A STRANGE DUEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 179, 27 July 1912, Page 10

A STRANGE DUEL.

; (By E. F. MARTIN", late of the Royal t „ Niger rnirrpanr'e !*ervic«.) "

o In luc womb of January, a few years w ~-<■. toward* the <•!<>"• of n "dueling tropi- <•> • ■a. , i:.\- in ii" , '-stern Sudan. I had a h iH.-Tiior-jiil* , <-D<'ount->-r with a f.-.tnily of li hippo*. I happened...' - ill.' lime, to !.<• retarn- [■ in- from ii ?lro.iiii-,' trip up the Benue. L a river iliit join? ill" Niger at I>okoja_ v I u;is due -it th< liitU-1 ]H:icv ne.tt day v T-i order to caV":i the steamer thai was " i.. take tv ,, down river, o", uiv way horn.- a i ii 'WAV-, f had erotic tip the BiTiUP as far a D- tit* , town of 1.-<>k'>. on tin , mirth bank. " r,,,) far from the large island town of n \.is=--ir.rou. M U>ko I hail contracted a . n -PT,> 'In.-- ,, of malarial fever, aud at the "• lime ■>! which 1 write I to fee-ting any- r thins mil up to the mark; in fact. I a eiruld hardly put one foot before the * uiliCT. A 5 all those who have suffered " from tmpk-nl malarial fever know, it \ f <'.<X3 not tccniirf a ve.ry severe a-ttaek to j ' leave you quite unlit, for any ordinary " exertarm. '.' Mv pa.ru* wde .-.n ftxoftPtiingly siuail rTi' eojwisting <jf my srrvnnt, Baton, a. i ■ Ln; i from Mara.rj. beyond Volu, and in.i ( .inot'jm-n : and my rtuivpyance. a liitlc Kskamra djnj-out, w.i* barely laran A fining}) to carry the four «if ha in safety. a In my Hurry to get bark to Lokoja T j had v) leave our large craft lieliind at Loke. ■ The river Benue at the point where ray asivi-nUirp o<-"JrTed \vuf broad olid deep a —in width about a quarter of a mil-c— s flowing iKUween rrrt-at sweeping stretches \ nf golden sand on the one side and dark £ virgin forests on the. other. These forests , c teemed with frame. 1 The few -natives -who-still inhabit that < part of the country are--none too friendly. - They form the ]-emnants of the original - iTihabtu>-nti= ivlk. were driven across to i lhe Mnith bank of the river by the em- i tiniiai .-lave raids of the >Johammedan i mi. > l'rom the north. 1 Th- wonderful huMi wiiic-h at eventide ■: hasjTi like ,-i inyst.il- veil over uJI the tropical world was settling down, an.l i the sun had jnsr. sunk below tin: horizon. '■ I'rrvni.ly 1 notif-cd a fax-off splashing, : intermingled, now u-nd then, with the un- 1 irrift-T-kable snort of the liippo. FiiHowinjT the direction of the ? uin-d I ' rould dimly see, some hundreds of yards ' away, that a family of the great aqua.' ig i hnajils was dtsporting itself ill giant ' gambol*. Had it been popaible, we won Id ' have a conrae away from the ' jrn'in. as it is never safe "for a canoe tn na.ss near Mhtcc T»oujip hippos a-re at ;.lay. We had no help for it. hoTPever, ' hut, to JJP straight, on our course, .is the river at this point ran in a single deep champ]. ' The sunset splendour f,TadiialJ}- died nut of the sky. and the glassy surface of the river, stretchinfr for mile on mile. took on the t-loak of nijrtu. Suddenly ray ranopmnn started to urge the frail craft : ■"orwarrl eagerly. Their kuen ears had heard ? ■'mc sound that T. as yet. was ■.inablf , u> distinguish. But I soon dis-<-<iv,-rcd the cause of their anxiety; our ' worst fears were justified. Old Father Hippo had ppotW up! In t'nr rratherinpr gloom tit? hissing, lilnwinp sound of the prcat beast could Li' heard from time to time as he swam fvriftly in our wakp. ' .My boatmen were now standing upi I Ftrarning every muscle in the wil-d race } 'or life There was no more concealment. The f:i,i craft leapt forward -with a swish "'id a surge at every p<r\verful | -•nd-ne-siroke, the man in the bow, in | his intense excitement, ever now and ■. hen «endln<r .i shower of water owr mc. i Ip against tilt- stars, the man in the ;-Lot!1 swayed and hent like a sinuous fbaxkrw in the tremendous struggle. He crunted as he strained every muscle, and 1 1? breath came in sobbing grasps. 3:<~ri.intr up and dewn. and from side to Fide, the canoe tore through the -water like a living thing. I carefully examined the magazine and Jncfc of my rifle, for nothing could be. left vi chance now. My servant knelt at my feet, his white coat showing up very eirxirly against the night. Every now and then he would say: ''Dooba, massa, chan! Fa gani! Kaji?" (Look. sir. yonder! Tan see? You hear") The darkening surface of the water pf-emed to be broken some distance .intern, but it was difficult" 4 "> make aaayiiUing out for certain, while our epeed and the ■noise of our going prevented mc from hearing very clearly what my servant si-s'med to hear so well. Not very long after this, however. I caught the white gleam of foam, and heard the. spluttering iiss above the man. of water. In spite of our pace. our pursuer was ovEriiatiling us fast. On and on we dashed, but ever nearer and nearer came that menace cf death behind, threatening to engulf us in th" cold, dark waters. Then, raising my rifle and taking a •quick snap am* at tho-yatch-of foam, I se<. go. . Thf fiaslkof the-e.xptosion airf-'the. st*w■Jili>g report ot the discharge, together with the gmell of burnt powderaJl the asvw: »4rro-ns of Unci inorncnt. away out on 1 -• -wide \cast<> of dark waters—have left an inrpressaoii ou mc that I shall WiTr"vripp out. sudden grflre of thai instantaneous jjhotograpJi revealed the iTDUching form of the ranoeman in the etera. who had stopped paddling when 1 raised my gun, and over whose head I had lirt-'i: the peering, strained attitude of mywTvant. and that ominous gurgling j>atc-h. of brilliant whjie, v/here our enemy ■was now threshing along. right under our stern. ' Then everything vanished in the subsequent blackness. !tJre darkness of night seeming intensified a v.'iou.-rajidfold. Suddenly "the whole plave Bfmrw > tl frUed with rolling echoes. <Kvr ahp TV-aler. far end .vale. voJley after volley of disran-t and still more distant, musketry thuu-i!i.r'-.l and roared. ~tirrlnK tlip 'leaves of the trees in the wiwds and dying- away fraijua!iy in die liiddi'i! recesses of lie '.;'!? VVighteiwd monkeys chattered mi t,hi: tar-off bank.? of tiie river; tile t-uddtn rail at a night-bird was heard in Uip forest. Then something happened tmr Intfle.s ile?eriplio!i. There cune a roar and a splash just at mir stern, and the hut br«ath of the briast that was fhawifj its blew in our faces. My shot Lad not 1-aken rffect! With a. h.-irr:blr e-na-jvpiiig crum-h tiie. tr-rri+rfp jaws jJnswi on the poor dup-oirt. A purpling cry. a jrhasitly scream; th.Ni a th - ti nf water whelmed mc. As 1 wa* nignifed. a fueling of 'being lust in a. *zrr&z cold vast ness 3»e!Z«vi irre~ —tie -terror <■■'■ thr unknown depths -was upon mc — for 1 was hurled d"wn and down, .i Jjplthpjs thing, tii.' black waters all armicd mc and above mc. waters that F.n-.T-.-med with that terror of rivers, I be n.Ucraror. As the oanoe upset, something irni'k UK betw-.-n the s-boulders, sendLit:' , m" headlong iij the bottom. I fcr-ii '.< madly outwards and upwards, and finally I rosp to the surface spluttering snd -vvell-ndgrh done. I found that, T had #~ome up dose to the great steering*3>add]e used by our -cox. Talcing this as '•a. float, and -with the aid of the stream,. I made for the south shore.. In order»ie« to-dra"vrtie=»tteiition of my;-enemy,:

I at first uttered no sound, but swam on and on down the stream, edginc ever to the loft. The horrible thought, that at any moment < niel jaws might eieze rap, dragging rue down to a death too terrible to chink of, was always wrt.h mc. Later on, when I thought that I might be out of harm's way. so far as the hipimpotarnus was concerned. I uttered a faint halloa-, i. bad hardly any voice left, what witii fevp-r, excitement, and fatigue. A weird, long-drawn -wa.il answered mc, from do great dWvtaiwr ahead. Suddenly L touclwd hollDtn, Half swimming, half wading. ! had hardly reached dry land when I thought 1 noticed a .familiar hissing and blowing behind mc. Suddenly itu isnonnnus black *hape came splashing and foaming and roaring after mo, out hi the depths. I had floundered right ratll the f.'mily of hippos! ' hud havely time to dodge to one side before the 'oeast was on mc. f tried to run. -bin stumbled and fell heavily. Wet and f-Yhaiis-ted. I lay panting on the sand as the enrage*] .animal rushed by mc. Then something happened that 1 should never have believed possible, had I not seen it with my own eyes. The beast 'had. stopped and turned, evidently intending to cooe for mc again, when up from tin* sand, just bohiiid. the hippo, sprang the dark form of a man. Nipping ij-uiekly and silently alongside of tke niouxtrouv bnrte. tho strajfger stooped, ami insula a d<-spe.rate lunge at it* belly. Willi a roar it turned on rts unlooked-for .a.-»sa.iljin. who had run off to some little distant and awaited the blundering c4rarge, which he easily dodged, following it by the same deadly knife-thrust. Like a flash the man was away, and again >l-ood waiting, eager and alert, at some ilustnn-ce behind his gigantic enemy, who. on finding (lie had missed his man, flung himself round, bellowing the while. Seeing ihis opponent once more, he went for him again with a mad fnry. This duel to the death weirt on "for some time —a timp that, seemed an eternity to mc —a*, 1 never knew that the nest charge might net mean the end of my new friend and helper. Exhausted aa I ■was, if the hrppo had won. I should bare died like a dog. crushed and mangled out ol all recognition. But my time was not yet. The great river monster was beginning to stage?: and llounder in his repeated fruitless at tt-miUs to rloiK- with his fop. Dark patches showed on the ploughed-up sand where its life-blood was soaking. Pres ontly the man seamed to gather himseU togetilicr. and. rushing in on his enemy struck fiercely and repf»atedly. buryiup bis long knife up to the hilt in the ga-pin,: wound that, was now visible low down or th<> hippo's right side. The moon hai risen over the Hosing scene of thi: titanic struggle, and as the nionstrou , (head lurched 'forward and ilovmwan' I saw a torrent of blood gush forth froir the cavernous jaws, and knew that tli( end was at hand, and that my unknowr frienl had saved my life. A m omen I more, anil with .i jrulpinp. sobbing Tnurtui tk-e iii|>pn rolled over on its sidedead 1 must hive lain for at least an hotii after tihe great fight had ended, too ex hau>ti>d to move or to c.ire even whs! becujiir of mc. My new friend (whe later proved to be an Akpoto Bnssa) dis appcaj-ed when the Tiippo fell, but sooi returned with a bundle of brushwooc and made a cheerful fire quite -close t< , my feel, and presently, in spite of mj wet clothes, I fell into a doep sleep. When 1 awoke, several men anc women were sitting and standing abou' in the firelight, some of the •women cook I mar at t - vo or three other fires close a' hand. My clothes had been taken ol as i =lept and were being dried not fa I-from mc. My servant, Bakari. was sit tag on ihis heels near by. When I askei I him herw on earth he got, there he e\ i plained tirat he had been picked up •>; I a canoe containing some, traders, oi their way up river, who on seeing on fire had derided to cn.mp on the saai sandbank. >.'either of my two canoe men had put in an appearance. With the help of fhe traders and thpi people my <Bass.a friend cut up the 'uppo but presented mo with the canine tnsk as a memeivto of an occasion that hardly required mireh in tlhe \vay of a souveni to keep mc from forgetting it. Next morning the friendly Bassa pro cured mc a cauoe, and T set off on m; interrupted journey to Lokoja, accom panied by Bakari. On arriving at m; destination 1 found that our bow canoe man had preceded us, and was calm!; enscom-ed under my bungalmv. Tlie othe poor fellow was not found until sewn days later, wb.cn a anangled, lifeless form was semi floating among seme reeds t>; the xiver bank, near Mozum. The hippi had taken his toll.