Bab Bab 11 · The Arrival at Zanzibar.—The English Consul.—Ill-will of the

. The Arrival at Zanzibar.—The English Consul.—Ill-will of the

Inhabitants.—The Island of Koumbeni.—The Rain-Makers.—Inflation of the

Balloon.—Departure on the 18th of April.—The last Good-by.—The

Victoria.

An invariably favorable wind had accelerated the progress of the

_Resolute_ toward the place of her destination. The navigation of the

Mozambique Channel was especially calm and pleasant. The agreeable

character of the trip by sea was regarded as a good omen of the

probable issue of the trip through the air. Every one looked forward to

the hour of arrival, and sought to give the last touch to the doctor’s

preparations.

At length the vessel hove in sight of the town of Zanzibar, upon the

island of the same name, and, on the 15th of April, at 11 o’clock in

the morning, she anchored in the port.

The island of Zanzibar belongs to the Imaum of Muscat, an ally of

France and England, and is, undoubtedly, his finest settlement. The

port is frequented by a great many vessels from the neighboring

countries.

The island is separated from the African coast only by a channel, the

greatest width of which is but thirty miles.

It has a large trade in gums, ivory, and, above all, in “ebony,” for

Zanzibar is the great slave-market. Thither converges all the booty

captured in the battles which the chiefs of the interior are

continually fighting. This traffic extends along the whole eastern

coast, and as far as the Nile latitudes. Mr. G. Lejean even reports

that he has seen it carried on, openly, under the French flag.

Upon the arrival of the _Resolute_, the English consul at Zanzibar came

on board to offer his services to the doctor, of whose projects the

European newspapers had made him aware for a month past. But, up to

that moment, he had remained with the numerous phalanx of the

incredulous.

“I doubted,” said he, holding out his hand to Dr. Ferguson, “but now I

doubt no longer.”

He invited the doctor, Kennedy, and the faithful Joe, of course, to his

own dwelling. Through his courtesy, the doctor was enabled to have

knowledge of the various letters that he had received from Captain

Speke. The captain and his companions had suffered dreadfully from

hunger and bad weather before reaching the Ugogo country. They could

advance only with extreme difficulty, and did not expect to be able to

communicate again for a long time.

“Those are perils and privations which we shall manage to avoid,” said

the doctor.

The baggage of the three travellers was conveyed to the consul’s

residence. Arrangements were made for disembarking the balloon upon the

beach at Zanzibar. There was a convenient spot, near the signal-mast,

close by an immense building, that would serve to shelter it from the

east winds. This huge tower, resembling a tun standing on one end,

beside which the famous Heidelberg tun would have seemed but a very

ordinary barrel, served as a fortification, and on its platform were

stationed Belootchees, armed with lances. These Belootchees are a kind

of brawling, good-for-nothing Janizaries.

But, when about to land the balloon, the consul was informed that the

population of the island would oppose their doing so by force. Nothing

is so blind as fanatical passion. The news of the arrival of a

Christian, who was to ascend into the air, was received with rage. The

negroes, more exasperated than the Arabs, saw in this project an attack

upon their religion. They took it into their heads that some mischief

was meant to the sun and the moon. Now, these two luminaries are

objects of veneration to the African tribes, and they determined to

oppose so sacrilegious an enterprise.

The consul, informed of their intentions, conferred with Dr. Ferguson

and Captain Bennet on the subject. The latter was unwilling to yield to

threats, but his friend dissuaded him from any idea of violent

retaliation.

“We shall certainly come out winners,” he said. “Even the imaum’s

soldiers will lend us a hand, if we need it. But, my dear captain, an

accident may happen in a moment, and it would require but one unlucky

blow to do the balloon an irreparable injury, so that the trip would be

totally defeated; therefore we must act with the greatest caution.”

“But what are we to do? If we land on the coast of Africa, we shall

encounter the same difficulties. What are we to do?”

“Nothing is more simple,” replied the consul. “You observe those small

islands outside of the port; land your balloon on one of them; surround

it with a guard of sailors, and you will have no risk to run.”

“Just the thing!” said the doctor, “and we shall be entirely at our

ease in completing our preparations.”

The captain yielded to these suggestions, and the _Resolute_ was headed

for the island of Koumbeni. During the morning of the 16th April, the

balloon was placed in safety in the middle of a clearing in the great

woods, with which the soil is studded.

Two masts, eighty feet in height, were raised at the same distance from

each other. Blocks and tackle, placed at their extremities, afforded

the means of elevating the balloon, by the aid of a transverse rope. It

was then entirely uninflated. The interior balloon was fastened to the

exterior one, in such manner as to be lifted up in the same way. To the

lower end of each balloon were fixed the pipes that served to introduce

the hydrogen gas.

The whole day, on the 17th, was spent in arranging the apparatus

destined to produce the gas; it consisted of some thirty casks, in

which the decomposition of water was effected by means of iron-filings

and sulphuric acid placed together in a large quantity of the

first-named fluid. The hydrogen passed into a huge central cask, after

having been washed on the way, and thence into each balloon by the

conduit-pipes. In this manner each of them received a certain

accurately-ascertained quantity of gas. For this purpose, there had to

be employed eighteen hundred and sixty-six pounds of sulphuric acid,

sixteen thousand and fifty pounds of iron, and nine thousand one

hundred and sixty-six gallons of water. This operation commenced on the

following night, about three A.M., and lasted nearly eight hours. The

next day, the balloon, covered with its network, undulated gracefully

above its car, which was held to the ground by numerous sacks of earth.

The inflating apparatus was put together with extreme care, and the

pipes issuing from the balloon were securely fitted to the cylindrical

case.

The anchors, the cordage, the instruments, the travelling-wraps, the

awning, the provisions, and the arms, were put in the place assigned to

them in the car. The supply of water was procured at Zanzibar. The two

hundred pounds of ballast were distributed in fifty bags placed at the

bottom of the car, but within arm’s-reach.

These preparations were concluded about five o’clock in the evening,

while sentinels kept close watch around the island, and the boats of

the _Resolute_ patrolled the channel.

The blacks continued to show their displeasure by grimaces and

contortions. Their _obi-men_, or wizards, went up and down among the

angry throngs, pouring fuel on the flame of their fanaticism; and some

of the excited wretches, more furious and daring than the rest,

attempted to get to the island by swimming, but they were easily driven

off.

Thereupon the sorceries and incantations commenced; the “rain-makers,”

who pretend to have control over the clouds, invoked the storms and the

“stone-showers,” as the blacks call hail, to their aid. To compel them

to do so, they plucked leaves of all the different trees that grow in

that country, and boiled them over a slow fire, while, at the same

time, a sheep was killed by thrusting a long needle into its heart.

But, in spite of all their ceremonies, the sky remained clear and

beautiful, and they profited nothing by their slaughtered sheep and

their ugly grimaces.

The blacks then abandoned themselves to the most furious orgies, and

got fearfully drunk on “tembo,” a kind of ardent spirits drawn from the

cocoa-nut tree, and an extremely heady sort of beer called “togwa.”

Their chants, which were destitute of all melody, but were sung in

excellent time, continued until far into the night.

About six o’clock in the evening, the captain assembled the travellers

and the officers of the ship at a farewell repast in his cabin.

Kennedy, whom nobody ventured to question now, sat with his eyes

riveted on Dr. Ferguson, murmuring indistinguishable words. In other

respects, the dinner was a gloomy one. The approach of the final moment

filled everybody with the most serious reflections. What had fate in

store for these daring adventurers? Should they ever again find

themselves in the midst of their friends, or seated at the domestic

hearth? Were their travelling apparatus to fail, what would become of

them, among those ferocious savage tribes, in regions that had never

been explored, and in the midst of boundless deserts?

Such thoughts as these, which had been dim and vague until then, or but

slightly regarded when they came up, returned upon their excited

fancies with intense force at this parting moment. Dr. Ferguson, still

cold and impassible, talked of this, that, and the other; but he strove

in vain to overcome this infectious gloominess. He utterly failed.

As some demonstration against the personal safety of the doctor and his

companions was feared, all three slept that night on board the

_Resolute_. At six o’clock in the morning they left their cabin, and

landed on the island of Koumbeni.

The balloon was swaying gently to and fro in the morning breeze; the

sand-bags that had held it down were now replaced by some twenty

strong-armed sailors, and Captain Bennet and his officers were present

to witness the solemn departure of their friends.

At this moment Kennedy went right up to the doctor, grasped his hand,

and said:

“Samuel, have you absolutely determined to go?”

“Solemnly determined, my dear Dick.”

“I have done every thing that I could to prevent this expedition, have

I not?”

“Every thing!”

“Well, then, my conscience is clear on that score, and I will go with

you.”

“I was sure you would!” said the doctor, betraying in his features

swift traces of emotion.

At last the moment of final leave-taking arrived. The captain and his

officers embraced their dauntless friends with great feeling, not

excepting even Joe, who, worthy fellow, was as proud and happy as a

prince. Every one in the party insisted upon having a final shake of

the doctor’s hand.

At nine o’clock the three travellers got into their car. The doctor lit

the combustible in his cylinder and turned the flame so as to produce a

rapid heat, and the balloon, which had rested on the ground in perfect

equipoise, began to rise in a few minutes, so that the seamen had to

slacken the ropes they held it by. The car then rose about twenty feet

above their heads.

“My friends!” exclaimed the doctor, standing up between his two

companions, and taking off his hat, “let us give our aërial ship a name

that will bring her good luck! let us christen her _Victoria!_”

This speech was answered with stentorian cheers of “Huzza for the

Queen! Huzza for Old England!”

At this moment the ascensional force of the balloon increased

prodigiously, and Ferguson, Kennedy, and Joe, waved a last good-by to

their friends.

“Let go all!” shouted the doctor, and at the word the _Victoria_ shot

rapidly up into the sky, while the four carronades on board the

_Resolute_ thundered forth a parting salute in her honor.