moment he
+recognized the man and the man him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Nando!" he cried.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sabe me, massa!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Getaway to the other end.  Wait for me there.  Any other men in the
+hut?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, massa, no! only me!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But as he turned to run Jack heard the bark which ever and anon had
+struck his ears during these full minutes, and felt a tug at his coat.
+The cloth, already tattered, gave way; but Pat caught his trousers,
+then ran a little way ahead, then back again, then once more towards
+the burning hut.  Tearing off his coat, Jack wrapped it round his head
+and dashed in.  The smoke was so dense that nothing could be seen save
+here and there spurts of flame.  Scarcely able to breathe he flung
+himself on the ground and began to grope round the right of the hut.
+By and by his hands touched a human body, and then the shaggy coat of
+the terrier.  Lifting the body in both arms he staggered with it to the
+entrance, guided by the dog's barks.  He gasped and drew long breaths
+when once again he came into the open air; but as he laid his burden
+upon the ground he stumbled and fell beside it, sick and dizzy.
+</p>
+
+<p class="capcenter">
+<a id="img-311"></a>
+<img class="imgcenter" src="images/img-311.jpg" alt="Samba rescued from the burning hut" />
+<br />
+Samba rescued from the burning hut
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was unconscious but for a few moments.  When he came to himself and
+sat up, he saw that Samba lay in his father's arms.  Mboyo was sobbing,
+rocking his body to and fro, murmuring endearing words.  Pat was
+stretched beside him, his eyes fixed on Samba, his ears pricked forward.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He dies, O Lokolobolo!" said Mboyo piteously, seeing Jack rise.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, no!  Get water!  Take him to the other end of the camp.  I will
+come to you when I can."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack hurried off.  Many of the huts were blazing; now that the fire had
+done its part it must be checked, or the stores and ammunition which
+would be invaluable in Ilombekabasi would be destroyed.  Collecting
+such of the men as had not dashed out of the camp in pursuit of the
+enemy, Jack set them to beat out the flames where they could, and to
+demolish one or two of the still unburnt huts that were most in danger
+of catching fire.  Luckily the wind had dropped; there was little risk
+of sparks or cinders flying through the air.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then he set some of the boys to make torches, and by their light he
+surveyed the camp.  He shuddered as he passed over the scene of the
+disastrous flight and pursuit.  The forms of dead and wounded lay
+scattered over the ground.  He ordered Nando and other of Mr.
+Martindale's carriers who had been left in the camp to attend the
+wounded as well as they were able, and sternly forbade the despatching
+of those of the enemy who were still alive but unable through injuries
+to escape.  Then he went towards the gate.  It was with a shock that he
+saw, amid the black bodies crushed to death in the gateway, the
+white-clad form of Van Vorst.  In that terrible struggle for precedence
+the white man's skin had not saved him.  But he was the only European
+left in the camp; Jack looked for Elbel and his subordinate; they were
+nowhere to be seen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Complete darkness had settled over the country, and put a stop to the
+pursuit.  Jack's men began to return, at first in ones and twos, by and
+by in groups that grew larger as the night drew on.  They came laughing
+and singing; once more Elobela, even aided by Mutela, had been beaten
+by Lokolobolo.  What a night it was for the men of Ilombekabasi!  And
+Barnio!&mdash;was it not Barnio who had led them to the stockade with that
+wild war-cry of his?  They must not forget Barnio! and Lianza made a
+song as he marched back to the camp:
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+Barnio!  Barnio!<br />
+Down from the forty<br />
+From Ilombekabasi,<br />
+Dashed in the night,<br />
+Sought Elobela,<br />
+Cruel Mutela.<br />
+Hurroo!  Hurroo!<br />
+Barnio leads,<br />
+After him black men,<br />
+Hundreds and thousands,<br />
+Sweep like the wind,<br />
+Rage like the torrent,<br />
+Over the wall.<br />
+Hurroo!  Hurroo!<br />
+Big clouds of smoke,<br />
+Forests of flame,<br />
+Into the midst,<br />
+Barnio!  Barnio!<br />
+Over the wall,<br />
+Into the camp,<br />
+Straight for the gate<br />
+Barnio rushes,<br />
+After him black men.<br />
+Hurroo!  In the gate<br />
+Thousands of black men,<br />
+Only one white man,<br />
+Cruel Mutela!<br />
+Ha!  He will never,<br />
+Never whip black men,<br />
+Never kill women,<br />
+Never kill children,<br />
+Laugh again never!<br />
+Dead is Mutela!<br />
+Why do we sing?<br />
+Why do we laugh?<br />
+Whom do we praise?<br />
+Barnio!  Barnio!<br />
+Lokolobolo!<br />
+Friends of Imbono,<br />
+Friends of the black men<br />
+Of Ilombekabasi.<br />
+Hurroo!<br />
+Begorra!<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap30"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXX
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Sinews of War
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Barney came back to the camp tired out.  Following up the only party
+that seemed to have cohesion after leaving the fort&mdash;a party led by the
+Belgian sergeant&mdash;he had soon found himself left far behind in the
+race.  But his men had done their work thoroughly; they had dispersed
+the band, few of whom escaped.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"'Twas for this I was born, sorr," said Barney as he gripped Jack's
+hand.  "Sure I'll be a fighter for iver more."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You did splendidly, old fellow.  I knew all was well when I heard your
+hurroo!  But there are five hundred men roaming the country and only a
+score of able-bodied men in our fort.  We must look after that.  Get
+fifty fellows together and send them back under Imbono, Barney."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And what'll ye be afther doing yourself, sorr?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Oh!  I'm going down to the river.  The job's only half done while that
+flotilla is intact.  I'm going to have a shot at it before the enemy
+get over their fright.  I'll take a couple of hundred men with me.
+You'll keep a hundred and remove all the stores and ammunition here to
+the fort; get the women and children to help; you can light the way
+with flares.  When the camp's empty burn it.  And look after Samba,
+Barney; he's here, nearly dead, poor little chap!  Mboyo's got him;
+we'll go and see how he is getting on."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Making their way to the north side of the camp they found Samba laid on
+the floor of a hut, his father on one side of him, Pat on the other.
+The dog leapt up excitedly when he saw his master, and invited him with
+a yelp to come and see Samba.  By the light of a torch Barney tenderly
+examined the boy.  He was conscious, and smiled, even though he winced
+under the gentlest of touches.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Ochone!  Ochone!" exclaimed Barney.  "'Tis the divil's own work, sorr.
+His poor flesh is wan jelly.  By all the holy powers, if I catch that
+murdering ruff'n uv a fellow, that Elbel&mdash;&mdash;  And I've no ointment at
+all at all.  Bedad! but now I remimber Mr. Arlington has a whole
+docthor's shop in wan uv his traps, and if he hasn't got boracic
+ointment among his stuff, sure I'll think a mighty deal less uv him.
+'Twill take a month or more, sorr, to heal all the wounds on this poor
+body; but we'll do it, plase God! and make a man of him yet."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He dies, O Lokolobolo?" said Mboyo, looking up yearningly into Jack's
+face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, Barnio says no.  He is very ill, but in a month he may be well,
+and Barnio says he is going to make a man of him."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bolotsi O!  Bolotsi O!" cried the negro, slapping his thighs.  "N'dok
+'olo aiyoko!"[<a id="chap30fn1text"></a><a href="#chap30fn1">1</a>]
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He laughed and clapped his hands like a child.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It was Pat that showed me where Samba was," said Jack to Barney.
+"Nando was tied up in a hut with him&mdash;he must have been captured with
+dear old Uncle&mdash;and the wretch saved himself by burning his ropes
+through and left Samba to perish in the flames.  Pat dragged me to the
+spot."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"The darlint is worth his weight in gold," cried Barney delighted.
+"That's twice he has saved Samba, sorr.  Black men and white men are
+brothers, or ought to be, and there's niver a doubt that dogs are
+cousins at the very least.  And beggin' your pardon, sorr, I'll take a
+pleasure in kicking Nando whin I get a look uv him.  'Tis a little
+military discipline he needs, to be sure."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You can give him that in the fort.  And by the way, you'll find a lot
+of rifles here; the enemy either hadn't time to get hold of them or
+else threw them away.  Arm some of our spearmen; they can tell the
+muzzle from the stock at any rate, and if any attempt is made to rush
+the fort they could do a good deal of damage at close quarters.  And
+keep scouts out.  We don't know the exact whereabouts of Van Vorst's
+main body, and it won't do to risk anything.  But I hope you won't have
+any trouble."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Bidding Barney farewell, Jack called up Makoko and Lingombela, and sent
+them out with orders to discover the exact position of the flotilla,
+and to return at daybreak.  An hour afterwards, with a hundred and
+fifty picked spearmen, sixty rifles, and a body of carriers with food
+for three days, he began a night march to the river.  He himself was
+unable to walk.  His wound was becoming more and more painful, but he
+had said nothing about it to Barney, being resolved not to spare
+himself while anything remained to be done to complete his work.  Four
+men, relieved at frequent intervals, carried him in the litter of which
+he had made such effective use to gain an entrance to the enemy's camp.
+This time, he thought with a smile, there was no pretence about it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He guessed that Van Vorst's flotilla would be found about half way
+between Ilola and the spot where Mr. Martindale's canoes had been
+hidden.  It was one day's march across country, a much longer distance
+by the river.  For some hours he followed the path on which his uncle
+and he had been escorted by the Askari.  The recollection of that march
+brought sad thoughts to his mind.  Lying in the litter amid his men, as
+the column wound its slow way along the forest track, the red glare of
+their torches throwing weird shadows around, he had plenty of time for
+melancholy reflections.  The incidents of his uncle's last days were
+burnt into his memory.  He remembered the drawn, wasted features, now
+pale with exhaustion, now bright with the hectic flush of fever; the
+quick uneasy breath; the slow labouring voice.  He remembered the tale
+of persecution and wrong.  More than all he remembered the earnest,
+passionate words in which the dying man had bequeathed to him the cause
+of the Congo natives, and besought him to use his utmost strength on
+their behalf.  "Dear old Uncle!" he thought; "I am trying to do what
+you would have wished me to do.  I can't do much; this is only a small
+corner of the plague-ridden country; how many thousands of poor people
+are without even such help as I can give!  But it will be something if
+only the few hundreds in Ilombekabasi can regain and keep a little of
+their former happiness; and Uncle would be pleased; he is pleased, if
+he knows."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then the other side of the picture stood out sharply to his mental
+view.  He saw the fleeing crowds of the enemy; the jammed gateway; the
+camp enclosure strewn with dead and wounded.  Once or twice, even, his
+marching column came upon wounded men, too weak to crawl away into the
+bush, and he could do nothing for them.  This terrible loss of life,
+this misery&mdash;was not this too due to the evil government of a monarch
+who, far away, in wealth and luxury and ease, spoke with two
+voices&mdash;one the voice of beneficence, benignity, zeal for peace and
+good order; the other the voice of greed, avarice, the callous demand
+for riches even at the price of blood?  "Botofé bo le iwa!  Rubber is
+death!"&mdash;the woful proverb haunted him like a knell: death to the
+dwellers in this well-favoured land, death to the minions of the power
+that oppressed them, death to those who, like his uncle, dared to make
+a stand for freedom and found themselves engulfed in the whirlpool of
+injustice and wrong.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As Jack approached the river, these gloomy thoughts gave way to the
+necessities of the moment.  Lepoko, leading the column, announced that
+the river was very near.  Then Jack ordered the torches to be put out,
+and the men to creep forward even more silently than they had already
+done.  Had news of the storming of the camp been carried, he wondered,
+by fugitives to the flotilla?  Since they had left the direct path to
+the river and struck obliquely towards it there had been no sign of
+fugitives.  He supposed that the scared enemy had kept to the route
+they knew, and would follow the river bank until they reached the
+canoes.  This involved many extra miles through the winding of the
+stream, unless the flotilla had come farther up than he thought was
+likely.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The principal danger was that some of Elbel's scouts, knowing the
+country better than the majority of the garrison, might already have
+taken the short cut Jack was now taking and would reach the flotilla
+before him.  There were two white officers in charge; they might set
+off at once to the relief of their superior and reach the fort while
+Jack was still absent.  Would Barney be strong enough to hold out
+against them?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The march was continued with brief rests throughout the night.  Shortly
+after dawn a man sprang panting out of the thicket to the right of the
+path, and hurried to Jack's litter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"O Lokolobolo!" he cried, "I have news!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack saw that it was Lofundo, sub-chief of Akumbi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It was in the smoke and the flame, Lokolobolo.  I saw Elobela, with
+fear in his face, climb over the fence and rush out into the night.
+After him I sprang&mdash;I, and Bolumbu, and Iloko, and others.  It was
+Elobela, the cruel, the pitiless!  After him, into the night! but first
+Iloko tired, then Bolumbu, then the others.  I, Lofundo, I did not
+tire; no; was it not Elobela whose men ill-used and slew my people and
+burnt my village, and who with his own hands flogged my son?  I ran and
+ran, hot on his trail, and in the morning light I came up with him, and
+saw him with fear in his face; and I had my knife; and now Elobela is
+dead, yonder, in the forest."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Is it far, Lofundo?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A little march in the forest, Lokolobolo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack had himself carried to the spot.  There, beneath a tree, covered
+with felled branches and leaves to protect it from beasts, lay the
+stark body of Guillaume Elbel.  Jack could not help pitying the wretch
+whose zeal in an evil cause had brought him to so miserable an end.
+But as he thought of the misery this man had caused&mdash;the ruined homes,
+the desolated lives: as he remembered his uncle, lying in his lonely
+grave, and Samba, lacerated by this man's cruel whip, pity froze within
+him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Cover him up," he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He waited while his men buried Elbel, there at the foot of the tree.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Let us go!" he said; "we have work to do."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Jack's column, according to Lepoko, was still an hour's march from
+the river, Lingombela, one of the advance scouts, came back with a
+negro in his grasp.  He had captured him, said Lingombela, as he was
+running from the river into the forest.  Jack questioned the man
+through Lepoko.  He said that his name was Bandoka, and he had been a
+paddler in Mutela's flotilla, and had suffered many times from the
+chicotte; he showed the marks on his back.  Just after daybreak several
+men had come rushing madly into the clearing on the river bank where
+the soldiers of Bula Matadi had halted for the night.  There was great
+confusion in the camp.  He had heard it said among the paddlers that
+there had been a fight up the river at the Inglesa's fort, and that the
+men of Elobela had been badly beaten.  The paddlers had already heard
+the name of Lokolobolo.  The fugitives said that Mutela was sorely in
+need of help, and the white officer had at once started up the river in
+swift canoes, with most of the fighting men, leaving the rest to follow
+with the carriers.  In the confusion attending the departure of the
+force with three days' stores, Bandoka had contrived to slip away into
+the forest.  He would rather brave anything than endure further service
+with Bula Matadi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack's first thought on hearing this news was that it simplified his
+position.  The Congo officers had two days' journey before them; it was
+strange if he, with his lightly equipped force of men thoroughly
+acquainted with the country, knowing the short cuts through the forest,
+the fordable places on the river, could not do much to impede and
+harass their advance.  But on subsequent reflection a still bolder
+course suggested itself to him.  Was it possible to cut off the main
+body from its stores?  The fighting men under their white commander had
+already started up the river; the stores would follow more slowly;
+Jack's line of march would strike the river at a point between the two
+portions of the enemy's force.  If he could capture the stores, would
+he not have the main body at his mercy?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How many fighting men are left to escort the canoes?" he asked.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Him say no can tell.  He run away plenty soon; plenty much nise, all
+talk one time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the absence of precise information Jack could only conjecture.  The
+news brought by the fugitive from Elbel's camp was such that a force
+despatched in support would probably consist of at least two-thirds of
+the available combatant strength.  The officer must be aware that a
+body of men that could defeat Elbel with his seven hundred mixed troops
+could scarcely be met with less than two hundred and fifty rifles.  No
+doubt he would expect to be joined by some of Elbel's men; the full
+magnitude of the disaster would hardly be known; and like any other
+white commander he would be inclined to discount the alarmist reports
+of the fugitives.  It would be safe to assume, thought Jack, that not
+more than a hundred rifles had been left with the stores.  How many of
+the paddlers were also fighting men, how many impressed like Bandoka,
+it was impossible to guess.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bandoka is sure the white officers are not coming through the forest?"
+he asked, as the bare chance of meeting them occurred to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Sartin sure, massa.  Dey come in boats.  Bandoka he fit to paddle in
+white man's canoe.  'No, no,' he say; 'me no like dat.  White man lib
+for go too fast; me know what dat mean; dat mean chicotte!'  Den he run
+away, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I wish I knew a little more about the men with the stores."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Know plenty more one time," said Lepoko, pointing ahead.  "Dat am
+Makoko."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Makoko, a scout in a thousand, had brought just the news Jack most
+desired.  He had counted the fighting men on the canoes: there were a
+hundred and ten with rifles and more than two hundred with spears.  On
+each cargo canoe there was a rifleman&mdash;to encourage the paddlers,
+thought Jack.  The flotilla had just started when Makoko left the
+river, at least two hours after the main body had left.  One white
+officer had gone with the swift canoes, a second remained with the
+stores.  The line of boats was headed by two large war canoes, each
+containing twenty riflemen besides the paddlers; and two similar canoes
+similarly manned brought up the rear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was clear to Jack that the enemy was doing everything possible to
+hasten progress.  But the canoes were heavily laden, and the paddlers
+had the stream against them.  Meanwhile Barney must be warned of the
+approaching expedition.  Jack was not anxious about the fate of the
+fort.  Behind the walls Barney's hundred and twenty riflemen and three
+times as many spearmen could easily hold their own.  The enemy's
+machine gun, a deadly weapon in the open, would be of little use
+against stone walls.  So, confident in Barney's ability to sit tight,
+Jack sent Lingombela back through the forest to give him timely notice
+of the troops coming towards him by the river.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The arrangements made by the officer in charge of the convoy of stores,
+as reported by Makoko, were well enough adapted for progress through a
+country in which the natives, even if hostile, were armed only with
+bows and arrows or spears.  By keeping in mid-stream the canoes were
+practically out of danger from the banks, and an enemy on the water
+could be effectively dealt with by the leading canoes, carrying a
+strong force of riflemen armed with Albinis.  The similar force acting
+as a rearguard discouraged any tendency on the part of the crews of the
+store-boats to bolt down stream.  And each canoe had a forest guard
+ready with a chicotte to stimulate the paddlers' zeal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack felt sure that by setting an ambush at a suitable point he could
+produce a panic among the guards and paddlers almost as effectual for
+his purpose as the panic in Elbel's camp.  But he had a not unnatural
+shrinking from such a course.  An ambuscade&mdash;concealing oneself to
+shoot another man down&mdash;went against the grain with him.  He knew that
+it was fair by all the rules of warfare, and warfare had been thrust
+upon him by the State troops.  But he preferred if possible to attain
+his end by other means, involving the minimum of bloodshed and
+suffering.  The scenes in Elbel's camp and in the forest were too fresh
+in his memory for him to court a repetition of this wholesale
+destruction, even of the savages who wore the uniform of King Leopold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The disposition of the enemy's forces suggested a plan whereby his end
+might be gained with little or no serious fighting.  If the plan failed
+there still remained the alternative of an attack in force on the
+long-drawn-out line of the flotilla.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had noticed, when coming up the river to Ilola with his uncle, that,
+about half a day's paddling from the flotilla's point of departure, the
+channel was divided by a small island.  Only on the near side was the
+river navigable at this season, even by canoes; on the other side the
+channel was wide but shallow, thickly beset by sandbanks.  By striking
+to the left and taking a short cut through the forest known to Makoko,
+the river bank opposite this island could be reached in two hours' hard
+marching.  There would still be a good margin of time to make all
+necessary arrangements for carrying out his plan before the head of the
+convoy came into view.  The men had already had a couple of hours'
+rest; the worst of their fatigue after the night march was gone; there
+was now no time to be lost, and Jack gave the order to move off under
+Makoko's lead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before midday the troops were halted opposite the island, a
+lozenge-shaped eyot about a third of a mile in length and a hundred
+yards across, covered with rank vegetation and patched with one or two
+clumps of large trees.  On reaching the spot Jack left his litter to
+superintend the men's work, in spite of his stiff leg.  He posted
+scouts in each direction, up and down the river, to guard against
+surprise, then set the men to cut a large number of tough creepers
+which abounded in the forest, and by twisting and knotting the tendrils
+to make a rope about eighty yards long.  While this was being done with
+marvellous speed by the expert negroes, a few saplings were uprooted
+and lashed together to form a raft, too slight indeed for serious
+navigation, but strong enough to convey a few men at a time across the
+river.  When the rope was finished one end was taken across to the eyot
+and firmly secured to one of the large trees; the other end was left
+for the present loose.  The place where the rope entered the water on
+each side was carefully screened from view, and a few stones attached
+to it at intervals sank it beneath the surface of the stream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack directed the work untiringly, encouraging the workers with praise.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bravo!" he cried, when all was done.  "Now we'll have some chop,
+Lepoko."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Plenty hungry, massa," returned the man.  "Men all want to know
+somefing, massa."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, what is it?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dey say: 'Lokolobolo make us do plenty fings.  What for?  We lib for
+do anyfing for Lokolobolo; no fit to know what for.'  Dat am what dey
+say, sah."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack smiled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, Lepoko, I'll tell you in confidence, and I know it won't go any
+further.  We're going to see an exhibition of swimming."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me no like big talk like dat," said Lepoko, looking puzzled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Here's little talk, then.  Men no want to swim; we want to see them
+swim.  Savvy?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me know all 'bout dat, sah," cried Lepoko delighted, and he went off
+to tell the men, Jack smiling at their satisfaction with an explanation
+that explained so little.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The whole force had a meal, keeping almost perfect silence in obedience
+to an impressive order from Jack.  They were concealed within the
+forest fringe.  When the meal was finished a dozen men with rifles were
+sent across to hide themselves amid the vegetation on the island, and
+all waited with rifles ready.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Presently the scout from down stream came running up with the news that
+the leading canoes of the flotilla were approaching a bend in the river
+half a mile below the eyot.  The paddlers, who had apparently had a
+meal and a rest, were sending the canoes along at a good rate.  Jack
+bade twelve of his men grasp the rope of creepers, and stand ready to
+pull when he gave the word.  There was dead silence among the troops.
+They heard the enemy drawing near&mdash;the songs of the paddlers, the
+chatter of the fighting men, occasionally a yell as the chicotte fell
+with stinging force upon a paddler's back.  Jack watched from his coign
+of vantage in the bush.  There were the two war canoes as Makoko had
+described them; in the second of them was a white officer.  They passed
+the eyot.  Then came the store canoes, one after another, keeping about
+the same distance apart.  Jack forgot to count them, for he was beyond
+measure delighted to see in one of them the shield of the machine gun.
+"What luck!  What tremendous luck!" he thought.  "Where the shield is
+the gun is sure to be."  The last of the store canoes passed.  Then, at
+a little longer interval than separated the store canoes, came the
+first war canoe of the rearguard, the second about a boat's length
+behind.  Jack signed to his twelve men to be ready.  Watching carefully
+the point at which the rope entered the water and the point on the
+opposite side where it reached the eyot, he waited for the first of the
+war canoes to approach the line.  The nose of the vessel was within two
+or three yards of the rope when he gave his men the signal.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With desperate energy the twelve sturdy negroes hauled on the rope.
+Jack could not have timed the movement more fortunately.  As the rope
+became taut and rose to the surface it struck the bottom of the canoe
+about a fourth of its length from the bow.  The united pull of the
+twelve men lifted the forepart of the vessel bodily from the water; the
+stern dipped under, and in a moment the canoe filled and its occupants
+were struggling in the water.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At any other time such a feat would have provoked yells of triumph from
+the performers.  It was a tribute to Jack's discipline that his men
+made no other sound than a grunt of satisfaction, which must be
+entirely smothered by the shouts of the men in the water.  And at a
+word from Jack they rushed at full speed down stream with the rope,
+holding it a few inches above the gunwale level of the last canoe, the
+crew of which were frantically back-paddling to escape the mysterious
+fate of the other.  But the paddlers had not got into their swing when
+the rope, stretched tight between the fastening on the eyot and the
+running men, overtook them.  It caught them about the knees; they were
+swept from the thwarts, and fell towards the opposite bank; and the
+sudden weight on the starboard side turned the canoe completely over.
+Not half a minute from the time when Jack gave the first sign the whole
+of the rearguard was out of action.  In mortal dread of crocodiles the
+men swam desperately for the banks, some on one side, some on the
+other; but as they landed they fell an easy prey to Jack's men, and
+were promptly hauled into the forest and tied up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But while they were still in the water the news of the disaster had
+been communicated with marvellous rapidity from canoe to canoe, and
+reached the head of the flotilla and the white officer.  Standing up
+and lifting his field glass to his eyes he could just see, over the
+intervening vessels, a capsized canoe, a number of men swimming in the
+river, and others moving on the bank.  There was no sign of the cause
+of the disaster.  The paddlers indeed were shouting "Lokolobolo!
+Lokolobolo!" in accents of terror; but the name appeared to convey
+nothing to the lieutenant, who was disposed to attribute the upset to a
+hippopotamus or a snag.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Certainly it was causing a great deal of confusion in the flotilla, and
+some of the paddlers, the rearguard being removed, seemed inclined to
+turn their canoes and head down stream.  It was very annoying.
+Shouting to the men in the leading war canoe to paddle just enough to
+keep their vessel stationary against the stream, the lieutenant hurried
+to the scene of the accident.  On the way the shouts of the paddlers
+became more coherent; what was this they were saying?  Ilombekabasi?
+Absurd!  But it was as well to prepare for anything that might occur,
+so the officer ordered his men to be ready to fire when he gave the
+word.  At present he saw nobody to fire at.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His canoe was going rapidly on the current towards the eyot when a
+volley flashed from the undergrowth on the right bank, and he heard the
+shots strike the side of his vessel.  The effect of the discharge at a
+range of only thirty yards was instantaneous.  Jack had ordered his men
+to aim at or near the waterline; not a man had been hit; but the
+paddlers waited for no more.  With one accord they sprang overboard and
+swam for the nearest shore, that of the eyot.  One or two of the
+soldiers replied to the volley, aiming hap-hazard at the bank; the rest
+awaited the order of their officer, who, however, was either dazed by
+the unexpected attack or unwilling to waste ammunition by aimless
+firing into the bush.  The boat meanwhile was drifting down the stream:
+a second volley bored another score of tiny holes in the thin side.
+The occupants were without paddlers or paddles; they had no means of
+beaching the vessel; and Jack, watching her progress, felt that it was
+only a question of minutes before, riddled like a sieve, she would have
+shipped enough water to sink her.  Then the occupants, officer and men,
+would share the fate of their comrades.  He sent Makoko with twenty
+rifles and twice as many spearmen to the nearest point where the
+hapless party might be expected to land; and at the same time he
+despatched a band of the same size up river to deal with the war canoe,
+which had by this time gone out of sight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In a few minutes the lieutenant and his men struggled one after another
+up the bank.  Those who retained their weapons were unable to use them,
+for they were dripping wet.  Jack's men dealt with them as with the
+others, leaving the white officer, however, unbound.  Him they led to
+Jack, who commiserated the crestfallen man on his unfortunate plight,
+and promised him excellent treatment if he made no attempt to escape.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For some time Jack's party had made no further effort to conceal
+themselves.  The store canoes had been moving aimlessly about the
+river, the paddlers not knowing whether to go ahead or to retreat.  At
+Jack's bidding Lepoko now ordered them to beach their vessels,
+promising that Lokolobolo would protect them, and, if they pleased,
+would take them into his service.  They obeyed with alacrity, and soon
+the whole of the stores and the machine gun were in Jack's possession.
+He wondered why the latter had not been taken up the river with the
+main body, and questioning the officer, learnt that in the haste and
+confusion one of the parts of the gun could not be found, and but for
+the delay in searching for it he himself would have arrived an hour or
+more earlier.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The capture of the convoy had been effected so quickly that Jack felt
+there might still be time by a forced march to reach the fort before
+the arrival of the enemy's main column.  Hastily selecting from the
+stores such food and other articles as he urgently needed, and taking
+care to bring with him the machine gun, he made instant preparations to
+return.  He placed Makoko in charge of the flotilla, with a body of
+thirty riflemen and eighty spearmen, ordering him to drop down the
+river half a day's paddling and await further instructions.  He
+arranged for a chain of messengers to keep up communication between
+Makoko and himself; then he set out with the bulk of his force for
+Ilombekabasi, sending a scout to order the men who had gone up river to
+join him across country as soon as they had captured the only remaining
+canoe.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="footnote">
+<a id="chap30fn1"></a>
+[<a href="#chap30fn1text">1</a>] Now I am well.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap31"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXXI
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Summons and Surrender
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Two days after, on a strip of open ground half-way between Ilombekabasi
+and Elbel's ruined camp, a group of six negroes were assembled.  Three
+of them were in the uniform of the State troops; the other three were
+Lepoko, Imbono, and Mboyo.  All were unarmed.  In the midst of the
+group were two rough chairs such as were used by native chiefs.  The
+southern wall of Ilombekabasi was thronged with men, women, and
+children eagerly surveying the scene; lower down the hill the State
+troops, in a rude encampment hastily constructed on the previous day,
+were drawn up in orderly ranks, and gazed north with equal intentness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All at once a great cry of "Lokolobolo!" rent the air, and floated down
+the hill from the fort to the camp.  No answering shout met it.  But an
+officer in white left the camp and walked slowly up the slope.  At the
+same time a tall figure in tattered garments of European cut limped out
+of the fort, and moved downwards.  The group of negroes fell apart as
+the white men arrived.  The latter touched their helmets in military
+salute; and the younger of the two smilingly motioned to the elder to
+seat himself on one of the chairs, he himself taking the other.  They
+sat facing each other, and the negroes moved a few paces back on each
+side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two men formed a strange contrast: the one, a tall slim young
+fellow not yet nineteen, his bronzed face clean shaved, showing firm
+well-cut lips and an obstinate kind of chin; his nose prominent, his
+brown eyes large and searching, his hair black as night and somewhat
+unruly; not a handsome face, but a strong one, worth looking at twice
+and not easily forgotten: the other nearly as tall, but much broader
+and more stiffly built; some ten years older; lips and chin concealed
+by thick brown moustache and beard, blue irritable eyes blinking
+through big spectacles under fierce and shaggy brows.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Instead of replying to your summons to surrender, Monsieur Jennaert,"
+said Jack slowly in his best French, "I thought it better to meet you,
+so that we might clearly understand each other.  I am obliged to you
+for so readily agreeing to my proposal."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Belgian bowed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yours, monsieur, is the third or fourth summons of the same kind.
+Monsieur Elbel summoned us&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Where is Monsieur Elbel, monsieur?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Monsieur Elbel, monsieur, is dead."  Lieutenant Jennaert started.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Dead, monsieur?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, he was pursued into the forest by a man whose son he had
+thrashed, whose relatives his men had maimed and butchered, whose
+village he had burned.  The man killed him.  Well, as I was about to
+say, Monsieur Elbel summoned us more than once.  At first he was much
+stronger than we were, both in arms and men.  But when he began to back
+his summons by force of arms he failed,&mdash;more than once.  As you know,
+four days ago we captured his camp for the second time and dispersed
+his troops, largely with the aid of rifles which had once been his."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, I know that," said Lieutenant Jennaert somewhat impatiently.
+"But Monsieur Elbel was not a trained soldier, and his men were only
+forest guards.  I did not come to hear of your exploits, monsieur, but
+to receive your surrender.  I am a soldier; my men are State troops;
+the case is different."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Quite so, monsieur.  I appreciate the difference between his men and
+yours.  But you will pardon my pointing out that you are in a far more
+critical position than Monsieur Elbel before his camp was stormed."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You think so, monsieur?" said the officer with an amused smile.
+"Would it be indiscreet to ask your reasons?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not at all.  I wish to be entirely frank.  It is to the interest of us
+both."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Assuredly, monsieur."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lieutenant Jennaert's smile was now quite indulgent.  He was at first
+inclined to be peremptory with this young man, who appeared to presume
+on the victories he had obtained over a Company's official, and a
+captain taken at a disadvantage, and never particularly competent, in
+his subordinate's opinion.  But the young fellow was certainly very
+polite; why not humour him by letting him talk?  So Jennaert smiled
+again.  The other continued&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, monsieur, what is the position?  Take mine first.  You see
+before you a fortified camp, difficult of approach, as Monsieur Elbel
+could have told you, and as you can judge for yourself; well
+provisioned, and with a good water supply; garrisoned by four hundred
+or more well-armed men&mdash;all now provided with Albinis or Mausers, and a
+machine gun."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The officer started.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"A machine gun?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes&mdash;a machine gun."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Monsieur Elbel made no mention of a machine gun."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, it is a new acquisition.  But if you would like to assure yourself
+on the point I can convince you."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The officer hesitated.  Jack turned to Lepoko.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Run up and tell Mr. Barney to show the big gun on the blockhouse."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lepoko ran away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is very hot, monsieur," said Jack pleasantly.  "The rains, I am
+told by my friends the chiefs here, are long overdue.  I am afraid you
+would have found your journey rather more difficult if it had been a
+little later, with the river in flood.&mdash;Ah! there it is!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A number of men had hoisted the gun on to the edge of the parapet, in
+full view of the group below.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You see, monsieur, we are well provided.  A machine gun, you will
+admit, is even more useful within walls than without.  Now as to your
+position.  You have under your command some three hundred men
+trained&mdash;more or less.  Whether as a military force they are better
+than our men can only be decided if unfortunately you determine to put
+the matter to the test.  But consider your risks.  Two days ago we
+captured your stores."&mdash;The officer jumped.&mdash;"Your rearguard is in our
+hands, and that was your machine gun."&mdash;The officer stared.&mdash;"You are
+at least three weeks from your base, with perhaps two days' provisions
+in hand, no reserve of ammunition, and, as I said, the rains overdue.
+Yonder country, during the rains, is a swamp."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lieutenant Jennaert turned pale.  His messengers sent back to hurry on
+the dilatory convoy had strangely failed to return.  But recovering
+himself, with a feeble attempt to smile he said&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You are joking, monsieur.  You permit yourself a ruse.  Ah! ah!  I am
+not to be entrapped in that way."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Pardon me, monsieur.  You shall have the fullest assurance as to the
+truth of what I am saying.  Lepoko, ask Mr. Barney to send out the
+white officer."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Belgian was now looking very uncomfortable.  This was a strange
+turning of the tables; his summons to surrender had been completely
+forgotten.  Jack had no need to kill time by keeping up the
+conversation, for in a minute or two the lieutenant captured in the
+river left the fort under an armed guard and walked quickly down.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Beuzemaker!" exclaimed Lieutenant Jennaert under his breath.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes, monsieur&mdash;Monsieur Beuzemaker."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lieutenant Beuzemaker smiled ruefully as he joined the group.  He gave
+a rapid narrative of the capture of the convoy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It only remains, therefore," said Jack, "for you to decide upon your
+course, monsieur.  May I make you a proposal?  You shall surrender your
+arms and ammunition except a dozen rifles.  I will supply you with
+canoes to take your men down the river, and provisions for a fortnight.
+Within ten days you should enter a district where more food can be
+obtained.  As you know, the country hereabouts has been made almost a
+desert by your people."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But this was too much.  Was it he, Lieutenant Jennaert, who was being
+called upon to surrender?  He rose in a fury.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Never!  The thing is absurd!  Monsieur, I take my leave.
+Beuzemaker!&mdash;&mdash;"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He stopped, biting his lips.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Monsieur Beuzemaker is my prisoner," said Jack suavely, rising.  "He
+will accompany me back to my camp.  Of course, if you accept our terms,
+we will release all the prisoners."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Belgian turned away in a rage.  The meeting broke up; the two
+parties went their several ways.  Jack, as he walked back to the fort,
+hoped that on thinking the matter over the officer would see the wisdom
+of compliance.  The alternative was starvation.  He must see that it
+would be no easy matter to storm the fort, and that Jack had only to
+sit tight for a few days.  The State troops, none too well disciplined
+at the best, would soon be clamouring for food.  With a starving
+soldiery, an active well-fed enemy on his rear, and a swarm of scouts
+cutting off his foraging parties, he must see the impossibility of
+making his way back through several hundred miles of country inhabited
+by tribes only waiting an opportunity to rise against their oppressors.
+So that when Barney met him as he re-entered the fort, and asked
+eagerly, "Well, sorr, and did the patient swallow the pill?" he smiled
+as he shook his head, saying&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not yet, Barney.  But he <i>will</i> swallow it, bitter as it is."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Or his men will swallow him, bedad!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And a few hours later a negro soldier marched up the hill with a white
+flag.  Lieutenant Jennaert's note was very brief.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+MONSIEUR,&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+J'agrée vos conditions.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+JENNAERT,<br />
+&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>Lieutenant dans l'armée de l'État du Congo</i>.<br />
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap32"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXXII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+The Dawn of Freedom
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+It was a fortnight later.  Ilombekabasi was the scene of great
+activity.  Gangs of negroes were busy carrying, hauling, stones of all
+shapes and sizes from the dry bed of the stream that once flowed past
+the fort; other gangs were building a wall above the original northern
+wall of the fort, a few yards beyond the spring whence the water supply
+was derived.  On the cultivable land on the west and east men and women
+were digging, ploughing, planting, hoeing, for in some parts seed sown
+only two weeks before was already sprouting.  Barney O'Dowd
+superintended the mason work, sporting a red fez taken from one of the
+slain Askari and dry-cleaned by a process of his own.  In his mouth was
+his old short clay pipe, in which, after long deprivation, he was
+smoking a mixture made by himself from tobacco grown on a bed in front
+of his hut.  It was not shag, he said, nor twist, but it made a betther
+smoke than cavendish, and sure 'twould give a man a little comfort till
+the rale thing could be grown.  The agriculturists were directed by
+Imbono.  An air of cheerful industry pervaded the whole settlement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the State troops under Lieutenant Jennaert had disappeared, Jack
+determined, after a breathing space, to enlarge the fort and to plant
+new crops.  The enlargement was prompted not merely by the wish to have
+the source of the water supply within the wall, but by the expectation
+that the defeat of Bula Matadi would cause an increase of the
+population.  And, in fact, within a week of Jennaert's departure,
+natives from distant parts to which the news had penetrated came
+flocking into Ilombekabasi to join the community which looked up to
+Lokolobolo as its invincible chief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Looking round upon the cheerful faces of the people; observing their
+willingness to work, and eagerness to please; watching the happy family
+life they led when unmolested and free from anxieties, Jack felt that
+his toil had not been in vain, and was immeasurably glad that
+Providence had laid this charge upon him.  If only his uncle had lived
+to see this day!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack found that his feelings were shared by Mr. Arlington and his
+friend the missionary.  They had awaited the issue of his hazardous
+enterprise with more anxiety than they cared to admit, and while they
+hailed his success with cordial congratulations, they were scarcely
+less troubled about the future.  The Congo State could not permit this
+leaven of revolt to spread; it would certainly organize an
+expeditionary force of sufficient strength to crush Jack and his
+people; and then would not their lot be infinitely worse than it had
+ever been?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Even so we shall have had some months of happiness, and set an
+example," said Jack, talking things over with his friends the day
+before they left Ilombekabasi.  "But I hope for better things.  We may
+have the rains upon us any day now; the country for miles around will
+be one vast morass; we shall be safe in our castle for six months,
+perhaps.  And what may not be done in six months, Mr. Arlington?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You mean?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I mean if you and Mr. Dathan will hurry home and tell what you have
+seen and know.  Mr. Arlington, you are no longer a member of
+Parliament, I believe?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No.  The House of Commons is no longer what it was."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Surely it is what men like you choose to make it, sir.  If you would
+go home, stand at a bye-election, and return to the House, what an
+immense influence a man with your record might wield!  Do you know what
+I would do in your place, sir?  You do not mind my speaking out?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Not a bit.  I am deeply interested."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, sir, I would badger the Foreign Secretary; I would move the
+country until England moved the world."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Go on the stump like Gladstone?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why not, sir?  Isn't the cause of the negroes every bit as good as the
+cause of the Bulgarians or Macedonians or Armenians?  Nay, ten times
+better, because they're more helpless and suffer under a Christian
+King!  And you would succeed, sir."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I haven't Gladstone's power of moving the masses."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What does that matter?  The facts don't need any eloquence to back
+them, sir.  I don't mean that you are not eloquent," he added with a
+smile.  "I haven't heard you speak, but I have read your speeches; and
+if you tell what you have seen here, the country must listen, and
+something will surely be done.  Why, if you go to my old school and
+speak to the fellows in the schoolhouse, I'll back there's not a boy
+there but will want to rush off here by the first train, to lend a
+hand!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Upon my word, Mr. Challoner, I think you'd better come back with us
+and do the stumping yourself."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, no," said Jack, his face flushing.  "I cannot leave these people.
+My place is here, and here I'll stick until I'm driven out, or until
+Leopold is brought to book."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Well, I'll do what I can.  I promise you that.  Perhaps I've ploughed
+the lonely furrow long enough.  What do you say, Dathan?  Shall we join
+hands in this?  We rowed in the same boat at Trinity; we kept the head
+of the river.  This boat's rather low down now, but d'you think we
+could make a bump?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We'll make a shot for it, George.  And please God, we like Bishop
+Latimer, will light such a candle in England as shall not be put out
+until this wrong is crushed and right is done."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack felt more than satisfied.  If his countrymen had not grown
+strangely deaf, surely they would listen to these two&mdash;ay, and do more
+than listen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You leave to-morrow?" he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yes.  My leg won't carry me yet, but with a canoe and a litter I can
+make shift to get along until we reach the Nyanza.  Can you lend me an
+interpreter?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lepoko is a good fellow.  I think I can spare him now.  We'll see what
+he says."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He sent for the man, and explained that he wished him to accompany the
+travellers during the first part of their journey.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me plenty sorry, massa," said Lepoko.  "Me no fit to go.  What for?
+Me comfy heah!  No lib for go talk talk for nudder massa.  What for?
+Nando go to Boma with old massa; what den?  He come back, get cotched,
+chicotte, feel plenty bad.  No, no, sah; Lepoko know all 'bout dat.
+Lepoko go long long, do anyfing for massa; he lib for lub Lokolobolo,
+no nudder massa dis time.  Why, me hab got wife in Ilombekabasi; what
+for leabe wife?  No good at all; dat what Bula Matadi make black man
+do, leabe wife, leabe pickin, go 'way all 'lone 'lone.  Make black man
+sick inside, sah; feel awful bad.  No, no, I tell massa.  Nando go.  He
+know Inglesa plenty fine; he hab no got wife; he die of shame 'cos he
+leabe Samba in fire hut; no one lub Nando now.  Oh yes, sah!  Nando go:
+me tell him one time."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After this breathless speech, Lepoko ran off to find his brother.
+Nando at first was by no means disposed to leave the fort on so long
+and hazardous a journey.  But at last he was persuaded, though on
+bidding Jack good-bye he said earnestly&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Me nebber, nebber, nebber lib for hab nudder brudder what talk
+Inglesa: oh no!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One afternoon a few days after this, one of the look-outs on the
+south-eastern blockhouse reported that he saw a crowd of people
+emerging from the forest a couple of miles away.  Hurrying to the spot,
+Jack took a long look through his field-glasses and made out that the
+approaching throng was composed of natives, men, women, and children,
+the women being laden with babies and bundles.  When the crowd came
+within earshot of the fort, a negro stepped forward, and, lifting his
+hands to his mouth, vociferated&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Yo!  Yo!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Answer him, Lianza," said Jack to the man of the brazen throat.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am here," shouted Lianza.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Is that Ilombekabasi?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is Ilombekabasi."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And Lokolobolo?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"And Lokolobolo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am Lokua.  My chief is Makole.  We come from Limpoko to see
+Lokolobolo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lokolobolo says that Makole and Lokua may enter, but no more."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am going."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Are you going?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"O!"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The negro returned to his company, who were now squatting in a series
+of circles just above the site of Elbel's ruined camp.  He presently
+returned with a negro in chief's array, a head taller than himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two negroes were admitted.  Makole stood before Jack, a bundle of
+palm leaves in one hand.  They exchanged greetings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I am proud to see Lokolobolo," said Makole.  "I come from Limpoko.
+All my people have come with me, my four wives, my children, all my
+people.  We have heard of the great things done by Lokolobolo in
+Ilombekabasi, and how he beat Elobela and Mutela and other servants of
+the Great White Chief who eats up the black men.  We come to ask
+Lokolobolo to let us be his people.  I am Makole, the chief; I have
+four wives and many children; but I say I will be Lokolobolo's servant;
+all my people shall be his servants, if he will take us into
+Ilombekabasi and let us live in peace."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Why do you wish to leave Limpoko?" asked Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We do not wish to leave Limpoko.  But what can we do, O Lokolobolo?
+The rubber is done; we have no more of it; day by day the servants of
+the Great White Chief beat us and kill us because we cannot fill our
+baskets; Limpoko will soon be a wilderness.  We come before we are all
+gone, and we beg Lokolobolo to hear our entreaty."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Shall we admit Makole?" asked Jack of Imbono, who had come to his side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Makole is a tall man, a great chief.  We will be blood brothers and
+live together."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"You may bring your people in, Makole.  But I warn you it may not be to
+live in peace.  We have offended Bula Matadi; Bula Matadi will come
+with a great host to destroy us.  All who live in Ilombekabasi must not
+look for ease and peace, but for work and war.  Your people must share
+with the rest; they must build their own huts, till the fields, repair
+the walls, learn to scout and to fight in our way.  It is not peace,
+Makole."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"I praise Lokolobolo!  I trust Lokolobolo!  I will do all he says, and
+my people shall learn all that he teaches," cried the chief, slapping
+his thighs.  Then, unwrapping the bundle of palm leaves, he displayed a
+shrivelled hand, and said&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"This is my gift to Lokolobolo."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"What is this, Makole?" asked Jack, shuddering.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is the hand of Boloko, who whipped us and killed us, who can say
+how many?  We met him as we came through the forest, and my young men
+killed him, and I bring his hand to Lokolobolo to show that he is dead,
+and will trouble us no more."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"But we do not deal with our enemies thus," said Jack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chief looked surprised.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is the way of the servants of the Great White Chief," he said.
+"They kill us, and cut off our hands, and take them to their chiefs,
+and the chiefs are pleased and pay brass rods for them.  I thought
+Lokolobolo would be pleased."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Lokolobolo is Inglesa," said Lepoko.  "It is only Bula Matadi that
+pays for the hands of black men.  Give it to Mboyo; he is Boloko's
+brother.  Boloko hated Mboyo,  he hated Samba; Mboyo will be pleased."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Bury it at once, out of sight," said Jack, "Bring your people in,
+Makole.  Lepoko, take him to Mr. Barney; he will show him where to
+build his huts."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All Ilombekabasi flocked to the gates to see the entrance of this new
+contingent.  They came in laughing, singing, dancing, the mothers
+eagerly asking where was Lokolobolo that they might point him out to
+their little ones.  But Lokolobolo was not to be seen.
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap33"></a></p>
+
+<h3>
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+</h3>
+
+<h4>
+Conclusion
+</h4>
+
+<p>
+Jack had turned sadly from the sight of this joyous entry, and made his
+way towards the largest of the huts&mdash;the hut built for Mr. Martindale.
+There Samba lay&mdash;had lain since Barney, with a woman's tenderness, had
+carried him from Elbel's camp to the beloved Ilombekabasi which he had
+thought never to see again.  Little indeed he saw of the fort and of
+what was passing there as he lay, day by day, on his simple bamboo bed;
+for though his wounds slowly healed, not all the loving care lavished
+upon him by his parents and by Barney, who spent every spare hour at
+his bedside&mdash;not the constant companionship of Pat himself&mdash;brought
+back strength to his slowly wasting form.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Still, he was always cheerful.  The ready smile lit up his face as
+Lokolobolo appeared in the narrow doorway.  Barney rose as Jack entered
+and made room for him at the head of the bed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"How are you now, Samba?" asked Jack, taking his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Better, master, better," answered the boy, his voice scarcely audible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"That's right.  Getting a little appetite, eh?  Must eat, you know, if
+you're to grow strong."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"See my <i>kwanga</i>," said the mother, coming forward.  "He eats no more
+than a bird."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"It is nice, mother; I will eat more by and by.  I am so tired now."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Poor little fellow!  You are in no pain?"
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"No, master, no pain; only tired."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Cheer up!  You will feel better in the morning."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He pressed the boy's hand and turned to leave with Barney.  At the door
+Mboyo overtook him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"He will not go yet to the Great Spirit, O Lokolobolo?" he whispered
+anxiously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"We cannot tell, Mboyo.  All we can do is to tend him well.  Hope for
+the best."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Poor bhoy!" said Barney as they went away; "'tis mighty little betther
+he is, sorr, I'm fearing.  'Twould tax the strength uv a horse to get
+over it, widout docthors an' all."
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they walked across the camp, here a man, there a woman, paused in
+their work to ask Lokolobolo how Samba was.  Children came up&mdash;Lofinda,
+for whom Samba had shaped a tiny gun; Lokilo, proud of his little
+fishing-rod, Samba's gift; Isangila, wearing a necklace of dried maize
+he had made for her&mdash;and asked shyly when Samba would come out and play
+with them again.  Some brought offerings of food specially prepared,
+delicate fish and rare fruits, the choicest spoil of forest and stream
+for miles around.  Everybody loved the boy; and Jack loved him with a
+particular affection.  Over and above his winning ways, Samba stood for
+so much to Jack, who, in thoughtful moods, seemed to see him as the
+spirit of the negro race, the embodiment of all that was best in the
+black man, the representative of millions of his kind, helpless pawns
+in a royal game of beggar my neighbour.  It was Samba whose woful
+plight had first brought home to his heart the terrible realities of
+the rubber slavery; it was Samba who had been the means of founding
+Ilombekabasi; to him was due the torch of freedom lit at last in this
+stricken land&mdash;a torch that Jack, in his heart of hearts, dared to hope
+would never be extinguished.  Surely the conscience of Christendom was
+awakening!  Pray God the awakening came not too late!
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p>
+A great silence lay upon Ilombekabasi.  To a stranger beyond the walls
+the place might have seemed deserted, so still it was, with none of the
+cheerful bustle that marks the beginning of a new day.  Men and women
+were gathered in little knots; they talked in whispers; some were
+sobbing; the eyes of most were dim with tears.  Even the children were
+subdued and quiet; they forgot their play, staring at their elders with
+puzzled, solemn eyes.  Why was the world so sad to-day?  Was it because
+Samba was going away?  Surely he would come back to them; he had come
+back before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Samba was leaving Ilombekabasi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Four persons stood by the little bamboo bed.  At the foot a dog
+crouched, whimpering.  Father and mother bent in mute agony over their
+son; Lukela, the fountain of her tears dried through long weeping,
+hovering above her boy as though by sheer power of love to guard him
+from the dread visitant already at the threshold; Mboyo rocking himself
+to and fro in the abandonment of sorrow.  And the two white men bowed
+their heads in silent sympathy and grief.  They knew that the end was
+very near.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jack felt a great lump in his throat as he gazed at the still form,
+lying with outstretched arms, too weak to move.  Poor little fellow!
+Was this the end of the bright young life, so full of promise?  He
+thought of the days of health, when the boy with happy face went hither
+and thither, eager to do some service for his beloved master, no matter
+how hard or how perilous.  He thought of the dangers Samba had faced
+for his parents' sake, and the brightness he had brought into their
+lives and the lives of hundreds of his people.  He thought with agony
+of the terrible scene when Samba, rather than say a word to the undoing
+of those he loved, had endured the tortures inflicted by the inhuman
+agent of a detestable tyranny.  And now the end was at hand!  The
+blithe spirit was departing, the poor body done to death by the greed
+of a Christian King.  "Botofé bo le iwa!  Rubber is death!"  The words
+rang in Jack's ears; would they were the knell of this despotism, this
+monstrous "system" that bought wealth with the price of blood!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The end came soon.  Samba moved his hand, and turned his eyes, and
+murmured "Pat!"  The watchers barely caught the word, but the dog
+sprang up, and went to the bed, and nestled his head on the boy's
+shoulder.  Samba murmured his pleasure, a happy smile lit up the brave
+young eyes, and then the light faded, and went out.  Samba had left
+Ilombekabasi.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They buried him next day in the forest he knew and loved so well, with
+the ceremonies of his people, and as befitted the son of a chief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All the people of Ilombekabasi, men, women, and little children,
+followed him to the grave.  They laid by his side the few possessions
+of the boy&mdash;his rifle, his knife, his tin, his wooden spear.  And some
+of his comrades, Makoko and Lingombela and Lianza and Lepoko, fired a
+salute over him and left him there among the trees.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That night, sitting in Jack's hut, Barney talked of the past and the
+future.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+"Poor ould master came here for gold, sorr.  All the gold in all the
+world is not worth little Samba's life.  Whin the master looks down out
+uv Paradise and sees the people here, I know what he'll say, just as if
+I heard 'm.  He'll say: 'I was niver a philanthrophy, niver did hould
+wid that sort uv thing.  But I'm rale glad that bhoy uv mine wint out
+wid me in time to make a few poor black people happy.  Poor craturs!
+God bless 'em!'  Sure, sorr, black people have got their feelings&mdash;same
+as dogs."
+</p>
+
+<p class="finis">
+<br /><br /><br />
+THE END
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+<br /><br /><br />
+<i>Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London</i>
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+<hr />
+<p><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+<p><a id="chap34"></a></p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+JUST PUBLISHED
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<i>BY THE SAME AUTHOR</i>
+</p>
+
+<p><br /></p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+One of Clive's Heroes
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+A STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR INDIA
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+The Headmaster of Harrow: "I have read it and think it a very good
+book.  The historical accuracy is really wonderful in a romance, and
+the local Indian colour well preserved.  Mr. Strang is to be
+congratulated."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Athenaeum: "An absorbing story....  The narrative not only thrills, but
+also weaves skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our
+fierce struggle for India."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Aberdeen Free Press: "Mr. Strang may congratulate himself on having
+achieved another superlatively good story."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Guardian: "An excellent tale.  Mr. Herbert Strang's care and accuracy
+in detail are far beyond those of the late Mr. Henty, with whom it is
+the fashion to compare his work, while he tells a story infinitely
+better."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Christian World: "A book from Mr. Herbert Strang is now as regular and
+welcome an event as in former days were Mr. Henty's yearly volumes.
+<i>One of Clive's Heroes</i> will thrill many a young heart during the
+Christmas holidays.  Sound history and thrilling romance."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Lady's Pictorial: "When in doubt what to buy for a boy, or boys, for a
+Christmas gift, choose Mr. Herbert Strang's <i>One of Clive's Heroes</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Church Times: "Boys are fortunate indeed to have found in Mr. Strang a
+worthy successor to their old friend, the late G. A. Henty."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Notts Guardian: "'The successor to Henty' is a title that needs living
+up to; but Mr. Herbert Strang, upon whom it has been conferred, richly
+deserves it."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Educational Times: "Far better than Henty."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Education: "A splendid book for boys.  We used to think that no one
+could take Henty's place; and we feel certain that no one will ever be
+able to take Mr. Strang's."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Saturday Review: "Herbert Strang tells a story as well as Henty told
+it, and his style is much more finished."
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3">
+<br />
+HODDER AND STOUGHTON
+<br />
+PUBLISHERS LONDON
+</p>
+
+<p class="thought">
+<br /><br />
+*****
+<br /><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<br /><br />
+JUST PUBLISHED
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<i>BY THE SAME AUTHOR</i>
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4">
+(HERBERT STRANG'S FIRST HALF-CROWN BOOK)
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+Jack Hardy
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+OR, A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Bookman: "A story about a gallant young middy could not have a more
+alluring sub-title than 'A Hundred Years Ago.'  On his way to join the
+<i>Fury</i> the gallant midshipman discovered a hotbed of smuggling at
+Luscombe, and unearthed a spy of Napoleon's.  Jack's first fight with
+the smugglers ended disastrously, and he soon found himself in a French
+prison.  Thence he made a daring escape, recaptured the <i>Fury</i>, and
+picked up a fine prize ship on his way back to Portsmouth.  The
+characters in the story are drawn with originality and humour,
+especially that fine seaman Babbage....  Finally Jack triumphs all
+along the line, and his gallantry is rewarded by his appointment to
+join the <i>Victory</i>.  Boys will expect to hear more of Jack Hardy, and
+of what he did at Trafalgar."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Athenaeum: "Herbert Strang is second to none in graphic power and
+veracity....  Here is the best of character sketching in bold outline."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Speaker: "A greater than Henty."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+School Guardian: "Mr. Herbert Strang fills in stories for boys the
+place of the late Mr. Henty."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Tribune: "Herbert Strang's former books 'caught on' with our boys as no
+other books of adventure since Henty's industrious pen fell from his
+hand."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Dublin Express: "It has become a truism to say that the mantle of Henty
+has descended to Herbert Strang, and indeed in some respects Mr. Strang
+surpasses Henty."
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3">
+<br /><br />
+HODDER AND STOUGHTON
+<br />
+PUBLISHERS LONDON
+</p>
+
+<p class="thought">
+<br /><br />
+*****
+<br /><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<br /><br />
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+Kobo
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+A STORY OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Athenaeum: "In Kobo, Herbert Strang has provided much more than a good
+boys' book for the Christmas market.  Whilst readers of <i>Tom Burnaby</i>
+will not be disappointed of an ample meal of stirring adventures and
+hard war fights, readers of a more serious turn will find an excellent
+picture of Japanese life and character, ... not to mention some vivid
+sketches of modern naval warfare."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Spectator: "An excellent story, such as one might expect to have from
+the author of that capital book, <i>Tom Burnaby</i>....  'With a Japanese,
+duty comes inexorably first.'  This, indeed, is the key-note of the
+whole story.  This principle of action dominates Bob's friend, and it
+dominates the story."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Saturday Review: "Last year a new name of great promise appeared in the
+list of writers of boys' books.  This year the promise shown by Mr.
+Herbert Strang in <i>Tom Burnaby</i> is more than borne out by <i>Kobo</i> and
+<i>Boys of the Light Brigade</i>....  He shares the late Mr. Henty's
+knowledge of history and war; he is less encyclopaedic in his
+descriptive methods perhaps than was Henty, though he gives the same
+air of verisimilitude to his chapters by means of maps and charts ...
+he has an admirable style, and a sense of humour which he handles with
+the more effect because he never turns a situation into broad farce."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Academy: "For vibrant actuality there is nothing to come up to Mr.
+Strang's <i>Kobo</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Daily Telegraph: "This vivid story owes not a little of its
+attractiveness to its many picturesque touches of local colour."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Pall Mall Gazette  "Mr. Herbert Strang, whose splendid story, <i>Tom
+Burnaby</i>, proved so brilliantly successful last year, has written
+another that will rank as its equal for vivid interest."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Westminster Gazette: "An adventure story after a boy's own heart."
+</p>
+
+<p class="thought">
+<br /><br />
+*****
+<br /><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<br /><br />
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+Brown of Moukden
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Athenaeum: "Herbert Strang may be congratulated on another first-rate
+book....  Characterization is a strong feature, ... and Ah Lum, the
+literary chief of the brigands, is a memorable type."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Spectator: "Mr. Strang has very rightly taken up again the subject in
+which his story of <i>Kobo</i> achieved such a success last year....  The
+story is very skilfully constructed....  Of particular scenes we may
+single out for mention the episode of the railway train, ... a most
+effective piece of narrative....  The relief of humorous passages and
+situations has been given, and without stint....  Ah Lum, the
+spectacled brigand chief, with all the wisdom of Confucius and Lao-Tze
+at his finger tips, is a most amusing person....  <i>Brown of Moukden</i> is
+certainly a success."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Academy: "Related with the same spirit and intimate knowledge of the
+East that made <i>Kobo</i> a marked success."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Church Times: "The incident of the locomotive race down the Siberian
+Railway is, for breathless interest, the equal of anything we know of
+in the whole range of juvenile fiction....  The book will hold boy
+readers spellbound."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Army and Navy Gazette: "When Mr. Henty died boys were disconsolate, for
+they had lost a real friend; but now we have Mr. Herbert Strang most
+capably taking his place.  He was welcomed as showing great promise in
+<i>Tom Burnaby</i>, but he did better in <i>Kobo</i>, that strong story of the
+earlier pages of the Russo-Japanese War, and now he has done better
+still in <i>Brown of Moukden</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Gentlewoman: "Mr. Herbert Strang may really be said to be the successor
+of the late Mr. Henty, and parents and others on the look-out for
+desirable boys' books must be grateful to him each year for an
+excellent story at Christmastide....  This is the literature we want
+for young England."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Journal of Education: "Mr. Strang's former books have led us to expect
+great things from his pen, and these volumes prove him to be in the
+foremost rank of writers of boys' books.  They are thoroughly healthy
+in tone, full of stirring adventures; and in each case linked to
+history in a manner that is never oppressive, and adds considerably to
+the interest of the story."
+</p>
+
+<p class="thought">
+<br /><br />
+*****
+<br /><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<br /><br />
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+Boys of the Light Brigade
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+A STORY OF SPAIN AND THE PENINSULAR WAR
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Spectator: "Mr. Strang's name will suffice to assure us that the
+subject is seriously treated, and a better subject could hardly be
+found....  Altogether a capital story."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Professor Oman (Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford, and
+Author of <i>A History of the Peninsular War</i>): "Pray accept thanks from
+a historian for having got historical accuracy, combined with your fine
+romantic adventures."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Outlook: "Let us be thankful for a boy's book really worth reading."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Schoolmaster: "We have read this book with great interest and delight.
+More than four hundred pages of the most thrilling events are told with
+a marvellous fidelity to history."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Standard: "It is a book which no boy will be able to put down when once
+started."
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+<br /><br /><br />
+The Adventures of Harry Rochester
+</p>
+
+<p class="t4b">
+A STORY OF THE DAYS OF MARLBOROUGH AND EUGENE
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Academy: "<i>Tom Burnaby</i> and <i>Kobo</i>&mdash;the best books of their
+season&mdash;have a worthy successor in <i>The Adventures of Harry Rochester</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Glasgow Herald: "Mr. Herbert Strang again displays all the qualities
+that attracted attention and secured for him such a brilliant success
+when he made his appearance two years ago as the author of <i>Tom
+Burnaby</i>....  We recommend it to all parents who want something
+thoroughly sound, as well as interesting, to put into the hands of
+their boys."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Army and Navy Gazette: "The descriptive power and characterization are
+quite remarkable."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Dundee Advertiser: "In some essentials, such as constancy in bold
+action, this well-studied and finely-coloured tale is superior to any
+written by the lamented Henty.  With the need of some one to take
+Henty's vacant place has come the man."
+</p>
+
+<p class="thought">
+<br /><br />
+*****
+<br /><br />
+</p>
+
+<p class="t3b">
+<br /><br />
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+</p>
+
+<p class="t2">
+<br />
+Tom Burnaby
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Field-Marshal Lord Wolseley: "It is just the sort of book I would give
+to any schoolboy, for I know he would enjoy every page of it."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Sir A. Conan Doyle: "... I think it is a really excellent picture of
+African life."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Mr. J. L. Paton, Head-master of Manchester Grammar School: "... It is
+worth reading and thoroughly wholesome.  I wish it all success."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Dr. R. P. Scott, Secretary of the Head-masters' Association: "... I
+have read the book from cover to cover, and found it thoroughly
+interesting, vivid, healthful, and helpful.  I can cordially recommend
+it to boys, and will do so whenever opportunity offers."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Pall Mall Gazette: "That splendid story <i>Tom Burnaby</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Educational News: "The stirring pages of <i>Tom Burnaby</i>."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Literary World: "... Mr. Strang ... has put as much work into this
+story as one finds in a really good novel; the little bits of useful
+information that he sprinkles through it are palatable and readily
+digestible, and the 'atmosphere' (if one may mix one's metaphors)
+'rings true.'"
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Mark Lane Express: "... Mr. Strang has come to the front rank with a
+bound...."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+World: "... The tone of the story is excellent; manly and spirited, it
+cannot fail to rouse a response in a boy's heart."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Financial News: "As a writer of stirring stories the author of the
+famous <i>Tom Burnaby</i> stands in the front rank of those who devote their
+talents to the edification of the rising generation."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+School Government Chronicle: "Mr. Herbert Strang understands the taste
+and temper of the British public-school boy."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Liverpool Mercury: "The record of his career deserved to be bound in
+leather and blocked on all sides with gold."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Dundee Advertiser: "... as good as the plot is the way in which the
+author conveys a living impression of the region and its inhabitants."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Glasgow Evening News: "... a masterpiece in the Henty manner."
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+Englishman (Calcutta): "It is a book that every wholesome-minded boy
+will revel in, for it is alive with action and picturesque adventure."
+</p>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+
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+</pre>
+
+</body>
+
+</html>
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Samba
+       A Story of the Rubber Slaves of the Congo
+
+Author: Herbert Strang
+
+Illustrator: William Rainey
+
+Release Date: March 5, 2012 [EBook #39061]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAMBA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Al Haines
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Cover art]
+
+
+
+
+
+[Frontispiece: Samba and the crocodile]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+SAMBA
+
+A Story of the Rubber Slaves
+
+of the Congo
+
+
+By
+
+HERBERT STRANG
+
+_Author of "One of Clive's Heroes," "Kobo," "Brown of Moukden," "Tom
+Burnaby," etc., etc_
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.I.
+
+
+
+"Botofe bo le iwa!--Rubber is Death!"--_Congo Proverb_.
+
+
+
+_SECOND EDITION_
+
+
+
+
+LONDON
+
+HENRY FROWDE ------ HODDER & STOUGHTON
+
+OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS ------ WARWICK SQUARE, E.C.
+
+1908
+
+
+
+
+Copyright, 1906, by the BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY,
+
+in the United States of America.
+
+
+
+
+_Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London_
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+Nearly a generation has passed since King Leopold was entrusted by the
+great Powers with the sovereignty of the Congo Free State.  The
+conscience of Christendom had been shocked by the stories, brought back
+by Stanley and other travellers, of Arab slave raids on the Upper
+Congo; King Leopold, coming forward with the strongest assurances of
+philanthropic motive, was welcomed as the champion of the negro, who
+should bring peace and the highest blessings of civilization to the
+vast territory thus placed under his sway.  For many succeeding years
+it was supposed that this work of deliverance, of regeneration, was
+being prosecuted with all diligence; the power of the slave traders was
+broken, towns were built, roads made, railways opened--none of the
+outward signs of material progress were wanting.
+
+But of late the civilized world has been horrified to find that this
+imposing structure has been cemented with the life blood of the Congo
+races; that the material improvements to which the administrators of
+Congoland can point, have been purchased by an appalling amount of
+suffering inflicted upon the hapless negroes.  The collection of
+rubber, on which the whole fabric of Congo finance rests, involves a
+disregard of liberty, an indifference to suffering, a destruction of
+human life, almost inconceivable.  Those who best know the country
+estimate that the population is annually reduced, under King Leopold's
+rule, by at least a hundred thousand.  No great war, no famine, no
+pestilence in the world's history has been so merciless a scourge as
+civilization in Congoland.
+
+Yet owing to mutual jealousies, the Powers are slow to take action, and
+while they hesitate to intervene, the population of this great region,
+nearly as large as Europe, is fast disappearing.
+
+It has been my aim in this book to show, within necessary limitations,
+what the effect of the white man's rule has been.
+
+If any reader should be tempted to imagine that the picture here drawn
+is overcoloured, I would commend him to the publications issued by Mr.
+E. D. Morel and his co-workers of the Congo Reform Association, with
+every confidence that the cause of the Congo native will thereby gain a
+new adherent.
+
+I must express my very great thanks to the Rev. J. H. Harris and Mrs.
+Harris, who have spent several years on the Upper Congo, for their
+kindness in reading the manuscript and revising the proofs of this
+book, and for many most helpful suggestions and criticisms.
+
+HERBERT STRANG.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+The Coming of the White Man
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+"Rubber is Death"
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Monsieur Elbel
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+Night Alarms
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Order of Merit
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Samba is Missing
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Blood Brothers
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Jack in Command
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+Samba Meets the Little Men
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Trip with a Crocodile
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Bula Matadi Comes to Ilola
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+Samba comes Back
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+"Honour thy Father and thy Mother"
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Lokolobolo's First Fight
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A Revolt at Ilola
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+The House by the Water
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A Buffalo Hunt
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Elbel's Barrels
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Breaking the Blockade
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+David and Goliath
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+A Dash and all Together
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+A Message and a Meeting
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+Elbel Squares Accounts
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+A Solemn Charge
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A Break for Liberty
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+Turning the Tables
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+The Return of Lokolobolo
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+The Chicotte
+
+
+Chapter XXIX
+
+Reaping the Whirlwind
+
+
+Chapter XXX
+
+Sinews of War
+
+
+Chapter XXXI
+
+Summons and Surrender
+
+
+Chapter XXXII
+
+The Dawn of Freedom
+
+
+Chapter XXXIII
+
+Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+PLATE
+
+   I Samba and the Crocodile . . . . . . _Frontispiece_
+
+  II The Finding of Samba
+
+ III A Midnight Encounter
+
+  IV Jack Turns the Tables
+
+   V Jack Rushes Elbel's Camp
+
+  VI Samba Rescued from the Burning Hut
+
+Ilombekabasi and surrounding Country, showing Elbel's first
+  camp in foreground
+
+Ilombekabasi and surrounding country, showing the diverted
+  stream and Elbel's third camp
+
+
+
+
+"Every boy and youth is, in his mind and sentiments, a knight, and
+essentially a son of chivalry.  Nature is fine in him....  As long as
+there have been, or shall be, young men to grow up to maturity; and
+until all youthful life shall be dead, and its source withered for
+ever; so long must there have been, and must there continue to be, the
+spirit of noble chivalry.  To understand therefore this first and, as
+it were, natural chivalry, we have only to observe the features of the
+youthful age, of which examples surround us."
+
+EDWARD FITZGERALD.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+The Coming of the White Man
+
+Samba lay face downwards upon the yellow sand, amid which his body
+shone in the sunlight like polished ebony.  Behind, the rising bank was
+thick with trees and shrubs ablaze with colour, overspread with the
+delicate tracery of lianas and, creeping plants.  Here was a spot of
+red, there a dash of orange; at intervals the pale yellow flowers of
+climbing gourds and the mauve blossoms of convolvuli peeped from the
+wall of vivid green.  Tiny rills made music as they trickled through
+the foliage; and near at hand was a path trodden by herds of antelopes
+as they came to drink.
+
+Before, rolled the brown waters of a broad river, rippling over
+whitened rocks in the bed, or over the gnarled limbs of fallen trees.
+Here, on a sandy islet, flashed the scarlet and blue of little
+kingfishers, contrasting with the sober grey of the bittern, or the
+black and white of the vulture.  A giant heron perched on a low
+overhanging branch, gazing solemnly at the ibis standing solitary by a
+distant bush.
+
+On a smooth spot at Samba's right sported innumerable butterflies, blue
+and green and crimson, amid bees and dragon-flies lazily basking in the
+heat.  Samba had but to stretch out his hand to make prisoners of what
+he chose.  But Samba's attention was already occupied.  Looking over
+the brink into the placid water, his eye was caught by a small round
+soft object lying motionless on the surface.  A tiny crocodile, only a
+few inches long, darted from beneath the leaf of a water-lily, in
+pursuit of a tinier fish.  The round object suddenly contracted: there
+was a ripple on the water, and the baby crocodile found itself in the
+grasp of a droll little proboscis that shot out, gripped its hapless
+prey, and drew it beneath the surface.  Samba smiled: he knew that just
+below lay a trionyx, the owner of that little nostrilled proboscis; he
+wasted no sympathy on the baby crocodile, which would never grow big to
+snap up little negro boys at the waterside.
+
+All around was silence, save for the hum of insects and the gentle
+lapping of the water on the sand.  Then a slight sound caught Samba's
+ear, and turning, he saw a handsome young lizard, pied with yellow and
+greenish black, flashing along in chase of a fat frog which it had
+marked for its own.  A swish of its flexible tail, a snap of its savage
+teeth, and ranunculus disappeared--a choice morsel for breakfast.
+
+Such scenes as these gave Samba constant entertainment.  He would often
+wander alone from his village, as he had done to-day, carrying his
+little broad-bladed dagger in case a snake should cross his path, and
+spend hours in the forest or by the river bank, listening to the
+chatter of the monkeys and the screams of the parrots, watching the
+little stingless bees at their work, mocking the hollow note of the
+drumbird or the wild pigeon's doleful call, studying the busy doings of
+the multitudinous ants.  There was not a bird or beast or insect within
+range of his village with whose ways Samba was not familiar.
+
+The trionyx steered himself down stream; the lizard, swishing his
+pliant tail, went off in search of other prey; and Samba's bright eyes
+followed the mazy movements of the myriad flies sporting on the surface
+of the sunlit water, and the shining fish darting this way and that in
+the clear depths.  Suddenly a scream of the fishing eagle caused him to
+glance up.  Then a shout made him spring to his feet and look
+wonderingly in the direction of the sound.  He knew no fear.  His lithe
+dusky body, bare save for a scrap of cloth about his loins and a string
+of cowries round his neck, stood erect and alert; his keen intelligent
+eyes expressed nothing but surprise and curiosity.  Again came the hail.
+
+"W'onkoe!"[1]
+
+"Em'one!"[2] called Samba in reply.
+
+A boat was being slowly paddled up the stream.  Ten stalwart Baenga
+stood at the paddles, bending forward as they made their strokes.  Two
+other negroes squatted in the forepart of the boat.  Amidships sat
+another figure, the sight of which gave Samba a delightful thrill of
+expectation.  It was a white man, with fair hair and beard, clad all in
+white.  Could this be Bula Matadi, Samba wondered, the white man whom
+his grandfather, the chief Mirambo, had seen long ago at Wanganga?  He
+waited, standing still as a rock.  The boat drew nearer, a few more
+strokes of the paddle and it came under the bank.  The white man leapt
+ashore, followed by the two men who had been seated.  They were big
+fierce-looking fellows.  Each carried a long strangely-shaped stick
+with a hollow tube; about his waist dangled a bag of skin.  The white
+man stepped up to Samba, smiled upon him, patted his woolly head.  Then
+one of the negroes began to question him.  Where was his village?  What
+was it called?  Who was its chief?  How many huts did it contain?  Was
+there much forest about it?  To these questions Samba replied frankly;
+surely it was a great honour to his grandfather that the white man
+should take such interest in him!  Then came a question that somewhat
+amused him.  Did the forest contain _botofe_?[3]  He smiled.  Of course
+it did.  Were not the drumsticks in his village made of _botofe_?  What
+a strange question to ask of a forest boy!  The white man smiled in
+return, and said something in a strange tongue to the negro who had
+spoken.  "Take us to your village," said the man; and, nothing loth,
+Samba set off like a young deer, the three men following him.
+
+Samba was eleven years old.  His home was the village of Banonga, a
+street of bamboo huts thatched with palm leaves and shadowed by the
+broad foliage of bananas and plantains and tall forest trees.  His
+grandfather Mirambo was the village chief, a tall, strong, wise old
+man, a great fighter in his day, his body scarred with wounds, his
+memory stored with the things he had seen and done.  Samba's father,
+Mboyo (or Isekasamba, "father of Samba," as he was called after his boy
+was born), was the old chief's favourite son, a daring hunter, a
+skilful fisher, and the most silent man of his tribe.  He had several
+wives, but Samba's mother was the best loved of them all, and wore
+about her ankles the brass rings that betokened her supreme place in
+her husband's affections.  Grandfather, father, mother, all doted on
+Samba, and for eleven years he had lived a happy merry life, the pet of
+the village.
+
+Nothing had troubled the peace of the little community.  Banonga was a
+secluded village, on the outskirts of a dense forest, not far from one
+of the innumerable tributaries of the great river Congo.  Life passed
+easily and pleasantly for these children of Nature.  In the morning,
+ere the sun was up, the men would spring from their simple bamboo beds,
+fling their hunting-nets or fishing-baskets on their shoulders, hang
+about their necks the charms that would preserve them from accident and
+ensure success in the work of the day, and repair to the old chief,
+who, sitting on his forked chair in the middle of the street, gave them
+the _bokaku_--the blessing without which they never left the village.
+"May you be preserved from accident," he would say; "from wild beasts,
+from snags in the path and snakes in the grass, and return with great
+plenty."  Then they would shout their farewells, and hasten with
+light-hearted laughter into the forest or down to the river.
+
+Meanwhile the women had been long astir.  Some, babe on one arm,
+calabash in the other, went singing to a forest stream, to bathe their
+children and fill their vessels with water for the day's cooking.
+Others, with baskets slung upon their backs and rude implements upon
+their shoulders, sped to the gardens and cultivated fields, to perform
+their simple operations of husbandry, and to return by and by with
+manioc, plantains, ground-nuts, which they would prepare against their
+husbands' return.  The morning's work done, they would dress their
+hair, carefully, even fastidiously; kindle the fires of three
+converging logs, and set upon them well-heaped pots of manioc, covered
+with leaves of plantain or nongoti to prevent the escape of steam.
+Some would prattle or sing lullabies to their babes, others form little
+knots and gossip, laughing and jesting without a thought of care.
+
+All day the village was cheered by the merry antics and joyous shouts
+of the children at play.  Like children all over the world, the boys
+and girls of the Congo delight in mimicking their elders.  The boys
+made little hunting-nets and ran hither and thither in mock chase, or
+spread their fishing-nets in the stream and gleefully boasted of their
+tiny catches.  The girls wove little baskets and played with beads and
+shells.  One and all, the children of Banonga were deft with their
+fingers, and none so deft as Samba.  He was always busy, shaping now a
+mortar for his mother, now a chair for his grandfather, now a wicker
+basket so close in texture that he could bring in it water from the
+stream without spilling a drop.
+
+Most of all Samba loved to squat by his grandfather's chair in the late
+afternoon, when the old chief sat alone, chin on hand, waiting for the
+return of the men.  Then, and on dark nights, Mirambo would recite, in
+his deep musical voice, interminable stories and legends, of the
+spirits that haunted the woods, of the animals he had hunted and slain,
+of narrow escapes from the greedy jaws of crocodiles, of fierce fights
+with cannibals, of adventurous journeys by field and flood.  Samba
+never tired of one story: how, years before, Mirambo had made a long
+journey to Wanganga, far, very far away, and had there seen a white
+man, who wore cloth all over his body, and had come up the river on a
+wonderful smoke-boat, driven by a fiery snorting devil that devoured
+insatiably great logs of wood.  Bula Matadi, "breaker of rocks," this
+wonderful white man was called; but Mirambo had heard that in his own
+country he was called Tanalay.[4]  Samba would listen with all his ears
+to his grandfather's long narratives, inwardly resolving that he too,
+when he became a man, would take long journeys and see marvellous
+things--white men, and smoke-boats, and all.
+
+Then, as the sun draws towards its setting, out of the forest there
+come faint strains of song.  Mirambo's monotone ceases: he sits erect,
+expectant; the women run out of the huts above which the wreathing
+smoke proclaims preparations for the evening meal; the children gather
+in a laughing chattering flock at the end of the street.  The sound of
+singing draws nearer: at length it stops abruptly, but instantly is
+followed by a loud prolonged shout; only Lianza's brazen throat can
+utter that sonorous cry:--
+
+"I-yo-li-o!  I-yo-li-o-o!"
+
+And the long-drawn hail of Lianza is broken in upon by the roar of his
+companions.  "Yo!" shout eighty men as one.  And out of the forest
+spring the dusky band, laden with their spoils, which with an exultant
+shout they set down before the chief, amid cries and hand-clapping and
+slapping of the thighs by the women and children welcoming their
+return.  The flesh is cut up, the fish divided: the women return to
+their huts to cook the supper; the children cling about their fathers'
+legs and recount the little adventures of the day.  The meal is eaten:
+the whole population form a wide circle in the street, and, squatting
+on their hams, give themselves up to the joy of watching the gyrations
+of the dancing women, who, in their aprons of long grass, decorated
+with tinkling bells, whirl around to the barbaric music of drums and
+castanets, as the day darkens and the moon throws her silvery beams
+upon the scene.
+
+Such were the daily scenes amid which Samba passed his happy boyhood,
+in the village of Banonga, whither he was now leading the white
+stranger.
+
+The village came in sight, nestling in a glade.  The laughing children
+ceased their play, and stood finger in mouth shyly contemplating the
+new comers.  The women, busily grinding manioc with pestle and mortar
+in the open, looked up with startled glance and fled into their huts,
+where they stood peeping from behind the posts of palm.  Mirambo, the
+chief, rose from his seat and awaited with dignity the approach of the
+white man.  Ceremonious greetings were exchanged.  Then ensued a long
+conversation, the white man speaking, his negroes translating to the
+chief.  He listened intently, and replied in brief phrases, most often
+contenting himself with exclamations of assent--"Inde!" "Ng'oko!" or of
+dissent--"Lako!" "O nye!"
+
+_Botofe_!  Yes, he knew where _botofe_ could be found.  And the white
+man, the Son of Heaven, wanted _botofe_; it had some value for him?
+Well, he should have it.  Who so hospitable as the men of Banonga?
+They were not as the men of Kinshassa, who met the white man with cries
+of anger, and spears, and knives.  Had not he, Mirambo, seen Bula
+Matadi, the friend of the black man?  "When my sons return from their
+hunting," said Mirambo, "they shall provide the stranger with all that
+he needs.  They shall give him plantains, and fowls, and cakes of
+_kwanga_;[5] they shall make ready a hut for him; and _botofe_--yes, if
+he needs _botofe_, my young men shall go into the forest and fill their
+baskets with _botofe_ for him.  No one shall say but that the white man
+is welcome in Banonga."
+
+
+
+[1] Are you there?
+
+[2] I am here.
+
+[3] Rubber.
+
+[4] H. M. Stanley.
+
+[5] A preparation of manioc.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+"Rubber is Death"
+
+"Whew!  This is a warm country, Jack.  There'll soon be nothing left of
+us."
+
+"There's plenty at present, uncle," replied Jack Challoner with a
+smile.  "Barney can spare less, after all."
+
+"Sure an' that's the truth's truth, sorr.  'Twas the sorrow uv me
+mother's heart that I ran to length instid uv breadth.  Whin I was a
+bhoy she had to buy breeches always a size too long for me, and me
+bones grew so fast they almost made holes in me skin--they did."
+
+"Confound it, man, that's where you score.  The mosquitoes leave you
+alone: can't find enough juice in you to make it worth their while to
+worry you.  Whereas they suck at me till I'm all ulcers.  Hi!  Nando,
+when shall we get to this Banonga we've heard so much about?"
+
+"Berrah soon, sah.  Paddle small small, sah, den Banonga."
+
+Mr. Martindale mopped his brow and drew his white umbrella closer down
+upon his head.  He was lying under a grass shelter amidships a dug-out,
+with his nephew Jack at his side and his man Barney O'Dowd at his feet.
+The clumsy native craft rocked to and fro under the paddles of twelve
+stalwart Baenga, who stood, their bodies bent slightly forward, singing
+in time with their strokes.  They were paddling against the current of
+a stream that forced its brown waters into one of the tributaries of
+the Congo.  It was a broiling day.  A rainstorm in the night had
+cleared the sky of the haze that commonly covered it, and the sun beat
+down out of a dome of fleckless blue, irradiating the crimsons and
+purples, the golds and whites, of the rich vegetation on the banks.
+
+"I tell you, Jack," continued Mr. Martindale, "I shall grumble if this
+talk of Banonga turns out to be wind.  I don't see what the Congo State
+has to gain by exterminating the natives; and we know what liars these
+blacks can be."
+
+"Suppose the talk of gold turns out to be wind, uncle?"
+
+"Eh?  What's that?  Wind!  Rubbish!  The difference is that we hear of
+Banonga from the blacks; but 'twas Barnard told me of the gold, and
+Barnard hasn't got enough imagination to say more than he knows.  No,
+the gold is there safe enough; and I tell you I shall be glad when we
+get through this Banonga and can proceed to business."
+
+John Martindale was a florid well-preserved man of fifty-five years.
+Born in New York, he had early gone west, rapidly made his pile in
+California, and retired from the direction of his mines.  But meeting
+one day in San Francisco an old friend of his, a queer stick of a
+fellow named Barnard, who spent his life in roaming over the world and
+making discoveries that laid the foundation of other men's fortunes,
+not his own, he learnt from him that clear signs of gold had been
+observed in the Maranga district on the Upper Congo.  Mr. Martindale
+was very rich; but, like many another man, he found after his
+retirement that time hung somewhat heavy on his hands.  He was still
+full of energy, and Barnard's story of gold in a new country stirred
+the imagination of the old miner.  He decided to take a trip to Africa
+and test his friend's information.  As a matter of course he invited
+Barnard to accompany him.
+
+"No, no, John," replied his friend.  "I scratched the soil; I know gold
+is there; I've no further interest in the stuff.  I'm off to the
+Philippines next week.  Go and dig, old fellow, and take plenty of
+quinine with you."
+
+It happened that Mr. Martindale's only nephew, Jack Challoner, a lad of
+seventeen, was just home from school.  He was an orphan.  His mother,
+Mr. Martindale's sister, had married an English barrister of great
+ability, who had already made a name at the Parliamentary Bar.  But he
+died when his boy was only six years old; two years later his wife
+followed him to the grave, and the guardianship of Jack fell to his
+uncle, who, being a bachelor without other ties, readily assumed the
+charge.  He surprised his friends by the course he took with the boy.
+Instead of bringing him to America, he entered him at Bilton and
+afterwards at Rugby, declaring that as the boy was English it was only
+fair he should receive an English education.  "I read _Tom Brown_ years
+ago," he would say, "and if they turn 'em out now as they did
+then--well, we can't do better this side of the herring pond."  Jack
+spent his holidays either in America, or in travelling about Europe
+with his uncle, and the two became great chums.
+
+But when Jack reached his seventeenth birthday Mr. Martindale again
+surprised his friends.  "Send him to Oxford?" he said.  "Not much!  He
+has had nearly four years at Rugby, he's in the fifth form, and I guess
+he's enough book learning to serve his turn.  He's tip-top at sports:
+he's a notion of holding his own and helping lame dogs; and I don't
+want his nose to turn up, as I believe noses have a trick of doing at
+Oxford.  No: the boy'll come home.  I don't know what he's to be; but
+I'll soon find out what he's fit for, and then he'll have to work at
+it.  The least I could do for his father's sake was to give him an
+English education; he'll come back to America for a smartening up."
+
+It was not long after Jack's return that Mr. Martindale met his friend
+Barnard.  Since Barnard would not be his companion, Jack should.  "It
+will do you no harm to see a little travel off the beaten track," he
+said, "and I'm not going to work the gold myself: my mining days are
+done.  You may tumble to it; in that case you'll stay in Africa and
+take care not to waste my capital.  You may not: that'll be one thing
+settled, anyway."
+
+Accordingly, when Mr. Martindale sailed for Europe he took Jack with
+him.  With characteristic energy he very quickly settled the
+preliminaries.  He obtained for a comparatively small sum from a
+Belgian trading company, the holders of a large concession on the Upper
+Congo, the mining rights in the Maranga district, on condition of the
+company receiving a percentage of the profits.  The first practical
+step having been taken, Mr. Martindale's interest in his project became
+keen.  He had never travelled out of America or Europe; there was a
+certain glamour about an adventure in the heart of Africa; and he was
+rich enough to indulge his humour, even if the results of Barnard's
+discovery should prove disappointing.
+
+Uncle and nephew sailed for Africa, spent a few days at Boma, travelled
+over the cataract railway from Matadi to Leopoldville, and thence went
+in a steamer for nearly three weeks up the Congo.  Then, leaving the
+main river, they embarked on a smaller steamer, plying on a tributary
+stream.  In about a week they arrived at a "head post," whence they
+continued their journey, up a tributary of a tributary, by canoe.  This
+last stream was quite a considerable river as the term would be
+understood in Europe, though neither so broad nor so deep as the one
+they had just left.  But this again was insignificant by comparison
+with the mighty Congo itself, fed by a thousand tributaries in its
+course of fifteen hundred miles from the heart of Africa to the sea.
+Mr. Martindale became more and more impressed as the journey
+lengthened, and at last burst out: "Well, now, this licks even the
+Mississippi!"
+
+But not the Shannon!  Barney O'Dowd was a true Irishman.  Mr.
+Martindale had engaged him in London as handy-man to the expedition.
+He had been in the army; he had been a gentleman's servant, wardroom
+attendant at a hospital, drill-sergeant at a boys' school, 'bus
+conductor, cabman, and chauffeur; but in none of these numerous
+vocations, he said with a sigh, had he ever grown fat.  He was long,
+lean, strong as a horse; with honest merry blue eyes, and curly lips
+that seemed made for smiling.  He drove the travellers in a hansom
+during the week they stayed in London, and looked so sorrowful when Mr.
+Martindale announced his departure that the American, on the spur of
+the moment, with bluff impulsiveness, invited him to join the
+expedition.
+
+"Sure an' 'tis me last chance, sorr," cried Barney, cheerfully
+consenting.  "A sea voyage does wonders for some.  There was Terence
+O'Bally, now, as thin as a lath in the ould counthry; he went to
+Australia, and by the powers! when he came back to say 'God bless you'
+to his ould mother, she did not know him at all at all, he was so full
+in the flesh, sorr.  Sure an' I'll come wid ye wid the greatest
+pleasure in the world, and plase the pigs I'll fatten like Terence.
+Only wan thing, sorr; ye would not have any inshuperable objection to
+Pat, sorr?"
+
+"Who on earth's Pat?"
+
+"Just a dog, sorr; a little darlint uv a terrier no fatter than me,
+sorr; as kind an' gentle as wan uv the blessed angels.  He has as poor
+appetite, sorr, an' sleeps on my coat, so he will not cost ye much for
+board and lodging.  And I would thank ye kindly, sorr, if I might but
+go home to 'm an' say, 'Pat, me darlint, times is changed.  We are in
+luck, Pat.  There's a nice, kind, fat, jolly American gentleman that
+takes very kindly to dogs an' Irishmen, an'----'"
+
+"There then, that'll do," said Mr. Martindale, laughing.  "Bring Pat,
+if you like.  But he'll have to go if he proves a nuisance."
+
+And so Pat became a member of the party.  And he lay curled up now in
+the bottom of the canoe, and cocked an eye as Barney declared with
+emphasis that the Congo was a "mighty foine river, sure an' 'tis only
+fair to say so; but by all the holy powers 'tis not to be compared wid
+the Shannon, blessed be its name!"
+
+It was Pat that sprang first ashore when the paddlers with a resounding
+"Yo!" drove the canoe alongside a turfy platform by the bank, worn
+level by the treading of innumerable feet.  The dog uttered one sharp
+bark, faced round to the river, and stood with ears pricked and stumpy
+tail wagging, to watch his master step to land.
+
+"Now, Nando," said Mr. Martindale, when all were ashore, "lead the way.
+Not too fast: and not too near skeeters or jiggers."
+
+"Berrah well, sah; me go fust; frighten skeeters all away."
+
+Leaving ten of the crew in the canoe, the rest of the party set off
+under Nando's guidance.  He led them through the mass of tall grass
+that lined the river bank, across a swampy stretch of heath, where a
+narrow path wound in and out among trees large and small, beset by
+dense undergrowth and climbing plants.  Insects innumerable flitted and
+buzzed around the travellers, provoking lively exclamations from Mr.
+Martindale and Jack, and many a vicious snap from the terrier, but
+leaving Barney almost untouched.  Once a wild pig dashed across the
+path and plunged into the thicket, with Pat barking frantically at its
+heels.  Here and there Mr. Martindale caught sight of red-legged
+partridge and quail, and sighed for his rifle.  Parrots squawked
+overhead; once, from the far distance, muffled by the foliage, came the
+trumpet of an elephant; but signs of humanity there were none, save the
+meandering track.
+
+At length, however, they came to a clear open space amid the trees,
+where, on a low hill, stood a crude open hut, consisting of upright
+supports surmounted by a roof of bamboos and leaves, and partly walled
+by cloth.
+
+"Berrah nice place, sah," said Nando cheerfully.  "Chief him missis
+buried dah."
+
+The travellers approached with curiosity.  Inside the shed they saw a
+small image, roughly carved in semblance of a human figure, set upright
+in the ground.  At one side lay two or three wicker baskets, at the
+other a bottle; in front a big iron spoon stuck out of the soil, and
+all around were strewed hundreds of small beads.  Nando explained that
+these had been the property of the deceased lady.
+
+"And is she buried under them?" asked Mr. Martindale, stepping back a
+pace.
+
+"Bit of her, sah."
+
+"What do you mean--a bit of her?"
+
+"All dey find, sah.  Bula Matadi come, make big bobbery; bang! chief
+him missis lib for[1] dead, sah.  Bad man cut up, put in pot, only
+little bit left, sah."
+
+Mr. Martindale shivered, then waxed indignant.
+
+"I don't believe it," he declared stoutly.  "Such things aren't done in
+these days.  There are no cannibals in these days--eh, Jack?"
+
+"I hope not, uncle.  But are we near Banonga, Nando?"
+
+"Small small, sah, den Banonga."
+
+"Lead on, then," cried Mr. Martindale; "I want to see with my own eyes
+whether those fellows were telling the truth."
+
+Some distance down the river, just after camping for the night, Mr.
+Martindale's rest had been disturbed by a loud and excited conversation
+between his own party and a group of newcomers who had halted to
+exchange greetings.  Inquiring the cause of the commotion, he learnt
+that the men had brought news of a terrible massacre that had taken
+place at Banonga, a village in the forest many miles up stream.  The
+villagers had been remiss in their collection of rubber; the agents of
+Bula Matadi (which, originally the native name for Sir H. M. Stanley,
+had become the name for the Congo Free State) had appeared at the
+village with a force of native soldiers, and, according to the
+informant, who had received the news from an up-country man, the whole
+population had been annihilated.  Mr. Martindale had heard, in America
+and England as well as in Africa, strange stories of the administration
+of the Congo State; but, like many others, he had been inclined to
+pooh-pooh the rumours of cruelty and atrocity as the vapourings of
+sentimentalists.  But the stories imperfectly interpreted by Nando on
+that pleasant evening by the river made a new impression on him.  He
+was a hard-headed man of business, as little inclined to sentimentality
+as any man could be; he hated any appeal to the emotions, and unasked
+gave large subscriptions to hospitals and philanthropic societies so as
+to avoid the harrowing of his feelings by collectors and other
+importunate folk; but beneath his rough husk lay a very warm heart, as
+none knew better than his nephew Jack; and the stories of cruelty told
+by the lips of these natives made him feel very uncomfortable.  At a
+distance he could shut his eyes to things--open his purse to deserving
+objects and believe that his duty was done; but here, on the spot, this
+easy course was not possible.  He did not like discomfort, bodily or
+mental; it annoyed him when any external cause ruffled the serenity of
+his life; and he made up his mind to pay a visit to Banonga on his way
+up the river, test the negroes' story, and prove to his own
+satisfaction, as he believed he would do, that it was exaggerated if
+not untrue.  That done, he would dismiss the matter from his thoughts,
+and proceed to the proper business of his journey without anything to
+disturb his peace of mind.
+
+The party left the grave on the hill and followed the same path through
+another stretch of forest until they came, almost unawares, upon a
+large clearing.
+
+"Banonga, massa," said Nando, stretching out his hand, and looking into
+Mr. Martindale's eyes with a glance as of some frightened animal.
+
+"Banonga!  But where are the huts?" said Mr. Martindale.
+
+No one answered him.  The party of five stood at the edge of the
+clearing, looking straight before them.  Pat the terrier trotted
+around, wagging his stump, and blinking up into their faces as if to
+ask a question.  What did they see?  A long broad track, leading
+between palms and plantains away into the impenetrable forest.  These
+leafy walls were vivid green, but the road itself was black.  A smell
+of charred wood and burnt vegetation filled the air.  There was not a
+complete hut to be seen.  The space once thronged with a joyous
+chattering crowd was now empty, save for ashes, half-burnt logs,
+shattered utensils.  Here and there a bird hopped and pecked, flying up
+into the trees with shrill scream as Pat sprang barking towards it.
+But for these sounds, the silence was as of death.
+
+"Come," said Mr. Martindale, stepping forward.  It was he who led the
+way now as the party left the ring of forest and walked into the
+clearing.  Barney, coming behind with Nando, groaned aloud.
+
+"Stop that noise!" cried Mr. Martindale, swinging round irritably.
+"What's the matter with you, man?"
+
+"Sorrow a bit the matter wid me, sorr; but it just brought into me
+mimory a sight I saw in the ould counthry whin I was a bhoy; sure there
+was nothing to see there either, and that's the pity uv it."
+
+Mr. Martindale walked on without speaking, poking with his stick into
+the black dust of the road.  Nando went to his side, and pointed out
+such traces of former habitations as remained: here a cooking pot,
+there a half-consumed wicker basket, a broken knife, a blackened
+bead-necklace.  And among the other scattered evidences of rapine there
+were the remains of human beings--skeletons, separate bones.
+
+"Whoever did this did it thoroughly," remarked Mr. Martindale with
+darkening brow.  "But who did it?  I won't believe it was Europeans
+till 'tis proved.  There are cannibals here; Nando said so: a cannibal
+tribe may have raided the place.  Eh?  But where are the people?"
+
+In the thick undergrowth, beyond the desolated village, crouched a
+negro boy.  His cheeks were sunken, his eyes unnaturally bright.  His
+left arm hung limp and nerveless; in his right hand he clutched a
+broad-pointed dagger.  He had been lying in a stupor until roused by a
+sharp sound, the cry of some animal strange to him.  Then he raised
+himself slowly and with difficulty to his knees, and peered cautiously,
+apprehensively, through the foliage amid which he was ensconced.
+
+He glared and shrank back when he saw that among the strangers moving
+about were two white men.  But what was this animal they had brought
+with them? he wondered.  Goats he knew, and pigs, and the wild animals
+of the forest; he knew the native dog, with its foxy head, smooth
+yellowish coat, and bushy tail; but this creature was new to him.
+True, it was like a dog, though its brown coat was rough and its tail
+stumpy; but he had never seen the dogs of his village trot round their
+masters as this was doing, never heard them speaking, as it seemed, to
+the men with this quick sharp cry.  The dogs he had known never barked;
+their only utterance was a long howl, when they were hungry or in pain.
+He hated white men, but loved animals; and, weak as he was, he raised
+himself once more, and bent forward, to look at this active dog-like
+creature that came and went in apparent joyousness.
+
+A bird flew down from a tree, and alighted hardily within a couple of
+yards of the terrier.  This was too much for Pat.  He darted at the
+audacious bird, pursued it into the thicket, then came to a sudden
+surprised stop when he descried a black form among the leaves.  He
+stood contemplating the boy with his honest brown eyes, and his tail
+was very active.  Then with one short bark he trotted back to his
+master, and looked up at him as if to say: "I have made a discovery;
+come and see."  But man's intelligence is very limited.  Barney did not
+understand.
+
+"And did the cratur' give ye the slip, then?" he said, patting the
+dog's head.
+
+"That's not the point," said Pat's barks; "I want you to come and see
+what I have found," and he ran off again towards the thicket, turning
+once or twice to see if his master was following.  But Barney paid
+little attention to him, and Pat, giving him up as hopeless, went on
+alone to scrape acquaintance.  He stood before the boy at a distance of
+a yard, blinking at him between the tendrils of a creeper.  Then he
+advanced slowly, wagging his stump, poked his nose through the leaves,
+and after a moment's sniffing deliberation put out his tongue and
+licked the black knee he found there.  The boy made with his closed
+lips the humming sound with which the negro of the Congo expresses
+pleasure, and next moment the dog's paws were in his hands, and the
+two, dog and boy, were friends.
+
+But whoever was a friend of Pat's must also be a friend of Barney
+O'Dowd.  It was not long before Pat awoke to a sense of his duty.  He
+tried with the negro the plan that had just failed with his master.  He
+retreated a little way, cocked his head round and barked, and waited
+for the boy to follow.  The latter understood at once; but he shook his
+head, and said, "O nye!  O nye!" under his breath, and lay still.  Pat
+began to see that there was something keeping the white man and the
+black boy apart.  It was very foolish, he thought; they were both such
+good fellows: it was quite clear that they ought to be friends; but
+what was a dog to do?  He trotted slowly back to Barney, and began to
+speak to him seriously, with a bark of very different intonation from
+that he had previously employed.
+
+"Well, and what is it wid ye thin?" said Barney.
+
+"He has caught the bird, I expect," said Jack, amused at the dog's
+manner, "and wants you to go and see it."
+
+"Sure thin I will," said Barney, "and mutton being scarce, we will have
+a new kind uv Irish stew, Pat me bhoy.  But why did ye not bring it, me
+darlint?"
+
+He made to follow the dog, whose tail was now beating the air with
+frantic delight.  But he had no sooner reached the edge of the
+plantation than there was a rustle among the leaves: the boy was
+leaving his hiding-place and trying to crawl away into the forest.
+
+"Begorra!" quoth Barney, "'tis a living cratur', and a bhoy, black as
+the peat on me father's bog, and not knowing a word uv Irish, to be
+sure."
+
+Pat was rubbing his nose on the boy's flank, wondering why he had taken
+to going on all fours.  But the negro did not crawl far.  Faint with
+weakness, moaning with pain, he sank to the ground.  Pat gave one bark
+of sympathy and stood watching him.  Meanwhile Jack had come up.
+
+"A boy, did you say, Barney?  What is he doing here?"
+
+"Sure I would like to know that same, sorr, but niver a word uv his
+spache did I learn.  Perhaps he has niver seen a white man, not to say
+an Irishman, before, and thinks 'tis a ghost."
+
+"Nando, come here!" called Jack.
+
+The paddler hurried up, followed quickly by Mr. Martindale.
+
+"What's this?  What's this?  A boy!  They're not all killed then."
+
+"I think he's hurt, uncle, and scared.  He tried to crawl away from us,
+but seemed too weak."
+
+"Well, lift him up, Barney; we'll see."
+
+Barney approached, but the instant he stretched forth his hands the boy
+uttered a piercing shriek, and made to thrust at him with his dagger.
+
+"Come, this will never do," said Mr. Martindale.  "Speak to him, Nando;
+tell him we are friends, and will do him no harm."
+
+Nando went up to the boy, and Pat stood by, wagging his tail and
+looking inquiringly from one to the other as the negro talked in his
+rapid staccato.  A few minutes passed; then Nando turned round and with
+a beaming smile said:
+
+"He understan' all same now, sah.  I say massa Inglesa ginleman, blood
+brudder Tanalay, oh yes.  He know 'bout Tanalay: he no 'fraid dis time;
+he come along along.  He Samba, sah."
+
+
+
+[1] i.e. _live for_, an expression commonly used in all kinds of
+circumstances by the natives, practically an intensive for various
+forms of the verb _to be_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+Monsieur Elbel
+
+Samba made no resistance when Nando lifted him and carried him to the
+centre of the clearing.  He moaned once or twice as the Baenga pressed
+his wounded arm, and almost fainted when he was laid on the ground
+before Mr. Martindale.  But a sip from the traveller's flask revived
+him, and he smiled.
+
+"That's better," said Mr. Martindale.  "Poor boy!  He looks half
+starved.  Have you any food about you, Nando?"
+
+"No, sah: get some one time."[1]
+
+He went off into the thicket, and soon returned with a couple of
+scorched bananas.  These Samba devoured ravenously.
+
+"Now I wonder if he could tell us all about it?" said Mr. Martindale.
+"Ask him, Nando."
+
+Samba told his story.  His dialect was different from Nando's, but
+there is a freemasonry of speech among the tribes of the Congo, and
+Nando understood.  It was not so easy for the others to get at the
+meaning of Nando's strange jargon as he interpreted, but they listened
+patiently, and missed little of the narrative.  Mr. Martindale sat on
+an upturned pot, Jack and Barney on charred logs.  Nando squatted
+beside Samba on the ground, and Pat thrust his muzzle contentedly
+between the boy's knees and seemed to sleep.
+
+[Illustration: The finding of Samba]
+
+One night, when the moon was at the full, a messenger had come into
+Banonga village.  The time was at hand when the agent of Bula Matadi
+would attend to collect the tax--the weight of rubber exacted by the
+Congo State from every able-bodied man.  The messenger reminded the
+chief that Banonga had several times been in default.  Only a few men
+had hitherto been punished, only a few women carried away as hostages
+for the diligence of their husbands.  But the patience of Bula Matadi
+was exhausted.  If on this occasion the due measure of rubber was not
+forthcoming, the anger of Bula Matadi would blaze, the soldiers would
+come, and the men of Banonga would have cause to rue their idleness.
+
+The chief listened in silence.  He was old; his body was bowed, his
+spirit broken.  Life in Banonga was no longer the same since the white
+man came.  All the joy of life was gone; the people spent their days in
+unremitting toil, endeavouring to satisfy the cry of their rulers for
+rubber, always rubber, more rubber.  When the messenger arrived the men
+were away hunting for rubber, but Mirambo knew that, were they doubled
+in number, they could not gather the quantity required.  The vines in
+their district were exhausted; the men had not been taught how to tap
+them; they destroyed as they went, and now the whole district around
+Banonga would not yield half of what was demanded of them.  The poor
+old chief trembled when he thought of the woe that was coming to
+Banonga, for he now knew from the fate of other villages on the river
+what the messenger of Bula Matadi foreshadowed.  Unless his men could
+achieve the impossible, find rubber where there was none, the blow
+would fall.  And when it fell Banonga would be no more.  The village a
+little while ago so happy and prosperous would be destroyed, its people
+killed or scattered.  So it had happened to other villages: how could
+he hope that Banonga would be spared?  The messenger indeed had spoken
+of the leniency of Bula Matadi, but the chief might have reminded him
+of the outrages the people had suffered; of the rapacity, the ruthless
+brutalities, of the forest guards.  But he said no word of provocation;
+only, when the man had gone, Samba heard him mutter the terrible
+sentence now too often on his lips: "Botofe bo le iwa: rubber is death!"
+
+The day came: the agent of Bula Matadi appeared, with an armed escort.
+The men of Banonga had not returned.  They came dropping in by ones and
+twos and threes, worn out with their long quest.  The rubber was
+weighed: in many cases it was short; excuses were rejected, entreaties
+scoffed at.  The hapless victims suffered taunts, abuse, the terrible
+whip.  One, less enduring than the rest, resisted.  This was the
+signal.  A dozen rifles were raised--a dozen shots rang out, strong
+forms lay writhing in the agony of death.  A brief, sharp struggle;
+another fusillade; and the terrified survivors, men, women and
+children, fled helter-skelter to the forest, pursued by the shots of
+the soldiery, ruthless of age or sex.  A raid was made upon their
+deserted huts: everything that had value for the native levies was
+seized; then the match was applied, and soon what had once been a
+prosperous happy village was a heap of smouldering ruins.
+
+Samba saw it all.  He remained dauntless by his grandfather's side
+until a bullet put an end to the old chief's life; then he too fled
+into the forest, to find his father and mother, his brothers and
+sisters.  But he had delayed too long; one of the sentinels fired at
+him as he ran: his left arm was struck.  He struggled on, but his
+friends were now out of reach: he could not find them.  For several
+days he wandered about, supporting his life on roots and herbs in the
+vain search for his people.  Then, growing hourly weaker, he crept back
+to his village, hoping that by and by the survivors would return to
+their desolated homes, to rebuild their huts, and sow new crops.  But
+none came.  He was alone!  And he had lain down among the trees--as he
+thought, to die.
+
+"Poor little fellow!" said Mr. Martindale.  "How old is he, Nando?"
+
+"He say ten three years, sah," replied Nando after consulting the boy.
+
+"Thirteen.  He looks older.  This is a pretty kettle of fish.  What can
+we do with him?"
+
+"We must take him with us, uncle!" said Jack.
+
+"Take him with us, indeed!  What can we do with him?  We can't hunt for
+his father and mother: he'd be of no use to us in our job.  He wants
+doctoring: he might die on our hands."
+
+"I learnt a little doctoring in the hospital, sorr," said Barney.
+"Sure I think I could mend his arm."
+
+"Well, well, Nando and the other man had better bring him along to the
+canoe--gently, you know.  Don't make him squeal."
+
+The two negroes lifted the boy, and the party set off to return to the
+river.
+
+"A fine responsibility you have let me in for, Jack," said Mr.
+Martindale as they went along.  "I've no notion of a Crusoe and Friday
+relationship."
+
+"Why not say Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, uncle?"
+
+"A man of my girth!" said Mr. Martindale, chuckling.  "But joking
+apart, Jack, this is a serious business.  What am I to do with the boy,
+supposing he gets better?  I am not a philanthropist; I can't start a
+boys' home; and the little chap will be of no use to us in our proper
+work.  For the life of me I don't see daylight through this."
+
+"We may find him useful in other ways, uncle.  Besides, we may come
+across his people."
+
+"And we may not--we may not, Jack.  Still, have your way; only remember
+he's your protege; I wash my hands of him.  And mind you, I'm not going
+to start a crusade.  There's been terrible work in this village: no
+mistake about it; but I'm not convinced it's the doing of white men: in
+fact, I refuse to believe it."
+
+"But they're responsible.  They shouldn't employ natives who are so
+blackguardly."
+
+"That's where it is, you see.  You Britishers employed Red Indians in
+our war of Independence, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes, and Lord Chatham thundered against it, and it was put a stop to."
+
+"They taught you history at Rugby, did they?  Glad to hear it.  Well, I
+dare say Leopold will put a stop to it if representations are made to
+him.  It's none of my business, but I'll mention the matter when I get
+back to Boma.  Now, Sambo----"
+
+"Samba, uncle."
+
+"Bo or ba, it's all the same.  You'll have to be a good boy, Samba.
+But what's the good of talking!  He can't understand what I say.
+Doesn't know good from bad, I warrant.  Well, well!"
+
+They reached the canoe and laid Samba gently down upon rugs.  The rude
+craft was soon under way.  For a time Samba lay asleep, with his arm
+about Pat's neck; but by and by, when the paddlers paused in the song
+with which they accompanied their strokes, the boy awoke, and began to
+sing himself, in a low musical voice that struck pleasantly upon the
+ear after the rougher tones of the men.
+
+"Bauro lofundo! (he sang); bauro lofundo!  Bompasu la Liwanga bao
+lindela ud' okunda ilaka nkos'i koka."
+
+This he repeated again and again until he was tired and slept once more.
+
+"Very pretty," said Mr. Martindale.  "The boy'd make a fortune in New
+York, Jack.  But what does it all mean, anyway?"
+
+"Berrah nice song, sah," said Nando.  "Me tell all 'bout it.  People of
+Bauro, sah, plenty bad lot.  Bompasu and Liwanga been and gone after
+'long 'long into de forest, not come back till parrots one two free
+twenty all dah."
+
+"Well, I can't make much of that.  Doesn't seem to have any more sense
+than the songs that our gals sing at home."
+
+But further inquiry brought out the story.  It appeared that a rubber
+collector, not satisfied with exacting from the people of Bauro the
+usual quantity of rubber, had required them to furnish him by a certain
+day with twenty young parrots which he wished to take with him to
+Europe.  Being unable to obtain so large a number by the given date,
+the people were declared to be surpassingly obstinate and wicked, and
+the sentries Bompasu and Liwanga were let loose upon them until the
+twenty parrots were delivered.
+
+"Humph!" grunted Mr. Martindale.  "Say, wasn't it Macaulay who said
+he'd write a nation's history from its ballads?  Rubber and parrots;
+what next, I wonder?  These Congo people have original ideas in
+taxation."
+
+"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "and don't I wish the taxes in the ould
+counthry were uv the same kind.  Sure and ivery man in the counthry
+would be glad to supply the collectors wid scores uv sparrows or
+peewits or any other fowl, and murphies and blackthorns--ivery mortal
+thing but money, sorr."
+
+In the course of a few hours the stream they had hitherto been
+navigating ran into a larger tributary of the Congo some hundred and
+fifty miles above the point where it joined the main river.  The canoe
+had scarcely entered the broader river when the crew suddenly stopped
+paddling, and Nando, turning round with some excitement, said--
+
+"Smoke-boat, sah."
+
+"What?"
+
+"Smoke-boat nebber dis way before, sah."
+
+"A steamer, eh?"
+
+"A launch flying the Congo State flag, uncle--blue with a golden star,"
+said Jack, standing up in the canoe and taking a long look ahead.
+
+Nando explained that the rapids, a day's paddling down stream, had
+prevented the State officers hitherto from bringing steam launches into
+this part of the river.  Evidently the vessel now approaching must have
+been carried, as a whole or in sections, overland past these rapids--a
+work of great difficulty and labour, for the rapids were at least three
+miles in length, and the shores were at some parts rocky, at others
+covered with dense scrub.
+
+Almost before Nando had finished his explanation the canoe had been put
+about, and the men began to paddle hard up stream towards the mouth of
+the little river, into which the launch could not follow them.
+
+"Hi, now, Nando, what are you about?" cried Mr. Martindale.
+
+Nando replied that it was always best to avoid the State officials.  He
+would lie in a creek until the launch was past.
+
+"I don't see why we should run away," said Mr. Martindale.  "However,
+after what we've just seen, I've no wish to meet them.  I might say
+something that would lead to a row with the Company."
+
+He lit a cigar and lay back in the canoe.  Jack turned flat on his face
+and watched the launch.  It was soon clear that Nando's plan was
+impossible.  The launch was a swift one: it came on with increased
+speed, and when within hailing distance a voice in French called
+peremptorily upon the canoe to stop.
+
+"Nando, stop paddling," said Mr. Martindale, leisurely turning round on
+his seat.  "Answer their hail, Jack."
+
+"Who are you?" shouted Jack in English.
+
+The foreigner in the bow of the launch was somewhat taken aback.  He
+had thought to do the questioning, not to be questioned.  But he
+replied stiffly--
+
+"I am Monsieur Elbel, of de Societe Cosmopolite du Commerce du Congo."
+
+The launch was now within a few yards of the canoe.  Monsieur Elbel was
+a short thick-set man with reddish hair, and a thick red moustache that
+stuck out rigidly a couple of inches on each side of his nose.  He wore
+a white topee and white trousers, but his coat was blue, with brass
+buttons, and gold lace at the shoulders.  All but himself on deck were
+negroes.
+
+Mr. Martindale ordered the paddlers to bring the canoe round, so that
+he might face the Belgian.  Then, still seated, he blew out a cloud of
+smoke and said--
+
+"Well, I don't know you, Mr. Elbel, and if the work in Banonga yonder
+is due to you I don't wish to.  Paddle ahead, Nando."
+
+The crew looked somewhat awestruck, but obediently dropped their
+paddles into the stream.  Monsieur Elbel's cheeks had turned a fiery
+red several shades deeper than his hair, and the veins upon his
+forehead swelled.  The canoe sped past him while he was still
+endeavouring to collect himself.  Suddenly a tall negro at his side
+threw out his hand, exclaiming: "Ok'ok'ok'oka!"[2]
+
+The Belgian looked in the direction pointed out, and the negro followed
+up his exclamation with a rapid excited sentence.  Monsieur Elbel at
+once sent the launch in pursuit of the canoe, ran her alongside, and
+cried:
+
+"Halt!  I bid you halt.  You are rude.  I vill run you down if you have
+not care.  Dat boy I see in your canoe I know him; he belong to my
+societe: I demand him to be given up."
+
+"Not so fast, Mr. Elbel.  I treat men as they treat me.  You have no
+right to stop me.  I am an American, a citizen of the United States,
+travelling in the Free State, which I believe, is open to all the
+world.  Besides, I have a patent from your company.  I propose to
+continue my journey."
+
+"But--but--I tell you, dat boy is not American: he is subject of Congo
+State, in concession of my societe; still vunce, I demand him."
+
+"Sorry I can't oblige you.  The boy is in my service: he has been
+wounded--perhaps you know how; nothing but an order from the Free State
+courts will compel me to give him up.  And even then I won't, knowing
+what I know.  That's flat, Mr. Elbel.  You stop me at your risk.  Go
+ahead, Nando."
+
+The negroes dug their paddles into the water, and the canoe darted past
+the side of the launch.  Monsieur Elbel bit his moustache and savagely
+tugged its ends; then, completely losing control of his temper, he
+shouted--
+
+"You hear; I varn you.  You act illegal; you come to seek for gold; dat
+is your business: it is not your business to meddle yourself viz de
+natif.  I report you!"
+
+The launch snorted away up stream, the canoe continued its journey at a
+moderate pace, and each was soon out of sight of the other.
+
+For some minutes Mr. Martindale seemed preoccupied.
+
+"What is it, uncle?" asked Jack after a time.
+
+"I was thinking over what that fellow Elbel said.  He knows more about
+our business here than I quite like.  Of course they all know we're
+after minerals, but Barnard's find is not the dead secret he thought it
+was.  Or say, Jack, d'you think we are being watched?"
+
+"Perhaps he was fishing?"
+
+"I don't think so, for he didn't wait for an answer.  However, we
+needn't meet our difficulties half-way.  Anyhow, 'twill do Mr. Elbel no
+harm to know that we don't care a red cent for him or any other Congo
+man.  I suppose he's in charge of this section.  But what on earth did
+the fellow want with the boy?"
+
+Nando, without ceasing to ply his paddle, turned his head and spoke
+over his shoulder to Samba, now wide awake.
+
+"Samba say him uncle dah, sah: uncle Boloko, plenty bad man."
+
+"A wicked uncle, eh?"
+
+"He berrah angry, sah, 'cos Samba him fader hab got plenty more wives,
+sah; must be chief some day.  Boloko he want to be chief: berrah well:
+Banonga men all say 'Lako! lako!'[3] plenty loud.  Boloko berrah much
+angry: go to white men: tell berrah bad fings 'bout Banonga men.  Samba
+say Banonga men lib for cut off Boloko his head if catch him."
+
+"Wigs on the green, Jack.  Then I guess this Boloko fellow wanted to
+get in first.  Well, it doesn't raise my opinion of Mr. Elbel; you know
+a man by the company he keeps, eh?"
+
+"And the Company by him, uncle."
+
+
+
+[1] Immediately.
+
+[2] Exclamation of surprise.
+
+[3] Exclamation of refusal.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+Night Alarms
+
+In the course of an hour or two Mr. Martindale's canoe reached the
+camp, on a piece of rising ground immediately above the river.  Here he
+found the rest of his party--some fifty strong West African
+natives--the three canoes in which they had come up stream lying nose
+to stern along the low bank, only the first being moored, the others
+roped to it.
+
+The party had reached the spot three days before, and were resting
+after the fatigues of their journey.  These had been by no means
+slight, for the men had had to haul the canoes through the rapids, and
+sometimes to make portages for a considerable distance.  Fortunately
+the canoes were not heavily laden.  They contained merely a good stock
+of food, and a few simple mining tools.  This was only a prospecting
+trip, as Mr. Martindale was careful to explain before leaving Boma.
+
+His friend Barnard's instructions had been clear enough.  The discovery
+had been accidental.  Coming one day, in the course of his wanderings,
+to the village of Ilola, he happened to learn that the chief's son was
+down with fever.  The villagers had been somewhat unfriendly, and
+Barnard was not loth to purchase their goodwill by doing what he could
+for the boy.  He cured the fever.  The chief, like most of the negroes
+of Central Africa, had strong family affections, and was eager to give
+some practical token of his gratitude for his son's recovery.  When
+taking the boy's pulse, Barnard had timed the beats by means of his
+gold repeater.  The chief looked on in wonderment, believing that the
+mysterious sounds he heard from the watch were part of the stranger's
+magic.  When the cure was complete, he asked Barnard to present him
+with the magic box; but the American made him understand by signs that
+he could not give it away; besides, it was useful only to the white
+man.  Whereupon the chief had a happy thought.  If the yellow metal was
+valuable, his friend and benefactor would like to obtain more of it.
+There was plenty to be found within a short distance of the village.
+The chief would tell him where it was, but him alone, conditionally.
+He must promise that if he came for it, or sent any one for it, the
+people of Ilola should not be injured; for every month brought news
+from afar of the terrible things that were done by the white men in
+their hunt for rubber.  Perhaps the same might happen if white men came
+to look for gold.
+
+Barnard gave the chief the desired assurance, undertaking that no harm
+should come to him or his people if he showed where the gold was to be
+found.  The American was then led across a vast stretch of swampy
+ground to a rugged hill some three or four miles from Ilola.  Through a
+deep fissure in the hillside brawled a rapid stream, and in its sandy
+bed the traveller discerned clear traces of the precious metal.
+
+Barnard explained to Mr. Martindale that Ilola was several days'
+journey above the rapids on the Lemba, a sub-tributary of the Congo,
+and provided him with a rough map on which he had traced the course of
+the streams he would have to navigate to reach it.  But even without
+the map it might be found without much difficulty: its name was well
+known among the natives along the upper reaches of the river, the chief
+being lord of several villages.
+
+So far Mr. Martindale's journey had been without a hitch, and he was
+now within three or four days of his destination.  It was the custom of
+the party to stay at night in or near a native village.  There a hut
+could usually be got for the white men, and Barnard had told them that
+a hut was for many reasons preferable to a tent.  Sudden storms were
+not infrequent in these latitudes, especially at night--a tent might be
+blown or washed away almost without warning, while a well-built native
+hut would stand fast.  Moreover, a tent is at the best uncomfortably
+hot and close; a hut is more roomy, and the chinks in the matting of
+which its sides commonly consist allow a freer passage of air.  The
+floor too is dry and hard, often raised above the ground outside; and
+the roof, made of bamboo and thatched with palm leaves and coarse
+grasses, is rain-tight.
+
+Up to the present Mr. Martindale had met with nothing but friendliness
+from the natives, and a hut had always been at his disposal.  But he
+had now reached a part of the river where the people knew white men
+only by hearsay, and could not distinguish between inoffensive
+travellers and the grasping agents whose cruelty rumour was spreading
+through the land.  The people of the village where he wished to put up
+for this night were surly and suspicious, and he decided for once to
+sleep in his tent on the river bank instead of in a hut.
+
+The party had barely finished their evening meal when the sun sank, and
+in a few minutes all was dark.  Samba had been handed over to Barney,
+whose hospital experience enabled him to tend the boy's wound with no
+little dexterity, and the boy went happily to sleep in Barney's tent,
+his arm round Pat's neck.  Jack shared his uncle's tent.  He had been
+somewhat excited by the scenes and events of the day, and did not fall
+asleep the moment he lay down, as he usually did.  The tent was very
+warm and stuffy; the mosquitoes found weak spots in his curtains and
+sought diligently for unexplored regions of his skin, until he found
+the conditions intolerable.  He got up, envying his uncle, who was
+sound asleep, his snores vying with the distant roars of hippopotami in
+the river.  Taking care not to disturb him, Jack stepped out of the
+hut, and understood at once why the air was so oppressive.  A storm was
+brewing.  Everything was still, as if weighed down by some monstrous
+incubus.  Ever and anon the indigo sky was cut across by steel-blue
+flashes of forked lightning, and thunder rumbled far away.
+
+Jack sauntered on, past Barney's tent, towards the river bank,
+listening to noises rarely heard by day--the grunt of hippopotami, the
+constant rasping croak of frogs, the lesser noises of birds and insects
+among the reeds.  The boatmen and other natives of the party were a
+hundred yards away, beyond the tents he had just left.  Sometimes they
+would chatter till the small hours, but to-night they were silent,
+sleeping heavily after their toil.
+
+He came to a little eminence, from which he could look down towards the
+stream.  Everything was black and indistinguishable.  But suddenly, as
+a jagged flash of lightning momentarily lit the scene, he fancied he
+caught a glimpse of a figure moving below, about the spot where the
+nearest of the canoes was moored.  Was it a wild beast, he wondered,
+prowling for food?  Or perhaps his eyes had deceived him?  He moved a
+little forward; carefully, for the blackness of night seemed deeper
+than ever.  Another flash!  He had not been mistaken; it was a figure,
+moving on one of the canoes--a human form, a man, stooping, with a
+knife in his hand!  What was he doing?  Once more for an instant the
+lightning lit up the river, and as by a flash Jack guessed the man's
+purpose: he was about to cut the mooring rope!
+
+Jack's first impulse was to shout; but in a moment he saw that a sudden
+alarm might cause the natives of his party to stampede.  The intruder
+was alone, and a negro; Why not try to capture him?  Jack was ready
+with his hands: his muscles were in good order; he could wrestle and
+box, and, as became a boy of Tom Brown's school, fight.  True, the man
+had a knife; but with the advantage of surprise on his side Jack felt
+that the odds were fairly equal.  He stole down the slope to the
+waterside, hoping that the darkness would remain unbroken until he had
+stalked his man.  A solitary bush at the very brink gave him cover;
+standing behind it, almost touching the sleeping sentry who should have
+been guarding the canoes, Jack could just see the dark form moving from
+the first canoe to the second.
+
+He waited until the man bent over to cut the connecting rope; then with
+three long silent leaps he gained the side of the foremost canoe, which
+was almost resting on the bank in just sufficient water to float her.
+The man had already made two or three slashes at the rope when he heard
+Jack's splash in the shallow water.  With a dexterous twist of his body
+he eluded Jack's clutch, and swinging round aimed with his knife a
+savage blow at his assailant.  Jack felt a stinging pain in the fleshy
+part of the thigh, and, hot with rage, turned to grapple with the
+negro.  His fingers touched a greasy skin; the man drew back, wriggled
+round, and prepared to leap overboard.  At the moment when he made his
+spring Jack flung out his hands to catch him.  He was just an instant
+too late; the negro had splashed into the shallow water on the far side
+of the canoe, and disappeared into the inky blackness beyond, leaving
+in Jack's hands a broken string, with a small round object dangling
+from the end.  At the same moment there was a heavy thwack against the
+side of the canoe; and Jack, mindful of crocodiles, bolted up the bank.
+He turned after a few yards, shuddering to think that the man had
+perhaps escaped him only to fall a victim to this most dreaded scourge
+of African rivers.  But if he was indeed in the jaws of a crocodile he
+was beyond human help.  He listened for a time, but could detect no
+sound betraying the man's presence.  Pursuit, he knew, was useless.
+Except when the lightning flashed he could scarcely see a yard beyond
+him.
+
+[Illustration: A midnight encounter]
+
+Jack did not care to disturb his uncle.  He went round the camp, found
+Nando with some difficulty in the darkness, and ordered him to send ten
+of the crew to occupy the canoes for the rest of the night.  Then he
+went back to his tent, bound up his wound, and stretched himself on his
+mattress.  He lay awake for a time, wondering what motive the intruder
+could have for damaging the expedition.  At last, from sheer weariness,
+he dropped off into a troubled sleep in which he was conscious of a
+deluge of rain that descended upon the camp.
+
+The morning however broke clear.  Jack told his uncle what had occurred.
+
+"Humph!" grunted Mr. Martindale.  "What's the meaning of it, I wonder?"
+
+"Do you think it was a move of that Belgian fellow, uncle?"
+
+"Mr. Elbel?  No, I don't.  He has no reason for interfering with us.
+I've bought the rights from his company, and as they'll get royalties
+on all the gold I find, he's not such a fool as to hinder us."
+
+"But Samba, uncle?"
+
+"Bah!  He was egged on to demand the boy by that villainous-looking
+nigger, and his dignity being a trifle upset, he thought he'd try it on
+with us.  No, I don't think he was at the bottom of it.  I've always
+heard that these niggers are arrant thieves; the villagers were
+unfriendly, you remember, and most likely 'twas one of them who took a
+fancy to our canoes.  Glad you frightened him off, anyway.  What about
+your wound?"
+
+"It's nothing to speak of--a slight flesh wound.  I washed it with alum
+solution, and don't think it will give me any bother."
+
+"Lucky it's no worse.  We'll set a careful watch every night after
+this.  And take my advice: if you can't sleep, don't go prowling about;
+it isn't safe in these parts.  Try my dodge; shut your eyes and imagine
+you see forty thousand sheep jumping a patent boundary fence in single
+file; or if that don't work, say to yourself: 'How much wood would a
+woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood?'--and keep on saying
+it.  I've never known it fail."
+
+"Perhaps it's a good job I didn't know it last night," replied Jack,
+laughing.  "We should have been minus four canoes."
+
+"And all our stores.  But don't do it again, there's a good fellow.
+I've paid double passage, and I don't want to go home alone."
+
+The camp was by this time astir.  The natives, chattering like monkeys,
+were busily preparing their breakfast.  Barney was engaged in a like
+service for the white men, and Samba proved himself to be an adept at
+cleaning the fish which some of the men had caught in the early morning.
+
+"Sure an' he'll be a treasure, sorr," said Barney, as he handed Mr.
+Martindale his cup of tea and plate of broiled fish.
+
+"Is the boy getting better?"
+
+"As fast as he can, sorr.  'Twas want uv food more than wounds that was
+wrong wid him.  All he really needs is a dish uv good honest murphies
+twice a day, and sorry I am they do not grow in this haythen counthry."
+
+It was one of Barney's crosses that the only potatoes obtainable _en
+route_ were the sweet variety.  Mr. Martindale rather liked them--a
+weakness which Barney regarded with sorrow as an injustice to Ireland.
+
+Breakfast finished, the canoes were manned and the expedition resumed
+its journey.  Samba kept the negroes amused with his songs and chatter
+and clever imitations of the cries of birds and beasts.  His restless
+eyes seemed to miss nothing of the scenes along the river.  He would
+point to what appeared to be a log cast up on the sand and exclaim
+"Nkoli!" and utter shrill screams: and the log would perhaps disappear,
+leaving no trace, or move and open a sleepy eye, and Barney ejaculate,
+"A crocodile, by all the holy powers!"  Once he drew Jack's attention
+to a greenish lizard, some eight inches long, creeping down an ant-hill
+towards a tiny shrew mouse.  Spying the enemy, the little creature
+darted down the slope, and took a header into the water; but the lizard
+came close upon its heels, sprang after it, and dragged it down into
+the deep.
+
+"And what do you make of this?" said Jack suddenly, showing Samba the
+amulet he had torn from the neck of the midnight marauder.  The boy
+started, stared at the piece of bone, looked up in Jack's face and
+exclaimed--
+
+"Bokun'oka fafa!"[1]
+
+"Him say belong him uncle," Nando interpreted.
+
+Samba spoke rapidly to Nando.
+
+"Him say belong berrah bad uncle on smoke-boat, sah.  Him say how massa
+get him?"
+
+Jack related the incident of the night, Nando translating to the boy,
+who listened gravely, but smiled at the end.
+
+"Why does he smile?" asked Jack.
+
+"He say him uncle no lib for good any more: lost medicine ring; he no
+fit for do bad fings any more: get cotched ebery time."
+
+"Begorra, sorr, 'tis like me very own uncle Tim, who niver had a day's
+luck after he lost the lucky sixpence given to 'm by a ginerous kind
+gentleman for holding a horse in Sackville Street whin he was a bhoy.
+He had always been unlucky before that, sorr, and sure the lucky
+sixpence would have made a rich man uv him in time; but he lost it the
+very same day, sorr, and had no luck at all at all."
+
+"Well," said Mr. Martindale, laughing, "if the loss of this amulet
+means that the owner will never succeed in any tricks against us, I
+congratulate you, Jack.  Will you wear it yourself?"
+
+"No, uncle; I'll give it to Samba."
+
+But Samba, when the charm was given to him, looked at it seriously for
+a moment, then his face broke into a beaming smile as he slipped the
+string about Pat's neck.
+
+"Mbua end' olotsi!"[2] he cried, clapping his hands.
+
+Pat barked with pleasure and licked the boy's face.
+
+"They're great chums already," remarked Mr. Martindale pleasantly, as
+he bit the end off a cigar.
+
+That evening, when the time for camping came, there was no village in
+sight from the river, and Nando reported that the nearest lay too far
+from the stream to suit his employer.  The banks were thickly wooded,
+and it appeared as if there would be some difficulty in finding a space
+sufficiently clear for a camp.  But at last the travellers came to a
+spot where a stretch of level grassland ran wedge-like into the
+vegetation.  At one end the ground rose gradually until it formed a
+bluff overhanging the river at a considerable height.  This seemed as
+favourable a place as was likely to be discovered, and here the camp
+was pitched, the evening meal was eaten, and the travellers sought
+repose.
+
+The night was very dark, and deep silence brooded over the
+encampment--such silence as the dweller in towns can never know.  Not
+even the shriek of a nocturnal monkey or the splash of a fish pursued
+by a crocodile broke the stillness.  Every member of the party was
+asleep.  But all at once, Samba, lying just within the flap-door of
+Barney O'Dowd's tent, one arm pillowing his head, the other clasping
+the terrier, was disturbed by a low whine.  He was awake in an instant.
+He had never heard Pat whine; the dog barked at everything; why had he
+changed his manner of speech?  Samba got up: Pat had left him and stood
+in the entrance to the tent; the whine had become a growl.  The boy
+followed him, stooped and felt in the dark for his head, then lifted
+him in his arms and went out, laying a hand on the dog's muzzle to
+silence him.  Like other terriers, Pat objected to be carried.
+
+The whine had wakened Barney also; Pat and he had passed many a night
+together.  He heard the slight sound made by Samba's departure, and
+rising, went out in his stockings to follow him.  He walked a few yards
+in the direction he supposed Samba to have taken; but it was too dark
+to see him, and neither boy nor dog made any further sound.  Barney
+retraced his steps, and, wandering a little from the way he had come,
+stumbled over the sleeping body of one of the men placed as sentinels.
+He gave him a kick.
+
+"Get up, you varmint!" he cried.  "Is that the fashion uv keeping
+gyard?"
+
+But as soon as he had passed on the man rolled over, gave a grunt, and
+was fast asleep again.
+
+Meanwhile Samba had walked on towards the river bank, stopping at
+intervals to listen.  He heard nothing; not even the usual nightly
+sounds came to him; the surrounding forest seemed asleep.  But
+suddenly, Pat became restless and uttered a rumbling growl.  Samba held
+him close and whispered to him, and the dog apparently understood, for
+the growl ceased.  Then Samba caught the faint sound of paddles
+up-stream--a sound so familiar to him that he could not be mistaken.
+
+He crept cautiously along, up the gradual ascent, until he came near
+the summit of the overhanging cliff.  Moving stealthily to the edge he
+peered over; but in the blackness he could see nothing.  The sound had
+ceased.
+
+Feeling his way carefully with his bare feet, Samba slowly made his way
+down the grassy cliff until he came near the water's edge, then crept
+along the bank up stream.  Again Pat uttered his low growl, but was
+instantly silent in response to the boy's whispered warning.  Samba
+seemed to find his way by instinct over the uneven ground.  Now and
+again he heard a beast scurry away at his approach and rustle through
+the bushes or plunge into the river; but he was not afraid: there was
+little risk of encountering a dangerous animal, and he was too far
+above the sandy level to stumble upon a crocodile lying in wait.
+
+He went on steadily.  It was not a native custom to move about in the
+dark hours, and, remembering what had happened the night before, he was
+intent upon discovering the business of the mysterious paddlers.  After
+Pat's last smothered growl he proceeded more cautiously than ever.  At
+last the sound of low voices ahead made him halt.  Whispering again to
+Pat, who licked his hand as if to reassure him, he set the dog down and
+crept forward again, bending low, and taking care, dark as it was, to
+avail himself of every bush for cover.  To judge by the voices, a large
+number of men must have gathered at some point not far ahead.  He drew
+still nearer.  All at once he halted again, and laid a hand on Pat's
+neck.  Among the voices he had distinguished one that he knew only too
+well: it was that of his uncle Boloko.  He stood rooted to the spot
+with dismay.
+
+A few minutes later his quick ears caught the sound of men moving off
+at right angles to the river in a direction that would enable them to
+skirt the cliff and come upon the sleeping camp through the forest in
+its rear.  In a flash he saw through their scheme.  Bidding Pat in a
+whisper to follow him, he turned and hurried back, climbing the face of
+the cliffs with a panther's surefootedness, and racing along at his top
+speed as soon as he came to the downward slope.  With Pat at his heels
+he dashed into Barney's tent.
+
+"Etumba!  Etumba!"[3] he exclaimed breathlessly.  "Ba-lofundu bao
+ya!"[4]
+
+And Pat chimed in with three rapid barks.
+
+
+
+[1] My father's younger brother.
+
+[2] Good dog!
+
+[3] Fight! (the natives' alarm signal).
+
+[4] The villains are upon us!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Order of Merit
+
+"Bad cess to you, you young varmint!" exclaimed Barney, waking with a
+start.  "What do you say at all?"
+
+"Ba-lofundu bao ya!  Boloko!"
+
+"Be jabers if I know what you'd be meaning.  Off!  Run!  Nando!  And
+it's pitch dark it is."
+
+The boy scampered, Pat still at his heels.  The dog had evidently been
+impressed by Samba's warnings, for he ran silently, without growl or
+bark.  They came to the spot where Nando lay, beneath a spreading
+acacia.  Samba shook him without ceremony.
+
+"Ba-lofundu bao ya!" he cried.  "Betsua!  Betsua!"[1]
+
+Nando growled and bade him be off; but when the boy poured his story
+with eager excitement into the big negro's sleepy ears, Nando at last
+bestirred himself, and hurried to Mr. Martindale's tent, bidding Samba
+remain at hand.
+
+"Samba him uncle, berrah bad man, come to fight," said Nando
+breathlessly when Jack came to the door of the tent.  "Bad man go round
+round, hide in trees, come like leopard.  Massa gone 'sleep: massa him
+men all lib for big sleep; Boloko shoot; one, two, massa dead all same."
+
+"What, what!" said Mr. Martindale, flinging off his rug.  "Another
+alarm, eh?" He pressed the button of an electric torch and threw a
+bright light on the scene.
+
+"An attack in force this time, uncle," said Jack.  "Some black fellows
+are coming to surprise us in the rear."
+
+"How many are the villains?" said Mr. Martindale, pulling on his
+trousers.
+
+"Two, free, hundred, fousand."
+
+"A dozen all told, I suppose!  Well, we'll fight 'em."
+
+"Rather risky that, uncle," said Jack.  "There may be more than a
+dozen, after all, and our men are not armed: we two couldn't do much
+against a hundred, say."
+
+"True.  Why was I such a fool?  That Britisher at Matadi said I'd
+better arm my men, and I wish I'd taken his tip.  We're in a tight
+corner, Jack, if the nigger is correct.  Here, Nando, are you sure of
+this?"
+
+"Sartin sure, sah.  Me see fousand fifty black men creep, creep 'long
+ribber, sah: big lot guns, 'Bini guns, massa, go crack, crack.  Come
+all round, sah; run like antelope: no time for massa run away."
+
+Nando's face expressed mortal terror; there was no doubt he believed in
+the reality of the danger.
+
+"How did they come?" asked Mr. Martindale.
+
+"In boat, sah."
+
+"Where are they?"
+
+"Small small up ribber, sah."
+
+"And I suppose you've alarmed the camp?"
+
+"No, sah, no.  Me no tell one boy at all."
+
+"Well, it looks as if we're going to be wiped out, Jack.  We can't
+fight a hundred armed men.  If our fellows were armed, we might lay a
+trap for 'em; but we aren't strong enough for that.  But perhaps if we
+show we're ready for 'em, and they're not going to surprise us, they
+may sheer off."
+
+"Then why not take the offensive, uncle?"
+
+"What d'you mean?"
+
+"Attack the canoes while the most of them are marching round.  They'd
+hear our shots and bolt back, as sure as a gun."
+
+"That's slim.  We'll try it.  Go and wake Barney, Jack."
+
+Barney, however, was already on his way to the tent, Jack explained the
+situation to him.
+
+"Here's a revolver, Barney," said Mr. Martindale, as the Irishman came
+up.  "You must do the best you can if there's a rush.  Jack and I are
+going right away to the river: you're in charge."
+
+Barney handled the revolver gingerly.
+
+"Sure I'd feel more at home wid me shillelagh!" he muttered as he went
+away.  Mr. Martindale turned to the negro.
+
+"Now you, Nando, lead the way."
+
+The man's eyes opened wide with fear.
+
+"Me plenty sick in eyes, sah," he stammered.  "Me only see small small.
+Boy Samba him eyes berrah fine and good, see plenty quick, massa; he
+show way."
+
+"I don't care who shows the way," said Mr. Martindale, too much
+preoccupied with his hunting rifle and ammunition to notice the
+inconsistency between Nando's statement and the story he had already
+told.  Nando called to Samba and told him what was required, and the
+party set off, the boy going ahead with Pat, Mr. Martindale and Jack
+following with their rifles, and Nando in great trepidation bringing up
+the rear.
+
+Mr. Martindale puffed and panted as he scaled the bluff, and breathed
+very hard as he followed Samba down the rough descent to the brink of
+the river.  When they came to comparatively level ground they halted.
+
+"How far now?" asked Mr. Martindale, in a whisper.
+
+"Small small, massa," replied Nando.
+
+"Well, Jack, when we come near these precious canoes we'll fire both
+barrels one slick after the other, then reload."
+
+"And go at them with a rush, uncle?"
+
+"Rush!  How can I rush?  I'm pretty well blown already.  But I could
+fetch wind enough to shout.  We'll shout, Jack.  Nando, you'll bawl
+your loudest, and the boy too.  If I know these niggers they'll bolt.
+And look here, Jack, fire in the air: we don't want to hit 'em.  If
+they stand their ground and resist, we can fire in good earnest; but
+they won't."
+
+They took a few cautious steps forward, then Samba ran back, clutched
+Nando by the arm and whispered--
+
+"Boat dah, sah," said the negro, under his breath.  "Oh! me feel plenty
+sick inside!"
+
+"Hush!  Howl, then, when we fire.  Now, Jack, ready?  I'll let off my
+two barrels first."
+
+Next moment there was a flash and a crack, followed immediately by a
+second.  Nando and Samba had begun to yell at the top of their voices.
+Mr. Martindale bellowed in one continuous roll, and Pat added to the
+din by a furious barking.  The noise, even to those who made it, was
+sufficiently startling in the deep silence of the night.  Jack fired
+his two shots, but before his uncle had reloaded there was a yell from
+the direction of the canoes, then the sound of men leaping on shore and
+crashing through the bushes.  Immediately afterwards faint shouts came
+from the forest at the rear of the bluff.
+
+"We've done the trick," said Mr. Martindale with a chuckle.  "Now we'll
+get back.  They've had a scare.  Let's hope we shall have no more
+trouble to-night."
+
+He flashed his electric torch on the river bank below, and revealed
+five large canoes drawn up side by side.
+
+"There must be more than a hundred of them," he added.  "Each of those
+canoes can carry thirty men."
+
+On the way back to the camp, they heard renewed shouts as the men who
+had marched into the forest broke out again in a wild dash for the
+threatened canoes.  The camp was in commotion.  Barney was volubly
+adjuring the startled natives to be aisy; but they were yelling,
+running this way and that, tumbling over one another in the darkness.
+The sight of Mr. Martindale's round red face behind his electric torch
+reassured them; and when Nando, who had now quite recovered his
+spirits, told them that he, with the white men's assistance, had put to
+flight twenty thousand bad men and Boloko, they laughed and slapped
+their thighs, and settled down in groups to discuss the event and make
+much of Nando during the rest of the night.
+
+There was no more sleep for any of the party except Samba.  He,
+satisfied that his new friends were safe, curled himself up on his mat
+with the inseparable terrier, and slept until the dawn.  But Mr.
+Martindale sat smoking in his tent, discussing the events of the night
+with his nephew.
+
+"I don't like it, Jack.  We're on top this time, thanks to a little
+bluff.  But there must have been a large number of them to judge by the
+canoes and the yells; and but for that fellow Nando we might easily
+have been wiped out.  And from what Nando says they are those
+villainous forest guards of the Concession.  What's the meaning of it?
+It may be that the Concession have repented of their bargain and want
+to keep me out, or perhaps Elbel is terrified lest I shall expose him
+when I get back to Boma.  Either way, it seems as if we're going to
+have a bad time of it."
+
+"I don't think it can be Elbel's doing, uncle.  It's such a risky game
+to play, your expedition being authorized by his own people."
+
+"I don't imagine Elbel is such a fool as to attack us officially.  He
+can always disavow the actions of those natives.  At any rate, I shall
+make a point of getting rifles for the men as soon as I can."
+
+"They can't use them."
+
+"Of course they can't; but you'll have to turn yourself into a musketry
+instructor.  Meanwhile I must give that fellow Nando some sort of
+reward.  It will encourage him and the others too."
+
+When daylight broke Mr. Martindale went down to the river while Barney
+was preparing breakfast.  There was no trace of the enemy.  Presumably
+they had set their canoes afloat and drifted down stream in the
+darkness.  They had no doubt reckoned on surprising the camp, and their
+calculations had been upset by the certainty of meeting with
+resistance, the fact that the travellers were poorly armed being
+forgotten in the panic bred of the sudden uproar in the night.
+
+After breakfast Mr. Martindale had the men paraded in a semicircle
+around the tent, and, sitting on a stool in front of it, with Jack on
+one side and Barney on the other, he called Nando forward.
+
+"We are very much pleased with your watchfulness, Nando."
+
+The negro grinned, and with a ludicrous air of importance translated
+the sentence to his comrades.
+
+"It is due to you that we were not surprised in the dark: you did very
+well, and set an excellent example to the men."
+
+"Me plenty clebber, sah, oh yes!"
+
+"I shall take care in future to have our camp more closely guarded, and
+punish any carelessness.  But now, to show how pleased I am with you, I
+am going to give you a little present."
+
+Nando's mouth spread from ear to ear.  He translated the announcement
+to the negroes, looking round upon them with an expression of
+triumphant satisfaction that tickled Jack's sense of humour.  Barney
+had shut one eye; his lips were twitching.
+
+"But before I do that," went on Mr. Martindale, "I want you to tell us
+how you came to discover the enemy in the darkness."
+
+Nando for a moment looked a little nonplussed, scratching his head and
+shifting from foot to foot.  Then inspiration seized him; he
+elaborately cleared his throat, snapped his fingers, crossed his arms
+on his brawny chest, and began--
+
+"Me no get sleep, me get up and go round about, fink see if massa's
+fings all right.  Me stop, go sick inside; one, two eyes like twinkle
+twinkle look down out of tree."  He waved his arm towards the acacia
+under which he had been sleeping.  "Me fink dis plenty bad; what for
+man lib for hide in tree and look at Nando?  Me no 'fraid, no, no; me
+walk all same, like me no see nuffin.  Yah! me see all same, wait long
+time, man no fit for see Nando.  Bimeby man come down like snake,
+creep, creep, 'long, 'long; me go too, what for? 'cos man plenty bad
+man, him go 'Bini gun, him go into wood.  What for?  Muss see; s'pose
+he go fetch bad man and shoot massa?  He no come dis way 'less he lib
+for do bad fings.  Him got 'Bini gun, me got spear; no good!  Me no
+'fraid.  Plenty debbils in forest!  Me no 'fraid.  Massa say Nando look
+after fings; all same: Nando look after, no 'fraid, 'Bini gun, debbils
+and all.  What for?  Massa him Nando him fader and mudder.  S'pose bad
+men shoot; s'pose debbil come; all same: muss do what massa say, look
+after fings, look after massa.  Me no 'fraid!"
+
+Again Nando paused and scratched his head, looking troubled.  Then his
+face cleared; he took a deep breath and continued--
+
+"Me go 'long 'long after bad man.  He come to place no trees, grass all
+same: one, two, twenty, fousand bad men dah.  Bad man say 'Kwa te!  Kwa
+te!'[2]  Dey talk, oh yes! whish! whish! same as trees when wind make
+talk.  Me get behind tree; me hab got two, four, twenty ears.  Me
+listen!  Dey say come, creep, creep, bring 'Bini gun; white man all
+'sleep; black man come, no nise, shoot: oh my gracious!  White man all
+lib for dead!  Me no 'fraid!"
+
+"Who was the chief of these bad men?" interrupted Mr. Martindale.
+
+"Boloko, sah!--Samba him uncle."
+
+"But how could you tell that in the dark?"
+
+"Dey hab got light: one, two, twenty tiny small fire on stick."
+
+"Torches, he means, I suppose," said Mr. Martindale.  "How did you find
+your way back in the dark?"
+
+"Yah!  Me know all 'bout dat.  Me lib long time in forest, oh yes!  Me
+fight little tiny men; dey plenty small, plenty good fighter all same;
+shoot one, two, free arrow; one, two, free fings gone dead.  Me fight
+dem; so me find way like leopard."
+
+"Well, you're a clever fellow, and you did very well.  Here is a
+present for you."
+
+He took from his pocket a huge bone-handled penknife, and displayed its
+various parts one by one: four blades, a corkscrew, a file, a hook, and
+an awl.  Nando's eyes opened wide with delight; he chuckled gloatingly
+as one after another these treasures came to view.  Mr. Martindale was
+shutting them up before handing over the knife when Barney stepped
+quietly forward, touched his cap and said--
+
+"If you plase, sorr, before you part wid this handsome presentation,
+will I have yer leave to ax Mr. Nando wan question?"
+
+"Why, you can if you like," said Mr. Martindale in surprise.
+
+"Thank you, your honour.  Now Mr. Nando, would you plase tell us if you
+ate a big supper uv maniac last night?"
+
+"Manioc, Barney," corrected Jack with a smile.
+
+"Sure that's what I said, sorr!  Would you plase tell his honour, Mr.
+Nando?"
+
+The man looked in amazement from one to another.  He seemed to suspect
+a pitfall, but was puzzled to make out the bearing of the question.
+
+"Sure I speak plain.  Did ye, or did ye not, eat a big supper uv
+anything at all last night?"
+
+"Me eat plenty little manioc," said Nando, thinking he was expected to
+defend himself against a charge of gluttony.  "Me no pig like common
+black man."
+
+"And you did not get a pain?"--here Barney helped out his meaning with
+pantomime--"nor dream all that terrible wild stuff you have just been
+telling us?"
+
+"Me no can dream!" cried Nando, indignantly.  "Me say true fings all
+same."
+
+"Sure, thin, if your supper didn't give ye the nightmare, mine did.
+Begorra! 'twas a mighty terrible dream I dreamt, indeed, Mr. Nando.  I
+dreamt you was snoring like a pig--like a common black pig, to be sure;
+and there came a little spalpeen uv a black bhoy, a common black bhoy,
+and shook ye by the shoulder, and called 'Baa!  Baa!  Bloko!' and some
+more I disremimber now; and thin----"
+
+Nando, who had been looking more and more uneasy, here interrupted,
+hurriedly addressing Mr. Martindale--
+
+"Me plenty sick inside, sah," he said, pressing his hands to the pit of
+his stomach.  "Me eat plenty too much manioc all same."
+
+Crestfallen and abashed the big fellow slunk away, Jack roaring with
+laughter, Mr. Martindale looking on in speechless amazement.
+
+"Begorra, sorr," said Barney, "'tis a born liar he is.  He was fast in
+the arms uv murphies, or maniac, speaking by the card, till the bhoy
+Samba woke him up.  'Twas Samba, sorr, that spied the enemy, and 'twas
+me little darlint uv a dog that gave the first alarm.  Give a dog his
+due, sorr, and if you plase, give Samba the knife."
+
+Mr. Martindale first looked annoyed, then broke into hearty laughter.
+He called for Samba, who came up smiling, with Pat at his heels.
+
+"Where's that villain Nando?" cried Mr. Martindale.  "He shall come and
+interpret."
+
+In response to a summons Nando came from behind the crowd of natives.
+He had recovered his composure, and translated with glib and smiling
+unconcern the story which Samba told.  Only when Mr. Martindale handed
+Samba the knife did the negro look sorry.
+
+"Me no lib for eat too big lot manioc nudder time," he said glumly, as
+he went away.
+
+
+
+[1] Wake up!
+
+[2] Hush!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Samba is Missing
+
+Nando was like a child in his humours.  His broad face
+could not long be overclouded.  When the party once
+more embarked he performed his work as chief paddler
+with his usual cheerfulness.  All that day the river washed
+the edge of a continuous forest tract--a spur, as Jack
+understood from Nando's not too lucid explanations, of the
+vast Upper Congo forest that stretched for many hundreds
+of miles across the heart of Africa.  Jack gazed with great
+curiosity, merged sometimes in a sense of awe and mystery,
+at the dark impenetrable woodland.  It was only a year
+or two since he had read Stanley's account of his wonderful
+march through the forest, and his vivid recollection
+was quickened and intensified by the sight of the actual
+scene.
+
+"And are there pigmies in that forest--little men, you
+know?" he asked Nando.
+
+"Sartin sure, sah.  Me fight fousand hundred little
+tiny men: me no 'fraid.  Dey shoot plenty good, sah:
+one arrow shoot two free birds.  Dey hab berrah fine
+eye, sah; see what big man no can see.  Massa see dem
+some day: make massa laugh plenty much."
+
+Here and there, in places where the river widened out,
+the travellers came upon herds of hippopotami disporting
+themselves in the shallows.  Their presence was often
+indicated first by strange squeals and grunts: then a huge
+head would be seen on the surface of the water as the
+beast heard the regular splash of the paddles and was
+provoked to investigate its cause; his jaws would open,
+disclosing a vast pink chasm; and having completed his long
+yawn, and satisfied himself that the strangers intended no
+harm, he would plunge his head again beneath the water,
+or turn clumsily to wallow in uncouth gambols with his
+mates.  The negroes always plied their paddles more
+rapidly at such spots.  Nando told stories of hippopotami
+which had upset canoes out of sheer mischief, and of others
+which, pricked and teased by native spears, had lain in
+wait among the rushes and wrecked the craft of fishers
+returning to their homes at dusk.
+
+"Me no 'fraid of little man," said Nando; "me plenty
+much 'fraid of hippo."
+
+Now and again a crocodile, disturbed in his slumbers by
+the splashing of the paddles or the songs of the men, would
+dart out of a creek and set off in furious chase; but finding
+the canoe a tougher morsel than he expected, would sink
+after a disappointed sniffing and disappear.  Occasionally
+Mr. Martindale or Jack would take a shot at the reptiles,
+but they were so numerous that by and by the travellers
+desisted from their "potting," Mr. Martindale regarding
+it as a waste of good ammunition.
+
+The natives whom they saw at riverside villages were
+now sometimes suspicious, and disinclined to have any
+communication with the strangers.  Returning from
+interviews with them, Nando reported that they had heard of
+the massacre at Banonga, and though he assured them
+that his employer was no friend of the tyrants, he failed
+to convince them: he was a white man; that was enough.
+It was with some difficulty, and only after the exercise
+of much tact, patience, and good humour on Nando's part,
+that he managed to secure enough food to supply the
+needs of the men.
+
+Two days passed amid similar scenes.  The journey never
+became monotonous, for in that wonderful land there is
+always something fresh to claim the traveller's attention.
+Jack began to give Samba lessons in English, and found
+him an apt enough pupil, though, in practising his
+newly-acquired words afterwards, the boy, to Jack's amusement,
+adopted a pronounced Irish accent from Barney.
+
+On the morning of the third day, when the camp became
+active, Barney was somewhat surprised to find that Samba
+and Pat did not join him as usual at breakfast.  Boy and
+dog had gone to sleep together in his tent, and he had not
+seen or heard their departure.  Breakfast was cleared
+away, everything was packed up in readiness for starting,
+and yet the missing members of the party had not appeared.
+Both were very popular; Samba's unfailing cheerfulness
+had made him a general favourite, and Pat's sagacity, his
+keen sporting instincts, and the vigour of his barking when
+hippopotami or crocodiles came too near the canoe, won
+for him a good deal of admiration from the natives.
+
+"What!  Samba gone!" exclaimed Mr. Martindale,
+when Barney told him of the disappearance.  "Have you
+called him?"
+
+"Sure me throat is sore wid it, sorr," said Barney,
+"and me lips are cracked wid whistling for Pat, bad cess
+to 'm."
+
+"The dog has gone too, eh?  I reckon Samba's a thief
+like the rest of 'em."
+
+"Begging yer pardon, sorr, it takes two to make a thief,
+one to steal, the other to be stolen.  Pat would never agree
+to be stolen, sorr; besides, he would never be such an
+ungrateful spalpeen uv a dog, not to speak uv the bad
+taste of it, as to desert his ould master for a nigger bhoy."
+
+"Well, what's become of them, then?  Nando, where's Samba?"
+
+"Me no can tell, sah.  Me fink crocodile eat him, sah.
+Little tiny black boy go walk all alone alone night time.
+Yah! crocodile come 'long, fink black boy make plenty
+good chop.  Soosh! little black boy in ribber, crocodile
+eat him all up, sah.  What for black boy go walk alone?
+One time all right, Nando eat manioc[1]; nudder time all
+wrong, crocodile eat Samba."
+
+Nando shook his head sententiously; Samba's exploit
+on the night of the alarm was evidently still rankling.
+
+"That's not it at all," said Barney.  "Pat would niver
+permit any crocodile, wid all his blarney, to eat him; and
+if a crocodile ate Samba, sure Pat would have been the
+first to come and tell us."
+
+"No, it's your Irish that has frightened the boy," said
+Jack gravely.  "I've been trying to teach him a few
+words of English; but I've noticed once or twice, after
+I've done with him, that he pronounces the words as if
+he'd learnt them in Ireland.  No decent black boy could
+stand that, you know, Barney."
+
+"Faith, 'tis Irishmen that speak the best English,"
+returned Barney; "did I not hear them wid me very own
+ears in the house uv Parlimint?"
+
+"Well, Jack, we must go on," said Mr. Martindale.
+"I was afraid the boy would be a botheration."
+
+"He has done us a good turn, uncle.  Couldn't we wait
+an hour or two and see if he appears?"
+
+"It's not business, Jack."
+
+"My dear uncle, it's no use your posing as a hard-hearted
+man of business.  You know you're quite fond
+of the boy."
+
+"Eh!  Well, I own he's a likely little fellow, and I sort
+of felt he's a part of the concern; in short, Jack, we'll
+put in an hour or two and give him a chance."
+
+An hour passed, and Pat made his appearance.  He
+trotted soberly into the camp, not frisking or barking
+joyously as was his wont.
+
+"Arrah thin, ye spalpeen, where's Samba?" cried
+Barney as the dog came to him.
+
+Pat hung his head, and put his tail between his legs and
+whined.
+
+"Go and fetch him, then," cried Barney.
+
+The terrier looked at his master, turned as if to do
+his bidding, then moved slowly round and whined
+again.
+
+"Sure 'tis not devoured by a crocodile he is, or Pat
+would be in a terrible rage.  The bhoy has deserted, sorr,
+and Pat's heart is after being broken."
+
+"Well, we'll wait a little longer, Barney," said
+Mr. Martindale; "he may turn up yet."
+
+The day wore itself out, and Samba had not returned.
+Mr. Martindale and Jack spent part of the time in shooting,
+adding a goodly number of wild ducks, a river hog and an
+antelope to the larder.  Part of the time they watched
+the men fishing, or rather harpooning, for they caught the
+fish by dexterous casts of their light spears.  Towards
+evening Mr. Martindale became seriously anxious, and a
+little testy.
+
+"I'm afraid a crocodile has made a meal of him, after
+all," he said.  "I don't reckon he'd any reason for leaving
+us; he got good victuals."
+
+"And a good knife, uncle.  Perhaps he has gone to
+find his father."
+
+"No, I don't bank on that.  Too far for a young boy
+to go alone, through the forest, too, on foot.  Anyway,
+he's an ungrateful young wretch to go without saying a
+word; I've always heard these blacks don't measure up
+to white people in their feelings."
+
+Mr. Martindale delayed his departure until the middle
+of the next day in the hope that Samba would return.
+Then, however, he declared he could wait no longer, and
+the party set off.
+
+Late in the afternoon of the next day they came to a
+spot where a gap occurred in the thick vegetation that
+lined the bank.  Here, said Nando, they must land.  Ilola,
+the principal village of the chief to whom they were bound,
+stood a short distance from the river, and the way to it lay
+through the clear space between two forest belts.  A quarter
+of an hour's walking brought them to the village, a cluster
+of tent-shaped grass huts almost hidden in the bush.  The
+settlement was surrounded by a stockade, and the plantations
+of banana, maize, and ground-nuts showed signs of
+careful cultivation.
+
+Nando went alone to interview the chief, bearing a
+present of cloth and a small copper token which Mr. Martindale
+had received from his friend Barnard.  The chief
+would recognize it as the replica of one given to him.  Nando
+returned in an hour's time, troubled in countenance.
+Imbono the chief, he said, had refused to meet the white man,
+or to have any dealings with him.  He well remembered
+the white man who had cured his son and given him the
+token two years before; had they not become blood
+brothers!  But since then many things had happened.
+Dark stories had reached his ears of the terrible consequences
+that followed the coming of the white man.  One of his
+young men--his name was Faraji--who had joined a party
+of traders carrying copper down the Congo, had just come
+back with dreadful tales of what he himself had seen.
+When Imbono was a boy his people had lived in terror of
+the white-robed men from the East.[2]  There had been a
+great white-robed chief named Tippu Tib, who sent his
+fighting men far and wide to collect ivory and slaves.
+These men knew no pity; they carried destruction
+wherever they went, tearing children from parents, husbands
+from wives, chaining them together, beating them with
+cruel whips, strewing the land with the corpses of slaves
+exhausted by long marching or slain because they were
+ill or weak.
+
+But terrible as were the warriors of Tippu Tib, surely
+the servants of the Great White Chief[3] were more terrible
+still; for it often happened that the slave hunters, having
+come once, came not again; like a fierce tempest they
+passed; but as, when a storm has devastated a forest, new
+trees grow and flourish in the room of the old, so when
+a village had been robbed of its youth, their places were in
+course of time filled by other boys and girls.  And even
+when the slave hunters came some villagers would escape,
+and hide in dens or among the forest trees until the danger
+had passed.  But the servants of the Great White Chief
+were like a blight settling for ever on the land.  They came,
+and stayed; none could escape them, none were spared,
+young or old.  Imbono feared the white man; he prayed
+him to go in peace; the men of Ilola were peaceable, and
+sought not to make enemies, but they had bows and arrows,
+and long shields, and heavy-shafted spears, and if need
+be they would defend themselves against the stranger.
+
+"I guess this is kind of awkward," said Mr. Martindale
+when Nando had finished his report.  "You can't trade
+with a man who won't see you.  Did you explain that
+we don't belong to the Great White Chief, Nando?"
+
+"Me say all dat, sah; chief shake him head."
+
+"I suppose you told him our men are not armed?"
+
+"No, sah; me forgot dat, dat am de troof."
+
+"Well, go back; tell the chief that I'm a friend and
+want to see him.  Say that I'll come into the village alone,
+or with Mr. Jack, and we'll leave our guns behind us.
+Tell him the white man he saw two years ago said he was
+a very fine fellow, and I'll trust myself unarmed among
+his people, bows and arrows and spears and all."
+
+Nando went away, and after another hour returned and
+said that Imbono, after much persuasion, had agreed to
+receive the white man because he was a friend of his blood
+brother.  Leaving their rifles and revolvers in Barney's
+charge, Mr. Martindale and Jack accompanied Nando to
+the village.  The single entrance to the stockade was
+guarded by a throng of tall warriors with curiously painted
+skins, and armed with the weapons Nando had described,
+carrying in addition knives with long leaf-shaped blades.
+
+"They ain't the daisiest of beauties," said Mr. Martindale
+as he passed them.
+
+"Ugly fellows in a scrimmage," said Jack.
+
+They went on, past the first huts, stared at by knots of
+the villagers, until they came to the chief's dwelling in the
+centre of the settlement.  Imbono was a tall, well set up,
+handsome negro, standing half a head taller than the men
+about him.  He received the strangers with grave courtesy,
+offered them a cup of palm wine, and motioned them to
+two low carved stools, seating himself on a third.
+
+Through Nando Mr. Martindale explained his business,
+dwelling on the friendly relations which had existed between
+the chief and the white man, and assuring him of his
+peaceable intentions and of his absolute independence of the
+servants of the Great White Chief.  Imbono listened in
+silence, and made a long reply, repeating what he had
+already said through Nando.  Suddenly he turned to the
+young man at his side, whom he called Faraji, and bade
+him tell the white man what he had seen.
+
+"Ongoko!  Ongoko!"[4] exclaimed the other men.  Faraji
+stepped forward and told his story, with a volubility that
+outran Nando's powers as an interpreter, and at the same
+time with a seriousness that impressed his hearers.
+
+"I come from Mpatu," he said.  "It is not my village:
+my village is Ilola.  I passed through Mpatu on my way
+home.  It is no longer a village.  Why?  The servants
+of the Great White Chief had come up the river.  They told
+the people that the lords of the world, the sons of heaven,
+had given all the land to the Great White Chief.  Mpatu
+belonged no more to the chief Lualu: it belonged to the
+Great White Chief.  But the Great White Chief was a good
+chief; he would be a father to his people.  Would he take
+their huts, their gardens, their fowls, their children?  No,
+he was a good chief.  Everything that was theirs should
+be left to them; and the Great White Chief would keep
+peace in the land, and men should live together as brothers.
+Only one thing the Great White Chief required of them.
+In the forest grew a vine that yielded a milky sap.
+This stuff when hardened with acid from another plant
+would be of use to the Great White Chief, and he
+wished them to collect it for him, and bring to his
+servants every fourteenth day so many baskets full.  Every
+man of Mpatu must bring his share.  And they said too
+that the Great White Chief was just: for all this rubber
+they collected he would pay, in brass rods, or cloth, or salt;
+and seeing the Great White Chief was so kind and good, only
+a bad man would fail in the task set him, and such bad
+men must be punished.  And two servants of the Great
+White Chief would be left in Mpatu to instruct the people
+as to the furnishing of the rubber; and these kind teachers
+the men of Mpatu would surely provide with food and
+shelter.
+
+"The men of Mpatu laughed at first.  Well they knew
+the vine!  Was there not enough of it and to spare in the
+forest?  How easily they could collect what was demanded!
+How soon would they become rich!  And they set the
+women and children to weave new baskets for the rubber,
+and made ready new and well-built huts for the men who
+were to teach them their duty to the Great White Chief.
+
+"But as time went on, woe came to Mpatu.  The two
+servants of the Great White Chief were bad men, selfish,
+cruel.  They stalked about the village, treating the people
+as their slaves; they seized the plumpest fowls and the
+choicest fruits; if any man resisted, they whipped him
+with a long whip of hippopotamus hide.
+
+"But the servants of the Great White Chief demanded
+still more.  It was not only rubber the men of Mpatu
+were bade to bring them, but so many goats, so many
+fowls, so many fish and cassava and bananas.  How could
+they do it?  The rubber vines near by were soon
+exhausted.  Every week the men must go farther into
+the forest.  They had not enough time now to hunt and
+fish for their own families.  How supply the strangers too?
+
+"Grief came to Mpatu!  For long days there was no
+man in the village save the chief Lualu and the forest
+guards.  The women cowered and crouched in their huts.
+No longer did they take pride in tidy homes and well-tended
+hair; no longer sing merrily at the stream, or croon lullabies
+to their babes; all joy was gone from them.
+
+"Some of the men fled, and with their wives and
+children lived in the forest, eating roots and leaves.  But
+even flight was vain, for the forest guards tracked
+them, hunted them down.  Some they killed as soon
+as they found them; others they flogged, chained by
+the neck, and hauled to prison.  There they are given
+heavy tasks, carrying logs and firewood, clearing the
+bush, cutting up rubber; and there is a guard over them
+with a whip which at a single blow can cut a strip from the
+body.  Many have died; they are glad to die.
+
+"And now Mpatu is a waste.  One day the rubber was
+again short; the soldiers came--they burned the huts;
+they killed men, women, and children; yea, among the
+soldiers were man-eaters, and many of Mpatu's children
+were devoured.  Only a few escaped--they wander in the
+forest, who knows where?  I tell what I have seen and
+heard."
+
+When Faraji had finished his story, there was silence for
+a time.  The chief seemed disposed to let the facts sink
+into the minds of the white men, and Mr. Martindale was
+at a loss for words.  Faraji's story, so significantly
+similar to what he had himself discovered at Banonga, had
+deeply impressed him.  Were these atrocities going on
+throughout the Congo Free State?  Were they indeed a
+part of the system of government?  It seemed only
+too probable--the rubber tax was indeed a tax of blood.
+And what could he say to convince Imbono that he
+was no friend of the white men who authorized or
+permitted such things?  How could the negro distinguish?
+
+"'Pon my soul," said the American in an aside to Jack,
+"I am ashamed of the colour of my skin."
+
+Then the chief began to speak.
+
+"The white man understands why I will have nothing
+to do with him--why I will not allow my people to trade
+with him.  It may be true that you, O white man, are
+not as these others; you may be a friend to the black man,
+and believe that the black man can feel pain and grief; but
+did not the servants of the Great White Chief say that they
+were friends of the black man?  Did they not say the
+Great White Chief loved us and wished to do us good?
+We have seen the love of the Great White Chief; it is the
+love of the crocodile for the antelope: we would have none
+of it.  Therefore I say, O white man, though I bear you
+no ill-will, you must go."
+
+Courteously as the chief spoke, there was no mistaking
+his firmness.
+
+"We must go and take stock of this," said Mr. Martindale.
+"It licks me at present, Jack, and that's a hard
+thing for an American to say.  Come right away."
+
+They took ceremonious leave of the chief, and were
+escorted to their camp at the edge of the stream.
+
+"What's to be done, my boy?" said Mr. Martindale.
+"We can't find the gold without the chief's help, unless
+we go prospecting at large: we might do that for months
+without success, and make Imbono an open enemy into
+the bargain.  We can't fight him, and I don't want to
+fight him.  After what we've seen and heard I won't be
+responsible for shedding blood; seems to me the white
+man has done enough of that already on the Congo.  This
+is a facer, Jack."
+
+"Never say die, uncle.  It's getting late: I vote we
+sleep on it.  We may see a way out of the difficulty in the
+morning."
+
+
+
+[1] The native word for any food or meal.
+
+[2] Arab slave raiders.
+
+[3] Leopold II, sovereign of the Congo Free State and king of
+the Belgians.
+
+[4] Yes, do so.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Blood Brothers
+
+But in the morning the situation appeared only more grave.  Provisions
+were threatening to run short.  Hitherto there had been no difficulty
+in procuring food from the natives met _en route_, and Mr. Martindale's
+party had carried with them only a few days' provisions, and the
+"extras" necessary for the white men's comfort.  But now they were come
+to a less populous part of the country: Imbono's villages were the only
+settlements for many miles around; and unless Imbono relaxed the rigour
+of his boycott Mr. Martindale's party would soon be in want.
+
+Mr. Martindale was talking over matters with Jack when, from the slight
+eminence on which the camp was pitched, they saw a canoe, manned by six
+paddlers, pass up stream.  Jack took a look at the craft through his
+field glass.
+
+"It's Imbono, uncle," he said; "I wonder what he is up to."
+
+He followed the progress of the canoe for some distance through the
+glass; then, looking ahead, his eye was caught by a herd of eight or
+nine hippopotami disporting themselves on a reedy flat by the river
+bank.
+
+"What do you say, uncle?  Shall we go and get some hippo meat?  It will
+relieve the drain on our stores, and Nando told me the men are rather
+fond of it."
+
+"We'll go right away, Jack.  We must keep the larder full at any rate.
+I suppose we shall have to stalk the beasts."
+
+"I don't think so, uncle.  Those we saw as we came up seemed pretty
+bold; they've such tough hides that they've no reason to be much afraid
+of the native weapons."
+
+"Well, we'll paddle up to them and see how we get on."
+
+A canoe was launched, and Mr. Martindale set off with Jack, Barney, and
+the terrier, Nando and six of the men paddling.  By the time they
+arrived opposite the feeding ground several hippos had come out from
+the reeds for a bath in the shallows of the river, only their heads and
+backs showing above the water.  The rest had moved off into the thicker
+reeds and were hidden from sight.
+
+"One will be enough for the present," said Mr. Martindale.  "Our
+fellows are great gluttons, but there's enough meat in one of those
+beasts to last even them a couple of days; and we don't want it to go
+high!"
+
+"Let us both aim at the nearest," suggested Jack.  "Fire together,
+uncle: bet you I bag him."
+
+"I guess I won't take you, and betting's a fool's trick anyway.  We'll
+aim at the nearest, as you say; are you ready?"
+
+Two shots rang out as one.  But apparently there had been a difference
+of opinion as to which of the animals was the nearest.  One of them
+disappeared; another, with a wild roar of pain and rage, plunged into
+the reeds; the rest sank below the surface.  Nando, knowing the ways of
+hippopotami, began to paddle with frantic vigour, and set the canoe
+going at a rapid pace down stream, much to the indignation of Pat, who
+stood with his forefeet on the side of the canoe, barking fiercely.
+Half a minute later a head appeared above the surface some fifty yards
+behind; then another and another: but the beasts seemed to have
+recovered from the alarm, for after a long cow-like stare at the
+receding canoe, they turned and swam ashore, to rejoin their companions
+in the reeds.
+
+"Easy all!" said Mr. Martindale.  "We'll give 'em a quarter of an hour
+to settle down, then we'll go back.  What about your bet, eh, Jack?"
+
+"It's your hippo, uncle, no doubt of that," said Jack with a rueful
+smile.  "An awful fluke, though; you didn't hit once to my twice coming
+up stream."
+
+"A fluke, was it?  I kind o' notice that when you young fellows make a
+good shot or pull off a good stroke at billiards or anything else, it's
+real good play; whereas an old boy like me can only do anything decent
+by a fluke."
+
+"Well, you've lost him, anyway.  The hippo hasn't come up."
+
+"Too cocksure, my boy; he's only just below the surface."
+
+The beast mortally wounded by Mr. Martindale's rifle was lying in
+shallow water.  Pat could no longer restrain himself.  He leapt
+overboard and swam towards the hippo, barking with excitement, and
+becoming frantic when he found that it was just out of his reach.  In
+his eagerness to attack the animal he even made an attempt to dive, so
+comical that all on board the canoe were convulsed with laughter.
+Being paddled to the spot, Mr. Martindale found that the beast was
+quite dead.
+
+"Now what are we to do with him?" said Mr. Martindale.  "Shall we go
+back and send a party to cut him up?"
+
+"No, no, sah," said Nando instantly.  "Tie rope; pull, pull; hippo he
+come 'long all behind."
+
+"Tow him, eh?  Very well.  I allow that'll save time."
+
+A rope was fastened firmly about the beast's neck and jaws; the other
+end was fixed to the canoe; and the men began to paddle down stream,
+towing the hippo.  The tendency of the animal being to sink, the canoe
+seemed to Jack to be dangerously low in the water at the stern.  But
+they had only a part of the usual complement of men on board, and the
+paddlers were among the most skilful on the Congo.  They had gone but a
+few strokes when Jack, glancing back, caught sight of Imbono's canoe
+returning.  Like Mr. Martindale's it was keeping fairly close to the
+bank.  All at once a great shout of alarm broke from the chief's
+paddlers; their easy swing was quickened to desperate exertion, and
+they pulled out violently towards the middle of the stream.
+
+"By Jove! uncle, a hippo's after them," cried Jack.
+
+Just astern of the chief's canoe, between it and the shore, a huge
+hippopotamus, with jaws distended, showing his gleaming tusks, was
+swimming along in pursuit.  For a little he gained, and Jack's pulse
+beat more quickly with excitement as he saw that the enraged beast was
+not more than half a dozen yards from the canoe.  But the gap widened
+as soon as the six strong paddlers had settled down to their quickened
+stroke.
+
+Imbono, sitting in the stern, had caught sight of the white men as his
+canoe cut for a few moments across the current, and with the natural
+vanity of the negro he began to show off.  At a word from him one of
+the crew dropped his paddle, and, catching up a spear, hurled it at the
+pursuing hippo.  There was a hoarse bellow from the animal, and a wild
+cheer from the men; the shaft of the spear was seen standing almost
+perpendicularly above the hippo's shoulder.  With fierce exertion the
+beast increased his pace, and the gap momentarily diminished; but the
+negro resumed his paddle, and again the canoe drew away.
+
+As the canoe came almost level with the towed hippo at a considerable
+distance towards mid-stream, Imbono ordered the same manoeuvre to be
+repeated.  But fortune doubly befriended the pursuing animal.  Just as
+the negro was poising his spear, a submerged tree stopped the canoe
+with a sudden jerk; the man lost his balance and fell overboard; half
+of the crew followed him into the water, the rest tumbled over one
+another into the bottom of the canoe.  Imbono had been thrown backward
+as the vessel struck the snag.  He had barely time to rise and plunge
+into the water when there was a hideous crackling sound; the stern of
+the canoe was caught between the hippo's gaping jaws and crunched to
+splinters.
+
+The consequences of the chief's temerity would have been amusing but
+for his manifest danger.  The negroes were swimming in all directions,
+keeping as much as possible under water to escape the eyes of the
+hippo; but Imbono, an older man than the rest, was not so expert a
+swimmer, and Jack saw with concern that the hippo, leaving the sinking
+canoe, was making straight for the chief.
+
+A hippopotamus may be distanced by a canoe, but not by a man swimming.
+Imbono did not look behind, but seemed to know instinctively that death
+was within a few yards of him, and he struck out more and more
+desperately for the bank.
+
+At the moment when the canoe struck the snag, Jack had seized his
+rifle; but after the catastrophe, canoe, hippo, and swimming natives
+were so intermingled that he could not venture a shot at the beast
+without the risk of hitting a man.  The hippo's huge body provided a
+target sufficiently broad, indeed; but Jack knew that to strike it
+anywhere save at a vital spot would merely add to the beast's rage and
+make it doubly formidable to the men in the water.  When he saw the
+plight of the chief, however, the great head now only a couple of yards
+behind him, the jaws already opening, disclosing the vast red chasm
+flanked by gleaming tusks and molars--when Jack saw Imbono thus in the
+very article of peril, he could no longer hesitate.  The canoe was
+already at rest.  Bidding Nando keep it steady, Jack raised his rifle
+to his shoulder and took careful aim.
+
+The chief was gasping for breath after a vain attempt to dodge the
+beast by diving; the horrid jaws were just about to snap, when a shot
+rang out.  A squealing grunt came from the closing gullet; the uncouth
+actions of the beast ceased; and he began to sink slowly and silently
+beneath the surface.
+
+"A1!" ejaculated Mr. Martindale.  "That makes up for your miss, Jack."
+
+"Oka moe!"[1] shouted the negroes.  Imbono's men had gained the bank,
+but the chief himself, overcome more by his fright than his exertions,
+seemed unable to swim any farther.
+
+"Quick, haul him in, Jack," said Mr. Martindale.  "There may be a
+crocodile after him next!"
+
+A few strokes of the paddles brought the canoe within reach of the
+chief.  Laughing heartily--the negro's laugh is always very near the
+surface--Nando and a comrade hoisted Imbono into the canoe.
+
+"Me tell Imbono he oughter die of shame," said Nando gravely.
+
+"What on earth for?" asked Mr. Martindale.
+
+"What for, sah!  Has he not made big puddle in massa's canoe?  He
+plenty much wet, sah."
+
+"Well, he couldn't help that.  Tell him we're glad he came off so well.
+You need not say anything about the puddle."
+
+But Nando had his own views as to the proper thing to do.  As he spoke
+the chief glanced at the pool of water that had flowed from his body,
+and replied in a tone that was clearly apologetic.
+
+"He say he die with shame him so wet, sah," said Nando.  "Him no do it
+no more.  Say he praise de young Inglesa for shooting de hippo; say he
+gib massa de hippo and manioc and bananas and anyfing whatever dat
+massa like.  Say he want massa and young massa to be blood brudder.  Me
+say berrah good; tell him oughter had sense before."
+
+"That's all right.  We'll accept supplies with pleasure, and pay for
+them.  The hippo is Mr. Jack's already, of course.  As for becoming his
+blood brothers, I don't just know right off what that means; but if
+it'll please him, and doesn't mean any nastiness, we'll think it over."
+
+The canoe, towing Mr. Martindale's hippo, was rapidly paddled down
+stream to the encampment, the second beast being left to drift slowly
+down the river until, in the course of some hours, it should finally
+rise to the surface.  On landing the chief renewed his protestations of
+gratitude, then went off to the village, to polish himself up, said
+Nando, and replace his ruined headdress, a curious structure of cloth
+and feathers stuck on to the chignon into which his hair was gathered.
+Mr. Martindale sent back another canoe to find and tow down the dead
+hippo.  When it was hauled up on the low sandy bank, Jack and his uncle
+went down to examine it.
+
+"You said I missed, uncle," cried Jack.  "What do you make of this?"
+
+He pointed to a furrow ploughed across the full breadth of the beast's
+forehead.
+
+"Nothing but a bullet did that, I know.  My shot must have hit him, but
+didn't enter the skull.  I suppose he hid in the reeds, and vented his
+fury on the chief.  He happened to have a harder skull than your hippo,
+uncle; you see it was a fluke after all."
+
+Mr. Martindale slowly cut and lighted a cigar.  Not until he had
+watched a big cloud of smoke float across the river did he speak.  Then
+he said quietly--
+
+"Just so!"
+
+Somehow Jack felt that he had not the better of the argument.
+
+Before the sun went down, a group of men came from Ilola staggering
+under loads of grain and fruit, a quantity large enough to supply the
+camp for several days.  That night the men had a royal feast, consuming
+so many hippo steaks that Barney professed himself indignant.
+
+"Bedad! 'tis greedy scoundhrels they are," he said, "Wheniver me mother
+gave us bhoys a stew--and 'twas not often, ye may be sure, meat being
+the price it was--'twas wan tiny morsel uv mutton, and a powerful lot
+uv murphies: she said too much meat would spoil our complexion and ruin
+our tempers.  And begorra! isn't it meself that proves it!"
+
+Mr. Martindale laughed at Barney's logic.
+
+"I'm not afraid of the niggers' complexions or their tempers," he said;
+"I only hope they won't keep up that hullabaloo all night and spoil our
+sleep."
+
+The men were indeed very uproarious, and remained around their fires
+for the greater part of the night, recounting for the hundredth time
+the exciting events of the day, and composing on the spot songs in
+praise of the young white man whose fire-stick had slain the terror of
+the river.  One of these songs seemed especially to strike their fancy,
+and it remained a favourite for many days:--
+
+  Happy Imbono!
+  Oh! oh! Imbono!
+  Who saved Imbono?
+  The good stranger!
+  The young stranger!
+  The brave stranger!
+  Good Jacko!
+  Young Jacko!
+  Brave Jacko!
+  He came to Ilola!
+  Happy Ilola!
+  Lucky Ilola!
+  He saved Imbono
+  From five hippos,
+  From ten hippos!
+  Lucky Imbono!
+  Happy Imbono!
+  Oh! oh! Imbono!
+
+
+Next morning, as soon as it was light, Imbono came to pay a visit of
+ceremony.  He had got himself up most elaborately for the occasion.  A
+strip of yellow cotton was wound about his waist.  His arms were
+covered with polished brass rings, and copper rings weighing at least
+ten pounds each encircled his wrists and ankles.  A new headdress
+decked his hair; and he must have kept his barber busy half the night
+in arranging his top-knot and painting his face with red camwood and
+white clay.  Pat by no means approved of the change, and barked at him
+furiously.
+
+"Whisht, ye spalpeen!" said Barney, calling off the excited dog.  "Sure
+'tis only his Sunday clothes!"
+
+Surrounded by a group of his young men, who were again loaded with
+offerings of food, the chief began a long speech, which was by no means
+abridged in Nando's translation.  He related the incident of the
+previous day, omitting none of the most insignificant details,
+accounting, as it appeared, for every tooth in the jaws of the huge
+animal from which he had been saved.  He went on to say that in
+gratitude to the white man he had changed his mind.  No longer would he
+withhold food; his young men even now had their hands full of the best
+products of Ilola.  No longer would he refuse his friendship; he would
+even show the white man the place where the yellow metal was to be
+found--on one condition, that the white man would become his blood
+brother.  Imbono and the white men would then be friends for ever.
+
+"Well, I'll be very glad to be friends with the chief," said Mr.
+Martindale, "and I'm right down obliged to him for agreeing to show me
+the location of the gold.  And what's this blood brother business
+anyway?  I don't size up to that without knowing something about it,
+you bet."
+
+"Me tell all 'bout it, sah.  Imbono hab got knife; he come scratch,
+scratch massa his arm; den blood come, just little tiny drop, oh yes!
+Den Imbono he lick massa him blood.  Massa he hab got knife too: he
+scratch Imbono him arm all same, lick Imbono him blood.  Me fink massa
+not like black man him blood--not berrah berrah much.  Den massa gib
+Imbono little tiny present--knife, like knife Samba stole from Nando;
+Imbono gib massa fowl, or brass ring, or anyfing massa like.  Den massa
+and Imbono dey be blood brudder, be friends for eber and eber amen."
+
+"Well, I guess the blood business sounds rather disgusting.  What do
+you think, Jack?"
+
+Jack made a grimace.
+
+"Couldn't we leave all the licking to him, uncle?"
+
+Here Nando broke in.  "Me fink massa not like black blood.  All same, I
+show de way.  Massa hold Imbono him arm tight, berrah tight, pretend to
+lick, get little drop of blood on hand; dat nuff; Imbono pleased."
+
+"If he's satisfied with that I'm willing, so fire away."
+
+The chief beamed when he learnt that the white man had given his
+consent.  The ceremony was quickly performed.  Then Imbono handed them
+each a copper ring, and received in return a pinch of salt from Mr.
+Martindale and a lucifer match from Jack, Nando assuring them that no
+more acceptable presents could have been thought of.  Imbono recited a
+sort of chant, which was explained to mean that he, his sons, his
+friends, the men of Ilola, from that time forth and for evermore would
+be the true friends of the white men; everything he had was theirs.
+With a suitable reply from Mr. Martindale and Jack the ceremony ended.
+
+Jack noticed when the chief had gone that Nando's face wore a somewhat
+woebegone look.
+
+"What's the matter, Nando?" he asked.
+
+"Nando berrah sick, sah.  Imbono hab got present, massa hab got
+present, little massa hab got present all same; Nando hab got no
+present, no nuffin.  Dat make Nando sick.  Samba hab got Nando him
+knife: what for Nando no hab nuffin at all?"
+
+"Seems to me he wants a commission on the transaction," said Mr.
+Martindale with a smile.  "Give him something, Jack; he's not a bad
+sort."
+
+"I've got a lucky sixpence, uncle; he can string that round his neck.
+Here you are, Nando."
+
+The negro took the coin with delight.
+
+"Bolotsi O!" he exclaimed.  "Nando no sick no more.  Him plenty comfy
+inside.  All jolly nice now sah: oh yes!"
+
+
+
+[1] Bully for you!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Jack in Command
+
+"We've come out of that better than I expected," said Mr. Martindale,
+when the chief had gone.  "I only hope our new brother won't carry his
+affection too far.  If he keeps piling in food in this way, our fellows
+will wax fat and kick."
+
+"You'll have to give him a hint, uncle.  Proverbs are mostly
+old-fashioned rubbish, but there's one that would suit him: 'Enough is
+as good as a feast.'"
+
+"Which no nigger would believe.  Now I wonder when he will take us to
+find this ore.  The sooner the better, although I calculate he doesn't
+know the value of time."
+
+Imbono returned in the course of the afternoon, and said that he would
+be ready to conduct the white men to the gold region next day.  But he
+stipulated that only his new brothers should accompany him.  To this
+condition no one objected but Nando, who appeared to regard it as a
+personal slight.
+
+"Berrah well, berrah well," he said, his tone suggesting that he washed
+his hands of the business.  "Nando no go, massa no can say nuffin to
+Imbono.  Berrah well; all same."
+
+Immediately after breakfast next morning the two set off in Imbono's
+company, Jack carried a prospector's pan for washing the soil, Mr.
+Martindale having declared that he didn't expect to find nuggets lying
+around.  They also carried enough food for the day.  Imbono struck off
+due west from the village; then, when well out of sight, he made a
+detour, and passing through a couple of miles of dense forest, entered
+a broken hilly country, which to Mr. Martindale's experienced eye
+showed many traces of volcanic disturbance.  At last, forcing their way
+through a belt of tangled copse, with many scratches from prickly
+sprays, they came upon a deep gully, at the bottom of which ran a
+stream of brownish water, now some twenty feet in breadth.  That it was
+much broader at certain seasons was shown by the wide edging of sand
+and pebbles at each side.
+
+The chief came to a halt at the edge of the gully, and pointing up and
+down the stream, said something in his own language.  Mr. Martindale
+nodded his head, but said to Jack--
+
+"I suppose he means we're right there.  Why on earth could not he let
+Nando come and do the translating?"
+
+"Show him your watch, uncle!"
+
+At the sight of the watch Imbono nodded his head rapidly and ejaculated
+what was clearly an affirmative.  Then he led the way down the rocky
+side of the gully, the others scrambling after him.  On reaching the
+sandy strand Mr. Martindale bent down and eagerly examined it.  Taking
+some of the sand and pebbles in his hand, he stuck a magnifying glass
+in his eye and picked them over carefully.
+
+"Looks promising, Jack," he said, with the enthusiasm of an old miner.
+"There are little granules of quartz mixed up with the sand, and a
+particle or two of iron.  But that don't prove there's gold.  We'll
+just try a little experiment."
+
+He emptied a few handfuls of the soil into the pan, filled this with
+water from the stream, and moved the pan to and fro so as to give the
+water a concentric motion, Jack and the chief watching him with equal
+interest.  Every now and then Mr. Martindale would cant off a little of
+the water, which carried off some of the lighter sand with it.
+
+"What you may call a process of elimination or reduction," he said.
+
+"_Reductio ad absurdum_, uncle?"
+
+"I hope not.  Guess you're smartening up, Jack."
+
+"Call it survival of the fittest, then."
+
+"Of the thickest, I'd say.  This washing carries off the useless light
+sand, and leaves the heavy stuff behind, and it's in that we'll find
+gold if at all."
+
+After nearly half an hour's patient manipulation of the pan, there was
+left in the bottom a blackish powder and some coarse grains of quartz,
+with just enough water to cover them.
+
+"Look at that, my boy," said Mr. Martindale.  "First time you've seen
+anything of that sort, I guess."
+
+"But where's the gold, uncle?"
+
+"That's what remains to be seen--perhaps.  Keep your eye on that groove
+as I tilt the pan round.  The black stuff is iron-stone; you needn't
+trouble about that.  See if it leaves anything else."
+
+He gently tilted the pan so that the water slowly flowed round the
+groove, carrying with it the quartz grains and the powder.  Jack
+watched narrowly.  After the contents of the pan had made the circuit
+two or three times he suddenly exclaimed--
+
+"There's a sort of glitter left behind the powder, uncle."
+
+"I reckon that's enough," said Mr. Martindale, setting down the pan.
+"We've hit it, Jack."
+
+Jack could not refrain from giving a cheer.  The chief, who had but
+half approved the proceedings at the beginning, caught the infection of
+the lad's enthusiasm, and snapped his fingers and slapped his thighs
+vigorously.
+
+"We'll have another look higher up," said Mr. Martindale.  "One swallow
+don't make a summer--another piece of what you call antiquated rubbish,
+Jack.  There's gold here, that's certain; but I don't know whether it's
+rich enough to be worth working."
+
+They walked for half a mile up the stream, and Mr. Martindale went
+through the same process with the soil there.  He was again rewarded.
+This time, however, the trace of gold was more distinct.
+
+"Jack, my boy," he said, "there's a small fortune in the bed of the
+stream alone.  But I'm not satisfied yet.  It's up to us now to
+discover the mother lode.  To judge by the size of the stream it can't
+be far off.  The botheration is we can't talk to the chief, and I say
+it's most unbrotherly to refuse us the advantage of an interpreter."
+
+"Well, we've plenty of time, uncle.  I vote we have our lunch and then
+go on again."
+
+They sat down on boulders at the edge of the river and ate the manioc
+cakes and bananas with which Barney had provided them.  Imbono seemed
+pleased when he was invited to share their lunch.  Going into the
+forest, he returned with a large leaf which he shaped like a cup, and
+in this he brought water from the stream for the white men.
+
+After lunch they followed up the stream.  At intervals Mr. Martindale
+stopped to test the gravel, and found always some trace of gold, now
+slight, now plentiful.  Some three miles up they came to a confluence.
+The stream was joined by a smaller swifter one, which evidently took
+its rise in the steep hilly country now becoming visible through the
+trees.
+
+"We'll try this, Jack."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because the bed's more gravelly than the other.  I guess the big
+stream comes out of the forest somewhere; the other will suit our book
+best."
+
+They found their progress becoming more and more difficult.  The ground
+was more rocky, the sides of the gully were steeper, and the edging of
+dry gravel diminished until by and by it disappeared altogether, and
+the prospectors had to take off their boots and socks and wade.  There
+were trees and bushes here and there on the sides and at the top of the
+gully, but the vegetation became more and more scanty as they ascended.
+Presently the sound of falling water struck upon their ears, and a
+sudden turn of the stream brought them into full view of a cataract.
+At this point the gully had widened out, and the water fell over a
+broad smooth ledge of rock, dashing on the stones after a descent of
+some fifty or sixty feet.
+
+"That's fine!" exclaimed Jack, halting to watch the cascade sparkling
+in the sunlight, and the brownish white foam eddying at the foot.
+
+"Grand!" assented Mr. Martindale.  "There's enough water power there to
+save many a thousand dollars' worth of machinery."
+
+"I was thinking of the scenery, not machinery, uncle," said Jack, with
+a laugh.
+
+"Scenery!  Why, I've got a lot finer waterfall than that on my
+dining-room wall.  It isn't Niagara one way or t'other, but it'll do a
+lot of mill grinding all the same.  Now, Jack, you're younger than I
+am.  I want to see what there is by those rocks ten feet away from the
+bottom of the fall.  Strip, my boy; a bath will do you a power of good,
+a hot day like this; and there are no crocodiles here to make you feel
+jumpy."
+
+Jack stripped and was soon waist deep in the water.  Reaching the spot
+his uncle had indicated, he stooped, and found that he could just touch
+the bottom without immersing himself.  The water was too frothy for the
+bottom to be seen; he groped along it with his hands, bringing up every
+now and then a small fragment of quartz or a handful of gravel, which
+Mr. Martindale, after inspecting it from a distance, told him to throw
+in again.
+
+At last, when he was getting somewhat tired of this apparently useless
+performance, he brought up a handful of stones, not to as eyes
+differing from what he had seen for the past half hour.  He spread them
+out for his uncle, now only two or three yards away, to examine.
+
+"I guess you can put on your clothes now," said Mr. Martindale.  "Why,
+hang it, man! you've thrown it away!"
+
+Jack had pitched the stones back into the water.
+
+"I thought you'd done, uncle," he said.
+
+"So I have, and you're done too--done brown.  D'you know you've thrown
+away a nugget worth I don't know how many dollars?"
+
+"You didn't tell me what you were after," said Jack, somewhat nettled.
+"I couldn't be expected to know you were hunting for nuggets."
+
+"No, you couldn't be expected: and that's just exactly what I brought
+you over to America for.  When you've had the kind of smartening up I
+mean you to have, you won't talk about what's expected or not expected;
+you'll just figure it out that there's some reason in everything, and
+you'll use your own share of reason accordingly."
+
+"All right, uncle," replied Jack good-humouredly.  "I might have put
+two and two together, perhaps.  At school, you see, they liked us to do
+as we were told without arguing.  'Theirs not to reason why'--you know.
+Shall I fish for that nugget?"
+
+"Not worth while.  A few dollars more or less are neither here nor
+there.  I know what I want to know, and now I think we'd better be
+getting.  Put your clothes on.  Our brother Imbono has several times
+anxiously pointed to the sun.  He evidently isn't comfortable at the
+idea of being benighted in these regions."
+
+Screwing some of the sifted gravel into a bag of leaves, Mr. Martindale
+signed to the chief that he was ready to return.  They reached the camp
+just as the sun was setting.  In honour of the recent discovery, Mr.
+Martindale invited the chief to supper, and gave him a regale which
+astonished him.  To see the white man bring peaches out of a closed pot
+made Imbono open his eyes; but the sensation of the evening was
+furnished by a bottle of soda water.  When the stopper was loosed and
+the liquid spurted over, the chief shrank back in amazement, uttering a
+startled cry.  Nando, not skilled in European politeness, guffawed
+uproariously.
+
+"Him say debbil water, sah.  Yah! yah!"
+
+Nothing would induce Imbono to drink the stuff.  But he took kindly to
+tea, and being prevailed on to try a pinch of snuff, he laughed
+heartily when the paroxysm of sneezing was over, and asked for more.
+
+"Him say like laugh-cry dust plenty much," said Nando.
+
+When the chief had eaten his fill, Mr. Martindale, with considerable
+diplomacy, explained that the discovery of gold was of little use to
+him unless he could take men to the spot, and desired the withdrawal of
+the prohibition.  Nando took a long time to convey this to Imbono, and
+Jack suspected that he was making somewhat lavish promises in the
+nature of _quid pro quo_.  Imbono at length agreed to the white man's
+request, provided none of the workers he wished to take with him were
+servants of the Great White Chief.  He consented also to lead him back
+to the cataract next day, so that he might complete his search for the
+gold-bearing rocks.
+
+On this second journey Mr. Martindale and Jack were accompanied by two
+of their negroes with picks.  On arriving at the spot the men were set
+to break away portions of the rocky wall on the left of the cataract.
+
+"You see, Jack," said Mr. Martindale, "the fact that we found gold in
+the stream shows that it is still being washed down by the water;
+otherwise it would have been swept away or buried long ago.  The rock
+must be of a soft kind that offers comparatively little resistance to
+the water, and I'm rather inclined to think that not so very many years
+ago the cataract was a good deal farther forward than it is now.  Well,
+the gold-bearing stratum must run right through the cataract,
+horizontally I suspect.  It may not be a broad one, but it will
+probably extend some distance on each side of the fall, and a few
+hours' work ought to prove it."
+
+As the rock fell away under the negroes' picks, Mr. Martindale and Jack
+carefully washed samples of it.  In less than an hour the glittering
+trail shone out clear in the wake of the granules of rock as they slid
+round the groove.
+
+"So much for the first part of our job," said Mr. Martindale, with a
+quiet sigh of satisfaction.  "The next thing is to see if the gold
+extends above the cataract."
+
+Under Imbono's guidance the party made their way by a detour to the
+river banks above the falls.  After a search of some hours Mr.
+Martindale declared himself satisfied that the lode was confined to the
+rocks over which the water poured.
+
+"We can't do much more for the present," he said.  "The next thing is
+to get machinery for working the ore.  We'll have to go back to Boma.
+We can probably get simple materials for working the alluvial deposits
+there, but the machinery for crushing the ore must be got from Europe,
+and that'll take time.  We'll pack up and start to-morrow."
+
+But after breakfast next morning, when Mr. Martindale had lighted his
+morning cigar, he startled Jack by saying suddenly--
+
+"Say, Jack, how would you like to be left here with Barney and some of
+the men while I go back to Boma?"
+
+"What a jolly lark!" said Jack, flushing with pleasure.
+
+"Humph!  That's a fool's speech, or a schoolboy's, which often comes to
+the same thing.  I'm not thinking of larks, or gulls, or geese, but of
+serious business."
+
+"Sorry, uncle.  That's only my way of saying I should like it
+immensely."
+
+"I've been turning it over in the night.  I want to make a man of you,
+Jack; I want to see if there's any grit in you.  There ought to be, if
+you're your mother's boy.  Anyway this will give you a chance.  Things
+are this way.  We've struck a fortune here.  Well, I'm an old miner,
+and I don't allow anybody to jump my claim.  I don't reckon any one is
+likely to jump it; still, you never know.  That fellow Elbel, now; he's
+an official of the Belgian company, and he knows what I'm here for.  He
+might take it into his head to steal a march on me, and though I've got
+the mining monopoly for all this district, you bet that won't be much
+of a protection of my claim all these miles from civilization.  So it's
+advisable to have a man on the spot, and it's either you or me.  You
+don't know anything about mining machinery, so I guess it's no good
+sending you to Boma.  Consequently, you must stay here."
+
+"I'm jolly glad of the chance, uncle.  I'll look after your claim."
+
+"Spoiling for a fight, eh?  But we mustn't have any fighting.  Mind
+you, all this is only speculation--foresight, prudence, call it what
+you like.  I don't calculate on any one trying to do me out of my
+rights.  And if any one tries to jump my claim, it won't do for you to
+make a fool of yourself by trying to oppose 'em by force.  All you can
+do is to sit tight and keep an eye on things till I get back.  I don't
+know I'm doing right to leave you: you're the only nephew I've got, and
+you can't raise nephews as you raise pumpkins.  But I thought it all
+out while you were snoring, and I've made up my mind to give it a
+trial.  Patience and tact, that's what you want.  You've got 'em, or
+you haven't.  If you have, I reckon it's all right: if you haven't----"
+
+"Your cigar has gone out, dear old man," said Jack, laying his hand on
+his uncle's.
+
+"So it has.  I'll try another.  Well, that's settled, eh?  I'll be as
+quick as I can, Jack: no doubt I'll find a launch when I reach the
+Congo, or even before if Elbel's boss at Makua likes to make himself
+pleasant.  But I've no doubt Elbel has coloured up our little meeting
+in his report to headquarters.  Anyhow, I should be right back in two
+or three months--not so very long after all.  I'll forward some rifles
+and ammunition from the first station where I can get 'em: the sale of
+arms is prohibited in this State, of course; but that isn't the only
+law, by all accounts, that's a dead letter here, and I don't doubt a
+little palm-oil will help me to fix up all I want.  You'll have to
+teach the men how to use 'em, and remember, they're only for
+self-defence in the last extremity.  See?"
+
+"I'll be careful, uncle.  It's lucky we've a friend in Imbono.  I think
+we'll get along first-rate.  Nando can do the interpreting till I learn
+something of the language."
+
+"Jingo!  I'd forgotten Nando.  That's a poser, Jack.  I shall want him
+to pilot me down to Boma.  I can't get along without an interpreter.
+That's a nailer on our little scheme, my boy; for of course you can't
+stay here without some one to pass your orders to the men."
+
+Jack looked very crestfallen.  The prospect of being left in charge was
+very delightful to him, and he had already been resolving to show
+himself worthy of his uncle's trust.  The thing he had regretted most
+in leaving Rugby was that he would never be in the Sixth and a "power."
+He did not shrink from responsibility; and it was hard to have his
+hopes of an independent command dashed at the moment of opportunity.
+Suddenly an idea occurred to him.  "Are you sure none of the other men
+know enough English to serve my turn?" he said.
+
+"Nando said not a man jack of 'em knows it but himself.  I'll call him
+up and ask him again."
+
+Nando came up all smiles in answer to the call.  "You told me that none
+of the men speak English but yourself," said Mr. Martindale; "is that
+true?"
+
+"Too plenty much true, sah.  Me speak troof all same, sah."
+
+"That's unfortunate.  We're going back to Boma.  I wanted to leave Mr.
+Jack here, but I can't do that unless he has some one to do the talking
+for him.  Go and get the things packed up, Nando."
+
+The negro departed with alacrity.  But not five minutes later he
+returned, accompanied by a negro a little shorter than himself, but
+otherwise showing a strong resemblance.  Both were grinning broadly.
+
+"My brudder, sah," said Nando, patting the younger man on the shoulder.
+"He berrah fine chap.  Him Lepoko.  Speak Inglesa; berrah clebber.
+Nando go with big massa, Lepoko stay with little massa; oh yes! all too
+fine and jolly."
+
+"Lepoko speaks English, does he?" said Mr. Martindale.  "Then you're a
+liar, Nando!"
+
+"No, sah, me no tell lies, not at all.  Lepoko no speak Inglesa all de
+time, sah.  What for two speak Inglesa one time?  Too much nise, massa
+no can hear what Nando say.  Nando go, all same; massa muss hab some
+one can talk.  Berrah well; den Lepoko hab go; can talk all right.  He
+show massa what can do."
+
+"One, two, free, forty, hundred fousand," began Lepoko glibly.  "Ten
+little nigger boys.  What de good of anyfink?  Way down de Swannee
+ribber----"
+
+"That'll do, that'll do!" cried Mr. Martindale, laughing.  "You've got
+your interpreter, Jack.  Nando, get ready to start.  Bring nine men
+with you, the rest will stay with Mr. Jack.  The fellow was hankering
+after the flesh-pots of Boma, I suppose," he added, when Nando had
+gone, "and that accounts for his sudden discovery of his brother's
+eloquence--too jealous of his own importance to give it away before.
+Now there's Barney, Jack.  I don't know how he'll take being left here."
+
+Barney took it very well.  When Mr. Martindale mentioned that he would
+be absent for at least two months, he remarked--
+
+"Bedad, sorr, I'll be getting fat at last.  Imbono sent another heap of
+maniac this morning, and seeing that I'll have nothing whativer to do
+for two months, sure I'll be a different man entirely by the time you
+come back."
+
+An hour later the shore was crowded with natives come to bid the white
+man farewell.  Imbono was there with all the men of his village.  At
+his final interview with Mr. Martindale he had promised to watch
+carefully over the welfare of his young blood brother; he would supply
+him and his men with food, and defend him from wild beasts and
+aggressive black men, and his villagers should at once set about
+building new huts for the party.
+
+"Remember, Jack, patience--and tact.  God bless you, my boy."
+
+"Good-bye, uncle.  Hope you'll have a pleasant journey.  And on the way
+down keep an eye lifting for Samba."
+
+Then the ten natives struck the water with their paddles, the canoe
+glided down the stream, and as it disappeared round a bend of the river
+Jack heard the men's voices uplifted in a new song composed for the
+occasion.
+
+"What are they singing, Lepoko?" he asked of his new interpreter.
+
+"Me tell massa.
+
+  "Down brown ribber,
+  Broad brown ribber,
+  White man go
+  In canoe.
+  Good-bye, Ilola,
+  Good-bye, Imbono,
+  Good-bye, Jacko,
+  Brave Jacko,
+  Young Jacko.
+  He save Imbono,
+  Lucky Imbono;
+  Down brown ribber
+  White man go."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+Samba Meets the Little Men
+
+Samba had cheerfully accompanied Mr. Martindale's expedition, in the
+confidence that one of its principal objects, if not indeed its main
+one, was the discovery of his parents.  Nando had told him, on the
+ruins of Banonga, that the white man would help him in his search, and
+the white man had treated him so kindly that he believed what Nando
+said.  But as the days passed and the canoes went farther and farther
+up stream, miles away from Banonga, the boy began to be uneasy.  More
+than once he reminded Nando of his promise, only to be put off with
+excuses: the white man was a very big chief, and such a trifling matter
+as the whereabouts of a black boy's father and mother could not be
+expected to engage him until his own business was completed.
+
+Samba became more and more restless.  He wished he could open the
+matter himself to the white men; but the few words of English he had
+picked up from Jack and Barney were as useless to him as any
+schoolboy's French.  Jack often wondered why there was so wistful a
+look upon the boy's face as he followed him about, much as Pat followed
+Samba.  He spoke to Nando about it, but Nando only laughed.  Samba
+began to distrust Nando.  What if the man's assurances were false, and
+there had never been any intention of seeking his father?  The white
+men had been kind to him; they gave him good food; he was pleased with
+the knife presented to him as a reward for his watchfulness; but all
+these were small things beside the fact that his parents were lost to
+him.  Had the white men no fathers? he wondered.
+
+At length he came to a great resolution.  If they would not help him,
+he must help himself.  He would slip away one night and set off in
+search.  He well knew that in cutting himself adrift from the
+expedition many days' journey from his old home he was exchanging ease
+and plenty for certain hardship and many dangers known and unknown.
+The forest in the neighbourhood of Banonga was as a playground to him;
+but he could not know what awaited him in a country so remote as this.
+He had never been more than half a day's journey from home, but he had
+heard of unfriendly tribes who might kill him, or at best keep him
+enslaved.  And the white men of Bula Matadi--did not they sometimes
+seize black boys, and make them soldiers or serfs?  Yet all these
+perils must be faced: Samba loved his parents, and in his case love
+cast out fear.
+
+One morning, very early, when every one in the camp was occupied with
+the first duties of the day, Samba stole away.  His own treasured knife
+was slung by a cord about his neck; he carried on his hip,
+negro-fashion, a discarded biscuit tin which he had filled with food
+saved from his meals of the previous day; and Mr. Martindale's knife
+dangled from his waist cord.  It was easy to slip away unseen; the camp
+was surrounded by trees, and within a minute he was out of sight.  He
+guessed that an hour or two would pass before his absence was
+discovered, and then pursuit would be vain.
+
+But he had not gone far when he heard a joyous bark behind him, and Pat
+came bounding along, leaping up at him, looking up in his face, as if
+to say: "You are going a-hunting: I will come too, and we will enjoy
+ourselves."  Samba stopped, and knelt down and put his arms about the
+dog's neck.  Should he take him?  The temptation was great: Pat and he
+were staunch friends; they understood each other, and the dog would be
+excellent company in the forest.  But Samba reflected.  Pat did not
+belong to him, and he had never stolen anything in his life.  The dog's
+master had been good to him: it would be unkind to rob him.  And Pat
+was a fighter: he was as brave as Samba himself, but a great deal more
+noisy and much less discreet.  Samba knew the ways of the forest; it
+was wise to avoid the dangerous beasts, to match their stealth with
+stealth; Pat would attack them, and certainly come off worst.  No, Pat
+must go back.  So Samba patted him, rubbed his head on the dog's rough
+coat, let Pat lick his face, and talked to him seriously.  Then he got
+up and pointed towards the camp and clapped his hands, and when Pat
+showed a disposition still to follow him, he waved his arms and spoke
+to him again.  Pat understood; he halted and watched the boy till he
+disappeared among the trees; then, giving one low whine, he trotted
+back with his tail sorrowfully lowered.
+
+Samba went on.  He had come to the river, but he meant to avoid it now.
+The river wound this way and that: the journey overland would be
+shorter.  He might be sought for along the bank; but in the forest
+wilds he would at least be safe from pursuit, whatever other dangers he
+might encounter.  At intervals along the bank, too, lay many villages:
+and Samba was less afraid of beasts than of men.  So, choosing by the
+instinct which every forest man seems to possess a direction that would
+lead towards his distant village, he went on with lithe and springy
+gait, humming an old song his grandfather Mirambo had taught him.
+
+His path at first led through a grassy country, with trees and bush in
+plenty, yet not so thick but that the sunlight came freely through the
+foliage, making many shining circles on the ground.  But after about
+two hours the forest thickened; the sunlit spaces became fewer, the
+undergrowth more and more tangled.  At midday he sat down by the edge
+of a trickling stream to eat his dinner of manioc, then set off again.
+The forest was now denser than anything to which he had been accustomed
+near Banonga, and he went more warily, his eyes keen to mark the tracks
+of animals, his ears alive to catch every sound.  He noticed here the
+scratches of a leopard on a tree trunk, there the trampled undergrowth
+where an elephant had passed; but he saw no living creature save a few
+snakes and lizards, and once a hare that scurried across his path as he
+approached.  He knew that in the forest it is night that brings danger.
+
+The forest became ever thicker, and as evening drew on it grew dark and
+chill.  The ground was soft with layers of rotted foliage, the air
+heavy with the musty smell of vegetation in decay.  Samba's teeth
+chattered with the cold, and he could not help longing for Barney's
+cosy hut and the warm companionship of the terrier.  It was time to
+sleep.  Could he venture to build a fire?  The smoke might attract men,
+but he had seen no signs of human habitation.  It would at any rate
+repel insects and beasts.  Yes--he would build a fire.
+
+First he sought for a tree with a broad overhanging branch on which he
+could perch himself for the night.  Then he made a wide circuit to
+assure himself that there were no enemies near at hand.  In the course
+of his round he came to a narrow clearing where an outcrop of rock had
+prevented vegetation, and on the edges of this he found sufficient dry
+brushwood to make his fire.  Collecting an armful, he carried it
+unerringly to his chosen tree, heaped it below the hospitable branch,
+and with his knife whittled a hard dry stick to a sharp point.  He
+selected then a square lump of wood, cut a little hollow in it, and,
+holding his pointed stick upright in the hollow, whirled it about
+rapidly between his hands until first smoke then a spark appeared.
+Having kindled his fire he banked it down with damp moss he found hard
+by, so as to prevent it from blazing too high and endangering his tree
+or attracting attention.  Then he climbed up into the branch; there he
+would be safest from prowling beasts.  The acrid smoke rose from the
+fire beneath and enveloped him, but it gave him no discomfort, rather a
+feeling of "homeness" and well-being; such had been the accompaniment
+of sleep all his life long in his father's hut at Banonga.  Curled up
+on that low bough he slept through the long hours--a dreamless sleep,
+undisturbed by the bark of hyenas, the squeal of monkeys, or the wail
+of tiger-cats.
+
+When he awoke he was stiff and cold.  It was still dark, but even at
+midday the sun can but feebly light the thickest parts of the Congo
+Forest.  The fire had gone out; but Samba did not venture to leave his
+perch until the glimmer of dawn, pale though it was, gave him light
+enough to see by.  He was ravenously hungry, and did not spare the food
+left in his tin; many a time he had found food in the forest near his
+home, and now that he felt well and strong, no fear of starvation
+troubled him.  Having finished his simple breakfast, he slung the empty
+can over his hip and set off on his journey.
+
+For two days he tramped on and on, plucking here the red berries of the
+phrynia, there the long crimson fruit of the amoma, with mushrooms in
+plenty.  Nothing untoward had happened.  In this part of the forest
+beasts appeared to be few.  Now and again he heard the rapping noise
+made by the soko, the gibber of monkeys, the squawk of parrots: once he
+stood behind a broad trunk and watched breathlessly as a tiger-cat
+stalked a heedless rabbit; each night he lighted his fire and found a
+serviceable branch on which to rest.
+
+But on the third day he was less happy.  The farther he walked, the
+denser became the forest, the more difficult his path.  Edible berries
+were rarer; fewer trees had fungi growing about their roots; he had to
+content himself with forest beans in their brown tough rind.  When the
+evening was drawing on he could find no dry fuel for a fire, and now,
+instead of seeking a branch for a sleeping place, he looked for a
+hollow tree which would give him some shelter from the cold damp air of
+night.  Having found his tree he gathered a handful of moss, set fire
+to it from his stick and block, which he had carefully preserved, and
+threw the smouldering heap into the hollow to smoke out noxious
+insects, or a snake, if perchance one had made his home there.
+
+The fourth day was a repetition of the third, with more discomforts.
+Sometimes the tangled vines and creepers were so thick that he had to
+go round about to find a path.  The vegetation provided still less
+food, only a few jack fruit and the wild fruit of the motanga rewarding
+his search.  He was so hungry at midday that he was reduced to
+collecting slugs from the trees, a fare he would fain have avoided.
+Fearless as he was, he was beginning to be anxious; for to make a
+certain course in this dense forest was well-nigh impossible.
+
+At dusk, when again he sought a hollow tree and dropped a heap of
+smouldering herbage into the hole, he started back with a low cry, for
+he heard an ominous hiss in the depths, and was only just in time to
+avoid a python which had been roused from sleep by the burning mass.
+In a twinkling the huge coils spread themselves like a released
+watch-spring beyond the mouth of the hole and along the lowermost
+branch of the tree.  With all his forest lore, Samba was surprised to
+find that a python could move so quickly.  The instant he heard the
+angry hiss he crouched low against the trunk, thankful that the reptile
+had chosen a branch on the other side.  Armed only with a knife, he
+knew himself no match for a twenty-foot python; had he not seen a young
+hippopotamus strangled by a python no larger than this?  Like Brer
+Rabbit, Samba lay low and said nothing: until the python, swinging
+itself on to the branch of an adjacent tree a few feet away,
+disappeared in the foliage.  Then, allowing time for the reptile to
+settle elsewhere, Samba sought safer quarters.  The python's house was
+comfortable, even commodious; but Samba would scarcely have slept as
+soundly as he was wont in uncertainty whether the disturbed owner might
+not after all return home.
+
+He felt very cramped and miserable when he rose next day to resume his
+journey.  This morning he had to start without breakfast, for neither
+fruits nor berries were to be had: a search among fallen trees failed
+even to discover ants of which to make a scanty meal.  Constant walking
+and privation were telling on his frame; his eyes were less bright, his
+step was less elastic.  But there was a great heart within him; he
+plodded on; he had set out to find his father and mother; he would not
+turn back.  The dangers ahead could be no worse than those he had
+already met, and no experienced general of army could have known better
+than Samba that to retreat is often more perilous than to advance.
+
+In the afternoon, when, having found a few berries, he had eaten the
+only meal of the day and was about to seek, earlier than usual, his
+quarters for the night, he heard, from a short distance to the left of
+his track, a great noise of growling and snarling.  The sounds were not
+like those of any animals he knew.  With cautious steps he made his way
+through the matted undergrowth towards the noise.  Almost unawares he
+came upon an extraordinary sight.  In the centre of an open space,
+scarcely twenty feet across, a small man, lighter in hue than the
+majority of Congolese natives, was struggling to free himself from the
+grip of a serval which had buried its claws deep in his body and thigh.
+Two other small men, less even than Samba in height, were leaping and
+yelling around their comrade, apparently instructing him how to act,
+though neither made use of the light spears they carried to attack the
+furious beast.  The serval, its greenish eyes brilliant with rage, was
+an unusually powerful specimen of its kind, resembling indeed a leopard
+rather than a tiger-cat.  It was bent, as it seemed, upon working its
+way upward to the man's throat, and its reddish spotted coat was so
+like his skin in hue that, as they writhed and twisted this way and
+that, an onlooker might well have hesitated to launch a spear at the
+beast for fear of hitting the man.
+
+One of the little man's hands had a grip of the serval's throat; but he
+was not strong enough to strangle it, and the lightning quickness of
+the animal's movements prevented him from gripping it with the other
+hand.  Even a sturdily-built European might well have failed to gain
+the mastery in a fight with such a foe, and the little man had neither
+the strength nor the staying power to hold out much longer.  Yet his
+companions continued to yell and dance round, keeping well out of reach
+of the terrible claws; while blood was streaming from a dozen deep
+gashes in the little man's body.
+
+Samba stood but a few moments gazing at the scene.  The instinct of the
+born hunter was awake in him, and that higher instinct which moves a
+man to help his kind.  Clutching his broad knife he bounded into the
+open, reached the fainting man in two leaps, and plunged the blade deep
+into the creature's side behind the shoulder.  With a convulsive
+wriggle the serval made a last attempt to bury its fangs in its
+victim's neck.  Then its muscles suddenly relaxed, and it fell dead to
+the ground.
+
+Samba's intervention had come too late.  The man had been so terribly
+mauled that his life was ebbing fast.  His comrades looked at him and
+began to make strange little moaning cries; then they laid him on a bed
+of leaves and turned their attention to Samba.  He knew that he was in
+the presence of Bambute, the dreaded pigmies of the forest.  Never
+before had he seen them; but he had heard of them as fearless hunters
+and daring fighters, who moved about from place to place in the forest,
+and levied toll upon the plantations of larger men.  The two little men
+came to him and patted his arms and jabbered together; but he
+understood nothing of what they said.  By signs he explained to them
+that he was hungry.  Then, leaving their wounded comrade to his fate,
+they took Samba by the hands and led him rapidly into the forest,
+following a path which could scarcely have been detected by any except
+themselves.  In some twenty minutes they arrived at a clearing where
+stood a group of two score small huts, like beehives, no more than four
+feet high, with an opening eighteen inches square, just large enough to
+allow a pigmy to creep through.  Pigmies, men and women, were squatting
+around--ugly little people, but well-made and muscular, with leaves and
+grass aprons for all clothing, and devoid of such ornaments as an
+ordinary negro loves.
+
+They sprang up as Samba approached between his guides, and a great
+babel of question and answer arose, like the chattering of monkeys.
+The story was told; none showed any concern for the man left to die;
+the Bambute acknowledge no ties, and seem to have little family
+affection.  A plentiful dinner of antelope flesh and bananas was soon
+placed before Samba, and it was clear that the pigmies were ready to
+make much of the stranger who had so boldly attacked the serval.
+
+One of them knew a little of a Congolese dialect, and he succeeded in
+making Samba understand that the chief was pleased with him, and wished
+to adopt him as his son.  Samba shook his head and smiled: his own
+parents were alive, he said; he wished for no others.  This made the
+chief angry.  The chiefs of some of the big men had often adopted pigmy
+boys and made slaves of them; it was now his turn.  The whole community
+scowled and snarled so fiercely that Samba thought the safest course
+was to feign acquiescence for the moment, and seize the first
+opportunity afterwards of slipping away.
+
+But nearly three weeks passed before a chance presented itself.  The
+pigmies kept him with them, never letting him go out of their sight.
+They fed him well--almost too well, expecting his powers of consumption
+to be equal to their own.  Never before had he seen such extraordinary
+eaters.  One little man would squat before a stalk bearing fifty or
+sixty bananas, and eat them all.  True, he lay moaning and groaning all
+night, but next morning would be quite ready to gorge an equal meal.
+Since they did not cultivate the ground themselves, Samba wondered
+where they obtained their plentiful supply of bananas and manioc.  He
+learnt by and by that they appropriated what they pleased from the
+plantations of a neighbouring tribe of big men, who had too great a
+respect for the pigmies' poisoned arrows and spears to protest.  Samba
+hoped that he might one day escape to this tribe, but a shifting of the
+village rendered this impossible, though it afforded the boy the
+opportunity for which he had so long been waiting.
+
+On the night when the pigmy tribe settled down in its new home, four
+days' journey from the old, Samba took advantage of the fatigue of his
+captors to steal away.  He had chosen the darkest hour before the dawn,
+and knowing that he would very soon be missed and followed up, he
+struck off through the forest as rapidly as he could.  With plentiful
+food he had recovered his old strength and vigour, and he strode along
+fleetly, finding his way chiefly by the nature of the ground beneath
+his feet; for there was no true path, and the forest was almost
+completely dark, even when dawn had broken elsewhere.  As the morning
+drew on the leafy arcades became faintly illuminated, and he could then
+see sufficiently well to choose the easiest way through the obstacles
+that beset his course.
+
+Despite all his exertions his progress was very slow.  Well he knew
+that, expert though he was in forest travel, he could not move through
+these tangled mazes with anything like the speed of the active little
+men who by this time were almost certainly on his track.  At the best
+he could hardly have got more than two miles' start.  As he threaded
+his way through the brushwood, hacking with his knife at obstructive
+creepers, and receiving many a scratch from briar and thorn, he tried
+to think of some way of throwing the pursuers off the scent; but every
+yard of progress demanded so much exertion that he was unequal to the
+effort of devising any likely ruse.
+
+Suddenly coming upon a shallow stream about two yards wide that ran
+across his line of march, he saw in a flash a chance of covering his
+trail.  He stepped into the stream, pausing for a moment to drink, then
+waded a few paces against the current, narrowly scanning the bordering
+trees.  They showed a close network of interlacing branches, one tree
+encroaching on another.  Choosing a bough overhanging the brook, just
+above his head, Samba drew himself up into the tree, taking care that
+no spots of water were left on the branch to betray him.  Then,
+clambering nimbly like a monkey from bough to bough, he made a path for
+himself through the trees at an angle half-way between the directions
+of the stream and of his march through the forest.  He hoped that,
+losing his track in the stream, the Bambute would jump to the
+conclusion that he was making his way up or down its bed, and would
+continue their chase accordingly.
+
+Among the trees his progress was even slower than on the ground.  Every
+now and again he had to return on his tracks, encountering a branch
+that, serviceable as it might look, proved either too high or too low,
+or not strong enough to bear his weight.  And he was making more noise
+than he liked.  There was not only the rustle and creak of parting
+leaves and bending twigs, and the crack of small branches that snapped
+under his hand; but his intrusion scared the natural denizens of the
+forest, and they clattered away with loud cries of alarm--grey parrots
+in hundreds, green pigeons, occasionally a hawk or the great blue
+plantain-eater.  The screeches of the birds smothered, indeed, any
+sound that he himself might make; but such long-continued evidence of
+disturbance might awaken the suspicion of the little men and guide them
+to his whereabouts.
+
+By and by he came to a gap in the forest.  The clear sunlight was
+welcome as a guide to his course; but he saw that to follow the
+direction which he believed would bring him towards Banonga he must now
+leave the trees.  He stopped for a few minutes to recover breath, and
+to consider what he had best do.  As he lay stretched along a bough,
+his eye travelled back over the path he had come.  The vagaries of
+lightning that had struck down two forest giants in close proximity
+disclosed to his view a stretch of some twenty yards of the stream
+which he had just crossed on his primeval suspension bridge.  What
+caused him to start and draw himself together, shrinking behind a leafy
+screen thick enough to hide him even from the practised eyes of the
+little forest men?  There, in the bed of the stream, glancing this way
+and that, at the water, the banks, the trees on every side, were a file
+of Bambute, carrying their little bows and arrows and their short light
+spears.  They moved swiftly, silently, some bending towards the ground,
+others peering to right and left with a keenness that nothing could
+escape.  Samba's heart thumped against his ribs as he watched them.  He
+counted them as they passed one after another across the gap; they
+numbered twenty, and he was not sure that he had seen the first.
+
+The last disappeared.  Samba waited.  Had his ruse succeeded?  There
+was absolute silence; he heard neither footstep nor voice.  But the
+little men must soon find out their mistake.  They would then cast back
+to the point where they had lost the scent.  Could they pick it up
+again--trace him to the tree and follow him up?  He could not tell.
+They must have been close upon him when he climbed into the tree;
+evidently he had left the path only in the nick of time.  This much he
+had gained.  But he dared not wait longer; there was no safety for him
+while they were so near; he must on.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Trip with a Crocodile
+
+Samba looked warily round, then began to descend from his perch in the
+tree, moving as slowly and with as many pauses as a timid bather
+stepping into the water.  Once more he was on the ground.  Pausing only
+to throw a rapid glance on all sides, he struck off in a direction at
+right angles to the course of the stream, and resumed his laborious
+march through the forest maze.
+
+Hour after hour he pushed on without meeting a living creature.  But he
+had heard too much of the cunning and determination of the Congo dwarfs
+to delude himself with the idea that he had finally shaken them off.
+Tired as he was, sweating in the moist oppressive heat, he dared not
+rest, even to eat in comfort the food he had brought in his tin.  He
+nibbled morsels as he went, hoping that by good speed during the whole
+day he might get far enough from the pigmies to make his ultimate
+escape secure.
+
+Towards evening he heard in front of him the long monotonous rustle of
+a stream foaming over a rocky bed.  He was careful in approaching it:
+to meet a crocodile ambushed near the bank would be as dangerous as to
+meet a man.  Pushing his way cautiously through the shrubs, he came to
+the edge of a broad river, flowing in swift eddies from white rapids
+above.  It seemed to Samba that this must be a tributary of the Lemba,
+the river on whose bank he had left the white men, and to which, lower
+down, he must ultimately make his way.  Pursuit by the white men might
+now be safely disregarded; Samba thought he could hardly do better than
+keep to the stream, taking his chance of meeting negroes at isolated
+villages on the banks.  These, if he met them, would at any rate be
+easier to elude than the Bambute.
+
+But the sun was going down, the air becoming chill.  He must find a
+shelter for the night and pursue his riverside journey next day.  A
+little search revealed, on a bluff above the river, a boulder having a
+deep cavity on one side.  Here Samba sat down to eat the little food
+left in his tin; then he curled himself up for the night.  Nothing
+disturbed his sleep.
+
+In the morning he felt more than usually hungry.  His tin was empty; he
+did not care to leave the river and go hunting in the forest, perhaps
+vainly, for berries or roots.  A little way down stream he noticed a
+spot where the dark surface of the water was scarcely disturbed by a
+ripple; was that a deep pool, he wondered, where fish might be?  He
+went down to the edge and, leaning flat upon a rock peeped over.  Yes;
+in the depths he caught the scaly gleam of darting fish.
+
+Springing up, he went to a swampy patch hard by and cut a long,
+straight, stiff reed.  Then he took the hard stick with which he made
+fire, and, sharpening the point until it pricked like a needle, he
+fitted the wood to the reed so as to make a spear.  With this in his
+hand he once more leant over the pool.  He lay still for a few moments,
+intently watching; then, with a movement of extraordinary swiftness, he
+plunged his spear into the depths, and brought it out with a silvery
+trout impaled.  The fish had stopped to nibble at a root in the bank.
+When Samba had thus caught three he was satisfied.  He did not pause to
+cook the fish.  He split them open, dexterously boned and cleaned them,
+and ate them raw.
+
+He had scarcely finished his breakfast when he saw, hurtling down the
+rapids above him, a huge forest tree--a mass of green, for most of its
+branches in full leaf were still upon it.  Clearly it had not long lost
+its grip of earth.  It came swirling towards Samba, every now and then
+stopping as its submerged part was caught by some rock, only to be
+whirled round and driven past the obstacle by the weight of water
+behind.  It made a zigzag course through the rapids, and then floated
+peacefully down the still reach of water beneath.
+
+As he watched the tree sailing gently towards him, Samba had an idea.
+Why not use it as a raft to carry him on his way?  It was strong enough
+to bear his weight; he could hide in the foliage with at least as good
+a chance of escaping observation as if he were moving along the banks.
+
+By the time he had grasped the notion the tree was past him.  He sprang
+up, raced along until he was level with it, then took a neat header
+into the water.  A minute's rapid swimming brought him to the end of
+the trunk, which, he saw, had been snapped clean off and was not
+encumbered by the roots.  He clambered up, and the trunk was so long
+that his trifling weight scarcely depressed its end.  Smiling with
+pleasure, he crawled along it until he was in the centre of the leafy
+screen.
+
+This, however, now that he was there, did not seem so dense as when he
+had viewed it from the bank; he was not concealed so well as he had
+hoped.  Every now and again, too, his novel raft gave an ominous lurch
+and roll, suggesting that the portion above water might at any moment
+change places with that below.  If that happened, Samba wondered, would
+he be able to disengage himself from the tangle of branches and swim
+clear?  But these momentary fears were banished by the novelty and
+excitement of his position.  How delightful it was, after his toilsome
+and fatiguing journey through the forest, to float down the river
+without effort of his own in a leafy arbour that defended him from the
+fierce rays of the sun!  And his voyage had the pleasures of variety.
+Sometimes the foliaged top went first; then, when the branches swept
+the bottom of the stream in shallow reaches, the trunk swung round and
+went broadside to the current.  Sometimes the branches stuck fast, the
+current carried the trunk round in a circle, and when an eddy set it
+again in motion, the trunk end became the bow of this uneasy ship.
+Bump!  That was some rock or sandbank; the tree shook, and Samba was
+nearly toppled from his perch.  Nk'oketo![1] It was all right; the
+friendly water had washed the tree clear, and Samba was off again, his
+black eyes gleaming with fun as he peered between the branches.
+
+It was early in the afternoon, and very hot even for those latitudes.
+Everything seemed asleep.  No breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees
+along the banks.  The air quivered.  Samba was dozing, lulled by the
+gentle motion of the tree, whose progress had not for some time been
+checked.
+
+All at once there was a shock.  Samba instinctively clutched a branch
+as he felt himself jerked from his seat.  His lumbering vessel was
+twirling round; and looking through the leaves, he saw that it was
+caught by the head on a sandbank in midstream.
+
+But next moment he felt a shiver run down his spine, and an eery
+creeping about the roots of his hair.  Below him, not four feet away, a
+gigantic crocodile was staring at him with his cunning baleful eyes.
+The swish of the projecting branches upon the sandbank had aroused the
+reptile from his siesta on this vantage ground, whence, at the lazy
+opening of an eye, he could survey a long stretch of the river.  And he
+had awoke to see a plump and tempting black boy at the inconsiderable
+altitude of four feet above his snout.
+
+Those who have seen the crocodile only in his hours of ease, lazily
+sunning himself on a river bank, or floating with scarcely more than
+his eyes and forehead visible on the surface of the stream, may have
+come to the comfortable conclusion that he is a slow-moving and
+lethargic beast.  But see him rushing at the bank to seize in his
+terrible jaws the unwary antelope or zebra that has come to drink, or
+to sweep it into the river with a single blow of his mighty tail.
+Watch him when, roused from his doze on a sandbank, by the sting of a
+rifle bullet on his armour, he vanishes with lightning rapidity beneath
+the water.  At one moment to all seeming as lifeless as a log, the next
+he is a raging monster, ready to tear and rend any hapless creature
+which his inertness has beguiled.
+
+Of the two, Samba and the crocodile, it was the saurian that first
+recovered his wits.  His instinct when disturbed at close quarters is
+to rush forthwith upon his enemy or victim.  Thus did the crocodile
+now.  Considering that he is a beast not built for jumping, the leap he
+attempted, with a spasmodic wriggle of his formidable tail, was quite a
+creditable feat.  With his teeth he grazed the lower part of the branch
+on which Samba sat; and the boy, gazing down into the beast's eyes,
+shuddered and shrank away.  Fortunate it was for him that his legs had
+not been dangling.  Nothing could then have saved him.
+
+The reptile, slipping back after its failure, maintained its hold on
+the lower branches with its forefeet.  Before it could make a second
+attempt, Samba had swung himself into the branch above.  The tree
+toppled slightly, and for one moment of terror Samba feared he would be
+thrown into the very jaws of the monster.  But the sandbank held the
+tree firmly, and that peril was past.
+
+With thick foliage between it and the boy, the crocodile saw no chance
+of securing its victim from its present position.  But it was
+determined not to be balked, and, cunning beast! could afford to wait.
+It seemed to know that the boy was only safe so long as he clung to his
+perch.  On the sandbank, or in the water, his end would alike be
+speedy.  So the reptile slid off the bank into the water, and swam to
+the trunk end of the tree, which had been swung round by the current
+and was now pointing down stream.  If it could not leap, it could
+crawl, and up the trunk the approach to its prey was easy.
+
+Samba's eyes were now wide with fright, as he saw the beast's
+intention.  Up a tree on the river bank he could have laughed any
+crocodile to scorn; but this sandbank in midstream was ground
+peculiarly the creature's own, even though the prey was on a branch ten
+feet above it.  With its experience of sandbanks the crocodile knew
+there was no permanency in this arrangement.
+
+The attempts of the huge reptile to gain a footing on the trunk had a
+result which caused Samba mingled hope and fear.  The tree floated
+clear of the bank, and the voyage began again.  But how different were
+the circumstances!  In the stern, no longer a cheerful smiling boy,
+carelessly watching the slow banks glide by, but a boy whose hands and
+feet gripped his perch with anxious tenacity, and whose scared eyes
+were quick to mark every movement of the unwelcome, the abhorred,
+passenger amidships.  With many a splash of its tail, and many a grunt
+of impatient fury, the monster at last made good its footing on the
+broad trunk, which under its weight was for more than a quarter of its
+length invisible beneath the surface of the water.  For some minutes it
+lay still, staring at Samba with unwinking eyes, displaying all its
+teeth as if to grin sardonically at its victim.  Samba regretted for
+the moment that he had not swarmed down from his perch and attacked the
+crocodile with his knife while he was still struggling to mount the
+trunk.  But then he reflected that he had after all done wisely, for
+the reptile would have slid back into the water, and before Samba could
+gain his retreat, he might have been swept off by one swish of the
+terrible tail.
+
+Samba, as he had shown more than once, and notably in the recent
+incident of the serval, had no lack of courage; but he had never before
+been at such close quarters with a crocodile, the most terrible of all
+the natural enemies of man in the regions of the Congo.  And as he sat
+and watched the glassy stare of the hideous reptile now wriggling inch
+by inch towards him, he felt a strange helplessness, a kind of
+fascination that seemed to chill and paralyse his power of movement as
+of thought.  He had retreated as far as he dared.  His weight had
+caused some of the slenderer and more elastic branches to bend towards
+the water; he had even imagined that, as he tested them, the pressure
+threatened to make the tree revolve.  What his fate would be if the
+whirling of the trunk on its axis brought him into the river he well
+knew.  The crocodile would slip as nimbly as an eel after him; and,
+entangled in the foliage, which to his armoured enemy would offer no
+obstacle, he would fall an easy prey.
+
+The crocodile wriggled on, till it came to the place where the first
+branch forked from the trunk.  Scarcely more than its own length now
+separated it from Samba.  Apparently it had come as near as it cared to
+venture; not being a climber, the feat of crawling up the tapering
+branch on which Samba was perched was not one to its taste.  It lay
+still, with jaws agape, its eyes half-closed in a kind of wicked leer.
+
+Samba tried to look away from the hideous beast, but in vain; he found
+his gaze drawn back uncontrollably.  He felt even more subject to the
+fascination now that the crocodile's movements had ceased.  The
+conviction was growing upon him that sooner or later he would slide
+down the branch and fall dreamily into the open jaws.  He was fast
+becoming hypnotized.
+
+But he was roused from this dangerous trancelike state by a sudden roll
+of the tree.  Perched high as he was, the motion caused him to swing
+through an arc of several yards and brought him perilously near the
+water.  The danger quickened his faculties: he clung on with a tighter
+grip, bethinking himself to look whether his fishing spear, which he
+had stuck into the bark, was still safe.  He was relieved to find that
+it was undisturbed.  The tree righted itself, and a gleam of hope
+lightened Samba's mind when he saw that the crocodile was in the water.
+Though, stretched on the trunk, the beast had felt the roll less than
+Samba above, it had a less tenacious grip and less ability to adapt
+itself; and first the tail, then the rest of its body had slid off.  It
+was violently struggling to regain its position, its jaw resting on the
+trunk, its forepaws furiously beating the water.
+
+The memory of the reptile's former difficulties in mounting inspired
+Samba with an idea, which, impelled equally by terror and hate, he was
+prompt to act upon.  The tree was still rocking slightly before
+regaining its steadiness, and the crocodile, despite its efforts, was
+unable to gain a firm grip on the moving trunk.  All its attention was
+engaged upon the accomplishment of its immediate purpose: it would lose
+the dainty morsel if it did not once more mount the tree.  Samba was
+quick to seize the critical moment.  Spear in hand he crept downwards
+along the branch on which he had been perched, careful that his
+movements should not divert the crocodile's attention.  Reaching the
+junction of the branch with the parent stem, only five or six feet from
+the reptile, he let himself down noiselessly into the river on the far
+side of the tree, and swam for a second or two until he came opposite
+the crocodile.  During these few seconds he had been hidden from the
+creature's view by the mass of the trunk, which rose out of the water
+to some height above his head.
+
+The crocodile had now managed to get its forepaws on the tree, and in
+struggling to hoist itself its snout was raised almost upright,
+exposing the soft underside, the sole part in which it is vulnerable to
+anything except a very heavy bullet.  Samba caught sight of the tip of
+the snout above the tree; here was the opportunity he had hoped for in
+making this hazardous experiment.  Taking with his left hand a firm
+grip of a wart on the trunk, he raised himself in the water, and with
+the right hand drove his spear twice into the monster's throat.  The
+crocodile made no sound; a lash of the powerful tail drove up a wave
+that caused the tree to rock violently: then the huge body slipped
+backwards into the water.
+
+The moment he had driven his spear home Samba let go his hold on the
+tree, and trod water until the current brought the foliage to him.
+Then he drew himself nimbly up into the branch he had formerly
+occupied.  He was breathless, and scarcely yet recovered from his
+scare; but there was no sign of the crocodile, and knowing that the
+reptile when mortally wounded sinks into deep water, he felt that his
+enemy had gone for ever.  He heaved a deep sigh of relief, but chancing
+to look back, he noticed with a start of renewed dread that the water
+in the wake of the tree was faintly tinged with red.  Was it possible
+that the crocodile, though wounded, was still following?  He felt a
+shiver thrill through him, and, bending down from his perch, kept his
+eyes fixed in a stare on that ominous sanguine thread.
+
+The minutes passed.  Still the water showed that faint persistent
+tidge.  Samba was becoming more and more nervous.  Like the reptile's
+eyes but a little while ago, that line of red held his gaze in a
+strange fascination.  He was still watching it when the tree suddenly
+gave a violent lurch, and turned half over.  Samba, whose hold had
+relaxed in his nervousness, was flung off the branch into a clump of
+bushes at the side of the river, which here began to race rapidly
+through a deep gorge.  Scratched and dazed by the fall he picked
+himself up slowly.  He rubbed his eyes.  What was this?  He was in the
+midst of a group of pigmies, who were pointing excitedly, uttering
+their strange coughing cry, to the branches of the tree.  In its lurch
+it had been turned almost completely round, so that the foliage
+formerly beneath the water was now uppermost.  And there, firmly wedged
+in a fork of two boughs, lay the lifeless body of the crocodile.
+
+The Bambute jabbered to Samba, stroked his arms, patted his back,
+examined the spear which, though it was broken in his fall, he had not
+let go.  From the bank they had witnessed the boy's bold fight, and
+they had followed the course of the floating tree until it ran ashore
+on a jutting bed of rock.  Samba made signs that he wished to pursue
+his journey on foot; but the Bambute shook their heads and grunted and
+carried him away with them.  Once more he was a prisoner.
+
+
+
+[1] Nothing wrong!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Bula Matadi comes to Ilola
+
+"Well, Barney," said Jack, when Mr. Martindale's canoe had disappeared,
+"I don't know how a first mate would feel if he lost his captain in
+mid-ocean, but I should fancy he'd feel pretty much as I do now."
+
+"And what sort of feeling is now consuming ye, sorr?"
+
+"Mixed, Barney, very mixed!  I like the idea of being left in charge,
+trusted, you know; there's something jolly pleasant about that.  But
+that's the point, you see; I am left in charge."
+
+"Sure I see your maning widout your telling me, sorr.  'Tis just the
+very same feeling I used to have whin a bhoy, and me mither put the
+baby in me arms and tould me to sit wid her on the doorstep.  'Twas a
+sweet pretty colleen, an' I thought a powerful deal uv having such a
+heap uv loveliness in me arms; but thin, just as you say, sorr, she was
+in me arms, an' they being thin an' she being fat--begorra!  I was soon
+mighty tired uv it, an' I wished she was ugly so that I might hate her
+widout sin."
+
+"I hope I shan't feel quite so bad as that, Barney," said Jack with a
+laugh.  "But I own I'm a little anxious with so many people in my
+charge."
+
+"And not wan uv them to be trusted, saving Pat and meself."
+
+"And this mining claim of my uncle's to keep an eye on and defend
+without using force."
+
+"And wild beasts prowling around----"
+
+"And that villainous uncle of Samba's somewhere in the neighbourhood, I
+suppose, waiting a chance to molest us."
+
+"And bedad! if he does, he'll find an Irishman, an Englishman, and a
+terrier, Irish by breed and Irish by nature, and them three are a match
+for any fifty Blokos, widout a doubt."
+
+"You're an optimist, Barney.  But you're right.  It's silly to meet
+troubles half-way.  We had better set about doing something.  I used to
+think our house-master kept our noses rather too close to the
+grindstone, but I begin to see he was right when he said work was the
+best cure for the dumps."
+
+"And for what the advertisements call a tindency to corpilence.  But
+what will you be after doing at all, sorr?"
+
+"Well, don't you think that, now our numbers are reduced, it would be
+as well to move our camp nearer to Imbono's village?  We shall be here
+for a couple of months or so, and if Boloko is still on our tracks we
+should be less open to surprise near Ilola.  Besides, it will give the
+men something to do.  They'd better build grass huts for the whole
+party, and I don't see why we shouldn't try our hands at architectural
+improvements."
+
+"Indeed, 'tis a good notion, sorr.  But are ye sure Imbono would be
+willing to have us for close neighbours?"
+
+"We can try.  He's my blood brother, you know.  And I dare say we can
+put him up to a thing or two."
+
+The chief made no objection to the suggested change of site; indeed, he
+offered the assistance of his men in the construction of the new huts.
+This, however, Jack declined in the politest terms, thinking it better
+to provide plenty of work for his own men until he had had time to take
+his bearings.  The new huts were built within a short distance of
+Ilola, near a stream.  They were the ordinary grass huts of the
+natives, but Jack, seeing a number of wooden slabs taken from the
+bottoms of old canoes, had purchased them from Imbono, and when shaped
+a little they made a very fair substitute for flooring boards.  The new
+settlement was surrounded with a stockade in the native manner, space
+enough being left within to accommodate Mr. Martindale and his party
+when they should return.
+
+This work occupied a fortnight.  Everything had gone smoothly, save for
+trifling squabbles among the natives.  These Jack managed to settle
+with little difficulty, in great part through the excellent qualities
+of Lepoko, who turned out to be a much better man all round than his
+brother Nando.  When the new village was completed, Jack set the men to
+make Indian clubs from the trees near at hand, and spent part of the
+cool hours in instructing his followers in their use.  They took
+readily to the new pastime, and very quickly became proficient in
+executing a great variety of intricate figures.  Jack was elated at the
+success of his experiment: it not only provided an admirable drill for
+the men, but accustomed them to take commands from him and thus
+consolidated his authority.
+
+Imbono's men caught the infection: Indian clubs were soon the order of
+the day in Ilola; and it gave Jack and Barney no little amusement to
+see men, women, and children at all times of the day whirling clubs
+around their heads.  Imbono saw that his men's performances were
+greatly lacking in rhythm and grace, and he begged his blood brother
+(whom he had named Lokolobolo, "strong leg") to allow some of his men
+to join in the daily practising.  Jack was nothing loth; the more
+influence he could obtain in this way the better his chances of success
+in the task his uncle had set him.
+
+He was casting about for some new employment to occupy and interest his
+men, when a couple of canoes came up the river bearing a letter from
+Mr. Martindale, and a small consignment of Mauser rifles and
+ammunition.  The letter was dated from Baraka.
+
+
+DEAR JACK,--
+
+I've got here safely, no interference, no upsets.  I've managed to get
+hold of some rifles--I won't tell you how--and send them to you in
+charge of some canoe "boys."  Hope they'll reach you safely.  I've paid
+the boys well, and promised them as much more if they return and meet
+me with an acknowledgment from you.  I'm off to Boma; will write you
+again from there if I can find a means of sending the letter.  Let me
+know by the bearer how you are getting on.
+
+On the way down I made more particular inquiries than were possible in
+coming up as to the methods of the Congo Government.  At Stanleyville I
+met a Frenchman who told me a good deal, and here got rather chummy
+with an English missionary on his way home to tell the British public
+some of the effects of King Leopold's rule.  One need only look at the
+man to see that he is the right sort, with the stuff in him for
+martyrdom if the call came.  The things he told me made my skin creep.
+Leopold seems to be doing his best to depopulate the country.  He'll
+soon make Vanderbilt sing small as a multi-millionaire; but when his
+pile's made this State of his will be a wilderness.
+
+I find that the natives are required to bring in four kilos of rubber
+every fortnight.  They're supposed to be paid for it, and they do get
+brass rods or something of the sort; but the pay works out at the rate
+of three cents a pound--when rubber to my knowledge fetches about
+eighty cents a pound in the European market!  I hear of cases where
+they don't even get that; a spoonful of salt is supposed to be
+sufficient.  If the rubber don't measure up to the standard, the least
+punishment the poor wretches get is twenty-five lashes with a whip of
+hippo hide--the _chicotte_, an outrageous thing that would cut through
+a pine log.  But they don't stop at twenty-five; a hundred ain't
+uncommon; no wonder some of the poor creatures peg out after it.
+
+But that's not the worst.  These precious "forest guards," as they call
+them, seem to be little less than fiends.  I saw with my own eyes, at
+one of the villages on the way down, a basket filled with hands, cut
+from the people these savages have killed for not bringing in enough
+rubber.  The Frenchman told me they have to produce these hands before
+the Commissary to prove they haven't wasted their cartridges.
+According to State law they oughtn't to be armed with rifles, but
+they've got a Belgian thing called the Albini, and that's how they use
+it.  I wouldn't believe that this hand-chopping was done with the
+knowledge of the officials, though even then it don't relieve them of
+responsibility; but I heard of a State officer at one of the outposts
+who actually paid in brass rods for the hands brought him.
+
+Law doesn't count here, and justice is only a name.  What do you think
+of this?  A Belgian official quartered himself with twenty native
+soldiers on a small village, and because they couldn't fix up at once
+the food required for the visitors, he carried the chief and some of
+his men to his camp up river, and kept 'em there tied up for a month
+till a fine of 5,000 brass rods had been paid--ruination for such a
+small place.  The missionary told me that "fights" are constantly
+taking place, and "fight" simply means massacre.  Districts that once
+held a thousand people are now reduced to a hundred; what natives are
+not killed get so worn out and dispirited that they are bowled over by
+sleeping sickness.  If this sort of thing goes on much longer, the
+whole population will be wiped out.
+
+You'll be surprised to get such a long letter; but fact is, I can't
+think of anything else just now.  It makes me fairly sick to think that
+America had a hand in putting this huge territory under the control of
+a man whose philanthropic high-falutin comes to this.  The whole system
+is organized murder and pillage under the form of law, and for this
+King Leopold, who pockets a thumping profit, is responsible before God
+and man.  Now I've told you this you'll know how to deal with that
+fellow Elbel if he tries any tricks.  But remember, no fighting except
+in self-defence.  Patience, my boy--_toujours la patience_, as the
+Frenchman said to me when I was boiling with rage and wanted to go
+right away and speak my mind to the Governor.
+
+Your affectionate uncle,
+  JOHN MARTINDALE.
+
+P.S.--I saw and heard nothing of Samba.
+
+
+There was plenty of food for thought here, especially when Jack learnt
+from the head paddler who had brought the letter that the officials of
+the Trust in which Ilola was situated were coming up the river to
+establish new depots for the rubber.  He wrote a brief account of what
+he had been doing, and despatched it by the same men.  Then, to be
+prepared for eventualities, he picked out the most intelligent of his
+followers and began to teach them the use of the rifle.  Only a few of
+them showed any promise as marksmen.  But Jack was very patient with
+them; and having a good stock of ammunition and the promise of more, he
+did not spare practice, and in a short time had about fifteen fairly
+trustworthy shots.  One man, named Makoko, took to the rifle from the
+first and ran Jack close as a marksman.  Jack was very proud of his
+pupil.  He himself had been the crack shot of his school company; and
+though there was all the difference in the world between shooting at
+the butts from a position of rest and shooting at alligators or hippos
+from a canoe, he had tested his marksmanship with success as he came up
+the Congo.
+
+Now that some of his men had rifles it occurred to Jack to teach them
+what he remembered of his company drill.  It was a welcome change after
+their long practice with the Indian clubs, and they entered into it
+with the pleasure and zest of children.  Lepoko was gratified with the
+rank of sergeant, and Makoko made corporal in recognition of his
+diligence and skill in musketry.  When the company was formed Barney
+reminded Jack that he had been a corporal in the Irish Fusiliers.  "And
+sure I'd be in the army now, sorr, only they didn't invent the Irish
+Guards till I was a time-expired man.  But having been a corporal, it's
+meself that is cut out to be your liftinant here, sorr.  We've got Pat
+for the pet uv the reg'mint," he added, "and the only thing that's
+wanting is the uniform."
+
+"Well, Barney, perhaps for the sake of uniformity we'd better strip and
+take to the loincloth."
+
+"Ah! you must always be having your bit uv fun, sorr.  We'd be far too
+conspicuous, for my skin at any rate would turn red wid modesty, and
+the generals say that red coats make the best targets for the inemy."
+
+The drilling of Jack's company was followed with great interest and
+admiration by Imbono and his men.  They never failed to attend the
+daily parade, and soon desired to join it.  Jack delighted the chief by
+putting the villagers through the same exercises as his own men,
+excepting, of course, the musketry practice, for which they had no
+rifles.  Before long Jack found himself captain of a company a hundred
+and fifty strong, all but his fifteen riflemen being spearmen.
+
+Nearly two months had now passed.  Jack had not heard again from his
+uncle, whose return he daily expected.  He was anxious to see him
+again, for lately news had been brought in by excited natives that the
+servants of the Great White Chief were drawing nearer, their progress
+being attended by wanton cruelties which boded ill for the men of
+Ilola.  So distressed was Imbono at the tales he heard from these
+messengers that he thought of dismantling his village and migrating
+into the depths of the forest.  There for a time he and his people
+might hide from the destroyer.  But to a people accustomed to the open
+the prospect of making a new home in the forest was gloomy indeed.
+Most of them would probably die of disease before they became
+acclimatised, and there was great risk of starving while clearings were
+being made and brought under cultivation.  Imbono resolved to wait a
+little longer, hoping that Bula Matadi might turn back, sated with the
+spoils from lower reaches of the Lemba.
+
+One day, the visitors so long expected and so little desired arrived at
+the village.  Jack's settlement being on the further side of Ilola from
+the river, he did not know of their approach until informed of it by a
+messenger from Imbono.  Thirty forest guards of the Great White Chief
+had come, and with them twenty nondescripts, hangers-on of the licensed
+pillagers.  Their leader was not a white man, as Imbono had expected,
+but a black man like themselves.  This surprised Jack.  It was of
+rather ill omen that the first representatives of King Leopold in
+Imbono's village should be negroes free from white men's control.  But
+the strangers reported that a white man--his name, they said, was
+Elobela--was coming up the river behind them.  Meanwhile they, in his
+name, called upon the chief to supply rubber.  Imbono desired that his
+brother Lokolobolo would come into the village and give him advice.
+
+"Faith, I'd do nothing of the sort, sorr," said Barney.  "What would ye
+have any truck wid Elbel's scoundhrels for?"
+
+"But it would be a poor return for Imbono's kindness to refuse.  I
+shall certainly go; the question is, shall I go armed?"
+
+"The blessed angels help ye if ye don't, sorr.  Take your revolver;
+I'll come wid ye, and so will Pat; 'tis right to make a good show for
+the honour of the reg'mint."
+
+Accordingly captain, lieutenant, and regimental pet, with Lepoko as
+interpreter, left the stockaded camp and crossed to Ilola.  They found
+the thirty forest guards already swaggering about the village as if it
+belonged to them.  They were big muscular Ngombe, armed with rifle,
+cutlass, and whip.  Their leader was engaged in conversation with the
+chief.  No sooner did Pat perceive him than he darted forward with a
+growl, and coming to the negro, began to bark furiously at his heels.
+The man turned round quickly and aimed a blow with his whip at the dog,
+which made Pat bark and jump more vigorously than ever.  At the same
+moment the man caught sight of Jack, and his face expressed surprise,
+guilt, and bravado in turn.
+
+"Begorra!" said Barney under his breath, "'tis Bloko himself!"
+
+The chief's countenance cleared; he was unmistakably pleased at Jack's
+ready response to his request.  Then he anxiously asked what he should
+do.
+
+"I don't think you can do anything but obey," replied Jack.
+"Undoubtedly the Great White Chief is lord of the land.  By the laws he
+has made you are bound to supply these people with rubber.  It is your
+tax.  If you resist it will mean ruin to yourself and your villages.
+How is the rubber to be paid for?"
+
+"In brass rods."
+
+"Well, let your men do their best.  We will see if you get your due
+pay.  My uncle will soon be back; he is a determined man, and if you
+are not properly treated he will take care that somebody hears of it."
+
+Boloko scowled, then laughed, when Lepoko translated this answer to the
+chief.  He swaggered away to his men, and the whole crowd were soon
+laughing heartily, every now and then making derisive gestures at the
+white men.  With some difficulty Barney had got hold of Pat, whose
+barking had subsided into a rumbling growl.  But for his restraining
+hand Barney knew well that the dog would have thrown prudence to the
+winds and set upon the strange negroes.
+
+From that day Imbono's villagers began the collection of rubber.
+Boloko and his men seized as many huts as they required, and demanded
+regular and copious supplies of food for themselves and their
+hangers-on.  Before twenty-four hours had passed Boloko, with half a
+dozen of his guards, strolled over to Jack's village, and looked in at
+the gateway of the stockade.  Jack had already decided to adopt
+military precautions.  Two of his best men were doing sentry-go at the
+gate.  When Boloko saw them and their rifles he thought better of
+entering as he had purposed.  He stood for some time taking stock of
+the tidy compound and the neat new huts around, and discussing with his
+men this unexpected discovery.  Then with a malignant scowl he returned
+to Ilola.
+
+For some days Jack saw no more of Boloko.  He remained within his own
+stockade, thinking it would do the chief no good if he too openly
+showed friendship.  Every day he put the men through their usual drill,
+never giving the least sign that he was aware of being closely observed
+by the forest guards.  The drilling of Imbono's men had ceased; the
+adult villagers were now engaged in the collection of rubber.
+
+From what Jack heard from his men, it soon became clear to him that
+Boloko was anxious to pick a quarrel with the chief.  His motive, Jack
+guessed, was partly to show his authority, partly to flaunt his
+contempt of the friendship between Imbono and the white men.  His
+design was to some extent kept in check by the knowledge that Jack had
+fifteen men well armed and trained, and the presence of the two white
+men, Inglesa too--he had a wholesome respect for the Inglesa--was in
+itself a considerable deterrent.  But he began to find fault with the
+quality of the rubber brought in; declared that the villagers kept the
+best fish for themselves and gave him the worst; complained that his
+men were made ill by rotten manioc.  Imbono took care that the details
+of these grievances were carried to Jack, who, however, held aloof,
+still feeling that interference on his part would do no good, while it
+would certainly aggravate the situation.  When the Congo Free State
+entrusted the collection of its revenue to such subordinates as Boloko,
+commanding ruthless savages like the forest guards, there was nothing
+to be done.
+
+One evening, after sunset, Lepoko came into Jack's hut to say that the
+chief desired to see him.  Jack hurried out, and found Imbono in
+company with one of his villagers.  He invited them into his hut,
+lighted a candle, and setting food and palm wine before them, inquired
+the object of their visit.
+
+"Look, my brother!" said the chief, pointing to his companion.
+
+The man turned, and showed three terrible gashes in his back.  He
+lifted his right foot and removed a bandage; Jack saw that two of the
+toes were missing.
+
+"You see, brother!" said Imbono.  "Ifumi was eating caterpillars in his
+hut.  The guard Bomolo saw him and came to him and said, 'Your rubber
+is short.  You eat caterpillars instead of collecting rubber.'  Ifumi
+said: 'No, my rubber is not short.  There is my basket; you see it is
+full.'  But Bomolo cut three gashes in his back, and struck off two of
+his toes with his knife."
+
+"That is the truth, Ifumi?" asked Jack.
+
+"It is true," replied the man.
+
+"You did not provoke Bomolo?"
+
+"No, I said to him only what the chief has told."
+
+"You did right to come, Imbono," said Jack quietly.  "Go back now: you
+had better not be seen here.  I will send you a message in the morning."
+
+The two men thanked him and went away, Ifumi limping as he walked,
+supported by the chief's arm.  Jack called Barney and told him what had
+happened.
+
+"It makes my blood boil, Barney.  I hoped it would not come to this.
+Poor wretches--to be at the mercy of such savages!  I can't stand by
+and see such things done.  I'm sure my uncle would not wish me to.  Yet
+what can I do?  We could fight Boloko and his men, and beat them I
+hope; but goodness knows what that would lead to.  Whatever little
+right they have to maim these poor people, we have none whatever to
+interfere, and we should have the regular forces of the State down on
+us for treason or rebellion or what not.  But something must be done.
+I wish my uncle were here!"
+
+"Well, sorr, I'm ready for anything.  The quickest and easiest way
+would be to fight, for wid all this drill wan uv our men is worth two
+uv those blagyards."
+
+"No, my uncle said we were to fight only in self-defence.  I can't go
+against that.  Couldn't we persuade Boloko to keep his men in
+order--bribe him, perhaps?"
+
+"I'd sooner try to persuade the divil, sorr."
+
+"Well, I shall try it.  I'll invite him to a palaver.  We'll give him a
+feast--open our last bottle of soda water; a good dinner improves a
+man's temper sometimes, you know, Barney."
+
+"True, sorr; but it sometimes makes a man very impident.  Will I send
+Lepoko over wid the invitation the morn's morn, sorr?"
+
+"Yes, directly after breakfast.  Say that I shall be pleased if Boloko
+will come to see me in my camp.  He may bring his rifle and half a
+dozen of his men."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+Samba Comes Back
+
+As Jack had expected, Boloko was flattered by the invitation, with its
+implied recognition of his importance.  There is nothing a negro likes
+better than an opportunity for talk, and Boloko declared himself quite
+ready to meet the Inglesa.  But he would not venture into the camp; the
+meeting must take place outside.  The objection, considering the
+thinly-veiled hostility of the two parties, was not unreasonable.  Jack
+gave up the idea of a banquet, and, about eight o'clock in the morning,
+went with Barney and Lepoko to the site of his original camp, where he
+found Boloko and half a dozen of his men already assembled.
+
+It is of the essence of a palaver to be deliberate, not to say
+long-winded, and Jack followed the advice of Lepoko in passing many
+compliments and talking about a great variety of matters before he came
+to the point.  Then, however, he made the point perfectly clear.  He
+spoke of what he had learnt of the forest guards' behaviour in the
+village, and of Bomolo's outrage in particular.
+
+"You must know," he concluded, "that it is against the law of the land
+to injure or assault the people.  Your duty is to see that they do not
+destroy the vines by improper cutting, and that they go regularly into
+the forest.  You have no right to ill-use them."
+
+"The white man speaks very wisely; he knows much more than Boloko.
+Boloko knows nothing of law or right; he does what is the custom."
+
+"But you know, my friend, it is a wrong custom."
+
+"It may be as the white man says, but the Inglesa is not my master.  My
+master is Elobela.  Let the Inglesa complain to Elobela.  As for right,
+what right has the Inglesa to interfere?  He is a stranger; he is not a
+servant of the Great White Chief."
+
+"I am indeed a stranger; I am not a servant of the Great White Chief.
+But the Great Spirit who made the world and all men bids me speak if I
+see wrong done."
+
+Boloko broke out in insolent laughter, and said something to his men
+which Lepoko refused to translate.
+
+"Him say berrah nasty fing 'bout massa; me no can tell massa."
+
+Jack saw that it was time to bring the interview to a close.  There was
+no coping with insolence.
+
+"Very well," he said sternly.  "It will be my duty to report at Boma
+what I have seen and heard in the village.  And more, Boloko; I shall
+lay a complaint against you for attempting to cut loose our canoes, and
+for conducting an attack by night upon our camp."
+
+Boloko looked startled and began to bluster when this was translated to
+him.  But it was evident that this manner was assumed as a cloak to a
+real uneasiness.  The moment Lepoko had concluded, Jack walked away
+from the meeting, and as he returned to his own quarters he heard the
+guards discussing in excited and vehement tones what he had said.  For
+all his bluster, Boloko had been impressed.  For a few days Jack heard
+of no overt acts of violence.  Imbono's gratitude for the intervention
+was almost overwhelming.  He heaped praise and compliments upon his
+brother Lokolobolo, and, not content with words, made him a valuable
+present.  Half a dozen of his men staggered to Jack's hut one night
+under the weight of a huge tusk of ivory, which Imbono had kept since
+the time when elephant-hunting was a profitable occupation.
+
+Two days after the palaver a canoe arrived with another dozen Mauser
+rifles and ammunition from Mr. Martindale.  The head paddler was
+cautious enough to send one of his men in advance to the camp to
+announce his arrival, and Jack managed to get the rifles brought
+secretly within his stockade under cover of night.  It was just as
+well, he thought, to keep Boloko in ignorance of this new acquisition
+of strength.
+
+The man reported that he had been despatched from Irebo by an Inglesa
+who had entrusted him with a bonkanda[1] for the young Inglesa.  Jack
+opened the note eagerly.  This time it was very short:--
+
+
+DEAR JACK,--
+
+All going well.  Have been delayed by little investigating trips I have
+made in the concessions of the Abir Trust and the Domaine de la
+Couronne.  Atrocities even worse than I thought.  Hope all well with
+you.  Patience--and tact.
+
+J.M.
+
+P.S.--I am sending a dozen rifles and some ammunition; can't get any
+more.
+
+
+The paddler said that he had had great difficulty in eluding the white
+men and their agents.  Only a few days before, he and his companions
+had almost run into a white man who was coming up the river in a
+smoke-boat, establishing new outposts for the collection of rubber.  No
+doubt an outpost would be established at Ilola; for Imbono was the
+chief of several villages and had many young men.
+
+This news gave Jack no little uneasiness.  Instinctively he felt that
+the difficulties arising from Boloko's presence would be increased by
+the arrival of his Belgian superior.  For after what he had learnt from
+his uncle he could not doubt that the tyranny of the forest guards was
+practised at least with the connivance, if not by the actual authority,
+of the officials.  As a precaution he took care to have men constantly
+on the look-out at the river bank for the approach of strange boats,
+and when one day Elbel's launch was sighted, he withdrew all his men
+within the stockade and posted double sentries.  He felt pretty sure
+that the white man in command was Monsieur Elbel, the man with whom Mr.
+Martindale had already had a brush; and of Elbel he had a profound
+mistrust, formed at first sight and accentuated by all that he had
+subsequently heard.
+
+Boloko and his satellites went in a crowd to the bank of the river to
+greet the new arrivals.  From behind his stockade Jack watched them
+through his field-glass as they landed from the launch and set off for
+the village.  The white man was certainly Elbel.  He was accompanied by
+a number of forest guards armed like Boloko's, and by a crowd of
+hangers-on--negroes of many varieties.  On the way up to the village
+Boloko walked by Elbel's side, talking very earnestly, and Jack saw the
+Belgian throw a keen and inquisitive glance in the direction of his
+camp.
+
+Not an hour afterwards Elbel left the village and walked over to Jack's
+settlement, which the natives had named Ilombikambua, "house of the
+dog," in reference to Pat the terrier.  Jack had given orders that the
+white man was to be admitted if he came, but no black man in his
+company.  The Belgian had come alone, and looked a little surprised
+when the sentries at the gate received him with a correct military
+salute.  Jack rose from his stool in front of his hut and doffed his
+hat courteously.  Outwardly he was calm enough; but he felt by no means
+easy in mind, realizing that his responsibility was far from being the
+"jolly lark" he had light-heartedly called it when Mr. Martindale
+announced his intention of leaving him in charge.
+
+"Good morning, sir," said the Belgian in his foreign accent.
+
+"Good morning.  I think I have the pleasure of addressing Monsieur
+Elbel?"
+
+"Dat is my name.  I do not know your name."
+
+"John Challoner."
+
+"Yes, I believe I see you before in a canoe."
+
+"When I was coming up the river with my uncle."
+
+"Who is now returned to Boma.  Yes, I heard of dat.  Mr. Martindale--I
+zink dat is de name--have found de gold he sought?"
+
+"I am not at liberty to discuss Mr. Martindale's business."
+
+"Exactly.  I see.  Ve must not be indiscreet, hein?  Now as for your
+Mr. Martindale, I am not pleased, I say at vunce.  I am not pleased viz
+Mr. Martindale.  He refuse to give me up de black boy dat vas in your
+canoe.  Dat vas against de law: it is not permitted in de Congo State
+for de natives to leave deir village."
+
+"But if the village no longer exists, Mr. Elbel?"
+
+The Belgian shrugged.
+
+"Dat make no difference!  But I have more to say.  I have learn dat
+your men have rifles; I see dem myself; dey even hold deir rifles at de
+salute, dey have military training, hein?  Now it is not permitted to
+have rifles in de Congo State: dey are vat you call contraband.  I muss
+ask you to be so kind and give de rifles to me."
+
+"I am afraid I can't oblige you, Mr. Elbel.  The rifles belong to my
+uncle."
+
+"Dat make no difference!  I find de rifles here: I muss ask you in de
+name of de Free State to give dem up."
+
+"I don't know that you have any right to speak in the name of the Congo
+State.  I believe, sir, you are an official of the Societe Cosmopolite
+du Commerce du Congo--a private trust.  I can't recognize your
+authority, Mr. Elbel."
+
+"But it is de law."
+
+"If you talk of law! ... are your practices legal, Mr. Elbel?  Is it
+legal to shoot and maim the natives as you have been doing for a
+hundred miles and more along the river?  Is it legal to incite a night
+attack on peaceable travellers?"  (Here Elbel could not suppress a
+start, and looked far from comfortable.)  "But whether I am acting
+legally or not, I cannot recognize your authority.  If you want the
+rifles, I must ask you to wait until Mr. Martindale's return and demand
+them from him.  Until then they are in my charge, and I cannot give
+them up."
+
+Jack thought afterwards that he might have spoken a little less
+bluntly; but he wished to put an end to a disagreeable interview.  His
+firmness made the Belgian angry.
+
+"Ver' vell, ver' vell!" he said, flushing with annoyance.  "You vill
+suffer for dis.  You not recognize my right: vell, Capitaine Van Vorst,
+an officer of de State, comes up de river; he have right; and I say,
+Mr. Chon Shalloner, you shall be arrest and made to pay heavy
+amende--if not put in prison."
+
+Jack's bow was a courteous intimation that the interview was ended.
+But the Belgian caught the flicker of a smile on his face, and flung
+away in a rage which he made no attempt to disguise.  Jack's sentries,
+who again brought their rifles to the salute, shrank back before
+Elbel's scowl as he passed out of the gate.
+
+Jack was not ill-pleased with the result of the interview.  You have
+always scored a point when the enemy loses his temper.  Apparently
+Elbel did not intend to take strong measures himself.  He knew the
+weakness of his position.  The situation would be changed if a State
+officer was indeed on his way up the river: but Jack did not allow
+himself to be disturbed by Elbel's threat; his uncle would doubtless be
+back in a few days, and he had unbounded faith in Mr. Martindale's
+judgment and discretion.
+
+From that time he took care that either Barney or himself should be
+always in the stockaded camp.  His men had become a well-disciplined
+force, but he could not answer for their being able to act discreetly
+towards a white man whom they had reason to dread.
+
+For a day or two there was no sign of hostility from Elbel.  He did not
+repeat his visit, which Jack did not feel called upon to return.  But
+news came from Ilola that, while the Belgian's arrival had checked the
+ghastly ferocities of the forest guards, the chicotte had been still
+more freely in play than before.  Every man whose basket did not
+contain the requisite five kilos of rubber, or the quality of whose
+rubber did not approve itself to Elbel, was unmercifully flogged.
+Those with whom no fault could on any pretext be found were paid with
+perhaps a piece of cloth or some trumpery article which was useless to
+them, and which in many cases they threw away.
+
+Imbono sent word one day that the most distant of his villages had been
+burnt.  It contained a hundred adult male inhabitants, but only fifty
+had brought rubber to Ilola, the remainder having been engaged in
+hunting down a herd of elephants which had been ravaging their crops.
+Elbel had refused to accept the explanation.  He had retained the fifty
+men as hostages, and sent a detachment of his forest guards to bring in
+the unruly fifty and burn their village down.  Jack could only express
+his sympathy: he felt that there was nothing to be done.
+
+One morning Barney, who acted as storekeeper to the camp, reported that
+food was running short.
+
+"Well, Imbono will supply us," replied Jack.
+
+"Beggin' your pardon, sorr, Imbono has little enough for himself since
+Elbel and his blagyards came to the place.  The thieving villains will
+have the best, and divil a ha'penny do they pay for it."
+
+"We must have food.  When I was at Akumbi the other day I saw a good
+crop of ground-nuts.  I'll go over myself and see if I can arrange for
+a supply."
+
+Akumbi was the smallest of the chief's villages, situated about five
+miles up the river.  Jack set off early with Lepoko, taking the
+well-worn path through the fringe of forest.  As he approached the
+village he heard cries of pain.  Instinctively he quickened his steps
+and hurried through the gateway in the stockade; then he came upon a
+scene that made his blood boil.  Tied to a tree was a youth, who,
+Lepoko told him, was the son of Lofundo, the sub-chief of the village.
+Elbel was thrashing the captive with the chicotte, every lash cutting
+into the quivering flesh and provoking shrieks of agony.  Not another
+villager was to be seen; all had fled either into their huts or into
+the forest.
+
+Infuriated at the sight, Jack forgot all counsels of prudence.  He
+rushed towards the spot, peremptorily calling on Elbel to desist.  The
+Belgian swung round savagely, gave one disdainful look at the
+interrupter, and raised his arm with the intention of putting all his
+force into another stroke.  But Jack sprang at the uplifted arm, caught
+Elbel by the wrist and arrested the blow.  Wrenching himself free, the
+Belgian, livid with rage, made a fierce cut at Jack.  He was too near
+for the long lash to have the full effect intended; but Jack felt the
+sting as the flexible thong curled round him.  Then his attitude
+changed.  Before, he had merely been conscious of a desire to protect
+the negro; now, he was afire with a personal grievance.  Elbel had not
+time to raise the whip for a second stroke.  Flinging out his left fist
+Jack caught him a smashing blow on the cheek, and followed it up with a
+right-hander which hurled him half senseless to the ground.  Elbel
+staggered to his feet, presenting a piteous spectacle, blood streaming
+from his nose, his left eye half closed.  He groped for his revolver,
+but the sight of Jack standing over him, pale but determined, revolver
+in hand ready for the next move, cowed him.  He fumbled for a few
+seconds at his belt, then slunk away without a word.
+
+[Illustration: Jack turns the tables]
+
+The village compound was immediately filled with a crowd of natives,
+who poured out of the huts: whence they had secretly watched the scene.
+Jack was overwhelmed with protestations of gratitude.  He cut the boy
+loose and restored him, bleeding from the lash, to his father.  Then he
+extricated himself from the excited throng, took Lofundo aside, waived
+his demonstrations, and, completing the business on which he had come,
+left the village as soon as he could.  Now that the heat of the moment
+was passed, he feared he had not done the villagers or himself any
+good.  A personal affray with Elbel was the last thing he would have
+desired; and though he felt that he could hardly have acted otherwise
+than he had done, he was in anything but an elated mood when he
+returned to his camp.
+
+He at once told Barney of what had occurred, and spoke of his
+misgivings.
+
+"Arrah thin, sorr," said the Irishman, "I do not see any cause for
+disthress at all at all.  The villain got his deserts, and 'twill tache
+him a lesson.  Sure I'd like to have seen his face, the spalpeen!"
+
+"But I'd no right to interfere, Barney; you can't get over that."
+
+"Begging your pardon, sorr, I do not agree wid that at all.  Ye may say
+a father has the right to thrash his children; 'twas the holy Solomon
+himself said so!  But if he lays it on too heavy, the law steps in and
+says 'Hands off!'  A farmer has a right to get work out uv his horse;
+but if he overtaxes the poor baste, the law steps in again and says 'No
+more uv that.'  These poor niggers seem to have to work widout fair
+pay, and pay rent into the bargain.  That's more than an Irishman would
+stand; and when the nigger-driver begins to maul 'em as well, worse
+than poor dumb beasts widout souls uv their own--be jabers! sorr, what
+would I do, if I saw a man ill-treating my Pat?  I would knock him
+down, sorr, if he was the Lord-Liftinant himself!"
+
+The fact that several days passed without any sign of resentment or
+vengeance on Elbel's part did not make Jack less uneasy.  So far from
+his trouncing having a deterrent effect, the treatment of the natives
+became steadily worse.  Things were following the inevitable course.
+The vines in the neighbourhood of the village had yielded all the
+rubber of which they were at present capable, and the men had to go
+continually further afield.  This necessitated their remaining for days
+at a time away from their homes, in improvised shelters which afforded
+poor protection against the weather and the wild beasts.  They had to
+put up with indifferent food that gave scanty nourishment.  When,
+having collected the rubber, they returned at last to their homes, they
+could only remain there a couple of days, for the next demand was upon
+them.  Meanwhile their families had been at the mercy of the forest
+guards.  Day by day complaints came to Jack from Imbono of the
+brutalities of these ruffians, some of them so horrible that his whole
+being quivered with passionate indignation.  Why did not his uncle
+return?  How long must he remain helpless here, unable to lift a hand
+in defence of the oppressed?
+
+One evening, just as he had retired to rest, he was woke by Barney and
+told that a strange negro had come to the gate and asked admittance.
+He had specially desired to see the Inglesa.  Jack sent word that the
+man was to be brought to him, and awaited his coming outside the hut.
+
+The negro came up in charge of Lepoko.  By the light of his electric
+torch Jack saw a tall man, so much emaciated that he appeared almost a
+skeleton.  His cheeks were sunken in, his arms and legs were no thicker
+than a child's, and--what was this!  The man held up one arm; the hand
+was gone!
+
+"Who is he?" asked Jack, shuddering at the sight of the half-healed
+stump.
+
+"Him call Batukuno, sah.  Come from Nsongo.  Him carry baumba[2] to
+brudder, sah: Ekila, him forest guard, meet Batukuno, say, 'Gib me
+baumba.'  Batukuno say, 'No can do: me carry to brudder.'  Rubber day
+come.  Batukuno bring basket; Ekila say, 'Rubber too much bad,
+Batukuno.'  Batukuno say, 'No bad at all; good rubber all same.'  Ekila
+laugh, sah; cut off Batukuno him hand."
+
+"Just in revenge for not getting the baumba?"
+
+"Rebenge, sah, rebenge, all same."
+
+"But how came he here?"
+
+"Boy Samba, sah.  Him tell Batukuno Inglesa massa good white man,
+brudder Tanalay, oh yes!  Inglesa no 'fraid Boloko, no 'fraid Elobela;
+Inglesa gib Batukuno hut, gib food, gib plenty rings.  Him come long
+long way: hurt berrah much, sah, berrah sick; want eat, no can find
+nuff.  Him hide long time 'cos 'fraid Boloko.  Now hab got massa; no
+'fraid no more; Boloko, Elobela, dem 'fraid now."
+
+"Where is Samba then?"
+
+"Samba him long long way: him go find fader and mudder."
+
+"I was right after all," said Jack turning to Barney.  "I'm glad to
+hear the boy's alive.  Well, Lepoko, take Batukuno to one of the huts
+and give him some supper.  Another sign of King Leopold's fatherly
+treatment, Barney!  Uncle said they cut the hands from the dead, but it
+appears that the living are mutilated too."
+
+"The curse uv Cromwell on them, sorr.  But, begging your pardon, you
+made a mistake."
+
+"How's that?"
+
+"Sure you said 'twas my Irish English that sent little Samba away."
+
+"Did I?" said Jack, laughing.  "I'd forgotten it.  He's a capital
+little fellow, Barney.  Fancy, going by himself that long journey
+through the forest to find his people!  And yet there are fools who
+think that because a man is black he hasn't feelings or affections like
+ourselves."
+
+Batukuno was only the firstfruits of Samba's missionary zeal.  From day
+to day, men, women, and children began to drop in at Jack's camp, many
+of them mutilated, all showing terrible signs of ill-usage and
+privation.  Some were survivors of Samba's own people, the villagers of
+Banonga; but they numbered among them men from other tribes.  Some had
+heard of the benevolent Inglesa from Samba's own lips; others from
+people he had told.  Among them was an old chief, who appeared
+heart-broken at having been compelled to leave his country.
+
+"Why did I leave, you ask, O white man!" he said in reply to a question
+of Jack's.  "In the morning, bullets; in the evening, bullets.  They
+shot our mouths away, they shot through our hearts and our sides.  They
+robbed us of everything we had.  Why should we stay to be killed like
+that?  That is why I ran away."
+
+"Were many of your people killed?"
+
+"Ah, ah!" he replied, "once we were as bafumba[3] in multitude; now we
+are only as these."
+
+He spread out his fingers twice or thrice.
+
+"And they have been killed--not dying by the sleeping sickness?"
+
+"No.  We have lost a few by the sleeping sickness, but only a few.  It
+is rubber that has killed our people.  Botofe bo le iwa!"
+
+Jack's sympathy was keenly enlisted on behalf of these unfortunate
+people; and he looked forward more and more eagerly for Mr.
+Martindale's return.  He could not but smile a little whimsically,
+remembering his uncle's protestations, to find that Mr. Martindale was
+gaining a reputation for general philanthropy through a large section
+of the Upper Congo territory.  But as the stream of fugitives showed no
+signs of diminishing he began to feel a certain embarrassment.  It was
+all very well to open a cave Adullam for every one that was distressed:
+to start a hospital for the halt and lame and blind; but the space he
+had at command within his stockade was limited: already the huts he had
+reserved for Mr. Martindale and his men were occupied, and every
+fugitive meant another mouth to feed.  He feared, too, lest the peace
+and order of his settlement should be disturbed by the influx of so
+many idle strangers.  And more than all, he feared that some of the
+poor wretches who came seeking asylum with him would fall into the
+hands of Elbel ere they reached their desired haven.  It was that
+consideration that induced him to refuse none who sought admittance.
+Elbel had been absent for some days from Ilola, and the fugitives, by
+choosing always the fall of night to approach the place, had so far
+managed to elude observation by their enemies.  But that could not
+continue; the presence of strangers in Ilombikambua must soon become
+known to Elbel; then a watch would be set, and the wanderers would be
+intercepted.  What their fate then would be Jack knew too well.  None
+suffered so terribly at the hands of the forest guards as people caught
+straying from their villages.  Such absences interfered with the
+regularity of the rubber supply, which in turn affected the revenue and
+reduced profits.  No runagate serf in mediaeval Europe was more severely
+dealt with than the Congo native who dared to range afield.
+
+Jack could not hand the people over to Elbel's tender mercies; yet it
+would soon be impossible to find room for more.  While he was puzzling
+how to deal with this perplexing situation it was suddenly made still
+more complicated.  Early one morning he heard Pat barking with more
+than his usual vigour, and with a note of wild pleasure which he had
+not expressed for many a day.  Leaving his hut to ask what had
+happened, he was met by the terrier, who ran up to him, leaped this way
+and that, darted off towards the gate, then back again, all the time
+barking with frantic joy.  In a moment Jack saw the meaning of the
+dog's excitement.  Samba himself was running towards him!
+
+The boy flung himself down at Jack's feet, paying no attention even to
+Pat.
+
+"I am glad to see you, very glad," said Jack in Samba's own tongue.
+"What have you been doing?"
+
+His knowledge of the language was not great enough to permit him to
+follow Samba's answer, poured out as it was with great rapidity, and a
+pitiful earnestness that brought a lump to Jack's throat.  But Lepoko
+was at hand, and translated faithfully.
+
+Samba was in terrible distress.  He had found his father and mother,
+and had brought them through peril and privation to the very verge of
+safety, when they fell among a number of forest guards evidently placed
+to intercept fugitives.  All three were captured and taken to Boloko,
+who was beside himself with delight at the sight of his brother Mboyo a
+prisoner.  He had a special grudge against him, dating from their old
+rivalry in Banonga.  Elbel had just returned from a visit to outlying
+villages; the prisoners had been carried before him, and when Boloko
+explained who they were, the Belgian ordered them to be tied up, and
+sentenced them to be thrashed publicly on the next day.  Samba had
+contrived to escape from custody, and had now come to implore the
+Inglesa to save his parents.  They were so worn out by their long
+journey, so ill from the hardships they had suffered, that they would
+certainly die under the whip.
+
+"Poor little fellow!" said Jack, laying his hand soothingly on the
+boy's head.  "The whipping is to be to-morrow?  You are sure?"
+
+Yes; Elobela would be absent this day; he would not return till the
+evening.  The flogging was fixed for dawn on the following morning.
+
+"Come into my hut; we will see what can be done.  Barney, you come too."
+
+"Niggers have no feelings!" said Barney, releasing Pat from the grasp
+in which he had been struggling while Samba told his story.  "Begorra!
+they might as well say the same uv dogs!"
+
+
+
+[1] Any kind of letter or document.
+
+[2] Riches.
+
+[3] Driver ants.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+"Honour thy Father and thy Mother"
+
+Jack felt himself in a distressing predicament.  Could he allow Samba's
+father and mother, for whom he suspected the boy must have made heroic
+exertions, to undergo a punishment which, as he had learnt from more
+than one of the refugees, frequently ended in the death of the victim?
+Yet how prevent it?  Whatever might be urged against it, the use of the
+chicotte had become established as a recognized instrument of
+administration in the Congo Free State.  As a stranger and a foreigner
+he had, to begin with, no right to interfere, and his previous
+relations with Elbel had been such that a protest and an attempt at
+dissuasion would be equally useless.  His action on behalf of Lofundo's
+son had been taken on the spur of the moment; it would not dispose
+Elbel to pay any attention to calmer and more deliberate measures now.
+Even a threat to report him would probably have no effect on the
+Belgian.  He was only doing what the officers of the State, or the
+officials of the Trusts holding authority from the State, were
+accustomed to do, whether by themselves or their agents.  A protest
+from Jack would merely aggravate the punishment of the wretched people.
+
+Although Elbel had not taken any open step against Jack since their
+last meeting, the latter felt assured that he was nursing his spite and
+only awaiting a favourable opportunity to indulge it.  Indeed it was
+likely that something had already been done.  Perhaps Elbel was in
+communication with Boma.  He had mentioned that a captain of the State
+forces was on his way up the river; for all that Jack knew the officer
+might deal very summarily with him when he arrived.  That Elbel would
+tamely endure the humiliation he had suffered Jack did not for a moment
+believe.
+
+Jack put these points to Barney.
+
+"If I attempt to do anything for Samba's people," he added, "I must be
+prepared to back up my demands by force, and that will mean bloodshed.
+I can't run the risk, Barney.  Uncle left me in charge, and, as I've
+told you, said I wasn't to fight except in self-defence."
+
+"Bedad, sorr, but he'd fight himself if he were here."
+
+"That may be, but I can't take the responsibility."
+
+"Cannot we get the people out uv the scoundhrel's clutches widout
+fighting, sorr?  The bhoy escaped, to be sure."
+
+"True; how did you get away, Samba?"
+
+The boy explained that he had been imprisoned separately from his
+parents: he did not know why.  They had been chained by the neck and
+fastened to a tree in front of Boloko's hut; he had been roped by the
+ankle and secured to another tree farther away.  In the middle of the
+night he had wriggled and strained at his bonds until, after much toil
+and pain, he had released his foot.  Then, when the sentry's back was
+turned, he had slipped away, stolen behind the huts, and with great
+difficulty clambered over the stockade.
+
+"And are your parents still chained to the tree?"
+
+Samba did not know.  He had not ventured to approach them after
+releasing himself, for his sole hope was in the Inglesa, and if he were
+recaptured he knew that his parents' fate was sealed.  But if the
+Inglesa wished, he would steal back into the village and see if the
+prisoners were still at the same spot.
+
+"That will never do," said Jack.  "The boy would certainly be caught,
+Barney."
+
+"That's the truth, sorr.  But 'tis the morning for Lingombela to go to
+the village for eggs; could he not find out what you wish to know?"
+
+"He's a discreet fellow.  Yes, let him try.  He must be very careful.
+I wonder that Elbel has not forbidden our men to go into the village;
+and if he suspects any interference there'll be trouble."
+
+Barney went out to send Lingombela on his errand.  Meanwhile Jack got
+Samba to tell him, through Lepoko, how he had found his parents.  The
+boy gave briefly the story of his wanderings, his perils from the wild
+beasts of the forest, his hunger and want, his capture by the Bambute,
+his escape, his adventure with the crocodile, his second capture and
+more successful escape under cover of a great forest storm.  Jack was
+deeply impressed at the time; but many of the details came to him later
+from others, and each new fact added to his admiration for the
+indomitable young traveller.
+
+The pigmies who had captured Samba at the river were a different tribe
+from those with whom he had lived in the forest.  Like those, however,
+they made much of him, giving him plenty of food, but never letting him
+go out of their sight.
+
+One night, a fierce tempest swept through the forest, snapping great
+trees and whirling them about like feathers.  Thunder crashed,
+lightning cut black paths through the foliage; and the Bambute cowered
+in their huts, dreading lest these should be crushed by a falling tree
+or scorched by the lightning's flame, yet feeling safer within than
+without.  But Samba rejoiced in the elemental disturbance.  Reckless of
+the terrors of the storm in his fixed determination to escape, he stole
+out when the uproar was at its height and plunged into the forest.  All
+other peril was banished by the fury of the tempest.  Once he passed a
+leopard within a few feet, but the beast was too much scared by the
+lightning to seize the opportunity of securing an easy meal.
+
+After many days of wandering and privation Samba came within a day's
+journey of what had been his village.  Stumbling accidentally upon one
+of his fellow-villagers, he told him his story, and was taken by him to
+a cave in the forest where several of the fugitives from Banonga were
+in hiding, some badly wounded.  Samba came to them like a sunbeam.
+What he told them about Mr. Martindale gave them courage and hope.
+Some set off at once to seek out the Inglesa whose praise Samba was so
+loud in singing; they would implore his protection: others, more
+timorous or less hardy, dreading the long and toilsome journey,
+resolved to remain where they were, for they were at least in no
+straits for food.  None of them could give Samba any news of his
+parents: so after remaining a day or two with them he went on alone.
+He reached the site of the desolated village in the evening, and took
+refuge in the branches of a tree.  His intention was to push on next
+day and search the forest beyond the village.  But with morning light
+something impelled him to wander round the scene of his happy
+childhood.  Here had stood his father's hut; there, not far away, the
+old chief Mirambo had dwelt.  It seemed to Samba that the place was
+altered in appearance since he had left it in company with Mr.
+Martindale.  An attempt had been made to repair the ruins of Mirambo's
+hut.  Somewhat startled, Samba approached it curiously, and was still
+more startled to hear low groans proceeding from a spot where a corner
+of the site had been covered with rough thatch.  Entering, he
+discovered with mingled joy and terror that his father and mother lay
+there, nearly dead from wounds and starvation.
+
+With the negro's instinct for returning to his old haunts, Mboyo had
+come back with his wife to Banonga, and managed to rig up a precarious
+shelter in his father's shattered hut.  Then his strength failed him.
+He had been wounded in the attack on the village, but had made good his
+escape to the forest with his favourite wife.  His other wives and
+children had disappeared; of them he never heard again.  The unwonted
+exposure soon told upon his wife Lukela; she fell ill, and, weakened as
+Mboyo was by his wounds, they were unable to scour the forest as they
+might otherwise have done for food.  As the days passed their condition
+had gone from bad to worse, and at last they had painfully,
+despairingly, made their way back to their old home, to die.
+
+But Samba did not mean them to die.  He set himself at once to rescue
+them.  As he knew well, there was little or no food near by; the wanton
+destruction of plantations had been very thorough.  They were too weak
+to travel.  He emptied his tin, to which he had clung through all his
+wanderings, of the food it contained, and making a rough barrier for
+them against wild beasts, cheered them with hopeful words and started
+back on his tracks for a further supply of food.
+
+When he reached the cavern where he had left his fellow-villagers, he
+found it empty.  Apparently even the timid ones had set off to seek the
+protection of the good Inglesa.  He could do nothing that night, but
+next morning he went down to the stream whence they had obtained their
+supply of fish and plied his spear until he had caught several.  Then
+he made the long journey back, filling his tin as he went with berries
+and nuts and anything else from which nourishment could be obtained.
+His parents were already a little better, thanks to the food he had
+already given them, and perhaps also to the new spirit awakened in them
+by the unexpected arrival of their dearly loved son.
+
+Thus for several days Samba watched over them, making long journeys for
+food.  Each time he left them his absence became more prolonged; food
+was harder to get, and he was less able to hunt for it.  While his
+parents slowly regained a little strength, Samba weakened from day to
+day.  At last he could scarcely drag one foot after the other; he was
+worn out by the terrible fatigue of constant marching through the
+forest, and by want of sleep, for he stinted himself of rest so that
+his parents might be left alone as little as possible.  More than once
+he sank exhausted to the ground, feeling that he could go no farther,
+do no more.  His strength was spent; his head swam with dizziness; a
+mist gathered before his eyes.  Thus he would remain, half conscious,
+perhaps for minutes, perhaps for hours; he knew not: he had lost count
+of time.  Then with the enforced rest the small remnant of his strength
+returned to him, and with it the memory of his parents' plight.  Upon
+him depended the life of the two beings he held dearest in the world.
+As the perils to which they were exposed were borne in upon his fevered
+intelligence he would struggle to his feet, and grope his way painfully
+along the forest track, his feet blistered, his flesh torn with spikes
+and thorns: above all, a dreadful gnawing hunger within him, for he
+would scarcely spare himself sufficient food for bare sustenance while
+his parents were ill and in want.
+
+This dark and terrible period was illumined by one ray of hope.  His
+weariness and toil were bearing fruit.  Day by day his parents grew
+stronger; in a fortnight they were able to move about, and a week later
+they were ready to start for the cavern.  But now it was Samba who
+required tendance.  He could walk only a few yards at a time, supported
+by Mboyo, who almost despaired of reaching the cavern before starvation
+again overtook them.  But the weary journey was completed at last, and
+after a few days' stay at the cavern within easier reach of food, the
+party became fit to undertake a longer march, and set out hopefully for
+Mr. Martindale's camp.
+
+Jack could only conjecture what the terrors of that march had been, for
+before Samba's story was finished Lepoko returned from the village.  He
+reported that Elobela, furious at the boy's escape, had announced that
+he would double the punishment to be meted out to his parents.  This
+practice of striking at children through parents, and at parents
+through children, was so much the rule in the Congo system of tax
+collection that Jack did not doubt Elbel would carry out his threat.
+Meanwhile the two prisoners had been removed from the open air before
+Boloko's hut at the far side of the village, and conveyed to a
+stoutly-built fetish hut near the stockade.  This change of quarters
+had provoked murmurs not only from the villagers, but from Elbel's own
+men.  The fetish hut was sacred to the medicine man of the village, and
+even he affected to approach it with fear and trembling.  The whole
+population was talking about the desecration of the hut by the presence
+of the two captives; men were shaking their heads and saying that
+something would happen; and the medicine man himself--a hideous figure
+with his painted skin--did not fail to seize the opportunity of
+inflaming the minds of the villagers against the impious white man.
+But no one ventured to remonstrate with Elbel.  He meanwhile had gone
+off with a number of forest guards to an outlying village, leaving
+orders that the captives were to be watched with particular vigilance.
+
+Samba's face was an image of despair as he listened to Lepoko's report.
+What hope was there of his parents' rescue now?
+
+"Poor little chap!" said Jack.  "After going through so much for them
+he'll be heart-broken if he loses them now.  What can we do for him,
+Barney?"
+
+"Faith, I can see nothing for it, sorr, but to lead a storming party.
+And I would go first, wid the greatest pleasure in life."
+
+"That's out of the question, especially as Elbel's away.  All's fair in
+war, they say, Barney; but I shouldn't like to attack the village in
+Elbel's absence.  In any case I don't want to fight if there's any
+other way.  Samba, run away with Pat; don't go beyond the gate; I want
+to see if I can think of any way of helping your parents."
+
+Both the white men were touched by the boy's wistful look as he left
+the hut.  Jack stuck his legs out straight in front of him, plunged his
+hands into his pockets, and bent his head upon his breast as he
+pondered and puzzled.  Barney sat for a time leaning forward with his
+elbows on his knees, smoking an old clay pipe.  But he soon tired of
+inaction, and rising, proceeded to open a tin of oatmeal biscuits in
+anticipation of lunch.  He had just wrenched the lid off when Jack
+sprang up with a sudden laugh and slapped him on the shoulder.
+
+"I have it, Barney!" he cried.  "They said something would happen;
+well, they were right; something shall happen, old man.  And it's your
+doing!"
+
+"Mine, sorr!  Niver a thing have I done this blessed day but smoke me
+pipe, and just this very minute tear a hole in my hand wid this
+confounded tin."
+
+"That's it, Barney!  It was the tin gave me the idea.  You know how
+giants are made for the Christmas pantomimes?"
+
+"Divil a bit, sorr."
+
+"Well, don't look so surprised.  Empty that tin of biscuits while I
+tell you, and when that's empty, open another and do the same."
+
+"Bedad, sorr, but all the biscuits will spoil."
+
+"Let 'em spoil, man, let 'em spoil.  No, I don't mean that, but at
+present I think more of the tissue paper in those tins than of the
+biscuits.  We'll make a framework, Barney--any stalks or sticks will do
+for that--and cover it with that tissue paper, and paint a giant's face
+and shoulders on the paper, and we must find some coloured glass or
+something for the eyes, and something white for the teeth.  We have
+some candles left, luckily.  Don't you think, Barney, a lighted candle
+behind the paper would make a very decent sort of bogie?"
+
+"And is that the way, sorr, they make the giants at the pantomime?"
+
+"Something like that, Barney.  But what do you think of the idea?"
+
+"'Tis the divil's own cleverness in it, sorr.  But I'll niver enjoy a
+pantomime any more, now that I know the way 'tis done.  And how will ye
+go to work wid the bogie, sorr?"
+
+"Why, we'll make the framework to fit my shoulders.  Then you'll see.
+The first thing is to get it made.  Go and get the materials.  We shall
+want sticks about three feet long, and ngoji cane[1] to tie them
+together, as there are no nails here.  And you must send over to Imbono
+and ask for some colouring matter.  Red and black are all we shall
+need.  I don't know what we shall do for the eyes; there's no coloured
+glass handy, I suppose.  We must do without if we can't find anything.
+Now, hurry up, Barney, and send Lepoko to me."
+
+For the rest of the day Jack and Barney were very busy in the hut.  It
+was an easy matter to put the bamboo framework together.  The tissue
+paper from the two biscuit tins proved just sufficient to cover it.
+When this was done, Jack sketched with his pencil as ugly a face as his
+artistic imagination was capable of suggesting, then laid on the
+pigments with his shaving brush, no other being at hand.  He gave the
+giant very thick red lips, opened in a hideous grin, heightening the
+effect by carefully tying in a number of goat's teeth.  The eyes
+presented a difficulty.  No coloured glass could be found among any of
+the villagers' treasures, and after several attempts to supply its
+place with leaves, petals of red flowers, and glass beads stuck
+together, Jack decided that the best effect would be made by leaving
+the eye slits empty.  The making of the bogie was kept a close secret
+between himself and Barney; but he got some of his men to make two
+light bamboo ladders, which they did with great expedition, wondering
+not a little to what use Lokolobolo would put them.
+
+In the afternoon, as soon as he was assured that his bogie would turn
+out a success, Jack sent Lepoko into Ilola to foment the villagers'
+fear that the desecration of the fetish hut would certainly be followed
+by a visit from the offended spirit.  He was to talk very seriously of
+a great medicine man he had once met on the coast, who knew all about
+the spirits of the streams and woods, and those who protected the
+forest villages.  One of these spirits, said the medicine man, took the
+form of a giant, and any mortal upon whom he breathed would surely die.
+Jack knew that this story would be repeated by the villagers to the
+forest guards, and would soon be the property of the whole community.
+Reckoning upon the fact that Elbel had his quarters near the gate of
+the stockade, and that the fetish hut was on the opposite side of the
+enclosure, not far from the stockade itself, so that the whole width of
+the village separated them, Jack hoped to create such a panic among the
+superstitious sentries that he would have time to free the captives
+before Elbel could intervene.
+
+At dead of night, when he believed that the enemy must be sound asleep,
+Jack left his camp silently, accompanied only by Samba.  He himself
+carried the bogie; the boy had the ladders.  But even his own parents
+would not have recognized the Samba of this midnight sortie.  Jack had
+been much interested on the way up the Congo by a kind of acacia which,
+when cut with an axe, exudes a sticky substance, emitting in the
+darkness a strong phosphorescent glow.  With this substance a series of
+rings had been drawn on Samba's body, and he wore on his head a number
+of palm leaves arranged like the Prince of Wales's feathers, smeared
+with the same sticky material.  He made an awful imp in attendance on
+the horrific monster.
+
+Samba stepping close behind Jack to avoid observation, the two made
+their way stealthily around the village, keeping within the fringe of
+the encircling forest.  Then Jack fixed the bogie upon his shoulders,
+lighted the candles placed in sconces of twigs cunningly constructed by
+Barney, and crept forward towards the stockade, closely followed by
+Samba, both bending low so as to escape discovery before the right
+moment.
+
+Lepoko had reported that two sentries had been placed over the fetish
+hut.  Jack guessed that by this time their nerves would be at pretty
+high tension, and that they would not improbably be keeping a safe
+distance from the awful place they had been set to guard.  One of the
+ladders was planted by Samba against the stockade.  On this Jack
+mounted, and the hideous countenance rose slowly and majestically above
+the palisade.
+
+A small oil lamp swung from the eaves of the hut.  By its light Jack
+saw the two sentries some distance away, but near enough to keep an eye
+on the entrance so that the inmates could not break out unnoticed.  At
+first they did not see the apparition.  To quicken their perception,
+Jack gave a weird chuckle--a sound that would have startled even sturdy
+English schoolboys in the depth of night.  The negroes turned round
+instantly; there was one moment of silence: then shrieking with fear
+they rushed helter-skelter into the darkness.
+
+Taking the second ladder from Samba, Jack calmly descended on the other
+side, and was quickly followed by the boy.  The latter made straight
+for the fetish hut.  A light shone through the entrance immediately he
+had entered; there was a muffled shriek; then voices in rapid talk,
+followed by the sound of heavy hammering.  By the light of Jack's
+electric torch Samba was breaking the fetters.
+
+By this time the whole village was astir.  At the first instant of
+alarm every man, woman, and child gave utterance to a yell; but as soon
+as they caught sight of the dreadful apparition, the vengeful spirit
+Whose visit had been predicted, the giant with hideous jaw and flaming
+eyes, they ceased their cries, and scampered in awestruck silence
+across the compound towards the gate.
+
+Slowly Samba's parents limped out of the hut after him, and with his
+assistance mounted the ladder and descended on the other side of the
+stockade.  Jack had bidden Samba take them for a time into the forest.
+To harbour them in his camp would involve further embroilment with
+Elbel, a thing to be avoided if possible.  They had barely disappeared
+in the darkness when a shot rang out, and Jack felt something strike
+the framework above his head.  Elbel had been awakened from sleep by
+the first yell, but on leaving his hut found himself enveloped in so
+thick a crowd of quivering, panic-stricken negroes that he could
+neither see what had caused their alarm nor get an answer to his
+irritable questions.  The delay had been just long enough to allow the
+prisoners to escape.
+
+Jack heard Elbel's voice raging at the people.  As another shot whizzed
+by he reached up and extinguished the candles, then slipped over the
+stockade, drawing the ladder after him.  Burdened with the bogie and
+the two ladders he hastened away into the forest.  For some minutes he
+wandered about, missing the guidance of Samba, who was with his
+parents.  At length he struck the path, and making his best speed
+regained his camp.  Barney was awaiting him at the gate with loaded
+rifle, the trained men drawn up under arms.
+
+"The bogie did it!" he cried, feeling very hot and tired now that his
+task was accomplished.
+
+"Praise be!" ejaculated Barney.  "Eyes front!  Present arrms!  Dismiss!"
+
+
+
+[1] This abounds in the forest, and is alike nails, string, and rope
+for the natives.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Lokolobolo's First Fight
+
+"I am afraid we are in for it now," said Jack, as he sat with Barney,
+when the camp had become quiet, discussing the situation.  "Elbel will
+know well enough who played the bogie, and he has now another grievance
+against me.  I wonder what he will do."
+
+"I would not disthress meself about it at all, sorr," said Barney.  "He
+had a peep at a Pepper's ghost widout paying for a ticket, and 'tis
+himself that ought to be plased."
+
+"Don't you ever have a fit of the dumps, Barney?  You seem to live
+always in the top of spirits."
+
+"What would be the good uv doing anything else, sorr?  I've too little
+flesh on me bones now; what would I be if I grizzled?"
+
+"I'm glad enough, I assure you.  I don't know what I should have done
+without you.  Uncle little imagined what he was leaving me to.  Do you
+think anything has happened to him?  It is three months since he went
+away, and five weeks since I had any news of him.  I am getting
+anxious."
+
+"'Tis true he is behind, like the cow's tail, sorr.  An 'tis meself can
+explain it.  Ye see, sorr, I've noticed wan thing about these niggers.
+Time is not much to an Irishman, to be sure, but 'tis less than nothing
+to a nigger.  They don't keep count uv the days; an almanac would be
+clean beyond them; and 'tis my belief Nando has just put the master
+back a month, sorr, unbeknown."
+
+"That's an original explanation, at any rate.  But by Jove! here's
+Samba again.  What does he want now?"
+
+"Him say mudder lib for plenty sick, sah," said Lepoko, called in to
+interpret.  "Mudder plenty tired fust; muss stand all de night in hut;
+no gib no food; her no can go no more; tumble down in forest.  Samba
+say please massa, let fader and mudder come; please, please, massa,
+please, massa, him say please massa plenty too much all time."
+
+"We must have them in, I suppose," said Jack, unable to resist the
+appeal in Samba's eyes and gestures.  "I didn't want them here, they
+only add to our dangers and difficulties.  Let him fetch them, Lepoko;
+he must be careful; if they are captured again they are sure to be
+shot."
+
+Samba's face shone with delight.  He scampered away.  An hour passed
+before he returned.  Mboyo was carrying his wife in his arms; she was
+in the last stage of exhaustion.  They were given shelter in Lepoko's
+hut; and that night, when Samba curled himself up to sleep with Pat,
+for the first time for many weeks he was a happy boy.
+
+Jack had but just finished his breakfast next morning when a note was
+brought him from Elbel.
+
+
+MONSIEUR,--
+
+On m'a fait informer que les deux individus echappes de ce village sont
+a present refugies dans votre camp.  J'ai l'honneur de vous sommer de
+rendre ces individus immediatement, en outre le petit garcon dont j'ai
+deja demande la reddition.  Au cas que lesdits sujets de PEtat du Congo
+ne soient pas ramenes dans ce village avant midi cejourd'hui, je serai
+oblige de faire a leur egard des demarches qui me sembleront bonnes.
+
+Agreez, monsieur, l'assurance de ma
+  consideration distinguee,
+      ELBEL,
+  _Agent de la Societe cosmopolite
+      du Commerce du Congo_.
+
+
+"What do you think of this, Barney?  He says he's been told that the
+two persons who escaped from Ilola are now in my camp.  He has the
+honour to request that I will give them up at once.  Listen: 'In case
+the said subjects of the Congo State are not brought back to this
+village by noon to-day, I shall be compelled to take such steps in
+regard to them as may seem to me good.' Very precise and formal.  My
+answer shall be a little shorter."
+
+He lost no time in penning his reply.  He wrote:
+
+
+SIR,--
+
+The three people you mention are with me.  I shall be glad to learn the
+offence with which they are charged, and by what authority you take it
+upon yourself to try them and punish them.
+
+Yours truly,
+    JOHN CHALLONER.
+
+
+"We shall get no answer to that, Barney."
+
+But he was mistaken.  A second note was brought him in which Elbel
+refused to explain or justify his actions to Monsieur Challoner.  He
+was responsible to his Societe and to the administration of the Free
+State.  He repeated his threat that at twelve o'clock, failing
+compliance with his demand, he would take steps to recover the
+fugitives, and concluded by saying that Monsieur Challoner must be
+answerable for the consequences.
+
+"The fat's in the fire now, sorr," said Barney, when Jack had
+translated this letter to him.  "I suppose you'll just say 'Go and be
+hanged' in answer to that?"
+
+"No.  I shan't answer it on paper.  The crisis has come at last,
+Barney.  I couldn't attack Elbel yesterday and be responsible for the
+first blow.  But things are changed now.  His action in regard to these
+poor people is sheer persecution; they've sought my protection, and no
+Englishman that I ever heard of has given up a wretch fleeing from
+persecution.  We'll have to stand firm now, Barney.  Elbel shan't get
+hold of them if I can prevent it."
+
+"I'm wid ye, sorr, heart and soul.  Sure an Irishman is not the man to
+stand by and see poor people ill-treated.  What'll we do to get ready
+for him, sorr?"
+
+"You can go and get some of the men to rig up platforms at several
+points inside the stockade.  What a lucky thing it was we taught 'em
+how to board and floor the huts!  Those planks will come in handy now.
+And stay: set two or three men to bore loopholes in the stockade--not
+our riflemen; the men who've lost their right hands can manage that,
+perhaps, with their left if they try.  Meanwhile, parade the riflemen.
+I'll come out to them in a few minutes."
+
+When the men were paraded, Jack felt very proud of his little company.
+They were all alert, eager, ready.  Jack explained to them through
+Lepoko what the difficulty was.
+
+"I don't want you to fight against your will," he said.  "If any man is
+unwilling to fight he may leave the camp if he chooses, or remain and
+do any other work required.  But if he elects to fight he must obey
+orders, do his best, and never give in.  You understand that: never
+give in!"
+
+The men responded with loud cries of approval.  Not a man of them fell
+out of the ranks.  The exercise and drill they had undergone had filled
+them with military ardour; they were proud of their new
+accomplishments, and evidently eager to test them in earnest.  And the
+white officials were so well hated that the opportunity of setting one
+at defiance was in itself a sufficient motive.  Jack paid them a
+compliment on their readiness to serve--the negro dearly loves
+praise--and after inspecting each man's rifle and ammunition, dismissed
+them to various duties in the camp until the moment for action arrived.
+
+The day's water supply had scarcely been got in, and there were no
+vessels at hand for storing a large quantity.  The stock of food in the
+camp was sufficient to keep the whole population for three days on full
+rations, and might be eked out for a week or more if each man's
+allowance was reduced.  It was inevitable that the idea of a siege
+should cross Jack's mind, and he foresaw that the difficulty about
+water would prove serious.  Meanwhile, he could at least send out a few
+men to obtain supplies of food from the chief's other villages.  He
+chose for this errand the men least likely to be useful as fighters,
+and impressed on them the necessity of avoiding Elbel's men.  It would
+not be long before Elbel had the surrounding country closely patrolled,
+and then no man would be able to approach without taking his life in
+his hand.  What supplies they should succeed in collecting were to be
+held concealed in the forest until there was an opportunity of
+conveying them into the camp without danger.
+
+There were now within his stockade, besides himself and Barney,
+twenty-two men armed with rifles; the chief Mboyo, with his wife and
+Samba; fifteen men, ten women, and twenty-five children who had sought
+asylum with him; and the livestock of the natives--a few goats and
+fowls.  Pat was one by himself.  There were rifles for twenty men
+besides the twenty-two, but the fugitives were too much maimed, or too
+much reduced in strength by their sufferings, to make it seem worth
+while to arm them.  Four or five, however, had recovered very rapidly,
+and seemed likely to prove useful recruits.  They had at any rate
+enough reason for fighting well; not only on behalf of their chief, but
+in memory of their own sufferings.  Pending an opportunity of teaching
+them the use of the rifle, Jack armed them with spears and employed
+them as sentries.  A careful watch was kept to guard against surprise,
+which was little likely to occur in broad daylight across the wide open
+space between the two settlements.
+
+Jack awaited with no little anxiety the approach of noon, trying to
+forecast Elbel's course of action.  The Belgian had, so far as he had
+been able to gather, about sixty men armed with Albini rifles, with
+probably as many hangers-on; but the natives' conceptions of arithmetic
+are so vague that this information could not be relied on; the actual
+number might be larger or smaller.  It was not likely that the
+followers of the forest guards could be utilized as fighting men; but
+the guards themselves were well armed and full of confidence, for they
+had become accustomed to lording it over the virtually unarmed and
+helpless populace from whose forced labour the Congo Free State derives
+its profits.  Jack was quite prepared to find that Elbel, knowing that
+his opponent's men had but recently been armed, and were not, like his
+own men, to all intents professional soldiers, would think himself
+strong enough to rush the camp, especially as, since the day of his
+arrival, the Belgian had appeared to show no further interest in the
+force at Jack's disposal.
+
+"Perhaps he thinks we've drilled them merely for parade," he remarked
+with a smile to Barney.  "But I think he'll find we can hold our own.
+I'm not afraid of a direct attack.  But if he tries to starve us out
+it'll be a different matter.  I'm bothered about the water."
+
+"Be aisy, sorr.  Whin I was a bhoy me mother often did not know at
+breakfast time where the supper was coming from; but I only went to bed
+wance widout it, and that was whin I'd eaten it before the time, and
+was put to bed early as a punishment."
+
+Soon after twelve o'clock the sentries reported that the white man was
+approaching from the direction of the village.  Jack hastened to the
+platform near the gate, which he had had barricaded, and saw Elbel at
+the head of about forty men, at his side a negro bearing a white flag.
+About fifty yards from the stockade he halted, and formally demanded
+the surrender of the fugitives.  In phrases as formal as his own Jack
+replied that they would not be given up.
+
+While this brief exchange of courtesies was going on, the sentries
+stationed on similar platforms within the stockade had turned round
+with natural curiosity to see what was passing, and withdrew their
+attention from the ground they were supposed to be watching.  All at
+once Jack felt a tug at his arm, and looking round, saw Samba excitedly
+pointing to the rear of the camp.  A score of Elbel's riflemen were
+scurrying across the open ground.  To Jack's surprise they were headed
+by a white man in military uniform.  Was this the Captain Van Vorst, he
+wondered, who, Elbel had told him, was coming up the river?  Had he to
+contend with a regular officer of the State as well as an official of
+the Concession?  One thing was clear, that while his attention was
+being held by the parade of the men in front, an attempt was being made
+to rush the camp from the rear.
+
+Jack gave no sign of his discovery, but quietly ordered Barney to take
+ten men with rifles and five with spears and deal with the attackers
+when their heads or hands appeared above the stockade.
+
+"Keep out of sight until they're upon you," he added in a low tone.
+"Fifteen men on the platform will be equal to more than double their
+number trying to scramble over."
+
+He had kept his face turned towards Elbel as he spoke, apparently
+intent upon a serious consideration of what the Belgian was saying.
+
+"I varn you.  Dis is not child's play.  Vunce more I say gif up de
+people; den I interfere no more.  I am satisfied.  But if you refuse,
+den I repeat: I will haf de people, and you shall see vat it is to defy
+de officers of de Free State."
+
+Jack was spared the necessity of replying.  A series of yells and cries
+of pain told that the rear attack had begun.  Next moment a couple of
+shots rang out from the trees behind Elbel, and Jack, whose head just
+appeared over the stockade, felt one bullet whistle close above his
+topee, while a second embedded itself beside him in one of the saplings
+of which the stockade was constructed.  Taken in conjunction with the
+attempted surprise, this was as close an approximation to the methods
+of an assassin as could well be imagined; and Jack, as he dodged down
+out of harm's way, felt, not for the first time, that he had to deal
+with a man who was not only astute but quite unscrupulous.
+
+In less than a minute the attack on the stockade had become general.
+The assailants showed no want of dash.  Perhaps they were encouraged by
+the impunity with which they had hitherto made their assaults on native
+villages similarly protected.  But the conditions were different now.
+The defenders were armed with weapons as precise and deadly as those of
+the attackers themselves.  Elbel's men came forward at a rush, in a
+more or less compact body, and Jack was amply satisfied with the result
+of his training as his men, at a sign from him, poured a volley through
+the loopholes bored in the stockade, while the enemy were still a dozen
+yards distant.  Several of them dropped; Jack's men were completely
+screened from any effectual reply.
+
+The moral effect of white leadership became apparent when the forest
+guards, scarcely realizing their losses in the excitement of their dash
+towards the stockade, helped one another to swarm up, many effecting a
+lodgment on the top.  It was at this point that in ninety-nine cases
+out of a hundred the defenders of an African village would have flung
+away their arms and run.  But the discipline of the past two months
+told.  At Jack's command, before the enemy on the stockade had made
+their footing sufficiently sure to enable them to use their weapons,
+the men within, clubbing their rifles, sprang at them and hurled them
+to the ground.
+
+Meanwhile Barney, who thanks to Samba's watchfulness had been enabled
+to forestall the surprise in the rear, had beaten off the attack and
+sent the enemy scurrying for cover.  Leaving only three or four men
+under Lepoko to watch the position there, Jack was able to bring almost
+the whole of his force to bear on repelling the main attack.  Elbel had
+greatly reduced his chances of success by detaching a third of his
+body; and he entirely lost their co-operation, for when they were
+repulsed by Barney they made no attempt to rally, but simply
+disappeared from the fight.
+
+Elbel and his men were crouching at the foot of the stockade in
+temporary security, for in that position the defenders could not bring
+their rifles to bear upon them.  Jack heard him give his men an order;
+in a few seconds a crowd of black heads again appeared above the
+stockade, but now some thirty yards from the point where the first
+assault had been made.  With Barney at his right hand Jack led his men
+to the spot.  From his platform he might have shot the attackers down
+with comparative ease; but he was determined from the first to do his
+best to avoid bloodshed, never forgetting his uncle's injunction to use
+rifles only in the last resort.  The enemy themselves had no chance of
+firing, for they no sooner showed their heads above the palisade than
+they were beset by the defenders.  There was a brisk five minutes in
+which Jack and Barney found plenty to do leading their men wherever the
+show of heads, hands, and shoulders over the stockade was thickest.
+Barney was in his element.  His rifle fell like a flail, and for every
+blow that got home he shouted a wild "Hurroo!" which evoked responsive
+yells from the negroes beside him, catching his enthusiasm.  Jack's
+heart glowed as he saw how stoutly they fought.
+
+It was not until the enemy had made two attempts to mount the stockade
+that they realized how very different their present task was from the
+massacre of unresisting men, women, and children that had hitherto
+represented their idea of fighting.  The first repulse merely surprised
+and enraged them: they could not understand it; they were not
+accustomed to such a reception; and they yelled forth threats of
+exacting a terrible vengeance.  But when for the second time they found
+themselves hurled back, they had no heart for further effort.  Suddenly
+Elbel discovered that he was alone, except for one man lying stark
+beside him; the unwounded had scampered across the open to the shelter
+of the nearest trees.  Some half dozen who had been hit with rifle
+bullets or clubbed at the palisade, were dragging themselves painfully
+towards the same shelter.
+
+Jack, watching from his platform, perceived that Elbel was not among
+the retreating crowd.  Was he hurt, he wondered?  The next moment,
+however, he saw the Belgian sprint after his men, bending his head
+between his shoulders as a boy does to avoid a snowball.  Several of
+Jack's men who had joined him on the platform brought their rifles to
+the shoulder, and only a curt stern order from Jack to drop their
+weapons saved Elbel from almost certain death.
+
+"Bedad, thin, 'tis a pity not to let them have their way, sorr,"
+expostulated Barney.
+
+"That may be," replied Jack, "but I'm only on the defensive, remember.
+We're in no danger for the present; they've had enough of it; it's not
+for me to continue the fight.  I hope Elbel has learnt a lesson and
+will leave us alone."
+
+"Sure I do not agree wid you at all at all, sorr," said Barney, shaking
+his head.  "To judge by the phiz uv him, Elbel is a disp'rate bad
+character.  And isn't it all his deeds that prove it, with his whips
+and his forest guards--blagyards I call 'em--and all?  Why, sorr, whin
+ye knocked him down the other day, why didn't he stand up fair and
+square and have it out wid ye?  'Twas an illigant chance which no
+gentleman, no Irishman, bedad! would have missed for worlds.
+Gentleman!  'Tis not the fortieth part uv a gentleman he has anywhere
+about him.  'Twas not the trick uv a gentleman to try to take ye by the
+back stairs while he blarneyed ye at the front door.  And did he not
+try to murder ye before the fight began?  A dirty trick, sorr; I would
+have let my men shoot him widout the hundredth part uv a scruple."
+
+Jack was compelled to smile at Barney's honest indignation.
+
+"All you say is very true," he said, "but we couldn't take a leaf out
+of his book, you know, Barney.  Besides, look at it in another way.
+Suppose we shot Elbel?  What would happen to uncle's mining venture?
+There's another Belgian here--I wonder where he came from.  Apparently
+he has skedaddled.  He'd certainly go and report to the authorities
+what had happened.  You may be sure he wouldn't put our side of the
+case; and even if he did, there's no knowing how the Free State people
+would twist the evidence.  They say the Free State judges are
+completely under the thumb of the executive.  No doubt Elbel
+himself--who I suppose has to account for the cartridges his men
+use--will report this fight as a little affair with natives revolting
+against the rubber collection.  He hasn't come well enough out of it to
+be anxious to call general attention to the matter.  We've got off with
+a few bruises, I'm thankful to say; and we may very well be satisfied
+to let the quarrel rest there if Elbel takes no further steps."
+
+Barney shook his head.
+
+"Ye're a powerful hand at argyment, sorr," he said, "and ye'd be
+elected at the top uv the poll if ye stood as mimber uv Parlimint for
+Kilkenny.  But an Irishman niver goes by argyment: he goes by his
+feelings, and my feeling is that there's no good at all in a man who
+refuses such an illigant chance uv a stand-up fight."
+
+"Well, he's not altogether a ruffian.  Look! there are three of his
+negroes coming with a flag of truce, to fetch the poor fellow who was
+killed, I expect.  The State officials as a rule look on the negro as
+so much dirt; but Elbel seems to have some of the instincts of a human
+being."
+
+"Bedad thin, I wouldn't be surprised if they're cannibals come for
+their dinner."
+
+"Shut up, Barney.  It's too terrible to think of.  You'll take away my
+appetite; here's Samba, coming to tell us, I hope, that dinner's ready."
+
+Jack scanned the neighbourhood.  Save for the negroes carrying their
+dead comrade there was no sign of the enemy.  He left two sentries on
+guard and returned to his hut, hot and famished.  The sultry heat of
+the tropical afternoon settled down over the camp.  Outside the
+stockade all was still; inside, the natives squatted in front of their
+huts, volubly discussing the incidents of the morning, and watching the
+antics of Pat, who, having been tied up, much to his disgust, during
+the fight, was profiting by his liberty to romp with the children.
+
+The victory did not pass unchronicled.  Before the negroes retired to
+rest, one of them had composed a song which will be handed down from
+father to son and become a tradition of his tribe:--
+
+             To the house of the dog
+             To fight Lokolobolo.
+             Inglesa was he,
+             Brave Lokolobolo,
+             Lion and leopard,
+             Friend of Imbono,
+             Chief of Ilola.
+
+             Came Elobela,
+  (_Chorus_) Yah!
+             Bad Elobela,
+  (_Chorus_) Yo!
+             To the house of the dog
+             Came Lokolobolo,
+  (_Chorus_) Yah!  Yo!
+             Short was the fight.
+             Where is he now,
+             Sad Elobela?
+             Gone to the forest,
+             Beating his head,
+             Hiding his eyes
+             From Lokolobolo,
+             Friend of Imbono,
+             Lion and leopard,
+             Brave Lokolobolo.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+A Revolt at Ilola
+
+Every day since the advent of Elbel, Jack had been conscious of the
+growing danger of his position.  A negro village, in the grip of rubber
+collectors; adjacent to it, a little settlement occupied mainly by
+negroes, many of whom were fugitives from a tyranny illegal indeed, but
+regularized by custom; in both settlements, natives who looked to him
+for help against their oppressors.  It was a situation difficult enough
+to daunt the pluckiest lad not yet eighteen.  But it is lads like Jack
+Challoner who make one of the prime glories of our Anglo-Saxon race.
+Is not page after page of our national annals filled with the deeds of
+youths--drummers, buglers, ensigns, midshipmen--who have stepped
+forward in moments of crisis, and shown a noble courage, a devotion to
+duty, and a capacity beyond their years?
+
+Jack did not quail before the responsibility his uncle had all
+unwittingly thrown upon him, even though he knew that his victory over
+the Belgian might enormously increase his difficulties.  Already he had
+wondered why Elbel had not put his settlement in a state of siege.  The
+only conclusion he could come to was that the man was little more than
+a blusterer, without enough imagination to conceive the right means to
+adopt, or destitute of sufficient organizing power to put them in
+force.  It would have been a comparatively simple matter, seeing his
+overwhelming strength in point of numbers, to prevent Jack from
+securing his needful supply of water from the stream; but day by day
+Elbel had allowed the women with their calabashes to go and come
+unmolested.  Surely, Jack thought, he would now at any rate take that
+most obvious step towards the reduction of his enemy.  And as he sat in
+his hut that evening, his head racked with pain from long thinking, he
+felt sick at heart as he realized how the fate of these poor people who
+had sought his aid seemed to depend on him alone.
+
+Just as darkness had fallen, the chief Imbono came into the camp.
+Elbel had forbidden any one to leave the village, but the chief had
+bribed the sentry and been allowed to pass.  He came to report that his
+young men had just returned from their rubber hunt after a week's
+absence in the forest, and learning of what had taken place, were bent
+on exacting vengeance for the insults and injuries inflicted on their
+people by the forest guards and by Elbel himself.  With his defeat the
+Belgian's prestige had utterly gone, and to the ignorant negroes the
+opportunity seemed favourable for revenge.  But Imbono, more far-seeing
+than they, had come to ask advice.  He had great difficulty in holding
+his men in.  Should he let them loose, to work their will upon their
+oppressors?
+
+Jack earnestly advised the chief to do his utmost to restrain them.
+
+"Believe me, my brother," he said, "if they do as you say they wish to
+do, it will almost certainly bring ruin upon you.  Elobela will be only
+too glad to have an excuse for visiting upon you the rancour caused by
+his reverse.  True, he failed to force my camp; but he is still
+stronger in arms and men than I.  I could do nothing to help you; for
+if I once move out of the shelter of my stockade, I shall be at
+Elobela's mercy.  In the open it is only rifles that count."
+
+"I will do as you say, O Lokolobolo.  But it is hard for me, for since
+the coming of Elobela my people do not obey me as they used to do.  If
+I say, do this, Elobela forbids it; if I say, refrain from this,
+Elobela bids them do it.  It is hard for them to serve two masters.
+But I will tell them what my brother says; I can do no more."
+
+"You have another white man with you now, besides Elobela?"
+
+"It is true, and he was struck by one of the balls from your guns, and
+is now lying sick in my hut: they have turned me out, and Elobela has
+said that I am no more to provide food for you, my brother, either from
+Ilola or from my other villages.  But one of my young men told me that
+the party you sent out have obtained a supply, and wait in the forest
+until you bid them bring it in."
+
+Jack thanked the chief, who returned to his village.
+
+The news he brought was not of a kind to lessen Jack's anxiety.  What
+he had expected had at last happened.  He had little doubt that the
+commandeering of food would soon be followed by the stoppage of his
+water supply.  Without access to water the camp was doomed.  It was
+possible that if he made common cause with Imbono their united forces
+might overcome Elbel's forest guards; but the attempt could be made
+only at a terrible risk, and if it failed the whole population of the
+two settlements must be annihilated.  Jack saw now that the presence of
+his camp so near Ilola was a source of danger to it.  This could not
+have been foreseen; but how much better it would have been, he thought,
+if he had chosen a different site.  At another spot, remote from the
+village, with a more defensible position, and near a good water supply,
+the present weaknesses would not have existed, and at all events Imbono
+might not have been involved in the consequences of the quarrel with
+Elbel.
+
+But it was too late to think of that.  Certainly no move could be made
+while Elbel was close by with a considerable force.  If Elbel took
+advantage of his superiority to hold the camp closely invested, there
+would never be any possibility of moving at all.  Deprived of water,
+Jack must soon choose between the alternatives--to surrender, or to
+make a sally at the head of his men and put all to the hazard of an
+open fight.
+
+Two days passed.  Jack kept a close watch on Ilola through his
+field-glass; all seemed quiet there, and of Elbel himself he saw
+nothing.  What was his amazement, when at daybreak he took his stand on
+the platform overlooking Ilola, to see Elbel marching out at the head
+of the greater part of his force, and making for the river bank.  He
+waited an hour, and when they did not return, and the patrols had not
+appeared, he sent out a couple of men by a roundabout way to follow the
+movements of the force, and allowed the usual water carriers to go out
+with their calabashes.  These, returning soon with water, reported a
+strange thing.  From the women of Ilola whom they had met on a like
+errand at the river, they had learnt that Elobela had set off with his
+men in their smoke-boat, and that Boloko had been left in charge of the
+village with about as many men as he had brought at first.  Several
+hours later Jack's scouts came back, and said that they had followed
+along the bank the course of Elobela's launch; he was going rapidly
+down the river.  They could only suppose that he was making for the
+headquarters of his company some hundreds of miles away.
+
+"What did I say at all at all?" remarked Barney when Jack told him the
+great news.  "He's no gentleman, that's as plain as the nose on his
+face, sorr.  A man who will take two lickings and thin run away is not
+fit to wipe your shoes on."
+
+"You seem disappointed, Barney, but frankly I'm very glad.  I could
+fling up my hat and cheer if I hadn't to keep up my dignity before
+these natives.  Though I fear we haven't seen the last of Mr. Elbel by
+any means.  We shall have him upon us sooner or later with an
+overwhelming force.  But sufficient unto the day; my uncle should be
+back long before that, if Elbel doesn't meet and stop him on the road.
+Well, we now have a chance to move our camp, for if Elbel is on his way
+to headquarters he can't get back for weeks.  And first of all, Barney,
+take a dozen men and bring in that food that's waiting in the forest.
+We shan't be able to move for a day or two, at any rate; we must choose
+our site more carefully this time."
+
+Thinking over the matter, Jack was not long in coming to the decision
+that the best place to establish his new camp would be near the
+cataract.  From his recollection of the ground above it he thought it
+was admirably situated from a strategical point of view.  It would have
+the incidental advantage of protecting Mr. Martindale's claim.
+
+The one disadvantage was its distance from the sources of food supply.
+But this caused Jack to give serious consideration to a matter which
+had once or twice dimly suggested itself to him.  He had been more and
+more impressed with the necessity of his party being self-supporting,
+so far as the staple articles of food were concerned, if they were to
+make a long stay in this country.  He remembered how Stanley during his
+search for Emin Pasha had been able to sow, grow, and reap crops at
+Fort Bodo in a remarkably short time.  Why should not he do the same?
+When he was joined by Mr. Martindale's contingent a large quantity of
+food would be needed.  No doubt they would bring stores with them; but
+these could not last very long, especially in view of the unexpected
+drain upon the resources of the expedition caused by the arrival of the
+fugitives from Banonga and elsewhere.
+
+"I wonder what Uncle will say when he sees them," Jack remarked to
+Barney, when he opened up to him this question of food supply.  "You
+remember at Banonga he said he wasn't going to start a boys' home; this
+is still more serious--a sort of convalescent home for non-paying
+patients."
+
+"'Tis meself that isn't wan little bit afraid uv what the master will
+say.  Sure don't I know to a letther what 'twill be!  'My gracious
+me!'--don't ye hear him, sorr?--'what in the world will I want wid all
+these disgraceful lookin' objects?  This ain't business.  I'm not a
+philanthrophy, an' I don't exactly see my way to run a croosade.'  An'
+thin he'll say, 'Poor fellow!' an' 'Poor wumman!' an' 'Poor little
+chap!' an' he'll dive his hands into his pockets an' suddenly remimber
+himself that money is no manner uv good in this counthry, an' he'll
+say: 'We must kind uv fix up some sort uv something for 'em, Barney.'
+Didn't I know 'm by heart the first day I drove him in London, and he
+went up to the horse and opened his jaw an' looked in his eyes an' says
+'He'll do.'  Sure I'd niver have named me little darlint uv a Pat to 'm
+if I hadn't known the kind uv gintleman he was at all."
+
+Jack smiled at Barney's way of putting it, but admitted the truth of
+the portrait.  Mr. Martindale was indeed a capable man of affairs--an
+example of the best type of the American man of business, the
+embodiment of the qualities by which the extraordinary commercial
+prosperity of the United States has been built up.  But Jack knew that
+he was more than a man of business.  His was a big heart, and it was
+one of the minor vexations of his life that he had to take some trouble
+to conceal it.
+
+Jack's final conclusion was that there was not only every prospect of
+an extended stay if this mining scheme was to be followed up, but that
+the number of persons to be provided for would be more considerable
+than it was possible at present to calculate.  Obviously, then, it
+behoved him to employ the time before Mr. Martindale's arrival in
+preparing for contingencies.
+
+Elbel's departure had immediate consequences in Ilola.  His presence
+had in some measure curbed the worse propensities of his black
+followers: they could only be brutal in obedience to orders; but the
+moment he was gone they began to show themselves once more in their
+true light.  Before a day had passed Imbono came into the camp to
+complain of the insolence and rapacity of Boloko and his men.  Jack
+advised him to do nothing to give Boloko any excuse for violence, but
+he had still to plumb the depths of savagery and brutality in the men
+whom the Free State Government callously allowed the trading companies
+to employ in the exploitation of rubber.  He had still to learn that
+where violence was intended, not even the shadow of an excuse was any
+longer considered necessary.
+
+One morning Imbono came to him in a frenzy of rage and indignation.
+His third wife had been tending her cooking pot when Boloko came up and
+asked what food she was preparing.  "A fowl," she replied civilly.
+"Give it me," he demanded.  "It is not yet cooked, O Boloko," the poor
+woman answered.  "You refuse me, Ngondisi?" cried the ruffian.  "Lift
+your hands and open your eyes wide that I may see the white of them, or
+I will shoot you."  Ngondisi in terror obeyed.  "You do not open them
+wide enough," said the wretch with a laugh, and he lifted the gun and
+fired; and the woman fell upon her face; she would never open her eyes
+again.
+
+But Boloko had in this case reckoned without the spirit of confidence
+engendered in the natives by the discomfiture of Elbel.  He had only
+ten men in the village when the incident occurred; the rest were
+absent, levying toll on Imbono's other villages a few miles distant.
+Even while Imbono, with tears of anguish, was telling Jack what had
+been done, the spark had been applied to the tinder.  An extraordinary
+commotion was heard in the direction of Ilola: shots, yells, the war
+cry of infuriate men.  Rushing out with Imbono, Jack arrived in the
+village to find that retaliation had at last been wreaked for months of
+wrong.  It was difficult at first to make out what had happened.  It
+appeared that in Imbono's absence the men of the village had suddenly
+seized their arms, and flung themselves in one desperate rush upon
+Boloko and his men.  What cared they if several of their number fell
+before the tyrants' rifles?  Heedless of wounds they closed about the
+forest guards; there was a brief hand-to-hand fight, eight of Boloko's
+men had fallen to weapons wielded with the energy of despair, and of
+the party only Boloko himself and two men had made their escape into
+the forest.
+
+Elate with their victory, the men of Ilola had hastened off to the
+other villages, to surprise the guards there.  It was too late now to
+recall them, but Jack had arrived on the spot just in time to rescue
+one man, whom the villagers were on the point of massacring.  The white
+sous-officier who had been wounded in the fight before Jack's camp had
+been placed in Imbono's hut.  Roused by the sound of firing, he had
+dragged himself from his mattress and, rifle in hand, came to the
+entrance of the hut just as Jack entered the gate with the chief.  The
+villagers had forgotten him; but when they saw in their power a white
+man, one of those to whom all their afflictions were due, a band of
+them sprang towards him with uplifted spears.  He fired: one of the men
+fell.  The rest paused for an instant, and were on the point of dashing
+forward to make an end of their enemy when Jack rushed between them and
+their prey, and cried to them in Imbono's name to stay their hands.
+Reluctantly, with lowering countenances, they obeyed the command of
+their chief's white brother.  No mercy had been shown to them: why
+should they show mercy?  But when Imbono reminded them that the slaying
+of a white man would bring upon them the hordes of Bula Matadi, and
+that Elobela had already gone down the river, probably to bring many
+soldiers back with him, they sullenly drew off, and allowed Jack to
+remove the man to the safety of his own camp.
+
+The Belgian knew no English, but Jack had a fair working knowledge of
+French which he found was equal to the occasion.  The man explained
+that he was an ex-noncommissioned officer of the State forces, whose
+services had been enlisted by Elbel in dealing with the refractory
+natives.  He seemed quite unable to understand Jack's point of view.
+To him the natives were so many parasites, the goods and chattels of
+the State, with no property and no rights.
+
+"Why, monsieur," he said, "we pay them for the work they do; we have a
+right to demand labour of them for nothing.  See what we have done for
+their country!  Look at the rubber stations on the river, the fine
+buildings, the telegraphs, the cataract railway; where would all these
+blessings of civilization have been but for the noble self-sacrifice of
+King Leopold?"
+
+Jack gave up the attempt to argue with him that the country belonged
+primarily to its natural inhabitants, forbore to point out that King
+Leopold had expressly declared that he had the advancement of the
+natives at heart.  He contented himself with insisting that the actions
+of which Elbel and his minions had been guilty in Ilola were contrary
+to the law of the Free State itself.  He was much struck by the
+Belgian's answer.
+
+"Ah, monsieur, we have no book of rules, no code of laws.  What can we
+do?  We are the only law.  Yes, monsieur, we are the only God in the
+Maranga."
+
+Next day Jack went with Imbono and Lepoko to the waterfall, to survey
+the place as a possible site for a camp, or, to speak more strictly, a
+settlement.  The chief was troubled and displeased at the prospect of
+the removal of his blood brother's camp, but made no urgent
+remonstrance.  On arriving at the spot, Jack at once detected signs
+that some one had recently been making investigations there.  He had no
+doubt that this was Elbel.  The secret of the gold had probably been
+disclosed in an incautious moment to one of his escort by the men who
+had accompanied Mr. Martindale on his second visit.  Elbel already knew
+enough of the American's business to make him keenly interested, and
+alert to follow up the slightest clue.  Knowing what he now knew of the
+methods of the State officials, Jack was ready to believe that Elbel
+would strain every nerve to get Mr. Martindale hounded out of the
+country, in order to have an opportunity of turning the discovery of
+gold to his own profit.  Could his sudden departure from the village,
+Jack wondered, have been his first move in this direction?
+
+Carefully examining the ground above the waterfall, Jack saw that a
+good deal would have to be done to make it suitable for a settlement.
+He heard from Imbono that during several months of the year the stream
+was much broader than at present, and at the point where it debouched
+from the hill, three or four miles below, it and other streams
+overflowed their banks, forming a wide swamp, almost a lake, some ten
+miles from east to west and more than half a mile broad.  This, during
+the rainy season, practically cut off all communication from the
+direction of the village.  On the far side of the hill the bluffs were
+so precipitous as to make access very difficult.  This isolated hill
+formed therefore a kind of huge castle, of which the swamp for half the
+year was the natural moat.
+
+It seemed to Jack that the most convenient site for his new camp was
+the slope of the hill immediately above the cataract.  The incline here
+was very slight; the hill face only became steep again about a quarter
+of a mile from the fall; there it rose abruptly for fully fifty or
+sixty yards, sloping gently for the next half mile.  Jack saw that if
+he built his entrenched camp in the neighbourhood of the waterfall, it
+would be to a slight extent commanded by an enemy posted on the steep
+ascent above.  But by raising his defences somewhat higher on that side
+he hoped to overcome this disadvantage.
+
+With a little labour, he thought, the soil around the cataract could be
+made suitable for planting food-stuffs.  It was virgin soil, and owing
+to the slight fall of the ground at this spot, and to the fact that it
+was partially protected by the contour of the hill against floods from
+above, the leaves that for ages past had fallen from the thick copses
+fringing the banks, and from the luxuriant undergrowth on the small
+plateau itself, had not been washed down.  These deposits had greatly
+enriched the alluvium, and Imbono said that large crops of manioc,
+maize, groundnuts, and sweet potatoes could easily be grown, as well as
+plantains and bananas and sugar cane.
+
+On returning to his camp by Ilola, Jack told Barney the results of his
+investigation, and announced that he had definitely made up his mind to
+settle on the new site.
+
+"Very good, sorr," said Barney; "but what'll become uv Ilola?  Beggin'
+your pardon, sorr, 'twas a very solemn affair, that ceremony uv
+brotherhood, an' though sure it had niver a blessing from a priest--an'
+like enough Father Mahone would think it a poor haythen sort uv
+business--still, to the poor niggers, sorr, it may be just as great a
+thing as if the priest had blessed it in the name uv Almighty God."
+
+"Well, what are you driving at, Barney?"
+
+"Why this, sorr.  The chief and you made a bargain to help wan another;
+an' sure ye've kept it, both uv you.  Well, if we go away, there's no
+more help for either uv you, an' 'tis Imbono will be most in need uv
+it."
+
+"You mean that I'm deserting my ally, eh?"
+
+"Bedad, sorr, isn't it me that knows ye'd niver do it?  But I just
+speak for the look uv the thing, sorr.  Sure niver a man knows betther
+than Barney O'Dowd that things are not always what they seem."
+
+"To tell you the truth, Barney, I've been thinking it over on the way
+back.  I could see that Imbono doesn't like the idea of our moving,
+though he was too polite to mention it----"
+
+"'Tis a rale Irish gintleman he is, sorr," interrupted Barney.
+
+"There's no doubt that Elbel, or Boloko, or both, will come back sooner
+or later.  Leaving me out of the question, the slaughter of Boloko's
+party won't go unpunished.  To overlook that would ruin the authority
+of the forest guards for hundreds of miles round.  Well, what does it
+mean when they return?  They'll make a terrible example of Ilola.
+Imbono and his people will be wiped out.  And you're quite right in
+believing that I couldn't stand by and see that done.  But you see what
+it involves.  We must plan our camp so as to be able to take in the
+whole of Imbono's people from the three villages--I suppose about four
+hundred in all, children included.  That's a large order, Barney."
+
+"True it is, sorr.  But you wouldn't keep out the childher, poor little
+souls; an' mighty proud uv Pat they are, too.  Besides, sorr, they'll
+all help, ivery soul, to build the camp; many hands make light work;
+an' ye couldn't expect 'em to set up a lot uv huts for us barring they
+saw a chance uv bein' invited now and again, at least as payin' guests,
+sorr."
+
+"Well, Barney, I'd made up my mind to it all along, but I thought I'd
+like to sound you first.  So all we've got to do now is to relieve
+Imbono's suspense and set to work.  We'll start with clearing the soil
+for crops.  It will take some time to plan the new camp, and we've
+always this one to retreat to.  Take Lepoko over to Ilola and make the
+announcement yourself, Barney."
+
+"I will, sorr, wid the greatest pleasure in life.  'Deed, 'twas meself
+that took the news to Biddy O'Flaherty whin her pig had won the prize
+at Ballymahone Show, and was just coming away wid a penny in me pocket
+when I met Mike Henchie.  'An' what would ye be afther, Mike?' says I.
+'Carryin' the news to Biddy O'Flaherty, to be sure,' says he.  'Arrah
+thin, 'tis too late ye are,' says I.  'Isn't it meself that's just got
+a penny for that same news?' 'Bedad,' says he, 'what will have come to
+Biddy at all?'  'What is it ye'd be maning?' says I; 'sure she didn't
+give me a penny,' says Mike, 'last year whin I brought her the news.
+She gave me a screech and went black in the face, an' sure 'twas for
+the same fun I'm here this blessed minute?'  'Husht!' says I.  'Biddy
+didn't win the prize last year at all.  'Twas Patsy M'Manus.'  'An' who
+is it this time but that same Patsy?' says Mike.  'But I heard the
+judge wid me very own ears give it to Biddy!' says I.  'Deed so,' says
+he; 'but some wan renumbered him that Patsy had won it two years on
+end.  "Me old friend Patsy!" says he.  "Sure I couldn't break her heart
+by spoilin' the third time.  I'll give it to Patsy," says he.'  An'
+Patsy hadn't shown a pig at all that year, sorr."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+The House by the Water
+
+With characteristic energy, Jack next day set about the work in
+earnest.  He posted sentinels several miles down the river and on the
+only forest paths by which a force was likely to approach, to give him
+timely notice if the enemy appeared.  Then, with as many men as he
+could muster, and a great number of women, he hastened to the
+waterfall, and began the work of clearing the ground.  He had decided
+to start from the site of the proposed settlement and work outwards, so
+that the crops would be as much as possible under the protection of the
+camp: it would never do to raise a harvest for the enemy to reap.
+
+He placed Mboyo, Samba's father, in command of all his own people who
+had turned up, and of such people from other tribes as now came
+dropping in daily, the news of the white men who helped the negroes and
+feared not Bula Matadi having by this time spread abroad in the land.
+Every new contingent of fugitives brought a fresh tale of outrage,
+causing Jack to persevere under the discouragements with which he met,
+and to vow that he would do all in his power to protect the poor people
+who looked to him for succour.  What the ultimate result of his action
+would be he did not stay to consider.  It was enough for him that a
+work of urgent need lay ready to his hand.
+
+He did not blink the fact that he and his followers were now in reality
+in revolt against the constituted authorities of the Free State.
+Elbel, it was true, was only a servant of a concessionnaire company,
+vested with certain trading and taxing privileges; but government as
+understood in the Free State was conducted by the delegation of powers
+from the central authority to private or corporate trading concerns.
+How far the powers of such a man as Elbel really extended in point of
+law Jack did not know.  But he had been driven into his present
+position by a series of events in the face of which he could not find
+that any other course of action than the one he had adopted was open to
+him.  And while he recognized fully the essential weakness of his
+position, however well fortified he might regard himself on grounds of
+humanity, he faced boldly what seemed the likeliest immediate
+consequence of his actions--the return of Elbel in force.
+
+Meanwhile he was beginning to be a little concerned at not hearing from
+Mr. Martindale.  It was many weeks since his last note had arrived.
+Jack was not yet seriously anxious about his uncle's non-appearance in
+person, for he could easily conceive that delays might occur in the
+prosecution of his business in strange places and among strange people,
+and when he reflected he came to the conclusion that Mr. Martindale
+might naturally hesitate to send many messengers.  They were very
+expensive, having to come so many hundreds of miles, and moreover there
+was always a chance that a letter might miscarry.  The Congo was not
+too safe a highway; the Free State methods had not been such as to
+instil a respect for "law" among the victims of its rule.  Jack knew
+full well that if a messenger from his uncle fell into Elbel's hands,
+he would not be allowed to proceed.  It was possible that Mr.
+Martindale's purchase of rifles, and their destination, had been
+discovered; and the idea that he might be involved in some trouble with
+the courts made Jack feel uneasy at times.
+
+But he was so extremely busy that he had little leisure for speculation
+of any kind.  The work of clearing the ground proceeded with wonderful
+rapidity.
+
+"They talk about the negro being lazy," he remarked one day to Barney;
+"he doesn't look like it now."
+
+"Ah, sorr, they say the same about my counthrymen.  Perhaps the truth
+is the same in Ireland as 'tis here.  For why are the niggers here not
+lazy, sorr?  Just because you'd explained to them what the work's for,
+and they know they'll get the good uv it.  There may be scuts uv
+spalpeens that won't work at any time for anything or anybody at all.
+'Tis they I'd use that chicotte on, sorr; but I don't see any here, to
+be sure."
+
+When enough ground had been cleared and sowed to furnish a considerable
+crop, Jack turned the whole of his available force on to the work of
+building the entrenched camp.  Imbona had welcomed with gratitude and
+enthusiasm the suggestion that the new settlement should be made large
+enough to contain the whole population of his villages in case of need;
+and his men having discontinued their unprofitable search for rubber
+when the forest guards disappeared, he could employ them almost all in
+the work.  For Jack did not recognize the prescriptive right of the men
+to leave all the field work, when the clearing had been done, to the
+women, as is the invariable negro custom.  Whether in the fields or on
+the new defences, he insisted on all taking a share.
+
+The greatest difficulty he encountered in the construction of his new
+camp was the want of materials.  The country in the immediate vicinity
+of the waterfall was only sparsely wooded, and too much time and labour
+would be consumed in hauling logs from the forest below.  But he found
+a large copse bordering the stream, higher up, and here he felled the
+trees, floating the logs down to the side of his settlement, not
+without difficulty, owing to the narrow tortuous bed.  These, however,
+proved quite insufficient for the construction of a thick and
+impenetrable stockade round the whole circuit of the chosen site.  Jack
+therefore determined to use the boulders that lay in the course of the
+stream, thus unawares making his camp a cross between an Afghan stone
+sangar and a log fort, such as were built by the pioneers and
+fur-traders of the American west.  The labour of transporting the heavy
+boulders to the site of the settlement was very great; but the heart of
+the labourers being, as Barney had said, in their work, they toiled
+ungrudgingly, and, with the ingenuity that the negro often unexpectedly
+displays, they proved very fertile in simple labour-saving devices.
+
+The fort was built on the left bank of the stream just above the
+cataract, so that the steep cliffs formed an effective defence to its
+southern side.  Before falling over the precipice, the stream ran
+through a gully some twelve feet deep.  The western side of the fort
+rested on the gully, and was thus with difficulty accessible in this
+quarter.  Only on the north and east was it necessary to provide strong
+defensive works.  These faces were each about a hundred yards long.  At
+the western extremity of the northern face, where it rested on the
+stream, Jack placed a solid blockhouse of logs.  He constructed a
+similar blockhouse at the eastern extremity of this face, and a third
+at the south-east corner where the stone wall abutted on the precipice.
+All three blockhouses were constructed as bastions, so as to enfilade
+the northern and eastern faces.
+
+When the outer defences were thus completed, the negroes were set to
+work to build the necessary habitations within.  Hundreds of tall
+stems, thousands of climbers, vines, and creepers, piles of palm and
+phrynia leaves, were collected, and in an amazingly short time the
+space so lately bare was covered with neat huts built in native fashion
+for the negroes, with three more substantial dwellings, somewhat apart
+from the rest, for Mr. Martindale, Jack, and Barney.  A wide open space
+was left in the middle.  At one point a great heap of boulders was
+collected for repairing the wall if necessary; and Jack placed his
+ammunition securely in an underground magazine.
+
+In two months from the departure of Elbel Jack was able to transfer his
+stores to the new settlement.  The crops in the cultivated area were
+already far advanced.  Jack was amazed to see how quickly in this
+teeming soil the bare brown face of the earth became covered with the
+tender shoots of green, and how rapid was the progress to full
+maturity.  Clearly the new village, to which the natives had given the
+name Ilombekabasi, "the house by the water," would be in no straits for
+its food supply.
+
+It was Barney who suggested a doubt about the water.  Jack found him as
+a rule a good commentator, but a poor originator; he could very
+prettily embroider an idea, but very rarely had an idea of his own.
+But on this occasion he had a flash of insight.
+
+"By the powers, sorr," he said one morning, as Jack and he were walking
+along the stream, "I do remimber just this very minute two lines uv
+poethry, out uv a poethry book I was made to learn whin I was a bhoy
+an' they talked uv sendin' me in for 'zamination by the Intermaydiate
+Board.  It never come to anything, to be sure, because by the time I
+was old enough to sit for the 'zamination I was too old, sorr."
+
+"Well, what are the lines?"
+
+  '"Water, water iverywhere,
+  An' not a dhrop to dhrink.'"
+
+'Twas about some poor sailor man that shot a bird at sea, an 'twas a
+holy bird, an' whin 'twas dead the wind did not blow, an' the sailors
+dropped down dead, an' ghosts came aboard, an' the sky was like a hot
+copper, an' this poor divil uv a fellow was alone, all, all alone, as
+the book said, wid the dead bird slung round his neck, an' his lips
+parched, an' water all about, but as salt as a herring, so that he
+couldn't drink it; bedad, sorr, I remimber how mighty bad I felt meself
+whin my ould tacher--rest his sowl!--read out those lines in a sort uv
+whisper, an' me lips went as dhry as an old boot, sorr."
+
+The idea, you perceive, was by this time pretty well smothered under
+its embroidery.
+
+"You mean that the enemy might try to divert the stream if they
+attacked our camp?"
+
+"'Tis the very marrow uv it, sorr, an' mighty aisy it would be.  Sure
+there are plenty uv boulders left, an' they could make a dam that would
+turn this stream at the narrow part above, an' niver a blessed dhrop uv
+dhrink should we get."
+
+"You're right, Barney.  We must be prepared for anything.  Let us go
+and look round."
+
+Strolling up stream, they came, within a short distance of the spot
+where inspiration had flashed upon Barney, to a small spring bubbling
+up near the river bank.
+
+"Here's water, Barney," said Jack.  "It rather suggests that we'd find
+water inside the camp if we sank a well."
+
+"True, sorr; but I'm thinking that would need a terrible deal uv
+diggin'."
+
+"Still it may have to be done.  We can't use this spring; it's a
+hundred yards at least away from the stockade--too far to come, under
+fire from Albini rifles."
+
+"And we couldn't make it run into the camp, sorr, more's the pity."
+
+"Stop a bit.  I don't know that we couldn't.  We might make a conduit."
+
+"What might that be, sorr?"
+
+"A pipe.  It would have to be underground."
+
+"And if we got a pipe, an' could lay it, the marks uv the diggin' would
+bethray us.  Don't the streets uv London prove it whin the County
+Council has been taking up the drains?"
+
+"Unless we could cover them in some way.  That might be managed.  A
+greater difficulty is the natives.  They've worked very well, but we
+don't know yet how far they can be trusted; and if they knew of this
+water-pipe we propose, they might blab the secret and undo all our
+work."
+
+"And where's the pipe, sorr?  There are no gas pipes or drain pipes in
+this haythen counthry."
+
+"No, but there are plenty of bamboos.  We could make an excellent pipe
+of them.  The digging is the difficulty.  We can't get the natives to
+do it without giving our plan away, and we can't do it ourselves for
+the same reason.  I shall have to think this out, Barney."
+
+"Sleep on it, sorr.  Begorra, I remimber two more lines from that same
+poetry book--
+
+  'Sleep, sleep, it is a blessed thing
+  Beloved from pole to pole';
+
+an' no wonder at all, for many a time I've gone to me bed bothered
+about wan thing or another, and bedad, the morn's morn 'twas all as
+clear as the blessed daylight, sorr."
+
+"Well, I'll sleep on it, Barney, and let you know to-morrow what the
+result is."
+
+It was close thought, however, before he fell asleep that gave Jack the
+solution of the problem.  All the natives now knew that the object of
+the white man's presence here was to search for gold; they knew also
+that to obtain the gold the soil had to be excavated.  Why not turn
+their knowledge to good account?  Instead of laying his conduit in a
+direct line from the spring to the nearest point of the stockade, he
+would lay it along, or rather in, the side of the gully; it would thus
+be more likely to escape observation, and the disturbed ground could be
+planted with quick-growing creepers or covered up with boulders.  As a
+blind to the natives, he would have a number of excavations made at the
+edge of the gully, both above and below the waterfall, and one of these
+could be used for the bamboo pipe without anybody being the wiser save
+the few who must necessarily be in the secret.
+
+Next morning, accordingly, Jack, under pretence of continuing the
+search for gold, set the men to make a series of shallow excavations.
+Most of these were cut below the cataract, and, using the prospector's
+pan, Jack obtained what he hoped his uncle would consider good results
+from the soil.  He carefully noted the places along the exposed bed of
+the stream in which the best returns were found.  But the excavations
+were abandoned one by one, and attention was not unduly directed to any
+of them.
+
+One of the excavations above the waterfall was the channel for the
+conduit.  Jack carried it from within a few yards of the spring to a
+spot near the north-west blockhouse, overlooking the gully.  At one
+time it seemed that his plan would be wrecked, literally upon a rock,
+for a huge mass of stone of almost granite hardness was met with a
+little less than half-way from the spring.  But Jack was relieved to
+find soft earth beneath it, and the obstacle was turned by sinking the
+conduit at this place some feet below the usual level.
+
+At a short distance from the blockhouse, within the stockade, Jack set
+the men to excavate a large tank, with a surface outlet over the
+cataract; and from the bottom of the tank he drove a tunnel, just large
+enough to accommodate a bamboo pipe, to the nearest point of the gully.
+
+The tank was an object of great curiosity to the natives, both those
+who had dug it and those who looked on.  The children amused themselves
+by jumping in and out until the bottom became so deep as to make that
+sport dangerous; their elders congregated at the edge, chattering among
+themselves, some suggesting that it was intended as a storehouse for
+grain, others, as a grave in which to bury Elobela and his men when
+they were killed in the fight that all expected.
+
+Meanwhile Jack had taken two of the natives into his confidence.  They
+were Mboyo and Samba.  The former was silent by nature and habit.
+Samba would have torn out his tongue rather than divulge any secret of
+his master's.  Jack entrusted to them the construction of the conduit.
+He knew enough of their language by this time to be able to explain
+what he wanted without Lepoko's assistance, and they quickly seized his
+idea.  Working by themselves in a bamboo plantation at Ilola, they
+selected stalks of slightly different thickness which would fit into
+one another; and Jack found that by carefully packing the joints with
+earth from the peaty swamp, he could make a pipe of the required length
+practically free from leakage.
+
+It remained to lay the conduit in position.  This task he reserved for
+himself and Barney, with the assistance of Mboyo and Samba.  To avoid
+observation by the people, it was necessary to do the work at night.
+Accordingly one day Jack gave orders that no one was to leave the camp
+without permission after the evening meal was eaten.  Immediately after
+sunset the four quickly issued from the gate in the northern wall of
+the fort, one at a time so as not to attract attention.  Mboyo and
+Samba brought the sections of the pipe from the place where they had
+concealed them, and under Jack's direction they laid them along the
+gully, covering up each length of bamboo as it was placed.  The trench
+having been already prepared, the actual labour involved was not great,
+the only difficulty being to remove as far as possible the traces of
+their operations.  But it took time, and was impeded by the darkness,
+so that on the first night, after several hours of work, only the pipe
+had been laid, no connexion having yet been made with the tank or the
+spring.
+
+The work was continued under similar conditions on the following night.
+A connexion having been made with the tank, it only remained to tap the
+spring.  A hole, some three feet deep, was dug where the water bubbled
+up, and formed into a fairly water-tight chamber by lining it with
+stone chipped from the boulders.  Into this one end of the conduit was
+carried.  Then the hole was filled in, and covered with two heavy
+pieces of rock, placed in as natural and unstudied a position as
+possible.  While this was being done by Mboyo and Samba, Jack and
+Barney dibbled the roots of sweet potato creepers into the soil along
+the whole length of the conduit, knowing that they would grow so
+rapidly that in a few weeks every trace of their work would be hidden
+by the foliage; moreover the plant would serve a double purpose.
+
+The spring was a small one; nevertheless, by the time the night's task
+was completed, and the party returned to the camp, there were already
+two or three inches of water in the tank, and it was steadily rising.
+Barney was even more delighted than Jack.
+
+"'Tis wonderful what a power uv good poethry can do in the world,
+sorr," he said.  "An' sure the commissionaires uv education in the ould
+counthry would be proud men the day did they know that Barney O'Dowd,
+though he didn't pass his 'zamination, has made a mighty fine use uv
+the little poethry book."
+
+Great was the surprise of the natives when they awoke next morning to
+see the mysterious tank full of water, and a tiny overflow trickling
+from it over the cataract.  They discussed it for the whole of the day,
+inventing every explanation but the right one.  The original spring had
+been so near the river and so inconspicuous that its disappearance was
+not noticed.
+
+Jack felt a glow of satisfaction as he looked round on his work.  Here
+was an orderly settlement, on an excellent natural site, defended by a
+stockade and wall impregnable save to artillery, with fresh clean huts,
+well-cultivated fields, and an inexhaustible water supply.  It had
+involved much thought and care and toil; how amply they had been
+rewarded!
+
+His men were now all transferred from their old settlement to the new
+one.  Imbono's people still remained in their villages, not without
+reluctance.  They knew that the gate of Ilombekabasi would always be
+open to them if danger threatened; but they felt the attractions of the
+place, and wished to migrate at once.  And they were particularly
+jealous of the refugees.  These people were strangers; why should they
+have better habitations and stronger defences than they themselves?
+Why were they permitted to remain in Imbono's country at all?  Jack had
+much ado to keep the peace between the two parties.  Quarrels were
+frequent, and that they did not develop into open strife was a tribute
+to Jack's diplomacy, and to the strange influence which Samba had
+acquired.  The winning qualities which had captivated Mr. Martindale
+seemed to have a magical effect upon the people.  The boy had always
+been a special pet among his own folks; his merry nature won the
+affection of Imbono's subjects also.  Jack kept an observant eye upon
+him, and more than once saw him quietly approach a group where
+bickering and recrimination were going on, and by some grace of
+address, or some droll antic played with his inseparable companion Pat,
+turn frowns to smiles, and suspicion to good fellowship.
+
+Among the inhabitants of Ilombekabasi was the Belgian sergeant rescued
+from the villagers in Ilola.  He gave his parole not to attempt to
+escape, and indeed endured captivity patiently, for he knew not how far
+away his friends might be, and to wander alone in this forest country
+meant death.  Jack sometimes talked with him, taking the opportunity of
+airing his French, and finding some little interest in sounding the
+man's views.  At first the Belgian would not admit that the natives had
+any rights, or that there was anything particularly obnoxious in the
+system of administration.  But he changed his mind one day when Jack
+put to him a personal question.
+
+"How would you, a Belgian, like it if some strange sovereign--the
+German emperor, say--came down upon you and compelled you to go into
+your woods and collect beech-nuts for him, paying you at the rate of a
+sou a day, or not at all, and thrashing or maiming or killing you if
+you did not collect enough?"
+
+The question was unanswerable, and from that time the Belgian became a
+meditative man.
+
+The refugees were gradually increasing in number.  By the time the camp
+was finished Mboyo's command had grown to sixty men, with nearly as
+many women and twice as many children.  All brought stories of the
+barbarous deeds of the rubber collectors; many bore in maimed limbs or
+scarred backs the personal evidences of the oppressors' cruelty.  Jack
+was moved almost to tears one day.  A fine-looking negro came into the
+camp carrying something wrapped in palm leaves, and asked to be taken
+to Lokolobolo.  When brought before Jack he removed the wrappings, and,
+unutterable woe depicted on his face, displayed a tiny black hand and
+foot.  His village had been raided, he said, and with his wife and
+children and a few others he had fled to the forest, where they lived
+on roots and leaves and nuts.  The forest guards tracked them out.  One
+day, when he was absent fishing, a brutal sentry came upon his wife as
+she was collecting leaves for the evening meal.  He learnt from one of
+his friends what happened.  Before the woman could escape the sentry
+shot her, and as she was only wounded, his "boys" chopped her with
+their knives till she died.  Others of his hangers-on took the
+children; and when the father returned to the place where he had left
+them, he found the dead body of his wife, and one hand and foot, all
+that remained of his little ones from the cannibal feast.
+
+It was incidents like these that stiffened Jack's back.  He had crossed
+his Rubicon: the gate of Ilombekabasi stood open to all who chose to
+come.  And they came steadily.  For a time many of them were too weak
+to be useful members of the little society.  But as with good food and
+freedom from care their strength increased, they began to be
+self-supporting, Mboyo employed them in attending to the crops and
+bringing new ground under cultivation.  Several were artificers, and
+were useful in doing smith's or carpenter's work.
+
+In addition to keeping the villagers employed, Jack set apart a portion
+of every day for military exercises.  Every able-bodied man was armed;
+those for whom there were no rifles carried the native spears.  When
+Boloko fled from Ilola he left a number of Albini rifles and a stock of
+ammunition behind.  These Jack appropriated, so that his corps of
+riflemen now numbered sixty.  He used his cartridges very sparingly,
+for his stock was not large, and he saw no possibility of replenishing
+it.
+
+Now and again he arranged for a sham fight.  One party of men was told
+off to storm the stockade, an equal party to defend it.  No firearms
+were used on these occasions; the weapons employed were wooden poles
+with wadded ends.  Such fights afforded excellent practice against a
+real attack, and not a little amusement and enjoyment to the natives,
+who entered into the spirit of them enthusiastically, and took the hard
+knocks and bruises with as much cheerfulness as schoolboys on a
+football field.  These little operations were useful to Jack also.  By
+their means he discovered the weak spots in his defences, and was able
+to strengthen them accordingly.
+
+But he was now becoming seriously alarmed at Mr. Martindale's continued
+absence.  Eight weeks had passed since his last letter came to hand,
+nearly five months since his departure.  What could have happened?
+Jack could not think that his uncle had willingly left him so long to
+bear his heavy responsibility, and now that he had more leisure he
+could not prevent himself from imagining all kinds of mishaps and
+disasters.  At last, when he was on the point of sending a special
+messenger down the river to make inquiries, a negro arrived at the
+settlement with a letter.  He had come within a hundred and fifty miles
+of Ilombekabasi as a paddler on a white man's canoe; the remainder of
+the distance he had covered on foot.  Jack opened the letter eagerly.
+It read:--
+
+
+MY DEAR JACK,--
+
+Sorry to leave you so long.  Have been on my back with an attack of
+malaria; three weeks unconscious, they told me.  No need to be anxious:
+I'm on the mend; soon be as fit as a riddle.  Pretty weak, of course;
+malaria isn't exactly slathers of fun.  It will be a fortnight or three
+weeks before I can start; then must travel slowly.  Expect me somewhat
+over a month after you get this.  I've been in a stew about you.  Hope
+you've had no trouble.  Can you stomach native food?  Didn't forget
+your birthday.  Got a present for you--quite a daisy.
+
+Your affectionate uncle,
+  JOHN MARTINDALE.
+
+P.S.--Got some hydraulic plant at Boma: a bargain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+A Buffalo Hunt
+
+"Dear old uncle!" said Jack as he handed the letter to Barney.  "'Pon
+my soul, I'd forgotten my own birthday, and I haven't the ghost of a
+notion what the day of the month is; have you, Barney?"
+
+"Divil a bit, sorr."
+
+"Though, of course, I could reckon it out by counting up the Sundays.
+D'you know, Barney, I almost wish I'd made these negroes knock off work
+one day a week."
+
+"Sure it wouldn't have answered atall atall sorr.  A day's idleness
+would mean a day's quarrelling.  Uv coorse 'tis a pity they're ignorant
+haythens, an' I wish we could have Father Mahone out for a month or two
+to tache the poor craturs; but until they can be tached in the proper
+way, betther let 'em alone, sorr."
+
+"Perhaps you're right, Barney.  Doesn't it seem to you odd that Uncle
+says nothing about the rubber question?  His first letter, you
+remember, was full of it."
+
+"Master's a wise man, sorr.  What he does not say says more than what
+he does.  He wouldn't be sure, you see, that his letter would iver
+reach you.  And bedad, if he'd had good things to say uv the State
+officers, wouldn't he have said 'em?  He's found 'em out, sorr, 'tis my
+belief."
+
+"I shall be jolly glad to see him, dear old boy."
+
+"And so will I, sorr, an' to see some things fit for a Christian to
+ate.  Master's stomach won't take niggers' food, an' mine wouldn't if I
+could help it."
+
+"But you're getting fat, man!"
+
+"Sure that's the terrible pity uv it.  Wid dacent food I kept as lean
+as a rake, and I'd niver have believed that the only way to get fat was
+to ate pig's food; for that's what it is, sorr, this maniac and other
+stuff.  I'll now be wanting to get thin again, sorr."
+
+The white men's stores had long since given out.  For weeks they had
+had no sugar, no coffee, tea, or cocoa.  Jack as well as Barney had to
+share the natives' food.  Jack did not mind the change, and he believed
+that Barney's objection was more than half feigned, for the Irishman
+ate with unfailing appetite.  The native diet was indeed nutritious and
+not unappetising.  It included fish from the streams, which they ate
+both fresh and smoked; bananas, pine-apples, plantains, Indian corn,
+manioc, ground-nuts, and sweet potatoes.  Manioc was their most
+important food, and Jack after a time began to like it, as made into
+_kwanga_.  The root of the plant is pounded to a pulp, soaked for
+twenty-four hours in running water, and when it ferments, is worked up
+into a stiff dough.  Cut into slices and fried in ground-nut oil it is
+very palatable.  Jack also found the groundnuts delicious when roasted.
+A few goats kept in the settlement provided milk, and they had a
+regular supply of eggs from their fowls, so that Jack at least
+considered himself very well off.
+
+The crops around the settlement ripened and were gathered: fine fields
+of Indian corn, amazing quantities of manioc and ground-nuts, that
+ripen beneath the soil.  Yet Jack began to wonder whether his
+plantations would meet the needs of the population.  It was still
+growing.  The renown of Lokolobolo and Ilombekabasi had evidently
+spread far and wide, for every week more refugees came in from villages
+far apart.  Besides the men of Jack's original party, there were now
+nearly two hundred people in the settlement, and Jack always had to
+remember that these might any day be increased by the four hundred from
+Imbono's villages, if Elbel returned to avenge Boloko's expulsion, as
+he certainly would do.  Further, Mr. Martindale would no doubt bring
+back with him a certain number of trained workmen--carpenters,
+engine-men, and so forth; all these must be provided with house room
+and food.  Jack was glad that he had planned the settlement on generous
+lines, though as he looked around he asked himself somewhat anxiously
+whether it would suffice to accommodate all.  And what would his uncle
+say to it?  Would he endorse what Jack had done, and take upon himself
+the protection of these outcasts against their own lawfully
+constituted, however unlawfully administered, government?  Only time
+could decide that, and Jack awaited with growing impatience his uncle's
+return.
+
+One morning a messenger came in from Ilola to say that news had reached
+Imbono of a herd of buffaloes which were feeding about five miles off
+in the open country to the west.  Hitherto Jack had not had leisure to
+indulge his tastes for sport; but the knowledge that big game was now
+so near at hand prompted him to try his luck.  Leaving Barney in charge
+of the settlement, he set off the same morning with Imbono and Mboyo,
+who had both become very fair marksmen, the former with an Albini rifle
+that had been Boloko's, the latter with a Mauser presented to him by
+Jack.
+
+Samba and Lepoko were in attendance, carrying lunch for the party.
+Though Jack had picked up a good deal of the language, he found it in
+some respects so extraordinarily difficult that he was always glad of
+Lepoko as a stand-by.
+
+By the time they had reached the spot where the herd had first been
+sighted, it had moved some distance away; but it was easily tracked,
+and by dint of careful stalking up the wind the party got within three
+hundred yards without being discovered by the keen-scented beasts.
+Then, however, the country became so open that to approach nearer
+unseen was impossible, and Jack decided to take a shot at them without
+going farther.
+
+He had brought the heavy sporting rifle which had accounted for
+Imbono's enemy the hippopotamus in the river.  Selecting the largest of
+the herd--they were the red buffaloes of the district, a good deal
+smaller than the kind he had seen in America--he fired and brought it
+down.  The others broke away towards a clump of euphorbias, and Jack
+got another shot as they disappeared; but neither this nor the
+small-bore bullets of the chiefs' rifles appeared to take effect, for
+in an instant, as it seemed, the whole remaining herd vanished from
+sight.
+
+Jack slipped two more cartridges into his empty chamber, and, leaving
+the bush from behind which he had fired, ran towards his kill.  It was
+his first buffalo, and only those who have known the delight of bagging
+their first big game could appreciate his elation and excitement.  He
+outstripped the rest of his party.  The two chiefs, chagrined at their
+failure to bring down the animals at which they had aimed, seemed to
+have lost all interest in the hunt.  Samba left them discussing with
+Lepoko the relative merits of their rifles, and hurried on after his
+master.
+
+Jack bent over the prostrate body.  Despite the tremor of excitement he
+had felt as he cocked his rifle he found that his aim had been true:
+the buffalo had been shot through the brain.  At that moment--so
+strange are mental associations--he wished his school chum Tom Ingestre
+could have been there.  Tom was the keenest sportsman in the school;
+how he would envy Jack when he saw the great horns and skull hanging as
+a trophy above the mantelpiece when he paid that promised visit to New
+York!
+
+But while recollections of "Tiger Tom," as the school had nicknamed
+him, were running through his mind, Jack was suddenly startled by a
+bellow behind him and a couple of shots.  Springing erect, he faced
+round towards the sound, to see Samba's dark body darting between
+himself and a second buffalo plunging towards him from the direction of
+the bushes.  As happened once to Stanley travelling between Vivi and
+Isangila, the suddenness of the onset for the moment paralysed his
+will; he was too young a sportsman to be ready for every emergency.
+But the most seasoned hunter could not have dared to fire, for Samba's
+body at that instant almost hid the buffalo from view, coming as it did
+with lowered head.
+
+The animal was only ten yards away when Samba crossed its track; but
+the boy's quick action broke its charge, and it stopped short, as
+though half inclined to turn in pursuit of Samba, who had now passed to
+its left.  Then it again caught sight of Jack and the dead buffalo, and
+with another wild bellow dashed forward.  In these few instants,
+however, Jack had recovered his self-possession, and raised his rifle
+to his shoulder.  As the beast plunged forward it was met by a bullet
+which stretched it inert within a few feet of Jack's earlier victim.
+
+"Bonolu mongo!"[1] exclaimed Jack, clapping Samba on the shoulder.
+"But for your plucky dash I should have been knocked over and probably
+killed.  You saw him coming, eh?"
+
+"Njenaki!"[2] replied Samba, with his beaming smile.
+
+Meanwhile the two chiefs had run up with Lepoko and were examining the
+second buffalo, with an air of haste and excitement.  They began to
+talk at one another so loud and fiercely, and to gesticulate so
+violently, that Jack, though he could not make out a word of what they
+were saying, saw that a pretty quarrel was working up.
+
+"Now, Lepoko," he said, putting himself between the chiefs and sitting
+on the buffalo's head, "what is all this about?"
+
+"Me tell massa," said Lepoko.  "Imbono he say he kill ngombo; Mboyo say
+no, he kill ngombo; Lepoko say massa kill ngombo; no can tell; me fink
+one, two, free hab kill ngombo all same."
+
+"Well, my own opinion is pretty well fixed, but we'll see.  Why, there
+are three bullet marks in his hide besides mine.  That's mine, you see,
+that large hole in the middle of the forehead.  One of you two must
+have hit him twice.  And I'm hanged if the bullets didn't go clean
+through him.  No wonder he was in a rage.  Tell them what I say,
+Lepoko."
+
+On hearing what Jack had said, the chiefs began to jabber at each other
+again.
+
+"Kwa te!" said Jack.  "What do they say now, Lepoko?"
+
+"Imbono say he make two holes, Mboyo say no, he make two holes.  Lepoko
+fink bofe make two holes--how can do uvver way?"
+
+"Two and one make three, my man, not four.  I'll soon tell you who made
+the two."
+
+By comparing the wounds he found that two of them had been made by
+Mauser bullets and one by an Albini.
+
+"There's no doubt about it, Mboyo hit him twice.  But to put an end to
+your squabble let me tell you that you both might have fired at him all
+day and never killed him if you hit him in those parts.  Neither of you
+did him any damage, though you might have done for me, irritating him
+as you did.  We'll settle the matter by saying he is Samba's buffalo.
+It was Samba who got in his way and gave me time to take good aim at
+him.  And Samba might have been killed himself.  I am grateful to your
+son, Mboyo, and proud of him, and when I get back I shall give him one
+of the rifles I have left, as a reward."
+
+This end to the controversy satisfied both the chiefs.  Neither grudged
+Samba anything.  As for the boy, he was more than delighted.  He had
+never dreamt of handling a rifle until he was at least fifteen, when
+the negro boy is as old as the white boy of twenty; and to have one his
+very own made him enormously proud.
+
+"He say larn shoot one time, massa," said Lepoko.  "Lepoko plenty
+mislable.  What for?  'Cos he shoot plenty well; but massa no tell him
+to bring gun.  No; Lepoko must lib for talk, talk, talk all time; me no
+happy all same."
+
+"You shall have your chance next time.  Now, Samba, run off to the camp
+and bring some men to cut up the buffaloes.  We will wait hereabouts
+until you come back."
+
+When Samba had gone it occurred to Jack that he would eat his luncheon
+at the summit of a small hill that rose steeply about half a mile from
+the spot where the buffaloes had been killed.  The chiefs, disinclined
+like all Africans for exertion that was avoidable and seemed to have no
+object, pointed out that their present situation was quite suited for
+having the meal, and they were quite hungry enough without climbing for
+an appetite.  But Jack persisted.  He wished to ascertain whether there
+was a clear view from the hill, and though he might have ascended it
+alone, he feared lest in his absence the chiefs would again fall out
+over the buffalo.  With an air of resignation the negroes accompanied
+him on the short walk, and luncheon was eaten on the hill-top.
+
+Jack at least felt that he was well rewarded for his climb.  A
+magnificent panorama was open to his view--a vast extent of forest-clad
+country, with here and there strips of open ground such as that below
+in which they had discovered the buffaloes.  The forest stretched in an
+almost unbroken mass of foliage as far as the eye could reach,
+approaching on the north-east very close to Imbono's village.
+
+After luncheon Jack got up and walked about the hilltop, taking a
+nearer view of the country through his field-glass.  Here he caught a
+glimpse of the river, a small bluish patch amid the green; there, of a
+little spire of smoke rising perhaps from the fire of one of Imbono's
+scouts.  All at once he halted and stood for some moments gazing
+intently in one direction.  Far away, across a clearing only just
+visible through the trees, something was moving, continuously, in one
+direction.  So great was the distance that the appearance was as of an
+army of ants.  But he fancied he detected a patch or two of white amid
+the mass of black.
+
+"Mboyo, look here!" he called.
+
+The chief went to his side, and, stretching his head forward, gazed
+fixedly at the moving mass.
+
+"Soldiers!" he exclaimed suddenly.  "Black soldiers, and white chiefs!
+They are going to Ilola."
+
+Imbono sprang to his side.
+
+"It is true," he cried.  "Mboyo speaks the truth.  They are going to
+Ilola!"
+
+Jack drew a deep breath.  The long-expected was coming to pass.  The
+enemy was at hand!  And it was ominous that he was coming from the west
+by land instead of by river from the south.  This must have involved a
+detour of many miles, through difficult forest country; but thus the
+enemy avoided the certainty of his approach being heralded in advance,
+as it would have been if he had come by the river.  Elbel was planning
+a surprise!
+
+There was no time to be lost in getting ready for his coming.
+
+"Can they reach Ilola to-day, coming through the forest?" Jack asked
+Imbono.
+
+It was just possible, replied the chief, but only by dint of very hard
+marching, and they could not arrive before nightfall.
+
+"We must get back," said Jack.  "Come, my brothers."
+
+They descended the hill, and set off at full speed for Ilombekabasi.
+On the way they met a party of men coming under Samba's guidance to
+bring in the buffaloes.  Jack bade them hasten in their task; they were
+far from any probable line of march of the enemy, and the meat might
+now prove very valuable.  Hurrying on to his camp, Jack told Barney
+what he had seen.
+
+"We're in for it now, Barney," he said.
+
+"And we're ready, sorr, praise be!" said Barney.
+
+Jack lost no time.  At his request Imbono sent out scouts to get more
+exact particulars of the column and its progress, warning them to use
+the utmost care to avoid discovery.  Imbono himself returned to Ilola
+to prepare his people for a migration to Ilombekabasi.  Later in the
+day the scouts returned with the news that the enemy had pitched their
+camp about ten miles away.  The force consisted of some two hundred
+forest guards armed with rifles, and a much larger number of followers
+carrying spears.  Boloko was with them, and Elobela, and two other
+white men.  The line of march had been direct for Ilola, and strict
+silence was kept.  One of the scouts had seen Elobela himself strike a
+man who had incautiously shouted to his comrades.
+
+"There's no doubt of their intentions, Barney," said Jack.  "They want
+to surprise Ilola.  That means a massacre; but by God's mercy we know
+in time!"
+
+The inhabitants of Ilola and of Imbono's other villages were already
+flocking into the camp, bringing with them large supplies of food and
+their principal belongings.  Before the sun set the villages were
+deserted.  Jack was glad now to think that this contingency had been so
+long foreseen.  It would have been impossible to make adequate
+arrangements for so large an additional population if he had waited
+until the danger was upon them.  As it was, the huts stood ready.
+
+It was a strange and impressive scene as Imbono's people filed in.
+They were excited, but not with alarm or fear.  Some of them even were
+merry, laughing at little mishaps--the dropping of a basket of manioc,
+the breaking of a pot, the sprawling of children as Pat dashed in and
+out among them, barking as though it was he that was shepherding the
+throng.  Barney was the master of ceremonies.  With Samba's help he
+separated the various families, and showed each father the hut or huts
+he was to occupy.  It was not a wealthy community, and only a few of
+the men had more wives than one; but these tried Barney's patience
+sorely, and he sighed for Father Mahone to come and tache the haythens
+betther manners.
+
+"Only what could he do, if he came?" he said.  "Whin a man has been
+fool enough to marry two or three wives, faith, I don't see how ye can
+alter it unless ye make 'em all widders."
+
+About two miles from the camp there was a spot above the river from
+which the clearing and village of Ilola could be seen.  An hour before
+dawn Jack went out with Samba to this spot and waited.  Just after day
+had broken they perceived a large body of men rushing out from the
+forest towards the village stockade.  Through his field-glasses Jack
+saw that the negroes were led by two men in white.  Imbono, before he
+left, had had the gate of Ilola closed and barricaded.  The invaders
+did not pause to break it down; they swarmed up the stockade and
+momentarily hesitated at the top, as though suspecting, from the
+silence of the village, that a trap had been laid for them.  Then some
+of them could be seen dropping down inside; the rest instantly
+followed; and Jack smiled as he saw them assemble in little groups in
+the deserted compound, gesticulating in their excitement.
+
+A few minutes later dense volumes of smoke rose from the village.  The
+forest guards had fired the huts, no doubt in their first fury at the
+escape of the villagers.  Jack could not help thinking that they would
+regret their hasty action.  If they intended any long stay in the
+neighbourhood, the village would have been more useful to them intact
+than as a ruin.  He had dismantled his own former camp, so that unless
+Elbel's men set about building for themselves they would have no
+shelter.  Their folly only confirmed Jack's belief that they were but a
+poorly-disciplined rabble, and that Elbel himself was out of his
+element in work of a military kind.
+
+Having learnt all that he wished to know, Jack returned to his camp.
+Elbel had clearly not expected the village to be abandoned.  Jack
+wondered if he had learnt of the formation of the new camp.  It seemed
+likely that news of it would long since have been carried down the
+river.  He had apparently planned to wipe out the villagers first and
+tackle Jack later.
+
+"Bedad, sorr, if he's any sinse at all he will lave us alone," said
+Barney when Jack told him what he had seen.
+
+"I don't expect that.  I'm sure he'll use his men against me.  He'll
+want his revenge, for one thing; and then he has his eye on the gold,
+remember.  He didn't dig about the cataract for nothing.  He'll be glad
+of any excuse for attacking, if he sees a fair chance of beating us.
+You may depend upon it he knows all that Uncle has been doing, and if
+he can manage to drive us out and occupy this ground before Uncle gets
+back, it's all up with poor Uncle's claim, Barney.  Possession is more
+than nine points of the law in this State.  If Uncle had known the sort
+of things that go on here, he'd have thought twice before spending his
+money."
+
+Very soon after Jack regained his camp, Imbono's scouts came in to
+report that the enemy was on the move.  Before midday the head of the
+column was sighted making its way up the stream, this forming on the
+whole an easier approach than the rough stony ground on either bank.
+There was immense excitement in the camp as the people watched the
+advancing crowd.  Jack could not but be touched as he observed the
+demeanour of the people.  A few months before the sight of so many of
+the dreaded forest guards would have made them cower in abject fear;
+now, so great was their trust in the young Inglesa who had twice
+defeated Elobela, and who had prepared for them this fine new village
+with its wonderful defences, that they viewed the progress of the enemy
+with feelings only of anticipated triumph.
+
+"Please God, I won't fail them," thought Jack.
+
+About half a mile below the cataract the column came to a halt, and
+three men in white, attended by half a dozen armed negroes, advanced to
+within less than a quarter of a mile of the wall.
+
+"The impident scoundhrels!" quoth Barney, standing at Jack's side.
+
+"They do show a pretty cool trust in our forbearance," said Jack; "we
+could pick them off easily enough."
+
+"Begorra, I would, sorr; do they deserve any betther?  Elbel was a
+deceitful villain--you remimber, sorr, whin he fired under a flag uv
+truce at the ould camp.  I wouldn't have any more mercy on him than I
+would on a rat."
+
+"Yes, you would, Barney.  We must play the game, whatever they do.  And
+I wonder what they're up to.  Here comes a man with a white flag.  We
+shall soon see."
+
+
+
+[1] "Brave boy."
+
+[2] "I saw."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Elbel's Barrels
+
+The negro looked by no means comfortable as he clambered up the steep
+side of the gully from the bed of the stream and approached the fort.
+There was no gate in the western face, and the man seemed somewhat
+uncertain what to do.  But perceiving that he had a note in his hand,
+Jack ordered Lepoko to lean over the wall and take the paper on the
+point of a spear.
+
+"Now let's see what he has to say," said Jack, unfolding the paper.
+"Listen, Barney.  'Having returned with a force sufficient to
+re-establish law and order in this part of the Congo State, I call upon
+you instantly to surrender the camp which you have constructed without
+permission on the territory of the State.  The negroes who are with you
+are subjects of the State, and will be dealt with by me in accordance
+with the powers that I possess.  You, being a foreigner, will be taken
+to Boma, to be tried under due form of law by the State Courts.'"
+
+"Which means quick murder for the niggers, sorr, and slow murder for
+you.  Don't answer his impidence, sorr."
+
+"Oh, I must answer.  We can't let things go by default, and we can go
+one better than he, Barney.  He hasn't copied his letter, you see.
+It's very lucky I've got a duplicate book; who knows?--these documents
+may come in handy some day."
+
+He wrote a brief reply, saying that he was not aware there was anything
+illegal in constructing a suitable camp on ground leased from the
+Societe Cosmopolite; that, on the other hand, the natives who had
+sought shelter with him complained of treatment which was clearly
+against all law and justice; and that in these circumstances he
+proposed to remain where he was.  When this note reached Elbel, he read
+it to the two white men with him, laughed, put it in his pocket-book,
+then returned with his party down the stream.
+
+"A pretty little farce!" said Jack.  "He knew what my answer would be;
+all he wanted was a chance of examining our defences."
+
+"Sure he didn't get much for his trouble.  He'd have to be a deal
+taller to see much uv us, sorr."
+
+During the rest of the day Elbel was seen in the distance on various
+sides of the camp making further observations.  From a point on the
+slope above he could overlook part of the enclosure, and what he
+observed from there through his field-glass evidently gave him food for
+thought, for before sunset he marched all his men down the stream,
+followed cautiously by Imbono's scouts.  These reported by and by that
+the enemy had encamped about two miles away.  The white men had tents,
+the natives were cutting branches to form temporary shelters.  Foragers
+had been sent out in all directions.  Jack knew that they would do
+little good.  There were no people to harry, all were within his walls,
+and the crops around the villages had been gathered in.  But this
+dearth was not likely to affect the besiegers for the present; for the
+scouts reported that some of their canoes had now come up the river
+loaded with stores.
+
+Jack concluded from the fact of Elbel being in command that the
+Administration of the Congo State had not yet seen fit to intervene and
+equip an expedition under regular military officers.  The Societe
+Cosmopolite, in fact, an extremely wealthy corporation, had determined
+to root out this source of disaffection and revolt within its
+territory.  The force commanded by Elbel represented practically the
+whole military establishment of the Company.  He had no doubt received
+telegraphic authority from Europe to undertake the expedition, and
+could rely on the ultimate support of the State Government, which
+meanwhile would prefer the work to be done by the Company's troops
+rather than magnify the affair by employing its own forces.
+
+It soon became clear to Jack that the lesson of his previous reverse
+had not been lost on Elbel.  For a time, at least, there was to be no
+repetition of the rushing tactics that had proved so disastrous.  Two
+days passed, and he had made no move.  Scouts reported that he was
+busily engaged in building and fortifying his camp.  The site chosen
+was a good deal nearer to Ilombekabasi than the first night's bivouac.
+It lay in a hollow somewhat more than half a mile from the cataract--in
+the face of an equal or inferior enemy, a very dangerous position,
+commanded, as it was, on almost all sides by the heights around.  But
+it was sheltered from rifle-fire from the fort, and had a good water
+supply from a brook that fell some distance below into the stream that
+flanked Jack's settlement.  Elbel could afford to ignore its
+strategical weakness by reason of his greatly superior numbers.  For
+Jack could not occupy the rim of the hollow without drawing most of his
+men out of the fort, thus leaving it open to attack; and in any case,
+with only forty-five rifles, he could not do much to endanger a camp
+held by two hundred.
+
+[Illustration: Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing Elbel's
+First Camp in Foreground]
+
+These reflections passed through his mind as he pondered on the
+information given by the scouts.  His constant preoccupation during the
+past months with problems of attack and defence had given rise to a
+habit of looking at every move or incident in its military bearings.
+
+"I wonder whether the fellows in the army class would envy me or pity
+me most!" he thought.
+
+Elbel attempted nothing in the way of fortification for his camp except
+a light stockade--with his superior numbers defensive work seemed
+almost a superfluity.  By comparing the reports of various scouts--who,
+as usual with negroes, were somewhat erratic in their ideas of
+number--and by his own observation through his field-glass, Jack
+concluded that Elbel had, in addition to his two hundred rifles, about
+five hundred spearmen.  Jack himself had, in addition to his forty-five
+rifles, three hundred spearmen.  The mere numbers were, of course, no
+real index to the proportionate strength of the two forces.  In
+ordinary circumstances, indeed, the spearmen might almost be neglected;
+the striking power was to be measured in rifles alone.  But Jack hoped
+that, with the drill and discipline his men had undergone, it would be
+proved that a determined fellow behind a spear was still by no means a
+combatant to be held lightly.  Had not the Arabs of the Soudan shown
+this?  He had no little confidence that, when the time of trial came,
+his three hundred spearmen would prove every whit as staunch as the
+dervishes who broke the British square at Abu Klea and threw away their
+lives by the thousand at Omdurman.
+
+On the second morning after Elbel's appearance Jack found that pickets
+were posted all round the fort.  Clearly it was no longer safe to send
+out scouts, at all events by daylight.  The danger was little
+diminished after dark, for fires were lit at various points and a
+regular patrol was established.
+
+"I don't care about sending out any of the men now," said Jack to
+Barney.  "If one of our fellows was caught, his fate would be horrible.
+It's to prevent scouting, I suppose, that Elbel has posted men round
+us."
+
+"Might it not be to prevent reinforcements from reaching us, sorr?"
+
+"Not likely.  There are no people for scores of miles round, and the
+country indeed is mostly virgin forest.  The only reinforcement likely
+to reach us is my uncle's contingent, and their arrival is sure to be
+advised all along the river for days or perhaps weeks in advance; and
+that's one of my worries, Barney.  I don't want Uncle to fall into
+Elbel's hands, but how can I stop it?"
+
+"Send a couple of men off to meet him, sorr, and tell him of the
+danger."
+
+"I might do that, perhaps.  But, as you see, they'd have to run the
+gauntlet of Elbel's forest guards.  Elbel either wants to catch my
+uncle, or he has got some scheme of attack in preparation which he's
+anxious we shouldn't discover.  Whichever it is he means to keep us
+bottled up."
+
+Jack was sitting at the door of his hut with Barney, talking by the
+light of a small fire.  Samba had been hovering about for some time,
+waiting, as Barney thought, until the time should come for him to curl
+himself up as usual at the entrance to the hut after his friend the
+Irishman had entered.  The conversation ceased for a moment, Jack
+bending forward and drawing patterns on the ground with his stick.
+Samba came up and began to speak.
+
+"Begorra, massa," he said, "me can do."
+
+"What can you do, my boy?" asked Jack, smiling a little at the
+exclamation Samba had adopted from Barney.
+
+Samba struggled to find words in the white man's puzzling tongue.  But,
+recognizing that his small stock of phrases was insufficient, he ran
+off and fetched Lepoko.
+
+"Me tell massa all same," said the interpreter, when Samba had spoken
+to him.  "Samba boy say, sah, he lib for go out see fings for massa.
+He no 'fraid.  He go in dark, creep, creep, no 'fraid nuffin nobody.
+He lib for see eberyfing massa want see, come back one time say all
+same fings he see."
+
+"No, no, it's too dangerous.  Samba is the very last of my people I
+should wish to fall into Elbel's hands."
+
+Samba laughed when Lepoko repeated this to him.
+
+"He no 'fraid Elobela," said Lepoko.  "He hab got foot like leopard,
+eye like cat, he make Elobela plenty much 'fraid.  Want go plenty much,
+sah; say Mboyo one fader, massa two fader; two times he want go."
+
+"Shall we let him go, Barney?" asked Jack doubtfully.
+
+"To be sure I would, sorr.  He's gone through the forest and cheated
+the lions and tigers and all the other beasts and creeping things,
+ivery wan uv 'm a mighty power cleverer than Elbel."
+
+"Barring the lions and tigers, I think you're right, Barney.  Well, if
+he's to go we must do all we can to help him.  Could he get down the
+gully side, I wonder?"
+
+"He say dat plenty good way, sah.  He lib for swim like fish, go
+through water, come back all same."
+
+"We'll let him down by a rope, Barney, and we'll place Mboyo at the
+stockade in charge of it; he'll have the greatest interest in seeing
+that the boy goes in and out safely.  And look here, I've heard Samba
+imitating the cries of various animals; he'd better arrange with Mboyo
+to be ready for him when he hears a certain cry.  And he must carry
+enough food with him to last a day in case he is prevented from getting
+back.  If he's out more than one day he must fend for himself; but I
+fancy, after what he has already been through, at least it'd be a very
+bare country where he couldn't pick up enough to keep him going.  He's
+a splendid little fellow."
+
+"That's the truth's truth, sorr; and sure, whin we leave this haythen
+country, he'd better come back wid us to London, sorr.  Wid him wan
+side uv me an' Pat the other, I'd be on me way to be Lord Mayor, bedad!"
+
+Thus it was arranged.  With a tinful of food slung about him, Samba was
+let down by a rope from the stockade, and crept in the darkness down
+the gully.  A few minutes later, from some point on the other side,
+came the strident call of a forest-beetle twice repeated, and Mboyo
+knew that his son was safely across.
+
+When morning broke, Jack saw that the pickets were placed as they had
+been on the previous day.  He could easily have disposed of several of
+them, either by rifle fire or by a quick sally; but even at the present
+stage he had a great reluctance to open hostilities, which must involve
+much bloodshed and suffering.  He resolved to bide his time, knowing
+that so far as food supply was concerned he had enough for at least a
+couple of months, and was in that respect probably better placed than
+Elbel, while the secret of the water supply with good luck would escape
+detection.  Now that the purpose of the tank was known, Jack's prestige
+among the natives, great as it had been before, was much enhanced, and
+they had added to their stock of songs one in which the wonderful
+providence of the Inglesa in arranging that the daily water should not
+fail was glowingly extolled.
+
+The day passed undisturbed.  Jack was puzzled to account for the
+enemy's silence.  Elbel must have a scheme in preparation, he thought.
+What could it be?  Jack had heard a good deal of hammering going on in
+the camp below, the sound coming faintly on the breeze; except for that
+there was no sign of activity; and the hammering was sufficiently
+accounted for by the work of finishing off the construction of the camp.
+
+Before turning in for the night he went to the spot where Mboyo was
+posted, to learn whether anything had been heard of Samba.  While he
+was there, he caught the low rasping notes of the forest-beetle.
+
+"Samba n'asi!"[1] cried Mboyo, springing up.
+
+He lowered the rope over the stockade.  In a few moments it was gently
+tugged, and soon Samba slipped over the stockade and stood beside Jack.
+He had an interesting report to make.  In the forest, he said, a large
+number of men were tapping certain trees for a resinous gum, which was
+being run into small barrels.  It was the work of making these barrels
+that had caused the continuous hammering Jack had noticed.
+
+"Good boy!" said Jack.  "I suppose you are very tired now, Samba?"
+
+No, he was not tired; he was ready to go out again at once if
+Lokolobolo wished.  But Jack said he had done enough for one day, and
+bade him go to sleep.
+
+"So that's their game!" said Jack to Barney, when all was quiet.
+"There's only one use for resin here, and that's to fire our fort, and
+they can't intend to make fireballs, or they wouldn't take the trouble
+to make barrels.  They want barrels for carriage, and that means that
+they intend to bring the resin here.  They can't shy barrels at the
+natives' huts, and so much of the wall is stone that it won't easily
+catch fire.  What else is there inflammable?"
+
+"There's the blockhouses at the corners, sorr."
+
+"You're right.  They are going to fire the blockhouses.  I'm sorry now
+I didn't make 'm of stone as I intended.  But we had enough trouble
+with the wall, and the natives are so little used to stonework that
+perhaps after all they'd have made a poor job of it."
+
+"Sure, I don't see how they are going to get near enough to do any
+damage, sorr.  They can't come up under fire.  Do the spalpeens think
+they'll catch us napping, begore?"
+
+"Can't say, Barney.  We must wait and see.  The sentries are arranged
+for the night, eh?"
+
+"They are that, sorr.  'Tis mighty hard to keep the niggers awake; not
+wan uv 'm but would see the inside uv the guard-room pretty often if
+they were in the Irish Fusiliers.  But Samba and me just take turns to
+go the rounds all night and keep 'm stirring, sorr; and 'twould be a
+lucky man that got across into this place widout a crack over the head."
+
+The full purpose of Elbel was seen earlier than Jack had expected.  A
+little before dawn Makoko, who had been on duty at the gate in the
+northern wall, hurried down to say that he had heard a sound as of a
+number of men marching for some distance up the hill above the fort.
+Jack accompanied him back, gently reprimanding him on the way for
+leaving his post.  Judging by the sounds, there was unquestionably a
+large body of men on the move.  They were approaching as quietly as
+negroes can; it is not an easy matter to persuade a force of black men
+to keep perfect silence.
+
+While Jack was still with Makoko, another man came running up from the
+southern end of the fort and reported that he had heard the sound of
+many men advancing up the stream.  Clearly a serious attack was
+intended at last.  Sending word to Barney to remain on the _qui vive_
+at the southern wall, Jack waited anxiously for the glimmering light of
+dawn to reveal the enemy.
+
+At last he could see them.  They took little pains to conceal
+themselves.  Elbel's riflemen were assembling on the ridge of the slope
+above.  Among them were men carrying each a small barrel on his
+shoulder.  They must have made a wide circuit from their camp below so
+that their movements might not be suspected until they were well in
+position.
+
+The word was rapidly passed round the fort.  In a few seconds every man
+was at his appointed place.  The women and children had been bidden to
+remain in their huts, for a part of the enclosure being exposed to fire
+from the slope above, it would have been dangerous for any one to
+cross.  Barney and his men at the southern wall were protected from
+this fire in their rear by the huts.  At the northern wall Jack stood
+on a narrow platform by the gate, similar to that which he had used at
+his former camp near Ilola.  His riflemen were posted below him, half
+of them at loop-holes left at intervals in the wall, the remainder just
+behind, ready to take their places at the word of command.
+
+Jack was surprised to feel how little flustered he was.  The
+responsibilities of the past months had bred self-control, and the
+capacity to grasp a situation quickly and act at once.  And constant
+work with the same men, whom he had learned to know thoroughly, had
+created a mutual confidence which augured well for their success when
+put to the test.
+
+A glance assured Jack that the main attack, if attack was intended,
+would be made by the riflemen.  The spearmen in the valley of the river
+were designed to create a diversion and weaken the force available to
+oppose the principal assault.  Barney could be trusted to hold his own
+against them.
+
+So little did the enemy, having gained the position above, seek to
+conceal their movements, that Jack was tempted to salute them with a
+volley that must have done great execution--the range being scarcely
+two hundred yards.  But Elbel seemed to know by instinct the feeling by
+which Jack would be animated.  He evidently counted on being allowed to
+fire first.  And indeed there was little time for Jack to consider the
+matter, for even as he made a mental note of the enemy's bravado, he
+heard a word of command given in a loud voice, and saw Elbel emerge
+from a small clump of bushes at the edge of the gully.  The whole
+force, except ten men carrying barrels, flung themselves flat on their
+faces; and Jack had only time to give a rapid warning to his men when a
+scattered volley flashed from the line of prone figures, the bullets
+pattering on the stone wall like hail on a greenhouse.
+
+Next moment the men with the barrels dashed forward, some making for
+the blockhouse above the gully, others for that at the opposite end of
+the northern wall.  Through the clear space between the two parties the
+riflemen continued to fire as fast as they could reload.  It was clear
+to Jack that Elbel expected the fire of his two hundred rifles, added
+to the unexpectedness of the movement, to keep down the fire of the
+defenders long enough to enable the barrel men to reach the
+blockhouses.  But in this he was disappointed; nothing but a direct and
+combined assault on the wall would have gained the time he required.
+His rifle fire from a distance was quite ineffective.  Jack had ordered
+his men to keep out of sight, and to fire through the loop-holes in the
+wall, aiming, not at the riflemen lying on the ground, but at the men
+sprinting with the barrels.  Consequently, when the twenty-five rifles
+within the fort replied to the first volley, three of the runners fell
+on the one side and two on the other, their barrels rolling down the
+slope, some over the edge into the gully, others towards the copse on
+the east.
+
+The other men, seeing the fate of their comrades, thought of nothing
+but their own safety.  They dropped their barrels and rushed back.  But
+even then they did not take the safe course.  Instead of scattering and
+so lessening the chances of being hit, the two parties joined, and ran
+up the slope in a compact group.  None of them reached the line of
+prostrate riflemen who were still blazing away ineffectually at the
+walls and blockhouses.  The unfortunate men were caught in full flight
+and fell almost at the same moment, each man struck by several bullets.
+
+Not till then did Jack allow his riflemen to turn their attention to
+the enemy's firing line.  But one volley was sufficient.  Elbel saw
+that his scheme had totally failed, and his position was untenable.
+Not a man of his opponents could be seen; his men had only small
+loop-holes to fire at, and the average negro is not a sufficiently good
+marksman to be formidable in such conditions.  The defenders, on the
+other hand, found the enemy an excellent target; for, by some
+inexplicable piece of folly, Elbel had not ordered them to seek cover
+behind the many rocks and boulders that were scattered over the ground.
+He had lost all his barrel men and several of his riflemen, and within
+five minutes of the first volley he drew off his troops.
+
+A yell of delight from the stockade followed his retirement.  The men
+slapped their thighs and shouted "Yo!  Yo!" until they were hoarse.
+The women and children poured out of the huts and danced about with
+wild enjoyment.  Imbono's drummer banged with all his might.  Some of
+the boys had made small trumpets of rolled banana leaves, and tootled
+away to their hearts' content, the sound being not unlike that made by
+blowing through tissue paper on a comb.  Amid all the uproar Pat's
+joyous bark acclaimed the success.
+
+"Faith, sorr, 'tis real mafficking, to be sure."
+
+"Not quite, Barney.  There's nobody drunk."
+
+"True, an' the haythen sets an example to the Christian.  There are no
+grog-shops here, praise be, wan at this corner and wan at that, to
+tempt the poor craturs."
+
+"I only hope they're not shouting too soon, Barney.  We haven't done
+with Elbel yet."
+
+
+
+[1] Below.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Breaking the Blockade
+
+Throughout that day Jack was on the alert in anticipation of another
+move on the part of the enemy.  But Elbel's men, except the pickets,
+did not come within sight of the fort, and nothing was heard of them.
+Samba wished to go out again on a scouting mission, but Jack refused to
+allow him to leave the fort in daylight; perhaps in the darkness he
+might risk a journey once more.
+
+Although the attempt to fire the blockhouses had been foiled, Jack,
+thinking over the matter, saw that the feat would not have been
+impossible with the exercise of a little common sense coupled with
+dash.  A second attempt, better organized, might be successful.
+
+"I wish we could guard against the risk," he said to Barney.  "We don't
+want to be continuously on the fidget in case the blockhouses are
+fired.  Yet we can't make 'em fireproof."
+
+"That's true, sorr; still, something might be done to rejuce the
+inflammation."
+
+"What's that?" said Jack without a smile.  To call in question Barney's
+English was to wound him in the tenderest part.
+
+"Why, sorr, why not drop down some uv them boulders we keep for
+repairing the wall?  If we let them down wid care to the foot uv the
+blockhouses, close up against the woodwork, 'twould prevent any wan
+from setting a match to 'm."
+
+"A good idea! we'll try it.  Get the men to carry the stones up to the
+wall.  We won't do anything more till it is dark."
+
+When the sun had set, Jack had the stones hauled up to the roof of the
+blockhouse at the north-west corner, and then dropped down outside, as
+close to the woodwork as possible.  The task was carried on in almost
+total darkness, only a few rushlights inside the camp preventing the
+workers from colliding with one another.  But it was impossible to
+contrive that the heavy stones should fall silently, and a shot from up
+the slope soon told that the enemy had discovered what was going on.
+Active sniping for a time gave Jack a good deal of annoyance, and one
+or two of his men were hit; but he persevered in his work, and had
+partially accomplished it, when another danger suddenly threatened.
+
+Up the slope, near the position occupied by the enemy in the morning,
+there appeared small points of light, which moved apparently at random
+for a few moments, and then came all in one direction, down the hill.
+They all started fairly close together, and Jack counted twelve in a
+line; but soon some diverged from the rest and went off at an angle.
+The others came on more and more rapidly towards the fort, jumping
+occasionally, but keeping on the whole a surprisingly straight course.
+
+"Barrels again!" said Jack to Barney.
+
+Only a few seconds after he had first observed them, they came with a
+quick succession of thuds against the wall and the half-finished
+rampart at the foot of the blockhouse, and the points of light spread
+out into fierce tongues of flame.  Lighted matches had been attached to
+the barrels, and with the bursting of these by the stonework the resin
+they contained had taken fire.  Of the dozen barrels that started, only
+four had reached their goal, the rest having rolled over the gully on
+the western slope as had happened during the day.
+
+Jack hoped that his new stonework was sufficient to protect the logs at
+the base of the blockhouse.  But one of the barrels, under the impetus
+gained in its passage down the hill, had jumped the boulders, and
+breaking as it crashed over, burst into flame within an inch or two of
+the woodwork.  Another line of barrels was starting down the slope.
+Jack had called up his best marksmen at the first alarm, and ordered
+them to take pot-shots at the twinkling points of light, or the figures
+above, dimly lit up by the matches attached to the barrels.  Whether
+any of the shots got home he could not tell; another set of barrels was
+trundling down towards the fort.
+
+It appeared to Jack that nothing could save the blockhouse.  Burning
+resin could only be extinguished by a deluge of water, and he had no
+means of bringing water from the tank in sufficient quantities.  The
+logs were dry, and, when once fairly alight, would burn furiously.
+Barney suggested dropping a heavy boulder on the barrel most
+dangerously near, but Jack saw that the effect of this would be merely
+to spread the flames without necessarily extinguishing them.  The fire
+would continue beneath the stone; it would lick the lowest logs, and in
+a few minutes the whole base of the blockhouse would be ablaze.  The
+imminence of the danger acted as a spur to Jack's resourcefulness.  It
+flashed upon him that there was one chance of saving the fort.  Calling
+to Samba to follow him, he rushed from the roof of the blockhouse down
+the ladders connecting it with the second floor and this with the
+ground, and ran at full speed to his hut, where he seized an empty
+tobacco-tin and searched for a piece of wire.  For a few moments he
+could not lay hands on any, but he then bethought himself of the wired
+cork of a Stephens' ink-bottle.  Wrenching this out, he hastened to the
+underground magazine where the ammunition was, stored.  Samba had
+preceded him thither with a lighted candle in a little lantern of
+bamboo.
+
+Among the ammunition was a keg of loose powder sent up by Mr.
+Martindale for refilling cartridge cases.  While Samba very cautiously
+held the lantern out of harm's way, Jack, with the brad of a penknife,
+bored two thin holes in the tin and two corresponding holes in the lid.
+Then he inserted the wire and filled the tin with powder.  Clapping on
+the lid and firmly securing it by twisting up the wire, he rushed back
+to the blockhouse, up to the roof, and cleared out all the men
+helter-skelter, bidding them go with Samba and bring baskets full of
+earth to the base of the wall.
+
+The place was now reeking with acrid smoke from the burning resin,
+great black eddies of it whirling over the roof, stinging Jack's eyes
+and making him cough and choke.  When none but himself was left--for
+there was some danger in what he purposed--he went to the edge of the
+roof, and bending over, almost blinded by the fumes, he marked the spot
+where the flame seemed the fiercest, and dropped the tin into the midst
+of it.  Though he sprang back at once, he had not reached the inmost
+edge of the roof when there was a loud explosion.  The blockhouse
+rocked; clouds of sparks flew up; and feeling the tremor beneath him,
+Jack feared he had destroyed rather than saved.  But the trembling
+ceased.  He rushed back to the fore edge of the roof and peered over.
+As the smoke cleared away he saw no longer a blazing mass below him;
+nothing of the barrel was left; but all the ground for many yards
+around was dotted with little tongues of flame.  The force of the
+explosion had broken up the huge devouring fire into a thousand
+harmless ones.
+
+But the woodwork near which the barrel had rested was smouldering.
+There was still a danger that the blockhouse would burn.  While that
+danger remained Jack felt that his task was not yet done, and he
+instantly prepared to meet it.  Flames from the other barrels that had
+struck the wall were lighting up the scene.  To carry out his purpose
+involved a great risk, but it was a risk that must be run.  Calling to
+Samba, who had remained nearest at hand, he bade him bring a rope and
+send Barney and Makoko to him.  When they arrived he got them to knot
+the rope about him, and let him down over the wall on the gully side,
+which was in deep shadow.  Creeping round the blockhouse on the narrow
+ledge between it and the gully, he called to the men above to lower
+some of the baskets of earth which had been placed in readiness.  As
+they reached him he emptied them upon the smouldering logs.  It was
+impossible now to keep in the shadow; his every movement was betrayed
+by the still flaming barrels; and his work was not completed when
+bullets began to patter about him.  His only protection was the rough
+rampart of boulders which had been thrown over from the roof.  But he
+bent low; it is difficult even for expert marksmen to aim without the
+guidance of the riflesights, and Elbel's men were far from being
+experts; Jack finished his job as rapidly as might be, and escaped
+without a scratch.  Then creeping round once more to the gully, he laid
+hold of the rope and was drawn up into safety.
+
+The other blockhouses meanwhile had been in no danger.  That at the
+north-east corner was defended by the nature of the ground, which
+sloped so rapidly that a barrel rolled from above could never hit the
+mark.  That at the southeast corner, being at the edge of the
+precipice, could only be fired by the hand of man, and no man could
+approach it safely.  By averting the danger at the north-west Jack had
+saved the camp.
+
+But the attempt had been so nearly successful that he resolved to lose
+no time in completing the work of protection already begun.  The moment
+was come, too, for showing Elbel that he could only maintain a thorough
+investment of the fort with the acquiescence of the besieged.  At any
+time a sally must break the chain of pickets, for Elbel's force was not
+large enough to support them adequately all round.  Averse as Jack was
+from shedding blood, he felt that it was necessary to teach the enemy a
+wholesome lesson.
+
+Before he could do anything, however, he must know how the force was
+distributed, and how the pickets were placed.  He remembered his half
+promise that Samba should be allowed to go scouting that night.  No
+other could be trusted to move so warily or act so intelligently.
+Samba was accordingly let down into the gully.  While he was gone Jack
+explained to Barney the plan he proposed to try should the boy's
+information favour it.
+
+"I shall lead some of the men out, I don't know yet in what direction.
+At least it will surprise Elbel.  I hope it will alarm his men and
+throw them into confusion.  You must take advantage of it to go on with
+our defences.  Let down more boulders from the roof, and build them up
+as fast as you can to form a facing three or four feet high to the two
+northern blockhouses.  You'll only have about half an hour for the job,
+for Elbel will have got his whole force together by then, and I shan't
+be able to fight them all.  But we've plenty of men to turn on to it,
+and when I give the signal they must tumble over the wall and get to
+work."
+
+Within an hour Samba returned.  He reported that the enemy had all
+retired to their camp except the pickets.  About forty men were posted
+about a camp fire up stream near the place where the barrels had been
+rolled down.  Another picket of the same strength was lying at the edge
+of the copse about a quarter of a mile to the east, and a third picket
+lay across the gully to the west.  Samba had had great difficulty in
+eluding this western picket, and would have returned sooner but for the
+detour he had been obliged to make.
+
+All favoured Jack's enterprise.  The pickets were so far from the camp
+below the southern face of the fort that some time must elapse before
+help could reach them.  They could only support one another, and the
+idea of a ruse to prevent that had already flashed through Jack's mind.
+
+Selecting fifteen of his steadiest riflemen, including Makoko and
+Lepoko, Jack had them lowered one by one into the gully, and then
+himself followed.  The night was fortunately very dark; all the flames
+from the barrels had gone out, and he trusted that the enemy would be
+quite unprepared for any movement from the fort.  When all were
+assembled, they crept up the gully in dead silence, walking as far from
+the water as the steep sides allowed, so as to avoid kicking stones
+into it and making a splash.  At first the gully was at least twelve
+feet deep, but it became more shallow as they proceeded, until by and
+by its top barely rose above their heads.
+
+They had not gone far when they heard laughing and talking beyond them.
+However Elbel might regard his defeat, it had evidently not affected
+the spirits of his men; the negro's cheerfulness is hard to quench.  At
+a bend in the stream, out of sight from the fort, shone the faint glow
+of the camp fire; and Jack, peeping cautiously round, saw a sentry on
+each bank, moving backwards and forwards, but stopping now and again to
+exchange pleasantries, or more often fatuous remarks about food, with
+the rest of the picket at the fire.  It was nothing new to Jack that
+the Congo soldier's idea of sentry-go is somewhat loose.
+
+Again Jack was favoured by circumstances.  The glow of the fire did not
+extend far into the darkness of the gully; the noise of the laughing
+and talking was loud enough to drown all slight sounds for some
+distance around.  Thus the sixteen men in the gully could approach very
+near the camp fire without being seen or heard.  Jack's plan, already
+half formed before he started, was quickly adapted to the conditions.
+Silently gathering his men together, he ordered them in a whisper to
+follow him in a charge with the bayonet; not to fire except at the word
+of command; not in their pursuit of the enemy to go beyond the camp
+fire.  It would have been easy to dispose of at least a third of the
+picket by firing upon them from the darkness; the distance was only
+about a hundred yards, and every shot would tell, for they were huddled
+together.  Such an act would be justified by all the rules of warfare.
+Jack knew that in a like case he would receive no mercy from the enemy;
+but he was too young a campaigner to deal with them as they would deal
+with him; he could not give the order to shoot them down unawares.
+
+When his men clearly understood what was required of them he led the
+way, and they all crept forward again.  The glow of the fire now made
+them dimly visible to one another, but not to the picket, who were in
+the full light, nor to the sentries, whose attention was largely taken
+up by the proceedings of their comrades.  When the sound of talking
+lulled for a few moments, Jack halted; when it grew in force, and he
+heard the sentries join in the chatter, he seized the opportunity to
+steal forward a few yards more.  So by slow degrees they approached
+within forty paces.
+
+To go further without discovery seemed to Jack impossible.  Pausing for
+a moment to whisper once more to his men, he suddenly shouted the order
+to charge, and, springing up the bank, dashed forward with a cheer that
+was reinforced by the yells from fifteen lusty throats.  The sounds of
+joviality about the camp fire died on the instant; the cheer from the
+river, echoed by the rocky walls of the gully, seemed to come from a
+host of men.  Yells of alarm broke from the dusky figures by the fire.
+Some of the men seemed for the moment spellbound; others leapt to their
+feet and made a dash for the rifles stacked close by, tumbling over one
+another in their agitation; the majority simply scurried away like
+hares into the darkness, only anxious to get as far away as possible
+from this shouting host that had sprung as it were out of nothingness.
+As Jack's men rushed up there were a few reports of rifles hastily shot
+off, and eight or nine men made as if to stand firm near the camp fire;
+but they could not face the steel gleaming red in the glow.  One or two
+hapless wretches were bayonetted before they had time to run; the rest,
+with a wild howl, flung down their weapons and bolted.
+
+The sound of the conflict, Jack knew, would be taken by Barney as the
+signal to begin work outside the blockhouses.  What would be its effect
+on the enemy?  Would it draw their pickets on the right and left to the
+support of their comrades?  Or would they be so much alarmed that
+nothing but flight would occur to them?  He thought the probabilities
+favoured the former, for the firing having ceased, the immediate cause
+of alarm would seem to have been removed.  Without staying to consider
+that the chain of investment would be broken by their action, the outer
+pickets would in all likelihood move towards each other for mutual
+support.
+
+Here was an opportunity which Jack was quick to seize.  Without a
+moment's loss of time, he called his men together and hurried back down
+the gully, where he ordered them to line the banks on both sides,
+keeping well in shadow from the light of the fire.  The position they
+took up was about forty yards below the bivouac, almost the same spot
+from which the charge had been made.  The men had only just established
+themselves when the picket from the eastern quarter came running up.
+Jack's situation was now so serious that he had no longer any
+compunction.  As the negroes emerged from the gloom into the light of
+the camp fire, he ordered his men on the opposite bank to shoot.
+Several of the enemy fell; the rest turned tail, finding their comrades
+falling about them without being able to see their assailants.  But
+they did not run far; when they had passed beyond the circle of light
+they halted.
+
+Meanwhile all was quiet from the direction of the other picket beyond
+the gully.  If this was advancing, it was with more caution.  For some
+minutes no sound was heard; then on his left hand Lepoko detected a
+slight rustle in the brushwood, and he whispered to Jack that the enemy
+were creeping forward, feeling their way.  At the same time there were
+sounds of movement on the right.
+
+Now was the chance to attempt a ruse.  Withdrawing his men stealthily
+down the stream for a hundred yards, Jack halted.  The camp fire was
+dying down for want of fresh fuel; he hoped that the two parties would
+mistake each other in the gloom.  A quarter of an hour passed.  Then
+the air rang with shots and shouts; the two pickets had met and come
+into conflict.  The error was soon discovered, and then there arose a
+terrific clamour as each party accused the other.
+
+Jack considered that the work of the fort should have been completed by
+this time, all danger of interruption by the pickets having been
+removed by his sortie.  He therefore led his men back along the gully,
+and arrived to find Barney putting the finishing touches to the work by
+the light of his bamboo lantern.
+
+"All well?" said Jack.
+
+"All well, sorr.  You're not hurt at all?"
+
+"Not a bit.  None of us scratched.  Now we'll get back.  I don't think
+they'll try that particular dodge again."
+
+They had hardly returned within the stockade when they heard the sound
+of a considerable body of men moving up the opposite bank of the stream
+towards the pickets above.
+
+"Too late!" said Jack with a chuckle.
+
+"Truth, sorr.  That Elbel was niver intended for a sojer, 'tis plain.
+But who are the two white men wid him, thin?  Sure, I thought he'd
+brought 'em wid him to tache him what to do, but they would all seem to
+be birds uv wan feather, sorr."
+
+"We may find out by and by, perhaps to our cost.  Meanwhile we had
+better man the walls and blockhouses in case he's going to favour us
+with a night attack."
+
+But the sounds of movement among the enemy ceased, and the remainder of
+the night passed in unbroken quietness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+David and Goliath
+
+Next morning Jack's men found resting against the stone wall of the
+fort several barrels of resin which had not burned.  The bumping they
+had received in rolling down the slope had shaken out the fuses.  This
+was a lucky discovery.  The inflammable contents of the barrels would
+come in useful--for making fireballs, if for no other purpose.  Jack
+had them carried into the fort and stored in the magazine.
+
+Very soon after daybreak Jack saw what seemed to be the greater portion
+of Elbel's force moving up the hill.  He counted at least five hundred
+men, and noticed that only about a hundred of these were riflemen, the
+remainder carrying spears, or tools of some kind.
+
+"You see what they are at, Barney?" he said.
+
+"Shifting their camp, by what it appears, sorr."
+
+"No, I don't think that's it.  Elbel has failed with fire; he's now
+going to try water.  He's going to cut off our water supply."
+
+"Sure he's entitled to, as we don't pay rates, which is rubber.  But we
+can do widout his water supply, sorr, having a private distillery uv
+our own."
+
+"I'm pretty sure I'm right, for you see the men are going a great deal
+farther up the hill than they need if they're merely looking for
+another base of attack."
+
+"Bedad, why shouldn't we have a little rifle practice at 'em, sorr?
+'Tis long range firing, indeed, but mighty good practice."
+
+"No.  Our ammunition is too precious to be wasted; and even if we hit a
+few of them, that wouldn't stop Elbel's scheme, whatever it is.  We'll
+keep our eye on the river and see if there's any shrinkage."
+
+It was not until late in the afternoon that he got positive proof that
+Elbel was in fact diverting the stream.  He had fancied for some time
+that the height of the water was less, but only about four o'clock did
+the fall become decided.  After that, however, the stream dwindled very
+rapidly, until, towards nightfall, there was only a thin trickle of
+water in the river bed below the fort, where in the morning the stream
+had been twenty feet broad and nearly six feet deep.  At the same time
+a remarkable change in the appearance of the country east of the fort
+had attracted the attention of the natives, who swarmed upon the
+platform on that side and gazed in amazement.  Lokolobolo had brought
+water into their camp; but who had made water run in a swift river
+where no river had ever been before?
+
+Nearly a mile away to the east, a broad shallow stream was rushing down
+the slope that extended from the precipice on which the fort stood to
+the foothills two miles beneath.  The river, dammed no doubt by
+boulders far up the hill, had now been forced into the course which,
+but for a rocky barrier, it would long since have discovered for itself.
+
+"A very pretty scheme, bedad!" said Barney.  "And I just wish we could
+set a fountain going, like those in Trafalgar Square, just to show Mr.
+Elbel that he may have his river all to himself if he pleases."
+
+"That wouldn't do at all, Barney.  We don't want to flaunt our good
+fortune.  In fact, our best course is to keep Elbel in the dark.
+Indeed I think we had better stop that overflow from our tank.  Now
+that the cataract has dried up, the overflow would easily be seen."
+
+"But what'll we do wid the overflow, sorr?  Sure, we don't want a flood
+in the camp!"
+
+"Certainly not.  We'll break it up into a number of tiny trickles, and
+let them find their way through the wall at different points.  They'll
+be sucked up or disappear before they reach the ground below."
+
+"Bedad, now, I would niver have thought of that!  Mr. Elbel will think
+we get our water from heaven, sorr, if he's iver heard uv it."
+
+The work of damming the river having been accomplished, the main body
+of the enemy marched down just before dark and regained their camp.  As
+they passed within earshot of the fort, Elbel's negroes could not
+refrain from flinging taunts at the men of their colour within the
+walls, telling them that they could no longer cook their food, much
+less wash their babies.  This made the men very angry; they prepared to
+blaze away with their rifles at the gibing enemy, and Jack's command to
+drop their weapons might, perhaps, for once have been disregarded had
+not Samba suddenly struck up the song which one of the men had
+composed, chronicling Lokolobolo's great deeds with water and fire:
+
+  Lokolobolo
+  In Ilombekabasi
+  Dug a great hole,
+  Filled it with waters
+  Great is his magic!
+  How can we praise him--
+  Lokolobolo?
+  Lo!  Elobela
+  Came with the fire tubs
+  To Ilombekabasi.
+  But the Inglesa
+  Lokolobolo
+  Filled a pot with the fire-stuff.
+  What a noise!
+  What a smoke!
+  Fire tubs are broken.
+  Ha!  Elobela!
+  Where is your fire now?
+  What is the good of you?
+  Inglesa's magic
+  No one can master.
+  Is it fire?
+  Is it water?
+  Lokolobolo
+  In Ilombekabasi
+  Quenches the fire,
+  Keeps water for black men.
+  Ha!  Elobela,
+  Go home to your cook-pot.
+  No good in this land,
+  In Ilombekabasi.
+
+
+The song was taken up one by one by the people, and in the delight of
+singing Lokolobolo's praise and Elobela's shame, the jeers of the
+negroes outside were forgotten.
+
+That night Elbel posted no regular pickets round the fort.  He had
+clearly given up the idea of a strict blockade, which was indeed
+impossible with the force at his command; but except for the desire to
+mask his own movements, he lost nothing by the withdrawal of his
+pickets, for even if the garrison took advantage of it to issue from
+the fort, they could make little use of their freedom in a country bare
+of supplies.  Jack did not doubt that Elbel had many scouts abroad, and
+would be on the watch for an attempt to obtain water.  He would imagine
+that none was procurable save from a distance of at least half a mile
+from the fort, and was doubtless already congratulating himself on the
+success of his strategy.
+
+Several days passed, and life went on in the camp as peacefully as
+though no enemy was near.  The women performed their daily tasks of
+cleaning and cooking; the men drilled and exercised; the children
+amused themselves as children always can.  Jack took it into his head
+to teach them some of the round games popular with English children,
+knowing that the elders were sure to copy them; and every little
+novelty tended to amuse them and keep them cheerful.  Indeed, he found
+the men so like children in their capacity for finding easy amusement,
+that one day he started a game of leap-frog for them, and soon the
+whole camp was hilarious, the men springing over one another's backs
+all round the enclosure with great shouts of laughter.
+
+As Jack expected, Elbel kept a sharp watch by means of scouts all round
+the fort, to ensure that no water reached the besieged.  Jack smiled as
+he pictured the Belgian's amazement, when day after day went by without
+any sign of distress.  Now that the regular night pickets were removed,
+some of Jack's men found it easy to get out for little scouting
+expeditions; and except for an occasional brush between men of the two
+forces employed in this duty, there was nothing to show that four
+hundred men on the one side, and seven hundred on the other, were
+engaged in deadly warfare.  In these duels the men of Ilombekabasi
+invariably came off best.  They were at home equally in the forest and
+the plain; the enemy were for the most drawn from the Lower Congo--an
+inferior type of negro and less used to fighting in wooded districts.
+And a long immunity had rendered them careless.  They were accustomed
+to see whole villages panic-stricken at the sight of an Albini rifle.
+They had had no need to cultivate the art of scouting, except in
+tracking runaways; nor even the higher kind of marksmanship; for it was
+their practice to tie their victim to a tree before shooting: in this
+way the State or the Concessionary Company was saved ammunition.
+Indeed, one cartridge was frequently sufficient to account for two or
+more men, women, or children, if they were tied up with due regard for
+the convenience of the marksman.  It was a new and very disconcerting
+experience to meet men of their own colour who were not afraid of them,
+and they did not easily adapt themselves to the new condition of things.
+
+For this work of scouting Jack had found no man yet to match Samba.
+The boy seemed to be endowed with a sixth sense, for he went safely in
+the most dangerous places, returned more quickly than the rest, and
+brought more information.  And though he soon made himself expert with
+the rifle presented him by Jack after the buffalo hunt, he never took
+it with him on these scouting trips, preferring to go unencumbered.  He
+relied on his knife.
+
+One morning, when Jack was awakened as usual by Barney, he noticed a
+very comical look on the Irishman's face.
+
+"Anything happened?" he said.
+
+"Bedad, sorr, I didn't mean to tell ye till ye were dressed.  What d'ye
+think that little varmint has done now?"
+
+"Samba?  No mischief, I hope."
+
+"Mischief, begorra!  Just after daybreak, whin you were sound asleep,
+sorr, and I was going the rounds as usual, Mboyo calls to me from the
+wall, and whin I comes up to 'm, there he is hauling like the divil on
+the rope.  'Samba must be getting fat like me,' says I to meself,
+lending a hand, 'for sure the boy will not need such a mighty big
+haul.'  Mboyo jabbered away, but I couldn't understand him.  And then,
+sorr, up comes a villainous ugly head, followed by a body ten times the
+size of Samba's, and a big nigger comes over, almost choked with a new
+kind uv necklace he was wearing, and shaking with the most terrible
+fright mortal man was iver in.  Mboyo lets down the rope again, and up
+comes Samba, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
+
+"'Me hab catch,' says he.  'Catch what?' says I.  'Begorra!' says he,
+'bont'one!'[1]  Which was Dutch to me, sorr, only he pointed to the
+nigger.  'Catch him?' says I.  He nodded his head till I thought
+'twould break off.  'Ku?'[2] says I.  'Nyango!'[3] says he; and thin I
+laughed, sorr, 'cos the idea uv a boy taking prisoner a man ten times
+his size----"
+
+"Draw it mild, Barney."
+
+"True, sorr, he doesn't look quite so big as he did.  I wished to wake
+ye at once, but Samba said no, he'd keep the prisoner safe till your
+usual time, and here he is, sorr, and the prisoner too."
+
+Jack had been putting on his clothes while Barney spoke.  Leaving the
+hut he saw Samba holding one end of the tendril of a creeper, the other
+end being looped about the neck of a tall strong negro.  Jack listened
+patiently, and with the aid of many questions, was able to piece out
+his story.
+
+Creeping in the darkness up the dry river bed some distance from the
+fort, Samba had seen for a moment the form of a man dimly silhouetted
+against the starlit sky.  Then the man disappeared; but it was child's
+play to find him again, for he made his way into the channel and moved
+slowly down towards the fort.  He had a rifle, and was head and
+shoulders taller than Samba; but neither his strength nor his weapon
+was to avail him against the ingenuity and cat-like agility of his
+young enemy.
+
+It would have been easy for Samba to stalk him and make an end of him
+with the knife; but a brilliant idea occurred to the boy: how much
+better to capture him and take a living prisoner to the fort!  For two
+hours Samba kept in touch with him, never more than a few yards away,
+yet never by the slightest sound betraying his presence.  At last the
+man found a position above the fort which satisfied him, for he
+established himself there, apparently intending to wait for the dawn.
+
+Samba felt sure that when he moved to regain his own camp he would
+retrace his steps up stream.  To go down would bring him within view of
+the fort.  His course would be to ascend the channel and fetch a wide
+circuit back to his own people.
+
+Samba acted quickly on this assumption.  As silently as a shadow he
+glided past the man until, some distance up the channel, groping on the
+bank, he came across a tough creeper.  From this he cut off three or
+four yards of a pliant tendril, and with deft fingers made a slip-knot
+at one end.  Then he went again down stream, and made his way to a rock
+overhanging the left bank, whence he had many a time speared fish while
+the fort was being built.  On this rock he lay at full length, ready to
+move at the slightest sign of the negro stirring.
+
+When dawn broke Samba saw that the man was staring intently at the
+fort.  After a prolonged examination he turned, and, as Samba expected,
+moved up the gully, keeping under the left bank to avoid observation
+from the walls.  Slowly and cautiously he picked his way upward, little
+recking of the lithe form stretched like a panther on the rock above.
+He was passing the rock, the rifle in his left hand, the right hand
+assisting his wary steps over the rugged channel, when the lasso curled
+gently over his head; a short vigorous tug, and the man, dropping his
+rifle and clutching at the strangling cord around his throat, was
+pulled backward on to the rocky side of the gully.  Samba had marked
+where the rifle fell, and leapt nimbly down.  Before the negro,
+wriggling to his feet, had succeeded in loosing the terrible noose,
+Samba was at his side, the Albini in his hand.
+
+The suddenness of the onset and the shock of his fall had robbed the
+man of all power of action.  When Samba said that he must either
+accompany him to Ilombekabasi or be shot, he saw no third course and
+accepted the first.  Perhaps he was tired of his service with Elobela;
+perhaps he was curious to see the village of the wonderful Lokolobolo;
+certainly he was very much afraid of being shot.  So he made no
+resistance, but went quickly down the gully, a step or two in advance
+of Samba, who carried the rifle, as he did not fail to remind his
+captive from time to time.
+
+Through Lepoko Jack questioned the man.  He showed no reluctance to
+answer; no wish to conceal his employer's purposes.  _Esprit de corps_,
+Jack surmised, was a sentiment not cultivated on the Congo.  The
+prisoner confessed that Elobela exulted in the belief that within a few
+days the fort would be compelled to surrender by lack of water.  And he
+had promised his men an orgy when the surrender should take place.  Not
+a soul should be spared.  There were man-eaters among his force, and
+they were looking forward to a choice banquet; many young and tender
+children frolicked in Ilombekabasi.
+
+Jack felt himself turn pale as he heard this.  The facts were coming
+home to him.  The thought that little Bakota, the chubby boy whom
+Barney employed to wash dishes, or little Ilangala, the girl whom the
+same indefatigable factotum had taught to darn his socks, might fall
+into the hands of these ruthless cannibals, to be torn limb from limb,
+and sacrificed to their brutal appetites, kindled emotion within him
+much more poignant than the mere report that such things had happened
+in the collection of rubber on the Congo, somewhere, at some time.
+
+He dismissed the man under guard, and went to his hut, wishing to be
+alone.  An hour or two later Lepoko came to him; the prisoner had given
+more information.
+
+"Him say, sah, big massa lib for come back up ribber.  Him say Elobela
+no let massa come to Ilombekabasi; catch him, sah."
+
+Here was a new source of uneasiness and anxiety.  Jack had longed for
+his uncle's return; now he almost wished that something had happened to
+prevent his departure.  Already he had had such proofs of Elbel's
+vindictive and unscrupulous temper that he dreaded what might happen
+should Mr. Martindale fall into his hands.  But for the moment he saw
+no means of warning his uncle, and he tried to crush his fears and
+forebodings.
+
+During the next few days several of Elbel's scouts were killed or
+wounded by Jack's men, who had so far been wonderfully successful in
+escaping injury.  One man of the enemy who was brought in wounded
+confirmed the first prisoner's statement that the Inglesa was said to
+be on his way.  The river was being watched at various points of its
+course, and Jack recognized the hopelessness of attempting to evade
+these sentinels and give his uncle timely warning.
+
+Ten days had passed since the stream had been diverted, and the last
+captured scout said that Elobela was growing very impatient.  He could
+not understand how the fort had been able to hold out so long.  Every
+day he expected to see a flag of truce hoisted, and to receive a
+message asking for the terms of surrender.  One evening another scout
+was captured, and from him Jack learnt that his secret had at last been
+partially discovered.  Angry at being so long baulked, Elbel had
+determined to find out the source whence the defenders obtained the
+water he knew they must have.  He sent out scouts for this express
+purpose.  One of them, creeping up the bed of the stream below the
+southern face of the fort, had discovered that the precipice, which
+from a distance looked dry, was running with water, and that a thin
+stream was trickling into the gully.  The ground had gradually become
+saturated, and the overflow, which had at first disappeared into the
+earth, was now making itself only too visible.  When the discovery was
+reported to Elbel, he concluded that there must be a spring within the
+fort.  Great was his fury at having wasted so much time and labour
+fruitlessly.  In his anger he declared that the defenders should have
+plenty of water in future.
+
+"What did he mean by that?" asked Jack.
+
+The man did not know.  Elobela did not tell all his purposes to the
+black men.
+
+The very next morning it was observed that a large body of men was
+again on the move up the hill.  Jack hurried to the top of the
+north-west blockhouse and followed the movements through his
+field-glass.  This time an even larger force was engaged than had been
+previously employed to dam the stream.  Two parties, riflemen and
+spearmen, numbering in all, as he estimated, nearly six hundred, were
+marching up the heights.  Clearly some new work was to be undertaken,
+and it must be of no little magnitude.  There were no signs of
+preparation for an immediate attack.  The troops continued their upward
+march for at least a mile.  Then Jack was surprised to see them set to
+work rolling boulders down the hill towards the slope at the north-east
+of the fort and the new course of the river.  Whatever the scheme was,
+it involved a great deal of labour, for the whole day was spent upon
+it, and still the parties of workers had made but small progress down
+the hillside.  It became clear to Jack that the supply of boulders
+lower down had been used up in constructing the dam.  More boulders
+were evidently required, and to procure these Elbel had had to take his
+men a considerable distance up the hill.
+
+Late in the afternoon the negroes were marched back to camp.  As soon
+as it appeared safe, Jack sent Samba out to ascertain what had been
+done.  When he came back he reported that a large quantity of stones
+had been collected near the dam, and that though the main body had
+returned to their camp, there were still several large parties engaged
+in hauling boulders nearly a mile away from this point.
+
+Jack could form no idea of what Elbel's plan was; but it seemed to him
+that in any case the time had come to meet it with a counterstroke.
+For hours that night he sat with Barney discussing every means of
+striking a blow that occurred to him; but he came to no decision.  A
+stand-up fight in the open was impossible; there could only be one end
+to that, outnumbered as Jack was in riflemen by nearly five to one, and
+at present the enemy's movements did not suggest to him any opportunity
+for stratagem.
+
+Next morning he stood with Barney at the wall, watching the enemy as
+once more they marched up to the scene of the previous day's work.  As
+usual, he did his best to count them--no easy matter, for the men did
+not march in orderly ranks like a disciplined regiment, but either in
+small groups or in several long files.
+
+"Elbel is getting impatient," remarked Jack at last.  "He wants to
+hurry up that work of his, for I make out that he is taking over fifty
+more men up to-day."
+
+"Sure there can't be more than fifty left in camp, sorr."
+
+"I suppose not.  That's rather risky," he added thoughtfully--"in an
+enemy's country, Barney."
+
+"Would you be meaning to go for them, sorr?" returned Barney, his eyes
+lighting up.  "Bedad, I'd rejoice in that same.  I haven't told ye,
+sorr, but many's the time I've felt I should just go raging mad if I
+had to stay in this camp much longer.  'Tis all very safe and
+comfortable, sorr, but 'tis a prison all the same, and there's no man
+on earth likes to be caged up less than an Irishman."
+
+"D'you think we could do it, Barney?  The camp is only about half a
+mile below us; Elbel's men are a mile above, some at least a mile and a
+half.  Could we rush the camp before the main body could be brought to
+its relief?"
+
+"Say 'tis two miles between 'em as the crow flies; they could run that
+in twelve minutes widout distressing themselves."
+
+"But they couldn't take the shortest road, because that would bring
+them under fire from our walls.  The distance would be a good deal more
+than two miles.  And we should have to cover half that distance to the
+camp and back, the return journey up hill.  It doesn't leave much
+margin, Barney."
+
+"Five minutes at the very most, sorr.  But a man can do a power uv
+fighting in five minutes."
+
+"Let us think it out carefully.  We mustn't throw away all our success
+by a mad enterprise now.  We oughtn't to weaken the defensive strength
+here much, for Elbel has such numbers that he could afford to lose a
+few in storming."
+
+"And we needn't, sorr.  'Tis not numbers that will count in rushing the
+camp; 'tis dash, sorr, and ivery man together."
+
+"That's quite true.  And I think our men will work together better than
+Elbel's.  But there's a very serious difficulty--that outpost of his
+half-way between us and his camp.  It's the only post he has kept up
+permanently, and now it's a nuisance to us."
+
+He referred to a couple of men stationed at the edge of a copse to the
+west of the stream.  They were screened by rocks, and from their
+position they could see the blockhouses and the tops of the huts, and
+keep the west and south quarters of the fort under fairly strict
+observation.
+
+"You see, they would instantly detect any movement of ours down the
+hill; and by the time we got to the camp the enemy would be on the _qui
+vive_."
+
+"There's only wan thing to be done, sorr."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Shut the eyes and the ears and the mouths uv the niggers at the
+outpost."
+
+"All very well; but they're too well screened to be shot at, and
+killing them is the only way to destroy all their senses.  Besides, it
+would be madness to fire.  The sound would alarm the enemy and spoil
+our plans."
+
+"'Twas not meself that thought uv firing at all at all, sorr.  I was
+thinking uv Samba."
+
+"Samba!  What can he do?"
+
+"Sure and I don't know no more than the dead, or I'd tell it you
+meself, sorr.  But Samba's the ould wan himself at schaming; will I
+fetch him?"
+
+"Certainly.  We'll see if he can do anything.  Hurry up!"
+
+
+
+[1] This man.
+
+[2] Are you speaking the truth?
+
+[3] Mother!--the strongest affirmative.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+A Dash and All Together
+
+Barney brought back with him both father and son.  Mboyo was a
+finely-built negro, but Samba, who had been growing rapidly, promised
+to outstrip his father in height, as he already excelled him in
+nimbleness of wit.  He had a noble brow, and eyes of extraordinary
+lustre; and Jack could not help contrasting him with the mean-looking
+white man, who, in the providence of King Leopold, was entrusted with
+the lives of such people as these.
+
+Jack explained his purpose, and the difficulty which seemed to stand in
+the way.  A glance was exchanged between Samba and his father; then the
+boy said that they would deal with the outpost.
+
+"How will you do it?"
+
+"We will creep upon them."
+
+"But it is daylight."
+
+"True.  We may fail; but we will do our best."
+
+"Very well.  Now we must get our men together, Barney.  It will be
+useless for Samba and Mboyo to start until we are ready.  In fact, we
+will postpone the whole thing for an hour or two.  In the hottest part
+of the day the men in the camp will very likely be dozing or fast
+asleep; even if they're awake, they'll probably not have all their wits
+about them."
+
+He selected twenty riflemen, including Imbono, Makoko, and Lepoko, and
+fifty spearmen, the pick of the force, and ordered them to assemble at
+a given signal at a small exit he had recently had cut in the base of
+the wall on the gully side.  The hole had been made at a spot where the
+gully was very rugged and covered with creepers, so that any one
+leaving the fort by this small aperture could scarcely be detected
+except by an observer placed immediately opposite.  The portion of the
+wall which had been removed could be replaced, and it would be
+impossible, save on very close scrutiny, to discover the existence of
+the exit.
+
+A dozen of the men, besides carrying their weapons, were to sling round
+their shoulders some large fireballs which had been made under Barney's
+superintendence from the resin in the confiscated barrels.
+
+"Begorra, sorr, 'tis meself that has an idea!" cried Barney in the
+midst of these preparations.  "Couldn't we do something to hould the
+attention uv those villains at the outpost while Samba and the chief
+are doing their job?"
+
+"A good idea, indeed.  What do you suggest?"
+
+"'Deed now, I wish we had Mike Henchie and Denis O'Sullivan and a few
+more uv the bhoys.  We'd treat the niggers to the finest dancing wid
+the shillelagh that iver was seen this side uv Limerick."
+
+"I wish we had!  You speak of shillelaghs.  Won't Indian clubs do?  I
+have it!  We'll get some of the children to go through their exercises.
+Go and collect them, Samba--Lofinda and Ilafa and Lokilo and Isungila,
+they're the best, and about a dozen more.  But hang it!  I forgot.
+They won't be seen over the wall."
+
+"Sure there's the platform by the blockhouse, sorr.  'Tis uncommon
+small for a stage play, but 'tis meself could make it wider in a brace
+uv shakes."
+
+"Then do so, like a good fellow.  It's a capital idea of yours, Barney."
+
+The platform was quickly enlarged.  Then, just after midday, when the
+sun was blazing fiercely, and in the ordinary course of things
+everybody would be at rest in the huts, Barney marshalled some twenty
+children, boys and girls, on the platform, and Jack accompanied Mboyo
+and Samba to the little exit.
+
+"You must give me a signal if you succeed with the outpost," said Jack,
+as they prepared to slip through.  "It must not be a sound.  You had
+better show yourself for a moment above the rocks, Samba."
+
+The instant they had reached the gully, Imbono's drummer began to beat
+his drum, not with the powerful strokes that would have sent a
+thunderous boom echoing for miles around, but with gentle taps that
+would scarcely be heard beyond the two outposts.  At the same time two
+or three children blew softly through their little trumpets of banana
+leaves.  In a moment two woolly heads could be seen cautiously peeping
+over the rocks for which Mboyo and Samba were making.  Then the
+performance began.  Instructed by Barney, the children on the platform
+swung their clubs about, wondering why they were forbidden to sing the
+song about Lokolobolo which usually accompanied their exercise.  They
+knew nothing of the intention of their instructor, nor why he had
+chosen this hot hour instead of the cool of the evening; but they loved
+him, and delighted in the rhythmic motion, and they plied their clubs
+gracefully, all unconscious of the four curious eyes watching them from
+the rocks a few hundred yards away.
+
+Jack saw nothing of their pretty movements.  He was at the wall.  The
+two men of the outpost gazed at the children.  Jack gazed at them.
+Below him squatted his warriors, subdued to unnatural quietness by the
+thought of what was before them.  Impatiently they waited for the word.
+They did not know exactly what they were to do; Lokolobolo had simply
+said they were to follow him.  But they knew Lokolobolo; had he not
+time and again brought Elobela's schemes to nought?  Lokolobolo had
+said they were to follow him; and they were confident that where he led
+was the one place in the world for them.
+
+Twenty minutes passed.  The performance on the platform still went on.
+Then Jack suddenly saw the two black heads above the rocks disappear.
+Next moment Samba's head showed itself where they had been.
+
+"Aiyoko!"[1] said Jack to his men.
+
+Quickly, one by one, they slipped through the narrow hole, and formed
+up under cover of the thick-growing creepers in the gully.  Jack went
+last, saw that the opening was closed behind him, and turned to address
+his men.
+
+"We are going to Elobela's camp," he said.  "We shall go down the gully
+until we come opposite to it, then I shall lead you; you will come
+behind me silently, keeping your ranks.  I hope the men in the camp may
+be asleep.  You will not fire until I give the word.  When we have
+driven them out of the camp, those of you who have fireballs will set
+fire to their huts.  Then seize on all the guns and ammunition you can
+find, and return as quickly as possible to the fort."
+
+The men's eyes gleamed with excitement.  Stealthily as panthers they
+crept down the dry gully after their leader.  They did not know that
+behind them, at the wall, Barney, having abruptly dismissed the
+children, was watching with a very wistful look.  The good fellow
+wished that he were with them.
+
+Down they went, as rapidly as the rough ground permitted, scarcely
+making a sound.  At length Jack halted.  He turned and gave one quick
+glance over the eager faces; there was no falterer among his band.
+Then he scrambled over the brink of the gully.  Lepoko was first after
+him, Makoko was second; the rest of the men stood upon no order of
+going, but made each for the easiest point of ascent.  And there Mboyo
+and Samba joined them.  Standing on gently sloping ground Jack looked
+eagerly ahead.  Had his movement been detected?  There, two hundred
+yards away, was the camp within its light stockade.  Not a man was to
+be seen.  The midday sun beat fiercely down; doubtless the garrison
+were enjoying a siesta.  No sentry was posted, or, if posted, he had
+forgotten his duty.  The gate of Ilombekabasi on the northern face was
+far away; what simple negro would suppose that the enemy was
+approaching silently from the nearer end?
+
+In compact and orderly ranks Jack's men were sprinting noiselessly
+after him, holding their weapons so that no clash or click should
+disturb the silent camp.  They were within a few yards of the stockade
+when suddenly there was a cry.  All were black men in the camp save
+one.  At that moment he, in the intolerable heat, was about to leave
+his tent and bathe in a clear stream that ran through the enclosure.
+He saw the running band; he cried to his men, and, flinging away his
+towel, sprang back to his hut to get his rifle.  He was too late.
+Jack, getting a "shove up" from one of his men, was on and over the
+stockade in a few seconds; his men were leaping all around him.  And
+now their tongues were loosened.  Yells and rifle shots aroused the
+lethargic garrison, some from sleep within their huts, some from drowsy
+lolling in shady quarters by the stockade.  For most of them one glance
+was enough.  Here was Lokolobolo, the Inglesa, and with him a crowd of
+men among whom they recognized some they had beaten in Ilola with the
+whip.  With frantic yells of alarm they ran for dear life across the
+compound to the gate on the further side, out into the open, never
+pausing until they had gained the forest fringe, with half a mile
+between them and the men they feared.
+
+But not all; the white man had seized his rifle and collected a small
+band about him.  Mboyo, near Jack, gave a cry; among the negroes around
+the white man he saw Boloko, his renegade brother.  Taking cover where
+they could, they began to fire at the invaders, hastily, frantically.
+But Jack had his men in hand.  Bidding them also take cover, he sent
+those who had fireballs to creep round the camp and set light to the
+huts.  Soon volumes of dense suffocating smoke bellied across the camp,
+screening attackers from defenders.  Then Jack gave the order to close
+in upon the few who resisted.  With triumphant yells his men swept
+forward through the smoke--a few shots were fired; one or two men fell;
+then the white man, with Boloko and the rest of his band at his heels,
+made a dash for the gate.  Two men dropped ere they could pass through;
+but the white man and Boloko and half a dozen others were more
+fortunate.  Out in the open they ran like hunted deer; and Elobela's
+burning camp was left in the hands of Lokolobolo.
+
+Jack lost no time.  The stockade and the huts on the windward side were
+ablaze; soon the whole place must be in flames.  The sound of the
+shots, the sight of the smoke, would bring back Elbel and all his
+force.  Shouting to his men to collect all the arms and ammunition they
+could carry and then rush back to the fort, Jack went outside the
+stockade beyond the cloud of smoke to keep watch.  The flames were
+roaring and crackling behind him; but even at this distance, nearly two
+miles from the place where Elbel was at work, he fancied he heard the
+shouts of the amazed and angry enemy.  Then suddenly the deep resonant
+note of Imbono's drum struck his ear.  Barney must be warning him!  He
+turned and called to his men to delay no longer.  Back to the fort!
+Meanwhile Barney had followed the movements of the gallant band.  He
+heard the shots and yells, and saw the first spiral of smoke; then he
+hastened to the northwest blockhouse, calling to all the riflemen left
+with him to line the wall overlooking the gully.  In a few minutes he
+saw the negroes above dashing helter-skelter down the slope.  And yes!
+there was Elbel at their head, a figure in white, running as though he
+were running for a prize.  Barney smiled with satisfaction.
+
+"Begorra!  They're forgetting me!" he murmured pleasantly, as he saw
+that the enemy, in their frantic haste, were making for the shortest
+path along the further edge of the gully, within easy range of the
+camp.  Barney determined to wait until they were well abreast of him,
+and then give them a volley.  But the impatience of a negro forced his
+hand.  In the excitement of the moment one of the riflemen, free from
+Jack's restraining presence, fired his piece.  The shot brought Elbel
+to his senses.  He suddenly remembered the danger into which he was
+running.  Turning sharp to the right, he sprinted straight to the cover
+of the copse.  Some of his men followed him; others ran heedlessly on.
+Growling at the man who had spoilt his scheme, Barney gave the order to
+fire, and half a dozen of the enemy fell.  But Elbel had escaped; and
+the rest of his men took warning and diverged from the direct course as
+he had done.  Barney saw that further efforts would be wasted; so,
+ordering his men to cease fire, he returned to the other end of the
+fort to see how Jack was faring.
+
+[Illustration: Jack rushes Elbel's camp]
+
+Here they come!  Makoko is leading, staggering up the gully under the
+weight of half a dozen rifles.  Behind him is Lombola, poising a load
+of ammunition on his head.  There is Lingombela, with a bundle of
+cartridge pouches roped to his back.  So one after another they file up
+the gully.  Barney opens the little gate in the wall; willing helpers
+within haul the loads through.  No man enters until all the rifles and
+ammunition have been handed in; then they scramble through, laughing
+and jesting; and Jack comes last of all.
+
+"Well done, sorr!" said Barney heartily.
+
+"Well done, Barney!" returned Jack, gripping his hand.  "By Jove!
+What's that?"
+
+A loud explosion set the air trembling, and a hundred echoes flying
+from the rocks around.  A dense volume of flame and smoke rose from the
+site of Elbel's camp.
+
+"There goes the last of their ammunition!" said Jack with a laugh.
+"We've got best part of it here."
+
+"Bedad, sorr, now's the chance for me meself.  Give me leave, sorr, and
+I'll go at them wid the men and wipe them clean off the face uv the
+earth."
+
+"Stop, stop, Barney!  We mustn't be impatient.  They've no more
+ammunition in reserve, but every man who was with Elbel will have a
+good many rounds with him.  We can't risk a pitched battle against two
+hundred rifles."
+
+"Ochone, sorr!  Will I niver get a chance at all?"
+
+"Cheer up!  Your chance will come, and you've done splendidly as it is.
+It was a fine idea of yours to sound that drum when you saw them
+running down.  And it was your idea to set something going here to
+occupy the attention of the outpost.  By the by, I haven't had time to
+ask Samba yet how they dealt with those fellows."
+
+He called up the boy.  His story was very simple.  Mboyo and he had
+crawled round under cover of the rocks and bushes, and came upon the
+unsuspecting sentries from the rear.  They had their knives; the men
+died without a sound.  Jack shuddered.  It was not an Englishman's way
+of dealing with an enemy; it was the negro's way.  But his feeling of
+compunction was somewhat diminished when Samba added that one of the
+men was Bomolo, the brutal forest guard who had been the terror of
+Imbono's people.  For how many maimings and murders had this man been
+responsible?  Surely in this quick death he had met with far less than
+his deserts!
+
+Jack had every reason to be satisfied with the success of his sortie.
+To have burned the enemy's camp; captured more than half his reserve
+ammunition, and destroyed the rest, was no mean feat.  And as for the
+people of Ilombekabasi, they were frantic with delight.  So quietly had
+Jack made his preparations that the majority of the people knew nothing
+of what was happening until they heard the first shot.  Then they
+crowded to the wall and watched eagerly.  The camp itself was hidden
+from them by the contour of the hill, but they saw the smoke rising
+above the bushes and hailed it with loud shouts.  When they understood
+the meaning of the great noise that followed Lokolobolo's return they
+were almost beside themselves with joy.  And in the cool of the evening
+Jack allowed them to hold a great feast, after which Imbono reeled off
+a long oration in praise of Lokolobolo, and the village bard composed
+and chanted a new song in numerous stanzas, the whole populace roaring
+the chorus:--
+
+  O kelaki na?
+  Bomong'ilombe,
+  Bosak'owa wanga,[2]
+  Lokolobolo!
+
+
+For several days after the sortie Jack was left undisturbed.  He
+guessed how Elbel was occupied, and his conjecture was confirmed by
+Samba, who at once resumed his scouting work.  Elbel was constructing
+another camp a good distance east of his former position.  And he was
+spending more time and labour on it; the stockade was more than usually
+high and thick, and was flanked with bastions after the model of the
+blockhouses at Ilombekabasi.
+
+Samba also discovered that on the day after the burning of the camp one
+of the white men with twenty paddlers had gone down the river.  Jack
+had no doubt that he had been despatched to the headquarters of his
+Company for more ammunition.  Clearly Elbel was rendered only the more
+determined by his successive rebuffs.
+
+"And I don't wonder at it," remarked Jack, talking the situation over
+with Barney.  "We are making hay of the rubber collection in this
+district, and Elbel's Company will be pretty mad with him.  I
+understand why he hasn't got help before this from the State forces.
+For one thing he has got to rehabilitate himself with his Company,
+who'll certainly cashier him if he doesn't find a way out of the mess
+he has got into.  For another thing, if he brings the State forces on
+the scene, he'll most likely lose all chance of collaring uncle's gold,
+and I believe that's at the bottom of it right through.  But things
+can't last much longer as they are.  The State must intervene soon,
+whether Elbel likes it or not."
+
+"And what then, sorr?"
+
+"Then it will be all up with us, I'm afraid.  But we won't look forward
+to that.  I only wish I could find some means of sending word to
+England of what goes on here, and what we're doing."
+
+"What would be the good uv it, sorr?  Sorrow a bit."
+
+"Why do you say that?"
+
+"Why!  Because in England they're all too busy making money to attend
+to such things--making money, sorr, or fighting tooth and nail about
+education, or dreaming about football.  Now if Ireland had Home
+Rule----"
+
+"No politics, Barney!  I don't agree with you.  I'm as sure as I'm
+alive that if the people at home really knew how abominably the natives
+are treated--knew about the floggings and maimings and murders, they'd
+make such an outcry that either King Leopold would be forced to change
+his policy, or some one would step in and manage things for him.  If
+only England and America would join hands!"
+
+When Elbel had completed his new camp, he resumed the work far up the
+hill which the sortie had interrupted.  Jack was still at a loss to
+understand what the Belgian's scheme was, and he was prevented from
+finding out, by the fact that every night a strong body was left on
+guard, as he knew by the many camp fires at the top of the ridge.
+
+One afternoon, however, the secret was explained.  One of the men
+placed on the look-out at the north-eastern blockhouse reported that he
+saw a stream of water rushing down the hill.  Jack hastened to the spot
+with his field-glass, and was somewhat alarmed to see that the man's
+information was correct; water was certainly streaming down over the
+rocky ground, making a course that seemingly would bring it right
+against the fort wall.
+
+"He's going to flood us out!" thought Jack.  "He must have built an
+embankment across the new course of the river."
+
+This was a manoeuvre which he had not foreseen, and one which it seemed
+impossible to counter.  The water, gathering impetus as it flowed down
+the hill, would almost infallibly undermine the wall, even if it had
+not force enough to wash it away altogether.  But as he watched, for
+the moment so much taken aback that he could not think of anything to
+be done, his consternation was changed to amusement, for about two
+hundred yards up the hill the water made a swerve to his right, and
+flowed with increasing rapidity in that direction.  The slope was such
+that, instead of coming straight down as Elbel had evidently expected,
+the stream, finding the easiest course, took at this point a trend to
+the south-east.  After all it would only wash the blockhouse on which
+Jack stood.
+
+Jack instantly saw what he ought to do.  Running down to the base of
+the stockade, he summoned a large body of workers, and set some of them
+to dismantle the blockhouse, the remainder to pull down the wall and
+build it up again several feet behind its former position, and in such
+a way that instead of forming the angle of a square it lay across,
+making a line parallel with the course of the stream.
+
+They had hardly got to work before the full body of water was upon
+them.  But so many men were employed, and they moved so rapidly, that
+only one or two logs were carried away by the current, the solidly
+built blockhouse serving as a dam and protecting the workers behind.
+The main stream fell with a roar over the steep slope on the edge of
+which the blockhouse stood--a slope only less precipitous than that of
+the cataract, now a thing of the past, at the opposite corner of the
+fort.
+
+Only a few minutes later a tremendous outcry was heard from the
+direction of Elbel's new camp.  For a moment it startled Jack.  Had the
+enemy taken advantage of the sudden flood to organize an attack in
+force?  But the thought had hardly crossed his mind when he burst into
+laughter, causing his workers to pause and look round in astonishment.
+
+"A magnificent idea!" he said to Barney.  "D'you see what has happened?
+The silly fellow is flooding his own camp!"
+
+"Bedad, sorr, that's what comes uv being too clever by half."
+
+"It comes of playing with things he knows nothing about.  He's tried an
+engineer's job without experience and without surveying instruments.
+It's ticklish work interfering with the course of nature, and you never
+know what will happen if you set water on the run.  Look at them,
+Barney!  'Pon my soul, it's the funniest thing I've ever seen.  There's
+Elbel himself, do you see? scampering down the hill like a madman."
+
+"Like a mad gorilla, sorr."
+
+"And all his men after him!  By Jove! can't they yell!  He'll have to
+shift his quarters again, Barney."
+
+"And sure I hope all his food is soaked and all his clothes in the
+wash-tub.  A bath will do those greasy niggers no harm."
+
+"We'll build up our blockhouse a few yards to the left, and be none the
+worse.  Let's go and lend a hand."
+
+
+
+[1] Now.
+
+[2] Who did it?
+    The master of the house,
+    A most clever person.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+A Message and a Meeting
+
+Ilombekabasi had peace.  Elbel was sufficiently occupied for a couple
+of days in constructing a third camp, which he placed still further
+eastward in the direction of Ilola, but still between Jack and the main
+river.  And even when the camp was completed he gave no sign of further
+operations.  Jack was forced to conclude that his enemy was tired of
+his continual failures, and would now wait inactive until
+reinforcements reached him.
+
+One afternoon, about a week after the flooding of the camp, a negro was
+seen running up the gully.  Shots rang out in the distance, and far
+down the gully appeared a band of Elbel's men, who relinquished the
+pursuit of the runner on coming within sight of the fort.  The man
+scampered up to the hole in the stockade.  He was unarmed save for the
+universal dagger.  He cried out to be admitted; he had a message for
+the Inglesa; and Jack ordered him to be hauled up through the aperture.
+
+"Me nearly lib for dead," he said panting, "me run too fast."
+
+"Well, who are you, and what do you want?"
+
+"Me Lofembi, sah.  Me boy massa him uncle."
+
+"What!"
+
+"Yes, sah; me massa Martindale boy."
+
+"Where is he?" cried Jack, feeling himself go pale with excitement at
+the sudden news.
+
+"He long long in forest, sah.  Come up ribber in boat; one man say
+young massa shut up in Ilombekabasi; old massa get out of boat, hide in
+forest so long for young massa to know.  He plenty sick at Boma, sah;
+nearly gone dead.  Fust small small better, sah! lib for go sick all
+same; talk small small, sah; no make head straight.  He try write; no
+can hold black stick; he fit for go sleep."
+
+"Good heavens, Barney!  Poor old Uncle!"
+
+"Sure, the man may be a liar, sorr," said Barney.
+
+Jack gave the man a keen glance.
+
+"My uncle tried to write, you say.  What did he try to write?"
+
+"Bonkanda to massa; oh yes!  He want say he come; he want know what he
+fit to do.  No want see bad man; no; want to come to Ilombekabasi.
+Plenty hard job, 'cos bad man dah."  He pointed in the direction of
+Elbel's camp.
+
+"If he is so very sick, how did he come from the river into the forest?"
+
+"Four five men carry him, sah.  Plenty big lump; oh yes."
+
+"Why did he send you?  Where's Nando?"
+
+"Nando lib for sick at Leo[1]; no fit to come; him plenty sick; oh yes.
+Me Lofembi; me come, do talk for massa.  Massa gib fing to show young
+massa; here he am."
+
+He produced a gold scarf ring and handed it to Jack.
+
+"This is my uncle's, sure enough, Barney.  It's genuine.  What on earth
+can we do?  Poor old Uncle!  In his last note he said he was
+recovering; he must have had a relapse.  How can we get him into the
+fort?  We must bring him in somehow.  It's awful to think of him lying
+ill in the forest without any one to look after him; and I am cooped up
+here!"
+
+"Send Samba to fetch him, sorr."
+
+"I can't, Barney," said Jack after a moment's thought.  "Samba goes
+alone safely, but I simply can't trust him to lead a party in,
+especially as Uncle seems to be too bad to move.  I can't see any way
+out of it.  If I took some men out myself, and made a dash for it, the
+enemy would be on our track, and we should have to fight our way in
+against the whole lot of them.  Impossible; they outnumber us so
+greatly."
+
+Barney was sympathetic, but unable to offer a suggestion.  Bidding him
+keep an eye on Lofembi, Jack went back to his hut to think the matter
+out by himself.  He was torn with anxiety.  An unlucky chance might at
+any moment reveal his uncle's whereabouts, and he knew what mercy Mr.
+Martindale might expect if he fell into the hands of Elbel.  Something
+must be done; yet what?  A dozen plans occurred to him, only to be
+rejected.
+
+One thing was clear; whatever was done must be done either by Barney or
+himself.  Mr. Martindale being incapacitated, another white man must
+lead his party, for the natives, unless properly led, might be seized
+with panic at the slightest check and bolt.
+
+Barney he could not send.  There was no finesse about him; he was a
+good fighter, with any amount of pluck, but the very antithesis of a
+scout.  Jack felt that he must go himself if his uncle was to have the
+best chance of getting in.  There was no other course that offered the
+same prospect of success.
+
+What were his chances?  His sortie against the enemy's camp had been a
+brilliant success.  Since then Elbel had been practically on the
+defensive; he was afraid of wasting ammunition; afraid also of leaving
+any small body unsupported by his main force.  During the past week
+Jack's scouts had reported night after night that no pickets had been
+posted as formerly around the fort, so that, except on the south-east,
+where Elbel's camp was, the neighbourhood was open.  He could thus
+easily steal out at the gate in the northern wall under cover of
+darkness, and by making a wide detour ought to be able to bring Mr.
+Martindale and his party back in safety.
+
+Yet he had qualms.  Ought he in any case to leave the fort?  Supposing
+he failed, what would happen to the hundreds of people who depended on
+him?  Driven by force of circumstances into a life-and-death struggle
+with Elbel's Company, he had not ventured to look forward to its
+ultimate issue.  The duty of the moment seemed to be to hold on, to
+keep the poor negroes out of the clutches of their oppressors, and
+leave the end with God.  Could he trust Barney to continue his work if
+he should be removed?  Ought he to think of it?  Thus he pondered and
+puzzled, the arguments for and against chasing one another in a circle
+through his mind.
+
+He had reached no conclusion when Barney came to the hut.  The good
+fellow seemed a little uncomfortable; he stood hesitating at the
+entrance, his readiness of speech having apparently deserted him.
+
+"Barney, I'm the most miserable fellow alive," said Jack, looking up.
+
+"All but wan, sorr; all but wan.  'Tis the master who is more miserable
+than you or me, sorr.  Think uv it; alone in the forest, wid none but
+black idjuts to wait upon 'm.  I've been thinking mighty hard, sorr,
+and the end uv it is this; 'tis you that must go, sorr.  Sure I can
+hold the fort while you are gone."
+
+"But what if I never come back, Barney?"
+
+"'Twould be a desp'rate hard case, sorr.  But what thin?  I'm an
+Irishman, and, bedad! 'twas for hard cases Irishmen was born.  Niver a
+fear but I'd stick to it, sorr.  We've beaten the scuts all along.  And
+if the captain goes, sorr, sure the liftinant takes his place and does
+his best to fill it dacently.  What would have happened if ye had got
+knocked on the head in that sortie uv yours?  Do ye think Barney O'Dowd
+would have hung out a white rag and surrindered?  Sorrow a bit!  I'd
+have nailed my colours to the mast, speakin' by the card, and dared the
+rufn'ns to come and take 'em."
+
+"You're a brick, Barney!" cried Jack, springing up and gripping him by
+the hand.  "I'll go!  I'll take Samba, this very night, and bring dear
+old Uncle in."
+
+"That's right, sorr.  And we'll nurse him back to health and strength,
+and make him colonel uv the reg'mint."
+
+"Call out those men who captured Elbel's camp with me, and place them
+at the gate to make a dash if they hear firing.  And meanwhile you man
+the wall and hold yourself ready to cover our entry.  And, Barney, if
+I'm caught and Uncle doesn't come in, hold the fort as long as you can.
+Don't make sorties; simply sit tight.  The rainy season will be on us
+soon, Imbono said, and Elbel's camp is so badly placed that when the
+rains come he will be swamped.  He may then get tired of the siege and
+draw off.  If he does, I should arrange with the two chiefs for a trek
+into the forest.  But if Elbel still presses the siege and food begins
+to run short--it won't last for ever, you know--you had better choose a
+dark night and make a dash out to the north-east.  If you go quickly
+you'll get a good many hours' start before Elbel realizes what has
+happened; and when once in the forest you may shake off pursuit.  Our
+rifles will form a rearguard."
+
+"I'll do all that same, sorr.  But I hope it will not be me fate to do
+it at all.  I'd sooner be liftinant for iver, sorr."
+
+Shortly after nightfall, Jack, Samba, and Lofembi the messenger, made
+their exit by the hole in the wall.  Jack had wished to follow his
+original intention and leave by the northern gate, but Lofembi
+earnestly begged him not to do this, saying that he would not be able
+to find the way if he did not go out by the same gate that he had
+entered.  At the moment of departure Barney gripped Jack's hand.
+
+"The blessed angels go wid ye, sorr, and bring poor ould master back in
+safety."
+
+"Good-bye, Barney.  Hope for the best, and remember--hold the fort."
+
+It was slow work moving across the broken hilly country by night; but
+Lofembi had previously pointed out to Samba the general direction in
+which they had to go, and the boy was able to keep a fairly straight
+course.  They had to strike, said Lofembi, a path through the forest
+following the course of the sun.  Mr. Martindale's camp was pitched
+close to the path, not far from where two large trees had fallen across
+it.  In about an hour they came to the outskirts of the forest in that
+direction, the course being in the main the same as that taken by Jack
+some weeks previously on his buffalo hunt, but leaving the open country
+somewhat earlier.  So far there had been no sign of the enemy.
+
+Progress was even slower in the forest itself.  More than once Lofembi
+halted in doubt; then after a whispered colloquy with Samba he started
+again, guiding himself by the stars seen through the tree tops.  Save
+for these whispered conversations not a word was spoken.  Jack was too
+much absorbed in his mission, too anxious about his uncle, to have any
+inclination to talk, even if the risk of coming upon a scout of Elbel's
+had not been present to his mind.
+
+At length the three came upon the narrow track Lofembi had been
+seeking.  Here they went in Indian file, the guide leading, Jack coming
+next, then Samba.  The path was so narrow and so beset by obstructions
+that walking was a toil.  Sometimes Lofembi swerved to one side or the
+other to avoid a prickly bush; sometimes they had to clamber over a
+fallen tree; more often the path wound round the obstacle.  It seemed
+to Jack many hours since they started; in reality it was scarcely more
+than three before they came upon the two fallen trees.  Lofembi stopped.
+
+"Small small now, massa," he whispered.
+
+He gave a long low-pitched call.  From the blackness on the left came a
+similar call in reply.  The guide moved forward, plunging boldly along
+a narrow path--more narrow even than that by which they had reached
+this spot--in the direction of the sound.  Jack was about to follow him
+when Samba touched him on the arm.
+
+"Samba go first," said the boy.
+
+"No, no," said Jack kindly.  "We are all right; this is my place,
+Samba."
+
+His heart beat faster under the stress of his emotion as he followed
+Lofembi through the tangled undergrowth.  How would he find his uncle?
+Was he very ill?  Surely, surely, he was not in danger--he would not
+die?  Beads of sweat broke out upon Jack's brow as the terrible
+possibility occurred to him.  He went on almost blindly.  Three
+minutes' groping in the darkness brought them to a natural clearing, in
+which, by the dim light of the stars, Jack saw a couple of tents, and,
+some little distance from them, what appeared to be a number of roughly
+made grass huts.
+
+"Dis way, massa," said Lofembi, touching Jack on the arm.
+
+"Which one?" said Jack in a low tone,
+
+"Dat one," replied Lofembi, pointing to the nearer of the two huts.
+
+He stepped forward into the clearing.  At the same moment a score of
+dusky forms rose and closed in stealthily from the undergrowth around.
+With a little cry Samba plucked Jack by the sleeve.  But almost
+unconsciously he shook off the detaining hand, so full of anxiety was
+he.  His uncle must be very ill, or he would be standing by the tent to
+welcome him.  He sprang forward, stopped, and raised the flap of the
+tent.  By the light of a small oil lamp swinging from the top he saw a
+form stretched upon a camp bed.
+
+"Uncle! uncle!" he cried, falling on his knees by the side of the
+prostrate figure.
+
+A low murmur answered him.  At the same moment he heard a sighing
+groan, as it were, from the entrance to the hut, and the sound of a
+heavy fall.  Then the forest glade rang with fierce shouts and the
+crack of a rifle.  Jack rose to his feet, confused by this sudden
+turmoil coming when his nerves were overstrung.  As he half turned, a
+figure came out of the darkness towards him.
+
+"Good efening, Mr. Shalloner," said a smooth voice.
+
+Jack started back.
+
+"Yes, it is me--Guillaume Elbel, bien entendu!"
+
+
+
+[1] Leopoldville.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+Elbel Squares Accounts
+
+Jack saw through it all now.  Elbel had captured his uncle, and used
+him to decoy from the fort the enemy whom fair fighting and open
+manoeuvres had failed to dislodge.  He could have shot the Belgian with
+his rifle where he stood, but saw in a flash how vain the action would
+be.  Outside was a horde of savage natives, who would instantly wreak
+vengeance on the white men.  Mr. Martindale was too weak to resist, and
+what he would suffer at their hands was too horrible to be thought of.
+
+When Elbel had spoken Jack turned once more to his uncle, and kneeling
+down by his bedside clasped his hand.  His pressure was returned but
+feebly.  Mr. Martindale's weakness, coupled with his distress at Jack's
+capture, rendered him unable to speak.
+
+"I beg you listen to me," said Elbel.  "I have a varrant for the arrest
+of Chon Martindale, Chon Shalloner, and a third man, whose name I do
+not know, on a charge dat dey incite de natives to rebel against de
+Congo Free State.  I have two of the dree; dat is vell.  It vill be for
+your advantage, to-morrow, to send a written order to de third man to
+render dat fort on de hill.  It vill be for your advantage at de trial.
+If de fort resist longer, and cause blood to spill, it vill be so much
+de vorse for you ven you appear before de court in Boma."
+
+"Where is your warrant, Mr. Elbel?" asked Jack.
+
+"Ah!  I have it not viz me; of course, it is in my camp."
+
+"I suppose you are going to take us there?  You can show it to me when
+we get there."
+
+"No, you meestake.  I vill not take you to my camp.  I vill send you
+both at vunce to Boma, vere you vill be tried."
+
+"But my uncle is not in a condition to travel; you know that."
+
+"Bah!  He vas in condition to travel here; vell, he is in condition to
+travel back."
+
+"But that is preposterous, Mr. Elbel.  Are you absolutely inhuman?  I
+find my uncle so ill that he cannot even speak to me.  God knows how
+much his illness is due to you or your friends.  At least you will
+allow him to remain until I can give him some little attention--until
+he regains a little strength.  To do anything else will be nothing less
+than murder."
+
+"Dat is not my affair," said Elbel with a shrug.  "It is instructed me
+to send you to Boma.  To Boma zerefore muss you go, and at vunce."
+Then, as a thought struck him, he added, "Though truly I will vait vun
+day, two days perhaps, if you give command to de man in de fort to
+render himself."
+
+"Never!" came in a fierce whisper from the bed.  Mr. Martindale had
+gathered his little strength for Jack's sake.  "Never!  We will make no
+terms with you.  What my nephew has done he has done merely in
+self-defence against the acts, the illegal acts, of you and your
+freebooters.  I am an American citizen; he is a British subject; as
+you, yes, and your Free State, will find to your cost."
+
+He spoke in feeble gasps, yet with an energy that spoke of an
+unconquerable spirit.  The exertion exhausted him, and he fell back on
+the bed from which he had half risen.
+
+"Bah!  Fine vords!" said Elbel.  "Ver' fine vords, monsieur.  You say
+you are American--you dink dat frighten me!  Vy, I laugh.  Vat good is
+de American or de English in de Congo Free State?  Ve mock of dem.  Ve
+have our own vays to deal viz such canaille.  You vill not send order
+to de fort?  Ver' vell; I do vizout."
+
+"Your warrant won't hold in any case.  No one can order the arrest of a
+man unnamed."
+
+"You zink so?  Ver' vell, it does not matter.  You vill have
+opportunity to zink about my vords as you promenade yourselves to Boma.
+So I vish you bonsoir.  To attempt to escape, I tell you it is
+impossible.  You see dat?  You hab revolver, Mr. Shalloner.  Be so kind
+to gif me dat."
+
+Jack hesitated.  But he saw that resistance was useless, and handed
+over the weapon.
+
+"Danks.  In de morning you vill begin your promenade to Boma.  Au
+revoir, messieurs; au revoir Monsieur Chon Shalloner!"
+
+He left the tent.  The interview had been too much for Mr. Martindale.
+He lay half unconscious, and was scarcely roused when Elbel, in a
+couple of minutes, returned in a towering rage.
+
+"You, Chon Shalloner!" he shouted.  "You make de natives to rebel, and
+more, you make dem to do murder.  Dat man, who I sent to the fort, he
+lie now outside, a dead man.  Some vun dat come viz you he stab him in
+de back.  You English hombog, I teach you.  Dey shall know of dis in
+Boma."
+
+Jack did not condescend to answer him, and Elbel flung out of the tent.
+If his messenger was dead, he had paid the penalty of his treachery.
+Jack could only pity the poor wretch for meeting with such an end in
+such a service.  No doubt it was Samba's doing.  Jack remembered now
+the groan and the fall outside.  Had Samba escaped?  He was anxious on
+the boy's behalf, but it was impossible to ascertain what had happened
+to him.  From Elbel's manner and words he inferred that Samba was safe.
+And as for Elbel's indignation at the deed Jack was not impressed by
+it.  When he thought of the murders and maimings this man was
+answerable for, he could find no blame for the faithful boy who had
+punished as his instincts taught him, the spy who had betrayed his
+master.
+
+Jack was left alone with his uncle.  He looked vainly round the tent
+for a restorative--a drug, a flask of brandy, even a cup of water.
+There was nothing.  He bent over the still form, and touching the brow,
+gently, felt it burning with the heat of fever.  He knew that his uncle
+was accustomed to keep a small phial of quinine pills in his waistcoat
+pocket, and searching for that he found it and persuaded the sick man
+to swallow a little of the medicine.  Then he sat on the foot of the
+bed, not knowing what to do.
+
+How fully his forebodings had been justified!  It had been a mistake to
+leave the fort.  And yet he could not rue it, for otherwise he might
+never have seen his uncle again.  He looked at the face with the
+half-closed eyes; how thin it was! how pale!  The ruddy hue, the
+rounded shape of health, were gone.  Where was that bright twinkling
+eye that looked so shrewdly out from beneath a shaggy brow?  What
+sufferings he must have undergone!  At that moment Jack looked over the
+past months to the day when he so light-heartedly bade his uncle
+good-bye, and so cheerfully accepted the charge laid upon him.  How he
+wished they had never been parted!
+
+And then another thought drove out his regret.  But for this parting
+Ilombekabasi would never have been, and several hundreds of poor black
+people would almost certainly have been tortured, mutilated, done to
+death, in the name of law.  Could he have done otherwise than he had
+done?  Had Providence, moving in mysterious ways, arranged all
+this--that one should suffer for the sake of many?  He did not know; he
+could not think; his mind seemed to be wrapt in a cloud of mist,
+through which he saw nothing but the present fact--that his uncle lay
+before him, sick--perhaps unto death.
+
+By and by a negro entered, bearing food and palm wine.  Mr. Martindale
+could not eat, but the wine revived him.
+
+"Jack, old boy!"
+
+Jack knelt by the bedside, clasping his uncle's hand.
+
+"Jack, I must tell you what happened."
+
+"Don't, Uncle; you will distress yourself."
+
+"No, I shall do myself no harm.  If you will be patient--for I shall be
+slow--a little at a time, Jack.  You must know.  I've got pretty nearly
+to the end of my tether, dear boy.  I shan't live to do anything for
+these poor niggers, but you will--you will, Jack.  And I want you to
+vow here, at this moment, to do what I must leave undone--fight the
+Congo State, Jack, fight Leopold, with your hands, your tongue, your
+pen, here, in Europe, in America; fight him in the name of humanity and
+of God.  Promise me that, Jack, so that if I do not live till the
+morning I shall at least die happy."
+
+"God helping me, Uncle, I will."
+
+Mr. Martindale pressed his hand.  For some time there was silence, then
+the elder man began again.
+
+"I must try to speak calmly, my boy; I have so little strength; but it
+is hard.  I told you in my first letter of what I had learnt about the
+ways of the Congo State.  You wondered, I dare say, why I never
+mentioned them again.  You will understand why.  When I got to Boma, I
+reported to the Governor-General, in a written memorial, the incidents
+that occurred as we went up the river--the altercation with Elbel, the
+attempt on our canoes, the night attack on our camp, frustrated by
+Samba.  (I can't tell you how glad I was, Jack, when you told me the
+boy had returned to you.)  I forestalled the probable answer that Elbel
+had nothing to do with those attempts by pointing out that the negroes
+Samba saw were fully armed, and must have been under a white man's
+control.  Even then it was illegal, for I found that men in Elbel's
+position, representing Concessions, are not entitled to take more than
+five riflemen as escort beyond the limits of their trading factories.
+In my memorial I said that, after these attacks on me, I should be
+forced in self-defence to arm a certain number of my followers, and I
+disclaimed responsibility for the consequences.  I also reported the
+scene of desolation at Banonga, and the story I had heard from Samba's
+lips; and called upon the Governor-General to take instant action in
+the matter."
+
+Jack moistened his uncle's lips, and he continued:
+
+"I got an acknowledgment, polite enough, even pleasant, promising that
+these matters should be inquired into.  The Governor-General added that
+the possession of firearms and the arming of the natives being
+prohibited by law, I should become liable to heavy penalties and
+imprisonment if the law was broken.  I had luckily already sent you the
+rifles and ammunition; though had I not done so, I could easily have
+bribed an official to give me a permit to carry arms; it would have
+cost me five hundred francs for the licence, and as much as I chose for
+the bribe.
+
+"For a week I heard no more.  I was deceived by the politeness of the
+Governor-General's letter into believing that I was perfectly safe, and
+free to do, in this Free State, what I had come to do.  I set about my
+business, and, as I told you, bought a little machinery, from a fellow
+named Schwab, agent for a Duesseldorf firm.  But I was a marked man.
+One day an officer came and asked me to show my patent.  I did so.  The
+man complained that it was not properly filled up; my name was spelled
+with an 'e' instead of an 'i'--Martendale!  I laughed at him, and he
+went away in a huff.  Next day another fellow came and said that my
+patent was worthless.  Since it had been granted a new arrangement had
+been entered into between the Concession and the State, and all the
+mineral rights in the district reverted to the State.  I laughed at
+that; a patent granted by the Concession and authorized by the State
+could not be revoked; it had five years to run, and I meant to stick to
+it.  They wanted to bluff me--an American!--out of it.
+
+"But things began to go badly with me.  I was practically boycotted,
+Jack.  None of the storekeepers would supply me with anything I wanted.
+One of them frankly told me that to do so was as much as his life was
+worth.  I did not believe him at first.  But I found it was only too
+true.  A storekeeper in Boma I heard of--a British subject, Jack, from
+the Gold Coast--had a part in showing up the rascality of some legal
+proceedings that had recently taken place.  The officials gave the
+word.  He was boycotted; his trade dwindled; he became bankrupt; one of
+his sons was driven mad by the persecution he suffered; and his
+troubles and worries so preyed upon the old man's mind that he took his
+own life.
+
+"Then I fell ill.  It was a near touch, Jack.  Only the devotion of a
+fellow-countryman--a fine fellow from Milwaukee--saved my life.
+Remember his name, Jack--Theodore Canrehan; if you ever meet him, and
+can do him a good turn, do it for my sake.  When I got on my feet
+again, I was amazed to find the tune changed.  Everybody was as sweet
+as butter.  The officers came and apologized to me; they regretted the
+unfortunate misunderstandings that had arisen; they would do all in
+their power to forward my business.  I arranged for the dispatch of the
+machinery I had ordered from Europe, and started to return.  I couldn't
+make out what had made them suddenly so attentive; thought it was
+because I was an American, and they had some respect for the Stars and
+Stripes after all.  Canrehan told me that since I sailed a strong
+feeling had been growing in America with regard to the Congo question;
+and I flattered myself the State authorities weren't anxious to add
+fuel to the flames by provoking a real serious grievance in which an
+American was concerned.  But it was all a trap, Jack--all a trap.  I
+saw it too late--too late."
+
+Hitherto Mr. Martindale had spoken slowly and calmly, husbanding his
+strength.  But at this point his feeling overcame him.
+
+"Don't talk any more now, Uncle," said Jack, fearing that the exertion
+would be too much for him.  "Tell me the rest another time.  Try to
+sleep.  I will watch over you.  Thank God I shall be with you in the
+journey to Boma.  You'll pull through even now, and we shall be able to
+fight together."
+
+Mr. Martindale had already fallen into a doze.  Jack did his best to
+make his bed more comfortable, and watched him through the night,
+pacing round the tent for hours together to keep himself awake.  From
+time to time his thoughts went back to the fort.  What was Barney
+doing?  What would he do when morning came and yet the absent had not
+returned?  What would be the fate of the poor people committed to his
+charge?  At present all was dark to Jack.  It seemed that he and all
+connected with him were now in the fell grip of the Congo State.
+
+As soon as it was light Elbel came into the tent.
+
+"I hope you had good night," he said, with a grin.  "You vill have
+breakfast, den you vill begin your promenade.  Tventy-five Askari vill
+escort you.  You vill go to de river vere Mr. Martindale left his
+canoes; dey are still dere.  Ah! he did hide dem, but vat good?  You
+vill go on canoes till you come to de falls; dere you vill for a time
+voyage overland.  By and by you come to Stanleyville; dere you find
+steamer; de State officers vill have care of you de rest of de vay to
+Boma.  You understan'?"
+
+"I warn you, Mr. Elbel, that I shall hold you responsible for my
+uncle's safety down the river.  You see for yourself he is not fit to
+travel.  I shall take the earliest opportunity of informing the
+American Government of your actions--your persecution, for it is no
+less."
+
+"Dat is all right," returned Elbel, grinning again.  "De courts at Boma
+vill give immediate attention.  De judges, dey are excellent.  Now
+still vunce before you go, write de order to de vite man in your fort
+to render himself.  It vill profit you."
+
+"Never!" said Jack.  "Go and execute your warrant."
+
+"Ver' vell, ver' vell.  It matters noding.  In a half-hour de Askari
+vill be here.  You be ready."
+
+Jack managed to get his uncle to eat a little food.  He seemed somewhat
+stronger and less feverish than on the preceding evening.  At seven
+o'clock the twenty-five soldiers appeared, accompanied by eight men as
+carriers.  Mr. Martindale recognized these as belonging to the party he
+had brought up the river; the rest of his men, he supposed, had been
+impressed by Elbel for service in his camp.  It being obvious that the
+sick man was unable to walk, a litter had been constructed for him.  He
+was placed on this.  Four men were told off to carry it, the other four
+bearing food sufficient to last the whole party until they reached the
+canoes.
+
+Jack had wondered whether he was to be manacled; but the prestige of
+the white man, not any consideration for his feelings, had prevented
+Elbel from going to such extremes.  But as he stood behind his uncle's
+litter, two Askari with loaded rifles placed themselves one on each
+side of him.
+
+When the party were ready to start, Elbel sauntered up, his hands
+behind his back, and, approaching Jack, said with a smile:
+
+"Now, Mr. Shalloner, before ve part I have a little vat you call
+reckoning viz you.  You strike me vunce, tvice, viz your feest.  Dat is
+de English vay--de boxe, hein?"  Elbel showed his teeth.  "On de Congo
+ve have anoder vay--de chicotte.  Vun does not soil vun's hands.  So!"
+
+He took from behind his back a hippopotamus-hide whip, and, cutting
+short so as to avoid the Askari close beside Jack, dealt him two cuts
+with his utmost strength.  Jack clenched his teeth to stifle a cry as
+the edges of the thong cut through his thin clothes.
+
+"Dere!  Now are ve quits!"
+
+As he spoke Jack, blazing with anger and mortification, made a fierce
+spring at him.  But Elbel was ready: he jumped nimbly backwards, while
+half a dozen Askari rushed between them, and pinioned Jack's arms.
+
+Honour was satisfied--so Elbel appeared to think, for with a grin of
+malicious triumph he nodded to the Askari in charge: the party might
+now proceed.
+
+"You see," said Elbel, as they moved away, "if you try to escape you
+vill be shot.  I vish you agreeable promenade."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+A Solemn Charge
+
+The party set off.  They marched all day, with brief intervals for food
+and rest.  Jack was only allowed to speak to his uncle during these
+pauses.  The sick man lay inert, with closed eyes, protected from the
+heat by a light covering of grass, which his bearers made and fixed
+above his litter.  Jack watched him anxiously.  He seemed no worse when
+they arrived at the river just before sunset.  Mr. Martindale had
+brought up four canoes; two of these had already been appropriated by
+Elbel and conveyed up the river; the other two remained.  They passed
+the night on the canoes, and in the small hours, when the natives were
+asleep, Mr. Martindale insisted on continuing the story broken off the
+night before.
+
+"Better now, dear boy," he said, when Jack implored him to wait until
+he was stronger.  "I shall never see Boma; Elbel knows that.  He knows
+that in this climate a sick man cannot survive a journey of over a
+thousand miles.  I want you to understand clearly before I go what
+these officials are doing.  They call it the Free State!--free!  No one
+is free but the officials!  The natives, poor wretches! are not free.
+Never, when slavery was an institution, were there slaves in such
+abject misery as these slaves of the Congo.  Why, they made a great
+to-do about slavery in my country fifty years ago, and some of the
+pictures in Uncle Tom's Cabin were lurid enough.  But the American
+slave's life was Paradise compared with this hell upon earth.  Trade on
+the Congo was to be free.  Is there any such freedom?  Look at my case.
+They give me a patent to work minerals; they let me make my prospecting
+trip; then when I have located the gold and ordered my machinery they
+revoke my patent.  I make the loaf, they eat it.  Oh! it was all
+planned from the beginning.  We have been fooled right through, Jack."
+
+"But what of their courts, Uncle?  Surely there is some redress for
+injustice."
+
+"Their courts!  They're all of a piece, Jack.  The State grants a
+concession to a trading company.  Half the time the State _is_ the
+trading company; it takes up the larger portion of the shares.  The
+Congo Free State is nothing but a big commercial speculation, and the
+courts dare not do anything that conflicts with its interests.  Men
+come here, Belgians, Germans, Italians, good fellows some, honest,
+well-meaning; but they haven't been here long before they have to swim
+with the current, or throw up their careers.  One poor fellow, a
+district judge, ventured to protest against an illegal sentence passed
+by a court-martial; he was broken, and hounded out of the country.  In
+a sense he was lucky, for it is easier for such a man to get into this
+country than to get out of it--alive!  A man who does justice and loves
+righteousness has no place in the Congo Free State.
+
+"You see now why they let me go.  They let me make what arrangements I
+pleased--engage a large party, buy a large quantity of stores; well
+knowing that at any moment of my journey they could arrest me and
+plunder my goods.  And they knew of your doings up here, be sure of
+that.  They intended to let me get into the neighbourhood of your fort
+and use me to decoy you out.  They've done it.  Oh! it was all planned
+in Boma.  Neither you nor I will ever reach Boma if Elbel and the
+officials have their way.  Elbel's suggestion of delaying so that we
+could get Barney to surrender the fort was all a part of the trick; it
+would make no difference to our treatment, and it would be the
+death-warrant of those poor negroes.  Jack, I approve of all that you
+have done--approve with all my heart.  I am proud of you, dear boy.
+What does it matter that I've lost my money, and my gold mine, and very
+likely my life too!  I am thankful to Almighty God that we came to this
+country, glad that He has put it into our power to do some little good.
+I wouldn't undo any of it; I am proud that one of my blood has been
+called to this good work.  Jack, Providence has made us responsible for
+the poor negroes who have trusted their lives to us.  Do you remember I
+said at Banonga that I wasn't a philanthropist and wasn't set on
+starting a crusade?  I spoke lightly, my boy.  I would say now that if
+God spared my life I would spend all my strength and all my energy in a
+nobler work than ever mediaeval crusader undertook.  I shall not live to
+do it; but I leave it to you.  Were this my last breath I would say,
+help the negroes of the Congo, fight the corrupt Government that
+enriches itself on their blood; go to the fountain-head and expose the
+hypocrisy of King Leopold."
+
+"He may not know of it, Uncle.  So far away he cannot check and control
+all the actions of his agents."
+
+"Not know of it!  How can he help knowing of it?  Are not these things
+happening every day?  And it is his business to know of it.  Suppose I
+had a factory in the United States, and it was proved that while I was
+coining millions my hands were dying of overwork, or of insanitary
+buildings, or getting wages insufficient to keep them decently clothed
+and fed; wouldn't there be an outcry?  Wouldn't the law step in, or if
+the law failed, public opinion?  Where does Leopold get his dollars
+from?  Who pays for the estates he is buying, the palace he is
+building, the fine public works he is presenting to Belgium?  It is
+these poor black people.  He is draining the life-blood out of the
+country he vowed before Almighty God to rule justly and administer
+wisely for the good of the people; and the cries and groans of these
+negroes, men like himself, are rising to Heaven, terrible witnesses of
+his broken vows, his callousness, his selfish apathy.  Oh!  I grant him
+good intentions to begin with.  Twenty years ago he did not foresee all
+this; no man is a villain all at once!  But it might have been
+foreseen.  He was king of a few hundred miles of country; with a stroke
+of the pen he became sovereign of a State as big as Europe; and if a
+man has the passion for getting, unlimited opportunities of doing so
+will bring him to any villainy unless he has the grace of God in him."
+
+Jack was deeply moved by his uncle's earnestness.  At the same time he
+was concerned to see the exhaustion that followed his passionate
+speech.  He gave him a little wine, imploring him to spare himself.
+
+"Don't trouble, dear boy," said Mr. Martindale with a smile.  "The fire
+is burning out; what does it matter if it burns a little more quickly?
+But I won't distress you; you will think over my words when I am gone."
+
+In the morning the river journey was begun.  It continued for several
+days, until with their arrival at the falls progress by water was
+interrupted, and a long portage had to be made.
+
+It was just at this point that they met a party of Askari marching in
+the other direction.  As soon as they came in sight the leader of
+Jack's escort cried--
+
+"O etswa?"[1]
+
+"O!" replied the leader of the approaching band.
+
+"Where are you going?"
+
+"To the camp of Elobela."
+
+"What have you got in those bundles?"
+
+"Cartridges for Elobela's guns."
+
+"Bolotsi O!  He will be glad of them.  He has very few left."
+
+"Has he killed many people?"
+
+"No.  But Lokolobolo captured nearly all his cartridges."
+
+"Mongo!  Who is Lokolobolo?"
+
+"Here he is!  An Inglesa who has built a fort and fights Elobela.  But
+we have got him at last, and he goes with an old Inglesa to Boma.  Oh!
+he will fight no more."
+
+"O kend'o?"
+
+"O!"
+
+During the river journey Mr. Martindale had grown steadily weaker.  He
+fought hard against his illness; he had a new motive for desiring life;
+and Jack, observing his occasional rallies, hoped still that he would
+pull through.  But he was so weak when lifted from the canoe that he
+fainted, and Jack feared that he would not survive the day.  He rallied
+again, and once more Jack had a gleam of hope.
+
+The horrors of that overland march will haunt Jack's memory till he
+dies.  For some time the Askari had been ill-using the carriers.  The
+greater part of the stores which Mr. Martindale had taken up the river
+had been appropriated by Elbel, and the food left in the canoes was not
+sufficient for full meals for the whole party.  It was the carriers who
+went short.  They had to bear the burdens, to make frequent journeys to
+and fro up the steep river banks, while the Askari looked on and had
+the best of the food.  When the portage was begun, one of the canoes
+was added to their load.  The other was left hidden in the bush to be
+fetched later.  Weak from lack of proper nourishment, they could go but
+slowly, and Jack's blood boiled as he saw them quiver, heard them
+shriek, under the merciless chicotte.  Before the first day was ended,
+two of the men fell, worn out with hunger and fatigue.  Jack heard
+shots behind him, and saw that the wretched men had been put out of
+their misery.  On the second day another man succumbed; what little
+life was left in him was beaten out with the clubbed rifles of the
+Askari.  Three men ran away during the night, preferring the perils of
+the forest to the certain fate that awaited them at the hands of their
+fellow-men.  Only two carriers were now left, and since these were
+useless they were shot in cold blood.  Jack's heart was like a stone
+within him.  These atrocities recalled the worst horrors of the old
+Arab slave-raiding days; and he was unable to lift a hand to oppose
+them.  If he had been the only white man with the party he felt that he
+would have risked anything in an effort to save the poor wretches; but
+while his uncle still lived he could do nothing that might involve his
+own death.
+
+The bearers being all gone, the Askari had to take turns themselves in
+carrying the canoe, the remainder of their provisions, and Mr.
+Martindale's litter.  This necessity did not improve their temper or
+their manners, and the litter-bearers went so carelessly over the rough
+ground that Jack was constrained to protest.  He implored, he
+threatened, feeling that the only chance for his uncle was to make more
+frequent halts; the fatigue of constant travelling would certainly kill
+him.  But the Askari roughly replied that they had orders to continue
+their journey without delay, and the march was resumed.  After his
+protest Jack was forced to walk at a distance from the litter, and even
+when the caravan halted for food he was not allowed to attend his
+uncle.  Sick at heart he plodded on, torn by his anxieties, yet still
+nourishing a hope that when they arrived at a station where a doctor
+might be found, and whence the journey would be continued by steamer,
+all might yet be well.
+
+But one evening, when the halt was made, he heard his uncle faintly
+calling.  The sound of his voice struck a chill through him.  In
+desperation, snatching a rifle from the guard next him, he threatened
+to shoot any one who tried to keep him from the dying man.
+
+"It's all up with me, old boy," said Mr. Martindale feebly, when Jack
+knelt by his litter.  "Elbel is having his way.  I shan't see another
+morning."
+
+Jack gripped his hands; they were chill and clammy.  A lump came into
+his throat; he could not speak the yearning affection that filled his
+heart.
+
+"Bend down, Jack; I'm afraid I cannot make you hear.
+Remember--remember what I have said; it is my bequest to you--the cause
+of the Congo natives.  Do what you can for them.  Fight!  It is called
+the Free State; fight to make it free.  I cannot see the future; all is
+dark; I dread what may await you in Boma.  But buck up, dear fellow.
+Barney--remember him.  Go to the British consul; tell him all.  Your
+people have generous sympathies; wake them up; wake them up!  If they
+are roused, all this wrong will come to an end."
+
+"I will do all I can, Uncle," murmured Jack.
+
+"Don't mourn overlong for me.  I've had a good time.  And this year the
+best of all.  I wouldn't lose it, Jack.  Tell my friends I'm not sorry;
+I'm glad, glad to have seen with my own eyes something that's worth
+doing.  And I have faith in the future--in my fellow-men, in God.  What
+is it about wicked doers?  'They encourage themselves in mischief, and
+commune how they may lay snares; they imagine wickedness and practise
+it.  But God shall suddenly shoot at them with a swift arrow; yea,
+their own tongues shall make them fall.'  How does it go on?  I cannot
+remember.  'The righteous shall rejoice----.'  Jack, are you there?"
+
+"Yes, Uncle, I am here," replied Jack, tightening his clasp.
+
+"Is it the fifteenth Psalm?  'He that walketh uprightly----'  I cannot
+remember, Jack.--Is that boy Samba better?  Poor little chap!  No
+father and mother!--Barnard said there was gold; why can't he find
+it?--No, that's not a nugget, that's----  Only a dog, eh?  I'm kind o'
+set on dogs...."
+
+And so he rambled on, muttering incoherently in his delirium; and Jack
+did not stir, but remained cramped while the slow hours crawled on, and
+nocturnal insects hummed, and frogs croaked, and the leaves faintly
+rustled above him.
+
+Then, as the dawn was creeping up the sky, Mr. Martindale opened his
+eyes.  They rested on Jack's pale drawn face, and the dying man smiled.
+
+"Buck up!" he whispered.  "Remember!  'Though I walk through the valley
+of the shadow....'"
+
+And so he died.
+
+
+
+[1] Are you awake?  (the morning greeting)
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A Break for Liberty
+
+With his own hands Jack dug a grave near the brink of the river, and
+there he laid his uncle to rest.  The Askari looked on stolidly as he
+gathered stones from below the bank and heaped them to form a low rude
+cairn.  Then he went back with them to their camping-place.  He could
+not touch the food they offered him, and when they told him the time
+was come to march he got up silently and moved away mechanically with
+the rest.
+
+He trudged on among his captors, a prey to utter dejection, conscious
+of nothing but his irreparable loss.  He saw nothing, heard nothing, of
+what was going on around him, walking automatically in a kind of
+stupor.  His uncle was dead!--for the moment the world had for him no
+other fact.  By degrees, as his first dazed feeling passed away, he
+recalled little incidents in his past life that till then had lain
+dormant in his memory.  He remembered the first time he had consciously
+seen his uncle, when he was a child of four, and he was dragged in all
+grubby from the garden, face and hands stained with strawberry juice,
+to see a big man with a red face, who laughed at him, and showed him a
+rough yellow lump that he wore on his watch-chain.  He remembered the
+letter when his father died; and that other letter when his mother
+died; and the first visit to school, when, shown into the headmaster's
+study, the headmaster being absent, Mr. Martindale had made friends of
+the dog, and was found by the great man in the act of balancing a pen
+on the animal's nose.  He remembered too the delightful holidays,
+climbing in Switzerland, roaming in Normandy, gondoliering in Venice.
+Odd things came to his recollection, and there was not one of them but
+recalled some trait of character, reminded him of some past happiness.
+
+Then as he walked his grief took on a new complexion--a longing for
+vengeance on the miscreant whom he regarded as directly responsible for
+his uncle's death--morally as culpable as if he had with his own hands
+committed the murder.  Was this villain to remain unpunished?  The
+thought of Elbel induced a new change of feeling.  What of the natives
+who for so many months had looked to him for guidance and leadership?
+What was Barney doing?  Had Samba escaped the clutches of his enemy and
+got back to the fort?  Was the fort, indeed, still there?  He
+remembered his promise to his uncle.  At the most solemn moment of his
+life, under the very shadow of death, he had vowed to do all in his
+power to help the negroes of the Congo--and here he was, himself a
+prisoner among soldiers of this iniquitous government, on his way to an
+unknown fate.
+
+Thus recalled to actuality, he roused himself and began to think.  He
+had no longer his uncle to consider; that good man was beyond reach of
+chicanery and spite.  Why should he go to Boma?  Nothing good awaited
+him there.  He would be thrown into prison on arrival--supposing he
+ever arrived; he would be tried, sentenced no doubt: at Boma in such
+cases there were none of the law's delays; he might never be heard of
+again.  What chance was there of fulfilling his uncle's wishes there?
+Was not his place at the fort, at Ilombekabasi, with Barney and Imbono
+and Mboyo, the people for and with whom he had already toiled and
+fought?  There at the fort was tangible good to be done; he felt an
+overpowering impulse to return to his friends.  Elbel had been worsted;
+if the resistance could be still further prolonged surely the Belgian
+would withdraw, though it were only to gather strength for a crushing
+blow; and the interval might be seized to migrate with the whole
+community into the forest or across the frontier.
+
+But there was the rub.  Between him and the fort there was a band of
+well-armed Askari and several days' journey by river and forest.  Even
+if he escaped the former, what chance was there of success?  A white
+man was very helpless in these African wilds--easily seen and followed,
+not used to fend for himself in obtaining the necessaries of life.
+Even Samba, forest-bred, had barely survived the perils of a solitary
+journey: how could a white man expect to fare so well?
+
+Yet, so strong was Jack's longing, he resolved that, be the
+difficulties and dangers what they might, he would seize the barest
+chance of escape that offered itself.  Anything would be better than to
+be carried on to Boma, with the terrible uncertainty, not merely
+regarding his own ultimate fate at the hands of an unscrupulous
+officialdom and a tainted judicature, but still more as to the fate of
+his friends at Ilombekabasi.
+
+From that moment his whole mental attitude changed.  He did not forget
+his grief; that pitiful scene by the river's brink could never be
+effaced from his mind and heart; but he resolutely set his wits to work
+to find an avenue of escape, and the mere effort brought relief to his
+sorrow.  No longer was he inattentive to his surroundings.  Without
+allowing his guards to suspect him, he was keenly on the alert,
+watching everything.
+
+It was not until the midday meal that accident befriended him.  The
+Askari came to a village which had clearly been for some time
+deserted--another monument, Jack supposed, to King Leopold's rule.  He
+took refuge from the burning heat, which did not appear to incommode
+the negroes, in one of the empty and half-ruined huts.  There he ate
+his meal of rancid _kwanga_--all that his guards would allow him.
+While he squatted on the floor eating, his eye was attracted by a
+bright light, the reflection of the sun on some polished surface in the
+wall of the hut.  Out of sheer curiosity he stepped across, and drew
+from the interlaced wattles the head of a small axe.  Its edge was very
+sharp, as Jack found to his cost when he drew his finger across it; and
+although in parts rusty, it appeared to be of very fine steel, too fine
+to be of native workmanship.  Wondering who had been its owner, and how
+it came to be stuck, separate from its shaft, into the wall of a rough
+native hut, he slipped it into his pocket; it might prove a weapon of
+value to an otherwise unarmed man.
+
+There was nothing to cause his guards to suspect him when the march was
+once more resumed.  In an hour or two they came to a place below the
+series of rapids where it was safe to launch the canoe.  There the
+party divided.  The carriers being all gone, the canoe left behind
+could only be fetched by some of the Askari; and after some squabbling,
+ten of them went back, the rest promising to wait for them at a
+convenient spot down the river.  As they paddled away, Jack gathered
+from the talk of his escort, in a dialect which had some slight
+resemblance to that of the men of Banonga, that they expected to arrive
+at this place, an old camping-ground of theirs by the river, before
+nightfall.  They had placed him in the bow of the canoe, a light one
+suitable for portage, with no platform, and therefore nothing between
+him and the water but the thin side.
+
+Keenly he watched the banks, hoping to be able at a favourable moment
+to turn his observations to account.  But except for a few hippos half
+hidden in the long grass or reeds at the river-side, and here and there
+a crocodile basking on a rock or sandbank, its scaly back scarcely
+distinguishable from the soil, the river was deserted.  Forest lined
+the banks on both sides, its continuity only occasionally broken by
+clearings showing signs of burnt villages.  The trees were beginning to
+throw long shadows over the water; sunset must be fast approaching;
+still no means of escape had suggested itself.  Yet escape, if effected
+at all, must be effected soon, for he did not know when, with his
+transference to a steamer, his immediate fate would be sealed.
+
+Should he risk all, spring overboard, and swim for the bank?  He was
+tempted to do so, though he could not repress a shudder as he thought
+of the crocodiles now beginning to wake from their afternoon nap.  But
+he knew that as soon as he came to the surface he would be overhauled
+in two or three strokes of the paddles, even if the paddlers did not
+think his attempt to escape sufficient justification for a little
+Albini practice.  In any case his death or capture could be a matter of
+only a few minutes.
+
+But as time passed, Jack resolved that he would chance the crocodiles
+if he could elude his guards.  He would run any risk rather than go to
+Boma and submit himself to the tender mercies of the Congo State
+officials.  A crocodile, after all, might prove a more merciful enemy!
+
+They came to a part of the river where the channel narrowed, and though
+the fall was not enough to deserve the name of a rapid, the increased
+velocity of the current and the presence of large rocks necessitated
+some caution on the part of the paddlers.  Jack could not help hoping
+that the canoe would come to grief.  In the confusion there might be a
+bare chance of escape, though, being no more than a fair swimmer, he
+was not blind to the added risk he would run owing to the strength of
+the current and the danger of being dashed against the rocks.
+
+But the Askari, experienced voyageurs, successfully navigated this
+stretch of the river, and as the canoe shot safely into smoother water
+Jack's hopes again fell.  Then a thought occurred to him: Why wait upon
+chance?  Why not make his own opportunity?  He felt in his pocket; the
+axe-head was still there; its edge was sharp.  If the canoe did not
+meet with disaster from without, why not from within?  He was sitting
+on one of the thwarts amidships; the paddlers were standing on the
+thwarts forward and astern of him.  All the Askari were paddling except
+three, and these were squatting, two at the one end of the canoe, one
+at the other, with their rifles between their knees.  In his position
+Jack was almost completely screened from them.  The paddlers had their
+rifles slung over their shoulders; the baggage was equally distributed
+over the whole length of the canoe.
+
+Though built of the frailest material, the canoe was of considerable
+length.  This was the one drawback to the plan which had suggested
+itself to Jack--to drive a hole in the craft at any moment when the
+attention of the crew seemed sufficiently engaged to give him a chance
+of doing so unobserved, for the size of the canoe rendered it doubtful
+whether any hole he might make would be large enough to sink the vessel
+before it could be paddled ashore.  This could only be proved by making
+the attempt.
+
+Time passed on; no opportunity occurred.  The passage here was easy,
+and the paddlers did their work almost automatically.  It needed no
+attention.  Jack was almost giving up the idea when a chance suddenly
+came.  He heard the leader of the Askari call out: "There is the gorge
+just ahead: soon we shall be at our camping ground.  Be steady!"
+
+The canoe went faster and faster, and in a few minutes entered a gorge
+strewn with jagged rocks threatening destruction at every yard.  The
+men stopped singing--they sang at their paddles from morning till
+night--and shouted with excitement when the vessel escaped as by a
+miracle being dashed to pieces on one or other of the rocks in
+mid-stream.  Choosing the moment when the shouting was loudest and the
+danger probably greatest, Jack stooped down from his thwart and,
+drawing the axe-head from his pocket, thrust it with all his strength
+into the side of the canoe near the bottom, where there was already an
+inch of bilge water.  Working the steel to and fro, he enlarged the
+hole as much as he could, and then withdrew his clumsy implement; the
+water rushed in with a gurgling noise which must, he feared, attract
+the attention of the paddler just above him.  But the man gave no sign;
+he was too intent upon his task.
+
+A few seconds later Jack seized another moment of excitement to repeat
+his work on the other side of the canoe.  His heart jumped to his mouth
+as he heard one of the men shout a word of warning; but he maintained
+his stooping position, thinking there was less chance of detection than
+if he suddenly moved.  In consequence of the water rising in the bottom
+the second hole was made somewhat higher than the first; and as Jack
+watched the level of the water gradually creeping up, he felt that the
+gaps were not large enough to prevent the paddlers from beaching the
+canoe if they ran into smooth water during the next few minutes.  The
+bark seemed to close up as soon as the axe-head was withdrawn, leaving
+only as a narrow slit what had been a gaping rent.  A glance ahead
+showed smooth water within a few yards.  There might be just time to
+make two more rapid cuts.  He plunged his hand into the water, now some
+inches deep, and drove the steel with all his force twice into the
+bottom beneath his feet.  As soon as the canoe left the race, the heavy
+going due to the water that had been shipped would at once be detected,
+even if none of the paddlers, indeed, should happen to glance down and
+see the water washing the packages.  True, they might suppose that it
+had come over the sides of the canoe during their recent rough passage;
+but the mistake must soon be discovered.
+
+Jack saw that there was little chance of the canoe sinking in
+midstream.  What could he do?  Was this, apparently his only
+opportunity, to be lost?  He had only a few seconds to decide.  He
+would wait until the leaks were discovered, and the canoe was headed
+towards the shore.  Then if he dived into the river his guards would be
+torn between two impulses--the one to pursue him, the other to beach
+the canoe before she sank with them and their stores.  To them the
+situation would be complex; they would waste time in their confusion;
+and with a sinking canoe beneath them they would scarcely be able to
+use their rifles.
+
+Things happened almost exactly as Jack expected.  When the canoe left
+the troubled reaches one of the Askari suddenly caught sight of the
+water slowly rising, and washing from side to side with every stroke of
+the paddles.  "A leak!" he shouted, inferring that a hole had been
+knocked in the bottom by a rock.  The leader at once cried to the men
+to run for the right bank.  Jack's time came as the canoe was swinging
+round.  Rising suddenly from his seat, with a vigorous shove he sent
+the paddler behind him rolling back upon the next man; he in his turn
+fell upon the next; until four of the paddlers in the after part of the
+canoe were floundering in the water, and the frail craft rocked almost
+gunwale under.  The other paddlers were so much occupied in adjusting
+themselves to the difficulty and preventing the canoe from being
+swamped that they were hardly aware of what their prisoner was doing
+until it was too late to prevent him.  While the vessel was tilted
+over, Jack placed one foot on the side farthest from the bank towards
+which they were paddling, and dived into the river.
+
+The leader of the Askari immediately shouted to the men in the water to
+pursue him, pointing out the direction in which he had disappeared
+beneath the surface.  He was making for the left bank.  Glancing back
+when he came up, Jack saw that two men were swimming after him, and
+realized that he was no match for them.  He was only a fair swimmer;
+his pursuers, drawn from one of the riverine villages of the Lower
+Congo, were as dexterous in the water as they were in the canoe.  When
+Jack became aware that he was being rapidly overhauled, he gripped more
+tightly the axe-head which he had never let go, resolving to fight to
+the last rather than suffer recapture.  The negroes had divested
+themselves of their rifles, or had lost these when thrown so suddenly
+into the river; and even such a clumsy weapon as an axe-head might
+prove very formidable to unarmed men.
+
+In the excitement, Jack had forgotten all about the constant peril of
+the Congo--the crocodiles.  Straining every nerve, he was wondering
+whether he should stop swimming before he ran the risk of being
+completely exhausted, since there seemed little chance of his gaining
+the opposite bank before his pursuers, when he was startled by a
+despairing scream behind.  The horrible meaning of it flashed upon him;
+he glanced back; only one swimmer was to be seen, and he was no longer
+coming towards him; he had turned and with frantic haste was making for
+the nearest point of the bank.  The second man had disappeared; the
+crocodile had proved a better swimmer than any.  Shuddering in every
+limb, Jack for a moment felt his strength leaving him.  As in a
+nightmare he seemed to see the horrid jaws of crocodiles all round him
+waiting to tear him limb from limb.  But he recovered in a moment; and,
+still gripping the axe-head, he struck out desperately for the far
+bank, which was now, indeed, scarcely more distant than the other.  He
+touched the sandy bottom, struggled panting up the bank, and,
+completely exhausted by the physical and mental strain of this day's
+events, crawled rather than walked to a spot where he felt himself
+secure at least from the dreaded reptile.  For several minutes he lay
+with his head upon his arms, so much spent as to be almost careless of
+what might become of him.  But, rousing himself at length, he rose and
+scanned the river for signs of his late escort.  What was his alarm to
+see them hastening towards him from the opposite bank; three minutes'
+hard paddling would bring them within reach of him.  The sight of them
+woke Jack fully to his danger; he turned his back on the river and
+plunged into the thick bushes that came almost to the water's edge, and
+extended into, the forest behind.  With what marvellous quickness, he
+thought, had the Askari brought their waterlogged vessel to the bank,
+emptied her of water, and temporarily stopped the leaks!  No doubt they
+had been spurred to their utmost effort by the knowledge of what
+awaited them if they returned to their commander with the report that
+the prisoner had escaped them by any means but death.
+
+It was now late in the afternoon.  Within three or four minutes the
+pursuers would have beached the canoe and dashed in pursuit.  Jack knew
+that he must make the most of his few minutes' start.  If he could
+evade them for an hour he would be concealed by the darkness.  Already,
+indeed, it was dim and dusky in the forest shades he had now entered.
+There was no path; he could but plunge on where the undergrowth seemed
+thinnest, his general direction being as nearly as he could judge at an
+obtuse angle with the stream.  The Askari would expect him either to
+follow the river, or to strike directly inland; at least he hoped that
+the diagonal between these two courses would not occur to them.  While
+daylight lasted his trail would betray him, of course; but even if the
+men were trained forest trackers the light would in a few minutes be
+too bad for them to pick up his trail.
+
+In a few minutes he heard muffled shouts behind him.  The pursuers had
+landed.  Then all was silent, save for the forest sounds now familiar
+to him.  He moved as cautiously as the necessity for haste permitted,
+aware that the breaking of a twig, a stumble, any unusual sound, might
+bring his quick-eared enemy upon his track.  But with all his care he
+could not avoid accidents.  Here a branch of cactus would rip a great
+rent in his thin linen coat, with a sound that set the teeth on edge.
+There a low-growing creeper would trip him up, so that he fell with a
+crash headlong, and rose with his face bleeding from a dozen deep
+scratches.  But he kept the axe-head always in his grasp; that was his
+only defence.
+
+The fall of night found him still pressing resolutely forward; but when
+he could no longer see to thread his way in the close tangle of
+vegetation he halted, and became aware that he was dripping wet, and
+that he had to spend the night, soaked as he was, without shelter in
+the primeval forest.  It would not have been a pleasant prospect even
+to a native inured to forest travel; the negroes indeed are careful not
+to be benighted far from their villages.  In other circumstances, as
+black darkness wrapt him round, Jack might have felt not a few tremors;
+from Samba he had learnt something of the perils of night in
+densely-wooded places.  But he had lately passed through experiences so
+trying that the visionary terrors of these gloomy depths had no power
+to trouble him.  He sought, however, a suitable tree and climbed out of
+the reach of prowling beasts, hoping that he would also escape the
+attentions of leopards and pythons, which made no account of the lower
+branches.
+
+He had never spent a more uncomfortable night.  Insects stung him;
+caterpillars crawled over him; woodlice worried him.  Dozing in spite
+of these annoyances, he would wake with a start and the nightmare
+feeling that he was falling, falling helplessly through space.  His wet
+clothes stuck clammily to his skin; he shivered as with ague, his teeth
+chattered, his head was racked with pain.  Stiff and sore from his
+narrow perch and his cramped position he clung on through the night;
+and when, after the long darkness, the pale dawn at last stole through
+the foliage, and he dropped to the ground, he moved like an old man,
+with aching limbs, unrefreshed, feeling the want of food, yet utterly
+without appetite.
+
+But he must go on.  His enemies had not discovered him; no beast had
+attacked him; these were positive gains.  He could make no plans; all
+that he could do was to follow a course calculated by the sun to take
+him in the direction of the river, going up stream.  He walked stiffly,
+but steadily, during the morning, picking here and there handfuls of
+phrynia berries--the only berries of the forest which he knew to be
+edible.
+
+About midday he resolved to risk a more direct course to the river, in
+the hope that his pursuers, finding no trace of him, had given up the
+hunt.  But it was easier to decide than to carry out.  For all he knew
+he might have been wandering in a circle, and the windings of the river
+might make every step he took one in the wrong direction.  After some
+hesitation he turned somewhat to the left and trudged on, so intent
+upon his immediate surroundings that his range of vision was restricted
+to a few yards.
+
+He noticed that the ground, as he walked, was becoming a little less
+thickly covered with undergrowth; but it was with a shock of alarm
+that, at a sudden lifting of the eyes, he saw, standing in front of
+him, a young straight dusky figure armed with a long rifle.  Springing
+instinctively behind the nearest tree, he grasped the axe-head ready to
+do battle.
+
+But what was this?  A voice spoke to him, a voice that he knew, giving
+him pleasant salutation, calling him by name.
+
+"Lokolobolo losako[1]!"
+
+He came from behind the tree and went forward, stretching forth his
+hands.
+
+"Samba!" he cried joyously.
+
+
+
+[1] Salutation addressed to a superior.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+Turning the Tables
+
+Samba at once led the way in a different direction from that lately
+followed by Jack, saying that he would explain his presence as they
+went along.
+
+Jack had hardly reached the tent to which he had been decoyed by
+Elbel's messenger before Samba knew that his uneasy feeling was
+justified; his master had fallen into a trap.  Stealing up close behind
+Lofembi he had plunged his knife into the man's back, and dashed into
+the forest.  He had no difficulty in escaping from the spot; but the
+report of the rifle fired after him had reached Elbel's camp below the
+fort, and Samba found that he had to make a very wide detour to avoid
+the enemy's scouts.  But he managed at last to get into the fort, and
+implored Barney to send out a party to rescue his captain.  Barney was
+much distressed by the news, but resolutely refused to throw away lives
+and risk the safety of the fort in a forlorn hope of that kind.  All
+that he would do was to allow Samba, with three other men, Makoko,
+Lianza, and Lingombela, to follow up Mr. Martindale and Jack, and
+rescue them if any chance occurred; if not, to see what became of them.
+
+But the four had great difficulty in getting out of the fort
+undetected; the enemy's vigilance appeared to be doubled, and a full
+day elapsed before they were able to set off in the track of the
+prisoners.  Failing to overtake the party in the forest before they
+embarked on the canoes, they had had to cover on foot the long distance
+for which the Askari were able to use the river, though they shortened
+the journey to some extent by cutting straight across country when the
+river wound.
+
+At last, when Samba had all but given up hope, they saw a party of ten
+Askari coming towards them from down the river.  Samba did not suspect
+at first that these men were connected with those he sought.  But
+keeping well out of sight he tracked them to a spot where a canoe was
+concealed, and then he guessed at once that the men had been sent back
+to fetch a canoe left behind for want of sufficient carriers.  It would
+be easy to keep ahead of this party, burdened as they were with the
+vessel; so Samba and his three companions pushed on, and soon came upon
+tracks of Mr. Martindale and Jack.  They had noticed the newly-made
+grave with its stone cairn: it had puzzled them, and they did not know
+it was a grave until Samba pointed out that the litter had ceased to be
+used: there were no longer the marks of four men walking always at the
+same distance apart; they then concluded that the elder Inglesa had
+died.
+
+They came by and by to the place where the party had re-embarked.
+Samba's only hope of overtaking them now was that they would certainly
+wait at some part of their journey until they were caught up by the
+other canoe; and it seemed to him that his expectation was borne out
+when, scouting ahead of the three, he sighted in the dusk a long canoe
+lying under the opposite bank in charge of three Askari.  He ran back
+to his companions and told them to hide in the bush; then he returned
+to the spot, and from a safe concealment prepared to wait and watch.
+Night fell: the river was too broad for him to see across it; but
+presently he heard the sound of men approaching the canoe, and soon
+afterwards voices.  Then all was silent.  He kept up his watch for some
+time, half expecting to hear the sound of paddles; but concluding from
+the continued silence that the men would not move till the morning, he
+went to sleep in a tree.
+
+Waking before dawn, he resumed his watch.  In the early morning he saw
+eleven men land and make off in two parties into the forest, leaving
+three men on guard.  Instantly he jumped to the conclusion that
+Lokolobolo had escaped; and a daring scheme suggested itself to him.
+Returning to his friends, he told them what he had seen, and what he
+proposed.  The four immediately set about building a light raft of
+bamboos and cane "tie," and when it was finished they carried it some
+distance along the bank launched it out of sight of the men in charge
+of the canoe' and punted themselves across to the other side.  An hour
+later only one man remained in the enemy's canoe, and he was a prisoner.
+
+Jack forbore to inquire what had become of the others; Samba merely
+said that their ammunition had been spoilt by the water.  Samba and his
+companions were Congo natives; free from the restraining influence of
+the white man, it would be scarcely surprising if they took the
+opportunity of paying off some of the wrongs they had suffered at the
+hands of the Askari.
+
+From the prisoner Samba learnt the whole history of the party since the
+time it left Elbel in the forest.  Tying the man up, Samba and his
+companions at once set to work to find the trail of the fugitive, and
+of the men who had gone in pursuit.  In the morning light it was easy
+to a practised scout like Samba to find what he sought.  He soon
+discovered that the two parties of Askari had failed to track their
+quarry, and were going haphazard through the forest.  He himself then
+started to follow Jack up, and his three companions went forth to the
+canoe to await the return of the enemy.  It was unlikely that the two
+bands would appear at the same time.  If they returned separately, the
+three scouts in ambush would only have to deal with six men or five
+men, as the case might be.  They were still waiting.
+
+What would they do, asked Jack, when the enemy came back?
+
+"Fire upon them from behind the trees," replied Samba.  "Three men will
+certainly be killed; are not the scouts Makoko, Lianza, and Lingombela,
+three of the best marksmen in Ilombekabasi?  If the two or the three
+men left do not run away, they will fight them.  If they run away, they
+will follow them up and fire at them from behind trees."
+
+Even as Samba spoke there came through the trees a sound as of distant
+firing.  Samba quickened his steps; for an hour or more his master and
+he plunged through the forest, the boy halting every now and then to
+listen intently.  At length whispering "Nkakayoko!"[1] he laid his hand
+on Jack's sleeve and gave a low call like the rough scratching sound of
+a forest beetle.  It was answered from the right hand.  Striking off
+sharply in that direction he led the way through a thin copse, and in a
+few moments the two stood at the brink of the river beside the canoe.
+Samba looked keenly around, whispered "Mpiko!"[2] and pointed to a low
+bushy tree close at hand.  For a second or two Jack could see nothing
+but green: but then through the dense foliage he caught the glint of a
+rifle barrel, and behind it--yes, a black face.  The man came out with
+a low chuckle of amusement.  It was Makoko.  "Bolotsi o!" he said.  His
+forest craft had been too much for Lokolobolo.
+
+Suddenly Samba held up his hand in warning.  They listened; it must
+have been the flight of a forest bird.
+
+"What was the firing?" asked Samba in a low voice.
+
+"The killing of five men," replied Makoko.
+
+Jack caught the last words, "Bant'atanu!" and started.
+
+"Where are they?" he asked.
+
+"Gone to feed the crocodiles.  Three first, then two."
+
+Again Samba raised his hand.  All listened intently.  Jack heard
+nothing; but Samba whispered, "They come!" and plucked him by the
+sleeve.  All three hid among the trees.  Two men came out from the
+other side--they were Lianza and Lingombela.
+
+"They are coming--six men," said Lianza in answer to Samba's question.
+"Quickly! they heard the shots."
+
+"We must shoot again from behind the trees," said Samba.
+
+But Jack could not bear the idea of shooting down the unsuspecting
+wretches in cold blood.
+
+"Perhaps we can make them surrender," he whispered.
+
+"Lako! lako!" said the negroes indignantly.
+
+"Yes; we will try."
+
+Makoko and the other two men grumbled, but Samba silenced them.
+
+"It is Lokolobolo's order," he said.
+
+He offered Jack his Mauser, but Jack refused it with a smile, taking
+one of the Albinis which had been removed from the canoe.  With the
+four he concealed himself behind the bushes.  He had already noticed
+that all traces of the recent incidents had been carefully obliterated.
+
+A few minutes later six Askari came from the thick wall of bush.  They
+started and looked at one another when they saw the canoe unguarded.
+Then they called their comrades.  Receiving no answer, they began to
+discuss the strange disappearance of the three men who had been left in
+charge.  With a sign to Samba to follow him, Jack came out from behind
+his bush.  The men ceased their chatter; their jaws dropped, they
+stared at their late captive in blank amazement.  He spoke to them
+quietly, Samba translating.
+
+"I was hiding: I come to save you from being killed.  Your eight
+comrades are already dead.  If one of you lifts his hand, he is a dead
+man.  Behind the bushes my men wait ready to shoot you.  Listen!  They
+will answer when I call.  You will see how hopeless it is to resist.
+Makoko!"
+
+"Em'one!"
+
+"Lingombela!"
+
+"Em'one!"
+
+"Lianza!"
+
+"Em'one!"
+
+"Lay down your rifles," continued Jack, "and beg for mercy."
+
+There was but a moment's hesitation, then one of the men sullenly
+obeyed, and the rest, one after another, followed his example.  At
+Jack's call the three scouts came from their hiding-place.  Two of them
+covered the Askari with their rifles, while the third collected the
+surrendered Albinis and placed them in the canoe.
+
+How Jack's position had altered!  An hour or two ago he was a fugitive,
+practically unarmed, with nearly a score of Askari hunting him down.
+Now he was in command of four scouts fully armed, and in possession of
+a canoe and half a dozen prisoners, who had proved themselves on the
+journey down to be expert paddlers.  But, as Samba reminded him, he had
+still to deal with the ten Askari who had been sent back to fetch the
+second canoe.  They must be on their way down stream: perhaps they were
+near at hand.  Something must be done with them.  To let them pass, or
+to leave them behind, would be equally unwise; they would almost
+certainly follow up Jack and his party, perhaps find a means of sending
+word to Elbel in time to cut them off from the fort.  The safety of
+himself and his men demanded that this second band should be disposed
+of.
+
+To deal with them as he had dealt with the six would not be easy.  They
+would come by water, not by land.  He did not wish to kill them.  What
+other course was open to him?
+
+He remembered that the Askari had spoken of an old camping-place a
+little below the spot on which they stood.  This had doubtless been
+fixed as the rendezvous of the whole party.  The prisoners would know
+its exact locality.  With a little luck, he thought, all the ten might
+be captured unharmed.  He got Samba to question the sullen men.  Yes,
+they knew the camping-ground.
+
+"Then they must paddle us to it," said Jack.
+
+Making sure that the holes he had cut in the canoe had been
+sufficiently caulked to allow of a short passage without danger, Jack
+embarked with all the men, and in a quarter of an hour reached the
+camping-ground.  It was about a hundred yards back from the opposite
+bank, pretty well hidden from the river.  A few rough grass shelters,
+somewhat tumbledown, and traces of former encampments, showed that it
+was a frequent place of call for parties going up or down.  When all
+had landed, Jack sent Makoko and Lianza along the bank up the river to
+look for the oncoming of the Askari, who, though they must necessarily
+have moved slowly while carrying the canoe, would no doubt make rapid
+progress when once more afloat.  The six Askari looked a little hopeful
+when they saw the two scouts leave; but Samba damped their spirits at
+once when he told them that at the slightest sign of revolt they would
+be shot without mercy.  To make things sure, and prevent the scheme he
+had in mind from being foiled, Jack ordered the men to be bound hand
+and foot, which was very quickly done by Samba and Lingombela with the
+stripped tendrils of climbing plants.
+
+It was dark before the scouts returned.  They reported that the Askari
+had camped for the night some distance up stream, and would certainly
+arrive early next morning.  Jack arranged that when the canoe should
+come in sight, only himself and two of his prisoners would be visible
+in the centre of the camp.  The Askari would suppose that the rest of
+the party were out foraging--taking, as the custom is with the troops
+of the Free State and the Concessions, what they pleased from the black
+subjects of King Leopold, and paying nothing, except perhaps blows, in
+return.  The newcomers, not expecting any change in the relations of
+their comrade with the white prisoner, would march unconcernedly into
+camp.  Jack was pretty confident that if things came to this point, he
+would succeed in making the men surrender without fighting.
+
+In the early morning the Askaris' paddling song was heard as they came
+down the river.  The singing ceased; there was a shout; and Jack
+ordered the captured Askari by his side to call an answering greeting.
+Then the party came in sight, eight men in a straggling line
+approaching up the path.  The remaining two had evidently been left
+behind to tie up the canoe.
+
+The first man addressed a chaffing remark to the Askari with Jack, and
+then asked where the rest of the party were.  The men pointed vaguely
+to the forest; their comrades were, in fact, there, gagged and securely
+bound to the trees.  Half a dozen rifles were stacked in the middle of
+the camping ground, the newcomers placed theirs close by, and then
+began to chatter about trifles in the African's way.
+
+Meanwhile Jack was keeping a keen eye on the men.  The two captured
+Askari were obviously ill at ease.  There were the rifles within a few
+yards of them, yet they dared not move towards them, for they knew that
+in the shelter of the trees behind stood Samba with the three scouts
+ready to shoot them down.  They replied briefly to their comrades'
+questions; and then, in obedience to instructions given by Jack
+previously, suggested that the newcomers should go to a cane-brake a
+few yards down stream, and bring back a supply of canes for building
+shelters like those already erected; there were not sufficient for the
+whole party.  The men moved off.  No sooner had they disappeared than
+Samba and the three men came from behind the trees, removed all the
+rifles into the huts, and all except Samba stationed themselves in
+hiding on the side of the encampment opposite to that through which the
+Askari had just gone.  Samba remained with Jack.
+
+In a quarter of an hour the men returned.  To their amazement the white
+prisoner went forward to meet them.  Through Samba he spoke to them.
+
+"It will not be necessary for you to build the huts."
+
+"Why?  What does the white man mean by talking to us?  And who are you?"
+
+Samba did not reply to their questions: he waited for the next words
+from Jack.
+
+"There are enough empty huts here!"
+
+"How can that be?  There are ten of us, and fifteen before.  The huts
+will not hold half of us; and who are you?"
+
+"The fifteen are dead, or taken prisoners."
+
+The men gaped, unable to appreciate the full import of the news.  They
+dropped their loads of cane and looked at the boy in astonishment.
+
+"What do you mean?  What has happened?  Who are you?"
+
+"Tell them, Samba."
+
+"I am Samba, the servant of Lokolobolo.  I came down the river with
+other servants of Lokolobolo.  We fell upon your comrades and scattered
+them like the leaves of the forest.  We have the rifles--your rifles."
+
+The men gave a startled glance to where the stacks of arms had been.
+Jack thought they paled beneath their dusky skin.
+
+"See!" continued Samba, "if Lokolobolo lifts his hand you will all be
+shot.  His men are there, behind the trees.  You have no rifles.  Of
+what good are knives against guns?  You will be even as the men who are
+short with their rubber.  You will be shot down before you can strike a
+blow.  No; do not move," he said quickly, as the men appeared inclined
+to make a dash for the forest.  "You cannot run so fast as the bullets.
+You know that, you men who shoot boys and women as they flee from you.
+Throw down your knives at Lokolobolo's feet, if you wish to live!"
+
+The man who had acted as spokesman for his comrades obeyed without a
+word.  The rest were but little behind him.  At a sign from Jack,
+Makoko and the others came from their place of hiding, and tied the
+feet of the prisoners, in such a way that while they could walk with
+short steps, they were unable to run.  In a few moments the two men
+left at the canoe were similarly disposed of.
+
+And now Jack was in command of four armed scouts and sixteen unarmed
+prisoners.  He at once decided to make use of the Askari as paddlers.
+One canoe would be sufficient; he would sink the vessel in which he had
+dug the holes.  With sixteen men expert in the use of the paddle, he
+would make a rapid journey up stream.
+
+He was about to give the order to start when it suddenly occurred to
+him that it would be well to assure himself first that the coast was
+clear.  So far he had seen no natives either on river or on land since
+he left Elbel, save those of his own party and the band coming up with
+ammunition.  The riverine villages had all been deserted, and the
+tributary down which he had travelled was at all times little
+frequented.  But it seemed very unlikely that many more days should
+pass without his seeing a stranger, and when he began to think on these
+lines, he wondered whether perhaps Elbel himself might not have
+occasion for sending messengers down stream, and whether the party they
+had met conveying stores to Elbel's force might not be returning.
+Having escaped by such wonderful good fortune, it would be sheer folly
+to throw away his chances of getting back to Ilombekabasi by any want
+of caution.  Accordingly he sent Makoko up the river and Samba down the
+river to do a little preliminary scouting.
+
+About midday Samba came running back in a state of great excitement.
+He had run so fast that his legs were trembling, and sweat poured from
+his body.  Not an hour's paddling distant, he had seen a smoke-boat and
+a large number of canoes coming up the river.  He had never seen so
+many boats before, and they were crowded with men.  And on the
+smoke-boat there were white men.
+
+"At last!" ejaculated Jack.  This, he supposed, was the Captain Van
+Vorst, of whom Elbel had spoken, coming up with regular troops of the
+State.  Whoever was in command, the flotilla could portend no good to
+Jack or Ilombekabasi, and he saw at once that he must give up the idea
+of using the Askaris' canoe.  He could certainly travel faster than the
+expedition, which must go at the pace of its slowest cargo boats; but
+scouting or foraging parties of the enemy might push on ahead and sight
+him on one of the long stretches of the river; and his men could be
+descried from a long distance as they made the portage.  Pursuit and
+capture would then be almost certain.
+
+His mind was instantly made up.  His journey to the fort must be a land
+march, and it must be begun in all haste.  He quickly gave his orders.
+The canoes were unloaded, and the stores and ammunition given to the
+Askari to carry.  The vessels were then scuttled and sunk, and the
+whole party plunged into the forest, after a time taking a course
+almost the same as that which Samba had followed on his solitary
+journey.  But before they had gone far, Jack, not disposed to leave the
+neighbourhood without getting more exact particulars of the advancing
+host, went back with Samba, leaving the rest of the party to continue
+their march.
+
+Samba rapidly wormed his way through the forest back to the river bank.
+They reached a position, whence, unseen themselves, they could command
+a long reach of the river.  There they waited.
+
+Soon they heard the regular beat of the steamer's paddles; then the
+songs of the canoe-boys.  By and by a steam launch came into view round
+a bend of the river.  It was crowded.  Far away as it was as yet, Jack
+could easily distinguish the white-clad figures of three Europeans on
+deck, amid a crowd of negroes in the tunic, pantaloons, and fez of the
+State troops.  Clearly it was as he had feared.  The Concession had
+followed the usual course, when the rapacity of its officials had
+provoked a revolt too formidable to be coped with by its own forces,
+and had called in the aid of the regular army.  As canoe after canoe
+appeared in the wake of the steamer, Jack could not help a feeling of
+dismay at the size of the force arrayed against him.  His spirits sank
+lower and lower as he watched.  By the time the steamer came abreast of
+his hiding-place, the flotilla filled the whole of the stretch of river
+open to his view.  In the still air, amid the songs and chatter of the
+natives, he could hear the laughter of the Europeans as they passed.
+He knew that only a portion of the men in this armada were fighting
+men; the rest were paddlers and carriers, not part of the combatant
+force.  But a rough attempt to count the men bearing rifles gave him at
+least three hundred, and he started as he saw in one canoe what was
+clearly the shield of a machine gun.  Captain Van Vorst, if it was he,
+undoubtedly meant business.  Before the last canoe had passed their
+hiding-place Jack and Samba started to overtake their party.  The
+former was deep in thought.
+
+"We must reach the fort before them," he said.
+
+"They go very slow," was Samba's reply.
+
+"Yes, and the carrying of all their stores and canoes up the rapids
+will take many days.  But we must hurry as fast as we can."
+
+"Much chicotte for the paddlers," said Samba, with a grin.
+
+Jack did not reply.  He could not adopt the barbarous methods of the
+enemy; but he had not the heart to dash Samba's very natural hopes of
+paying back to the Askari something of what they had dealt to the
+carriers on the way down.  Short of thrashing them he would urge them
+to their utmost speed.  What difficulties he might meet with in
+regaining the fort he did not stop to consider.  The thought of Barney
+holding his own there--had he been able to hold his own?--and of the
+large reinforcements coming to support Elbel, was a spur to activity.
+Ilombekabasi and its people were in danger; and the post of danger
+demanded the presence of Lokolobolo.
+
+
+
+[1] Immediately.
+
+[2] There.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+The Return of Lokolobolo
+
+"Lokolobolo!  Lokolobolo!  Lokolobol'olotsi!  Lokolobolo is here!
+Lokolobolo has come back to us!  Bolotsi O!  Why do we laugh?  Why do
+we sing?  Samba has found Lokolobolo!  Samba has brought him back to
+us!"
+
+Ilombekabasi was delirious with joy.  Men and women were shouting,
+laughing, singing; the children were dancing and blowing strident notes
+upon their little trumpets; Imbono's drummer was banging with all his
+might, filling the air with shattering thunder.  Jack quivered with
+feeling; his lips trembled as he sat once more in his hut, listening to
+the jubilant cries his arrival had evoked.  It was something, it was
+much, that he had been able so to win the devoted affection of these
+poor negroes of the Congo.
+
+Outside, the two chiefs Imbono and Mboyo were talking of the joyful
+event.
+
+"Yes! wonderful!  Lokolobolo is here! and with him two strange white
+chiefs.  Wonderful!  Did you ever see such a big man?  I am big," said
+Imbono, "but I am not so big as Makole the chief of Limpoko, and one of
+the strange white men is bigger than he."
+
+"It needed two ropes to draw him up from the gully," said Mboyo.  "I am
+strong, but though I had four men to help me it was hard work.  He must
+be a very great chief."
+
+"And the other must be a great chief too.  Did not Samba say that
+Lokolobolo gave him his last bottle of devil water?"
+
+"But the big man is hurt.  It is the leg.  It is not so bad as Ikola's;
+but Ikola was shot.  They have put him in Barnio's hut; the other chief
+is with Lokolobolo.  It is good that the white chiefs have come.  Now
+Lokolobolo will sweep Elobela down the hillside, even as a straw in the
+storm."
+
+"But what of the smoke-boat that Samba says is coming with the white
+men in white, and the black men in cloth the colour of straw, and
+things on their heads the colour of fire?  Will Lokolobolo be able to
+beat them too?"
+
+"Lokolobolo is able to beat all Bula Matadi; and he has the other white
+men to help.  Never fear!  Lokolobolo will beat them all.  We shall
+see.  There he is, coming out of his hut with the white chief.
+Lokolobolo wanda!"[1]
+
+"You must be a proud man to-day, Mr. Challoner," said the stranger.
+
+"I am too anxious to be proud," said Jack with a smile.  "I haven't the
+heart to stop them shouting and making a noise, but it's a pity to
+disturb our enemy in the camp down yonder.  I shall have to go and make
+a speech to them, I suppose; it is more in your line than mine, Mr.
+Arlington.  Luckily I'm not sufficiently fluent in their language to be
+long-winded."
+
+They went together into the midst of the throng.
+
+When within three marches of Ilombekabasi Jack's party had stumbled
+upon a wretched encampment in the forest which proved to contain two
+white men and three negroes.  Samba came upon them first, and, startled
+to find white men at this spot, he was cocking his rifle, supposing
+them to be State officers, when one of them called to him in a Congo
+dialect not to shoot; he was an Inglesa.  When Jack came up he found
+that the taller of the two men, the one who had spoken, a huge fellow
+with a great black beard, was a missionary named Dathan, the other
+being the Honourable George Arlington, with whose name Jack was
+familiar.  Mr. Arlington was a man of mark.  After a brilliant career
+at Cambridge he had entered Parliament, and became an Under-Secretary
+of State at a younger age than almost any one before him.  When his
+party was out of office he took the opportunity of travelling in many
+quarters of the globe, to study at first hand the great problems which
+more and more demand the attention of British statesmen.  Now, in his
+fortieth year, he was recognized as an authority on the subjects which
+he had so specially made his own.  He had come out to make a personal
+study of the Congo question, and in order to secure freedom of
+observation had decided to enter Congo territory, not from Boma, whence
+he would be shadowed throughout by officials, but from British
+territory through Uganda.  In Unyoro he had met his old college chum
+Frank Dathan, now a missionary engaged on a tour of inspection of his
+Society's work in Central Africa.  Dathan, having completed his task in
+Uganda, was to make his way into the Congo State and visit several
+mission stations there.  The two friends thereupon arranged to travel
+together.
+
+Mr. Arlington being anxious to see a little of what was an almost
+unexplored part of Africa, they chose as their route the northern
+fringe of the great forest.  But they got into difficulties when they
+entered country which, though not yet "administered," or "exploited,"
+was nominally Free State territory.  At the sight of white men the
+natives they met with one accord took to the woods.  The result was
+that the travellers were once or twice nearly starved; many of their
+carriers deserted with their loads; and they both suffered a good deal
+from exposure and privation.  To crown their misfortunes, Dathan fell
+with a loose rock one day when he was climbing down a steep bank to get
+water, and broke his leg.  Arlington tried without success to set the
+bone, and was hurrying on in the hope of finding a Free State outpost
+and a doctor when Jack came upon them.
+
+Jack at once frankly explained his position.  He did not give details
+of his work at Ilombekabasi, but he saw no reason for concealing the
+circumstances which had driven him into antagonism with the officials
+of the Concession.  He related what had happened to his uncle, and how
+he had escaped from the net woven about him by Elbel; he told the
+strangers also what he had actually seen of the Congo Government's
+method of dealing with the natives.  Then he asked them whether they
+would like to place themselves under the care of Elbel, who could, if
+he were disposed, send them under escort to Stanleyville, where the
+missionary might receive competent treatment.  Both were disinclined to
+do this; they would prefer to keep themselves free from the Congo State
+or its Trusts.  The alternative seemed to be to accompany Jack.  This
+might certainly give rise to complications; Mr. Dathan especially was
+loth to appear to identify himself with an armed revolt against the
+State.  Missionaries, as he told Jack, were already in bad odour with
+the authorities; they had told too much of what was going on.  In many
+parts they had come to be looked upon as the natives' only defenders,
+and had done a little, a very little, towards mitigating the worst
+features of their lot.  But he was still more loth even to seem to
+countenance Elbel's proceedings by seeking his camp; and Mr. Arlington
+thought that his presence in Ilombekabasi, when it became known to
+Elbel, might have a salutary effect on him.  Ultimately, then, they
+decided to run the blockade with Jack into the fort.
+
+The augmented party had had no difficulty in reaching their
+destination.  The same general course was followed as had been arranged
+for the reception of Mr. Martindale's party.  They halted in a copse on
+an eminence about six miles from the fort and above it.  To reach this
+spot they had to make a longer circuit than either Mr. Martindale or
+Elbel in his first attempt to surprise Ilola.  But before going farther
+it was necessary to discover how the land lay.  Samba was obviously the
+best of the party for this scouting work, but he could hardly be spared
+if the fort happened to be too closely invested for the entrance of the
+whole party to be made.  Jack therefore chose Makoko, a sturdy fellow
+and an excellent scout, scribbled a brief note to Barney, hid it in the
+negro's thick woolly hair, and sent him on alone.  If he came safely to
+Ilombekabasi and it seemed to Barney possible to run the blockade, a
+flag was to be hoisted on one of the blockhouses.  The signal would be
+acted on as soon as possible in the darkness.
+
+Makoko left at nightfall.  Before dawn Samba went on some two miles
+ahead to a place whence he could see the fort.  He returned with the
+welcome news that a piece of red cloth was flying on the northern
+blockhouse.  Jack waited impatiently throughout the day; as soon as it
+was dark Samba led the party forward.  They moved slowly, partly to
+allow time for careful scouting, partly because Mr. Dathan had to be
+carried, and proved a heavy burden even for six strong Askari.  No
+difficulties were met with; Elbel had ceased to patrol the surroundings
+of the fort at night, and in the early hours of the morning in pitch
+darkness the party marched quietly in at the gate on the north side of
+the fort.  Jack put his own hut at Mr. Arlington's disposal.  Mr.
+Dathan was carried to Barney's; and before hearing what had happened
+during his absence Jack insisted on the missionary's having his
+injuries attended to.  Barney managed to set the broken limb, though
+not without causing a good deal of pain for which he whimsically
+apologized.  Then Jack listened eagerly to his account of what had
+happened.
+
+Elbel had made two serious attacks.  The first was an attempt to carry
+the fort by assault, from the place whence he had sent his fire barrels
+rolling.  But after the capture of Elbel's rifles and ammunition a
+considerable number of Jack's men who had hitherto been spearmen had
+been trained in the use of the Albini; so that Barney had a force of
+nearly ninety riflemen with which to meet the attack, half of them at
+least being good shots.  One charge was enough for the enemy; the fire
+from the wall and blockhouses mowed down the advancing negroes by the
+score; they never reached the defences, but turned and fled to cover in
+the gully and behind the rocks above.
+
+[Illustration: Ilombekabasi and Surrounding Country, showing the
+Diverted Stream and Elbel's Third Camp]
+
+Then Elbel demolished the dam he had built on the slope, and allowed
+the river to flow again in the channel it had cut for itself down the
+long incline to the eastward.
+
+"What would he be doing that for, sorr?  Seems to me he has wasted a
+terrible deal uv good time in putting up and pulling down.  Two men I
+sent out as scouts niver came back, and I wondered to meself whether
+they'd been bagged, sorr, and had let out something that made Elbel
+want to play more tricks wid nature.  Often did I see Elbel himself
+dodging round the fort wid his spyglass in his hand, and 'tis the
+truth's truth I let some uv the men have a little rifle practice at
+him.  Sure he must have a cat's nine lives, sorr, for ten uv the
+niggers said they were sartin sure they'd hit him."
+
+"Trying to solve our water puzzle, Barney!  Go on."
+
+There was an interval of some days; then, at daybreak one morning,
+while a strong demonstration, apparently the preliminary of an attack,
+was observed on the north and east, a body of men crept up the gully
+and made a sudden rush with ladders for the hole in the wall by which
+the scouts had been accustomed to go in and out.  It was clear that
+Elbel's best men were engaged in this job, for Barney heard loud cries
+for help from the small body he had thought sufficient to leave on the
+western face of the fort.  Rushing to the place with a handful of men,
+he was just in time to prevent the enemy from effecting an entrance.
+There was a brisk fight for two or three minutes; then the ladders
+placed against the wall were hurled into the gully, and with them the
+forlorn hope of the storming party.
+
+"That was three days ago, sorr.  And two or three uv our men declared
+they saw Mbota among the enemy, pointing out the very spot where the
+hole is--whin it is a hole.  You remember Mbota, sorr--the man who
+brought in his wife on his back, her wid the hands cut off.  'Twas he I
+sent out scouting.  Sure the chicotte had been at work wid him; for
+niver a wan uv our men, I would swear before the Lord Chancellor uv
+Ireland, would turn traitor widout they were in mortal terror for their
+lives, or even worse."
+
+"And you have not been attacked since?"
+
+"No, sorr.  But I've had me throubles all the same.  Samba ought to be
+made, beggin' your pardon, sorr, high constable uv this fort."
+
+"Indeed!"
+
+"Yes, sorr, 'cos it seems 'tis only he that can keep the peace.  Would
+you believe it, sorr, the very next day after you were gone, Imbono's
+men and Mboyo's men began to quarrel; 'twas Orange and Green, sorr, and
+a fine shindy.  Whin Samba was here, he'd make 'em laugh, and 'twas all
+calm as the Liffey; but widout Samba--bedad! sorr, I didn't know what
+in the world to do wid 'em.  Sure I wished Elbel would fight all the
+time, so that there'd be no time left for the spalpeens here to fight
+wan another.  But at last, sorr, a happy thought struck me; quite an
+intimation, as one might say.  I remimbered the day when the
+master--rest his soul!--and you made yourselves blood-brothers uv
+Imbono.  That was a mighty fine piece uv work, thinks I.  So wan
+morning I had a big palaver--likambo the niggers call it, your honour."
+(Barney's air as he gave this information to Mr. Arlington was
+irresistibly laughable.)  "I made a spache, and Lepoko turned it into
+their talk as well as he could, poor fellow; and sure they cheered it
+so powerful hard that I thought 'twas a mimber uv Parlimint I ought to
+be.  Well, sorr, the end was I made Imbono and Mboyo blood-brothers,
+and niver a word uv difference have they had since."
+
+"A plan that might be tried with leaders of parties at home," said Mr.
+Arlington with a smile.
+
+"There's wan other thing that throubles me," added Barney.  "Our food
+is getting low, sorr.  We had such a powerful lot that wan would have
+thought 'twould last for iver.  But in a fortnight we shall be on very
+short commons; we've been on half rations this week or more."
+
+"That's bad news indeed.  But we shall know our fate in a fortnight.
+The State troops are coming at last, Barney."
+
+Barney pulled a long face when Jack told him about the flotilla he had
+seen coming up the river.  But the next moment he smiled broadly.
+
+"Sure 'twill be our salvation, sorr.  There'll be a power uv food on
+those canoes, and 'twill come in the nick uv time to save us from
+famine."
+
+"But we've got to capture it first!"
+
+"And won't it be aisy, sorr?  It won't drop into our mouths, to be
+sure, but there's niver a doubt we'll get it by this or that."
+
+Jack smiled at Barney's confidence, which he could hardly share.  He
+estimated that he had about a week's grace before the State troops
+could arrive, unless they made a forced march ahead of their stores,
+which was not very likely.  He could not look forward without
+misgiving.  Elbel's troops, strongly reinforced and commanded by an
+experienced military officer, would prove a very different enemy.  He
+doubted whether it would be wise to wait the issue of a fight.  Apart
+from the risk of being utterly crushed, there was a strong political
+reason against it, as Mr. Arlington did not fail to point out.
+Hitherto Jack had been dealing with an officer of the Societe
+Cosmopolite, and he could argue reasonably that he was only opposing
+unwarranted interference.  But if he resisted an armed force of the
+State, it became at once open rebellion.
+
+"You render yourself liable to the punishment of a rebel, Mr.
+Challoner," said Mr. Arlington, "and your British nationality will not
+help you.  You might be shot or hanged.  What I suggest to you is this.
+When the State forces appear, let me open negotiations with them.  They
+will probably know my name; I have a certain influence in high
+quarters; I could probably make terms for you."
+
+"But the people, Mr. Arlington!  You could not make terms for them.
+What would happen to them?  They would fall into the power of their
+oppressors, and the old tale would be continued--illegal demands and
+exactions, floggings, maimings, murders.  It was a solemn charge from
+my uncle to stand by the defenceless negroes; it is no less the dictate
+of humanity: we, they and I, are in the same boat, sir, and we must
+sink or swim together."
+
+As it was of supreme importance to Jack to know at what rate the
+hostile column was moving, he sent out that night Samba, Makoko, and
+Lingombela with orders to report the progress of the expedition from
+day to day.  By taking the road through the forest they should get into
+touch with the enemy by the time they reached the place where Mr.
+Martindale had left his canoes.  If the scouts should find themselves
+unable to return to the fort they were to light a large fire on the
+spot whence Samba had seen Barney's flag flying, as a signal that the
+expedition had passed the place in question.  If a small column should
+be coming on in advance they were to light two fires a little apart
+from one another.  Samba was even more light-hearted than usual when he
+left the fort with his comrades.  He seemed to feel that this was a
+mission of special importance, the prelude to a final victory for
+Lokolobolo; for the possibility of defeat for Lokolobolo never
+suggested itself to any man in Ilombekabasi.  Mboyo and Lukela were at
+the wall to bid their son goodbye.  He laughed as he slipped down into
+the darkness.
+
+"Ekeke e'afeka!"[2] he whispered gleefully, and hastened to overtake
+Makoko and Lingombela, who were already some distance up the gully.
+
+Shortly after dawn next day the sentries reported a sound as of a large
+body of men moving up the hill.  Jack instantly called the garrison to
+arms.  There was a good deal of noise in the darkness above the fort.
+Here and there a dim light showed for a few moments, and was promptly
+fired at.  When day broke Jack saw that the enemy had built a rough
+wall of stones loosely piled up, some fifty yards long and about four
+feet high, parallel with the north wall of the fort, one end resting on
+the edge of the gully.  From a convenient spot in the gully, about two
+hundred yards above the fort, the enemy could creep to the extremity of
+the wall without coming under the fire of the garrison.  It had
+evidently been erected to screen some operations going on behind it.
+To guard against a sortie from the fort a covering force had been
+placed on the hill a quarter of a mile farther up; and between the
+ill-fitting stones there were small gaps which would serve as loopholes
+for the riflemen.
+
+During the day the enemy were hard at work digging a trench under cover
+of the wall.  Jack wondered at first whether Elbel was going to make
+approaches to the fort by sap and mine, in the manner he had read of in
+histories of the great sieges.  But another and still more disturbing
+thought occurred to him.  Would the trench cut across the line of his
+conduit?  Had Elbel at last fathomed the secret of his water supply?
+He anxiously examined the landmarks, which had been disturbed somewhat
+by the construction of the wall.  As nearly as he could judge, the
+spring was a few yards south of the wall, and neither it nor the
+conduit would be discovered by the men digging the trench.  Yet he
+could not but feel that Elbel's latest move was not so much an attempt
+to undermine the defences of the fort as to discover the source of its
+water supply.  If he should have hit upon the fact that the water was
+derived, not from a well inside the walls, but from a spring outside,
+he would not be long in coming to the conclusion that it must be from a
+spot opposite the northern face; and by cutting a trench or a series of
+trenches across the ground in that direction he must sooner or later
+come upon the conduit.
+
+The work proceeded without intermission during the whole of the day,
+and apparently without success, for the level of the water in the fort
+tank did not fall.  But Elbel's activity was not stopped by the
+darkness.  When morning dawned Jack saw that during the night an
+opening about five feet wide had been made in the wall, giving access
+to a passage-way of about the same height leading towards the fort and
+roughly covered with logs, no doubt as a protection against rifle fire.
+Only about twenty yards of this passage-way had been completed.  The
+end towards the fort was closed by a light screen of timber resting on
+rollers, and sufficiently thick to be impervious to rifle fire, as Jack
+soon found by experiment.  Evidently another trench was to be dug near
+the fort.  To avoid the labour of building a second covering wall,
+Elbel had hit on the idea of a passage-way through which his men might
+reach the spot where he desired the new trench to be begun.  Protected
+by the screen, they could dig a hole several feet deep, and then, too
+low to be hit by shots from the fort, could proceed with the trench in
+safety.
+
+Jack wondered whether Elbel had not yet heard of the approach of the
+State forces.  Such feverish activity was surely unnecessary when
+reinforcements were only a few days' march distant.  It was Barney who
+suggested that Elbel had made such a mess of things hitherto that he
+was eager to do something, to gain a success of some kind, before the
+regular forces should arrive.
+
+Under cover of the wooden screen the enemy, as Jack had expected,
+started to dig another trench parallel with the wall.  They had no lack
+of labourers; as soon as one gang was tired another was ready to take
+its place; and the work was carried on very rapidly.  With growing
+anxiety Jack watched the progress of the trench towards the gully.  His
+conduit was only three feet from the surface of the ground.  Judging by
+the fact that his marksmen never got an opportunity of taking aim at
+the diggers, the trench must be at least five feet deep; and if an
+opening were made into the gully the conduit was sure to be exposed.
+There was just one hope that they would fail.  Jack remembered the
+outcrop of rock which had necessitated the laying of the pipes, for a
+length of some yards, several feet lower than the general level.  If
+the enemy should happen to have struck this point there was a fair
+chance of the conduit escaping their search; for, coming upon the layer
+of rock, they would probably not guess that pipes were carried beneath
+it.  To reassure himself, Jack called up Imbono and Mboyo and asked
+them if they could locate the spot where the rock occurred.  Their
+impression agreed with his, that it must at any rate be very near the
+place where the enemy's trench would issue into the gully.
+
+But Jack's anxiety was not relieved at the close of the day, for again
+the work was carried on all night.  He thought of a sortie, but
+reflected that this would be taken by Elbel as an indication that he
+was hot on the scent.  And while a sortie might inflict loss on the
+enemy, it would not prevent Elbel from resuming his excavations as soon
+as the garrison had retired again within their defences.
+
+With great relief Jack at last heard the sound of pick-axes striking on
+rock.  It seemed too good to be true that the enemy had come upon the
+exact dozen yards of rock where alone the conduit was in little danger
+of being laid bare.  Yet this proved to be the case.  In the morning
+Elbel drew off his workmen, apparently satisfied, before the trench had
+been actually completed to the gully, that he was on the wrong track.
+A great load was lifted from Jack's mind.  If the secret of the water
+supply had been discovered, he knew that the end could only be a matter
+of a few days.
+
+As soon as the enemy drew off, Jack's men issued forth, demolished the
+wall, and filled up the trench.
+
+Three days passed in comparative inactivity.  During these days Jack
+had much of his time taken up by Mr. Arlington, who required of him a
+history of all that had happened since the first meeting with Elbel.
+The traveller made copious jottings in his note-book.  He asked the
+most minute questions about the rubber traffic and the methods of the
+State and the Concessions; he had long interviews with Imbono and
+Mboyo, and endured very patiently Lepoko's expanded versions of
+statements already garrulous; he took many photographs with his kodak
+of the people who had been maimed by the forest guards, and asked Jack
+to present him with a chicotte--one of those captured along with the
+Askari.  He said very little, probably thinking the more.  Certainly he
+let nothing escape his observation.
+
+Meanwhile Mr. Dathan was making friends of all the children.  Unable to
+endure the stuffiness of the hut, he had himself carried on a sheltered
+litter into the open, where, propped up on pillows, his burly form
+might be seen in the midst of a large circle of little black figures,
+who looked at him earnestly with their bright intelligent eyes and
+drank in the wonderful stories he told them.  Many of their elders
+hovered on the fringe of the crowd; and when the lesson was finished,
+they went away and talked among themselves of Nzakomba[3] the great
+Spirit Father who, as the bont' ok'ota-a-a-li[4] said, had put it into
+the heart of Lokolobolo to defend and help them.
+
+Before the dawn one morning Lingombela came into the fort.  He reported
+that the new enemy had only just finished the portage of their canoes
+and stores.  The steamer had been left below the rapids, and the white
+men were embarking on canoes.  There were not enough to convey the
+whole expedition at one time, although some had been sent down the
+river to meet them.  Two or three had been lost through attempting to
+save time by dragging them up the rapids.  Lingombela had himself seen
+this, with Samba.  Samba had no doubt already told what he had seen,
+but he did not know about the big gun which could fire as many shots as
+a hundred men, for the white men had not begun to practise at a mark in
+their camp above the rapids until Samba had left.
+
+"But we have seen nothing of Samba; where is he?"
+
+"He started to return to Ilombekabasi a day before I did."
+
+"And Makoko?"
+
+"Makoko is still watching."
+
+Lingombela's statement about Samba alarmed Jack.  What had become of
+the boy?  Had he fallen into the enemy's hands?  It was too much to be
+feared.  What else could have delayed him?  In threading the forest
+none of the scouts could travel so fast as he.  If he had started a day
+before Lingombela he should have gained at least five or six hours.
+
+The news soon flew through the settlement that Samba was missing.
+Mboyo and his wife came to Jack to ask whether Lingombela had told the
+truth.  Their troubled looks touched Jack, and he tried to cheer them.
+
+"Samba has not arrived yet, certainly," he said, "but he may not have
+come direct.  Something may have taken him out of his course; he would
+go a long way round if he thought it would be of use to us.  Don't be
+worried.  He has gone in and out safely so often that surely he will
+come by and by."
+
+The negroes went away somewhat comforted.  But Jack felt very anxious,
+and his feeling was fully shared by Barney.
+
+"'Tis meself that fears Elbel has got him," he said.  "Pat has been
+most uncommon restless for two days.  He looks up in the face uv me and
+barks, whin he's not wanting anything at all.  'Tis only Samba can
+rightly understand all Pat says, and seems to me Pat has got an idea
+that something has happened to Samba."
+
+An hour later Pat also had disappeared.  He had broken his strap and
+run away.
+
+
+
+[1] The highest salutation, given to a person of great dignity.
+
+[2] The last time.
+
+[3] God.
+
+[4] Very tall man.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+The Chicotte
+
+A small palm, spared for the sake of its welcome shade when the rest of
+the ground was cleared, sheltered Monsieur Elbel's tent from the
+fiercest rays of the tropical sun, In the tent Monsieur Elbel, smoking
+a bad Belgian cigar, his camp chair tilted back to a perilous angle,
+his feet on a small rickety table, read and re-read with a smile of
+satisfaction a short official communication that had just reached him
+from Brussels.  Owing to the retirement of the Company's principal
+agent, and in recognition of Monsieur Elbel's energy in doubling the
+consignment of rubber from his district during the past year, the
+Comite had been pleased to appoint Monsieur Elbel to be administrative
+chief of the Maranga Concession.  At the same time the Comite hoped
+that Monsieur Elbel would see his way to deal promptly and effectively
+with the reported outbreak at Ilola, without incurring undue expense,
+and that the American who had been giving trouble, and whose patent was
+now revoked (with the concurrence of the State) would be persuaded of
+the necessity of leaving the country.
+
+Monsieur Elbel was gratified by the news of his promotion; although it
+was his due by all the standards of conduct set up for the guidance of
+officials, whether State or Trust, charged with the exploitation of
+Congoland.  Under no officer had the development of King Leopold's
+African dominions gone more blithely forward than under Monsieur Elbel.
+Where he and his men went they left a wilderness behind them; but the
+amount of rubber they collected was most gratifying; and if Maranga
+stock stood high it was largely through their exertions.  True, in
+twenty years there would be no people left in Maranga, even if there
+were rubber to collect.  But after all that was not Monsieur Elbel's
+concern: in twenty years he would not be on the Congo; those who came
+after him must find their own collectors.  He and the King took short
+views: sufficient unto the day--they were both men of business.  Yes,
+as a man of affairs Guillaume Elbel was hard to beat.  It was no wonder
+that the Comite had promoted him to the vacant post; if he had been
+passed by, where would be the inducement to zeal, to loyal faithful
+service?  Where indeed?
+
+In the circumstances Monsieur Elbel was in good humour, a relaxation he
+rarely allowed himself.  He drank the remains of his absinthe, tilted
+his chair back to the critical angle, and blowing a cloud of smoke
+skywards saw in the curling eddies visions of snug directorates in
+Brussels.  Why not?  He flattered himself there were none who knew more
+about the Congo than he; he could estimate to a few francs the
+possibilities of any district as expressed in rubber; and, what is
+more, he knew how to get it.  With him the people always lasted as long
+as the rubber.  There was no waste; he plumed himself on the point.
+_He_ had never burnt a village before the rubber was exhausted,
+whatever might be said of other agents.  For after all, his business
+was to promote commerce--that is, collect rubber--not mere destruction.
+And if he did not know his business there was nobody who could teach
+him.  Yes--his Majesty had an eye to men of his stamp.  A
+directorate--a few directorates--a snug place at Court--who knows? ...
+
+Monsieur Elbel again glanced at the official letter; and again smiled
+and blew a ring artistically true.  Then his eye caught the word
+"expense," and his expression changed.  This Ilola difficulty would not
+only reduce his rubber consignments; it would mean a considerable
+outlay--how much he did not like to think.  And then there was the
+column of State troops now on its way.  No doubt the Concession would
+have to pay for that, too.  Peste! if only he could finish this
+business before Van Vorst came up!  He did not desire the presence of
+Van Vorst or any other State officer, if it could be avoided.  For
+there was gold in the stream, without a doubt; and those State
+officials were greedy rascals; they were capable of edging him
+out--they had no scruples--his moral claim would go for nothing,
+absolutely.  Yes, the fort must be captured at once before Van Vorst
+came up.  If only he could tap the water supply it would be easy
+enough.  It could be done; the little fool had let out so much; but
+how?--that was what he had to find out, and his name was not Elbel if
+he couldn't do it.
+
+He rose and went to the door of the tent.  A few yards away, securely
+tied to the trunk of the slender palm, was a negro boy.  Monsieur Elbel
+looked at him critically as if measuring his strength.  Last night,
+although threatened with the chicotte, the boy had refused to speak.
+Only once, when Elbel had offered him freedom and rewards if he would
+point out the source of the water in the camp above, did he open his
+lips, saying fiercely: "I will never tell you!"--betraying to the
+questioner that he had some knowledge of the secret.  Now he had had
+twelve hours of hunger and thirst to help him to a more reasonable
+frame of mind.  All night the cords had been eating into his wrists and
+ankles; he was weak from want of food, and consumed with an intolerable
+thirst.  He stood there in the blazing sun, a listless, pitiable
+figure, held upright only by the thongs that bound his wrists; and
+Monsieur Elbel as he looked at him, felt not a little irritated.  It
+was absurd that he should be inconvenienced; nay, more, that the
+development of the Concession should be delayed, and expense
+incurred--avoidable, unnecessary expense--expense without any return in
+rubber--all because this slip of a boy refused to tell what he knew.
+
+Elbel beckoned to his servant and interpreter, standing close by,
+attentive and expectant.
+
+"Tell him," he said, "that I will give him one more chance.  If he will
+not speak he shall be thrashed with the chicotte until he does."
+
+The man roughly grasped the boy by the shoulders and translated his
+master's words.  The captive slowly shook his head.
+
+"Fetch the chicotte," said Elbel sharply.  "We'll see what that will
+do."
+
+The man entered the tent, where the chicotte invariably lay ready to
+hand; and when he emerged the space in front of Elbel's quarters was
+filling with Askari and their followers flocking like vultures to the
+feast.  Samba, the son of Mboyo, chief of Banonga, was to be whipped.
+Boloko had caught him last night: he was a clever man, Boloko.  And
+Samba knew where the Inglesa got the water for his camp, the secret was
+to be cut from him by the chicotte.  That was good; it would be a sight
+to see.
+
+No time was lost.  Elbel signed to the man as he approached, and
+stepping back left him a clear space to swing the whip.  The negro
+prided himself upon his skill; as Elbel's servant, indeed, he had more
+opportunities of perfecting himself with this typical instrument of
+Congo government than falls to most.  He could deliver a stroke with
+great delicacy, raising only a long red weal upon the skin, or if the
+case called for real severity could cut the offender's flesh from his
+body almost as neatly as with a knife.
+
+In this case his master desired information; it was not a mere question
+of punishing a sullen defaulter.  He would begin gently lest the
+prisoner should lose the power of speech and shame the executioner
+before his master and the crowd.
+
+A slight convulsive shiver shook the boy's frame as the whip fell, but
+he clenched his teeth and no sound escaped him.  The man waited for a
+moment.
+
+"Will you tell?"
+
+There was no answer.
+
+Again the whip rose and fell, this time with a more vicious sound; it
+was answered by a low groan; but still to the same question there was
+no reply.
+
+By slow degrees the executioner increased the vigour of his stroke.
+The Askari applauded, and surely he was meriting praise from his
+master, for after many strokes the prisoner was quite conscious, as his
+pallid face and staring eyes and clenched teeth clearly showed.  And
+besides, did he not writhe and groan with every blow?
+
+But there is no reckoning with the vagaries of the white man.  The
+culprit's obstinate silence irritated Monsieur Elbel more and more as
+the punishment went on.  It was intolerable that he should be defied in
+this way.  It was a bad example to the natives.  Where would the white
+man's authority be if this kind of thing were permitted?  They would
+lose all respect: the collection of rubber would become a farce.
+Suddenly he blazed out in anger, snatched the whip from the hands of
+his servant, and, whirling it round his head, brought it down with all
+his force on the bruised and bleeding form.  It cut a deep purple gash
+in the boy's back; but Monsieur Elbel's wrath had come too late; before
+the lash fell Samba had fainted.
+
+Elbel hesitated for a moment; then, seeing that further punishment
+would be a mere waste of time, he gave a curt order.  They cut Samba's
+cords and carried him away.  He was to be whipped again to-morrow.
+
+
+That afternoon Lepoko came to Jack with a broad grin on his face.
+
+"Mbota come back, sah."
+
+"That's the scout of Massa Barney's who was captured, isn't it?"
+
+"Yussah!  He come back, sah.  Oh!  it make me laugh plenty much.
+Elobela send Mbota back; he say, 'You go back, cut off Lokolobolo him
+head.  Me gib you twenty, fousand, plenty, plenty brass rods!'  Mbota
+say, 'All same, massa.  Anyfing what massa like.  Me get plenty men
+what help.'  Den Mbota come back; he laugh, sah; Elobela plenty big
+fool fink him lib for hurt Lokolobolo."
+
+"Bring Mbota to me at once."
+
+When the man came, Jack got out of him a more lucid story than Lepoko
+had given.  Elbel had promised freedom and large rewards if he would
+stir up a revolt against Jack, or assassinate him.  The negro had
+readily promised, with no intention but to reveal the whole scheme to
+his beloved Lokolobolo.
+
+Jack was still talking to the man when he heard loud cries.  Running
+out of his hut, he found Barney clutching by the arm a strange negro,
+thronged about by a shouting crowd of the men of Ilombekabasi.
+
+"Who is he?"
+
+"'Tis wan uv Elbel's men, sorr.  Lianza caught him in the forest, and
+brought him in.  The men are simply mad to get at him, sorr, especially
+since they've heard uv what Elbel said to Mbota."
+
+"Leave him to me.  I will deal with him."
+
+The men slowly dispersed.  Jack took the trembling negro to his hut and
+questioned him.
+
+"Do you know anything of Samba, the son of Mboyo and nephew of Boloko,
+one of your master's men?"
+
+Yes, he knew.--Was there a man in Elobela's camp who did not know?--who
+had not exulted when the news spread that Samba, the best of
+Lokolobolo's scouts, had been captured and was to pay the penalty?
+Surely not a man was absent when Samba suffered the torture.  Had not
+many of them tried in vain to discover the secret which Samba would be
+forced to betray?
+
+The scout described to Jack the whole pitiful scene, in the glowing
+language, with the telling dramatic gestures, which the negro has at
+command when he feels that his audience is interested.  And while the
+man told his story Jack went hot and cold by turns--cold with sheer
+horror of the scene conjured up by the man's vivid words, hot with a
+great wrath, a burning passionate desire to seek instant vengeance upon
+the evildoer.
+
+Bidding Barney keep the negro carefully under guard, he went back to
+his hut, at the entrance to which Mr. Arlington had been anxiously
+watching the scene.
+
+"It is devilish, sir," he burst out.  "Elbel not only offers rewards
+for assassinating me, but he uses his brutal whip on a boy, to force
+him to reveal the secret of our water supply.  Samba is probably
+half-dead--he fainted under the lash but would not betray us--brave
+little fellow!  Think of the agony he must have suffered!  And he is
+only one; thousands have suffered in the same way before him, and are
+suffering to-day in one part or another of this State.  Do you blame me
+now, sir?"
+
+"No, I don't blame you.  I am deeply sorry for the poor boy.  The whole
+thing is an outrage upon human nature, so revolting that any action
+that can be taken against it is fully justified.  I have been thinking
+over what we said the other day.  It is not for me to advise; indeed,
+my friends at home would open their eyes at the idea of my abetting
+resistance to authority; but I will give you my opinion.  You must hold
+your fort.  While the banner of revolt is kept flying there is always a
+prospect of forcing the hand of the officials in the direction of
+effective reform.  They have an enormous area to control--a disaffected
+area seething with indignation against bitter wrong.  A successful
+revolt will encourage outbreaks elsewhere.  If you can only hold out;
+if you can make yourself strong enough here in this remote corner to
+defy the authorities, it will be an opportunity of forcing the
+government to terms--to the granting of elementary rights of justice
+and liberty to its own subjects, and the throwing open of this
+sorely-afflicted country to free intercourse with the outside world."
+
+"Ah!  If only I can do it, sir!  But I can only hold the fort now by
+striking a blow at Elbel before his reinforcements join him.  If the
+forces unite, they will be strong enough to carry on a strict siege.
+Our food is giving out; the people have been for some time on half
+rations; they don't grumble, but it will have to be quarter rations
+soon, and then the end is not far off.  We must either surrender or
+trek."
+
+"If you have to trek, it would be better to do so at once, while you
+have food to take your party on your way."
+
+"Yes, we must either do that or thoroughly beat Elbel.  That would ease
+the pressure; the others would think twice before attacking us; they
+might even draw off until an overwhelming force could be brought
+against us.  That would give time for us to grow more crops, and for
+you to go back to England, sir, and raise your voice against this
+atrocious government."
+
+"I shall certainly do that.  But you talk of fighting Elbel; have you
+thought of the risk?"
+
+"Till my head aches with thinking.  I know that failure will mean ruin.
+It must be a smashing blow; pin-pricks are no good; and I can't smash
+him without taking a large force out of the fort.  If we were obliged
+to retreat we should be followed up; they might rush the fort, and
+there would be an end of everything."
+
+"It is a difficult position.  I can't help you; I am not a soldier--it
+seems to me you ought to be one, Mr. Challoner.  I could take no active
+part; I should in any case be little good.  I feel that you have landed
+me in a very awkward position," he added with a smile.  "But it can't
+be helped now; I can only wait and see you go through with it."
+
+At the back of Jack's mind there was another consideration which he did
+not mention.  He could not have said how far he allowed it to count.
+It was the bare chance of rescuing Samba--if Samba was still alive.  If
+it had been put to him, he would probably not have admitted it.  The
+good of the community could not be jeopardized by any action on behalf
+of an individual, whatever his claim; the circumstances were too
+critical.  But that the fate of Samba was an additional argument in
+favour of the course he was on other grounds inclined to adopt there
+can be no doubt.
+
+Next day the urgency of the situation was brought home to him.  Two
+fires were seen at the appointed spot; Makoko had done his work.  Five
+or six hours later, just after nightfall, Makoko himself came in.  He
+reported that one white man with twenty soldiers in two canoes, with
+many paddlers, had started up river in advance of the bulk of the
+force, which had now reached camp at the head of the rapids.  Jack
+guessed that the white man was the officer in command, probably the
+Captain Van Vorst of whom Elbel had spoken, coming ahead to view the
+position and select an encampment for his followers.
+
+About noon on the next day there was a great sound of jubilation from
+the camp below.  Van Vorst, if it was he, had arrived.  He must have
+travelled night and day, the river route being so much longer than the
+forest one that otherwise he could hardly have reached the camp in
+another twelve hours.  But his paddlers were no doubt pressed men from
+the riverine villages, costing nothing and having no rights, and a
+Congo State commandant in a hurry would not hesitate to drive them.
+
+In the afternoon a negro bearing a white flag was seen approaching the
+fort from the south.  He evidently expected to be admitted by the hole
+in the wall.  But at Jack's bidding Lianza of the brazen throat called
+to him to come round to the gate on the north; it was well to observe
+due order and ceremony.
+
+The man brought a note signed "Van Vorst," demanding the instant
+surrender of the fort.  In reply Jack wrote asking for the assurance
+that his people, having acted throughout in self defence against the
+illegalities of the Societe Cosmopolite, should be guaranteed liberty
+to depart, and immunity except against the regular legal process of the
+courts.  In half an hour the messenger returned with a curt summons to
+unconditional surrender.  Jack sent back a polite refusal, feeling that
+he had now burnt his boats.
+
+Shortly afterwards he saw a party of three white men and about twenty
+State soldiers, all armed with rifles, making a tour round the
+position, keeping carefully under cover.  Through his field-glass Jack
+recognized Elbel, one of his subordinates, and one of the officers he
+had seen on the steamer.  Elbel pointed this way and that with
+outstretched hand, and appeared to be talking with some excitement.
+Occasionally they came within easy range of the fort, and Barney begged
+Jack to let the men fire upon them; but Jack resolutely stuck to his
+determination to refrain from provocation.
+
+The party by and by reached a position above the fort, near the spot
+whence the abortive barrel-rolling had been started.  From this place a
+small area of the fort enclosure was open to the view of the enemy.
+All at once Jack saw the strange officer take a rifle from one of the
+soldiers and raise it to his shoulder.  Jack instantly ordered his men,
+who were crowding the wall, to drop down out of sight.  The officer
+fired: there was a moment's silence; then Jack heard a great yell of
+rage from the men behind him.  Turning, he saw an old woman lying
+huddled in the centre of the enclosure.  Two calabashes lay near; she
+had been crossing the exposed portion of the area to fetch water from
+the tank when Van Vorst's bullet struck her.  A shout of delight from
+the negro soldiers up the hill acclaimed the successful shot of their
+officer; the old woman was quite dead.
+
+Jack went hot with rage.  And Mr. Arlington, who had witnessed the
+officer's action, was stirred out of his usual philosophic calm.
+
+"That is not an act of warfare, Mr. Challoner, but of sheer
+savagery--the act of a callous marksman showing off.  It invites
+reprisal."
+
+"You see how the State treats its subjects, Mr. Arlington.  They have
+taken cover; it's too late to fire now.  But it settles the matter for
+me.  The State has fired the first shot and killed a non-combatant.  I
+shall do my best this very night to deal the enemy a staggering blow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+Reaping the Whirlwind
+
+During the inaction of the past two days Jack had been carefully
+thinking out his plan.  Stout-hearted as he was, he felt oppressed by
+the difficulties of his position.  He had now four hundred men in all;
+scarcely a hundred of them were armed with rifles, and not more than
+fifty were practised shots.  How could he hope to dislodge from a
+stockaded camp more than seven hundred, of whom some two hundred and
+fifty, including Van Vorst's advance guard, were riflemen?  It seemed
+at the best a desperate hazard, but the alternative was worse, and
+having resolved upon his course he rejected all half measures.  Some
+few of his own men must be left in the fort, if only to prevent a
+panic; but those must be the minimum--he would need every man he could
+muster.  He was staking all on the cast of a die; it would never do to
+risk failure by timorousness in using all his effective combatant
+strength.  He would throw his whole available force against the enemy
+in one supreme effort to break and scatter him.
+
+The offensive, he knew, counted for much, especially with men who had
+not known defeat.  Where he and Barney led he felt sure they would
+follow.  But a check might be fatal.  A single well-directed volley
+from the enemy might sweep his little company of riflemen away, and his
+spearmen would then never get to close quarters.
+
+He gave full weight to all these considerations.  But having decided
+that the attempt must be made he devoted long hours of anxious thought
+to the devising of a plan that would give best promise of success.  He
+had to do his thinking alone.  Barney was a fighter, not a strategist.
+He could be trusted to strike hard and carry out orders to the minutest
+detail; he could not plan or organize.  Mr. Arlington and the
+missionary of course must not be consulted.  So that when Barney was
+called into Jack's hut that afternoon, it was to learn particulars of a
+scheme worked out by Jack alone.  When he left it an hour or two later,
+his eyes were glowing with a new light.
+
+"Sure 'tis me chance that has come at last!" he said to himself.
+
+
+It was two o'clock in the morning.  Ilombekabasi was astir.  Men and
+boys were moving this way and that.  The night was dark, but by the
+light of the small lamps kept burning before a few of the principal
+huts it could be seen that every face was tense with excitement and a
+subdued energy.  In one spot congregated the maimed people, armed with
+such weapons as they could wield, for the news that a great movement
+was intended had spread in the camp, and every man and many of the
+girls and women had begged to be allowed to bear arms.  Near the
+south-eastern blockhouse the bulk of the able-bodied men and boys were
+squatting, rifles and spears lying beside them.  At the gate in the
+north wall stood twenty-five men, the picked men of the corps, the men
+whom Lokolobolo had twice led out to victory.  There was Lepoko, all
+smiles and consequence.  There was Makoko, hugging his rifle as though
+he loved it.  There was Lianza of the brazen throat, and Lingombela the
+man of hard bargains, and Imbono, the prudent chief of Ilola, and
+Mboyo, solemn and silent, thinking of Samba.  On the ground lay a
+number of bundles and bales, large and small.
+
+A group approached the gate from Lokolobolo's hut.  Lokolobolo himself,
+and Barnio, as the natives called him, came first, walking slowly side
+by side.  Behind came Mr. Arlington, his strong features fixed
+impassively.  At his side was the litter of Mr. Dathan, borne by four
+negroes.
+
+"Is it quite clear?" said Jack to Barney.  "You have twenty good men
+here, besides another twenty of the maimed who may be of use in an
+emergency.  Batukuno will be left in command.  All the rest will go
+with you; yes, let the boys go; they can use their knives even if they
+cannot throw a spear.  Get them all paraded an hour before dark, ladder
+men first.  Keep them as quiet as you can.  Wait till you hear shots in
+the enemy's camp; that will be the signal.  Then send your men out,
+over the stockade by the south-eastern blockhouse; they can scramble
+down the slope there.  You had better take half of them first and form
+them up at the bottom.  The rest can follow as soon as they see you
+move off.  Lead them at the double straight down the hill and fling
+them at the stockade.  The second party will be just in time to support
+you if the first rush is checked.  But there must be no check; we
+daren't admit the possibility.  This is your job, Barney."
+
+"Amen, sorr.  For the honour uv ould Ireland and the sake uv these poor
+niggers I'll do me very best."
+
+"I know you will, old fellow."
+
+They grip hands, looking into each other's eyes.  This may be their
+last good-bye.  One long hand-clasp, one moment of tense emotion, then,
+clearing his throat, Jack gives an order to his men.  They stoop to
+their bundles, then file quietly out of the gate.  Each man has a
+package to carry, such a package as forms part of every white man's
+baggage in Africa: one a trunk, another a gun-case, a third a canvas
+bag, others bales of various kinds.  Two strong negroes at the end of
+the line bear, slung on ropes, a package, strangely shapeless, and to
+all appearance particularly heavy.
+
+The last has gone out into the darkness.  Then Jack turns once more.
+
+"Good-bye, Mr. Arlington."
+
+"Good-bye!  Success to you."
+
+"Good-bye, Mr. Dathan."
+
+"God help you, my dear lad," says the missionary.
+
+Then Jack too leaves Ilombekabasi, and the darkness swallows him up.
+
+Towards dusk on the following evening, a party of twenty-five carriers
+were marching through the forest in the direction of Elbel's stockaded
+camp.  In the midst were four men carrying a litter.  They followed the
+path leading from the river--the path along which Captain Van Vorst had
+come a few days earlier.  For some time they had been shadowed by a
+negro bearing the arms of a forest guard.  They paused for a few
+moments to rest, and the negro, apparently satisfied by his
+observations, came up and accosted them.
+
+"You are the servants of Mutela?"
+
+"Yes, that is so.  Has Mutela arrived?"
+
+Mutela was the native name for Van Vorst.
+
+"Oh yes!  He came two or three days ago."
+
+"Are we on the right road?"
+
+"Certainly.  The camp is but a little way beyond us.  I will lead you
+to it.  You have heavy loads."
+
+"Ah!  Mutela is a man of riches.  He has many pots, and many bottles,
+and very many coats for his back.  And guns too; see, here is his
+elephant rifle.  Mutela is a great hunter; a great man of war."
+
+"True, he is a great man of war.  Yesterday he killed a woman in the
+fort of the Inglesa.  I saw it.  I laughed; we all laughed; it was so
+funny!  But who is in the litter?"
+
+"A white officer.  Oh yes!  He is as great a man of war as Mutela.  But
+he is sick; white men so easily turn sick!  And he sleeps, although it
+is a rough road."
+
+"Aha!  It is a pity he is sick.  Mutela will be sorry.  Mutela is going
+to kill all the men in the Inglesa's fort.  Lokolobolo they call him.
+Aha! we shall see how strong he is!  See, there is the camp yonder
+through the trees."
+
+When the party were still within some yards of the gate, the scout gave
+a hail.  It was answered by a negro whose face appeared just above the
+stockade.  By the time the leading men reached the gate it had been
+thrown open by one of Elbel's European subordinates, and a crowd of
+negro soldiers and hangers-on was collected to witness the entrance of
+the white officer and Mutela's baggage.
+
+Lepoko, who had led the file, deposited his bundle just inside the gate
+and burst into a roar of laughter, holding his sides and bending his
+body in uncontrollable mirth.  He was soon surrounded by a crowd of
+negroes, to whom he began to relate a very funny story; how Ekokoli,
+the daring Ekokoli, had mounted a crocodile's back just below the
+rapids, and had a splendid ride.  The comical story set the throng
+laughing in chorus, and they begged to hear it again.  Meanwhile, the
+rest of the carriers had filed in with their burdens, the litter had
+been set down, and the white officer, though so sick, stepped out quite
+briskly to greet the Belgian, whose attention was divided between the
+laughing negroes and his guest.  At the same time the four bearers drew
+out from the litter a rifle apiece--for a sick man rifles surely made
+an uncomfortable couch!--and also half a dozen objects which to a man
+of Ilombekabasi would have looked suspiciously like fire-balls.  From
+the packages which lay near the gate each of the other carriers with a
+single pull abstracted a Mauser or an Albini; while the two men who had
+staggered along at the end of the line under the weight of a clumsy
+heavy bundle dropped it in the gateway with a thud that suggested the
+fall of a rock rather than a carrier's ordinary load.  It lay against
+the gate, preventing it from being closed.
+
+Lepoko was already telling his story for the second time.  Elbel's
+officer, about to speak to the sick white man, who had just stepped out
+of the litter, suddenly hesitated, wheeled round, and with a loud cry
+of alarm rushed toward the centre of the camp, where, in a large tent,
+Elbel was at that moment regaling Captain Van Vorst with a dinner that
+did much credit to his native cook.  His cry passed unnoticed by the
+delighted negroes whom Lepoko was so humorously entertaining.  But next
+moment they choked their guffaws, and, without waiting for the end of
+the story, scampered with more speed than grace after their white
+officer towards Elobela's tent.  What had startled them?  The sick man
+from the litter, after one hasty glance round, had suddenly fired into
+the air the rifle he bore.  And the carriers who seemed so tired and so
+glad to lay down their burdens had all at once sprung into feverish
+activity.  Dividing into two parties they had disappeared behind the
+huts nearest to the stockade on each side of the gateway, and if the
+hubbub had not been so great, an attentive listener might have heard
+sundry scratches that ensued upon their disappearance.  But there was
+no one to hear.  The garrison of the camp were rushing still towards
+the centre with loud cries; the carriers and the sick officer were no
+longer to be seen; and what was this?  Clouds of smoke, thick, acrid,
+suffocating, were floating on the south wind from the huts towards
+Elobela's tent.
+
+And now the camp was in an uproar.  Mingled with the yells of alarm
+were distinct cries, "Mutela!" "Elobela!" "Lokolobolo!"  And amid all
+the din came ever and anon the sharp piercing bark of a dog.
+
+Monsieur Guillaume Elbel, of the Societe Cosmopolite du Commerce du
+Congo, had just opened a second bottle of Madeira for the delectation
+of his guest Captain Van Vorst, of the Congo State Forces.  The dinner
+had been a good one; the Captain had praised his cook, the best cook on
+the Congo; and Monsieur Elbel was in better humour than he had been
+since the arrival of the State troops.  He was even pleasantly boasting
+of the coming triumph at Ilombekabasi, and discussing what they should
+do with the Englishman after they had caught him, when sounds from
+outside so startled him that he poured the wine on to the tablecloth
+instead of into the glass, and interrupted himself with the sudden
+exclamation--
+
+"What's that?"
+
+He snatched up a rifle and hurried out, followed more slowly by his
+companion, who had seen too many camp quarrels to be greatly alarmed by
+this sudden outbreak.  Elbel at first could distinguish nothing in the
+confusion.  The short dusk of a tropical evening was already becoming
+darkness, but he could see that crowds of men were pouring out of the
+huts, rushing, hustling, in a state that was very like panic.  And a
+pungent smoke saluted his nostrils; it was drifting in great whorls
+northwards over the camp, and surely behind it he saw here and there
+little red flashes of flame.
+
+Who had fired that shot which had so shaken Monsieur Elbel's hand?  He
+did not know; it had been a single shot; surely the camp could not be
+attacked, for other shots would have followed long before this.  But
+the moment he appeared outside the tent a volley rang out, and Elbel
+saw that it was fired by his own men into the midst of the smoke.  He
+was hurrying across the camp to inquire into the meaning of all this
+when a volley flashed from the other direction--from the very heart of
+the smoke.  Shrieks proclaimed that some of the shots had told.
+"Fools!" cried Elbel, "don't you see they're screened by the smoke,
+whoever they are?  What's the good of firing when you can't take aim?
+Curse that dog!  I can't hear myself speak!"
+
+Another volley flashed from the smoke.  Men were dropping on every
+side; there were wild rushes for cover.  Soon the central space was
+deserted, and the panic-stricken garrison fled for shelter behind the
+huts on the north side of the camp.  While Elbel and Van Vorst were
+shouting themselves hoarse in a vain attempt to stem this tide of
+flight, the sergeant who had opened the gate had rushed to the north
+side, where Van Vorst's contingent were quartered, and hastily got them
+into some sort of order, together with those of Elbel's men who, having
+their huts on that side, has been less affected by the sudden alarm.
+Dividing the company of about a hundred men into two parties, he sent
+them skirmishing forward in the spaces between the huts towards the
+enemy he supposed to be approaching on the east and west.
+
+That enemy, however, was not approaching.  Jack had fired the huts and
+thrown the camp into confusion; his little party was not strong enough
+to turn the confusion to utter rout.  Its smallness would be perceived
+if he led it into the open; his was a waiting game.  The wisdom of his
+policy was soon proved.  A sharp volley came from the men whom the
+Belgian sergeant had got together.  Jack heard the man beside him groan
+heavily and fall to the ground; then he himself felt a stinging burning
+pain below the left knee.  He called to his men to keep within cover,
+and hastily bound a handkerchief about the wound.  And now the wind
+dropped, and the smoke which had hitherto screened his movements
+floated upwards.  A scattering volley from the enemy reduced his band
+by two more men.  The State troops were working round on each side of
+him; and the red glare from the burning huts was lighting up the whole
+camp.  It would soon be seen how small his little company was; then one
+determined rush would annihilate it.
+
+Less than four minutes had passed since he entered the gate; it seemed
+an age.  Would Barney never come?  Why was he delaying?  Surely he had
+heard the signal shot; surely by this time he must have seen the ruddy
+glare!  The enemy were regaining confidence; their cries of alarm were
+changed to yells of defiance.  Elbel and Van Vorst had taken command,
+one on each side; each was steadily moving down from the northern
+stockade towards the gate.  Barney, Barney, will you never come?
+
+Hark!  What is that?  The cries of the enemy are suddenly drowned in a
+babel of yells behind them.  They halt, amazed; Van Vorst shouts an
+order; the men wheel round and dash northwards, leaving only a few to
+watch the rear.  The Belgian sees now the meaning of this daring
+scheme.  What has he to gain by routing the little band behind?  Before
+him is pandemonium; a whole host must be upon him; here is the danger
+to be met.
+
+But he is too late!  "Lokolobolo!  Lokolobolo!"  Two hundred voices
+roar the name.  And Lokolobolo himself sees a portion of the northern
+stockade black with moving figures, and rifle barrels, spear heads,
+gleaming red in the light of the flaming huts.  Towards him rushes the
+greater part of the garrison, their first fright trebled.  These guards
+of the forest can fight unarmed despairing rubber collectors, but their
+hearts are as water when the villagers prove to be men.  Let the men in
+uniform, the clad soldiers of Bula Matadi, fight if they will; this is
+no place for forest guards; the gate! the gate!
+
+Van Vorst's handful of more disciplined men present a bolder front to
+the enemy.  But it would need many times the number he can muster to
+break the wave of exultant warriors now swarming over the stockade.
+There is Barney!  Jack sees him drop to the ground, brandishing in one
+hand a rifle, an ancient cutlass in the other.  "Hurroo! hurroo!" he
+shouts.  A second, no more, and then the crest of the wave breaks over
+the stockade into the camp.
+
+"Barnio!  Lokolobolo!"  With a great roar the men of Ilombekabasi
+follow their leader.  They are already sweeping the garrison like
+sea-wrack before them, when another wave comes tumbling behind, the
+shrill cries of boys mingling with the deeper shouts of the men.  See,
+they come, furiously, irresistibly!  And who is this?  A tall
+white-clad figure springs over with the movement of a hurdle-racer.  It
+is Mr. Arlington himself, stirred for the nonce out of his habitual
+calmness, caught up and carried away in this roaring current.
+
+The enemy fire once, then, though Van Vorst may rave and storm, they
+turn their backs and flee helter-skelter for the gate.  "Lokobololo!
+Barnio!"  The tempestuous war-cries pursue them.  Struggling, yelling,
+they converge to the narrow gateway.  It is jammed, wedged tight with
+human forms, squeezed by the presence of the frantic crowd behind into
+a solid mass of feebly struggling wretches lost to all consciousness
+but that of a great fear.  The weaker men fall and are trampled to
+death; the stronger push and pull, and scramble over the fallen, mad
+with fright.  Some win through or over, and rush with blind haste into
+the forest.  Others, despairing of escape by that one constricted
+outlet, climb the palisade.  Some impale themselves on the
+sharp-pointed stakes, and, hapless benefactors! serve as gangways for
+their comrades who follow.
+
+Seeing the utter rout of the enemy, Jack had already ordered his men to
+cease fire.  His end was gained; he had no lust for useless slaughter.
+But although Makoko and Lingombela and the rest with him loyally
+obeyed, nothing could check the storming party.  They heard nothing,
+saw nothing, but the enemy in front.  Not one of them but had a father,
+or mother, a wife or child, to avenge--a ruined home, a blasted life.
+As well attempt to bridle the whirlwind as this infuriate flood.  On
+and on they pressed, past the spot where Jack held his men in leash;
+and as they ran they shot and stabbed, yelling "Barnio!  Lokolobolo!"
+And as they were accustomed to receive no mercy, so now, in this hour
+of retribution, they gave none.
+
+As Jack made his way towards the gateway, hoping to do something to
+ensure quarter for the fleeing wretches, he caught sight of a figure
+crawling painfully forth from a burning hut.  At one moment he
+recognized the man and the man him.
+
+"Nando!" he cried.
+
+"Sabe me, massa!"
+
+"Getaway to the other end.  Wait for me there.  Any other men in the
+hut?"
+
+"No, massa, no! only me!"
+
+But as he turned to run Jack heard the bark which ever and anon had
+struck his ears during these full minutes, and felt a tug at his coat.
+The cloth, already tattered, gave way; but Pat caught his trousers,
+then ran a little way ahead, then back again, then once more towards
+the burning hut.  Tearing off his coat, Jack wrapped it round his head
+and dashed in.  The smoke was so dense that nothing could be seen save
+here and there spurts of flame.  Scarcely able to breathe he flung
+himself on the ground and began to grope round the right of the hut.
+By and by his hands touched a human body, and then the shaggy coat of
+the terrier.  Lifting the body in both arms he staggered with it to the
+entrance, guided by the dog's barks.  He gasped and drew long breaths
+when once again he came into the open air; but as he laid his burden
+upon the ground he stumbled and fell beside it, sick and dizzy.
+
+[Illustration: Samba rescued from the burning hut]
+
+He was unconscious but for a few moments.  When he came to himself and
+sat up, he saw that Samba lay in his father's arms.  Mboyo was sobbing,
+rocking his body to and fro, murmuring endearing words.  Pat was
+stretched beside him, his eyes fixed on Samba, his ears pricked forward.
+
+"He dies, O Lokolobolo!" said Mboyo piteously, seeing Jack rise.
+
+"No, no!  Get water!  Take him to the other end of the camp.  I will
+come to you when I can."
+
+Jack hurried off.  Many of the huts were blazing; now that the fire had
+done its part it must be checked, or the stores and ammunition which
+would be invaluable in Ilombekabasi would be destroyed.  Collecting
+such of the men as had not dashed out of the camp in pursuit of the
+enemy, Jack set them to beat out the flames where they could, and to
+demolish one or two of the still unburnt huts that were most in danger
+of catching fire.  Luckily the wind had dropped; there was little risk
+of sparks or cinders flying through the air.
+
+Then he set some of the boys to make torches, and by their light he
+surveyed the camp.  He shuddered as he passed over the scene of the
+disastrous flight and pursuit.  The forms of dead and wounded lay
+scattered over the ground.  He ordered Nando and other of Mr.
+Martindale's carriers who had been left in the camp to attend the
+wounded as well as they were able, and sternly forbade the despatching
+of those of the enemy who were still alive but unable through injuries
+to escape.  Then he went towards the gate.  It was with a shock that he
+saw, amid the black bodies crushed to death in the gateway, the
+white-clad form of Van Vorst.  In that terrible struggle for precedence
+the white man's skin had not saved him.  But he was the only European
+left in the camp; Jack looked for Elbel and his subordinate; they were
+nowhere to be seen.
+
+Complete darkness had settled over the country, and put a stop to the
+pursuit.  Jack's men began to return, at first in ones and twos, by and
+by in groups that grew larger as the night drew on.  They came laughing
+and singing; once more Elobela, even aided by Mutela, had been beaten
+by Lokolobolo.  What a night it was for the men of Ilombekabasi!  And
+Barnio!--was it not Barnio who had led them to the stockade with that
+wild war-cry of his?  They must not forget Barnio! and Lianza made a
+song as he marched back to the camp:
+
+  Barnio!  Barnio!
+  Down from the forty
+  From Ilombekabasi,
+  Dashed in the night,
+  Sought Elobela,
+  Cruel Mutela.
+  Hurroo!  Hurroo!
+  Barnio leads,
+  After him black men,
+  Hundreds and thousands,
+  Sweep like the wind,
+  Rage like the torrent,
+  Over the wall.
+  Hurroo!  Hurroo!
+  Big clouds of smoke,
+  Forests of flame,
+  Into the midst,
+  Barnio!  Barnio!
+  Over the wall,
+  Into the camp,
+  Straight for the gate
+  Barnio rushes,
+  After him black men.
+  Hurroo!  In the gate
+  Thousands of black men,
+  Only one white man,
+  Cruel Mutela!
+  Ha!  He will never,
+  Never whip black men,
+  Never kill women,
+  Never kill children,
+  Laugh again never!
+  Dead is Mutela!
+  Why do we sing?
+  Why do we laugh?
+  Whom do we praise?
+  Barnio!  Barnio!
+  Lokolobolo!
+  Friends of Imbono,
+  Friends of the black men
+  Of Ilombekabasi.
+  Hurroo!
+  Begorra!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+Sinews of War
+
+Barney came back to the camp tired out.  Following up the only party
+that seemed to have cohesion after leaving the fort--a party led by the
+Belgian sergeant--he had soon found himself left far behind in the
+race.  But his men had done their work thoroughly; they had dispersed
+the band, few of whom escaped.
+
+"'Twas for this I was born, sorr," said Barney as he gripped Jack's
+hand.  "Sure I'll be a fighter for iver more."
+
+"You did splendidly, old fellow.  I knew all was well when I heard your
+hurroo!  But there are five hundred men roaming the country and only a
+score of able-bodied men in our fort.  We must look after that.  Get
+fifty fellows together and send them back under Imbono, Barney."
+
+"And what'll ye be afther doing yourself, sorr?"
+
+"Oh!  I'm going down to the river.  The job's only half done while that
+flotilla is intact.  I'm going to have a shot at it before the enemy
+get over their fright.  I'll take a couple of hundred men with me.
+You'll keep a hundred and remove all the stores and ammunition here to
+the fort; get the women and children to help; you can light the way
+with flares.  When the camp's empty burn it.  And look after Samba,
+Barney; he's here, nearly dead, poor little chap!  Mboyo's got him;
+we'll go and see how he is getting on."
+
+Making their way to the north side of the camp they found Samba laid on
+the floor of a hut, his father on one side of him, Pat on the other.
+The dog leapt up excitedly when he saw his master, and invited him with
+a yelp to come and see Samba.  By the light of a torch Barney tenderly
+examined the boy.  He was conscious, and smiled, even though he winced
+under the gentlest of touches.
+
+"Ochone!  Ochone!" exclaimed Barney.  "'Tis the divil's own work, sorr.
+His poor flesh is wan jelly.  By all the holy powers, if I catch that
+murdering ruff'n uv a fellow, that Elbel----  And I've no ointment at
+all at all.  Bedad! but now I remimber Mr. Arlington has a whole
+docthor's shop in wan uv his traps, and if he hasn't got boracic
+ointment among his stuff, sure I'll think a mighty deal less uv him.
+'Twill take a month or more, sorr, to heal all the wounds on this poor
+body; but we'll do it, plase God! and make a man of him yet."
+
+"He dies, O Lokolobolo?" said Mboyo, looking up yearningly into Jack's
+face.
+
+"No, Barnio says no.  He is very ill, but in a month he may be well,
+and Barnio says he is going to make a man of him."
+
+"Bolotsi O!  Bolotsi O!" cried the negro, slapping his thighs.  "N'dok
+'olo aiyoko!"[1]
+
+He laughed and clapped his hands like a child.
+
+"It was Pat that showed me where Samba was," said Jack to Barney.
+"Nando was tied up in a hut with him--he must have been captured with
+dear old Uncle--and the wretch saved himself by burning his ropes
+through and left Samba to perish in the flames.  Pat dragged me to the
+spot."
+
+"The darlint is worth his weight in gold," cried Barney delighted.
+"That's twice he has saved Samba, sorr.  Black men and white men are
+brothers, or ought to be, and there's niver a doubt that dogs are
+cousins at the very least.  And beggin' your pardon, sorr, I'll take a
+pleasure in kicking Nando whin I get a look uv him.  'Tis a little
+military discipline he needs, to be sure."
+
+"You can give him that in the fort.  And by the way, you'll find a lot
+of rifles here; the enemy either hadn't time to get hold of them or
+else threw them away.  Arm some of our spearmen; they can tell the
+muzzle from the stock at any rate, and if any attempt is made to rush
+the fort they could do a good deal of damage at close quarters.  And
+keep scouts out.  We don't know the exact whereabouts of Van Vorst's
+main body, and it won't do to risk anything.  But I hope you won't have
+any trouble."
+
+Bidding Barney farewell, Jack called up Makoko and Lingombela, and sent
+them out with orders to discover the exact position of the flotilla,
+and to return at daybreak.  An hour afterwards, with a hundred and
+fifty picked spearmen, sixty rifles, and a body of carriers with food
+for three days, he began a night march to the river.  He himself was
+unable to walk.  His wound was becoming more and more painful, but he
+had said nothing about it to Barney, being resolved not to spare
+himself while anything remained to be done to complete his work.  Four
+men, relieved at frequent intervals, carried him in the litter of which
+he had made such effective use to gain an entrance to the enemy's camp.
+This time, he thought with a smile, there was no pretence about it.
+
+He guessed that Van Vorst's flotilla would be found about half way
+between Ilola and the spot where Mr. Martindale's canoes had been
+hidden.  It was one day's march across country, a much longer distance
+by the river.  For some hours he followed the path on which his uncle
+and he had been escorted by the Askari.  The recollection of that march
+brought sad thoughts to his mind.  Lying in the litter amid his men, as
+the column wound its slow way along the forest track, the red glare of
+their torches throwing weird shadows around, he had plenty of time for
+melancholy reflections.  The incidents of his uncle's last days were
+burnt into his memory.  He remembered the drawn, wasted features, now
+pale with exhaustion, now bright with the hectic flush of fever; the
+quick uneasy breath; the slow labouring voice.  He remembered the tale
+of persecution and wrong.  More than all he remembered the earnest,
+passionate words in which the dying man had bequeathed to him the cause
+of the Congo natives, and besought him to use his utmost strength on
+their behalf.  "Dear old Uncle!" he thought; "I am trying to do what
+you would have wished me to do.  I can't do much; this is only a small
+corner of the plague-ridden country; how many thousands of poor people
+are without even such help as I can give!  But it will be something if
+only the few hundreds in Ilombekabasi can regain and keep a little of
+their former happiness; and Uncle would be pleased; he is pleased, if
+he knows."
+
+Then the other side of the picture stood out sharply to his mental
+view.  He saw the fleeing crowds of the enemy; the jammed gateway; the
+camp enclosure strewn with dead and wounded.  Once or twice, even, his
+marching column came upon wounded men, too weak to crawl away into the
+bush, and he could do nothing for them.  This terrible loss of life,
+this misery--was not this too due to the evil government of a monarch
+who, far away, in wealth and luxury and ease, spoke with two
+voices--one the voice of beneficence, benignity, zeal for peace and
+good order; the other the voice of greed, avarice, the callous demand
+for riches even at the price of blood?  "Botofe bo le iwa!  Rubber is
+death!"--the woful proverb haunted him like a knell: death to the
+dwellers in this well-favoured land, death to the minions of the power
+that oppressed them, death to those who, like his uncle, dared to make
+a stand for freedom and found themselves engulfed in the whirlpool of
+injustice and wrong.
+
+As Jack approached the river, these gloomy thoughts gave way to the
+necessities of the moment.  Lepoko, leading the column, announced that
+the river was very near.  Then Jack ordered the torches to be put out,
+and the men to creep forward even more silently than they had already
+done.  Had news of the storming of the camp been carried, he wondered,
+by fugitives to the flotilla?  Since they had left the direct path to
+the river and struck obliquely towards it there had been no sign of
+fugitives.  He supposed that the scared enemy had kept to the route
+they knew, and would follow the river bank until they reached the
+canoes.  This involved many extra miles through the winding of the
+stream, unless the flotilla had come farther up than he thought was
+likely.
+
+The principal danger was that some of Elbel's scouts, knowing the
+country better than the majority of the garrison, might already have
+taken the short cut Jack was now taking and would reach the flotilla
+before him.  There were two white officers in charge; they might set
+off at once to the relief of their superior and reach the fort while
+Jack was still absent.  Would Barney be strong enough to hold out
+against them?
+
+The march was continued with brief rests throughout the night.  Shortly
+after dawn a man sprang panting out of the thicket to the right of the
+path, and hurried to Jack's litter.
+
+"O Lokolobolo!" he cried, "I have news!"
+
+Jack saw that it was Lofundo, sub-chief of Akumbi.
+
+"It was in the smoke and the flame, Lokolobolo.  I saw Elobela, with
+fear in his face, climb over the fence and rush out into the night.
+After him I sprang--I, and Bolumbu, and Iloko, and others.  It was
+Elobela, the cruel, the pitiless!  After him, into the night! but first
+Iloko tired, then Bolumbu, then the others.  I, Lofundo, I did not
+tire; no; was it not Elobela whose men ill-used and slew my people and
+burnt my village, and who with his own hands flogged my son?  I ran and
+ran, hot on his trail, and in the morning light I came up with him, and
+saw him with fear in his face; and I had my knife; and now Elobela is
+dead, yonder, in the forest."
+
+"Is it far, Lofundo?"
+
+"A little march in the forest, Lokolobolo."
+
+Jack had himself carried to the spot.  There, beneath a tree, covered
+with felled branches and leaves to protect it from beasts, lay the
+stark body of Guillaume Elbel.  Jack could not help pitying the wretch
+whose zeal in an evil cause had brought him to so miserable an end.
+But as he thought of the misery this man had caused--the ruined homes,
+the desolated lives: as he remembered his uncle, lying in his lonely
+grave, and Samba, lacerated by this man's cruel whip, pity froze within
+him.
+
+"Cover him up," he said.
+
+He waited while his men buried Elbel, there at the foot of the tree.
+
+"Let us go!" he said; "we have work to do."
+
+When Jack's column, according to Lepoko, was still an hour's march from
+the river, Lingombela, one of the advance scouts, came back with a
+negro in his grasp.  He had captured him, said Lingombela, as he was
+running from the river into the forest.  Jack questioned the man
+through Lepoko.  He said that his name was Bandoka, and he had been a
+paddler in Mutela's flotilla, and had suffered many times from the
+chicotte; he showed the marks on his back.  Just after daybreak several
+men had come rushing madly into the clearing on the river bank where
+the soldiers of Bula Matadi had halted for the night.  There was great
+confusion in the camp.  He had heard it said among the paddlers that
+there had been a fight up the river at the Inglesa's fort, and that the
+men of Elobela had been badly beaten.  The paddlers had already heard
+the name of Lokolobolo.  The fugitives said that Mutela was sorely in
+need of help, and the white officer had at once started up the river in
+swift canoes, with most of the fighting men, leaving the rest to follow
+with the carriers.  In the confusion attending the departure of the
+force with three days' stores, Bandoka had contrived to slip away into
+the forest.  He would rather brave anything than endure further service
+with Bula Matadi.
+
+Jack's first thought on hearing this news was that it simplified his
+position.  The Congo officers had two days' journey before them; it was
+strange if he, with his lightly equipped force of men thoroughly
+acquainted with the country, knowing the short cuts through the forest,
+the fordable places on the river, could not do much to impede and
+harass their advance.  But on subsequent reflection a still bolder
+course suggested itself to him.  Was it possible to cut off the main
+body from its stores?  The fighting men under their white commander had
+already started up the river; the stores would follow more slowly;
+Jack's line of march would strike the river at a point between the two
+portions of the enemy's force.  If he could capture the stores, would
+he not have the main body at his mercy?
+
+"How many fighting men are left to escort the canoes?" he asked.
+
+"Him say no can tell.  He run away plenty soon; plenty much nise, all
+talk one time."
+
+In the absence of precise information Jack could only conjecture.  The
+news brought by the fugitive from Elbel's camp was such that a force
+despatched in support would probably consist of at least two-thirds of
+the available combatant strength.  The officer must be aware that a
+body of men that could defeat Elbel with his seven hundred mixed troops
+could scarcely be met with less than two hundred and fifty rifles.  No
+doubt he would expect to be joined by some of Elbel's men; the full
+magnitude of the disaster would hardly be known; and like any other
+white commander he would be inclined to discount the alarmist reports
+of the fugitives.  It would be safe to assume, thought Jack, that not
+more than a hundred rifles had been left with the stores.  How many of
+the paddlers were also fighting men, how many impressed like Bandoka,
+it was impossible to guess.
+
+"Bandoka is sure the white officers are not coming through the forest?"
+he asked, as the bare chance of meeting them occurred to him.
+
+"Sartin sure, massa.  Dey come in boats.  Bandoka he fit to paddle in
+white man's canoe.  'No, no,' he say; 'me no like dat.  White man lib
+for go too fast; me know what dat mean; dat mean chicotte!'  Den he run
+away, sah."
+
+"Well, I wish I knew a little more about the men with the stores."
+
+"Know plenty more one time," said Lepoko, pointing ahead.  "Dat am
+Makoko."
+
+Makoko, a scout in a thousand, had brought just the news Jack most
+desired.  He had counted the fighting men on the canoes: there were a
+hundred and ten with rifles and more than two hundred with spears.  On
+each cargo canoe there was a rifleman--to encourage the paddlers,
+thought Jack.  The flotilla had just started when Makoko left the
+river, at least two hours after the main body had left.  One white
+officer had gone with the swift canoes, a second remained with the
+stores.  The line of boats was headed by two large war canoes, each
+containing twenty riflemen besides the paddlers; and two similar canoes
+similarly manned brought up the rear.
+
+It was clear to Jack that the enemy was doing everything possible to
+hasten progress.  But the canoes were heavily laden, and the paddlers
+had the stream against them.  Meanwhile Barney must be warned of the
+approaching expedition.  Jack was not anxious about the fate of the
+fort.  Behind the walls Barney's hundred and twenty riflemen and three
+times as many spearmen could easily hold their own.  The enemy's
+machine gun, a deadly weapon in the open, would be of little use
+against stone walls.  So, confident in Barney's ability to sit tight,
+Jack sent Lingombela back through the forest to give him timely notice
+of the troops coming towards him by the river.
+
+The arrangements made by the officer in charge of the convoy of stores,
+as reported by Makoko, were well enough adapted for progress through a
+country in which the natives, even if hostile, were armed only with
+bows and arrows or spears.  By keeping in mid-stream the canoes were
+practically out of danger from the banks, and an enemy on the water
+could be effectively dealt with by the leading canoes, carrying a
+strong force of riflemen armed with Albinis.  The similar force acting
+as a rearguard discouraged any tendency on the part of the crews of the
+store-boats to bolt down stream.  And each canoe had a forest guard
+ready with a chicotte to stimulate the paddlers' zeal.
+
+Jack felt sure that by setting an ambush at a suitable point he could
+produce a panic among the guards and paddlers almost as effectual for
+his purpose as the panic in Elbel's camp.  But he had a not unnatural
+shrinking from such a course.  An ambuscade--concealing oneself to
+shoot another man down--went against the grain with him.  He knew that
+it was fair by all the rules of warfare, and warfare had been thrust
+upon him by the State troops.  But he preferred if possible to attain
+his end by other means, involving the minimum of bloodshed and
+suffering.  The scenes in Elbel's camp and in the forest were too fresh
+in his memory for him to court a repetition of this wholesale
+destruction, even of the savages who wore the uniform of King Leopold.
+
+The disposition of the enemy's forces suggested a plan whereby his end
+might be gained with little or no serious fighting.  If the plan failed
+there still remained the alternative of an attack in force on the
+long-drawn-out line of the flotilla.
+
+He had noticed, when coming up the river to Ilola with his uncle, that,
+about half a day's paddling from the flotilla's point of departure, the
+channel was divided by a small island.  Only on the near side was the
+river navigable at this season, even by canoes; on the other side the
+channel was wide but shallow, thickly beset by sandbanks.  By striking
+to the left and taking a short cut through the forest known to Makoko,
+the river bank opposite this island could be reached in two hours' hard
+marching.  There would still be a good margin of time to make all
+necessary arrangements for carrying out his plan before the head of the
+convoy came into view.  The men had already had a couple of hours'
+rest; the worst of their fatigue after the night march was gone; there
+was now no time to be lost, and Jack gave the order to move off under
+Makoko's lead.
+
+Before midday the troops were halted opposite the island, a
+lozenge-shaped eyot about a third of a mile in length and a hundred
+yards across, covered with rank vegetation and patched with one or two
+clumps of large trees.  On reaching the spot Jack left his litter to
+superintend the men's work, in spite of his stiff leg.  He posted
+scouts in each direction, up and down the river, to guard against
+surprise, then set the men to cut a large number of tough creepers
+which abounded in the forest, and by twisting and knotting the tendrils
+to make a rope about eighty yards long.  While this was being done with
+marvellous speed by the expert negroes, a few saplings were uprooted
+and lashed together to form a raft, too slight indeed for serious
+navigation, but strong enough to convey a few men at a time across the
+river.  When the rope was finished one end was taken across to the eyot
+and firmly secured to one of the large trees; the other end was left
+for the present loose.  The place where the rope entered the water on
+each side was carefully screened from view, and a few stones attached
+to it at intervals sank it beneath the surface of the stream.
+
+Jack directed the work untiringly, encouraging the workers with praise.
+
+"Bravo!" he cried, when all was done.  "Now we'll have some chop,
+Lepoko."
+
+"Plenty hungry, massa," returned the man.  "Men all want to know
+somefing, massa."
+
+"Well, what is it?"
+
+"Dey say: 'Lokolobolo make us do plenty fings.  What for?  We lib for
+do anyfing for Lokolobolo; no fit to know what for.'  Dat am what dey
+say, sah."
+
+Jack smiled.
+
+"Well, Lepoko, I'll tell you in confidence, and I know it won't go any
+further.  We're going to see an exhibition of swimming."
+
+"Me no like big talk like dat," said Lepoko, looking puzzled.
+
+"Here's little talk, then.  Men no want to swim; we want to see them
+swim.  Savvy?"
+
+"Me know all 'bout dat, sah," cried Lepoko delighted, and he went off
+to tell the men, Jack smiling at their satisfaction with an explanation
+that explained so little.
+
+The whole force had a meal, keeping almost perfect silence in obedience
+to an impressive order from Jack.  They were concealed within the
+forest fringe.  When the meal was finished a dozen men with rifles were
+sent across to hide themselves amid the vegetation on the island, and
+all waited with rifles ready.
+
+Presently the scout from down stream came running up with the news that
+the leading canoes of the flotilla were approaching a bend in the river
+half a mile below the eyot.  The paddlers, who had apparently had a
+meal and a rest, were sending the canoes along at a good rate.  Jack
+bade twelve of his men grasp the rope of creepers, and stand ready to
+pull when he gave the word.  There was dead silence among the troops.
+They heard the enemy drawing near--the songs of the paddlers, the
+chatter of the fighting men, occasionally a yell as the chicotte fell
+with stinging force upon a paddler's back.  Jack watched from his coign
+of vantage in the bush.  There were the two war canoes as Makoko had
+described them; in the second of them was a white officer.  They passed
+the eyot.  Then came the store canoes, one after another, keeping about
+the same distance apart.  Jack forgot to count them, for he was beyond
+measure delighted to see in one of them the shield of the machine gun.
+"What luck!  What tremendous luck!" he thought.  "Where the shield is
+the gun is sure to be."  The last of the store canoes passed.  Then, at
+a little longer interval than separated the store canoes, came the
+first war canoe of the rearguard, the second about a boat's length
+behind.  Jack signed to his twelve men to be ready.  Watching carefully
+the point at which the rope entered the water and the point on the
+opposite side where it reached the eyot, he waited for the first of the
+war canoes to approach the line.  The nose of the vessel was within two
+or three yards of the rope when he gave his men the signal.
+
+With desperate energy the twelve sturdy negroes hauled on the rope.
+Jack could not have timed the movement more fortunately.  As the rope
+became taut and rose to the surface it struck the bottom of the canoe
+about a fourth of its length from the bow.  The united pull of the
+twelve men lifted the forepart of the vessel bodily from the water; the
+stern dipped under, and in a moment the canoe filled and its occupants
+were struggling in the water.
+
+At any other time such a feat would have provoked yells of triumph from
+the performers.  It was a tribute to Jack's discipline that his men
+made no other sound than a grunt of satisfaction, which must be
+entirely smothered by the shouts of the men in the water.  And at a
+word from Jack they rushed at full speed down stream with the rope,
+holding it a few inches above the gunwale level of the last canoe, the
+crew of which were frantically back-paddling to escape the mysterious
+fate of the other.  But the paddlers had not got into their swing when
+the rope, stretched tight between the fastening on the eyot and the
+running men, overtook them.  It caught them about the knees; they were
+swept from the thwarts, and fell towards the opposite bank; and the
+sudden weight on the starboard side turned the canoe completely over.
+Not half a minute from the time when Jack gave the first sign the whole
+of the rearguard was out of action.  In mortal dread of crocodiles the
+men swam desperately for the banks, some on one side, some on the
+other; but as they landed they fell an easy prey to Jack's men, and
+were promptly hauled into the forest and tied up.
+
+But while they were still in the water the news of the disaster had
+been communicated with marvellous rapidity from canoe to canoe, and
+reached the head of the flotilla and the white officer.  Standing up
+and lifting his field glass to his eyes he could just see, over the
+intervening vessels, a capsized canoe, a number of men swimming in the
+river, and others moving on the bank.  There was no sign of the cause
+of the disaster.  The paddlers indeed were shouting "Lokolobolo!
+Lokolobolo!" in accents of terror; but the name appeared to convey
+nothing to the lieutenant, who was disposed to attribute the upset to a
+hippopotamus or a snag.
+
+Certainly it was causing a great deal of confusion in the flotilla, and
+some of the paddlers, the rearguard being removed, seemed inclined to
+turn their canoes and head down stream.  It was very annoying.
+Shouting to the men in the leading war canoe to paddle just enough to
+keep their vessel stationary against the stream, the lieutenant hurried
+to the scene of the accident.  On the way the shouts of the paddlers
+became more coherent; what was this they were saying?  Ilombekabasi?
+Absurd!  But it was as well to prepare for anything that might occur,
+so the officer ordered his men to be ready to fire when he gave the
+word.  At present he saw nobody to fire at.
+
+His canoe was going rapidly on the current towards the eyot when a
+volley flashed from the undergrowth on the right bank, and he heard the
+shots strike the side of his vessel.  The effect of the discharge at a
+range of only thirty yards was instantaneous.  Jack had ordered his men
+to aim at or near the waterline; not a man had been hit; but the
+paddlers waited for no more.  With one accord they sprang overboard and
+swam for the nearest shore, that of the eyot.  One or two of the
+soldiers replied to the volley, aiming hap-hazard at the bank; the rest
+awaited the order of their officer, who, however, was either dazed by
+the unexpected attack or unwilling to waste ammunition by aimless
+firing into the bush.  The boat meanwhile was drifting down the stream:
+a second volley bored another score of tiny holes in the thin side.
+The occupants were without paddlers or paddles; they had no means of
+beaching the vessel; and Jack, watching her progress, felt that it was
+only a question of minutes before, riddled like a sieve, she would have
+shipped enough water to sink her.  Then the occupants, officer and men,
+would share the fate of their comrades.  He sent Makoko with twenty
+rifles and twice as many spearmen to the nearest point where the
+hapless party might be expected to land; and at the same time he
+despatched a band of the same size up river to deal with the war canoe,
+which had by this time gone out of sight.
+
+In a few minutes the lieutenant and his men struggled one after another
+up the bank.  Those who retained their weapons were unable to use them,
+for they were dripping wet.  Jack's men dealt with them as with the
+others, leaving the white officer, however, unbound.  Him they led to
+Jack, who commiserated the crestfallen man on his unfortunate plight,
+and promised him excellent treatment if he made no attempt to escape.
+
+For some time Jack's party had made no further effort to conceal
+themselves.  The store canoes had been moving aimlessly about the
+river, the paddlers not knowing whether to go ahead or to retreat.  At
+Jack's bidding Lepoko now ordered them to beach their vessels,
+promising that Lokolobolo would protect them, and, if they pleased,
+would take them into his service.  They obeyed with alacrity, and soon
+the whole of the stores and the machine gun were in Jack's possession.
+He wondered why the latter had not been taken up the river with the
+main body, and questioning the officer, learnt that in the haste and
+confusion one of the parts of the gun could not be found, and but for
+the delay in searching for it he himself would have arrived an hour or
+more earlier.
+
+The capture of the convoy had been effected so quickly that Jack felt
+there might still be time by a forced march to reach the fort before
+the arrival of the enemy's main column.  Hastily selecting from the
+stores such food and other articles as he urgently needed, and taking
+care to bring with him the machine gun, he made instant preparations to
+return.  He placed Makoko in charge of the flotilla, with a body of
+thirty riflemen and eighty spearmen, ordering him to drop down the
+river half a day's paddling and await further instructions.  He
+arranged for a chain of messengers to keep up communication between
+Makoko and himself; then he set out with the bulk of his force for
+Ilombekabasi, sending a scout to order the men who had gone up river to
+join him across country as soon as they had captured the only remaining
+canoe.
+
+
+
+[1] Now I am well.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+Summons and Surrender
+
+Two days after, on a strip of open ground half-way between Ilombekabasi
+and Elbel's ruined camp, a group of six negroes were assembled.  Three
+of them were in the uniform of the State troops; the other three were
+Lepoko, Imbono, and Mboyo.  All were unarmed.  In the midst of the
+group were two rough chairs such as were used by native chiefs.  The
+southern wall of Ilombekabasi was thronged with men, women, and
+children eagerly surveying the scene; lower down the hill the State
+troops, in a rude encampment hastily constructed on the previous day,
+were drawn up in orderly ranks, and gazed north with equal intentness.
+
+All at once a great cry of "Lokolobolo!" rent the air, and floated down
+the hill from the fort to the camp.  No answering shout met it.  But an
+officer in white left the camp and walked slowly up the slope.  At the
+same time a tall figure in tattered garments of European cut limped out
+of the fort, and moved downwards.  The group of negroes fell apart as
+the white men arrived.  The latter touched their helmets in military
+salute; and the younger of the two smilingly motioned to the elder to
+seat himself on one of the chairs, he himself taking the other.  They
+sat facing each other, and the negroes moved a few paces back on each
+side.
+
+The two men formed a strange contrast: the one, a tall slim young
+fellow not yet nineteen, his bronzed face clean shaved, showing firm
+well-cut lips and an obstinate kind of chin; his nose prominent, his
+brown eyes large and searching, his hair black as night and somewhat
+unruly; not a handsome face, but a strong one, worth looking at twice
+and not easily forgotten: the other nearly as tall, but much broader
+and more stiffly built; some ten years older; lips and chin concealed
+by thick brown moustache and beard, blue irritable eyes blinking
+through big spectacles under fierce and shaggy brows.
+
+"Instead of replying to your summons to surrender, Monsieur Jennaert,"
+said Jack slowly in his best French, "I thought it better to meet you,
+so that we might clearly understand each other.  I am obliged to you
+for so readily agreeing to my proposal."
+
+The Belgian bowed.
+
+"Yours, monsieur, is the third or fourth summons of the same kind.
+Monsieur Elbel summoned us----"
+
+"Where is Monsieur Elbel, monsieur?"
+
+"Monsieur Elbel, monsieur, is dead."  Lieutenant Jennaert started.
+
+"Dead, monsieur?"
+
+"Yes, he was pursued into the forest by a man whose son he had
+thrashed, whose relatives his men had maimed and butchered, whose
+village he had burned.  The man killed him.  Well, as I was about to
+say, Monsieur Elbel summoned us more than once.  At first he was much
+stronger than we were, both in arms and men.  But when he began to back
+his summons by force of arms he failed,--more than once.  As you know,
+four days ago we captured his camp for the second time and dispersed
+his troops, largely with the aid of rifles which had once been his."
+
+"Yes, I know that," said Lieutenant Jennaert somewhat impatiently.
+"But Monsieur Elbel was not a trained soldier, and his men were only
+forest guards.  I did not come to hear of your exploits, monsieur, but
+to receive your surrender.  I am a soldier; my men are State troops;
+the case is different."
+
+"Quite so, monsieur.  I appreciate the difference between his men and
+yours.  But you will pardon my pointing out that you are in a far more
+critical position than Monsieur Elbel before his camp was stormed."
+
+"You think so, monsieur?" said the officer with an amused smile.
+"Would it be indiscreet to ask your reasons?"
+
+"Not at all.  I wish to be entirely frank.  It is to the interest of us
+both."
+
+"Assuredly, monsieur."
+
+Lieutenant Jennaert's smile was now quite indulgent.  He was at first
+inclined to be peremptory with this young man, who appeared to presume
+on the victories he had obtained over a Company's official, and a
+captain taken at a disadvantage, and never particularly competent, in
+his subordinate's opinion.  But the young fellow was certainly very
+polite; why not humour him by letting him talk?  So Jennaert smiled
+again.  The other continued--
+
+"Well, monsieur, what is the position?  Take mine first.  You see
+before you a fortified camp, difficult of approach, as Monsieur Elbel
+could have told you, and as you can judge for yourself; well
+provisioned, and with a good water supply; garrisoned by four hundred
+or more well-armed men--all now provided with Albinis or Mausers, and a
+machine gun."
+
+The officer started.
+
+"A machine gun?"
+
+"Yes--a machine gun."
+
+"Monsieur Elbel made no mention of a machine gun."
+
+"No, it is a new acquisition.  But if you would like to assure yourself
+on the point I can convince you."
+
+The officer hesitated.  Jack turned to Lepoko.
+
+"Run up and tell Mr. Barney to show the big gun on the blockhouse."
+
+Lepoko ran away.
+
+"It is very hot, monsieur," said Jack pleasantly.  "The rains, I am
+told by my friends the chiefs here, are long overdue.  I am afraid you
+would have found your journey rather more difficult if it had been a
+little later, with the river in flood.--Ah! there it is!"
+
+A number of men had hoisted the gun on to the edge of the parapet, in
+full view of the group below.
+
+"You see, monsieur, we are well provided.  A machine gun, you will
+admit, is even more useful within walls than without.  Now as to your
+position.  You have under your command some three hundred men
+trained--more or less.  Whether as a military force they are better
+than our men can only be decided if unfortunately you determine to put
+the matter to the test.  But consider your risks.  Two days ago we
+captured your stores."--The officer jumped.--"Your rearguard is in our
+hands, and that was your machine gun."--The officer stared.--"You are
+at least three weeks from your base, with perhaps two days' provisions
+in hand, no reserve of ammunition, and, as I said, the rains overdue.
+Yonder country, during the rains, is a swamp."
+
+Lieutenant Jennaert turned pale.  His messengers sent back to hurry on
+the dilatory convoy had strangely failed to return.  But recovering
+himself, with a feeble attempt to smile he said--
+
+"You are joking, monsieur.  You permit yourself a ruse.  Ah! ah!  I am
+not to be entrapped in that way."
+
+"Pardon me, monsieur.  You shall have the fullest assurance as to the
+truth of what I am saying.  Lepoko, ask Mr. Barney to send out the
+white officer."
+
+The Belgian was now looking very uncomfortable.  This was a strange
+turning of the tables; his summons to surrender had been completely
+forgotten.  Jack had no need to kill time by keeping up the
+conversation, for in a minute or two the lieutenant captured in the
+river left the fort under an armed guard and walked quickly down.
+
+"Beuzemaker!" exclaimed Lieutenant Jennaert under his breath.
+
+"Yes, monsieur--Monsieur Beuzemaker."
+
+Lieutenant Beuzemaker smiled ruefully as he joined the group.  He gave
+a rapid narrative of the capture of the convoy.
+
+"It only remains, therefore," said Jack, "for you to decide upon your
+course, monsieur.  May I make you a proposal?  You shall surrender your
+arms and ammunition except a dozen rifles.  I will supply you with
+canoes to take your men down the river, and provisions for a fortnight.
+Within ten days you should enter a district where more food can be
+obtained.  As you know, the country hereabouts has been made almost a
+desert by your people."
+
+But this was too much.  Was it he, Lieutenant Jennaert, who was being
+called upon to surrender?  He rose in a fury.
+
+"Never!  The thing is absurd!  Monsieur, I take my leave.
+Beuzemaker!----"
+
+He stopped, biting his lips.
+
+"Monsieur Beuzemaker is my prisoner," said Jack suavely, rising.  "He
+will accompany me back to my camp.  Of course, if you accept our terms,
+we will release all the prisoners."
+
+The Belgian turned away in a rage.  The meeting broke up; the two
+parties went their several ways.  Jack, as he walked back to the fort,
+hoped that on thinking the matter over the officer would see the wisdom
+of compliance.  The alternative was starvation.  He must see that it
+would be no easy matter to storm the fort, and that Jack had only to
+sit tight for a few days.  The State troops, none too well disciplined
+at the best, would soon be clamouring for food.  With a starving
+soldiery, an active well-fed enemy on his rear, and a swarm of scouts
+cutting off his foraging parties, he must see the impossibility of
+making his way back through several hundred miles of country inhabited
+by tribes only waiting an opportunity to rise against their oppressors.
+So that when Barney met him as he re-entered the fort, and asked
+eagerly, "Well, sorr, and did the patient swallow the pill?" he smiled
+as he shook his head, saying--
+
+"Not yet, Barney.  But he _will_ swallow it, bitter as it is."
+
+"Or his men will swallow him, bedad!"
+
+And a few hours later a negro soldier marched up the hill with a white
+flag.  Lieutenant Jennaert's note was very brief.
+
+
+MONSIEUR,--
+
+J'agree vos conditions.
+
+JENNAERT,
+  _Lieutenant dans l'armee de l'Etat du Congo_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+The Dawn of Freedom
+
+It was a fortnight later.  Ilombekabasi was the scene of great
+activity.  Gangs of negroes were busy carrying, hauling, stones of all
+shapes and sizes from the dry bed of the stream that once flowed past
+the fort; other gangs were building a wall above the original northern
+wall of the fort, a few yards beyond the spring whence the water supply
+was derived.  On the cultivable land on the west and east men and women
+were digging, ploughing, planting, hoeing, for in some parts seed sown
+only two weeks before was already sprouting.  Barney O'Dowd
+superintended the mason work, sporting a red fez taken from one of the
+slain Askari and dry-cleaned by a process of his own.  In his mouth was
+his old short clay pipe, in which, after long deprivation, he was
+smoking a mixture made by himself from tobacco grown on a bed in front
+of his hut.  It was not shag, he said, nor twist, but it made a betther
+smoke than cavendish, and sure 'twould give a man a little comfort till
+the rale thing could be grown.  The agriculturists were directed by
+Imbono.  An air of cheerful industry pervaded the whole settlement.
+
+When the State troops under Lieutenant Jennaert had disappeared, Jack
+determined, after a breathing space, to enlarge the fort and to plant
+new crops.  The enlargement was prompted not merely by the wish to have
+the source of the water supply within the wall, but by the expectation
+that the defeat of Bula Matadi would cause an increase of the
+population.  And, in fact, within a week of Jennaert's departure,
+natives from distant parts to which the news had penetrated came
+flocking into Ilombekabasi to join the community which looked up to
+Lokolobolo as its invincible chief.
+
+Looking round upon the cheerful faces of the people; observing their
+willingness to work, and eagerness to please; watching the happy family
+life they led when unmolested and free from anxieties, Jack felt that
+his toil had not been in vain, and was immeasurably glad that
+Providence had laid this charge upon him.  If only his uncle had lived
+to see this day!
+
+Jack found that his feelings were shared by Mr. Arlington and his
+friend the missionary.  They had awaited the issue of his hazardous
+enterprise with more anxiety than they cared to admit, and while they
+hailed his success with cordial congratulations, they were scarcely
+less troubled about the future.  The Congo State could not permit this
+leaven of revolt to spread; it would certainly organize an
+expeditionary force of sufficient strength to crush Jack and his
+people; and then would not their lot be infinitely worse than it had
+ever been?
+
+"Even so we shall have had some months of happiness, and set an
+example," said Jack, talking things over with his friends the day
+before they left Ilombekabasi.  "But I hope for better things.  We may
+have the rains upon us any day now; the country for miles around will
+be one vast morass; we shall be safe in our castle for six months,
+perhaps.  And what may not be done in six months, Mr. Arlington?"
+
+"You mean?"
+
+"I mean if you and Mr. Dathan will hurry home and tell what you have
+seen and know.  Mr. Arlington, you are no longer a member of
+Parliament, I believe?"
+
+"No.  The House of Commons is no longer what it was."
+
+"Surely it is what men like you choose to make it, sir.  If you would
+go home, stand at a bye-election, and return to the House, what an
+immense influence a man with your record might wield!  Do you know what
+I would do in your place, sir?  You do not mind my speaking out?"
+
+"Not a bit.  I am deeply interested."
+
+"Well, sir, I would badger the Foreign Secretary; I would move the
+country until England moved the world."
+
+"Go on the stump like Gladstone?"
+
+"Why not, sir?  Isn't the cause of the negroes every bit as good as the
+cause of the Bulgarians or Macedonians or Armenians?  Nay, ten times
+better, because they're more helpless and suffer under a Christian
+King!  And you would succeed, sir."
+
+"I haven't Gladstone's power of moving the masses."
+
+"What does that matter?  The facts don't need any eloquence to back
+them, sir.  I don't mean that you are not eloquent," he added with a
+smile.  "I haven't heard you speak, but I have read your speeches; and
+if you tell what you have seen here, the country must listen, and
+something will surely be done.  Why, if you go to my old school and
+speak to the fellows in the schoolhouse, I'll back there's not a boy
+there but will want to rush off here by the first train, to lend a
+hand!"
+
+"Upon my word, Mr. Challoner, I think you'd better come back with us
+and do the stumping yourself."
+
+"No, no," said Jack, his face flushing.  "I cannot leave these people.
+My place is here, and here I'll stick until I'm driven out, or until
+Leopold is brought to book."
+
+"Well, I'll do what I can.  I promise you that.  Perhaps I've ploughed
+the lonely furrow long enough.  What do you say, Dathan?  Shall we join
+hands in this?  We rowed in the same boat at Trinity; we kept the head
+of the river.  This boat's rather low down now, but d'you think we
+could make a bump?"
+
+"We'll make a shot for it, George.  And please God, we like Bishop
+Latimer, will light such a candle in England as shall not be put out
+until this wrong is crushed and right is done."
+
+Jack felt more than satisfied.  If his countrymen had not grown
+strangely deaf, surely they would listen to these two--ay, and do more
+than listen.
+
+"You leave to-morrow?" he said.
+
+"Yes.  My leg won't carry me yet, but with a canoe and a litter I can
+make shift to get along until we reach the Nyanza.  Can you lend me an
+interpreter?"
+
+"Lepoko is a good fellow.  I think I can spare him now.  We'll see what
+he says."
+
+He sent for the man, and explained that he wished him to accompany the
+travellers during the first part of their journey.
+
+"Me plenty sorry, massa," said Lepoko.  "Me no fit to go.  What for?
+Me comfy heah!  No lib for go talk talk for nudder massa.  What for?
+Nando go to Boma with old massa; what den?  He come back, get cotched,
+chicotte, feel plenty bad.  No, no, sah; Lepoko know all 'bout dat.
+Lepoko go long long, do anyfing for massa; he lib for lub Lokolobolo,
+no nudder massa dis time.  Why, me hab got wife in Ilombekabasi; what
+for leabe wife?  No good at all; dat what Bula Matadi make black man
+do, leabe wife, leabe pickin, go 'way all 'lone 'lone.  Make black man
+sick inside, sah; feel awful bad.  No, no, I tell massa.  Nando go.  He
+know Inglesa plenty fine; he hab no got wife; he die of shame 'cos he
+leabe Samba in fire hut; no one lub Nando now.  Oh yes, sah!  Nando go:
+me tell him one time."
+
+After this breathless speech, Lepoko ran off to find his brother.
+Nando at first was by no means disposed to leave the fort on so long
+and hazardous a journey.  But at last he was persuaded, though on
+bidding Jack good-bye he said earnestly--
+
+"Me nebber, nebber, nebber lib for hab nudder brudder what talk
+Inglesa: oh no!"
+
+One afternoon a few days after this, one of the look-outs on the
+south-eastern blockhouse reported that he saw a crowd of people
+emerging from the forest a couple of miles away.  Hurrying to the spot,
+Jack took a long look through his field-glasses and made out that the
+approaching throng was composed of natives, men, women, and children,
+the women being laden with babies and bundles.  When the crowd came
+within earshot of the fort, a negro stepped forward, and, lifting his
+hands to his mouth, vociferated--
+
+"Yo!  Yo!"
+
+"Answer him, Lianza," said Jack to the man of the brazen throat.
+
+"I am here," shouted Lianza.
+
+"Is that Ilombekabasi?"
+
+"It is Ilombekabasi."
+
+"And Lokolobolo?"
+
+"And Lokolobolo."
+
+"I am Lokua.  My chief is Makole.  We come from Limpoko to see
+Lokolobolo."
+
+"Lokolobolo says that Makole and Lokua may enter, but no more."
+
+"I am going."
+
+"Are you going?"
+
+"O!"
+
+The negro returned to his company, who were now squatting in a series
+of circles just above the site of Elbel's ruined camp.  He presently
+returned with a negro in chief's array, a head taller than himself.
+
+The two negroes were admitted.  Makole stood before Jack, a bundle of
+palm leaves in one hand.  They exchanged greetings.
+
+"I am proud to see Lokolobolo," said Makole.  "I come from Limpoko.
+All my people have come with me, my four wives, my children, all my
+people.  We have heard of the great things done by Lokolobolo in
+Ilombekabasi, and how he beat Elobela and Mutela and other servants of
+the Great White Chief who eats up the black men.  We come to ask
+Lokolobolo to let us be his people.  I am Makole, the chief; I have
+four wives and many children; but I say I will be Lokolobolo's servant;
+all my people shall be his servants, if he will take us into
+Ilombekabasi and let us live in peace."
+
+"Why do you wish to leave Limpoko?" asked Jack.
+
+"We do not wish to leave Limpoko.  But what can we do, O Lokolobolo?
+The rubber is done; we have no more of it; day by day the servants of
+the Great White Chief beat us and kill us because we cannot fill our
+baskets; Limpoko will soon be a wilderness.  We come before we are all
+gone, and we beg Lokolobolo to hear our entreaty."
+
+"Shall we admit Makole?" asked Jack of Imbono, who had come to his side.
+
+"Makole is a tall man, a great chief.  We will be blood brothers and
+live together."
+
+"You may bring your people in, Makole.  But I warn you it may not be to
+live in peace.  We have offended Bula Matadi; Bula Matadi will come
+with a great host to destroy us.  All who live in Ilombekabasi must not
+look for ease and peace, but for work and war.  Your people must share
+with the rest; they must build their own huts, till the fields, repair
+the walls, learn to scout and to fight in our way.  It is not peace,
+Makole."
+
+"I praise Lokolobolo!  I trust Lokolobolo!  I will do all he says, and
+my people shall learn all that he teaches," cried the chief, slapping
+his thighs.  Then, unwrapping the bundle of palm leaves, he displayed a
+shrivelled hand, and said--
+
+"This is my gift to Lokolobolo."
+
+"What is this, Makole?" asked Jack, shuddering.
+
+"It is the hand of Boloko, who whipped us and killed us, who can say
+how many?  We met him as we came through the forest, and my young men
+killed him, and I bring his hand to Lokolobolo to show that he is dead,
+and will trouble us no more."
+
+"But we do not deal with our enemies thus," said Jack.
+
+The chief looked surprised.
+
+"It is the way of the servants of the Great White Chief," he said.
+"They kill us, and cut off our hands, and take them to their chiefs,
+and the chiefs are pleased and pay brass rods for them.  I thought
+Lokolobolo would be pleased."
+
+"Lokolobolo is Inglesa," said Lepoko.  "It is only Bula Matadi that
+pays for the hands of black men.  Give it to Mboyo; he is Boloko's
+brother.  Boloko hated Mboyo,  he hated Samba; Mboyo will be pleased."
+
+"Bury it at once, out of sight," said Jack, "Bring your people in,
+Makole.  Lepoko, take him to Mr. Barney; he will show him where to
+build his huts."
+
+All Ilombekabasi flocked to the gates to see the entrance of this new
+contingent.  They came in laughing, singing, dancing, the mothers
+eagerly asking where was Lokolobolo that they might point him out to
+their little ones.  But Lokolobolo was not to be seen.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+Conclusion
+
+Jack had turned sadly from the sight of this joyous entry, and made his
+way towards the largest of the huts--the hut built for Mr. Martindale.
+There Samba lay--had lain since Barney, with a woman's tenderness, had
+carried him from Elbel's camp to the beloved Ilombekabasi which he had
+thought never to see again.  Little indeed he saw of the fort and of
+what was passing there as he lay, day by day, on his simple bamboo bed;
+for though his wounds slowly healed, not all the loving care lavished
+upon him by his parents and by Barney, who spent every spare hour at
+his bedside--not the constant companionship of Pat himself--brought
+back strength to his slowly wasting form.
+
+Still, he was always cheerful.  The ready smile lit up his face as
+Lokolobolo appeared in the narrow doorway.  Barney rose as Jack entered
+and made room for him at the head of the bed.
+
+"How are you now, Samba?" asked Jack, taking his hand.
+
+"Better, master, better," answered the boy, his voice scarcely audible.
+
+"That's right.  Getting a little appetite, eh?  Must eat, you know, if
+you're to grow strong."
+
+"See my _kwanga_," said the mother, coming forward.  "He eats no more
+than a bird."
+
+"It is nice, mother; I will eat more by and by.  I am so tired now."
+
+"Poor little fellow!  You are in no pain?"
+
+"No, master, no pain; only tired."
+
+"Cheer up!  You will feel better in the morning."
+
+He pressed the boy's hand and turned to leave with Barney.  At the door
+Mboyo overtook him.
+
+"He will not go yet to the Great Spirit, O Lokolobolo?" he whispered
+anxiously.
+
+"We cannot tell, Mboyo.  All we can do is to tend him well.  Hope for
+the best."
+
+"Poor bhoy!" said Barney as they went away; "'tis mighty little betther
+he is, sorr, I'm fearing.  'Twould tax the strength uv a horse to get
+over it, widout docthors an' all."
+
+As they walked across the camp, here a man, there a woman, paused in
+their work to ask Lokolobolo how Samba was.  Children came up--Lofinda,
+for whom Samba had shaped a tiny gun; Lokilo, proud of his little
+fishing-rod, Samba's gift; Isangila, wearing a necklace of dried maize
+he had made for her--and asked shyly when Samba would come out and play
+with them again.  Some brought offerings of food specially prepared,
+delicate fish and rare fruits, the choicest spoil of forest and stream
+for miles around.  Everybody loved the boy; and Jack loved him with a
+particular affection.  Over and above his winning ways, Samba stood for
+so much to Jack, who, in thoughtful moods, seemed to see him as the
+spirit of the negro race, the embodiment of all that was best in the
+black man, the representative of millions of his kind, helpless pawns
+in a royal game of beggar my neighbour.  It was Samba whose woful
+plight had first brought home to his heart the terrible realities of
+the rubber slavery; it was Samba who had been the means of founding
+Ilombekabasi; to him was due the torch of freedom lit at last in this
+stricken land--a torch that Jack, in his heart of hearts, dared to hope
+would never be extinguished.  Surely the conscience of Christendom was
+awakening!  Pray God the awakening came not too late!
+
+
+A great silence lay upon Ilombekabasi.  To a stranger beyond the walls
+the place might have seemed deserted, so still it was, with none of the
+cheerful bustle that marks the beginning of a new day.  Men and women
+were gathered in little knots; they talked in whispers; some were
+sobbing; the eyes of most were dim with tears.  Even the children were
+subdued and quiet; they forgot their play, staring at their elders with
+puzzled, solemn eyes.  Why was the world so sad to-day?  Was it because
+Samba was going away?  Surely he would come back to them; he had come
+back before.
+
+Samba was leaving Ilombekabasi.
+
+Four persons stood by the little bamboo bed.  At the foot a dog
+crouched, whimpering.  Father and mother bent in mute agony over their
+son; Lukela, the fountain of her tears dried through long weeping,
+hovering above her boy as though by sheer power of love to guard him
+from the dread visitant already at the threshold; Mboyo rocking himself
+to and fro in the abandonment of sorrow.  And the two white men bowed
+their heads in silent sympathy and grief.  They knew that the end was
+very near.
+
+Jack felt a great lump in his throat as he gazed at the still form,
+lying with outstretched arms, too weak to move.  Poor little fellow!
+Was this the end of the bright young life, so full of promise?  He
+thought of the days of health, when the boy with happy face went hither
+and thither, eager to do some service for his beloved master, no matter
+how hard or how perilous.  He thought of the dangers Samba had faced
+for his parents' sake, and the brightness he had brought into their
+lives and the lives of hundreds of his people.  He thought with agony
+of the terrible scene when Samba, rather than say a word to the undoing
+of those he loved, had endured the tortures inflicted by the inhuman
+agent of a detestable tyranny.  And now the end was at hand!  The
+blithe spirit was departing, the poor body done to death by the greed
+of a Christian King.  "Botofe bo le iwa!  Rubber is death!"  The words
+rang in Jack's ears; would they were the knell of this despotism, this
+monstrous "system" that bought wealth with the price of blood!
+
+The end came soon.  Samba moved his hand, and turned his eyes, and
+murmured "Pat!"  The watchers barely caught the word, but the dog
+sprang up, and went to the bed, and nestled his head on the boy's
+shoulder.  Samba murmured his pleasure, a happy smile lit up the brave
+young eyes, and then the light faded, and went out.  Samba had left
+Ilombekabasi.
+
+They buried him next day in the forest he knew and loved so well, with
+the ceremonies of his people, and as befitted the son of a chief.
+
+All the people of Ilombekabasi, men, women, and little children,
+followed him to the grave.  They laid by his side the few possessions
+of the boy--his rifle, his knife, his tin, his wooden spear.  And some
+of his comrades, Makoko and Lingombela and Lianza and Lepoko, fired a
+salute over him and left him there among the trees.
+
+That night, sitting in Jack's hut, Barney talked of the past and the
+future.
+
+"Poor ould master came here for gold, sorr.  All the gold in all the
+world is not worth little Samba's life.  Whin the master looks down out
+uv Paradise and sees the people here, I know what he'll say, just as if
+I heard 'm.  He'll say: 'I was niver a philanthrophy, niver did hould
+wid that sort uv thing.  But I'm rale glad that bhoy uv mine wint out
+wid me in time to make a few poor black people happy.  Poor craturs!
+God bless 'em!'  Sure, sorr, black people have got their feelings--same
+as dogs."
+
+
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+_Butler and Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London_
+
+
+
+
+
+
+JUST PUBLISHED
+
+_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
+
+
+One of Clive's Heroes
+
+A STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR INDIA
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.
+
+The Headmaster of Harrow: "I have read it and think it a very good
+book.  The historical accuracy is really wonderful in a romance, and
+the local Indian colour well preserved.  Mr. Strang is to be
+congratulated."
+
+Athenaeum: "An absorbing story....  The narrative not only thrills, but
+also weaves skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our
+fierce struggle for India."
+
+Aberdeen Free Press: "Mr. Strang may congratulate himself on having
+achieved another superlatively good story."
+
+Guardian: "An excellent tale.  Mr. Herbert Strang's care and accuracy
+in detail are far beyond those of the late Mr. Henty, with whom it is
+the fashion to compare his work, while he tells a story infinitely
+better."
+
+Christian World: "A book from Mr. Herbert Strang is now as regular and
+welcome an event as in former days were Mr. Henty's yearly volumes.
+_One of Clive's Heroes_ will thrill many a young heart during the
+Christmas holidays.  Sound history and thrilling romance."
+
+Lady's Pictorial: "When in doubt what to buy for a boy, or boys, for a
+Christmas gift, choose Mr. Herbert Strang's _One of Clive's Heroes_."
+
+Church Times: "Boys are fortunate indeed to have found in Mr. Strang a
+worthy successor to their old friend, the late G. A. Henty."
+
+Notts Guardian: "'The successor to Henty' is a title that needs living
+up to; but Mr. Herbert Strang, upon whom it has been conferred, richly
+deserves it."
+
+Educational Times: "Far better than Henty."
+
+Education: "A splendid book for boys.  We used to think that no one
+could take Henty's place; and we feel certain that no one will ever be
+able to take Mr. Strang's."
+
+Saturday Review: "Herbert Strang tells a story as well as Henty told
+it, and his style is much more finished."
+
+
+HODDER AND STOUGHTON
+
+PUBLISHERS LONDON
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+JUST PUBLISHED
+
+_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
+
+(HERBERT STRANG'S FIRST HALF-CROWN BOOK)
+
+Jack Hardy
+
+OR, A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.
+
+Bookman: "A story about a gallant young middy could not have a more
+alluring sub-title than 'A Hundred Years Ago.'  On his way to join the
+_Fury_ the gallant midshipman discovered a hotbed of smuggling at
+Luscombe, and unearthed a spy of Napoleon's.  Jack's first fight with
+the smugglers ended disastrously, and he soon found himself in a French
+prison.  Thence he made a daring escape, recaptured the _Fury_, and
+picked up a fine prize ship on his way back to Portsmouth.  The
+characters in the story are drawn with originality and humour,
+especially that fine seaman Babbage....  Finally Jack triumphs all
+along the line, and his gallantry is rewarded by his appointment to
+join the _Victory_.  Boys will expect to hear more of Jack Hardy, and
+of what he did at Trafalgar."
+
+Athenaeum: "Herbert Strang is second to none in graphic power and
+veracity....  Here is the best of character sketching in bold outline."
+
+Speaker: "A greater than Henty."
+
+School Guardian: "Mr. Herbert Strang fills in stories for boys the
+place of the late Mr. Henty."
+
+Tribune: "Herbert Strang's former books 'caught on' with our boys as no
+other books of adventure since Henty's industrious pen fell from his
+hand."
+
+Dublin Express: "It has become a truism to say that the mantle of Henty
+has descended to Herbert Strang, and indeed in some respects Mr. Strang
+surpasses Henty."
+
+
+HODDER AND STOUGHTON
+
+PUBLISHERS LONDON
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Kobo
+
+A STORY OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
+
+Athenaeum: "In Kobo, Herbert Strang has provided much more than a good
+boys' book for the Christmas market.  Whilst readers of _Tom Burnaby_
+will not be disappointed of an ample meal of stirring adventures and
+hard war fights, readers of a more serious turn will find an excellent
+picture of Japanese life and character, ... not to mention some vivid
+sketches of modern naval warfare."
+
+Spectator: "An excellent story, such as one might expect to have from
+the author of that capital book, _Tom Burnaby_....  'With a Japanese,
+duty comes inexorably first.'  This, indeed, is the key-note of the
+whole story.  This principle of action dominates Bob's friend, and it
+dominates the story."
+
+Saturday Review: "Last year a new name of great promise appeared in the
+list of writers of boys' books.  This year the promise shown by Mr.
+Herbert Strang in _Tom Burnaby_ is more than borne out by _Kobo_ and
+_Boys of the Light Brigade_....  He shares the late Mr. Henty's
+knowledge of history and war; he is less encyclopaedic in his
+descriptive methods perhaps than was Henty, though he gives the same
+air of verisimilitude to his chapters by means of maps and charts ...
+he has an admirable style, and a sense of humour which he handles with
+the more effect because he never turns a situation into broad farce."
+
+Academy: "For vibrant actuality there is nothing to come up to Mr.
+Strang's _Kobo_."
+
+Daily Telegraph: "This vivid story owes not a little of its
+attractiveness to its many picturesque touches of local colour."
+
+Pall Mall Gazette  "Mr. Herbert Strang, whose splendid story, _Tom
+Burnaby_, proved so brilliantly successful last year, has written
+another that will rank as its equal for vivid interest."
+
+Westminster Gazette: "An adventure story after a boy's own heart."
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Brown of Moukden
+
+Athenaeum: "Herbert Strang may be congratulated on another first-rate
+book....  Characterization is a strong feature, ... and Ah Lum, the
+literary chief of the brigands, is a memorable type."
+
+Spectator: "Mr. Strang has very rightly taken up again the subject in
+which his story of _Kobo_ achieved such a success last year....  The
+story is very skilfully constructed....  Of particular scenes we may
+single out for mention the episode of the railway train, ... a most
+effective piece of narrative....  The relief of humorous passages and
+situations has been given, and without stint....  Ah Lum, the
+spectacled brigand chief, with all the wisdom of Confucius and Lao-Tze
+at his finger tips, is a most amusing person....  _Brown of Moukden_ is
+certainly a success."
+
+Academy: "Related with the same spirit and intimate knowledge of the
+East that made _Kobo_ a marked success."
+
+Church Times: "The incident of the locomotive race down the Siberian
+Railway is, for breathless interest, the equal of anything we know of
+in the whole range of juvenile fiction....  The book will hold boy
+readers spellbound."
+
+Army and Navy Gazette: "When Mr. Henty died boys were disconsolate, for
+they had lost a real friend; but now we have Mr. Herbert Strang most
+capably taking his place.  He was welcomed as showing great promise in
+_Tom Burnaby_, but he did better in _Kobo_, that strong story of the
+earlier pages of the Russo-Japanese War, and now he has done better
+still in _Brown of Moukden_."
+
+Gentlewoman: "Mr. Herbert Strang may really be said to be the successor
+of the late Mr. Henty, and parents and others on the look-out for
+desirable boys' books must be grateful to him each year for an
+excellent story at Christmastide....  This is the literature we want
+for young England."
+
+Journal of Education: "Mr. Strang's former books have led us to expect
+great things from his pen, and these volumes prove him to be in the
+foremost rank of writers of boys' books.  They are thoroughly healthy
+in tone, full of stirring adventures; and in each case linked to
+history in a manner that is never oppressive, and adds considerably to
+the interest of the story."
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Boys of the Light Brigade
+
+A STORY OF SPAIN AND THE PENINSULAR WAR
+
+Spectator: "Mr. Strang's name will suffice to assure us that the
+subject is seriously treated, and a better subject could hardly be
+found....  Altogether a capital story."
+
+Professor Oman (Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford, and
+Author of _A History of the Peninsular War_): "Pray accept thanks from
+a historian for having got historical accuracy, combined with your fine
+romantic adventures."
+
+Outlook: "Let us be thankful for a boy's book really worth reading."
+
+Schoolmaster: "We have read this book with great interest and delight.
+More than four hundred pages of the most thrilling events are told with
+a marvellous fidelity to history."
+
+Standard: "It is a book which no boy will be able to put down when once
+started."
+
+
+
+
+The Adventures of Harry Rochester
+
+A STORY OF THE DAYS OF MARLBOROUGH AND EUGENE
+
+Academy: "_Tom Burnaby_ and _Kobo_--the best books of their
+season--have a worthy successor in _The Adventures of Harry Rochester_."
+
+Glasgow Herald: "Mr. Herbert Strang again displays all the qualities
+that attracted attention and secured for him such a brilliant success
+when he made his appearance two years ago as the author of _Tom
+Burnaby_....  We recommend it to all parents who want something
+thoroughly sound, as well as interesting, to put into the hands of
+their boys."
+
+Army and Navy Gazette: "The descriptive power and characterization are
+quite remarkable."
+
+Dundee Advertiser: "In some essentials, such as constancy in bold
+action, this well-studied and finely-coloured tale is superior to any
+written by the lamented Henty.  With the need of some one to take
+Henty's vacant place has come the man."
+
+
+      *      *      *      *      *
+
+
+BY HERBERT STRANG
+
+
+Tom Burnaby
+
+Field-Marshal Lord Wolseley: "It is just the sort of book I would give
+to any schoolboy, for I know he would enjoy every page of it."
+
+Sir A. Conan Doyle: "... I think it is a really excellent picture of
+African life."
+
+Mr. J. L. Paton, Head-master of Manchester Grammar School: "... It is
+worth reading and thoroughly wholesome.  I wish it all success."
+
+Dr. R. P. Scott, Secretary of the Head-masters' Association: "... I
+have read the book from cover to cover, and found it thoroughly
+interesting, vivid, healthful, and helpful.  I can cordially recommend
+it to boys, and will do so whenever opportunity offers."
+
+Pall Mall Gazette: "That splendid story _Tom Burnaby_."
+
+Educational News: "The stirring pages of _Tom Burnaby_."
+
+Literary World: "... Mr. Strang ... has put as much work into this
+story as one finds in a really good novel; the little bits of useful
+information that he sprinkles through it are palatable and readily
+digestible, and the 'atmosphere' (if one may mix one's metaphors)
+'rings true.'"
+
+Mark Lane Express: "... Mr. Strang has come to the front rank with a
+bound...."
+
+World: "... The tone of the story is excellent; manly and spirited, it
+cannot fail to rouse a response in a boy's heart."
+
+Financial News: "As a writer of stirring stories the author of the
+famous _Tom Burnaby_ stands in the front rank of those who devote their
+talents to the edification of the rising generation."
+
+School Government Chronicle: "Mr. Herbert Strang understands the taste
+and temper of the British public-school boy."
+
+Liverpool Mercury: "The record of his career deserved to be bound in
+leather and blocked on all sides with gold."
+
+Dundee Advertiser: "... as good as the plot is the way in which the
+author conveys a living impression of the region and its inhabitants."
+
+Glasgow Evening News: "... a masterpiece in the Henty manner."
+
+Englishman (Calcutta): "It is a book that every wholesome-minded boy
+will revel in, for it is alive with action and picturesque adventure."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Samba, by Herbert Strang
+
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