Ex Libris Cat and Henry H. Bucher H. BUCHER B. P. 80 LIBREVILLE GABON The Flaming Torch IN DARKEST AFRICA BY WILLIAM TAYLOR, D.D., LL.D, BISHOP OF AFRICA WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HENRY M. STANLEY, M.P. NEW YORK: EATON 6c MAINS Copyright by EATON & MAINS. 1898. PREFACE IN the pages of this volume I have endeavored to set before the reader the dark land of Africa in the past, with a gradual transition to the present. I have introduced the struggles of the early travelers, not only on account of the intense interest of the record of un- paralleled personal adventure, but to draw a contrast be- tween their methods of exploration and those of recent explorers which have practically redeemed the lost continent. Men in the past centuries fought awful duels with death in the swamps and jungles of Africa to win riches or fame in their native land. The real redemption of the heathen was the last thing they considered. Exceptions there are, truly, but the efforts even in these cases were puerile, and proved by their lack of fruit to be without divine guidance. Who can fail, after reviewing the work of all the explorers down to Livingstone and Stanley, to acknowledge that these were God-chosen men? To me it is just one of the Almighty's w'ondrous ways of working. Before Livingstone His time had not yet come, but the death of the doctor marked the deciding point. Then came Stanle)' — the one man in the world who had the pluck, the power, and the knowledge to be the pioneer of Africa's redemption. He had already been tested, and his enthusiasm had become an inspiration. The power and the means came with the will. There was a divine order in everything. True, blood has flowed, but are there not many examples in past history where heroic measures were absolutely neces- sary for the cause of a nation's salvation ? The " open sore of the world " had been penetrated by the all-seeing eye of Heaven, and God permitted the nations to step in and wrest 6 Preface the poor heathen, not alone from the awful devastating Arab thieves of human beings, but from their own ignorant superstition and internecine war and destruction. The work has but begun, and it will doubtless go on until one day Africa may lead the world in learning and culture and be a continent covered with virtuous peoples, loving and fearing the Lord who has permitted their painful afflictions and mercifully redeemed them. Since the object of this volume was but to deal with the " dark land " I have deemed it prudent not to delve into the past civilization of the North. The ruins of Karnak and the records of the Rosetta stone are fascinating alike to the historian and Egyptologist, or the Zimbabwe ruins- also may indicate a great civilization of the past, but at best these lead but to speculations and are not to be con- sidered in the general design of this book. The heathen and his redemption is the one theme nearest my heart. I have endeavored to show by a few examples the alter- nate good and bad qualities of the native, to illustrate the horrors of superstition, and the necessity for light ; and I have carefully reviewed the mission work which has been carried on in the past in various parts of Africa. The mis- sion work is the Flaming Torch — bearing the light of the Truth. It is only fair to Mr. Stanley to say that when he favored my book with his introduction the general arrangement had not embraced his work in Africa. I saw, however, that in dealing with the subject of Africa's redemption it was neces- sary to deal with him as I have done. There is no fulsome praise. Every word regarding this great man is just, and his noble example of self-abnegation and achievement will be held up to the youth of many future generations. CONTENTS Page Preface 5 List of Illustrations i^ Introduction ; ig FIRST DIVISION The Dark Land 23 Ancient Africa 32 The Invasions of Islam 42 The History of the Dark Land, with its political power, miliiary glory, arts, and sciences, almost totally eclipsed by its degen- eracy into the darkness of heathenism. The archives of ancient history, the records of enduring monuments and graven stone, have yielded up their fairest gems under this modern search light. Bright lights glim- mer among the shadows of the past as virtues shine forth amid the moral darkness of the people. Carthage, the greatest maritime and commer- cial state of antiquity, through her extensive connections, brought Herod- otus, the earliest and most interesting of Greek historians, into personal touch with the wide region extending from the Nile to the Atlantic. The philosophers of Memphis ; the great Latin geographer, Mela ; noblemen of Persia ; King Necho, of Egypt ; and Eudoxus, who lived about one hundred and thirty years before Christ, report their investigations, includ- ing the discoveries of large centers of civilized peoples, who were later overwhelmed by barbarous nations. After the Roman conquest the invasion of Islam forms a momentous epoch. In seventy years it ex- pelled Europe ; in seven hundred years marched to the center of the continent — a thrilling record of the sword ! Gathered from the most authentic sources ; grouped in subjects of greatest helpfulness to those who study the Dark Continent from every point of interest ; entertainly told for all classes and all ages — this forms an important division of this the first historv of Africa. 8 Contents SECOND DIVISION Page The Portuguese and Dutch 53 England and France Explore Africa 69 An African Association 87 Mungo Park 96 Horneman, Campbell, Tuckey, etc 116 The New Era 129 About Lake Tchad 132 In Campbell's Footsteps ^ 1 58 The Romance of Exploration, a thrilling account of the per- sonal adventures of ancient and modern travelers, presents a vast variety of experiences, " now grave, now gay." Of the more than seven hundred explorers who have traveled in Africa, five hundred and fifty of whom there found their last resting place, have been selected those least known in literature, to provide a fund of anecdotes hitherto unknown to the general reader. These graphically picture the great forests, various flowering plants of delicate hues, and products of native culture; animal life in all its diversified forms, from the clumsy elephant to the graceful gazelle, and the serpents and insects that abound. The fortunes and misfortunes of travelers through these wild regions, " hairbreadth " escapes, and complete annihilation of entire expeditions, form a romance from real life. Adventures with wild beasts and wilder tribes of men are relieved now and again by pretty native customs or an unexpected hos- pitality. As in the long marches of many a traveler across the trackless desert there was here and there an oasis, so in the experiences of those who have entered the country by every avenue of approach have come delightful incidents and scenes of real merriment in the dense forests and upon the high mountains of the mysterious continent. THIRD DIVISION Page Livingstone's Discoveries 169 Stanley's Discoveries 1 86 The Dawn of Day in Africa, the period of real exploration and valuable discovery, began with the advent of Livingstone, the pioneer of Christian civilization in heathen Africa. The well-known record is not here reproduced ; but as he led the advance that became the true Contents 9 type of exploration the most interesting events of his life open the chap- ters that here form the life story of the heroic host that followed him. His death revealed the grandeur of his discoveries and enlisted great men for the accomplishment of the task he had begun. In this unraveling of a tangled web, the solution of more important problems than the dis- covery of the North Pole, involving the gift to the world of a continent comprising one fifth of its land area, the leadership was divinely assigned to Stanley. He opened up the only practical way for the redemption of the lost races of the dark land, laid the foundations of empire, and intro- duced methods which have been successfully followed by the real ex- plorers of Africa. The records of these men, who have penetrated every forest, climbed each mountain, and navigated all the lakes and rivers, are combined in this division, portraying the achievements of the real dis- coverers of the Land of the Black. FOURTH DIVISION Page Islam and the Natives 197 Commercial and Domestic 207 The Kaffirs a Century Ago 213 Native Religion and Fetichism 226 Worship of the Yorubas 233 Human Sacrifices 240 Cruel Native Tyrants — Uganda's Despot and Sepopo 249 Sacrificed to Crocodiles 266 The Zulus and "Judicial " Murders 278 Religious Superstitions in Garenganze 287 The Legendary Lore 296 Folk Tales of Angola 301 Heathen Africa^ the "habitation of cruelty"of those who "sit in dark- ness and the shadow of death," presents the living picture of the real inner life of the lost world as it appealed for redemption to the sympathizing heart of the Son of God. The traditional superstitious beliefs that dominate every wild tribe form the dark background of the picture, from which stands out in bold relief every manifestation of mysterious art and savage cruelty. In the center, its branches reaching out into every avenue of thought, its roots penetrating the soil of every endeavor, flourishes the banyan tree of polygamy. Among the flowers of innocent pleasure, the twining vines of 10 Contents domestic life, and the luxuriant foliage of diversified customs, lies, half concealed, the serpent, witchcraft, robbing the beautiful bloom of its sweetness, breathing through the delicate tendrils of the vine, poisoning every green herb. Eden is transformed into hades ! On the river bank the crocodile's mouth receives the infant sacrifice ; the slender tree bends to toss aloft the decapitated head of the kneeling captive; into the yawn- ing earth tumble the living victims of the burial service ; the helpless mother may not escape the agony inflicted by the devouring ants. It is an awful picture ! Beautiful legends of folklore, and qunint customs relating to the principal events of life, form the side lights of this lifelike representation of the horrors of heathenism. FIFTH DIVISION Page To a Sure Foundation 3- ' Apostolic and Early Modern Missions 331 Christianizing Wild Tribes 342 Increase of the Advancing Host 35^ Scotch Missions and Methods 368 Abyssinia and Uganda 375 Triumphs in Madagascar 3^4 The Gospel in Mohammedan Centers. . 39° Land of the White Man's Grave 399 The Gospel on the Gold Coast ... 408 INIissions West and Southwest 416 Light in the Valley of the Congo 4-6 The Gospel in South Central Africa 437 Mission to Garenganze 445 Methodist Industrial Missions 453 Practical Princii)lcs of Self-support .... 460 Fate of the First Party 467 The Church in the Wilderness 475 Missionary Heroes and Heroines 49° Heroes of the Congo 498 Early Days of the Repui)lic of Liberia 510 \ Contents 1 1 Page Heathen Tribes on the Cavnlla 5 '6 Advance up the Sinoe River 5-" Kroo Coast Experiences 53^ The Gospel in Tonga 55' The Torch in a Strong Hand 555 My Latest EvangeHstic Tour 5^8 The Heathen's Redemption. Missionary triumphs in heathen darkness display the choicest string of pearls in this collection of wonderful events and history of heroic lives in this land of greatest interest to the Christian world. This record of the heroic service and sacrifice that have accomplished such glorious victories reads like a second edition of the Book of Acts. These light-bearers of divine truth have penetrated the densest darkness with life and hope, striking off the chains that bound both body and soul, and building Christian empires. From the first Chris- tian missionary to interior Africa, tlie Ethiopian eunuch baptized and com- missioned by Philip, to the last martyr on the Congo, is tenderly traced the great events in the lives that have been laid on the altar of Africa's redemption. This one division of the book is a library of all the missions of all the missionary societies of all denominations; not a statistical exhibit merely, but an intensely interesting story. The facile pen of Bishop J. C. Hartzell portrays the progress of Methodist missions, with an interesting account of his travels in the Dark Continent, This section also contains an account of the mission work and personal adventures of the author, including his latest campaign in South Africa— the hitherto unwritten chapters of his life. SIXTH DIVISION p^g^ Africa's Partition and Promise 5^7 Dr. Ravenstein's Political Division of Africa in 1893 60I Africa : Present and Future 604 Africa's People and Languages 616 The Open Sore ^33 The Mines at Kimberley ^39 Retribution and Restitution "5' Division of the Continent and Future Development. This section has itself four iiiiportaiU divisions: Social— the disposition of the various peoples and tribes, their languages, manners, and customs ; Politi- 12 Contents cal — the partition among European powers and their advance into and development of protectorates and planting of colonies ; Commercial — pro- ducts of the country, their preparation and export, mineral wealth, includ- ing a chapter on the greatest diamond fields in the world ; and the glorious future of the Dark Continent, now emerging into light. Here we bring the " First History of Africa " down to date in the present distribution and condition of her peoples, the advance of civilization in railways, sub- stantial cities on the sites of heathen capitals, and state building. Here is recorded every important event that contributes to the making of a new world of opportunity for marvelous achievement and the interesting incidents connected with its unfolding. It freely discusses the South African question, British or Boer supremacy, the Portuguese and German situation in the East, Congo State's future, the French territorial delimi- tation in the West, and the supremacy of the cross over the crescent in the Soudan, including the recent British occupancy following the fall of Omdurman and the avenging of Gordon. ILLUSTRATIONS Page Portrait of the Author Frontispiece A North African Belle 25 In the Nubian Forest 28 Chimpanzees 30 African Elephant 31 Negro Type of North Africa 35 Mauri in Forest of Bananas 39 A Ship of the Desert 41 The City of Tangier 44 The Ancient City of Fez 47 Type of the Northwest 51 Wife of Marango Chief 57 Mammalia of the East African Steppe 63 Cattle of the Boers 68 Hippopotami 72 Ring-tailed Monkeys T] The Dahoman Type 83 Negress of the Upper Niger pr The Leopard 95 Timbuctoo from the East 98 Drawing Water from the Nile loi Albino Negress 109 A Leaf Dwelling 115 Habitation of the Forest Dwellers 119 Arab of Upper Congo 123 Civilized Dahomans '25 Americo-Liberian and Native i -8 14 Illustrations Page Gazelles ,-,- Ij3 Natives of Bornou i ^n Musician of French Guinea i .g Baralongs Pursuing Zebras i eg Timbuctoo from the North j5^ Wa-ganda Boatmen jg- Home Life of the Makololo 171 Market Scene at Nyangvve , 1 7 r Dr. Emil Holub j g^ Mrs. Dr. Emil Holub ig. Cattle Transportation 18^ Henry M. Stanley, M.P 186 Prime Minister of Uganda 188 The Heart of Livingstone 190 East African Tower 102 King M'wanga lo^ Malagasy Embassage 195 Ba-Tlipen Women in the Field 201 A Worker in Iron 205 Habitations and Game Dance of the Ma-Sar\va 209 Earthnuts (Arachis hypogsea) 212 Heathen Kaffir Dance 215 Heathen Kafifirs at a Great Beer Drink 219 Camel Caravan at Rest 225 Carriers of a Native Expedition 229 Chief and his Family 232 The Bay of Cameroons 235 The Rhinoceros 239 A Houssa Soldier 243 Oasis of the Desert 248 Wa-ganda Warriors 251 The Ma-Rutse King, Sepopo 255 Matebele Warriors 259 Sepopo's Serving Maid 264 Wangbattu Boatmen and Village 269 A Typical Witch Doctor 274 Illustrations 15 Page Zebra of the Uplands 277 A Zulu Family 280 Fair Zulus in Full Dress 283 Types of Lake Victoria 291 A Curious Native Salutation 295 Punishment of a Prisoner ". 300 Mission Station 303 Type of Upper Congo Native 31 1 A Forest Habitation . . 316 Mammoth Palms of Madagascar 319 Native Salutation 324 Childhood Type 327 Hottentot Kraal , 333 Rock Village of Mashakulumbe 337 Uncivilized Girls of Pondoland 345 Ba-Mangwato Woman at Work 349 Christianized Girls of Pondoland 353 Port Durban, Natal 357 In the Baobab Forest. 362 Unchristianized Pondo Women 365 Native Dwelling on Ant-hill 369 City and Harbor of Zanzibar 371 Rubaga, Highest City in Uganda 377 A Home in Uganda. 379 Mount Kilima-Njaro 381 Hova Type 385 The Queen and her Sister 386 Queen's Palace and French Residence 388 Semicivilized Habitation 389 Arab Type 391 City of Khartoom 393 Oran, Algeria 393 The Citadel in Cairo '. .... 395 Freetown, Sierra Leone 400 A Somali Type 401 Camp in a Banana Plantation 4^3 16 Illustrations Page West Coast Fetich House 411 A Boy of the Coast 414 Efulen Mission, West Coast 417 Rev. Robert Nassau 420 Church at Kangwe, West Coast 422 Woman of Bailundu 424 Matadi, on the Congo 428 Lofanza — Congo-Bololo Steamship " Pioneer " 431 Mission Steamer on the Congo 434 Children of Swedish Mission 435 Encampment on the Plains 439 A Barotse Hut 442 Barotse Types 444 Entrance to the Palace 447 Coillard Mission 449 Royal Party on the March 454 A Mounted Trader 456 Saint Paul de Loanda 458 Galla Type 462 Kano, Sokoto 464 A Fleet of Canoes 468 Carriers on the Path 47 1 Aye-aye, Squirrel of Africa 477 A Forest Encampment 480 Temporary Mountain Encampment 481 GrUiding at the Mill 487 .^vng6la Plantation Buildings 493 Rev. S. J. and Ardella Mead 496 On Congo Shores 499 Missionary Postal Service 501 Punishment of Congo Slave 503 Bangala, on the Congo 505 Landing at Banana Beach 509 Heathen in Full Dress 511 Natives on a Journey 515 Ma-Shupia W^oman 517 Illustrations 17 Page Ma-Rutse Man 519 Natives of tlie West Coast 523 Mission House 527 Group of Boys 529 River Carriers 531 Camping Under a Mimosa 538 Entrance to tlie Village 541 The Devil Doctor 547 The Camel Driver 550 Tizora and Muti 552 Farangwana and Mabumbi 553 Bishop J. C. Hartzell 556 Salisbury, Mashonaland 560 A Madamba, tlie African Piano 563 Cape Town and Table Mountain 569 Rev. William Flint 572 Rev. James Thompson 572 Railway Station in the Karroo 573 Bloemfontein, Orange Free State ... 574 Pretoria, Transvaal 575 A Breakdown on the Road 576 Interpreter Mdolomba 577 Bishop Taylor and Native Congregation 579 Mr. HuUy, Founder of Shawbury Mission 581 "Wesleyan Church, Durban, Natal 5S2 A Pondo Herdsman 5S3 Street Scene m Johannesburg 585 A Portion of Ujiji 589 Bongandanga Blacksmith 592 Lower Falls of tlie Congo 595 M'wanga Abroad 599 Hospital and Palace Hotel, Buluwayo 605 Arrival of Wool at Queenstown 606 Madagascar Queen's Palace 607 The Negus Meneiek 608 Empress Tauti 609 9 18 Illustrations Page Baiberton, Transvaal 6io Cape Town to Buluwayo 6i i Wesleyan Mission House 613 Country Seat of Cecil Rhodes 615 Ama-Khosa Chief 617 Type of Bushman 618 Malagasy Type 619 An Ama-Tonga 623 Young Men of Garenganze 624 Ba-Mangwato Tailors 626 A Kabyle Type 628 Typical Korannas 629 A War Drum 630 Fan Palm Tree 632 Gathering Dates 634 Tonga Town of Kambine 637 Kimberley Diamond Fields 641 Landscape of the Transvaal 643 Kaffir King Kreli 646 A Kafifir Kraal 647 Slatin Pasha 649 Map of Egypt and the Soudan 653 Capturing Cattle 657 View of Tiniis 659 Crossing Palm Tree Bridge 661 Gordon Avenged ! 663 Military Occupation 667 INTRODUCTION (D ANY books have been written upon Africa. Some are devoted to one part of the vast continent, and. some to another. Several writers have confined themselves to the countries the)' have explored, while others have treated of the ethnology, physiology, and lan- guage of the various peoples. It is no mean task to search out the most interesting facts about Africa and gather them all together as links in a golden chain to bind the burning recoidsof missionary trials and triumphs. In the volume before us the author pictures the Darlc Con- tinent with facile pen, tcndcrlv tracing the variations of nature in the fauna and flora from north to south and from east to west. He turns the veil of the past aside, and we catch a glimpse of the Midnight Empire of yesterdax', and speculate upon its dim and buried past — its civilization, C(Mn- mercial influence, mihtcU'}' i)o\ver, and la[xse into heathen- ism. The ancient history of Africa and the record of the Mohammedan aggression and possession, with their com- mercial and religious influence and slax'e trade, are interesting and instructive. The period of earl)- European exploration and individual adventures, together with the later explora- tions in which I have been personall)' interested, are chained together in delightful vein. As the pages roll b)' we peruse the somber records of heathen Africa and the government of its barbaric poten- 20 Introduction tates, military methods, religions and superstitions, social customs, slavery, and the horrors of human sacrifice. The sections devoted to missionary trials and triumphs in Africa are of world-wide importance. The barriers encoun- tered— the climate, the geographical difficulties, languages, witchcraft, and polygamy, and the prejudices of dense igno- rance and savage natures — are recorded with the convinc- ing touch of experience. The closing chapters of this unique work, on the political partition, recent discoveries of diamonds and gold, and the present development, are full of information which is up-to- date and reliable, while the Bishop speaks of Africa's future in prophetic vein. The title adopted by the Bishop for his book may possibly be considered somewhat sensational by those unacquainted with its origin. TJic Flaming TorcJi in Darkest Africa, how- ever, is a title peculiarly well fitted to the volume he has pro- duced. The natives everywhere in the territories where his missionary work called him knew him as "The Flam- ing Torch," or "Fire Stick," as some might translate the Zulu word Isikunisivutayo. Therefore in speaking of him- self as "The FlamJng Torch" he has but raised a fitting mental monument to his converts in Africa. Since the African native speaks only as the facts impress him, it may be taken for granted that he had been deeply impressed by the beautiful truths taught, and the man- ner in which they had been conveyed to his mind by Bishop Taylor. This Grand Old Man of Africa mission work was indeed a flaming torch of light and truth many, many years ago, when first he began his self-sacrificing lifework among the native people, preaching with great clearness and eloquence, until Introduction 21 he touched the hearts and awakened the souls which seemed dead to all but debauchery and savage instincts. At one of the great religious awakenings not less than twelve hundred colonists were brought to a sense of their responsibilities to the Almighty under his ministry, and the grand work spread on and on, from kraal to kraal, through- out the native territories, until it was known that over seven thousand of the native Africans had been converted. Well might the natives call him " Isikunisivutayo." William Taylor was the God-chosen man for the work. He inspired his co-workers, not only by his words, but by the force of his example. He taught the people how to make their lives happier by giving them object lessons in many things. When he founded the first Protestant missions ii; the territory of Angola, he discovered large districts where the people suffered from want of water. They had been ac- customed to carry it long distances as their forefathers had done, but the practical Bishop taught them how to dig wells, and thus he was known by the Ambundu for hundreds of miles as " The Well-digger." Like bearers of light the Christian missionaries, among whom William Taylor was conspicuous by his indefatigable labors, traveled thousands of miles through swamp and jungle, impelled by the noble spirit within to shed forth the light of truth where the gloom of despair and heathenism had hitherto prevailed. For his long journeys, when he visited the various missions under his charge in Liberia, he was called by the natives "The Long-walker." .\nd so he was, an ever-moving, tire- less Flaming Torch ; and the Cavallas, the Veys, the Labolos, the Grebos, the Kroos, and their tribal neighbors would whisper from kraal to kraal, and tribe to tribe, that he was 22 Introduction coining — not Bishop Taylor, but "The Long-walker," "The Flaming Torch " — to teach them the truths of Christianity. Both the explorer and missionary have tramped many thousands of miles, braving countless dangers in the explora- tion of Africa, and the results to that vast continent are im- measurably great ; not only in the conversion and enlighten- ment of the heathen races there, but in the unfolding to civilization of a new world whose resources and beauties are well-nigh be}'ond the most extravagant fancies of those un- acquainted with the facts. If there is no duty more imperatively binding upon Chris- tians than that of striving to give to the benighted people of the world the light of the Gospel, there can be no question that the author of this book has performed his duty manfully and well, and, although he is now bent with \ears and his voice grown weak, his brain is still full of burning thoughts, and his eye is eloquent as of }-ore ; and I can again picture him standing beside Usquebaugh, the interpreter, surrounded b\' hundreds of the poor savages, as he whispers the words of truth to be translated and given forth to the willing ears of his congregation. To all those interested in the development of Africa, and the elevation of its people, I can recommend this latest book by the veter.in Bishop, for the variety and fullness of infor- mation it contains, and the large hope it gives that persever- ing Christian labor is not in vain even in darkest Africa. €ii^,4^^l^^ THE FLAMING TORCH IN DARKEST AFRICA CHAPTER I The Dark Land FRICA is of all the continents the most truly tropical. Her greatest breadth is under the immediate power and control of the sun, and the majority of her people see that orb pass over their heads twice in a year as it progresses from tropic to tropic, and thus have a repetition of its perpen- dicular rays. Unfortunately, she glares on Africa with oppression, converting the soil into a naked desert or overspreading it with an excess of animal and vegetable life. When not watered by heavy rains or inundations of the rivers, the soil is ofttimes scorched and dried up until it becomes a dreary waste. The Great Desert, with the ex- ception of the narrow valley of the Nile, reaches across the entire continent, and the traveler may wend his dreary way across these burning sands for many da\-s without discovering a drop of water, or viewing the least vestige of x'egetable or animal life. That the whole of Africa's surface once lay beneath the 23 24 The Flaming Torch waters appears probable, but there is no proof that she emerged later than other continents. The earliest records show that the deserts were as extensive as they are to-day, and that they pressed equally close upon the cultivated belt along the northern coast. All regions between the tropics in general, when not copiously watered, molder into sand, alternating with a hard and impenetrable stratum of clay. Nature has tenderly provided Africa with remedies to obviate the extreme effects of the tropical sun. Great rivers, which swollen by the rains overflow their banks and lay the surrounding country underwater, are the principal source of the superabundant vegetation which characterizes the tropical climes. The mountains of Africa give rise to sev- eral great rivers of fertilizing influence, and present even in so hot a climate pinnacles wrapped in snow. The great cen- tral range, known as "The Mountains of the Moon," are the most extensive and influential ; the largest — the Kilima- Njaro — rising to an altitude of over eighteen thousand feet. The largest of the rivers which direct their course through a vast extent of low land reach the sea only by a very cir- cuitous course. Several of them, too, diffusing their waters into lakes or marshes, have their source in the very heart of the continent, the result being that the enormous breadth of the Great Desert is scarcely irrigated even by a streamlet. It depends entirely on the rains; and these sink into the sandy surface, until, being arrested at the depth of eight or ten feet, they form that " sea under ground " .which has been found to extend over a great part of the arid waste. In consequence of this absence of moisture vegetable life is scantily diffused over a great part of the continent. In the mountain districts, however, and on the territories along their borders the soil is profusely watered, and under the in- fluence of a tropical sun produces that luxurious abundance and gigantic growth of vegetable forms which are a distin- guishing feature in the equatorial regions. The great calabash appears to be the most enormous tree on the face of the earth, and branches extending from the A North African Belle In Darkest Africa 27 trunk horizontally make it a forest almost in itself. The mangrove, too, which rises on the borders of rivers or inun- dated spots, hangs its branches low on the watery banks, where they take root and grow, and the original plant spreading farther and farther forms a natural arcade over the stream. These mighty trees do not stand alone, but the spaces betwixt their branches are affectionately intertwined by canes, creeping and parasitical plants, and shrubs, which again entwine each other until they form an impenetrable undergrowth. To cut the narrowest path through forests of this vegetable life is, to say the least, extremely laborious; and as shoots are continually protruding on each side, the path, without constant traveling and th.e continual use of the ax, soon becomes impassable. Commander Cameron met with great trees in the forests on the northern side of the Bambarra mountains. " No sun- light or breeze ever penetrates into these dark depths," he says, " for a mass of monster trees with spreading heads shut out the slightest glimpse of sk\-. And what trees they were ! Standing in a ravine one hundred and fifty feet deep, these giants of the s}'lvan world were seen springing from its depths; and, looking upward, their trunks were lost among their dense foliage at an equal height above our heads." As we approach the desert these giants of the forest dis- appear and vegetation gradually assumes a more agreeable aspect. We may now view whole forests of the acacia, which gives forth the gum that is an important article of African commerce. The classical lotus, the tamarisk, an.d several other small trees greet the eye and afford nourish- ment by their fruit. Various flowering plants of delicate hues are scattered about in wild and luxuriant beauty, and the desert, in its first approaches and before vegetable life commences to disap- pear, wears a pleasing and even a smiling face. The nature of the animal world in Africa changes as dis- tinctly as vegetation as it passes from one to another of these 28 The Flaming Torch opposite regions. In those plains which are inundated by the great rivers it increases incredibly, and often assumes gigantic and repulsive forms. Throughout the continent wild beasts exist in great numbers ; and to this day the natives have often to fight for very existence. The lion's roar and the gorilla's cries can be heard everywhere in the forest by night. The hyena, the most ferocious and untamable of beasts, com- mits the worst ravages. These creatures move about in In the Nubian Forest bands and invade the villages, and have even sought their prey within the fortified inclosures. The elephants also roam about in herds through the forests, led by the oldest of their number. They attack neither man nor beast. Man is the aggressor frequently in order to obtain the ivory of his tusks. Instead of the tiger Africa has the leopard and the panther, only, however, in certain parts. The rhinoceros, though not strictly amphibious, is found in the marshes and swampy grounds. The hippopotamus also in- fests the marshes and rivers, and proves a very formidable antagonist when annoyed. In Darkest Africa 29 Africa swarms with serpents too, which spread terror ; sonic by their deadly poison, and others by their mere bulk and strength. African serpents are recorded in ancient history. It has been declared that whole provinces were once overrun by them, and that one, after disputing the passage of a river with a Roman army, was destroyed only by a battering engine. As we leave this region, where the earth teems with a su- perabundance of Hfe, and approach the desert, we find a change takes place equally singular and delightful as in the vegetable world. We find only beautiful creatures along the sandy border. The bright-e}'ed antelope in many different species, preying upon neither man nor beast, but pursued by all on account of its delicate flesh. We also see the striped zebra and the camelopard, remarkable for its fantastic beauty. Nature has endowed Africa with a multitude of those ani- mals which some aver resemble man — the monkey, the go- rilla, the chimpanzee, and the orang-outang. Since the mind makes the man, I cannot join in the comparison which some profess to make of these animals with the human race. Insects, which in our milder climates are generally harm- less, are somewhat formidable in Africa. The winged insects in particular, through the action of the sun in swampy dis- tricts, rise up in terrible force. The locust, for instance, gathers in innumerable swarms and commits ravages which it is difficult in our latitude to comprehend. Yet these creatures may be used as food, as they often are by many native tribes. The mosquito and many similar insects do not spread such fearful desolation, but their tormenting stings make life miserable. Even a swarm of bees in the roads of western Africa has been known to put a caravan to flight. But the most extraordinary insects of all are the termites, or white ants, which exhibit even greater develop- ment of instinct, if we may so term their wonderful skill, than they are credited with in other parts of the world. Whole plains are covered with their conical huts, often twelve feet high. They are divided into ranks, some as 30 The Flaming Torch workers, others as soldiers, regularly officered and organized ; a king and queen are appointed to govern over each com- munity, Wlien the queen becomes a mother it is of thou- sands, hence the rapid increase of these creatures is a matter of serious consideration, as they are far from being harmless, as the ants of Europe or America. When the drivers, another species of ant, enter a dwelling they devour every- AC ' ' ; ' _ Chimpanzees thing of vegetable or animal substance, and inmates too, if they fail to depart immediately. The warrior ants, or a similar species in South Africa, are used by the vicious natives as an instrument of torture when they desire to wreak especial vengeance. The prisoner is tied down be- side a dwelling of these savage ants, A\hich are then thor- oughly disturbed and left to take their revenge upon the poor helpless victim, whom they not only kill, but whose very bones they will pick quite clean. We have barely touched upon the evils to which the In Darkest Africa 31 native African is exposed from the lower order of creation, but the subject is one of deep interest, and the student of nature who cares to pursue it through some of tiie exhaust- ive works pubhshed on the natural history and entomology of Africa will be well repaid. Notwithstanding his foes in animal and insect life the native finds his surest foe in man. For centuries this conti- nent has seen her children dragged in chains over the desert and across the sea to spend their lives in hopeless bondage. And again superstition and tyranny are the underlying causes of innumerable petty wars among themselves, of a bloody and cruel character, and a source of domestic and foreign slavery. Yet amid all tlic shadows which we have faintly portrayed there are many beautiful bright lights, shining all the brighter from the somber hue of the background. Even amid the moral darkness there shine forth virtues which would do honor to society in its most refined and exalted state. Domes- tic affection generally pervades African society, and generous hospitality is often shown to travelers. The varieties of nature and character, the alternations of nature's wildncss and beauty, of lawless violence and of the most generous kindness, render traveling in this continent more interest- ing than in any other quarter of the globe. African Elephant 32 The Flaming Torch CHAPTER II Ancient Africa FRICA, so far as it extends along the Medi- terranean, was not only well known to the nations of antiquity, but constituted an integral part of their political and social M) ' Wm system. This coast forms only a compara- iyJ^MMT^^\ t'^'^b' small portion of that great conti- # f^8^'> % nent ; but while the sphere of civilization y^ W\i A. and geographical knowledge of the Greeks were nearly comprised within the circuits of the Mediterranean shores, they viewed northern Africa with considerable inter- est. This region, which is now^ in obscurity and left far behind in all the arts and attainments which exalt human nature, had at that early period takeii the lead. Herodotus, the earliest and most interesting of Greek historians, when endeavoring to collect information about the whole of the unknown world, was obliged, in the absence of written records, to have recourse to travel, and his narrative is almost entirely the record of what he saw^ and heard during his various journeyings. By means of a long stay in Egypt, and intimate communication with the na- tive priests, he learned much that was accurate, as well as much that was incorrect and exaggerated, respecting the wide region which extends from the Nile to the Atlantic. He justly describes it as much inferior in fertility to the cultivated parts of Europe and Asia, and suffering severely from drought ; yet there were a ^cw spots, as Cinyps and the high tracts of Cyrene, which being finely irrigated might stand a comparison Avith the richest portions of the globe. Generally, however, in quitting the northern coast, which he terms the " forehead of Africa," the country became more In Darkest Africa 33 and more arid. " Hills of salt arose," he declares, "out of ^\•hich the natives constructed tlieir houses, without any fear of their melting beneath a shower in a region where rain \\as unknown." The land became almost a desert and was filled with such multitudes of wild beasts as to be con- sidered their proper inheritance, and scarcely disputed with them by the human race. Farther to the south the soil no longer afforded food even to these wild tenants ; there was not the trunk of a tree nor a drop of water; total silence and desolation reigned. Such is the general picture which Herodotus draws of this northern boundary of the great iXfrican tlesert, which must be acknowledged to be fairly accurate. In the tract westward from Eg\'pt, behind the great "Af- rican forehead," the first object was the celebrated shrine of Ammon, dedicated to the Theban Jove, and to which the Greeks ascribed a higher prophetic power than even to their own Delphic Oracle. This temple, situated in the midst of almost inaccessible deserts, was distinguished iov a fountain which, warm at midnight, became always colder and colder till noon. Ten days' journey beyond Ammon hi}' /Egila, occupied by the Nasamones, a numerous people, ■who in winter fed their flocks on the seacoast, and in summer re- paired to collect and store up the dates here growing on extensive forests of palm trees. To this people are as- cribed various singular customs, among which was their mode of foreseeing the future by laying themselves to sleep on the tombs of their ancestors, watching the dreams which arose in this position, and treasuring them up in oracles. .-v After the Gindanes and the Lotophagi, who ate the lotus and made wine from its fruit, came the Machlyes and the Auses, dwelling round the lake of Tritonis, the scene of the reported birth and oracle of Minerva, with which were con- nected many celebrated fables of ancient mythology. Strabo, who wrote after the Roman sway was fully estab- lished over Africa, gives a much more exact report of its 34 The Flaming Torch western regions. Extending his view beyond the Atlas Mountains, he describes the Mauri, peopling a rich territory on the Atlantic coast capable of yielding the most copious harvest. Nothing, however, could wean the nation from the wandering life in which they delighted, moving continually with their tents from place to place, wrapped in the skins of wild beasts, riding without saddle, and often without bridle, on small, swift horses. He represented them as fighting with sword and spear, not with the poisoned arrows im- puted to them by Horace, which are used at present in central Africa, Eastward, around Carthage, he finds the Massaesuli, who followed the same wandering life, and were called Nomads or Numidians ; but Masinissa had already inured them to the practice of agriculture and to some of the refinements of polished life. Carthage at its first sub- jection was razed to the ground and left long desolate ; but the Romans, attracted by the view of the fine region which surrounds it, soon established a colony there and elevated it to its former rank as the greatest city of Africa. Another territory of which the ancients had considerable knowledge was that extending upward along the Nile, the immediate borders of which have always been both habit- able and fertile. The philosophers of Memphis, followed even by Mela, the great Latin geographer, surmised that the unknown and inaccessible fountains of the Nile lay on the opposite side of the globe, where during our summer it was winter; consequently the greatest rains then fell and the swollen waters, flowing across the whole breadth of the torrid zone, acquired a soft and mellow taste. But the most singular hypothesis is that of Ephorus, who thought that Eg)-pt was full of gaps or chinks, which in winter absorbed the water, but sweat it out under the influence of the summer heat. Diodorus takes superfluous pains to show that this theory, so absurd in itself, had no correspondence with the facts of the case. The real cause, arising from the rains which fall on the high mountains in the interior and tropical Negro Type of North Africa (Collection of Prince Roland Bonaparte) In Darkest Africa 37 regions, was mentioned and strongly supported by Agathar- chides, who wrote a learned work on the Red Sea. The name of Ethiopia was generally applied by the ancients to the south of Africa, and even Arabia, and to all countries inhabited by black people. The region, however, which ex- tends tor several hundred miles along the Nile above Egypt formed the ancient Ethiopia, a sacred realm in which the priests placed the most revered objects of their mythology. The Greeks, who had settled in Eg\-[)t during the wise government of the Ptolemies, carried on a considerable navigation along the eastern coast of the Red Sea. Ptolemy Euergetes seems to have conquered part of Abyssinia, forming it into a kingdom of which Axum was the capital ; and the fine remains of Grecian architecture still attest the fact of this city having been a great and civilized metropolis. The whole of Africa known to the Greeks at that time comprised a wide extent of shore, but extended a very short distance inland, being bounded on each side by two unknown coasts, which stretched so far that it was not pos- sible to conjecture their termination. Two tempestuous oceans, a desert, the most dreary on the face of the earth and infested by multitudes of huge and ferocious animals, were the barriers that so closely hemmed in ancient settlers, and could not, in any instance, be passed with impunity. Yet the principle of curiosity cannot be extinguished in the human breast, and with courageous natures obstacles often create a greater desire to master a difficulty. The two earliest expeditions known are related b\^ Herod- otus. One of the greatest of the native kings of Egj-pt was Necho, whose name ranks second only to that of Sesostris, who lived about two hundred \-ears before Herodotus. The habits and prejudices of the ancient Eg}'ptians were unfavor- able to maritime enterprise ; yet Necho, endowed with the spirit of a great man, which made him superior to the age in which he lived, eagerly sought the solution of the mystery of Africa's outlines. He employed Phoenician navigators, of whose proceedings Herodotus received an account from the 38 The Flaming Torch Egyptian priests. Proceeding down the Red Sea, they entered the Indian Ocean ; and in a voyage of three years made the complete circuit of the continent, passing through the Pillars of Hercules (Straits of Gibraltar), and up the Med- iterranean to Egypt. They related tliat in the course of this very long voyage they had repeatedly drawn their boats on land, sowed grain in a favorable place and season, waited till the crop grew and ripened under the influence of a tropical heat, then reaped it, and continued their progress. The other expedition had its origin in the country of the Nasamones. Five young men formed themselves into an African association, personally to explore what was still un- known in the vast interior of this continent. They passed, first, the region inhabited by man ; then that which was tenanted by wild beasts ; lastly, they reached the great sandy waste. Having laid in a good stock of water and provisions, they traveled many days, partly in a western direction, and at length reached one of the oases, or verdant islands, which fortunately are widely scattered over the desert. Here they sau^ trees laden with delicious fruit, some of which they had begun to pluck, when there suddenly appeared a band of " little black men," who seized and carried them off as cap- tives. The next expedition on record was made under less pleas- ing auspices. Sataspes, a Persian nobleman, had been condemned by Xerxes to crucifixion, on account of some / crime of which he had been guilty ; but his mother by ear- nest entreaty obtained a commutation of the sentence into one w^iich she represented as still more severe — that of sail- ing round Africa. Under this heavy necessity, Sataspes coasted along the Mediterranean, passed the western point of the continent, and began a southward course. But he who undertook to explore this vast country with no interest in the subject, buoyed up by no gay enthusiasm, and urged only by the fear of death behind, was ill prepared for achieving so mighty an enterprise. Sataspes sailed southward for a considerable space, but when he saw the Atlantic waves In Darkest Africa 39 beating against the dreary shore of the Saliara, that scene of frequent shipwreck, it probably appeared to him that any ordinary form of death was preferable to this. He returned and presented himself before Xerxes, giving a doleful de- scription of the hardships which he had encountered, declar- ing that the ship at last stood still of itself and could by no exertion be made to proceed. That proud monarch, refusing •^i*£it^" Mauri in Forest of Bananas to listen to such an explanation, ordered the original sen- tence to be immediately executed. Carthage, the greatest maritime and commercial state of antiquity, and which considered Africa and the Atlantic coast as her peculiar domain, must have made several ex- ploratory voyages before she could establish those extensive connections upon which her trade was founded. Of all such attempts, however, the record of only one remains. It con- sisted of an expedition on a large scale, sent out about five hundred and sevent}^ years before the Christian era, for the 40 The Flaming Torch joint purpose of colonization and discovery, under an admiral named Hanno. He carried with him, in sixty large vessels, emigrants of both sexes to the number of thirty thousand. At the distance of two days' sail beyond the Pillars of Her- cules the Carthaginians founded the city of Thymioterium, and afterward, on the wooded promontory of Solocis, erected a stately temple to Neptune. They then built successively four other cities, after which they came to the great river Lixus, flowing from Libya and the high boundar\- of the Atlas. Its banks were infested by numbers of wild beasts, and inhabited only by savage Ethiopians, living in caves, and repelling every friendly overture. Proceeding for three da}'s along a desert coast, the navigators reached an island, which they named Cerne, situated in a recess of the sea, where they established their last colony. Sailing onward still for a num- ber of days, they saw a large river full of crocodiles and hip- popotami, and containing a number of small islands. The inhabitants were timid and fled at their approach, but the coast presented some remarkable phenomena. During the day deep silence reigned ; but as soon as the sun set fires blazed on the shore, and the shouts of men were mingled with the varied sounds of cymbals, trumpets, and other musical instruments. This scene, being new to the Cartha- ginians, struck them with terror, but in fact it must have arisen from the custom prevalent over native Africa, where the inhabitants often rest during the oppressive heat of the day, and spend a great part of the night in dancing and festivity. The individual who in that early age made the most reso- lute and persevering effort to explore Africa was Eudoxus, a native of the city of Cyzicus, who lived about one hundred and thirty years before Christ, but I am unable to trace the final result of his expeditions. The ruins of ancient cities, forts, mines, and hieroglyphics, and the testimony of the earliest travelers, seem to demon- strate that in different parts of the Dark Continent there were in ancient times large centers of civilized people, who, over- In Darkest Africa 41 whelmed by the surroundin;; barbarous nations, or }'ieiding to the inevitable tendencies of human nature, lapsed into decay. It is now, for example, generally allowed that the land of Ophir, where the ships of Solomon and his friend, Hiram of Tj'rc, went once in three years to bring back gold and pre- cious stones and other merchandise, was in the vicinity of Zambesia, far down on the eastern coast of Africa, and not in Arabia, and the recent opening of the gold-producing coun- tries south of the Zambesi, and the evidences of ancient mines found there, have served to confirm this opinion. I have found one thing to the credit of Nero, the Roman tyrant. Sixty years after Christ he sent an expedition to explore the source of the Nile, and this is the first attempt we have on record of an enterprise which, eighteen hundred years later, our own Stanley completed. t:"^^ ._j 42 The Flaming Torch CHAPTER III The Invasions of Islam V far the most momentous epoch in the history of the Dark Continent, after the Roman conquest and the division of the empire, was the invasion of Mo- hammedanism. For hundreds of years after the Roman conquest and the di- vision of the empire there had been continued fighting along the Mediter- ranean, seriously retarding exploration and colonization. But one episode is especially worthy of mention. Four hundred and eighty years after Christ eighty thousand Vandals (men, women, and children) crossed from Spain to North Africa. For a hundred years these Teuton people held their own, but finally disappeared from history and blended with other peoples. The time had not come for people of our blood to have a hand in the division of the Dark Continent. The aggressive Arabs began their work of conquest six hundred and forty years after Christ, and in seventy years Europe was swept out of the Dark Continent and all North Africa was practically Mohammedanized. Wave after wave of Arab emigrants poured in. Cities were built, and great progress made in agriculture, commerce, and art. For seven hundred and fifty years this process went on, so that at the close of the fourteenth century Mohammedanism had crossed the Sahara, had a good footing in Soudan, in the Niger region, as well as in Abyssinia and down the East Coast to Sofala, where the Portuguese in the six- teenth century found rich Arab cities. Caravan routes, with the use of camels, were established across the desert. Regular reports and annual pilgrimages to Mecca from In Darkest Africa 43 different parts promoted knowledge of countries and peo- ple. Learning was advanced. At present the ^loham- medan University at Cairo is one of the world's great seats of learning. When one of the teachers was lately asked by a traveler what was taught there, the reply was, "We teach God." The triumph of the followers of Mohammed, who in fifty years spread their arms and their creed over half the eastern world, produced an immense change in the social sN'stem of even the remote Mauritania, which seemed doomed to be the inheritance of a barbarous and nomadic race, but was converted by them into a civilized empire ; and its capital, Fez, became a distinguished school of learning. Their love of improvement reached even the most distant regions. They introduced the camel, which, though a native of the sandy wastes of Arabia, was equally adapted to the still more immense and awful deserts that stretch over Africa. Paths were opened through wilds which had hitherto defied all human efforts to penetrate. An intercourse by means of caravans was formed with the interior countries to obtain a supply of gold and slaves; and, amid the sanguinary dis- putes which arose among the descendants of the prophet, many, whose ill fortune exposed them to the enmity of suc- cessful rivals, sought refuge on the opposite side of the Great Desert. By successive migrations they not only be- came numerous in central Africa, but, from superior skill in the art of war, rose to be the ruling power. They founded several flourishing kingdoms in that part of the continent which Europeans vainly sought to reach till they were recently explored. Of these states Ghana was the most flourishing, forming the great market for gold. Its sovereign was acknowledged supreme by all the neighboring princes ; while his court displayed a splendor and was adorned with objects hitherto unexampled in central Africa. Among its ornaments were paintings, sculpture, and glass windows, which being before unknown excited the surprise and admi- ration of the natives. The king is said to have ridden out 44 The Flaming Torch attended by elephants and camelopards, tamed by an art then first introduced, and since lost. This prince made a great profession of justice, going out twice every day and presenting himself to all who wished to offer petition or complaint. The vicissitudes of fortune subverted the kingdom of Ghana, and made its territory successively subject to Timbuctoo, Kashna, and Sackatoo; but later travelers found it under the changed name of Kano. The City of Tangier Tocrur, about twenty-four days' journey northwest of Ghana, was a kingdom inferior to the other, yet powerful and independent. It carried on an extensive traffic with the people of the "remotest west," who brought shells (cowries?) and brass, for which they received gold and ornaments. Mention is made of the fine cotton cloths which formed the staple manufacture. Tocrur appears evidently to be Sackatoo or Soccatoo, since the capital of an empire which comprises Ghana and all the neighboring countries. In Darkest Africa 45 Kuku, to the eastward of Gliana, forms another kingdom on whose power and extent tlie Arabian writers kirgely dilate. This country is manifestly Bornou, named from its capital, which bears still the same appellation. Twenty days' journey to the south was Kaugha, a city famous for industry and useful arts, and women who were skilled in the secrets of magic. To the south of Ghana la}- W'angara, a district that is said to have contained gold, the commodity for which African commerce was so much prized. This region is described as intersected and overflowed during the rainy season by the branches of the Nile. There seems to be some confusion of ideas about this country and its golden products. A district in the southern part of Soudan is called Oongoroo, or Ungura; but it no longer furnishes gold, nor is Ghana at the present day the market for that valuable staple of cen- tral Africa. In the mountainous countries to the southwest this metal is still collected abundantly, in the very manner described by the Arabian writers. The whole range of Alpine territory to the southwest of the region now described was called Lamiam, and presented a continued scene of barbarous violence. It was branded as the land of the infidels — of a people to whom none of the charities of life were due, and against whom the passions of cruelty and of avarice might be gratified without remorse. Elxpeditions or slave hunts were therefore made into these unfortunate countries, when, after a bloody conflict, victims were seized, carried off, and sold to the merchants of north- ern Africa, who conveyed them to all parts of the eastern world. The same cruel and iniquitous traffic is carried on in a sim.ilar manner, and \\ith unabated activit)', at the pres- ent day. The Arabians do not seem to have been very accurately informed. They describe the Atlantic as only about five hundred miles beyond Tocrur, although two thousand would have been nearer the truth; perhaps they mistook the great kike Dibbie for the sea. They mention the island 46 The Flaming Torch of Ulil, whence were brought great quantities of salt. Ulil, though called an island, was probably Walet, the great in- terior market for the mineral ; but all the features of the country around and beyond it seem to have been confusedly blended together by the Mohammedan authors. At the time when the Arabian geographers flourished the Christian religion was professed not only in Abyssinia, but even in Nubia, to its northern frontier at Syene. The bigotry and dislike produced by hostile creeds not only deprived these writers of the means of information, but led them to view with contempt everything relating to countries accounted infidel. Their notices, therefore, of the regions in the Upper Nile and along the western shores of the Red Sea are exceeding meager. It was otherwise with the eastern coast of Africa on the Indian Ocean. The people of southern Arabia, who were then actively employed in commerce and navigation, had not only explored, but formed establishments at Mombasa, Melinda, Mozambique, and all the leading points on that coast, which were still found in their possession by the early Portuguese navigators. Ibn Batuta commenced his peregrination through interior Africa from Fez. He went first to Segilmissa, situated in a territory abounding with date trees. Having joined a cara- van, he came, after a journey of twenty-five days, to Thar- gari, which some manuscripts make Tagaza, and is therefore evidently the Tegazza of Leo, supposed by Major Rennel to be the modern Tishect, containing the mine which supplied Timbuctoo with salt. From Thargari he went in twenty days to Tashila, three da}'s be)'ond which com- menced a "desert of the most dreary aspect," where there was neither water, beast, nor bird, " nothing but sand and hills of sand." In ten days he came to Abu Latin, a large town, crowded with merchants from various quarters of the continent. From Abu Latin, or Walet, the adventurer proceeded to Mali, then the most flourishing country and city in that part of the continent. This Mali is evidently the Melli of Leo, o In Darkest Africa 49 who described it as situated on a riv^cr to the south of Tim- buctoo, but it is not easy to identify it with any modern position. After waiting upon the king he was informed that a present was on its way to him, and he feasted his imagination on the idea of some rich dress or golden orna- ment; instead of which the whole consisted of a crust of bread, a dried fish, and sour milk. The traveler was astonished by the immense bulk of the trees of this region, in the hollow trunk of one of which he observed a weaver pl)'ing his trade. From Mali our traveler turned northward to Timbuctoo. This city was then subject to Mali, governed by a Negro viceroy, and far from possessing the celebrity and impor- tance which it has since attained. Tlie town is described as being chiefly peopled by merchants from Latham, but what particular country that was it appears now impossible to conjecture. He next proceeded eastward, by Kakaw, Bar- dama, and Nakda, where he seems to have been near Nubia, but gives no further details until he again arrives at Fez. About two centuries after Ibn Batuta a very full descrip- tion of Africa was furnished by a geographer named Leo, who was honored by the surname of Africanus. He was a native of Granada, but after the capture of that city by Ferdinand repaired to Fez, and in that once eminent school acquired a knowledge of Arabic and of the African continent. He afterward traveled through a great part of the interior, and having repaired to Rome wrote his descrip- tion of Africa under the auspices of Leo X. It appears that since the time of Edrisi one of those revolutions to which barbarous states are liable had greatly changed the aspect of these countries. Timbuctoo, which at the former period either did not exist, or was not thought worthy of mention, had now risen to be the most powerful of the interior king- doms, and the great center of commerce and wealth. Ghana, once possessed of imperial greatness, had already changed its name to Kano, and was ranked as tributary to 4 50 The Flaming Torch Timbuctoo. Bornou appeared under its old appellation ; and several kingdoms which have since held a conspicuous place are mentioned for the first time — Casena or Cassina (Kashna), Zegzeg, Zanfara, and Guber, Gago, represented as being four hundred miles southeast of Timbuctoo, is evi- dently Eyeo. Ghinea or Gheneoa, described as a city of great commerce and splendor, has been supposed to be Ghana; but I think it is evidently Jenne, which Park found to be the largest and most flourishing city of Ban- barra. At Timbuctoo many of the merchants were opulent, and two of them had obtained princesses in marriage. Literature was cultivated with ardor, and manuscripts bore a higher price than any other commodity. Izchia, the king who had been successful in subduing all the neighbor- ing countries, maintained an army of three thousand horse and a numerous infantry, partly armed with poisoned arrows. Gold, for which Timbuctoo had now become the chief mart, was lavishly employed in the ornament of his court and person. He displayed solid masses, and some of his ornaments weighed one thousand three hundred ounces. The royal palace and several mosques were handsomely built of stone ; but the ordinary habitations here, as in all central Africa, were merely bell-shaped huts, the material of which were stakes, clay, and reeds. It was from Asia and the Mohammedan, and not from Europe, that we have the first serious division of Africa, and similarity of climate may have had much to do with bringing this about. Islamism brought with it political organization, some civilization, commercial activity, and the establishment of slavery as an institution. Type of the Northwest [.Collection of Prince Holanii Bonaparte) Zbc IRoinancc of lEyplovation CHAPTER IV The Portugfuese and Dutch |i| __^^^ 0 OR ten centuries, during tlie decline of the Roman empire, the irruption of the barbarous nations, and the operation of the rude systems of feudal polity, Eu- rope remained sunk in profound apathy respecting all objects relating to science, discovery, and distant commerce. The splendor of the Crescent for a short interval outshone all that was brightest in the Christian world ; and the courts of Bagdad, of Fez, and of Cordova were more refined and more enlightened than those of London and Paris. Satisfied with the wealth and power to which they h.ad been raised by local and limited commerce, the various Eu- ropean republics made no attempt to open a more extended path over the ocean. Their pilots guided most of the ves- sels which were engaged in the early voyages of discovery, but the means were furnished by the monarchs who em- ployed them, whose ports were situated upon the shores of the Atlantic. About the end of the fifteenth century, however, the human mind began to make a movement in every direction — in religion, science, freedom, and industry. It sought not only to break loose from that thraldom in which it had been bound for ages, but to rival and even surpass all that had been achieved during the most brilliant eras of antiquit}'. 54 The Flaming Torch These high aims were particularly directed to the depart- ment of maritime discovery. The invention of the compass, the skill of the Venetian and the Genoese pilots, and the knowledge transmitted from former times inspired mankind witli tlic hope of being able to pass all the ancient barriers and to throw light upon regions hitherto unknown. A small power, long sunk in apathy and political degradation, started first in this career, and took the lead for a certain time of all the European states. Portugal, during the reign of its kings John and Emmanuel, stood preeminent in enterprise and intelligence. No idea, however, was }'et entertained of the new worlds which were afterward discovered by the daring spirit of Columbus. The local position of Portugal, its wars and expeditions against Morocco, led to the idea that the western border of Africa was the best field for dis- covery. The information respecting this coast was still very limited, so that the passage of Cape Bojador by Gih'anez, in 1433, caused a surprise and admiration almost equal to that occasioned by the discovery of America. A rapid progress was afterward made along the shore of the Sahara, and the Portuguese navigators were not long in reaching the fertile regions watered by the Senegal and the Gambia. The mariners saA\^ however, only naked rocks and burning sands stretching immeasurably into the interior, and afford- ing no encouragement to any project of settlement. Beyond Cape Blanco, Nuno Tristan, in 1443, discovered the island of Arguin, and, notwithstanding the disaster of Gonzalo da Cintra, who in 1445 was killed by a party of Moors, the Por- tuguese made it for some time their principal settlement. The country was far from presenting a brilliant aspect, though it was visited by caravans of the " Barbariis and Luddaias " (the people of I^ambarra and Ludamar), who gave a very favorable report of the interior regions. In 1446 Diniz Fernandez discovered Cape Verde, and in the following year Lancelot entered the Senegal. The Por- tuguese found in this neighborhood fertile and populous regions that promised to reward their exertions much more In Darkest Africa 55 efficiently than the visionary name after which they had so eagerly inquired. A circumstance occurred, also, most con- venient for monarchs who contemplate an extension of do- minion. Bemoy, a prince of the Jaloff nation, came to Ar- guin complaining that he had been driven from the throne and entreating the aid of the Portuguese to restore to him his crown, which he was willing to wear as their ally, and even as their vassal. Bemoy was received with open arms and conveyed to Lisbon. Here he experienced a brilliant reception, and his visit was celebrated by all the festal ex- hibitions peculiar to that age — bullfights, puppet shows, and even feasts of dogs. On this occasion Bemoy made a dis- play of the agility of his native attendants, who, on foot, kept pace with the swiftest horses, mounting and alighting from these animals at full gallop. After being instructed in the Christian religion he was baptizxd and did homage to the king and to the pope for the crown which was to be placed on his head ; for which purpose a powerful arma- ment, under the command of Pero Vaz d'Acunba, was sent out with him to the banks of the Senegal. The conclusion of this adventure was extremely tragical. A quarrel having arisen between Bemoy and the commander, the latter stabbed the prince on board his vessel. Whether this violent deed was prompted by the heat of passion or by well-grounded suspicions of Bemoy's fidelity was never fully investigated ; but the king learned the event with deep regret, and in consequence gave up his design of building a fort on the Senegal. He made, however, no pause in his indefatigable efforts to trace the abode of Prester John. Ambassadors were sent into the interior, and, according to De Barros, even as far as Timbuctuo. All endeavors were in vain as to the primary object, but the Portuguese thereby gained a more complete knowledge of this part of the inte- rior Africa than was afterward attained in Europe till a very recent period. The Portuguese continued their explorations until, in 1 47 1, they reached the Gold Coast, when, dazzled by the 56 The Flaming Torch importance and splendor of the commodity, the commerce of which gave name to that region, they built the city of Elmina, and made it tlic capital of their possessions on this continent. Pushing onward to Benin, they .received a curious account of an embassy said to be sent at the accession of every new monarch to the court of a sovereign called Ogane, resident seven or eight hundred miles in the interior. When the ambassadors were introduced a silk curtain shrouded the monarch from their view till the moment of their de- parture, when the royal foot was graciously put forth from undcM- the veil, and " reverence done to it as to a holy thing.'' In 1484 Diego Cam sailed from Elmina in quest of new shores on which the emblem of Portuguese dominion might be planted. After passing Cape St. Catharine he found himself involved in a very strong current setting out from the land, which was still distant, though the water, when tasted, was found to be fresh. It was conjectured, there- fore, that he was near the mouth of a great river, which proved to be the fact. It has since become celebrated un- der the name of the Zaire, or Congo. Diego, on reaching its southern bank, erected his first pillar — an event considered to be so memorable that the stream itself has often, by Por- tuguese writers, been termed the '' River of the Pillar." He ascended its shores, opened an intercourse with the natives, and inquired after the residence of their sovereign. They pointed to a place at a considerable distance in the interior, and undertook to guide thither a mission, which they pledged themselves, within a stipulated period, to lead back in safety. As the natives meantime passed and re- passed on the most intimate footing, Diego took advantage of a moment when several of the principal persons were on board his ship, weighed anchor, and stood out to sea. He soothed the alarm visible in the countenances of their coun- trymen on shore by signs intimating that this step was taken solely to gratify the anxious desire of his so\'ereign to see and converse with these African chiefs ; that ir. fifteen Wife of a Marango Chief In Darkest Africa 59 moons they should certainly be brought back again ; and that, meanwhile, a number of his people should be left as hostages. Diego then sailed to Lisbon, where he introduced with triumph these living trophies of his discovery. The king Avas highly gratified, and held many conversations with the Congo princes, whom he loaded with honors and caused to be conveyed back at the appointed period to the shores of the Zaire. On Diego's arrival at the river it was highly gratifying to see, waiting on the bank, the part of his crew whom he had left as pledges, and respecting whom he had felt some anxiety. He was invited to court, where the king not only received him with kindness, but agreed to embrace Christianity and to send several of his principal chiefs to Europe to be instructed in its principles. They sailed ac- cordingly, and this new arrival of Congo leaders of the first rank gave fresh satisfaction at Lisbon. They remained two years, experiencing the very best treatment, and on their being considered ripe for baptism the king stood godfather to the principal envoy and his chief notables to others, on which occasion the Africans received the names of the per- sons by whom they had been thus honored. Li 1490 a new expedition, guided by Ruy de Sousa, con- veyed back the Congo nobles to their native country. The Portuguese on their arrival were received by the king in full pomp. The native troops approached in three lines, mak- ing so great a noise with horns, kettledrums, and other in- struments, and raising shouts so tremendous, as to surpass all that the Europeans had ever witnessed in processions and invocations to the saints. The king himself was seated in the midst of a large park, upon an ivory chair raised on a platform. He was dressed in rich and gloss)' skins of wild beasts, a bracelet of brass hanging from his left arm, a horse's tail from his shoulder, and on his head a bonnet of fine cloth woven from the palm tree. He gave full permis- sion to erect a church, and when murmurs were heard from a few of his attendants he instantly offered to put them to death on the spot, but the Portuguese laudably dissuaded 60 The Flaming Torch him from so violent a step. He himself and all his nobles were baptized, and free scope was allowed to the exertion of the Catholic missionaries. These churchmen seem to have been really animated with a very devoted and perse- vering zeal ; but they had unfortunately conceived an incor- rect idea of what they came to teach, and instead of incul- cating the pure doctrines and precepts of Christianity merely amused the people with empty and childish pageant- ry. The presentation of beads, Agni Dei, images of the Ma- donna and saints, the splendid processions, the rich furni- ture, and solemn ceremonies of the Church dazzled the eyes of the natives, and made them view Christianity only as a gay and pompous pageant in which it would be an amuse- ment to join. There was, however, o'.ie point which the missionaries soon began very conscientiously, and perhaps in rather too hasty and peremptory a manner, to enforce. Appalled by the host of wives that surrounded every African prince or chief, and whom it had been his constant study and pride to m.ultipl}-, the missionaries desired their con- verts to select one and to dismiss all the others. This was considered an unwarrantable inroad on one of the most ven- erable institutions of the realm of Congo. To the aged monarch the privation appeared so intolerable that he there- upon renounced his Christian profession and plunged again into the abyss of pagan superstition. Happily Alphonso, the youthful heir apparent, saw nothing so dreadful in the sacrifice ; he cheerfully submitted to it, and, braving his father's displeasure, remained attached to the Portuguese. The old king dying soon after, the zealous convert became entitled to reign ; but his brother, Panso Aquitimo, sup- ported by the chiefs and almost the whole nation, raised the standard of rebellion in support of pol3'gamy and pagan- ism. A civil war ensued, in which the prince had little more than a handful of Portuguese to oppose to the innumerable host of his rebel countrymen ; however, in consequence, as his adherents believed, of the appearance in the clouds at one time of Saint James and at another of the Virgin Mary, In Darkest Africa 61 he al\va}'s came off victorious. Doubtless the better arms and discipline of the Portuguese rendered them superior in the field to the un>.lisciplined host of their assailants. The Portuguese, while they bore away the palm of maritime enterprise from all other nations, considered Africa most especial!}' as the region which they had won for themselves, and had covered with trophies of discovery and victory. ]3ut after being subjected to the cruel and degrading yoke of Philip II, of Si)ain, they lost all their spirit and energy. Under the same influence they became involved in hostility with the Dutch, who had risen to the first rank as a naval people, and whose squadrons successively stripped them of their most important possessions in this continent as well as in the East Indies. In 1637 Elmina itself, their capital, fell into the hands of these bold and successful rivals, and at present the boasted lords and rulers of Guinea have not an acre left of their extensive dominions along the whole western coast ; they retain the Madeira and other islands, \vhich certainly are not destitute of beauty, and even of some degree of political and commercial value. The southern extremity of Africa had long attracted the particular attention of modern navigators. To pass this mighty cape formed the main object of ambition with the Portuguese in their celebrated voj-ages of discovery along the African coast. After almost a centur}' had been spent in successive endeavors to accomplish that undertaking, Diaz obtained a view of this great ])romontory ; but the stormy sk\' in which it was enveloped, and the fearful swell pro- duced by the conflict of the contending oceans, appalled even that stout navigator. He named it the Cape of Tempests, and immediately returned \\ith his shattered barks to Portugal. The king, with a bolder spirit, sub- stituted forthwith the name of Cape of Good Hope, which it has ever since retained ; }'et some }'ears elapsed before the daring sailors of Gama rounded this formidable barrier and crossed the ocean to the golden shores of India. The Portuguese, however, engrossed by the discovery and 62 The Flaming Torch conquest of the khigdoms of the East, and busied in load- ing their vessels with the produce of those vast and opulent regions, scarcely deigned to cast an eye on the rude border of southern Africa, its terraces of granite, its naked Karroo plains, or the filthy and miserable kraals of the Hottentot. Their fleets stopped occasionally for water and refresh- ments, but no attempts were made to occupy, and still less to colonize, this barren and unpromising country. The eastern coast of Africa, washed by the Indian Ocean, was a region scarcely visited except by the Portuguese, who continued to throw a veil of mystery over all their dis- coveries. In 1498, when Vasco de Gama had rounded the Cape of Good Hope, he touched at Mocambique, Mombasa, and Melinda, where he found the ruling people Arabs and bigoted Mohammedans. His object was merely to obtain pilots to guide his fleet to India; but at the two former of these ports he met an inhospitable and treacherous recep- tion, while, on the other hand, he experienced at Melinda the utmost courtes}-, and readily found the means of con- tinuing his voyage to the coast of Malabar. Cabral, who followed in the footsteps of Gama, likewise visited Quiloa, which he describes as the capital of an extensive kingdom and the seat of a flourishing trade, but it was not till he, too, reached Melinda that he could obtain any friendly assistance. The Portuguese sought in African settlements only food and pilots, and made no attempt at conquest. As their empire, however, extended, resentment or ambition easily furnished pretexts for attacking those settlements. In 1505 Almeda, indignant at the reception given to him at Ouiloa and Mombasa, landed and took possession of both these cities. In 1508 permission was obtained to erect a fort at Mozambique, by means of which the Portuguese soon expelled the Arabs and became complete masters of the town. Attracted by its vicinity to the gold mines, and its convenience as a place for revictualing and recuperating their fleets, they made it the capital of their possessions in In Darkest Africa 65 eastern Africa. Mclinda also, which had long shown such a friendly disposition to Europeans, became at last unable to endure the insulting spirit of the Mohammedans ; a quarrel arose, and that city was added to the dominion of the Portuguese. They were at that time masters of an immense range of coast, fully two thousand miles in length, on which they held all the principal positions, though without extend- ing their sway to any distance into the interior. About 1569 these courageous invaders made two vigorous attempts, under Nugnez Barreto and Vasco Fernandez, to advance into the country behind Mozambique, chiefly with the view of reaching the mines of gold, the product of which was brought in considerable quantities down the Zambesi to Sofala. They penetrated a considerable \\:\\' up the river, on the banks of which they erected the forts of Sena and Tete. Its upper course was found overhung by steep and precipitous rocks, belonging to the mountainous range