I 3 c\E'UNIVER% II rtE-UN(VER% v^lOS-ANCElfj^ ir * > *^ r |? p *T ' ^ < ^UONY'SOl^ %fflAINn-IV^ HIBRARYO* ^l-HBRARYQc, ^ I s 8 s? ^ %MIH^ ? EZ LJUl S ^ S3 \\EUNIVER%. ^ s /7r\n uirt ni\ UGANDA'S WHITE MAN OF WORK UGANDA'S WHITE MAN OF WORK A Story of Alexander M. Mackay SOPHIA LYON FAHS FIFTH EDITION YOUNG PEOPLE'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT New York COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY YOUNG PEOPLE'S MISSIONARY MOVEMENT NEW YORK TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS WHO DELIGHT IN TRUE STORIES OF PEOPLE AND WHO MAY COME TO REGARD THE WHITE MAN OF WORK AS ONE OF THE REAL HEROES OF THEIR ACQUAINTANCE 2029889 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE PRONUNCIATION OF UGANDA WOEDS vi I A NEWSPAPER MAN'S INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING 1 II WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE NEWS WAS READ . . 22 III JUNGLE ROADS, OX-CARTS, AND FLY BITES ... 49 IV Two RECEPTIONS AT THE ROYAL PALACE . . .70 V WHITE MEN AND BLACK MEN BECOME ACQUAINTED 89 VI THE KING AND THE WIZARD ........ Ill VII THE TWO-FACED MUTESA AND THE MOHAMMEDANS 135 VIII THE NEW TEACHING MAKES NEW MEN . . . .154 IX MACKAY'S QUEER NEW NAME 170 X THREE BOY HEROES AND ONE BOY TYRANT . . .195 XI STURDY BLACK CHRISTIANS WITH NERVE . . .219 XII THE WHITE MAN OF WORK LAYS DOWN His TOOLS 250 POSTLUDE. DID IT PAY? 271 INDEX . 281 ILLUSTEATIONS UGANDA'S WHITE MAN OF WORK .... Frontispiece MAP, MACKAY'S PRINCIPAL JOURNEYS .... Page viii STANLEY TELLS THEM OF THE WHITE MAN'S GOD . " 14 THE PROCESSION FILES OUT OF THE VILLAGE ..." 36 PULLING THE CART-BABGE ACROSS THE RIVEB, ..." 65 " OFFICERS OF THE KING CAME TO ESCORT THEM TO THE PALACE " " 74 " THE MARVELS OF THE MAGIC LANTERN "...." 93 " THE GREAT WIZARD OF THE LAKE is ABOUT TO VISIT THE KING " " 112 "COME TO PRAYERS! COME TO SALVATION!" . . " 138 " THE CHIEF TEACHING HIS WIVES " " 159 "HE CUTS IRON LIKE THREAD!" "188 " PART OF THE CROWD BROUGHT FIRE-WOOD " . . . "216 " TELL THE KING THAT I DIE FOR UGANDA " . . . " 226 " TALKING THUS, WE ENTERED THE CIRCLE OF TALL POLES" "265 " LOAD AFTER LOAD OF OFFERINGS CAME THROUGH THE DOORS" . , " 278 PRONUNCIATION OF UGANDA WORDS The vowels are sounded as follows: a, as a in father; e, as e in they; i, as i in machine; o, as o in nc-te; u, as u in rule. The syllables are given in this list, and have no accent. Number, following word, gives page where word first occurs. a-li-de, 200 A-po-lo Kag-wa, 237 ba-gag-wa, 230 Ba-ga-mo-yo, 36 Ba-li-ku-dem-be, 233 ba-ra-za, 80 Ba-zun-gu, 129 bwa-na, 40 Cham-ba-ran-go, 16 da-la, 94 Du-mu-li-ra, 156 Ga-bun-ga, 126 hon-ga, 44 I-sa, 16 Kar-du-ma, 72 Ka-ge-i, 84 Ka-ge-ye (same place as Ka- ge-i), 72 Ka-kum-ba, 213 Ka-le-ma, 256 ka-ti, 55 Ka-ti -ki-ro, 17 Kau-ta, 17 ka-zi, 171 Kid-za, 214 kii-la, 215 Kim-bug-wa, 187 Kin-tu, 16 kub-wa, 57 Ky-am-ba-lan-go, 182 lu-ba-re, 94 Lu-ga-la-ma, 213 Lu-gan-da, 81 Lu-kon-ge, 72 Ma-si-ya, 215 mba-ya, 55 Men-go, 207 mi-la-lu, 141 Mi-ram-bo, 231 mi-ti, 55 Mpwa-pwa, 42 Msu-la-la, 205 UGANDA WORDS Muf-ta, 71 Mu-ja-si, 204 Mu-ka-sa, 111 Mu-sa, 16 Mu-te-sa, 4 Mu-zun-gn, 55 Mwan-dang-wa, 72 Mwan-ga, 200 Mwi-ra, 167 Na-lu-ma-si, 228 Na-ma-so-le, 179 Na-mi-rem-be, 274 nji-a, 57 Nu-a, 232 ny-an-zig, 79 pom-be, 12 pos-hoj 41 Ru-ba-ga, 73 Ru-sa-ka, 182 Sam-we-li, 244 Seb-wa-tOj 213 Sem-be-ra, 155 Se-ru-wan-ga, 212 si-ku, 215 Son-go-ro, 72 tu-u-si-fu, 215 U-gan-da, 4 U-go-go, 43 U-ke-re-we, 72 U-la-ya, 55 Un-yan-yem-be, 141 U-sam-bi-ro, 258 U-so-ga, 202 U-su-ku-ma, 120 U-yu-i, 136 Wa-gan-da, 8 Vfi >}Lado B R I T I S H EAST [bert A/yanza \Mount ^JZenid. ....E.9.".*.:.?. 1 !. AFRICA tirja Nyan za) T k. er ew&IsJan d Moun t ^ USA Kilima- , G E R M A N EAST A F Mackay's Principal Journeys ~^~ip UGANDA'S WHITE MAN OF WORK CHAPTER I A NEWSPAPER MAN'S INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING TT was a November morning in 1875. -*- The London newsboys were selling un- usually large numbers of the Daily Tele- graph. It was enough for the lads to cry, " Latest news from Stanley, " and every one wanted a copy. . Mr. Stanley had written the story of his adventures in Africa, the black man's land. Down under the equator, where the weather is too hot to be talked about, he was explor- ing a lake named for Queen Victoria. To reach this place the traveler and his men had marched through many regions where the native savages had never seen the 1 WHITE MAN OF WORK face of a white man. Within sound of the roaring of lions and the cries of leopards and hyenas, they had cut their trails through thick African jungles'. Their course had led them to face drenching rains and the scorching rays of the tropical sun. Again for days they had plodded along over parched deserts in search of water. .At other times they waded more than knee- deep through miry swamps steaming with heat. More than once Mr. Stanley and many of his men had been forced to lie in their tents helpless and burning with fever. Is it strange that a letter from such a corre- spondent was hailed with enthusiasm in London ? But who had brought the letter all the way to London from Stanley in the heart of Africa? Not a post-office or mail-car- rier was to be found within a thousand miles of where Stanley was. The black men had no railroads, or mail-coaches or even roads over which a coach might be pulled. Little wonder then that the letter 2 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING Was seven months old when it appeared in the morning newspaper. When one thinks of the way it came, the marvel is that it ever reached England at all. It is the story of a pair of boots. A young Frenchman, happening to be with Mr. Stanley at the time, wished to return to Europe. Gladly taking the letter with him, he and his caravan started on their home- ward journey. Marching northward along the bank of the Kiver Nile, one day they were suddenly attacked by a band of savage tribesmen. The Frenchman was killed and his corpse was heartlessly left lying un- buried on the sand. Later some English soldiers passing by discovered the dead body. Hidden in one of the boots, they found Mr. Stanley's letter. They quickly forwarded it to the English General in Egypt and from there it was sent to the newspaper office in London. Was it by mere chance that the letter was preserved? Some who read the rest of the story may think that perhaps the Great Father who 3 WHITE MAN OF WORK loves both black and white people had some- thing to do with it. But what had Mr. Stanley written in this letter which all were so eager to read? A message very different from any he had ever sent home before yes, very different too from that which any one had expected from him. Had he been a missionary, his letter would not have proved so surprising. But Mr. Stanley was an explorer and news- paper correspondent. Indeed, many in England did not know that he even called himself a Christian. Imagine, then, how they felt when they found that part of the letter read something like this : "King Mutesa of Uganda has been ask- ing me about the white man's God. Al- though I had not expected turning a mis- sionary, for days I have been telling this black king all the Bible stories I know. So enthusiastic has he become that already he has determined to observe the Christian Sabbath as well as the Mohammedan Sab- bath, and all his great captains have con- 4 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING sented to follow Ms example. He has fur- ther caused the Ten Commandments as well as the Lord's Prayer and the golden com- mandment of our Saviour, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,' to be written on boards for his daily reading. "Oh, that some pious, practical mission- ary would come here! Mutesa would give him anything that he desired houses, lands, cattle, ivory, and other things. He could call a province his own in one day. It is not the mere preacher, however, that is wanted here. It is the practical Chris- tian, who can teach people how to become Christians, cure their diseases, build dwell- ings, teach farming, and turn his hand to anything, like a sailor this is the man who is wanted. Such a one, if he can be found, would become the saviour of Africa. "Here, gentlemen, is your opportunity embrace it! The people on the shores of Victoria Lake call upon you. Listen to them. You need not fear to spend money upon this mission, as Mutesa is sole ruler, 5 WHITE MAN OF WORK and will repay its cost tenfold with ivory, coffee, otter skins of a very fine quality, or even in cattle, for the wealth of this country in these products is immense.' 7 It was not till some time later that Mr. Stanley told all the marvelous tale. No one who heard it wondered any more that he had asked for missionaries to go to Uganda. This is how the story ran: With his large company of followers, he had begun the voyage northward on Victoria Lake toward Uganda. One clear morning they spied on the far horizon a fleet of canoes coming toward them. As the canoes approached,- the white men caught sight of African oarsmen aboard better dressed than any other negroes they had seen in all their journey. The black sailors hailed the white cap- tain, and when they were near enough to talk with each other, they told him of a strange dream the mother of their king had dreamed two nights before. She thought she saw on the lake a beautiful vessel hav- 6 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING ing white wings like a bird. On board was a white man with wonderful, large eyes and long black hair. The king, on hearing the dream, had sent these men to find the white man and to invite him to his court. Mr. Stanley could not do other than respond favorably to this royal invitation, and as soon as possible he followed his new guides to the northern shore of the lake, where lay their home country, the kingdom of Uganda. A great surprise was in store for him when he landed. On the beach stood two thousand people marshaled in two long parallel lines. Noisy salutes from numer- ous guns, the waving of bright-colored flags, the beating of tom-toms, and the blaring of trumpets, all combined to express their glad welcome. So many Africans all neatly clad in long white robes, with their chiefs arrayed in rich scarlet gowns, made a spec- tacle new to Mr. Stanley. On his way to Uganda, he had passed through the coun- tries of twenty or more African tribes, but 7 WHITE MAN OF WORK the people were all savages, wearing little or nothing one could call clothes. These Waganda (for that is the name of the peo- ple of Uganda), however, seemed to him highly civilized. The strange white guest was taken to the tent which had been made ready for his coming. Soon a herd of oxen was driven into the courtyard in front of the tent, and then a number of goats and sheep. On the ground a hundred bunches of bananas were piled. By them was laid a queer heap of eatables, including three dozen chickens, four wooden dishes of milk, four baskets of sweet potatoes, fifty ears of green Indian corn, a basket of rice, twenty dozen eggs, and ten pots of Uganda wine a most gen- erous gift from the king whom the stranger had not yet seen. When the day came for the white man to visit the king's court, Mr. Stanley with his large company marched along a broad, well-built road leading to the top of a hill, where stood a high, dome-shaped hut built 8 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING of reed grass. In the doorway of this royal palace stood the tall, slender figure of King Mutesa. His rich, red costume with gold embroidery was very becoming to his grace- ful, broad-shouldered figure and handsome face. In his talk with Mr. Stanley, he showed himself bright and eager to learn all that he could to increase the greatness of his realm, which was already no small king- dom. Most African nations were small tribes of a few hundred or thousand people, and most so-called African kings were chiefs over a small group of African villages. The kingdom of Uganda was a most nota- ble exception. Here was a country as large as the New England States, with four mil- lion people, all ruled by one powerful mon- arch. Nor did he rule in the f ashon of most African chiefs. His House of Lords met daily in his palace for counsel. These were his great chiefs or earls, who ruled his prov- inces. He had also his prime minister, his chief judge, his commander-in-chief for the 9 WHITE MAN OF WORK large army of black soldiers, and his grand admiral for the navy of canoes. To the white man, Mutesa seemed like some great Caesar of Africa. Mr. Stanley, while still a lad, had told some of his boy friends that when he be- came a man he was going to be a mission- ary. This resolve of his boyhood days, however, had slipped from his mind as he became older. Now in Uganda, where he was talking daily with this great African king, there came back to him the longing- he had when a boy, and he wished to know how to be a missionary. "If David Living- stone were only alive and here in Uganda," he thought to himself, "what a wonderful work he would do. For should king Mutesa and his millions of subjects become Chris- tians they in turn would make the best kind of missionaries to the savage tribes all about them." But Mutesa and his people were heathen. This does not mean that they worshiped idols; for had one searched throughout the 10 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING whole country of Uganda, he probably would not have found a single image. He would have seen, however, here and there along the roadside, usually under the shade of some tree or on the top of a mountain, lit- tle huts so small he might have thought they were playhouses for the little Uganda chil- dren; but they were used for a very differ- ent purpose. To these tiny grass huts the Waganda went to sacrifice. They believed there was a great god who many hundred years ago created the whole world; but, since men had become very wicked, this god grew angry and would have nothing more to do with the world. It was no use therefore to pray to him, for he would never listen. Instead, they wor- shiped different kinds of evil spirits. These spirits lived in trees, or on the mountains, or on the lake, or sometimes even in per- sons ; and the Waganda thought they would do much harm unless presents were given to them. Tied to one of the little sacred huts or to a tree beside it might be seen 11 WHITE MAN OF WORK some of these gifts walking around several sheep or goats or cows. Peeping inside the hut, one might discover also a bunch of ba- nanas or several skin bottles filled with pombe, which is a Uganda wine made from bananas. The ugly old man or woman who is guardian of the prayer hut keeps these gifts until the evil spirit is supposed to have taken all he wishes to eat ; then the guardian gives himself a treat. So the poor Wa- ganda used to pray to these evil spirits by giving them presents, not of course because they loved the spirits but because they were afraid of them. There was another religion also, very dif- ferent from this heathen spirit worship, about which Mutesa had heard a good deal. For about fifty years, Arab merchants had been coming into Uganda to trade calico, wire, beads, and various trinkets for native ivory and slaves. " There is one true God," these merchants said, "and his greatest prophet is Moham- med. To him God gave great power to do 12 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING miracles and to conquer many nations. Now, millions upon millions of people wor- ship him. In dreams Mohammed was told by God many wonderful things about heaven and hell, and he has given his fol- lowers some good commandments." To Mutesa the stories they told of Mohammed seemed far more wonderful than the foolish tales he had heard of the evil spirits in Uganda; and he felt almost like becoming a Mohammedan. He began to wear the Mo- hammedan dress and turban, he taught his chiefs Mohammedan customs, and he kept the Mohammedan Sabbath. Thus Mr. Stanley found Mutesa half heathen and half Mohammedan, never having heard that to be a Christian was better than either. Day after day passed, and each day King Mutesa and Mr. Stanley talked together on many subjects. The explorer hesitated to speak of the Christian's God, for he knew not whether Mutesa would be glad or angry to hear of Him. One day at court, when the chiefs were all present, some one of 13 WHITE MAN OF WORK Ms own accord asked Mr. Stanley to tell them of the white man's God. As he began to tell of God, the loving Father, and of Jesus Christ, his Son, Mr. Stanley noticed that the king and courtiers were listening more intently than he had ever known them to listen before. Until that day, it had al- ways been thought polite to talk about any one subject for a short time only; but now these black men seemed to forget to become wearied. Each succeeding day, Mr. Stan- ley continued to talk on this same subject. His hearers appeared far more interested in what he said about Jesus than they had ever been in any of the wonderful things he had told about civilized people. Mr. Stanley's visit with Mutesa lasted for some months. When it became known that he was soon to leave the country, some one suggested that at least a few of the things the white man had said should be written down so that they would not be forgotten. By good fortune there were two lads who together could do the translating and writ- 14 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING ing; one was the king's chief drummer, the other was one of Mr. Stanley's boat boys. So, on thin polished boards of white wood, each about a foot square, they wrote the Ten Commandments and some of the most striking stories of the Old and New Testa- ments; until the Waganda had a little li- brary of board books. One memorable day, King Mutesa called to him his chiefs, the officers of his guard, and Mr. Stanley. When all were seated be- fore him, some on the floor and some on stools, in his palace hut, Mutesa began to speak. "When I became king," he said, in the language of his country, "I delighted in shedding blood because I knew no better. I was only following the customs of my fathers ; but, when an Arab trader came and taught me the Mohammedan religion, I gave up the example of my fathers, and behead- ings became less frequent. No man can say that since that day he has seen Mutesa drunk with pombe. But there were a great 15 WHITE MAN OF WORK many things I could not understand and some things which seemed very unreason- able ; but no one in Uganda was able to ex- plain them to me. Now, God be thanked, a white man, Stamlee, has come to Uganda with a book older than the Koran [sacred book] of Mohammed. My boys have read out of it to me, and I find it is a great deal better than the book of Mohammed, besides it is the first and oldest book. The prophet Musa [Moses] wrote some of it a long, long time before Mohammed was born. As Kin- tu, our first king, was a long time before me, so Musa was before Mohammed. Now I want you, my chiefs and soldiers, to tell me what we shall do. Shall we believe in Isa [Jesus] and Musa or in Mohammed?" One of the group, Chambarango by name, spoke up: "Let us take that which is the best." "But," came a reply from the prime min- ister, "we do not know which is the best. The Arabs say their book is the best, and the white men say their book is the best 16 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING how then can we know which speaks the truth?" Then Kauta, the king's steward, said: "When Mutesa became a son of Mohammed, he taught me, and I became one ; if my mas- ter says he taught me wrong, having got more knowledge, he can now teach me right. I am waiting to hear his words. ' ' Pleased at this, Mutesa again addressed his chiefs: "Kauta speaks well. If I taught him how to become a Mohammedan, I did it because I believed it to be good. Chambar- ango says, 'Let us take that which is best.' True, I want that which is the best, and I want the true book; but the katikiro [prime minister] asks, 'How are we to know which is true ? ' And I will answer him. Listen to me. The Arabs and the white men behave exactly as they are taught in their books, do they not? The Arabs come here for ivory and slaves, and we have seen that they do not always speak the truth, and that they buy men of their own color and treat them badly, putting them in chains and beating 17 WHITE MAN OF WORK them. The white men, when offered slaves, refuse them, saying, * Shall we make our brothers slaves'? No; we are all sons of God.' I have not heard a white man tell a lie yet. Speke came here, behaved well, and went his way home with his brother Grant. [Speke and Grant were earlier ex- plorers in Africa.] They bought no slaves, and the time they were in Uganda they were very good. Stamlee came here, and he would take no slaves. What Arab would have refused slaves like these white men? Though we deal in slaves, it is no reason why it should not be bad ; and when I think that the Arabs and the white men do as they are taught, I say that the white men are greatly superior to the Arabs, and I think, therefore, that their book must be a better book than Mohammed's, and of all that Stamlee has read from this book I see noth- ing too hard for me to believe. I have listened to it all well pleased, and now I ask you, shall we accept this book or Mo- hammed's book as our guide?" 18 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING Seeing clearly just what the king wanted, they all answered, "We will take the white men's book." Thus it was that Mutesa announced him- self a follower of the Christ and the Chris- tian's Book. He promised to build a church, and begged that other white men might come to teach him and his people about the good way. "Stamlee," he said, "say to the white people, when you write to them, that I am like a man sitting in darkness, or born blind, and that all I ask is that I may be taught how to see, and I shall continue a Christian while I live." Such an appeal Mr. Stanley could not let pass unheeded, and the letter was writ- ten to the Daily Telegraph. But the newspaper correspondent had asked a very hard thing. London folk had heard before of King Mutesa of Uganda. Two earlier travelers had told very differ- ent stories of this great heathen monarch. Which was to be believed? They had said 19 WHITE MAN OF WORK that in Mutesa's court a fair trial was never known. If one of the king's chiefs failed to salute his majesty properly, his head was in danger. If his bark cloth dress was not tied over his right shoulder according to the proper fashion, Mutesa was likely to order the man to be put to death. In an instant every one near the offender would rise, drums would be beaten, drowning the man's cries for mercy, and the unfortunate vic- tim would be dragged off to his fate. Even the king's three or four hundred wives lived in daily fear of death by order of their master. Such was the king who Stanley was now saying wanted Christian teachers. Who knew but that he might not soon tire of white men too, and order their lives also to be taken? Then, too, the young men of England thought of the long and dangerous journey across a country with no railroads. They thought of the wild animals, of the deadly hot climate, and of the savage and cannibal chiefs through whose countries they would 20 INTERVIEW WITH A BLACK KING pass. They pictured the loneliness of liv- ing so many months away from all their white friends and loved ones. What joy would there be in living in a small grass hut with mud floors and no windows? Why should any man, who might some day be an honored clergyman in a peaceful town ir England, go to this uncivilized land and be his own butcher, baker, and candlestick- maker ? Was there even one man in England who would take Mr. Stanley's letter seriously? Would any one be willing to leave home and friends and risk his life just because a black king in the heart of Africa, plotting per- haps for the white man's life, had asked for a missionary ? Moreover one man could not go alone. A number of men would have to be found who would go in a party. Thousands of dollars would be needed for traveling expenses alone. Was this undertaking worth all it might cost? What would come of Mr. Stanley's letter? 21 CHAPTER II WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE NEWS WAS READ IN an office in Salisbury Square in Lon- don a small group of men read Mr. Stanley's newspaper letter. They were men who had been chosen to gather the money given for missions by the churches and to send out missionaries. They were called secretaries of the Church Missionary So- ciety. "Is there anything we can do for King Mutesa," they said to one another? "If he is truly longing to be taught about God, will it not be a crime to refuse to send some one to tell him ? Even if he is not sincere, ought we not to act as if he were? But who has the heart to ask any young man to go? And who would be willing to give money for the undertaking?" 22 AFTER THE NEWS WAS READ Discouraged by the difficulties they saw, yet unwilling to drop the matter carelessly, they locked the office doors and knelt to- gether to ask the Father to tell them what He wanted them to do. Not long did they wait for an answer to their prayers. The third day after Mr. Stanley's article was published, a letter came addressed to Mr. Hutchinson, Secretary of the Church Mis- sionary Society, which showed that some one else had the needs of Uganda in mind. "Dear Mr. Hutchinson/' it read, "Often have I thought of the people in the interior of Africa in the region of Uganda, and I have longed and prayed for the time to come when the Lord would open the door so that heralds of the gospel might enter the coun- try. The appeal of Stanley to the Chris- tian Church from Mutesa 's capital, seems to show that the time has come for the sol- diers of the cross to make an advance into that region. If the Committee of the Church Missionary Society are prepared at once and with energy to start a mission to 23 WHITE MAN OF WORK Victoria Lake, I shall gladly give you 5,000 [about $25,000] with which to begin. "I desire to be known in this matter only as