So constant had been the warnings of danger, that I
treated them lightly; but I now began to think I had
perhaps been unwise in paying so little heed to the dismal
foreboding of my apprehensive followers.
Karemba, two other boys, and myself in advance of the
rest, proceeded on the journey, and after limping, for it
could not he called walking, we in four hours covered about
eight miles from our last halting place.
As we emerged from the forest flats we observed, gradually
rising into view, the great grey mountain which had
been seen from afar on the previous night, when it had the
appearance of a motionless cloud hanging over the dense
darkness of the covered plain. Now it stood boldly out in
all the grandeur of its massive and lofty immobility, with its
noble outline clearly shown against the beauty of the soft
blue sky, while the sunshine gleamed brightly upon its
time-worn sides.
For the last five miles the footpaths had been good and
hard, only broken here and there by belts of long grass.
The path showed signs of a considerable traffic; only men,
no cattle. I saw a good deal of buffalo and eland spoor, but
of course in our present miserable circumstances hunting
was out of the question.
When we had reached a point within half a mile of the
mountain stronghold, we sat down to rest, as we were very
far ahead of the party.
Karemba was uneasy. He said I ought to have sent a
present to the king before approaching near to his town;
adding that it would not be well to walk past the place and
camp. I must own that I was very wrong in ignoring what
Karemba had said; but then it should be borne in mind
that I was spoilt through hearing so many false reports of
danger. Hitherto the chiefs, without exception, had treated
me well: at any rate they could not be accused of being
hostile. Our troubles all arose from friction among our
own little party.
“ Karemba,” I said, “ the chief will be all right. I will
give him a present in the morning.”
“ But this is a very big man,” he replied, “ we should camp
here until he allows us to pass through his country.”
The speaker seemed much frightened. But I was loth to
imagine that anything could be wrong. As we neared the
stronghold Karemba kept repeating the advice, “ Stop here,
and let two men go on.”
Under ordinary circumstances this proposal would not
have been unreasonable, but I was fearful of the main body
of the party, the members of which would assuredly beat a
quick retreat on the appearance of the slightest excuse
to do so.
The main body soon arrived. With four men beside me
I kept the lead about four hundred yards ahead of the rest.
Soon we arrived at the foot of the mountain fastness. The
path which led to it made many circuitous windings, and
ran across a little rivulet which was spanned by two rough
poles.
With the wildest shouts telling that we wished to buy
food (the customary cry of the Mashona as they advance
to a town—it is equivalent to the sentinel’s assurance of
“ friends ”) we kept moving on. The shouts echoed and
re-echoed amidst the recesses of the great rocks, as we
continued skirting round the mountain.
I looked upwards. There, as though in the dark haunt of
a demon, I could see wild-like black forms ranged in rows
along the tops of the rude Cyclopean rocks, while lower
down, close to where the pathway led us, human forms
seemed to spring from every rock.