medium between the full-blooded Watusi and the aborigines, whom they
call Wahutu, but associate only with the upper class, or are the
paramount chiefs of insignificant districts. Many signs of superior
civilization, observable in the peoples with whom the Watusi have come
into contact, are traceable to this Galla influence.
The hills are terraced, thus increasing the area of cultivation, and
obviating the denudation of the fertile slopes by torrential rains. In
many places irrigation is carried out on a sufficiently extensive scale,
and the swamps are drained by ditches. Artificial reservoirs are built
with side troughs for watering cattle. The fields are in many instances
fenced in by planted hedges of euphorbia and thorn, and similar fences
are planted along the narrow parts of the main cattle tracks, to prevent
the beasts from straying or trampling down the cultivation.
There is also an exceptional diversity of plants cultivated, such as
hungry rice, maize, red and white millet, several kinds of beans, peas,
bananas, and the edible arum. Some of the higher-growing beans are even
trained on sticks planted for the purpose. Pumpkins and sweet potatoes
are also common; and the Watusi own and tend enormous herds of cattle,
goats, and sheep. Owing to the magnificent pasturage, the milk is of
excellent quality, and they make large quantities of butter. They are
exceedingly clever with their beasts, and have many calls which the
cattle understand. At milking-time they light smoke-fires to keep the
flies from irritating the beasts.
All the dairy utensils are of wood, and are kept scrupulously clean; but
they have an unpleasant method of repairing cracked jars by filling up
the crevices with cow-dung, and of using the urine as the cleansing
medium.
They are tall, slightly-built men, of graceful, nonchalant carriage, and
their features are delicate and refined. I noticed many faces that,
bleached and set in a white collar, would have been conspicuous for
character in a London drawing-room. The legal type was especially
pronounced.
Centuries of undisputed sway have left their mark in the _blase_,
supercilious manner of the majority; and in many ways they are a
remarkable and far from unattractive people.
The Wahutu are their absolute antithesis. They are the aborigines of
the country, and any pristine originality or character has been
effectually stamped out of them. Hewers of wood and drawers of water,
they do all the hard work, and unquestioning, in abject servility, give
up the proceeds on demand. Their numerical proportion to the Watusi
must be at least a hundred to one, yet they defer to them without
protest; and in spite of the obvious hatred in which they hold their
overlords, there seems to be no friction.
Formerly there was a far-reaching and effective feudal system, which
constituted the proverbial strength of the kingdom of Ruanda.
The king was supreme, and the sole owner of all the cattle in the
country; the large provinces were administered by prominent Watusi,
usually blood-relations of his Majesty, whose power locally was
absolute, but who were directly responsible to him for the acts of the
subordinate chiefs and for the loss of cattle. Each subordinate, again,
had the use of a portion of the cattle, for which he was directly
responsible to the satrap of the district. The king's title is
"Kigeri;" "Ntwala" is the title of the satraps; and the term "Sultani"
is usually applied to the smaller chiefs. The old Kigeri died, and the
rule passed to his son Musinga, who appears to have been a mere child.
There is a native superstition against the Kigeri being seen by
strangers, and consequently a substitute, an individual known to the
natives as Pamba Rugamba, has been presented to the Germans who have
visited the Residence. The child appears also to have died, and the
power now is divided between Kisunga and Gwamu or Mwami. Mwami was the
name told to me by many natives, but it appears to be merely a title, as
other natives addressed me as "Mwami." These two men were described as
the sons of the old Kigeri, possibly by another wife than the mother of
Musinga; but son is such an elastic term with natives that they may have
been nephews. This division has materially weakened the strength of the
Ruanda kingdom.
In Africa almost every kingdom is divided against itself, as well as
against every other, so that unity is indeed strength. And it was this
unity which constituted the power of Ruanda and of the Zulus, just as at
the present day it constitutes the power of the mighty Dinka and Shilluk
tribes of the Nile.
While Sharp was away I purchased several curios from the natives, and
amongst others a most curious bracelet that I was informed came from the
Nyema district of the Congo. It consisted of a semi-tubular circle of
iron, the hollow being filled up with a crude ivory mosaic held in place
by rubber.
The Germans, who have a favourable opinion of the possibilities of the
Ruanda country, are talking of sending emigrants there. The soil is
very rich, but the country is so inaccessible that I fail to see how
they could be self-supporting--a desirable condition for emigrants--or
how they could cultivate anything for export that would bear the cost of
transport.
Amongst the natives who brought produce for sale were two pigmies; they
were most curious little fellows, and appeared to be immensely powerful.
I fancy they were not quite pure-bred dwarfs, or else they had been
enslaved when young, as they had none of the shyness so characteristic
of this singular little people, and appeared to be living with the local
natives.
To the south-east the enclosing line of hills culminates in four large
peaks of 8,000 to 9,000 ft. All four are conspicuous landmarks for many
miles.
A favourite device of the Manyema carriers, when in a country of
thieves, is to conceal a load of cloth during the night; in the morning
they arrive in great distress, and say that a load has been stolen;
nothing can be done; the unsuspecting traveller abuses the natives, the
land, and other things, and the wily Manyema annexes the lost load on
his return home. To obviate this, we informed them that every man in
future would be held responsible for his own load, and that he would
have to make good, out of his pay, any loss or damage. This was doubly
necessary, as Swahilis and Manyema generally contrive to find a boy or
starveling who will carry their load for a consideration. Apropos of
this point, I find the following in my diary: "Talk about Charles
Kingsley's description of sweating as a result of civilization! Here we
have porters hiring natives who hire others to the fourth degree, each
walking along like a gentleman and pocketing his proportion. There is
nothing new in this world."
The difficulty of preventing our Manyema ruffians from swindling the
natives was almost insuperable. After the Ngenzi fracas, I discovered
that they were making capital out of our action to extort things from
the natives; so I insisted that for a time every transaction should be
performed before me. If a carrier wished to buy a bunch of bananas from
a native, he brought the native with the bananas to my tent, and they
bargained, and the price was paid in my presence.
One of the blackest of our villains promptly sent his small boy out into
a neighbouring plantation, whence he issued in the scanty garb of a
local native with a bunch of bananas. The villain, the boy, and the
bananas appeared before me, and they solemnly performed the bargaining
and payment. But I had been waiting for that villain, and without
appearing to do so, watched the issue. They all repaired to their tent,
and the boy resumed his garments, when they fell to on what they fondly
believed was a cheap feed--a belief which a ceaseless succession of
fatigue-duties soon dispelled.
Three fiords, several miles in length, necessitated a wide detour. The
scenery was superb: a lacework of bays, lochs, and inlets with endless
choppy waves of hills sweeping away to the great purple surf of the
distant ranges; islets galore, and the vast rugged mass of the island of
Kwijwi as a background.
For several days we had much trouble in allaying the fears of the
natives; terrible accounts had preceded us, and the entire population
fled to the hills on our approach. The fact of our carriers being
Manyema, a name of terror throughout Central Africa, was not reassuring
to the poor creatures, whose only knowledge of Manyema had been gathered
from the Congo Free State soldiers, who for a time had been posted on
Kivu, and from reports of the atrocities committed by the revolted
troops during the past five years. Accounts also of the cannibals who
were battering at the gates of Bugoie must have reached them from their
northern kinsfolk. Black masses of natives in a silvery sea of glinting
spearheads watched us from every hill-top. Fortunately we had several
days' food for our men, and when the natives saw that we passed through
without touching even a bunch of bananas, they were reassured, and a few
were eventually induced to approach and talk. We caught two of our men
stealing, and inflicted condign punishment before a small body of
natives who were in camp, explaining the circumstances, and telling
them, in case of a repetition of the offence, to come and lay a
complaint. But it would be easier to stop a monkey from scratching than
a Manyema from stealing; and as the state of unrest of the native
population was a grave danger, and petty thefts would probably have
precipitated an attack, which we were ill prepared to repulse, we
confined all our boys to camp, made water-carrying for the whole camp a
fatigue-duty, and established a market where the natives might sell
their produce under our personal supervision. I explained the
expediency of our action, and told them that there were some such
abandoned ruffians amongst them that they must all suffer for the
misdeeds of the miscreants. They appeared satisfied, but as we were
sitting down to lunch, I noticed an unusual stir in the lines. On going
out I found that they were all packing up their belongings and preparing
to depart; about thirty were already moving off. It was obviously an
attempt to bluff us, as the experience of the boys who ran away at
Tanganyika had taught them that it would be impossible to avoid
detection even if they succeeded in passing through Ngenzi's country,
which they knew would be impossible in view of the then state of the
natives. It was a critical moment. If the camp broke up, the entire
expedition would be inevitably massacred by the Ruanda. I took my rifle
and dashed off in pursuit, accompanied by my two Watonga; while Sharp,
revolver in one hand and rifle in the other, threatened to shoot the
first man who moved. Rushing over a rise, I saw the ringleader, one of
our worst villains, and the originator of the idea, leading about two
hundred yards away; I fired at him, just as he turned the corner of the
hill, fully intending to drop him. The bullet removed his fez. Down he
dropped into the grass, and the whole thirty did likewise. After a few
shots in the air, to keep up their anxiety, I sent a headman out to
order them back to camp, saying that the affair was now ended, and that
I should not know who had left camp. As I expected, every one was
present at roll-call, half an hour after dark. The position was saved.
In the course of a long harangue, I informed them again of the absolute
necessity of confining them to camp till the natives should be
reassured; explained that I had spared the ringleader this time, and had
removed his hat to show him with what ease I could have killed him had I
wished to do so (a remark that my gun-bearer, Makanjira, assured them
was true); said that it was for their benefit that we desired friendly
relations with the population; we had no desire to see a lot of dirty
natives, we wished nothing from them; had we not, as they well knew,
food for many weeks in boxes? But if the natives refused to come, where
would they be able to buy goats, fowls, tobacco, and all the things that
rejoiced the stomachs of men?
The bluff was outbluffed, and with ringing cheers the men returned to
their fires to jabber and howl with laughter far into the night. From
discontent to merry laughter is but a momentary transition with the
African.
From the ridge on which we were encamped we looked down upon a perfect
spot, a long arm of the lake winding in between striking hills,
terminating in a small bay. Banana palms with the tiny villages nestling
in their midst fringed the shore. Weird little islands covered with
ibis and demoiselle crane were dotted about. A wall of papyrus showed
where the tumbling stream that danced down the encircling hills entered
the lake, and the glorious colouring and strong shadows brought out the
picture into striking relief. Sharp said it reminded him of Japan;
there was an air of _dolce far niente_ heavy with the lush glamour of
the tropics that carried me back to the South Seas.
The following day we succeeded, after much shouting, in inducing a
half-bred Mtusi to come to us. We gave him a present, and told him to
go and explain that we wanted to buy provisions; and that if the natives
would not come we should be compelled, much against our will, to take
what was necessary. He departed, promising to do so, but nobody
appeared. After waiting several hours, I took ten men out with me, and
cut sufficient bananas for the men; and though I tried for two days to
induce the chief to come for payment, he never appeared. This was the
sole occasion during the whole of my long trip in Africa when I had to
commandeer anything from the natives. I quite agree with Colonel Lugard
when he says that it is unnecessary. This was the last time that we had
any difficulty with the natives. Seeing that we refrained from looting
their fields, they plucked up courage, and came in the same numbers as
when we first entered the country. The hordes of warriors whom we had
seen sitting on the tops of the hills in the distance came and mingled
freely with our men, and a brisk trade started in the numerous products
of the country. From many of our camps the scenery was most beautiful;
as we rounded the south-eastern corner of the lake, the whole expanse of
water opened out before us. The track we followed often led over hills
1,500 ft. above the lake; and from many positions we could look down on
the vast oily expanse of water, deep set in its basin of innumerable
hills, dotted with a thousand islets, stretching far away till it was
lost in the shimmering haze of the northern shore, where, crisp and
clear, towered the mighty mass of Mount Goetzen, whose jet of smoke
alone broke the steel-blue dome of sky.
Close to this part are the sources of the Nyavolongo, which are the real
sources of the Victoria Nile. At the actual angle of the lake there is
an extensive valley, which is the real frontier of Ngenzi's district,
Mukinyaga. Every available inch of this extensive fertile valley is
covered with luxuriant crops of beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and millet.
To the east, up this valley, lies the road to the old Kigeri's
residence, which is about five days' march from the lake.
Here there is a district which is divided up amongst many chiefs, and
which seems to have no representative name. At the mouth of the stream
that flows down this valley, the lake shores, if possible, are still
more broken than elsewhere. The hills which cover the country around
Kivu appear to have been sprinkled out of a pepper-pot, they are in the
main disconnected, and the country seems almost to have boiled. The
hollows are in places filled with papyrus swamps, many of which have
drained dry, and now form level lawns a few feet above the lake.
The population round this valley is enormous. The northern wall of the
valley rises very abruptly, and the path led along precipitous passes.
The scenery is most striking. From the top of this plateau we caught
our first glimpse of the volcanoes, the sharp outline of the four main
peaks standing out clear and crisp above the misty haze that surrounds
their base.
One day's march brought us to the district of Lubengera, which is
remarkable for the number of Watusi. There seems to be no prominent
chief among them. The banana plantations are of amazing extent, and
literally clothe many of the hills from top to bottom. In this district
especially we remarked the extreme neatness of the fields and the
scattered nature of the villages. The Ruanda do not live together in
great numbers, but are scattered far and wide over the country; their
villages would perhaps be more aptly described as farms.
It is remarkable that throughout the whole of this country, as in the
valley of the Rusisi, there were no antelope, and until we arrived near
the wooded slopes of the volcanoes, where a few of the natives had
bushbuck skins, we never saw any traces of their having been obtained.
All the natives of Ruanda are great smokers; they use small,
neatly-made, and sometimes grotesquely-carved, black clay pipes. At
this stage we were much troubled by complaints from our boys of petty
thefts. On going thoroughly into the question, I found that besides the
numerous slave boys whom our Manyema carriers had brought up from Ujiji,
they had picked up many more on the road. Some of these had recently
bolted, taking everything upon which they could lay their hands. As it
was desirable to stop this, we had all the boys' boys brought up, and
registered them. All those who could not show that they had come either
from Ujiji or Usambara were given twenty-four hours' notice to quit. I
also forbade our carriers to hire local natives to carry their loads,
and thus rendered our caravan on the march much more compact, and
thereby less open to attack.
On the far coast of the lake two striking hills were plainly visible;
these are evidently placed on the two promontories which I have
suggested as existing in my map. From the numerous observations which I
took, I came to the conclusion that the islands to the north of Kwijwi
have either risen since Count Goetzen's visit, or else that he
underestimated their size; which seems scarcely possible, as he actually
landed on one or two of them.
As we were approaching the north end of the lake, several attempts were
made to raid the camp at night, and at one place in particular the
thieves were very resolute, and succeeded in stealing many small things
from the boys. The sentry came and woke me up during the night, and
told me that persistent attempts were being made to enter the camp; so I
went out, and taking up my position outside the lines, under the cover
of a small bush, I succeeded in capturing one of the thieves by
collaring him low. This form of attack was unexpected, and though he
was greased he failed to escape. The following morning he was handed
over to the chief, and suffered the usual penalty of convicted thieves,
his head being cut off and placed on the path, as a warning to others.
This fortunate capture definitely settled the thieving question.
After crossing the Kashale, we entered the populous and fertile district
of Bugoie. The chief is variously called Gwamu or Mwami, and is now, as
I have before stated, one of the joint kings of Ruanda. All the way up
this coast the scenery is exquisite; nowhere, except in the sounds of
New Zealand, have I ever seen anything so fine, and the nearer we
approached to the mighty volcanoes, the more dazzlingly beautiful and
the more imposing it became.
At one of our camps we were besieged by an army of biting and poisonous
ants, and I was just turning in when they assaulted my tent. Countless
thousands swarmed all over my blankets and into my boxes and my clothes,
and over every available inch both of my person and belongings. Calling
my boys to my rescue, we endeavoured to save at least a blanket, and
fled precipitately. But so thick were they that it was impossible to
escape them. However, eventually the main body had moved on to other
people's quarters, and I succeeded in rescuing my camp-bed, which I
fixed up in another tent with all four legs in basins of water; by this
means I managed to pass the night without more than three or four
hundred around me. Sharp, who at first had looked upon it as a great
joke, became the main object of their attentions during the small hours
of the morning.
Here the people became very friendly again, and one chief provided us
with two guides and two cattle-men, who undertook to go with us as far
as the northern slopes of the volcanoes. One of these guides and one of
the cattle-men bolted the following day with a few trifles, but the
other two stuck to us well, and found our company so agreeable that they
even followed me right through to the Nile, where they met a sad fate.
The Ruanda people are even more superstitious than most Central African
natives. They wear medicine (native name _dawa_) to guard them against
every conceivable ill, such as pains in the stomach, leopards, death,
etc., etc. It is curious that the natives, like the lower animals, seem
to be unable to grasp the fact that they will die; such a thing as a
natural death they cannot understand, and always attribute the event to
some form of violence, which, if not obvious, they describe as the
effect of the "evil eye." The tip of a cow's horn, inlaid with ivory,
is considered particularly efficacious against a pain in the side; and
if a man wears two small leather bottles round his neck, he can never
die. A large red bean is a sure preventive against leopards. One
native wore an extraordinary bracelet; it was made of wood, and
beautifully worked with various metals; the total weight must have been
at least two pounds. He promised to come into camp and sell it to me;
but, having promised, naturally did not come. Of all the liars in
Africa, I believe the people of Ruanda are by far the most thorough. I
have pointed to a mountain 13,000 ft. high, at a distance of three
miles, and asked my native guide whether there was a mountain there: he
would say "No!" On the march, if I asked whether there was water near,
and he told me "yes," I knew that it would take at least six hours to
find the next stream, and therefore camped where I was; if, however, he
said that there was no water, one could be perfectly certain of finding
several streams within the course of the next ten minutes. Even amongst
themselves they appear to talk in the same way, and many of the
instances, such as I have mentioned, are so extraordinary that I cannot
help thinking that it is a custom. I believe at one place on the coast
there is a form of Swahili which is spoken backwards, or rather the end
of the word is put first. It seems to me to be just conceivable that
the same train of reasoning may affect the habits of speech of the Wa
Ruanda.
The natives assured me that there were many elephant on the north side
of the volcanoes and also to the west, in the countries of Mushari and
Gishari; for this reason I was sorely tempted to doubt their existence;
however, from Dr. Kandt's remarks we thought it would be worth while,
later on, to go and see.
[Illustration: On the Track of the Cannibals.]
We had a lot of trouble with our cattle-folk. The head cattle-man was a
most persistent, pertinacious scoundrel, and as soon as he was detected
in one villainy he invariably tried another; the result being that,
although we had ten cows, there was barely enough milk for two people,
and butter was quite out of the question. So we determined to take the
thing in hand, and make a big effort to find out where the leakage was.
As we had expected, under our personal supervision, there was a quantity
of milk, enough for us both, and plenty with which we could make butter.