Mafungabusi, Sengwe, and Sangati coal-fields and the Bembesi, Lower
Sebakwe, and Lower Umfuli gold-finds is, of course, a commercial
certainty; and the second section through the notoriously wealthy Lo
Maghonda gold-field is equally assured. But beyond that, after it
crosses the Zambesi at the Victoria Falls, all estimates must be mainly
hypothetical. The Katanga copper-fields, the enormous quantities of
rubber, which are now giving such magnificent returns to the few traders
in the country, and the recently-reported gold-finds by Mr. George Grey
augur well for the future; but I cannot agree with Mr. Rhodes in some of
his contentions urged on an unresponsive Government as arguments for
their support of the northern extension.
He urges the native labour question, hoping to bring large supplies of
natives south to work in the mines. This wholesale exportation and
importation of labour, I am sure, is most pernicious to the general
welfare of the country. It raises the cost of labour throughout the
districts affected, and, as I have attempted to show elsewhere, is bound
eventually to bring all labour up to the highest rate that has been
obtained.
Say, for the sake of argument, that there are ten thousand natives in
Buluwayo working for L4 a month, and ten thousand natives are induced to
come south from Tanganyika, having contracted to work for so many months
at 10s. a month. The Tanganyika natives will discover the current rates
at Buluwayo, and will think that they have been swindled; if they do not
break out into open revolt, they will return to their homes and spread
the news, thereby prevent others from coming south at the 10s. figure,
and raise the price of labour in their country far above its original
level of 3s. a month. More may be induced to go at, say 30s. a month,
and thus by degrees the price of labour throughout Africa south of
Tanganyika will rise to L4. The original Buluwayo native will never
work for less than the L4, and if crowded out by the imported natives,
will form a most turbulent element in the country, and still the rate
will go on rising. Exactly this process is going on now, but gradually,
owing to the number of natives who come south being insignificant
compared to what it would be with the facilities offered by a railway.
If the natives can be induced to settle, well and good. But it is not
right that other districts should be made to pay for the administrative
follies of districts which have not tackled the native question in the
beginning. But more than this, the natives whom Mr. Rhodes wishes to
bring to the mines do not exist; the country between the Zambesi and,
Tanganyika is not densely populated as a whole, and even now the labour
supply is not adequate to the demand on the Tanganyika plateau.
Again, he urges that the line will benefit the British Central Africa
Protectorate by affording a means of transport of greater regularity and
efficiency than the present system of river transport. This will never
be. With organization and concentration the river route to Nyassaland
will have no equal in South Africa for cheapness. From Chickwawa to
Chinde at the mouth of the Zambesi there is an uninterrupted waterway of
two hundred and fifty miles. It is obvious that a railway, two thousand
miles long, with considerable haulage to the railway, can never compete
with a waterway of two hundred and fifty miles. But he touches the
right note again when he points out the necessity for providing against
a repetition of the horrors of the Matabele rebellion with the turbulent
tribes north of the Zambesi. The Angoni may yet, and the Awemba
certainly will, prove a most turbulent element in society in Northern
Rhodesia.
Such are roughly the pros and cons of the question of the advisability
of a through connection.
From Cape Town to Buluwayo, a distance of one thousand three hundred and
sixty miles, the railway is completed, and already giving handsome
returns for the capital invested. From Buluwayo there will be a line
passing through Gwelo to Salisbury to connect the Beira line, which,
owing to its comparatively short mileage, will tap much of the commerce
of Rhodesia.
The main line will branch north-west from Buluwayo, pass through the
district of the Guay river, and cross the Zambesi at the Victoria Falls,
where the curious formation will offer but slight difficulty to the
construction of a bridge. Thence it will pass north to a point near
Sitanda on the Upper Kafukwe, and east along the Congo-Zambesi watershed
to a point near the Loangwa river, then again north along the watershed
till it crosses the Chambesi, and from there to Kituta at the south end
of Lake Tanganyika.
Thus far is a practical certainty of the next few years, the distance
yet to be spanned amounting to eight hundred and sixty miles.
Beyond Kituta there is room for discussion. A splendid waterway of four
hundred miles leads to the mouth of the Rusisi river, which might be
navigated for thirty miles. This, however, might be rendered
inadmissible by the existence of a bar which I consider probable, in
which case the lake steamer could not navigate the river, as
flat-bottomed boats cannot weather the seas on these lakes. Usambora
would be the most suitable port at the north end, and from here a light
railway could be laid for sixty miles along the flat bottom of the
Rusisi valley with no more difficulty than the Soudan railway was laid.
From this point to Lake Kivu, which would be best touched at the loch
immediately to the west of Ishangi, the distance is thirty miles, and a
rise in level of 2,000 ft. has to be negotiated. But the configuration
of the eastern valley, which I have mentioned as the probable old course
of the Rusisi, would to a certain extent facilitate the sudden rise.
From this point to the bay at the north-eastern corner of the lake there
is an excellent waterway of sixty miles. From this bay a light railway
would pass through the neck between Mounts Goetzen and Eyres, having to
rise a further 2,000 ft. to the highest point that the line would attain
to throughout its entire length. Thence by easy gradients it would drop
to the Albert Edward Plains, which lie 3,000 ft. below the crest of the
pass. Although this drop takes place in a distance of twenty miles, the
contours of the country offer every facility. The line would then pass
along under the eastern wall of the trough up the eastern side of the
Albert Edward, across the narrow neck of Lake Ruisamba, and thence to
Fort Gerry, or probably round the west of Ruwenzori and down the Semliki
valley to the Albert Lake. It will be seen that I ignore the waterway
afforded by the Albert Edward, although seventy-five miles long. I will
explain my reasons subsequently. The objection to utilizing the Semliki
valley is that, owing to the supineness of the British Government, it is
in the Congo territory. Why we should have deviated from our policy of
insisting on our rights in the Nile valley at this point I never could
imagine, unless the ministers or delegates responsible were ignorant of
the fact that the Semliki is as much a portion of the Nile as is the
Bahr-el-Djebel. It is the obvious route for the railway, being the
course of the huge rift valley that contains all these lakes, and
although there is a drop of 1,500 ft. before the level of the Albert
Lake is reached, it has immense advantages over the Fort Gerry route.
Passing by Fort Gerry, the line would have to climb 2,000 ft. and then
descend 3,000 ft. down the precipitous face that hems in the Semliki
valley north-east of Ruwenzori proper. Another most important point in
favour of the Semliki valley is that it is densely wooded, while to the
east there is very little wood.
From the south end of Lake Albert to Dufile at the head of the rapids
there is a waterway of two hundred miles. From Dufile to Redjaf the
river is broken and rendered unnavigable by about one hundred miles of
shallows and rapids. This stretch would have to be spanned by another
light railway which would branch and tap the Shuli country to the east.
Finally from Redjaf there is an uninterrupted watenvay of one thousand
miles to Khartoum, whence there is rail and steamer communication with
Cairo. As an alternative to this, the Dufile-Redjaf line could be
continued at very trifling cost across country to the Sobat Junction,
which would perhaps be necessary to avoid the navigation and fuel
difficulties of the Bahr-el-Djebel waterway. The line could be carried
slightly to the east of my route through the swamps, and the hard, flat,
well-wooded bush country presents no difficulties to railway
construction. I was debarred from passing that way by the dearth of
water consequent on the extraordinary drought. Such is the route that
appears to me to have undoubted advantages. When once Kituta is
reached, now merely a matter of a few years, a further construction of
four hundred and ten miles of railway will render steam communication
between the Cape and Cairo an accomplished fact. The scarcity of fuel
on this route has been suggested as a difficulty. I will now return
once more to Kituta, and point out the fuel centres on the line I have
suggested.
There are ample forests on both shores of Tanganyika, which will afford
an inexhaustible supply of fuel for ages. By utilizing the waterway both
shores are tapped, and the well-nigh insurmountable obstacles to railway
construction offered by the precipitous mountains that hem in the lake
are turned.
From Tanganyika to Kivu there are no difficulties, with the exception of
the rise that I have mentioned just south of the Kivu Lake. Again, by
utilizing the Kivu Lake enormous difficulties are avoided in the
impossible country that surrounds the lake. The hills are very high,
very steep, very numerous, very erratic, and often disconnected by
ridges or any gradients that would assist construction. Immediately
north of the lake the country again becomes easy, and another
inexhaustible supply of fuel is found on the volcanoes, while the
country is extremely rich, and wonderfully healthy, and carries the
densest population that I have seen in Africa.
The Rutchuru valley offers no difficulties, and another fuel country is
found at the south-eastern corner of the Albert Edward Lake, while the
country along the eastern side to Katwe is so easy and flat that it
would probably be worth while to ignore the waterway as I have already
indicated.
Of the Semliki valley I can only speak from observation of the northern
half, which is as flat as a billiard-table; but as the drop is not very
considerable, the southern half should present no serious obstacle,
while it offers a magnificent fuel supply. The Semliki is a
well-defined river, and could be easily bridged. Thus the whole course
is free of natural obstacles, sufficiently provided with fuel, supplies,
and labour, and, over and above, being direct, taps all these lakes,
which in themselves are the foci of the trade of large districts. By
adopting this course, in an incredibly short space of time, and at a
figure many millions short of the estimated cost of a through line, the
first and most important objects of the connection will be attained:
namely, the consolidation of our influence--the strengthening of the
Administration, and thus the lessening of the numbers of soldiers
necessary to ensure order--immense cheapening of communication and of
the cost of telegraph up-keep. Even were the through railway cheaper,
this combination of rail and steamboat will be sufficient to feel the
pulse of the country, and if the results justify the further
expenditure, the line can easily be completed, while its main objects
have been attained years earlier than would otherwise be possible. As
all porterage has to be done by natives in Central Africa, a railway is
even more necessary than where wagon transport is available. Owing to
the impossibility of bringing anything heavy into the country, many
industries are debarred even from being experimented upon. There is
still a considerable amount of ivory in native hands throughout the lake
region, and the amount of rubber is stupendous; both these products will
bear heavy transport charges, and are in themselves sufficient to make a
beginning until a brisk trade has been stimulated in other products.[#]
[#] _E.g._ the Congo railway.
These lakes, and the vast rift valley that contains them, are the
natural highway which is fed by both sides of the continent. It must be
remembered that Africa differs from other continents in the paucity of
its outlets and means of outlet; no continent is so poorly endowed with
harbours and navigable rivers for its size, excepting, perhaps,
Australia, which is the antithesis of Africa in that its wealth lies
along the coasts, while the centre is the pearl of Africa. Hence any
route which offers natural advantages is of supreme importance.
The chief argument against this combination of rail and boat is the
amount of handling that it will entail. I believe this is of no
significance:--
First, because, as I have pointed out, there will be no through traffic.
All the traffic will be local, in that it will be destined to feed the
nearest radius that leads to the coast, or for the interchange of local
produce.
Secondly, because of the immense difference in the capital to be sunk,
and the cheapness of water transport compared to rail transport.
Thirdly, because of the large area tapped. Much of the freight would
have to be brought in either case by water to the railway, and might as
well be brought to one point as to another.
Fourthly, because labour is so plentiful, and as yet so ridiculously
cheap that the cost would be very trifling.
Trade is allowedly conservative, but once it has been directed into a
certain channel it needs a huge effort to divert it. Let us, then,
establish a route as speedily as possible.
Finally, I wish I could induce some of the numerous philanthropists at
home to see that by aiding enterprise of this description they strike at
the very root of the slave trade, Belgian atrocities, cannibal raids,
and the numerous other African diversions; and that in a few years they
will assist to educate, elevate, civilize, and perhaps eventually to
Christianize, the African natives more effectually than would be done in
centuries by spasmodic mission work.
*CHAPTER XXIV.*
*NATIVE QUESTIONS.*
The enormous extent of Africa, and the consequent infinity of tribes
widely divergent in origin, character, and habits, make it almost
impossible to generalize on this most abstruse subject.
Still some principles may be laid down for the great negroid population
of Africa which, as far as my experience goes, apply in most instances.
I will ignore platitudes as to the equality of men irrespective of
colour and progress, and take as an hypothesis what is patent to all who
have observed the African native, that he is fundamentally inferior in
mental development and ethical possibilities (call it soul if you will)
to the white man.
He approaches everything from an entirely different standpoint to us.
What that standpoint is, what his point of view is, by what mental
refraction things are distorted to his receptive faculty, I cannot
pretend to explain. I have failed to find any one who could. But the
fact remains, that if a native is told to do anything, and it is within
the bounds of diabolical ingenuity to do it wrong, he will do it wrong;
and if he cannot do it wrong, he will not do it right. I can but
suggest as an explanation that he is left-minded as he is generally
left-handed. The following anecdotes will illustrate my meaning. They
all came under my personal observation, and tend to show the
impossibility of following a native's reasoning, if he does reason.
When I engaged the Watonga on Lake Nyassa, I informed them of all the
salient features that they would see on the road, such as lakes,
mountains that spat fire, mountains so high that the water became as
stones, etc. As we passed each of these features I reminded them of what
I had said, showing them that I had not lied, as they had imagined
before starting. When the journey was nearly finished, I pointed out
that everything had appeared as I had said, and asked them what they
thought of it. Then spake the headman: "Lord, you are a wonderful lord.
You told us of the four lakes, and how many days' journey it would take
to pass them; you told us of the smoking mountains and the great
mountains of the white water; of the elephants and the meat with necks
like trees (giraffe); yet you have not been there before, as we well
know. And as you would not have us, your servants, think you a liar,
_you put them there_."
Again, I had told them of the size of the white man's houses; and when
we arrived at Khartoum I showed them the palace as an example. They
smiled and said: "Yes, it is very wonderful; but that is no house, _it
has been dug out of a hill_."
When travelling up the Zambesi, I gave Sharp's Somali boy a Van Houten's
cocoa-tin to open, telling him to make cocoa. He disappeared for a
time, and returned with a tin-opener with which he proceeded to tear off
the bottom of the tin. Having successfully accomplished this, he thrust
a spoon in and pushed the lid off, with the result that all the cocoa
fell out on to the ground. Then he looked at me with an expression of
supreme contempt, as though to say: "I always thought the white men
fools, but not quite such fools as to make a thing like that." He must
have opened hundreds of tins before, both hermetically sealed ones and
ordinary ones. Yet to this day he thinks me an idiot.
The small boy who was responsible for arranging my tent had been
carefully instructed always to place my belongings in a certain order.
Occasionally, through his having put my bed on an uneven piece of
ground, I would tell him to change it to the other side, which meant
reversing my boxes and table to bring them into the correct relative
position. In doing this he was never satisfied till he had also
reversed the square mat, and when I laughed at him for doing so he left
the mat and put the boxes wrong, nor could he put them right till he had
reversed the mat. This was most curious, and I could never grasp to my
satisfaction what his train of reasoning was.
One day, when hauling a canoe up a very shallow tributary of the Nile,
one of my boys, finding that he could not pull to advantage from the bed
of the river, climbed inside and made superhuman efforts to drag it
along. He quite failed to see the cause of my laughter, sulked, and
refused to pull any more.
The answers of some natives who had been taken to England after a trip
across Africa were instructive as showing the trend of a negro's mind.
Questioned as to what appeared most wonderful to them, one replied: "The
white man, when he wants anything, goes to the wall; then he obtains
what he requires, light, drink, servants--in fact, everything." Another
replied: "The selling-houses with rows and rows of meat, countless sheep
and lumps of meat." And the third replied: "The little houses that run
about the roads with horses." Of all the marvellous sights of
civilization, three impressions stuck--bells, butchers' shops, and
omnibuses. These few instances are sufficient to indicate in what
unexpected channels the native's thoughts flow. His character is made
up of contending elements, and is best explained by saying that he has
no character at all. It is a blend of the child and the beast of the
field. He is swayed by every wind that blows, yet may seize upon an
idea and stick to it with remarkable tenacity, in spite of the most
cogent arguments to and obvious advantages involved in the contrary.
He is as imitative as a monkey, and consequently is very apt at picking
up crafts, gestures, and styles that are new to him, but is so bound
down by tradition and custom that he never applies the improved methods
of the white man to anything that he is accustomed to do in his own way.
His mind is so inactive and blank that he can carry for miles loads that
he cannot pick up from the ground, by merely sinking his entity. He
becomes mentally torpid, with the result that the effort is solely
physical. A white man, though physically stronger, would fret himself
into a state of utter fatigue in a quarter of the time.
In trifles he is impatient, yet will argue a question for a week till it
is threshed out to the bitter end, and will accomplish with unceasing
thoroughness a piece of carving or basket-work that takes months to
perfect.
In debate he is extremely subtle, and in politics differs materially
from the white man in that he can hold his tongue. On principle he
never tells the truth, and consequently never expects to hear it. He is
extremely suspicious, and his maxim is, "Mistrust every one." Yet a
judicious laugh will inspire him with complete confidence. "When in
doubt laugh," I have found a safe maxim in dealing with natives, and a
well-timed laugh saved many ugly situations during our sojourn in the
land.
He hates to be hurried; with him there is no idea of time. "Do not the
days succeed one another?---then why hurry?" is his idea. He cannot
understand at all the hurrying man.