Thrilling Adventures by Land and Sea - James O. Brayman
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"They are saved!" some one said, close behind me, in a whisper so deep
and earnest that I started, and turned to look at the speaker; when
another, who heard him, exclaimed, "No, no! they are gone! they are
lost! the boat has left them!" And sure enough, it had. But, in an
instant afterward, just as we thought they were about to be driven into
the fatal breakers, they turned, to our inexpressible delight, as if
drawn by some invisible power (the rope the ferryman had attached to the
oar was, indeed, invisible to us,) and followed the boat.
The ferryman and his sister had yet to pull a fearful distance for the
time they had to do it in, to get out of that part of the current
leading to the breakers: and they accomplished it. The man had the bow
oar, and we could see the tough ash bend like a willow-wand as he
stretched out to keep the head of the boat partially up the stream. His
sister, too, "kept her own," and the little punt shot out rapidly into
the comparatively quiet stream, beyond the influence of the fearful
current, which was rapidly driving them upon the breakers. When this was
accomplished, our fears for the noble-hearted brother and sister were at
an end, and we took a long breath; it was, indeed, a relief to do so.
Still we continued to watch their further proceedings with the
deepest interest.
The moment they got into a less rapid current, which, they knew, led
into comparatively still water they ceased rowing, and allowed the punt
to float down with it. The young ferryman now drew up the sweep
alongside, and succeeded in getting the two unfortunate men into his
boat. While he was doing this, his sister went aft, and used her oar as
a rudder to steer the boat. At the foot of the current, which they soon
afterward reached, there was no further danger. But we watched them
still; and we saw them row ashore, on their own side of the river. One
of the poor fellows was so much exhausted, that the ferryman had to
carry him on his back to the nearest house, where he soon recovered.
Twelve months after this took place, I had the satisfaction of
presenting to this worthy ferryman, in the presence of above five
hundred men, a beautiful silver medallion, sent out to me by the Royal
Humane Society--to which I had transmitted an account of the occurrence.
Nor was the heroine of my story forgotten. A similar medallion was given
to him for his sister. She could not, with propriety, be present
herself, as it was the annual muster-day of the militia in
that locality.
MEMOIRS OF A CHURCH MISSIONARY IN CANADA.
A WHALE CHASE.
Down went the boats with a splash. Each boat's crew sprang over the
rail, and in an instant the larboard, starboard, and waist-boats were
manned. There was great rivalry in getting the start. The waist-boat got
off in pretty good time; and away went all three, dashing the water high
over their bows. Nothing could be more exciting than the chase. The
larboard boat, commanded by the mate, and the waist-boat, by the second
mate, were head and head. "Give way, my lads, give way!" shouted P----,
our headsman; "we gain on them; give way! A long, steady stroke! That's
the way to tell it!" "Ay, ay!" cried Tabor, our boat-steerer. "What do
you say, boys? Shall we lick 'em?" "Pull! pull like vengeance!" echoed
the crew; and we danced over the waves, scarcely seeming to touch them.
The chase was now truly soul-stirring. Sometimes the larboard, then the
starboard, then the waist-boat took the lead. It was a severe trial of
skill and muscle. After we had run two miles at this rate, the whales
turned flukes, going dead to windward. "Now for it, my lads!" cried
P----. "We'll have them the next rising. Now pile it on! a long, steady
pull! That's it! that's the way! Those whales belong to us. Don't give
out! Half an hour more, and they're our whales!" The other boats veered
off at either side of us, and continued the chase with renewed ardor. In
about half an hour we lay on our oars to look round for the whales.
"There she blows! right ahead!" shouted Tabor, fairly dancing with
delight. "There she blows--there she blows!" "Oh, Lord, boys, spring!"
cried P----. "Spring it is! What d'ye say, now, chummies? Shall we take
those whales?" To this general appeal, every man replied by putting his
weight on his oar, and exerting his utmost strength. The boat flew
through the water with incredible swiftness, scarcely rising to the
waves. A large bull whale lay about a quarter of a mile ahead of us,
lazily rolling in the trough of the sea. The larboard and starboard
boats were far to leeward of us, tugging hard to get a chance at the
other whales, which were now blowing in every direction. "Give way! give
way, my hearties!" cried P----, putting his weight against the aft oar.
"Do you love gin? A bottle of gin to the best man! Oh, pile it on, while
you have breath! pile it on!" "On with the beef, chummies! Smash every
oar! double 'em up or break 'em!" "Every devil's imp of you, pull! No
talking; lay back to it; now or never!"
On dashed the boat, cleaving its way through the rough sea, as if the
briny element were blue smoke. The whale, however, turned flukes before
we could reach him. When he appeared again above the surface of the
water, it was evident that he had milled while down, by which manoeuver
he gained on us nearly a mile. The chase was now almost hopeless, as he
was making to windward rapidly. A heavy black cloud was on the horizon,
portending an approaching squall, and the barque was fast fading from
sight. Still we were not to be baffled by discouraging circumstances of
this kind, and we braced our sinews for a grand and final effort. "Never
give up, my lads," said the headsman, in a cheering voice. "Mark my
words, we'll have the whale yet. Only think he's ours, and there's no
mistake about it, he will be ours. Now for a hard, steady pull! Give
way!" "Give way, sir! Give way all!" "There she blows! Oh, pull, my
lively lads! Only a mile off!" "There she blows!" The wind had by this
time increased almost to a gale, and the heavy, black clouds were
scattering over us far and wide. Part of the squall had passed off to
leeward, and entirely concealed the barque. Our situation was rather
unpleasant: in a rough sea, the other boats out of sight, and each
moment the wind increasing. We continued to strain every muscle till we
were hard upon the whale. Tabor sprang to the bow, and stood by with the
harpoon. "Softly, softly, my lads," said the headsman. "Ay, ay sir!"
"Hush-h-h! softly! Now's your time, Tabor!" Tabor let fly the harpoon,
and buried the iron. "Give him another!" "Stern all!" thundered P----.
"Stern all!" And, as we rapidly backed from the whale, he flung his
tremendous fluke high in the air, covering us with a cloud of spray. He
then sounded, making the line whiz as it passed through the chocks. When
he rose to the surface again, we hauled up, and the second mate stood
ready in the bow to dispatch him with lances. "Spouting blood!" said
Tabor, "he's a dead whale! he won't need much lancing." It was true
enough; for, before the officer could get within dart of him, he
commenced his dying struggles. The sea was crimsoned with his blood. By
the time we had reached him, he was belly up. We lay upon our oars a
moment, to witness his last throes, and when he turned his head toward
the sun, a loud, simultaneous cheer, burst from every lip.
LEOPARD HUNTING.
AND ADVENTURES WITH BUFFALOES AND LIONS.
Mr. Cumming has published a volume containing a record of his hunting
exploits in Africa, in the year 1848. The following interesting accounts
of adventures are from his work.
On the morning, says Mr. Cumming, I rode into camp, after unsuccessfully
following the spoor of a herd of elephants for two days, in a westerly
course. Having partaken of some refreshment, I saddled up two steeds and
rode down the bank of Ngotwani, with the Bushman, to seek for any game I
might find. After riding about a mile along the river's green bank, I
came suddenly upon an old male leopard, lying under the shade of a thorn
grove, and panting from the great heat. Although I was within sixty
yards of him, he had not heard the horse's tread. I thought he was a
lioness, and, dismounting, took a rest in my saddle on the Old Gray, and
sent a bullet into him. He sprang to his feet and ran half way down the
river's bank, and stood to look about him, when I sent a second bullet
into his person, and he disappeared over the bank. The ground being
very dangerous, I did not disturb him by following then, but I at once
sent Ruyter back to camp for the dogs. Presently he returned with Wolf
and Boxer, very much done up with the sun. I rode forward, and, on
looking over the bank, the leopard started up and sneaked off alongside
of the tall reeds, and was instantly out of sight. I fired a random shot
from the saddle to encourage the dogs, and shouted to them; they,
however, stood looking stupidly around, and would not take up his scent
at all. I led them over his spoor, again and again, but to no purpose;
the dogs seemed quite stupid, and yet they were Wolf and Boxer, my
two best.
At length I gave it up as a lost affair, and was riding down the river's
bank, when I heard Wolf give tongue behind me, and, galloping back,
found him at bay with the leopard, immediately beneath where I had fired
at him; he was very severely wounded, and had slipped down into the
river's bed and doubled back, whereby he had thrown out both the dogs
and myself. As I approached, he flew out upon Wolf and knocked him over,
and then, running up the bed of the river, took shelter in a thick bush:
Wolf, however, followed him, and at this moment my other dogs came up,
having heard the shot, and bayed him fiercely. He sprang out upon them,
and then crossed the river's bed, taking shelter beneath some large
tangled roots on the opposite bank. As he crossed the river, I put a
third bullet into him, firing from the saddle, and, as soon as he came
to bay, I gave him a fourth, which finished him. This leopard was a very
fine old male; in the conflict, the unfortunate Alert was wounded, as
usual, getting his face torn open; he was still going upon three legs,
with all his breast laid bare by the first water-buck.
In the evening I directed my Hottentots to watch a fine pool in the
river, and do their best, while I rode to a distant pool several miles
up the Ngotwani, reported as very good for game, to lie all night and
watch: my Totties, however, fearing "Tao," disobeyed me. On reaching the
water I was bound for, I found it very promising, and, having fastened
my two horses to a tree beneath the river's bank, I prepared a place of
concealment close by, and laid down for the night.
The river's banks on each side were clad with groves of shady thorn
trees. After I had lain some time, squadrons of buffaloes were heard
coming on, until the shady grove on the east bank of the water
immediately above me was alive with them. After some time the leaders
ventured down the river's bank to drink, and this was the signal for a
general rush into the large pool of water: they came on like a regiment
of cavalry at a gallop, making a mighty din, and obscuring the air with
a dense cloud of dust. At length I sent a ball into one of them, when
the most tremendous rush followed up the bank, where they all stood
still, listening attentively. I knew that the buffalo was severely
wounded, but did not hear him fall. Some time after, I fired at a
second, as they stood on the bank above me; this buffalo was also hard
hit, but did not then fall. A little after, I fired at a third on the
same spot; he ran forty yards, and, falling, groaned fearfully: this at
once brought on a number of the others to butt their dying comrade,
according to their benevolent custom. I then crept in toward them, and,
firing my fourth shot, a second buffalo ran forward a few yards, and,
falling, groaned as the last; her comrades, coming up, served her in the
same manner. A second time I crept in, and, firing a fifth shot, a third
buffalo ran forward, and fell close to her dying comrades: in a few
minutes all the other buffaloes made off, and the sound of teeth tearing
at the flesh was heard immediately.
I fancied it was the hyaenas, and fired a shot to scare them from the
flesh. All was still; and, being anxious to inspect the heads of the
buffaloes, I went boldly forward, taking the native who accompanied me,
along with me. We were within about five yards of the nearest buffalo,
when I observed a yellow mass lying alongside of him, and at the same
instant a lion gave a deep growl,--I thought it was all over with me.
The native shouted "Tao," and, springing away, instantly commenced
blowing shrilly through a charmed piece of bone which he wore on his
necklace. I retreated to the native, and we then knelt down. The lion
continued his meal, tearing away at the buffalo, and growling at his
wife and family, who, I found next day, by the spoor, had accompanied
him. Knowing that he would not molest me if I left him alone, I proposed
to the native to go to our hole and lie down, but he would not hear of
it, and entreated me to fire at the lion. I fired three different shots
where I thought I saw him, but without any effect; he would not so much
as for a moment cease munching my buffalo. I then proceeded to lie down,
and was soon asleep, the native keeping watch over our destinies. Some
time after midnight other lions were heard coming on from other airts,
and my old friend commenced roaring so loudly that the native thought it
proper to wake me.
The first old lion now wanted to drink, and held right away for the two
unfortunate steeds, roaring terribly. I felt rather alarmed for their
safety; but, trusting that the lion had had flesh enough for one night,
I lay still, and listened with an attentive ear. In a few minutes, to my
utter horror, I heard him spring upon one of the steeds with an angry
growl, and dash him to the earth; the steed gave a slight groan, and all
was still. I listened to hear the sound of teeth, but all continued
still. Soon after this "Tao," was once more heard to be munching the
buffalo. In a few minutes he came forward, and stood on the bank close
above us, and roared most terribly, walking up and down, as if
meditating some mischief. I now thought it high time to make a fire,
and, quickly collecting some dry reeds and little sticks, in half a
minute we had a cheerful blaze. The lion, which had not yet got our
wind, came forward at once to find out what the deuse was up; but, not
seeing to his entire satisfaction from the top of the bank, he was
proceeding to descend by a game-path into the river-bed within a few
yards of us. I happened at the very moment to go to this spot to fetch
more wood, and, being entirely concealed from the lion's view above by
the intervening high reeds, we actually met face to face! The first
notice I got was his sudden spring to one side, accompanied by repeated
angry growls, while I involuntarily made a convulsive spring backward,
at the same time giving a fearful shriek, such as I never before
remember uttering. I fancied, just as he growled, he was coming upon me.
We now heaped on more wood, and kept up a very strong fire until the day
dawned, the lions feasting beside us all the time, notwithstanding the
remonstrances of the little native, who, with a true Bechuana spirit,
lamenting the loss of so much good flesh, kept continually shouting and
pelting them with flaming brands.
The next morning, when it was clear, I arose and inspected the
buffaloes. The three that had fallen were fine old cows, and two of them
were partly consumed by the lions. The ground all around was packed flat
with their spoor; one particular spoor was nearly as large as that of a
borele. I then proceeded to inspect the steeds: the sand around them was
also covered with the lion's spoor. He had sprung upon the Old Gray, but
had done him no further injury than scratching his back through the
skin: perhaps the lion had been scared by the rheims, or on discovering
his spare condition, had preferred the buffalo.
HUNTING THE WHITE RHINOCEROS,
LION, BUFFALO, AND GIRAFFE.
Upon the 9th, says Mr. Cumming, it rained unceasingly throughout the
day, converting the rich soil on which we were encamped into one mass of
soft, sticky clay. In the forenoon, fearing the rain would continue so
as to render the valley (through which we must pass to gain the firmer
ground) impassible, I ordered my men to prepare to march, and leave the
tent with its contents standing, the point which I wished to gain being
distant only about five hundred yards. When the oxen were inspanned,
however, and we attempted to move, we found my tackle, which was old, so
rotten from the effects of the rain, that something gave way at every
strain. Owing to this and to the softness of the valley, we labored on
till sundown, and only succeeded in bringing one wagon to its
destination, the other two remained fast in the mud in the middle of the
valley. Next morning, luckily, the weather cleared up, when my men
brought over the tent, and in the afternoon the other two wagons.
We followed up the banks of the river for several days, with the usual
allowance of sport. On the 16th we came suddenly upon an immense old
bull muchocho rolling in mud. He sprang to his feet immediately he saw
me, and, charging up the bank, so frightened our horses, that before I
could get my rifle from my after-rider he was past us. I then gave him
chase, and, after a hard gallop of about a mile, sprang from my horse
and gave him a good shot behind the shoulder. At this moment a cow
rhinoceros of the same species, with her calf, charged out of some
wait-a-bit thorn cover, and stood right in my path. Observing that she
carried an unusually long horn, I turned my attention from the bull to
her, and, after a very long and severe chase, dropped her at the sixth
shot. I carried one of my rifles, which gave me much trouble, that not
being the tool required for this sort of work, where quick loading is
indispensable.
After breakfast I sent men to cut off the head of this rhinoceros, and
proceeded with Ruyter to take up the spoor of the bull wounded in the
morning. We found that he was very severely hit, and having followed the
spoor for about a mile through very dense thorn cover, he suddenly
rustled out of the bushes close ahead of us, accompanied by a whole host
of rhinoceros birds. I mounted my horse and gave him chase, and in a
few minutes he had received four severe shots. I managed to turn his
course toward camp, when I ceased firing, as he seemed to be nearly done
up, and Ruyter and I rode slowly behind, occasionally shouting to guide
his course. Presently, however, Chukuroo ceased taking any notice of us,
and held leisurely on for the river, into a shallow part of which he
walked, and, after panting there and turning about for a quarter of an
hour, he fell over and expired. This was a remarkably fine old bull, and
from his dentition it was not improbable that a hundred summers had seen
him roaming a peaceful denizen of the forests and open glades along the
fair banks of the secluded Mariqua.
During our march, on the 19th, we had to cross a range of very rocky
hills, covered with large loose stones, and all hands were required to
be actively employed for about an hour, in clearing them out of the way,
to permit the wagons to pass. The work went on fast and furious, and the
quantity of stones cleared was immense. At length we reached the spot
where we were obliged to bid adieu to the Mariqua, and hold a westerly
course across the country for Sicheley. At sundown we halted under a
lofty mountain, the highest in the district, called "Lynchie a Cheny,"
or the Monkey's Mountain.
Next day, at an early hour, I rode out with Ruyter to hunt, my camp
being entirely without flesh, and we having been rationed upon very
tough old rhinoceros for several days past. It was a cloudy morning, and
soon after starting, it came on to rain heavily. I, however, held on,
skirting a fine, well-wooded range of mountains, and after riding
several miles I shot a zebra. Having covered the carcass well over with
branches to protect it from the vultures, I returned to camp, and,
inspanning my wagons, took it up on the march. We continued trekking on
until sundown, when we started an immense herd of buffaloes, into which
I stalked, and shot a huge old bull.
Our march this evening was through the most beautiful country I had ever
seen in Africa. We skirted an endless range of well-wooded stony
mountains lying on our left, while to our right the country at first
sloped gently off, and then stretched away into a level green forest,
(occasionally interspersed with open glades,) boundless as the ocean.
This green forest was, however, relieved in one direction by a chain of
excessively bold, detached, well-wooded, rocky, pyramidal mountains,
which stood forth in grand relief. In advance the picture was bounded by
forest and mountain; one bold acclivity, in shape of a dome, standing
prominent among its fellows. It was a lovely evening: the sky, overcast
and gloomy, threw an interesting, wild, mysterious coloring over the
landscape. I gazed forth upon the romantic scene before me with intense
delight, and felt melancholy and sorrowful at passing so fleetingly
through it, and could not help shouting out, as I marched along, "Where
is the coward who would not dare to die for such a land?"
In the morning we held for a fountain some miles ahead, in a gorge in
the mountains. As we approached the fountain, and were passing close
under a steep, rocky, hillside, well wooded to its summit, I
unexpectedly beheld a lion stealing up the rocky face, and, halting
behind a tree, he stood overhauling us for some minutes. I resolved to
give him battle, and, seizing my rifle, marched against him, followed by
Carey carrying a spare gun, and by three men leading my dogs, now
reduced to eight. When we got close in to the base of the mountain, we
found ourselves enveloped in dense jungle, which extended half-way to
its summit, and entirely obscured from our eyes objects which were quite
apparent from the wagons, I slipped my dogs, however, which, after
snuffing about, took right up the steep face on the spoor of the lions,
for there was a troop of them--a lion and three lionesses.
The people at the wagons saw the chase in perfection. When the lions
observed the dogs coming on, they took right up, and three of them
crossed over the sky ridge. The dogs, however, turned one rattling old
lioness, which came rumbling down through the cover, close past me. I
ran to meet her, and she came to bay in an open spot near the base of
the mountain, whither I quickly followed, and coming up within thirty
yards, bowled her over with my first shot, which broke her back. My
second entered her shoulder; and, fearing that she might hurt any of the
dogs, as she still evinced signs of life, I finished her with a third in
the breast. The bellies of all the four lions were much distended by
some game they had been gorging, no doubt a buffalo, as a large herd
started out of the jungle immediately under the spot where the noble
beasts were first disturbed.
Showers of rain fell every hour throughout the day, so I employed my men
in making feldt-schoens, or, in other words, African brogues for me.
These shoes were worthy of a sportsman, being light, yet strong, and
were entirely composed of the skins of game of my shooting. The soles
were made of either buffalo or cameleopard; the front part, perhaps, of
koodoo, or hartebeest, or bushbuck, and the back of the shoe of lion, or
hyaena, or sable antelope, while the rheimpy or thread with which the
whole was sewed, consisted of a thin strip of the skin of a steinbok.
On the forenoon of this day, I rode forth to hunt, accompanied by
Ruyter; we held west, skirting the wooded, stony mountains. The natives
had here, many years before, waged successful war with elephants, four
of whose skulls I found. Presently I came across two sassaybies, one of
which I knocked over; but, while I was loading, he regained his legs and
made off. We crossed a level stretch of forest, holding a northerly
course for an opposite range of green, well-wooded hills and valleys.
Here I came upon a troop of six fine, old bull buffaloes, into which I
stalked, and wounded one princely fellow very severely, behind the
shoulder, bringing blood from his mouth; he, however, made off with his
comrades, and, the ground being very rough, we failed to overtake him.
They held for Ngotwani. After following the spoor for a couple of miles,
we dropped it, as it led right away from camp.
Returning from this chase, we had an adventure with another old bull
buffalo, which shows the extreme danger of hunting buffaloes without
dogs. We started him in a green hollow, among the hills, and his course
inclining for camp. I gave him chase. He crossed the level, broad
strath, and made for the opposite densely-wooded range of mountains.
Along the base of these we followed him, sometimes in view, sometimes on
the spoor, keeping the old fellow at a pace which made him pant. At
length, finding himself much distressed, he had recourse to a singular
stratagem. Doubling round some thick bushes, which obscured him from our
view, he found himself beside a small pool of rain-water, just deep
enough to cover his body; into this he walked, and, facing about, lay
gently down and awaited our on-coming, with nothing but his old, gray
face, and massive horns above the water, and these concealed from view
by the overhanging herbage.