The Brave African Huntress (11 page)

It was like this Ajantala was illtreating him until when I put the water in my mouth. As I was drinking it, Ajantala stretched his hand out from the hole of this tree again and as he was still pulling up the hairs of this old man's head as before, I saw his shadow in this water. Immediately I saw the shadow of his hand in the water, I hastily looked at the tree and I saw plainly that it was his hand. Without hesitation, I gripped it and I began to pull it but he could not come out. He was only
shouting
for pain. As I pulled his hand but he could not come out from this hole, then this old man ran to the other side of the tree and he saw the entrance of the hole there. Then I left his hand this side and I went to the other side as well.

When I joined the old man, willing or not we pulled him out. After that we beat him until when he confessed to us where he hid the old man's property which he had stolen from us when he hid inside the basket the other day. And we went there, we collected them, but he had sold all the household utensils and some clothes. After that we continued to roam about while Ajantala still lay helplessly on the ground because we beat him too much and we believed before we left him that he would die after a few minutes. That was how we got some of this old man's property back from Ajantala.

But we did not aware that after a few days Ajantala became well and then he started to look for us just to take this old man's property from us at all costs. Of course, we did not believe that if even he became alive again he would be ever attempted to do so again.

Immediately we took the rest of this old man’s property from the place in which Ajantala hid them we continued to travel along as hastily as we could so that we might be able to find a suitable place on which to build another hut and again we feared greatly as we were carrying this old man’s property about. Because we believed that there were still many “forest burglars” like Ajantala in this forest, and it was not safe still if we did not build a hut and keep the property in it in time. But we could not find out a suitable place till one day when we came to the farm from which I took yams, corn and big guord the other day when this old man was seriously ill.

When we came to this farm, I explained to this old man that it was from that farm I took yams, corn and guord when he was ill. So when we came there we took some yams, we made fire near the halve part of it on which big guords were planted. We put these yams inside the fire to be roasted. But when they were roasted enough and when we were about to start to eat them after their backs had been peeled off. There we saw
unexpectedly
that one of these big guords which was not so far away from us, began to roll itself on the ground towards the spot that we sat before the fire. And as we were still looking at it with great fear and embarrassment, we heard that it was singing as well, thus—“The guord is driving them away! The guord
is driving them away! The guord which has no hands! The guord which has no feet! But the guord is driving them away! And if the guord can overtake them, will kill them! The guord will eat them!”

Immediately we heard this fearful song again from this guord, we began to run away for our lives. But to our surprise, as we were running away furiously it was so this guord was rolling and chasing us along. After a while this old man was feeling tiredness but I was still pushing him with hands as I was
running
along, so that this fearful guord might not be able to overtake us because “not one whose head a coconut is broken will wait to eat it” he would die of headache at once.

And with great fear we did not know when we ran to a
distance
of about two miles and this guord did not attempt to go back from us and this old man was so tired that he was going to fall down soon and I too were so tired that I was unable to be pushing him along with hand any longer this time. This rolling and talking guord was indeed “a style which I had never seen in my life”, because as he was chasing us along it was so it was singing this fearful song which was so fearful to us that even if it killed us at once without singing this song it was far better.

Luckily when this old man and I were entirely powerless to be running along, we saw a river. This river was very big, wide and deep as well. Its bank was very steep. So when we saw it at a distance of about four thousand yards, we began to run to it at the same moment and to our surprise this guord was still following us. Immediately we ran to it, we hastily entered one canoe which was tied with a rope to a tree which was on the bank. We hardly cut the rope when we began to paddle it along on this river. But as the tide of this river was very strong so the canoe could not move as fast as we wanted it to move. And after a few seconds it was unable to go forward
but the tide was pushing it here and there and again as we were in this fear all the property of this old man fell into the river and the tide carried them to the bank at the same time.

As the canoe was still doing so, this rolling guord was seen rolling down the steep bank and when it nearly to reach the river, it hit a rock and then broke into several pieces. To our surprise was that when this guord broke, it was Ajantala who came out from it. He stood up at the same time and he began to scold at us, he was throwing stones at us and he was laughing at us funningly. But when it revealed to us this time that it was Ajantala, who was inside the guord and who had been singing and driving us to kill all the while, we became so much angry that we started to paddle the canoe back to the bank perhaps we would be able to catch him. But alas, the strong tide did not allow the canoe to go to the bank direct, but it swerved to the direction where the tide was stronger instead.

We wondered greatly when it was Ajantala who came out from this guord when it broke. Because we did not know how he managed to enter into it and again it was a great surprise to us as he had been rolling along together with it as if it was somebody who had been pushing this guord along.

When he was quite sure that the canoe would sink if we force it to come to the bank. He picked up all of this old man’s property which were scattered all over the bank and then he tied them into one bundle. But when this old man saw him as he tied them together and he was preparing to carry this bundle away. He told me that willing or not, we must force the canoe to the bank at once, so that we might take his property (bundle) back from Ajantala. But as we were forcing the canoe to go to the bank carelessly, we did not aware when it ran to the strong tide and then it sank suddenly. So he swam to where Ajantala was and I too swam to the other bank without my wish. The old man was entirely tired before he could swim to where
Ajantala stood on the bank and I was entirely tired as well before I could swim to the other bank of this river where there was a jungle.

But before he got out of the water to the bank, Ajantala had carried his property away. It was like that Ajantala, the “forest burglar”, stole this old man’s property away for the second time. Now, I stood on the other bank, I could not swim back to him and he too could not swim to me. So we were looking at ourselves with great sorrow. At last when we did not know what to do before both of us could be together as before, I waved hands to him for a few minutes and then I bade him good-bye with sorrow and tears which were rolling down from my eyes. When he looked at me till when I disappeared in this jungle, then with great sorrow and tears, he left the bank of this river for that forest. It was like that this old man, who took great care of me as if he was my father, and I departed from one another without our wish.

Now, I came back to this Jungle of the Pigmies. The jungle which I had left without my wish when the fearful boa constrictor, the “snake of snakes”, wanted to swallow me the other day. This day which I came back to it was “The Day of Immortality” which was Sunday. Immediately I discovered that it was the Jungle of the Pigmies, I was greatly shocked with fear. Because I believed that no doubt, I came back to the usual troubles. Especially when I remembered that there were no gun, cutlass, the cudgel, etc., with me with which to defend myself as before. And I did not know the real part of this jungle in which I put them before the “snake of snakes” had attacked me the other day. Although when I remembered that this day was “The Day of
Immortality
” I did not fear so much again. Of course there might be some troubles for me later on but there was no fear of death at all.

However, I was travelling along in this jungle confusely. And I wondered greatly that I did not travel so far from the bank of this river when I saw a rough track. Again I did not travel so far on this track when I saw about ten pigmies who were travelling on this track towards me. We saw one another at the same moment. As I had no any weapon with me with which to fight them, so I hastily picked some pebbles from the ground and after that I began to run away for my life. But as they had recognized me at the same time that I was the huntress
who had ruined their town. So they began to chase me to catch. A few minutes after they scattered in the jungle so that they might be able to catch me.

When I believed that if I continued to run along like that they would catch me at all costs, so I climbed a tree to the top and I hid there. After a few minutes they travelled to this tree. They surrounded it without hesitation and then they were expecting that I would come to them soon without knowing that they were there already. Of course, they did not see me on top of this tree until after a few minutes when one of them raised his head up and he saw me on top of this tree. But when he was about to tell the rest that I was on top of the tree, I hastily threw one of the pebbles at him and it hit him on the left eye so hardly that he fell down suddenly. When the rest saw him did so they scattered away with fear, because they did not know what happened to him.

A few minutes later, they came back, but that one whom I stoned had already died. When they saw that one of them was stoned to death they became so wild at this time that they started to look at the top of every tree and inside of every hole which was in this spot. After a few seconds they saw me as I cast down on top of this tree. They hardly saw me there when one of them was greedily climbing the tree from the bottom, he was coming up to catch me. Again when he nearly to reach where I was, I threw another pebble at him and it hit his forehead. He fell down and he began to shout greatly for pain. It was so I was killing them one by one until they remained two. Having seen this again, the rest two began to stone at me continuously. But when I believed that they would stone me to death soon if I did not find my way to escape. I jumped down suddenly and before they attempted to catch me I started to run away.

Within a few minutes they caught me. After they beat me mercilessly for some minutes, they said that they would not
kill me at the same time but they would take me to their new town when they would do that before the rest of their people. Then they cut slender sticks. Each of them held more than two of these sticks. After that they arranged themselves into a single line and they put me in the middle. Then after they put a very heavy stone on my head and they tied both my arms
backward,
we started to travel along on this track. Whenever I fell down the whole of them would beat me mercilessly with that sticks for some minutes before we would continue our journey.

After we travelled for some hours I began to feel hunger badly but they did not give me anything to eat. Of course they were eating the ripen fruits which they were picking along this track and they were drinking water whenever we travelled to a river but they would not allow me to drink from this water at all. As we were travelling along it was so they were adding more to the load which was on my head so that it might be heavier than what I could carry. After a while, when I could no longer afford this non-beating and as the load was too heavy for me to be carrying it along any longer, I began to groan. By this time I fed up to be alive any more. At last when this sorrow was too much for me I begged them to kill me at once but they refused. They told me that they would take me to their new town and the rest of their people would see me before they would kill me.

It was like that I was still groaning along this track till we came to the place that they were living at about six o’clock in the evening. The place which these pigmies lived this time was in the crevice of the rock which was in a dark part of this jungle. The place was so dark that if they themselves did not follow me I would not know that they were living in there.

When we travelled further in this crevice of the rock we came to a part of it which was flat and there was light and that was
their new town. Before we came to that place they nearly beat me to death because I fell down several times.

Immediately the rest of them saw me they came and were surrounded me. After those who caught me explained to them how they caught me and they explained to them as well that I had killed a number of them before they could catch me.
Everyone
of them began to push my nose with fingers and was saying—“Yes, she is this. She is the very lady who had nearly killed the whole of us before she ruined our former town.” As they were pushing my nose and mouth with their fingers, the heavy stones which were on my head fell down and they hit one of them who died after a few minutes. Having seen this again, the rest became more angry than ever. And then the whole of them beat me to their satisfaction before they tied me to a tree. After they tied me to this tree with a strong rope with the hope to kill me the following morning, they went back to their houses. Of course it was this time it revealed to me that these pigmies were still living in this jungle, although they were not more than two hundred in number.

As I was tied down there it was so I was thinking in mind how I would cut the rope so that I might be escaped before the following morning. Because if I failed to do so before the morning, no doubt these pigmies would kill me. After a while it came to my mind to be biting a part of this rope little by little until when it would be cut into two. So I kept this plan in my mind. And when I believed that they had slept then I began to bite a part of it. But it was about two hours before I could cut it because it was very strong and thick.

After I cut it to two I tried to loose the half of it which was in my neck away but I could not do it. When I believed that if I continued to do so, I would not be able to loose it away until the morning then I started to go away cautiously while the remaining of this rope was still in my neck. But when I was
about to leave there their dogs woke from sleep and they were barking at me repeatedly.

As I was still going along in this clumsy rock these pigmies woke when they heard that their dogs were barking. When they went to that tree and they did not see me there, they started to chase me at the same time. But as they had already accustomed to travel in a clumsy crevice of the rock as this one, so I was unable to go far before they saw me at a little distance from them. But they could not catch me till I came out from this rough rock entirely and then I hastily climbed to the top of a tree, I hid myself there.

After a while they rushed out to the jungle, they were going here and there perhaps they might see me but they did not see me. After they passed through this tree to another part of the jungle, I looked at every part of the jungle but it was very dark. After I thought in mind to which part of it should I travel so that these pigmies might not see me and I never knew yet. It came to my mind suddenly that probably they might see me on top of this tree when they were coming back. So I hastily came down from it and at the same time I began to travel cautiously along to another part of the jungle. Although I could not travel so fast for both fear and hunger had forced me to become mad.

As I was going along, whenever I heard the noise made by the collision of two trees, etc., I would be startled at the same time and I would lie down for some minutes before I would continue to go along because I thought these pigmies were coming to that direction. And it was so I was dashing to trees and stumps or rocks several times but for the fear of these pigmies I would not be able to wait and take care of myself.

As I was still going along zigzag in this darkness, I travelled to a spot, the small plants of this spot were shaking. Having seen it like that I stopped and I lay down quietly. I thought it were the pigmies who were coming to me. But at last I saw that it
were two snakes who were fighting on this spot. Although it was midnight this time, I could not see them clearly so that I might tell their names but as they were shaking every plant of this spot showed me that they were big snakes. As I lay down before them quietly and with great fear so that they might not attempt to bite me, I was waiting for them to go away and then to continue to go along. But instead to go away they were still fighting and biting themselves until when they were tired. I believe that this would be a great surprise to hear that I as a huntress feared to approach snakes. Yes, it must be so, because when there are no gun-powder and shots the gun becomes a mere stick. All my fighting weapons were still on the place which I put them before I was attacked by the “snake of snakes” the other day.

When I saw that they were tired I took one heavy stone and I beat them to death with it. Then I held both of them and I continued to go along. When I travelled further, I stopped, I sat down on a big dried wood, and as I was resting it was so I was thinking of the past troubles, how the present would be, how the future would be and how I would be able to get fire with which to roast these two snakes before I would eat them. As I was still thinking in mind like that I did not know when I fell asleep after I loosened the rest rope away from my neck. And before I woke it was in the morning. I could not say what woke me, whether it was the hunger or the heat of the sun which had already shone to everywhere.

After a while, as I still lay down on this wood, I felt pain of hunger in my stomach. This pain was so much that I must turn my left loin to the right. When I did so, there I saw that a very big snake was already puckered closely to my head and several coiled round the trees which were near me and uncountable of them lay on the ground before me as well. All of them raised their heads up and they were looking at my eyes as if they were
told to be keeping watch of me so that I might not run away or to stand up from this wood. But I believed that if I dare attempted to stand up and run away for my life they would bite me. Even I had no more power to run or to fight with any creature this time. And to my fear the biggest one of these snakes lay on a part of my cloth and I was so feared that I could not pull the cloth away from it. Of course it revealed to me after a while that this area was the home of the snakes and all kinds of the reptiles.

As I lay down, on this wood and as they were looking at me very fearfully, I began to sweat and I was trembling with great fear of not being killed by them. Especially the biggest one of them which puckered very closely to my head and fixed its eyes staringly at me. But at last when they did not attempt to go away and again it came to my mind this moment that perhaps these pigmies were still looking for me and perhaps they would come to this area soon. So without hesitation I sprang up and then I began to run away for my life while I still held those two snakes which I had killed in the night before I came to this spot. As I sprang up and I began to run away, these snakes scattered at the same time and they were ready to bite me. But when they saw that I was running away from them they were chasing me along.

I was greatly surprised and feared that as I was climbing the hills and rocks just to hide myself from them it was so they were following me and were driving me away from there. Whenever I climbed a tree they too would climb it and without
hesitation
I would come down when they were about to bite me. It was like that these snakes were still chasing me about until when I was tired. But as they did not go back from me in time, I ran to the bank of the river on which I put my gun, cutlass, hunting bag, etc. before I was attacked by the “snake of snakes” the other day. And I did not run so far on this bank
when I ran to where I put them. Without hesitation I took the cutlass and the poisonous cudgel and I began to beat these snakes to death. Within a few minutes I nearly killed the whole of them. Having seen this the rest of them which still coiled round my body ran away. It was after I freed from them it revealed to me that they attacked me in respect of two of them which I had killed in the night.

Then I went back to where I put the rest of my things. I took them, after that I went round there and I found a big hole which was under a big rock. I swept all the refuses which were inside it away. I put all my things in it. After that I made fire and I roasted those two snakes and I ate some of them at the same time. Having rested for a few minutes, I checked all my things and they were correct. But the gun-powder which was inside the gun before I left the jungle, was already wet together with the chamber of the gun. So I washed the chamber with water and within one hour that I hung it near the fire, it was dried. Then I loaded it with new gun-powder and shots and then I was waiting perhaps those pigmies would come so that I might shoot them to death, because I did not fear them again for I had got my fighting weapons.

It was like that I found out my usual “shakabullah” gun, etc. But the following morning, I took my gun, etc., and then I began to find the fearful boa constrictor (“snake of snakes”) about. It was this “snake of snakes” had attacked me the other day. After I travelled for a while I came to the same spot that which he was when he attacked me the other day. But I did not see him immediately I came to this spot. And as I wanted to kill him at all costs this morning, so I began to find him about. After a while I travelled to a big rock which was near the river which had been carried me away the day that he attacked me. There was a huge hole under this rock. The hole of this rock was through to the river. And as the refuses which were at the
entrance of it were parted to both sides, I believed that it was his home.