prepared for his reception. He here received the intelligence that
Sheikh Omar, of Kukawa, had been dethroned, his vizier slain, and that
in a fierce battle a number of his other friends had fallen. He had
made up his mind, therefore, to proceed to Aire, instead of returning to
Bornou; but, subsequently hearing that Omar had been again installed, he
kept to his former determination.
At length, escaping from greedy rulers, hostile populations, wild
beasts, swamps, rains and fevers, he at length reached Bundi, near
Kouka, on the 30th of November.
He had again left that place, when, riding through the forest with his
head servant, he saw advancing towards him on horseback a young man, of
fair complexion, dressed in a _tobe_, with a white turban, and
accompanied by two or three blacks, also on horseback. The stranger was
Dr Vogel, who dashed forward, when the two travellers gave each other a
hearty reception on horseback. Dismounting in the forest, they unpacked
their provisions and sat down to enjoy a social repast, Barth, however,
being greatly disappointed that not a bottle of wine, for which he had
an extraordinary longing, had been brought.
Vogel, with Corporal Church and Private Macguire, had come out to
strengthen the expedition and to follow up Barth's discoveries. Vogel
succumbed to the climate about a year afterwards, on a journey to
Adamawa. After his death Macguire was killed on his way home, and
Church returned with Dr Barth.
While Vogel pursued his journey to Zinda, Barth proceeded on to Kukawa.
He found the village of Kaleemri, which, on his outward journey, was so
cheerful and industrious, now a scene of desolation--a few scattered
huts being all at present to be seen. Such is, unhappily, the fate of
numerous towns and villages in this distracted country.
His old friend, the Sheikh Omar, who had been reinstated, sent out a
body of horsemen to give him an honourable reception on his return to
Kukawa. Here he had to remain four months, greatly troubled by
financial difficulties, and finding that a considerable portion of his
property had been stolen by the rascality of one of his servants. His
health, too, was greatly shattered.
It was not till the 4th of May that, in company with a Fezzan merchant,
Kolo, he commenced his return journey, with a small caravan, towards
Tripoli. At Barruwa they laid in a supply of dry, ill-smelling fish,
which constitutes the most useful article of exchange in the Tebu
country. The region to his right, over which he had previously passed,
was now entirely covered with water from the overflowing of the Chad,
which had submerged several villages.
He met with no unusual adventures during his long, tedious journey
northward across the desert.
At Mourzouk he had the pleasure of meeting Mr Frederick Warrington. He
here remained six days, discharging some of his servants, and among them
his faithful Gatroni.
Some tribes of Arabs had here rebelled against the Turks, and he was in
some danger while in their hands. Escaping, however, from them, he
reached Tripoli in the middle of August, and, embarking at the end of
four days, arrived safely, on the 6th of September, in London.
Although much of the country he had passed over was already known, no
previous African traveller more successfully encountered and overcame
the difficulties and dangers of a journey through that region.
The most important result of his adventurous journey was the discovery
of a large river, hitherto unknown, falling into the Chad from the
south, and of the still larger affluent of the Quorra, the mighty Binue,
which, rising in the far-off centre of the continent, flows through the
province of Adamawa.
The courage and perseverance of Dr Barth, while for five years
travelling many thousand miles, amidst hostile and savage tribes, in an
enervating climate, frequently with unwholesome or insufficient food,
having ever to keep his energies on the stretch to guard himself from
the attacks of open foes or the treachery of pretended friends, have
gained for him the admiration of all who read his travels, and place him
among the first of African travellers.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
CAPTAIN SPEKE'S DISCOVERIES OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE.
SPEKE'S PREVIOUS CAREER--JOINS AN EXPEDITION TO THE SOMALI COUNTRY--THE
SOMALI--ARRIVE AT BERBERA--ATTACKED BY ROBBERS--HIS ESCAPE AND RETURN TO
ADEN, AND FINALLY TO ENGLAND--JOINS CAPTAIN BURTON IN AN EXPEDITION TO
THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON--SETS OUT FOR BOMBAY, AND AFTERWARDS TO
ZANZIBAR--ENGAGE SHEIKH SAID AND THEIR ESCORT--CROSS TO KAOLE--ARRIVE AT
CAZE, AND RECEIVED BY THE ARAB MERCHANTS--PORTERS DESERT--ILLNESS OF
CAPTAIN BURTON, AND CARRIED TO ZIMBILI--SETS OUT WITH FRESH PORTERS--A
SIGHT OF THE TANGANYIKA LAKE--THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON--NEARLY BLIND--
UP THE LAKE TO UJIJI--ARRIVE AT KAWELE--THEIR JOURNEY ON THE LAKE
CONTINUED--AN ALARM--CAMP AT NIGHT--SHELLS--A STORM--ARRIVE AT SULTAN
CASANGA'S TERRITORY--THE PEOPLE--ARRIVE AT THE FISH MARKET OF KABIZIA--A
SINGA--CROSS TO KASENGE--RECEPTION--THE CHIEF DESCRIBED--THE RESULTS OF
SLAVERY--HEARS OF A LARGE RIVER--CANNOT OBTAIN A BOAT--RETURNS TO
UJIJI--SETS OUT TO EXPLORE A RIVER THAT FALLS INTO THE LAKE--TRICKS OF
THE PADDLERS--RETURNS TO UJIJI--HELP ARRIVES--RETURNS TO CAZE--SETS OUT
TO EXPLORE THE COUNTRY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE NYANZA LAKE--TRICKS
OF HIS ESCORT--VILLAGES DESCRIBED--DETAINED BY A SULTANA--THE RECEPTION
SHE GIVES SPEKE--ILLNESS IN THE CARAVAN--INON--LEAVING ISAMIRO, THE
NYANZA APPEARS IN SIGHT--THE SCENE--HE CALLED THE LAKE VICTORIA NYANZA--
DESCENDS TO MUANZA--THE SOURCE OF THE NILE!--RETURN JOURNEY, AND ARRIVES
AT CAZE--ARRIVES WITH CAPTAIN BURTON IN ENGLAND.
Captain, then Lieutenant, John Hanning Speke, the son of a gentleman of
property in England, was an officer in the Indian army, and had taken
part under Lord Gough in the great battles of Ramnugger, Chillianwalla,
and others. He had, at intervals during leave, travelled in the
Himalaya Mountains, as well as through other parts of India and in
Thibet, for the purpose of collecting specimens of the fauna of those
regions to form a museum in his father's house. While thus occupied, he
formed the design of traversing Africa as soon as he could obtain
furlough, visiting the Mountains of the Moon and descending the Nile
with the same object in view.
At the end of ten years' service, on obtaining furlough, hearing that an
expedition was to be sent by the Indian Government, under the command of
Lieutenant Burton, to explore the Somali country, a large tract lying
due south of Aden, and separated from the Arabian coast by the Gulf of
Aden, he offered his services, and was accepted. Two other Indian
officers, Lieutenants Stroyan and Heme, also joined the expedition.
The Somali are Mahommedans, descendants of Arabs who have intermarried
with negroes. They are a savage, treacherous race, noted for their
cheating and lying propensities; in figure tall, slender, light, and
agile, scarcely darker than Arabs, with thin lips and noses, but woolly
heads like negroes. Their ancestors, having taken possession of the
country, drove out its former Christian inhabitants, who retreated
northward.
Caravans, however, pass through their country to their only port and
chief market, Berbera, which at the time of the fair is crowded with
people, though entirely deserted for the rest of the year.
It was proposed that the expedition should follow the route of these
caravans, or accompany one of them, and thus penetrate through the
country, into the interior.
Considerable time was spent in making excursions for short distances,
during which Lieutenant Speke shot a large number of wild animals; but
unfortunately the _abban_, or petty chief, who undertook to be his
protector and guide, proved to be a great rascal, and cheated and
deceived him in every possible way.
The Somali are keen and cunning sportsmen, and have various methods of
killing elephants, ostriches, and gazelles. They fearlessly attack an
elephant, on foot, one man only being mounted on a horse, who gallops in
front, and while the animal pursues him, the others rush in and
hamstring him with their knives. Ostriches are caught by throwing down
poison at the spots where they feed. The Somali also hunt them, on the
backs of their hardy little ponies. The ostrich is a shy bird, and is
so blind at night that it cannot feed. A Somali, knowing this,
providing himself with provisions for two or three days, sets off in
search of them; showing himself to the ostriches, he is discovered, but
takes care to keep at a distance. They stalk off, and he follows at the
same rate, but never approaches sufficiently near to scare them. At
night the birds, unable to see, stop, but cannot feed. He, meantime,
rests and feeds with his pony, resuming the chase the next day. He
follows the birds in the same way as at first, they from constant
fasting becoming weaker, till after the second or third day he is able
to ride in among them and knock them down in succession.
The party had at length secured, after considerable trouble, the camels
and horses they required, and were encamped at Berbera, which was
completely deserted by its inhabitants, when they were surprised at
night by a large band of robbers. Lieutenant Stroyan was killed and
Lieutenant Speke was made prisoner and desperately wounded, but,
springing to his feet just as a robber was about to run him through with
his spear, he knocked over his assailant with his hands, though bound
together, and made his escape to the sea-shore, to which the rest of the
party had already fled. They were here taken on board a vessel, which
had providentially put in the day before, and in her returned to Aden.
Although his first expedition had terminated so disastrously, on his
arrival in England Lieutenant Speke again volunteered to accompany
Lieutenant Burton on an expedition to survey that part of the centre of
Africa, in the neighbourhood of the Mountains of the Moon, where an
enormous lake was supposed to exist, equal in size to the Caspian Sea.
Returning to Bombay, Lieutenant Speke and Lieutenant Burton obtained
their outfit, and set sail on the 3rd of December, 1856, for Zanzibar,
on board the HEIC sloop of war, "Elphinstone."
At Zanzibar they were warmly welcomed by the consul, Colonel Hamerton,
and well received by the Sultan Majid, who, from his intelligence and
good disposition, appeared likely to be a favourite with his people.
As they had arrived during the dry season, they were unable to commence
their journey, and some time was spent in visiting different parts of
the coast.
Their intention was to proceed to Ujiji, on the shores of Lake
Tanganyika, which was then supposed to be the southern end of the great
central lake. They engaged as their _kafila bashi_, or head of their
caravan, a well-disposed man, Sheikh Said. A body of the sultan's
Belooch soldiers, under a _jemadar_, or officer, and a party of slaves
armed with muskets, formed their escort. Besides them, they had their
private servants, Valentine and Gaetano, Goa men, who spoke Hindostanee,
and a clever little liberated black slave, Bombay by name, who had been
captured from his native place, Uhiyou, to the east of Lake Nyanza, and
sold to an Arab merchant, by whom he was taken to India. Having served
this master for several years, on his death he obtained his liberation,
and made his way to Zanzibar. Here he took service in the army of the
sultan, and was among those engaged by Lieutenant Speke. He was a
remarkably quick, clever, honest little fellow, and in most instances
could thoroughly be trusted.
Crossing to Kaole, on the mainland, on the 16th of June, 1857, they were
detained there collecting baggage animals. The first five hundred miles
of their journey to Caze, a place in the centre of Unyamuezi, the Land
of the Moon, was performed with comparative ease, and they were
subjected only to annoyances from the savage people and the grasping
chiefs on the way.
Caze is occupied by Arab merchants as a central trading depot, and is
rapidly increasing. It was supposed that Ujiji would be found much of
the same character. Here they arrived on the 7th of November, 1857.
They were kindly received by the Arab merchants, especially by Sheikh
Snay, and had a house appropriated to them.
The houses of the Weezee, the people among whom they were living, are
built of mud, generally with flat tops: this description is called a
_tembe_. Others, however, are in the form of haystacks, and are
constructed with great care; the door is very small, so that only one
person can enter at a time. The villages are surrounded with a strong
fence, having taller stakes on each side of the entrance, which are
decorated either with blocks of wood or the skulls of those who have
been put to death.
The flat-roofed houses are built round a large court, the outer walls
serving as the walls of the villages, all the doors opening into the
interior.
Some time was usefully spent in gaining information from the Arabs and
others, who told them that the Nyanza was a separate lake to that of
Ujiji, and that from the latter a river ran out to the northward--
though, at first, they had stated that it ran into it. Besides this
they heard that vessels frequented some waters to the north of the
equator--a fact of which Speke had heard when travelling in the Somali
country.
Their porters, who had come from this part of the country, all left
them, and they found the greatest difficulty in procuring others.
Captain Burton here fell dangerously ill, and, as he believed that he
should die unless he could be moved, his companion had him carried to
Zimbili, where, by degrees, he recovered. At length a sufficient number
of porters being obtained, they broke ground on the 10th of January,
1858.
Proceeding due west about one hundred and fifty miles, when moving over
the brow of a hill, they came in sight of the lovely Tanganyika lake,
which could be seen in all its glory by everybody but Lieutenant Speke,
who was suffering from inflammation of the eyes, caught by sleeping on
the ground while his system was reduced by fevers and the influence of
the vertical sun. It had brought on almost total blindness, and every
object before him appeared clouded by a misty veil.
They were now standing on the eastern horn of a large, crescent-shaped
mass of mountains, overhanging the northern half of the lake. These
mountains Speke supposed to be the true Mountains of the Moon.
Reaching the margin of the lake, a canoe was hired to carry them to
Ujiji, the chief place on its shores, frequented by Arabs. The lake at
which they now arrived was supposed to be three hundred and eighty miles
long, and thirty to forty broad. Its waters are sweet and abound with
fine fish. The sides of the lake are thickly inhabited by numerous
negro tribes, among whom are the Wabembe cannibals, into whose territory
the Arabs dare not venture.
The explorers took up their abode in the deserted house of an Arab
merchant, at a small village called Kawele; but, unfortunately, the
chief of the place, Kannina, was a tyrannical extortioner, and caused
them much trouble. They wished to engage an Arab dhow for navigating
the lake, sufficiently large to carry provisions and to resist hostile
attacks, but could only obtain a canoe. It was long and narrow,
hollowed-out of the trunk of a single tree. She carried Bombay,
Gaetano, two Belooch soldiers, and a captain, with twenty stark-naked
savage sailors. In this Speke set out on the 3rd of March, 1858, while
Burton, too sick to move, remained at Ujiji. Speke and his attendants
had moved but a short distance along the shore, when a storm came on,
and they had to camp till the afternoon of the 5th, when all got on
board.
To pack so many men together was no easy matter. Speke had his bedding
amidships, spread on reeds; the cook and bailsman sat facing him, and
Bombay and one Belooch behind him. Beyond them, in couples, were the
crew, the captain taking post in the bows. The seventeen paddles dashed
off with vigour. Steering southwards, they passed the mouth of the
Ruche river. They paddled on all night, and after dawn landed in a
secluded nook for breakfast. All were busily occupied. Gaetano dipped
his cooking-pot in the sea for water, greatly to the annoyance of the
natives, who declared that the dregs from it would excite the appetites
of the crocodiles, who would be sure to follow the boat. They have as
great an aversion to the crocodile as English seamen have to a shark.
Suddenly there was a cry that foes were coming. All, jumping up, rushed
to the boat, some seizing one thing, some another, the greater number
being left on the ground. A breathless silence followed; then one
jumped on shore to secure a pot, and then another, and, gaining courage,
they searched around, crawling cautiously in the bush, others stealthily
moving along, till at last a single man was pounced upon, with an arrow
poised in hand. He was one of eight or ten men of a tribe whom they
declared to be a rough, lawless set of marauders. They therefore broke
his bow and arrows, and, though some of the crew proposed taking his
life, he was allowed to go. The sailors, on their return, each vaunted
the part he had taken in the exploit, boasting as though a mighty battle
had been won.
They passed along a border of aquatic reeds, tenanted by crocodiles and
hippopotami, the latter staring, grunting, and snorting, as if vexed at
the intrusion on their privacy. Many parts of the shore were desolate,
the result of slave-hunting and cattle-lifting parties.
"At night Speke's tent is pitched; the men build huts for themselves
with boughs, covering the top with grass, two men at the most occupying
a hut. When it rains they are covered by their mats, but, as they are
all stark-naked, the rain can do them no harm.
"Interesting shells, unknown to the conchological world, are picked up,
numbers of which are lying on the pebbly beach.
"They are delayed again by another storm. The superstitious captain
will answer no questions, for fear of offending the _ugaga_, or church,
whilst at sea; he dreads especially to talk of places of departure and
arrival, for fear ill luck should overtake them.
"Fourteen hours are occupied in crossing the lake, when they reach a
group of islands belonging to Sultan Casanga. The sailors and his
people fraternise, and enjoy a day of rest and idleness. At night they
are attacked by a host of small black-beetles, one of which gets into
Speke's ear and causes him fearful pain, biting its way in, and by no
means can he extract it. It, however, acts as a counter-irritant, and
draws away the inflammation from his eyes.
"The population of the neighbouring shore is considerable, the
inhabitants living in mushroom huts, and cultivating manioc, sweet
potato, and maize, and various vegetables. The people dress in
monkey-skins, the animals' heads hanging in front and the tails
depending below. They are very inquisitive, and, by their jabberings
and pointings, incessantly, want Speke to show everything he possesses.
"He gets away the next day, and reaches a fish market, in the little
island of Kabizia, in time to breakfast on a large, black-backed,
scaleless monster, the _singa_. The sailors considering it delicious,
are disinclined to move on.
"Again detained by a high wind, they cross, at noon on the 11th, to
Kasenge, where Sheikh Hamer, an Arab merchant, receives Speke with warm
and generous hospitality. His house is built with good, substantial
walls of mud, and roofed with rafters and brushwood, the rooms being
conveniently partitioned off to separate his wife and other belongings,
with an ante-room for general business. His object in coming to the
remote district is to purchase ivory, slaves, and other commodities. He
is the owner of the dhow which Speke is anxious to obtain; but though he
professes his readiness to lend it, he makes numberless excuses, and
finally Speke has to continue his voyage in his small canoe.
"Slavery is the curse of this beautiful region. Here for a loin-cloth
or two a mother offers eagerly to sell one of her offspring and deliver
it into perpetual bondage to his Belooch soldiers. Whole villages are
destroyed, in the most remorseless manner, by the slave-hunters to
obtain their victims. The chiefs of the interior are as fond of gain as
those on the coast, and this sets one against the other, for the sake of
obtaining slaves to sell.
"From Hamed Speke learns that a large river runs from the Mountains of
the Moon into the northern end of the lake.
"On the 13th the dhow comes in, laden with cows, goats, oil, and _ghee_;
but, though Speke offers five hundred dollars for her hire, the Arab
merchant still refuses to lend her.
"On the 27th Speke commences his return voyage, and arrives on the 31st
at Ujiji.
"Captain Burton is somewhat recovered, and, though unfit to travel,
insists on starting in the canoe to explore the head of the lake--the
chief, Kannina, offering to accompany them. Their object is to examine
the river which is said to fall into it. They start in two canoes, the
chief and Captain Burton being in the largest. In eight days they
arrive at Uvira. The chief, however, will go no further, knowing that
the savages of the Warundi are his enemies. He confirms the statement
that the Rusizi River runs into the lake.
"The black naked crews are never tired of testing their respective
strengths. They paddle away, dashing up the water whenever they succeed
in coming near each other, and delighting in drenching the travellers
with the spray. Their great pleasure appears in torturing others, with
impunity to themselves. They, however, wear mantles of goat-skins in
dry weather, but, as soon as rain comes on, they wrap them up, and place
them in their loads, standing meantime trembling like dogs which have
just emerged from the water.
"In no part of Africa have they seen such splendid vegetation as covers
this basin from the mountain-tops to the shores."
On returning to Ujiji, Speke wished to make a further survey of the
lake, but was overruled by Captain Burton, who considered that their
means were running short; indeed, had not an Arab merchant arrived,
bringing supplies, they would have been placed in an awkward position.
This timely supply was one of the many pieces of good fortune which
befell them on their journey. Help had always reached them when they
most required it.
Captain Burton, being too ill to walk, was carried in a hammock, and,
setting out, they returned safely to Caze.
They were here again received by their friend, Sheikh Snay, who gave
Speke an account of his journey to the Nyanza Lake. His statements were
corroborated by a Hindoo merchant called Musa, who gave him also a
description of the country northward of the line, and of the rivers
which flowed out of the lake.
Eager to explore the country, Speke arranged to set off, leaving Captain
Burton at Caze. Sheikh Snay, however, refused to accompany him, and he
had in consequence some difficulty in arranging with the Belooch guard.
On the 9th of July, 1858, he was able to start his caravan, consisting
of twenty porters, ten Beloochs, and his servants. The Beloochs were,
from the first, sulky and difficult to manage, while the _pagazis_, or
porters, played all sorts of tricks, sometimes leaving their loads and
running off to amuse themselves, and in the evening they would dance and
sing songs composed for the occasion, introducing everybody's name, and
especially Mzimza, the wise or white man, ending with the prevailing
word, among these curly-headed bipeds, of "_Grub! grub! grub_!"
The Weezee villages are built in the form of a large hollow square, the
outer wall of which serves for the backs of the huts; another wall forms
the front, and the intermediate space is partitioned off by interior
earthen walls. The roofs are flat, and on them are kept firewood,
grain, pumpkins, and vegetables. Each apartment contains a family, with
their poultry and cooking utensils; some, however, are devoted
exclusively to goats and cows.