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Dr. David Livingstone, the Great Explorer.
EXPLORATIONS
IN
.A FR I C ^L,
BY
DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE,
AND OTHERS,
GIVING A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE
j^tkuley-I^ivii^tone
EXPEDITION OP SEARCH,
UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF
THE NEW YORK "HERALD,"
A3 FURNISHED BY
Dr. LIVINGSTONE and Mr. STANLEY.
With a Biographical Sketch of Dr. Livingstone, the great Explorer of Africa,
Mr. Stanley, the celebrated Traveller for the "Herald," and Others (Dr.
Barth, Baker, Barton, Speke, Die Chaillu, etc., J connected with
Discoveries in Africa, and a practical epitome of
Historical and Geographical information
in regard to the , Continent
INHABITED BY THE BLACK MAN.
INDITED BY
L. D. (LNGERSOLL,
AUTHOR OK M IOWA AND THE REBELLION," LATE ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE
CHICAGO EVENING POST.
WTLTI MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
Sold by Subscription Qnly.
UNION PUBLISHING COMPANY, 163 TWENTY SFXOND STREET, CHICAGO.
A. L. BANCROFT & CO., SAN FRANCISCO.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
UNION PUBLISHING COMPANY,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
GIFT
OlTAWAY, UkOWN & COLUKHT,
PRINTERS,
7 & 9 So. Jefferson St., Chicago, III.
Sterreotyped by the
CHICAGO TYPE FOUNDRY,
139 & 141 Monroe Street.
"DT73I
PUBLISHERS' PREFACE.
The *v.cent success of the unique expedition of the New- York
w Herald " newspaper jn search of Dr. Livingstone, the most dis-
tinguished of African missionaries, and modern travellers, has given
renewed interest to a continent which has been well described as
"the division of the world which is the most interesting, and about
which we know the least." To supply the popular demand for in-
formation in regard to Africa, the explorations of Dr. Livingstone,
the " Herald " expedition, and subjects most intimately connected
therewith, the following volume has been prepared. It will be seen
that Dr. Livingstone himself, and Mr. Stanley, the conductor of the
" Herald " expedition, have been largely quoted in the compila-
tion of the work. No one has written of Africa more intelligently,
graphically, or fully, than Dr. Livingstone, and none so recently
as Mr. Stanley. They are, of course, the principal authorities for
this volume, as they are the best that can be had, but the re-
searches of others have been used whenever necessary to add in-
terest to the subject, and to make this book as nearly a complete
account of all that is now known of Africa as possible. As such,
it is now given to the public in the confident belief that it will
supply a want generally felt, and which has often been expressed
by the journals of our own and other countries, and other recog-
nized representatives of public opinion.
No book of travels is more interesting than the great work of
Dr. Livingstone, and none, we think, which contains so much
information valuable to the reading world. There we have a nar-
rative in which are finely blended accounts of missionary labors,
scientific researches, explorations among strange people, wonderful
animals, a country to which attaches the deepest interest ; and all
told in the most attractive manner. In Mr. Stanley's dispatches,
M597666
PREFACE.
letters, and more formal narrations, we have among the best ex-
amples of the astonishing development and enterprise of the
modern press, as aided by the magnetic telegraph. Much that is
most excellent in what these men have said of Africa on the spot
will be found, and in their own language, in this volume. Thus
it may be seen how ancient and modern customs and habits, and
a continent of the old and the new world clasp hands across the
gulf of time and space, through the marvelous means of the
lightning and the press.
Whilst no pains and research have been spared in the prepara-
tion of the book, it has been entrusted to one familiar with the
subject and able to place before the public in the least practicable
space, all that is most valuable and interesting connected there-
with. It is confidently believed, therefore, that no book of so
much interesting matter, at so cheap a price as this has been
published. The greatest pains have been taken also in its me-
chanical execution. We feel justified, therefore, in commending,
it to the public as a complete hand-book of information in regard
to one of the most interesting topics to which mankind are now
giving attention, and religion, literature, and science their best
labors and studies.
THE UNION PUBLISHING COMPANY.
EDITOR'S PREFACE.
The following volume has been prepared with the view of setting forth in a
clear and comprehensive manner the most interesting and valuable results of
recent explorations in Africa, especially those of Dr. Livingstone : of setting
them forth in such way as may serve to give the general reader a correct knowl-
edge of the remarkable peoples and countries first made known by the greatest
of modern explorers. The general plan of the book, it will be seen, is bio-
graphical, Dr. Livingstone being the principal character of the volume, as he is
certainly the most interesting of moderns connected with African exploration.
But with him are grouped others, celebrated in somewhat less degree, but whose
labors have been invaluable to the cause of both general and scientific
knowledge. Among these is Mr. Stanley, who had charge of the famous Special
Search Expedition of the New York " Herald," which succeeded, on the very
scene of English failure, in discovering the discoverer, thereby reflecting the
highest renown upon American journalism. The account of this expedition, as
given by Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley, is quite full, in connection with
which will be found a brief history of the rise and progress of modern journal-
ism, which, it is hoped, will not be found inappropriate. Special emphasis is
given to Dr. Livingstone's letter to James Gordon Bennett, Esq., Jr., upon the
subject of the Slave Trade of East Africa, and British culpability therein.
Should the volume prove to be of value in giving the reading public a general
knowledge of the African continent ; of arousing an interest among the com-
mercial and religious people of America in behalf of extending commerce and
Christian civilization to the continent of contrasts ; and also of exciting a feeling
of just indignation that England still permits her subjects to carry on the slave
trade and thus succeed in bringing her to a performance of duty in this great
matter of international interest and treaty stipulations, I shall be greatly
gratified.
L. D. INGERSOLL.
Chicago, November, 1872.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF AFRICA— ITS ANCIENT CIVILIZATION-LITTLE
INFORMATION EXTANT IN RELATION TO LARGE PORTIONS OF
THE CONTINENT— THE GREAT FIELD OF SCIENTIFIC EXPLORA-
TIONS AND MISSIONARY LABOR— ACCOUNT OF A NUMBER OF EX-
PLORING EXPEDITIONS, INCLUDING THOSE OF MUNGO PARK,
DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON, AND OTHERS— THEIR PRACTICAL
RESULTS— DESIRE OF FURTHER INFORMATION INCREASED— RE-
CENT EXPLORATIONS, NOTABLY THOSE OF DR. LIVINGSTONE AND
MR. STANLEY, REPRESENTING THE NEW YORK "HERALD" NEWS-
PAPER - 17
CHAPTER II.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF LIVINGSTONE.
HIS BIRTH AND PARENTAGE— HARD WORK AND HARD STUDY— TH 5
FACTORY BOY BECOMES A PHYSICIAN— THE OPIUM WAR IN CHII\ \
CAUSES HIM TO SAIL FOR AFRICA 2»
CHAPTER III.
MISSIONARY LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.
DR. LIVINGSTONE'S DEPARTURE FROM CAPE TOWN AND JOURNEY
TO THE MISSIONARY STATION, KURUMAN— PROCEEDS TO SKO-
KUANE, THE CHIEF VILLAGE OF SECHELE, CHIEF OF THE BAK-
WAINS— SKETCH OF THE CHIEFTAIN'S LIFE AND CHARACTER-
MISSIONARY LIFE— CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE— GRAPHIC
SKETCH OF A COMBAT WITH LIONS— MANY FACTS ABOUT THE
44 KING OF BEASTS." 38
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
LIVINGSTONE'S FIRST AND SECOND JOURNEYS INTO THE
INTERIOR.
DEPARTURE FOR THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SOUTH AFRICA— DISCOV-
ERY OF LAKE NGAMI— ELEPHANTS— JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY
OF THE MAKOLOLO— THEIR SOVEREIGN, SEBITUANE-A REMARK-
ABLE CAREER— DISCOVERY OF THE RIVER ZAMBESI— THE SLAVE
TRADE-RETURN TO CAPE TOWN— THE TSETSE FLY 62
CHAPTER V.
FROM CAPE TOWN TO LOANDA.
DR. LIVINGSTONE DEPARTS FOR THE COUNTRY OF MAKOLOLO
—LIFE AND LABORS THERE— THE CHIEF SEKELETU— DEPARTS
FOR THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA— NARRATIVE OF THE JOURNEY
—ARRIVAL AMONG THE PORTUGUESE COLONISTS— HIS OPINION
OF THIS PORTION OF AFRICA— DETERMINES UPON ANOTHER
GREAT EXPEDITION S9
CHAPTER VI.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
THE EXPEDITION ACROSS THE CONTINENT FROM LOANDA TO KILI-
MANE ACCOUNT OF THE JOURNEY— THE WATER-SHED OF CEN-
TRAL AFRICA— LAKE DILOLO, AND A RIVER FLOWING IN TWO
DIRECTIONS— THE GREAT FALLS OF VICTORIA ON THE ZAMBESI—
THE JOURNEY FROM LINYANTI EASTWARD— THE PEOPLE OF
THIS PORTION OF AFRICA— THE COUNTRY— ANIMALS AND VEGE-
TATION—ARRIVAL AT KILIMANE— DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND-
RESUME OF EVENTS CONNECTED WITH MORE THAN 9,006 MILES
OF TRAVEL, AND MANY DISCOVERIES 109
CHAPTER VII.
DR. LIVINGSTONE IN ENGLAND.
HIS RECEPTION BY HIS COUNTRYMEN— THE PREPARATION OF HIS
WORK ENTITLED M MISSIONARY TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES IN
SOUTH AFRICA"— FAVORABLY RECEIVED BY CHRISTENDOM 147
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
LIVINGSTONE'S SECOND (AND PRESENT) EXPEDITION TO
AFRICA.
AGAIN SAILS FOR AFRICA— PAINFUL REPORTS OF HIS DEATH— THE
LONG SUSPENSE IN REGARD THERETO— CONFLICTING REP0RTS...154
CHAPTER IX.
THE HERALD EXPEDITION OF SEARCH.
THE GREAT DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN JOURNALISM— THE TELE-
GRAPH—JAMES GORDON BENNETT, HORACE GREELEY, HENRY J.
RAYMOND — THE MAGNITUDE OF AMERICAN JOURNALISTIC EN-
TERPRISE—THE HERALD SPECIAL SEARCH EXPEDITION FOR DR.
LIVINGSTONE — STANLEY AS A CORRESPONDENT— THE EXPE-
D1TION ON ITS WAY TOWARD LIVINGSTONE T«8
CHAPTER X.
HENRY M. STANLEY.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF MR. STANLEY BEFORE BEGINNING THE
SEARCH FOR LIVINGSTONE— HIS ENTHUSIASM, COURAGE, AND
ENDURANCE— TRAVELS IN ASIA-STATEMENT BY THE HON. E.
JOY MORRIS, EX-UNITED STATES MINISTER TO CONSTANTINOPLE
—BEGINS THE GREAT ENTERPRISE OF HIS LIFE IS?
CHAPTER XI.
MR. STANLEY IN AFRICA.
THE SEARCH FOR DR. LIVINGSTONE ENERGETICALLY BEGUN— PRO-
GRESS DELAYED BY WARS— THE SUCCESSFUL JOURNEY FROM
UNYANYEMBE TO UJIJI IN 1871— THE "HERALD" CABLE TELE-
GRAM ANNOUNCING THE SAFETY OF LIVINGSTONE— THE BATTLES
AND INCIDENTS OF THIS NEWSPAPER CAMPAIGN— RECEIPT OF
THE GREAT NEWS — THE HONOR BESTOWED ON AMERICAN
JOURNALISM 19S.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XII.
THE MEETING OF LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY.
THE "LAND OF THE MOON"-DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY AND
PEOPLE— HORRID SAVAGE RITES— JOURNEY FROM UNYANYEMBE
TO UJIJI-A WONDERFUL COUNTRY— A MIGHTY RIVER SPANNED
BY A BRIDGE OF GRASS— OUTWITTING THE SPOILERS— STANLEY'S
ENTRY INTO UJIJI AND MEETING WITH LIVINGSTONE — THE
GREAT TRIUMPH OF AN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER 21C
CHAPTER XIII.
LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY IN AFRICA.
THE GREAT EXPLORER AS A COMPANION— HIS MISSIONARY LABORS—
THE STORY OF HIS LATEST EXPLORATIONS — THE PROBABLE
SOURCES OF THE NILE— GREAT LAKES AND RIVERS— THE COUN-
TRY and People of central Africa — a race of African
AMAZONS — SLAVE TRADE — A HORRID MASSACRE — THE DIS-
COVERER PLUNDERED 35«
CHAPTER XIV.
LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY IN AFRICA.
[continued.]
AN EXPLORATION OF TANGANYIKA LAKE — RESULT — CHRISTMAS
AT UJIJI— LIVINGSTONE PROCEEDS WITH STANLEY TO UNYAN-
YEMBE-ACCOUNT OF THE JOURNEY— ALLEGED NEGLECT OF LIV-
INGSTONE BY THE BRITISH CONSULATE AT ZANZIBAR — DE-
PARTURE OF THE EXPLORER FOR THE INTERIOR, AND OF MR.
STANLEY FOR EUROPE 293
CHAPTER XV.
DR. LIVINGSTONE STILL IN AFRICA.
THE GREAT EXPLORER STILL IN SEARCH OF THE SOURCES OF
THE NILE— HIS LETTERS TO THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT ON HIS
EXPLORATIONS— CORRESPONDENCE WITH LORD STANLEY, LORD
CONTENTS.
CLARENDON, EARL GRANVILLE, DR. KIRK, AND JAMES GORDON
BENNETT, JR.-HIS OWN DESCRIPTION OF CENTRAL AFRICA AND
THE SUPPOSED SOURCES OF THE NILE — THE COUNTRY AND
PEOPLE — A NATION OF CANNIBALS — BEAUTIFUL WOMEN- GO-
RILLAS—THE EXPLORER'S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE 302
CHAPTER XVI.
INTELLIGENCE OF THE SUCCESS OF THE HERALD ENTER-
PRISE.
MR. STANLEY'S DESPATCHES TO THE " HERALD"— THEY CREATE A -
PROFOUND SENSATION— THE QUESTION OF THE AUTHENTICITY
OF HIS REPORTS— CONCLUSIVE PROOF THEREOF— TESTIMONY OF
THE ENGLISH PRESS, JOHN LIVINGSTONE, EARL GRANVILLE, AND
THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND HERSELF 33©
CHAPTER XVII.
MR. STANLEYS RECEPTION IN EUROPE.
MR. STANLEY IS EVERYWHERE RECEIVED WITH MARKED ATTEN-
TION—RECEPTION AT PARIS— IN LONDON— THE BRIGHTON BAN-
QUET—HONORS FROM THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND 311
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE SLAVE TRADE OF EAST AFRICA.
DR. LIVINGSTONE'S LETTER UPON THE SUBJECT TO MR. BENNET' n
COMPARES THE SLAVE TRADE WITH PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS
' —NATIVES OF INTERIOR AFRICA AVERAGE SPECIMENS OF HU-
MANITY-SLAVE TRADE CRUELTIES -DEATHS FROM BROKEN
HEARTS— THE NEED OF CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION-BRITISH CUL-
PABILITY 316
CHAPTER XIX.
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM OF AFRICA.
SOME ACCOUNTS OF THE BEASTS, BIRDS, REPTILES, AND INSECTS OF
AFRICA -LIVINGSTONE'S OPINION OF THE LION — ELEPHANTS,
HIPPOPOTAMI, RHINOCEROSES, ETC.- WILD ANIMALS SUBJECT TO
CONTENTS.
DISEASE— REMARKABLE HUNTING EXPLORATIONS — CUMMING
SLAYS MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED ELEPHANTS— DU CHAILLU
AND THE GORILLA— THRILLING INCIDENTS— VAST PLAINS COV-
ERED WITH GAME— FORESTS FILLED WITH BIRDS— IMMENSE SER-
PENTS—THE PYTHON OF SOUTH AFRICA — ANTS AND OTHER
INSECTS 35b
CHAPTFR XX.
AFRICAN TREES AND VEGETATION-
BRIEF NOTICE OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM OF AFRICA— IMMENSE
DESERTS AND PRODIGIOUS, TOWER-LIKE TREES— GRASSES HIGHER
THAN A MAN ON HORSEBACK — THE COTTON PLANT-GENERAL
REMARKS 391
CHAPTER XXI.
THE DESERT OF SAHARA.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT DESERT OF NORTH AFRICA-
ITS DIFFERENT DIVISIONS, INHABITANTS, AND PRODUCTIONS-
CITIES BURIED UNDER THE SANDS— THE STORMS OF WIND— IN-
FLUENCE OF THE DESERT UPON THE CLIMATE AND CIVILIZATION
OF EUROPE »»*
CHAPTER XXII.
GEOLOGY OF AFRICA— ANTIQUITY OF MAN.
THE GENERAL GEOLOGICAL FORMATION OF THE CONTINENT— THE
WANT OF COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION— SINGULAR FACTS AS
TO THE DESERT OF SAHARA— THE QUESTION OF THE ANTIQUITY
OF MAN— IS AFRICA THE BIRTH-PLACE OF THE HUMAN RACE?—
OPINIONS OF SCIENTISTS TENDING TO ANSWER IN THE AFFIRM-
ATIVE—DARWINISM 40»
CHAPTER XXIII.
CONCLUSION.
THE RESULT IN BEHALF OF SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND HUMANITY
OF THE EXPLORATIONS AND MISSIONARY LABORS OF DR. LIVING-
STONE AND OTHERS IN AFRICA— REVIEW OF RECENT DISCOVER-
IES IN RESPECT TO THE PEOPLE AND THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF
THE AFRICAN CONTINENT— THE DIAIYIOND FIELDS OF SOUTH
AFRICA-BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE CONTINENT— ITS CAPABILITIES
AND ITS WANTS— CHRISTIANITY AND MODERN JOURNALISM DIS
SIPATING OLD BARBARISMS, AND LEADING THE WAY TO TRI-
UMPHS OF CIVILIZATION 427
C3-S?
PAGE.
i Portrait of Dr. David Livingstone (Frontispiece)
2 Lion 27
3 Narrow Escape from a Lion 33
4 Three Lions attempting to drag down a Buffalo 51
5 The Tiger. 6r
6 Buffalo Cow Defending her Calf 69
7 The Tsetse Fly 86
8 Native African Chiefs Assembling in their Canoes SS
9 War Dance of one of the South African Tribes 88
10 The Travelling Procession Interrupted 105
11 The Elephant _ 108
12 Portrait of Sayid Bergash, Sultan of Zanzibar 123
13 Portrait of Sayid Suleiman, Grand Vizier of Zanzibar 142
14 Vulture _ 146
15 The Zebra 153
16 Drilling Nasik Boys at Zanzibar .... 159
17 The Leopard 167
18 Private Reception of the English Livingstone Expedition
at the Sultan's Palace at Zanzibar _ 177
ILLUSTRATIONS.
19 Portrait of Henry M. Stanley 195
20 Flamingoes 197
2 1 Small Map of Explorations in Africa 213
22 The Tapir.. 215
23 Mr. Stanley, his Boy Kalulu, and Interpreter Selim 231
24 The Meeting of Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley in Cen-
tral Africa 249
25 The Crocodile .. 255
26 Ostrich 267
27 Rhinoceros and Elephant ... 267
28 Effect of the Great Hurricane at Zanzibar 285
29 Antelope 291
30 Jaguar .- 300
31 Mr. Stanley on his Way to the Coast 303
32 Map of the Watershed of Africa 321
33 Zebu - 329
34 Rhinoceros 338
35 Giraffes Taking Exercise 339
36 Hippopotamus 345
37 Black Maned Lion _. 355
38 Native Killing a Python __ .. 357
39 Buffalo 390
40 General Map of Africa —
Exploitations in Africa,
BY
LIVINGSTONE, STANLEY,
AjSTID others.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
A Brief Account of Africa — Its Ancient Civilization — Little Information extant
in Relation to Large Portions of the Continent — The Great field of Scientific
Explorations and Missionary Labor — Account of a Number of Exploring
Expeditions, Including those of Mungo Park, Denham and Clapperton, and
others — Their Practical Results — Desire of Further Information Increased —
Recent Explorations, Notably those of Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley, Rep-
resenting the New York " Herald " Newspaper.
A work of standard authority among scholars says
that " Africa is the division of the world which is the
most interesting, and about which we know the least."
Its very name is a mystery; no one can more than
approximately calculate its vast extent ; even those
who have studied the problem the most carefully
widely disagree among themselves as to the number
of its population, some placing it as low as 60,000,000,
others, much in excess of 100,000,000 souls ; its su-
(i7)
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
perficial configuration in many portions is only guessed
at ; the sources of its mightiest river are unknown.
The heats, deserts, wild beasts, venomous reptiles
and savage tribes of this great continent have raised
the only barrier against the spirit of discovery and
progress, elsewhere irrepressible, of the age, and no
small proportion of Africa is to-day as much a terra
incognita as when the father of history wrote. Many
of its inhabitants are among the most barbarous and
depraved of all the people of the world, but in ancient
times some of its races were the leaders of all men
in civilization and were unquestionably possessed of
mechanical arts and processes which have long been
lost in the lapse of ages. They had vast cities, great
and elaborate works of art, and were the most suc-
cessful of agriculturists. Noted for their skill in the
management of the practical affairs of life, they also
paid profound attention to the most abstruse questions
of religion ; and it was a people of Africa, the Egypt-
ians, who first announced belief in the resurrection of
the body and the immortality of the soul. Large
numbers of mummies, still existing, ages older than
the Christian era, attest the earnestness of the ancient
faith in dogmas which form an essential part of the
creed of nearly every Christian sect. The most
magnificent of women in the arts of coquetry and
voluptuous love belonged to this continent of which
so much still sits in darkness. The art of war was
here cultivated to the greatest perfection ; and it was
before the army of an African general that the Ro-
man legions went down at Cannae, and by whom the
Empire came near being completely ruined. Indeed,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 9
it may with much show of argument be claimed that
the continent over so much of which ignorance and
superstition and beasts of prey now hold thorough
sway, was originally the cradle of art, and civilization,
and human progress.
But if the northern portion of the continent of
Africa was in the remote past the abode of learning
and of the useful arts, it is certain that during recent
periods, other portions of the continent, separated
from this by a vast expanse of desert waste, have
supplied the world with the most lamentable examples
of human misery and the most hideous instances of
crime. Nor did cupidity and rapacity confine them-
selves in the long years of African spoliation to or-
dinary robbers and buccaneers. Christian nations
took part in the horrid work ; and we have the au-
thority of accredited history for the statement that
Elizabeth of England was a smuggler and a slave-
trader. Thus Africa presents the interesting anomaly
of having been the home of ancient civilization, and
the prey of the modern rapacity and plunder of all
nations. It is natural, therefore, that in regard to the
plundered portions of this devoted continent, the
world at large should know but little. It is also nat-
ural that with the advancement of the cause of scien-
tific knowledge, humanity, genuine Christianity, and
the rage for discovery, this vast territory should re-
ceive the attention of good and studious men and
moral nationalities. Accordingly we find that during
a comparatively recent period Africa has become a
great field of scientific explorations and missionary
labor, as well as of colonization.
20 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
The first people to give special and continued at-
tention to discoveries in Africa, were the Portuguese.
During the fifteenth century, noted for the great ad-
vance made in geographical discoveries, the kingdom
of Portugal was, perhaps, the greatest maritime power
of Christendom. Her sovereigns greatly encouraged
and many of their most illustrious subjects practical-
ly engaged in voyages of discovery. They were pre-
eminently successful both in the eastern and western
hemisphere, and one of the results of their daring
enterprise is the remarkable fact that Portuguese col-
onies are much more powerful and wealthy to-day
than the parent kingdom.
" The Child is father of the Man."
The Portuguese sent many exploring expeditions
along the coast of Africa, and in the course of a cen-
tury they had circumnavigated the continent and
planted colonies all along the shores of the Atlantic
and the Indian oceans. Bartholmew Dias having
discovered the Cape of Good Hope, the reigning
sovereign of Portugal determined to prosecute the
explorations still further, with the object of discover-
ing a passage to India. This discovery was made by
the intrepid and illustrious mariner, Vasco de Gama,
November 20, 1497, a little more than five years after
the discovery of America. He pursued his voyage
along the eastern coast of Africa, discovering Natal,
Mozambique, a number of islands, and finding people
in a high stage of commercial advancement, with
well-built cities, ports, mosques for the worship of
Allah according to the Mohammedan faith, and car-
rying on a considerable trade with India and the Spice
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 21
Islands. Of this trade, Portugal long retained supre-
macy. Other European powers also meantime es-
tablished colonies at different places on the African
coast, so that in the sixteenth century a considerable
portion of the outer shell, so to say, had been examined
The vast interior, however, long remained unexplor-
ed, and much of it remains an utterly unknown pri-
meval wilderness to this day. The settlements and
colonies of the Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English
were for commercial purposes only, and added very
little to the general stock of information.
It was not until a year after the adoption of the
Constitution of the United States that any organized
effort in behalf of discoveries in Africa was made.
In the city of London a Society for the Exploration
of Interior Africa was formed in 1788, but it was not
until seven years afterwards, that the celebrated
Mungo Park undertook his first expedition. Thus it
was more than three hundred years from the discovery
of the Cape of Good Hope before even a ray of light
began to penetrate the darkness of benighted Africa.
Meantime, great empires had been overthrown and
others established in their place and beneficent gov-
ernments founded on both continents of the western
world.
The life and adventures of Mungo Park form a
story of exceeding interest, between which and the
life and adventures of Dr. Livingstone there are not
a few points of remarkable coincidence. Park was a
native of Scotland, and one of many children. He
was educated also in the medical profession. More-
over, while he was making his first tour of discovery
22 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
in Africa, having long been absent from home, reports
of his death reached England and were universally
credited. His arrival at Falmouth in December
1797, caused a most agreeable surprise throughout
the kingdom. An account of his travels abounding
with thrilling incidents, including accounts of great
suffering from sickness and cruelty at the hands of
Mohammedan Africans on the Niger, was extensive-
ly circulated. Many portions of this narrative were
in about all the American school books durine the
first half of the nineteenth century, and the name of
Mungo Park became as familiar as household words in
the United States. In 1805, Park undertook another
tour of discovery, which he prosecuted for sometime
with indomitable courage and against difficulties before
which an ordinary mind would have succumbed. He
navigated the Niger for a long distance, passing Jen-
nee, Timbuctoo, and Yaoori, but was soon after at-
tacked in a narrow channel, and, undertaking to escape
by swimming, was drowned. His few remaining white
companions perished with him.
The discoveries of this celebrated man were in that
part of Africa which lies between the equator and
the 20th degree of north latitude. They added much
to the knowledge of that portion of the country, and
keenly whetted the desire of further information.
Several journeys and voyages up rivers followed, but
without notable result till the English expedition
under Denham and Clapperton in 1822. This expe-
dition started with a caravan of merchants from
Tripoli on the Mediterranean, and after traversing
the o-reat desert, reached Lake Tsad in interior Africa.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 23
Denham explored the lake and its shores, while Lieut.
Clapperton pursued his journey westward as far as
Sakatu, which is not greatly distant from the Niger.
He retraced his steps, and having visited England,
began a second African tour, starting from near Cape
•Coast Castle on the Gulf of Guinea. Traveling in
a northeastern direction, he struck the Niger at Boussa,
and going by way of Kano, a place of considerable
commercial importance, again arrived at Sakatu, where
he shortly afterwards died. He was the first man
who had traversed Africa from the Mediterranean sea
to the Gulf of Guinea. Richard Lander, a servant
of Lieut. Clapperton, afterwards discovered the course
of the Niger from Boussa to the gulf, finding it iden-
tical with the river Nun of the seacoast.
Other fours of discovery into Africa have been
made to which it is not necessary here to refer. The
practical result of all these expeditions, up to about
the middle of the ninetenth century, was a rough
outline of information in regard to the coast coun-
tries of Africa, the course of the Niger, the manners
and customs of the tribes of Southern Africa, and a
little more definite knowledge concerning Northern
and Central Africa, embracing herein the great des-
ert, Lake Tsad, the river Niger, and the people be-
tween the desert and the Gulf of Guinea. Perhaps
the most comprehensive statement ot the effect of
this information upon Christian peoples was that it
seemed to conclusively demonstrate an imperative
demand for missionary labors. Even the Mohamme-
dans of the Moorish Kingdom of Ludamar, set loose
a wild boar upon Mungo Park. They were aston-
24 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ished that the wild beast assailed the Moslems instead
of the Christian, and afterwards shut the two together
in a hut, while King and council debated whether the
white man should lose his right arm, his eyes, or his
life. During the debate, the traveler escaped. If
the Mohammedan Africans were found to be thus
cruel, it may well be inferred that those of poorer
faith were no less bloodthirsty. And thus, as one of
the results of the expeditions to which we have re-
ferred, a renewed zeal in proselytism and discovery
was developed.
Thus, the two most distinguished African travellers,
and who have published the most varied, extensive,
and valuable information in regard to that continent,
performed the labors of their first expeditions co-
temporaneously, the one starting from the north of
Africa* the other from the south. I can but refer to
the distinguished Dr. Heinreich Barth, and him who
is largely the subject of this volume, Dr. David Liv-
ingstone. The expeditions were not connected the
one with the other, but had this in common that both
were begun under the auspices of the British govern-
ment and people. A full narrative of Dr. Barth's
travels and discoveries has been published, from which
satisfactory information in regard to much of north-
ern and central Africa may be obtained. The
narrative is highly interesting and at once of great
popular and scientific value. Hence the world has
learned the geography of a wide expanse of country
round about Lake Tsad in all directions ; far toward
Abyssinia northeasterly, as far west by north as Tim-
buctoo, several hundred miles southeasterly, and as
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 25
far toward the southwest, along the River Benue, as
the junction of the Faro. Dr. Barth remained in
Africa six years, much of the time without a single
white associate, his companions in the expedition
having all died. Dr. Overweg, who was the first
European to navigate Lake Tsad, died in September,
1852. Mr. Richardson, the official chief of the ex-
pedition, had died in March of the previous year.
But unquestionably the most popular of African
explorers is Dr. Livingstone, an account of whose
first expedition — 1849-52 — has been read by a great
majority of intelligent persons speaking the English
language. Large and numerous editions were speed-
ily demanded, and Africa again became an almost
universal topic of discourse. Indeed, intelligence of
Dr. Livingstone's return after so many years of toil
and danger, was rapidly spread among the nations,
accompanied by brief reports of his explorations, and
these prepared the way for the reception of the
Doctors great work by vast numbers of people.
Every one was ready and anxious to carry the war of
his reading into Africa. And afterwards, when Dr.
Livingstone returned to Africa, and having prosescuted
his explorations for a considerable period reports
came of his death at the hands of cruel and treach-
erous natives, interest in exact knowledge of his fate
became intense and appeared only to increase upon
the receipt of reports contradicting the first, and then
again of rumors which appeared to substantiate those
which had been first received. In consequence of the
conflicting statements which, on account of the uni-
versal interest in the subject, were published in the
2 6 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
public press throughout the world, the whole Chris-
tian church, men of letters and science became fairly
agitated. The sensation was profound, and, based
upon admiration of a man of piety, sublime courage,
and the most touching self-denial in a great cause to
which he had devoted all his bodily and intellectual
powers, it was reasonable and philosophical.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the English
government should have fitted out an expedition in
search of Livingstone. Accordingly, the Livingstone
Search Expedition, as it is called, was organized early
in the winter of 1871-72, and under command of Lieut
Dawson, embarked on its destination, on the 9th of
February of the last year. The expedition reached
Zanzibar April 19, and the members were most kindly
received by the Sultan, Sayid Bergash, and greatly
assisted by his Grand Vizier, Sayid Suliman. A
company of six Nasik youths, originally slaves in a
part of Africa through which the Search Expedition
would pass, were being drilled for the purpose, and
were expected to be of great assistance.
But before intelligence of the Livingstone Search
Expedition at Zanzibar awaiting favorable weather,
had arrived, the world was startled by the news that
a private expedition, provided solely by the New
York " Herald " newspaper, and in charge of Mr.
Henry M. Stanley, had succeeded, after surmounting
incredible difficulties, in reaching Ujiji, where a meet-
ing of the most remarkable nature took place between
the great explorer and the representative of the en-
terprising journal of New York. Unique in its origin,
most remarkable in the accomplishment of its benefi-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 2J
cent purpose, this Herald-Livingstone expedition has
received the considerate approval of mankind, and
Mr. Stanley has become with justice regarded as a
practical hero of a valuable kind. His accounts of
his travel, his dispatches to the " Herald" from time
to time, the more formal narratives furnished by him,
compose a story of the deepest interest and, when
properly considered, of the greatest value. It is to
preserve this story in permanent form — and wher-
ever possible in the language of Mr. Stanley himself
— connecting with it such portions of Dr. Living-
stone's life and explorations, such accounts of discov-
eries and affairs in Africa generally, and such mention
of the newspaper enterprise itself as may serve to
make a volume of interesting and useful information
upon a subject of confessedly universal interest
among Christian people, that this work has been un-
dertaken.
CHAPTER II.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF LIVINGSTONE.
His Birth and Parentage— Hard Work and Hard Study — The Factory Boy Be-
comes a Physician — The Opium War in China Causes Him to Sail for
Africa.
David Livingstone, whose name has become so
distinguished on account of discoveries in southern
and central Africa, is a native of Scotland. In the
introductory chapter to his interesting " Missionary-
Travels and Researches in South Africa," Dr. Liv-
ingstone makes passing mention of a few of his an-
cestors, showing that he came of good honest stock.
" Our great-grandfather," he says, "fell at the battle
of Culloden, fighting for the old line of kings ; and
our grandfather was a small farmer in Ulva, where
my father was born. It is one of that cluster of the
Hebrides thus alluded to by Walter Scott :
' And Ulva dark and Colonsay,
And all the group of Islands gay
That guard famed Staffa round ! '
" Our grandfather was intimately acquainted with
all the traditionary legends which that great writer
has since made use of in the ' Tales of a Grandfath-
er ' and other works. As a boy I remember listening
to him with delight, for his memory was stored with
a never-ending stock of stories, many of which were
wonderfully like those I have since heard while sit-
28
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 29
ting by the African evening fires." Finding the re-
sources of his farm unable to support a large family,
the grandfather transferred the scene of his story-tel-
ling and industry to Blantyre Works, a large cotton
manufactory on the Clyde not far from the City of
Glasgow. In these extensive works he and his sons
were honorably employed by the proprietors. It
would be difficult to speak of Dr. Livingstones father
and mother and of his early life in more appropriate
words than he has himself used. He says :
" Our uncles all entered his majesty's service dur-
ing the last French war, either as soldiers or sailors ;
but my father remained at home, and, though too
conscientious ever to become rich as a small tea-deal-
er, by his kindliness of manner and winning ways
he made the heart-strings of his children twine around
him as firmly as if he had possessed, and could have
bestowed upon them, every worldly advantage. He
reared his children in connection with the Kirk of
Scotland, — a religious establishment which has been
an incalculable blessing to that country ; but he after-
ward left it, and during the last twenty years of his
life held the office of deacon of an independent church
in Hamilton, and deserved my lasting gratitude and
homage for presenting me, from my infancy, with a
continuously consistent pious example, such as that
the ideal of which is so beautifully and truthfully
portrayed in Burns's ' Cotter's Saturday Night.' He
died in February, 1856, in peaceful hope of that
mercy which we all expect through the death of our
Lord and Saviour. I was at the time on my way
below the Zumbo, expecting no greater pleasure in
JO EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
this country than sitting by our cottage-fire and tell-
ing him my travels. I revere his memory.
" The earliest recollection of my mother recalls a
picture so often seen among the Scottish poor — that
of the anxious housewife striving to make both ends
meet. At the age of ten I was put into the factory
as a ' piecer,' to aid by my earnings in lessening her
anxiety. With a part of my first week's wages I
purchased Ruddiman's ' Rudiments of Latin/ and
pursued the study of that language for many years
afterward, with unabated ardor, at an evening school,
which met between the hours of eight and ten. The
dictionary part of my labors was followed up till
twelve o'clock, or later, if my mother did not inter-
fere by jumping up and snatching the books out of
my hands. I had to be back in the factory by six in
the morning, and continue my work, with intervals
for breakfast and dinner, till eight o'clock at night. I
read in this way many of the classical authors, and
knew Virgil and Horace better at sixteen than I do
now. Our schoolmaster — happily still alive — was
supported in part by the company ; he was attentive
and kind, and so moderate in his charges that all who
wished for education might have obtained it. Many
availed themselves of the privilege ; and some of my
schoolfellows now rank in position far above what
they appeared ever likely to come to when in the
village school. If such a system were, established in
England, it would prove a never-ending blessing to
the poor."
In this happily-described scene of his boyhood,
David Livingstone had been born in 1815. Hebe-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 3 1
gan this occupation of a " piecer " in the cotton works
at the age of ten years. It will be seen from the
foregoing quotations that, what with " piecing," read-
ing, and studying, the ambitious lad did not leave
many hours to sleep. He says he read everything
that he could lay his hands on except novels, scientific
works and books of travels being, however, his special
delight. It appears that his father was of opinion
that works of science were inimical to religion, and
insisted upon David's reading those works which were
supposed to be the most conducive to his religious
education. Upon this point the son at length rose
in open rebellion, and tells us that the last applica-
tion of the rod to him — from which we may infer
that the parental government did not always take the
form of moral suasion — was upon his refusal, point-
blank, to read Wilberforces " Practical Christianity."
This dislike to what Dr. Livingstone calls " dry doc-
trinal reading " continued for several years, when he
discovered a number of religious works which were in
themselves interesting, and agreed with him in the idea
that religion and science were not hostile to each other.
Such being David Livingstones course of intel-
lectual culture during boyhood and youth, his manu-
al labor continued for many years without cessation,
and it is believed, without complaint. It cannot be
doubted that as boy and youth, he was a good " hand"
in the factory. So we find him promoted from the
situation of a "piecer" to that of a "spinner," the
latter being a position at once less laborious, though
requiring more skill, and better paid. His moral ed-
ucation meantime proceeded apace. This it will be
best to relate in his own language :
32 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
" Great pains had been taken by my parents to in-
stil the doctrines of Christianity into my mind, and I
had no difficulty in understanding the theory of our
free salvation by the atonement of our Saviour ; but
it was only about this time that I really began to feel
the necessity and value of a personal application of
the provisions of that atonement to my own case.
The change was like what may be supposed would
take place were it possible to cure a case of color-
blindness. The perfect freeness with which the par-
don of all our guilt is offered in God's book drew
forth feelings of affectionate love to Him who bought
us with his blood, and a sense of deep obligation
to Him for his mercy has influenced, in some small
measure, my conduct ever since. But I shall not
again refer to the inner spiritual life which I believe
then began, nor do I intend to specify with any
prominence the evangelistic labors to which the
love of Christ has since impelled me. This book
will speak, not so much of what has been done, as of
what still remains to be performed before the gospel
can be said to be preached to all nations. In the
glow of love which Christianity inspires, I soon re-
solved to devote my life to the alleviation of human
misery. Turning this idea over in my mind, I felt
that to be a pioneer of Christianity in China might
lead to the material benefit of some portions of that
immense empire, and therefore set myself to obtain
a medical education, in order to be qualified for that
enterprise."
Young Livingstone pursued his medical education
in a manner similar to that which had characterized
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 35
his studies theretofore. He continued to work hard
as well as to study hard, and though of slender phys-
ical proportions, he certainly had a vigorous consti-
tution, sustained by great force of will. He found
time to make many excursions into the country round
about his home, whereby his practical knowledge of
botany and also of geology, to which he gave much
attention, was greatly extended. It must be agreed
that Livingstone's course of education, general and
professional, was much out of the ordinary track.
He appears to have been by nature broad-minded;
catholic, or as it is often expressed, liberal in view. It
was, perhaps, impossible for him to have become, at
any rate in the age in which he was fortunately born,
a sectarian in religion or a dogmatist in anything.
He might, however, have become more inclined to
sectarianism had his course of education been
marked out by others instead of almost wholly by
himself. His success in classical, general, and profes-
sional knowledge, is one of many illustrations of the
gratifying truth that a boyhood and youth of hard
manual labor may be so employed as to bring about
the most admirable intellectual culture and men of
prodigious influence in directing the progress of the
world. It appears that Dr. Livingstone himself, after
his name had become known throughout the world,
was still firmly convinced that his early life of labor
had been beneficial to him. In an interesting bit of
autobiography he remarks :
" My reading while at work was carried on by plac-
ing the book on a portion of the spinning-jenny, so
that I could catch sentence after sentence as I passed
7,
36 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
at my work ; I thus kept up a pretty constant study
undisturbed by the roar of the machinery. To this
part of my education I owe my present power of
completely abstracting the mind from surrounding
noises, so as to read and write with perfect comfort
amid the play of children or near the dancing and
songs of savages. The toil of cotton-spinning, to
which I was promoted in my nineteenth year, was
excessively severe on a slim, loose-jointed lad, but it
was well paid for ; and it enabled me to support my-
self while attending medical and Greek classes in
Glasgow in winter, as also the divinity lectures of
Dr. Wardlaw by working with my hands in summer.
I never received a farthing of aid from any one, and
should have accomplished my project of going to
China as a medical missionary, in the course of time,
by my own efforts, had not some friends advised my
joining the London Missionary Society, on account
of its perfectly unsectarian character. It 'sends neither
Episcopacy, nor Presbyterianism, nor Independency,
but the gospel of Christ, to the heathen.' This ex-
actly agreed with my ideas of what a missionary so-
ciety ought to do ; but it was not without a pang
that I offered myself, for it was not quite agreeable
to one accustomed to work his own way to become
in a measure dependent on others ; and I would not
have been much put about though my offer had been
rejected.
" Looking back now on that life of toil, I cannot
but feel thankful that it formed such a material part
of my early education ; and, were it possible, I
should like to begin life over again in the same
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 37
lowly style, and to pass through the same hardy
training."
Having finished his medical curriculum, Living-
stone presented himself for examination, having pre-
pared a thesis on a subject which required the use of
the stethoscope (an instrument for the examination
of the chest), on which account he had to go through
a course of questions and experiments longer and
more severe than usual. He passed the ordeal with
entire success, however, and expresses great delight
at becoming a member of a profession " which is
preeminently devoted to practical benevolence, and
which with unwearied energy pursues from age to age
its endeavours to lessen human woe."
It had been Dr. Livingstone's purpose to go to
China as a Missionary. He hoped to gain access to
that empire whose vastness appears to have fascinat-
ed his imagination, by means of the healing art
England being engaged at this time, however, in
the " opium war" with China, it was impracticable for
him to make his way among the Celestials. Where-
fore he remained in England and pursued cer-
tain theological studies, proficiency in which he
thought would greatly aid him as a missionary.
Meantime, he became deeply interested in Africa,
through the labors of Dr. Moffat, who had long been
a missionary at Kuruman, and who at this time was
engaged in translating the Bible into the language of
the Bechuanas. Accordingly, Dr. Livingstone, in
1840, sailed for that wonderful country which has be-
come more and more interesting ever since, largely
on account of his own explorations and labors, and
the almost 'marvelous events which directly and indi-
rect! v have ofrown out of bis career in Africa.
CHAPTER III.
MISSIONARY LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.
Dr. Livingstone's Departure from Cape Town and Journey to the Missionary
Station, Kuruman — Proceeds to Shokuane, the Chief Village of Sechele, Chief
of the Bakwains — Sketch of the Chieftain's Life and Character — Missionary
Life — Characteristics of the People — Graphic Sketch of a Combat with Lions
— Many Facts about the " King of Beasts."
After a voyage of three months, Dr. Livingstone
reached Cape Town, and soon afterwards proceeded
to the interior, starting inland from Algoa Bay whence
he had gone by a coastwise journey. At this time
Kuruman, in the territory of the Bechuanas was a
missionary station the farthest inland from Cape Town.
This place is about seven hundred miles in a nearly
northeastern direction, from Cape Town, and about
five hundred, due north, from Algoa Bay. The route of
travel from either place is, of course, farther. From
Algoa Bay Dr. Livingstone took his departure in the
aboriginal mode of travel, or, rather, the pioneer mode,
namely, wagons drawn by oxen. The journey was
tedious, but remaining at Kuruman only long enough
to recruit his oxen, Dr. Livingstone pushed on north-
ward, not halting for any length of time until he had
reached Shokuane, where he met Sechele, a noted
African chieftain, exercising great power among the
people who inhabit what is called the Bakuena or
Bakwain country. He was, indeed, sovereign of the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 39
tribe of Bakwains, and certainly one of the most in-
teresting Africans of whom modern explorers give us
any account.
Sechele was descended from what the Africans
would call an illustrious ancestry. His great grand-
father, Mochoasele,was a noted traveller and is said
to have been the first to tell the Bakwains of the ex-
istence of white men. The father of Sechele was also
named Mochoasele. One of his predominating char-
acteristics was covetousnesss, and he appears espe-
cially to have coveted the wives of other chieftains.
Because he had taken to himself many of the wives
of his under chiefs they rebelled against him and put
him to death. His children were spared and their ad-
herents called in the aid of the powerful Sebituane,
chief of the Makololo, far to the northward. Sebitu-
ane, with a large force surrounded the principal town
of the Bakwains by night, and at the dawn of the fol-
lowing day, proclaimed that he had come to revenge
the death of Mochoasele. The proclamation was ac-
companied by a tremendous beating of shields and
African drums, whose rub-a-dub is rarely stilled in the
southern and central protions of the continent, and
the Bakwains fell into a panic. As they rushed from
the town pell-mell, like the crowd from a burning
theatre, many were taken and slain, the Makololo
being the most expert of all Africans in throwing the
javelin. The children of the murdered chief were or-
dered to be spared by Sebituane, and a Makololo
meeting Sechele, took him in safe custody by giving
him a blow over the head which rendered him insensi-
ble. The usurper being put to death, Sechele was
40 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
placed in power. He immediately began to augment
his influence and render his chieftainship secure by
marrying the daughters of his under-chiefs, of whom
he forthwith took three to wife. This is one of the
usual modes adopted in Africa for perpetuating the
allegiance of a tribe. The government is patriarch-
al, each man being, by virtue of paternity, chief of
his own children. They build their huts around his,
and the greater the number of his children the more
his importance increases. " Hence," says Dr. Liv-
ingstone, "children are esteemed one of the greatest
blessings, and are always treated kindly." In the
course of his narrative Dr. Livingstone relates a
number of incidents illustrating the universal affec-
tion of Africans for children.
The Chief Sechele had thus been placed at the
head of his tribe by the aid of Sebituane not long
before Dr. Livingstone reached the principal town
of the Bakwains. It was here that the great explor-
er held his first public religious exercises. Sechele
was present an attentive listener. But not disposed
to take things upon trust, he asked many questions,
and was particularly anxious to know why, if Dr.
Livingstone's forefathers had been told of a future
judgment his forefathers were left in ignorance and
to pass away into darkness, The chief was im-
pressed, however, with the arguments in favor of
Christianity and at once went to work learning to
read. He learned the alphabet in a day, and very
soon began to read in the Bible. The prophet Isaiah
was his favorite. " He was a fine man, that Isai-
ah," Sechele used to say; "he knew how to speak."
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 4 1
Perceiving that Dr. Livingstone was anxious for the
Africans to believe in Christianity, Sechele said to
him one day, " Do you imagine these people will
ever believe by your merely talking to them ? I can
make them do nothing except by thrashing them ;
and if you like I shall call our head men and with
our litupa (whips of rhinoceros' hide) we will soon
make them all believe together." Sechele, in fine,
became a convert, always advocated Christianity, but
was greatly troubled as to how to get rid of his su-
perfluous wives. This was a real difficulty; because
he could not put them aside without appearing to be
ungrateful to their parents who had so materially
aided him in his adversity. At length he did so,
however, and with great natural politeness gave each
one new toilets and other presents, including all his
own goods which they had kept for him, and returned
them to their parents with the message that he had
no fault to find with them but wished to follow the
will of God. He remained steadfast, and was ever a
valuable friend and aid to Dr. Livingstone. When
first known he was tall and slender, but active and
strong. His studies and in-door life made him cor-
pulent. About the time Dr. Livingstone was to be-
gin his second journey into the interior, and while at
the village of Kuruman awaiting repairs to his wagon,
Sechele's town of Kolobeng was attacked by the
Boers, and sacked. The discomfited chief sent the
following account of the affair to the Rev. Mr. Mof-
fat, at Kuruman, the bearer of the letter being Se-
chele's wife Masebele :
" Friend of my heart's love, and of all the confi-
42 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
dence of my heart, I am Sechele. I am undone by
the Boers, who attacked me, though I had no guilt
with them. They demanded that I should be in their
kingdom, and I refused. They demanded that I
should prevent the English and Griquas from pass-
ing (northward). I replied, ' These are my friends,
and I can prevent no one (of them).' They came on
Saturday, and I besought them not to fight on Sun-
day, and they assented. They began on Monday
morning at twilight, and fired with all their might,
and burned the town with fire, and scattered us.
They killed sixty of my people, and captured women
and children, and men. And the mother of Baleril-
ing (a former wife of Sechele) they also took prison-
er. They took all the cattle and all the goods of the
Bakwains ; and the house of Livingstone they plun-
dered, taking away all his goods. The number of
wagons they had was eighty-five, and a cannon ; and
after they had stolen my own wagon and that of Ma-
cabe, then the number of their wagons (counting the
cannon as one) was eighty-eight. All the goods of
the hunters (certain English gentlemen hunting and
exploring in the north) were burned in the town ;
and of the Boers were killed twenty-eight. Yes, my
beloved friend, now my wife goes to see the children,
and Kobus Hae will convey her to you.
" I am Sechele,
" The son of Mochoasele."
This disaster to Sechele caused a considerable de-
lay in Dr. Livingstone's departure for the north upon
that remarkable expedition which has become so cel-
ebrated. At length, however, guides were procured,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 43
and the journey was begun, November 20, 1852.
That which we further learn of the intelligent Sech-
ele, whom misfortunes of the severest nature were
unable to dishearten, is thus related by Dr. Living-
stone :
" When we reached Motito, forty miles off. we met
Sechele on his way, as he said, 'to the Queen of Eng-
land. Two of his own children, and their mother, a
former wife, were among the captives seized by the
Boers; and, being strongly imbued with the then
very prevalent notion of England's justice and gen-
erosity, he thought that in consequence of the vio-
lated treaty he had a fair case to lay before her maj-
esty. He employed all his eloquence and powers of
persuasion to induce me to accompany him, but I ex-
cused myself on the ground that my arrangements
were already made for exploring the north. On ex-
plaining the difficulties of the way 1 , and endeavoring
to dissuade him from the attempt, on account of the
knowledge I possessed of the governor's policy, he
put the pointed question, ' Will the queen not listen
to me, supposing I should reach her ?' I replied, ' I
believe she would listen, but the difficulty is to get
to her.' ■ Well, I shall reach her/ expressed his final
determination. Others explained the difficulties more
fully, but nothing could shake his resolution. When
he reached Bloemfontein he found the English army
just returning from a battle with the Basutos, in
which both parties claimed the victory, and both
were glad that a second engagement was not tried.
Our officers invited Sechele to dine with them, heard
his story, and collected a handsome sum of money to
44 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
enable him to pursue his journey to England. The
commander refrained from noticing him, as a single
word in favor of the restoration of the children of
Sechele would have been a virtual confession of the
failure of his own policy at the very outset. Sechele
proceeded as far as the Cape ; but, his resources be-
ing there expended, he was obliged to return to his
own country, one thousand miles distant, without ac-
complishing the object of his journey.
" On his return he adopted a mode of punishment
which he had seen in the colony, namely, making
criminals work on the public roads. And he has
since, I am informed, made himself the missionary to
his own people. He is tall, rather corpulent, and has
more of the negro feature than common, but has
large eyes. He is very dark, and his people swear
by ' Black Sechele.' He has great intelligence, reads
well, and is a fluent speaker. Great numbers of the
tribes formerly living under the Boers have taken
refuge under his sway, and he is now greater in pow-
er than he was before the attack on Kolobeng."
And here we bid farewell to " the Black Sechele"
trusting that his wise government, incipient states-
manship among the tribal Africans, may have full
development worthy of its interesting and auspiciqus
beginning.
The foregoing sketch of the life and character of
this singular man has been given because believed to
be interesting in itself and because one may hence
get a glimpse at any rate of the people among whom
Dr. Livingstone lived and labored for so many years.
The calamity which befel Sechele did not occur, of
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 45
course, until after the traveler had been long in Africa.
Meantime, he had acquired the language of the Bak-
wains, had married a daughter of the missionary, Mr.
Moffat, and had become the father of several child-
ren. After several journeys in exploration of the
country, Dr. Livingstone finally determined to se-
lect " the beautiful valley of Mabotsa" as the site of a
missionary station, and thither he removed in 1843.
His purchase of land for the purposes he had in view
was the first instance of a sale, with regular transfer
of title, which had occurred in that country. The
price paid for a large lot was five pounds sterling, and
it was stipulated that a similar piece of land should
be allotted to any other missionary at any other place
to which the tribe miofht remove.
It were needless to enter into the details of Dr.
Livingstones missionary life among the Bakwains.
His relations with the people, he tells us, were simply
relations between strangers. His influence depended
entirely upon persuasion. He disclaimed having
either authority or power, and it may be safely con-
cluded, from the beneficent result in the case of
Sechelc and the improved stage of civilization and
prosperity to which he brought his tribe, that his
course of kindness and affection was also the course
of wisdom Not only this, but the influence of the
missionaries was good in bringing new motives into
play among these ignorant people. There were no
less than five instances, during Dr. Livingstone's so-
journ at Kolobeng, of the prevention of war through
influences which may be claimed as wholly Christian.
The people in general, he says, were slow in coming
46 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
to a decision on religious subjects ; but in questions
affecting their worldly affairs they were keenly alive
to their own interests. They might be called stupid
in matters which had not come within the sphere of
their own observation, but in other things, he pro-
ceeds to say, they showed more intelligence than is
to be met with in our own uneducated peasantry.
They are remarkably accurate in their knowledge of
cattle, sheep, and goats, knowing exactly the kind of
pasturage suited to each ; and they select with great
judgment the variety of soil best suited to different
kinds of grain. They are also familiar with the hab-
its of wild animals, and in general are well up in the
maxims which embody their ideas of political wis-
dom. . A little further on, Dr. Livingstone gives a
lively account of what may be called his private life :
" Our house at the river Kolobeng, which gave a
name to the settlement, was the third which I had
reared with my own hands. A native smith taught
me to weld iron ; and having improved from scraps
of information in that line from Mr. Moffat, and also
in carpentering and gardening, I was becoming handy
at almost any trade, besides doctoring and preaching;
and as my wife could make candles, soap, and clothes,
we came nearly up to what may be considered as in-
dispensible in the accomplishments of a missionary
family in central Africa, namely, the husband to be a
jack-of-all-trades without doors and the wife a maid-
of-all-work within."
But it is not to be supposed that missionary life in
a country infested by large numbers of beasts of prey
would at all times pass smoothly on. - Indeed, it was
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 4/
not long after Dr. Livingstone had taken up his abode
at Kolobeng, that he took part in a lion hunt, in
which he personally had an encounter with one ot
the beasts, the result of which was a wound which
permanently disabled his left arm. His graphic ac-
count of this affair presents a vivid picture of one
phase of African life, and relates besides certain
habits and characteristics of the lion which will be
found interesting to all students of natural history.
Wherefore, the narative bearing upon the incident is
given in full :
" Here an occurrence took place concerning which
I have frequently been questioned in England, and
which, but for the importunities of friends, I
meant to have kept in store to tell my children when
in my dotage. The Bakatla of the village Mabotsa
were much troubled by lions, which leaped into the
cattle-pens by night and destroyed their cows. They
even attacked the herds in open day. This was so
unusual an occurrence that the people believed that
they were bewitched — ' given/ as they said, ' into the
power of the lions by a neighboring tribe.' They
went once to attack the animals ; but, being rather a
cowardly people compared to Bechuanas in general
on such occasions, they returned without killing any.
" It is well known that if one of a troop of lions
is killed, the others take the hint and leave that part
of the country. So, the next time the herds were
attacked, I went with the people, in order to encour-
age them to rid themselves of the annoyance by des-
troying one of the marauders. We found the lions
on a small hill about a quarter of a mile in length
48 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
and covered with trees. A circle of men was formed
round it, and they gradually closed up, ascending
pretty near to each other. Being down below on the
plain with a native schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a
most excellent man, I saw one of the lions sitting on
a piece of rock within the now closed circle of men.
Mebalwe fired at him before I could, and the ball
struck the rock on which the animal was sitting. He
bit at the spot struck, as a dog does at a stick or
stone thrown at him, then, leaping away, broke
through the opening circle and escaped unhurt. The
men were afraid to attack him, perhaps on account of
their belief in witchcraft. When the circle was re-
formed, we saw two other lions in it ; but we were
afraid to fire, lest we should strike the men, and they
allowed the beasts to burst through also. If the
Bakatla had acted according to the custom of the
country, they would have speared the lions in their
attempt to get out. Seeing we could not get them
to kill one of the lions, we bent our footsteps toward
the village : in going round the end of the hill, how-
ever, I saw one of the beasts sitting on a piece of
rock as before, but this time he had a little bush in
front. Being about thirty yards off, I took good
aim at his body through the bush, and fired both
barrels into it. The men then called out, ' He is shot!
he is shot !' Others cried, ' He has been shot by an-
other man too ; let us go to him ! ' I did not see any
one else shoot aj: him, but I saw the lion's tail erected
in anger behind the bush, and, turning to the people,
said, ' Stop a little, till I load again.' When in the
act of ramming down the bullets, I heard a shout.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 49
Starting, and looking half round, I saw the lion just
in the act of springing upon me. I was upon a little
height; he caught my shoulder as he sprang, and we
both came to the ground below together. Growling
horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a terrier
dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor simi-
lar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after
the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of dream-
iness, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling
of terror, though quite conscious of all that was hap-
pening. It was like what patients partially under the
influence of chloroform describe, who see all the op-
eration, but feel not the knife. This singular condi-
tion was not the result of any mental process. The
shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of hor-
ror in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state
is probably produced in all animals killed by the car-
nivora, and, if so, is a merciful provision by our be-
nevolent Creator for lessening the pain of death.
Turning round to relieve myself of the weight, as he
had one paw on the back of my head, I saw his eyes
directed to Mebalwe, who was trying to shoot him at
a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His gun, a flint
one, missed fire in both barrels ; the lion immediately
left me, and, attacking Mebalwe, bit his thigh. An-
other man, whose life I had saved before, after he had
been tossed by a buffalo, attempted to spear the lion
while he was biting Mebalwe. He left Mebalwe and
caught this man by the shoulder, but at that moment
the bullets he had received took effect, and he fell
down dead. The whole was the work of a few mo-
ments, and must have been his paroxysms of dying
50 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
rage. In order to take out the charm from him, the
Bakatla on the following day made a huge bonfire
over the carcass, which was declared to be that of the
largest lion they had ever seen. Besides crunching
the bone into splinters, he left eleven teeth-wounds
on the upper part of my arm.
" A wound from this animal's tooth resembles a
gun-shot wound ; it is generally followed by a great
deal of sloughing and discharge, and pains are felt in
the part periodically ever afterward. I had on a tar-
tan jacket on the bccasion, and I believe that it wiped
off all the virus from the teeth that pierced the flesh,
for my two companions in this affray have both suf-
fered from the peculiar pains, while I have escaped
with only the inconvenience of a false joint in my
limb. The man whose shoulder was wounded showed
me his wound actually burst forth afresh on the same
month of the following year. This curious point
deserves the attention of inquirers."
It is very evident that Dr. Livingstone does not
hold the lion, famed as the king of beasts, in high
respect. He might almost appear to hold him in a
certain contempt, notwithstanding the fact that he will
carry to his grave the inconvenient evidence of the
maned brute's power. The traveler gives a full account
of these animals in the seventh chapter of his " Re-
searches in South Africa." He says :
"When a lion becomes too old to catch game he
frequently takes to killing goats in the villages ; a
woman or child happening to go out at night falls a
prey too ; and as this is his only source of subsistence
now, he continues it. From this circumstance has
■ ■
■
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 53
arisen the idea that the lion, when he has once tasted
human flesh, loves it better than any other. A man-
eater is invariably an old lion ; and when he has
overcome his fear of man so far as to come to vil-
lages for goats, the people remark, ■ His teeth are
worn, he will soon kill men.' They at once acknowl-
edge the necessity of instant action, and turn out to
kill him. When living far away from population, or
when, as is the case in some parts, he entertains a
wholesome dread of the Bushmen and Bakalahari, as
soon as either disease or old a^e overtakes him he
begins to catch mice and other small rodents, and
even to eat grass ; the natives, observing undigested
vegetable matter in his droppings, follow up his trail
in the certainty of finding him scarcely able to move
under some tree, and dispatch him without difficulty
The grass may have been eaten as medicine, as is
observed in dogs.
"That the fear of man often remains excessively
strong in the carnivora is proved from well-authenti-
cated cases in which the lioness, in the vicinity of
towns where the large game had been unexpectedly
driven away by fire-arms, has been known to assuage
the paroxysms of hunger by devouring her own young.
It must be added that though the effluvium which is
left by the footsteps of man is in general sufficient to
induce lions to avoid a village, there are exceptions :
so many came about our half-deserted houses at
Chonuane while we were in the act of removing to
Kolobeng, that the natives who remained with Mra
Livingstone were terrified to stir out of doors in the
evening.
4
54 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
"When a lion is met in the daytime, a circumstance
by no means unfrequent to travelers in these parts,
if preconceived notions do not lead them to expect
something very ' noble' or ' majestic,' they will see
merely an animal somewhat larger than the biggest
dog they ever saw, and partaking very strongly of
the canine features: the face is not much like the
usual drawings of a lion, the nose being prolonged
like a dog's ; not exactly such as our painters make
it, — though they might learn better at the Zoological
Gardens, — their ideas of majesty being usually shown
by making their lion's faces like old women in night-
caps. When encountered in the daytime, the lion
stands a second or two, gazing, then turns slowly
round and walks as slowly away for a dozen paces,
looking over his shoulder, then begins to trot, and
when he thinks himself out of sight, bounds off like
a greyhound. By day there is not, as a rule, the
smallest danger of lions which are not molested at-
tacking man, nor even on a clear moonlight night,
except when they possess the breeding storge (nat-
ural affection :) this makes them brave almost any
danger ; and if a man happens to cross to the wind-
ward of them, both lion and lioness will rush at him,
in the manner of a bitch with whelps. This does not
often happen, as I only became aware of two or three
instances of it. In one case a man, passing where
the wind blew from him to the animals, was bitten
before he could climb a tree ; and occasionally a man
on horseback has been caught by the leg under the same
circumstances. So general, however, is the sense of
security on moonlight nights, that we seldom tied up
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 55
our oxen, but let them lie loose by the wagons ;
while on a dark, rainy night, if a lion is in the neigh-
borhood, he is almost sure to venture to kill an ox.
His approach is always stealthy, except when wound-
ed ; and any appearance of a trap is enough to cause
him to refrain from making the last spring. This
seems characteristic of the feline species ; when a
goat is picketed in India for the purpose of enabling
the huntsmen to shoot a tiger by night, if on a plain,
he would whip off the animal so quickly by a stroke
of the paw that no one could take aim ; to obviate
this, a small pit is dug, and the goat is picketed to a
stake in the bottom ; a small stone is tied in the ear
of the goat, which makes hihi cry the whole night.
When the tiger sees the appearance of a trap, he
walks round and round the pit, and allows the hun-
ter, who is lying in wait to have a fair shot.
" When a lion is very hungry, and lying in wait, the
sight of an animal may make him commence stalking
it. In one case a man, while steathily crawling to-
ward a rhinoceros, happened to glance behind him,
and found to his horror a lion stalking him; he only
escaped by springing up a tree like a cat. At Lopepe
a lioness sprang on the after-quarter of Mr. Oswell's
horse, and when we came up to him we found the
marks of the claws on the horse, and a scratch on
Mr. O.'s hand. The horse, on feeling the lion on him,
sprang away, and the rider, caught by a wait-a-bit
thorn, was brought to the ground and rendered in-
sensible. His dogs saved him. Another English
gentleman (Captain Codrington) was surprised in
the same way, though not hunting the lion at the
56 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
time, but turning round he shot him dead in the neck.
By accident a horse belonging to Codrington ran away,
but was stopped by the bridle catching a stump ; there
he remained a prisoner two days, and when foimd
the whole space around was marked by the footprints
of lions. They had evidently been afraid to attack
the haltered horse, from fear that it was a trap. Two
lions came up by night to within three yards of oxen
tied to a wagon, and a sheep tied to a tree, and stood
roaring, but afraid to make a spring. On another
occasion, one of our party was lying sound asleep and
unconscious of danger between two natives behind a
bush at Mashue ; the fire was nearly out at their feet
in consequence of all being completely tired out by
the fatigues of the previous day : a lion came up to
within three yards of the fire, and there commenced
roaring instead of making a spring : the fact of their
riding-ox being tied to the bush was the only reason
the lion had for not following his instinct and making
a meal of flesh. He then stood on a knoll three
hundred yards distant, and roared all night, and con-
tinued his growling as the party moved off by day-
light next morning.
" Nothing that I ever learned of the lion would
lead me to attribute to it either the ferocious or noble
character ascribed to it elsewhere. It possesses none
of the nobility of the Newfoundland or St. Bernard
dogs. With respect to its great strength there can
be no doubt. The immense masses of muscle around
its jaws, shoulders and forearms proclaim tremendous
force. They would seem, however, to be inferior in pow-
er to tKose of the Indian tiger Most of those feats of
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 57
strength that I have seen performed by lions, such as
the taking away of an ox, were not carrying, but
dragging or trailing the carcass along the ground :
they have sprung, on some occasions, on to the hind-
quarters of a horse, but no one has ever seen them
on the withers of a giraffe. They do not mount on
the hind-quarters of an eland even, but try to tear
him down with their claws. Messrs. Oswell and Var-
don once saw three lions endeavoring to drag down
a buffalo, and they were unable to do so for a time,
though he was then mortally wounded by a two-ounce
ball*
" In general, the lion seizes the animal he is attack-
ing by the flank, near the hind-leg, or by the throat
below the jaw. It is questionable whether he ever
attempts to seize an animal by the withers. The
flank is the most common point of attack, and that
is the part he begins to feast on first. The natives
and lions are very similar in their tastes in the selec-
tion of titbits: an eland may be seen disemboweled
* This singular encounter, in the words of an eye-witness, happened as fol-
lows : —
" My South African Journal is now before me, and I have got hold of the ac-
count of the lion and buffalo affair ; here it is : — '15th September, 1846. Oswell
and I were riding, this afternoon, along the banks of the Limpopo, when a water-
buck started in front of us. I dismounted, and was following it through the jungle,
when three buffaloes got up, and after going a little distance, stood still, and the
nearest bull turned round and looked at me. A ball from the two-ouncer
crashed into his shoulder, and they all three made off*. Oswell and I followed,
as soon as I had reloaded, and when we were in sight of the buffalo, and gain-
ing on him at every stride, three lions leaped on the unfortunate brute ; he bel-
lowed most lustily as he kept up a kind of running fight, but he was, of course,
soon overpowered and pulled down. We had a fine view of the struggle, and
saw the lions, on their hind-legs, tearing away with teeth and claws, in most
ferocious style. We crept up within thirty yards, and, kneeling down, blazed
away at the lions. My rifle was a single barrel, and I had no spare gun. One
58 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA,
by a lion so completely that he scarcely seems cut up
at all. The bowels and fatty parts form a full meal
for even the largest lion. The jackal comes sniffing
about, and sometimes suffers for his temerity by a
stroke from the lion's paw, laying him dead. When
gorged, the lion falls fast asleep, and is then easily
dispatched. Hunting a lion with dogs involves very
little danger compared with hunting the Indian tiger,
because the dogs bring him out of cover and make
him stand at bay, giving the hunter plenty of time
for a good deliberate shot.
" Where game is abundant, there you may expect
lions in proportionately large numbers. They are
never seen in herds, but six or eight, probably one
family, occasionally hunt together. One is in much
more danger of being run over when walking in the
streets of London than he is of being devoured by
lions in Africa, unless engaged in hunting the animal.
Indeed, nothing that I have seen or heard about lions
would constitute a barrier in the way of men of ordi-
nary courage and enterprise.
lion fell dead almost on the buffalo ; he had merely time to turn toward us,
seize a bush with his teeth, and drop dead with the stick in his jaws. The sec-
ond made off immediately ; and the third raised his head, coolly looked round
for a moment, then went on tearing and biting at the carcass as hard as ever.
We retired a short distance to load, then again advanced and fired. The lion
made off, but a ball that he received ought to have stopped him, as it went clean
through his shoulder-blade. He was followed up and killed, after having charged
several times. Both lions were males. It is not often that one bags a brace of
lions and a bull-buffalo in about ten minutes. It was an exciting adventure,,
and I shall never forget it.'
" Such, my dear Livingstone, is the plain, unvarnished account. The buffalo
had, of course, gone close to where the lions were lying down for the day ; and
they, seeing him lame and bleeding, thought the opportunity too good a one to
be lost. Ever yours, Frank Vardon."
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 59
"The same feeling which has induced the modern
painter to caricature the lion, has led the sentimen-
talist to consider the lion's roar the most terrific of
all earthly sounds. We hear of the ' majestic roar
of the king of beasts.' It is, indeed, well calculated
to inspire fear if you hear it in combination with the
tremendously loud thunder of that country, on a
night so pitchy dark that every flash of the intensely
vivid lightning leaves you with the impression of
stone-blindness, while the rain pours down so fast
that your fire goes out, leaving you without the pro-
tection of even a tree, or the chance of your gun
going off. But when you are in a comfortable house
or wagon, the case is very different, and you hear
the roar of the lion without any awe or alarm. The
silly ostrich makes a noise as loud ; yet he never was
feared by man. To talk of the majestic roar of the
lion is mere majestic twaddle. On my mentioning
this fact some years ago, the assertion was doubted,
so I have been careful ever since to inquire the opin-
ions of Europeans, who have heard both, if they
could detect any difference between the roar of a
lion and that of an ostrich ; the invariable answer
was, that they could not, when the animal was at any
distance. The natives assert that they can detect
a variation between the commencement of the noise
of each. There is, it must be admitted, considerable
difference between the singing noise of a lion when
full, and his deep, gruff growl when hungry. In gen-
eral, the lion's voice seems to come deeper from the
chest than that of the ostrich ; but to this day, I can
distinguish between them with certainty only by
60 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
knowing that the ostrich roars by day and the lion
by night.
"The African lion is of a tawny color, like that of
some mastiffs. The mane in the male is large, and
gives the idea of great power. In some lions, the
ends of the hair of the mane are black ; these go by
the name of black-maned lions, though, as a whole,
all look of the yellow tawny color. At the time of
the discovery of the lake, Messrs. Oswell and Wilson
shot two specimens of another variety. One was an
old lion, whose teeth were mere stumps, and his claws
worn quite blunt ; the other was full grown, in the
prime of life, with white, perfect teeth : both were
entirely destitute of mane. The lions in the country
near the lake give tongue less than those farther
south. We scarcely ever heard them roar at all.
"The lion has other checks on inordinate increase
besides man. He seldom attacks full-grown animals ;
but frequently, when a buffalo-calf is caught by him,
the cow rushes to the rescue, and a toss from her
often kills him. One we found was killed thus; and
on the Leeambye another, which died near Sesheke,
had all the appearance of having received his death-
blow from a buffalo. It is questionable if a single
lion ever attacks a full-grown buffalo. The amount
of roaring heard at night, on occasions when a buffa-
lo is killed, seems to indicate there are always more
than one lion engaged in the onslaught.
" On the plain, south of Sebituane's ford, a herd ot
buffaloes kept a number of lions from their young by
the males turning their heads to the enemy. The
young and the cows were in the rear. One toss from
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 6 1
a bull would kill the strongest lion that ever breathed.
I have been informed that in one part of India even
the tame buffaloes feel their superiority to some wild
animals, for they have been seen to chase a tiger up
the hills, bellowing as if they enjoyed the sport.
Lions never go near any elephants except the calves,
which, when young, are sometimes torn by them ;
every living thing retires before the lordly elephant,
yet a full-grown one would be an easier prey than
the rhinoceros; the lion rushes off at the mere sight
of this latter beast."
Dr. Livingstone afterwards says, however, that he
saw lions above Libonta, which roared more and
louder than those of more Southern Africa ; and he
makes special mention of seeing two which were as
large as donkeys.
CHAPTER IV.
LIVINGSTONE'S FIRST AND SECOND JOURNEYS INTO TUE
INTERIOR.
Departure for the Central Portion of South Africa — Discovery of Lake Ngami
— Elephants — Journey to the Country of the Makololo — Their Sovereign,
Sebituane — A Remarkable Career — Discovery of the River Zambesi — The
Slave Trade — Return to Cape Town — The Tsetse P'ly.
During all these years of missionary labor, first at
Shokuane, and, upon the abandonment of that vil-
lage, at Kolobeng, Dr. Livingstone had made explor-
ations of the country round about, and had become
familiar with the language, manners, and customs of
those dark-colored people who were in most respects
so different from those anions whom he had been
born, reared, and educated. It might appear that
the traveler, like the poet, is born, not made by edu-
cation. Viator nascitur, non fit, is as amply demon-
strated by the examples of Columbus, Gama, Park,
Marco Polo, Sir John Franklin, Dr. Livingstone, and
very many others, as the original quotation is by
Homer, or its author, or Shakespeare, or Miltjn or
any of the rest of the grand old masters,
the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time."
Dr. Livingstone's genius for exploration was again
gratified on the ist of June, 1849, when, in company
with two noted travelers, Messrs. Oswell and Mur-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 63
ray, who had joined him for the purpose, he set out
from Kolobeng in search of Lake Ngami. The ex-
istence of this lake, according to the reports of na-
tives, had long been known, but its exact locality had
not been ascertained, nor had it ever been seen by
the eye of any white man. The fact of the existence
of the lake was not better known than that to ap-
proach it must be a task of great difficulty and a
thousand perils.
The difficulties and perils of the journey chiefly
lay in the nature of the country lying between the
explored portions of South Africa and the lake. To
the northward of the country of the Bechuanas is a
vast sterile, dry, and most uninviting territory, known
as the Kalahari Desert. It is not destitute of vege-
tation or inhabitants. Indeed, the quantity of grass
growing on these trackless plains is said to be aston-
ishing even to those who are familiar with India, of
whom Mr. Oswell, accompanying Dr. Livingstone on
this journey, was one. There are also large patches
of bushes and even trees. Great herds of certain
kinds of antelopes, which require little or no water,
roam over the flat expanse. It is inhabited by Bush-
men and Bakalahari, who subsist on game. The for-
mer are said to be the aborigines of the southern por-
tion of the continent, the latter the remnants of the
first emigration of Bechuanas. Both possess an in-
tense love of liberty, but in other respects are greatly
different the one tribe from the other. For whereas
the Bushmen are exceptions to Africans generally in
language, race, habits, and appearance, being the only
real nomads in the country, never cultivating the
64 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
soil, nor rearing any domestic animals save wretched
dogs, and subsisting almost entirely upon game, the
Bakalahari retain the Bechuana love for agriculture
and domestic animals. They regularly hoe their
gardens, which produce melons and pumpkins, and
carefully rear small herds of goats, though Dr. Liv-
ingstone has seen them lift water for these animals
out of little wells with a bit of ostrich egg-shell or
by spoonfuls. They carry the skins of animals which
they kill to the tribes on the border of the desert,
and exchange them for their simple implements of
agriculture, spears, knives, tobacco, and dogs. Some
of these skins and furs are much valued.
The inhospitality of the Desert, its terror to trav-
elers, is in the want of water. There are several
beds of rivers in the vast plain, but they are perfectly
dry, and it is sometimes three and even four days'
journey between places where a supply of water for
animals can be had. The inhabitants of the country
are forced to use the greatest ingenuity and watch-
fulness that they may not succumb to thirst. At one
time on his journey through the Desert Dr. Living-
stone's cattle were three days without water. At
length, upon reaching a pool, they dashed in until the
the water was deep enough to be nearly level with
their throats, where they stood drawing slowly in
the long, refreshing mouthfuls, until their formerly
collapsed sides distended as if they would burst. "So
much do they imbibe," says the narrative, " that a
sudden jerk, when they come out on the bank, makes
some of the water run out again from their mouths/'
It will readily be supposed that a journey through
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 65
this dry desert, with the sun broiling hot by day, was
accompanied by much suffering on the part of the
explorers, their servants, horses, and cattle.
On the 4th of July, the party reached the Zouga
river at a point opposite a village inhabited by ne-
groes who seemed to be closely allied to the Hotten-
tots. Informed that the river came out of Lake
Ngami, the travelers were greatly rejoiced, and pro-
ceeded on their journey near the river's bank with
high courage and hearty enthusiasm. Having trav-
eled thus nearly one hundred miles, all the oxen and
wagons of the expedition, except Mr. Oswell's, were
left at the village of Ngabisane, and the party pushed
on for the lake. Twelve days afterwards they came
to the north east end of Lake Ngami, and on August
1st the whole party " went down to the broad part,
and for the first time, this fine-looking sheet of water
was beheld by Europeans." The lake is thus de-
scribed by Dr. Livingstone :
" The direction of the lake seemed to be N. N. E.
and S. S. W. by compass. The southern portion is
said to bend round to the west, and to receive the
Teoughe from the north at its northwest extremity.
We could detect no horizon where we stood looking
S. S. W., nor could we form any idea of the extent of
the lake, except from the reports of the inhabitants
of the district ; and as they professed to go round it
in three days, allowing twenty-five miles a day would
make it seventy-five, or less than seventy geograph-
ical miles in circumference. Other guesses have been
made since as to its circumference, ranging between
seventy and one hundred miles. It is shallow, for I
66 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
subsequently saw a native punting his canoe over
seven or eight miles of the northeast end; it can
never, therefore, be of much value as a commercial
highway. In fact, during the months preceding the
annual supply of water from the north, the lake is so
shallow that it is with difficulty cattle can approach
the water through the boggy, reedy banks. These
are low on all sides, but on the west there is a space
devoid of trees, showing that the waters have retired
thence at no very ancient date. This is another of
the proofs of dessication met with so abundantly
throughout the whole country. A number of dead
trees lie on this space, some of them embedded in
mud, right in the water. We were informed by the
Bayeiye, who live on the lake, that when the annual
inundation begins, not only trees of great size, but
antelopes, as the springbuck and tsessebe (Acronotus
lunata), are swept down by its rushing waters ; the
trees are gradually driven by the winds to the oppo-
site side, and become embedded in the mud.
" The water of the lake is perfectly fresh when full,
but brackish when low ; and that coming down the
Tamunak'le we found to be so clear, cold and soft,
the higher we ascended, that the idea of melting
snow was suggested to our minds. We found this
reigon, with regard to that from which we had come,
to be clearly a hollow, the lowest point being Lake
Kumadau; the point of the ebullition of water, as
shown by one of Newman's barometric thermometers,
was only between 207^° and 206 , giving an eleva-
tion of not much more than two thousand feet above
the level of the sea. We had descended above two
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 6j
thousand feet in coming to it from Kolobeng. It is
the southern and lowest part of the great river sys-
tem beyond, in which large tracts of country are
inundated annually by tropical rains."
The chief object of Dr. Livingstone in going to
Lake Ngami was to visit Sebituane, the great chief
of the Makololo, who was said to live some two hun-
dred miles beyond. Nothwithstanding great exer-
tions, however, and the most earnest appeals to
Lechulatebe, the young chief of a half-tribe of the
Bamangwato, called Batuana, who inhabit this part of
Africa, he was unable to procure guides, and was re-
luctantly compelled to return to Kolobeng.
On their return, Livingstone and party passed
down the Zouga river. He pronounces its banks
very beautiful, closely resembling those of the Clyde
above Glasgow. They are perpendicular on the side
to which the water swings, and sloping and grassy
on the other. The trees which adorn the banks are
magnificent. There are two enormous baobabs, or
mowanas, near the confluence of the lake and river,
the larger of which measures 76 feet in girth. The
palmyra also appears here and there. The mock-
uchong is quite plentiful. It bears an edible fruit of
indifferent quality, but the tree itself is said to be very
beautiful. It is so large that the trunk is often used
for constructing canoes. The motsouri is a species
of plum, and in its dark evergreen foliage resembles
the orange-tree and the cypress in its form.
The sloping banks of the Zouga are selected by
the natives for pit-falls designed to entrap wild ani-
mals as they come to drink. These pits are from
68 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
seven to eight feet deep, three or four feet wide at the
mouth, gradually decreasing until they are only about
a foot wide at the bottom. The mouth is an oblong
square, and the long diameter at the surface is about
equal to the depth. The decreasing width in the
earth is intended to make the animal wedge himself
more firmly in by his weight and struggles. The pit-
falls are usually in pairs, with a wall a foot thick be-
tween the two. Thus if the animal, feeling his four
legs descending, should undertake to leap forward, he
would only jump into the second pit with such force
as to insure his capture. They are covered with the
greatest care, and the earth removed so that no sus-
picion may be aroused in the instinct of the animals.
They are, in fact, so skilfully made that several of the
exploring party's men fell into them while actually in
their search to prevent the cattle from falling in.
There are vast numbers of wild animals in this
region. Among them was discovered a new species
of antelope, called leche or lechwi. It is a beautiful
water-antelope of a light brownish-yellow color, with
horns rising from the head with a slight bend back-
ward, then curving forward toward the points. It is
never found a mile from water, and is unknown ex-
cept in the central humid basin of Africa. Having
a good deal of curiosity, it presents a noble appear-
ance as it stands gazing, with head erect, at the ap-
proaching stranger. When beginning to escape, it
lowers its head, lays its horns down to a level with
its withers, and first starting on a waddling trot, soon
begins to gallop and spring, leaping bushes like the
pallahs. It invariably runs to the water and crosses
■
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 7 1
it by a succession of bounds, each of which appears
to be from the bottom. The party soon tired of its
flesh. Countless numbers of other animals were seen,
and the river w«as found to be well stocked with fish
of different kinds, while alligators were plenty.
The number of elephants in this region was aston-
ishing even to Dr. Livingstone, who had often before
seen them in herds of incredible extent. They came
from the southern side of the river to drink in pro-
digious numbers. They are smaller than the ele-
phants farther south, being only eleven feet high,
whereas at the Limpopo they are twelve feet in height.
Still farther north Dr. Livingstone afterwards found
them to be only nine feet high. The difference of
three feet in height between animals of such immense
size would probably give to the larger beast a quan-
tity of flesh equal in weight to that of an ordinary
yoke of oxen. The elephants are very sagacious as
to the pit-falls of the country. Old elephants pre-
cede the troops, and whisk off the coverings with
their trunks all the way to the river's edge. Instances
have been known in which the old animals have actu-
ally lifted the young out of the trap. They come to
drink by night, and after slaking their thirst — in do-
ing which they throw large quantities of water over
themselves, screaming all the time with delight — they
evince their horror of pit-falls by setting off in a
straight line to the desert, never diverging till they
are eight or ten miles distant.
The journey from the Zouga to Kolobeng was
performed without incident requiring particular men-
tion.
J2 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
In April, 1850, Dr. Livingstone made a second at-
tempt to visit Sebituane, chief of the Makololo. He
was accompanied by Mrs. Livingstone, the three
children, and Sechele, chief of the Bakwains. Tak-
ing a route somewhat farther eastward than the one
pursued before, the party in due time though not
without great difficulties in traveling along the north-
ern bank of the Zouga, reached Lake Ngami. After
a great deal of diplomacy with Lechulatebe, of which
chief mention has already been made, Dr. Living-
stone made arrangements for guides to show him the
way, by journey on ox-back, to the country of Sebit-
uane. Just as he was ready to depart, however, his
wife and children all fell sick with the African fever,
and he was compelled to remain. For their benefit
he returned to the Desert, and actually again reached
Kolobeng before the sick ones had become well
enough to make the journey. During their conva-
lescence at home, Dr. Livingstone made a trip to
Kuruman and return. Upon the return, on that
journey which was successful in bringing them to
Sebituane's country, the whole family came near per-
ishing of thirst. From the village of Nchokotsa on
the Zouga, their present route was northward, so that
Lake Ngami was left far westward. There are here
many extensive " salt pans," one of which, called
Ntwetwe, is fifteen miles broad and one hundred long.
After passing this singular country, the route lay by
the river Mahabe, the Sonta, and the Chobe. When
Dr. Livingstone reached Sesheke, the capital town
so to speak, at the time, of the Makololo, he and his
companions had traversed deserts, forests, salt-pans,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 73
and swamps, through regions abounding in ferocious
wild animals, venomous reptiles, and poisonous in-
sects, and had traveled a distance of more than a
thousand miles.
Sebituane, however, hearing of the white men's
coming — an event which he had long desired and
tried to bring about — magnanimously proceeded a
long distance to welcome his visitors. There is
scarcely a native chief of Africa, perhaps, who has
had a more remarkable career than that of Sebituane.
It will be most proper to give the account of his
meeting with the first and only white persons he ever
saw, and the graphic sketch of his life in the words
of Dr. Livingstone :
" The Makololo whom we met on the Chobe were
delighted to see us ; and as their chief, Sebituane,
was about twenty miles down the river, Mr. Oswell
and I proceeded in canoes to his temporary residence.
He had come from the Barotse town of Nalieledown
to Sesheke as soon as he heard of white men being-
in search of him, and now came one hundred miles
more to bid us welcome into his country. He was
upon an island with all his principal men around him,
and engaged in singing when we arrived. It was more
like church music than the sing-song e e e, ae ae ae of
the Bechuans of the southland they continued the
tune for some time after we approached. We in-
formed him of the difficulties we had encountered,
and how glad we were that they were all at an end
by at last reaching his presence. He signified his own
joy, and added, 'Your cattle are all bitten by the
tsetse, and will certainly die ; but never mind, I have
74 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
oxen, and will give you as many as you need.' We,
in our ignorance, then thought that as so few tsetse
had bitten them, no great mischief would follow. He
then presented us with an ox and a jar of honey as
food, and handed us over to the care of Mahale, who
had headed the party to Kolobeng, and would now
fain appropriate to himself the whole credit of our
coming. Prepared skins of oxen, as soft as cloth,
were given to cover us through the night; and as
nothing could be returned to this chief, Mahale be-
came the owner of them. Long before it was day
Sebituane came, and, sitting down by the fire, which
was lighted for our benefit behind the hedge where
we lay, he narrated the difficulties he had himself ex-
perienced when a young man, in crossing that same
desert which we had mastered long afterwards. As
he has been most remarkable in his career and was
unquestionably the greatest man in all that country,
a short sketch of his life may prove interesting to
the reader.
" Sebituane was about forty-five years of age ; of a
tall wiry form, an olive or coffee-and-milk color, and
slightly bald ; in manner cool and collected, and more
frank in his answers than any chief I ever met. He
was the greatest warrior ever heard of beyond the
colony ; for, unlike Mosilikatse, Dingaan, and others,
he had led his men into battle himself. When he
saw the enemy, he felt the edge of his battle-axe, and
said * Aha! it is sharp, and whoever turns his back on
the enemy will feel its edge.' So fleet of foot was he,
all his people knew there was no escape for the cow-
ards, as any such would be cut down without mercy.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 75
In some instances of skulking he allowed the indi-
vidual to return home ; then calling him, he would
say, ' Ah ! you prefer dying at home to dying in the
field, do you? You shall have your desire?' This
was the signal for his immediate execution.
" He came from the country near the sources of
the Litwa and Namagari rivers, in the south, so we
met him eight hundred or nine hundred miles from
his birth-place. He was not the son of a chief, though
related closely to the reigning family of the Basutu ;
and, when in an attack by Sikouyele, the tribe was
driven out of one part, Sebituane was one in that
immense horde of savages driven back by the Griquas
from Kuruman in 1824. He then fled northward
with an insignificant party of men and cattle. At
Melita the Bangwaketse collected the Bakwains,
Bakatla, and Bahurutse, to 'eat them up.' Placing
his men in front, and the women behind the cattle, he
routed the whole of his enemies at one blow. Hav-
ing thus conquered Makabe, the chief of the Bang-
waketse, he took immediate possession of his town
and all his goods.
" Sebituane subsequently settled at the place called
Litubaruba, where Sechele now dwells, and his people
suffered severely in one of those unrecorded attacks
by white men, in which murder is committed and
materials laid up in the conscience for a future judg-
ment.
" A great variety of fortune followed him in the
northern part of the Bechuana country ; twice he lost
all his cattle by the attacks of the Matabelle, but al-
ways kept his people together and retook more than
?6 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
he lost. He then crossed the Desert by nearly the
same path that we did. He had captured a guide,
and, as it was necessary to travel by night in order to
reach water, the guide took advantage of this and
gave him the slip. After marching till morning, and
going as they thought right, they found themselves
on the trail of the day before. Many of his cattle
burst away from him in the phrensy of thirst, and
rushed back to Serotli, then a large piece of water,
and to Mashue and Lopepe, the habitations of their
original owners. He stocked himself again among
the Batletli, on Lake Kamadau, whose herds were all
of the long horned species of cattle. Conquering all
around the lake, he heard of white men living at the
west coast ; and, haunted by what seems to have
been the dream of his whole life, a desire to have in-
tercourse with the white man, he passed away to the
southwest into the parts opened up lately by Messrs.
Galton and Anderson. There suffering intensely
from thirst, he and his party came to a small well.
He decided that the men, not the cattle, should drink
it, the former being of most value, as they could fight
for more should these be lost, In the morning they
found the cattle had escaped to the Damaras.
" Returning to the north poorer than he started,
he ascended the Teoughe to the hill Sorila, and
crossed over a swampy country to the eastward.
Pursuing his course onward to the low-lying basin of
the Leeambye, he saw that it presented no attrac-
tions to a pastoral tribe like his, so he moved down
that river among the Bashubia and Batoka, who were
then living in all their glory. His narrative resem-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 77
bles closely the ' Commentaries of Caesar,' and the
history of the British in India. He was always forced
to attack the different tribes, and to this day his men
justify every step he took as perfectly just and right
The Batoka lived on large islands in the Leeambye
or Zambesi, and, feeling perfectly secure in their fast-
ness, often allured fugitive or wandering tribes on to
uninhabited islets on pretense of ferrying them across
and then left them to perish for the sake of their
goods. Sekomi, the chief of the Bamangwatse, was,
when a child, in danger of meeting this fate ; but a
man still living had compassion on him, and enabled
his mother to escape with him by night. The river
is so large that the sharpest eye cannot tell the dif-
ference between an island and a bend of the opposite
bank; but Sebituane, with his usual foresight, re-
quested the island chief who ferried him across to
take his Seat in the canoe with him, and detained
him by his side till all his people and cattle were
safely landed. The whole Batoka country was then
densely populated, and they had a curious taste for
ornamenting their villages with the skulls of strang-
ers. When Sebituane appeared near the Great falls,
an immense army collected to make trophies of the
Makololo skulls ; but instead of succeeding in this,
they gave him a good excuse for conquering them,
and capturing so many cattle that his people were
quite incapable of taking any note of the sheep and
goats. He overran all the high lands toward the
Kafue, and settled in what is called a pastoral coun-
try* of gentle undulating plains, covered with short
78 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
grass and but little forest. The Makololo have never
lost their love for this fine, healthy region.
41 But the Matebele, a Caffrae or Zulu tribe, under
Mosilikatse, crossed the Zambesi, and, attacking Se-
bituane in this choice spot, captured his cattle and
women. Rallying his men, he followed and recap-
tured the whole. A fresh attack was also repulsed,
and Sebituane thought of going farther down the
Zambesi, to the country of the white men. He had
an idea, whence imbibed I never could learn, that if
he had a cannon he might live in peace. He had led
a life of war, yet no one apparently desired peace
more than he did.
" Sebituane had now not only conquered all the
black tribes over an immense tract of country but
had made himself dreaded even by the terrible Mo-
silikatse. He never could trust this ferocious chief,
however, and, as the Batoka on the islands had been
guilty of ferrying his enemies across the Zambesi, he
made a rapid descent upon them, and swept them all
out of their island fastnesses. He thus unwittingly
performed a good service to the country by com-
pletely breaking down the old system which pre-
vented trade from penetrating into the great central
valley. Of the chiefs who escaped, he said, ' They
loved Mosilikatse, let them live with him ; the Zam-
besi is my line of defense ;' and men were placed all
along it as sentinels. When he heard of our wish to
visit him, he did all he could to assist our approach.
Sechele, Sekomi, and Lechulatebe owed their lives
to his clemency; and the latter might have paid
dearly for his obstructiveness. Sebituane knew
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 79
everything that had happened in the country, for he
had the art of gaining the affections both of his own
people and that of strangers. When a party of poor
men came to his town to sell their hoes or skins, no
matter how ungainly they might be, he soon knew
them all. A company of these indigent strangers,
sitting far apart from the Makololo gentlemen around
the chief, would be surprised to see him come alone
to them, and sitting down, inquire if they were hun-
gry. He would order an attendant to bring meal,
milk, and honey, and, mixing them in their sight, in
order to remove any suspicion from their minds,
make them feast perhaps for the first time in their
lives, on a lordly dish. Delighted beyond measure
with his affability and liberality, they felt their hearts
warm toward him and gave him all the information
in their power ; and as he never allowed a party of
strangers to go away without giving every one of
them, servants and all, a present, his praises were
sounded far and wide. ' He has a heart ! he is wise!'
were the usual expressions we heard before we saw
him.
" He was much pleased with the proof of confidence
we had shown in bringing our children, and promised
to take us to see his country, so that we might choose
a part in which to locate ourselves. Our plan was,
that I should remain in the pursuit of my objects as
a missionary, while Mr. Oswell explored the Zambesi
to the east. Poor Sebituane, however, just after re-
alizing what he had so long ardently desired, fell sick
of inflammation of the lungs, which originated in and
extended from an old wound got at Melita. I saw
80 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
his danger, but, being a stranger, I feared to treat him
medically, lest, in the event of his death, I should be
blamed by his people. I mentioned this to one of
his doctors, who said, ' Your fear is prudent and wise :
this people would blame you/ He had been cured
of this complaint, during the year before, by the Ba-
rotse making a lar^e number of free incisions in the
chest. The Makololo doctors, on the other hand, now
scarcely cut the skin. On the Sunday afternoon in
which he died, when our usual religious service was
over, I visited him with my little boy Robert. ' Come
near,' said Sebituane, ■ and see if I am any longer a
man. I am done.' He was thus sensible of the
dangerous nature of his disease ; so I ventured to as-
sent, and added a single sentence regarding hope af-
ter death. ' Why do you speak of death ?' said one
of a relay of fresh doctors ; ' Sebituane will never die.'
If I had persisted, the impression would have been
produced that by speaking about it I wished him to
die. After sitting with him some time, and commend-
ing him to the mercy of God, I rose to depart, when
the dying chieftain, raising himself up a little from
his prone position, called a servant, and said, ' Take
Robert to Maunku, (one of his wives,) and tell her to
give him some milk.' These were the last words of
Sebituane.
u We were not informed of his death until the next
day. The burial of a Bechuana chief takes place in
his cattle-pen, and all the cattle are driven for an
hour or two around and over the grave, so that it may
be quite obliterated. We went and spoke to the
people, advising them to keep together and support
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 8 1
the heir. They took this kindly ; and in turn told us
not to be alarmed, for they would not think of ascrib-
ing the death of their chief to us ; that Sebituane had
just gone the way of his fathers ; and, though the
father had gone, he had left children, and they hoped
that we would be as friendly to his children as we in-
tended to have been to himself.
" He was decidedly the best specimen of a native
chief I ever met. I never felt so much grieved by
the loss of a black man before ; and it was impossible
not to follow him in thought into the world of which
he had just heard before he was called away, and to
realize somewhat of the feelings of those who pray
for the dead. The deep, dark question of what is to
become of such as he must, however, be left where we
find it, believing that, assuredly, the 'Judge of all the
earth will do right.'"
Upon the death of this remarkable man, the gov-
ernment of the Makololo devolved upon a daughter
named Ma-mochisane. The explorers now had to
look to her for permission to traverse the country as
they desired. She gave them perfect liberty to visit
any part of the country they chose. In the exercise
thereof, Mr. Oswell and Dr. Livingstone proceeded
one hundred and thirty miles to the northeast, to
Sesheke, and toward the end of June discovered the
Zambesi river in the centre of the continent, where it
had not been previously known to exist at all. It is
a magnificent stream, navigable from the bars inside
the delta to Victoria Falls, discovered by Dr. Living-
stone, a distance of 940 miles, and above them for
nearly 400 miles more. Victoria Falls are about forty
82 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
miles from the mouth of the Chobe. Here the river,
about half a mile wide, rushes over a precipice ioo
feet in height, and suddenly turning almost at a right
angle, flows for some thirty miles between two walls
of rock not more than twenty yards apart. Here the
river sometimes rises perpendicularly more than sixty
feet. The entire length of the river is, perhaps, about
1,500 miles.
The discovery of the Zambesi in central South
Africa, and the acquaintance formed with Sebituane,
and the consequent good will of the powerful and
numerous Makololo were the great events of this
expedition, making it one of the most important
which had yet been made by African explorers.
As these were the first white men who had ever
penetrated this country they were visited by great
numbers of natives. Among the visitors were sev-
eral who were clothed in stuff which had come from
the Portuguese on the western coast. Upon inquiry,
it was discovered that these goods had been pur-
chased from a tribe called Mambari, far distant, in ex-
change for boys. The tribe of Makololo had begun
the slave trade only in 1850, and then under the great
temptation of procuring muskets in exchange for
boys. These were always captives, and Dr. Living-
stone testifies that he never knew an instance in Af-
rica where a parent had sold his own offspring.
Unable at this time to procure a healthy location
for the site of a missionary station in the Makololo
country, Dr. Livingstone determined to send his fam-
ily to England, and himself to undertake a new ex-
pedition in this behalf. He accordingly returned with
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 8$
his family, reaching Cape Town in April, 1852, and
for the first time in eleven years visiting the scenes
of civilization. Having placed his family on board a
homeward-bound ship, he at once began preparations
for that journey across the continent in two directions,
which has immortalized his name and added immense-
ly to the world's stock of knowledge.
One of the greatest scourges to explorers in South
Africa, often mentioned by Livingstone, makes an
additional illustration of the contradictory •character
of that continent. Whilst it is summer pretty much
everywhere else, inhabited by people who are civil-
ized, it is winter there. The gradations of heat and
cold appear to go the wrong way. One would nat-
urally suppose that the immense troops of elephants
might overrun the country. They are harmless.
But a little insect, smaller than the honey bee, is so
great an enemy to man that it must be utterly de-
stroyed before the country can be cultivated by the
agriculturist, or inhabited by people for whom the
domestic animals are necessary. This is the Tsetse
Fly, whose bite is certain death to horses, cattle, and
other animals, though harmless to man and wild
beasts. Dr. Livingstone thus describes this fearful
pest :
"A few remarks on the Tsetse, or Glossina morsitans,
may here be appropriate. It is not much larger than
the common house-fly, and is nearly of the same
brown color as the common honey-bee ; the after-part
of the body has three or four yellow bars across it ;
the wings project beyond this part considerably, and
it is remarkably alert, avoiding most dexterously all
84 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
attempts to catch it with the hand at common temper-
atures ; in the cool of the mornings and evenings it
is less agile. Its peculiar buzz when once heard can
never be forgotten by the traveler whose means of
locomotion are domestic animals ; for it is well known
that the bite of this poisonous insect is certain death
to the ox, horse, and dog. In this journey, though
we were not aware of any great number having at
any time lighted on our cattle, we lost forty-three fine
oxen by ks bite. We watched the animals carefully,
and believe that not a score of flies were ever upon
them.
" A most remarkable feature in the bite of the tsetse
is its perfect harmlessness in man and wild animals,
and even calves, so long as they continue to suck the
cow. We never experienced the slightest injury from
them ourselves, personally, although we lived two
months in their habitat, which was in this case as
sharply defined as in many others, for the south bank
of the Chobe was infested by them, and the northern
bank, where our cattle were placed, only fifty yards
distant, contained not a single specimen. This was
the more remarkable as we often saw natives carry-
ing over raw meat to the opposite bank with many
tsetse settled upon it.
" The poison does not seem to be injected by a sting,
or by ova placed beneath the skin ; for, when one is.
allowed to feed freely on the hand, it is seen to in-
sert the middle prong of three portions, into which
the proboscis divides, somewhat deeply into the true
skin ; it then draws it out a little way, and it assumes
a crimson color as the mandibles come into brisk
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 85
operation. The previously-shrunken belly swells out,
and, if left undisturbed, the fly quietly departs when
it is full. A slight itching irritation follows, but not
more than in the bite of a mosquito. In the ox this
same bite produces no more immediate effects than
in man. It does not startle him as the gad-fly does;
but a few days afterward the following symptoms
supervene : the eye and nose begin to run, the coat
stares as if the animal were cold, a swelling appears
under the jaw and sometimes at the navel ; and,
though the animal continues to graze, emaciation
commences, accompanied with a peculiar flaccidity of
the muscles, and this proceeds unchecked until, per-
haps months afterward, purging comes on, and the
animal, no longer able to graze, perishes in a state
of extreme exhaustion. Those which are in good
condition often perish soon after the bite is inflicted,
with staggering and blindness, as if the brain were af-
fected by it. Sudden changes of temperature pro-
duced by falls of rain seem to hasten the progress
of the complaint ; but, in general, the emaciation
goes on uninterruptedly for months, and, do what we
will, the poor animals perish miserably.
" When opened, the cellular tissue on the surface of
the body beneath the skin is seen to be injected with
air, as if a quantity of soap-bubbles were scattered
over it, or a dishonest, awkward butcher had been
trying to make it look fat. The fat is of a greenish-
yellow color and of an oily consistence. All the
muscles are flabby, and the head often so soft that
the fingers may be made to meet through it. The
lungs and liver partake of the disease. The stomach
86 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
and bowels are pale and empty, and the gall-bladder
is distended with bile.
" The mule, ass, and goat enjoy the same immunity
from the tsetse as man and game. Many large tribes
on the Zambesi can keep no domestic animals except
the goat, in consequence of the scourge existing in
their country. Our children were frequently bitten,
yet suffered no harm ; and we saw around us num-
bers of zebras, buffaloes, pigs, pallahs and other ante-
lopes, feeding quietly in the very habitat of the tsetse,
yet as undisturbed by its bite as oxen are when they
first receive the fatal poison."
This insect has been classed by different natural-
ists as the same as the zimb of Bruce, and the zebub
in Hebrew. The Marquis of Spineto identifies the
zimb with the dog-fly of the Greeks, with the flies
under different names of other countries, and with
the arob of Scripture, the fly which caused the fourth
of the plagues of Egypt. The Portuguese in Africa
believe that the tsetse lives only in regions where
there are elephants, and that upon the extermination
of those animals the great scourge of the fly will
cease.
Native African Chiefs Assembling in their Canoes.
War Dance of one of the South African Tribes.
CHAPTER V.
FROM CAPE TOWN TO LOANDA.
Dr. Livingstone Departs for the Country of Makololo — Life and Labors There
— The Chief Sekeletu — Departs for the West Coast of Africa — Narrative of
the Journey — Arrival Among the Portuguese Colonists — His Opinion of this
Portion of Africa — Determines upon Another Great Expedition.
Dr. Livingstone had now been in Africa about
twelve years. For eleven years he had been beyond
the borders of civilization, so that when he appeared
at Cape Town, taking his family thither for their de-
parture to England, wearing a suit of the same fash-
ion as that which he had worn away from London in
1840, he had to acknowledge that in this respect at
any rate he had fallen behind the age, and was pre-
posterously out of the mode. A far-away colony is
not the best place in the world at which to procure
intelligence of passing events. But with such means
of intelligence as were at hand, Dr. Livingstone must
have been astonished at the greatness and import-
ance of events which had occurred while he had been
preaching to the Bakwains, fighting lions, elephants,
hyenas, rhinoceroses, hippopotami, exploring vast re-
gions before unknown, by means of travel which had
been in vogue since the time of Abraham, and amongst
a people who had advanced but little if any from a
barbarism hundreds of centuries old. During the
brief period in which the great African explorer was
conducting the expeditions of which an account has
6 «n
90 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
been given in the preceding pages, more important
events had occurred in the world than had occurred
in Africa during many ages. And among these were
great inventions and progress in vastly developing
interprises with which his own name was destined to
be intimately associated. While Dr. Livingstone had
been inwalled, as it were, within the deserts and
wilds of Africa, Europe had been convulsed by revo-
lution and war. If the cause of popular freedom had
not greatly gained, it had at least made way for lib-
erty to gain victories in the future and this by many
deeds of soul-stirring heroism on the field and acts of
statesmanship during temporary control of govern-
ments by the people in revolution. The republic of
the United States had waged a war with the repub-
lic of Mexico which terminated in success for the
stronger party, and the addition of a vast extent of
territory. It was during this period that the great
empire of Brazil in South America became tranquil
and firmly established in independence of the Portu-
guese Cortes. But far more important events than
these, and sure to confer lasting benefits upon man-
kind, were taking place during the period of Dr. Liv-
ingstone's first series of explorations. It was while
Livingstone was successful in the good old way of
discovery, in Africa, that Morse was successful, in a
new way, in America. In 1844 tne electric telegraph
became a practical success. With the practical suc-
cess of this momentous invention, the newspaper press
entered upon a career of enterprise and influence of
which those of former times had no conception. And
it is a noteworthy fact that it was one of the great-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 9 1
est of these newspaper establishments — the New
York " Herald" — whose enterprise at length discov-
ered the great discoverer after he had been given up
as lost, and that full particulars of the interesting
event, by means of this same magnetic telegraph,
now connecting continents together in instantaneous
intercourse, were at once flashed all over Christen-
dom. But, without anticipating, the facts as they
existed when Dr. Livingstone visited Cape Town
were enough to arouse his highest ambition and his
best endeavors. Perhaps through him the old and
the new might clasp hands. Columbus, in the good
old way of voyaging, had discovered a new world,
now beneficently aiding mankind. Why might not
he, exploring in the old manner — the only one pos-
sible — prepare the way whereby a continent for so
many ages in the gloom of barbarism would let in
the light and the glorious good of these great tro-
phies of civilization? It will only add one to the
many remarkable anomalies of Africa if there the sun
should rise in the west after all.
Early in the month of June, 1852, Dr. Livingstone
left Cape Town for the country of the Makololo,
with the object of establishing a missionary station
there. He traveled in the usual conveyance of the
country, a heavy Cape Town wagon, drawn by five
yoke of oxen. Of course the journey was slow ; nor
need it be said to those who have read the pages
which have gone before, that it was often accom-
panied by dangers and difficulties not mastered ex-
cept by those who have brave natures. In addition
to the slow mode of travel, there were several causes
92 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
of detention, and half the month of January, 1853,
had passed before Dr. Livingstone left the scene of
his long missionary labors among the Backwains, and
again entered the Kalahari Desert. At this season
of the year a hot wind frequently blows over the des-
ert from north to south. It resembles in its effects
the harmattan of North Africa, and when the mis-
sionaries first settled here, it came loaded with clouds
of red-colored sand. This forms no part of the
phenomenon of late years, but the wind blows hot
as formerly, appearing to come from some vast oven
in the north. It is so devoid of moisture, that every-
thing made of wood, not manufactured in the coun-
try, greatly shrinks and warps. The atmosphere on
such occasions is highly charged with electricity, so
that even the movement of a native on his bed of
skins will be accompanied by a luminous appearance
and often by brilliant sparks. These winds do not
appear to bear anything unhealthy on their heated
wings. On the contrary, Dr. Livingstone expressly
avows the opinion that the whole of the country ad-
jacent to the Desert, and from Kuruman to the lati-
tude of Lake Ngami, is extremely salubrious and
especially healthy and restorative to those who are
affected by pulmonary complaints.
The journey to the Makololo country did not pur-
sue exactly the same route either to the region of
Lake Ngami or farther on, as the explorations which
have heretofore been described ; but it did not dif-
fer from them so greatly as to require a detailed
narration of its somewhat hum-drum incidents. On
parts of the journey, the animals of the country were
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 93
uncommonly tame. Giraffes and koodoos came close
up to the wagon and the " camp" by night, and on one
occasion, a large lion came within thirty yards of the
resting-place for the night, and went all around it,
but so shrewdly that Dr. Livingstone was unable to
get a shot at him.
Early in May the party reached the reed-walled
banks of the Chobe, and after some time he was
able, with a single companion, to get a small boat
into the stream. The banks of this river are so
densely covered with grass and reeds that it is al-
most impossible to reach the water except at places
made by the natives or those huge beasts, the rhino-
ceroses or hippopotami. Going down the stream
with the current, the explorer soon discovered a vil-
lage of the Makololo chief Moremi on the north
bank. With the assistance of these friendly natives,
the whole party was soon able to move on, and
reached Linyanti, then the capital town of Sekeletu,
chief of the Makololo.
The Makololo were surprised, but greatly gratified
by the sudden appearance of the missionary among
them. When here before, the wagon had been left
behind. It was now an object of the greatest curi-
osity, and the ,whole town, numbering between six
and seven thousand souls, turned out en masse to see
the vehicle. Dr. Livingstone was received with all
the ceremonies of Makololo etiquette by Sekeletu
and his under chiefs. A great number of pots of
boyaloa, the beer of the country, were brought forth
by women, each of whom takes a stout draught as
she sets down the pot to show that there is no poison.
94 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
The court herald, an aged man, who had occupied
that office during Sebituane's time, with many bodily
antics, roared out a welcome : " Don't I see the white
man?" "Don't I see the comrade of Sebituane?"
And a great many other short sentences, the sum-
mary of whose meaning was that the white man,
companion of the late chief, and good sound sleep
were very welcome to the Makololo.
It will be recollected that Dr. Livingstone's jour-
ney to the Zambesi, or Leeambye, as it is here called,
of which account is now being written, was with the
object of establishing a missionary station. That at
which he had so long labored at Kolobeng had been
destroyed by the enemies of Sechele and his people
the Bechuanas, and it was at the time of this journey,
it will be remembered, when Sechele wrote his touch-
ing letter to Mr. Moffat, and shortly afterwards, when
on his way to seethe Queen of England, as he vainly
hoped, met Livingstone in the Desert. Two consid-
erations were regarded by the explorer-missionary as
essential — healthfulness of locality, which should also
not be liable to attack and destruction by enemies of
the people where it should be determined to locate
the station. In search of such place, Dr. Livingstone
spent about six months at this timeam®ng the Mako-
lolo. During this time he explored a large extent
of territory and also continued his missionary labors.
He held public religious services in the kotla at Lin-
yanti, that is, the place of public meetings and general
amusements. He says that the Makololo women
behaved with decorum, from the first, except at the
conclusion of the prayer. When all knelt down, many
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 95
of those who had children bent over them so that
there was a simultaneous scream in all parts of the
kotla, which turned into an universal laugh on the
part of the women when " Amen " was said. This
peccadillo was at length overcome, and the mission-
ary had respectful if not believing audiences. He
says that among the Bechuanas, there never was first-
rate decorum. If a woman should happen to sit on
the dress of another, the latter would make a vigor-
ous nudge with her elbow and a request, " Take the
nasty thing away, will you ? " Whereupon several
women would go to scolding, and the men emphat-
ically swear with the object of enforcing silence.
There was a good deal of opposition to learning to
read among the Makololo, chiefly arising, it would
appear, from a feeling that knowledge would result
in the abolition of polygamy, but it was at length
overcome and some progress made, though not with
Sekeletu, who was obdurate in this respect. He ap-
pears to have been uncommonly uxorious, even for an
African chief. But before any considerable progress
had been made in this regard, Dr. Livingstone de-
parted for the west coast. He found much of the
country very beautiful, and quite goes into heroics in
his descriptions of the valley of the Leeambye inhab-
ited by that branch of the Makololo known as the
Barotse. It is nearly a hundred miles in length, and
in some places twenty or thirty miles wide. It is
covered with small villages which are built on artifi-
cial mounds so that during the period of inundation
it has the appearance of a large lake dotted with
islands, thus greatly resembling the valley of the Nile
96 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
when the waters of that river overflow their banks.
The current of the Leeambye in this region is very
rapid. On returning from the upper Barotse coun-
try to Linyanti, Dr. Livingstone floated with the
stream sixty miles a day, and saw any number of
alligators, hippopotami, and other of the huge beasts
and reptiles of the torrid zone.
Having returned from a considerable journey
among the tribes on the Leeambye and its confluents,
the missionary thus records his conclusions upon
heathenism and the efforts of religious societies to
eradicate it :
" I had been, during a nine weeks' tour, in closer
contact with heathenism than I had ever been before ;
and though all, including the chief, were as kind and
attentive to me as possible, and there was no want of
food (oxen being slaughtered daily, sometimes ten at
a time, more than sufficient for the wants of all), yet
to endure the dancing, roaring, and singing, the jest-
ing, anecdotes, grumbling, quarreling, and murdering
of these children of nature, seemed more like a severe
penance than any thing I had before met with in th«*-
course of my missionary duties. I took thence a
more intense disgust at heathenism than I had before,
and formed a greatly-elevated opinion of the latent
effects of missions in the south, among tribes which
are reported to have been as savage as the Makololo.
The indirect benefits which, to a casual observer, lie
beneath the surface, and are inappreciable, in reference
to the probable wide diffusion of Christianity at some
future time, are worth all the monev and labor that
have been expended to produce them."
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 97
Sekeletu, the chief of the Makololo, seems to have
impressed Dr. Livingstone as a man of considerable
natural ability, courage, and generosity. He desired
especially to have his country opened to communi-
cation and commerce with white men, but exhibited
little or no desire to adopt the Christian faith. It
would appear also that Sekeletu's practical ideas had
much weight with his distinguished visitor ; for we
find Dr. Livingstone asserting the belief that com-
merce must accompany Christianity before it can be
greatly successful in its conflicts with heathenism and
barbarism. Perhaps this opinion had something to
do with hastening forward the explorer's next great
journey — that to the west coast of Africa. It is true
that other considerations helped to make up the de-
cision. Linyanti is on the river Chobe, and in the
midst of a marshy, swampy country. The most of
the region round about is periodically inundated
The African fever prevails ; and here it was that
Dr. Livingstone was first attacked by this dread dis-
ease. But against the attacks of the enemies of the
Makololo, Linyanti offered the greatest advantages,
and the people could not well be asked to risk great
dangers of spoliation and sack, even for the rich val-
ley of the Barotse. And hence, at length, the Mako-
lolo chief and Dr. Livingstone came heartily to agree
upon the explorer undertaking a journey to St. Paul
de Loanda, the capital of the Portuguese colony of
Angola, in Lower Guinea.
On November n, 1853, tne explorer and party,
accompanied by Sekeletu and train and a consider-
able number of guides, embarked in their canoes on
98 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
the Chobe, and proceeded down that tortuous stream
to its juncture with the Leeambye. The route de-
termined upon lay up this magnificent river to the
confines of the Makololo country and beyond. The
journey against the rapid current was as slow as the
late journey down stream had been agreeable, on ac-
count of speed. The country every day became more
beautiful, however, and many fruit and other trees
lent a charm to the scenery, which was not decreased
by the sight and voices of innumerable birds, many
of which were entirely new to the European. At
times the canoes had to be carried around rapids and
cataracts. The Falls of Gonye are near the southern
extremity of the Barotse Valley. These falls have
not been made by wearing back, like Niagara, but are
of a fissure form. For many miles below the river
is confined in a narrow space through which the water
boils and tumbles, making all navigation and even
swimming impracticable. There are numbers of
islands above the falls, covered with rich foliage, and
making a scene, as viewed from the rocks near the
cataract, of surpassing beauty.
Before Dr. Livingstone's departure from Linyanti,
Sekeletu had sent forward couriers, informing the va-
rious head-men and tribes of the explorer's intended
journey, and commanding that he be received with
all due state and hospitality. Accordingly all the
wants of the party were kindly provided for. They
had enough to eat and to spare, the use of the best
huts, plenty of skilled boatmen, and everything that
could be procured in the country for their accommo-
dation. Indeed, the commands of Sekeletu were
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
99
sometimes so generously construed as to put Dr
Livingstone to inconvenience by reason of excessive
hospitality. Thus he was forced, as it were, to wait
on one occasion till a certain great personage should
pay him respect, and then go off on a journey to a
considerable distance accompanied and guided by a
rigorous Amazon, a chieftainess of the region and
noted for great powers of tongue and pedestrianism.
The Doctor had no little difficulty in keeping up with
either, but cheerfully submitted to many good-
natured inflictions because of the evident kindness
and liberality of the people.
On December 17th, the party reached Libonta.
This village, near the upper part of the now narrowed
Barotse valley, is built upon a mound and belongs to
two women who were wives to Sebituane. They lib-
erally supplied the expedition with food. This is the
last town of the Makololo. In front were a few ham-
lets and cattle stations and a vast expanse of border
country. Ten days afterwards the party reached the
confluence of the Leeambye and the Leeba, the for-
mer here flowing westward, the latter from the north.
The journey was pursued up the Leeba. Near the
confluence of these rivers, game was exceedingly
abundant, but Dr. Livingstone's expectations in this
regard were not sustained as he pursued his expedi-
tion. The region to the north of the Makololo coun-
try is called Londa, and its inhabitants Balonda.
They worship idols, and are extremely superstitious.
They are thus described :
" The Balonda are real negroes, having much more
wool on their heads and bodies than any of the Bech-
IOO EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
nana or Caffre tribes, They are generally very
dark in color, but several are to be seen of a lighter
hue ; many of the slaves who have been exported to
Brazil have gone from this region ; but while they
have a general similarity to the typical negro, I never
could, from my own observation, think that our ideal
negro, as seen in tobacconists' shops, is the true type.
A large proportion of the Balonda, indeed, have heads
somewhat elongated backward and upward, thick lips,
flat noses, elongated ossa calces, &c. &c. ; but there
are also many good- looking, well shaped heads and
persons among them."
Shinte, the chief of the Balonda, while exhibiting
much kindness to Dr. Livingstone, and receiving him
with great state, must have been much of a " night-
hawk." He sent for the missionary at most unsea-
sonable hours, till at length, on account of his fever,
he had to decline going. If the Makololo ate like
vultures, the Balonda slept on the wing. They are
great pedestrians, even the women walking long jour-
neys through the dense forests of these regions, which
have scattered throughout numbers of the ugly idols
of the gross superstition of the people. The Balonda
are given to much speaking in their Kotla and are a
quite musical people, their instruments being drums
and the marimba, a rude species of piano. The dress
of the Balonda men consists of the softened skins of
small animals, as the jackal or wild cat, hung before
and behind from a girdle round the loins. The women
were dressed in nature's toilet; but were not im-
modest.
After leaving Shinte, the same flat, forest country
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. IOI
was met with, and any quantity of rain. The rivers
and gullies were full and the plains drenched. In
crossing the Lokalueje, which flows into the Leeba,
the whole party got thoroughly wet through, but a
few articles were kept dry by being held up by the
guides and natives. On such occasions, Dr. Living-
stone carried his watch in his arm-pit, where it was
preserved from rains above and waters below. With
this superabundance of water, game became scarce
and the party often went hungry to bed. Here it
was observed that all the streams of a vast extent of
central South Africa have their origin in oozy bogs
and not in fountains. Such is the case with the
Chobe, the Loeti, Kaisi, and other rivers. About
this time, the party heard of the death of Metiamvo,
who had been a powerful chief, having life and death
at his absolute control. He used to go about in per-
son beheading his subjects as he would meet them,
because, as he said, they were becoming too numer-
ous. The farther north Dr. Livingstone proceeded
the more savage and superstitious did the people be-
come. But the people under the chief Katema are
exceptionally amiable, and have a great love of sing-
ing birds, of which they have large numbers similar
to our canaries. They are kept in cages.
On the 30th of March, 1854, after one of the most
remarkable of journeys through savage lands, the
party passed out of the confines of barbarism into a
land inhabited by those who, if not civilized them-
selves, were the subjects of a civilized people. This
was when the explorer entered the magnificent valley
of the Quango, which forms the eastern limit of
102 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Portuguese authority in this part of Africa. The
Basinje tribe is on the east bank of the Quango, and
they treated the expedition with more inhospitality
and threatened cruelty than it had received during
thousands of miles of travel. On the west bank,
and between the river and Lower Guinea proper, is
the territory of the Bangala, or Cassanges, subjects
of the Portuguese. The following from Livingstone s
description of this great valley will give the reader
a fine conception of a beautiful country within ten
degrees of the equator :
"On the 30th we came to a sudden descent from the
high land, indented by deep, narrow valleys, over
which we had lately been traveling. It is generally
so steep that it can only be descended at particular
points. Below us lay the valley of the Quango. If
you sit on the spot where Mary Queen of Scots
viewed the battle of Langside, and look down on the
vale of Clyde, you may see in miniature the glorious
sight which a much greater and richer valley pre-
sented to our view. It is about a hundred miles
broad, clothed with dark forest, except where the light
green grass covers meadow lands on the Quango/which
here and there glances out in the sun as it wends its
way to the north. The opposite side of this great
valley appears like a range of lofty mountains, and
the descent into it about a mile, which, measured per-
pendicularly, may be from a thousand to twelve hun-
dred feet. Emerging from the gloomy forests of
Londa, this magnificent prospect made us all feel as
if a weight had been lifted off our eyelids. A cloud
was passing across the middle of the valley, from
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. IO3
which rolling thunder pealed, while above all was
glorious sunlight; and when we went down to the
part where we saw it passing we found that a very
heavy thunder-shower had .fallen under the path of
the cloud, and the bottom of the valley, which from
above seemed quite smooth, we discovered to be in-
tersected by great numbers of deep-cut streams.
Looking back from below, the descent appears as the
edge of a table-land, with numerous indented dells
and spurs jutting out all along, giving it a serrated
appearance. Both the top and sides of the sierra are
covered with trees ; but large patches of the more
perpendicular parts are bare, and exhibit the red soil
which is general over the region we have now en-
tered."
Detained some days on the Quango by rains and
scientific observations, it was not until near the
middle of April that Dr. Livingstone reached Cas-
sange, the farthest inland town of the Portuguese, and
about three hundred miles from the Atlantic coast at
St. Paul de Loanda.
Thenceforward until his arrival at Loanda, Dr.
Livingstone met with unbounded hospitality and the
distinguished consideration due to his discoveries,
his sufferings, and his labors in behalf of humanity
and science. The commandants at the various Por-
tuguese towns and trading-posts through which he
and his unique Makololo companions passed, showed
him every attention and honor, whereby, it is plain,
he was most highly gratified. His opinion of the
Portuguese colonists as high-toned gentlemen is evi-
dently very exalted. Nor can he find words of too
104 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
high praise in which to speak of the entire freedom
of caste in social and business intercourse between
the Europeans and the Africans. He contrasts the
customs herein in Angola, with those of Cape Colony
and greatly to the disadvantage of the English. He
also has much to say in praise of the former labors of
Jesuit missionaries, whose good results are still plain-
ly observable among the natives, but regrets that
they did not translate and leave the Bible for their
instruction and guidance. He laments the visible
want of internal improvements. There are no roads
in the country ; merely paths from place to place,
with canoe ferries across the rivers and deep streams.
He also laments the fact that the Portuguese do not
bring wives to the colonies with them, and become
permanent citizens. It is true, they raise families by
native women, and treat their children with great
kindness, but the want of the family as an institution
founded in affection and sustained by law must, so
long as it exists, keep the colonists in the situation of
mere traders, and repress intellectual and moral de-
velopment.
When Livingstone reached Loanda he was still
greatly suffering from the effects of the fever, by
which he had been several times attacked. There
was but a single Englishman in the town and the
missionary worried himself in his illness, wondering
whether this sojourner were possessed of good na-
ture, " or was one of those crusty mortals one would
rather not meet at all." " This gentleman," the sick
traveler goes on to say, " Mr. Gabriel, our commis-
sioner for the suppression of the slave-trade, had
""■'■-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. IO7
kindly forwarded an invitation to meet me on the
way from Cassange, but, unfortunately, it crossed me
on the road. When we entered his porch, I was de-
lighted to see a number of flowers cultivated care-
fully, and inferred from this circumstance that he was,
what I soon discovered him to be, a real whole-hearted
Englishman. Seeing me ill, he benevolently offered
me his bed. Never shall I forget the luxurious pleas-
ure I enjoyed in feeling myself again on a good Eng-
lish couch, after six months sleeping on the ground.
I was soon asleep ; and Mr. Gabriel coming in almost
immediately, rejoiced at the soundness of my repose."
Under the hospitable roof of Mr. Gabriel Dr.
Livingstone remained much longer than he had an-
ticipated, for he continued for some time to grow more
and more reduced under the effects of the disease
from which he had long suffered. This was, doubtless,
owing to the fact that he was now " out of command,"
and the feeling of grave responsibility did not give
that strength and elasticity to the mind which have
so powerful an effect in counteracting bodily ail-
ments. He was visited by a number of prominent
Portuguese gentlemen, and the acting governor of the
province sent his secretary to offer the services of
the government physician. Some British vessels also
came into port and offered to convey him to St
Helena, or homeward, as he might choose. But there
were his Makololo friends, who had accompanied him
a vast distance, and would be unable, without his as-
sistance, to pass through the country of the un-
friendly negroes near the borders of the Portuguese
colony. The explorer would not abandon his trusty
7
IOS EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
friends to such a fate. He therefore declined the
tempting offers of his naval friends, and came to the
determination to return to the Makololo chief, with
the object of proceeding from his country to the east
coast of Africa by way of the Leeambye or Zambesi
river, hoping thus to discover a route by which a
wagon road to central South Africa might be opened
up. This involved a journey across the continent,
through an unknown country, filled with wild animals,
hostile tribes, and noxious malaria. That Dr. Living-
stone reached this determination while on a bed of
sickness, and importuned by kind friends to take his
ease for a season, is conclusive demonstration of his
sublime conscientiousness and his indomitable spirit
CHAPTER VI.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
The Expedition Across the Continent from Loanda to Kilimane — Account ol
the Journey — The Water-Shed of Central Africa — Lake Dilolo, and a River
Flowing in Two Directions — The Great Falls of Victoria on the Zambesi —
The Journey from Linyanti Eastward — The People of this Portion of Africa
— The Country — Animals and Vegetation — Arrival at Kilimane — Departure
for England — Resume of Events Connected with More Than 9,000 Miles of
Travel, and Many Discoveries.
Dr. Livingstone's journey through Angola on his
return to Linyanti was exceedingly slow. He was
detained at different times by different causes. Ill-
ness at times kept him laid up. Then again he would
depart from his direct route to the right or left, with
the object of examining the country. At other times
he was detained by the excessive hospitality of
Portuguese friends. His descriptions of the country
on his return are not so rose-colored as those ac-
companying his journey to the coast ; and though he
loses none of his kind feelings for the colonists, he
is compelled to admit that they have not done so
much for the natives and the country as they ought
to have done, and that, under English control, the
country would have been far more prosperous and
wealthy. It is in speaking of some of the native
tribes who have here preserved their identity against
most untoward circumstances that he asseverates
that no African tribe has ever yet been destroyed.
He remained sometime at Cassange, and then prO-
IGf)
IIO EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ceeded for a very considerable distance by the same
route upon which he had traveled on the previous
journey. On account of the fever he made very slow
progress. When he approached the vicinity of Lake
Dilolo, he took a different course, with the object of
more particular examinations into this portion of the
country than he had before been able to make, the
result being some remarkable and interesting discov-
eries in respect to the geography and geology of this
portion of the globe.
In that extensive, undefined border country be-
tween the territory of the Makololo and that of the
Balonda, there are vast level plains, which during the
rainy season may be described, not inaccurately, as
lakes of immense superficial area but of no great
depth of water. In the midst of all is Lake Dilolo,
from which flows the Lotembwa river, a small body
of water which appears to form the water-shed of the
African continent ; certainly that vast portion known
as South Africa. It seems to be established that this
river on the one side of Lake Dilolo flows northward
into the Kasai, a confluent of the Congo, emptying
into the Atlantic ocean, and on the other side flows
southward to the Leeambye which, under the name
of Zambesi, discharges its waters into the Indian
ocean. A statement so singular should be related in
the words of the explorer himself. On June 8th,
1855, he forded the Lotembwa a short distance to
the northwest of Lake Dilolo. He then goes on to
say:
" The Lotembwa here is about a mile wide, about
three feet deep, and full of the lotus, papyrus, arum,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. Ill
mat-rushes* and other aquatic plants. I did not ob-
serve the bourse in which the water flowed while
crossing; but having noticed before that the Lot-
embwa on the other side of the Lake Dilolo flowed
in a southerly direction, I supposed that this was
simply a prolongation of the same river beyond Di-
lolo, and that it rose in this large marsh, which we
had not seen in our progress to the northwest. But
when we came to the Southern Lotembwa, we were
informed by Shakatwala that the river we had crossed
flowed in an opposite direction — not into Dilolo but
into the Kasai. This phenomenon of a river run-
ning in opposite directions struck even his mind as
strange ; and, though I did* not observe the current
simply from taking it for granted that it was toward
the lake, I have no doubt that his assertion corrobor-
ated as it was by others, is correct, and that the
Dilolo is actually the water-shed between the river
systems that flow to the east and west.
" I would have returned in order to examine more
carefully this most interesting point, but, having had
my lower extremities chilled in crossing the North-
ern Lotembwa, I was seized with vomiting of blood,
and, besides, saw no reason to doubt the native testi-
mony. The distance between Dilolo and the valleys
leading to that of the Kasai is not more than fifteen
miles, and the plains between are perfectly level ; and
had I returned, I should only have found that this
little Lake Dilolo, by giving a portion to the Kasai
and another to the Zambesi, distributes its waters to
the Atlantic and Indian oceans. I state the fact ex-
act' y as it opened to my own mind, for it was only
I I 2 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
now that I apprehended the true form of the river
system and continent. I had seen the various rivers
of this country on the western side flowing from the
subtending ridges into the center, and had received
information from natives and Arabs that most of the
rivers on the eastern side of the same great region
took a somewhat similar course from an elevated
ridge there, and that all united in two main drains,
the one flowing to the north and the other to the
south, and that the northern drain found its way out
by the Congo to the west, and the southern by the
Zambesi to the east. I was thus on the water-shed,
or highest point of these two great systems, but still
not more than four thousand feet above the level of
the sea, and one thousand feet lower than the top of
the western ridge we had already crossed; yet in-
stead of lofty snow-clad mountains appearing to ver-
ify the conjectures of the speculative, we had extensive
plains over which one may travel a month without
seeing anything higher than an ant-hill or a tree. I
was not then aware that any one else had discovered
the elevated trough-form of the centre of Africa."
Lake Dilolo is described as a fine sheet of water,
somewhat of a triangular shape, six or eight miles
long and from one to two broad. Moene Dilolo,
the " Lord of the Lake," was found to be a fat, jolly
fellow, who lamented the paradox that when there
were no strangers at the lake there was plenty of
beer, and when strangers were there the beverage
was always gone. He gave his guests plenty of
manioc meal, however, and a generous supply of
putrid buffalo-meat. Flesh is never too far gone for
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. I I 3
these rather lazy natives whose chief food is the
tasteless manioc. Here the idolater of central Africa
and the epicure of fashionable civilization clasp hands
over a common luxury ; for tainted game and sauces
in whose ingredients are the fluids of far-gone meats
are greatly affected at our most stylish restaurants.
On his way from Lake Dilolo to the south, the ex-
plorer met again his old friends, Katema, Shinte, and
Manenko. They treated him with cordial hospi-
tality, and Manenko walked, if she did not talk, less
than on the former visit. On July 27th, the expe-
dition reached Libonta, and the traveler's Makololo
companions — who had been constantly faithful and
most valuable to their friend — were once more " home
again." The party was welcomed, says Dr. Living-
stone, " with demonstrations of joy such as I had
never witnessed before. The women came forth to
meet us, making their curious dancing gestures and
loud lulliloos. Some carried a mat and stick, in imi-
tation of a spear and shield. Others rushed forward
and kissed the hands and cheeks of the different per-
sons of their acquaintance among us, raising such a
dust that it was quite a relief to get to the men as-
sembled and sitting with proper African decorum in
the kotla. We were looked upon as men risen from
the dead, for the most skilful of their diviners had
pronounced u£ to have perished long ago. After
many expressions of joy at meeting, I arose, and,
thanking them, explained the causes of our long de-
lay, but left the report to be made by their own
countrymen. Formerly I had been the chief speaker,
now I would leave the task of speaking to them. Pit-
114 BXPLO RATIONS IN AFRICA.
sane (a Makololo who had been with Livingstone)
then delivered a speech of upward of an hour in
length, giving a highly-flattering picture of the whole
journey, of the kindness of the white men in general,
and of Mr. Gabriel in particular. He concluded by
saying that I had done more for them than they ex-
pected ; that I had not only opened up a path for
them to the other white men, but conciliated all the
chiefs along the route. The oldest man present
rose and answered this speech, and, among other
things, alluded to the disgust I felt at the Makololo
for engaging in marauding-expeditions against Lec-
hulatebe and Sebolamakwaia, of which we had heard
from the first persons we met, and which my com-
panions most energetically denounced as 'mashue
hela,' entirely bad. He entreated me not to lose
heart, but to reprove Sekeletu as my child. Another
old man followed with the same entreaties. The fol-
lowing day we observed as our thanksgiving to God
for his goodness in bringing us all back in safety to
our friends. My men decked themselves out in their
best, and I found that, although their goods were
finished, they had managed to save suits of European
clothing, which, being white, with their redcaps, gave
them rather a dashing appearance. They tried to
walk like the soldiers they had seen in Loanda, and
called themselves my ' braves' (batlabani). During
the service they all sat with their guns over their
shoulders, and excited the unbounded admiration of
the women and children. I addressed them all on
the goodness of God in preserving us from all the
dangers of strange tribes and disease. We had a
EXPLORATIONS IX AFRICA. I I 5
similar service in the afternoon. The men gave us
two fine oxen for slaughter, and the women supplied
us abundantly with milk, meal, and butter. It was all
quite gratuitous, and I felt ashamed that I could make
no return. My men explained the total expenditure
of our means, and the Libontese answered, grace-
fully, 'It does not matter: you have opened a path
for us, and we shall have sleep/ Strangers came
flocking from a distance, and seldom empty-handed.
Their presents I distributed among my men."
The progress down the Barotse valley was a con-
stant ovation ; a perpetual succession of barbecues,
and the number of oxen brought forth to the wel-
coming slaughter was great enough to make a re-
spectable herd. But on reaching Naliele, a number
of Dr. Livingstone's Makololo fellow-travelers found
an unexpected source of sorrow in the fact that their
wives had taken to themselves other husbands. Most
of them having more wives than one they were not
altogether without consolation ; but it was plain that
they did not at all relish the fact that while they had
been toiling for two years others had eaten their
corn. The men who had married the only wives of
the traveling Makololo were compelled to restore
them. From which we may infer that ideas of the
marriage relation in central Africa, even at the best,
are still far from orthodox. On the canoe voyage
hence to Linyanti the craft, though moving near
shore was assailed by an immense hippopotamus,which
shoved against the boat, using its head for the pur-
pose, with such strength that it was almost lifted out
of the water. Fortunately, no harm was done to life
Il6 EXPLORATIONS IX AFRICA.
or limb. At Linyanti, where Dr. Livingstone arrived
early in September, he was received with great joy
by the chief Sekeletu and his people.
Having remained at the Makololo capital about
two months, Dr. Livingstone departed hence for the
east coast of Africa on the 3d of November. He
was accompanied by Sekeletu with about two hun-
dred followers, and wherever they stopped in the
Makololo country, every arrangement for their hos-
pitable entertainment was found to be provided for.
It was now, in his voyage down the Zambesi that Dr.
Livingstone visited the great falls of that river and
named them after the reigning sovereign of England,
Victoria. These being among the most remarkable
of the many noteworthy scenes of Africa can only be
adequately described in the graphic words of the ex-
plorer, who here goes into more heroics, as it were,
than in almost any other portion of his great work :
" After twenty minutes' sail from Kalai we came
in sight for the first time, of the columns of va-
por appropriately called 'smoke/ rising at a distance
of five or six miles, exactly as when large tracts of
grass are burned in Africa. Five columns now arose,
and, bending in the direction of the wind, they seemed
placed against a low ridge covered with trees ; the
tops of the columns at this distance appeared to min-
gle with the clouds. They were white below, and
higher up became dark, so as to simulate smoke very
closely. The whole scene was extremely beautiful.
The banks and islands dotted over the river are
adorned with sylvan vegetation of great variety of
color and form. At the period of our visit several
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 117
trees were spangled over with blossoms. Trees have
each their own physiognomy. There, towering over
all, stands the great burly baobab, each of whose
enormous arms would form the trunk of a large tree,
besides groups of graceful palms, which, with their
feathery-shaped leaves depicted on the sky, lend their
beauty to the scene. As a hieroglyphic they always
mean ' far from home/ for one can never get over
their foreign air in a picture or landscape. The sil-
very mohonono — which in the tropics is in form like
the cedar of Lebanon. — stands in pleasing contrast
with the dark color of the motsouri, whose cypress
form is dotted over at present with its pleasant scar-
let fruit. Some trees resemble the great spreading
oak ; others assume the character of our own elms
and chestnuts ; but no one can imagine the beauty of
the view from anything witnessed in England. It
had never been seen before by European eyes ; but
scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels
in their flight. The only want felt is that of moun-
tains in the background.' The falls are bounded on
three sides by ridges three hundred or four hundred
feet in height, which are covered with forest, with the
red soil appearing among the trees. When about
half a mile from the falls, I left the canoe by which
we had come down thus far, and embarked in a lighter
one, with men well acquainted with the rapids, who by
passing down the center of the stream in the eddies
and still places caused by many jutting rocks, brought
me to an island situated in the middle of the river
and on the edge of the lip over which the water rolls.
In coming hither there was danger of being swept
tl8 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
down by the streams which rushed along on each side
of the island ; but the river was now low, and we
sailed where it is totally impossible to go when the
water is high. But though we had reached the island,
and were within a few yards of the spot a view from
which would solve the whole problem, I believe that
no one could perceive where the vast body of water
went : it seemed to lose itself in the earth, the oppo-
site lip of the fissure into which it disappeared being
only eighty feet distant. At least I did not compre-
hend it until, creeping with awe to the verge, I peered
down into a large rent which had been made from
bank to bank of the broad Zambesi, and saw that a
stream of a thousand yards broad leaped down a
hundred feet and then became suddenly compressed
into a space of fifteen or twenty yards. The entire
falls are simply a crack made in a hard basaltic rock
from the right to the left bank of the Zambesi, and
then prolonged from the left bank away through thirty
or forty miles of hills. If one imagines the Thames
filled with low, tree-covered hills immediately beyond
the tunnel, extending as far as Gravesend, the bed of
black basaltic rock instead of London mud, and a
fissure made therein from one end of the tunnel to
the other down through the keystones of the arch,
and prolonged from the left end of the tunnel through
thirty miles of hills, the pathway being one hundred
feet down from the bed of the river instead of what it
is, with the lips of the fissure from eighty to one hun-
dred feet apart, then fancy the Thames leaping boldly
into the gulf, and forced there to change its direction
and flow from the right to the left bank and then rush
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. II9
boiling and roaring through the hills, he may have
some idea of what takes place at this, the most won-
derful sieht I had witnessed in Africa. In looking
down into the fissure on the right of the island, one
sees nothing but a dense white cloud, which, at the
time we visited the spot had two bright rainbows on
it. (The sun was on the meridian, and the. declina-
tion about equal to the latitude of the place.) From
this cloud rushed up a great jet of vapor exactly like
steam, and it mounted two hundred or three hundred
feet high ; there, condensing, it changed its hue to
that of dark smoke, and came back in a constant
shower, which soon wetted us to the skin. This
shower falls chiefly on the opposite side of the fissure
and a few yards back from the lip there stands a
straight hedge of evergreen trees, whose leaves are
always wet. From their roots a number of little rills
run back into the gulf; but, as they flow down the
steep wall there, the column of vapor, in its ascent,
licks them up clean off the rock, and away they mount
again. They are constantly running down, but never
reach the bottom.
"On the left of the island we see the water at the
bottom, a white rolling mass moving away to the pro-
longation of the fissure, which branches off near the
left bank of the river. A piece of the rock has fallen
off a spot on the left of the island, and juts out from
the water below, and from it I judged the distance
which the water falls to be about one hundred feet.
The walls of this gigantic crack are perpendicular,
and composed of one homogeneous mass of rock.
The edge of that side over which the water falls is
120 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
worn off two or three feet, and pieces have fallen
away, so as to give it somewhat of a serrated appear-
ance. That over which the water does not fall is
quite straight, except at the left corner, where a rent
appears and a piece seems inclined to fall off. Upon
the whole, it is nearly in the state in which it was
left at tjie period of its formation. The rock is dark
brown in color, except about ten feet from the bot-
tom, which is discolored by the annual rise of the
water to that or a greater height. On the left side
of the island we have a good view of the mass of
water which causes one of the columns of vapor to
ascend, as it leaps quite clear of the rock, and forms
a thick unbroken fleece all the way to the bottom.
Its whiteness gave the idea of snow, a sight I had
not seen for many a day. As it broke into' (if* I may
use the term) pieces of water all rushing on in the
same direction, each gave off several rays of foam,
exactly as bits of steel, when burned in oxygen gas,
give off rays of sparks. The snow-white sheet seemed
like myriads of small comets rushing on in one di-
rection, each of which left behind its nucleus-rays of
foam. I never saw the appearance referred to noticed
elsewhere. It seemed to be the effect of the mass
of water leaping at once clear of the rock and but
slowly breaking up into spray.
u I have mentioned that we saw five columns of
vapor ascending from this strange abyss. They are
evidently formed by the compression suffered by the
force of the water's own fall into an unyieldingwedge-
shaped space. Of the five columns, two on the right
and one on the left of the island were the largest,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 121
and the streams which formed them seemed each to
exceed in size the falls of the Clyde at Stonebyres
when that river is in flood. This was the period of
low-water in the Leeambye ; but, as far as I could
guess, there was a flow of five or six hundred yards
of water, which, at the edge of the fall, seemed at
least three feet deep."
From the falls, the explorer returned up the river
to Kalai, where, on November 20th, he bade adieu to
Sekeletu and the Makololo, and, with a company of
114 men furnished by the generous chief as escort
and to carry tusks to the east coast, struck out on
his long journey, first going northward, and for
several hundred miles leaving the Zambesi far to his
right. The journey for a long distance lay through
the country of the Batoka. All the tribes of this
people have the custom of knocking out their front
upper teeth when the individuals arrive at the age of
puberty. This is true of both males and females.
The under teeth in consequence grow long and pro-
ject outwards, giving the people a hideous appear-
ance especially when they laugh. Sebituane with all
his power was unable to eradicate this practice. The
women are very scantily clothed, but the men go
about in puris naturalibtts and without the smallest
sense of shame. Their mode of salutation is em-
phatic but singular. They throw themselves on their
backs on the ground, and rolling from side to side
slap the outside of their thighs as expressive of thank-
fulness and welcome, and uttering " kina bomba." The
chief of the Batoka was Monze, who came one Sun-
day, wrapped in an extemporized shawl, and saluted
122 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
the travelers, by rolling, clapping, and singing out
" kina bomba" like all the rest of them. These peo-
ple, though having many barbarous and repulsive
customs, were friendly and in their savage way quite
hospitable. While passing through the country of
the Batoka the travelers were visited by a number of
Bashukulompo, a tribe who live to the northward.
They wear their hair in immense cones, most of which
are constructed straight up from the head, but some
obliquely. To keep these ornaments Li order must
require as much attention as a modern belle gives to-
head-dress, chignon, braid, waterfall, and all. But it
may be claimed as a general truth, applying to all
races of mankind, that much attention is given to
the external portions of the head.
The country through which the expedition was
now passing, was one of great beauty. The grass
was green, trees were abundant, and instead of the
vast plains of the Londa territory there were high
ridges and hills, making the country such as is often
called rolling. It was not long after leaving Kalai
that the Lekene river was crossed, and soon after-
wards the Unguesi. These both flow to the west,
emptying into the Leeambye above the Falls of Vic-
toria. In the vicinity of the Mozuma or River of
Dila there were many ruins of large towns showing
that the country had in former times been inhabited
by large numbers of people. The depopulation had
been caused by war, for the principal ruins were worn
mill-stones and the round balls of quartz with which
the grinding was effected. Had the people removed
in peace, they would have taken these balls with.
Sayid Berg ash, Sultan of Zanzibar.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. I 1 25
them. Here Sebituane had formerly lived, and in
this beautiful pastoral region had formerly roamed
vast herds of cattle. The country was now well in-
habited, for large numbers came daily to see the
white men, but they were not the same who had for-
merly lived here.
There was no diminution in the number of wild
animals. With the exception of ostriches, and giraffes,
"game" was even more abundant than Dr. Living-
stone had ever found it in Africa. Elephants, buf-
faloes, zebras, and antelopes were thick as autumnal
leaves that strew the brooks in Vallambrosa. All
these beasts were exceedingly tame, and two or three
elephants were sometimes slain in a single day.
There were many birds of song, too, whose notes
were very pleasant, but appeared to the Scotchman
to have " a foreign accent." Their plumage, unlike
that of most of the birds of the tropics in the west-
ern hemisphere, is not brilliant. There are some
birds whose plumage is very gay and beautiful, and
specimens of these are found in museums; but as a
rule the feathers of the birds of central South Af-
rica are as plain as those of the birds of England.
The animals generally are smaller than those of the
southern part of the continent, a singular fact, seeing
that they have more food and a greater variety.
Farther along this journey Dr. Livingstone found
that the people built their huts in gardens on stages,
as a protection against the spotted hyena, a cowardly
animal, but which will attack persons when asleep.
He has amazing powers of jaw, and will crunch the
bones of an ox into powder for his food.
8
126 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
The travelers did not want for food. Not only
were the animals plenty, but many fruit trees grow in
these parts, and Dr. Livingstones companions and
escort were constantly eating as they journeyed. The
grass is shorter and richer than in most of the coun-
try which had heretofore been traversed and there-
fore better for the cattle. Flowers abounded also, so
that on all accounts, the explorer-missionary appears
to have been fully justified in claiming that years of
experience in traveling had taught him how to make
things comfortable. In addition, he was persuaded of
the healthiness of the country, and observing many
evidences of the existence of coal, confidence in the
establishment of a missionary station in this region
became strongly fixed in his mind. And the more
he saw of the people and their many savage customs,
the more was he convinced of the desirability of
commerce and missionary work among them.
On January 14th, 1856, the explorers reached the
confluence of the Loangwa and the Zambesi. Here
are the ruins of Zumbo, once quite a missionary sta-
tion of the Jesuits and a trading-post of the Portu-
guese. " I walked about some ruins I discovered,"
says Dr. Livingstone, " built of stone, and found the
ruins of a church, and on one side lay a broken bell,
with the letters I. H. S. and a cross, but no date.
There were no inscriptions on stone, and the people
could not tell what the Bazunga called their place."
These ruins were in reality all that was left of Zumbo.
There were ruins of eight or ten stone houses, which
had evidently been surrounded by capacious grounds,
,v church, and, on the opposite side of the Zambesi, a
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. \2*J
fort. The situation for a commercial site was excel-
lent, and the locality itself beautiful, but it seems that
the slave trade had demoralized both Jesuits and
merchants, in consequence of which the place fell into
decay and the melancholy spectacle of ruin which it
now presents.
The Portuguese and the African tribes through
whose country Dr. Livingstone was now about to
pass, had recently been at war, and though peace had
been declared the effect of late hostilities appeared in
suspicion, the rigid enforcement of " game laws," and
a desire to compel strangers to pay toll or tribute.
Hence for a long distance the party traveled so as to
avoid the villages and to see as little of the people
as possible. In short, to avoid trouble, dispute, and,
perhaps, conflict, the travelers " took to the bush,"
first negotiating with persons familiar with the coun-
try to guide them out of sight of the towns, and
whither they desired to go. By thus avoiding the
Africans, the party met more animals. This resulted
in some singular incidents. One is thus related :
" The bush being very dense and high, we were going
along among the trees, when three buffaloes, which
we had unconsciously passed above the wind, thought
that they were surrounded by men, and dashed through
our line. My ox set off at a gallop, and when I could
manage to glance back I saw one of the men up in
the air about five feet above a buffalo which was
tearing along with a stream of blood running down
his flank, When I got back to the poor fellow, I
found that he had lighted on his face, and, though he
had been carried on the horns of the buffalo about
128 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
twenty yards before getting the final toss, the skin
was not pierced, nor was a bone broken. When the
beasts appeared, he had thrown down his load and
stabbed one in the side. It turned suddenly upon
him, and, before he could use a tree for defence, car-
ried him off. We shampooed him well, and then went
on, and in about a week he was able to engage in the
hunt again."
Nevertheless, the great beauty of the country ; the
richness and variety of the vegetation, from tr.ees in
whose hollow trunks twenty men might easily have
reposed, to the most delicate flowers, some of which
came up in the morning, budded, bloomed, and passed
away before the day was done ; the frequent rains ;
the comparative coolness of the atmosphere ; the
hills and the swiftly-flowing rivers rendering constant
change to the scenery, — all these things together, es-
pecially as contrasted with the long, fatiguing
wadings through the vast watery plains of Londa
and the dull, level views of Kolobeng, gave great
cheerfulness to the traveler, and it may well be
doubted whether he would at this time have regarded
his own tossing by a buffalo, provided no limbs had
been broken, as anything more than a good joke.
Moreover, though the party for a considerable period
avoided head-men and villages, as we have seen, its
treatment during the journey, upon the whole, was
excessively generous and kind. " In few other coun-
tries," remarks Dr. Livingstone, " would one hundred
and fourteen sturdy vagabonds be supported by the
generosity of the head-men and villagers, and what-
ever they gave be presented with politeness."
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 29
On February ist of this year (1856) the party met
a number of native traders, and as some of his escort
were in the scant toilet of the Batoka, being that of
the garden of Eden with the exception of the fig
leaves, some American calico was bought for them.
It was manufactured at " Lawrence Mills, Lowell,"
Massachusetts, and the price paid for the quantity
here bought in " the kingdom of Chicova," as it has
been called, though erroneously, was two small tusks
of ivory. The explorer made careful examinations
in the district of Chicova for evidences of silver
mines reported to have been formerly worked there,
but could learn nothing tending to persuade him
that such had ever been the case. On the contrary,
the people knew not the difference between tin and
silver.
For a great distance now the expedition had been
through the country of the Banyai. The Govern-
ment of this people is peculiar, being a sort of feu-
dal republicanism. The chief is elected, and they
choose the son of a deceased chiefs sister in prefer-
ence to his own offspring. When dissatisfied with
one candidate, they even go to a distant tribe for a
successor, who is usually of the family of the late
chief, a brother's or sister's son, but never his own son
or daughter. The children of the chiefs have fewer
privileges than the free men generally ; but they can
never be sold into slavery. The Banyai are a fine
race. A great many of them are of a light coffee-
and-milk color. As they draw out their hair into
small cords a foot in length, and entwine the inner
bark of a certain tree round each separate cord, and
I30 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
dye this substance of a reddish color, they put the
explorer in mind of the ancient Egyptians. When
traveling, the Banyai draw this hair up into a bunch
and tie it on top of the head. They are very cleanly
in their habits.
On March 3d, the party reached Tete, a place on
the Zambesi, in possession of the Portuguese. The
commandant, Major Sicard, received Dr. Livingstone
with most generous welcome. He also presented his
men with abundance of provisions, and one of his
own houses in which to live, free from the bite of the
tampans, till they could construct their, own huts.
The bite of this insect sometimes causes fatal fever.
44 It may please our homoeopathic friends," says Dr.
Livingstone, "to hear that in curing the bite of the
tampan, the natives administer one of the insects
bruised in the medicine employed."
Formerly a place of very considerable importance,
Tete had now become comparatively a ruin, with but
two or three thousand inhabitants and insignificant
trade. The cause of decadence of Portuguese power
here is very clearly stated by Dr. Livingstone. At
first, considerable quantities of wheat, millet, maize,
coffee, sugar, indigo, besides gold and ivory, were ex-
ported. The agricultural resources of the country
round about are very great. Gold dust was procured
at various washings north, south, and west of Tete.
The interior swarmed with elephants, and ivory could
be bought for a song. Slaves were used in agricul-
ture, gold-washing, and elephant hunting. A market
for these was opened, and they were sold for trans-
portation. Thus the goose which laid the golden eggs
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 131
was slain. Tete declined, and is now of less import-
ance than a great majority of the county towns of the
United States. There is a wall about the old town,
within which are a few European houses. Most of
the people (natives) live outside the walls and engage
in agricultural pursuits, At the time of Livingstones
visit there were less than a score of Portuguese in
the place, with the exception of a few soldiers tem-
porarily stationed there on account of sickness at a
post lower down the Zambesi. All the country round
about available for agricultural purposes, is under
cultivation. The value of goods now required for
the trade of Tete is only about $45,000 annually.
Plantations of coffee, formerly profitable, and export-
ing considerable quantities, are now entirely deserted,
and hardly a single tree can be found. The indigo
is found growing everywhere and large quantities of
the senna plant grow in and about Tete but neither
is collected. There are no less than three gold-wash-
ings near Tete, formerly quite productive, now but
little worked. Dr. Livingstone himself was the dis-
coverer of coal deposits not far distant.
On the 2 2d of April, Dr. Livingstone left Tete,
and, a fine boat having been presented to him by
Major Sicard, the commandant, he proceeded by the
Zambesi to Senna, where he arrived on the 27th.
The voyage down the broad, deep, rapid river,
crowded with cultivated islands, and most of the way
bounded by shores of picturesque beauty, was like a
pleasure trip. The great traveler thought the state
of Tete quite lamentable, but found that of Senna
ten times worse. Every thing was in a state of stag-
I32 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
nation and ruin. There was but a single exception,
and this not among the Portugese or half-castes.
Some Africans were building boats after the Euro-
pean model. They are very well made and sell at
prices ranging from $100 to $500.
On the nth of May, the whole population of
Senna turned out to witness Dr. Livingstone's depar-
ture. His party was now small, a number having
been left at Tete and others here, hired to transport
government goods in canoes to the former place.
The commandant had liberally supplied provisions,
and the sail down the Zambesi to Mazaro, the begin-
ing of the great river's delta was very pleasant. At
Mazaro, the party took the way by the Kilimane
river, being that portion of the Zambesi known by
this name, and arrived at the town of Kilimane on
the 20th of May. This is a most disconsolate place,
in a marshy, unhealthful situation, several miles distant
from the ocean. Here the Missionary remained un-
til July 1 2th, when, accompanied by his faithful Ma-
kololo companion, Sekwebu, he embarked on Her
Majesty's brig " Frolic" for Mauritius. The voyage
was made in precisely one month. Sekwebu was a
general favorite on shipboard, and rapidly picked up
a knowledge of English. At Mauritius a steamer
came out to tow the vessel into the harbor. Sek-
webu, the strain on whose mind by new and con-
stantly changing scenes had been severe, and had
given evidences of aberration, now became insane,
and on the following day cast himself into the sea,
and pulling himself down by the chain cable, was
drowned. Poor fellow ! This was the last that was
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 33
ever seen of this fine Makololo gentleman. A long
and careful search for his body was unsucessful.
— And here it will be proper to take a retrospective
view of the missionary labors, explorations, scientific
researches of Dr. Livingstone thus far made in the
continent which had so long sat in darkness.
It will be recollected that he arrived at Cape
Town, in the extreme southern portion of Africa in
1840. When, therefore, he sailed from Kilimane in
July, 1856, he had been sixteen years engaged in
laboring, in that part of the world about which the
least had been known, for the advancement of the
cause of Christian civilization and the progress of
knowledge and science. If the preceding pages and
extracts have not been prepared in vain, those who
have read them have correctly concluded that Dr.
Livingstone is no ordinary " missionary of the Gos-
pel." It is much, very much, to be that. He is that,
and more. We find in him, for instance, many of the
elements of a successful statesman. If he cannot
get all he thinks desirable, he will take all the good
that he can accomplish, trusting to time, reflection,
and God's good providence to bring about the re-
mainder. This admirable characteristic was most
happily illustrated, so far as individuals are con-
cerned, in the notable case of Sechele, chief of the
Bechuanas. Had it been undertaken to bring him
into the church "with a rush " there might indeed
have been a temporary success, but he probably
would have gone out with a rush before long, and
accomplished great and long-continued harm instead
of good. Long established institutions — or habits and
134 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
customs, if you please, of tribes of men whose exist-
ence has continued for many centuries — are not to be
hastily overthrown, even though they may have been
established in error, or, if you please again, human
depravity. A child with a hammer in its hand, or a
lunatic, can undermine St. Peters and bring down the
majestic pile in ruins. Genius, patience, long years
of labor would be required even to rebuild it. The
faculty of tearing down is oftentimes admirable, but
when one can destroy evil by replacing it with good
he has the true inspiration of heaven and the mag-
nificent genius of progress. If Dr. Livingstone did
not leave Kolobeng with so many professing believ-
ers in the religion which he espoused as might have
been encouraging to the sanguine, he at any rate
succeeded in eradicating some of the most lamenta-
ble notions of barbarism from the minds o( the Bak-
wains, and implanting instead of them some of the
most beneficent teachings of the Christian system.
Thus were several wars prevented among the tribes
of South Africa by the power of the self-same truths
which have guided to illustrious triumphs of peace
the international polity of Mr. Gladstone and John
Bright, and this long before the Joint High Com-
mission between Great Britain and the United States
had been dreamed of. If the Bakwains were not
taken at once from the gloom of barbarism and
placed on a plane of civilization, they were placed
fairly in the road leading thither, and year by year
they have been going on in the right direction.
They are no longer barbarians. A thousand degrad-
ing habits and customs and lamentable errors have
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 35
been abandoned. They are growing into civilized
beings ; and their civilization will be Christian.
A similar fact is true of Dr. Livingstone's influence
among the Makololo. Sebituane, who established
this singular people in permanent power and rude
prosperity throughout a large proportion of cen-
tral South Africa, though a man of war, possessed,
indeed, by nature, with a military genius of most
remarkable scope and versatility, was undoubtedly
greatly the superior in moral attributes of his suc-
cessor, Sekeletu, as he certainly was among the
foremost of all modern Africans of whom we have
any knowledge in practical statesmanship. He was
in reality a much greater man than many a hero of
classical story and song, and may with no little ap-
propriateness be called the Robert Bruce of central
Africa. Had Sebituane lived a few years longer, it
cannot be doubted that, with Livingstone's practical
assistance, the condition of the Makololo would have
been vastly improved. But, though Sekeletu is much
inferior in ability and ambition to Sechele, not to
mention Sebituane, yet is he, through Livingstone's
influence, a much wiser and abler ruler than, accord-
ing to all probability, he could otherwise have been,
and his people are more ambitious, more prosperous,
more happy. They too are on the way to a better
and higher stage of existence. Their huts are better
than they were ; they are improving their breeds of
cattle ; their system of agriculture has progressed ;
many savage punishments and customs have been
abolished ; their growth in moral and intellectual
I36 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
strength is evident. Sekeletu, though greatly inferior
to Sebituane, rules over a superior people.
Now it is certain that in acquiring his prodigious
influence over either the Bakwains or the Makololo,
Dr. Livingstone preached and prayed on all proper
occasions ; and no one has a higher appreciation of
the efficacy of preaching and praying. He did more.
He taught the people how to build houses ; how to
mend wagons ; how to do a thousand little things
whereby they would be made more comfortable. Thus
by degrees their minds were opened to receive the truth
that the ways of civilization are good ; and one by one
old prejudices were eradicated, old errors were aban-
doned, and the power of truth and justice more and
more acknowledged. It is probable that since the
advent of Dr. Livingstone among them, the Bak-
wains and Makololo have progressed as much in
government, trade, agriculture, as the Saxons of Eng-
land did during several generations after the battle
of Hastings. Had he devoted himself strictly to re-
ligious teaching, no such result could have taken place.
The genius of common sense gave him a notable tri-
umph ; and let it never be forgotten that common
sense ought ever to be regarded as one of the best of
the Christian graces. To go without this to a hea-
then land is simply to cast pearls before swine.
Another fact that ought to be considered in any
candid review of this explorer-missionary's labors in
South Africa is his evident comprehension of the
whole situation. He not only considered Africa from
the Christian point of view — speaking here in some-
what of a technical sense — but he looked upon it as
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. I37
a field also for humanitarian efforts ; for scientific re-
searches ; for investigations of all kinds whereby the
sum of knowledge might be increased ; for the spread
of commercial relations with other peoples ; for ad-
vance in a knowledge of political economy. Hence
he had no qualms of conscience upon leaving his
Bakwain friends to look out for themselves for a sea-
son while he should, undertake a journey to the in-
terior. Thus he discovered Lake Ngami, whereby
his power as a missionary preacher was in no degree
increased, but his influence with the world of letters
and science was. So, too, his discovery of the Zam-
besi river in the central portion o( South Africa
greatly aided in making his character respected by
many leading minds of the world, who by this means
were led, first, to have a respect for missionaries, and
then for the cause which missionaries represented.
Many a fine mind in Christendom which had thought
of the Africans about as Cuvier might have thought
of a rhinoceros, Agassiz of a megatherium, or Colonel
Foster of a mound-builder, through these discoveries
was led to reflect at least upon the importance if not
the duty of preventing such vast masses of humanity
as lived round the lakes and along the magnificent
rivers of Africa from going to waste. Thus Chris-
tianity received a valuable reinforcement of allies if
not of devotees.
Patience, in great degree, is, perhaps, possessed only
by extraordinary minds. It enabled Dr. Livingstone,
having opened the way for civilization in Africa to
continue his explorations in other portions of the con-
tinent, with sublime confidence that the present and
I38 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
the future would take all practicable advantages of
the past. It thus happened, as a consequence of his
comprehensive views and his sublime patience, not
only that men of letters and scientific savants every-
where became interested in Africa, in addition to the
various organized Christian societies for the spread
of the Gospel in heathen lands, but the spirit of com-
mercial enterprise was aroused in that behalf. The
Christian church, the literati, including herein the
newspaper press, the devotees of science, have vast
influence in the world ; but when these are reinforced
by what we call the commercial world, they are sure
not only to carry the war for civilization, progress,
and profit, into Africa but through it, and bring to
development all the resources of the people and the
country. We know nothing that can stand against a
cause, sustained by the prayers of the Christian church
and supported by the power of the men on 'Change.
This three-fold character of Dr. Livingstone's la-
bors and explorations in Africa is a demonstration
of his remarkable genius. Had he been only a mis-
sionary, his work might have demonstrated his per-
sonal piety and been long remembered by religious
societies. Had he been only a missionary and scien-
tific explorer, he might have been long highly es-
teemed by both religious and learned bodies. Being
a missionary, a scientific explorer, and a man thor-
oughly acquainted with the necessities, the wants,
and the enterprising spirit of the commercial world,
he drew to the field of his labors the hearty
interest of those mighty powers which, when allied
together, never have known, and never will know,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 39
such word as fail. America would perhaps be hardly
better known than Africa to-day, had the conversion
of the aborigines been the only motive impelling to
the exploration of the country. Now that the nat-
ural agricultural, manufacturing, and mineral resources
of the country of the black man have become known,
and the spirits of Christian propagandism, of intel-
lectual progress, and of commercial enterprise have
been aroused in behalf of that continent, there can
be no reasonable doubt that its progress during the
coming few years will be greater than that of the past
hundreds of generations.
Such, it cannot be questioned, is but a fair outline
of the general character of this great explorer-mis-
sionary's work in Africa and a justifiable prophecy of
its probable results.
Those whose labors are purely intellectual — and
these in all ages have been, upon the whole, the great-
est benefactors of mankind — are apt to underesti-
mate the genius of those whom we generally call " men
of action." Dr. Livingstone is a man of action not only
but one whose whole life has been that of exceeding
hard work. Bodily and intellectually he has ever been a
working man. His labors in Africa, extending over
a period of sixteen years, included moral instruction,
medical attention, mechanical pursuits, scientific re-
searches, astronomical observations, and a series of
explorations in an unknown country and among sav-
age, barbarous tribes, without a parallel, perhaps, all
things considered, in all authentic history of personal
adventure. When he went to South Africa, in 1840,
the vast interior was wholly unknown. In the north-
140 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ern part of South Africa on the west coast, there
were a number of Portuguese settlements. Along the
coast for several hundred miles and inland some two
or three hundred, the natives were semi-subject to
this foreign people. The trade of the country was
principally in slaves and ivory. Below this expanse,
known on the maps as Lower Guinea, the coast ap-
peared to be a vast extent of bleak and barren des-
ert. South of the Orange river and extending here
across the continent and on the east side still farther
north was a collection of English and Dutch Colo-
nies, and provinces under somewhat civilized native
government, all being more or less under the influ-
ence of the British of Cape Colony, the largest of all.
Stretching northward along the east coast were Mo-
zambique and Zanzibar under Portuguese and Moham-
medan rule, but inhabited by tribes who were discon-
tented and warlike. These portions of the east
coast had long been in a state of decadence, a melan-
choly fact, which was in large measure owing, as
shown d/ Dr. Livingstone himself, when speaking of
the ruins of Zumbo, Tete, and Senna on the eastern
Zambesi, to the prevalence of the slave trade. As
to the vast interior of this continental rim all was
unknown or conjecture, except here and there a spot
where a missionary had established a station, and
whence had irradiated some rays of knowledge to the
outside world. Such was the situation of South
Africa when Dr. Livingstone, in the full vigor of
young manhood, appeared upon the scene, a recently-
graduated physician and an humble missionary. He
soon proceeded about a thousand miles into the in-
Sayid Suliman, Grand Vizer of Zanzibar.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 143
terior, and, learning the language of a people who
inhabit a wide expanse of country, established a mis-
sionary station. By a genuinely philosophical and
liberal, comprehensive plan of education, he gradu-
ally brought this people to adopt many of the most
beneficent rules and practices of civilization. Before
he left Africa, it could not with truth be said that they
were a barbarous people. Meantime, he had crossed
the great desert of Kalahari and discovered Lake
Ngami and the Zambesi river in the centre of South
Africa. The contributions thus made to the geog-
raphical knowledge of the world have been univer-
sally and generously recognized, as have been also
by the scientific his contributions in botany, geology,
and natural history. This journey, by different
routes, was made several times ; and it is not improb-
able that his suggestion of obtaining water — the only
want of this " desert," wonderfully prolific in grasses
and animals which require little water — by means of
artesian wells may result in reclaiming a vast expanse
to cultivation and wealth.
The journey from Cape Town to St. Paul de Lo-
anda, particularly that portion of it between the
region of Lake Ngami and the Portuguese colony
must be regarded as a momentous undertaking, with
results, at the the time and to come, of the greatest
importance. By this journey, he traversed some
thirty-one degrees of latitude and about fifteen de-
grees of longitude. The route, in general, was in
the shape of the arc of an immense circle, and the
journey could not have been much less than three
thousand miles in length. Remaining a consider-
9
144 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
able period among the Makololo, a great people,
numbering many tribes inhabiting the central portion
of South Africa, from Lake Ngami on the south
nearly to the confluence of the Leeba, and the Lee-
ambye on the north and a corresponding distance
east and west — a district about as large as France —
he became greatly influential among them, and was
the means of greatly benefiting their condition. It
was in the country of the Makololo that Dr. Living-
stone discovered the Zambesi, with the great falls of
Gonye and the wonderful cataract of Victoria. Be-
tween here and the limits of the Portuguese power
he discovered vast plains for many weeks of the year
covered with water, and then with beautiful flowers
thick as grass. Here too he found a river part of
whose waters sought outlet in the Indian ocean, and
part in the Atlantic. He discovered that Lake Di-
lolo was the water-shed between the two oceans, and
yet that for vast distances on either side the general
elevation of the country, beyond the immense flat
plains in the midst of which is Dilolo, is thousands of
feet higher than that at the water-shed. Hence he
practically discovered that the general form of this
great portion of Africa was that of an immense basin,
with crevices here and there for the escape of the
water through the rims to the sea* This practical
discovery was not made, however, until Dr. Living-
♦When Dr. Livingstone arrived in England in 1856, he discovered that Sir
Roderick Murchison, the distinguished geologist, in his discourse before the
Royal Geographical Society in 1852, had enunciated, from Bain's geological
map of Cape Colony and a few other data, a hypothesis of the configuration of
the African continent, here entirely confirmed by Dr. Livingstone. The latter's
great work is dedicated to Sir Roderick, in fitting terms, with this fact happily
mentioned.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 45
stone had, through incredible difficulties, reached the
sea shore on the east coast, and was returning again
on his journey "across the continent."
This journey, of which we have just given a rapid
sketch traversed twenty-five degrees of longitude. It
was in distance traveled about two thousand miles,
and as the one from Linyanti, the capital of the
Makololo, to Loanda, the capital of Portuguese An-
gola, demonstrated the practicability of a route to the
ocean on the west, so did this in the opposite direc-
tion. When, therefore, Dr. Livingstone reached the
delta of the Zambesi, he had shown by his own ex-
plorations that journeys could be made to central
South Africa from the east, the west, and the south.
He had become acquainted with large numbers of
tribes, about all of whom were addicted to polygamy,
some to repulsive customs and superstitions, idola-
trous rites and degrading beliefs. He found many
of these people who had large herds of cattle and
who in a rude way gave considerable attention to
agriculture. Many were little inclined either to su-
perstition or true religion. Few had any notion of
trade until he himself taught them by precept and
example what it was. He had discovered several
lakes and beautiful rivers, immense level plains of
great fertility, many lovely valleys capable of produc-
ing heavy crops of grain. He had discovered sev-
eral deposits of coal, and had visited gold washings
which might again be made profitable. Portions of
the country are without forest, others are covered
with trees, some of which are the largest and most
majestic in the world.
I46 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Thus in his travels of more than nine thousand
miles, this great explorer had taught scholars how to
make geographical and geological maps of a very
large portion of the globe. He had interested in its
people and in its growth and development the efforts
of the Christian, the learned, and the commercial
public. Those efforts, in the nature of things, will
not cease until the continent shall everywhere become
the abode of the friends of civilization and progress
and the scene of many of their permanent and benefi-
cent triumphs. Surely if man ever deserved rest from
his labors, Dr. Livingstone now did.
CHAPTER VII.
DR. LIVINGSTONE IN ENGLAND.
His Reception by His Countrymen— The Preparation of His Work Entitled
" Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa"— Favorably Received
by Christendom.
We left Dr. Livingstone on shipboard in the island
of Mauritius, lamenting the untimely death of his
long-time Makololo companion, Sekwebu. He re-
mained here enjoying the good climate and English
comfort, and getting well of an enlargement of the
spleen — caused by some thirty different attacks of
the African fever — for several months, and then de-
parted for England. Taking the route by the Red
Sea, and happily avoiding a threatened shipwreck, he
reached home on the 12th of December as happy
and grateful a man, no doubt, as there was in the
three kingdoms.
One remarkable effect of Dr. Livingstone's long
sojourn and travels among the tribes of Africa was
that, so far as his native language was concerned, it
almost untongued him. He had so long almost ex-
clusively spoken in one or another foreign language
or dialect, and for nearly five years had only met with
an Englishmen now and then, that when he went
aboard the " Frolic" off Kilimane, he found himself
almost tongue-tied. " I seemed to know the language
perfectly," says he, "but the words I wanted would
not come at my call." By the time he reached Eng-
147
I48 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
land, however, this cause of embarrassment among
Englishman had greatly diminished, and he could re-
spond to the hearty receptions with which he was
everywhere greeted in good vigorous Saxon. Soon
there was no halt in his speech at all.
It is probably true that no returned missionary
ever met with a more cordial reception by his coun-
trymen than did Dr. Livingstone. He was welcomed
by all classes of people, while religious bodies, mis-
sionary societies, and select circles of learned men
hastened to express their appreciation of his great
labors and discoveries. Medals, fellowships, and mem-
berships of various associations for the cultivation and
spread of knowledge and science were conferred upon
him. Nor were these recognitions confined to asso-
ciations in his own country, but came also from
France, the United States, and other lands. During
the period of his absence the public press of his na-
tive land and the United States had been so wonder-
fully enlarged in scope by the magnetic telegraph,
and its influence had been so greatly increased in
consequence thereof and of the enterprising spirit
of certain journalists whose names have since become
celebrated throughout the world, that it might well
be said a new power had grown up in the state and
society. Reports of meetings in honor of Dr. Liv-
ingstone were carried by ten thousand of the swift-
est wings all over the kingdom, and very soon after-
wards all over the United States. Thus, in all that
vast portion of the world where the English is the
language of the people, more was known in a few
days of his explorations in Africa than would have
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 49
been known to the learned few in many weeks or
months had those explorations ended about the time
at which they commenced.
It was impossible that the world should be satis-
fied with the mere outlines of a career which had
been so adventurous and so useful as that of this
great explorer in Africa. The more the press pub-
lished in regard to it, the more the public perceived
that a full account could not but contain a vast quan-
tity of interesting and valuable reading matter. Ac-
cordingly, Dr. Livingstone was induced to prepare
that volume — " Missionary Travels and Researches
in South Africa" — upon which his literary fame with
the world at large thus far rests, and which unfolded
to the reading public a series of strange pictures
upon which the public has ever since looked with
deep and growing interest.
The preparation of this volume, which, it is be-
lieved, may w r ith justice be pronounced a work which
the world will not willingly let die, was, perhaps, the
most difficult of all Dr. Livingstone's great under-
takings. " The preparation of this narrative," he
says in his preface, " has taken much longer time
than, from my inexperience in authorship, I had an-
ticipated." And he goes on to say that " those who
have never carried a book through the press can
form no idea of the amount of toil it involves. The
process has increased my respect for authors and
authoresses a thousand-fold." The work was really
commenced upon the invitation of Sir Roderick
Murchison, President of the Royal Geographical Soci-
ety, which had given Dr. Livingstone a special meet-
I50 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ing of welcome upon his return from Africa. The
design came near being frustrated, however, by the
explorer's inability to provide for his Makololo escort
and companions, whom he had left at Tete, Senna,
and Kilimane (often spelled Quilimane). This diffi-
culty was overcome, however, by His Majesty Don
Pedro V., of Portugal, who sent out orders for the
support of these men until Dr. Livingstone should
return. Thus freed from care on this account, he
proceeded with his work of authorship, and gave to
it, as must be evident to every one who has carefully
examined it, the greatest study and pains. As a
work of literary art, it is surely one of the most com-
plete successes among books of the kind which have
ever been published. Perhaps it may truthfully be
called among books of its general kind the greatest
success.
The work was completed and went to press in the
year 1857, and at once met with the most generous
reception by the reading public and the favorable
judgment of critics. It was speedily republished in
the United States, where very large editions were
rapidly sold. No inexperienced author of a work of
a serious nature ever found his way more rapidly t6
the general reading public than David Livingstone.
His book was a faithful dauguerreotype of his labors
in Africa, and these, as we have already seen, were of
a three-fold nature ; such, namely, as to be of special
interest and value to all Christian denominations in-^
terested in the work of missionaries ; to all men de-
voted to the acquisition and spread of scientific
knowledge; and also to that large, influential, and
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. I5I
practical class of men who conduct the trade and
commerce of the world. For all these, he was in-
spired by his remarkable genius to construct a work
which was at once instructive, interesting, and valu-
able. And hence the fact that his work was favor-
ably received throughout Christendom was but na-
tural, and one of the logical results of the liberal
spirit with which he did everything that he was called
upon to do.
And here, perhaps, it might be well enough to close
the account of the literary labors and results con-
nected with Dr. Livingstone's first sojourn in Africa.
It may be well to remark, however, that even before
the appearance of his great work, several attempts
were made in England to impose upon the public, as
his, spurious narratives of his travels. The journals
of London, however, were quick to expose them, and
the booksellers utterly refused to have anything to
do with them, greatly to the credit and honor of the
trade. Some two years after his work was published,
a volume appeared in America, the title-page of
which was almost identical with that of the original
work, and upon which copyright was published as
secured according to law. It is simply the work of
Livingstone, greatly and most injuriously abridged,
with an addendum giving an outline of a few dis-
coveries in Africa, familiar to every school boy. So far
as it goes, it is Livingstone, word for word, but very
many pages to which he evidently gave the greatest
study and in which he took the greatest pride, are en-
tirely omitted. Thus, for example, the whole of his
interesting account of the discovery of Lake Dilolo
j£j2 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
as the water-shed of central South Africa, with that
singular river sending part of its waters to the At-
lantic, part to the Indian Ocean, is expunged. Other
equally interesting portions of the work are wanting.
And this book is duly " entered according to the act
of Congress." It is like authorizing some one to take
out a copyright on the play of Hamlet, whose author-
ship in the business had consisted in removing Ham-
let altogether from the drama. Such murder of
genius in accordance with the forms of law is hardly
less than atrocious. Perhaps that wretched travesty
of Mr. Dickens's most brilliant and powerful novel,
which travesty goes by the name of " Newman
Noggs" and is often represented on the American
stage, is copyrighted. These things being so, do we
have any copyrights which white men, or any other
men, are bound to respect ?*
And here the great explorer might have rested
upon his laurels. None of his cdtemporaries had
done more, all things considered, for religion, science,
and mankind. Had ambition only guided him he
would have been content ; but genius and duty im-
pelled him to again forsake those " English comforts,"
* There is a patent medicine originally compounded in the United States—
and it is understood to be good enough in its way — known as "Perry Davis's
Pain Killer." Merit and reservoirs of printer's ink made it famous. It was
proceeding in a perfect march of triumph against the combined pains — particu-
larly those of the stomach — of America and Europe, when a noted manufacturer
of Mustang liniment got up a "pain killer" and labeled his vials with an exact
fac simiU— Perry Davis's jolly head and all— of the other. The fact becoming
known, he was compelled to peremptorily stop this spurious business. It is
something that the great republic protects the regular workings of men's stom-
achs. After a while it may give some proper protection to the labors of men's
brains.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 153
which are, in fact, perhaps, the most comfortable in
the world* and proceed for the second time to that
continent about which he had himself thrown a pe-
culiar charm and interest which, it would appear, can
only increase with time, and as modern enterprise
and civilization extend their triumphs and their
beneficent influences over the land on so large part
of which he was long the solitary and intrepid ex
plorer.
* I so conclude from a lecture which I happened once to hear in a Western
town, entitled " English Hearts and Homes," by Mrs. Celia Logan — the most
instructive and interesting essay I ever heard a lady read on the platform.
CHAPTER VIII.
LIVINGSTONE'S SECOND (AND PRESENT) EXPEDITION TO
AFRICA.
Again Sails for Africa— Painful Reports of His Death— The Long Suspense in
Regard Thereto— Conflicting Reports.
Among great men who have had much to do in
directing the destinies of nations or any considerable
number of mankind, there have been two kinds — one
class, who supposed they controlled events and by
imperial will and power mastered circumstances and
the course of Providence ; the other, composed of
those who have modestly imagined they were but in-
struments in the hands of a Superior Power through
whom some of his beneficent designs were to be ac-
complished. Among the former was Napoleon Bo-
naparte, who probably thought that in many particu-
lars God was entitled to high respect, but that in the
general conduct of military campaigns, He could not be
compared with the French Emperor. It is historically
true that the men of this class have generally inflict-
ed great evils upon mankind. Of the other class of
great men, David Livingstone is a conspicuous ex-
ample ; and the one thing of which he is the most
unaffectedly ignorant is his own genius. " If the
reader remembers," he modestly remarks near the
close of his work, " the way in which I was led, while
teaching the Bakwains, to commence exploration, he
will, I think, recognize the hand of Providence."
And he goes on to show how, previously to this, Se-
154
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 55
bituane had gone north and from a country larger
than France expelled hordes of bloody savages, and
occupied their country with a people speaking the
language of the Bakwains. Then again he was sin-
gularly turned toward the west instead of the east
coast of Africa, it thus happening that when he re-
turned upon his great expedition across the continent,
the country was at peace and his life saved. Mean-
lime, Sechele himself at Kolobeng had become a
missionary to his own people and they were becom-
ing civilized. " I think," he concludes, " that I see the
operation of the unseen hand in all this, and I hum-
bly hope that it will still guide me to do good in my
day and generation in Africa."
But this explorer was withal eminently practical.
He wanted British merchants as well as English mis-
sionaries to go to Africa, and thinking that philan-
thropy and profit were equally interested, he believed
that the explorations he had already made fully jus-
tified the opinion that still further discoveries might
completely demonstrate the facti that Africa was not
only a great missionary field but might become of
the greatest value in the commercial world through
the production especially of cotton and sugar. " I
propose," he says, " to spend some more years of la-
bor, and shall be thankful if I see the system fairly
begun in an open pathway which will eventually ben-
efit both Africa and England."
From all which it is clear that the second expe-
dition of Dr. Livingstone to Africa, and which has
not yet (in 1872) been concluded, was the result of
a deliberate ooinion that, with the blessing of heaven,
I56 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
he might be able to accomplish that which should
result in great good to Africa and at the same time
help to increase the trade and commerce of his own
country. ' Impelled by such worthy and unselfish mo-
tives, he again left England in March, 1858, and
sailed for Kilimane. He had resigned his position
as missionary for the London Society, but the British
government had appointed him consul at Kilimane,
with the understanding that he was not on this ac-
count to give up his character of explorer. On the
contrary, he was supplied with a small vessel, and ac-
companied by a number of scientific associates, made
a number of exploring expeditions by which his ideas
in respect to the production of cotton and sugar and
the overthrowlofjthe slave traffic were greatly encour-
aged, and the conclusion reached that it would not
be long before the opening of commercial intercourse
between European nations and the tribes of South
Africa. It was afterwards discovered by Mr. Young,
in charge of an English expedition of search, which
proceeded far up the Zambesi river, that the memory
of Dr. Livingstone was highly revered, and his in-
fluence manifested in the moral improvement of the
people and the advancement of their material inter-
ests. Subsequently, Dr. Livingstone made an ex-
pedition in a large region of country drained by the
river Rovuma, which, along the east coast of Africa
is a sort of boundary between Mohammedan and
Portuguese authority. For this expedition a steamer
was provided, but it was found to be of too great
draft of water to be of much service. Dr. Living-
stone, therefore, with the object of accomplishing the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 157
great design. of his second voyage to Africa, returned
to England, having re-explored a large portion of
country along the Zambesi and visited for the first
time the tribes of a large extent of country several
hundred miles north of the Zambesi in its eastward
course. This return to England was, however, but a
part of the expedition upon which he had started in
1858, or rather an episode in it, without which the
original object — the discovery of the principal water-
shed of the African continent, including the sources
of the Nile — would not have been accomplished.
Whilst, therefore, Dr. Livingstone has made three
voyages from England to Africa, it will be more con-
venient to group his series of explorations under the
general heading of two great expeditions — the first,
under the auspices of the London Missionary So-
ciety, the second under those of the Royal Geo-
graphical Society, with special assistance from the
British government.
For the completion of the series of explorations
of this expedition, upon which the explorer is, in 1872,
still engaged, he left England, August 14th, 1865, ac-
companied by his daughter as far as Paris. Thence
he proceeded to Bombay, and provided himself with
materiel and men for the work before him. From
Bombay he proceeded to Zanzibar, and on March
28th, 1866, left that island accompanied by two boys
— Chanma and Wakotasie — a number of Sepoys,
several men from Johanna Island, and some Suahili
from a school at Bombay, and having reached the
main land proceeded to the interior by the river
Rovuma. As he proceeded he from time to time sent
I58 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
back accounts of his progress and the interesting
incidents of his explorations. But late in this year
the leader of the Johanna men arrived at Zanzibar
with a story that Dr. Livingstone had been murdered
on the shores of Lake Nyassa by a band of Mazitus.
The tale had such an air of truth that no one doubted
it. Moosa's story being fully credited, the world quite
generally gave up Dr. Livingstone as lost. Dr. G.
Edward Seward, resident agent of the English gov-
ernment at Zanzibar, condensed Moosa's information
into a dispatch to Lord Stanley, Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, of which the following is the
principal portion :
"Zanzibar, Dec. 10, 1866.
"My Lord — I send you the saddest news. Dr.
Livingstone, in his despatch from Ngomano, informed
your Lordship that he stood ' on the threshold of the
unexplored.' Yet, as if that which should betide him
had already thrown its shadow he added: — ' It is but
to say little of the future.'
" My Lord, if the report of some fugitives from his
party be true, this brave and good man has ' crossed
the threshold of the unexplored' — he has confronted
the future and will never return. He was slain, so it
is alleged, during a sudden and unprovoked encoun-
ter with thos^ very Zulus of whom he says in his
despatch, that they had laid waste the country round
about him and had ' swept away the food from above
and in the ground.' With an escort reduced to twenty
by desertion, death and dismissals, he had traversed,
as I believe, that terra incognita between the conflu-
ence of the Loende and Rovuma rivers, at Nyomano,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. l6l
and the eastern or northeastern littoral of Lake
Nyassa ; had crossed the lake at some point as yet
unascertained; had reached a station named Kom-
poonda or Mapoonda, on its western, probably its
northwestern, shore, and was pushing west or north-
west, into dangerous ground, when between Marenga
and Mukliosowe a band of implacable savages stopped
the way, a mixed horde of Zulus, or Mafilte and
Nyassa folk. The Nyassa folk were armed with bow
and arrow, the Zulus with the traditional shield, broad
bladed spears, and axes. With Livingstone there
were nine or ten muskets ; his Johanna men were
resting with their loads far in the rear.
" The Mafilte instantly came on to fight ; there was
no parley, no avoidance of the combat ; they came on
with a rush, with war cries and rattling on their shields
their spears. As Livingstone and his party raised
their pieces their onset was for a moment checked,
but only for a moment. Livingstone fired and two
Zulus were shot dead (his boys fired too but their
fire was harmless) ; he was in the act of reloading
when three Mafilte leaped upon him through the
smoke. There was no resistance — there could be
none— and one cruel axe cut from behind him put
him out of life. He fell, and when he fell his terror
stricken escort fled, hunted by the Mafilte. One at
least of the fugitives escaped; and he, the eye-wit-
ness, it is who tells the tale — Ali Moosa, chief of his
escort of porters.
" The party had left the western shores of Nyassa
about five days. They had started from Kompoonda,
on the lake's borders (they left the havildar of Sepoys
10
1 62 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
there dying of dysentery ; Livingstone had dismissed
the other Sepoys of the Bombay Twenty-first at Ma-
taka), and had rested at Marenga, where Livingstone
was cautioned not to advance. The next station was
Mahlivoora ; they were traversing a flat country,
broken by small hills, and abundantly wooded.
" Indeed, the scene of the tragedy so soon to be
consumated would appear to have been an open for-
est glade. Livingstone, as usual, led the way, his
nine or ten unpractised musketeers at his heels. Ali
Moosa had nearly come up with them, having left
his own Johanna men resting with their loads far in
the rear. Suddenly he heard Livingstone warn the
boys that, the Ma-zitus were coming. The boys in
turn beckoned Moosa to press forward. Moosa saw
the crowd here and there between the trees.
" He had just gained the party and sunk down be-
hind a tree to deliver his own fire when his leader
fell. Moosa fled for his life along the path he had
come. Meeting his Johanna men, who threw down
their loads and in a body really passed Moosa, his es-
cape and that of his party verges on the marvelous.
However, at sunset, they, in great fear, left their for-
est refuge, and got back to the place where they
hoped to find their baggage. It was gone, and then,
with increasing dread they crept to where the slain
traveler lay.
" Near him, in front, lay the grim Zulus who were
killed under his sure aim ; here and there lay scat-
tered some four dead fugitives of the expedition.
That one blow had killed him outright, he had no
other wound but this terrible gash ; it must have
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 63
gone, from their description, through the neck and
spine up to the throat in front, and it had nearly de-
capitated him. Death came mercifully in its instant
suddenness, for David Livingstone was ever ready.
" They found him stripped of his upper clothing,
the Ma-zitus had respected him when dead. They
dug with some stakes a shallow grave and hid from
the starlight the stricken temple of a grand spirit —
the body of an apostle, whose martyrdom should
make sacred the shores of that sea which his labors
made known to us, and which now, baptized with his
life's blood, men should henceforth know as ■ Lake
Livingstone.'"
Dr. Seward added the following postscript to his
despatch to the foreign office :
" The date of Dr. Livingstone's death is left as
much to conjecture as the place of his grave. All
that we certainly know is that he was at Nyomano
on the 1 8th of May last; that he proceeded to Mat-
aka, whence he sent a despatch to this Consulate.
From Mataka he is said to have made for and struck
Nyassa, which he crossed ; but where, or where Mat-
aka is, cannot be ascertained. The runaway Reuben,
with the Sepoys, states that Livingstone left Mataka
a few days before they set out on their return jour-
ney to Zanzibar. They were one month and twenty
days on the road to Keelwa, which they reached
during the latter days of September. It may be in-
ferred from this that Livingstone left Mataka about
the middle of last July. The Johanna men named
six weeks as the probable time of their return jour-
ney from Mapoonda to Keelwa with the slave cara-
164 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
van. The fight with the Zulus took place sixteen
days before they set out. They reached Keelwa in
November, Zanzibar the 6th of December. Roughly,
then, we may conjecture the death of their leader to
have happened during September. The statements
of our informants as to time, distance, and direction
are distressingly vague and untrustworthy."
The publication of this despatch at once created
a profound sensation throughout the civilized world.
There being no apparent reason to doubt the truth-
fulness of the story, it was quite universally accepted,
and most men lamented the death of the great ex-
plorer with unfeigned sadness. The obituary notices
which appeared in the public journals and proceed-
ings of many learned bodies demonstrated the fame
of Dr. Livingstone in a manner which will surely be
exquisitely agreeable to him when he shall read the
eulogiums, as, it is to be hoped, he may soon do. Dr.
Kirk, of Zanzibar, who had, in former years, accom-
panied Dr. Livingstone in some of his explorations,
gave the man Moosa a long and careful examination
and cross-examination, and the longer he proceeded
the more terrible the facts connected with Dr. Liv-
ingstone's death appeared. A letter from him, gen-
erally published and quoted by all journals, seemed
to leave the painful reports fully and abundantly con-
firmed. The world's sorrow, therefore, expressed in
every proper way, was, to all appearance, entirely
reasonable.
Nevertheless, there were those who did not put
their trust in Moosa's story. Among these was Sir
Roderick Murchison, whose reputation for sagacity
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 65
in England was very high. So early as 1844, Sir
Roderick had announced, from the examination of
certain rocks brought to him for study, the existence
of gold in Australia, and had vainly endeavored to
enlist the aid of government in behalf of practically
testing the question. We have seen that he cor-
rectly decyphered the general geological formation
of central South Africa before the practical discovery
of the fact by Livingstone. By these and other
things of like nature, Sir Roderick had acquired the
reputation of a prophet. He could give no special
reason for his opinion, but he did not believe Moo-
sa's story of Livingstone's death, and the fact of his
want of faith in it made many suppose there might
be ground for doubt after all. Sir Roderick was sus-
tained in his doubts by Mr. E. D. Young, an African
traveler of considerable experience who came for-
ward and said that Ali Moosa belonged to a treacher-
ous race. Suppose he had betrayed Dr. Livingstone,
how else than by a cunningly-devised story of his
death could he prevail upon the British consul to pay
him. Here, at least, was a motive for the story, and
it soon had many to believe in it. The consequence
was a variety of conflicting reports and conflicting
opinions, in the midst of which the Royal Geographi-
cal Society organized a search expedition and placed
it under the charge of Mr. Young.
On the 8th of August, 1867, the little steel boat
" Search," Mr. Young in command, was pointed up
the Zambesi river, under the most explicit and com-
prehensive instructions from the Geographical So-
ciety. At Shupanga, the grave of Mrs. Livingstone
1 66 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
was visited, and such attention given it as was re-
quired. On the 4th of September, Mr. Young heard
of a white man having been seen on Lake Pama-
lombi, which is far south of Lake Nyassa, the scene
of the reported death. Young proceeded thither
and became convinced that the white man was Liv-
ingstone. Continuing the search, he found that his
views were from day to day confirmed by the reports
of natives and articles which the explorer had left
with them subsequent to the time of his reported
murder. The search was continued till toward the
close of the year, with the result that Dr. Livingstone
had certainly been seen at a long distance from the
Lake Nyassa, months after he had been reported
killed. The expedition under Mr. Young did not
find Dr. Livingstone, but discovered enough to de-
monstrate that Ali Moosa's story was an ably and
cunningly devised romance. Then the Geographical
Society received letters from Livingstone himself,
which proved that he was alive and well in February,
1867, some six months after Moosa's heroic but vain
defense near Lake Nyassa. Authentic reports of his
presence on Lake Ujiji in October of the same year
were received. But about this time Sir Roderick
Murchison published a letter in the London " Times"
newspaper, confidently predicting, on intelligence
which he supposed to be reliable, Dr. Livingstone's
return to England about the coming Christmas. It
has since transpired that Sir Roderick was imposed
upon by a round-about story from Trincomalee in the
island of Ceylon, which had been based upon an en-
tire misunderstanding of something that had been
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 67
said by Dr. Kirk, British Consul at Zanzibar, and the
report of which was first transmitted from Trin-
comalee.
Dr. Livingstone did not appear in accordance with
his friend's prediction, and the consequence was a
new variety of reports of misfortune and death.
Conjecture was free ; nothing had been lately heard
from him ; the suspense of the public in regard to
the fate of one in whom there was so deep and uni-
versal interest was absolutely painful. And it was at
this time of intense public anxiety that an expedition
was set on foot, the like of which had not previously
been known and the complete success of which has
bestowed upon its projector and commander im-
perishable renown.
CHAPTER IX.
THE HERALD EXPEDITION OF SEARCH.
The Great Development of Modern Journalism — The Telegraph — James Gor-
don Bennett, Horace Greeley, Henry J. Raymond — The Magnitude of
American Journalistic Enterprise — The Herald Special Search Expedition
for Dr. Livingstone — Stanley as a Correspondent — The Expedition on its
Way Toward Livingstone.
It has already been remarked that among the
many important events which had occurred in Christen-
dom during Dr. Livingstone's first great series of ex-
plorations in Africa there were none of greater im-
portance to mankind than the invention of the mag-
netic telegraph, and the prodigious development,
consequent thereon — at least in great part — of the
newspaper press. There is not so much difference in
means of travel, between the great, lumbering wagon
of Cape Colony, drawn by a number of oxen which get
over a few miles in a whole day and the means of travel
by the best of America's great railways, as there is be-
tween the means of current daily intelligence in 1872
and the means of that current daily intelligence as
they existed when Dr. Livingstone first placed foot in
Africa. If a daily journal of the manner and style of
one of that time were to be now established, it would
be looked upon like a curious relic of the past or an
old almanac.
Nor is it strictly just to attribute the wonderful
i$8
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 69
development of public journalism since about the
year 1840 wholly to the success of Prof. Morse's
invention of the magnetic telegraph. His success
was largely due to the press, which at the time he
sought aid of Congress in behalf of his discovery had
already begun to be something more and something
better than the mere organ of power or of party. At
any rate it may with perfect safety be said that the
practical success of Prof. Morse's invention was con-
siderably hastened by the influence of a public press
into which had recently been infused an independent
spirit and a consequent influence before unknown.
Up to about the time of which we speak the most
widely circulated journals of the United States had
been printed at the National Capital, a city which
had never been representative of the country's trade,
its literature, science, art,-or labor. It was only the
seat of government, the centre of the political power
of a nation which claimed to lodge its political power
in the people. Here flourished a number of journal-
ists of the old school, whose skill in political manipu-
lation, money making, and editorials without begin-
ning and without end, can never be surpassed. There
is at this time more intelligence of the current events
of the day in the poorest daily journals of the " far
West" than there used to be in the " national organs"
of the respective political parties contending for the
control of our national polity. That neither one nor
the other could have justly claimed any great amount
of practical wisdom may be asserted with confidence
since the result of the rule of both — now one and
now the other — for a long period of years was a civil
170 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA
war of long duration and exhaustive effects, growing
out of a question which both the great parties of the
times had "finally" settled by act of Congress and
solemn resolution on more than one memorable oc-
casion.
It was while this not very admirable fooling was
about at its height, that certain knights of the quill,
no less adventurous in their enterprises than Dr.
Livingstone was in his explorations through the
wilds of Africa, established themselves in the com-
mercial metropolis of America, and soon became the
head of a power in the land scarcely second to that
of the government. If not a new estate in govern-
ment, this power became a new estate in society.
There sprang up an entirely new literature ; a liter-
ature which, as regularly as the sun, appeared every
morning, and soon came to be, to all well informed
persons, about as necessary as the sun is to the physi-
cal world. There was no subject too abstruse, none
too sacred, none too high, and few too low for the es-
says of the brilliant, daring, dashing minds which
about this time threw themselves into the arena of
journalism. Not a few who had been distinguished
in the literature of former days became journalists,
and the most celebrated of American novelists, the
illustrious author of the " Leatherstocking Tales,"
finding himself too " slow" for the times, became in-
curably disgusted with men who cared little for vener-
able antiquity, and spoke of thrones and principali-
ties, and powers, not to mention the writers of books,
with all the sarcasm, wit, and irreverence of Junius
and with infinitely more popular power. Here was,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 171
as we have said, a new literature. What difference
was it that the individual essays were only for a day ?
Every day there were essays equally good, and they
treated of political topics more fully and candidly
than political topics had ever been discussed before
by public journals, and they also treated of almost
everything else under the sun. Every advance in
science, every attempt at social or political reform,
every humanitarian endeavor, every attack upon
abuse and crime claimed to be hallowed by the lapse
of time, every current event of importance of every
kind, whether of fact or of idea, here in this wonder-
ful kaleidescope could be seen, and then seen to give
way to new spectacles of equal interest. Here the
people were educated. There never has been dis-
covered a means of education so powerful and so
universal. It is, doubtless, owing to the fact that so
many minds in America capable of creating a " per-
manent literature" devoted themselves to this poten-
tial means of influence, thereby losing their individu-
ality but for the time being augmenting their power,
that we have not yet produced an American Thack-
eray or even an American Dickens. In the formative
era of what may well be called journalism proper, a
very large proportion of existing genius has been
called into such active use, in America, that it has
not had leisure for books. And even in England,
many of the most distinguished thinkers have served
their regular terms as journalists.
Among the most celebrated of modern journalists
was James Gordon Bennett, the founder of the New
York " Herald" newspaper. A native of Scotland
I72 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
and a Roman Catholic in religion, he was educated
for the priesthood, but whether, like John Randolph
of Roanoke, he perceived that he had "too much
spice of 'old Nick'" in his composition for the sacred
calling, or on other account, he did not take orders,
but emigrated to America instead. After various
fortune — generally misfortune — embracing teaching,
translating, and associate-editorship, he embarked
upon the " Herald" enterprise in 1835. It was not
until some years afterwards, however, that this jour-
nal acquired any considerable reputation outside the
city of New York, and inaugurated those news en-
terprises which made it so celebrated and a not .un-
faithful chronicler of the passing events of the whole
world. During the era of " special correspondence"
the " Herald" maintained an extensive corps of writ-
ers in Europe and other foreign countries, who ever
gave to the paper great interest and value.
Meantime, other young men, since distinguished,
had been educating themselves as journalists, and,
like Bennett, through various fortune. Among them
was Horace Greeley, who established the first penny
daily paper ever published in the world, but its foun-
dations soon gave way. In 1841 the " Tribune" was
established, and Mr. Bennett discovered in the great
and varied abilities of Mr. Greeley and Henry J.
Raymond, assistant editor, rivals whom no assaults
could repress, and whose influence soon began to be
felt and acknowledged throughout the country. The
warfare long waged between these journalistic giants
was always sharp, often fierce. The intense rivalry
greatly augmented the enterprise of the printing
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 73
offices which at length became vast establishments,
employing thousands of men, from the greatest intel-
lects of the age to the ragged urchins on the street,
and receiving and disbursing vast sums of money.
The invention of the telegraph added immensely
to the scope and power of the daily press. Greatly
increasing its expenditures, it also greatly augmented
its circulation and profits. Its demand for brain-la-
bor became perfectly prodigious, and it almost mo-
nopolized the genius of the land. In the city of New
York there were established within a very few years
after Morse's invention had begun regularly to click
the news of the day no less than four morning jour-
nals of acknowledged reputation throughout the
world, and which upon certain memorable occasions
of current intelligence have contained in their com-
bined columns nearly as great an amount of reading
matter as the whole of Bancroft's history of the United
States* The average quantity of these journals'
reading matter, of interest to the general public, is
equivalent, every day, to from three to five volumes
of Bancroft's distinguished work.
Other cities of the republic have been little if any
behind the commercial and financial metropolis, ex-
cepting only the city of Washington whose most suc-
cessful journalism of the old school has given way at
least till quite recently, to be a series of wretched
failures.
♦As I write this, I take a copy of the Chicago " Tribune" of the day, and
find, by actual calculation, that it contains reading matter, exclusive of adver-
tisements, equivalent to more than 350 pages of Bancroit. Among this mat-
ter is a profoundly thoughtful speech by Horace Greeley, delivered hundreds of
miles distant the night before. At this writing, he is a candidate for the chief
office in the American republic.
174
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Editorials of a journal published in the largest city
of our Lake country, which was a straggling hamlet
when Dr. Livingstone first went to Africa, have been
known to make the proudest speculators of Wall
street tremble, and powerful corporations to abandon
long-conceived schemes of injustice. In an exhaust-
ive article on the United States census of i860, the
New York " Tribune" said of the public press :
" The very great increase in the circulation of
newspapers and periodicals during the last ten years
is an evidence at once of a high* degree of popular
intelligence and of a high standard of journalistic
ability. There is no doubt that this country has the
best, and the best sustained public press in the world
— the best, we mean, for the people and not merely
the learned few. Newspapers penetrate to every part
of the country, reach even the most obscure hamlet,
and find their way to almost every household. Print-
ing offices go with the vanguard of civilization to-
ward the west, and in the ' new country' are about as
numerous as the mills. The dailies of the great cit-
ies cannot be carried by the government mails ; they
have created, during the decade, an entirely new line
of business, supporting thousands of families; on
issues fairly joined they have defeated many of the
most maturely considered measures of Congressional
Committees."
Having given the statistics in regard to the num-
ber and circulation of the periodicals and papers of
the country at the time under examination, the arti-
cle goes on to say :
"The total number of daily papers thrown from the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 75
press during the year is about half that of all the
other papers and periodicals combined. Supposing
each one to weigh an ounce, the weight of the whole
number of daily papers printed in the United States
during the year of the census was 28,644,678 pounds
avoirdupois — enough to load 14,322 wagons with a ton
each, or to make a train of them seventy miles in
length. Were all the papers and periodicals printed
in i860 placed in such a train, it would reach from
New York to Richmond. Should they be pasted into
one vast sheet, they would make a covering for the
continent, and leave a remnant large enough to shut
out the sun from the British Islands.
" But, not to dwell upon the mere material aspect
of the Public Press of America, it will suffice to say
that if its records shall be preserved the historian
of two thousand years hence who shall narrate the
events which are now taking place, will find upon
their dingy pages his best authorities and his most
trustworthy sources of philosophical generalization.
Not all that is left of Grecian literature, not all the
grand works of the fine old Romans, give so correct"
a picture of the great peoples of antiquity as the
daily papers of America are now taking of a people
far greater than that whose phalanges swept down the
barbarians from the Hellespont to the Indus, or than
that ' the tramp of whose legions echoed round the
world.'"
To such magnificent proportions and such stupen-
dous influence had the American press grown during
Livingstone's first sojourn in Africa. When he left
England, its chief business was to chronicle small
176 EXPLORATIONS IN ,AFRICA.
been When he returned its power was more than
imperial, and all exercised through persuasion. As it
had grown in America, so it had been immensely de-
veloped in other lands, but in respect of the publi-
cation of current intelligence at the time of the hap-
pening of events, the American press is not ap-
proached by that of any other country. There is
more telegraphic news in almost any number of any
Chicago daily, for example, than the average quan-
tity of such intelligence in the London " Times."
An additional impetus to the enterprise of journal-
ism was given by the success of the Atlantic cable
during Dr. Livingstone's second great expedition to
Africa. It is difficult to believe these great facts
though they have occurred before our very eyes.
This wonderful achievement of science, aided by the
no less wonderful enterprise of the daily press of the
United States, made the inhabitants of Christendom
like next-door neighbors. A dispatch from Athens,
in Greece, was once published by all the evening daily
journals of the United States at an earlier hour than
its date. The difference of time and the " girdle
round about the earth" put the inhabitants of the
Mississippi Valley, as they took their suppers, in a
situation in which they might have criticised an or-
ation by Demosthenes before he had gone to bed, had
Demosthenes belonged to this day and generation.
Thus had the press become the great means of the
dissemination of knowledge, and by reason of the
wonderful enterprise of its most distinguished repre-
sentative men, far more potential in the affairs of the
world than any potentate or any government. It had
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. I 79
come to be acknowledged as of the greatest conse-
quence in the dissemination of science, in popular-
izing literature, in aiding moral, social, and political
reform. But the irrepressibility of its enterprising
spirit, its superiority even to the most powerful gov-
ernment in respect of obtaining intelligence remained
to be conclusively shown. And even this was done by
the expedition of Mr. Henry M. Stanley, in the em-
ploy of the New York " Herald," in search of Dr.
Livingstone, long lost from Christendom in the wilds
of central Africa.
So deep an interest did the government of Great
Britain take in discovering the truth of the reports
of the explorer's death, first given to the world
through the story of Ali Moosa, as condensed by Dr.
Seward, English Resident Agent at Zanzibar — the
substance of which appears in the preceeding chap-
ter — that an expedition in that behalf was organized,
and after many hundred miles of journeyings by river
and land found unmistakable evidences that Moosa's
story was a cruel fabrication. So, too, when years
had elapsed without definite information from Dr.
Livingstone, and there arose a world of wild conject-
ure as to his fate, the British government again or-
ganized an expedition of search, which, as we have
seen, was at last accounts from it at Zanzibar, well
prepared for an expedition inland but waiting for a
proper season at which to begin the journey.
Meantime the great discoverer is discovered in the
heart of equatorial Africa by Mr. Henry M. Stanley,
in command of an expedition of search sent out under
the auspices of an American newspaper, the New
11
l8o EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
York " Herald." Thus did newspaper enterprise ac-
complish that in which the combined efforts of
wealthy religious societies, learned corporate bodies,
and one of the most powerful governments of earth
had failed. A brief account of this unique expedition
will be of interest :
During the civil war in the United States — 1861-
65 — among the many "war correspondents" of the
" Herald" was Mr. Stanley, just Mentioned. He was
not so much distinguished as a writer as he was val-
uable to the journal on account of his fearless nature
and his restless activity. In imitation of Tennyson's
charge of the Light Brigade, he would pursue an
item if the search should carry him " into the jaws of
hell." Restrained by no danger, almost insensible to
fatigue, he could ride all day and write all night
almost, and keep up this hard work for an indefinite
period. After the war he went abroad and from va-
rious countries, generally out of the way of ordinary
lines of travel, corresponded with the " Herald.'
When the proprietors of that journal — the elder Mr.
Bennett was then living — determined to organize a
" Herald Special Search Expedition," they naturally
selected Mr. Stanley as its commander. This was in
1868. Mr. Stanley at once accepted the charge, and,
after some hesitation as to whether he should pro-
ceed through Egypt up the Nile, or by way of Zanzi-
bar and then westward overland, or by the line of the
river Rovuma, the route taken by Livingstone, he at
length resolved to go by way of Zanzibar. This is
an island, and town also of the same name, off the
coast of Zanguebar, and is toward the southern limit of
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. l8l
Mohammedan rule in Africa. Here Mr. Stanley ar-
rived in due season, and hence wrote his first letter
in this special service, under date of February 9, 1869.
It chiefly had reference to Livingstone's previous ex-
plorations, the story of his death, and its refutation.
But the report that he was only about a week's march
inland from Zanzibar also received a quietus, and
Mr. Stanley was well nigh persuaded to retrace his
steps to Egypt and proceed by way of the Nile, in
consequence of the following note from the United
States Vice Consul :
"Island of Zanzibar, Dec. 26, 1868.
" Dear Sir — I should be most happy to assist you
in any way whatever ; but, in reply to your note, I
beg to assure you of my candid belief of his non-
appearance. There is not the slightest probability
of his ever coming again to this island. Dr. Kirk
the British Vice Consul here, and who was with Dr.
Livingstone for some years during his travels in
Africa, thinks it more than probable that he will
come out at the Nile, and has not the least expecta-
tion of having the pleasure of seeing him here. In
September, 1868, Her Majesty's ship Octavia, Sir
Leopold Heath, C. B., left here, and as I see by the
Bombay papers, on her arrival at Trincomalee, which
is in Ceylon, reported that when she left Zanzibar
Dr. Livingstone was reported within a week's march
of the coast. This, if you saw it, probably misled
you also to believe he would come here, but it is
hardly necessary to say that the statement was with-
out the slightest foundation of truth, and was prob-
1 82 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ably written from some entire misconception by the
writer of some conversation which took place be-
tween him and Dr. Kirk. Trusting, however, you
will succeed on the other side, I am, dear sir, very re-
spectfully,
" Francis R. Webb,
" United States Vice Consul.''
Nevertheless, Mr. Stanley determined to go on
and telegraphing to an acquaintance residing at
Khartoum, Upper Nubia, to send him word, if any-
thing should be heard from Livingstone, went forward
with the preparations for his journey. He was doubt-
less cognizant of the fact also, that the " Herald" had
another Search expedition on foot to which the Khe-
dive of Egypt was rendering generous encourage-
ment and assistance. It may well be imagined that
the drafts upon the " Herald" at this time for neces-
sary outlays in the purchase of horses, asses, and sup-
plies and the employment of a sufficient escort —
mainly consisting of a number of Arabs — were not
light. The preparations, after months' delay, caused
by war in the interior, were at length made, and
the expedition left Zanzibar on the long-ago trail of
the great explorer.
And here it will be proper, while we are awaiting
intelligence of its difficulties and final great success,
to speak of the previous life of him who was to make
so many hearts glad by tidings of the safety of the
most distinguished explorer of our times.
CHAPTER X.
HENRY M. STANLEY.
Sketch of the Life of Mr. Stanley Before Beginning the Search for Livingstone
— His Enthusiasm, Courage, and Endurance — Travels in Asia — Statement by
the Hon. E. Joy Morris, Ex-United States Minister to Constantinople— Be-
gins the Great Enterprise of His Life.
Henry M. Stanley, the leader of the " Herald"
expedition of search, is a native of the State of Mis-
souri where he spent his boyhood and youth. The
system of popular education in Missouri was never
successfully put in operation during the existence of
slavery in that commonwealth. Like most of the boys
of the State, Stanley grew up, having many more
physical than intellectual exercises. He developed
and strengthened sinew and muscle, however, and be-
came accustomed to danger, and was therefore, all
unconsciously to himself, being educated for the great
work of his life. His parents died when he was about
eighteen years of age, leaving him a small estate, but
without a calling or profession by means of which to
obtain a livelihood. This was during the late Amer-
ican civil war. Though the income from his patri-
mony would have gone a good way toward his sup-
port, he felt that it was his duty to earn his subsist-
ence by his own exertions, herein manifesting a spirit
of independence which is a quite general characteristic
of Western people. He had already shown a literary
183
1 84 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ambition, and some of his verses had appeared in
rural journals, and, though regretting the want of a
regular course of mental training, he resolved that he
would become a writer for the press. Looking about
for a field in which he might distinguish himself he
sought employment as a " war correspondent" of the
New York " Herald." " His chief recommendation
at this time," says a great journal, " was his energy
and industry and fearlessness in collecting facts, not
the style in which he told them ; for although he had
previously shown some indications of literary ability,
his pen was as yet neither practiced nor fluent." His
energy, industry, and fearlessness were doubtless
better appreciated in the " Herald" office than by the
general public, but his reputation as a writer grew
with time, and he constantly performed his corres-
pondential duties to the satisfaction of his exper-
ienced employers.
Of an adventurous nature, he took a warm interest
in the attempt of the Cretans, in 1866, to throw off
the Turkish yoke and establish their independence.
With the object of joining the Cretan army he sailed
for Europe, first making arrangements for corres-
pondence with the "Herald." He was not pleased
with the leaders of the revolution, and declined to
volunteer in the army of the famous little island.
It appears that he had a sort of roving commis-
sion from the " Herald," and now undertook a jour-
ney on foot with a few travelling companions of his
own country, by which it was contemplated to pass
through Asia Minor, the provinces of Russian Asia,
the Khanates, Bokhara, and Kiva, Eastern Turk-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 85
estan, and so through China to the coast. This pro-
ject came, however, to a disastrous end. The little
party had not penetrated more than about an hun-
dred miles from Smyrna, when it was attacked by
Turkish brigands, completely plundered, and com-
pelled, in consequence, to return. Arriving at Con-
stantinople in the most sorry plight, the members of
the party were kindly received by the Hon. E. Joy
Morris, then United States Minister to the Turkish
Sultan, and their wants supplied by a check upon the
generous Minister's private banker. An account of
the affair, written by Mr. Stanley, had appeared in a
public journal of the country, so that Mr. Morris had
been apprised of the facts — afterwards fully sub-
stantiated in a court of justice — before the travellers
appeared, in shabby attire attesting a needy situ-
ation.
Inasmuch as one of Mr. Stanley's companions —
Noe by name — afterwards brought a charge of cruel
treatment against the " Herald" 'representative dur-
ing this journey so disastrously terminated, it will
be well here to give a statement made by Mr. Mor-
ris. It is all the more in place here, because it re-
lates certain facts in Mr. Stanley's life, and deline-
ates certain prominent points of his character so
faithfully that it may be regarded as almost strictly
biographical. After the appearance of Mr. Noes
charge against Stanley, the " Herald" sent a reporter
to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where Mr. Morris was
temporarily residing, instructed to get such infor-
mation from him as he might feel disposed to com-
municate. An account of the interview was published
1 86 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
in the " Herald" of September 7th, 1872. The sub-
stantial portions follow :
" Mr. Morris — I first met Mr. Stanley, or at least
heard of him, in October, 1866. I was then at my
country residence in Bujukdere, on the Bosphorus,
and while there I received intelligence from Con-
stantinople stating that three American travellers,
named Stanley, Noe, and Cook, had been barbar-
ously and cruelly treated and robbed of all their ef-
fects by a band of Turks in Asia Minor. In the ad-
vance of the arrival of the travellers at the Turkish
capital, Stanley sent an account of the occurrence to
the " Levant Herald," a paper published in English,
in which the particulars of the attack were all fully
narrated. I lost no time in taking the necessary
steps, when the tidings reached me, for the protection
and relief of my countrymen when they should ar-
rive. Meantime the Turks, who were the perpe-
trators of the outrage, had been captured and con-
veyed, strongly guarded, to Broussa, a small town
near the Sea of Marmora.
"Reporter — Did you see the Americans on their
arrival ?
" Mr. Morris — I did : the American Consul Gen-
eral and myself were both waiting to receive them
when they arrived, and of course they immediately
repaired to the Embassy when they got into the
city.
"Reporter — What appearance did they present?
" Mr. Morris — A most miserable appearance, sir.
If ever the condition of men presented the traces of
cruel treatment theirs did. Mr. Stanley's own plight
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 87
fully corroborated his story. He had been stripped
of all his clothing, and though he had been enabled
to procure some outside covering by the generosity
of Mr. L. E. Pelesa, agent of the Ottoman Bank at
Aflund-Karahissar, he had neither shirt nor stock-
ings on when he came to me, and he showed other
evidences of great suffering. I relieved his more
pressing necessities and advanced him a loan of
money to procure an outfit for himself and his com-
panions. I considered it to be my duty to do this,
both as American Minister and as an American who
was bound by the tie of nationality to stand by my
countrymen in distress. I gave Mr. Stanley a check
on my banker and he drew the money — ^150. The
first thing he did was to repay the agent of the Ot-
toman Bank the amount advanced by him, and then
he took his companions to a clothing bazaar, and
both he and they procured the clothing of which they
were so much in need.
"Reporter — What security had you for your loan ?
" Mr. Morris — I had no security, nor did I ask any.
The money was advanced without condition of any
kind. I see it has been stated by Noe that the
amount was given in consequence of a draft which
Stanley offered, payable by a person in New York.
This is false ; no draft was given to me at that time,
nor was any promise of a repayment made until
subsequently. I advanced the money as a loan,
asked for no security, nor was there any offered.
Some time after Mr. Stanley inconsiderately did give
me a drafts but I looked upon this as altogether super-
flous, and did not attach much value to the act,
1 88 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
though it may have been well meant. The draft
proved valueless, but it is unnecessary to enter into
details of a transaction which has been long satis-
factorily settled between Mr. Stanley and myself, and
which does not, as I said before, concern any persons
outside ourselves. I may state, however, that the
action of Mr. Stanley was superfluous in another way,
as Mr. Cook, Stanley's fellow traveller, came to me
after the money had been sent and assumed all re-
sponsibility connected with the loan, stating that if
the money was not recovered from the Turkish gov-
ernment he would personally indemnify me, giving
me his American address.
"Reporter — What impression did you form about
Mr. Stanley at the time?
" Mr, Morris — I regarded him as a young man of
great courage and determination; his countenance
showed this, it being stern, almost to severity but
with nothing sinister about it.
"Reporter — Did Noe, at any time during the stay
bring any charges of cruelty against Stanley?
" Mr. Morris — None that I recollect of, though
he was at perfect liberty to do so. As stated before
the Turkish outlaws were taken to Broussa, and after
some time had elapsed they were placed upon trial.
As there was no American Consul at the place, I
obtained from Lord Lyons a promise that the British
Consul, Mr. Sandison, should watch the trial and at-
tend to the interests of my clients, Stanley, Cook, and
Noe, who were all present as witnesses at Broussa.
The Turks were placed upon trial and attempted to
defend themselves, but the evidence against them was
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 89
overpowering. Some of the effects of Stanley and
his party were found upon their persons, including
$300 which the party carried, and they were convicted
and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.
" Reporter — Did Noe swear to all the facts ?
" Mr. Morris — He did ; and his sworn statement
will, if I mistake not, be found in the archives of the
State Department. I never was more astonished in
my life than I was when I heard that he now states
that everything he related at Broussa while under
oath, was entirely false.
"Reporter — What steps did you institute to obtain
restitution from the Turkish government.
" Mr. Morris — I had Stanley and the others draw
up an inventory of the effects which had been lost
and they attested to the losses upon oath as being in
every instance correct. I then forwarded the claim
to the Turkish Minister, including the money ad-
vanced by myself, which of course was included
among the losses. The entire amount, as near as I
can recollect, was about twelve hundred dollars, and
the claim was prosecuted on our part with the great-
est vigor and pertinacity.
"Reporter — Did Stanley and his friends remain in
Constantinople after the trial ?
" Mr. Morris— Not long. Stanley and Noe left for
England, and Cook remained some time behind set-
tling affairs. Before separating an agreement was
entered into between them and me that if I recov-
ered any money it was to be sent to Cook, as, I be-
lieve, it was he that bore the expenses of the journey
to Smyrna. Soon after Cook left. I urged the claim
I9O EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
time after time upon the Turkish government, but
did not meet with much success, and at length I was
about to abandon the prosecution of the claim in de-
spair, when the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Saferet Pacha, called upon me at my residence and
offered to compromise the case by giving a smaller
amount. I had some conversation with the Grand
Vizier, Ali Pacha, about the same time and I accepted
the proposition in the amicable spirit in which it was
offered. The money was paid, and I first took out of
it the ^150 which I had lent. The balance of the
money I sent to Cook.
"Reporter — Did any of the money go to Stanley?
" Mr. Morris — Not a cent. I received a letter from
Noe, in which he desired to have a part, but as I did
not wish to be dealing with too many parties I sent
the money as I said, to Cook ; but Stanley did not
finger any of it, and if Noe was treated with any in-
justice Cook was the person he had got to look to,
not to Stanley or me. This closed the transaction
at the time, and I heard nothing more of the parties
for some years.
"Reporter — When did you see Mr. Stanley again ?
" Mr. Morris — During the last year of my official
residence in Turkey. In that year a distinguished
American clergyman called upon me at the Embassy
and asked me did I remember anything about a per-
son named Stanley. I answered in the affirmative,
and he then stated that Mr. Stanley had desired him*
to call relative to a long-standing debt of ^"150, which
he believed was owing to me, which had never been
settled and which he was desirous to pay. I told the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. IQI
clergyman that the matter had been long settled and
that I had been paid. The gentleman further stated
that Mr. Stanley desired to call upon me, and I re-
plied that he was at perfect liberty to do so. The
same evening Mr. Stanley and the clergyman called
and by invitation remained to dinner. The two gen-
tlemen had come on from Egypt together, and the
clergyman had an admiration which almost amounted
to veneration for the character of the ' Herald' cor-
respondent.
" Reporter — Was Mr. Stanley much changed in his
appearance and manner?
" Mr. Morris — Wonderfully. The uncouth young
man whom I first knew had grown into a perfect
man of the world, possessing the appearance, the
manners and the attributes of a perfect gentleman.
The story of the adventures which he had gone
through and the dangers he had passed during his
absence were perfectly marvellous, and he became
the lion of our little circle. Scarcely a day passed
but he was a guest at my table, and no one was more
welcome, for I insensibly grew to have a strong ad-
miration and felt an attachment for him myself. In-
stead of thinking he was a young man who had barely
seen twenty-six summers you would imagine that he
was thirty-five or forty years of age, so cultured and
learned was he in all the ways of life. He possessed
a thorough acquaintance with most of the eastern
countries, and, as I took an interest in all that related
to Oriental life, we had many a talk about what *he
had seen and what I longed to see. He stated to
me that he had a sort of roving commission for the
I92 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Herald, but that he had exhausted all known
countries and was at a loss to understand where he
should go next. I said to him, ■ Stanley, what do
you think of trying Persia ? That is an unexplored
country, and would well repay a visit if you could
get back with your life.' Stanley thought over the
proposal, and rapidly came to the conclusion he
would go. I busied myself in procuring him letters
of introduction to the Russian authorities in the
Caucasus, in Georgia and in other countries through
which he would have to pass. He saw the Russian
Ambassador at Constantinople in person, who was
so well impressed with him that he made extra exer-
tions to facilitate his progress to the mysterious
home of the Grand Llama. I had some time previ-
ous to this had a Henry rifle sent me from a friend
in New York, as a specimen of American art, and
this I presented to Stanley, with my best wishes for
the success of his undertaking. He started on the
desperate enterprise some time after, and my table
thereby lost one of its most entertaining guests.
When I say desperate enterprise I mean it, for Per-
sia is to a European a practically unexplored coun-
try; and, in consequence of its weak government
and the marauders with which it abounds, a journey
to Zanzibar or Unyanyembe would be a safe trip
compared to it. How Mr. Stanley accomplished the
task he undertook the columns of the Herald will
tell. I received a letter from him, while on the
way, narrating the hospitable manner in which he
had been entertained by the Russian authorities, and
the way in which he had astonished them by the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 93
performances of his Henry rifle. His journey
through the Caucasus and Georgia was a sort of
triumphal march, though he was looked upon as a lost
man by all who knew anything of the East. The
route he took was an entirely new one, as he went
in a kind of zigzag way to Thibet, and he must have
a charmed life to have come through so much peril
in complete safety. After this affair I returned home,
and I did not hear of Mr. Stanley again until I heard
of him as the discoverer of Livingstone.
" Reporter — Were you astonished at hearing of the
latter fact ?
" Mr. Morris — Not in the slightest. I would be
astonished at no feat in the line of travel that he
would accomplish. He is a born traveller. He has
all the qualities which the great explorers possessed —
Mungo Park, Humboldt, and Livingstone himself —
a hardy frame, unflinching courage, and inflexible
perseverance. If such a thing were possible that I
were forced to become a member of a band to under-
take some forlorn hope, some desperate enterprise, I
know of no one whom I would so readily select as
the leader of such an undertaking as Henry Stanley.
I receive his narrative of the discovery of Living-
stone with implicit faith, and from my knowledge of
him and his character I am lost in wonder that his
story should be for an instant doubted. That he has
found Livingstone is, in my opinion, as great a cer-
tainty as that you are now in Atlantic City. The
perils of a journey into the interior of Africa would
have no terrors for him."
A considerable portion of the year 1868 was spent
194 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
by Mr Stanley in Abyssinia, where he accompanied
the British expedition against King Theodore. He
accompanied the English army as far as Magadla,
and on several occasions was enabled to transmit
accounts of the expedition, embracing most import-
ant news, to the " Herald" in advance of intelligence
sent to the British government. The people of
America were thus supplied with intelligence of this
singular British foray in northeastern Africa before
the people of England, and it may well be suspected
that they know more of the Anglo- Abyssinian war to-
day than the people of England generally know. Mr.
Stanley's remarkable successes in Abyssinia were
highly appreciated by the " Herald," and the quest
for Dr. Livingstone being now fully determined upon,
there was no hesitation in placing him in charge of
the expedition.
Mr. Stanley is now about twenty-nine years of age #
He is a thick-set, powerful man, though short of
stature, being only about five feet seven inches in
height. He is a sure shot, an expert swimmer, a fine
horseman, a trained athlete. But few men living have
had more experience in " roughing it." A better
selection for the command of its singular undertak-
ing the " Herald" could not possibly have made.
And this the result, so astonishing to the world,
proves.
And thus it was that the discoverer of the dis-
cover was prepared for his great work, which, as we
saw at the close of the preceding chapter, he had en-
tered upon, strongly feeling that while he should be
in search of Livingstone from the east coast of
N\
Henry M. Stanley, Chief of the " Herald" Expedition of Search.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
197
Africa, the explorer would be on his journey out of
the country by way of the Nile. For he concludes
his Zanzibar letter of February 9, 1869, to which we
have referred, as follows:
" Now, the readers of this letter know really as
much of the whereabouts of Dr. Livingstone as I
do, but probably from conversations heard from dif-
ferent persons I have greater reasons for judging oi
the case, and I believe it will be a very long time yet
before Dr. Livingstone arrives, and that his return
will be by the River Nile."
With this opinion, but with a good stock of sup-
plies for Livingstone's journey down the Nile, should
he be found proceeding in that way, and with the
best escort attainable, Stanley, in charge of the
unique newspaper expedition, but not till after long
delay, on account of wars, plunged into the wilder-
ness, to be heard from no more until after many long
months of suspense and conjecture.
CHAPTER XL
MR. STANLEY IN AFRICA.
The Search for Dr. Livingstone Energetically Begun — Progress Delayed by
Wars — The Successful Journey from Unyanyembe to Ujiji in 1871 — The
" Herald" Cable Telegram Announcing the Safety of Livingstone — The
Battles and Incidents of this Newspaper Campaign — Receipt of the Great
News — The Honor Bestowed on American Journalism.
Mr. Stanley found it much more difficult to get
into Africa than to that singular land. It was. un-
derstood, according to the best intelligence to be had
that Dr. Livingstone would probably be found, if
found at all, not far from Ujiji. From Bagamoyo, on
the mainland of Africa, opposite the island of Zanzi-
bar, there is a caravan route to Unyanyembe. The
journey generally takes some four months. At the
time Mr. Stanley undertook to proceed inland, he
found the country disturbed by wars, and though
starting now and again, he was delayed many weary
months on this account. "Forward and back" was
the necessary call of the situation. At length the
country became so far quiet between Bagamoyo and
Unyanyembe that the expedition, which terminated
in success, set forth very early in April, 1871, and,
after an unusually rapid journey, the caravan reached
Unyanyembe on the 23d of June. Hence letters
were dispatched home, but from this time for more
than a year, the world remained in ignorance of the
fate of the expedition.
198
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 1 99
Upon the morning of the 2d of July, 1872, how-
ever, in the midst of the great Peace Jubilee at the
city of Boston, appeared a cable telegram from Lon-
don to the New York " Herald," announcing the dis-
covery of Livingstone and the consequent complete
success of the great American journal's enterprise.
This telegram, perhaps the most expensive ever sent
by a private party, was one of the most remarkable
instances of modern newspaper enterprise. It
eclipsed the Jubilee. It is worthy of preservation,
just as it was printed in the " Herald" on the memor-
able Tuesday morning. Nor will it be out of place,
as picturing forth a certain newspaperial idiosyncrasy,
for preservation also in book form, to quote the
headings of this famous telegram, with the "sub-
headings" in the despatch, thus giving as faithful an
imitation of it as can be done by types. It need
hardly be said that the telegram occupied the most
conspicuous place in the " Herald" of the day, and
was double leaded throughout. And thus it ap-
peared :
LIVINGSTONE.
Herald Special From Central Africa.
Finding The Great Explorer,
Exciting History of the Successful Herald
Expedition.
Perils and Losses by Sickness, Hostile Tribes
and Jungle Disaster.
200 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Arrival at Unyanyembe — A Reign of Terror.
MIRAMBO, KING OF UJOWA.
The Herald Carries the War into Africa.
ALLIANCE WITH THE ARABS.
Two Villages Captured — The Natives Killed — The
Herald Commander Fever Stricken.
An Ambuscade by Mirambo — Slaughter and Flight
of the Arabs.
Rallying Under the Herald Leader and the
American Flag.
FOR WARD TO UJIJL
A Further Journey of Four Hundred Miles.
IN SIGHT OF TANGANYIKA LAKE.
A Triumphal Entry Into Ujiji — Drums Beating
and Colors Flying.
THE MEETING WITH LIVINGSTONE.
A Picture for History — The Grasp of the Two
Explorers.
EXPLORATIONS BY DR. LIVINGSTONE.
The Chambesi the True Source of the Nile.
explorations in africa. 201
It is not Supplied From Tanganyika.
The Great Doctor to Remain Two Years Longer.
TELEGRAM TO THE NEW YORK
HERALD.
The following special despatch has been received
from the Herald correspondent in London : —
London, July i, 1872.
the glorious news.
It is with the deepest emotions of pride and pleas-
ure that I announce the arrival this day of letters
from Mr. Stanley, Chief of the Herald Exploring
Expedition to Central Africa. I have forwarded the
letters by mail. Knowing, however, the importance
of the subject and the impatience with which
RELIABLE NEWS
is awaited, I hasten to telegraph a summary of the
Herald explorer's letters, which are full of the
most romantic interest, while affirming, emphatically,
THE SAFETY OF DR. LIVINGSTONE,
and confirming the meagre reports already sent on
here by telegraph from Bombay and duly forwarded
to the Herald. To bring up the thread of
THE THRILLING NARRATIVE
where the last communication from him ended he
proceeds with his account of the journey. It will be
recalled that when last heard from he had arrived in
the country of Unyanyembe, after a perilous march
of eighty-two days from Bagamoyo, on the coast op-
posite the island of Zanzibar. The road up to this
202 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
point had been in
THE REGULAR CARAVAN TRACK,
and the journey was performed in a much shorter
time than the same distance had been traversed by
previous explorers. The expedition
ARRIVED AT UNYANYEMBE
on the 23d of June, 1871, where he sent forward his
communication. The caravan had need of rest, and
it was necessary to refit while an opportunity was at
hand through the medium of the Arab caravans then
on their way to various points on the coast with ivory
and slaves. The expedition had suffered terribly,
but the heart of the Herald explorer never gave
out.
THE TERRIBLE CLIMATE
of the countries through which it had passed told on
it even more than the difficulties of the tribes at war
among themselves and upon everything that came in
their way and which they were in sufficient force to
attack. The caravans met at the various halting
places threw every discouragement in the way, which
tended to destroy the morale of the expedition.
SEEDY BOMBAY,
however, the captain of the expedition, proved in-
valuable in controlling the disaffected, whether with
tact or a wholesome display of force when necessary.
THE INCESSANT RAINS,
alternated with a fierce African sun, made the atmos-
phere heavy, charged with moisture, and producing
a rank, rotten vegetation. In the mountainous re-
gions which we traversed the climate was, of course,
much better, and the result was that the expedition
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 203
much improved in health. The miasmatic vapors
and other hardships of the journey had played sad
havoc with its number and force.
THE TOTAL LOSS
up to this point by sickness had been one white man,
two of the armed escort, and eight of the pagazis
or native porters. The two horses had also suc-
cumbed, and twenty-seven of the asses had either
fallen by the wayside and had to be abandoned or
else the rascally native donkey leaders had allowed
them to stray from the kraal at night. As a conse-
quence, a considerable quantity of the stores were
either lost or wasted, but the rolls of Merikani
(American cloth) — for shukkah and doti — the
beads and wire — had been as far as possible pre-
served, they being the only money in Central Africa.
In July
ALL WAS PREPARED TO MOVE
through Unyanyembe ; but before long it was found
that almost insuperable difficulties were interposed.
The country there is composed of thick jungle, with
large clearings for the cultivation of holcus. The
utmost alarm and excitement were spread through the
native villages at
THE EXPECTATION OF A WAR.
The inhabitants were shy of intercourse, and it was
with great difficulty that supplies could be obtained.
A little further on the villages on either side of the
track were found to be filled with Arab
CARAVANS AFRAID TO ADVANCE.
and gathering together for security. The cause of
all this alarm was soon discovered. The ku honga
204 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
or blackmail levied by the head men of the tribes as
a sort of toll for passage through their territories,
had been inordinately raised in the Ujowa country by
MIRAMBO,
King of the Wagowa. Obstinate fights had already
occurred in which small bands of his soldiers had
been beaten, several being killed. He had, therefore,
declared to the traders that no caravan should pass
to Ujiji except over his body. The Arabs hereupon
held a council, and, finding themselves strong in fight-
ing men,
DECLARED WAR ON MIRAMBO.
The Herald commander took part in this. The
Arabs appeared to anticipate a speedy victory, and
preparations for a jungle fight were accordingly made.
The ammunition was looked to, muskets inspected
and matchlocks cleaned. The superior armament of
the Herald expedition made their assistance a mat-
ter of great importance to the Arabs.
THE HERALD GOES TO WAR.
An address was delivered to the members of the
expedition through Selim, the interpreter, and the
forces, with the American flag flying, were marshalled
by Captain Seedy Bombay.
THE FIRST FIGHT.
At daybreak on the day following, according to
previous arrangement, the armed men were divided
into three parties. The vanguard for attack, the rear
guard as immediate reserve, and the remainder, con-
sisting of the less active, were stationed with the im-
pedimenta and slaves in the kraals. The advance was
ordered and responded to with alacrity, and the first
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 205
village where the soldiers of Mirambo were lying was
at once attacked and speedily captured. The inhabi-
tants were
EITHER KILLED OR DRIVEN AWAY.
Another village followed the fate of the first, and
both were left in ashes before nightfall. The troops
were wearied with the hot day's work, but all were
elate at their success thus far. The commander of
the Herald expedition, on his return to camp,
passed a sleepless night, and morning found him
IN A HIGH FEVER.
He was therefore obliged to remain in camp, and his
forces refused to fight except under his lead. This
weakened the Arab force considerably, and, although
the dreaded Mirambo and his followers, thirsting for
vengeance, were known to be in the vicinity, the day
was passed in fatal inactivity.
THE AMBUSH OF MIRAMBO.
The third day seemed as if about to pass like the
preceding, the Herald commander still suffering
from the fever, when shots were heard in the direc-
tion of the Arab kraals, and it soon became evident
that the wily Mirambo had ambushed the Arabs.
This, in effect, was the case. A superior body of
natives, armed with muskets, assegais (spears) and
poisoned arrows, had suddenly burst upon the Arabs.
A TERRIFIC SLAUGHTER ENSUED,
which ended in the rout with the Arabs, who took
refuge in the jungle. The fourth day brought with
it the fruit of the disaster. The Arabs could not be
prevailed upon to renew the fight, and desertion and
flight became the order of the day. Even the
206 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
MEN OF THE HERALD EXPEDITION DESERTED,
leaving but six with the commander. Mirambo now
threatened the town of Unyanyembe. By stupen-
dous exertion the commander collected one hundred
and fifty of the fugitives ; these being convinced by
their numbers, when collected together, that resist-
ance was still possible, resolved to obey the com-
mander.
FORTIFYING FOR A SIEGE.
With five days provisions on hand the houses were
loopholed and barricades erected, videttes stationed
and the defenders told off as well as their numbers,
armament and morale could be individually depend-
ed on.
THE AMERICAN FLAG WAS HOISTED
and the trembling inhabitants awaited the expected
attack. This, however, was destined not to come off,
for, to the general delight, a Wanyamwezi scout
brought in the joyful intelligence that Mirambo, with
all his forces, had retired, not caring to risk an en-
gagement, except in the jungle. Mustering what
force was possible, the intrepid Herald commander
then
STARTED FOR UJIJI,
on the Tanganyika Lake, or Sea of Ujiji. The Arabs
endeavored in vain to dissuade him from this. Death,
they said, was certain to the muzanyu (white man) and
his followers. This frightened the already demoral-
ized pagazis and caused a serious loss to the expedi-
tion in the person of Shaw, the English sailor. Un-
daunted by the forebodings of ill and the losses by
desertion, the caravan once more was on the march
and pushed forward
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 207
BY ANOTHER ROAD,
to the one where Mirambo and his Africans were
awaiting the first caravan. This road lay through an
untrodden desert, and caused
A GREAT DETOUR
in order to come again upon the caravan road in the
rear of the Wajowa. No great mishaps were met
with, and when the villages and cultivated fields of
sorghum, and holcus were reached everything pro-
gressed favorably.
AFTER A FOUR HUNDRED MILE JOURNEY
the outlying portions of the province of Ujiji were
reached. Word had reached the expedition of the
presence of Dr. Livingstone in the province within a
recent period, and accordingly preparations were
made for
A TRIUMPHIAL ENTRY INTO UJIJI.
The pagazis who chanced to be unladen proceeded,
beating drums and blowing upon Kudu horns. The
armed escort fired salutes every moment, keeping up
a regular feu de joie, and the American flag floated
proudly over all. In the distance lay the silver
bosom of Tanganyika Lake, at the foot of the stately
mountains in the background, and fringed with tall
trees and lovely verdure. It was a wonderful relief
to the pilgrims of progress. Before them lay the
settlement or town of Ujiji, with its huts and houses
looking dreamily like a land of rest.
THE ASTONISHED NATIVES
turned out at the unwonted display, and flocked in
crowds to meet them with deafening shouts and beat-
ing of drums. Among the advancing throng was no-
208 ' EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ticed a muscular group of turbaned Arabs. As they
advanced still nearer
ONE OF THE GROUP
who walked in the centre was noticed to be different-
ly attired from the others. The group halted, and
the word was passed back that a muzangu was among
them. Spurring forward the Herald commander
indeed saw that, strongly contrasting with the dusky,
sunburnt Arab faces, was
A HALE-LOOKING, GRAY-BEARDED WHITE MAN,
wearing a navy cap, with a faded gold band and a red
woolen jacket. It was a trying moment, wherein
every emotion of hope and fear flashed through the
brain. The fatigues faded in the intensity of the sit-
uation. The questions, was this he who had so long
been sought, or could it be a delusion of the mind, or
was the white man some unknown waif of humanity?
crowded the mind, bringing their changing feelings
with them. A few feet in front of the group the
Herald commander halted, dismounted and ad-
vanced on foot.
A HISTORIC MEETING.
Preserving a calmness of exterior before the Arabs
which was hard to simulate as he reached the group,
Mr. Stanley said : —
" Dr. Livingstone, I presume ?"
A smile lit up the features of the hale white man
as he answered :
"YES, THAT IS MY NAME."
The meeting was most cordial, and the wearied
caravan, joyous at the triumph of the expedition,
were escorted by the multitude to the town. After
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 209
a rest and a meal, in which milk, honey and fish from
Tanganyika were new features,
LIVINGSTONE TOLD HIS STORY,
which is briefly as follows: —
In March, 1866, he informed the Herald ex-
plorer that he started with twelve Sepoys, nine Jo-
hanna men and seven liberated slaves. He travelled
UP THE ROVUMA RIVER.
Before they had been gone very long the men be-
came frightened at the nature of the journey, and
the reports of hostile tribes up the country they were
to pass through. At length they deserted him, and,
as a cover to their cowardice in doing so, circulated
THE REPORT OF HIS DEATH.
Livingstone proceeded on his journey in spite of
the isolation, and after some difficult marching
reached the Chambezi River, which he crossed. He
found that this was not the Portuguese Zambezi
River, as had been conjectured, but, on the contrary,
wholly separate. He traced its course, and found it
called further on
THE LUALABA.
He continued his explorations along its banks for
700 miles, and has become convinced in consequence
that the Chambezi is
DOUBTLESS THE SOURCE OF THE NILE,
and that this will make a total length for the mystic
river of Africa of 2,600 miles. His explorations also
establish that the Nile is not supplied by Lake Tan-
ganyika. He reached within 180 miles of the source
and explored the surrounding ground, when,
2IO EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
FINDING HIMSELF WITHOUT SUPPLIES,
he was obliged to return to Ujiji and was in a state
of destitution there when met by the commander of
the " Herald" expedition. On the 16th of October,
1871,
THE TWO EXPLORERS LEFT UJIJI
and arrived at Unyanyembe toward the end of No-
vember, where they passed twenty-eight days to-
gether exploring the district. They then returned
and
SPENT CHRISTMAS TOGETHER
at Uj'iji. The Herald explorer arrived at the point
of sending this important intelligence on the 14th o
March, 1872, leaving Livingstone at Unyanyembe.
LIVINGSTONE'S FURTHER PLANS.
He will explore the north shore of Tanganyika
Lake and the remaining 180 miles of the Lualaba
River.
This herculean task he expects will occupy the next
two years.
There have been but few " sensations" more pro-
found than the sensation created by this despatch.
As has been said, it threw the great Peace Jubilee
into the shade. Sporting men who had just won on
the race-horse " Longfellow" or lost on "Harry Bas-
sett," paused for a while to think of the strange in-
telligence. The report of the trial of him who had
been charged with the murder of the noted James
Fisk, Jr. attracted but comparatively little attention.
All through the section of the great city known as
" Five Points" the news was discussed by the tatter-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 211
demalions of the metropolis ; all up and down Fifth
Avenue, thousands of the best representatives of
wealth and of culture canvassed the double-leaded tel-
egram ; and Wall street gave it as much attention as
it gave to stocks and government securities. The
substance of the telegram was sent to the evening
papers all over the country and to Europe, and be-
fore sunset of July 2d a vast majority of intelligent
people of Christendom knew that Livingstone had
been found, and through the means of American pri-
vate enterprise. It was a triumph in which the
" Herald" might have been excused, had it indulged
in no little self-glorification. Its article upon the
subject, however, was greatly national in spirit, and
awarded the credit of the success to American jour
nalism, rather than claimed it for itself*
♦The leading article of the " Herald" upon this subject is worthy of quota-
tion here as a part of the journalistic history of this remarkable expedition :
The triumph of the Herald exploring expedition to search in the heart ot
Equatorial Africa for the long-lost Doctor David Livingstone is one which be-
longs to the entire press of America as well as to the journal whose fortune it
was to originate and carry it out. It marks the era in which the press, already
beyond the control of even the most exalted among men, who may hold states
and empires in their grasp, strikes out boldly into new fields and treads daringly
on terra incognita, whether of mind or matter. This is distinctively the work of
the American press, whose aspirations and ambitions have grown with the maj-
esty of the land, and whose enterprise 'has been moulded on the national charac-
ter. In even recent times the work of progress lay in government hands, or
else was wholly neglected. Sir John Franklin started out amid Polar snows to
work out the Northern passage only to leave his bones among the eternal ice
Hand or foot was not stirred to learn his fate until Lady Franklin, with woman's
devotion, fitted out the expeditions to search for him or his remains. When the
gentleman entrusted with the command of the Herald expedition had arrived
at Unyanyembe, half way on his journey to Ujiji, he wrote : — " Until I hear
more of him, or see the long-absent old man face to face, I bid you farewell ; bur
wherever he is, be sure I shall not give up the chase. If alive, you shall hear
what he has to say ; if dead, I will find and bring his bones to you." To those
212 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
who neither understood the man nor the esprit de corps which gives the repre-
sentative of an American journal his stamp of vitality the words may have
sounded like bombast. For answer it is sufficient to point to the columns of the
Herald of to-day. It may have seemed to those who reasoned from a foreign
standpoint that no man could so wrap himself up in his work as to give utter-
ance to such words with an earnestness of purpose, backed by a life at hazard
from day to day, They simply mistake the spirit of the American journal. If
it were in any other quarter of the globe, by land or sea, the same enthusiasm,
the same dash, enterprise and pluck would be exhibited, because of the race
which he runs for his journal against equally keen-witted rivals, and not alone
for the work itself. Enterprise, then, is the characteristic of the American
press. It is confined to no one paper, to no one locality. Whatever the Her-
ald may have done in advancing the national reputation in this respect it is
proud to claim, as the victor in the Olympic games of old was proud of his laurel
crown above all gifts of gold or gems. But there is not a paper published be-
tween the Narrows and the Golden Gate which has not its own laurels in the
line of enterprise to glory in, and there is not one leaf of the wreath that has not
been snatched at and wrestled for by a hundred sinewy journalistic minds.
Thus no one journal on the Continent looks up to a permanent head of the pro-
fession. To-day one paper may be " ahead on the news ;" to-morrow another
will snatch the chaplet from its brows. The enterprise of a contemporary in the
late Franco- Prussian war was celebrated all over the land, as we have no doubf
the success of the Herald will be when the Herald's special columns are pe-
rused to-day.
In England the London Times is looked up to all over as a Triton among the
minnows. It is the great paper. The Daily Telegraph is the cheapest, spiciest
paper published there ; the Standard is a careful, able Tory organ ; the Post is a
quiet, aristocratic sheet, but the Thunderer overshadows them all. Instinct
with the democratic spirit of our institutions, the press of America looks up to
no lord among them. As each man born on the soil may be President of the
United States, so each paper — no matter what its origin or where its birthplace
— feels within itself the possibility of precedence in- point of worth, brains and
news over all others. We, therefore, reassert that the triumph of the Herald
Livingstone expedition is the triumph of American journalism in its broadest
sense.
To point this something more, we may say that an American war correspondent
has achieved what one of the most powerful governments in the world failed to
accomplish. How it was done is easily told. It is probable that an English
journal might have succeeded, if it had undertaken the task ; but, like Columbus
with the egg, the enterprise which knocked in the end of the oval difficulty and
made the expedition stand for itself is not a British article.
The story of the meeting of the greatest explorer of any time with the Herald
correspondent, by the shores of Lake Tanganyika, with one thousand miles of
desert, jungle, jagged mountain path and sodden valley trail, peopled with
brutal, ignorant savages, behind him, is one which will long be remembered?
The Discovery of Dr. Livingstone. Map of Equatorial Africa, Showing the
Route Explored.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 21$
The Herald correspondent has kept his word. Happily for civilization there
was no necessity to carry back to distant civilization the relics ol her hero. He
is alive and well and hopes to carry himself home when he has attained the ob-
ject of his stay. In March, i366, he started up the Rovuma, but was deserted,
and the false Moosa spread the lying story of his death to cover his own pol-
troonery, as was hoped against hope when the baleful tidings first came to hand.
The undaunted Livingstone then set forward and reached the Chambezi River,
which he discovered has no connection with the Portuguese Zambesi River,
which disembogues into the Mozambique Channel opposite Madagascar. But
the gem of his discovery lies in the fact that the Chambezi is the true source of
the Nile. He followed its course for seven hundred miles towards its source,
but was obliged to turn back in want, with one hundred and eighty miles unex-
plored. The Chambezi towards its source is called the Lualaba, and is not sup-
plied from Lake Tanganyika, and the latter lake has no effluence to the Nile.
To solve the problem of the Lualaba and pass round the northern shore of Lake
Tanganyika, Livingstone purposes spending two years more in Central Africa.
Truly this is great news, and we congratulate the world that neither the life noi
the toil of so great a man is lost to the world, as the fates seemed so grimly to
threaten. The story of his solitary land-finding will now be read by joyful mil-
lions, who, if they cannot all appreciate fully his labors, will not grudge him the
tribute of lasting admiration.
CHAPTER XII.
THE MEETING OF LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY.
The " Land of the Moon" — Description of the Country and People — Horrid
Savage Rites — Journey from Unyanyembe to Ujiji — A Wonderful Country —
A Mighty River Spanned by a Bridge of Grass — Outwitting the Spoilers —
Stanley's Entry Into Ujiji and Meeting with Livingstone — The Great Triumph
of an American Newspaper.
With the object of presenting to the curious afac
simile of the famous cable telegram announcing to
an anxious world the discovery of the great dis-
coverer and of undertaking to preserve it in book
form, as vividly illustrative of the important part
borne by journalistic enterprise in opening up Africa
to progress and civilization, that despatch has been
literally copied in the preceding chapter. But the
full particulars of the journey of the " Herald" special
search expedition, after leaving the main caravan
track at Unyanyembe, are of thrilling interest. In-
stead of going directly from the last named place to
Ujiji, Mr. Stanley was compelled, by reason of hostile
tribes, to make an extensive detour to the southwest,
and then march up in a northwesterly direction, not
very far distant from the east shore of Lake Tan-
ganyika. But first let us have quotations from the
letter written just before the fourth and finally suc-
cessful journey written from Kwihara in the district
of Unyanyembe, on the 21st of September, 1871 :
"In the storeroom where the cumbersome moneys
216
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 21 J
of the New York Herald Expedition lie piled up
bale upon bale, sack after sack, coil after coil, and the
two boats, are this year's supplies sent by Dr. Kirk
to Dr. Livingstone — seventeen bales of cloth, twelve
boxes of wine, provisions, and little luxuries such as
tea and coffee. When I came up with my last cara-
van to Unyanyembe I found Livingstone's had ar-
rived but four weeks before, or about May 23 last,
and had put itself under charge of a half-caste called
Thani Kati-Kati, or Thani 'in the middle,' or 'be-
tween.' Before he could get carriers he died of dys-
entry. He was succeeded in charge by a man from
Johanna, who, in something like a week, died of
smallpox ; then Mirambo's war broke out, and here
we all are, September 21, both expeditions halted.
But not for long, let us hope, for the third time I will
make a start the day after to-morrow.
" Unyamwezi is a romantic name. It is ' Land of
the Moon' rendered into English — as romantic and
sweet in Kinyamwezi as any that Stamboul or Ispa-
han can boast is to a Turk or a Persian. The at-
traction, however, to a European lies only in the
name. There is nothing of the mystic, nothing of
the poetical, nothing of the romantic, in the country
of Unyamwezi. If I look abroad over the country I
see the most inane and the most prosaic country one
could ever imagine. It is the most unlikely country
to a European for settlement ; it is so repulsive
owing to the notoriety it has gained for its fevers. A
white missionary would shrink back with horror at
the thought of settling in it. An agriculturist might
be tempted; but then there are so many better
2l8 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
countries where he could do so much better he would
be a madman if he ignored those to settle in this.
To know the general outline and physical features of
Unyamwezi you must take a look around from one
of the noble coigns of vantage offered by any of
those hills of syenite, in the debatable ground of
Mgunda Makali, in Uyanzi. From the summit of
one of those natural fortresses, if you look west, you
will see Unyamwezi recede into the far, blue, mys-
terious distance in a succession of blue waves of
noble forest, rising and subsiding like the blue waters
of an ocean. Such a view of Unyamwezi is inspir-
ing ; and, were it possible for you to wing yourself
westward on to another vantage coign, again and
again the land undulates after the same fashion, and
still afar off is the same azure, mystic horizon. As
you approach Unyanyembe the scene is slightly
changed. Hills of syenite are seen dotting the vast
prospect, like islands in a sea, presenting in their
external appearance, to an imaginative eye, rude imi-
tations of castellated fortresses and embattled towers.
A nearer view of these hills discloses the denuded
rock, disintegrated masses standing on end, boulder
resting upon boulder, or an immense towering rock,
tinted with the sombre color age paints in these lands.
Around these rocky hills stretch the cultivated fields
of the Wanyamwezi — fields of tall maize, of holcus
sorghum, of millet, of vetches, &c. — among which you
may discern the patches devoted to the cultivation of
sweet potatoes and manioc, and pasture lands where
browse the hump-shouldered cattle of Africa, flocks
of goats and sheep. This is the scene which attracts
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 219
the eye, and is accepted as promising relief after the
wearisome marching through the thorny jungle plains
of Ugogo, the primeval forests of Uyanzi, the dim
plains of Tura and Rubuga, and when we have
emerged from the twilight shades of Kigwa. No
caravan or expedition views it unwelcomed by song
and tumultuous chorus, for rest is at hand. It is only
after a long halt that one begins to weary of Unyan-
yembe, the principal district of Unyamwezi. It is
only when one has been stricken down almost to the
grave by the fatal chilly winds which blow from the
heights of the mountains of Usagara, that one be-
gins to criticize the beauty which at first captivated.
It is found, then, that though the land is fair to look
upon ; that though we rejoiced at the sight of its
grand plains, at its fertile and glowing fields, at sight
of the roving herds, which promised us abundance of
milk and cream — that it is one of the most deadly
countries in Africa ; that its fevers, remittent and in-
termittent, are unequalled in their severity.
" Unyamwezi, or the Land of the Moon — from U
(country) nya (of the) mwezi (moon) — extends over
three degrees of latitude in length and about two
and a half degrees of longitude in breadth. Its
principal districts are Unyanyembe, Ugunda, Ugara,
Tura, Rubuga, Kigwa, Usagazi and Uyoweh. Each
district has its own chief prince, king, or mtemt, as
he is called in Kinyamwezi. Unyanyembe, however
is the principal district, and its king, Mkasiwa, is
generally considered to be the most important per-
son in Unyamwezi. The other kings often go to war
against him, and Mkasiwa often gets the worst of it ;
220 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
as, for instance, in the present war between the King
of Uyoweh (Mirambo) and Mkasiwa.
"All this vast country is drained by two rivers —
the Northern and Southern Gombe, which empty
into the Malagarazi River, and thence into Lake
Tanganyika. On the east Unyamwezi is bounded by
the wilderness of Mgunda Makali and Ukmibu, on
the south by Urori and Ukonongo, on the west by
Ukawendi and Uvniza, on the north by several small
countries and the Ukereweh Lake. Were one to
ascend by a balloon and scan the whole of Unyam-
wezi he would have a view of one great forest,
broken here and there by the little clearings around
the villages, especially in and around Unyanyembe."
On account of troubles in the country, the Search
Expedition was detained some three months in Kwi-
hara. Mr. Stanley lived in quite a large, strong house
for that country, consisting of a main room and bath-
room, built of mud about three feet thick. He thus
describes " the daily round" :
" In the early morning, generally about half-past
five or six o'clock, I begin to stir the soldiers up,
sometimes with a long bamboo, for you know they
are such hard sleepers they require a good deal of
poking. Bombay has his orders given him, and
Feragji, the cook, who, long ago warned by the noise
I make when I rouse up, is told in unmistakable tones
to bring ' chai' (tea), for I am like an old woman, I
love tea very much, and can take a quart and a half
without any inconvenience. Kalulu, a boy of seven,
all the way from Cazembe's country, is my waiter and
chief butler. He understands my ways and mod
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 22 i
life exactly. Some weeks ago he ousted Selim from
the post of chief butler by sheer diligence and
smartness. Selim, the Arab boy, cannot wait at table.
Kalulu — young antelope — is frisky. I have but to
express a wish and it is gratified. He is a perfect
Mercury, though a marvellously black one. Tea over,
Kalulu clears the dishes and retires under the kitchen
shed, where, if I have a curiosity to know what he is
doing, he may be seen with his tongue in the tea
cup licking up the sugar that was left in it and look-
ing very much as if he would like to eat the cup for
the sake of the divine element it has so often con-
tained. If I have any calls to make this is generally
the hour ; if there are none to make I go on the
piazza and subside quietly on my bearskin to dream,
may be, of that far off land I call my own, or to gaze
towards Tabora, the Kaze of Burton and Speke,
though why they should have called it Kaze as yet I
have not been able to find out ; or to look towards
lofty Zimbili and wonder why the Arabs, at such a
crisis as the present, do not remove their goods and
chattels to the summit of that natural fortress. But
dreaming and wondering and thinkingand marvelling
are too hard for me ; so I make some ethnological
notes and polish up a little my geographical knowl-
edge of Central Africa.
" I have to greet about four hundred and ninety-
nine people of all sorts with the salutation ' Yambo,'
This 'Yambo' is a great word. It may mean ' How
do you do ?' ' How are you ?' ' Thy health ?' The
answer to it is 'Yambo!' or 'Yambo Sana!' (How
are you ; quite well ?) The Kinyamwezi — the Ian-
2 22 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
guage of the Wanyamwezi — of it is ' Moholo,' and the
answer is ' Moholo.' The Arabs, when they call, if
they do not give the Arabic ' Spal-kher,' give you the
greeting ' Yambo ;' and I have to say ' Yambo.' And,
in order to show my gratitude to them, I emphasize
it with 'Yambo Sana! Sana! Sana?' (Are you
well? Quite well, quite, quite well?) And if they re-
peat the words I am more than doubly grateful, and
invite them to a seat on the bearskin. This bearskin
of mine is the evidence of my respectability, and if
we are short of common-place topics we invariably
refer to the bearskin, where there is room for much
discussion.
" Having disposed of my usual number of \ Yambos'
for the morning I begin to feel ' peckish/ as the sea
skipper says, and Feragji, the cook, and youthful
Kalulu, the chief butler, are again called and told to
bring ' chukula' — food. This is the breakfast put
down on the table at the hour of ten punctually every
morning: — Tea (ugali) a native porridge made out
of the flour of dourra, holcus sorghum, or matama, as
it is called here; a dish of rice and curry. Unyan-
yembe is famous for its rice, fried goat's meat, stewed
goat's meat, roast goat's meat, a dish of sweet pota-
toes, a few ■ slapjacks' or specimens of the abortive
efforts of Feragji to make dampers or pancakes, to
be eaten with honey. But neither Feragji s culinary
skill nor Kalulu's readiness to wait on me can tempt
me to eat. I have long ago eschewed food, and only
drink tea, milk and yaourt — Turkish word for ' clab-
ber' or clotted milk.
"After breakfast the soldiers are called, and to-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 223
gether we begin to pack the bales of cloth, string
beads and apportion the several loads which the es-
cort must carry to Ujiji some way or another. Car-
riers come to test the weight of the loads and
to inquire about the inducements offered by the
' Muzungu.' The inducements are in the shape of so
many pieces of cloth, four yards long, and I offered
double what any Arab ever offered. Some are en-
gaged at once, others say they will call again, but
they never do, and it is of no use to expect them
when there is war, for they are the cowardliest peo-
ple under the sun.
" Since we are going to make forced marches I
must not overload my armed escort, or we shall be
in a pretty mess two or three days after we start ;
so I am obliged to reduce all loads by twenty pounds,
to examine my kit and personal baggage carefully,
and put aside anything that is not actually and press-
ingly needed ; all the amunition is to be left behind
except one hundred rounds to each man. No one
must fire a shot without permission, or waste his am-
munition in any way, under penalty of a heavy fine
for every charge of powder wasted. These things
require time and thought, for the Herald Expedi-
tion has a long and far journey to make. It intends
to take a new road — a road with which few Arabs
are acquainted — despite all that Skeikh, the son of
Nasib, can say against the project.
"It is now the dinner hour, seven P. M. Ferrajji
has spread himself out, as they say. He has all sorts
of little fixings ready, such as indigestible dampers,
the everlasting ngali, or porridge, the sweet potatoes,
224 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
chicken, and roast quarter of a goat ; and lastly, a
custard, or something just as good, made out of
plantains. At eight P. M. the table is cleared, the
candles are lit, pipes are brought out, and Shaw, my
white man is invited to talk. But poor Shaw is sick
and has not a grain or spirit of energy left in him.
All I can do or say does not cheer him up in the
least. He hangs down his head, and with many a
sigh declares his inability to proceed with me to
Ujiji."
On the 15th of July, war was declared between
Mirambo and the Arabs. In this war, it will be re-
collected, Mr. Stanley with his men took part. The
result was disaster, ensuing from Mirambo's strata-
gem, as so graphically related in the cable telegram.
The continuation of this war is thus described :
" Mirambo, with one thousand guns, and one thou-
sand five hundred Watudas, his allies, invaded Un-
yanyembe, and pitched their camp insolently within
view of the Arab capital of Tabora. Tabora is a
large collection of Arab settlements, or tembes, as
they are called here. Each Arab house is isolated
by the fence which surrounds it. Not one is more
than two hundred yards off from the other, and each
has its own name, known, however, to but few out-
siders. South by west from Tabora, at the distance
of a mile and a half, and in view of Tarbora is Kwi-
hara, where the Herald expedition has its quarters.
Kwihara is a Kinyamwezi word, meaning the middle
of the cultivation. There is quite a large settlement
of Arabs here — second only to Tabora. Rut it was
Tabora aad not Kwihara that Mirambo, his forest
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 225
thieves and the Watula came to attack. Khamis bin
Abdallah, the bravest Trojan of them all — of all the
Arabs — went out to meet Mirambo with eighty armed
slaves and five Arabs, one of whom was his little son,
Khamis. As Khamis bin Abdallah's party came in
sight of Mirambo's people Khamis' slaves deserted
him, and Mirambo then gave the order to surround
the Arabs and press on them. This little group in
this manner became the targets for about one thou-
sand guns, and of course in a second or so were all
dead — not, however, without having exhibited re-
markable traits of character.
"They had barely died before the medicine men came
up, and with their scalpels had skinned their faces and
their abdominal portions, and had extracted what they
call 'mafuta,' or fat, and their genital organs. With this
matter which they had extracted from the dead bod-
ies the native doctors or waganga made a powerful
medicine, by boiling it in large earthen pots for many
hours, with many incantations and shakings of the
wonderful gourd that was only filled with pebbles.
This medicine was drunk that evening with great
ceremony, with dances, drum beating and general
fervor of heart.
"Khamis bin Abdallah dead, Mirambo gave his orders
to plunder, kill, burn, and destroy, and they went at
it with a will. When I saw the fugitives from Tabo-
ra coming by the hundred to our quiet valley of
Kwihara, I began to think the matter serious and
began my operations for defence. First of all, how-
ever, a lofty bamboo pole was procured and planted
on the roof ot our fortlet, and the American flag was
2 26 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
run up, where it waved joyously and grandly, an omen
to all fugitives and their hunters.
" All nieht we stood ooiard ; the suburbs of Tabora
were in flames ; all the Wanyamwezi and Wanguana
houses were destroyed, and the fine house of Abid
bin Sulemian had been ransacked and then commit-
ted to the flames, and Mirambo boasted that 'to-mor-
row' Kwihara should share the fate of Tabora, and
there was a rumor that that night the Arabs were
going to start for the coast. But the morning came,
and Mirambo departed with the ivory and cattle he
had captured, and the people of Kwihara and Ta-
bora breathed freer.
"And now I am going to say farewell to Unyan-
yembe for a while. I shall never help an Arab again.
He is no fighting man, or I should say, does not
know how to fight, but knows personally how to die.
They will not conquer Mirambo within a year, and I
cannot stop to see that play out. There is a good
old man waiting for me somewhere, and that impels
me on. There is a journal afar off which expects me
to do my duty, and I must do it. Goodby ; I am off
the day after to-morrow for Ujiji ; then, perhaps, the
Congo River."
After this followed a number of telegrams to the
" Herald" from the expedition, but their substance
has been given in what has preceded, to show the
general outline of explorations up to the time of the
meeting of Livingstone and Stanley at Ujiji. There
are, however, but few accounts of travel more inter-
esting and valuable than the letter to the " Herald"
narrating the events of the journey from Unyan-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 22/
yembe to Ujiji, and the meeting with Livingstone.
The greater portion of this remarkable narrative is
appended:
"Bunder, Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, )
"Central Africa, November 23, 1871. )
" Only two months gone, and what a change in my
feelings ! But two months ago, what a peevish, fret-
ful soul was mine ! What a hopeless prospect pre-
sented itself before your correspondent ! Arabs
vowing that I would never behold the Tanganyika;
Sheikh, the son of Nasib, declaring me a madman to
his fellows because I would not heed his words.
My men deserting, my servants whining day by
day, and my white man endeavoring to impress me
with the belief that we were all doomed men ! And
the only answer to it all is, Livingstone, the hero
traveller, is alongside of me, writing as hard as he
can to his friends in England, India, and America,
and I am quite safe and sound in health and limb.
" September 23 I left Unyanyembe, driving before
me fifty well-armed black men, loaded with the goods
of the expedition, and dragging after me one white
man. Once away from the hateful valley of Kwihara,
my enthusiasm for my work rose as newborn as when
I left the coast. But my enthusiasm was shortlived,
for before reaching camp I was almost delirious with
fever. When I had arrived, burning with fever, my
pulse bounding many degrees too fast and my temper
made more acrimonious by my sufferings, I found the
camp almost deserted. The men as soon as they had
arrived at Mkwenkwe, the village agreed upon, had
hurried back to Kwihara. Livingstone's letter-carrier
2 28 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
had not made his appearance — it was an abandoned
camp. I instantly dispatched six of the best of those
who had refused to return to ask Sheikh, the son of
Nasib, to lend or sell me the longest slave chain he
had, then to hunt up the runaways and bring them
back to camp bound, and promised them that for
every head captured they should have a bran new
cloth.
" Next morning fourteen out of twenty of those
who had deserted back to their wives and huts (as
is generally the custom) had reappeared, and, as the
fever had left me, I only lectured them, and they
gave me their promise not to desert me again under
any circumstances. Livingstone's messenger had
passed the night in bonds, because he had resolutely
refused to come. I unloosed him and gave him a
paternal lecture, painting in glowing colors the bene-
fits he would receive if he came along quietly and
the horrible punishment of being chained up until I
reached Ujiji if he was still resolved not to come.
1 Kaif Halleck' Arabic for ' How do you do ?' melted,
and readily gave me his promise to come and obey
me as he would his own master — Livingstone — until
we should see him, 'which Inshallah we shall ! Please
God, please God, we shall,' I replied, • and you will
be no loser.' During the day my soldiers had cap-
tured the others, and as they all promised obedience
and fidelity in future, they escaped punishment.
" It is possible for any of your readers so disposed
to construct a map of the road on which the 'Her-
ald' expedition was now journeying, if they draw a
line 150 miles long south by west from Unyanyembe,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 229
then 150 miles west northwest, then ninety miles
north, half east, then seventy miles west by north,
and that will take them to Ujiji.
" We were about entering the immense forest that
separates Unyanyembe from the district of Ugunda.
In lengthy undulating waves the land stretches be-
fore us — the new land which no European knew, the
unknown, mystic land. The view which the eyes
hurry to embrace as we ascend some ridge higher
than another is one of the most disheartening that
can be conceived. Away, one beyond another, wave
the lengthy rectilinear ridges, clad in the same garb
of color. Woods, woods, woods, forests, leafy
branches, green and sere, yellow and dark red and
purple, then an indefinable ocean, bluer than the blue-
est sky. The horizon all around shows the same
scene — a sky dropping into the depths of the endless
forest, with but two or three tall giants of the forest
higher than their neighbors, which are conspicuous in
their outlines, to break the monotony of the scene.
On no one point do our eyes rest with pleasure ; they
have viewed the same outlines, the same forest and
the same horizon day after day, week after week ;
and again, like Noah's dove from wandering over a
world without a halting place, return wearied with the
search.
"It takes seven hours to traverse the forest be-
tween Kigandu and Ugunda, when we come to the
capital of the new district, wherein one may laugh at
Mirambo and his forest thieves. At least the Sultan,
or Lord of Ugunda, feels in a laughing mood while
in his strong stockade, should one but hint to him
23O EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
that Mirambo might come to settle up the long debt
that Chieftain owes him, for defeating him the last
time — a year ago — he attempted to storm his place.
And well may the Sultan laugh at him, and all others
which the hospitable Chief may permit to reside
within, for it is the strongest place — except Simba-
Moeni and Kwikuru, in Unyanyembe — I have as yet
seen in Africa. Having arrived safely at Ugunda we
may now proceed on our journey fearless of Mirambo,
though he has attacked places four days south of
this ; but as he has already at a former time felt the
power of the Wanyamwezi of Ugunda, he will not
venture again in a hurry. On the sixth day of our
departure from Unyanyembe we continued our jour-
ney south. Three long marches, under a hot sun,
through jungly plains, heat-cracked expanses of
prairie land, through young forests, haunted by the
tsetse and sword flies, considered fatal to cattle,
brought us to the gates of a village called Manyara,
whose chief was determined not to let us in nor sell
us a grain of corn, because he had never seen a white
man before, and he must know all about this wonder-
ful specimen of humanity before he would allow us
to pass through his country. Having arrived at the
khambi, or camp, I despatched Bombay with a pro-
pitiating gift of cloth to the Chief — a gift at once so
handsome and so munificent, consisting of no less
than two royal cloths and three common dotis, that
the Chief surrendered at once, declaring that the
white man was a superior being to any he had ever
seen. 'Surely/ said he, 'he must have a friend;
otherwise how came he to send me such fine cloths ?
Mr. Stanley, his Boy Kalulu, and the Interpreter, Selim.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 233
Tell the white man that I shall come and see him.
Permission was at once given to his people to sell us
as much corn as we needed. We had barely finished
distributing five days' rations to each man when the
Chief was announced.
" Gunbearers, twenty in number, preceded him, and
thirty spearmen followed him, and behind these came
eight or ten men loaded with gifts of honey, native
beer, holcus sorghum, beans, and maize. I at once
advanced and invited the Chief to my tent, which had
undergone some alterations, that I might honor him
as much as lay in my power. Ma-manyara was a tall,
stalwart man, with a very pleasing face. He carried
in his hand a couple of spears, and, with the excep-
tion of a well-worn barsati around his loins, he was
naked. Three of his principal men and himself were
invited to seat themselves on my Persian carpet. The
revolvers and Winchester's repeating rifles were
things so wonderful that to attempt to give you any
idea of how awe-struck he and his men were would
task my powers. My medicine chest was opened
next, and I uncorked a small phial of medicinal brandy
and gave each a teaspoonful. Suffice it that I made
myself so popular with Ma-manyara and his people
that they will not forget me in a hurry.
" Leaving kind and hospitable Ma-manyara, after a
four hours' march we came to the banks of the
Gombe Nullah, not the one which Burton, Speke, and
Grant have described, for the Gombe which I mean
is about one hundred and twenty-five miles south of
the Northern Gombe. The glorious park land spread-
ing out north and south of the Southern Gombe is a
14
234 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
hunter's paradise. It is full of game of all kinds —
herds of buffalo, giraffe, zebra, pallah, water buck,
springbok, gemsbok, blackbuck, and kudu, besides
several eland, warthog, or wild boar, and hundreds of
the smaller antelope. We saw all these in one day,
and at nieht heard the lions roar and the low of the
hippopotamus. I halted here three days to shoot,
and there is no occasion to boast of what I shot, con-
sidering the myriads of game I saw at every step I
took. Not half the animals shot here by myself and
men were made use of. Two buffaloes and one kudu
were brought to camp the first day, besides a wild
boar, which my mess finished up in one night. My
boy gun-bearers sat up the whole night eating boar
meat, and until I went; to sleep I could hear the buf-
falo meat sizzing over the fires as the Islamized sol-
diers prepared it for the road.
"From Manyara to Marefu, in Ukonongo, are five
days' marches. It is an uninhabited forest now, and
is about eighty miles in length. Clumps of forest
and dense islets of jungle dot plains which separate
the forests proper. It is monotonous owing to the
sameness of the scenes. And throughout this length
of eighty miles there is nothing to catch a man's eye
in search of the picturesque or novel save the Gombe's
pools, with their amphibious inhabitants, and the va-
riety of noble game which inhabit the forests and
plain. A travelling band of Wakonongo, bound to
Ukonongo from Manyara, prayed to have our escort,
which was readily granted. They were famous
foresters, who knew the various fruits fit to eat ; who
knew the cry of the honey-bird, and could follow it to
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 235
the treasure of honey which it wished to show its hu-
man friends. It is a pretty bird, not much larger than
a wren, and, 'tweet-tweet,' it immediately cries when
it sees a human being. It becomes very busy all at
once, hops and skips, and flies from branch to branch
with marvellous celerity. The traveller lifts up his
eyes, beholds the tiny little bird, hopping about, and
hears its* sweet call — ' tweet-tweet-tweet.' If he is a
Makonongo he follows it. Away flies the bird on to
another tree, springs to another branch nearer to the
lagging man as if to say, ' Shall I, must I come and
fetch you ?' but assured by his advance, away again
to another tree, coquets about, and tweets his call
rapidly ; sometimes more earnest and loud, as if chid-
ing him for being so slow ; then off again, until at last
the treasure is found and secured. And as he is a
very busy little bird, while the man secures his treas-
ure of honey, he plumes himself, ready for another
flight and to discover another treasure. Every even-
ing the Makonongo brought us stores of beautiful red
and white honey, which is only to be secured in the
dry season. Over pancakes and fritters the honey is
very excellent ; but it is apt to disturb the stomach.
I seldom rejoiced in its sweetness without suffering
some indisposition afterwards.
" Arriving at Marefu, we overtook an embassy from
the Arabs at Unyanyembe to the Chief of the fero-
cious Watuta, who live a month's march southwest
of this frontier village of Ukonongo. Old Hassan,
the Mseguhha, was the person who held the honor-
able post of Chief of the embassy, who had volun-
teered to conduct the negotiations which were to se-
236 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
cure the Watutas services against Mirambo, the
dreaded Chief of Uyoweh. Assured by the Arabs
that there was no danger, and having received the
sum of forty dollars for his services, he had gone on,
sanguine of success, and had arrived at Marefu, where
we overtook him.
" We left old Hassan the next day, for the prosecu-
tion of the work of the expedition, feeling mu,ch hap-
pier than we had felt for many a day. Desertions
had now ceased, and there remained in chains but
one incorrigible, whom I had apprehended twice after
twice deserting. Bombay and his sympathizers were
now beginning to perceive that after all there was
not much danger — at least not as much as the Arabs
desired us to believe — and he was heard expressing
his belief in his broken English that I would ' catch
the Tanganyika after all/ and the standing joke was
now that we could smell the fish of the Tanganyika
Lake, and that we could not be far from it. New
scenes also met the eye. Here and there were up-
heaved above the tree tops sugar-loaf hills, and,
darkly blue, west of us loomed up a noble ridge of
hills which formed the boundary between Kamir-
ambo's territory and that of Utende. Elephant
tracks became numerous, and buffalo met the delight-
ed eyes everywhere. Crossing the mountainous ridge
of Mwaru, with its lengthy slope slowly descending
westward, the vegetation became more varied and
the outlines of the land before us became more pic-
turesque. We became sated with the varieties of
novel fruit which we saw hanging thickly on trees.
There was the mbembu, with the taste of an over
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 237
ripe peach ; the tamarind pod and beans, with their
grateful acidity, resembling somewhat the lemon in
its flavor. The matonga, or nux vomica, was wel-
come, and the lucious singwe, the plum of Africa,
was the most delicious of all. There were wild plums
like our own, and grapes unpicked long past their
season, and beyond eating. Guinea fowls, the moor-
hen, ptarmigans and ducks supplied our table ; and
often the lump of a buffalo or an extravagant piece
of venison filled our camp kettles. My health was
firmly established. The faster we prosecuted our
journey the better I felt. I had long bidden adieu
to the nauseous calomel and rhubarb compounds, and
had become quite a stranger to quinine. There was
only one drawback to it all, and that was the feeble
health of the Arab boy Selim, who was suffering from
an attack of acute dysentery, caused by inordinate
drinking of the bad water of the pools at which we
had camped between Manyara and Mrera. But ju-
dicious attendance and Dover's powders brought the
boy round again.
" Mrera, in Ukonongo, nine days southwest of the
Gombe Mellah, brought to our minds the jungle
habitats of the Wawkwere on the coast, and an omi-
nous sight to travellers were the bleached skulls of
men which adorned the tops of tall poles before the
gates of the village. The Sultan of Mrera and my-
self became fast friends after he had tasted of my
liberality.
" After a halt of three days at this village, for the
benefit of the Arab boy, we proceeded westerly, with
the understanding that we should behold the waters
238 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
of the Tanganyika within ten days. Traversing a dense
forest of young trees, we came to a plain dotted with
scores of ant hills. Their uniform height (about seven
feet high above the plain) leads me to believe that
they were constructed during an unusually wet sea-
son, and when the country was inundated for a long
time in consequence. The surface of the plain also
bore the appearance of being subject to such inun-
dations. Beyond this plain about four miles we came
to a running stream of purest water — a most welcome
sight after so many months spent by brackish pools
and nauseous swamps. Crossing the stream, which
ran northwest, we immediately ascended a steep and
lofty ridge, whence we obtained a view of grand and
imposing mountains, of isolated hills, rising sheer to
great heights from a plain stretching far into the
heart of Ufipa, cut up by numerous streams flowing
into the Rungwa River, which during the rainy sea-
son overflows this plain and forms the lagoon set
down by Speke as the Rikwa. We continued still
westward, crossing many a broad stretch of marsh
and oozy bed of mellahs, whence rose the streams
that formed the Rungwa some forty miles south.
" At a camping place beyond Mrera we heard
enough from some natives who visited us to assure
us that we were rushing to our destruction if we still
kept westward. After receiving hints of how to
evade the war-stricken country in our front, we took
a road leading north-northwest. While continuing
on this course we crossed streams running to the
Rungwa south and others running directly north to
the Malagarazi, from either side of a lengthy ridge
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 2^q
which served to separate the country of Unyamwezi
from Ukawendi. We were also attracted for the
first time by the lofty and tapering moule tree, used
on the Tanganyika Lake for the canoes of the na-
tives, who dwell on its shores. The banks of the
numerous streams are lined with dense growths of
these shapely trees, as well as of sycamore, and gi-
gantic tamarinds, which rivalled the largest sycamore
in their breadth of shade. The undergrowth of
bushes and tall grass, dense and impenetrable, likely
resorts of leopard and lion and wild boar were enough
to appal the stoutest heart. One of my donkeys
while being driven to water along a narrow path,
hedged by the awesome brake on either side, was at-
tacked by a leopard, which fastened its fangs in the
poor animal's neck, and it would have made short
work of it had not its companions set up such a bray-
ing - chorus as might well have terrified a score of
leopards. And that same night, while encamped
contiguous to that limpid stream of Mtambu, with
that lofty line of enormous trees rising dark and
awful above us, the lions issued from the brakes be-
neath and prowled about the well-set bush defence of
our camp, venting their fearful clamor without inter-
mission until morning.
" Our camps by these thick belts of timber, peo-
pled as they were with wild beasts, my men never
fancied. But Southern Ukawendi, with its fair, lovely
valleys and pellucid streams nourishing vegetation to
extravagant growth, density and height, is infested
with troubles of this kind. And it is probable, from
the spread of this report among the natives, that this
24O EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
is the cause of the scant population of one of the
loveliest countries Africa can boast. The fairest of
California scenery cannot excel, though it may equal,
such scenes as Ukawendi can boast of, and yet a
land as large as the State of New York is almost un-
inhabited. Days and days one may travel through
primeval forests, now ascending ridges overlooking
broad, well watered valleys, with belts of valuable
timber crowning the banks of the rivers, and behold
exquisite bits of scenery — wild, fantastic, picturesque
and pretty — all within the scope of vision whichever
way one may turn. And to crOwn the glories of this
lovely portion of earth, underneath the surface but a
few feet is one mass of iron ore, extending across
three degrees of longitude and nearly four of latitude,
cropping out at intervals, so that the traveller cannot
remain ignorant of the wealth lying beneath.
" What wild and ambitious projects fill a man's
brain as he looks over the forgotten and unpeopled
country, containing in its bosom such store of wealth,
and with such an expanse of fertile soil, capable of
sustaining millions! What a settlement one could
have in this valley ! See, it is broad enough to sup-
port a large population ! Fancy a church spire rising
where that tamarind rears its dark cro^vn of foliage,
and think how well a score or so of pretty cottages
would look instead of those thorn clumps and gum
trees ! Fancy this lovely valley teeming with herds
of cattle and fields of corn, spreading to the right
and left of this stream ! How much better would
such a state become this valley, rather than its pres-
ent deserted and wild aspect ! But be hopeful. The
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 24I
day will come and a future year will see it, when hap-
pier lands have become crowded and nations have be-
come so overgrown that they have no room to turn
about. It only needs an Abraham or a Lot, an
Alaric or an Attila to lead their hosts to this land,
which, perhaps, has been wisely reserved for such a
time.
" After the warning so kindly given by the natives
soon after leaving Mrera, in Ukonongo, five days'
marches brought us to Mrera, in the district of Rus-
awa, in Ukawendi. Arriving here, we questioned the
natives as to the best course to pursue — should we
make direct for the Tanganyika or go north to the
Malagarazi River? They advised us to the latter
course, though no Arab had ever taken it. Two days
through the forest, they said, would enable us to
reach the Malagarazi. The guide, who had by this
forgotten our disagreement, endorsed this opinion, as
beyond the Malagarazi he was sufficiently qualified
to show the way. We laid in a stock of four days'
provisions against contingencies, and bidding farewell
to the hospitable people of Rusawa, continued our
journey northward.
" The scenery was getting more sublime every day
as we advanced northward, even approaching the
terrible. We seemed to have left the monotony of
a desert for the wild, picturesque scenery of Abys-
sinia and the terrible mountains of the Sierra Neva-
das. I named one tabular mountain, which recalled
memories of the Abyssinian campaign, Magdala, and
as I gave it a place on my chart it became of great
use to me, as it rose so prominently into view that I
242 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
was enabled to lay down our route pretty accurately.
The four days' provisions we had taken with us were
soon consumed, and still we were far from the Mala-
garazi River. Though we eked out my own stores
with great care, as shipwrecked men at sea, these also
gave out on the sixth day, and still the Malagarazi
was not in sight. The country was getting more dif-
ficult for travel, owing to the numerous ascents and
descents we had to make in the course of a day's
march. Bleached and bare, it was cut up by a thou-
sand deep ravines and intersected by a thousand dry
water courses whose beds were filled with immense
sandstone rocks and boulders washed away from the
great heights which rose above us on every side. We
were not protected now by the shades of the forest,
and the heat became excessive and water became
scarce. But we still held on our way, hoping that
each day's march would bring us in sight of the long-
looked-for and much-desired Malagarazi. Fortunately
we had filled our baes and baskets with the forest
peaches with which the forests of Rusawa had sup-
plied us, and these sustained us in this extremity.
" Proceeding on our road on the eighth day every
thing we saw tended to confirm us in the belief that
food was at hand. After travelling two hours, still
descending rapidly towards a deep basin which we
saw, the foremost of the expedition halted, attracted
by the sight of a village situated on a table-topped
mountain on our right. The guide told us it must be
that of the son of Nzogera, of Uvinza. We fol-
lowed a road leading to the foot of the mountain, and
camped on the edge of an extensive morass. Though
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 243
we fired guns to announce our .Arrival, it was unneces-
sary, for the people were already hurrying to our
camps to inquire about our intentions. The explan-
ation was satisfactory, but they said that they had
taken us to be enemies, few friends having ever come
along our road. In a few minutes there was an
abundance of meat and grain in the camp, and the
men's jaws were busy in the process of mastication.
" During the whole of the afternoon we were en-
gaged upon the terms Nzogera's son exacted for the
privilege of passing through his country. We found
him to be the first of a tribute-taking tribe which
subsequently made much havoc in the bales of the
expedition. Seven and a half doti of cloth were
what we were compelled to pay, whether we returned
or proceeded on our way. . After'a day's halt we pro-
ceeded under the guidance of two men granted to me
as qualified to show the way to the Malagarazi
River. We had to go east-northeast for a consider-
able time in order to avoid the morass that lay di-
rectly across the country that intervened between the
triangular mountain on whose top Nzogera's son
dwelt. This marsh drains three extensive ranges of
mountains which, starting from the westward, separ-
ated only by two deep chasms from each other, run
at wide angles — one southeast, one northeast, and
the other northwest. From a distance this marsh
looks fair enough; stately trees at intervals rise
seemingly from its bosom, and between them one
catches glimpses of a lovely champaign, bounded by
perpendicular mountains, in the far distance. After
a wide detour we struck straight for this marsh, which
244 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
presented to us another novelty in the watershed of
the Tanganyika.
"Fancy a river broad as the Hudson at Albany,
though not near so deep or swift, covered over by
water plants and grasses, which had become so inter-
woven and netted together as to form a bridge
covering its entire length and breadth, under which
the river flowed calm and deep below. It was over
this natural bridge we were expected to cross. Add-
ing to the tremor which one naturally felt at having
to cross this frail bridge was the tradition that only
a few yards higher up an Arab and his donkey, thirty-
five slaves and sixteen tusks of ivory had suddenly
sunk forever out of sight. As one-half of our little
column had already arrived at the centre, we on the
shore could see the network of grass waving on
either side, in one place like to the swell of a sea af-
ter a storm, and in another like a small lake violently
ruffled by a squall. Hundreds of yards away from
them it ruffled, and undulated one wave after another.
As we all got on it we perceived it to sink about a
foot, forcing the water on which it rested into the
grassy channel formed by our footsteps. One of my
donkeys broke through, and it required the united
strength of ten men to extricate him. The aggre-
gate weight of the donkey and men caused that por-
tion of the bridge on which they stood to sink about
two feet and a circular pool of water was formed,
and I expected every minute to see them suddenly
sink out of sight. Fortunately we managed to cross
the treacherous bridge without accident*
" Arriving on the other side, we struck north, pass-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 245
ing through a delightful country, in every way suit-
able for agricultural settlements or happy mission
stations. The primitive rock began to show itself
anew in eccentric clusters, as a flat-topped rock, on
which the villages of the Wavinza were seen and
where the natives prided themselves on their security
and conducted themselves accordingly, ever insolent
and forward. We were halted every two or three
miles by the demand for tribute, which we did not,
because we could not, pay.
" On the second day after leaving Nzogera's son we
commenced a series of descents, the deep valleys on
each side of us astonishing us by their profundity,
and the dark gloom prevailing below, amid their won-
derful dense forests of tall trees, and glimpses of
plains beyond, invited sincere admiration. In about
a couple of hours we discovered the river we were
looking for below, at the distance of a mile, running
like a silver vein through a broad valley. Halting at
Kiala's, eldest son of Nzogera, the principal Sultan
of Uvinza, we waited an hour to see on what terms
he would ferry us over the Malagarazi. As we could
not come to a definite conclusion respecting them we
were obliged to camp in his village.
"Until three o'clock P. M. the following day con-
tinued the negotiations for ferrying us across the
Malagarazi, consisting of arguments, threats, quarrels,
loud shouting and stormy debate on both sides. Fi-
nally, six doti and ten fundo of sami-sami beads were
agreed upon. After which we marched to the ferry,
distant half a mile from the scene of so much conten-
tion. The river at this place was not more than
246 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
thirty yards broad, sluggish and deep ; yet I would
prefer attempting to cross the Mississippi by swim-
ming rather than the Malagarazi. Such another river
for the crocodiles, cruel as death, I cannot conceive.
Their long, tapering heads dotted the river every-
where, and though I amused myself, pelting them
with two-ounce balls, I made no effect on their num-
bers. Two canoes had discharged their live cargo on
the other side of the river when the story of Captain
Burton's passage across the Malagarazi higher up
was brought vividly to my mind by the extortions
which Mutware now commenced.
" Two marches from Malagarazi brought us to
Uhha. Kawanga was the first place in Uhha where
we halted. It is the village where resides the first
mutware, or chief, to whom caravans have to pay
tribute. To this man we paid twelve and a half doti,
upon the understanding that we would have to pay
no more between here and Ujiji. We left Kawanga
cheerfully enough. The country undulated gently
before us like the prairie of Nebraska, as devoid of
trees almost as our plains. The top of every wave
of land enabled us to see the scores of villages which
dotted its surface, though it required keen eyes to
detect at a distance the beehived and straw-thatched
huts from the bleached grass of the plain.
" Pursuing our way next day, after a few hours'
march, we came to Kahirigi, and quartered ourselves
in a large village, governed over by Mionvu's brother,
who had already been advised by Mionvu of the wind-
fall in store for him. This man, as soon as we had
set the tent, put in a claim for thirty doti, which I was
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 247
able to reduce, after much eloquence, lasting over five
hours, to twenty-six doti. I saw my fine array of bales
being reduced fast. Four more such demands as Mi-
onvu's would leave me, in unclassic phrase, ' cleaned
out'
"After paying this last tribute, as it was night, I
closed my tent, and, lighting my pipe, began to think
seriously upon my position and how to reach Ujiji
without paying more tribute. It was high time to
resort either to a battle or to a strategy of some kind,
possibly to striking into the jungle ; but there was no
jungle in Uhha, and a man might be seen miles off on
its naked plains. At least this last was the plan most
likely to succeed without endangering the prospects
almost within reach of the expedition. Calling the
guide, I questioned him as to its feasibility. He said
there was a Mguana, a slave of Thani Bin Abdullah,
in the Coma, with whom I might consult. Sending
for him, he presently came, and I began to ask him
for how much he would guide us out of Uhha with-
out being compelled to pay any more Muhongo. He
replied that it was a hard thing to do, unless I had
complete control over my men and they could be got
to do exactly as I told them. When satisfied on this
point he entered into an agreement to show me a
road — or rather to lead me to it — that might be clear
of all habitations as far as Ujiji for twelve doti, paid
beforehand. The cloth was paid to him at once.
"At half-past two A. M. the men were ready, and,
stealing silently past the huts, the guide opened the
gates, and we filed out one by one as quickly as pos-
sible. At dawn we crossed the swift Zunuzi. which
248 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
flowed southward into the Malagarazi, after which we
took a northwesterly direction through a thick jungle
of bamboo. There was no road, and behind us we
left but little trail on the hard, dry ground. At eight
A. M. we halted for breakfast, having marched nearly
six hours, within the jungle, which stretched for miles
around us.
"At ten A. M. we resumed our journey, and after
three hours camped at Lake Musuma, a body of wa-
ter which during the rainy season has a length ot
three miles and a breadth of two miles. It is one oi
a group of lakes which fill deep hollows in the plain
of Uhha. They swarm with hippopotami, and their
shores are favorite resorts of large herds of buffalo
and game. The eland and buffalo especially are in
large numbers here, and the elephant and rhinoceros
are exceedingly numerous. We saw several of these,
but did not dare to fire. On the second morning af-
ter crossing the Sunuzi and Rugufu Rivers, we had
just started from our camp, and as there was no moon-
light the head of the column came to a village, whose
inhabitants, as we heard a few voices, were about start-
ing. We were all struck with consternation, but, con-
sulting with the guide, we despatched our goats and
chickens, and leaving them in the road, faced about,
retraced our steps, and after a quarter of an hour
struck up a ravine, and descending several precipitous
places, about half-past six o'clock found ourselves in
Ukaranga — safe and free from all tribute taking
Wahha.
M Exultant shouts were given — equivalent to the
Anglo-Saxon hurrah — upon our success. Addressing
^1^*1 life
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 25 1
the men, I asked them, 'Why should we halt when but
a few hours from Ujiji ? Let us march a few hours
more and to-morrow we shall see the white man at
Ujiji, and who knows but this may be the man we are
seeking ? Let us go on, and after to-morrow we shall
have fish for dinner and many days' rest afterwards,
every day eating the fish of the Tanganyika. Stop ; I
think I smell the Tanganyika fish even now.' This
speech was hailed with what the newspapers call ' loud
applause ; great cheering,' and ' Ngema — very well,
master ;' ' Hyah Barak- Allah — Onward, and the bless-
ing of God be on you.'
" We strode from the frontier at the rate of four
miles an hour, and, after six hours' march, the tired
caravan entered the woods which separate the resi-
dence of the Chief of Ukaranga from the villages on
the Mkuti River. As we drew near the village we
went slower, unfurled the American and Zanzibar
flags, presenting quite an imposing array. When we
came in sight of Nyamtaga, the name of the Sultan's
residence, and our flags and numerous guns were seen,
the Wakaranga and their Sultan deserted their vil-
lage en masse, and rushed into the woods, believing
that we were Mirambo's robbers, who, after destroy-
ing Unyanyembe, were come to destroy the Arabs
and bunder of' Ujiji ; but he and his people were soon
reassured, and came forward to welcome us with pres-
ents of goats and beer, all of which were very wel-
come after the exceedingly lengthy marches we had
recently undertaken.
"Rising at early dawn our new clothes were brought
forth again that we might present as decent an ap-
15
252 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
pearance as possible before the Arabs of Ujiji, and
my helmet was well chalked and a new puggeree
folded around it, my boots were well oiled and my
white flannels put on, and altogether, without joking,
I might have paraded the streets of Bombay without
attracting any very great attention.
" A couple of hours brought us to the base of a hill,
from the top of which the Kirangozi said we could
obtain a view of the great Tanganyika Lake. Heed-
less of the rough path or of the toilsome steep, spur-
red onward by the cheery promise, the ascent was
performed in a short time. On arriving at the top
we beheld it at last from the spot whence, probably,
Burton and Speke looked at it — 'the one in a half
paralyzed state, the other almost blind.' Indeed, I
was pleased at the sight; and, as we descended, it
opened more and more into view until it was revealed
at last into a grand inland sea, bounded westward by
an appalling and black-blue range of mountains, and
stretching north and south without bounds, a gray
expanse of water.
* From the western base of the hill was a three
hours' march, though no march ever passed off so
quickly. The hours seemed to have been quarters,
we had seen so much that was novel and rare to us
who had been travelling so long on the highlands
The mountains bounding the lake on the eastward,
receded and the lake advanced. We had crossed the
Ruche, or Linche, and its thick belt of tall matete
grass. Wt had plunged into a perfect forest of them,
and had entered into the cultivated fields which sup-
ply the port of Ujiji with vegetables, etc., and we
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 253
stood at last on the summit of the last hill of the
myriads we had crossed, and the. port of Ujiji, em-
bowered in palms, with the tiny waves of the silver
waters of the Tanganyika rolling at its feet was
directly below us.
" We are now about descending — in a few minutes
we shall have reached the spot where we imagine the
object of our search — our fate will soon be decided.
No one in that town knows we are coming ; least of
all do they know we are so close to them. If any of
them ever heard of the white man at Unyanyembe
they must believe we are there yet. We shall take
them all by surprise, for no other but a white man
would dare leave Unyanyembe for Ujiji with the
country in such a distracted state — no other but a
crazy white man whom Sheik, the son of Nasib is
going to report to Syed or Burghash for not taking
his advice.
"Well, we are but a mile from Ujiji now, and it is
high time we should let them know a caravan is com-
ing ; so ■ Commence firing' is the word passed along
the length of the column, and gladly do they begin.
They have loaded their muskets half full, and they
roar like the broadside of a line-of-battle ship. Down
go the ramrods, sending huge charges home to the
breech, and volley after volley is fired. The flags are
fluttered ; the banner of America is in front waving
joyfully ; the guide is in the zenith of his glory. The
former residents of Zanzita will know it directly, and
will wonder — as well they may — as to what it means.
Never were the Stars and Stripes so beautiful to my
mind — the breeze of the Tanganyika has such an ef-
254 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
feet on them. The guide blows his horn, and the
shrill, wild clangor of it is far and near; and still the
cannon muskets tell the noisy seconds. By this time
the Arabs are fully alarmed; the natives of Ujiji,
Waguhha, Warundi, Wanguana, and I know not
whom, hurry up by the hundreds to ask what it all
means — this fusilading, shouting, and blowing of
horns and flag flying. There are Yambos shouted
out to me by the dozen, and delighted Arabs have
run up breathlessly to shake my hands and ask
anxiously where I came from. But I have no pa-
tience with them. The expedition goes far too slow. I
should like to settle the vexed question by one per-
sonal view. Where is he? Has he fled?
" Suddenly a man — a black man — at my elbow
shouts in English, ' How do you sir ?'
" Hello ! who are you?' ' I am the servant of Dr.
Livingstone,' he says ; but before I can ask any more
questions he is running like a madman toward the
town.
" We have at last entered the town. There are
hundreds of people around me — I might say thou-
sands without exaggeration, it seems to me. It is a
grand triumphal procession. As we move they move.
All eyes are drawn towards us. The expedition at
last comes to a halt ; the journey is ended for a time;
but I alone have a few more steps to make.
" There is a group of the most respectable Arabs,
and as I come nearer I see the white face of an old
man among them. He has a cap with a gold band
around it, his dress is a short jacket of red blanket
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
255
cloth and pants. I am shaking hands with him. We
raise our hats, and I say: —
" Dr. Livingstone, I presume ?
" And he says, ' Yes.'
" Finis coronat opus. "
And thus was the goal won after long and toilsome
and dangerous journeyings, many hundred miles of
them never before looked upon by the eye of white
man. It was a triumph magnificently demonstrating
the progress of humanity, science, and civilization ;
and it must be universally regarded as an achieve-
ment remarkably and most happily representative of
the spirit of the age, since it was accomplished, not
by the power and wealth of prince, or potentate, or
government, but by the irrepressible enterprise of an
American Newspaper.
CHAPTER XIII.
LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY IN AFRICA.
The Great Explorer as a Companion — His Missionary Labors — The Story of
His Latest Explorations — The Probable Sources of the Nile — Great Lakes
and Rivers — The Country and People of Central Africa — A Race of African
Amazons — Slave Trade — A Horrid Massacre — The Discoverer Plundered.
Mr. Stanley, rather contrary, it would seem, to his
expectations, found Dr. Livingstone an exceedingly
companionable and agreeable gentleman. He had
been led to suppose that the explorer of Africa was
haughty and reserved in manner. Instead, he found
him hospitable, most generous, and as open and un-
affected as a child. He deferred reading his own let-
ters, brought by Mr. Stanley, until he had the general
news of the world during the long period in which he
had been " lost." Then, he read of home, and gave
the commander of the " Herald" expedition an ac-
count of his explorations. The result of these inter-
views is contained in a letter dated at Bunder Ujiji
on Lake Tanganyika, December 26, 1 871, from which
we largely extract as follows :
" The goal was won. Finis coronat opus. I might
here stop very well — for Livingstone was found —
only the 'Herald' I know will not be satisfied with
one story, so I will sit down to another ; a story so
interesting, because he, the great traveller, the hero
Livingstone, tells most of it himself.
256
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 257
" Together we turned our faces towards his tembe.
He pointed to the veranda of his house, which was
an unrailed platform, built of mud, covered by wide
overhanging eaves. He pointed to his own particu-
lar seat, on a carpet of goatskins spread over a thick
mat of palm leaf. I protested against taking his
seat, but he insisted, and I yielded. We were
seated, the Doctor and I, with our back to the wall>
the Arabs to our right and left and in front, the na-
tives forming a dark perspective beyond. Then be-
gan conversation; I forget what about; possibly
about the road I took from Unyanyembe, but I am
not sure. I know the Doctor was talking, and I was
answering mechanically. I was conning the indomit-
able, energetic, patient and persevering traveller, at
whose side I now sat in Central Africa. Every hair
of his head and beard, every line and wrinkle of his
face, the wan face, the fatigued form, were all impart-
ing the intelligence to me which so many men so
much desired. It was deeply interesting intelligence
and unvarnished truths these mute but certain wit-
nesses gave. They told me of the real nature of the
work in which he was engaged. Then his lips began
to give me the details — lips that cannot lie. I could
not repeat what he said. He had so much to say
that he began at the end, seemingly oblivious of the
fact that nearly six years had to be accounted for.
But the story came out bit by bit, unreservedly — as
unreservedly as if he was conversing with Sir R.
Murchison, his true friend and best on earth. The
man's heart was gushing out, not in hurried sentences,
in rapid utterances, in quick relation — but in still and
258 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
deep words. A happier companion, a truer friend
than the traveller, I could not wish for. He was al-
ways polite — with a politeness of the genuine kind —
and this politeness never forsook him for an instant,
even in the midst of the most rugged scenes and
greatest difficulties. Upon my first introduction to
him Livingstone was to me like a huge tome, with a
most unpretending binding. Within, the book might
contain much valuable lore and wisdom, but its ex-
terior gave no promise of what was within. Thus
outside Livingstone gave no token — except of being
rudely dealt with by the wilderness — of what element
of power or talent lay within. He is a man of un-
pretending appearance enough, has quiet, composed
features, from which the freshness of youth has quite
departed, but which retains the mobility of prime
age just enough to show that there yet lives much
endurance and vigor within his frame. The eyes,
which are hazel, are remarkably bright, not dimmed
in the least, though the whiskers and mustache are
very gray. The hair, originally brown, is streaked
here and there with gray over the temples, otherwise
it might belong to a man of thirty. The teeth above
show indications of being worn out. The hard fare
of Londa and Manyema have made havoc in their
ranks. His form is stoutish, a little over the ordin-
ary in height, with slightly bowed shoulders. When
walking he has the heavy step of an overworked and
fatigued man. On his head he wears the naval cap,
with a round vizor, with which he has been identified
throughout Africa. His dress shows that at times he
has had to resort to the needle to repair and replace
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 259
what travel has worn. Such is Livingstone exter-
nally.
" Of the inner man much more may be said than of
the outer. As he reveals himself, bit by bit, to the
stranger, a great many favorable points present them-
selves, any of which taken singly might well dispose
you toward him. I had brought him a packet of let-
ters, and though I urged him again and again to de-
fer conversation with me until he had read the news
from home and children, he said he would defer
reading until night ; for the time he would enjoy be-
ing astonished by the European and any general
world news I could communicate. He had acquired
the art of being patient long ago, he said, and he had
waited so long for letters that he could well afford
to wait a few hours more. So we sat and talked on
that humble veranda of one of the poorest houses in
Ujiji. Talked quite oblivious of the large concourse
of Arabs, Wanguana, and Wajiji, who had crowded
around to see the new comer.
" The hours of that afternoon passed most pleas-
antly — few afternoons of my life more so. It seemed
to me as if I had met an old, old friend. There was
a friendly or good-natured abandon about Livingstone
which was not lost on me. As host, welcoming one
who spoke his language, he did his duties with a spirit
and style I have never seen elsewhere. He had not
much to offer, to be sure, but what he had was mine
and his. The wan features which I had thought
shocked me at first meeting, the heavy step which
told of age and hard travel, the gray beard and
stooping shoulders belied the man. Underneath
260 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
that aged and well spent exterior lay an endless fund
of high spirits, which now and then broke out in
peals of hearty laughter — the rugged frame enclosed a
very young and exuberant soul. The meal — I am not
sure but what we ate three meals that afternoon —
was seasoned with innumerable jokes and pleasant
anecdotes, interesting hunting stories, of which his
friends Webb, Oswell, Vardon, and Cumming (Gor-
don Cumming) were always the chief actors. ' You
have brought me new life/ he said several times, so
that I was not sure but that there was some little
hysteria in this joviality and abundant animal spirits,
but as I found it continued during several weeks I
am now disposed to think it natural.
"Another thing which specially attracted my atten-
tion was his wonderfully retentive memory. When
we remember the thirty years and more he has spent
in Africa, deprived of books, we may well think it an
uncommon memory that can recite whole poems of
Burns, Byron, Tennyson, and Longfellow. Even the
poets Whittier and Lowell were far better known to
him than me. He knew an endless number of facts
and names of persons connected with America much
better than I, though it was my peculiar province as
a journalist to have known them.
"Dr. Livingstone is a truly pious man — a man
deeply imbued with real religious instincts. The
study of the man would not be complete if we did
not take the religious side of his character into con-
sideration. His religion, any more than his business,
is not of the theoretical kind — simply contenting it-
self with avowing its peculiar creed and ignoring all
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 26 1
other religions as wrong or weak. It is of the true,
practical kind, never losing a chance to manifest itself
in a quiet, practical way — never demonstrative or
loud. It is always at work, if not in deed, by shining
example. It is not aggressive, which sometimes is
troublesome and often impertinent. In him religion
exibits its loveliest features. It governs his conduct
towards his servants, towards the natives and towards
the bigoted Mussulmans — all who come in contact
with him. Without religion Livingstone, with his
ardent temperament, his enthusiastic nature, his high
spirit and courage, might have been an uncompanion-
able man and a hard master. Religion has tamed all
these characteristics ; nay, if he was ever possessed
of them, they have been thoroughly eradicated.
Whatever was crude or wilful religion has refined,
and made him, to speak the earnest, sober truth, the
most agreeable of companions and indulgent of mas-
ters. Every Sunday morning he gathers his little
flock around him and has prayers read, in the tone
recommended by Archbishop Whately — viz, natural,
unaffected, and sincere. Following them he delivers
a short address in the Kisawahiti language about
what he has been reading from the Bible to them,
which is listened to with great attention.
" When I first met the Doctor I asked him if he did
not feel a desire to visit his country and take a little
rest. He had then been absent about six years, and
the answer he gave me freely shows what kind of man
he is. Said he : —
" 4 1 would like very much to go home and see my
children once again, but I cannot bring my heart to
262 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
abandon the task I have undertaken when it is so
nearly completed. It only requires six or seven
months more to trace the true source that I have dis-
covered with Petherick's branch of the White Nile, or
with the Albert Nyanza of Sir Samuel Baker. Why
should I go before my task is ended, to have to come
back again to do what I can very well do now ?' 'And
why/ I asked, ' did you come so far back without fin-
ishing the short task which you say you have yet to
do ?' ' Simply because I was forced ; my men would
not budge a step forward. They mutinied and formed
a secret resolution that if I still insisted on going on
to raise a disturbance in the country, and after they
had effected it to abandon me, in which case I should
be killed. It was dangerous to go any farther. I had
explored six hundred miles of the watershed, had
traced all the principal streams which discharged
their waters into the central line of drainage, and
when a.bout starting to explore the last one hundred
miles the hearts of my people failed, and they set
about frustrating me in every possible way. Now,
having returned seven hundred miles to get a new
supply of stores and another escort, I find myself des-
titute of even the means to live but for a few weeks,
and sick in mind and body.'
"Again, about a week after I had arrived in Ujiji, I
asked Livingstone if he had examined the northern
head of the Tanganyika. He answered immediately
he had not, and then asked if people expected he had.
" ' I did try before setting out for Manyema,' he said,
4 to engage canoes and proceed northward, but I soon
saw that the people were all confederating to fleece
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 26
me as they- had Burton, and had I gone under such
circumstances I should not have been able to proceed
to Manyema to explore the central line of drainage,
and of course the most important line — far more im-
portant than the line of the Tanganyika ; for what-
ever connection there may be between the Tangan-
yika and the Albert the true sources of the Nile are
those emptying into the central line of drainage. In
my own mind I have not the least doubt that the Ru-
sizi River flows from this lake into the Albert. For
three months steadily I observed a current setting
northward. I verified it by means of water plants.
When Speke gives the altitude of the Tanganyika at
only 1,880 feet above the sea I imagine he must have
fallen into the error by frequently writing the Anno
Domini, and thus made a slip of the pen; for the al-
titude is over two thousand eight hundred feet by
boiling point, though I make it a little over three
thousand feet by barometers. Thus you see that
there are no very great natural difficulties on the
score of altitude, and nothing to prevent the reason-
able supposition that there may be a water connec-
tion by means of the Rusizi or some other river be-
tween the two lakes. Besides, the Arabs here are di-
vided in their statements. Some swear that the river
goes out of the Tanganyika, others that it flows into
the Tanganyika.'
" Dr. Livingstone left the island of Zanzibar in
March, 1866. On the 7th of the following month he
departed from Mikindini Bay for the interior, with
an expedition consisting of twelve Sepoys from Bom-
bay, nine men from Johanna, of the Comoro Isles
264 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
seven liberated slaves and two Zambesi men (taking
them as an experiment), six camels, three buffaloes,
two mules and three donkeys. He thus had thirty
men, twelve of whon* — viz., the Sepoys — were to act
as guards for the expedition. They were mostly
armed with the Enfield rifles presented to the Doc-
tor by the Bombay government. The baggage of
the expedition consisted of ten bales of cloth and
two bags of beads, which were to serve as currency
by which they would be enabled to purchase the nec-
essaries of life in the countries the Doctor intended
to visit. Besides the cumbrous moneys they carried
several boxes of instruments, such as chronometers,
air thermometers, sextant and artificial horizon, box-
es containing clothes, medicines, and personal neces-
saries.
" The expedition travelled up the left bank of the
Rovuma River, a route as full of difficulties as any
that could be chosen. For miles Livingstone and
his party had to cut their way with their axes through
the dense and most impenetrable jungles which
lined the river's banks. The road was a mere foot-
path, leading in the almost erratic fashion, in and
through the dense vegetation, seeking the easiest
outlet from it without any regard to the course it
ran. The pagazis were able to proceed easily enough
but the camels on account of their enormous height,
could not advance a step without the axes of the
party first clearing the way. These tools of for-
esters were almost always required, but the advance
of the expedition was often retarded by the unwil-
lingness of the Sepoys and Johanna men to work.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 265
Soon after the departure of the expedition from the
coast the murmurings and complaints of these men
began, and upon every occasion and at every oppor-
tunity they evinced a decided hostility to an advance.
"The Doctor and his little party arrived on the
1 8th day of July, 1866, at a village belonging to a
chief of the Mahiyaw, situated eight days' march south
of the Rovuma and overlooking the watershed of the
Lake Nyassa. The territory lying between the Ro-
vuma river and this Mahiyaw chieftain was an unin-
habited wilderness, during the transit of which Liv-
ingstone and the expedition suffered considerably
from hunger and desertion of men.
" Early in August, 1866, the Doctor came to
Mponda's country, a chief who dwelt near the Lake
Nyassa. On the road thither two of the liberated
slaves deserted him. Here, also, Wakotani (not
Wikotani) a protege of the Doctor, insisted upon his
discharge, alleging as an excuse, which the Doctor
subsequently found to be untrue, that he had found
his brother."
Hence the explorer proceeded to the heel of Lake
Nyassa where there is a village of a Babisa chief.
The chief was ill, and Doctor Livingstone remained
there for some time to give him medical aid. It was
here that he was deserted by his Johanna men, the
chief of whom, Ali Moosa (or Musa), pretended to
give credence to a mournful story of plunder per-
petrated upon a certain half-caste Arab who had been
along the western shore of the lake. Though the
explorer gave no faith to the Arab story, he deter-
mined not to go among the Ma-zitu, reported so
266 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
hostile, and proceeded in a southwestern course for
a considerable distance. The correspondent's letter
goes on to say :
" As soon as he turned his face westward Musa
and the Johanna men ran away in a body. The
Doctor says, in commenting upon Musa's conduct,
that he felt strongly tempted to shoot Musa and an-
other ringleader, but was nevertheless glad that he
did not soil his hands with their vile blood. A day
or two afterwards another of his men — Simon Price
by name — came to the Doctor with the same tale
about the Ma-Zitu, but, compelled by the scant num-
ber of his people to repress all such tendencies to
desertion and faint-heartedness, the Doctor ' shut
him up' at once and forbade him to utter the name of
the Ma-Zitu any more. Had the natives not assisted
him he must have despaired of ever being able to
penetrate the wild and unexplored interior which he
was now about to tread.
" ' Fortunately,' as the Doctor says with unction t
1 1 was in a country now, after leaving the shores of
the Nyassa, where the feet of the slave trader had
not trodden. It was a new and virgin land, and of
course, as I have always found it in such cases, the
natives were really good and hospitable, and for very
small portions of cloth my baggage was conveyed
from village to village by them.' In many other ways
the traveller in his extremity was kindly treated by
the undefiled and unspoiled natives. On leaving
this hospitable region in the early part of December,
1866, the Doctor entered a country where the Mazitu
had excercised their customary spoliating propensities
OSTHICH.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 269
The land was swept clean of all provisions and
cattle, and the people had emigrated to other coun-
tries beyond the bounds of these ferocious plunder-
ers. Again the expedition was besieged by famine,
and was reduced to great extremity. To satisfy the
pinching hunger it suffered it had recourse to the
wild fruits which some parts of the country furnished.
At intervals the condition of the hard-pressed band
was made worse by the heartless desertion of some
of its members, who more than once departed with
the Doctor's personal kit — changes of clothes and
linen, etc. With more or lesss misfortunes con-
stantly dogging his footsteps, he traversed in safety
the countries of the Babisa, Bobemba, Barungu, Ba-
ulungu, and Londa.
" In the country of Londa lives the famous Ca-
zembe — made known to Europeans first by Dr. La-
cerda, the Portuguese traveller. Cazembe is a most
intelligent prince ; is a tall, stalwart man, who wears
a peculiar kind of dress, made of crimson print, in
the form of a prodigious kilt. The mode of arrang-
ing it is most ludicrous. All the folds of this enor-
mous kilt are massed in front, which causes him to
look as if the peculiarities of the human body were
reversed in his case. The abdominal parts are thus
covered with a balloon-like expansion of cloth, while
the lumbar region, which is by us jealously clothed,
with him is only half draped by a narrow curtain
which by no means suffices to obscure its naturally
fine proportions. In this state dress King Cazembe
received Dr. Livingstone, surrounded by his chiefs
and body guards. A chief, who had been deputed
16
27O EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
by the King arid elders to find out all about the
white man, then stood up before the assembly, and in
a loud voice gave the result of the inquiry he had in-
stituted. He had heard the white man had come to
look for waters, for rivers and seas. Though he did
not understand what the white man could want with
such things, he had no doubt that the object was
good. Then Cazembe asked what the Doctor pro-
posed doing and where he thought of going. The
Doctor replied that he had thought of going south,
as he had heard of lakes and rivers being in that di-
rection. Cazembe asked : ' What can you want to go
there for ? The water is close here. There is plenty
of large water in this neighborhood/ Before break-
ing up the assembly Cazembe gave orders to let the
white man go where he would through his country
undisturbed and unmolested. He was the first
Englishman he had seen, he said, and he liked him.
" Shortly after his introduction to the King the
Queen entered the large house surrounded by a body
guard of Amazons armed with spears. She was a
fine, tall, handsome young woman, and evidently
thought she was about to make a great impression
upon the rustic white man, for she had clothed her-
self after a most royal fashion, and was armed with a
ponderous spear. But her appearance, so different
from what the Doctor had imagined, caused him to
laugh, which entirely spoiled the effect intended, for
the laugh of the Doctor was so contagious that she
herself was the first who imitated, and the Amazons,
courtier-like, followed suit. Much disconcerted by
this, the Queen ran back, followed by her obedient
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 271
damsels — a retreat most undignified and unqueenlike
compared to her majestic advent into the Doctor's
presence.
" Soon after his arrival in the country of Londa, or
Lunda, and before he had entered the district of
Cazembe, he had crossed a river called the Cham-
bezi, which was quite an important stream. The
similarity of the name with that large and noble
river south, which will be forever connected with his
name, misled Livingstone at that time, and he ac-
cordingly did not pay it the attention it deserved,
believing that the Chambezi was but the head-waters
of the Zambezi, and consequently had no bearing or
connection with the sources of the river of Egypt, of
which he was in search. His fault was in relying too
implicitly upon the correctness of Portuguese infor-
mation. This error cost him many months of tedi-
ous labor and travel. But these travels and tedious
labors of his in Londa and the adjacent countries
have established beyond doubt first, that the Cham-
bezi is a totally distinct river from the Zambezi of
the Portuguese, and secondly, that the Chambezi,
starting from about latitude eleven degrees south, is
none other than the most southerly feeder of the
great Nile, thus giving this famous river a length of
over two thousand six hundred miles of direct lati-
tude, making it second to the Mississippi, the longest
river in the world. The real and true name of the
Zambezi is Dombazi. When Lacuda and his Portu-
guese successors came to Cazembe, crossed the
Chambezi and heard its name, they very naturally
set it down as 'our own Zambezi/ and without
272 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
further inquiry sketched it as running in that direc-
tion.
u During his researches in that region, so pregnant
in discoveries, Livingstone came to a lake lying
northeast of Cazembe, which the natives called
Liemba, from the country of that name, which
bordered it on the east and south. In tracing the
lake north he found it to be none other than the
Tanganyika, or the southeastern extremity of it,
which looks on the Doctor's map very much like an
outline of Italy. The latitude of the southern end
of this great body of water is about nine degrees
south, which gives it thus a length, from north to
south, of 360 geographical miles.
" From the southern extremity of the Tanganyika
he crossed Marungu and came in sight of Lake
Moero. Tracing this lake, which is about sixty miles
in length, to its southern head, he found a river
called the Luapula entering it from that direction:
Following the Luapula south he found it issue from
the large lake of" Bangweolo, which is as large in
superficial area as the Tanganyika. In exploring for
the waters which emptied into the lake he found by
far the most important of these feeders was the
Chambezi. So that he had thus traced the Cham-
bezi from its source to Lake Bangweolo, and issue
from its northern head under the name of Luapula,
and found it enter Lake Moero. Again he returned
to Cazembe, well satisfied that the river running
north through three degrees of latitude could not be
the river running south under the name of the Zam-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 2 J $
bezi, though Ahere might be a remarkable resemblance
in their names.
" At Cazembe he found an old white-bearded half-
caste named Mohammed ben Salih, who was kept as
a kind of prisoner at large by the King because of
certain suspicious circumstance attending his advent
and stay in his country. Through Livingstone's in-
fluence Mohammed ben Salih obtained his release.
On the road to Ujiji he had bitter cause to regret
having exerted himself in the half-castes behalf. He
turned out to be a most ungrateful wretch, who
poisoned the minds of the Doctor's few followers
and ingratiated himself in their favor by selling the
favors of his concubines to them, thus reducing them
to a kind of bondage under him. From the day he
had the vile old man in his company manifold and
bitter misfortunes followed the Doctor up to his ar-
rival in Ujiji, in March, 1869.
" From the date of his arrival until the end of
June (1869) he remained in Ujiji, whence he dated
those letters which, though the outside world still
doubted his being alive, satisfied the minds of the
Royal Geographical people and his intimate friends
that he was alive, and Musa's tale an ingenious but
false fabrication of a cowardly deserter. It was dur-
ing this time that the thought occurred to him of
sailing around the Lake Tanganyika, but the Arabs
and natives were so bent upon fleecing him that, had
he undertaken it the remainder of his goods would
not have enabled him to explore the central line of
drainage, the initial point of which he found far
south of Cazembe, in about latitude 11 degrees, in
2 74 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
the river Chambezi. In the days when tjred Captain
Burton was resting in Ujiji, after his march from the
coast near Zanzibar, the land to which Livingstone,
on his departure from Ujiji, bent his steps, was un-
known to the Arabs save by vague report. Messrs.
Burton and Speke never heard of it, it seems.
Speke, who was the geographer of Burton's expe-
dition, heard of a place called Uruwa, which he
placed on his map according to the general direction
indicated by the Arabs ; but the most enterprising
of the Arabs, in their search after ivory, only touched
the frontiers of Rua, as the natives and Livingstone
call it ; for Rua is an immense country, with a length
of six degrees of latitude and as yet an undefined
breadth from east to west.
"At the end of June, 1869, Livingstone took dhow
at Ujiji and crossed over to Uguhha, on the western
shore, for his last and greatest series of explorations,
the result of which was the discovery of a series of
lakes of great magnitude connected together by a
large river called by different names as it left one
lake to flow to another. From the port of Uguhha
he set off in company with a body of traders, in an
almost direct westerly course, through the lake coun-
try of Uguhha. Fifteen days march brought them
to Bambarre, the first important ivory depot in Man-
yema, or, as the natives pronounce it, Manuyema.
For nearly six months he was detained at Bambarre
from ulcers in the feet, with copious discharges of
bloody ichor oozing from the sores as soon as he set
his feet on the ground. • When well, he set off in a
northerly direction, and, after several days, came to
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 275
a broad, lacustrine river, called the Lualaba, flowing
northward and westward, and, in some places south-
ward, in a most confusing way. The river was from
one to three miles broad. By exceeding pertinacity
he contrived to follow its erratic course until he saw
the Lualaba enter the narrow but lengthy lake of
Kamolondo, in about latitude 6 deg. 30 min. south.
Retracing it south he came to the point where he
had seen the Luapula enter Lake Moero.
" One feels quite enthusiastic when listening to
Livingstone's description of the beauties of Moero
scenery. Pent in on all sides by high mountains
clothed to their tips with the richest vegetation of
the tropics, Moero discharges its superfluous waters
through a deep rent in the bosom of the mountains.
The impetuous and grand river roars through the
chasm with the thunder of a cataract ; but soon after
leaving its confined and deep bed it expands into the
calm and broad Lualaba — expanding over miles of
ground, making great bends west and southwest, then,
curving northward, enters Kamolondo. By the na-
tives it is called the Lualaba, but the Doctor, in order
to distinguish it from the other rivers of the same
name, has given it the name of Webb's River, after
Mr. Webb, the wealthy proprietor of Newstead Ab-
bey, whom the Doctor distinguishes as one of his
oldest and most consistent friends. Away to the
southwest from Kamolondo is another large lake,
which discharges its waters by the important river
Locki, or Lomami, into the great Lualaba. To this
lake, known as Chebungo by the natives, Dr. Living-
stone has given the name of Lincoln, to be hereafter
276 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
distinguished on maps and in books as Lake Lincoln,
in memory of Abraham Lincoln, our murdered Pres-
ident. This was done from the vivid impression pro-
duced on his mind by hearing a portion of his inau-
guration speech read from an English pulpit, which
related to the causes that induced him to issue his
emancipation proclamation. To the memory of the
man whose labors in behalf of the negro race deserved
the commendation of all good men Livingstone has
contributed a monument more durable than brass or
stone.
" Entering Webb's River from the south-southwest,
a little north of Kamolondo, is a large river called the
Lufira, but the streams that discharge themselves
from the watershed into the Lualaba are so numer-
ous that the Doctors map would not contain them,
so he has left all out except the most important.
Continuing his way north, tracing the Luabala through
its manifold and crooked curves as far as latitude four
decrees south, he came to another large lake called
the Unknown Lake; but here you may come to a
dead halt, and read it thus :— * * * * * * Here
was the furthermost point. From here he was com-
pelled to return on the weary road to Ujiji, a distance
of 600 miles.
"In this brief sketch of Doctor Livingstone's won-
derful travels it is to be hoped that the most super-
ficial reader, as well as the student of geography,
comprehends this grand system of lakes connected
together by Webb's river. To assist him, let him
procure a map of Africa, embracing the latest discov-
eries. Two degrees south of the Tanganyika, and
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 277
two degrees west let him draw the outlines of a lake,
its greatest length from east to west, and let him call
it Bangweolo. One degree or thereabout to the
northwest let him sketch the outlines of another but
smaller lake and call it Moero ; a degree again north
of Moero another lake of similar size, and call it
Kamolondo, and still a degree north of Kamolondo
another lake, large and as yet undefined limits, which,
in the absence of any specific term, we will call the
Nameless Lake. Then let him connect these several
lakes by a river called after different names. Thus,
the main feeder of Bangweolo, the Chambezi ; the
river which issues out of Bangweolo and runs into
Moero, the Luapula; the river connecting Moero
with Kamolondo, Webb's river ; that which runs
from Kamolondo into the Nameless Lake northward,
the Lualaba; and let him write in bold letters over
the rivers Chambezi, Luapula, Webbs River and the
Lualaba the ■ Nile,' for these are all one and the same
river. Again, west of Moero Lake, about one degree
or thereabouts, another large lake may be placed on
his map, with a river running diagonally across to
meet the Lualaba north of Lake Kamolondo. This
new lake is Lake Lincoln, and the river is the Lo-
mami River, the confluence of which with the Lua-
laba is between Kamolondo and the Nameless Lake.
Taken altogether, the reader may be said to have a
very fair idea of what Dr. Livingstone has been do-
ing these long years, and what additions he has made
to the study of African geography. That this river,
distinguished under several titles, flowing from one
lake into another in a northerly direction, with all
278 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
its great crooked bends and sinuosities, is the Nile,
the true Nile, the Doctor has not the least doubt.
For a long time he did doubt, because of its deep
bends and curves — west, and southwest even — but
having traced it from its headwaters, the Chambezi,
through seven degrees of latitude — that is, from lat-
itude eleven degrees south to a little north of lati-
tude four degrees south — he has been compelled to
come to the conclusion that it can be no other river
than the Nile. He had thought it was the Congo,
but he has discovered the sources of the Congo to
be the Kasai and the Quango, two rivers which rise
on the western side of the Nile watershed in about
the latitude of Bangweolo; and he was told of another
river called the Lubilash, which rose from the north
and ran west. But the Lualaba the Doctor thinks
cannot be the Congo, from its great size and body
and from its steady and continual flow northward
through a broad and extensive valley, bounded by
enormous mountains, westerly and easterly. The
altitude of the most northerly point to which the
Doctor traced the wonderful river was a little over
two thousand feet, so that though Baker makes out
his lake to be two thousand seven hundred feet above
the sea, yet the Bahr Ghazal, through which Pether-
ick's branch of the White Nile issues into the Nile,
is only a little over two thousand feet, in which case
there is a possibility that the Lualaba may be none
other than Petherick's branch. It is well known that
trading stations for ivory have been established for
about five hundred miles up Petherick's branch. We
must remember this fact when told that Gondokoro,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 279
in latitude four degrees north, is two thousand feet
above the sea, and latitude four degrees south, where
the Doctor was halted, is only a little over two thou-
sand feet above the sea. That two rivers, said to be
two thousand feet above the sea, separated from each
other by eight degrees of latitude, are the same
stream may, among some men, be regarded as a
startling statement. But we must restrain mere ex-
pressions of surprise and take into consideration that
this mighty and broad Lualaba is a lacustrine river
— broader than the Mississipi — and think of our own
rivers, which, though shallow, are exceedingly broad.
We must wait also until the altitude of the two riv-
ers — the Lualaba, where the Doctor halted, and the
southern point on the Bahr Ghazal, where Pether-
ick has been — are known with perfect accuracy.
" Webb's River, or the Lualaba, from Bangweolo is
a lacustrine river, expanding from one to three miles
in breadth. At intervals it forms extensive lakes,
then contracting into a broad river it again forms a
a lake, and so on to latitude four degrees north, and
beyond this point the Doctor heard of a large lake
again north. Now, for the sake of argument, suppose
we give this nameless lake a length of four degrees
latitude, as it may be the one discovered by Piaggia,
the Italian traveller, from which Petherick's branch
of the White Nile issues out through reeds, marshes,
and the Bahr Ghazal into the White Nile south of
Gondokoro. By this method we can suppose the
rivers one — for the lakes extending over so many de-
grees of latitude would obviate the necessity of ex-
plaining the differences of latitude that must natu-
2 8o EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
rally exist between the points of a river eight deg*wo*
of latitude apart. Also, that Livingstone's instru-
ments for observation and taking altitude may have
been in error, and this is very likely to have been the
case, subjected as they have been to rough handling
during nearly six years of travel.
" Despite the apparent difficulty about the altitude,
there is another strong reason for believing Webb's
River, or the Lualaba, to be the Nile. The water-
shed of this river, 600 miles of which Livingstone has
travelled, is drained by a valley which lies north and
south between the eastern and western ranges of the
watershed. This valley or line of drainage, while it
does not receive the Kasai and the Quango, receives
rivers flowing from a great distance west — for in-
stance, the important tributaries Lufira and Lomami,
and large rivers from the east, such as the Lindi and
Luamo ; and while the most intelligent Portuguese
travellers and traders state that the Kasai, the Quan-
go and Lubilash are the head waters of the Congo
river, no one as yet has started the supposition that
the grand river flowing north and known to the na-
tives as the Lualaba, was the Congo. If this river
is not the Nile where, then, are the head waters of
the Nile? The small river running out of the Vic-
toria Nyanza and the river flowing out of the little
Lake Albert have not sufficient water to form the
great river of Egypt. As you glide down the Nile
and note the Asna, the Geraffe, the Sobat, the Blue
Nile and Atbara,and follow the river down to Egypt,
it cannot fail to impress you that it requires many
more streams, or one large river, larger than all yet
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 28 J
discovered, to influence its inundations and replace
the waste of its flow through a thousand miles of des-
ert. Perhaps a more critical survey of the Bahr
Ghazal would prove that the Nile is influenced by
the waters that pour through ' the small piece of wa-
ter resembling a duck pond buried in a sea of rushes/
as Speke describes the Bahr Ghazal. Livinstone's
discovery answers the question and satisfies the in-
telligent hundreds, who, though Bruce and Speke and
Baker, each in his turn had declared he had found
the Nile, the only and true Nile sources, yet doubted
and hesitated to accept the enthusiastic assertions as
a final solution of the Nile problem. Even yet, ac-
cording to Livingstone the Nile sources have not been
found ; though he has traced the Lualaba through
seven degrees of latitude flowing north, and though
neither he nor I have a particle of doubt of its being
the Nile, not yet can the Nile question be said to be
ended for three reasons —
First — He has heard of the existence of four foun-
tains, two of which give birth to a river flowing
north — Webb's River, or the Lualaba ; two to a river
flowing south, which is the Zambezi. He has heard
of these fountains repeatedly from the natives.
Several times he has been within one hundred and
two hundred miles from them, but something always
interposed to prevent him going to see them. Ac-
cording to those who have seen them, they rise on
eitheir side of a mound or hill which contains no
stones. Some have even called it an ant hill. One
of these fountains is said to be so large that a man
standing on one side cannot be seen from the other.
282 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
These fountains must be discovered, and their posi-
tion taken. The Doctor does not suppose them to
lie south of the feeders of Lake Bangweolo.
"Second — Webb's River must be traced to its con-
nection with some portion of the old Nile.
" Third — The connection between the Tanganyika
and the Albert Nyanza must be ascertained.
" When these three things have been accomplished,
then, and not till then, can the mystery of the Nile
be explained. The two countries through which
this marvellous lacustrine river — the Lualaba — flows,
with its manifold lakes and broad expanses of water,
are Rua — the Uruwa of Speke — and Manyema. For
the first time Europe is made aware that between
the Tanganyika and the known sources of the Congo
there exist teeming millions of the negro race who
never saw or heard of the white peoples who make
such noisy and busy stir outside of Africa. Upon
the minds of those who had the good fortune to see
the first specimen of these remarkable white races
Livingstone seems to have made a favorable impres-
sion, though, through misunderstanding his object
and coupling him with the Arabs who make horrible
work there, his life has been sought after more than
once.
"These two extensive countries, Rua and Man-
yema, are populated by true heathens — governed not
as the sovereignties of Karagwah,Wumdi,and Uganda
by despotic kings, but each village by its own sultan
or lord. Thirty miles outside of their own immedi-
ate settlements the most intelligent of those small
chiefs seem to know nothing. Thirty miles from the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 283
Lualaba there were but few people who had ever
heard of the great river. Such ignorance among the
natives of their own countries, of course, increased
the labors of Livingstone. Compared with these all
tribes and nations in Africa with whom Livingstone
came in contact may be deemed civilized. Yet in
the arts of home manufacture these wild people of
Manyema are far superior to any he had seen. When
other tribes and nations contented themselves with
hides and skins of animals thrown negligently over
their shoulders the people of Manyema manufac-
tured a cloth from fine grass which may favorably
compare with the finest grass cloth of India. They
also know the art of dyeing in various colors —
black, yellow, and purple. The Wanguana or freed
men of Zanzibar, struck with the beauty of this fine
grass frabric, eagerly exchange their cotton cloths
for fine grass cloth, and on almost every black man
returned from Manyema I have seen this native cloth
converted into elegantly made damirs (Arabic) —
short jackets.
" These countries are also very rich in ivory. The
fever for going to Manyema to exchange their
tawdry beads for the precious tusks of Manyema is
of the same kind as that which impelled men to the
gulches and placers of California, Colorado, Mon-
tana, and Idaho ; after nuggets to Australia, and
diamonds to Cape Colony. Manyema is at present
the El Dorado of the Arabs and the Wamrima tribes.
It is only about four years since the first Arab re-
turned from Manyema with such wealth of ivory and
reports about the fabulous quantities found there
284 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
that ever since the old beaten tracks of Karagwah,
Uganda, Ufipa, and Marungu have been compara-
tively deserted. The people of Manyema, ignorant
of the value of the precious article, reared their huts
upon ivory stanchions. Ivory pillars and doors were
common sights in Manyema, and hearing of these one
can no longer wonder at the ivory palace of Solo-
mon. For generations they had used ivory tusks as
doorposts and eave stanchions, until they had be-
come perfectly rotten and worthless. But the advent
of the Arabs soon taught them the value of the
article. It has now risen considerably in price, though
yet fabulously cheap. At Zanzibar the value of ivory
per frarsilah of thirty-five pounds weight is from
fifty dollars to sixty dollars, according to its quality
In Unyanyembe it is about one dollar and ten cents
per pound ; but in Manyema it may be purchased for
from half a cent to one and a quarter cent's worth of
copper per pound of ivory.
"The Arabs, however, have the knack of spoiling
markets by their rapacity and wanton cruelty. With
muskets a small party of Arabs are invincible against
such people as those of Manyema, who until lately
never heard the sound of a gun. The report of a
musket inspires mortal terror in them, and it is
almost impossible to induce them to face the muzzle
of a gun. They believe that the Arabs have stolen
the lightning, and that against such people the bow
and arrow can have but little effect. They are by
no means devoid of courage, and they have often
declared that were it not for the guns not one Arab
would leave the country alive, which tends to prove
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 287
that they would willingly engage in fight with the stran-
gers, who have made themselves so detestable, were
it not that the startling explosion of gunpowder in-
spires them with such terror.
"Into whichever country the Arabs enter they
contrive to render their name and race abominated.
But the mainspring of it all is not the Arab's nature,
color, or name, but simply the slave trade. So long
as the slave trade is permitted to be kept up at Zan-
zibar so long will these otherwise enterprising peo-
ple, the Arabs, kindle against them throughout Africa
the hatred of the natives. The accounts which the
Doctor brings from that new region are most de-
plorable. He was an unwilling spectator of a horri-
ble deed — a massacre committed on the inhabitants
of a populous district — who had assembled in the
market place, on the banks of the Lualaba, as they
had been accustomed to for ages. It seems the Wa-
Manyema are very fond of marketing, believing it to
be the summum bonum of human enjoyment. They
find unceasing pleasure in chaffering with might and
main for the least mite of their currency — the last
bead — and when they gain the point to which their
peculiar talents are devoted they feel intensely hap-
py. The women are excessively fond of their mar-
keting, and as they are very beautiful, the market
place must possess considerable attractions for the
male sex. It was on such a day, with just such a
scene, that Tagomoyo, a half-caste Arab, with his
armed slave escort, commenced an indiscriminate
massacre by firing volley after volley into the dense
mass of human beings. It is supposed that there
17
288 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
were about two thousand present, and at the first
sound of the firing these poor people all made a rush
for their canoes. In the fearful hurry to avoid being
shot the canoes were paddled away by the first for-
tunate few who got possession of them. Those that
were not so fortunate sprang into the deep waters of
the Lualaba, and, though many of them became an
easy prey to the voracious crocodiles that swarmed
to the scene, the majority received their deaths from the
bullets of the merciless Tagomoyo and his villainous
band. The Doctor believes, as do the Arabs themselves,
that about four hundred people, mostly women and
children, lost their lives, while many more were made
slaves. This scene is only one of many such which
he has unwillingly witnessed, and he is utterly unable
to describe the loathing he feels for the inhuman
perpetrators.
"Slaves from Manyema command a higher price
than those of any other country, because of their fine
forms and general docility. The women, the Doctor
says repeatedly, are remarkably pretty creatures, and
have nothing except their hair in common with the
negroes of the West Coast. They are of very light
color, have fine noses, well-cut and not over full lips,
and a prognathous jaw is uncommon. These women
are eagerly sought after for wives by the half-castes
of the East Coast, and even the pure Amani Arabs
do not disdain connection with them. To the north
of Manyema Livingstone came to a light-corn plex-
ioned race of the color of Portuguese, or our own
Louisiana quadroons, who are very fine people, and
singularly remarkable for commercial ' cuteness* and
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 289
sagacity. The women are expert divers for oysters,
which are found in great abundance in the Lualaba.
" Rua, at a place called Katanga, is rich in copper.
The copper mines of this place have been worked for
ages. In the bed of a stream gold has been found
washed down in pencil-shaped lumps or particles as
large as split peas. Two Arabs have gone thither to
prospect for this metal, but as they are ignorant of
the art of gulch mining it is scarcely possible that
they will succeed.
" From these highly important and interesting dis-
coveries Dr. Livingstone was turned back when
almost on the threshold of success by the positive
refusal of his men to accompany him further. They
were afraid to go unless accompanied by a large
force of men, and as these were not procurable in
Manyema the Doctor reluctantly turned his face
toward Ujiji.
" It was a long and weary road back. The journey
had now no interest for him. He had travelled it be-
fore when going westward, full of high hopes and as-
pirations, impatient to reach the goal which promised
him rest from his labors; now returning unsuccessful,
baffled and thwarted when almost in sight of the end,
and having to travel the same road back on foot, with
disappointed expectations and defeated hopes preying
on his mind, no wonder that the brave old spirit al-
most succumbed and the strong constitution almost
wrecked. He arrived at Ujiji October 26, almost at
death s door. On the way he had been trying to
cheer himself up, since he had found it impossible to
contend against the obstinacy of his men, with ' it
29O EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
won't take long, five or six months more; it mat-
ters not, since it can't be helped. I have got my
goods in Ujiji and can hire other people and make a
new start.' These are the words and hopes with
which he tried to delude himself into the idea that all
would be right yet ; but imagine, if you can, the shock
he must have suffered when he found that the man to
whom was entrusted his goods for safe keeping had
sold every bale for ivory.
" The evening of the day Livingstone had returned
to Ujiji, Susi and Chuma, two of his most faithful
men, were seen crying bitterly. The Doctor asked
them what ailed them, and was then informed for the
first time of the evil tidings that awaited him. Said
they : — 'All our things are sold, sir. Shereef has sold
everything for ivory.' Later in the evening Shereef
came to see him and shamelessly offered his hand,
with a salutatory ' Yambo.' Livingstone refused his
hand, saying he could not shake hands with a thief.
As an excuse Shereef said he had divined on the Ko-
ran and that had told him the Hakim (Arabic for
Doctor) was dead. Livingstone was now destitute.
He had just enough to keep him and his men alive
for about a month, after which he would be forced to
beg from the Arabs. He had arrived in Ujiji Octo-
ber 26. The Herald Expedition arrived November
10, from the coast — only sixteen days difference. Had
I not been delayed at Unyanyembe by the war with
Mirambo I should have gone on to Manyema, and
very likely have been traveling by one road, while he
would have been coming by another to Ujiji. Had
I gone on two years ago, when I first received the in-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 2QI
structions, I should have lost him without doubt. But
I am detained by a series of circumstances, which
chafed and fretted me considerably at that time, only
to permit him to reach Ujiji sixteen days before I
appeared. It was as if we were marching to meet
together at an appointed rendezvous — the one from
the west, the other from the east.
" The Doctor had heard of a white man being at
Unyanyembe, who was said to have boats with him,
and he had thought he was another traveller sent by
the French government to replace Lieutenant Le
Sainte, who died from a fever a few miles above Gon-
dokoro. I had not written to him because I believed
him to be dead, and of course my sudden entrance
into Ujiji was as great a surprise to him as it was
to the Arabs. But the sight of the American flag,
which he saw waving in the van of the expedition,
indicated that one was coming who could speak his
own language, and you know already how the leader
was received."
CHAPTER XIV.
LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY IN AFRICA.
[continued.]
An Exploration of Tanganyika Lake — Result — Christmas at Ujiji — Livingstone
Proceeds with Stanley to Unyanyembe — Account of the Journey — Alleged
Neglect of Livingstone by the British Consulate at Zanzibar — Departure of
the Explorer for the Interior, and of Mr. Stanley for Europe.
It had been supposed by Dr. Livingstone that the
waters of Tanganyika Lake had outlet northward,
and that they were, therefore, a part of the neces-
sarily vast sources of the great river of the continent
whose annual inundations are among the most
wonderful illustrations in nature of the more than
majestic power of Almighty God. His many dis-
coveries of great lakes and rivers far to the westward
of Tanganyika, their evident connection in a system,
similar to that of the great lakes of North America
at last forming the St. Lawrence river, flowing north-
ward; the natural necessity there is for immense
sources of supply to the Nile — these and other con-
siderations left the explorer to imagine that Tan-
ganyika formed a part of the same system with that
lake which he named after an illustrious President of
the United States. The commander of the " Her-
ald" expedition, therefore, with a fine appreciation of
the situation, offered his escort to Dr. Livingstone,
with a proposal to accompany him to the head of the
292
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 293
lake. The offer was accepted, and the explorer, as
Mr. Stanley says, " like a hero, lost no time in
starting."
The account of this journey, or voyage, rather, for
the party travelled by boat, is given in a dispatch
dated December 23, 1871, at Ujiji. It is as follows:
*■ On the 20th of November Dr. Livingstone and
your correspondent, with twenty picked men of the
Herald Expedition Corps, started. Despite the as-
sertion of Arabs that the Warundi were danger-
ous and would not let us pass, we hugged their coast
closely, and when fatigued boldly encamped in their
country. Once only were we obliged to fly — and
this was at dead of night — from a large party which
we knew to be surrounding us on the land side. We
got to the boat safely, and we might have punished
them severely had the Doctor been so disposed.
Once also we were stoned, but we paid no heed to
them and kept on our way along their coast until we
arrived at Mokamba's, one of the chiefs of Usige.
Mokamba was at war with a neighboring chief, who
lived on the left bank of the Rusizi. That did not
deter us, and we crossed the head of the Tanganyika
to Mugihewah, governed by Ruhinga, brother of
Mokamba.
" Mugihewah is a tract of country on the right
bank of the Rusizi, extending to the lake. With
Mokamba and Ruhinga we became most intimate •
they proved to be sociable, good-natured chiefs, and
gave most valuable information concerning the
countries lying to the north of Usige ; and if the ; r
information is correct, Sir Samuel Baker will be
294 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
obliged to curtail the ambitious dimensions of his
lake by one degree, if not more. A Mgwana, living
at Mokamba's, on the eastern shore of the lake, had
informed us that the River Rusizi certainly flowed
out of the lake, and after joining the Kitangule
emptied into the Lake Nyanza (Victoria).
" When we entered Ruhinga's territory of Mugihe-
wah, we found ourselves about 300 yards from the
river about which a great deal has been said and
written. At Unyanyembe I was told that the Rusizi
was an affluent. At Ujiji all Arabs but one united
in saying the same thing, and within ten miles of
the Rusizi a freedman of Zanzibar swore it was an
affluent.
" On the morning of the eleventh day of our de-
parture from Ujiji, we were rowed towards the river.
We came to a long, narrow bay, fringed on all sides
with tall, dense reeds and swarming with crocodiles,
and soon came to the mouth of the Rusizi. As soon
as we had entered the river all doubt vanished before
the strong, turbid flood against which we had to con-r
tend in the ascent. After about ten minutes we en-
tered what seemed a lagoon, but which was the result
of a late inundation. About an hour higher up the
river began to be confined to its proper banks, and is
about thirty yards broad, but very shallow.
" Two days higher up, Ruhinga told us, the Rusizi
was joined by the Loanda, coming from the north-
west. There could be no mistake then. Dr. Living-
stone and myself had ascended it, had felt the force
of the strong inflowing current — the Rusizi was an
influent, as much so as the Malagarazi, the Linche,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 295
and Rugufu, but with its banks full it can only be
considered as ranking third among the rivers flowing
into the Tanganyika. Though rapid it is extremely
shallow ; it has three mouths, up which an ordinary
ship's boat loaded might in vain attempt to ascend.
Burton and Speke, though they ascended to within
six hours' journey by canoe from the Rusizi, were
compelled to turn back by the cowardice of the boat-
men. Had they ascended to Meuta's capital, they
could easily have seen the head of the lake. Usige
is but a district of Wumdi, governed by several small
chiefs, who owe obedience to Mwezi, the great King
of Wumdi.
" We spent nine days at the head of the Tangan-
yika exploring the islands and many bays that indent
its shores.
"In returning to Ujiji we coasted along the west
side of the Tanganyika, as far as the country of the
Wasansi, whom we had to leave on no amicable terms,
owing to their hostility to Arabs, and arrived at
Ujiji on the 18th of December, having been absent
twenty-eight days.
" Though the Rusizi River can no longer be a sub-
ject of curiosity to geographers — and we are certain
that there is no connection between the Tanganyika
and Baker's Lake, or the Albert N'yanza — it is not
yet certain that there is no connection between the
Tanganyika and the Nile River. The western coast
has not all been explored ; and there is reason to
suppose that a river runs out of the Tanganyika
through the deep caverns of Kabogo Mountain, far
under ground and out on the western side of Kabo-
296 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
go into the Lualaba, or the Nile. Livingstone has
seen the river about forty miles or so west of Ka-
boo-o (about forty yards broad at that place), but he
does not know that it runs out of the mountain.
" This is one of the many things which he has yet
to examine."
It thus appearing that the Rusizi is an affluent, not
an effluent, of Tanganyika Lake, the expedition
failed to sustain the explorer's hypothesis, but added
a useful item of geographical knowledge to the then
existing stock. Nor does it follow that because the
Rusizi flows into the Tanganyika, there is no river
flowing out of it into that system of lakes which had
before been discovered by the explorer, and of which
the Chambesi — almost a system of rivers itself — is the
largest affluent yet discovered. Should Dr. Living-
stone's hypothesis of an effluent from the west shore
of Tanganyika Lake not be sustained, and its waters
found to procure outlet by Lake Nyassa and the
Zambesi, his future discoveries will in all probability
show a similar formation of the continent in east cen-
tral Africa to that which he discovered to be the fact
when he explored Lake Dilolo in the land of the
Balonda.
The explorers remained in Ujiji until after "merry
Christmas," both engaged much of the time in writ-
ing accounts of their explorations, which have ap-
peared or will yet appear in this volume. Meanwhile,
they had determined to make a journey together to
Unyanyembe. This journey is described in tele-
graphic brevity :
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 297
Kwihara, Unyanyembe, February 21, 1872.
After spending Christmas at Ujiji Dr. Livingstone, escorted by the New
York Herald Expedition, composed of forty Wanguana soldiers, well armed,
left for Unyanyembe on the 26th of December, 1871.
In order to arrive safely, untroubled by wars and avaricious tribes, we sketched
out a road to Unyanyembe, thus : —
Seven days by water south to Urimba.
Ten days across the uninhabited forests of Kawendi
Twenty days through Unkonongo, direct east.
Twelve days north through Unkonongo
Thence five days into Unyanyembe, where we arrived without adventure of
any kind, except killing zebras, buffaloes, and giraffes, after fifty-four days' travel.
The expedition suffered considerably from famine, and your correspondent
from fever, but these are incidental to the march in this country.
The Doctor tramped it on foot like a man of iron. On arrival at Unyan-
yembe I found that the Englishman Shaw whom I had turned back as useless,
had about a month after his return succumbed to the climate of the interior and
had died, as well as two Wanguana of the expedition who had been left behind
sick. Thus during less than twelve months William Lawrence Farquhar, of
Leith, Scotland, and John William Shaw, of London, England, the two white
men I had engaged to assist me, had died • also eight baggage carriers and eight
soldiers of the expedition had died.
I was bold enough to advise the Doctor to permit the expedition to escort
him to Unyanyembe, through the country it was made acquainted with while go-
ing to Ujiji, for the reason that were he to sit down at Ujiji until Mirambo was
disposed of he might remain a year there, a prey to high expectations, ending
always in bitter disappointment. I told him, as the Arabs of Unyanyembe were
not equal to the task of conquering Mirambo, that it were better he should ac-
company the Herald expedition to Unyanyembe, and there take possession of
the last lot of goods brought to him by a caravan which left the seacoast simul-
taneously with our expedition.
The Doctor consented, and thus it was that he came so far back as Unyan-
yembe.
The " Herald" correspondent complains with much
earnestness that Dr. Livingstone has been neglected
by the British consulate at Zanzibar. Handsomely
admitting the liberality of the British people and
government, he has hearty denunciations for those in
authority at Zanzibar. The contrast of their insuf-
ficiency with the enterprise of the " Herald" expe-
dition is remarkable. Mr. Stanley says: "Within
298 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
the time that the British Consul's men took to con-
vey Livingstones goods and letters a distance of only
525 miles, the Herald Expedition was formed, and
marched 2,059 English statute miles, and before the
fourteenth month of its departure from the seacoast
the Herald Expedition will have arrived at the sea-
coast, be paid off and disbanded. In the matter of
supplies, then, being sent to Livingstone semi-an-
nually or annually there is no truth whatever. The
cause is extreme apathy at Zanzibar and the reckless
character of the men sent. Where English gentle-
men are so liberal and money so plentiful it should be
otherwise."
Upon this very delicate subject the " Herald" itsell
editorially remarks:
" On the question of Livingstone's having received
the supplies sent him by his friends in England these
letters will throw a startling light. The carelessness,
theft, and general mismanagement which overtook
the stores forwarded by the British Consulate at
Zanzibar, usually wasted and frittered these almost
entirely away before they had time to reach him. This
cannot be better stated than in the Herald com-
mander's words: 'Your correspondent begs to inform
his friends that the Herald Expedition found him
turned back from his explorations when on the eve of
being terminated thoroughly by the very men sent to
him by the British Consulate ; that the Expedition
found him sitting down at Ujiji utterly destitute,
robbed by the very men sent by the British Consul-
ate at Zanzibar with his caravan : that the Herald
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 299
Expedition escorted him to Unyanyembe only in
time to save his last stock of goods, for they were
rapidly being made away with by the very men en-
trusted by the British Consulate with the last lot of
goods ; that it was only by an accident that your cor-
respondent saw a packet of letters addressed to Liv-
ingstone, and so, forcibly, took one of Livingstone's
men to carry the letters to his employer/"
The commander of the Search Expedition supplied
Dr. Livingstone with such supplies as he could com-
mand, in which were several bales of mixed cloths,
about one thousand pounds of assorted beads — all
this is African money — a large quantity of brass
wire, a portable boat, revolvers, carbines, and ammu-
nition.
And thus Mr. Stanley was ready to depart for the
sea coast. Bidding the great explorer farewell, he
left Kwihara on March 14, 1872, bending his course
toward Zanzibar by the usual caravan track. At
Zanzibar he forwarded " men and means" to the ex-
plorer of whom he had learned to think so highly, by
the aid of which he has doubtless been able to make
his departure from Unyanyembe with confident an-
ticipations of success. And so, we may be sure, the
iron man is wending his way on foot through the
wilds of Africa, inflexibly determined upon a com-
plete solution of the great geographical problem of
the times.
Meanwhile, the chief of the successful search expe-
dition discharged his men at Zanzibar, and by Horn-
bay, thence to Aden in southwestern Arabia, the Red
Sea, and the Suez Canal, found his rapid way to the
300
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
abodes of those races of civilized men who had been
astonished and gratified by the summary of the re-
markable success of his enterprise which had pre-
ceded him.
CHAPTER XV.
DR. LIVINGSTONE STILL IN AFRICA.
The Great Explorer Still in Search of the Sources of the Nile— His Letters to
the English Government on His Explorations — Correspondence with Ix>rd
Stanley, Lord Clarendon, Earl Granville, Dr. Kirk, and James Gordon Ben-
nett, Jr. — His Own Descriptions of Central Africa and the Supposed Sources
of the Nile— The Country and People— A Nation of Cannibals— Beautiful
Women — Gorillas — The Explorer's Plans for the Future.
When Mr. Stanley bade good-bye to Dr. Living-
stone in Unyanyembe, the explorer entrusted to the
care of the corrrespondent despatches to the govern-
ment, his journal, addressed to his daughter, and
copies of letters of which former messengers had been
robbed. The letters, old and new, to the representa-
tive of the British government at Zanzibar, Dr. Kirk,
and to different members of the British cabinet, were
allowed to be published. They give a full account of
Dr. Livingstone's explorations among the supposed
true sources of the Nile, and abundantly establish the
complete success of the " Herald" search expedition.
The letters to the British authorities thus sent to the
press, August i, '1872, through the courtesy of Earl
Granville, were: 1. A letter from Dr. Livingstone to
Lord Stanley, under date of November 15, 1870; 2.
Two letters of November 1, 1 871, to Lord Clarendon ;
3. A letter of November 14, 1871, to Earl Granville;
4. Letter of October 30, 1871, to Dr. Kirk, British
Consul at Zanzibar; 5. Letter of December 18, 1871
301
302 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
to Earl Granville; 6. Letter of February 20, 1872, to
Earl Granville.
The first of these despatches to his government is
from " Bambarre, Manyema country, say about one
hundred and fifty miles west of Ujiji, Nov. 15, 1870,"
addressed to Lord Stanley, Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs. In this dispatch, much is contained
which Dr. Livingstone orally related to Mr. Stanley,
of the " Herald," and which has already appeared in
this work. The country of the Manyema, reputed
cannibals, is described generally thus:
"The country is extremely beautiful, but difficult
to travel over. The mountains of light gray granite
stand like islands in new red sandstone, and moun-
tain and valley are all clad in a mantle of different
shades of green. The vegetation is indescribably
rank. Through the grass — if grass it can be called,
which is over half an inch in diameter in the stalk
and from ten to twelve feet high — nothing but ele-
phants can walk. The leaves of this megatherium grass
are armed with minute spikes, which v as we worm our
way along elephant walks, rub disagreeably on the
side of the face where the gun is held, and the hand
is made sore by fending it off the other side for hours.
The rains were fairly set in by November ; and in
the mornings, or after a shower, these leaves were
loaded with a moisture which wet us to the bone.
The valleys are deeply undulating, and in each innu-
merable dells have to be crossed. There may be
only a thread of water at the bottom, but the mud,
mire or (scottice) 'glaur' is grevious; thirty or forty
yards of the path on each side of the stream are
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 305
worked by the feet of passengers into an adhesive
compound. By placing a foot on each side of the
narrow way one may waddle a little distance along,
but the rank crop of grasses, gingers, and bushes can-
not spare the few inches of soil required for the side
of the foot, and down he comes into the slough. The
path often runs along the bed of the rivulet for sixty
or more yards, as if he who first cut it out went that
distance seeking for a part of the forest less dense
for his axe. In other cases the muale palm, from
which here, as in Madagascar, grass cloth is woven
and called by the same name, ' lamba,' has taken pos-
session of the valley. The leaf stalks, as thick as a
strong man's arm, fall off and block up all passage
save by a path made and mixed up by the feet of
elephants and buffaloes ; the slough therein is groan-
compelling and deep.
" Some of the numerous rivers which in this region
flow into Lualaba are covered with living vegetable
bridges — a species of dark glossy-leaved grass, with
its roots and leaves, felts itself into a mat that covers
the whole stream. When stepped upon it yields
twelve or fifteen inches, and that amount of water
rises upon the leg. At every step the foot has to be
raised high enough to place it on the unbent mass in
front. This high stepping fatigues like walking on
deep snow. Here and there holes appear which we
could not sound with a stick six feet long; they gave
the impression that anywhere one might plump
through and finish the chapter. Where the water is
shallow the lotus, or sacred lily, sends its roots to the
bottom and spreads its broad leaves over the float-
18
306 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ing bridge so as to make believe that the mat is its
own, but the grass referred to is the real felting and
supporting agent, for it often performs duty as bridge
where no lilies grow. The bridge is called by Man-
yema ' kintefwetefwe,' as if he who first coined it was
gasping for breath after plunging over a mile of it.
" Between each district of Manyema large belts of
the primeval forest still stand. Into these the sun,
though vertical, cannot penetrate, except by sending
c(own at midday thin pencils of rays into the gloom.
The rain water stands for months in stagnant pools
made by the feet of elephants ; and the dead leaves
decay on the damp soil, and make the water of the
numerous rivulets of the color of strong tea. The
climbing plants, from the size of whipcord to that of
a man-of-war's hawser, are so numerous the ancient
path is the only passage. When one of the giant
trees falls across the road it forms a wall breast high
to be climbed over, and the mass of tangled ropes
brought down makes cutting a path round it a work
of time which travellers never undertake."
At this time, Dr. Livingstone was not persuaded
that the Manyema were men-eaters. Toward the
conclusion of his letter to Lord Stanley, he thus de-
cribes them :
" I lived in what may be called the Tipperary of
Manyema, and they are certainly a bloody people
among themselves. But they are very far from be-
ing in appearance like the ugly negroes on the West
Coast. Finely formed heads are common, and
generally men and women are vastly superior to the
slaves of Zanzibar and elsewhere. We must go
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 307
deeper than phrenology to account for their low
moral tone. If they are cannibals they are not os-
tentatiously so. The neighboring tribes all assert
that they are men-eaters, and they themselves
laughingly admit the charge. But they like to im-
pose on the credulous, and they showed the skull of
a recent victim to horrify one of my people. I found
it to be the skull of a gorilla, or soko — the first I
knew of its existence here — and this they do eat.
If I had believed a tenth of what I heard from trad-
ers, I might never have entered the country. Their
people told tales with shocking circumstantiality, as
if of eye witnesses, that could not be committed to
paper, or even spoken about beneath the breath.
Indeed, one wishes them to vanish from memory.
I have not yet been able to make up my mind
whether the Manyema are cannibals or not. I have
offered goods of sufficient value to tempt any of
them to call me to see a cannibal feast in the dark
forests where these orgies are said to be held, but
hitherto in vain. All the real evidence yet obtained
would elicit from a Scotch jury the verdict only of
'not proven/"
The second despatch, a year later, is devoted to the
expression of thanks to Lord Clarendon, on account
of the expedition of search under Mr. Young, of
which an account has already been given, to an ex-
planation of Ali Moosa's story of the explorer's
death, and an earnest request that the money ex-
pended on him and his fellow-imposters might be re-
gained.
The third document of the series, being also a let-
308 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ter to Lord Clarendon, presents an account of Dr»
Livingstone's explorations and views on the water-
shed of the Nile more in extenso than anywhere else
given. It is certainly one of the most interesting
and valuable contributions to modern science. The
readers of this volume cannot but feel that a large
share of this interesting document may appropriately
be quoted here.
" I have ascertained that the watershed of the Nile
is a broad upland between ten degrees and twelve de-
grees south latitude, and from 4,000 to 5,000 feet
above the level of the sea: Mountains stand on it at
various points, which, though not apparently very
high, are between 6,000 and 7,000 feet of actual alti-
tude. The watershed is over 700 miles in length,
from west to east. The springs that rise on it are
almost innumerable — that is, it would take a large
part of a man's life to count them. A bird's-eye view
of some parts of the watershed would resemble the
frost vegetation on window panes. They all begin
in an ooze at the head of a slightly depressed valley.
A few hundred yards down the quantity of water from
oozing earthen sponge forms a brisk perennial burn
or brook a few feet broad, and deep enough to re-
quire a bridge. These are the ultimate or primary
sources of the great rivers that flow to the north in
the great Nile valley. The primaries unite and form
streams in general larger than the Isis at Oxford or
Avon at Hamilton, and may be called secondary
sources. They never dry, but unite again into four
large lines of drainage, the head waters or mains of
the river of Egypt. These four are each called by
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 3O9
the natives Lualaba, which, if not too pedantic, may
be spoken of as lacustrine rivers, extant specimens of
those which, in pre-historic times, abounded in Af-
rica, and which in the south are still called by Bechu-
anas ' Melapo,' in the north, by Arabs, * Wadys ;' both
words meaning the same thing — river bed in which
no water ever now flows. Two of the four great riv-
ers mentioned fall into the central Lualaba, or
Webb's Lake River, and then we have but two main
lines of drainage as depicted nearly by Ptolemy.
" In passing over sixty miles of latitude I waded
thirty-two primary sources from calf to waist deep,
and requiring from twenty minutes to an hour and
a quarter to cross stream and sponge. This would
give about one source to every two miles. A Sua-
faeli friend in passing along part of the Lake Bang-
weolo during six days counted twenty-two from thigh
to waist deep, This lake is on the watershed, for the
village at which I observed on its northwest shore
was a few seconds into eleven degrees south. I tried
to cross it in order to measure the breadth accu-
rately. The first stage to an inhabted island was
about twenty-four miles. From the highest point
here the tops of the trees, evidently lifted by the
mirage, could be seen on the second stage and the
third stage ; the mainland was said to be as far as
this beyond it. But my canoe men had stolen the
canoe and got a hint that the real owners were in
pursuit, and got into a flurry to return home.
" The length of this lake is, at a very moderate es-
timate, 150 miles. It gives forth a. large body of wa-
ter in the Luapula ; yet lakes are in no sense sources,
3IC EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
for no large river begins in a lake ; but this and otn-
ers serve an important purpose in the phenomena of
the Nile. It is one large lake, and, unlike the Okara,
which, according to Suaheli, who travelled long in our
company, is three or four lakes run into one huge
Victoria Nianza, gives out a large river which, on de-
parting out of Moero, is still larger. These men had
spent many years east of Okara, and could scarcely
be mistaken in saying that of the three or four lakes
there only one (the Okara) gives off its waters to the
north. The ' White Nile' of Speke, less by a full half
than the Shire out of Nyassa (for it is only eighty or
niety yards broad), can scarcely be named in compar-
ison with the central or Webb's Lualaba, of from two
thousand to six thousand yards, in relation to the
phenomena of the Nile. The structure and economy
of the watershed answer very much the same end as
the great lacustrine rivers, but I cannot at present
copy a lost despatch which explained that. The
mountains on the watershed are probably what
Ptolemy, for reasons now unknown, called the Moun-
tains of the Moon. From their bases I found that
the springs of the Nile do unquestionably arise.
This is just what Ptolemy put down, and is true ge-
ography. We must accept the fountains, and nobody
but Philistines will reject the mountains, though we
cannot conjecture the reason for the name.
" Before leaving the subject of the watershed, I
may add that I know about six hundred miles of it,
but am not yet satisfied, for unfortunately the seventh
hundred is the most interesting of the whole. I have
a very strong impression that in the last hundred
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 311
miles the tountains of the Nile, mentioned to Hero-
dotus by the Secretary of Minerva in the city of Sais
do arise, not like all the rest, from oozing earthen
sponges, but from an earthen mound, and half the
water flows northward to Egypt, the other half south
to Inner Ethiopia. These fountains, at no great dis-
tance off, become large rivers, though at the mound
they are not more than ten miles apart. That is, one
fountain rising on the northeast of the mound be-
comes Bartle Frere's Lualaba, and it flows into one
of the lakes proper, Kamolondo, of the central line of
drainage ; Webb's Lualaba, the second fountain rising
on the Northwest, becomes (Sir Paraffin) Young's
Lualaba, which passing through Lake Lincoln and
becoming Loeki or Lomame, and joining the central
line too, goes north to Egypt. The third fountain on
the southwest, Palmerston's, becomes the Liambia or
Upper Zambesi ; while the fourth, Oswell's fountain,
becomes the Kafue and falls into Zambesi in Inner
Ethiopia.
" More time has been spent in the exploration than
I ever anticipated. Many a weary foot I trod ere I
got a clear idea of the drainage of the great Nile
valley. The most intelligent natives and traders
thought that all the rivers of the upper part of that
valley flowed into Tanganyika. But the barometers
told me that to do so the water must flow up hill.
The great rivers and the great lakes all make their
waters converge into the deep trough of the valley,
which is a full inch of the barometer lower than the
Upper Tanganyika.
" Let me explain, but in no boastful style, the mis-
3i2
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
takes of others who have bravely striven to solve
the ancient problem, and it will be seen that I have
cogent reasons for following the painful, plodding in-
vestigation to its conclusion. Poor Speke's mis-
take was a foregone conclusion. When he discov-
ered the Victoria Nyansa he at once jumped to the
conclusion that therein lay the sources of the river
of Egypt, ■ 20,000 square miles of water/ confused
by sheer immensity. Ptolemy's small lake, ' Coloc/
is a more correct representation of the actual size of
that one of three or four lakes which alone sends
its outflow to the north. Its name is Okara. Lake
Kavirondo is three days distant from it, but con-
nected by a narrow arm. Lake Naibash, or Neibash,
is four days from Kavirondo. Baringo is ten days
distant, and discharges by a river, the Nagardabash,
to the northeast.
" These three or four lakes, which have been de-
scribed by several intelligent Suaheli, who have lived
for many years on their shores, were run into one
huge Victoria Nyanza. But no sooner did Speke
and Grant turn their faces to this lake, to prove that
it contained the Nile fountains, than they turned
their backs to the springs of the river of Egypt,
which are between four hundred and five hundred
miles south of the most southerly portion of the Vic-
toria Lake. Every step of their heroic and really
splendid achievement of following the river down
took them further and further from the sources they
sought. But for the devotion to the foregone con-
clusion the sight of the little 'White Nile/ as un-
able to account for the great river, they must have
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 315
turned off to the west down into the deep trough
of the great valley, and there found lacustrine rivers
amply sufficient to account for the Nile and all its
phenomena.
" But all that can in modern times and in common
modesty be fairly claimed is the rediscovery of what
had sunk into oblivion, like the circumnavigation of
Africa by the Phoenician admirals of one of the
Pharaohs about B. C. 600. He was not believed
because he reported that in passing round Libya he
had the sun on his right hand. This, to us who have
gone round the Cape from east to west, stamps his
tale as genuine. The predecessors of Ptolemy
probably gained their information from men who
visited this very region, for in the second century of
our era he gave in substance what we now find to be
genuine geography.
" The geographical results of four arduous trips in
different directions in the Manyema country are
briefly as follows : — The great river, Webb's Lualaba,
in the center of the Nile valley, makes a great bend
to the west, soon after leaving Lake Moero, of at
least one hundred and eighty miles; then, turning to
the north for some distance, it makes another large
sweep west of about one hundred and twenty miles,
in the course of which about thirty miles of southing
are made ; it then draws round to northeast, receives
the Lomani, or Loeki, a large river which flows
through Lake Lincoln. After the union a large lake
is formed, with many inhabited islands in it ; but this
has still to be explored. It is the fourth large lake
in the central line of drainage, and cannot be Lake
314 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Albert; for, assuming Speke's longitude of Ujiji to
be pretty correct, and my reckoning not enormously
wrong, the great central lacustrine river is about five
degrees west of Upper and Lower Tanganyika.
" Beyond the fourth lake the water passes, it is said,
into large reedy lakes, and is in all probability Peth-
erick's branch — the main stream of the Nile — in dis-
tinction from the smaller eastern arm which Speke,
Grant, and Baker took to be the river of Egypt. In
my attempts to penetrate further and further I had
but little hope of ultimate success, for the great
amount of westing led to a continued effort to sus-
pend the judgment, lest, after all, I might be exploring
the Congo instead of the Nile, and it was only after
the two great western drains fell into the central
main, and left but the two great lacustrine rivers of
Ptolemy, that I felt pretty sure of being on the right
track.
" The great bends west probably form one side of
the great rivers above that geographical loop, the
other side being Upper Tanganyika and the Lake
River Albert. A waterfall is reported to exist be-
tween Tanganyika and Albert Nyanza, but I could
not go to it ; nor have I seen the connecting link be-
tween the two — the upper side of the loop — though
I believe it exists.
" The Manyema are certainly cannibals, but it was
long ere I could get evidence more positive than
would have led a Scotch jury to give a verdict of
not proven.' They eat only enemies killed in war;
they seem as if instigated by revenge in their man-
eating orgies, and on these occasions they do not like
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 3 X 5
a stranger to see them. I offered a large reward in
vain to any one who would call me to witness a can-
ibal feast. Some intelligent men have told me that
the meat is not nice and made them dream of the
dead. The women never partake, and I am glad of
it, for many of them far down Lualaba are very
pretty ; they bathe three or four times a day and are
expert divers for oysters.
u Markets are held at stated times and the women
attend them in large numbers, dressed in their best.
They are light colored, have straight noses, finely
formed heads, small hands and feet and perfect forms;
they are keen traders, and look on the market as a
great institution; to haggle and joke and laugh and
cheat seem the enjoyments of life. The population,
especially west of the river, is prodigiously large.
" Near Lomani the Bakuss or Bakoons cultivate
coffee, and drink it highly scented with vanilla. Food
of all kinds is extremely abundant and cheap. The
men smelt iron from the black oxide ore, and are
very good smiths ; they also smelt copper from the
ore and make large ornaments very cheaply. They
are generally fine, tall, strapping fellows, far superior
to the Zanzibar slaves, and nothing of the West Coast
negro, from whom our ideas of Africans are chiefly
derived, appears among them ; no prognathous jaws,
barndoor mouth, nor lark heels are seen. Their de-
fects arise from absolute ignorance of all the world.
" There is not a single great chief in all Manyema.
No matter what name the different divisions of peo-
ple bear — Manyema, Balegga, Babire, Bazire, Bokoos
— there is no political cohesion ; not one king or
31 6 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA
J
kingdom. Each head man is independent of every
other. The people are industrious, and most of them
cultivate the soil largely. We found them every
where very honest. When detained at Bambarre we
had to send our goats and fowls to the Manyema
villages to prevent them being all stolen by the Zan-
zibar slaves.
" Manyema land is the only country in Central
Africa I have seen where cotton is not cultivated,
spun, and woven. The clothing is that known in
Madagascar as ' lambas' or grass cloth, made from
the leaves of the ' Muale' palm."
This despatch, it will be observed, is about a year
later than the one to Lord Stanley, in which the
statement occurs that the fact as to whether the Man-
yema were man-eaters was "not proven," though the
explorer observed that they ate the gorilla, of which
beast Dr. Livingstone evidently has a rather favora-
ble opinion, as respects his disposition, and as surely
holds his gross stupidity as clearly demonstrated. In
the development of instinct, there appear to be sev-
eral animals in Africa approaching nearer the capa-
city of reflection than the gorilla.
The next despatch is to Earl Granville, and is
dated at Ujiji, November, 1871. It is almost wholly
official, and relates in a clear and most forcible man-
ner, the insurmountable difficulties by reason of which
he had been forced to cease explorations at a time
when a little longer work would most probably have
been crowned with complete success. It is in this
despatch that Dr. Livingstone relates the particulars
of the horrid massacre at Nyanme, the fearful out-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 317
lines of which have appeared in Mr. Stanley's letter,
already quoted. On his return to Ujiji, Dr. Living-
stone narrowly escaped death three times in a single
day from the savages, who would not be persuaded
that he did not belong to " the traders" guilty of the
massacre.
The despatch to Dr. Kirk, Consul at Zanzibar, is of
interest, as showing how the explorer had been an-
noyed, pained, and his plans frustrated by the ineffi-
ciency of those charged with sending him supplies
from Zanzibar. In view of the dispute that has arisen
upon this subject among certain representatives of
public opinion in the United States and England, it
may be well to show whether Dr. Livingstone himself
thought he had been well or ill treated. In a post-
script to this communicaiton, he says, with evident re-
luctance and evident feeling :
" P. S. — November 16, 1871. — I regret the neces-
sity of bringing the foregoing very unpleasant sub-
ject before you, but I have just received letters and
information which make the matter doubly serious.
Mr. Churchill informed me by a letter of September
19, 1870, that Her Majesty's government had most
kindly sent ^1,000 for supplies, to be forwarded to
me. Some difficulties had occurred to prevent ^"500
worth from starting, but in the beginning of Novem-
ber all were removed. But it appears that you had
recourse to slaves again, and one of these slaves in-
forms me that goods and slaves all remained at
Bagamoio four months, or till near the end of Feb-
uary, 1871. No one looked near them during that
time, but a rumor reached them that the Consul was
- T g EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
coming, and off they started, two days before your
arrival, not on their business, but on some private
trip of your own. These slaves came to Unyan-
yembe in May last, and there they lay till war broke
out and gave them, in July, a good excuse to lie there
still.
" A whole year has thus been spent in feasting
slaves on ^"500 sent by government to me. Like
the man who was tempted to despair when he
broke the photograph of his wife, I feel inclined to
relinquish hope of ever getting help from Zanzibar
to finish the little work I have still to do. I wanted
men, not slaves, and free men are abundant at Zanzi-
bar; but if the matter is committed to Ludha in-
stead of an energetic Arab, with some little superin-
tendence by your dragoman or others, I may wait
twenty years and your slaves feast and fail.
D. L.
" I will just add that the second batch of slaves
had, like the first, two freemen as the leaders, and
one died of smallpox. The freemen in the first party
■of slaves were Shereef and Awathe. I enclose
also a shameless overcharge in Ludha's bill,
$364 06^.— D. L.
This should appear to be a complete justification
of Mr. Stanley's energetic animadversions upon the
general maladministration of affairs at Zanzibar by
the British Consulate there so far as they were re-
lated to Dr. Livingstone. It should be a source of
honest congratulation to every American that a
citizen of the United States, representing one of the
most widely circulated public journals of the nation.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 3I9
energetically sent forward " men, not slaves," and fur-
nished supplies by means of which, it may reason-
ably be expected, the explorer may proceed with his
great work and accomplish the object so dear to his
admirable ambition.
Dr. Livingstone's next dispatch is to Earl Granville,
from Ujiji, December 18, 1871. It is almost wholly
of an official nature, containing his theory, already
herein set forth, of the watershed of the Nile, but con-
tains a paragraph relating the arrival of the " Herald"
expedition, which is well worthy of quotation :
"A vague rumor reached Ujiji in the beginning of
last month that an Englishman had come to Unyan-
yembe with boats, horses, men, and goods in abund-
ance. It was in vain to conjecture who this could
be ; and my eager inquiries were met by answers so
contradictory that I began to doubt if any stranger
had come at all. But one day, I cannot say which,
for I was three weeks too fast in my reckoning, my
man Susi came dashing up in great excitement, and
gasped out, 'An Englishman coming ; see him P and
off he ran to meet him. The American flag at the
head of the caravan told me the nationality of the
stranger. It was Henry M. Stanley, the travelling
correspondent of the New York ■ Herald,' sent by
the son of the editor, James Gordon Bennett, Jr., at
an expense of ,£5,000, to obtain correct information
about me if living, and if dead to bring home my
bones. The kindness was extreme, and made my
whole frame thrill with excitement and gratitude. I
had been left nearly destitute by the moral idiot
Shereef selling off my goods for slaves and ivory for
320 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
himself. My condition was sufficiently forlorn, for I
had but a few articles of barter left of what I had
taken the precaution to leave here, in case of extreme
need. The strange news Mr. Stanley had to tell to
one for years out of communication with the world
was quite reviving. Appetite returned, and in a
week I began to feel strong. Having men and goods,
and information that search for an outlet of the Tan-
ganyika was desired by Sir Roderick Murchison, we
went for a month's cruise down its northern end.
This was a pleasure trip compared to the weary
tramping of all the rest of my work ; but an outflow
we did not find."
The opening paragraph of the dispatch from which
this is taken is so finely characteristic, that it should
not be omitted. Dr. Livingstone began his letter to
Lord Clarendon's successor in this beautifully cour-
teous manner:
"My Lord — The despatch of Lord Clarendon, dated
31st May, 1870, came to this place on the 13th ult.,
and its very kindly tone and sympathy afforded me a
world of encouragement. Your lordship will excuse
me in saying that with my gratitude there mingled
sincere sorrow that the personal friend who signed it
was no more."
The last of these despatches of the explorer was
the longest, and, perhaps, the most worthy of his
fame. Addressed to Earl Granville, it was a clear,
full statement of the prevalence of the African slave
trade and a terrible denunciaton of it, together with a
proposition 'J which," he says, " I have very much at
heart — the possibility of encouraging the native
MAP OF THE WATERSHED OF AFRICA.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 323
Christians of English settlements on the west coast
of Africa, to remove, by voluntary emigration, to a
healthy spot on this side the continent." There are
in Zanzibar a considerable number of British subjects
from India, called Banians. They are, like all Brit-
ish subjects, prohibited from engaging in the slave
trade, but shrewdly managing to throw the responsi-
bility upon the Arabs, they are in fact responsible for
the slave trade of Zanzibar and all the horrible
" slaving" of East Africa. " The Manyema cannibals,"
says Dr. Livingstone, in this dispatch to Earl Gran-
ville, " among whom I spent nearly two years, are
innocents compared with our protected Banian fel-
low-subjects. By their Arab agents they compass
the destruction of more human lives in one year than
the Manyema do for their fleshpots in ten." " Slaves
are not bought," he says in another place, " in the
countries to which the Banian agents proceed. In-
deed it is a mistake to call the system of Ujiji 'slave
trade' at all; the captives are not traded for, but
murdered for, and the gangs which are dragged coast-
wise are usually not slaves, but captive free people."
To eradicate this fearful wrong, the practical remedy
proposed by the explorer in his letter to Earl Gran-
ville is encouragement by the British government to
the voluntary emigration of native Christians from
the English settlements of the West Coast to the
East Coast. In reply to the argument of the un-
healthfulness of this portion of Africa he says that
the fevers are bad enough indeed, but that very much
more of the disease prevailing is due to intemperance
and gross licentiousness than fever. The whole dis-
19
324 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
patch is a demonstration of Dr. Livingstone's earnest
piety, humanity, and practical sagacity. If there are
some passages in it which show that his Highland
blood is up, they may be attributed to a fiery hatred
of injustice.
These quotations from Dr. Livingstone's letters of
this important period of his life will be appropriately
concluded with his letter of thanks to the editor of
the "Herald":
" Ujiji, on Tanganyika, )
"East Africa, November, 1871. j
"James Gordon Bennett, Esq., Jr.: —
" My Dear Sir — It is in general somewhat difficult
to write to one we have never seen — it feels so much
like addressing an abstract idea — but the presence of
your representative, Mr. H. M. Stanley, in this distant
region takes away the strangeness I should otherwise
have felt, and in writing to thank you for the extreme
kindness that prompted you to send him, I feel quite
at home.
" If I explain the forlorn condition in which he
found me you will easily perceive that I have good
reason to use very strong expressions of gratitude.
I came to Ujiji off a tramp of between four hundred
and five hundred miles, beneath a blazing vertical sun,
having been baffled, worried, defeated and forced to
return, when almost in sight of the end of the geo-
graphical part of my mission, by a number of half-
caste Moslem slaves sent to me from Zanzibar, in-
stead of men. The sore heart made still sorer by the
woful sights I had seen of man's inhumanity to man
reached and told zn the bodily frame and depressed
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 325
it beyond measure. I thought that I was dying on
my feet. It is not too much to say that almost every
step of the weary sultry way was in pain, and I reach-
ed Ujiji a mere ' ruckle' of bones.
"There I found that some five hundred pounds
sterling worth of goods which I had ordered from
Zanzibar had unaccountably been entrusted to a
drunken half-caste Moslem tailor, who, after squander-
ing them for sixteen months on the way to Ujiji, fin-
ished up by selling off all that remained for slaves
and ivory for himself. He had "divined" on the Ko-
ran and found that I was dead. He had also written
to the Governor of Unyanyembe that he had sent
slaves after me to Manyema, who returned and re-
ported my decease, and begged permission to sell off
the few goods that his drunken appetite had spared.
He, however, knew perfectly well, from men who had
seen me, that I was alive, and waiting for the goods
and men ; but as for morality, he is evidently an idiot,
and there being no law here except that of the dag-
ger or musket, I had to sit down in great weakness,
destitute of everything save a few barter cloths and
beads, which I had taken the precaution to leave here
in case of extreme need. The near prospect of beg-
gary among Ujijians made me miserable. I could
not despair, because I laughed so much at a friend
who, on reaching the mouth of the Zambezi, said that
he was tempted to despair on breaking the photo-
graph of his wife. We could have no success after
that. Afterward the idea of despair had to me such
a strong smack of the ludicrous that it was out of
the question.
326 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
" Well, when I had got to about the lowest verge,
vague rumors of an English visitor reached me. I
thought of myself as the man who went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho; but neither priest, Levite, nor
Samaritan could possibly pass my way. Yet the
good Samaritan was close at hand, and one of my
people rushed up at the top of his speed, and, in
great excitement, gasped out, 'An Englishman com-
ing! I see him!' and off he darted to meet him. An
American flag, the first ever seen in these parts, at
the head of a caravan, told me the nationality of the
stranger. I am as cold and non-demonstrative as we
islanders are usually reputed to be ; but your kind-
ness made my frame thrill. It was, indeed, over-
whelming, and I said in my soul, ' Let the richest
blessings descend from the Highest on you and
yours ! '
The news Mr. Stanley had to tell was thrilling.
The mighty political changes on the Continent; the
success of the Atlantic cables; the election of Gen-
eral Grant, and many other topics rivited my atten-
tion for days together, and had an immediate and
beneficial effect on my health. I had been without
news from home for years save what I could glean
from a few Saturday Reviews and Punch of 1868.
The appetite revived, and in a week I began to feel
strong again.
" Mr. Stanley brought a most kind and encourag-
ing despatch from Lord Clarendon, whose loss I sin-
cerely deplore, the first I have received from the
Foreign Office since 1866, and information that the
British government had kindly sent a thousand
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 327
pounds sterling to my aid. Up to his arrival I was
not aware of any pecuniary aid. I came unsalaried,
but this want is now happily repaired, and I am anxious
that you and all my friends should know that, though
uncheered by letter, I have stuck to the task which
my friend Sir Roderick Murchison set me with 'John
Bullish' tenacity, believing that all would come right
at last
" The watershed of South Central Africa is over
seven hundred miles in length. The fountains thereon
are almost innumerable — that is, it would take a
man's lifetime to count them. From the watershed
they converge into four large rivers, and these again
into two mighty streams in the great Nile valley,
which begins in ten degrees to twelve degrees south
latitude. It was long ere light dawned on the ancient
problem and gave me a clear idea of the drainage. I
had to feel my way, and every step of the way, and
was, generally, groping in the dark, for who cared
where the waters ran ? We drank our fill and let
the rest run by.
" The Portuguese who visited Cazemba asked for
slaves and ivory, and heard of nothing else. I asked
about the waters, questioned and cross-questioned,
until I was almost afraid of being set down as afflict-
ed with hydrocephalus.
"My last work, in which I have been greatly hindered
from want of suitable attendants, was following the
central line of drainage down through the country of
the cannibals, called Manyuema, or, shortly, Manyema.
This line of drainage has four large lakes in it. The
fourth I was near when obliged $b turn. It is from *
328 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
one to three miles broad, and never can be reached
at any point or at any time of the year. Two west-
ern drains, the Lupira, or Bartle Frere's River, flow
into it at Lake Kamolondo. Then the great River
Lomaine flows through Lake Lincoln into it, too,
and seems to form the western arm of the Nile, on
which Petherick traded.
" Now, I knew about six hundred miles of the
watershed, and unfortunately the seventh hundred
is the most interesting of the whole ; for in it, if I am
not mistaken, four fountains arise from an earthen
mound, and the last of the four becomes, at no great
distance off, a large river. Two of these run north
to Egypt, Lupira and Louraine, and two run south
into inner Ethiopia, as the Liambai, or upper Zam-
bezi, and the Kafneare, but these are but the sources
of the Nile mentioned by the Secretary of Minerva,
in the city of Sais to Herodotus. I have heard of
them so often, and at great distances off, that I can-
not doubt their existence, and in spite of the sore
longing for home that seizes me every time I think
of my family I wish to finish up by their rediscovery.
" Five hundred pounds sterling worth of goods
have again unaccountably been entrusted to slaves,
and have been over a year on the way, instead of
four months. I must go where they lie at your ex-
pense, ere I can put the natural completion to my
work.
"And if my disclosures regarding the terrible
Ujijian slavery should lead to the suppression of the
east coast slave trade, I shall regard that as a greater
matter by far than the discovery of all the Nile sources
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 329
together. Now that you have done with domestic
slavery forever, lend us your powerful aid toward this
great object. This fine country is blighted, as with a
curse from above, in order that the slavery privileges
of the petty Sultan of Zanzibar may not be infringed,
and the rights of the Crown of Portugal, which are
mythical, should be kept in abeyance till some future
time when Africa will become another India to Por-
tuguese slave traders.
" I conclude by again thanking you most cordially
or your great generosity, and am,
" Gratefully yours,
" David Livingstone."
Dr Livingstone's plan of exploration for the future
will lead him far southward of Ujiji. He will march
southwestward from Unyanyembe and passing south
of Tanganyika Lake traverse the country of Cazem-
be, and by a general circular course again reach the
supposed sources of the Nile, and finish the work
which was before so bravely begun and prosecuted,
and so unfortunately brought to imperfect termina-
tion by reason of the neglect or incapacity of the
representatives of the British government at Zan-
zibar.
CHAPTER XVI.
INTELLIGENCE OF THE SUCCESS OF THE HERALD ENTER-
PRISE.
Mr. Stanley's Despacthes to the " Herald" — They Create a Profound Sensation —
The Question of the Authenticity of His Reports — Conclusive Proof Thereof
— Testimony of the English Press, John Livingstone, Earl Granville, and the
Queen of England Herself.
Mr. Stanley's despatches to the " Herald ," as we
have already seen, were sent through the London
bureau of that office. The noted telegram, printed
on the morning of July 2, 1872, — of which a copy has
been printed on preceding pages — created a profound
sensation. Followed by other cable telegrams giving
reports of the newspaper reporter's journey towards
Europe and his reception at Paris and elsewhere, the
intelligence was received with almost as much avidity
as the news which came from day to day of the late
Franco-German war, or that of the attempted revolu-
tion in Paris.
But to some, the reports of Mr. Stanley's great suc-
cess were incredible. There were those who did not
believe he had seen Livingstone, and who did believe
that his story of the meeting — with, of course, all the
correspondence from Zanzibar, Unyanyembe, Ujiji,
and elsewhere — was but an adroitly-devised romance,
after the fashion of that of Ali Moosa, to cover up
inglorious failure. It is needless now to fully state
330
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 33 1
the arguments upon which this incredulity was based.
Perhaps newspaper jealousy had something to do
with it. Certainly it was a matter of deep chagrin to
many Englishmen that the British government, upon
whose soil the sun never sets, should have been totally
eclipsed by the enterprise of private citizens of a rival
nationality. Then there were certain little errors —
chiefly misprints and the excusable mistakes of tele-
graphing long despatches great distances — which were
claimed by the doubting as showing that the so-
called great Special Search Expedition of the " Her-
ald" was but a magnificent hoax, after all. Moreover,
the universal interest manifested in the subject, gave
a splendid opportunity to adventurers, both male and
female, to ventilate themselves and become public
characters. Hence, those who had known Mr. Stan-
ley as a native of Wales, and not of Missouri, or of
this, that, or the other country ; who knew that he
had not been a correspondent as had been generally
stated ; and, in fine, who knew that many assertions
in regard to him were untrue — these adventurers be-
came even more numerous than the celebrated cow
of the crumpled horn which originated the terrible
conflagration of Chicago, and then, with miraculous
self-multiplication, surpassed in number the cattle of
a thousand hills, and, mournfully ruminating over
her sad mishap in kicking over the kerosene lamp,
became the observed of all observers in all Christian
lands, and at the same instant of astronomical and
clock time.
It were needless to disguise the fact, however, that
the statements of those incredulous of the Search
332 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Expedition's wonderful success, being for some time
constantly iterated and reiterated through the press,
had considerable effect upon the public mind, and ac-
tually left it for a period in a state of painful uncer-
tainty in regard to the fate of the great explorer, the
truth in regard to whom was earnestly desired by all
intelligent persons throughout Christendom. Hap-
pily, the authenticity of Mr. Stanley's reports, and with
it the recent safety of Dr. Livingstone have been
placed beyond reasonable doubt by a mass of testi-
mony against which no one can dispute who will not
dispute against the sun.
Much of that testimony has already appeared in
this volume, different portions in their appropriate
places. These are :
i. The statement of the Hon. E. Joy Morris, Ex-
Minister of the United States at Constantinople.
He abundantly establishes the character of Mr. Stan-
ley as that of a most energetic, fearless, and honest
man. The first two qualities greatly enabled him to
achieve success in the search expedition ; the last is
a sure guaranty that, had he not won success, he
would not have claimed it. Mr. Morris's statement
is also of value because utterly disproving and for-
ever putting to rest a certain tissue of misrepresen-
tations in regard to Mr. Stanley's history in Asia
Minor.
2. The letters of Dr. Livingstone to Earl Granville,
which were published by authority of the British gov-
ernment. In these letters, the African explorer not
only gratefully alludes to Mr. Stanley but expressly
says his despatches are entrusted to his care, because
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 333
of the great traveller's belief in Mr. Stanley's enter-
prise and capacity to accomplish whatever he might
undertake. In one of these despatches, Dr. Living-
stone also states that he had given to the custody of Mr.
Stanley his journal of explorations, sealed, to be de-
livered to his daughter, when the commander of the
Search Expedition of the " Herald" should arrive in
England.
3. Upon Mr. Stanley's arrival in England, this jour-
nal was promptly forwarded to Miss Livingstone.
Her acknowledgment was published in many English
and American journals. It was as follows :
Kelly Wemyss Bay, by Greenock, )
August 6, 1872. \
Dear Sir — I write to say that I received last Saturday my father's letters and
the diary which were entrusted to you by him.
I wish also to express to you my heartfelt gratitude for going in search of my
father and aiding him so nobly and bringing the long-looked-for letters safely.
Believe me yours truly, AGNES LIVINGSTONE.
Henry M. Stanley, Esq.
4. Dr. Livingstone's letter of thanks to James Gor-
don Bennett, Esq., Jr., the handwriting of which was
published, in fac simile, in the " Herald," and fully
substantiated by Mr. John Livingstone, of Canada,
brother of the explorer, and more familiar with him
and his handwriting than any man living.
5. The letter of John Livingstone to Mr. Blake,
American Consul at Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada,
which was accompanied by a letter from Dr. Living-
stone, proving handwriting, and forwarded to the
" Herald" through the Department of State at
Washington. This letter follows :
LlSTOWELL, August 24, 1872.
F. N. Blake, Esq., United States Consul, Hamilton, Ontario:
Dear Sir — Would you kindly oblige me by conveying in your official ca-
334 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
pacity to Mr. Bennett, proprietor of the New York 'Herald,' and also to Mr.
Stanley, the leader of the " Herald Livingstone Search Expedition," my
warmest congratulations on the succeseful issue of that expedition.
Having noticed a number of articles in the public press reflecting doubts on
the veracity of Mr. Stanley and the ' Herald,' I am glad to be able to say that
I place the most implicit confidence in the statements of Mr. Stanley and the
4 Herald.
I can also assure you that Dr. Livingstone holds the American government
and people in the highest estimation, principally on account of the late abolition
of slavery in the United States, and I trust that his persistent efforts to check
the nefarious traffic in slaves in Africa will be crowned with success.
I am, yours respectfully, JOHN LIVINGSTONE.
6. The Royal Geographical Society of London,
fully persuaded of the authenticity of Mr. Stanley's
reports, tendered him a formal reception at Brighton.
The meeting occurred and caused a great deal of
comment.
7. The Sovereign of England has herself on more
than one occasion tendered special honors to Mr.
Stanley on account of his success in finding Dr. Liv-
ingstone.
Evidence like this is not to be shaken by the as-
severations of penny-a-liners. It must be regarded
by the candid as absolutely conclusive. Such, it is
believed, would be the result, had Mr. Stanley been a
British subject instead of an American citizen. As
the fact is, the case for the " Herald" Expedition is
almost immeasurably stronger. It was a matter of
profound chagrin to most of the English people that
an American enterprise should be successful in the
search for one of the most illustrious of Englishmen,
whilst English expeditions should have failed. Under
such circumstances, Mr. Stanley's proofs had to be
absolutely unassailable and his credentials unanswer-
ably satisfactory, or they would not have been re-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 335
ceived at all. Both majesty and ministry would have
given the commander of the American enterprise the
coldest possible shoulder. Instead, they crowned him
with laurels. The only conclusion with reasonable
minds must be that the " Herald" expedition was a
splendid success, and further doubt of it can only be
a stupid and cruel skepticism *
* It is not believed that anything further is needed to convince the public ot
what most of the intelligent public is already convinced ; but it may be well to
place on record the statements of a number of prominent journals of the world,
and reference to the action of certain learned societies.
On July 4th, 1872, the Lodon "Morning Post" said:
" Far surpassing everything of local import in interest just now is the inform-
ation afforded by the New York 'Herald' to the London press of the discovery
of Dr. Livingstone. Far surpassing everything which has been hitherto achieved
by journalistic enterprise is the discovery of the great African explorer — concern-
ing whose fate the peoples of every civilized State in the world have been anx-
ious for many years — by the special correspondent of a daily newspaper commis-
sioned to find him. We are accustomed to laugh on this side of the Atlantic at
the rage which prevails for a knowledge of what are classed as ' big things' among
our American kinsmen ; but it is not only with a feeling of satisfaction, but also
of kindred pride, that we express our admiration of this wonderful undertaking,
which was conceived and has been carried to such a successful issue by the pro-
prietor of our New York contemporary."
The London " Telegraph" of the same date says : /
" Yesterday we, in company with the whole people of Britain, listened to the
narration of the outlines of a tale describing the accomplishment of a work as
daring in its execution as that of Vasco de Gama, as solitary in its accompani-
ment as that of Robinson Crusoe, and quite as romantic in its progress as that
of Marco Polo. The mind delights to realize, even in imagination, the moment
when the gallant anil indefatigable Stanley won his way in front of his little band
of followers — making up in noise what it lacked in numbers — to the outskirts of
Ujiji, and we must, all of us, envy the republic of the United States the fact that
the American flag was carried proudly at the head of his force in happy agree-
ment, and that under the banner of the Stars and Stripes he afforded succor to
the lonely Briton."
And thus the London " Daily News:"
"The extraordinary narrative which has just been communicated to the world
by the New York ' Herald' supplies one of the most exciting stories which
civilization has had since the revelation of the startling truths of Bruce. Mr.
Stanley gives to his collation a somewhat picturesque coloring, but the grand
336 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
fact remains that he found Livingstone notwithstanding, and not, as Sir Henry
Rawlinson conjectured lately, that Livingstone found Stanley. It is not easy
to imagine an enterprise more full of toil and peril than this strange journey of
the lonely American, attended, to be sure, by a small but reluctant escort, in the
hitherto trackless wilds of Africa and among people of native tribes of unknown
names. It is wholly impossible not to admire the daring and perseverance which
the American discovery has crowned with triumph."
Said the Edinburgh (Scotland) " Oourant:"
"It is long since the columns of a newspaper have contained so vividly ro-
mantic and so startlingly wonderful a story as that which has just been told to
us of the fortunes that befell Mr. Stanley in his quest after Livingstone, and of
the most strange circumstances under which the object of that quest was fulfilled
The whole narrative reads, indeed, more like a forgotten episode from the trav-
els of some Marco Polo or Vasco de Gama than, as it is. a truthful and unvar-
nished extract from the severe chronicle of nineteenth century fact."
This brief extract from the London "Globe" of July 9:
"The final discovery of Dr. Livingstone would seem to have been a bitter
disappointment to a large class of his fellow countrymen. The doubt and mys-
tery which hung around his fate promised to produce a perennial stream of
quasi-scientific gossip, and to yield an endless crop of letters to the ' Times.'
As it is, those ' interested* in the matter are reduced to patching the rags of the
worn out controversy."
The London "Times" of July 15th contained a long letter from Mr. Charles
Beke in which he fully answers a number of criticisms upon the Livingstone-
Stanley despatches, the said criticisms having originated in British chagrin, not
altogether inexcusable, at the fine success of the American enterprise. That
great journal of July 27th editorially says:
" To the enterprise of an American newspaper we are indebted for trustworthy
information that Dr. Livingstone still lives and prosecutes his unexampled re-
searches."
The London "Advertiser" of the date last mentioned also published a long
leading article upon the subject, beginning :
" In another column we publish the first letter from Dr. Livingstone which
has been received in England. By the energy of the proprietor of the New
York ' Herald' the great English traveller has been found and succored at a mo-
ment when he seemed to be upon his * last legs.' In his own words, when
Stanley arrived at Ujiji 'he thought he was dying upon his feet.' "
The London " Standard" of July 26th remarked with emphasis :
" All doubts concerning the bona fides of Mr. Stanley's narratives of his ad-
ventures in Africa will now be laid at rest by the arrival of Dr. Livingstone's
letters. We shall, apparently, have to wait a little for the publication of the
geographical despatches, as the report of an intended meeting of the Geogra-
phical Society on Monday for the purpose of hearing them read is unfounded.
But it is satisfactory to feel that even the very faint suspicions cast on the au-
thenticity of Mr. Stanley's story are dissipated, and that we may absolutely rely
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 337
upon the information which that gallant and triumphant traveller has brought
home."
The Manchester (England) " Guardian" of July 2qth, in an elaborate article
in criticism of the English authorities because they had not organized a success-
ful expedition, and had given the great explorer just cause for complaint, says
the subject is one " which can be matter of no agreeable examination for any
Englishman." And it concludes :
" Our magnificently equipped expedition did simply nothing ; and it was re-
served for Mr. Stanley, after his return to the coast, to organize a caravan with
stores for Dr. Livingstone. * Before we left Zanzibar,' says Mr. New, ' a cara-
van numbering fifty-seven men was packed, signed, sealed, addressed, and des-
patched, like so many packets of useful commodities, to the service and succor
of Dr. Livingstone.' What says England to all this ?"
The Leeds (England) " Mercury" of the date last mentioned remarks :
"The success of Mr. Stanley in his search for Dr. Livingstone is one of the
most brilliant chapters in the history of newspaper enteq^rise. The expedition
was an unprecedented one, and when it was first reported in this country there
were few who did not laugh at it as a Yankee notion, conceived and started for
the glorification of the New York ' Herald' and to gratify ihe vanity of Mr.
James Gordon Bennett. The result has shown not only how little there was to
laugh at, but how much there was to admire in such a project."
The journals of continental Europe were not less emphatic in awarding un-
mixed praise to the successful expedition of the American journal, and Geo-
graphical Societies, from Italy to Russia, awarded gold medals to Mr. Stanley
in recognition of his services in behalf of geographical knowledge.
By this array of irresistible testimony — and even more will be forthcoming
in natural order in the account of Mr. Stanley's reception in Europe — the most
of American journals acknowledged the success of the expedition, and awarded
unstinted praise to the " Herald." To clinch the conclusive testimony already
adduced, however, and leave no possible room for doubt, it may be well to bring
forth witnesses of the highest station, not even excepting the Queen of England
herself.
Earl Granville, upon the receipt of Dr. Livingstone's despatches, forwarded
from Paris by Mr. Stanley, directed an official acknowledgement, which was as
follows .
'• Foreign Office, August 1, 1872.
' Sir — I am directed by Earl Granville to acknowledge the receipt of a pack-
Age containing letters and despatches from Dr. Livingstone, which you were
good enough to deliver to Her Majesty's Ambassador at Paris for transmission
to this department, and I am to convey to you His Lordship's thanks for taking
charge of these interesting documents.
" I am, your most obedient, humble servant,
"ENFIELD.
" Henry M. Stanley, Esq."
338 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
And on the next day Earl Granville himself wrote the following letter :
"August 2, 1872.
Sir — I was not aware until you mentioned it that there was any doubt as to
the authenticity of Dr. Livingstone's despatches, which you delivered to Lord
Lyons on the 31st of July ; but, in consequence of what you have said, I have
inquired into the matter, and I find that Mr. Hammmond, the Under Secretary
of the Foieign Office, and Mr. Wyld, the head of the Consular and Slave Trade
Department, have not the slightest doubt as to the genuineness of the papers
which have been received from Lord Lyons, and which are being printed.
" I cannot omit this opportunity of expressing to you my admiration of the
qualities which have enabled you to achieve the object of your mission, and to
attain a result which has been hailed with so much enthusiasm both in the
United States and in this country.
•* I am, sir, your obedient,
"GRANVILLE.
" Henry M. Stanley, Esq."
As if all this were not enough we have the testimony of the Queen's speech,
delivered for Queen Victoria by commission, on the occasion of the prorogation
of Parliament, on Saturday, August 10, 1872. The Queen said: " My govern-
ment has taken steps intended to prepare the way for dealing more effectually
with the slave trade on the East Coast of Africa." The London " Times" of
the following Monday, in commenting on this portion of Her Majesty's speech,
said:
" This paragraph is the most significant part of the throne speech, and we
suppose it is not an error to connect the announcement which has just been
made by Her Majesty with the recent discovery of Dr. Livingstone and the de-
spatches to the Foreign Office brought by Mr. Stanley, of the New York 'Her-
ald,' from the great traveller."
It would be impossible, it is believed, to more completely demonstrate the
hearty acknowledgement of the British government of the success of the Ameri-
can enterprise ; an acknowledgment which no earthly power but that of un-
answerable truth could have compelled that government to make.
GIRAFFES TAKING EXERCISE.
CHAPTER XVII.
MR. STANLEY'S RECEPTION IN EUROPE.
Mr. Stanley is Everywhere Received with Marked Attention — Reception at
Paris — In London — The Brighton Banquet — Honors from the Queen of Eng-
land.
It is now time again to take up the further adven-
tures of Mr. Stanley, and follow him upon his long
journey back to the abode of civilization. From
Zanzibar he sailed across the Indian Ocean to Bom-
bay, whence he transmitted despatches announcing
the success which had crowned his long labors and
journeyings. It was this intelligence, transmitted so
fully through the London office of the New York
" Herald," which so gratifyingly startled the world
about the time of the anniversary of American inde-
pendence in 1872. From Bombay, Mr. Stanley pro-
ceeded to Europe by way of the Suez canal, reaching
Aden, southwestern Arabia, July 1 1 ; Port Said, the
head of the Suez canal on the 18th; and arrived at
Marseilles in France on the 24th. Here he was re-
ceived with kindest welcome, and to some extent be-
sieged by gentlemen of his own profession, who trans-
mitted to their journals accounts of his doings. At
Paris a few days afterwards he was received with ex-
hilerating hospitality by the American residents of
the city, and was greatly lionized generally. Break-
fasting with Hon. Elihu B. Washburne, American
Minister, he there met among other distinguished
ao 341
342 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
guests, General William T. Sherman, the command-
ing officer of the army of the United States, about
completing a tour of Europe and the Levant. The
General occupied much of the time in examining Mr.
Stanley's maps, and discharging some of his fund of
caustic humour on the prevalence of the East African
slave trade. On July 30th, Minister Washburne and
many other Americans in Paris extended a formal in-
vitation to Mr. Stanley to meet them at a banquet
where they might in a body testify their " high appre-
ciation of the indomitable courage, energy, and per-
severence which crowned with such brilliant success
your efforts to find Dr. Livingstone, as well as to ex-
press their sense of the enterprise and liberality of
the New York ' Herald' in sending you forth on such
an extraordinary mission."
Mr. Stanley's reply to this cordial invitation was so
modest, so happily expressed, that it is worthy of a
place here :
Hotel du Helder, Paris, July 30, 1872.
Gentlemen — I have received your letter of this date, asking rae to accept the
compliment of a dinner from my compatriots and friends now resident in Paris,
to be given in acknowledgment of the " enterprise and liberality of the New
York Herald" in sending out an expedition in search of Dr. Livingstone, as
well as of the extraordinary good fortune and perfect success which, under
Providence, attended the footsteps of the expedition I had the honor to com-
mand. Gentlemen, believe me, I am deeply conscious of the great honor you
would do me, and through me not only to the journal I have the pleasure of
serving, but to the patient, resolute, brave and Christian gentleman whom I left
in Central Africa. I therefore gladly accept your invitation, and shall be pleased
to meet you July 31 at any house or place that may be deemed most convenient.
I have the honor to be, gentlemen, your obedient and humble servant,
HENRY M. STANLEY.
To His Excellency E. B. Washburne, Minister Plenipotentiary of the United
States of America, and many others.
The meeting was one of great enjoyment. The
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 343
American Minister, after a happy speech, richly
flavored with American allusions, proposed the guest
of the evening — " Henry M. Stanley, the discoverer
of the discoverer : we honor him for his courage,
energy, and fidelity. We rejoice in the triumphant
success of his mission, which has gained him im-
perishable renown and conferred additional credit on
the American name." To this the traveller respond-
ed felicitously, and was specially eloquent when
speaking of the great explorer of Africa. A number
of distinguished gentlemen — artists, journalists, pub-
lic men — addressed the meeting. The assemblage
adjourned at a late hour, Mr. Stanley strongly im-
pressed with the difference between a Parisian ban-
quet and an African supper of manioc and hippopot-
amus. Other like honors flew upon him, thick and
fast. From scientific and literary bodies and from
distinguished persons he received invitations to ac-
cept which would have occupied him a year. These
things do not go to the author of a hoax, however
magnificent.
The traveller-correspondent could not long remain
at the fashionable metropolis, and at once departed
for England. His reception in England was most
cordial on the part of most intelligent persons, but
there was a feeling of national chagrin, if one may so
speak, on account of the discovery of Dr. Livingstone
having been brought about through American enter-
prise, which vented itself in no little carping criticism
and the discharge of British atrabilariousness. Hence
at once originated that skepticism in regard to the
discovery of the great explorer which continued to
344 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
becloud some minds and journals for a number of
weeks. But the publication of Dr. Livingstone's sev-
eral official despatches — already largely quoted from
in this work — and the prompt production of other
evidence, heretofore mentioned, brought the English
people quite generally to an acknowledgment of the
truth. At the annual meeting of the British Associ-
ation for the Advancement of Science, which convened
at Brighton, August 14th, W. B. Carpenter, LL.D., in
the chair, Mr. Stanley's successful mission was hand-
somely mentioned. He was twice compelled to rise,
in acknowledgment of calls and cheers. Ex-Em-
peror Napoleon III. of France, was present and joined
in the applause. Here at another meeting, Mr. Stan-
ley read a paper on Tanganyika Lake, which was
greatly praised. About this time there are meetings
of many scientific associations at Brighton, to all of
which Mr. Stanley was invited. On the occasion of
what has been called " the Brighton Banquet," it being
a dinner given to the British Association by the Brigh-
ton and Sussex Medical Society, Mr. Stanley ap-
peared late in the evening, and, being soon called
out, responded to some remarks of a previous speaker
in such way as to create some feeling. Good nature
at'last prevailed, and harmony was restored among
the English savants.
But his honors in England did not stop below
the recognition of his fine success by royalty itself.
Early in September he was invited to an interview
with Queen Victoria, and afterwards dined with her
and the members of the royal family present at Bal-
moral. Upon this occasion the Queen is reported to
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 345
have expressed to him in the most warm and friendly
terms her congratulations on the successful result of
the American enterprise in furnishing intelligence of
the English traveller in Africa, his condition of
health, his discoveries, and his hopes for the future
previous to his return to Great Britain.
Mr. Stanley could hardly be left in a happier situ-
ation than partaking of a right royal dinner with
Her Majesty of England.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE SLAVE TRADE OF EAST AFRICA.
Dr. Livingstone's Letter upon the Subject to Mr. Bennett — Compares the Slave
Trade with Piracy on the High Seas — Natives of Interior Africa Average
Specimens of Humanity — Slave Trade Cruelties — Deaths from Broken Hearts
— The Need of Christian Civilization — British Culpability.
While waiting for supplies in Unyanyembe, Dr.
Livingstone wrote a second letter to Mr. James Gor-
don Bennett, which was principally devoted to the
slave trade of East Africa, to greatly aid in the abo-
lition of which would be more gratifying to the ex-
plorer's ambition than to discover all the sources of
the Nile. This might well be supposed from what
has already been quoted from Dr. Livingstone's de-
spatches to his government; but inasmuch as he here
directly appeals to the American people, this volume
would be incomplete without the remarkable and most
thrillingly interesting statements of the letter in ques-
stion. They were sent by cable telegram from Lon-
don and appeared in the " Herald" newspaper of
July 27, 1872 :
" At present let me give a glimpse of the slave
trade, to which the search and discovery of most of
the Nile fountains have brought me face to face. The
whole traffic, whether by land or ocean, is a gross
outrage on the common law of mankind. It is car-
ried on from age to age, and, in addition to the evils
it inflicts, presents almost insurmountable obstacles
346
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 347
to intercourse between different portions of the
human family. This open sore in the world is partly
owing to human cupidity, partly to the ignorance of
the more civilized of mankind of the blight which
lights chiefly on more degraded piracy on the high
seas, (sic.) It was once as common as slave trading is
now, but as it became thoroughly known the whole
civilized world rose against it.
"In now trying to make Eastern African slave
trade better known to Americans, I indulge the hope
I am aiding on, though in a small degree, the good
time coming yet when slavery as well as piracy will
be chased from the world. Many have but a faint
idea of the evils that trading in slaves inflicts on the
victims and authors of its atrocities. Most people
imagine that negroes, after being brutalized by a long
course of servitude, with but few of the ameliorating
influences that elevate the more favored races, are fair
average specimens of the African man. Our ideas
are derived from slaves of the west coast, who
have for ages been subject to domestic bondage and
all the depressing agencies of a most unhealthy cli-
mate. These have told most injuriously on their
physical frames, while fraud and the rum trade have
ruined their moral natures so as not to discriminate
the difference of the monstrous injustice.
" The main body of the population is living free in
the interior, under their own chiefs and laws, culti-
vating their own farms, catching fish in their own
rivers, or fighting bravely with the grand old deni-
zens of the forest, which, in more recent continents,
can only be reached in rocky strata or under peren-
348 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
nial ice. Winwood Reade hit the truth when he said
the ancient Egyptian, with his large, round, black
eyes, full, luscious lips, and somewhat depressed nose,
is far nearer the typical negro than the west coast
African, who has been debased by the unhealthy land
he lives in. The slaves generally, and especially
those on the west coast, at Zanzibar and elsewhere,
are extremely ugly. I have no prejudice against their
color ; indeed, any one who lives long among them
forgets they are black and feels they are just fellow-
men ; but the low, retreating forehead, prognathous
jaws, lark-heels and other physical peculiarities com-
mon among slaves and West African negroes, always
awaken some feelings of aversion akin to those with
which we view specimens of the Bill Sykes and
4 Bruiser' class in England. I would not utter a syl-
lable calculated to press down either class more
deeply in the mire in which it is already sunk, but 1
wish to point out that these are not typical Africans
any more than typical Englishmen, and that the na-
tives on nearly all the high lands of the interior
Continent are, as a rule, fair average specimens of
humanity.
" I happened to be present when all the head men
of the great Chief Msama — who lives west of the
south end of Tanganyika — had come together to
make peace with certain Arabs who had burned their
chief town, and I am certain one could not see more
finely formed, intellectual heads in any assembly in
London or Paris, and the faces and forms correspond-
ed finely with the well-shaped heads. Msama himself
had been a sort of Napoleon for fighting and con-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 349
quering- in his younger days. He was exactly like
the Ancient Assyrians sculptured on the Nineveh
marbles, as Nimrod and others, and he showed him-
self to be one of ourselves by habitually indulging in
copious potations of beer, called pombe, and had be-
come what Nathaniel Hawthorne called ' bulbous be-
low the ribs/ I do not know where the phrase
1 bloated aristocracy' arose. It must be American, for
I have had glimpses of a good many English noble-
men, and Msama was the only specimen of a ' bloated
aristocrat' on whom I ever set eyes.
" Many of the women are very pretty, and, like all
ladies, would have been much prettier if they had
only let themselves alone. Fortunately the dears
could not change charming black eyes, beautiful fore-
heads, nicely rounded limbs, well shaped forms and
small hands and feet, but must adorn themselves, and
this they do by filing splendid teeth to points like
cats' teeth. It was distressing, for it made their smile
like that of crocodile ornaments, scarce. They are
not black, but of light, warm brown color, and so very
sisterish, if I may use the word, it feels an injury done
one's self to see a bit of grass stuck through the cart-
ilage of the nose so as to bulge out the alee nasi, or
wine of the nose of the anatomists.
" Cazembe's Queen, Moaria Nyombe by name,
would be esteemed a real beauty either in London,
Paris, or New York, and yet she had a small hole
through the cartilage, near the tip of her fine, slightly
aquiline nose. But she had only filed one side of
two of the front of her superb snow-white teeth, and
then, what a laugh she had ! Let those who wish to
350 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
know go see her. She was carried to her farm in a
pony phaeton, which is a sort of throne, fastened on
two very long poles and carried by twelve stalwart
citizens. If they take the Punch motto of Cazembe
— ' Niggers don't require to be shot here' — as their
own, they may show themselves to be men ; but
whether they do or not Cazembe will show himself a
man of sterling good sense.
" Now, these people, so like ourselves externally,
have brave, genuine human souls. Rua, large sec-
tions of country northwest of Cazembe, but still in
same inland region, is peopled with men very like
those of Wsama and Cazembe. An Arab, Syed Ben
Habib, was sent to trade in Rua two years ago, and,
as Arabs usually do where natives have no guns, Syed
Ben Habib's elder brother carried matters with a high
hand. The Rua men observed the elder brother
slept in a white tent, and, pitching spears into it by
night, Jailed him. As Moslems never forgive blood,
the younger brother forthwith ' ran a muck' on all in-
discriminately in a large district.
" Let it not be supposed any of these people are,
like American Indians, insatiable, blood-thirsty sav-
ages, who will not be reclaimed or entertain terms of
lasting friendship with fair-dealing strangers. Had
the actual murderers been demanded, and a little time
granted, I feel morally certain, from many other in-
stances among tribes who, like the Ba Rua, have not
been spoiled by Arab traders, they would all have
been given up.
"The chiefs of the country would, first of all, have
specified the crime of which the elder brother was
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 35 1
guilty, and who had been led to avenge it. It is very
likely they would have stipulated no other should be
punished but the actual perpetrator, the domestic
slave acting under his orders being considered free of
blame.
" I know nothing that distinguishes the uncon-
taminated African from other degraded peoples more
than their entire reasonableness and good sense. It
is different after they have had wives, children, and
relatives kidnapped, but that is more than human
nature, civilized or savage, can bear. In the chase
in question indiscriminate slaughter, capture, and
plunder took place. A very large number of very fine
young men were captured and secured in chains and
wooden yokes.
" I came near the party of Syed Ben Habib, close
to a point where a huge rent in the Mountain of Rua
allows the escape of the great river Lualaba out of
Lake Moora, and here I had for the first time an op-
portunity of observing the difference between slaves
and freemen made captive. When fairly across the
Lualaba, Syed Ben Habib thought his captives safe,
and got rid of the trouble of attending to and watch-
ing the chained gangs by taking off both chains and
yokes. All declared joy and a perfect willingness to
follow Syed to the end of the world or elsewhere, but
next morning twenty-two made clear of two moun-
tains.
" Many more, seeing the broad Lualaba roll be-
tween them and the homes of their infancy, lost all
heart, and in three days eight of them died. They
had x>^ complaint but pain in the heart, and they
352 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
pointed out its seat correctly, though many believe
the heart situated underneath the top of the sternum,
or breast bone. This to me was the most startling
death I ever saw. They evidently die of broken-
heartedness, and the Arabs wondered, seeing they
had plenty to eat.
" I saw others perish, particularly a very fine boy
ten or twelve years of age. When asked where he
felt ill, he put his hand correctly and exactly over the
heart. He was kindly carried, and, as he breathed
out his soul, was laid gently on the side of the path
The captors are not unusually cruel. They were cal-
lous. Slaving hardened their hearts.
" When Syed, an old friend of mine, crossed Lual-
aba, he heard I was in the village, where a company
of slave traders were furiously assaulted for three
days by justly incensed Bobemba. I would not fight
nor allow my people to fire if I saw them, because
Bobemba had been especially kind to me. Syed sent
a party of his own people to invite me to leave the
village and come to him. He showed himself the
opposite of hard-hearted ; but slavery hardens within,
petrifies the feelings, is bad for the victims and ill for
the victimizers. Once, it is said, a party of twelve,
who had been slaves in their own country — Cunda or
Conda, of which Cazemba is chief or general — were
loaded with large, heavy yokes, which were forked
trees, about three inches in diameter and seven or
eight feet long, the neck inserted in the fork and an
iron bar driven across one end of the fork to the
other and riveted to the other end, tied at night to
the tree or ceiling of the hut, and the neck being fi; m
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 353
in the fork and the slave held off from unloosing it,
was excessively troublesome to the wearer, and, when
marching, two yokes were tied together by tree ends
and loads put on the slaves' heads beside.
"A woman, having an additional yoke and load, and
a child on her back, said to me on passing, ' They are
killing me. If they would take off the yoke I could
manage the load and child ; but I shall die with three
loads.' The one who spoke this did die ; poor little
girl ! Her child perished of starvation.
" I interceded some, but when unyoked off they
bounded into the long grass, and I was greatly
blamed for not caring in presence of the owners of
the property.
"After the day's march under a broiling, vertical
sun, with yokes and heavy loads, the strongest were
exhausted. The party of twelve, above mentioned,
were sitting down singing and laughing. ' Hallo/
said I, 'these fellows take to it kindly. This must be
the class for whom philosophers say slavery is the
natural state ;' and I went and asked the cause of
their mirth.
" I had asked aid of their owner as to the meaning
of the word ' Rukha,' which usually means fly or leap.
They were using it to express the idea of haunting,
as a ghost, inflicting disease or death, and the song was:
'Yes, we going away to Manga, abroad, or white man's
land, with yoke on our necks; but we shall have no
yokes in death, and shall return and haunt and
kill you,' Chorus then struck in, which was the name
of the man who had sold each of them, and then fol-
lowed the general laugh, in which at first I saw no
3 54 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
bitterness. Tarembee, an old man, at least one hun-
dred and four years, being one of the sellers, in ac-
cordance with African belief, they had no doubt of
being soon able, by ghost power, to kill even him.
"The refrain was as if: — 'Oh! oh! oh! bird of
freedom, you sold me.' ' Oh ! oh ! oh ! I shall haunt
you ! Oh ! oh ! oh !' Laughter told not of mirth, but
of tears, such as were oppressed, and they had no
comforter. He that is higher than the highest re-
gardeth."
" If I am permitted," says Dr. Livingstone in con-
cluding the subject of the slave trade, " in any way to
promote its suppression, I shall not grudge the toil
and time I have spent. It would be better to lessen
this great human woe than to discover the sources of
the Nile."
The moral degradation of these people is only to
be reached and cured, in the deliberate judgment of
the explorer-missionary, through the means of Chris-
tian civilization. " The religion of Christ," he says
with emphasis, " is unquestionably the best for man.
I refer to it not as the Protestant, the Catholic, the
Greek, or any other, but to the comprehensive faith
which has spread more widely over the world than
most people imagine, and whose votaries, of what-
ever name, are better than any outside the pale."
The great end of placing the numerous tribes of
East and Central Africa under the pure and elevat-
ing morality of the Christian religion cannot be suc-
cessful until the suppression of the inhuman slave
trade, which has ite headquarters at Zanzibar, shall
have been accomplished. It would be unjust to for-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 355
get that Great Britain has done much, very much,
for the suppression of this terrible traffic in other
portions of the globe. It would be unjust to charge
the government of Great Britain with intentional
criminality in this case. But it stands proved, by the
failure of English expeditions to find Dr. Living-
stone, and by his own positive, earnest testimony,
now that an American expedition has succeeded in
discovering him, that it is the subjects of the British
monarchy who are responsible for the existence of
the slave trade of Zanzibar and all the nameless hor-
rors of the interior resulting therefrom. The moral
culpability, by reason of neglect — not to put the case
too strongly — of the British government is therefore
made manifest ; and of this great national turpitude
that government must stand convicted before the bar
of Christendom.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM OF AFRICA,
Some Account of the Beasts, Birds, Reptiles, and Insects of Africa — Living-
stone's Opinion of the Lion — Elephants, Hippopotami, Rhinoceroses, etc. —
Wild Animals Subject to Disease — Remarkable Hunting Explorations —
Cumming Slays more than One Hundred Elephants — Du Chaillu and the
Gorilla — Thrilling Incidents — Vast Plains Covered with Game — Forests
Filled with Birds — Immense Serpents — The Python of South Africa — Ants
and other Insects.
No portion of the globe is so productive of wild
animals as Africa. There animal life is more exten-
sive, if we may so say, and more varied than any-
where else. The domestic animals of that continent
are not to such extent different from those of other
parts of the world as to merit special mention, with
the exception of the camel, without whose aid a large
portion of the country would be not only uninhabit-
able but untraversable. The invaluable services
which this patient but obstinate beast of burden ren-
ders to the inhabitants of Northern Africa are known
to all men. In northern Africa and in the central
portions, horses are numerous and many of them of
excellent breeds. Here and in many parts of South
Africa, there are many cattle, used as beasts of bur-
den and for beef. Some of them are noted for the
prodigious size of their horns. Sheep abound in
some portions of the continent, but in South Africa
the flocks are composed almost entirely of goats, which
356
NATIVE KILLING A PYTHON.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 359
subsist better on the dry herbs of the dessert, yield
more milk, and are considered more palatable food.
But in respect to wild beasts — all kinds of "game"
as the sportsman would say — Africa, as has been said
by Mr. John Bonner, " may be called the region of
animal life, since there are more than twice the num-
ber of species in it than in the other quarters of the
globe." Here are found, in immense numbers, all
those kinds of animals which fill the strong cages of
the menageries of Europe and America, of parks, and
zoological gardens, and many more besides. Here
are the most abject and degraded specimens of man-
kind and the most sagacious and lordly wild animals.
Here are the most beautiful and gentle of birds and
the most venomous and terrible serpents and reptiles.
Here are small insects whose attacks are fatal to
many useful animals, and others — the devouring
locusts — which in a single day devastate vast sections
of country.
The lion, so long regarded as the king of beasts,
is found in most parts of interior Africa. We have
already seen that Dr. Livingstone's opinion of this
beast is not very exalted. It is certainly inferior to
the African leopard both in beauty and courage. In
strength and prowess this latter animal is not in-
ferior to the Asiatic tiger. The hippopotamus, sup-
posed to be the Behemoth of Job, is found in nearly
all the rivers of Central and South Africa and the
Nile. His body is often as large as that of a full-
grown elephant. A noted African hunter killed one
with a single ball, which was six feet broad across the
belly. The skin of an adult hippopotamus, accord-
21
360 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ing to Du Chaillu, who shot several and stuffed one,
is from one and a-half to two inches thick, and ex-
tremely solid and tough — quite bullet-proof, in fact,
except in a few thinner spots, as behind the ear and
near the eyes. It is devoid of hair with the excep-
tion of a few short bristly hairs in the tail, and a few
scattered tufts near the muzzle. The color of the
skin is a clayey yellow, assuming a roseate hue under
the belly. After death, the animal becomes a dull
brownish color. It is successfully hunted by the na-
tives of east equatorial Africa, who approach within
a few feet of it, fire their " slugs" at his eye and then
run for dear life ; for if the animal be not killed the
hunter surely will be. Cumming, the most success-
ful of African Nimrods, once slew some ten hippopot-
ami in the course of a couple of days, and secured
the carcasses of most of them, dragging them with
oxen to which were attached strong cables fastened
to the beasts. The bagging of several tons of edible
game — the meat of the beast is described by some
as like beef, by others as like pork — in a day or two
could not be accomplished elsewhere than in Africa.
Most of the perennial rivers and even small streams
of a few feet depth abound in crocodiles. Those of
South Africa, whose nature and habits are described
by Dr. Livingstone and Cumming, are a different
species from the crocodile of the Nile, one of the sa-
cred animals of the Egyptians. They are as great
in size, however, and, perhaps, greater in voracity.
Their great numbers, particularly in the waters of
equatorial Africa, are astonishing. The natives hunt
them, going in canoes and using a sort of harpoon,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 36 1
with which the stout armour, elsewhere impenetrable,
of the animal is pierced behind the legs. The na-
tives are fond of the flesh. Though a full grown
crocodile will weigh as much as an ox, there is not
much flesh that is edible. Cumming shot one more
than twenty feet in length in a stream not more than
twelve feet wide. " On our return to Damagondai's
town," says Du Chaillu, " as we were paddling along,
I perceived in the distance ahead a beautiful deer,
looking meditatively into the waters of the lagoon,
of which from time to time it took a drink. I stood
up to get a shot, and we approached with the utmost
silence. But just as I raised my gun to fire, a croco-
dile leaped out of the water, and, like a flash, dove
back again with the struggling animal in his powerful
jaws. So quickly did the beast take his prey that
though I fired at him I was too late. I would not
have believed that this huge and unwieldy animal
could move with such velocity; but the natives told
me that the deer often falls prey to the crocodile.
Sometimes he even catches the leopard, but then
there is a harder battle than the poor little deer could
make."
The rhinoceros, formerly found on the slopes of
Table Mountain, has now been driven far into the
interior of South Africa, but here these huge ani-
mals, second only to the elephant and hippopotamus
in bulk, are found along all the streams and in the
neighborhood of fountains and pools of water. Dr.
A. Smith in his "Zoology of South Africa" makes
three species of rhinoceros. The great hunter, Cum-
ming, describes what he considers as four different
362 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
kinds. * Dr. Livingstone, however, asserts that there
are but two species — the white and the black — insist-
ing that all the species made by naturalists beyond
* He says : Of the rhinoceros there are four varieties in South Africa distin-
guished by the Bechuanas by the names of the borele, or black rhinoceros, the
keitloa, or two-horned black rhinoceros, the muchocho, or common white rhi-
noceros, and the kobaoba, or long-horned white rhinoceros. Both varieties or
the black rhinoceros are extremely fierce and dangerous, and rush headlong and
unprovoked at any object which attracts their attention. They never attain
much fat, and their flesh is tough, and not much esteemed by the Bechuanas.
Their food consists almost entirely of the thorny branches of the wait-a-bit
thorns. Their horns are much shorter than those of the other varieties, seldom
exceeding eighteen inches in length. They are finely polished with constant
rubbing against the trees. The skull is remarkably formed, its most striking
feature being the tremendous thick ossification in which it ends above the nos-
trils. It is on this mass that the horn is supported. The horns are not con
nected with the skull, being attached merely by the skin, and they may thus be
separated from the head by means of a sharp knife. They are hard and per
fectly %olid throughout, and are a fine material for various articles, such as drink-
ing cups, mallets for rifles, handles for turner's tools, etc., etc. The horn is
capable of a very high polish. The eyes of the rhinoceros are small and spark-
ling, and do not readily observe the hunter, provided he keeps to leeward of
them. The skin is extremely thick, and only to be penetrated by bullets hard-
ened with solder. During the day the rhinoceros will be found lying asleep or
standing indolently in some retired part of the forest, or under the base of the
mountains, sheltered from the power of the sun by some friendly grove of um-
brella-topped mimosas. In the evening they commence their nightly ramble,
and wander over a great extent of country. They usually visit the fountain?
between the hours of nine and twelve o'clock at night, and it is on these occa-
sions that they may be most successfully hunted, and with the least danger. The
black rhinoceros is subject to paroxysms of unprovoked fury, often plowing up
the ground for several yards with its horns, and assaulting large bushes in the
most violent manner. On these bushes they work for hours with their horns, at
the same time snorting and blowing loudly, nor do they leave them in general
until they have broken them into pieces. The rhinoceros is supposed by many,
and by myself among the rest, to be the animal alluded to by Job, chap, xxxix.,
verses 10 and 11, where it is written, "Canst thou bind the unicorn with his
band in the furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys after thee ? Wilt thou trust
him because his strength is great ? or wilt thou leave thy labor to him ?" evi-
dently alluding to an animal possessed of great strength and of untamable dis-
position, for both of which the rhinoceros is remarkable. All the four varieties
delight to roll and wallow in mud, with which their rugged hides are gene*
erally incrusted. — Adventures in South Africa, 1. pp. 215-16.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 363
these two are based on mere differences in size, age,
and direction of horns, all which vary much in each
variety. The rhinoceros has a "guardian spirit" in
the rhinoceros-bird, his constant companion and de-
voted friend. * Those of the black species are very
wary, fierce, and difficult to take. Their flesh is tough
also, whilst that of the white rhinoceros is fat, tender,
and, to the South African tribes, delicious. He is of
a comparatively gentle spirit also, and more easily
found and dispatched.
But the most interesting of the wild animals of
Africa is the elephant, which, as is well known, is in
several respects different from the elephant of Asia.
His ears are larger, and the formation of his tough,
* These singular birds are thus described by Cumming : — These rhinoceros-
birds are constant attendants upon the hippopotamus and the four varieties of
rhinoceros, their object being to feed upon the ticks and other parasitic insects
that swarm upon these animals. They are of a grayish color and are nearly as
large as a common thrush ; their voice is very similar to that of the mistletoe
thrush. Many a time have these ever-watchful birds disappointed me in my
stalk, and tempted me to invoke an anathema upon their devoted heads. They
are the best friends the rhinoceros has, and rarely fail to awaken him even in
his soundest nap. " Chukuroo" perfectly understands their warning, and, spring-
ing to his feet, he generally first looks about him in every direction, after which
tie invariably makes off. I have often hunted a rhinoceros on horseback, which
led me a chase of many miles, and required a number of shots before he fell,
during which chase several of these birds remained by the rhinoceros to the last.
They reminded me of mariners on the deck of some bark sailing on the
ocean, for they perched along his back and sides ; and as each of my bullets told
on the shoulder of the rhinoceros, they ascended about six feet into the air utter-
ing their harsh cry of alarm, and then resumed their position. It sometimes
happened that the lower branches of trees, under which the rhinoceros passed,
swept them from their living deck, but they always recovered their former sta-
tion ; they also adhere to the rhinoceros during the night. I have often shot
these animals at midnight when drinking at the fountains, and the birds, imag-
ining they were asleep, remained with them till morning, and on my approaching,
before taking flight, they exerted themselves to their utmost to awaken Chukuroo
from his deep sleep. — Ibid., 292-3.
364 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
elastic feet is very different. His tusks also are
larger and he reaches a greater size than the Asiatic
elephant. He has been found in nearly all parts of
interior Africa which have been explored, and to this
day may be seen from vessels sailing along the West
Coast near the equator, as he comes down to the sea
to bathe his ponderous body. These animals are
found in troops, varying in number from a few ta
several hundred. At times different troops have been
seen together, whose heavy tread, in escaping, would
make the earth tremble. They are exceedingly deli-
cate as to their food, of which, however, they require
immense quantities. Docile by nature, they are
wonderfully fearful of man, whom, with a favorable
wind, they can scent at a great distance ; but in de-
fence of their young or when attacked they fight
with the greatest courage and effect. The elephant
is unquestionably recognized by all animals of the
forest as their undoubted master. They often retain;
life long after being mortally wounded, and when
about to die, the agony of the dissolution of such an
immense physical system forces tears from their eyes,,
but they expire without convulsions and in heroic
silence. It might almost appear that their predomi-
nating feeling is that of sorrow that the vast forests
through which they have roamed for years — perhaps
a century — shall know them no more. It is difficult
to believe one can kill these sublime animals, for
gain alone, unless he be, at bottom, a genuine scoun-
drel.
It is doubtless different, however, when the grati-
fication of the sporting propensity is the impelling
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 365
motive. It was this which carried the Scottish hun-
ter, Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, into the interior of
South Africa, only about two years after the arrival
there of Dr. Livingstone, and where he remained,
hunting elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, hippopotami
camelopards, and other great game, for the period of
nearly five years. Mr. Cumming's "Adventures in
South Africa" were published, if my memory does
not err, in the year 1850. They were speedily re-
published in America, and were at first received with
no little incredulity, as, by the way, most accounts of
adventures in Africa, from Mungo Park to Stanley,
have been. Adventures there appear to be naturally
incredible to the rest of the world. It is as it is
with respect to the rebuilding of Chicago ; no one
believes it all until he sees it all, and after that he can
believe that almost anything is within the power of
man's spirit of enterprise once fully aroused* The
♦We cannot all go to Africa, but the testimony of Dr. Livingstone, who re-
ceived visits from this hunter every year during the five years of his warfare with
wild animals, will be regarded as conclusive upon the general truthfulness of Mr.
Cumming's reports. Dr. Livingstone says :
As the guides of Mr. Cumming were furnished through my influence, and
usually got some strict charges as to their behavior before parting, looking upon
me in the light of a father, they always came to give me an account of their ser-
vice, and told most of those hunting-adventures which have since been given
to the world, before we had the pleasure of hearing our friend relate them him-
self by our own fireside. I had thus a tolerably good opportunity of testing
their accuracy, and I have no hesitation in saying that, for those who love that
sort of thing, Mr. Cumming's book conveys a truthful idea of South African
hunting. Some things in it require explanation, but the numbers of animals
said to have been met with and killed are by no means improbable, considering
the amount of large game then in the country. Two other gentlemen hunting
in the same region destroyed in one season no fewer than seventy-eight rhi-
noceroses alone. Sportsmen, however, would not now find an equal number ;
for, as guns are introduced among the tribes, all these fine animals melt away
366 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
incredulity in regard to Mr. Cummings wonderful
success in securing great game in Africa has long
since passed away, and his narrative is now regarded
as altogether trustworthy. He remained in Africa,
hunting, the greater part of five years. During this
time he slew more than one hundred elephants, be-
sides those, mortally wounded, which escaped. He
was equally successful with the camelopard, rhi-
noceros, hippopotamus, lion, buffalo, eland, and the
great variety of antelope which live in South Africa
in countless numbers. One of his first adventures
with large animals was with a troop of camelopards.
It is thus graphically described:
"We halted beside a glorious fountain, the name of
which was Massouey, but I at once christened it 'the
Elephant's own Fountain.' This was a very remark-
able spot on the southern border of endless elephant
forests, at which I had at length arrived. The foun-
tain was deep and strong, situated in a hollow at the
eastern extremity of an extensive vley, and its mar-
gin was surrounded by a level stratum of solid old
red sandstone. Here and there lay a thick layer of
soil upon the rock, and this was packed flat with the
fresh spoor of elephants. Around the water's edge
the very rock was worn down by the gigantic feet
which for ages had trodden there. We drew up the
wagons on a hillock on the eastern side of the water.
I had just cooked my breakfast, and commenced to
like snow in spring. In the more remote districts, where fire-arms have not yet
been introduced, with the single exception of the rhinoceros the game is to be
found in numbers much greater than Mr. Cumming ever saw.— Researches in
South Africa, 169-70.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 367
feed, when I heard my men exclaim, ' Almagtig keek
de ghroote clomp cameel f and raising my eyes from
my sassayby stew, I beheld a truly beautiful and very
unusual scene. From the margin of the fountain
there extended an open level vley, without a tree or
bush, that stretched away about a mile to the north-
ward, where it was bounded by extensive groves of
wide-spreading mimosas. Up the middle of this vley
stalked a troop of ten colossal giraffes, flanked by two
large herds of blue wildebeests and zebras, with an
advanced guard of pallahs. They were all coming to
the fountain to drink, and would be within rifle-shot
of the wagons before I could finish my breakfast. I,
however, continued to swallow my food with the ut-
most expedition, having directed my men to catch
and saddle - Colesberg.' In a few minutes the giraffes
were slowly advancing within two hundred yards,
stretching their graceful necks, and gazing in wonder
at the unwonted wagons. Grasping my rifle, I now
mounted ' Colesberg,' and rode slowly toward them.
They continued gazing at the wagons until I was
within one hundred yards of them, when, whisking
their long tails over their rumps, they made off at an
easy canter. As I pressed upon them they increased
their pace ; but ' Colesberg' had much the speed ot
them, and before we had proceeded half a mile I was
riding by the shoulder of a dark-chestnut old bull,
whose head towered high above the rest. Letting
fly at the gallop, I wounded him behind the shoulder;
soon after which I broke him from the herd, and
presently going ahead of him, he came to a stand.
I then gave him a second bullet, somewhere near the
368 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
first. These two shots had taken effect, and he was
now in my power, but I would not lay him low so far
from camp; so, having waited until he had regained
his breath, I drove him half way back toward the
wagons. Here he became obstreperous ; so loading
one barrel, and pointing my rifle toward the clouds, I
shot him in the throat, when, rearing high, he fell
backward and expired. This was a magnificent spec-
imen of the giraffe, measuring upward of eighteen
feet in height. I stood for nearly half an hour en-
grossed in the contemplation of his extreme beauty
and gigantic proportions ; and, if there had been no
elephants, I could have exclaimed, like Duke Alex-
ander of Gordon when he killed the famous old stag
with seventeen tine, ' Now I can die happy.' But I
longed for an encounter with the noble elephants,
and I thought little more of the giraffe than if I had
killed a gemsbok or an eland."
And in another place he describes his second suc-
cess with the camelopard :
" We now bent our steps homeward. We had not
ridden many miles when we observed a herd of fif-
teen camelopards browsing quietly in an open glade
of the forest. After a very severe chase, in the course
of which they stretched out into a magnificent widely
extended front, keeping their line with a regularity
worthy of a troop of dragoons, I succeeded in sepa-
rating a fine bull, upward of eighteen feet in height,
from the rest of the herd, and brought him to the
ground within a short distance of the camp. The
Bechuanas expressed themselves delighted at my suc-
cess. They kindled a fire and slept beside the car-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 369
cass, which, they very soon reduced to bil-tongue and
marrow-bones."
Mr. Cumming's first successful encounter with ele-
phants was one of the most exciting of all. It is thus
related :
" Having followed the spoor for a short distance,
old Mutchuisho became extremely excited, and told
me that we were close to the elephants. Two or
three men quickly ascended the tallest trees that
stood near us, but they could not see the elephants.
Mutchuisho then extended men to the right and left,
while we continued on the spoor.
" In a few minutes one of those who had gone off
to our left came running breathless to say that he
had seen the mighty game. I halted for a minute,
and instructed Issac, who carried the big Dutch rifle,
to act independently of me, while Kleinboy was to
assist me in the chase. I bared my arms to the shoul-
der, and, having imbibed a draught of aqua pura from
the calabash of one of the spoorers, I grasped my
trusty two-grooved rifle, and told my guide to go
ahead. We proceeded silently as might be for a few
hundred yards, following the guide, when he suddenly
pointed, exclaiming, ' Klow !' and before us stood a
herd of mighty bull elephants, packed together be-
neath a shady grove about a hundred and fifty yards
in advance. I rode slowly toward them, and, as soon
as they observed me, they made a loud rumbling
noise, and, tossing their trunks, wheeled right about
and made off in one direction, crashing through the
forest and leaving a cloud of dust behind them. I
3 70 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
was accompanied by a detachment of my dogs, who
assisted me in the pursuit.
" The distance I had come, and the difficulties I
had undergone to behold these elephants, rose fresh
before me. I determined that on this occasion at
least I would do my duty, and, dashing my spurs into
• Sunday's ' ribs, I was very soon much too close in
their rear for safety. The elephants now made an
inclination to my left, whereby I obtained a good
view of the ivory. The herd consisted of six bulls ;
four of them were full-grown, first-rate elephants ; the
other two were fine fellows, but had not yet arrived
at perfect stature. Of the four old fellows, two had
much finer tusks than the rest, and for a few seconds
I was undecided which of these two I would follow ;
when, suddenly, the one which I fancied had the
stoutest tusks broke from his comrades, and I at once
felt convinced that he was the patriarch of the herd,
and followed him accordingly. Cantering alongside,
I was about to fire, when he instantly turned, and,
uttering a trumpet so strong and shrill that the earth
seemed to vibrate beneath my feet, he charged furi-
ously after me for several hundred yards in a direct
line, not altering his course in the slightest degree for
the trees of the forest, which he snapped and over-
threw like reeds in his headlong career.
" When he pulled up in his charge, I likewise halted ;
and as he slowly turned to retreat, I let fly at his
shoulder, ' Sunday* capering and prancing, and giving
me much trouble. On receiving the ball the elephant
shrugged his shoulder, and made off at a free majes-
tic walk. This shot brought several of the dogs to
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 371
my assistance which had been following the other ele-
phants, and on their coming up and barking another
headlong charge was the result, accompanied by the
never-failing trumpet as before. In his charge he
passed close to me, when I saluted him with a second
bullet in the shoulder, of which he did not take the
slightest notice. I now determined not to fire again
until I could make a steady shot ; but, although the
elephant turned repeatedly, ■ Sunday' invariably dis-
appointed me, capering so that it was impossible to
fire. At length, exasperated, I became reckless of
the danger, and, springing from the saddle, ap-
proached the elephant under cover of a tree, and gave
him a bullet in the side of the head, when, trumpeting
so shrilly that the forest trembled, he charged among
the dogs, from whom he seemed to fancy that the
blow had come ; after which he took up a position in
a grove of thorns, with his head toward me. I walked
up very near, and, as he was in the act of charging
(being in those days under wrong impressions as to
the impracticability of bringing down an elephant
with a shot in the forehead), stood coolly in his path
until he was within fifteen paces of me, and let drive
at the hollow of his forehead, in the vain expectation
that by so doing I should end his career. The shot
only served to increase his fury — an effect which, I
had remarked, shots in the head invariably produced ;
and, continuing his charge with incredible quickness
and impetuosity, he all but terminated my elephant-
hunting forever. A large party of the Bechuanas
who had come up yelled out simultaneously, imagin-
ing I was killed, for the elephant was at one moment
372 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
almost on the top of me ; I, however, escaped by my
activity, and by dodging round the bushy trees.
"The elephant held on through the forest at a
sweeping pace ; but he was hardly out of sight when
I was loaded and in the saddle, and soon once more
alongside. He kept crashing along at a steady pace,
with blood streaming from his wounds. It was long
before I again fired, for I was afraid to dismount, and
4 Sunday' was extremely troublesome. At length I
fired sharp right and left from the saddle : he got
both balls behind the shoulder, and made a long
charge after me, rumbling and trumpeting as before.
The whole body of the Bamangwato men had now
come up, and were following a short distance behind
me. Among these was Mollyeon, who volunteered
to help ; and being a very swift and active fellow, he
rendered me important service by holding my fidgety
horse's head while I fired and loaded. I then fired
six broadsides from the saddle, the elephant charging
almost every time, and pursuing us back to the main
body in our rear, who fled in all directions as he ap-
proached.
" The sun had now sunk behind the tops of the
trees ; it would very soon be dark, and the elephant
did not seem much distressed, notwithstanding all he
had received. I recollected that my time was short,
and therefore at once resolved to fire no more from
the saddle, but to go close up to him and fire on foot.
Riding up to him, I dismounted and, approaching
very near, I gave it him right and left in the side of
the head, upon which he made a long and determined
charge after me ; but I was now very reckless of his
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 373
charges, for I saw that he could not overtake me, and
in a twinkling I was loaded, and, again approaching,
fired sharp right and left behind his shoulder. Again
he charged with a terrific trumpet, which sent ' Sun-
day' flying through the forest. This was his last
charge. The wounds which he had received began
to tell on his constitution, and he now stood at bay
beside a thorny tree, with the dogs barking around
him. These, refreshed by the evening breeze, and
perceiving that it was nearly over with the elephant,
had once more come to my assistance. Having
loaded, I drew near and fired right and left at his
forehead. On receiving these shots, instead of
charging, he tossed his trunk up and down, and by
various sounds and motions, most gratifying to the
hungry natives, evinced that his demise was near
Again I loaded and fired my last shot behind his
shoulder : on receiving it, he turned round the bushy
tree beside which he stood, and I ran round to give
the other barrel, but the mighty old monarch of the
forest needed no more ; before I could clear the
bushy tree he fell heavily on his side, and his spirit
had fled."
Such is a specimen of the " sport" which the wilds
of Africa offer to the ambitious hunter. That it is
in some respects rather serious sport may be imag-
ined from the description as well as from Mr. Cum-
ming's statement of his losses during his four expedi-
tions into the interior. These were forty-five horses
and seventy head of cattle, the value being at least
$3,000. u I also," he says, " lost about seventy of my
dogs," which would convey the idea of a considera-
374 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ble kennel, the dogs all told. But he usually had
only about thirty at a time. Many were killed by
lions, while elephants made way with a still larger
number.
The expeditions of Mr. Du Chaillu, an American
naturalist, in Equatorial Africa, were more valuable
to the cause of science than those of Mr. Cumming
in South Africa, and scarcely less interesting as the
explorations of a hunter. Like Cumming, he was a
highly successful hunter, and he was also much more
— a student of natural history imbued with a love of
science and having a genius for it. As Mr. Cum-
ming's starting point was the extreme of South
Africa, under English domination, Mr. Du Chaillu
had his headquarters beneath the equator on the
east coast, and under the immediate eyesight, so to
speak, of the American Presbyterian Mission for the
Gaboon country. Mr. Du Chaillu afterwards estab-
lished his home in the Camma country, and building
himself a little village of huts near the junction of the
N'poulounay and Fernand Vas rivers, and not far
from the coast, named it " Washington." From the
Gaboon and then from this African " city of Wash-
ington," this celebrated traveller made several ex-
plorations of the interior, much of the time among
idolatrous and cannibal tribes. Enduring many
hardships, overcoming many almost insurmountable
difficulties, he not only gave to the world an ex-
tremely interesting account of hunting expeditions,
but a description of the singular people and wonder-
ful country he was the first white man to visit which
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 375
forms a valued acquisition to the stock of geograph-
ical and scientific knowledge *
Whilst he was very successful in procuring speci-
mens of most of the animals and birds in equatorial
Africa to a distance of several hundred miles from
the coast, he devoted special attention to hunting
the ape, and was more successful in killing the spe-
cies commonly known as the gorrilla than any one
else of Christendom has ever been. The greater
difficulty of hunting the animal considered, he was
as successful with the gorrilla as Mr. Cumming had
been with the elephant.
The troglodytes gorilla, or great chimpanzee of the
equatorial region of East Africa has long been the
most dreaded, perhaps, of all the wild beasts of that
continent. And it is probably true that in unmixed
ferocity when assailed he does not have his equal.
The nature of this fierce animal — much like man in
some particulars of physical formation, totally dis-
similar in all other respects — may be learned from
an instance or two of Mr. Du Chaillu's hunting him.
The account of his killing his " first gorilla" is as fol-
lows :
" We started early and pushed for the most dense
and impenetrable part of the forest (this was in the
country of the Fan negroes, cannibals, a little more
than one degree north of the equator and something
less than two hundred miles east of the mouth of the
Gaboon river), in hopes to find the very home of the
* It need not be stated to students of matters pertaining to Africa, that this
gentleman's " Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa" (published by
the Harpers in 1868) is one of our most interesting books of travel.
22
376 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
beast I so much wished to shoot. Hour after hour
we travelled, and yet no signs of gorilla. Only the
everlasting little chattering monkeys — and not many
of these — and occasional birds. In fact, the forests of
this part of Africa are not so full of life as in some
other parts to the south.
"Suddenly Miengai uttered a little cluck with his
tongue, which is the native's way of showing that
something is stirring, and that a sharp look-out is nec-
essary. And presently I noticed, ahead of us seem-
ingly, a noise as of some one breaking down branches
or twigs of trees. This was the gorilla, I knew at
once, by the eager and satisfied looks of the men.
They looked once more carefully at their guns, to
see if by any chance the powder had fallen out of
the pans ; I also examined mine, to make sure that
all were right ; and then we marched on cautiously.
The singular noise of the breaking of tree-branches
continued. We walked with the greatest care, mak-
ing no noise at all. The countenances of the men
showed that they thought themselves engaged in a
very serious undertaking; but we pushed on, until
finally we thought we saw through the thick woods
the moving of the branches and small trees which the
great beast was tearing down, probably to get from
them the berries and fruits he lives on.
" Suddenly, as we were yet creeping along, in a si-
lence which made a heavy breath seem loud and dis-
tinct, the woods were at once filled with the tremen-
dous barking roar of the gorilla. Then the under-
brush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently before
us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 377
through the jungle on his all-fours ; but when he saw
our party he erected himself and looked us boldly in
the face. He stood about a dozen yards from us, and
was a sight I think never to forget. Nearly six feet
high (he proved two inches shorter), with immense
body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with
fiercely-glaring large deep gray eyes, and a hellish ex-
pression of face, which seemed to me like some night-
mare vision : thus stood before us this king of the
African forests.
" He was not afraid of us. He stood there, and
beat his breast with his huge fists till it resounded
like an immense bass-drum, which is their mode of
offering defiance ; meantime giving vent to roar after
roar.
" The roar of the gorilla is the most singular and
awful noise heard in these African woods. It begins
with a sharp bark, like an angry dog, then glides into
a deep bass roll, which literally and closely resembles
the roll of distant thunder along the sky, for which I
have sometimes been tempted to take it where I did
not see the animal. So deep is it that it seems to
proceed less from the mouth and throat than from
the deep chest and vast paunch.
" His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as we stood
motionless on the defensive, and the crest of short
hair which stands on his forehead be^an to twitch
rapidly up and down, while his powerful fangs were
shown as he again sent forth a thunderous roar. And
now truly he reminded me of nothing but some hell-
ish dream creature — a being of that hideous order,
half man half beast, which we find pictured by old
37$ EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
artists in some representations of the infernal re-
gions. He advanced a few steps — then stopped to
utter that hideous roar again — advanced again, and
finally stopped when at a distance of about six yards
from us. And here, as he began another of his roars
and beating his breast in rage, we fired, and killed
him.
" With a groan which had something terribly human
in it, and yet was full of brutishness, it fell forward
on its face. The body shook convulsively for a few
minutes, the limbs moved about in a struggling way,
and then all was quiet — death had done its work, and
I had leisure to examine the huge body. It proved
to be five feet eight inches high, and the muscular
development of the arms and breast showed what
immense strength it had possessed.
" My men, though rejoicing at our luck, immediately
began to quarrel about the apportionment of the
meat — for they really eat this creature. I saw that
we should come to blows presently if I did not inter-
fere, and therefore said I should give each man his
share, which satisfied all. As we were too tired to
return to our camp of last night, we determined to
camp here on the spot, and accordingly soon had
some shelters erected and dinner going on. Luckily,
one of the fellows shot a deer just as we began to
camp, and on its meat I feasted while my men ate
gorilla."
Another hunt resulted fatally to one of the natives.
It is thus related :
" The next day we went on a gorilla-hunt. All the
olako was busy on the evening of my arrival with
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 379
preparations ; and as meat was scarce, everybody had
joyful anticipations of hunger satisfied and plenty in
the camp. Little did we guess what frightful death
was to befall one of our number before the next
sunset.
" I gave powder to the whole party. Six were to
go off in one direction for bush-deer, and whatever
luck might send them, and six others, of whom I was
one, were to hunt for gorilla. We set off toward a
dark valley, where Gambo, Igoumba's son, said we
should find our prey. The gorilla chooses the dark-
est, gloomiest forests for its home, and is found on
the edges of the clearings only when in search of
plantains, or sugar-cane, or pine-apple. Often they
choose for their peculiar haunt a piece of wood so
dark that even at midday one can scarce see ten
yards. This makes it the more necessary to wait till the
monstrous beast approaches near before shooting, in
order that the first shot may be fatal. It does not
often let the hunter reload.
" Our little party separated, as is the custom, to
stalk the wood in various directions. Gambo and I
kept together. One brave fellow went off alone in a
direction where he thought he could find a gorilla.
The other three took another course. We had been
about an hour separated when Gambo and I heard a
gun fired but little way from us, and presently another.
We were already on our way to the spot where we
hoped to see a gorilla slain, when the forest began to
resound with the most terrific roars. Gambo seized
my arms in great agitation, and we hurried on, both
filled with a dreadful and sickening fear. We had
380 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
not gone far when our worst fears were realized.
The poor brave fellow who had gone off alone was
lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, and
I thought at first quite dead. His bowels were pro-
truding through the lacerated abdomen. Beside him
lay his gun. The stock was broken, and the barrel
was bent and flattened. It bore plainly the marks of
the gorilla's teeth.
" We picked him up, and I dressed his wounds as
well as I could with rags torn from my clothes.
When I had given him a little brandy to drink he
came to himself, and was able, but with great diffi-
culty, to speak. He said that he had met the gor-
illa suddenly and face to face, and that it had not at-
tempted to escape. It was, he said, a huge male, and
seemed very savage. It was in a very gloomy part
of the wood, and the darkness, I suppose, made him
miss. He said he took good aim, and fired when the
beast was only about eight yards off. The ball
merely wounded it in the side. It at once began
beating its breasts, and with the greatest rage ad-
vanced upon him.
" To run away was impossible. He would have
been caught in the jungle before he had gone a dozen
steps. He stood his ground, and as quickly as he
could reloaded his gun. Just as he raised it to fire
the gorilla dashed it out of his hands, the gun going
off in the fall, and then in an instant, and with a terri-
ble roar, the animal gave him a tremendous blow with
its immense paw, frightfully lacerating the abdomen,
and with this single blow laying bare part of the in-
testines. As he sank, bleeding, to the ground, the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 38 1
monster seized the gun, and the poor hunter thought
he would have his brains dashed out with it. But
the gorilla seemed to have looked upon this also as
an enemy, and in his rage flattened the barrel be-
tween his strong jaws.
" When we came upon the ground the gorilla was
gone. This is their mode when attacked — to strike
one or two blows, and then leave the victims of their
rage on the ground and go off into the woods."
During his explorations in equatorial Africa, Du
Chaillu discovered two new species of ape — Troglod-
ytes calvus and T. Koola-Kamba — and also a number
of other mamalians, birds, serpents, and reptiles, be-
fore unknown to naturalists.
Contrary to a somewhat prevalent belief, many dis-
eases prevail among wild animals. " The free life of
nature" is subject to woes, and needs the physician's
aid, after all. " I have seen," says Dr. Livingstone,
" the gnu, kama or hartebeest, the tressebe, kukama,
and the giraffe, so mangy as to be uneatable even by
the natives. Great numbers also of zebras are found
dead with masses of foam at the nostrils, exactly as
occurs in the common ' horse-sickness.' I once found
a buffalo blind from ophthalmia standing by the foun-
tain Otse. The rhinoceros has often worms on the
conjunction of his eyes. All the wild animals are
subject to intestinal worms besides. The zebra, gi-
raffe, eland, and kukuma have been seen mere skele-
tons from decay of their teeth as well as from disease.
The carnivera, too, become diseased and mangy ;
lions become lean and perish miserably by reason of
the decay of the teeth." Cumming also speaks of
382 Explorations in Africa.
seeing extensive plains thickly covered with the
bones of wild animals which had died of disease.
As a rule, however, the animals are healthy. Their
variety and vast numbers are beyond calculation. In
a single day, Cumming saw the fresh spoor of about
twenty varieties of " large game" and most of the an-
imals themselves. These included elephant, black and
white rhinoceros, hippopotamus, camelopard, buffalo,
blue wildebeest, zebra, water-buck, sassayby, koodoo,
pallah, springbok, serolomootlooque, wild boar, dui-
ker, steinbok, lion, leopard. This is the habitat also
of keilton, eland, oryx, roan antelope, sable antelope,
hartebeest, klipspringer, grys stein buck, and reitbuck.
A little farther on he thus speaks of the game he saw
while taking breakfast :
"We resumed our march at daybreak on the 28th,
and held on through boundless open plains. As we
advanced, game became more and more abundant.
In about two hours we reached a fine fountain, be-
side which was a small cover of trees and bushes,
which afforded an abundant supply of fire-wood.
Here we outspanned for breakfast : it was a fine cool
morning, with a pleasant breeze. The country was
thickly covered with immense herds of game, consist-
ing of zebra, wildebeest, blesbok, and springbok.
There could not have been less than (ive or six thou-
sand head of game in sight of me as I sat at break-
fast. Presently the whole of this game began to take
alarm. Herd joined herd, and took away up the
wind ; and in a few minutes other vast herds came
pouring on. up the wind, covering the whole breadth
of the plain with a living mass of noble game."
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 383
And again :
" When the sun rose next morning I took coffee,
and then rode west with two after-riders, in the hope
of getting some blesbok shooting. I found the
boundless undulating plains thickly covered with
game, thousands upon thousands checkering the
landscape far as the eye could strain in every direc-
tion. The blesboks, which I was most desirous to
obtain, were extremely wary, and kept pouring on,
on up the wind in long continued streams of thou-
sands, so swift and shy that it was impossible to get
within six hundred yards of them, or even by any
stratagem to waylay them, so boundless was the
ground, and so cunningly did they avoid crossing our
track."
It might thus appear that if there is a sportsman's
paradise anywhere it is Africa.
Perhaps it would not be too much to say that
about all the birds known to ornithology, and many
yet unknown in the books upon that science are to
be found in Africa. The ostrich, the largest of birds,
is found only in Africa. It sometimes attains the
height of eight feet. It is swift of foot, its cry is
much like the roar of the lion, and its appearance at
a distance is very stately ; but it is extremely stupid.
Its feathers have long been highly valued in com-
merce. Another most remarkable bird, peculiar to
Africa, is the secretary. This is a bird of prey, feed-
ing solely on serpents, which it pursues on foot and
destroys in great numbers. It has been described
as " an eagle, mounted on the long, naked legs of a
crane." Waterfowl of all kinds abound, and there
384 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
are wild geese which have brilliant and variegated
plumage. The most of the forests of South Africa
are alive with countless numbers of an almost end-
less variety of birds, but in the equatorial regions
they are much less numerous, though there are many
of those varieties which are characterized by bright,
gorgeous plumage.
" Snake stories" are proverbially tinged with the
colors of the imagination ; but the serpents and rep-
tiles of Africa are no jesting topic to the inhabitants.
Many of the serpents are particularly venomous.
Dr. Livingstone states that the picakholu is so copi-
ously supplied with poison, that "when a number of
dogs attack it, the first bitten dies almost instantane-
ously, the second in about five minutes, the third in
an hour or so, while the fourth may live several
hours." The puff adder and several vipers are very
dangerous. There is one which " utters a cry by night
exactly like the bleating of a kid. It is supposed by
the natives to lure travellers to itself by this bleating."
Several varieties, when alarmed, emit a peculiar odor,
by which their presence is made known. The deadly
cobra exists in several colors or varieties. There are
various species of tree-climbing serpents, which ap-
pear to have the power of fascination. This belief of
Dr. Livingstone in the fascinating power of some ser-
pents is also entertained by Mr. Du Chaillu, and
avowed as correct by the eminent naturalist, Dr.
Andrew Smith in his " Reptilia." The eminent hunter
of the gorilla says the presence of serpents in Africa
is a "great blessing to the country. They destroy
great numbers of rats and mice, and other of the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 385
smaller quadrupeds which injure the native provi-
sions ; and it is but just to say they are peacefully in-
clined, and never attack man unless trodden on.
They are glad enough to get out of the way ; and the
most feared snake I saw in Africa (the Echidna nasi-
cornis) was one which is very slow in its movements,
from which cause it happens that it oftener bites peo-
ple than others, being unable to get out of the way
quickly. Though serpents abound in all parts of the
country, I have travelled a month at a time without
seeing one." The natives, though bare legged, are
rarely bitten. There are several species of boa, which
attain great size and weight. The variety known as
the natal rock python, which is often seen in interior
south Africa, though entirely without venom, like
other boas, is very destructive of birds and animals.
" They are perfectly harmless," says Dr. Livingstone,
" and live on small animals, chiefly the rodentia ; oc-
casionally the steinbuck and pallah fall victims, and
are sucked into its comparatively small mouth in boa-
constrictor fashion. The flesh is much relished by
Bakalahari and Bushmen. They carry away each his
portion, like logs of wood, over their shoulders."
Cumming killed one of these boas measuring four-
teen feet in length. They have been known to meas-
ure nearly thirty feet in length, and to capture and
swallow half-grown cattle. The Caffre of South Af-
rica is very skilful in slaying the python with his
spear. He is thus often pinned to the earth by a
single throw and dispatched at leisure; then cut up
into snake-logs and carried off for food.
Among the innumerable insects of Africa — the fa-
386 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
tal tsetse fly and the devastating locust have already
been mentioned — the most interesting, perhaps, is the
ant. It exists in great variety and prodigious num-
bers. There are countless ant-hills in different parts
of Africa, which are larger than a majority of the in-
dividual homes of the natives of the southern and
central portions of the continent. Human works, to
be of the same relative size as these homes of insects
would tower five or six times above the pyramids of
Egypt, and would require a base correspondingly
large. Among themselves in Africa some of the spe-
cies are warriors and cannibals ; they fight their ene-
mies and eat the vanquished. Other species are ex-
ceedingly destructive of the timbers of houses, eating
out the insides and leaving useless shells. Others
consume vast quantities of decaying animal matter,
and still others the decaying vegetation, including
great trees, of the tropics. Many are exceedingly
fierce in nature. Among these is the bashikouay ant
of equatorial Africa. It is, perhaps, relatively the
most voracious of all living things, and the most de-
structive. Unlike other large-sized ants it does not
build houses, but excavates holes in the earth for
place of retreat during storms. Its nature and babits
are fully described by Du Chaillu :
" This ant is very abundant in the whole region I
have travelled over in Africa. It is the dread of all
living animals from the leopard to the smallest in-
sect. It is their habit to march through the forests
in a long regular line — a line about two inches broad
and often several miles in length. All along this line
are larger ants, who act as officers, stand outside the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 387
ranks, and keep this singular army in order. If they
come to a place where there are no trees to shelter
them from the sun, whose heat they can not bear,
they immediately build underground tunnels, through
which the whole army passes in columns to the for-
est beyond. These tunnels are four or five feet un-
derground, and are used only in the heat of the day
or during a storm.
" When they get hungry the long file spreads itself
through the forest in a front line, and attacks and
devours all it comes to with a fury which is quite
irresistible. The elephant and gorilla fly before this
attack. The black men run for their lives. Every
animal that lives in their line of mareh is chased.
They seem to understand and act upon the tactics of
Napoleon, and concentrate, with great speed, their
heaviest forces upon the point of attack. In an in-
credibly short space of time the mouse, or dog, or
leopard, or deer is overwhelmed, killed, eaten, and
the bare skeleton only remains.
" They seem to travel night and day. Many a time
have I been awakened out of a sleep, and obliged to
rush from the hut and into the water to save my life,
and after all suffered intolerable agony from the bites
of the advance-guard, who had got into my clothes.
When they enter a house they clear it of all living
things. Roaches are devoured in an instant. Rats
and mice spring round the room in vain. An over-
whelming force of ants kills a strong rat in less than
a minute, in spite of the most frantic struggles, and
in less than another minute its bones are stripped.
Every living thing in the house is devoured. They
388 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
will not touch vegetable matter. Thus they are in
reality very useful (as well as dangerous) to the ne-
groes, who have their huts cleaned of all the abound-
ing vermin, such as immense roaches and centipedes
at least several times a year.
" When on their march the insect world flies before
them, and I have often had the approach of a bashi-
kouay army heralded to me by this means. Wher-
ever they go they make a clean sweep, even ascending
to the tops of the highest trees in pursuit of their
prey. Their manner of attack is an impetuous leap.
Instantly the strong pincers are fastened, and they
only let go when the piece gives away. At such times
this little animal seems animated by a kind of fury
which causes it to disregard entirely its own safety,
and to seek only the conquest of its prey. The bite
is very painful.
" The negroes relate that criminals were in for-
mer times exposed in the path of the bashikouay
ants, as the most cruel manner of putting to death.
" Two very remarkable practices of theirs remain to
be related. When, on their line of march, they must
cross a stream, they throw themselves across and form
a tunnel — a living tunnel — connecting two trees or
high bushes on opposite sides of the little stream.
This is done with great speed, and is effected by a
great number of ants, each of which clings with its fore
claws to its next neighbors body or hind claws. Thus
they form a high, safe tubular bridge, through which
the whole vast regiment marches in regular order.
If disturbed, or if the arch is broken by the violence
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 389
of some animal, they instantly attack the offender
with the greatest animosity.
M The bashikouay have the sense of smell finely de-
veloped, as indeed have all the ants I know of, and
they are guided very much by it. They are larger
than any ant we have in America, being at least half
an inch long, and are armed with very powerful fore
legs and sharp jaws, with which they bite. They are
red or dark-brown in color. Their numbers are so
great that one does not like to enter into calcula-
tions; but I have seen one continual line passing at
good speed a particular place for twelve hours. The
reader may imagine for himself how many millions
on millions there may have been contained here."
And yet the ants of Africa are the chief agents
employed in forming a fertile soil. " But for their
labors," remarks Dr. Livingstone, " the tropical for-
ests, bad as they now are with fallen trees, would be
a thousand times worse. They would be impassible
on account of the heaps of dead vegetation lying on
the surface, and emitting worse effluvia than the com-
paratively small unburied collections do now. When
one looks at the wonderful adaptations throughout
creation, and the varied operations carried on with
such wisdom and skill, the idea of second causes looks
clumsy. We are viewing the direct handiwork of
Him who is the one and only Power in the universe;
wonderful in counsel ; in whom we all live, and move
and have our being."
There are vast numbers of annoying insects in all
portions of the continent, which in this respect, per-
haps, is neither better nor worse than other parts of
39°
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
the world, where little annoyances make up the great
sum of human misery. It is only one of many proofs
that Africa is the region of contrasts, that the great-
est animals flee from a little insect, the life of scores
of whom might be stamped out by a single footstep,
yet the aggregate labors of which preserve the conti-
nent from desolation and decay.
CHAPTER XX.
AFRICAN TREES AND VEGETATION.
Brief Notice of the Vegetable Kingdom of Africa — Immense Deserts and Pro-
digious, Tower-like Trees — Grasses Higher than a Man on Horseback — The
Cotton Plant — General Remarks.
There are so many anomalies in this continent of
contrasts that it seems quite of course to observe that
nowhere else can be found such vast extent of sandy,
barren wastes, and such immense expanse of forest
whose trees, and vines, and jungle fairly shut out the
rays of the sun, and leave the earth in eternal shade
and gloom. Much the larger share of North Africa
is embraced within the limits of the great Desert of
Sahara, which, though in some respects not correctly
represented to the reading public, not only covers a
vast expanse on this continent, but extends its bleak
and dreary nature far eastward of Africa, not ending
until after it has passed through Arabia, Persia, cen-
tral Asia, and penetrated the confines of the Chinese
Empire. So in South Africa we have the Kalahari
Desert, often mentioned in this work, which, though
singularly covered with herbage and abounding in
wild beasts, is much of the time almost entirely un-
traversable by man on account of the want of water.
It is coursed by the beds of many rivers which, ages
ago, were doubtless perennial streams of flowing
23 39 1
392 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
water, now as dry and uninviting as the sands of
Sahara.
There are also extensive treeless plains — in Amer-
ica called prairies — whose soil is rich, supporting
great quantities of luxuriant grasses and an infinite
variety of shrubs and flowers. Over these, as we
have seen, roam countless numbers of wild animals.
Over a large portion of the watershed of South
Africa, are immense " flats," covered with water dur-
ing the long season of rains, but in the dry season
presenting to the eyes a boundless expanse of infinite-
ly variegated flowers.
Bounding these deserts, treeless plains, and flats,
are forests of almost inconceivable extent, covered
with thick jungle and the greatest variety of trees.
The magnificent trees which Dr. Livingstone found
along the banks of the Zouga river, have already been
spoken of.* The baobab is equal in size to the fa-
mous great trees of California, the immense hollow
trunk of one of which has been exhibited as a curios-
ity in most portions of the United States. In some
parts of the Bechuana country the remains of ancient
forests of wild olives and of the camel-thorn are still
to be met with. "It is probable," says Dr. Living-
stone, " that this (the camel-thorn — Acacia giraffe) is
the tree of which the Ark of the Covenant and the
Tabernacle were constructed, as it is reported to be
found where the Israelites were at the time these
were made. It is an imperishable wood, while that
usually pointed out as the 'shittim' soon decays, and
. * See page 67, ante.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 393
wants beauty." The baobab, already mentioned, has
a vitality almost imperishable. " No external injury,"
says Livingstone, " not even a fire, can destroy this
tree from without ; nor can any injury be done from
within, as it is quite common to find it hollow ; and I
have seen one in which twenty or thirty men could
lie down and sleep as in a hut. Nor does cutting
down exterminate it, for I saw instances in Angola in
which it continued to grow in length after it was lying
on the ground." In fact the baobab, or mowana as it
is often called, has the qualities of both exogenous
and endogenous trees, and is rather a gigantic bulb
than either. It is often seen with its branches ex-
tending down to the ground and taking root, after
the manner of the banyan. The wood of this giant
of the forest is so spongy and soft that an axe can be
struck in so far with a good blow that there is great
difficulty in pulling it out again.
The mopane tree {bauhinia) is remarkable for the
little shade it affords, and its astonishing capacity for
being struck by lightning. The natives say " light-
ning hates it." The wood is hard, of a light red color,
and called iron-wood by the Portuguese. On the other
hand, there is a fine tree, called the morala, which has
n ever been known to be struck by lightning. Branches
of it may be seen on the huts of the natives and the
houses of the Portuguese of East Africa, as a protec-
tion against lightning* A tree which the natives
* Cumming thus describes the baobab, or mowana, under the name of nwana:
It is about this latitude that the traveller will first meet with the gigantic and
castle-like nwana, which is decidedly the most striking and wonderful tree
among the thousands which adorn the South African forests. It is chiefly re-
394 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
call the indoonoo exists in some portions of equato-
rial Africa, which is taller and more graceful than the
markable on account of its extraordinary size, actually resembling a castle or
tower more than a forest tree. Throughout the country of Bamangwato the
average circumference of these trees is from thirty to forty feet ; but on subse-
quently extending my researches in a northeasterly direction, throughout the
more fertile forests which clothe the boundless tracts through which the fair
Limpopo winds, I daily met with specimens of this extraordinary tree averag-
ing from sixty to a hundred feet in circumference, and maintaining this thick
ness to a height from twenty to thirty feet, when they diverge into numerous
goodly branches, whose general character is abrupt and horizontal, and which seem
to terminate with a peculiar suddenness. The wood of this tree is soft and utterly
unserviceable ; the shape of the leaf is similar to that of the sycamore tree, but
its texture partakes more of the fig leaf ; its fruit is a nut, which in size and
shape resembles the egg of the swan. A remarkable fact, in connection with
these trees, is the manner in which they are disposed throughout the forest.
They are found standing singly, or in rows, invariably at considerable distances
from one another, as if planted by the hand of man ; and from their wondrous
size and unusual height (for they always tower high above their surrounding
compeers), they convey the idea of being strangers or interlopers on the ground
they occupy.
And toward the close of his work he says : The shoulders and upper ridges
of the mountains throughout all that country are profusely adorned with the
graceful sandal-wood tree, famed on account of the delicious perfume of its
timber. The leaf of this tree emits at every season of the year a powerful and
fragrant perfume, which is increased by bruising the leaves in the hand. Its
leaf is small, of a light silvery-gray color, which is strongly contrasted by the
dark and dense ever-green foliage of the moopooroo tree, which also adorns the
upper ridges of the mountain ranges. This beautiful tree is interesting, as pro-
ducing the most delicious and serviceable fruit that I have met with throughout
those distant parts, the poorer natives subsisting upon it for several months,
during which it continues in season. The moopooroo is of the size and shape
of a very large olive. It is at first green, but, gradually ripening, like the In-
dian mango, it becomes beautifully striped with yellow, and when perfectly lipc
its color is the deepest orange. The fruit is sweet and mealy, similar to the
date, and contains a small brown seed. It covers the branches, and when ripe
the golden fruit beautifully contrasts with the dark green leaves of the tree
which bears it. Besides the moopooroo, a great variety of fruits are met with
throughout these mountains and forests, all of which are known to, and gath-
ered by, the natives. I must, however, forego a description of them, as it would
swell these pages to undue bounds. Throughout the densely- wooded dells
and hollows of the mountains the rosewood tree occurs, of considerable size
and in great abundance.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 3Q5
baobab, but not of such immense trunk. It is from
eight to twelve feet in diameter near the base. The
ebony-tree is found on high lands. It is met with all
along the ridges and hills of equatorial Africa. It is
described as one of the finest and most graceful trees
of the African forest. Its leaves are long, sharp-
pointed, dark green, and hang in clusters, producing
a grateful shade. Its bark is smooth and of a dark
green color. The trunk rises straight and often to
the height of sixty feet without a branch ; then large
heavy branches are sent out. Some of these valua-
ble trees have a diameter of five feet at the base.
They are all hollow, when mature, even the branches.
Next the bark is a white sap-wood which is not val-
uable. This in an average tree is three or four inches
thick, and next to this lies the ebony of commerce.
The ebony-tree is found intermixed with others in
the forest, but generally in groups of three or four
together, and none others within a little distance. In
the same regions of equatorial Africa grows the
liamba plant, whose leaves are used for smoking by the
natives, very much as the tobacco leaf is used in some
countries. Under its influence, the natives frequently
become permanently insane. Here also the India-
rubber vine grows in great luxuriance. Immense
quantities of land round about Lake Anengue espe-
cially, are literally covered with this valuable vine.
The cotton-plant is indigenous in most portions of
central and south Africa, but the natives have as yet
paid little attention to its cultivation. The cannibal
tribes of central Africa make mats and many of their
garments of a "grass-cloth," which has been described
396 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
by Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Stanley in letters here-
tofore quoted. The thread used in this material is
obtained from a species of palm, a great number of
the many different varieties of which abound in Africa.
As for grasses, the great explorer of whom this vol-
ume principally treats often speaks of riding through
immense extents of it, taller than a man on horse-
back. The vast quantities of grass and the great
number of palms in Africa suggest the belief that the
manufacture of "grass-paper" may some day become
an important element in African commerce. The
date-tree and many other fruit-bearers are plentiful.
If Christian civilization held her benign sway over
all portions of Africa, much of the great forest area
would be cultivated, and the fertile prairies would
yield many of the fruits and grains by which the
world is supplied with food. The natural agricul-
tural advantages of the continent are undoubtedly
very great. It is well known that the valley of the
Nile was for ages the granary of the world. Much of
it is no less fertile now than when its products fed
mankind. The whole of central Africa, from the con-
fines of the Desert of Sahara to beyond the sources
of the Nile, the Zambesi, and the Congo, is mostly
suitable to agriculture. A vast region of this coun-
try, south of the great desert, and nearly across the
continent, was formerly the abode of large numbers
of people, the remains of whose cities and towns at-
test their civilization and successful agriculture.
Here was the battle-ground in Africa between Mo-
hammedanism and paganism ; and it is not improb-
able that the hosts of the Prophet were stayed in their
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 397
victorious career and driven back upon regions pre-
viously overrun by the fierce cannibal tribes of equa-
torial Africa, who, from the time of Herodotus, have
afforded some of the best specimens of physical man.
Still farther south, natural agricultural advantages
are notably good, except in the Desert of Kalahari —
redeemable by means of Artesian wells — and the cli-
mate is extremely salubrious and healthy.
CHAPTER XXI.
THE DESERT OF SAHARA.
General Description of the Great Desert of North Africa — Its Different Divi-
sions, Inhabitants, and Productions — Cities Buried Under the Sands — The
Storms of Wind — Influence of the Desert upon the Climate and Civilization
of Europe.
An opinion quite extensively prevails that the Des-
ert of Sahara is a vast treeless plain ; a level expanse
of hot and dreary sand, with nothing to disturb the
awful monotony but an occasional caravan winding its
weary way through the pathless waste, or the dread-
ful simoon driving ,the sands from their accustomed
place and hurling them wildly whithersoever it will.
Such, indeed, would be no very inaccurate descrip-
tion of many portions, some of them considerable in
extent, of this immense waste, but if such were taken
as a picture of the whole it would convey a false im-
pression.
Perhaps the first idea which occupies one's mind in
thinking of Sahara is in regard to its prodigious ex-
tent. Its western boundary is the Atlantic ocean,
whose waves wash these arid sands from Cape Nuun,
at the southern extremity of Morocco, to the mouth
of the river Senegal, a distance of more than a thou-
sand miles. Thence it extends eastward about three
thousand miles to the valley of the Nile. It is esti-
mated that within the limits thus generally described
there is an area of nearly 2,000,000 square miles, be-
*o8
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 399
ing about ten times as great as the area of France,
and more than twenty times greater than that of Eng-
land, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland combined. It is
to be furthermore considered that Sahara, vast
as it is, embraces less than half of the desert system,
if we may so speak, of which it forms the western
portion, for, as is elsewhere remarked, it pushes itself,
after interruption by the Nile, the rocky regions of
Nubia and Abyssinia, and the Red sea, through Ara-
bia, and thousands of miles eastward to far within the
boundaries of the Celestial empire. The area of the
whole is prohably about 7,000,000 square miles or
something more than that of Europe and the United
States. But Sahara itself in North Africa has three
times the extent of the Mediterranean sea. So vast
an expanse, with so much of it uninhabitable and un-
productive, traversable only by those " ships of the
desert," the patient camels, must impress the mind
with gloomy reflections, to be replaced by brighter
ones only upon considering further that in the won-
derful workings of Nature hence have been borne and
are constantly being borne upon the wings of the
viewless winds the greatest blessings to the best por-
tions of mankind.
The western portion of Sahara, which is called
Sahel, is far more desolate than the eastern portion.
In the latter part there are many oases, which are in-
habitable and productive. Thus we have not far from
the valley of the Nile, the oases of Darfoor, El Wah,
Great Oasis, Takel, and some others, of which the
first named is the greatest and the farthest south.
Northward is the oasis of Siwah, or Jupiter Am-
400 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
mon, Aujilah, farther west, and the great oasis of Fez-
zan, with the important city of Murzuk. The oasis
of A-ir or Asben, is in the south-central part of the
desert. Between this and the Atlantic ocean on the
west and Morocco and Algeria on the north, the ex-
panse is as desolate a region, perhaps, as there is any
where on the globe. For a considerable distance from
the ocean, the scene is a bleak plain of sand, except
in the portion near Senegambia, where many acacias
are found — the trees which furnish the gum-arabic of
commerce. This coast region has a considerable ele-
vation, however, and the shore consists of sandstone,
generally about one hundred feet high. Whilst there
are many low plains covered with drifting sands, their
desolation only increased in places by wide-spread
coatings of salt and vast fields of naked rock upon
which one might journey for days together without
seeing a grain of sand or a sign of vegetation or an-
imal life, yet may Sahara be generally described as a
region of elevated plateaus which frequently rise into
mountains of 3,000 to 5,000 feet elevation, separated
from each other by valleys and immense tracts of
sand. Traversing the Desert from Tripoli one
reaches the summit of the Gharian plateau at an
elevation of 2,000 feet whence it gradually slopes
away to 500 feet and in some places even below the
level of the sea. Farther on is a long range of table
land called the Hamadah, stretching east and west
with an elevation of almost fifteen hundred feet.
Toward the west Hamadah becomes mountainous and
toward the east it breaks into a vast scene of huge
cliffs called El-Harouj. Toward the Mediterranean
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 40I
on the whole plateau of Hamadah and that of Mur-
zuk, are dry channels, called wadys, and small deserts.
The route then ascends several hundred feet and
passing over a sandy region, with some expanses of
bare granite, with an elevation above the sea of from
1,000 to 2,200 feet, continues to the mountainous re-
gion between Ghat and Asben, where there is a wady
at an elevation of 2,956 feet amid mountain peaks
not less than 4,000 feet high. Still further south the
average elevation is believed by Barth to be about
1,900 feet. Vogel discovered similar features in the
eastern portions of the Desert, and concluded that
Sahara is a vast plateau formation of the general
height of from 1,200 to 1,500 feet. Natives reported
to him that there were high mountains in the south-
ern part of the Desert, and two ranges, the Borghoo
and the Madschunga, were specially spoken of as so
elevated that the inhabitants dress in furs. Further
west, the explorer Barth found the Tuariks clad in
woollens and some in furs. The greatest expanse of
sand and salt is between Asben and Timbuctoo and
thence on west to the ocean. Hence caravans from
Morocco to Timbuctoo have met with more difficul-
ties and endured more sufferings than those which
traverse the Desert from Tripoli, Barca, of Cairo.
In many portions of this western waste of Sahara
have been found marine shells of recent species,,
showing that at no very remote geological period
these now arid plains formed the bed of the ocean
Not only so, but most astonishing changes have here
occurred within what is commonly called the historic
period. Careful investigations have discovered that
4<D2 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
unknown cities are buried beneath the drifting sands
of western Sahara, and where in former ages were
fertile territories there is now only bleak and barren
waste. It is interesting to speculate upon the ques-
tion, Who were the people thus engulfed by the
sands of Sahara ? The substantial nature of their
buildings, in so far as they have been disentombed,
would appear to make it certain that they far surpassed
in art and civilization any of the tribes which now live
near the scenes of the invisible ruins. There are but
two peoples, of whom we have historic knowledge,
inhabitants of Africa, who might have occupied these
buried cities and cultivated the fruitful territories of
" the olden time long ago." These are the Egyptians
and the Carthagenians. The ruins can hardly be those
of the Egyptians, for they were essentially a station-
ary people. For ages they remained where they em-
igrated, or where they established themselves after
their first migration. If the era of Carthage were
early enough to account for these sand-submerged
cities it might not be unreasonable to claim that they
may have belonged to the race of which Hannibal
was one of the greatest minds. And the remarkable
fact that though Carthage was unquestionably one of
the most powerful nations of antiquity, nothing re-
mains, by her own authority, of her history, may be
regarded as one of those mysterious coincidences of
engulfment, considered in connexion with the burial
of the entombed cities of Sahara, for which we can-
not account and which yet have a powerful effect not
only upon the imagination but the reason. Carthage
left nothing of her literature, her arts, her language-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 403
With the exception of a few coins there are no mon-
uments remaining even of a commerce whose sails
whitened every known sea. And yet this nation of
which absolutely nothing remains, was able, on the
very day when the Greeks defeated Xerxes, at Sala-
mis (480 b. c.) to bring into action 300,000 men in
Sicily. It is doubtful whether England could trans-
port so large an army across the British Channel to-
day. Though in after times, when Carthage main-
tained her wars with Rome, her armies were not so
large, yet the country must have been both extensive
and populous which could at once transport an army
of a hundred thousand men across the Mediterranean.
No less, with large numbers of horses, was the force
with which Hannibal embarked on his last great cam-
paign, and with whichhe succeeded, after various for-
tunes, in thundering at the very gates of Rome. Re-
gions of fertility and dense population round about
Carthage must, it would seem but natural, have been
greater in those times than now. Perhaps valuable
evidences of the literature, arts, and institutions of
this extinguished nationality may some day be re-
vealed under the sands of the Great Desert.
The western portion of the Desert is inhabited by
Moors and Arabs, who live in tents and move about
frequently from place to place. The Moors are a
branch of those who dwell in Morocco. In color they
are nearly black, with straight hair, slight physical
frames, and slender legs. They are all able to read
the Koran. Numerous tribes of the Tuariks inhabit
the central portions of the desert. With the finest
of physical natures they are a robber race, brave
404 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
cruel, and revengeful, but with a certain hospitality
which is the redeeming trait in the general unworthi-
ness of their character. The Tibboos occupy the
eastern and least desolate portion of the desert. They
much resemble the negroes in feature, and are an
agricultural and pastoral people, living in fixed abodes.
Not a few of the Tibboos are pagans, the other in-
habitants of the Desert being all Mohammedans.
Throughout this vast expanse, there are, except on
the oases, but few productions of value to man. Iron
is found in considerable quantities east of Fezzan.
Salt is abundant all along the southern portion of the
desert west of Asben. Here and there are accacias,
here and there groves of the date-palm.
One of the greatest terrors of the Desert is the
wind which sometimes blows with great force and
velocity, lifting up vast quantities of sand and hurling
them madly through the air. The simoon which oc-
curs in India atid Arabia, and which would appear to
be a narrow wave of intensely hot, sulphurous air,
does not, perhaps, afflict any portion of Sahara. But
when the ordinary winds of the Desert grow into a
gale or a whirlwind, their effects are oftentimes fatal
and terrible in the extreme. Frequently a thick cloud
of sand may be seen rapidly borne by the wind at a
distance of about twenty feet from the ground. Such
sand-clouds often extend over vast expanses. If then a
whirlwind comes on, the effects are often no less than
awful. By such fearful storms whole caravans, con-
sisting of thousands of camels and men have been
suddenly buried alive. \
Perhaps the most interesting fact connected with
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 405
the Desert of Sahara is the effect it produces, if we
may believe the testimony of men of science who
have investigated the subject, upon the climate of
Europe. It has been stated that what is now the
Desert of Sahara was occupied by the ocean at a
comparatively recent geological period. Some of the
facts which have brought scientists to this conclusion
will be set forth when we come to speak of the geol-
ogy of Africa. Here taking the conclusion for grant-
ed, it may be interesting to speculate how far this
great change of the earth's surface has affected the
climate farther north. If the Desert of Sahara were
ocean, the "Fohn," instead of being a burning, dry wind,
which strikes the snow off the Alps both by melting
and by evaporation, would be a moist, damp wind,
When it reached the crests of those mountains it would
produce dense clouds and thick fogs which would
prevent the rays of the sun from warming the earth
or melting the glaciers. In a word, the Desert of Sa-
hara, so generally regarded as the most desolate por-
tion of the earth, appears to be the furnace by which
much of Europe has been warmed out of a state of
frigid discomfort into a temperate and genial climate.
For geology clearly teaches us that while what we,
now call Sahara was covered with water, the great
glaciers were advanced far beyond their present limits,
giving the region to a hyperborean climate and a hy-
perborean fauna. The reindeer and the musk-ox
roamed south to the shores of the Mediterranean
when man first made his appearance in Europe. Ani-
mals which we now find only in Greenland, and the
coldest habitable countries lived where frosts now
406 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
rarely come, in those remote times when the Desert
of Sahara was ocean.
Not many years ago, Napoleon III., then Emper-
or of the French, with the object, it is believed, of
moderating the heated terms in the French colony
of Algeria, bordering on the northern boundary of
Sahara, directed a considerable corps of engineers to
examine into the practicability of transferring Sahara
back again to ocean. The idea was doubtless sug-
gested to the astute mind of the Emperor by the fact
that Sahara had become dry land more recently than
any other portion of the globe, and it was well known
that there were many large expanses within its bor-
ders lower than the level of the sea. They reported
that a great portion of the Desert could be without
impracticable expense turned again into sea, but ex-
pressed the opinion that the meteorological effects
would be disastrous to the climate and eventually to
the civilization of Europe. And this opinion is, most
probably, entirely correct.
It is, then, however remarkable it may appear, the
fact that the continent of Europe owes all of its pro-
gress in civilization, the arts, and sciences, beyond
that made by such men as live where the reindeer
and musk-ox have their habitat, to bleak and dreary
Sahara. But for Sahara, the inhabitants of Europe
might now be little better than the Esquimaux, bur-
rowing in the ground under ice huts, living on blub-
ber, and dying on seal skins. Or if this be accounted
an extravagant illustration, it can hardly be doubted
that much of the continent whence has orginated in
the historic ages the noblest civilization and the most
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 407
beneficent institutions would not have been in the
zone in which about all the great and good triumphs
of the human intellect have been achieved from the
beginning. Even the immortal literature and art of
Greece and Rome were under obligations of grati-
tude to the Desert of Sahara, and they are the ac-
knowledged parents of the best literature and art of
of modern Europe.
It is impossible to reflect upon this remarkable influ-
ence of the Desert of Sahara — in itself producing noth-
ing, by its vast extent and singular formation the means
of incalculable blessings to Europe and hence to all
mankind — without being most profoundly impressed
with the truth that in the disposition of affairs by
Him who created all things there is no waste ; noth-
ing which may not be turned into good ; no curse
which may not be turned into a blessing.
24
CHAPTER XXII.
GEOLOGY OF AFRICA— ANTIQUITY OF MAN.
The General Geological Formation of the Continent— The Want of Compre-
hensive Investigation— Singular Facts as to the Desert of Sahara— The Ques-
tion of the Antiquity of Man— Is Africa the Birth-place of the Human Race ?
Opinions of Scientists Tending to Answer in the Affirmative — Darwinism.
It is to be greatly regretted that no comprehensive
geological sur cys of Africa have ever been made ;
because there are certain questions, eventually to be
settled by geology, whose determination, it appears
to be agreed, will be finally resolved by investigations
in this continent. In a volume of this nature, de-
signed for the general reader, those facts and reason-
ings only need be referred to which may be supposed
to have the most interest. Reference has already
been made to Sir Roderick Murchison's exposition of
the trough-shaped form of South Africa in his dis-
course before the Royal Geographical Society in 1852
— an exposition which was so remarkably substantiated
by Dr. Livingstone in his journey across the conti-
nent from Loanda to Kilimane. Though in its geo-
graphical configuration Africa is not greatly unlike
South America, in its geological structure it much
more resembles the northern continent of the west-
ern hemisphere. The Appalachian range of mount-
ains extending through nearly the whole of the east-
ern portion of North America, parallel with the coast,
408
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 409
and the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevadas in the
west, bear a notable resemblance to those ranges of
mountains in Africa, which, rising first in the northern
portions of Senegambia, pursue a south-easterly, then
a southerly course to near the southern limit of the
continent, when they sharply bend toward the north-
east, and with many lofty peaks, some of which reach
the region of eternal snow, pass through Mozambique,
Zanguebar, and end not until after they have passed
through Abyssinia and Nubia, and penetrated the lim-
its of Egypt. In Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria, and Moroc-
co, is the Atlas range, between which and the begin-
ning of the other the distance is hardly so great as
that between the southern limits of the Appalachian
range and the mountains of Mexico. The course of
each of the great rivers of these continents is also
across the degrees of latitude instead of generally
parallel with the equator, as is the case with the great
river of South America. There is a similarity also
between North America and Africa in an extensive
system of inland lakes of fresh water and vast extent.
The geological structure of the mountains of Afri-
ca, especially of South Africa, appears to be quite
uniform. They have a neucleus of granite which
often appears at the surface and forms the predomina-
ting rock, but in the greater proportion of the mount-
ains, perhaps, the granite is overlain by vast masses of
sandstone, easily distinguished by the numerous peb-
bles of quartz which are embedded in it. The sum-
mit, when composed of granite, is usually round and
smooth, but when composed of the quartzose sand-
stone is often perfectly flat. Of this Table Mount,
4IO EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
in South Africa, is a notable illustration. The thick-
ness of this stratum of sandstone is sometimes not
less than 2,000 feet. Such is the case in the Karoo
mountains of Cape Colony. When thus appearing,
it may be seen forming steep, mural faces, resembling
masonry, or exhibiting a series of salient angles and
indentations as sharp, regular, and well-defined as if
they had been chiselled. With the granite are often
associated primitive schists, the decomposition of
which seems to have furnished the chief ingredients
of the thin, barren clay which forms the characteris-
tic covering of so much of the South African mount-
ains. In some places, more recent formations appear,
and limestone is seen piercing the surface. The geo-
logical constitution of the Atlas Mountains, in north-
western Africa, presents old limestone alternating
with a schist, often passing to a well-characterized
micaceous schist, or gneiss, the stratification of which
is exceedingly irregular. Volcanic rocks have here
been found in small quantities. There are veins of
copper, iron, and lead.
In Egypt we find the alluvial soil a scarcely less in-
teresting object of study than the rocks upon which
it rests. These are limestone, sandstone, and granite,
the latter of which, in Upper Egypt, often rises 1,000
feet above the level of the Nile. Not many years ago
were discovered about 100 miles east of the Nile, and
in 28 deg. 4 min. of north latitude the splendid ruins of
the ancient Alabastropolis, which once derived wealth
from its quarries of alabaster. Farther south are the
ancient quarries of jasper, porphyry, and verd antique.
The emerald mines of Zebarah lay near the Red Sea
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 41 I
The Atlas range in Algeria is better known than
elsewhere. It is as described above, but at Calle, there
are distinct traces of ancient volcanoes. Iron, cop-
per, gypsum, and lead are found in considerable quan-
tities. Cinnabar is found in small quantities. Salt
and thermal springs abound in many parts of Alge-
ria, amethysts in Morocco, slates in Senegambia, and
iron in Liberia, Guinea, the Desert of Sahara, and
many other parts of Africa.
Gold, gold-dust, and iron are among the best known
of the mineral riches of Africa, and are the most
generally diffused throughout the continent. In the
country of Bambouk, in Senegambia, most of the
gold which finds its way to the west coast is found.
Here the mines are open to all, and are worked by
natives who live in villages. The richest gold mine
of Bambouk, and the richest, it is believed, yet dis-
covered in Africa, is that of Natakoo — an isolated
hill, some 300 feet high and 3,000 feet in circumfer-
ence, the soil of which contains gold in the shape of
lumps, grains, and spangles, every cubic foot being
loaded, it is said, with the precious metal. The auri-
ferous earth is first met with about four feet from the
surface, becoming more abundant with increase of
depth. In searching for gold the natives have perfor-
ated the hill in all directions with pits some six feet
in diameter and forty or fifty feet deep. At a depth
of twenty feet from the surface lumps of pure gold
of from two to ten grains weight are found. There
are other mines in this portion of Africa, gold hav-
ing been found distributed over a surface of 1,200
square miles. The precious metal is not only found
412 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
in hills, the most of which are composed of soft argil-
laceous earth, but in the beds of rivers and smaller
streams, so that the lines of Bishop Heber's well-
known missionary hymn are truthful as well as
poetical : —
" Where Afric's sunny fountains,
Roll down their golden sands."
The gold mines of Semayla, which are some forty
or fifty miles northward of those of Natakoo, though
nearly as rich as the latter, are in hills of rock and
sandstone, which substances are pounded in mortars
that the gold may be extracted. Barth judged that
gold would be found in the Benue river, the principal
eastern tributary of the Niger. Gold, silver, iron
lead, and sulphur have been found in large quantities,
and were long profitably mined in the mountainous
districts of Angola. In Upper Guinea gold and iron
are deposited in granitic or schistose rocks. The in-
terior contains vast quantities of iron which might be
easily mined, but the natives are not sufficiently en-
terprising to accomplish much in this respect. Gold
is also obtained in the beds of some of the rivers of
Guinea. In Mozambique, on the east coast, the
Portuguese have for a great length of time had a
considerable commerce in gold obtained from mines
near the Zambezi, in the region near the western
limit of that province. It has already been stated
that here Dr. Livingstone discovered deposits of
coal. Along the Orange and Vaal rivers, in extreme
South Africa, have recently been discovered diamond
fields which some noted scientists believe will yet
prove to be among the richest in the world.
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 413
Perhaps the portions of Africa which are the most
interesting on account of geological investigations
which have been made, are the valley of the Nile in
Egypt, and the Desert of Sahara. It is well known
that the river Nile annually overflows its banks in
Egypt, and the inundation remaining a considerable
period, a thin layer of soil is each year added to that
which existed there before. This Nile mud, as it is
called by geologists, has been the subject of consider-
able scientific examination for many years. In his
work upon the " Geological Evidences of the An-
tiquity of Man," Sir Charles Lyell gives a full ac-
count of certain systematic borings in the Nile mud
which were made between the years 185 1 and 1854,
under the superintendency of Mr. Leonard Horner,
but who employed to practically conduct the ex-
aminations an intelligent, enterprising, and faithful
Armenian officer of engineers, Hekekyan Bey, who
had for many years pursued scientific studies in Eng-
land, was in every way qualified for the task, and,
unlike Europeans, was able to endure the climate
during the hot months, when the waters of the Nile
flow within their banks. Sir Charles Lyell states
that the results of chief importance arising out of
this inquiry were obtained from two sets of shafts
and borings — sunk at intervals in lines crossing the
great valley from east to west. One of these con-
sisted of fifty-one pits and artesian perforations,
made where the valley is sixteen miles wide between
the Arabian and the Libyan deserts, in the latitude
of Heliopolis, about eight miles above ^the apex of
the delta. The other 1 line of pits and borings, twenty-
414 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
seven in number, was in the parallel of Memphis
where the valley is five miles wide. Besides Hekek-
yan Bey,several engineers and some sixty workmen,
inured to the climate, were employed for several
years, during the dry season, in the furtherance of
these interesting investigations.
It was found that in all the works the sediment
passed through was similar in composition to the
ordinary Nile mud of the present day, except near
the margin of the valley, where thin layers of
quartzose sand, such as is sometimes blown from the
adjacent desert by violent winds, were observed to
alternate with the loam. A remarkable absence of
lamination and stratification, the geologist goes on
to say, was observed almost universally in the sedi-
ment brought up from all points except where the
sandy layers above alluded to occurred, the mud
closely agreeing in character with the ancient loam
of the Rhine. Mr. Horner attributes this want of all
indication of successive deposition to the extreme
thinness of the film of matter which is thrown down
annually on the great alluvial plain during the season
of inundation. The tenuity of this layer must in-
deed be extreme, if the French engineers are toler-
ably correct in their estimate of the amount of sedi-
ment formed in a century, which they suppose not to
exceed on the average five inches. It is stated, in
other words, that the increase is not more than the
twentieth part of an inch each year, or one foot in
the period of 240 years. All the remains of organic
bodies found during these investigations under
Hekekyan Bey belonged to living species. Bones of
FXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 415
the ox, hog, dog, dromedary, and ass were not un-
common, but no vestiges of extinct mammalia were
found, and no marine shells were anywhere detected.
These excavations were on a large scale, in some in-
stances for the first sixteen or twenty-four feet. In
these pits, jars, vases, and a small human figure in
burnt clay, a copper knife, and other entire articles
were dug up ; but when water soaking through from
the Nile was reached, the boring instrument used
was too small to allow of more than fragments of
works of art being brought up. Pieces of burnt brick
and pottery were constantly being extracted, and
from all depths, even where they sank sixty feet be-
low the surface toward the central parts of the val-
ley. In none of these cases did they get to the bot-
tom of the alluvial soil. If it be assumed that the
sediment of the valley has increased at the rate of
six inches a century, bricks at the depth of sixty feet
have been buried 12,000 years. If the increase has
been five inches a century, they have lain there dur-
ing a period of 14,400 years. Lyell states further on
that M. Rosiere, in the great French work on Egypt,
has estimated the rate of deposit of sediment in the
delta at two inches and three lines in a century. A
fragment of red brick has been excavated a short
distance from the apex of the delta at a depth of
seventy-two feet. At a rate of deposit of two and a-
half inches a century, a work of art seventy-two feet
deep must have been buried more than 30,000 years
ago. Lyell frankly states, however, that if the bor-
ing was made where an arm of the river had been
silted up at a time when the apex of the delta was
4l6 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
somewhat further south, or more distant from the
sea than now, the brick in question might be com-
paratively very modern. It is agreed by the best
geologists that the age of the Nile mud cannot be
accurately, but only approximately calculated by the
data thus far furnished. The amount of matter
thrown down by the waters in different parts of the
plain varies so much that to strike an average with
any approach to accuracy must be most difficult.
The nearest approach, perhaps, as has been observed
by Baldwin, to obtaining an accurate chronometric
scale for ascertaining the age of the deposits of the
Nile at a given point, was made near Memphis, at the
statue 'of King Rameses. It is known that this
statue was erected about the year 1260 B. C. In
1854 it had stood there 3,1 14 years. During that time
the alluvium had collected to the depth of nine feet
and four inches above its base, which was at the rate
of about three and a half inches in each century.
Mr. Horner found the alluvium, below the base of
the statue, to be thirty feet deep, and pottery was
found within four inches of the bottom of the allu-
vium. If the rate of accumulation previous to the
building of the statue had been the same as subse-
quently, the formation of the alluvium began, at that
point, about 11,660 years before the Christian era,
and men lived there some 12,360 years ago, cultivat-
ing the then thin soil of the valley. But it would
appear to be certain that the average deposit is so
slight annually that many centuries more than those
formerly quite universally received as the age of the
world for the stage of mankind's achievements must
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 417
have passed since the work of man's hands have
been buried under these vast deposits of' alluvium.
Thus, geology insists, is the fact of man's existence,
long before the historic era, conclusively established.
The Desert of Sahara presents some interesting
facts of the same nature. It has already been stated
that this part of Africa was ocean within a compara-
tively recent geological period. Tristram and several
French officers of scientific attainments, who have
made geological examinations of large portions of the
desert have shown that the northern margin is lined
with ancient sea-beaches and lines of terraces — the
"rock-bound coasts" of the old ocean. Numerous
salt-lakes exist in the desert which are tenanted by
the common cockle. A species of Haligenes which
inhabits the Gulf of Guinea is found in a salt lake in
latitude 30 deg. north and longitude 7 deg. east, sep-
arated", therefore, from its present marine habitat by
the whole extent of the great desert, and the vast ex-
panse of Soudan and Guinea. Geologists hence con-
clude that the existing fauna, including man, occupied
Africa long before the Sahara became dry land. Ref-
erence has been made in the preceding chapter to the
supposed remarkably beneficent effect this great ex-
panse of desert, heated sands, and hot air, has upon
the climate, and consequently upon the civilization of
Europe.
It is probable that from the fact that Sahara was
about the last extensive portion of earth to be aban-
doned by the ocean, that the general opinion became
prevalent that the continent of Africa was, geologi-
cally, the most recent of the grand divisions of the
41 8 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
earth. Though supposed to be the oldest in civiliza-
tion, it has been supposed to be the youngest in geo-
logical constitution. I am informed by scientific men
that on account of recent investigations and reason-
ings, the opinion has for some time been gaining
ground that Africa is likely to be shown to be the
oldest part of the globe in both respects, and to have
been the original birthplace of the race of man.
The negroid race, comprehending the Negroes, Hot-
tentots, and Algutos, are, it is claimed by many scien-
tists, the most ancient of all the types of mankind,
and since their appearance on earth vast geographi-
cal changes have taken place. Continents have be-
come ocean and sea has become land. "The negroes,"
says Lubbock, " are essentially a non-navigating race ;
they build no ships, and even the canoes of the Fee-
jeeans are evidently copied from those of the Poly-
nesians. Now what is the geographical distribution
of the race ? They occupy all Africa south of Saha-
ra, which neither they nor the rest of the true Afri-
can fauna have ever crossed. And though they do not
occur in Arabia, Persia, Hindoostan, Siam, or China,
we find them in Madagascar, and in the Andaman
Islands ; not in Java, Sumatra, or Borneo, but in the
Malay Peninsula, in the Phillippine Islands, New
Guinea, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, the Fee-
jee Islands, and in Tasmania. This remarkable dis-
tribution is perhaps most easily explicable on the hy-
pothesis that since the negroid race came into exist-
ence there must have been an immense tract of land
or a chain of islands stretching from the eastern coast
of Africa right across the Indian ocean ; and secondly
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 419
that the sea then occupied the area of the present
great desert. In whatever manner, however, these
facts are to be explained, they certainly indicate that
the race is one of very great antiquity." " It is man-
ifest/' says Baldwin in his Pre-Historic Nations, "that
Africa at a remote period was the theatre of great
movements and mixtures of peoples and races, and
that its interior countries had then a closer connec-
tion with the great civilizations of the world than at
any time during the period called historical." It is
the opinion of this writer that the Cushite race — the
Ethiopians of Scripture — appeared first in the work
of civilization, and that in remote antiquity that peo-
ple exerted a mighty and wide-spread influence in
human affairs, whose traces are still visible from far-
ther India to Norway. Nor is he by any means
alone in the opinion that the Carthagenians, ages ago,
sent their ships across the Atlantic to the American
continent. The Cushites, or original Ethiopians orig-
inated in Arabia, but their descendents are still found
in northern Africa from Egypt to Morocco. Of this
race are the Tuariks, the robbers of the Great Desert,
to this day among the most magnificent specimens
of physcal man to be found anywhere on the globe.
The final solution of these problems of the geo-
logical status of Africa, and the great antiquity of man
can but be of the greatest interest to all thoughtful
persons. Unquestionably their solution will be great-
ly hastened, should Dr. Livingstone succeed in the
great enterprise upon which he is now engaged, and
soon make known to the world the true sources of the
Nile. His success therein would stimulate endeavor,
420 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
study, exploration, and, it is to be hoped, comprehen-
sive and systematic surveys of a continent the evi-
dences of whose civilization in remote ages lie buried
among the debris of countless centuries.
We know, from the imperfect investigations which
have already been made, that cities have been en-
gulfed in the sands of Sahara. We know that vast
changes have taken place in the physical structure oi
the continent of Africa and of the world since the
negro race first appeared. It is not improbable, there-
fore, that where for so many ages beasts of prey and
savage tribes have occupied a land oppressed with
heat and burdened with many ills, there may yet be
found evidences of former civilization and power in
greatest possible contrast to present barbarism and
national weakness. And who shall say that when the
face of the continent was changed, whether by a great
convulsion or by a gradual process, some of the people
did not migrate northward, cross the Mediterranean
and populate the continent which has since become the
abode of the highest civilization and the greatest in-
tellectual culture ? Who shall say that these races of
remote antiquity were not possessed of culture and
arts and literature placing them very high in the scale
of civilization ? Within the historic period those na-
tions have passed away which were the acknowledged
parents of modern culture and art. The power and
versatility of the human mind, reason, eloquence, and
poetry, were most sublimely illustrated by the Greeks,
whose works still remain to benefit and instruct man-
kind. Yet the freedom and power of this wonderful
people have for more than twenty centuries been an-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 42 1
nihilated. The people, in the eloquent diction of Mac-
aulay, have degenerated into timid slaves ; the lan-
guage into a barbarous jargon ; and the beautiful
temples of Athens " have been given up to the suc-
cessive depredations of Romans, Turks, and Scotch-
men." The vast empire of Rome has passed entirely
away within a few centuries. She had herself annihi-
lated Carthage leaving nothing, as we have seen, of
the arts, literature, or institutions of a people whose
ships had sailed on every wave from the Hellespont
to the Baltic, and, not improbably, from the Mediter-
ranean to the delta of the Mississippi. Other great
nations are also known to have passed away or been
destroyed, the nature of their civilization and institu-
tions being left to conjecture based upon a few mon-
uments or a few literary remains preserved by foreign
writers. It being once established that man existed
ages before what is commonly called the beginning of
the historic period it would be simply logical, consid-
ering many national destructions which have occurred
during the historic period, to conclude by analogy
that races of remote antiquity flourished and passed
away leaving no sign, which has been yet discovered,
of their power and civilization. It is evident the his-
torian Macaulay thinks it not improbable such maybe
the fate of England, and he expressly states in a well-
known passage that the time may come when only a
single naked fisherman may be seen in the river of
the ten thousand masts. It is difficult, if not impos-
sible, for mankind entirely to overcome the tendency
to decay.
We shall presently see that Africa is a field upon
422 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
which must soon be decided a great issue of politico-
social importance ; an issue which involves the abo-
lition of polygamy, domestic slavery, and the sup-
pression of the foreign slave trade. From what has
gone before in this volume, it will have been seen
that here, too, are likely to be most conclusively
demonstrated the vast age of the world, the great an-
tiquity of man, and the nature of his origin. In com-
parison of the settlement of this issue and the so-
lution of these problems of science, even the dis-
covery of the true sources of the Nile may be re-
garded as unimportant, except for the reason that
Dr. Livingstone's great achievement will arouse other
men of science to similar sacrifices, labors, and forti-
tude. Thus Africa is found to present another re-
markable contrast for our contemplation ; for while
civilization is there at a lower ebb than in any other
grand division of the globe, the highest intellectual
efforts of the most astute thinkers of the times are
turning their best efforts thitherward, in the con-
fident hope of greatly enlarging the sphere of human
knowledge, and of extending the triumphs of science
and civilization.
There are many, it is true, who imagine that the
scientific inquiries which are being made in regard to
the great age of the world, the races which existed
long anterior to the historic period, and the origin of
the human species are founded in a spirit of skepti-
cism and hostility to Christian civilization, or, rather,
to Christianity as a religion. Doubtless there are
many scientists who put no faith in Holy Writ, as much
of it has been commonly understood. Others, and
25
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 423
those among the most distinguished of men, are no
less devout believers in Christianity than they are
firm believers in the great age of the world and an-
tiquity of man. The devotees of Christianity have
in not a few instances mistaken an ally for an enemy
This was notably the fact, in an example which is
here most appropriate, in the case of the modern
origin of the science of astronomy. The Christian
church, as then existing, pronounced as religious
heresy the plain truth that the world moves, and that
the sun neither rises nor sets, but is stationary — the
sublime centre of a universe of planets and stars f
and, perhaps, inhabited worlds, whose movements
must be controlled, as the vast system must have been
originated, by One of infinite wisdom and power and
goodness. In due course of time it was discovered
that astronomy did not militate against Christianity,
and the church not only ceased putting astronomers
in prison, but learned that the acceptance of all truth,
come from whatever source it may, is a Christian
duty. And many of the most distinguished astron-
omers have been no less earnest exemplars of the
Christian system of religion than any monk who ever
wore the pavements of a monastery and left the
world no wiser or better than he found it.
As it was with astronomy, so it has been even of
late years with the science of geology. The era of
imprisonment for heresy had indeed passed by when
men began to construct a comprehensive science on
the study of rocks ; but as their revelations became
more extensive and more wonderful, it again appeared
to many that here had arisen a formidable foe of Christ-
424 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ianity, and the new science was assailed accordingly.
It has not turned out that these disputants were as
wise as they were zealous and as they were undoubt-
edly sincere. Though the sun never rises and never
sets, we should be stupid indeed were we always,
when speaking of his appearance on our horizon, or
his disappearance therefrom, to state the fact in
words of scientific accuracy. The world has never
yet been slow enough justly to permit such waste of
time and words. Not only the almanac-makers, but
the most celebrated astronomers persist in saying that
the sun rises and the sun sets. And, properly under-
stood, it is perfectly true though scientifically false.
To all appearance and for all practical purposes to
the inhabitants of earth the sun does rise and set,
and when one so says, whether inspired or uninspired,
one simply conveys the idea that he intends to con-
vey, and this is the province of language. As astron-
omy appeared to be utterly opposed by certain ex-
pressions in Scripture, but was found not to be, upon
more liberal construction of the language, as well as
more philosophical, so geology appeared to be, in its
apparent demonstration of the vast age of the world,
and, later, of the great antiquity of man, hostile to the
received canons of the church, and especially subvers-
ive of the Mosaic account of creation and the generally
received system of chronology. The conflicts thus aris-
ing have dissipated many erroneous theological con-
structions and dogmas, but they have in no manner
affected the foundations of Christianity. There are
many eminent geologists who are earnest Christians,
and though Dr. Livingstone himself has done geology
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. x 425
incalculable service he has done Christianity incalcula-
bly more. It may well be doubted whether any sin-
gle theologian of the age has conferred more valua-
ble service upon Christianity than Hugh Miller, the
great geologist of Scotland, whose scientific works
are, perhaps, the most fascinating of any in the Eng-
lish language.
There can be, then, no well-grounded fear of sci-
ence overturning Christianity. It is more likely
thereby to be in the end not only more thoroughly
and correctly understood, but more firmly established
and more generally adopted. Even the inquiry which
is now receiving so much attention from men of
thought — that into the origin of man — need not be
deemed as fraught with any real danger to the sys-
tem which has given the world its present civilization.
Were it possible to establish Mr. Darwin's theory of
evolution — and that it is more than a theory cannot
be claimed for it by its most devoted advocate — and
establish man's origin in the ape, still would the act
of his creation into man from ape be an act of infinite
power and goodness. For the infinite power and
goodness of the act consist in the creation, by some
means, of a being of intellectual and moral attributes.
The act of divine power is in breathing into the nos-
trils the breath of life, and causing the being to be-
come a living soul. Even Mr. Darwin will not dis-
pute that the ape was in the long ages evolved from
dust, nor that, so far as science has shown or probably
ever can show, there is no being in the universe with
capacity to evolve thought except only God, as shown
in His manifold works, and man.
426 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Whatever may be the result, therefore, of the inter-
esting inquiries in commerce, religion, geography,
geology, ethnology which now are being more and
more directed toward Africa with each passing year,
we may quite safely conclude, judging from the re-
sults of the past, that Christianity will come forth out
of the conflicts that may arise, whether they be sci-
entific or of other nature, with renewed beauty and
power; with more liberal and enlightened views,
doubtless, upon some questions which have been
erroneously considered, but with greater influence on
this account, and with brighter prospects of more
speedily than might have been but for these conflicts
extending the rule of her pure and beneficent mor-
ality among all the nations and tribes of men.
CHAPTER XXIII.
CONCLUSION.
The Result in Behali of Science, Religion, and Humanity of the Explorations
and Missionary Labors of Dr. Livingstone and Others in Africa — Review
of Recent Discoveries in Respect to the People and the Physical Nature
of the African Continent — The Diamond Fields of South Africa — Bird's-Eye
View of that Division of the World — Its Capabilities and Its Wants —
Christianity and Modern Journalism Dissipating Old Barbarisms, and
Leading the Way to Triumphs of Civilization.
It would be difficult to estimate the result present
and sure to come, in behalf of science, religion, and
humanity, of the explorations and missionary labors
of Dr. Livingstone and others in Africa during a
period which embraces but little more than a quarter
of a century. The manner in which Livingstone
conducted his missionary labors has already been
pointed out, but more with reference to their connec-
tion with peoples outside of Africa : with men of let-
ters, of science, and of trade in the civilized world:
than with reference to the natives themselves. Nev-
ertheless, it is a fact that the Christian religion has
nowhere in Africa been anything like so generally
adopted, practiced, and honored by the natives as in
the country of the Bakwains. And it was among the
Bakwains that Dr. Livingstone performed his princi-
pal missionary work. Among that people only did
he establish a permanent missionary station. There
he had his home in Africa ; there his children were
427
428 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
born. Unquestionably the labors of the Rev. Dr.
Moffat, Dr. Livingstone's father-in-law, were of the
highest importance in some respects. The scene of
his studies was at Kuruman, several hundred miles
to the southward of Kolobeng where Livingstone
was stationed. He translated the Scriptures into the
Bechuana language, travelled and preached over a
wide domain in South Africa, and accomplished vast
good. But it was Livingstone who infused into the
spirit of Christian propagandism practical wisdom
and the argument of present as well as future good.
He is the Franklin of missionaries, having wonderful
power in showing pagans that, even so far as their
temporal affairs and material prosperity are concerned,
the religion of Him of Nazareth is the best policy.
Much has been accomplished at the " Gaboon Mis-
sion" as it has been called, on the east, coast, but it
may be said that the principal good is in the mitiga-
tion of the woes of the slave trade, which here, with
the aid of nations which keep cruisers off the coast,
has received, perhaps, a mortal wound. Neverthe-
less, the tribes of this coast are exceedingly depraved,
drunken, and ignorant. They are universally idola-
trous and given to disgusting superstitions and habits.
Scarcely more than a hundred miles in the interior
are tribes of cannibals, which are doubtless succeeded
by others practicing the horrid orgies of man-eating
across the continent to Tanganyika Lake. But with
the great decrease in the slave trade has sprung up
among all these people a wish to engage in legiti-
mate commerce. With half the ideas of Christain
civilization which have been instilled into the Bak-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 429
wains of South Africa, these unhappy people would
soon find ways and means to conduct a large trade in
ebony, India-rubber, ivory, and other products of their
country so much prized by commerce. Those who
live on the coast have become somewhat skilful and
daring in navigation, their little vessels, made of
great trees hollowed out and pointed, making con-
siderable coastwise voyages. Upon the arrival of a
vessel on the coast, great numbers of these canoes,
filled with natives, are constantly moving about from
ship to shore, too often carrying off the miserable
beings from the baracoons. This terrible traffic
completely done with, they must perforce seek other
means of trade ; and these their country happily
affords in great abundance.
The Makololo of central South Africa, so often
mentioned in this volume, were greatly improved by
the restless genius of the warrior-statesman Sebituane,
whose remarkable career has been delineated in these
pages. These people, possessing a country of great
beauty and fertility along the valley of one of the
most magnificent rivers of the world ; possessing also
vast herds of cattle and many villages and towns;
and endued by nature with tractable dispositions and
ambitious spirit, continue greatly to profit by the
teachings and example of Dr. Livingstone. Related
to the Bakwains and with them speaking the Bechu-
ana language, Christian ideas are rapidly gaining ad-
herents, so that it is but reasonable to expect that ere
long, that vast extent of country from Cape Colony
to Londa, between the eastern and western coast
"shells" of South Africa will have come under the be-
430 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
nignant and progressive influences of Christian civ-
ilization.
The value of the results of Dr. Livingstone's explo-
rations to science can hardly be overestimated. Ge-
ography, geology, botany, natural history, ornithol-
ogy, have all recived new facts of value by his labors,
while the latest intelligence from him clearly pdints
to his speedy success, should his life be spared, in the
solution of that problem in geography which for
many years has elicited the studies of the learned
and the adventures of the adventurous.
But Dr. Livingstone has not been alone in giving
the world intelligence of the long unknown continent.
In the interest of commerce, England sent an expe-
dition to central Africa in 1850 under Captain Rich-
ardson, with whom were associated Dr. Overweg and
the celebrated Dr. Barth, upon the latter of whom the
work of the mission devolved on account of the death
of both of his colleagues. The result was published
in a most elaborate work of which mention has been
made in the early pages of this volume. Dr. Barth trav-
ersed the African Sahara from north to south and
again from south to north, near the middle, passing
through Murzuk, the capital of Fezzan, Ghat, Tintel-
lust, the capital of Asben, Agades, and Katsena,
whence on the journey out Dr. Barth proceeded to
Kano, Messrs. Richardson and Overweg going to
Lake Tsad. Dr. Barth remained in Africa about five
years, exploring the country from east of Lake Tsad
to Timbuctoo. All this vast country is inhabited by
a remarkable people, or a variety of remarkable peo-
ples, who are good horsemen, sustaining large armies,
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 43 l
chiefly of cavalry, adroit robbers, cruel, vindictive,
having the worst form of domestic slavery, but who
number many millions of souls ; cultivate vast tracts
of land, raising corn, rice, millet, tobacco, cotton, and
other products; have many extensive towns and
walled cities ; carry on great operations in manufac-
tures, trade, and mining; and are almost constantly
at war : for the different states are independent oi
each other, each empire governed by its own sheik, the
lesser sovereignties by sultans. The common religion
of the people is that of Mahomet, but there are rem-
nants of pagan tribes, some of which are even yet in-
dependent, and wage deadly war with their cruel op-
pressors. The country is well watered, and may be
generally described as a vast plain, diversified only at
wide distances by insulated mountains of no great
height. In this expanse, the general name of which
is Soudan, or Soodan (Berr es-Soodan, " Land of the
Blacks"), the most celebrated city, perhaps, is Tim-
buctoo, which, from remote antiquity, has been the
meeting-place of many caravans and converging lines
of traffic. Sokato, or Sukatu, was formerly a city of
50,000 inhabitants, but has of late years decreased in
importance. It is noted for its excellent manufactures
of leather and iron, and its general markets, which
always bring together great numbers of people and a
wonderful variety of articles for sale. Kano, the cap-
ital of the province of Houssa, has a population of
forty thousand souls. The city is surrounded by a
wall of clay, thirty feet high, and more than fifteen
miles in extent. Mucl) of the enclosed space is occu-
piecL by gardens and cultivated fields. . The cotton
43 2 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
cloth woven and dyed at Kano is the chief article of
commerce. The fine cotton fabrics of the Timbuctoo
market are really manufactured at Kano. Dyed
sheep-skins, sandals, ivory, the kola nut are largely
exported. Kuka, the capital of Bornu, is near Lake
Tsad,butisa small city of inconsiderable importance.
Yola, the capital of Adamwa, is larger than Kuka.
It was in this province that Dr. Barth discovered the
Benue river, a navigable stream and the principal afflu-
ent from the east of the Niger. There are many
cities in this portion of Africa of far more importance
than the capitals of Bornu and Adamwa. Polygamy
is universally practiced, and there are probably more
slaves than freemen throughout all the vast expanse
between the equator and the Desert of Sahara, and
Senegambia and Abyssinia.
In 1856, Captain Burton, whose " Pilgrimage to El
Medinah and Mecca" (which he made in the disguise
of a dervish) had just made a sensation in the read-
ing world, explored, with the lamented Speke, a con-
siderable portion of East Africa. The explorations
of Grant and Speke in this portion of the continent
were also of the greatest value. Thus was a knowl-
edge of the expanse lying between Lake Nyassa,
Tanganyika Lake, Victoria Nyanza and the Indian
ocean made known to the world. The explorations
of Sir Samuel Baker and others in search of the
sources of the Nile are familiar to the intelligent
public. At this moment there are at least two expe-
ditions engaged in attempting to solve this interest-
ing geographical problem, one, under the patronage
of the Prince of Wales, the other under that of the
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 433
Khedive of Egypt. With this latter is a representa-
tive of the same American journal whose Search
Expedition under Mr. Stanley discovered the great
discoverer on the shores of Tanganyika.
The most interesting and valuable series of explor-
ations from the west coast of Africa which have been
made of late years were those by Paul B. Du Chaillu,
an American traveller and student whose work has
been freely quoted from in this volume. His explor-
ations embraced some three degrees of latitude and
six of longitude near the equator. He penetrated far
into the country of the gorilla and the cannibal, and
his researches in respect of the people, animals, veg-
etation, and birds of this part of the continent are
confessedly of great value to .science.
Thus, if we consider the known portions of Africa
at the time Dr. Livingstone began his first expedition
of discovery, and compare them with the known por-
tions of Africa at the time of the finding of Living-
stone by the " Herald" expedition, we shall see that
nearly all South Africa and much of East Africa has
been explored by Livingstone himself; that Baker,
Burton, Speke, Grant have added much to our knowl-
edge of the supposed regions of the upper Nile and
the "lake country" of East Africa; that Richardson
and Barth have informed us of the true nature of the
Desert of Sahara, the latter adding a vast fund of in-
formation in respect to north-central Africa; that
Du Chaillu's explorations and direct information
almost impinge upon the vast area, both upon the
east and the south, explored by Dr. Livingstone.
The unexplored regions of Africa, therefore, are now
434 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
small in comparison of the regions explored and in
regard to which trustworthy information has been
gathered. Whereas, when Dr. Livingstone went to Af-
rica, only the outer portions of the continent had been
examined, the regions now unknown are a wide belt
eastward of Lake Tsad ; a considerable expanse south
of Abyssinia; portions of the Desert of Sahara, and of
Kalahari ; and that expanse in equatorial Africa be-
tween the recent explorations of Livingstone among
the supposed sources of the Nile and the eastern
limit of Du Chaillu s journeys. It is true that these
still unexplored regions embrace the most interest-
ing portion of tho continent and extend over an area
several times larger than that of France, but in com-
parison of the portions, of this great division of the
earth which have now come under the view and the
study of civilized man, they are but like a little cloud
in a clear sky.
Within the long explored regions of South Africa
a most important discovery in respect to commerce
has recently been made. Reference can be had, of
course, only to the discovery of the diamond fields of
the Orange and Vaal rivers, some seven or eight hun-
dred miles, by a traversable route, northeastward of
Cape Town, but considerably nearer either Port Eliz-
abeth in Cape Colony, or Port Natal on the east
coast. Some twenty years ago, England abandoned
the tract of country now known as the Orange River
Free State, and it was occupied by emigrant Boers,
some of whom also proceeded still farther north and
established the Trans-Vaal Republic — a region over
which Great Britain never had dominion. The Boers
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 435
are generally supposed to be descendants of the Dutch
colonists, but by some they are believed to be de
scended of certain warlike North Germans, whom the
Dutch employed to guard their distant settlements,
giving them lavish grants of lands in return for their
services. This latter opinion would seem to be sub-
stantiated by the fierce and warlike nature of the
present race of Boers. The diamond fields com-
mence near the junction of the Orange and Vaal
rivers, and extend indefinitely up both those streams.
The diamond region is described as " a desert country
of bare rock and sand, far from the upland pastoral
districts" where the Boers successfully conduct agri-
cultural pursuits. The fields are reached by a jour-
ney of some eight hundred miles from Cape Town.
The distance from Port Elizabeth is about five hun-
dred miles ; that from Port Natal about four hundred
and fifty. By the Port Elizabeth route, the traveller
passes over the Zumberg mountains, and over the
Drakensberg range, should he start from Port Natal.
By either route, the scenery is described as magnifi-
cent and calculated to put the traveller at once in love
with the country. But the region between Port Na-
tal and the diamond fields is more wild and desolate
than that on either of the other routes, and great suf-
fering is often experienced by the way.
The first South African diamond is said to have
been found in March, 1867. The fortunate person
was a Dutch farmer named Schalk Van Niekerk, who
was struck with the appearance of a stone with which
some children were playing. It turned out to be a
genuine diamond, and was purchased by Sir Philip
26
436 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Wodehouse, then governor of the Colony, for $2,500.
In a short time the governor purchased several othei
fine and valuable stones. In May, 1869, the magnifi-
cent diamond " Star of South Africa" was discovered
by a man named Swatbooy, near Sandfontein, on the
Orange river. This was a diamond of eighty-three
and a-half carats and was purchased for $56,500. Be-
ing cut, it produced a fine gem of forty-six and a-half
carats, valued at $100,000. The finder of this dia-
mond sold it for 500 head of sheep, 10 head of cattle,
and a horse. In a single year since their discovery
these fields have yielded more than five stones above
forty carats. Professor Tennant thinks we shall have
diamonds from South Africa exceeding the famous
Koh-i-noor in size and equaling it in beauty when
cut and polished. The Sultan of Matan, of the
island of Borneo, has a diamond of the first water,
weighing 367 carats, and worth at least $3,500,000.
The Orloff diamond, belonging to the Czar of Russia,
weighs 195 carats, but is worth only about $500,000
on account of being a little off color. It is not too
credulous to believe that the diamond fields of South
Africa may produce stones equal to these, and which
will throw the fabulous " Moonstone," about which
Wilkie Collins has written one of his most fascinating
stories, completely in the shade.
These diamond fields have already been visited by
great numbers of explorers, many of whom have been
exceedingly lucky, while others had better remained
at home. Astonishingly few scenes of lawlessness
and violence have been witnessed, a fact which is
owing to the peaceful nature of the Africans who do
24
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 437
the most of the digging. The result of the discovery
of this extraordinary diamond region was greatly to
lower the price of rough diamonds for a season. It
is not believed that the price will be permanently
affected. Only about one tenth of the African dia-
monds are of the first water. The ordinary trade in
diamonds had been about $800,000 a month — $400,-
000 from the mines of South America and India,
and $400,000 from private parties. The increase
from the South African fields has not yet been
$100,000 a month, or anything like it on the average.
The introduction of machinery and of capital to direct
and control the workings, will doubtless add largely
to the yield of these precious stones. Rubies are
also found here in large numbers, but they are gen-
erally small. The probability of the discovery of
gold also is very great.
Reflecting upon all these recent explorations and
discoveries in Africa, how different would be a bird's
eye view of that continent now from what it was
when Dr. Livingstone first went ashore at Cape
Town ! The extreme southern portion of the conti-
nent is under the dominion of Great Britain. On
the east and northeast are Natal and the Boer re-
publics of Orange River and Trans-Vaal. Here, of
course, we find a people not unlike the peasantry of
Europe, with towns and cities and farms and manu-
factures and commerce. The political institutions
are liberal, and popular education supported by the
state, is becoming general. The original inhabitants
of this region were the Hottentots, a race bearing more
4.38 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
resemblance to the Mongols than to the negroes,
having broad foreheads, high cheek bones, oblique
eyes, thin beards, and a yellow complexion. They
are of a docile disposition, and quick intellectual
perception. They were possessed of vast herds of
cattle and large flocks of sheep, but were enslaved
by the Dutch. Emancipated in 1833 by England,
they are still found all over this region — still enslaved
by the Boers in their so-called republics-^and in
small bodies here and there to a great distance in the
interior. The Caffres, who inhabit the eastern por-
tion of South Africa north of the British possessions,
and form a large proportion of the population of the
northern part of Cape Colony, are described by Liv-
ingstone as " tall, muscular, and well made ; they are
shrewd, energetic, and brave ; altogether they merit
the character given them by military authorities of
being magnificent savages ! Their splendid physical
development and form of skull show that, but for the
black skin and woolly hair, they would take rank
among the foremost Europeans." Near the east
coast of Africa the Caffres are brown or copper-col-
ored. Their government is patriarchal, a petty chief
presiding over each kraal or village, who is tributary
to a higher chief, and these higher chiefs owe allegi-
ance to the great chief, with whom they form the
National Council. They live by hunting and raising
cattle. Their women attend to the agriculture.
They have no notion of a Supreme Being, but are
exceedingly superstitious in respect to witches, spir-
its, and the shades of their ancestors. The mission-
ary labors of more than forty years have made no
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 439
perceptible impression upon this stalwart race except
those who live under the British Colonial govern-
ment, and these have only been partially won over
to civilization. Caffre women are described as su-
perior in beauty to the other native races of South
Africa. Then, and farther to the left, still looking
northward, we have the Bushmen, who are described
by Livingstone as true nomads. Then we come
to the Griquas, an independent people north of the
Orange river. By Griquas is meant any mixed race
sprung from natives and Europeans. These are
of Dutch extraction through association with Hotten-
tot and Bushwomen. Many of these have adopted
Christianity. The human inhabitants of the Kala-
hari Desert are Bushmen and Bakalahari, the former
supposed to be the aborigines of Southern Africa,
the latter the remnants of the first emigration of
Bakwains. Both of these singular people are pos-
sessed of an intense love of liberty, but the Bushmen
live almost exclusively on wild animals, while the
Bakalahari have an irrepressible love of flocks of do-
mestic animals. They procure a precarious exisfence
over the dry expanse of Kalahari. East of the Des-
ert are the Bakwains, among whom Moffat and Liv-
ingstone labored. These, numbering many different
tribes, inhabit a large portion of Southern Africa,
and by their migrations under Sebituane, have for
a number of years also held a vast territory on the
Chobe and Zambesi rivers, north of Lake Ngami.
Many of the Southern tribes have embraced Chris-
tianity and all are noted for intelligence and the de-
sire of progress. Between the Southern Bechuanas
440 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
and their relatives the Makololo are the Bamangwato
and the Bayeiye, the latter " the Quakers of Africa,"
who do not believe in fighting. The former are suf-
ficiently savage and indolent. They live round
about Lake Ngami. To the westward of Kalahari
and as far northward as the country under Por-
tuguese dominion we observe a region possessing
many fertile tracts. A wide expanse is called Nam-
aqua Land, and is sparsely inhabited by Hotten-
tots among whom live a few Dutch. Northward of
these are the Damaras, whose domains extend far
into the interior, but of whom little is known. Far
up the east coast extends the country of Mozambique,
long known to geography. Near the middle of this
country the waters of the Zambesi empty into the
Indian ocean. Far up this stream we find many
tribes of ignorant men, all polygamous, but none, un-
til we reach the watershed of central South Africa,
devoted to disgusting fetiches. There, where the
country is for a vast distance an immense flat, with a
river, part of whose sluggish waters seek outlet in the
Atlantic and part in the Indian ocean, we see negroes
of the most savage nature and the most degrading
superstitions. And as we cast our vision westward
toward the Portuguese colony of Angola, we find them
becoming more and more degraded, through the im-
mense territory of the Balonda, until we reach the
magnificent valley of the Quango, and begin to per-
ceive the beneficent effects of civilization, even though
its representatives have not been of the best. We
shall look in vain over the whole expanse of Lower
Guinea for notable prospects cheering to the cause of
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 44 1
man's advancement. Then extending our vision
northward and eastward over what may for conveni-
ence sake be called the equatorial region of Africa,
we shall observe great lakes and rivers on the east,
the lakes scarcely less great in surface extent than
those of interior North America, while at the west
we perceive extensive rivers, and immense forests.
Here the nobler wild animals do not live, but repul-
sive apes and cannibals possess the gloomy shade of
the vast wilderness. Near the eastern portion of this
expanse the great explorer of Africa is at this time
engaged in traversing that now most interesting por-
tion of the globe whence spring the sources of the
Nile. Still farther north, and extending nearly across
the continent, we see an immense territory crowded
with a commercial, trading people, whose cities have
been noted for ages through the reports of caravans
which have brought their goods and gold across the
great desert to the Mediterranean sea. On the right
of the desert we find Abyssinia, Nubia, and Egypt.
The desert itself is seen to have many oases, stately
mountains, and in places a growth of singular trees.
Its caravans are sometimes submerged by the terrible
simoon ; but the robbers of the desert are more cruel
and i instructive than the winds and sands. On the
north of Sahara we see the countries bordering on
the Mediterranean, where in ancient times the great
rival of Rome exercised supreme authority, which
was doubtless wrested from Carthage in a calamity
to mankind. To the westward of this famous seat of
ancient empire, the French now have a numerous and
prosperous colony. Still farther westward and look-
442
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ing out upon the pillars of Hercules, live the rem-
nants of that singular people who once possessed a
large part of Spain, and whose melancholy fate has
been rendered wonderfully interesting to the intelli-
gent of all lands by the great and tender genius of
our American Irving. The descendants of the old
possessors of Granada, the builders of the Alhambra,
may now be found in northwestern Africa, and pen-
etrating deeply into the regions of the Desert, with
little to suggest the ancient taste, and culture, and
warlike prowess. With the exception of Liberia, and
the English, Portuguese, Dutch, and French colonies,
and of late some of the Backwains who have become
Christianized, the people of whom we are taking this
rapid view are devoted to polygamy. As it exists
throughout nearly the whole of the vast continent it
is both a social and a political institution. Of all
these people, perhaps those only who are actually
progressive are the Bakwains, under Sechele, the Ma-
kololo, under Sekeletu, successor to the greatest of
South African chieftains, Sebituane, some of the col-
onists of extreme South Africa, and a province or two
of central West Africa.
Confining our view now to the physical aspect of
Africa, we perceive that the four great rivers are the
Nile, the Zambesi, the Quango, or Congo, and the
Niger. The Orange river of the south is of less mag-
nitude, as is the Senegal of the west. Of these, the
Nile is the greatest and most interesting, the most
interesting river, perhaps, of the world. The Niger
drains much of western and central Africa, and with
its affluents forms a system of drainage for an im-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 443
mense empire. The Quango is the principal river of
central South Africa, but between it and the Niger
are the Gaboon and the Fernand Vas with their
many affluents. The Zambesi is seen to drain a re-
gion many times larger than Great Britain. The
Orange, with its affluents is at least equal to the
Ohio in the United States. All these rivers, with
the exception of the Nile, force their way through
mountains which reach in almost unbroken range
around the continent from Abyssinia southwestward
to Cape Colony, then northwestward to Senegambia,
whence they shoot off in broken fragments over the
Desert of Sahara.
The northern half of Africa is chiefly Mohamme-
dan, the southern half chiefly pagan. In the north
we have sheikhs, khedives, sultans, harems, intrigues,
treachery, vindictivenes, and tortures. In the south
we have man-eating, superstitions, fetiches, degrada-
tion, but, unquestionably as I think, very much less
of man's inhumanity to man. North and south, ex-
cept where the English have control, domestic slavery
exists in its most cruel forms, but nowhere in the
world has it ever existed, perhaps, in such monstrous
shape of iniquity as in central Africa under the rule
of Islamism. Dr. Barth accompanied the sheikh of
Bornoo on a predatory (slave-catching) expedition
into the Musgu country on one occasion. He thus
relates the principal business of a single day :
" The village we had just reached was named Ka-
kala, and is one of the most considerable places in
the Musgu country. A large number of slaves had
been caught this day, and in the course of the eve-
444 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
ning, after some skirmishing, in which three Bornoo
horsemen were killed, a great many more were brought
in ; altogether they were said to have taken one thou-
sand, and there were certainly not less than five hun-
dred. To our utmost horror, not less than one
hundred and seventy full-grown men were merci-
lessly slaughtered in cold blood, the greater part of
them being allowed to bleed to death, a leg having
been severed from the body."
The number of " slaves" (that is, free persons cap-
tured) on this expedition was about 4,000, of whom
nearly 1,000, being full-grown men, were disposed of
in the horrible manner above described.
— Those who have read the preceding pages can
hardly help arriving at the conclusion that the capabil-
ities and the wants of Africa are very great. Leaving
out those portions of the continent which were known
when Dr. Livingstone first reached South Africa, we
find that there have since been discovered lakes,
rivers, mountains, regions abounding in precious
stones and metals, vast fertile plains, forests rich in
valuable trees and vines, animals producing rare arti-
cles of commerce, peoples rude indeed and degraded,
but neither cruel by nature, vindictive, nor revenge-
ful. Many of them are magnificent specimens of
mankind, so far as physical nature is concerned, while
a great majority of them are far above that which is
too generally considered the typical African. They
are by no means wanting in intellectual powers ; and
their almost universal love of children must be re-
garded as a most admirable and redeeming trait.
Even the cannibals of the equatorial regions are un-
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 445
questionably less cruel and infinitely less treacherous
than the Mohammedans of north Central Africa,
while the numerous tribes of Bakwains and Mako-
lolo are for the most part by nature gentlemen ;
brave, magnanimous, and reasonable. The Bakala-
hari are a pastoral people; and those who are fond
of both children and flocks cannot be irreclaimably
depraved. Over a large part of South Africa, idola-
try is unknown; and skepticism is a much less pow-
erful antagonist of Christian civilization than fetiches.
These people have many navigable rivers, vast ex-
tents of arable lands, large numbers of domestic ani-
mals, and some of them are wonderfully skilful in the
manufacture of certain fabrics and tools. Perhaps it
is hardly too much to say that the Fans (cannibals)
of equatorial Africa are the best blacksmiths in the
world.
There can be little doubt that many of these peo-
ple would have adopted Christian civilization before
this time but for polygamy. As has been said a mo-
ment ago this is both a social and political institution.
The more wives a chief has the more fathers-in-law,
the more friends, and consequently the more influ-
ence. We have seen how this long kept the chief
Sechele from espousing Christianity. It appeared to
his generous nature like a cruelty to return his super-
numerary " wives." It is difficult to see how any gen-
eral progress can be made toward the adoption of
Christian civilization by these people until this insti-
tution shall have been destroyed.
The abolition of domestic slavery is one of the
greatest wants of the continent. In no part of pagan
446 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
Africa is this inhuman system upheld by such bar-
barous practices as in many large portions under the
sway of Islamism. In pagan Africa the captives of
war are made slaves, but the adult males are not
mangled and slain. Throughout a great extent of
Mohammedan Africa the system of slavery is upheld
by nameless atrocities in gratification of the terrible
cruelty and scarcely less terrible lust of the most
cruel and lustful people. The legend of Legree in
Mrs. Stowe's celebrated novel of " Uncle Tom's Cab-
in" is a pleasant fable in comparison of many acts
pertaining to African domestic slavery of which
truthful accounts might be given. It might appeal
that time is necessary to prepare a people so cruel
for the reception of Christian civilization. The Boers
of South Africa are exceedingly hard task-masters
with their slaves, compelling them to do a great deal
of hard labor and drudgery, but they have not been
charged with blood-thirstiness.
This wide-spread system of domestic slavery is, of
course, an important ally of the foreign slave trade
but the slave trade is in some respects a wrong and
unutterable woe of itself. There is a certain introna-
tional slave trade, if we may so speak, in Africa,
carried on between tribes which are independent of
each other. The importance of a chief is often esti-
mated by the number of his slaves and wives. Now
that the recent exploration^ of white men have made
intercourse between tribes of more frequent occur-
rence than formerly, a rude diplomacy has sprung
up, which is chiefly exercised in matters pertaining
to slaves and the purchase of wives. A chief
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 447
strengthens himself at home by marrying as many of
the daughters of his " head men" as he can, and among
other tribes by the same course among them. A
large number of slaves adds to the consideration in
which he is held at home and abroad. Thus polyg-
amy, domestic slavery, and the foreign slave trade
are the great obstacles which stand in the way of
civilizing the continent of the black man. And of
these the greatest obstacle is the foreign slave trade.
This, not only because of its own cruelty, fearful
wrongfulness, and hideous practices, but because it
gives the black man a fairly unanswerable practical
argument against civilization. Dr. Livingstone ex-
pressly tells us, in letters which we have quoted, that
the practices of the slave-traders are more horrible
and cruel than even those of the man-eating Man-
yema. Is it to be expected that the natives of Africa
will adopt a system which, so far as they see, is more
cruel than the most horrible customs of their most
degraded tribes? Those Africans only who have to
any considerable extent adopted Christain civilization
live at the greatest distance from the scenes of the
foreign slave trade.
The first great want of Africa, therefore, is the
suppression of the slave trade. This has been to
great extent accomplished on the West Coast. It
has not been accomplished on the East Coast because
of the neglect of the British government. Not long
since Zanzibar was visited by a terrible hurricane,
whose destructive fury laid waste its shipping, its
houses, and scattered death and desolation over a
wide expanse. The affliction was very great, and
44-8 EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA.
grievous to be borne. The slave trade of Zanzibar is
almost infinitely more cruel than the remorseless ele-
ments. Its speedy suppression is demanded by the
united cries of Christianity and humanity. It is the
undoubted duty of the government of Great Britain
to heed this demand, and put an end to the woes
which exist through the cupidity of British sub-
jects and the inefficiency of British officials at Zan-
zibar.
The other great wants of Africa are the abolition
of domestic slavery and the destruction of the system
of polygamy. To accomplish these great objects will
be no easy achievement, nor one, it is believed, which
can be speedily brought about. It certainly can be
done the more easily and the more speedily after the
suppression of the foreign slave trade. Until that be
done, it is simply impossible. That having first been
brought about, the national characteristic of all Afri-
can peoples will be found, it is confidently believed, to
form an element of vast power in bringing the conti-
nent under the sway of civilization. That characteris-
tic is the love of trade. It is another of the singular
anomalies of this division of the world, that while it
is, upon the whole, the least commercial of all, the
people are natural traders. They are universally
fond of barter. This may be called the African idio-
syncrasy. Taking advantage of it, with his inculca-
tions of religious truth, Dr. Livingstone's labors at
the time and afterwards were crowned with magnifi-
cent success. Those of his co-laborers who have suc-
ceeded have pursued the same plan. Thus through-
out a vast expanse have slavery and polygamy passed
EXPLORATIONS IN AFRICA. 449
away, and the institutions of Christian civilization
been adopted in their stead by a people naturally in-
telligent, progressive, and brave.
Christianity and modern journalism ought, there-
fore, to unite in urging commerce to clasp hands with
religion for the purpose of making a common triumph
for trade and civilization over the vast continent
much of which has so long sat in darkness. There,
surely, are the foundations upon which a mighty
commerce may be built ; there, beyond question, is a
vast field in which the labors of Christian propagan-
dists have much to engage them, and much to en-
courage great zeal and self-denial. Journalism and
Christianity thus succeeding in making a firm and
earnest ally of Commerce, cannot help leading the
way, in the good time of Heaven's providence, to
most gratifying triumphs of civilization ; so that the
gloom and misery of centuries shall be dispelled, and
even Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto
God.
THE END.
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