Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Desert Maker

The Bushmans had a long conversation with Colonel Everett after the "Olyx Affair."In Morcumb's opinion, based on persuasive facts, the small expedition was being followed, spied on, and thus threatened.He thought that if the Makroro had not yet attacked, it was because it was to their advantage to lead the expedition further north, to areas where their band of marauders were accustomed. Faced with the difficulties in front of us, should we go back?Will I have to interrupt a good run of work that has gone on so far?What nature has failed to do, will some native Africans do?Will they hinder British scientists from completing their scientific mission?This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

Colonel Everett asked the Bushman to give him as much information as he knew about the Makorolo.Here's the general picture of what the Bushmans said. The Makorolo belonged to the Great Bechuana tribe, the last Bechuana people encountered by people traveling north to the equator. During his first trip down the Zambezi in 1850, David Livingstone was received at the residence of Sebduane, then chief of the Makororo at Seth Heck.The native chief was a fearsome soldier who threatened Cape Town's borders in 1824.His ingenuity gradually brought him extreme influence over the scattered tribes of central Africa, and he eventually made them a tight-knit, dominant force. In 1853, the previous year, the Aboriginal chief died in Livingstone's arms, and Sekenredoo succeeded him.

Sekenredou first showed a strong liking for the Europeans who frequently traveled to and from the Zambezi River Basin, and Dr. Livingstone personally has nothing to complain about.But once the famous traveler left, the attitude of the African kings changed significantly. Not only the foreigners, but especially the neighboring natives were oppressed by Sekenredu and his tribe's soldiers, and the oppression followed. The most common is the robbery carried out on a large scale.The Makororo mainly prowl the area between Lake Ngami and the upper Zambezi River.Nothing is more risky than a small expedition going through the region, especially when the expedition is spotted, waiting, and likely to suffer some kind of disaster ahead.

This was the brief account the Bushmen gave Colonel Everett.He added that he believed the full truth should be told and said he would obey the colonel's orders and would not back down if the expedition decided to proceed. Colonel Everett held a conference with two colleagues, Lord John and William Amory, and it was decided that the geodetic work should go ahead.Nearly 5/8 of the meridian arc lengths have been determined, and no matter what happens, these British people must be responsible for themselves and their country, and cannot give up the experiment. After the decision is made, the triangle series continues to extend forward. On October 27th, the Science Committee cut the Tropic of Capricornus vertically. On November 3rd, after completing the 41st triangle, they obtained through zenith observation that another latitude arc of meridian was detected.

For a month, they carried out the triangulation work with enthusiasm and encountered no natural obstacles.In this beautiful, yet so undulating region, with only a few passable streams and no major rivers, the astronomers managed quickly and well.Morcum was always on the alert, watching to scout ahead or to either side of the line, forbidding the hunters to go too far.However, there does not seem to be any imminent danger to threaten the small expedition, and the hunters' fears are likely not to be realized, at least, in November. The natives who have been relentlessly following the expedition since the beginning.

Although seemingly out of danger for the time being, Morcum repeatedly detected signs of indecision among the Bushmen under his command.He failed to hide those two incidents from them, who were waiting for their inevitable encounter with the Makroro.The Makororo and the Bushmen are two hostile tribes, merciless to each other, and the conquered do not expect the slightest mercy from the conqueror.Since the declaration of war the original guard had been cut in half, much to the horror of the natives in the present little expedition.The Bushmen were already three hundred miles from the Orange River, and the prospect of being dragged at least another two hundred miles to the north made them ponder.Morcum made no secret of the length and difficulty of the journey from them before hiring them to join the expedition, and they were doubtless men who did not fear the toil that such an expedition necessarily accompanies.But since the fatigue added the danger of a possible conflict with a staunch enemy, this changed their mood.Morcum pretended not to see or hear the resulting remorse, complaints, and reluctance, which made him even more uneasy about the future of the Science Committee.

An incident that happened during the day on December 2 aroused the bad mood of these superstitious Bushmen even more, and to some extent caused them to rebel against their superiors. The weather that had been fine since the eve of that day suddenly darkened, and under the action of the intense heat, the atmosphere was filled with moisture, indicating a high voltage.A storm could already be foreseen, and in this climate it almost always forms with unmatched intensity. On the morning of December 2, the sky was covered with clouds of eerie appearance, which no meteorologist could be mistaken for, cumulus clouds like great clumps of cotton, sometimes dark gray, Some are pale yellow, showing a variety of different colors.The sun was gray, the air was still, the heat was suffocating, the drop in pressure that had been indicated by the instruments from the night before had ceased, and the leaves were motionless under the heavy atmosphere.

Astronomers have observed this sky condition, but they don't think it should stop working.At this time, Amory, two sailors, four natives, and a four-wheeled vehicle were driving to a point two miles east of the meridian, where they intended to set up a point that would serve as the apex of a triangle.Amory was busily erecting a pole on the crest of a knoll, when a rush of steam, condensed under the influence of a strong gust of cold air, developed rapidly.In an instant, a burst of dense hailstones suddenly fell on the ground.A rare phenomenon.These hailstones were shining, and it seemed that countless drops of hot metal were falling from the sky.Sparks shot from the battered ground, and beams of light rushed to the metal parts of the four-wheeled cart carrying supplies.

Soon the hail was so heavy that it became a veritable stone-throwing, from which it was impossible for one to be exposed without danger.One would not have wondered at the intensity of this phenomenon had it been known that Dr. Livingstone had seen, under the same weather conditions, the panes of houses smashed, and horses and antelopes killed, while in Coloban. Amory immediately gave up his work, and called his men to find a place in the four-wheeler that would be safer in stormy weather than under a tree.But no sooner had he come down from the top of the hill than there was a flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder, heating the atmosphere.

Amory was thrown down, as if dead.Dazed for a moment, the two sailors ran to him.Fortunately, the young man was pardoned by Thunder.By one of the incomprehensible effects exhibited by certain lightning situations, the fluid slides around him, enveloping him with an electric layer, the passage of which is "properly "Exhibited. The young man was lifted up by the sailors, and soon regained consciousness.But he was neither the only nor the worst lightning victim.Beside a pole erected on a hillock, two natives lay dead on the ground, twenty paces away from each other.One of the living systems had been completely destroyed by the mechanical action of lightning, and beneath the intact clothes was a corpse as black as coal.The other head was hit by an atmospheric meteor and died suddenly.

So there were three—the two natives and William Amory had just been struck by the same three-bladed lightning at the same time.This is a rare phenomenon, but sometimes seen, and the angular separation of the three equal parts of this lightning bolt is often huge. The two Bushmans were first stunned by the death of their companions, and then, ignoring the shouts of the sailors, they ran away at the risk of being struck by lightning because the air behind them would be thinned by their rapid running.They didn't want to hear anything, they just wanted to run back to camp as quickly as possible.Two sailors took Amory into the wagon and put away the bodies of the two natives before hiding, but they were all bruised by the hailstones that fell like a rain of stones.The storm rumbled violently for about three quarters of an hour, then began to thin out.The hail stopped, and the four-wheeler headed back to the camp. The early news of the death of the two natives had had a sad effect on the minds of the Bushmen, and a superstitious dread was felt in these triangulations of which they knew nothing.They gathered together to talk in secret, and some of them, more discouraged than the others, declared that they would go no further.This beginning of a defiance has the potential to grow to serious proportions.Morcombe had to exert all his influence to stop the mutiny, and Colonel Everett had to intervene, promising extra salaries to keep the wretches in their service, and it was not without difficulty to reconcile. , encountered some resistance, and the prospect of the expedition was seriously jeopardized.Indeed, in such a desert, far from the towns, without a guard to protect them, and without a coachman to drive them, what would become of the members of the committee?This difficulty was eventually avoided, and after burying the bodies of the two natives and putting away the tent, the expedition headed for the hill on which the two men had died. Amory could feel the severe shock for several days. The left hand that used to hold the compass felt like numbness for a while, but finally the discomfort disappeared and the young astronomer was able to start working again. up. For the next eighteen days, until December 20, nothing happened during the expedition's march. Marco Rolo did not appear, and Morcum, though still skeptical, began to feel relieved.Only more than 50 miles away from the desert area, this Karoo until now is still the most beautiful land anywhere on the earth, and the plants are still maintained by the running water on the ground.In this fertile game country, where the rich pastures run down to the breasts of the draft animals, they should be assured that neither man nor beast will be short of food until they reach the desert.But those Orthoptera insects, which have always posed a longer-term threat to agricultural facilities in southern Africa, don't count. On the night of December 20, camp was formed before sunset.Sitting under a tree, the three Englishmen and Bushmans talked about their plans for the future while resting from the fatigue of the day.The wind from the north is gradually blowing, making the air a little cooler. Astronomers have already agreed that they will measure the altitude of some stars tonight to accurately calculate the latitude of this place.The sky is clear of a cloud, the moon is near full moon, and the constellations will be sparkling, so these delicate zenith observations will not be possible under the most favorable conditions.Colonel Everett and Lord John were therefore greatly disappointed when, about eight o'clock, William Amory rose, pointing north, and said: "The horizon is obscured and I'm concerned that the night is not going as smoothly as we'd like." "Yes," said His Excellency John, "a great cloud has evidently come up, with a cool wind, which will soon take over the sky." "Is a new storm brewing?" asked the colonel. "We're in the tropics, which is worrying, and I think tonight's observations are just a matter of luck," Amory replied. "What do you think, Mercomb?" asked Colonel Everett. The Bushmen watched carefully to the north, and the range of the clouds was demarcated in a long curved line so clearly defined that it seemed to be drawn with circles.It marks a development area of ​​3-4 miles on the horizon.The blackish cloud, like a puff of smoke, took on a strange appearance that astonished the Bushmans.Sometimes the sun's afterglow illuminates the cloud with a reddish reflection, however this reflection is more likely to be formed by a hard mass than an air mass. "Strange cloud!" said Morcum, without further explanation. A few minutes later a Bushman came running to tell Morcum that horses, cows, and other livestock were showing restlessness, running about in the grass, and refusing to come within the camp walls. "Well, then let them spend the night outside," Morcum replied. "But what about the beast?" "Oh! The beasts will be too busy to pay attention to them soon!" The natives went back.Colonel Everett went to ask Morcumb to explain the strange answer.But Morcum stood a few paces away, absorbed in contemplation of the phenomenon, apparently wondering about its nature. The cloud came quickly, and one could see how low it was, certainly not more than a few hundred feet above the ground.Amidst the whistling of the cool wind was mingled a "dreadful whisper," which, if those two words may be used together, seemed to emanate from the clouds. At this time, in the upper part of the cloud, a large group of black spots appeared on the pale horizon.The dots danced up and down, plunged into the black cloud, and then backed out again.It can be seen that there are thousands of them. "Well, what are these black spots?" asked His Excellency John. "Birds," replied the Bushman. "Vultures, hawks, falcons. They follow this cloud a long way, and they only give up when it disappears or spreads." "What about this cloud?" "This is not a cloud." Morcum pointed to the black mass that had already taken over a quarter of the sky. "This is a live cloud, a cloud of locusts." Hunter was not mistaken.Europeans are about to witness a terrible, unfortunate yet recurring invasion of locusts that can turn a fertile region into a lonely dry one overnight.The millions of locusts thus arrived, belonging to the migratory locust species, which naturalists call "Gliri de Vastatori," have not some travellers seen this species at a height of four feet? Are locusts covering a 50-mile range anywhere? "Yes," said the Bushmen again, "these live clouds are a terrible disaster to crops, if only they would stay in the sky and not come to endanger us!"; "but we have nothing here, said Colonel Everett. "There is neither field to sow nor pasture to dry us! What are we afraid of these insects?" "Nothing to fear if they just pass over us," replied the Bushman, "but if they swoop down over the area we're passing, the trees will be leafless and the grass will be bare. You forget Now, Colonel, even if our food is assured, there is no food for horses, cows, and mules, and what will become of them in this ruined pasture?" The Bushman companions were silent for a few minutes, watching the lively crowd expand before their eyes.The feeble noise increased, but was drowned out by the cries of hawks and falcons.Those vultures, hawks, falcons, etc. rushed to this inexhaustible cloud, and devoured these insects by thousands. "Do you think they will pounce on this area?" Amory asked Morcum. "I'm afraid," said the hunter, "that the north wind will carry them straight here. The sun has gone down, and the cool evening wind will stiffen the wings of these insects, and they will pounce on the trees, the jungle, the grass, and..." The Bushman didn't finish his sentence, and at this moment, his prophecy was fulfilled.In an instant, a huge cloud cluster passed the zenith and rushed down to the ground.I saw a group of dark groups gathered around the camp, extending to the end of the horizon, and even the camp was submerged a little bit, and the four-wheelers and tents all disappeared under the live hail.The swarm was a foot high, and these Englishmen were submerged in the locust layer from the knee down, and each foot could kill hundreds of them, but what is this for such a huge number? However, tools are not without tools for exterminating these insects.Birds such as hawks and falcons screamed loudly, pounced on them, and devoured them greedily.Under the locust swarm, the snake was also attracted by such delicious prey and swallowed it in large quantities.Horses, cows, mules, and dogs are also enjoyed, and the satisfaction is beyond words.The wild birds, beasts, lions, hyenas, elephants, and rhinoceros on the plains gobbled up buckets of locusts in their stomachs.And the Bushmans, too, are lovers of these "sky shrimp," eating them like a godsend!But the great number of locusts did not fear these destroyers, and even they devoured each other. Under the repeated requests of the Bushmans, the three Britons had to taste this food that fell from the sky.They boiled thousands of locusts with salt, pepper and vinegar. These are the younger ones that they carefully selected. They are green in color instead of yellowish, so they taste better than the old ones. Up to 4 inches long.These young migratory locusts are as fat as ink pen tubes, 15-20 lignes long, have not yet laid eggs, and are regarded as delicacies by those who eat them.After half an hour of cooking, the Bushmen served a tempting plate of locusts to the three Englishmen.Their heads, claws, and wings have been removed, and they look exactly like sea prawns. They taste delicious. Your Excellency John ate hundreds of them and ordered his staff to continue to cook them in large quantities.He just put his head down and ate! Night came and everyone went back to sleep.The quadricycles were not immune to encroachment, however, and it was impossible to kill so many locusts that entered, and it was uncomfortable to sleep in such conditions.Now that the sky was clear and the constellations were shining in the sky, the three astronomers spent the night taking the heights of the stars, which must have been better than covering themselves from the neck down in locust quilts.Moreover, how could the three Europeans feel a little sleepy when the roar of the beasts rushing towards the locusts echoed on the plain! The next day, the sun emerged from below a bright horizon and began to carve its diurnal arc in a bright sky that portends a hot day.The sunlight quickly raised the temperature, and the locust swarm, which was preparing to take off again and bring destruction elsewhere, made low and slight noises.At about eight o'clock in the morning, a huge sail was unfurled in the air, temporarily covering the sun's brilliance.The whole area is darkened, and one would think that night has come again.Then, a cool wind blew, and the huge cloud began to move, and for two hours, with a deafening noise, the cloud passed over the darkened camp, and finally disappeared on the western horizon. When the light reappeared, it was seen that the Bushmen's prophecy had come true.There were no leaves on the trees, and not a blade of grass remained on the ground.Everything is gone.The ground exposed pale yellow soil, and the bare branches left only a wrinkled outline.With such rapid changes before us, winter followed summer and became a desert instead of a fertile area. One may apply to these locusts a proverb which attests to the marauding nature of Osmanlis: "Where the Turks passed!" Grass grew no more! Where those locusts struck, no grass grew!