TRANSPORTATION IN AFRICA.--MEN AS BEASTS OF BURDEN.--PORTERS, AND THEIR
PECULIARITIES.--ENGAGING MEN FOR THE EXPEDITION.--A _SHAURI_.--TROUBLES
WITH THE _LADY ALICE_.--AGREEMENT BETWEEN STANLEY AND HIS
MEN.--DEPARTURE FROM ZANZIBAR.--BAGAMOYO.--THE UNIVERSITIES
MISSION.--DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION.--DIFFICULTIES WITH THE
PORTERS.--SUFFERINGS ON THE MARCH.--NATIVE SUSPENSION-BRIDGES.--SHOOTING
A ZEBRA.--LOSSES BY DESERTION.
Before the reading was resumed, one of the youths asked if Zanzibar was
the usual starting-point for expeditions for the exploration of Africa.
Mr. Stanley was absent at the moment the question was asked, but the
answer was readily given by Doctor Bronson.
"Zanzibar is the usual starting-point," said the Doctor, "but it is by
no means the only one. Livingstone's expedition for exploring the
Zambesi River set out from Zanzibar, and so did other expeditions of the
great missionary. Burton and Speke started from there in 1856, when they
discovered Lake Tanganika; and, four years later, Speke and Grant set
out from the same place. Lieutenant Cameron, in his journey across
Africa, made Zanzibar his starting point; and the expedition of Mr.
Johnson to the Kilimandjaro Mountain was chiefly outfitted there, though
it left the coast at Mombasa.
"Zanzibar," continued Doctor Bronson, "is the best point of departure
for an inland expedition anywhere along the east coast of Africa, for
the reason that it is the largest and most important place of trade. Its
shops are well supplied with the goods that an explorer needs for his
journey, and its merchants have a better reputation than those of other
African ports. Everything in the interior of Africa must be carried on
the backs of men, there being, as yet, no other system of
transportation. Horses cannot live in certain parts of the interior of
Africa, owing to the tsetse-fly, which kills them with its bites; and
even were it not for this fly, it is likely that the heat of the climate
would render them of little use. Occasionally, a traveller endeavors to
use donkeys as beasts of burden, but these animals are scarce and dear,
and of much less use than in other lands. Until Africa is provided with
railways--and that will not be for a long while yet--the transportation
must be done by men. Every caravan that leaves the coast for the
interior of the continent requires a large number of porters; and the
difficulty of obtaining them is one of the greatest annoyances to
merchants and travellers."
[Illustration: NEGRO NURSE-MAID, ZANZIBAR.]
One of the youths said he supposed it was because the demand was so
great that there was not a sufficient number of men.
"Not at all," replied the Doctor. "There are plenty of men in Africa,
but they are not particularly anxious to work. Their wants are few, and
they can live upon very little; consequently they are not over-desirous
to go on a journey of several hundred miles and carry heavy burdens on
their shoulders or heads. Added to their laziness is a lack of a feeling
of responsibility or of honor. After engaging to go on a journey they
fail to appear at the appointed time, and whenever they are weary of
their work they coolly drop their burdens at the side of the road and
make off into the bushes. In the first few days of a journey a traveller
is always deserted by many of his porters, and it is only when he gets
far from the coast and has possibly entered an enemy's country that he
can keep his men together. All travellers have the same story to tell,
and they all agree that the Zanzibari porters are the most faithful of
all in keeping their engagements, or, to say it better, the least
unfaithful. For this reason, also, Zanzibar is a favorite starting-point
for explorers. Frank will now read to us about the difficulties which
Mr. Stanley encountered in outfitting his expedition."
[Illustration: A ZANZIBAR BRIDE.]
Acting upon this hint, Frank opened the book and read as follows:
"It is a most sobering employment, the organizing of an African
expedition. You are constantly engaged, mind and body; now in
casting up accounts, and now travelling to and fro hurriedly to
receive messengers, inspecting purchases, bargaining with
keen-eyed, relentless Hindi merchants, writing memoranda, haggling
over extortionate prices, packing up a multitude of small
utilities, pondering upon your lists of articles, wanted,
purchased, and unpurchased, groping about in the recesses of a
highly exercised imagination for what you ought to purchase, and
can not do without, superintending, arranging, assorting, and
packing. And this under a temperature of 95° Fahr.
"In the midst of all this terrific, high-pressure exercise arrives
the first batch of applicants for employment. For it has long ago
been bruited abroad that I am ready to enlist all able-bodied human
beings willing to carry a load. Ever since I arrived at Zanzibar I
have had a very good reputation among Arabs and Wangwana. They have
not forgotten that it was I who found the 'old white
man'--Livingstone--in Ujiji, nor that liberality and kindness to my
men were my special characteristics. They have also, with the true
Oriental spirit of exaggeration, proclaimed that I was but a few
months absent; and that, after this brief excursion, they returned
to their homes to enjoy the liberal pay awarded them, feeling
rather the better for the trip than otherwise. This unsought-for
reputation brought on me the laborious task of selecting proper men
out of an extraordinary number of applicants. Almost all the
cripples, the palsied, the consumptive, and the superannuated that
Zanzibar could furnish applied to be enrolled on the muster-list,
but these, subjected to a searching examination, were refused. Hard
upon their heels came all the roughs, rowdies, and ruffians of the
island, and these, schooled by their fellows, were not so easily
detected. Slaves were also refused, as being too much under the
influence and instruction of their masters, and yet many were
engaged of whose character I had not the least conception, until,
months afterwards, I learned from their quarrels in the camp how I
had been misled by the clever rogues.
[Illustration: WINDOW OF AN ARAB HOUSE, ZANZIBAR.]
"All those who bore good characters on the Search Expedition, and
had been despatched to the assistance of Livingstone in 1872, were
employed without delay. Out of these the chiefs were selected:
these were Manwa Sera, Chowpereh, Wadi Rehani, Kachéché, Zaidi,
Chakanja, Farjalla, Wadi Safeni, Bukhet, Mabruki Manyapara, Mabruki
Unyanyembé, Muini Pembé, Ferahan, Bwana Muri, Khamseen, Mabruki
Speke, Simba, Gardner, Hamoidah, Zaidi Mganda, and Ulimengo.
[Illustration: COXSWAIN ULEDI, AND MANWA SERA, CHIEF CAPTAIN.
(_From a Photograph._)]
"All great enterprises require a preliminary deliberative palaver,
or, as the Wangwana call it, 'Shauri.' In East Africa,
particularly, shauris are much in vogue. Precipitate, energetic
action is dreaded. '_Poli, poli!_' or 'Gently!' is the warning
word of caution given.
"The chiefs arranged themselves in a semicircle on the day of the
shauri, and I sat _à la Turque_ fronting them. 'What is it, my
friends? Speak your minds.' They hummed and hawed, looked at one
another, as if on their neighbor's faces they might discover the
purport of their coming, but, all hesitating to begin, finally
broke down in a loud laugh.
"Manwa Sera, always grave, unless hit dexterously with a joke,
hereupon affected anger, and said, '_You_ speak, son of Safeni;
verily we act like children! Will the master eat us?'
"Wadi, son of Safeni, thus encouraged to perform the spokesman's
duty, hesitates exactly two seconds, and then ventures with
diplomatic blandness and _graciosity_. 'We have come, master, with
words. Listen. It is well we should know every step before we leap.
A traveller journeys not without knowing whither he wanders. We
have come to ascertain what lands you are bound for.'
"Imitating the son of Safeni's gracious blandness, and his low tone
of voice, as though the information about to be imparted to the
intensely interested and eagerly listening group were too important
to speak it loud, I described in brief outline the prospective
journey, in broken Kiswahili. As country after country was
mentioned of which they had hitherto had but vague ideas, and river
after river, lake after lake named, all of which I hoped with their
trusty aid to explore carefully, various ejaculations expressive of
wonder or joy, mixed with a little alarm, broke from their lips,
but when I concluded, each of the group drew a long breath, and
almost simultaneously they uttered, admiringly, 'Ah, fellows, this
is a journey worthy to be called a journey!'
[Illustration: A MERCHANT OF ZANZIBAR.]
"'But, master,' said they, after recovering themselves, 'this long
journey will take years to travel--six, nine, or ten years.'
'Nonsense,' I replied. 'Six, nine, or ten years! What can you be
thinking of? It takes the Arabs nearly three years to reach Ujiji,
it is true, but, if you remember, I was but sixteen months from
Zanzibar to Ujiji and back. Is it not so?' 'Ay, true,' they
answered. 'Very well, and I assure you I have not come to live in
Africa. I have come simply to see those rivers and lakes, and after
I have seen them to return home. You remember while going to Ujiji
I permitted the guide to show the way, but when we were returning
who was it that led the way? Was it not I, by means of that little
compass which could not lie like the guide?' 'Ay, true, master,
true every word!' 'Very well, then, let us finish the shauri, and
go. To-morrow we will make a proper agreement before the consul;'
and, in Scriptural phrase, 'they forthwith arose and did as they
were commanded.'
"Upon receiving information from the coast that there was a very
large number of men waiting for me, I became still more fastidious
in my choice. But with all my care and gift of selection, I was
mortified to discover that many faces and characters had baffled
the rigorous scrutiny to which I had subjected them, and that some
scores of the most abandoned and depraved characters on the island
had been enlisted by me on the expedition. One man, named Msenna,
imposed upon me by assuming such a contrite, penitent look, and
weeping such copious tears, when I informed him that he had too bad
a character to be employed, that my good-nature was prevailed upon
to accept his services, upon the understanding that, if he indulged
his murderous propensities in Africa, I should return him chained
the entire distance to Zanzibar, to be dealt with by his prince. He
delivered his appeal with impassioned accents and lively gestures,
which produced a great effect upon the mixed audience who listened
to him, and, gathering from their faces more than from my own
convictions that he had been much abused and very much
misunderstood, his services were accepted, and as he appeared to be
an influential man, he was appointed a junior captain with
prospects of promotion and higher pay.
"Subsequently, however, on the shores of Lake Victoria it was
discovered--for in Africa people are uncommonly communicative--that
Msenna had murdered eight people, that he was a ruffian of the
worst sort, and that the merchants of Zanzibar had experienced
great relief when they heard that the notorious Msenna was about to
bid farewell for a season to the scene of so many of his wild
exploits. Msenna was only one of many of his kind, but I have given
in detail the manner of his enlistment that my position may be
better understood.
"The weight of a porter's load should not exceed sixty pounds. On
the arrival of the sectional exploring boat _Lady Alice_, great
were my vexation and astonishment when I discovered that four of
the sections weighed two hundred and eighty pounds each, and that
one weighed three hundred and ten pounds! She was, it is true, a
marvel of workmanship, and an exquisite model of a boat, such,
indeed, as few builders in England or America could rival, but in
her present condition her carriage through the jungles would
necessitate a pioneer force a hundred strong to clear the
impediments and obstacles on the road.
[Illustration: TARYA TOPAN.]
"I found an English carpenter named Ferris, to whom I showed the
boat and explained that the narrowness of the path would make her
portage absolutely impossible, for since the path was often only
eighteen inches wide in Africa, and hemmed in on each side with
dense jungle, any package six feet broad could by no means be
conveyed along it. It was therefore necessary that each of the four
sections should be subdivided, by which means I should obtain eight
portable sections, each three feet wide. Mr. Ferris, perfectly
comprehending his instructions, and with the aid given by the young
Pococks, furnished me within two weeks with the newly modelled
_Lady Alice_. Meantime I was busy purchasing cloth, beads, wire,
and other African goods, the most of them coming from the
establishment of Tarya Topan, one of the millionaire merchants of
Zanzibar. I made Tarya's acquaintance in 1871, and the righteous
manner in which he then dealt by me caused me now to proceed to him
again for the same purpose as formerly.
"The total weight of goods, cloth, beads, wire, stores, medicine,
bedding, clothes, tents, ammunition, boat, oars, rudders and
thwarts, instruments and stationery, photographic apparatus, dry
plates, and miscellaneous articles too numerous to mention, weighed
a little over eighteen thousand pounds, or rather more than eight
tons, divided as nearly as possible into loads weighing sixty
pounds each, and requiring therefore the carrying capacity of
three hundred men. The loads were made more than usually light, in
order that we might travel with celerity, and not fatigue the
people.
"But still further to provide against sickness and weakness, a
supernumerary force of forty men were recruited at Bagamoyo,
Konduchi, and the Rufiji delta, who were required to assemble in
the neighborhood of the first-mentioned place. Two hundred and
thirty men, consisting of Wangwana, Wanyamwezi, and coast people
from Mombasa, Tanga, and Saadani, affixed their marks opposite
their names before the American consul, for wages varying from two
to ten dollars per month and rations, according to their capacity,
strength, and intelligence, with the understanding that they were
to serve for two years, or until such time as their services should
be no longer required in Africa, and were to perform their duties
cheerfully and promptly.
"On the day of 'signing' the contract each adult received an
advance of twenty dollars, or four months' pay, and each youth ten
dollars, or four months' pay. Ration money was also paid them from
the time of first enlistment, at the rate of one dollar per week,
up to the day we left the coast. The entire amount disbursed in
cash for advances of pay and rations at Zanzibar and Bagamoyo was
$6260, or nearly thirteen hundred pounds.
"The obligations, however, were not all on one side. Besides the
due payment to them of their wages, I was compelled to bind myself
to them, on the word of an 'honorable white man,' to observe the
following conditions as to conduct towards them:
"1st. That I should treat them kindly, and be patient with them.
"2d. That in cases of sickness, I should dose them with proper
medicine, and see them nourished with the best the country
afforded. That if patients were unable to proceed, they should be
conveyed to such places as should be considered safe for their
persons and their freedom, and convenient for their return, on
convalescence, to their friends. That, with all patients thus left
behind, I should leave sufficient cloth or beads to pay the native
practitioner for his professional attendance, and for the support
of the patient.
"3d. That in cases of disagreement between man and man, I should
judge justly, honestly, and impartially. That I should do my utmost
to prevent the ill-treatment of the weak by the strong, and never
permit the oppression of those unable to resist.
[Illustration: UNIVERSITIES MISSION AT MBWENNI, ZANZIBAR.]
"That I should act like a 'father and mother' to them, and to the
best of my ability resist all violence offered to them by 'savage
natives, and roving and lawless banditti.'
"They also promised, upon the above conditions being fulfilled,
that they would do their duty like men, would honor and respect my
instructions, giving me their united support, and endeavoring to
the best of their ability to be faithful servants, and would never
desert me in the hour of need. In short, that they would behave
like good and loyal children, and 'may the blessing of God,' said
they 'be upon us.'
"How we kept this bond of mutual trust and forbearance will be best
seen in the following chapters, which record the strange and
eventful story of our journeys.
"The fleet of six Arab vessels which were to bear us away to the
west across the Zanzibar Sea were at last brought to anchor a few
yards from the wharf of the American Consulate. The Wangwana, true
to their promise that they would be ready, appeared with their
bundles and mats, and proceeded to take their places in the vessels
waiting for them. As fast as each dhow was reported to be filled,
the _nakhuda_, or captain, was directed to anchor farther off shore
to await the signal to sail. By 5 P.M., of the 12th of November,
224 men had responded to their names, and five of the Arab vessels,
laden with the _personnel_, cattle, and _matériel_ of the
expedition, were impatiently waiting, with anchor heaved short, the
word of command. One vessel still lay close ashore, to convey
myself, and Frederick Barker--in charge of the personal
servants--our baggage, and dogs. Turning round to my constant and
well-tried friend, Mr. Augustus Sparhawk, I fervently clasped his
hand, and with a full heart, though halting tongue, attempted to
pour out my feelings of gratitude for his kindness and
long-sustained hospitality, my keen regret at parting, and hopes of
meeting again. But I was too agitated to be eloquent, and all my
forced gayety could not carry me through the ordeal. So we parted
in almost total silence, but I felt assured that he would judge my
emotions by his own feelings.
[Illustration: HAREM IN THE HOUSE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE SULTAN OF
ZANZIBAR.]
"A wave of my hand, and the anchors were hove up and laid within
ship, and then, hoisting our lateen sails, we bore away westward to
launch ourselves into the arms of Fortune. Many wavings of
kerchiefs and hats, parting signals from white hands, and last long
looks at friendly white faces, final confused impressions of the
grouped figures of our well-wishers, and then the evening breeze
had swept us away into mid-sea, beyond reach of recognition.
[Illustration: "TOWARDS THE DARK CONTINENT."]
"The parting is over! We have said our last words for years,
perhaps forever, to kindly men! The sun sinks fast to the western
horizon, and gloomy is the twilight that now deepens and darkens.
Thick shadows fall upon the distant land and over the silent sea,
and oppress our throbbing, regretful hearts, as we glide away
through the dying light towards the Dark Continent.
"Upon landing at Bagamoyo, on the morning of the 13th of November,
we marched to occupy the old house where we had stayed so long to
prepare the first expedition. The goods were stored, the dogs
chained up, the riding asses tethered, the rifles arrayed in the
store-room, and the sectional boat laid under a roof close by, on
rollers, to prevent injury from the white ants--a precaution which,
I need hardly say, we had to observe throughout our journey. Then
some more ration money, sufficient for ten days, had to be
distributed among the men, the young Pococks were told off to
various camp duties, to initiate them to exploring life in Africa,
and then, after the first confusion of arrival had subsided, I
began to muster the new _engagés_.
"There is an institution at Bagamoyo which ought not to be passed
over without remark, but the subject cannot be properly dealt with
until I have described the similar institution, of equal
importance, at Zanzibar: viz., the Universities Mission. Besides, I
have three pupils of the Universities Mission who are about to
accompany me into Africa--Robert Feruzi, Andrew, and Dallington.
Robert is a stout lad of eighteen years old, formerly a servant to
one of the members of Lieutenant Cameron's expedition. Andrew is a
strong youth of nineteen years, rather reserved, and, I should say,
not of a very bright disposition. Dallington is much younger,
probably only fifteen, with a face strongly pitted with traces of a
violent attack of small-pox, but as bright and intelligent as any
boy of his age, white or black.
"The Universities Mission is the result of the sensation caused in
England by Livingstone's discoveries on the Zambezi and of Lakes
Nyassa and Shirwa. It was despatched by the universities of Oxford
and Cambridge in the year 1860, and consisted of Bishop Mackenzie,
formerly Archdeacon of Natal, and the Rev. Messrs. Proctor,
Scudamore, Burrup, and Rowley. It was established at first in the
Zambesi country, but was moved, a few years later, to Zanzibar.
Several of the reverend gentlemen connected with it have died at
their post of duty, Bishop Mackenzie being the first to fall, but
the work goes on. The mission at Bagamoyo is in charge of four
French priests, eight brothers, and twelve sisters, with ten lay
brothers employed in teaching agriculture. The French fathers
superintend the tuition of two hundred and fifty children, and give
employment to about eighty adults. One hundred and seventy freed
slaves were furnished from the slave captures made by British
cruisers. They are taught to earn their own living as soon as they
arrive of age, and are furnished with comfortable lodgings,
clothing, and household utensils.
[Illustration: SCENE IN BAGAMOYO.]
"'Notre Dame de Bagamoyo' is situated about a mile and a half north
of Bagamoyo, overlooking the sea, which washes the shores just at
the base of the tolerably high ground on which the mission
buildings stand. Thrift, order, and that peculiar style of neatness
common to the French are its characteristics. The cocoa-nut palm,
orange, and mango flourish in this pious settlement, while a
variety of garden vegetables and grain are cultivated in the
fields; and broad roads, cleanly kept, traverse the estate. During
the superior's late visit to France he obtained a considerable sum
for the support of the mission, and he has lately established a
branch mission at Kidudwe. It is evident that, if supported
constantly by his friends in France, the superior will extend his
work still farther into the interior, and it is therefore safe to
predict that the road to Ujiji will in time possess a chain of
mission stations affording the future European trader and traveller
safe retreats with the conveniences of civilized life.[2]
[2] Mr. Stanley's words were prophetic. Since the above was written
a mission has been established at Ujiji and several other missions
at points along the road between Lake Tanganika and Bagamoyo.
"There are two other missions on the east coast of Africa: that of
the Church Missionary Society, and the Methodist Free Church at
Mombasa. The former has occupied this station for over thirty
years, and has a branch establishment at Rabbai Mpia, the home of
the Dutch missionaries, Krapf, Rebmann, and Erhardt. But these
missions have not obtained the success which such long
self-abnegation and devotion to the pious service deserved.
"On the morning of the 17th of November, 1874, the first bold step
for the interior was taken. The bugle mustered the people to rank
themselves before our quarters, and each man's load was given to
him according as we judged his power of bearing burden. To the man
of strong, sturdy make, with a large development of muscle, the
cloth bale of sixty pounds was given, which would in a couple of
months, by constant expenditure, be reduced to fifty pounds, in six
months perhaps to forty pounds, and in a year to about thirty
pounds, provided that all his comrades were faithful to their
duties; to the short, compactly-formed man, the bead-sack, of fifty
pounds' weight; to the light youth of eighteen or twenty years old,
the box of forty pounds, containing stores, ammunition, and
sundries. To the steady, respectable, grave-looking men of advanced
years, the scientific instruments, thermometers, barometers,
watches, sextant, mercury-bottles, compasses, pedometers,
photographic apparatus, dry plates, stationery, and scientific
books, all packed in forty-pound cases, were distributed; while the
man most highly recommended for steadiness and cautious tread was
intrusted with the carriage of the three chronometers, which were
stowed in balls of cotton, in a light case weighing not more than
twenty-five pounds. The twelve Kirangozis, or guides, tricked out
this day in flowing robes of crimson blanket-cloth, demanded the
privilege of conveying the several loads of brass-wire coils; and
as they form the second advanced guard, and are active, bold
youths--some of whom are to be hereafter known as the boat's crew,
and to be distinguished by me above all others except the
chiefs--they are armed with Snider rifles, with their respective
accoutrements. The boat-carriers are herculean in figure and
strength, for they are practised bearers of loads, having resigned
their ignoble profession of hamal in Zanzibar to carry sections of
the first Europe-made boat that ever floated on Lakes Victoria and
Tanganika and the extreme sources of the Nile and the Livingstone.
To each section of the boat there are four men, to relieve one
another in couples. They get higher pay than even the chiefs,
except the chief captain, Manwa Sera, and, besides receiving double
rations, have the privilege of taking their wives along with them.
There are six riding asses also in the expedition, all saddled, one
for each of the Europeans--the two Pococks, Barker, and myself--and
two for the sick; for the latter there are also three of Seydel's
net hammocks, with six men to act as a kind of ambulance party.
[Illustration: WIFE OF MANWA SERA.
(_From a Photograph._)]
"At nine A.M. we file out of Bagamoyo in the following order: Four
chiefs a few hundred yards in front; next the twelve guides, clad
in red robes of Jobo, bearing the wire coils; then a long file of
two hundred and seventy strong, bearing cloth, wire, beads, and
sections of the _Lady Alice_; after them thirty-six women and ten
boys, children of some of the chiefs and boat-bearers, following
their mothers and assisting them with trifling loads of utensils,
followed by the riding asses, Europeans, and gun-bearers; the long
line closed by sixteen chiefs who act as rear-guard, and whose
duties are to pick up stragglers, and act as supernumeraries until
other men can be procured; in all, three hundred and fifty-six
souls connected with the Anglo-American expedition. The lengthy
line occupies nearly half a mile of the path which, at the present
day, is the commercial and exploring highway into the lake regions.
"Edward Pocock acts as bugler, and he has familiarized Hamadi, the
chief guide, with its notes, so that, in case of a halt being
required, Hamadi may be informed immediately. The chief guide is
also armed with a prodigiously long horn of ivory, his favorite
instrument, and one that belongs to his profession, which he has
permission to use only when approaching a suitable camping-place,
or to notify to us danger in the front. Before Hamadi strides a
chubby little boy with a native drum, which he is to beat only when
in the neighborhood of villages, to warn them of the advance of a
caravan, a caution most requisite, for many villages are situated
in the midst of a dense jungle, and the sudden arrival of a large
force of strangers before they had time to hide their little
belongings might awaken jealousy and distrust.
"In this manner we begin our long journey, full of hopes. There is
noise and laughter along the ranks, and a hum of gay voices
murmuring through the fields, as we rise and descend with the waves
of the land and wind with the sinuosities of the path. Motion had
restored us all to a sense of satisfaction. We had an intensely
bright and fervid sun shining above us, the path was dry, hard, and
admirably fit for travel, and during the commencement of our first
march nothing could be conceived in better order than the lengthy,
thin column about to confront the wilderness.
[Illustration: A LEADING CITIZEN OF BAGAMOYO.]
"Presently, however, the fervor of the dazzling sun grows
overpowering as we descend into the valley of the Kingani River.
The ranks become broken and disordered; stragglers are many; the
men complain of the terrible heat; the dogs pant in agony. Even we
ourselves, under our solah topees, with flushed faces and
perspiring brows, with handkerchiefs ever in use to wipe away the
drops which almost blind us, and our heavy woollens giving us a
feeling of semi-asphyxiation, would fain rest, were it not that the
sun-bleached levels of the tawny, thirsty valley offer no
inducements. The veterans of travel push on towards the river,
three miles distant, where they may obtain rest and shelter, but
the inexperienced are lying prostrate on the ground, exclaiming
against the heat, and crying for water, bewailing their folly in
leaving Zanzibar. We stop to tell them to rest awhile, and then to
come on to the river, where they will find us; we advise,
encourage, and console the irritated people as best we can, and
tell them that it is only the commencement of a journey that is so
hard; that all this pain and weariness are always felt by
beginners, but that by and by it is shaken off, and that those who
are steadfast emerge out of the struggle heroes.
"Frank and his brother Edward, despatched to the ferry at the
beginning of these delays, have now got the sectional boat _Lady
Alice_ all ready, and the ferrying of men, goods, asses, and dogs
across the Kingani is prosecuted with vigor, and at 3.30 P.M. the
boat is again in pieces, slung on the bearing-poles, and the
expedition has resumed its journey to Kikoka, the first
halting-place.
"But before we reach camp we have acquired a fair idea as to how
many of our people are stanch and capable, and how many are too
feeble to endure the fatigues of bearing loads. The magnificent
prize mastiff dog Castor died of heat apoplexy within two miles of
Kikoka, and the other mastiff, Captain, seems likely to follow
soon, and only Nero, Bull, and Jack, though prostrate and breathing
hard, show any signs of life.
"At Kikoka, then, we rest the next day. We discharge two men, who
have been taken seriously ill, and several new recruits, who arrive
at camp during the night preceding and this day, are engaged.
"As there are so many subjects to be touched upon along the seven
thousand miles of explored lines, I propose to be brief with the
incidents and descriptive sketches of our route to Ituru, because
the country for two thirds of the way has been sufficiently
described in 'How I Found Livingstone' and elsewhere.
[Illustration: THE EXPEDITION AT ROSAKO.]
"At Rosako the route began to diverge from that which led to Msuwa
and Simba-Mwenni, and opened out on a stretch of beautiful park
land, green as an English lawn, dipping into lovely vales, and
rising into gentle ridges. Thin, shallow threads of water, in
furrow-like beds or in deep, narrow ditches, which expose the
sandstone strata on which the fat, ochreous soil rests, run in mazy
curves round forest clumps or through jungle tangles, and wind
about among the higher elevations, on their way towards the Wami
River. We followed this river for some distance, crossing it
several times at fords where the water was about two and a half
feet deep. At one of the fords there was a curious
suspension-bridge over the river, constructed of llianes, with
great ingenuity, by the natives. The banks were at this point
sixteen feet high above the river, and from bank to bank the
distance was only thirty yards; it was evident, therefore, that the
river must be a dangerous torrent during the rainy season.
"On the 3d of December we came to the Mkundi River, a tributary of
the Wami, which divides Nguru country from Usagara.
Simba-Mwenni--the Lion Lord--owns five villages in this
neighborhood. He was generous, and gratified us with a gift of a
sheep, some flour, and plantains, accepting with pleasure some
cloth in return.
"The Wa-Nguru are fond of black and white beads and brass wire.
They split the lobes of their ears, and introduce such curious
things as the necks of gourds or round disks of wood to extend the
gash. A medley of strange things are worn round the neck, such as
tiny goats' horns, small brass chains, and large, egglike beads.
Blue Kaniki and the red-barred Barsati are the favorite cloths in
this region. The natives dye their faces with ochre, and, probably
influenced by the example of the Wanyamwezi, dress their hair in
long ringlets, which are adorned with pendicles of copper, or white
or red beads of the large Sam-sam pattern.
"Grand and impressive scenery meets the eye as we march to
Makubika, where we attain an altitude of two thousand six hundred
and seventy-five feet above the ocean. Peaks and knolls rise in all
directions, for we are now ascending to the eastern front of the
Kaguru Mountains. The summits of Ukamba are seen to the north, its
slopes famous for the multitude of elephants. Farther inland we
reached the spine of a hill at four thousand four hundred and
ninety feet, and beheld an extensive plain, stretching northwest
and west, with browsing herds of noble game. Camping on its verge,
between a humpy hill and some rocky knolls, near a beautiful pond
of crystal-clear water, I proceeded with my gun-bearer, Billali,
and the notorious Msenna, in the hope of bringing down something
for the Wangwana.
"The plain was broader than I had judged it by the eye from the
crest of the hill whence we had first sighted it. It was not until
we had walked briskly over a long stretch of tawny grass, crushed
by sheer force through a brambly jungle, and trampled down a path
through clumps of slender cane-stalks, that we came at last in view
of a small herd of zebras. These animals are so quick of scent and
ear, and so vigilant with their eyes, that, across an open space,
it is most difficult to stalk them. But, by dint of tremendous
exertion, I contrived to approach within two hundred and fifty
yards, taking advantage of every thin tussock of grass, and, almost
at random, fired. One of the herd leaped from the ground, galloped
a few short, maddened strides, and then, on a sudden, staggered,
kneeled, trembled, and fell over, its legs kicking the air. Its
companions whinnied shrilly for their mate, and presently, wheeling
in circles with graceful motion, advanced nearer, still whinnying,
until I dropped another, with a crushing ball through the
head--much against my wish, for I think zebras were created for
better purpose than to be eaten. The remnant of the herd vanished.
[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE VILLAGE OF MAMBOYA.]
"Billali, requested to run to camp to procure Wangwana to carry the
meat, was only too happy, knowing what brave cheers and hearty
congratulations would greet him. Msenna was already busy skinning
one of the animals, some three hundred yards from me, when, turning
my head, I made out the form of some tawny animal, that was
advancing with a curious long step, and I recognized it to be a
lion. I motioned to Msenna, who happened to be looking up, and
beckoned him. 'What do you think it is, Msenna?' I asked. 'Simba [a
lion], master,' he answered.
"The animal approached slowly, while I made ready to receive him
with an explosive bullet from the elephant rifle. When within three
hundred yards he paused, and then turned and trotted off into a bit
of scrubby jungle, about eight hundred yards away. Ten minutes
elapsed, and then as many animals emerged from the same spot into
which the other had disappeared, and approached us in stately
column. But it being now dusk I could not discern them very
clearly. We both were, however, quite sure in our own minds that
they were lions, or at any rate some animals so like them in the
twilight that we could not imagine them to be anything else. When
the foremost had come within one hundred yards I fired. It sprang
up and fell, and the others disappeared with a dreadful rush. We
now heard shouts behind us, for the Wangwana had come; so, taking
one or two with me, I endeavored to discover what I felt sure to be
a prostrate lion, but it could not be found.
"The next day Manwa Sera went out to hunt for the lion-skin, but
returned after a long search with only a strong doubt in his mind
as to its having been a lion, and a few reddish hairs to prove
that it was something which had been eaten by hyenas. This day I
succeeded in shooting a small antelope of the springbok kind.
"On the 12th of December, twenty-five days' march from Bagamoyo, we
arrived at Mpwapwa.
[Illustration: OUR CAMP AT MPWAPWA.
(_From a Photograph._)]
"Mpwapwa has also some fine trees, but no forest; the largest being
the tamarind, sycamore, cottonwood, and baobab. The collection of
villages denominated by this title lies widely scattered on either
side of the Mpwapwa stream, at the base of the southern slope of a
range of mountains that extends in a sinuous line from Chunyu to
Ugombo. I call it a range, because it appeared to be one from
Mpwapwa; but in reality it is simply the northern flank of a deep
indentation in the great mountain chain that extends from
Abyssinia, or even Suez, down to the Cape of Good Hope. At the
extreme eastern point of this indentation from the western side
lies Lake Ugombo, just twenty-four miles from Mpwapwa.
"Desertions from the expedition had been frequent. At first,
Kachéché, the chief detective, and his gang of four men, who had
received their instructions to follow us a day's journey behind,
enabled me to recapture sixteen of the deserters; but the cunning
Wangwana and Wanyamwezi soon discovered this resource of mine
against their well-known freaks, and, instead of striking east in
their departure, absconded either south or north of the track. We
then had detectives posted long before dawn, several hundred yards
away from the camp, who were bidden to lie in wait in the bush
until the expedition had started, and in this manner we succeeded
in repressing to some extent the disposition to desert, and
arrested very many men on the point of escaping; but even this was
not adequate. Fifty had abandoned us before reaching Mpwapwa,
taking with them the advances they had received, and often their
guns, on which our safety might depend.
[Illustration: DETECTIVE AND ASSISTANTS.]
"Several feeble men and women also had to be left behind, and it
was evident that the very wariest methods failed to bind the people
to their duties. The best of treatment and abundance of provisions
daily distributed were alike insufficient to induce such faithless
natures to be loyal. However, we persisted, and as often as we
failed in one way we tried another. Had all these men remained
loyal to their contract and promises, we should have been too
strong for any force to attack us, as our numbers must necessarily
have commanded respect in lands and among tribes where only power
is respected.
"One day's march from Mpwapwa brought us to Chunyu--an exposed and
weak settlement, overlooking the desert or wilderness separating
Usagara from Ugogo. Close to our right towered the Usagara
Mountains, and on our left stretched the inhospitable arm of the
wilderness. Fifteen or twenty miles distant to the south rose the
vast cluster of Rubeho's cones and peaks.
"The water at Chunyu is nitrous and bitter to the taste. The
natives were once prosperous, but repeated attacks from the Wahehé
to the south and the Wahumba to the north have reduced them in
numbers, and compelled them to seek refuge on the hill-summits.
"On the 16th of December, at early dawn, we struck camp, and at an
energetic pace descended into the wilderness, and at 7 P.M. the
vanguard of the expedition entered Ugogo, camping two or three
miles from the frontier village of Kikombo. The next day, at a
more moderate pace, we entered the populated district, and took
shelter under a mighty baobab a few hundred yards distant from the
chief's village."
Here Frank announced that it was late in the afternoon, and he wished to
take a promenade on deck. With the permission of his auditors he would
postpone the narrative until evening. The proposal was accepted, but
before the youth could retire he was warmly thanked by those whom he had
so agreeably entertained.
[Illustration: AN AFRICAN BELLE.]