How I Found Livingstone - Henry M. Stanley (best ereader for comics txt) 📗
- Author: Henry M. Stanley
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sure it was made quickly, for where the civilized white is found,
a difficulty must vanish. The bridge was composed of six stout
trees thrown across, over these were laid crosswise fifteen pack
saddles, covered again with a thick layer of grass. All the
animals crossed it safely, and then for a third time that morning
the process of wading was performed. The Kingani flowed northerly
here, and our course lay down its right bank. A half mile in that
direction through a jungle of giant reeds and extravagant climbers
brought us to the ferry, where the animals had to be again
unloaded—verily, I wished when I saw its deep muddy waters that I
possessed the power of Moses with his magic rod, or what would have
answered my purpose as well, Aladdin’s ring, for then I could have
found myself and party on the opposite side without further trouble;
but not having either of these gifts I issued orders for an immediate
crossing, for it was ill wishing sublime things before this most
mundane prospect.
Kingwere, the canoe paddler, espying us from his brake covert, on
the opposite side, civilly responded to our halloos, and brought
his huge hollowed tree skilfully over the whirling eddies of the
river to where we stood waiting for him. While one party loaded
the canoe with our goods, others got ready a long rape to fasten
around the animals’ necks, wherewith to haul them through the
river to the other bank. After seeing the work properly
commenced, I sat down on a condemned canoe to amuse myself with the
hippopotami by peppering their thick skulls with my No. 12
smoothbore. The Winchester rifle (calibre 44), a present from the
Hon. Edward Joy Morris—our minister at Constantinople—did no more
than slightly tap them, causing about as much injury as a boy’s
sling; it was perfect in its accuracy of fire, for ten times in
succession I struck the tops of their heads between the ears. One
old fellow, with the look of a sage, was tapped close to the right
ear by one of these bullets. Instead of submerging himself as
others had done he coolly turned round his head as if to ask, “Why
this waste of valuable cartridges on us?” The response to the mute
inquiry of his sageship was an ounce-and-a-quarter bullet from the
smoothbore, which made him bellow with pain, and in a few moments
he rose up again, tumbling in his death agonies. As his groans
were so piteous, I refrained from a useless sacrifice of life,
and left the amphibious horde in peace.
A little knowledge concerning these uncouth inmates of the African
waters was gained even during the few minutes we were delayed at
the ferry. When undisturbed by foreign sounds, they congregate
in shallow water on the sand bars, with the fore half of their
bodies exposed to the warm sunshine, and are in appearance,
when thus somnolently reposing, very like a herd of enormous
swine. When startled by the noise of an intruder, they plunge
hastily into the depths, lashing the waters into a yellowish
foam, and scatter themselves below the surface, when presently
the heads of a few reappear, snorting the water from their
nostrils, to take a fresh breath and a cautious scrutiny around
them; when thus, we see but their ears, forehead, eyes and
nostrils, and as they hastily submerge again it requires a steady
wrist and a quick hand to shoot them. I have heard several
comparisons made of their appearance while floating in this
manner: some Arabs told me before I had seen them that they looked
like dead trees carried down the river; others, who in some
country had seen hogs, thought they resembled them, but to my
mind they look more like horses when swimming their curved necks
and pointed ears, their wide eyes and expanded nostrils, favor
greatly this comparison.
At night they seek the shore, and wander several miles over the
country, luxuriating among its rank grasses. To within four miles
of the town of Bagamoyo (the Kingani is eight miles distant) their
wide tracks are seen. Frequently, if not disturbed by the
startling human voice, they make a raid on the rich corn-stalks of
the native cultivators, and a dozen of them will in a few minutes
make a frightful havoc in a large field of this plant.
Consequently, we were not surprised, while delayed at the ferry,
to hear the owners of the corn venting loud halloos, like the
rosy-cheeked farmer boys in England when scaring the crows away
from the young wheat.
The caravan in the meanwhile had crossed safely—bales, baggage,
donkeys, and men. I had thought to have camped on the bank, so as
to amuse myself with shooting antelope, and also for the sake of
procuring their meat, in order to save my goats, of which I had a
number constituting my live stock of provisions; but, thanks to
the awe and dread which my men entertained of the hippopotami, I
was hurried on to the outpost of the Baluch garrison at Bagamoyo,
a small village called Kikoka, distant four miles from the river.
The western side of the river was a considerable improvement upon
the eastern. The plain, slowly heaving upwards, as smoothly as
the beach of a watering-place, for the distance of a mile, until it
culminated in a gentle and rounded ridge, presented none of those
difficulties which troubled us on the other side. There were none
of those cataclysms of mire and sloughs of black mud and over-tall
grasses, none of that miasmatic jungle with its noxious emissions;
it was just such a scene as one may find before an English
mansion—a noble expanse of lawn and sward, with boscage sufficient
to agreeably diversify it. After traversing the open plain, the
road led through a grove of young ebony trees, where guinea-fowls
and a hartebeest were seen; it then wound, with all the
characteristic eccentric curves of a goat-path, up and down a
succession of land-waves crested by the dark green foliage of the
mango, and the scantier and lighter-coloured leaves of the enormous
calabash. The depressions were filled with jungle of more or less
density, while here and there opened glades, shadowed even during
noon by thin groves of towering trees. At our approach fled in
terror flocks of green pigeons, jays, ibis, turtledoves, golden
pheasants, quails and moorhens, with crows and hawks, while now
and then a solitary pelican winged its way to the distance.
Nor was this enlivening prospect without its pairs of antelope, and
monkeys which hopped away like Australian kangaroos; these latter
were of good size, with round bullet heads, white breasts, and long
tails tufted at the end.
We arrived at Kikoka by 5 P.m., having loaded and unloaded our
pack animals four times, crossing one deep puddle, a mud sluice,
and a river, and performed a journey of eleven miles.
The settlement of Kikoka is a collection of straw huts; not built
after any architectural style, but after a bastard form, invented
by indolent settlers from the Mrima and Zanzibar for the purpose
of excluding as much sunshine as possible from the eaves and
interior. A sluice and some wells provide them with water, which
though sweet is not particularly wholesome or appetizing, owing to
the large quantities of decayed matter which is washed into it by
the rains, and is then left to corrupt in it. A weak effort has
been made to clear the neighbourhood for providing a place for
cultivation, but to the dire task of wood-chopping and
jungle-clearing the settlers prefer occupying an open glade, which
they clear of grass, so as to be able to hoe up two or three
inches of soil, into which they cast their seed, confident of
return.
The next day was a halt at Kikoka; the fourth caravan,
consisting solely of Wanyamwezi, proving a sore obstacle to a
rapid advance. Maganga, its chief, devised several methods of
extorting more cloth and presents from me, he having cost already
more than any three chiefs together; but his efforts were of no
avail further than obtaining promises of reward if he would hurry
on to Unyanyembe so that I might find my road clear.
On the 2(7?)th, the Wanyamwezi having started, we broke camp soon
after at 7 am. The country was of the same nature as that lying
between the Kingani and Kikokaa park land, attractive and beautiful
in every feature.
I rode in advance to secure meat should a chance present itself,
but not the shadow of vert or venison did I see. Ever in our
front—westerly—rolled the land-waves, now rising, now subsiding,
parallel one with the other, like a ploughed field many times
magnified. Each ridge had its knot of jungle or its thin combing
of heavily foliaged trees, until we arrived close to Rosako, our
next halting place, when the monotonous wavure of the land
underwent a change, breaking into independent hummocks clad with
dense jungle. On one of these, veiled by an impenetrable jungle
of thorny acacia, rested Rosako; girt round by its natural
fortification, neighbouring another village to the north of it
similarly protected. Between them sank a valley extremely
fertile and bountiful in its productions, bisected by a small
stream, which serves as a drain to the valley or low hills
surrounding it.
Rosako is the frontier village of Ukwere, while Kikoka is the
north-western extremity of Uzaramo. We entered this village, and
occupied its central portion with our tents and animals. A
kitanda, or square light bedstead, without valance, fringe, or any
superfluity whatever, but nevertheless quite as comfortable as
with them, was brought to my tent for my use by the village
chief. The animals were, immediately after being unloaded,
driven out to feed, and the soldiers to a man set to work to pile
the baggage up, lest the rain, which during the Masika season
always appears imminent, might cause irreparable damage.
Among other experiments which I was about to try in Africa was
that of a good watchdog on any unmannerly people who would
insist upon coming into my tent at untimely hours and endangering
valuables. Especially did I wish to try the effect of its bark
on the mighty Wagogo, who, I was told by certain Arabs, would
lift the door of the tent and enter whether you wished them or not;
who would chuckle at the fear they inspired, and say to you,
“Hi, hi, white man, I never saw the like of you before; are there
many more like you? where do you come from?” Also would they
take hold of your watch and ask you with a cheerful curiosity,
“What is this for, white man?” to which you of course would reply
that it was to tell you the hour and minute. But the Mgogo, proud
of his prowess, and more unmannerly than a brute, would answer you
with a snort of insult. I thought of a watchdog, and procured a
good one at Bombay not only as a faithful companion, but to
threaten the heels of just such gentry.
But soon after our arrival at Rosako it was found that the dog,
whose name was “Omar,” given him from his Turkish origin, was
missing; he had strayed away from the soldiers during a
rain-squall and had got lost. I despatched Mabruki Burton back to
Kikoka to search for him. On the following morning, just as we
were about to leave Rosako, the faithful fellow returned with the
lost dog, having found him at Kikoka.
Previous to our departure on the morning after this, Maganga, chief
of the fourth caravan, brought me the unhappy report that three of
his pagazis were sick, and he would like to have some “dowa”—
medicine. Though not a doctor, or in
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