the lost continent-第17部分

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We　called　her　name　aloud　every　few　minutes　as　we　motored　up　the　river；　but；　though　we　returned　all　the　way　to　our　former　camping　place；　we　did　not　find　her。　　I　then　decided　to　retrace　our　journey；　letting　Taylor　handle　the　launch；　while　Delcarte　and　I；　upon　opposite　sides　of　the　river；　searched　for　some　sign　of　the　spot　where　Victory　had　landed。

We　found　nothing　until　we　had　reached　a　point　a　few　miles　above　the　spot　where　I　had　first　seen　the　launch　drifting　down　toward　us；　and　there　I　discovered　the　remnants　of　a　recent　camp　fire。

That　Victory　carried　flint　and　steel　I　was　aware；　and　that　it　was　she　who　built　the　fire　I　was　positive。　　But　which　way　had　she　gone　since　she　stopped　here？

Would　she　go　on　down　the　river；　that　she　might　thus　bring　herself　nearer　her　own　Grabritin；　or　would　she　have　sought　to　search　for　us　upstream；　where　she　had　seen　us　last？

I　had　hailed　Taylor；　and　sent　him　across　the　river　to　take　in　Delcarte；　that　the　two　might　join　me　and　discuss　my　discovery　and　our　future　plans。

While　waiting　for　them；　I　stood　looking　out　over　the　river；　my　back　toward　the　woods　that　stretched　away　to　the　east　behind　me。　　Delcarte　was　just　stepping　into　the　launch　upon　the　opposite　side　of　the　stream；　when；　without　the　least　warning；　I　was　violently　seized　by　both　arms　and　about　the　waistthree　or　four　men　were　upon　me　at　once；　my　rifle　was　snatched　from　my　hands　and　my　revolver　from　my　belt。

I　struggled　for　an　instant；　but　finding　my　efforts　of　no　avail；　I　ceased　them；　and　turned　my　head　to　have　a　look　at　my　assailants。　　At　the　same　time　several　others　of　them　walked　around　in　front　of　me；　and；　to　my　astonishment；　I　found　myself　looking　upon　uniformed　soldiery；　armed　with　rifles；　revolvers；　and　sabers；　but　with　faces　as　black　as　coal。



8


Delcorte　and　Taylor　were　now　in　mis…stream；　coming　toward　us；　and　I　called　to　them　to　keep　aloof　until　I　knew　whether　the　intentions　of　my　captors　were　friendly　or　otherwise。　　My　good　men　wanted　to　come　on　and　annihilate　the　blacks。　　But　there　were　upward　of　a　hundred　of　the　latter；　all　well　armed；　and　so　I　commanded　Delcarte　to　keep　out　of　harm's　way；　and　stay　where　he　was　till　I　needed　him。

A　young　officer　called　and　beckoned　to　them。　　But　they　refused　to　come；　and　so　he　gave　orders　that　resulted　in　my　hands　being　secured　at　my　back；　after　which　the　company　marched　away；　straight　toward　the　east。

I　noticed　that　the　men　wore　spurs；　which　seemed　strange　to　me。　　But　when；　late　in　the　afternoon；　we　arrived　at　their　encampment；　I　discovered　that　my　captors　were　cavalrymen。

In　the　center　of　a　plain　stood　a　log　fort；　with　a　block…　house　at　each　of　its　four　corners。　　As　we　approached；　I　saw　a　herd　of　cavalry　horses　grazing　under　guard　outside　the　walls　of　the　post。　　They　were　small；　stocky　horses；　but　the　telltale　saddle　galls　proclaimed　their　calling。　　The　flag　flying　from　a　tall　staff　inside　the　palisade　was　one　which　I　had　never　before　seen　nor　heard　of。

We　marched　directly　into　the　compound；　where　the　company　was　dismissed；　with　the　exception　of　a　guard　of　four　privates；　who　escorted　me　in　the　wake　of　the　young　officer。　　The　latter　led　us　across　a　small　parade　ground；　where　a　battery　of　light　field　guns　was　parked；　and　toward　a　log　building；　in　front　of　which　rose　the　flagstaff。

I　was　escorted　within　the　building　into　the　presence　of　an　old　negro；　a　fine　looking　man；　with　a　dignified　and　military　bearing。　　He　was　a　colonel；　I　was　to　learn　later；　and　to　him　I　owe　the　very　humane　treatment　that　was　accorded　me　while　I　remained　his　prisoner。

He　listened　to　the　report　of　his　junior；　and　then　turned　to　question　me；　but　with　no　better　results　than　the　former　had　accomplished。　　Then　he　summoned　an　orderly；　and　gave　some　instructions。　　The　soldier　saluted；　and　left　the　room；　returning　in　about　five　minutes　with　a　hairy　old　white　man　just　such　a　savage；　primeval…looking　fellow　as　I　had　discovered　in　the　woods　the　day　that　Snider　had　disappeared　with　the　launch。

The　colonel　evidently　expected　to　use　the　fellow　as　interpreter；　but　when　the　savage　addressed　me　it　was　in　a　language　as　foreign　to　me　as　was　that　of　the　blacks。　　At　last　the　old　officer　gave　it　up；　and；　shaking　his　head；　gave　instructions　for　my　removal。

From　his　office　I　was　led　to　a　guardhouse；　in　which　I　found　about　fifty　half…naked　whites；　clad　in　the　skins　of　wild　beasts。　　I　tried　to　converse　with　them；　but　not　one　of　them　could　understand　Pan…American；　nor　could　I　make　head　or　tail　of　their　jargon。

For　over　a　month　I　remained　a　prisoner　there；　working　from　morning　until　night　at　odd　jobs　about　the　headquarters　building　of　the　commanding　officer。　　The　other　prisoners　worked　harder　than　I　did；　and　I　owe　my　better　treatment　solely　to　the　kindliness　and　discrimination　of　the　old　colonel。

What　had　become　of　Victory；　of　Delcarte；　of　Taylor　I　could　not　know；　nor　did　it　seem　likely　that　I　should　ever　learn。　I　was　most　depressed。　　But　I　whiled　away　my　time　in　performing　the　duties　given　me　to　the　best　of　my　ability　and　attempting　to　learn　the　language　of　my　captors。

Who　they　were　or　where　they　came　from　was　a　mystery　to　me。　That　they　were　the　outpost　of　some　pow…erful　black　nation　seemed　likely；　yet　where　the　seat　of　that　nation　lay　I　could　not　guess。

They　looked　upon　the　whites　as　their　inferiors；　and　treated　us　accordingly。　　They　had　a　literature　of　their　own；　and　many　of　the　men；　even　the　common　soldiers；　were　omnivorous　readers。　　Every　two　weeks　a　dust…covered　trooper　would　trot　his　jaded　mount　into　the　post　and　deliver　a　bulging　sack　of　mail　at　headquarters。　　The　next　day　he　would　be　away　again　upon　a　fresh　horse　toward　the　south；　carrying　the　soldiers'　letters　to　friends　in　the　far　off　land　of　mystery　from　whence　they　all　had　come。

Troops；　sometimes　mounted　and　sometimes　afoot；　left　the　post　daily　for　what　I　assumed　to　be　patrol　duty。　　I　judged　the　little　force　of　a　thousand　men　were　detailed　here　to　maintain　the　authority　of　a　distant　government　in　a　conquered　country。　　Later；　I　learned　that　my　surmise　was　correct；　and　this　was　but　one　of　a　great　chain　of　similar　posts　that　dotted　the　new　frontier　of　the　black　nation　into　whose　hands　I　had　fallen。

Slowly　I　learned　their　tongue；　so　that　I　could　understand　what　was　said　before　me；　and　make　myself　understood。　　I　had　seen　from　the　first　that　I　was　being　treated　as　a　slave　that　all　whites　that　fell　into　the　hands　of　the　blacks　were　thus　treated。

Almost　daily　new　prisoners　were　brought　in；　and　about　three　weeks　after　I　was　brought　in　to　the　post　a　troop　of　cavalry　came　from　the　south　to　relieve　one　of　the　troops　stationed　there。　　There　was　great　jubilation　in　the　encampment　after　the　arrival　of　the　newcomers；　old　friendships　were　renewed　and　new　ones　made。　　But　the　happiest　men　were　those　of　the　troop　that　was　to　be　relieved。

The　next　morning　they　started　away；　and　as　they　were　forced　upon　the　parade　ground　we　prisoners　were　marched　from　our　quarters　and　lined　up　before　them。　　A　couple　of　long　chains　were　brought；　with　rings　in　the　links　every　few　feet。　　At　first　I　could　not　guess　the　purpose　of　these　chains。　　But　I　was　soon　to　learn。

A　couple　of　soldiers　snapped　the　first　ring　around　the　neck　of　a　powerful　white　slave；　and　one　by　one　the　rest　of　us　were　herded　to　our　places；　and　the　work　of　shackling　us　neck　to　neck　commenced。

The　colonel　stood　watching　the　procedure。　　Presently　his　eyes　fell　upon　me；　and　he　spoke　to　a　young　officer　at　his　side。　　The　latter　stepped　toward　me　and　motioned　me　to　follow　him。　　I　did　so；　and　was　led　back　to　the　colonel。

By　this　time　I　could　understand　a　few　words　of　their　strange　language；　and　when　the　colonel　asked　me　if　I　would　prefer　to　remain　at　the　post　as　his　body　servant；　I　signified　my　willingness　as　emphatically　as　possible；　for　I　had　seen　enough　of　the　brutality　of　the　common　soldiers　toward　their　white　slaves　to　have　no　desire　to　start　out　upon　a　march　of　unknown　length；　chained　by　the　neck；　and　driven　on　by　the　great　whips　that　a　score　of　the　soldiers　carried　to　accelerate　the　speed　of　their　charges。

About　three　hundred　prisoners　who　had　been　housed　in　six　prisons　at　the　post　marched　out　of　the　gates　that　morning；　toward　what　fate　and　what　future　I　could　not　guess。　　Neither　had　the　poor　devils　themselves　more　than　the　most　vague　conception　of　what　lay　in　store　for　them；　except　that　they　were　going　elsewhere　to　continue　in　the　slavery　that　they　had　known　since　their　capture　by　their　black　conquerorsa　slavery　that　was　to　continue　until　death　released　them。

My　position　was　altered　at　the　post。　　From　working　about　the　headquarters　office；　I　was　transferred　to　the　colonel's　living　quarters。　　I　had　greater　freedom；　and　no　longer　slept　in　one　of　the　prisons；　but　had　a　little　room　to　myself　off　the　kitchen　of　the　colonel's　log　house。

My　master　was　always　kind　to　me；　and　under　him　I　rapidly　learned　the　language　of　my　captors；　and　much　concerning　them　that　had　been　a　mystery　to　me　before。　　His　name　was　Abu　Belik。　　He　was　a　colonel　in　the　cavalry　of　Abyssinia；　a　country　of　which　I　do　not　remember　ever　hearing；　but　which　Colonel　Belik　assured　me　is　the　oldest　civilized　country　in　the　world。

Colonel　Belik　was　born　in　Adis　Abeba；　the　capital　of　the　empire；　and　until　recently　had　been　in　command　of　the　emperor's　palace　guard。　　Jealousy　and　the　ambition　and　intrigue　of　another　officer　had　lost　him　the　favor　of　his　emperor；　and　he　had　been　detailed　to　this　frontier　post　as　a　mark　of　his　sovereign's　displeasure。

Some　fifty　years　before；　the　young　emperor；　Menelek　XIV；　was　ambitious。　　He　knew　that　a　great　world　lay　across　the　waters　far　to　the　north　of　his　capital。　　Once　he　had　crossed　the　desert　and　looked　out　upon　the　blue　sea　that　was　the　northern　boundary　of　his　dominions。

There　lay　another　world　to　conquer。　　Menelek　busied　himself　with　the　building　of　a　great　fleet；　though　his　people　were　not　a　maritime　race。　　His　army　crossed　into　Europe。　　It　met　with　little　resistance；　and　for　fifty　years　his　soldiers　had　been　pushing　his　boundaries　farther　and　farther　toward　the　north。

〃The　yellow　men　from　the　east　and　north　are　contesting　our　rights　here　now；〃　said　the　colonel；　〃but　we　shall　winwe　shall　conquer　the　world；　carrying　Christianity　to　all　the　benighted　heathen　of　Europe；　and　A