Greeting from Kamrasi's people--Suffering for the sins of others--Alone
among savages--The free-masonry of Unyoro--Pottery and civilization.
After an exceedingly fatiguing march we reached the Somerset River,
or Victoria White Nile, January 22d. I went to the river to see if the
other side was inhabited. There were two villages on an island, and
the natives came across in a canoe, bringing the BROTHER OF RIONGA.
The guide, as I had feared during the journey, had deceived us, and
following the secret instructions of the slave woman Bacheeta, had
brought us directly to Rionga's country.
The natives at first had taken us for Mahomet Wat-el-Mek's people;
but, finding their mistake, they would give us no information. We
could obtain no supplies from them; but they returned to the island
and shouted out that we might go to Kamrasi if we wished, but we should
receive no assistance from them.
After a most enjoyable march through the exciting scenery of the
glorious river crashing over innumerable falls, and in many places
ornamented with rocky islands, upon which were villages and plantain
groves, we at length approached the Karuma Falls, close to the village
of Atada above the ferry. The heights were crowded with natives, and a
canoe was sent across to within parleying distance of our side, as the
roar of the rapids prevented our voices from being heard except at a
short distance. Bacheeta now explained that "SPEKE'S BROTHER had arrived
from his country to pay Kamrasi a visit, and had brought him valuable
presents."
"Why has he brought so many men with him?" inquired the people from the
canoe.
"There are so many presents for the M'Kamma (king) that he has many men
to carry them," shouted Bacheeta.
"Let us look at him!" cried the headman in the boat. Having prepared for
the introduction by changing my clothes in a grove of plantains for
my dressing-room, and altering my costume to a tweed suit, something
similar to that worn by Speke, I climbed up a high and almost
perpendicular rock that formed a natural pinnacle on the face of the
cliff, and waving my cap to the crowd on the opposite side, I looked
almost as imposing as Nelson in Trafalgar Square.
I instructed Bacheeta, who climbed up the giddy height after me, to
shout to the people that an English lady, my wife, had also arrived, and
that we wished immediately to be presented to the king and his family,
as we had come to thank him for his kind treatment of Speke and Grant,
who had arrived safe in their own country. Upon this being explained and
repeated several times the canoe approached the shore.
I ordered all our people to retire and to conceal themselves among
the plantains, that the natives might not be startled by so imposing a
force, while Mrs. Baker and I advanced alone to meet Kamrasi's people,
who were men of some importance. Upon landing through the high reeds,
they immediately recognized the similarity of my beard and general
complexion to those of Speke, and their welcome was at once displayed by
the most extravagant dancing and gesticulating with lances and shields,
as though intending to attack, rushing at me with the points of their
lances thrust close to my face, and shouting and singing in great
excitement.
I made each of them a present of a bead necklace, and explained to them
my wish that there should be no delay in my presentation to Kamrasi, as
Speke had complained that he had been kept waiting fifteen days
before the king had condescended to see him; that if this occurred no
Englishman would ever visit him, as such a reception would be considered
an insult. The headman replied that he felt sure I was not an impostor;
but that very shortly after the departure of Speke and Grant in the
previous year a number of people had arrived in their name, introducing
themselves as their greatest friends. They had been ferried across the
river, and well received by Kamrasi's orders, and had been presented
with ivory, slaves, and leopard-skins, as tokens of friendship; but they
had departed, and suddenly returned with Rionga's people, and attacked
the village in which they had been so well received; and upon the
country being assembled to resist them, about three hundred of Kamrasi's
men had been killed in the fight. The king had therefore given orders
that upon pain of death no stranger should cross the river.
He continued, that when he saw our people marching along the bank of
the river they imagined us to be the same party that had attacked
them formerly, and they were prepared to resist us, and had sent on
a messenger to Kamrasi, who was three days' march from Karuma, at his
capital, M'rooli; until they received a reply it would be impossible to
allow us to enter the country. He promised to despatch another messenger
immediately to inform the king who we were, but that we must certainly
wait until his return. I explained that we had nothing to eat, and
that it would be very inconvenient to remain in such a spot; that I
considered the suspicion displayed was exceedingly unfair, as they must
see that my wife and I were white people like Speke and Grant, whereas
those who had deceived them were of a totally different race, all being
either black or brown.
I told him that it did not much matter; that I had very beautiful
presents intended for Kamrasi, but that another great king would be only
too glad to accept them, without throwing obstacles in my way. I should
accordingly return with my presents.
At the same time I ordered a handsome Persian carpet, about fifteen feet
square, to be displayed as one of the presents intended for the king.
The gorgeous colors, as the carpet was unfolded, produced a general
exclamation. Before the effect of astonishment wore off I had a basket
unpacked, and displayed upon a cloth a heap of superb necklaces, that
we had prepared while at Obbo, of the choicest beads, many as large as
marbles, and glittering with every color of the rainbow. The garden of
jewels of Aladdin's wonderful lamp could not have produced more enticing
fruit. Beads were extremely rare in Kamrasi's land; the few that existed
had arrived from Zanzibar, and all that I exhibited were entirely new
varieties. I explained that I had many other presents, but that it was
not necessary to unpack them, as we were about to return with them to
visit another king, who lived some days' journey distant. "Don't go;
don't go away," said the headman and his companions. "Kamrasi will--"
Here an unmistakable pantomimic action explained their meaning better
than words; throwing their heads well back, they sawed across their
throats with their forefingers, making horrible grimaces, indicative of
the cutting of throats. I could not resist laughing at the terror that
my threat of returning with the presents had created. They explained
that Kamrasi would not only kill them, but would destroy the entire
village of Atada should we return without visiting him; but that he
would perhaps punish them in precisely the same manner should they ferry
us across without special orders. "Please yourselves," I replied; "if my
party is not ferried across by the time the sun reaches that spot on
the heavens (pointing to the position it would occupy at about 3 P.M.)
I shall return." In a state of great excitement they promised to hold
a conference on the other side, and to see what arrangements could
be made. They returned to Atada, leaving the whole party, including
Ibrahim, exceedingly disconcerted, having nothing to eat, an impassable
river before us, and five days' march of uninhabited wilderness in our
rear.
The whole day passed in shouting and gesticulating our peaceful
intentions to the crowd assembled on the heights on the opposite side
of the river; but the boat did not return until long after the time
appointed. Even then the natives would only approach sufficiently near
to be heard, but nothing would induce them to land. They explained that
there was a division of opinion among the people on the other side: some
were in favor of receiving us, but the greater number were of opinion
that we intended hostilities; therefore we must wait until orders could
be sent from the king.
To assure the people of our peaceful intentions, I begged them to take
Mrs. Baker and myself alone, and to leave the armed party on this side
of the river until a reply should be received from Kamrasi. At this
suggestion the boat immediately returned to the other side.
The day passed away, and as the sun set we perceived the canoe again
paddling across the river. This time it approached directly, and the
same people landed that had received the necklaces in the morning. They
said that they had held a conference with the headman, and that they
had agreed to receive my wife and myself, but no other person. I replied
that my servants must accompany us, as we were quite as great personages
as Kamrasi, and could not possibly travel without attendants. To this
they demurred; therefore I dropped the subject, and proposed to load the
canoe with all the presents intended for Kamrasi. There was no objection
to this, and I ordered Richarn, Saat, and Ibrahim to get into the canoe
to stow away the luggage as it should be handed to them, but on
no account to leave the boat. I had already prepared everything in
readiness, and a bundle of rifles tied up in a large blanket and
500 rounds of ball cartridge were unconsciously received on board as
PRESENTS. I had instructed Ibrahim to accompany us as my servant, as he
was better than most of the men in the event of a row; and I had given
orders that, in case of a preconcerted signal being given, the whole
force should swim the river, supporting themselves and guns upon bundles
of papyrus rush. The men thought us perfectly mad, and declared that
we should be murdered immediately when on the other side; however, they
prepared for crossing the river in case of treachery.
At the last moment, when the boat was about to leave the shore, two of
the best men jumped in with their guns. However, the natives positively
refused to start; therefore, to avoid suspicion, I ordered them to
retire, but I left word that on the morrow I would send the canoe across
with supplies, and that one or two men should endeavor to accompany the
boat to our side on every trip.
It was quite dark when we started. The canoe was formed of a large
hollow tree, capable of holding twenty people, and the natives paddled
us across the rapid current just below the falls. A large fire was
blazing upon the opposite shore, on a level with the river, to guide us
to the landing-place. Gliding through a narrow passage in the reeds, we
touched the shore and landed upon a slippery rock, close to the fire,
amid a crowd of people, who immediately struck up a deafening welcome
with horns and flageolets, and marched us up the steep face of the rocky
cliff through a dark grove of bananas. Torches led the way, followed
by a long file of spearmen; then came the noisy band and ourselves, I
towing my wife up the precipitous path, while my few attendants followed
behind with a number of natives who had volunteered to carry the
luggage.
On arrival at the top of the cliff, we were about 180 feet above
the river; and after a walk of about a quarter of a mile, we were
triumphantly led into the heart of the village, and halted in a small
courtyard in front of the headman's residence.
Keedja waited to receive us by a blazing fire. Not having had anything
to eat, we were uncommonly hungry, and to our great delight a basketful
of ripe plantains was presented to us. These were the first that I had
seen for many years. A gourd bottle of plantain wine was offered and
immediately emptied; it resembled extremely poor cider. We were now
surrounded by a mass of natives, no longer the naked savages to whom we
had been accustomed, but well-dressed men, wearing robes of bark cloth,
arranged in various fashions, generally like the Arab "tope" or the
Roman toga. Several of the headmen now explained to us the atrocious
treachery of Debono's men, who had been welcomed as friends of Speke and
Grant, but who had repaid the hospitality by plundering and massacring
their hosts. I assured them that no one would be more wroth than Speke
when I should make him aware of the manner in which his name had been
used, and that I should make a point of reporting the circumstance to
the British Government. At the same time I advised them not to trust
any but white people should others arrive in my name or in the names of
Speke and Grant. I upheld their character as that of Englishmen, and I
begged them to state if ever they had deceived them. They replied that
"there could not be better men." I answered, "You MUST trust me, as I
trust entirely in you, and have placed myself in your hands; but if you
have ever had cause to mistrust a white man, kill me at once!--either
kill me or trust in me; but let there be no suspicions."
They seemed much pleased with the conversation, and a man stepped
forward and showed me a small string of blue beads that Speke bad given
him for ferrying him across the river. This little souvenir of my
old friend was most interesting. After a year's wandering and many
difficulties, this was the first time that I had actually come upon
his track. Many people told me that they had known Speke and Grant; the
former bore the name of "Mollegge" (the bearded one), while Grant had
been named "Masanga" (the elephant's tusk), owing to his height. The
latter had been wounded at Lucknow during the Indian mutiny, and I spoke
to the people of the loss of his finger. This crowned my success, as
they knew without doubt that I had seen him. It was late, therefore I
begged the crowd to depart, but to send a messenger the first thing in
the morning to inform Kamrasi who we were, and to beg him to permit us
to visit him without loss of time.
A bundle of straw was laid on the ground for Mrs. Baker and myself,
and, in lieu of other beds, the ground was our resting-place. We were
bitterly cold that night, as the guns were packed up in the large
blanket, and, not wishing to expose them, we were contented with a
Scotch plaid each. Ibrahim, Saat, and Richarn watched by turns.
On the following morning an immense crowd of natives thronged to see us.
There was a very beautiful tree about a hundred yards from the village,
capable of shading upward of a thousand men, and I proposed that we
should sit beneath this protection and hold a conference. The headman
of the village gave us a large hut with a grand doorway about seven feet
high, of which my wife took possession, while I joined the crowd at the
tree. There were about six hundred men seated respectfully on the ground
around me, while I sat with my back to the huge knotty trunk, with
Ibrahim and Richarn at a few paces distant.
The subject of conversation was merely a repetition of that of the
preceding night, with the simple addition of some questions respecting
the lake. Not a man would give the slightest information; the only
reply, upon my forcing the question, was the pantomime already
described, passing the forefinger across the throat, and exclaiming
"Kamrasi!" The entire population was tongue-locked. I tried the children
to no purpose: they were all dumb. White-headed old men I questioned,
as to the distance of the lake from this point. They replied, "We
are children; ask the old people who know the country." Never was
freemasonry more secret than in the land of Unyoro. It was useless to
persevere. I therefore changed the subject by saying that our people
were starving on the other side, and that provisions must be sent
immediately. In all savage countries the most trifling demand requires
much talking. They said that provisions were scarce, and that
until Kamrasi should give the order, they could give no supplies.
Understanding most thoroughly the natural instincts of the natives, I
told them that I must send the canoe across to fetch three oxen that I
wished to slaughter. The bait took at once, and several men ran for the
canoe, and we sent one of our black women across with a message to the
people that three men, with their guns and ammunition, were to accompany
the canoe and guide three oxen across by swimming them with ropes tied
to their horns. These were the riding oxen of some of the men that it
was necessary to slaughter, to exchange the flesh for flour and other
supplies.
Hardly had the few boatmen departed than some one shouted suddenly, and
the entire crowd sprang to their feet and rushed toward the hut where I
had left Mrs. Baker. For the moment I thought that the hut was on fire,
and I joined the crowd and arrived at the doorway, where I found
a tremendous press to see some extraordinary sight. Every one was
squeezing for the best place, and, driving them on one side, I found
the wonder that had excited their curiosity. The hut being very dark, my
wife had employed her solitude during my conference with the natives, in
dressing her hair at the doorway, which, being very long and blonde, was
suddenly noticed by some natives; a shout was given, the rush described
had taken place, and the hut was literally mobbed by the crowd of
savages eager to see the extraordinary novelty. The gorilla would not
make a greater stir in London streets than we appeared to create at
Atada.
The oxen shortly arrived; one was immediately killed, and the flesh
divided into numerous small portions arranged upon the hide. Blonde
hair and white people immediately lost their attractions, and the crowd
turned their attention to beef. We gave them to understand that we
required flour, beans, and sweet potatoes in exchange.
The market soon went briskly, and the canoe was laden with provisions
and sent across to our hungry people on the other side the river.
The difference between the Unyoro people and the tribes we had hitherto
seen was most striking. On the north side of the river the natives were
either stark naked or wore a mere apology for clothing in the shape of a
skin slung across their shoulders. The river appeared to be the limit
of utter savagedom, and the people of Unyoro considered the indecency of
nakedness precisely in the same light as Europeans.
Nearly all savages have some idea of earthenware; but the scale
of advancement of a country between savagedom and civilization may
generally be determined by the style of its pottery. The Chinese, who
were as civilized as they are at the present day at a period when the
English were barbarians, were ever celebrated for the manufacture of
porcelain, and the difference between savage and civilized countries is
always thus exemplified; the savage makes earthenware, but the civilized
make porcelain; thus the gradations from the rudest earthenware will
mark the improvement in the scale of civilization. The prime utensil of
the African savage is a gourd, the shell of which is the bowl presented
to him by nature as the first idea from which he is to model. Nature,
adapting herself to the requirements of animals and man, appears in
these savage countries to yield abundantly much that savage man can
want. Gourds with exceedingly strong shells not only grow wild, which
if divided in halves afford bowls, but great and quaint varieties
form natural bottles of all sizes, from the tiny vial to the demijohn
containing five gallons.
The most savage tribes content themselves with the productions of
nature, confining their manufacture to a coarse and half-baked jar for
carrying water; but the semi-savage, like those of Unyoro, afford an
example of the first step toward manufacturing art, by their COPYING
FROM NATURE. The utter savage makes use of nature--the gourd is his
utensil; and the more advanced natives of Unyoro adopt it as the model
for their pottery. They make a fine quality of jet-black earthenware,
producing excellent tobacco-pipes most finely worked in imitation of
the small egg-shaped gourd. Of the same earthenware they make extremely
pretty bowls, and also bottles copied from the varieties of the bottle
gourds; thus, in this humble art, we see the first effort of the human
mind in manufactures, in taking nature for a model, precisely as the
beautiful Corinthian capital originated in a design from a basket of
flowers.
In two days reports were brought that Kamrasi had sent a large force,
including several of Speke's deserters, to inspect me and see if I was
really Speke's brother. I received them standing, and after thorough
inspection I was pronounced to be "Speke's own brother," and all were
satisfied. However, the business was not yet over; plenty of talk, and
another delay of four days was declared necessary until the king should
reply to the satisfactory message about to be sent. Losing all patience,
I stormed, declaring Kamrasi to be mere dust, while a white man was a
king in comparison. I ordered all my luggage to be conveyed immediately
to the canoe, and declared that I would return immediately to my own
country; that I did not wish to see any one so utterly devoid of manners
as Kamrasi, and that no other white man would ever visit his kingdom.
The effect was magical! I rose hastily to depart. The chiefs implored,
declaring that Kamrasi would kill them all if I retreated, to prevent
which misfortune they secretly instructed the canoe to be removed. I was
in a great rage, and about 400 natives, who were present, scattered in
all quarters, thinking that there would be a serious quarrel. I told the
chiefs that nothing should stop me, and that I would seize the canoe
by force unless my whole party should be brought over from the opposite
side that instant. This was agreed upon. One of Ibrahim's men exchanged
and drank blood from the arm of Speke's deserter, who was Kamrasi's
representative; and peace thus firmly established, several canoes were
at once employed, and sixty of our men were brought across the river
before sunset. The natives had nevertheless taken the precaution to send
all their women away from the village.