King Solomon's Treasure

Chapter 7 Into the Desert (1)
We killed nine elephants, and spent two days cutting the tusks back to the camp, where they were carefully buried in the sand under a tree.The tree was huge, conspicuous for miles around.The tusks were of good quality, weighing an average of forty or fifty pounds, and were the finest ivory I had ever seen.The tusk that crushed Kiva's bull elephant weighed a full 170 pounds, we estimate.As for Kiva, we buried his body in the giant anteater's burrow and placed a spear beside him, hoping that the spear would protect him on his way to heaven.

On the third day, we set off again, hoping to return alive one day to dig up the tusks.We trudged on with great difficulty along the intended route, and I will not dwell on the dangers we encountered along the way.We reached the village of Standa near the Lukaga River, and this is where the journey really begins.I still remember the scene of this village until now.On the right side of the Lukaga River, there are several local houses scattered, and some stone-built cow sheds. There are a few cultivated fields in the lower reaches of the river, and the locals grow some grains.There is a large grassland in the distance. Looking up, it is full of tall weeds, and there are groups of small animals wandering among the weeds.On the left of the Lukaga River is the endless desert.There is fertile land on one side and desolate desert on the other. No one knows what kind of natural force has created such a contrasting scenery, but such a scenery actually exists.Below our camp ran a small stream, and on the other side of the stream was a rocky slope. Twenty years ago, I saw Sylvester, who failed in the treasure hunt, climb back along this slope.Beyond the slope was a dry desert with only a few bushes growing.After setting up the tent, it was already dusk, and the sun was like a huge fireball, gradually sinking into the desert, and the bright afterglow filled the vast desert.Good stayed in charge of the tent, and Sir Henry and I walked up the slope to the top of the slope, looking out over the desert.At this time, the sky was very bright, and the light blue outline of Sulimen Mountain could be vaguely seen far, far away, and the top of the mountain was covered with white snow.

"It's there," I said, "that's the barrier of Solomon's treasure, but who knows if we'll be able to climb it or not."

"My brother should be there. If he is, I must find him." Sir Henry's tone was calm and confident.

"I hope so." After I finished speaking, I turned and walked back to the camp, only to find someone behind me at some point.The tall Zulu man Ambopa stood behind us, also staring at the distant mountains with a determined expression.

When Ambopa saw that I had spotted him, he spoke to his master, Sir Henry.

"Are you going to that place? Inchub (the local name given to Sir Henry by the Xhosa, which means elephant)?" He pointed at the distant mountains with his spear.

I scolded him sharply, how could he talk to the master in such a casual tone.It is normal for locals to give foreigners a local name, but generally it is only used among locals.If you call this name in front of outsiders, it will appear very uneducated.After hearing what I said, he actually laughed out loud, which made me even angrier.

"How do you know that I am not equal to the master I serve? It is easy to tell from his figure and eyes that he is from a noble family. Maybe I am too, at least I am as tall as him. Makumazahn, Translate my words to my master, for I have something else to tell you both."

I am very angry, no Xhosa has dared to talk to me like this yet.But he impressed me, and I was curious about what he had to say, so I translated what he said, and I also gave my opinion of this guy.This kid was rude and arrogant, it was too much.

"Yes, Ambopa," said Sir Henry, "I am going there."

"The desert is endless, the water source is scarce, the mountains are too high, and there is snow all the year round. No one knows what the place where the sun sets is like. Inchub, why do you go there?"

I translated his words.

"Tell him," said Sir Henry, "for I believe my own brother has gone there, and I will go after him."

"Inchub, it turned out to be like this. Someone told me on the road that two years ago a white man took a servant and a hunter with him into the desert, intending to go to the high mountains, but he never returned."

"How do you know that man is my brother?" asked Sir Henry.

"No, I don't know. But I asked about the appearance of the white man. His eyes are very similar to yours, and he has a black beard. He also said that the hunter who accompanied him was named Jim, and he was from Bechuana."

"Yes," I said, "I know Jim very well."

Sir Henry nodded: "I'm sure that's him. If George makes up his mind to do something, he will definitely do it. He has been like this since he was a child. If he intends to cross Sulemon Hills, he will definitely go, unless If there is any accident, we must go to the mountain to find him."

Although Ambopa can't speak English, she can understand it.

"It's been a long journey, Inchub," he said.I translated his words.

"Yes, I know," replied Sir Henry, "that it is a long way. But as long as we make up our minds, we can reach far places. As long as love guides us, there is no impossible thing, no mountain that cannot be overcome, and no mountain that cannot be overcome. You can’t pass through the desert, unless you don’t know where the mountains are and where the desert is. Destiny is in your own hands, and any difficulties are nothing, whether you live or die, just follow God’s arrangement.”

I translated Sir Henry's words.

"Well said, master," said the Zulu (though he was not a Zulu, but I shall call him a Zulu), "that's what a real man should say. You're so right, My lord. What is life? Life is like a feather, a seed of grass, falling around with the wind, it may take root and germinate, it may go to death, and it may be taken to heaven. But as long as the seed is tenacious, it will Will go farther. Man is mortal, and the worst thing is to die early. My lord, I will cross the desert and climb the mountains with you, unless I fall on the road."

He paused for a while, and then continued, with gorgeous rhetoric and eloquence.Zulu people sometimes like to talk like this, and it seems to me that it is just unnecessary repetition, reflecting the lack of poetry and wisdom of this people.

"What is life? Tell me, white people, you are wise men, you know the secrets of the world, you know the sun, moon, stars, and everything in the universe, and you can send messages from far away. What is the secret of life, white people, and where does it come from? Where, where are you going?"

"You don't know, you can't answer my question. Listen, let me tell you. We came from the darkness and went back to the darkness. Like a bird on a stormy night, we don't know where we came from, and we don't know where we're going." Where to fly. Our wings are illuminated by fire, but it is fleeting. Life is nothing, life is everything. Life is a handshake before death. Life is a firefly, bright in the night and dim in the day. Life is the breath of the bull The white air. Life is the reflection of the grass in the sun, which disappears after sunset.”

"You are very strange," said Sir Henry.

Ambopa smiled: "I think we are very similar, Inchubu. Maybe I also went to the other side of the mountain to find my brother."

I looked at him suspiciously: "What do you mean by that? How much do you know about those mountains?"

"Just a little, a little. I've heard it's a strange place, a magical and very beautiful place. There are brave people, lush trees, babbling brooks, snow-capped mountains, The wide road. But that's what you hear. Only those who get there alive can see it."

After hearing this, the doubts in my heart increased a little.It seems the man knows too much.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Makumazahn," he seemed to read my suspicion, "I will set you no trap, and I have no plot. If we can cross the mountains behind the sun, I will I'll tell you all I know. But there's danger there, and death everywhere. If you're wise, go back and shoot your elephant. That's all I'm saying."

He saluted us with his spear, turned and walked back to camp.For a while, he was cleaning guns with other Xhosa men.

"What a queer man," said Sir Henry.

"That's right," I replied, "it's just so weird. I don't like him. He must know something, but there's no point arguing with him if you don't tell. We've got plenty of new and queer things to do on our trip anyway, one more So what about the mysterious Zulu."

The next day we started to prepare for departure.Of course, it's impossible to haul a heavy elephant rifle and other implements across the desert.So we dismissed the porters and handed over the things to an old man in the village of Standa to take care of them, and we agreed to pick them up when we came back.Seeing him greedily staring at our things, I was really worried about leaving these treasures in the care of this old thief, so I took some precautions.

First, I loaded all the guns and told him they would go off if he touched them.He tried it right away with my eight-gauge gun, and it went off.A bullet hit one of his cows exactly, and he was knocked over by the recoil.He was frightened and got up from the ground, very angry that a cow died in vain and insisted on paying for it, but he never dared to touch those guns again.

"Put these live ghosts on the roof. Don't touch them, or we'll all die," he told his family.

I told him again that if we came back and found something missing, I would kill him and his family by witchcraft.Even if we die, if he dares to take things for himself, my soul will not let him go.I'll make his cows go mad, his milk sour, make a mess of his life, and I'll let the devil in the gun come out to haunt him, and he'll never have peace.The Xhosa, though a great villain, was superstitious, and after hearing what I said, he swore he would take care of these things as if they were his own father.

After dealing with the extra things, we started packing.Sir Henry, Goode, myself, Amboppa, Wittruegl, we five kept our luggage as light as possible, but in the end we had no less than forty pounds each.These include:
Three quick guns, two hundred bullets
Two Winchester repeaters, two hundred rounds, used by Ambopa and Wittruegl

Three Colt revolvers, sixty rounds

Five Klein jugs, each holding four pints

five blankets
25 pounds jerky
Ten pounds of fine beads, as a gift
Carefully selected medicines, including an ounce of quinine, a set or two of minor surgical instruments
Knives per person, miscellaneous items such as compasses, matches, small strainers, tobacco, shovel, bottle of brandy, and personal clothing.

The above is all our gear, which is a little less for the expedition, but we dare not take more, because every additional ounce of luggage is a heavy burden to cross the hot desert.We pack as little weight as possible, making sure that everything we bring is absolutely essential.

After much eloquence and the promise of a fine hunting knife to each of them, the three natives of the village finally agreed to accompany us on the twenty-mile walk, each carrying a gourd that could hold a gallon of water .We decided to set out in the cool of the night so we could refill our water bottles the next day.There are a lot of ostriches in this desert, so I told the locals that we were going to hunt ostriches.They murmured something and then shrugged and said we must be mad and dying of thirst.To be honest, there is indeed such a possibility.However, the locals are very eager for hunting knives and regard hunting knives as priceless treasures, so they finally agreed.Besides, whether we live or die in the future has nothing to do with them.

(End of this chapter)