In the Depths of the Dark Continent: or, The Vengeance of Van Vincent

CHAPTER VII.
VAN'S PERIL

Jack Howard and his companions were admirably equipped for an overland journey through the African wilds.

It did not take them a great while to outfit Van, the mate and Gregory, the sailor, as well as they were themselves.

Each one of the six wore high top boots, buckskin breeches, and broad-brimmed straw hats. They also carried knapsacks over their shoulders, which were well filled with useful articles.

Before starting out on foot they hauled their boat well up from the muddy stream and covered it with boughs and leaves, as they found Doc Clancy had done before them.

By the looks of the trail made by the murderer and his followers they must have arrived there fully two days in advance of our friends.

This part of the country was so thickly wooded that in many places the rays of the sun never reached the ground.

Poisonous serpents held carnival here, and the explorers had to be continually on the watch for them.

Just before sunset they came to a halt, weary from their first day's tramp.

Thus far they had not been molested by savages, though they had passed through the domain of more than one band.

If they had been a large, regular organized exploring party, they would have had no end of trouble, as they would then have visited black tribes, supposed to be friendly, and begged permission of them to proceed through the various kingdoms.

In this way their presence would become known to every tribe within fifty miles of them, no matter in what section they might be, as was the case with Stanley and other great explorers.

But our little party were in for it on their own hook, and asked permission from no one to travel on their way.

They would be all right so long as they were not intercepted by some roving band.

Jack Howard calculated that they were now in a section of country where no one had ever been before, save the natives and the villains they were following.

Prof. Drearland made a rather lengthy note of this, and seemed much pleased at his young friend's idea of it.

The professor was a curious sort of a man. Some people would have said that he was better fitted to become a village schoolmaster than to go roaming about the wilds of the interior of Africa.

Probably he was; but that is not for us to say now. True, the professor was not the bravest man on earth in the time of danger.

But Dr. Pestle! he was a regular cyclone when necessity demanded it. He could shoot as well as anybody in the party, and that is saying a great deal, for Van and Jack were excellent shots.

They managed to put in quite a comfortable night of it, and at the first signs of daylight they were up and ready to resume their journey.

They managed to make a light breakfast from some sardines and sea biscuit found in their knapsacks, which they ate as they made their way through the gully.

It did not take Van long to discover that they were following a dry water course, and he was soon surprised at seeing footprints in the sand and gravel it contained.

The footprints were made by men of civilized habits, too, for the tracks were those of boots or shoes.

"We are in luck!" our hero exclaimed. "Doc Clancy and his companion have gone this way. It will only be a question of time now before I will capture the scoundrel and force a written confession that he murdered my uncle from him."

"If you can get him to do that you will not have a great deal of trouble in taking him back to the United States," returned Jack Howard.

"I don't believe Doc Clancy will ever see ther States ag'in," observed Lank Edwards.

"Why?" asked Van.

"'Cause, he'll git killed afore we git through with him."

"If he does my uncle's murder will be avenged. Only I should like to see the villain die with a rope around his neck."

"He might die a wuss death than bein' hung," said the mate. "You can't tell what'll happen in this strange country," and Lank Edwards shrugged his shoulders.

No one made any reply to the mate's words, and the party continued on in silence.

They noticed that the water course led them up a gradual ascent, and the professor reckoned that it would conduct them to a range of mountains.

When noon arrived they were still in the gully, and all hands were ravenously hungry.

Though they could have shot lots of game during the morning, they did not do it for fear that the natives might be in pursuit of them and hear the report of their rifles.

But now it was getting to be a case of necessity, and Jack Howard said he was dying for a roasted chunk of meat, and did not propose to go any further until he got it.

"We may as well camp right here," he went on. "It is as good a place as we can find; and while the rest of you are getting a fire going, Van and I will go into the woods a little way and get something for dinner."

This was satisfactory to all hands, so they came to a halt. Van and Jack at once left the gully and started on their mission.

They had not gone far, however, before they encountered a boy running, and behind him a half dozen savages. Both opened fire at once, and when the rescue was effected they took him back to the camp. There the latter explained that he was Joseph Hedgewood, the son of an Englishman, who had been killed by the savages, and who had left him an orphan and homeless. He was small and fair, with large, dark eyes and abundant dark hair. He wore a corduroy suit, much too large for his slender form, and his feet were encased in a pair of stout leather boots that were, however, small and shapely. All of the company looked at him quizzically, but when they perceived he was so young and tender they agreed to take him under their protection.

He, for his part, was diffident and wanted to serve them in the capacity of servant, but to that all objected.

"No, you won't," exclaimed Jack. "We have enough servants."

So he was installed as a companion, and when the first meal had passed he was as much at home as any of them.

That afternoon they proceeded onward, and when night fell they concluded to look for a suitable place to pitch their camp. Accordingly they pushed up the water course to where a gradual descent of perhaps a foot to every hundred yards became apparent.

"We will land in some beautiful valley that is inhabited solely by Amazons, see if we don't," said Prof. Drearland.

"That is yet to be found out, professor. I wouldn't make a note of it yet, if I were you," returned Jack Howard.

As far as they could see they were in a richly wooded valley.

But not a sign of anything human could be seen, save, perhaps, a well-beaten path that led from the mouth of the passage into the depths of the forest.

"I told you we would come out into a beautiful valley!" exclaimed the professor. "Now, let us follow this path, and in due time we will come upon the Amazons."

"It seems to me that you are getting remarkably brave all at once, professor," returned Jack Howard.

The professor was about to make some retort when a rather startling occurrence took place.

With shrill, warlike cries, fully half a hundred women burst from the cover of the trees and surrounded the party.

CHAPTER VIII.
A WOMAN'S PARADISE

Had it been a party of men that burst upon them so suddenly our friends would surely have opened fire upon them, but as they were women, they were at a loss what course to pursue.

As soon as the band of Amazons had completely surrounded the little party they came to a halt, and did not offer to lay hands upon them.

"Have your weapons ready, and the moment they attempt to harm us we will have to begin shooting, even if they are women," said Van.

"Right you are," returned Jack Howard, "but they are a too good-looking set by far, to do us any harm."

"Suppose I try and talk to them?" observed Prof. Drearland.

"Go ahead!" exclaimed Van.

Clearing his throat, the learned man began addressing the women in all the foreign tongues he could command.

But he was evidently not understood, as a rather musical chattering was the only answer he received.

"S'pose you try 'em in the United States language," ventured Lank Edwards. "If they can't understand that they ain't worth botherin' with."

Taking the cue, the professor at once addressed the assemblage in English.

To the astonishment of all hands one of the elder women promptly stepped forward and answered him in the same tongue.

"I can speak your language," said she. "It was taught our people by one of your own race several years ago. We mean you no harm, and if you will come with us to our village in a peaceful manner all will be well."

"Yes, but what race do you belong to?"

And the professor promptly drew his notebook and pencil.

"Wait until to-morrow and I will give you all the information you may desire," was the reply. "Come, we will go to our village now."

Thinking it good policy not to make any objections, our friends signified their willingness, and accordingly the band set out over the path through the forest.

After a journey of perhaps a mile a rich farming land was reached.

In the center of a vast clearing was a number of neatly thatched huts, and into one of these our six friends were placed.

"You will stay here till morning," said the woman who acted as speaker for the Amazons. "Don't attempt to get away, for you will only run into far more danger than you are in now."

All hands were completely tired out, and without any further ado they flung themselves upon the clean beds of dried grass the hut contained, and were soon fast asleep.

The sun was at least four hours high when they awoke the next morning, feeling much refreshed.

Van and Jack made their way out of the hut to take a look at their surroundings.

They saw that they were in a beautiful country. As far as the eye could reach well-cultivated lands could be seen, while here and there herds of cattle and horses could be seen grazing in rich pasture fields.

On the left was a range of mountains, and Van knew that they must have come under these in order to be where they now were.

At their right hand beyond the farming lands naught but a dense forest could be seen, and so it was both before and behind them.

Almost the first person they saw after coming out of the hut was the woman with whom they had conversed the night before.

She walked up to them as soon as she observed them, and, as she did so, Van and Jack took a good look at her.

She was of white blood beyond a question of doubt, but her manner and dress betokened that she had never seen civilization.

Like the rest of the women she wore a gown of some light texture with gaudy trimmings.

Shoes or hat she had none.

"Well," said she, when she reached the spot where Van and Jack were standing, "I suppose you are hungry. Call your companions and you shall all breakfast with me, and while we eat I will tell you something about myself and people."

Van quickly called the rest of the party from the hut, and then all hands followed the Amazon to the center of the group of huts.

She conducted them inside the largest of these, and bade them be seated upon piles of skins, of which there were nearly a dozen lying about.

Then she struck a sharp blow with a stick upon a round, metallic substance, and almost immediately two little girls appeared, carrying bark trays, upon which was an abundance of food, consisting of meat, vegetables and fruit.

Van and Jack were each given one of the trays, and then the girls brought in more until each one of the party was served.

"Now," said their strange hostess, "eat, and while you do, I will tell you a little story."

All were very hungry, and, as the food looked tempting, they needed no second invitation.

"To begin with," said the woman, "my name is Kanka. I am the recognized head of all the women and girls in this valley.

"No men live here at all, and the way our race is kept up is this: About twenty miles to the south of this valley there is a very fine country which is inhabited by people of my own race.

"Adjoining this country there is another that is peopled by a race of warlike blacks.

"Ever since time began my people have been at war with them, and thousands of our men are killed every year.

"About ten years ago the king of our nation caused a count to be made to see how many more women there were than men. The result showed that there were fifty females to every male in his kingdom.

"He at once issued an edict that a certain portion of the females should be placed in this valley to till the soil, so they might earn their own living and at the same time produce food for his warriors.

"Since that time a fresh supply of women and girls are brought here annually, and here they must stay till they die, simply because there is not enough men in the kingdom to wed and take care of them."

"That is truly wonderful!" exclaimed the professor, when he had finished writing down the remarkable story.

"Yes," added Van; "but you failed to tell us how you learned to speak our tongue."

"That is so," returned Kanka. "But I can tell you in a few words. About a year after I had been here in charge of the valley a man, who was one of your race, arrived here in much the same manner as you did.

"He was sick with fever and I nursed him back to health and strength, and as a reward for my services he became my husband.

"I had to hide him every year when the men brought the new recruits in and took away the produce and ivory we had accumulated for them. If I had not they would surely have killed him.

"Well, he died less than a year ago, and since then I have been very unhappy.

"It was he who taught me your language, and I have in turn taught it to many more. Now I guess I have told you about everything."

"Well," remarked Lank Edwards, clearing his throat and rising to his feet, "if you are all through, I'd like ter ask ther lady a question."

"What is it?" questioned Kanka.

"It are jist this: What are you a-goin' ter do with us fellers?"

"I am going to see that you all get wives this very day!"

"He, he, he!" giggled Prof. Drearland, as though he thought the idea a good one.

But he was the only one in the party who laughed.

The others grew decidedly uncomfortable, and Joe blushed to the roots of his hair.

"You may go out and take a walk about our little village," said Kanka, not noticing the looks our friends were exchanging. "In the meantime, I will assemble all the women of the place in a double line, and you can walk through them and select as many as you want for your wives."

Without making a reply all hands walked outside.

Just as they emerged from the hut they heard a confusion some yards distant.

Turning their gaze in the direction it came from, they beheld a number of the women marching in with two male prisoners in their midst.

Van gave a start.

The prisoners were Doc Clancy and his companion!

CHAPTER IX.
ESCAPE FROM THE AMAZONS

"I am glad they caught those two scoundrels," observed Jack Howard, turning to our hero. "But I am sorry they caught us. This marrying business is not going to work very well, I am afraid. The moment we object to it there will be trouble."

"If it comes to the worst we will have to fight for it," replied Van. "I think we can put it off for a couple of days, and we ought to be able to make our escape before that time. But there's Doc Clancy! I can't go away and leave him here; for I have sworn that if the villain lives long enough, I will take him back to the United States to stand trial for the murder of my uncle."

"He'll never live long enough for you ter do that," spoke up Lank Edwards; "I'll kill him myself afore that happens."

The party now remained silent for a while, and watched the prisoners who had just been brought in to see what would be done with them.

They saw Kanka go up to them, and after she had held a rather lengthy conversation with the pair they were released, much to the astonishment of our friends.

Doc Clancy and the other man walked about with expressions of satisfaction on their faces.

The idea of getting married to as many wives as they wanted, and living a life of idleness, evidently pleased them.

A few minutes after their release they saw Van and his companions for the first time.

Their looks of satisfaction suddenly changed, and they showed signs of uneasiness.

Van made up his mind to keep a strict watch upon Doc Clancy, for fear the villain might get an opportunity to murder him.

Meanwhile Kanka had issued orders for all the inhabitants of the valley to assemble in a large field, for the purpose of allowing the eight male strangers to pick out wives.

It took a couple of hours to get them all together, and when the lines had finally been formed, Kanka summoned Van and his companions to her side.

"See here," said Jack Howard, turning his eyes upon the leader of the Amazons, "isn't this a rather queer way of doing business?"

"Why so?" demanded Kanka.

"Don't you think you had better find out if we all want wives before you go any further?"

The woman looked at him in mute astonishment as he uttered the words.

"Why, surely you are all willing to marry," she gasped.

"I am not, for one," returned Jack.

"And I would rather die first!" exclaimed Joe, with flashing eyes.

"You kin count me out, too," chimed in Lank Edwards.

"Same here," echoed Dr. Pestle.

"I wouldn't think of such a thing," observed our hero.

"Well, I suppose I will have to do as my friends do," said Prof. Drearland; "although I don't think it a half bad idea to marry."

"You shut up, professor," Jack exclaimed. "You have got a wife in England, you know you have."

"I shan't say any more," returned the professor meekly.

For the space of five minutes Kanka gazed at our friends with a mingled look of rage and surprise on her face.

Presently she spoke.

"Do you know what will happen if you don't marry?" she said.

"Yes," returned Jack, growing the least bit reckless.

"What?"

"Well, if we don't marry, we certainly won't have any wives!"

"More than that will happen. You will all be thrown into the burning pit under the mountain."

The face of the woman now grew as black as a thundercloud.

Placing her hand at her belt, she seized a small whistle.

She was about to place it to her lips when Jack Howard suddenly drew his revolver and leveled it at her heart.

"Blow that whistle and you are a dead woman!" he exclaimed.

Evidently the woman was acquainted with the nature of firearms, for her face turned deadly pale and the whistle dropped from her hands.

"What would you do?" she demanded, hoarsely.

"I would kill you, as sure as fate," was the reply. "Now, then, we are going to leave this valley. We will take a trip to the land of your people and see what sort they are. Don't attempt to oppose us, for if you do you will be the first one to die."

Jack's words had their effect upon the woman. She was completely cowed, and did not utter a word of protest.

"Draw your revolvers," said the young Englishman, turning to his companions. "We will leave at once. There are six of us, and if these women attempt to bar our way, shoot them down as though they were so many savages."

The next instant twelve revolvers flashed in the sunlight from as many hands.

It was at this state of affairs that a wild howl went up from a crowd of women about a hundred yards distant.

Glancing in the direction it came from, our friends beheld the forms of Doc Clancy and his pal seated astride a pair of horses, and galloping swiftly over the level country in the direction of the forest.

The two villains, thinking that Van and his friends were going to stop a while in the valley, deemed it advisable to get out.

They watched their opportunity, and, catching a couple of horses, mounted them and made off.

The Amazons were in a great state of excitement over this, and the majority of the assembled crowd promptly started in pursuit.

Kanka at once rushed away, leaving our friends standing alone where they were.

"This is our opportunity!" exclaimed Van. "There are some horses grazing over there; let's catch enough for our use and follow Doc Clancy."

"That is just what we will do," returned Jack Howard. "Come on, all of you!"

The next moment they were hurrying toward the horses.

The animals were very tame, and they managed to catch what they wanted before any of the Amazons reached them.

Each horse had a tough vine about its neck, and, placing this between their teeth, they managed to form a rude bridle and bit.

A minute more and they had mounted, and were riding away with the speed of the wind.

The Amazons mounted, too, and started in pursuit; but they were poor riders, and our little party of explorers soon outdistanced them.

In less than half an hour they reached a heavily timbered forest, and the strange horde of women were soon lost to sight.

The trail made by Doc Clancy and his companion was a very plain one; Van led the way, following it in every turn.

About noon they came to a halt near a stream of running water to give the horses a rest.

Van and Jack shot some game, while the rest of the party busied themselves in constructing better bridles for their horses.

Two hours later they started out again, following the trail as before.

Just before nightfall they arrived at the bank of a river, which was fully half a mile in width.

As they looked about them the country showed signs of being inhabited, as fastened to the bank were a number of rafts formed by felled trees tied together by tough vines.

"I wonder if we haven't struck the country the Amazons told us about," remarked Van.

"I shouldn't be surprised," returned the professor. "I shall make a note of this, for it is truly wonderful to find rafts of timber in the heart of this wild country."

While the professor was jotting down his notes the rest of the party were carefully scrutinizing the river.

Presently they were startled to see one of the timber rafts drifting swiftly down the center of the stream.

Upon it were two men and a pair of horses.

A single glance sufficed to show that the men were Doc Clancy and his villainous companion.

At that instant a puff of smoke came from the raft, followed instantly by the report of a rifle; Van clapped his hand to the side of his head and tumbled headlong from the back of his horse.