The Story of Baden-Powell: 'The Wolf That Never Sleeps'Begbie, Harold
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The Story of Baden-Powell: 'The Wolf That Never Sleeps'
Begbie, Harold
Baden-Powell of Gilwell, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, Baron, 1857-1941
This work can only be seen in its true perspective when the character
of the country is borne in mind. For nearly all of its 150 miles the
road from Cape Coast to Kumassi leads through heavy primeval forest.
"The thick foliage of the trees, interlaced high overhead, causes a
deep, dank gloom, through which the sun seldom penetrates. The path
winds among the tree stems and bush, now through mud and morass, now
over steep ascent or deep ravine." And, in addition to the
difficulties of locomotion, there was the haunting menace of the
heavy dews and mists which come at night laden with the poison of
malaria.
But all these difficulties were met with cheerful courage, and though
Captain Graham and two other officers subsequently attached to the
covering force were incapacitated by fever, the Native Levy fought its
way to Kumassi, and won the admiration of all military authorities. It
was at Kumassi on 17th January, and though no actual fighting had
taken place, the march may be reckoned an achievement of which all
Englishmen can be proud.
One incident of the march will have a romantic attraction for those
who have sons and brothers doing the Empire's work in distant lands.
As the Native Levy with its two white officers journeyed through the
bush they came now and then upon bridges over streams and causeways
over swamps, all in course of construction at the hands of natives
under the direction of a few ever-travelling, hard-worked white
superintendents. "Here we meet one gaunt and yellow. Surely we have
seen that eye and brow before, although the beard and solar topee do
much to disguise the man. His necktie of faded 'Old Carthusian'
colours makes suspicion a certainty, and once again old
school-fellows are flung together for an hour to talk in an African
swamp of old times in English playing-fields." For an hour in an
African swamp! and then on again through the never-ending dark green
aisles towards the savages smitten with the blood-lust in "the
death-place."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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