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Off to the Wilds, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 31. A Row Up Stream, And A Run Down |
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_ CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. A ROW UP STREAM, AND A RUN DOWN Naturally attracted by his sons' success, Mr Rogers agreed to go up the river with the king on an expedition to last a couple of days, during which they were to shoot hippopotamus, crocodile, and perhaps get a shot at a giraffe; and in due time a couple of large canoes were got ready, and in one was placed a tub of spirit for curiosities, and a chest to hold the skins of any choice birds that might be shot. In the other Mr Rogers had his guns and ammunition, with necessary stores in a chest; and so as to superintend and direct the men, it was settled that the king should go in one boat, Mr Rogers and Dinny in the other, each boat having four stout rowers to handle the long paddles they used. All in good time they started, greatly to Dinny's disgust; for he felt certain that the canoe would sooner or later overturn, and that he should be shot right into the mouth of one or other of the crocodiles. "They'll know fast enough, Masther Dick," he said piteously; "and you'll see if they don't come following the canoe like sharks afther a boat. Oh, murther, it was a sad day whin I took sarvice with the masther." Dinny took care, however, that Mr Rogers should not hear any of his plaints, and in due time the canoes started, and went well for the first part of the journey, the men paddling and singing, and a halt being made for midday and evening meal, which was made savoury with the large ducks that abounded in the reed beds, close in shore. Two or three good shots sufficed to provide enough for the whole party, and the men were in high glee, laughing and chatting as they picked the birds, which Dinny roasted before a good fire. At night they halted and drew up the canoes, proceeding afterwards to make a couple of large tents of reeds, which they cleverly cut, tied in bundles, and secured together--no mean shelter in a journey through the wilds; but Dinny found terrible fault with the arrangements, and had to be severely snubbed to bring him to a more patient state. They started in good time the next morning, so as to be early at the ground where the king promised game; but here the character of the country had altered, and in place of the swift, smoothly-flowing river, they had entered upon a part where it was broken up with rapids, long ranges of rocks stretching across the river like weirs and keeping the waters back, but making a series of rapids, down which the river rushed at a furious rate. "Shure, sor, my mother's name is--" "Hold your tongue, you foolish fellow," cried Mr Rogers, as Dinny half rose in dismay, and asked if the boats were going up there. "Shure, sor, I only wanted ye to know my pore mother's direction, so as ye could sind her word I was dhrowned in the big river out in Afrikky." "Will they be able to take us up there, king?" said Mr Rogers. "Hadn't we better land, and let them drag the canoes round?" The king laughed, and clapped his hands for the men to bend to their task, when they made the paddles flash in and out of the water, but it was soon evident that they would not surmount the rapids. The boat Mr Rogers was in got half-way up, and then was carried back at a tremendous speed, being swept round by an eddy beneath some trees, to one of the branches of which Mr Rogers held on, and so steadied the canoe, while a stalwart black thrust down his paddle from the bows, and kept the great vessel steady. Just then Dinny, who followed his master's actions as nearly as he could, laid hold of a goodly branch from the stern; but instead of taking the boat with him he thrust it away, and the next moment he was hanging from his branch, shouting "Masther!" and "Masther, dear!" with all his might. "Faix and I knowed it would come to it," he yelled, as the branch swayed up and down, and his legs went lower and lower in the water. "There's a great crocodivil coming. Masther, darlin', bring back the boat." This was done at last, but the black could scarcely paddle for laughing, and when the boat was under him poor Dinny hardly dared let go. He let himself subside in the bottom at last, and was wiping the perspiration from his face, and squeezing the water from his legs, when a shout from the big man in the bows drew Mr Rogers' attention, and he ran forward to see that the other canoe was upset, and that the men were being pitched into the rapids. For they had made three efforts to get up, each time being driven back; and at the fourth they were so much weakened and so weary, that when about half-way up they wavered, the stream caught the head, twisted it broadside, and, in a moment, king, subjects, box, and barrel were tilted out, and all went floating rapidly down the stream. The stalwart black in the bows needed no telling, and the boat Mr Rogers was in was sent down and across the stream below the rapids, picking up the king first, and then man after man, till Dinny, who was emptying the water out of his boots, declared that the boat was too full, and must sink. It did not, however, and the overturned boat being guided ashore, it was soon emptied and afloat again, with its crew looking none the worse, for, as Dinny said, it did not take their clothes long to dry. The king was of Dinny's opinion, for his garments of English make being very clingy and uncomfortable, he imitated the uniform of his subjects, and as everything that had floated out had been recovered, they were once more ready for an attack upon the rapids. But the king said no; they wanted more rowers; and Dinny uttered a loud "Hurroo!" as the canoes were allowed to float back towards the town, where they at last landed, to Dinny's great delight, safe and sound. _ |
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