the land of footprints-第27节

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Throughout　the　first　part　of　the　trip　he　had　applied　himself　to　business　and　carried　his　load。　He　never　made　trouble。　Then　he　and　his　companion　saw　five　lions；　and　the　chance　Fundi　had　evidently　long　been　awaiting　came　to　his　hand。　He　ran　himself　almost　into　coma；　exhibited　himself　game；　and　so　fell　under　our　especial　and　distinguished　notice。　After　participating　whole…heartedly　in　the　lion　dance　he　and　his　companion　were　singled　out　for　Our　Distinguished　Favour；　to　the　extent　of　five　rupees　per。　Thus　far　Fundi's　history　reads　just　like　the　history　of　any　ordinary　Captain　of　Industry。

Next　morning；　after　the　interesting　ceremony　of　rewarding　the　worthy；　we　moved　on　to　a　new　camp。　When　the　line…up　was　called　for；　lo！　there　stood　Fundi；　without　a　load；　but　holding　firmly　my　double…barrelled　rifle。　Evidently　he　had　seized　the　chance　of　favour…and　the　rifle…and　intended　to　be　no　longer　a　porter　but　a　second　gunbearer。

This　looked　interesting；　so　we　said　nothing。　Fundi　marched　the　day　through　very　proudly。　At　evening　he　deposited　the　rifle　in　the　proper　place；　and　set　to　work　with　a　will　at　raising　the　big　tent。

The　day　following　he　tried　it　again。　It　worked。　The　third　day　he　marched　deliberately　up　past　the　syce　to　take　his　place　near　me。　And　the　fourth　day；　as　we　were　going　hunting；　Fundi　calmly　fell　in　with　the　rest。　Nothing　had　been　said；　but　Fundi　had　definitely　grasped　his　chance　to　rise　from　the　ranks。　In　this　he　differed　from　his　companion　in　glory。　That　worthy　citizen　pocketed　his　five　rupees　and　was　never　heard　from　again；　I　do　not　even　remember　his　name　nor　how　he　looked。

I　killed　a　buck　of　some　sort；　and　Memba　Sasa；　as　usual；　stepped　forward　to　attend　to　the　trophy。　But　I　stopped　him。

〃Fundi；〃　said　I；　〃if　you　are　a　gunbearer；　prepare　this　beast。〃

He　stepped　up　confidently　and　set　to　work。　I　watched　him　closely。　He　did　it　very　well；　without　awkwardness；　though　he　made　one　or　two　minor　mistakes　in　method。

〃Have　you　done　this　before？〃　I　inquired。

〃No；　bwana。〃

〃How　did　you　learn　to　do　it？〃

〃I　have　watched　the　gunbearers　when　I　was　a　porter　bringing　in　meat。〃*

*Except　in　the　greatest　emergencies　a　gunbearer　would　never　think　of　carrying　any　sort　of　a　burden。


This　was　pleasing；　but　it　would　never　do；　at　this　stage　of　the　game；　to　let　him　think　so；　neither　on　his　own　account　nor　that　of　the　real　gunbearers。

〃You　will　bring　in　meat　today　also；〃　said　I；　for　I　was　indeed　a　little　shorthanded；　〃and　you　will　learn　how　to　make　the　top　incision　straighter。〃

When　we　had　reached　camp　I　handed　him　the　Springfield。

〃Clean　this；〃　I　told　him。

He　departed　with　it；　returning　it　after　a　time　for　my　inspection。　It　looked　all　right。　I　catechized　him　on　the　method　he　had　employed…for　high　velocities　require　very　especial　treatment…and　found　him　letter　perfect。


〃You　learned　this　also　by　watching？〃

〃Yes；　bwana；　I　watched　the　gunbearers　by　the　fire；　evenings。〃

Evidently　Fundi　had　been　preparing　for　his　chance。

Next　day；　as　he　walked　alongside；　I　noticed　that　he　had　not　removed　the　leather　cap；　or　sight　protector；　that　covers　the　end　of　the　rifle　and　is　fastened　on　by　a　leather　thong。　Immediately　I　called　a　halt。

〃Fundi；〃　said　I；　〃do　you　know　that　the　cover　should　be　in　your　pocket？　Suppose　a　rhinoceros　jumps　up　very　near　at　hand：　how　can　you　get　time　to　unlace　the　thong　and　hand　me　the　rifle？〃

He　thrust　the　rifle　at　me　suddenly。　In　some　magical　fashion　the　sight　cover　had　disappeared！

〃I　have　thought　of　this；〃　said　he；　〃and　I　have　tied　the　thong；　so；　in　order　that　it　come　away　with　one　pull；　and　I　snatch　it　off；　so；　with　my　left　hand　while　I　am　giving　you　the　gun　with　my　right　hand。　It　seemed　good　to　keep　the　cover　on；　for　there　are　many　branches；　and　the　sight　is　very　easy　to　injure。〃

Of　course　this　was　good　sense；　and　most　ingenious；　Fundi　bade　fair　to　be　quite　a　boy；　but　the　native　African　is　very　easily　spoiled。　Therefore；　although　my　inclination　was　strongly　to　praise　him；　I　did　nothing　of　the　sort。

〃A　gunbearer　carries　the　gun　away　from　the　branches；〃　was　my　only　comment。

Shortly　after　occurred　an　incident　by　way　of　deeper　test。　We　were　all　riding　rather　idly　along　the　easy　slope　below　the　foothills。　The　grass　was　short；　so　we　thought　we　could　see　easily　everything　there　was　to　be　seen；　but；　as　we　passed　some　thirty　yards　from　a　small　tree；　an　unexpected　and　unnecessary　rhinoceros　rose　from　an　equally　unexpected　and　unnecessary　green　hollow　beneath　the　tree；　and　charged　us。　He　made　straight　for　Billy。　Her　mule；　panic…stricken；　froze　with　terror　in　spite　of　Billy's　attack　with　a　parasol。　I　spurred　my　own　animal　between　her　and　the　charging　brute；　with　some　vague　idea　of　slipping　off　the　other　side　as　the　rhino　struck。　F。　and　B。　leaped　from　their　own　animals；　and　F。；　with　a　little　。28　calibre　rifle；　took　a　hasty　shot　at　the　big　brute。　Now；　of　course　a　。28　calibre　rifle　would　hardly　injure　a　rhino；　but　the　bullet　happened　to　catch　his　right　shoulder　just　as　he　was　about　to　come　down　on　his　right　foot。　The　shock　tripped　him　up　as　neatly　as　though　he　had　been　upset　by　a　rope。　At　the　same　instant　Billy's　mule　came　to　its　senses　and　bolted；　whereupon　I　too　jumped　off。　The　whole　thing　took　about　two　finger　snaps　of　time。　At　the　instant　I　hit　the　ground；　Fundi　passed　the　double　rifle　across　the　horse's　back　to　me。

Note　two　things　to　the　credit　of　Fundi：　in　the　first　place；　he　had　not　bolted；　in　the　second　place；　instead　of　running　up　to　the　left　side　of　my　mount　and　perhaps　colliding　with　and　certainly　confusing　me；　he　had　come　up　on　the　right　side　and　passed　the　rifle　to　me　ACROSS　the　horse。　I　do　not　know　whether　or　not　he　had　figured　this　out　beforehand；　but　it　was　cleverly　done。

The　rhinoceros　rolled　over　and　over；　like　a　shot　rabbit；　kicked　for　a　moment；　and　came　to　his　feet。　We　were　now　all　ready　for　him；　in　battle　array；　but　he　had　evidently　had　enough。　He　turned　at　right　angles　and　trotted　off；　apparently…and　probably…none　the　worse　for　the　little　bullet　in　his　shoulder。

Fundi　now　began　acquiring　things　that　he　supposed　befitting　to　his　dignity。　The　first　of　these　matters　was　a　faded　fez；　in　which　he　stuck　a　long　feather。　From　that　he　progressed　in　worldly　wealth。　How　he　got　it　all；　on　what　credit；　or　with　what　hypnotic　power；　I　do　not　know。　Probably　he　hypothecated　his　wages；　certainly　he　had　his　five　rupees。

At　any　rate　he　started　out　with　a　ragged　undershirt　and　a　pair　of　white；　baggy　breeches。　He　entered　Nairobi　at　the　end　of　the　trip　with　a　cap；　a　neat　khaki　shirt；　two　water　bottles；　a　cartridge　belt；　a　sash　with　a　tasseI；　a　pair　of　spiral　puttees；　an　old　pair　of　shoes；　and　a　personal　private　small　boy；　picked　up　en　route　from　some　of　the　savage　tribes；　to　carry　his　cooking　pot；　make　his　fires；　draw　his　water；　and　generally　perform　his　lordly　behests。　This　was　indeed　〃more…than…oriental…splendour！〃

》From　now　on　Fundi　considered　himself　my　second　gunbearer。　I　had　no　use　for　him；　but　Fundi's　development　interested　me；　and　I　wanted　to　give　him　a　chance。　His　main　fault　at　first　was　eagerness。　He　had　to　be　rapped　pretty　sharply　and　a　good　number　of　times　before　he　discovered　that　he　really　must　walk　in　the　rear。　His　habit　of　calling　my　attention　to　perfectly　obvious　things　I　cured　by　liberal　sarcasm。　His　intense　desire　to　take　his　own　line　as　perhaps　opposed　to　mine　when　we　were　casting　about　on　trail；　I　abated　kindly　but　firmly　with　the　toe　of　my　boot。　His　evident　but　mistaken　tendency　to　consider　himself　on　an　equality　with　Memba　Sasa　we　both　squelched　by　giving　him　the　hard　and　dirty　work　to　do。　But　his　faults　were　never　those　of　voluntary　omission；　and　he　came　on　surprisingly；　in　fact　so　surprisingly　that　he　began　to　get　quite　cocky　over　it。　Not　that　he　was　ever　in　the　least　aggressive　or　disrespectful　or　neglectful…it　would　have　been　easy　to　deal　with　that　sort　of　thing…but　he　carried　his　head　pretty　high；　and　evidently　began　to　have　mental　reservations。　Fundi　needed　a　little　wholesome　discipline。　He　was　forgetting　his　porter　days；　and　was　rapidly　coming　to　consider　himself　a　full…fledged　gunbearer。

The　occasion　soon　arose。　We　were　returning　from　a　buffalo　hunt　and　ran　across　two　rhinoceroses；　one　of　which　carried　a　splendid　horn。　B。　wanted　a　well　developed　specimen　very　much；　so　we　took　this　chance。　The　approach　was　easy　enough；　and　at　seventy　yards　or　so　B。　knocked　her　flat　with　a　bullet　from　his　。465　Holland。　The　beast　was　immediately　afoot；　but　was　as　promptly　smothered　by　shots　from　us　all。　So　far　the　affair　was　very　simple；　but　now　came　complication。　The　second　rhinoceros　refused　to　leave。　We　did　not　want　to　kill　it；　so　we　spent　a　lot　of　time　and　pains　shooing　it　away。　We　showered　rocks　and　clods　of　earth　in　his　direction；　we　yelled　sharply　and　whistled　shrilly。　The　brute　faced　here　and　there；　his　pig　eyes　blinking；　his　snout　upraised；　trying　to　locate　us；　and　declining　to　budge。　At　length　he　gave　us　up　as　hopeless；　and　trotted　away　slowly。　We　let　him　go；　and　when　we　thought　he　had　quite　departed；　we　approached　to　examine　B。's　trophy。

Whereupon　the　other　craftily　returned；　and　charged　us；　snorting　like　an　engine　blowing　off　steam。　This　was　a　genuine　premeditated　charge；　as　opposed　to　a　blind　rush；　and　it　is　offered　as　a　good　example　of　the　so