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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. rrata to pelure. □ 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 «li I i ,v^ -VN>V5i'^ ,v . ^'1 ' ■■.;',■■ K fA>,-|i.", I-;' « '!l •V..-. .;' r^vf -Wm y:*>^l',.'V)*'^^'^^-^ .4 2i Z o 'J u z 5 o ^^DERS# Tro ROPICS OR I'Xri.oRvnoxs wd advi.nti rf.s OP HENRY M.STANLEY AND OTIIKK \VOKI.I>-Iv'i:NO\VNKn XUAVKI^KUa. l.NCI.ri»IN(i X^ivingstone, ^aker, Cameron, Speke, ^min fasha, pu Chaillu, ^ndersson, etc., etc. CO.NT.VIMNG Thrilling Actount^ of Ramoug Expedition^, MIRACULOrs KSCAl'IS, Win) Sl'OKTs ol' TIIL IlNf.l.i: AND PLAIN, Cl'KIOUS eiSTuMS <>1" SW\r,): KACi;S, JorKM'.VS IN CN- KNOWN LANDS, AND M \ RVF.LC )IS DJSCt )Vi:Kn:S IN 'n\V. WILDS OF Al'KICA, T(;(,1':;'ui;k wmh GR \rnic nKscKii'Troxs or liiiAiTii i l sli-nlkv, i'krtilk vallkys, VAST FORESTS, MHiHi\ i;ivi:ks and cataka'v'Ts, inland SI" as. MINI'S (JF TNTiiLD WliAr.'rit, li:U( iCIOL'S lU.ASTS, ICTC, LTC. THL WlUiLI. l-iJ.Mi'KISING A Vast Trcasuri) of all that ls Marcdous and Wonderful IN THE DARK CONTINENT. I By henry davenport NORTHROP. D. D., Author of" Earth. Sra, and Sky," etc., etc. Embellished wit]:i more than 200 gtril^ing Illustrations. MCDERMTD & LOGAN, r<()\IU)X. ONTAIUO. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1889, bf J. R. JONES, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. ^ 1* ',-' /\ PREFACE. The wonderful discoveries and thrilling adventures of the world's greatest explcrer, Henry M. Stanley, are related in this new work. It is a record of the most daring achievements and heroic deeds of modem times, describing the long and perilous journeys, the terrible sufferings, the brilliant conflicts with ferocious men and beasts, the grand discoveries, which have awakened intense interest and aroused the enthusiastic admiration of all civilized nations. The work depicts the brave struggles and hard-earned successes of Stanley's early life, from the poor boy, dependent on charity, to the sturdy young soldier, carrying the knapsack and rifle. He becomes a corresi pondent of one of our great daily journals, is suddenly despatched to Africa to And the famous explorer, Livingstone, and enters upon his marvelous career. Stanley's first great journey in the Dark Continent is vividly described. The reader follows the mighty explorer, becomes a sharer of his hard- ships and perils, and journeys with him through a land wonderful for the richness and variety of its recources, the grandeur and beauty of its scenery, the abundance of its animal life, and the remarkable traits and customs of its savage races. Before the onward march of the famous explorer, a path opens through the thickest jungle ; broad rivers shrink to rivulets; the rugged pass be- comes a smooth highway ; wild animals flee in dismay ; the American axe hews down sturdy forests ; the frail canoe descends foaming rapids and crosses inland seas ; the Dark Continent gives up the secrets that have baffled the world for thousands of years. The reader shares the thrill of excitement, joy and triumph, as Stanley, afler the most heroic struggle, finds Livingstone and grasps his hand ! Stanley's next expedition, from Zanzibar right across the continent to the Congo, is so full of perilous adventure, so remarkable for pluck and r solution, that it stands out boldly as the greatest achievement of our times. He vanishes from the sight of the civilized world. Weeks and months pass, and no intelligence comes from the intrepid explorer. Curiosity as to his fate becomes anxiety, and the anxiety grows into ter- rible suspense. Seasons roll their rounds and still no news from Stanley I (0 il PREAFCE. After untold privations, daring deeds and amazing triumphs, Stanley emerges from the wilds of the Dark Continent amidst the acclamations of both hemispheres. The nineteenth century records ;o triumph more sublime than that of crossing, from sea to sea, this wild country, which had hitherto baffled all attempts to explore its silent mysteries. But the dazzling achievements of our great hero were not completed. Emin Pasha was located somewhere in the tropical wilderness, and struf^gling to hold the country of which he was ruler. Again Stanley hastened to the rescue ; again he was lost in the wilds of Africa ; again the interest of the world was awakened concerning his fate; and in this last great triumph he has put the climax upon all his previous explorations and victories, having crossed the Dark Continent again, this time from west to east. This work also gives a full and thrilling account of the marvelous dis- coveries of other world-renowned travelers in the Tropics. The reader is made a fellow-explorer with tho immortal Livingstone, who traversed boundless regions where the foot of civilized man had never trod; with Sir Samuel Baker, Si>eke and Grant, whose daring expeditions in Central Africa place them in the front rank of modern heroes ; with Du Chaillu, Cameron, Andersson, Baldwin and others, who.se undaunted bravery in the face of danger, and victories over bloodthirsty savages and wild beasts, have a resi.stless fascination. A brilliant panorama of tropical wonders passes before the reader's gaze. He traverses vast and fertile plains, luxuriant valleys and desert wastes. He sees savage tribes in their curious costumes ; their strange marriap;e customs ; their ludicrous superstitions ; their reckless deeds of violence; their monstrous social and religious rites, involving the frightful sacrif.ce of human life. He witnesses grotesque war-dances; singular freaVs of medicine men and rain makers ; and strange antics of wizards. He beholds the majestic lion, the gigantic hippopotamus and fierce crocodile, monkey tribes, gorillas and venomous boa-constrictors, the fleet-footed ostrich, giraffe and zebra, the huge rhinoceros and bounding gazelle, and the ponderous elephant jarring the earth with his heavy tread. He wit- nesses the adventures of the chase, and deeds of daring surpassing the most startling tales of romance. He is captivated with tropical birds arrayed in plumage of unrivalled beauty, and with brilliant forms of insect life, wonderful as the gigantic beasts of the plain and jungle. Stanley's recent expedition for the relief of the world-renowned Emin Pasha fixes upon him the gaze of all civilized peoples. The latest adven- tures and discoveries are fully narrated in this work. COiNTENTS. CHAPTER I. STANLKY'S EARLY LIFE. Beet A Rcm;irkable Man— Solving the Mysteries of the Dark Continent— Stanley's Birth l» Wales— Sent in Early Life to the Almsliouse at St. As.., • -\ Teacher in Flint- shire— Struggling to Obtain Means for an Education— Tho Kestless Spirit Show- ing itself— .Seeking the New World— A Cabin Boy, Bound froni Liverpool to New Orleans— The Welsh Boy Adopted by Stanley of New Orleans — ^I »nesty ar.d Capacity of the Boy— Death of Stanley's Bet\efa( t— No Propr ly Falls to the Adopted Son — Stanley in California— A Free and Happy! fc Among Bold Ad- venti'"-'"'.^ -The School of Human Nature — Power of f'nd. vance and Readiness for Daring Enterprises — Carrying the Kn.npsack and Ri;Io— .\ .Soldirr in the Confederate Army — Captured by Union Forces — Becomes Coiinectfd with the New York Herald— Off for the Batlleiield in Turkey— Robbed by Brigands— .Stanley Returns to England— The Children's Dinner at the Pool house— Scut by James Gordon Bennett with the British Abyssiiiian P'xpedition- .Stanhy's Messages First to Reach London — Livingstone Lost in Africa— RemarkaHe Midnight Interview with Mr. Bennett — "Find Livingstone at any Cost." 17 CHAPTER H. THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AFRICA. Africa a World of .Surprises and W jnders — ^Journeys of Livingstone — The Younjj Scotch Boy — Born of Noble Parentage— An Ancestry of Sturdy Scotch Qualities- David's Factory Life — Eager Thirst for Knowledge — Tending the Loom, with Onfe Eye on His Book — Studying Latin— A Lover of Heroic Deeds— Early Promise of Rising to Distinction — Resolvisto Become a Medical Missionary in China — Departure for Africa — Physical Nerve and Endurance- Encounter with a Ferocious Lion — Livingstone's Narrow Escape— Gordon Cumming's Descrip- tion of the Noble Beast — A Powerful Animal — Beauty of the Lion — Roar of the Forest King— Frightful Ferocity — Tne Lion's Fearlessness — Requirements of Lion Hunters— Brave Character of Livini^stone 33 CHAPTER in. LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. Livingstone's Life Among the Backwains — An Intelligent Chief— Trying to Whip the Heathen into Conversion — Appearance of the Backwains — Peculiar Head- Dress- Expert Thieves— A Bewitched Kettle— A Horrible Deed— An Africio Congress -Thrilling War Songs— Carr\ ing on War for Glory— Livingstone'r. (iii) IV CONTENTS. Interest in this Tribe— SiMj^pilar Superstitions— Medicine Men and Rain Doctors- Barbarous Practices— Severe Training for Boys— The Girls' Ordeal— Romantic Dances— Construction of Houses — Curious lurial Customs — Funeral Dances Among the Latookas — An Active Chief— The Rich No Better Than the Poor- Odd Decorations -Graceful Movements 47 CHAPTER IV. A CELEBRATED AFRICAN TRIBE. Livingstone's Great Interest in the Makololo Tribe — The Fate of Ancient Nations- Extraordinary Changes in So ithern Africa — Obscure Origin of ihe Hottentots- Displaced by the More Powerful Kaffirs— The Great Chief of the Makololo— Severe Punishment for Cowards — A Royal Young Snob — Fear of the Ferocious Lion — Headlong Charge of the Buffalo upon Hunters— Livingstone's Story of His Wagon — A Race in Eating — Frightful B.ittle with Hippopotami— Frail Boat Surrounded by Ugly Brutes — Superior Makololo Women — Mode of Building Houses — Strong Walls and Thatched Roofs— Strange Ideas of a Boatman — Offenders Flung to Crocodiles— Dividing the Spoils of Hunting— Sports of African Children — A Queen's Opinion of White People — Better Looking than she Imagined — A Grotesque and Exciting Dance 77 CHAPTER V. PERILS OF TROPICAL EXPLORATIONS. Remarkable Successes of Livingstone— Forming a Station in the Wilderness — The Explorer Builds a House — Search for a Great Lake— A Desert with Prodigious Herds of Wild Animals— Starting on a Perilous Journey — Wagons Left in Charge of Natives— Travelling in Frail Canoes— Haunts of the Hippopotami— Thrilling Adventure with Crocodiles— Frantic Struggles to Escape from Death— Shooting the Huge Monster— Seized with a Sudden Horror— A Great Splash and a Cry of Joy — Ancient Crocodiles with Immense Jaws — Exciting Encounter with a River-Horse— A Remarkable Chief— Riers and Swamps Breeding Fevers- Reaching the Banks of the Zambesi— Prevalence of a Troublesome Fly — A Magnificent River-Livingstone's Journey of a Thousand Miles with his Family — Malicious Attack by the Dutch Boers— Livingstone's House Plundered— The Explorer Reaches the Capital of the Makololo— Cordial Welcome from the Natives — The Young King Has a Rival — Ascending the Great River Zambesi — Attempt on the Life of the King— Makololo Architecture— A Grand Dance- Expedition to the West— The Balonda Country— A Visit to Shinti— Scarcity ot Food— Arrival at Loanda— Attacked by Savages— On the Leeba— Arrival at Linyanti 98 CHAPTER VL STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLES. Dangers of River Navigation— Luxuriant Wild Fruits— Skillful Management of Canoes by Natives— Magnificent Scenery— Man Seized by a Crocodile— Beautiful Flowers and Wild Honey— Strapping Chieftainess Smeared with Fat and Red Ochre- Pompous Chief— Curioui Piano— PortiiiiUese Traders— Warm Reception to the 98 'e— the CONTENTS V Explorers -Lifting off Roofs of Houses to Cover the Travellers— A Chief who KH'ed HIi Subjects for Amusement— Remarkable Custom for Cementing Friendship- Tricksters who Want Money— Livingstone Suffers from Fever— Savage Attack upon the Expedition — Using Charms and Cupping for Sickness— Black Corporal for an Escort— Beautiful Country Going to Waste— Vast Herds of Cattle— An Ornamental Garden — Native^; Astonished by Strange Sigiits— Generous Gifts ( f Jolly Tars— "Stones that Burn"— An Attractive Town— The Irrepressible Doi- key— Strange Belitf in Evil Spirits -Grotesque Head-dresses— Fine Sport, witfi> the Gun— The Expedition Travelling in Small Canoes— Livingstone Charged by a Buffalo— Noisy Welcome to the Explorers— Troops of Elephants loa CHAPTER VII. ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY TO THE EAST COAST. Livingstone's Resolve to Reach the East Coast— A Fine Race of Negroes— One hun- dred and fourteen Trustworthy Men—The Brave Leaders of the Company — ^A Terribg no for tee iry > ain nts CONTENTS. ni Tom to Shreds— The Last Service — Livingstone Carried on a Litter— The Doctor Falls from His Donkey— A Night's Rest in a Hut — Natives Gather Round the Litter— A Well-known Chief Meets the Caravan— The Last Words Livingstone Ever Wrote— The Dying Hero Slowly Carried by Faithful Attendants— The Last Stage— Drowsiness and Insensibility— Lying Under the Broad Eaves of a Native Hut— The Final Resting Place— Livingstone's Dying Words— The World's Great Hero Dead— Sorrowful Procession to the Coast— Body Transported to England- Funeral in Westminster Abbey — Crowds of Mourners and Eloquent Eulogies - Inscription on the Casket ..331 CHAPTER XVI. STANLEY AND THE CONGO. Stanley's Absorbing Interest in Livingstone's Explorations — His Resolve to Find a Path from Sea to Sea — A Man of Remarkable Enterprise — Determined to Accom- plish His Objec* it Any Co$t — Description of the Congo Region — Once the Most Famous Kingdom of Africa — A King Glorious in Trinkets— People Prostrating Themselves Before Their Monarch— The Whims of a Despot— Taxes Levied on Furniture — Killing Husbands to Get Their Wives — Strange and Savage Cus- toms — Messengers Collecting Slaves and Ivory— A Nation Famous as Elephant Hunters and Men Stealers —Worship of a Wicked Deity — Priests with Absolute Power— Sacred Fire Burning Continually— A Priest so Holy That He Cannot Die a Natural Death — Test of Red Hot Iron Applied to the Skin — How the Congoese Disfigure Themselves - Outlandish Dress- Husbands Rebuked for Neglecting to Beat Their Wives— Pipes and Palm Wine— A Notorious Queen— Followed by a Host of Lovers — Horrible Practices— Slaughter of Male Children — The Queen's Tragic End — Queen Shinga and Her Daring Exploits— Female Demon— Universal Polygamy— Eating Habits of the Congo Tribes — Agonies of Indigestion— Singular Modes of Salutation — Stanley's Description of Welcoming Strangers — Love for Titles and Sounding Names— How Wives Manage Husbands— Famous Old King of the Gaboon— King William's Principal Wife — A Monarch Arrayed in Scarlet- Ferocious Tribes— Traders and Their Wares— Stanley's Description of the Coun- try-Superstitions and Paganism- Animal Life in Congo— Antelopes, Zebras and Buffaloes — Beautiful Monkey Tribe — Wild Attack of Cannibals— Immense War- Boat— Everlasting Din of Drums— Horns Carved out of Elephants' Tusks— Wild War Cry- Singular Temple of Ivory— Horrid Monument of Mud and Skulls...350 CHAPTER XVn. STANLEY'S GREAT JOURNEY FROM SEA TO SEA. The Greatest Feat on Record —Stanley's Journey Across the Continent to the Congo — Expedition Planned by the Daily Telegraph of London and the New York //i»ra/rf— Englishmen in the Party— The Barge Named the " Lady Alice "- Ai^ Army of Followers to Carry the Outfit— Journey to the Victoria Nyanza— Specu- lation as to the Sources of the Nile — Dangers of Travelling in the Dark Conti- nent—Crawling Through Jungles — A Famine-stricken District — Two Young Lions for Food — Stanley's Pity for His Famishing Men — Death of a Young English- man—Burial Under a Tree — Discovery of the Extreme Southern Sources of the Nile— Arrival at Vinyata— Strange Old Magic Doctor— Breaking Out of Hostili' X CONTENTS. ties -Severe Loss of Men— Treacliery of Natives— Arrival of Six Beaiitirul Canoes — Stanley Receives a Royal Invitation— The Great King Mttsa Welcomes the Traveller— Prodigal Display of Hospitality— Great Naval Parade in Honor of the Visitor — Uganda, the Country of King Mtesa— Startling Horrors of African Life — Severe Punishments Inflicted by the King — Errand Boys in Picturesque Dress — The King's Power cf Life or Death— A Queen'a Narrow Escape — Instru- ments of Torture — A Powerful Despot— Review of the Warriors — History of tlie Old King — Strange Tales of the Ancient Times — Marvellous Military Drill — Singular Funeral Customs — Description of King Mtesa in Early Life- How the King Receives Visitors — Royal Ceremonies — Superstitious Dread of a Water Spirit — Decorations and Mystic Symbols— Worshipping with Fife and Drum — The African's Indolent Character —Stanley's Estimate of King Mtesa A Doubtful Eulogy 371 CHAPTER XVIII. ' STANLEYS PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. Stanley Off for Victoria Nyanza — A Redoubtable General Who Had to be Put in Irons- Stanley Received vVith August Cert- monies by a King— The Great Mtesa Agrees to Join the Expedition — The King's Wonderful Army— Splendid Battalions ">t Warriors — Native Hostilities on Foot — Repulse of Mtesa's Proud Army — Str' - ley's Cunning Device to Defeat the Enemy — Construction of a Terrible War- boat — Proclamation of Amnesty to Those Who Will Surrender — The Stratagem Successful— A Renowned Arab— Stanley Obtains (he Aid of Tipo-tipo — Dreadful Accounts of Ferocious Cannibals and Dwarfs With Poisoned Arrows — Tales Rivalling the Stories of the " Arabian Nights "—Dwarfs That Scream Like De- mons—Clouds of Arrows Filling the Air — Terrible Tales of Huge Pythons- Numerous Leopards and Other Wild Beasts— Stories of Gorillas — Stanley's Con- tract With Tipo-tipo— Arrival at Nyangwe — Livingstone's Description of Nyang- we's Renowned Market — Savage "Dudes" and Hard-working Women — An Amusing Scene — New Journeys and Discoveries— Fierce Attack From Hostile Natives— Engagement With Fifty-four Gun-boats— War Vessels Repulsed by Stanley's Men — Fifty-seven Cataracts in a Distance of Eighteen Hundred Miles — Five Months Covering One Hundred and Eighty Miles — Death in the Boiling Rapids— Men Hurried to a Yawning Abyss— Miraculous Escape of One of Stan- ley's Men— Thrilling Adventure of Zaida— Rescued in the Nick of Time — Brave Frank Pocock Drowned— Stanleys Incontrollable Grief— Nearing the Mouth of the Congo and the Atlantic Coast— Stanley's Letter Appealing for Help— Quick Response of White Men— Stanley's Letter of Grateful Thanks — Final Arrival at tlie Long-sought Coast — Stanleys Fame Fills the World 397 CHAPTER XIX. TRAVELS OF SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. Stanley and Emin Pasha— Other Famous African Travellers -Achievements Almost Superhuman— Fascination of Tropical Explorations — Sir Samuel and Lady Baker— Lady Baker Determined to Acc> mpany Her Husband — Discomforts of Travelling in Africa — Intense Heat in the Nile Region — Barren Rocks and Sandy . Wastes -Blue Sky Over a Bliiihted Land— The Wretched Town of Korosko— CONTENTS. Xl Searching for One of the Sources of the Nile— Arrival at Berber— Courtesies of an Ex Governor— The Travellers Pitcii Their Tents in a Garden — A Charming Oasis— Fine Looking Slaves From the White Nile — Slaves Well Cared for by Their. Master— Description of a Beautiful Slave Girl— Guard of Turkish Soldie.'s— Fine River and Forest Game— Sudden Kise of the Nile— A Clew to One Part of the Nile Mystery — The Rainy Season Arrives— Interview With a Great Sheik — Venerable Arab on a Beautiful Sni)W-white Dromedary — Perfect Picture of a Desert Patriarcli — Cordial Welcome to Baker and His Pariy — A Performance to Show the Sheik's Hospitality — Arrival at the Village of Sofi - On the Banks of the Atb.ira— The Travellers Living in Huts — A German in the Wilds of Africa — Man Killed by a Lion— Baker's Adventure With a River-horse— Savage Old Hippopotamus — Famous Arab Hunters — Wonderful Weapons — Story of the Old Arab and His Trap for the Hippopotamus— Capture of an Enormous Beast — Aggageers Hunting the Elephant — Thrilling Adventure of a Renowned Arab Hunter — An Elephant Dashing Upon His Foes Like an Avalanche — Fatal Blow of the Sharp Sword— Baker's Heroic Wife— Reason Why the Nile Overflows --An Ivory Trader — Baker Arrives at Khartoum — Romatic Beauty Destroyed by the Fillh of a Miserable Town I ^ 423 CHAPTER XX. THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NILE. Tfce Immense Region of the Soudan — Remarkable Character of "Chinese" Gor- don — A Man Made of Damascus Steel— A Warrior and Not an Explorer — Mr. and Mrs. Baker Crossing the Nubian Desert— Hardships of a Long Camel Jour- ney — The Romance of a Desert Journey Destroyed — Travelling Through a Furnace — A Nubian Thunder Storm— Baker s Description of a Cartiel Ride— A Humorous Experience — "Warranted to Ride Easy" — Extraordinary Freak of Nature — Thorns Like Fish-hooks — Camel Plunging Into the Thorn Bushes— An African Scorpion— Water Six Inches Deep in the Tents — The Explorers Pressing Forward — The Party That Left Khartoum — The Carpenter Johann — Sickness and Death of Poor Johann— Celebrated Tribe of Blacks — Very Cheap Style of Dress — Traits of the Neuhr Tribe — Ludicrous Attempt to Get Into Shoes— Mode of Salutation -Mosquitoes in Africa — Visit from a Chief and His Daughter — Leopard Skin and Skull Cap of White Beads — Men Tall and Slender — Puny Children— An Indolent and Starring People — Herds of Cattle — Sacred Bull With Ornamented Horns — Hov/ a Prussian Baron Lost His Lile — Termination of the Voyage— Appearance of the Country— The Explorers Looked Upon With Suspicion— Native Dwellings — The Perfection of Cleanliness — Huts With Projecting Roofs and Low Entrances — The Famous Bari Tribe — Warlike and Dangerous Savages — Story of an Umbrella — Systematic Extortion — Stories of Two Brave Boys 439 CHAPTER XXI. IN A WILD COUNTRY. Attempts to Shoot Baker — Desperate Mutiny in Camp — Notable Arrival — Meetinu: Grant and Speke— The Little Black Boy from Kharioum— Fresh Plot Amoiij^ Baker's Men — Disarming the Conspirators — Heroism in the Face of Danger— xu CONTENTS. Mutinous Turks Driven Over a Precipice— Horrible Fate of Deserters —Exciting Elephant Hunt— March Through Beautiful Hunting Grounds— Thrilling Encoun- ter—The Huge Beast Turning on His Foes— Cowardly Followers— Elephant Nearly Caught— Wild Beasts Screaming Like a Steam Whistle— Tales of Narrow Escapes — African and Indian Elephants — Elephants in War— The Explorers at Obbo— Crafty Old Chief— Trouble to Get Rain— Spirited Dance of Obbos - Trying to Trade Wives— Satanic Escort— Grotesque Parade — Serious Illness of Mrs, Baker— Beautiful Landscape— Travelling in Canoes — Storm on the Lake- Tropical Hurricane — Dangers of the Lake Tour — The Explorers Advancing Under Difficulties — Continued Attacks of Fever — Life Endangered by Travelling in the Tropics ..'. 456 CHAPTER XXII. > THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. A Wilderness of Vegetation— Hearty Welcome From a Chief and Natives — "Blind Leading the Blind " — Voyage Up the Victoria Nile— Severe Attack of Fever — Sufferings of Lady Baker— A Remarkable River — End of Canoe Voyage - Begin- ning of a Toilsome March— Rumors Concerning a Great Waterfall — Thunder of the Cataract — Rocky Cliffs and Precipitous Banks — Magnificent View — Splendid Fall of Snow-white Water— Murchison Falls— The Niagara of the Tropics— Hip- popotamus Charges the Canoe— Startling Shock — Scrawny Travelling Beasts — Curious Refreshmerth— Arrival at a Chief's Island — Crossing Ravines and Tor- rents—Sickness on the March — Taking Shelter in a Wretched Hut — On the Verge of Starvation — Baker Arrayd in Highland Costume— Stirring Events — Meeting Between- a Slave and Her Former Mistress — Adventurous Journey — Pushing on for Shooa — Hunting Game for Dinner — Travellers Hungry as Wolves — Frolic- some Reception of tlie Explorers— March Through the Bari Country— Arrows Whizzing Overhead— Savage Fatally Wounded— Night in a Hostile Country — Lively Skirmish with the Natives —Arrival at Gondokoro— Excitement and Hurrahs — ^Terrible Ravages of the Plague— An Arab Gets His Deserts— Sir Samuel and Lady Baker Arrive at Cairo— Baker Receives the Award of the Victoria Gold Medal— The Hero Again in Africa 481 CHAPTER XXIII. A RENOWNED EXPEDITION. Tbe Khedive of Egypt— Baker Made a P.isha— Second Expedition Towards the Sources of the Nile — A Scene of Desolation — Conveying Steel Steamers for the Albert Lake — The Expedition's Outfit — Musical Boxes and Magic Lanterns — The Military Forces— Baker's Very "Irregular Cavalry "—Grotesque Manoeuvres — The Camel Transport— Gun Carriages and Heavy Machinery— Steaming up tht Nile — One of the Bravest Achievements of Modem Times — A Grand River — Im- mense Flats and Boundless Marshes — Current Checked by Floating Islands- Toilsome Passage— The Expedition Retreats— Pursuing Game— A Beautiful Animal— Baker in Camp— The ShiUook Tribe— Superior Savages— Crafty Tres- passers — Old Chief with Immense Family — A Pompous Ruler— Wholesale Matri- mony-Brown Men Get Jilted— A Little Black Pet— Nadves Up in Arms — A CONTENTS. • •• xiu Dangerous Encounter— Attack From the Baris— Dastardly Traitor— The House- hold—Black Boys Who Would Not Steal Sugar— Little "Cuckoo"— A Remarka- ble Rock— An Old Super.Uition— On tlie March— Adventure with a Rhi- noceros-Horse Attacked— Timely Shot— The Wild Beast Laid Low— Arrival at Unyoro— Sanguinary Battle— " Chinese " Gordon at Khartoum— Gordon's Un- timely Death 500 CHAPTER XXIV. TWO CELEBRATED EXPLORERS. Speke and Grant on the March— Sildiers and Hottentots — Red Flannel and Wooty Heads— Dividing the Duties of the Expedition— Strike for Higher Wages — Rogues and Robbers— Excessive Politeness to Women —Polishing the African Skin— Natives Who Run and Hide— Black Boys Badly Scared— Speke on a Rhinoceros Hunt— Desperate Struggle to Obtain a Prize— Hunter Tossed Sky- ward—An Extraordinary Animal— Use of the Rhinoceros Horn — Peculiar Eyes- Habits of the Great Beast— A Match for the Swiftest Horse— A Hot Pursuit— ' Singular and Fatal Wound— A Rhinoceros in London— The Wild Beast Tamed— Fire-eating Monster — The Explorers Meet a Rogue — Kind Attentions of an Old Friend— Singular African Etiquette— Hiw a Wife Welcomes H«.r Husband Back From a Journey— Murder and Plunder — Speke Obtains Freedom for a Slave- Horrid Cannibals— A Popular African Drink— How " Pomba " is Made — Arrival at Mininga — A Leader Who Was Named " Pig "—Obstinacy and Stupidity — Chief Who Wanted to See a White Man— Sly Tricks of the " Pig "—A Steady Old Traveller — Illness of the Explorer— Reception by a Friendly Chief— Alarm- ing News — Persistent Demands for Tribute — Necklaces of Coral Beads — The Explorer's Guides Forsake Him — Hurried Tramp of Men — Arrival of Grant's Porters 530 CHAPTER XXV. WONDERFUL DISCOVERIES. An African Village— Shelling Corn— Furniture in a Native's Hut— Peculiar Social Customs — Evening Dance — A Favorite Game — Weezee Boys and Their Bows and Arrows — Singular Modeof Shooting— Affectionate Greetings— Fine Models of the Human Form— Treatment of Slaves— A Happy Release— Avaricious Arabs — Horrible Punishments Inflicted Upon Offenders— Attacked by Black Robber^ — Little Rohan, the Sailor— Boy's Bravery — Shooting Thieves— Speke and Grant at Karague Combats with Wild Animals— Beautiful Scenery— Interesting Family of a King— Royal Fit of Merriment — Famous Fat Wives — Mode of Fattening Women — Models of Beauty — Amusement in the Palace — A King's Levee— Meas- uring a very Fat Lady— Desperate Battle with a Hippopotamus — Mountain Ga- zelles—The Wonderful White Mnn— A King's Astonishment at Gunpowder- Women Beating the War Drum— Musical Instruments— Wild Musician— Gro- tesque Band of Music— A Merry Christmas— Speke on Hia Way to Uganda- Messengers from King Mtesa— A Remarkably Rich Country— Mountains of the Moon— Droll Customs of Savages— Frightening Away the Devil— Interview with King Mtesa— A Black Queen— The Kmg Shoots an A(liutant bird— Wild and KIV CONTENTS. Fantastic Scene— A Famous Colonel— Arrival of Grant— The Explorers rushing Forward — Speke Loses One of His Men — Arrival at the Banks of the Nile- Singular Conveyances— Brutal Attack of Natives— Speke and Grant at the End of Their Journey — The Explorers Arrive in England— Important Discoveries ol Speke and Grant 553 CHAPTER XXVI. STANLEY'S GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF AFRICA. Remarkable Scenery in Central Africa— Masses of Rocky Mountains -Foliage Bright with all the Colors of the Rainbow— Rank Growths of Rushes and Grass— V^ariaies of Animal Life — The Guinea fowl —The Sacred Ibis — The Long-legf^jcd Stork and Heron — The Wonderful Shoebill— Primeval Forests and Running Streams — Fine Specimens of Flowers — Perpetual Moisture— The Negro's Taste for Honey— The Fish-eagle— Majestic Flight— An Old Bird— The Eagle Contending for its Mate— Remarkable Claws— Turtle Doves and Golden Pheasants — Crows and Hawks — Fairy Antelopes — Grave looking Monkeys— Beautiful Valleys and Hillsides— The Beautiful in Nature Marred by Human Cruelty— Cities. Built by Insects -Waves of Rolling Land — Villages of African Tribes— Stanley's Descrip- tion of Tanganyika— Remarkable Lake— Lovely Landscape — A Native Bird- Famous Ibis — A Feathered Idol — Stanley's Glowing Description of Tropical Scenery — Desert of Sahara— Terrific Sand Storms— Whirlwinds of Dust -Fire in the Air— Extraordinary Storm Pillars— Remarkable Reptile Tribes— The Curious Gekko— Brilliant Insects— The Traveller's Pe>*ts — Remarkable Trees and Plants— The Wild Ox -The Wild Pig— Ten Kinds of Antelopes— Elegant Animals— Swift Punishment— Famous Gorilla — Inveterate Thieves — Quick Re- treat—The Orangoutang— Arms Longer Than Legs— Formidable Foe— Pursuit of the Orang-outang — Swinging Easily from Tree to Tree— Expert Climber- Hiding Among the Leaves— The Young Orang— A Motherly Goat— Clever Monkey—Saucy Pet— A Little Thief— An Animal Very Human 581 CHAPTER XXVII. A FAMOUS AFRICAN HUNTER. I'hririing Incidents in the Life of Baldwin— A Man of Rare Attainments — Bold Hunter— Kaffirs and Hottentots — Terrible Drought — Two Stately Giraffes — A Rickety Old Wagon — Trouble With an Ancient Musket — Greedy Kaffir — Hostile Natives— Loud Talk and Bluster— The Land for Brilliant Sport— Troop of Elephants — The Buffalo and Rhinoceros— Bright and Burning Sun— Story of a Little African — Swimming a Turbid River — In Pursuit of a Huge Elephant — Crashing Through the Thicket— Hunter Charged by an Elephant— Fat Meat and Half-stJirved Natives — Immense Bt-asis Disippear Like Magic— Canoes Upset and their Crews Drowned— Race of S ivages Always at War — Covetous Chief- An Open Air Dinner — Kaffir Girls for W.iiters — Description of Kaffir Beauties — Roasted Giraffe for Dinner -An Unscrupulous Rascal — Trying to Get the Best oJ the Bargain— In Pursuit of Elands -Ridmg at a Slashing Pace— Floundering Among Pit-falls — Another Encounter With Elephants — Perilous Situation— In Close Contact With an Immense Beast— Shots That Went Hom^j— A Famous CONTENTS. XV Bird -Pathetic Death of a I>)g— Combats With Tigers— Exciting Events in the Jungle — Indiscriminate Combai— Savage Charge by a BiifTalu — Caught Among Pricltly Thorns— Beast that Cannot Be Driven— Chase of the GirafTe— Unique Animal — Eyes of Wonderful Beauty — Elegant Roan Antelope — Crisis of Fate— A Herd of Harrlsbucks— The Plumed Ostrich— Ingenious Method of Gttting Water— Ostrich Chicks— Not Particular as to Food 6ij chaptp:i^ XXVIII. GALAXY OF RENOWNED EXPLORERS. Oreat Gorilla Hunter— Du Chaillu in the Jungles-First Gorilla Captured by a White Man — Formidable Monster — Ghastly Chirms— Battle with n Bull — Hunter Tossed on Sharp Horns — The Camma Tribe— A very Sick Man— Infernal-looking Doctor— Snake Bones and Little Bells— Extraordinary Performance to Find the Sorcerer— Huge Fraud — Andersson in Africa— Guides Lose Their Way — Lives of the Whole Party at Stake — A Search for Water in All Directions — Necessity of Returning Without Delay— Two Men Exploring the Country for Water Left Be hind-»-Suffering of Men and Animals from Tiurst— Grand and Appalling Confla gration— Magnificent Spectacle— Cattle One Hundred and Fifty }lonrs Without a Single Drop of Water— Troop of Elephants— A Watch by Night— Wild Animals at a Water Course— Battle Between a Lion and Lion Hunter — Dogs and Natives- Exciting Hunting Scene — One Hundred Natives in the Field— Cameron in the Dark Continent— Illustrious Explorer— Expedition from Sea to Sea— Imiwr- tant Discoveries — Agreement Between African Explorers— Stanley's Fame As sured 651 CHAPTER XXIX. THE CELEBRATED EMIN PASHA. A Remarkable Man — Last of the Heroes of the Soudan— Birth of Emin P.isha — Early Education — Charmed with the Life of an txplorer — Determined to Visit Africa- Acquaintance with "Chinese" Gordon — Gordon's High Estimate of Emin — Emin Appointed to an Important Position — Governor of the Equatorial Province — Diffi- culties of the Situation— Strong Hand and Iron Will Required for the Natives — Emin's Very Irregular Troops — Marvellous Success of Emin's Government — A Large Deficit Changed to an Immense Profit — Construction of New Roads — Vil- lages Rebuilt — Immense Improvements Everywhere— Emin's Devotedness to his Great Undertaking — Wonderful Tact and Perseverance— Great AnxietyforEmin — Speculations Concerning His Situation— Resolve to Send an Expedition— Stanley Called upon for a Great Achievement 676 " • CHAPTER XXX. EMIN PASHA IN THE WILDS OF AFRICA. Emin's Graphic Story — Sent to Unyoro by " Chinese " Gordon — Emin's Company on the March— Drenched with Ruin- Ox-hide Clothing— Fine Present— Very Diffi- XVI CONTENTS. cult Marching— Handsome Younu Chief— A Manlike Animal— Ape Nests Among the Trees— Tlie African Parrot— Several Species of Baboons— The King Sends an Escort— Tooting Horns and Rattling Drums— Arrival at Kabrega's— Cows With Neither Horns nor Humps— Country Well Peopled— Tall Grasses and Gigantic Reeds — The Kmg's Greetings— Kabrega on a Stool— How the King Was Dressed— Kabrega's Fair Complexion— Amused with a Revolver — A Merry Monarch— A Savage Who Could Forgive — Funny Little Hump-backs— Numer- ous Albinos— Interesting Custom— Embassy to Gen. Gordon— A Worthless Governor— Exciting Melee 68f I CHAPTER XXXI. EMIN PASHA'S DESCRIPTION OF THE WANYORO. Bmin's Scholarly Attainments— A Shrewd Observer— The Wanyoro— Cleanly Hab its— Sweet Perfumes— Triangular Finger- Nails— Wanyoro Cookery— Eating Earth— How Great Chiefs Eat— How Women Eat— What Africans Drink— Proud Wives of Chiefs— Use of Tobacco— Treating Friends With Coffee-berries— Wild Sports in Unyoro — A Famous Witch— Scene at a Fire— How Love Matches Are Made— Paying for a Wife by Installments— How Crime is Punished— The Coun- try's Government— The King's Cattle— King Kabrega Claims All the Young Ladies— Legend of the Creation— Belief in Charms— Curious Superstitions— Le- gend of the Elephant— Legend of the Chimpanzee 704 CHAPTER XXXII. EMIN PASHAS PERILOUS SITUATION. The War of the False Prophet Goes on— Emin's Concern for Amadi— Sends Mes- sengers to Obtain News— Stirring Reports From the Scene of Conflict — Heroic Spirit of Some of Emin's Soldiers— Contemptible Treachery of a Part of Emin's Forces — Presumptuous Letter From the Commander-in Chief of the Mahdist's Army— Intelligence of Gordon's Death— Exultation Among Moslem Arabs Over the Death of Gordon— Emin Summons His Officers to a Council of War — Reso- lution Passed by the Council— General Recommendation of a Retreat South- ward -Emin's Personal Supervision of the Southward March— Manner in Which Emin Received the Summons to Surrender— The Equatorial Provinces in a Perilous Situation - Emin's Letter to Dr. Felkin— News From England of a Pro- posed Expedition for Emin's Relief— Thanks for Heartfelt Sympathy— Emin's Expressed Resolve to Remain With His People— Gordon's Self-sacrificing Work Must be Carried on— Emin's Statement of What He Wants From England- Disreputable Arabs— Emin Anxiously Awaiting the Outcome of Present Troubles— Destructive Fire and the Loss of the Station at Wadelai— The Station Re-built- Emin's Estimate of His Own Supporters— Emphatic Determination Not to Evacuate the Territory 715 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXIII. XVII STANLEY'S LAST GREAT EXPEDITION. Stanley Again in Africa— Fears for the Safety of Etnin Pasha— King of tlie nelgtan* Resolves to Send an Expedition— Deciding upon a Route Stanley Stjilcs llju Character of the Expedition— A Country That Does Not Pay— Bees' Wax and India Rubber -Cutting off the Nile- A Country That Mi^jht Be Starved— Stank-y States That His Mission is Pacific— Stanley's Old Friend Tipotipo— Six Hundrt d Men Enlisted- Mt-eting the Expenses of the Journey— The P-xpediton I.eaves Zanzibar for the Mouth of the Congo — Overland Journey of Nearly Seventeen Hundred Miles— Appalling Difliculiies— Transporting Munitions and Stores— Difficulty to Obtain Porters— Mysterits of the 'White Pasha"— Gigantic False- hood Told Concerning Emin— Gloomy Predictions— Fears for the Safety of Stanley— The Whole Expedition Thought to Have Bt en M jssacred- Blunders Committed • , I c Soudan and East Afric.n — Hostile Relations Between the Na- tive Tribes- mgers Always Threatening a Passing Caravan— Marauders Eager for Plimder— Stanley's Selection of the Congo Rout Criticized 7:^3 CHAPTER XXXIV. STANLEY'S THRILLING NARRATIVE OF HIS JOURNEY. The Great Explorer Heard From— News of Having Reached Emin Pasha — Intere:?t- ing Letter from Mr. Stanley— Story of the Expedition's Movements— Awaiting the Arrival of a Steamer— Tipo tipo Again on the Scene -Lively Skirmish with the Na;:»ves— Setting Fire to Villages — Making an Attack Under Cover of Smoke — Proceeding Along the Left Bank of tlie Aruwimi— Again in the Wilderness -Death from Poisoned Arrows -Making Steady Progress— Arrival at the Camp— Attempt to Ruin the Expedition— What Stanley Calls an "Awful Month"— Brighter Pros pects Ahead — Extreme SufTering from Hunger — Great Loss in Men — A Halt of Thirteen Days— View of the Land of Promise— Light After Continuous Gloom of One Hundred and Sixty Days — A B ittle Imminent— Natives Prepare for War- fare — Terrible War-cries Rin>; from Hill to Hill— Treating with the Natives — Attempt to Drive Back the Expedition — Sharp-shooters Rout the Natives — The March Resumed — Perilous Descent— Stanley Bui'ds a Fort- Laying Up Stores — Illness of Stanley — Deaths and Desertions— Stanley Starts Agnin - Obtaining Sup- plies — News Again of the "White Man." 732 CHAPTER XXXV. STANLEY FINDS. EMIN PASHA. Wonderful Tales by Natives — "Ships as Large as Islands, Filled with Men"— Note from Emin Pasha — Strip of American Oil-cloth- Boat Dispatched to Nyanza — Hospitable Reception by the Egyptian Garrison— Joyful Meeting— Emin and XVIU CONTENTS. Stanley Together— Only Sixteen Men Left Out of Fifty six— Favorable Accounts of the Fort— Getting Rid of Encumbrances— Moving Foward — Securing Am- ple Supplies— Immense Flotilla ot Canoes— Hair-breadth Escapes and Tragic Scenes— Reorganizing the Expedition— Stanley Reported Dead— Immense Loss of Men— Good Accounts of the Survivors — Vast Forests— Sublime Scenery- High Table-lands— Lake Nyanza— Conversation with Emin Pasha— What Shall be Done ?— Planning to Remove — Disposing of Women and Children— Last Words— Stanley Sends a Message to the Troops— Emin Pasha to Visit the Fort — Stanley Makes a Short Cut— Success Thus Far of the Expedition ,....742 • CHAPTER XXXVI. STANLEY IN THE BOUNDLESS FOREST. The Route Taken by Stanley— A March Beset by Fatal Perils— Death Thins the Ranks — Bushes and Creepers— Most Extensive Forest Region in Africa— One Hundred and Sixty Days in the Dense Woods — Loyal Blacks— Insects and Monkeys— Dwarfs and Poisoned Arrows — Gloom by Day ^nd Frightful Darkness by Night— Sources of Moisture— Wild and Savage Aborigines — Short-lived Vision of Beauty— Light at Last— The Expedition in Raptures at the Sight of Green Fields — Scene on a Derby Day— Wild With Delight— A Leprous Out- cast — " Beauty and the Beast " — News of a Powerful Tribe — Frantic Multitude — Fowls Plucked and Roasted— Skeletons Getting Fat — Back and Forth on the Banks of the Aruwimi— Emin Pasha — " See, Sir, What a Big Mountain " — Lake Albert Nyanza — Important Discoveries 752 CHAPTER XXXVII. HORRORS OF STANLEY'S MARCH. The Explorer Again Lost— Long and Painful Suspense — Welcome Despatch from Zanzibar— Wonderful March— Conspicuous Bravery — Stanley's Thrilling Story — Murder of Major B.irttelott — Mission Church — "Outskirts of Blessed Civiliza- tion"— Vivid Word Painting -Stanley's Letter to a Friend— Movements of Jeph- son— Stanley':s Hirtory of His Journey — Letter to the Chairman of the Emin Re- lief Fund — Rear Column in a Deplorable State -Land March Begun — Gathering Stores for the March — Small-po\— Terrible Mortality — Bridging a River — Crafty and Hostile Dwarfs — TracKS of Elephants — Fighting Starvation— Stanley Returns to Find the Missing Men — Making P'riends with the Natives — Startling Letter from Jephson — Emin a Prisoner — The Insurgents Reach Lado— Emin's Followers Like Rats in a Trap^Stanley's Arrival Anxiously Awaited — Emin Clmgs to His Province — Stanley's Letter to Jephson — Absurd Indecision— Letter from Emin — Desperate Situation— Emins Noble Traits— Stanley's Letter to Marston— Recital of Thrilling Events 761 CHAPTER XXXVIII. STANLEY'S TRIUMPH. Stanley's Continued History of His March— Emin's Arrival it Stanleys Camp — Arranging for the Journey — Arabs who Always Agree with You — That Stolen "m CONTENTS. XIX VCTA His fin — Icital .761 Rifle — Selim Bey Dt posed — The Refugees and their Luggage — FalsfafTs Hiick Basket — Einiii's Inquiry — Stanley's Reply to Emin — Hankering fur Egypt — Stanley Reviews the Situation — TJie I'asha's Danger — Rebels ''■' ••eaten to Rob Stanley — Rebels Possessed of Ammunition — When Shall the March Commence? — Reply of the Officers — Emin Acquitted of All Dishonor — Eniin's Unwavering Faith — Few Willing to Follow Emin to Egypt — Expedition Starts for Home — The Perilous March 781 CHAPTER XXXIX. BRILLIANT RESULTS OF STANLEY'S JOURNEY. The World Hears the News — Stanley and Emin Pasha Arrive at Mpwapwa — New papers Aglow with the Intelligence — Intense Interest of All Civilized People — Unfortunate Report of Emin's Death — General Rejoicings on Ac- count of Emin's Safety — Stanley's Thrilling Narrative — Incidents of the Homeward March — The Explorer in Perfect Health — Stanley's Summons to Conduct the Expedition — The Aruwimi Explored from its Source to Its Bourne — The Immense Congo Forest — " Cloud King" Wrapped in Eternal Snow — Fed on Blackberries — Six Thousand Square Miles of Water Added to Victoria Nyanza — Animals, Birds, and Plants — New Stores of Knowledge — The Hand of a Divinity — Emin Pasha and Jephson Threatened with In- stant; Death — Prisoners in the Hands of the Mahdists — Jephson's Letters — Stanley's Faith in the Purity of His Own Motives — "Agonies of Fierce Fe- vers" — What Vulgar People Call Luck — Strange Things in Heaven and Eaith — Uncomplaining Heroism of Dark Explorers — Stanley's Letter to the British Consul at Zanzibar — Number of Persons Brought Out of Central Africa — Fifty-nine Infant Travellers — Eighteen of Emin's People Lost — Completeness of Stanley's Story 797 CHAPTER XL. WHAT STANLEY AND EMIN HAVE DONE FOR AFRICA. Stanley's Arrival at Cairo — Warm Greetings — A Talk with the Explorer — A Fortune Left Behind — Great Preparations to Welcome Stanley — Banquet Attended by Distinguished Persons — Stanley's Letter to Mr. Bruce — .\ Story that Would Have Thrilled Livingstone — Two Hundred Thousand Spears — White Cotton Dresses — .\n Unexpected Meeting — The King Finds a Refuge- — Mohammeilan Intrigues — Terrible Slaughter — Christians in Africa — Stanley has an Opportunity for .Adventure — .Vn Imposing Dep- utation — Christian Converts Mightier than Kings — Students of the Bible . and Prayer Book — .\ Tougii Scotchman — " Peace and Good Will to Men " — Stanley Sends Greetings and Best Wishes — Stanley's Return Anticipated in London — Offers for a Prize Poem — An American Girl Wins the Prize — • The Poem Celebrating Stanley's Return — " Back from the Dead " 809 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGS Frontispiece. Henry M. Stanley . . • • Tne Celebrated Explorers of the World Expedition Starting for the Interior of Africa David Livingstone . . • • Wounded Lion Turning on Livingstone Lions Capturing a Buffalo Deadly Attack of a Lion on a Native Peculiar Head-dress Successful Warriors Celebrating Their Victory Warrior with Spears and Shield Fetish Men Selling Charms and Images Training Boys for Hardships Curious Houses Built by White Ants The Latooka Funeral Dance . Commoro Running to the F'ght . Wild Charge of a Buffalo upon Hunters Exciting Battle with Hippopotami Driving Crocodiles into the Water House-Building in Africa Livingstone Hunting the Elephant A Dead Crocodile The Famous Antediluvian Crocodile The Final A' tack on a Savage Hippopotani Great Baobab Tree of Africa Curious Mounds Built by Warrior-Ants Immense African Lijn Seizing His Prey (}rand Dance in Honor of a King The Exploring Party on the March The Marimba or African Piano . Stamped." of South African Gnus . Scene in a South African Village . Cha'ming Away Evil Spirits Sngular Mode of Dressing the Hair Beautiful Zebras of Africa . Bringing a Huge Snake into Camp 19 n 27 34 39 41 49 48 53 57 59 63 69 73 75 80 84 ' 86 89 95 lOI 103 107 109 f'- III "3 "5 119 \ 121 123 1 J "5 1.27 1 129 , I 1 < 133 ■ S (XX) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XXI 19 23 27 34 39 4» 49 48 53 57 59 63 69 73 75 80 84 86 89 95 lOI 103 107 109 III "3 115 . 119 . 121 . 123 . 125 . 1.27 1 129 . K'.i 133 Elephant Protecting Her Young from Hunters' Spears Gigantic Baobab Tree at Victoria Falls Curious Mode of Saluting a Stranger Hippopotami and Young Elephants Speared to Death by Natives Elephants Laying Timbers Death-Grapple with a Ferocious Lion Despeiate Battle at Mazaro . ''Igubo Plunged His Knife into the Monster's Side African Chief with Shield and War-club Sudden Destruction of a Boat by a Hippopotamus Long-tongued African Chameleon " Instantly He Was Dragged from the Saddle ' Specimen of Elegant Tattooing Destruction of a Village by Fire Carrying Boats through a Tropical Forest Gigantic Heron of Africa The Pelican .... Group of Flamingoes . Curious Nest of the Flamingo The Marvellous Spectral Lemur Natives Carrying a Boat in Sections across the Country Zanzibar .... Lake Region of Central Africa Dr. Livmgstone at Work on His Journal Livingstone and His Men Crossing a "Sponge" Grand Reception to Dr. Livingstone A Chief's Most Dignified Conveyance . Casembe Dressed to Receive Livingstone Hunting African BurTaloes King of the Fortst .... Hunter Attacked by a Bull Elephant A Family of Lion-Moukeys Ants on the March .... Market in Manyuema .... Cannibals Capturing Sokos . Arabs Destroying Villages and Murdering Natives Stanley on the March . Porter Carrying a Cart on His Head Exciting Chase of the Rhinoceros . " The Rhinoceros Drove Its Horn into Its Body " Stanley's Expedition Crossing a River . 135 >39 141 »43 MS 149 153 i6( X65 171 182 185 188 195 198 201 203 207 209 2tl 213 215 221 227 229 235 239 241 249 253 257 259 261 264 267 271 281 283 285 291 295 xxn LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Weapons Used in Warfare Crocodiles in a Tropical Marsh .... Native'i Dragging an Immense Crocodile Ashore . White-faced Wild Boar of Central Africa Map of the Great Lake District .... Stanley Finds Livingstone ..... Stanley and Livingstone Escaping from Savages African Houses with Thatched Roofs Conveying Livingstone's Body to the Coast . The Giraffe or Camtlopard . . . . Young "Fetish" Man of the Congo District King William of the Gaboon and His Principal Wife Guereza with Beautiful Flying Mantle . Immense War-Boat of Cannibals Advancing to Battle Monument and Skulls Erected to a Chief African Warrior Rushing to Battle King Mtesa and His Officers of State Peculiar Mode of Execution One of Mtesa's Wives Rescued from Death Wild Freaks of a Female Sorcerer Human Sacrifices in Honor of a Visit to King Mtesa Wild War-Dance of Savage Braves Beautiful African Leopard and Young . Battle between Stanley's Expedition and Fifty-four Cano Heroic Rescue of Zaidi A Berber Family Crossing a Ford The Beautiful Slave Girl at Berber Exciting Combat with a Hippopotamus in the Atbara The Old Arab Attacking the Hippopotamus . An Elephant's Furious Charge upon His Foes Sir Samuel and Lady Baker Crossing the Desert Wild Arab's Swift Ride Venomous Scorpion .... Natives of the Nile Region . Natives of Africa Capturing an Elephant Bull Elephant Shaking a Tree for Fruit . Elephants in Military Service Curious Obbo War-Dance Kamrasi's People Welcoming Mr, and Mrs. Baker . The Start from M'rooli for the Lake with Kamrasi's Satanic Escort Herd of Hippopotami in the Albert Nyanza Lake Murchison Falls — The Niagara of Africa PACK 301 3" 3»9 323 335 342 345 355 361 363 366 367 369 374 37« 380 382 389 394 :?99 407 412 416 425 427 43 » 434 437 442 445 447 451 461 464 467 472 474 476 479 483 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XXlll JO I 305 307 3" 3»9 323 335 342 345 355 361 363 366 367 369 374 37« , 380 . 382 . 389 • 394 . jlQQ 407 412 416 425 427 43 » 434 437 442 445 447 45* 461 46J. 467 472 474 476 479 483 Ferocious Attack of a Hippopotamus Grand Dance of Welcome to Mr and Mrs. Baker Lively Skirmish with the Natives . Camels Transporting Steamers Across the Desert Antelopes Guarded by a Sentry Shillook Warriors with Dress and Weapons " The Black Soldiers Immediately Attacked the Crocodile " Curious Table-Rock in the Nile Valley . " Crack ! went a Bullet against His Hide " . Wazaramo Village Greedy Natives Fighting over a Captured Hippopotamus "The Animal Sent Him into the Air" . Desperate Race ...... Put to Flight by a Sudden Charge . Grand Torchlight Dance of the Weezee Dancing Party to Welcome a Returning Husband Peculiar African Bullock .... Social Amusements among the Weezees Young Weezee Shooting Pigeons An Ivory Merchant's Camp .... Combat with an Enraged Lioness . A Happy Native Landing an Enormous Hippopotamus . Infuriated Rhinoceros Routing His Foes Peculiar Musical Instruments. Curious Adjutant-Bird .... * Grant's Rapid Journey from Karagwe . Elephants Escaping from Their Pursuers Strange African Shoebill .... Fish-Eagles Contending for a Prize Life and Metamorphosis of the Dragon-fly Desperate Battle with the King of the Forest . beautiful Pheasant ..... Columns of Desert Sand Formed by a Cyclone African Gekko or Wall-lizard Gigantic Beetle ...... Native Captured by a Ferocious Leopard The World-renowned Gorilla Orang-outang Captured . . . • Apes among the Trees . . . . Herd of African Elephants . . . .' Chased by an Enraged Elephant . PACK 486 495 505 510 S'3 S18 523 526 532 534 536 539 542 544 546 549 553 555 557 560 562 565 567 569 573 575 578 583 586 588 591 593 597 599 601 604 606 611 614 621 624 XXIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Dining with a Kaffir Chief Headlong Chase of Three Elands . At Close Quarters .... A Perilous Position Terrible Combat with Tigers Narrow Escape from a Wild Buffalo A Race for Life .... Giraffes Fleeing from a Hunter Herd of Harrisbucks in Full Flight Curious Mode of Capturing Ostriches Exciting Chase of a Wild Ostrich South American Ostrich and Young Terrible Combat with a Gorrilla . "It Tossed Him High into the Air Once, Twice, Thrice Ojganga Doctor Discovering a Witch. A Struggle for Life Leopard and Ant-Bear in Mortal Combat South African Kangaroos Warrior with Battle-axe Carved Ivory Trumpets Chief with Remarkable Goatee Camel of Arabia .... Traveller and Camel Crossing the Dessert Hunting the Wild Boar in Africa . Desperate Combat with a Lion Kafifirs' Lively War-Dance Emin Pasha (Dr Schnitzer) . Some of Emin Pasha's Irregulars . African King and His Great Chiefs Returning a Visit In the Jaws of Death Ciiirping Cricket . . Arrival at Kabrega's Map of Equatorial Africa Expedition Crossing a Temporary Bridge Honry M. Stanley and His Automatic Machine Gun ' -sainian Foot Soldier .... : . . ^v Threatens Death if the Box is Dropped A". Js '-f the Tropics .... •"■ ■■. Drill of Kaffir Warriors E.vtrao 'inary Forest Growths in Africa Monkey Town in Central Africia . . PAGB 626 663 639 641 643 647 649 653 661 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 67. 673 676 679 681 683 691 694 716 728 730 734 739 745 747 749 755 PAGB 626 62S 63 J 663 639 641 643 645 647 649 653 661 663 664 665 666 667 66S 669 671 673 676 679 681 683 691 694 7*6 728 730 734 739 745 747 749 755 !j Wonders a^^ Tropics OR EXPLORATIONS AND ADVENTURES OF HENRY M. STANLEY. • r.v' CHAPTER I. STANLEY'S EARLY LIFE. A Remarkable Man — Solving the Mysteries of the Dark Continent — Stanley's Birth In Wales — Sent in Early Life to the Almshouse at St. Asaph — A Teacher in Flint- shire—Struggling to Obtain Means for an Education — The Restless Spirit Show- ing itself— Seeking the New World— A Cabin Boy, Bound from Liverpool to New Orleans — The Welsh Boy Adopted by Stanley of New Orleans — Honesty and Capacity of the Boy— Death of Stanley's Benefactor — No Property Falls to the Adopted Son — Stanley in California — A Free and Happy Life Among Bold Ad- venturers — The School of Human Nature — Power of Endurance and Readiness for Daring Enterprises — Carrying the Knapsack and Rifle — A Soldier in the Confederate Army — Captured by Union Forces — Becomes Connected with the New York Herald— Off for the Battle-field in Turkey — Robbed by Brigands — Stanley Returns to England— The Children's Dinner at the Poorhouse— Sent by James Gordon Bennett with the British Abyssinian Expedition — Stanley's Messages First to Reach London — Livingstone Lost in Africa — Remarkable Midnight Interview with Mr. Bennett — "Find Livingstone at any Cost." 'HE world is filled with the fame of Henry M. Stanley. What Cicero was in eloquence, what Newton wa? in science, what Gladstone is in statesmanship, this Stanley is in exploration and adventure. For bold enterprise, for oaring achievement, for unconquerable perseverance, for singular command of men, for intrepid bravery in the face of danger, he stands unrivalled among the heroes of modern times ; and this is saying much considering that modern history boasts of such names as Livingstone, Baker, Emin Bey, Cameron and Speke in Tropical discoveries, and Franklin, Kane and Greeley in Arctic voyages and perils. 2 * 18 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. i I To this man the eyes ot the world are drawn ; tlie Dark Continent has yielded to him its mysteries, and when it shall be changed by the on- ward march of civilization, the euloj;ies pronounced upon him will be even more eloquent, and a large share of the credit of redeeming the uncivilized wastes of Africa will be freely accorded to him. Like many men who have distinguished themselves in every field of enterprise and discovery, Stanley came from very humble iiie, and by force of native genius, resolute will and self-sacrificing devotion to his work, has gained the foremost rank among the noble band of explorers whose thrilling achievements have an interest surpassing that of the most marvelous tales of fiction. Henry M. Stanley, although an American by residence and education, was born at Denbigh, in Wales, in 1840. The names of liis parents were Rowland. They belonged to the very poor, yet, like many of the pea.s- antry in old countries, they pos.ses.sed some sterling qualities of mind and heart and character. The.se have been reproduced in their son. who has risen far above the surroundings of his childhood, and has become celebrated by achievements which never could have been predicted from the circumstances of his early life. As it was not possible for him to be cared for and supported at home, at the early age of three years he was placed in the almshouse at St. Asaph. Here it was expected he would receive the care and training, both meagre indeed, which such an institu- tion was able to furnish. Scokin{>^ the New World. Stanley remained at the almshouse until he was thirteen years old. It seems probable that there is just here a space of several years which is not accounted for, since the next we hear of him he was a teacher at Mold, in Flintshire, endeavoring by this occupation to provide himself with the means of taking a thorough course of study and completing his education. It appears, however, that he remained at Mold only one year. By this time the restless spirit of the youth had begun to show itself and he gave signs that his life would be one of adventure. Having shipped at Liverpool as a cabin-boy on a vessel that was bound for New Orleans, he thought he would try the New World and learn what fortune might await him there. His youthful mind had been awak- ened by glowing accounts of the open fields on this side of the Atlantic, and the larger opportunities which awaited industrious and enterprising young men. Having arrived at New Orleans, he soon obtained employment with a merchant named Stanley. This man was attracted by the frank, open- alANLKY'S I'.ARLY LIKF,. If hearted manner of the hoy, and not only received him into his family, ■|>ut soon adopted him as In's own. 1 lis friend and benef.ictor soon learned that his confidence had not been misplaced; that the impulsive Welsh It h is r at nself one how ture. )und earn T.vak- Lntic, fsing lith a Ipen- HENRY M. STANT.F.Y, THE WORLD -S GREATEST EXPLORER. boy was capable of great things; that he was honest and competent; and although at that time no prediction could have been made of the wonder- ful career which lay before him, yet, even then, it could safely have been N SO WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. said that in some capacity or other he was likely to become distinguished above oriiinary men. Stanley's benefactor died intestate, or at least none of his property fell to his adopted son. ]iy the sudden bereavement which had overtaken him, he was left alone in the world and brouLjht face to face svith the startling; fact that he was to be the architect of his own fortune; that h»_ was to find his surest helper in himself; that he could accomplish in life just what his own capacity and push and genius would enable him to brinse ot • )gress ;some on to times /ill be id the inding Stanley ecomes npelled ctories. s over n's ad- |at each Henry CHAPTER II. THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AFRICA. /Vfnca a World of Surprises and Winders — ^Journeys of Livingstone — Tho Young Scotch Boy — Born of Noble Parentage— An Ancestry of Sturdy Scotch Quali:ie»— David's Factory Life — Eager Tliirst for Knowledge — Tending the Loom, with One Eye on His Book— Studying Latin — A Lover of Heroic Deeds— Early Promise of Rising to Distinction— Resolves to Become a Medical Missionary in China — Departure for Africa — Physical Nerve and Endurance— Encounter with a Ferocious Lion — Livingstone's Narrow Escape— Gordon Cumming's Descrip- tion o*" the Noble Beast— A Powerful Animal — Beauty of the Lion— Roar of the Forest King— Frightful Ferocity — Tlie Lion's Fearlessness — Requirements ol Lion Hunters— Brave Character of Livingstone. ^mj[ WORLD of surprises, of captivating wonders, opens before us as \J^ we approach the Continent of Africa. Before relating in detail the great achievements of Stanley, particularly his world-re- nowned achievement of finding Livingstone, it will be interesting to the reader to have some account of the life and travels of the cele- brated explorer whom Stanley sought and found. The journeys of Liv- ingstone have a thrilling interest and are here narrated. Dav\d Livingstone was a sturdy Scotchman. There appeared to be somev hat of the granite in him which belongs to the highlands of his native country. His child-life was at B^iintyre, by the beautiful Clyde, above Glasgow, in Scotland. He was born there in the year 1813. The hum.vie home entertained some proud traditions, treasured through eight gentrations of the family. The young David listened with bounding hea'c: and glowing spirit while his grandfather told the histories and legends of the olden time. CuUoden was in the story. His great jrand- father fell there, fighting for the old line of kings ; and " Ulva Du> .," the family home, had been there. Old Gaelic songs trembled off the lips of his grandmother, beguiling the social hours. There was the spirit o( heroism in the home. And among the traditions there were those of singular virtue and in- tegrity. He classed the dying precept of a hardy ancestor the proudest distinction of his family ; that precept was, " Be honest." Honesty is a matchless birthright; he claimed it; he was not proud of anything else. His father was a man of " unflinching honesty," and was employed by the proprietors of Blantyre Works, in conveying very large sums of 3 (88) 34 WONOPIRS OF THE TROPICS. money from Glasgow, and by the honorable kindness of the firm his inte;^rity was so rowarclcl that his tltjclininjj years were spent where he had lived, in ease and comfort. lie was a man who kept the hearts of 'li^ ciiilden. His kindness and reul love were sweeter to them than all it wealth sometimes bestows as its peculiar gift. He brought' his DAVID LIVINCSTONE. lildren up religiously; it was in connection with the Kirk of Scot- land. It is a beautiful tribute of his illu.strious son : " My father deserved my lasting gratitude and homage for presenting me from my infancy with at continuously consistent pious example. I revere his memory." The THRILLING ADVENTUUF.S IN M'.Ur.V jTU)thiT of the man appears briefly, and pa-iscs fro n the [lublic view. She was a quiet, lovinj^, industrious, self-denying, praying mother. God knows Iiow to choose mothers for the chosen men. This mother vva3 the mother of a grc;\t and good man. .She was a woman who, by her virtue and modesty, and fv)rtitude and courage, could bear a hero and inspire him for his d^vstiny. " An anxious house-wife, striving to make both ends meet," found time and place to exert a true woman'.s singular and mighty influence upon her little hoy. We will not presume to esti- mate the magnitude of that influence. We will not say how much his home had to do with the singular thoughtfulncss and distinguished pre- cocity of the child that toiled all day long in the mill with the hundreds who wi^rkcd there. David Livingstone was only ten years old when he was put into the factory. People ought not to despise little factory-boys. Me worked from six in the morning until eight at night; that makes fourteen hours a day, and a child just ten years of age. There were \ery good schools at Hlant) re ; the teachers were paid one hundred and twenty-five dollars a year. The schools were free tc the children of the working people. David had been in one of these schools. He must have been well advanced for his age. The impulse that his mind received in the com- mon school was aided by the attractions of the great University at Glasgow. A Lover of Heroic Deeds. Boys in the neighborhood of great colleges have earlier and loftier aspirations perhaps. Anyhow we are informed that a part of David Livingstone's first week's wages went for " Ruddiman's Rudiments of Latin," and that he pressed the study of that language with peculiar ardor, in an evening school, from eight to ten o'clock, during a number of years. There are many grown men who mourn over their ignorance whose work does not fill fourteen hours a day. In those evening hours, with a little tired child-body, Livingstone mastered the Latin language, and accomplished much in general reading. When he was sixteen years old, he was quite in advance of his age. The diligence and self-control of the boy was the prophecy of the man. At this early age, too, the peculiar tastes and talents which rendered his subsequent life singularly successful and vested his work with singular interest began to appear. He did not love novels: he loved facts. He was not charmed with the woven fancies of effeminacy. He delighted in stories of adventure; he was always glad to put his hand in the hand of the historian, and be led away from familiar scenes to the new and the strange and the difficult 36 WONDF.RS OF THE TROPICS. This love of the and for m i\ The hero spirit was in him. lliis love ot tiie new and eagerness travel were tempered and sanctified by an appreciation of the real and the useful. He had delight in scientific books and experiments. The hoin • of his childhood was admirably adapted for the development of iiahl ; ciiaracter. There was a population of nearly three thousand. Tlu; people were "good specimens of the Scottish poor," as he tells us ljinis-:;lf, "in honesty, morality and intelligence." There were all sorts of j)coplc, of course; they were generally awake to all public questions: their interest was intelligent; there were some characters of uncommon worth; these persons felt peculiar interest in the thoughtful, studious lad. There were near at hand many spots hallowed in Scottish history — spats with venerable associations. The Scottish people love old associations; they treasure the dear memorials of the past. The ancient domains of Bothwell stood with open door to these respected villagers. David Livingstone was one of the people, and loved these scenes; he knew their history, all their old traditions were in his heart. Even the boy seemed to be more than a boy; the man stood in the background, and was outlined clearly in the character of the youth. Departure for Africa. At this early age David gave sign of rising above his mates, gaining distinction in some honorable calling, and becoming an illustrious exam- ple of self-reliance and energy. When promoted at the age of nineteen to cotton-spinning, he took his books to the factory, and read by placing one of them on a portion of the spinning-jenny, so that he could catch sentence after sentence as he passed at l."s work. He was well paid, however, and having determined to prepare himself for becoming a med- ical missionary abroad, was enabled, by working with his hands in summer, to support himself while attending medical and Greek classes in Glasgow in winter, as also the divinity lectures of Dr. Wardlow. He was thus able to pass the required examinations, and was at length ad- mitted a licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons. Having been charged by the Directors of the London Missionary So- ciety to carry on and extend the work of Moffat, Livingstone arrived in Cape Town in the summer of ICS40, and, after a short rest, started for the interior byway of Algoa Bay. A journey of seven hundred miles, of which, so far as we have been able to ascertain, no record has been published, brought him to LaLlaku, then the furthest missionary station of South Africa. Here he remained only long enough to recruit his o.xen' before he pressed on northwards to that part of the country inliabited by the section of the Bcchuana tribe known as the Bakwains, Having satisfied I THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AF-'RICA. 37 ifor ainl The ntoi Us us rts of tions: 11 moil IS lad. -spots itions; ains of David : knew the boy nd, and gaining s exiini- nincteen placing Id catch cU paid, a nicd- iiands in :lasses in ,w. He Ingth ad- hiary So- Inived iti Id for the |of which, kubUshed, of South Icrf before :d by the satisfied himself of the existence of a promising field for missionary effort, he re- turned to the Kuruman station, rested there for three months, and then took up his quarters in the Bakwain countiy itself, at the present Litu- baruba, at that time known as Lepclole. Determined to neglect nothing which could in any way promote his success with the natives, Livingstone now cut himself off from all inter- course with Europeans for six months, devoting himself to acquiring an nsight into the habits, ways of thinking, laws, and language of the Bcchuanas, and in laying the foundations of a settlement by making a canal for irrigation purposes from a river near by. A Mail Stron§^cr Than He Looked. These preliminaries being well advanced, our hero paid a visit to the Bakaa, Bamangwato, and the Makalaka. The greater part of this trip was performed on foot, the draught oxen being ill, and some of the na- tives forming the escort observed in Livingstone's hearing, not knowing that he understood them — "He is not strong; he is quite slim, and only seems stout because he puts himself ""nto those bags [trousers]; he will break down." Stung by these derogatory remarks on his appearance, Livingstone revenged himself by keeping the whole party at highest speed for several days, and was rewarded later by hearing them speak more respectfully of his pedestrian powers. Having, without knowing it, approached to within ten days' journey of Luke N'gami, afterwards discovered by him, our hero went back to Kuruman to bring his luggage to the site of his proposed settlement, but before he could do so, came the disappointing news that the Bakwains, with whom he had become fricndl}% had been driven from Lepelole by the Baralongs, rendering it impossible for him to carry out his original plan. With the courage and energy which distinguished him from the first, Livingstone at once set about looking for some other site, and after a journey to Bamangwato, to restore to chief Sekomi several of his peo pie who had oome down with him to the Kuruman, and for whose safety lie felt responsible, he selected the beautiful valley of Mabotsa, the home of the Makatla branch of the Bcchuana tribe, where he removed in 1843. Here the chief difficulty to contend with at first was the number and .'erocity of the lions, which not only leaped into the cattle pens of the village of Mabotsa at night, but sometimes attacked the herds in broad daylight. Expeditions .sent out against the marauders returned without having achieved any success, and knowing that if but one of the troop of lions were killed the others would take alarm and leave the country, Livingstone determined himself to join a sortie against thorn. as WONDERS OF TUP, TROPICS. I! I Great was the consternation of the natives, who firmly believed that a neighboring tribe had given them into the power of these merciless animals. Their attacks upon them were feeble and half-hearted, so that hitherto the lions had come off victors. Livingstone now came to their aid, and the cry was — " Mount ! mount for the hunting ! the lion is near ! The cattle and herdsmen are quaking with fear. Call the dogs ! light the torches ! away to the glen ! If needs be, we'll beard the fierce brute in his den." They discovered their game on a small tree-covered hill. Thi (role of hunters, at first loosely formed around the spot, gradually closed up, and became compact as they advanced towards it. Mcbalwc, a native schoolmaster, who was with Livingstone, seeing one of the lions sitting on a piece of rock within the ring, fired but missed him, the ball striking the rock by the feet of the animal, which, biting first at the spot struck, bounded away, broke through the circle, and escaped, the natives not having the courage to stand close and spear him in the attempt, as they should have done. The circle re-formed, having yet within it two other lions, at which the pieces could not be fired, lest some of the men on the opposite side should be hit. Again there was a bourd and a roar, and yet again ; and the natives scattered and fled, while the lions went forth free to continue their devastations. « Ho is Shot ! Ho is Shot ! " But they did not seem to have retreated far, for as the party was going round the end of a hill on their way home to the village, there was one of the lordly brutes sitting quietly, as though he had purposely planted himself there to enjoy their defeat, and wish them "Good-day." It was but a little distance from Livingstone, who, raising his gun, fired both barrels. "He is shot! He is shot!" is the joyful cry, and the people are about to rush in ; but their friend warns them, for he sees the tail raised in anger. He is just in the act of ramming dgwn his bullets for another fire, when he hears a shout of terror, and sees the lion in the act of springing on him. He is conscious only of a blow that make< him reel and fall to the ground ; of two glaring eyes, and hot breath upon his face; a momentary anguish, as he is seized by the shoulder and shaken as a rat by a terrier ; then comes a stupor, which was afterwards described as a sort of drowsiness, in which there was no sense of pain flor feeling of terror, although there was a perfect consciousness of all that was happening. Being thus conscious, as one in a trance might be, Livingstone knew was I there losely [day." fired td the the [uUets Ion in iiakei )reatU ir and luards If pain lof all knevi 40 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. that the Hon had one paw on the bade of his head, and, turnin^j round to relieve himself of the pressure, he saw the creature's eyes directed to ^rebalwc, who, at a distance of ten or fifteen yards, was aiming his gun at liim. It missed fire in both barrels, and immediately the native teacher was attacked by the brute and bitten in the thigh. Another man also, who attempted to spear the lion, was seized by the shoulder; but llien the bullets which he had received took effect, and, with a quivei through all his huge frame, the cattle-lifter rolled over on his side dead. A Jfari'ow Escape. All this occurred in a few moments ; the death-blow had been inflictea by Livingstone before the Lion sprang upon him in the blind fury of his dying efforts. Mo less than eleven of his teeth had penetrated the flesh of his assailant's arm, and crushed the bone ; it was long ere the wound was healed, and all through life the intrepid missionary bore the marks of this deadly encounter, and felt its effects in the injured limb. The tartan jacket which he had on, wiped, as he believed, the virus from the lion's teeth, and so preserved him from much after-suffering, such as was experienced by the others who were bitten and had not this protection. These ferocious beasts are a constant menace to travellers in some parts of Afiica. Of course, if one goes out for the purpose of indulging in sport and shooting game, he is not disconcerted when he meets the king of the forest in his native lairs. Cumming's account of his en- counters with lions is so graphic and interesting that it is here inserted in connection with the thrillmg story, already related, of Livingstone and the lion. Mr. Gumming first describes the appearance and habits of the noble beast. This is the account of one of the world's most famous hunters, whose journeys in the Tropics in pursuit of adventure, have attracted universal attention, and have awakened the most eager interest. The dignified and truly monarchical appearance of the lion, says Mr. Cum- niing, has long rendered him famous among his fellow quadruped.s. There is something so noble and imposing in the presence of the lion, when seen walking with dignified self-possession, free and undaunted, on I is native soil, that no description can convey an adequate idea of his • triking appearance. The lion is exquisitely formed by nature for the predatory habits which he is destined to pursue. Combining in compara- tively small compass the jaalities of power and agility, he is enabled, by moans of the tremendous machinery with which nature has gifted him, easily to overcome and destroy almost every beast of the forest, however superior to him in weight and stature. THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AFRICA. 41 ulgin-- noble iLintcrs, tractcd The Cuni- lupeds. lion, led, on I of his |L>r the [11 par a- |ed, by him, kwever Though considerably under four feet in height, he has little difficulty in dashing to the ground and overcoming the lofty and apparently pow- erful giraffe, whose head towers above the trees of the forest, and whose skin is nearly an inch in thickness. The lion is the constant attendant of the vast herds of buffaloes which frequent the interminable forests of the interior; and a full-grown one, so long as his teeth are unbroken, gener ally proves a match for an old bull buffalo, which in size and strength l^rcatly surpasses the most powerful breed of American cattle ; the lion also preys on all the larger varieties of the antelopes, and on both varie- LIONS CAI'TUKING A bUI'FALO. ties of the gnoo. The zebra, which is met with in large herds through I'Ut the interior, is also a favorite objoct of his pursuit. Lions do not refuse, as has been asserted, to feed upon the venison thai dicy have not killed themselves. I have repeatedly discovered lions cf all ages which had taken possession of, and were feasting upon, the car- cases of various game quadrupeds which had fallen before my rifle. The lion is very generally diffused throughout the secluded parts of Southern Africa. Me is, however, nowhere met with in great abund- ance, it being very rare to find more than three, or even two families of 42 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. lions frequenting the same district and drinking at the same fountain. When a greater number were met with, I remarked that it was owing to long-protracted droughts, which, by drying nearly all the fountains, had compelled the game of various districts to ciowd the remaining springs^. and the lions, according to their custom, followed in the wake. Beauty of the Lion. It is a common thing to come upon a full-grown lion and lioness asso- ciating with three or four large ones nearly full grown ; at other times, full-grown males will be found associating and hunting together in a happy state of friendship ; two, three, and four full-grown male lions may thus be discovered consorting together. The male lion is adorned with a long, rank, shaggy mane, v/hich in some instances almost sweeps the ground. The color of these manes varies, some being dark, and others of a golden yellow. Thts appear- ance has given rise to a prevailing opinion among the Boers that there are two distinct varieties of lions, which they distinguish by the respec- tive names of " Schwart fore life " and " Chiel fore life ; " this idea, how- ever, is erroneous. The color of the lion's mane is generally influenced by his age. He attains his mane in the third year of his existence. I have remarked that at first it is of a yellowish color ; in the prime of life it is blackest, and when he has numbered many years, but .still is in the full enjoyment of his power, it assumes a yellowish-gray, pepper-and-salt sort of color. These old fellows are cunning and dangerous, and most to be dreaded. The females are utterly destitute of a mane, being covered with a short, thick, glossy coat of tawny hair. The manes and coats of lions frequent- ing open-lying districts utterly destitute of trees, such as the borders of the great Kalahari desert, are more rank and handsome than those inhab- iting fertile districts. The Roar of the Forest King. One of the most striking things connected with the lion is his voice, which is extremely grand and peculiarly striking. It consists at times of a low, deep moaning, repeated five or six times, ending in faintly audible sighs ; at other times he startles the forest with loud, deep-toned, solemn roars, repeated five or six times in quick succession, each increasing in loudness to the third or fourth, when his voice dies away in five or six low, muffled sounds, very much resembling distant thunder. . , ; At times, and not unfrequently, a troop may be heard roaring in con- cert, one assuming the lead, and two, three, or four more regularly taking up their parts, like persons singing a catch. Like Scottish stags, they THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AFRICA. 48 toar loudest in cold, frosty nights ; but on no occasions are their voices to be heard in such perfection, or so intensely powerful, as when two or three strange troops of lions approach a fountain to drink at the same time. When this occurs, every member of each troop sounds a bold roar of de- fiance at the opposite parties ; and when one roars, all roar together, and each seems to vie with his comrades in the intensity and power of his voice. The power and grandeur of these nocturnal forest concerts is inconcciv- 'ably striking and pleasing to the hunter's ear. The effect, I may remark, is greatly enhanced when the hearer happens to be situated in the depths of the forest, at the dead hour of midnight, unaccompanied by any attend- ant, and ensconced within twenty yards of the fountain which the sur- rounding troops of lions are approaching. Such has 'been my situation many scores of times ; and though I am allowed to have a tolerably good taste for music, I consider the catches with which I was thtn regaled as the sweetest and most natural I ever heard. As a general rule, lions roar during the night; their sighing moans commencing as the shades of evening envelop the forest, and continuin;; at intervals throughout the night. In distant and secluded regions, how- ever, I have constantly heard them roaring loudly as late as nine and ten o'clock on a bright sunny morning. In hazy and rainy weather they are to be heard at every hour in the day, but their roar is subdued. Fi'is:htful Ferocity. It often happens that when two strange male lions meet at a fountain a terrific combat ensues, which not unfrequently ends in the death of one of them. The habits of the lion are striccly nocturnal; during the day he lies concealed beneath the shade of some low bushy tree or wide-spread- ing bush, either in the level forest or on the mountain side. He is also partial to lofty reeds, or fields of long, rank yellow grass, such as occur in low-lying vales. From these haunts he sallies forth when the sun goes down, and commences his nightly prowl. When he is successful in his beat and has secured his prey, he does not roar much that nii^ht. only uttering occasionally a few low moans ; that is, provided no intruders approach him, otherwise the case would be very different. Lions are ever most active, daring and presuming in dark and stormy nights, and consequentlv, on such occasions, the traveler ought more par- ticularly to be on his guard. I remarked a fact connected with the lions' hour of drinking peculiar to themselves : they seemed unwilling to visit the fountains with good moonlight. Thus, when the moon rose early, the lions deferred their hour of watering until late in the morning; and when the moon rose late, they drank at a very early hour in the night #1 WONDERS OF THE: TROPICS, '"! By this acute system many a grisly lion saved his bacon, and is now lux- uriating in the forest of South Africa, which had otherwise fallen by the barrels of my gun. i^ Tliu Lion's Fearlessness. Owing to the tawny color of the coat with which nature has robed him he is perfectly invisible in the dark; and although I have often heaid iheni loudly lappmg the water under my very nose, not twenty yaids froir lie, I could not possibly make out so much as the outlines of their forms. j VVhen a thirsty lion comes to water he stretches out his massive arms, Jies down on his breast to drtnk, and makes a loud lapping noise in drink ing not to be mistaken. He continues lapping up the water for a lon<.> while, and four or five times during the proceeding he pau.scs for half a minute as if to take breath. One thing conspicuous about them is their eyes, which, in a dark night, glow like two balls of fire. The female is more fierce and active than the male, as a general rule. Lionesses which have never had young are much more dangerous than those which have. At no time is the lion so much to be dreaded as when his partner has got small young ones. At that season he knows no fear, and, in the coolest and most intrepid man^ ner, he will face a thousand men. A remarkable inst.mce of this kind came under my own observation, which confirmed the reports I had before heard from the natives. One day, when out elephant-hunting in the territory of the Raseleka, accompanied by two hundred and fifty men, I was astonished suddenly to behold a majestic Uoi\ slowly and steadily advancing towards us with a dignified step and undaunted bearing, the most noble and imposing that can be conceived. Lashing his tail from side to side, and growling haughtily, his terribly expressive eye resolutely fixed upon us, and dis- playing a show of ivory well calculated to inspire terror among the timid Bechuanas, he approached. A Lion Puts to Flight 230 Men. A headlong flight of the two hundred and fifty men was the immediate result; and, in the confusion. of the moment^ four couples of my dogs, which they had been leading, were allowed to escape in their couples^ These instantly faced the lion, who, finding that by his bold bearing he had succeeded in putting his enemies to flight, now became solicitous for the safety of his little family, with which the lioness was retreating in the back-ground. Facing about, he followed after them with a haughtv and independent step, growling fiercely at the dogs which trotted aloiig on each side of him. Three troops of elephants having been discovered )w lux- by the ed him, n heard ds froiT r for Ills, e arms, n drink t a \or\\! )t half a :k night, than the lung are le lion so lies. At pid man- this kind ts I had [^aseleka, denly to s with a ^mg that n'owling land dis- :he timid imediate \y dogs,^ couples. laring he. uitous for ng m the hty and lo»iig on Iscovered (4r>^ i 46 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. a few minutes previous to this, upon wliich I was marching for the attack, I, with the most heartfelt reluctance, reserved my fire. On run- ning down the hill side to endeavor to recall my dogs, I observed, for the first time, the retreating lioness with four cubs. About twenty miiHitcs afterward two noble elephants repaid my forbearance. Amonij Indian Nimrods, a certain class of royal tigers is dignified with the appellation of " man-eaters." These are tigers which, having once '-.anted human flesh, show a predilection for the same, and such charac- ters are very naturally famed and dreaded among the natives. Elderly gentlemen of similar tastes and habits are occasionally met with among the lions in the interior of South Africa, and the danger of such neigh- bors may be easily imagined. I account for lions first acquiring this taste in the following manner: .some tribes of the far interior do not b'iry their dead, but u(jceremonious!y carry them forth, and leave them lying exposed in the forest or on the plain, a prey to the lion and hy?ena, or the jackal and vulture; and I can readily imagine that a lion, having thus once tasted human flesh, would have little hesitation, when opportunity presented itself, of springing upon and carrying off the unwary traveler or native inhabiting his country. The Man-Eater at Work. Be this as it may, man-eating occurs; and on my fourth hunting expe- dition, a horrible tragedy was acted one dark night in my little lonely camp by one of these formidable characters, which deprived me, in the far wilderness, of my most valuable servant. In winding up these observations on the lion, I may remark that lion-liunting, under any circumstances, is decidedly a dangerous pursuit. It may nevertheless be followed, to a certain extent, with comparative safety by those who have naturally a turn for that sort of thing. A recklessness of death, perfect coolness and self-possession, an acquaintance with the disposition and manners of lions, and a tolerable knowledge of the use of the rifle, are indis- pensable to him who would shine in the overpoweringly e.xcitinf pastime of hunting this justly celebrated king of beasts. Livingstone himself narrates minutely his dreadful encounter with a .ion He always regarded it as one of his most thrilling experiences in Africa, and he had occasion to remember it from the fact that he was so severely injured. The wonder is that when the ferocious beast had the great explorer in his power and might easily have taken his life, he should have been prevented from doing it. A few moments more and the life of one of the world's greatest heroes would have been terminated. .'f CHAPTER III. , LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. '.ivingstone's Life Among the Hackwains— An Intelligent Ciiief— Trying to Wliip the Heathen into Conversion — Appearance of the Backwains — Peculiar Head Dress - Expert Tiiieves — A Bewitched Kettle — A Horrible Deed— An Africar Congress— Thrilling War Songs— Carrying on War for Glory— Livingstone's Interest in this Tribe— Singular Superstitions — Medicine Men and Rain Doctors — Barbarous Practices — Severe Training for Boys — The Girls' Ordeal — Romantic DcUices— Construction of Houses — Curious Burial Customs — Funeral Dances Among the Latookas — An Active Chief — The Rich No Better Than the Poor- Odd Decorations — Graceful Movements. "Oil years Livingtonc labored amon;^ the Backwains, at Chonuane, whose chief was a man of great intelligence, but who had some amusing ideas and ways. When he embraced Christianity he wanted to make his subjects converts by thrashing them with whips of rhinoceros hide. Livingstone could not approve of this new mode of conversion, and the chief was persuaded to pursue a milder course. As Livingstone labored for years among tlie Backwains, or Bcchuanas, a full account of the mantiers, customs, and singular character of this tribe will be of interest to the reader. In app -arancc they arc a fine race of men, in some respects similar to the Kaffirs, with whom they have many customs in common. Their dress is not very remarkable, except that they are perhaps the best dress- ers of skins that are to be found in Africa, the pliancy of the skin and the neatness of the sewing being unrivalled. They are good workers in metal, and supply many of the surrounding tribes both with ornaments and weapons. As to dress, the Bechuanas, as a rule, use more covering than many of he surrounding tribes. The women esp.-cially wear several aprons. The first is made of thongs, like those of the Kaffirs, and over that ir generally one of skin. As she can afford it she adds others, but alway;: contrives to have the outside apron decorated with beads or other adorn- ments. This series of aprons, however, is all that a Bechuana woman considers necessary in the way of dress, the kaross, or outside garment, being adopted merely as a defence against the weather, and not from any idea that covering to the body is needed for the purpose of delicacy. In (47) ! < 48 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. figure they are not so prepossessing as many of the surrounding' tribes, being usually short, stout, and clumsy, which latter dcfi\.t is rendered still more conspicuous by the quantities of beads which they hang in heavy coils around their waists and necks, and the multitude of metal rings with which they loafl theirarms and ankles. They even load tluir hair as much IS possible, drawing it out into a series of little spokes, and dressing thcin 3o copiously with grease and sibilo, that at a few yards they look as if theii heads were covered with a cap com[)osed of metallic prongs, and at a greater distance as if they were wearing bands of polished steel on theii heads. They consjilcr a plentiful smearing of grease and red ochre to be the very acme of a fashionable toilet, and think that washing the body is a disgusting custt)m. Women are the smolders of the tribe, the men preferring snuff, and rather despis- ing the pipe as a woman's imple- ment. The Bechuanas can hardly be selected as examples o{ good moral character. No one who knows them can believe a word they say, and tlicy will steal everything that they can carry. They are singu- larly accomplished thieves, and the habit of stealing is so ingra ned in their nature, that if a man is de- tected in the very act he feels not the least shame, but rather takes blame to himself for being so inexpert as to be found out. Small articles they steal in the most ingenious manner. Should it be hang- ing up, they contrive to handle it carelessly and let it fall on the ground, and then they begin activ^e operations. Standing near the cn\ article, and trying to look as if they were not aware of its existent y quietly scrape a hole in the sand with one of their feet, push tlu. <:ct of their desire into the hole, cover it up again with sand, and smooin I he surf'ice so as to leave no trace that the ground has been disturbed. They steal each other's goods, whenever they can find an opportunity', but they are only loo glad to find an opportunity of exercising their art on a white man, whose property is sure to be worth stealing. A travel- ler in their country has therefore a hard life, for he knows that there is PECULIAR HEAD-DRESS. LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. 48 ;ribcs, dcrcd heavy ;s with much ; thcin • it iheit id at a lU thcii . be the ,dy is a len are :hc men dcspis- s iniple- ardly be od moral knows hey sa>-, \i\v^ that |-c sinc^u- and the ■a neil in n is de- ifccls not er takes Small jc hang- on the ; CO\ IK eCt looUi the Id. |ortunity, icir art travel- there is not a single article in his possession which will not vanish if he leaves it unguarded for a f-w minutes. Indeed, as Mr. Baines well observes, there is not an honest nerve or fibre in a Bechuana's body ; from the root of his tongue to the tips of his toes, every muscle is thoroughly trained in the art of thieving. If they merely sit near an article of moderate size, when they move off it moves with them, in a manner that no wearer ol trousers can conceive. Even Mr. Moffatt, who had a singular capacity for discovering good qualities which had lain latent and unsuspected, writes in very forcible terms respecting the utter dishonesty of the Bechuanas. Steallngr Cattle by Nisrht. Soifie mornings, says Mr. MoiTatt, we had to record thefts committed in the course of twenty-four hours, in our houses, our smith-shop, our garden, and among our cattle in the field. These they have more than once driven into a bog or mire, at a late hour informing us of the acci- dent, as they termed it ; and, as it was then too dark to render assistance, one or more would fall a prey to the hyaenas or hungry natives. One night they entered our cattle-fold, killed one of our best draught oxen, and carried the whole away, except one shoulder. We were compelled to use much meat, from the great scarcity of grain and vegetables; our sheep we had to purchase at a distance, and very thankful might we be if out of twenty we secured the largest half for ourselves. They would break their legs, cut off their tails, and more frequently carry off the whole carcass. Tools, such as saws, axes, and adzes, were losses severely felt, as we could not at that time replace them, when there was no intercourse what- ever with the colony. Some of our tools and utensils which they stole, on finding the metal not what they expected, they would bring back beaten into all shapes, and offer them in exchange for some other article of value. Knives were always eagerly coveted ; our metal spoons they melted; and when we were supplied with plated iron ones, which they toiind not so pliable, they supposed them bewitched. Very often, when employed working at a distance from the house, if there was no one in .vhom he could confide, the missionary would be compelled to carry them all to the place where he went to seek a draught of water, well know- 'n, a foreigner. There was need r..nong such people of more than one Livingstone to teach them the virtue of honesty. Dr. Lichtenstcin, who certainly had a better opinion of the Bechuanas than they deserved, was once cheated by them in a very ingenious I LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. m on a with i not After t had i laid v' that the inhabitants are riot nomads, but residents un zne spot. The government of the Bechuanas is primarily monarchical, but not entirely despotic. Th*; king has his own way in most matters, but hi.s cliicfs can always exercise a check upon him by summoning a parliament, or " Picho," as it is called. The Picho affords a truly wild and pictur esque spectacle. The warriors, in their full panoply of war, seat them selves in a circle, in the midst of which is the chair of the king. The various speakers take their turns at addressing the assembly, and speak with the greatest freedom, not even sparing the king himself, but pub- h'cly arraigning him for any shortcomings, real or fancied, and sometimes gaining their point. As to the king himself, he generally opens the par- liament with a few sentences, and then remains silent until all the speeches have been delivered. He then answers those that have been made against himself, and becomes greatly excited, leaping about the ring, brandishing his spear and shield, and lashing himself into an almost frantic state. This is the usual procedure among savages, and the more excited a man becomes, the better he is supposed to speak afterward. All African Congress. An extract from Mr. Moffatt's account of r^ Picho v/ill give a good idea of the proceedings : Although the whole exhibits a very grotesque scene, business is carried on with the most perfect order. There is but little cheering, and .still less hissing, while every speaker fearlessly states his own sentiments. The audience is seated on the ground, each man having before him his war-club. ^lany were adorned with tiger-skins and tails, and had plumes of feathers waving on their heads. In the centre a suffi- cient space was left for the privileged — those who had killed an enemy in halde — to dance and sing, in which they exhibited the most violent and fantastic gestures conceivable, which drew forth from the spectators the most clamorous applause. When they retire to their seats, the speaker commences by command- nig silence. " Be silent, ye Batlapis, be silent, ye Barolongs," addressing 3ach tribe distinctly, not excepting the white people, if any ha[)pen to be present, and to which each responds with a groan. lie then takes from his shield a spear, and points it in the direction in which the enemy is ad\aacing, imprecating a curse upon them, and thus declaring war by re- peatedly thrusting his spear in that direction, as if plunging it into an -^iicuiy. This receives a loud whistling sound of applause. He next Their and s'/ ents on but not but his liannent, 1 pictur at them g. The id speak but pub- )metinic.s the par- speeches e against mdishing itic state, ed a man ood idea ue scene, but Uttle tates his m having and tails, e a suffi- n enemy t violent :)ectators immand- idressing len to be kes from enemy is ^■arby re- lit into an lie next (Oy) ^4 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. directs his spear toward the Bushman country, south and southwest, tmprecating also a curse on those " ox-eaters," as they are called. The king, on this, as on all similar occasions, introduced the business of the day by " Ye sons of Molchabanque " — viewing all the influential men present as the friends or allies of his kingdom, which rose to more than its former eminence under the reign of that monarch, his father — " the Mantatees are a strong and victorious people ; they have over ■ ivhclmcd many nations, and they are approaching to destroy us. We have been apprised of their manners, their deeds, their weapons, and theii intentions! We cannot stand against the Mantatees; we must now concert, conclude, and be determined to stand. Th^illingr War-Songr-s. " The case is a great one. I now wait to hear what the general opinion is. Let every one speak his mind, and then I shall speak ajjain." Mothibi manoeuvred his spear as at the commencement, and then pointing it toward heaven, the audience shouted " Pula " (rain), on which he sat down amidst a din of applause. Between each speaker a part or verse of a war-song is sunj, the same antics are then performed, and again universal silence is comtuanded. When several speakers had delivered their sentiments, chiefly exhort- ing to unanimity and courage, Mothibi resumed his central position, and after the usual gesticulations, commanded silence. Having noticed some remarks of the preceding speakers, he added : " It is evident that the best plan is to proceed against the enemy, that they come no nearer. Let not our towns be the seat of war ; let not our houses be the scenes of blood- .shed and destruction. No ! let the blood of the enemy be spilt at a dis- tance from our wives and children." Turning to the aged chief, he said : "I hear you, my father; I understand yo4i, my father; your words are true, they are good for the ear; it is good that we be instructed by th'=^ Makocias ; I wish those evil who will not obey ; I wish that they may be broken into pieces." Then addressing the warriors, " There are many of you who dc iiot deserve to cat out of a bowl, but only out of a broken pot; think '>n what has been said, and obey without murmuring. I command you, yc chiefs of the Batlapis, Batlares, Bamairis, Barolongs, and Bakotus, that you acquaint all your tribes of the proceedings of this day ; let none be ignorant; I say again, ye warriors, prepare for the battle; let your shields be strong, your quivers full of arrows, and your battle-axes as sharp as hunger. Be silent, ye kidney-eaters" (addressing the old men), " ye are of no further use but to hang about for kidneys when LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. 53 an ox is slaughtered. If your oxen are taken, where will you get any more?" This was the chief's spirited address to the men. Eloquent Appeal to Women. Turning to the women he said, " Prevent not the warrior from going out to battle by your cunning insinuations. No, rouse the warrior to glory, and he will return with honorable scars, fresh marks of valor will ;ovef his thighs, and we shall then renew the war-song and dance, and relate the story of our conquest." At the conclusion of this speech thf air was rent with acclamations, the whole assembly occasionally joining in the dance; the women frequently taking the weapons from the hands of the men and brandishing them in the most violent manner, people of all ages using the most extravagant and frantic gestures for nearly two hours. In explanation of the strange word, " kidney-eaters," the reader must be made aware that kidneys are eaten only by the old of both sexes. Young people will not touch them on any account, from the superstitious idea that they can have no children if they do so. The word of applause, "pula," or rain, is used metaphorically to signify that the words of the speaker are to the hearers like rain on a thirsty soil. In the last few lines of the king's speech, mention is made of the " honorable scars upon the thighs." He is here alluding to a curious practice among the Bcchuanas. After a battle, those who have killed an enemy assemble by night, and, after exhibiting the trophies of their prowess, each goes to the prophet or priest, who takes a sharp assagai and makes a long cut from the hip to the knee. One of these cuts is made for each enemy that has been slain, and some distinguished wai- riors have their legs absolutely striped with scars. The Order of the Scar. As the wound is a tolerably deep one, and as ashes are plentifully rubbed into it, the scar remains for life, and is more ".onspicuous than it would be in an American, leaving a white track upon the dark skin. In spite of the severity of the wound, all of the successful warriors join in a dance, which is kept up all night, and only terminates at sunrise. No one is allowed to make the cut for himself, and anyone who did so would at 3nce be detected by the jealous eyes of his companions. Moreover ir order to substantiate his claim, each warrior is obliged to produce hi: trophy — a small piece of flesh with the skin attached, cut from the body of his foe. When the ceremony of investiture with the Order of the Scar takes place, a large fire is made, inside which no one may pass except the priest and those who can show a trophy. On the outside of tlie fence are con- o{) WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. I H gregated the women and all the men who ha^'c not been fortunate enough to distinguish themselves. One by one the warriors advance to the priest, show the trophy, have it approved, and then take their place round the fire. Each man then lays the trophy on the glowing coals, and, when it is thoroughly roasted, eats it. This custom arises from a notion that the courage of the .slain warrior then .passes into the body of the man who killed him, and aids :lso in making him invulnerable. The Bechuanas Jo not like this custom, but, on the contrary, view it with nearly as much abhorrence as Europeans can do, only yielding to it from a desire not tc controvert the ancient custom of their nation. Butchery for Glory. It may well be imagined that this ceremony incites the warriors, both old and young, to distinguish themselves in battle, in order that they may liave the right of entering the sacred fence, and be publicly invested with the honorable scar of valor. On one such occasion, a man who was well known for his courage could not succeed in killing any of the enemy, because their numb-*rs were so comparatively small that all had been killed before he could reach them. At night he was almost beside him- self with anger and mortification, and i)ositively wept with rage at being excluded from the sacred enclosure. At last he sprang away from the j)lace, ran at full speed to his house, killed one of his own .servants, and returned to the spot, bringing with him the requisite passport of admit- tance. In this act he was held to be perfectly justified, becau.se the slain man was a captive taken in war, and therefore, according to Bcchuanan ideas, his life belonged to his master, and could be taken whenever it might be more useful to him than the living slave. In war, the Bechuanas are but cruel enemies, killing the wounded with- out mercy, and even butchering the inoffensive women and children. The ilesire to possess the coveted trophy of success is probably the cause of th'oir ruthlessness. In some divisions of the Bechuana tribes, such as the Bachapins, the successful warriors do not eat the trophy, but dry it and hang it round their necks, eating instead a portion of the liver of the slain man. In all cases, however, it seems that some part of the enemy has tc be eaten. The weapons used in war are not at all like those which are employeo by the Kaffirs. The Bechuanan shield is much smaller than that of tlu Kaffirs. The assagai is not intended to be used as a missile, but as a weapon for hand-to-hand combat. Indeed, the amount of labor which is bestowed upon it renders it too valuable to be flung at an enemy, who might avoid the blow, and then seize the .spear and keep it. both Id with- in. The lausc of l\ as the it and lie slain has tc |ipli)yea of tho )ut as a Irhich is ly, who WAKKIOR WITH SPEARS AND SHIELD. (57) ')« WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ilj The Bechuanas have one weapon which is very effective at close quar- ters. This is the battle-axe. Various as are the shapes of the heads, they ar.e all made on one principle, and, in fact, an axe is nothing more than an enlarged spearhead fixed transversely on the handle. The ordi- nary battle-axes have their heads fastened to wooden handles, but the best examples have the handles made of rhinoceros horn. Dr. Livingstone was greatly interested in these barbarous people. He studied their customs, their domestic life, their warfare, their traditions, their very thoughts. By a long residence among them he became thor- oughly acquainted with everything of interest pertaining to them. The wild life of Africa did not daunt our renowned explorer; he had gone to the Dark Continent knowing how dark it was. To Livingstoi.e belongs the credit of carrying the light of knowledge and religion to this -emark- able people. Strange Superstitions. Of religion the Bcchuanans knew nothing, though they have plenty of superstition, and are as utter slaves to their witch doctors as can well be conceived. The life of one of these personages is full of danger. He practises his ar»-s with tue full knowledge that if he should fail, death is nearly certain ♦o be the result. Indeed, it is very seldom that a witch doctor, especiilly if he should happen to be also a rain-maker, dies a natural deatl', he generally falling a victim to the clubs of his quondam followers. These men evidently practice the art of conjuring, as we understand the word^ and they can perform their tricks with great dexterity. One of thes*' men exhibited several of his performances to Mr. Baines, the well-l-'.ioun traveller, and displayed no small ingenuity in the magic art. Hi;: first trick was to empty, or to appear to empty, a skin bag and an old hat, and then to shake the bag over the hat, when a piece of meat or hide fell from the former into the latter. Another jierformance was to tie up a bead necklace in a wisp of grass, and hand it to one of the white spectators to burn. He then passed the bag to the most incredu- lous of the spectators, allowed him to feel it and prove that it was empty, /vhilft the hat was being examined by Mr. l^aines and a friend. Calling out to the hoMcr of the bag, he ijretcndcd to throw something through the air, and, wlien the bag was duh' siiaken, out fell the beads into the hat. This was really a clever trick, and, though any reader who has some practical accpiaintance with the art of legerdemain can see how it was done, it is not a little surprising to see such dexterity pos.sessed by a .sav- irstanJ One )s, the ic art. md an icat or Ivas to lof the bredu- impty, Calling Irough into some It was sav- (59) 60 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. a<4c. TIic success of this trick was the more remarkable because the holder of the bag had rather unfairly tried to balk the performer. Tlir Coiijiirer ExpoistMl. On a siibscciiient occasion, however, the conjurer attemj^ted the same trick, var\'in Neck. The children, when they first begin to trouble themselves and their parents by the process of teething, are often furnished with a kind of amulet. It is made of a large Afiican beetle. A number of them arc killed, dried, and then strung on leathern thongs, so as to be worn round the neck. These objects have been mistaken for whistles. The Bechu- anas have great faith in their powers when used for teething, and think that they are efficacious in preventing various infantile disorders. Like the Kaffirs, the Bechuanas make use of certain religious cere- monies before they go to war. One of these rites consists of laying a charm on the cattle, so that they shall not be seized by the enemy. The o.Ken are brought singly to the priest, if we may so call him, who is furnished with a pot of black paint, and a jackal's tail by way of a brush. With this primitive brush he makes a certain mark upon the hind leg of .he animal, v/hile at the same time an assistant, who kneels behind him, repeats the mark in miniature upon his back or arms. To this ceremony they attribute great value; and, as war is almost invariably made for the sake of cattle, the Bechuanas may well be excused for employing any rite which they fancy will protect such valued possessions. Among one branch of the Bechuaua tribe, a very remarkable ceremony is observed when the boys seek to be a linitted into the rank of mea ■ «2 VVO.\I)i:i. Fach boy was furnished with a pair of the ordinary hide sandals, which he wore on his hands instead of his fjet. At stated intervals, the men put certain questions to the boys, respectin^^ their future life wlicn admitted into the society of men. Barbarous rrufticoM. Tor example, the youth is tried in some such way as the following: ' Will you herd the cattle well ? " asks the man. " I will," answers the boy. at the same time lifting his sandalled hands ever his head. The man then leaps forward, and with his full force 'trikes at the boy's head. The blow is received on the uplifted sandals, but .the elasticity of the long switch causes it to curl over the boy's head with such f rce that a deep gash is made in his back, some twelve or eii^htecn inches in length, from which the blood spirts as if it were made with a knife. Ever afterward, the lesson that he is to guard the cattle is supposed to be indelibly impressed on the boy's mind. Then coines another question, " Will you guard the chief well? " " I will," replies the boy, and another stroke impresses that lesson on the boy's mind. And thus they proceed, until the whole series of ques- tions has been asked and properly answered. The worst part (;f the proceeding is, that the boys are obliged, under penalty of rejection, to continue their dance, to look pleased and happy, and not to wince at the terrible strokes which cover their bodies with blood, and seam their backs with scars that last throughout their lifetime. Painful as this ordea* must be, the reader must not think that it is nearly so formidable to thf Bcchuanas as it would be to Americans. Tn the first place, the ncrvcuc system of a white man is far more sensitive than that of South African natives, and injuries which would lay him prostrate have but little effjct upon them. Moreover, their skin, from constant exposure to the ele- ments, is singularly insensible, so that the stripes do not inflic»: a tenth part cf tile pain that they v/ould if suffered by a white person. LIVINGSTONE AMONd .SAVAGES. es head ve or made cattle son on qucs- i;f the ion, to at the their ordca* Only the older men are allowed to take part in thi.s niode of instruc- tion of the boys, and if any man should attempt it who is not qualified, he is unpleasantly reminded of his presumption by rcceivinfr on his own back the stripes which he intended to inflict on the boys, the old men being in such a case simultaneously judges and executioners. No eleva- tion of rank will allow a man to thus transgress with impunity; and on one occasion, Sekomi himself, the chief of the tribe, received a severe TRAININr, noVS FOR HARDSHIPS. blow on the leg from one of his own people. This kind of ordeal, called the .Sechu, is only practised among three tribes, one of which is the Ba- mangwato, of which Sekomi was the chief It takes place every six or seven years, so that a large number of boys are collected. These are divided into bands, each of which is under the command of one of the sons of th:; chief, and each member is supposed to be a companion of his leader for life. They are taken into the woods 64 WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. 'i Hi by the old men, where they reside for some time, and where, to judge from their scarred and searued backs, their residence does not appjar to be of the most ai LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. 71 Ire con- [nly twc or ter. house. ko inge- I danger, Irecpin^i Ithcd by ■ment "f the house, while the servants inhabit the other portion, which also serves as a verandah in which the family can sit in the daytime, and enjoy the double benefit of fresh air and shade. Around this house is a tolerably high paling, made in a similar fashion of posts and thorns, and within this enclosure the cattle are kept, when their owner is rich enough to build an enclosure for their especial use. This fence, or wall, as it may properly be called, is always very firmly built, and sometimes is of very strong constru^t'on. It is on an average six feet high, and is about two feet and a half "vdo at the bottom, and a foot or less at the top. It is made almost enutely of small twigs and branches, placed upright, and nearly parallel with each other, but so firmly interlaced that they form an adnr able defence against the assagai, while near the bottom the wall is so strong as to stop an ordinary bullet. A few inches from the top the wall is strengthened by a double band of twigs, one band being outside, and the other in the interior. Protection Against Fire. The doorways of a Buchuana hut are rather curiously constructed. An aperture is made in the wall, larger above than below, so as to suit the shape of a human being, whose shoulders are wider than his feet. This formation serves two purposes. In the first place it lessens the size of the aperture, and so diminishes the amount of the draught, and, in the next place, it forms a better defence against an adversary' than if it were of larger size, and reaching to the ground. The fireplace is situated outside the hut, though within the fence, the Bechuanas having a very wholesome dread of fire, and being naturally anxious that their elaborately built houses should not be burnt down. Outside the house, but within the enclosure, is the corn-house. This is a smaller hut, constructed in much the same manner as the dwelling-house, and containing the supply of corn. This is kept in jars, one of which is of prodigious size, and would quite throw into the shade the celebrated oil jars in which the " Forty Thieves " hid themselves. There is also a separate house in which the serv.ints sleep. This corn jar is made of twigs plaited and woven into form, and strengthened by sticks thrust into the ground, so that it is irremovable, even if its huge dimensions did not answer that purpose. The jar is i)lastered both on the outside and the interior with clay, so that it forms .til admirable protection for the corn. These jars are sometimes six feet in height and three in width, and their shape almost exactly resembles that of the oil jars of Europe. The best specimens are raised six or seven inches from the ground, the stakes which form their scaffolding answer- i2 WOXDHRS OF THE TROPICS. I'ng the purpose of legs. Every hous* has one such jar; and in tlm abode of wealthy persons there is generally one large jar and a number of smnllcr ones, all packx-d. Curious Burial Ciistoins. The burial of the dead is conducted after a rather curious manner The funeral ceremonies actually begin before tiie sick person is dead ind must have the effect of hastening dissolution. As soon as the rela tions of the sick m.in see that his end is near, they throw over him z mat, or sometimes a skin, and draw it together until the enclosed indi- vidual is forced into a sitting, ot*^ rnther a crouching posture, with the arms bent, the head bowed, and the Icnees brought into contact with the chin. In this uncomfortable position the last spark of life soon expires, and the actual funeral begins. The relatives dig a grave, generally within the cattle fence, not shaped as is the case in our own country, but a mere round hole, about three feet in diameter. The interior of this strangely shaped grave is then rubbed with a bulbous root. ;\n opening is then made in the fence .'■.nrrounding the house, and the body is carried through it, still enveloped in the mat, and with a skin thrown over the head. It is then lowererl into the grave, and great pains are taken to place it exactly facing the north, an ojjeration which consumes much time, but which is achieved at last with tolerable accuracy. When they have settled this point to their .satisfaction, they bring fi-agments of an anthill, which is the best and finest clay that can be pro- duced, and lay it carefully about the feet of the corpse, over which it is pressed by two men who stand in the grave for that purpose. More and more clay is handed down in wooden bowls, and stamped firmly down, the operator's raising the mat in proportion as the earth rises. They take particular care that not even the smallest pebble shall mix with the earth that surrounds the body, and, as the clay is quite free from stones, it is the fittest material for their purpo.se. How Cliiots are Bnri a w > o > n ■:l'iiii''''!',j, '.,■!■■ -A' (73) 74 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ceremony ends by the whole party leaving the ground, amid the lamenta- tions of the women, who keep up a contiinial wailing cry. These arc the full ceremonials that take place at the death of a chief- it all events, a man of some importance, but they vary much according o the rank of the individual. Sometimes a rain-maker h.is forbidden all .'sepulchral rites whatever, as interfering with the production of rain, and during the time of this interdict every corpse is dragged into the bush to be consumed by the hyaenas. Even the very touch of a dead body is for- bidden, and, under this strange tyranny, a son has been seen to fling a leathern rope round the leg of his dead mother, drag her body into the bush, and there leave it, throwing down the rope and abandoning it, because it had been defiled by the contact of a dead body, and he might happen to touch the part that had touched the corpse. Almost every African tribe has burial customs peculiar to itself Some of the most remarkable of these are met with among the Latookas: Funeral ceremonies differ among the Latookas according to the mode of death. If a man is killed in battle, the body is not touched, but is allowed to remain on the spot where it fell, to be eaten by the hyaenas and the vultures. But should a Latooka, whether man, woman or child, die a natural death, the body is disposed of in a rather singular manner. Immediately after death, a shallow grave is dug in the enclosure that sur- rounds each house, and within a few feet of the door. It is allowed to re- main here for several weeks, when decomposition is usually completed. It is then dug up, the bones are cleaned and washed, and are then placed in an earthenware jar, and carried about a quarter of a mile outside the village. Horrible Treatment of Human Remains. No particular sanctity attaches itself either to the bones or the spot on which they are deposited. The earthen jars are broken in course of time and the bones scattered about, but no one takes any notice of them. In consequence of this custom the neighborhood of a large town presents a most singular and rather dismal aspect, the ground being covered with bones, skulls, and earthenware jars in various states of preservation; and, indeed, the traveler always knows when he is approaching a Latooka town by coming across a quantity of neglected human remains. The Latookas have not the least idea why tkey treat their dead in this jingular manner, nor why they make so strange a distinction between the bodies of warriors who have died the death of the brave and those who have simply died from disease, accident, or decay. Perhaps there is no other country where the body of the dead warrior is lefi; to the beasts LIVINGSTONE AMONG SAVAGES. 75 T\cnta- :hief— lording Idcn all lin, and bush to ^ is for- fling a lebush, cause it ippcn to Some :as: lie mode d, but is ; hyaenas or child, manner, that sur- cd to re- mpleted. n placed side the spot on of time iicm. In Ircsents a red with jn; and, iLatooka Id in this Iwccn the lose Avho Ire IS no le beasts and birds, while those who die natural deaths arc so elaborately buried, exhumed, and placed in the public cemetery. Why they do so they do not seem either to know or to care, and, as far as has been ascertained, this is one of the many customs which has survived long after those who practise it have forgotten its signification. During the three or four weeks that elapse between the interment and exhumation of the body funeral dances are performed. Great number.^ of both sexes tike part in these dances, for which they decorate them- I COM.MwKO KL'NMNC; lO THE FIGHT. selves in a very singular manner. Their hair helmets are ."iupplemented by great plumes of ostrich feathers, each man wearing as many as he can manage to fasten on his head, and skins of the leopard or monkey are hung from their shoulders. The chief adornment, how- ever, is a large iron bell, which is fa.stened to the small of the back, and which is sounded by wri^ W w y Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTEt., N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 m \ iV "% .V W^ o c^ "^^ ^<5 6^ >> 76 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. heightened by the blowing of horns and the beating of seven nogaras of various notes. Every dancer wore an antelope's horn suspended round the neck, which he blew occasionally in the height of his excitement. These instruments produced a sound partaking of the braying of a don key and the screech of an owl. Crowds of men rushed round and rounc brandishing their arms and iron-headed maces, and keeping tolerably in iinc five or six deep, following the leader, who headed them, dancing? backward. The women kept outside the line, dancing a slow, stupid step, while a long string of young girls and small children, their heads and necks rub- bed with red ochre and grcaso, and prettily ornamented with strings of bcii ^s round their loins, kerp a very good line, beating time with their feet, and jingling the numerous iron rings which adorned their ankles to keep time to the drums. One woman attended upon the men, running through the crowd with a gourdful of wood-ashes, handfuls of which she showered over their heads, powdering then? like millers : the object of the operation no one could understand. 1\\e premiere dnnscuse was immensely fat ; she had passed the bloom of youth, but despite her unwieldy state, she kept up the pace to the last quite unconscious of her general appearance, and ab- sorbed with the excitement of the dance. These strange dances form a part of every funeral, and so, when sev- eral persons have died successively, the funeral dances go on for several months together. The chief Commoro was remarkable for his agility in the funeral dances, and took his part in every such ceremony, no matter whether it were lor a wealthy or a poor man, every one who dies being equally entitled to the funeral dance without any distinction of rank or wealth. The bells which are so often mentioned in those tribes inhabiting Central Africa are mostly made on one principle, though not on precisely tlie same pattern. These simple bells evidently derive their origin from the shells of certain nuts, or other hard fruits, which, when suspended and a wooden clapper hunij within them, can produce a sound of some resonance. The next advance is evidently the carving the bell out of some hare Tvood, so as to increase its size and add to the power of its sound Next the superior resonance of iron became apparent, and little bells were made, shaped exactly like the before-mentioned nuts. This point once obtained, the variety in the shape of the bells is evidently a mere matter of caprice on the part of the maker. CHAPTER IV. A CELEBRATED AFRICAN TRIBE. lifftogstone's Great Interest in the Makololo Tribe -The Fate of Ancient Nations "■ Extraordinary Changes in Southern Africa— Obscure Origin of the Hottentots- Displaced by the More Powerful Kaffirs— The Great Chief of the Makololo- Severe Punishment for Cowards — A Royal Young Snob — Fear of the Ferocious Lion — Headlong Charge of the Buffalo upon F!unters — Livingstone's Story ol His Wagon— A Race in Eating— Frightful Battle with Hippopotami— Frail Boat Surrounded by Ugly Brutes — Superior Makololo Women— Mode of Building Houses — Strong Walls and Thatched Roofs— Strange Ideas of a Boatman— OfTenders Flung to Crocodiles — Dividing the Spoils of Hunting — Sports oi African Children — A Queen's Opinion of White People — Better Looking than she Imagined — A Grotesque and Exciting Dance. /^ I VINGSTONE also took great interest in another tribe, the famous j^ Makololo, some account of which will prove instructive and entertaining. In the whole of Africa south of the equator, we find the great events of the civilized world repeated on a smaller scale. Civilized history speaks of the origin and rise of nations, and the decadence and fall o( empires. During a course of many centuries, dynasties have arisen and held their sway for generations, fading away by degrees before the influx of mightier races. The kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Persia, and the like, have lasted from generation after generation, and some of them still exist, though with diminished powers. The Pharaohs have passed from the face of the earth, and their metropolis is a desert ; but Athens and Rome istill retain some traces of their vanished •glories. In Southern Africa, however, the changes that take place, though precisely similar in principle, are on a much smaller scale, both of mag- nitude and duration, and a traveller who passes a few years in the country may see four or five changes of dynasty in that L.. icf period. .Vithin the space of an ordinary life-time, for example, the fiery genius >i Tchaka gathered a number of scattered tribes into a nation, and created 'I dynasty, which, when deprived of its leading spirit, fell into decline, and has yearly tended to return to the original elements of which it was composed. Then the Hottentots have come from some imknown country, and (77) 78 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. dispossessed the aborigines of the Cape so completely that no one knows what those aborigines were. In the case of islands, such as the Poly- nesian group, or even the vast island of Australia, we know what the aborigines must have been ; but we have no such knowledge with regard to Southern Africa, and in consequence the extent of our knowledge is, that the aborigines, whoever they might have been, were certainly not Hottentots. Then the Kaffirs swept down and ejected the Hottentots, and the Dutch and other white colonists ejected the Kaffirs, S» it has been with the tribe of the Makololo, which, though thinly scattered, and by no means condensed, has contrived to possess a large portion of Southern Africa. Deriving their primary origin from a branch of the great Bechuana tribe, and therefore retaining many of the customs of that tribe to when engaged in warfare against their fellow-men. Yet they are not without courage and presence of mind in the hunting-field, though the dre?d king of beasts seems to exercise such an influence over them that the^ fear to resist his inroads. The buffalo is really quite as much to be dreaded as the lion, and yet the Makololo are comparatively indifferent when pursuing it. The animal has an unpleasant habit of doubling back on its trail, crouching in the bush, allowing the hunters to pass its hiding-place, and then to charge suddenly at them with such a force and fury that it scatters the hunters before its headlong rush like autumn leaves before the wind. Hospitality is one of their chief virtues, and it is exercised with a modesty which is rather remarkable. " The people of every village," writes Livingstone, " treated u;; most liberally, presenting, besides oxen, butter, milk, and meal, more ihan we could stow away in our canoes. The cows in this valley are now yielding, as they frequently do, more milk than the people can use, and both men and women present butter in such quantities, that I shall be able to refresh my men as we go along. Anointing the skin prevents the excessive evaporation of the fluids of the body, and acts as clothing in both sun and .shade. Famous Story of the Wagon. " They always made their piesents gracefully. When an ox was given, the owner would say, ' Here is a little bit of bread for you.' This was pleasing, for I had been accustomed to the Bechuanas presenting a miserable goat, with the pompous exclamation, ' Behold an ox!' The women persisted in giving me copious supplies of shrill praises, or 'luUi- looing,' but although I frequently told them to modify their ' Great Lords,' and ' Great Lions,' to more humble expressions, they so evidently intended to do me honor, that I could not help being pleased with the poor creatures' wishes for our success." One remarkable instance of the honesty of this tribe is afforded by Dr. Livingstone. In 1853, he had left at Linyanti, a place on the Zam- besi River, a wagon containing papers and stores. He had been away from Linyanti, to which place he found that letters and packages had been sent for him. Accordingly, in i860, he determined on revisiting 6 82 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. the spot, and, when he arrived there, found that everything in the wagon was exactly in the same state as when he left it in charge of the king seven years before. The head men of the place were very glad to see !.im back again, and only lamented that he had not arrived in the previous year, which happened to be one of special plenty. This honesty is the more remarkable, because they had good reason to fear the attacks of the Matabele, who, if they had heard that a wagon with property in it was kept in the place, would have attacked Linyanti at once, in spite of its strong position amid rivers and marshes. How ever, the Makololo men agreed that in that case they were to fight in defence of the wagon, and that the first man who wounded a Matabele in defence of the wagon was to receive cattle as a reward. It is prob- able, however, that the great personal influence which Dr. Livingstone exercised over the king and his tribe had much to do with the behavior of these Makololo, and that a man of less capacity and experi'^nce would have been robbed of everything that could be stolen. How Straiiffers arc ICocelvcd. When natives travel, especially if they should be headed by a chief, various ceremonies take place, the women being intrusted with the task of welcoming the visitors. This they do by means of a shrill, prolonged, undulating cry, produced by a rapid agitatiori of the tongue, and expressively called " lullilooing." The men follow their example, and it is etiquette for the chief to receive all these salutations with perfect indifference. As soon as the new comers are seated, a conversation takes place, in wlpich the two parties exchange news, and then the head man rises and brings out a quantity of beer in large pots. Calabash goblets are handed round, and every one makes it a point of honor to drink as fast as he can, the fragile goblets being often broken in this convivial rivalry. Besides the beer, jars of clotted milk are produced in plenty, and each of the jars is given to the principal men, who are at liberty to divide it as they choose. Although originally sprung from the Hechuanas, the Makololo disdain the use of spoons, preferring to scoop up the milk iii their hands, and, if a spoon be given to them, they merely ladle out .•«ome milk from the jar, put it into their hands, and so eat it. A chief is expected to give several feasts of meat to his followers. He cliooses an ox, and hands it over to some favored individual, who proceeds to kill it by piercing its heart with a slender spear. The wound is carefully closed, so that the animal bleeds internally, the whole of the blood, as veil as the viscera, foraiing the perquisite of the butcher VJ4 A CELEBRATED AFRICAN TRIBE. 83 wagoD le king 1 to see in the I reason a wagon Linyanti . How 3 fight in Matabcle is prob- vingstone behavior lice would )y a chief, ;h the task prolonged, fnguc, and iple, and it ith perfect inversation |n the head Calabash |t' honor to ;en in this ', and each to divide it Inianas, the |l\e milk iii ladle out A chief is Iclwoses an lis to kill it carefully blood, as Scarcely is the ox dead than it is cut up, the best parts, namely, the hump and ribs, belonging to the chief, who also apportions the* different parts of the slain animal among his guosts, just as Joseph did with his brtlhren, each of the honored guests subdividing his own portion amon;/ his immediate followers. The process of cooking is simple enough, ti* neat bring merely cut into strips and thrown on the fire, often in sue!, quantities that it is neaily cxtingui.shcd. Before it is half cooked, it is taken from the embers, and eaten while so hot that none but a practised mcat-eatcr could endure it, the chief object being to intkoducc as much meat as po.ssible into the .stomach in a given time. It is not manners to eat after a man's companions have finished their meal, and .so each guest cats as much and as fast as he can, and acts as if he had studied in the .school of Sir Dugal Dalgetty. Neither is it manners for any one to take a solitary meal, and, knowing this custom, Dr. Livingstone always contrived to have a second cup of tea or coffee by his side whenever he took his meals, so that the chief, or one of the principal men, might join in the repa.st. Among the Makololo, rank has its drawbacks as well as its privileges, and among the former may be reckoned one of the customs which regu- late meals. A chief may not dine alone, and it is also necessary that at each meal the whole of the provisions should be consumed. If Sekeletii had an ox killed, every particle of it was consumed at a single meal, and in consequence he often suffered severely from hunger before another could be prepared for him and his followers. So completely is this cus- tom ingrained in the nature of the Makololo, that, when Dr. Livingstone visited Sekeletu, the latter was quite scandalized that a portion of the meal was put aside. However, he soon saw the advantage of the plan, and after awhile followed it him.sclf, in spite of the remonstrances of the old men ; and, while the missionary was with him, they played into each other's hands by each reserving a portion for the other at every meal. Great Skill in U.sin? Canoes. As the Makololo live much on the banks of the river Zambesi, they naturally use the canoe, and are skilful in its management. These canoes nic flat-bottomed, in order to enable them to pass over the numerous shallows of the Zambesi, and are sometimes forty feet in length, carrying; from six to ten paddlers, besides other freight. The paddles are about eight feet in length, and, when the canoe gets into shallow water, the pad • dies are used as punt-poles. The paddlers stand while at work, and keep time as if they were engaged in a University boat race, so that they pro- pel the vessel with considerable speed. s A CKLEHRATED AFRICAN TRinE. 86 Rcinj flat-bottomed, the boats need very skilful management, especi- ally in so rapid and variable a river as the Zambesi, whore sluggish depths, rock-beset shallows, and swift rapids, follow each other rei)eat edly. If the canoe should happen to come broadside to the current, :• would inevitably be upset, and as the Makololo are not ail swimmers, several of the crew would probably be drowned. As soon, therefore, as such a danger seems *o be pending, those who can swim jump into the Abater and guide the canoe through the sunken rocks and dangerous ed- dies. Skill in t)ie management of the canoe is especially needed in fht chase of the hippopotamus, which they contrive to hunt in their owr. clement, and which they seldom fail in securing, in spite of the enormour size, the furious anger, and the formidable jaws of this remarkable animal. Terrible Kiicoiiiiter with the Itiver-IlorHC. The dangers "of travel arc seen from the following account given by a traveller while making a trip up the Nile: It wa^ on this trip that I had a narrow escape from fdling into the jaws of " the river-horse," — hippopotamus, one of the largest of mammals. This animal can never have been very common on the lower part (jf th<.- river, for you do not .see his easily recognized figure among the hiero glyphi;s with which the temples are filled, between the Delta ;iiul the first cataract. Nor does Ron)an history often mention them in the games or triumphs of the emperors, which is singular, when tigers, lions and elephants figure so often. But farther up the river you meet him still, usually swimming very low in the w.iter, with simply his nose, eyes and ears a'')ove its surface, and followed by his mate, — for they travel usually in couples. But on the day to which I refer, this number was increased to three — and huge specimens they were — sunning them.selves on the left bank of the river, and on the back of the female rested a young one, uglier, if possible, than its fond parents. We were six of us, only one a native, rowing along the shore in a skiff; and one of my companions, a Frenchman, with the careless thoughtless- ness of his race, raised his rifle and let drive at the youngster. There •A'as a tremendous splashing and racket, and the water for yards wa- itirred up by the four mighty bodies diving into it simultaneously. / cry of warning came from our guide, who began jabt»ering away in hi'. own lingo at a great rate. " What's the beggar raising all this row about ?" asked the Frenchman *'Pull for your life!" shouted I. "You'll have the whole party round us ill a minute." rile boat was a poor one for speed, and we were still a long way from M WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. the nearest point of Ian«.. when the snouts of the hippopotomi came to the surface within pistol-shot of the stern. In a nioni(;nt they wtrc aryuncJ us, threatening to crush the thwarts of cur craft and make two mouthfuls of the whole party. Wo dropped our oars- -for fli •mptied both barrels into his head, and he sank witliDut a gurgle into .'ho muddy water. Meanwhile the other end of the boat had been less it mate. The remaining male had fastened his massive jaws in the ^'unwale and was crunching it like paper, while the Frenchman, the cause of all the danger, was ineffectually belaboring his head with an oar, his empty gun being, of cour -c, useless. Luckiiy for us, one of the party had a 1 uded rifle and sonv* '»res»nce A CELEBRATED AFRICAN IRinE. c to the around xithfula 1 seized irgest, f furgle into been less laws in the li, the cause |an oar, his « ircsence of mind left, and to these hippopotamus number two reluctantly yielded, and went to join his friend at the bottom of the miirl ly river. It is really curious how easily and quickly so huge an animal will die imder modern weapons, when you remember what didiculty the ancients expe- rienced in killing largo game, and how an entire army was needed to cope with an elephant or hippopoi.imus. But to return to our still rather unpleasant predicament: before the female could reach us, we were all reloaded and ready for her She seemed to realize this, for, without waiting for our cordial reception, she turned tail and made for the other shore, leaving a wake behind her like a harbor steamboat. Reaching a long tongue of lanu > ar the far- ther bank, she waded through the shallows and across it, distu:bi ig the crocodiles sunning thereon, and driving them into the 'ater Neyond, i to which she followed them and was lost to our sight, -vnd not on of the party seemed to en re! 8in{jrulnr Habits of tiiu Makololo. The <'.vss of the men differs but little from that which is in use in other parts of Africa south of the equator, and consists chiefly of a skin twisted round the loins, and a mantle of the same material thrown over the shoulders, the latter being only worn in cold weather. The Makololo are a cleanly race, particularly when they happen to be in the neighbor- hood of a river or lake, in which they bathe several times daily. The men, however, are better in this respect than the women, who seem rather to be afraid of cold water, preferring to rub their bodies with melted butter, which has the effect of making their .skins glossy, and keeping off parasites, but also imparting a peculiarly unpleasant odor to themselves and their clothing. As to the women, they are clothed in a far better manner than the men, and are exceedingly fond of ornaments, wearing a skin kilt or kaross, and adorning themselves with as many ornaments as they can aflbrd. The traveller who has already been quoted mentions that a sister of the great chief Sebituane wore enough ornaments to be a load for an ordi- nary man. On each leg she had eighteen rings of solid brass, as thick as a nan's finger, and three of copper under each knee ; nin.tecn similar .'ings on her right arm, and eight of brass and copper on her left. She had also a large ivory ring above each elbow, a broad band of beads round her waist, and another round her neck, being altogether nearly one hundred large and heavy rings. The weight of the rings on her legs was so great, that she was obliged to wrap soft rags round the lower rings, as they had begun to chafe her ankles. Under this weight of 88 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. metal she could walk but awkwardly, but fashion proved itself superloi to pain with this Makololo woman, as among her iVmerican sisters. Both in color and general manners, the Makololo women an superior to most of the tribes. This superiority is partly due to the light warm brown of their complexion, and partly to their mode of life. Unlike the women of ordinary African tribes, those of the Makololo lead a compara- tively easy life, having their harder labors shared by their husbands, wha aid in digging the ground, and in other rough work. Even the domestic work is done more by servants than by the mistresses of the household, so that the Makololo women are not liable to that rapid deterioiation which is so evident among other tribes. In fact they have so much time to thems'^lves, and so little to occupy them, that they are apt to fall into rather dissipated habits, and spend much of their time in smoking hemp and drinking beer, the former habit being a most insidious one, and apt to cause a peculiar eri'ptive disease. Sekeletu was a votary of the hemp-pipe, and, by his over-indulgence in this luxury, he induced the disease of which he afterward died. Womeu Who Build Houses. The only hard work that falls to the lot of the Makololo women is that of house-building, which is left entirely to them and their servants. The mode of making a house is rather remarkable. The first business is to build a cylindrical tower of stakes and reeds, plastered with mud, and some nine or ten feet in height, the walls and floor being smoothly plastered, so as to prevent them from harboring insects. A large conical roof is then put together on the ground, and completely thatched with reeds. It is then lifted by many hands, and lodged on top of the circular tower. As the roof projects far beyond the central tower, it is supported by stakes, and, as a general rule, the spaces between these stakes are filled up with a wall or fence of reeds plastered with mud. This roof is not permanently fixed either to the supporting stakes or the central tower, and can be reinoved at pleasure. When a visitor arrives among the Makololo, he is often lodged by the simple process of lifting a finished loof off an unfinished house, and putting it on the ground. Although it is then so low that a man can scarcely sit, much lesfc f:tand upright, it answers very well for Southern Africa, where the whole of active life is spent, as a rule, in the open air, and where houses are only used as sleeping-boxes. The doorway that gives admission into the cir- cular vjhamber is always small. In a house that was assigned to Dr. Livingstone, it was only nineteen inches in *otal height, twenty-two in width at the floor, and twelve at the A CELEBRATED AFRICAN TRIBE. 8P jperioi aperior t warm [\]r departed spirits, who were assembled round their chief, that is the sun. For major crimes a picho is generally held, and the accused, if found guilty, is condemned to death. The usual mode of execution is for two men to grasp the condemned by his wrists, lead him a mile from the town, and then to spear him. Resistance is not offered, neither is the criminal allowed to speak. So quiet is the whole proceeding that, on one very remarkable occasion, a rival chief was carried off within a few yards of Dr. Livingstone without his being aware of the fact. 9^ WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Shortly after Sebituane's death, while his son Sekeletu was yet a young man of eighteen, and but newly raised to the throne, a rival named Mpepe, who had been appointed by Sebituane chief of a division of the tribe, aspired to the throne. lie strengthened his pretensions by super- stition, having heir for some years a host of incantations, at which a num- ber of native wizards assembled, and performed a number of enchantments so potent that even the strong-minded Sebituane was afraid of him. After the death of that great chief, Mpepe organized a conspiracy whereby he should be able to murder Sekeletu and to take his throne. The plot, however, was discovered, and on the night of its failure, his executioners came quietly to Mpepe's fire, took his wrists, led him out, and speared , him. Fliin{ir to the Crocodiles* Sometimes the offender is taken into the river in a beat, strangled, and flung into the water, where the crocodiles are waiting to receive him. Disobedience to the chief's command is thought to be quite sufficient cause for such a punishment Fof lesser offences fines are inflicted, a par- liament not being needed, but the case being heard before the chief. Dr. Livingstone relates in a very graphic style the manner in which these cases aro conducted. "The complainant asks the man against whom he means to lodge his complaint to come with him to the chief. This is never refused. When both are in the kotla, the complainant stands up and states the whole case before the chief and people usually assembled there. He stands a few seconds after he has done this to recollect if he has forgotten anything. The witnesses to whom he has referred then rise up and tell all that they themselves have seen or heard, but not anything that they have heard from others. The defendant, after allowing some minutes to elapse, so that he may not interrupt any of the opposite party, slowly rises, folds his cloak about him, and in the most quiet and deliberate way he can assume, yawning, blowing his nose, etc., begins to explain the affair, denying the charge or admitting it, as the case may be. " Sometimes, when galled by his remarks, the complainant utters a sen- tence of dissent. The accused turns quietly to him and says, ' Be silent, I sat while you were speaking. Can not you do the same? Do you want to have it all to yourself?' And, as the audience acquiesce in this bantering, and enforce silence, he goes on until he has finished all he wishes to say in his defence. If he has any witnesses to the truth of the facts of his defence, they give their evidence. No oath is administered, but occasionally, when a statement is questioned, a man will say, ' By my lather,' or ' By A CELEBRATED AFRICAN TRIBE. 93 the chief, it is so.' Their truthfulness among each other is quite remark- able, but their system of government is such that Americans are not in a position to realize it readily. A poor man will say in his defence against a rich one, 'I am astonished to hear a man so great as he make a false accusation,' as if the offence of falsehood were felt to be one against the society which the individual referred to had the greatest interest in up- holding." When a case is brought before the king by chiefs or other influential men, it is expected that the councillors who attend the royal presence shall give their opinions, and the permission to do so is inferred whenever the king remains silent after having heard both parties. It is a point of etiquette that all the speakers stand except the king, who alone has the privilege of speaking while seated Dividing the Spoils. There is even a series of game-laws in the country, all ivory belonging of right to the king, and every tusk being brought to him. This right is, however, only nominal, as the king is expected to share the ivory among his people, and if he did not do so, he would not be able to enforce the law. In fact, the whole law practically resolves itself into this: that the king gets one tusk and the hunters get the other, while the flesh belongs to those who kill the animal. And, as the flesh is to the people far more valuable than the ivory, the agreement is much fairer than appears at first sight. Practically i*" * ' "^v^tem of make-believes. Tlie successful hunters kill two elepb four tusks to the king, and make believe to offer uiem 'c! —e. He makes believe to take them as his righ! id tl makes believe to present them with two as a free gift froiT' 1 e) rhcy acknowledge the royal bounty with abundant thanks and reC( , ..ulation of titles, such as Great Lion, etc., and so all parties are equally satisfied. - Among the Makololo, as well as among Americans, the spirit of play "s strong in children, and th-ey engage in various games, chiefly consisting n childish imitation of the more serious pursuits of their patents. The "oUowing account of ihcir play is given by Dr. Livingstone: "The chil- Jicn have merry times, especially in the cool of the evening. One of their games consists of a little girl being carried on the shoulders of two others. She sits with outstretched arms, as they walk about with her, and all the rest clap their hands, and stopping before each hut, sing pretty airs, some bv^ating time on their little kilts of cow-skin, ami others making a curious humming sound between the songs. Excepting this 94 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I l| and the skipping-rope, the play of the girls consists in imitation of the serious work of their mothers, building little huts, making small pots, and cooking, pounding corn in miniature mortars, or hoeing tiny gar- dens. Sports of AfMcan Boys. "The boys play with spears of reeds pointed with wood, and small shields, or bows and arrows; or amuse themselves in making little cattle- pens, or cattle in clay — they show great ingenuity in the imitation ot variously shaped horns. Some, too, are said to use slings, but, as soon as they can watch the goats or calves, they are sent to the field. We saw many boys riding on the calves they had in charge, but this is an innova- tion since the arrival of the English with their horses. Tselane, one of the ladies, on observing me one day noting observations on the wet and dry bulb thermometers, thought I too was engaged in play. On receiving no reply to her question, which was rather difficult to answer, as their native tongue has no scientific terms, she said with roguish glee, 'Poor thing! playing like a little child!'" Mr. Baines represents a domestic scene in a Makololo family. The house belongs to a chief named M'Bopo, who was very friendly to Mr. Baines and his companions, and was altogether a fine specimen of a savage gentleman. He was exceedingly hospitable to his guests, not only feeding them well, but producing great jars of pombe, or native beer, which they were obliged to consume either personally or by deputy. M'Bopo's chief wife sits beside him, and is distinguished by the two ornaments which she wears. On her forehead is a circular piece of hide, kneaded while wet so as to form a shallow cone. The inside of this cone is entirely covered with beads, mostly white, and scarlet in the centre. Upon her neck is another ornament, which is valued very highly. It is the base of a shell, a species of conus — the whole of which has been ground away except the ba.se. This ornament is thought so valuable that when the great chief Shinte presented Dr. Livingstone with one, he took the precaution of coming alone, and carefully closing the tent door, so that none of his people should witness an act of such extravagant generosity. White People Better Lookingr than Supposed. This lady was good enough to express her opinion of the white trav- ellers. They were not so ugly, said she, as she had expected. All that hair on their heads and faces was certainly disagreeable, but their faces were pleasant enough, and their hands were well formed, but the great de* te trav- el that lir faces Ireat de- < »! O 03 H C S! t») a: c S', H ^« v; r. > rr r > H (y5) 96 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. feet in them was, that they had no toes. The worthy lady had never lieard of boots, and evidently considered them as analogous to the hoof of cat- tle. It was found necessary to remove the boots, and convince her that the white man really had toes. The Makololo have plenty of amusements after their own fashion, which is certainly not that of an An-""-ican. Even those who have lived among them for some time, and have acknowledged that they are among the most favorable specimens of African heathendom, have been utterly disgusted and wearied with the life which they had to lead. There is no quiet and no repose day or night, and Dr. Livingstone, who might be ex- pected to be thoroughly hardened against annoyance by trifles, states broadly that the dancing, singing, roaring, jesting, story-telling, grumb- ling, and quarreling of the Makololo were a severer penance than any- thing which he had undergone in all his experience. He had to live with them, and was therefore brought in close contact with them. A Crazy Danco. The first three items of savage life, namely, dancing, singing and roar- ing, seem to be inseparably united, and the savages seem to be incapable of getting up a dance unless accompanied by roaring on the part of the performers, and singing on the part of the spectators — the latter sounds being not more melodious than the former. Dr. Livingstone gives a very graphic account of a Makololo dance. " As this was the first visit which Sekeletu had paid to this part of his dominions, it was to many a season of great joy. The head men of each village presented oxen, milk and beer, more than the horde which accom- panied him could devour, though their abilities in that way are something wonderful. "The people usually show their joy and work ofl" their excitement in dances and songs. The dance consists of men standing nearly naked in a circle, with clubs or small battle-axes in their hands, and each roaring at the loudest pitch of his voice, while they simultaneously lift one leg, stamping twice with it, then lift the other and give one stamp with it : this is the only movement in common. The arms and head are thrown -ibout also in every direction, and all this time the roaring is kept up with the utmost possible vigor. The continued stamping makes a cloud of •dust ascend, and they leave a deep ring in the ground where they have stood. " If the scene were witnessed in a lunatic asylum, it would be nothing out of the way, and quite appropriate as a means of letting off" the exces- sive excitement of the brain. But here, gray-headed men joined in the A CELEBRATED AFRICAN TRIBE. 97 r|ierfonnance with as much zest as others whose youth might be an excuse for making the perspiration start off their bodies with the exertion. Motebe asked what I thought of the Makololo dance. I replied, ' It is very hard work, and brings but small profit.' ' It is,' he replied ; 'but it is very nice, and the Sekeletu will give us an ox for dancing for him.' He usually does slaughter an ox for the dancers when the work is over. " The women stand by, clapping their hands, and occasionally one ad- vances within the circle, composed of a hundred men, makes a few move- ments, and then retires. As I never tried it, and am unable to enter into the spirit of the thing, I cannot recommend the Makololo polka to the -dancing world, but I have the authority of no less a person than Motebe, Sekeletu's father-in-law, for saying that it is very nice." Many of the Makololo are inveterate smokers, preferring hemp even to tobacco, because it is more intoxicating. They delight in smoking them- selves into a positive frenzy, which passes away in a rapid stream of un- meaning words, or short sentences, as, " The green grass growb," " The fat cattle thrive," " The fishes swim." No one in the group pays the slightest attention to the vehement eloquence, or the sage or silly utter- ances of the oracle, who stops abruptly, and, the instant common sense returns, looks foolish. They smoke the hemp through water, using a koodoo horn for their pipe, much in the way that the Damaras and other tribes use it. Over-indulgence in this luxury has a very prejudicial effect on the health, producing an eruption over the whole body that is quite unmis- takable. In consequence of this effect, the men prohibit their wives from using the hemp, but the result of the prohibition seems only to be that the women smoke secretly instead of openly, and are afterward discovered by the appearance of the skin. It is the more fascinating, because its use im- .parts a spurious strength to the body, while it ener^%tes the mind to such a d^ree that the user is incapable of perceiving the state in which he is gradually sinking, or of exercising sufficient self-control to abandon or even modify the destructive habit. Sekeletu was a complete \nctim oi the hemp-pipe, and there is no doubt that the illness, something like the dreaded " craw-craw " of Western Africa, was aggravated, if not caused^ vby over-indulgence in smoking hemp. CHAPTER V. PERILS OF TROPICAL EXPLORATIONS. Ksmarkable Successes of Livingstone — Forming a Station in the Wilderness— Tha Explorer Builds a House— Search for a Great Lake— A Desert with Prodigious Herds of Wild Animals— Starting on a Perilous Journey — Wagons Left in Charge of Natives— Travelling in Frail Canoes— Haunts of the Hippopotami— Thrilling. Adventure with Crocodiles— Frantic Struggles to Escape from Death— Shooting: the Huge Monster— Seized with a SnJden Horror— A Great Splash and a Cry of Joy— Ancient Crocodiles with Immense Jaws— Exciting Encounter with a. River-Horse— A Remarkable Chief— Rivers and Swamps Breeding Fevers — Reaching the Banks of the Zambesi— Prevalence of a Troublesome Fly — A. Magnificent River — Livingstone's Journey of a Thousand Miles with his Family — Malicious Attack by the Dutch Boers— Livingstone's House Plundered— The- Explorer Reaches the Capital of the Makololo— Cordial Welcome from the Natives — The Young King Has a Rival — Ascending the Great River Zambesi- Attempt on tile Life of the King — Makololo Architecture — A Grand Dance — Expedition to the West — The Balonda Country — A Visit to Shinti— Scarcity o£" Food — Arrival at Loanda— Attacked by Savages— On the Leeba — Arrival at Linyanti. ' ■^y'AVING given a full description of the curious customs and re- l*J markable character of the tribes among whom Livingstone (g) spent many years, we are now prepared to take up the thread of the narrative and follow him through his various fortunes, his trials and his remarkable successes. The chief of the Bakwains^. Sechele, renounced his heathenism, became a much better man than he had been before, restored his wives to their fathers, and lived in every 'respect a thoroughly consistent life. The Dutch B(*ers, who had pushed forward to the confines of the countiy, proved, however, most adverse to the success of the mission by carrying off the natives and compelling them to labor as slaves. By- advice Sechele and his people moved to Kolobeng, a stream about tv>?c hundred miles north of Kuruman, where Dr. Livingstone formed ? station. He here built a house with his own hands, having learned carpentering and gardening from Mr. Moffatt, as also blacksmith work. He had now become handy at almost any trade, in addition to doctoring and preach- ing, and, as his wife could make candles, soap, and clothes, they possessed what might be considered the indispensable accomplishments cf a missionary family in Central Africa. (U8) i PERILS OF TROPICAL EXPLORATIONS. ,es9— Th« rodigiouS in Charge -Thrilling:. -Shooting 1 a Cry ol ;r with a. Fevtrs — le Fly-A s Family— ered— The J from the Zambesi— id Dance — -Scarcity of* -Arrival at IS and re- ivingstone thread of [tunes, his iBakvvains^. than he in every ies of the liission by laves. By about t\^c formed a |rpentering had now id preach- thes, they >Ushment»- Among the gentlemen who had visited the station was Mr. Oswell, in the East India Company's service. He deserves to take rank as an Af- rican traveller. Hearing that Dr. Livingstone purposed crossing the Kalahara Desert in search of the great Lake N'gami, long known to exist, he came from India on purpo.se to join him, accompanied by Mr. Murray, volunteering to pay the entire expenses of the guides. The Kalahara, though called a deser.' from being composed of soft: sand and being destitute of water, supporcs prodigious herds of antelopes^ while numbers of elephants, rhinocero;, lions, hyaenas, and other wild animals roam over it. They find sr.pport from the astonishing quantity of grass which grows in the region, as also from a species of watermelon, and from several tuberous roots, the most curious of which is as large as the head of a young child, and filled with a fluid like that of a turnip. Another is an herbaceous creeper, the tubers of which, as large as a man's head, it deposits in a circle of a yard or more horizontally from the stem. On the watermelons especially, the elephants and other wild animals revel luxuriously. Startiiifj: oil a Hazardous Journey. Such was the desert Livingstone and his party proposed to cross when they set out with their wagon on the first of June, 1849, from Kolobeng. Instead, however, of taking a direct course across it, they determined to take a more circuitous route, which, though longer, they hoped would prove safer. Continuing on, they traversed three hundred miles of desert, when, at the end of a month, they r'^ached the banks of the Zouga, a large river, richly fringed with fi-uit-bj'aringand other trees, many of them of gigantic growth, running north-east towards Lake N'gami. They i-eceived a cordial welcome from 'he peace-loving inhabitants of its banks, the Bayeiye. Leaving the wagons in charge of the natives, with the exception of a small one which prociedcd along the bank, Livingstone embarked in one of the'r canoes. Frail as are the canoes of the natives, they make long trips in them, and manage t;hem with great skill, often standing up and paddling with long light poles. They thus daringly attack the hippo- potami in their haunts, or pursue the swift antelope which ventures to swim across the river. After voyaging on the stream for twelve days, they reached the broad expanse of Lake N'gami. Though wide, it is excessively shallow, and brackish during the rainy season. They here heard of the Tamunacle and other large rivers flowing into the lake. » Livingstone's main object in coming was to visit Sebituane, the great 100 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I chief of the Makololo, wlio live about two hundred miles to the north ward. The chief of the ihstrict, Sechuiatebe, refused, however, either to give them j^oods or to allow them to cross the river. Having in vain attempted to form a raft to ferry over the wagon, they were reluctantly compelled to abandon their ilesign. Tiie doctor had been working at the raft in the river, not aware of the number of crococilcs which swarmed around him, and had ••eason to be thankful that he escaped their jaws. These creatures are the foes of the traveller, and even the natives entertain for them a peculiar dread. Once in their ferocious jaws all hope is gone. Livingstone had many narrow escapes from the crocodiles which infest many of the rivers of Africa. A graphic account from the writings of a traveller in Africa shows the dangers sometimes met with by Trop- ical explorers. The account is as follows Suddenly the scene became startling. I lieard an exclamation of hor- ror from the natives, who, with eyes starting from their sockets, pointed eastward toward the nearer tree clumps. " What is it?" said I, straining my eyes in the same direction, but in vain. " Crocodiles I Crocodiles ! " I repeated the word mechanically, my heart sinking within me as I^ too, began to distinguish the black points which indicated to the natives' quick eyes the approaching enemy. Face to Face with the MoiisterH. " Are you sure ? " I whispered hoarsely, the cold sweat pouring oflf my forehead. " Yes, Sahib, certain; there are four of them." I had only six explosive-ball cartridges, and, in spite of their terrible effectiveness, I could but remember that the crocodile in the water is well-nigh invulnerable, with only his armor-plated back exposed. How- ever, the terrible foe was still some way off, and I should not myself have detected them but for the natives' quick instinct. There was nothing left us but to try, at any cost, to reach the nearest of the tree islands, avoid- 'ng by guess the bottomless mud-holes that beset the path. The unfortunate native who was responsible for our position headed the Hne again, sounding to right and left, as he advanced, with his spear. It is impossible to describe this adventure — marching through the water, pursued by crocodiles, not daring to put down one's foot until assured by sounding that it would reach something solid. Although the island grew perceptibly nearer, our hungry neighbors did too, and at an increasing pace. Still we were distancing them — for over many of the shoals they north her to in vain ctantly r at the warmed aws. natives ill hoiK' s which writings y Trop- of hor- pointed 1, but in me as I, nativfeJi' unng off ir terrible water is How- :self have )lhing left Is, avoid- In headed Ihis spear, pe water, Issured by lland grew Increasing loals th«y a > n c n o o (101) 102 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. W could not swim, and wading, I'or a crocodile, is a slow process — when, without wa.;ning, and as quick as lightning, we felt the ground sink beneath our feet, and we were all four precipitated simultaneously into the swar.ip. Instinctively, my attendant and I raised our weapons and am- munition high over our heads, for when we touched bottom — that is, a feirly solid layer of vegetable matter — the water reached our arm-pits. " We might as well give up," said I, in despair; " this time we are lost!" "Oh, don't give up yet, Sahib. We are so low that, with this head jVind, the crocodiles cannot sec us and will perhaps be unable to find ui at all. Let us cover our heads with these marsh grasses and leaves and 'lie low."' Struggling' for Dear Life. His advice was so evidently good that instead of a vain attempt to reach the firm land with its inevitable exposure to the hungry eyes of our terrible pursuers, we acquiesced at once. After several minutes of suspense, the native raised himself slightly on a hummock, and glanced cautiously toward the spot where we had last seen them. His face cleared at once, and he cheered us with — " They have lost us, and have separated to search for us. Three are going almost directly from this place, and one only . -^ws enough to keep on in the first course." "And he is headed for us?" "In a straight line!" "Then do not lose sight of him for an instant. With one enemy we may be able to cope, and then there is a chance that he may lose the scent." When I asked him again where the animal was — for I dared not raise my own head to look— -he replied that he was still coming straight toward us, and I saw that a meeting was inevitable and made my preparations accordingly. I took my rifle and loaded it with an explosive ball, "Now then," said I, "listen to my instructions. The native says the crocodile is sure to find us. I shall let him get within ten yards of us, and then I shall fire at whatever vulnerable part I can — his eye or his belly. Of course I may miss him, or the bullet may glance off his back without wounding him." The black's eyes rolled with horror. "Then, without an instant's hesitation and yet without haste, you, who must stand just behind me, must take my rifle and hand mc my other gun for a second shot. Do you understand?" "Perfectly." TUB. FAMOUS ANTEDILUVIAN CROCODILE. (103) J04 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS'. "And I can depend on you?" "Till death." " We will try to make it less bad than that, and your courage shall meet: its reward." "A Shmlder of Horror Ran tliroiigrh Me." I knew what he said was true, for the fellow had been devoted to me 3ver since I saved his life in the jungle when the gorilla grappled him. and I felt I could rely upon him. Raising myself as high as I could, I took a good look at the slowly approaching monster, and, I confess, a shudder of horror ran through me at his immense size. He was farther off than I expected, and evidently quite unconscious of our neighborhood, into which he had come by chance,, following the raised path on which we ourselves had been travelling when, the tide overtook us. I immediately changed my plan of attack. I ordered my attendant to wade off to the left so that '-.he smoke from his- gun should not blow across me, and told him to fire at the crocodile and. try to wound him, if only slightly. As this would make the latter raise his head and look round, I hoped; to get a shot at some vulnerable .spot, and land an explosive ball where it would do most good. I had hardly taken up my position, with rifle lifted^ when my attendant's gun cracked sharp and clear, and I saw blood fly from the eye of the crocodile, whose advance ceased immediately. I could scarcely restrain a cry of joy, but catching sight of a yellow piece of neck, I fired at it and shut my eyes. A great splash and the shouts of triumph of the natives encouraged me to open them, and I found the suc- cess of the shot greater than I had hoped. A Hard Death. The crocodile lay on his side on a little island with his neck blown- open the entire length of the jaw, while the natives who made a break for land without regard to me, capered round him. I called them, and they helped me on shore to where the animal lay in his last agony — for these brutes die as hard as a snake. He was a very large specimen, with a head twice as long as it was broad, his eyes set close together above his long snoUt, of which only the under jaw was movable. His front feet had five toes armed with claws, and his hind feet but four, and webbed to allow him to swim easily. His whole body was shingled with plates of a shell-like membrane that made him a fine coat of mail nearly bullet- proof. Green on the back, his color gradually shaded ofi" into yellow,, and he was a terrible foe to meet in the water, where we should not have- come off so well had not our good luck stood by us just as it did. PERILS OF TROPICAL EXPLORATION. 105 11 meet: 1 tc me :d him, : slowly ugh me evidently chance,. i Livingstone for the discoveries he made on this journey. Sechcle, the Christian chief of the Bakwains, who was eager to assist him in reaching Sebituanc, offered his services, and with him as a guide^ accompanied by Mrs. Livingstone and their three children, he set out, in April, 1850, taking a more easterly course than before. They again reached the lake, but the greater number of the party being at~ tacked by fever, he was compelled to abandon his design of visiting Sebituane. Ke here heard of the death of a young artist, Mr. Rider wha had shortly before visited the lake for the purpose of making sketches. Hunting the Hippotanius. The natives inhabiting the banks of the rivers falling into Lake N'gami are famed for their skill in hunting the hippopotamus. In perfect silence they approach in their light canoes, and plunge their sharp spears, with thongs attached, into the back of one of the huge creatures, which dashes^ down the stream, towing the canoe at a rapid rate. Thus the animal con- tinues its course, the hunters holding on to the rope, till its strength is ex- hausted when, other canoes coming up, it is .speared to death. Frequently, however, the hippopotamus turns on its assailants, bites the canoe in two, and seizes one of them in its powerful jaws. When they can manage to do so, they tow it into shallow water, and carrying the line on shore, secure it to a tree, wiiile they attack the infuriated animal with their spears, till, sinking exhausted with its efforts, it becomes theif prey. ♦ M-. Oswell, who had arrived too late for the journey, spent the remain- 106 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. der of the season in hunting elephants, liberally presenting Dr. Living- stone with the proceeds of his sport, for the outfit of his children. The third journey was commenced in the spring of 1 85 1 , when, rejoined by Mr. Oswell, he set out once more, accompanied by Mrs. Livingstone and their children. First travelling north, and then to the north-east, through a region covered with baobab-trees, abounding with springs, and inhabited by Bushmen, they entered an arid and difficult country. Here, the supply of water became exhausted, great anxiety was felt for the children, who suffered greatly from thirst. At length a small stream, the Mababe, was reached, running into a marsh, across which they had to make their way. During the night they traversed a region infested by the tsetse, a fly not much larger than the common house-fly, the bite of which destroys cattle and horses. A Terrible Pest. It is remarkable that neither man, wild animals, nor even calves as long as they continue to suck, suffer from the bite of this fearful pest. While some districts are infested by it, others in the immediate neighborhood are free, and, as it does not bite at night, the only way the cattle of travel- lers can escape is by passing quickly through the infested district before the sun is up. Sometimes the natives lose the whole of their cattle by its attacks, and travellers frequently have been deprived of all means of moving with their wagons, in consequence of the death of their animals; some, indeed, have perished from being unable to proceed. Having reached the Chobe, a large river, which falls into the Zambesi, leaving their attendants encamped with their cattle on an island, Living- stone and his family, with Mr. Oswell, eaibarked in a canoe on the former river, and proceeded down it about twenty miles to an island, where Sebituane was waiting to receive them. The chief, pleased with the confidence the doctor had shown in bring- ing his wife and children, promised to take them to see his country, that they might choose a spot where they might form a missionary station. He had been engaged in warfare nearly all his life, under varying fortunes, with the neighboring savage tribes, and had at length established himself n a secure position behind the Chobe and Leeambye, whose broad streams guarded him from the inroads of his enemies. He had now a larger number of subjects and was richer in cattle than any chief in that part of Africa. The rivers and swamps, however, of the region produced fever, which liad proved fatal to many of his people. He had long been anxious for PERILS OF TROPICAL EXPLORATIONS. 107 intercourse with Europeans, and showed every wish to encourage those who now visited him to remain in his territory. Unhappily, a few days after the arrival of his guests the chief was attacked with inflammation of the lungs, originating in an old wound, and, having listened to the gospel message delivered by the doctor, he in a short time breathed his last. Dr. Livingstone says that he was decidedly the best specimen of a native chief he had ever met. His followers expressed the hope that the English would be as friendly to his children as they intended to have been to himself. The chieftainship devolved at his death on a daughter, who gave the THE FINAL ATTACK ON A SAVAGE HIPPOPOTAMUS. visitors leave to travel through any part of the country they chose. They accordingly set out, and traversing a level district covered with wild date- trees, and here and there large patches of swamp, for a distance of a 'lundred and thirty miles to the north-east, they reached the banks of the Zambesi, in the centre of the continent. From the prevalence of the tsetse, and the periodical rise of its nu- merous streams causing malaria. Dr. Livingstone was compelled to abandon the intention he had formed of removing his own people thither that they might be out of reach of their savage neighbors, the Dutch Boers. It was, however, he at once saw, the key of Southern and Central Africa. The magnificent stream, on the bank of which he now stood, flows 108 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. hundreds of miles east to the Indian Ocean — a mighty artery supplying^ hfe to the teeming population of that part of Africa. He therefore deter- mined to send his wife and children to England, and to return himself and spend two or three years in the new region he had discovered, in the hope of evangelizing the people. He accordingly returned to Kolobeng, and then set out witli his family a journey of a thousand miles, to Cape Town. Having seen them aboard d homeward bound ship, he again turned his face ncMthward, June, 1852, The Explorer's Houne Robbed. Having reached Kuiuman, he was there detained by the breaking of a wagon-wheel. During that time the Dutch Boers attacked his friends, the Bakwains, carrying off a number of them into slavery, the only excuse the white men had being that Sechele was getting too saucy — in reality because he would not prevent the English traders from passing through his territory to the northward. The Dutch plundered Livingstone's house, and carried off the wagons of the chief and that of a trader who was stcjpping in the place. Livingi.tone therefore found great difficulty in obtaining guides and servants to proceed northward. Poor Sechele set out for Cape Town, intending as he said, to lay his complaint before the Queen of England, but was compelled by want of funds to return to liis own country, where he devoted himself to the evangelization of his people. Parting with the chief, Livingstone, giving the Boers a wide berth, pro- ceeded across the desert to Linyanti, the capital of the Makololo, where he had visited the Chief Sebituane in 185 1. The whole population, amounting to nearly seven thousand souls, turned out to welcome him. He found that the princess had abdicated in favor of her brother Se- keletu, who received him with the greatest cordiality. The young king,, then only nineteen, exclaimed: " I have now got another father instead of Sebituane." The people shared this feeling, believing that by the residence of a missionary among them they would obtain some important benefits, though of the real character of the blessing they might receive they v/cre totally ignorant. 'va'. of the young king existed in the person of a cousin, Mpepe, v 1!' J been appointed by the late king chief over a portion of ij'T •!• ;-, ts, but whose ambition made him aim at the command of the Half-caste Portuguese slave-traders had made their way to Linyanti,. and one, who pretended to be an important person, was carried about in a hammock slung between two poles, which looking like a bag, the supplying' ore deter- rn himself led, in the his family cm aboard uue, 1852. :aking of a his friends, )nly excuse —hi reality ng throuLjh ivingstone's trader who at difficulty oor Sechele Dlaint before Ito return to tion of his berth, pro- olo, where copulation, come him. brother Se- ^oung king,, ther instead hat by the c important ght receive sin, Mpepe, 1 portion of |iand of the [o Linyanti,, ;d about in a bag, the GREAT BAOBAB TREE OF AFRICA. (109) 1 M no WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. natives called him " the father of the bag." Mpepe favored these scoun- drels, as he hoped by their means to succeed in his rebellion. The arrival of Livingstone, however, somewhat dampened their hopes. Liviusrstoue Saves a Chief from an iV^^i^assiu. As the chief object of the doctor was to select a spot for a settlement, he ascended, accompanied by Sekeletu, the great river Zambesi, which had been discovered in the year 1851. The doctor had taught the Makololo to ride on their oxen, which they had never before done, though, having neither saddles or bridles, they constantly fell off. He and Sekeletu were riding along side by side, when they encoun- tered Mpepe, who, as soon as he saw them, ran towards the chief with his axe uplifted; but Sekeletu, galloping on, escaped him. On their arrival at their camp, while the chief and the doctor were sitting to- gether, Mpepe appeared, his men keeping hold of their arms. At that moment the rebel entered ; but the doctor, unconsciously covering Sekeletu's body, saved him from the assassin's blow. His cousin's inten-. tion having been revealed to Sekeletu, that night Mpepe was dragged off from his fire and speared. So quietly was the deed done that Livingstone heard nothing of it till the next morning. Livingstone was soon after this attacked by fever, when his hosts exhibited the interest they felt for him by paying him every attention in their power. His own remedies of a wet sheet and quinine were more successful than the smoke and vapor baths employed by the natives. It is important that the position of Linyanti should be noted, as from it Livingstone set out on his journey westward to Loanda, on the West Coast, and, returning to it, commenced from thence that adventurous expedition to the East Coast, which resulted in so many interesting discoveries. A Picturesque Company. Having recovered from his fever, Livingstone, accompanied by Sekeletu, and about one hundred and sixty attendants, mostly young men, asso- ciates of the chief, set out for Sesheke. The intermediate country was perfectly flat, except patches elevated a few feet only above the sur- rounding level. There were also numerous mounds, the work of ants, which are literally gigantic structures, and often as tall as wild date trees at their full height. The party looked exceedingly picturesque as, the ostrich feathers of the men waving in the air, they wound in a long line in and out among the mounds. Some wore red tunics or variously-colored prints, and their heads were adorned with the white ends of ox tails or caps made of lions' ese scoun- iion. The jes. tlement, he which had : Makololo gh, having ey encoun- : chief with On their sitting to- s. At that y covering usin's inten-. ras dragged 1 done that in his hosts attention in were more natives, ted, as from )n the West adventurous interesting by Sekeletu, men, asso- :ountry was )ve the sur- ork of ants, d date trees thers of the t among the and their lade of Uons' ' ■ I.' ' ' ', i' I ''h! Ill, 1'.'. I, .:,. I It 11: i.ii.i I ' '■ II • ill '' MiVii, it,,l'!';i l."i' 1,1 ;'..• ,: J ;';i,;,|i . n G o C X o G '^ O a •< > X Hi O u 1 ' ■<■- I- a'- J. i^Li ""WL^P^^^^'jUI Ij-L' ' " (111) 112 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. manes. The nobles walked with a small club of rhinoceros horn in their hands, their servants carrying their shields; while the ordinary men bore burdens, and the battle-axe men, who had their shields on their arms, were employed as messengers, often having to run an immense distance. The Makololo possess numerous cattle, and the chief, having to feed his followers, either .selected oxen from his own stock or re«-eived them from the head men of the villages through which they passed, as tribute. Reaching the village of Katonga on the banks of the Leeambye, some time was spent there in collecting canoes. During this delay Living- stone visited the country to the north of the village, where he saw enor- mous numbers of buffaloes, zebras, elans, and a beautiful small antelope. He was enabled, by this hunting expedition, to supply his companion* with an abundance of food. At length, a sufficient number of canoes being collected, they com- menced the ascent of the river. His own canoe had six paddles, while that of the chief had ten. They paddled standing upright, and kept stroke with great exactness. Being flat-bottomed, they can float in very shallow water. The fleet consisted altogether of thirty-three canoes and ■one hundred and sixty men. " Man Overboard I " Most of the Makololo are unable to swim, and a canoe being upset, one of the party, an old doctor, was lost, while the Barotse canoe-men easily save themselves by swimming. Numerous villages were seen on both banks of the river, the inhabitants of which are expert hunters of the hippopotamus, and are excellent handi- craftmen. They manufacture wooden bowls with neat lids, and show much taste in carving stools. Some make neat baskets, and others excel in pottery and iron. On their arrival at the town of the father of Mpepe, Avho had instigated his son to rebellion, two of his chief councilors were ied forth and tossed into the river. Naliele, the capital of the Barotse, the tribe inhabiting the district in which they now were, is built on an artificially-constructed mound, as are many other villages of that region, to raise them above the overflowing fiver. From finding no trace of European names among them, Livingstone was convinced that the country had not before been visited by white men ; whereas, after he had come among them, great numbers of children were named after his own boy, while others were called Horse, Gun, Wagon, etc. Roaring Lions. Here again numbers of large game were seen. Eighty-one bufialoes defiled in slow procession before the fire of the travellers one evening •n in theif men bore leir arms, c distance, ng to feed ;ived them as tribute, ibye, some ay Living- ; saw enor- ,11 antelope. :ompanions they com- ddles, while t, and kept float in very : canoes and being upset, canoe-men inhabitants >llent handi- Is, and show Ihers excel in ]r of Mpepe, Incilors were le district in [ound, as are 1 overflowing Livingstone white men; lildren were I Wagon, etc. Ine buffaloes lone evening 114 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. within gunshot, and herds of splendid elans stood at two hundred yards" distance, without showing signs of fear. Lions, too, approached and roared at them. One night, as they were sleeping on the summit of a large sandbank, a lion appeared on the opposite shore, who amused him- self for hours by roaring as loudly as he could. The river v.as too broad for a ball to reach him, and he walked off without suffering for his imper- tinence. Livingstone saw two as tall as common donkeys, their manes making their bodies appear of still greater size. Lions arc in the habit of preying upon cattle, and the natives have to' contrive all manner of ways for protecting their herds. These formida- ble beasts have been known to carry off young cattle as large as themselves. On their journey they visited the town of Ma-Sekeletu, or the: Mother of Sckeletu, where, as it was the first visit the king had paid to this part of his dominions, he was received with every appearance of joy. A grand dance was got up, the men moving in a circle, with spears and small battle-axes in their hands, roaring at the loudest pitch of their voices. The arms and head were thrown about in every direction, the roaring being kept up with the utmost vigor, while the dust ascended in clouds around them. AVihl Men of the Jungle. Returning down the stream at a rapid rate, they quickly reached Linyanti. During this nine weeks' tour. Dr. i^ivingstone had been in^ closer contact with heathenism than ever before, and though, including the chief, c\'eryone had been as attentive as possible, yet the dancing,, roaring, singing, jesting, quarreling, added to the murdering propensities- of these children of nature was painful in the extreme. The chief and his followers, agreeing that the object of Livingstone's proposed expedition to the west was most desirable, took grea: pains to- assist hii in the undertaking. A band of twenty-seven men was ap- pointed to accompany him by the chief's command, whose eager desire was to obtain a free and profitable trade with the white men, and this, Livingstone was convinced, was likely to lead to their ultimate elevation and improvement. Three men whom he had brought from Kurumai; having suffered greatly from fever, he sent them back with Fleming, a trader, who had followed his footsteps. His new attendants he named Zambcsians, for there were only two Makololo men — the rest consisting of Barotse, Batoka, and other tribes. His wagon and remaining goods he committed to the charge of the Makololo, who took all the article?, into their huts. He carried only a rifle and a double-barrelled smooth- red yards" ched and nimit of a- lused him- j too broad his imper- heir manes /es have to' se formida- as large as the Mother ) this part of '. A grand rs and small their voices, the roaring ed in clouds ;kly reached had been ia h, including the dancing,. propensities: Jvingstone's kea: pains to [men was ap- ; eager desire len, and this, late elevation Dm Kurumaii [h Fleming, ^ lits he named 2st consisting lining goods ll the articles. Illed smooth- (115) 116 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. bore gun for himself, and gave three muskets to his people, by means ot which he hoped game might be obtained for their support. Wishing also to save his followers from having to carry heavy loads, he took for his own support but a few biscuits and a pound of tea and sugar, about twenty of coffee, a small tin canister with some spare shirting, trousers, and shoes, another for medicines, and a third for books, while a fourth contained a magic lantern. His ammunition was distributed in portions imong the whole luggage, that, should an accident occur to one, the rest night be preserved. His camp equipage consisted of a gipsy tent, a sheep-skin mantle, and a horse-rug as a bed, as he had always found that the chief art of successful travelling consisted in taking as few impediments as possible. His sextant, artificial horizon, thermometer, and compasses were carried apart. Carry as little as he would, Livingstone found that he was compelled to take more baggage than could be conveniently transported through African forests and jungles. Some people in civilized countries when they travel appear to take everything they need and everything they do not need ; it cannot be said of our great explorer, however, that he took anything which was not needed. His box of medicines was, of course, a constant companion ; we shall see farther on that this box was lost or stolen and that the expedition was left entirely without medical remedies. Often large parts of the baggage would have to be exchanged with the natives for food, or paid out as tribute to unfriendly chiefs. This was one of the unpleasant e.xperiences and severe hardships which the great traveller encoimtcred. It will be seen through all these journeys that Livingstone was per- fectly willing to share the fate of his men. He asked nothing for him- self better than he was willing to grant for them. If they slept on the hard ground, he was willing to sleep there too ; if they waded rivers, he was willing to go in as deep as they went ; if they had unwholesome food, and little of it, he was ready to divide with them his last cri st. By his own self-sacrificing and generous spirit he attached himself strongly to his followers. This was one great secret of his magnificent achievements 5n the Dark Continent CHAPTER VI. STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLES. Oangers of River Navigation— Luxuriant Wild Fruits— Skillful Management of Canoes by Natives — Magnificent Scenery — Man Seized by a Crocodile — Beautiful Floweis and Wild Honey— Strapping Chieftainess Smeared with Fat and Red Ochre- Pompous Chief— Curious Piano— Portuguese Traders— Warm Reception to the Explorers— Lifting off Roofs of Houses to Cover the Travellers — A Chief who Killed His Subjects for Amusement— Remarkable Custom for Cementing Friendship — Tricksters who Want Money — Livingstone Suffers from Fever— Savage Attack upon the Expedition— Using Charms and Cupping for Sickness— Black Corporal for an Escort— Beautiful Country Going to Waste— Vast Herds of Cattle — An Ornamental Garden — Natives Astonished by Strange Sights— Generous Gifts of Jolly Tars— "Stones that Burn"— An Attractive Town— The Irrepressible Don- key—Strange Belief in Evil Spirits -Grotesque Head-dresses — Fine Sport with the Gun — ^The Expedition Travelling in Small Canoes — Livingstone Charged by a Buffalo— Noisy Welcome to the Explorers — Troops of Elephants. N the nth of November, 1853, accompanied by the chief and his principal men to see him off, Livingstone left and embarked on the Chobe. The chief danger in navigating this river is from the bachelor hippopotami who have been expelled their herd, and, whose tempers being soured, the canoes are frequently upset by them. One of these misanthropes chased some of his men, and ran after them on shore with considerable speed. The banks of the river were clothed with trees, among them acacias and evergreens, from the pink-colored specimens of which a pleasant acid drink is obtained. Leaving the Chobe, they entered the Leeambye, up which they pro- ceeded at a somewhat slow rate, as they had to wait at different villages for supplies of food. Several varieties of wild fruit were presented to them. The crews of the canoes worked admirably, being always in good humor, and, on any danger threatening, immediately leaped overboard to prevent them coming broadside to the stream, or being caught by eddies, or dashed against the rocks. Birds, fish, iguanas, and hippo- potami abounded ; indeed the whole river teemed with life. On November 30th, the Gonye Falls were reached. No rain having fallen, it was excessively hot. They usually got up at dawn — about five in the morning-coffee was taken and the canoes loaded, the first two hours being the most pleasant part of the day's sail. The Barotse, beinsT a tribe of boatmen, managed their canoes admirably. 017) 118 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. At about eleven they landed to lunch. After an hour's rest they embarked, the doctor with an umbrella overhead. Sometimes they reached a sleeping-place two hours before sunset. Coffee was again served out, with coarse bread made of maize meal, or Indian corn, unless some animal had been killed, when a potful of flesh was boiled. The canoes were carried beyond the falls, slung on poles placed on men's shoulders. Here as elsewhere the doctor exhibited his magic lantern, ijreatly to the delight of the people. Beautiful Scenery- Nothing could be more lovely than the scenery of the falls. The water rushes through a fissure and, being confined below by a space not more than a hundred yards wide, goes rolling over and over in great masses, amid which the most expert swimmer can in vain make way. The doctor was able to put a stop to an intended fight between -the inhabitants of two villages. Several volunteers offered to join him, but his followers determined to adhere to the orders of Seketelu, and refused all other companions. They were treated most liberally by the inhabi- tants of all the villages, who presented them with more oxen, milk and meal than they could stow away. Entering the Leeambye, Livingstone proceeded up that stream in his canoe, while his oxen and a portion of his men continued their journey along its banks. The rain had fallen, and nature had put on her gayest apparel ; flowers of great beauty and curious forms grew everywhere, many of the forest trees having palmated leaves, the trunks being covered with lichens, while magnificent ferns were seen in all the moister situations. In the cool morning the welkin rang with the singing of birds, and the ground swarmed with insect life. Combat with a Monstrous Grocodilc. Crocodiles were in prodigious numbers, children and calves being constantly carried off by them. One of his men was seized, but, retaining his presence of mind when dragged to the bottom, he struck the monster with his javelin and escaped, bearing the marks of the reptile's teeth on his thigh. The doctor's men had never before used firearms, and, proving bad shots, came to him for " gun medicine " to enable them to shoot better As he was afraid of their exhausting his supply of powder, he was compelled to act as sportsman for the party. Leaving Leeambye, he proceeded up the Leeba. Beautiful flowers and abundance of wild honey was found on its shores, and large num- bers of young crocodiles were seen sunning themselves on the sandbanks with their parents. STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLES. 119 They had now reached the Balonda country, and received a visit from a chieftainess, Manenko, a tall strapping woman covered with ornaments The water ; not more iat masses. iand smeared over with fat and red ochre as a protection against tb\ •weather. She invited them to visit her uncle Shinti, the chief of the 120 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. country. They set out in the midst of a heavy drizzling mist; on, how- ever, the lady went, in the lightest marching order. The doctor enquired why she did not clothe herself during the rain; but it appeared that she did not consider it proper for a chief to appear effeminate. The men, in admiration of her pedestrian powers, every now and then remarked: " Manenko is a soldier." Some of the people in her train cai ried shields composed of reeds, of a square form, five feet long and three broad. With these, and armed with broadswords and quivers full of iron-headed arrows, they looked somewhat ferocious, but are in reality not noted fol their courage. A Pompous Chief. The doctor was glad v/hen at length the chieftainess halted on the banks of a stream, an^ pi e -""ations were made for the night's lodging. After detaining them sc\eiexcessively weak, so that he could scarcely sit upon his ox. The country appeared fertile and full of small villages, and the soil is 30 rich that little labor is required for its cultivation. It is, however, the chief district whence slaves are obtained, and a feeling of insecurity was evident amongst the inhabitants. A demand was now made by each chief for a man, an ox, or a tusk as a tribute. The first, was of course, refused, but nearly all the remainder of the traveller's property had to be thus paid away. ■ • I I I'i 124 WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. On the 4th of April they reached the banks of the Quango, here one hundred and fifty yards wide. The chief of the district — a young man, who wore his hair curiously formed into the shape of a cone, bound round with white thread — on their refusing to pay him an extortionate demand, ordered his people not to ferry them across, and opened fire on them. At this juncture a half-caste Portuguese, a sergeant of militia, Cypriano Di Abreu, arrived, and, obtaining ferrymen, they crossed over into the territory of the Bangala, who are subject to the Portuguese. They had some time before rebelled, and troops were now stationed among them, Cypriano being in command of a party of men. Next morning he pro- vided a delicious breakfast for his guest, and fed the Makololo with pumpkins and maize, while he supplied them with farina for their journey to Kasenge, without even hinting at payment. The natives, though they long have had intercourse with the Portu- guese, are ignorant and sup.:rstitious in the extreme. Many parts of the country are low and marshy, and they suffer greatly from fever. Of the use of medicine they have no notion, their only remedies being charms and cupping. The latter operation is performed with a small horn, which has a little hole in the upper end. The broad end is placed on the flesh, when the operator sucks through the hole; as the flesh rises, he gashes it with a knife, then replaces the ho/n .and sucks again, till finally he introduces a piece of wax into his mouth, to stop up the hole, when the horn is left to allow the blood to gush into it. It took the travellers four days to reach Kasenge, a town inhabited by about forty Portuguese traders and their servants. Though told by the doctor that he was a Protestant minister, they treated him with the greatest kindness and hospitality. A Black Corporal fur au Escort. Here the Makololo sold Sekeletu's tusks, obtaining much better prices than they would have done from the Cape traders, forgetting, however, that their value was greatly increased by the distance they had been brought. The Makololo here expressed their fears, from what they had heard, that they were about to be led down to the sea-coast to bq sold, but when Livingstone asked them if he had ever deceived them, and that he would assure them of their safety, they agreed to accompany him. The mer- chants of Kasenge treated the doctor with the most disinterested kind- ness, and furnished him with letters to their friends at Loanda. He was escorted by a black corporal of militia, who was carried in a hammock by his slaves. He could both read and write, and was STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLKS. 12a cleanly in all his ways; he was considerate also to his young slaves, and walked most of Lne way, only getting into his hammock on approaching stter prices , however, had been n •z o c H X > ►D n > 5» o w a village, for the sake of keeping up his dignity. He, however, had the usual vices of African guides, and did not fail to cheat those he was sent to protect. 126 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Sleeping-places were erected on the road about ten miles apart, as there is a constant stream of people going to and coming from the coast. Goods are either carried on the head or on one shoulder, in a sort of basket, supported by two poles five or six feet long. When the carrier feels tired and halts, he plants them on the ground, allowing his burden to rest against a tree, so that he has not to lift it up from the ground to the level of his head. On arriving at a sleeping-place, the sheds were immediately taken possession of by the first comers, those arriving las*- having to make huts with long grass for themselves. Women might then be seen coming from their villages with baskets of manioc meal, yams, garlic, and other roots for sale. As Livingstone had supplied himself with calico at Kascnge, he was able to purchase what was necessary. The district of Ambaca, through which he now passed, was excessively fertile. Large numbers of cattle exist on its pastures, which are well watered by flowing streams, while lofty mountains rise in the distance. It is said to contain forty thousand souls. The doctor was delighted with Golcongo Alto, a magnificent district — the hills bedecked with trees of various hues, the graceful oil-yielding palm towering above them. Here the commandant. Lieutenant Castro, received him in a way that won the doctor's affectionate regard. He calculated that this district has a popu- lation of a himdrcd and four thousand. The lieutenant regretted, as- docs every person of intelligence, the neglect with which this magnificent country has been treated. Natives Astonished by Strange Sights. As they proceeded, they passed streams with cascades, on which mills might easily be formed; but here numbers of carpenters were converting^ the lofty trees which grew around into planks, by splitting them with wedges. At Trombeta the commandant had his garden ornamented with rows of trees, with pineapples and flowers growing between them. A few- years ago he purchased an estate for eighty dollars, on which he had nov/ a coffee plantation and all sorts of fruit trees and grape-vines, beside? grain and vegetables growing, as also a cotton plantation. As they approached the sea the Makololo gazed at it, spreading ouL before them, with feelings of awe, having before believed that the whole world was one extended plain. They again showed their fears that they might be kidnapped, but Livingstone reassured them, telling them that as they had stood by each other hitherto, so they would do to the last On the 31st of May they descended a declivity leading to the city of Loanda, where Livingstone was warmly welcomed by Mr. Gabriel, the STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLES. 12T apart, a* the coast. a sort of the carrier lis burden ground to sheds were rriving las*- lien might nioc meal, id supplied what was excessively ch are well he distance, lighted with k'ith trees of hem. Here ^hat won the las a popu- n;rcttcd, as magnificent which mills converting them with iicnted with cm. A few- he had now ncs, beside? ^reading out It the whole fears that lelling them 1 to the last 1 the city of iabriel, the British commissioner. Seeing him so ill, he benevolently offered the doctor his bed. " Never shall I forget," says Livingstone, " the lu.xu- rious pleasure I enjoyed in feeling myself again on a good English couch» after for six months sleeping on the ground." It took many days how- ever, before the doctor recovered from the exposure and fatigue he had CHARMING AWAY EVIL SPIRITS. endured. All that time he was watched over with the most generous sympathy by his kind host. The Portuguese Bishop of Angola, and numerous other gentlemen, called on. him and tendered their services. Her Majesty's ship " Polyphemus " coming in, the surgeon, Mr. Cockin, afforded him the medical assistance he so much required, and WONDERS OF THL TROPICS. soon he was suficiently recovered to call on the bishop, attended by his Makololo followers. They had all been dressed in new robes of striped cotton cloth, and red raps, presented by Mr, Gabriel. The bishop, acting as head of the provisional government, received them in form, and gave them permission to come to Loanda and trade as often as they wished, with which they were greatly pleased. The Makololo gazed with astonishment at all they witnessed, the large stone houses and chi'.rches especially, never before havin'j seen a building larger than a hut. The commanders of the " Pluto " and "Phil- omel," which came into the harbor, invited them on board. Knowing their fears, Livingstone told them that no one need go should they en- tertain the least suspicion of foul play. Nearly the whole party went. Jolly Tars smd African Natives. Going forward amongst the men, they were received much the same as the Makololo would have received them, the jolly tars handing them a shate of the bread and beef they had for dinner. They were allowed to fire off a cannon, at which they were greatly pleased. This visit had a most beneficial effect, ift it raised Livingstone still more highly than ever in the opinion of the natives. During August the doctor was again attacked by a severe fit of fever. His men, while he was unable to attend to them, employed themselves in going into the country and cutting firewood, which they sold to the in- habitants of the town. Mr. Gabriel also found them employment in unloading a collier, at six-pence a day. They continued at this work for upwards of a month, astonished at the vast an. junt of " stones that burn " which were taken out of her. With the monpy thus obtained they pur- chased clothing, beads, and other articles to carry home with them. In selecting calicoes they were well able to judge of the best, and chose such pieces as appeared the strongest, without reference to color. Saint Paul de Loanda, once a considerable city, has now fallen greatly into decay. There are, however, many large stone houses, and the palace of the governor, and the government offices, are substantial structures. Trees arc planted throughout the town for the sake of shade. Though the dwellings of the native inhabitants are composed merely of wattle and daub, from the sea they present an imposing appearance. Though at first the government lost its chief revenue from the sup- pression of the slave tiade, it has again gradually increased by the lawful commerce now carried on by its merchants The officers are, however, so badly paid that they are compelled to engage in mercantile pursuits, and some attempt by bribes to assist the slave-dealers. STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLES. 129 From the kind an'i generous treatment Livingstone received from the 'Portuguese, they robe deservedly high in his estimation. He now prepared for his departure. The merchants sent a present to Sekelecu, consisting of specimens of all their articles of trade and two donkeys, that the breed might be introduced into his country, as the \cnomous fly called the tsetse cannot kill thohc beasts of burden. The doctor was also furnished with letters of rec /minendation to the Portu- guese authorities in Eastern Africa. The bishop likewise furnished hirr with twenty carriers, and sent forward orders to the commandants of the districts to the east to render him every assistance. He supplied himself with ammunition, and beads, and a stock of cloth, and he gave each of his men a musket. He had also purchased a horse forSekelctu. His friends of the "Philomel" fitted him out also with a new icnt, and, on the 20ti! of Septem- ber, 1854, he and his party icft Lo:inda, es- corted by Mr. Gabriel, who, from his un- wearied atten- tions and liber- ality to his men, had become en- deared to all their hearts. Passing round by the sea, he ascended the River Bengo to Icollo-i- Bengo, once the residence of a native king. While Mr. Gabriel returned to Loanda, Dr. Livingstone and his party proceeded to Golcongo Alto, where he left some , of his men to rest, while he took an excursion to Kasenge, celebrated for its coffee plantations. On his return he found several of them suffering from fever, while one of them had gone out of his mind, but in short time recovered. He had thus an opportunity of watching the workings of slavery, rile moment their master was ill, the slaves ate up everything on which tlicy could lay their hands, till the doctor himself could scarcely obtain Q SINGULAR MODE OF DRKS.SING THE HAIR. r; t:p WONDERS OF THE TROPICS, even bread and butter. Here Sckeletu's horse was seized with indamma- tion, and the poor animal afterwards died on its journey. On the 28tli of February they reached the banks of the Quango, where they were again received by Cypriano. The colored population of Angola are sunk in the grossest superstition. Thc\' fancy themselves completely in the power of spirits, and are con- stantly deprecating their wrath. A chief, named Gando, had lately beeri accused of witchcraft, and, being killed by the ordeal, his body wai:. thrown into the river. Heavy payment was demanded by the ferrymen for crossing i; iieir wretched canoes ; but the cattle and donkeys had to swim across. Avoiding their friend with the comical head-dress, they made their way to the camp of some Ambakistas, or half-caste Portuguese, who had gone across to trade in wax. They are famed for their love of learning, and are keen traders, and, writing a peculiarly line hand, are generally employed as clerks, sometimes being called the Jews of Angola. Fautastic Head-dresHes. The travellers were now in the country of the Bishinji, possessing the lowest negro physiognomy. At a village where they halted, they were attacked by the head man, who had been struck by one of the Makololo on their previous visit, although atonement had been made. A large body of the natives now rushed upon them as they were passing through a forest, and began firing, the bullets passing amid the trees. Dr. Living- stone fortunately encountered the chief, and, presenting a si.K-barrelled revolver, produced an instant revolution in his martial feelings. The doctor then, ordering him and his people to sit down, rode off They were now accompanied by their Portuguese friends, the Londa people, who inhabit the banks of theLoajima. They elaborately dress their hair in a number of ways. It naturally hangs down on their shoulders in large masses, which, with their general features, gives them a strong resemblance to the ancient Egyptians Some of them adorn their heads with ornaments of woven hair and hide CO which they occasionally suspend the tails of buffaloes. Another fash ion is to weave the hair on pieces of hide in the form of buffalo horns projecting on either side of the head. The young men twine their hair in the fi)rm of horns projecting in different directions. They frequently tattoo their bodies, producing figures in the form of stars. Although tiieir heads are thus elaborately adorned, their bodies are almost destitute ot clothing. • STRANGE PLACES AND PEOPLES. m inllamma- 1 the 28th they were .iperstition. .1 are con- lately beer, body vvab ingi iieir ;im across, made their iguese, who iicir love of / line hand, the Jews of ossessing the d, they were he Makololo A large body g through a Dr. Living- six-barrelled clings. The , off. They nda people. It naturally [their general Egyptiaiis Uir and hide ^.nether fash Buffalo horns Ine their hair py frequently Although host destitutf- Reaching Calongo, Livingstone directed his course towards the terri- tory of his old friend, Katema. They were generally well received a*: the. BEAUTIFUL ZEBRAS OF AFRICA. vHlages. On the 2nd of June they reached that of Kanawa. This chieC whose village consisted of forty or fifty huts, at first treated them very WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. politely, but he took it into his head to demand an ox as tribute. Oti their refusing it, Kanawa ordered his people to arm. On this, Livingstone directed his Makoiolo to commence the march. Some did so with alacrity, but one of them refused, and was preparing to fire at Kanawa, when the doctor, giving him a blow with his pistol, made him go too. They had already reached the banks of the river when they found that Kanawa had sent on ahead to carry off all the canoes. The ferrymen supposing that the travellers were unable to navigate the canoes, left them, unprotected, on the bank. As soon as it was dark, therefore, the Mako- iolo quickly obtained one of them, and the whole party crossed, greatly to the disgust of Kanawa when he discovered in the morning what had occurred. They now took their way across the level plain, which had been flooded on their former journey. Numberless vultures were flying in the air, shov/ing the quantity of carrion which had been left by the waters. They passed Lake Dilolo, a sheet of water six or eight miles long and two broad. The sight of the blue waters had a soothing effect on the doctor, who was suffering from fever, after his journey through the gloomy forest and across the wide flat. Pitsane and Mohorisi, Livingstone's chief men, had proposed establishing a Makoiolo village on the banks of the Leeba, near its confluence with the Leeambye, that it might become a market to communicate westward with Loanda, and eastward with the regions along the banks of the Zambesi. Exploits with the Gun. Old Shinti, whose capital they now reached, received them as before in a friendly way, and supplied them abundantly with provisions. The doc- tor left with him a number of plants, among which were orange, cashew, custard, apple, and fig-trees, with coffee, acacias, and papaws, which he had brought from Loanda. They were planted out in the enclosure of one of his principal men, with a promise that Shinti should have a share of them when grown. They now again embarked in six small canoes on the waters of the Leeba. Paddling down it, they next entered the Leeambye. Here they found a party of hunters, who had been engaged in stalking buffaloes,' hippopotami, and other animals. They use for this purpose the skin of a deer, with the horns attached, or else the head and upper part of the body of a crane, with which tlioy creep through the grass till they can get near enough to shoot their prey. The doctor, wishing to obtain some meat for his men, took a small canoe and paddled up a creek towards a herd of zebras seen on the shore. ;e. Oti their Livingstone id sc with at Kanawa, him go too. found that he ferrymen es, left them, :, the Mako- ssed, greatly nf what had been flooded g in the air, "aters. They ong and two on the doctor, gloomy forest te's chief men, of the Leeba, ome a market h tlie regions Im as before in Ins. The doc- •ange, cashew, Lws, which he |e enclosure of have a share waters of the ie. Here they Icing buffaloes,' le the skin of a Trt of the body [y can get near took a small on the shore. J'''f!lf*!ir||'!ilVliH\!i:n]:>ll:ii|E!1l»;|l'|'1l|i|!fl, 1« (183) lU WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Firing he broke the hind leg of one of them. His men pursued it, and, a-! he walked slowly after them, he observed a solitary buffalo, which had been disturbed by others of his party, galloping towards him. The only tree was a hundred yards off The doctor cocked his rifle in the hope of striking the brute on the forehead. The thought occurred to him, but A'hat should his gun miss fire? The animal came on at a tremendous speed, but a small bush a short distance off made it swerve and expose its shoulder. The doctor fired, and as he heard the ball crack, he fell flat on his face. The buffalo bounded past him towards the water, near which it was found dead. His Makololo blamed themselves for not having been by his side, while he returned thanks to God for his preservation. A Joyous Kcceptioii. • On reaching the town of Lebouta, they were welcomed with the warm- est demonstrations of joy, the women coming out, dancing and singing. Thence they were conducted to the kotlar, or house of assembly, where Pitsand delivered a long speech, describing the journey and the kind way in which they had been received at Loanda, e.specially by the English chief Next day Livingstone held a service, when his Makololo braves, ar- rayed in their red caps and white suits of European clothing, attended, sitting with their guns over their shoulders. As they proceeded down Barotse Valley, they were received in the same cordial manner. The doctor was astonished at the prodigious quantities of wild animals of all descriptions which he saw on this journey, and also when traversing the country further to the east — elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, an- telopes, and pigs. Frequently the beautiful springbok appeared, covering the plain, sometimes in sprinklings and at other times in dense crowds, as far as the eye could reach. The troops of elephants also far exceeded in numbers anything which he had ever before heard of or conceived. He and his men had often to shout to them to get out of their way, and on more than one occasion a Iierd rushed in upon the travellers, who not without difficulty made their escape. A number of young elephants were shot for food, their flesh being highly esteemed. To the natives the huge beasts are a great plague, as they break into their gardens and eat up their pumpkins and other produce ; when disturbed they are apt to charge those interrupting their feast, and, following them, to demolish the huts in which they may have taken refuge, not unfrequently killing them in their rage. Resting at Sesheke, they proceeded to Linyanti, where the wagon and everything that had been left in it in November, 1853, "^^'^^ perfectly safe. ued it, and, which had The only the hope of to him, but tremendous id expose its le fell flat on lear which it having been ition. th the warm- and singing, embly, where the kind way yrthe English lo braves, ar- ing, attended, Dceeded down mer. wild animals icn traversing s, zebras, an- red, covering use crowds, as ything which had often to ne occasion a Ity made their lod, their flesh ];s are a great Dumpkins and le interrupting lich they may lie wagon and lerfectly safe. es. ELEPHANT PROTECTING HER YOUNG FKOM MUNTEKs' SPEARS. (1:55) r I ! ! H 136 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. A grand meeting was called, when the doctor made a report of his jour- ney and distributed the articles which had been sent by the governor and merchants of Loanda. Pitsane -and others then gave an account of what they had seen, and, as may be supposed, nothing was lost in the descrip- tion. The presents afforded immense satisfaction, and on Sunday Seke letu made his appearance in church dressed in the uniform which had been brought down for him, and which attracted every man's attention The Arab, Ben Habed, and Sekeletu arranged with him to conduct . another party with a load of ivory down to Loanda; they also consulted him as to the proper presents to send to the governor and merchants. The Makololo generally expressed great satisfaction at the route which had been opened up, and proposed moving to the Barotse Valley^ that they might be nearer the great market. The unhealthiness of the climate, however, was justly considered a great drawback to the scheme* The doctor afterwards heard that the trading party which set out reached Loanda in safety, and it must have been a great satisfaction to him to feel that he had thus opened out a way to the enterprise of these industrious and intelligent people. The donkeys which had been brought excited much admiration, and^ as they were not affected by the bite of the tsetse, it was hoped that they might prove of great use. Their music, however, startled the inhabitants- more than the roar of lions. It is not difficult to believe this statement. It is in the nature of the donkey to be heard even farther than he can be seen, and when he takes in. a full breath and opens his mouth, it is not strange that those who listen to his bray are frightened. This animal, however, is not to be judged either by his looks or his voice. He is exceedingly useful, and can be trained to difficult service and, although he has an extraordinary temper and an extraordinary pair of ears, still the world is better off for the donkey. He should be looked at as a part of the Divine creation, and the humblei animals are certainly deserving of consideration for the good that they render to the human race. , It is not customary in our country to make any great use of the don- key. In England, however, and on the Continent of Europe, as well as in other eastern countries, the peasants who are too poor to invest in horses can yet provide themselves with a beast of burden. All honor, then to the plain, ill-tempered, serviceable, long-eared, old-fashioned don key. He should never be despised after such splendid services as he has rendered our Tropical heroes. CHAPTER VII. ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY TO THE EAST COAST. I ivingstone's Resolve to Reach the East Coast— A Fine Race of Negroes— One hu;> dred and fourteen Trustworthy Men— The Brave Leaders of the Company — A Terrible Storm— Sailing Down the River— Far-famed Victoria Falls — Scene o4 Extreme Beauty — Ascending Clouds of Spray — Immense Baobab Tree — Strange Mode of Salutation — Traffic in Ivory — Buffalo Brought Down with the Rifle- Presents from a Peace-loving Chief— Vast Numbers of M'ild Animals — Huge Hippopotami and their Young — How the Natives Capture Elephants — Strange Appearance of the Natives — Mouths like those of Ducks — Hostilities by a Village Chief— Remains of an Old Portuguese Settlement — The Doctor's Ox Gallops off — Strange Cries and Waving Fire-brands — Visit from two Old Men — American Cal- ico in a Far Land— Surprising Instinct of the Elephant — The Enormous Beast Taught to Work for his Master— A New Way of Laying Timbers — Remarkable Story by an English Officer— Extraordinary Sagacity of the Elephanf — Dangers, in the Path of the Expedition— Great Risk from Being Attacked by Lions — Dread- ful Encounter with a King of the Forest— A " Civilized Breakfast" — Kind Recep- tion by an English Major— Natives who Plant Gold for Seed— Tree Supposed to Have Remarkable Medical Virtues — Four Years away from Cape Town-7Ravages- of Famine — A Chief who Wishes to Visit England — Seized with Insanity and ^-ost Overboard — Livingstone arrives in England. ii^R. LIVINGSTONE Kow began to make arrangements for perforai- jrJ ing another hazardous journey to the East Coast. In the mean time he was fully occupied in attending to the sick, and his other missionary duties. He was advised to wait till the rains had fallen and cooled the ground ; and as it was near the end of September, and clouds Were collecting, it was expected that they would soon commence. The- heat was very great: the thermometer, even in the shade of his wagon,, was at ioo°, and, if unprotected, rose to I io° ; during the night it sank to 70°. Among other routes which were proposed, he selected that by the north jank of the Zambesi. He would, however, thus have to pass through territories in the possession of the Matabele, who, under their powerful chief, had driven away the Makololo, its original possessors. Notwith- standing this he had no fears for himself, as that chief looked upon Mr^ Moffatt, his father-in-law, as his especial friend. A considerable district, also, of the country was still inhabited by the Makololo, and by them he was sure to be kindly treated. The Makololo, it must be understood, are a mixed race, composed of tribes of Bechuanas who formerly inhabited (137) r» 138 WONDERS OF THE TROPrCS. the country bordering the Kalahara Desert. Their lantjuage, the Bechu- ana, is spoken by the upper classes of the Makololo, and into this tongue, by the persevering laijors of Mr. Moffatt, nearly the whole of the Scrip- t'lres have been translated. The bulk of the people are negroe.s, and are nn e.specially fine, athletic, and skilful race. As soon as Livingstone announced his intention of proceeding to the east, numerous volunteers came forward to accompany him. From among them he selected a hundred and fourteen tru.stworthy men, and Sekelctu appointed two, Sekwebu and Kanyata, as leaders of the company. Sekwebu had been captured, when a child, from the Matabele, and his tribe now inhabited the country near Tcte ; he had frequently travelled along the banks of the Zambesi, and spoke the various dialects of the people residing on them, and was, moreover, a man of sound judgment and prudence, and rendered great service to the expedition. A Fearful Storm. ' On the 3rd of November Livingstone, bidding farewell to his frienas at Linyanti, .set out, accompanied by Sckeletu and two hundred followers. On reaching a patch of country infested by troublesome flies it became necessary to travel at night. A fearful storm broke forth, sometimes the lightning, spreading over the sky, forming eight or ten branches like those of a gigantic tree. At times the light was so great that the whole •countiy could be distinctly seen, and in the intervals between the flashes it was as densely dark. The horses trembled, turning round to search for •each other, while the thunder crashed with tremendous roars, louder than is heard in other regions, the rain pelting down, making the party feel miserably cold after the heat of the day. At length a fire, left by some previous travellers, appeared in the distance. The doctor's baggage having gone on before, he had to lie down on the cold ground, when Sekeletu kindly covered him with his own blanket, remaining without shelter himself. Before parting at Seshekc, the generous chief supplied the doctor with twelve oxen, three accustomed to be ridden on, hoes and beads to purchase a canoe, an abundance of fresh butter and honey; and. indeed, he did everything in his power to a.ssist him in his journey. Bidding farewell to Sekelctu, the doctor and his attendants sailed down ih^ river to its confluence with the Chobe. Having reached this spot, he prepared to strike across the country to the north-east, in order to reach the northern bank of the Zambesi. Before doing so, however, he deter- mined to visit the Victoria Falls, of which he had often heard. The meaning of the African name is ; " Smoke does sound there," in reference tr the vapor and noise produced by the falls. , the Beclm- th is tongue, )f the Scrip- •oes, and are edinjj to the him. From hy men, and he company. )ele, and his itly travelled ialects of the nd judgment his frienas at ed followers, lies it became :h, sometimes branches like lat the whole ;n the flashes to search for 3, louder than he party feel eft by some r's baggage round, when ing without ief supplied jon, hoes and honey ; and, [Urney. sailed down this spot, he der to reach |er, he deter- iieard. The in reference ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY TO THE EAST COAST. 139 After twenty minutes sail from Kalai they came in sight of five colunma GIGANTIC BAOBAB TREE AT VICTORIA FALLS. of vapor, appropriately called " smoke," rising at a distance of five or six niiles off, and bending as they ascended before the wind, the tops appear- 140 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ing to mingle with the clouds. The scene was extremely brautiful. The banks and the islands which appeared here and there amid the stream, were richly adorned with trees and shrubs of various colors, many being in full blossom. High above all rose an enormous baobab-tree surrounded by groups of graceful palms. As the water was now low, they proceeded in the canoe to an island ir the centre of the river, the further end of which extended to the edge of the falls. At the spot where they landed it was impossible to discover where the vast body of water disappeared. It seemed, suddenly to sink into the earth, for the opposite lip of the fissure into which it descends was only eighty feet distant. On peering over the precipice the doctor saw the stream, a thousand yards broad, leaping down a hundred feet and then becoming suddenly compressed into a space of fifteen or twenty yards, when, instead of flowing as before, it turned directly to the right and went boiling and rushing amid the hills. The vapor which rushes up from this cauldron to the height of two or three hundred feet, being condensed, changes its hue t^* that of dark smoke, and then comes down in a constant shower. The chief portion falls on the opposite side of the fissure, where grow a number of ever- green trees, their leaves always wet. The walls of this gigantic crack are perpendicular. Altotfcther, Livingstone considered these falls the most wonderful sight he had beheld in Africa. Returning to Kalai the doctor and his party met Sckeletu, and, bidding him a final farewell, set off northwards to Lekone, through a beautiful country, on the 20th of November. The further they advanced the more the country swarmed with inhabitants, and great numbers came to see the white man, invariably bringing presents of maize. An African Salutation. The natives in this region have a curious way of saluting a stranger. Instead of bowing they throw themselves on their backs on the ground, rolling from side to side and slapping the outsides of their thighs, wli they utter the words "Kinabomba! kina bombal" In vain the d implored them to stop. They, imagining him pleased, only tur; o about more fiercely and slapped their thighs with greater vehemence. These villagers supplied the party abundantly with ground nuts, maize, and corn. Their chief, Monze, came one Sunday morning, wrapped in a large cloth, when, like his followers, he rolled himself about in the dust, screaming out " Kina bomba!" He had never before seen a white man, hut had met with black native traders, who came, he said, for ivory, but not for slaves. His wife would have been good looking, had she not ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY TO THE EAST COAST. 141 utiful. The 1 the stream, many being : surrounded an island ir the edge of to discover lenlyto sink it descends e the doctor dred feet and :n or twenty to the right ;ht of two or that of dark chief portiorx nber of ever- ntic crack are .Us the most and, bidding \\ a beautiful ced the more me to see the a stranger. the ground, Ifhighs, wh;. ' the c \ly tui. j^d [lenience, nuts, maize, trapped in a in the dust, white man, )r ivory, but lad she iiot followed the custom of her country by knocking out her teeth. Moiize soon made himself at home, and presented the travellers with as much food as they required. As they advanced, the country oecame still more beautiful, abounding with large game. Often buffaloes were seen standing on eminences. One day, a buffalo was found lying down, and the doctor went to secure it lor lodd. ThiHis^h the animal received three balls they did not prove fatal, and it turned round as if to charge. The doctor and his companions ran for shelter to sonfe rocks, but before they gained them, they found that three elephants had cut off their retreat. The enormous brutes, how- cvor, turned off, and allowed thcin to gain the rocks. As tli<' bnffltlo was CURIOUS MODE OF SALUTING A STKANCiKK. moving rapidly away the doctor tried a long shot, and, to the satisfaction jf his followers, broke the animal's fore leg. The young men soon '^Hought it to a stand, and another shot in its brain settled it. They had -iius an abundance of food, which was shared by the villagers of the neighborhood. Soon afterwards an elephant was killed by his men. Leaving the Elephant Valley, they reached the residence of a chief named Sem 'embue, who, soon after their arrival, paid them a visit, and presented five or six baskets of meal and maize, and one of ground nuts, saying that he feared his guest would sleep the first night at his vil- lage hungry. The chief professed great joy at hearing the words of the Gospel of .".ace, replying: "Now I shall cultivate largely, in the hopes I ! I I 142 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. of eating and sleeping in quiet." It is remarkable that all to whom the doctor spoke, eagerly caught up the idea of living in peace as the proba- ble effect of the Gospel. This region Sckv/ebu considered one of the best adapted for the residence of a large tribe. It was here that Sebit- tiane formerly dwelt. They now crossed the Kafue by a ford. Every available spot betweer the river and hills was under cultivation. The inhabitants selected these: positions to secure themselves and th<;ir gardens from their human enemies, They are also obliged to make pit- holes to protect their grounds from the hippopotanii. These animals, not having been disturbed, were unusually tame, and took no notice of the travellers. A number of young ones were seen, not much larger than terrier dogs, sitting on the necks of their dams, the little saucy-looking heads cocked up between the olc one's ears ; when older they sit more on the mother's back. Meat being required, a ful'-^rown cow was shot, the flesh of whii.h resembles pork. Great l^iiiiiljers of Wild Animals. The party now directed their course to the Zambesi near its confluence with the Kafue. They enjoyed a magnificent view from the top of the o' iter range of hills. A short distance below thc^n was the Kafue, winding its way over a forest-clad plain, while on the other side of the Zambesi lay a long range of dark hills. The plain below abounded in large game. Hundreds of buffalo and zebras graz'^d ou the open spaces, and there stood feeding two majestic elephants, each slowly moving its proboscis. On passing amidst them the animals showed their tameness by standing beneath the trees fanning themselves with their large ears. A number also of red-color jd pigs were seen. The people having no guns, they are never disturbed. A night was spent in a huge baobab-tree, which would hold twenty men inside. As they moved on, a herd of bufialoes came strutting up to look at their oxen, and only by shooting one could they be made to retreat. Shortly afterwards a female elephar.-, with three young ones, charged :liroagh the centre of their extended hne, when the men, throwing dowL iheir burdens, retreated in a great hurry, she receiving a spear for he- temerity. 7 hey were made aware of their approach to the great river by the vast number of waterfalls which appeared. It was found to be much broader than above the falls : a person might attempt in vain to make his voice heard across it. An immense amount of animal life was seen both around and in it. Pursuing their down the left bank, they came opposite the island of Menyemakaba, which is abor.t two miles long and a quai ter to whom the as the proba- d one of the e that Sebit- spot betweer elected thest iman enemicE, unds from the ere unusually f young ones necks of their the oIg one's Meat ueing :mbles pork. • its confluence the top of the ^nce they dart down their spears, the blades o which are twenty inches long by two broad, when the motion of the handle, aided by knocking against the trees, makes fearful gashes v/hich soon cause death. They form also a species of trap. A spear inserted in a beam of wood is suspended from the branch of a tree, to which a cord is attached with a latch. The cord being led along the path when struck by the animal's foot, the beam falls, and, the .spear being poisoned, ■death shortly ensues. At each village they passed, two men were supplied to conduct them to the next, and lead them through the parts least covered with jungle. Female Mouths Resembling' those of Ducks. The villagers were busily employed in their gardens. Most of the men have muscular figures. Their color varies from a dark to a liglit olive. The women have the extraordinary custom of piercing the upper lip, and gradually enlarging the orifice till a shell can be inserted. The lip appears drawn out beyond the nose, and gives them a very ugly ap- pearance. As Sekwebu remarked : " These women want to make their mouths like those of ducks." The commonest of these rings are made of bamboc, but others are of ivory or metal. When the wearer tries to smile, the contraction of the muscles turns the ring upwards, so that its upper edge comes in front of the eyes, the nose appearing through the middle, while the whole front teeth are exposed by the motion, exhibiting the wajgMn which they have been clipped to resemble the fangs of a cat or a crocodile. On their next halt Seole, the chief of the village, instead of receiving them in a friendly way, summoned his followers and prepared for an attack The reason was soon discovered. It appeared that an Italian, who hac' married the chief's daughter, having armed a party of fifty slaves with guns, had ascended the river in a canoe from Tete, and attacked several inhabited islands beyond Makaba, taking large numbers of prisoners and much ivory. As he descended again with his booty, his party was dis- persed and he himself was killed while attempting to escape on font Seole imaffined that the doctor was another Italian. lixty buffalo, nfined them- time that the looded : they a the native" h they come the blades o lotion of tht rrashes v/hich pear inserted ;e, to which a the path when eing poisoned, conduct them with jungle. :s. Most of the ark to a ligl'^t cing the upper inserted. The very ugly ap- |to make their ings are made wearer tries to irds, so that its through the ;ion, exhibiting fangs of a cat [d of receiving Id for an attack lalian, who hac Ifty slaves with Ittacked several prisoners and I party was dis- escape on foot (10) (145) 146 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Had not the chief with whom they had previously stayed arrived to explain matters, Seole might have given them much trouble. Mburuma, another chief of the same tribe, had laid a plan to plunder the party by separating them, but the doctor, suspecting treachery, kept his people together. They had on a previous occasion plundered a party of traders bringing English goods from Mozambique. Ruius of An Old Town. On the 14th of January they reached the confluence of the Loangw£ and the Zambesi. Here the doctor discovered the ruius of a town, with remains of a church in its midst. The situation was well chosen, with lofty hills in the rear and a view of the two rivers in front. On one side of the church lay a broken bell, with the letters I. H. S. and a cross. This he found was a Portuguese settlement called Zumbo. The conduct of Mburuma and his people gave Livingstone much anxiety, as he could not help dreading that they might attack him the next morning. His chief regret was that his efforts for the welfare of the teeming population in that great region would thus be frustrated by sav- ages, of whom it might be said: "They know not what they do." He felt especially anxious that the elevated and healthy district which he had now discovered, stretching towards Tete, should become known. It was such a region as he had been long in quest of as a centre from which missionary enterpiise might be carried into the surrounding country. While the party were proceeding along the banks of the river, passing through a dense bush, three buffaloes broke through their line. The doctor's ox galloped off, and, as he turned back, he saw one of his men tossed several feet in the air. On returning, to his satisfaction he found that the poor fellow had alij;hted on his face, and, although he had been carried twentv yards on the animal's horns, he had in no way suffered. On ihe creature's approaching him he had thrown down his load and stabbed it in the side, when it caught him and carried him off before he could escape. Soon after this they had evidence that they were approaching the For tuguese settlements, by meeting a person with a jacket and hat on. From this person, who was quite black, they learned that the Portuguese set tlement of Tete was on the other bank of the river, and that the inhabi- tants had been engaged in war with the natives for some time past This was disagreeable news, as Livingstone wished to be at peace with both parties. ' As they approached the village of Mpende, that chief sent out his peo- ple to enquire who the travellers were. The natives, on drawing near. ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY TO THE EAST COAST. 147 uttered strange cries and waved some bright red substance towards them. Having lighted a fire, they threw some charms into it and hastened away, uttering frightful screams, believing that they should thus frighten the strangers and render them powerless. The Makololo, however, laughed at their threats, but the doctor, fully believing that a skirmish would take place, ordered an ox to be killed to feast his men, following the plan Sebituane employed for giving his followers courage. At last two old men made their appearance and enquired if the doctoi was a Bazunga, or Portuguese. On showing his hair and white skin, they replied: " Ah, you must be one of the tribe that loves black men." Finally the chief himself appeared, and expressed his regret that he had not known sooner who they were, ultimately enabling them to cross the river. After this they were detained for some time by the rains on the aouth bank. Meeting with native traders, the doctor purchased some American calico in order to clothe his men. It was marked " Lawrence Mills, Lowell," with two small tusks, an interesting fact. Game laws existed even in this region. His party having killed an elephant, he had to send back a considerable distance to give information to the person in charge of the district, the owner himself living near the Zambesi, Their messenger returned with a basket of corn, a fowl, and a few strings of beads, a thank-offering to them for having killed it. The tusk of the side on which the elephant fell belonged to the owner, while the upper was the prize of the sportsman. Had they begun to cut up the animal before receiving permission they would have lost the whole. The men feasted on their half of the carcass, and for two nights an immense number of hyaenas collected round, uttering their loud laughter. Wonderful Instinct of the Elephant. All travellers in the Tropics are surprised at the remarkable intelli- gence of this animal, and the varied service it can be made to render. An elephant can be trained almost as a child is trained, and appears to know quite as much. We have seen in some of the foregoing pages one side of the elephant's nature in his wild state, but it is only fair to remember his gentleness and fiiendliness in captivity, which is really voluntary, because he might with a blow of his trunk annihilate his keepers and escape to his nat.' ^e jungle. In his long life he often changes his master, but his allegiance goes too; and he is devoted to each, and figures alike as porter, wood-cutter, errand- boy, hunter, gladiator in fights with tigers, and artillery-man. Says a traveller: I have seen in India, elephants let out by their owners 148 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. 1 : as choppers, vvork'infr as day-laborers and returning at night to sleep at home — that is, at their muster's. These intelligent animals, armed with long axes, the use of which they have been taught, cut, at otherwise perfectly impracticable heights, the gigantic trees which are used in the keels of vessels, carry them to the nearest port, and deliver them to other elephants to pile — a '"cat which they accomplish with the greatest regular- it} and with a strength that no number of men can equal. They work ilone, too, without any special oversight on the part of the keeper, who often comes but once a day to note their progress; and yet there is not a case on record where one of them has attempted to return to his free life in the forest, or rejoin his former companions enjoying themselves in the neighboring ravines, while he is working hard on the hills above. Indeed, they grow to hate their untamed cousins, and fight them — and usually successfully — at every opportunity, bearing them away in bondage to their masters. A Grateful Beast. The English have made use of their enormous strength in all the wars in India and, more recently, in Africa, where without them the troops would have been helpless to move the artillery, even the lighter pieces, which these dumb allies carried bravely into action on their backs, while their courage under fire has been attested by special mention in the re- ports from the English officers. One of them says: " In our marches across Bengal we used elephants in the baggage train, so well disposed to us that, without waiting for a command from the keeper, if a wagon stuck, one of them would hurry up, put his mighty shoulder to the wheel, and never rest till it was rolling on smoothly again. Then he would return to his own proper place and duty in the line again. One morning, in the press of wagons and animals, one of the elephants was hurt by the heavy wheel of a cart running over his foot. I happened to be near, and bound it up with a towel dipped in camphorated brandy, and tightened the bandage as well as I could, and off he limped to his stable. In the afternoon I went to see how he was getting on. He wai lying on a bed of straw; he recognized me at once, and held out his wounded foot for me to see. I renewed the bandage each day; and after that the grateful animal never passed my tent without a peculiar cry which he used for that occasion alone, and when he met me he always gently rub- bed my back or shoulders with his trunk, uttering little sniffs of ploasure." Major Skinner, of the English Army, vouches for the following story, which shows on the part of the elephant intelligence, memory, comparison, judgment, and good-nature. to sleep at limed with t otherwise used in the cm to other est regular- They work keeper, who icre is not a 1 his free hfe selves in the /e. Indeed, -and usually daee to their I all the wars n the troops ightcr pieces, I backs, while ion in the re- ag gacre trami le ind from the his mighty oothly again, line again, le elephants I happened ated brandy, imped to his on. He wai held out his ly ; and after iar cry which •s gently rub- of pleasure." owing story, L comparison, ' ,!v"'i''j,i!' !;■,■! ■■'Ill !iii ■■.' had brought home, and which had become no longer eatable. He had fastened it to the end of a long rope, and his sons carried it down to the water. Timbo and Leo, with the two bovs, set off after them ; and, taking my rifle, I followed to see what would happ' n. On reaching the river, Igubo threw in the meat as far as he could, fas- tening the end of the rope to the trunk of a tree. Then, on his making a si^n to us to hide ourselves, we retired behind some bushes. In a short time the rope was violently tugged, and Igubo, throwing off his scanty 1 i 1 I! ■ i' ', ; [' i' 'i M ■ .^ ■>' 1 li I' S llM i<)6 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. garments, drew his sharp knife from its sheath, and spran,^ into the water. I could not refraim from cryinjj out, and entreating hnn to come back; but he paid no heed to me, and swam on. CIoMo Coinbut with a Crocodile. Presently he disappeared, and I felt horror-struck at the thought that a crocodile had seized him; but directly afterwards the snout of the hugt monster appeared above the water, Igubo rising at the same time directly behind it. The creature, instead of attempting to turn, made towards the bank, at a short distance off. Igubo followed ; and I saw l)is hand raised, and his dagger descend into the side of the crca ture. Still the crocodile did not attempt to turn, but directly after- wards reaching the bank, climbed up it. Igubo followed, and again plunged his knife into the monster's side, lu^ery instant I expecteil to see him seized by its terrific jaws ; but the crea^jre seemed terror-stricken, and made no attempt at defence. Again and again the black plunged in his knife, while the crocodile vainly endeavored to escape. The next instant Igubo was on its back, an'! the creature lay without moving. A few minutes only had passed. It opened its vast jaws, each time more languidly than before, till at length it sank down, and, after a few struggles, was evidently dead. Igubo, springing up, flourished his knife over his head in triumph. Leo, running to the canoe, began to launch it. We all jumped in, and pad- dled off to the bank, Timbo bringing the rope with him. We fastened it round the crocodile's neck, and towed the body in triumph to the shore, up which we hauled it. Straiijfe Creatures Hatched from Eggs. " Igubo say we find eggs not far off," said Timbo, as if doubting it. Natty and his brother, at a sign from their father, began at once hunting about, and in a short time called us to them. There was a large hole in the bank concealed by overhanging bushes. It was full of eggs, about the size of those of a goose. On counting them we found no less than sixty. The shell was white and partially elastic, both ends being exactly the same size. The nest was about four }'ards from the water. \ pathway led up to it ; and Igubo told Timbo, that after the crocodile has depo3ited her eggs, she covers them up with about four feet of earth, and returns afterwards to clear it away, and to a.5sist the young out of tht shells. After this, she leads them to the water, where she leaves them to catch small fish for themselves. At a little distance was another nest, from which the inmates had just been set free ; and on a sandbank a little way down we caught sight of 3 AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESI. 167 ii the water, come back; lought that of the hujfe. ime directly idc towards I saw his f the crea rectly after- I, and acjain expected to ror-stricken, ;he crocodile on its bacl<, had passed. jefore, till at dently dead. umph. Leo, in, and pad- We fastened to the shore, jbting it. lan at once was a large full of eggs, nind no less ends being the water. lie crocodile teet of earth, Igout of the Ives them to tes had just [t sight of 3 number of the little monsters crawling about. They appeared in no way afaid of us as we approached, and Natty and his brother speared .several. They were about ten inches long, with yellow eyes, the pupil being merely a perpendicular slit. They were marked with transverse stripes of p^le green and brown, about half an inch in width. Savage little monsters they were, too ; for though their teeth were but partly developed, tliey tirned round and bit at the weapon darted at them, uttering at the same .mic a sharp welp like that of a small puppy when it first tries to bark, l^ubo could not say whether the mother crocodile eats up her young occasionally, though, from the .savage character of the creature, I should think it very likely that she does, If pressed by hunger. As it is well known, the ichneumon has the re[)utation on the banks of the Nile of killing young crocodiles ; but Iguho did not know whether they ever do so in his part of the world. He and his boys collected all the eggs they could find, declaring that they were excellent for eating. Tile}' however told us that they should only consume the yolk, as the wiiite of the egg does not coagulate. When it is known what a vast number of eggs a crocodile lays, it may be supposed that the simplest way of getting rid of the creatures is to destroy them before they are hatched. It would seem almost hopeless to attempt to exterminate them by killing only the old ones. However, I fancy they have a good many enemies, and that a large number of the young do not grow up. As we were walking along the bank, we saw, close to the water, a young crocodile just making his way into it; and Mango, leaping down, captured the little creature. Even then it showed its disposition by at- tempting to bite his fingers. On examining it, we found a portion of yolk almost the size of a hen's egg fastened by a membrane to the .abdomen, which was doubtless left there as a supply of nourishment, to enable the creature to support existence till it was strong enough to catch fish for itself. Igubo declared that they caught the fish by means of their broad scaly tails. The eggs, I should say, had a strong internal membrane, and a small quantity only of lime in their composition. We had some difficulty in inducing our friends to believe the account we gave them of Igubo's exploit. He however undertook, if they were not satisfied, to kill a crocodile in the same way another day. Living'stone Discovers Lake Xyassa. The expedition moving forward, on the i6th of September, 1859, the long-looked-for Lake Nyassa was discovered, with hilLs rising on both sides of it. Two months after this the lake was visited by Dr. Roscher, ^>. !>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. fA 1.0 I.I := ii£ IIIIIM 1.8 - 6' 11-25 ill 1.4 IIIIII.6 v: ^* o> s^ ^ ^. /a V /A Photographic Sciences Corporation \ ^q\ % NJ % V 4^1 <> ^^- 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBf.ER.N.Y. M5»0 (7J6)»72-4503 .V w^. % .V4 168 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. who was unaware of Drs. Livingstone and Kirk's discovery ; unhappily he was murdered on his road back towards the Rovuma. The travellers were now visited by the chief of a village near the con- fluence of tlie lake and the river, who invited them to form their camp under a magnificent banyan-tree, among the roots of which, twisted into the shape of a gigantic arm-chair, four of the party slept. The chief tuld them that a slave party, led by Arabs, was encamped near at hand ; and in the evening a villainous set of fellows, with long muskets, brought several young children for sale; but, finding that the travellers were English, they decamped, shi.wing signs of fear. The people of the Manganja tribe, amidst whom they were now travelling, showed much suspicion of their object, saying that parties had come before with the same sort of plausible story, aid had suddenly carried off a number of their people. To allay these suspicions, Livingstone thought it best at once to return to the ship. Soon alterwards Dr. Kirk and Mr. Rae, the engineer, set off with guides to go across the country to Tete, the distance being about eye hundred miles From want of water they suffered greatly, while the iscfsc infe«^ed the district. Livingstone had resolved to visit his old friend Sekeletu'; but, finding that before the new crop came in, food could not be obtained beyond the Kebrabasa, he returned in the " Ma-Robert" once more to the Kongone. They found Major Sicard at Mazaro, he having come there with tools and slaves to build a custom-house and fort. A Bare-faced Fraud. After this trip, the poor "Asthmatic " broke down completely ; she was therefore laid alongside the island of Kanyimbe, opposite Tete, and placed under the charge of two English sailors. They were furnished with a- supply of seeds to form a garden, both to afford them occupation and food. Active preparations were now made for the intended journey westward; cloth, beads, and brass wire were formed into packages, with the bearers name printed on each. The Makololos who had been employed by the expedition received their wages. Some of those who had remained a'. Tete had married and resolved to continue where they were. Others did not leave with the same good will they had before exhibited, and it was doubtful, if attacked, whether they would not run to return to their lately formed friends. All arrangements had been concluded by the 15th of May, i860, and AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESI. 169 ihappily in r the con- heir camp Msted into chief told id ; and in rht several re Engli-'h. : Manganja uspicion of ame sort of heir people, ce to return but, finding d beyond the he Kongone. re with tools the journey was commenced. As the Banyai, who live on the right bank, were said to levy heavy fines, the party crossed over to the left. Livingstone was stopping near the Kebrabasa village, when a man ap- peared, who pretended that he was a pontloro; that is, that he could change himself into a lion whenever he chose — a statement his country- mt n fully believed. Sometimes viie pondoro hunts for the benefit of the villagers, whtn his wife takes him some medicine which enables him to change himself back to a man. She then announces what game has l)ccn killed, and the villagers go into the forrest to bring it home. The people believe also that the souls of the departed chiefs enter into lions. One night, a buffalo having been killed, a lion came close to the camp, when the Makololo declared that he was a pondoro, and told him that he ought to be ashamed of himself for trying to steal the meat of strangers. The lion, however, disregarding their addresses, only roared louder than ever, though he wisely kept outside the bright circle of the camp-fires. A little strychnine was placed on a piece of meat and thrown to him, after which he took his departure, and was never again seen. A HoHtile Chief Couciliatcd. Again passing Kebrabasa, the travellers enjoyed the magnificent moun- tain scenery in this neighborhood, and came to the conclusion that not only it, but the Morumbwa could, when the river rises, be passed, so as to allow of a steamer being carried up to run on the upper Zambesi. On the 20th of June they reached the territory of the chief Mpende, who had, on Livingstone's journey to the East Coast, threatened to attack him. Having in the mean time heard that he belonged to a race who love black men, his conduct was now completely changed, and he showed c\ ery desire to be friendly. Game was abundant, and lions were especi- ally numerous. After visiting Zumbo, Dr. Kirk was taken dangerously ill. He got better on the high ground, but immediately he descended into the valley he always felt chilly. In six days, however, hf was himself again, and able to march as well as the rest. Again abundance of honey was ob- tained through the means of the " honey guide." The bird never de- ceived them, always guiding them to a hive of bees, though sometimes there was but little honey in it. On the 4th of August the expedition reached Moachemba, the first of the Batoka villages, which owe allegiance to .Sekeletu. From thence, beyond a beautiful valley, the columns of vapor rising from the Victoria Falls, upwards of twenty miles away, could clearly be distinguished. At the village opposite Kalai the Malokolo head man, Mashotlane, 1 I II 170 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. w paid the travellers a visit. He entered the nut where they were seated, a little boy carrj'ing a three-legged stool. In a dignified way the chief took his seat, presenting some boiled hippopotamus meat. Having then taken a piece himself, he handed the rest to his followers. He had lately been attacking the Batoka, and when the doctor represented to him the wrongtuiness of the act he defended himself by declaring that they had killed some of his companions. Here also they found Pitsane, who had oeen sent by Sckelctu to purchase horses from a band of Griquas. FamoiiH Batoka Tribe. A description of the Batokas will be of interest in this connection. There arc two distinct varieties ; of whom those living on low-lying sands^ such as the banks of the Zambesi, are very dark, while those of the higher lands are light brown. Their cha'acter seems to differ with their com- plexions, the former variety being dull, stupid, and intractable, while the latter are comparatively intellectual. They do not improve their personal appearance by an odd habit ot depriving themselves of their upper incisor teeth. The want of these teeth m:ikes the corresponding incisors of the lower jaw project outward, and force the lip with them ; so that even in youth they all have an aged expression of countenance. Knocking out these teeth is part of i ceiemony which is practiced on both sexes when they are admitted into the ranks of men and women, and is probably the remains of some religious rite. The reason which they give is absurd enough, namely, that they like to resemble oxen, which have no upper incisors, and not to have all their teeth like zebras'. It is probable, however, that this state- ment may be merely intended as an evasion of questions which they think themselves bound to parry, but which may also have reference to the extreme veneration for oxen which prevails in the African's mind. In spite of its disfiguring effect, the custom is universal among the various sub-tribes of which the Batoka are composed, and not even tht definite commands of the chief himself, nor the threats of punishment, could induce the people to forego it. Girls and lads would suddenly make their appearance without their teeth, and no amount of questioning could induce them to state when, and by whom, they were knocked out. Fourteen or fifteen is the usual age for performing the operation. Hair Done Up in Style. Their dress is a little remarkable, especially the mode in which some o' them arrange their hair. The hair on the top of the head is drawn and plastered together in a circle some six or seven inches in diameter. B\' dint of careful training, and plenty of grease and other appliances, it is AFRICAN CHIEF WITH SHIELD AND WAR-CLUB. (171) 173 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. at last formed into a cone some eight or ten inches in height, and slightly leaning forward. In some cases the cone is of wonderful height, the head man of a Batoka village wearing one which was trained into a long spike that projected a full yard from his head, and which must have caused him considerable inconvenience. In this case evidently other mateiials vvere freely mixed with the hair ; and it is said that the long hair of various animals is often added, so as to mingle with the real growtli.and aid in raising the edifice. Around the edges of this cone the liair ij. shaven closely, so that the appearance of the head is very remarkable, and somewhat ludicrous. One of this tribe named Mantanyani accompanied Dr. Livingstone. He was a singularly skilful boatman, and managed an ordinary whaling boat .IS easily as one of his own canoes. The ornament which he wears in his hair is a comb made of bamboo. It was not manufactured by him- self, biit was tikcn from Shimbcsi's tribe on the Shire, or Sheerch River. He and his companions forced the boat up the many rapids, and, on being interrogated as to the danger, he .said that he had no fears, for he could swim like a fish, and that, if by any mischance he should allow Mr. Baines to fall overboard and be drowned, he should never dare to show his face to Livingstone again. Mr. Baines remarks in his notes, that Mantanyani ought to have made a good sailor, for he was not only an adept at the management of boats, but could appreciate rum as well as any British tar. It so happened that at night, after the day's boating was over, grog was .served out to the men, and yet for two or three nights Mantanyani would not touch it. Accord- ingly one night the following colloquy took place : — " Mantanyani, non quero grog ?" (That is, cannot you take grog ?) " Non quero." (I cannot.) " Porquoi non quero grog ?" (Why cannot you take grog ?) " Garaffa poco, Zambesi munta." (The bottle is little and the Zambesi is big.) The hint was taken, and rum unmixed with water was cflTered tc Man- tanyani, who drank it off like a sailor. No Talking nor Whistling Allowed. A spirited account of the skill of the natives in managing canoes is given by Livingstone in " The Zambesi and its Tributaries." The canoe belonged to a man named Tuba-Mokoro, or the " Canoe-smasher," a rather ominous, but apparently undeserved title, inasmuch as he proved to be a most skilful and steady boatman. He seemed almost to be modest, for he took no credit to himself for his management, but attributed his AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESI. 173 success entirely to a certain charm or medicine which he had, and which he kept a profound secret. He was employed to take the party through the rapids to an island close to the edge of the great Smok^^ Sounding Falls, now called the Victoria Falls. This island can only be reached vhcn :he water happens to be very low, and, even m that case, none but the most experienced boatmen can venture so near to the Fall, which is ;l(iuble the depth of Niagara, and a mile in width, formed entirely by a vast and sudden rift in the basaltic bed of the Zambesi. Before entering the race of water, we were requested not to speak, as our talking might diminish the value of the medicine, and no one with such boiling, eddying rapids before his eyes would think of disobeying the orders of a " canoe-smasher." It soon became evident that there was sound sense in the request of Tuba, though the reason assigned was not unlike that of the canoe man from Sesheke, who begged one of our patty not to whistle, because whistling made the wind come. It was the duty of the man at the bow to look out ahead ft)r the proper course, and, when I'e saw a rock or a snag, to call out to the steersma». Tuba doubtless thought that talking on board might divert the attention of his steersman at a tune when the neglect of an order, or a slight mis- take, would be sun^ to spill us all into the chafing river. There were places where the -'tmost exertions of both men had to be put forth in order to force the canoe to the only safe part of the rapid and to prevent it from sweeping broadside on, when in a twinkling we should have found oui selves among the plotuses and cormorants which are engaged in div- ing for their breakfast of small fish. «'We Struck Harrt." At times it seemed as if nothing could save us from dashing in our headlong race against the rocks, which, now that the river was low, jutted out of the water; but, just at the very nick of time, Tuba passed the word to the steersman, apd then, with ready pole, turned the canoe a little aside, and we glided swiftly past the threatened danger. Never was canoe more admirably managed. Once only did the medicine seem- to have lost something of its efficacy. We were driving swiftly down, a black rock over which the white foam flew lay directly in our path, the pole was planted against it as readily as ever, but it slipped just as Tuba put forth his strength to turn the bow off. We struck hard, and were half full of water in a moment. Tuba recovered himself as speedily, shoved off the bow, and shot the canoe into a still, shallow place, to bail the water out. He gave us to understand that it was not the medicine which was at fault — that had lost 174 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ;ii none of its virtue ; the accident was owing to Tuba having started with- out his breakfast. Need it be said that we never let Tuba go without that meal again. Among the Batokas is a body of men called in their own language the Go-nakeds. These men never wear an atom of any kind of clothing, but are entirely naked, their only coat being one of red ochre. These Go-nakeds are rather a remarkable set of men, and why they shoulc^ voluntarily live without clothing is not very evident. Some travellers think that they are a separate order among the Batoka, but this is not at all certain. It is not that they are devoid of vanity, for they are extremely fond of ornaments upon their heads, which they dress in various fantastic ways. The conical style has already been mentioned, but they have many other fashions. One of their favorite modes is, to plait a fillet of bark, some two inches wide, and tie it round the head in diadem fashion. They then rub grease and red ochre plentifully into the hair, and fasten it to the fillet, which it completely covers. The head being then shaved as far as the edge of the fillet, the native looks as if he were wearing a red, polished forage-cap. Rings of iron wire and beads are worn round the arms ; and a fash- ionable member of this order thinks himself scarcely fit for society unless he carries a pipe and a small pair of iron tongs, with which to lift a coal from the fire and kindle his pipe, the stem of which is often ornamented by being bound with polished iron wire. Very Polite Savagres. The Go-nakeds seem to be as devoid of the sense of shame as their bodies are of covering. They could not in the least be made to see that they ought to wear clothing, and quite laughed at the absurdity of such an idea; evidently looking on a proposal to wear clothing much as we should entertain a request to dress ourselves in plate armor. The pipe is in constant requisition among these men, who are seldom seen without a pipe in their mouths, and never without it in their posses- sion. Yet, whenever they came into the presence of their white visitors they always asked permission before lighting their pipes, an innate politeness being strong within them. Their tobacco is exceedingly powerful, and on that account is much valued by other tribes, who w- i travel great distances to purchase it from the Batoka. It is also very :heap, a few beads purchasing a sufficient quantity to last even these inveterate smokers for six months. Their mode of smoking is very peculiar. They first take a whifT after the usual manner, and puff out the smoke. But, when they have expelled AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESJ. 176 nearly the whole of the smoke, they make a kind of catch at the last tiny wreath, and swallow it. This they are pleased to consider the very essence or spirit of the tobacco, which is lo3t if the smoke is exhaled in the usual manner. The Batoka are a polite people in their way, though they have rather an odd method of expressing their feelings. The ordinary mode of sal- utation is for the women to clap their hands and produce that undulating sound which has already been mentioned, and for the men to stoop and clap their hands on their hips. But, when they wish to be especially respectful, they have another mode of salutation. They throw them- selves on their backs, and roll from side to side, slapping the outside of their thighs vigorously, and calling out " Kina-bomba ! kina-bomba I" with great energy, which has already been described. Livingstone says, that he never could accustom his eyes to like the spectacle of great naked men wallowing on their backs and slapping themselves, and tried to stop them. They, however, always thought that he was not satisfied with the heartiness of their reception, and so rolled about and slapped themselves all the more vigorously. This rolling and slapping seems to be reserved for the welcoming of great men, and, of course, whenever the Batoka present themselves before their chief, the performance is doubly vigorous. Blacks who Stand on Ceremony. When a gift is ptesented, it is etiquette for the donor to hold the present in one hand, and to slap the thigh with the other, as he approaches the person to whom he is about to give it. He then delivers the gift, claps his hands together, sits down, and then strikes his thighs with both hands. The same formalities are observed when a return gift is presented ; and so ceiiacious are they of this branch of etiquette, that it is taught regularly to children by their parents. They are an industrious people, cultivating wonderfully large tracts of land with the simple but effective hoe of their country. With this hoe, which looks something like a large adze, they not only break up the {^[round, but perform other tasks of less importance, such as smoothing the earth as a foundation for their beds. Some of these fields are so large, that the traveller may walk for hours through the native corn, and scarce- ly come upon an uncultivated spot The quantity of corn which is grown is very large, and the natives make such numbers of granaries, that their villages seem to be far more populous than is really the case. Plenty, in consequence, reigns among this people. But it is a rather remarkable fact that, in spite of the vast quantities of grain, which they produce, they cannot k«iep it in store. 176 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. The corn has too many enemies. In the first place, the neifjhborinj» tribes arc apt t) sjnd out mauraclin^; parties, who prefer stealin^j the corn which their iivJustrious neighbors have grown ami stored to cultivating' the ground for themselves. Mice, too, are very injurious to the corn, But against these two enemies the Batoka can tolerably guard, by tying up quantities of corn in bundles of grass, plastering them over with clay and hiding them in the low sand islands left by the subsiding waters of the Zambesi. Destriictlvo Insects. But the worst of all enemies is the native weevil, an insect so small that no precautions are available against its ravages, and which, as we too often find in this country, destoys an enormous amount of corn in a very short time. It is impossible for the Batoka to preserve their corn more than a year, and it is as much as they can do to make it last until the next crop is ready. As therefore, the whole of the annual crop must be consumed by them- selves or the weevil, they prefer the former, and what they cannot eat they make into beer, which they brew in large quantities, and drink abundantly ; yet they seldom, if ever, intoxicate themselves, in spite of the quantities which they consume. This beer is called by them either " boala " or " pombe," just as we speak of beer or ale ; and it is sweet in flavor, with just enough acidity to render it agreeable. Even travellers soon couK' to like it, and its effjct on the natives is to make them plump and well nourished. Tlie Batoka do not content themselves with simply growing corn and vegetables, but even plant fruit and oil-bearing trees — a practice which is not found among the other tribes. Possibly on account of the plenty with which their land is blessed, they are a most hospitable race of men, always glad to see guests, and receiving them in the kindest manner. If a traveller passes through a village, he is continually hailed from the various huts with invitations to eat and drink, while the men welcome the visitor by clapping their hands, and the women by " lullilooing." They even feel pained if the stranger passes through the village without being entertained. When he halts in a village for the night, the inhabitants turn out to make him comfortable ; some running to fetch fire-wood, others bringing jars of water, while some engage themselves in preparing the bed, and erecting a fence to keep off the wind. Brave Hunters. They are skilful and fearless hunters, and are not afraid even of the elephant or buffalo, going up closely to these formidable animals, and AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESI 177 \\rr the corn ) cultivatitv^ to the corn. xd, by tyinK' er with clay in<» waters of : so small that ich, as we too corn in a very oir corn mori: ; last until the imedbythem- ley cannot eat ;ities, and drink Ives, in spite of by them either it is sweet in Even travellers Ike them plump es with simply ^bearing trees— I land is blessed, 1 see guests, and lasses through a Ih invitations to l)ing their hands, irthe stranger ken he halts in lim comfortable : 1 of water, while Icting a fence to Irraidevenofthe ale animals, and killing them with large sjiears. A complete system of game-laws is in operation among the Batoka, not for the purpose ol" prohibiting the chase of certain game, but in order to settle the disposal of the game when killed. Amoni; them, the man who inflicts the 6rst wound on an animal has the right to the spoil, no matter how trifling maybe the wouml which he inflicts In case he docs not kill the an mal him;»elf, he is bound to give to the banter who inflicts the fatal wound both legs of one siile. A{ to the laws which regulate ordinary life, there is but little t!iat calls for special notice, except a sort of ordeal for which they have a great vcnjratit)n. This is called the ordeal of the Muave, and is analogous to tl»e corsncd and .similar ordeals of the early ages of Kngland. The dread of witchcr.ift is very strong here, as in other parts of Southern Africa; but aniung the Batoka the accused has the opportunity of clearing him- self by drinkinj a poisonous preparation called muave. Sometimes the accused dies from the draught, and in that case his guilt is clear ; but in others the poison acts as an emetic, which is supposed to prove his innocence, the poison finding no congenial evil in the body, and therefore being rejected. No one seems to be free from such an accusation, as i«5 clear from Livingr .stone's account. Near the confluence of thf* Kapoe the Mambo, or chief. with .some of his head-men, camo to our sleeping-place with a present, Tiioir f<)rohca;is were smeared with white flour, and an unusual serious- nvss marl: •(! tli ir demeanor. Shortly before o;ir arrival the) had been accu.sed of witchcraft: con.scious of innocence, they accepted the ordpal, anil undertook to drink the poisoned muave. I'or this purpose they made a journey to the .sacred hill of Nehomokela, on which repose the bodies ot' their ancestors, and, after a solemn appeal to the unseen spirit V> attest the innocence of their children, they swallowed the muave, vottvted, and were therefore declared not guilty. Belief ill Future ExiNtence. It is evident that they b.'lieve that the soul has a contioued exi.stence, ami that the spirits of the departed know what tliosethcy have left be- hiiu! them are doing, and are pleased or not, according as their deeds are jood or evil. This belief is universal. The owner of a large canoe re- used to sell it because it belonged to the spirit of his father, who helped liiin when he killed the hippopotamus. Another, when the bargain for liis canoe was nearly completed, seeing a large serpent on a branch of a tree overhaul, refused to complete the sale,, alleging that this was the spirit of his f.ither, come to protest against it. Some of the Batoka believe that a medicine should be prei>ared which IS 178 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. would cure the bite of the tsetse, that small but terrible fly which makes such destruction among the cattle, but has no hurtful influence on man< kind. This medicine was discovered by a chief, whose son Moyara ■howed it to Livinjjstone. It consisted chiefly of a plant, which was ap- parently new to botanical science. The root was peeled, and the pee! sliced and reduced to |x>wder, together with a dozen or two cf tht tsetse themselves. The remainder of the plant is also dried. When an animal shows symptoms of having been bitten by the tsetse, some of tht powder is administered to the animal, and the rest of the dried plant is burned under it so as to fumigate it thoroughly. Moyara did not assert that the remedy was infallible, but only stated that if a herd of cattle were to stray into a district infested with the fly, some of them would be saved by the use of the medicine, whereas they would all die without it. Sweet HouikIh of MiihIc. Tlie Batoka are fond of using a musical instrument that prevails, with .«ome moditkations, over a considerable portion of Central Africa. In its jSi Mplest form it conii.sts of a board, on which arc fixed a number of flat wooden strips, which, when pressed down and suddenly released, pro- duce a kind of musical tone. In fact, the principle of the sansa is exactly Uiat of our musical-boxes, the only difference being that the teeth, or keys, of our instrument are steel and that they are sounded by little pegs_ ^nd not by the fingers. Kven among this one tribe there are great dif- ferences in the formation of the sansa. The best and most elaborate form is that in which the sounding-board of the sansa is hollow, in order to increase the resonance; and the keys .are made of iron instead of »vood, so that a really musical sound is pro- duced. Moreover, the instrument is enclo.sed in a hollow calabash, for the purpose of intensifying the sound; and both the sans.i and the cala- bash are furnished with bits of steel and tin, which make a jingling accompaniment to the music. The calabash is generally covered with carvings. When the sansa is used, it is held with the hollow or orna- mented end toward the player, and the keys are struck with the thumb.--^ the rest of the hand being occupied in holding the instrument. Africnii Poets. This curious instrument is used in accompanying songs, Livingstone mentions that a genuine native poet attached himself to the party, anc composed a poem in honor of the white men, singing it whenever they :halted, and accompanying himself on the .sansa. At first, as he did not know much about his subject, he modestly curtailed his poem, but ex- tended it day by day, until at last it became quite a long ode. There was AFLOAT ^)N THE RIVF.R ZAMnHSI. 170 an pvi(!'"nt rhythm in it. eacli liiu* mn-ii-itiii:,' nf five syllaolrs. Anothi-r native |»<»et was in the habit of sfilacinf; hmisvlf every evenin;^ with an extempore son^', in which he enumcraterl everything; that the whitt men hail tlone. lie was not so acconiplishcfl a poet as his brother iniprovisa- tore, and occasionally found words to fail him. However, his sansa helped him when he was at a loss for a word, just as the piano helps ont an imskilled sinj^cr when at a loss for a note. The Hati»lca are remarkable for their clannish feilinf; ; and, when a l.»rc,'e p irty arc travcllin;; in coiU[iany, those of one tribe always keep to<4rther, and assist each other in every difficulty. AInies over it. This appears to be a kind of challenge that they arc ma^teis of the field. The conquered party acknowledge their dcfiat by seutling a ileputation to ask for the body of tiieir comrade, and, wlun tlu'v receive it, they go through the same ceremonies; after which peac>; is supposed to be restored, and the inhabitants of the villages may vi.^it each other in safety. Li\in_:^stone's informant further said, that when a warrior had slain an cnjmy, he took the head, and placed it on an ant-hill, until all the fle>h was taken from the bones. He then removed the lower jaw, and wore it as a trophy. He did not see one of these trophies worn, and evidently tliinks that the above account may be inaccurate. Indeed, Livingstonf expressly warns the reader against receiving with implicit belief jitcounts that are given by a native African. The dark interlocutor amiably desires to j)Iease, and, having no conception of truth as a principle, says exactly wliat iie thinks will be most acceptable to the great white chief, on whorh he looks as a sort of erratic supernatural being. 180 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS, Ask a native whether the moumai.is in his own d, strict are lofty, or gold is foiiri'' there, and he will assuredly answer in the affirmative So he will if he be asked whether unicorns live in his country, or whether he knows of a race of tailed men, bcin<^ only anxious to please, and not thinking that the truth or falseliood of the answer can bo of the least consequence. If the white sportsman shoots at an animal, and makes ? palpable miss, his tiusk\' attendants are sure to say that the bullet went through the animal's heart and that it only bounded away for a short distance. " He is our father," say the natives, " and he would be dis- pleased if we toll! him that he had missed." It is even worse with the .slaves, who are often used as interpreters; and it is hardly possible to induce them to interpret with any modicum of truth. The llvpcditioii linltM. The travellers landed at the head of Garden Island, and, as the doctor had ilone before, peered over the g'^^^^^X heights at the further end across the chasm. The measurement of the chasm was novf taken ; it v/as found to be eighty yards opposite Garden Island, while the waterfall itself was twice the depth of that of Niagara, and the river where it went over the rock fully a mile wide. Charles Living.stone, who had seen Niagara, pronoimccd it inferior in magnificence to the Victoria Falls. The Batokas consider Garden Island and another further west as .sp.crct! .i^^pi^ts, and here, in days gone by, they assembled to worship the Deity. Living.stone, on his former vi.sit, had planted a number of orange- trees and seeds at Garden Island, but though a hedge had been placed round tlieni, they had all been destroyed by the hippopotami. Others were now put iu. Thqy, as was afterwards found, shared the same fate. They now proceeded up the river, and very soon met a party from Sekeletu, who was now at Seshcke, and had sent to welcome then). AfterAvard they entered his town. They were requested t > t"ike up ♦.heir quarters at the kotlar, or public meeting-place tree. During the day visitors continually called on them, all complaining of the misfortunes they had suffered. The condition of Sckcletu, however, was the most lamentable. He had been attacked by lej>rosy, and it was said that his fingers had become like eagles' claws, and his face so fearfully distorted that no one could recognize him. One of their head men had l)een put to death, it being supposed that he had bewitched the chief The native doctor could do nothing for him, but he was under the charge of an old doctress of the Manycti A.FlC\T on the river ZAMBESI. 181 inbtr, \A.i ^liowcJ no one to si,e him exct-pt his mother and uncle. Ho, linvve/er, scat fer U«-. Livinjr.'toTie, who gladly went to him. He and Dr. Kirk at once ind hirr« that the disease was most difficult to cure, and that he mi^ht rest assured that he had not been bewitched. They applied Ulnar cau.stic externally ai:d hydrate of potash internally, with satisfactory esults; so that in the course of a t:.hcit time the poor chief's appearance greatly improved. How a Chief Thoug^ht £•> et Kid of the Fall.s. Although the tribe had hecn suffering; from famine, the chief treated his vi.siiors with M the hospitality in h/s t-ovver. Some lkn;^uela traders li.i>l come up to Sesheke, intending prcUibiy to return from the Rituka couatr\' to the east with slaves ; but the Makololo, however, had secured all tliL' ivory in that region. As the traders found that the trade in slives uiiUciut ivoiy did not pay, they knew it would not be profitable to <>')taiii tlijiu. for Sekeletu would allow no slaves to be carried through hi.s tcrri- lury, and thus by his means au extensive slave-mart was closed. Si-'kcletu was greatly pleased with the articles the doctor brought him f 111 Kiiglaud, and enquired whether a ship could not bring up the .-c naiudcr of the things which had been left at Tete. On being told tiiat piKsibly a >t(.amer might ascend as far as Sinainanes, he enquired whithtr a camion could not blow away the Victoria Falls, so as to enable Iier to rcacli S'-'slieke. The Makololo, who had been sent down to Bengucla, came to pay the travellers a visit, dressed in well-washed shirts, coats and trousers, patent L' ither booLs, and brown wide awakes on their lieads. They had a Ion.; i:;iiU'cr-atioii with their men about the wonderful things they had all solm. Sjkelctu, who took a great fancy to Dr. Kirk, ofToi^ed him permission to select any jxirt of the country he might choose for the est iblishmcnt oi ail luiglish colony. Indeed, there is sufficient uncultivated ground on the cuol unpeopled highlands for a very large population. . A Tribe of Cattle Stealers. The Makololo are apt to get into trouble by their propensity to steal cattle; for if their marauding is sanctioned by the chief, they do not look yi)uti it as dishonorable. I he expedition left Sesheke on the 17th of September, i860, convoyet jy I'ltsane and Leshore. Pitsane was directed to form a hedge round die garden at the falls on his way. When navigating the river, tne canoe- men kept close to the bank during the day for fear of being upset by the hippopotami, but at night, whtn those animals are found near the shore, tlioy .-lailed down the middle of the stream. The canoes were wretched, y\ I ji u. (d M en I (182) AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESI. 1^ P H O o cu o a O »; o *-• H O b: H Id D 7; W o o en m M "Mi 'l mllV 1 IPkh A% ' "In JJlM and a stron;; wind blew against them, but their Ratoka boatmen man- aged them with great dexterity. Some of thche men accompanied the expedition the whole way to the sea. On their passa;^e down the river, in approaching Kariba Rapids, they c^me upon a herd of upwards of thirty hippopotami. The canoe-men v\ re afraid of vencuring among them, asserting that there was sure to be an ill-tempered one who would take a malignant pleasure in upsetting the canoes. Several boys on the rocks were amusing themselves by tlirowing stones at the frightened animals. One was shot, its body float- nvr down the current. A man hailed them from the hank, advising them ti) let him pray to the Kariba gods that they might have a safe passage, down tha rapids, for, without his assistance they would certainly he drowned. Notwithstanding, having examined the falls, seeing that canoes might be caried down in safety, they continued their voyage. The na- tives were much astonished to see them pass in safety without the aid of, tiic priest's intercession. Recovering the Prize. Here they found the hippopotamus which had been shot, and, taking it in tow, told the villagers that if they would follow to their landing- l)lace, they should have most of the meat. The crocodiles, however, lugged so haid at it, that they were compelled to cast it adrift and let the current float it down. They recovered the hippopotamus, which was cut up at the place where they landed to spend the night. As soon as it was (lark, the crocodiles attacked the portion that was left in the water, tear- ing away at it and lashing about fiercely with their tails. A day or two afterwards they encamped near some pitfalls, in which several buffaloes had shortly before been caught, and one of the animals had been left. During the night the wind blew directly from the dead buffalo to their sleeping-place, a'd a hungry lion which came to feed on the carcass so stirred up the putiid mass and growled so loudly over his feast, that their slumbers were greatly disturbed. They i cached Zumbo by the first of November. Here their men had a sciuvy trick played them by the Banyai. The Makolcjlo had shot a hippopotamus, when a number of the natives came across, pretending to assist them in rolling it ashore, and advised them to cast off the rope, .' iy'ing that it was an encumbrance. All were shouting and talking, when suddenly the carcass disappeared in a deep hole. The Makololo jumped in after it, one catching the tail, another a foot, but down it went, and they got but a lean fowl instead. It floated during the night, and was fuiind about a mile below, on the bank. The Banyai, however, there iM' !■ i 184 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. "tKtSJt. disputed the right to it, and, rather than quarrel, the Makololo, aftei taking a small portion, wisely allowed them to remain with the rest. Saved by Graspiii{|r the Kock. Believing that there was sufficient depth of water, they v< ntured down ..he Kebrabasa Fiapids. For several miles they continued onward till- the river narrowing, navigation became both difficult and dangerou.: Two canoes passed safely down the narrow channel with an ugly whirl- pool, caused by the water being divided by a rock in the centre. Living- stone's canoe came next, and while it appeared to be drifting broadside into the vortex, a crash was heard, and Kiik's canoe was seen dashed against the perpendicular rock by a sudden boiling-up of the river, which occurs at regular intervals. Kirk grasped the rock and saved him* self, while his steersman, holding on to the same ledge, preserved the canoe, but all its contents were lost, including the doctor's notes of the journey, and botanical drawings of the fruit-trees of the«interior. After this the party, having had enough of navigation, performed the remainder of the journey on shore. Tete was reached on the 23d of November, the expedition having been ab.sent rather more than six months. They were glad to find that the two l\nglish .sailors were in good health, and had behaved very well; but their farm had been a failure. A few sheep and fowls had been left with them; they had purchased more of the latter, and expected to have a good supply of eggs, but they unfortunately also bought two monkeys, who ate up all their eggs. One night a hippopotamus destroyed their vege- table garden, the sheep ate up their cotton-plants, while the crocodiles carried off the sheep, and the natives had stolen their fowls. Having discovered that the natives have a mortal dread of the chame- leon, one of which animals they had on board, they made good use of their knowledge. They had learned the market price of provisions, and determined to pay that and no more. When the traders, therefore, de- manded a higher price and refused to leave the sheep till it was paid, the chameleon was instandy brought out of the cabin, when the natives sprang overboard, and made no further attempt to impose upon them, A re- markable reptile this is, and we subjoin an accurate description of it. The Famous Cliaiiicleoii. One character of the chameleon consists in the tongue being cylindrfi cal, worm-like, capable of being greatly elongated, and terminating in a fleshy tubercle, lubricated with a viscid saliva. Another appears in the surface of the skin being covered with horny granules, instead of scales. A third is seen in the deep and compressed form of the body, which is »ONG TONGUED AFRICAN CHAMELEON. (185) 186 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ^■isr >:\>l I surmounted by an acute dorsal ridge ; a fourth, in the tail being round, ' tapering, and capable of grasping ; and a fifth, in the parrot-like structuie of the feet, which have each five toes, divided into two opposing sets — three being placed outwardly and two inwardly, connected together as at as the second joint, and armed v/ith five sharp claws. ' The head of these animals is very large; and from the shortness ol the neck, it seems as if set upon the shoulders. The upper part generally presents an elevated central crust; and a ridged arch is over each orbit to the muzzle. The internal organ of hearing is entirely concealed. The mouth is very wide ; the teeth are sharp, small, and thrce-lobjd. The whole of the ball of each eye, except the pupil, is covered with skin, and , forms a single circular eyelid, with a central orifice. 1 he furrow between the ball of the eye and the edge of the orbit is yery deep ; and the eye- lid, closely attached to the ball, moves as it moves. As each eye has an independent power of motion, the a.xis of one eye may be seen directly upwards or backwards, while that of the other is in a contra> / direction giving to the cr< ature a strange and most ludicrous appearai ce. The chameleon was once said to live on air; but insects, slugs, and such like creatures form its food. For their seizure its tongue is especially adapted. With the exception of the fleshy tubercle forming its tip, it consists of a hollow tube, which, when withdrawn into the throat, is folded in upon itself, somewhat in the way in which a pocket telescope is shut up. When fully protruded, it reaches to a distance at least equal to the chameleon's body; and is launched forth and retracted with equal rapidity. An insect on a leaf at an apparently hopeless distance, or a drop of water on a twig, is gone so instantaneously, that the spectator is astonished. *' I never knew," said an acute observer, " a chameleon I long kept miss his aim but once, and tiien the fly was on the other side of the glass." Curious Shifting Colors. The remote cause, says Weissenborn, of the difflrence of color in the two latteral halves of the chameleon may, in most cases, be distinctly referred to the manner in which the light acts upon the animal The statement of Murray, that the side turned towards the light is always of a darker color, is perfectly true. This rule holds good as well with reference to the direct and diffused light of the sun, or moon, as to artificial light. Even when the animal was moving in the walks of my garden, and happened to come near enough ro the border to be shaded by the box edging, that side (so shaded) would instantly become less •darkly colored than the other. Now, as the light in these cases seldom k AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESI. I Hi ing round, e structuie ,inretlier. Notwithstanding the strictly symmetrical structure of the chameleon, as to its two halves, the eyes move independently of each other, and con- vc\' different impressions to their respective centres of perception. The consequence is that, when the animal is agitated, its movements appear like tlu)se of two animals glued together. Each half wishes to move its own way, and there is no concordance of action. The chameleon, there- fore, is not able to swim, like other animals: it is so frightened, if put into water, that the faculty of concentration is lost, and it tumbles about as if III a state of intoxication. On the other hand, when the creature is undis- turbed, the eye which receives the .strongest impression propagates it to tlif common centre, and prevails upon the other eye to follow that impres- sion, and directs itself to the same object. The chameleon, moreover, may be asle. p on one side and awake on the other. When cautiously ajiproach- ing a spL-cimen at night, with a candle, so as not to awaken the wh'ole animal, by the shaking of the room, the eye turned towards the flame will open, and begin to move, and the corresponding sitie to change color; wlicreas the other side will remain for several seconds longer in its torpid and unchangeable state, with its eye shut. It was this singular creature that produced such an effect upon the natives. It was regarded as something supernatural. " Livingstone found that the sailors at Tete had performed a gallant act. '^Lhoy were aroused one night by a fearful shriek, when they immediately pushed off in their boat, supposing, as was found to be the case, that a crocodile had cought a woman and was dragging her across a shallow jank. Before they reached her, the reptile snapped off her leg. They carried her on board, bandaged up her limb, bestowed Jack's usual remedy for all complaints, a glass of grog, on her, and carried her to a hut in the village. Next morning they found the bandages torn off and !l \m il 188 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. the poor creature left to die, their opinion being that it had been done by her master, to whom, as she h.id lost a leg. t,he would be of no further use, and he did not wish the expense of keeping her. The following account is taken from the diary of an explorer in the Kaffir country: " Yesterday, as the men were digging out the steamers, which h.id become jammed by the floating rafts, they felt something struggling beneath their feet. They immediately scrambled away in time to avoid the large head of a crocodile that broke its way through the tangled mass in which it had been jammed and held prisoner by the rafts. The black soldiers, armed with swords and bill-hooks, immediately INSTANTLY HE WAS DRAGGED FROM THE SADDLE. attacked the crocodile, who, although freed from imprisonment, had not exactly falkn into the hands of the Humane Society. He was quickly dis- patched, and that evening his flesh gladdened the cooking-pots of the party. " I was amused with the account of this adventure given by various cflficers who were eye-witnesses. One stated, in reply to my question as to the length of the animal, ' Well, sir, I should not like to exaggerate, but I should say it was forty-five feet long from snout to tail!' Another witness declared it to be at least twenty feet ; but if one were seized by such a creature he would be disposed to think that, whatever might be its length, it is made up mostly of jaws." AFLOAT ON THE RIVER ZAMBESr. 1«9 From the grapliic narrative of Mr. Grout, the missionary, we take the following; description of an exciting adventure: ^ Mr. IJutler, a member of our mission, narrowly escaped from one of the savage creatures with which the rivers abound. In going to one of the stations, it was necessary for him to cross the Umkomazi. No native? being at hand to manage. the boat, he ventured to cro.ss on horseback, though the water was deep and turbid. As he went over .safely, when he returned the next day he. again ventured into the river in the s.me way. When about two-thirds of the was across, his horse suddenly kicked nnd plunged, as if to di.sengage himself from his rider; and the next moment an alligator seized Mr. Butler's leg with his horrible jaws. The river at this place is about one hundred and fifty yards wide, if measured at right angles to the current ; but from the place we enter to the place we go out, the distance is three times as great. The water at high tide, when the river is not swollen, is from four to eight or ten feet deep. On each side the banks are skirted with high grass and reeds. Mr. Butler, when he felt the sharp teeth of the crocodile, clung to the mane of his horse with a death-hold. Instantly he was dragged from the saddle : and both he and the horse were floundering in water, often dragged entirely under, and rapidly going down stream. At first the alli;.;ator drew them again to the middle of the river ; but at last the liorse gained shallow wpter, and approached the shore. As .soon as he was williin reach, natives ran to his assistance, and beat off the crocodile with spears and clubs. Horae and Rider Frii^litfully Mangled. Mr. Butler was pierced with five deep gashes, and had lost much blood. He left all his garments, except shirt and coat, on the oppo.site shore with a native who was to follow him ; but when the struggle commenced, the native returned, and would not venture into the water a;.;ain. It was now dark ; and, without garments and weak from lo§s of blood, he had .seven miles to ride before he could reach the station of a brother missionary. He borrowed a blanket of a native ; and after two hours succeded in reaching the station, more dead than alive. His horse also was terribly mangled ; a foot square of the flesh and skin was torn from his flanks. The animal, it is supposed, first seized tlie horse; and when shaken off", he caught Mr. Butler, first below the knee, and then in the thigili, making five or six wounds, from two to foui inches long, and from one-half to two and a half inches wide. After a severe illness, Mr. Butler recovered, but will not soon lose the marks of this fast and loving friend's hold upon him. ■») \ f** '♦ "• t' J'fJ*' CHAPTER IX. BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS. , \\- Setting Out in a Leaky Vessel— A Lfising Advertnre — Rishnp Mackenzie's Arrival— The '■ Pioneer" jjets Aground— IXscriplion of a Well-known tribe — Farn)iiig in Africa— Generous Hospitality— Remarkable Costumes— Elegant Tattotiig— Natives that Sildom Wash— An Afiican Dancing Party— Helicf in Visiis fn m Departid Spirits— Burning Villages— BatlJe wiih Ajawa Warriors -Transpoiliug the Boats Overland— Sudden and Terrific Storm — Air Thick with Midges - Enormous Crocodiles— Camp Plundered by Thieves- Dangers 1 hitken— The Expedition on its Return— Mrs. Livingstone's Arrival— Deaths of Bishop Mac- kenzie and Mrs. Livingstone — Lonely Graves in a Strange Land — Bullets and P.jisoiisd Arrows— Immsnse Flocks of Bjiuiiful Birds— The Fiery Flaming.j— Wine from the I'alm— A Bird's E.xtraordinary Nest— Odd Specmien ol the Monkey Tribes — Dtserted Country — Lord Russell Ricalls tli» Expedition — Alarm from Savage Invaders— The " Pioneer" Disabled— Livingstone at Bombay. ^2\^CK more, in December, the leaky "Asthmatic " was got under \^J way, but every day fresh misfortunes happened to her, till Rae (^ declared : " She cannot be any worse than she is, sir." Ho and his mate, Hutchinjjs, had done their best to patch her up, but her condition was past their skill. She soon grounded on a sand- bank and filled. The river rising, all that was visible the next day was about si.x feet of her two masts. The property on board was, however, saved, and the expedition spent their Christmas of 1 860 encamped on the island of Chimba. Canoes having been procured, they reached Senna late in the month. They here saw a large party of slaves belonging to the commandant, who had been up to trade with Mozclekatse, carrying a thousand muskets and a large quantity of gunpowder, and bringing back ivory, ostrich feathers, a thousand sheep and goats, and thirty head of fine cattle, and in addition a splendid white bull, to show that he and the traders parted friends. The adventure, however, was a losing one to the poor com- mandant : a fire had broken out in the camp, and the ostrich feathers had been burned ; the cattle had died from the bite of the tsetse, as had the white bull, and six hundred of the sheep had been eaten by the slaves, they thinking more of their own comfort than^heir master's gain. Proceeding down the river in boats, the expedition reached Congo eaily in January, 1861. Here a flag-staff and a custom-house (a floorless hut of mangrove stakes roofed with stakes'! had been erected. The gar- (190) BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS. 101 rfson of the place being almost starved, the provisions of the expedition also ran short, though they obtained game in abundance. A Notnblo Arrival. On the last day of the month the " Pioneer," the steamer which had been sent to replace the " Asthmatic," appeared off the bar, but the ba(l weather prevented her entering. At the same time two men-of-war • arrived, bringing Bishop Mackenzie ^^t the head of the Oxford «n(l Cam- bridj^e mission to the tribes of the Shi.c and Lake Nyassa. It consisted of six I^n;^dishmen and five colored men from the Cape. The bishop wished at once to proceed up to Chibisa ; but the " Pioneer " war. under orders to explore the Rovuma, and it was ultimately arranged that the members of the mission should be carried over to Johanna in the " Lyra " man-of-wir, while the bishop himself accompanied the expedition in the " Pioneer." They had reached the mouth of the Rovuma late in February. The rainy season was already half over, and the river had fallen considerably. The scenery was superior to that on the Zambesi. Eight miles from the mouth the mangrove disappeared, and a beautiful range (jf well-wooded hills rose on either side. Unhappily fever broke out, and the navigation of the "Pioneer" fell to the charge of Dr. Li\ingstonc and his com- }>anions. The water falling rapidly, it was considered dangerous to run ilic risk of detention in the river for a year, and the ship returned down to the sea. On their voyage back they touched at Mohilla, one of the Comoro Islands, and from thence went on to Johanna, where they received the bislio[)'s followers, and proceeded back to the Kongone. Thence they at once directed their course up the Zambesi to the Shire. The " Pioneer," it was found, drew too much water for the navigation of the river, and she Ik consequence frequently grounded. .' Among his many duties, Charles Livingstone was engaged in collecting spociincns of cotton, and upwards of three hundred pounds were thus obtained, at a price of less than two cents a pound;?, which showed that cotton of a superior quality could be raised by native labor alone, and that but for the slave trade a large amount might be raised in the country. Wherever they went they gained the confidence of the people, and hitherto the expedition had been eminently successful. At Chigund2 a Man;^aiija chief had invited the bishop to settle in his country near, Ma;^^omcro, adding that there was room enough for both. This sponta- neous invitation seemed to decide the bishop on the subject. The country which this tribe inhabits is well and fully watered, I 1^1 193 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. aboundinj; in clear and cold streams, which do not dry up even in the tiry season. Pasturage is con-secjuently abundant, and yet the people do not trouble thetn.sclves about cattle, allowing to lie unused tracts of l.ind w hich would feed vast herds of oxen, not to mention sheep anil ^joats. Their niodo of government is rather curious, and yet simple. The country is divided into a number of districts, the head of which ^oes by the title of Rundo. A great number of villages are under the command of each Rundo, though each of the divisions is independent of the others, and they do not acknowledge one common chief or king. The chief- tainshij) is not restricted to the male sex, as in one of the districts a woman named Nyango was the Rundo, and exercised her authority judiciously, by improving the social status of the women throughout her dominions. An annual tribute is paid to the Rundo by each village, mostly consisting of one tusk of each elephant killed, and he in return is bound to assist and protect them should they be threatened or attacked. The Manganjas arc an industrious race, being good workers in metal, especially iron, growing cotton, making baskets, and cultivating the ground, in which occupation both .sexes usually share; and it is a pleas- ant thing to -see men, women and children all at work together in the fields, with perhaps the baby lying asleep in the shadow of a bush. African Fariuors. They clear the forest ground exactly as is done in America, cutting dov, 11 the tin s willi thi.ir a.\es, piling up the branches and trunks in heaps, burning them, and scattering the ashes over the ground by way of manure. The stumps are left to rot in the ground, and the corn is sown among them. Grass land is cleared in a different manner. Tlic grass in that land is enormously thick and long. The cultivator gathers a bundle into his hands, twists the enck together, and tics them in a knot. He then cuts the roots with his adze-like hoe, so as to leave the bunch of grass still standing, like a sheaf of wheat. When a field has been entirely cut, it looks to a stranger as if it were in harvest, the bundles of grass standing at intci\als like the grain shocks. Just before the rainy season comes on, the bundles are fired, the ashes are roughly dug into the soil, and an abundant harvest is the result. The cotton is prepared after a very simple and slow fashion, the fibre being picked by hand, drawn out into a " roving," partially twisteii, and then rolled up into a ball. It is the opinion of those who have had prac- tical experience of this cotton, that, if the natives could be induced to plant and dress it in large quantities, an enormous market might be found BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIKS AND DANGERS. 19:i 1 in the coplc do s of I And 1 goats. i)lc. The h goes by command^ the oUkms, Vhc chief- districts a r authority ughovit her Z\\ villa-je, in return is or attacked, rs in metal, tivating the it is a pleas- rcther in tlie > 1 bush. icrica, cuttitv^ ud trunks in auul by wiiy A the corn is Lanner. Tlic ]he cul'.ivator ther, and ties le-likc hoe, so a sheaf o^ stranger as if „Nals hUe the Le bundles are dant harvest is Lion, the fibre ly twisted, ail J 1 have had piac- 1 be induced to might be found for it. The " staple," or fibre, of this cotton is not so long as that in America and lias a harsh, wooly feeling in the hand. But, as it is very strong, and the fabrics made from it are very durable, the natives prefer i; to the foreign plant. Almost every Manganja family of importance lias its own little cotton patch, from half an acre to an acre in size, which 1 kept carefully tended and free from weeds. The loom in which thoy vtave their simple cloth is very rude, and is one of the primitive forms nl a weaver's apparatus. It is placed horizontally, and not vertically, and the weaver has to squat on the ground when engaged in his work. The shuttle is a mere stick, with tlie thread wound .spirally round it, and, when it is passed between the cross threads of the warp, the warp is i)taten into its place with a flat .stick. Unbounded HoNpitality. They are a «. ^pitable people, and have a well-understood code of cere- mony in the reception of strangers. In each village there is a spot called the Boala, that is, a space of about thirty or forty yaids diameter, which is sheltered by baobab, or other spreading trees, and which is always kept neat and clean. This is chiefly u.sed as a place where the basket- makers and others who are engaged in sedentary occupations can work in company, and also serves as a meeting-place in evenings, where they sing, dance, smoke, and drink beer after the toils of the day. As soon as a stranger enters a village, he is conducted to the Boala, where he takes his seat on the mats that are spread for him, and awaits tile coming of the chief man of the village. As soon as he makes his ai)[)eaiance, his people welcome him by clipping their hands in unison^ and continue this salutation until he has taken his seat, accompanied by his councillors. "Our guides," writes Livingstone, " then sit down in front of the chief and his councillors, and both parties lean forward, looking earnestly at each other. The chief repeats a word, such as 'Ambuiata' (our father or master), or ' Moio ' (life), and all clap their hands. Another word is followed by two claps, a third by still more clapping, when each touches the ground with both hands placed together. Then all rise and lean forward with measured clap, and sit down again >vith clap, clap, clap, fainter and still fainter, until the last dies away, or is oroiight to an end, by a smart loud clap from the chief. They keep perfect time in this species of court etiquette." This curious salutation is valued very highly, and the people are care- fully instructed in it from childhood. The chief guide of the stranger part) then addresses the chief, and tells him about his visitors — who they are, why they have come, etc. ; and mostly does so in a kind of blank 18 ]94 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. m verse — the power of improvisinc^ a poetical narrative being valued as liitjiily as the court sahitations, and sedulously cultivated by all of any pretensions to station. It is rather amusing at first to the traveller to find that, if he should happen to inquire his way at a hut, his own guide addresses the owner of the hut in blank verse, and is answered in tht same fashion. Singular Costume. The dress of this tribe is rather peculiar, the head being the chief pa • of the person which is decorated. Some of the men save themselves th( trouble of dressing their hair by shaving it off entirely, but a greatei number take a pride in decorating it in various ways. The head-dress which seems to be most admired is that in which the hair is trained to resemble the horns of the buffalo. This is done by taking two pieces of hide while they are wet and pliable, and bending them into the required shape. When the two horns are dry and hard, they are fastened on the head, and the hair is trained over them, and fixed in its place by grease and clay. Sometimes only one horn is used, which projects immediately over the forehead ; but the double horn is the form which is most •n vogue. Others divide their hair into num. .r^is tufts, and separate them by winding round each tuft a thin bandage, made of the inner bark of a tree, .' the fact that their departed relatives come and speak to them in their dreams. They have the same idea of the muave poison that has already been mentioned ; and so strong is their belief in its eflRcacy that, in a dis- |)iite, one man will challenge the other to drink muave ; and even the :liiefs themselves will often offer to test its discriminating powers. When a Manganja dies, a great wailing is kept up in his house for two lays ; his tools and weapons are broken, together with his cooking cssels. All food in the house is taken out and destroyed ; and even the Deer is poured on the earth. The burial grounds seem to be carefully cherished — as carefully, indeed, as many of the churchyards in America. The graves are all arranged north and south, and the sexes of the dead are marked by the implements laid on the grave. These implements are always broken ; [)artly, perhaps, to signify that they can be used no more, and partly to s;ive them from being stolen. Thus a broken mortar and pestle for pounding corn, together with the fragments of a sieve, tell that there lies below a woman who once had used them ; whilst a piece of a net or a shattered paddle are emblems of the fishermen's trade, and tell that .i fisherman is interred below. Broken calabashes, gourds, and other vessels, are laid on almost every grave ; and in some instances a banana is planted at the head. The relatives wear a kind of mourning, consist- ing of narrow strips of palm leaf wound around their heads, necks, arms, legs, and breasts, and allowed to remain there until they drop off by decay. Startling News. As Livingstone marched forward word was received that the Ajawa were near, burning villages ; and at once the doctor and his companions advanced to seek an interview with these scourges of the country. On their way they met crowds of Manganjas flying, having left all their property and food behind them. Numerous fields of Indian corn were [xissed, but there was no one to reap them. All the villages were deserted. One, where on the previous visit a number of men had been ecu peacefully weaving cloth, was burned, and the stores of grain scattered over the plain and along the paths. The smoke of burning Ilages was seen in front, and triumphant shouts, mingled with the wail ■S the Manganja women lamenting over the slain, reached their ears. The bishop knelt and engaged in prayer, and on rising, a long line of •M'lwa warriors with their captives was seen. In a short time the travellers were surrounded, the savages shooting their poisoned arrow.s and dancing hideously. Some had muskets, but, on shots being fired at tliein, they r..n off. i < ! ; i«i;^ 1 1 i 'i 1- i j 1 ! ' 1 ■ ll i i ! 200 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. The main body in the mean time decamped with the captives, two only of whom escaped and joined their new friends. Most of the party pro- posed going at once to the rescue of the captive Manganja ; but this Livin^^stone opposed, believing that it would be better for the bishop to wait the effect of the check given to the slave-hunters. It was evideiu that the Ajawa were instigated by the Portuguese agents from Tete. Ir A^as possible that they might by persuasion be induced to follow* tlic Dctter course, but, from their long habit of slaving for the Quillinianf market, this appeared doubtful. The bishop consulted Living-stoiie as tc whether, should the Manganjas ask his assistance against the Ajawa, it would be his duty to give it ? The reply was : " Do not interfere in native quarrels." Leaving the members of the commission encamped on a beautiful .spot, surrounded by stately trees, near the clear little stream of Magomero, ihe expedition returned to the ship to prepare for their journey to Lake Nyas.sa. " A Fresh Start. In August, i86i,the two doctors and Charles Livingstone started in a four-oared gig, with one white sailor and twenty Makololo, for Nyassa. Carriers were easily engaged to convey the boat past the forty miles of the Murchison Cataracts. Numberless volunteers came forward, and the men of one village tran.sported it to the next. They pas.sed the little Lake of Pamalombe, about ten miles long and five broad, surrounded thickly by papyrus. Myriads of mosquitoes showed the presence of niahuia, and they hastened by it. Again launching their boat, they proceeded up the river, and entered the l.ikc early in September, greatly refreshed by the cool air which canic off its wide expanse of water. The centre appeared to be of a deep blue, while the shallow water along the edge was indicated by its light green color. A little from the shore the water was from nine to fifteen fathoms in deptn, but round a grand mountain promontory no bottom could be ■,)btained with tiieir lead-line of thirty-five fathoms. The lake was esti- iiatcd to be about two hundred miles long and from twenty to sixty I > road. The lake appeared to be surrounded by mountains, but on the wt> ;iu;y were merely the edges of high table-land. It is visited by sudden and tremendous storms. One morning the sia riiddeniy rose around them, preventing them from advancing or reced- mg, as tiic tremendous surf on the beach would have knocked their liglit boat to pieces, while the waves came rolling on in threes, their crests IS, two only party pro- a; but this : bishop to was evidenl n Tete. U > follow* the Qiiillimanr nrstone as tc le Ajawa, it interfere in a beautiful ■ Magomero, ney to Lake e started in a , for Nyassa. forty miles of vard, and the ^ed the little- surrounded ; presence of and entered - which came a deep blue, s light green teen fathoms om could be ake was esti- cnty to sixt> on the wts Irning the si.a ig or rcccd- [cd their light I, their crests (201) 202 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. \'l broken into spray. Had one of them struck the boat, nothing could have saved her from being swamped. •♦ They are Lost I They are all Dead ! " For six hours they remained at anchor a Httle from the shore, thus ex- posed to tlie fury of the gale. The crew became sea-sick and unable to keep the boat's head to the sea, while some of their party who had remained on shore watched them, the natives every moment exclaimin;^ : ' They are lost ! they are all dead ! " After this, every night they hauled the boat up on the beach ; and aad it not been supposed that these storms were peculiar to one season, they would have given the Nyassa the name of the " Lake of Storms." A dense population exists on the shores of the lake, some being a tribe of Zulus who came from the south some years ago. They own large herds of cattle, and arc on the increase by uniting other people to them- selves. The marshy spots are tenanted by flocks of ducks, geese, cranes, herons, and numerous other birds. The people cultivate the soil, gnaw- ing large quantities of rice, sweet potatoes, maize and millet. Those at the north end reap a curious harvest. Clouds of what appeared to be smoke rising from miles of burning grass were .seen in the distance. 'Iho appearance was caused by countless millions of midgets. As th,- voyagers' boat passed through them, eyes and mouth had to be kc[)i closed. The people collect these insects by night and boil them intw thick cakes, to be eaten as a reli.sh. One of these cakes, which tastcJ like salted locusts, was presented to the doctor. Abundance of fish were caught, some with nets, and others with hou'a and line. Women were seen fishing, with babies on their backs. Faoi- mous crocodiles were seen, but, as they can obtain abundance of fisli, they seldom attack men. When, however, its proper food is scarce, tlu; crocodile, as is always the case, becomes very dangerous. The lake tribes appear to be open-handed , and, whenever a n;.). wr.-, drawn, fish was invariably offered. On one occasion the inhabitaiits, on theii arrival, took out their seine, dragged it, and made their vliitors a present of the entire haul. The chiefs treated them also with considcr- ible kindness. One at the north of Marenga, who was living in a stock ide in a forest surrounded by a wide extent of country, which hr owned made them beautiful presents. The doctor admiring an iron bracelet studded with copper which the chief wore, he took it off and p/esentod it to him, while his wife did the same with hers. At one place a party of thieves stole into the camp and carried oflfmost of their goods, no one awaking, though their rifles and revolvers were all BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS. 203 hing could »re, thus ex- id unable to ty who had exclainiuv^ : beach; and, one season, )f Storms." being a tribe y own large pie to them- geese, cranes, ic soil, grow- ict. Those at ipcared to be distance. 'Iho rets. As tlv,: id to be kopi oil theiu in'.M , which taste J ^ci-s with hook packs. Eaoi- idance of n-^l'. is scarce, the ;ver a n:1. wp.s nhabitarits, on Iheir visitors a Iwith consider- _; in a stock dch he owned p iron bracelet land p/esentod arried off most lolvera were all ready. The cloth, having been used for pillows, e.scaped, but nearly all their clothing was lost, and even their note-books and .specimens. On the highlands, at the northern end, a tribe of Zulus, known as the Mazitu, make sudden swoops on the villages of the plains, and carry off : i." iiiliabitants and burn villages; and putrid bodies slain by Mazitu ;-r^;^C^ mm/J jl^pai GIANT HERON OF AFRICA. )oars were seen in all directions. In consequence of this the land party, Mnposcd of blacks, were afraid of proceeding and Livingstone accordingly : mdod to accompany them. While he struck inland to go round a moun- tiiin, the boat pursued her course; but a fresh gale compelled her to run m-shore. On continuing her voyage, a number of armed Mazflu were seen on a small island, with several large canoes belonging to them. ' I!! Li:.y Ijliiil 204 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. It was evident that it was a nest of lake pirates. Further on they met a still liirger band, and the voyagers were ordered to come on shore. On refusing, a number of canoes chased them, one with nine paddles perse- vering a considerable time, till a good breeze enabled the gig to get away from them. This circumstance caused great an.xiety about Dr. Livingstone. The boat party having sailed on for fifteen miles northward, he was still nowhere to be seen, and they therefore resolved to return. Another gale, however, compelled them to put into a harbor, where a number of wretched fugitives from the slave trade, who had crossed from the oppo- site shore, were found ; but the ordinary inhabitants had been swept off by the Mazitu. In their deserted gardens cotton of a fine quality, with staple an inch and a half long, was seen growing, some of the plants deserving to be ranked with trees. The Way llcHct with Dangers. On returning, their former pursuers tried to induce them to come on shore. Four days passed before Livingstone with two of his party dis- covered them. He had in the meantime fallen in with the Mazitu, who were armed with spears and shields, and their heads fantasticaly dressed with feathers. By his usual courage and determination he prevented them from attacking him. When they demanded presents, he toKl them his goods were in the boat ; and when they insisted on having; a coat, the Makololo enquired how many of the party they had killed, that they thus began to divide the spoil ; and at last, suspecting that he had support at hand, they took to their heels. Numerous elephants, suprisingly tame, were seen on the borders of the lake even close to the village, and hippopotami swarmed in all the creeks and lagoons. Several 'vere shot for food during the journey. Some- times food Was thus abundant ; at others, a few sardines served for dinner. The doctor saw that a small armed steamer on Lake Nvassa could, by furnishing goods in exchange tor ivory and other products, excercise ^ powerful influence in stoppiug the traffic in that quarter. The expedition had spent from the 2d of September to the 27th of October in exploring the lake, and their goods being now expended, it was necessary to return to the ship. On their way back they fell in witb a number of Manganja families, driven from their homes by Ajawa raids, taking shelter among the papyrus growing on Lake Pamalombe, sui> porting themselves on the fine fish which abound in it. The party reached the ship on the 8th of November, but in a weak condition, "having latterly suflfered greatly from hunger. BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIES AND DANGKRS. w.-s They soon received a visit from the bishop, who appeared in rx^e'.Ii-nt spirits, and believed that all promised well for future success. I Ic arranged to explore the country from Magomero to the mouth of the river, and it was agreed that the " Pioi ecr," her draught being too great for the upf>er part of the Shire, should on her next trip not go higher than Ruo. The "Pioneer" Aground. With three hearty cheers, the '' Pioneer" steamed down the river. The rain ceasing, she unfortunately ran on a shoal, and was detained in an unhealthy spot for five weeks. Here the carpcn*^er's mate, a fine healthy young man, was seized with fever and died. A permanent rise in the river enabled them at last to get on. On reaching Ruo, they heard that Mariano had returned from Mozambique, and was desolating the right bank of the river. He had lived in luxury during his nominal imprison- ment, and was now able to .set the Portuguese at defiance. An officer sent against him, instead of capturing the rebel, was captured himself, but soon returned to Tete with a present of ivory he had received. The Zambesi was reached in January, 1862, when the " Pioneer" pro- ceeded to the Great Luabo mouth of the river. Soon Her Majesty's ship " Gorgon " arrived, towing the brig which brought out Mrs. Living- stone and some ladies about to join the University mission, as well as the sections of a new iron steamer intended for the navigation of L;ike Nyassa. The name of the " Lady Nyassa" was given to the new vessel. The " Pioneer," with as large a portion of the vessel as she could carry, accompanied by two of the " Gorgon's " paddle-box boats, steamed off for Ruo in February. Her progress was very slow, and six months were expended before Shupanga was reached. Here the sections ot the " Lady Nyassa " were landed, and preparations were made to screw her together. Sad Deaths. Captain Wilson had kindly gone on in his boat to Ruo. On reaching Ruo, greatly to their dismay the chief declared that no white man had -:ome to his village. They thence went on to Chibisa, where the sad news was received of the death of the bishop. The sad tale of the bishop's death has often been told. He had set off in the hopes of rescuing some of his flock who had been kidnapped, and, undergoing latigue and exposure to rain far greater than his constitution could ^tand, having been upset in a canoe and sleeping afterwards in his wet clothes, had succumbed to fever when returning to Ruo. About the middle of April Mrs. Livingstone was attacked by fever. 206 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Notwithstanding the most skillful medical aid rendered to her, her eyes were closed in death as the sun set on a Sabbath diiy, the 27th of April, 1862. Iler grave was placed beneath the great baobab-tree in the spot before described. There rested the daughter of the Missionary Moffat, that Christian lady who had exercised such beneficial influence over the rude tribes of the interior, and might, it was hoped, have renewed hei labors in the country to which she had come. The " Lady Nyassa " was now screwed together and her stores gut o*- board ; but, as she could not be taken to the cataract before the rains ii; December, the " Pioneer " sailed for Johanna to obtain mules and oxen to convey her by land, after she had been taken to pieces, above the falls. To fill up the time the doctor resolved, on the return of the " Pioneer," to e.xplore the Rovuma in boats. Captain Gardner and several of his officers accompanied them two days in the gig and cutter. The water was now lo\v ; but when filled by the rains, in many respects the Rovutna appears superior to the Zambesi. It would probably be valuable as a highway for commerce during three-fourths of each year. Trip up the Iloviinia. Above Kichokomane was a fertile plain, studded with a number of de- Ss^rttd villages. Its inhabitants were living on low sandbanks, though they had left their property behind, fearing only being stolen themselves. They sliowed, however, an unfriendly spirit to the white men, not under- .standing their objects. The blacks assembled on the shore, and evidently intended to attack the party as they passed the high bank, but a stiff breeze swept the boats by. Attempts were made to persuade the natives that the travellers had only peaceful intentions, that they wished to be their friends, and that their countrymen bought cotton and ivory. Not- withstanding this, these savages were not satisfied, and their leader was seen urging them to fire. Many of them had muskets, while others, who were armed with bows, licld them with arrows ready set to shoot. Still the doctor and hir companions were exceedingly unwilling to come to blows, and half ar. hour was spent, during which, at any moment, they might have bee; struck by bullets or poisoned arrows. The English assured them that they had plenty of ammunition, that they did not wish to shed the blood of the children of the same Great Father, and that if there was a fight, the guilt would be theirs. At last their leader ordered them to lay down their arms, and he came, saying that the river was theirs, and that the English must pay toll for leave to pass. As it was better to do so than D/. FILING WITH D.FFICULTIES ANH DANGERS. 207 fight, the payment dcniaiulcd was given, and tlicy promised to be friends ever afterwards. The sail was then hoisted, antl the boats proceeded up, when they were followed by a largo party, as it was sufjoosed merely to watch them, hut without a moment'; warning the savages fired a volley of musket- balls and poisoned arrows. Providentially they were so near that six arrows passed over their heads, and four musUet-balls alone went through the sail. Their assailants immediately bolted, and did not again appeal till the boats had got to a considerable distance. A few shots were fired THE PELICAN. ^'ivcr their heads, to give them an idea of the range of the Englishmen's iillcs. They had probably expected to kill some of the party, and thtn :ii the confusion to rob the boats. 1 iioy were more hospitably treated by a Makoa chief higher up, whc liad been to Iboe, and once to Mozambique with slaves. Tlis pcoplt icfuscd to receive gaily-colored prints, having probably been deceived by sham ones before, preferring the plain blue stuff of which they had (xpcience. Another old chief, on seeing them go by, laid down his ^iin. and when they landed approached them. I hey proceeded up the cataracts of the R,ovuma, but finding that the U !: 1: i 1 i' ''I f* 1,11 ' ; ill u iJiil 208 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. distance overland was far greater to Lake Nyassa than that by Murchi- son's Cataracts on the Shire, they considered it best to take their steamer up by that route. After having been away a montii, tliey reached the "Pioneer" on the 9th of October. The ship's company had used dis- tilled water, and not a single case of sickness had occurred on board, while those who had been in the boats had some slight attacks. After this they put to sea and visited Johanna, returning to the fever- haunted village of Quillimane. Here they were kindly entertained by one of the few honorable Portuguese officials they met with in that region, Colonel Nunes. He came out as a cabin-boy, and, by persevering energy, has become the richest man on the East Coast. Extraordinary Sight. Early in January, 1863, the "Pioneer," with the "Lady Nyassa" in tow, steamed up the Shire. The Shire marshes support prodigious numbers of many kinds of water-fowl. An hour at the mast-head unfolded novel views of life in an African marsh. Near the edge, and on the branches of some favorite tree, rest scores of plotuses and cormorants, which stretch their snake- like necks and in mute amazement lurn one eye and then another towards the approaching monster. By and by the timid ones begin to fly off, or take " headers " into the stream ; but a few of the bolder, or more composed, remain, only taking the precaution to spread their wings, ready for instant flight. The pretty ardetta, of a light yellow color when at rest, but seemingly of a pure white when flying, takes wing, and sweeps across the green grass in large numbers, often showing where buffaloes and elephants are by perching on their backs. Ducks are very abundant, and being night feeders, meditate quietly by the small lagoons until startled by the noise of the steam machinery. Pelicans glide over the water catching fish, while the scopus and large h ons peer intently into pools. The large black and white spur-winged goose (a constant marauder of native gardens) springs up, and circles round to find out what the disturbance can be, and then settles down again with a splash. Hundreds of linongolos rise on the wing from the clumps of reeds, or low trees, on which they build in colonies, and are speedily high in mid-air. Charming little red and yellow weavers remind one of butterflies, as they fly in and out of the tall grass, or hang to the mouths of their pen- dant nests, chattering briskly to their mates within. Kites and vultures are busy overhead, viewing the ground for their repast of carrion ; and the solemn-looking, stately-steppng flamingoes, with ^ taste for dead BATTLING WITH DIFFICULiiES AND DANGERS. 208 jy Murchi- icir steamer reached the d used dis- d on board, ks. to the fever • itertained by with in that y perseverin;^ r Nyassa" in lany kinds of \is of Ufa in an some favorite ;h their snake- then another ones begin to the bolder, or ,d their v/ings, iw color when es wing, and [howing where tate quietly by Lm machinery, [pus and large le spur-winged ap, and circles settles down Iwing from the llonies, and are butterflies, as of their pen- and vultures carrion; and taste for dead fish or men, stalk slowly along the almost stagnant channels. Groups ot men and boys are searching diligently in various places for lotus and other roots. Some .-^re standing in canoes, on the weed-covered ponds, spearing fish, while others are punting over the small intersecting iitreams to examine their sunken fish-baskets. GROUP OF FLAMINGOES. Towards evening, hundreds of pretty little hawks are seen flying in a soutlierly direction, and feeding on dragon-flies and locusts. They come, apparently, from resting on the palm trees during the heat of the day. Flocks of scissor-bills are then also on the wing, and in search of food, U 210 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. HI!! ploughing the water with their lower mandibles, which are nearly half art inch longer than the upper ones. At the north-eastern end of the marsh, anH about three miles from the river, commences a great forest of palm trees. It extends many miles, and at one point comes close to the river. The gray trunks and green tops of this immense mass of trees give a pleasing tone of color to the view. The mountain range, which rises close behind the palms, is generally of a cheerful green, and has many trees, with patches of a lighter tint among them, as if spots of land had once been cultivated. The sharp angular rocks and dells on its sides have the appearance of a huge crystal broken ; and this is so often the case in Africa that one can guess pretty nearly at sight whether a range is of the old crystalline rocks or not. The borassus, though not an oil-bearing palm, is a useful tree. The fibrous pulp round the large nuts is of a sweet, fruity taste, and is eaten by men and elephants. The natives bury the nuts until the kernels begin to sprout ; when dug up and broken, the inside resembles coarse potatoes, and is prized in times of scarcity as nutritious food. During several months of the year palm- wine, or sura, is obtained in large quantities ; when fresh, it is a pleasant drink, somewhat like champagne, and not at all intoxicating ; though, after standing a i^w hours, it becomes highly so. Vegetable Champagne. Sticks, a foot long, are driven into notches in the hard outside of the tree — the inside being soft or hollow — to serve as a ladder ; the top of the fruit-shoot is cut off, and the sap, pouring out at the fresh wound, is caught in an earthen pot, which is hung at the point. A thin slice is taken off the end, to open the pores and make the juice flow every time the owner ascends to empty the pot. Temporary huts are erected in the forest, and men and boys remain by their respective trees day and night ; the nuts, fish and wine being their sole food. The Por- tuguese use the palm-wine as yeast, and it makes bread so light that it melts in the mouth like froth. Above the palm-trees, a succession of rich, low islands stud the river Many of them are cultivated and grow maize at all times of the yeat Some patches ripe are .seen, and others half-grown, or just sprouting out' of the ground. The shores are adorned with rows of banana-trees, and the fruit is abundant and cheap. Many of the reedy banks are so inter- twined with convolvulus, and other creepers, as to be absolutely impene- trable. They are beautiful to the eye, a smooth wall of living green rising out of the crystal water, and adorned with lovely flowers; but so arly half an es from the iiany miles, and green color to the e palms, is ith patche: once been sides have ;o often the Tht whether ;, though not nd the large )hants. The vhen dug up ized in times be year palm- : is a pleasant :ing; though, -utside of the |r; the top of fresh wound, joint. A thin he juice flow |rary huts are spective trees ,d. The Por- light that i* Itud the river, [s of the yeat, (sprouting out' ma-trees, and are so inter- llutely impene- If living green >wers^ but so CURIOUS NEST OF THE FLAMINGO. (211) 212 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. i ': \, \ y !' dense that, if capsized in the water, one could scarcely pass throui^h to land. Probably no tropical bird is more remarkable than the famous flamingo. The following incident is related by one of a party of travellers in Africa : Our path led through the forest near the banks of the river, of which we occasionally got glimpses. It was here of considerable width, bordered by mangrove bushes. In one or two places there were wide lats covered with reeds. Suddenly, as we passed a point of the river, I saw drawn up what had much the appearance, at the first glance, of z regiment of soldiers, with red coats and white trousers. "Why, where can those men have come from?" I cried out. A Regiment of Birds. One of the party, who was near me, burst into a laugh, in which his sisters and the boys joined. "Why, those are birds," he answered. "A regiment, true enough, but of flamingoes; and see! they are in line, and will quickly march away as we approach." A -second glance showed me that he was right; and a very curious appearance they had. " See ! there is the sentinel." As he spoke, one of the birds nearest to us issued a sound like that of a trumpet, which was taken up by the remainder; and the whole troop, expanding their flaming wings, rose with loud clamors into the air, flying up the stream. We went on, and cutting off a bend in the river, agaiu met it; and here our bearers declared that they must stop and rest. We accordingly encamped, though our guide warned us that we must remain but a short time, as we wished to reach some higher ground before dark. A fire was lighted for cooking; and while our meal was preparing, I, with others, went down nearer the banks to see what was to be seen. We observed on the marshy ground a little way off a high mound, and creeping along, that we might not disturb the numerous birds which covered the banks or sat on the trees around, we caught sight of another mound, with a flamingo seated on the top of it, her long legs, instead ol being tucked up as those of most birds would have been, literally astrad die on it. "That is one of their nests," whispered one. "The bird is a hen sitting on her eggs. Depend upon it, the troop is not far off. See, see ! then are many others along the banks. What a funny appearance they have.' Bed Wings Sweeping Through the Air. Presently a flash of red appeared in the blue sky, and looking up, we saw what might be described as a great fiery triangle in the air sweeping down towards us. On it came, greatly diminishing its rate, and we then i. i 1 BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIES AND DANCERS. 213 saw that it was composed of flamingoes. They hovered f(jr a moment, then flew round and round, following one another, and t:fradually approached the marsh, on which they alighted. Immediately they arranged themselves as we had before seen them, in long lines, when several marched off on either side to act as sentinels, while the rest commenced fishing. We could see them arching their rieck.«= and digging their long bills into the ground, while they stirred up the mud vith their webbed feet, in order to procure the water-insects on which . THE MARVELLOUS SPECTRAL LEMUR. they subsist. They, howevei, were not the only visitors to the river. The tide was low, and on every mud-bank or exposed spot countless numbers of birds were collected — numerous kinds of gulls, herons, and long-legged cranes — besides which, on the trees were perched thousands of white birds, looking at a distance like shining white flowers. Va.st flocks of huge pelicans were swimming along the stream, dipping their enormous bills into the water, and each time bringing up a fish. They have enor- mous pouches, capable of containing many pounds of their finny prey. 214 VVONDPIRS OF THE TROPICS. .ii il I I Other forms of animal life abound in the Tropics, and not the least marvellous of these is the spectral lemur. Lemur is the name applied to about thirty species of monkeys. They are divided into five principal genera, inhabiting chiefly Madagascar, a few living in Africa and the warm regions of Asia and its archipelago. The animals have two sharp claws on each hind foot, all their other nails arc flat. In their habits and economy, as well as in their hand-like paws, the lemurs are like the other nionkeys. They principally differ "rom those animals in the shape of the head, which is somewhat like thai of a dog, and in the great length of their hind legs. The latter are so long, that when the lemurs walk on all-fours, their haunches are consider- ably more elevated ihan the shoulders. But this .'iiur*-: is of great advantage to them in climbing'trees. Many of the .species are so active that they leap from branch to branch with a rapiu ty which the eye is .scarcely able to follow. The lemurs derive their name iioni their nocturnal habits and their noiseless move- ments. They live in the depths of the forests, and only move by night, the entire day being spent in sleep. Their food consists of fruits and insects which latter they take while they are sleeping. The .spectral lemur is of a grayish-brown color, and Mves in some of the forests of Africa, its long tarsi, or hind legs enabling it to leap like a frog, and its curious eyes giving it a singular api)earance. Scenes Alans' the River's Banks. Surrounded by such tropical scenes as we have just described, with their wonderful specimens of animal life, Livingstone pursued his way. A country once very populous wa.'- nearly deserted on account of con- tinuous raids bv .slave hunters. A hippopotamus was "shot, and, at the end of three days, it floated. As the boat w.is towing it, immense numbers of crocodiles followed, and it was nucLss.-uy to fire at them to keep them off. It is said that the crocodile never eats fresh meat; indeed, the more putrid it becomes, tiie better he ..njoys his repast, as he can thus tear the carcass more easily. The corpse of a boy was seen floating by. Several crocodiles dashed .i' it, fight'ng for their prey, and in a few seconds it disappeared. Sixty- jcven of the repulsij^e reptiles Avere seen on one bank. The natives cr.; the animal, but few who had witnes.sed the horrible food on which they banijuet would willingly feed on their flesh. Their former companion. Mr. Thornton, here rejoined them. Hcarinj:^ that the remaining members of the bisliop's party were in want at Clii- bisa, he volunteered to carry over a supply of goats and sheep to them. the least ys. They lagascar, a lipelago. their other r hand-like ipally differ »at like thai latter are so ire consider- nbing' trees, ch to branch The lemurs iseless move- ove by night, of fruits and jes in some of it to leap like Ucribed, with Led his way. Icount of con- lys, it floated. IfoUowed, and Uid that the becomes, tlie more easily, tics dashed .'/ lared. Sixty- le natives cal (n which they tm. Heavin;? want at Clu- lieep to theni. (215) 216 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. .: I ;lii Overcome by the fatigues of the journey, he was attacked by lever, which terminated fatally in April, 1863. v. The whole of the once pleasant Shire valley was now a scene of wide- spread desolation. Fearful famine had devastated it, and the sights whiclv met their eye in every direction were heart-rending. The ground was literally covered with human bones. Many had ended their career under the shade of trees, others under projecting crags of the hills, while others lay in their huts with closed doors, which, when opened, disclosec the mouldering corpse with a few rags round the loins, the skull fallen oft the pillow ; the litt'e skeleton of a child that had perished first, was rolled Op in a mat between two large skeletons. Transportlngf the Boat Overland. Hoping that the "Lady Nyassa" might be the means of afft)rding relief to sufferers across the lake, they hurried on with their work. She V as unscrewed at a spot about five hundred yards below the first cataract, and they began to make a road over the portage of forty miles, by which she was to be carried piecemeal. Trees had to be cut down and stones removed. The first half-mile of road was formed up a gradual -cpe till two hundred feet above the river was reached, where a sensible difference in the climate was felt. Before much progress was made, Dr. Kirk and Charles Livingstone were seized with fever, and it was deemed absolutely necessary that they should be sent home. Soon afterwards Dr. Livingstone was himself attacked. The "Pioneer" meantime was roofed over and left in charge of the trustworthy gunner, Mr. Young. One day, an empty canoe was seen floating down with a woman swimming near it. The boat put off and brought her on board, when she was found to have an arrow-head in the middle of her back. A native cut it out, and, notwithstanding the fearful character of the wound, being fed liberally by Mr. Young, she re- covered. About the middle of June the remaining members of the expedition started for the upper cataracts. Cotton of superior quality was seen dropping off the bushes, with no one to gather it. The huts in severa! villages were found entire, with mortars and stones for pounding and grinding corn, empty corn safes and kitchen utensils, water and beer-pots untouched, but the doors were shut, as if the inhabitants had gone to search for roots or fruits and had never returned ; while in others, skele- tons were seen of persons who died apparently while endeavoring tt> reach something to allay the gnawings of hunger. Several journeys had been made over the portage, when, on returning BATTLING WITH DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS. 217 )n returning to the ship in July, they received a despatch from Earl Russell, directing- the return home of the expedition. Arrangements therefore were made to screw the " Lady Nyassa" together again, as the " Pioneer" could not move till the floods in December. In the meantime it was determined to make another trip to the lake in a boat to be carried overland past the cataracts. The same scenes were witnessed as before. Wild animals had taker possession of the ruins of a large village in which on their previous visi the inhabitants had been living in peace and plenty. They had no idea, having before kept closer to the river, of the number of villages, always apparently selected with a view to shade, existing in that region, all of which were now deserted. They at length reached a region which had hitherto escaped, where the people welcomed them with the greatest cordiality, and were willingf to spare the small amount of food they had remaining for themselves. But even here news of war soon reached them, and they found that a tribe of Zulus, the Mazitu, were ravaging the country, and that the inhabitants were only safe within their stockades. They soon encountered men and women carrying grain towards these fortifications, and soon they came upon dead bodies, first one and then another, lying in postures assumed in mortal agony such as no painter can produce. Terror from Savage Invaders. On their arrival at Chinsamba's stockade, they were told that the Mazitu had been repulsed thence the day before, and the sad sight of the numerous bodies of the slain showed the truth of the report. Chinsamba urged them not to proceed to the north-west, where the Mazitu had occupied the whole region, and they accordingly remained with him till September. After this they visited Chia Lakelet. On their way they met men and women eagerly reaping the corn in haste, to convey it to the stockades, while so much was found scattered along the paths by the Mazitu and the fugitives that some women were winnowing it from the sand. Dead bodies and burned villages showed that they were close upon the heels ol the invaders. Among the reeds on the banks of the lake was seen a continuous village of temporary huts in which the people had taken refuge from their invaders. Another extensive and interesting journey was taken in the neighbor- hood of the lake, and, on their return along the shores, they found the reeds still occupied by the unhappy fugitives, who were already suffering- fearfully from famine. Numbers of newly-made graves showed that fit ! 218 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. many had already perished, and others had more the appearance of human skeletons than livinj^ beings. Altogether in this expedition they travelled seven hundred and sixty miles in a straight line, averaging about fifteen miles a tlay, and they reached the ship on the ist of November, where all were found in good health and spirits. They were visited on board by an Ajawa chief ■named Kapeni, who asserted that he and his people would gladly receive the associates of Bishop Mackenzie as their teachers. About the middle of December news reached them of the arrival of ihe successor of Bishop Mackenzie, but that gentleman, after spending a few months on the top of a mountain as high as Ikn Nevis, at the mouth of the Shire, where there are few or no people to be taught, returned home, while six of the boys who had been rearecUby Bishop Mackenzie had been deserted and exposed to the risk of falling back into heathen- ism. The poor boys, however, managed to reach the ship, expressing their sorrow that they no longer had one to look after them, remarking that Bishop Mackenzie had a loving heart, and had been more than a father to them. In January, I864, the Shire suddenly rising, the " Pioneer" was once more got underway; but, her rudder being injured, she was delayed, and did not reach Morambala till February. Here they received on board about thirty orphan boys and girls, and a few helpless widows who had been attached to Bishop Mackenzie's mission, and who could not be abandoned without bringing odium on the B'nglish name. The moment permission to embark was given, they all rushed into the boat, nearly sv\ amping her in their eagerness to be safe on the " Pioneer's " deck. At the mouth of the Zambesi, they found Her Majesty's ships "Orestes" and "Ariel," when the former took the " Pioneer" in tow, and the latter the " Lady Nyassa," bound f(jr Mozambique. After encoun- tering a heavy storm, when the little vessels behaved admirably, while the " Pioneer" was sent to the Cape, the "Lady Nyassa," under charge of Dr. Livingstone, proceeded by way of Zanzibar to Bombay, which they safely reached, though at times they thought their epitaph would be; "Left Zanzibar on the 30th of April, 1864, and never more heard of" CHAPTKR X. LIVINGSTONE LOST IN Till-: DARK CONTINENT. tjensation Caused by Livingstone's Discoveries — New Expedition— Arrival at Zhh- /ibar— Hard March Across tlie Country— IDesertioii of Sepoys— Arrival on the Shores of the Lake — No Canoes -Report of Murders by Arabs— D<^sertions AmoHK the Men—Story of Livingstone's Death- ICxcitement in England — Kxpe dition Sent to Learn tlie Explorer's Fate — Ravage s by a Savage Tribe -Thieves in tlie Camp -Loss of the Medicine Chest — Sufferings from Fever — Arrival at Tanganyika— A New Lake on the West — Furtlier Trogrtss Sto])ped — Patient Wai.'ng — Off for the New Lake at Last— Down the Lake to Cazcmbe's — High and Mighty Potentate— Formal Reception to Livingstone- Presents to the Chief — Sho:king Stories of Human Sacrifices— Cropping off Ears and Lojiping ofT Hands — A Tribe that Smelts Copper-ore— Hot Springs and Frequent ICarth- quakes— Exploring Lake Bangweolo— Grave in the Forest—" Poor Mary Lies on Shupanga Brae" — Remarkable Discovery— Moilesiy of tlie Great Explorer. 'HE excitement caused in England by Livingstone's accoiuit of all that he had seen and done in his great journeys was intense. Men of science were eager to ascertain if the lakes of the South were connected with those of Central Africa, and, if so, by what mean-. One and all felt that the work begun must be carried on at wliat- evor cj.-it. Missionary societies prepared to send members into the new uiid \'ast fields that had been opened. On ever)' side arose a cry for new men, willing to risk their lives in the ci-iinmon cause of humanity and geograi)hical discovery. With the niissiduaries who responded lo this appeal we have not now to deal, tho'.iL,^h we are glad to bi; able to add th;it quite a little colony went to work on the shores of the Xyassa. Our task is merely to trace the furli; ■! progress jf the solution of the great problems of Cent'-n! \frican gco:4r;iphy, and it is with feelings of mingled joy and regi^i Ii'iat we csumL' our narrative t)f the career of one of the greatest of all our heroes. ,Wc rejoice that Livingstone was spared to add yet another chapter to 'geographical science; we bitterly regret that our gain was purchased at the cost of a life so valuable as his. On his return to Flngland in 1864, the great explorer would fain have fctircd from active service, and spent the evening of his life in settling the pecuniary affairs of his family and enjoying the society of his children. When asked by his friuid. Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Rowil G -ogiaphicai Society, to name a leader for a new expedition to (•21d) I ! f. ) Ill 1 220 WONDERS Ol' TI IF. TROPICS. resolve the problem of the watershed between the Nyassa and Tnngan* yika, Livinj;stonc at once fixed upon an eminent traveller, whose name is for obvious reasons withheld. That traveller declined to undertake the mission becau.se no sufficient remuneration was offered for his services, and in his disappointment, Sir Roderick appealed to Livingstone. Why could not he, who had already done so much, undertake this one i journey? Who so fit to complete the work as the experienced ex plorer who had begun it? « Resolve to Iletiirti to Africa.- For a moment, but only for a moment, our hero iiesitated, and then he urged, almost apologetically, all the reasons against the undertak- ing of fresh responsibility by a man of the advanced age of fifty-three, who was already worn out by the fatigues of two previous jour- neys, each extending over several years. All objections were, how- ever, overruled, and before the interview closed Li\ingstone had con- sented to start for Zanzibar as soon as his book on the Zambesi was published. For this now expedition the English Government subscribed the si'ti of 52,500, the Ro}'al Geographical Society $2,500, and a private fr" $5,000. Its main object was to explore the country between the N; and Tanganyika, with a view to determining the relation of the two lakes to each other, but from first to last Livingstone never lost sight of the question — to him of equal importance — of the best means for benefiting the barbarous races in Africa. Our hero left England for the third and last time in August, 1865, scarcely more than a year after his return home from his Zambesi journey^ and arrived in Zanzibar in January, 1866. He proposed penetrating to the Nyas.sa by way of the Rovuma River and those districts on the east of the lake inhabited by the dreaded Ajawa, but, except for this mere outline of a plan, he determined to be guided by circumstances, knowing from many a provoking experience how seldom any programme can be accurately carried out in African travel. Kindly received by the Sultan of Zanzibar, to whom he had first-rate letters of introduction, Livingstone was able to make the necessary] arrangements for his journey with great rapidity, and by the beginning' of March he had in his service, in addition to thirteen Sepoys from India, ten Johanna men, two Shapunga men, one of them the now celebrated Susi, two VVayans, the Chumah who with Susi remained with his master to the last, and a Wakatnni. An Arab dhow was purchased for the transit to the Rovuma of the animals, consisting of six camels, three Ill Tangan- ose name is idcrtake tlie lus services, tone. Why is one i erienced ex ted, and then he uiulertak- of iilly-three, rcvious jour- ,s were, how- one had con- Zambesi was ;ribed the si"n private fr' en the N^ the two lakes sii;ht of the for benefiting August, 1865, mbesi journey^ lenetrating to cts on the east for this mere nces, knowing ramme can be had first-rate^ Ithe necessaryj Ithe beginning' lys from India, low celebrated lith his master phased for the ' camels, three (221) 222 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. H I buffaloes, two mules, and four donkeys, and large stores of merchandise and provisions. No pains, in short, were spared to ensure success, and on the 1 8th of March all was ready for the start. The Expedition Starts. The explorer and his retinue crossed from Zanzibar to the main land in Her Majesty's ship " Penguin," and after a rather disheartening exami nation of the mouths of the Rovuma, Mikindany Bay, twenty-five miles above them, was fixed upon as the best spot for disembarkation. Living stone and his people landed, the " Penguin " took her leave, and the work of the expedition may be said to have begun. A house on the sea-shore was hired at the rate of four dollars a month to form a kind of permanent storehouse ; the animals were disembarked from the dhow, carriers were engagtd, and early in April the march to the south was commenced. The caravan wound slowly through dense jungle, which had to be cut down for the passage of the camels, though it offered no serious obstruc- tion to the men of the party, and, halting now at one, now at another Makonde village, arrived on the banks of the Rovuma, opposite the furthest point reached by the " Pioneer" in 1866. The course was now due west, along the edge of " that ragged outline of table-land " which had been seen on the previous expedition as flanking both sides of the river. A rough path led, in winding fashion, from one village to another, all inhabited by Makonde, a degraded negro race, knowing nothing — though they axe in constant intercourse with Arabs — of God, of a future state, or of the commonest usages of civilized life. They pray to their mothers when dying or in distress, and believe implicitly in the power of their doctors over life and death. The head- man of every village was also the doctor. Liv^ingstone made several attempts to teach the Makonde the first principles of religion, but his ignorance of their language rendered all his efforts unsuccessful Gruel Drivers. In the middle of April the caravan turned southwards, and for the next two months a south-westerly course was pursued, through a mountainous and well-wooded country, peopled by the Mtambwe, said to be a branch of the Makonde. In this march the chief difficulty with which our here had to conteiid was the cruelty of his men to the animals, many of which were lamed by blows from their drivers, but whether with a view to retarding the journey, or from a wanton love of inflicting suffering, it was impossible to decide. The canfiels often came back from pasture bleeding from newly-inflicted wounds, and the buffaloes and mules were also soon covered with sores. LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 22S merchandise success, and the main land tening exami nty-five miles tion. Living :, and the work a the sea-shore d of permanent V, carriers were ommenced. h had to be cut lerious obstruc- now at another ,a, opposite the t ragged outline iition as flanking ishion, from one led negro race, •se with Arabs— of civilized life. ss, and believe lath. The head- ,e made several religion, but his iccessful and for the next [h a mountainoui to be a branch li which our here s, many of which fr with a vie\s- to suffering, it was [pasture bleeding Is were also sooft In May a count y comparatively free of wood was entered, in which it was possible tc advance without perpetual cutting and clearing, and the same month the highest point of the Rovuma reached by the " Pioneer '* in *862 was passed. Beyond came districts hitherto totally unknown to Europeans — though Roscher is supposed to have been in their neigh- borhood — where the natives, though not exactly unfriendly, did not readily supply food to the exploring party. Much coaxing and bargain- ing were required to obtain needed supplies, which were not always ot the best quality, yet they were always dear. The country was suffering. 224 WONDERS or THE TROnCS. from drought, and the people were in daily fear of raids from the Mazitu, a warlike race living on the southern banks of the Rovuma, who plunder and murder the surrounding tribes with savage recklessness. Miserably short marches were all that could be made on the small rations to which Livingstone was now obliged to reduce his men, but finally, all difficulties surmounted, the junction with the Loendi, supposed to be the parent stream of the Rovuma, was reached, and, crossing it with (the help of a friendly chief called Matumora, our hero hoped to make 'his way rapidly to Lake Nyassa, across the southern bank of the Rovuma. .. ^ Mutiny Among the Sepoys. But now the Sepoys, who had long shown signs of insubordination, declared they would go no further, and inquiry revealed that they had offered AH, the leader of the retinue, eight rupees to take them to the coast. The Nassick boys followed their example. They would not go on to be starved"; Livingstone must pay their wages and let them go. By continued threats and promises, however, a truce was patched up for a time, and the whole party crept on along the southern bank of the Rovuma till the i8th June, when one of the Nassick boys died, and the Sepoys again rebelled. To make a long story short, we may add that, after several vain attempts to bind them to his service, Livingstone finally consented to the return of the Indians to Zanzibar, and that those who survived the journey to the coast arrived there in August or Sep- tember, They appear to have suffered greatly, and to have had some excuse for their unwillingness to proceed further in a country where death from starvation was the least of many evils to be feared. Pressing on with his reduced numbers, Livingstone followed the course of the Rovuma until the 1st July. Then leaving the river he entered the Ajawa country, and, traversing it in a south-westerly direction, came to Lake Nyassa at the confluence of the Nishinge, in August, to find him- self once more amongst the friendly Manganja, to whom he had rendered such great sei-vices in 1861. The practicability of the shorter route to the Nyassa from the eastern coast was now proved beyond a doubt, and, overjoyed by the successfu! termination of the first stage of his journey, Livingstone eagerly set about endeavoring to cross the lake, hoping to reach an Arab settlement which he knew to exist on the western shore, with a view to making it the starting-point for Tanganyika. In this plan our hero was disappointed. After trying for nearly a month to persuade first one and then another native chief to lend him a LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 225 canoe, Livingstone finally determi'ied to go southwards round Cape Maclear and ascend the lake on thj other side. In this he was success- ful, and we soon find him marching across the base of the promontory, with the singular addition to his retinue of two Ajawa, who acted as guides and carriers, much to their own surprise, and that of everybody else, this tribe seldom condescending to do any work but fighting. A Courteous Chief. The village of Marenga, situated at the eastern edge of the bottom of che heel of the lake, was entered, inhabited by a tribe called Babisa, who had lately joined with the Ajawa in their raids upon the Manganja. The chief of this village, who was suffering from a loathsome skin disease introduced into the country by the Arabs, received Livingstone cour-. teously, but allowed him to proceed northwards without warning him) that the Mazitu were ravaging the country through which he mustt pass. Late in September an Arab met the party, and told Musa, one of the Johanna men, that all who ventured further would certainly be murdered ; forty-four Arabs had been killed at Kasungu ; he only had escaped to tell the tale. Surprised that he had heard nothing of this from Marenga, and half suspecting foul play, Livingstone lost no time in returning to that chief to inquire if there were any foundation for the story. The reply received was to the effect that it might be true. The natives were very bitter against the Arabs, who were gradually destroying their country. They would allow no more to settle amongst them, but their hostility would not extend to Livingstone or his people^ and there were no Mazitu where he was going. Completely reassured himself, Livingstone determined to proceed, but the Johanna men had taken alarm. " Musa's eyes stood out with terror." He said, speaking of Marenga, " I no can believe that man ; " and when Livingstone inquired how he came to give such ready credence to the Arab, he answered, " I ask him to tell me true, and he say true, true." Reasoning and persuasion were alike in vain. Convinced that they and heir master were doomed, the Johanna resolutely declined to go further and when the start was again made they went off in a body, leaving their loads on the ground. Report of Liviui^stone's Death. This was the true origin of the report, long believed in England, of the murder of Livingstone by natives on the western shores of Lake Nyassa. The deserters made their way back to Zanzibar, and, anxious to excuse 15 il26 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. "f their own conduct, and explain their sudden return, related the following plausible story : The expedition had safely reached Lake Nyassa and crossed it. The doctor then pushed on westwards, and in course of time reached Goo- mani, a fishing village on a river. The people of Goomani warned Livingstone that the Mafites, a wandering predatory tribe, were out on a plundering expedition, and that it would not be safe to continue the jour- ney ; but the dangers thus presented to view were not of a nature tc deter a man who had braved so many before. Treating the warnings as of little moment, therefore, he crossed the river in canoes the next morn- ing, with his baggage and his train of followers. All the baggage animals had perished from want of water before this river was reached, so that the luggage had to be carried by the men. Being a fast walker, Livingstone soon distanced all his heavily-laden followers except Musa, and two or three others who kept up with him. Musa's Story. The march had continued some distance, when Dr. Livingstone saw three armed men ahead, and thereupon he called cut to Musa, " The Mafites are out after all !" These were the last words he uttered. The Mafites, armed with, bows and arrows and axes, closed upon the doctor, who drew his revolver and shot two. The third, however, got behind him, and with one blow from an axe clove in his head. The wound was mortal, but the assassin quickly met his own doom, for a bullet from Musa's musket passed through his body, and the murderer fell dead beside his victim. • Musa added that the doctor died instantly, and that, finding the Mafites were out, he ran back to the baggage-men, and told them that their master had been killed. The baggage was then abandoned, and the whole [>arty sought safety by a hasty flight, which they continued till sunset, when they took refuge for the night in a jungle. The next day they returned to the scene of the disaster, and found Livingstone's body lying on the ground naked but for the trousers, the rest of his clothing having been stolen. A hole was hastily " scratched " in the ground, and the explorer was buried. No papers or any other means of identification were recover-ed, and, broken-hearted at the loss of their beloved master, the Johanna men started for the coast, enduring great hardships by the way, but finally arriving safely in Zanzibar. To this tale all the faithless servants adhered through one cross-exami- nation after another, and it was very generally believed, until Sir Roder- ick Murchison, in a letter to the Times, pointed out several flaws in the i the following ossed it. The reached Goo- omani warned were out on a tinue the jour- of a nature tc le warnings as the next morn- the baggapje r was reached, f a fast walker, i except Musa, vingstone saw ) Musa, " The uttered. , closed upon :hird, however, lis head. The 'n doom, for a le murderer fell Ingthe Mafites lem that their , and the whole ed till sunset, next day they le's body lying :lothing having round, and the f identification eloved master, rdships by the »e cross-exami- itil Sir Roder- il flaws in the (227) 228 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ingenious fabrication, proposing at the same time that an expedition should be sent to the western shores of Lake Nyassa to examine into the truth of the report. The English Government promptly seized this sug- gestion ; volunteers were called for, and hundreds of brave men eagerly offered their services. Mr. Edward Daniel Young was selected to take ^:he command, and left England on the i ith of June, i86»>. Young's Search Expeditiuu. In a trip exte'nding over less than five months, the gallant officer com pletely proved the falsity of Musa's account, obtained trustworthy evi- dence of Livingstone's continued health and activity, and in October embarked for England, where the news he brou'ght was received with unbounded enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Livingstone, ignorant alike of the report of his death and of the efforts being made on his behalf, quietly reflects in his journal that he is not sorry to have got rid of the Johanna men, they were such invet- erate thieves. Pressing on with his small retinue, now reduced to the surviving Nassick boys and the Shapunga and Ajawa men, Livingstone reached a village at the foot of Mount Mulundini, on the west of the heel of the Nyassa, and, obtaining there confirmation of the reports of disturbances on the north, determined to go west amongst the Manganja, here called Maravi. . This resolution was attended with the best results. Courteously received at every village, and supplied with guides to the next, our hero passed safely through a beautiful mountainous country, till he came to the hamlet of Pamiala, where he turned southwards, and, pursuing a zig-zag course, reached Chipanga, the most southerly point of his journey. A short march westward from Chipanga, brought the party to a village called Theresa, beyond which the course was north-easterly, and through districts hitherto totally unknown to Europeans. One river after another, flowing towards Lake Nyassa, was crossed, and all seemed likely to go well, when, in October, after a successful hunt, in which a fine hartebeest antelope was shot, came news, from villagers flying southwards foi theii lives, that the Mazitu were out and close at hand. AlArni and Flight. The servants, who were eagerly anticipating a hearty supper, such as rarely fell to their lot, started to their feet, the half-cooked meat was hastily packed, and Livingstone and his guide Mpanda set out to engage extra carriers to aid in the retreat. As they approached the next village, however, the inhabitants poured LIVINGSTONE L03T IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 229 out The Mazitu were there, too, and the terrified people were fleeing to »he Zalanyama mountains, on the south-west. Mpanda and his men now wislieJ to go home and look after their own property, but Livingstone managed to persuade them to remain, and follow with him " ihc spoor of the fugitives." Taking his stand at the foot of the rocky sides of the Zalanyama range, now crowded with trembling natives, our hero intended to defend his property to the last ; but after waiting some time he heard that the enemy had gone to the south. Had he carried out his first scheme of going forward in search of men, he would have walked LIVINGSTONE AND HIS MEN CKObSING .srONGE. habitants pour straight into the hands of the Mazitu. and his fate would probably have differed but little from that assigned to him in Musa's story. Most of the region before these mountains are reached is lowlands, and filled with "sponges;" Livingstone's description of the latter will, stand the reader in good stead when he comes to the constant mcnti< n of these obstructions in the later travels towards the north. They were among the most formidable obstacles he had to encounter, and at times greatly impeded his progres "The bogs, or earthen sponges, of this country, occupy a most important part in its physical geography, and probably explain the 230 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS annual inundations of most of the rivers. Wherever a plain slopin{» towards a narrow opening in hills or higher ground exists, there we have the conditions requisite for the formation of an African sponge. The vegetation, not being of a hcaltljy or peat-forming kind, falls down, rots, and then forms rich black loam. In many cases a mass of this loam, two or three feet thick, rests on a bed of pure river sand, which is revealed by crabs and other aquatic animals bringing it to the surfact, At present, in the dry season, the black loam is cracked in all direc- ti ins, and the cracks are often as much as three inches wide, and very deep. "The whole surface has now fallen down, and rests on the sand, but when the rains come, the first supply is nearly all absorbed in the sand. The black loam forms soft slush, and floats on the sand. The narrow opening prevents it from moving off in a landslip, but an oozing spring rises at that spot. All the pools in the lower portion of this spring- course are filled by the first rains, which happen south of the equator when the sun goes vertically over any spot. The second, or greater r&ins, happen in his course north again, when all the bogs and river- courses being wet, the supply runs off, and forms the inundation : this was certainly the case as observed on the Zambesi and Shire, and, taking the different times for the sun'" passage north of the equator, it explains the inundation of the Nile." So saturated was the soil with moisture, that for days solid land was not to be found. Where there was not absolute swamp and mire, the ground was covered with a matted green carpet — a thin ''rust of vegeta- tion and soil covering " the waters under the earth " — which rose and fell a foot at each step. ' These treacherous places had to be crossed with a light step, and without pausing, for at the least delay the foot might slip through the floating mass, and the unhappy traveller plunge up to the armpits in mire. Fire and Desolation. As the journey westward was pursued, the smoke of burning villages on the east and on the south plainly marked the course of the marauders, and, thankful for his narrow escape, Livingstone pressed on as rapidly as possible to the village of Mapino, beyond which he could only advance very slowly, as the country was thinly peopled, and food and water were scarce. The constant raids of marauders from the north and the visits of Arab slave-traders from the south had, moreover, rendered the natives suspicious and inhospitable, but, as in his previous journeys, Living- stone everywhere succeeded in overcoming the prejudice against white LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 231 lain sloping iiere wc have ponge. The s down, rots, )f this loam, nd, which is , the surfact. in all direc- ade, and very ; the sand, but d in the sand. The narrow oozing spring of this spring- of the equator )nd, or greater ogs and river- lundation: this lire, and, taking ator, it explains solid land was and mire, the -rust of vegeta- ifhich rose and |be crossed wiUi foot might slip inge up to the turning villages ■ the marauders, [on as rapidly as Id only advance 1 and water were Ih and the visits [ered the natives jurneys, Living- against white men, and convincing the poor down-trodden people that he meant them nothing but good. In November, the foot of Mount Chisia was reached, and a halt was made at a blacksmith's or founder's village, where Livingstone was inter- ested in witnessing the primitive native mode of smelting iron, and was watching the erection of a funiace on an ant-hill, when the feeling of security was again dispelled by tidings of the approach of the Mazitu. They were already, said the messenger, at the village on the norths which was to have been the next halting-place. The head-man of the village at once urged Livingstone to remain with him till it was certain which path the hated invaders would take, and the women were all sent away, whilst the men went on quietly with their usual occupations. No Mazitu came, but an elephant approached Livingstone's camp and " screamed at him," making off, however, at the shouting of the villagers. The next morning the march was resumed, and the Mazitu having been Ibrtunately avoided, the source of the Bua, a tributary of the Loangwa, was reached, beyond which a halt was made outside a stockaded village, where the people refused to admit our hero until the head-man came and gave permission. This was a foretaste of many similar difficulties, but slowly, very slowly, step by step and inch by inch, the advance north- wards continued, now broken by illness, now hindered by roundabout excursions in search of the way. A. Serious Loss. In December, the banks of the Loangwa were sighted, and, unable to' obtain food at the village on its eastern shores, Livingstone crossed the stream without a guide, and beyond it entered a " pathless, bushy country," where the way had to be cut step by step by the almost faint- ing travellers. To give the merest outlines of the difficulties surmounted, the dangers escaped, and the privations endured as the gallant little band advanced further and further into the unknown interior, would be to fill a volume. We must content ourselves with stating that a climax appears to have been reached in January, 1867, when, after plodding on imder heavy .ains through a famine-stricken country, and crossing the river Cham- beze, afterwards under its name of the Lualaba discovered to be of such vast importance, which comes down from the western slope of Lobisa, our hero was deserted by the two Ajawa men mentioned as having joined his party at Lake Nyassa. The loss of two carriers was bad enough, but, to complicate matters still further, they took with them the 23a WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. u fttedicine-bok for the sAke of the cloth, and some clothes belonging to a boy named Barakd, itl which were packed a quantity of flour, the tools, two guns, and a cartridge-pouch. Livingstone, in relating the incident in his journal, remarks pathetically that thd thieves would, of course, only throw away the valuable contents i)f the niedicinc-box when they discovered their nature, adding that he felt as if he had now received the sentence of death. " There can be little doubt," says Mr. Waller, editor of Livingstone's journal, " that the severity of his subsequent illnesses mainly turned upon the loss of his medicines, and it is hardly too much to believe that his constitution from this time was steadily sapped by the effects of fever« poison which he was fiowerless to counteract, owing to the want of q'.'inine." Before quoting Livingstone's account of this loss it may be well to explain that after the desertion of the Johanna men he was obliged to rely on the natives through whose districts he passed not only for guides but for porters. The following is the narrative : "A guide refused, so we marched without one. The two Waiyaii, who joined us at Kande's village, now deserted. They had been very faithful all the way, and took our part in every case. Knowing the lan- guage well, they were extremely useful, and no one thought that they would desert, for they were free men — their masters had been killed by the Mazitu — and this circumstance, and their uniform good conduct, made us trust them more than we should have done any others who had been slaves. But they left us in the forest, and heavy rain came on, which obliterated every vestige of their footsteps. To make the loss more gall- ing, they took what we could least spare — the medicine-box, which they would only throw away as soon as they came to examine their booty. The Thieves Escape. " One of these deserters exchanged his load that morning with a boy called Baraka, who had charge of the medicine-box, because he was so careful. This was done, because with the medicine-chest were packed five large cloths and all Baraka's clothing and beads, of which he was very careful. The Waiyau also offered to carry this burden a stage to help Baraka, while he gave his own load, in which there was no cloth, in exchange. The forest was so dense and high, there was no chance of getting a glimpse of the fugitives, who took all the dishes, a large box of powder, the flour we had purchased dearly to help us as far as the Chambeze, the tools, two guns, and a cartridge-pouch ; but the medicine- chest was the sorest loss of all ! I felt as if I had now received the sen- tence of death, like poor Bishop Mackenzie. LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 2.13 "All the other goods I had divided in case of loss or desertion, but had never dreamed of losing the precious quinine and other remedies; other losses and annoyances I felt as just parts of that undercurrent of vexations which is not wanting in even the smoothest life, and certainly not worthy of being moaned over in the experience of an explorer anxious to benefit a country and people — but this loss I feel most keenly." Every effort was made to intercept the runaways and recover the precious box; but they were fruitless, and it was not until Living* stone met Stanley at Ujiji five years later that he was again supplied with those medicines without which travel in Africa is so deadly. After crossing the Chambeze Livingstone found himself in a country called Lobemba, and late in January reached the village of the head chief Chitapanga. Chitapanga gave the travellers a grand reception and made a favorable impression upon Livingstone at first by his jolly good- nature; but subsequently he exhibited on a small scale all the rapacity of Kamrasi, and Livingstone was glad to get away after a stay of a few days. Interview with a Great Chief. The stockade of Chitapanga was quite a formidable-looking structure. Besides a triple stockade, the village was defended by a deep, broad ditcli, and hedge <>*" thorny shrub. The messengers from the great chief soon approached to inquire if the traveller desired an audience, and instructing him that their custom required every one to take something in his hand the first time he came before so great a man as Chitapanga. Being tired from marching, Liv- ingstone deferred his visit to the chief until evening. At. 5 p. m. he sent notice of his coming. Passing through the inner stockade and then on to an enormous hut, he entered the presence of the chief His Majesty was seated on the three-legged stool, which is one of the peculiar institu- tions of the country. Near him were three drummers, beating furiously, and ten or more men with odd-looking rattles in their hands, with which they kept time to the drums, while seated and standing all about in the background were hundreds of eager subjects, who gazed with deepest interest on the reception. A noticeable feature of the ceremony was the regular approaching and receding of the rattlers, who seemed to give to their chief some special reverence by advancing toward him and holding their toy-looking instruments quite near the ground, while they kept up still with the drummers. Chitapanga was a strongly-built burly-looking fellow, with a jolly, laughing face. Livingstone was .seated on a huge ttisk, and the talk 2.34 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. h ! en began. He found little difficulty in interesting tlie chief in tlio.se thing!! which he had to tell, and wa.s treated with a respect and cordiality which impres.sed him very favorably with him. When they had got a little acquainted, the chief walked with his visitor toward a group of cowa and with a generous air pointed out one and .said, " That is yours." Various circumstances con.spired to protract the stay of Livingstone twenty days at this village. Though quite favorably iinpre.s.sed with Chitapanga, the necessity of holding all his interviews through others jave rise to serious annoyances. He was particulaily troubled and vexed, after killing the cow which had been given him, by the chief's demand- ing a blanket for it. This was more annoying because he had none except such as belonged to the men who were with him. Tricks of Lying luterprctcra. This demand was pressed, however, and it at length turned out that one of the Nassick lads, who had acted as interpreter at their interviews, had not stated the conversation correctly. The chief had given the cow, expecting a blanket, but the boy had .said to Livingstone, " He says you may give him any little thing you please." This presunjptuous interference of interpreters is one of the most serious annoyances of travelling in any country; particularly is it so in Africa: not only Dr. Livingstone but many tra\cllcrs there have been greatly troubled by it. At this village Livingstone met a party of small black Arab slave- traders from Bagamoio, on the coast near Zanzibar, by whom he was able to send a packet of letters, which reached England safely and greatly relieved the public mind concerning the great traveller, who had been reported dead by Musa after he had so heartlessly deserted him near Njassa. These Arab traders had come into the country by a much nearer route : a route too which was full of villages and people who had pknty of goats. By these men Livingstone ordered another supply cf cloth and beads and a small quantity of coffee and sugar, candles, pre- served meats, etc., with some medicines, to be sent to Ujiji. Little else occurred during the stay with Chitapanga worths '' ^jccia) mention. The frequent returns of illness were nothing un in now. It was sad indeed to be so great a sufferer, and deprive. the relief which he could have found in his medicine-box. We cannot imagt le a more painful experience than the consciousness of failing health in a. far away heathen land without a single remedy at hand. At length, after repeated misunderstandings and compromises with Chitapanga, all growing out of the unpardonable interference of the boys, who presumed to interpret the conversation according to their ideas of ; thini^s y which : a little of cows ■s. ingstone icd with h others id vexed, demand- lad none out that iterviews, 1 the cow, : says you terfcrencc ing in any jstone bi't rab slave- le was able ,d greatly had been him near a much who had supply cf idles, pre- via ia! ,11 now. the relief I magi e a |h in a Ur lises with the boys, ideas of (285) ,,'. ; mm h K f^f I 3ii 236 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. what it was best should be said, Dr. Livingstone prepared to leave. He says: " I told the chief before starting that my heart was sore because he was not sending me away so cordially as I liked. He at once ordcicd men to start with us, and gave me a brass knife with ivory sheath, which he had long worn as a memorial He explained that we ought to go north as, if we made easting, we should ultimately be obliged to turn west, and all our cloth would be expended ere we reached the Lake Tan- ganyika ; he took a piece of clay off the ground and rubbed it on his tongue as an oath that what he said was true, and came along with us to see that all was right ; and so we parted." The Bold Discoverer Tiiniert Aside. Holding a north-westerly course from this point, numerous small rivers and rivulets wei'? crossed, and in March, he came in sight of Lake Liemba, which subsequent exploration proved to be the southern ex- tremity of Tanganyika. It was Livingstone's desire to march up the shore of the lake and discover at once what its northern connections were; but news of a Mazitu raid in that direction compelled him to desist, and he concluded to strike westward, visit Casembe, and t xplon* Lake Moero, of which he had already heard rumors. This pan lie carried out fully, in spite of many delays; and after his arrival at Casembe's town, he wrote a despatch to Lord Clarendon, dated Decem- ber loth, 1867 (which, however, was never sent), in which he gives an epitomized description of his travels, and of his stay at Casembe. This despatch is especially valuable because it treats of the geography of the whole district between Lakes Nyassa and Moero, and we reproduce it nearly entire: The altitude of this upland is f.om 4,000 to 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. It is generally covered with forest, well watered by numerous rivulets, and comparatively cold. The .soil is very rich, and yields abundantly wherever cultivate d. This is the watershed between the Loangwa, a tributary of the Zambesi, and several rivers which flow towards the north. Of the latter, the most remarkable is the Chambeze. for ij assists in the formation of three lakes, and changes its name three times in the five or six hundred miles of its course. On leaving Lobemba we entered Ulungu, and, as we proceeded north- wards, perceived by the barometers and the courses of numerous rivulets, that a decided slope lay in that direction. A friendly old Ulungu chief, named Kasonso, on hearing that I wished to visit Lake Liemba, which lies in his country, rave his son with a large escort to guide me thither ; LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 237 and early in April last we reached the brim of the deep cup-like cavity in which the lake reposes. The descent is 2,OoO feet, and still the surface of the water is upwards of 2,500 feet above the level of the sea. Beautiful Cascades. The sides of the hollow are very steep, and sometimes the rocks run the whole 2,000 feet sheer down to the water. Nowhere is there three miles of level land from the foot of the cliffs to the shore, but top, sides, and bottom are covered with well-grown wood and grass, except where the bare rocks protrude. The scenery is extremely beauti/ul. A stream of fifteen yards broad and thigh deep came down alongside our precipitous path, and formed cascades by If^xping 30J feet at a time. These, with the bright red of the clay schists among the greenwood-t.ees, made the dullest of my attendants pause and remark with wonder. Antelopes, buffaloes, and elephants abound on the steep slopes ; and hippopotomi, crocodiles, and fish swarm in the water. Gnus may live to old age if not beguiled into pitfalls. The elephants sometimes eat the crops of the natives, and* flap their big ears just outside the village stock- ades. One got out of our way on to a comparatively level spot, and then stood and roared at us. Elsewhere they make clear off at sight of man. The first village we came to on the banks of the lake had a grove of pilm-oil and other trees around it. This palm-tree was not the dwarf spe:ies seen on Lake Nyassa. A cluster of the fruit passed the door of my hut which required two men to carry it. The fruit seemed quite as large as those on the West Coast. Most of the natives live on two islands, where they cultivate the soil, rear goats, and catch fish. We remained six weeks on the shores of the lake, trying to pick up some flesh and strength. A party of Arabs came into Ulungu after us in search of ivory, and hearing that an Englishman had preceded them, naturally inquired where I was. But our friends, the Biiulungu, suspect- ing tha': mischief was meant, stoutly denied that they had seen anything of the sort and then became very urgent that I should go on to one of |:hj inhabited islands for safety. Cuuiiliig: Natives. I t egret that I suspected them of intending to make me a prisonei there, which they could easily have done by removing the canoes; but when the villagers who deceived the Arabs told me afterwards with an air of triumph how nicely they had managed, T saw that they had only bepn anxious for my safety. On three occasions the same friendly dis- position was shown ; and when we went round the west side of the lake. 238 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I 'i i : I! fit i ; I: 'I I in order to examine the arm or branch above referred to, the hea.l-man at the conflvience of the Lofu protested so strongly against my going — the Arabij had been fighting, and I might be mistaken for an Arab, and killed — that I felt half-inclined to believe him. Two Arab slaves entered the village the same afternoon in search of ivory, and confirmed all he had said. We now altered our course, intending to go south about the district disturbed by the Arabs. When we had gone 60 miles we heard«that the head-quarters of the Arabs were 22 miles farther. They had found ivory very cheap, and pushed on to the west, till attacked by a chief named Nsama, whom they beat in his own stockade. They were now at a loss which way to turn. On reaching Chitimba's village, I found them about 600 in all ; and, on presenting a letter I had from the Sultan of Zanzibar, was immediately supplied with provisions, beads, and cloth. 7 hey approved of my plan of passing to the south of Nsaina's country, but advised waiting till the effects of punishment, which the Biiulungu had resolved to inflict on Nsama for breach of public law, were known. It had always been understood that whoever brought goods into the country was to ,be protected ; and two hours after my arrival at Chitimba's, the Hon of Kasonso, our guide, marched in with his contingent. It was anticipated that Nsama might flee ; if to the north, he would leave me a free passage through his country ; if to the south, I might be saved from walking into his hands. Not Anximis to Marry an African Belle. But it turned out that Nsama was anxious for peace. He had sent two men with elephants' tusks to begin a negotiation ; but treachery wns suspected, and they were shot down. Another effort was made with ten goats, and repulsed. This was much to the regret of the head Arabs. It was fortunate for me that the Arab goods were not all sold, for Lake Mocro lay in Nsama's country, and without peace no ivory could be bought, nor could I reach the lake. The peace-making between the people and Arabs was, however, a tedious process, occupying three and a half months drinking each other's blood. I thought that had I been an Arab I could easily swallow that but not the next means of cementing the peace — marrying a black wife. Nsama's daughter was the bride, and she turned out very pretty. She came' riding pickaback on a man's shoulders; this is the most dignified conveyance that chiefs and their families can command. She had tea maids with her, each carrying a basket of provisions, and all having the same beautiful features as herself. She was taken by the principal Arab, LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 239 hficivl-man my going an Arab, rab slaves confirmed the district .rd'that the had found by a chief y were now rre. I found I the Sultan , and cloth, a's country, c Baulungu e known. It , the country .itimba's, the ent. It was leave me a ht be saved le had .sent cachery was ade with ten head Arabs. Id, for Lake »ry could be however, a each other's Iwallow that black wife. She fied jrctty. )st digni ihe had ten having the Incipal Arab, but soon showed that she preferred her father to her husband, for seeing preparations made to send oft' to purchase ivory, she suspected that her father was to be attacked, and made her escape. I then visited Nsania, and, as lie objected to many people coming near A CHIKFS MOST DIGNIFIED CO.NVF.VANCE. him, took only three of my eight attendants, His people were /e*^" much afraid of fire-arms, and felt all my clothi ig to see if I had any con- cealed on my person. Nsama is an old man, with head anci face like thcise sculptured on the Assyrian monuments. He has been a great 240 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. -^ ' -1 conqueror in his time, and with bows and arrows was invincible. He is said to have destroyed many native traders from Tanganyika, but twenty Arab guns made him flee from his own stockade, and caused a great sensation in the country. He was much taken with my hair and woolen clothing; but his people, heedless of his scolding, so pres.sed upon us that we could not converse, and, after promising to send for me to talk during the night, our inter- view ended. He promised guides to Moero, and sent us more provisions than we could carry ; but showed so much distrust, that after all we went without his assistance. Remarkably Handsome Natives. Nsama's people are particularly handsome. Many of the men have as beautiful heads as one could find in an assembly of Europeans. All have very fine forms, with small hands and feet. None of the West-coast ugliness, from which most of our ideas of the Negroes are derived, is here to be seen. No prognathous jaws nor lark heels offend the sight. My observations deepened the impression first obtained from the remarks of Winwood Reade, that the typical Negro is seen in the ancient Egyptian, and not in the ungainly forms which grow up in the unhealthy swamps of the West Coast. Indeed it is probable that this upland forest region is the true home of the Negro. The women excited the admiration of the Arabs. They have fine, small, 'well-formed features ; their great defect is one of fashion, which does not extend to the next tribe ; they file their teeth to points, the hussies, and that makes their smile like that of the crocodile. Nsama's country is called Itawa. From the large population he had under him, Itawa is in many parts well cleared of trees for cultivation, and it is lower than Ulungu, being generally about 3,000 feet above the sea. Long hnes of tree-covered hills raised some 600 or 700 feet above these valleys of denudation, prevent the scenery from being monotonous. Large game is abundant. Elephants, buffaloes and zebras grazed in large numbers on the long sloping banks of a river called Chisera, a mile and a half broad. In going north, we crossed this river, or rather marsh, which is full of papyrus plants or reeds. Our ford was an elephant's path ; and the roots of the papyrus, though a carpet to these animals. were sharp and sore to feet usually protected by shoes, and often made us shrink and flounder into holes chest deep. The Chisera forms a larger marsh west of this, and it gives off its water to the Kalongosi, 3 feeder of Lake Moero. The Arabs sent out men in all directions to purchase ivory ; but their LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 241 ,le. He is but twenty sed a great his people, t converse, t, our inter- e provisions all we went victory over Nsama had created a panic among the tribes, which no verbal assurances could allay. If Nsama had been routed by twenty Arab guns, no one could stand before them but Casembe ; and Casembe had issued strict orders to his people not to allow the Arabs who fought Nsama to enter his country. They did not attempt to force their way, CAali.VlUIi DKESSKD TO KKCKIVE LIVINGSTONE. out after sending friendly messages and presents to different chiefs, when these were not cordially received, turned off in some other direction, and at last, despairing of more ivory, turned homewards. From first to last they were extremely kind to me, and showed all due respect to the Sultan's letter. 16 242 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. When at the lower end of Mocro we were so near Casembe that it was thought well to ascertain the length of the lake, and see Casembe too. We came up between the double range that flanks the east of the lake ; but mountains and plains are so covered with well-grown forest that we could seldom see it. We reached Casembe's town late in November. It stands near the north end of a lakelet ; this is from one to thret miles broad, and some six or seven long; it is full of sedgy islands and abounds in fish. The town of Casembe covers a mile square of cassava plantations, the huts being dotted over that space. Some have square enclosures oi reeds, but no attempt has been made at arrangement ; it might be calltc' a rural village rather than a town. No estimate could be formed by counting the huts, they are so irregularly planted, and hidden by cassava; but my impression from other collections of huts was that the population was under a thousand souls. The court or compound of Casembe — some would call it a palace — is a square enclosure of 300 yards by 200 yards. It is surrounded by a hedge of high reeds. His Itoyal Uig^liness Casembe. Inside, where Casembe honored me with a grand reception, stands a gigantic hut for Casembe, and a score of small huts for domestics. The queen's hut stands behind that of the chief, with a number of small huts also. Most of the enclosed space is covered with a plantation of cassava and cotton. Casembe sat before his hut on a square seat placed on lion and leopard skins. He was clothed in a coarse blue and white Manchester print edged with red baize, and arranged in large folds so as to look like a crinoline put on wrong side formost. His arms, legs, and head were covered with sleeves, leggings and cap made of various colored beads in neat patterns. Each of his head-men came forward, shaded by a huge, ill-made umbrella, and followed by his dependants, made obeisance to Casembe, and sat down on his right and left; various bands of musicicins did the same. When called upon I rose and bowed, and an old counsellor, with his cars cropped, gave the chief as full an account as he had been able tc gather during our stay of the English in general, and my antecedents i: particular. My having passed through Lunda to the west of Casembe and visited chiefs of whom he scarcely knew anything, excited mostatten- t on. He then assured me that I was welcome to his country, to gc where I liked, and do what I chose. We then went to an inner apart- ment, where the articles of my present were exhibited in detail. He had examined them privately before, and we knew that he was satisfied LIVINGSTONE LOST IN THE DARK CONTINENT. 243 sembe that it see Casembc le east of the iwn forest that in November, one to thret sedgy islands )lantations, the ; enclosures ot light be calkx' be formed by ien by cassava; : the population 1 of Casembe— 3 yards by 200 :eption, stands a iomestics. The )er of small huts tation of cassava t placed on lion ■hite Manchester [o as to look like and head were lolored beads in .ded by a huge, ,de obeisance to inds of musici Insellor, with his id been able tc ly antecedents i' krest of Cascnibt Icitcd mostatten- country, to gc an inner apart- detail. He had Ihe was satisfied They consisted of eight yards of orange-colored serge, a large striped tablecloth ; another large cloth made at Manchester in imitation of West Coast native manufacture, which never fails to excite the admiration of Arabs and natives, and a large richly gilded comb for the back hair, such as ladies wore fifty years ago : this was given to me by a friend at Liver- pool, and as Casembe and Nsama's people cultivate the hair into large knobs behind, I was sure that this article would tickle the fancy- Cascmbe expressed himself pleased, and again bade me welcome. Frightful Stories of Human Sacrifices. 1 lie different Casembes visited by the Portuguese .seem to have varied much in character and otherwise. Percira, the first visitor, said (I quote from memory) that Casembe had 20,000 trained soldiers, watered his streets daily, and sacrificed twenty human victims every day. I could hear nothing of human sacrifices now, and it is questionable if the present Casembe could bring a thousand stragglers into the fit;ld. When he usurped power five years ago, his country was densely peopled ; but he was so severe in his puishments — cropping the ears, lopping off the hands, and other mutilations, selling the children for very slight offences, that his subjects gradually dispersed themselves in the neighboring countries be\-ond his power. This is the common mode by which t)ianny is cured in parts like these, where fugitives are never returned. The pres^'nt Casembc is very poor. When he had people who killed ckphants he was too stingy to share the profits of the sale of the ivory wilh his sul ordinates. The elephant hunters have cither left him or neglect hunting, so he has no tusks to sell to the Arab traders who come from Tanganyika. Major Monteiro, the third Portuguese who visited Casembe, appears to have been badly treated by this man's predecessor, and no other of his nation has ventured so far since. They do not lose much by remaining away, for a little ivory and slaves are all that Casembe ever can have to sell. About a month to the west of this the people of Katanga smelt copper-ore (malachite) into large bars shaped like the capital letter I. They may be met with of from 50 lbs. to 100 lbs. weight all over the country, and the inhabitants draw the copper into wire for armlets and leglets. Gild is also found at Katanga, and .specimens were lately sent to the Sultan of Zanzibar. ' Hoi Sprintfs and Eartliqualces. As we come down from the watershed toward Tanganyika we enter an area of the earth's surface still disturbed by internal igneous action. A hot fountain in the country of Nsania is often used to boil cas.«ava and i 244 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. maize. Earthquakes are by no means rare. We experienced the shock of one while at Chitimba's village, and they e.xtend as far as Casembe's. T felt as if afloat, and as huts would not fall there was no .sense of danger ; some of them that happened at night set the fowls a-cackling. The most remarkable effect of this one was that it changed the rates of the :hronometers ; no rain fell after it. Some of Nsama's people ascribed the earthquakes to the hot fountain, because it showed unusual commo- tion on these occasions. The foregoing is Livingstone's interesting account of the country through which he passed. A few days after his arrival at Lake Liemba, TJvingstonc had an attack which showed him the power of fever when unchecked by medicine, and a recurrence of his sym'jtoms at Casembe's made him anxious to proceed to Ujiji in order to recuperate and replenish his stores before pursuing his explorations. He actually set out for Lake Tanganyika, but was soon convinced that the intervening country was impassable until the rainy season was over. This involved a delay of several months, and before these had passed and the season for travel come roun( igain, he had determined to explore Lake Bangweolo before going north. He hoped to complete the exploration early in 1868; but owing first to the desertion of several of his men who refu5|ed to turn back, and secondly to Casembe's postponements and delays, it was June before he started from Casembe's town on his way south. His journey was wholly without incident requiring special mention, unless we except one which has rather more of a personal interest than Livingstone often imparted even to his private diaries. A Grave in a Str«reat Exritement Among the Natives by the Presence of a White Man — Cruise on r» Large Lake— Strike of Canou-Men — Only a Coverlet with which to hire anotiier Canoe -Food Obtained l)y Shooting liiiflaloes — Fine Sport for the Hunter — How the Uiiffalo is Hunted— Thrilling Adventure with the Huge Brute— A Hottentot Dodging in the Bushes— Terrible Foe— Adventure of a Friend of Livingstone — A Dangerous Meeting with Two Lions — Charge of a Mad Buffalo — Livingstone Pursues His Journey — A Country Convulsed by War — Mohammed and other Arab Traders— Flight for Life— Livingstone Pacifies the Matives — Return ol Deserters— Start for Ujiji— Serious Illness — A Dauntless Hero — Encounter with an Elephant— Beautiful Monkeys in tlie Forest — Thousands of Ants on the March — Graphic Description of Manyuema — Degraded Tribe of Cannibals- Market Scene in Manyuema — Terrible Massacre — Disastrous Attempt to Go Forward — Lake NamL'd after President Lincoln— The Explorer's Account of the Soko — Freiks of a Strange Animal— A Wild Creature that Never Attacks Women — Amusing Female Soko — Ten Men with Stores Meet Livingstone- Shocking Barbarity — Hundreds of Lives Lost -Shameful Cruelty and Destruc- tion — Off on Foot for Ujiji — Near to Death— People Who Eat Their Enemies- Arrival at Ujiji — Sick, Worn out and m Desperate Straits. M PARKING on the lake in a fine canot;, with five stout men ae propellers, Livingstone in a few hours reached an island where he retnained a short time, going on before night to the more import- ant Mbahala, where his appearance created the greatest excitement amongst the natives, who had never beforf* sccn a w'.iite man. Walking across to the north end of the island, Livingstone ascertained it to be about one mile broad, and from the eastern point he made out a larger island on the right, called by the natives Chirubi, and said to contain a large population, possessing many sheep and goats. These minor facts determined, our hero prepared to continue his voyage, hoping to pass, if he could not touch at, the spot where the Lualaba leaves Lake Bang- veolo on its journey to Moero. But, alas ! in July the canoe-men struck. They had heard of a medi- cated attack upon their little bark ; they dared not remain longer on the lake ; but if Livingstone liked to stay on Mbahala they would come .and fetch him presently, when all danger was over. Believing this to be a gotten up tale to avoid further work in his service, their wages having been paid in advance, the unfortunate explorer at first thought of seizing their paddies, and appealing to the head-man of the island. Reflecting (24G> TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES 247 :apes. n — Cruise on r» o hire anotlie? Hunter— How ;— A Hottentot ■ Livingstone - o — Livingstone ned and otlier ves— Return ol Encounter witli r Ants en the of Cannil:)als— \ttenipt to Go ; Account of tlie Never Attacks t Livingstone— ty and Destruc- 'heir Enemies- stout men a? and where he |more import- t excitement ,n. Walking :ainetl it to be le out a larger to contain a minor facts |ing to pass, il Lake Bang- I'd f^f a medi- longef on tht, would come jng this to be Ivages having rht of seizing Reflecting still further, however, that he was entirely in their power, and that the islanders would probably side with them, he resolved to bear " with meekness, though groaning inwardly," the disappointment inflicted upon him. '* I had only," says Livingstone, " my coverlet to hire another canoe, i.kI it was now very cold ; the few beads left would all be required to 5Liy food on the way back. I might have got food by shooti.ig bufikloes, but that on foot, and through grass with stalks as thick as a gooscquill. is dreadfully hard work." Back then he tnust go to Masantu's, compelled to trust to native reports, for the present at least, for his computation ol distances, etc., on the lake. Livingstone's reference to getting food by shooting bufTaloes shows hew abundant these animals are in the southern part of Africa. This is one of the attractions of this part of the continent for the hunter, although our great explorer seldom hunted merely for sport. Travellers give us interesting accounts of the African buffalo and the excitement of the chase, ;■ • . ., r Fine Sport for the Hunter. Ill the first place, he is a handsome animal, of graceful shape, and a i,nant in strength ; in his native wilds he is just a peaceful grazer, con- tented to pass his life cropping grass and green leaves, and to interfere with no animal, human or other ; but, challenge him to war, and the fiercest hunter could not desire bolder game ; capture and tame him, and lie will draw your plough or wagon as submissively as the ox. He is a faithful friend, and will light to the death on behalf of his companions, and for the sake of his young will do battle with the lion himself. Of retiring h.ibits, they affjct vast solitudes where verdure abounds, and there is no lack of rivers and pools in which they may luxuriate, immersing themselves till only their heads appear above the surface, cool- ing their leathery hides and getting respite from the formidable stinging things that fly, or the biters that closely adhere to their bodies. If water IS unattainable, the buffalo will content himself with mud, if tlvre is plenty of it. Throwing himself flat upon his side in the mire, he sbuf- •les round and round, the soil yielding to his immense weight the exuda- tion of any moisture there may be, till he manufactures for himself a delicious basin of mortar, covering him to his very eyes. When he rises and walks off he presents a decidedly unhandsome ap- pearance, which is not improved when, in the course of an hour or so, the sun bakes his mud crust, and he looks, when standing still, like some hideous clay image. Ease, however, is of considerably moie im- I ' 11 11 ij il:-/ ! Ill:} in . 241 WONDERS OF THK TiiOI'ICS. portance to the hiiffal) than elegance, and until the motion of his limbs causes his u^Hy coat to peel off he may defy all the vermin in tlvj world. When Capt lin Mctluien and his party wcie huiitin;^' at the ( .ipe of (iood Ilojje he had an opportunity of judgin;^ how terrible a beast the bull buffalo is when wounded and hard driven by the daring sportsmai' With the captain were a llolleiitot attendant, named ImoHc, and a frienc named Moneypenn)-, and havinj^ discovered a herd of b'.jffaloes, the trio ict lly at them, wounding so n.;. but not su badly but. that the entire drove escaped to an impenetrablj patch of forest. The captain, however, climbed into a trej, and thereby si;^dued and shot another bull, whereon "the wounded animal ran toward the report, his cars outstretched, his ryes moving in all directions, and his nose carried in a right line with the head, evidently bent on revenge. He passed within thirty yards of me, and was lost in the bush. Descending from our frail perch, Frolic again discovered this buffalo standing among some small thick bushes which marly hid him ftoni view ; his head was lowered, not a muscle of the body moved, and he was without doubt listening intently. We crept noiselessly to a bush and I again fired. **Hls Horn Scniek the Msizzlo of the Gun." "The huge brute ran forward with the wind, fortunately not in our di- rection, and again stood still. Presently he lay gently down, and know- ing that buffaloes are exceedingly cunning, and will adopt this plan merely to escape notice and entrap their persecutors, we drew near with great caution. I again fired through his shoulder, and concluded from his not attempting to rise that he was helpless. We walked close up to him, and never can the .scene which followed be erased from my memory. Turning his ponderous head round, his eye caught our figures. I fired the second barrel of my rifle behind his horns, but it did not reach the brain. Mis wounds gave him some difficulty in getting up, which afford- ed Muneypenny and myself ju.st time to ensconce ourselves behind the Slender shrubs that grew round the spot, while Frolic unwisely took tc inis heels. The buffalo saw him, and uttering a continued unearthly noist .'•etween a grunt and a bellow, advanced at a pace at which these unwieldy creatures are rarely seen to run, unless stirred by revenge. "Crashing through the low bushes as if they were stubble, he passed me, but charged quite over Moneypenny's lurking-place, who aimed at him as he came on, and lodged the ball in the rocky mass of horn above his head ; the buffalo was so near at the time of his firing that his horn struck the barrel of the gun the next in.stant; but whether the noise and of bi^ 11 in th'J Cape of ca-tt the jrtsmai' a fiicnc the trio le entire however, whereon ched, his : with the ds of me, oUc ayaiii ties which icle of the We crept in our di- and know- this plan near with ded from ose up to y memory, s. 1 fired reach the ich afford- ehind the :ly took to thly noisL c unwieldy he passed aimed at iiorn above (at his horn * uoise and r, y. "?. n > > X tr C t > B (249) 250 V/ONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I . I' !■ i1 smoke confustd the animal, or he was partially stunned by the bullet, he missed my friend, and continued in pursuit of Frolic. "The Hottentot dodged the terrible brute round the rushes, but through these slight obstacles it dashed with ease c'-.nd gained ground rapidly. Speechless we watched the chase, and in the awful moment, regardless of concealment, stood up and saw the buffalo overtake his victinj and knock him down. At this crisis my friend fired his second barrel at the beast, which gave Frolic one or two blows with his fore-feet^ and pushing his nose under, endeavored to toss him; but the Hottentot, aware of this, with much presence of m.nd lay perfectly still. Directly after the buffalo stumbled and lell dead, arid Frolic got on his legs and limped toward us. He was much hurt, and the powder-flask in his game-bag was stamped quite flat." A Toiriblo Foe. Although of a pacific disposition, the buffalo will defend himself witli astonishing courage against the attacks of either man or beast when brought to bay. The bear has no chance with, and even the cunning tiger dare not face the buffalo's terrible horns, and can only obtain the mastery by lying in ambush and springing on to the buffalo's flanks. The buffalo cow will attack the lion fearlessly in defence of her young. Dr. Livingstone asserts that a toss from the buffalo will often kill a lion, and that he had seen two who had evidently come to their death by the horns of the buffalo. In a letter to his friend Dr. Living.stone, Mr. Vardon thus describes a terrific strutiMe between a buffalo and three lions as witnes.sed and assisted at by himself and Mr. Osvvell, on the banks of the Limpopo : — "Oswell and I were riding along the banks of the river when a water- buck started in front of us. I dismounted, and was following it through the jungle, when three buffaloes got up, and after going a little distance stood still, and the nearest bull turned round and looked at me. A ball from a two-ouncer crashed into his shoulder, and they all three made off. Oswell and I followed as soon as I had reloaded, and when we were in sight of the buffalo, and gaining on him every stride, three lions leapeJ on the unfortunate brute. " He bellowed most lustily as he kept up a running fight, but he was o,' course soon overpowered and pulled down. We had a fine view of the struggle, and saw the lions on their hind-legs tearing away with ^eeth and claws in the most ferocious style. We crept up within thirty yard.s, and kneeling down blazed away at the lions. My rifle was a single barrel, and I had no spare gun. One lion fell dead almost on the buffalo; TERRIBLli SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 251 he had merely time to turn towards us, seize a bush with his teeth, and drop dead with the stick in his jaws. "The second made off directly; and the third raised his head coolly, looked around for a moment, then went on tearing and biting at the carcaj2 as hard as ever. We retired a short distance to load, then again id .anced and fired. The lion made off, but the ball that he had received oitghtio have stopped him. as it went clear through his shoulder-blade lie was followed up and killed, after having charged several times. Both lions were males. The buffalo had of course gone close to where the lions were lying down, and they seeing him lame and bleeding, thought the opportunity too good a one to be lost. It is not often that one bags a brace of lions and a bull buffalo in about ten minutes." Captain Spoke, in his "Journal of the Discovery of the Nile," relates the experience of a day in hunting the buffalo. Accompanied by two natives, he had met a large herd early in the day. and followed them some time, killing a cow, and woundmg several others, among them a bull. "As they knew they were pursued they kept moving on in short runs at a time., when, occasionally gaining glimpses of their large dark bodies as they forced through the bush, I repeated my shots and struck a f;ood number, some more and some less severely. This was very pro- voking ; for all of them, being stern shots, were not likely to kill, and the jungle wt-s so thick I could not get a front view of them. " Presently, however, one with her hind-leg broken pulled up on a whitc-ant hill, and, tossing her horns, came down on a charge the instant I sliowed myself close to her. One crack of the rifle rolled her over. Follow ing the spoors, the traces of blood led us up to another one as lam : as the last. He then got a second bullet in the flank, and, after hobbling a little, evaded our sight and threw himself into a bush, where we no sooner arrived than he plunged headlong at us from his ambush, just, and only just, giving me time to present my rifle. "It was a nij.st ridiculous scene. Suliman by my side, with the nstinct of a monkey, made a violent spring and swung himself by a bough immediately over the beast, while Faraj I olted away and left me jinjlc-gunncd to polish him off. There was only one course to pursue, -^or in one instant more he would have been into me; so, quick as thought, I fired the gun, and, as luck would have it, my. bullet, after [jassmg through the edge uf one of his horns, stuck in the spine of his neck, and rolled him over at my feet as dead as a rabbit. " We commenced retracing our steps. Tracking back to the first post of attack, we followed the blood of the firs'- bull, till at length I found M iIWi 252 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. him standing like a stuck pig in some bushes, looking as if he would like to be put out of his misery. Taking compassion, I leveled my gun; but as bad luck would have it, a bough intercepted the flight of the bullet, and it went ' pinging ' into the air, while the bull went off at a gallop. To follow on was no difficulty, the spoor was so good; and in ten minutes more, as I opened a small clearance, rifle in hand, the grea' beast, from the thicket at the opposite side, charged down like a mad bull full of ferocity — as ugly an antagonist as ever I saw, for the front oi his head was all shielded with horn. A small mounu fortunately stood between us, and as he rounded it, I jumped to one side and let fly at his flank, but without the effect of stopping him ; for, as quick as thought, the huge monster was at my feet, battling with the impalpable smoke of my gun, which fortunately hung so thick on the ground at the height of his head that he could not sec me, though I was so close that I might, had I been possessed of a hatchet, have chopped off his head. This was a predicament that looked veiy I'.gly, for my boys had both bolted, taking with t licm my guns ; but suddenly the beast, evidently regarding,' the smoke as a phantom which could not be mastered, turned round in a bustle, to my intense relief, and galloped off at full speed, as if scared off at some terrible apparition." Such are some of the thrilling adventures among the wild animals of Africa. Livingstone often escaped starvation by the expert use of his gun. Flying for Life. Proceeding with our narrative, from Masantu's the march back to Chikumbi, wl ere Mohammed and his party had been loft, was com- menced, and in August the settlement of an Arab trader named Kombo- kombo, a little to the sonth of Chikumbi, was reached. Here Living- stone was cheered oy the news that Mohammed was contemplating a journey west, which would take him to the great Lualaba. " The way seems opening before me," he exxlaims, "and 1 am thankful." Ikfore arrangements for acconipan\'ing Mohammed could be made, however came rumors of war on the other side of the Lualaba. Syde bin Omai, an Arab trader from Iramba, the country on its western shores between i^ke Bangvveolo and the Rui 'listiict, declared it would be madness tt attempt any explorations in that direction. Mohammed therefore readily ga\e up his scheme for the present, and I ■> ed will) Omar in objecting strongly to Livingstone's going with his small party even down the right bank of the Lualaba, though it was in sight. Our hero resolved then to wait until all were ready to go, little dreaming that the delay would last until the beginning of October, that TERRIBLE Sl'FERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 253 the country would be convulsed with war, and tliat_ when he did leave Chikumbi it would be to flee to the north for his life. First came a raid V. ■J. H from devastating liordes of Mazitu, who were repulsed by the united forces of the Arab traders ami the native chiefs; then a quarrel between the successful allies, resulting in an attack, headed by Casenibe and i ■' iil mw 11 m ir r'l II' -i': ^1 : ii ! 251 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Chikumbi, on the Arabs, beginning with the Kombokombo mentioned above. - Confusion now prevailed everywhere. The daily entries in Living- stone's journals became impossible, but on the 5th of October he writes how he and his little band of servants were on one occasion surrounded by a party of fifteen or twenty natives, who attacked them with speari and poisoned arrows ; how " one good soul helped them away — a bless ing be on him and his ; " how he narrowly escaped from the hands oJ another chief, who took him and his men for Mazitu ; and how, lastly, he joined forces with the Arab traders, and started north, fences being built every night to.protect the united camps, which were, however, unmolested till the northern bank of the Kalongosi river was reached. Here 500 natives were drawn up to dispute the passage, but as Living- stone and an advanced party with thirty guns crossed over they retired. Our hero, however, went amongst them, explained who he was, was rjcognized by some old acquaintances, and obtained a truce for the Arabs, All became friendly, an elephant was killed, stores of provisions were bought, and two days later the march was resumed. Kabwawata, on the north-west of Lake Mocro, was reached, and an- other long delay ensued before the Arab traders were again ready to start. The time was employed by Livingstone in making an exhaustive resume of his own work and that of his predecessors in connection with the Nile, his conviction being that in Lake Bangweolo he had found the final, or at least one of the final, sources of that great river. The work of Cameron and Stanley has, however, since proved the Lualaba to be the upper course, not, as supposed by Livingstone, of the Nile, but of the Congo, and we therefore pass over all that the hero of our present chapter urges in support of the former view. Return of Deserters. Whilst Livingstone was at Kabwawata he was cheered by the return of some of the men who had deserted before the trip to Bangweolo, and now begged to be taken back. Readily forgiven by their master, whc observes that there was great excuse for them, after the conduct of their Johanna comrades, they now became apparently devoted to his servic". though we shall presently have to relate their renewed faithlessness. Once more surrounded by the retinue who had come with him from Lake Nyassa, Livingstone started for Ujiji with the Arabs in Decemijcr, his party and Mohammed's leading the way. The march to Tanganyika, which was in a more northerly direction than the westward journey. seems to have been one long agony to Livingstone. In his journal he TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 2o5 with nd the e work to be but of resent return |)lo, antl (er, whc )f theit Iservic- -11 fii>ni ;embcr, louri'cy. irnal he tells of heavy rains impeding progress, the escape and recapture of slaves, and the hostility of villagers; but the entries became shorter and shorter, and on the first of January, 1809, he records that the new year was opening badly ; "he had been wet times without number, but the wet- ting of yesterday was once too often ; he felt very ill," and in crossing tlic Lofuko, within some six weeks' journey of the lake, he was "cold up to the waist," which made him worse, though he struggled on lor another two hours and a half. On the 3(1 January, after one hour's march, he found himself too weak to go further; his lungs were affected; he did not know how the next few days were passed. A rill was crossed, and sheds were built, but whether he took any share in the work he cannot tell. " I lost count," he says, " of the days of the week and month after this," but about Jan- uary 7th he managed to write the following touching sentence : " I cannot walk. Pneumonia of right lung, and I cough all day and all night; distressing weakness. Ideas flo\v through the mind with great rapidity and vividness, in groups of twos and threes. If I look at any piece of wood, the bark seems covered all over with figures and faces of men, and they rem;iin though I look away and turn to the same spot again. I saw myself lying dead in the way to Ujiji, and all the letters T expected there useless. When I think of my children and friends, the lines run through my head perpetually — ' I shall look into your faces. And listen to what you say. And be often very near you When you think I am far away.' Mohammed Mogharib came up, and I have got a cupper, who cupped my chest." Serious Illness. A little further we have the following entry, dated the 8th Januaiy: carry " jMohamnied Mo£:harib offered to me. I am so weak. I can scarcely speak. We are in Marungu proper now — a pretty but steeply anuLilating country. This is the first time in my life I have been carried in ilhiess, but I cannot raise myscif to the sitting posture. No foou ex ccpt a little gruel. Great distress in coughing all night long; feci, swelled and sore. I am carried four hours each day on a kitanda or liamc, like a cot; carried eight hours one day. We seem near the bnrr of Tanganyika. Mohammed Mogharib is very kind to me in my ex- treme weakness; but carriage is painful; head down and feet up alter- nates with feet down and head up ; jolted up and down sideways — changing shoulders inv-olves a toss from one side to the other of the lit \0 iEJ :45G WONDERS Oi .HE TROPICS. kitanda. The sun is vertical, blistering any part of the skin exposed, and I try to shelter my face and head as well as I can with a bunch of leaves, but it is dreadfully fatiguing in my weakness." After this we have no note for five weeks. Then, on the 14th Feb • ruary, 18:^9, the arrival at Tanganyika is announced, succeeded by a feu lines to the effect that Livingstone felt if he did not get to Ujiji, where he could have proper food and medicine, soon he must die. Not until late in the same month, after fearful sufferings in a miserable hut infested with vermin on the shores of the lake, were canoes obtained, and the transit begun. A little revived by the pure air on the water, and already near Ujiji, he had hoped soon to be in that village, where he believed letters from home and stores from Zanzibar must long have been awaiting him. Tlio Siiiiie Dauntless Hero. On the 14th of March, Ujiji was at last reached, but, on landing, our hero f jund that more than half his goods had been made away with, and that the road to Unyanycmbe was blocked up by a Mazitu war. No hope of receiving anything more from the east for the present, no hope of getting home by way of Zanzibar; but not one repining word is uttered by Livingstone in the now more frequent notes in his journal. He says nothing about the improvement in his health, though that is implied in the plans he hints at for further researches on the west. No change of jmrpose is allowed to result from all he has undergone. Fie has reached Ujiji; he is better. He will make Ujiji the starting point for a journey direct to Manyuema, far away on the north-west, not only of Moero, but of that other unseen 1 ike known as Kamolondo, and supposed by him to be the most northerly and elevated of the series of wliich Bangweolo is probably the lowest and most southerly. Forty-two letters were now written home, and entrusted to Arabs fpr transmission to Zanzibar, but they never reached their destination, and are supposed to have been wantonly destroyed. One ingenious theory respecting the relation of Tanganyika to the other lakes of Central Africa is worked out after another — what is the meaning of the current netting towards the north ? — is the long narrow sheet of water on'}- a river after all ? — if a lake, has it an outlet, and, if so, where is that outlet? — smh are some of the questions propounded, but not answered, by the great explorer, as he bides his time for an opportunity to go and see the great rivers reported to intersect Manyuema, that unknown country of which little more than rumors had then reached even the ^ "-ab traders ol Ujiji. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS ANt) NARROW ESCAPES. 257 Presently came rumors of vast herds o£ elephants in Manyucma, and of a sturdy race of blacks differing essentially from any of those yet met with. A horde of Arabs determined to go and test the truth of these 'cports. The dangers incident to elephant hunting in all this part of Africa are Vividly seen in the following narrative, related by a member of a hunting party who was a participant in the perilous sport : "We had bagged a good many birdd, when a beautiful little gazelle came bounding across our path. It put me in raind of an Italian grey- hound, only it had a longer neck and was some, hat larger. I was quite HUNTER ATTACKLD BV A BULL ELEPHANT. sorry when Chickango (a native connected with our party), firing, knocked It over. It was, however, a welcome addition to our game bag. He called it Nchcri. It was the most clu^ant little creature I met with in Africa among the numberless beautiful animals which abound in the re- gions wo passed through. "We were at the time proceeding along the foot of a hill. Scarcely • id he fired, when a loud trumpeting was heard, and directly afterwards ^li saw a negro rushing thiuugh the underwood, followed by a huge ele- pnant. 'Up! up the hill!' cried' Chickango, suiting the action to the word. I followed, for as we were wishing to kill birds alone, my gun was 'oaded only with small shot. The elephant made towards us. The negro I' \. i i 1 ■ ■i ! if: ;i ^ '1 ■ /■fit! 1 ■ij ■,;! I 5 ■ •' I 1 ' • t! f 258 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. stranger came bounding on. Chickango and I had got some way up the hill, but Wilson, one of our number, who stood his ground, was engaged in ramming home a bulljt. The elephant had all the time been keeping one eye on the black and one on us. "When I thought he was on the point of seizing us, he suddenly turncv on his first assailant. The black darted to a tree, when the elephuU' seizing l.'im witli his trunk, threw him with tremendous force to the ground. This enabled Wilson to spring up after us; and the hill being very steep, with rolling stones, we hoped that we were there safe from the infuriated beast. It cast a glance at the unfortunate black, who was endeavoring to crawl away along the ground. Again the elephant was about to seize him with his trunk, and in an instant would have crushed him to death, when Wilson, raising his gun, fired, and struck the creature in the most vulnerable part — behind the ear. The ball must have entered the brain, for, sinking down instantly, it rolled over, and, we thought, must have killed the black by its weight. "He was Still Brcathiiii;." "We hurried down, hoping that there might yet be time to save the poor fellow's life, regardless at the moment of our victory, which, with hunters in general, would have been a cause of triumph. As we got roun.l, we found the black had narrowly escaped being crushed to death; indeed, as it was, his legs appeared to lie almost under the monster's back. We drew him out, however, and to our satisfaction found that he was still breathing. Chickango said that he belonged to the Bakeles, and was probably a chief hunter among them. As, however, we were much nearer our own abode than their village, Wilson and I agreed to carry him with us, somewhat I fancied, to Chickango's astonishment. 'Oh! he black fellow, he die ; what use carry ?' he remarked. Of course we kept our own opinion, hoping that with our doctor's skill the poor man mii^ht recover. He was unable to speak, and was indeed apparently uncon- scious. "'Had my rifle been loaded with ball, I should have saved that pooi fellow the last fearful crush; and in the future we must not go without one or two of our fowling-pieces loaded with ball,' observed Wilson 'anv nx'ms down a bullet into his rifle." "Chickango and I did the same. We then constructed a rough littci on which we placed the injured negro. We bore him along, a porter and Chickango carrying the head and I the feet part of the littei. We found the weight considerable, especially over the rough ground we had to traverse, but the life of a fellow-creature depended upon our perse\crance. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 259 the ling rncv bun' >und. itecp, riatcd ng to seize death, ; most brain, ,t have ave the ch, with we got death ; r's back. was still and was :h nearer n-y liim Oh! he we kept xn nii'^ht uncon- tUat pooi ^vit.lwut Uon '-am- ligh littei lorlei and \\j . fnund ,.e had to severance' Chiikango carefully noted the spot where the elephant lay, that we miglit return as soon as possible for some of the meat and the tusks, which were vciy K^rge. We reached the spot where our friends were cutting out the cano(» jjst as they were about to leave it, and we were thankful to hav< their assistance in carrying the stranger. The doctor instantly appli' r himself to ex.».ininins>r7-. "^, iKN A FAMIIY OF LION MONKKYS. t"iad been broken, and the ribs on the same .side severely crushed, 'The injuries might be serious for a white man,' he ob.servcd; 'but the blooc if an African, unheated by the climate, escapes inflanmiation, and I hav< hopes that he may recover.' Chickango was very eager to set out im- mediately, in order to bring in the cleahanl's tusks and some meat, but '^vilson considered that it was loo late in the day, and put off the expedi- tion till ihc following morning. 260 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I ) i ':ri " Wc were somewhat later in starting than wc intended. We carried baskets and ropes, to bring with us the ivory and a supply of meat. On reaching the spot, however, whi:re the huge monster lay, we found that others had been before us. The tusks were gone, and a [)ortion of the .lesh. Innumerable birds of prey, also, were tearing away at it, or seated on the surrounding trees devouring the pieces they had carried off, whik h}'enas, already gorged, crept sulkily away, doubting whether they should attack us or not. The spectacle was almost ghastly, and it showed how 9oon a mountain of flesh might disappear in that region. Boaiitifnl Little Moiikoy.s. " Chickango was greatly disappointed, as not a particle of flesh whicii he could touch remained, while, of course, we regretted the loss of the valuable tusks. On our way back, we caught sight of a number of beau- tiful little monkeys skipping about in the trees. Chickango called them "oshingui." They were the smallest I ever .saw. Below the trees where they had their abode ran a small stream ; and Chickango told me they were very fond of water, and were never found at a distance from it. On the same trees, and playing with them, were numerous birds, called niuii- key-birds from their apparent attachment to those creatures. " We saw another very beautiful little bird, with aVi extremely long flowing tpil of pure milk-white. It had a crest on its head of a greenish black, and its breast was of the same color, while lower down the feathers were of an ashy brown. Snow-white feathers on the back rose up, like those of the' birds of paradise, to which it had a strong resemblance. Soon after this I .saw some creatures on the ground, and catching hold of one of. them, I found it was an enormous ant of a greenish white color, wilii a head of a reddish black. The fangs were so powerful that when I put my fingers to them, they literally tore a piece of flesh out. '"Why, these creatures would eat us all up, if we were to encounter them as we did those the other day,' I remarked. "'No fear massa,' answered a native. ' Dey no come in .same way. Dey no go into house, no climb tree, and only just a few hundred or t'ousand march together.' " It was satisfactory to hear this, for really I felt that should an army invade us, we might have more reason to dread them than the black? ihcmselves. I was not sorry to miss the elephant flesh, for I had not for gotten the tough morsals we had placed between our teeth when pic', sented to us by the friendly blacks soon after we landed." The journey to Manyucma commenced on the I2th of July, 1S69. After crossing the lake, the line of march was directly north-west until TKRRIBLU: SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. i:()i Bambaric, the district of a friendly chief named Mocnekuss, was reached 111 September. Numerous rivers and minor streams were crossed on the way, some flowing into Tanganyika, and others westward the Lualaba; llic district near the lake is mountainous and covered with dense forests. The Manyuema country is described by Livingstone as surpassing;!) beautiful. Palms crown the highest heights of the mountains, and their gracefully bended fronds wave beauti- fully in the wind ; and the forests, usu- ally about five miles i)road, between groups of villages, are indescribable. Climbers of cable size in great numbers are hung among the gigantic trees, many unknown wild fruits aboiHul, some the size of a child's head, .uid strange birds and monkeys are every- where. The soil is excessively rich, and the people, although isolated by old feuds that are never settled, cultivate largely. They have selected 1 kind of maize that bends its fruit-stalk ants on the march. lound into a hook, and hedges some eighteen feet high are made by insert- ng poles, which sprout like Robinson Crusoe's hedge, and never decay. Lines of climbing plants are tied so as to go along from pole to pole, and the maize-cobs are suspended to these by their own hooked fruit stalk. As the corn-cob is forming, the hook is turned round, so that tlie 4^ % IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 IM lilM IM 111112,2 m. I 140 - 6' 2.0 1.8 1-4 111.6 %. <^ 'cS /a m #.. A y /A Photographic Sciences Corporation s. 4? V M, o 'T #1 •f' X^ ^fh"- 23 »ST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY 14S80 (716)872-4503 % \ > it. i62 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. fruit-leaves of it hanjj down and form a hatch for the grain beneath or inside it. This upright granary forms a solid-looking wall round the vil- lages, and the people are not stingy, but take down the maize and hand it to the men freely. The streets of the villages often run east and west, in order that the bright blazing sun may lick up the moisture quickly from off them. The dwelling houses are generally in line, with public meeting-houses at each end, opposite the middle of the street ; the roofs are low, but well thatched with a leaf resembling the banana-leaf, from which the water runs quickly off. The walls are of well-beaten clay, and screened from the weather. Inside, the iwcllings are clean an'd comfortable, and before the Arabs came, bugs were unknown. In some places, where the south- east rains are abundant, the Manyuema place the back of the houses to this quarter, and proicng the low roof down, so that the rain does not reach the walls. Thes - clay walls stand for ages, and men often return ti) the villages they left in infancy and build again the portions that many rains have washed away. Each housewife has from twenty-five to thirty earthen pots slung to the ceiling by very neat cord-swinging tas- sels ; and often as many neatly-made baskets hung up in the same fashion, and much fir^!Wood. The populati(jn is very large, and the people are fine-looking ; Living- stone thinks that a crowd of Londoners, divested of their clothing and set opposite a ctowd of Manyuema, would make a sorry spectacle. The people are very naked, answering to Cowper's lines: " Time was, when cloihing, sumptuous or for use, Save tliiir own painted skins, our sirts had none. As yet black breeches were not ; satin, smooth, Or velvet soft, or plush with shag^ pile ; The hardy chief upon the rugged rock ' Washed by tiie sea, or on the grav'ly bank Thrown up by wintry torrents roaring loud, I Fearless of wrong, repKJSed his weary strength." The natives plait the hair into the form of a basket behind; it is first rolled into a very long coil, then wound around something till it is about eight or ten inches long, projecting from the back of the head. The Manyuema, with their great numbers, their favored country, and their ndustrious habits, would seem to possess all the elements of a strong and progressive nation; but they are among the most barbarous tribes of Central Africa. They are cannibals of the most degraded sort, for they eat the bodies of those who die of disease; they are suspicious, vindictive, and cruel; TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 26S and they are so quarrelsome and treacherous that inhabitants of one village or district seldom dare venture beyond the confines of the next. Even Livingstone's large charity, quickened as it was by the outrages to wiiich he saw them subjected at the hands of the Arabs, could find but little that was good in them except their physique. " The Manyuema," lie says, after a long stay among them had made him familiar with their habits, " are the most bloody, callous sa. ages I know ; one puts a scarlet feather from a parrot's tail on the ground, and challenges those near to stick it in the hair : he who does so must kill a man or woman ! An- other custom is that none dare wear the skin of the musk cat, ngawa, unless he has murdered somebody : guns alone prevented them from killing us all, and for no reason either." One of the great institutions of the Manyuema country is their mar- kets, held in certain villages and at stated times. Even in war-time mar- ket people are allowed to pass freely to and from the fairs with their wares. People from distant districts collect here, and exchange their surplus product for Manyuema luxuries. Fish-wives, goat-herds, slave- owners; dealers in ivory, palm oil, pottery, skins, cloth, and iron-WEre; sellers of fruit, vegetables, salt, grain, and fowls, all mingle in the motley throng, and shout the merits of their particular goods at the top of their lungs, and with a perseverance and ardor that would make the fortune of an auctioneer at home. Strange varieties of savage costume and no costume are to be .seen in these groups : the wild Bal^^gga man-eater stalking side by side with the white-skirted Moslem man-hunter from Zanzibar ; and the plumed, painted, tattooed, and bespangled chieftain laying his dignity temporarily aside to chafifer with a poor commoner in his simple waistcloth, over the price of a pig or of a mess of roasted white ants. Dretuirul Massacre. At Nyangwe there was a market once in every four days, and tlic assembla^a* generally numbered about three thousand. One fair day the Arabs, who had been sauntering peaceably among the crowd, suddenly produced their arms and began firing on the helpless multitude, chiefly composed of women. Flinging down their wares, the panic-stricken people lied on all sides, many of them dashing into the river that flowed :losc by, or climbing into boats that filled and sank w'th the numbers chat crowded inio them. The market-place was strewn with the dead and dying, anJ with the confused heaps of merchandise which had been dropped or thrown down in the flight, while the murderous scoundrels Continued firing so long as they could see a victim to aim at. rn^i WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Livinjrstonc believed that five hundred lives were sacrificed in this unprovoked massacre. The object was to " strike terror " into the hearts of the inhabitants, and show them the irresistible power of the gun. The result was that the country became too hot to hold the mur derers. Having rested at Bambarre until November, Livingstone resolved to go west to the Lualaba, and buy a canoe for its exploration. Travelling was very difficult, as it was now the rainy season ; and the attitude of the natives became so threatening that after penetrating to within ten miles MARKET IN MANYUE>|A. of the Lualaba he was compelled to turn back and return to Bambarre. Towards the end of December he set out with Mohammed's ivory party, hoping to roach another part of the Lualaba, and thus carry out his origi- nal scheme. The route pursued was due north, and was followed for about a month; but rheumatism and weakness, accompanied by a chol- eraic complaint, drove him back, and in February, 1870, he went int winter quarters at Mamohela, a town some distance nirth of Bambarre, which the Arabs had made their chief depot. Here he remained several months, regaining strength, and making preparations for further explor- ations and discoveries. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 266 ced in this " into the )\ver of the id the mur resolved to TravelUng :titude of tiie in ten miles 'V- to Bambarre. i's ivory party, [youthisorigi- _ followed for fiied by a chol- ]), he went int * of Bambarrt, [mained several [further explor- In June a third attempt was made to reach Lualaba, which proved even more disastrous than either of the preceding ones. In the first place most of his men deserted him, so that he was obliged to start with only three attendants The country proved exceedingly difficult from forest and water; trees fallen across the path formed a breast-high wall which had to be climbed over ; flooded rivers, breast and neck deep, had to bt crossed ; the mud was awful ; and nothing but villages eight or ten tniles ^ apart, the people of which were far from friendly. For the first time in his life Livingstone's feet failed him ; instead of healing quietly, as here- tofore, when torn by hard travel, irritable ejiting-ulcers fastened on both feet, and he was barely able to limp back to Mamohela in July. The ulcers now laid him up. If the foot were put to the ground a discharge of bloody ichor followed, and the same discharge happened every nip^ht with considerable pain that prevented sleep. They eat through everything — muscle, tendon, and bone; and medicines have very little effect upon them. Their periodicity would seem to indi- cate that they are allied to fever. For eighty days Livingstone never came out of his hut ; and even then the ulcers had only begun to heal. l{s journal shows that during the period of his confinement Living- stone was gathering information from both natives and Arabs as to the t;rcat lake and river system which he had discovered ; speculating with apparent seriousness upon the possibility of Moses having^ penetrated to this region and founded the lost city of Meroe ; and observing the habits of the people. He learned that another large lake, called Chibungo, lay about twelve days distant west from the Lualaba ; and that a large river, which he called Lualaba West, flows out of it in a north-easterly direc tion and empties into the main strearri. To the central Lualaija, or main stream, he ga\e the name of " Webb's River;" to the western, " Young's River;" and to Chibungo, " Lake Lincoln," in honor of our own President Lincoln. Concerning one whose name was given to a river, Livingstone .says: "Oswell and Webb were fellow-travellers, and mighty hunters. Too much engrossed myself with mission-work to hunt, except for the chil- dren's larder, when going to visit distant tribes, I relished the sight of fair stand-up fights by my friends with the large denizens of the forest Hiid admired the true Nimrod class for their great courage, truthfulness, and honor." Under date of August 24th he gives an interesting account of the soko, which he believed to be identical with the gorilla, but which Mr. 266 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I "i Waller is probably right in regarding as an entirely new species of chim- panzee. The narrative is as follows : Four gorillas or sokes were killed yesterday : an extensive grass burn- ing forced them out of their usual haunt, and coming on the plain they jvcre speared. They often go erect, but place the hand on the head as f to steady the body. When seen thus, the soko is an ungainly beast. The most sentimental young lady would not call him a " dear," but a bandy-legged, pot-bellied, low-looking villain, without a particle of the gentleman in him. Other animals, especially the antelopes, arc graceful, and it is pleasant to lec them. either at rest or in motion: the natives are also well made, lithe and comely to behold; but the soko, if large, would do well to stand for a picture of the devil. He takes away my appetite by the disgusting bestiality of appearance. His light-yellow face shows off his ugly whiskers, and faint apology for a beard ; the foreground of the great dog-mouth ; the teeth are slightly human, but the canines show the beast by their large development. The hands, or rather the fingers, are like those of the natives. The flesh of the feet is yellow, and the eagerness with which the Manyuema de\'our it leaves the impression that eating solcos was the first stage by which they arrived at being cannibals ; they say that the flesh is delicious. Freaks of a Straiigro Animal. The soko is represented by some to be extremely knowing, success- fully stalking men and women while at their work, kidnapping children and running up trees witli them — he seems to be amused by the sight of the yoxing native in his arms, but comes down when tempted by a bunch of bananas, and as he lifts that, drops the child : the young soko in such a case would cling closely to the armpit of the elder. One man was cut- ting out honey from a tree, and naked, when a soko suddenly appeared and caught him, then let him go : another man was hunting, and missed in his attempt to stab a soko ; it .seized the .si)ear and broke it ; then <,Map- pled with the man, who called to his companions, " Soko has caui;ht me;" the soko bit off" the ends of his fingers and escaped unharmed. Both men are now alive at Bambarre. The soko is cunning and has such sharp eyes that no one can stalk- him in front without being seen, hence, when shot, it is always in tht- back ; when surrounded by men and nets, he is oflen speared in the hack ioo ; otherwise he is not a very formidable bea.st ; he is nothing as com- pared in power of damaging his assailant to a leopard or lion, but is more like a man unarmed, for it does not occur to him to use his canine teeth, which are long and formidable. Numbers of them come down in :ies of chim- : grass burn- e plain they the head as igainly beast, dear," but a article of the , are graceful, le natives are f large, would )f appearance, t apology for h are slightly lopment. The The flesh of jema devour it :age by which is delicious. )\ving, success- iping children [by the sight of :cd by a bunch ig soko in such |e man was cut- lenly appeared ii<:. and missed it ; then -^lap- o has cau<;ht cd unhaniied. |o one can stalk- always in tht: |red in the back Dthing as ne, who gives the following TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 269 amusing account of it: She is eighteen inches high, has fine long black hair all over, which was pretty, so long as it was kept in order by her dam. She is the least mischievous of all the monkey tribe I have seen, and seems to know that in me she has a friend, and sits quietly on the mat beside me. In walking, the first thing observed is that she does not tread on the palms of her hands, but on the backs of the second line of bones of the hands: in doing this the nails do not touch the ground, nor do the knuckles; she uses the arms thus supported crutch fashion, and hitches herself along between them; occasionally one hand is put down before the other, and alternates with the feet, or she walks upright and holds up a hand to any one to carry her. If refused, she turns her face down, and makes grimaces of the most bitter human weeping, wringing her hand.s, and sometimes adding a fourth hand or foot to make the appeal more touching. Grass or leaves she draws around her to make a nest, and resents anyone meddling with her property. She is a most friendly little beast, and came up to me at once, making her chirrup of welcome, smelled my clothing, and held out her hand to be shaken. She eats everything, covers herself with a mat to sleep, and makes a nest of grass or leaves, and wipes her face with a leaf. Shocking^ Barbarity. The arrival of ten men from Ujiji with stores early in 1871, enabled Livingstone to penetrate to the Lualaba; but he was unable, after the irost strenuous efforts, to procure a boat to descend the river, and his men utterly refused to cross over into the country beyond. While staying on the banks of the Lualaba, which he found to be a mighty river, at least 3,000 yards broad and always deep, he witnessed a scene .so shocking that he could stand 'the companionship of the Arabs no longer, and resolved to return at once to Ujiji. Almost, from the day the Arab hordes entered the country petty outrages on either side had kept up a cjironic state of hostility between them and the natives; and as their stay was protracted these outrages became gradually more numerous and more murderous. At the time when the scene referred to occurred, Livingstone was staying at tl^e headquarters of Dugumbe, who had a large ivory-hunting party with him. His people seemed to be on friendly enough terms with the natives; but one day in July the Arabs in camp became very much incensed on learning that Kimburu and several other local chiefs had mixed the blood of friendship with a slave named Manilla. The result shall be given in Livingrstone's own words : 270 WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. The reports of guns on the other side of the Lualaba all the morning tell of the peo{)le of Diigumbe murdering those of Kimburu and othcrr who mixed blood with Manilla. " Manilla is a slave, and how dares he to mix blood with chiefs who ought only to make friends with free men 'ike us?" — This is their complaint. Kimburu gave Manilla three slaves, and he sacked ten villages in token of friendship; he proposed to give' Dugumbe nine slaves in the same operation, but Dugumbe's people destroy his villages, and shoot and make his people captives to punish Manilla; to make an impression, in fact, in the country that they alone are to be dealt with — "make friends with us, and not with Manilla or anyone else" — such is what they insist upon. About 1,500 people came to market, though many villages of those that usually come from the other side were now in flames, and every now and then a number of shots were fired on the fugitives. Panic-stricken Crowd. It was a hot, sultry day, and when I went into the market I saw Adie and Manilla, and three of the men who had lately come with Dugumbe. I was surprised to see these three with their guns, and felt inclined to reprove them, as one of my men did, for bringing weapons into the market, but I attributed it to their ignorance, and. it being very hot, I was walking away to go out of the niarket,when I saw one of the fellows haggling about a fowl, and seizing hold of it. Before I had got thirty yards out, the di.scharge of two guns in the middle of the crowd told me that slaughter had begun: crowds dashed off from the place, and ran. At the .same time that the three opened fire on the mass of people near the upper end of the market-place volleys were di.scharged from a party down near the creek on the panic-stricken women, who dashed at the canoes. These, some fifty or more, were jammed in the creek, and the men forgot their paddles in the terror that seized all. The canoes were not to be got out, for the creek was too small for so many; men and women, wounded by the balls, poured into them, and leaped and scrambled into the water, shrieking. A long line of heads in the river showed that great numbers struck out for an island a full mile off: ir going towards it they had to put the left shoulder to a current of about two miles an hour; if they had struck away diagonally to the opposite bank, the current would have aided them, and, though nearly three miles off, .some would have gained land; as it was, the heads above water showed the long line of those that would inevitably perish. Shot afler shot continued to be fired on the helpless and perishing. Some of the long line of heads disappeared quietly ; whilst other poof [he morning J and othcrr \o\v dares he ith free men three slaves, loscd to givf' nbe's people es to punish at they alone h Manilla or iges of those ind every now cet I saw A die ith Dugumbc. felt inclined to ipons into the ng very hot, I e of the fellows had got thirty crowd told me ice, and ran. lass of people ;harged from a |who dashed at the creek, and |1. The canoes so many; men Lnd leapetl and Ids in the river [full mile off: ir lu-rent of about to the opposite larly three miles Is above water and perishing. ihilst other poof (271) 272 WONDERS OK THE TROIVJS. creatuies threw their arms high, as if appeal. ng to the grcit Father above, and .sank. One canoe took in as many as it could hold, and nil paddled uita hands and arms: three canoes, got out in haste, picked up sinking friends, till all went down together, and disappeared. One man 'n a long canoe, which could have held forty or fifty, had clearly loyt liis head; he had been out in the stream before the massacre began, and nov paddled up the river nowhere, and never looked to the drowning. By and by all the heads di.sappearcd; some had turned down .'.trcam towards the bank, and escaped. Dugumbe put people into one of the deserted vessels to save those in the water, and saved twenty-one, but one woman refu-sed to be taken on board from thinking that she was to be made a slave of; she preferred the chance of life by swimming to the lot of a slave : the Bagenya women are expert in the water, as they arc accustomed to dive for oysters, and those that went down .stream may have escaped, but the Arabs themselves estimated the loss of life at between 330 and 4CX) souls. The shooting-party near the canoes were so reckless, they killed two of their own people; and a Banyamwezi fol- lower, who got into a deserted canoe to plunder, fell into the water, went down, then came up aj^ain, and down to rise no more. Sliainel\il Cruelty and Destruction. My first impulse was to pistol the murderers, but Dugumbe protested against my getting into a blood-feud, and I was thankful afterwards that I took his advice. Two wretched Moslems asserted "that the fiiiny was done by the people of the English;" I asked one of them why he lied so, and he could utter no excuse : no other falsehood came to his aid as he stood abashed before me, 'ind so telling him not to tell palpable false- hoods, I left him gaping. After the terrible alTair in the water, the party of Tagamoio, who was the chief perpetrator, continued to fire on the people there, and fire their villages. As I write I hear the loud wails on the left bank over those who are there slain, ignorant of their many friends now in the depths of Lualaba. Oh, let Thy Kingdom come I No one will ever know the exact loss on this briglit sultry summer morning ; it gave me the impres- sion of being in hell. All the slaves in the camp rushed at the fugitive: on land, and plundered them : women were for hours collecting and car- rying loads of what had been thrown down in terror. I proposed to Dugumbe to catch the murderers, and hang them up in the market place, as our protest against the bloody deeds before the Manyuema. If, as he and others added, the massacre was committed by Manillo's people, he would have consented ; but it was done by Taga- TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 273 cat Father old, and all , picked I'.p One man irly loFt his an, and nov »ing. own strcan) one of the ;nty-one, but it she was to nming to the , as they arc stream may )ss of life at canoes were nyamwezi fd- le water, went nbe protested fterwards ibat le firing was why he lied to his aid as palpable false- loio, who was and fire their k over those the depths of ver know the Tie the impres- t the fugitive: cting and car- .^ them up >" ;ds before the committed by Idone by Taga- moio's people, and others of this party, headed by Dugumbe. This slaughter was peculiarly atrocious, inasmuch as wc have always heard that women coming to or from market have never been known to be molested : even when two districts are engaged in actual hostilities, " the women," say they, " pass among us to market unmolested ; " nor has one ever been know to be plundered by the men. These Nigger Moslems ;irc inferior to the Manyuema in justice and right. The people under il;issani began the superwickedncss of capture and pillage of all indis- criminately. Dugumbe promised to send over men to order Tagamoio'u men to tease firing and burning the villages; they remained over among the ruins, feasting on goats and fowls all night, and ne.xt dav continued their infamous work till twenty-seven villages were destroyed. The murderous as.sault on the market people, felt to me like 'iehenna, without the fire and brimstone ; but the heat was oppress!'. ^, and the fire- arms pouring their iron bullets in the fugitives, wai; noL an inant rf^re- sentation of burning in the bottomless pit. The terrible scenes of man's inhumanity to mau bi ought ou a severe headache, which tniglit have been serious had > not been relieved by a copious discharge of blood ; I was laid up all yesterday afternoon with the depression the bloodshed made —it filled me with unspeakable horror. Off ou Foot for rjUi* The foregoing description by Livingstone of this bloody conflict will canablc the reader to understand his eager desire to get away and pursue his journey. Collecting his own little retinue, he started on foot for Ujiji three days later, the Arabs trying to prove their penitence by pressing their goods upon him, begging him not to hesitate to tell them of anything he wanted. A little gunpowder was all he would accept. Again attacked by fever, and "almost every step in pain," he pressed on, past miles of burning villages, until he came to a party of Manyuema who refused to come near, threw stones at him and his men, and " tried to kill those who went for water." On die 8ih of August, after a bad night, an attack being every moment cxixxtcd, our hero attempted to come to a parley with his enemies, feel- ing sure that he could soon convince them of his friendly intentions, but tliey would not listen to his envoys, and in passing along a narrow path, with a wall of dense vegetation touching each hand," he came to a spot where trees had been cut down to obstruct his party whilst they were speared. Clambering over the barrier, though expecting instant death, Livingstone was surprised at meeting with no opposition, but as he crept slowly along, preceded by his men, who really seemed to have behaved 18 274 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. i ^ very well, and peered into the dense foliage on either side, a dark shadow, that of an infuriated savage, here and there intervened between him and the sun. Every rustle in the leaves migh^ now mean a spear, any sound might be the signal for a massacre. Presently a large spear from the right almost grazed Livingstone's back, and stuck into the ground behind him. He looked round and saw two men from whom it came in an opening in the forest only ten yards off, but again his foes disappeared as if by magx. Within Twelve Inches of Death. All were now allowed to go on for a few minutes unmolested, but soon another spear was thrown at Livingstone by an unseen assailant, missing him again by about a foot. A red jacket he wore, he tells us, led our hero to be taken for Mohammed Mogharib, one of the slave-dealers, and it soon became evident that his men were to be allowed to escape whilst the attack was concentrated upon him. Ordering his attendants to fire their guns into the bush — the first time, be it observed, that he had ever in the course of his long wanderings used weapons in his own defence— our hero still went calmly on, coiu; ;atulating himself that no yells or screams of agony succeeded his volley, till he came to a part of the forest cleared for cultivation. Here he noticed a gigantic tree, made still taller by growing on an ant-hill twenty feet high, to which fire had been applied near the roots. As he came up to it, he heard a crack which told that the destructive ele- ment had done its work, but he felt no fear till he saw the huge bulk falling forwards towards himself. He started back, and only just escaped being crushed. " Three times in one day," he remnrks, " was I delivered from impending death." His attendants, gathering round him, and taking this third preservation as a good omen, shouted, "Peace! peace! you will finish your work in spite of these people, and in spite of everything." Five hours more of "running the gauntlet" ensued, and then the little band emerged unscathed on the cleared lands of a group of villages, to be met by a friendly chief named Muanampanda, who invited them to dc his guests. On learning the meaning of all the firing he had heard, Muanampanda offered to call his people together and punish those who had molested the explorer, but, true to his generous character, Living- stone declared he wished no revenge for an attack made in error, and with some little difficnlty the chief consented to humor what must have .«eemed to him a strange whim. At Muanampanda's, Livingstone had unmistakable proof of the prac- tice of cannibalism amongst the Manyuema, who eat their foes killed m TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS AND NARROW ESCAPES. 275 side, a dark :ned between mean a spear, ' a large spear tuck into the from whom it : again his foes lested,but soon isailant, missing tells us, led our ave-dealers, and to escape whilst ttendants to fire ;hat he had ever is own defence— that no yells or part of the forest ,y growing on an ;d near the roots. le destructive ele- huge bulk falling [ust escaped being I delivered from him, and taking 1 peace! you will [f everything." and then the little .up of villages, to [invited them to oe ng he had heard, Ipunish those \vho :haracter, Livuv^- lade in error, and ,r what must have [proof of the prac- their foes killed 'H battle, not from any lack of other animal food, but with a view to inspir- ing themselves with courage. They are said to bury a body which is to be eaten for two days in a forest, and then to disinter and cook it. We are glad to be able to add that they seem rather ashamed of this horrible practice, and do not like strangers to look at their human meat. From Muanampanda's Livingstone went on eastwards by very slow statues, for he was overtaken by a serious return of his old illness, and the entries in his journal, as on his last trip to Tanganyika, are very short and unsatisfactory. On the 23d September he writes, " I was sorely knocked up by this march from Nyangwe back to Ujiji. In the latter part of it I felt 2S if dying on my feet. Almost every step was in pain — tlie appetite failed, whilst the mind, sorely depressed, reacted on the body. All the traders wei^e returning successful. I alone had failed, and experienced worry, thwarting, baffling, when almost in sight of the end towards which I strained." Another Misfortune. Another week and he chronicles his third arrival on the .'■hores of lan^^anyika, close to the entry into the lake of the river Logumba, which rises in the Kalogo mountains on the west. " Perhaps," hazards Livin;-stone, "this river is the outlet of Tanganyika." "Great noises as of iliunder were heard as far as twelve days ofif, which were ascribed to Kal'jgo, as if it had subterranean caves into which the water rushed with great noise ; the country slopes that way, ' he adds, " but I was too ill to ex;in'.ine its source " (that of the Logumba). On the Qth October the worn-out, almost dying, explorer arrived on the islet of Kasenge, landed on the eastern shores of the lake, and on the 2^d entered Ujiji, reduced, to use his own words, "to a skeleton." Warmly welccmed by the Arabs, who had believed him to be dead, and finding the market full of all kinds of native provisions, he hoped that proper food and rest would soon restore him, but in the evening his people came to tell him that the goods he left under the care of a man named Shereef had been sold at a nominal price, the Arabs adding that they protested, but the " idiot" would not listen to them. "This was distressing," exclaims poor Livingstone, thus again cut off from hope of fresh explorations. " I had made up my mind, if I could not get people at Ujiji, to wait till men should come from the coast, but to Wait in beggary was what I never contemp' -ed." The man Shereef actually came without shame to shake hands with his old master, and on Livingstone's refusing him that courtesy he assumed an air of displeas- ure, as if badly treated, observing or leaving, " I am going to pray." . i 276 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. .Ill ■; m. In his destitution Livingstone felt, he tells us, as if " he were the man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves," but for him there was no hope of priest, Lovite, or good Samaritan. Never, however, was the oft-quoted proverb, " when things are at the worst they will mend," more thoroughly verified than in this instance. First came a generous offer of aid in the form of a stock of valuable ivory from an Arab named Syed bin Magid, and then the news brought by Susi of the approach of an " Englishman," who proved to be more of an. American tl^an was supposed. The fact that Stanley reached Ujiji without the knowledge of Living- stone and those composing his expedition, shows how difficult it is in Africa to obtain news of what is transpiring even a short distance away. In our own country it could be known for hundreds of miles away from a party of travellers that they were on the march ; starting on one side of the continent, the other side could be made aware of the fact imme- diately. From time to time reports could be furnished, and enterprisin^j newspapers could present cuts showing the various experiences througli which the travellers were passing. But Africa is not America. For a long time Stanley and his men journeyed from Zanzibar towards tiie lake on the shores of which, now historic, Livingstone was secluded. No news went ahead, no messengers told the story, no telegraph flashed hope to the despairing explorer, and suddenly, unexpectedly, yet with joy like that of the morning, the great American hero stood face to face with the one whom he was seeking. This is the statement of the fact. In the subsequent chapter we shall trace Mr. Stanley's journey, and shall see what befell him on the way. We shall also learn a little later the wonderful effect produced upon Li»- ingstone by this timely arrival. It is safe to say that if help had not come as opportunely as it did, the explorer would have died there upon the banks of the lake which he had struggled so long and heroically to reach. He was a broken-down, worn-out man, and needed the strong support, sympathy and timely help of just such a young, bold, heroic soul as Stanley was. vere the man thieves," but ritan. Never, at the worst ,tai\cc. First valuable ivory s brought by be more of an . dge of Living- difficult it is in distance away, liles away fiom ing on one side the fact inime- and enterprising; riences througli imerica. For a 3ar towards the e was secluded, elegraph flashed dly, yet with joy face to face with :hapter we shall Thim on the way. ,uced upon Li»- if help had not |died there upon ,nd heroically to :eded the strong ing, bold, heroic CHAPTER XII. STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. Uvingstone Traced to Ujiji — Search Expedition Organized in England — Alarm and Soirow at the Nev^sof Livingstone's Death-cNews Discredited by Sir Ki>derick Murduson— Mr. Young Sent Out to Find the Lost E.xpIorer — The Little Steel Vessel — The Expedition Hears of a White Man— Traces of Livingstone— Natives Know Livini;stone by His Photograph— Cheerirg News— Another Search Expe- di ion--Muney Eagerly Subscribed — Men Selected for the Undi-rtakinjj — Stanley Leads the Way — Stanley on the March— Guides, Carriers and Donkeys — Band Music and Lively Songs — Natives Carrying Heavy Burdens on their Heads — fVrils and Difhculties of the Journey— Qualities Required in an Explorer— Tanj;ied Brake and Wild Animals— The Ferocious Rhinoceros— Excitements ol the Cliase— A Monster Fleet as a Gazelle — Conflict Between an Elephant and Rhinuceros— Mr. Oswald s Narrow E§cape — The Hunter Scarred for Life— Stanley s Misfortunes — Sentence of Flogging on a Deserter— The Donkey Whip— Daugliter of an Infamous King — Urging Forward the Caravan— Sending Away a Sick Man — Stanley Frightens an Arab Sheik— Across Marshes and Rivers — Half Buried in a Swamp— Stanley's Graphic Account— Pursuit of a Runaway — The Fugitive Captured— Two Dozen Lashes and Put in Irons— The Captor Re- warded— Coral Beads for a Native's Wife. E have already seen that in the year 1866 Dr. Livingstone had remained for a time with a certain Babisa chief, until the native was restored to health. Musa, and the doctor's other followers, deserted him and then made for the coast, where they at once spread the report that Livingstone had been murdered by the sanguinary tribe of Mazitii. We know that this tale was false, for .we have already tracked the doctor to Ujiji, but the authorities at Zanzibar, in 1866, had no such evi- dence. Musa declared supposed facts in » very circumstantial manner, and Dr. Seward, political resident, forwarded the information to Lord Stanley, and the rumors thus circumstantially circulated gave rise to the activity which resulted in the Search Expeditions despatched from Eng- land; which, however, were rendered abortive by the enterprise oi' the .Vra< y';;;;^ Herald and its correspondent, Henry M. Stanley. The news of Livingstone's murder was received in England with alarm 4nd sorrow. The story had so many elements of apparent truth in its composition, that friends and relatives, as well as the less-informed British public, feared the worst. But some people, and notably Sir R. Murchison, discredited the news. (277) lU' 278 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. It was, however, suggested that an expedition should be forthwith despatched to find the explorer, but this suggestion was combated as one which, if carried out, would prove useless and disastrous. However, after some months had elapsed, Sir Roderick Murchison and his adherents' gained their point. A former companion of Dr Livingstone, Mr. Edward D. Young, was appointed leader, as already stated. From the Cape the little expedition was carried, in June, 1867, to the mouth of the Zambesi iVi one of Her Majesty's ships, and a small steel vessel, named the "Search," was successfully launched upon the waters of the rapid river. After some adventures, and a visit to a Portuguese settlement, whose chief gave the members confirmation of Livingstone's death — which, how- ever, Young did not credit — the "Search" continued, and entered the Shire River, where they were attacked by ^ ;e natives, but being at lentjth recognized as English, were hospitably received. As the little party continued their route, the inhabitants recognized the I- nglish as old friends. The chief of Mankokwi and others welcomed the Search Expedition, and though continual delays were thereby neces- sitated, the value of the friendliness was so great that the time lost was not considered as also wasted. The Expcditiou Hears of a " White Man." After a while more progress was made, and the cataracts were passed. Lake Nyassa was at hand, and information which came in from time to time assured Mr. Young and his companions that they were on the right trail. No hostile tribe opposed their progress, and the " Search " con- tinued her venturesome way unmolested. At length, in the beginn'ng of September, the lake was gained, and it became now a difificult matter to decide in what direction the course should be steered. A " white man " had been reported as having already gone in a north-westerly direction, but that v/as long ago, and M'. Young and his men were somewhat undecided. The appearance of a native, however, gave them hof)es; and when the man confessed a liking for the English because a white man had lately passed by, and made his village presents, Mr. Young was assured oi success. Questions were put to the man concerning the appearance and departure of the good Englishman, and enough was extracted to assure Mr. Young that, so far, he had been proceeding in the right direction, and that Livingstone had certainly not been murdered as reported. Proceeding further up the lake, the good news was confirmed. The illustrious traveller had remained in a small village by the water during STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 279 the past winter season, and had left an excellent impression upon the na- tives. They gladly welcomed Young's party, and told the leader in what direction the Englishman had gone. They described him very fairly, and even indicated the peak of the doctor's cap, while other portions of his equipment were also faithfully and graphically recalled by the native chief. Doubt could no longer exist in the minds of the members of the " Search " party that they had found "warm" traces of the great ex- pbrer. Further enquiries resulted in accurate information respecting his observation of the sun with the sextant — which were illustrated by means of sticks — by a detail of the number of men, "two or three tens" of persons, his feet clothed in " skins " (boots) — and his little dog was men- tioned. The Explorv'^r Known by His Photograph. Mr. Young at once continued his course, crossing the lake to Chivola, whee more relics and reminiscenses of the doctor were discovered and relat d. The villagers gave many faithful and interesting details of the " whii'i man's " residence with them, and held his memory in great rev- erence. While Mr. Young remained at Chivola he tested the accuracy of the chief's meti'ory by mixing a photograph of Livingstone, in European dress, with the pictures of other individuals. The chief at once identi- fied the doctor, but said his dress was not the same, as of course it was not. This test was regarded, and with reason, as crucial and successful. Moreover, a prayer-book, a razor, and other relics were gradually pro- duced by natives with whom he had exchanged them. So armed wjth proof. Young proceeded — found other evidence in one of the doctor's young attendants, who had been ill and left behind. But the cold season had passed long ago — no news had been heard of the great traveller since he had gone south-west. Still Young persisted, and finally he gained information which entirely upset Musa's ingenious fabricati-in, although the doctor was not found. A native, who Vvas encountered by the lake, gave the valuable intelli- jjence that he had himself seen and assisted the doctor, the great " M'Sungu," after the desertion of Musa and his faithless companions, of whom the native knew nothing. The man scorned the idea of Living- stone having been murdered by the Mazitu tribe, for the" M'Sungu " had avoided them completely. Musa's tale of death and burial was fully investigated and proved false when the search party penetrated to the Babisa country, and interviewed the old chief. 280 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. .f" ' This man was the identical individual whom Livingstone had cured, and who was, therefore, extremely well-disposed to the new comers. His tribe were famous traders and travellers, who knew the country well and widely. From the Chief of Marengas Mr. Young obtained the best news they had yet received. The chief informed them that he knew Livingstone quite well, as was natural he should, seeing the doctor had tended him for so many weeks. He said that the white man had gone away across the marshes. After that, Musa and the Johanna men had returned, having deserted Living- stone, and were on their way to the coast. This information, so far, tallied with news already to hand ; but the chief declared that he had never heard of the death of Livingstone, and the native was assured that had it occurred he must have heard of it, considering the wandering habits of his men, and their taste for travel- ling and trading. The chief thought it most improbable that the doctor had been killed at all in the country, and that he had net perished as Musa had declared was already evident. Under these circumstances, Mr. Young and his men came to the conclusion that Livingsto e was alive, though unfortunately out of reach; that he had wandered through territories since infested by a hostile tribe, who had destroyed the villages. The Babisa chief warmly dissuaded Young from attempting to follow the doctor under such circumstances, and accordingly the " Search " ex- pedition returned to the coast, and to England, with the news that Liv- ingstone had not been murdered, as stated by Musa, but that he had wandered away out of reach. Another Search Fxpedition. Although the information brought home by Young satisfied for a time the anxiety of the English people, nothing definite had actually been heard of the doctor since May, 1869. In 1870, in his address to the Royal Geographical Society, Sir R. Murchison gave hopes of the doc- tor's existsnce. Livingstone had been reported at Ujiji, on Lake Tan- ganyika, where he was waiting supplies. Sir Samuel Baker hoped to find him, but this hope had no actual result, owing to geographical difficulties. Sir Bartie Frere proclaimed a relief expedition. Money was eagerij subscribed throughout the United Kingdom, and the Geogiapliica\ Society took the matter in hand for the nation. Lieutenants Dawson and Henn were selected as the leaders, from a candidates' list of four hundred volunteers. Mr. Oswald Livingstone went with them, but a powerful STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 281 had cured, comers. His itry well and jed the best : well, as was many weeks, rshes. Alter 2rted Livint;- and ; but the nngstone, and vc heard of it, iste for travel- hat the doctor jt perished as circumstances, vingsto e was dered through destroyed the pting to follow "Search" ex- lews that Liv- 3ut that he had isfied for a time actually been laddress to the jes of the doc- on Lake Tan- kaker hoped to [o geographica. ^y was eagerly Geographical Jits Dawson and |of four hundred but a powerful rival had already been despatched, and his mission was almost unknown at first. This great rival was Henry M. Stanley, who had a tour a ranged for him in India, with instructions to swoop down on Zanzibar and " find Livingstone." Stanley carried out his instructions, and arrived in January, 1871, at Zanzibar, which he found to be a much more beautiful and fertile island than he had supposed. He soon introduced himself to Dr. Kirk, and, without delay, set about making the necessary preparations for his jour- ney. The great difficulty was to obtain information as to the amount of STANLEY ON THE MARCH. food, or rather the articles for purchasing it, which would be required for thj hundred men he proposed enlisting in his service. He had engaged at Jerusalem a Christian Arab boy named Selim, who was to act as his interpreter, and he had also on the voyage attached to tho expedition two mates of merchantmen, Farquhar and Shaw, who were very useful in constructing tents and arranging two boats and the pack-saddles and packages for the journey, but who proved in other re- spects very poor travellers. He also secured the services of that now Well-known hero, Bombay, captain of Speke's faithfuls, and five of his other followers, Uledi, Grant's valet, and the blue-headed Mabruki, who had in tlvj meantime lost one of his hands, but, notwithstanding, was 282 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. likely to prove useful. They were the only remains of the band to be found, the rest having died or gone elsewhere. These six still retained their medals for assisting in the discovery of the source of the Nile. Stanley Gettingr Beady to Start. The boats, one of which was capable of carrying twenty people and the other six, ^ere stripped of their planks, the timbers and thwarts only being carried. Instead of the planking it was proposed to cover them with double canvas skin, well tarred. They and the rest of the baggage were carried in loads, none exceeding sixty-eight pounds in weight. Two horses and twenty-seven donkeys were purchased, and a small cart, while the traveller had brought with him a watch-dog, which he hoped would guard his tent from prowling thieves. An ample supply of beads, cloth, and wire was also laid in, with tea, sugar, rice, and medicine. To Bombay and his faithfuls were added eighteen more free men, who were all well armed, and when mustered appeared an exceedingly fine-looking body of soldiers. These were to act as escort to the pa^asis, or carriers. On the 4th of February, 1 871, the expedition was ready, and on the 5th embarked in four dhows, which conveyed it across to Bagamoyo on the mainland. Here it was detained five weeks while its persevering leader was combating the rogueries of Ali Ben Salim and another Arab, Hadji Palloo, who had undertaken to secure one hundred and forty carriers. The packages were rearranged, the tents improved, and other necessary arrangements made. He found here a caravan which had been despatched by the British Consul a hundred days before to the relief of Dr. Livingstone; but which, its leader making as an excuse that he was unable to obtain a fresh number of carriers, had hitherto remained inactive. ' Band Mu.stc anid Lively Songs. The climate of Bagamoyo is far superior to that of Zanzibar. In its neighborhood a French Jesuit mission has been for some time estab- lished, with ten priests and as many sisters, who have been very success- ful in educating two hundred boys and girls. The priests sumptuously entertained Mr. Stanley with excellent champagne and claret, while some of their pupils, among whom they had formed a brass band, amused them with instrumental music and French songs. He divided his expedition into five caravans, the first of which he started off on the i8th of February, although it was not till March 2ist that he with the largest was able to commence his journey westward, Altogether the expedition numbered on the day of departure, besides the commander and his two white attendants, twenty-three soldiers, four band to be itill retained e Nile. T people and thwarts only , cover them the baggage ,s in weight. 1 a small cart, tich he hoped pply of beads, nedicine. To len, who were y fine-looking zis, or carriers, dy, and on the Bagamoyo on its persevering I another Arab, ired and forty )ved, and other by the British vingstone ; but .able to obtain a 'anzibar. In its jme time estab- en very success- sts sumptuously nd claret, while a brass band, rst of which he till March 2ist ,urney westward. leparture, bestdes ree soldiers, four (288) 'joa WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. chiefs, one hundred and fifty-three carriers, and four supernumeraries. Every possible care had been bestowed on the outfit, and in nothing that it needed was it stinted. Bombay proved to be honest and trustworthy, v'hile Ferajji and Mabruki turned out true men and staunch, the latter, on one occasion, finding a difficulty in dragging the cart, having brought it along on his head rather than abandon it. The facility with which the natives carry heavy loads on their heads is described by Stanley. On one occasion he was waiting for Shaw, who was leading a caravan with supplies. Food being scarce in the camp, and Shaw not arriving, he sent a message to him, requiring him to come on with all the speed he could ; but time passed, and the caravan arrived not. Stanley then set out to meet it, and thus describes Shaw's order of march : — " Stout, burley Chowereh carried the cart on his head, having found thatcarrying it was easier than drawing it. The sight was such a damper to my regard for it as an experiment, that the cart was wheeled into the reeds and there left. The central figure was Shaw himself, riding at a gait which rendered it doubtful whetheri^e or his animal felt most sleepy. Upon expostulating with him for keeping the caravan so long waitintj when there was a march on hand, he said he had done the bcbt he could, but as I had seen the solemn pace at which he rode, I felt dubious about his best endeavors, and requested him, if he could not mend his pace, to dismount and permit the donkey to be loaded for the march." Perils and Difficulties. Thus delays, obstacles and risks are sure to meet one who undertakes a land journey in intertropical Africa. There is no longer, as in the desert, the peril of death from thirst or starvation ; for the country abounds in game, and the course does not throughout lie through inter- minable swamp, as in the river navigation. But from the very beginning the explorer is beset with hindrances and annoyances small and great. An army of porters must be got together, drilled and fed. Like other Africans, they are children of impulse, credulous, suspicious, often lying, cowardly and treacherous. On the slightest provocation they are seized with panic, and desert ; or they take advantage of relaxed discipline. The leader must be possessed of inexhaustible good-humor, and at thf same time be able to prove, when occasion requires, that he is a stern master. A dove-like demeanor will hardly suit the African explorer ; he must be wise as a serpent and watchful as a hawk. When at length a start is made, difficulties accumulate at every step. In a countrj' where rain falls for ten or eleven months in the year, under a vertical sun, the growth of vegetation is amazing. imeraries. :hing that istworthy, : latter, on )rought it which the ,nley. On a caravan t arriving, the speed :anley then :— " Stout, latcarrying iper to my ;d into the riding at a nost sleepy, ong waiting :bt he could, bious about his pace, to undertakes r, as in the the country rough intcr- y beginning and great. Like other often lying. Iisc are seized ipline. and at thf he is a stern rer: he xplo at length a funtr>' where tical sun. the (285) 286 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. In the dry season the grass and shrubs are burned far and wide ; but after a few weeks' rain the new plant-life starts up with iqcredible quick- ness. The country is covered with an impenetrable jungle of grass. reeds, and bamboos. A thick undergrowth starts up below the shade of the forest trees ; the great stems of the pandanus, the banana, and the baobab are covered to their tops with a feathery growth of parasitic ferns and orchids, and festooned with the tough branches of the wild vine and the liana, and other twining and creeping plants. The rivers are at their highest mark, and the marshes are profound and impassable. The native villages are almost smothered under the dark luxuriance of plant-life, and lions and other beasts of prey can creep up unseen to the very doors of the huts. The whole country, in short, becomes a tangled brake, with only here and there an open space, or a rough track marking where the heavy body of an elephant, a rhinoceros, or a buffalo has crushed a way through the high grass. The fact that thf^re is " a lion in the way " — much more an elephant — is ah incentive to the traveller to push on. A Daniperoiis Beast. The rhinoceros especially is a monster that no traveller would wish to meet, and renders exploration in some parts of Africa perilous in the extreme. Graphic accounts of the deadly exploits of this ferocious brute are sivcn by all who have penetrated far into the wilds of the Dark Continent. The largest of the rhinoceros family is he of Africa, the square-nosed white rhinoceros. A full-grown brute of his species will measure eighteen feet in length (Mr. Galton shot one eighteen feet six inches); the circumference of its broad back and low-hanging belly almost as much ; while it is so low on its legs that a tall man a-tiptoe could see across its back. Attached to its blunt nose — not to the bone, but merely set in the skin — is a horn more or less curved, hard as steel, sharp, and more than a yard long; and immediately behind this is a little horn, equally sharp, and shaped like a handleless extinguisher. Its eyes are marvel ously little — so little, indeed, that at a short distance they are scarcely to be seen; at the same time, however, it should be borne in mind that the rhinoceros is of nocturna^ habits; and, as it is with all such animals, by daylight the eyes are seldom seen to full advantage. Its ears are long, pointed, and tipped with a few bristles ; these and a scrubby tassel at the extremity of its tail comprise the whole of its hirsute appendages. His sense of hearing and smell are wonderfully acute. Andersson says, " I have had frequent opportunities of testing both these STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 287 qualities. Even when feeding, lying down, or obeying any passing demand of nature, he will listen with a deep and continued attention until the noise that has attracted his attention ceases. He ' winds ' an enemy from a ^ery great distance; but if one be to leeward of him it is not difficult to approach Mrithin a few paces." A Monstor Fleet as a Oaselle* Hunters universally agree as to the wonderful swiftness of this ponder- ous brute. Says Gordon Gumming, "A horse and rider can rarely manage to overtake it;" and Captain Harris echoes, "From its clumsy appearance one would never suppose it capable of such lightning-like movements." " He is not often pursued on horseback," says Andersson, who, without doubt, knows more, of the animal than any other £uropean, " and chiefly because his speed and endurance are such that it is very dirficuit to come up with and follow him, to say nothing of the danger attendant on such ' ct^urse. Many a hunter, indeed, has thereby en- dangered his life." Should the lion and rhinoceros meet, the former allows the latter a wide berth, and the huge elephant yields to him the path rather than risk a battle. Occasionally, however, the peaceful giant of the forest will lose all patience with his quarrelsome neighbor, and screw up his cour- age " to have it out " with him. But the extra strength of the elephant does not sufficiently compensate for his cumbrous gait, and the swift and sudden movement of keitloa gives him an immense advantage. A cele- brated African sportsman once witnessed such a battle at Omanbonde, but in this instance the impetuous rage of the rhinoceros proved his downfall ; for, having driven his terrible horn up to the hilt into the car- cass of the elephant, he was unable to extricate it, and the latter, falling dead of his wound, crushed out the life of his assailant in his descent. Mr. Andersson once witnessed a fight between a gigantic bull elephant and a black rhinoceros, and in the end the former turned tail and ran for his life. That he will not allow his passion for war to be hampered by the ties of blood and kindred, is proved by the same gentleman. " One night, while at the skarm " (a circular wall, built of rough stone, loosely piled on each other), " I saw four of these huge beasts engage each other at the same time ; and so furious was the strife, and their gruntings so hor- rible, that it caused the greatest consternation among my party, who were encamped a little way off. I succeeded after awhile in killing two of them, one of which was actually unfit for food, from wounds received on previous occasions, and probably under similar circumstances." 288 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. The rhinoceros's best friend, and the rhinoceros hunter's most tiresome enewTiy, is a little bird, vulgarly known as the rhinoceros bird. It con- stantly attends on the huge beast, feeding on the ticks that infest its hide, the bird's long claws and elastic tail enabling it to hold fast to whatever portion of the animal it fancies. If it rendered the rhinoceros no further service than ridding him of these biting pests, it would deserve his grati- tude ; but, in addition, it does him the favor of warning him of the ap- proach of the hunter. With its ears as busy as its beak, the little senti- nel detects danger afar off, and at once shoots up into the air, uttering a sharp and peculiar note, which the rhinoceros is not slow to understand and take advantage of; he doesn't wa;'t to make inquiry, but makes oiT at once. Gumming asserts that when the rhinoceros is asleep, and the bird fails to wake him with its voice, it will peck the inside of his ears, and otherwise exert itself to rouse its thick-headed friend. As a rule, the rhinoceros will shun man's presence, and do its best to escape as soon as the hnnter approaches. Like all other rules, however, this one is not without exception. In proof of this, Mr. Oswell relates an adventure in which he was the hunted as well the hunter, barely escaping with his life. One day, while returning to camp on foot, he saw, at a short distance off, two rhinoceroses of the terrible keitloa species ap- proaching him as they grazed. He says : " . immediately crouched, and quietly awaited their arrival ; but though they soon came within range, from their constantlj' facing me I was unable to fire, well knowing the uselessness of a shot at the head. In a short time they had approached, but on account of the exposed nature of the ground I could neither retreat nor advance, and my situation became highly critical. Scarred for Life. " I was afraid to fire, for even had I succeeded in killing one, the other would in all likelihood have run over and trampled me to death. In this dilemma it suddenly occurred to me thai on account of their bad sight I might possibly save myself by endeavoring to run past them. No time ' was to be lost, and.accordingly, just as the leading animal almost touched me, I stood up and dashed past it. The brute, however, was too quick for me, and 'oefore I had made many good paces I heard a violent snort- ing at my heels, and had only time to fire my gun at random at his head when I felt myself impaled on his horn. " The shock stunned me completely. The first return to consciousness was, I recollect, finding myself seated on one of my ponies, and-a Gaffre leading it, I had an indistinct notion of having been hunting, and on observing the man I asked quickly why he was not following the track STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 289 lost tiresome )ird. It con- nfest its hide, it to whatever ros no further ;rve his grati- lim of the ap- he little senti- air, uttering a to understand , but makes off isleep, and the ide of his ears, I doits best to rules, however, ►swell relates an barely escaping >t, he saw, at a flea species ap- crouched, and le within range, 11 knowing the lad approached, I could neither cal. of the animal, when he mumbled something to the effect that it was gone. By accident I touched my right hip with my hand, and on with- drawing it was astounded to find it clotted with blood ; yet my senses were still so confused, and the side so benumbed, that I actually kept feeling an I pressing the wound with my fingers. While trying to account for my strange position, I observed some of my men coming 'oward me with a cart, and on asking them what they were about, they cried out that they had come to fetch my body, having been told that I had been killed by some animal. The truth now for the first time broke upon me, and I v.as quickly made aware of my crippled condition. The wound I had received was of a very serious character, and although it ultimately healed, it left scars behind which will no doubt remain till the day of my death." This was not the only opportunity Mr. Oswell had of testing the un- fl.ir.v-hing courage occasionally exhibited by the rhinoceros. Once as, mounted on a first-rate horse, he was returning from an elephant hunt, he saw in the distance a magnificent white rhinoceros, bearing a horn of unusual size. Without a thought as to the danger of the proceeding, he^ spurred his steed, and was speedily neck and neck with his game. Instantly the deadly gun was leveled, and a bullet lodged in the thick- skinned carcase. Not fatally, however ; and, worse than all, instead of "bohing," as is the animal's wont when wounded, it just stood stock-still for a moment, eyeing the hunter with its vengeful little eyes, and then deliberately stalking toward him, made a sudden rush at the refractory steed, and thrust its horn completely through its body, so that the pointt of the tremendous weapon struck the rider's leg through the saddle-flap at the other side. The horse was of course killed on the spot, but the rider was so little injured that he immediately followed and stew the; rhinoceros. A Powerful Foe. Innumerable instances of dangerous encounters with wild animals might be mentioned, to show the perils that constantly beset the path of Stanley. Kingston relates an adventure of this description. " Once more," he says, " the trumpeting burst forth,, the sounds echo- ing through the forest. A minute afterwards I heard the crashing of aouglis and brushwood some way off. I guessed, as I listened, that the mimal was coming towards where I lay. The sounds increased in loud- ness. Should it discover me it would probably revenge itself by crushing me to death, or tossing me in the air with its trunk. I had my rifle ready to fire. There was a chance that I might kill it oc make it turn aside. '100 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS The ground where I lay sloped gradually downwards to a more open spot. I expected the next instant that the elephant would appear. It did so, but further off than I thought it would, and I thus began to kope that \ should escape its notice. It was moving slowly, though trumpeting; with pain and rage. " The instant I caught sight of it another huge creature rushed out or the thicket on tlie opposite side of the glade. It was a huge bull rhinoceros with a couple of sharp-pointed horns, one behind the other. "The elephant on seeing it stopp«d still, as if wishing to avoid a con- test with so powerful an antagonist. I fully expected to witness a long and terrible fight, and feared that, in the struggle, the animals might move towards where I lay and crush me. That the elephant was wounded I could see by the blood streaming down its neck. This probably made it less inclined to engage in a battle with the rhinoceros. Instead of advancing, it stood whisking its trunk about and trumpeting. The rhinoceros, on the contrary, after regarding it for a moment, rushed fear- lessly forward and drove its sharp-pointed horns into its body while it in vain attempted to defend itself with its trunk. "The two creatures were now locked together in a way which made it st«m impossible for them to separate, unless the horns of the rhinoceros were broken off. Never did I witness a more furious fight. The ele- phant attempted to throw itself down on the head of its antagonist, and thereby only drove the horns deeper into its own body. So interested was I, that I forgot the pain I was suffering, while I could hear no other st)i:nds than those produced by the two huge combatants. While I was watching them, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and saw one of our party .standing over me. " ' I am sorry you have met with this accident I ' he exclaimed. ' The sooner you get away from this the better. There is a safer spot a little higher up the bank. We will carry you there.' " I willingly consenting, my friends did as they proposed, as from thence I could watch the fight with greater security. They, having placed me in safety, hurried towards the combatants, hoping to kill both of them before they separated. •• The Huge Creature Fell Orer.** " The elephant, already wounded, appeared likely to succumb without our further interference. There was indeed little chance of its attempting to defend itself against them. One of the men sprang forward until he got close up to the animals, and firing he sent a bullet right through the cirphant's heart. The huge creature fell over, pressing the rhinoceroi STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 291 to the ground. As the great beast was now pinned fast and unable to escape, it was not difficult to dispatch him, and this was quickly done." We must return from these conflicts with African wild animals to follow the thrilling adventures of Mr. Stanley. The Kinganni river was reached by a bridge rapidly formed witl American axes, the donkeys refusing to pass through the water. The country due west of Bagamoyo was found to be covered with towns and villages which were previously unknown. Soon after starting, Omar, the watch-dog, was missing, when Mabruki, hastening back, found him iit the previous halting-place. One of the caravans at the same place was " THE RHINOCEROS DROVE ITS HORNS INTO ITS BODV." •letaincd by the sickness of three of the carriers, whose place it was neces- i^ary to supply. Stanley soon had to experience the invariable troubles of African tavellers. His two horses died within a few hours of each other, both liowever, from disease of long standing, and not from the climate. Few '11211 were better able to deal with the rogueries of the petty chiefs he 'net with than Mr. Stanley. He had always a ready answer, and invari- ably managed to catch them in their own traps, while the "great master," a-i he was called, managed to keep his subordinates in pretty good Order. 293 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. One of his carriers, Khamisi, under Shaw's command, having al»- sconded, Uledi and Ferajji found him, having fallen into the hands of some plundering Washensi, who were about to kill him. A court of jight soldiers and eight carriers having been convened, condemned him to be flogged with the "great master's" donkey-whip. As Shaw ought to have kept a better look out, he was ordered to give him one blow and the carriers and soldiers the remainder. This being done, the man was pardoned. Moving on, the expedition passed Simbamwenni, the fortifications of which are equal to any met with in Persia. The area of the town is about half a square mile, while four towers of stone guard each corner. There are four gates, one in each wall, M-hich are closed with solid square doors of African teak, and carved with complicated devices. It is ruled by the daughter of the iniamous Kisalungo, notorious as a robber and kidnapper, another Th-^odore on a small scale. Before long Stanley was attacked with fever, which greatly prostrated his strength, though he quickly recovered by taking strong doses of quinine. The n;ost pamful event which occurred was the flight of Bunda Selim, who had been punished for pilfering rations. The men sent after him were seized and imprisoned by the Sultana of Simbamwenni, and, though ultimately liberated by the interference of an Arab sheikh, nothing could be found of the missing cook. Shaw also fell ill, and left the task of urg- ing on the floundering caravan through marshes and rivers to his su- perior. Several of the others followed his example, and even Bombay complained of pains and became unserviceable. Misconduct of Attendants. The report from Farquhar's caravan was most unsatisfactory, he, as far as Stanley could make out, having lost all his donkeys. The unhappy man, indeed, he found on overtaking him, was suffering from dropsy. He had also given to the porters and soldiers no small amount of the content.s of the bales committed to his charge, as payment for the services he had demanded of them, and in purchasing expensive luxuries. Ashe could not walk and was worse than useless, Stanley was obliged to send the sick man, under the charge of Mabruki, thirty miles away to the village of Mpwapwa, to the chief of which place he promised an ample > ward if he would take care of him. Worse than all, the wretched Shaw, after a dispute, during the night fired into Stanley's tent, too evidently with the intention of killing him.j He found the intended murderer pretending to be asleep, with a gun by his side yet warm. Unable to deny that he had fired, he declared that in STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 203 hi« dreams he had seen a thief pass his door; and then asked what was the matter. "Oh, nothing," answered Stanley; "but I would advise you in future, in order to avoid all suspicion, not to fire into my tent, or at least, so near me. I might get hurt, in which case ugly reports would get about, and this, perhaps, would be disagreeable, as you are probabN aware. Goodnight!" On reaching Mpwapwa the chief Lencolo positively refused to take charge of the white man unless an interpreter was left with him, and Jako, who was the only one of the party besides Bombay and Selim who could speak English, was ordered to remain in that capacity. A Sheikh Badly Frightened. The expedition was now about to <:ntcr Ugogo. During the passage of the intervening desert, five out of the nine donkeys died, the cart ha\ ing some time before been left behind. The expedition was now joined by several Arab caravans, so that the number of the party amounted to about four hundred souls, strong in guns, flags, horns sounding, drums, and noise. This host was to be led by Stanley and sheikh Hanied through the dreaded Ugogo. In May they were at Mvumi, paying heavy tribute to the sultan. Nothing seemed to satisfy him. Stanley suggested tliatas he had twenty Wazunga armed with VV^inchester repeating rifles, he might make the sultan pay tribute to him. The sheikh entreated that he would act peaceably, urging that angry words might induce the sultan to demand double the tribute. We quote Stanley's own account of some of his experiences in this part of his journey: The Wanyamvvezi donkeys ptuck in the mire as if they were rooted to it. As fast as one was flogged from his stubborn position, prone to the depths fell another, giving me a Sisyphean labor, which was maddening under pelting rain, assisted by such men as Bombay and Uledi, wlu» could not for a whole skin's sake stomach the storm and mire. Two hours of such a task enabled me to drag my caravan over a savannah one mile and a half broad ; and barely had I finished congratulating my- self overniy success before I was halted by a deep ditch, which, filled with rain-water from the inundated savannahs, had become a consider- able stream, breast-deep, flowing swiftly into the Makata. Donkeys had to be unloaded, led through a torrent, and loaded again on the other bank— an operation which consumed a full hour. Presently, after straggling through a wood clump, barring our prog- ress was another st earn, swollen into a river. The bridge being swept 294 WONDERS OF THE TROPIC& away, wre were obliged to swim and float our baggage over, which de« layed us two hours more. Leaving this second river-bank, we splashed, waded, occasionally half-swimming, and reeled through mire, water- dripping grass and matama stalks, along the left bank of the Makata oropcr, until farther progress was effectually prevented for that day by a ileep bend of the river, which we would be obliged to cross the next day. Though but six miles were traversed during that miserable day, the march occupied ten hours. Half dead with fatigne, I yet could feel thankful that it was not at. companicd by fever, which it seemed a miracle to avoid ; for if ever a dis- trict was cursed with the ague, the Makata wilderness ranks foremost of those afflicted. Surely the sight of the dripping woods enveloped in opaque mist, of the inundated country with lengthy swathes of tiger- grass laid low by the turbid flood, of mounds of decaying trees and canes, of the swollen river and the weeping sky, was enough to engender the mukunguru ? The well-used khambi, and tlie heaps of filth sur- rounding it, were enough to create a cholera ! Crossing a Stvolleii StreaBK. The Makata, a river whose breadth during the dry season is but forty (bet, in the Makisa season assumes the breadth, depth, and force of an important river. Should it happen to be an unusually rainy season, it inundates the great plain which stretches on either side, and converts it into a great lake. So swift was the flow of the Makata, and so much did its unsteady bridge, half buried in the water, imperil the safety of the property, that its transfer from bank to bank occupied fully five hours. No sooner had we landed every article on the other side, undamaged by the water, tlian the rain poured down in torrents that drenched them all, as if they had been dragged through the river. To proceed through the swamp which an hour's rain had formed was utterly out of the question. We were accordingly compelled to camp in a place where every hour furnished its quota of annoyance. One of the Wangwana soldiers engaged at Bagamoyo, named Kingaru, improved an opportunity to desert with another man's kit. My two detectives, Uledi (Grant's valet), and Sarmcan, were immediately de- sp itched in pursuit, both being armed with American breech-loaders. ilvjy went about their task with an adroitness and celerity which augured .1 for their success. In an hour they returned with the runaway, hav ing iound him hidden in the house of a chief called Kigondo, who lived about a mile (irom the eastern bank of the river, and who had accora- STANLEY HASTENING TO THE RESCUE. 29.J , which de- e splashed, lire, water- the Makata at day by a le next day. ,ble day, the was not at if ever a dis- loremost of enveloped in les of tiger- ig trees and panied CJledi and Sarmean to receive his reward, and render an account of the incident. to engender V, r of filth sur- (fi P. 1 is but forty C . force of an c iny season, it n 1 converts it f. I its unsteady c. M'operty, that > o sooner had e water, than B % ts if they had wanip which n. We were furnished its med Kingaru. kit. My two iiediatcly de- eech-loaders. hich augured laway, having do, who lived o had accom- Kigondo said, when he had been seated, " I saw this man carrying a bundle, and running hard, by which I knew that he was deserting you. \ ; 29a WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. We (my wife and I) were sitting in our little watch-hut, watching ouf corn ; and, as the road runs close by, this man was obliged to come close to us. We called to him when he was near, saying, ' Master, where are you going so fast? Are you deserting the Musungu, for we know you belong to him, since you bought from us yesterday two doti worth of meat ?' " ' Yes,' said he, ' I am running away ; I want to get to Simbamwenni. If you will take me there, I will give you a doti.' " We said to him then, ' Come into our house, and we will talk it over quietly.' When he was in our house in an inner room, we locked him up, and went out again to the watch ; but leaving word with the women to look out for him. We knew that, if you wanted him, you would send askari (soldiers) after him. " We had but lit our pipes when we saw two men armed with sliort guns, and having no loads, coming along the road, looking now and then on the ground, as if they were looking at footmarks. We knew them to be the men we were expecting ; so we hailed them, and said, ' Masters, what are ye looking for ?' " They said, ' We are looking for a man who has deserted our master. Here are his footsteps. If you have been long in your hut you must have seen him. Can you tell us where he is?' We said, ' Yes ; he is in our house. If you will come with us, we will give him up to you ; but your master must give us something for catching him.' " As Kigondo had promised to deliver Kingaru up, there remained nothing further to do for Uledi and Sarmean but to take charge of their prisoner, and bring him and his captors to my camp on the western bank of the Makata. Kingaru received two dozen lashes, and was chained ; his captor a doti, besides five khete of read coral beads for his wife. vatching out o come close sr, where are ve know you doti worth of I jimbamwenni. ill talk it over e locked him th the women ju would send led with short ; now and then : knew them to said, ' Masters, ed our master. hut you must 1' Yes ; he is in p to you ; but here remained :harge of their western bant; was chained ; his wife. CHAPTER XIII. STANLEY'S HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS. Stanley's Marvellous Courage and Enterprise — Abundance of Supplies— Perils Sur- rounding the Expedition— Paying Tribute to Chiefs— Dense Jungles and Thickets of Thorns— A Country Teeming with Noble Game — A Merry Bugler and His Horn — Stanley Invited to the House of a Sheik- Three Caravans Arrive in Sifety— Letters to Livingstone Long Delayed — Illness of Stanley— The Explorer Senseless for Two Weeks— Shaw Agam Breaks Down— Chief Mirambo Disputes the March of the Expedition— Stanley Joins the Arab Forces — Deadly Encounter with Mirambo— Stanley's Graphic Account of the Conflict — Mirambo Gets His Foe into Ambush— Disastrous Defeat of the Arab Forces— Stanley's Hasty Flight— Setting off Hurridly at Midnight — Urging Forward the Donkeys — Safe at Last— Arab Boy Faithful to His American Master — News of Farquhar's Death — Burning a Village -Mirambo Retreats— Stanley's Little Slave Boy— How the Name Kalulu was Obtained — Shaw is Sent Back — Narrow Escape From a Croco- dile—Capture of an Immense Reptile — A Traveler's Startling Adventure — Mutiny in Stanley's Camp — Securing the Friendship of a Powerful Chief— Home of the Lion and the Leopard — Stanley in Pursuit of Adventure— Encounter with a Wild African Boar— Kalulu Badly Frightened— Crossing a Perilous River- Exciting News of a White Man— Stanley Longs for a Horse — Expedition in High . Spirits— More Demand for Tribute — A Bivouac in Silence — Passing Through an African Village— Great Alarm Among the Natives— Arrival at Last— March ci Two Hundred and Thirty-six Days. RO one can doubt that any man with less nerve and courage than Stanley would have turned back. Sitting in our quiet American homes, with all the evidences of civilization, peace and comfort around us, it is impossible to fully realize the situation of the great explorer on this expedition, which had for its object the recovery ol an explorer equally famous with himself One thing was in Stanley's favor : all that money could afford was freely furnished and his supplies were ample at the outset. Of course these supplies of clothing and other tilings necessary for exchange with the African tribes grew less as he advanced, but at this point of his journey "le was still amply furnished. Yet it must be remembered that Stanle^y was in a country which was very unhealthful, where there were many hostile tribes, where wars were^ constantly raging, where Arabs were in pursuit of their prey, and it was necessary for him to exercise all his ingenuity and show all his courage 'n overcoming difficulties and pushing forward in his great undertaking. (297J I 298 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. He wa?} constantly compelled to pay tribute to the chiefs of the various districts through which he passed, and if he had not sometimes reso- lutely refused uhat was demanded, his expedition w )uld have been com- pletely plundered before he was half way to Ujiji. At the point wlicic wc left him in the last chapter we hear of the saiie old story of tribute Jcmanded. This was granted to preserve peace, and shaking the dusf of Mvumi off their feet, the party proceeded westward. The country was one vast field of grain, and thickly populated. Bc^veen that p!aa and the ne.xt sultan's district twenty-five villages were counted. When ever they halted large groups of people assembled and greeted vvitli peals of laughter the dress and manner of the white man, and more than once had to be kept at a distance by Stanley's rifle or pistols, sometimes his thick whip coming into play. After this a dense jungle was entered, the path serpentining in and out of it; again open tracts of grass bleached white were passed: now it led through thickets of gums and thorns, producini^r an odor as rank as a stable ; now through clumps of wide-spreading mimosa and colonics ol baobab-trees across a country teeming with noble game, which, though frequently seen, were yet as safe from their rifles as if they had been on the Indian Ocean. But the road they were on admitted of no delay ; water had been left behind at noon ; until noon the next day not a drop was to be obtained, and unless tliey marched fast and long, raging thirst would demoralize everybody. •* The Bugler Blew His Horn." After this wearisome journey Stanley was again attacked by fever, which it required a whole day's halt and fifty grains of quinine to cure. As may be supposed, they were thankful when Ugogo was passed, and they entered Unyanyembe. As the caravan resumed its march after halt- ing at noon, the Wanyamuezi cheered, shouted, and sang, the soldiers and porters shouting in return, and the bugler blew his horn much more merrily than he had been wont to do in Ugogo. A large district, however, presented the sad spectacle of numerous villages burnt down, cattle carried off, and the grain-fields overrun with jungle and rank weeds — too common a sight in that part of the countr}'. The expedition at length entered Kivihara, the capital of the province ruled over by the aged Sultan Mkaswa, who received Stanley in a friendly Aray. The Sheikh Said Ben Salim invited him to take up his quarters in his tembe, or house, a comfortable-looking place for the centre of Africa. Here his goods were stored, and his carriers paid off. His three other caravans had arrived safely. One had had a slight skirmish, a secorni STANLEY'S HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS. 299 having shot a thief, and the third having lost a bale \vhen attacked by robbers. This is the place, to the southward of Victoria Nyanza, where Captains lUirton, Spckc, and Grant remained for a considerable time at different periods during their expeditions. Soon after, the Livinj^stone caravan arrived, and the goods were stored with those of Stanley, the men bcinj; (liiartcred with his. The chief of the caravan brought Stanley a package of letters directed to Dr. Livingstone at Ujiji, when, to his surprise, he found that it was marked outside: "November 1st, 1871." What a cruel delay was this ! Tlio FxpTorcr Senseless. After his long journey, Stanley was now laid completely prostrate, and for two weeks was perfectly senseless. The unhappy Shaw was also again taken ill. The fever rapidly destroyed both his memory and his reason. Sclim, who had hitherto faithfully watched over his master and treated him according to the written directions he had received, was al.so prostrated, and in a btate of delirium for four days. Late in July, how- ever, all had again recovered, and fifty carriers were ready to start with bales, beads, and wire for Ujiji. Three days after this, Shaw again broke down, asserting that he was dying, and he had to be carried on the backs of his men till brought into his leader's hut. The road, however, ahead was closed by the chief Miran.bo, who declared that no Arab caravan should pass that way. The Arabs, there- fore, had resolved to attack him, and mustered an army of upwards of two thousand m-'^n. Stanley, with his followers, determined to join them, to assist in bringing the war to a speedy conclusion. The palace was soon surrounded, and, though the party was received with a volley, the fire of the defenders was soon silenced. They took to flight, and the village was entered. Notwithstanding the heavy fire which had been kept on it, twenty dead bodies only were found. Other villages were attacked and burned. A more serious affair occurred soon afterwards. When Stanley was again attacked with fever, a number of his men, notwithstanding his orders to the contrary, joined the Arabs in an attack on a more important place, commanded by Miranibo himself. The result was that, though ^lie phicc was taken, the Arabs fell into an ambush, laid by Mirambo, and weie completely defeated, many of them, including some of Stanley's soldiers, being killed. Mirambo, following up his successes, pursued the Arabs, and Stanley had to mount his donkey, Shaw being lifted on his, and to fly at midnight for their lives. His soldiers ran as fast as their ■iil; lllil . 300 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ''■■p. 14' legs could carry them, the only one of his followers who remained at his master's side being young Selim. Stanley's Account of the Battle. Stanley's description of this sanguinary affair is as follows : A detach- ment of Arabs and slaves, seven hundredstrong, scoured the surrouiidini' country, and carried fire and devastation up to the boma of Wilyaiikun,. Soud bin Sayd and about twenty other young Arabs led a force o! five hundred men against Wilyankuru itself, where it was supposed Mirambo was living. Another party went out towards the low wooded hills, a short distance north of Zimbizo, near which place they surprised a youthful forest thief asleep, whose head they stretched backwards, aiirny caverns, i(re that was md towering A smooth ungle around il trees, bear- •ough which imeval brook, 1 of the scene! iture ? [id be tempted )erched high of an awe- (311) \l i '5i- 312 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. struck look, the strange intruders beneath. Well, I could not help it, I laucjhed — laughed loud and long, until I was hushed by the chaos <>( cries and strange noises which seemed to respond to my laughing. A troop of monkeys, hidden in the leafy depths above, had been rudely awakened, and, startled by the noise I made, were hurrying away froir the scene with a dreadful clamor of cries and shrieks. Encounter With a Wild Boar. Emerging again into the broad sunlight, I strolled further in search ol something to shoot. Presently, I saw, feeding quietly in the forest which bounded the valley of the Mtambu on the left, a huge, formidable wild boar, armed with most horrid tusks. Leaving Kalulu crouched down behind a tree, and my solar helmet behind another close by — that I might more safely stalk the animal — I advanced toward him some forty yards, and after taking a deliberate aim, fired at his fore shoulder. As if nothing had hurt him whatever, the animal made a furious bound, and then .stood with his bristles erected, and tufted tail, curved over the back — a most formidable brute in appearance. While he was thus lis- tening, and searching the neighborhood with his keen, small eyes, I planted another shot in his chest, which ploughed its way through his body. Instead of falling, however, as I expected he would, he charged furiously in the direction the bullet had come, and as he rushed past me, another ball was fired, which went right through him ; but still he kept on, until, within si.x or seven'yards from the trees behind which Kalulu was crouching down on one side, and the helmet was resting behind another, he suddenly halted, and then dropped. But as I was about to advance on him with my knife to cut his throat, he suddenly started up ; his eyes had caught sight of the little boy Kalulu, and were then, almost immediately afterwards, attracted by the sight of the snowy helmet. These strange objects on either side of him proved too much for the boar, for, with a terrific grunt, he darted on one side into a thick brake, from which it was impossible to oust him, and as it was now getting late, and the camp was about three miles away, I was reluctantly obliged to return without the meat. A River Full of Dansrerj}. On our way to camp we were accompanied by a large animal which persistently followed us on our left. It was too dark to see plainly, but a large form was visible, if not very clearly defined. It must have been a lion, unless it was the ghost of the dead boar. On the evening of the 2d of November the left bank of the Malagarazi river was j-eaclied. The greater part of the day had been occupied in STANLE'S HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS. 313 negotaiting with the ambassador of the great Mzogera, chief of the g^edy Wavinza tribe, who demanded an enormous tribute. This being settled, the ferrymen demanded equally preposterous payment for carrying across the caravan. These demands, however, having at length been settled, the next business was to swim the donkeys across. One fine animal^ Simba, was being towed with a rope round its neck, when just as it reached the middle of the stream, it was seen to struggle fearfully. An enormous crocodile had seized the poor ai imal by the throat; in vain it attempted to liberate itself. The black in charge tugged at the rope, but the donkey sank and was no more seen. Only one donkey now remained, and this was carried across by Bombay the next morning, before the voracious monsters were looking out for their breakfasts. The next day was an eventful one. Just before starting, a caravan wa.s seen approaching, consisting of a large party of the Waguhha tribe, oc- cupying a tract of country to the southwest of Lake Tanganyika. The news was asked. A white man had been seen by them who had /ately arrived at Ujiji from Manyuema. He had white hair and a white beard, and was sick. Only eight days ago they had seen him. He had been at Ujiji before, and had gone away and returned. There could be no doubt that this was Livingstone. How Stanley longtd for a horse! for on a good steed he could reach Ujiji in twelve hours. Nearliig^ the End of the Journey. In high .spirits he started, pushing on as fast as his men could move. There were dangers, however, still in the way. A war party of Wavinza was out, who would not scruple even to rob their own villages when returning victorious from battle. Next day they traveled on in silence, but on the 5th they fell in with a party of the Wahha, "who soon brought a band of warriors down upon them, at the head of which appeared a fine-looking chief, Mionvu by name, dressed in a crimson robe, with a turban on his head, he and his people being armed with spears, and bows and arrows. He asked whether it should be peace or war? The reply was, of course, p^;acf. At the same time Stanley hinted that his riflesi would quickly give him chc victory should war be declared. Notwithstanding this Mionvu demanded ft hundred cloths as tribute. Ten were offered. Rather than pay the hundred, Stanley asked his followers if they would fight, but Bombay urged pacific measures, remarking that the country was open — no places ^<' hide in, and that every village would rise in arms. " Pay, Bana, pay : it is better to get along quietly in this country," he observed. 314 WONDERS OF THE TRCPICS. Mabruki and Asmani agreed with him. The tribute was paid. Stanley wisely resolved, if possible, not to come back that way. A night march was determined on, and suflRcient grain was purchased A) last the caravan six days through the jungle. They hoped thus to escape the extortions of other chiefs to the westward. The men bravely loiled on, without murmurinir, though their feet and legs bled from the cutting grass. The jungle was alive with wild animals, but no one dared fire. Woman in Hysterics. As they were halting in the morning near the Rusugi river, a party of natives were seen, who detected them in their hiding-place, but who flod immediately to alarm some villages four miles away. At once the cara- van was ordered to move on, but one of the women took to screaming, and even her husband could not keep her quiet till a cloth was folded over her mouth. At night they bivouacked in silence, neither tent nor hut being erected, each soldier lying down with his gun loaded by his side, their gallant leader, with his Winchester rifle and its magazine full, ready for any emergency. Before dawn broke, the caravan was again on its march. The guide having made a mistake, while it was still dark, they arrived in front of the village of Uhha. Silence was ordered ; goats and chickens which might have made a noise had their throats cut, and they pushed boldly through the village. Just as the last hut was passed, Stanley bringing up the rear, a man appeared from his hut, and uttered a cry of alarm. They continued their course, plunging into the jungle. Once he be- lieved that they were followed, and he took post behind a tree to check the advance of their f ies ; but it proved a false alarm. Turning westward, broad daylight showed them a beautiful and picturesque country, wild fruit-trees, rare flowers, and brooks tumbling over polished pebbles. Crossing a streamlet, to their great satisfaction they left Uhha and its extortionate inhabitants behind, and entered Ukaranga. Their appearance created great alarm as they approached the village, the king and his people supposing them to be Rugruga, the followers of Mirambo, but, discovering their mistake, they welcomed them cordially. On the loth of November, just two hundred and thirty-six days after leaving Bagomoyo, and fifty-one since they set out from Unyanyembe, surmounting a hill, Tanganyika is seen before them. Six hours' march will bring them to its shores. STANLEYS HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS. 815 d. Stanky s purchased >pcd thus to ncn bravely ed from the o one dared r, a party of * 3Ut who flinl ce the cara- 5 screaming, h was folded eing erected, their gallant ady for any The guide 1 in front of :kens which jshed boldly bringing up alarm. 3nce he be- ;ree to check ig westward, :ountry, wild led pebbles. Jhha and its Stanley'.^ emotions upon reaching the end of his great and perilous journey, and coming so near to the successful accomplishment of his jndertaking, are best described in his own words ; *' A little further en — just yonder, oh ! there it is — a silvery gleain. I merely catch sight of it i) twccn the trees, and — but here it is at last! True — the Tanoanyika ! iiul there are the blue-black mountains of Ugoma and Ukaramba. An immense broad sheet, a burnished bed of silver — lucid canopy of blue .ibove — lofty mountains are its valances, palm forests form its fringes! The Tanganyika! — Hurrah! and the men respond to the exultant cry (if the Anglo-Sa.xon with the lungs of Stentors, and the great forests and llic hills seem to share in our triumph. " ' Was this the place where Burton and Speke stood, Bombay, when they saw the lake first ? ' " " ' I don't remember, master , it was somewhere about here, I think.' " '" Poor fellows ! The one was half-paralyzed the other half-blind,' " said Sir Roderick Murchison, when he described Burton and Speke's arrival in view of the Tanganyika. Stanley's Joy. " And I ? Well, I am so happy that, were I quite paralyzed and blinded, 1 think that at this supreme moment I could take up my bed and walk, and all blindness would cease at once. Fortunately, however, I am quite well ; I have not suffered a day's sickness since the day I left Unyanyembe. How much would Shaw be willing to give to be in my place now ? Who is happiest — he, revelling in the lu.xuries of Unyanyembe, or I, standing in the summit of this mountain, looking down with glad eyes and proud heart on the Tanganyika ? " It can easily be seen from the foregoing extract that Stanley's heart was ilinost too full to contain itself. His spirits bubble and overflow like ilinsc of a boy e.xcited and charmed by coming into possession of some" '!iiniii> hydrocephalus. My last work, in which I have been greatly hindered froui « ant of suitable attendants, was following the central line of drainage do\ through the country of the cannibals, called Manyuema, or, shortly, Manyema. This line of drainage has four large lakes in it. The fourth I was near when obliged to turn. It is from one to three miles broad, STANLEY FINDS THE LOST EXPLORER. 320 and never can be reached at any point, or at any time of the year. Two western drains, the Lufira, or Bartle Frere's River, flow into it at Lake Kamolondo. Then the great River Lomane flows through Lake Lincoln into it too, and seems to form the western arm of the Nile, on which I'cthcrick traded. Now, I knew about six hundred miles of the watershed, and unfortu- nately the seventh hundred is the most interesting of the whole; for in it, if I am not mistaken, four fountains arise from an earthen mound, and the last of the four becomes, at no great distance off, a large river. Two of these run north to Egypt, Lufira and Lomame, and two run south into inner Ethiopia, as the Leambaye, or Upper Zambezi, and the Kaful. Are not these the sources of the Nile mentioned by the Secretary of Minerva, in the city of Sais, to Herodotus ? I have heard of them so often, and at great distances off, that I cannot doubt their existence, and in spite of the sore longing for home that seizes me every time I think of my family, I wish to finish up by their rediscovery. Five hundred pounds sterling worth of goods have again unaccount- ably been entrusted to slaves, and have been over a year on the way, instead of four months. I must go where they lie at your expense, ere I can put the natural completion to my work. I conclude by again thanking you most cordially for your great gener- osity, and am, Gratefully yours, I David Livingstone. Help iu the Hour of Need. At the time, when reduced almost to death's door by sickness and disappointment, the assistance thus brought to Dr. Livingstone was of inestimable worth. What might have been his fate had he not been relieved, it is impossible to say. The society of his new friend, the letters from home, the well-copked meal which the doctor was able to enjoy, and the champagne quaffed out of silver goblets, and brought carefully th ISC hundreds of miles for that special object, had a wonderfully exhila- rating influence. Some days were spent at Ujiji, during which the doctor continued to regain health and strength. Future plans were discussed, and his pre- vious adventures described. The longer the intercourse Stanley enjoyed with Livir^stone, the more he rose in his estimation. He fori icd, indeed, a high estimate of his character, though, he fully believed, a just one. 330 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. .1: * I I " Dr. Livingstone," he says, " is about sixty years old. His hair has 4 brownish color, but here and there streaked with grey lines over the temples. His beard and moustache are very grey. His eyes, which arc hazel, are remarkably bright : he hr.s a sight keen as a hawk's. His frame is a little over the ordinary height ; when walking, he has a firm but heavy tread, like that of an over-worked or fatigued man. I never observed any spleen or misanthrcphy about him. A Remarkable Man. "He has a fund of quiet humor, which he exhibits at all times when he is among friends. During the four months I was with him I noticed him every evening making most careful notes. His maps evince great care and industry. He is sensitive on the point of being doubted or criticized. His gentleness never forsakes him, his hopefulness never deserts him ; no harassing anxiety or distraction of mind, though sepa- rated from home and kindred, can make him complain. He thinks all will corii^ out right at last, he has such faith in the goodness of Provi- dence. Another thing whiofc especially attracted my attention was his wonderfully retentive memory. His religion is not of the theoretical kind, but it is constant, earnest, sincere, practical ; it is neither d-^nion- strative nor loud, but manifests itself in a quiet, practical way, a nd is always at work. In him religion exhibits its loveliest features ; it governs his conduct not only towards his servants, but towards the natives. 1 observed that universal respect vas paid to him ; even the Mahomme- dans never passed his house without calling to pay their compliments, and to say : ' The blessing of God rest on you ! ' Every Sunday morn- ing he gathers his little flock around him, and reads prayers and a chap- ter from the Bible in a natural, unaffected, nd sincere tone, and after- wards delivers a short address in the Kisawahili language, about the sub- ject read to them, which is listened to with evident interest and attention. " His consistent energy is native to him and his race. He is a very fini: example of the perseverance, doggedness, and tenacity which char- acterizes the Anglo-Saxon spir>\ His ability to withstand the climate is due not only to the happy constitution with which he was born, but to 'the strictly temperate life he has ever led. ' " It is a principle with h»m to do well what he undertakes to do, and, in the consciousness that he is doing it, despite the yearning for his home, which is sometimes overpowering, he finds to a certain extent con- tentment, if not happiness. " He can be charmed with the primitive simplicity of Ethiopia's dusky children, with whom he has spent so many years of his life. He has a STANLEY FINDS THE LOST EXPLORER. 331 sturdy faith in their capability — sees virtue in them, where others see nothing but savagery ; and wherever he has gone among them, he has sought to ameliorate the condition of a people who are apparently for- gotten of God and Christian men." In another place Stanley says : " Livingstone followed the dictates of duty. Never was such a willing slave to that abstract virtue. His incli- nations impell him home, the fascinations of which require the sternest resolution to resist. With every foot of new ground he travelled over he forged a chain of sympathy which should hereafter bind the Christian nations in bonds of love and charity to the heathen of the Afric.n Tropics. If we were able to complete this chain of love by actual discovery, and, by a description of tbem, to embody such people and nations at still live in darkness, so as to attract the good and charitable of his own land to bestir themselves for their redemption and salvation, this Livingstone would consider an ample reward. " Surely, as the sun shines on both Christian and infidel, civilized and pagan, the day of enlightenment will comij||^ and though the apostle of Africa may not behold it himself, nor we younger men, nor yet our chil- dren, the hereafter will see it, and posterity will recognize the daring pioneer of its civilization." Yes, and Stanley might have added : with his enlarged and far-seeing mind, this is what encourages Livingstone to persevere in his task to do what he knows no other man can do as well. It might be far pleasanter to tell ciowded congregations at home about the wrongs of the sons and daughters of Africa, but, with the spirit of a true apostle, he remains among those whose wrongs it is the ardent desire of his soul to right, that he may win their love and confidence, and open up the way by which others may with greater ease continue the task he has commenced. ■;['• "1 :■.-■ CHAPTER XV. LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNEY. u ' Btanley and Livingstone at Ujiji— Cruise on Lake Tanganyika — Giants of African Discovery — Meeting Enemies Upon tiie Shores — Geographers who Never Travel — Dusky Forms Dodging From Rock to Rock — Mountains Seven Thousand Feet High -Important Discovery — Livingstone's Desperate Resolve— Stanley Leaves for Zanzibar— Affecting Parting Between the Two Great Explorers— Living- stone's Intended Route — Later Search Expeditions — Livingstone's Sad and Romantic History — Timely Arrival of Reinforcements from Stanley — Start for the Southwest at Last Made — Without Food for Eight Days— Westward Once More— Continued Plunging In and Out of Morasses — Turbid Rivers and Miry Swamps— Natives Afraid of the White Man -Extract from the " Last Journals"— Crossing the Chambeze — Gigantic Difficulties Encountered— Livingstone Again Very 111— " Pale, Bloodless and Weak from Profuse Bleeding "—Rotten Tents Torn to Shreds — The Last Se^ice — Livingstone Carried on a Litter — The Doctor Falls from His Donkey— A Night's Rest in a Hut — Natives Gather Round the Litter— A Well-known Chief Meets the Caravan — The Last Words Livingstone Ever Wrote— The Dying Hero Slowly Carried by Faithful Attendants— The Last .^ Stage— Drowsiness and Insensibility— Lying Under the Broad Eaves of a Native Hut — The Final Resting Place — Livingstone's Dying Words — The World's Great Hero Dead — Sorrowful Procession to the Coast — Body Transported to England- Funeral in Westminster Abbey — Crowds of Mourners and Eloquent Eulogies— '. Inscription on the Casket. ; ,-,.:. ^^IVE days later, when much intensely interesting information had been 'wi* exchanged between the two heroes of travel, the trip to the north of Tanganyika was commenced. Embarking at Ujiji, with a few picked followers, the explorers cruised up the eastern cost, halting at different villages for the night, and on the 29th November reached, at the very head of the lake, the mouth of the Rusizi river, respecting the course of which great doubt had hitherto been entertained, some geographers sup- posing it to flow info and others out of the lake. In the latter case Tan- ganyika might possibly empty its waters through it into the Albert Nyanza of Baker, and the supposition that the two lakes were connected would receive confirmation. It will be seen by the observant reader that the reason why such her« culean efforts have been made to ascertain the existence and dimensions of the great inland lakes of Africa, was to discover, if possible, the real sources of the Nile, concerning which the world has been for centuries in ignorance. Tr olve the wonderful secret, explorations have been made (332) LIVINGSTONE'S yVST JOURNEY. 333 that embody the most thrilling achievements, and the most heroic deeds. Such giants of African discovery as David Livingstone, Speke and Bui ton, Stanley and Cameron, seized on Lake Tanganyika with a power- ful grip, and in spite of all its slippery wriggling, did not loosen their hold until it had yielded up its secrets. Tanganyika, like the Albert Nyanza, is an enormous "trough" or crevasse, sunk far below the level of the high table-land which occupies the whole centre of Africa from the Abyssinian mountains on the east to the Cameroons on the west coast, and terminating towards the south only with Table Mountain. Though its shores are not, perhaps, generally so steep as those of other lakes, the surrounding mountain walls are as high. Its length is greater than any of the others, being little short of five hundred miles. Its waters are very deep, and sweet to the taste, proving almost conclusively that it must have an outlet somewhere ; for lakes which have no means of draining away their waters, and sustain themselves by a balance of inflow and evaporation, are salt or brackish. But while the Albert is undoubtedly part of the Nile basin, to what great river does Tanganyika present its surplus ? '• The Enemy Bushed Out Howling Furiously." The first notion was that it was a far outlying branch of ancient Nilus. Arm-chair geographers constructed a remarkable lake, in shape like a Highland bagpipe. The swollen "bag" represented a shadow of the Victoria Nyanza, drawn from native report, and it was joined to the long " chanter " of Tanganyika as actually seen by Burton's party. Living- stone was strongly convinced that the outlet of the lake would be found at the extreme northern end, and that its waters went to reinforce the Nile. Seeing, however, is believing- ; and from Ujiji he set out in com- pany with Stanley to discover the ' >onnecting link." The voyage was not without its dangers and excitements. The dwellers on the lake shores showed themselves several times to be hostile. At one place they shouted to the boatmen to land, and rushed along the shore, slinging stones at the strangers, one of the missiles actually striking the craft. When night fell, and the crew disembarked to cook their supper and to sleep under the lee of a high crag, the natives came crowding around, telling them with a show of much friendliness to rest securely, as no one would harm them. The doctor was too old a biid to be caught by such chaff. The baggage was stowed on board, ready for a start, and a strict watch was kept. Well into the night, dusky forms were noticed dodging from rock to rock, and creeping up towards the fires ; so, getting quietly on i. { 334 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. board, the party pulled out into the lake, and the skulking enemy rushed out upon the strand, howling furiously at being balked of their prey. Important Discovery. The first geographical surprise was met with a little beyond the turn- ing-point of Burton and Speke. These latter investigators coasted the lake until, as they thought, they saw its two bounding ranges meet, and there they drew the extremity of Tanganyika, and returned. This ap- pearance, however, was found by Livingstone and Stanley to be caused by a high promontory which juts out from the western shore overlap- ping the mountains on the east. Beyond this narrow strait Tanganyika again opens up, and stretches on for sixty miles further, overhung by mountains rising to a height of seven thousand feet above sea-lcvcl, and some four thousand three hundred feet above the surface of the lake. At last the actual extremity of the long trough-like body of water came in view. As the voyagers approached it, they only became more puzzled as to what they should find. Two days' sail from their destination they were positively assured by the natives that the water flowed out of Tanganyika. Even when the limits of open water were reached in a broad marshy flat covered by aquatic plants, it was not easy to answer the question which the travellers had come all this long way to solve. Seven broad inlets were seen penetrating the bed of reeds. In none of them could any current be discovered. Entering the centre channel in a canoe, however, and pulling on for some distance past sedgy islands and between walls of papyrus, disturbing with every stroke of the paddles some of the sleep- ing crocodiles that throng in hundreds in this marsh, all doubt as to the course of the Rusizi was soon removed. A strange current of discolored water was met oouring down from the high grounds, and further exami- nation showed that the stream had other channels losing themselves in the swamp, or finding their way into one or other of the inlets at the head of the lake. A Desperate Resolve. Their work in connection with the Rusizi done, our heroes returned to Ujiji, this time skirting along the western shores of the lake, and cross- ing it near a large island called Muzumi. Back again at Ujiji on the 15th December, Stanley did all in his power to persuade Livingstone to return home with him and recruit his strength; but the only answer he could obtain was, " Not till my work is done." In this resolution Livingstone tells us in his journal he was confirmed by a letter from his daughter Agnes, in which she said — "Much as I wish you to come .Vf: ' ', ' ^ "T^Wfil |4i I rfyf^niV'^' llr:);::.'''''';;v:;r'i'i''ais (335) 336 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. home, I would rather you finished your work to your own satisfaction than to return merely to gratify me." " I must complete the exploration of the Nile sources before I retire," says the devoted hero in another portion of his notes, little dreaming that he was all the time working not at them, but at those of the Congo. It was arranged, however, that Livingstone should accompany Stanley on his return journey as far as Unyanyembe, to fetch the goods there stored up for his use, and the start for the east was made late in Decem- ber, 1 87 1. Making a roundabout trip to the south to avoid the war still going on, the party reached Unyanyembe in February, 1872, after a good deal of suffering on Stanley's part from fever, and on Livingstone's from sore feet. In March, after giving all the stores he could spare to Livingstone, Stanley left for Zanzibar, accompanied for the first day's march by the veteran hero. The Last Conversation. Livingstone gave the earlier portion of the precious journal from which our narrative has been culled into the care of the young Ameri- can, and as they walked side by side, putting off the evil moment of parting as long as possible, the following interesting conversation, the last held by Livingstone in his own language, took place : — " Doctor," began Stanley, " so far as I can understand it, you do not intend to return home until you have satisfied yourself about the 'Sources of the Nile.' When you have satisfied yourself, you will come home and satisfy others. Is it not so?" " That is it exactly. When your men come back " (Stanley was to hire men at Zanzibar to accompany Livingstone in his further journey) " I shall immediately start for Ufipa " (on the south-eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika) ; " then I shall strike south, and round the extremity of Lake Tanganyika. Then a south-east course will take me to Chik- umbi's, on the Lualaba. On crossing the Lualaba, I shall go direct south-west to the copper mines of Katanga. Eight days south of Kat- anga the natives declare the fountains to be. When I have found them, I shall return by Katanga to the underground houses of Rua. From the caverns, ten days north-east will take me to Lake Komolondo. I shall be able to travel from the lake in your boat, up the river Lufira, to Lake Lincoln, Then, coming down again, I can proceed north by the Lualaba to the fourth lake — which will, I think, explain the whole problem." " And how long do you think this little journey will take you ?" LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNEY. 337 " A year and a-halfat the furthest from the day I leave Unyanyembe." " Suppose you say two years ; contingencies might arise, you know. It will be well for me to hire these new men for two years, the day of their engagement to begin from their arrival at Unyanyembe." " Yes, that will do excellently well." The Final Parting. " Now, my dear doctor, the best of friends must part. You have come far enough ; let me beg of you to turn back." " Well, 1 will say this to you, you have done what few men could do — far better than some great travellers I know, and I am grateful to you for what y u have done for me. God guide you safe home, and bless you, my friend." " And may God bring you safe back to us all, my dear friend. Fare- well" A few more words of good wishes on either side, another and yet another clasp of the hand, and the two heroes parted, Stanley hurrying back with all possible speed to Zanzibar to despatch men and stores for the doctor to Unyanyembe, Livingstone to return to that town to await the means of beginning yet another journey to the west. It has long been well known that Stanley found the Royal Geographi- cal Society's Livingstone Search Expedition at Bagamoyo, and that its leader, Lieutenant Dawson, threw up his command on hearing of the success of his predecessor. With the aid of Mr. Oswell Livingstone, the son of the great explorer, the young American, however, quickly organ- ized a caravan, and saw it start for the interior on the 17th May. Somewhat later, the Royal Geographical Society sent out another exploring party, led by Lieutenant Grandy, with orders to ascend the Congo, to complete the survey of that stream, and at the same time to convey succor and comfort to the great traveller, who geographers aheady began to suspect was upon the upper waters of the Congo, and not of the Nile ; but this last expedition utterly failed of success. Ovingstonc's I^ast Letter. Not until long afterwards was the true sequel of Livingstone's sad and romantic history known in England. In his last letter, one to Mr. Well, Acting American Consul at Zanzibar, dated from Unyanyembe, July 2d, '872, he says, "I have been waiting up here like Simeon Sylites on his pillar, and counting every day, and conjecturing each step taken by our iriend towards the coast, wishing and praying that no sickness might lay hiin up, no accident befall, and no unlooked-for combinations of circum- stances render his kind intentions vain or fruitless." 22 ^ 338 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ti I The remainder of our narrative is culled from the latter part of Living- stone's journal, brought to Zanzibar with his dead body by his men, and from the accounts of his faithful followers Susi and Chumah. as given in "Livingstone's Last Journali," edited by Dr. Horace Waller. From these combined sources, we learn that in June, just four months after the departure of Stanley, Sangara, one of his men, arrived at Unyanyembe wiili the news that the new caravan was at Ugogo, and that on the 14th August in the same year the men actually arrived. Livingstone's servants now numbered some sixty in all, and included the well-known John and Jacob Wainwright ; two highly-trained Nassick men, sent from Bombay to join Lieutenant Dawson, who, with their fL^llow-countrymen Mabruki and Gardner, enlisted in 1:66; and Susi, Chumah, and Amoda, three of the men who joined Livingstone on the Zambesi in 1864, and now formed a kind of body-guard, protecting their master in every peril in life, and guarding his body in death with equally untiring devotion. Without Food Eight Days. On the 25th .August, 1872, the start for the south-west was at last made, and after .^lily records in the journal of arduous ascents of moun- tains, weary tramps through flat forests, difficulties in obtaining food, in controlling men, etc., we come on the 19th September to a significant entry, to the effect that our hero's old enemy, dysentery, was upon him. He had eaten nothing for eight days, yet he pressed on without pause until the 8th October, when he sighted the eastern shores of Tangan- yika. Then ensued a halt of a couple of days, when, turning due south, the course led first along a range of hills overlooking the lake, and then across several bays in the mountainous district of Fipa, till late in Octo- ber a very large arm of Tanganyika was rounded. The lake Avas then left, and a detojir made to the east, bringing the party in November to the important town known as Zombe's, built in such a manner that the river Halochcche, on its way to Tanganyika, runs right through it. At Zombe's a western course was resumed, and passing on through heavy rains, nnd over first one and then another tributary of the lake, our hero turned southwards, a little beyond the most southerly point of Tan- ganyika, to press on in the same direction, though again suffering terri- bly from dysentery, until November, when he once more set his face westwards, arriving in December on the banks of the Kalongosi river, a little to the east of the point at which he had sighted it on his flight northwards with the Arabs. In December what may be called the direct march to Lake Bangweolo LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNEY. 339 was commenced, the diflRculties of travelling now greatly aggravated by the continuous rain which had filled to overflowing ' "• sp . ges, as Livingstone calls the damp and porous districts through wni.,.! he had to pass. To quote from Dr. Waller's notes, " our hero's men spe'ak of the march from this point" (the village of Moenje, left on the 9th January, 1873) "as one continued plunge in and out of morass, and through rivers which were only distinguishable from the surrounding waters by their deep currents and the necessity of using canoes. To a man reduced in strength, and chronically affected with dysenteric symptoms," adds Dr. Waller, "the effect may well be conceived. It is probable that, had Dr. Livingstone been at the head of a hundred picked Europeans, every man of them would have been down in a fortnight." Under these circumstances we cannot too greatly admire the pluck of Livingstone's little body of men, for it must not be forgotten that Afri- cans have an intense horror of wet, and that those from the coast suffer almost as much as white men from the climate of the interior. Following the route, we find that he crossed no less than thirteen rivulets in rapid succession — more, in fact, than one a-c'ay. In January he notes that he is troubled for want of canoes, fhey being now indis- pensable to further progress, and that he is once more near the Cham- beze, the river which he had crossed far away on the north-cast just before the loss of his medicine-chest and the beginning of his serious troubles. Wadiiiff Throiish Water Jfeck-Deep. No canoes were, however, forthcoming ; the natives were afraid of , (he white man, and would give him no help either with guides or boats. Nothing daunted even then, though his illness was growing upon him to , such an extent that the entries in his journal are often barely legible, he . pressed on, now wading through the water, now carried on the .shoulders , of one or another of his men. Ihe following extract from the Journal, dated January 24.tii, will-seryp. to give some notion of the kind of work done in the last icw stages of' this terrible journey : — " Went on east and north-east to avoid the deep part of a lar;;e river, which requires two canoes, but the men sent by the chief • would certainly hide them. Went an hour-and-three-quarters' journey to a lar/p stream through drizzling rain, at least 300 y^rds of deep water, ainon-.i. sedges and sponges of 100 yards. One pavt;was neck deep for . fifty yards, ani the water was cold. We plunged, in elephants' foot- . prints one and a-h.ilf hours, then came in one hour,-to a small rivulet ten j feet broad, but waist deep, bridge covered and broken down. 340 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. " Carrying me across one of the deep sedgy rivers is really a very difficult task ; one we crossed was at least i.ooo feet broad, or more than 300 yards. The first part the main stream came up to Susi's mouth. One held up my pistol behind, then one after another took a turn, and when he sank into a deep elephant's footprint he required two to lift him so as to gain a footing on the level, which was over waist deep. Others went on and bent down the grass so as to insure some footing on the side of the elephant's path. Every ten or twelve paces brought us to a clear stream, flowing fast in its own channel, while over all a strong current came bodily through all the rushes and aquatic plants. " It took us a full hour and a half for all to cross over. We had to hasten on the building of sheds after crossing the second rivulet, as rain threatened us. At four in the afternoon it came on pouring cold rain, when we were all under cover. We are an.xious about food. The lake is near, but we are not sure of provisions. Our progress is distressingly slow. Wot, wet, wet, sloppy weather truly, and no observations, except that the land near the lake being very level, the rivers spread out into broad friths and sponges." Across the Cliambeze at Last! Thus wet, sick, and weary, often short of food and doubtfm of his way the indomitable hero still struggled on, his courage sustai^icd by h's hope of yet reaching the Chambeze, rounding the lake, and passing the confluence of the Lualaba on the west; his heart cheered by the ever- increasing love of his men, especially of the seven already mentioned, who vied with each other in their eagerness to carry their dear master, to build the tent for his reception, to save for him the best of the provi- sions they were able to procure. The whole of February and the first half of the ensuitsg month were consumed in wandering backwards and forwards amongst the swamps of the north-east shores of Bangweolo, but about the 20th March tlu camp was at last pitched on the left bank of the Chambeze, close to its entry of the lake, and the question of its connection with the Lualaba was to some extent solved. Late in March canoes were actually obtained, and, embarking in them, our explorer and his men paddled across the intervening swamps to the Chambeze, crossed a river flowing into it, and then the main stream itself, losing one slave girl by drowning in the process. Preparations were made for a further " land," or we would rather say •wading journey, for though all the canoes, except a few reserved for tlie luggage, were left behind, the water was not. All went fairly well, how- LIVINGSTONES LAST JOURNEY. 341 ever, in spite of the gijuntic difficulties encountered, until the loth Ai)ril, when, about midway in the journey along the western bank of the lake, Livingstone succumbed to a severe attack of his complaint, which left him, to quote his own words, " pale, bloodless, and weak from pro- 'use bleeding." Carried in a Litter. Surely now he would pause and turn back, that he might at least reach home to die! But no! he allowed himself but two days' rest, and then, staggering to his feet, though he owns he could hardly walk, he "tottered along nearly two hours, and then lay down, quite done. Cooked coffee," he adds — "our last — and went on, but in an hour I was compelled to lie down." Unwilling even then to be carried, he yielded at last to the expostula- tions of his men, and, reclining in a kind of litter suspended on a pole, he was gently borne along to the village of Chinama, and there, "in a garden of durra," the camp was pitched for the night. Beyond on the east stretched "interminable grassy prairies, with lines of trees occupying quarters of miles in breadth." On the west lay the lake connected with so many perils, but which Livingstone even yet hopcu to round completely. Our hero was ferried over the Lolotikila, was carried over land for a short distance to the south-west, the Lombatwa river was crossed, and, after a "tremendous rain, which burst all the now rotten tents to shreds," three sponges were crossed in rapid succession. Two days later Living- stone rallied sufficiently to mount a donkey, which, strange to say, had survived all the dangers of the journey from Unyanyembe, and came in si^fht of the Lavusi hills — a relief to the eye, he tells us, after all the flat upland traversed. The Last Service. On Uie 20th April, which fell on a Sunday, the exhausted explorer held the last service with his men, crossed over a sponge to the village of a man named Moanzambatnba, the head-man of these parts, noted in his journal that he felt excessively weak, and crossed the river Lokulu or Molikiilu in a canoe. Next day the only words Livingstone was able to set down were, " Tried to ride, but was forced to lie down, and they carried me back to vil. exhausted." To quote from Dr. Waller, Livingstone's men explained this entrf thus : — " This morning the doctor tr idd if he were strong enough to ride oA the donkey,but he had only gone a short distance when he fell to the ground utterly exhausted and faint." Susi then unfastened his master's belt and pistol, and picked up his cap, which had fallen to the ground, whilst 342 WONDERS OF THE TROnCS. Chumah ran on to stop the men in f ont. WlK-n ho came back he said, " Chiimali, I iiavc lost so much blood there is no more strenj^th left in my legs; you must carry me." He was then lifted on to Chumah's back and carried back to the villajje he had just left, but insistetl on goin^ on ajain the next day, though his men saw that he was sinking and bey.in to fear he would not rally again. A litter was made of "two side pieces of wood seven feet in Icnfjtli, AFRICAN HOUSES WITH THATCHED ROOFS. crossed with rails three feet long and about four inches apart, the whole lashed strongly together." Grass was spread over this rough bed, and a blanket laid over it. It was then slung from a pole, Livingstone was laid upon it, and two of his men carried him across a flooded grass plain to the next village, which was reached in about two hours and a half, the illustrious traveller suffering severely. 5? LIVINGSTONES LAST JOURNEY. 343 Here a hut was built, and Livingstone rested for the night, if we can. speak of rest when he was enduring the most terrible pain. On the 23d April the melancholy march was resumed, though our hero was toe ill to make any entry but the date in his journal. His men report that they i^a-ssed over just such a flooded treeless waste as on the previous day, 3CLing many small " fish-weirs set in such a manner as to catch the fish on their way back to the lake," but not a sign was to be seen of the inhab- itants of the country, who appear to have a great horror of the Avhiie man's caravan. Ne.Kt day only one hour's march was accomplished, and a halt was nude amongst some deserted huts. The doctor's suffering on this day was very great, and he once nearly fell out of the kitanda or litter, but was saved by Chumah. The day following an hour's journey brought the party to a village containing a few people on the south of the lake , the doctor's litter was set down in a shady place, and a few of the natives were persuaded to draw near and enter into conversation with him. They were asked whether they knew of a hill from which flowed four rivers, and their sp .kesman answered that they knew nothing about it, for they were not travellers. All who used to go on trading expeditions, he added, were dead. Once VVabisa traders used to assemble in one of their villages, but the terrible Mazitu had come and swept them all away. The sur- vivors had to live as best they could amongst the swamps around the lake. Unfortunately, the conversation had not continued long before the doctor was too ill to go on talking, and he dismissed his visitors, with a request that they would send him as much food as they could spare to Kalunganjova's town on the west, which was to be the next stopping- place. As the litter was being carried from Kalunganjova, the chief himself came out to meet the caravan, and escorted our hero into his settlement, situated on the banks of a stream called the Lulimala. Here, on the next day, April 27th, 1 873, Livingstone, who for the three previous days had made no entry but the date in his journal, wrote his last words in characters scarcely legible : — " Knocked up quite, and remain — recover —sent to buy milch goats. We are on the banks of the Molilamo," in reahty the same river as that given as the Lulimala in Livingstone's map, his men confirming the latter pronunciation. On the next day, Livingstone being now in an almost dying state, his men went off in various directions to try and obtain milch goats, but 344 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ! S if u ■:V'^l n .with no good results. Kalunganjova came to visit his cruest and to oflet evGfy assistance in his power, promising to try and obtain canoes for crossing of the river — indeed to go himself with the caravan to the ferry, which was about an hour's march from the spot. " Everything " he said, " should be done for his friend." But alas ! this eager readiness to help, which would have been of incalculable service a few weeks before, was too late to be of any real use now. VVhon all was ready for the start, and Susi went to tell Livinjjstonc it was time for him to enter the litter, the doctor said he was too ill to walk to it, and the door of his hut being too narrow to admit of its passage to his bedside, the wall had to be broken down. When this was done, the litter was placed by the bedside, the dying hero was gently lifted on to it, and slowly and sadly borne out of the village. Life Fast £bbiu^ Away. Following the course of the Lulimala till they came to a reach where the current was interrupted by numerous little islands, the party found Kalunganjova awaiting them on a little knoll, and under his superir-tenc]- ence the embarkation proceeded rapidly, whilst Livingstone, who was to be taken over wh^n the rough work was done, rested on his litter in a shady place. The canoes not being wide enough to admit of the litter being laid in any one of them, it was now a diflficult question how best to get thi^ doctor across. Taking his bed off his litter, the men placed it in the strongest canoe and tried to lift him on to it, but he " could not bear th j pain of a hand being placed under his back." Making a sign to Chumali, our hero then faintly whispered a request to him *' to stoop down ov r him as low as possible, so that he might clasp his hands together behind his head," at the same time begging him " to avoid putting any pressure on the lumbar region of the back." His wishes were tenderly carried out, and in this manner he was laid in the canoe, ferried over as rapidly as possibly, and once more placed in his litter on the other side. Susi now hastened on with several servants to the next village, the now celebrated Chitambo's, to superintend the building of a house for the reception of his beloved master, the rest of the party following more slowly, and bearing their precious charge" through swamps and plashes," till they came, to their great relief, to something " like a dry plain at last." The Las! Stage. The strength of the great explorer was now ebbing rapidly away. Chumah, who helped to carry him on this the very last stage of his jour- LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNEY. 345 iiey, says that he and his comrades were every now and then " implored to stop and place their burden on the ground." Sometimes a drowsiness come over the sufferer, and he seemed insensible to all that was going on; sometimes he suffered terribly for want of water, of which, now that CONVEYING L1VING.STONKS BODY TO THh COAST. it was so sorely needed, not a drop could be obtained, until, fortunately^, they met a member of their party returning from Chitambo's, with a supply tliou<,rhtfully sent off by Susi. A little later, a clearing was reached, and Livingstone again begged to be set down and left alone, but at that very moment the first huts of Chit- 11 i' .!^i I it i 1. 346 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ■ «"1 4,, atnbo's village cam^ in sight, aid his bearers begged him to endure yet a little lon^jr, that they might place him under shelter. Arrived at last at Chitambo's, the party found the house their fellow- servants were building still unfinished, and were therefore compelled to lay their master " under the broad eaves of a native hut " for a time. Though the village was then nearly empty, a number of natives soon col- lected abo Jt the litter, to gaze " in silent wonder upon him whose praises had reached them in previous years." When the house was ready, our hero's bed was placed inside it, " raised from the floor by sticks and grass ; " bales and bo.Kes, one of the latter serving as a table, were arranged at one end ; a fire was lighted outside, nearly opposite the door ; and Livingstone was tenderly and reverently carriedfro n his temporary resting-place to that which was to be his last. A boy named Majwara was appointed to sleep inside the house, to attend to the patient's wants. The Great Hero's Last Words. Chitambo came early in the morning to pay his respects to his guest, but Livingstone was too ill to attend to him, and begged him " to call again on the morrow, when he hoped to have more strength to talk to him." In the afternoon the doctor asked Susi to bring him his watch, and showed him how to hold it in the palm of his hand, whilst he himsell moved the key. The rest of the day passed without incident, and in the evening the men not on duty silently repaired to their huts, whilst those whose turn it was to watch sat round their fires, waiting for the end which they felt to be rapidly approaciiing. At about I : p. m. Livingstone sent for Susi, and loud shouts beinfj at the moment heard in the distance, said to him, "Are our men making that noise?" " No," replied Sasi, adding that he believed it was only the natives scaring away a buffalo from their durra fields. A few minutes later, Livingstone said slowly, "Is this the Lualaba?" his mind evidently wandering to the great river which had so long been the object of his search. " No," said Susi, " we are in Cliitambo's village, near the Luli- mala." A long silence ensued, and then thr^ doctor said in Suaheli, an Arab dialect, " How many days is it to the J ,ualaba ? " and Susi answered in ihe same language, " I think it is three days, master." \ few seconds later, Livingstone exclaimed, " Oh dear ! oh dear ! " as It in terrible suffering, and then fell asleep. Susi, who then left iiis master to his repose, was recalled in about an hour by Majwara, and on LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNEY. 347 reaclvng the doctor's bedside received instructions to boil some water, for which purpose hz went to thj fire outside to fill his kettle. On his return, Livingstone told him to bring his medicine-chest and to hold the candle near him. These instructions bein.:^ obeyed, he took out a bottle of calomel, told Susi to put it, an empty cup, and one with a little water in it, within reach of his hand, and then ajdded in a very low voice, "All right; you can go out now." This was the last sentence ever .spoken by Livingstone in human hear- ing. At about 4 A. M. Majwara came once more to call Susi, saying, ' Come to Bwana (his name for Livingstone) ; I am afraid. I don't know if he is alive." A Martyr to a Great Cause. Susi, noticing the boy's terror, and fearing the v'orst, now aroused five of liis ''omrades, and with them entered the doctor's hut, to find the great expajicr kneeling, as if in prayer, by the side of his bed, " his head buried in his hands upon the pillow." " For a minute," says Dr. Waller, " they watched him ; he did not stir ; ::u;ic was no sign of breathing ; thei; one of them advanced softly to him .! placed his hands to his cheeks." It was enough ; Livingstone was dead. He had probably expired soon after Susi left him, dying as he had lived, in quiet unostentatious reliance upon his divine Father. " Mistory," says Hanning, one of the members of the Brussels Conference, " contains few pagcj more touching, or of a more sublime character, than the simple narrative of this silent and solitary death of a great man, the martyr to a great cause." Thus ended the career of the greatest hero of modern geographical discovery, an J of one of the noblest- hearted philanthropists of the present century. Very sadly, very tenderly, very reverently Livingstone's ser- vants laid the corpse of their beloved master on his bed, and retired to consult sot^cther round their watch-fire as to what should ne.xt be done. The loUowing day it was unanimously decided that Susi and Chuniah, who were " old men in travelling and in hardship," should act as captains •f the caravan, the other men engaged promising faithfully to '.uey them. All agreed further that the body of Livingstone must be preserved and carried back to Zanzibar. With the ready co-operation of Chitainbo, i> strong hut, open to the air at the top, was built for the performance of the last melancholy oifices. A nitive mourner was engaged to sing the usual dirge before thecom- 'i^enceinent of the post-mortem examination. Wearing the anklets . la 348 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. 1 i 4 proper to the occasion, "composed of rows of hollow seed-vessels, he sang the following chant, dancing all the while — "To day the Englishman is dead, Who has different hair from ours ; Come round to see the Englishman " After this concession to the customs of the people amongst whom they found themselves, Livingstone's faithful servants carried his remains to the hut prepared for them, where Jacob Wainwright read the burial ser- vice in the presence of all his comrades. The great hero's heart was removed and buried in a tin a little distance from the hut, and the body was "left to be fully exposed to the sun. No other means were taken to preserve it beyond placing some brandy in the mouth, and some on the hair." At the end of fourteen days, the body, thus simply " embalmed," was "wrapped round in some calico, the legs being bent inwards at the knees to shorten the package," which was placed in a cylinder ingeniously con- structed out of the bark of a tree. Over the whole apiece of sail-cloth was sewn, and the strange coffin was . then securely lashed to a strong pole, so that it could be carried by the men in the manner figured, in our illustration. Procession to the Coast. Under the superintendence of Jacob Wainwright, an inscription was carved on a large tree near the place where the body was exposed, giv- ing the name of the deceased hero and the date of his death. Chitambo promised to guard this memorial as a sacred charge, and the melancholy procession started on the return journey. Completing the circuit of Bangweolo, the men crossed the Lualaba near its entry into the lake on the west, thus supplementing their mas- ter's work, and, turning eastward beyond the great river which had so long been the goal of his efforts, they made for the route he had fol- lowed on his trip to the south in i868. A short halt at Casembe's was succeeded by an uneventful trip eastwards to Lake Tanganyika, round- ing the southern extremity of which the funeral procession rapidly made its way in a north-easterly direction to Unyanyembe, where it arrived ir the middle of October, 1 873. Here Lieutenant Cameron, the leader, and Dr. Dillon and Licutenart Murphy, members of a new Livingstone Relief Expedition sent out by the Royal Geographical Society, were resting before starting westwards. After the sad news of the doctor's death had been communicated to Uiem and confirmed by indisputable evidence, Cameron did all in I"^ LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNEY. 349 power to help and relieve the brave fellows who had brought the hero's dead dody and all belonging to him thus far in safety. Then, finding tlicni unwilling to surrender their charge before reaching the coast although he himself thought that Livingstone might have wished to be buried in the same land as his wife, he allowed them to proceed, Dr. Dil- lon and Lieutenant Murphy accompanying ihem. Soon after the march to the coast began, Dr. Dillon, rendered deli- rious by his sufferings from fever and dysentery, shot himself in his tent, but Susi, Chumah, and their comrades arrived safely at Bagamoyo in February, 1874, where they delivered up their beloved master's remains to the Acting Lnglish Consul, Captain Prideaux, under whose care they were conveyed to Zanzibar in one of Her Majesty's cruisers, thence to be sent to England on board the Malwa, for interment in Westminster Abbey. To describe the stately funeral which was accorded to the simple- hearted hero in old Westminster Abbey would be beyond our province, but none who read the glowing newspaper accounts of the long proces- sion, the crowds of mourners, and the orations in honor of the deceased, can fail to have been touched by the contrast they offered to his lonely death in the wilderness, untended by any but the poor natives whose affections he had won by his gentleness and patience in the hardships and privations they had endured together, and to whom alone luigland is indebted for the privilege of numbering his grave amongst her sacred national possessions. The remains of the great African Explorer were laid to rest in West- minster Abbey on the i8th of April. The casket bore the inscription — ■ DAVID LIVINGSTONE, Born at Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland, 19 March, 1813, Died at Ilala, Central J/nca, 4 May, 1873. ft! u ' CHAPTER XVI. STANLEY AND THE CONGO. jff It i|| , Stanley's Absorbing Interest in Livingstone's Explorations — His Resolve to Find i r ath from Sea to Sea — A Man of Remarkable Enterprise — Determined to Accom- plish His Object at Any Cost — Description of the Congo Region— Once ihe Most Famous Kingdom of Africa — A King Glorious in Trinkets — People Prostrating Themselves Before Their Monarch — The Whims of a Despot — Taxes Levied on Furniture — Killing Husbands to Get Their Wives — Strange and Savage Cus- toms — Messengers Collecting Slaves and Ivory- A Nation Famous as Elephant Hunters and Men Stealers— Worship of a Wicked Deity — Priests wiih Absolute Power— Sacred Fire Burning Continually — A Priest so Holy Thf,t He Cannot Die a Natural Death— Test of Red Hot Iron Applied to the Skin — How the Congotse Disfigure Themselves— Outlandish Dress — Husbands Rebuked for Neglecting to Beat Their Wives— Pipes and Palm-Wine— A Notorious Queen— Followed by a Host of Lovers — Horrible Practices — Slaughter of Male Children — The Queen's Tragic End— Queen Shinga and Her Daring Exploits— Female Demon -Univer>al Polygamy— Eating Habits of the Congo Tribes — Agonies of Indigestion -Singular Modes of Salutation — Stanley's Description of Welcoming Strangers— Love for Titles and Sounding Names— How Wives Manage Husbands — Famous Old King of the Gaboon — King William's Principal Wife — A Monarch Arrayed in Scarlet- Ferocious Tribes — Traders and Their Wares — Stanley's Description of the Coun- try — Superstitions and Paganism — Animril Life in Congo— Antelopss, Z bras and Buffaloes — Beautiful Monkey Tribe — Wild Attack of Cannibals -Immense War Boat— Everlasting Din of Drums— Horns Carved out of Elephants' Tu-;ks— Wild War Cry — Singular Temple of Ivory — Horrid Monument of Mud and Skulls. ry ENRY M. STANLEY was not the man to be indifferent to the 1*^ fate of Livingstone or the objects he had in view. Our young W hero thought, and the world thought so too, that his mission was to complete, as far as possible, the marvellous discoveries which Livingstone had attempted to make. Jif his life had been spared he would have crowned all previous successes with triumphs L;ix'ater still. Stanley having been once in the wilds of Afrii a. aiul ivwing learned by actual observation the great fertility of the soil, the channels of com- Aierce which might be opened, the importance of bringing the country into close relations with other parts of the world, the moral needs of tlie savage races whose histoiy has been lost in oblivion and whose future it is impossible as yet to determine, thought he would discn-er, il pn-Mble, the sources of the Nile, open new avenues in a land almost unknown, and. having found Livingstone, the lost explorer, he resolved to find a path from sea to sea. (350) STANLEY AND THE CONGO. 351 In this marx'ellous undertaking we are now to trace him. He is the same strong, heroic soul that he was on his first expedition ; the same enterprising man, possessed of the same iron will, the same abounding energy and perseverance, the same tact in dealing with hostile tribes, and the same unswerving resolution to accomplish his object at any cost. Before we begin his journey, it will be interesting to the reader to have some account of the Congo region through which Stanley passed, and also a description of the Congoese.the people dwelling in th^t part of Africa. At one time there was no more famous kingdom in all Africa than that of Congo. It was established on even a grander seal.' ^^han the modern Aiihanti or Dahomey, which have sprung up within the last 200 years, during which the empire of Congo has been broken up into many petty chieltaincies. The writings of the old Jesuit and Capuchin Fathers teem with tales of its grandeur. ' When the king was elected he came out of the palace, g'orious in trinkets, to give the benediction to his people, assembled from far and near in the palace square, for this important event. The priests and nobles arranged themselves around him. The king exhorted the people to be faitlifiil and obedient, and, after the manner of monarchs generally, assured his subjects of his profound consideration. " He rises, and all the people prostrate themselves before him. He stretches his hands over them, nnd makes gestures with his fingers without uttering a word." Shout.:, of joy, followed by firing of muskets and a "jubilee of banquets," close this initiatory event of the Congo monarch's reign. WhiiuH of a Tyrant. The king was a despot, secretly controlled by his ministers. His civil list consisted of tribute paid him by the sub-chiefs or vassal-lords, who in their turn ground it out of the people. When he found it necessary to levy a special tax, he would go out of the palace with his cap loosely placed on his head. When the wind blew it off, he would rush into the house as if in a great passion, and immediately order the levy of goats, fowls, skucs, and palm-wine. The Negro is a systematic creature in wnie things; he does nothing without a reason, and the Congoese monarch, therefore, considered that he had justified his acts in the eyes of his subjects by his dignity being offended owing to his cap blowing off. One of the taxes was levied on beds — a slave for every span's breadtii being the rate at which the impost was made. This tax was devoted to the support of the king's concubines, and as a broad bed entailed consid- erable expense on its owner, the possession of this piece of chamber fur- niture was in Congo looked upon as the sign of a man of wealth. Writers fi 362 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. J 'I I . n- describe the Muata-Yanvo — another powerful West African monarcli, very little known to literature — as wearing a bracelet of luinian sinews on his left wrist, to denote his royal rank. His empire is as large ;is ah Germany, and about three hundred chiefs owe him allegiance, tJKnigh his subjects do not number more than two millions, and his despotism is shared and tempered by a queen. When the king desired a fresh companion, a married woman was selected, her husband and the lovers whom she confessed to (for it seems they all had them, married or single) being put to death. Tiiese little preliminaries being completed, she entered the royal seraglio, where much more liberty than woilJ be granted in Mohammedan kingdoms was allowed to her. Or the king's death all his wives were buried with him. Peculiar Customs. No man dare see the king eat or drink. All this must be done in privacy. If a dog even entered the house while the august sovereign was at food it was killed ; and a case is recorded by English authorities in which the king ordered the execution of his own son, who had acci- dently seen him drink palm-wine. The large army supported by the Congoese monarch was officered by their own chiefs, and apparently fought under a kind of feudal system. As in most parts of Africa, the old Congo kings, before the decay of the slave trade ruined them, monopoliz.ed, as far as they could, the com- merce of the country. This is still the fashion of the Muata-Yanvo of the Kanoko Empire, east of the Congo country. When traders arrive at the capital, their goods are deposited in the capital until the king's mes- sengers,who are sent into the neighboring countries, can collect the slaves and ivory he is willing to give in exchange. No stranger is allowed to proceed into these interior regions, the inhabitants of which are described as cannibals, or as dwarfs. When Dr. Buchner was at the Muato-Yanvo's in 1 879 he was threatened by the Kioko, a nation famous as smiths, elephant hunters, and man stoalor^, who are gradually spreading from the Upper Quango to the northward, and from the latest accounts are endangering the very existence of this secluded empire. The civil judges sat under trees, each having a large staff in his hand, as an insignium of ofrice. Incorruptible they were not, but still no one ever appealed against their decisions, and it is said never even com- plained cftiieir injustice ; but this is not in human nature, and must only mean that no one was ever heard to do so in public, and that for very special private reasons of his own. m 1 ■ ill l1 ( iS m l/ w ^W^' 91. 'V o 7 /A Photographic Sciences Corporation s. ■^ #> V s ^^ O % .V ^ 'e^ €i- X V 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 % :l^ 'I J j( m m 354 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. tion. He is so holy that he cannot die a natural death, for if he did so the universe would immediately be dissolved. Consequently, as soon as he is seized with a dangerous illness, the Chitome elect calls at his house, and saves the universe by knocking out his brains with a club, or strang- ling him with a cord if he should prefer it. That his own death must be of a similar character has no effect upon the new Chitome, who, true to the Negro character, thinks only of the present time, and, so far as bcin? anxious about the evils that will happen at some future time, docs no trouble himself even about the next day. Next to ♦^he Chitome comes the Nghombo, a priest who is clistin- guisned b> his peculiar gait. His dignity would be impaired by walking like ordinury mortals, or even like the inferior priests, and so he always walks on Ills hands with his feet in the air, thereby striking awe into the laity. Some of the priests are rain-makers, who perform the 'duties of their oflice by building little mounds of earth and making fetish over them. From the centre of each charmed mound rises a stranire insect, which mounts into the sky, and brings as much rain as the people have paid for. These priests are regularly instituted, but there arc some who are born to the office, such as dwarfs, hunchbacks, and albinos, all of whom are highly honored as specially favored individuals, consecrated to the priesthood by Nature herself Poison and Red-hot Iron. The priests have, as usual, a system of ordeal, the commonest mode being the drinking of the poison cup, and the rarest the test of the red- hot iron, which is applied to the skin of tlie accused, and burns him if he be guilty. There is no doubt that the magicians are acquainted with some preparation which renders the skin proof against a brief applica- tion of hot iron, and that they previously apply it to an accused person who will pay for it. The Chitome has the privilege of conducting the coronation of a king The new ruler proceeds to the house of the Chitome, attended by a host of his future subjects, who utter piercing yells as he goes. Having reached the sacred house, he kneels before the door, and asks the Chi- tome to be gracious to him. The Chitome growls out a flat refusal from within The king renews his supplications, in spite of repeated rebuffs enumerating all the presents which he has brought to the Chitome— which presents, by the way, are easily made, as he will extort an equal amount from his subjects as soon as he is fairly installed. At last, the door of the hut opens, and out comes the Chitome in his white robe of office, his head covered with feathers, and a shining mir- THE GIRAFFE OU CAMEI.OPARD. (865) 366 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ror on his breast. The king lies prostrate before the house, while the Chitome pours water on him, scatters dust over him, and sets his feet on him. He then lies flat on the prostrate monarch, and in that position receives from him a promise to respect his authority ever aftenvard. The king is then proclaimed, and retires to wash and change his clothes. A King in Gorgeous Apparel. Presently he comes out of the palace, attended by his priests and nobles, and gorgeous in all the bravery of his new rank, his whole person covered with glittering ornaments of metal, glass, and stone, so that the eye can scarcely bear the rays that flash on every side as he moves in the sunbeams. He then seats himself, and makes a speech to the people. When it is finished, he rises, while all the people crouch to the ground, stretches his hands over them, and makes certain prescribed 'gestures, which are considered as the royal benediction. A long series of ban- quets and revelry ends the proceedings. At the present day, the Congo king and great men disfigure themselves with European clothing, such as silk jackets, velvet shoes, damask coats, and broad-brimmed hats. But, in the former times, they dressed becom- ingly in native attire. A simple tunic made of very fine grass cloth, and leaving the right arm bare, covered the upper part of the body, while a sort of petticoat, made of similar material, but dyed black, was tied round the waist, and an apron, or " sporran," of leopard skin, was fas- tened to the girdle and hung in front. On their heads they wore a sort of hood, and sometimes preferred a square red and yellow cap. Sandals made of the palm tree were the peculiar privilege of the king and nobles, the common people being obliged to go bare-footed. Wives Wlio Receive Vigorous Atteutiou. The wives in Congo are tolerably well off, except that they are severely beaten with the heavy hippopotamus-hide whip. The women do not resent this treatment, and indeed, unless a woman is soundly flogged occasionally, she thinks that her husband is neglecting her, and feels offended accordingly. The king has the power of taking any woman for his wife, whether married or not, and, when she goes to the royal harem, her husband is judiciou.sly executed. The people of Congo are — probably on account of the enervating cli- mate — a very indolent and lethargic race, the women being made to do all the work, while the men lie in the shade and smoke their pipes and drinlt their palm-wine, which they make remarkably well, though nut so well as the Bubertribe of Fernando Po. Their houses are merely htits of the simplest description ; a few posts with a roof over themj and twigs woven STANLEY AND THE CONGO. 357 between them in wicker-work fashion by way of walls, are all that a Congo man cares for in a house. His clothing is as simple as his lodg- ing, a piece of native cloth, tied round his middle being all that he cares for ; so that the ample clothes and handsome furs worn by the king must have had a very strong effect on the almost naked populace. The Jagas are a race now settled in Cassange country, into which they seem originally to have entered as marauders or conquerors. In the early state of the kingdom they were ruled by Tembandumba — a queer A'hose excesses, if not exaggerated in the narrative, seem demoniacal in their extent. She soon, by her exploits in war, made herself feared and rcsjx;cted by enemies and subjects ; but so terrible were her cruelties and tyranny, that only the awe in which she was held prevented her subjects rebelling. She had a host of lovers, all of whom, one after the other, she killed with the most cruel tortures as soon as she had tired of them. Breakin;4 loose from all her relatives — who had ventured to remonstrate with her — she founded a constitution which only a woman, and one will- ing to oroceed to those extremes of which the sex is capable, could have imagined. Horrible Practices. " She would turn," writes Mr. Winwood Reade, "the world into a wil- derness ; she would kill all living animals ; she would burn all forests, grass, and vegetable food. The sustenance of her subjects should be the flesh of man ; his blood should be their drink. She commanded all male children, all twins, and all infants whose upper teeth appeared before their lower ones, should be killed by their own mothers. From their bodies an ointment should be made, in the way she would show. The female children should be reared, and instructed in war ; and male prisoners, before being killed and eaten, should be used for the purpose of pro- creation. " Having concluded her harangue, with the publication of other laws of minor iini)ortancc, this young women seized her child, which was feeding at her breast, flung him into a mortar, and pounded him to a pulp. She fliin<^' this into a large earthen pot, adding roots, leaves, and oils, and aiaile the whole into an ointment, with which she rubbed herself before thciii all, telling them that this would render her invulnerable, and that now she could subdue the universe. Immediately, her subjects, seized with a savage enthusiasm, massacred all their male children, and immense quantities of this human ointment were made ; and of which, they say, some is still preserved among the Jagas." An empire of Amazons was apparently contemplated. Not only were 368 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. male children to be massacred, but women's flesh was forbidden to be eaten. But she soon found it impossible to battle against nature. Mothers concealed their male infants ; and though officers were appointed to be present at every birth to see that the law was carried out, yet, after a time, she found it necessary to order that the invulnerable ointment might be made of the bodies of infants captured in war. Whole terri- tories were conquered and laid waste ; and disaffection in her own army jhe kept down by having the forces continually employed. The Queen's Tragric End. As age grew upon her she grew worse and worse — more cruel to he. victims ; more abominable in all her dealings with her subjects. At last she was subdued. Falling desparately in love with a private soldier in her army, she publicly married him, and gave him half her throne and kingdom. As last she grew tired of him, as she had grown tired of a hundred before. But she had met her match. Calming, cajoling, and flattering his terrible queen, the king-consort managed for a time to post- pone his inevitable fate — to be fondled to-day, to be dined off to-morrow. One day he entertained her at dinner with all the choice viands which the kingdom of Congo or the young Portuguese colonies on the Coast could supply. Her drink had been poisoned. Her husband was saved, and the kingdom freed from a tyrant, whose rule was beginning to be too heavy to bear. Yet he was never suspected ; or perhaps his act was of too meritorious a character to be taken notice of So, after much wail- ing over her funeral — as subjects will wail over kings, no matter how vile — Tembandumba slept with her fathers ; and Culemba, her affectionate husband, reigned in her stead. Blood-curdling tales are told of the excesses of some of the old sov- ereigns. For instance, Shinga was the name of the Negro queen who came to power in the year 1640, but, through the intrigues of the Jesuit priests, to whose rites she did not choose to submit, was forced to fly the kingdom, afler contending with her nephew in three pitched battles, which she lost. In 1646 she regained her kingdom, after many vicissi- tudes of fortune. But by this time Queen Shinga had got so accustomed to war, that she cared for nothing else. Her life was spent in hostilities against the neighboring kingdoms. A Female Demon. Before she undertook any new enterprise, she would sacrifice the handsomest man she could find. Clad in skins, with a sword hanging round her neck, an axe at her side, and bow and arrow in her hand, she would dance and sing, striking two iron bells. Then taking a feather STANLEY AND THE C^NGO. 369 she would put it through the holes in her nose, as a sign of war, would cut off the victim's head with her sword, and drink a deep draught of his blood. She had fifty or sixty male favorites ; and while she always dressed herself as a man, they were compelled to take the names and garments of women. If one of them denied that he was a woman he was immediately killed. The queen, however, was charitable enough to let them belie their words by their actions. They might have as many vives as they chose ; but if a child was born, the husband was com- pelled to kill it with his own hands. Shinga obtained great power over her subjects. She, however, was wise in her generation, and, after she had fought the Portuguese, and been beaten by them, she concluded an humble peace, and retained her kingdom in safety. At the present time the Congo kingdom has fallen from its high estate. The people are lethargic, and altogether given over to palm-wine and tobacco ; their houses are huts of grass fibres or palm leaves, and their clothing a piece of native cloth round the middle. Their domestic utensils are on a par with this primitive barbarism. Baskets made of the fibre of the palm-tr'ie, bowls of gourds, earthen vessels for boiling, wooden spoons, and bt;ds of grass on a raised platform are about the only furniture of their simple huts. Whatever magnificence once existed is now almost gone. Universal Polyfiramy. Though Portuguese, and latterly English, missions have been estab- lished among these tribes, fetishism is still to a great extent the prevail- ing semblance of worship, the Cross being regarded simply as new fetish introduced by the powerful white man. Polygamy is universal, and the marriage ceremony little more than buying the wife from her parents, and giving a feast to her family and friends. But if the nuptial rites are brief and simple, their sepulchral ceremonies are more elaborate, for fre- quently, in order to admit of all the relatives being present, the interment of the deceased will be delayed several months. The dead are frequently desiccated by roasting, and then buried in the huts which they occupied during life. Of late years the natives of the Congo have received renewed atten- tion. Expeditions have oflen been despatched a little up the river for the purpose of trade and exploration, or in order to punish the Mussurongo pirates, who have frequently attacked the vessels engaged in carrying goods to or from the " factories " established below the Yellala Falls. However, since Mr. Stanley succeeded in proving that the river commu- 360 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. nicatcd with the Tanganyika lake, and is the noblest water-way to the interior, numerous traders have settled on its lower reaches, and the posts of the International Association, presided over by the King of the Belgians, are pushing civilization and commerce towards its upper waters. Before leaving the customs of the Congoese, we must notice that the eating habits of some of the Congo tribes are very curious. Tliey are, like all the Negro races, enormous feeders, as many as 300 oxen having been known to be killed and eaten when a " soba" or chief of the Miin- dombes, dies, the feast lasting for several days, the gluttons often rolling on the ground in the agonies of indigestion, but only to rise again and resume eating, abstaining meanwhile from drink, lest it should prevent them from finding room for the solids. Among some of the natives a singular custom prevails. It consists in offering a visitor a dish of "infundi," or "pirao," and should there not be a bit of meat in the larder, they send out to a neighbor for " lent rat," as it is called. This Mr. Monteiro describes as a field rat roasted on a skewer, and which is presented to the guest, who, holding the skewer in his left hand, dabs bits of " infundi " on the rat before he swallows them, as if to give them a flavor, but he is very careful not to eat the rat, or even the smallest por- tion of it, as that would be considered a great crime and offence, and would be severely punished by their laws. It is supposed that the host has by this hospitality duly preserved the dignity of his house and posi- tion, the entire sham being a curious instance of elaborate politeness without sincerity existing among a race which might reasonably be sup- posed unsophisticated. Singular Haliitatioii!!i. The subject of salutations would afford a theme for many chapters^ For example, when two Monbuttoos of the far Nile tributaries meet they join the rit^ht hands, and say, " Gassigy," at the same time cracking the joints of the middle fingers, while in Uguha, on the western side of I^ke Tanganyika, Mr. Stanley describes the people saluting each other a5 follows : — A man appears bef6re a party seated ; he bends, takes up a bundle of earth or sand with his right hand, and throws a little into his left. The left hand rubs the sand or earth over the right elbow and the right side of the stomach, while the right hand performs the same opera- tion for the left part of the body, words of salutation being rapidly uttered in the meanwhile. To his inferiors, however, the new-comer slaps his hand several times, and after each slap lightly taps the region of the heart. In like manner, the modes of taking an oath are so very extensive that STANLEY AND THE CONGO. 361 a large space could very profitably be devoted to this interesting phase of African life. In many tribes on the West Coast the common way among blacks to affirm the truth of a statement is, according to Monteiro^ ^■nK;^mh^^ ■'■■ .■■ ■' :W^■^'J■/■,■:■i- YOUNG "fetish man OF THK CONGO DISTRICT. to go on their knees, and rub the forefinger of each hand on the ground, and then touch their tongues and foreheads with the dusty tips. About Loanda, they make the sign of the Cross on the ground with a finger, for 4)62 WONDERS or THE TROPICS. the same purpose ; but this is evidently a remnant of old missionary teaching. Titles — the love for them, and the endless variety of designations in- tended to express dignity — might equally be enlarged on, without the subject being at all exhausted, while the multiplicity of fashions adopted in dressing their woolly hair, filing their teeth, splitting their cars, oi generally improving upon nature, will be touched, as far as so extensive a theme admits of, in the chapters which follow. We may, however note in this place a few singular customs, which give a better idea (jI African characteristics than more labored analyses of their mental traits. How IVivoH Manage HiiHbiindH. One custom said to be universal in Oriental Africa is that of a woman tying a knot in anyone's turban, thereby placing herself under his pro- tection in order to be revenged upon her husband, who may have beaten her for some offence. In due time, when the husband comes to claim her, he is compelled to pay a ransom, and to promise, in the presence of his chief, never again to maltreat her. In nearly every village in Uuyam- wesi there are two or three public-houses, or perhaps they might be -called clubs. One is appropriated to the women, and another to the men, though at the one frequented by the men all travellers of distinction are welcomed by the chiefs and elders. As soon as a boy attains the ■age of seven or eight years, he throws off the authority of his mother, and passes most of his time at the club, usually eating and often sleeping there. On the death of a Wagogo chief, the son is supposed to look upon his father's eldest surviving brother as his new and adopted father, but only in private and not in public affairs. There is another point connected with the black races of Africa to which a few lines may be devoted. The hair of most Africans — and universally of the Negro and Negroid tribes — is short, inclined to split longitudinally, and much crimped. In South Africa the Hottentot's hair is more matted into tufts than that of the Kaffir, while it is not uncom mon to find long hair, and even considerable beards, among some of the tribes inhabiting the central plateau of the continent Black is the almost universal color of their hair. In old age it becomes white ; but accord- ing to Walker there are cases among the Negroes of the Gaboon in which red hair, red eyebrows and eyes are not uncommon, and Schwein- furth speaks of Monbuttoos with ashv fair hair, and skin much fairer than that of their fellow-tribesmen. It may also be mentioned that individuals with reddish hair are by no means rarely seen among the mountaineers of the Atlas. Whiskers are nisstonary lations in- ithuut the IS adopted :ir cars, ot I extensive ', however ter idea ol intal traits. f a woman er his pro- ave beaten s to claim presence of in Unyam- ■ might be her to the distinction attains tlie lis mother, en sleeping ed to look )ted father, Africa to leans — and led to split entot's hair lot unccni' ome of the the almost 3ut accord- Gaboon in d Schwein- nuch fairer are by no liskers are (868) 964 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. rare, though not unknown, and long beards are said to be found among Niam-niam, and among the papers left by Miani, the unfortunate Italian traveller, there is a notice of a man with a beard half as long as his own^ which. Dr. Schweinfurth remarks, was of " a remarkable length." The color of the Negro's skin passes through every gradation from ebony black to the copper color. Famous King and Queen. Speaking of the Gaboon, we must notice the celebrated king whc ruled many years in that region, aiid possessed many traits in common with the savage tribes around him. A traveller makes the following reference to him : " When I was up this river a few years since, an aged king was then reigning, whom the English called King William and the French Rot Denis; a somewhat remarkable character in his way. He had made a voyage to ICuropc, bi't his contact with civilization had no effect upon his manner of life, his liking for rum, and plurality of wives. At one time he derived large revenue from the slave trade, the Gaboon being the river from the mouth of which the slaves were embarked for the English, French and American colonies; but when the trade was checked his income decreased very much, and his riches then seem to have con- sisted of an amazing number of suits of clothes, old uniforms, gaily deco- rated coats, and other fanciful attire, with which he decked his black person. When I saw liim with his principal wife he was most gor<;eously arrayed in a scarlet coat with an epaulet on each shoulder, and the breast elaborately braided; a medal was swuno-tii>o. Stanley turned toward Lake Tanganyika, and camped at Ujiji, where he had met David Livingstone. Thence he journeyed to Nyangwe, the farthest northern place attained by Cameron. Cameron had gone south to Renguela. While in the vicinity of Nyangwe, Stanley chanced to meet Tipo-tipo, wlo luid befriended Cameron while on his journey, having conducted him as far as Kasongo's country. From him he learned that Cameron had been unable to explore the Lualaba, and thus the work which Liv- ingstone had not been able to complete was as yet unfinished. Not believing, as Livingstone did, that the Lualaba was the remote southern branch of the Nile, but having the same conviction as Cam- eron that it was connected with the Congo, and was the eastern part of tiiat river, and having, what Livingstone .md Cameron had not, an ample- f.irceand siififijient supplies, he determined to follow the Lualaba, and' a-;ccrtain whither it led. He met with the same difficulty that Living- stone and Cameron had encountered in the unwillingness of the people to supply canoe."^. They informed him, as they had the two previous explorers, that the tribes dwelling to the nortli on the Lualaba were fierce and warlike can- • nib lis, who would suffer no one to enter their territories, as the Arab '::aders had frequently found to their cost. That between Njangwe and ■ he cannibal region the natives were treacherous, and that the rivet ran through dreadful forests, through which he would have to make his way ,— information which afterward proved to be true. Cannibals and Poisoned Arrows. He nevertheless resolved to go; but it was not easily accomplished, as Itie people of Nyangwe filled his followers with terror by the accounts they gave of the ferocious cannibals, the dwarfs with poisoned arrows who dwelt near the river, and the terrible character of the country 26 402 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. thrdugh which they would have to pass; which had such a dishearten- ing effect upon them that difficulties arose which would have been insur- mountable to any one but a man of Stanley's indomitable perseverance, sagacity and tact. lie overcame all obstacles; succeeded in gettin" canoes, and in engaging an Arab chief and his followers to accompany him a certain distance; an increase of his force which gave confidence to his own people. Of course there was a good deal of palavering before the Arab couL' be induced to join the expedition and brave the inevitable perils that would attend it. Tipo-tipo listened respectfully to Stanley's proposition, and then called in one of his officers who had been to the far north along the river, requesting him to impart such information as he possessed in regard to the people inhabiting that country. This man told a marvellous tale, almost rivalling the wonderful creations of the Arabian Nights ; and Stanley subsequently learned by his own experience that much of the .story was true. Those "Wonderful Dwarfs. " The great river," s^id he, " goes always toward the north, until it •empties into the sea. ^^'e first reached Uregga, a forest land, where there is nothing but woods, and woods, and woods, for days and weeks and months. There was no end to the woods. In a month we reached iUsongora Meno, and here we fought day after day. They arc fearful ifellows and desperate. We lost many men, and all who were slain were •eaten. But we were brave, and pushed on. When we came to Kinia- Kima we heard of the land of the little men, where a tusk of ivory could be purchased for a single cowrie (bead). Nothing now could hold us iback. We crossed the Lumami, and came to the land of the Wakuma The Wakuma are big men themselves, but among them we saw some of the dwarfs, the queerest little creatures alive, just a yard high, with long beards and large heads. The dwarfs seemed to be plucky litde devils, rand asked us mauy questions about where we were going and what we waated. They told us that in their country was so much ivory we had -not enough men to carry it ; 'but what do you want with it, do you eat it?' said they. ' No, we make charms of it, and will give you beads to show us the way.' ' Good, come along.' . " We followed the little devils six days, when we came to their country, and they stopped and said we could go no further until they had seen their king. Then they left us, and after three days they came back and took us to their village.and gave us a house to live in. Then the dwarfs STANLEY'S PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 403 came from all parts. Oh! it is a big country! and everybody brought ivory, until we Imd about four hundred tuslo, big and little, as much as we could carry. We bought it with copper, beads, and cowries. No cloths, for the dwarfs were all naked, king and all. We did not starve in the dwarf land the first ten days. Bananas as long as my arm, and plan- tains as long as the dwarfs were tall. One plantain was sufficient for s man for one day. "When we had sufficient ivory and wanted to go, the little king said no ; ' this is my country, and you shall not go until I say. You must buy all I have got ; I want more cowries ;' and he ground his teeth and looked just like a wild monkey. We laughed at him, for he was very funny, but he would not let us go. Presently we heard a woman scream, and rushing out of our house, we saw a woman running with a dwarfs airow in her bosom. Some of our men shouted, ' The dwarfs are com- \r\'^ from all the villages in great numbers ; it is war — prepare !' We had scarcely got our guns before the little wretches were upon us, shooting their arrows in clouds. They screamed and yelled like monkeys. Their arrows were poisoned, and many of our men who were hit, died. . Arabian Nights Outdone. " Our captain brandished his two-handed sword, and cleaved them as you would cleave a banana. The arrows passed through his shirt in many places. We had many good fellows, and they fought well ; but it was of no use. The dwarfs were firing from the tops of the trees ; they crept through the tall grass close up to us, and shot their arrows in our faces. Then some hundred of us cut down banana-trees, tore doors out, and houses down, and formed a boma at each end of the street, and then we were a little better off, for it was not such rapid, random shooting ; we fired more deliberately, and after several hours drove them off. " But they soon came back and fought us all that night, so that we could get no water, until our captain — oh ! he was a brave man, he was a lion! — held up a shield before him, and looking around, he just ran straight where the crowd was thickest ; and he seized two of the dwarfs, and we who followed him caught several more, for they would not run away until they saw what our design was, and then they left the watei clear. We filled our pots and carried the little Shaitans (devils) into the boma ; and there we found that we had caught the king. We wanted to kill him, but our captain said no, kill the others and toss their heads over the wall ; but the king was not touched. " Then the dwarfs wanted to make peace, but they were on us again in the middle of the night, and^their arrows sounded 'twit/ ' twit' in all direc- (404) STANLEYS PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 405 til ins. At last "we ran away, throwing down everything but our guns ami sworr* . But many of our men were so weak by hunger and thirst that they burst their hearts running, and died. Others lying down t( I'jst found the little devils close to them when too late, ami were killed Out of our great number of people only thirty returned alive, and I ain one of them." Stanley listened with rapt attention to the recital of this wonderful story, and at its conclusion he said: "Ah! good. Did you see any tliinL,' else very wonderful on your journey?" ' Oh yes ! There are monstrous boa-constrictors in the forest of Ua-'fj^^a, suspended by their tails to the branches, waiting for the passer- by or for a stray antelope. The ants in that forest are not to be despised. Yc 1 cannot travel without your body being covered with them, when tlicy sting you like wasps. The leopards are so numerous that you can- not go very far without seeing one. Almost every native wears a leopar: a Contract with an Arab. It required no little heroism on the part of Stanley to face the dangers which he knew must lie between him and that point one thousand eight hundred miles distant, where the Congo, ten miles wide, rolls into the broad bosom of th'i Atlantic. Notwithstanding all the dangers which lay l)ef()re them,Tipo-tipo agreed to accompany Stanley with his soldiers, the distance of si.xty marches, for |!5,ooo. One would n.dnrally suppose that he, of all others, would shrink from such a task, scei'.ig that in his last effort to reach the unexplored territory beyond, he had lost five hundred men. The conditions under which he agreed to escort Stanley were, that the oi.xty niarch(,'s should not consume more than three months' time, and if, when they had gone that distance, he should come to the conclusion that he could not reach the mouth of the Congo, then he would return to Xyangwe ; or, if he chanced to fall in with any Portuguese traders, and desired to accompany them to the coast, he should give him (Tipo- 4()6 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. tipo) two-thirds of his force, as a guard to protect hlin while on his return to Nyanj^we. Hut Stanley did not propose to have all tlic con- ditions on tlij side of the cliief, and after refusing to j^rant the chiel two- thirds of his force to prcitect him on his return, lie made the fi)lIo\vin' condition; Sliould Tino-tipo fail to perform faithfully his part, at: 'd he through fear return before the sixty marches had been u e, hi. should forfeit the $5,000, and not be allowed a single man of Stanley s force to accompany him on his return. After some delay the chit! assented to the contract as written by Stanley, anil both men sii'jK-d it. licfore it had been signed, liowever, Stanley went to I'ocock and tukl liim just how matters stood, and showed him the danger, which nuist attend any attempt to proceed, but could they do so, it would draw upnn the expedition the comments of the entire world. It was a fearful ri k U; run, but Pocock resolved to stand by him, and before he had finished, the latter replied, *' Go on." Ah, they little knew when they made tliat agreement, what fate awaited them in the near future. The men were next informed of the determination to push on to the coast, and were told that if at the end of sixty marches they fell in with traders go- jast- uard, and they wished to return to Nyangwe, they could do (lie men promised to lemain with him, and he hastened to compleie his arrangements. To do this he entered the village of Nyangwe. A Renowned Market. The most interesting feature connected with the village is its market, which has become a great institution in the district. Kvery fourth tlay is market-day, and on that day every one having anything to sell, or wishing to purchase anything, repairs to Nyangwe, to "buy and sell and get gain." "Every one," says Dr. Livingstone, " is there in doail car- nest ; little time is lost in friendly greetings. Vendors of fish run about with little potsherds full of snails or small fishes — smoke-dried and spitted on twigs — or other relishes, to exchange for cassava roots, dried aff jr Deing steeped about three days in water; potatoes, vegetables, or grain, bananas, flour, palm-oil, fowls, salt, pepper, all are bartered back and forth in the same manner. Kach individual is intensely anxious to trade; those who have other articles are particularly eager to barter them fo: relishes, and are positive in their assertions of the gootlness or liadiicss of each article as market-people seem to be in" conscience bound to be everywhere. " The sweat may be seen standing in great beads on their faces. Cocks, hanging with their heads down across their shoulders, contribute their bravest crowing, and j.'gs squeal then* loudest. Iron knobs, drawn out 1 - » i (407) m^ Sfti 408 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. at each end to sliow the goodness of the metal, are exchanged for cloth of the Muabe palm. They have a large funnel of basket-work below the vessel holding the wares, and slip the goods down if they are not to b«j seen. They dealt fairly, and when differences arose they wcr2 casi'.v settled by the men interfering or pointing to me; they appeal 1 3 eacl other, and have a strong sense of natnral justice. Gay 31eii and Hard-working Women. " With so much food changing hands amongs*- the three thousanc attendants, much benefit is derived: some come from twenty to tv.cnty- five miles. The men flaunt about in gaudy-colored lambas of nuun folded kilts — the women work the hardest — the potters slap and rin;^ their earthenware all around, to show that there is not a single flaw in them. I bought Ivvo finely-shaped earthen bottles of porous eariiicn- ware, to hold a gallon each, for one string of beads; the women cari\ whole loads of them in their funnels above the baskets, strapped to tlic shoulders and forehead, and their bands are full besides; the roundness of these vessels is v.'onderful, seeing no machine is used: no slaves could be induced to carry half as much as they do willingly. It is a scene ul the finest natural acting imaginable. "The eagerness with which all sorts of assertions are made — the cul^ci earnestness with which apparently all creation, above, around, and beneath, is called on to attest the truth of what they allege — and then the intense surprise and withering scorn cast on those who despise theii goods; but they show no concern when the buyers turn up their noses at them. Little girls run abo' t selling cups of water for a few sir.all fishes to the half-e.xhausted wordy combatants. To me it was an amus- ing scene. I could not understand the words that flowed off their ijlib tongues, but the gestures were too expressive to need interpretation." The village itself is ruled by two chiefs from neighboring districts. Sheikh Abyas held, but the natives were still determined and again attacked ; the arrows fell in clusters, and it was a very critical ^.ime for the voyagers. Fortunately the land division arrived aiid settled the matter; the sav- a^^es disappeared, and the marching detachment united with Stanley's cixws. That night Pocock was sent out to cut away the enemy's canoes, and tliat danger was over. But now the Arab escort which had joined .Stanley at Nyangwe became rebellious, and infected' the rest. Stanley feared that all his people would mutiny, but he managed them with a firm and friendly hand. So that danger passed. All this time the peo- STANLEY'S PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 411 pie had been dying of fever, srnall-pox, and poisoned arrows, and the constant attacks of the enemy prevented burial of the dead or attendance on the sick and wounded. On tl>e 26th of December, after a merry Christmas, considering the circumstances, the expedition embarked, 149 in all, and not one deserted To-morrow would echo the cry " Victory or Death." The explorers passed into the portals of the Unknown, and on 4th January they reach^^d a series of cataracts, now named Stanley Falls. This was a can- nibal country, and the man-eaters hunted the voyagers "like game." Fc; four and twenty days the conflict continued, fighting, foot by foot, the forty miles or so which were covered by the cataracts, and which the expedition had to follow by land, foraging, fighting, encamping, drag- ging the fleet of canoes, all the time with their lives in their hands, cut- ting their way through the forest and their deadly enemies. Attack of War-vessels Kepnlsetl by Stanley's Men. Yet as soon as he had avoided the cannibals on land, they came after hin) on the water. A flotilla of fifty-four canoes, some enormous vessels, w iih ;i total of nearly two thousand warriors, were formidable obstacles in the way. But gun-powder won the day, and the natives were dis- persed with great loss, the village plundered of its ivory, which was very plentiful, and the expedition in all this lost only one man, making the sixteenth since the expedition had left Nyangwe. Sonic of the cataracts Stanley describes as magnificent, the current biiiling and leaping in brown waves six feet high. The width in places is 2,000 and 1,300 feet, narrowing at tiie falls. After the great naval battle, Stanley found friendly tribes who informed him the river, the Lualaba, which he had named the Livingstone, was surely the Congo, or the River of Congo. Here was a great geographical secret now dis- closed, and success seemed certain. It was attained, but at a great price, as \e shall see. More battles followed the peaceful days ; then the friendly tribes were again met with, and so on, until the warfare with "iian ceased, and the struggle with the Congo began in earnest. There are fifty-seven cataracts and rapids in the course of the river nun Xyangwe to the ocean, a distance of eighteen hundred miles. One portion of one hundred and eighty miles took the explorers five months. The high cliffs and the dangerous banks required the greatest caution to pass, auii had Stanley not determined to cling to the river; had he led his men by land past the cataract region, he would have done better, as tile events prove. During that terrible passage he lost precious lives, including the brave Pocock and Kalulu— the black boy. (412) STANLEY'S PERILS L\ CROSSING AFRICA. 413 March 1 2th found them in a wide reach of the river, named Stanley Pool, and below that they " for the first time heard the low and sullen thunder of the Livingstone Falls." From this date the river was the chief enemy, and at the cataracts the stream flows "at the rate of thirty miles an hour!" The canoes suffered or were lost in the " cauldron," and portages became necessary. The men were hurt also ; even Stanley liad a fall, and was half stunned. There were sundry workers, and ,iventecn canoes remaining on 27th of March. The descent was made ilong shore below Rocky Island Falls, and in gaining the camping-place Kaliiln, in the " Crocodile" canoe, was lost. This boat got into mid- >ircani, and went gliding over the smooth, swift river to destruction. Nothing could save it or its occupants. It whirled round three or four times, plunged into the depths, and Kalulu and his canoe-mates were no more. Nine men, including others in other canoes, were lost that day. '•A Groan of Horror Burst From Us.** Says Stanley : " I led the way down the river, and in five minutes was in a new camp in a charming cove, with the cataract roaring loudly about ;oo yards below us. A canoe came in soon after with a gleeful crew, and a second one also arrived safe, and I was about congratulating inystlf for having done a good day's work, when the long canoe which Kalulu had ventured in was seen in mid-river, rushing v\'"th the speed of a flying spear towards destruction. A groan of horror burst from us as we rushed to the rocky point which shut the cove from view of the river. When we had reached the point, the canoe was half-way over the first break of the cataiact, and was then just beginning that fatal circling in the whirlpool below. We saw them signalling to us for help; but alas! what could we do there, with a cataract between us ? We never saw thcni more. A paddle was picked up about forty mil ."s below, which we identified as belonging to the unfortunate coxswain, and that was all." Stanley felt this loss keenly, for he loved Kalulu almost like a younger brother. The boy had been presented to him by the Arabs of Unyan- vembe on the occasion of his first visit there in search of Livingstone, He was then a mere child, but very bright and quick for one of his race iiid age. Stanley took him to the United States where he attended xhool eighteen months, and rapidly developed into an intelligent and ;iuick-\vitted youth. When Stanley was preparing for his second expe- dition Kalulu begged to be allowed to accompany him, and he cheer- fully granted his request. His untimely death made so deep an impres- sion upon Stanley that he named the fatal cataract Kalulu Falls in honor of his memory. 414 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Three out of the four men contained in the boat were especial favor- ites of Stanley. They had been deceived by the smooth, glassy appear- ance of the river, and had pulled out boldly into the middle of it, only to meet a dreadful fate. Even while they gazed upon the spot where tlic frail craft was last seen upon the edge of the brink, another canoe came into sight, and was hurried on by the swift current towards the yawninc^ abyss. As good fortune would have it, they struck the falls at a point less dangerous than that struck by the unfortunate Kalulu, and passed them in safety. Then they worked the canoe closer to the shore, and springing overboard, swam to the land. If those yet to come were to be deceived by the appearance of the river, Stanley saw that he was destined to lose the greater part of his men. In order to prevent so sad a calam- ity, he sent messengers up the river to tell those yet to come down to keep close to the shore. Before they had time to reach those above, another canoe shot into sight, and was hurried on to the edge of the precipice. It contained but one person — the lad Soudi, who, as he shot by them, cried out: " There is but one God — I am lost, master." The next instant he passed over the falls. The canoe, after having passed the falls, did not sink, but was whirled round and round by the swift current, and was at last swept out of sight behind a neighboring island. The remainder of the canoes succeeded in reaching the camp in safety. Miraculous Rescue of Soudi. The natives at this point proved very friendly, and exchanged provis- ions for beads and wire. Having obtained all the provisions that they could conveniently carry, they prepared to start, and on the first of April succeeded in passing round the dangerous falls, when they again went into camp. A great surprise awaited them here. They had scarcely pitched their tents, when to their great surprise Soudi suddenly walked into the camp. It was as though one had indeed risen from the dead, and for a few minutes they could scarcely realize that it was the real Soudi that they beheld, and not his ghost. Great was their joy when the lad assured them that it was himself and not his spirit that they saw. Seated around their camp they listened to the strange tale that the boy had to tell him. He had been carried over the falls, and when he reached the bottom he was somewhat stunned by the shock, and did not full) recover his senses until the boat struck against a large rock ; he then jumped out and swam ashore. He had hardly placed his foot upon tli;- land before he was seized by two men, who bound him hand and foot, and carried him to the top of a large mountain near by. They th n stripped him, and examined him with great curiosity. On the day fol- STANLEY'S PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 415 lowing, a large number of the tribe who dwelt upon the mountain came to see him, and among them was one who had previously visited Stan- ley's camp, and knew that Soudi was attached to his force. He told them great stories about Stanley, how terrible he was, and what strange arms he carried, which were so arranged that they could be fired all day without stopping, and ended by telling them that if they wished to escape his fury, they had better return the boy to the place from which they had taken him. Terrified by such tales, these men at once carried Soudi to the place where they had found him, and after having told him to speak a good word for them to his master, departed. He at once swam across the stream, stopping occasionally upon the rocks to rest, and succeeded at last in reaching the camp soon after it had been established. His captors, however, did not return to their people as he !)acl supposed, but crossing the river at a point lower down, they soon after arrived at the camp and attached themselves to Stanley's force. A Native's Thrilling Adventure. The dangers attending Stanley constantly in this great journey from sea to sea are strikingly illustrated by a mishap which befell one of his men in tliat part of the tour we are now describing. At one point there were many islands in the river, which often afforded Stanley refuge when attacked by the murderous natives. They appeared veiy beautiful, but the travellers could not enjoy their beauty, so frequent were the attacks made upon them. Stanley visited several villages, in which he says he found human bones scattered about, just as we would throw away oyster shells after we had removed the bivalves. Such sis^'lits as this did not tend to place the men in the most agreeable state of mind, for it seemed to tl\em just as if they were doomed to a similar fate. On the following day they began to make preparations for passing the rapids which lay below them. In order to do this, he must first drive back the savages which lined the shore. Landing with thirty-six men, iic succeeded in doing so, after which he was able to cut a passage three miles long around the falls. Stations were established at different points along the route, and before daylight the canoes were safely carried to the first of these. The savages then made an attack upon them, but were beaten off. At night the boats were carried to the next station, and the one following to the next, and so on, until at the end of seventy-eight hours of constant labor, and almost unceasing fighting, they reached the river. But they had gone but a short distance, when they found that just before them were a series of rapids extending two miles. These *10 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I being much smaller than those they bad passed before, an attempt was made to fljat the boats down them. Six canoes passed the falls in safety, but the seventh was upset. One of the persons in it was a Negro named Zaidi, who, instead of swimming to the shore as the others did, clung to the bbat and was hurried on to the cataract below him. The canoe did not, however, pass immediately over, but striking a rock which stood upon the very edge of the falls, :t •,va.5 split, one part passing over, while the other was jammed against the rock. To this Zaidi clung in terror, while the waves dashed ani;ii!v HEROIC RESCUE OF ZAIDI. around him. Instead of attempting to render assistance to the endan- gered man, the natives stood upon the shore and howled most u.nnicrci- fully, and at last sent for Stanley. The latter at once set them at work "naking a rattan rope, by which he proposed to let a boat down to the man, into which he could get and be pulled ashore. But the rope proved too weak, and was soon snapped in twain and the boat carried over the falls. Other and stouter ropes were then laid up, three pieces of which were fastened to a canoe. But it was useless to .send the boat out without some one to guide it to the place where Zaidi was, and Stanley looked about for volunteers No one seemed inchned STANLEYS PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 417 to u^.tlertakc the dangerous job, until the brave Uledi quietly said, " I will go." And he did. Two of the cables attached to the boat were held by men on the shore, while the third was to be used to enable the poor wretch upon the rock to reach the boat. Several efforts were made t;) place it within his reach, but each in turn failed. Man Over the Falls. At last, however, he grasped it, and orders were given for the boat to be pulled ashore. No sooner were the cables tightened than they snapped like small cords, and Zaidi was carried over the falls ; but holding en to the rope, he pulled the boat against the rock, in which position it became wedged. Uledi pulled him up and assisted him into the boat, when they both scrambled upon the rock. A rope was thrown to them, but failed to reach the spot where they were. This was repeated several times, until at last they succeeded in catching it. A heavy rope was then tied to it, which the men drew towards them and fastened to the rojk, and thus communication was established between those upon the rock and those upon the shore. By this time darkness shut in upon them, and they were forced to leave the men upon their wild perch, and wait for another day before attempting to get them off The next day they succeeded in drawing them both to the shore. On June 3d another accident occurred at Masassa whirlpool, which was more deplorable than all the others. F;ank Pocock, who had been Stanley's mainstay and next in command to himself, attempted to shoot the rapids against the advice of his experienced boatman, Uledi, who was the bravest native connected with the expedition, though a Zanzibar freedman. Frank Pocock Drowned. Pocock was warned of the danger of such an undertaking, but with a rashness quite unlike himself he ordered the canoe pushed out into the stream. As they approached nearer and nearer the mad breakers Frank realiz.ed his peril, but it was too late. They were soon caught in the dreadful whirl of waters and sucked under with a mighty force sufficient to swallow up a ship. Pocock was an expert swimmer, but his art did not now avail him, for he was swept away to his death, though his eight companions saved themselves. The dreadful news was borne to Stanley by the brave Uledi. This last and greatest calamity, coming in the midst of his already heavy wei<;ht of woe, so overcame the great explorer that he wept bitter tears of an<^uish. My brave, honest, kindly-natured Frguxk^'* bfi exclaimed, " have you 27 418 WONDERS OF THK TROPICS. left me so? Oh, my '.->r^-tried friend, what fatal raslmcss ! Ah, Uledi, had you but saved him, I should have made yon a rich man." Of the three brave boys who sailed away from En;^;land with Stanley to win the laurels of discovery in the unknown wilds of Africa, not one was left, but all were now slumberin;^ for eternity, in that strange land, where the tears of sorrowing friends and relatives could never moisten their rude beds of earth. Frank was gone ; and as Stanley mourned for him he could but feci with Burns, that " Dread Omnipotence alone Can heal the wound he gave, Can point tli^ brimful grief-worn eyes To scents beyond the grave." In their home, how dreadful must the news of Frank's death hzve been to his father and mother ! They had bade those darling hoys fare- well, hoping that they would return in .safety, but both had died in a strange land, and lay amid .strange .scenes, and they were left in loneli- ness to mourn. In his letter to them, Stanley says that Frank had .so won a place in his heart, that his death took away all joy ^nd pleasure which otherwise he would have felt in being able to accomplish so great and arduous a task. Nearing the End of the Great Journey. We must now hurry on* The descent by river had cost Stanley Pocock, many of the natives, 18,000 dollars worth of ivory, twelve canoes, and a mutiny, not to mention grave anxiety and incessant cares and conflicts. After a weary time, nearly starved, the remainder of the expedition, reduced to 1 1 5 persons, sent on to Embomma a message for help and food. The letter was as follows: "Village Nsanda, August 4th, 1877. " To any gentleman who speaks English at Embomma. "Dear Sir: — I have arrived at this place from Zanzibar with one hundred and fifteen souls, men, women and children. We are now in a Slate of imminent starvation. We can buy nothing from the natives, for they laugh at our kinds of cloth, beads and wire. There are no pro- visions in the country that may be purchased except on market-days, and starving people cannot afford to wait for these markets, I therefore have made bold to despatch three of my young men, natives of Zanzibar, with a boy named Robert Ferugi, of the English mission at Zanzibar, with this letter, craving relief from you. I do not know you, but I am told there is an Englishman at Embomma, and as you are a Christian and a STANLEY^S PERILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 419 {gentleman, I beg of you not to disregard my request. The boy Robert, will be better able to describe our condition than I can tcU you in a letter, Wc arc in a state of great distress, but, if your sup[)lics arrive in time, I may be able to reach Kmbomma in four days. I want three hundred cloths, each four yards lon^, of such quality as you trade with, which is very different from that we have; but better than all would be ten or fifteen man-loads of rice or grain to fill their pinched bellies iinmediatcly, as even with the cloths, it would require time to purchase food, and starving men cannot wait The supplies must arrive within two days, or I may have a fearful time of it among the dying. Of course I hold myself rcsix)nsible for any expense you may incur in this business. What is wanted is immediate relief, and I pray you to use your utmost energies to forward it at once. For myself, if you have such little luxuries as tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits by you, such as one man can easily carry, I beg you, on my own behalf, that you will s?nd a small supply, and add to the great debt of gratitude due to you upon the timely arrival of supplies for my people. Until that time, I beg you to believe me, / *' Yours sincerely, " H. M. Stanley, *• Commatidiiig Afiglo-Amvrkan Expedition for " ExphratioH cf Africa, " P. S. — \"U may not know my name ; I therefore add, I am the person that disrjvered Livingstone, " H. M. .S." ««0, Master, I am Ready!" When the letter was finished, Stanley gathered his men aroutid him, and told them that he intended to send to Embomma for food, and desired to know who among them would go with the guides and carry the letter. No sooner had he asked the question, than Uledi sprang for- ward, exclaiming, "O, master, I am ready!" Other men also volun- teered, and on the next day they set out with the guides, Before they had got half way, the guides left them, and they had to lind their way as best they could. Passing along the banks of the C'ongo, they reached the village soon after sunset, and delivered the letter into the hands of a kindly disposed person. For thirty hours the messengei-s had not tasted food, but they were now abundantly supplied. ^)n the following morning — it was the 6th of August — lliey started to !cturn, accompanied by carriers who bore provisions for the half-starving men, women, and children, with Stanley. Meanwhile, he and his weary party were pushing on as last as their 420 WONDFRS OK TWK TROPICS. tired and wasted forms woulil let them. At nine o'clock in the mornfnp, they stopped to rest. While in this situation, an Arab boy suddenly s[>ran;4 from his scat upon the f:jrass, and shouted : " I sec Uledi coming down the hill I" Such was indeed the fact, and as the jaded men wearily turnctl tlieir eyes to the hill, half cxpectin|T to be deceived, they beheld Ulcdi and K.icheche runninjj down the hill, followed by carriers loaded with pro- visions. It was a fjlad si;j;ht to them, and with one accord they shouted: 'La il Allah, it Allah /" {''\Vc are saved, thank God!") Uledi was the first to reach the camp, and at once delivered a letter to his master. By the time Stanley had finished readintj it, the carriers arrived with the provisions, and need we say that those halfstarved people did them justice? Deeply fjratcful for the substantial answer to his letter, he immediately penned another, acknowledging their safe arrival. The letter ran as follows: " Dear Sirs: — Though strangers I feel we shall be great friends, and it will be the study of my lifetime to remember my feelings of grateful- ness when I first caught sight of your supplied, and my poor fiithful and brave people cried out, ' Master, we are saved — food is coming ! ' The old and the young men, the women and the children lifted their wearied and worn-out frames and began lustily to chant an extemporaneous song in honor of the white people by the great salt sea (the Atlantic), who had listened to their prayers. I had to rush to my tent to hide the tears that would come, despite all my attempts at composure. " Gentlemen, that the blessing of God may attend your footsteps, whithersoever you go, is the very earnest prayer of " Yours faithfully, " Henry M. Stanley." Great Problems Solved. it was a daring undertaking — that of marching from one ocean to the other through the wilds of Africa — but it was done. The groa* ff«t was accomplished. The magnificent miracle was pcrfoi nei' Heroism and self-sacrifice had their sublime triumph. Perils .dships besc* the expedition from first to last. Mr, Stanley's o words can bt. describe them. •' On all sides," he says, " death stared us in the face ; rucl eyes watched us by day and by night, and a thousand bloody hands were ready to take advantage of the least opportunity. We defended ourselves like men who knew that pusillanimity would be our ruin among savages to whon" mercy is a thing unknown. I wished, naturally, that it might STANLEY'S PLRILS IN CROSSING AFRICA. 421 have been otherwise, and looked anxiously and keenly for any sign of fjibearance or peace. My anxiety thr()iit;hout uas so constant, and the c (Tccts of it, physically and otherwise, liavc been such, that I now find myself an old man at thirty-five." As if to give force to this last statement, the Presidentof the American ricographical Society says: "It will be remembered that, when we saw Mr. Stanley here in the Society, his hair was black ; it is now said to be luarly -white. (3f the 350 men with whom he left Zanzibar in 1 874, but 115 reached the Atlantic coast, and 60 of those, when at the journey's tiid, were suffering from dysentery, scurvy and dropsy. He was on the Congo from November 1st, 1876, to August I ith. 1877 — a period of over nine months; so that his promise to the native followers was fulfilled, that he would reach the sea before the close of the year." The hist(jric Nile has given up the mystery of its source, and the Congo is no longer a puzzle, baffling the exploits of modern exploration. Stanley showed that the Lualaba is the Congo, and has opened up a splendid water-way into the interior of the Dark Continent, which the international Association has already fixed upon, and which rival explorers have already discussed with more or less acrimony. Stanley has put together the puzzle of which Burton, Speke, Livingstone, Baker, Du Cliaillu, and Cameron provided pieces, and made the greatest geographi- cal discovery of the centuiy— and of many centuries. We cannot limit the results which will accrue from this feat of Henry M. Stanley in cross- ing the Dark Continent, over which he has shed the light of civilization. Stanley was received with great ceremony in Kngland, and almost every nation hastened to bestow its honors upon him. But among them all he singles out one, concerning which he sa\'s: " For another honor I have to express my thanks — -one which I may be pardoned for regarding ;ts more precious than all the rest. The Government of the United States lias crowned my success with its official approval, and the unanimous \fitc of thanj Baker— Lady Baker EVeterinined to Accompany Her Husband — Disconjforts ai Travelling in Africa — Intense Heat in the Nile Regior>— Barren Rocks and Sandi< Wastes— Blue Sky Over a Blighted Land— The Wretc-hed Town d Korosko— Searching for One of the Sources of tlie Nile — Arrival at Berber- Courtesies oi an Ex Governor — Tiie Travellers Pitch Their Tents in a Garden — A Charming Oasis— Fine Looking Slaves From the White Nile— Slaves Well Cared fur by Their Master— Description of a Beautiful Slave Girl— Guard of TarkishSoldiers— Fine River and Forest Game — Sudden Rise of the Nile— A Clew to One Part oi the Nile Mystery— The Rainy Season Arrives — Interview With a Great Sheik— Venerable Arab on a Beautiful Snow-white Dromedary — Perfect Picture of a Desert Patriarch — Cordial Welcome to Baker and His Party — A Performance to Show the Sl^eik's Hospitality — Arrival at the Village of Sofi-On tlie Bank-; oi the Atbara— The Travellers Living in HutSr— A German in the Wilds of Af/ica— Man Killed by a Lion— Baker's Adventure With a River-ho- ie— Sav^e Old Hippopotamus — Famous Arab Hunters — WonderJul Weapons — itory of li>e Old Arab and His Trap for the Hippc^potamus— Capture of an Eiiormons P*;a.;i— Aggageers Hunting the Elephant — Thrilling Adventure ol a Renowned Arab Hunter — An Elephant Dashing Upon His Foes Like an Avalanche — P'atal Blow of the Sharp Sword — Baker's Heroic Wife— Reason Why the Nile OveriJov^s— An Ivory Trader — Baker Arrives at Khartoun> — Romatic Beauty Destroyed by the Filth of a Miserable To *n. jfiJ^EFORE following Stanley in bis last great expedition for the relief of Emin Pasha, an undcrt?.; ing which has again drawn toward him the eyes of the whole civilized world, we will turn our atten- tion to the extraordinary achievements and daring feats of other African travellers, whose renown is scarcely less than that of Stanley himself. A brilliant galaxy of explorers shine resplcndcnIPin the firma- ment of modern discov ery, and we come now to fresh tales of heioism and adventure worthy to rank with those already related. We arc c)eal- ing with almost superhuman achievements, and the historic pages on vvhich they are wiitten have a fascination for every lover of brave dcedsj heroic sacifices, and deathless devotion to a great cause. Sir Samuel, then untitled Mr. Baker, was already an experienced traveller and a practiced sportsman, when in March, i86i, having resolved to devote his energies to the discovery of one of the sources of the Nile. he set forth from Elngland to proceea up the mysterious river from its TRAVELS OF SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 423 mouth, inwardly determined to accomplish the difficult task or to die in the attempt He had, however, shortly before married a young wife. Slic, with a devoted love and heroism seldom surpassed, notwithstanding tlio danp;c]s and difficulties she knew she must encounter, entreated to iccompany her husband. Ixavinj'- Giiro on the 15th of April, they sailed up the Nile. Soon ill J riisconifoils of travel became almost unbearable, as will be seen fiotr. iic following entry, early in May, in Baker's journal: "No air. The thermometer 104 degrees; a stifling heat. Becalmed, we iiave been lying the entire clay below the ruins of Philae. Thi,^ aie the most tm{X)siag mcnu'nents of the Nile, otving to their peculiar situa- i'.on upon a rocky island that commands the [iassage of the river above the cataract. The baiiks of the stream are here hemmed in by ranges o( tiills from 100 to 250 feet high ; these are entirely destitute of soil, beiiifj coiiiposod of cnoiinous masse* of red graiiite, piled block upon blocks the rude niasonry of Nature that iias walled in the river. Bairrcu ISock^ aitd Saiidy Wa«ie«. " Tlte hoi'jows between the iiills are choked with a yellow sand, which, (liifted by die wind, lias, in many instances, completely filled tlie narrow \alioys. Upon either side of the Nile are vestiges of ancient forts. The Eaud appears as though it ibore the curse of Heaven ; misery, barrenness, aiui the he:i£ of a fuitiace, are its fe^ltures. The glowing rocks, devoid of a trace of vegetation, reflect the suK with an intensity that must be felt to be understood. The miserable people who dwell in villages upon. the river's banks snatch evejy sandbank from the retiring stream, andim- niedLatcl^/ plafiit their .scanty garden with melons, gourds, and lentils, this being tJbeif only resource for cultivation. Not an iuch of availa.ble soil ts lost ; but day by day, as the river dky above, and, the owly bJes.sing of thin bli^jhted land, the Nile, silentl/ f n' 424 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Wi flowing between its stern walls of rocks towards the distant land of Lower Egypt, form a total that produces a scene to be met with nowhere but upon the Nile, In this miserable spot the unfortunate inhabitant.'^ are taxed equally with those of the richer districts — about ten cents annually for each date palm." Whei: the party had been twenty-six days on the river they reached Korosko. At this wretched spot the Nile is dreary beyond description, as a vast desert, unenlivened by cultivation, forms its borders, throu^'li which the melancholy river rolls towards Lower Egypt in the cloudle-^ glare of a Tropical sun. Whence came this extraordinary stream that could flow through these burning sandy deserts, unaided by tributary channels? That was the mysterious question as they stepped upon the shore now, to commence a land journey in search of the distant sources. They climbed the steep sandy bank, and sat down bcncatli a solitary sycamore. A "Wretched Place. Korosko is not rich in supplies. A few miserable Arab huts, with tin usual fringe of dusty date palms, compose the village; the muddy river is the frontier on the west, the burning desert on the east. Thus hemnied in, Korosko is a narrow strip of a few yards width on the margin of th( Nile, with only one redeeming feature in its wretchedness — the green shade of the old sycamore beneath which they sat. Baker says : " I liad a firman from the Viceroy, a cook, and a drayc- man. Thus, my outfit was small. The firman was an order to all Egyp- tian officials for assistance ; the cook was dirty and incapable ; and tin interpreter was nearly ignorant of English, although a professed polyglot With this small beginning, Africa was before me, and thus I commenced the search for one of the sources of the Nile." From Korosko the travellers crossed the Nubian Desert on camels, with the simoon in full force and the heat intense, to Berber. Hero Mr, Baker, finding his want of Arabic a great drawback, resolved to devote a year to the study of that language, and to spend the time in the coni- paptively known regions to the north of Abyssinia, while he explored the various confluences of the Blue Nile. Berber is a large town, and in appearance is similar to the Nde towns of Lower Egypt, consisting of the usual dusty, unpaved streets, and flit- roofed houses of sun-baked bricks. It is the seat of a Governor (^r Mudir, and is gencially the quarters for about l ,500 troop;;. Says Baker " We were very kindly received by llalleem Effentli, the ex-Governor, who at once gave us fiermission to pitch the tents in his garden, close to and of 3\vher( bitant.s cents I m 426 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. . 1 ' I . ml r^ i the Nile, on the southern outskirt of the town. After fifteen days of desert marching, the sight of a well-cultivated garden was an Eden in our eyes. About eight acres of land, on the margin of the: river, were thickly planted with lofty date groves, and shaded citron and lemon trees, beneath which we reveled in luxury on our Persian rugs, and enjoyed complete rest after the fatigue of our long journey. Beautilul Garden. "Countless birds were chirping and singing in the trees above us: innumerable ring-doves were cooing in the shady palms ; and the sudden change from the deadly sterility of the desert to the scene of verdure and of life produced an extraordinary effect upon the spirits. What caused this curious transition ? Why should this charming oasis, teem- ing with vegetation and with life, be found in the yellow, sandy desert ? Watcp had worked this change ; the spirit of the Nile, more potent than any g-Miii of the Arabian fables, had transformed the tlcsert into a fruit- ful garden. Haileem Effendi, the former Governor, had, many years ago, planted this garden, irrigated by numerous water-wheels ; and wo now enjoyed the fruits, and thanked Heaven for its greatest blessings in that burning land, shade and cool water.'' The garden of Haileem Effendi was attended by a number of fine, powerful slaves from the White Nile, whose stout frames and glossy skins were undeniable witness of their master's care. Here IJaker and his party received visits from their host and the governor, as well as from other officers, who expressed their astonishment when they announced their intention of proceeding to the head of the Nile. " Do not go on such an absurd errand," exclaimed Haileem LYfondi " Nobody knows anything about the Nile. We do not even know the source of the Atbara. While you remain within the territory of the Pacha of Egypt j'ou will be safe; but the moment you cross the frontier you will be in the hands of savages." . Their host sent them daily presents of fruit by a charmingly pretty slave girl, whose numerous mistresses requested permission to pay th>i travelleis a visit. In the cool hour of evening a bevy of ladies approached through the dark groves of citron trees, so gaily dressed in silks of the brightest dyes of yellow, blue and scarlet, that no bouquet of flowers could have been more gaudy. They were attended by numerous slaves, and the head servant politely requested Baker to withdra^v during the interview. Some of these ladies were very young and pretty, and of course exercised a certain influence over their husbands; thus, on the following morning f ;I'U THE BEAUTIFUL SLAVE GIRL AT "ERBER. (427) 428 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. i'! the travellers were inundated with visitors, as the male members of the family came to thank them for the manner in which their ladies had buvn received ; and fruit, flowers, and the general produce of the jjardcn were presented them in profusion. However pleasant, there were drawbacks to their Garden of Eden ; there was dust in their Paradise — sudden clouds raised by whirlwinds in the desert, which fairly choked the ears anr' nostrils when thus attacked. June is the season when tliL-sc phe- nomena are most prevalent. At that time the rains have commenced in the south, and are extending toward the north ; the cold and heavier air of the southern rain-clouds sweeps down upon the overheated atmos- phere of the desert, and produces sudden, v'olent squalls and whirlwinds when least expected, as at that time the sky is cloudless. Guard of Turkish Soldiers. After a week spent at this pleasant spot, they commenced their journey, attended by a guard of Turkish soldiers, who were to act in the double capacity of escort and servants. Their dragoman was called Mahonu t, and the principal guide Achmet. The former, though almost black, declared that his color was of a light brown. As already stated, he spoke very bad luiglish, was excessively conceited, and irascible to a degree. Accustomed to the easy-going expeditions on the Nile, he had no tasle for the rough sort of work his new master had undertaken. The jour- ney across the desert tract was performed on donkeys, the luggage as well as some of the travellers, being carried on camels or dromedaries. In two days they reached the junction of the Atbara river with the Nile. Here, crossing a broad surface of white sand, which at that season formed the dry bed of the river, they encamped near a plantation of water-melons, with which they refreshed themselves and their tired don- keys. The river was here never less than four hundred yards in width, with banks nearly thirty feet deep. Not only was it partially dr\', but so clear was the sand-bed that the reflection of the sun was almost unbear- able. Fiue IJiver and Forest Game. They traveled along the banks of the river for some days, .stopping by the side of the pools which still remained. Many -of these pools were full of crocodiles and hippopotami. One of these river-horses had latel\- killed the proprietor of a melon-garden, who had attempted to drive tiie creature from his plantation. Mr. Baker had the satisfaction of kilHii.^ one of the monsters in shallow water. It was quickly surrounded by Arabs, who hauled it on shore, and, on receiving his permission to take the meat, in an instant a hundred knives were at work, the men fi^jhting ^i I TRAVELS OF SIR SAMUKL AND LADY BAKER. 42a to obtain the most delicate morsels. He and his wife breakfasted that morning on hippopotamus flesh, which was destined to be their general food during their journey among the Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile. Game abounded, and he shot gazelles and hippopotami sufficient to keep the whole camp well supplied with meat. One day in June they were nearly suffocated by a whirlwind that ouried everything in the tents several inches in du->t. The heat was intense; the night, however, was cool and pleasant. About half-past ciyht, as Mr. Baker lay asleep, he fancied that he heard a rumbling like distant thunder. The low uninterrupted roll increasing in volume, pres- ently a confusion of voices arose from the Arabs' camp, his men shout- int; as they rushed through the darkness : " The river ! the river ! " ^lahomet exclaimed that the river was coming down, *and that the r.iipposed distant roar was the approach of water. Many of the people, who had been sleeping on the clean sand of the river's bed, were quickly awakened by the Arabs, who rushed down the steep bank to save the skulls of two hippopotami which were exposed to dry. Sudden Rise of the Nile. The sound of the torrent, as it rushed by amid the darkness, and the nitii, dripping with wet, dragging their heavy burdens up the bank, told that the great event had occurred. The river had arrived like a thief in the night. The next morning, instead of the barren sheet of clear white sand with a fringe of withered bush and trees upon its borders, cutting the yellow expanse of desert, a magnificent stream, the noble Atbara liver flowed by, some five hundred yards in width, and from fifteen to twenty feet in depth. Not a drop of rain, however, had fallen ; but the current gave the traveller a clue to one portion of the Nile mystery. The rains were pouring down in Abyssinia — these were the sources of the Nile. The rainy season, however, at length began, during which it was i:npo.ssible to travel. The Arabs during that period migrate to the drier regions in the north. On their way they arrived in the neighbor- lood of the camp of the great Sheikh Achmet Abou Sinn, to whom Mr. Maker had a letter of introduction. Having sent it forward by Mahomet, in a short time the sheikh appeared, attended by several of his principal rU-oplc. He was mounted on a beautiful snow-white dromedary, his appearance being remarkably dignified and venerable. Although upwards of eighty years old, he was as erect as a lance, and of herculean stature; a remarkably arched nose, eyes like an eagle's, beneath large, shagyy, but perfectly white eyebrows, while a snow-white beard of great 4.*^0 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ia -.! ! thickness descended below the middle of his breast. He wore a large white turban, and a white cashmere robe rcachinrj from the throat to the ankles. He was indeed the perfect picture of a desert patriarcli. He insisted on the travellers accompanying him to his camp, and would heat of no excuses. Ordering Mahomet to have their baggage repacked, he requested them to mount two superb dromedaries with saddle-cloths of blue and purple sheep-skins, and they set out with their venerable host; Tollowed by his wild and splendidly-mounted attendants. Cordial Welcome of a Great Sheikh. As they approached the camp they were suddenly met by a crowd of mounted men, armed with swords and shields, some on horses, others on dromedaries. These were Abou Sinn's people, who had assembled to do honor to thefr chief's guests. Having formed in lines paralk 1 with pie approach of their guests, they galloped singly at full speed across thu line of march, flourishing their swords over their heads, and reining in, their horses so as to bring them on their haunches by the sudden halt. This performance being concluded, they fell into line behind the party. DerUning the sheikh's invitation to spend two or three months at his camp, Mr. and Mrs. Baker travelled on to the village of Sofi, where they proposed remaining during the rainy season. It was situated near the banks of the Atbara, on a plateau of about twenty acres, bordered on either side by two deep ravines, while below the steep cliff in front of the village flowed the river Atbara. Their tents were pitched on a level piece of ground just outside the village, where the grass, closely nibbled by the goats, formed a natural lawn. Here huts were built and some weeks were pleasantly spent. Mr. Baker found an abundance of sport, sometimes catching enormous fish, at others shooting birds to supply his larder, but more frequently hunting elephants, rhinoceros, giraffes, and other large game. He here found a German named Florian, a stone-mason by trade, who had come out attached to the Austrian mission at Khartoum, but prefer- ring a freer life than that city afforded, had become a great hunter. Mr Baker, thinking that he would prove useful, engaged him as a hunter and he afterwards took into his service Florian's black servant Richarn, who became his faithful attendant. A former companion of Florian'.s lohann Schmidt, soon afterwards arrived, and was also engaged by Mt. J >aker to act as his lieutenant in his proposed White Nile expedition. Poor Florian, however, was killed by a lion, and Schmidt and Richarn alone accompanied him. Mr. Baker's skill as a sportsman was frequently called into play by the I !l SI (431) 432 WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. natives, to drive off the elephants and hippopotami which infested thoir plantations. One afternoon lie was requested to shoot a savajje old bull hippopotamus which had given chase to several people. He rode to the spot, about two miles off, where the hippopotamus lived in a Jeep and broad portion of the river. The old hippopotamus was at home. The river, about two hundred and fifty yards wide, had formed by an acute bend a deep hole. In the centre of this was a sandbank just below the surface. Upon this shallow bed the hippotamus was reposing. On perceiving the party he began to snort and behave himself in a most absurd manner, by shaking his head and leaping half way out of the water. Mr. Baker had given Bacheetand other attendants rifles, and had ordered them to follow on the bank. He now directed one to fire several shots at the hippopolamus, in order if. possible, to drive the animal towards him. The hippo, a wicked, solitary, old bull, returned the insult by charging towards Bacheet with a tremendous snorting, which sent him scrambling up the steep bank in a panic. This gave the brute con- fidence ; and the sportsman, who had hitherto remained concealed, called out according to Arabic custom : " Hasinth ! hasinth f the Arabic for hippopotamus. The brute, thinking no doubt that he might as well drive the intruder away, gave a loud snort, sank, and quickly reappeared about a hundred yards from him. On this Mr. Baker ordered Bacheet to shoot to attract the animal's attention. As the hippopotamus turned his head, Mr. Baker took a steady shot, aiming behind the ear, and im- mediately the saucy old hippo turned upon his back and rolled about, lashing the still pool into waves, until at length he disappeared. Famous Arab Hunteis. His intention of engaging a party of the Ham.ran Arabs, celebrated as hunters, to accompany him in his explorations of the Abyssinian rivers having become known, several of these men made their appearance at Sofi. They are distinguished from the other tribes of Arabs by an extra length of hair, worn parted down the centre and arranged in long curls. They are armed with swords and shields, the former having long, straight, two-edged blades, with a small cross for the handle, similar to the long. straight, cross-handled blades of the crusaders. Their shields, formed of rhinoceros, giraffe, or elephant-hide, are either round or oval. Thcii swords, which they prize highly, are kept as sharp as razors. The length of the blade is about three feet, and the handle six inches long. It is secured to the wrist by a leathern strap, so that the hunter cannot by any accident be disarmed. TRAVELS OK SIR SAMUEL AND LADY BAKER. 433 These men go in chase of all wild animals of the desert ; some are noted as expert hippopotamus slayers, but the most celebrated are the A{,'|^ayeers, or elephant hunters. The latter attack the huge animal cither on horseback, or on foot when th;jy cannot afford to purchase steeds. In the latter case, two men alone hunt together. They follow the tracks of an elephant which they contrive to overtake about noon, .v'hen the animal is either asleep or extremely listless and easy to approach. Should the elephant be asleep, one of the hunters will creep towards its head, and with a single blow sever the trunk stretched on the ground, the result being its death within an hour from bleeding. Should the animal be awake, they will creep up from behind, and give a tremendous cut at the back sinew of the hind leg, immediately disabling the monster. It is followed up by a second cut on the remaining leg, when the creature becomes their easy prey. When hunting on horseback, generally four men form a party, and they often follow the tracks of a herd from their drinking-place for upwards of twenty miles. Mr, Baker accompanied thorn on numerous iuinling expeditions, and witnessed the wc^derfui courage and dexterity they displayed. After spending three months at Sofi, he set out for the Settite River, he and his wife crossing the Atbara River on a raft formed of his large circular sponging bath supported by eight inflated skins secured to his bedstead. An Old Arab's Trap for the River-lior.se. A party of the Aggageers now joined him. Among them was Abou Do, a celebrated old hippopotamus hunter, who, with his spear of trident shape in hand, might have served as a representative of Neptune. The old Arab was equally great at elephant hunting, and had on the previous day exhibited his skill, having assisted to kill several elephants. He now divested himself of all his clothing, and set out, taking -his harpoon in hand, in search of hippopotami. This weapon consisted of a steel blade about eleven inches long and thiee-qarters of an inch in width, with a single bai b. To it was attached a strong rope twenty feet long, with a float as large as a child's head at the extremity. Into the harpoon was fixed a piece of bamboo ten feel long, around which the rope was twisted, while the buoy was carried on the hunter's left hand. After proceeding a couple of miles, a herd of hippopotami were- seen in a pool below a rapid surrounded by rocks. He, however, remarking that they were too wide-awake to be attacked, continued his course down the 28 t 434 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. stream till a smaller pool was reached. Here the immense head of ,- hippopotamu.s was seen, close to a perpendicular rock that formed a wal to the river. The old lumter, motioninj^ the travellers to remain quiet immediately plunged into the stream and crossed to the opposite bank, whence, keeping himself under shelter, he made his way directlv towards the spot beneath which the hippopotamus wa M M ^ (/i' O PI ^1 m (4W) 433 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. the exriif^ment, heeded nothing but Rodur and his mare. When close to the tail of tiie elephant, the sword of one of the Aggageers flashed from its sheath as, grasping his trusty blade, he leaped nimbly to the ground, while his companion caught the reins of his horse. Two or three bounds on foot, with the sword clutched in both hands, and he was close behind the elephant. A bright glance shone like lightnin ^ as the sun struck on the descending steel. This was followed by a dull crack, the sword cutting through skin and sinew, and sinking deep int< the bone about twelve inches above the foot. At the next stride the ele phant halted dead short in the midst of his tremendous charge, 'i ' • Aggagcer who had .struck the blow vaulted into the saddle wit,, iii.s naked sword in hand. At the same moment Rodur turned shai]> round and, again facing the elephant, stooped quickly from the saddle to pick up from the ground a handful of dirt, which he threw into the face of the vicious animal, that once moie attempted to rush upon him. It wa.s impossible ; the foot was dislocated and turned up in front like an old shoe. In an instant the other Aggageer leaped to the ground, and again the sharp sword .sla.shcd the remaining leg." .Nothing could be more perfect than the way in which these dara..; hunters attack their prey. " It is difficult to decide which to adniiic more — whether the coolness and courage of him who led the elephant, or the extraordinary skill and activity of the Aggageer who dealt the fatal blow." Thus, hunting and exploring, Mr. Baker, accompanied by his heroic wife, visited the numerous river-beds which carry the rains of the moun- tain tus regions of Aby.ssinia into the Blue Nile, and are the cau.se of the periodical overflowing of the mighty .stream, while its ordinary current is fed from othe far-distant sources, towards one of which the traveller now prepared :o direct his steps. Speke and Grant were at this time making their way from Zanzibar, across untrodden ground, towards Gondokoro. An expedition under Petherick, the ivory-trader, sent to assist thefn, had met with mi.sforlunc and been greatly delayed, and Mr. Baker therefore hoped to reach the equator, and perhaps to meet the 2Lanzibar explorers somewhere about the sources of the Nile. Proceeding along tne banks of the Blue Nile. Mr. and Mrs. Baker reached Khartoum on the i ith of June, 1862, which they found to be a filthy and miserable town. ^ • ,, r I :f lii.J. _•■■-■"■ ■-..;, , .,- •- -. ^ ...■;. -., , :•• -.3,1. : .. ■ ■ ' ■■ ■•■■■ '■.'■'.- :.'■ '\ ;.■, • ci- • ■ • ■,■,'•-•. ^ !. .;. .'..,< ''_ ' CHAPTER XX. ^" " ' ■"; ''■'■'■ " ''' - THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NILE. .< - • The Immense Region of the Soudai. — Remarkable Character of "Chinese" Gor» don — A Man Made of Damascus Steel— A Warrior and Not an Explorer —My. and Mrs. Baker Crossing the Nubian Desert— Hardshii)s of a Long Camel Jour- ney — The Romance of a Desert Journey Destroyt-d — Travelling Through a Furnace — A Nubian Thunder Storm— Baker s Description of a Camel Ride — A Humorous Experience — "Warranted to .Ride Easy" — Extraordinary Freak ol Nature — Thorns Like Fish-hooks — Camel Piunginj^ Into the Thorn Bushes— An African Scorpion— Water Six Inches i^eep in the Tents — The Explorers Pressing Forward— The Party That Left Khartoum- The Carpenter Johann— Sickness and Death of Poor Johann— Celebrated Tribe of Blacks— Very Cheap Style oi Dress — Traits of the Neuhr Tribe — Ludicrous Attempt to Get Into Shoes — Mode of Salutation— Mosquitoes in Africa — Vi^it from a Chief and His Daughter — Leopard Skin and Skull Cap of White Beads — Men Tall and Slender— Puny Children— An Indolent and Starving People — Herds of Cattle— Sacred Bull With Ornamented Horns — How a Prussian Baron Lost His Life — Termination of the Voyage — ^.ppearance of the Country— The Explorers Looked Upon With Suspicion— Native Dwellings — The Perfection of Cleanliness— Huts With Projecting Roofs and Low Entrances — The Famous Bari Tribe — Warlike and Dangerous Savages— Story of an Umbrella — Systematic Extortion— Stories ol Two Brave Boys. mK. AND MRS. BAKER were now in the eastern part of that large desert region in Northern Africa which goes by the name » of the Soudan. This immense tiact has lately been brought into prominence by the wonderful exploits and extraordinaiy heroism of General Gordon — " Chinese " Gordon, as he was called by reason of achievements in China, which have given him remarkable fame. He was a bold, strong character, a man of uncommon nerve and endur- ance, one who took a high moral view of the work in which he was engaged, whose conscientiousness cculd not be doubted, whose tact and perseverance were conspicuous — a mnn who was a l-ind of religious hero, raised up for a certain great work, and who fell before it was fully accom- plished. His name will go down to all generations. He was a silent man, very much wrapped up within himself, somewhat stern in his dispo- sition, whose nature was apparently made of Damascus steel, and who, although possessed of gentle qualities and much beloved by those who knew him best, was yet a man to be dreaded when not obeyed. "Chinese" Gordon was not an explorer. He did not partake of the (439, 440 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. character of Stanley, Biker, Livingstone, and others. Yet he succeeded in gaining a very strong hold upon the sympathies and the admiration of not only the English people, but of all civilized nations. He was a man to awaken enthusiasm and admiration, and the heroic sacrifice which he finally made of himself places a fitting climax upon his marvellous career. It is true that geographical discovery has had its great heroes; it is also true that the attempts of European nations to carry their commerce, their arms, their modes of government, into the benighted Continent of Africa have had heroes none the less brilliant. It will be interesting to the reader to continue the journey through the wilds of Abyssinia which lie upon the borders of the Soudan ; in fact, the Soudan may be said to include this vast region, which in itself is a Trop- ical wonder. • We have already seen that Mr. and Mrs. Baker crossed the Nubian desert. This in itself was a formidable undertaking, for the dreary desert is the greatest obstacle to exploration southward into the region of Cen- tral Africa. t i . This dreary tract we must cross, otherwise we can have no adequate idea of the hardships of the explorer's life, the difificulties and discour- agements he meets with at the very outset, and the surprising contrast between his experiences in the earlier and in the later stages of his progress. His voyage up the Nile, under the ever clear and brilliant sky of Egypt, past the silent shapes of the temples, the sphinxes, the pyramids, and other gigantic monuments of a great past, and surrounded by the sights and sounds of Oriental life, has been a holiday trip to the traveller bound lakewards. Hardships of a Longr Camel Bide. When he places his foot on the desert sand, and transfers his guns, his tent, and other appurtenances of travel from the river-boat to the back of the " ship of the desert " which is to convey him across the Great Bend of the Nile from Korosko to Abu Hammed, the stern reality of his task begins. The first day's sun, reflected with overpowering force from the fantastic cliffs and flinty sand of the Korosko Desert, probably burns out of him any romance that he may have entertained in connection with Nubian travel; before the nearest halting-place is reached, the early delightful sense of the novelty of riding on camel-back has given place to a hearty detestation of the uneasy mention, the slow progress, and the abominable temper of that overlauded brute. Dr. Nachtigal, the celebrated African explorer, was once the guest of a rich Hamburg merchant. The merchant's son, a young man of a some- THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NILE. 441 wliat sentimental temperament, said, among other things, that his dearest wi^-li was to ride across the desert on the back of a camel. He thought such a ride must be very poetic indeed. " My dear young friend," replied the explorer, " I can tell you how you can get a partial idea of what riding a camel on the deserts of Africa is like. Take an office stool, screw it up as high as possible, and put it in a wagon without any springs, then seat yourself on the stool, and have it drawn over rocky and uneven ground, during the hottest wiather of July or August, after you have not had anything to eat or drink for ^wenty-four hours, and th(?n you will get a faint idea of how delightfully poetic it is to ride on a camel in the wilds of Africa." v . , Travelling: Througrh a Furnace. : jji^ Soon you are glad to abandon travel in the full blaze of day, with its blistering glare from rock and sand, the pitiless sun overhead, and the finnacc-like breath of the desert air, and you march at night, when the earth is growing cool again, under the great stars. Here and there, as you descend into the bed of a " wady," or dry-water course, the eye is relieved for an instant by a patch of green verdure, a frightened gazelle dashes away to the shelter of the nearest sand-hills, or a glimpse is caught of a naked Arab youth tending his flock of goats; for even the desert is not entirely void of plant and animal life, though every living thing seems to partake of the arid nature and to bear the dusty colors of the surrounding waste. Even rain is not altogether unknown, and it is looked for at least on :e every winter season, although sometimes four years will pass without a fall. At these times the clouds that have drifted up from the distant Indian Ocean may be seen pitching their black tents about the summits of the iKountain ridges that divide the Nile \'alley from the Red Sea. The nnniad ^rab ir«bes, the only inhabitants of these thirsty hills, watch them '.f th breathless hope. A north wind may blow during the night and irift them back whence they came. More likely they burst in thunder- rtiirm — the whole of the storms of a season compressed into one furious onslaught of lightning and rain. The dry water-courses of yesterday are roaring torrents by morning, bearing down to the Nile a tribute of water for one day in the year at least. For one day also, or perhaps for some weeks, the earth and air are swept of their impurities, and the face of the desert begins to look fresh and verdant, as grass and plants spring up rapidly on every hand; but then again the drought and the heat return, and nature withers more r&pidly than it sprang to life. There are spcts, however, well known to ^4 '.S'-t, • nl M V 'M'i (412) THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NILE. 443 the Arab shepherd and camel-driver, where there are running water and green turf all the year round, or where, sheltered perhaps by the naked rocks of some deep ravine, a little oasis of palm and tamarisk trees is to be found. These are the halting-places on the march — the stepping- stones by means of which alone this howling wilderness may be crossed. Sometimes the wells fail, or are poisoned, or a predato/y bund occupies Uie springs ; and then the unfortunate traveller has to face the peril of death from thirst or exhaustion as the fainting caravan is hurried forward CO the next halting-place. In any case he is fervently thankful when the shining waters of the Nile come again into sight at Abu Hammed, and this doleful stage of his desert wandering; So at a close. Baker's Descriptiui? of a Camel Ride. Our hero gives an interesting and withal humorous account of the experiences of himself and wif voyaging on the "ships of the desert." He says: When a sharp cut from the stick of the guide induces the camel to break into a trot, the torture of the rack is a pleasant tickling compared to the sensation of having your spine driven by a sledge-ham- mer from below, half a foot deeper into the skull. The human frame may be inured to almost anything ; thus the Arabs, who have always been accustomed to this kind of exercise, hardly feel the motion, and the por- tion of the body most subject to pain in riding a rough camel upon two bare pieces of wood for a saddle, betomes naturally adapted for such rough service, as monkeys become hardened from constantly sitting upon rough surfaces. The children commence almost as soon as they are born, as they must accompany their mothers in their annual migrations ; and no sooner can the young Arab sit astride and hold on, than he is placed behind his father's saddle, to which he clings, while he bumps upon the bare back of the jolting camel. Nature quickly arranges a horny protection to the nerves by the thick-Miing of the skin; therefore an Arab's opinion of the action of a riding camel should never be accepted without a personal trial. What appears delightful to him maybe torture to you, as a strong breeze and a rough sea may be charming to a sailor, but worse than death to a landsman. •• Warranted to Ride Easy." I was determined not to accept the camels now offered until I had seen ihem tried ; I accordingly ordered our black soldier, El Baggar,to saddle the most easy-actioned animal for my wife; ; but I wished to see him put t through a variety of paces before she should accept it. The delighted El Baggar, who from long practice was as hard as the heel of a boot, 444 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. disdained a saddle ; the animal knelt, was mounted, and off he staged at full trot, performing a circle of about fifty yards diameter, as thoucjh in a circus. I never saw such an exhibition ! " V/arrantcd quiet to ride, of easy action, and fit for a lady !" This had been the character received with the rampant brute, which now, with head and tail erect, went tearing round the circle, screaming and roaring like a wild beast, throwing his forelegs forward, and stepping at least three feet high in his trot. Where was El Baggar ? ;.,f A disjointed -looking black figure was Sometimes on the back of this easj'-go'ing camel, sometimes a foot high in the air: arms, head, legs, h'.nJs appeared like a confused mass of dislocations ; the woolly hair of this unearthly individual, that had been carefully trained in long, stiff, narrow curls, precisely similar to the tobacco known as /' negro-head," alternately started upright en masse as though under the influence of electricity, and then fell as suddenly upon his shoulders; had the dark individual been a " black dose," he or it could not have been more thoroughly shaken. This object, so thoroughly disguised by rapidity of movement, was El Baggar; happy, delighted El Baggar! As he came rapidly round towards us, flourishing his stick, I called to him, " Is that a nice drome- dary for the Sit (lady). El Baggar? Is it ZT/^y easy ? " He was almost incapable of a reply. " V-e-r-y e-e-a-a-s-y," replied the trustworthy authority, "j-j-j-just the thin-n-n-n-g for the S-i i-i-t-t-t." "All right, that will do," I answered, and the jockey pulled up his steed. "Are the other camels better or worse than that?" I asked. "Much worse," replied El Baggar; " the others are rather tough, but this is an easy-goer, and will suit the lady well." An Extraordinary Freak of Nature. It was impossible to hire a good dromedary; an Arab prizes his riding animal too much, and invariably refuses to let it to a stranger, but generally imposes upon him by substituting some lightly-built camel, that he thinks will pass muster ; I accordingly chose for my wife a steady- going animal from among the baggage-camels, trusting to be able to obtain a better one from the great sheikh, Abou Sinn, who was encamped upon the road we were about to take along the valley of the Atbara. Upon arriving at the highest point of the valley, we found ourselves upon the vast table-land that stretches from the Atbara to the Nile. A^ this season the entire surface had a faint tint of green, as the young shoots of grass had replied to the late showers of rain ; so perfect a level was this great tract of fertile country, that within a mile of the valley of the ) i 1 ■ p / ni i- ■ ■ : ,,.;/: m '^-: _' -; ''m>^ i ,.i»'^ wii-D Arab's swift kide. (445) r ;'r). Ill m 410 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. IVWl;!! 1 |:i : U Atbara there was neither furrow nf>r water-course, but the escape of the rainfall was by simple soakage. As usual, the land was dotted with mimosas, all of which were now bursting into leaf. The thorns of the different varieties of these trees are an e.>' o 7 /A Photographic Sciences Corporation I"* WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (7)6) B. .^-4503 \ ;v ^9) V NJ \\ <^ ^ 6^ <' 448 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. were in the rotten wood lately thrown upon the fire : in their flight from the heat they stung all whom they met. There was no time to prepare food ; the thunder already roared above us, and in a few minutes the sky, lately so clear, was as black as ink. I had already prepared for the storm, and the baggage was piled within the tent ; the ropes of the tents had been left slack to allow for the con- traction, and we were ready for the rain. It was fortunate that we were in order; a rain descended with an accompaniment of thunder and light- ping, of a volume unknown to the inhabitants of cooler climates ; for sev- eral hours there was almost an uninterrupted roar of the most deafeninjj peals, with lightning so vivid that our tent was completely lighted up in the darkness of the night, and its misery displayed. Not only was the rain pouring through the roof, so that we were wet through as we crouched upon orr angareps (stretchers), but the legs of our bedstead stood in more than six inches of water. Being as wes r',s I could be, I resolved to enjoy the scene outside the tent; it was curious in the extreme. Flash after flash of sharp forked lightning played upon the surface of a boundless lake; there was not a foot of land visible, but the numerous dark bushes, projecting from the surface of the water, destroyed the illusion of depth that the scene would otherwise have suggested. The rain ceased ; but the entire country was flooded several inches deep, and when the more distant lightning flashed, as the storm rolled away, I saw the camels lying like statues built into the lake. On the following morning the whole of this great mass of water had been absorbed by the soil, which had become so adhesive and slippery that it was impjssible for the camels to move ; we therefi)ie waited for some hours, until the intense heat of the sun had dried the sur- face sufficiently to allow the animals to proceed. A Begiineut of Scorpions. Upon striking the tent, we found beneath the volance, between the crown and the walls, a regiment of scorpions ; the flood had doubtless destroyed great numbers within their holes, but these, having been dis- turbed by the deluge, had found an asylum by crawling up the tent walls: with great difficulty we lighted a fire, and committed them all to the flames. Mahomet made a great fuss about his hand, which was cer- tainly much swollen, but not worse than that of Achmet, who did not complain, although during the night he had been again bitten on the le^; by one of these venomous insects, that had crawled from the water upou his clothes. Our last chapter left Mr. and Mrs. Baker at Khartoum. As the gov- THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NiLE. 449 eminent of Soudan refused to supply Baker with properly-trained soldiers, the only men he could get for an escort were the barbarous ruffians of Khartoum, who had been accustomed all their lives to plunder in the White Nile trade ; yet, such as they were, he was compelled to put up with them, though he would undoubtedly have done bettor had he gone without such an escort. The voyage alone to Gondokoro, the navigable limit of the Nile, was likely to occupy about fifty days, so that a large supply of provisions was necessary. Says Baker : To organize an enterprise so difficult that it had hitherto defeated the whole world required a careful selection of attendants, and I looked with despair at the prospect before me. The only men procurable for eicort were the miserable cut-throats of Khartoum, accustomed to murder and pillage in the White Nile trade, and excited not by the love of adventure but by the desire for plunder : to start with such men appeared mere insanity. An exploration to the Nile sources was a march through an enemy's country, and required a powerful force of well-armed men. For the traders there was no great difficulty, as they took the initiative in hositilities and had fixed camps as supply stations, but for an explorer there was no alternative but a direct forward march without any communications with the rear. The preparations for such a voyage are no trifles. I required forty-five armed men as escort, forty men as sailors, which, with servants, etc., raised my party to ninety-six. In the hope of meeting Speke and Grant's party, I loaded the boats with an extra quantity of corn. The Carpenter Johann. Ill all the detail, I was much assisted by a most excellent man whom I had engaged to accompany me as my head-man, a German carpenter, Johann Schmidt. I had formerly met him hunting on the banks of the Settite river, in the Bas6 country, where he was purchasing living ani- mals from the Arabs, for a contractor to a menagerie in Europe ; he was an excellent sportsman, and an energetic and courageous fellow; per- fectly sober and honest. Alas ! " the spirit was wilMng, but the' flesh was weak," and a hollow cough, and emaciation, atten..ied with hurried respiration, suggested disease of the lungs. Day after day he faded gradually, and I endeavored to persuade him not to venture upon such a perilous journey as that before mc : nothing would persuade him tiiat he was in danger, and he had an idea that the climate of Khartoum was more injurious than the White Nile, and that the voyage would improve his health. Full of good feeling, and a wish to please, he persisted in working and perfecting the various arrange-* 2f seen, at others an immense expanse of sandy desert, with huge ant hills ten feet high rising above them. While stopping at a village on the n'cjht bank. Baker received a visit from the chief of the Nuehr tribe and a number of his followers. Contrary to the usual custom, this tribe possc-;ses land on both sides of the Nile,whfch in the midst of their territory spreads itself into a lake. 4r>2 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. The Nuehr are a fine-looking race of savages, and very like savages they look. The men are tall, powerful, and well-formed, but their features approach the negro type, and are heavier and coarser than those of the tribes which have been previously mentioned. The women are not I'arly so good-looking as the men, and are rather clumsily built. Very Cheap Style of Dress. Neither sex is much troubled with clothes. The males never wear any clothes at all ; nor do the females, until they a;e married, when they tic a fringe of grass, round their waists, some of the wealthier women being able *j use a leathern fringe, of which they are very proud. Their orna- ments really seem to serve no other purpose but to disfigure the wearers as much as possible. Beginning with the head, the men stain their woolly hair of a dusty red by a mixture of which ashes form the chief part. They then take a sort of pipe-clay, and plaster it thickly into the hair at the back part of the head, dressing it up and shaping it until it is formed into a cone, the shape of the ornament varying according to the caprice of the individual. By means of this clay head-dre>s the hair is thrown back from the face, the expression of which is not improved by the horizontal lines that are tattooed across*it. The natural glossy black of the skin, which has so pleasing an appear- ance, is utterly destroyed by a coating of wood ashes, which gives to the surface a kind of grayish look. On the upper arm they generally wear a large armlet of ivon , and have heavy coils of beads round their necks. The wrists are adorned with rings of copper and other ornaments, and on the right wrist they carry an iron ring armed with projecting blades, very similar to that which is worn by the Latookas. Joctian, the chief of the Nuehr tribe, was asked by Baker what was the use of this weapon, and by way of answer he simply pointed to his wife's arms and back, which were covered with scars produced by this primi- tive wife-tamer. He seemed quite proud of these marks, and evidently considered them merely as ocular proofs that his wife was properly sub- servient to her husband. In common with the rest of his tribe, he had a :«iiall bag slung round his neck by way of a pocket, which held bits of wood, beads, and all kinds of trifles. He asked for everything he saw, and, when anything of small size was given him, it straightway went into ilie bag. TraftH of the Nuehr Tribe. Still, putting aside these two traits of cruelty and covetousness, Joctian seems to have been a tolerably agreeable savage, and went away delightei) with the presents he had received, instead of grumbling that he could THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NILE. 46:> not get more, as is the usual way among savagu jhiefs. It was ratb«r strange that, although he was so charmed with beads and bracelets, he declined to accept a knife, saying that it was useless to him. He had in his hands a huge pipe, holding nearly a quarter of a pound of tobacco, Kvcry Nuehr man has one of these pipes, which he always carries witl. aim, and, should his supply of tobacco be exhausted, he lights a piece of charcoal, puts it into his pipe, and inhales the vapor that it draws fron*. ihe tobacco-saturated bowl. The women are not so much adorned as the men, probably because the stronger sex prefer to use the ornaments themselves. At a little dis- tance the women all look as if they were smoking cigarettes. This odd appearance is caused by a strange ornament which they wear in their upper lip. They take a piece of iron wire, about four inches in length, and cover it with small beads. A hole is then pierced in the upper lij), and the ornament inserted, so as to project forward and rather upward. The Nuehr are very fond of beads, and are glad to exchange articles uf fuod for them. One kind of bead, about the size and shape of a pig- con's egg, is greatly valued by them; and, when Mr. Petherick was travelling through their country, he purchased an ox for eight such beads. The chief catne on board the boat, and, as usual, asked for everything he saw. LudicrouM Attempt to Get Into Shoes. Among other odd things he set his affections on Mr. Petherick's shoes, which, as they were nearly worn out, were presented to him. Of course they were much too small for him, and the attempts which he made to ()ut them on were very amusing. After many failures, he determined on taking them home, where he thought he might be able to get them on l)y greasing his feet well. When the chief entered the cabin, and saw the wonders of civilized life, he was quite overcome with the novel grandeur, and proceeded to kneel on one knee, in order to give the .salutation due to a great chief. "Grasping my right hand, and turning up the palm, he quietly spat intc it, and then, looking into my face, he deliberately repeated the process. Sta^rfrered at the man's audacity, my first impulse was to knock hin" d'luii, but, his features expressing kindness only, I vented my rage by eturning the compliment with all possible interest. His delight seemed excessive, and, resuming his seat, he expressed his conviction that I must be a threat chieC Similar salutes followed with each of his attendants, and friendship was established." This strange salutation extends through many of the tribes that surround the Nuehr. 454 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. Sailing; on day after day, with marshes and dead flats alone in si^ht, mosquitoes preventing rest even in the day, Baker and his party ,it length arrived at the station of a White Nile trader, where large herds of cattle were seen on the banks. Yittlt From a Chief and HIm Daugrhter. They were here visited by the chief of the Kytch tribe and his daughter, a girl of about sixteen, better looking than most of her race. The father wore ■X leopard-skin across his shoulder, and a skull-cap of whiteheads, with a crest of white ostrich feathers. But this mantle was the only garnient he had on. His daughter's clothing consisted only of a piece of dressed hide hanging over one shoulder, more for ornament than use, as the rest of her body was entirely destitute of covering. The men, though tall, were wretchedly thin, and the children mere skeletons. While the travellers remained here, they were beset by starving crowds, bringing small gourd shells to receive the exjx^cted corn. The natives, indeed, seem to trust entirely to the productions of nature for their sub- sistence, and are the most pitiable set of savages that can be imagiiicil, their long thin legs and arms giving them a peculiar gnat-like apfiearancc. They devour both the skin and bones of dead animals. The bones are pounded between stones, and, when reduced to powder, boiled to form a kind of porridge. . It is remarkable that in every herd they have a sacred bull, who is supposed to have an influence over the prosperity of the rest. His horns are ornamented with tufts of feathers, and frequently with small bells, and he invariably leads the great herd to pasture. A short visit was paid to the Austrian mission stationed at St. Croix, which has proved a perfect failure — indeed, that very morning it was st)lcl to an Egytian for $150. It was here the unfortunate Baron Harnier, a Prussian nobleman, was killed by a buffalo which he had attacked in the hopes of saving the life of a native whom the buffalo had struck down. Tcrnii nation of tlie Voyngrc. The voyage terminated at Gondokoro on the 2d of February. The country is a great improvement to the interminable marshes at the lower part of the river, being raised about twenty feet above the water, while distant mountains relieve the eye, and evergreen trees, scattered in all directions, shading the native villages, form an inviting landscape. A few miserable grass huts alone, however, form the town, if it deserves that name. A large number of men belonging to the various traders were assem- bled here, who looked upon the travellers with anything but friendly THE FAMOUS VALLEY OF THE NILE. 466 in sight, party nt herds of eyes. As Mr. Baker heard that a party were expected at Gondokoro from the interior with ivory in a few days, he determined to await their arrival, in hopes that their porters would be ready to carry his baggage. In the meantime he rode about the neighborhood, studying the place and oeople. The native dwellings are the perfection of cleanliness. The domicile dI each family is surrounded by a hedge of euphorbia, and the interior oi the enclosure generally consists of a yard neatly plastered. Upon this cleanly-swept surface are one or more huts, surrounded by granaries of neat wicker-work, thatched, and resting upon raised platforms. The huts have projecting roofs, in order to afford a shade, and the entrance is usually about two feet high. The natives are of the Bari tribe. They are a warlike and dangerous tribe, being well armed and capable of using their weapons, so that a traveller who wishes to pass safely through their land must be able to sliow an armed front. When Captains Speke and Grant passed through their country, an umbrella was accidentally left behind, and some of the men sent to fetch it. The Bari, however, drew up in battle array, evi- denty knowing that without their leaders the men might be safely bullied, so that the umbrella was left to the mercies of the Bari chief. Owing to their position on the Nile, they do a great business in the slave trade, for as far as Gondokoro, the capital of the Bari country, steamers have been able to ascend the river. Consequently, every party of strangers is supposed — and mostly with truth — to be a slaving expe- dition, and is dreaJed by one part of the population, while it is courted by the other. The quarrelsome disposition of the Bari has often brought tliem into collision with the traders, and, as might be imagined, the superior arms and discipline of the latter have given them such a superi- ority, that the Bari are not as troublesome as they used to be. Still, they are always on the watch for an opportunity of extortion, and, if a traveller even sits under a tree, they will demand payment for its shade. Unpleasant as these Bari are in their ordinary state, they can be trained into good and faithful attendants, and are excellent material for soldiers. On one occasion, when a large party had attacked a body of traders, killed the standard-bearer, and nearly carried off the standard itself, a young Bari boy came to the rescue, shot with his pistol the man who was carrying off the standard, snatched it from him, and took it safcly to his master. •t » CHAPTER XXI. IN A WILD COUNTRY. Xttempts to Shoot Baker — Desperate Mutiny in Camp — Notable Arrival— Meetini; Grant and Speke— The Little Black Boy from Kiiartoum— Fresh Plot Among B,iker's Men— Disarming the Conspirators — Heroism in the Face of Danger- Mutinous Turks Driven Over a Precipice— Horrible Fate of Deserters— Exciting Elephant Hunt — March Through Beautiful Hunting Grounds — Thrilling Encoun- ter—The Huge Beast Turning on His Foes — Cowardly Followers— Elephant Nearly Caught — Wild Beasts Screaming Like a Steam Whistle — Tales of Narrow Escapes — ^African and Indian Elephants— Elephants in War— The Explorers at Obbo— Crafty Old Chief— Trouble to Get Rain— Spirited Dance of Obbos- Trying to Trade Wives— Satanic Escort— Grotesque Parade — Serious Illness ol Mrs. Baker— Beautiful Landscape — Travelling in Canoes — Storm on the Lake- Tropical Hurricane— Dangers of the I-ake Tour— The Explorers Advancing Under DifficuUies — Continued Attacks of Fever — Life Endangered by Travelling in the Tropics. ^UR traveller was looked upon atGondokoro with suspicion. Sev- eral attempts were made to shoot him, and a boy was killed by a shot from the shore, on board his vessel. His men were imme- diately tampered with by the traders, and signs of discontent soon appeared among them. They declared that they had not sufficient meat, and that they must be allowed to make a razzia upon the cattle of the natives to procure oxen. This demand being refused, they became more insolent, and accordingly Mr. Baker ordered the ringleader, an Arab, to be seized and to receive twenty-five lashes. Upon approaching to capture the fellow, most of the men laid down their guns and, seizing sticks, rushed to his rescue. Mr. Baker, on this, sprang forward, sent their leader by a blow of his fist into their midst, and then, seizing him by the throat, called for a rope to bind him. The men, still intent on their object, surrounded Mr. Baker, when Mrs. Baker, landing from the vessel, made her way to the spot. Her sudden appear- ance caused the mutineers to hesitate, when Mr. Baker shouted to the drummer-boy to beat the drum, and then ordered the men to fall in. Two-thirds obeyed him, and formed in line, while the remainder retreated with their ringleader. At this critical moment Mrs. Baker itnplored her husband to forgive the mutineer, if he would kiss his hand and beg his pardon. This coni- j;ronise completely won the men, who now called upon their ringleader (456) IN A WILD COUNTRY. 467 to apologi?e, and all would be right. This he did, and Mr. Baker made tlicm rather a bitter speech and dismissed them. This, unhappily, was only the first exhibition of their nuitinuous disposition, which nearly ruined the expedition, and might have led to the destruction of the trav- ellers. Notable Arrival. A few days afterwards guns were heard in the distance, and news caujc that two white men had arrived from " the sea " ! They proved to be Grant and Spekc, who had just come from the Victoria Nyanza. Both looked travel-worn. Speke, who had walked the whole distance from Zanzibar, was excessively lean, but in reality in good tough condition. Grant's garments were well-nigh worn out, but both of them had that fire in the eye which showed the spirit that had led them through many (landers. They had heard of another lake to the westward of the Nyanza, known as the Luta Nzige, which Spekc felt convinced was a second source of the Nile. Accordingly, he and Grant having generously furnished him with as perfect a map as they could produce, Baker determined to explore the lake, while his friends, embarking in his boats, sailed down the Nile on their voyage homeward. His men, notwithstanding the lesson they had received, still exhibited a determined mutinous disposition, and in every way neglected their duties. Happily for him, he had among his attendants a little black boy, Saati, who, having been brought as a slave from the interior, had ken for a time in the Austrian mission, from which, with many other sla\cs, he was turned out. Wandering about the streets of Khartoum, he heard of Mr. and Mrs. Baker, and, making his way to their house, threw himself at the lady's feet, and implored to be allowed to follow them. Hearing at the mission that he was superior to his juvenile com- panions, they accepted his services, ami, being thoroughly washed, and attired in trousers, blouse, and belt, he appeared a different creature. From that time he considered himself as belonging entirely to Mrs. Baker, and to serve her was his greatest pride. She in return endeavored to instruct him, and gave him anecdotes from the Bible, combined with the first principles of Christianity. *• Down With Your Guu8 This Moineut ! " Through the means of young Saati, Mr. Baker heard of a plot among the Khartoum escort, to desert him with their arms and ammunition, and to fire at him should he attempt to disarm them. The locks of their guns had, by his orders, been covered with pieces of mackintosh. Direct- 4M WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ing Mrs. Baker to stand behind him, he placed outside his tent, on his travelling bedstead, five double-barrelled guns loaded with buck-shot, a revolver, and a naked sabre. A sixth rifle he kept in his own harJ», while Richarn and Saati stood behind him with double-barrelled g\ins. He then ordered the drum to beat, and all the ttien to form in line oi marching order while he requested Mrs. Baker to point out any man who should attempt to uncover his lock when he gave the order tu lay down their arms. In the event of the attempt being made, he intended to shoot the man immediately. At the sound of the drum only fifteen assembled. He then ordered them to lay down their arms, This, with insolent looks of defiance, they rcfu&ed to do. " Down with your guns this moment ! " he shouted. At the sharp click of the locks, as he quickly capped the rifle in his hand, the cowardly mutineers widened their line and wavered ; some retreated a few paces, others sat down and laid their guns on the ground, while the remainder slowly dispersed, and sat in twos or singly under the various trees about eighty paces distant. On advancing they eapi- tu'ited, agreeing to give up their arms and ammunition on receiving a written discharge. Vhcy were immediately disarmed. The discharjje was made out, when upon each paper Mr. Baker wrote the word " muti- neer " above his signature. Finally, nearly the whole of the escort deserted, taking service with the traders, Hcroisiii ill the Face of Danger. Not to be defeated, Baker obtained a Bari boy as interpreter, deter- mined at all hazards to start from Gondokoro. A party of traders under one Koorshid, who had lately arrived from Latooka and were about to return, not only refused to allow the travellers to accompany thcrn, but declared their intention of forcibly driving them back, should they attempt to advance by their route. This served as an excuse to the remainder of his escort for not proceeding. Saati discovered another plot, his men having been won over by Mahomet Her, another trader. Notwithstanding the danger he was running, Mr. Baker compelled his men to march, and by a clever manoeuvre got ahead of the party led by Ibrahim, Koorshid's guide. Finally, by wonderful tact, assisted by Mrs. Baker, he won over Ibrahim, and induced him to render him all the assistance in his power. Aided by his new friend, he arrived at Tarrangolle, one of the princi- pal places in the Latooka country, a hundred miles from Gondokoro, which, though out of his direct route, would, he hoped, enable him with great ease finally to reach Unyoro, the territory of Kamrasi. In IN A WILD COUNTRY. 409 the meantime, however, several of his men had deserted and joined Maliumct Her. He had warned them that they would repent of their fully. His warnings were curiously fulfilled. Ncvs soon arrived that Mahomet Her, with a party of a hundred and xn armed men, in addition to three hundred natives, had made a raid ipon a certain village among the mountains for slaves and cattle. Hav- n^' succeeded in burning the village and capturing a number of .slaves, IS they were re-ascending the mountain to obtain a herd of cattle they had heard of, they were attacked by a large body of Latookas, lying in ambush among the rocks on the mountain side. Driven Over a Precipleis In vain the Turks fought ; every bullet aimed at a Latooka struck a rock, while rocks, stones, and lances were hurled at them from all sides and from above. Compelled to retreat, they were .scizi. with a panic, and took to flight. Hemmed in by their foes, who showered lances and stones on their heads, they fled down the rock' and perpendicilar ravines. Mistaking their road, they came to a piccipicf fro u wliich tliere was no rc^i eat. Tlv creaming and yelling savages closed round thun. All was u.se- less ; not an enemy could they shoot, while the savages thrust them for- ward with wild yells to the very verge of a precipice fi\ e hundred feet hi^'h. Over it they were driven, hurled to destruction by the mass of Latookas pressing onward. A few fought to the last; but all were at Icni;tli forced over the edge of the cliff, and met the just reward of their atrocities. No quarter had been given, and upwards of two hundred of the natives who had joined the slave-hunters in the attack, had fallen with them. Mahomet Her had not accompanied his party, and escaped, though utterly ruined. The result of this catastrophe was highly beneficial to Mr. leaker. " Where are the men who deserted me ? " he asked of those who still remained with fiim. Without speaking, they brought two of his guns covered with clotted jlood nii.xcd with sand. Their owners' names were known to him by tile marks on the stocks. He mentioned them. " Are they all dead ? " he asked. " All dead," the men replied. " Food lor the vultures," he observed. " Better for them had they remained with me and done their duty." He had before told his men that tiic vultures would pick the bones of the deserters. , Ill 160 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. mm ■}' ■ 1: V^m. W^^m ^r^Eii ; , Hycdi ,' .' . H V \ I 1 1 n Notwithstanding the dangers of his position, Mr. Baker frequently went out shooting, and, among othf r animals, he killed an enormous ele- phant. He was among the well-known Latooka tribe, whose fantastic funeral dance has been described in a previous i hapter. Baker gives the following graphic account of his adventures in pursuit of the game in which this part of Africa abounds : I started at 5 a. m. with my three horses and two camels, the lattei carrying water and food. After a march of two or three hours through the beautiful hunting grounds formed by the valley of Latooka, with its alternate prairies and jungles, I came upon the tracks of rhinoceros, giraffes, and elephants, and shortly moved a rhinoceros, but could get no shot, owing to the thick bush in which he started and disappeared quicker than I could dismount. After a short circuit in search of the rhinoceros, we came upon a large herd of buffaloes, but at the same moment we heard elephants trumpeting at the foot of the mountains. Not wishing to fire, lest the great game should be disturbed, I contented myself with riding after the buffaloes, wonderfully followed on foot by Adda, one of my men, who ran like a deer, and almost kept up to my horse, hurltng his three lances successively at the buffaloes, but without success. Thrilling' Encounter. I had lefl the camels in an open plain, and returning from the gallop after the buffaloes, I saw the men on the camels beckoning to me in great excitement. Cantering towards them, they explained that a herd of bull elephants had just crossed an open space, and had passed into the jungle beyond. There was evidently' abundance of game ; and calling my men together, I told them to keep close to me with the spare horses and rifles, while I sent the Latookas ahead to look out for the elephants : we fol- lowed at a short distance. In about ten minutes we saw the Latookas hurrying towards us, and almost immediately after, I saw two enormous bull elephants with splendid tusks about a hundred yards from us, apparently the lead rs 0' an approaching herd. The ground was exceedingly favorable, being tol- erably open, and yet with sufficient bush to afford a slight cover. Pres- ently, several elephants appeared and joined the two leader.s — there was evidently a considerable number in the herd, and I was on the point of dismounting to take the first shot on foot, when the Latookas, too eager, approached the herd ; their red and blue helmets at once attracted the attention of the elephants, and a tremendous rush took place, the whole herd closing together and tearing off at full speed. " Follow me ! " I IN A WILD COUNTRY. hallooed to my men, and touching my horse with the spur, I intended to Jash into the midst of the herd. me m great Just at that instant, in his start, my hcise sh'pped and fell suddenly upon his side, falling upon my right leg and thus pinning me to the 462 WONDERS OK THE TROPICS. hi u ground. He was not up to my weight, and releasing myself, I immedi» ately mounted my old Abyssinian hunter, " Tetel," and followed the tracks of the elephants at full speed, accompanied by two of the Latookas^ who ran like hounds. Galloping through the green but thornless bush T soon came in sight of a grand bull elephant, steaming along like a loco. notive engine straight before me. Digging in the spurs, I was soon within twenty yards of him; but the ground was so unfavorable, bein-cnts. Kamrasi's people, however, showed considerable suspicion on seeing so many people, till Baker appeared dressed in a suit similar to that worn by Speke, when they at once exhibited their welcome, by dancing and gesticulating with their lances and shields in the most cx- tra\a.i;ant manner. The party, however, were not allowed to cross till permission was obtained from Kamrasi. Trying to Trade Wives. That very r Mtious and cowardly monarch sent his brother, who pre- tended to be - miasi himself, and for some time Baker was deceived, fully believing that he was negotiating with the king. Notwithstanding his regal pretensions, he very nearly got knocked down, on proposing that he and his guest should exchange wives, and even Bacheeta, understand- in^' tlie insult which had been offered, fiercely abused the suppo.sed king. Baker's Obbo porters had before this deserted him, and he was now dependent on Kamrasi for others to supply their places. The king, however, ultimately became more friendly, and gave orders to his people to assist the stranger, granting him also permission to proceed westward to the lake he was so anxious to visit A few women having been supplied to carry his luggage, he and his wife, with their small party of attendants, at length set out. Says Baker : The country was a \'ast flat of grass land interspersed with small villages and patches of sweet potatoes ; these were very in- ferior, owing to the want of drainage. For about two miles we continued on the bank of the Kafoor river ; the women who carried the luggage were straggling in disorder, and my few men were much scattered in their endeavors to collect them. We approached a considerable village ; but just as we were Hearing it, out rushed about six hundred men with lances and shields, screaming and yelling like so many demons. For the moment, I thought it was an attack, but almost immediately I noticed that women and children were mingled with the men. My men had not taken so cool a view of the excited throng that was now approaching us at full speed, brandishing their spears, and engaging with each other in mock combat. " There's a fight I there's a fight ! " my men exclaimed ; "we are attacked ! fire at them, Hawaga." 474 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. ill 'i'l IS : i However, in a few seconds, I persuaded them that it was a mere parade, and that there was no danger. With a rush, like a cloud of locusts, the na- tives closed around us, dancing, gesticulating, and yelling before us, feinting to attack us with spears and shields, then engaging in sham fights with each other, and behaving like so many madmen. A very tall chiel nere parade, lists, the na- ".'i- \*\ ?Av^ MS 'TV'S- ^,> before us, liam fiijhLs r tall chid IN A WILD COUNTRY. 476 accompanied them ; and one of their men was suddenly knocked down, and attacked by the crowd witk sticks and lances, and lay on the ground covered with blood : what his olifence hao been I did not hear. The en- tire crowd were most grotesquely got up, being dressed in either leopard or white monkey skins, with cows' tails strapped on behind, and ante- lopes' horns fitted upon some of their heads, and carrying large shields and savage-looking spears. Altogether, I never saw a more unearthly set of creatures ; they were perfect illustrations of my childish ideas of devils — horns, tails, and all, excepting the hoofs ; they were our escort ! furnished by Kamrasi to ac- company us to the lake. Fortunately for all parties the Turks were not with us on that occasion, or the satanic escort would certainly have been received with a volley when they so rashly advanced to compliment us b" their absurd performances. We marched till 7 p.m. over flat, uninteresting country, and then halted at a misciable village which the people had deserted, as they expected our arrival. The following morning I found much difficulty in getting our escort together, as they had been foraging throughout the neighborhood ; these " devil's own " were a portion of Kamrasi's troops, who considered themselves entitled to plunder ad libittiin throughout the march ; how- ever, after some delay, they collected, and their tall chief approached me, and begged that a gun might be fired as a curiosity. The escort had crowded around us, and as the boy Saat was close to me, I ordered him to fire his gun. This was Saat's greatest delight, and bang went one bar- rel unexpectedly close to the tall chief's ear. The effect was charming_ The tall chief, thinking himself injured, clasped his head with both hands, and bolted through the crowd, which, struck with a sudden panic, rushed away in all directions, the " devil's own " tumbling over each other, and utterly scattered by the second barrel which Saat exultingly fired in derision as Kamrasi's warlike regiment dissolved before a sound. Serious Illness of Mrs. Baker. Mr. Baker, however, soon got rid of his satanic escort. Poor Mrs Baker was naturally alarmed, fearing that it was the intention of the king to waylay them and perhaps carry her off. Soon after this, while crossing the Kafue river, the heat being exces- sive, what was Mr. Baker's horror to see his wife sink from her ox as though shot dead. He, with his attendants, carried her through the yielding vegetation, up to their waists in water, above which they could just keep her head, till they reached the banks. He then laid her under a tree, and now discovered that she had received a sunstroke. As there In '4 ■i ■ !. i^ ■ s (47C) IN A WILD COUNTRY. 477 was nothing to eat on the spot, it was absolutely necessary to move on. A litter was procured, on which Mrs. Baker was carried, her husband mechanically following by its side. For seven days continuously he thus proceeded on his journey. Her eyes at length opened, but, to his infinite grief, he found that she was attacked by brain fever. One evening they reached a village. She was in violent convulsions. He believed all was over, and, while he sank down insensible by her side, his men went out to seek for a spot to dig her grave. On awaken ing, all hope having abandoned him, as he gazed at her countenance hei chest gently heaved ; she was asleep. When at a sudden noise she opened her eyes, they were calm and clear ; she was saved. Having rested for a couple of days, they continued their course, Mrs. Baker being carried on her litter. At length they reached the village of Parkani. To his joy, as he gazed at some lofty mountains, he was told that they formed the western side of the Luta Nzige, and that the lake was actually within a march of the village. Their guide announced that if they started early in the morning, they might wash in the lake by noon. That night Baker hardly slept. Beautiful I/andscape. The following morning, the 14th of March, starting before sunrise, on o.x-back, he and his wife, with their attendants, following his guide, in a few hours reached a hill from the summit of which " he beheld beneath him a grand expanse of water, a boundless sea horizon on the south and soutliwcst, glittering in the noonday sun, while on the west, at fifty or sixty miles distant, blue mountains rose from the bosom of the lake to a height of about seven thousand feet above its level." Hence they descended on foot, supported by stout bamboos, for two hours, to the white pebbly beach on which the waves of the lake were rolling. Baker, in the enthusiasm of the moment, rushed into the lake, and, thristy with heat and fatigue, with u 'heart full of gratitude, drank deeply from what he supposed to be one of the sources of the Nile, not dreaming of the wonderful discoveries Livingstone was making at that very time many degrees to the southward. He now bestowed upon this ake the name of the Albert Nyanza. The dwellers on the borders of the lake are expert fishermen, and in one of their villages, named Vakovia, the travellers now established themselves. His followers, two of whom had seen the sea at Alexandria, and who believed that they should never reach the lake, were astonished at its appeaiatice, unhesitatingly declaring that though it was not salt, it must be the sea. I s 478 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS Salt, however, is the chief product of the country, numerous salt-pits existing in the neighborhood, and in its manufacture the inhabitants are chiefly employed. Vakovia is a miserable place, and, in consequence of its damp and hot position, the whole party suffered from fever. Travelling in Canoes. Here they were detained eight days waiting for canoes, which Kamrasi had ordered his people to supply. At length several were brought, but they were merely hollowed-out trunks of trees, the largest being thirty-two feet long. Baker selected another, twenty-six feet long, but wider and deeper, for himself and his wife and their personal attendants, while the luggage and the remainder of the people embarked in the former. He raised the sides of the canoe, and fitted up a cabin for his wife, which was both rain and sun-proof Having purchar^d some provisions, he started on a voyage to survey the lake. Vakovia is about a third of the way from the northern end of the lake. His time would not allow him to proceed further south. He directed his course northward, towards the part out of which the Nile was supposed to flow. The difficulties of the journey were not yet over. The first day's voy- age was delightful, the lake calm, the scenery lovely. At times the mountains on the west coast were not discernible, and the lake appeared of indefinite width. Sometimes they passed directly under precipitous clifTs of fifteen hundred feet in height, rising abruptly out of the water, while from the deep clefts in the rocks evergreens of every tint appeared, and wherever a rivulet burst forth it was shaded by the graceful and feathery wild date. Numbers of hippopotami were sporting in the water, and crocodiles were numerous on every sandy beach. Storm on the Lake. Next night, however, the boatmen deserted, but, not to be defeated. Baker induced his own people to take to the paddles. He fitted a paddle to his own boat, to act as a rudder, but the men in the larger boat neglected to do as he directed them. A tremendous storm of rain came down while he was at work. His own canoe, however, being ready, he started. He was about to cross from one headland to another, when he saw the larger canoe spinning round and round, the crew having no notion of guiding her. Fortu- nately, it was calm, and, on reaching the shore, he induced several natives to serve as his crew, while others went oflf in their own boats to assist the large canoe. He now commenced crossing a deep bay, fully four miles wide. He :iiL: s salt-pits •itants are ^uence of I Kamrasi brought, est hchv' long, but ttendants, cd in the in for his to survey rn end of uth. He the Nile lay's voy- times the appeared rccipitous ;hc water, appeared, .ceful and ig in the defeated, I a paddle rger boat Drk. Hih to cross spinning . Fortu- al natives ; to assist ide. He (479) 480 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. had gained the centre when a tremendous storm came on, and enormous waves rolled in over the lake. The canoe labored heavily and occasion- ally shipped water, which was quickly bailed out. Had this not been done, the canoe would inevitably have been swamped. Down came the rain in torrents, while the wind swept over the surface with terrific force, nothing being discernible except the high cliffs looming in the distance. The boatmen paddled energetically, and at last a beach was seen ahead. A wave struck the canoe washing over her. Just then the men jumped out, and though they wer» rolled over, they succeeded in hauling the boat up the beach. Delay.s and Difficulties. The shore of the lake, as they paddled along it, was thinly inhabited, and the people very inhospitable, till they reached the town of Eppigoya. Even here the inhabitants refused to sell any of their goats, though they willingly parted with fowls at a small price. At each village the voy- agers changed their boatmen, none being willing to go beyond the village next them. This was provoking, as delays constantly occurred. Such delays, howevei , are incident to dl travelling in Africa. One of the great advantages of old countries is that there are means of transpor- tation which never fail. Possibly once in a great while the traveller is detained by floods, by washouts, by railway accidents, or from some other cause, yet considering the number of railways and the multitudes of people who journey from one place to another, it is surprising that there are so few delays and accidents. This, however, does not apply to Africa. There a journey of ten or fifteen miles a day for a caravan is considered very good progress, and we have already seen that some of the explorers were detained in various localities for weeks, months, and, in one or two instances, for even years. Mr. and Mrs. Baker bore their hindrances with becoming fortitude and downright Anglo-Saxon pluck. 1^^ CHAPTER XXII. THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. A Wilderness of Vegetation— Hearty Welcome From a Chief and Nitives — " BliiKii Leading the Blind " — Voyage Up the Victoria Nile— Severe Attack of Fever- Sufferings of Lady Baker— A Remarkable River — End of Canoe Voyage- Begin- ning of a Toilsome March — Rumors Concerning a Great Waterfall — Thunder of the Cataract — Rocky Cliffs and Precipitous Banks — Magniricent View — Splendid Fall of Snow white Water — Murchison Falls — The Niagara of the Tropics — Hip- popotamus Charges the Canoe— Startling Shock — Scrawny Travelling Beastsr- Curious Refreshments— Arrival at a Chief's Island— Crossing Ravine& and Tor- rents-Sickness on the March — ^Taking Shelter in a Wretched Hut— On the Verge of Starvation — Baker Arrayed in Highland Costume — Stirring Events — Meeting Between a Slave and Her Former Mistress — Adventurous Journey — Pushing on for Shooa— Hunting Game for Dinner — Travellers Hungry as Wolves — Frolic- some Reception of the Explorers— March Through the Bari Country — Arrows Whizzing Overhead — Savage Fatally Wounded— Night in a Hostile Country- Lively Skirmish with the Natives— Arrival at Gondokoro — Excitement and Hurrahs— Terrible Ravages of the Plague— An Arab Gets His Deserts— Sir Samuel and Lady Baker Arrive at Cairo— Baker Receives the Award of the Victoria Gold Medal— The Hero Again in Africa. QT length the explorers reached Magungo, situated inside an immense bed of reeds, at the top of a hill, above the mouth of a large river. Passing up a channel amidst a perfect wilderness of vegetation, they reached the shore below the town. Here they were met by their guide, who had brought their riding oxen from Vako- via, and reported them all well. The chief of Magungo and a large number of natives were also on the shore waiting for them, and brought them down a plentiful" supply of goats, fowls, eggs, and fresh butter. Proceeding on foot to the height on which Magungo stands, they thence enjoyed a magnificent view, not only over the lake, but to the north, towards the point where its waters flow into the Nile. Baker's great desire was to descend the Nile in canoes, from its exit >rom the lake to the cataracts in the Madi country, and thence to march direct, with only guns and ammunition, to Gondokoro. This plan he found impossible to carry out We will let Baker continue the thrilling narrative in his own i^ords: The boats being ready, we took leave of the chief, leaving him an »cceptng us rather hard of texture, raised his head to take a la.st view of his enemy, and then sank rapidly. Hippopotamus heads of enormous size FEROCIOUS ATTACK BV ,i HPPOPOTAMUS. were on all sides, appearing and vani^ Mrig rapidly as they rose to survey us ; at one time we counted eighteer. i:pon the surface. Having recovered the lost paddle, I prevailed upon the boatmen to keep the canoe steady while I made a sketch of the Murchison Falls, which being completed, we drifted rapidly down to the landing-place at the deserted fishing-village, and bade adieu to the navigation of the lake and river of Central Africa. The few huts that existed in this spot were mere ruins. Clouds had portended rain, and down it came, as it usually did once in every twenty- four hours. However, that passed away by the next morning, and the day broke, discovering us about as wet and wretched as w** were accus- THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. 487 tomed to bo. I now started off four of my men with the boatmen and the interpreter Bacheeta to the nearest village, to inquire whether our guide, Rabonga, had arrived with our riding oxen, as our future travel- ling vvas to be on land, and the limit of our navigation must have been ■well known to him. After some hours the people returned, minus the ooatmen, with a message from the head-man of a village they had visited, that the oxen were there, but not the guide Rabonga, who had remained at Magungo, but that the animals should be brought to us that evening, to[rether with porters to convey the luggage. In the evening a number of people arrived, bringing some plantain cider and plantains as a present from the head-man ; and promising that, upon the following morning, we should be conducted to his village. The next day we started, but not until the afternoon, as we had to await the arrival of the head-man, who was to escort us. Our oxen were broujjht, and if we looked wretched, the anamals were a match. They had been bitten by the fly, thousands of which were at this spot. Their coats were staring, ears drooping, noses running, and heads hanging down ; all the symptoms of fly-bite, together with extreme looseness of the bowels. I saw that it was all up with our animals. Weak as I was myself, I was obliged to walk, as my ox could not carry me up the steep inclination, and I toiled languidly to the summit of the cliff. It poured with rain. Upon arrival at the summit we were in pre- cisely the same park-like land that characterizes Chopi and Unyoro, but the grass was about seven feet high ; and from the constant rain, and the extreme fertility of the sail, the country was choked with vegetation. Arrival at a Chief's Island. We were now above the Murchison Falls, and we heard the roaring of the water beneath us to our left. We continued our route parallel to the river above the Falls, stearing east ; and a little before evening we arrived at a small village belonging to the head-man who accompanied us. I was chilled and wet ; my wife had fortunately been carried in her litter, which was protected by a hide roofing. P'everish and exhausted, I procured from the natives some good acid plums, and refreshed by these I was able to boil my thermometer and take the altitude. On the following morning we started, the route, as before, parallel to 'the river, and so close that the roar of the rapids was extremely loud. The river flowed in a deep ravine upon our left. We continued for a day's march along the Somerset, crossing many ravines and torrents, until we turned suddenly down to the left, and arriving at the bank, we were to be transported to an island called Patooan, that was the residence 488 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. 11 ; of a chief. It was about an hour after sunset, and being dark, my riding ox, who was being driven as too weak to carry me, fell into an elephant pitfall. After much hallooing, a canoe was brought from the island, which was not more than fifty yards from the mainland, and wc were ferried across. We were both very ill with a sudden attack of fever ; and my wife, not being able to stand, was, on arrival on the island, car- ried in a litter I knew not whither, escorted by some of my men, while I lay down on the wet ground quite exhausted with the annihilating dis- ease. At length the remainder of my men crossed over, and those who had carried my wife to the village returning with firebrands, I managed to creep after them with the aid of a long stick, upon which I rested with both hands. lu a Wretched Hut for Shelter. After a walk, through a forest of high trees, for about a quarter of a mile, I arrived at a village where I was shown a wretched hut, the stars being visible through the roof. In this my wife lay dreadfully ill, and I fell down upon some straw. About an hour later, a violent thunderstorm broke over us, and our hut was perfectly flooded , we, being far too ill and helpless to move from our positions, remained dripping wet and shiv- ering with fever until the morning. Our servants and people had, like all natives, made themselves much more comfortable than their employ- ers ; nor did they attempt to interfere with our misery in any way until summoned to appear at sunrise. The foregoing is Baker's narrative. Within a few days the boats in which they had hoped to return down the Nile would leave Gondokoro. It was, therefore, of the greatest importance that they should set out at once, and take a direct route through the Shooa country. The natives, not to be tempted even by bribes, positively refused to carry them. Their own men were also ill, and there was a great scarcity of provisions. War, indeed, was going on in the country to the east, Patooan being in the hands of Kamrasi's enemies. It was on this account that no Unyoro porters could be found. On the Verge of Starvation. They might have starved had not an underground granary of seed been discovered, by the means of Bacheeta, in one of the villages burned down by the enemy. This, with several varieties of wild plants, enabled them to support existence. The last of their oxen, after lingering for some time, lay down to die, affording the men a supply of beef, and Saati and Bacheeta occasionally obtained a fowl from one of the neighboring islands, which they visited in a canoe. THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. 489 At length both Mr. and Mrs. Baker fully believed that their last hour was come, and he wrote various instructions in his journal, directing his head-man to deliver his maps and observations to the British Consul at Khartoum. The object, it appeared, of Kamrasi in thus leaving them, was tc obtain their assistance against his enemies, and at length their guide, Rchonga, made his appearance, having been ordered to carry them to Kamrasi's camp. The journey was performed, in spite of their weak state ; and on their arrival they found ten of the Turks left as hostages with Kamrasi by Ibrahim, who had returned to Gondokoro. The Turks received them with respect and manifestations of delight and wonder at their having performed so difficult a journey. A hut was built for their . reception, and an ox, killed by the Turks, was prepared as a feast for their people. The next day the king announced his readiness to receive the traveller, who, attiring himself in a Highland costume, was carried on the shoulders of a number of men into the presence of the monarch. The king informed him that he had made arrangements for his remaining at Kisoona. • Stirring Events. As now all hope of reaching Gondokoro in time for the boats had gone, Mr. Baker, yielding to necessity, prepared to make himself at home. He had a comfortable hut built, surrounded by a court-yard with an open shed in which he and his wife could spend the hot hours of the day. Kamrasi sent him a cow which gave an abundance of milk, also amply supplying him with food. Here the travellers were compelled to spend rr.any months. Their stay was cut short, in consequence of the invasion of the country by Fowooka's people, accompanied by a large band of Turks under the trader Dcbono. Kamrasi proposed at once taking to flight; but Baker promised to hoist the flag of England, and to place the country under British protection. He then sent a message to Mahomet, Debono's i^iiide, warning him that should a shot be fired by any of his people, he would be hung, and ordering them at once to quit the country; inform- ing them, besides, that he had already promised all the ivory to Ibrahim, so that, contrary to the rules of the traders, they were trespassing in the territory. This letter had its due effect. Mahomet deserted his allies, who were immediately attacked by Kamrasi's troops, and cut to pieces, while the women and children were brought away as captives. Among them, 490 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. i .HI . Si,; Becheeta, who had once been a slave in the country, recognized her former mistress, who had been captured with the wives and daughters of their chief, Rionga. After this Ibrahim returned, bringing a variety of presents for Kam- rasi, which, in addition to the defeat of his enemies, put him in excellent humor. Mr. Baker was able to save the life of an old chief, Kalloe, who had been captured ; but some days afterwards the treacherous Kamrasi shot him with his own hand. Adventurous March. At length the Turkish traders, having collected a large supply of ivory, were ready to return to Shooa ; and Mr. Baker, thankful to leave the territory of the brutal Kamrasi, took his leave, and commenced the journey with his allies, who, including porters, women, and children amounted to a thousand people. At the break of day, says Baker, we started. It would be tedious to describe the journey, as, although by a diffrent route, it was through the same country that we had traversed before. After the first day's march we quitted the forest and entered upon the great prairies. I was aston- ished to find after several da>'s' journey a great difference in the dryness of the climate. In (Jnyoro we had left the grass an intense green, the rain having been frequent : here it was nearly dry, and in many places it had been burnt by the native huntmg parties. Frorfi some elevated points in the route I could distinctly make out the outline of the moun- tains running from the Albert Lake to the north, on the west bank of the Nile ; these would hardly have been observed by a person who was ignorant of their existence, as the grass was so high that I had to ascend a white ant-hill to look for them ; they were about sixty miles dis- tant, and my men, who knew them well, pointed them out to their companions. The entire party, including women and children, had to be provided for daily. Although they had abundance of flour, there was no meat, and the grass being high there was no chance of game. On the fourth day only I saw a herd of about twenty tetel (hartebeest) in an open space that had been recently burnt. We were both riding upon oxen that I had purchased of Ibrahim, and we were about a mile ahead of the flag in the hope of getting a shot ; dismounting from my animal I stalked the game down a ravine, but upon reaching the point that I had resolved upon for the shot, I found the herd had moved their position to about 250 paces from me. They were all looking at me, as they had been disturbed by the oxen THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. 491 and the boy Saat in the distance. Dinner Depended on the shot. There was a leafless bush singed by the recent fire ; upon a branch of this I took a rest, but just as I was going to fire they moved off — a clean miss ! — whizz went the bullet over them, but so close to the ears of one that it shook its head as though stung by a wasp, and capered round and round ; the others stood perfectly still, gazing at the oxen in the distance. Hungry as Wolves. Crack went the left-hand barrel of the little rifle, and down went a tetel like a lump of lead, before the satisfactory sound of the bullet returned from the distance. Off went the herd, leaving a fine beast kicking on the ground. It was shot through the spine, and some of the native porters having witnessed the sport from a great distance, threw down their loads and came racing towards the meat like a pack of wolves scenting blood. In a few minutes the prize was divided, while a good portion was carried by Saat for our own use : the tetel, weighing about 500 lbs. vanished among the crowd in a few minutes. On the fifth day's march from the Victoria Nile we arrived at Shooa ; the change was delightful after the wet and dense vegetation of Unyoro ; the country was dry, and the grass low and of fine quality. We took possession of our camp, that had already been prepared for us in a large court-yard well cemented with manure and clay, and fenced with a strong row of palisades. A large tree grew in the centre. Several huts were erected for interpreters and servants, and a tolerably commodious hut, the roof overgrown with pumpkins, was arranged for our mansion. That evening the native women crowded to our camp to welcome my wife home, and to dance in honor of our return ; for which exhibition they expected a present of a cow. Much to my satisfaction I found that my first rate riding ox that had been lamed during the previous year by falling into a pitfall, and had been returned to Shooa, was perfectly recovered ; thus I had a good mount for my journey to Gondokoro. Some months were passed at Shooa, during which I occupied my time by rambling about the neighborhood, ascending the mountain, making duplicates of my maps, and gathering information, all of which was sim- ply a corroboration of what I had heard before, excepting from the East. Death in the Air< As they were marching thence through the country inhabited by the Bari tribe, they were attacked in a gorge by the natives. We continue the interesting narrative in Baker's own words : The level of the country being about 200 feet above the Nile, deep ;E ' 1. 1 Itj IB (4^) THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. 493 gullies cut the route at right angles, forming the natural drains to the river. In these ravines grew dense thickets of bamboos. Having no native guide, but trusting solely to the traders' people, who had travelled frequently by this route, we lost the path, and shortly became entangled famongst the numerous ravines. At length we passed a village, around which were assembled a num- ber of nat'ves. Having regained the route, we observed the natives appearing in various directions, and as quickly disappearing only to gather in our front in increased numbers. Their movements exciting suspicion, in a country where every man was an enemy, our party closed together; — we threw out an advance guard — ten men on either flank — the porters, ammunition, and effects in the centre ; while about ten men brought up the rear. Before us lay two low rocky hills covered with trees, high grass and brushwood, in which I distinctly observed the bright red forms of natives painted according to the custom of the Bari tribe. We were evidently in for a fight. The path lay in a gorge between the low rocky hills in advance. My wife dismounted from her ox, and walked at the head of our party with me, Saat following behind with the gun that he usually carried, while the men drove several riding-oxen in the centre. Arrows Whizzing Overhead. Hardly had we entered the pass, when — whizz went an arrow over our heads. This was the signal for a repeated discharge. The natives ran among the rocks with the agility of monkeys, and showed a consider- able amount of daring in standing within about eighty yards upon the ridge, and taking steady shots at us with their poisoned arrows. The flanking parties now opened fire, and what with the bad shooting of both the escort and the native archers, no one was wounded on either side for the first ten minutes. The rattle of musketry and the wild appearance of the naked vermilion-colored savages, as they leapt along the craggy ridge, twanging their bows at us with evil but ineffectual intent, was a charming picture of African life and manners. Fortunately, the branches of numerous trees and intervening clumps of bamboo frustrated the good intentions of the arrows, as they glanced from their aim ; and although some fell among our party, we were as yet un!;cathed. One of the enemy, who was probably a chief, distinguished himself in particular, by advancing to within about fifty yards, and stand- ing on a rock, he deliberately shot five or six arrows, all of which missed their mark; the men dodged them as they arrived in their uncertain ii !i T 1:1 ' 494 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. flight; the speed of the arrows was so inferior, owing to the stififhessof the bows, that nothing was easier than to evade them. Any halt was unnecessary. We continued our march through the gorge, the men keeping up an unremitting fire until we entered upon a tract of higl grass and forest ; this being perfectly diy, it would have been easy to set it on fire, as the enemy were to leeward; but although the rustling in the grass betokened the presence of a great number of men, they were invisible. A Savage Fatally Wounded. In a few minutes we emerged in a clearing, where corn had been planted; this was a favorable position for a decisive attack upon the natives, who now closed up. Throwing out skirmishers, with orders that they were to cover themselves behind the trunks of trees, the Ban's were dr""en V. ':. One was now shot through the body and fell ; but recovering, he ran with his comrades, and fell dead after a few yards. Wliai- casualties had happened during the passage of the gorge, I cannot !^ay, . '♦: tl, enemy were now utterly discomfited. I had not fired a shot, as the whole affair was perfect child's-play, and anyone who could shoot would have settled the fortune of the day by half a dozen shots ; but both the traders' people and my men were " shooters, but not hitters." We now bivouacked on the field for the night. During the march on the following day, the natives watched us at a distance, following in great numbers parallel with our route, but fearing to attack. The country was perfectly open, being a succession of fine downs of low grass, with few trees, where any attack against our, guns would have been madness. In the evening we arrived at two small deserted villages ; these, like most in the Bari country, wer^i circular, and surrounded by a live and impenetrable fence of euphorbia, having only one entrance. The traders' people camped in one, while I took up my quarters in the other. The sun had sunk, and the night being pitch dark, we had a glorious fire around which we placed our couches opposite the narrow entrance of the camp, about ten yards distant. Surrounded by Hostile Natives. I stationed Richarn as sentry outside the gateway, as he was the niosi reliable of my men, and I thought it extremely probable that we might be attacked during, the night ; three other sentries I placed on guard al various stations. Dinner being concluded, Mrs. Baker lay down on her couch for the night. I drew the balls from a doubled-barrelled smooth bore rifle, and loaded with cartridge containing each twenty large-mould he stifihess o( Any lialt was rge, the men tract of higl tn easy to set e rusth'ng in ;n, they were rn had been :k upon the with orders :es, the Ban's and fell ; but w yards. the gorge, I I had not anyone who half a dozen )ters, but not hed us at a but fearing ision of fine st our, guns ; these, like ' a live and The traders' other. The lorious fire, entrance of as the mosi t we might n guard al )wn on her led smooth arge-mould (499 4 Of) WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. I '.' II' shot (about a hundred to llie pound) ; putting this under my pillow I went to sleep. Hardly had I begun to rest, when my men woke me, saying that the camp was surrounded by natives. Upon inquiry I found this to be correct : it was so dark that they could not be seen without stooping to the ground, and looking along the surface, I ordered the sentries not to fire unless hostii'ties should commence on the side of the natives, and in no case to draw trigger without a challenge. Returning to the couch I laid down, and not wishing to sleep, I smoked my long Unyoro pipe. In about ten minutes — bang ! went a shot, quickly followed by another from the sentry at the entrance of the camp Quietly ri.sing from my bed, I found Richarn reloading at his post. " What is it, Richarn ? " I asked. " They are shooting arrow into the camp, aiming at the fire, in hopes of hitting you who are sleeping there," said Richain. " I watched one fellow," he continued, " as I heard the twang of his bow four times. At each shot I heard an arrow strike the ground between me .and you, therefore I fired at him, and I think he is down. Do you see that black object lying on the ground?" I saw something a little blacker than the surrounding darkness, but it could not be distinguished. Leaving Richarn with orders not to move from his post, but to keep a good 'dok-out until relieved by the next vyatch, I again went to sleep. Poisoned Arrows. Before break of day, just as the grey dawn slightly improved the darkness, I visited the sentry ; he was at his post, and reported that he thought the archer of the preceding night was dead, as he had heard a sound proceeding from the dark object on the ground after I had left. In a few minutes it was sufficiently Ught to distinguish the body of a man lying about thirty paces from the camp entrance. Upon examina- tion, he proved to be a Bari ; — his bow was in his hand, and two or three arrows were lying by his side; — thirteen mould shot had struck him dead ; — one had cut through the bow. We now searched the camp for arrows, and as it became light, %ve picked up four in various places, some within a few feet of our beds, and all horribly barbed and poisoned, that the deceased had shot into the camp gateway. This was the last attack during our journey. We marched well, gen- erally accomplishing fifteen miles of latitude daily from this point, as the road was good and well known to our guides. The country was generally poor, but beautifully diversified with large trees, the tamarind predomi- nating. Passing through the small but thickly-populated and friendly little province of Moir, in a few days we sighted the well-known moun- THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. 497 tain Belignian, that we had formerly passed on its eastern side when wa had started on our uncertain path from Gondokoro upwards of two years ago. We had a splendid view of the Ellyria Mountain, and of the dis- tant cone, Honey Mountain, between Ellyria and Obbo. All these curiously-shaped crags and peaks were well knows to us, and welcomed them as old friends after a long absence ; they had been •AC our companions in times of doubt and anxiety, when success in our under- taking appeared hopeless. At noon on the following day, as We were as usual marching parallel with the Nile, the river, having made a slight bend to the west, swept round, and approached within half a mile of our path ; the small conical mountain, Regiaf, within twelve miles of Gondo- koro, was on our left, rising from the west bank of the river. We felt almost at home again, and marching until sunset, we bivouacked within three miles of Gondokoro. Back at Gondokoro. That night we were full of speeulations. Would a boat be waiting for us with supplies and letters ? The morning anxiously looked forward to arrived. We started; the English flag had been mounted on a fine straight bamboo with a new lance-head specially arranged for the arrival at Gondokoro. My men felt proud, as they would march in as conquerors ; according to White Nile ideas such a journey could not have been accom- plished with so small a party. Long before Ibrahim's men were ready to start, our oxen were saddled and we were off, longing to hasten into Gon- dokoro and to find a comfortable vessel with a few luxuries, and the post from England. Never had the oxen traveled so fast as on that morning ; the flag led the way, and the men in excellent spirits followed at double- quick pace. " I see the masts of the vessels! " exclaimed the boy, Saat. " El hambd el Illah ! " (thank God !) shouted the men. " Hurrah I " said I—" Three cheers for old England and the Sources of the Nile! hurrah!" and my men joined me in the wild, and to their ears, savage English yell. " Now for a salute ! Fire away all your powder if you like, my lads, and let the people know that we're alive ! " This was all that was required to complete the happiness of my people, and loading and firing as fast as possible, we approached near to Gondo- koro. Presently we saw the Turkish flag emerge from Gondokoro^ at ■ibout a quarter of a mile distant, followed by a number of the traders* people, who waited to receive us. On our arrival, they immediately approached and fired salutes with ball cartridge, as usual advancing close to us and discharging their guns into the ground at our feet. One of my 82 I i I ! I I 1 10^ WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. 1 II servants, Mahomet, was riding an ox, and an old friend of his in the crowd happening to recognize him, immediately advanced and saluted him by firing his gun into the earth directly beneath the belly of the ox he was riding ; the effect produced made the crowd and ourselves explode with laughter. The nervous ox, terrified at the sudden dis charge between his legs, gave a tremendous kick, and continued mariK kicking and plunging, until Mahomet was pitched over his head, and !ay sprawling on the ground ; this scene terminated the expedition. Frlgrhtfiil Ravages of a Plagrtie. The foregoing account, given in Baker's most graphic language, shows what hardships his expidition encountered, all of which were shared by his heroic wife, who is the most celebrated woman traveller known to Tropical exploration. On reaching Gondoko, only three boats had arrived, while the trading parties were in consternation at hearing that the Egyptian authorities were about to suppress the slave trade and with foOr steamers had arrived at Khartoum, two of which had ascended the White Nile and had captured many slavers. Thus the three thousand slaves who were then assembled at Gondokoro would be utterly worthless. The plague also was raging at Khartoum, and many among the crews of the boats had died on the passage. Mr. Baker, however, engaged one of them belonging to Koorshid Pacha. Bidding farewell to his former opponent, Ibrahim, who had since, however, behaved faithfully, Mr. Baker and his devoted wife commenced their voyage down the Nile. Unhappily the plague, as might have been expected, broke out on board, and several of their people died among them. They chiefly regretted the loss of the faithful little boy, Saat. At Khartoum, which they reached on the ,5th of May, 1865, they were welcomed by the whole European population, and hospitably entertained. Here they remained two months. During the time the heat was in- tense, and the place was visited by a dust-storm, which in a few minutes produced an actual pitchy darkness. At first there was no wind, and when it came it did not arrive with the violence that might have been expected. So intense was the darkness, that Mr. Baker and his com- panions tried in vain to distinguish their hands placed close before theii eyes ; not even an outline could be seen. This lasted for upwards oi twenty minutes, and then rapidly passed away. They had, however, felt such darkness as the Egyptians experienced in the time of Moses. The plague had been introduced by the slaves landed from two vessels THE NIAGARA OF AFRICA. 4I& which had been captured, and in which the pestilence had broken out Tiicy contained upwards of eip[ht hundred and fifty human beings. Nothing could be more dreadful than the condition in which the unhappy beings were p^t on shore. The women had afterwards been di.stributtt' among the soldiers, and, in consequence, the pestilence had been dissemi- nated throughout the place. Mr. Baker had the satisfaction of bringing Mahomet Her, who ban instigated his men to mutiny at Latooka, to justice. He was seized and carried before the governor, when he received one hundred and fifty lashes. How often had the wretch flogged «women to excess ! What murders had he not committed ! And now how he had howled for mercy ! Mr. Baker, however, begged that the punishment might be stopped, and that it might be explained to him that he was thus punished for attempting to thwart the expedition of an English traveller by insti- gating liis escort to mutiny. The Nile having now risen, the voyage was recommenced ; but their vessel was very nearly wrecked on descending the cataracts. On reaching Berber, they crossed the desert east to Sonakim on the Red Sea. Hence, finding a steamer, they proceeded by way of Suez to Cairo, where thev left the faithful Richarn and his wife in a comfortable situation as servants at Shepherd's Hotel, and Mr. Baker had the satis- faction of hearing that the Royal Geographical Society had awarded him the Victoria Gold Medal, a proof that his exertions had been duly appre- ciated. He, also, on his arrival in England, received the honor of knighthood. Sir Samuel and Lady Baker, after a short stay at home, returned to Egypt; Sir Samuel there having received the rank of pacha from the Khedive. It is gratifying to know that the heroic sacrifices and brilliant .services in Tropical exploration rendered by Mr. and Mrs. Baker were appreciated in their own home, and were recognized by the government of Great Britain. » From an ordinary personage Mr. Baker rose to the rank of Baronet, had the title conferred upon him by which he i"? n^v known to the world, and this was given solely as a reward for meriic >'is sennce.s. Few explorers in Africa have done more for the benefit of that benighted region than he, and if his own ideas and plans had been carried out, and the great changes had taken place which he contemplated, Africa to-day would be centuries nearer enlightenment than she is. CHAPTER XXIII. I I 1 A RENOWNED EXPEDITION. The Khedive of Egypt— Baker Made a Pasha — Second Expedition Towards the Sources of the Nile — A Scene of Desolation — Conveying Steel Steamers for the Albert Lake — The Expedition's Outfit — Musical Boxes and Magic Lanterns— The Military Forces— Baker's Very "Irregular Cavalry "—Grotesque Manceuvres— The Camel Transport— Gun Carriages and Heavy Machinery— Steaming up th« Mile— One of the Bravest Achievements of Modern Times— A Grand River— Im- mense Flats and Boundless Marshes — Current Checked by Floating Islands- Toilsome Passage— The Expedition Retreats— Pursuing Game — A Beautiful Animal— Baker in Camp— The Shillook Tribe— Superior Savages— Crafty Tres- passers — Old Chief with Immense Family— A Pompous Ruler— Wholesale Matri- mony — Brown Men Get Jilted — A Little Black Pet — Natives Up in Arms— A Dangerous Encounter— Attack From the Baris — Dastardly Traitor — The House' hold— Black Boys Who Would Not Steal Sugar— Little "Cuckoo"— A Remarka- ble Rock — An Old Supersiition— On the March — Adventure with a Rhinoceros- Horse Attacked— Timely Shot — The Wild Beast Laid Low— Arrival at Unyr ^— Sanguinary Battle — ' ' Chinese ' ' Gordon at Khartoum— Gordon's Untimely " QFRICAN exploration was not destined to halt. We find Sir £-. Baker upon a second expedition fully equal in interest to the one described in the preceding chapter. This expedition was urged by the Prince of Wales, and was furthered by powerful patrons in Eng- land. Baker had proved himself a bold spirit, the master of events and circumstances, an explorer of great tact, endurance and energy, and it was confidently believed that if he were sent into Central Africa not only would a path for commerce be opened, but a large part of the country could be annexed to Egypt, and active measures could be taken for the suppres- sion of the slave traffic and other deeds of violence which rendered this vast region a complete pandemonium. The expedition wao to last four years. During this period Baker was made a Pasha, or was constituted an Egyptian governor. His territory was vast in the extreme, being nothing less than the Nile region. It will je understood that the Khedive of Ejjiypt, by whose immediate authority Raker conducted this expedition, received his title from the Sultan of Turkey, and was given this name by virtue of having been made the ruler of Egypt. Thus Baker began 'his great undertaking with as much authority as it was needful or possible for anyone to have. He was sent without let or hindrance, was given command of his own forces, was (600) A RENOWNED EXPEDITION. 5«il invested even with the power of h'fe or death. He was made an avjtocrat, was constituted a supreme ruler, and had he not been « very wi-e, judicious, and self-possessed man, he would unquestionably have become u tyrant, and a curse instead of a benefactor to the savage and warlikf tribes of Central Africa. F"or the most part we shall permit Mr. Baker to tell his thrilling stor\ in his own language. In my former journey, he says, I had traversed countries of extreme fertility in Central Africa, with a healthy climate favorable for the settle- ment of white men, at a mean altitude of four thousand feet above the sea-level. This large and almost boundless extent of country was well peopled by a race who only required the protection of a strong but paternal government to become of considerable importance, and to eventually develop the great resources of the soil. I found lands varying in natural capabilities according to their position and altitudes — where sugar, cotton, coffee, rice, spices, and all tropi- cal produce might be successfully cultivated ; but those lands were with- out any civilized form of government, and " every man did what seemed right in his own eyes." A Scene of Desolation. Rich and well-populated countries were rendered desolate ; the women and children were carried into captivity ; villages were burned, and crops were destroyed or pillaged ; the popul.ition was driven out ; a terrestfinl paradise was converted into an infernal region ; the natives, who were originally friendly, were rendered hostile to all strangers, and the general condition could only be expressed in one word — " ruin." To effect the grand reform contemplated it would be necessary to annex the Nile Basin, and to establish a government in countries that had been hitherto without protection, and a prey to adventurers from the Soudan. To convey steel steamers from England, and to launch them upon the Albert Lake, and thus open the resources of Central Africa ; to establish legitimate trade in a vast country which had hitherto been a field of rapine and of murder; to protect the weak and to punish the evil-doer, and to open the road to a great future, where the past had been all darkness and the present reckless spoliation — this was the grand object which Ismail, the Khedive of Egypt, determined to accomplish. Before I left England I personally selected every article that was nee-' essary for the expedition; thus an expenditure of about forty -five thous- and dollars was sufficient for the purchase of the almost innumerable items that formed the outfit for th« '".nterprise. This included an admir- &02 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. able selection of Manchester goods, such as cotton sheeting, gray calico, cotton, and also woolen blankets, white, scarlet, and blue ; Indian scarls, red and yellow ; handkerchiefs of gaudy colors, chintz printed ; scarlet flannel shirts, serge of colors (blue, red), linen trousers, etc., etc. Tools of all sorts — axes, small hatchets, harness bells, brass rods, cop iper rods, combs, zinc mirrors, knives, crockery, tin plates, fish-hooks, musical-boxes, colored prints, finger-rings, razors, tinned spoons, cheap watches, etc., etc. Musical Boxes and Magic Lanterns. I thus had sufficient clothing for a considerable body of troops if nec- essary, while the magazines could produce anything from a needle to a crow-bar, or from a handkerchief to a boat's sail. It will be seen hcie- afier that these careful arrangements assured the success of the exped'- tion, as the troops, when left without pay, could procure all they required from the apparently inexhaustible stores of the magazines. In addition to the merchandise and general supplies, I had several large musical boxes with bells and drums, an excellent magic lantern, wheels of life, and an assortment of toys. The greatest wonder to the natives were two large girandoles ; also the silvered balls, about six inches in diameter, that, suspended from the branch of a tree, reflected the scene beneath. In every expedition the principal difficulty is the transport. . " Travel ligl|t, if possible," is the best advice for all countries; but in chis instance it was simply impossible, as the object of the expedition was not only to convey steamers to Central Africa, but to establish legitimate trade in the place of the nefarious system of pillage hitherto adopted by the so-called White Nile traders. The military arrangements comprised a force of one thousand six iuin- dred and forty-five troops, including a corps of two hundred irregular cavalry, and two batteries of artillery. The infantry were two regiments, supposed to be well selected. The black, or Soudani, regiment included many officers and men who had served for some years in Mexico witli the French army under Marshal Bazaine. The Egyptian regiment turned out to be for the most part convicted felons who had been trans- .♦jorted for various crimes from Egypt to the Soudan. I reviewed the irregalar cavalry, about two hundred and fifty horse. These were certainly very irregular. Each man was horsed and armed according to his individual notion of a trooper's requirements. There were lank, half-starved horses ; round, short horses ; very small ponies ; horses that were all legs ; others that were all heads ; horses that had A RENOWNED EXPEDITION. 603 been groomed ; horses that had never gone through that operation. The saddles and bridles were only fit for an old curiosity-shop. There were some with faded strips of gold and silver lace adhering here and there ; others that resembled the horse in skeleton appearance, which had been strengthened by strips of raw crocodile skin. The unseemly huge jhovel-stirrups were rusty; the bits were filthy. Some of the men had swords and pistols ; others had short blunderbusses with brass barrels ; many had guns of various patterns, from the long, old-fashioned Arab to the commonest double-barreled French gun that was imported. The customs varied in a like manner to the arms and animals. Grotesque Maiioiuvcrs. Having formed in line, they now executed a brilliant charge at a sup- posed enemy, and performed many feats of valor ; and having quickly got into inconceivable confusion, they at length rallied and returned to their original position. I complimented their officer; and having asked Djiaffer Pasha, one of the Khedive's generals, if these brave troops represented my cavalry force, and being assured of the fact, I dismissed them, and requested Djiaffer Pasha to inform them that *' I regretted the want of transport would not permit me the advantage of their services. ' Inshallah ! ' (Please God !) at some future time," etc., etc. I thus got rid of my cavalry, which I never wished to see again. I had twenty-one good horses that I had brought from Cairo, and these, to