Works of Jules Verne/Five Weeks in a Balloon/Chapter 30
CHAPTER XXX
THE INCENDIARY PIGEONS
Next day, the 11th of May, the "Victoria" resumed her adventurous course; the travelers had in her the same confidence as a sailor feels in his ship.
Fearful hurricanes, tropical heat, dangerous ascents, even more dangerous descents, were experienced by the "Victoria," and happily overcome always and through everything. One might say that Ferguson guided her by a gesture; and without knowing the point of arrival, the doctor had no fear respecting the issue of the journey. But in this land of barbarians and fanatics, prudence obliged him to take the greatest precautions, and he enjoined his companions to keep their eyes open ready for anything at any time.
The wind carried them a little more to the north, and towards nine o'clock they came in sight of the large town of Mosfeia, built upon an eminence shut in between two high mountains. It was situated in an impregnable position; a road between a marsh and a wood was the only approach to it.
At this moment a sheik, accompanied by a mounted escort, clad in bright-colored robes, preceded by trumpeters and runners who cut down the opposing branches, was about to make his entry into the city.
The doctor descended so as to see the natives a little nearer, but scarcely had the balloon come into their range of vision when signs of terror began to manifest themselves, and they scampered away as fast as their legs or their horses could carry them. The sheik alone did not move, he cocked his long musket and waited proudly.
The doctor approached within 150 paces, and, in his most pleasant tone, addressed to him the Arab welcome.
But at these words falling from the sky, the sheik dismounted, and prostrated himself in the dust of the road; and the doctor was not able to prevent this act of worship.
"It is impossible," said he, "but that these people should take us for supernatural beings, since, on the arrival of the first Europeans amongst them, they believed them to be a divine race. And when this sheik speaks of this encounter in future he will not fail to elaborate the details with all the resources of an Arab's imagination. Judge then what their legends will be respecting us some of these days."
"That will be rather disappointing from the civilization point of view," replied Kennedy. "It would be better to pass for simple men, who would give these negroes an excellent idea of European power."
"Agreed, my dear Dick; but what could we do here? You might explain at length to the wise men the mechanism of the balloon, which they would not understand, and would always suppose it to be a supernatural appearance."
"Sir," said Joe, "you have spoken of the first Europeans who explored this country; who were they, if you please?"
"My dear boy, we are precisely on the track of Major Denham. It was at this very Mosfeia that he was received by the Sultan of Mandara; he had left the Bornou. He accompanied the sheik in an expedition against the Fellatabs; he assisted at the attack on the town, which resisted bravely with its arrows against the Arabs' bullets, and put the troops of the sheik to flight; all this was but a pretext for murder, pillage, and raids. The major was completely stripped, and had it not been for a horse, beneath whose belly he crept, and which enabled him to escape his conquerors by its headlong gallop, he would never have reentered Kouka, the capital of Bornou."
"But who was this Major Denham?"
"A brave Englishman, who from 1822 to 1824, commanded an expedition into the Bornou, in company with Captain Clapperton and Doctor Oudney. They left Tripoli in the month of March, arrived at Mourzouk, the capital of Fezzan; and, following the route which Doctor Barth traversed afterwards on his return to Europe, they arrived on the 16th of February, 1823, in Bornou, in the Mandara, and at the eastern side of the lake. During this time, on the 15th December, 1823, Captain Clapperton and Doctor Oudney penetrated into the Soudan as far as Sackatou, and Oudney died of fatigue and privation at Murmur."
"This part of Africa," said Kennedy, "has then paid a large tribute of victims to science."
"Yes! this region is indeed fatal. We are tending directly towards the kingdom of Barghimi, which Vogel crossed in 1856 to pentrate into the Wadaï, where he disappeared. This young man of twenty-three was despatched to co-operate in the explorations of Doctor Barth; they met on the 1st December, 1854, then Vogel commenced to explore the country; about 1856 he announced in his last letters his intention to examine the kingdom of Wadaï, into which no European had ever previously penetrated. It seems he reached Wara, the capital, where, according to some accounts, he was made prisoner; according to others he was put to death, for having attempted to ascend a sacred mountain in the neighborhood. But we must not lightly accept the report of the death of travelers, for that would obviate any search for them; thus, how often was the death of Doctor Barth officially announced, a circumstance which naturally caused him great irritation. It was therefore very possible that Vogel had been kept a prisoner by the Sultan of Wadaï, in the hope to obtain ransom. Baron Neimaus set out for Wadaï, but he died at Cairo in 1855. We know now that M. Heuglin, with the expedition despatched from Leipsic, followed up the traces of Vogel. Thus we ought to be soon assured of the fate of this youthful and interesting traveler."
Mosfeia had long since disappeared on the horizon. Mandara betrayed its astonishing fertility to the eyes of the travelers, with its acacia forests, the red-flowering locust plant, and the herbaceous plants in the cotton and indigo fields. The Shari, which flows into Lake Tchad eighty miles farther on, here rolled its impetuous course along.
The doctor followed with his companions the maps of Barth. "You see," said he, "that the works of this savant are wonderfully precise. We are traveling right over the district of Loggoum, and perhaps even upon Kernak, its capital. There poor Toole died, when scarcely twenty-two. He was a young Englishman, an ensign in the 8oth foot, who had for some weeks been with Major Denham in Africa, and he there quickly found his death. Ah! they may well call this country the 'Cemetery of Europeans.'"
Some canoes about fifty feet long were descending the Shari. The "Victoria," 1,000 feet above them, attracted little attention from the natives, until the wind, which had hitherto been blowing strongly, showed signs of diminishing.
"Are we again going to be becalmed, I wonder?" said the doctor.
"Well, sir, we have neither the want of water nor the desert to fear now."
"No, but the population is still very formidable."
"There" said Joe, eagerly, "is something that resembles a town."
"It is Kernak. The last breath of wind will carry us thither, and if it suits us, we can take an exact plan of the place."
"Can we not go nearer to it?" asked Kennedy.
"Nothing is more easy, Dick," said the doctor. "We are exactly over the town. Allow me to turn the tap of the blow-pipe a little, and we shall soon descend."
In half an hour the "Victoria " was floating motionless, about 200 feet from the ground.
"We are here nearer to Kernak," said the doctor, "than a man would be to London, if he were perched on the dome of St. Paul's. So we can observe at our ease all that is going on."
"What is that sound of mallets that we hear on all sides?"
Joe watched attentively, and perceived that the noise was produced by the number of weavers, who were beating their cloths stretched upon the large trunks of trees.
The capital of Loggoum was viewed in its entirety, like a plan unrolled at their feet. It was a veritable town, with lines of houses and good-sized streets. In the center of a large square a slave-market was held, and there was a large concourse of purchasers; for the Mandara women, with their little hands and feet, are very much sought after, and are sold for high prices.
At sight of the "Victoria," the oft-produced effect was again repeated—first cries, then profound stupefaction; business was abandoned, work suspended, the noise was hushed. The travelers remained immovable, and did not lose a detail of this populous city; they even descended to a distance of sixty feet from the ground.
Then the governor of Loggoum came out of his house, displaying his green flag, and accompanied by his musicians, who blew enthusiastically with the full force of their lungs into their hoarse buffalo horns. The crowd assembled round him. Doctor Ferguson wished to make himself heard, but he could not succeed.
The people, who had high foreheads, curly hair, and almost aquiline noses, appeared proud and intelligent, but the presence of the "Victoria" disturbed them mightily. The travelers perceived horsemen galloping in all directions; soon it became evident that the soldiers were being assembled to give battle to this extraordinary enemy. Joe had lavishly displayed handkerchiefs of various colors, but without any result.
However, the sheik, surrounded by his court, proclaimed silence, and made a speech in a mixed language of Arabic and Baghimi, of which the doctor did not understand a word. He comprehended, however, by the universal language of signs, that he was particularly requested to depart; he asked for nothing better, but in default of wind it had become impossible. His immobility angered the governor, and his courtiers begged him to give loud orders for the departure of the monster.
They were curious people, these courtiers, with their five or six motley shirts upon their bodies; they were enormously stout, and some appeared to wear artificial stomachs. The doctor astonished his companions by telling them that this was the mode of paying court to the Sultan. The rotundity of the abdomen indicated the ambition of the people. These fat men gesticulated and shouted, and one more than all the rest, who ought to have been prime minister if his size met with any favor. The crowd of negroes joined their shouting to that of the courtiers, repeating their gesticulations like so many monkeys, and which resulted in a curious and instantaneous effect in the simultaneous movement of 10,000 arms.
To these modes of intimidation, which appeared to be insufficient, they added others more formidable. Soldiers, armed with bows and arrows, were drawn up in order of battle; but the "Victoria" had already been inflated, and moved quietly out of range. The governor then seized a musket and leveled it at the balloon, but Kennedy was on the watch, and with a ball from his carbine, shattered the musket in the sheik's grasp.
At this unlooked-for blow there was a general retreat; each one took shelter in his house as quickly as possible, and during the rest of the day the town remained absolutely deserted.
Night arrived; the wind had dropped. It was resolved to pass the night at 300 feet from the ground. Not a gleam shone through the darkness—a deathlike silence reigned around.
The doctor redoubled his watchfulness; this calm betokened some treachery.
And Ferguson was right to watch as he did. Towards midnight all the town appeared on fire; hundreds of fiery streaks crossed each other like rockets, forming a network of flame.
"That is very curious," said the doctor.
"But, God bless me!" cried Kennedy, "It appears that the fire is ascending and approaching us."
In fact, at the sound of frightful cries, and amid the discharges of muskets, this mass of fire rose up towards the "Victoria." Joe made ready to throw out the ballast. Ferguson did not stop to ascertain the cause of the phenomenon.
Thousands of pigeons, their tails furnished with squibs, had been let loose against the "Victoria." Terrified, they ascended, marking their flight with fiery zigzags. Kennedy was about to discharge all the firearms into the midst of the crowd of birds, but what could he accomplish against such an innumerable host? Already the pigeons had surrounded the car and the balloon, of which the sides, reflecting the light, appeared wrapped in flames.
The doctor did not hesitate, and throwing over a large lump of quartz, he rose above the reach of these dangerous birds. For two hours they could perceive them flying backwards and forwards in the darkness; by degrees their numbers diminished and finally they disappeared.
"Now we can sleep in peace," said the doctor.
"Rather a happy thought of the savages," said Joe.
"Yes; they very commonly employ pigeons to burn the thatches of houses in the villages, but this time the village flew up higher than their winged incendiaries."
"A balloon has decidedly no enemies to fear," said Kennedy.
"Yes, indeed it has," replied the doctor.
"Who, then?"
The imprudent people whom it carries in its car; so, my friends, vigilance above everything—vigilance always!"