RETARDED BY RAINS AND OTHER MISHAPS.--GENERAL DESPONDENCY.--DEATH OF
EDWARD POCOCK.--A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.--A LAND OF PLENTY.--ARRIVAL AT
VICTORIA LAKE.--NATIVE SONG.--AFLOAT ON THE GREAT LAKE.--TERRIBLE TALES
OF THE INHABITANTS.--ENCOUNTERS WITH THE NATIVES.--THE VICTORIA
NILE.--RIPON FALLS.--SPEKE'S EXPLORATIONS.--THE ALEXANDRA NILE.--ARRIVAL
AT KING MTESA'S COURT.--A MAGNIFICENT RECEPTION.--IN THE MONARCH'S
PRESENCE.--STANLEY'S FIRST OPINIONS OF MTESA.
When the audience assembled in the evening Frank turned rapidly several
pages of the book and said that Mr. Stanley's expedition was greatly
retarded by the heavy rains which fell frequently and converted the
ground into a water-soaked marsh, through which it was very difficult to
proceed. Christmas day was a day of gloom, as everybody was wet and cold
and hungry; the natives had little grain to sell, and the expedition was
reduced to half-rations of food.
[Illustration: AN AFRICAN BLACKSMITH'S-SHOP.]
Mr. Stanley wrote in his diary that he weighed one hundred and eighty
pounds when he left Zanzibar, but his sufferings and lack of nourishing
food had brought him down to one hundred and thirty-four pounds in
thirty-eight days; and the young Englishmen that accompanied him were
similarly reduced. In every new territory they entered they were
obliged to pay tribute to the ruler, according to the custom of Africa,
and the settlement of the question of tribute required a great deal of
bargaining. There were frequent desertions of men, and in many instances
they had not the honesty to leave behind them their loads and guns. At
one place it was discovered that fifty men had formed a conspiracy to
desert in a body, but the scheme was stopped by arresting the
ringleaders and disarming their followers.
"Some twenty or more men were on the sick-list and too ill to walk,"
said Frank, "several were carried in hammocks, and others were left at
the native villages, in accordance with the arrangements made at
Zanzibar. The expedition halted four days at Suna, in the Warimi
country, where grain was purchased at a high price, and the people
seemed inclined to make trouble. The leader of the expedition was
obliged to use a great deal of tact to conciliate the chiefs of this
people, who are numerous and well-armed, so that an attack would have
been no easy matter to resist. Edward Pocock was taken seriously ill at
Suna, and carried in a hammock to Chiwyu--four hundred miles from the
coast, and at an elevation of five thousand four hundred feet above the
sea. In spite of all the attentions he received, he died soon after
their arrival at the latter place. I will read Stanley's account of the
burial of his faithful companion and friend:
[Illustration: FUNERAL OF EDWARD POCOCK: VIEW OF OUR CAMP.]
"We excavated a grave, four feet deep, at the foot of a hoary
acacia with wide-spreading branches; and on its ancient trunk Frank
engraved a deep cross, the emblem of the faith we all believe in;
and, when folded in its shroud, we laid the body in its final
resting-place, during the last gleams of sunset. We read the
beautiful prayers of the church-service for the dead, and, out of
respect for the departed--whose frank, sociable, and winning
manners had won their friendship and regard--nearly all the
Wangwana were present, to pay a last tribute of sighs to poor
Edward Pocock.
"When the last solemn prayer had been read, we retired to our
tents, to brood, in sorrow and silence, over our irreparable loss."
[Illustration]
"By the 21st of January," said Frank, "eighty-nine men had deserted,
twenty had died, and there were many sick or disabled. Mr. Stanley would
have been justified in fearing that he would be obliged to abandon his
expedition and retreat to the coast. The loads were reduced as much as
possible, every article that could in any way be spared being thrown out
and destroyed. On the 24th the natives attacked the camp, but were
driven back; and another battle followed on the 25th, with the same
result. On the 26th the march was resumed, and the hostile region was
left behind. New men were engaged at some of the villages, the weather
improved, provisions were abundant, and in the early days of February
the halting-places of the expedition presented a marked contrast to
those of a month earlier.
[Illustration: AN AFRICAN LAMB.]
"The country in which they were now travelling," Frank continued, "was a
fertile region, with broad pastures, and occasional stretches of
forest--a land of plenty and promise. The natives had an abundance of
cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens, which they sold at low prices; they
were entirely friendly to the travellers, and whenever the expedition
moved away from its camps, it was urged to come again. Mr. Stanley gives
the following list of prices, which he paid in this land of abundance:
"1 ox 6 yards of sheeting.
1 goat 2 yards of sheeting.
1 sheep 2 yards of sheeting.
1 chicken 1 necklace.
6 chickens 2 yards of sheeting."
"On the 26th of February it was reported that another day's march would
bring them to the shore of the Great Nyanza, the Victoria Lake. I will
now read you what Mr. Stanley says about this march, and his first view
of the lake.
"On the morning of the 27th of February we rose up early, and
braced ourselves for the long march of nineteen miles, which
terminated at 4 P.M. at the village of Kagehyi.
"The people were as keenly alive to the importance of this day's
march, and as fully sensitive to what this final journey to Kagehyi
promised their wearied frames, as we Europeans. They, as well as
ourselves, looked forward to many weeks of rest from our labors and
to an abundance of good food.
"When the bugle sounded the signal to 'Take the road,' the
Wanyamwezi and Wangwana responded to it with cheers, and loud cries
of 'Ay indeed, ay indeed, please God;' and their good-will was
contagious. The natives, who had mustered strongly to witness our
departure, were affected by it, and stimulated our people by
declaring that the lake was not very far off--'but two or three
hours' walk.'
"We dipped into the basins and troughs of the land, surmounted
ridge after ridge, crossed water-courses and ravines, passed by
cultivated fields, and through villages smelling strongly of
cattle, by good-natured groups of natives, until, ascending a long,
gradual slope, we heard, on a sudden, hurrahing in front, and then
we too, with the lagging rear, knew that those in the van were in
view of the Great Lake! the lake which Speke discovered in 1858.
[Illustration: UNYAMWEZI PORTER.]
"Frank Pocock impetuously strode forward until he gained the brow
of the hill. He took a long, sweeping look at something, waved his
hat, and came down towards us, his face beaming with joy, as he
shouted out enthusiastically, with the fervor of youth and high
spirits, 'I have seen the lake, sir, and it is grand!' Frederick
Barker, riding painfully on an ass, and sighing wearily from
illness and the length of the journey, lifted his head to smile his
thanks to his comrade.
"Presently we also reached the brow of the hill, where we found the
expedition halted, and the first quick view revealed to us a long,
broad arm of water, which a dazzling sun transformed into silver,
some six hundred feet below us, at the distance of three miles.
"A more careful and detailed view of the scene showed us that the
hill on which we stood sloped gradually to the broad bay or gulf
edged by a line of green, wavy reeds and thin groves of umbrageous
trees scattered along the shore, on which stood several small
villages of conical huts. Beyond these, the lake stretched like a
silvery plain far to the eastward, and away across to a boundary of
dark-blue hills and mountains, while several gray, rocky islets
mocked us at first with an illusion of Arab dhows with white sails.
The Wanyamwezi struck up the song of triumph:
"'Sing, O friends, sing; the journey is ended:
Sing aloud, O friends, sing to the great Nyanza.
Sing all, sing loud, O friends, sing to the great sea;
Give your last look to the lands behind and then turn to the sea.
"'Long time ago you left your lands,
Your wives and children, your brothers and your friends:
Tell me, have you seen a sea like this
Since you left the great salt sea?
"CHORUS.
"'Then sing, O friends, sing; the journey is ended:
Sing aloud, O friends: sing to this great sea.
This sea is fresh, is good, and sweet;
Your sea is salt, and bad, unfit to drink.
This sea is like wine to drink for thirsty men;
The salt sea--bah! it makes men sick.'
"I have in the above (as literal a translation as I can render it)
made no attempt at rhyme--nor, indeed, did the young, handsome, and
stalwart Corypheus who delivered the harmonious strains with such
startling effect. The song, though extemporized, was eminently
dramatic, and when the chorus joined in it made the hills ring with
a wild and strange harmony. Reanimated by the cheerful music, we
flung the flags to the breeze, and filed slowly down the slopes
towards the fields of Kagehyi.
"About half a mile from the villages we were surprised by seeing
hundreds of warriors decked with feathered head-dresses and armed
to the teeth, advancing on the run towards us, and exhibiting, as
they came, their dexterity with bows and arrows and spears. They
had at first been alarmed at the long procession filing down the
hill, supposing we were bent on hostilities, but, though
discovering their error, they still thought it too good an
opportunity to be lost for showing their bravery, and therefore
amused us with this by-play. Sungoro Tarib, an Arab resident at
Kagehyi, also despatched a messenger with words of welcome, and an
invitation to us to make Kagehyi our camp, as Prince Kaduma, chief
of Kagehyi, was his faithful ally.
[Illustration: VIEW OF KAGEHYI FROM THE EDGE OF THE LAKE.
(_From a Photograph._)]
"In a short time we had entered the wretched-looking village, and
Kaduma was easily induced by Sungoro to proffer hospitalities to
the strangers. A small conical hut, about twenty feet in diameter,
badly lighted, and with a strong smell of animal matter--its roof
swarmed with bold rats, which, with a malicious persistence, kept
popping in and out of their nests in the straw roof, and rushing
over the walls--was placed at my disposal as a store-room. Another
small hut was presented to Frank Pocock and Fred Barker as their
quarters.
"In summing up, during the evening of our arrival at this rude
village on the Nyanza, the number of statute miles travelled by us,
as measured by two rated pedometers and pocket watch, I ascertained
it to be seven hundred and twenty. The time occupied--from November
17, 1874, to February 27, 1875, inclusive--was one hundred and
three days, divided into seventy marching and thirty-three halting
days, by which it will be perceived that our marches averaged a
little over ten miles per day. But as halts are imperative, the
more correct method of ascertaining the rate of travel would be to
include the time occupied by halts and marches, and divide the
total distance by the number of days occupied. This reduces the
rate to seven miles per diem.
"We all woke on the morning of the 28th of February with a feeling
of intense relief. There were no more marches, no more bugle-calls
to rouse us up for another fatiguing day, no more fear of
hunger--at least for a season.
"At 9 A.M. a _burzah_, or levee, was held. First came Frank and
Fred--now quite recovered from fever--to bid me good-morning, and
to congratulate themselves and me upon the prospective rest before
us. Next came the Wangwana and Wanyamwezi chiefs, to express a hope
that I had slept well, and after them the bold youths of the
expedition; then came Prince Kaduma and Sungoro, to whom we were
bound this day to render an account of the journey and to give the
latest news from Zanzibar; and, lastly, the princess and her
principal friends--for introductions have to be undergone in this
land as in others. The _burzah_ lasted two hours, after which my
visitors retired to pursue their respective avocations, which I
discovered to be principally confined, on the part of the natives,
to gossiping, making or repairing fishing-nets, hatchets, canoes,
food-troughs, village fences, and huts, and on the part of our
people to arranging plans for building their own grass-huts, being
perfectly content to endure a long stay at Kagehyi.
[Illustration: FRANK POCOCK.
(_From a Photograph taken at Kagehyi._)]
"Though the people had only their own small domestic affairs to
engage their attentions, and Frank and Fred were for this day
relieved from duty, I had much to do--observations to take to
ascertain the position of Kagehyi, and its altitude above the sea;
to prepare paper, pens, and ink for the morrow's report to the
journals which had despatched me to this remote and secluded part
of the globe; to make calculations of the time likely to be
occupied in a halt at Kagehyi, in preparing and equipping the _Lady
Alice_ for sea, and in circumnavigating the great 'Nianja,' as the
Wasukuma call the lake.[3] It was also incumbent upon me to
ascertain the political condition of the country before leaving
the port and the camp, that my mind might be at rest about its
safety during my contemplated absence. Estimates were also to be
entered upon as to the quantity of cloth and beads likely to be
required for the provisioning of the expeditionary force during my
absence, and as to the amount of tribute and presents to be
bestowed upon the King of Uchambi--of which Kagehyi was only a
small district, and to whom Prince Kaduma was only a subordinate
and tributary. In brief, my own personal work was but begun, and
pages would not suffice to describe in detail the full extent of
the new duties now devolving upon me.
[3] Captain Speke spelled it "Nyanza," which means "lake," or
"great water." Out of regard to the work of the great explorer the
name has been retained.
[Illustration: AFRICAN ARMS AND ORNAMENTS.]
"The village of Kagehyi, in the Uchambi district and country of
Usukuma, became after our arrival a place of great local
importance. It attracted an unusual number of native traders from
all sides within a radius of twenty or thirty miles. Fishermen from
Ukerewé, whose purple hills we saw across the arm of the lake, came
in their canoes, with stores of dried fish; the people of Igusa,
Sima, and Magu, east of us in Usukuma, brought their cassava, or
manioc, and ripe bananas; the herdsmen of Usmau, thirty miles south
of Kagehyi, sent their oxen; and the tribes of Muanza--famous
historically as being the point whence Speke first saw this broad
gulf of Lake Victoria--brought their hoes, iron wire, and salt,
besides great plenty of sweet potatoes and yams.
"Within seven days the _Lady Alice_ was ready, and strengthened for
a rough sea-life. Provisions of flour and dried fish, bales of
cloth and beads of various kinds, odds and ends of small possible
necessaries were boxed, and she was declared at last to be only
waiting for her crew. 'Would any one volunteer to accompany me?' A
dead silence ensued. 'Not for rewards and extra pay?' Another dead
silence: no one would volunteer.
"'Yet I must,' said I, 'depart. Will you let me go alone?'
"'No.'
"'What then? Show me my braves--those men who freely enlist to
follow their master round the sea.'
"All were again dumb. Appealed to individually, each said he knew
nothing of sea life; each man frankly declared himself a terrible
coward on water.
"'Then what am I to do?'
"Manwa Sera said:
"'Master, have done with these questions. Command your party. All
your people are your children, and they will not disobey you. While
you ask them as a friend, no one will offer his services. Command
them, and they will all go.'
[Illustration: VIEW NEAR VICTORIA LAKE.]
"So I selected a chief, Wadi Safeni--the son of Safeni--and told
him to pick out the elect of the young men. Wadi Safeni chose men
who knew nothing of boat-life. Then I called Kachéché, the
detective, and told him to ascertain the names of those young men
who were accustomed to sea-life, upon which Kachéché informed me
that the young guides first selected by me at Bagamoyo were the
sailors of the expedition. After reflecting upon the capacities of
the younger men, as they had developed themselves on the road, I
made a list of ten sailors and a steersman, to whose fidelity I was
willing to intrust myself and fortunes while coasting round the
Victoria sea.
"Accordingly, after drawing up instructions for Frank Pocock and
Fred Barker, on about a score of matters concerning the well-being
of the expedition during my absence, and enlisting for them, by an
adequate gift, the good-will of Sungoro and Prince Kaduma, I set
sail on the 8th of March, 1875, eastward along the shores of the
broad arm of the lake which we first sighted, and which
henceforward is known, in honor of its first discoverer, as 'Speke
Gulf.'
[Illustration: DWELLERS ON THE SHORE OF THE LAKE.]
"The reluctance of my followers to venture upon Lake Victoria was
due to what they had heard about it from Prince Kaduma's people.
'There were,' they said, 'a people dwelling on its shores who were
gifted with tails; another who trained enormous and fierce dogs for
war; another a tribe of cannibals, who preferred human flesh to all
other kinds of meat. The lake was so large it would take years to
trace its shores, and who then at the end of that time would remain
alive?' Its opposite shores, from their very vagueness of outline,
and its people, from the distorting fogs of misrepresentation
through which we saw them, only heightened the fears of my men as
to the dangers which filled the prospect."
"Mr. Stanley explored the shores of Speke Gulf," said Frank, after a
short pause, "and then proceeded to follow the eastern shore of the
great lake, which stretched out to the east and north apparently as
limitless as the ocean. On the islands of Speke Gulf he found great
numbers of crocodiles, and at almost every step he took among the reeds,
on the shore of one of the islands, a huge crocodile rushed past him
into the water. Hippopotami were numerous, some of them coming
disagreeably near to his boat, and evidently desiring to make his
acquaintance. The natives around the gulf were not hostile, but caused
despondency in the hearts of Stanley's men by predicting that it would
take him eight years to circumnavigate the lake.
"But on the shores of the lake itself the people showed signs of
hostility, and came to the water's edge with their spears and shields.
On such occasions the party kept away from land and parleyed at a safe
distance. Once a war-canoe carrying some forty men armed with spears and
slings came close alongside the _Lady Alice_; the men in the canoe were
insolent and evidently wanted to fight. Before beginning, however, they
exhibited their skill by throwing stones with their slings, and whenever
they made good shots the strangers applauded and smiled. In fact, they
had been smiling all the time since the canoe came alongside.
"When he considered the time had come to put an end to their insolence,
Mr. Stanley drew his revolver and fired rapidly into the water in the
direction where the last stone had been flung. The effect was ludicrous
in the extreme, as none of the fellows had ever before heard the sound
of a firearm. They sprang into the water and swam away for dear life,
leaving their canoe in the hands of the strangers. They were finally
coaxed back, but were more respectful in their demeanor.
"At another time," said Frank, "the natives came with a large fleet of
canoes and attacked the _Lady Alice_, but were driven off without
serious difficulty. Mr. Stanley's plan was, in fights of this sort, to
use his large rifle with explosive shells, which he aimed just at the
water-line of the canoes. The craft would thus be sunk or disabled,
while the crew, who are all good swimmers, ran no risk of being drowned.
Pursuit would thus be stopped, and the _Lady Alice_ have plenty of time
to escape.
[Illustration: THE "LADY ALICE" AT BRIDGE ISLAND, VICTORIA NYANZA.]
"Without accident, the adventurous party reached the outlet of the lake
and visited Ripon Falls, the head of the Victoria Nile, which flows
into the Albert Nyanza. The latter lake is the source of the White
Nile--the Nile of Egypt, and one of the historic rivers of the world."
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE BAY LEADING TO RUGEDZI CHANNEL FROM KIGOMA,
NEAR KISORYA, SOUTH SIDE OF UKEREWÉ, COAST OF SPEKE GULF.
(_From a Photograph by Mr. Stanley._)]
One of the youths asked how the Ripon Falls received that name.
"The name was given by Captain Speke, the first white man who ever saw
the falls," replied Frank. "He may be called their discoverer, as the
visit to the falls was made during his exploration of the Victoria
Nyanza. At the time his expedition was fitted out, the Marquis of Ripon
was the president of the Royal Geographical Society, and hence the name
that Captain Speke gave to the falls."
"I suppose, then, that the Victoria Nyanza, or Victoria Lake, is the
source of the Nile," another of Frank's auditors remarked.
Frank looked inquiringly at Doctor Bronson, who immediately came to the
youth's assistance.
"For all practical purposes," said the Doctor, "Captain Speke's claim
that he had discovered the source of the Nile when he found the stream
which drained the lake, was a just one. But by common consent of
geographers the source of a river is the brook or rivulet, however tiny,
that rises farthest from its mouth. Adopting this as a rule, the source
of the Nile was not the Victoria Lake itself, but its longest affluent,
and this is a question not yet fully determined, though it is fairly
well settled that the honor belongs to the Alexandra Nile, or Kagera
River, which is certainly the longest affluent of the lake. The Kagera
River flows from Alexandra Lake, which lies nearly due west from the
southern end of Victoria Lake; the distance is about one hundred and
fifty miles in a direct line, but much greater according to the African
routes of travel."
"Did Mr. Stanley visit Alexandra Lake and find out what streams flowed
into it?" one of the youths inquired, as Doctor Bronson paused.
"He was unable to do so," was the reply, "and no other traveller has yet
completed the exploration. Some geographers think that the longest
affluent of Lake Victoria will yet prove to be one of the streams coming
in from the eastward, and having its source at the base of Mount
Kilima-Njaro; but until this is shown to be an established fact, we may
assume that the Alexandra Nile is the head of the great river of Egypt,
as it certainly is the largest stream that flows into Victoria Lake."
[Illustration: VIEW OF RIPON FALLS FROM THE UGANDA SIDE.
(_From a Photograph by Mr. Stanley._)]
"Are there any other falls on the Victoria Nile besides the Ripon Falls
just mentioned?" was the next inquiry from the audience.
"There are several falls and rapids on the stream," the Doctor answered,
"the most important being Murchison Falls, not far from where the
Victoria Nile emerges into Albert Lake. Lake Albert is more than a
thousand feet below the level of Lake Victoria, and therefore you may
expect a rapid descent of the river that connects these two bodies of
water.
[Illustration: DRESSED FOR COLD WEATHER.]
"During the time that Egypt had partial control of the lake region of
Central Africa, its government established a military station at
Foueira, on the Victoria Nile, just above the Kuruma Falls. The river
was explored from one end to the other, and it was ascertained that,
though there were several places where for many miles the current was
comparatively placid, there were so many falls and rapids that
navigation was practically impossible. Consequently no use was made of
the stream, and all expeditions through that region travel by land.
Unless an expedition is sufficiently powerful to force its way,
travellers avoid the villages and keep as much as possible in the
wilderness, to escape the extortionate demands of its petty chiefs, who
invariably demand a high tribute. Whatever they see they want, and it
requires a great deal of diplomacy to escape from them without being
stripped of everything of any value.
"But we are wandering from the route where we left Mr. Stanley," said
Doctor Bronson, "and will now turn back to see where he went after
visiting Ripon Falls. Frank will inform us."
Under this hint Frank continued:
"Where the lake narrows at the head of the Victoria Nile, or just above
the falls, there is a V-shaped bay which is called Napoleon Channel. On
the east of this channel is the country of Usoga, and on the west that
of Uganda. The latter is the territory of the famous King Mtesa, or
rather it was his territory at the time of Mr. Stanley's visit, as he
has since died and left the kingdom to his son.
"Mr. Stanley found the people of Uganda friendly; and by one of the
local chiefs he sent a message to the king to announce his coming. Then
he waited at one of the islands until the chief returned with Mtesa's
reply, which was that Stanley should come and see him. Escorted by a
small fleet of war-canoes, commanded by a native named Magassa, he
proceeded on his journey to Usavara, the port of Mtesa's capital, about
ten miles farther inland. I will read Mr. Stanley's account of his
reception.
"When about two miles from Usavara we saw what we estimated to be
thousands of people arranging themselves in order on a gently
rising ground. When about a mile from the shore Magassa gave the
order to signal our advance upon it with firearms, and was at once
obeyed by his dozen musketeers. Half a mile off I saw that the
people on the shore had formed themselves into two dense lines, at
the ends of which stood several finely-dressed men, arrayed in
crimson and black and snowy white. As we neared the beach volleys
of musketry burst out from the long lines. Magassa's canoes steered
outward to right and left, while two or three hundred
heavily-loaded guns announced to all around that the white man had
landed. Numerous kettle and bass drums sounded a noisy welcome, and
flags, banners, and bannerets waved, and the people gave a great
shout. Very much amazed at all this ceremonious and pompous
greeting, I strode up towards the great standard, near which stood
a short young man, dressed in a crimson robe, which covered an
immaculately white dress of bleached cotton, before whom Magassa,
who had hurried ashore, kneeled reverently, and turning to me
begged me to understand that this short young man was the
_katekiro_. Not knowing very well who the "katekiro" was, I only
bowed, which, strange to say, was imitated by him, only that his
bow was far more profound and stately than mine. I was perplexed,
confused, embarrassed, and I believe I blushed inwardly at this
regal reception, though I hope I did not betray any embarrassment.
[Illustration: THE VICTORIA NILE, NORTH OF RIPON FALLS, RUSHING
TOWARDS UNYORO, FROM THE USOGO SIDE OF THE FALLS.
(_From a Photograph by Mr. Stanley._)]
"A dozen well-dressed people now came forward, and grasping my hand
declared in the Swahili language that I was welcome to Uganda. The
_katekiro_ motioned with his head, and amid a perfect concourse of
beaten drums, which drowned all conversation, we walked side by
side, and followed by curious thousands, to a courtyard, and a
circle of grass-thatched huts surrounding a larger house, which I
was told were my quarters.
[Illustration: RECEPTION BY KING MTESA'S BODY-GUARD AT USAVARA.]
"The _katekiro_ and several of the chiefs accompanied me to my new
hut, and a very sociable conversation took place. There was present
a native of Zanzibar, named Tori, whom I shortly discovered to be
chief drummer, engineer, and general jack-of-all-trades for the
_kabaka_ (king). From this clever, ingenious man I obtained the
information that the _katekiro_ was the prime-minister or the
_kabaka_'s deputy, and that the titles of the other chiefs were
Chambarango, Kangau, Mkwenda, Sekebobo, Kitunzi, Sabaganzi, Kauta,
Saruti. There were several more present, but I must defer mention
of them to other chapters.
"Waganda,[4] as I found subsequently, are not in the habit of
remaining incurious before a stranger. Hosts of questions were
fired off at me about my health, my journey and its aim, Zanzibar,
Europe and its people, the seas and the heavens, sun, moon, and
stars, angels and devils, doctors, priests, and craftsmen in
general; in fact, as the representative of nations who 'know
everything,' I was subjected to a most searching examination, and
in one hour and ten minutes it was declared unanimously that I
had 'passed.' Forthwith, after the acclamation, the stately bearing
became merged into a more friendly one, and long, thin, nervous
black hands were pushed into mine enthusiastically, from which I
gathered that they applauded me as though I had won the honors of a
senior wrangler. Some proceeded direct to the _kabaka_ and informed
him that the white man was a genius, knew everything, and was
remarkably polite and sociable, and the _kabaka_ was said to have
'rubbed his hands as though he had just come into the possession of
a treasure.'
[4] Waganda signifies "people of Uganda." The prefix Ki, as in
Ki-Swahili or Ki-Sagara, denotes language of Swahili or Sagara. The
prefix U represents country; Wa, a plural, denoting people; M,
singular, for a person, thus:
U-Sagara. Country of Sagara.
Wa-Sagara. People of Sagara.
M-Sagara. A person of Sagara.
Ki-Sagara. Language of Sagara, or after the custom, manner, or
style of Sagara, as English stands in like manner for anything
relating to England.
"The fruits of the favorable verdict passed upon myself and merits
were seen presently in fourteen fat oxen, sixteen goats and sheep,
a hundred bunches of bananas, three dozen fowls, four wooden jars
of milk, four baskets of sweet potatoes, fifty cars of green Indian
corn, a basket of rice, twenty fresh eggs, and ten pots of mararaba
wine. Kauta, Mtesa's steward or butler, at the head of the drovers
and bearers of these various provisions, fell on his knees before
me and said:
"'The _kabaka_ sends salaams unto his friend who has travelled so
far to see him. The _kabaka_ cannot see the face of his friend
until he has eaten and is satisfied. The _kabaka_ has sent his
slave with these few things to his friend that he may eat, and at
the ninth hour, after his friend has rested, the _kabaka_ will send
and call for him to appear at the _burzah_. I have spoken.
_Twi-yanzi-yanzi-yanzi!_' (thanks, thanks, thanks).
"I replied suitably, though my politeness was not so excessive as
to induce me to kneel before the courtly butler and thank him for
permission to say I thanked him.
[Illustration: WAITING ORDERS.]
"The ninth hour of the day approached. We had bathed, brushed,
cleaned ourselves, and were prepared externally and mentally for
the memorable hour when we should meet the foremost man of
equatorial Africa. Two of the _kabaka_'s pages, clad in a costume
semi-Kingwana and semi-Kiganda, came to summon us--the Kingwana
part being the long white shirt of Zanzibar, folded with a belt or
band about the loins, the Kiganda part being the Sohari doti cloth
depending from the right shoulder to the feet. 'The _kabaka_
invites you to the _burzah_,' said they. Forthwith we issue from
our courtyard, five of the boat's crew on each side of me, armed
with Snider rifles. We reach a short, broad street, at the end of
which is a hut. Here the _kabaka_ is seated with a multitude of
chiefs, Wakungu[5] and Watongoleh, ranked from the throne in two
opposing kneeling or seated lines, the ends being closed in by
drummers, guards, executioners, pages, etc., etc. As we approached
the nearest group it opened and the drummers beat mighty sounds,
Tori's drumming being conspicuous from its sharper beat. The
foremost man of equatorial Africa rises and advances, and all the
kneeling and seated lines rise--generals, colonels, chiefs, cooks,
butlers, pages, executioners, etc., etc.
[5] Wakungu is the plural of _mkungu_, a rank equivalent to
"general." Watongoleh is the plural of _mtongoleh_, or "colonel."
[Illustration: SEKEBOBO, CHIEF OF CHAGWÉ. POKINO, THE
PRIME-MINISTER. MTESA, THE EMPEROR OF UGANDA. CHAMBARANGO, THE
CHIEF.
OTHER CHIEFS.
(_From a Photograph by Mr. Stanley._)]
"The _kabaka_, a tall, clean-faced, large-eyed, nervous-looking,
thin man, clad in a tarbush, black robe, with a white shirt belted
with gold, shook my hands warmly and impressively, and, bowing not
ungracefully, invited me to be seated on an iron stool. I waited
for him to show the example, and then I and all the others seated
ourselves.
"He first took a deliberate survey of me, which I returned with
interest, for he was as interesting to me as I was to him. His
impression of me was that I was younger than Speke, not so tall,
but better dressed. This I gathered from his criticisms, as
confided to his chiefs and favorites.
"My impression of him was that he and I would become better
acquainted, that I should make a convert of him, and make him
useful to Africa--but what other impressions I had may be gathered
from the remarks I wrote that evening in my diary:
[Illustration: DWARF AT THE KING'S COURT.]
"'As I had read Speke's book for the sake of its geographical
information, I retained but a dim remembrance of his description of
his life in Uganda. If I remember rightly, Speke described a
youthful prince, vain and heartless, a wholesale murderer and
tyrant, one who delighted in fat women. Doubtless he described what
he saw, but it is far from being the state of things now. Mtesa has
impressed me as being an intelligent and distinguished prince, who,
if aided in time by virtuous philanthropists, will do more for
Central Africa than fifty years of gospel teaching, unaided by such
authority, can do. I think I see in him the light that shall
lighten the darkness of this benighted region; a prince well worthy
the most hearty sympathies that Europe can give him. In this man I
see the possible fruition of Livingstone's hopes, for with his aid
the civilization of equatorial Africa becomes feasible. I remember
the ardor and love which animated Livingstone when he spoke of
Sekeletu; had he seen Mtesa, his ardor and love for him had been
tenfold, and his pen and tongue would have been employed in calling
all good men to assist him.'
"Five days later I wrote the following entry:
"'I see that Mtesa is a powerful emperor, with great influence over
his neighbors. I have to-day seen the turbulent Mankorongo, King of
Usui, and Mirambo, that terrible phantom who disturbs men's minds
in Unyamwezi, through their embassies kneeling and tendering their
tribute to him. I saw over three thousand soldiers of Mtesa nearly
half civilized. I saw about a hundred chiefs who might be classed
in the same scale as the men of Zanzibar and Oman, clad in as rich
robes and armed in the same fashion, and have witnessed with
astonishment such order and law as is obtainable in semi-civilized
countries. All this is the result of a poor Muslim's labor; his
name is Muley bin Salim. He it was who first began teaching here
the doctrines of Islam. False and contemptible as these doctrines
are, they are preferable to the ruthless instincts of a savage
despot, whom Speke and Grant left wallowing in the blood of women,
and I honor the memory of Muley bin Salim--Muslim and slave-trader
though he be--the poor priest who has wrought this happy change.
With a strong desire to improve still more the character of Mtesa,
I shall begin building on the foundation-stones laid by Muley bin
Salim. I shall destroy his belief in Islam, and teach the doctrines
of Jesus of Nazareth.'
"It may easily be gathered from these entries that a feeling of
admiration for Mtesa must have begun very early, and that either
Mtesa is a very admirable man, or that I am a very impressionable
traveller, or that Mtesa is so perfect in the art of duplicity and
acted so clever a part, that I became his dupe."
Here Frank paused, and suggested that they would leave Mr. Stanley with
the King of Uganda until the next day, when Fred would take up the
reading during the afternoon and evening. As it was near the time for
retiring, no one made any objection to adjournment, and in a very few
minutes the members of the impromptu geographical society had
dispersed.