Part 17 (1/2)
”Me say talkee for you,” he observed, by which we understood that he had informed the king that he was our interpreter. He then had a long palaver with his majesty, who seemed well satisfied with what he heard.
The intentions of the king were, we found out from what Aboh said, to make us useful to fight his battles, to a.s.sist him in governing the country, and to perform any service which he considered white men capable of doing better than his own subjects. He, by some means or other, had been informed of our being in the country, and had made the attack on Quagomolo's camp, expressly for the purpose of getting possession of us.
”What has become of your king and the rest of your people?” we asked of Aboh.
”Him no killee, me tinke run 'way,” he answered.
”Things are not so bad as they might have been, so we ought to be thankful,” observed Charley; ”but still I am afraid that we are as little likely as before to be allowed to continue our journey.”
Our chief anxiety was about Tom Tubbs. We feared that King Quagomolo was not likely to set him at liberty, nor was it probable that he would deliver up our knapsacks, even should we send for them, for though he had hitherto behaved honestly towards us, we could scarcely expect that he would withstand the temptation of appropriating their contents under the uncertainty of our fate. Our first object then was to get Tom to rejoin us, and by some means or other to regain our property. Our knapsacks contained powder and shot, beads and trinkets, with which to pay our way, an extra pair of boots, and numerous other articles of the greatest value to us. We were already more than three days' journey from King Quagomolo's village, and so much on our way to the north.
Before lying down to sleep, we consulted Aboh on the subject. ”Berry bad, berry bad,” he answered, shaking his head, which he always did when he found a knotty point difficult to unravel. ”Me say de King Sanga Tanga--me go get odder white man and him goods. Suppose let me go, what say King Quagomolo? when him come, cut off him head me tinkee.”
”We don't want you to run that risk, Aboh,” said Charley, ”but still we wish you to find some other way.”
”Me tinkee, me tinkee, now go sleep,” answered Aboh, by which we understood that he would consider the matter and let us know the result of his cogitations in the morning. We accordingly, as he advised, wrapt ourselves in our cloaks which we had on when we were captured, and, taking our positions as near the fire as we could, tried to sleep. I observed that our captors kept a far more watchful look-out than had our former friends--indeed, from the little I had seen of them, they appeared to me to be a far more sagacious and keen-witted set than those we had left. They had good reason also to be on the watch, for they might at any moment be attacked by the followers of King Quagomolo, the larger number of whom had escaped, and who would very likely rally and attempt to recover their friends and us, and revenge themselves for the sudden and unprovoked a.s.sault made on their camp. Charley expressed a hope that such might be the case, and that we should then regain out liberty.
”I should be sorry for the bloodshed which would ensue, for our captors would probably fight desperately to detain us, and many on both sides would be killed,” said Harry, who was always more anxious to obtain an object by peaceable means than by force.
”There is no use talking about the matter,” said Charley, ”let us go to sleep and be prepared for whatever may occur. I'll sleep with one eye open, and be ready to rouse you up should there be a chance of our escaping, only take care that the black fellows do not steal our rifles, which perhaps they may attempt to do while we sleep, although they evidently look upon them with awe, or they would have taken them from us before.”
Following Charley's advice, we placed our guns by our sides, between us, with our hands upon them, so that we should be awakened should any one try to draw them away. I at length fell asleep, but I was continually fancying that something was going to occur; the camp, however, remained perfectly quiet, the only sounds heard within it being the snoring of the sleepers, and occasionally the shouts of the sentries as they called to each other.
Next morning at daybreak the whole camp was roused up by King Sanga Tanga, and the cooks set to work to dress the plantains which they had brought with them, and the elephant-meat which they had captured. A liberal portion was brought to us in a basket, but as the meat was already tainted, we preferred breakfasting on the plantains sprinkled with red pepper. We observed a dozen men or more with drawn swords standing near us as a guard to prevent our escape, though we were in no way molested. We looked about for Aboh, but he was nowhere to be seen, and without his aid we could not hope to make the king understand our wishes. I began to be afraid that he must have been removed from us, and carried away with the men of his village into slavery, or perhaps put to death.
”I don't think there's a chance of their killing him or any of the prisoners, when they can, by sending them down to the coast, obtain a good price for them,” observed Charley. ”If the king wants to make use of us, he will not wish to deprive us of our interpreter.”
The king now shouted out to his followers, and they began to make preparations for the march, still Aboh did not appear. The farther off we got from King Quagomolo's village, the less chance we should have, we thought, of recovering our property and getting Tom to rejoin us.
Charley, therefore, eagerly addressed the king, who pa.s.sed near where we were sitting, and tried to make him understand by signs what we wanted.
He scratched his head, but evidently did not understand either our signs or words. At last he spoke to one of his attendants, who hurried off and soon returned with Aboh, dragging him along by a rope fastened round his wrists. Poor Aboh looked very downcast. ”What's the matter?” asked Charley.
”Me try run 'way, and king bind him hands with odder prisoners.”
”I'm sorry to hear that,” said Charley, ”it would have been better not to have attempted it. Now, we want you to ask the king to let us go back and get our knapsacks, and our companion and we will faithfully return to him as soon as we have done so.”
”Me tinkee king no trust him,” answered Aboh.
”What! not trust an officer in the navy, and two other English gentlemen,” exclaimed Charley indignantly. ”Tell him then, that one of us will remain with him, while the other two, with a sufficient guard, go back, and say that we will return as soon as possible.”
”But 'spose King Quagomolo no let go,” suggested Aboh.
”Then let King Sanga Tanga say, that if we are detained, he will march a large army to liberate us.”
Aboh fully understood our wishes. He forthwith held a long palaver with the king. The result was more satisfactory even than we had expected.
He consented to send back Charley and me with twenty men as a guard, keeping Harry as a hostage, allowing Aboh to accompany us, under the promise, however, of returning.
Thanking the king for agreeing to our proposal we begged that we might set out immediately.
”Good-bye,” said Harry, ”I wish that we could have all gone together, but I know you will come back for me, and I do not see how it otherwise could have been arranged.”