The Brave African Huntress (8 page)

The more I was serving my master, the chief keeper,
satisfactorily
the more he was liking me, because after I had buried the gun-powder all over the ground of this custody I was serving him far better than before so that he might not beat me to death. But at last my joy was excessive, because as I was so careful in drinking his drink before and he did not suspect me at all, I did
not do so this time, for I had already indulged myself with the drink in such a way that one morning, immediately he went out for inspection I went to the room in which his drink was kept. Then I carelessly started to drink it. But to my fear he came back to the office unexpectedly, he forgot something which he came back to take, and he met me in that room as I still put the tumbler in my mouth.

In the first instance he did not believe his eyes, then he entered the room just to make sure whether it was I. But when he entered the room and he saw clearly that I was drinking from his drink. Without hesitation he took the whole of me off the floor and he threw me from this room to the outside of the office. My head and back were so hit by the stone which was near there that I fainted at once.

Having done so he rang the bell for three times and about ten pesters came in. He ordered them to take me to the custody and beat me to death at once. But as these ten pesters were taking me to the custody it came to my mind this moment to stop to breathe entirely as if I was already dead and if I did so these ten pesters would not take any trouble to beat me but they would go and throw me to the place that they used to throw their deads and before they could do this they must carry me out of the custody and I believed that once I came out of this custody I would be able to ruin these pigmies.

Luckily when I stopped to breathe, these pesters thought that I was already dead on the way to the custody and by that they did not attempt to beat me but they told one of the captives to carry me and they escorted him to where they used to throw dead bodies and they threw me there as a dead person. After they had returned to the custody I stood up and I thanked God greatly for I came out of this custody safely, but I must not be so happy yet because I never knew whether my plan to ruin the whole of these pigmies would be successful or not.

As that place was smelling badly I hastily went to a little distance from there and I hid myself in the darkness of the cup of the rock which was the wall of this town. And again I must not go to the town at the same time or if I did so and if one or more of these pigmies saw me they would take me back to the custody and if it was so, this chief keeper would still beat me to death. That was how I came out from this custody with a trick, but the gun-powder which I had buried everywhere in this custody was not yet caught fire until when I left there. I was very lucky that this day that I left there was “The Day of Immortality” which was Sunday.

As these pigmies were now in danger it was so for me as well, because if my plan did not succeed or if they overpower me it was very dangerous to me as well because they would kill me, for I would not be able to run out from their town because the wild animals, etc., which were on the road to this town would kill me as well.

I hid myself in this place for two days and I thought well how I would be able to take my gun, hunting bag, the poisonous cudgel and the wonderful head of the animal back from the palace of the king of the pigmies. After I had killed the animal the powerful light of its eyes was still alive and was still
reflecting
powerfully, so I had been wearing the skull of this animal as my helmet and it was helping me greatly before it had been taken from me by the pigmies.

It was later on before I remembered to be going to the town every midnight and stealing the food from their kitchens. So when it was the midnight and when I was quite sure that the whole of them had slept, I went to the town, I was entering their kitchens and I was looking for food. But I entered several kitchens without seeing food or edible thing. And as I was going from one kitchen and to another their dogs saw me and as I was too curious to them, because I was taller than their owners so they started to bark at me repeatedly.

At last when I saw that I did not see food from any of these kitchens and as I wanted to try more but these dogs wanted to suspect me to their owners, then I knelt down, I began to walk with my knees. When I did so, I became as short as a pigmy and these dogs stopped to bark at me this time as before, because I then seemed as one of the pigmies. And I searched many of their kitchens before I saw a small roasted meat which was hung near the fire. So as from that night whenever I was going to the town in the midnight I was not walking on standing again but with my knees and this persuaded these dogs that I was one of the pigmies. And I believed this night that indeed this town of the pigmies was one of the towns in which the domestic animals were surplus, perhaps the inhabitants had no teeth.

One midnight, as I was going about in this town, I came to the palace of the king in which my gun, etc., were kept when all were taken from me the other day. And as I had noticed the part of the ceiling of the palace in which all were kept the very day that I was brought from the jungle. So after I hesitated for a while and I saw that all the people in this palace had slept deeply. Then I hastily climbed this ceiling. Luckily I met all there and I took them at once. But when I came down and as I was leaving the palace I smashed a part of the king’s arms and he woke at the same moment. He looked right round but he did not see me, for his eyes had already dimmed and he could not see well of course I could not say whether he was once a tailor who had been too old in tailoring work and had had no money with which to purchase a spectacle. And I was very lucky as he was in this condition or if he had the clear eyes and if he caught me there was no doubt I would be killed at once.

Immediately I came out of the palace I ran back to where I was hiding. It was like that I got all my things back.

In the following midnight I put this wonderful skull on my head as if it was an helmet, I hung my hunting bag and cutlass
on my shoulder and I held the gun and the poisonous cudgel. After that I went to the centre of the town. The light of the eyes of this skull was so powerful that it was seeing everywhere in the town.

As there were several deep large wells in the centre of the town in which these pigmies were storing their oils. So I removed the covers of these wells, I gathered plenty of dried refuses and I put them in these wells. After that I put the fire in them. Having done that, I ran to the palace and I put the fire on its roof as well. Before the fire became a big flame I ran away from there and I put the fire on the roofs of several houses as well. Within a few minutes this fire had become so powerful that it spread to the whole houses. The custody caught fire as well. After a few seconds the gun-powder which I had buried in there exploded and it blown off a part of the wall. And as both captives and the pesters ran out from there to the town with great excitement the flame and the smoke of the town had risen to such a great height that the rock started to fall down heavily. Each time that it was falling down it was killing a great number of these pigmies.

When I saw that they were running here and there together with their children and with embarrassment, then with the skull on my head I started to shoot them repeatedly with my “shakabullah” gun. Whenever they saw the powerful light of this skull on my head, they were nearly fainted with fear and they would rush to another part of the town perhaps they would be saved, because they thought that I was a ghost or a cruel creature who lighted their houses with the powerful light of the eyes of this skull. As I was still shooting them continuously and as the fire was spreading more and more and the top of the rock was falling heavily to their town. They rushed to the custody perhaps they would be saved and as they were shouting greatly that they had never seen the kind of the creature who had
powerful light on head, I entered the custody unexpectedly and with fear they and the captives rushed back to the town again.

As I was still chasing them about and I was killing them, the flame and the smoke had become more powerful than ever and when the rock which was the wall of this town, could not resist the heat of the flame and smoke then it blew to the town
entirely.
Having seen this the captives first ran to the gate of the town. They opened the gate by force and then they ran to the jungle. But the rest of these pigmies were still hiding or
loitering
about because they did not want to leave the town in respect of their properties and I too did not want to leave there until when I would see the end of them. As they were still loitering about another part of the rock blew down again. It nearly to kill the rest of them, even I was lucky that this rock did not hit me because it was only a few inches to reach where I stood. Having seen this again the remaining who were not more than forty in number, rushed to the gate of the town and they escaped to the jungle. They were so confused as the “junction of three roads which are confusing the stranger” that none of them who remembered to call his family before he ran to the jungle but “held his own head so that the hawk of the sky might not take it away” which meant everyone of them tried to safe himself or herself so that I might not kill him or her.

When I saw that there was none of them remained in the town again I hastily went back to the custody with the intention to make sure that there was none of them either in the town or in the custody before I too would leave there in the morning. And when there was none of them in this ruined custody as well then I went back to the town and I rested till morning.

But unfortunately, before it was morning a part of the rock which was near this gate had blown down as well and it covered both the gate and road while I was still in the town but I did not know yet. When it was about eight o’clock in the morning, I saw clearly that there was none of these pigmies in the town except those who had already dead. After that I went to the gate just to go to the jungle. But it was a great pity, that I could not go out of this ruined town, the rock had fallen down to this gate. I tried all my best to climb this falling rock but all my efforts were in vain, after that I went back to the ruined town. And it was right as this thing happened to me because I had protected another person’s head (all the captives) until when the hawk was going to carry my own head away now. Although I was very happy that I had saved all the captives but I did not
know yet whether my four brothers, in respect of whom I did all these things, were among them or not.

When I went back to the ruined town I sat down confusely on one of the debris, because this day was “The Day of
Confusion
” which was Wednesday. When I looked round the whole town I saw that there was none of the pigmies’ houses could be seen except the debris of rock. As I sat down and I was thinking how I would be able to go out, I felt to eat. Then I stood up at the same time and I went round the town perhaps I would see one of the pigmies’ domestic animals which had burnt to death. But the debris did not allow me to see any. After I struggled hard in taking away some of the debris I saw that they were under the debris. So I took one big goat and I roasted the whole of it. After that I ate as much as I could from it and I kept the rest of it near the fire, but there was no water to drink because the debris had fallen on the wells which were in this ruined town.

As it was I alone remained in this town except the sky and the ground were with me there, I was going round the bottom of the rock which was the wall of this town, perhaps I would see the way to go out at once, but there was no way at all to go out.

When it was in the night the dew was dropping down to the town and it wetted all my body so much that I started to feel much cold. When this cold was too much for me I began to look for a protected place just to keep myself safe from it, there was none at all. So having failed to get a protected place I lay on the rock, but I was unable to fall asleep because the cold of this dew was too much and the worst part of it was that it was in the harmattan wind.

In the morning, I went down from the rock on which I lay. I sat closely to the fire with which I had roasted the goat. After I warmed my body for a few minutes then I ate some of the
roasted goat. Having done that I went round this ruined town again but there was no way to go out still. I raised up my head but I saw the sky through the top of the rock very far away from me. I tried to climb the rock several times but all my efforts were failed.

When it was about eleven o’clock a.m. the sun came out and its heat began to scorge me but there was no more shelter in this ruined town. It was like that I was loitering about in the debris till when the sun was set and then I went back to the fire and I began to warm myself with it after I had eaten the rest part of the goat. Thus I was in this ruined town hopelessly for about three weeks. During this period, I was nearly killed by hunger or if I was unable to endure starvation for long time, I should had died within five days because another thing could not stay in the belly when the hunger entered it. Of course, once a while birds were mistakingly dashing in from the top of the rock and I was killing them with my “shakabullah” gun. It were these birds I was eating every day as food having roasted them, although I was longing for another kind of food badly but there was none at all.

As a play and as a joke the apron was becoming a suit, the number of the days which I was spending in this ruined town was increasing greatly, the harmattan wind was becoming more severe, the heat of the sun was becoming hotter than ever and the dead bodies of the pigmies whom I had killed were becoming bones but still there was no way for me to go out of this ruined town.

One midnight, a very powerful storm came. The noise of this storm had been hearing from the east of the jungle for a long time before it blew towards the area of this ruined town. Even when I was just hearing the powerful noise of it I thought that it was the whole of this rock wanted to fall down. So at the same moment I began to bore a part of the bottom of this rock
perhaps
if it was possible to do it, I would pass through there to the jungle. But all my efforts were failed at last because this rock was too thick. As I cast down near that place and as I was thinking what to do next, this powerful storm came with full force to the area of this town. Within a few minutes every part of the town was full of dried leaves and twigs which this storm brought from the jungle. As I was in the fear of the storm, these dried leaves and twigs were caught fire from the fire which was everywhere in this town. And within a few seconds this fire became a big flame. But as I was in restlessness of mind and as I was still staggering about just to safe my life there I saw that a mighty tall fruit-bearing tree fell from the top of this rock unexpectedly to the inside of this town. This tree fell down in slanting position, its branches touched the ground and its foot which had plenty of large buttresses leaned on the top of this rock.

Immediately it fell down its leaves quenched the fire which was on the spot on which it fell. Having seen it like that I ran to that spot and I climbed one of the branches of this tree. And I was very lucky that this tree fell to this town at this critical moment otherwise I would be burnt to death in a few minutes, and it was on this branch I cast down till morning. As there were many ripen big fruits on this tree, so I ate as much as I could from them. After that I began to climb it along to the top of this rock, for I thought it would be easy to do so, but I was unable to climb one-third length of it when I slipped down because it was fallen in slanting position. I tried my best to climb it to the top of this rock several times but I could not do it. When my chest and thighs were scraped off then I stopped to climb it.

The following morning, as I sat down seriously in the debris a little distance from this tree. There I saw that a number of gorillas were climbing this tree from the top of the rock down
to its branches. They were coming to eat its fruits which were the most important food for them. When they climbed it to the fruits they ate as many as they could. After that they climbed the tree back to the top of the rock and from there they went back to the jungle.

When these gorillas went away and as I had noticed the way that they held the tree before they climbed it successfully. So I went back to it, I held it as the gorillas had held it and then I began to climb it along exactly as they had done, but I still failed to climb it to the top of the rock.

When I came down having failed to climb it, I sat down near it and then I was thinking in mind how to climb it successfully. After a while it came to my mind that if I could manage to tie one end of a strong rope to the neck of one of these gorillas and then to tie the other end of the rope to my waist, perhaps when that gorilla was climbing the tree back to the top of the rock so he would drag me with the rope to the top of the rock as well. Immediately this thought came to my mind I stood up with gladness and I started to look about for the rope. But
unfortunately
there was none. I went up and down this ruined town but there was none at all to be found. Then I came back to the tree. With my sharp cutlass I peeled plenty of the bark of this tree. I span all to a single strong rope. After that I tied my gun, the cutlass, the cudgel, hunting bag and the wonderful head together with another rope. Then I was waiting for these gorillas to come for the fruits again, so that I might do to one of them according to my plan.

But as I was still doubting that whether they would come back to eat the fruits that day again or it would be tomorrow morning, it came to my mind suddenly that none of these gorillas would be steady until I would tie the rope on his neck. When this thought came to my mind again, my body shrank up with sadness at the same time. After a while I began to think
again the way that I could tie the rope on the neck of one of them without suspicion.

Luckily these gorillas did not come again until when I remembered how I had been once setting the ropes for animals when I was in my town. Then I stood up at the same time, I went to the tree. I set one end of this rope round a big and the most attractive fruit in such a perfect way that they would not be able to see this rope at all. After that I tied the other end round my waist while my gun, etc., were on my shoulder.

It was not so long from when I hid myself under the leaves of this tree when these gorillas were climbing the tree down. Immediately they came down they scattered all over the branches of this tree and everyone of them was eating any fruit that which he saw with greediness. After a while one of them saw this fruit and he ran to it so carelessly that he did not see the rope. As he was still enjoying this fruit I pulled the rope and it strangled his neck without missing it. But he never knew yet that he was already caught in my rope. After they ate the fruits to their satisfaction then everyone of them was climbing the fruit tree back to the top of the rock. And when this one was climbing along he felt that he was heavier and it was this time he noticed that a rope was on his neck.

When the rest saw me they climbed this tree as hastily as they could with great fear. This one tried to do so but he could not, because he was then dragging me along with himself. He was trying to cut this rope as he was dragging me along but he could not cut it. When he struggled hardly for about one hour before he could drag me to the halve length of the tree, he was unable to climb it further, for he was entirely tired, so he stopped and then he was trying again to cut the rope away. And as he was turning round this tree it was so I was dangling together with my gun, etc., and I was shouting with great fear of not being fallen down and it was so this gorilla was shouting greatly as well.

Having struggled for several times to cut the rope but failed then he continued to drag me along as usual But when he nearly to climb this tree to the top of the rock he lost the control of himself and then he slipped back. He reached halve of the tree before he could stop himself. Even I was very lucky that he did not slip to the ground before he could control himself otherwise I would fall on the debris and by that I would die at the same moment.

After he rested for a few minutes then with great noise he continued to climb along the tree, and it was so I was dangling here and there as if the rope would be cut soon. Immediately he climbed it to the top of the rock, I hastily cut the rope in the middle so that he might go away. The half of the rope was on my waist and he took away the rest half.

It was like that I came out from this ruined town, the town of the pigmies which I burnt to ashes after I had nearly killed the whole of them. When I rested for two hours on top of this rock, then I came down from it, and I went to the jungle.