Chapter 5 Chapter Five: The Town of Holden Dok

The boat travels very fast on the river.The rainy season still came on time.However, the passengers stayed in the comfortable cabins, and the downpour, which is common in the monsoon season, did not make them feel the slightest discomfort. The Queen and the Tsar traveled swiftly, meeting neither rapids nor valleys, and the current was not sufficient to slow her down. The banks of the Orange River have always presented a fascinating landscape.Forests with many species of trees stretch continuously on both sides of the bank, which is a paradise for green birds.Here and there were clusters of endemic species, the wood of which was reddish and marbled, and whose bright blue leaves and large yellowish flowers produced a curious effect.There is a kind of tree with black bark, and another kind of tree with dark leaves that are evergreen all the year round.Several groves of woods stretched for miles on either side of the river, where they joined the shady weeping willows.From time to time, expanses of fields suddenly appeared.These are plains covered with countless watermelons, interspersed with clumps of "sweet brambles," where a honey-producing salamander lives.From these "sweet thorns" flew flocks of birds whose sweet song was called "sweet warblers" by the Cape colonists.

The Bushmen pointed out to Sir John Murray, the great collector of birds and beasts, that the bird world had to offer all kinds of birds.Thus, a sense of closeness is established between the two.This noble friend of Morcombe, honoring Colonel Everett's promise, presented him with an excellent long-range rifle.The Bushman was indescribably satisfied as the owner of this beautiful weapon. The two hunters get along well.A distinguished scientist, the Lord John Murray is regarded as one of the great fox-hunters of old Caledonia.He listened to the Bushmen's stories with interest and admiration.His eyes lit up when the Bushman pointed out some wild beasts under the tree.There are groups of giraffes over there.Here are buffaloes six feet high, armed with black, coiled horns.In the distance, some ferocious wildebeest have horse tails.In the distance, there are groups of "Kama" (a kind of yellow deer), with bright eyes and horns forming a menacing triangle.In the dense jungle, as in the bare wilderness, you can see the countless species of antelope that are found throughout South Africa: hybrid chamois, eland, chamois, bush goat, jumping sheep and many more.Aren't there many wild animals that tempt a hunter's hunting instincts?How can a fox hunt in the Scottish Lowlands compare to a Cummings, an Anderson or a Baldwin in Africa?

John Murray's companions were not as excited as he was in the face of the abundance of birds and beasts in front of them.William Amory watched his colleagues attentively, trying to guess something from their indifferent exteriors.Colonel Everett and Mathieu Strux were about the same age, both were composed, restrained and formalistic, they spoke slowly, and every morning it seemed as if they had never known each other until the night before.Don't expect some kind of rapport to develop between these two important figures.Two frosty, disconnected people can eventually accept each other, but two scientists, both in high places, can never do so.

Nikolai Rundle, 55, is one of those men who are never young and will never be old. The astronomer from Helsinki, always immersed in his calculations, is a well-organized machine. machine, but not just a machine, but an abacus and universal calculator.As calculator for the Anglo-French Council, the scientist was just one of those geniuses who could multiply five-digit numbers in his head. Michelle Zorn, young, enthusiastic, and gentle, is very similar to William Amory.His likable qualities did not prevent him from being an accomplished astronomer and a premature celebrity.His personal discovery of the nebulous Andromeda constellation and the achievements of the Kyiv Observatory under his leadership caused great repercussions in the European scientific community.His achievements are undisputed, and he is open-minded and can take the initiative to back down at any time.

William Amory and Michel Zorn became good friends, united by the same aspirations and ideals.More often the two of them are talking.Colonel Everett and Mathieu Strux were watching each other coldly, Ballandre was busy driving his cube root, turning a blind eye to the beautiful scenery by the river, and John Murray Your Excellency and the Bushmen are planning a series of game massacres. The journey up the Orange River was without incident.At times, the steep granite banks that flank the meandering channel seemed to block all escape.There are often some green islands lying across the water, making it difficult to determine the channel.However, the Bushmen never hesitated, and the "Queen and Tsar" could always find a favorable passage, or jump out of the "arena" surrounded by cliffs.Not once did the helmsman regret following Morcum's orders.

The steamboat traveled the 240 miles between the Molkata Falls and the Juluman River in four days.The Guruman River is a tributary of the Orange River, and goes up to La Takou, where Colonel Everett's expedition was supposed to reach.The Orange River formed a bend 30 miles upstream from the Molkata Falls, changed its basic east-west direction, and flowed southeast deep into the northern corner of the Cape Colony, where it became northeast again until 300 miles Outside, a green area in the Transvaal Republic. In the early morning of February 5th, the "Queen and Tsar" arrived in the pouring rain at the village of Caralwater in Hotendot, where the Guruman River flows into the Orange River.But Colonel Everett didn't want to waste a moment, and the steamboat quickly passed the Bushmen's cabin, and under the propeller, began to go up the Guluman River.The rapidity of the river, as the passengers of the Queen and Tsar observed, is due to one of its peculiarities.In fact, the Guluman River is very wide in its upstream source, but as it flows downstream, its water gradually decreases due to evaporation due to sunlight.But during the rainy season, the flow increases, and with the addition of water from an underground tributary, the Moshina River, it becomes deep and fast.The steamer was therefore fully fired, and was traveling upstream at a speed of 3 miles an hour.

During this part of the voyage, the Bushmans pointed out the many hippopotamuses in the river.These "manatees," as the Dutch in Cape Town call them, are hulking pachyderms, 8-10 feet long, and hardly aggressive.Frightened by the steamboat's whistle and propeller rope ladder, the steamboat was to them a strange monster to be wary of.In fact, the large number of weapons on board can make them difficult to approach.Lord John Murray was eager to try his explosive bullets on these fleshy hunks.But the Bushmans assured him that hippopotamuses were common in the northern rivers, and Lord John Murray decided to wait for better times.

It took the steamer 50 hours to cover the 150-mile voyage between the mouth of the Juluman River and La Taku, and arrived at its destination at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on February 7th. When the steamboat had come to rest on the river, a man of fifty, with a solemn but kindly countenance, appeared on the bank and held out his hand to William Amory.The astronomer then introduced it to his traveling companions. "The Reverend Thomas Dale, President of the Rattaku Mission Society, from the Church of London.". The Europeans greeted the Reverend Thomas Dale, who also welcomed them and began to bustle about them.

Lataku City, or rather the small town of Lataku, is the northernmost missionary church in Cape Town.It is divided into Old Rattaku and New Rattaku.Old Rattaku, where the Queen and Tsar had just arrived, is now almost deserted and was home to 12,000 people at the turn of the century, all of whom had emigrated to the northeast.This dilapidated city has been replaced by the new Rattaku.The new city was built not far away, on what had once been an acacia-covered plain. The Europeans came to New Rataku under the leadership of the priest.There are more than 40 blocks of residential houses here, and there are 5,000 to 6,000 residents belonging to the huge Bechuana tribe.

In 1840, Dr. David Livingstone lived in this small town for three months. After that, he set off from Luonda Bay, Congo, and started his first trip along the Zambezi River.He crossed all of central Africa as far as the port of Guilemana on the coast of Mozambique. On reaching New Rattaku, Colonel Everett delivered a letter from Dr. Livingstone to the President of the Church.In his letter, the Doctor introduced the Anglo-Russian Committee to his African friends.Thomas Dale read the letter with pleasure, and returned it to Colonel Everett, saying that it would be of use to them in their expedition, as the name of David Livingstone was well known and loved in this part of Africa. praise.

The members of the committee lived in the missionaries' quarters, huts properly built on the hill, enclosed like fortifications by an impenetrable fence.The Europeans are much more comfortable living here than among the Bechuanalians, not because their houses are unclean.On the contrary, the ground of their house is smooth earth, which does not raise dust at all, and the roof is covered with long thatch, impervious to rain.But in the final analysis, they are just thatched huts, with only a round hole that can only allow one person to come in and out.In these huts, life is communal, and direct contact with the Bechuanas is not a pleasant experience. The tribal leader lives in Lataku, a man named Mulibahan, who thinks he should come to the Europeans to fulfill some obligations.Mulibahan was fairly handsome, with neither dark complexion nor thick lips and flat nose, but the lower part of his round face was not retracted like that of the Horton Dodgers.The leader wore a very cleverly sewn animal fur coat, a smock called "picauge" in the native language, a fur cap on his head, cowhide sandals on his feet, and ivory circles around his elbows. Ring, about 4 pieces of copper dangled from the ear - a kind of earring, which is also a talisman.From the top of his round hat floated the tail of a chamois.On the tip of his stick was a mass of black ostrich down.The Bechuanalin chief was covered head to toe in a thick layer of ocher, making it impossible to discern the natural color of his body's skin.Several scars on his thighs that never healed show the number of enemies he killed. The chief, at least as serious as Mathieu Strux himself, approached the European.Touch noses with them in turn.The Russians took it very seriously, but the British were somewhat reluctant.However, according to African customs, it is a solemn gesture of hospitality to Europeans. After the ceremony, Mulibahan walked away without saying a word. "Now that we have been accepted by the Bechuanalites," said Colonel Everett, "we must not waste a day, an hour, and begin our work." Not a day, not an hour was wasted.The organization of an expedition, however, involved so many petty troubles that the committee could not be ready for departure before the beginning of March, the date appointed by Colonel Everett.At this time, the rainy season had just ended, and the water stored in the folded strata was a valuable resource for desert travelers. The departure time was fixed for the second of March, and on this day the expedition, under the leadership of Morcombe, was ready to go.The Europeans bid farewell to the missionaries at La Taku and left the town at seven o'clock in the morning. "Where are we going, Colonel," William Amory asked after the expedition had passed the last hut in town. "Straight ahead, Mr. Amory," replied the colonel, "until we find a suitable place for the bottom edge of the foundation." At eight o'clock the expedition had passed the low hills which surrounded the town and were covered with scrub.Soon, the desert, with all the dangers, fatigue and accidents it can cause, unfolds at the feet of travelers.

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