The Country of the Dwarfs 2
HUNTING AN ANTELOPE 167
OTAITAI, OR PORTER'S BASKET 171
TAKING AN OBSERVATION 180
APONO AND ISHOGO VILLAGE 208
ISHOGO HOUSES, WITH ORNAMENTAL DOORS 211
HUTS OF THE DWARFS 216
ISHOGO HEAD-DRESSES 227, 228
AFRICAN GOAT, CHICKEN, PARROT, AND IDOL 231
SHOCKING THE ASHANGOS 236
DINNER WITH THE DWARFS 271
INSTRUMENTS FOR OBSERVATION 275
THE FIGHT WITH THE ASHANGOS 289
FRIENDS IN THE DARKNESS 309
[Illustration]
THE COUNTRY OF THE DWARFS.
CHAPTER I.
HOW PAUL SET OUT FOR THE COUNTRY OF THE DWARFS, AND WHAT HE TOOK WITH
HIM.
IN the month of July, 1863, if you had been in London, you might have
seen in St. Catharine's Dock a schooner called the Mentor, a little
vessel of less than one hundred tons' measurement, and if you had gone
on board you would have encountered your old friend Paul Du Chaillu
busily superintending the taking of the cargo, and getting all things
in readiness for the voyage upon which he is now going to take you.
Captain Vardon, the commander of the vessel, was generally by his side,
and I am sure you would have been happy to make his acquaintance, for
he was a very pleasant man.
Every body was busy on board, either on deck or below deck, storing
away the goods. Boxes upon boxes came alongside the Mentor from morning
till evening. These contained my outfit and the equipment necessary for
the expedition.
Paul Du Chaillu had an anxious look, and you need not wonder at it,
for he was about to undertake a journey of explorations of about five
years' duration, and had to think of many things. It was, indeed, no
small undertaking. What an outfit it was! I will give you some idea of
it.
Clothing for five years was to be provided; the very smallest article
must not be forgotten, even to needles, thread, and scissors.
It would never do again to be left without shoes, as I was in Apingi
Land, so I had seventy-two pairs of Balmoral lace-boots made specially
for journeying in the great forest, with soles flexible enough to allow
me to bend my feet while jumping from rock to rock, or from the base of
one tree to another. Besides these lace-boots I had twenty-four pairs
of shoes and twelve pairs of linen slippers. Twelve pairs of leggins
were to protect my legs from thorns, briers, and the bite of snakes; so
you see my feet and legs were to be well taken care of in that journey,
and for my further comfort I laid in twelve dozen pairs of socks. I
took so many because I do not know how to darn socks, and when a pair
became full of holes they would have to be thrown away.
All my shirts were made of light-colored flannel; these were more
healthy than linen shirts, and, besides economizing soap, it saved me
from the necessity of getting under-garments, and consequently allotted
me space which could be devoted to other articles.
With an eye to the great wear and tear of pantaloons, I had ordered six
dozen pairs made of the strongest twisted blue drill that could be got.
Instead of coats I ordered two dozen blouses, made of durable linen
stuff, of a color not easily seen in the woods. The blouse was a very
convenient garment, admitting of numerous pockets, in which I could
keep many things while on the march. Every thing was made for wear and
not for show, and to go through the thickest and most thorny jungle.
Several dozen pocket-handkerchiefs completed my wearing outfit. Besides
their ordinary use, these were to be worn, generally wet, inside the
three fine soft Panama hats I had provided to protect my head from the
rays of a burning sun. No collars, no neck-ties were necessary.
Clothes must be washed, so I took with me one hundred pounds of the
hardest Marseilles soap. That quantity was not much, but then I would
probably be able some time to make my own soap with palm-oil.
Then came the drugs, and these gave me more embarrassment than any
thing else. If it had been only to take medicines for myself, the
matter would have been simple enough. A compact little medicine-chest,
with an extra quantity of quinine, laudanum, and a few other remedies
used in tropical climates more frequently than in ours, would have
sufficed; but I had to think of my followers and porters--a retinue
that would sometimes number five and six hundred--and accordingly I
purchased
75 ounce bottles of quinine.
10 gallons of castor-oil.
50 pounds of Epsom salts.
2 quarts of laudanum.
These were the medicines which would be the most needed; but,
besides these, I had pretty nearly all the drugs to be found at the
apothecary's.
Of arsenic I took one hundred pounds, to preserve the skins of animals
and birds I expected to kill in my journeyings.
Most of these and my wearing apparel were packed in japanned tin
boxes, which would be serviceable afterward for the preservation of my
butterflies and stuffed birds. Tin boxes were safer than wooden ones;
the white ants would not be able to pierce through them.
Though I did not set out to make war, I felt that I ought to be
prepared for any emergency. Besides, I was to hunt, and I must have
guns. After a great deal of thinking it over, I came to the conclusion
that, for such a wild country, where I might get short of cartridges,
the greater part of my guns should be muzzle-loaders, so I bought
four splendid English muzzle-loaders, four long muzzle-loading
rifles, two very short smooth-bore muzzle-loaders, and two very short
muzzle-loading rifles.
Then I took a magnificent double-barrel breech-loading rifle which
could throw steel-pointed bullets weighing more than two ounces. I had
Dean and Adams's revolvers, magnificent arms that never got out of
order, and several long, formidable hunting-knives.
These guns were for my own special use, and they were supplied with
moulds for making bullets, etc., etc.
Besides these, I had ordered in Birmingham two hundred and fifty cheap
guns for my body-guard and the native king, to whom I might desire to
give one. Most of them were flint-locks, and of the pattern called the Tower.
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