FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145  
146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   >>   >|  
t wish to trade with the white men, let them say so, and I will tell my brethren that it is of no use to bring their waggons so far." "My people are very poor," the chief said; "they have been at war with their neighbours, and have had no time to hunt the ostrich or to get skins." "They cannot have been fighting all the time," Mr Harvey rejoined; "they must have taken furs and skins--it is clear that they do not wish to trade. Tomorrow morning I will go on my way; there are many other tribes who will be glad at the coming of the white trader." After Mr Harvey's return to the waggons, it was evident that orders had been issued that some trade should be done, for several parcels of inferior kinds of ostrich feathers and skins were brought in. As it was clear, however, that no genuine trade was to be done, at daybreak the oxen were inspanned, and the caravan continued its journey. For the next two days the track lay across an open country, and no signs of molestation were met with. "We are now coming," Mr Harvey said, "to the very worst part of our journey. The hills we have seen in front of us for the last two days have to be crossed. To-morrow we ascend the lower slopes, which are tolerably easy; but the next day we have to pass through a very wild gorge. The road, which is the bed of a stream, mounts rapidly; but the ravine is nearly ten miles in length. Once at its head we are near the highest point of the shoulder over which we have to cross, and the descent on the other side is comparatively easy. If I could avoid this spot, I would do so; but I know of no other road by which waggons could cross the range for a very long distance either way; this is the one always used by traders. In the wet season it is altogether impassable, for in some places the ravine narrows to fifteen yards, with perpendicular cliffs on either side, and at these points the river, when in flood, rushes down twenty or thirty feet deep. Even putting aside the danger of attack in going through it, I would gladly avoid it if I could, for the weather is breaking; we have already had some showers, and may get heavy thunderstorms and a tremendous downfall of rain any day." The next day the journey was an arduous one; the ground was rough and broken, and the valley up which the road lay was frequently thickly strewn with boulders, which showed the force with which the water in flood-time rushed down over what was now its empty bed
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145  
146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
journey
 

Harvey

 

waggons

 
ravine
 

coming

 

ostrich

 

season

 

traders

 

altogether

 

points


fifteen

 
perpendicular
 

narrows

 
impassable
 
places
 

cliffs

 

descent

 

brethren

 

comparatively

 

shoulder


highest

 

distance

 

rushes

 

ground

 

broken

 
valley
 

arduous

 

tremendous

 

downfall

 

frequently


rushed

 

showed

 
thickly
 

strewn

 

boulders

 

thunderstorms

 

putting

 

thirty

 

twenty

 

danger


attack
 
showers
 

breaking

 

weather

 

gladly

 
genuine
 

daybreak

 
feathers
 
brought
 

inspanned