THE MARCH TOWARDS VICTORIA NYANZA.
One of the last of Burton's explorations, before his return to his
native country, was an attempt to ascertain some particulars as to the
nature of the countries which lay north and south of the route he had
followed. He was especially anxious to glean information of a great sea,
or lake, which the Arabs told him was an immense body of water, much
larger than Tanganyika, at a distance of fifteen or twenty marches to
the north.
Burton saw that if he could prove the existence of such a lake, it would
explain many disputed points and confirm many speculations of modern
geographers. Owing to illness, Burton was obliged to give up his
intention of exploring the new body of water. Speke, his companion,
continued the journey, and reached the lake, which he named Victoria
Nyanza.
Speke was strongly convinced that here was the long-sought source of
that most mysterious of rivers, the Nile. He returned to England to
render an account of his exploration to the Royal Geographical Society
and proposed the forming of a new expedition party for the purpose of
exploring the newly discovered lake, Victoria Nyanza, and the adjacent
countries. The plan met with such favor that in the spring of the
following year, with a companion named Grant, he started out with an
exploring party.
Leaving England they went to the Cape of Good Hope, and then started for
Zanzibar. They first proceeded to East London, then north to Delagoa
Bay, and finally to Zanzibar. Here the sultan received them courteously,
and promised to aid the expedition in every possible way.
Speke's description of the start from Zanzibar is most realistic:
"Starting on the march with a large mixed caravan, one could hardly
expect to find everybody in his place at the proper time for breaking
ground; but, at the same time, it could hardly be expected that ten men,
who had actually received their bounty money, and had sworn fidelity,
should give one the slip the first day. Such, however, was the case.
Ten, out of the thirty-six given by the sultan, ran away, because they
feared that the white men, whom they believed to be cannibals, were only
taking them into the interior to eat them; and one porter, more honest
than the freed men, deposited his pay upon the ground, and ran away,
too. Go we must, however, for one desertion is sure to lead to more; and
go we did.
"Our procession was in this fashion: the kirangozi, with a load on his
shoulder, led the way, flag in hand, followed by the pagazis, carrying
spears or bows and arrows in their hands, and bearing their share of the
baggage in the form either of bolster-shaped loads of cloth and beads,
covered with matting, each tied into the fork of a three-pronged stick,
or else coils of brass or copper wire, tied in even weights to each end
of sticks, which they laid on the shoulder."
The kirangozi of whom he speaks was doubtless the leader, or director,
of the band of pagazis, or porters. Continuing, he writes: "Then, helter
skelter, came the Waguana, carrying carbines in their hands, and boxes,
bundles, tents, cooking-pots--all the miscellaneous property--on their
heads. Next the Hottentots, dragging the refractory mules laden with
ammunition boxes, but very lightly, to save the animals for the future;
and, finally, Sheikh Said and the Balock escort, while the goats, sick
women, and stragglers brought up the rear."
The whole caravan under Speke mustered about two hundred persons.
The caravan proceeded over a route very similar to the one which the
previous expedition had followed. Finally, after many vicissitudes, it
crossed the frontier of Unyamwezi, and entered the district that lay
next to it on the north.
The people of this district are described as being pastoral in their
occupations. Hence, travelers see very little of them. They roam about
with their flocks and build their huts as far as possible from
cultivated sections. Most of the district chiefs are directly descended
from those who previously ruled in the same places, before the invasion
of the country by the white man. It is with these chiefs that travelers
have dealings.
The dress of these people is simple in the extreme. It is made of
cowhide which has been tanned black. A few magic ornaments and charms,
brass or copper bracelets, and odd-looking coverings for their long legs
complete the costume. They smear themselves with rancid butter, which
serves to render them most offensive to people of a delicate sense of
smell. For arms these people carry either bow or spear, generally the
latter weapon.
In the northern portions of the country, where the ground is hilly and
rugged in character, the people are more energetic and active than in
the southern districts. All live in grass huts, which are congregated in
villages fenced round on the south, but open on the north.
After a continued journey of many hardships, the caravan crossed a
dreary waste of uninhabited land, and entered the next district to the
north.
Pushing forward, the travelers crossed a narrow strip of uninhabited
territory, and entered the famous and unknown kingdom of Karagwe.
Throughout this kingdom the caravan received the kindest of treatment
from the king and his people under the village chiefs. No taxes were
exacted, and food was supplied at the king's expense. Speke writes of
the kingdom: "The farther we went in this country the better we liked
it, as the people were all kept in good order, and the village chiefs
were so civil that we could do as we liked."
[Illustration: VICTORIA NYANZA.]
Speke thus describes the scene when he caught his first glimpse of the
lake: "Next day, after crossing more of those abominable rush drains,
while in sight of the Victoria Nyanza, we ascended the most beautiful
hills, covered with verdure of all descriptions. I felt inclined to stop
here a month, everything was so very pleasant. The temperature was
perfect. The roads, as indeed they were everywhere, were as broad as our
coach roads, cut through the long grasses, straight over the hills and
down through the woods in the dells, a strange contrast to the wretched
tracks in all the adjacent countries.
"The huts were kept so clean and so neat, not a fault could be found
with them; the gardens the same. Wherever I strolled, I saw nothing but
richness, and what ought to be wealth. The whole land was a picture of
quiescent beauty, with a boundless sea in the background.
"Looking over the hills, it struck the fancy at once that at one period
the whole land must have been at a uniform level with their present
tops, but that, by the constant denudation it was subjected to by
frequent rains, it had been cut down and sloped into those beautiful
hills and dales which now so much pleased the eye."