ff.in- *, .' , f „',„ 'f , Vf t • f ' , lt l, ", t l V » n"> ¥ ' .. I ' ; ' .k ' » » ,4 > Ik ^ -1 ' > A ' V i "> !»" » { > ^■ ' ^* >'^' ''••'■rr r ^ ii -'i' T' ^- A r R E S [ IN CENTRAL AFRICA -^■' -'' \^ /■\ 'M^l ''f^'^''^i 1 ii FRICA ^W \' STANLEY AND AFRICA ALSO THE Travels, Adventures, and Discoveries OF Captain John H. Speke, Captain Richard F. Burton, Captain James JV. Grant, Sir Samuel and Lady Baker, and other Distinguished Explorers. LONDON: WALTER SCOTT, 24 WARWICK LANE. NEW YORK: 3 EAST Hrn STREET, AND MELBOURNE. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. TAOE IVogress of Christian 'Missions in South Africa — Moravian Church — London Missionary Society — Wesleyan Missions — Church Missionary Society — Other Missions ... ... 1 CHAPTER II. Livingstone goes clown to the Cape — Journeys from thence into the Interior — Reaches Lin- yanti — Ascends the Leeambye and the Leeba — Visits Shinte — Arrives at Loanda ... 41 CHAPTER in. Livingstone and the Makololo at Loando — Return Journey — Reach Linyanti — Departure for Kiliraane — Victoria Falls — Native Tribes — Aniiuals — Tete and its Vicinity — Descent of the Zambesi — x\rrival at Kilimane ... ... ... ... ... ... 71 CHAPTER IV. Discoveries of Captain Speke — His Expeditions to the Somali Country — Returns to England — Joins Captain Burton in an Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon — They reach Zanzibar — Cross to Kaole — Arrive at Kazeh — Illness of Burton — Sight of the Tangan- yika Lake and Mountains of the Moon — Goes up the Lake to TJjiji — Crosses the Lake — Returns to Ujiji — Discovers Lake Nyanza — Rejoins Burton at Knzeh — They arrive in England ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 97 CHAPTER V. Speke's Third E.'cpedition — Accompanied by Captain Grant he Arrives at Zanzibar — Organisation of the Expedition — They reach Uzararao — Usagara — Ugogo — Unyamwcsi and the People — Troubles in TJzuza — Driven Back to Kazeh — Push on to Usui — Leave the Inhospitable Districts ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ••■ 113 CHAPTER VI. Karague — Runianika and his Court — History of the Wahuma — Uganda — Court Cere- monies and Life — Departure from Uganda for the Nile ... ... ... ... ... 129 iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER VII. PACE Tlie Northern Slopes of Africa— Isaraba Rapids— PJpon Falls— TJnyoro—Kanirasi and his Court — March to Madi — Meeting with Baker and with Petherick — Return to England 153 CHAPTER VIII. Sir Samuel and Lady Baker — Their Arrival in Egypt — Cross the Nubian Desert — Berber The Atbara — Cassala — Arab Tribes of Nubia — Junction of the Settite with the Atbara — The Abyssinian Frontier 1G9 CHAPTER IX. Residence in Sofi — Aggageers, or Haniran Sword Hunters — Leave Sofi — End of the Rainy Season — Katariff — Hunting Large Game ... ... ... ... 183 CHAPTER X. The River Royan — County of Mek Nimmur — Vultures — Gallabat — The Tokrooris — Rivers Rahad and Binder — Arrival at Khartoum ... ... ... ... ... ... 195 CHAPTER XI. Khartoum — Tiie "White Nile Trade — Departure froji Khartoum — The Shillooks — Sobat River — Bahr el Gazal — Native Tribes — Arrival at Gondokoro — Meeting with Speke and Grant ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... 203 CHAPTER XIL Further Stay at Gondokoro — A Plot among the Khartoum Escort — Start from Gondokoro — Pass through Tollogo and EUyria — The Latookas — Camels and Elephants — Enter the Obbo Country ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 213 CHAPTER XIIL Life in Obbo— Return to Latooka— Visit Obbo again — Arrival at Shooa— Unyoro— Mrs. Baker Receives a Sun-Stroke — Discovery of the Albert Nyanza — Voyage on the Lake — The Murchison Falls 231 CHAPTER XIV. The Island of Patooan — Confined in the Country — Kararasi's Tactics — Farewell to Kamrasi's Territory — Arrival at Shooa — The Lira Tribe — Attack by the Bari Tribe — Reach Gondokoro — Voyage down the Nile to Khartoum — From Khartoum to Berber — Departure from Africa ... ... ... ... ..- ... ••• ••■ ■•• 2-17 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XV. PACK Livingstone's Second Expedition — The Mouths of tho Zambesi — Kebrabasa Rapids — Murchison Cataracts — Effects of Rain — Lake Shirwa — Shire Marshes — Manganja and its People — Discovery of Lake Nyassa ... ... ... ... ... ... 261 CHAPTER XVL Off to Kongone — Return to Tette — Journey Westward — Kebrabasa Rapids and Chicova — Arrive at Zumbo — The Batoka — Victoria Falls and Garden Island — The Makololo — Livingstone Revisits Linyanti — Down again to Tette and the Kongone ... ... 279 CHAPTER XVIL Arrival of the Pioneer — Bishop Mackenzie and his Mission — Death of Bishop Mackenzie and Mr. Burnup — Lake Nyassa and its People — Arrival and Death of Mrs. Living- stone — The Rovuma — The Expedition withdrawn — Livingstone's Voyage to Bombay, and Return to England ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .,, 303 CHAPTER XVIIL Livingstone's Third Visit to Africa — Arrival at Zanzibar — Re-ascends the Rovuma — Horrors of the Slave Trader's Track — The Waiyau Country and People — Lake Nyassa Revisited — Reaches the Loangwa — End of 1S66 ... .,, ... ... ... 327 CHAPTER XIX. The New Year — Pushes for the Chanibeze — Chitapangwa and his People — Course for Lake Tanganyika — Arrives at the Lake — Report reaches England of the Murder of Living- stone on the Coast of Lake Nyassa, in I8G6 — Search Expedition of Mr. Young — News of Livingstone's Safety — Meanwhile he Visits Lake Moero — Arrives at Casembe's Town — Second Visit to Moero — Close of 1SG7 ... ... ... ... ... ... 345 CHAPTER XX. New Year's Day — Further Exploration of Lake Moero — Ascent of the Rua Mountains — Return to Casembis — Lake Bangweolo — Earthen Sponges — Cataracts of the Kalou- gosi— The Imbozhwa— End of 1868 361 CHAPTER XXL Beginning of 1869 — Dangerous Illness — Arrives at Tanganyika — Reaches Ujiji — Explores Manyueraa — 1870 — The Soko — Continued Illness — Detention at Bambarre — Ivory — Strange Diseases — Sufferings of Slaves ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 371 vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII. TAGE The Year 1871 — Detention at Bambarre — Reaches the Lualaba — Life at Nyangwe — Ths Bakuss — Slaughter of Women by the Arabs — Returns to Ujiji — Arrival of Mr. Stanley — Livingstone and Stanley Visit Unyanyembe — Stanley leaves to Return to England 385 CHAPTER XXIIL Livingstone's Second Letter to Mr. Bennett — Stay at Unyanyembe — Further Explora- tions — Rounds the South End of Tanganyika — Crosses Bangweolo — Returns North to Ilala — Prolonged Affliction and Death — Homeward March with the "Master's" Body — Arrival of the Body in England — Funeral in Westminster Abbey — National Respect and Honour ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 417 CHAPTER XXIV. Livingstone Congo Expedition under Lieutenant Grandy — Livingstone East Coast Aid Expedition — Lieutenant Cameron's Journey from Unyanyembe to Ujiji — Explora- tion of Lake Tanganyika — From Tanganyika to the West Coast and Home ... ... 447 CHAPTER XXV. The "Daily Telegraph" and "New York Herald" Expedition — Stanley's Departure — Zanzibar — A Slave Dhow — Organisation of the Expedition ... ... ... ... 471 CHAPTER XXVL March from Bagamoyo to Mpwapwa — Through Northern Ugogo — Country of Urimi — Death of Edward Pocock — Conflict with the Waturu — Iramba — Arrival at Lake Victoria Nyanza — Exploration of the Lake — Visit to Mtesa, King of Uganda — Mtesa's Conver- sion to Islamism — Desire for Christian Teachers — Interview between Colonel de Belle- fonds and Stanley — Stanley's Departure from Uganda — Lake Victoria Nyanza an Inland Sea — Missionary Response to Mtesa's Invitation ... ... 487 CHAPTER XXVIL Stanley and Tippu-Tib — Consultation with Mr. Pocock — Starting of the Expedition — Launching of the " Lady Alice" — Sickness in the Camp — Parting between the Zunibari and the Arabs ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... 545' CHAPTER XXVIIL The Great Mysterious River — The Stanley Falls — Making Canoes — Leaving the "Lady Alice " — On the March — Difficulty of obtaining Food — Welcome Supplies — Arrival at San Paulo do Loando ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 55S CONTENTS. vH CHAPTER XXIX. PAOE Expedition to the Congo — Founding of Vivi — Making Roads and Erecting Houses — Isangila to Manyanga — Founding of Leopoldville ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 573 CHAPTER XXX. Christmas Day at Iboko — Sacrifice of Slaves — Acting as Peace-maker — Arrival atTukunga — DukoTown 58r. CHAPTER XXXI. Return from Africa — Accepts the Command of the Eniin Pasha Relief Expedition — Sails again for Africa — Arrival at Cairo 695 CHAPTER XXXII. Zanzibar — Sailing up the Congo River — Disembarking — Stanley Pool — On the Upper Congo — The Camp of the Rear-Guard ,., 601 CHAPTER XXXIII. Stanley leaves for Lake Albert — Gives Major Earttelot Instructions — Eighty-three Days' March — No News of the Rear-Guard — Tippu-Tib — Murder of Major Barttelot — Death of Mr. Jameson ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 615 CHAPTER XXXIV. Stanley Making Ready for the March Forward — Letter to Sir "William Mackinnon — Story of his Movements since June 28, 1887 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 62.3 CHAPTER XXXV. Continuation of Stanley's Narrative — Indecision of Erain Pasha — Suffering's on the March Arrival at Unyampaka ... ... .. ... ... ... ... .. . _ (535 CHAPTER XXXVL The March to the Const — Arrival at Mslala — Summarising Casualties — Arrival at Bagamoyo — Zanzibar — Cairo — Arrival in England ... ... ... ... ... ... ... G50 STANLEY AND AFRICA. CHAPTER I. Progress of Christian Ilissions in South Afriea — Moravian Cliurch — London Mis- sionari/ Socictij — Wcslcyan Missions — Church Missionarjj Society — Other Missions. Speaking of his earlier discoveries, Dr. Livingstone said, nearly twenty years ago, " The end of the geographical feat is but the beginning of the missionary enterprise." It should ever be so. Commerce and science have their claims ; but just in proportion as nations and tribes of men are brought under our influence, we should seek to confer upon them the blessings of Christianity. "We intend, therefore, before entering more fully upon the discoveries of modern travellers in tlie regions of Southern and Central Africa lying beyond our colonial settlements, to glance at the ciforts of Christian men to plant the gospel in those settlements, and to point out some of the blessed results by which those efforts have been crowned. During the early ages of the Christian era, Africa had her churches, her colleges, her reposi- tories of science and learning, her C}prian and other bishops of apostolic renown, and her noble army of mart}rs ; but now the pall hangs over her wide-spread domains, and the millions of her population are in a state of spiritual death. Christendom has been enriched by her gold, her drugs, her ivory, her cattle and corn, the bodies and souls of her people ; and what, up to a few years back, has been her recompense ? A few crucifixes planted around her shores, guarded by the military fort and the roar of cannon. Had it not been for the zeal and compassion of Christian men in these later times scarcely a ray of heavenly light would have reached the milHons of Africa, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. As it is, however, various sec- tions of the church of Christ have vied with one another in their earnest and self-denying labours to spread the blessings of the Christian religion through our African colonies and the regions beyond. The small, but brave and noble baud of Christians, known as the Mora- vians, or United Brethren, were the first to send out men to seek the salva- tion of the people of South Africa. The circumstances under which their first missionary, George Schmidt, was sent forth, and his subsequent histor}-, is well kno^vn to all interested in mission work. But we cannot forbear quoting here the words in which th,; venerable Dr. Moffatt makes honourable 1 STANLEY AND AFRICA. mention of this servant of the Lord : — ••' In July, 1730, George Schmidt, with sometliing of that great zeal which fired the bosom of Egede, the pio- neer of the mission to Greenland, left his native country for that of the Hot- tentots. He was the first who, commissioned by the King of kings, stood in the Vale of Grace (Genadenal), at that time known by the name of Bavian's Kloof (the Glen of Baboons), and directed the degraded, oppressed, ignorant, despised, and, so far as life eternal is concerned, the outcast Hottentots, to the Lamb of God, who tasted death for them. It is impossible to traversi^. the glen, as the writer has done, or sit under the gi'eat pear-tree which that devoted missionary planted, with his own hands, without feeling something like a holy envy of so distinguished a person in the missionary band. AVhen we remember tliat actions receive their weight from the circumstances under which they have been called forth, how exalted a glory must such an one as George Schmidt possess in the heavenly world, where one star differeth from another star in glory, compared with the great majority in the present clay, who have doors opened to them, and a host of examples before them, with the zeal and pra3'ei's of the whole Christian Church to animate and support them. Though he could only address the Hottentots through an interpreter, his early efforts wore crowned with success, and the attendance at the first Hottentot school ever founded rapidly increased. The Hottentots, with all their reported ignorance and apathy, justly regarded him with sentiments of unfeigned love and admiration; and so evidently was the gospel made the power of God that, in the course of a few years, he was able to add a num- ber of converts to the church of the first-born." The mission commenced by the Moravians so far prospered that, in 1799, there was built a large church, capable of holding fifteen thousand persons. At that period there were twelve hundred and thirty-four inhabitants in Bavian's Kloof, of whom three hundred and four Avere members of the con- gregation, whose temporal condition was greatly improved. Induced by the example of the brethren, they diligently cultivated tlieir fields and gardens. In 1800, a body of missionaries arriving, they were received about a mile from the village by the natives, who joined in hymns of praise to God who had thus graciously supplied their spiritual wants. A large and commodious school-house was erected in 1814, and thus the brethren were enabled more effectually to educate the young. In 1815, the Rev. C. J. Latrobe, Secretary to the Moravian Church in England, was sent on a visit of inspection to Africa, to ascertain the practicability of erecting a new station. This was accordingly established in the district of the Witte River, on the confines of Caffraria, at the distance of a fortnight's journey from their original sphere of labour. To it the name of Enon was given ; and it was soon occupied by a band of faith- ful missionaries. Other stations have, from time to time, been formed as circumstances required and means afforded. MORAVIAN MISSIONARY SETTLEMENTS. These settlements in South Africa have frequently been visited by travel- lers, who have highly extolled the neatness, order, and comfort, which reigned in them all. As it may be interesting to some of our readers to know the way in which the Moravian missionaries spend their time in their stations,, we quote the words of Mr. Pringle, in reference to Enon: — "' At six o'clock in the morning, the missionaries and their families are summoned together by the ringing of a large bell, suspended in front of the mission-house. The matin hymn is then sung, and a text of Scripture read for all to meditate upon during the day ; and after drinking a single cuj) of coffee, they sepa- rate to pursue their respective occupations. At eight o'clock the bell re-as- sembles them to a substantial breakfast, consisting of fish, fruit, eggs, find cold meat, each jjerson commonly drinking a single glass of wine. This meal, as well as the others, is preceded and followed by a short hymn, by way of grace, in which all the company join. As soon as breakfast is over, they retire to their separate apartments for meditation or devotion, till nine o'clock, when the active labours of the day arc again resumed, and continued till noon. At twelve o'clock precisely the bell is again rung ; labour is inter- rupted ; the school is dismissed ; and the brethren and their families assemble in the dining-hall to the mid-day meal. The dishes are sometimes numerous, esjieclally I presume, when they have visitors ; but the greater part consist of fruit and vegetables of their own cultivation, variously dressed. The meal is enlivened with cheerful conversation, and is closed with the customary hymn of thanksgiving. All then rise and retire, to occupy or amuse them- selves as each may be inclined. At two o'clock, a cup of tea or coffee is drank, and all proceed again with alacrity to their various occupations, which are prosecuted till six. This latter hour concludes the labours of the day ; the sound of the hammer is stilled, and the brethren assemble once more at the evening meal, which consists of light viands, and is soon over. After supper they adjourn to the church, when a portion of Scripture is briefly explained, or a homily delivered, either to tlic v/hole Hottentot congregation, or to one of the several sections in whicli the people are classed, agreeably to the progress they may have attained in knowledge and piety. All then retire to rest, Avith an appearance of satisfaction, such as may be naturally imagined to result from the habitual jjractlcc of industry and temperance, unembittered by worldly c?res, and hallowed by the consciousness of having devoted their mental and bodily faculties to the glory of God and the good of man." The same traveller also mentions the churchyard at this settlement : — " Situate at some little distance from tlie village, yet not far from the house of worship, and kept as neat as a pleasure garden, the burial-ground of Enon formed a pleasing contrast to the solitary graves heaped with a few loose stones, or the neglected or dilapidated churchyards usually met with in the STANLEY AND AFRICA. colony. The funeral service, too, of the Moravians is very solemn and impressive. And still more solemn must be the yearly celebration of their service on Easter morn, when the whole population of the settlement is con- gregated in the burial ground, to listen to an appropriate discourse from the most venerable of their pastors, accompanied by an affecting commemoration of such of their friends and relatives as may have died within the year, and followed by hymns and anthems sung by their united voices amidst the ashes of their Idndred." At the end of 1840, the United Brethren had in South Africa seven stations, forty-five missionaries, and four thousand seven hundred and thirty- nine converts belonging to the Hottentot, Caffre, Tambookie, and Fingoe tribes, of whom about thirteen hundred were communicants. The most recent accounts still speak hopefully of their establishments, as being gene- rally in a flourishing condition. Brother Kunick, writing from Elim, August 18, 1874, says: — " In my last letter I believe I told you about the repairs that we intended carrying out in the church. In February, a sufficient quantity of sea-shells was carted fi'om the shore, and from these lime was prepared. We had five or six masons at woi'k each day, and as many helpers, the latter being volunteers. AVhen the church had been got into order and whitewashed, our j:)eoplo asked permission to perform the same operation on the school, that its shabby condition might not be too noticeable, by contrast, at the coming jubilee. This was more than we had expected, and, of course, the request was granted. The inside walls of the church also received a new coating of paint, and Brother Hickel put the organ in good order. All expenses have been covered by voluntary subscriptions and the collections at the jubilee, leaving a surplus of £5. The membei's seemed much pleased with the improvements made, and on several occasions expressed their gratitude to us for our share in the work. We have also great cause for thank- fulness for the manner in which the celebration of the jubilee passed oft". Guests appeared from all quarters in no less than eighty-four vehicles of every description, and the liberal hospitality with which they were welcomed in spite of the hard times, exceeded even the German conception of this virtue. The celebration was of such a nature as to give us great encourage- ment for the future." Another of these missionaries, Br. Meyer, writing in May, 1874, from Entumasi, says : — " The change of heart that had taken jjlace in some of our Pondos began to have effect in their outward appearance. The women soon earned sufficient to buy for themselves, first skirts and then dresses. Many of them have now Sunday-clothes as well as week-day suits, and one female has as many as four dresses. The men also now go about in decent apjoarel. Two more announced themselves as candidates, but in their case I feared insincerity of purpose. Having received the money due to them for their THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY'S AGENTS. 5 work, they immediately procured clothes with it. Not long afterwai-ds their wives brought me a number of bundles of firewood, and on my inquiring as to the price, one of them said — ' We do not want payment, we bring this wood out of gratitude.' Tims m)^ suspicion was put to shame. I am glad to say that all the Pondosaro now properly clothed. The old Caffre, who was form- erly so much addicted to drunkenness, now meekly sits at the feet of Jesus. It is a gladdening sight when the thirty-two candidates assemble for instruc- tion or public worship, some of them from a distance of twelve miles, and many a song of thanks and praise rises from my heart to the Lord for permitting me to see so great fruits of my labours." Writing some months later, the same missionary says : — " The Lord's blessing continues. Our new church is soon to be opeiied for services ; another on Ludidi's land will soon be com- menced, after which one on the banks of the Tinana will have to follow. Many Sutus attend the services at Entumasi, and on the Tinana, their lan- guage being used in church and school. Among the newly-awakened natives is the principal (and now the only) wife of the chieftain Zibi ; she has re- quested to be enrolled and instructed with tlie other candidates for baptism. The work grows in dejoth as well as in breadth ; my own heart is warmed and stirred up ; and my lips overflow with the praises of Him who has won- derfully increased the children of the desolate." Some of the most successful efforts for the evangelisation of Africa have been made by the agents of the London Missionary Society. The first efibrts of this Society were directed, in 1795, to the islands of the Pacific, in which its missionaries have, after a long period of toil, witnessed the most signal triumphs of the gospel, amongst tribes of bai'barians and cannibals, which it has ever fallen to the province of history to record. The attention of the Society was next directed to the vast and important field of Southern Africa. The first missionaries sent out were Dr. John Theodore Van der Kemp, the son of a pious minister of the Dutch Reformed Church at Rotterdam, and Messrs Kicherer and Edmonds. Like all successful evangelists. Dr. Van der Kemp was a man of extraoi'dinary energy. He was fifty years of age before he set sail for Africa. Missions were then a novelty, and no missionary move- ment had yet proceeded from the Netherlands. But the perusal of one of the records of the London Missionary Society jDroduced such an impression on Van der Kemp's mind that he made an ofi'cr of his services to that Society. Full of Christian elasticity, and enthusiastically devoted to the race whose welfare he sought, he shrank from no danger, and toil and hardship he rather seemed to invite. During his sojourn in London, passing a brick-field, it struck him that a great boon might bo conferred on the Hottentots by teaching them to build better houses, in order to which it would first be needful to teach them tl'.e art of brick-making. <- Accordingly he sought leave to join the labourers, and for some weeks the venerable apprentice sweltered among thebrick-kihis, STANLEY AND AFRICA. lightening his labour by the thouglit of Africa. And when he arrived among the people of his choice, he consecrated himself to their service, with the ardour of a lover and the zeal of an apostle. Undismayed by their offensive habits, he took up his abode in the midst of them, and often without any Eui'opean comfort — sometimes without hat, or shoes, or stockings — ho not only taught their children and preached to them the gospel, but labouring with his own hands, he showed them how by their own industry they might support themselves; and, as if in defiance of the prejudices of his Dutch com- patriots, he threw in his lot entirely with these scorned outcasts by taking a Hottentot woman for his wife. lie was a man of exalted genius and learning. He had mingled with courtiers. He had been an alumnus of the Universities of Leyden and Edinburgh. He had obtained plaudits for his remarkable progi'ess in literature, in philosophy, divinity, physic, and the military art. He was not only a profound student in ancient languages, but in many of the modern European tongues, even to that of the Highlanders of Scotland, and had distinguished himself in the armies of his earthly sovereign. Yet this man, constrained by the love of Christ, could cheerfully lay aside all his honours, mingle with savages, bear their sneers and contumely, condescend to serve the meanest of his troublesome guests, take the axe, the sickle, the spade, and the mattock, lie down on the jDlace where dogs repose, and spend nights with his couch drenched with rain, the cold wind bringing his fragile house about his ears. Though annoyed by the nightly visits of hungry hyenas, though compelled to wander about in quest of lost cattle, and exposed to the caprice of those whose characters were stains on human nature, whis- perings occasionally reaching his ears that murderous plans were in progress for his destruction, he calmly proceeded with his benevolent efforts ; and to secure his object would stoop with the meekness of wisdom to please and pro- pitiate those rude and wa} ward children of the desert whom he sought to bless. When the labours of the Doctor and his colleagues were beginning- to tell on the Hottentots, the Dutch farmers took alarm. They feared that, with the progress of instruction, they would lose the services of these poor savages, whom they had hitherto treated very much as beasts of burden ; and their representations were producing such an effect on the respectable Dutch governor, Janssen, that he imposed very inconvenient restrictions on the operations of the mission. Fortunately, at this period (1806), the colony passed into the hands of the English ; and under the protection of Sir David Baird the mission so prospered tJiat, in 1810, the settlement at Bethelsdorp contained nearly a thousand inhabitants, all receiving Christian instruction. Mats and baskets were made in considerable quantities and sold in the sur- rounding country. Salt was also manufactured, and bartered for wheat ; and b}' sawing, soap-boiling, and wood-cutting:, the peojole exerted themselves for LONDON MISSION STATIONS. an independent maintenance. Dr. Van der Kemp, who supported himself as a missionary, -\vitli scarcely any charge to the Society, spent nearly a thou- sand pounds of his patrimony in the purchase of slaves; and his representa- tions to Lord Caledon were the first in a series of movements on behalf of the opi^ressed aborigines which, in 1828, ended in their obtaining rights and pri- vileges in all respects equal to those of the Dutch and English settlers. He died in 1811 ; and althou^di his own exertions were not crowned with the im- mediate and signal success which has attended some other labourers, he may well be regarded as one of the greatest modern benefactors of Southern Africa. In March, 1813, tlie Rev. John Campbell arrived at Bethelsdorp, having been deputed by the Society to visit their settlements in South Africa, and to consider the best localities for new ones. The following year, a remarkable revival of religion took place there. So intent were numbers in seeking sal- vation that Mr. Read and liis fellow-labourers had scarcely time to take food ; and often the fields might be seen covered with peo):)le pouring out their hearts to God in prayer. Old and young were alike subjects of this gracious influence ; and, in tlie course of a year, upwards of three hundred souls were added to the Church. Accosted by the gracious accents of the gospel, the poor abject Hottentots began to rejoice in the hope full of immortality, and astonished their old taskmasters by their intelligence and industry. Under the fostering wing of Christian missions, they congregated into little villages; and the following description of one of these near Algoa Bay, from the pen of Mr. Pringle, testifies to the effect the gospel had produced: — "I came in sight of the village as the sun was setting. The smoke of the fires just lighted to cook the evening meal of the home-coming herdsmen was curling calmly in the serene evening air. The bleating of flocks returning to the fold, tlie lowing of the kine to meet their young, and other pleasant sounds, recalling all the pastoral associations of a Scottis'li glen, gave a very agreeable effect to my first view of this missionary village. Wiicn I entered the jolace, however, all associations connected with the rural scenery of Europe were at once dis- pelled. The groups, of woolly-haired, swarthy-complexioned natives, many of them still dressed in the old sheepskin mantle — the swarms of half-naked children — the hovels of mud or reeds — tlie long-legged, large-boned cattle — the broad-tailed African sheep, with hair instead of wool — the uncouth jib- bering sounds of the Hottentot language — these, and a hundred traits of wild and foreign character, made me feel that I was far from the glens of Cheviot — that I was at length in the land of the Hottentot. Afterwards I attended the evening service of the missionary in the rustic chapel. The place was occupied by a very considerable number of the inhabitants of the villa"-e. Their demeanour was attentive and devout ; and their singing of the mission- ary hymns singularly pleasing and harmonious. Even among the rudest of STANLEY AND AFRICA the peoi^le there was an aspect of civility and decent respect — of quietude and sober-mindedness, wliicli evinced that they were habitually under the control of far other principles than those which regulate the movements of other savage men. They appeared to be in general a respectable and reli- gious native peasantry." Among: the noble men who have laboured in Southern Africa, in connec- lion with the London Missionary Society, we must make special mention of Robert Moffat and his still more renowned son-in law, David Livingstone. When Robert Moffat, with the consent of his pious Scotch parents, left his gardening and set sail for the Cape of Good Hope, on the last day of October, 1816, he was only twenty years of age. But he was a mature man in self- possession and in Christian faith ; and these are the main qualities required in missionary enterprise. His first battle was not with the heathen, but with the British Governor, who was loath to give his sanction to missionaries \^xo- ceeding outside the Cape colony, as it was feared that, through want of dis- cretion, they would get the tribes of the interior into broils and misunder- standings. Permission being at length granted him, he set out for the Orange River, to try to convert the notorious Africaner, who had made his name a terror by his maraudings and murders. On the way, Moffat preached to the Hottentots, wherever he could get opportunity. On all hands he was warned against approaching Africaner. One old motherly lad}', wiping the tear from lier eye, bade him farewell, saying, " Had you been an old man, it would have been nothing, for you would soon have died, whether or no, but you are young, and going to be eaten up by that monster !" But he and his party went on — over desert plains, where sometimes the oxen would sink down in the sand from their fatigue, and where the want of water was a terrible infliction, and over rocky mountains, where the exposure to the scorching heat of the hot season was like to induce fever every moment. Africaner's welcome was not warm ; and Moffat was obliged to deal with the remorseless chief and his blood-thirsty peoi^le as best he might. He dealt with them wisely, and won a victory which is memorable. He was not unfrequently in sore straits for his daily food ; but he only found himself the more disposed for meditation. He wandered, and taught, and preached, without faltering, for years. Often it seemed to him as if he was beating the air ; and his heart sank. It was lucky for him that he had many I'esources. He could put his hand to anything ; and that gained him respect from the Namaqua men more than his learning. " My dear old mother," he tells us himself, "to keep me out of mischief in the long winter evenings, taught me to knit and to sew. When I would tell her I meant to be a man, she would say, ' Lad, ye diuna ken whaur your lot may be cast.' She was right ; for I have often had occasion to use the needle since." At length the blessing came ; Africaner himself was the first convert. A FRl CA NER'S CON VERSION. Tlic cliange that came over the cliicf was marvellous. The wild Namaqua ■warrior was gentle as a cliild. And ho was very solicitous for the temporal welfare of his friends — intently watchful that the missionary should want for nothing that he or his people could give him. The man who hitherto had only had one ambition — to lead his people to war and plunder, now directed them to build a house for the missionary, made him a present of cows, regu- larly attended the services, was assiduous in the study of the Scriptures, and. sincerely mourned over his past life. His love for Moffat was deep and abid- ing ; and on one occasion, he nursed him through the delirium of a bilious fever. Mr. Moffat having to visit Cape Town, he proposed that Africaner should accompany him. "The good man," Moffat says, "looked at me again and again, gravely asking whether I were in earnest, and seemed fain to ask if I were in my senses too ; adding, with great fervour, * I had thought you loved me, and do you advise me to go to the Government to be hung up as a spectacle of public justice ? Do you not know that I am an outlaw, and that one thousand rix-dollars have been offered for my poor head ?' These difficulties I endeavoured to remove, by assuring him that the results avouKI be most satisfactory to himself as well as to the Governor of the Cape. Iloro Africaner exhibited his lively faith in the gracious promises of God, by reply- ing, * I shall deliberate, and roll my way upon the Lord ; I know he will not leave me.' " Ajy By many it was thought impossible that such a man as this African Rob Roy — a freebooter, an outlaw, and a man of blood — could ever become a meek, docile, and affectionate follower of the Lamb of God. Speaking of their journey to Cape Town, Mr, Moffat says, " Some of the worthy j^eoplo on the borders of the colony congratulated me on returning alive, having often heard, as they said, that I had been long since murdered by Africaner. Much wonder was expressed at my narrow escape from such a monster of cruelty. "While some would scarcely credit my identit}^, my testimony as to the entire reformation of Africaner's character, and his conversion, was discarded as the effusion of a frenzied brain. At one farm a novel scene exhibited the state of feeling resjDecting Africaner and m3'self, and likewi^se displayed the power of Divine grace under peculiar circumstances. It was necessary, from the scarcity of water, to call at such houses as lay in our road. The farmer referred to was a good man in the best sense of tlie word^ and he and his wife had both shown me kindness on my way to Namaqua Land. On approaching the house, which was on an eminence, I directed my men to take the waggon to the valley below, while I walked toward the house. The farmer, seeing a stranger, came slowly down tlie descent to meet me. When within a few yards, I addressed him in the usual way, and, stretching out my hand, expressed my pleasure at seeing him again. He put his hand behind him, and asked me, rather wildly, who I was. I replied 10 STANLEY AND AFRICA. that I was Moffat, expressing my wonder that lie should have forgotten nic. * Moffat !' he rejoined in a faltering voice ; ' it is your ghost !' and moved some stejis backwards. ' I am no ghost !' ' Don't come near me !' he exclaimed, ' you have been long murdered by Africaner.' ' But I am no ghost !' I said, feeling my hands, as if to convince him and mj-sclf too, of my materialit\- ; but his alarm only increased. ' Everybody says you Averc murdered, and a man told me he hard seen your bones ;' and ho continued to gaze at me to the no small astonishment of the good wife and children who were standing at the door, as also to that of my jjeople, who were looking on from the waggon below. At length he extended his trembling hand, saying, ' When did you rise from the dead ?' " As he feared my presence would alarm his wife we bent our steps towards the waggon, and Africaner was the subject of our conversation. I gave him in a few words my views of his present character, saj^ing, ' lie is now a truly good man.' To which he replied, * I can believe almost any- thing you say, but that I cannot credit. There are seven wonders in the world; that would be the eighth.' I aj^pealed to the displays of Divine grace in a Paul, a Manasseh, and referred to his own experience. He i€plied, these were another description of men ; but that Africaner was one of the accursed sons of Ham, enumerating some of the atrocities of which he had been guilt3\ By this time we were standing with Africaner at our feet, on whose countenance sat a smile, well knowing the prejudices of some of the farmers. The farmer closed the conversation by saying, with much earnest- ness, ' Well, if what you asseit be true respecting that man I have only one wish, and that is, to see him before I die ; and when you return, as sure as the sun is over our heads, I will go with you to see him, though he killed my own uncle.' I was not before aware of this fact, and now felt some hesita- tion whether to discover to him the object of his wonder ; but knowing the sincerity of the farmer, and the goodness of his disposition, I said, ' This is Africaner.' He started back, looking intensely at the man, as if he had dropped from the clouds. ' Are you Africaner ?' he exclaimed. He arose, doffed his old hat, and making a polite bow, answered, ' I am.' The farmer seemed thunder-struck, but when, by a few questions, he had assured himself of the fact that the former bugbear of the border stood before him, now meek and lamb-like in his whole deportment, he lifted up his eyes and exclaimed, * God, what a miracle of thy power ! what cannot th}^ grace accomplish 1' The kind farmer and his no less hospitable wife, now abundantly supplied our wants ; but we hastened our departure, lest the intelligence might get abroad that Africaner was with me, and bring unpleasant visitors." The closing scene of Africaner's life was most beautiful. When he found his end approaching, he called all the peoj^le together, after the example of Joshua, and gave them directions as to their future conduct. " We are not," MOFFAT AMONG THE BECIIUANAS. 11 said he, " wliat avo were — savages, but men professing to be taught accord- ing to the gospeh Let us then do accordingly. Live peaceably with all men, if possible ; and, if impossible, consult those Avho are placed over you before you engage in anything, licmain together as you have done since I knew you. Then, when the Directors think fit to send you a missionary, you may be I'cady to receive him. Behave to any teacher you may have «ent as one sent of God, as I have great hope that God will bless you in this respect when I am gone to heaven. I feel that I love God, and that lie has done much for me, of which I am totally unworthy. Jly former life is stained with blood ; but Jesus Christ has pardoned me, and I am going to heaven. Oh! beware of falHng into the same evils into which I have led you fre- quently ; but seek God, and He will be found of you to direct you." Whilst Moffat and Africaner were at the Cape, it was proposed that the former should not return to Namaqua Land, but should proceed to the Bechu- ana country, and found a mission there. To this Africaner consented, as he had some hopes of removing, with his people, to a district not far distant, from whence Moffat now proposed to settle. So the missionary, with his newly-married wife, set forth for the new countiy, much strengthened by his success with Africaner and his people, and encouraged by the thought, that the station he was about to occupy was one of the foremost posts in heathen soil, and that beyond it there were regions thickly populated hy races who had never seen the face of a white man, and to whom Christianity, and its attendant blessings, were as yet unknown. The missionary soon found it bard work with the Bechuanas ; for though the chief had desired that a reli- gious teacher should be sent among his people, it soon became evident that they had more notion of trading and bartering than of hearing about the gospel. When they found that Moffat had no goods, they were disposed to yoke the oxen to his waggons and send him back again. He was often in great trouble. At last he faced the chief and his attendants — said they might do with him as they Would, but he would not leave their country. " Our hearts are with you," he said; " you may shed my blood, or you may burn our dwelling, but I know that you will not touch my wife or children. My decision is made — I do not leave your country." Now then," he proceeded, ^' if you will, drive your spears to my heart; and when you have slain me, my companions will know that it is time for them to depart." " These men," said the chief, turning to the attendants, " must have ten lives. When they are so fearless of death, there must be something in immortalit3\" From this time the hearts of the people began to turn to the truth. Moffat showed them that he had no interests apart from theirs. The self-sacrificing conduct of the missionaries so moved the chief, that he aided them in the laying out of the new station at Kuruman, which was for so long Mr. Moffat's head- quarters. 12 STANLEY AND AFRICA, From Kuruman, Moffat made many journeys. He visited Makaba, king of the Bauangketsi, some two hundred miles fuvtlier north, and was received witli favour. News of his great work was soon carried far into the interior. A very notable event was the appearance of two messengers from the Mata- bele king, Moselekatse, who M-ishcd to know move of the work of the white men. This potentate ruled a large portion of the territory now known as the Trans Vaal Republic, was a great warrior, and a terror to all the surrounding tribes. Moffat received these ambassadors with great kindness, and showed them as much of civilised appliances as he could. Owing to some risk they ran from the tribe whose territory they must pass on their return home, he himself accompanied them on their way. Having gone so far with them they urged that he should go on and see the king; and so at last he agreed to do. Moselekatse took kindly to the missionary, and showed himself capable of gratitude. Placing his hand on the missionary's shoulder one day, he ad- dressed him by the title of "Father," saying, "You have made my heart as white as milk. I cease not to wonder at the love of a stranger. You never saw me before, but you love me more than my own people." Moffat did not leave until he had got the king's consent that a mission should be established there. In 1832, Moffat had completed his translation into Sechuana of the Gospel of Luke. He went to the Cape, and got, liberty to use the official press. He "set up" the matter Avith his own hands, and was soon able to return in triumph to the station with copies of Luke's Gospel and his own hymns. By 1840, tlie translation of the New Testament was completed ; and before 1843 thousands of copies had been distributed, Moffat having super- intended the printing in London, during a short visit home. At this point Moffat's story gets interlaced with that of Livingstone. David Livingstone was born at ]31antyre, in Lanarkshire, in the year 1813. At the age of ten he went to work in a cotton-fiictory, and for many years was engaged as an operative. An evening school furnished him with the oppor- tunity of acquiring some knowledge of Latin and Greek ; and after attending a course of medicine at Glasgow University, and the theological lectures of the late Dr. Wardlaw, he offered himself to the London Missionary Society, by whom he was ordained in 1840. In the summer of that year he landed on the shores of South Africa. Circumstances made him acquainted with Moffat, whose daughter he subsequently married. Moffat was then permanently attached to Kuruman station, at that time the most distant outpost of the missionaries ; but Livingstone at once penetrated two hundred miles further north, as far as Kolobeng, animated by a desire to carry the blessings of Christianity into the densely populated, but mysterious regions of the African interior. While Livingstone was wandering among the Bakwains, in retire- ment at Lepeloli, or labouring at Kolobeng, Moffat was i^ushing on with his translation of the Old Testament, amid ill health and much loss of strength. DA VI D LI VINGSTONE. 1 3 He worked without a pause, for the cause of the gospel was prospering, and each fresh proof of its power was with him only an incentive to effort. In 1849, Livingstone resolved to leave Kolobeng, the station he was then occu2:)ying, and push his "way further into the interior. Taking, therefore, a northerly direction, and pursuing it for about throe hundred miles, and at no slight suffering to themselves and their cattle, from the difficulty of the road and the want of water, they were not less surprised than delighted, on emerging, at the end of a month, from a dreary region, the principal produc- tions in which were the camel-thorn and other characteristic growtlis of tlie African desert, to find themselves upon the banks of the Zouga, a noble and exquisitely beautiful river, flowing south-east, richly fringed with fruit-bear- ing and other trees, some of them of gigantic growth, and new to our travellers. Keceived with a frank, and evidently cordial welcome from the Bayeiye, the natives of tlie soil, and learning from tlieni that the Zouga flowed out of the Lake N'gami, which was still three hundred miles distant, Livingstone, while his waggon slowly followed the windings of the stream, embarked in a rude native canoe, hollowed out of the trunk of a tree, and, paddled by these inland sailors, lie proceeded up the Zouga, calling, on liis way, at many of the villages wliich nestled in the broad bolt of reeds, or amongst the limestone rocks which form its margin. As ho advanced, the stream flowed wider and deeper, and the missionary's heart expanded witli the hope that it w^ould jirove one of the highw^ays through which Christianity and its attendants, civilisation and commerce, might find a free course into the hitherto inaccessible interior of Africa. He jiursued his way until he reached the much-desired Lake N'gami, and looked across its broad Avaters to a shoreless expanse in one direction, and to the dim outline of the distant coast in another, with the hallowed joy of a missionary discoverer. In the following year, accompanied by his wife and family, and by Secliele, the chief of the Bakwains, Livingstone paid his second visit to tliis newly-dis- covered region ; but this time his leading design of reaching the country of Sebituane was frustrated by the unexpected prevalence of marsh-fever, and of the venomous fly called " tsetse," so destructive of cattle. Having acquired Buch knowledge of the district as to satisfy him that neither would afford a salubrious centre for a new mission, and as sickness began to prevail among his party, he was reluctantly compelled to return to his station, and again to postpone the accomplishment of his object. In the spring of 1851, Livingstone once more left Kolobeng for the north. Hoping and believing that he would be able permanently to remain and labour in the remote, yet populous region he had discovered, he took with him again his wife and their little ones, prepared, as some might have regarded it, to bury himself and his family in the very depths of African solitudes and savagism. It was a noble venture — Christian liercism in one of 14 STANLEY AND AFRICA. its sublimest forms. At length they reached Linyanti. Here Sebituane received them with the greatest kindness ; and proposed to bring their "wag- gons across the Chobe, in his canoes, tliat they might be placed beyond tlio reach of the marauding Matabele. It was impossible not to see the unbounded delight which the chief felt in the presence of his visitors, or to question tlie intensity of his desire for the residence of a missionary amongst his people. Long before daylight, he was by Livingstone's fire, relating tlie adventures and disasters of his eventful history. For many years lie had been anxious for intercourse with Europeans ; and, with tliis view, had sent large presents to chiefs residing at a distance, to induce them to promote this object. On the day after Livingstone's arrival he conducted religious services amongst tlie people. These proved the last as well as the first at which Sebituane was present ; and upon this account the missionary looked back upon them with mingled feelings of sorrow and satisfaction, for, just as the chief began to see the accomplishment of his long-cherished desire, he was seized with j^neumonia, and in a fortnight expired. Livingstone felt his loss severely ; but the i^eople gathered round him, and said, "Do not leave us; though Sebituane is dead, his children remain ; and you must treat them as you would have treated him." The country at which he had now arrived pre- sented, for hundreds of miles, a dead level, interlaced by a perfect labyrinth of rivers, with their countless tributaries, and numerous entering and re-enter- ing branches. But after a residence of two months, Livingstone was con- vinced, that though rich and fertile in an extraordinary degree, the periodical rise of its numerous streams, and the prevalence of the destructive " tsetse, " formed fatal objections to it as a missionary centre. It was during his stay here, that Livingstone first visited that magnificent stream whose course to the Mozambique Channel he subsequently traced. In difi'erent parts of its course, it bears the name of Secheke, Leeambj'e, and Zambesi. ^Hio can describe the missionary's joy in thus finding what he then believed, and has since proved to be, the key of Southern and Central Africa ! Deep as was the interest he felt in the scenery now spread out before him, that interest was chiefly concentrated upon the inhabitants of this fino region. Having obtained so auspicious an introduction to them, he resolved to cultivate their acquaintance, in the belief that the gospel, with its accom- joanying 2:)0wer and results, would make them a great and prosperous jDeoplo. Filled with these purposes, his heart swelling with large anticipations and generous designs, he once more retraced his steps, partly over the weary way he had previously traced, and partly upon the Tamunacle and the Zouga, rejoicing as one who findeth great spoil. On reaching the latter river, Livingstone thus refers to the future, under date October 1, 1851 : — "You will see by the accompanying sketch what an immense region God has in his Providence opened up I BEGINNING OF LI VINGSTONE'S EIPL OR A TI ONS. 1 5 tliink it -will be impossible to make a fair commencement, unless I can secure two years devoid of family cares. It has occurred to me that as we must send our children to England soon, it will be no great additional expense to send them now along with their mother. This arrangement would enable me to proceed alone, and devote abuut two, or perhaps three years to this new region. To orphanise my children will be like tearing out my bowels; but when I can find time to write fully, you will perceive it is the only way, except giving up the region altogether. "When we consider the multitudes which, in the providence of God, have been brought to light in the country of Sebiluane — the probability that, in our efforts to evangelise, we shall put a stop to the slave-trade in a largo region, and by means of the highway into the north which we have discovered, bring unknown nations within the sympathies of the Christian world, if I were to choose my lot, it would be to I'educe this new language, translate the Bible into it, and be the means of forming a church. Let this be accomplished, I think I could then lay down and die contented." In God's providence this was the beginning of Livingstone's explorations ; we must now leave him, to be dealt with more at large in his character as a tra- veller, in a subsequent jmrt of the work, and return to the Avork of MoffLit. That the reports of Moffat's good work had already travelled far into the unknown countries, was proved by the fact that, while Livingstone was on the Zambesi, he learned from the natives there that the English had come to Moselekatse, and told him that it was wrong to fight and kill ; and that since the English had come he had sent out his men, not to kill and plunder, but to collect tribute of cloth and money. There can be no doubt that this rumour, spreading further inland, prepared the way for Livingstone's extra- ordinary journeys. And whilst Livingstone was thus engaged, Moffat was planning how to help him. His health had suffered from the close ap^^lica- tion, continued now through years, to the translation of the Scriptures. Ho was urged to return to England for a time. Instead, he resolved to recruit himself by a trip to the Limj^opo district, several days' journey to the north of Kolobeng, where Moselekatse and his people had settled when they were driven from their old quarters. He was kindly received by the king, now grievously ill of dropsy, and, after some time, obtained permission to preach to the people. He also prescribed for the king's ailment, and secured his interest in Livingstone's travels, getting him to forward men with letters and supplies to Linyanti, on the Chobe River, two or three hundred miles to the north, which letters and supplies, as we know, were received by Livingstone from the Makololo people, who had taken them in charge, nearly a year aftex'- wards. Livingstone's visit to England, in 1856, had the effect of wondrously reviving the interest in African missions; and the London Society resolved to establish missions among the Matabele and Makololo. Naturally Moffat was overjoyed at receiving this news. It was what he had for forty j-oars re STANLEY AND AFRICA. been working for. His translation of the Scrijotures into the Sechuana tongue — dialects of ■which, not varying much from each other, are spoken over almost the wliolc of South Africa as far as the Equator — could now be cast abroad to do its work. The undertaking had been a very trying one in the circum- stances, and Moffat's healtli had suQ'ered from the close application which for many years had been required from him. But now the task was finished — a task which of itself would have been enough to give to Moff'at a place among the greatest of human benefactors, even had he not been the adventu- rous missionary he was. The great missionary himself has given us a very remarkable instance of the power of the Scriptures over the heathen mind — an instance which forms quite a romantic episode. " In one of my early journeys," he says, " with some of my companions, we came to a heathen village on the banks of the Orange River, between Namaqua Land and the Griqua countr3\ Wc had travelled far, and were hungry, thirsty, and fatigued. From the fear of being exposed to lions, we preferred remaining at the village to proceeding during the night. The people at the village rather roughly directed us to halt at a distance. "\Vc asked water, but they would not supply it. I off'ered the three or four buttons which still remained on my jacket for a little milk ; this also was refused. "We had the prospect of another hungry night, at a distance from water, though within sight of the river. We found it difficult to recon- cile ourselves to our lot ; for, in addition to repeated rebuffs, the manners of the villagers excited our suspicion. "When twilight drew on, a woman approached from the heights beyond which the village lay. She bore on her head a bundle of wood, and had a vessel of milk in her hand. The latter, without opening her lips, she handed to us, laid down the wood, and returned to the village. A second time she approached, with a cooking vessel on her head, and a leg of mutton in one hand, and water in the other. She sat down without saying a word, prepared the fire, and put on the meat. We asked her again and again who she was. She remained silent till affectionately entreated to give us a reason for such unlooked-for kindness to strangers. The solitary tear stole down her sable check when she replied, ' I love Him whose servants you are ; and surely it is my duty to give 5'ou a cup of cold water in His name ; my heart is full, therefore I cannot speak the joy I feel to see you in this out-of-the-way place.' " She was a lonelj^ disciple indeed, and her only means of keeping the spiritual life awake within her was a copy of the Dutch New Testament, which she had got years before, when in a missionary school, previous to removing with her relatives far up the countr}-. Realising the great opportunity that was now given to spread the gospel in the interior, Moffat declined to seek the rest he so much needed ; and in spite of the risks of African travel and his advanced years, resolved to visit his old friend Moselekatse again, in order to further the proposed C H A S I f< G ! H [ S T H I C H THE MATABELE AND MAKOLOLO MISSIONS. 17 eettlenient of missionaries. He was this time received Avitli great enthusiasm, both by king and people ; they had been longing for another visit from him. The king was willing to receive the teachers, if Moffat would only stay with them ; but when ho found that this Avas impracticable, he consented to receive them on any condition. It was during this visit that Moffat's influence with Moselekatse was so clearly shown by his obtaining the release of Macheng, the son of the late king of the Bamangwatos. Macheng's father had been killed In an engagement, and the child had been taken prisoner some time afterwards, when he was under the care of the Bechuana chief, Sechele. Ho had been so bereft for sevci-al years. Moffat accompanied him to. his own country. There were great rejoicings over the deliverance of the young chief. "Is it not through the love of God that Macheng is among us to- day ?" said Sechele. "A stranger, one of a nation — who of you knows its distance from us? — he makes himself one of us, enters the lion's abode, and brings out to us our own blood." One of the Matabele, who had acccmpanied Moffat and Macheng, now assured the assembled multitude that Moselekatse desired nothing but to live in amity with them. Sechele and his people were overjoyed to hear such words from the representative of a tribe which, though distant from them, had been, till now, a terror to them both by night and by day. Moffat now proceeded to Cape Town to meet Livingstone, who was on his w^ay to the Zambesi. They liad not seen each other for six years. And the joy of the meeting may be imagined. But Livingstone's halt was short. He proceeded on his great expedition ; and in a few months more Moffat was once again at Cape Town, welcoming the new missionaries, among whom was his own son. At Kuruman they divided into two bands. One party «'ent' under charge of Mr. Helmore, Avho had been for many years stationed at Likatloug, northwards to the land of Makololo ; the otiier went forward, in the care of Mr. Moffat, to Moselekatse's country, where they were not only received kindly, but met with a sort of triumphal reception. Thus auspici- ously the missionaries reached the settlement oi Matabele. This mission has been very successful. Moselekatse died some years after its commencement ; but his successor, Lobengole, is as favourably disposed towards the mission- aries as he was. The Makololo mission, however, did not fare so well. A series of misfortunes awaited it, the story of which has been told very graphic- ally by the Rev. John Mackenzie in his volume, " Ten Years North of the Orange River." We must turn to him and his companions for a little space. It had been one of the inducements to the establishment of these missions that the chief of the Makololo had agreed with Livingstone to shift from the swamps of Linyanti to the north bank of the Zambesi, on missionaries being settled amongst them ; whilst, at the same time, it was believed tliat Moffat's influence with Moselekatse was so strong as to be trusted to induce 3 18 STANLEY AND AFRICA. him to desist from any kind of armed interference -with the Makololo. !Mr. Mackenzie, and the appointed brctliren to tliis settlement, anticipated diffi- culty in the accomplishment of tlie plan (for tlie removal of a tribe is a hard matter, even thougli the chief has promised), just as they looked forward to many sufferings in their journey ; and, indeed, it is doubtful whether tliey would have been brave enough to have set out at all, liad it not been that Livingstone had promised to meet them at Linyanti and to make them known to the people. The journey proved trying beyond all their expectations. They had their due share of disapjoointments and hindi'ances between Cape Town and Kuruman ; but the last stage was little short of being only a succession of misfortunes. Through Bushman's Land, where, on more than one occa- sion, the track was lost, they proceeded slowly ; now waiting for guides, now in terror of lions, now delayed by the breaking of waggon-wheels, the sinking of the Avaggons in the sand, or the want of water. " I had to exercise my skill as a waggon-mender," says Mr. Mackenzie. " I had to put in a false nave in one of the wheels, which, with my materials, was a most difficult undertaking. A shoemaker, or a cabinet-maker, making and inserting a sot of false teeth, would be in a position somewhat analogous to mine." Now and then, owing to the fact that, in some districts in the hot season, there may be no water for hundreds of miles, the party had frequently to take indirect roads. Often there were difficulties with the guides. Tliey would disappear in search of water for themselves at the most critical points, and all that was then left for the party was simply to unyoke the oxen and take such rest as they could. When they reached the Zouga, they were warned against pro- ceeding towards Linyanti because of the tsetse ; and they were told tliat all the teachers who had gone last year to Makololo were dead save one. Thero was now therefore nothing for it but that the missionaries should turn their backs on Linyanti. They preached in various villages on their way, and, at length reached Kuruman, glad to find themselves once more in a Christian home. Just when another journey to Makololo Land was being meditated by Mr. Mackenzie, the news reached Kuruman of the chief's death. There was a contest for the chieftainship, and much bloodshed followed. The tribe was so decimated by internecine strife, that it soon became a prey to their weaker neighboms, who had formerly been periodically despoiled by it, and who now united to put an end to the existence of the common enemy. Mackenzie then settled at Shoshong, the capital of the Bamangwatos country, on the borders of the Kalihari Desert; and continued to labour here, with short intervals of absence, during which he was engaged elsewhere, until 1870, when he returned to England. After a brief season of repose he went back to the scene of his many toils, and is still patiently pursuing his arduous work. Speaking of his success, he says — " I am persuaded, that the new THE WESLEYAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. ![> religion has taken such root at Shoshong as that, with a supply of Christian literature, it would not readily disappeai', even if left to itself." As for Moffat, Kuruman was with him henceforth but a centre for many and varied points of interest. His son, Islv. John Moffat, who camo to Kuru- man to act as his father's assistant in preaching and 2:)rinting, tells how liis father, though then threescore and ten, shared with him tlie labour of riding to distant villages to preach or hold jjrayer-mcetings. But the mitiring energy of the noble veteran could not hold out for ever; and in 1870, he returned to England, after a service in the most trying portions of the missionary field, extending over ujDwards of fifty yeai's. Looking back over his life, it seems a very marvellous one. lie himself can summarise the result of his labours and that of his brother missionaries thus : — " Christianity has already accom- plished much. AVhen first I went to Kuruman scarcely an individual could go beyond. Now they travel in safety as far as the Zambesi. Then we were strangers, and they could not miderstand us. "We were treated with indig- nity as the outcasts of society, who, driven from among our own race, took refuge with them. Bearing in remembrance what our Saviour underwent, we persevered, and much success has rewarded our efforts. Now it is safe to traverse any part of the country, and traders travel far bej^ond Kuruman without fear of molestation. Formerly men of one native tribe could not travel through another's territory, and wars were frequent. Where one station was scarcely tolerated, now there are several. Very prosperous is our advanced station with the Matebele, who, I quite expect, Avill one day become a great nation. They sternly obey their OAvn laws ; and I have noticed that when men of fixed principles become convinced of the truth of Christianity, they hold firmly to the faitli and are not liglitly shaken." At present the London Missionary Society has about thirty luiropean missionaries labouring in South Africa, besides a number of native teachers, and, though they have to complain of manj^ discouragements, they yet rejoice that their labour is not in vain. In the year 1814, the "Wesleyan Missionary Society began to take its share in the evangelisation of Southern Africa, when the Rev. J. M'Kenny was sent out as the first missionary. He arrived in Cape ToAvn on the 7th of August; but such was the jealousy of the Government authorities at that period that he was not allowed to open his commission, or to preach in the colony, although he produced credentials of tlie most satisfactory character. He was therefore instructed by th.e Missionary Committee to proceed to Ceylon. They were not disposed, however, to relinquish their efforts for the spiritual welfare of the degraded tribes of Soutliern Africa, in conse- quence of the comparative failure of their first experiment, and next ap- pointed the Rev. Barnabas Shaw to attempt tlio commencement of a mission to the Cape colony. On his arrival at Cape Town, in 1815, he presented 20 STANLEY AND AFRICA. his credentials to the governor, hut met with no hetter success than liis prede- cessor. His excellency declined to give him permission to jjreach in Caj^c Town, on the ground tliat the English and the Dutch colonists were provided with ministers, whilst the owners of slaves were unwilling to have them religiously instructed. £ Mr. Shaw naively says, " Having been refused the sanction of the governor, I was resolved what to do, and commenced without it on the following Sabbath, My congregations at first were chiefly composed of pious soldiers; and it was in a room hired by them that I first preached Christ and Him crucified in South Africa." Although it would appear that the Government authorities took no notice for the time being of tliis infringement of their regulations, yet the spirit of prejudice against missionary eflorts prevailed among the colonists to such an extent, that Mr. Shaw was much discouraged, as he saw little pro- spect of good in Cape Town. Under these circumstances he longed for an opening to preach the gospel to the heathen in the interior, where he would not be subject to the annoyances and hindrances which he experienced in the colony. At length an opj^ortunity was aff'orded of engaging in this enter- prise. One of the agents of the London Missionary Society came to Capo Town from Great Namaqua Land on a visit, and he made such representations of the openings for missionary labour in that country, that Mr. Shaw and his wife resolved to accompany him on his return, according to his kind invitation. Leaving Cape Town, the missionary party had pursued their toilsome journey -for nearly a month, and had crossed the Elephant River, when, by a remark- able providence, Mr. Shaw found an opening for a suitable sphere of labour. He actually met with the chief of Little Namaqua Land, accompanied by four men, on his way to Cape Town to seek for a Christian teacher. Having heard his afiectiug story, and being deeply impressed with the fact that the finger of God was pointing in the direction in which he ought to go, the mis- sionary agreed to accompany the chief to his mountain home, and to take up his abode with him and his people. About three weeks afterwards, they reached Lily Fountain, the principal home of the tribe of Little Namaquas ; and the foundation of an interesting mission was laid, which, from that day to this, has continued to exercise a most beneficial influence on all around. - On reaching the end of their journey, and outspanning for the night, a council was held by the chief and some of his head men resiDCcting the arrival of the missionary, when they all entreated him to remain with them, and pro- rSised to assist him in every possible way. He, therefore, immediately opened his commission by proclaiming the glad tidings of salvation, and by teaching both old and young the elements of religion, and the use of letters. It was trying work, and required much patience ; but labour, prayei-, faith, jaerse- verance, were eventually rewarded v/ith success. A number of children and young people learned to read with tolerable facility ; and a native church CIVILISING INFLUENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 21 \s'as formed of faithful members, who were a credit to their religious profes- sion. At the same time the civilising influences of Christianity wore brought to bear upon the people ; and, from year to year, their temporal condition was materially improved. AVhilst the missionary was thus endeavouring to instruct the people, he had to labour hard at intervals to build a house to live in, and a humble sanctuary for the worship of God. In the accomplishment of these undertakings many difficulties had to bo overcome. The people, althougli willing to assist, had never been accustomed to continuous labour, and ludicrous scenes were witnessed in the progress of the work. When the buildings were ready for the roofs, no trees fit for timber could be found within a day's journey of the statioii ; but when they arrived at the place, the missionary produced for the first time his cross-cut saw, himself working at one end and a Namaqua at the other. Great was the joy of the people on beholding tlic result, and they could scarcely be restrained from cutting more timber than was required,- on account of their delight at witnessing the per- formance of the instrument as one tree after another fell to the ground. Nor were their delight and surprise the less on seeing the first plough set to work, whicli the missionary liad made chiefly with his own liands. The old chief stood u2:)on a hill for some time in mute astonisliment. At length he called to his councillors, at a short distance, saying, " Come and see the strange thing. Look how it tears up the ground with its iron moutli ! If it goes on so all the day, it will do more work than ten wives ! " Hitherto tlie worlc of tilling the ground had been left to the women and slaves ; but the introduction ^ of the gospel into the country was destined to mark a new era in agricultural pursuits, as well as in the moral condition of the j)eoiile. Mr. Shaw had taken with him to Africa a few garden seeds, the rapid growtli of which amused the natives very much ; but when they saw the use to which the let- tuce and other salads were appropriated, they laughed heartily, saying, " If the missionary and his wife can cat grass, they need never starve ! " When the mission was- fully organised, Mr. Shaw required assistance, and, in 1818, the Rev. E. Edwards was sent out from England to join him. On his arrival at Cape Town, as there was no waggon to convey him and his baggage to the scene of his future labours, lie performed the journey, a distance of nearly four hundred miles, on horseback — a feat which gave good promise that he was made of the true missionary metal, Avhich was amply verified in after years. Scarcely any of the natives understood either Dutch, or English, and the missionary had to preach through the medium of an interpreter ; but now all the services are conducted in the Dutch language, which is generally undei'stood both by old and young, whilst a few are gradually becoming acquainted with English. A brief account of one or two visits paid to this interesting station in recent years, will give some idea of the progress that has been made. Speaking of a visit in the month of July, 22 STANLEY AND AFRICA. 1853, the Rev. W. Moistcr, says — "After a toilsome journey through the wil- derness, we arrived at Bethel, on Friday, the 1-ith, and were glad to find that the resident missionary, the Rev. J. A. Bailie, and the people of the station, had already removed to the Underveldt for the winter months. Saturday was spent in conversing with Mr. Bailie and a few of the head men on various matters pertaining to the religious and temporal interests of the institution, the result of which was very satisfactory. Towards evening, a nuraher of natives arrived at the station from distant places, some in waggons and others on horseback, to be ready for the services of the Sabbath. At an early hour on Sunday morning, we were awoke by the singing of the natives, who had already assembled iu the adjoining chapel to hold their usual prayer-meeting. We immediately arose, and joined them in their devotions. The prayers were offered partly in Dutch, and partly in Namaqua; and, although wo could not understand all that was said, their suj^plications were apparently so fervent and so sincere, that we felt it good to be there. At ten o'clock the writer preached to an attentive congregation, of about two hundred Namaquas, Mr. Bailie kindl}^ interpreting. There was an evident manifesta- tion of Divine influence, and it was a season long to be remembered." The same gentleman jiaid a second visit to this station, in the month of October, 1855, and under more favourable circumstances for more thoroughly examining its condition. The j^eople had just completed the erection of a beautiful new chapel, capable of accommodating six hundred persons, built of stone, in the Gothic style of architecture, at a cost of about £1000 ; and yet it had been erected by their united efforts and contributions, without any foreign aid, with the exception of the gift of the pulpit by a few friends in Cape Town. It is a striking monument of the genius, zeal, and liberality of both the missionary and his flock, as well as a tangible proof of the progress of religion and civilisation among a people whom the gospel has raised from a state of the deepest moral degradation. The new chapel was filled with a congregation of deeply-attentive and well-dressed natives ; and at the first of the opening services the collection amounted to £1G, 4s., although luoney is but little used in that country. One hundred and eighty-four persons were found united in church fellowship, and three hundred scholars are attending the mission schools. Abundant evidences also aj^peared of material progress and improvement in the temporal affairs of the people. About seven hun- dred acres of land had been brought under cultivation; and the natives belonging to the institution owned about one hundred ploughs, thirty wag- gons, two thousand five hundred horned cattle, four hundred horses, and seven thousand sheep and goats. The good work of civilisation and reli- gious instruction has also been extended to Norap, Kaauewgoed, Vlekte, Roodebergs, Kloof, and other out-stations, with much advantage to tho jieopla. MURDER OF THE REV. W. Til RE LF ALL. 23 In tlic year 1825, the way for the extension of the work to Great Nama- qua Land seemed to open. The Rev. W. Threlfall, accompanied by two native teachers, started thither on a journey of observation. They were mounted on oxen, after the fashion of the country, and travelled without molestation till they had got two or three days' journey beyond the Orange River. At this point they came in contact with troublesome wandering tribes of Bushmen. Although they had with them a few goods for barter, they suffered mucli for want of food, the peoj^le being unfriendly and unwil- ling to suppl}^ them. They obtained a guide at a certain Bushman's village; but he and his companions formed a plot for the destruction of the whole mission party, that they might take possession of their effects. The follow- ing night, while Mr. Threlfall and his com2)anions were sleeping under a bush as usual, without the slightest apprehension of danger, their foes came upon them, and murdered them in cold blood. And although the principal culprit was afterwards apprehended, tried, condemned, and executed for his crime, the sad disaster cast a gloom over the mission cause, and put an end, for the time, to any further attempts to establish a mission to the north of the Orange River. In 1832, however, the way seemed to open once more, and a mission was started, which has been continued, with various fluctuations, to the present time. The Wcsleyan Methodists have a considerable number of missionaries, and some thousands of converts in the eastern province of the Cape colony. They began their labours in 1820, and have continued them ever since, seeking to benefit both the settlers and the native tribes. The Rev. W. Shaw was honoured to labour in that part of the country, for nearly fifty years, with remarkable success. The Rev. S. Kay was also among the success- ful workers in this field. He describes, in his " History of Mission Work in Caffraria," a missionary meeting, at which seven native chiefs, together with a number of civil and military officers from the colony, were present. On this occasion all the chiefs spoke with ardour and eloquence in favour of the Christian religion— the " Great "Word," as they emphatically called it, and expressed their full conviction that the labours of the missionaries, independ- ently of their spiritual benefits, had tended greatly to joromote the peace and prosperity of their country. The various stations of Wesleyville, Mount Coke, Butterworth, Kew Morley, Clarkebury, Buntingville, Shawbury, Pal- merton, form a continuous chain from Graham's Town to Natal ; and the Christian traveller may now prosecute his jom-ney from the one extremity to the other in perfect safety, and receive a welcome greeting, and the rites of hospitality, at many a smiling home in the wilderness through which he is obliged to j^ass, which was not the case in former times. Every one of the mission stations is an asylum for the oppressed and afflicted, as Avell as a school of Christ, in which may be learned the lessons of His love ; and every 24 STANLEY AND AFRICA. missionary is a friend of the persecuted outcast. Often has tlio life of the poor doomed victim been spared at the intercession of the man of God ; and many a time has the homeless fugitive found shelter in the " city of refuge." It is a pleasing fact that Christian schools for tlie instruction of the rising generation have been established in connection with each station, where many have been taught the word of God for themselves ; and it is a still more pleasing fact that thousands Iiavc found forgiveness for their sins, and everlasting life. Far away in the Bccliuana country, something has been done also by Wes- ley an missionaries. In the year 1822, they made their first attempt to plant the standard of the cross in that region ; and, although it partly failed at the commencement, in consequence of the sickness of the missionaries and the unsettled state of the country, it was afterwards renewed with more favour- able results. Remnants of various scattered tribes have, from time to time, gathered around the missionaries, and, through their influence, liave settled down and become a comparatively prosperous and happy 2oeople. A town has gradually grown up, which now contains a population of ten thousand — probably the largest assemblage of natives in one spot in any part of Southern Africa. In the colony of Natal tlic Wesleyan missionaries are laborious and suc- cessful. At Marii'zburg, at D'Urban, at Ladysmith, at Verulam, at Umhlali, and other places, they conduct services for the benefit of the English, and also the natives. One feature of tlieir work in Natal is peculiarly interesting — we allude to the Mission to the Indian Coolies settled there. To meet the alleged demand for continuous labour on the sugar, coffee, and other estates, several shiploads of Coolies were imported to the colony some years ago, to the num- ber of six or seven thousand. These were collected from almost every town of our Indian Empire, and spoke no fewer than ten different languages. Two missionaries are constantly engaged in itinerating among the estates where these Coolies are located, preaching to them in their own tongue Christ and Ilim crucified at eighty difierent places, the extremes of which are one hun- dred miles apart. While the work of the Wesleyan Missionary Society in Natal is of this mixed cliaracter, it must be remembered that its i)rime object is the evangelisation of the native Zoolas. Before we take leave of the efforts of this Society in Southern Africa, we may just glance at the aggregate statis- tical results of the joast half century, so far as they can be tabulated. There are seventy missionaries jireaching the gospel in the vernacular tongues of the people to whom they minister ; eleven thousand five hundred and twenty- four churcli members of difierent nations and tribes of people ; and twelve thousand three hundred and forty-three scholars receiving instruction in the mission schools. It is a note-worthy fact also that the Holy Scriptures, hymn- books, catechisms, and otlier religious publications, have been translated into THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE MISSION. 25 five or six different languages, by the missionaries, for the use of the natives. Some of these languages had never been written when they undertook the task of reducing them to a grammatical form. To the Rev. W. B. Boyce belongs the honour of compiling the first Caffre grammar, and of unravelling the intricacies of one of the most difficult languages of Southern Africa. The Oxford and Cambridge Central African Mission in connection with the Church of England deserves a place in our chapter on mission work in Southern and Central Africa. The geographical discoveries of Dr. Living- stone, when told by himself on his visit to this countxy in 1856, awakened a profound and wide-spread interest. The unaffected and simple bearing of the great traveller, the evident high principles of the man, the resolute will, and calm, conscious, self-possessed power that had carried him through the toils and perils of his sixteen years' African research, opened all hearts to his story. It had its side of interest for every one and for every class. For the scientific, in the fresh materials it contributed to the geography of the great terra incognito ; for the merchant, in the new regions it threw open to his enterprise, and tlie highway of waters it revealed for the exchanges of com- merce ; for the curious, in the narrative of strange adventures and hair- breadth escapes, in regions and amongst tribes hitherto unknown ; and lastly, and chiefly, for the Christian philanthropist, from the fresh hopes it insj^ired of penetrating the solid darkness of the Central African continent, and striking an effectual blow at its accursed traffic in its own children. Livingstone knew how to turn the position he had gained to the account of the cause for which his geographical researches had been prosecuted. He carried out his noble maxim, which we quoted at the beginning of this chapter. With a mind thoroughly unsectarian, he appealed to all sections of the Church, and alike to Episcopalians and Nonconformists. His visit to Cambridge about a year after his return was amongst the most remarkable events of his home life. His reception was an ovation. His lecture on the occasion closed with words that could not be forgotten in an assembly composed at once of the grave and reflective, and of the impressive, ardent, and enterprising minds of the Uni- versity. " I'll go back," said he, " to Africa to try to make an open path for commerce and Christianity. Do you carry out the work which I have begun. I leave it with you." The seed which Livingstone sowed in that lecture ripened slowly. A dead lull succeeded the storm of enthusiasm, and Livingstone and his Africans seemed forgotten. He was not however to be altogether disaj^pointed. There was labouring among the Caffres at the time an earnest devoted man, Charles Frederick Mackenzie by name, who had taken a high place in Cambridge University, and who had gone out some time before to preach among the heathen the unsearchable riches of Christ. The energy and zeal of Mac- kenzie were apostolic. In his wilderness home at Umhlali, in the Caffre school, 4 26 STANLEY AND AFRICA. or In the midst of the Caffre village, and the native infant churches, he found scope for his simple, earnest, Christian faith and work. There, as he rejoiced in the abundance of his congenial labour, and thought of the brief twelve hours of the Sabbath day on which it had mainly to be wrought, he wrote home — " My only regret is, that I cannot make more of my Sunday than what I do. I wish I could say, like Joshua, ' Sun, stand thou still.' " The labours for which he would thus have stayed the too rapid sun, his sister has chronicled. It is a roll of service, the bare reading of which is enough to quicken all Christian labourers to greater diligence. " His Sunday labours," she says, " are very intense. He has short early Caffre prayers, then breakfast at half-past seven. Full service at the camp for the soldiers at nine. It is about two miles off. As soon as he comes back the congregation is assembling here, and his horse is saddled for him to mount as soon as the service is over. He has another service at Mount Moreland, about sixteen miles off, at three P. M. In coming here he pointed out the spot where his horse always knows he may walk instead of trotting, to allow him to eat his dinner of sandwiches. This ride in the hot sun is very knocking-up, both for him and his horse, lie told us he was in similar circumstances to Elijah, as the brook he used to drink fi'om was now dried up. His horse is again ready for him when this service is over, and he rides to Verulam, either four or six miles, where he has service at six p. m. He goes to sup with a kind Dutch lady, and spends the night with Mr. . This is Monday, and it is getting dark, and he has not returned, and he tells us perhaps he may not always return home till Tuesday, but do parish visiting work at that end of his parish while he is there." The missionary labours, and the brief residence of Mackenzie in South Africa, were abruptly closed by his proceeding to England, in prosecution of arrangements for the appointment of a Missionary Bishop to the Zoola country. The Oxford and Cambridge Mission, which had been slowly organ- ising since the period of Livingstone's visit, had received a fresh impulse at the time of Mackenzie's return. An enthusiastic meeting had been addressed at Cambridge by Mr. Gladstone, Sir George Grey, and the Bishop of Oxford ; the Society had been constituted, and its objects defined. The field chosen was South Central Africa ; and the object of the mission announced to be the establishment of one or two more stations as centres of Christianity and civilisation. With the Christian instruction of the natives, there was to be kept specially in view the promotion of agriculture, lawful commerce, and ultimate extirpation of the slave-trade. The mission was cast after the conception of those early mission monasteries to which England and Germany owed their Christianity and first lessons in civilisation, only free from their monastic restraints. It was to be a settlement practically to illustrate Christian life, and from whence, as a centre, to spread Christian truth. Six BISHOP MACKENZIE. 27 •clergymen, with a bislioj) at their head ; a physician, surgeon, or medical practitioner, and artificers skilled in building, husbandry, and especiall}' in the cotton plant, were to constitute, at the starting, the missionary staflF. For ways and means the Society proposed to raise £20,000 to meet the cost of establishing the mission, and to guarantee, for five years, a subscription of £2,000 per annum for its annual support. The scheme was planned on a scale worthy of the Universities ; and if the ultimate choice of a location had corresponded with the sagacity of the preliminary arrangements, its brief history would have presented a less discouraging record of failure. The most anxious of the preliminary steps was the selection of a leader for the enter- prise. The difficult}^ was being keenly felt, when Mackenzie, re-appearing at Cambridge like one, as it was said, who had dropped from the clouds, was at once recognised as the man to head the mission. As a distinguished fellow of Caius College, and a favourite with all classes of the University, he pos- sessed no slight recommendations for the leadership of a mission to which it was desired, from the first, to attach a distinctively academic character. His personal character, in its strength of will and energy of purpose, his child- like faith, and gentle qualities of heart, were well known. Three years of African residence and missionary training, had added practical experience to his natural and Christian qualifications ; while his tall, robust, manly form, developed into increased strength during the years of his absence, presented the model of the physical power before which savage natives instinctively bow, and that promised endurance in conflict with the fever-shocks and sustained hardshijos of an African wilderness settlement. No sooner was his return known, than the invitation was given him to occupy the position of leader in the new enterprise. He had been in the gallery of the Senate House, in company with some friends, on the occasion of the enthusiastic meeting at which the organisation of the Society had been arranged, and in harmony with his calmer tone of mind, had remarked to one of them, "I am afraid of this ; most great works of this kind have been carried on by one or two men in a quieter way, and have had a more humble beginning." If he did not share in the excitement of the meeting, he felt all the more profoundly the claims of the new mission, and, when summoned to its head, a brief season sufiiced for his decision. Mackenzie accepted the leadership of the mission, and sailed for Africa. At Cape Town, he was consecrated " Bishop of the Mission to the Tribes dwelling in the Neighbourhood of the Lake Nyanza and the River Shire." By arrangements with Dr. Livingstone, the missionary jjarty was conveyed up the Zambesi and Shire in the small steamer which the Government had placed at the command of the traveller. Eight weeks were spent in a voyage of two hundred miles — the strength of the streams, the sharp bends of these xivers. the sand-banks and other unlooked-for difficulties, retarding their 28 STANLEY AND AFRICA. progress. During his ascent of the Shire, Mackenzie wrote — " My hands are sore and cramped with hauling cables, and handling chains and anchors. The fact is, that we have been aground as many hours as we have been afloat, and the last stick has been the most troublesome of all." The emergencies of the voyage brought out the finest traits of the bishop's character. Living- stone was in admiration of the man, and speaks in the highest terms in his letters of the period of his character, and fitness for the enterprise. The termination of the river voyage at Chibisa was the commencement of an arduous land exploration. A settlement on the higli lands, under the wing of some friendly chief, had still to be sought out, and Livingstone, for a fort- night, accomijanied them in the search. A powerful aggressive tribe, the Aiawa, were in progress of overrunning that part of the country, settling on the lands they wrested from the feebler occupants, and disposing of the conquered tribes to the Portuguese slave-dealers. The chief of one of the assailed and weaker tribes, who had been known to Livingstone on his former visit, earnestly urged the settlement of the mission party in his territory, in the hoj^e, as it afterwards appeared, of their assisting him against his encroach- ing and powerful enemy. The country thus chosen for the mission settlement presented many of the grander features of the Alpine African region. From a hill, which be- came the favourite resort of the members of the mission when their day's work was over, the eye wandered over a vast plain, covered with luxui-iant vegetation, broken occasionally by sharp conical heights, and skirted on all sides with lofty mountains. To the north, Zomba, with its flat, table-like top, rose to the elevation of eight thousand feet ; Chiradzuro, to the south- west, with its gray peaks, shot up far above the clouds ; while, in a third direction, the Milanji mountains were piled majestically, range on range. The general temperature of the station, from its elevation, was not greater than that of a fine June day in England, but unfortunately it was situated below the level of the surrounding country, literally "in a hole." It seems to have been chosen more for its capabilities as a place of defence in the event of attack, than from its sanitary virtues. It lay along the semicircular bend of a stream from which rose high banks, surrounded by a dense wood, and was approachable from the land side only by a narrow pathway, through trees and brushwood, in front of which a stockade could very easily be run from one bank of the river to the other. But, from its low position, the air was confined, and notwithstanding that the locality was four thousand feet above the level of the sea, it was rendered unhealthy by the noxious exhala- tions arising from the river. It was sixty miles from Chibisa, the station on the Shire, from which all their sujoplies had to be drafted over a hill countr}^, and with no other means of transport than the back of the negro. Worse than all, it was in the heart of a region distracted by the Portuguese slave- DEATH OF BISHOP MACKENZIE. 29 dealers, and kept in ceaseless alarms from the hostile and formidable Ajawa tribes. They had scarcely taken possession of their station, when an embassy from the surromiding Manganja chiefs implored their aid against the depre- dations of the Ajawa, pillaging their crops, desolating their villages, and cai'- rying away their wives and children, to be sold to the Portuguese slave- dealers. The position of the mission was a perplexing one, and Mackenzie hardly knew what reply to give to the urgent calls of the assailed chiefs. At length, he resolved to comply with their request. The purity of his inten- tion is transparent, whatever opinion may be formed of the wisdom of his judgment in connection with the interests of the mission. That he might mitigate the horrors of war, and turn its evil to good, he bound the Man- ganja, as a condition of his help, that they should abstain in the future from all slave-dealing, and reserve to himself the sole disposal of prisoners. It was at the close of a day's pursuit of the Ajawas, when the mission party re-assembled in the village, exhausted and foot-sore, that the bishop came in, carrying a boy on his shoulder, whom he had picked up early in the afternoon of the engagement, and along with him Charles, his black servant, carrying a child, which had been found at the door of the hut of a deserted village. The child was sickly, and by the time the village was reached it was deadly cold. Mackenzie took him into his own hut, wrapped him in a blanket, and tried, though in vain, to administer some brandy. He baptised the little African, and laid him by his side all night, that he might watch him, and repeat his attempts to administer some coi'dial. But in spite of his kind nursing, in the morning the child died. The bishop had given him his own name, Charles, and as he laid his remains in the grave which the chief had assigned as a burying place, he read over this first baptised of the mission the funeral service. In these acts of kindness to the children of an enemy, a new lesson was taught to the African tribes. The boy carried on the bishop's shoulder, and the sick child laid by his side, were the sermon they needed, and the good bishop could not have preached a more impressive one to his savage flock. It was not allowed to Bishop Mackenzie to mature the plan of his mission settlement, or, in despair of success, to transfer its opera- tions to another field. His strength was soon prostrated by severe succes- sive attacks of fever. By an unfortunate accident, his canoe had been upset, and his store of quinine and packet of medicine for combating fever swept away. No substitutes were at hand, and nothing could be procured to sus- tain the strength which the fever was striking down. He consequently fell a victim to its power, and died in the midst of his work. The history of the mission subsequent to the death of Mackenzie may be told in a few sentences. The natural unhealthiness of the settlement quickly drained the strength of the European members. Even the natives sank under the fever air of its low position, fifty having died within the first twelve or 30 STANLEY AND AFRICA. eigliteen months. From the distracted state of the country, the most scanty supplies of provisions were with difficulty obtained, the greatest scarcity at times prevailed, and the whole party was reduced to subsist iipon pumpkins and unripe green fruit. When it was at length determined to abandon the station and settle at Chibisa, the heat of the new settlement was found to be intolerable. Mr. Scudamore, one of the clergy who accompanied the bishop, sank under an attack of fever. Dr. Dickinson, the medical adviser of the mission, died from the same cause some months after ; while Mr. Rowley, one of the clei'gy, had to undertake a journey across the country to Tete in the capacity of commissary, for the purchase of sheep and goats, to keep alive his all but famishing brethren. Before the new bishop arrived, other two of the members were so ill that the medical officer of Dr. Livingstone's expedition had advised, as the only chance of saving their lives, that they should leave the country, while a third soon after sailed for England, leaving the mission stripped of all but one or two of the original staff. On the arrival of Bishop Tozer with fresh auxiliaries, it was decided to abandon Chibisa, to break up the colony of released slaves, retaining only the orphan boys, and to remove the mission to a high mountain, the Morambala, about two miles nearer the coast. Even this latter scheme was abandoned, and the entire mission on the Zambesi and Shire broken up. Whatever the futui-e of the Universities Mis- sion may be it is impossible to say ; but if it have no other story to tell than the life of its first bishop, its work will not have been in vain. The lecord of his simple self-dedication, noble unselfishness, heroism without display, cheerfulness under all trials, and singular union of feminine gentleness with calm energy of will, and loving, unfaltering submission to duty, will yet summon many a soldier to the mission ranks, prepared to follow in self-sacri- ficing love the footsteps of Charles Frederick Mackenzie. Our Universities have been slow to move in this great work of Christian missions ; but the later they have entered the field, the larger the volume of experience that lies before them ; and who should be abler to read, mark, and inwardly digest its many lessons for the practical guidance of their own enterprise ? The track upon which thej^ have entered is studded with lights, and, not less helpful to their course, it is strewn with wrecks. The Christian community does not presume too much when it looks for their making a wise use of both. In 1821 two missionaries, Messrs Thomson and Bennie, went out to South Africa from Glasgow, under the direction of what was then called the Glasgow Missionary Society, with the view of commencing a mission in Caffraria. They were afterwards followed, from time to time, by other missionaries, and several stations were established by them among the CaiFres. For several years, they had to encounter, however, great difficulties, partly from the indifi'erent and stupid character of the people, and partly from the unhappy disturbances which prevailed between the Caff"res and the British Government. The situ- THE GLA SGOW MISSION! R Y SOCIETY. 3 1 ation of the missionaries was at once difficult and perilous. Flushed with success, or whetted by revenge, the Caffres would not bear to be spoken to ; and when the British troops began to scour the country, and burn their kraals, and seize their cattle, and make reprisals, they became excited almost to fury, and charged the missionaries with being their enemies, because they did not prevent the devastations of the soldiers. The missionaries stopped in the coun- try as long as they could ; but they were, at length, obliged to esca2)e for their lives. Parties of soldiers were sent to protect them on their way to the English camp, and they afterwards escorted them to Graliam's Town. In leaving CafFraria they sustained very heavy losses. Much of their property they were compelled to leave behind them ; much of it they were obliged to cast away on the road, that the waggons might not be im^oeded on their journey. Mr. Chalmers saved little more than a Bible. Their private losses were estimated at nearly a thousand pounds ; and the public projjerty lost or destroyed, upwards of seven hundred and fifty pounds. In the latter part of 1835, peace was restored to the country, and they returned to the scenes of their work. The mission premises at Chuinie and Burnshill, though not destroyed, they found in a very dilapidated and ruinous condition. Doors and windows were broken, furniture of every description was carried away, the printing-press and t3^pes were destroyed, the gardens were laid waste, and fragments of books and papers were lying scattered on the ground. At Lovedale and Pirrie, the desolation was still more complete. Most of the houses were burnt or otherwise reduced to a heap of ruins. The missionaries, after their return, set themselves to repair their dilapidated and ruined houses. They supplied the people with food; paid them for their work with goats, spades, picks, seed-corn, and other useful articles, deeming it their duty to make a vigorous effort to convince them that, by a little exertion, they might save themselves from famine without having recourse, and that in vain, to the rainmaker. The missionaries also resumed their accustomed labours among them ; and everything, by degrees, assumed much the same aspect as before the war. Schools were established for imparting general instruction to the youth of both sexes, and also for teaching the girls sewing, first by the wives of the missionaries, and after- wards by female teachers sent out from this country. At most of the stations many of the Caff"res had been baptised ; but the converts generally laboured under many imperfections. They had also to bear much from the opposition and reproaches of their countrymen, and often from their nearest relatives, and in their own dwellings. They were looked on by the heathen Caffres as men who had become mad, and who had foolishly renounced the customs and manners of their fathers. The native teachers, in particular, were fre- quently hooted and laughed at, when endeavouring to set before their countrymen the truths of religion. The teacher of one school was debarred 32 STANLEY AND AFRICA from making his usual visits to the neighbouring kraals, and the children were not allowed a footpath to the school, because a child belonging to the head man of the district had died, and it was said the teacher had killed it with his prayers. Another of the teachers was prevented for a time from visiting some kraals, because he dressed in European clothing, thereby giving proof of his disposition to bewitch the people, and especially the children. The mother of a family was charged with killing her children since she began to pray and serve God. It was said that she had obtained such power as to rule the lightning, and be able to infuse poison into them. Her own people shunned her, and a piece of charmed wood was stuck up in every hut to ward off the power she had acquired over the electric fluid. Indeed, there pre- vailed in Caffraria great dread and mistrust of missionaries. Their stations were regarded by man}^ as branch establishments of the Colonial Government, for the wholesale murder of the natives, and for despoiling them of their country. The jealousy of the CafFres was also, in some instances, raised to a great height by the prevalence of disease in the country, and by the mortality which it occasioned, even though the missionaries sought to alleviate the calamity by supplying them with medicine. " The most unfounded tales," writes Mr. Ross, the missionary at Pirrie, " are in circula- tion among the people. It is said Mr. Laing brought the measles here in a red handkerchief ; that he wrote to me that he had killed many at the Keiskamma, and that I must kill the people here ; that Mr. Chalmers wrote me, that he had killed many at Chumie, and that I must do so here ; that I have smeared all the seats in the church with the measles, and that I am killing the people." In April, 1846, the British Government declared war against certain of the Caffre chiefs. It was no longer safe for the missionaries to remain in Caffraria; they therefore retired, with many of their converts, into the colony. The mission stations were all broken up. Chumie, including the church and other mission property, was burned to the ground ; Burnshill was also destroyed by fire ; Pirrie was greatly injured ; and Lovedale was con- verted into a garrison for the English troops. Though the Caffres gained, in the first instance some considerable advantages over the English forces, yet afterwards, the tide of war, as might have been foreseen, turned against them ; their spirit was broken, and after some months, they were glad again to sue for peace. The several stations were once more resumed by the missionaries, and brighter days were anticipated ; but this proved a fallacious hope. In December, 1850, hostilities again broke out between the English and the CafFres. This was a more terrible war than any that had preceded it, and was of much longer continuance. It spread far and wide, and the devastations committed by both parties were fearful. All the mission stations were again broken up ; nearly all the missionaries retired further THE PARIS MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 33 into the colony, some of them amidst circumstances of great difficulty and danger ; and the converts were for the most part scattered. Tims, in the course of fifteen years, war had broken out three times between tlie Caflfres and the English, and was attended, on each occasion, by the breaking up of the mission and the destruction of the stations, including a large amount of property. Subsequently the work was resumed, and has been carried on with comparative success from that day to this. The Paris Society for Evangelical Missions was instituted in September, 1827. Among the measures which it early adopted was the establishment of a College for the education of 3'oung men as missionaries ; and as a result of this, it was some years before it was in circumstances to undertake active ope- rations among the heathen. In July, 1829, the Rev. Messrs Bisseux, Lemue, and Rolland, the first missionaries of the Society, sailed for South Africa. M. Bisseux settled in Wagenmaker Valley, about thirty miles from Cape Town, among the descendants of the French refugees and their slaves ; but Messrs Lemue and Rolland proceeded into the interior, for the purpose of selecting a suitable station among one or other of the native tribes. After visiting vari- ous parts of the country, they ultimately settled at a place called Motito, in the Bechuana country. Other missionaries were afterwards sent out from time to time, and various stations established. These stations extended over a wide tract of country, and were generally remote from each other. Some of them, as may naturally be supposed, were more prosperous than others; but yet the success of the mission was, on the whole, highly pleasing. The congregations were considerable ; numbers of the natives were baptised, many of whom were also admitted as communicants. The influence of the mission extended far beyond the stations, and was felt in a great part of the sur- rounding country. Polygamy and circumcision were disappearing, though many still kept up these practices, and it seemed as if it would be more diffi- cult to get I'id of them than of most others of their customs. Many gave pleasing evidence of piety, and were zealous to make known the gospel to their countrymen. Schools were also established at the various stations, and were attended by considerable numbers of the natives, both old and young. The wives of the missionaries rendered valuable service in the work of educa- tion, by superintending the schools for females ; by teaching both old and young to read ; by inculcating on them habits of order, economy, and pro- priety, and by giving them the first notions of the management and training of infants. The missionaries ti'anslated into the Sechuana language the Book of Psalms and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John. They also printed schoolbooks, a catechism, a collection of hymns and prayers, and short tracts on the chief doctrines and duties of religion. One of their number, M. Cas- salis, also published a work, entitled Studies of the Sechuana Language, con- 5 84 STANLEY AND AFRICA. taining a grammar and a collection of Sechuana poetry, with the view of showing the genius of the language and the character of the people who speak it. The people under the care of the missionaries made considerable advances in some of the more common and necessary arts of civilised life. Many of them built themselves convenient houses — some of them of stone — instead of their old smoky, unhealthy huts. In place of the skins of animals, which they used to throw over their bodies, the men adopted in part the European dress, while the women who had learned to sew made decent clothes for themselves and their daughters. Though they were previously not simply a pastoral people, but cultivated millet and other produce, yet now their husbandry was considerably extended. They obtained ploughs and other agricultural implements, and manj^ of them occupied themselves in the culture of corn, which they sold to the Dutch farmers for cattle, clothing, soap, salt, and other useful articles. Vaccination also was introduced amongst them ; and we trust that it may check in future the frightful ravages which smallpox was accustomed to make among them. It was singularly pleasing, on leaving deserts where the eye sought in vain for a few huts, or for the sight of a human being, to come suddenly on a beautiful hill, crowned with buildings, which were found, on a nearer approach, to form even a populous town. It was like an oasis in the desert, and the traveller contemplated, with admiration and delight, its grouj^s of habitations, its church and its school-house, its gardens and its fields, its flocks and its herds — the whole furnishing a striking example of the influence of Christian missions in im- proving the condition of the most savage tribes. The missionary stations, however, sufi"ered in common with other parts of the country from the depre- dations which the native tribes carried on against each other, and the people were led sometimes to remove with their cattle to distant parts. Of late years, the state of the country has been more settled, and the missionaries have been able to pursue their work under more favourable circumstances. The Rhenish Missionary Society was constituted in 1828, by the union of three previous existing associations at Elberfeld, Barmen, and Cologne ; and they were soon after joined by other associations in the Rhenish Pro- vinces and in Westphalia. The seat of the Society is Barmen, and it derives its support chiefly from the territory between the Rhine and the Maase. In July, 1829, Messrs J. G. Leipoldt, G. A. Zahn, Pr. D. Luchhoff, and Theo- bald Von Wurmb, sailed from London for the Cape of Good Hope, with the view of establishing a mission in South Africa. These were the first mis- sionaries of the Society ; but they were afterwards followed by others, and numerous stations were formed by them, both within and beyond the colony. Some of them settled not only among the Namaquas, but in Daraaraland, north of the tropic of Capricorn. In 1851, the numbers who had been baptised at the various stations since the commencement of the mission, amounted to THE BERLIN MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 35 four thousand three hundred and forty; and the communicants were then one thousand six hundred and forty-seven. In October, 1833, the Berlin Missionary Society was formed, and com- menced its foreign operations, by sending four missionaries to Soutli Africa. These were afterwards followed by othei's, and a number of stations were formed in the Cape colony, Caffrai'ia, the Bechuana country, and Port Natal colony. In 184:5, the Rev. Mr. Scholtz, who, with four other missionaries, had lately arrived in South Africa, was murdered by two Caffres, when on the way to the scene of their future labours. They had just entered the Cape territory, and had outspanned for the night. Their men, among whom was a servant of Mr. Shepstone, one of the Methodist missionaries, slept round the fire, they themselves remaining in the waggon. About one o'clock in the morning, the violent barking of their dogs led them to suppose that a hyena was prowling around them ; but on some of the men advancing, two Caffres sprung out of the bush and attacked them. Mr. Shepstone's servant was stabbed with an assagai ; and on Mr. Scholtz, and another of the missionaries, named Kropp, opening the curtain of the waggon, and looking out to ascer- tain the cause of the noi?-^, the former received a stab from an assagai in the stomach. They drew back, and Scholtz pulled out the weapon. The wound, they thought, was not deep. Their men having run to several neighbouring waggons for heli^, the Caffres in the meanwhile made off. A surgeon having been obtained from Fort Peddie, he dressed Mr. Scholtz's wound, and it was proposed to remove him to the Wesleyan missionary station ; but his suffer- ings were too great to allow him to proceed far. His lips grew cold ; he became unable to swallow ; and shortly after, he expired. The dead body of the servant was found in the bush, and the remains of both were, on the following day, committed to the grave. Six missionaries sailed from Boston, in the United States, in December 1834, under the auspices of the American Board for Foreign Missions, for the Cape of Good Hope, with a view to missionary operations in the Zoola coun- try, half of them to labour in the interior, and half on the coast, at Port Natal or its vicinity. On their arrival at the Cape, three of them, Messrs Lindley, Wilson, and Venable, proceeded by way of Griqua Town and Kuruman to Mosika, where the French missionaries had begun a station a few j^ears before among the Baharutsi ; they were soon, however, compelled to leave the coun- try, and to join their brethren, Messrs Champion, Grout, and Adams, at Port Natal. The progress of this mission appeared for some years to be encoui-ag- ing ; but, as the character of the Zoolas developed itself, the difficulties of their conversion became more manifest. One which met the missionary on the threshold of his labours, was their deep ignorance. It seems scarcely possible to cast even one ray of light into minds so darkened and perverted by sin. This was especially true of the female sex, whose condition, both 3Ci STANLEY AND AFRICA. temporal and spiritual, seemed almost beyond the reach of improvement. Aa the Zoolas obtained some knowledge of the nature and requirements of the gospel, tliey appeared to become more settled in their conviction that it was not the religion for them, and more resolved not to receive it. Their conduct was characterised, not so much by hostility, as by stupid indifference, though instances were not wanting of their showing the most determined and invete- rate opposition. Nor were the misssionaries without their difficulties and dangers of ano- ther kind. Mr. Butler having occasion to go to Amahlongwa, to nvdke some arrangements for the preservation of the house and premises, until he should be able to remove thither, had to pass the river Umkomazi ; but, on coming to it, there being no natives at hand to manage the boat, he ventured to cross •on horseback, though it was then deep and turbid. As he got over safely, when he returned the next day, he again ventured into the river in the same manner. When about two-thirds of the way across, his horse suddenly kicked and plunged, as if to disengage himself from his rider ; and the next moment, a crocodile seized Mr. Butler's thigh with his horrible jaws. The river at this place is about one hundred and fifty yards wide, if measured at right angles to the current, but from the point at which one enters, to that which he comes out, is three times as broad. The river at high tide, and when it is not swol- len, is from four to eight or ten feet deep, and on each side the banks are skirted with high banks and reeds. Mr. Butler, when he felt the sharp teeth of the crocodile, clung to the mane of his horse with a deathlike hold. Instantly he was dragged from tlie saddle, and both he and the horse were floundering in the water, often dragged entirely under it, and rapidly going down the stream. At first the crocodile drew them again into the middle of the water ; but at last the horse gained shallow water, and approached the shore. As soon as he was within reach, natives ran to his assistance, and beat off the crocodile with spears and clubs. Mr. Butler was pierced with five deep gashes, and had lost much blood. He had left all his clothes, except his shirt and coat, on the opposite shore, with a native, who was to follow him ; but when the struggle commenced, the native returned, and durst not venture into the water again. It was now dark, and without clothes, and weak from loss of blood, he had seven miles to ride before he could reach the nearest missionary station. He borrowed a blanket from a native, and, after two hours' riding, he succeeded in reaching it more dead than alive. His horse also was terribly mangled; a foot square of the flesh and skin was torn from his flanks. The animal, it was supposed, first seized the horse, and when shaken off, caught Mr. Butler, first below the knee, and then by the thigh. There were five or six wounds, from two to four inches long, and from one half to two and a half inches wide. For eight or ten days he seemed to recover as fast as could be expected ; but he was SUCCESS OF MISSIONARY OPERATIONS. 37 then seized with fever, which threatened to be fatah There was a tendency to lock-jaw. He, however, recovered so far, as to be able to return to his family. In 1838, James Backhouse and George W. Walker, two members of the Society of Friends, visited South Africa, and prosecuted their pious and bene- volent labours among all classes of the population. In the course of their extensive journeyings they visited the stations of most of the Missionary Societies to which we have referred, although they were scattered over a vast extent of country, and often at a great distance from one another. By the missionaries of the various denominations they were received in the most friendly manner, and every facility was given them, and assistance afforded, in addressing the people under their care. Though their addresses were not free from the peculiarities of Friends, yet their declarations concerning the way of salvation through Jesus Christ were such as to show the substantial unity of all Evangelical Christians. There is only one other missionary effort in South Africa to be noticed — • that of the Norwegian Missionary Society. This Society was instituted in 1842, and sent its missionaries to the Zoolas in Natal. An estate was bought near Maritzburg, for a station called Uitkompst. It is an interesting fact, that the printing press has been introduced among several of the tribes of South Africa — one among the Bechuanas, in connection with the London Mission; one in the Basuto country, in connection with the Paris Society ; one belonging to the Wesleyan Methodists ; and another in the Zoola coun- try, belonging to the American Board. Of the Sechuana language we have two grammars ; of the Caffre language, two ; and translations of vai-ious books in both languages. It is estimated that upwards of twenty thousand natives are regular accredited members of the various Christian churches — admitted to the communion of the Lord's table ; that there are about twenty- five thousand children in attendance at the various schools within and be- 3^ond the colonies ; and that, at least, one hundred thousand of the people, old and young, may be regarded as more or less won over to Christianity. These are results for which all Christians and philanthropists will give thanks. One great obstacle to the success of missionary operations, is the conduct of Europeans who disgrace the Christian name. In many cases all that the natives learn from Europeans are their vices. In his " Four Years in Southern Africa," Lieutenant Rose says, speaking of Gaika — " It did not strike me that the savage tribes are impi'oved by their intercourse with us. Gaika, the neighbouring chief, dressed in an old regimental jacket, was in the hut with his twenty-five wives ; and it was not without interest that I looked on one of whom Barrow had prognosticated so highly. He was then nineteen ; he is now fifty ; and melancholy is the change that has taken j^lace in the 38 STANLEY AND AFRICA. interval. The English have given him their protection, and with it theii vices ; and he is a sunk and degraded being — a wretched savage, despised and suspected by his tribe, continually intoxicated, and ever ready to sell his wives for brandy. Such are the fruits of our protection ! Such have ever been the effects on the savage of the kindness of the civilised. If we find them simple and trusting, we leave them treacherous; if we find them temperate, we leave them drunkards ; and, in after years, a plea for their destruction is founded on the very vices they have learned from us." We shall close this chapter with testimonies from one or two competent and independent witnesses as to the character of the missionaries, and the value of their labours in South Africa. Mr. Thompson, who was eight years a resident of the Cape, and who, during that time, travelled much in the interior, and who was neither a missionary, nor connected with any mis- sionary societ}', bears the following testimony to the character and results of missionary labour there: — "Having now visited the whole of the mis- sionary stations in Southern Africa, it may not be imjjroper to express, in a few words, the opinion I have formed regarding them. The usual objec- tions against them are, that the generality of the missionaries are a fanatical class of men, more earnest to inculcate the peculiar dogmas of their different sects than to instruct the barbarous tribes in the arts of civilisation ; that most of them are vulgar and uninformed ; many of them injudicious ; some of them imn,oral; and, finally, that their exertions, whether to civilise or Christianise the natives, have not, hitherto, been followed by any commen- surate results. Now, my observations have led me to form a very different conclusion. It is no doubt true, that the missionaries labouring among the tribes of the interior, are generally persons of limited education, most of them having originally been common mechanics ; but it seems very doubtful whether men of more refined and cultivated minds would be better adapted to meet the plain capacities of unintellectual barbarians ; and were such teachers ever so preferable, where could they be procured ? On the whole, the missionaries I have been acquainted with in South Africa, appear to me generally well adapted for such service. Most of them are men of good, plain understanding, and industrious habits, zealously interested in the success of their labour's, cordially attached to the natives, and willing to encounter, for their improvement, toil, danger, and privation. A few instances, in a long course of years, of indiscreet, or indolent, or immoral persons having been found among the missionaries, proves nothing against the general respectability of their characters, or the utility of their exertions. Imperfec- tion will be found wherever human agents are employed. But such unfavour- able exceptions are rare ; while among them many persons of sujjerlor ability, and even science, are to be found ; and I may safely afiirm that, at every missionary station I have visited, instruction in the arts of civilised CHRIST! A N MISSIONS A ND CI VI LISA TION. 39 life, and in the knowledge of pure and practical religion, go hand in hand. It is true that, among the more savage tribes of Bushmen, Korannas, and Bechuanas, the progress of the missions has hitherto been exceedingly slow and circumscribed. But persons who have visited these tribes, and are best qualified to ajopreciate the difficulties to be surmounted in instructing and civilising them, will, if they are not led away by prejudice, be far more disposed to admire the exemplary fortitude, patience, and perseverance of the missionaries, than to speak of them with contempt and contumely. " These devoted men are found in the remotest deserts, accompanying the wild and wandering savages from place to place, destitute of almost every comfort, and at times without even the necessaries of life. Some of them have, without murmuring, spent their whole lives in such service. Let those who consider missions as idle, or unavailing, visit Gnadenthal, Bethels-dorp, Theopolis, the Caflfre stations, Griqua Town, Kamiesberg, etc ; let them view what has been effected at these institutions for tribes of the natives, oppressed, neglected, or despised, by every other class of men of Christian name, and, if they do not find all accomplished which the world had perhaps too sanguinely anticipated, let them fairly weigh the obstacles that have been encountered, before they venture to pronounce an unfavourable decision. For my own part, utterly unconnected as I am with missionaries or Missionary Societies of any description, I cannot, in candour and justice, withhold from them my humble meed of applause for their labours in Southern Africa. They have, without question, been in this country not only the devoted teachers of our holy religion to the heathen tribes, but also the indefatigable pioneers of dis- covery and civilisation. Nor is their character unappreciated by the natives. Averse as they still are, in many places, to receive a religion, the doctrines of which are too pure and benevolent to be congenial to hearts depraved by selfish and vindictive passions, they are yet everywhere friendly to the mis- sionaries, eagerly invite them to reside in their tei'ritories, and consult them in all their emergencies. Such is the impression which the disinterestedness, patience, and kindness of the missionaries have, after long years of labour and difficulty, decidedly made even upon the wildest and fiercest of the South African tribes with whom they have come in contact ; and this favourable impression, where more has not yet been achieved, is of itself a most important step towards full and ultimate success." " I have seen," says Mr. Chapman, in his " Travels in the Interior of Africa," a great deal of missionaries and missionary life, and have every reason to sympathise with them. Their labours are difficult; their trials many ; their earthly reward a bare subsistence. I believe that the real causes of dislike to the missionaries in South Africa are the avarice of trade, and jealousy of the influence they possess, and the check they are upon those who would like to exercise an arbitrar}^ and unjust authority over the natives. 40 STANLEY AND AFRICA The missionaries are a class of men, generally speaking, so irreproachable, that the scandals of the unpi-incipled cannot affect them with well-thinking men, nor do their characters require any further defence from me." Lord Napier, the Governor of Madras, said a year or two ago, in a speech before a large public assembly, " I must express my deep sense of the importance of missions as a general civilising agency in the south of India." This is the testimony of all right-minded men concerning the effect of Christian missions tliroughout the entire heathen world. CHAPTER II. Livingstone goes down to the Cape — Journeys from thence into the Interior — Reaches Linyanti — Ascends the Leeambyc and the Lecba — Visits Shinto — Arrives at Loarida. IN April, 1852, Livingstone went down to Cape Town, being the first time during eleven years that he had visited the scenes of civilization. Having placed his family on board a ship bound for England, and promised to rejoin them in two years, he parted from them, as it subsequently proved, for nearly five years. He then started, in the beginning of June, from Cape Town, on a journey which extended from the southern extremity of the continent to St. Paul de Loanda, the capital of Angola, on the west coast, and thence across South Central Africa, in an oblique direction, to Kilimane, in Eastern Africa ; and which lasted four years. He proceeded by waggon ; his route to the north lying near the centre of the cone-shaped mass of land which constitutes the promontory of the Cape. The parts of the colony through which he passed were of sterile aspect. The landscape was uninviting ; the hills, destitute of trees, were of a dark-brown colour, and the scanty vege- tation on the plains gave the country a most desert appearance. When fii'st taken possession of, these parts are said to have been covered with a coating of grass, but that has disappeared with the antelopes which fed upon it, and a crop of mesembryanthemums and crassulas occupies its place. " It is curious to observe how, in nature, organisations the most dissimilar are mutually dcj^endent on each other for their perpetuation. Here the original grasses were dependent for dissemination ou the grass-feeding animals, which scattered the seeds. When, by tlie death of the antelopes, no fresh sowing was made, the African droughts proved too much for this form of vege- tation. But even this contingency was foreseen by the Omniscient one ; for, as we may now observe in the Kalahari Desert, another family of plants, the mesembryanthemums, stood ready to neutralise the aridity which must other- wise have followed. This family of plants possesses seed-vessels which re- main firmly shut on their contents while the soil is hot and dry, and thus preserve the vegetative power intact during the highest heat of the torrid sun ; but when rain falls, the seed-vessel opens and sheds its contents just Avhen there is the greatest probability of their vegetating. In other plants heat and drought cause the seed-vessels to burst, and shed their charge. One of G 42 STANLEY AND AFRICA. this family is edible ; another possesses a tuberous root, which may be eaten raw ; and all are furnished with thick fleshy leaves, having pores capable of imbibing and retaining moisture from a very dry atmospliere and soil, so that, if a leaf is broken during a period of the greatest drought, it shows abundant circulating sap. The plants of this family are found much farther north, but the great abundance of the grasses prevents them from making any show. There, however, they stand, ready to fill up any gap which may occur in the present prevailing vegetation ; and should the grasses disappear, animal life would not necessarily be destroyed, because a reserve supply, equivalent to a fresh act of creative power, has been provided. "One of this family is so coloured as to blend in well with the hue of the soil and stones around it ; and a gryllus of the same colour feeds on it. In the case of the insect, the peculiar colour is given as compensation for the deficiency of the power of motion, to enable it to elude the notice of birds. The continuation of the species is here the end in view. In the case of the plants the same device is adopted for a sort of double end — viz., perpetuation of the plants, by hiding it from animals, with the view that ultimately its extensive appearance will sustain that race. As this new vegetation is better adapted for sheep and goats in a dry country than grass, the Boors supplant the latter by imitating the process by which gramnivorous antelopes have so abundantly disseminated the seed of grasses. A few waggon-loads of mesembryanthemum-plants, in seed, are brought to a farm covered with a scanty crop of coarse grass, and placed on a spot to which the sheep have access in the evenings. As they eat a little every night, the seeds are dropped over the grazing grounds, in this simple way, with a regularity which could not be matched except at the cost of an immense amount of labour. The place becomes in the course of a few years a sheep farm, as these animals thrive on such herbage. As already mentioned, some plants of this family are furnished with an additional contrivance for witlistanding droughts — viz., oblong tubers, which, buried deep enough beneath the soil for complete pi'otection from the scorching sun, serve as reservoirs of sap and nutriment during those rainless periods which recur perpetually in even the most favoured spots of Africa." In proceeding from Cape Town to Kuruman, Livingstone met with obstacles and misadventures which, at the time, proved trying to his ardent spirit, but in which he subsequently recognised the finger of God, for it was (luring this detention that the Trans-Vaal Boors made a murderous attack on tlie Bakwains, solely because their chief, Sechele, an admirable Christian man, would not become their vassal, or secure for them a monopoly of the traffic in ivory by prohibiting English traders from passing through his country to the north. Ascribing this assertion of his undoubted right to the influence of Livingstone, these ruthless men resolved to wreak their vengeance upon LIVINGSTONE PROCEEDS TOWARDS LINYANTI. 43 the missionar}', and made no secret of their murderous design. Having, therefore, desolated the native location at Kolobeng, and killed sixty of the Eakwains, they hastened to the mission-house. On reaching the spot, the commandant repeatedly expressed his disappointment at not capturing Living- stone, and his determination to have his head. This design having: been frustrated, they proceeded to appropriate or wantonly destroy his property. Distressed as he was by these sad events, the following passage shows the Christian estimate he had formed of them, and the important influence they exerted upon his subsequent proceedings : — " The determination of the Boors makes me more resolved than ever to open up a new way to the interior ; and the experience of that kind Providence which prevented me from falling into the hands of those who would, at least, have sadly crippled my efforts, encourages me to hope that God graciously intends to make further use of me. The losses we have sustained amount to upwards of £300. We shall move the more lightly now that we can put all our goods into one waggon." After some detention at Kuruman, Livingstone proceeded in a N.N.W. direction across the desert towards Linyanti, the capital of the Makololo, though by a different route from that taken on previous journeys, in order to avoid the tsetse. This new path brought him into a densely-wooded coun- try, where, to his great surprise, he found vines growing luxuriantly, and yielding clusters of dark-purple grapes. " The necessity," says tlie traveller, "of making a new j^ath very mucli increased our toil; we were, however, rewarded with a sight we had not enjoyed the year before — namely, lai'ge patches of grape-bearing vines. Here they stood before my eyes ; but the sight was so entirely unexpected that I stood some time gazing at the clus- ters of grapes with which they were loaded, with no more thought of pluck- ing than if I had been beholding them in a dream. The Bushmen know and eat them ; but they are not well-flavoured on account of the great astrin- gency of the seeds, which are, in shape and size, like split peas. The ele- phants are fond of the fruit, plant, and root alike." It was a weary journey both for man and beast, as the grass was from eight to ten feet high, and our traveller was compelled to perform the double duty of driver and road- maker; "having," as he tells us, "either the axe or the whip in hand all day long till we came to lat. 18° 4"." At this point he found himself ajjproach- ing the Chobe ; but the state of things now differed widely from that which existed on his former visit. Then the waters were at their lowest point, and flowed in their ordinary channels, but now the country was flooded. One evening he fell in with some Bushmen, from whom he learnt the method by which they poison the arrows they use in the chase and in war. " Our friends here," he says, " showed me the poison which they use on these occasions. It is the entrails of a caterpillar called N'gwa, half an inch long. They squeeze out these, and nlace them all I'ound the bottom of the 44 STANLEY AND AFRICA. barb, and allow the poison to dry in the sun. They are very careful in cleaning their nails after working with it, as a small portion introduced into a scratcli acts like morbid matter in dissection wounds. The agony is so great that the person cuts himself, calls for his mother's breast, as if he were returned in idea to his childhood again, or flies from human habitations a raging maniac. The effects on the lion are equally terrible. He is heard moaning in distress, and becomes furious, biting the trees and ground in ,rage. " As the Bushmen have the reputation of curing the wounds of this poison, I asked how this was effected. They said that they administer the caterpillar itself in combination with fat ; they rub fat into the wound, saying that ' the N'gwa wants fat, and when it does not find it in the body, kills the man ; we give it what it wants, and it is content' — a reason which will commend itself to the enlightened among ourselves. The poison more gene- rally employed is the milky juice of the tree Euphorbia (E. arborescens). This is particularly obnoxious to the equine race. When a' quantity is mixed with the water of a pond a whole herd oi' zebras will fall dead with the effects of the poison before they have moved away two miles. It does not, however, kill oxen or men. On them it acts as a drastic purgative only. This substance is used all over the country, though in some cases the venom of serpents and a certain bulb, Amaryllis toxicaria, are added, in order to increase the virulence. Father Pedro, a Jesuit, who lived at Zumbo, made a balsam, containing a number of plants and castor oil, as a remedy for poisoned arrow-wounds. It is probable that he derived his knowledge from the natives as I did, and that the reputed efficacy of the balsam is owing to its fatty constituent. In cases of the bites of serpents," £i small key ought to be jDressed down firmly on the wound, the orifice of the key being applied to the juncture ; until a cupping- glass can be got from one of the natives. A watch-key pressed firmly on the point stung by a scorpion extracts the poison ; and a mixture of fat and oil, and ipecacuanha, relieves the pain." The difficulties of the journey were now increased by the sudden illness of all the attendants save one lad. Our traveller had therefore to work his way to Linyanti almost unassisted, being compelled to leave invalids and waggon behind. But he had a brave heart, and went forward. Having, with some difficulty, crossed the smallest of these streams, he and his com- panions reached the Sanshureh, half-a-mile broad, and abounding with hippo- potami. Embarking in a small pontoon, which he had brought with him from Cape Town, he proceeded across the flooded country in search of the Chobe. After " splashing," as he terms it, " through twenty miles of an inun- dated plain," he climbed some high trees, and was gladdened by a sight of the much-desired river ; but, on approaching it, he found it a broad chevaux-de- frise of papyrus, reeds, and other aquatic plants, interlaced with a creeper ARRl VAL AT LIN YANTL 45 resembling the convolvulus, which rendered the Chobe almost unapproachable. " It was not the reeds alone," he says, " we had to pass through ; a peculiar serrated grass, which at certain angles cuts the hands like a razor, was mingled with the reed, and the climbing convolvulus, with stalks which felt as strong as whipcord, bound the mass together. We felt like pigmies in it, and often the only way we could get on was by both of us leaning against a part, and bending it down till we could stand upon it. The perspiration streamed off our bodies, and as the sun rose high, there being no ventilatioir among the reeds, the heat was stifling, and the water, which was up to the knees, feft agreeably refreshing. After some hours' toil we reached one of the islands. Here we met an old friend, the bramble-bush. My strong moleskins wore quite worn through at the knees, and the leather trousers of my companion were torn, and his legs bleeding. Tearing my handkerchief in two, I tied the pieces round my knees, and then encountered another difficulty. We were still forty or fifty j^ards from the clear water, but now we were opposed by great masses of papyrus, which are like palms in miniature, eight or ten feet high, and an inch and a half in diameter. These were laced together by twin- ing convolvulus, so strongly, that the weight of both of us could not make way into the clear water." Three days were thus spent among that mass of reeds ; but, though constantly wading, and wet up to the middle, he slept soundly at night ; and on the fourth day was rewarded by reaching the river, and launching the pontoon upon its bosom. Joyfully embarking in this frail craft, they paddled down the Chobe about twenty miles, when they arrived at a village of the Makololo. The natives stood aghast at this apparition. Intrenched, as they supposed, by their rivers, they believed themselves ^unapproachable. Living* stone's sudden arrival, therefore, was a great marvel to them, and the achievement greatly exalted him in their eyes. "He has dropped among us," they exclaimed, " from the clouds, yet came riding on the back of a hij^po- potamus (the pontoon). We Makololo thought no one could cross the Chobe without our knowledge, but here he drops among us like a bird." In the course of a few days, some of the head men of the Makololo came down from Linyanti, with' a large party of Barotse, to take the traveller and his party across the river. This they did in fine style, swimming and diving among the oxen more like alligators than men; and taking the waggons to pieces, and carrying them across on a number of canoes lashed together. They were now in the midst of friends ; so, going about thirty miles to the north, to avoid the still flooded lands on the north of the Chobe, they turned westwards towards Linyanti. The welcome Livingstone received at Linyanti was such as is given to their highest chief. The whole population turned out en masse to see the ^waggons in motion. Sekeletu, the son, and in consequence of his sister's 4G STANLEY AND AFRICA. abdication, successor of Sebituane, then only nineteen years of age, was especially delighted. " I have now got another father," he said, " instead of Sebituane." The court herald, an old man who occupied the post also in Sebituane's time, stood up, and after some antics, such as leaping, and shout- ing at the top of" his voice, roared out some adulatory sentences, as " Don't I see the white man ? Don't I see the comrade of Sebituane ? Don't I see the father of Sebituane ?" The people generally shared this feeling. The idea seemed universal, that, with a missionary, some great, indefinite good had arrived. Many expected to be elevated at once to a condition equal to that of the Bakwains and inhabitants of Kuruman, of which they had received very exaggerated accounts ; others imagined that they would very soon be transformed into civilised men, possessing the clothes, horses, arms, waggons, etc., of Europeans. We cannot enter into all the details of this visit to Linyanti. There were some circumstances, however, which deserve notice. There was a pretender to the chieftainship, from whose designs Sekeletu apprehended danger ; and the sequel showed that there were solid reasons for this fear. Having positively prohibited the sale of children, Sekeletu's rival clandestinely brought a slave-trading party of Mambari into his dominions, and received from them as a reward a small cannon. Armed with this formidable instrument of death, and now confident of wresting the power from its rightful possessor, he came to the jjlace where Sekeletu and Livingstone were, having arranged with his followers that, while holding a conference with the chief, they should, at a given signal, ham-string him with a battle-axe. Without being aware of the conspiracy, the presence of Livingstone, as he walked by the side of Sekeletu, jDroved the means of frus- trating it ; and some of the conspirators during the same evening disclosed it to the chief, who, satisfied with, the guilt of the pretender, ordered his imme- diate execution. It was a source of no ordinary satisfaction to Livingstone that his pre- sence and influence at Linyanti effectually frustrated the purpose of others who had come from the west to purchase slaves, and some of whom, hearing that he had crossed the Chobe, fled back to their country with precipitation. He also succeeded in restraining the Makalolo from attacking a stockade in the valley of the Barotse, within which some slave-traders had entrenched themselves, aud the consequences of which attack must have jjroved fatal to many. Shortly after his return to Linyanti he was attacked by fever, when his hosts exhibited the interest they felt for him by paying him every atten- tion in their power. " Anxious," he says, " to ascertain whether the natives possessed the knowledge of any remedy of which we were ignorant, I requested the assistance of one of Sekeletu's doctors. He put some roots into a pot with water, and, when it was boiling, placed it on a spot beueatli a blanket, thrown around both me and it. Tiiis produced no immediate MAKOLOLO HUTS. 47 effect ; he then got a small bundle of different kinds of medicinal woods, and, burning them in a potsherd nearly to ashes, used the smoke and liot vapour arising from them as an auxiliary to the other, in causing perspiration. I fondly hoped that they had a more patent remedy than our own medicines afford ; but, after being otewed in their vapour baths, smoked like a red her- ring over green twigs, and charmed secundem artem, I concluded that I could cui'e the fever more quickly than they can." He soon discovered that his own remedies of a wet slieet and quinine were more successful than tha smoke and vapour baths employed by the natives. Having recovered from his fever, Livingstone, accompanied by Sekeletu and about one hundred and sixty attendants, mostly young men, associates of the chief, set out for Sesheke. The intermediate country was perfectly flat, except patches elevated a few feet only above the surrounding level. There were also numerous mounds, the work of termites, gigantic structures, in which often the wild date trees were seen growing. The party looked exceedingly picturesque as, the ostrich-feathers of the men waving in the air, they wound in a long line in and out among the mounds. Some wore red tunics, or variously-coloured prints, and their heads were adorned with the white end of ox-tails or caps made of lions' manes. The nobles walked with a small club of rhinoceros-horn in their hands, their servants carrying shields, while the ordinary men bore burdens, and the battle-axe men, who had their own shields on their arms, were employed as messengers, often hav- ing to run an immense distance. Livingstone and Sekeletu had each a little gipsy tent in which they slept. In some villages, the mice ran over their faces and disturbed their sleep, or hungry prowling dogs would eat their shoes and leave only the soles. At such times, they got the loan of a hut. The best sort of Makololo huts consist of three circular walls, with small holes as doors, each similar to that in a dog-house ; and it is necessary to bend down the body to get in, even when on all-fours. The roof is formed of reeds or straight sticks, in shape like a Chinaman's hat, bound firudy together with circular bands, which are lashed with the strong inner bark of the mimosa- tree. Whsn all prepared except the thatch it is lifted on to the circular wall, the rim resting on a circle of poles, between each of which the third wall is built. The roof is thatched with fine grass, and sewed with the same material as the lashings ; and, as it jjrojects far beyond the wall, and reaches within four feet of the ground, the shade is the best to be found in the country. These huts are very cool in the hottest day, but are close in the night. Reaching the village of Katonga, above Sesheke, on the bauks of the Leeambye, some time was spent there in collecting canoes. During this delay, Livingstone visited the country north of the village, where he saw great numbers of buffaloes, zebras, elands, and a beautiful small antelope, called the tiantjane. " This antelppe stands about eighteen inches high, is very 48 STANLEY AND AFRICA. graceful in its movements, and utters a cry of alarm not unlike that of the domestic fowl ; it is of a brownish-red colour on the sides and back, with the belly and lower part of the tail white ; it is very timid, but the maternal affection that the little thing bears to its young will often induce it to offer battle even to a man apjjroaching it. When the young one is too tender to run about with the dam, she puts one foot on the prominence about the seventh cervical vertebra, or withers, the instinct of the young enables it to understand that it is now required to kneel down, and to remain quite still till it hears the bleating of its dam. If you see an otherwise gregarious she antelope separated from the herd, and going alone anywhere, you may be sure she has laid her little one to sleep in some cosy spot. The colour of the hair in the young is better adapted for assimilating it with the ground than that of the older animals, which do not need to be screened from the obser- vation of birds of prey." A sufficient number of canoes being at length collected, Livingstone and his party commenced the ascent of the river. Although the rude children of nature who dwelt there could but imperfectly estimate the importance to them and to future generations of the object of their visitor, they regarded all his movements with extraordinary interest. Upon the banks of the noble stream many of them were gathered, watching with extravagant gesticulations and discordant cries, the fleet which rendezvoused upon its waters. There, beneath the bright sky of the tropics, thirty-three canoes, manned by one hundred and sixty rowers, were awaiting the signal for their departure. Our traveller having had the choice of this fleet, selected one twenty inches in width and thirty-four feet long, with six experienced and athletic rowers. Though the river rolled down in ample volume against them, no sooner was the word of command given, than they swept through it at a rate which showed that the skill and strength of these inland mariners were more than equal to the force. As they proceeded up the river, Livingstone was filled with admiration at its magnificence and beauty. " It is often," he writes, " more than a mile broad, and adorned with numerous islands, of from three to five miles in length. These, and the banks too, "are covered with forests, and most of the trees on the brink of the water send down roots from their branches like the banian. The islands at a little distance seemed rounded masses of sylvan vegetation of various hues, reclining on the bosom of the glorious stream. Tlie beauty of the scene is greatly increased by the date palm and lofty palmyra towering over tlie rest, and casting their feathery foliage against a cloudless sky. The banks are rocky and undulating, and many villages of the Banyeti, a poor, but industrious people, are situated upon both of them. They are expert hunters of hippopotami and other animals, and cultivate grain extensively." THE MAKOLOLO PEOPLE. 49 Speakir.g of the population of this district, Livingstone says, "The majority of the real Makololo have been cut off by fever. Those who remain are a mere fragment of the people who came to the north with Sebituane. Migrating from a very healthy climate in t^e south, they were more subject to the febrile diseases of the valley in which we found them, than tlie black tribes they conquered. In comparison with the Barotse, Batoka, and Banyeti, the Makololo have a sickly hue. They are of a light-brownish yellow colour, while the tribes referred to are very dark, with a slight tinge of olive. The whole of the coloured tribes consider that beauty and fairness are asso- ciated, and women long for children of light colour so much, that they some- times chew the bark of a certain tree in hopes of producing that effect. To my eye the dark colour is much more agreeable than the tawny hue of the half-caste, which that of the Makololo ladies closely resembles. The women generally escaped the fever, but they are less fruitful than formerly, and, to their complaint of being undervalued on account of the disproportion of the sexes, they now add their regrets at the want of children, of whom they are all excessively fond. " The Makololo women work but little. Indeed the families of tliat nation are spread over the country, one or two only in each village, as the lords of the land. They all have lordship over great numbers of subjected tribes, who pass by the general name Makalaka, and who are forced to render cer- tain services, and to aid in tilling the soil ; but each has his own land under cultivation, and otherwise lives nearly independent. They are proud to be called Makololo, but the other term is often used in rejDroach, as betokening inferiority. This species of servitude may be turned serfdom, as it has to be rendered in consequence of subjection by force of arms, but it is necessarily very mild. It is so easy for any one who is unkindly treated to make his escape to other tribes, that the Makololo are compelled to treat them, to a great extent, rather as children than slaves. Some masters, who fail from defect of temper or disposition to secure the affections of the conquered people frequently find themselves left without a single servant, in consequence of the absence and impossibility of enforcing a fugitive slave law, and the readiness with which those who are themselves subjected assist the fugitives across the rivers in canoes. The Makololo ladies are liberal in their presents of milk and other food, and seldom require to labour, except in the way of beautifying their huts and court-yards. They drink large quantities of boy- aloa, or o-alo, the buza of the Arabs, which, being made of the grain called holcus sorghum, or " durasaifi," in a minute state of subdivision, is very nutri- tious, and gives that plumpness of form which is considered beautiful. They dislike being seen at their potations by persons of the opposite sex. They cut their woolly hair quite short, and delight in having the whole person ,shining with butter. Their dress is a kilt reaching to the knees ; its material 7 50 STANLEY AND AFRICA. is ox-hide, made as soft as cloth. It is not ungraceful. A soft skin mantle is thiov/n across the shoulders when the lady is unemployed, but when engaged in any sort of labour she throws this aside, and works in the kilt alone. Tlie ornaments most coveted are large brass anklets as thick as the little finger, and armlets of both brass and ivory, the latter often an inch broad. The rings are so heavy that the ankles are often blistered by the weight pressing down ; but it is the fashion, borne as magnanimously as tight shoes among ourselves. Strings of beads are hung around the neck, and the fashionable colours being light green and pink, a trader could get almost any thing he chose for beads of these colours. " The Makololo are in the habit of shaving off a little from one side of the horns of their cattle when still growing, in order to make them curve in that direction, and assume fantastic shapes. The stranger the curvature, the more handsome the ox is considered to be, and the longer this ornament of the cattle-pen is spared to beautify the herd. This is a very ancient custom in Africa, for the tributary tribes of Ethiopia are seen on some of the most ancient Egyptian monuments bringing contorted-horued cattle into Egypt. " All are remarkably fond of their cattle, and spend much time in orna- menting and adorning them. Some are branded all over with a hot knife, so as to cause a permanent discolouration of the hair, in lines like the bands on the hide of a zebra. Pieces of skin two or three inches long and broad are detached, and allowed to heal in a dependent position around the head — a strange style of ornament ; indeed, it is difficult to conceive in what their notion of beauty consists. The women have somewhat the same ideas with ourselves of what constitutes comeliness. They came frequently and asked for the looking-glass ; and the remarks they made while I was engaged in reading, and apparently not attending to them, on first seeing themselves therein, were amusingly ridiculous. ' Is that me ?' ' What a big mouth I have !' ' My ears are as big as pumpkin leaves.' ' I have no chin at all ! Or, ' I should have been pretty, but am spoiled by these high cheek bones.' ' See how my head shoots wp in the middle !' laughing vociferously all the time at their own jokes. They readily jDerceive any defect in each other, and give nick-names accordingly. One man came alone to have a quiet gaze at his own features once, when he thought I was asleep : after twisting his mouth about in various directions, he remarked to himself, ' People say I am ugly, and how very ugly I am indeed.' " The Makololo use all the skins of their oxen for making either mantles or shields. For the former, the hide is stretched out by means of pegs, and dried. Ten or a dozen men then collect round it with small adzes, which, when sharpened with an iron bodkin, are capable of shaving off the substance of the skin on the fleshy side until it is quite thin ; when sufficiently thin, a THE COUNTRY OF THE BAROTSE. 5t quantity of brain is smeared over it, and some thick milk. Then an instru- ment made of a number of iron spikes tied round a piece of wood, so tluit the points only project beyond it, is applied to it in a carding fashion, until the fibres of the bulk of it are quite loose. Milk or butter is applied to it again, and it forms a garment nearly as soft as cloth. ' " The shields are made of hides partially dried in the sun, and then beaten with hammers until they are stiff and dry. Two broad belts of a dif- ferently-coloured skin are sewed into them longitudinally, and sticks inserted to make them rigid and not liable to bend easily. The shield is a great pro- tection in their way of fighting with spears, but they also trust largely to their agility in springing aside from the coming javelin. The shield assists when so many spears are thrown that it is impossible not to receive some of them. Their spears are light javelins, and, judging from what I have seen them do in elephant-hunting, I believe, when they have room to make a run and discharge them with the aid of the jerk of stopping, they can throw between forty and fifty yards. They give them an upward direction in the discharge, so that they come down on the object with accelerated force. I saw a man who in battle had received one in the shin ; the excitement of the moment prevented his feeling any pain ; but, when the battle was over, the blade was found to have sjDlit the bone, and became so impacted in the cleft that no force could extract it. It was necessary to take an axe and press the split bone asunder before the weapon could be taken out." Amidst the beautiful scenery of the Leeambye, Livingstone pursued his course on the first day, about fifty miles. Not far, however, above the starting place, the bed of the river began to be rocky, forming a succession of rapids and cataracts up to lat. 16°, two of which are dangerous. North of this point the river passed through the country of the Barotse, which stretches about one hundred miles north and south, and is bounded by two ranges of hills which bend away from the river N.N.E. and N.N.W., until they are from twenty to thirty miles apart. The intervening country is annually overflowed, but, as the waters never rise above ten feet, the natives have formed numerous mounds, upon which they build their.,villages and pasture their cattle. The capital of this country, called Naliele, and containing about a thousand inhabitants, stands upon one of these artificial elevations. At the time of Livingstone's visit, the stream ran low, and the valley was covered with coarse succulent grasses twelve feet high, and as thick as a man's thumb, upon which he saw in every direction lai-ge herds of cattle grazing. On visiting the higher lands, which form the boundaries of tlie valle}', he found them covered with trees and gardens, which the industrious natives had filled with sugar-cane, sweet potato, manioc, yam, bananas, millet, etc. On the lower grounds, when the waters retire, they raise large quantities of maize and Caffre corn. These productions, with abundance of 62 STANLEY AND AFRICA. milk and fish, give to the Barotse country great celebrity as a land of plenty. But, alas ! it is also a land of death. The previously unknown region through which we have now been tracking our traveller's course, like a large portion of the country watered by the same noble river, abounds with game. Eighty-one buffaloes defiled in slow procession before the fire of the travellers one evening within gunshot, and herds of splendid elands stood at two hundred yards' distance, without showing signs of fear. Lions, too, approached and roared at them. One night, as they were sleeping on the summit of a large sand-bank a lion appeared on the opposite shore, who amused himself for hours by roaring as loudly as he could. The river was too broad for a ball to reach him, and he walked off without suffering for his imjDcrtinence. Wherever the game abounds, these animals exist in ^proportionate numbers. Birds are in great numbers on the river, and the sand-martins never leave it. A party of Arabs from Zanzibar were in the country at this time; and two of them visited Livingstone at his camp. " They were quite as dark as the Makololo," he says, " but, having their heads shaved I could not compare their hair with that of the inhabitants of the country. When we were about to leave they came to bid adieu, but I asked them to stay and help us to eat our ox. As they had scruples about eating an animal not blooded in their own way, I gained their goodwill by saying, I was quite of their opinion as to getting rid of the blood, and gave them two legs of an animal slaughtered by themselves. They professed the greatest detestation of the Portuguese, because they eat pigs ; and dislike the English, because they thrash them for selling slaves." On j^artiug with his Arab friends, Livingstone visited the town of Ma-Sekeletu, or the mother of Sekeletu, where, as it was the first visit the king had paid to this part of his dominions, he was received with every appearance of joy. The head men of each village presented oxen, milk, and beer, more than could be devoured. The people usually slrow their joy, and work off their excitement in dances and songs. The dance consists of the men standing nearly naked in a circle, with clubs or small battle-axes in their hands, and each roaring at the loudest pitch of his voice, while they simultaneously lift one leg, stamp heavily twice with it, then lift the other and give one stanqj with that ; this is the only movement in common. Tlie arms and head ax-e thrown about also in every direction ; and all this time the roar- ing is kept up with the utmost possible vigour ; the continued stamping makes a cloud of dust ascend, and they leave a deep ring in tlie ground where they have stood. The women stand by, clapping their hands, and occasionally one advances into the circle, composed of a hundred men, makes a few move- ments and then retires. Returning down the stream at a rapid rate, Livingstone, Sekeletu, and their party, soon reached Linyanti. " I had been," remarks our traveller, LIVINGSTONE DEPARTS FROM LINYANTI. 53 " 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 suflficient for the wants of all), yet to endure the dancing, roaring, and singing, the jesting, anecdotes, grumbling, quarrelling, and murdering, of these children of nature, seemed more like a severe penance than anything I had before met with in the 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 mis- sions 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 money and labour that have been expended to produce them."' On resuming his temporary residence at Linyanti, Livingstone did what he could for the instruction of the Makololo. Amongst other things, he endeavoured to induce some of them to learn to read. But this acquisition appeared to them something supernatural. Long and profound, therefore, were the solemn deliberations held to consider the proposal. At length it was resolved that the experiment should be tried. Sekeletu's father-in-law and his step-father were, therefore, appointed to acquire the marvellous art, that, should any evil consequences result from it, their experience might serve as a beacon to others. Although this plan showed the extreme of African caution, these two pupils applied themselves so vigorously to the task, that they, and others who followed their example, mastered the alphabet perfectly in a single day. Sekeletu and his followers agreed with Livingstone as to the desirableness of his proposed expedition to the west, and took great pains to assist him in the undertaking. Having ascertained the best route to Loanda, and made all the preparations in his power for a journey so difficult and adventurous, he only waited until the commencement of the rains would enable him to proceed ujj the river. This period having arrived, on the tenth of November 1853, he bade farewell to the chief and people at Linyanti, with whom he had now sojourned so long, and from whom he had received so much kind- ness, and set out towards the north. As the natives who had accompanied him from the Kuruman had suffered severely from fever, he deemed it necessary for their safety to send them back to that station. But he had no lack of willing and efficient attendants, as twenty-seven of the Barotse were ready to accompany him. These men were not hired, but sent to enable him to accomplish an object as much desired by the chief and most of his people, as by Livingstone himself. They were eager to obtain free and profitable trade with white men ; and this desire of theirs coincided exactly 54 STANLEY AND AFRICA. with his own conviction, that no permanent elevation of a people can be effected without commerce. What he thought and how he felt at this period, tlie following extract from one of his letters will best show : — " I am again, tlirough God's mercy and kindness, quite recovered from fever. I think 1 am rid of intermittent, too, and if spared will impart some knowledge of Christ to many who never before heard his blessed name. There are many and large tribes in the direction in which we go, all sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. I hope God will, in mercy, permit me to establish the gospel somewhere in this region, and that I may live to see the double influ- ence of the spirit of commerce and Christianity employed to stay the bitter fountain of Africaii misery." On the 11th of November, 1853, he left the town of Linyanti, accompa- nied by Sekeletu and his principal men, to embark on the Chobe. The spot of embarkation was the identical island where he met Sebituane, first knoM'n as the island of Maunku. " The Chobe is much infested by hippopotami; and as certain elderly males are expelled the herd, they become soured in their temper, and so misanthropic as to attack every canoe that passes near them. The herd is never dangerous, except when a canoe passes into the midst of it when all are asleep, and some of them may strike the canoe in terror. To avoid this, it is genei'ally recommended to travel by day near the bank, and b}' night in the middle of the stream. As a rule, these animals flee at the approach of man. The ' solitaires,' however, frequent certain localities well known to the inhabitants on the banks, and, like the rogue elephants, are extremel}' dangerous." The part of the river called Zabesa, or Zabenza, the travellers found spread out like a little lake, surrounded on all sides by dense masses of tall reeds. The river below that, is always one hundred or one hundred and twenty yards broad, deep, and never dries up so much as to become fordable. At certain parts, where the partial absence of reeds affords a view of the opposite banks, the Makololo have placed villages of observation against their enemies, the Matebele. The banks of the Chobe, like those of the Zouga, are of soft calcareous tufa, and the river has cut out for itself a deep, jjerpendicular-sided bed. Among the trees on the banks of the river are various light-green- coloured acacias, the splendid motsintsela, and evergreen cyjjress-shaped motsouri. The motsintsela is a very lofty tree, yielding a wcod of which good canoes are made ; the fruit is nutritious and good, but, like many wild fruits of the country, the fleshy parts require to be enlarged by cultivation, as it is nearly all stone. The motsouri bears beautiful jiink-coloured plums, which are chiefly used to form a pleasant acid drink. The course of the river is so extremely tortuous that it carries the voyager on it to all points of the compass every dozen miles. It took Livingstone and his men forty-two hours and a half, paddling at the rate of five miles an hour, to go from Lin3anti to PROGliESS UP THE LEEAMBYE. 55 the confluence of the Chobe and the Leeambye. After spending one night at the Makololo village on MjDaria, they left the Chobe, and turning round began to ascend the Leeambye, reaching, on the nineteenth, the town of Scsheke. There is no stated day of rest in any part of this country, except the day after the appearance of the new moon, and the people then refrain only from going to their gardens. A curious custom, not to be found among the Bechuanas, prevails among the black tribes beyond them. They Avatch most eagerly for the first glimpse of the new moon^ and, when they perceive the faint outline after the sun has set deep in the west, they utter a loud shout of " Kua !" and vociferate prayers to it. Livingstone gave many public addresses to the people of Sesheke ; the congregations often amounting to between five and six hundred souls. They were always very attentive ; sometimes putting sensible questions on the subjects brought before them, at other times introducing the most frivolous nonsense, immediately after hear- ing the most solemn truths. Their progress up the Leeambye was rather slow, which was caused, to a great extent, by waiting opposite different villages for supplies of food. The villages of the Banyeti contributed large quantities of mosibe, a bright-red bean, yielded by a large tree. The pulp which encloses the seed is not much thicker than a red wafer, and is the portion used. It requires the addition of honey to render it at all palatable. Here they found several fresh varieties of fruit. One, resembling a large yellow orange, and yielding, in the rind and pips, a portion of nux vomica. The pulp between the pips is the part eaten, and it is of a pleasant juicy nature, having a sweet acidulous taste. A much better fruit is the mobola, which bears, around a large stone, as much of the fleshy part as the common date. It is sweet, and has the flavour of strawberries, with a touch of nauseousuess. The most delicious fruit of all is the mamosho, or " mother of morning." It is about the size of a walnut, and, unlike most of the other uncultivated fruits, has a seed no larger than that of a date. The fleshy part is juicy, and somewhat like the cashew-apple, with a pleasant acidity added. Among the forest trees which line the banks of the rocky parts of the Leeambye, several new birds were observed. Some are musical, and the songs are pleasant in contrast with the harsh voice of the little green, yellow- shouldered parrots of the country. Tliere are also great numbers of jet- black weavers, with a yellowish-brown baud on the shoulders. " Here we saw," says Livingstone, "for the first lime, a pretty little bird, coloured dark-blue, except the wings and tail, which were of a chocolate hue. From the tail two feathers are prolonged beyond the rest six inches. Also little birds, coloured white and black, of great vivacity, and always in companies of six or eight together, and various others. From want of books of reference, 56 STANLEY AND AFRICA. I could not decide whether they were actually new to science. Francolins and guinea-fowl abound along the banks ; and on every dead tree and piece of rock may be seen one or two species of the web-footed Plotus, darter, or snake-bird. They sit most of the day sunning themselves over the stream, sometimes standing erect, with their wings outstretched ; occasionally they may be seen engaged in fishing by diving, and, as they swim about, their bodies are so much submerged, that hardly anytliing appears above the water but their necks. Their chief time of feeding is by night, and, as the sun declines, they may be seen in flocks flying from their roosting-places to the fishing grounds. This is a most difficult bii'd to catch when disabled. It is thoroughly expert in diving — goes down so adroitly, and comes up again in the most unlikely places, that the people, though most skilful in the management of the canoes, can rarely secure them. The rump of the darter is remarkably prolonged, and capable of being bent, so as to act both as a rudder in swimming, and as a lever to lift the bird high enough out of the water to give free scope to its wings. It can rise at will from the water by means of this appendage. " The fine fish-hawk, with white head and neck and reddish-chocolate- coloured body, may also frequently be seen perched on the trees, and fish are often found dead, which have fallen victims to its talons. One most frequently seen in this condition is itself a destroyer of fish. It is a stout- bodied fish, about fifteen or eighteen inches long, of a light-yellow colour, and gaily ornamented with stripes and spots. It has a most imposing array of sharp, conical teeth outside the lips — objects of dread to the fishermen, for it can use them effectually. One, which we picked up dead, had killed itself by swallowing ano*^her fish, which, though too large for its .stomach and throat, could not be disgorged. This fish-hawk generally kills more prey than it can devour. It eats a portion of the back of the fish, and leaves the rest for the Barotse, who often had a race across the river when they saw an abandoned morsel lying on the opjiosite sand-banks. The hawk is, however, not always so generous ; for, as I myself was a witness on the Zouga, it sometimes plunders the purse of the pelican. Soaring over head, and seeing this large, stupid bird fishing beneath, it watches till a fine fish is safe in the pelican's pouch ; then descending, not quickly, but with considerable noise of wing, the pelican looks up to see what is the matter ; and, as the hawk comes near, he supposes that he is about to be killed, and roars out ' Murder !' The opening of his mouth enables the hawk to whisk the fish out of the i30uch, upon which the pelican does not fly away, but commences fishing again; the fright having probably made him forget he ever had anything in his purse." On the 30th of November, Livingstone reached Gonye Falls. No rain had fallen, so it was excessively hot. The trees had put on their gaj-est dress, and many flowers adorned the landscape ; yet the heat made all the leaves droop and look languid. The atmosphere was oppressive, botli in cloud and THE FALLS OF GONYE. 57 sunshine, so that all the travellers felt great lassitude. The men, however, paddled away most vigorously; the Barotse, being a tribe of boatmen, have deeply-developed chests and shoulders. The falls of Gonye have not been made by wearing back, like those of Niagara, but arc of a fissure form. For many miles below, the river is confined in a narrow space of not more than one hundred yards wide. The water goes boiling along, and gives the idea of great masses of it rolling over and over, so that even the most expert swim- mer would find it difficult to keep on the surface. The river rises at this part, when in flood, fifty or sixty feet in perpendicular height. The islands above the falls are covered with beautiful foliage, and the scenery altogether is of the loveliest character. The peojjle of every village treated them most liberally, presenting, besides oxen, butter, milk, and meal, more than they could stow away in their canoes. At Libonta they were detained for days together, collecting contributions of fat and butter, according to the orders of Sekeletu, as presents to the Balonda chiefs. Libonta is the last town of tlio Makololo ; when they left it, therefore, they had only a few cattle-stations and an outlying hamlet in front, and then an uninhabited border country till they came to Londa. After tliey had gone thirty or forty miles above Libonta, Livingstone sent an explanatory message to the chief resident westward, called Makoma. This caused them some delay ; but as they were loaded with pre- sents of food from the Makololo, and the Avild animals were in enormous herds, they fared sumptuously. " We spent a Sunday," says Livingstone, " on our way up to the con- fluence of the Leeba and Leeambye. Rains had fallen here before we came, and the woods had put on their gayest hue. Flowers of great beauty and curious forms grow everywhere ; they are unlike those in the south, and so are the trees. Many of the forest-tree leaves are palmated and largely developed ; the trunks are covered with lichens, and the abundance of ferns which appear in the woods, shows we are in a more humid climate than any to the south of the Barotse valley. The ground begins to swarm with insect life ; and in the cool, pleasant mornings, the welkin rings with the singing of birds, which is not so delightful as the notes of birds at home, because I have not been familiar with tliem from infancy. The notes here, however, strike the mind by their loudness and variety, as the wellings forth from joyous hearts, of praise to Him who fills them with overflowing gladness. All of us rise early to enjoy the luscious balmy air of the morning. We tlieu have worship ; but amidst all the beauty and loveliness with which we are sur- rounded, there is still a feeling of want in the soul in viewing one's poor com- panions, and hearing bitter impure words jarring on the ear in the perfection of the scenes of nature, and a longing that both their hearts and ours might be brought into harmony with the Grreat Father of Spirits. I pointed out, in as usual the simplest words I could employj the remedy which God has pre- 53 STANLEY AND AFRICA. sented to us, iu the inexpressibly precious gift of His own Son, on whom Iho Lord ' laid the iniquity of us all.' '' On the 27tli of December, Livingstone reached the confluence of the Leeba and Leeambye ; and now began to ascend the former river, directing his course north-west towards Loanda in Angola. The water of the Leeba he found of a dark colour, flowing placidly, and receiving numbers of small rivulets from both sides. He passed trees covered with a profusion of the freshest foliage, and that seemed planted in groups of such pleasant and graceful outline, that art could give no additional charm. The grass, which had been burned off and was growing again after the rains, was short and green, and all the scenery was like that of a carefully-tended gentleman's park. There were many beautiful flowers, and j^lenty of honey in the woods. One tree in flower brought the pleasant fragrance of hawthorn-hedges back to memory ; its leaves, flowers, perfume, and fruit, resembled those of the hawthorn, only the flowers were as large as dog-roses, and the " haws" like bo}s' marbles. The climbing plants displayed great vigour of growth. The maroro was abundant in many parts ; it is a small bush, with a yellow, whole- some fruit, sweet in taste, and full of seeds, like the custard-ajDple. " On the 28th," our traveller says, " we slept at a spot on the rigiit bank, from which had just emerged two broods of alligators. We had seen many young ones as we came up, so this seems to be their time of coming forth from their nests, for we saw them sunning themselves on sandbanks in company with the old ones. We made our fire in one of the deserted nests, which were strewed all over with the broken shells. At the Zouga we saw sixty eggs taken out of one such nest alone. They were about the size of those of a goose, only the eggs of tlie alligator are of the same diameter at both ends ; and the white shell is partially elastic, from having a strong internal mem- brane and but little lime in its composition. The distance from the water was about ten feet, and there were evidences of the same place having been used for a similar purj^ose in former years. A broad path led up from the water to the nest ; antl the dam, it was said by my companions, after deposit- ing the eggs, covers them up, and returns afterwards to assist the young out of their place of confinement and out of the &gg. She leads them to the edge of the water, and then leaves them to catch small fish for themselves. Assist- ance to come forth seems necessary, for here, besides the tough membrane of the shell, they had four inches of earth upon them, but they do not require immediate aid for food, because they retain a portion of yolk, equal to that of a hen's egg, in a membrane in the abdomen, as a stock of nutriment while only beginning Independent existence by catching fish. Fish is the principal food of both small and large, and they are much assisted iu catching them by their broad scaly tails. " Sometimes an alligator, viewing a man in the water from the opposite A LLIGA TORS A ND THEIR YO UNG. 59 bank, rushes across the stream witli wonderful agility, as is seen by the liigli rijjple he makes on the surface, caused by his ra2)id motion at the bottom ; but, in general, they act by stealth, sinking underneath as soon as they see man. They seldom leave the Avatcr to catch jirey, but often come out by day to enjoy tlic pleasure of basking in the sun. In walking along the banks of the Zouga once, a small one, about three feet long, made a dash at my feet, and caused me to rush quickly in another direction ; but tliis is unusvud, for I never heard of a similar case. A wounded leche, chased into any of the lagoons in the Barotse valley, or a man or dog going in for the purpose of bringing out a dead one, is almost sure to bo seized, though the alligators may not appear on the surfoce. AVhen employed in looking out for food they keep out of sight ; they fish chiefly by night. When eating, they make a loud cham2:)ing noise, which, when once heard, is never for- gotten. The young, Avhich had come out of the nests where we spent the night, did not appear wary ; they were about ten inches long, with yellow eyes, and pupil merely a perpendicular slit. They were all marked with transverse stripes of pale-green and brown, half an inch broad. When speared, tliey bit the weapon savagely, though their teeth were but partially developed, uttering at the same time a sharp bai-k, like that of a whelp when it first begins to use its voice. I could not ascertain whether the dam devours them, as reported, or whether the ichneumon has the same reputation here as in Egypt. Probably the Barotse and Bayeiye would not look upon it as a benefactor ; they prefer to eat the eggs themselves, and be their own ichneu- mons. The white of the egg does not coagulate, but the yolk does, and this is the only part eaten. " As the population increases the alligators will decrease, for their nests will be oftener found ; the principal check on their inordinate multiplication seems to be man. They are more savage, and commit more mischief in the Leeambye than in any other river. After dancing long in the moonlight nights, young men run down to the water to wash off the dust, and cool themselves before going to bed, and are thus often carried away. One won- ders they are not afraid ; but the fact is, they have as little sense of danger impending over them as the hare has when not actually pursued by the hound ; and in rencontres, in which they escape, they had not time to be afraid, and only laugh at the circumstance afterwards." In due time, the party reached the Balonda country, and received, among other visits, one from a chieftainess, called Manenko, a tall strajjping woman, covered with ornaments, and smeared over with fat and red ochre as a protection against the weather. She invited them to visit her uncle Shinte, the chief of the country. On the 11th of January, ISo-l, they set out in the midst of a heavy drizzling mist, conducted by the lady, who proceeeded in the lighest marching order, and at a pace that few of the men could keep up GO STANLEY AND AFRICA. with. In admiration of her pedestrian powers they every now and then remarked — " Manenko is a soldier." Some of the people in her train carried shields composed of reeds, of a square form, five feet long and three broad. With these, and armed with broad swords and quivers full of iron-headed arrows, they looked somewhat ferocious. Most of the party were glad when, at length, the chieftainess halted on the banks of a stream, and preparations were made for their night's lodging. The farther north they travelled the more dense became the forests ; and they were oftener in the deep gloom than in open sunlight. No passage existed on either side of the narrow path made by the axe. Large climbing plants ent\vined themselves around the trunks and branches of gigantic trees like boa-constrictors. As it was the rainy season, great quantities of mush- rooms were met with, some of them as large as the crown of a hat. The edible ones, which were white, were eagerly devoured ; while of those not edible some were of a brilliant red and others light blue. There was considerable pleasure, in spite of rain and fever, in this new scenery. The deeji gloom contrasted strongly with the shadeless glare of the Kalahari. Every now and then they emerged from the gloom into a pretty little valley. The num- ber of small villages seemed about equal to the number of valleys. When they decided to remain for the night at any village, the inhabitants lent them the roofs of their huts, which in form resemble those of the Makololo, and can be taken off the walls at pleasure. They lifted them ofi", and when Livingstone's i^arty had propped them up with stakes, they were safely housed for the night. Every one who came to salute Manenko or Living- stone, rubbed the ujjper parts of the arms and chest with ashes ; and those who wished to show more profound reverence to them, put some also on the face. After detaining them several days on the journey, Manenko accom- panied them on foot to Shinte's town. The chief's place of audience was ornamented by two graceful banian trees, beneath one of which he sat on a throne covered with a sort of leopard's skin. He wore a checked shirt and a kilt of scarlet baize, edged with green, numerous ornaments covering his arms and legs, while on his head was a helmet of beads, crowned with a great bunch of goose feathers. Close to him sat three lads, with large sheaves of arrows over their shoulders. Livingstone took his seat under the shade of a tree opposite to the chief, Avhile the spokesman of the party, who had accompanied them, walking backwards and forwards, gave, in a loud voice, an account of the traveller and his connection with the Makololo. Behind Shinte sat about a hundred women, clothed in their best, which happened to be a profusion of red baize. His chief wife, one of the Matebele, sat in front, with a cuiious red cap on her head. During the intervals between the speeches, these ladies burst forth into a sort of plaintive ditty ; every now and then LIVINGSTONE'S RECEPTION BY SHINTE, they expressed approbation by clapping their hands, and laughing to different ispeakers. The party was entertained by a band of musicians, consisting of tliree drummers and four performers on the " marimba," a species of piano. " The drums are neatly carved from the trunk of a tree, and have a small hole in the side covered with a bit of spider's web ; the ends are covered with the skin of an antelope pegged on ; and when they wish to tighten it they hold it to the fire to make it contract ; the instruments are beaten with tlie hands. The marimba consists of two bars of wood placed side by side, sometimes quite straight, at others bent round so as to resemble half the tire of a carriage wheel ; across these are placed about fifteen wooden keys, each of which is two or three inches broad, and fifteen or eighteen inclies long ; their thick- ness is regulated according to the deepness of the note I'equircd, each of the keys having a calabash beneath ; from the upper part of each, a portion is cut off to enable them to embrace the bars, and form hollow sounding-boards to the keys, which also are of different sizes, according to the note required ; and little drum sticks elicit the music. RajDidiLy of execution seems much admired among them, and the music is pleasant to the ear. In Angola, the Portuguese use the marimba in their dances." After nine speakers had concluded their orations, Shinte stood uji, and so did all the people. He had maintained true African dignity of manner all the while, but scarcely ever took his eyes off Livingstone for a moment. About a thousand people were present, and three hundred soldiers. The next day, our traveller met Shinte by appointment, for the purpose of hold- ing a friendly interview. The chief seemed in good humour, and said he had expected yesterday " that a man who came from the gods, would have approached and talked to him. The remark confirmed Livingstone's belief that a frank, open, fearless manner, is the most winning with all these Africans." One night Shinte sent for his visitor and presented him with a slave girl of about ten years old, wishing him to accept her as a token of his regard. The chief was greatly surprised to find his proffered gift respectfully declined, lie was most anxious to see the pictures of the magic lantern which Living- stone carried with him ; and gathered a great crowd of his principal men, and court beauties, to witness the exhibition. The first j^icture exhibited was Abraham about to slaughter his son Isaac ; it was as large as life, and the uplifted knife was in the act of striking the lad : the Balonda men remarked that the picture was much more like a god than the things of wood or clay they worshipped. Livingstone explained that this man was the first of a race to whom God had given the Bible, and that among his children our Saviour appeared. The ladies listened with silent awe ; but, when he moved the slide, the u^ilifted dagger moving towards them, they thought it was to be sheathed in their bodies instead of Isaac's, and off' they rushed helter-skeltei', tumbling 0,2 STANLEY AND AFRICA. pell-mell over each other, and, in spite of all entreaties, refusing to return. Shinte, however, sat bravely through the whole, and afterwards examined the instrument with interest. It was the only mode of instruction of which a repetition was requested ; and the peojile came long distances, for the express purj)Ose of seeing the objects and hearing the explanations. Before leaving Shinte to prosecute his journey, the chief presented the traveller with a shell, on which he set the greatest value, observing — " There, How, you have a proof of my affection." These shells, as marks of distinction, are so highly valued that two of them will j)urchase a slave and five elephants' tusks, worth ten pounds. The chief also provided a guide, to conduct the party to the territory of the next chief, Katema. He gave them, too, an abundant supply of food ; and, sending eight men to assist in carrying the luggage, wished them a prosperous journey. They had now to quit the canoes and proceed, on ox-back, taking a northerly direction. The morning after their departure they had a fine range of green hills on their right, and were informed that they were rather thickly inhabited by the people of Shinte, who worked in iron, the ore of which abounded in the neighbourhood. Every valley contained a village of twenty or thirty huts, each hut having its garden of manioc, or cassava, which here is looked upon as the staff of life. Very little labour is required for its cultivation. The plant grows to a height of six feet, and every part of it is useful ; the leaves may be cooked as a vege- table. Tlie roots are from three to four inches in diameter, and fi'om twelve to eighteen inches long. There are two varieties of manioc ; one sweet and wholesome, the other bitter and containing poison, which tlie natives extract by a process of partial decomposition. In the deep, dark forests, near each village, they found idols intended to represent the human head, or a lion, or a crooked stick smeared with medi- cine, or simply a small pot of medicine in a little shed ; while, in the darker recesses, they met with human faces cut in the bark of trees, the outlines of which, with the beards, closely resembled those seen on Egyptian monuments. Frequent cuts were made on the trees all along the path, and offerings of small pieces of manioc roots, or ears of maize, were placed on branches. It teemed as if the minds of the people were ever in doubt and dread in these gloomy recesses of the forest, and that they were striving to jjropitiate, by their offerings, some superior beings residing there. 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. They have a reraai'kable custom for cementing friendship. Taking their seats ojiposite one to the other, with a vessel of beer by the side of each, they clasp hands. 'Ihey then make cuts on their hands, the pits of their stomachs, their foreheads, and right cheeks. The point of a blade of grass is then pressed against the cuts, and afterwards each man washes it in his LIVINGSTONE SUFFERS FROM FEVER. G3 own pot of beer; exchanging pots, tlie contents are drunk, so that each man drinks the blood of the other. Thus they consider that they become blood relations, and arc bound in every possible way to assist each otlier. After several days' journeying, the travellers reached the town of Katema, a powerful chief of that district. Tlie morning after their arrival, they had a formal jDresentation, and found Katema seated on a sort of throne, with about three hundred men on the ground around, and thirty Avomen, who were said to be his wives, close behind him. The main body of tlic people were seated in a semicircle, at a distance of fifty yards. Each party had its own head man stationed at a little distance in front, and, when beckoned by the chief, came near him as councillors. The chief's head was ornamented with a helmet of beads and feathers. He had on a snuff-brown coat, with a broad band of tinsel down the arms ; and carried in his hand a largo bunch of gnus' tails tied together. They were glad to get away from Katema. Several of the party had suffered from fever; and Livingstone himself had eaten nothing in consequence of the disease for two days ; and, instead of sleep, the whole of the nights were employed in incessant drinking of water. Katema sent guides to accompany them on their journey, who stayed with them till they reached, on the 24th of February, the villages under the chieftainship of Katende. They had now reached the latitude of Loanda ; and henceforth their course was westerly. The rains continued, and Livingstone suffered much from having to sleep on the wet ground. He was constantly drenched with such showers as compelled him to de2D0sit his chronometer watch (so essential to his observations), in his arm-pit, while his lower extremities were wetted twice or thrice daily in crossing marshy streams. Night after night, he had to stretch himself in his damp clothes upon the saturated ground, suffering from fever, which deprived him of rest, undermined his strength, and ren dered the labour of each succeeding day more difficult. The westerly course they were now taking brought them among people who are frequently visited by the Mambari, as slave-dealers. They found that the idea of buying and selling took the jilace of giving for friendship ; and as Livingstone had nothing with which to purchase food except a parcel of beads whicli he had preserved for worse times, he began to fear greater suffering from hunger than they had yet endured. The people here demanded gunj)0wder for everything. Next to that, English calico was in great demand, and so were beads ; but money was of no value whatever, trade being carried on by barter alone. On the 27th, they reached a part of the River Kasui, a most beautiful river, and very much like the Clyde in Scotland. The slope of the valley down to the stream is about five hundred yards, and finely wooded. It is, perhaps, one hundred yards broad, and was winding slowly from side to side in the beautiful green glen, in a course to the north and o C-i STANLEY AND AFRICA. north-east. In Loth tlie du-ections from wliich it came and to which it went, it seemed to be alternately embowered in sylvan vegetation, or '.ich meadows covered with tall grass. "While at the ford of the Kasai," says Livingstone, "we were subjected to a trick of which we were forewarned by the people of Shinto. A knife had been dropped by one of Kangonke's people in order to entrap my men ; it was put down, near our encampment, as if lost, the owner in the meantime watching till one of my men jjicked it up. Nothing was said until our party Avas divided, one half on this, and the other on tliat bank of the river. Then the charge was made to me that one of my men had stolen a knife. Certain of my people's honesty, I desired the man, who was making a great noise, to search the luggage for it ; the unlucky lad who had taken the bait, then came forward and confessed that ho had the knife in a basket, which was already taken over the river. When it was returned, the owner would not receive it back unless accompanied with a fine. The lad offered beads, but these were refused with scorn. A shell hanging round his neck, similar to that which Shinte had given me, was the object demanded, and the victim of the trick, as we all knew it to be, was obliged to part with his costly ornament. I could not save him from the loss, as all had been forewarned ; and it is the uni- versal custom among the Makololo, and many other tribes, to show whatever they may find to the chief person of the company, and make a sort of ofi"er of it to him. This lad ought to have done so to me ; the rest of the party always observed this custom. I felt annoj-ed at the imposition, but the order v/e invariably followed in crossing a river forced me to submit. Tiie head of the part}" remained to be ferried over last ; so, if I had not come to terms, I would have been, as I always was in crossing rivers which we could not swim, completely in the power of the enemy. It was but rarely we could get a headman so witless as to cross a river with us, and remain on the opposite bank in a convenient position to be seized as a hostage, in case of my being caught." Thus, as they approached the civilised settlements, they found the habits of the people changed much for the worse ; tricks of all sorts were played to detain them and obtain tribute ; the guides also tried to impose on them. The native tribes bordering on the Portuguese province of Angola had become so demoralised by contact with Europeans, and their connection with the slave- trade, that it was with no small difiiculty and danger Livingstone was able to proceed. Payments were demanded upon the most frivolous pretences, and both he and the Makololo were forced to part with every thing tiiey could dispense with, even to their clothes, in payment for food, fines, and ferries; and after they had parted with them all, rapacious mobs still surrounded tliem, demanding what they had not to give and threatening violence on tlieir refusal. I A KAFFIR WAR DANCE UNFRIENDLY CONDUCT OF THE CIIIBOQUE. C5 The following extract from one of liis letters will illustrate his circum- stances in this part of his journoy : — " Never did I endure such drcnchings ; and all the streams being swollen, we had to ford many, the water flowing on the rustic bridges waist deep. Others we crossed by sticking to the oxen the best way we could, and a few we made a regular swim of. My Barotse — for with them alone I travelled — did not know I could swim, and the first Inoad stream we came to excited their fears on my account. ' Now, hold on fast by the tail. Don't let go.' I intended to follow the injunction, but tail and all went so deep I thought it better to strike out alone for the bank, and just as I reached it I was greatly gratified to see a universal rush had been made for my rescue. Their clothes were all floating down the stream, and two of them reached me breathless with the exertion they had made. If we could march I got on very well ; I don't care much for fatigue ; but when compelled to stand still by pouring rains, then fever laid hold with his strong pangs on my inner man, and lying in a little gipsy tent, with everything damp or wet, was sore against the grain. "As we approached the Portuguese settlements the people became worse, and at last, instead of gifts of food, wg were offered knocks on the head. The Chiboque, for instance, are most outrageous blackguards ; we were spend- ing a Sunday on Peace Society principles, when a whole tribe surrounded us, fully armed with guns, arrows, spears, and short swords. They were all vociferating and brandishing their weapons simultaneously. I sat down, and asked the chief to do the same, and then demanding silence, requested to know what w^as the matter. Our crime consisted in one of our men, when spitting, allowing a small drop of saliva to drop on them. I replied, if the chief could seriously say such was a crime, I was willing to pay a fine. (On such frivolous pretexts we had often to pay enormous fines.) He accepted one, but his warriors rejected it, and demanded one after another, until, by demanding one of our number to be sold as a slave, we saw their intention was regular j^lunder, and armed ourselves for the worst. They feared my ai'ms alone ; indeed, we were as a company unprepared for fighting ; but, armed as we were, not a man of chiefs or councillors would have escaped the first onset. We determined to let them shed the first drop of blood, and sat looking at them in all their heathenish shouting. This resolute bearing made them more reasonable, so they accepted an ox, and gave us two or three pounds of the flesh, to show that they were of a generous dis^iosition after all. We were often so treated, and at last no passage allowed us through a town or village without paying for it. I paid away nearly all I had — - oxen for provisions, riding clothes, razors, spoons, etc." Continuing their W. N. W. course, they met many parties of native traders, each carrying some pieces of cloth and salt, with a few beads to barter for bees-w?s. They Avere all armed with Portuguese guns, and had 9 CO STANLEY AND AFRICA. cartridges, with iron balls. On the 30tli of March, they came to a suddciv descent from the high land, indented by deep, narrow valleys, over which they had lately been travelling. It was genei'ally so steep, that it could only be descended at particular points, and even then Livingstone was obliged to dismount from his ox, though so weak that ho had to bo led by his com- panions, to 2:)revent his topjoling over in walking down. Below them lay tho valley of tho Quango. It is about a hundred miles broad, clothed with dark forest, except where the light-green grass covers meadow lands on tho 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, Avhicli, measured per- pendicularly, may be from a thousand to twelve hundred feet. As they emerged from the gloomy forests of Londa, this magnificent prospect filled their hearts with joy. There they met with the bamboo, as thick as a man's arm, and many new trees. They rested beside a small stream, and their hunger being severe, from having lived on manioc for many days, they slaugh- tered one of their four remaining oxen. On the 4th of April, tlicy reached the banks of the Quango, a river one hundred and fifty yards wide, and very deep, flowing among extensive meadows, clothed with gigantic grass and reeds, and in a direction nearly north. The chief of the district — a young man, who wore his luiir in tho shape of a cone, bound round with white and coloured thread — on their refusing to pay him an extortionate demand, ordered his people not to ferry them across the river, and actually opened fire on them. '' At this juncture a half-caste Portuguese, a sergeant of militia, Cypriano Di Abreu, arrived, and obtaining ferrymen, they crossed over into the territory of the Bangala, who are subject to the Portuguese. They had some time before rebelled, and troops were now stationed among them, Cj'priano being in command of a party of men. Next morning he jjrovided a delicious breakfast for his guest, and fed the Makololo with pumj^kins and maize, and supplied them with farina for their journey to Kasenge, without even hinting at payment. " The natives, thou;ih thev long have had intercourse with the Portu- guese, are ignorant and superstitious in the extreme. Many parts of the country are low and marshy, and they suffer greatly from fever. Of the use of medicine they have no notion, their only remedies being charms and cupping. The latter operation is performed with a small horn, Avhich has a little hole in the upper end. The broad end is placed on the flesh, when the operator sucks through the hole ; as the flesh rises, he gashes it witli a knife, then replaces the horn and sucks again, till finally he introduces a piece of wax into his mouth, to stop ujo the hole, when the horn is left to allow the blood to gush into it." After three days pretty hard travelling through the long grass, Living- ARRIVAL AT KASENGE. stone and his party readied Kasenge, the farthest inland station of the Portuguese in Western Africa. They crossed several streams running into the Quango ; and as the grass rose about two feet over their heads, it gene- rally obstructed their view of the adjacent country, and sometimes hung over the path, making one side of the body wet with dew every morning, or when it rained, keeping them wet during the whole day. Kasenge is composed of thirty or forty traders' houses, scattered about without any regularity. All the traders are officers in the militia, and many of them have become rich. Althougli Livingstone told them that he Avas a Protestant minister, they treated . him with the greatest kindness and hospitality. As they were the first white men the travellers had come to, they sold the tusks belonging to Sekeletu, which had been brought to test the difference of prices in the Mako- lolo and the white men's country. The result was highly satisfactory to the Makololo, as the Portuguese give much larger prices for ivory tlian can possibly be given by traders from the Cape. Two muskets, three small barrels of gunpowder, English calico and baize sufficient to clothe the whole party, with large bunches of beads, all for one tusk, rejoiced the hearts of those who had been accustomed to give two tusks for one gun. With another tusk they procured calico, which is here Ihe chief currency, to pay their way down to the coast. The remaining two were sold for money to purchase a horse for Sekeletu at Loanda. They had yet about three hundred miles to traverse before they could reach the coast. TJie merchants of Kasenge furnished Livingstone with letters of introduction to their friends at Loanda, and with a black militia corporal as a guide. He was a native cf Ambaca, and, like nearly all the inhabitants of that district, known by the name of Ambakistas, could both read and write. He had, however, the usual vices produced by slavery ; and took care to cheat those whom he was sent to guide and pi'otect. They found sleeping-places provided for travellers on the road about ten miles apart ; and a constant stream of people going and coming from the coast, carrying goods, either on the head, or on one shouldei', in a sort of basket. The first comers took possession of the sleeping-places, those arriving last having to make huts with long- grass for themselves. Women then came from their villages with baskets of manioc meal, yams, garlic, and other roots, for sale. As Livingstone had supplied himself with calico at Kasenge, he was able to purchase whatever he needed. On entering the district of Ambaca, the travellers found the landscape enlivened by the appearance of lofty mountains in the distance, the grass comparatively short, and the whole country looking gay and verdant. Every- where there were signs of great fertility. Large numbers of cattle existed on the pastures, which were well watered by flowing streams. The com- mandant of Ambaca, Arsenio de Carpo, welcomed Livingstone most cordi- CS STANLEY AND AFRICA. ally, recommended wine for his debility, and gave him the first glass he had taken in Africa. ' "When sleeping in the house of the commandant," he sajs, " an insect, well known in the southern country by the name Tampan, bit my foot. It is a kind of tick, and chooses by preference the parts between the fingers or toes for inflicting its bite. It is seen from the size of a pin's head to that of a pea, and is common in all the native huts in this countr}-. It sucks the blood until quite full, and is then of a dark-blue colour, and its skin so tough and yielding, that it is impossible to burst it by any amount of squeezing with the fingers. I had felt the effect of its bite in former years, and eschewed all native huts ever after; but, as I was here again assailed in a European house, I shall detail the effects of the bite. These are, a tingling sensation of mingled pain and itching, which com- mences ascending the limb until the poison imbibed reaches the abdomen, where it soon causes violent vomiting and purging. Where these effects do not follow, as we found afterwards at Tete, fever sets in ; and I was assured by intelligent Portuguese there, that death has sometimes been the result of this fever. The only inconvenience I afterwards suffered from this bite, was the continuance of the tingling sensation in the point bitten for about a week." Sunday, the l-±th of May, was spent at Cubinda, situated in a beautiful glen, and surrounded by plantations of bananas and manioc. The country became more and more picturesque the farther they proceeded west. In a day or two they entered ujion a wild-looking mountainous district, called Golungo Alto. The hills were bedecked with trees of various hues ; tower- ing among them the graceful palm, which yields the oil of commerce and palm-wine. Here Livingstone was kindly received by the commandant, Lieutenant Antonio Canto e Castro, a young man, whose kindness and hos- pitality overflowed towards the traveller. A few days' rest with this young man enabled him to regain much of his strength. He was quite shut in among green hills, many of which were cultivated up to their tops with manioc, coffee, cotton, ground-nuts, bananas, pine-apples, guavas, papaws, custard-apples, pitangas, and jambos, fruits brought from South America. On the 24th of May, they left Golungo Alto. As they proceeded, they ])assed several streams and cascades, and through forests of gigantic timber. Numbers of carpenters were converting the lofty trees which grew around into planks, from which they made small chests, which they sold at Cam- bondo. When furnished with hinges, lock, and key — all of their own manu- facture — one costs only a shilling and eightpenco. Livingstone's men were so delighted with them that they carried several of them on their heads all the way to Linyanti. At Trombeta, the commandant had his garden orna- mented with rows cf trees, with pine-apples and flowers growing between them. A few years ago, he had purchased an estate for £16, on which he LIVINGSTONE ENTERS LOAN DA. CD had now a coffee plantation, and all sorts of fruit-froos and grape-vines, besides grain and vegetables growing, as also a cotton plantation. All kinds of food were here remarkably cheap. The aspect of the country now gradually changed. The nearer they approached the sea, th.e more level and unfruitful the country became. The grandeur and beauty of tlie natural scenery were left behind. " Farther on," says our traveller, " we left the mountainous country, and, as wo descended towards the west coast, saw the land assuming a more sterile, uninviting aspect. On our right ran the river Senza, which, nearer the sea, takes the name of Bengo. It is about fifty yards broad, and navigable for canoes. The low plains adjacent to its banks are ^^rotected from inundation by embank- ments, and the population is entirely occupied in raising food and fruits for exportation to Loanda by means of canoes. The banks are infested by myriads of the most ferocious mosquitoes I ever met. Not one of our party could get a snatch of sleep. I was taken into the house of a Portuguese, but was soon glad to make my escape, and lie across the path on the lee side of the fire, where the smoke blew over my body. My host wondered at my want of taste, and I at his want of feeling, for, to our astonishment, he, and the other inhabitants, had actually become used to what was at least equal to a nail through the heel of one's boot, or the tooth-ache." They were now drawing near the coast ; and as they gradually appi'oached it, Livingstone's companions were somewhat alarmed. When they first saw the sea they looked at it, stretching away out to the distant horizon, with wondering awe. Describing their feelings afterwards, they said: — "We marched along with our father, believing that what our forefathers had told us was true, that the world has no end ; but all at once the world said to us, ' I am finished ; there is no more of me ! ' " They were afraid of being kid- napped ; and then they were apprehensive of want and hunger. But their white leader assured them, that nothing should happen save what happened to himself ; that as they had stood by each other hitherto, so they would stand by each other to the last. The westward journey was now over. On the 31st of May, 1854, Livingstone and his Makololo entered the city of Loanda. From the time be had come within Portuguese influence and rule, his journey had been com- paratively pleasant. Through the kind and valued aid of the Portuguese settler he happily met at Quango, he and his party had been safely escorted to Kasenge. From this point he was treated with unbounded kindness and hospitality by the Portuguese authorities, and by the pojoulation generally, until he reached Loanda. And it was a merciful thing that he was thus treated, for so extreme were his sufferings towards the termination of his journey, from repeated attacks of fever, and from dysentery, that he could not sit upon his ox longer than ten minutes at a time ; and when he entered 70 STANLEY AND AFRICA. the mucli-desired city, he was reduced almost to a slceleton. Here, however, warm-hearted friends awaited him, the most valuable of whoui was Edmund Gabriel, Esq., Her Majesty's Commissioner at Loanda, and the only English- man in the place. 13y him, he and his twenty-seven companions were most generously received. "I shall never forget." he says " the delicious pleasure of lying down on his bed after sleeping six months on the ground ; nor tiio unwearied attention and kindness, through a long sickness, which Mr. Gabriel invariably showed. ]\Iay God reward him ! " CHAPTER III. Livingstone and ihe Maltololo at Loanda — Return Journey — Reach Linijanti — De])arture for Kilimanc — Victoria Falls — Native Tribes — Animals — Tcte and its Vicinity — Descent of the Zambesi — Arrival at Kilimanc. a Qfj^ PAUL DE LOANDA has been a very considerable city, but is now in ^ a state of decay. It contains about twelve thousand inhabitants, most of whom are peojile of colour. There are various evidences of its former mag- nificence, especially two cathedrals, one of which, once a Jesuit college, is now converted into a workshop ; and in passing the other Livingstone saw with sorrow a number of oxen feeding within its stately walls. Three forts continue in a good state of repair. Many large stone houses are to be found. The palace of the governor and govei-nment offices are commodious structures ; but nearly all the houses of the native inhabitants are of wattle and daub. Trees are planted all over the town for the sake of shade ; and the city pre- sents an imposing appearance from tlie sea. It is provided with an effective police ; and the custom-house department is extremely well managed. All parties agree in representing the Portuguese authorities as both jjolite and obliging; and, if ever any inconvenience is felt by strangers visiting the port, it must be considered the fault of the system, not of the men. "The harbour is formed by the low sandy island of Loanda, which is inhabited by about one thousand three hundred souls, upwards of six hundred of whom arc industrious native fishermen, who supply the city with abund- ance of good fish daily. The space between it and the mainland, on which the city is built, is the station for ships. When a high south-west wind blows, the waves of the ocean dash over part of the island, and, driving large quan- tities of sand before them, gradually fill up the harbour. Grreat quantities of soil are also washed in the rainy season from the heights above the city, so that the port, which once contained water sufficient to float the largest ships close to the custom-house, is now at low water dry. The ships are compelled to anchor about a mile north of their old station. Nearly all the water con- sumed in Loanda is brought from the river Bengo by means of launches, the only supply that the city affords being from some deep wells of slightly brack- ish water ; unsuccessful attempts have been made by different governors to finish a canal which the Dutch, while in possession of Loanda during the 72 STANLEY AND AFRICA. seven years preceding 1G18, had begun, to bring water from the river Coanza to the city." At llic time of Livingstone's visit, tlicre was not a single English mer- chant at Loanda, and only two Americans. This was the more remarkable, as nearly all the commerce was carried on by means of English calico brought via Lisbon. Several English houses attempted to establish a trade about 1845, and accepted bills on Rio de Janeiro in payment for their goods, but the increased activity of English cruisers had such an effect upon the mercantile houses of that city, that most of them failed. The English mer- chants lost all. " The Portuguese home government," says Livingstone, " has not generally received the credit for sincerity in suppressing the slave- trade which I conceive to be its due. In 1839 my friend, Mr. Gabriel, saw tlurty-sevcn slave-ships lying in this harbour, waiting for their cargoes, under the protection of the guns of the forts. At that time slavers had to wait many months at a time for a human freight, and a certain sum per head was paid to the government for all that were exported. The duties derived from the exportation of slaves far exceeded those from other commerce, and, by agree- ing to the su2:)pression of this profitable traffic, the government actually sacri- ficed the chief part of the export revenue since that period. However, tlie revenue from lawful commerce has very much exceeded that on slaves. The intentions of the Portuguese home government, however good, cannot be fully carried out under the present system. The pay of the officers is so very small that they are nearly all obliged to engage in trade ; and owing to the lucrative nature of the slave-trade, the temj^tatlon to engage in it Is so power- ful that the philanthropic statesmen of Lisbon need hardly expect to have their humane and enlightened views carried out." Many days elapsed, after Livingstone's arrival at Loanda, before he recovered from the fatigue and sufferings he had endured. His complaint having been caused by long deprivation of proper food, and exposure to malarious Influences, he became much more reduced than ever, even while enjoying rest. All the time he was watched over with the most generous sympathy by his kind host. The Portuguese Bishop of Angola, and numerous other gentlemen, called on him and tendered their services. Her Majesty's sill]! "Polyphemus" coming in, the surgeon, Mr. Cockin, afforded him the medical assistance he so much required; and on the 14th of June he was sufficiently recovered to call on the bishop, attended by his Makololo fol- lowers. They had all been dressed In new robes of striped cotton cloth, and red caps, presented by Mr. Gabriel. . The bishop, acting as head of the provisional government, received them in form, and gave them permission to come to Loanda and trade as often as they wished, with which they were greatly pleased. The Makololo gazed with astonishment on every thing they saw around them ; especially on the large stone houses and churches, having THE MAKOLOLO ON BOARD SHIP. 73 never before seen a building larger than a hut. When invited on board ship, they hesitated through fear of being kidnapped ; but when their leader told them that if they entertained the least suspicion of foul play they need not go, they felt re-assured, and nearly the whole party went. Pointing to the sailors, Livingstone said — " Now, these are all my countrymen, sent by our Queen for the purpose of putting down the trade of those that bu}' and sell black men." They reijlied — " Truly they are just like you;" and all their fears vanished. The sailors received them just the same as they would have been received by the Makololo, handing them a share of the bread and beef they had for dinner. They were allowed to fire off a cannon, at which they were greatly pleased, especially when they were told that it was with that the slave-trade was put down. We have now ti'aced the missionary ti-aveller through a series of explor- atory^ journeys of vast extent and almost inappreciable importance ; and had he been an ordinary man, he would, at this jjoint, have terminated his toils and dangers. But this was not his design. Though his j^ast sufferings had been severe, and he was now lying emaciated upon a sick-bed ; though he had been separated from his family for more than two weary years, and the tempting opportunity of speedily rejoining them in England was presented to him, he nevertheless resolved to retrace his steps to Linyanti, and, having rested there for a season, to commence new explorations towards the east. Two principal inducements led him to this determination — first, he felt that his honour as an Englishman and a Christian missionary was pledged to do his utmost to convey back to their country the confiding people who had accompanied him to Loanda, and who had faithfully fulfilled their engagement with himself. This motive would have sufiiced ; but there were other consider- ations which shut him up to this course. He had not yet secured the great object of all his previous labours. That object, as we have seen, was to ojoen from the coast a pathway into the heart of Africa for commerce and Christianity. Such a pathway, indeed, he had now discovered ; but it was one so beset with difficulty and danger, as to preclude the hope that, by its means, the future elevation and happiness of the people whom it was his aim to benefit would be secured. He felt, therefore, that his work was not done, and he prepared to press back, through hostile tribes and pestilential swamps, that, if possible, he might attain the summit of his sacred ambition. "I feel," he writes, " that the work to which I set myself is only half accomplished. The way out to the eastern coast may be less difficult than I have found that to the west. If I succeed we shall, at least, have a choice. I intend, God helping me, to go down the Zambesi or Leeambye to Kilimane. If I cannot succeed I shall return to Loanda, and thence embark for England." These were the jilans and purposes which largely occupied Livingstone's thoughts during his constrained sojourn at Loanda. But many weeks of 74 STANLEY AND AFRICA. suffering passed, ereliecould preiDare for the great achievement upon which, his heai't was set. ]\Ieanwhlle, his native companions patiently awaited his recovery. During this detention, however, they had enough to engage their thoughts and time in the new world by which tliey were surrounded. Wisliing to take back to their country some of the wonderful and valu- able articles they saw at Loanda, they employed themselves in going into the country and cutting firewood, which they sold to the inhabitants of the town. They sallied forth at ccck-crowing in the mornings, and by daylight reached the uncultivated parts of the adjacent country, collected a bundle of firewood, and returned to the city. It was then divided into smaller fagots ; and as they gave larger quantities than the regular wood-carriers, they found no difficulty in selling, and soon established a brisk trade. Mr. Gabriel also found them employment in unloading a collier at sixpence a day. They continued at this work for upwards of a month, and nothing could exceed their astonishment at the vast amount of cargo one ship contained. At last they gave it up in despair, having laboured, as they expressed it, every day from sunrise to sunset for a moon and a half, unloading, as quickly as they could, " stones that burn," and were tired out, still leaving plenty in her. With the money thus obtained they purchased clothing, beads, and other articles to carry home with tliem. In selecting calicoes they were well able to judge of the best, and chose such pieces as appeared the strongest, without reference to colour. These references to Livingstone's simple-minded attendants must not be concluded without a quotation from one of his letters, which states a fact equally honourable to them and to him. " Though compelled," he writes, " to part with their hard-won earnings in Loanda for food, on our way home, I never heard a murmur. The report they gave of the expedition, both iu public and private, and their very kind expressions towards myself, were sufficiently flattering." We cannot stay longer with our traveller on the west coast than to state j that what he saw there led him to form a very high estimate of the extreme j beauty and fertility of the country, and satisfied him that, under proper 1 cultivation, few regions would prove more productive than the province of \Angola. Here he found that the Mocha coffee, some seeds of which had many years since been introduced there by the Jesuits, had so propagated itself as to spread three hundred miles from the coast, where he met with it growing wild. Its cultivation is so simple, and its productiveness so great, that any one with ordinary energy, by merely clearing away the bush, could, in a short time, raise large crops and amass a fortune. AVhile at Loanda he also visited several extinct convents and dilapidated churches, with other traces of a bygone period. His strength being now recruited, he prepared for his departure, greatly refreshed by the unbounded kindness he had received, and elate with the purpose and the prospect of the mighty achievement still before THE FORT OF PUNGO ANDONGO. 75 him. He supplied liimself with ammunition and beads, and a stock of cloth, and he gave each of his men a musket. He also purchased a horse for Sekeletu. The LishojD furnished him with twenty carriers, and sent forward orders to the commandants of the districts to the east to render him every assistance. The merchants sent a present to Sekeletu, consisting of specimens of all their articles of trade, and two donkeys, that the breed might be intro- duced into his country, as the tsetse cannot kill those beasts of burden. His friends of the "Philomel" fitted him out also with a new tent, and, on the 20th of September, 1854, he and his party left Loanda, escorted by Mr. Gabriel, who, from his unwearied attentions and liberality to his men, had become endeared to all their hearts. The party passed round by sea to the mouth of the river Bengo. Ascend- ing this river, they went through the district in which stand the ruins of the convent of St. Antonio ; thence into Icollo-i-Bengo, so named from having been the residence of a former native king. Mr. Gabriel now returned to Loauda, and Livingstone and his party proceeded to Golungo Alto ; from which jjlace he made a short excursion into some of the neighbouring districts, celebrated for their coffee plantations. On his return, he found several of his men suffering from fever, while one of them had gone out of his mind, who, how- ever speedily recovered. While waiting for the recovery of his men, he visited the deserted convent of St. Hilarion, at Bango, situated in a magni- ficent valley, and now the residence of the Sova, or chief Bango, who still holds a place of authority under the Portuguese. The horse which the governor had kindly presented for Sekeletu was now seized with inflammation, and afterwards died on its journey. On the 14th of December the travellers proceeded on their way to Ambaca. Owing to the weakness of the men who had been sick, they were able to march but short distances. The whole country looked fresh and green after recent rains, and everything so cheering^, that they could not but won- der to find it so feverish. Leaving Ambaca, they crossed tlie Lucalla, and turned toward the south, in order to visit the famous rocks of Pungo Andono-o. " The fort of Pungo Andongo is situated in the midst of a group of curious columnar-shaped rocks, each of which is upwards of three hundred feet in height. They are composed of conglomerate, made up of a great variet}^ of rounded pieces in a matrix of dark-red sandstone. They rest on a thick stratum of this last rock, with very few of the pebbles in its substance. On this a fossil palm has been found, and if of the same age as those on the eastern side of the continent on whicli similar palms now lie, there may be coal underneath this, as well as under that at Tete. The gigantic pillars of Puugo Andongo have been formed by a current of the sea coming from the S. S. E., for, seen from the top, they appear arranged in that direction, and must have withstood the surges of tha ocean at a period of our world's liis- 76 STANLEY AND AFRICA. toiy, when the relations of land and sea were totally different from what they are now. The imbedded ijieces in the conglomerate are of gneiss, clay shale, mica and sandstone schists, trap, and porphyry, most of which are large enough to give the whole the appearance of being the only remaining ves- tiges of vast primeval banks of shingle. Several little streams run amongst these rocks, and in the central part of the pillars stands the village, com- pletely environed by well nigh inaccessible rocks. " In former times the Portuguese imagined that this place was particu- larly unhealthy, and banishment to the black rocks of Pungo Andongo was thought by their judges to be a much severer sentence than transportation to any j^jart of the coast ; but this district is now well known to be the most healthy part of Angola. The water is remarkably pure, the soil is light, and the country open and undulating, with a general slope down towards the Coanza, a few miles distant. That river is the southern boundary of the Portuguese, and beyond, to the S. and S. W., we see the high mountains of the Libollo. On the S. E. we have also a mountainous country, inhabited by the Kimbonda or Ambonda, who are said to be a very brave and independ- ent people, but hospitable and fair in their dealings. They are rich in cattle, and their country produces much bees-wax, which is carefully collected, and brought to the Portuguese, with whom they have always been on good terms." Livingstone left Pungo Andongo on the 1st of January, 1855. His path lay along the right bank of the Coanza. On reaching the confluence of the Lombe, he left the river, and proceeded to the village of Malange. Leaving Malange, he passed quickly, without deviation, along the path by which he had come. He daily met long lines of carriers bearing large square masses of bees-Avax, each about a hundred pounds' weight, and numbers of elephants' tusks, the property of Angolese merchants. Many natives were also proceed- ing to the coast on their own account, carrying bees-wax, ivorj*, and sweet oil. They appeared to travel in perfect security ; and at different jjarts of the road, he jDurchased fowls from them at a penny each. The Makololo were now able to boast over the natives of these parts, who had endeavoured to frighten them on their way down, because they had actually entered ships, while these natives had only seen them at a distance. They were more than ever attentive to their leader, and assiduous in their endeavours to make him comfortable. So far eastward as the authority of the Portuguese extended, our traveller was able, slowly indeed, and with many interrujjtions, but yet with compa- rative ease and safety, to jiursue his course to Kasenge. But, unlike those travellers who are satisfied with a superficial survey of the regions thi-ough A'hich they j^ass, he ascertained and recorded, as he went along, the latitude and longitude of its many points, so as to make the way of those who suc- ceeded him perfectly plain. Pie corrected the mnps of Angola and its adjoin- FA NT A STIC A ND EL A BORA TE HE A D-DRESSES. 7 7 ing districts, whicli, framed more upon native reports than astronomical observation, proved to be singularly erroneous. He fixed all the rivers lie could ])ossibly trace, and settled the confluence of their principal branches, and loft no im2:)ortant place without fixing its position. These invaluable labours, however, with the numerous detours Avhich he made from the direct path to places not previously visited, and the additional observations he was con- stantly taking, greatly retarded his progress. On the 28tli of February, they reached the banks of the Quango, Avhere they were again received by Cypriano. He acted Avith his wonted kindness, though, unfortunately, drinking had got him so deeply into debt, that ho was obliged to keep out of the way of his creditors. Crossing the Quango, they passed on without visiting their friend of the conical head-dress, to the residence of some Ambakistas, who had crossed the river in order to secure the first chances of trade in wax. These Ambakistas, or half-caste Portu- guese, are famed for their love of learning, and are keen traders ; and, as they write a peculiarly fine hand, they are generally employed as clerks — sometimes being called the Jews of Angola. The Bashinje, in whose country they now were, seem to possess more of the low negro character and physiognomy than either the Balonda or Easongo. " Their colour," says Livingstone, " is generally dirty black, foreheads low and compressed, noses flat and much expanded laterally, though this is owing partly to the alse spreading over the cheeks, by the custom of inserting bits of sticks or reeds in the septum ; their teeth are deformed by being filed to points ; their lips are large. They make a nearer approacli to a general negro aj^pearance than any tribes I met." At one of their villages the head man attacked the travellers, and a large body rushed upon them as they were passing through a forest, and fired upon them. Livingstone's coolness and courage, however, were more than a match for them, and they soon quietly returned home. The travellers crossed the Loajima on the 30th of April. The people in these jiarts seemed more slender in form, and their colour a lighter olive than any they had before met. " They elaborately dress their hair in a number of ways. It naturally hangs down on their shoulders in large masses, wliicb, with their general features, give them a strong resemblance to the ancient Egyptians. Some of them twist their hair into a number of small cords, which they stretch out to a hoop encircling the head, giving it the resemblance of the glory seen in pictures round the head of the Virgin Mary. Others adorn their heads with ornaments of woven hair and hide, to which they occasionally suspend the tails of buffaloes. A third fashion is to weave the hair on pieces of hide, in the form of buffalo horns, projecting on either side of the head. The young men twine their hair in the form of a single horn, projecting over their forehead in front. They frequently tattoo their bodies, producins a variety of figures, in the form of stars. Although their 78 STANLEY AND AFRICA. heads are tlras elaborately dressed, tliciv bodies are almost destitute of clothing-.'' After crossing two small streams, they reached Cabango, a A'illagc situ- ated on the banks of the Cliihombo. The country was becoming more densely peopled as they proceeded, yet its population was notliing compared with what it could easily sustain. Provisions were so plentiful and cheap that a fowl and a basket of meal were sold for a yard and a half of very inferior cotton-cloth, worth not more than three pence. The chief vegetable food is manioc and lotsa meal. These contain a very large proportion of starch, and when eaten alone for any length of time, produce most distressing heart- burn and weakness of vision. When these starchy substances, however, are eaten along with a jDroportion of ground-nuts, which contain a considerable quantity of oil, no injurious effects follow. Cabango is the dwelling place of Muanzanza, one of Matiamvo's subordinate chiefs. The population consists partlj' of natives, and partly of half-caste Portuguese from Anibaca, agents for the Kasenge traders. The cold in the mornings was now severe to the feelings, the thermometer ranging from 58° to 60°, though, Avhen protected^ sometimes standing as high as Gl°; at six a.m., when the sun is well up, the thermometer, in the shade, rises to 80°, and in the evenings it is about 78°. Leaving Cabango, they crossed several little streams running into the Chi- hombo on their left, and in one of them saw, for the first time in Africa, tree ferns. The trunk was about four feet high, and ten inches in diameter. They also saw grass trees of two varieties, which, in damp localities, had attained the height of forty feet. On crossing the Chihombo, about twelve miles above Cabango, they found it waist-deep and rapid. As soon as they got away from the track of the slave-traders, the more kindly spirit of the southern Balonda appeared, and generally they were well received at the villages. On their arrival at the Kasai, most extortionate demands were made by Kawawa, an important personage in these parts, as the toll for crossing that river. A bullock, a gun, and a man, were the lowest terms upon which Living- stone and his party could be ferried over to the east bank. " Very well," said Livingstone, in the calmest possible manner, "I am sorry for it. What will you do with me ?" "I can't say," replied the chief, ''you must give mo all you have got." Meanwhile, as the day was advancing, the chief, aware that, without canoes, it would be impossible for the travellers to get across, secretly ordered his people to convey them all away. Without, however, giving the wily savage reason to suppose that his design had been discovered, one of the party, while apparently looking with easy indifference in another direction, was carefully watching one of the canoes into a distant creek of tlie river, far, as it was supposed, beyond their reach. Night now gathered around them, the chief and the people returned to their tents, and when all was dark- FLORAL BEAUTY OF THE PLAINS. 79 ncss and silence, some of the Makololo, guided by their keen-eyed companion, stealthily tracked their way to the creek where the canoe was hidden ; and, when the morning dawned, the extortioner, with mortification and rage, found his caplivcs free and far beyond his reach, though his canoe had been safely returned. After leaving the Kasai, they entered upon the vast level plains which they had formerly found in a flooded condition. The water on them was not yet dried up, but remained in certain hollow spots. Here they saw vultures floating in the air. Jet-black larks, with yellow shoulders, enlivened the mornings with their songs. " While passing across the interminable plains," writes our traveller, *' the eye rests with pleasure on a small flower, which exists in such numbers as to give its own hue to the ground. One broad band of yellow stretches across our path. On looking at the flowers which formed this golden carpet, we saw every variety of that colour, from the palest lemon to the richest orange. Crossing a hundred yards of this, we came upon ano- ther broad band of the same flower, but blue, and this colour is varied, from the lightest tint to daik-blue, and even purple. I had before observed the same flower possessing difierent colours in difterent parts of the country, and once, a great number of liver-coloured flowers, which elsewhere were yellow. Even the colour of the birds changed with the district we passed through ; but never before did I see such a marked change, as from yellow to blue, repeated again ar.d again on the same plain. Another beautiful plant attracted my attention so strongly on those plains, that I dismounted to examine it. To my great delight, I found it to be an old home acquaintance, a species of Drosera, closely resembling our own sun-dew [Droscra Ancjlia). The flower- stalk never attains a height of more than two or three inches, and the leaves are covei-ed with reddish hairs, each of which has a drop of clammy fluid at its tip, making the whole appear as if spangled over with small diamonds. I noticed it first in the morning, and imagined the appearance was caused by the sun shining on drops of dew; but, as it continued to maintain its brilliancy during the heat of the day, I proceeded to investigate the cause of its beauty, and found that the points of the hairs exuded pure liquid, in, apparently, capsules of clear glutinous matter. They were thus like dewdrops preserved from evaporation. The clammy fluid is intended to entrap insects, which, dying on the leaf, probably yield nutriment to the plant." Soon after crossing the Kasai, Livingstone left behind him every un- friendly native, and, to use his own words, was " at home, received with enthusiasm at all the different towns and villages through which we passed, and wanted for nothing the people had to give. Still," he remarks, " the Africans are all deeply imbued with the spirit of trade. We found great difficulty in getting past many villages ; every artifice was employed to detain us that we might purchase our suppers from them." On the 1-ith of June, 80 STANLEY AND AFRICA. tlicy readied tlie collection of straggling villages under tlic cliieftaiusliip of Katema, and were thankful to see old familiar faces again. The chief and liis people manifested the greatest kindness ; and assured them of all the friendly assistance he could give them on their journey. On departing from Livingstone's presence, he mounted on the shoulders of his spokesman, as the most dignified mode of retiring. The spokesman being a slender man, and the chief six feet high, and stout in proportion, there would have been a break down, had ho not been accustomed to it. On reaching the town of Shinto, they received a hearty welcome from this friendly old man, and abundant provisions of the best he had. On hearing the report of the journey, and receiving a j^iece of cotton cloth about two yards square, he said, " These Mambarl cheat us by bringing little pieces only ; but the next time you pass I shall send men with you, to trade for me in Loanda." After leaving with him a number of jilants, among which were orange, cashew, custard, apjile, and fig-trees, with coffee, acacias, and papaws, to be planted out in the enclosure of one of his principal men, the travellers left him on the sixth of July, and proceeded by their former path to the village of his sister Nyamoana. From her they received the loan of five small canoes, and, also, one of those they had left there before, to proceed down the Leeba. The Makololo purchased also a number of small canoes capable of carrying onl}' two persons, from the Balonda. The price jjaid was a string of beads equal to the length of the canoe. A short distance below the confluence of the Leeba and Leeambye, they met a number of hunters belonging to the tribe called Mambowe, who had with them dried flesh of hippopotami, buffaloes and alligators. " They stalk the animals by using the stratagem of a cap made of the skin of a leche's or poku's head, having the horns still attached, and another made so as to repre- sent the upper white part of the crane called jabiru, with its long neck and beak above. With these on, they crawl through the grass ; they can easily put up their heads so far as to see their prey without being recognised until they are within bow shot. They joined our party," says Livingstone, " and on the following day discovered a hippopotamus dead, which they had pre- viously wounded. This was the first feast of flesh my men had enjoyed, for, though the game was wonderfully abundant, I had quite got out of the way of shooting, and missed perpetually. Once I went with a determination of getting so close that I should not miss a zebra. We went along one of the branches that stretch out from the river in a small canoe, and two men, stooping down as low as they could, paddled It slowly along- to an open space near to a herd of zebras and pokus. Peering over the edge of the canoe, the open space seemed like a patch of wet ground, such as is often seen on the banks of a river, made smooth as the resting place of alligators. When we came within a few yards of it, we found, by the precipitate plunging of THE TEA VELLERS RE A ClI LI BON T A . 8 1 the reptile, that this was a Lirnc alligator itself. Although I had been most careful to ap2:)roach near enough, I unfortunately only broke the hind leg of a zebra. My two men pursued it, but the loss of a hind leg does not prevent this animal from a gallop. '' As I walked slowly after the men on an extensive plain covered with a great crop of grass, which was laid by its own weight, I observed that a solitary buffalo, disturbed by others of my own party, was coming to me at a gallop. I glanced around, but the only tree on the plain was a hundred yards off, and there was no escape elsewhere. I therefore cocked my rifle, with tlic intention of giving him a steady shot in the forehead, Avhen he should come witliin three or four yards of me. The thought flashed across my mind, ' W hat if your gun misses fire ?' I placed it to my shoulder as he came on at full speed, and that is tremendous, though generally he is a lumbering- looking animal in his pace. A small bush, and a bunch of grass fifteen yards off, made him swerve a little, and exposed his shoulder. I just heard the ball crack there as I fell fiat on my face. The pain must have made him renounce his purpose, for he bounded close past me on to the water, where he was found dead. In expressing ray thankfulness to God among my men, they were much offended with themselves for not being present to shield me from this danger." Our travellers reached the town of Libonta on July 27th ; and were welcomed by the warmest demonstrations of joy, the women coming forth to meet them, with dancing and singing. They were looked upon as men risen from the dead, the diviners having pronounced them to have perished long ago. They were conducted to the kotla, or house of assembly, where Pitsane, one of the Makololo, delivered a long speech, describing the journey and the kind way in which they had been received at Loanda, especially by Mr. Gabriel. The next day Livingstone held a religious service, when his Mako- lolo braves, arrayed in their red caps, and white suits of European clothing, attended. During the service they all sat with their guns over their shoulders and excited the unbounded admiration of the women and children. He addressed them all on the goodness of God in preserving them from all the dangers of strange tribes and disease. The men of Libonta gave them two fine oxen for slaughter, and the women supplied them abundantly with milk, meal, and butter. Strangers came flocking from a distance, and seldom empty-handed. As they proceeded down the Barotse valley, they were everywhere received in the same cordial manner. They parted with their kind Libonta friends on the 31st of Jul}'-, and on the 1st qf August reached Naliele. There they remained a fortnight. "I left Naliele," says Livingstone, " on the 13th of August, and when proceeding along the shore at mid-day, a hippopotamus struck the canoe with her fore- head, lifting one-half of it quite out of the water, so as nearly to overturn it. 11 82 STANLEY AND AFRICA. T]ie force of the butt she gave, tilted Mashauana out into the river ; the rest of us sprang to the shore, which was only about ten yards off. Glancing back, I saw her come to the surface a short way off, and look to the canoe, as if to see if she had done much mischief. It was a female, whose young one had been speared the day before. No damage was done, except wetting person and goods. This is so unusual an occurrence, when the precaution is taken to coast along the shore, that my men exclaimed, ' Is the beast mad T There were eight of us in the canoe at the time, and the shako it received shows the immense power of this animal in the water." Resting for a few days at Seshcke, they jiroceeded to Linyanti, where the waggon and everything that was left in it in November, 1853, was found perfectly safe. A grand meeting was called to receive the traveller's report, and the articles which had been sent as presents by the governor and mer- chants of Loanda. The presents gave immense satisfaction ; and on Sunday, Sekeletu made his ai:»2oearancc at church in his uniform, which attracted universal attention. Prior to this, Livingstone was a most extraordinary personage in the eyes of the Makololo ; but now he was more exalted than ever. They expressed great satisfaction at the route which had been opened up, and pro^josed moving to the Barotse valley, that they might be nearer the great market. The unhealthiuess of the climate, however, was justly considered a great drawback to the scheme. It was arranged that another party should go down to Loanda with a load of ivory ; and Livingstone after- wards heard that they arrived there in safety. It must have been a great satisfaction to him to feel that he had thus ojDened out a way to the enterjDrise of these industrious and intelligent people. Livingstone now began to make arrangements for performing his adven- turous journey to the East Coast. He resolved not to remain at Linyanti longer than necessary ; still nearly two months elapsed before he could leave. The preparations needful for such a journey were considerable; besides he was advised to wait till the rains had fallen and cooled the ground ; and as it was near the end of September, and clouds were collecting, it was expected that they would soon commence. The heat was excessive ; the thermometer, even in the shade of the waggon, stood at 100°, and if unprotected, rose to 110° ; during the night it sank to 70°. Though compelled to wait so long, the mis- sionary traveller was not idle ; he was fully occupied in attending to the sick, and in preaching the gospel. His notes, made during the time, abound with descriptions of the habits and customs of the people. His conclusion as to their character was " that they are just a strange mixture of good and evil, as men are everywhere else." The children strongly resemble in many respects those of other nations. " They have merry times, especially in the cool oi the evening. One of their games consists of a little girl being carried on th.e shoulders of two others. She sits with outstretched arms as they walk about THUNDER-STOPxM ON LEAVING LINYANTI. S^ with her, and all the rest clap their hands, and, stopping before each hut, sing pretty airs, some beating time on their skirts of cow-skin, and others making a curious humming sound between tlie songs. Excepting this and the skij)- ping rope, the play of the girls consists in imitating the serious work of their mothers — building little huts, midving small pots and cooking, pounding corn in miniature mortars, or hoeing tiny gardens. The boys play with small spears and shields, or bows and arrows, or make little cattle-pens and cattle in clay, often showing much ingenuity in their imitations of the animals, especially of their horns." The reports made by Livingstone's companions to Loanda were so favourable, and the desire to find a passage to the east coast so strong, that as soon as he announced his intention of proceeding eastward, numerous volunteers offered their services to accompany him. He selected from among them a hundred and fourteen men ; and Sekeletu appointed two as leaders of the company, one of whom had frequently travelled along the banks of the Zambesi, and spoke the various dialects of the people residing on them, and was, moreover, a man of sound judgment and prudence, and rendered great service to the expedition. All being now ready, on the 3rd of November, Livingstone bade adieu to his friends at Linyanti; and, acompanicd by Sekeletu and about two hundred followx'rs, set out on his eastward journey. They had scarcely started before a terrible storm burst upon them in all its fury. At times the lightning spread over the sky, forming eight or ten branches, like tliose of a gigantic tree. The light was such, although other- wise the night was dark, that the whole country w^as distinctly visible. The horses trembled, cried out, turning roimd to search for each other; while the thunder crashed with tremendous roars, and the rain fell in torrents. At last, they perceived a fire, left by some previous travellers, in the distance, and turned aside to rest by it. They were wet and cold ; and Livingstone's baggage having gone on before, he had to lie down on the cold ground, when Sekeletu kindly covered him with his own blanket, remaining himself without shelter. The act was only one of many, illustrating the generous nature of this African chief. After bidding farewell to Sekeletu, Livingstone and his companions sailed down the river to its confluence with the Chobo. lie intended from here to strike acrQss the country to the north-cast, in order to reach the northern bank of the Zambesi. But he resolved, first of all, to visit the Falls of Victoria, called by the natives Mozioatunya, or more anciently, Shongwe. The following description of these falls is from the pen of our traveller him- self: — " After twenty minutes' sail from Kalai, we came iir sight, for the first time, of the columns of vai)our, appropriately called ' smoke,' rising at a dis tance of five or six miles, exactly as when large tracts of grass are burned in, Africa. Five columns now arose, and bending in tlie direction of the wind 84 STANLEY AND AFRICA. tliey seemed placed against a low ridge covered with trees ; the tops of the columns at this distance appeared to mingle ^yith the clouds. They were white below, and higher up became dark, so as to simulate smoke very closely. The whole scene was beautiful ; the banks and islands dotted over the river are adorned with sylvan vegetation of great variety of colour and form. At the period of our visit several 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 silvery mohonono, which in the tropics is in form like the cedar of Lebanon, stands in pleasing contrast witli tlie dark colour of the motsouri, whose cypress-forni is dotted over at present with its pleasant scarlet 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 an^-thing 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 mountains in the background. The falls are bounded on three sides by ridges three hun- dred or four hundred feet in height, whicli 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 fai-, and embarked in a lighter one, with men well acquainted with the rajwds, who, by passing down the centre of the stream in the eddies and still j^laces 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 down by the sti-eamg 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 opposite lij^ of the fissure into which it disappeared being only eighty feet distant. At least I did not comjirehend 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 leajoed down a hundred feet, and then became suddenly compressed j 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 THE VICTORIA FALLS. with low tree-covered hills immediately beyond Gravosend ; 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 pro- longed from the left end of the tunnel through thirty miles of hills; the pathway being a hundred feet down from the bed of the river instead of what it is, with the lips of the fissure from eighty to one hundred feet apart ; then fancy the Thames leaping bodily into the gulf, and forced there to change its direction, and flow from the right to the left bank, and then rush boiling and roaring through the hills — he may have some idea of what takes place at this, the most wonderful sight 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 declination about equal to the latitude of the place.) From this cloud rushed up a great jet of vapour exactly like steam, and it mounted two hundred or three hundred feet high ; there con- densing, 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 siJe 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 vapour, in its ascent, licks them up clean ofi" the rock, and away they mount again. They are constantly running down, but never roach the bottom. "On the left of the island we see the water at the bottom, a white rolling mass, moving away to the prolongation 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 perjoendicular, and composed of one homogeneous mass of rock. The edge of that side over which the water falls, is worn off two oi' three feet, and pieces have fallen away, so as to give it somewhat of a serrated appearance. 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 the period of its formation. The rock is dark-brown in colour, except about ten feet from the bottom, which is discoloured 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 vapour 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 tlie 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, «0 STANLEY AND AFRICA. exactly as bits of steel, when burnt in oxygen gas, give off rays of sparks. 'J'lie snow-white sheet seemed like myriads of small comets rushing on in one direction, 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." Having feasted his eyes long on what he considered the most wonderful sight he had beheld in Africa, Livingstone returned to Kalai, from which, bidding Sekcletu a final farewell, he set off northward to Keloue, through a beautiful country, on the 20th of November. Travelling in the north-east direction for about one hundred and forty miles, he rejoined the Zambesi at its confluence with the Kafue. At the point which our traveller had now attained, the junction of the two rivers, he came upon a fine range of hills, stretching along the east bank of the Kafue, far away to the north. By means of the boiling point of water (for he did not possess an aneroid baro- meter), he ascertained that the elevation which almost imperceptibly he had now attained, was four thousand feet above the level of the sea. The dis- covery was an important one, and connecting it with his previous observa- tions of another ridge on the continent, of about the same height, one of the loftiest points of which is occupied by Lake Dilolo, he was irresistibly led to the conclusion, that the centre of Africa was an extended hollow, flanked by those two ridges, and that into the basin thus formed number- less sti'eams flowed from these watersheds, which emptied themselves into the Zambesi. Here, too, at the junction of the Kafue with the Zambesi, the vegetation differs from that which characterises the lowlands about Linyanti and Sesheke ; but the most important fact is, that this is the commencement of a healthy district, stretching eastward to Tete. Of all his discoveries up to that time, Livingstone regai'ded this with the deepest interest, for he saw at once how pregnant it was with momentous consequences to the countless myriads of Africa. It was, moreover, the great object of which, through nearly six years of privation, toil, and suffering, he had been in quest. On the western ridge, indeed, he had traversed a district both salubrious and productive ; but the difficulty of reaching it from the coast i-endered it an unfit centre for missionary enterprise. But it was otherwise with the region he had now reached. Though he had not yet traced the Zambesi to the ocean, his inquiries and his reasonings on the point warranted the conclusion, that it would furnish a comparatively easy pathway into the interioi". Filled with gladness and hope, and Avithin sight of the noble stream, whose broad bright waters, winding through the rich expanded valley on his right, im- parted life and loveliness to the scenery, while it nourished countless multi- tudes of creatures, called wild by us, but scarcely meriting that name in the METHODS OF KILLING THE ELEPHANT. 87 regions tliey have so abundantly peopled and so long possessed, our traveller pursued his elevated and pleasant path. Tlic higli ground over which Livingstone now journeyed was the region in which, after their migration from tlie south, the Mukololo first settled, having subdued the negro races, the previous possessors of the soil, since amalgamated with their conquerors. Here, the fatal fever which had decim- ated them since they sought a refuge among the reed}^ valleys and malarious swamps of the Chobe and the Scshekc, was scarcely known ; and to this favoured district would they joyfully return, could they do so with safety. But this was prevented by the vicinity of the Matebele, who people the country to the south of the Zambesi. Our traveller clearly saw, however, that if he and his family could dwell amongst the Makololo, they might re- occupy this splendid region in security, as Moselekatse would never make war upon a people with whom dwelt a daughter of his friend Moffat. Ranges of hills ran parallel Avith the Zambesi, and -were about fifteen miles apart; those on the north approaching nearest the river. "The in- habitants on that side are the Batonga, those on the south side are the Banyai. The hills abound in buffaloes, and elephants are numerous, and many are killed by the people on both banks. They erect stages on high trees over- hanging the paths by which the elephants come, and then use a large spear with a handle nearly as thick as a man's wrist, and four or five feet long. When the animal comes beneath they throw the s^iear, and if it enters be- tween the ribs above, as the blade is at least twenty inches long by two broad, the motion of the handle, as it is aided by knocking against the trees, makes frightful gashes within, and soon causes death. Tliey kill them also by means of a spear, inserted in a beam of wood, which, being suspended on the branch of a tree by a cord attached to a latch fastened in the path, and intended to be struck by the animal's foot, leads to the fall of the beam, and, the spear being poisoned, causes death in a few hours." Livingstone was struck with the fact that, as soon as he came between these ranges of lulls, flanking the Zambesi, the rains felt warm. The thermometer stood at sunrise at from 82° to 86° ; at midday, in the coolest shade, namety, in a little tent, under a shady tree, at 96° to 98° ; and at sunset it was 86°. This was different from anything he had experienced in the interior, the rains there always bringing down the mercury to 72° or even 68°. " Each village we passed," says Livingstone, " furnished us with a couple of men to take us to the next. They were useful in showing us the parts least covered with jungle. When we came near a village, we saw men, women, and children, employed in weeding their gardens, they being great agriculturists. Most of the men are muscular, and have large ploughmen hands. Their colour is the same admixture, from very dark to light-olive, tliut we saw in Loanda. Though all have thick lips and flat noses, only the S8 STANLEY AND AFRICA. more degraded of the population possess the ugly negro physiognomy. They mark themselves by a line of little raised cicatrices, each of which is a quarter of an inch long ; they extend from the tip of the nose to the root of the hair on the forehead. The women here are in tlie habit of piercing the upper lip, and gradually enlarging the orifice until tliey can insert a shell. The lip then appears drawn out beyond the j^erpendicular of the nose, and gives them a most ungainly aspect." Rings are sometimes inserted in these orifices ; the commonest are made of bamboo, but others are of ivory or metal. When the wearer tries to smile, the contraction of the muscles turns the ring upwards, so that its upper edge comes in front of the eyes, the nose appearing through the middle, while the whole front teeth are exposed by the motion, exhibiting the way in which the}' have been clipped to resemble the fangs of a cat or crocodile. As the game was abundant and Livingstone's party very large, he had still to supply their wants with the gun, and slaughtered the oxen only when unsuccessful in hunting. He always entered into friendly relations with the head men of tlie different villages, and found no difliculty in obtaining grain and other food. One man gave him a basin full of rice, and when wished to sell some more, he asked in return for a slave. This was the first symptom of the slave-trade our travellers met on this side of the country. Selole, one of these village chiefs, instead of receiving them in a friendly way, considered them as his enemies ; and, having summoned his followers, jDrepared for an attack. The reason of his acting in this manner was soon afterwards dis- covered. It appeared that an Italian, named Simoens, had married the daughter of a chief living north of Tete. Arming a party of fifty slaves with guns, he had ascended the river in a canoe from Tete, and attacked several inhabited islands beyond Makaba, taking large numbers of prisoners and much ivory. As he descended again witli his booty, his party was disj)ersed, and he himself was killed while attempting to escape on foot. Selole imagined that the doctor was another Italian, hence liis alarm, and unfriendly reception. Mburuma, another chief of the same tribe, who had on a previous occasion plundered a party of traders bringing English goods from Mozambique, laid a plan to plunder our travellers by separating them ; but Livingstone, sus- pecting treachery, kept them well togetlicr. On the 14th of January 1856, Livingstone and his party reached the confluence of tlie Loangwa and the Z'.imbesi. Here he met with the first traces of Europeans ; but they were traces merely, memorials of a by-gone age. They consisted of some ruins of an old and long-deserted Portuguese town, called Zumbo. The situation was well chosen, with lofty hills in the rear, and a view of the two rivers in front. On one side of the church, which stood in the midst of the ruins, lay a broken bell, with the letters I. H. S. and a cross. Formerly this was the most westerly occupation of that nation ; A MAN TOSSED BY A BUFFALO. F9 but formally years the tide of civilisation, Avliicli had risen so far, has receded to the east, aiidTctc has taken its place. Speaking of the situation of Zunibo, Livingstone remarks, that " the merchants, as they sat beneath the verandahs in front of their houses, had a magnificent view of the two rivers at their con- fluence — of their church at the angle, and of all the gardens they had on both sides of the rivers. In these they cultivated wheat without irrigation, and, as the Portuguese assert, of a grain twice the size of thatatTete. From the guides we learnt that the inhabitants had not imbibed much idea of Christianity, for they used the same term for the church bell, which they did for a diviner's drum." Then giving utterance to the purpose which lay dearest to his heart, he says, " It seemed such a pity that the important fact of the existence of the two healthy ridges which I had discovered, should not have become known in Christendom, for a refutation would thereby have been given to the idea that Africa is not open to the Gospel. But I read that Jesus said, ' All ]jowcr is given unto me in heaven and on earth : go ye, therefore, and teach ail nations ; . . . . and lo, I am with you alwaij, even nnto the end of the world.'' I took this as His word of honour, and then went out to take observations for latitude and longitude." When our traveller left the Lcangwa, he thought he had got rid of the hills ; but he found that some still remained, though live or six miles from the rivei'. Two riding oxen had been already killed by tsetse and the hills ; and when the one that he now rode failed also, he was forced to march on font. "The bush being ycry dense and high," he says, "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. Mj^ 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 iive 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 twenty yards before getting the final toss, the skin Avas not pierced nor 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, carried him oft". We shampooed him well, and then went on, and in about a week he was able to engage in the hunt again." Soon after this they found that they were approaching the European settlements, for one morning a person came to meet them who had on a jacket and hat. From him they understood that the Portuguese settlement of Tete was on the other bank of the river, and that the inhabitants had been engaged in war with the natives for some time past. This Avas disagreeable news, as Livingstone wished to be at peace with both parties. He found himself under peculiarly trying circumstances. He was no longer where the people tliought U 00 STANLEY AND AFRICA. a " missionary was not a thins: to be killed," but amone: tribes stranjre to liiin as he was to them. Navigation was somewhat difBcult, partly through the scarcity of canoes, and partly in consequence of the rapids in this part of the Zambesi. Lions also were favoured and all but deified creatures ; for the natives would not kill tliem, and, although they could not trust themselves to their clemency by night, and therefore slept in trees; by day, when any- where in sight, they would approacli them, though at a respectful distance, clapping their hands in token of veneration. And to complete the sum of our traveller's discomfort, he was now without an ox. It will not appear won- derful, therefore, and especially if we recall the treatment he had received from the natives of the west, when he reached a similar position relatively to the Portuguese settlement on the opposite coast, that he should deem it necessary to proceed with caution, almost amounting to stealtli, in order to avoid collision with the ferocious and formidable bands who roamed uncon- trolled over this region. " It was not likely," he writes, "I should know our course well, for the countrj'^ there is covered with shingle and gravel, bushes, trees, and grass, and we were often without path, skulking out of the way of villages where we were expected to pay after the purse was empty. It was excessively hot and steamy ; the eyes had always to be fixed on the ground to avoid being tripped. After that, I say, let those who delight in pedestrianism enjoy themselves. It is good for obesity, but for me, who had become as lean as a lath, the only good I saw in it was to enable an honest sort of fellow to realise completely the idea of the treadmill." On his first coming into contact with the natives of this district they mistook Livingstone for a Portuguese, and would have attacked his party had they not been undeceived. As they approached the village of Mpende, that chief sent out his people to inquire who the travellers were. The mes- sengers, on drawing near, uttered strange cries, and waved some bright red substance towards the strangers. Having lighted a fire, they threw charms into it and hastened away, uttering fearful screams, believing that they should thus frighten the travellers, and render them powerless. The Mako- lolo, how^ever, laughed at their threats ; but Livingstone, fully believing that a skirmish would take place, ordered an ox to be killed, to feast his men and increase their courage. Mpende's whole tribe was assembled at about the distance of about half a mile ; and every now and then a few came about Livingstone and his party as spies, and would answer no questions. To two of these he handed a leg of the ox on which his jDeople were feasting, and desired them to take it to their chief. After waiting a considerable time in suspense, two old men made their ajipearance, and said they had come to inquire who he was. When he told them that he was an Englishman, and .showed them his hair and white skin, they said, '' We never saw skin so white as that. Ah ! you must be one of the tribe that loves (literally, has so Uril AFRICAN G A ME LA WS. 9 1 hcari to) the black man." Finally the chief himself appeared, and expressing his regret that he had not known sooner who they were, ultimately enabled them to cross the river. Proceeding on their journey, they met, on the 11th February, some native traders, and, as many of liis men were in a state of nudity, Living- stone bought some American calico with two small tusks, and distributed it amongst the most needy. He now came to the Zingesi, a sand rivulet in flood, and thus describes the attempt to cross it: — "It was sixty or seventy yards wide, and waist-deep. Like all these sand-rivers, it is for the most part dry ; but by digging down a few feet, water is to be found, which is percolating along the bed on a stratum of clay. This is the phenomenon which is dignified by the name of a ' river flowing under ground.' In trying to ford this I felt thousands of particles of coarse sand striking my legs, and the slight disturbance of our footsteps caused deep holes to be made in the bed. The water, which is almost always very rapid in them, dug out the sand beneath our feet in a second or two, and we were all sinking by that means so d(;ep, that we were glad to relinquish the attempt to ford it before we got half way over ; the oxen were carried away down the Zambesi. These sand-rivers remove vast masses of disintegrated rock before it is fine enouo-h to form soil. The man who preceded me was only thigh-deep, but the dis- turbance caused by his feet made it breast-deep for me." They found they had now reached a country where the game-laws were strictly enforced. " The lands of each chief are very well defined, the boundaries being usually marked by rivulets, great numbers of which flow into the Zambesi from both banks ; and, if an elephant is wounded on one man's land, and dies on that of another, the under-half of the carcase is claimed by the lord of the soil ; and so stringent is the law, that the hunter cannot begin at once to cut up his own elephant, but must send notice to the lord of the soil on which it lies, and wait until that joersonage sends one authorised to see a fair partition made. If the hunter should begin to cut up before the agent of the landowner arrives, he is liable to lose both the tusks and all the flesh. The hind-leg of a buffalo must alwa^'s be given to the man on whose land the animal was grazing, and a still larger quantity of the eland, which here, and everywhere else in the country, is esteemed right royal food." The Makololo having killed an elephant, they had to send back a considerable distance to give information to the person in charge of the district, the owner himself living near the Zambesi. Their messenger re- turned with a basket of corn, a fowl, and a few strings of beads, a thank- offering to them for having killed it. The tusk of the side on which the elephant fell, belonged to the owner, while the upper was the prize of the sportsman. Had they begun to cut up the animal before receiving j^ermis- sion they would have lost the whole. The men feasted on their half of tlie 92 STANLEY AND AFRICA. carcase, and for two iiiglits an immense number of hyenas collected round, uttcrin"' their loud laughter. " Tlie people here build tlieir huts in gardens on high stages. This is necessary on account of danger from the spotted hyena, which is said to be very fierce, and also as a protection against lions and ele2)hanfs. Tlie hyena is a very cowardly animal, but frequently approaches persons lying asleep, and makes an ugly gash on the face. Cliildren, too, are sometimes carried off; for, though he is so cowardly that the human voice will make him run away at once, yet, Avhen his teeth are in the flcsii, he holds on, and shows amazing power of jaw. Leg-bones of oxen, from Avliich the natives have extracted the marrow and everytlung eatable, arc by this animal crunched up witli the greatest of ease, whicli he apparently efl'ects by turning them round in his teeth till they are in a suitable position for being split." The sun was now so excessively hot that ten or twelve miles a day were a good march for both Livingstone and his men ; and it was not the length of the marches, but con- tinuing day after day to perform the same distance, that was so fatiguing. The}^ found great numbers of wild grape-vines growing in this quarter. So many of the vines had run across the little footpath they followed, that they had to be constantly on the watch to avoid being tripped. The people who inhabit this part of the country are known as the Banyai ; their government is a sort of feudal republicanism. They elect their chief, and choose the son of the deceased chief's sister in preference to his own off- spring. 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 brotlicr, or a sisler's son, but never his own sou or daughter. " A great many of the Banyai are of a light coftee-and-milk colour, and indeed this colour is considered handsome throughout the Avhole country — a fair complexion being as much a test of beauty with them as with us. As they draw out their hair into small cords afoot in length, and entwine the inner bark of a certain tree round each separate cord, and dye this substance of a reddish colour, many of them put me in mind of the ancient Egyptians. The great mass of dressed hair which they possess reaches to the shoulders, but, when they intend to travel, thc}^ draw it up to a bunch, and tie it on the top of the head. They are cleanly in their habits." The favourite weapon with them is a large axe, M'hich they carry over the shoulder, and which is chiefly used for hamstringing the ele- phant, in the same way as the Hamran Arab uses his sword. The Banyai. however, steals on the animal unawares, while the Hamran hunter attacks it when it is rushing in chase of one of his comrades, who gallops on ahead on a well-trained steed. Debilitated as he now was, and most anxious for a resting- place, Living- stone could not pass from Zurabo to Tete without fixing the position of many [jlaces lying in his route. At length he arrived within eight miles of the latter LIVINGSTONE REACHES TKTK. 93 town, ■where he knew he should meet with a licaity welcome and some of the comforts of that civilisation to which he had been so long a stranger. But so exhausted was he, that ho could proceed no farther ; and, though every per- suasive was urged by his companions to induce liiui to make one more effort to attain the goal now in view, he was unable to rise from the ground for that purpose. Intelligence, however, had reached the ears of the Portuguese gover- nor of that place of his proximity to it, and, with great consideration, ho sent "the materials of a civilised breakfast." Happily, though our traveller had lost his strength, there was no failure of appetite ; he, therefore, did justice to Portuguese hospitality, and, with the exception of the bed in which he slept at Loanda, after lying six months on the damp ground, he never realised more refreshment than from this welcome meal. Indeed, it so renewed his strength as to enable him, without any further sense of fatigue, at once to push on and complete the journey. He says, " I walked the last eight miles without the least feeling of weariness, although the path was so rough tliat one of the officers remarked to me, ' This is enough to tear a man's life out of him.' " Livingstone reached Tete on the morning of March the 3rd, 1856. Ho was most kindly received by the Commandant, Major Sicard, who did every- thing in his power to restore the traveller from his emaciated condition ; and, having ascertained that the season would not permit him safely to sail down the unhealthy delta of the Zambesi, Livingstone gratefully accepted the prof- fered hospitality of his kind host, and for a time took up his abode in this place. " The village of Tete is built on a long slope down to the river, the ■ fort being close to the water. The rock beneath is grey sandstone, and has the appearance of being crushed away from the river ; tiic strata have thus a crumpled form. The hollow between each crease is a street, the houses being- built upon the projecting fold. The rocks at the top of the slope are much liigher than the fort, and of course completely command it. There is then a large valley, and beyond that an oblong hill, called Karueira, The whole of the adjacent countiy is rocky and broken, but every available spot is under cultivation. The stone houses, in Tete are cemented with mud instead of lime, and thatched with reeds and grass ; the rains having washed out the mud between the stones, give all the houses a rough, untidy appearance. Tlicre are about thirty European houses, the rest are native, and of wattle and daub. A wall about ten feet high is intended to enclose the village, but most of the native inhabitants prefer to live on dilTerent spots outside. There arc about twelve hundred huts in all, which, with European households, would give a population of about four thousand five hundred souls. Only a small proj>ortiou of these, however, live on the sjjot ; the majority are engaged in agricultural operations in the adjacent country." While at Tete, Livingstone was ncith.cr unobservant nor idle. One thing particularly struck and ever affected him — the noble river, so long the com- 94 STANLEY AND AFRICA. paiiion of his travel, here, in a narrow part of it, one thousand yards broad, and capable of bearing fleets and merchundise up to the ports of the interior, flowing from hence three hundred miles idly towards the ocean. As he sur- veyed the region around him, he ascertained that Tete stood in the centre of an extensive coal-field, two seams of which (one of them fifty-eight inches thick) he discovered in the bank of a river, which here falls into the Zambesi. At another place, named Chicova, he found two other scams. It was reported that silver Avas also obtained here ; but this statement he was unable to verify. It had, however, long been known that a large gold-producing district (which jjartly surrounded the coal-field) formerly yielded as much as a hundred and thirty pounds weight a year, but was now comparatively unproductive and iuefliciently Avorked. The precious metal has hitherto only been sought for on the surface, where, however, in some districts, it is found in pieces as largo as grains of wheat. Iron also, and a quality equal to the finest produced in Sweden, is abundant here, and is so tough and fibrous, that Livingstone says he has rej)eatedly seen the si^ear-heads of the natives, when they have been hurled against the impenetrable crania of hippopotami, coiled round like the proboscis of a butterfly, and then beat out again with stones into their previous state without the slightest injury. Besides the vegetable productions found here, in common with other dis- tricts through which the traveller had passed, we may mention, as amongst the most important of those that are either peculiar to the locality, or very abundant in it, senna and cinchona. There are also numerous fibrous plants, and a sj^ecics of cotton, which grows Avild in great abundance, and which, under i^roper cultivation would doubtless yield a good return of capital and labour'. Sugar and indigo, moreover, are indigenous to the country, and might be raised to almost any extent. The Makololo had no idea of the fact, that the cane with which they were so familiar could be made to yield its crystallised sweets ; and Sekeletu, anxious to secure this, had intrusted our traveller with a large number of elephants' tusks with which to purchase the required machinery. In addition to the mineral and vegetable wealth of the regions through which Livingstone travelled, he mentions bees-wax, and says that, on passing through the country, the traveller is constantly addressed by the inviting note of the honey bird, calling him to follow it to the nests of the bee, but that the natives, while rifling the comb of its sweets, throw away the wax, which might become an article of profitable commerce. As soon as Livingstone had recovered his strengtli, and the season j^er- mitted, he j^repared to resume his journey to the coast. He found it neces- sary, however, to leave most of his men at Tete, and Major Sicard liberally gave them a portion of land that they might cultivate it, supplying them in the meantime with corn. He also allowed the young men to go out and hunt elephants with his servants, that they might purchase goods with the SENNA AND K I LI MANE. 95 ivory and dry meat, to take back with tlicni on returning to their own houses. Sixteen of them our traveller retained as a crew, to convey him down the river to Kilimane. He left Tetc on the 22nd of April, and arrived at Senna on the 27th. He had thought tlic state of Tetc quite lamentable, but that of Senna was ten times worse. The village stands on the right bank of the Zambesi. There are many reedy islands in front of it, and there is much bush in the adjacent country. The soil is fertile ; but the village, being in a state of ruin, and having several pools of stagnant water, is veiy unhealthy. The most pleasant sight witnessed here was the negroes building boats, after the European model, without any one to superintend their operations. They had been instructed by a European master, and had jDcrfected themselves in the art. Some of the Makololo accepted employujent here to carry government goods in canoes up to Tete, and were much pleased at getting the work ; the rest, at their own earnest request, accompanied Livingstone to Kilimane. He reached this village on the 20th of May, 1856, when it wanted but a few days of being four years since he started from Cape Town. In approaching the coast, he fixed the position of Senna, and every other important point on his way ; and ascertained the fact that Kilimane, instead of standing at one of the mouths of the Zambesi, as j^reviously believed, stood upon an insignificant stream, while the navigable extreme of that river was further south. At Kilimane, he M'as received into the house of Colonel Nunes, one of the best men in the country, and there most hosjjitably enter- tained. Referring to the kindness he thus received from various friends, he says : — " One of the discoveries I have made is, that there are vast numbers of good people in the world, and I do most devoutly tender my unfeigned thanks to that Gracious One who mercifully watched over me in every posi- tion, and influenced the hearts of both black and white to regard me with favour." As a severe famine had existed in the neighbourhood of Kilimane, and food was very scarce, our traveller advised the Makololo who had accompanied him down to the sea, to go back to Tete as soon as possible, and await his return from England. I'hough they still earnestly wished to accompany him, because Sekeletu had advised them not to part with him till they had reached Ma-Robert, as they called Mrs. Livingstone, and brought her back Avith them, yet, acting under the counsel of their leader, they consented to return. With the smaller tusks he had in his possession, he purchased calico and brass wire, and sent the former back as clothino- to those who remained at Tete. The remaining twenty tusks he deposited with Colonel Nunes, in order that, should he be prevented from revisiting the countr}^, it might not be supposed that he had made away with Sekeletu's ivory. He instructed Colonel Nunes, in case of his death, to sell the tusks and deliver the proceeds to his men ; but he intended, if his life should be prolonged, to purchase the 9G STANLEY AND AFRICA. goods ordered by Sekeletu in England with his own money, and pay himself out of the price of the ivory. " The village of Kilimana stands on a great mud bank, and is sui'- roundcd by extensive swamps and rice-grounds. The banks of the river arc lined with mangrove-bushes, the roots of which, and tlio slimy banks on which they grow, are alternately exposed to the sun. It is almost needless to say that Kilimane is very unliealthy. A man of plethoric temperament is cure to get fever; and, concerning a stout person, one may hear the remark, 'All! he will not live long, he is sure to die.'" After Livingstone had waited about six weeks at this unhealthy spot, II. M. Brig "Frolic" arrived off Kilimane and he went on board, accompanied by Sekwebu, one of his companions from Linyanti, whom he agreed to take to England. On the 12th of July, the " Frolic" sailed for Mauritius. Poor Sekwebu was greatly excited by the sight and motion of the sea. When they first put ofi' to the sliip, at Kilimane, the sea was running high, and, as the boat rose and sunk with every billow, he turned to Livingstone, and with a look and tone indicative of no ordinary excitement, not unmixed with alarm, said, '"Is this the way j-ou go ?" Though repeatedly assured that they were ajDproacli* ing the ship, he often renewed the question. As they were entering the har- bour of St. Louis on the 12th of August, the sight of a steamer, wliich came out to tow the brig into harbour, so affected him, tliat during the night he became insane, and threatened to drown himself. By gentle treatment, he became calmer, and Livingstone tried to get him on shore, but he refused to go. In the evening he grew more violent, and after attempting to spear one of the crew, he leaped overboard, and pulling himself hand under hand b}' the chain cable, disappeared. His body was never found. After remain- ing at the Mauritius till he had recovered from the effects of his African fever, our traveller sailed by way of the Red Sea for England, and arrived on the 12t]i of December, 1856. Already, he had accomplished more than any previous traveller in Africa ; but it was only a small part of what he after- wards achieved. CHAPTER IV. Discoveries of Captain SpcJce — His Expedition to the Somali Countrij — Bctiirns to Engtand — Joins Captain Burtonin an Expedition to tlie Mountains of tJic Moon — Tlicij reacli Zanzibar — Cross to Kao!c — -Arrive at Kazch — Illness of Burton — • SiijM cf tlic Tanganjjiica Lake and Mountains of the Moon. — (Joes no the Lalce to Ujiji — Crosses the LaJce — lie turns to Ujiji — Dizcovers Lake Nijanza — llejoins Burton at Kascli — TIicij arrive in England. riAPTAIN JOHN HANNING SPEKE, the son of a gentleman of property ^ in England, was an officer in the Indian army, and had taken part under Lord Gough in several of the battles which have made the British name feared in the East. At various intervals, during leave of absence from his military duties, he had travelled in the Himalaya Mountains, as well as through other parts of India and in Thibet, for the purpose of collecting specimens of the fauna of those countries to form a museum in his father's house. These jour- neys fostered his natural love of travel and adventure ; and while thus occu- pied he resolved, as soon as he could obtain furlough, to go to Africa, intending to visit tlie Mountains of the Moon, and descend the Nile. "At the end of ten years' service, on obtaining furlough, hearing that an expedition was to be sent by the Indian Government, under the command of Lieutenant Burton, to explore the Somali country, a large tract lying duo south of Aden, and separated from the Arabian coast by the Gulf of Aden, he offered his services and was accepted. Two other Indian officers. Lieutenants Stroyan and Hernc, silso joined the expedition. The Souuili arc Mohammedans, descendants of Arabs who have married with Negroes. They are a savage, treacherous race, noted for their cheating and lying projjensities ; in figure tall, slender, light, and agile, scarcely darker than Arabs, with thin lips and noses, but woolly heads like Negroes. Their ancestors, having taken possession of the country, tlrove out its former Christian inhabitants, who retreated northward. Cara- vans, however, pass through their country to their only port and chief market, Berbera, which at the time of the fair is crowded witli people, though entirely deserted for the rest of the year. " It was proposed that the expedition should follow the route of tlicse 13 98 STANLEY AND AFRICA. caravans, or accompany one of tlicm, and thus penetrate through the coun- try into the interior. Considerable time was spent in making excursions for short distances, during which Spoke shot a large number of wild animals ; but unfortunately the ahhan, or petty chief, who undertook to be his protector and guide, proved to be a great rascal, and cheated and deceived him in every possible way. The Somali are keen and cunning sportsmen, and have various methods of killing elephants, ostriches, and gazelles. They fearlessly attack an elephant on foot, one man only being mounted on a horse, who gallops in front, and while the animal pursues him, the others run in and hamstring him with their knives. Ostriches are caught by throwing down poison at the spots were they feed. The Somali also hunt them on the backs of their hardy little ponies. The ostrich is a shy bird, and is so blind at night that it can- not feed. A Somali knowing this, providing himself with provisions for two or three days, sets off in search of them ; showing himself to the ostriches, he is discovered, but takes care to keep at a distance. They stalk off, and he follows at the same rate, but never approaches sufficiently near to scare them. At night the birds, unable to see, stop, but cannot feed. He, meantime, rests and feeds with his JJony, resuming the cha.?e the following day. He follows the birds in the same way as at first, they, from constant fasting, becoming weaker, till, after the second or third day, he is able to ride in among them, and knock them down in succession. " The party had at length secured, after considerable trouble, the camels and horses they required, and were encamped at Berbei'a, which was com- pletely deserted by its inhabitants, when they were surprised at night by a large band of robbers. Lieutenant Stroyan was killed, and Speke was made prisoner and desperately wounded, but, springing to his feet just as a robber was about to run him through with his spear, he knocked over his assailant with his hands, though bound together, and made his escape to the sea-shore, to which the rest of the party had already fled. They were hex-e taken on board a vessel, which had providentially put in the day befoi'e, and in her returned to Aden." Such was the disastrous termination of Speke's first expedition to Africa ; nevertheless, on his arrival in England, he again volun- teered to accompany Lieutenant Burton on an expedition to survey that part of the centre of Africa, in the neighbourhood of the Mountains of the Moon, where an enormous lake, equal in size to the Caspian Sea, was supposed to exist. Having obtained the necessary equipments in the scientific and other departments in England and India during 1856, they set sail from Bombay on the 3rd of December of that year, for Zanzibar, on board the H.E.LC. Sloop of War, " Elphinstone." They were warmly welcomed at Zanzibar by the British Consul, Colonel Hamerton ; and were also well received by the Sultan Majid. As their arrival was during the dry season, they were unable, im- mediately, to commence their journey, and therefore they spent some time THE COUNTRY OF THE WAGOGO AND THE WANYAMUEZI. O'J- in visiting different parts of the coast. They left Zanzibar at the end of June, 1857, in a vessel of war, lent by Sultan Majid, to convey them across to Kaole, a village on the mainland, a little soutli of the Kingani River. Tlieir caravan consisted of an Arab, called Sheikh Said, who was the Ra^i-cafila, or head of the caravan ; some Belooch soldiers, lent tliem by the sultan ; some porters of the Wanyarauezi tribe, negroes, who inhabit a large j^ortiou of Central Africa, and a host of donkeys, for riding and carrying their spare kit. Besides these, they hired a number of slaves, to carry muskets in the manner of guards, as well as to do odd jobs. They had also their private servants,. Valentine and Gaetano, Goa men, who spoke Hindostanee, and a clever little liberated black slave, called Bombay, who had been captured from his native place to the east of Lake Nyanza, and sold to an Arab mer- chant, by whom he was taken to India. At the death of this master, he obtained his liberty, and made his way to Zanzibar. Here he engaged in tlie service of the sultan, and was so employed till he transferred himself to Speke. Leaving Kaole, the expedition passed through a low hilly tract of coast- line, diversified with fiats and terraces, well-peopled and cultivated, and rich in tree-forests and rich tropical vegetation. After travelling about one hun- dred and ten miles, they came to the first great elevation of Eastern Africa, a hilly district, about ninety miles broad, and composed chiefly of granite and sandstone. It is occujned by tlie AVasagara tribe — a people who live in lightly-construcled conical huts of grass and wicker-work, tend cattle, and cultivate extensively, when not disturbed by the slave-hunters, who live nearer the coast. On descending tlie western side of the hilly district, they found an elevated plateau of rather jooor land, extending westward for two hundred miles, and of an average altitude of from two thousand five hun- dred to four thousand feet. Here live the Wagogo and the Wanyamuezi tribes, in huts of a very civilised appearance, and far more comfortable than those possessed by any other interior clans. The men are industrious, occu- pying their time mostly in trafficing with the coast, or tilling ground and tending cattle ; while many of them are rope-makei's, smiths, weavers, and carpenters. At Kazeh, an Arab de^Dot, in the country of the latter tribe, their porters took their discliarge, and dispersed to their homes. After wait- ing a month or so reforming their caravan, they proceeded westwards in the height of the monsoon, and passed througli a highly cultivated coun- try, which, by determining with the thermometer the temperature at which water boiled, Speke found gradually declined as they proceeded, and in a hun- dred and forty-five miles made a remarkable descent of eighteen hundred feet. In this region, rice, sugar-cane, and all Indian productions, grow in great pro- fusion, and the people weave their cotton into loin cloths. After travelling along this decline about one hundred and fifty miles, they began to ascend at 100 STANLEY AND AFRICA. the eastern lioni of a large crescent-shaped mass of mountains overlianglng the northern lialf of Lake Tanganyika. Their line of march, about six hundred rectilinear geographical miles, had been nearly due west from Zanzibar. Speke's condition was by this time distressing in the exti-eme, and his disappointment bitter, after toiling through so many miles of savage life, all tlic time emaciated by divers sicknesses, and weakened by great privations of food and rest, to find, on approaching the object of his ambition, nothing but mist and glare before his eyes. From the mountain crest, the Tanganyika Lake could be seen in all its glory by every body but himself. Tlie fact was that fevers, and the influence of a vertical sun, had so reduced his system that inflammation, caught by sleeping on the ground in the rainy season, attacked his eyes, brought on an almost total blindness, and rendered every object before him encloudcd as by a misty veik Descending the western slopes of the hill, they soon arrived at the margin of the lake, and hired a canoe at a village called Ukaranga, to take them to Ujiji. Speke describes the Tanganyika Lake as lying between 3' and 8' south latitude, and in 29° east longitude, three hundred miles long, from thirty to forty feet broad in the centre, but tapering towards each end. It is sunk into the lap of the surrounding mountains, and drains all their waters into its bosom. Its waters are very sweet, and abound with a great variety of delicious fish. Numerous tribes of the true Negro breed thickly inhabit its shores, amongst which the most conspicuous are the Wubembe cannibals. The port Spoke and his party finally arrived at was Kawele, a small village in the Ujiji district, the chief of which they found unfriendly and unreasonable, who made them pay a heavy price for his protection. Their first object on arrival was to get boats for the survey of the lake ; but this they found a difficult task. The border tribes were all at war with one another ; and the small canoes were liable to be driven ashore by the slightest storm, and were of such limited capacity as to be of suiall service in carrying supplies. The sailors therefore would not undertake an extended voyage. y\.t length, Speke and a motley crew set out, on the 3rd of March, 18o8, in a long narrow canoe, hollowed out of the trunk of a single tree, leav- ing Burton behind, wlio was too ill to move. Almost immediately after start- ing, a storm came on, while they were encamped on the shore of the lake, waiting for some of the party who were behind to come up. All next day the storm continued. Even the hippopotami, to judge by the frequency of their snorts and grunts, as they indulged in their devastating excursions among the crops, seemed angiy at the unusual severity of the weather. On the 5th, the sea subsided, they re-loaded their boat, and proceeded on their voyage. Speke thus describes the arrangement of himself and the crew in the boat: — "To pack so many men together, with material, in so small a place ON TANGANYIKA LAKE. 101 as the canoe affords, sccnis a difiicult}' almost insiirinountuble. Still it is effected. I litter down amidships, with my bedding spread on reeds, in so short a compass that my legs keep slipping of! and dangling in the bilge- water. The cook and bailsman sit on the first bar, facing me ; and behind them, to the stern, one-half of the sailors sit in couples; whilst on the first bar behind me are Bombay and one Belooch, and beyond them to the bow, also in couples, the remaining cre\\-. The captain takes post in the bows, and all hands on both sides paddle in stroke together. Fuel, cooking appa- ratus, food, bag and baggage, are thrown j^i'omiscuously under the seats. But the sailors' blankets, in the shape of grass matting, are placed on the bars to render the sitting soft. Once all properly arranged, the seventeen pad- dles dash oft" with vigour, and, steering southwards, wc soon cross the mouth of the Ruche." Tliey paddled on all night, and in the morning landed in a secluded nook, familiar to the men, for the purpose of having breakfast. Soon there was a busy scene. Some collecting fuel, others preparing their fishing-rods and nets, others searching for fungi (a favourite food), others kindling the fires, and others arranging the cooking-pots. The cook-boy got into trouble, by dipping his pot in the sea for water, greatly to the annoyance of the natives, who declared that the dregs from it would excite the appetites of the croco- diles, who would be sure to follow and, perhaps, board the boat. The sailors here have as great an aversion to being followed by a crocodile as British sailors have to be followed by a shark. After breakfast a cry of alarm arose, and all fled to the boat. Then breathless silence followed ; and one after ano- ther, they leaped on shore again, and stealthily moved and crept among the bushes, till at last a single man was pounced upon, with an arrow jwlsed in his hand. He was one of eight or ten men of a tribe whom the sailors declared to be the general plunderei-s of honest navigators. They therefore seized his weapons, broke them and let him go ; though some of the crew advocated his death, and others 2:)roposed that the whole party should be chased down and slaughtered. The sailoi's then returned to the canoe, each boasting his part in this adventurous exploit. Starting again on their voyage, they gained the mouth of the Malagarazi, the largest river on the eastern shore of the lake. Here tall aquatic reeds diversified the surface ; and croco- diles and hippopotami abounded, the latter grunting and snorting, as though much A'exed at this intrusion on their privacy. The deep blue waters of the lake contrasted with the verdure of the vegetation and the large brown rocks along the coast, and formed everywhere an object of immense attraction. On the morning of the Stli, they reached a group of islands on the western shore of the lake, three only of which were inhabited ; and a watch-boat belonging to Sultan Kasanga, the reigning chief of the group, challenged them and asked their mission. When they lauded, 102 STANLEY AND AFRICA. the islanders, receiving intelligence of their arrival, came down the hill of which the island is formed in great numbers, and held a market; but as Speko was unprovided with what they wanted, little business could be done. The chief desideratum was flesh of fish or beast, next salt, then tobacco — in fact, any- thing but what he had brought as market money — cloth and glass beads. The day passed in rest and idleness ; and at night there was a violent storm. When the storm subsided, a host of small black beetles appeared, evidently atti'acted by the glimmer of the candle, which had been lit to re-arrange the tent and its furniture. It seemed hopeless to try to brush them off the clothes or bedding. They crawled up our traveller's sleeves and into his hair, and down his back and legs. One of them penetrated his ear, and the result waa most disastrous. " What to do," he says, " I knew not. Neither tobacco, oil, nor salt, could be found; I thercfoi'e tried melted butter; that failing, I applied the j^oint of a penknife to his back, which did more harm than good ; for though a few thrusts kept him quiet, t!ie point also wounded my ear so badly that inflammation set in; severe suppuration took place, and all the facial glands, extending from that point down to the point of the shoulder, became contorted and drawn aside, and a string of bubos decorated the whole length of that region. It was the most painful thing I ever remember to have endured ; but more annoying still, I could not open my mouth for several days, and had to feed on broth alone. For many months the tumour made mo almost deaf, and ate a hole between that orifice and the nose, so that when I blew it, my ear whistled so audibly that those who heard it laughed. Six ■or seven months after this accident happened, bits of the beetle, a leg, a wing^ •or parts of its body, came away in the wax. It was not altogether an unmixed ■evil, for the excitement occasioned by the beetle's operations acted towards ni}^ blindness as a counter-irritant, b}' drawing the inflammation away from my eyes. Indeed, it operated far better than any other artificial appliance." Kivira, where Speke was now encamped, is the largest island of the groap, and consists of a massive, irregularly-shaped hill, about five miles long, by two or three broad. The mainland immediately west is a promontory at the southern end of the Uguhha mountains. " The population is considerable, and they live in mushroom huts, situated on the high flats and easier slopes, where they cultivate manioc, sweet potato, maize, millet, various kinds of pulse, and all the common vegetables in general use about the country. Poultry abounds in the villages. The dress of the people is simple, consisting of small black monkey-skins, cat-skins, and the furs of any vermin they can get. These are tucked under a waist-strap, and, according to the number they possess, go completely or only half-way round the body, the animals' heads hanging in front, and the tails always depending gracefully below. These monkeys are easily captured when the maize is ripe, by a number of peojjle stealthily staking small square nets in contiguous line all round the fields THE ISLANDS OF KABIZIA AND KASENGE. 103 Avhich tliesG animals may be occupied in robbing, and then, with screams and yells, flinging sticks and stones, the hunters rush upon the affrighted thieves till, in their hurry and confusion to escape, they become irretrievably entan- gled in the meshes. But few of these islanders carry spear or bow, though I imagine all possess them." Early on the morning of the 10th, they quitted Kivira, and paddled to the little island of Kabizia, reaching the famous fish-market there, just in time to breakfast on a fresh-caught fish, the celebrated singa — a large, ugly black- backed monster, with white belly, small fins, and long barbs, but no scales. In appearance it is a sluggish ground-fi.sh ; and though immoderately and grossly fat, yet it is highly esteemed by the natives. There is only one village, of twenty small huts, on the island. The inhabitants are chiefly fishermen, who live on their spoils, and dispose of what they cannot consume to the neighbour- ing islanders and the villagers on the mainland. The following day, Speke and his party re-embarkcd, and after paddling for about an hour and a half, arrived at the island of Kasenge, the place of his destination. Here Sheikh Hamed, with many attendants, and a host of natives, was waiting to receive him. This Arab merchant lived in a house built of good, substantial walls of mud, and roofed with rafters and brushwood, the rooms being conveniently ]iartitioned off to separate his wife and other belongings, with an ante-room for general business. His object in coming to this remote district was to purchase ivory, slaves, and other commodities. His recejition of our travel- ler was most generous and hospitable. The island of Kasenge is about one mile long, a narrow high ridge of land lying nearly due north and south, devoid of trees, and only partly cultivated. The population is considerably more than that of the other ports. They are extremely filthy in their habits, very inquisitive, and, from having no indus- trial occupations, will stand for hours together, watching any strange object. In appearance, they are not much unlike the Cafifre. The women are better dressed than the men, having a cloth round the body, fastened under the arms, and reaching below the knees, and generally beads, brass necklaces, or other ornaments ; while the latter only wear a single goat-skin, slung game- bag fasliion over the shoulder, or, when they possess it, a short cloth, tied ];ilt- fashion round the waist. " The mothers of these savage people," says Speke, " have infinitely less affection than many savage beasts of my acquaint- ance. I have seen a mother bear, galled by constant fire, obstinately meet her death, by repeatedly returning under a shower of bullets, endeavouring to rescue her young from the grasp of intruding men. But here, for a simjile loin cloth or two, human mothers eagerly exchange their little offspring, delivering them into perpetual bondage to my Belooch soldiers." Speke found — what all African travellers have found — that the great curse of that land is slavery. The true prosperity of Africa will commence only with tlie 101 STANLEY AND AFRICA. cessation of the traffic in human flcsli. Let this be entirely suppressed, and the country will soon yield a hundredfold more tlian it has ever yet done. Speke took his final departure from Kivira on the morning of the 27th and crossed the broad lake again in fourteen hours, two of them, as before, being spent in smoking and rest. The following day he started early up the coast ; but before noon was obliged to put in amongst some reeds opposite the Luguvu River, as the Avind, rain, and waves, had very nearly swamped the boat, and drenched them all from head to foot. He pitched the tent in the canoe, to protect himself from the storm, but it only served to keep the wind from blowing on his wet clothes and giving him a chill, for wave after wave washed over the gunwale, and kept him constantly drenched. Three miser- able hours wore j^assed in this fashion ; for there was no place to land in, and they could not venture forward. In tlic afternoon the sea abated, and they pursued their voyage. They arrived at Ujiji by breakfast-time on the 31st, and found Captain Burton somewhat recovered. Thus ended Speke's first independent travel in Central Africa. Burton was still suffering much, yet as it was necessary that they should proceed at once with the investigation of the lake, he could not endure to be left behind. It was therefore settled that the party should go in two canoes — Burton, with Kannina, the chief who had some commercial transactions with the Sultan of Uvira, in a very large one, joaddled by forty men ; and Speke in another, much smaller. After arriving, however, at Uvira, nothing could induce Kannina to take them to the river at the end of the lake, although they could have accomplished the distance in six hours. His reason was, that the jjeople resident there and his own people were hostile to each other. They learnt here, from the son of the Sultan of Uvira, that a large river, called Rusizi, drained the high mountains encircling the immediate north, and discharged its waters into the lake. On coming up the lake, they travelled the first half up the east coast, then crossed over to the end of a long island, called Ubwari, made for the western shore, and coasted up it to Uvira. It was very amus- ing to see the two canoes racing together. The naked savages were never tired of testing their respective strengths ; and dashing up the water whenever they succeeded in coming near each other, delighted in drenching the travel- lers with the spra}'-. Returning to Ujiji, after a rather protracted sojourn at Uvira, occasioned by Kannina's not completing his work so quickly as bad been anticipated, they found their stock of beads and cloth, which had been left in charge of Sheikh Said, reduced so greatly, that they felt very anxious about their future movements. Just at this crisis, however, by great good fortune, some supplies were brought to them by an Arab, called Mohinna, an old friend whom they had left at Kazeh, and who had now followed them to Ujiji, to trade in ivory. This timely supply was one of the many strokes of good luck A\ liich befell them upon their journey. Speke's health was now mucb THE COUNTRY OF UNYAMUEZT. 105 improved, and carrying Burton, who was still unable to walk, in a hammock, ho soon set out for Ujiji, in search of a lake said by the Arabs to be both broader and longer than Tanganyika, and to which they gave the name of Ukerewe, but which the negroes merely called Nyanza, or the lake. The weather was very fine, and they marched raj^idly across the eastern horn of the mountains back to the ferry on the Malagarazi. They reached this river early in June ; and, after crossing it, they hurried along, and reached Kazch towards the end of that month. Here they were hospitably received by Sheikh Snay, the principal Arab merchant of the depot, and who, on their former visit, was the first to tell them of the Nyanza, or, as he called it, the unknown sea. Ho had travelled up its western flank to Kibuga, the capital of the kingdom of Uganda. His statements were corroborated by a Hindi merchant, called Musa, who also gave an interesting description of the country northward of the line, and the rivers which flowed out of the lake. On the 9th of July, Speke, leaving Burton behind, left Kazch, with his caravan, to explore Northern Unyamuezi, and discover Lake Nyanza, which he supposed was the fountain-head of the Nile. The caravan consisted of a Kirangozi, or leader, twenty Pagazis, ten Belooches as guard, Bombay, Mabruk, and Gaetano, escorting a kit suflicient for six weeks. The first day or two the journey was rendered unpleasant, both b}' the character of the road, and the discontent and grumbling of several members of the caravan. On the third day, they passed two Wasukumas caravans, one of ivory, destined for the coast, and the other conveying cattle to the Unyanyembe markets. Though the country through which they passed was wild and uninhabited, they saw no game but a ti'oop of zebras, which were so wild that they could not get near them. ** Up to this point the villages, as is the case in all central Unyamuezi, are built on the most luxurious principles. They form a large hollow square, the walls of which are their huts, ranged on all sides of it in a sort of street consisting of two walls, the breadth of an ordinary room, which is partitioned cfi" to a convenient size by interior walls, of the same earth-construction as the exterior ones, as our Sepoys' lines are made in India. The roof is flat, and serves as a store place for keeping sticks to burn, drying grain, pumpkins, mush- rooms, or any vegetables they may have. Most of these compartments contain the families of the A'illagers, together Avith their poultry', brewing utensils, cooking apparatus, stores of grain, and anything they possess. The remainder contain their flocks and herds, principally goats and cows, for sheep do not breed well in the country, and their flesh is not much approved of by the people. AVhat few sheep there are appear to be an offshoot from the Persian stock. They have a scraggy appearance, and show but the slightest signs of the fat-rumpcd proportions of their ancestors. The cows, unlike the noble Tanganyika ones, are small and short-horned, and of various colours. They 14 lOG STANLEY AND AFRICA. carry a hump like the Brahminy bull, but give very little milk. In front of nearly every house you see large slabs of granite — the stones on which the jowari is ground by women, who, kneeling before them, rub the grain down to flour with a smaller stone, which they hold with both hands at once. Thus, rubbing and grinding away, their bodies sway monotonously to and fro, while they cheer the time by singing and droning in cadence to the motion of their bodies." Towards the close of their day's journey, on the 12th, a laughable scene took place between our traveller's caravan and an ivory caravan of Wasu- kumas. As they ajoproached each other from opposite directions, the two leaders slowly advanced, marching in front, their heads awry, their eyes steadfastly fixed on each other, their bodies held motionless and strictly poised, like rams preparing for a fight. All at once they rushed in with their heads down, and kept butting one another till one gave way. The rest of the cara- van then commenced a general melee. Speke, in his ignorance would have attempted to separate the contending parties, but, as they were all black together, he found it impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Stopping to laugh at his excitement, they assured him that it was only a common custom of the country when two strange caravan-leaders meet, and each doubts who should take the supremacy in choice of side. In a minute or two they all separated amid loud laughter, and each went his way. On the morrow, Speke and his party entered a district governed by a sultana. She was the first and onl}^ female whom he had seen in that position, though she succeeded to it after the custom of the country. In the evening she sent a message to the traveller, having heard of his approach, to request the pleasure of his company at her house the next day. He wished to be allowed to go and see her at once ; but the messenger replied that it would be impossible to reach her abode till after dark, and she would not have the pleasure of seeing him suf- ficiently well. The visit was therefore to be in the morning ; and in the morning it took place. After a walk of twelve miles, without breakfast, he had the satisfaction of seeing the palisadoed royal abode. On entering the yard, he found it full of cows, which were being milked at mid-day ; but though he had tasted nothing, he was not able to get a drop. The negroes at once began beating a couple of large drums, half as tall as themselves, made something like a beer-barrel, covered on the top with a cow-skin stretched tightly over. This drumming, which was an announcement of their arrival and a mark of royal respect, lasted about ten minutes, when a body of slaves appeared, and requested the strangers to follow them. They were led through various passages into the centre of the sultana's establishment. A cow-skin was spread, and a wooden stool set for Speke, that he might sit upon it, having his suite squatted in a circle around liim. The lady's-maid first appeared. She was lame and dirty, THE OPERATION OF BROTHER-MAKING. 107 but her happy-looking face encouraged the hungry and tlilrsty traveller to ask for eggs and milk. These provisions were speedily procured, and devoured with greediness. The maid, having retired, now re-appeared, bringing with her her mistress, a short, stumpy old dame, over whose head at least sixty summers must have passed. Her nose was short, squat, and flabby at tlie end, and her eyes were bald of brows and laslies ; but her face beamed with smiles, and her manner was full of energy. Her dress was an old coloured cloth, dirtier even than her maid's. " The large joints of all her fingers were bound with small copper wire, lier legs staggered under an immense accumu- lation of anklets made of brass wire wound round elephant's tail or zebra's hair ; her arms were decorated with huge solid brass rings, and from other thin brass wire bracelets depended a great assortment of wooden, brazen, horn, and ivory ornaments, cut in eveiy shape of talismanic peculiarity." Squatting down by the traveller's side her royal highness at once shook hands with him, and then began to examine every part of his clothing — his shoes, his overalls, his waistcoat, more particularly the buttons, and then his coat. She so much admired this latter garment, that she wished he would present it to her that she might wear it herself. She then declared his hands to be as soft as a child's, and likened his hair to a lion's mane. After this, she withdraw into her privacy, and Speke retraced his steps, a good five hour's walk. Proceeding on his journey, he came to the district of Msalala. At this place he witnessed the odd operation of brother-making. It consists in the two men desirous of a blood-tie being seated face to face on a cow's hide, with their legs stretched out as wide to the front as their length will permit, one pair overlapjiing the other. They then place their bows and arrows across their thighs, and each holds a leaf ; at the same time a third person, holding a pot of oil or butter, makes an incision above their knees, and requires each to put his blood on the other's leaf, and mix a little oil with it, when each anoints himself with the brother-salve. This operation over, the two brothers bawl forth the names and extent of their relatives, and swear by the blood to protect the other till death. The cattle of this district sur- passed anything our traveller had seen in Africa. Large droves, tended by a few men each, were to be seen in every direction over the extensive plains, and at night every village was filled with them. The cultivation also was as abundant as the cattle were numerous, and the climate was delightful. The evenings and the mornings were j^articuUirly serene, but the middle of the day, though ^^leasant in a hut, was too warm to be agreeable under hard exertion. By the 30th of the month, the caravan had reached a point from which, about four miles beyond, a sheet of water was discerned, which ultimately proved to be a creek, and the most southern point of the great Nyanza. Hei'e -the country had a mixed and large population of smiths, agriculturists, and 108 STANLEY AND AFRICA. lievdsmcn, icsiJiiig in the flats and depressions wliicli lie between the scattered little hills. During the rainy season, when the lake swells, and the country becomes super-saturated, the inundations are so great that all travelling is sus- pended. Following down the creek, which, gradually increasing in breadth as it extended northwards, became very considerable in its dimensions, they saw many little islands, AvcU-wooded elevations, standing boldly out of the waters, which, together with the hill-dotted country around afforded a most agreeable prospect. Their tract lay partly through jungly depressions, where they saw ostriches, florikans, and small antelopes, and partly between small hills, the valleys of which were thickly inhabited by both agricultural and pastoral people. On the 3rd of August, the caravan, after quitting Isamiro, began wind- ing up a long but gradually-inclined hill, until it reached the summit, when the vast expanse of the pale-blue waters of the Nyanza suddenly burst upon the traveller's gaze. "It was early morning," he says. "The distant sea- line of the north horizon was defined in the calm atmosphere between the north and west points of the compass ; but even this did not afford me any idea of the breadth of the lake, as an archipelago of islands, each consisting of a single hill, rising to a height of two or tlirec hundred feet above the water, inter- sected the line of vision to the left; while, on the right the western horn of the Ukercwo Island cut off any further view of its distant waters to the eastward of north. A sheet of water — an elbow of the sea, however, at the base of the low range on which I stood, extended far away to the eastward, to where, in the dim distance, a hummock-like elevation of the mainland marked what I under- stood to bo the south and east angle of the lake. The large and important islands of Ukerewe and Mzita, distant about twenty or thirty miles, formed the A'isible north shore of this firth. The name of the former of these islands was familiar to us as that by which this long-desired lake was usually known. It is reported by the natives to be of no great extent ; and though of no con- siderable elevation, I could discover several spurs stretching down to the water's edge from its central ridge of hills. Tlie other island, Mzita, is of greater elevation, of a hog-backed shape, but being more distant, its physical features were not so distinctly visible. " In consequence of the northern islands before mentioned obstructing the view, the western shore of the lake could not be defined ; a series of low hill- tops extended in this direction as far as the eye could reach ; while below me, at no great distance, was the debouchure of the creek, which enters the lake from the south, and along the baidvs of which my last tln-ee days' journey had led me. This view was one which, even in a Avell-known and explored coun- try, would have arrested the traveller by its peaceful beauty. The islands, each swelling in a gentle slojie to a rounded summit, clothed with wood between the rugged, angular, closely-croj)ping rocks of granite, seemed mix-- LAKE VICTORIA NYANZA. 109 rored in tlic calm surface of the lake, on Avliich I licre and there detected a small black speck, the tiny canoe of some Muanza fisherman. On the gently shelving plain below, me, blue smoke curled about tlic trees, which hero and there pai'tially concealed villages and hamlets, their brown thatched roofs con- trasting with the emerald-green of the beautiful t;:ulk-busli, the coral branches of which cluster in such profusion round the cottages, and form alleys and hedgerows about the villages as ornamental as any garden-shrub in England. But the pleasure of the mere A'iew vanished in the presence of those more intense and exciting emotions whicli are called up by the consideration of the commercial and geographical importance of the prospect before me. I no longer felt any doubt that the lake at my feet gave birtli to that interesting river, the source of which has been the subject of so much speculation, and the object of so many explorers."* Having named the magnificent sheet of water Victoria Nyanza, after our gracious sovereign, Spcke descended to Muanza, on the shores of the lake, having altogether performed a journey of two hundred and twenty-six miles from Kazcli. Here he was kindly treated by the sultan of the village, and by an Arab merchant, named JIansur, who had retainers belonging to the country, who knew much about the lake, and were of very great assistance. The next morning, taking a walk of three miles along the shores of the lake, accom- panied by Mansur and a native, the greatest traveller of the place, he ascended a hill whence he could obtain a good view across the expanse of water spread out before him. Several islands were seen, but some so far off as scarcely to bo distinguishable. Facing to the west-north-west was an unbroken sea horizon, and he calculated that the breadth of the lake was over a hundred miles. The native, when asked its length, faced to the north, and began nodding his head at it, at the same time he kept throwing forward his right hand, and, making repeated snaps with his fingers, endeavoured to indicate something immeasurable ; and added, that nobody knew, but he thought it probably extended to the end of the world. Speke proposed crossing the lake to the island of Ukcrcwe ; but both the Sultan Mahaya and Mansur dis- suaded-him from making the attempt, and, as boats were not obtainable, he was compelled to give up his design. Having gained all the information he could, and regretting that he was unable to extend his explorations, he bade the sultan and his Arab friend adieu, and on the Gth of August commenced his return journey. " The fauna of this countrj'," he says, " is most disappointing. Nearly all the animals that exist here, are also to be found in the south of Africa, * In this conclusion Speke was -wrong. It has since been proved, by the later discoveries of Bater nnd Livingstone, that Lake Kyanza is only one, and the least considerable of the Sources of the White Nile. no STANLEY AND AFRICA. •where they range in far greater numbers. But then we must remember tliat a caravan route usually takes the more fertile and i^rosperous tracks, and that many animals miglit be found in the recesses of the forest not far off, although there are so few on the line. The elephants are finer here than in any part of the world, and have been known, I hear, to carry tusks exceeding five hundred pounds the pair in weight. The principal wild animals besides these are the lion, leopard, hyena, fox, pig. Cape buffalo, gnu, kudu, harte-beest, pallah, steinboc, and the little madoka, or sultana gazella. The giraffe, zebra, quagga, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus, are very common. The game-birds are the bustard, ilorikan, guinea-fowl, partridge, quail, snipe, various geese and ducks, and a very dark-coloured rock-pigeon or sand-grouse. The birds in general have very tame plumage, and are much more scarce, generally speaking, than one finds in most other countries." The inhabitants of these districts are mostly agricultural ; and when a stranger comes among them, they at once hail his advent as a good omen, and allow him to do and see whatever he likes. They desire his settling amongst them, appreciate the benefits of commerce and civilisation, and are not suspicious, like the plunder- ing pastorals, of every one coming towards them with evil intentions. Our traveller left the low land on the 9th, and rose to the higher ground, where he had just gained a sight of the waters of the Nyanza, and now took his final view. He left the place with great regret, disappointed at not being able to push his investigations further northwards ; this feeling, however, was not shared by his black attendants, the Belooches and the lazy Pagazis, who were in much better humour on the return journey, as they were now going home, and, since the country was well stocked with cattle, they could obtain as much meat as was required. Travelling through the Nindo wilderness, they were very much excited at the quantity of game they saw. Troops of zebras, the quagga, and giraffe, several varieties of antelopes roaming about in large herds, a buffalo, and one ostrich, were the chief visible tenants of this wild ; but, though the party tried their best, they failed to kill any. Crossing a second wilderness to Kahama, they found the houses completely destitute of all domestic articles and commodities ; and on asking the people the reason, they said they were afraid of the plundering Wamandas, and that they only came there during the day to look after their crops, retiring at night to a distant place of safe retreat in the jungles, where they stored all their goods and chattels. The country was full of sweet springs ; no unplea- sant exhalations polluted the atmosphere ; there were no extremes of tempe- rature ; and wholesome food was everywhere obtainable. Flies and mosquitoes are scarcely known, and the tsetse of the south nowhere exists. " Of diseases," says Spcke, " the more common are remittent and intermittent fevers, and these are the most important ones to avoid, since they bring so many bad effects after them. In the first place, they attack the brain, and often deprive MODE OF BREWING POM BE. 1 1 1 one of one's senses. Then there is no rallying from the weakness they i^ro- duce. A little attack, which one would only laugh at in India, prostrates you for a week or more, and this weakness brings on other disorders — cramp, for instance, of the most painful kind, very often follows. Wlien lying in bed, my toes Lave sometimes curled round and looked me in the face; at other times, when I have put my hand behind my back, it has stuck there until, with the other hand, I have seized tlie contracted muscles, and warmed the part affected with the natural heat, till, relaxation taking place, I was able to get it back." On their arrival at Senagongo, they had a triumphal entiy, which con- sisted of a sham fight. Spears were flourished, thrust, and withdrawn ; arrows were pointed, huge shields were held up for protection, sticks and stones flew like hail ; then there was a slight retreat, then another advance, bodies sway- ing here and bodies swaying there, until at length the whole fore-ground was a mass of moving objects, all springs and hops, like an army of frogs advanc- ing to a pond, after the first burst of rairi. Their great principle in warfare appeared to be, that no one should be still. As the imaginary slain fell, they were immediately trampled down and knelt upon, and repeatedly hacked with knives, whilst the slayer continued to show his savage wrath, by worry- ing his supposed victim with all the angry energy which dogs disjilay when fighting. A similar scene was enacted a day or two after at Mgogwa. At this latter place, pombe-brewing is the chief occupation of the women, and is as regular as the revolution of day and night, and the drinking of it just as constant. " It is made of bajeri and jowari (common millets), and is at first prepared by malting in the same way as we do barley ; then they range a double street of sticks, usually in the middle of the village, fill a number of pots with these grains mixed in water, which they place in continuous line down the street of sticks, and, setting fire to the whole at once, boil away until the mess is fit to put aside for refining ; this they then do, leaving the juits standing three da^'s, when fermentation takes place and the liquor is fit to drink. It has the strength of labourer's beer, and both sexes drink it alike. Tliis fermented beverage resembles pig-wash, but is said to be so palatable and satisfying — for the dregs and all are drunk together — that many entirely subsist upon it. It is a great help to the slave-masters, for without it they could get nobody to till their ground ; and when the slaves are required to turn tlie earth, the master always sits in judgment with lordly dignity, generally under a tree, watching to see who becomes entitled to a drop." On the evening of the 25th of August, under the influence of a cool night and a bright full moon, our traveller entered Kazeh. As the caravan, according to its usual march of single file, moved along the serpentine foot-path which led to the place, firing muskets and singing " the return," the villagers — men, women, and children — came running out, piercing the air with loud shrill noises, 112 STANLEY AND AFRICA. accompanied with tlio lullabooiiig wliich, once heard, can uever be mistaken. The crowd was composed in great part of relatives of those who composed the caravan. The Arabs, one and all, came forth to meet them, and escort Spoke into their depot. Their congratulations were extremely warm, for they had been anxious for the safety of the cai-avan, in consequence of sundry rumours abroad concerning the war-party which lay in its track. Captain Burton, who had remained at Kazeh, was greatly restored in health, and had everything about him in a high state of preparation for the journey home- wards. Tlicy set off, therefore, together for Zanzibar, whence they shortly afterwards returned to England. Thus ended Speke's second expedition to Africa. KAFFIRS r^fiRYING THEIR WnilNDED FROM THE WAR CHAP TEH V. Spelce's Third Expedition — Accompanied hj Captain Grant he arrives at Zanzibar — - Organisation of the Expedition — Tliey reach Usaramo — Usagara — Ugogo — Unyamuczi and tlic People — Troubles in Uzinza — Driven back to Kazcli — Push on to Usui — Leave the Inhospitable Distriets. ON the 27tli of April, 18C0, Captain Speke started on the third expedition, which was avowedly for the purpose of proving that the Lake Victoria Nyanza, which he had discovered in 1858, was the source of the Nile. Ho was accompanied by Captain Grant, an old Indian brother-officer. The expe- dition was undertaken with the help of Government, and granted at the earnest solicitation of the Geographical Society. They sailed from Ports- mouth in the new steam -frigate, "Forte," and arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on the 4th of July. Here Sir George Grey, the Governor of the Colony, who had been an old explorer himself, manifested a warm and intel- ligent interest in the objects of the expedition. On the IGtli of July, they sailed in the screw steam corvette, " Brisk," for Zanzibar; and after touching at East London, Delagoa Bay, and Mozambique, arrived at Zanzibar on the 17th of August. After spending some time in collecting a sufficient band of suitable followers, they left Zanzibar in a corvette placed at their disposal by the sultan, and crossed over to Bagamoyo on the mainland, on the 25th of September. Their party consisted, in addition to themselves, of ten men of the Cape Mounted Rifles, who were Hottentots ; Sheikh Said, the leader of Speke's former caravan, who was appointed to that post again; five old black sailors, who spoke Hindostanee ; Bombay, Speke's former attendant, inter- preter, and factotum ; a party of seventy-five Wanguanas, emancipated from slavery ; and one hundred negro porters. The two chief men, besides Said, were Bombay and Baraka, who commanded the Zanzibar men. Fifty car- bines were distributed among the elder men of the party, and the sheikh was armed with a double-barrelled rifle, given to him by Captain Speke. The sultan also sent, as a guard of honour, twenty-five Belouchs, with an officer to escort them as far as Uzaramo, the country of the Wazaramo. They had also twelve mules to carry annnunition, asses for the sick, and twenty-two goats. The procession, which commenced its march on the 2nd of Ocluber, was 15 114 STANLEY AND AFRICA. in this fashion : — " The kirangozi or leader, with a load on his shoulder, led the way, flag in hand, followed by the pagazis, carrying spears or bows and arrows in their hands, and bearing their share of the baggage, in the shape either of bolster-shaped loads of cloth and beads covered with matting, each tied into the fork of a three pronged-sticlc, or else coils of brass or copper-Avire, tied in even weights to each end of sticks, which they laid on the shoulder ; then helter-skelter came the Wanguana, carrying carbines in their hands, and boxes, bundles, tents, cooking-jiots — all the miscellaneous property on their heads ; next the Hottentots, dragging the refractory mules, with ammunition- boxes, but very lightly, to save the animals for the future; and finally. Sheikh Said and the Belooch escort; while the goats, sick women, and stragglers, brought up the rear. From first to last, some of the sick Hottentots rode the hospital donkeys, allowing the negroes to tug their animals ; for the smallest ailment threw them broadcast on their backs." Speke thus describes the process of camp-forming, and the daily occupa- tion of Grant, himself, and their private servants : — " After traversing fields of grass well clothed with green trees, we arrived at the little settlement of Bomani, where a camj) was formed, and everybody fairly appointed to his jilace. The process of camp-forming would be thus : — Sheikh Said, with Bombay under him, issues cloths to the men for rations at the rate of one-fourth load a-day (about fifteen pounds), amongst one hundred and sixty five ; the Hotten- tots cook our dinners and their own, or else lie rolling on the ground over- come with fatigue ; the Beloochs are supposed to guard the camp, but prefer gossip and brightening their arms. Some men are told off to look after the mules, donkeys, and goats, whilst out grazing; the rest have to pack the kit, 2)itch our tents, cut boughs for our huts and for fencing in the camp — a thing rarely done, by the by. After cooking, when the night has set in, the ever- lasting dance begins, attended with clapping of hands and jingling small bells strapped to the leg. The whole being accompanied by a constant repetition of senseless words, which stand in place of the song to the negroes ; for song they have none, being mentally incapacitated for musical composition, though as timists they are not to be surpassed. "What remains to be told is the daily occupation of Captain Gi-ant, my- self, and our private servants. Beginning at the foot : — Rahan, a very peppery little negro, who had served in a British man-of-war at tlie taking of Rangoon, was my vallet ; and Baraka, who had been trained much in the same manner, but had seen engagements at Mooltan, was Captain Grant's. They both knew Hindostanee ; but while Rahan's services at sea had been short, Baraka had served nearly all his life with Englishmen — was the smartest and most intelli- gent negro I ever saw — was invaluable to Colonel Rigby as a detector of slave- traders, and enjoyed his confidence so completely that he said, on parting witii him, that he did not know where he should be able to find another man to fill UZARAMO AND ITS PEOPLE. Hi his post. These two men had now charge of our tents and personal kit, while Earaka was considered the general of the Wanguana forces, and Rahan a captain of ten. " My first occupation was to map the country. This is done l)y timing the rate of march with a watch, taking compass-bearings along the road, or on any conspicuous marks — as, for instance, hills of it, and by noting the water- shed — in short, all topograjjhical objects. On arrival in camp, every day came the ascertaining, by boiling a th'jrmometer, of the altitude of the station above the sea-level ; of the latitude of the station by the meridian altitude of a star taken with a sextant ; and of the compass variation by azimuth. Occa- sionally, there was the fixing of certain crucial stations, at intervals of sixty miles or so, by lunar observations, or distances of the moon, either from the sun, or from certain given stars, for determining the longitude, by which the original-timed course can be drawn out with certainty on the map by propor- tion. Should a date be lost, you can always discover it by taking a lunar distance and comparing it with the Nautical Almanac, by noting the time when a star passes the meridian, if your watch is right, or by observing the phases of the moon, or her rising or setting, as compared with the Nautical Almanac. The rest of my work, besides sketching and keeping a diary, which w^as the most troublesome of all, consisted in making geological and zoological collections. With Captain Grant rested the botanical collections and ther- mometrical registers. He also boiled one of the thermometers, kept the rain- gauge, and undertook the photography ; but after a time I sent the instruments back, considering this work too severe for the climate, and he tried instead sketching with water-colours. The rest of our day went in breakfasting after the march was over — a pipe, to prepare us for rummaging the fields and vil- lages, to discover their contents for scientific purposes — dinner close to sunset, and tea and pipe before turning in at night." They were now in Uzaramo, a country without hills, well covered with trees and large grasses, which, in the rainy season, are too thick, tall, and green, to be pleasant, though in the dry season, after the grasses have been burnt, it is agreeable enough. The villages are not large or numerous, but widely spread, consisting generally of conical grass huts, while others are gable-ended, after the coast-fashion ; a small collection of ten or twenty com- prising one village. The Warazamo, who people the district, are strictly agriculturists, having no cows, and but few goats. They are short and thick- set, and their nature tends to be boisterous. Nowhere in the interior are natives so well clad. They dress up their hair In fanciful styles, smear their bodies with clay, and adorn themselves with shells and other ornaments. They always keep their bows and arrows, which form their natural weapons, in excellent order, the latter well poisoned, and carried in quivers nicely carved. They jDiofess to be the subjects of the Sultan of Zanzibar; but often act with 110 STANLEY AND AFRICA. an indepfiiidence of all authority. They demand tribute of travellers, always demanding more than they expect to get, and generally using threats as a means of extortion, not disdaining to commit robbery, when they can, by open violence. Spcke says, tliat the result of experience is, that, ardent as the traveller is to sec the interior of Africa, no sooner lias he dealings with the natives, than his whole thoughts tend to discovering some road where lie wont be molested, or a short cut, but long march, to get over the ground. The men of this district have one good quality, not very general in Africa — they treat the women with much attention — among other things dressing their hair for them, and escorting them to the water, lest any harm should befal them. On the 14th of October, the expedition reached Kidunda, from which, on the following day, the Belooch escort was sent back, with all the specimens of natural history collected on the way for the Royal Geographical Society. Proceeding along the Kingani River, they reached the country of Usagai'a, a distiict of hills and valleys, and exhibiting manifold traces of volcanic action. Granite and other igneous rocks are exposed in many places in the shape of massive blocks ; while the hill-ranges are covered in the upper part with sandstone, and in the bottom Avith alluvial clay. Where the hill tops and sides are not cultivated, they are well covered with bush and small trees, amongst which the bamboo is conspicuous ; whilst the bottoms, having a deeper and richer soil, produce large fig-trees of exceeding beauty, and various trees of other kinds. Cultivation would thrive abundantly, if wars and slave-hunts did not disturb the industry of the people. The inhabitants are poor, meagre- looking wretches, dingy in colour, spiritless, and shy. They generally fly to the hill-tops as soon as the noise of the advancing caravan is heard, and so much ground have they, from previous experience, to fear treachery, that no persuasions will bring them down again. Whilst passing through this dis- trict. Grant was seized with fever ; and, although restored for the time, it kept recurring every fortnight until the journey ended. On the 30th, they reached the first settlements of Mbuiga, from which could be seen a curious blue mountain, standing up like a giant overlooking the rest of the hills. The scenery here formed a strong and very 2:)leasing contrast to any they had seen since leaving the coast. The valleys, watered by little brooks, were far richer and prettier than the high lands above, being lined with fine trees and evergreen shrubs ; while the general state of prosjjerity was such, that the people could afford, even at this late season of the year, to turn their corn into malt, to brew beer for sale; and goats and fowls were plentiful in the market. After leaving the valley district, and marching for some time over elevated ground, covered with small trees and a rich variety of pretty bulbous flowers, they reached the h.abitations of Muhanda. No sooner did the poor UGOGO A ND 1 TS IN 11 A Bl TA NTS. 1 1 7 villagers espy tlicni than they immediately dispersed in tlic jungles. By diut of great persuasion, however, they were induced to sell the travellers pro- visions, though at a monstrous rate. The scenery through which the caravan now passed was most interesting, with every variety of hill, plateau, and ravine, wild and prettily wooded ; but they saw nothing of the people. Like frightened rats, as soon as they caught the sound of the strangers' advancing march, they buried themselves in the jungles, carrying off their grain with them. Towards sunset on the 8th, they arrived at New Mbumi, a fertile place, lying at the foot of a cluster of steep hills ; and, as this was reported to be the only place where tliey could buy corn until they reached Ugogo, a space of a hundred and forty miles, they pitched camp for three days to lay in supjjlies for ten. The chief of the place was very affable, said he had often been to Zanzibar, and would do anything they desired to help them. lie knew the power of the English, and that they were opposed to slavery, tlic terrible effects of which had led. him to abandon Old Mbumi, and come to reside here. By the 22nd of the month, fhey had left the hilly Usagara range quite behind them, and reached the more level lands of the interior, Ugogo, the region of country on Avhich they had now entered, lies under the lee side of the Usagara hills, and is comparatively sterile and wild in its appearance. Granite here and there crops through the surface. There arc numerous acacias, and large prairies of grass. Immediately after the rainy season, the country looks pleasant enough ; but it is brown and desert-looking during- the rest of the year. The appearance of the people is somewhat in keeping with that of the country. " The men, indeed, are never seen without their usual arms — the spear, tlie shield, and the assagai. They live in flat-topped, square, tembe villages, wherever springs of water are found, keep cattle in j)lenty, and farm enough generally to suj^pl}' not only their own wants, but those of the thousands who annually pass in caravans. They arc extremely fond of ornaments, the most common of which is an ugl}' tube of the gourd thrust through the lower lobe of the ear. Their colour is a soft ruddy brown, with a slight infusion of black, not unlike that of a rich plum. Im2)ulsive by nature, and exceedingly avaricious, they pester travellers beyond all concep- tion, by thronging the road, jeering, quizzing, and pointing at them ; and, in camp, by intrusively forcing their way into the midst of the kit, and even into the stranger's tent. Caravans, in consequence, never enter their villages, but camp outside, generally under the big, gouty-limbed trees ; encircling their entire camp with a ring-fence of thorns to prevent any sudden attack." "Water was so scarce that they had to pay for it the same price as for the beer of the country ; and cows, goats, sheep, and fowls, were all selling at high rates. 118 STANLEY AND AFRICA. While encamping at Kanyenye, they heard that there were some bicornia rhinoceros in the neighbourhood. Being informed that the best time to find them was the night, when they came to visit certain pools not far off) Speke, with a guide, and two boys, each carrying a rifle, set out at ten o'clock, to am'ive at the place before the rising of the full moon. While waiting, the moon at midnight arose, and shed her light on the desolate scene ; the guide took fright, and bolted. Presently, a noble animal cautiously descended towards the water. Spcke approached within eighty yards of him, when, seeing that the moon shone full on his flank, he raised himself upright, and jilanted a bullet behind his left shoulder, and thus killed his first rhinoceros. After waiting a couple of hours longer, two more approached in the same stealthy, fidgety way as the first. He at once planted a ball in the larger one, and brought him round with a roar, and was about to give him a second shot, when he found that the boys who were carrying the second rifle had made off in terror, and were scrambling like monkeys up a tree. Fortunately for Speke, the beast turned to the right-about, and made off also. The next morning the parties of the exj^edition and the native Wagogo gathered around the carcass of the rhinoceros like vultures. "A more savage, filthy, disgust- ing, but at the same time grotesque scene than that which followed, cannot be conceived. All fell to work, armed with swords, spears, knives, hatchets — cutting and slashing, thumping and bawling, fighting and tearing, tumbling and wrestling, up to their knees in filth and blood in the middle of the carcass. When a tempting morsel fell to the possession of any one, a stronger neigh- bour would seize and bear off the prize, in triumph. All right was now a matter of pure might, and lucky it was that it did not end in a fight between our men and the villagers. These might be afterwards seen, one by one, covered with blood, scampering home each with his spoil — a piece of tripe, or liver, or lights, or whatever else it might have been his fortune to get off with." On their arrival at Khoko, the last district in Ugogo, which they reached on the 6th of December, the whole of the inhabitants, imagining that their visit was one of revenge, because the Wagogo had attacked and plundered an Arab camp a year ago, turned out to oppose them. As soon, however, as the mistake was discovered, they allowed the travellers to pass on, and encamp in the outskirts of the wilderness. Here they halted three days, which time was employed in obtaining fresh men in place of the sick, in laying in j^rovisions, in settling the hongo, and in sport. Speke describes an animated scene which occurred here in connection with buffalo-stalking. He espied a large herd feeding. " They were quite unconscious," he says, "of my approacli, so I took a shot at a cow, and wounded her ; then, after reloading, put a ball in a bull, and staggered him also. This caused great confusion among them; but as none of the animals knew where the shots came from, they simply shifted B UFFA L 0-STA LKING . 119 in a fidgety manner, allowing mo to kill the first cow, and even fire a fourth shot, which sickened the great bull, and. induced him to walk off, leaving the herd to their fate, who, considerably puzzled, began moving off also. " I now called up the boys, and determined on following the herd down before either skinning the dead cow or following the bull, who I knew could not go far. Their footprints being well defined in the moist sandy soil, we soon found the herd again ; but as they now knew they were pursued, they kept moving on in short runs at a time, when, occasionally gaining glimpses of their large dark bodies as they forced through the bush, I repeated my shots and struck a good number, some more and some less severely. This was very provoking; for all of them being stern shots were not likely to kill, and the jungle was so thick I could not get a front view of them. Presently, however, one with her hind leg broken pulled up on a white ant-hill, and toss- ing her horns came down with a charge the instant I showed myself close to her. One crack of the rifle rolled her over, and gave me free scope to improve the bag, which was very soon done ; for, on following the spoors, the traces of blood led us up to another one as lame as the last. He then got a second bullet in the flank, and, after hobbling a little, evaded our sight and threw himself into a bush, where we no sooner arrived, than he plunged headlong at us from the ambush, just, and only just, giving me time to present my small 40-gauge Lancaster. " It was a most ridiculous scene. Suliman by my side, with the instinct of a monkey, made a violent spring and swung himself by a bough imme- diately over the beast, whilst Faraj bolted away and left me single-gunned to polish him ofi". There was only one course to pursue, for in one instant more he would have been into me ; so, quick as thought, I fired the gun, and, as luck would have it, my bullet, after passing through the edge of one of his horns, stuck in the spine of his neck, and rolled him over at my feet as dead as a rabbit." He now went in search of another, and fired, but without efi"ect. " The great beast, from the thicket on the opposite side, charged down like a mad bull, full of ferocity — -as ugly an antagonist as ever I saw, for the front of his head was all shielded with horn. A small mound fortunately stood between us, and as he rounded it, I jumped to one side and let fly at his flank, but without the eft'ect of stopping him ; for, as quick as thought, the huge monster was at my feet, battling with the impalpable smoke of my gun, which fortunately hung so thick on the ground at the height of his head that he could not see me, though I was so close that I might, had I been possessed of a hatchet, have chopped off his head. This was a predicament which looked very ugly, for my boys had both bolted, taking with them my guns ; but suddenly the beast, evidently regarding the smoke as a phantom which could not be mastered, turned round in a bustle, to my intense relief, and galloped off at full speed, as if scared by some terrible apparitiou." 1-20 STANLEY AND AFRICA. All along, the travellers had difficulties with their attendants. These difficulties now increased. Intrigues were originated and fostered by the native chiefs ; many decamped, and there was the greatest trouble in getting their jilaces su]:)plicd. Thefts were perpetrated by the runaways ; and it became necessary to inflict severe punishment on one or two who were detected, in the hope of striking fear into the rest. It sometimes seemed as if supplies of food would fail. The weather towards the close of the year was at times most unpropitious, rain lasting for a fortnight together. The journey through the wilderness was very dreary. Altogether British courage, endurance, per- severance, and patience, were put to the tost. Thus closed the year 1860. Grant and Speke spent the New Year's Day of 18(31 at Jiwa La Mkoa, or Round Rock — a village occupied by a few Wakimbu settlers, who, by their quiet, domestic manners, made them feel as though they were well out of the wood. Provisions were now obtained by sending men to distant villages; and they were able to supply the camp with their guns, killing rhinoceros, wild boar, antelope, and zebras. On the 9th of January, having bought two donkeys, and engaged several men, they left Round Rock and resumed their march. On the 23rd, they reached tlie large and fertile district of Unyanyembe, the centre of Unyamuezi — the land of the Moon, within five miles of Kazeh. Their losses up to this date were as follow : — One Hottentot dead and five returned ; one freeman sent back witli the Hottentots, and one flogged and turned off; twenty-five of Sultan Majid's gardeners deserted; ninetj'-eight of the original Wan^'amuezi porters deserted ; twelve mules and three donkeys dead. Besides which, half their property had been stolen ; Avhilst the travelling expenses had been unprecedented, in consequence of the severity of the famine throughout the whole length of the march. Unyamuezi is nearly as large as England, and veiy similar in shape. It ranges from three to four thousand feet above the sea-level — a high plateau, studded with small outcropping hills of granite, between which, in the valleys, there are numerous fertilising springs of fresh water. In some parts are found sandstone and rich iron-ore. The people, called Wanyamuezi, are generally industrious ; they cultivate extensively, making cloth of cotton in their own looms, smelt iron and work it up very expertly, build tembe houses to live in over a large jiortion of their country, sometimes living in grass huts, and keep large flocks and herds. They are among the greatest traders in Africa, Their physical appearance is not very prepossessing, "though many of their men are handsome and their women pretty ; neither are they well dressed or well armed, being wanting in pluck and gallantrv. Their women, generally, are better dressed than the men. Cloths fastened round under the arm are their national costume, along with a necklace of beads, large brass or copper Avire armlets, and a profusion of their circles, called Sambo, made of the giraffe's tail-hairs bound round by the thinnest iron or copper wire ; DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVELLING. \n whilst the men at home wear h:>in-clotlis, but in the field, or whilst travelling-, simply hang a goat-skin over their shoulders, exposing at least three-fourths of their body in a rather indecorous manner. In all other respects they orna- ment themselves like the women, only, instead of a long coil of wire wound up the arm, thoy content tliemselves with having massive rings of copper or brass on the wrist ; and they carry for arms a spear and bows and arrows. All extract more or less their lower incisors, and cut a V between their two upper incisors. The whole tribe are desperate smokers, and greatly given to drink." On the 24th, escorted by Spekc's old Arab friend Musa, who had come out to meet them, they marched into Kazeh. Here Musa treated them with the utmost courtesy and hospitality ; and begged they would reside with him, until they could find men to carry their jjroperty on to Karague. They found here also Sheikh Snay, who, with other Arab merchants, came at once to call on tliem ; and from whom they learnt that fierce hostilities existed between the Arabs and the natives throughout the district. Snay said that he had an army of four hundred slaves prepared to march against one of the chiefs, who was constantly attacking and robbing the caravans. Some time was necessarily spent at Kazcli, in making preparations for their onward journey ; the two travellers emploj'-ing themselves in gaining all the inform- ation they could concerning the country. After waiting for nearly two months at Kazeh, the travellers set out on the 17tli of March, and on the 24th, entered the rich district of Mininga, where the gingerbread-palm grows abundantly. Sirboko, an ivory merchant, the greatest man in the district, received them, and gave them a good hut to live in. Here they learnt that tlie continued hostilities between the Arabs and the natives, rendered their journeying very perilous. The Hottentots, too, continued to sufier so i luch from sickness that, as the only hope of saving their lives, it was necess ry to send them back to Zanzibar. Speke therefore found it necessary to return to Kazeh, which he reached on the 2nd of May, leaving Grant, who was ill, behind at Mininga. Returning however, to Min- inga, on the 15th, he was rejoiced to see Grant recovered. During his absence, three villagers had been attacked by two lions ; two of them had escaped, but the third was seized as he was plunging into his hut, and was dragged off by the animals and devoured. The travellers' difficulties daily increased. Musa did not keep faith with them. Porters could not be obtained. A leader was at last secured, whose name was Ungurue, or the pig — who had taken several caravans to Karague, and knew all the languages well ; but unfortunately he afterwards proved himself to be what his name betokened — a very obstinate and stupid fellow. They had the poor consolation of knowing that they had companions in adversity. A large Arab caravan following them, could not 16 122 STANLEY AND AFRICA. advance for want of men. They told Speke tliat it was the first time they had come on that line, and they deeply regretted it ; for they had lost five thousand dollars' worth of beads, by their porters running away with their loads, and now they did not know how to proceed. At length having obtained a part of the number he required, a camp was formed at a jilace called Phunze, where Grant, with Bombay to attend on him, remained in charge of part of the baggage, while Speke, with Ungurue as his guide, and Baraka as his attendant, pushed on ahead. The chiefs of every district through which they passed demanded hongo or tribute, without pay- ment of which they could not move forward. This caused numberless pro- voking delays, as the chiefs were seldom satisfied with what was offered them. We gather from their experience some knowledge of the difficulties of an African traveller. It is not only the caprices and disloyalty of his attendants that he has to encounter, he is subjected to numberless forced detentions on the route by the chiefs of the countries through which he has to pass. The hongo, or transit-tax — or blackmail, which is imjoosed by these despots on every traveller, is a cause of endless annoyance and delay. No sooner does any one of these petty chiefs become aware of the approach of a travelling party, then he forthwith considers how much he can make out of such an oppor- tunity for plunder. Nor is it possible to evade this constantly-recurring tax. If a travelling party should betray an intention to pass by, instead of through, the territory of some black king, its leader sjieedily receives an invitation, which is to be interpreted as a command, to the palace ; and if he should ven- ture to decline the proffered attention, his porters and escort would speedily be assailed by a flight of arrows, from some well-arranged ambush, and he would find his further progress barred by a body of armed men. On the 9th of June, Speke reached Msalala, a district governed by a chief called Myonga, notorious for his extortions and infamous conduct, in consequence of which no Arabs would pass that way. The inhabitants turned out and fired their arrows at the strangers, and the war-drums were beat in every village. Myonga demanded his tribute, and wished to see Speke, as he had never yet seen a white man. Speke declined personally attendino- on the chief, but sent Baraka to arrange the hongo. Baraka amused himself for some hours, firing off volleys of ammunition, and it was not till evening that the palace drums announced that the hongo had been settled. Speke imme- diately gave orders to commence the march; but two cows had been stolen from the caravan, and the men declared that they would not proceed without getting them back. Our traveller knew that if he remained, more tax would be demanded ; as soon, therefore, as the cows were found he shot them, and gave them to the villagers. This raised a mutiny among his men ; the leader would not show the way, nor would a single porter lift his load. Myonga learning that there was dissension in the camp, immediately increased his THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE OF UZINZA. 123 demands, and fresh tribute had to bo paid. Ultimately the caravan was ablo to make a fresh start. For the first few miles they passed through villages ; after that there was a long tract of jungle, inhabited chiefly by antelopes and rhinoceros, and wilder in appearance than most parts of Unyamuozi. In this jungle they crossed the boundary-line between the great country of the Moon and the kingdom of Uzinza. Uzinza, the country which they now entered, they found ruled by two Wahuma chieftains, of Abyssinian descent. "The dress of the Wahuma is very simple, composed chiefly of cow-hide tanned black, a few magic orna- ments and charms, brass or coj3per bracelets, and immense numbers of sambo for stockings, which look very awkward on their long legs. They smear them- selves with rancid butter instead of macassai', and are, in consequence, very offensive to all but the negro, who seems, rather than otherwise, to enjoy a sharp nose-tickler. For arms, they carry both bow and spear ; more generally the latter. Tiie Wazinza in the southern parts are so much like the Wanyam- uezi, as not to require any special notice ; but in the north, where the country is more hilly, they are much more energetic and actively built. All alike live in grass-hut villages, fenced round by bomas in the south, but open in the north. Their country rises in high rolls, increasing in altitude as it approaches the Mountains of the Moon." Our travellers had to encounter here greater difficulties than at any previous part of the journey. Ungurue, or the pig, continued his obstinacy and malicious tricks ; they were heavily taxed, too, and robbed at every step. Their porters refused to advance, declaring that they should be murdered, as the Watuta, their great enemies, were out on a foray, and would be sure to meet with them. These Watuta, they said, were desperate fellows, who had invaded their country and killed their wives and children, and had despoiled them of everything they held dear. As a proof that they wei'e afraid to encounter them, they finally ran away and hid themselves. Baraka also showed the white feather, and feared to proceed. Speke, however, put on a bold front, and declared that he would return to Kazeh, and collect a sufficient number of men, who would not be afraid to accompany him to Usui. Without any delay, he put his plan into execution. Leaving Grant behind, he set out for Kazeh ; and though suffering himself severely from a cough which troubled him by day, and would not allow him to lie or sleep on either side at night, he reached Kazeh on the 2nd of July. After much bother and many disappointments, he got two men as guides — ■ one named Bui, a very small creature, with very high pretensions — the other, a steady old traveller, named Nasib. These two guides, both of whom knew all the chiefs and languages up to and including Uganda, promised him faith- fully that they would go on to Usui, and bring back a sufficient number of porters for Grant and himself to go on together. 124 STANLEY AND AFRICA. Makaka, one of tlio cliiefs of Uzinza, proved himself one of the most arro- gant and insolent of tlic native rulers the travellers encountered. lie demanded as his due a royal salute from the escort, Avhich was accordingly drawn up in line to fire a volley in his honour. " I never felt so degraded," says Speke, " as when I complied, and gave the word of command as he approached uiy tent." He was by no means awed by this military display, but made some remarks not very complimentary on the 2:)erformance of the men. His attendants all fawned upon him, and snapped their fingers at him whenever he sneezed. He examined Speke's guns, clothes, and everything he had ; and begged for them in the most importunate manner. The bull's-eye lan- tern he coveted so much that Speke had to pretend the hottest anger to stop his importunities. He begged hard for lucifer-matches to aid him in his magical rites ; but was quieted by the gift of a pair of slippers, into which he had unceremoniously thrust his feet. From him, however, Speke obtained the first authentic geographical information respecting the existence of the Baringa Lake, supposed to be connected with the Victoria Nyanza. On the 5th of July, Speke left Kazoh once more for the north. March- ing slowly, as his men kept falling sick, he did not reach Grant again until the 11th. As they could not obtain a sufficient number of fresh loorters to carry on their baggage, he was obliged to part from Grant once more, and urge his way forward. On entering the district under the rule of Lumeresi, that chief insisted on his coming to his village, as he wished very much to see a white man. Though our traveller knew what the invitation meant, and would gladly have declined it, he was bound to comply. Lumeresi was not in when he arrived, but on his return, at night, he beat all his drums to cele- bi-ate the event, and fired a musket ; in re^Dly to which Speke fired three shots. Like all his royal brethren, though he pretended to be ver}^ kind, he soon began to beg for eveiything he saw. That very night, Speke was taken alarmingly ill. ''The same night," he says, "whilst sitting out to make astronomical observations, I became deadly cold, so much so, that the instant I had taken the star, to fix my position, I turned into bed, but could not get up again ; for the cough that had stuck to me for a month then became sa violent, heightened by fever succeeding the cold fit, that before the next morning I was so reduced I could not stand. For the last month, too, I had not been able to sleep on either side, as interior pressure, caused by doing so^ provoked the cough ; but now I had, in addition, to be propped in position to get any repose whatever. The symptoms, altogether, were rather alarm- ing, for the heart felt inflamed and ready to burst, pricking and twinging with every breath, which was exceedingly aggravated by constant coughing, when streams of phlegm and bile were ejected. The left arm felt half para- lysed, the left nostril was choked with mucus, and on the centre of the left shoulder-blade I felt a pain as if some one was branding me with a hot iron j CLOTHING OF FIG-TREE BARK. 125 and, in addition, I repeatedly felt severe pains — rather paroxysms of fearful twinges, in the spleen, liver, and lungs." He felt that his only chance of recovering from this severe illness was change of air. He therefore resolved to proceed on his journey, and oi'dered his men to prepare a hammock, in which he might be carried. Although he had already given the chief a number of presents, by way of hongo, no sooner did he begin to talk of proceeding than Lumeresi attempted to hinder him, and declared he could not bear the idea of his white friend going to die in the jungle. His real object, however, was to get a robe, which Speke had deter- mined not to give him. Nevertheless, so persistent was the chief, that, rather than be detained, Speke presented him with the onl}'- one which he had pre- served for the great chief Rumanika, into whoso country he was about to proceed. Scarcely had the greedy prince received it, before he insisted on a further tribute — exactly double what had been previously given him. Tlie traveller again yielded, and presented a number of brass-wire bracelets, six- teen cloths, and a hundred necklaces of coral beads, which were to pay for Grant as well as himself. He paid them down on the spot; the drums beat the "satisfaction;" and, with a mind much relieved, he ordered the march. But now arose a fresh difficulty. Just as they were about to march, the two guides, Bui and Nasib, were not to be found. The shock nearly killed him. He had walked all the way to Kazeh and back again for these men ; had treated them kindly and paid them well ; and yet they chose to desert. In the weak state of his body and mind, he cried over the matter like a child. Here now for a season longer he was compelled to stop. On the 13th of August, a caravan arrived from Karague. One of the porters in it was an old acquaintance, of half- Arab breed. Like the rest of the porters in the caravan he wore a shirt of fig-tree bark, called mbugu ; and ho informed Speke that the people about the equator all wore this kind of covering, and made it uj) of numerous pieces of bark sewn together, which they stripped from the trees after cutting once round the trunk above and below, and then once more down the tree from tlie upper to the lower circular cutting. The way they softened the bark, to make it like cloth, was by immersion in water, and a good strong application of a mill-headed mallet, wliich ribbed it like corduro}-. The operation of barking the trees did not kill them, because if the wound was well-covered over while fresh with plantain-leaves, shoots grew down from above, and a new bark came all over it. All this time, the two travellers were separated from each other — Grant, in the jungles, near Myonga's village ; and Speke, who had gone on in advance, detained by Lumeresi. At midnight, on the 16th of September, while lying in a fearfull}' weak condition, reduced to almost a skeleton, «Speke was startled out of his sleep, by hearing the hurried tramp of several men. They proved to be Giant's porters, who, in short excited sentences, 1;36 " STANLEY AND AFRICA. told him that they had left Grant standing under a tree witli nothing but a gun in liis hand ; that his Wanguana porters had been either killed or driven away, having been attacked by Myonga's men, who had fallen upon the cara- van, and shot, speared, and plundered the whole of it. The next day, Speke received from Grant the following letter, narrating the whole of his catas- trophes : — In the Jungles, neae Myonga's, \%th Sept., 1861. " My Dear Speke — The caravan was attacked, plundered, and the men driven to the winds, while marching this morning into Myonga's country. Awaking at cock-crow, I roused the camp, all anxious to rejoin you ; and while the loads were being packed, my attention was drawn to an angry discussion between the head men and seven or eight armed fellows sent by Sultan Myonga, to insist on my putting uj) for the day in his village. They were summarily told that as you liad already made him a present, he need not expect a visit from me. Adhering, I doubt not, to their master's instruc- tions, they officiously constituted themselves our guides till we chose to strike off their path, when, quickly heading our party, they stopped the way, planted their spears, and dared our advance I " This menace made us firmer in our determination, and we swept past the spears. After we bad marched unmolested for some seven miles, a loud yelping from the woods excited our attention, and a sudden rush was made upon us by, say two hundred men, who came down seemingly in great glee. In an instant, at the caravan's centre, they fastened upon the poor porters. The struggle was short; and with the thi-eat of an arrow or spear at their breasts, men were robbed of their cloths and ornaments, loads were yielded and run away with before resistance could be organised ; only three men of a hundred stood by me, the others, whose only thought was their lives, fled into the woods, where I went shouting for them. One man, little Rahan — rip as he is — stood with cocked gun, defending his load against five savages, with uplifted spears. No one else could be seen. Two or three were reported killed ; some were wounded. Beads, boxes, cloths, etc., lay strewed about the woods. In fact, I felt wrecked. My attempt to go and demand redress from the sultan was resisted, and, in utter despair, I seated myself among a mass of rascals jeering round me, and insolent after the success of the day. Several were dressed in the very cloths, etc., they had stolen from my men. In the afternoon, about fifteen men and loads were brought me, with a message from the sultan, that the attack had been a mistalce of his subjects — that one man had had a hand cut off for it, and tliat all the property would be restored I Yours sincerely, "J. W. Geant." After numerous and great annoyances, the two travellers were again united. On the 2Gth, Speke was writing a letter to Grant, giving him in- THE PROVINCE OF USUI. ' 12? structions how to proceed, and urging him to resist the begging appeals of tlie scoundrels who were attemping to bleed him on all sides, when, to his inex- pressible delight, Grant himself walked into the camp ; and then they had a good laugh over all their misfortunes. With their united forces they now set out once more on their journey. On the 8th of October, they halted at Muamba. Before them now lay a wilderness of five marches' duration ; and as the few villages that once lined it had all been depoj^ulated by the Sorombo people and the Watuta, they had to lay in a large store of provisions. The next day, instead of the constantly-recurring outcrops of granite, as in Unyamuezi, with valleys between, they saw only two lines of small hills, a good way off; whilst the ground over which they travelled, instead of being confined like a valley, rose in long high swells of sandstone formation, covered with small forest-trees, among whicli flowers like primroses, only very much larger, and mostly of a pink colour, were frequently met with. On the 19th, they entered the province of Usui ; and here they had to suffer from the chief of the province, Suwarora, and his officers, the same injustice as they had expe- rienced all tlirough their journey. Niglit after night, their camp was attacked by thieves. One night, as Speke was sitting out with his sextant observing the stars, to fix his position, a party of these marauders accosted two of the women of the camp, and ran away with their clothes. He now resolved to shoot any of them who came near; and that night one was shot, who turned out to be a magician, and was thought till then to be invulnerable. He was tracked by his blood, and died afterwards of his wound. The next day some of Speke's men were lured into the huts of the natives by an invitation to dinner ; but when they got them inside, they stripped them naked, and let them go again. After this another thief was shot dead, and two wounded. In addition to all this, Bombay and Baraka, the two most reliable servants of the travellers, gave them, by their misconduct, much trouble. Usui was a most convulsed-looking country, of well-rounded hills, com- posed of sandstone. In all the pai'ts not under cultivation they were covered with bush wood. The little grass-hut villages were unfenced, and were hidden in large fields of plantains. Cattle were numerous, kept by the Wahuma, who would not sell milk to the strangers, because they ate fowls, and a bean called maliarague. In this province they were detained nearly a month. On the 15th of November, they found themselves approaching its end. The population was thinly scattered in small groups of grass huts, where the scrub jungle had been cleared away. On the road they passed cairns, to which every passer-by contributed a stone. It struck Speke as curious that he should find these cairns in the first country they entered governed by the Wahuma, as he formerly saw the same thing in the Somali country, which, doubtless, in earlier days, was governed by a branch of the Abyssinians. The following day, they entered a fine forest. "We wended on through it," says Sjieke, 128 STANLEY AND AFRICA. *'at a stiff pace, until we arrived at the head of a deep valley, called LohugatI, which was so beautiful we instantly pulled up to admire it. Deep down its well-wooded side below us was a stream, of most inviting aspect for a trout- fisher, flowing towards the Nyanza. Just beyond it the valley was clothed witli fine trees and luxuriant vegetation of all descriptions, amongst which was conspicuous the pretty pandana palm, and rich gardens of plantains ; whilst thistles of extraordinary size, and wild indigo, were the more common weeds. The land beyond that again rolled back in high undulations, over which, in the far distance, we could see a line of cones, red and bare on their tops, guttered down with white streaks, looking for all the world like recent vol- canoes ; and in the far back-ground, rising higher than all, were the rich grassy hills of Karague and Kishakka. On resuming our march, a bird, called khongota, flew across our path ; seeing which, old Nasib, beaming with joy in his superstitious belief, cried out with delight, ' Ah, look at that good omeni — Now our journey will be sure to be prospei'ous !' After fording the stream, we sat down to rest, and were visited by all the inhabitants, who were more naked than any people we had yet seen." From this valley they rose over a stony hill to the settlement of Vihembe, the last on the Usui frontier. The next day they passed out of Usui, and entered on the border-land — a district uninhabited, and considered neutral — which separates that country from Karague. Gradually descending from the spur which separates the Lohugati valley from the bed of the Lake of Urigi, the track led them first through a pleasant meadow, and then through a pas- sage between the cones they had seen from the heights above Lohugati, where a new geological formation attracted Speke's notice. He describes it thus : — " From the green slopes of the hill, set up at a slant, as if the central line of pressure on the dome top had weighed on the inside plates, protruded soft slabs of argillaceous sandstone, whose laminae presented a b'^.'ef-sandwich appearance, puce or purple alternating with creamy-wliite. Quartz, and other igneous rocks, were also scattered about, lying like superficial accumulations in the dips at the foot of the hills, and red sandstone conglomerates clearly indicated the presence of iron. The soil itself looked rich and red, not unlike our owu fine country of Devon." They had now left for a time their trials and sor- rows behind. CHAPTER VI. Karague—Rumaniha and Ids Court — Ilidorrj of the Wahinna — Uganda — Court Ceremonies and Life — Departure from Uganda for the Kite. AFTER having passed through several countries, in all of which our travel- lers were more or less plundered by the chiefs, Avho refused to order tlieir drums to " beat the satisfaction," and release them from their virtual imprisonment, until they had not only exhausted their patience, but provoked an attitude of defiance, a remarkable contrast now presented itself to the con- duct to which they had hitherto been subjected. It was as great a change as could well be imagined. To their utter astonishment, they now reached a country conspicuous for the humanity, hospitality, and what may be justly termed good breeding, of both its sovereign and people. The territoi'y of the \imvr of Karaffue is situated iti an elevated region two deijrees south of the equator, to the west of the Victoria Nyanza, but separated from it by a small intervening kingdom. This prince, hearing of the approach of white travel- lers, sent officers with maces, the insignia of authority, which commanded universal respect, to welcome the strangers to his kingdom, and to escort them with all honour to his palace. Kachuchu, the chief officer of the escort, informed them that the village authorities were everywhere instructed to supply them with food at the king's expense, as there were no taxes gathered from strangers in the kingdom of Karague. The country was hilly and picturesque, wild but verdant, dotted here and there on the higher slopes with thick bush of acacias, tlie haunts of both the Avhite and black rhinoceros, whilst, in the valley, herds of hartebeests and fine cattle roamed about. The further they proceeded in this country tlie better fhey liked it ; and the village chiefs were so civil that they could do wliat they liked. Game was very plentiful. Small antelopes occasionally sprang up from the grass. On several occasions the rhinoceros were so nume- i-ous and in)prudent as to contest the right of the road with them, and Speke shot the first white rhinoceros he had ever seen. Sparrows were so abundant that the people, to save themselves from starvation, were obliged to grow a bitter corn, which the birds disliked. A beautiful lake which they espied, was at fi'-st supposed to be a portion of the Nyanza ; but, on finding it a separate 17 130 STANLEY AND AFRICA. sheet of water, Speke gave it the name of Little Windermere, because Grant thought it looked so like our English lake of that name. They now attained the height of between five and six thousand feet, and thence descended to the Eozoka valley, and pitched their tents in the village. Kachuchu hero told them he had orders to precede them, and prepare the king for their coming, as he wished to know what jjlace they would i^refer to live at — the Arab depot at Kufro, on the direct line to Uganda, in his palace with himself, or outside his enclosures. King Rumanika, though a barbarian, was a model of good manners and good taste, and, in the truest sense of the word, a gentleman, ruling his people with justice, mingled, perhaps, with a little African severity. Speke thus describes the first introduction of himself and his fellow traveller to this monarch : — " To do royal honours to the king of this charming land, I ordered my men to lay down their loads and fire a volley. This was no sooner done than, as we went to the palace gate, we received an invitation to come in at once, for the king wished to see us before attending to anything else. Now, leaving our traps outside, both Grant and myself, attended by Bombay and a few of the seniors of my Wanguana, entered the vestibule, and, walking- through extensive enclosures, studded with huts of kingly dimensions, were escorted to a pent-roofed baraza, which the Arabs had built as a sort of govern- ment ofiice, where the king might conduct his state aff"airs. " Here, as we entei-ed, we saw sitting cross-legged on the ground Ru- manika, the king, and his brother, Nnauaji, both of them men of noble appearance and size. The king was plainly dressed in an Arab's black choga, and wore, for ornament, dress stockings of rich-coloured beads, and neatly- worked wrists of copper. Nnanaji, being a doctor of very high pretensions, in addition to a check-cloth wrapped round him, was covered with charms. At their sides lay huge pipes of black-clay. In their rear, squatting quiet as mice, were all the king's sons, some six or seven lads, who wore leathern middle-coverings, and little dream-charms tied under their chins. The first greetings of the king were warm and affecting, and in an instant we both, felt and saw we were in the company of men who were as unlike as they could be to the common order of the natives of the surrounding districts. They had fine oval faces, large eyes, and high noses, denoting the best blood of Abyssinia. Ha ring shaken hands in true English style, which is the peculiar custom of the men of this country, the ever-smiling Rumanika begged us to be seated on the ground opposite to him, and at once wished to know what we thought of Karague, for it had struck him his mountains were the finest in the world ; and the lake, too, did we not admire it ? Then laughing, he inquired — for he knew all the story — what we thought of Suwarora, and the reception we had met with in Usui. Wlien this was ex- plained to him, I showed him that it was for the interest of his own kingdom SPEKE'S INTER VIE W T17 Til R UMA NIK A . 131 to keep a check on Suwarora, whose exorbitant taxations prevented the Arabs from coming to see him, and bringing things from all parts of the world. He made Inquiries for the purpose of knowing how wo found our way all over the world ; for, on the former expedition, a letter had come to him for Musa, who no sooner read It than he said I had called him, and he must leave, as I was bound to Ujljl. " This, of course, led to a long story, describing the world, the propor- tions of land and water, and the power of ships, which conveyed even ele- phants and rhinoceros — in fact, all the animals in the world — to fill our menageries at home, etc., etc. ; as well as the strange announcement that we lived to the northward, and had only come this way because his friend Musa had assured me, without doubt, that he would give us the road on through Uganda. Time flew like magic, the king's mind was so quick and inquiring ; but as the day was wasting away, he generously gave us our option to choose a place for our residence in or out of his palace, and allowed us time to select one. We found the view overlooking the lake to be so charming, that we preferred camping outside, and set our men at once to work cutting sticks and long grass to erect themselves sheds. " One of the princes — for the king ordered them all to be constantly in attendance on us — happening to see me sit on an iron chair, rushed back to his father and told him about it. This set all the royals in the palace in a state of high wonder, and ended by my getting a summons to show off the white man sitting on his throne ; for of course I could only be, as all of them called me, a king of great dignity, to indulge in such state. Rather reluct- antly I did as I was bid, and allowed myself once more to be dragged into court. Rumanika, as gentle as ever, then burst into a fresh fit of merriment, and after making sundiy enlightened remarks of inquiry, which of course were responded to with the greatest satisfaction, finished off by saying, with a very expressive shake of the head, * Oh, these Wazungu, these Wazungu ! they know and do everything !' " Speke now informed the king that they had not been able to get a drop of milk for love or money ; and wished to know what motive the Wahuma had for withholding. It. He referred to the superstitious feai's of which he had heard — that any one who ate the flesh of jilgs, fish, or fowls, or the bean called maharague, if he tasted their milk or butter, would destroy their cattle. The king said, that it was only the poor who thought so, and he would set apart one of his cows expressly for their use. All their wants were now abundantly supplied, for the king gave orders to his ofiicers throughout the country to bring in supplies for them. The cold winds which prevailed here were found trying to the men who had come up from the coast ; they all shivered greatly, and suspected, in their ignorance, that they must be drawing near to England,, the only cold place they had ever lieard of. 132 STANLEY AND AFRICA. The morning after liis first introduction to the king, Speke called on him, taking his revolver, as he knew he had expressed a strong wish to see it. As Sie was greatly struck with it, and said he had never seen such a thing in his Jifc, he was desired to accept it as a gift. They then adjourned to his private Siut, which was kept in a state of surprising neatness. The roof was supported l)y several clean poles, to which he had fastened a large assortment of spears of excellent workmanship. A large standing-screen, of fine straw-plait work, in elegant devices, partitioned off one part of the room ; and on the opposite side, as mere ornaments, were placed a number of grapnels, and small models of cows, made in iron, for his amusement, by the Arabs at Kufro. On another visit, Speke told the king that if he would send two of his children with him to England, he would have them instructed there ; for he admired his race, and believed them to have sprung from the Abyssinians, "who were friends of the English ; they were Christians, he said, like ourselves, and had the Waliuma not lost their knowledge of God, they would be so also. A long theological and historical discussion followed, which so pleased the icing, that he said he would be delighted if Speke would take two of his sons to England. He then inquired what could induce them to leave their country and travel, when the traveller replied, that they had had their fill of the luxuries of life, and that their great delight Avas to observe and admire the Saeauties of creation ; but it was especially their wish to pay a visit to the kings of Africa, and in particular his majesty. He then promised that he would supply them with boats, to convey them over the lake with musicians to lilay before them. '* In the afternoon," says Speke " as I had heard from ]\Iusa, that the wives of the kings and princes were fattened to such an extent that they could not stand upright, I paid my respects to Wazezeru, the king's eldest brother — who, iiaving been born before his father ascended his throne, did not come in the line of succession — with the hope of being able to see for myself the truth of the stor}-. Tliere was no mistake about it. On entering the Imt I found the old man and his chief wife, sitting side by side on a bench of earth strewed over with grass, and partitioned like stalls for sleeping apartments, whilst in front of them were placed numerous wooden pots of milk, and hanging from the poles that supported the beehive-shaped hut, a large collection of bows six feet in length, whilst below them were tied an even larger collection of spears, inter- mixed with a goodly assortment of heavy-headed assages. I was struck with no small surprise at the way he received me, as well as with the extraordinaiy diraensions, yet pleasing beauty, of the immoderately fat fair one, his wife. She could not rise; and so large w-ere her arms that, between the joints, the flesh hung down like large, loose-stuffed puddings. Then in came their children, all models of the Abyssinian type of beauty, and as polite in their manners as thoroughbred gentlemen. They had heard of my picture-books RUMANIKA'S APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER. 133 from the king, anil all wLslicd to see them ; -which they no sooner did, to their infinite delight, especially when they recognised any of the animals, than the subject was turned by ni}' inquiring what they did with so many milk-pots. This was easily explained by Wazezeru himself, who, pointing to his wife^ said, ' This is all the product of those pots : from early youth upwards we keep those pots to their mouths, as it is the fashion at court to have very fat wives."* Rumanika was delighted with the liberal presents he received, above all with a coat of handsome scarlet broad-cloth, the finest thing-, he said, he bad ever seen. He confessed that he was alarmed beyond measure, when he hoard the travellers were coming to visit him, thinking they might prove some fear- ful monsters that were not quite human ; but now he was extremely delighted with what he saw of them. He told them they might visit every part of his country; that a messenger should be sent at once to the king of Uganda to inform him of their intention to visit him, with his own favourable report of them ; and that, when the time arrived for them to proceed to that country, he would escort them to the boundary. Altogether Rumanika was the most intelligent and best-looking ruler the travellers met with in Africa. He liad nothing of the African in his appeai-ance, except that his hair was short and woolly. He was quite six feet two inches in height, and the expression of his countenance was mild and open. He was fully clothed in a robe made of .«mall antelope-skins and another of dark cloth, always carrying, when walk- ing, a long staff in his hand. His four sons were favourable specimens of their race, especially the eldest, named Chunderah. He was somewhat of a dandy,, being more neat about his lion-skin covers and ornaments than his brothei-s. From the tuft of wool left unshaven on the crown of his head to his waist he was bare, except where his arms and neck were decorated with charmed horns, strips of otter-skin, shells, and bands of wool. He was fond of introducing* Friz, Speke's head man, into the palace, that he might amuse his sisters with his guitar, and in return the sisters, brothers, and followers, would sing Kara- gue music. The youngest son was the greatest favourite, and on one occa- sion, the travellers having presented him with a pair of white kid gloves, were much amused with the dignified way in which he walked off, having coaxed them on to his fingers. Contrary to the usual African custom, Kumanika was singularly abste- mious, living almost entirely on milk and the juice of boiled beef. Although the people were generally excessively fond of plantain wine or beer, the pea- sants especially drinking it in large quantities, the king scarcely ever touched it, and had never been known to be intoxicated. He was not only king, but priest and prophet also ; indeed, his elevation to the throne was due, as his friends asserted, to supernatural agency. After the death of his father, his twa brothers and he claimed the throne. Their pretensions were to be settled by an ordeal. They possessed a small magic drum, and, it being placed on the 134 STANLEY AND AFRICA. •ground, he who could lift it was to take the crown. Ilis brothers were unable ■to stir it, though exerting all their strength, but Rumanika raised it witli his little finger. This test, however, not satisfying the chiefs, they insisted on Rumanika going through another trial. He was seated on the ground, and it was believed that, if he was the ajipointed king, the portion of soil on which he sat would rise up in the air, but if not, it would collapse, and he would be dashed to pieces. According to the belief of his subjects, no sooner had Rumanika taken his scat, than he was raised into the skj^, and Avas thei'efore acknowledged king. One of the most curious customs which Rumanika holds, in his character of high priest, is his New-Moon Levee, which takes place every month, for the purpose of ascertaining the loyalty of his subjects. Speke gives the following interesting description of the ceremony as he saw it performed : — " In the afternoon, Rumanika invited Gi-ant and myself to witness his -New-Moon Levee, a ceremony which takes jilace every month with a view of ascertaining how many of his subjects are loyal. On entering his palace enclosure, the first thing we saw was a blaue boc's horn, stuffed full of magic powder, with very imposing effect, by Kyengo, and stuck in the ground, with its mouth pointing in the direction of Rogero. In the second court, we found thirty-five drums ranged on the ground, with so many drummers stand- ing behind them, and a knot of young princes and officers of high dignity wait- ing to escort us into the third enclosure, where, in his principal hut, we found Rumanika squatting on the ground, half-concealed by the portal, but showing his smiling face to welcome us in. His head was got up with a tiara of beads, from the centre of which, directly over the forehead, stood a plume of red feathers, and Ciicircling the lower face with a fine large white beard, set in a stock or band of beads. We were beckoned to squat alongside Nnanaji, the master of ceremonies, and a large group of high officials outside the porch. The thirty-five drums all struck up together in very good harmony; and when their deafening noise was over, a smaller band of hand-drums and reed instruments was ordered in to amuse us. " This second jDerformance over, from want of breath only, district officers, one by one, came advancing on tip-toe, then pausing, contorting and quiver- ing their bodies, advancing again with a springing gait and outspread arms, which they moved as if they wished to force them out of their joints, in all of which actions they held drum-sticks or twigs in their hands, swore with a maniacal A'oice an oath of their loyalty and devotion to their king, backed by the expression of a hope that he would cut off their heads if they ever turned from his enemies, and then, kneeling before him, they held out their sticks that he might touch them. "With a constant reiteration of these scenes — the saluting at one time, the music at another — interrupted only once by a number of girls dancing something like a rough Highland fling, whilst the little band played, the day's ceremonies ended." MARRIAGE CEREMONIES AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 135 Civilised as the country is in some respects, marriage is a matter of bar- ter between tlie father and tlie intended husband, tl)e former receiving cows, slaves, sheep, for his daughter. Sliould, however, a bride not approve of her husband, she can regain her liberty, by returning the marriage gifts. The chief cex'emony at marriages consists in tying up the bride in a skin, blackened all over, and carrying her, with a noisy procession, toiler husband. The chief object of the ladies is to get as fat as possible ; and, in consequence of their peculiar constitution, or from the nutritiousness of their food, many of them succeed wonderfully well. Five of Rumanika's wives were so enormous that they were unable to enter the door of any ordinary hut, or move about with- out being supported by a j^erson on either side. One of his sisters-in-law was of even still greater proportions. Speke measured her, with the following results : — Round her arm, one foot eleven inches; chest, four feet four inches; thigh, two feet seven inches ; calf, one foot eight inches ; height, five feet eight inches. Meanwhile the daughter, a girl of sixteen, sat before them, sucking at a milk pot, on which the father kept her at work, by holding a rod in his hand ; for, as fattening is the first duty of fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced by the rod if necessary. The features of the damsel were lovely, but her body was as round as a ball. The women turn their obesity to good account ; for, in exchanging food for beads, it is usual to purchase a certain quantity of food, which shall be paid for by a belt of beads that will go round the waist ; therefore, the women being on an average twice as large round the waist as those of other districts, food practically rises a hundred per cent in price. Notwithstanding their fatness their features retain much beauty, the face being oval, and the eyes fine and intelligent. The higher class of women wear cow-skin petticoats, and a wrapper of black cloth, with which they envelope their whole bodies, merely allowing one hand to be seen. Rumanika, like great men in other countries, had his private band. The instruments were of a somewhat primitive character. The most common are the drums, which vary greatly in size ; one hung to the shoulder is about four feet long, and a foot wide, and is played with the fingers, like the Indian tom- tom. The drums used at the New-Moon Levee are of the same shape, but very much larger. The war-drum was beaten by women ; and at its sound the men rush to arms, and repair to their several quarters. There are also several stringed instruments. One of these was played by an old woman ; it had seven notes, one of which was a perfect scale ; another, which had three strings, was played by a man ; they were a full, harmonious chord. A third, formed of dark wood, in the shape of a tray, had three crosses in the bottom, and was laced with one string seven or eight times over bridges at either end. They have two wind instruments, one resembling a flageolet, and another a bugle. The latter is composed of several pieces of gourd, fitted one into 130 STANLEY AND AFRICA. anotlicr, in telescope fashion, and is covered with cow-skin. The royal band was composed of sixteen men, fourteen of whom had bugles, and the other two hand-drums. On the march they form in three ranks, the drummers being in the rear, swaying tlieir bodies in time to the music, while the leader advances with a curiously active step, touching the ground alternately with each knee. When the king rested on a march, or wlien out hunting, they also played before him while he sat on the ground and smoked his pipe. The king sent the best player to be found to entertain his guests. Tlie man entered, dressed in a strange costume, having a wild and excited look. After resting his spear against the roof of the hut, lie took his instrument from under his arm and began playing, his wild yet gentle music and words attracting a number of admirers. It was about a favourite dog, and for days afterwards the people sang that dog song. Although Rumanika displayed great intelligence in his inquii'ies relat- ing to the European world and its wonders, yet the childishness of the African character was characteristically shown in eagerness for toys. He was tran- sported with delight at a " jumping-jack," which Captain Grant had made for the amusement of his children, appropriated it to himself, and wished one made as large as life. He begged, above all things, that he might be supplied fi'om England with an American clock, in the form of a man, made to wind up behind, and with eyes rolling at every beat of the pendulum. He wanted also a "jack-in-the-box," a china milk-j^ot in the form of a cow, carriages and horses, and — a railway. Having avowed that he had no idea of a God or a future state, he was pressed to state what advantage he expected from sacri- ficing a cow yearly at his father's grave. He laughingly replied that he did not know, but hoped to be favoured with better crops if he did so. He also placed pombe and grain, he said, befoi-e a large stone on the hill-side, although it could not eat or make any use of it. No one in Africa, as far as he knew, doubted the use of magic and spells. The travellers were not only allowed to move about the country as they liked, the king also sent his sons to attend on them, that they might enjoy such sport as was to be found. They heard of no elephants in the district ; harte-l3eests, rhinoceros, and hippopotami, were common. Several varieties of antelope and the mountain gazelle were seen bounding over the hills, and pigs abounded in the low grounds. One day Captain Grant saw two hartc- beests engaged in a desperate combat, and halting calmly between each round to breathe. He could hear, even at a considerable distance, the force of every butt as their heads met, and as they fell on their knees, the impetus of the attack sending their bushy tails over their backs, till, one becoming the victor, chased the other out of the herd. Describing one of their hunting excursions, Speke says — " On the 9th, I went out shooting, as Rumanika, with his usual politeness, on hearing my RHINOCEROS SHOOTING. 137 desire to kill sonic rhinoceros, ordered liis sons to conduct the field for me. Off we started by sunrise to the Ij ottom of the hills overlooking the head of the little "Windermere Lake. On arrival at the scene of action — a thicket of acacia shrubs — all the men in the neigbourhood were assembled to beat. Tak- ing post myself, by a direction in tlic most likely place to catch a sight of the animals, the day's work began by the beaters driving the covers in my direction. In a very short time, a fine male was discovered making towards me, but not knowing exactly where he should bolt to. While he was in this perplexity, I stole along between the bushes, and caught sight of him stand- ing as if anchored by the side of a tree, and gave him a broadsider with Blis- sett, which, too much for his constitution to stand, sent him off trotting, till^ exhausted by bleeding, he lay down to die, and allowed me to give him a settler, " In a minute or two afterwards, the good young princes, attracted bj the sound of the gun, came to see what was done. Their surprise knew no bounds ; the}' could scarcely believe what they saw ; and then, on recovering, with the spirit of true gentlemen, they seized both my hands, congratulating me on the magnitude of my success, and pointed out, as an example of it, a bystander who showed fearful scars, both on his abdomen and the blade of his shoulder, who, they declared, had been run through by one of these animals. It was, therefore, wondei-ful to them, they observed, with what calmness I •went up to such formidable beasts. "Just at this time a distant cry was heard, that another rhinoceros was concealed in a thicket, and off wc set to pursue her. Arriving at the place mentioned, I settled at once I would enter, with only two spare men carrying guns, for the acacia thorns were so thick that the only tracks into the thicket were runs made by these animals. Leading myself, bending down to steal in, I tracked up a run till half way through cover, when suddenly before me, like a pig from a hole, a large female, with her young one behind her, came straight down whoof-whoofing upon me. In this awkward fix I forced myself to one side, though pricked all over with thorns in doing so, and gave her one in the head, which knocked her out of my path, and induced her, for safety, to make for the open, wdi ere I followed her down and gave her another. She then took to the hills and crossed over a spur, when, following after her, in another dense thicket, near the head of a glen, I came upon three, who so soon sighted me, that all in line they charged down my way. Fortunately at the time my gun-bearers were with me ; so, jumping to one side, I struck them all three in turn. One of them dropped dead a little way on ; but the others only pulled up wdien they arrived at the bottom. To jilease myself, now I had done quite enough, but, as the princes would have it, I went on with the chase. As one of the two, I could see, had one of his fore-legs broken, I went at the sounder one and gave him another shot, which simply induced him 18 138 STANLEY AND AFRICA. to walk over the lower end of the hill. Then turning to the last one, which could not escape, I asked the Wanyambo to polish him off with their spears and arrows, that I might see their mode of sport. As we moved to the animal, he kept charging with such impetuous fury, they could not go into him ; so I gave him a second ball, which brought him to anchor. In this helpless state the men set at him in earnest, and a more barbarous finale I never did witness. Every man sent his spear, assagai, or arrow, into his sides, until, completely exhausted, he sank like a porcupine covered with quills. The day's sport was now ended, so I went home to breakfast, leaving instructions that the heads should be cut off and sent to the king, as a trophy of what the white man could do. " The next day, when I called on Rumanika, the spoils were brought into court, and in utter astonishment he said — ' Well, this must have been done with something more potent than powder, for neither the Arabs nor Nnanaji, although they talk of their shooting powers, could have accomplished such a great feat as this. It is no wonder the English are the greatest men in the world.' " The year 1861 closed and 1862 commenced, finding our travellers still the guests of this polite, enlightened, and generous king. On Christmas day, hearing that it was the custom of the English to celebrate the birth of our Saviour with a good dinner of beef, he sent them an ox. The new year was ushered in by the most exciting intelligence. News arrived which induced them to believe that Mr. Petherick was on his road up the Nile, endeavouring to reach them. Rumanika was highly delighted to hear this, since he was especially anxious that white men should visit his country from the north. On the night of January the 6th, as there was a partial eclipse of the moon, all the Wanguana marched up and down from Rumanika's to Nnanaji's huts, singing and beating their tin cooking-pots to frighten ofi" the spirit of the sun from consuming entirely the chief object of reverence, the moon. At length, after nearly two mouths' residence with Rumanika, the sound of the Uganda drum called them to begin their journey to that country. Maula, a royal officer, with a large escort of smartly-dressed men, women, and boys, leading their dogs and playing their reeds, announced that their king had sent them to call the strangers. Maula said that his master had heard that the white nen were coming to be his guests, and was delighted at the prospect ; and had told his officers to supply them with everything they wanted whilst passing through the country, and that there would be nothing to pay. There was now only one difficulty. Grant was worse, without hope of recovery for at least one or two months. To get on as fast as possible was the only chance of ever bringing the journey to a successful issue j the only course open for the travellers was once more to separate, Speke going for- ward, and Grant remaining till his health was bettei', in care of Rumanika. HISTORY OF THE WAHUMA. 139 Spoke, having made all arrangements for his departure, went to the palace to bid adieu to Rumanika, who forthwith appointed Rozaro, one of his officers, to accompany him wherever he went in Uganda, to bring him safely back again ; the king never supposing that it would be possible for him to go north from Uganda. Before accompanying Captain Speke to Uganda, we may advert briefly to his theory and account of the Wahuma, whoso largely people and govern this part of the Afi'ican continent. He is of opinion that they are an offshoot of the Abyssinian stock. They differ in feature and in character from the simjile negro type, although there has been a considerable intermixture of races. Speke says that he founds his theory on the traditions of the several peoples, as checked by his own observation of what he saw when sojourning among them. It appears to him impossible to believe, judging from their physical appearance, that they can be of any other race than the semi- Shem-Hamitic of Ethiopia. The story of the Wahuma nations is quaint and characteristic. Here is that of Uganda. Many generations ago, a great kingdom of negroes, ruled by Wahuma chiefs, was established in the country now divided among Karague, Uganda, and Unyoro. That portion which bordered Lake Nyanza, and is now called Uganda, was considered as the garden of the whole, and the agriculturists who tilled it, were treated as slaves. Then a man named Kimera, himself a Wahuma, who was also a great hunter, happened to fre- quent, for his sport, the Nile, near its outflow from the Nyanza. The negro natives flocked to him in crowds, to share the game he killed, and he became so popular that they ended by making him their king. They said their own sovereign lived far off, and was of no use to them. If any one sent him a cow as a tributary present, the way to his palace was so long that the cow had time to have a calf on the road, and the calf had time to grow into a cow and to have a calf of its own. They were therefore determined to establish a separate kingdom. Kimera became a powerful and magnificent king, and formed the kingdom of Uganda. He built himself a large enclosure of fine huts as a palace, and collected an enormous harem to fill them. He made highways across the country ; built boats for war purposes on the lake, organised an army ; legislated on ceremonies, behaviour, and dress ; and super- intended hygiene so closely, that no house could be built in his country without its necessary appendages for cleanliness. In short, he was a model king, and established an order of things which has continued to the present day, through seven generations of successors, with little change. He was embalmed when he died, his memory is venerated, and his hunting outfit, the dog and the spear, continue to be tlie armorial insignia of Uganda. By his large establishment of wives, Kimera left, at his death, a consider- able number of sons and daughters. The boys were sumptuously housed and 140 STANLEY AND AFRICA. fed, and when they grew uj) were royally wived; but they were strictly watched and kept asunder, lest they should intrigue. They chose from the number the one whom they thought best suited for the government of the country to be king. They were all to enjoy life until the prince-elect should arrive- at the age of discretion and be crowned, when all but two of the princes would be burnt to death. The two being reserved in case of accident as long as the king wanted brother companions, when one woidd be banished to Unyoro, and the other pensioned, with suitable possessions, in Uganda. By this measure, the mother of the king became queen-dowager. She kept up a palace, only little inferior to her son's ; possessed large estates ; guarded him in the govern- ment of the country ; and remained, until the end of his minority, the virtual ruler of the land. Under this strict system of artificial selection, the people have been well ruled in their way, and the three Wahuma kings, as Speke saw them, were every one of them more tlian six feet higli. Uganda is described as a most surprising country, in the order, neatness, civility, and politeness of its inhabitants. Its monarch's reign is, however, a reign of terror. It is an established custom that there should be one execution; daily. The ceremonies and rules of precedence of the court are minutely defined, and are exacted under penalty of death. The first among the digni- taries of state is the lady who had the good fortune to have cut the umbilical cord at tlie king's birth. After her, follow the queen's sister and the king's barber. Then come governors of provinces, and naval and military com- manders ; then the guardian of the king's sisters, the executioners first and second class, and the superintendents of tombs ; then the brewer and the cook. In a lower grade are juvenile pages, to look after the women, and to run o\\ errands ; they are killed if they dare to walk. In addition to these, is an effec- tive band of musicians — drummers, pea-gourd rattlers, flute-players, players on wooden harmonicons and lap-harps, besides others who sing accompani- ments, and others who whistle on their fingers. Every person of distinction must attend court as constantly as possible, or his estates and wives are liable to be utterly confiscated. He must be decorously dressed in a sort of toga, made of mbugu, or the pounded bark of the fig-tree ; neglect of this may ensure the loss of his head — certainly a heavy fine. These bark cloaks are beautifully made, and look like the best corduroy; they are worn under robes of small antelope skins sewn together with the best art of the furrier. Every courtier's language must be elegant, and his deport- ment modelled upon established custom. Even the king is not free ; Wahuma taste exacts that whenever he walks he should imitate the gait of a vigilant lion, by ramping with his legs and turning from side to side. "When ho accepts a present from a man, or orders a man a whijiping, the favoured individual must return thanks for the condescending attention, by floundering flat on the ground, and wdiining like a happy dog. Levees are held on most CO UK T GEREM ONIES AT VGA NDA . 141 daj's in the jialace, ■svliich is a vast enclosure full of life. It occupies the brow of a hill, and consists of gigantic grass huts, beautifully thatclicd. The ground is strewn with mats and Avith rushes in patterns, and is kept with scrupulous care. Half-gorged vultures wheel over it, looking out for victims hurried aside to execution. The three or four hundred wives of the king inhabit the Imts. There is plenty to do at the court-levees, in real work and in ceremony. Orders are given, punishments are adjudged, presents are received. Military commanders bring in the cattle and j)lunder they have taken; artisans bring their j^ieces of workmanship ; and, as Kimera, the first kiog, established a menagerie, hunters produce rare animals, dead and alive. '* The master of the hunt," says Spcke, " exposes his spoils — such as antelopes, cats, porcupines, curious rats, etc., all caught in nets, and placed in baskets — zebra, lion, and buffalo skins being added. The fishermen bring their spoils ; also the gar- deners. The cutlers show knives and forks made of iron, inlaid with brass and copper ; the furriers, most beautifully-sewn patchwork of antelopes' skins ; the habit maker, sheets of mbugu bark-cloth; the blacksmith, spears ; the maker of shields, his productions, and so forth ; but nothing is given without rub- bing it down, then rubbing the face, and going through a long form of salut- ation for the gracious favour the king has shown in accepting it." AVhen sitting in court holding a levee, the king invariably has in attendance several women, Wabandwa, evil-eye averters, or sorcerers. They talk in feigned voices, raised to a shrillness almost amounting to a scream. They wear dried lizards on their heads, small goat-skin aprons trimmed with little bells, dimi- uutive shields and spears ; and their functions in attendance are to administer cups of niarwa, or jDlantain-wiue. No one dare stand before the king whilst he is cither standinn: still or sitting ; but must approach him with downcast eyes and bended knees, and kneel or sit when arrived. To touch his throne or clothes, even by accident, or to look upon his women, is certain death. An officer observed to salute informally is ordered for execution, when everybody near him rises in an instant, the drums beat, drowning his cries, and the victim of carelessness is dragged off, bound by cords, by a dozen men at once. Another man, perhaps, exposes an inch of naked leg whilst squatting, or has his mbugu tied contrary to regulations, and is condemned to the same fate. Strict as is the discipline of the exterior court, that of the interior is no less severe. The pages all wear turbans of cord made from aloe fibi-cs ; and should a wife commit a trifling indiscretion, either by word or deed, she is condemned to execution on the spot, bound by the pages, and dragged out. When the king is tired of a levee, he rises, spear in hand, and leading his dog, walks of? without a word or comment, leaving his company, like dogs, to take care oi themselves. ]42 STANLEY AND AFRICA. His majesty has, however, some days for peace and enjoyment. On the first appearance of the new moon every month, he shuts himself up for two or three days, to attend to liis religious ceremonies. He possesses a collection of magic horns, which at such times he ai'ranges and contemplates, and thereby communicates with a spirit who lives deep in the waters of the Nyanza. He also indulges in the interpretation of dreams. He has his pil- grimages, too ; spends occasionally a fortnight yachting on the lake ; and at other times goes out on special excursions of pleasure with his numerous wives. On the 10th of January, 1862, Speke crossed over the Weranhanje spur, and put up with the Arabs at Kufro. Here, for the first time in this part of the world, he found good English peas growing. The next day he encamped at Luandalo. On the 12th, he entered the rich plantain gardens of Kisaho. At this jDlace, all the people were in a constant state of intoxication, drinking pombe all day and all night. He now descended from the Mountains of the Moon, and crossed a long alluvial plain to the settlement of Kitangule, where Rumanika keeps thousands upon thousands of cows. Formerly, the dense green forests which grow in 8wam2:>y places about this plain, were said to have been stocked by vast herds of elephants ; but since the increase of the ivory trade, these animals have been driven oflf to the distant hills. On the 16th, he reached the Kitangule River, which falls into the west side of the Victoria Nyanza. It was only after a long contest with the superstitious boatmen that they allowed him to cross in their canoe with his shoes on, as they thought the vessel would either upset, or else the river would dry up, in consequence of their Neptune taking offence at him. It was about eighty yards broad, was sunk down a considerable dejDth below the surface of the land, and was so deep that it could not be poled by the canoe-men ; while it runs at a velo- city of from three to four knots an hour. The country, as they marched on, was a perfect garden of plantains; the soil was surpassingly rich ; and as fast as the peojjle sowed, they were sure of a crop without much trouble. Everywhere the huts and the gardens were in excellent order. The banks of the river, and the neighbouring forests, were alive witb antelopes, principally harte-beests. On the 24:th, they came to a village, where they were compelled to stay two or three days, and where drumming, singing, screaming, yelling, and dancing, went on the whole time, night and day, to drive the phepo, or devil, away. An old man and woman, smeared with white mud, and holding pots of pombe in their laps, sat in front of a hut, whilst other people kept constantly bringing them baskets full of plaintain-squash, and more pots of pombe. Hundreds of people were collected in the court-yard, all perfectly drunk, and making the most terrific uproar. Mtesa, the king of Uganda, now sent messengers, urging the white man to make haste and come to him ; and Speke sent back to Grant, earnestly press- PLEASANTNESS OF THE COUNTRY. 143 ing him to follow on, if lie possibly could, as he had little doubt that they would be able to proceed across the country to the northward. Speaking of the country througli which they passed on the 31st, our tra- veller says — "After crossing more of those abominable rush-drains, whilst in sight of the Victoria Nyanza, wo ascended the most beautiful hills, covered with verdure of all descrij^tions. At Meruka, where I put u]), there resided some grandees, the chief of whom was the king's aunt. She sent me a goat, a hen, a basket of eggs, and some plantains, in return for which I sent her a wire and some beads. I felt inclined to stop here a month, everything was so pleasant. The temperature was perfect. The roads, as indeed they were everywhere, were as broad as our coach-roads, cut through the long grasses, straight over the hills and down through the woods in the dells — a strange contrast to the wi'etched tracks in all the adjacent countries. The huts were kept so clean and neat, not a fault could be found with them — the gardens the same. Wherever I strolled I saw nothing but richness, and what ought to be wealth. The whole land was a picture of quiescent beauty, with a boundless sea in the background. Looking over the hills, it struck the fancy at once that at one period the whole land must have been at a uniform level with their pre- sent tops, but that, by the constant denudation it was subjected to by fre- quent rains, it had been cut down and sloped into those beautiful hills and dales whicli now so mucli jileased the eye ; for there were none of those quartz dykes I had seen protruding through the same kind of aqueous formations in Usui and Karague ; nor were there any other sorts of volcanic disturbance to distort the calm quiet aspect of the scene. From this, the country being all hill and dale, with miry rush -drains in the bottoms, I walked, carrying my shoes and stockings in my hands, nearly all the way." The rush-drains were so numerous that many of the men suffered fever from having so frequently to cross them. When they descended into the Katonga valley, where, from what the Arabs had told him, Speke expected to find a magnificent broad sheet of water, there was such a succession of them, divided one from the other by islands, that it took him two hours, with his clothes tucked up under his arms, to get througli them all ; and many of them were so matted with weeds, that his feet sank down as though he were in a bog. The Waganda said that, at certain seasons of the year, these drains were all so flooded that no one could ford them ; though, strangely enough, they were always lowest when most rain fell in Uganda. No one could account for this singular fact. After much weary travelling, Spcke reached the neighbourhood of the palace of Mtesa, king of Uganda, on the 19th of February. He says it was a magnificent sight. The whole hill was covered with gigantic huts, such as he had never seen in Africa before. He expressed his wish to go at once to the palace ; but the king's officers said this was against all rule and order. in STANLEY AND AFRICA. *■'■ Draw up your men," said they, '' and fire your guns ofip, to let the king know you are hero. We will then show you your residence, and to morrow you will doubtless be sent for." He was then shown some dirty huts for his iiccommodation, similar to those appropriated to the Arabs when they visited the place. In his indignation, he declared that, unless better quarters were provided for him, he would return ; but the officer in attendance entreated him aiot to be so hasty, as the king did not yet know him ; when he came to know who and what he was things would be difi'erent. The next day the king sent his pages of honour to announce his intention of holding a levee in Speke's honour, " I prepared," he says, " for my first presentation at court, attired in my best, though I cut a poor figure in com- parison with the display of the dressy AVaganda. They wore neat bark •cloaks, resembling the best yellow corduroy clotli, crimp and well set, as if stiffened with starch, and over that, as u])per-cloaks, a patchwork of small antelope skins, which I observed were sewn together as well as any English glovers could have pieced them; whilst their head-dresses, generally, v/ere abrus turbans, set off with highly -polished boar-tusks, stick-charms, seeds, beads, or shells; and on their necks, arms, and ankles, they wore other charms ■of wood, or small horns stufied with magic jiowder, and fastened on by strings, generally covered with snake-skin. The palace or entrance quite surprised me by its extraordinary dimensions, and the neatness with which it was kept. Tlie whole brow and sides of the liill on which we stood were covered with gigantic grass huts, thatched as neatly as so many heads dressed by a London barber, and fenced all round with the tall 3-ellow reeds of the common Uganda rtiger-grass; whilst within the enclosure, the lines of huts were joined together, or partitioned off into courts, with walls of the same grass. At each gate as we passed, ofiiccrs on duty opened and shut it for us, jingling the big bells which are hung upon them, as they sometimes are at shop-doors, to pre- vent silent, stealthy entrance. " The first court jjassed, I v»'as even more surprised to find the unusual cere- jnonies that awaited me. There courtiers of high dignity stepped forward to greet me, dressed in the most scrupulously neat fashion. Men, women, bulls, ■dogs, and goats, were led about by strings ; cocks and hens were carried in men's arms ; and little pages, with rope-turbans, rushed about conveying mes- sages, as If their lives depended on their swiftness, every one holding his skin-cloak tightly round him, lest his naked legs might by accident be shown." Our traveller was now desired, by the chief officers in waiting, to sit ■down on the ground outside, in the sun, with his servants, till the pleasure of his majesty was known as to seeing him. Considering this an act of discour- tesy, he refused to com^ily. After waiting five minutes, as the king did not iippcar, he thought It right to walk home again, giving Bombay directions to leave his present on the ground. Soon after, however, Bombay was requested SPEKE'S INTRODUCTION TO MTESA 113 to follow liini, with the information that he might bring his own chair, as tho king was anxious to show him every respect, although no one but the monarch was allowed in Uganda to sit on an artificial seat. It was intimated to him lliat ho would be expected to comply with the usual custom of prostration on ])resentation ; but, following the example of Lord Amherst at tlio Court of Pckin, he declined to be received unless in a manner comformable to the usages of his own countr}-, and this point of etiquette was graciously waived. He goes on to say — "After returning to the second tier of huts from which I had retired, everybody appeared to be in a hurried, confused state of excitement, not knowing what to make out of so unprecedented an exhibition of temper. In the most polite manner, tho officers in waiting begged me to be seated on my iron stool, which I had brought with mc, whilst others hur- ried in to announce my arrival. But for a few minutes only I was kept in susjDense, when a band of music, the musicians wearing on their backs long- haired goat-skins, passed me, dancing as they went along, like bears in a fair, and playing on reed instruments, worked out with pretty beads in various pat- tei-ns, from which depended leopard-cat skins, the time being regulated by the beating of long hand-drums. "The mighty king was now reported to be sitting on his throne in the state hut of the third tier. I advanced, hat in hand, with my guard of honour following, formed in ' open ranks,' who, in their turn, were followed by tho bearers carrying the present. I did not walk straight up to him, as if to shake hands, but went outside tho ranks of a three-sided square of squatting Wakungu, all habited in skins, mostly cow-skins ; some few of whom had, in addition, leopard-cat skins girt round from the waist, the sign of royal blood. Here I was desired to lialt and sit in the glaiing sun ; so I donned my hat, mounted my umbrella, a phenomenon which set them all a-wondering and laughing, ordered the guard to close ranks, and sat gazing at the novel spectacle. A more theatrical sight I never saw. The king, a good-looking, well figured, tall young man of twenty-iive, was sitting on a red blanket spread upon a square platform of royal grass, encased in tiger-grass reeds, scrupulously well- dressed in a new mbugu. The hair of his head was cut short, excepting on the top, where it was combed up into a high ridge, running from stem to .stern like a cock's comb. On his neck was a very neat ornament, a large ring, of beautifully-worked small beads, forming elegant patterns by their various colours. On one arm was another bead ornament, prettily devised ; and on the other a wooden charm, tied by a string covered with snake-skin. On every finger and every toe he had alternately brass and copper rings ; and above the ankles, half way up to the calf, a stocking of very pretty beads. Every- thing was light, neat, and elegant in its way ; not a fault could be found with the taste of his ' getting up.' For a handkerchief he licld a well-folded jileco 19 14G STANLEY AND AFRICA. of bark, and a piece of gold-enabroiderecl silk, which he constantly employed to hide his largo mouth when laughing, or to wipe it after a drink of jol^n- tain-wine, of which he took constant and copious draughts from neat little gourd cui:)s, administered by his ladies-in-waiting, who were at once his sisters and wives. A white dog, speai", shield, and woman, the Uganda cog- nisance, were by his side, as also a knot of staff officers, with whom he kept up a brisk conversation on one side ; and on the other was a band of Wich- wezi, or lady-sorcerers. '* I was now asked to draw nearer within the hollow squai'c of squatters, where leopard-skins were strewed upon the ground, and a large copper kettle- drum, surmounted with brass bells on arching wires, along with two other smaller drums covered with cowrie-shells, and beads of colour worked into patterns, were placed. I now longed to open conversation, but knew not the language, and no one near me dared speak, or even lift his head, fi'om fear of being accused of eyeing the women ; so the king and myself sat staring at one another for full an hour — I mute, but he pointing and remarking with those around him on the novelty of my guard and general appearance, and even requiring to see my hat lifted, the umbrella shut and opened, and the guards face about and show off their red cloaks ; for such wonders had never been seen in Uganda." At length his majesty got up, and walked away through the enclosure, into the fourth tier of huts. His gait, in retiring, was intended to be very majestic, and to represent the step of a lion; but the outward sweep of the legs looked only like a ludicrous waddle. He quickly returned from his breakfast, of which he had gone to partake, and Speke was again invited in, with his men. He found the king standing on a red blanket, talking and laughing to a hundred or more of his admiring wives, who were squatting on the ground outside, in two groups. Mtesa then entered into conversation with the traveller, but it was kept up with difficulty, as every answer had to be jjassed through the interpreter, and then delivered to the king's chief officer, and frequently another question was asked before the other was answered. The most important business had reference to opening up a pas- sage across the country. After a considerable lapse of time, Speke obtained a residence at what was considered the " west end " of the royal city. It was in a garden in view of the palace, so that he could hear the constant music, and see the throngs of people going to and fro. Having selected the best hut for him- self, and given the other to his three officers, he ordered his men to build barracks for themselves, in the form of a street, from his hut to the main road. He could now visit the palace with more ease, and obtained better opportunities for seeing the king and endeavouring to gain the imjDortant ends he had in view. Speke won the royal favour by his medical skill, blis- MTESA'S CHARACTER. 147 tering and doctoring the king to his great delight. He managed, at the same time, to keep up his own dignity, by refusing to render improper sub- mission, or to receive any treatment other than was due to the representa- tive of tlie British nation. The young king's character was a mixture of childish frivolity and uncontrollable passion. It is a singular illustration of the state of society in this portion of Africa, that no regular provision was made by the king for the maintenance of his visitors. They were not even allowed to purchase provisions for their daily wants ; but were told to help themselves from whatever Uganda contained. Speke was thus placed under the painful alter- native, either of starving himself or his men, or of sanctioning acts which appeared to him like the plunder of a helpless population. The politeness of this young barbarian king was often exhibited in striking contrast to his ferocity. He even showed himself capable of friendshiiD, and came to treat his guest with generosity and affection. Speke taught him to shoot, and under his guidance he became a skilful sportsman. Taking his first lessons on cows in the palace enclosure, he was able at length to bring down vul- tures on the wing. The possession of fire-arms seems to have almost de- prived him of reason. At one of his levees, he loaded a carbine with his own hands, and, giving it to a page, told him to go out and shoot a man in the outer court, which was no sooner done than the boy returned to announce his success with a smile of glee, such as might be reflected in the face of a boy who had just robbed a bird's nest, or caught a trout. On sending a bullet from a Whitworth rifle through sixteen of the country shields, arranged behind each other, a great idea was suddenly generated in the barbarian mind. " I shall not go to war again," he said, addressing his attendants, "with bows and arrows; I must have guns." Savage life has probably never been seen in all its fantastical phases and terrible realities more completely than during the compulsory residence of Speke at the court of Uganda. In the midst of revelry, and while apparently at the height of enjoyment^ he would, in a fit of sudden caprice, order a young and beautiful wife for instant execution. During an excui'sion to the Lake Nyanza, in which the king was accompanied by Speke, and as usual by a choice selection of his wives, a scene of this kind transpired. Having crossed over to a woody island some distance from the shore, the party sat down to a repast. They then took a walk among the trees, the ladies apparently enjoy- ing themselves and picking fruit, till unhappily, one of the most attractive of them plucked a fruit and offered it to the king, thinking, probably, to please him. He took it, however, as a dreadful off'ence ; and, declaring that it was the first time a woman had had the audacity to offer him food, ordered the pages to lead her off to execution. No sooner had the words been uttered than they rushed at her like a pack of beagles, slljiping off their cord turbans and 148 STANLEY AND AFRICA. throwing the ropes round her limbs. She, indignant at being touched, attempted to beat them off, but was soon overcome and dragged away, calling on Spcke for help and i^rotection. Tlie other women clasped the king round the legs, imploring him to pardon their unhappy sister. His only reply was to bela- bour the miserable victim with a thick stick. Speko had carefully abstained hitherto from interfering with any of the king's acts of arbitrary cruelty. On hearing, however, his own name imploringly pronounced, his English blood was up ; and, rushing to the tyrant, he stayed his uplifted arm, and demanded tlie 2)oor creature's life. He, of course, ran a great risk of losing his own; but the novelty of the event seemed to tickle the capricious chief, and he at once ordered the woman to be released. After he had been some time in the palace, ho obtained an introduction to the queen-dowager; and thus he describes it: — " To call upon the queen- mother respectfully, as it was the opening visit, I took, besides the medicine- chest, a present of eight brass and copper wires, thirty blue-egg beads, one bundle of diminutive beads, and sixteen cubits of chintz, a small guard, and my throne of royal grass. The palace to be visited lay half a mile beyond the king's, but the high road to it was forbidden me, as it is considered un- courteous to pass the king's gate without going in. So after winding through back-gardens, I struck upon the high road close to her majesty's, where everything looked like the royal palace on a miniature scale. The outer enclosures and courts were fenced with tiger-grass ; and the huts, though neither so numerous nor so large, were constructed after the same fashion as the king's. Guards also kept the doors, on which large bells were hung to give alarm, and officers in waiting watched the throne-rooms. All the huts were full of women, save those kept as waiting-rooms, where drums and harmoniums were placed for amusement. On first entering, I was required to sit in a waiting-hut till my arrival was announced ; but that did not take long, as the queen was prepared to receive me ; and being of a more affable disposition than her son, she held rather a levee of amusement than a stiff court of show. I entered the throne-hut as the gate of that court was thrown open, with my hat off, but umbrella held over my head, and walked straight towards her, till ordered to sit upon my bundle of grass. "Her majesty — fat, fair, and forty-five — was sitting, plainly garbed in mbugu, upon a carpet spread upon the ground, within a curtain of mbugu, her elbow resting on a pillow of the same bark material ; the only ornaments on the person being an abrus necklace, and a piece of mbugu tied round her head, whilst a folding looking-glass, much the worse for wear, stood open b}'" her side. An iron rod like a spit, with a cup on the top, charged with magic jiowder, and other magic wands, were placed before the entrance ; and within the room four Mabandwa sorceresses or devil-drivers, fantastically dressed, and a mass of other women, formed the company. For a short while we sat THE QUEEN-DOWAGER OF UGANDA. MO at a distance, exchanging inquiring glances at one another, when the women were dismissed, and a band of music, witli a court full of Wakungu, was ordered in to chantje the scene. I also 2:ot orders to draw near and sit front- ing her within the hut. Pombe, the best in Uganda, was then drunk by the queen, and handed to me and to all the high officers about her, when she smoked her pipe, and bade mo smoke mine. The musicians, di'cssed in long- haired Usoga goat-skins, were now ordered to strike up, which they did with their bodies swaying or dancing like bears in a fair. A great variety of drums were then beat, and I was asked if I could distinguish their different tones." The queen-dowagor, like her roj'al son, required doctoring ; and the effects of Spoke's physic astonished her beyond measure. lie had many opportunities of seeing her ; and so completely won her regard that she in- sisted on presenting him with various presents, among others a couple of wives, greatly to his annoyance. She was a jovial and intelligent personage, fond of pombe and fun. On one occasion our traveller, when introduced, found her surrounded by her ministers, when a large wooden trough was brought in, and filled with the favourite beverage. The queen put her head in and drank like a pig from it, her ministers following her example. Musicians and dancers were then introduced, exhibiting their long, shaggy, goat-skin jackets, sometimes dancing iq^right, at others bending or striking the ground with their heels like horn-pipe dancers. Spcke's stay at the palace of Uganda, was prolonged from month to month, much to his disappointment and annoyance, as ho wanted to be pusli- ing on towards Nyanza and the Nile. On the 1st of April, Speke stayed at home all day, because the king and queen had set it apart for looking at and arranging their magical horns. This was something like an inquiry into the ecclesiastical condition of the country, while, at the same time, it was a reli- gious ceremony, and, as such, was approjiriate to the first day after the new moon appears. The king was much pleased with a portrait Speke made of him, but was still more delighted with some European clothes witli which he was presented. He soon dressed himself in his new garments. The legs of the trousers, as well as the sleeves of the waistcoat, were much too short, so that his black feet and hands stuck out at the extremities as an organ-playei-'s monkey's do, while the cock's comb on his head prevented a fez cap, which he wore, from sitting properly. One day towards the end of May, Speke had an oiDportunity of seeing something like a military review. A battalion of the king's army arrived before the palace, under the command of Congow, his chief ofHcer, The king came out with spear and shield in hand, and took post in front of the enclo- sure, encircled by his staff, all squatting. His troops were divided into three companies, each containing about two hundred men. After passing in single 150 STANLEY AND AFRICA. file at a long trot, they re-formed at the other end of the square. Nothing conceivable could be more wild or fantastic than the sight which ensued. The men, nearly naked, with goat or cat-skins depending from their girdles, and smeared with war-colours according to the taste of each individual, one- half of the body red or black, the other blue, in irregular order ; as, for instance, one leg would be red, the other black, whilst the other part would be the opposite colours, and so with the chest and arms. Each man carried two spears and one shield, held as if approaching an enemy. They thus moved in three lines of simple rank and file, at fifteen or twenty paces asunder, with the same high action and elongated step, the ground leg only being bent to give their strides the greater force. The captains of each company followed, even more fantastically dressed. The great Congow, with his long, white- haired goat-skins, fiddle-shaped leather shield, tufted with white hair at all six extremities, bands of long hair tied below the knees, and the helmet covered with rich beads of several colours, surmounted with a plume of crim- fon feathers, from the centre of which rose a stem, tufted with goat-hair. Finally, the senior officers came charging at their king, making violent pro- testations of faith and honesty, for which they were ajDplauded. The parade then broke up, and all went home. Speke was now looking forward to the arrival of Grant. Oa the 27th of May, guns in the distance announced his coming ; and, in a short time, the two travellers once more joined company. Speke says, " I was only too rejoiced to see that Grant could limp about a bit, and was able to laugh over the pictui'esque and amusing account he gave me of his own rough travels." Forthwith the travellers began to make arrangements for proceeding to Unyoro, a country governed by a chief named Kamrasi, a man of despicable character, and considered merciless and cruel, even among African poten- tates, scattering death and torture around at the mere whim of the moment ; while he was inhospitable, covetous, and grasping, yet too cowardly to declare war against the king of the Waganda, who had deprived him of portions of his dominions. The Waganda people were therefore very unwilling to escort the travellers into his territory ; and Congow declared that, if compelled to go, he was a dead man, for he was well known, as he had once led an army past Kamrasi's palace, and back again. Speke's great object was to reach the spot where he supposed the lake flowed out of Lake Nyanza, and pi'oceed down the stream in boats ; but the fleet-admiral put a veto on this plan, on the pretext that dangerous shallows impeded the navigation. The only course which then remained was to proceed by land to the banks of the supposed river, and then ascend to its point of departure from the lake. On the 28th of June, news came that white men were at Gani, inquiring for the travel- lers. Speke consequently informed the king, that all he required was a large escort to accompany them through Usogo and Kidi to Gani, as further PRE PA RA TIONS FOR LEA VI NG VGA NBA . 151 delay in communicating with Petherick and his companions at Gani might frustrate the chance of opening the Nile trade with Uganda. In answer to this request, the king said that he would assemble all his officers in the morning and consult with them on the matter, as he wished to further the travellers' views ; but when the next day came, although they waited ujDon him, they could not obtain any audience. The following day, as it was the time of the new moon, he spent in private, paying his devotions with his magic horns. While he was in the midst of his worship, hail fell with great violence, and lightning burnt down one of the palace huts ; this was regarded as ominous of approaching evil. On the 1st of July, the tra- vellers called by appointment on the queen-dowager. As usual, she kept them waiting some time, then appeared sitting by an open gate, and invited them to approach. They then entered into conversation with her majesty, and endeavoured to secure her influence in favour of their speedy departure irom Uganda. She promised to send a message to the king concerning the matter. In a day or two after, she fulfilled her promise, and, at last, they obtained the royal consent to leave the country. A few days before leaving, Speke and Grant called together on the king, and presented him with a Lancaster rifle, an iron chain, and some ammuni- tion ; and thanked him for the favour he had done them by granting them the road through Unyoro. Turning to Speke, he said, " So you really wish to go." Speke said, Yes; he had not seen his home for a long time; he had enjoyed his royal hospitality much ; biit he now wished to return to his own country. The king then asked them what provision they wanted ; and when Grant replied that they would not be long in Uganda, and as it was not the custom of Englishmen, when they went visiting, to carry anything away with them, five cows and five goats would be sufficient for their needs, he said, "Well, I wish to give you much, but you won't have it." On their way home, one of the king's favourite women overtook them, walking, with her hands clasped at the back of her head, to execution, crying in the most pitiful manner. A man was jDreceding her, but did not touch her ; for she loved to obey the orders of her king voluntarily, and, in consequence of ^jrevious attach- ment, was permitted, as a mark of distinction, to walk free. The day of departure from Uganda at length arrived. By the 7th of July, all the arrangements for tlaeir journey were made. The king presented them with a herd of sixty cows, fourteen goats, ten loads of butter, a load of coffee and tobacco, for their provisions ; and one hundred sheets of mbugu, as clothes for the men. " Early in the morning," says Speke, "the king bade us come to him to say farewell. Wishing to leave behind a favourable impression, I instantly complied. On the breast of my coat I susi^ended the necklace the queen had given me, as well as my knife, and my medals. I talked with him in as friendly and flattering a manner as I could, dwelling 152 STANLEY AND AFRICA. on liis sliooting, the pleasant cruising on tlio lake, and our sundry pic-nics, a.* well as tlio grand prospect tliere was now of opening the country to trade, by which his guns, the best in the world, would be fed with powder, and other small matters of a like nature ; to which he replied with great feeling and good taste. We then all rose, with an English bow, placing the hand on the heart whilst saying adieu ; and there was a complete uniformity in the cere- monial, for whatever I did, Mtesa, in an instant, mimicked with the instinct of a monkey." They now exchanged their final farewells ; the king retired to his harem, and the travellers proceeded on their way. CIIAPTErt VII. The NorlJicni Slopes of Africa — Isamla Rajmls — Ripon Falls — Unyoro — Kamrasi and his Court — March to Madl — Electing iviUi Baker and with Fclhcrick — Return to England. OUR travellers now commenced tlieir march clown the northern slopes of Africa, escorted by a band of Waganda troops, under the command of a young chief, called Kasoro, or the cat. After a march of five days, the whole distance accomplished being thirty miles from the capital, through a fine hilly country, with jungles and rich cultivation alternating, they reached a place which, in consequence of what afterwards happened there, they called Kari. A halt of some days was necessary at this place, when one of Speke's men, named Kari, was induced to accompany some of the Waganda escort on a plundering excursion. The inhabitants rushed out ; the Waganda men took to flight and esca23ed. Kari, whose gun was unloaded, stood still, pointing it at the natives, who, however, speared him to death, and left him. From this circumstance the place was called Kari. On the 18th, as Grant's leg . was considered too weak for travelling fast, the ti-avellei's took counsel together, and altered their plans. It was arranged that Grant should go to Kamrasi's direct, with the property, cattle, and women, taking Speke's letters and a map for immediate despatch to Petherick at Gani, whilst Speke should go up the river to its source or exit from the lake, and come down again, navi- gating as far as practicable. On the 19th, they started all together ; but, after the third mile. Grant turned west, to join the high road to Kamrasi's, whilst Speke went east for Urondogani, crossing the Luajerri, a large rush-drain three miles broad, ford- able nearly to the right bank, where they had to ferx-y in boats, and the cows- to be swam over with men holding on to their tails. It took no less tlian twO' hours to cross, mosquitoes in myriads biting their bare backs and legs all the while. On the right bank they found the country covered with a most invit- ing jungle for sport, with intermediate lays of fine grazing grass. Such is the nature of the country all the way to Urondogani, except in some favoured spots, kept as tidily as in any part of Uganda, where plantains grow in the utmost luxuriance. From want of proper guides, they lost their way continu- ally, so that they did not reach the boat-station on the river until the morning of the 21st. 20 154 STANLEY AND AFRICA. " Here at last," exclaims Speke, " I stood on the brink of tlie Nile ! Most beautiful was the scene. Nothing could surpass it ! It was the very perfection of the kind of effect aimed at in a highly-kept park ; with a magnificent stream from six to seven hundred yards wide, dotted with islets and rocks, the former occupied by fishermen's huts, tlie latter by sterns and crocodiles basking in the sun ; flowing between fine liigli grassy banks, with rich trees and plantains in the back ground, where herds of the nsunnu and harte-beest could be seen grazing, while the hippopotami were snorting in the water, and florikan and guinea-fowl rising at our feet. Unfortunately, the chief district officer, Mlondo, was from home, but we took possession of his huts — clean, extensive, and tidily kept — facing the river, and felt as if a residence here would do one good. "We were now confronting Usoga, a country which may be said to be the very counterpart of Uganda, in its richness and beauty. Here the peo- ple use such iron-headed spears with short handles, that, on seeing one to- day, my people remarked that they were better fitted for digging potatoes than piercing men. Elephants, as we had seen by their devastations during the last two marches, were very numerous in the neighbourhood. Lions were also described as very numerous and destructive to human life. Antelopes were common in the jungle ; and the hijDpopotami, though frequenters of the plantain-garden and constantly heard, were seldom seen on land." Here was shot a remarkable specimen of the goatsucker (named afterwai'ds by Dr. Sclater, Cosmetornis) SpeJcii) ; its peculiarity being the exceeding length of some of its feathers floating out far beyond the rest in both wings. The seventh pen feathers are double the length of the ordinaries, the eighth double that of the seventh, and the ninth twenty inches long. Marching up the left bank of the river, at a considerable distance from the water, Speke came to the Isamba Rapids. The officer of the district, having refreshed them with a dish of plantain-squash and dried fish, and some pombe, accompanied them to see the nearest falls of the river — extremel_y beautiful, but very confined. The water ran deep between its banks, which were covered with fine grass, soft cloudy acacias, and festoons of lilac con- volvuli ; whilst here and there, where the land had slipped above the rapids, bared places of red earth could be seen, like that of Devonshire ; there, too, the waters, impeded by a natural dam, looked like a huge mill-pond, sullen and dark, in which two crocodiles, laving about, were looking out for prey. From the high banks, as you look down, you see a line of sloping wooded islets lying across the stream ; these divide its waters, and, by interrupting them, cause at once both dam and rapids. Altogethei", the scene is fairy- like, wild, and romantic in the extreme. Continuing their journey, they reached, on the 28th, the RiiDon Falls. *' We were well rewarded," Speke says, " for the * stones,' as the Waganda THE RIPON FALLS. 155 call the falls, was by far the most interesting sight I had seen in Africa. Everybody ran to see thcni at once, though the march had been long and fatiguing, and even my sketch-book was called into play. Though beauti- ful, the scene was not exactly what I had expected ; for the broad surface of the lake was shut out from view by a spur of hill, and tlie falls, above twelve feet deep, and four to five hundred feet broad, were broken by rocks. Still, it was a sight that attracted one to it for hours — the roar of waters, the thousands of passenger-fish, leaping at the falls with all their might — the Wasoga and Waganda fishermen coming out in boats, and taking post on all the rocks with rod and hook — hippopotami and crocodiles lying sleepily on the water — the ferry at work above the falls, and cattle driven down to drink at the margin of the lake — made, in all, with the jjretty nature of the country — small hills, grassy-topped, with trees in the folds, and gardens on the lower slopes, as interesting a j^icture as one could wish to see." Our traveller spent two or three days in this delightful neighbourhood, and christened the "stones" Ripon Falls, after the nobleman who presided over the Royal Geographical Society when his expedition was got up. Here he had arrived at what he considered the source of the Nile — that is, the point from where it makes its exit from the Victoria Nyanza. He now returned to Urondogani, which he reached on the 5th of August. There was a difficulty in obtaining boats to continue the journey. At length, with five boats of five planks each, tied together and caulked with mbugu rags, he started on the voyage to reach Kamrasi's i:)alace in Unyoio ; taking with him twelve Wanguana, Kasoro and his page followers, a small crew, goats, dogs, and kit, besides grain and dried meat ; but how many days it would take nobody knew. The river bore at once the character of river and lake, clear in the centre, but fringed on both sides in most places with tall rushes, above which the green banks sloped back like park-lands. The idle crew paddled slowly, amusing themselves by sometimes dashing forwards, and then resting. On the 14th they crossed the frontier line ; and then both sides of the river, Usoga as well as Unyoro, belonged to Kamrasi. They had not proceeded far when the}' saw an enormous canoe, full of well-dressed and armed men, ajjproaching them. It turned, as if those on board were afraid, and Speke's party gave chase. At length, however, it turned again, and the shore was soon lined with armed men, threatening the expedition with de- struction. Another canoe now appeai'ed. It was getting dark ; and the only hope of escaping seemed by retreating. Speke ordered his fleet to keep together, pi-omising ammunition to the men if they would fight. One of the boats, however, got near shore, and was caught by grappling hooks. When those on board found their lives endangered, they fired at their assailants, who immediately fled, leaving one of their number killed and one wounded ; and Speke and his party were allowed to retreat unmolested. lofi STANLEY AND AFRICA. After i^roceeding up the river some distance, Speke determined to con- tinue the journey by land, following the track Grant had taken. Two or three days were spent wandering about without guides, trying to keep Grant's track after leaving tliem ; crossing at first a line of small hills, then traversing grass and jungle, like the dak of India. Plantain-gardens were frequently met, and the people seemed hospitably inclined. Buffaloes were about, but tlie villagers cautioned them not to shoot them, as they wei'e held to be sacred animals. Grant's camp was reached on the 20th, and that very day a mes- senger arrived from Kamrasi, saying that he would be glad to see them ; and so the following morning the march was ordered for Unyoro. Once more they passed the frontier, and the country changed greatly for the worse. The first march from this to the capital was a picture of the entire way — an interminable forest of small trees, bush, and tall grass, with scanty villages, low huts, and dirty-looking people clad in skins ; the plantain, sweet potato, sesamum, and millet, forming the chief edibles, besides goats and fowls. No hills, except a few scattered cones, disturbed the level surface of the land, and no pretty views cheered the eye. Uganda was entirely left behind ; they were increasing the distancefrom the equator and the rain-attracting influences of the Mountains of the Moon, and vegetation proportionately decreased. At the first place where they halted, the Wanyoro, who are as squalid- looking as the Wanyamuezi, and almost as badly-dressed, came about them to hawk ivory ornaments, brass and copper twisted wristlets, tobacco, and salt, which they exchanged for cowries, with which they purchase cows from the "Waganda. At several places the natives ran off as they approached, believing them to be cannibals ; and in one instance, they supposed that the iron boxes, which the porters carried on their shoulders, each contained a couple of white dwarfs, which were allowed to fly off and eat people. Their march on the 2nd of September was only of two hours' duration. On their arrival at the end, they heard that elejDhants had been seen close by. "Grant and I," says Speke, "then prepared our guns, and found a herd of about a hundred feeding upon a plain of long grass, dotted here and there by small mounds crowned with shrub. The animals appeared to be all females, much smaller than the Indian breed ; yet, though ten were fired at, none were killed, and only one made an attempt to charge. • I was with the little twin Manua at the time, when, stealing along under cover of the high grass, I got close to the batch and fired at the largest, which sent her round roaring. The whole of them then, greatly alarmed, packed together, and began sniffing the air with their uplifted trunks, till, ascertaining by the smell of the powder that their enemy was in front of them, they rolled up their trunks, and came close to the spot where I was lying under a mound. My scent was then strik- ing across them ; they pulled up short, lifted their heads high, and looked down sideways on us. This was a bad job. I could not get a proper front KA MRA SI A ND 11 IS FA LACK 157 shot at the boss of any of them, and if I had waited an instant we should both have been picked up or trodden to death ; so I let fly at their temples, and instead of killing, sent the whole of them rushing away at a much faster pace than they came. After this I gave up, because I never could separate the ones I had wounded from the rest, and thought it cruel to go on damaging more." On the 8th, Kamrasi sent for them to visit his palace ; and the following day they set out for it. Passing the last bit of jungle, they sighted the Kidi hills, and, in a sea of swampy grass, they stood in front of, and overlooked the king's palace, on a low tongue of land between the Kafu and Victoria Nile rivers. It was a dumpy, large hut, surrounded by a host of smaller ones, and the worst royal residence they had seen since leaving Uzinza. Some dirty huts were offered to Speko for residence, but he insisted on being lodged in the palace. The3^were kept however, waiting several days, till Speke sent to say, that if the king did not wish to see the white men, they would proceed on their journey to Gani. This had the desired effect. Kamrasi sent immediately to say that he was busily engaged decorating his jDalace to give them a trium- phant reception, for he was anxious to pay them more respect than anybody who had ever visited him before. He would not hear of their leaving the country without seeing him. The next day they were summoned to attend his levee ; and, in their usual style, the Union Jack floating above their iieads, and leading the way, they set out to attend on his majesty. At the forr}-, three shots were fired, when, stepping into large canoes, tliey all went across the Kafu together, and found, to their surprise, a small hut built for the reception, low down on the opposite bank, where no strange eyes could see them. Here is a description of the interview:—" Within this, sitting on a low wooden stool placed upon a double matting of skins — cows' below and leopards' above, on an elevated platform of grass, was the great king Kamrasi, looking, enshrouded in his mbugu dress, for all the world like a poj^e in state — calm and actionless. One bracelet of fine-twisted brass wire adorned his left wrist, and his hair, half an inch long, was worked up into small pcpper-corn-liko knobs, by rubbing the hand circularly over the crown of the head. His eyes were long, face narrow, and nose prominent, after the true fashion of his breed. And though a finely-made man, considerably above six feet high, he was not so large asRumanika. A cow-skin, stretched out and fastened to the roof, ac':cd as a canopy to prevent dust falling, and a curtain of mbugu con- cealed the lower parts of the hut, in front of which, on both sides of the king, sat about a dozen head men. " This was all. We entered and took seats on our own iron stools, whilst Bombay placed all the presents upon the ground before the throne. As no greetings were exchanged, and all at first remained as silent as death, I com- 15S STANLEY AND AFRICA. menced, after asking about his health, by saying I had journeyed six long years, by the African comjiutation of five months in the year, for the pleasure of this meeting. The purpose of ray coming was to ascertain whether hia majesty would like to trade with our country, exchanging ivory for articles of Eurojjcan manufacture; as, should he do so, merchants would come here in the same way as they went from Zanzibar to Karague. Kararasi, in a very quiet mild manner, instead of answering the question, told us of the absurd stories he had heard from the Waganda, said he did not believe them, else his rivers, deprived of their fountains, would have run dry, and he thought, if we did eat hills and the tender parts of mankind, we should have had enough to satisfy our api^etites before we reached Unyoro. Now, however, he was glad to see that, although our hair was straight and our faces white, we still pos- sessed hands and feet like other men." Kamrasi was as eager to obtain gifts as any of the other chiefs, and, having heard of tlieir chronometer, which they had been observed using, he was esjDGcially desirous to possess it, believing it to be some magic instrument,, and the means by which the travellers guided themselves about the country. Speke told him that it was not his guide, but a time-keeper, made for tlie pur- pose of knowing at what time to eat his dinner. He told him it was the only one he jDossessed ; that if he would patiently wait, he would send him up one on his arrival at Gani. The king, however, was too eager to possess the won- derful instrument to consent to wait ; and so the watcl), gold chain and all, went into his possession. One morning, soon after, they were informed that the king was about ta pay them a visit. Accordingly they made their room as smart as possible for his reception — hanging it round with maps, horns, and skins of animals, and placing a large box, covered with a red blanket, as a throne for him to sit upon. Their guard of honour fired tliree shots on his approach, and the travellers received him, hat in hand, and, leading the way, showed him in. As soon as he entered, he began to beg, wanting everything he saw — first, their gauze mosquito curtains, then an iron camp-bed, nest the sextant and thermoiueter. When some books of birds and animals were shown him he wanted them, and was much surprised when he found that he could not fleece them of every- thing. Another morning they found that their rain-gauge had been removed, so they sent to say that they wished a magician to come at once and institute a search for it. The magician soon came. An old man, nearly blind, dressed in strips of old leather fastened to the waist, and carrying in one hand a cow's horn primed with magic powder, carefully covered on the mouth with leather, from which dangled an iron bell. The old creature jingled the bell, entered their hut, squatted on his hands, looked first at one, then at the other — inquired what the missing things were like, grunted, moved his skinny arm round his- KA MRA SI A ND HIS SISTERS. 1 59 liead, as if desirous of catching air from all four sides of the hut, then dashed the accumulated air on the Jiead of his horn, smelt it to see if all was going riglit, jingled the bell again close to nis ear, and grunted his satisfaction ; tlie niissing articles must bofounci. To carry out the incantation more effectually, however, all my men were sent for to sit in the open before the hut, when the old doctor rose, shaking ".lie norn and tinkling the bell close to his ear He then, confronting one of xhe men, dashed the horn forward, as if intending to strike him on the face, then smelt the head, then dashed at another, and so on, till he became satisfied that Speke's men were not the thieves. He then walked into Grant's hut, inspected that, and finally went to the place where the bottle had been kept. There he walked about the grass with his arm wp, and jingling the bell to his ear, first on one side, then on the other, till the track of a hyena gave him the clue, and in two or three more steps he found it. A hyena had carried it into the grass and droj^ped it, he said. Eut Speke knew that the king had taken it, and sent it back by the hands of his magician. Kamarasi was a thorough tyrant, and, at the same time, an infamous coward. He kept up a most complete system of esj^iouage, by which he knew everything going forward in the country. His guards, in order that they might be attached to his person, were allowed to plunder at will the rest of his unfortunate subjects, who, if they offended him, were put to- death with- out mere}-. If an officer failed to give him information, he was executed, or placed in the s-hoe- — an instrument of torture not unlike the stocks. It con- sists of a heavy log cf wood, with an oblong slit through it; the feet are placed in the slit, and a peg is then driven through the log between the ankles, so as to hold them tightl}-. Frequently the executioner drives the peg against the ankles, when the pain is so excessive that the victim gene- rally dies through exhaustion. The king conducts all business himself, awarding punishments and seeing them carried out. The most severe instru- ment of torture is a knob-stick, sharpened at the back like that used in Uganda for breaking a man's neck before he was thrown into the Nyanza. His sisters were not allowed to marry ; they lived and died virgins in the l)alace. Their only occupation in life consisted in drinking milk, of which each one consumed the produce daily of from ten to twenty cows, and hence they became so inordinately fat that they could not walk. AVhen they wished to go outside the hut, it required eight men to lift any of them on a litter. The brothers, too, were not allowed to go out of the king's reach. This con- finement of the palace family was considered a slate necessity, as a j^reven- tive to civil wars, in the same way as the destruction of the Uganda princes, after a certain season, is thought necessary for the preservation of peace there. The following curious customs in connection with the birth of twins, will be read with interest: — "I was told," saj-s Speke, "how a negro lOD STANLEY AND AFRICA. woman, who bore twins that died, now keeps two small pots in her house, as effigies of the children, into which she milks herself every evening, and will continue to do so five months, fulfilling the time appointed by nature for suckling children, lest the spirits of the dead should persecute her. The twins were not buried, as ordinary people are buried, underground, but placed in an earthenware pot, such as the Wanyoro used for holding pombe. They were taken to the jungle and placed by a tree, with the pot turned mouth downwards. Manua, one of my men, who is a twin, said, in Nguru, one of the sister provinces to Unyanyembc, twins are ordered to be killed and thrown into water the moment they are born, lest droughts and famines, or floods, should oppress the land. Should any one attemjit to conceal twins, the whole family would be murdered by the chief; but, though a great traveller, this is the only instance of such brutality Manua had ever witnessed in any country. " In the province of Unyanyembe, if a twin or twins die, they are thrown into water for the same reason as in Nguru; but, as their numbers increase the size of the family, their birth is hailed with delight. Still there is a souice of fear there in connection with twins, as I have seen myself; for, when one dies, the mother ties a little gourd to her neck as a proxy, and puts into it a trifle of everything which she gives the living child, lest the jealousy of the dead spirit should torment her. Further, on the death of the child, she smears herself with butter and ashes, and runs frantically about, tearing her hair, and bewailing jiiteously; whilst the men of the place use towards her the foulest language, apparently as if in abuse of her person, but, in reality, to frighten away the demons Avho have robbed her nest." On the 29th of October, Speke presented Kamrasi with a Bible, explain- ing all he fancied he knew about the origin and present condition of the Wahuma branch of the Ethio^iians, in which account the Idng was greatly interested. He then began counting the leaves of the book, an amusement that every negro who gets hold of a book indulges in ; and, concluding in his mind that each page or leaf represented one year of time since the beginning of the creation, continued his labour till one quarter of the way through, and then only shut the book on being told that, if he desired to ascertain the number more closely, he could count the words. The travellers were now in some anxiety about Bombay, whom they had sent forward to Gani six weeks before, with a letter for Petherick, and to make arrangements for their joroceeding thither themselves. At length, on the 1st of November, he arrived in high glee, with his attendants, dressed in cotton jumpers and drawers — presents given them by Petherick's outpost. Petherick himself Avas not there. The journey to and fro was jDcrformed in thirteen days' actual travelling, the rest of the time being frittered away by CROSSING A STREAM IN SOUTH AFRICA DEPARTURE FROM UNYORO. the guides. Two hundred Turks, Speke was informed, were stationed at Gani, and their commander had orders to wait for Speke, without any limit as to time until he should arrive, when Petherick's name would be pointed out to him cut on a tree. The Turks were all armed with elephant-guns, and had killed sixteen elephants. Petherick had gone down the river, eight days' journey, but was expected to return shortly. Receiving this intelligence, Speko sent a farewell present to Kamrasi, accompanied by a request to leave his country. The king, however, covetous and never satisfied, instead of returning thanks and granting the leave asked for, insisted on having something more, and even begged for the rings which he saw on Grant's fingers, but without success. At last he promised to give them a parting interview, and to send a large escort to accompany them to Petherick's boats. The}'- had been ke^Dt the whole time of tlieir stay in Unyoro almost as prisoners, without being allowed by the suspicious king to move about the neighboui'hood, while no one had been permitted to visit them. They were, therefore, thankful when, at last, they persuaded the savage monarch to allow them to take their departure. Canoes had been provided, and, on the 9th of November, they embarked in one of them on the river Kafu. Crowds were collected on the banks to see them depart. After going a short distance, they emerged from the Kafu, and found themselves on what at first appeared a long lake, but which, was, in reality, the Victoria Nile, down which they floated to the falls of Karuma. The river was in some places two hundred yards broad, while in others it spread to a thousand. Both sides were fringed with the huge papyrus rush. The left one was low and swamp)-, whilst the right one, in which the Kidi people and Wanzoro occasionally hunt, rose from the water in a gently sloping bank, covered with trees and beautiful convolvuli, which hung in fes- toons. Floating islands, composed of rush, grass, and ferns, were conti- nually in motion, working their way slowly down the stream, which ran at the rate of a mile an hour. On the third day, a strong breeze coming on, these floating islands melted away, or were driven on shore. The travellers landed every evening to sleep, having to push their way between a wide belt of reeds, rushes, and convolvuli. The king having given his officers direc- tions to supply them with food, they had some exciting chases after canoes. No sooner was one overtaken than their Wangoro escort robbed her of bark, cloth, liquor, beads, spears, and everything on board, the poor owners being utterly helpless. Pursuing their journey partly by boat, and partly on land, they reached, on the 19th, the Karuma Falls. Nearing the falls, "the ground," says Speke, " on the line was highly cultivated, and intersected by a deep ravine of running water, whose sundry branches made the surface very irregular. The sand-paper tree, whose leaves resemble a cat's tongue in roughness, and which is used iu 21 102 STANLEY AND AFRICA. Uganda for polishing their clubs and spear handles, was conspicuous ; but at the end of the journey only, was there anything of much interest to be seen. There suddenly, in a deep ravine of one hundred yards below us, the formerly placid river, up which vessels of moderate size niiglit steam two or three abreast, was now changed into a turbulent torrent. Beyond lay the land of Kidi, a forest of mimosa trees, rising gently away from the water in soft clouds of green. This, the governor of tlie place, Kija, described as a sport- ing-field, where elephants, hippopotami, and buffalo, are hunted by the occu- pants on both sides of the river. The elephant is killed with a new kind of spear, with a double-edged blade a yard long, and a handle, which, weighted in any way most easy, is pear-shaped. With these instruments some men climb into trees and wait for the herd to pass, whilst others drive them under. The hippopotami, however, are not hunted, but snared with lunda, the com- mon tripping-ti-ap with sjjike-droi?, which is placed in the runs of this animal. "The Karuma Falls, if such they maybe called, are a mere sluice or rush of water between high syenitic stones, falling in a long slope down a ten-feet drojj. There are others of minor importance, and one within ear- sound, down the river, said to be grand. The name given to these falls arose from the absurd belief that Karuma, the agent or familiar of a certain great spirit, i^laced the stones that break the waters in the river, and, for so doing, was applauded by his master, who, to reward his services by an appropriate distinction, allowed the stones to be called Karuma." They were still in the territories of Kamrasi. The governor of the dis- trict, a great man, who sits on a throne only a little inferior to the king's, called upon them with a present, and said that he thought the white men were flocking this way to retake their lost country ; for tradition recorded that the Wahuma were once half-black and half-white, with half the hair straight and the other half curly ; and how was this to be accounted for, unless the country formerly belonged to white men with straight hair, but was subsequently taken by black men. Before starting to cross tlie Kidi wilderness, some of their i^arty sacrificed two kids, one on either side of the river, flaying them with one long cut each down their breasts and bellies ; the animals were then spread eagle-fashion on the grass, that the travellers miglit steji over them and obtain a prosperous journey. They continued their march through the wilderness for some days, At first they had to toil through dreadful swamps, but, at length, they found themselves unexpectedly stand- ing on the edge of a plateau, on the west of which, for an interminable dis- tance, the country opened out before them Elephants and buffaloes were seen, and their guide, to make the journey j^ropitious, plucked a twig, stripped off its leaves, and, waving it up the line of march and muttering some unintelligible words to himself, broke it in two and threw portions on citlior side of the patli. THE QANI PEOPLE. ir,3 On the 29tli they reached a collection of conical huts on the ridge of a small chain of granitic hills lying north-west. Tiiis was Koki in Gaiii. As they ajjproached the southern extremity of this cliain, knots of naked men, perched like monkeys on the granite blocks, were anxiously watching their arrival. A messenger was sent to Chongi, tlie governor, who desi^atched the principal people in the place to welcome tlie strangers. These people, covered with war paint, and looking something like clowns in a fair, rushed down the hill with their spears full tilt, and, performing vai-ious evolutions, conducted them to the governor. Chongi received them most cordially, and, taking a white hen by one leg, swayed it to and fro close to the ground in front of them ; and then took a gourd of pombe, and with a little twig sprinkled the contents all over them. He then retired to the Uganda, or magic house, sjDrinkled pombe over it ; and, finally, spreading a cow-skin under a tree, bade them sit down on it, and presented them with a bowl of pombe. These people were entli'ely naked, their sole dress consisting of bead, iron, or brass ornaments, with some feathers or cowrie-beads on the head. Their hair was dressed in the most fantastic fashion ; and, like the Kidi peo- ple, they carried diminutive stools to sit upon wherever they went. Their habi- tat extends from Koki to the Asua river. Their villages are composed of little conical huts of grass, on a frame-work of bamboo raised above low mud walls. Each village appoints its own chief. The granitic hills, like those of Unyamuezi, are extremely pretty, and clad with trees, contrasting strangely with the grassy downs of indefinite extent around. From the Gani people, the travellers, without any visible change, passed into the country of Madi, who dress in the same naked fashion as their neigh- bours, and use bows and arrows. Their villages were all surrounded with fences, and the country, in its general aspect, resembled that of the Northern Unyamuezi. On the 3rd of December, having pushed on in spite of the friendly attempts made to detain them, they came in sight of what they sup- posed to be Petherick's outpost. They hastened on, when they saw three large flags heading a military procession, Avliich marched out of tlie camj) with drums and fifes playing. The travellers halted, and allowed them to draw near, when a very black man, named Mahamed, in full Egyptian regi- mentals, with a curved sword, hastened from the head of his regiment (a ragamuffin mixture of Nubians, Egyptians, and slaves of all sorts, about two hundred in number), and throwing himself into Speke's arms, began to hug and kiss him. Speke asked him who was his master ? " Petrik," was the reply. "And where is Petherick now?" "Oh, he is coming." "How is it you have not got English colours, then?" " The colours are Debono's." "Who is Debono?" "The same as Petrik, but come along into my camp, and let us talk it out there." Mahamed then led them to his huts, situated in a village named Faloro, kept exactly in the same order as that of the natives. Giving 1C4 STANLEY AND AFRICA. thom two beds to sit upon, lie orderel his wives to a(lvanc3 on thoir knees and give tliem coffee, whilst some of his men brought pombe, and prepared a dinner of bread and honey and mutton. Their host, Maliamed, was little better than a land-pirate, who plundered and shot down the natives without compunction. Among his troops there was not one true Turk; they were adventurers, born from negro stock in the most southern Egyptian dominions. They were all married to the women of the country, whom they had dressed in cloths and beads. " Their children were many, with a prospect of more. Temporary marriages however, were more common than othei's ; as, in addition to their slaves, they hii-ed the daughters of the villagers, who remained with them whilst they were trading there, but went back to their parents when they marched to Gondokoro. They had also many hundreds of cattle, which it was said they had plundered from the natives, and now used for food, or to exchange for ivory, or other purposes. The scenery and situation were perfect for health and beauty. The settlement lay at the foot of small, well-wooded granitic hills, even pret- tier than the outcrops of Unyamuezi, and was intersected by clear streams." Mahamed, like the native chiefs, wished to detain the travellers ; being desirous that they and their party might guard his camp, while he went off on an expedition. He succeeded, by depriving them of their porters, and then marched out with his army — drums and fifes playing, colours flying, a hundred guns firing, officers riding, some on donkeys, others on cows. Speko afterwards learnt that Chongi, of Koki, had invited Mahamed to fight against an enemy of his, in whose territories immense stores of ivory were said to be buried, and the people had an endless number of cattle. On the last day of the year, Mahamed and his triumphant array, after having burned down and plundered three villages, returned laden with ivory, and driving in five slave girls, and thirty head of cattle. Two or three days afterwards, another specimen of Turkish barbarity came under Speke's notice. The head man of a village arrived with a large tusk of ivory, to ransom his daughter with ; for she was one of those seized as a slave on this recent expedition. For- tunately for him, it had been considered by the Turks wise to keep on good terms with so influential a man, and therefore, on receiving the tusk, Mahamed gave back the damsel, adding a cow to seal their friendship. Weary of Mahamed's procrastination, Speke, on the 11th of January, 18C3, started forward himself, telling the Turk he would wait for him at the next place, provided he did not delay more than one day. Their march led them over long rolling downs of grass ; and after going ten miles, they came to a village named Panyoro, where they tarried for the niglit. At first the villagers, thinking they were Turks, ran off with their cattle and what stores they could carry; but, after finding out who they were, they returned again, and gave them a good reception. The next day the van- ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ONWARD MARCH. 103 g-uard of Maliamccl's I'arty camo up, and said they had orders to march on V'itli Spcke as far as Apuddo, where all were to stop for ]\Iahanied. Tiiere was a certain ti'ee near Apuddo, which was marked by an Englishman two years ago, and this Mahanied thouglit would keep them amused. The next march brought them to Paira, a collection of villages within sight of the Nile. In appearance it was a noble stream, flowing on a flat bed from west to east ; and immediately beyond it was the Kuku Hills, rising up to a height of two thousand feet above the river. The next day they arrived at Jaifi, a group of huts close to a deep nullah which drains the central portions of Eastern Madi. At this place the Turks killed a crocodile, and ate him on the spot, much to the disgust of Speke's men. "When they reached Apuddo, Speke at once went to see the tree said to have been cut by an Englishman some iime before. There, sure enough, was a mark, something like the letters M. J., on its bark, but not distinct enough to be ascertained, because the bark had healed up. A¥hen they reached Goudokoro, they learnt that the individual who had thus left his mark was an Italian, named Miani, who had gone further up the Nile than any one else, but who retui'ned, because he was alarmed at the accounts the people gave of the countries to the southward, and he did not like the prospect of having to remain a whole rainy season with Mahamed at Faloro. They took up their quarters in the village as usual ; but the Turks remained outside, and carried off all the tops of the villagers' huts to make a camp for themselves. There seemed nothing but misery in the place. Food was so scarce that the villagers sought for wild berries and fruits ; whilst the Turks stole their cook- ing-pots, and he]])ed themselves out of their half-filled bins — a small reserve store to last up to the far-distant harvest. Speke and Grant, however, pro- vided for themselves by shooting antelopes and other game. On the 31st, Mahamed overtook them, and commenced to arrange for the march onwards. "This, however, was no easy matter, for the Turks alone required six hun- dred porters — half that number to carry their ivory, and the other half to cai'ry their beds and bedding ; whilst from fifty to sixty men was the most a village had to spare, and all the village chiefs were at enmity with one another. The plan adopted by Mahamed was, to summon the heads of all the villages to come to him, failing: which, he would seize all their belongings. Then, having once got them together, he ordered them all to furnish him with so many porters a-head, saying he demanded it of them, for the great govern- ment's property could not be left on the ground. Their separate interests must now be sacrificed, and their feuds suspended ; and if he heard, on his return again, that one village had taken advantage of the other's weakness caused by their employment in his service, he would then not spare his bullets • — so they might look out for themselves." On the 1st of February, they struck on the Nile, where it was running IfiO STANLEY AND AFRICA. like a fine Highland stream between the gneiss and mica-schist hills of Kuku, and followed it down to near where the Asua river joined it. Here they left it again as it arched round by the west, and forded the Asua river, a stiff rocky stream, deep enough to reach the breast when waded, but not very broad. On the 13th, they ai'rived at Marsan, in the Bari country. The whole company now was a thousand strong. Speke wished still to put up iu the native villages, but Mahamed so terrified all his men, by saying the Bari would kill them in the night if they did not all sleep together in one large cam}), that he was obliged to submit. The country was undulating and very prettily wooded. Villages were numerous ; but as they ^Dassed them the inha- bitants all fled, save a few men bolder than the rest. Both night and morn- ing the Turks beat their drums ; and whenever they stopfjed to eat, they sacked the villages. At Doro, which they reached on the 14th, the natives turned out with their arms, and war drums were beaten as a sign that they intended to attack the camp. The Turks grew somewhat alarmed at this, and, as darkness began to set iu, sent out patrols in addition to their nightly watches. The natives tried to steal into the camp, but were soon frightened off by the patrols cock- ing their guns. Seeing themselves defeated in this attempt, they collected in hundreds in front of the camp, set fire to the grass, and marching up and down, brandishing the burning grass in their hands, howled like demons, and swore they would annihilate their enemies in the morning. The next morning, Speke and Grant walked in to Gondokoro, where Mahamed, after firing a salute, took them to see a Circassian merchant, named Kurshid Aglia. Walking down the bank of the river, where a line of vessels was moored, and a brick-built house represented the late Austrian Mission establishment, they saw hurrying towards them tlie form of an Englishman, who, for one moment, they believed to be Petherick; greatly to their delight, they found themselves shaking hands with Mr., now Sir Samuel Baker, who had bravely come out in search of them. A little boy of his establishment had reported their arrival, and he in an instant came out to welcome them. ''What joy this was," says Speke, "I can hardly tell. We could not talk fast enough, so overwhelmed were we both to meet again. Of course we were his guests in a moment, and learned everything that could be told. I now first heard of the death of H. E. H. the Prince Consort, which made me reflect on the inspiring words he made use of in com2:)limcnt to myself, when I was introduced to him by Sir Eoderick Murchison a short while before leaving England. Then there was the terrible war in America, and other events of a less startling nature, which came on us all by surj^rise, as years had now passed since we had received news from tbe civilised world." The travellers waited at Gondokoro till the 26th, when they proceeded down the Nile, in Baker's boats (which he kindly lent them while he and his A lUil VAL AT CA lEO. 1 G 7 devoted wife continued their journey southward,) to Khartoum. Before leav- ing Gondokoro, tlie travellers found Petlierick, who offered Sj)eke an explana- tion why he had failed in fulfilling his engagement to meet him, but which, however, Speke considered unt-atisfactorj". He had gone away on a trading expedition, and had made no attempt to succour his friends. The voyage down the Nile to Khartoum took from the 2Gth of February to the 30th of March, and was performed in a diabeah, the usual Nile boat ; the after-part being covered with a deck, on which was built a comfortable poop-cabin. They were hospitably entertained by Ali Bey, and by a num- ber of European and Turkish inhabitants. " Among other interesting places they visited at Khartoum was a Coptic church. In the centre was a desk, at which a man was reading aloud to a number of other persons wearing- large turbans, their shoes placed on one side, and several children, all sitting on a carpet, listening devoutly. On the walls were draperies and pictures of the Saviour ; and within a doorway was a high altar, covered with a cloth, marked with the figure of a cross. The service was in Arabic. A handsome old man entered, bearing a staff surmounted by a golden cross. After kneel- ing at the altar he invited the strangers to his house to have coffee. Grant says that he never saw a finer face than that of this venerable Copt — Gabriel by name — who was at the head of the Coptic church at Khartoum." They left Khartoum on the 15th of April, and continued their journey down to Berber by water. Here they landed, and had a fatiguing camel ride across the desert to a place called Korosko, whence they continued by water to Cairo. At Cairo, they called by invitation on the Viceroy at his Rhoda Island palace, and were much gratified with the reception ; for, after hearing their story with marked intelligence, he most graciously offered to help in any other undertaking which would assist to open up and develop the interior of Africa. Here, they had to part from their " faithful children," for whose services they had no further occasion, and whom they had taken so far from their own country. Speke had them all photographed. He next appointed Bombay their captain, and gave him three photographs of all the eighteen men, and three more of the four women, to give one each to the British Consuls at Suez, Aden, and Zanzibar, by which they might be recog- nised. He also gave them increased wages, equal to three years' pay each, by orders on Zanzibar, which was one in addition to their time of service ; an order for a freeman's garden to be purchased for them at Zanzibar ; and another order that each one should receive ten dollars dowry-money as soon as he could find a wife. Ultimately, after many adventures, they all reached their destination. The two brave men, whose adventures we have thus far followed, in a journey that involved a walk of thirteen hundred miles through the equatorial regions of Africa, embarked for England, on the 4th of June, on board the IfiS STANLEY AND AFRICA. " Pera," and hinJcJ safely oil tlioir native shores, after an absence of eleven liundred and forty-six days. Captain Spoke's friends shortly afterwards had to mourn liis untimely death, from his gun accidentally going off while out shooting. His gallant companion, now Colonel Grant, still survives. Although not, as he supposed, the discoverer of the remotest source of the Nile, Speke was undoubtedly the first Eui'opean who saw the Victoria Nyanza ; while the adventurous and dangerous joui'ney he and Grant performed together entitles them to take place in the first rank of Afric:in travellers. They opened up an extensive and rich district hitherto totally unknown, which it is hoped will in a few years be enriched with the blessings of Christianity and civilization. CHAPTER VIII. Sir Samuel and Lady Baker — Tlieir Arrival in Eg/jpt — Cross the Niih'ian Desert — Bcrler — lite Atbara — Cassala — Aral) Tribes of Nubia — Junction of I lie Scttiic with the Atbara — The Abyssinian Frontier. IN Marcli, 1861, Samuel, tlien Mr. Baker, a private English gentleman, aided by no public resources, prompted by no public bodies, started in the exer- cise of his own discretion to attempt the solution of a problem which had baf- fled ages. He says — "In March, 1861, I commenced an expedition to dis- cover the sources of the Nile, with the hope of meeting the East African expedition of Captains Speke and Grant, that had been sent by the English Government fi"om the south, via Zanzibar, for that object. I had not the pre- sumption to publish my intention, as the sources of the Nile had hitherto defied all explorers, but I had inwardly determined to accomplish this difficult task, or to die in the attempt." As we have already seen, Mr. Baker met Speke and Grant almost at the outset of his journey, the subordinate motive, therefore, of affording help to them, ceased, but his greater object still lay before him. With a manliness of spirit equal to his own, they instanti}' ^^^^ced at his disposal the results of their own explorations, and urged him to pursue the great task of perfectin<^ what they had well begun. He had already devoted several years to the hardiest feats of a great hunter and a keen shot in the jungles cf Ceylon and the highlands of Abyssinia, which had nerved his frame and quickened his ftye. To these qualifications he added two years of jjatient preparation for his great attempt — the acquisition of the power of scientific observation and the Arabic language: — the purchase and adaptation of all the ???a^em^ necessary for so protracted a campaign, and the attempt to discipline a numerous band of followers. To the plots and treacher}^ of these beings, who repeatedly broke out in open mutiny, and threatened him more than once with abandonment and death, he opposed an iron and commanding will, which at last moulded even these creatures to obey him. This moral authority was backed by a strength of arm that never failed to crush the offender by a timely blow, and to punish every insult and infraction of discipline. Yet in a land where blood is poured out like Avater, where inhuman tortures are ruthlessly iufiicted by the strong on the weak, and where every man who is not a slave himself is 170 STANLEY AND AFRICA. seeking to enslave some one else, Mr. Baker allowed no deed of violence to be committed which he could prevent ; he rescued numberless victims from the lash of their tormentors, and, by a judicious and open-handed liberality, he taught the natives the unknown lesson, that an Englishman is not to be served by slaves, but by the fidelity of those whom he is ready to reward fur their iabour. One trait remains, and it is the most singular incident in this remarkable narrative, which gives to the journey of Mr. Baker an unparalleled interest. Through these regions where no Avhite woman had ever been seen, through these tribes where woman is degraded by the grossest sensuality to be some- thing below the beast of burden and the household drudge, he was accom- panied by his wife. This lady, born of a good Hungarian family, and married at an early age to the comjianion of her adventurous life, jiossessing uncom- mon personal attractions, and still in the bloom of youth, not only shared with her husband all the perils of this expedition, but by her quiet imperturbable courage, her tact and activity, contributed most powerfully to its success. On more than one occasion she said or did the thing that conquered the difficulty. And above all, the presence, in the midst of whole races to whom the idea of marriage in our sense of the term is unknown, of the one wife of the white man, so ennobled this pair of travellers, and distinguished it so etfectually from the marauding columns of ivory traders and man-stealers, that even the savages of the White Nile acknowledged her influence. Baker, accompanied by his wife, left Cairo on the loth of April, and sailed up the Nile to Korosko, reaching there in twenty-six days. They started thence on camels across the Nubian deserts, a most fatiguing journey, througli a wilderness of scorching sand and glowing basalt-rocks — the simoom being in full force, and the thermometer in the shade by the water-skins, standing at 114° Fahrenheit. " A few hours from Korosko," Baker says, " the misery of the scene surpassed description. , Glowing like a furnace, the vast extent of yellow sand stretched to the horizon. Rows of broken hills, all of volcanic origin, broke the flat plain. Conical tumuli of volcanic slag here and there rose to the height of several hundred feet, and in the far distance resembled the pyramids of Lower Egypt — doubtless they were the models for that ancient and everlasting architecture ; hills of black basalt jutted out from the barren base of sand, and the molten air quivered on the overheated surface of the fearful desert. 114° Fahr. in the shade under the water skins; 137° in the sun. Noiselessly the spongy tread of the camels, crept along the sand — the only sound was the rattle of some loosely secured baggage of their packs. The Arab drivers followed silently at intervals, and hour by hour we struck deeper into the solitude of the Nubian desert. "We entered a dead level plain of orange-coloured sand, surrounded by pyramidical hills j the surface was strewn with objects resembling cannon shot THE N UBIA N DESER T. 1 7 1 •and grape of all sizes from a 32-poiiiKlcr downwards — tlie spot looked like the old battle-field of some infernal region ; rocks glowing with heat — not a vestige of vegetation — barren, withering desolation. The slow rocking step of the camels was most irksome, and, despite the heat, I dismounted to examine the Satanic bombs and cannon shot. Many of them were perfectly round as though cast in a mould, others were egg-sha^ied, and all were hollow. With some difficulty I broke them, and found them to contain a bright red sand; they were, in fact, volcanic bombs that had been formed by the ejection of molten lava to a great height from active volcanoes ; these had become globu- lar in falling, and, having cooled before they reached the earth, they retained their forms as hard spherical bodies, precisely resembling cannon shot. The exterior was brown, and ajDpeared to be rich in iron. The smaller sjjeci- mens were the more perfect spheres, as they had cooled quickly, but many of the heavier masses had evidently reached the earth when only half solidified, and had collapsed on falling. The sandy plain was covered with such ves- tiges of volcanic action, and the iofcrnal bombs lay as imjoerishable relics of .a hail-storm such as may have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. " Passins: through this wretched solitude, we entered upon a scene of surpassing desolation. Far as the eye could reach were waves like a stormy sea, grey cold-looking waves in the burning heat; but no drop of water; it appeared as though a sudden curse had turned a raging sea to stone. The simoom blew over this horrible wilderness and drifted the hot sand into the crevices of the rocks, and the camels drooped their heads before the suffocat- ing wind ; but still the caravan noiselessly crept along over the rocky undula- tionSjUntil the stormy sea was passed; once more we were upon a boundless plain of sand and pebbles. Here every now and then we discovered withered melons fCuciaiiis colcoyntldsj ; the leaves had long since disappeared and the shrivelled stalks were brittle as glass. They proved that even the desert had a season of life, however short ; but the desert fruits were bitter. So intensely bitter was the dry white inlu'ior of these melons, that it exactly resembled quinine in taste ; when rubb«^d between the fingers, it became a fine white powder. The Arabs use this medicinally ; a small jjiece placed in a cup of milk, and allowed to stand for a few hours, rendered the draught a strong aperient. The sun — that relentless persecutor of the desert traveller, sank behind the western hills, and the long-wished-for night arrived ; cool, delicious night ! The thermometer 78° Fahr., a difference of 36° between the shade of day." After a march of two days, the travellers readied Moorahd, or, " the bitter well." " This," says Baker, "is a mournful spot, well known to the tired and thirsty camel, the hope of reaching which has urged him, fainting (On his weary way, to drink one draught before he dies ; this is the camel's grave. Situated half way between Korosko and Abou Hammed, the well of 172 STANLEY AND AFRICA. ]\roora]ul is in an extinct crater, surrounded upon all sides but one by pre- cipitous cliffs about three hundred feet high. The bottom is a dead flat, and forms a valley of sand, about two liundred and fifty yards wide. In tliis bosom of a crater, salt and bitter water is found at a depth of only six feet from the surface. To this our tired camels frantically rushed upon being unloaded. Tlic valley was a valley of dry bones. Innumerable skeletons of camels lay in all directions ; tlie ships of the desert thus stranded on their voyage. Withered heaps of parched skin and bone lay here and there, in tlie distinct forms in which tlie camels had gasped their last; the dry desert air had converted the hide into a coffin. There were no flies here, thus there were no worms to devour the carcases, but the usual sextons were the crows, although sometimes too few to perform their office. These Avere perched upon tlie overhanging cliff's ; but no sooner had our overworked camels taken their long draught and laid down exhausted on the sand, than by common consent they descended from their high places and walked round and round each tired beast. "As many wretched animals simply crawl to this spot and die, the crows, from long experience and constant practice, can form a pretty correct diag- nosis ujDon the case of a sick camel ; they had evidently paid a professional visit to my caravan, and were especially attentive in studying the case of one particular camel that was in a very weakly condition and had stretched itself full length upon the sand ; nor would they leave it until it was driven forward." Throughout the route from Korosko, Baker counted the skeletons of camels at about eight per mile, witli the exception of the immediate neighbourhood of Moorahd, where they were double that number. In some places six or eight were together in a heap ; and 3'et the Bishareen Arabs who were with our travellers performed the entire journey on foot. On the 23rd of May, the party reached Abou Hammed. The very sight of the Nile was delightful, after the dreadful desert through which they had passed. Having taken a day's rest, they started again. Their route lay along the margin of the Nile ; marching one day ten hours, another fifteen, another, through Mrs. Baker's illness, only five. The intensity of the heat may be judged from two brief extracts: — " May 29^A. The simoom is fearful, and t'le heat is so intense that it was impossible to draw the gun cases out of their leather covers, which it was necessary to cut open. All woodwork is warped ; ivory-knife handles are split ; paper breaks when crunched in the hand, and the very marrow seems to be dried out of the bones by this hor- rible simoom. One of our camels fell down to die." — '•'•May 30th. The extreme dryness of the air induces an extraordinary amount of electricity in the hair, and in all woollen materials. A Scotch plaid laid upon a blanket for a few hours adheres to it, and upon being roughly witlulrawii by niglit a sheet of flame is produced, accompanied by tolerably loud reports." PLEA SANT ST A Y AT BERBER. 1 7 3 The following day, about 9.30 a.m., tlicy reached Berber, a considerable town on the Nile, lying on the regular caravan route between Cairo and Khartoum. Here Baker, finding his need of a knowledge of Arabic, resolved to devote a year to the study of that language, and to spend the time in the comparatively known regions to the north of Abyssinia, and exploring the various confluences of the Blue Nile. At Berber, they were kindly received by Halleem Eftendi, the ex gover- nor, who gave them permission to pitch their tents in his gardens close to the Nile. The spot had been reclaimed from the sandy waste ; and, irrigated by numerous water-wheels, had been transformed into a fruitful garden, tliickly planted with lofty date-groves and shady citron and lemon-trees, in whicli countless birds sang their varied notes. In this charming place, they received visits from their host and the governor, as well as from other persons of note and official jjosition, all of whom expressed their astonislimcnt when they heard the travellers' intention of proceeding to the head of the Nile, and endeavoured to dissuade them fiom what was imagined to be so dangerous and absurd an enterprise. Their host sent them daily j^resents of fruit ; and Mrs. Baker, her husband having been requested previously to withdraw, was visited one evening by a number of ladies so gaily dressed in silks of the brightest dj-es of yellow, blue, and scarlet, that no bouquet of flowers could have been more gaudy. At this pleasant spot they spent about a week ; and then, on the 11th of June, attended by a guard of Turkish soldiers, who were to act in the double capacity of escort and servants, they left Berber, and their explor- ations began. Their dragoman was called Mahomet — a man who was of a mcst angrv disposition, and very conceited — who spoke very bad English — and who, altliough he was almost black, declared his colour was liglit-brown. Their principal guide was named Achmet. They left Berber at sunset, mounted upon donkeys ; while their Turkish attendants rode upon excellent drome- daries. Their way lay parallel with the Nile, and was marked by a fringe of bush and mimosa along the border of the desert. There was no object particularly noteworthy, and no sound but that of the bleating goats driven homeward by the Arab boys, and the sharp cry of the desert saud-grouse as they came in flocks to drink in the river. On the jom-ney they frequently passed the Asdepias gigantca. Baker had frequently seen this plant in Ceylon, Avhere the native doctors use it medicinally ; but here it was ignored, except for the produce of a beautiful silky down, which is used for stuffing cushions and pillows. This vegetable silk is contained in a soft pod about the size of an orange. Both the leaves and the stem of this plant emit a highly poisonous milk, that exudes from the bark when cut or bjuised, the least drop of which, should it come in contact with the eye, will cause total blindness. Although the poisonous qualities of the plant cause it to be shunned by all other animals, 174 STANLEY AND AFRICA. yet goats groedil}' devour it, and sufler no harm. The Avood is extreme]}' light, and is frequently tied into faggots, and used by the Arabs as a sujjport while- swimming in lieu of cork. In two days they reached the junction of the Atbara river with the Nile. Here, crossing a broad surface of white sand, which at that season formed the dry bed of the river, they encamped near a plantation of water-melons, with which they refreshed themselves and their tired donkeys. The Atbara was- here never less than four hundred yards in width, while in many places this breadth was much exceeded. Its banks were from twenty-five to thirty feet deep; these had evidently been overflowed during floods; but at the present time not only was it partially dry, but so clear was tlie sandy bed, that the reflection of the sun was unbearable. The dome-palm grew in great numbers upon its banks. Tliis tree is of great service to the Arabs. The- leaves supply them with excellent material for mats and ropes ; while the fruit, which grows in dense clusters, numbering several hundreds, of the size of an orange, is used both for man and beast, and is the chief support of both when in times of drought and scarcity the supply of corn has failed. It is- hard and uninviting to the teeth ; but the Arabs pound it between stones, and thus detach the edible portion in the form of a resinous powder, which is either eaten raw, or boiled into delicious porridge, with milk ; this has a strong flavour of gingerbread. The rind of the nut which produces this joowder is- about a quarter of an inch thick, and covers a strong shell, which contains a nut of vegetable ivory, about the size of a large walnut. These nuts are soaked in water for about twenty-four hours, after which they are heaped in large piles upon a fire until nearly dry and thoroughly steamed ; then they are broken into small jsieces, and form excellent food for cattle. The travellers pursued their way along the banks of the river for some days, sto23ping by the side of the pools which still remained. Many of these pools were of great size and dej^th, and were full of crocodiles, hippopotami,, turtles, and large fish of various kinds. Gazelles, hyenas, wild asses, and the- flocks of the Arabs, v\-ere obliged to resort to these crowded drinking-places. Innumerable birds of every variety were glad to escajoe from the burning desert and take up their abode in the poor but welcome bushes that fringe the Atbara river. Baker was able, in consequence of the abundance of game,^ to keep the whole camp well supplied with meat. At Collodabad, a place about a hundred and sixty miles, or seven days' march from the Nile junction, they pitched their tents among a large concourse of Bishareen Arabs, who had con- gregated there with their flocks and herds. Here Baker was introduced for the first time to the hippopotamus, and had the satisfaction of killing two. The dead monsters were quickly surrounded by Arabs, who hauled them on shore, and on receiving permission to take the meat, were soon at work with a hun- dred knives, fighting to obtain the most delicate morsels. He and his wife TURTLE FISHING. 175 . breakfasted that morning on hippopotamus flesh, M'liicli was destined to be their general food during their journey among the Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile. Here lie had an interesting adventure with a turtle, which he thus records : — " In a short time I had cauglit a respectable dish offish, but hither- to no monster had paid me the slightest attention ; accordingly I changed my bait, and upon a powerful hook, fitted upon treble-twisted wire, I fastened an enticing strip of boulti. The bait was about four ounces, and glistened like silver ; the Avater was tolerably clear, but not too bright, and with such an attraction, I expected sometliing heavy. My float was a large-sized pike-float for live bait, and this civilised sign had been only a few minutes in the wild waters of the Atbara, when, bob ! and away it went ! I had a very large reel, with nearly three hundred yards of line tliat had been specially made for monsters ; down Avent the top of my rod as though a grindstone was sus- pended on it, and, as I recovered its position, away went the line, and the reel revolved, not with the sudden dash of a spirited fish, but witli the steady determined pull of a trotting horse. What on eartli have I got hold of? In a few minutes about a hundred yards of line were out, and as the creature was steadily, l)ut slowly, travelling down the centre of the channel, I determined to cry halt, if possible, as my tackle was extremely strong, and my rod was a single bamboo. Accordingly, I put on a powerful strain, which was I'epliod to by a sullen tug, a sliake, and again my rod was pulled suddenly down to tlie water's edge. At length, after the roughest handling, I began to reel in slack line, as my unknown friend had doubled in upon me, and upon once more putting severe pressure upon him or her, as it might be, I perceived a great swirl in the wafer about twenty yards from the rod. The tackle would bear anything, and I strained so heavily upon my adversary that I soon reduced our distance ; but the water was exceedingly deep, the bank pre- cipitous, and he was still invisible. "At length, after much tugging and counter tugging, he began to show. Eagerly I gazed into the water to examine my new acquaintance, when I made out something below, in shape between a coacb- wheel and a sponging bath ; in a few more moments I brought to the surface an enormous turtle, well hooked. I felt like the old lady who won an elephant in a lottery ; that I had him was certain, but what was I to do with my prize ! It was at the least a hundred pounds' weight, and the bank was steep and covei-ed with bushes ; thus, it was impossible to land the monster that now tugged and dived, with the determination of the grindstone, that his first jjull had sug- gested. Once I attempted the gafi", but the trusty weapon that had landed many a fish in Scotland, broke in the hard shell of the turtle, and I was help- less. M)' Arab now came to my assistance, and at once terminated the struggle. Seizing the line with both hands, utterly regardless of all remon- 17G STANLEY AND AFRICA. strancc (which, being in English, he did not understand), he quickly hauled our turtle to the surflice, and held it, struggling and gnashing its jaws, close to the steep bank. • In a few moments the line slackened, and the turtle disappeared. The fight was over ! Tlie sharp horny jaws had bitten through treble-twisted brass wire as clean as though cut by shears. My visions of turtle-soup had faded." Disappointed in turtle-fishing, he went out in the evening gazelle-shoot- ing, and returned with five fine buck-gazelles. " These beautiful creatures," he sa3's, " so exactly resemble the colour of the sandy deserts which they inhabit, that they are most difficult to distinguish, and their extreme shyness renders stalking upon foot very uncertain. I accordingly employed an Arab to lead a camel, under cover of which I could generally manage to approach within a hundred yards. A buck-gnzelle weighs from sixty to seventy jiounds, and is the jjerfeciion of muscular development. No person who has seen the gazelles in confinem'^nt in a temperate climate can form an idea of the beauty of the animal in its native desert. Born in the scorching sun, nursed on the burning sand of tlie treeless and shadowless wilderness, the gazelle is among the antelojie tribe, as the Arab horse is among its brethren, the high-bred and superlative beauty of the race. The skin is as sleek as satin, of a colour difficult to describe, as it vai'ies between the highest mauve and yellowish-brown ; the belly is snow-white ; the legs, from the knee down- wards, are also white, and are as fine as though carved from ivory ; the hoof is beautifully shajjed, and tapers to a sharp point ; the head of the buck is ornamented by gracefully-curved annulated horns, perfectly black, and gene- rally from nine to twelve inches long in the bend ; the eye is the well-known perfection — the full, large, soft, and jet-black eye of the gazelle. " Although the desert ajDpears incapable of supporting animal life, there are in the undulating surface numerous shallow sandy ravines, in which are tufts of a herbage so coarse, that, as a source of nourishment, it would be valueless to a domestic animal ; nevertheless, upon this dry and wiry sub- stance the delicate gazelles subsist ; and, although they never fatten, they are exceedingly fleshy and in excellent condition. Entirely free from fat, and nevertheless a mass of muscle and sinew, the gazelle is the fastest of the antelope tribe. Proud of its strength, and confident in its agility, it will generally bound perpendicularly four or five feet from the ground several times before it starts at full speed, as though to test the quality of its sinews before the race. The Arabs course the"n with grey-hounds, and sometimes they are caught by running several days at the same time ; but this result is from the folly of the gazelle, who, at first, distances his pursuers like the wind ; but, secure in its speed, it halts and faces the dogs, exhausting itself by bounding exultingly in the air ; in the meantime the grey-hounds are closing up, and diminishing the chance of escape. As a rule, notwithstanding THE DESCENT OF THE ATBARA. 177 this absurdity of the gazelle, it has the best of the race, tind the grey-hound.s return crest-fallen and beaten. Altogether it is the most beautiful specimen of game that exists, far too lovely and harmless to be hunted and killed for the mere love of sport. But when dinner depends upon the rifle, beauty is no protection ; accordingly, throughout our desert mai'ch, we lived upon gazelles, and I am sorry to confess that I became very expert at stalking these wary little animals. The flesh, although tolerably good, has a slight flavour of musk ; this is not peculiar to the gazelle, as the odour is common to most of the small varieties of antelopes." On the 23rd of June, they were nearly suffocated by a whirlwind that buried everything in the tents several inches in dust. The heat was intense ; the night, however, was cool and pleasant. About half-past eight, as Baker lay asleep, he fancied that he heard a rumbling like distant thunder. The low uninterrupted roll increased in volume, till presently a confusion of voices arose from the Arabs' camp, as his men rushed through the darkness shouting, " The river ! the river !" Mahomet explained that the river was coming down, and that the supposed distant sound was the approach of water. Many of the peojile who had been sleeping on "the clean sand of the river's bed, wore quickly awakened by the Arabs, who rushed down the steep bank to save the skulls of two hippopotami Avhich were exposed to dry. The sound of the torrent, as it rushed by amid the darkness, and the men, dripping with wet, dragging their heavy burdens up the bank, told that the great event had occurred — that the river had arrived like a thief in the night. The next morn- ing, instead of the barren sheet of clear white sand, with a fringe of withered bush and trees upon its borders, cutting the yellow expanse of desert, a mag- nificent stream, the noble Atbara river, flowed by, some hundred yards i;i width, and from fifteen to twenty feet in depth. Not a drop of rain ha I fallen ; but the current gave the traveller a clue to one portion of the Nile mystery. The rains were pouring down in Abyssinia — these were sources of the Nile. The tracks of wild asses had been frequent, but hitherto Baker had not seen the animals, as their drinking hour was at night; however, on the morn- ing of June the 29th, he saw three of these beautiful creatures — an ass, a female, and a foal. " They were," he says, " about half a mile distant when first observed, and upon our approach to within half that distance they halted and faced about ; they were evidently on their return to the desert from the river. Those who have seen donkeys in their civilised state have no concep- tion of the beauty of the wild and original animal. Far from the passive and subdued appearance of the English ass, the animal in its native desert is tlie perfection of activity and courage : there is a high-bred tone in the deport- ment, a high-actioned step when it trots freely over the rocks and sand, with the speed of a horse when it gallops over the boundless desert. No animal 23 178 STANLEY AND AFRICA. is more difficult of approach ; and, althougli they are frequently captured by the Arabs, those taken are invariably the foals, which are ridden down by fast dromedaries, while tlie mothers escape. " The colour of the wild ass is a reddish cream, tinged with the shade most prevalent of the ground that it inhabits; thus it much resembles the sand of the desert. I wished to obtain a specimen, and accordingly I exerted my uttermost knowledge of stalking to obtain a shot at the male. After at least an hour and a half I succeeded in obtaining a long shot with a single rifle, which jjassed through the shoulder, and I secured my first and last donkey. It was with extreme regret, that I saw my beautiful pi-ize in the last gasp, and I resolved rever to fire another shot at one of its race. This fine specimen was in excellent conditii:)n, although the miserable pasturage of the desert is confined to the wiry herbage of withered bush ; of this the stomach was full, chewed into morsels like chopped reeds. The height of this male ass was between thirteen and fourteen hands ; the shoulder was far more sloping than that of the domestic ass ; the hoofs were remai-kable for their size — they were wide, firm, and as broad as those of a horse of fifteen hands. I skinned tliis animal carefull)', and the Arabs divided the flesh among them, while Hadji Achmet selected a choice piece for our own dinner. At the close cf our march that evening, the morsel of wild ass was cooked in the form of rissoles ; the flavour resembled beef, but it was extremely tough." On the 30th of June, they reached Gozerajup, a large village on the south bank of the Atbara, and about two hundred and twenty miles from the junc- tion of that river with the Nile. Here they remained for a few days to rest the donkeys, and to engage fresh camels. Their route now was to cliange. Hitherto they had followed the course of the Atbara; now they were to leave that river on their right, and travel south-east about ninety miles to Cassala, the capital of the Taka country, on the confines of Abyssinia. Having pro- cured fresh camels, they started on the 5tli of July. In a short time they came to where the desert ceased ; and no longer travelled upon sand and stones, but stood upon a fertile loam, rendered soapy and adhesive by a recent shower. They passed the limits of the Bishareen Arabs, and entered upon the country of the Hadendowa tribe. As they approached the wells of Soojalup, they passed several large villages surrounded by fenced gardens of cotton and tobacco, both of which throve exceedingly. Every village possessed a series of wells, with a simple contrivance for watering their cattle. From Gozerajup to Cassala the entire country is a dead flat, without a solitary tree large enough to shade a full-sized tent. The land is fertile, and the Arabs grow cotton sufficient for the manufacture of their cloths. They weave these themselves, the weaver sitting in a hole excavated in the ground before his rude loom, shaded by a rough thatch about ten feet square, sujj- ported upon poles. The quality of cotton is the same as that of Lower Egypt, CASS A LA. 171)' find the cloths, tliough conrso, arc remarkably soft. When ilicy came ■wiUiuii twenty-five miles of Cassala, they found the country in many places flooded ; find Mrs. Baker was seized Avith a sudden and severe attack of fever. One evening several hundreds of Arabs arrived at their camp; and "no sooner was the bustle of arrangement completed, than a grey old man stepped for- ward, and, responding to his call, every man of the hundreds present, formed in line, three or four deep. At once there was total silence, disturbed only by the crackling of the fires, or by the cry of a child ; and with faces turned to the east, in attitudes of profound devotion, the wild but fervent followers of Mahomet rejDeated their evening prayer." The next morning, Mrs. Baker had another attack of fever, and Avas obliged to rest for several hours under a tree, on a bed of dry sand, until the paroxysm passed. The next place at which they arrived Avas Cassala, a walled town, sui*- rounded b}' a ditch and flanking towers, situated on the confines of the Taka country, and containing about eight thousand inhabitants, exclusive of troops. The houses and Avails were of unburnt brick, smeared Avith clay and cow dung. They had ridden about seven hundred and ten miles from Korosko, six hun- dred and thirty of which had been through scorching deserts during the hot- test season ; they Avere, therefore, thankful to exchange the intense heat of the tent for a solid roof, and to rest for a sh.ort time in the picturesque coun- try of Taka. The bazaar here Avas poor, the articles for sale being of low price, and adaj^jted to the wants of the Arabs who flock to the place. After a fcAV days' halt at Cassala, they continued their march, bearing due Avcst towards the Atbara. The country Avas an improvement on that through which they had passed ; there were larger trees and vast jjlains of young grass, while herds of antelopes and gazelles offered abundant sport. No sooner had Baker shot one of these animals, than he heard a rushing sound like a strong Avind, and down came a vulture Avitli its Avings collapsed, falling from an immense height direct to its jirey. Before he was able to fasten the animal' on the back of his camel, a number of vultures Avere sitting upon the ground at a few yards distance, while others were arriving every minute; though- before he fired, not one Avas in sight. In sixteen hours' actual marching from Cassala, they reached the valley of the Atbara. At the spot where they encamjoed the river was about three hundred yards wide, about the thickness of pea-soup, and of a very dark colour. In the stream, and on the oozy banks, Avere numerous crocodiles ; they Avere of two kinds, one of a dark-brown colour, and much shorter and thicker in proportion than the other, Avhich grows to an im.mense length, and is generally of a pale-greenish colour. The Arabs assert that the dark-coloured thick-bodied species is more to be dreaded than the other. Crossing the river, they pitched their tents at the village of Goorashee, and \A'aited for fresh camels. ISO STANLEY AND AFRICA. After leaving Goorashee, they found themselves upon the vast table-land that stretches from tlie Atbara to the Nile. Here the country was dotted with bushes, the hooked-thorn mimosas, in the young glory of their green leaf, tempting the hungry camels. " Unless a riding-camel is perfectly trained, it is the most tiresome animal to ride after the first green leaves appear; every busli tcm])ts it from the patli, and it is a perpetual fight between the rider and his beast throughout the journey." This Mr. Baker learnt by expe- rience. " A magniticent specimen of a kittar," he says, " with a wide-spread- ing head, in the young glor}^ of green leaf, tempted my hungry camel during our march ; it was determined to i^rocure a mouthful, and I was equally determined that it should keej^ to the straight path, and avoid the attraction of the green food. After some strong remonstrance upon my part, the per- yerse beast shook its ugly head, gave a roar, and started off in full trot straight at the thorny bush. I had not the slightest control over the animal, and in a few seconds it chai-ged the bush with the mad intention of rushing either through or beneath it. To my disgust, I perceived that tlie wide-spreading branches were only just sufliciently high to permit the back of the camel to pass underneath. There was no time for furtlier consideration ; we charged the bush ; I held my head doubled up between my arms, and tlie next moment I was on my back, half stunned by the fall. The camel-saddle lay upon the ground, my rifle, that had been slung behind, my coffee-pot, the water-skin burst, and a host of other impedimenta, lay around me in all directions ; worst of all, my beautiful gold repeater la}' at some distance from me, rendered entirely useless. I was as nearly naked as I could be ; a few rags held together, but my shirt was gone, with the exception of some shreds that adhered to my arms. I was, of course, streaming with blood, and looked much more as though I had been clawed by a leopard, than as having simply charged a bush. The camel had fallen down with the shock after I had been swept off by the thorny branches. To this day I have the marks of the scratching." In the course of their journey, they arrived at the camp of the great Sheikh Achmet Abou Sinn, to whom Baker had a letter of introduction. Having sent it forward by Mahomet, in a short time the sheikh appeared, attended by several of his principal people. As he approached through the green mimosas, mounted on a beautiful snow-white dromedary, his appearance was remarkably dignified and venerable. He was about six feet three inches high, with immense broad shoulders and chest ; and, although, upwards of eighty years of age, was as erect as a lance. He had an arched nose, with eyes like an eagle, beneath large, shaggy, but perfectly white eyebrows ; while a beard as white as snow, of great thickness, descended below the middle of the breast. He wore a large white turban, and a white cashmere robe reaching from the throat to the ankles. Altogether he was the perfect picture of a desert patrl- ARAB CUSTOMS. 1 51 p.rch. With tiie most generous hospitality, he insisted on the travellers t'.ecompanying him to his camp, and would listen to no excuses. Ordering ]\hihomet to have their baggage re-packed, he requested them to mount two superb white dromedaries, with saddle-cloths of blue Persian sheepskins ; and thus tbey accompanied their venerable host, followed by his wild and splen- didly-mounted attendants. Declining Abou Sinn's invitation to spend two or three months at his camp, until travelling would be feasible farther south, the rainy season by that time being over, our travellers resolved to journey to the village of Sofi, about seventy-eight miles distant, where they purposed for a time to take np their abode. From Korosko to this jioint Baker had passed through several Arab tribes — the Bedouins, Bisharecns, Hadendowas, Hallongas, and now he was among the Shookeriyahs, one of the most powerful, and over which Abou Sinn ruled. On the west of them were the Jalyns, and to the south, near Sofi, the Dabainas. The customs of all the Arab tribes are nearly similar, one of their distinctions being in the mode of dressing the hair. A Bishareen Arab wears his hair in hundreds of minute plaits, wdiich hang down to his shoulders, sur- mounted by a circular bushy top-knot upon the crown, about the size of a large breakfast cup, from the base of which the plaits descend. Tlie great desire with all the tribes, except tlie Jaiyn, is to have a vast quantity of hair, arranged in their own peculiar fashion, and covered with fat. A dandy will put at least half a pound of fat or butter on his head at once. Abou Sinn used daily, outside and in, two pounds of melted butter. Sheep's fat is what is most esteemed for hair-dressing. The women bestow great attention on perfumery, various kinds of which are brought by the travelling native merchants from Cairo. Oil of roses, oil of sandal-wood, an essence from the blossom of a species of mimosa, essence of nmsk, and oil of cloves, are most in demand. They use a hot air-bath for the purpose of scenting both their persons and their clothes ; and suspend from their necks a few pieces of the dried glands of the musk cat. In the Somali tribe, and that of the Nuehr, they use a pigment for turning the colour of the hair red. When an Arab lady's toilette is complete, her head is a little larger than the largest-sized English mop, and her perfume is something between the aroma of a perfumer's shop and the monkey-house at the Zoological Gardens, Although the tope or robe, loosely but gracefully arranged around the body, appears to be the whole of the costume, the women wear beneath this garment a thin blue cotton cloth, tightly bound round the loins, which de- scends to a little above the knee ; beneath this is the last garment, the rahat, which is the only clothing of young girls. The Arab girls are remarkably good-looking till they become mothers. They genei'ally mai'ry at the ao-e of thirteen or fourteen, but often earlier. Concubinage is not considered a brcacli 182 STANLEY AND AFRICA. of morality ; neitlier is it regarded by the legitimate wives with jealous}-. The Arabs are essentially a nomadic race, therefore tlieir customs are what they were thousands of years ago. In the absence of a fixed home, without a city, or even a village that is permanent, there can be no change of custom. The unchangeable features of the Nile regions, and the unchangeable manners and customs of the people who inhabit tlicm, invest that part of the world with a strange fascination. On the 25th of July, Mr. and Mrs. Baker left the camj) of Abou Sinn, and in a few rapid marches arrived at Tomat, the commencement of the Dabainas. Atalan Wat Said, the sheikh of that tribe, gave them a most cor- dial reception; and, upon learning their plans, begged them to remain through the rainy season at Tomat. When he found they were resolved to proceed on their way the next morning, he promised them every assistance, and offered to act as their guide. Here the grand river Settite, which is the principal stream of Abyssinia, forms a junction with the Atbara. They had now come to the western frontier of Abyssinia, but since the annexation of the Nubian provinces to Egypt, there has been no safety for life or property «lDon the frontier ; thus a large tract of country, actually forming a portioa of Abyssinia, is uninliabited. CHAPTER IX. Hcsidcnce in Sofi — Aggagccrs, or Ilamran Sword Hunters — Leave Sofi — End oj the Fiamij Season — Katariff- — Hunting Large Game. ON the 29tli of Jul_y, the travellers reached Sofi— a small village of about thirty straw huts, situated near the banks of the Atbara, on a jjlatcau of about twenty acres, bordered on either side by two deep ravines, Avhile below the steep cliff in front of the place flows the river. They were met by tlie sheikh of the village, and by a German who had been a resident there for some years. The name of this man was Florian; he was a stone-mason by trade, and had come out attached to the Austrian Mission at Khartoum, but, preferring a freer life, had become a great hunter. He had built himself a small circular stone-house, with a roof thatched according to Arab fashion ; it was the only stone building in the country. This man was delighted to see Europeans, especially as they were conversant with his language. Subse- quently, Baker engaged him as a hunter, and took his black servant, Richarn, iiito his employ; he also engaged a former companion of Florian, one Jolumii ischmidt, to act as his lieutenant in his proposed White Nile expedition. Unfortunately Florian was soon after killed by a lion. The animal had been wounded by a Tokroori hunter, one of his servants, and was under a bush licking the wound. Florian fired at him, and missed ; the lion immediately crouched for a spring, Florian fired his remaining barrel ; the ball merely grazed the lion, who almost in the same instant bounded forward, and struck him upon the head with a fearful blow of the paw, at the same time it seized him by the throat. The Tokroori hunter, instead of flying from the danger, placed the muzzle of his rifle to the lion's ear, and blew its brains out on the body of bis master. The German had been struck dead, and great difficulty Avas found in extracting the claws of the lion, which had penetrated the skull. Baker had two or three huts built on a pleasant spot just outside Sofi, and passed a season of enjoyment there for some time. He found an abundance of sport, sometimes catching enormous fish ; at other times shooting birds to supply his larder; but more frequently hunting elejshants, rhinoceros, giraffes, and other large game. Before his arrival at Sofi he had heard of the Hamrans, who are described as the most extraordinary hunters in the world. They 181 STANLEY AND AFRICA. hunt and kill all wild animals, from the antclopo to the elephant, with no other weapon than the sword. Four of these aggageers, as they are also called, are more than a match for the most savage elephant. He had intended taking some of these men with him during his exploration of the Abyssinian rivers, and his intentions having become known, a party w^aited on him to engage their services. The Hamrans are distinguished from the other Arab tribes by an extra length of hair, worn parted down the centre, and arranged in long curls ; in other respects there is no perceptible difference in their appearance. They are armed, as are all others, with swords and shields ; the latter being circular, and generally formed by rhinoceros iiide. Tlie style of the shield, and the material of wliich it is made, differs among the several Arab tribes, but the form of the sword is invariably the same. The blade is long and straight, two-edged, with a simple cross handle, having no other guard for the hand than the plain bar, which, at right angles with the hilt, forms the cross. All these blades ai-e made at Sollingen, and are exported to Egypt for the trade of the interior. The only respect in which the swords of the aggageers differ from those in general use, is that they are bound with cord very closely from the guard, for about nine inches along the blade, to enable them to bo grasped by the light hand, while the hilt is held by the left ; the weapon is thus converted into a two-handed sword. "In a long conversation with these men," says Baker, "I found a corroboration of all that I had previously heard of their exploits, and they described the various methods of killing the elephant with the sword. Those hunters who could not afford to purchase horses hunted on foot, in parties not exceeding two persons. Their method was to follow the tracks of an elephant, so as to arrive at their game between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon, at which time the animal is either asleep or extremely listless, and easy to approach. Should they discover the animal asleep, one of the hunters would creep steal- thily towards the head, and with one blow sever the trunk while stretched upon the ground ; in which case, the elephant would start upon his feet, while the huntei's escaped in the confusion of the moment. The trunk severed would cause a hajmorrhage sufficient to ensure the death of the elephant with- in about an hour. On the other hand, should the animal be awake upon their arrival, it would be impossible to approach the trunk ; in such a case, they would creep up from behind, and give a tremendous cut at the back sinew of the hind leg, about a foot above the heel. Such a blow would disable the elephant at once, and would render comparatively easy a second cut to the remaining leg; the arteries being divided, the animal would quickly bleed to death. These were the methods adopted by poor hunters, until, by the sale of ivoiy, they could jiurchase horses for the higher branch of the art. " Provided with horses, the party of hunters should not exceed four. ELEPHANT HUNTING. 185 They start before daybreak, and ride slowly throughout the country in search of elephants, generally keeping along the course of a river until they come upon the tracks where a herd or single elephant may have drunk during the night. "When once upon the tracks, they follow fast towards the retreating game. The elei^hants may be twenty miles distant, but it matters little to the aggageers. At length they discover them, and the hunt begins. The first step is to single out the bull with the largest tusks ; this is the commence- ment of the fight. After a short hunt, the elephant turns upon his pursuers, who scatter and fly from his headlong charge until he gives up the pursuit ; he at length turns to bay when again pressed by the hunters. It is the duty of one man in particular to ride up close to the head of the elephant, and thus to absorb its attention upon himself. This ensures a desperate charge. The greatest coolness and dexterity are tlien required by the hunter, who now. the hunted, must so adapt the speed of his horse to the pace of the elephant, that the enraged beast gains in tlie race until it almost reaches the tail of the horse. In this manner the race continues. "In the meantime, two hunters gallop up behind the elephant, unseen by the animal, whose attention is completely directed to the horse almost within his grasp. With extreme agilit}-, when close to the heels of the ele- phant, one of the hunters, while at full speed, springs to the ground with his drawn sword, as his companion seizes the bridle, and with one dexterous two- handed blow he severs the back sinew. He immediately jumps out of the way and remounts his horse ; but if the blow is successful, the elephant be- comes disabled by the first pressure of its foot upon the ground ; the enormous weight of the animal dislocates the joint, and it is rendered helpless. The hunter who has hitherto led the elephant immediately turns, and, riding to within a few feet of the trunk, he induces the animal to attempt another charge. This, clumsily made, affords an easy opportunity for the aggageers behind to slash the sinew of the remaining leg, and the immense brute is reduced to a stand-still ; it dies of loss of blood in a short time — thus positively/ killed hij one man tvith two strokes of the sword .'" Baker accompanied these hunters on numerous expeditions, and witnessed with admiration their wonderful courage and dexterity. He grew thoroughly tired, however, of Sofi ; and, after spending three months there, determined to cross with his party to the other side of the Atbara, and camp there. On the 15th of September, they crossed the river, Mrs. Baker performing the voyage on a raft formed of her husband's large circular sponging bath, sup- ported by eight inflated skins secured to the bedstead, the whole towed over by hunters swimming in front. Shortly after they had completed their camp a heavy shower of rain fell ; and this proved to be the last of the season. From that moment the burning sun rapidly dried up, not only the soil, but all vegetation. The grass soon began to turn yellow, and by the end of 21 ISO STANLEY AND AFRICA. October tliore was not a green spot to bo seen. The climate now was exceed- ingly unhealthy ; the canijj, however, had no invalids save Mahomet, who had on one occasion so gorged himself with half-putrid fish, tliat he nearly died. Their life in camp was charmingly independent. They were upon Abyssinian territory, but it was uninhabited, and no one interfered with them. Much of the time was spent in fishing, some of the fish weighing upwards of seventy pounds, and of fine flavour. Troops of baboons were numerous, being forced to the river in dry weather for water. These afforded much amusement. "It is very anmsing to watch the great male baboons stalking majestically along, followed by a large herd of all ages, the mothers carrying their little ones upon their backs, the latter with a regular jockey scat riding most comfortably, while at other times they relieve the monotony of the position by sprawling at full length, and holding on by their mothers' back hair. Suddenly a sharp-eyed 3'oung ape discovers a bush well covered with berries, and his greedy munching being quickly observed, a general rush of youngsters takes place,' and much squabbling for the best places ensues among the boys. This ends in great uproar, when down comes a great male, who cuffs one, pulls another by the hair, bites another on the liind quarters just as he thinks he has escaped, drags back a would-be deserter by the tail, and shakes him thoroughly, and thus he shortly restores order, preventing all further disputes by sitting under the bush, and quietly enjoy- ing the berries himself. On the 22nd of November, they prepared for their departure. It was necessary to go from "Wat el Negur, their present halting-place, to Katarifi", to engage men. Upon their arrival there, they were hospitably received by a Greek merchant. The town was a miserable place, composed simply of the usual straw huts of the Arabs. In the bazaar here are Manchester goods, all kinds of perfmnery, glass beads, cowrie shells, various hardware articles of German manufacture, looking-glasses, slippers and sandals, camel ropes and bells, butter, groceries of all kinds, and saddlery. Camels, cattle, and donkeys, are also exposed for sale. Obtaining the necessary number of men, they left Katarlff" and returned to Wat el Xegur. On the 17th of December they left Wat el Negur for Geera on the Settlte, where they bivouacked on the sandy bed of the river. Exactl}' opposite were extensive encampments of the Hamrans, who were congregated in thousands between this point and the Atbara junction. The first day of the New year (1862) was set apart to the sports of the field. With four gun-bearers, and two camels, both of which carried water, a power- ful body of hunters started in search of elephants. The immediate neigh- bourhood was a perfect exhibition of gum arable-bearing mimosas. The gum was in perfection, and the finest quality abounded in beautiful amber-coloured CROCODILE HUNTING. 187 masses upon the stems and branches, vaiying from the size of a nutmeg to that of an orange. They gatlicred a Uirge quantity, but threw it away again, to follow, in a most exciting but unsuccessful chase, two rhinoceros. Moving on, they encamped at a spot, known to the Arabs as Delladilla, and beyond which no European had ever been. Through this romantic wilderness, the Scttite flowed on a clear and beautiful stream, sometimes contracted between cliffs to a width of a hundred yards, at others stretching to three times that distance. The hippopotami were in great numbers ; many were lying beneath the shady trees upon the banks, and splashed into the water on the approach of the travellers ; others were basking in large herds upon the shallows ; while the j'oung calves, supported upon the backs of their mothers, sailed about upon their animated rafts in perfect security. The plentlfulness of this large game furnished opportunity for the most adventurous sport, as the following descrip- tion i^roves : — " A little before sunrise I accomjoanied the howartis, or hippopotamus hunters, for a day's sport. There were numbers of hippos in this part of the river, and we were not long before wo found a herd. The hunters failed in several attempts to harpoon them, but they succeeded in stalking a crocodile after a most peculiar fashion. This large beast was lying upon a sandbank on the opposite margin of the river, close to a bed of rushes. " The howartis, having studied the wind, ascended for about a quarter of a mile, and then swam across the river, harpoon in hand. The two men reached the opposite bank, beneath which they alternately waded or swam down the stream towards the spot upon which the crocodile was lying. Thus advancing under cover of the steep bank, or floating with the stream in deep places, and crawling like crocodiles across the shallows, the two hunters at length arrived at the bank of rushes on the other side of which the monster was bask- ing asleep upon the sand. They were now about waist-deep, and they kept close to the rushes, with their harpoons raised, ready to cast, the moment they should pass the rush-bed and come in view of the crocodile. Thus steadily advancing, they had just arrived at the corner within about eight yards of the crocodile, when the creature either saw them, or obtained their wind ; in an instant it rushed to the water ; at the same moment, the two harpoons were launched with great rapidity by the hunters. One glanced obliquely from the scales ; the other stuck fairly in the tough hide, and the iron, detached from the bamboo, held fiist, while the ambatch float, running on the surface of the water, marked the course of the reptile beneath. " The hunters chose a convenient place and recrossed the stream to our side, apparently not heeding the crocodile more than we should fear a pike when bathing in England. They would not waste their time by securing the crocodile at present, as they wished to kill a hipjDopotamus ; the float would mark the position, and they would be certain to find it later. "We 18S STANLEY AND AFRICA. accordingly continued our search for hippopotami. Tliese animals appeared to be on the qui vive, and, as the hunters once more failed in an attempt, I made a clean shot behind the ear of one and killed her dead. At length we arrived at a large pool in which were several sandbanks covered ■with rushes, and many rocky islands. Among these rocks was a herd of hippopotami, con- sisting of an old bull and several cows ; a young hippo was standing, like an ugly little statue, on a protruding rock, while another infant stood upon its mother's back that listlessly floated on the water. "This was an admirable place for the hunters. The)' desired me to lie down, and then crept into the jungle out of view of the river ; I presently observed them stealthily descending the dry bed about two hundred j^aces above the spot where the hippos were basking behind the rocks. They entered the river, and swam down the centre of the stream towards the rock. This was highly exciting — the hippos were quite unconscious of the approach- ing danger, as, steadily and rapidly, the hunters floated down the strong cur- rent ; they neared the rock, and both heads disappeared as they purjjosely sank out of view ; in a few seconds later they re-appeared at the edge of the rock upon which the young hippo stood. It would be difficult to say which started first, tlie astonished young hippo into the water, or the harpoons from tlie hands of the howartis ! It was the affair of a moment ; the hunters dived directly they had hurled the harpoons, and, swimming for some distance under Avater, they came to the surface, and hastened to the shore lest an infuriated hippopotamus should follow them. One harpoon had missed ; the other had fixed the bull of the herd, at which it had been surely aimed. This was grand sport ! Tlie bull was in the greatest fury, and rose to the surface, snorting and blowing in his impotent rage ; but as the ambatch float was exceedingly large, and this naturally accompanied his movements, he tried to escape from his imaginary j^ersecutor, and dived constantly, only to find his pertinacious attendant close to him on regaining the surface. This was not to last lo7ig ; the howartis were in earnest, and they at once called their party, who, with two of the aggageers, Abou Do and Suleiman, were near at hand ; these men arrived with long ropes that form a portion of the outfit for hippo hunting. " The whole party halted on the edge of the river, while two men swam across with one end of the rope. Upon gaining the opposite bank, I observed that a second rope was made fast to the middle of the main line ; thus upon our side we held the ends of two ropes, while on the opposite side they had only one; accordingly, the point of junction of the two ropes in the centre formed an acute angle. The object of this was soon practically explained. Two men upon our side now each held a rope, and one of these walked about ten yards before the otlier. Upon both sides of the river the people now advanced, dragging the rope on the surface of the water until they reached EIPPOPOTA M US HUNTING. 1 89 the ambatch float that was swimming to and fro, according to the movements of tlio hippopotamus below. By a dexterous jerk of the main line, the float was now placed between the two ropes, and it was immediately secured in the acute angle by bringing together the ends of these ropes on our side. " The men on the opposite bank now dropped their line, and our men hauled in upon the ambatch float that was held fast between the ropes. Thus cleverly made sure, we quickly brought a strain upon the hippo, and, althougli I have had some experience in handling big fish, I never knew one pull so lustily as the amphibious animal that we now alternately coaxed and bullied. He sprang out of the water, and gnashed his huge jaws, snorted with tremen- dous rage, and lashed tlic river into foam; he then dived and foolishly approached us beneath the water. We quickly gathered in the slack line, and took a round turn upon a large rock, within a few feet of the river. The hippo now rose to the surface, about ten yards from the hunters, and, jumping half out of the water, he snapped his great jaws together, endeavouring to catch the rope, but at the same instant two harpoons were launched into his side. Disdaining retreat, and maddened with rage, the furious animal charged from the depths of the river, and, gaining a footing, he reared his bulky form from the surface, came boldly upon the sandbank, and attaclced tlie hunters open-mouthed. He little knew his enemy ; they were not the men to fear a pair of gajoing jaws, armed witli a deadly array of tusks ; but half a dozen lances were hurled at him, some entering his mouth from a distance of five or six paces, at the same time several men threw handfuls of sand into his enormous eyes. This baffled him more than the lances ; he crunched them between his powerful jaws like straws, but he was beaten by the sand, and, shaking his Imge head, he retreated to the river. During his sally upon the shore, two of the hunters had secured the ropes of the harpoons that had been fastened in his body just before his charge ; he was now fixed with three of these deadly instruments, but suddenly one rope gave way, having been bitten through by the enraged beast, who was still beneath the water. " Immediately after this he appeared on the surface, and, without a moment's hesitation, he once more charged furiously from tlie water straight at the hunters, with his huge mouth open to such an extent that he could have accommodated two inside passengers. Suleiman was wild with delight, and springing forward lance in hand, he drove it against the head of the formid- able animal, but without effect. At the same time Abou Do met the hippo sword in hand, reminding me of Perseus slaying the sea-monster that would devour Andromeda, but the sword made a harmless gash, and the lance, already blunted against the rock, refused to j^enetrate the rough hide ; once more handfuls of sand were pelted upon his face, and again repulsed by this blind- ing attack, he was forced to retire to his deep hole and wash it from his eyes. Six times during the fight the valiant bull hippo quitted his watery fortress 100 STANLEY AND AFRICA. and charged resolutely at his jDursucrs ; lie had broken several of their lances in his jaws, other lances had been hurled, and, falling upon the rock, they were blunted, and would not penetrate. The fight had continued for three hours, and the sun was about to set, accordingly the hunters begged rae to give him the coup de grace, as they had hauled him close to the shore, and they fearcJ he would sever the rope with his teeth. I waited for a good opportunity, when he boldly raised his head from the water about three yards from the rifle, and a bullet from the little Fletcher between the eyes closed the last act. This spot was not far from the pyramidical hill beneath which I had fixed our camp, to which I returned after an amusing day's sport." The following day the howartis secured the crocodile. Out of the many descriptions of exciting sport, wc select one or two more : — " The whole day passed fruitlessly ; I had crept t!i rough the thickest thorns in vain. Having abundance of meat, I had refused the most tempting shots at buffaloes and large antelopes, as I had devoted myself exclusively tO' lions. I was much disappointed, as the evening had arrived without a shot having been fired ; and as the sun had nearly set, I wandered slowly towards home. Passing through alternate open glades of a few yards width, hemmed in on all sides by thick jungle, I was carelessly carrying my rifle upon my shoulder, as I pushed my way through the opposing thorns, when a sudden roar, just before me, at once brought the rifle upon full cock, and I saw a magnificent lion standing in the middle of the glade, about ten yards fi'om me ; he had been lying on the ground, and had started to his feet upon hear- ing me approach through the jungle. For an instant he stood in an attitude of attention, as we were hardly visible ; but at the same moment I took a quick but sure shut with the little Fletcher. lie gave a convulsive bound, but rolled over backwards ; before he could recover himself, I fired the left- hand barrel. It was a glorious sight. I had advanced a few steps into the glade, and Hassan had quickly handed rae a spare rifle, while Taher Noor stood by me sword in hand. " The lion in the greatest fury, with his shaggy mane bristled in the air,, roared with death-like growls, as open-mouthed he endeavoured to charge upon us ; but he dragged his hind-quarters on the ground, and I saw imme- diately that the little Fletcher had broken his spine. In his tremendous exertions to attack, he rolled over and over, gnashing his horrible jaws, and tearing holes in the sandy ground at each blow of his tremendous paws that would have crushed a man's skull like an egg-shell. Seeing that he was hors- de-comhat, I took it coolly, as it was already dusk; and the lion having rolled into a dark and thick bush, I thought it would be advisable to defer the final attack, as he would be dead before morning. " On the following morning, before sunrise, I started with nearly all my II UN TING THE LION. 1 9 1 people and a powerful camel, •with the intention of bringing the lion homo entire. I rode my horse Tetcl, Avho had frequently shown great courage, and I wished to prove whether he would advance to the body of a lion. Upon arrival near the spot which we supposed to have been the scene of the encoun- ter, we were rather puzzled, as there was nothing to distinguish the locality ; one place exactly resembled another, as the country was flat and sandy, interspersed with thick jungle of green nabbuk ; we accordingly spread out to beat for the lion. Presently Hadji Ali cried out — ' There he lies, dead I and I immediately rode up to the spot, together with the people. A tremen- dous roar gi-eeted us, as the lion started to his fore-feet, and with his beauti- ful mane erect, and his great hazel eyes flashing fire, he gave a succession of deep short roars, and challenged us to figlit. This was a grand picture ; he looked like a true lord of tlie forest ; but I pitied the poor brute, as he was helpless, and although the spirit was game to the last, his strength was para- lysed by a broken back. " It was a glorious opportunity for the horse. At the first unexpected roar, the camel had bolted with its rider; the horse had for a moment started on one side, and the men had scattered ; but in an instant I had reined Tetel up, and I now rode straight towards the lion, which courted the encounter about twenty paces distant. I halted exactly opposite the noble-looking boast, who, seeing me in advance of the party, increased his rage, and growled deeply, fixing his glance upon tlie horse. I now petted Tetel on the neck, and spoke to him coaxingly ; he gazed intently at the lion, erected his mane and snorted, but showed no signs of retreat. ' Bravo ! old boy !' I said, and encouraging him by caressing his neck with my hand, I touched his flank gently with my heel ; I let him just feel my hand upon the rein, and with a * Come along, old lad,' Tetel slowly, but resolutely advanced step by step towards the infuriated lion, that gi'eeted him with continued growls. The horse several times snorted loudly and stared fixedly at the terrible face before him ; but as I constantly patted and coaxed him, he did not refuse to advance. I checked him when about six yards from the lion. " This would have been a magnificent picture, as the horse, with an astonishing courage,, faced the lion at bay ; both animals kept their eyes fixed upon each other, the one beaming with rage, the other with cool determina- tion. This was enough. I di'opped the reins upon his neck; it was a signal that Tetel perfectly understood, and he stood firm as a rock, for he knew that I was about to fire. I took aim at the head of the glorious but distressed lion, and a bullet from the little Fletcher dropped him dead. Tetel never flinched at a shot. I now dismounted, and having petted and coaxed the horse, I led him up to the body of the lion, which I also patted, and then gave my hand to the horse to smell. He snorted once or twice, and as I released my hold of the reins, and left him entirely free, he slowly lowered his head, and 192 STANLEY AND AFRICA. sniffed the mane of the dead lion : he then turned a few paces upon one side, and commenced eating the withered grass beneath the nabbuk buslies. My Arabs were ^^erfcctly delighted with this extraordinary instance of courage exhibited by the horse. I had known that the beast was disabled, but Tetel had advanced boldly towards the angry jaws of a lion that appeared about to spring. The camel was now brought to the spot and blindfolded, while we endeavoured to get the lion upon its back. As the camel knelt, it required the united exertions of eight men, including myself, to raise the ponderous animal, and to secure it across the saddle. "Although so aclive and cat-like in its movements, a full-grown lion weighs about five hundred and fifty pounds. Having secured it we shortly arrived in camp ; the coiq} d'' ceil was beautiful, as the camel entered the enclosure with the shaggy head and massive paws of the dead lion hanging upon one flank, while tlic tail nearly descended to the ground upon the oppo- site side. It was laid at full length before my wife, to whom the claws were dedicated as a trophy to be worn round the neck as a talisman. Not only are the claws prized by the Arabs, but the moustache of tlie lion is carefully preserved and sewn in a leather envelope, to be worn as an amulet : such a charm is supposed to protect the wearer from the attacks of wild animals." On another occasion, a large bull elephant was discovered drinking. The country around was partly woody, and the ground strewed with fragments of rocks, ill adapted for riding. The elephant had made a desperate charge, scattering the hunters in all directions, and very nearly overtaking Mr. Baker. The animal then retreated into a stronghold composed of rocks and uneven ground, with a few small leafless trees growing in it. " Here the elephant stood facing the party like a statue, not moving a muscle beyond the quick and restless action of the eyes, which were watching on all sides. Two of the aggageers getting into its rear by a wide circuit, two others, one of whom was the renowned Rodur Sherrif, mounted on a thoroughly-trained bay marc, rode slowly towards the animal. Coolly the mare advanced towards her wary antagonist until about- nine yards of its head. The elephant never moved. Not a word was spoken. The perfect stillness was at length broken by a snort from the mare, who gazed intently at the elephant, as though watching for the moment of attack, Rodur coolly sat with his eyes fixed upon those of the ele2:)hant. " With a shrill scream the enormous creature then suddenly dashed on him like an avalanche. Round went the mare as though upon a pivot, away over rocks and stones, flying like a gazelle, with the monkey-like form of Rodur Sherrif leaning forward and looking over his left shoulder as the ele- phant rushed after him. For a moment it appeared as if the mare must be caught. Had she stumbled all would have been lost, but she gained in the race after a few quick bounding strides, and Rodur, still looking behind him, A GGA GEEKS HUNTING THE ELEPHA NT. I n kept his distance, so close, however, to the creature, that its outstretched trunk was within a few feet of the mare's tail. "The two aggageers who had kept in the rear, now dashed forward close to the hind quarters of the furious elephant, Avho, maddened with tlie excitement, heeded nothing but llodur and his mare. When close to the tail of the elephant, the sword of one of the aggagcers flashed from its sheath as, grasping his trusty blade, he leaped nimbly to the ground, while his companion caught the reins of his horse. Two or tliree bounds on foot, with the sword clutched in both hands, and he was close behind the elephant. A bright glance shone like lightning as the sun struck on the descending steel. This was followed by a dull crack, the sword cutting through skin and sinew, and sinking deep into the bone, about twelve inches above the foot. At the next stride, the elephant halted dead sliort in the midst of his tremendous charge. The aggagecr who had struck the blow, vaulted into the saddle Avith his naked sword in hand. At the same moment Rodur turned shar]) rcand, and, again facing the elephant, stooped quickly from the saddle, to pick up from the ground a handful of dirt, which he threw into the face of tlie vicious animal, that once more attempted to rush upon him. It was impossible ; the foot was dislocated, and turned up in front like an old shoe. In an instant the other aggageer leaped to the ground, and again the sharj) sword slashed the remaining leg. The great bull-elephant could not move ! The first cut with the sword had utterly disabled it ; the second was its death- blow ; the arteries of the leg were divided, and the blood spouted in jets from tlic wounds. We were obliged to return immediately to our distant camp, and the Imnters resolved to accompany their camels to the S2:)ot upon the following day. We turned our horses' heads, and rode direct towards home, which we did not reach until nearly midnight, having ridden upwards of sixty miles during the day." The hunting of these men Avas beautiful ; and it was difficult to decide wliich most to admire, the coolness and courage of him who led the elephant, or the extraoi'dinary skill and activity of the aggahr who dealt the fatal blow. The following day, the hunters started with camels and sacks to where they left the dead elephantj but returned at night thoroughly disgusted. Some of the natives had been before them, probably attracted to the carcase by the cloud of vultures that had gathered in the air. Nothing remained but the bones and skull, the flesh and the ivory had been stolen. The tracks of a great number of men were left ujDon the ground, and the aggageers were for- tunate to return without an attack from overwhelming numbers. These hunting excursions sometimes exposed them to danger from other animals than those of which they were in pursuit. Baker tells us how on one occasion he determined to watch for elej^hants, as their tracks were numerous throughout the bed of the river. His wife and two gun-bearers accompanied 19 t STANLEY AND AFRICA. him, and they sat heliiiid an immense tree that grew on tlio bank, exactly above the drinking-place. He watched for hours, until lie and his men fell asleep. Ilis wife alone was awake, and a sudden tug at his sleeve attracted his attention. The moon was bright, and she had heard a noise among the branches of the tree above them ; there were no leaves, so that he quickly observed some large animal upon a thick bough. Tlie men awoke and declared it was a baboon ; but he knew this to be impossible, as the baboon is never solitary. He was just preparing to fire, when down jumped a large leopard within a few feet of them, and vanished before he had time to shoot. It must have caught scent of the party, and quietly ascended the tree to recon- noitre. Another night he received an audacious visit. He was asleep in his tent, when he was suddenly awakened by a slight pull at his sleeve, which was always the signal of his wife if anything was wrong. She whispered that a hyena had been within the tent, but that it had just bolted out, as these animals are so wary that they detect the slightest movement or noise. As a rule, he never shot at hyenas, but, as he feared it might eat their saddles, he just lay in bed with his rifle to his shoulder, pointed towards the tent-door, through which the moon was shining briglitl}'. In a few minutes a grey- looking object stood like an apparition at the entrance, peering into the tent to see if all was right before it entered. He touched the trigger, and the hyena fell dead, with the bullet through its head. It was a regular veteran, as the body was covered with old scars frora continual conflicts with other hyenas. CHAPTER X. The River Royan — Countij of 3Iek Niinmur — Vultures — Gallahat — Tlie Tol:rooris — Rtvcrs Rahad and Binder — Arrival at Khartoum. HAVIISTG- explored the Settitc into tlio gorge of the mountain chain of Abyssinia, Baker turned south, and, at a distance of twelve miles,^ reached the River Royan. During the rainy season, this river is a terrific torrent, and supplies a large body of water to the Settite ; but it runs dry almost immediately upon the cessation of the rains. Descending the bank, the travellers arrived at the margin of the river, ar.d continued their course up the stream along the sandy bed, which formed an excellent road. They camped in a forest of the largest trees tliey had as yet seen in Africa, and joined themselves to a party of hunters Avho were scouring the country for game. After hunting and exploring for some days in company witli this party, Baker determined to follow the bed of the Royan to its junction witli the Settite. He started at daybreak, and, after a long march, arrived at the spot. The entire course of the Royan was extremely rapid, but, at this ex- tremity, it entered a rocky pass between two hills, and leapt, in a succession of grand falls, into a circular basin of about four hundred yards diameter. This peculiar basin was surrounded by high cliffs, covered with ti'ees ; to the left was an island, formed by a rock about sixty feet high ; and at the foot was a deep and narrow gorge, tlirough which the Settite River made its exit from the circle. From this point he traversed the country in all directions, penetrating, upon one occasion, into the very heart of the Base, half-way between the Settite and the River Gash. He visited the country of Mek Ninm:iur, a powerful chief, whose stronghold was upon a lofty table mountain, about five thousand feet high. Continuing his journey in a south-westerly direction, he passed through a country ornamented by extensive cultivation, and numerous villages, till he came to the junction of the two great rivers, Angrab and Salaam. In this beautiful country he remained from the 29th of March to the 14th April, during which time he was always in the saddle, or on foot. While hunting he had frequent opportunities of watching the habits of the vulture and other birds of j^rey. " Throughout all the countries," he 190 STANLEY AND AFRICA. remarks, " that I had traversed, these birds were in enormous numbers. A question has been frequently discussed whether the vulture is directed to his prey by the sense of smell, or by keenness of vision ; I have jDaid much attention to their habits, and, although, there can be no question that their power of scent is great, I feel convinced that all birds of prey are attracted to their food principally by their acuteness of sight. If a vulture were blind, it would starve ; but w^ere the nostrils plugged up with some foreign substance, to destroy its power of smell, it would not materially interfere with its usual mode of hunting. If birds of prey trusted to their nostrils, they would keep as near the ground as possible, like the carrion crow, which I believe is the exception which proves the rule. It is an astounding sight to witness the .sudden arrival of vultures at the death of an animal when a few moments before not a bird has been in sight in the cloudless sky. " I have frequently lain down beneath a bush, after having shot an animal, to watch the arrival of various species of birds in regular succession. They invaiiably appear in the following order : — No. 1, the black and white crow ; this knowing individual is most industrious in seeking for his food, and is gcnerallj^ to be seen cither perched upon rocks, or upon trees; I believe he trusts much to his sense of smell, as he is never far from the ground, at the same time he keeps a vigilant look-out wdth a very sharp pair of eyes. No. 2, is the common buzzard ; this bird, so well known for its extreme daring, is omnijiresent, and trusts generally to sight, as it will stoop at a piece of red cloth in mistake for flesh ; thus pi'oving that it depends more upon vision than smell. No. 3, is the red-faced small vulture. No. 4, is the large bare-throated vulture. No. 5, the marabou stork, sometimes accompanied by the adjutant." " When employed in watching the habits of these birds, it is interesting to make the experiment of concealing a dead animal beneath a dense bush. This I have frequently done ; in which case the vultures never find it unless they have witnessed its death ; if so, they will already have pounced in their descent while you have been engaged in concealing the body ; they will then, upon near approach, discover it by the smell. But, if an animal is killed in thick grass, eight or ten feet high, the vultures will seldom discover it. I have frequently known the bodies of large animals, such as elephants and buffaloes, to lie for days beneath the shade of the dense uabbuk bushes, unattended by a single vulture ; whereas, if visible, they would have been visited by these birds in thousands. Vultures and the marabou stork fly at enormous altitudes. I believe that every species keeps to its own particular elevation, and that the atmosphere contains regular strata of birds of prey, who, invisible to the human eye at their enormous height, are constantly resting upon their wide-spread wings, and soaring in circles, watching with telescopic sight the world beneath. KEEN VISION OF BIRDS OF PREY. 197 "If an animal bo skinned, the red surfac3 will attract the vultures in an Instant; this proves that their sight, and not their scent, has been attracted by an object that suggests blood. I have frequently watched them when I liave shot an animal, and my people have commenced the process of skinning. At first, not a bird has been in sight, as I have lain on my back and gazed into the spotless blue sky; but hardly has the skin been half withdrawn, than specks have appeared in the heavens, rapidly increasing. ' Caw, caw,' has been heard several times from the neighbouring bushes; the buzzards liave swept down close to my people, and have snatched a morsel of clotted blood from the ground. The specks have increased to winged creatures, at llie great height resembling flies, when presently a rushing sound buhind me, like a whirlwind, has been followed by the pounce of a red-faced vulture, that has fallen from the heavens in haste Avith closed wings, to the bloody feast, followed quickly by many of his brethren. The sky has become alive with black specks in the far-distant blue, with wings hurrying from all quar- ters. At length a coronet of steady, soaring vultures, forms a wide circle far above, as they hesitate to descend, but continue to revolve around the object of attraction. Tlie great bare-necked vulture suddenly appears. "The animal has been skinned, and the requii'ed flesh secured by tlio men; we withdraw a hundred paces from tlie scene. A general rush and descent takes place ; hundreds of hungry beaks are tearing at the offal. The great bare-necked vulture claims respect among the crowd; but anotlier form has appeared in the blue sky, and rapidly descends. A pair of long ungainly legs, hanging down beneath the enormous wings, now touch the ground, and Abou Seen (father of the teeth or beak — the Arab name for the marabou) lias arrived, and he stalks proudly towards the crowds, pecking his way with his long bill through tlie struggling vultures, and swallowiug the lion's share of the repast. Abou Seen — last, but not least — had arrived from the highest region, while others had the advantage of the start. This bird is very numei'ous through tlie whole tributaries of Abyssinia, and may generally be seen perched upon the rocks of the waterside, watching for small fish, or any i-eptile that may chance to come within his reach. The well-known feathers are situated in a plume beneath the tail." On the afternoon of the 14th of April, Mr. and Mrs. Baker quitted their camping ground, and in a few days reached Gallabat, the frontier market- town of Abyssinia, in the bottom of a valley surrounded by hills. The day of their arrival was market-day, and crowds of people were in and about the town. As the party descended the hill and arrived on the scene below, with their nine camels heavily laden, with the heads and horns of a multitude of different beasts, they were beset by the throng, who were curious to know whence so strange a caravan had come. Among their visitors was an Abys- sinian merchant — an agreeable and well-informed man, who had boon to 19S STANLEY AND AFRICA. Paris and London, and spoke French and English. The principal trade of Gallabat is in cotton, coffee, bees-wax, and hides; it is tlie great centre of commerce between Abyssinia and the Egyptian provinces. Here they met an Italian merchant from Khartoum, wlio had come to purchase coffee and bees-wax. Two German missionaries arrived also soon after, on their way to preach the gospel in Abyssinia; one of them having, for his special object, the conversion of the Abyssinian Jews to Christianity. In Gallabat and the neighbourhood, there is a large colony of the Tok- rooris, whose ancestors were natives of Darfur, converted to the Jlahom- medan faith after the conquest of Northern Africa by the Arabs. The colony "was first formed by pilgrims to Mecca, and has rapidly increased in the same manner. As the number of settlers multiplied, permission was granted by the King of Abyssinia that they should occupy this portion of his territory, upon payment of taxes as his subjects. The Tokrooris are a fine, powerful race, very black, and of the negro type. They are great drunkards, very quarrelsome, and bad servants ; but when they work for themselves, are exceedingly industrious. Tliey are very independent. They have culti- vated cotton to a considerable extent, notwithstanding the double taxes enforced by both Abyssinians and Egyptians ; and keep their gardens with extreme neatness. They inhabit a district about forty miles long, and num- ber about twenty thousand. They arm themselves with lances of various patterns ; their favourite weapon being a horrible instrument, barbed with a diabolical intention, as it can neither be withdrawn nor pushed completely through the body, but, if once in the flesh, there it must remain. Another curious weapon used by them, is the trombash, somewhat resembling the Australian boomerang. It is a piece of flat, hard wood, about two feet in length, the end of which turns sharply at an angle of about 30°. They throw this with great dexterit}', and inflict severe wounds with the hard and sharp edge ; but, unlike the boomerang, the weapon does not return to the thrower. The women are very powerful, but very plain. They are good workers, rarely idle, and remarkably clean. Several slave merchants had their establishments at Gallabat. They were arranged under large tents made of matting, and contained many young girls of extreme beauty, ranging from nine to seventeen years of age. Their features were delicately^ formed, of a rich brown tint, with eyes like those of tlie gazelle. They were natives of the Galhi, on the borders of Abyssinia, from which country they were brought by the Abyssinian traders to be sold for the Turkish harems. . They are very elegant and graceful in form ; the hands and feet are exquisitely delicate ; the nose aquiline, with large and finely-shaped nostrils ; the hair black and glossy, reaching to about the middle of the back, but rather coarse in texture. They are remarkably quick at learning ; proud and high-sj)irited ; but most captivating in their manners, TEE RIVERS RAIIAD AND BINDER. I'J9 and very affectionate and true. Several Eurojieans of high standing at Khar- toum have married these Abyssinian girls, and have invariably found them devoted and faithful wives. The price of one of these beauties of nature at dallabat was from twenty-five to forty dollars. From Gallabat our travellers pushed on to the River Rahad. At the place where they struck ujjon it, it did not exceed eighty or ninety yards in breadth. Its banks are in many places perpendicular, and are about forty-five feet above the bed. This river flows through rich alluvial soil ; the course is extremely circuitous ; it is free from rocks and shoals ; the stream is gentle, and admirably adapted for small steamers. On the IGth of May, they arrived at the river Binder, a river similar to the Rahad, but larger, the average breadth being about a hundred and ten yards. The banks are about fifty feet high. It is very deep in some places, though the bed in other parts is almost dry ; and the many trunks of fallen trees are serious obstacles to navigation. They continued their journey along the banks of the Dinder for some days, when they made a direct cut across the flat country to cross the Rahad, and reach Abou Plarraz on the Blue Nile. "During the march," says Baker, " over a portion of the country that had been cleared by burning, we met a remarkably curious hunting-party. A number of the common black and white stork were hunting for grasshoppers and other insects, but mounted on the back of each stork was a large copper- •coloured fly-catcher, which, perched like a rider on his horse, kept a bright look-out for insects, which, from its elevated position, it could easily discover upon the ground. I watched them for some time ; whenever the storks per- ceived a grasshopper or other winged insect, they chased them on foot, but, if they missed their game, the fly-catchers darted from their backs and flew after the insects like falcons, catching them in tlieir beaks, and then returning to their steeds, to look out for another opjoortunit}^" On the 23rd of May they arrived at the Rahad, close to its junction with the Blue Nile. Upon arrival at Abou Harraz, four miles to the north of the junction of the two rivers, tliey had marched two hundred and eighty miles from Gallabat. They were now about one hundred and fifteen miles from Khartoum, and stood upon the banks of the magnificent Blue Nile — the last of the Abyssinian affluents. At Abou Harraz, Baker discharged his camels, and endeavoured to engage a boat to convey Mrs. Baker and himself and party to Khartoum, intending thus to avoid the dusty and uninteresting ride of upwards of a hundred miles along the flat banks of the river. There was not, however, a vessel of any kind to be seen, except one miserable affair, for which the owner demanded fourteen hundred piastres for a joassage. He accordingly procured fresh camels, and started, intending to march as rapidly as ])ossible. It was intensely hot, and whenever they felt a breeze it was accompanied by a sufiocating dust ; but the sight of the broad river was cool 200 STANLEY AND AFRICA. and refrc'sliiiij?. During the dry season the Blue Nile is clear, and its broad surface reflects the colour of the blue sky — hence the appellation; but at that time it is extremely shallow, and in many j^laces is fordable at a depth of three feet. Throughout the route from Abou Harraz to Khartoum there is no object of interest ; it is the same vast flat, decreasing rapidly in fertility until it mingles with the desert; and once more, as our travellers journeyed to the north, they left the fertile lands behind, and entered upon sterility. The glare of barren plains, and the heat of the summer's sun, were fearful. On the 11th of June, they arrived opposite to Khartoum. As the morning sun shone upon the capital of the Soudan provinces, they were delighted with the view ; the groves of date-trees shaded the numerous buildings, contrasting tlieir dark- green foliage with the many coloured houses on tlie margin of the beautiful river ; long lines of vessels and masts gave life to the scene, and they felt that once more, after twelve months of utterly wild life, they had reached civilis- ation. Crossing in the large ferry-boat which plied regularly to the town on the south bank, they landed at Khartoum, and, having climbed up the steep bank, inquired the way to the British Consulate. In the centre of a long mud wall, ventilated by frameless windows, they perceived a large archway, with closed doors ; above this entrance was a shield, with a device that glad- dened their eyes — there was the British lion, and the unicorn! This was the English Consulate. Mr. Petherick, the consul, had started from Khartoum in the 23i'eceding March, expecting to meet Speke and Grant in the ujDper portion of the Nile regions, on their road from Zanzibar, and had begged Mr. Baker to occupy some rooms in the Consulate during his absence. ]\[r. Baker gives an amusing account of the state of matters within the English Consulate, which was more like a menagerie than a civilised Euro- pean's house. " We entered," he says, " a large courtyard, and were imme- diately received by two ostriches that came to meet us. These birds enter- tained us by an impromptu race, as hard as they could go round the court- 3'ard, as though ^^erforming in a circus. When this little divertissement was linislKMi wo turned to the right, and were shown by a servant up a flight of steps into a large airy room, that was to be our residence, which, being well protected from the sun, was cool and agreeable. Shortly after our arrival, a vessel arrived from Mr. Petherick's party with unfavourable accounts. They had started too late in the season, owing to some difficulties in pro- curing boats ; and the change of the wind to the south, with violent rain, had caused great suffering, and had retarded their progress. This same boat liad brought two leopards that were to be sent to England : these animals were led into the courtyard, and, having been secured by chains, they formed a valuable addition to the menagerie, Avhich consisted of two wild boars, two leopards, one hyena, two ostriches, and a cijnocephalus, or dog- RESIDENCE A T KHARTOUM. 201 faced baboon, who won my heart by taking an especial fancy to me, because I had a beard like his master. " Although I take a great interest in wild animals, I confess to having an objection to sleep in the Zoological Gardens should all the wild beasts be turned loose. I do not believe that even the Secretary of that learned Society would volunteer to sleep witli the lions ; but as the leopards of the Khartoum Consulate constantly broke their chains, and attacked the dogs and a cow ; and as the hyena occasionally got loose, and the wild boars destroyed their mud wall, and nearly killed one of my Tokrooris during the night, by carv- ing him like a scored leg of pork with their tusks — the fact of sleeping in the open air in the verandah, with the simple protection of a mosquito-net- ting, was full of pleasant excitement, and was a piquantc entertainment that prevented a reaction of ennui after twelve months passed in constant watch- fulness. The shield over the Consulate door, with the lion and the unicorn, was but a sign of the life within ; as the grand picture outside the showman's wagon may exemplify the nature of his exhibition. I enjoyed myself ex- tremel}' with these creatures, especially when the ostriches invited them- selves to tea, and swallowed our slices of water-melons and the greater por- tion of the bread from the table a few moments before we were seated. These birds appeared to enjoy life amazingly : one kind of food was as sweet as another. They attacked a basket of white porcelain beads that had been returned by Mr. Petherick's men, and swallowed them in great numbers in mistake for dhurra, until they wei'e driven off: they were the scavengers of the courtyard, that consumed the dung of the camels and horses, together with all other impurities." For some months they resided at Khartoum, as it was necessary to make extensive preparations for the White Nile expedition, and to await the arrival of the north wind, which would enable them to start early in December. Upon their first arrival in Khartoum, from 11th June until early in October, the heat was very oppressive, the thermometer seldom below 95° Fahr. in the shade, and frequently 100°, while the nights were 82° Fahr. In the winter, the temperature was agreeable, the shade 80°, the night 62° Fahr But the chilliness of the north wind was exceedingly dangerous, as the sudden gusts checked perspiration and produced various maladies, more especiall}- fever. They had been extremely fortunate, for although exposed for more than a year in the burning sun, they had had remarkably good healtli, with the exception of one severe attack which Mrs. Baker had at Sofi. The first portion of their task was completed. They had visited all the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia — the Atbara, Settite, Salaam, Angrab, Rahad, Binder, and the gi-eat Blue Nile, that had been traced to its source by Bruce. The difficult task still lay before them, of penetrating the unknown regions in the distant south, to discover the White Nile source. Speke and Grant were 2G 203 STANLEY AND AFRICA. on their road from Zanzibar, making their way across untrodden ground, towards Gondokoro. Petherick's expedition to assist them had met with mis- fortune, and been greatly delayed ; and Mr. Baker therefore hoped to reach the equator, and perhaps to meet the Zanzibar explorers somewhere about the sources of the Nile. CHAPTER XI. Khartoum — The White Nile Trade — Departure from Khartoum — The Shilloolcs — Sohat River-— Bahr El Gazal— Native Tribes— Arrival at Gondokoro—Mcet- ing tvith S2}cke and Grant. KHARTOUM is the capital of the Soudan provinces, and is situated in lat. 15° 29', on the point of huid forming the angle between the AVhite and Blue Niles at their junction. It has a population of thirty thousand inhabit- ants. The dwellings are mostly huts of sun-burnt bricks. It extends over a flat hardly above the level of the river at high water, and is occasionally flooded. It has neither drains nor cesspools ; the streets are full of all sorts of nuisances, and abound in offensive smells. It is impossible to imagine a more wretched, filthy, and unh.ealthy spot. There are some respectable houses, occupied by the traders of the country ; a few of whom are French, German, and Italian. The general population is made up of Greeks, Copts, Syrians, Armenians, Turks, Arabs, and Egyptians. In spite of its unhealthi- ness, it is the general emporium for the trade of the Soudan, from which the productions of the country, such as ivory, hides, senna, gum arable, and bees- wax, are transported to Lower Egypt. These exports are all natural pro- ductions ; and have nothing in tlicm to exhibit or promote the industry or capacity of the natives of the Soudan. Khartoum lives on what is called the White Nile trade, "Without the White Nile trade," says Baker, " Khartoum would almost cease to exist ; and that trade is kidnapping and murder. Tlie character of the Khartouniers needs no further comment. The amount of ivory brought down from the AVhite Nile is a mere bagatelle as an export, the annual value being £40,000. The people for the most part engaged in the nefarious traffic of the White Nile are Syrians, Copts, Turks, Circassians, and some few Europeans. So closely connected with the difficulties of my expedition is that accursed slave-trade, that the so-called ivory trade of the White Nile requires an explanation. " Throughout the Soudan money is exceedingly scarce, and the rate of interest exorbitant, varying, according to the securities, from thirty-six to eighty per cent. ; this fact proves general poverty and dishonesty, and acts as a preventive to all improvement. So high and fatal a rate deters all honest enterprise, and the country must lie in ruin under such a system. The wild 201 STANLEY AND AFRICA. f peculator borrows upon such terms, to rise suddenly like a rocket, or to fall like its exhausted stick. Thus, honest enterprise being impossible, dishonesty takes the lead, and a successful expedition to the White Nile is supposed to overcome all charges. Thei'e are two classes of White Nile traders, the one possessing capital, the other being penniless adventurers ; the same system of operations is pursued by both, but that of the former will be evident from the descrijition of the latter. "A man without means forms an expedition, and borrows money for this purpose at 100 per cent, after this fashion. He agrees to repay the lender in ivory at one half its market value. Having obtained the required sum, he hires several vessels, and engages from one hundred to three hundred men, composed of Arabs and runaway villains from distant countries, who have found an asylum from justice in the obscurity of Khartoum. He purchases guns and large quantities of ammunition fm- his men, together with a few hun- dred pounds of glass beads. The piratical expedition being complete, he pays his men five months' wages in advance, at the rate of forty-five piastres (nine shillings) per month, and agrees to give them eighty piastres j^er month for any jjcriod exceeding the five months advanced. His men receive their advance j^artly in cash and partly in cotton stuffs for clothes, at an exorbitant price. Every man has a strip of pajDer, upon which is written by the clerk of the expedition the amount he has received, both in goods and money ; and this paper he must produce at the final settlement. " The vessels sail about December, and on arrival at the desired locality, the paity disembark and proceed into the interior, until they arrive at the village of some negro chief, with whom they establish an intimacy. Charmed with his new friends, the power of whose weapons he acknowledges, the negro chief does not neglect the opportunity of seeking their alliance to attack a hostile neighbour. Marching throughout the night, guided by their negro hosts, they bivouac within an hour's march of the unsuspecting village doomed lo an attack, about half an hour before break of day. The time arrives, and quietly surrounding the village while its occupants are still sleeping, they fire the grass huts in all directions, and pour volleys of musketry through the flaming thatch. Panic-stricken, the unfortunate victims rush from their bui'n- ing dwellings, and the men are shot down like pheasants in a battue, while the women and children, bewildered in the danger and confusion, are kid- napped and secured. The herds of cattle, still within their kraal or ' zareeba,' are easily disposed of, and are driven ofi" with great rejoicing, as the prize of victory. The women and children are then fastened together, the former secured by an instrument called a sheba, made of a forked pole, the neck of the prisoner fitting into the fork, secured by a cross piece lashed behind, while the wrists, brought together in advance of the body, are tied to the pole. The children are then fastened bv their necks with a rope attached to the THE WHITE NILE TRADE. 20c women, and thus form a living chain, in which order they are marched to tlie head-quarters in company with the captured herds. " This is the conimenccnicnt of business ; should there be ivory in any of the huts not destroyed by the fire, it is appropriated ; a general plunder takes place. The traders' party dig up the floors of tlie liuts, to search for iron hoes, which are generally thus concealed, as the greatest treasure of the negroes ; the granaries are overturned and wantonly destroyed, and the hands are cut off the bodies of the slain, the more easily to detach the copper or iron bracelets tliat are usually worn. With this booty, the traders return to their negro ally ; they have thrashed and discomfited his enemy, which delights him ; they present him witli thirty or forty head of cattle, which intoxicates him with joy, and a present of a pretty little captive girl, of about fourteen, corajjletes his happiness. " But business is only commenced. The negro covets cattle, and tliD trader has now captured, perhaps, two thousand head. They are to be had for ivory, and shortly the tusks appear. Ivoiy is daily brought into camp in exchange for cattle, a tusk for a cow, according to size— a profitable busi- ness, as the cows have cost nothing. The trade proves brisk, but still there remain some little customs to be observed — some slight formalities, well understood by the White Nile trade. The slaves, and two-thirds of the captured cattle, belong to the trader, but his men claim, as their perquisite, one-third of the stolen animals. These having been divided, the slaves are put up to public auction among the men, who purchase such as they require ; the amount being entei-ed on the papers (serki) of the purchasers, to be reckoned against their wages. To avoid the exposure, should the document fall into the hands of the government or European consuls, the amount is not entered as for the purchase of a slave, but is divided for fictitious sup- plies. Thus, should a slave be purchased for one thousand piastres, that amount would appear on the document somewhat as follows: — (C Soap 50 Piastres Tarboash (cap) 100 Araki 500 Shoes 200 Cotton cloth 150 1,000 " The slaves sold to the men are constantly being changed and resold among themselves; but should the relatives of the kidnapped women and children wish to ransom them, the trader takes them from his men, cancels the amount of purchase, and restores them to their relations for a certain 20G STANLEY AND AFRICA. number of elephants' tusks, as may be agreed upon. Should any slave attempt to escape, she is punished cither by brutal flogging, or shot, or hanged, as a warning to others. An attack, or razzia, such as described, generally leads to a quarrel with the negro ally, who, in his turn, is murdered and plundered by the trader — his women and children naturally becoming slaves. A good season for a party of a hundred and fifty men should pro- duce about two hundred cantars (twenty thousand lbs.) of ivory, valued at Khartoum at four thousand pounds. The men being paid in slaves, the wages should be nil, and there should be a surplus of four or five hundred slaves for the trader's own profit — worth, on an average, five to six pound* each. " The boats are accordingly jjacked with a human cargo, and a portion of the trader's men accompany them to the Soudan, while the remainder of the party form a camp or settlement in the country they have adopted, and industriously plunder, massacre, and enslave, until their master's return with boats from Khartoum in the following season, by which time they are supposed to have a cargo of slaves and ivory ready for shipment. The busi- ness thus thoroughly established, the slaves are landed at various points within a few days' journey of Khartoum, at which places are agents, or purchasers, waiting to receive them with dollars prepared for cash payments. The purchasers and dealers are, for the most part, Arabs, The slaves are then marched across the country to difterent places ; many to Sennaar, where they are sold to other dealers, who sell them to the Arabs and Turks. Others- are taken immense distances to ports on the l\ed Sea, Souakim, and Masowa, there to be shipped for Arabia and Persia. Many are sent to Cairo; and, in fact, they are disseminated throughout the slave-dealing East, the Wliite Nile being the great nursery for the supply. The amiable trader returns from the White Nile to Khartoum ; hands over to his creditor sufiicient ivory to liquidate the original loan of £1,000, and, already a man of capital, he commences as an independent trader." Such was the White Nile trade when Baker jirejjared to start from Khar- toum on his expedition to the Nile sources. The place was a nest of slave- traders, who looked with jealous eyes upon every stranger venturing within the precincts of their holy land, sacred, as Mr. Baker observes, to slaver}' and to every abomination and villany that man can commit. The Turkish ofiicers pretended to discountenance slavery ; yet every house was full of slaves, and Egyptian ofiicers received part of their pay in slaves. The autho- rities, therefore, looked upon the proposed exploration of the White Nile by a European traveller as likely to interfere with their perquisites, and so threw ever}' obstacle in his way. As the government of Soudan refused to com^Dly with his request for an escort of properly-trained soldiers, the only men he could get were the miserable cut-throats of Khartoum, who had been accus- THE SHILLOOKS. 207 tonicd all their lives to murder and robbery in the "White Nile trade. On tho ISth December, 18G2, Tliursday, one of tho most lucky days for starting, according to Arab superstition, Mr. Baker and his wife left Khartoum. Three vessels had been engaged, and were laden with large quantities of stores, with four hundred bushels of corn, and twenty-nine transport animals, camels, horses, and donkeys. Their party consisted of ninety-six souls, including Joliann Schmidt and tho fliithful black, Richarn, and fifty-nine "\\-cll-armed men. On the 30th, poor Joliann Schmidt, who was ill at starting, departed this life. Mr. Baker's entry concerning his death is very toucliing: — " GOtli Dec. Johann is in a dj'ing state, but sensible ; all his hopes, poor fellow, of saving money in my service, and returning to Bavaria, arc past. I sat by his bed for some hours; there was not a ray of hope; he could speak with difficulty, and tho flics walked across his glazed eyeballs without his knowledge. Gently bathing his face and hands, I asked him if I could deliver any mes- sage to his relatives. He faintly uttered, ' I am prepared to die ; I have neither parents or relations; but there is one — she' — . lie faltered; he could not finish his sentence ; but his dying tlioughts were with one he loved — far, far away from this wild and miserable land, his spirit was trans- ported to his native village, and to the object that made life dear to him." New Year's day, 18G3, saw them at the village of Mahomed Her, in the Shillook country. The Shillooks are the largest and most powerful black tribe on the banks of the White Nile. They are wealthy, and possess immense herds of cattle. Their dwellings are mud-huts, thatched, having a very small entrance, looking at a distance like rows of button mushrooms. They navigate the river on their raft-like canoes, formed of the ambatcli- Avood, which is so light that they can very easily carry their vessels about. The ambatch-tree is about the thickness of a man's waist, and tapers to a point; it is therefore easily cut down; and several of them being lashed l)arallel to each other, and the ends tied together, the raft is made. Tho voyagers reached tho junction of the Sobat with the Nile on Jan. 8rd. Tliis river is not more than a hundred and twenty yards in breadtli ; its stream is about two miles and a half an hour. The quality of the water is superior, and suggests a mountain origin. "Within a few days' sail of the junction it divides into seven branches, all shallow, and with a rapid current. At the junction the depth is from twenty-six to twenty-eight feet. Gliding along the dead water of the White Nile, they came to the Bahr el Gazal. The junction of this river with the Nile has the appearance of a lake about three miles long by one bi'oad. There is no stream from the Bahr el Gazal, and it has the appearance of a backwater formed by the Nile. The water is perfectly clear and dead. It extends due west for a great distance, and is a system of marshes, stagnant water ovei'grown by rushes and ambatch-wood. 208 STANLEY AND AFRICA. tliioug]i -\vliicli a channel requires to be cleared to permit the passage of a boat. As they ascended the Nile, the general appearance of tlie banks of tlie river was uninteresting in the extreme. Sometimes they could see nothing but vast marshes, and at others an immense expanse of sandy desert, with huge ant-hills ten feet high rising above them. They stopped on the 13th, near a village on the right bank, and here they saw the first natives. They belonged to the Nuchr tribe. They were most unearthly-looking, naked as they came into the world. Even the young women were destitute of clothing, though the married had a fringe made of grass round their loins. The men wore heavy coils of beads about their necks, two heavy bracelets of ivory on the upper portions of their arms, copper rings upon the wrists, and a horrible kind of bracelet of massive iron, armed with spikes about an inch in length, like lco2)ards' claws. The v.'omen perforate the upper lip, and wear an orna- ment about four inches long of beads upon an iron wire, which projects like the horn of a rhinoceros. To show the use of the spiked iron bracelet, the chief exhibited his wife's arms and back, covered with jagged scars. The men are tull and jjowerful, armed with lances. They carry pipes that con- tain nearly a quarter of a pound of tobacco, in which, when they have no tobacco, the}' smoke simple charcoal, the carbonic acid gas of which produces a slight feeling of intoxication that delights them. The chief's forehead was tattooed in horizontal lines, and the hair was drawn back from the face. At the Zareeba, or station of a White Nile trader, named Binder, an Austrian subject, they were visited by the chief of the Kytch tribe and his daughter, a giil of about sixteen, better-looking than most of her race. The father wore a leopard-skin across his shoulder, and a skull-caji of white beads, with a crest of white ostrich feathers. This was his entire clothing. The daughter's clotliing consisted only of a piece of dressed hide hanging over one shoulder, evidently more for ornament than use. The men, tliough tall, were wretchedly thin ; the children were mere skeletons ; and the whole tribe appeared thorougldy starved. Their miseiy is beyond description. They will not kill their cattle, nor taste meat, unless an animal dies of sickness. They will not work, existing only upon rats, lizards, snakes, and such fish as they can spear. They will spend hours in digging out field-mice from their burrows. Tliey devour both the skins and bones of dead animals ; pounding the bones between stones till they are reduced to powder, and then boiling them into a kind of joorridge. In every herd of cattle, they have a sacred bull, who is supposed to have an influence over the prosperity of the rest. Plis horns are ornamented with tufts of feathers, and frequently with small bells, and he invariably leads the great lierd to pasture. Passing Aboukooka, the establishment of a French trader, and the Austrian mission-station of St. Croix, they arrived, on the 30th, at the country --IP'S-! 1 R A V E L U N G OM A LI 11 E R. THE SHIR TRIBE. 209 of the Shir tribe. The men of this tribe arm themselves with well-made ebony clubs, two lances, a bow (always strung), and a bundle of arrows ; their hands are completely full of weapons; and they carry a neatly-made miniature stool slung upon their backs, in addition to an immense pipe. " The women cany their children very conveniently in a skin, slung from their shoulders across the back, and secured by a thong round the Avaist; in this the young savage sits delightfully. The huts tliroughout all tribes are cir- cular, with entrances so low that the natives creep both in and out on their hands and knees. Tlie men wear tufts of cocks' feathers on the crown of the head ; and the favourite attitude, when standing, is on one leg while leaning on a speai', the foot of the raised leg resting on the inside of tlie other knee. Their arrows are about three feet long, without feathers, and pointed witli hard wood instead of iron, that metal being scarce among the Shir tribe. The most valuable article of barter for this tribe is the iron hoe generally used among the White Nile negroes. The finery most prized by the women are polished iron-anklets, which they wear in such numbers that they reach nearly half way ujd the calf of the leg : the tinkling of these lings is con- sidered to be very enticing, but the sound reminds one of the clanking of convicts' fetters." The women arc very clever in making baskets and mats of the leaf of the dome-palm, and girdles and necklaces of minute i^icces of mussel-shells, threaded upon the hair of the giraffe's tail. The}^ gather the ripe pods of the lotus, and, grinding the seed into flour, make it into a kind of l^orridge. After a most uninteresting and wearisome voyage, our travellers reached Gondckoro. Here Baker found a number of men belonging to the various traders, wlio looked upon him with the greatest suspicion. They would not belieA'e that his object was simply travel and discovery, but regarded him as a spy upon their nefarious ivory business and slave-hunting. He found Gondckoro a great improvement upon the interminable marshes through which he had been sailing. Formerly it was a mission-station, and the ruins of tlie brick establishment and church still remain, together with the wreck of what was once a garden. Now, however, a few miserable grass huts arc all that give the place a name. The climate is hot and unhealthy, and it is merely occupied about two months in the year as a station by the ivory traders. As Baker heard that a party were expected there from the interior with ivory in a few days, he determined to await their arrival, in the hojDe that their porters would be ready to carry his baggage. He housed his corn, and gave an order to deliver one-half to Speke and Grant, should they arrive during his absence in the interior ; as he thought they might arrive by some route without his knowledge, while he was penetrating south. While waitin"- for the party from the interior, he rode about the neighbourhood, studvinf 27 210 STANLEY AND AFRICA. tlic place and people. '• The native dwellings," he says, " are the perfection of cleanliness ; the domicile of each family is surrounded by a hedge of the imjjenetrable euphorbia, and the interior of the enclosure generally consists of a yard neatly plastered with a cement of ashes, cow-dung, and sand. Upon this cleanlj'-swept surface are one or more huts, surrounded by granaries of neat wicker-work, thatched, resting upon raised platforms. The huts have projecting roofs in order to aflfcrd a shade, and the entrance is usually about two feet high. " When a member of the family dies he is buried in the yard ; a few ox- horns and skulls are susjjcnded on a pole above the spot, while tlie top of tlie pole is ornamented with a bunch of cocks' feathers. Every man carries liis weapons, pipe, and stool, tlie whole (except the stool) being held between his legs when standing. Thtse natives of Gondokoro are the Bari: the men are well grown, the women arc not prepossessing, but the negro type of tliick lips and flat nose is wanting ; their features are good, and the -woolly hair alone denotes the trace of negro blood. They are tattooed upon the stomach, sides, and back so closely, that it has the appearance of a broad bolt of fish-scales, more especially wlicn they are rubbed Avith red ochre, which is the prevailing fashion. This pigment is made of a peculiar clay, rich in oxide of iron, which, when burnt, is reduced to powdei-, and then formed into lumps like pieces of soap ; both sexes anoint themselves with this ochre, formed into a paste by the admixture of grease, giving themselves the appearance of new red bricks. The cnly hair upon their persons is a small tuft upon the crown of the head, in which they stick one or more feathers. The women are generall}- free from hair, their heads being shaved. They wear a neat little laj3pet, about six inches long, of beads, or of small iron rings, Avorkcd like a coat of mail, in lieu of a fig-leaf, and the usual tail of fine shreds of leather or twine, spun from indigenous cotton, pendant liehind. Both the lappet and tail are fastened on a belt which is worn round the loins, like those in the Shir tribe; thus, the toilette is completed at once. It would be highly useful, could they only wag their tails to whisk off the flies, which are torments in this countr}'." "The cattle are very small; the goats and sheep are quite Lilliputian, but they generally give three at a birth, and thus multiply quickl}-. The people of the country were formerly friendly, but the Kliartoumers pillage and murder them at discretion in all directions ; thus, in revenge, they will shoot a j^oisoned arrow at a stranger unless he is powerfully escorted. The effect of the poison used for the arrow-heads is very extraordinary. A man came to me for medical aid ; five months ago he had been wounded by a poisoned arrow in the leg, below the calf, and the entire foot had been eaten away by the action of the poison. Tlie bone rotted through just above the ankle, and the foot dropped off. Tlie most violent poison is the produce of POISONED A RRO WS. 2 1 1 the root of a tree, whose milky juice yields a resin that is smeared upon tlio arrow. It is brought from a great distance, from some country far west of Gondokoro. The juice of the species of euphorbia, common in these coun- tries, is also used for jooisoning arrows. Boiled to the consistence of tar, it it is then smeared upon the blade. The action of tlie poison is to corrode the flesh, which loses its fibre, and drops away like jelly, after severe inflam- mation and swelling." " The arrows are barbed with diabolical ingenuity ; some are arranged with poisoned heads that fit into sockets ; tliese detach from the arrow on an attemjDt to withdraw them ; thus the barbed blade, thickly smeared with poison, remains in the wound, and before it can be cut out, the poison is- absorbed into the system. Fortunately, the natives are bad archers. The bows are invariably made of the male bamboo, and are kept perpetually strung ; they are exceedingly stiff, but not very elastic, and the arrows are devoid of feathers, being simple reeds or other light wood, about three feet- long, and slightly knobbed at the base as a hold for the finger and thumb ; tljo string is never drawn with the two fore-fingers, as in most countries, but is- simply pulled by holding the arrow between the middle joint of the fore- finger and the thumb. A stiff bow drawn in this manner has very little power; accordingly, the extreme range seldom exceeds a hundred and ten yards." Gondokoro was a perfect hell — a mere colony of cut-throats. The Egyptians might easily have sent a few ofiiccrs and two or three hundred men from Khartoum to form a military government, and thus impede the slave-trade ; but a bribe from the traders to the authorities was sufficient to ensure an uninterrupted asylum for any amount of villany. The camps were full of slaves, and the Bari natives assured Mr. Baker that there was a large depot of slaves in the interior, belonging to the traders, that would be marched to Gondokoro for shipment a few hours after his departure. He was looked upon as a stumbling-block to the trade. Several attem2:)ts were made to shoot him, and a boy was killed, by a shot from the shore, on board his vessel. His men were immediately tampered Avith by the traders, and signs of discontent soon appeared among them. They declared that they had not enough of meat, and requested to be allowed to make a raszia upon the cattle of the natives, that they might procure oxen. This demand being refused, they became more insolent, and, accordingly, Mr. Baker ordered the ringleader, an Arab, to be seized, and to receive twenty-five lashes. Upon Saat, his vakeel, advancing to seize him, there was a general nmtiny. Many of the men threw down their guns, and, taking up sticks, rushed to the Arab's rescue. Mr. Baker, on this, sprang forward, sent the leader by a blow of his fist into their midst, and then, grasping him by the throat, called to Saat for a rope to bind him. The men, still intent on their object, surrounded Mr. Baker,. 212 STANLEY AND AFRICA. when his wife, landing from the vessel, made lier way to the spot. Her sudden iippcarance caused the mutineers to hesitate, when I\Ir. Baker, seizing the moment of indecision, shouted to the drummer-boy to beat the drum, and then ordered the men to fall in. Two-thirds obeyed, and formed in lino, wliile the remainder retreated with their ringleader. At this critical mo- ment Mrs. Baker implored her husband to forgive the mutineer, if he would kiss his hand and beg his pardon. This compromise completely won tlie men, who now called upon their ringleader to apologise, and all would be right. This he did, and Baker, having made them rather a bitter speech, dismissed them. It was now, however, apparent that his escort would give him more trouble than the open hostility of the native tribes. A few days afterwai'ds, on the 15th of February, guns were heard in tlie distance, and news came that two white men had ai-rived from the se:i ! They proved to be Speke and Grant, who had just come from the Victoria Nyanza. Both looked travel-worn. Speke was excessively lean, but in reality in good condition. Grant's garments were well-nigh worn out ; but both of them had that fire in the eye which showed the spii'it that had led them through many dangers. They wislied to leave Gondokoro as soon as pos- sible, but delayed their departure until the moon should be in a position for an observation for determining the latitude. The travellers had much plea- sant talk together ; Speke and Grant relating what they had discovered, and what they thought remained to be done, and giving to Baker all the help in their power; and Baker congratulating them on their achievements, and expressing a hope that he might be able to complete the work. On the 20tli (jf February, Mr. and Mrs. Petherick arrived, with their people and ivorj', at Gondokoro, from the Niambara, a trading station seventy miles to the west, and were surjDriscd . 218 STANLEY AND AFRICA. After turning a sharp angle of the mountain, they reached a spot whence they commanded a lovely view. The valley of Ell^'ria was about four hun- dred feet below, at about a mile distant. Beautiful mountains, some two or three thousand feet high, of grey granite, walled in the narrow vale ; while the landscape of forest and plains was bounded at about fifty or sixty miles distance to the east by the blue mountains of Latooka. The whole country was a series of natural forts, occupied by a large population. In sjiite of his forced march, Baker found that the Turkish trading party had kej^t up with him, and were likely to enter EUyria before him. Just at the entrance to the place they passed him. As they were passing, Mrs. Baker advised her husband to call Ibrahim, the leader, and make another attempt to secure his friendship. He hearkened to the suggestion ; and, assisted by the clever and earnest pleadings of Mrs. Baker, he succeeded in winning Ibrahim over, and inducing him to render him all the assistance in his power. The success of this measure our traveller gave entirely to his wife ; for he says had he been alone, he would have been too proud to have sought the friendship of tlie sullen trader, and the moment on which success depended would have been lost. No sooner did they reach Ellyria than crowds of natives issued from the palisaded villages on the mountain, and gathered round them. They were entirely naked, and precisely the same as tlie Bari. Their chief, Legge, was among them, who received a present from Ibrahim of a large red cotton shirt, and assumed an air of great importance. He immediately began to ask Baker for the tribute he expected to receive as "black mail" for the right of entree into his country. He had a most villanous countenance — ferocity, avarice, and sensuality, being stamped upon it in every part ; and all his conduct corre- sponded with his appearance. His formation of head was similar to that of the rest of the tribe. The Bari, and the tribes of Tollogo and Ellyria, have generally bullet-shaped heads, low foreheads, skulls heavy behind the ears and above the nape of the neck ; altogether their appearance is excessively brutal, and they are armed with bows six feet long, and arrows hon-ibly barbed and j)oisoned. Legge is a large trader in ivory, sending iron hoes, which they make in his country, into the Bari and Galla countries, to pur- chase it. He then exchanges it with the Turks for cattle. Although he sells it so dear that he demands twenty cows for a large tusk, it is a convenient station for the traders, as, being near to Grondokoro, there is very little trouble in delivering the ivory on ship-board. On the 30th of March, they started from Ellyria. As they journeyed, Ibrahim, in conversation, confirmed the report of Saat as to the intended mutiny and desertion of Baker's men as soon as they reached Latooka. When they arrived at the Kanieti river, although there had been no rain, the stream was very rapid, and up to the girths of the horses at the ford. The banks LA TOOK A A ND THE LA TOOK A S. 219 were abrupt and about fifteen feet deep, tlio bed, between forty and fifty yards wide. The stream emptied itself into tUc Sobat, and so j^assed into the Nile. Having scrambled up the bank, they crossed a field of dhurra, and came to the village of Wakkala. Here, they found about seven hundred houses, strongly protected by palisades, formed of the hard iron wood of the country. Aruund the palisades was a hedge of impervious thorns, growing to a height of about twenty feet. The entrance was a curious archway, about ten feet deep, formed of the palisades ; the whole of the village thus fenced is situated in the midst of a splendid forest of large timbers. The inhabit- ants are governed by an independent chief, and ai^e great hunters ; and Baker was able, in the immediate neighbourhood, to enjoy his favourite sport. Going due east, they came to Latome, one of the principal places of Latooka, and strongly palisaded, like Wakkala. Here, they found an ivory, or slave- trading party, under the leadersliip of one Mahommed Her, and here, at length, the mutiny broke out of which Baker had more than once been warned. By his presence of mind, tact, and fearless courage, just at the right moment, he entirely defeated the mutineers, and frustrated their plot, though some of them deserted to Mahonuned Her. When he heard of their desertion, he exclaimed, in the hearing of his own men, and Ibrahim's party, " Inshallah, the vultures shall pick their bones !" and as they believed firmly in the effect of curses, their superstitious fears were immediately excited. The country was now very beautiful. They were at the base of the Lafeet mountain, which rose abruptly on their left to the height of about three thousand feet. The course of the valley was from south-east to north-west, about forty miles long by eighteen miles wide ; the flat bottom was diversified by woods, thick jungles, open plains, and forest. The south side of the val- ley was bounded by a high range of mountains, rising to six or seven thou- sand feet above the general level of Latooka, while the extreme end was almost blocked by a noble but isolated mountain of about five thousand feet. The road was sandy but firm, and they travelled with ease. Continuing their march, they came to TarrangoUe, the chief town of Latooka, at which point was the station of Ibrahim. They had marched thirteen miles from Latome, the station of Mahommed Her, at which place Baker's men had deserted him, and they were now a hundred and one miles from Gondokoro. Crowds of people surrounded them, amazed to see camels, and people with a white skin. '- " The Latookas," says Baker, " are the finest savages I have ever seen. I measured a number of them as they happened to enter my tent, and allowing two inches for the thickness of their felt helmets, the average height was 5 feet 11^ inches. Not only are they tall, but they possess a wonderful muscular development, having beautifully proportioned legs and arms ; and, although extremely powerful, they are never fleshy or corpulent. The formation of 2:20 STANLEY AND AFRICA. Lead and general physiognomy is totally dlfl'erent from all other tribes tliat I liave met with in the neighbourhood of the White Nile. They have higli foreheads, large eyes, rather high cheek-bones, mouths not very large, m'cU- sliapcd, and the lips rather full. They have all a remarkably jjleasing cast of countenance, and are a great contrast to the other tribes in civility of manner. Altogether their appearance denotes a Galla origin, and it is most jH-obablc that, at some former period, an invasion by the Gallas of this country origi- nated the settlement of the Latookas. '• They are a fine, frank and warlike race. Far from being the morose set of savages that I had hitherto seen, they were excessively merry, and always ready for either a laugh or a fight. The town of Tarrangolle con- tained about three thousand houses, and was not only surrounded by iron- wood palisades, but every house was individually fortified by a little stock- aded courtyard. The cattle were kept in large kraals in A'arious parts of the town, and were most carefully attended to, fires being lit every night to pro- tect them from flies ; and high platforms, in three tiers, were erected in many places, upon which sentinels watched both day and night to give the alarm in case of danger. The cattle are the wealth of the country-; and so rich are the Latookas in oxen, that the natives are ever on the watch, fearing the attacks of the adjacent tribes. " The houses of the Latookas are generally bell-shaped, while others are precisely like huge candle-extinguishers, about twenty-five feet high. The roofs are neatl}' thatched, at an angle of about 75°, resting upon a cir- cular wall about four feet high ; thus the roof forms a cap descending to within two feet and a half of the ground. The door-way is only two feet and two inches high, thus an entrance must be effected upon all-fours. The interior is remarkably clean, but dark, as the architects have no idea of windows. The town of Tarrangolle is arranged with several entrances, in the shape of low archways through the palisades : they are closed at night by large branches of the hooked thorn of the kittur bush (a species of mimosa). The principal street is broad, but all the others are studiously- arranged to admit of only one cow, in single file, between high stockades j thus, in the event of an attack, these naiTOw passages could be easily de- fended, and it would be impossible to drive ofi" their immense herds of cattle unless by the main street. The large cattle kraals are accordingly arranged in various quarters in connection with the great road, and the entrance of each kraal is a small archway in the strong iron-wood fence, sufficiently wide to admit one ox at a time. Suspended from the arch is a bell, formed of the shell of the Dolape palm-nut, against which every animal must strike either its horns or back on entrance. Every tinkling of the bell announces the jiassage of an ox into the kraal, and they are thus counted every evening ■when brought home from pasture. LATOOKA CUSTOMS. 221 " I had noticed, during the niarcli from Latome, that the vicinity of every town was announced by heaps of human remains. Bones and skulls formed a Golgotha within a quarter of a mile from every village. Some of the.se were in earthenware pots, generally broken ; others lay strewn liere and there ; while a heap in the centre showed that some form had originally been preserved in their disposition. This was explained by an extraordinary custom most rigidly observed by the Latookas. Should a man be killed in battle the body is allowed to remain where it fell, and is devoured by the vultures and hyenas ; but should he die a natural death, lie or she is bui-ied in a shallow grave within a few feet of his own door in the little courtyard which surrounds each dwelling. Funeral dances are then kept up in memory of the dead for several weeks; at the expiration of whicli time, the body being sufficiently decomposed, is exhumed. The bones are cleaned, and are deposited in an earthenware jar, and carried to a spot near the town, which is regarded as the cemetery. I observed that they were not particular in regarding the spot as sacred, as signs of nuisances were present even upon the bones, that in civilised countries would have been regarded as an insult. " There is little difficulty in describing the toilet of the natives — that ot the men being simplified by the sole covering of the head, the body being entirely nude. It is curious to observe amongst these wild savages the con- summate vanity displayed in their head-dresses. Every tribe has a distinct and unchanging fashion for dressing the hair; and so elaborate is the coiffure that hair-dressing is reduced to a science. European ladies would be startled at the fact, that to perfect the coiffure of a man, requires a period of from eight to ten years ! However tedious the operation, the result is extraordinary. The Latookas wear most exquisite helmets, all of which are formed of their own hair, and, are, of course, fixtures. At first sight it appears incredible, but a minute examination shows the wonderful perseverance of years in pro- ducing what must be highl}'- inconvenient. The thick, crisp wool is woven with fine twine, formed from the bark of a tree, until it presents a thick net- work of felt. As the hair grows tlirough this matted substance it is subjected to the same process, until, in the course of years, a compact substance is formed like a strong. felt, about an inch and a half thick, that has been trained into the shape of a helmet. A strong rim, of about two inches deep, is formed by sewing it together with thread ; and the front part of the helmet is pro- tected by a piece of polished copper; while a j^iece of the same metal, shaped like the half of a bishop's mitre, and about a foot in length, forms the ci'est. The framework of the helmet being at length completed, it must be perfected by an arrangement of beads, should the owner of the head be sufficiently rich to indulge in the coveted distinction. The most in fashion are the red and the blue porcelain, about the size of small peas. These are sewn on the sur- face of the felt, and so beautifully arrenged in sections of blue and red that 222 STANLEY AND AFRICA. the entire helmet api)eais to be formed of beads ; and the handsome crest of polished copper, surmounted by ostrich jilumes, gives a most dignified and martial ajipcarance to this elaborate head-dress. No helmet is supposed to be complete w ithout a row of cowrie shells stitched around the rim, so as to form a solid edge. " The Latookas have neither bows nor arrows, their weapons consisting of the lance, a powerful iron-headed mace, a long-bladed knife or sword, and an ugly iron bracelet, armed with knife-blades about four inches long, by half an inch broad ; the latter is used to strike with if disarmed, and to tear with when wrestling with an enemy. Their shields are either of buffa- loes' hide, or of giraffes', the latter being highly prized as excessively tough, although light, and thus combining the two requisite qualities of a good shield ; they are usually about four feet six inches long, by two feet wide, and are the largest I have seen. Altogether, everything in Latooka looks like fiffhtine:. " Although the men devote so much attention to their head-dress, the women are extremely simple. It is a curious fact, that while the men are remarkably handsome, the women are exceedinglj' plain : they ai'C immense creatures, few being under five feet seven inches in height, with prodigious limbs. Their superior strength to that of other tribes may be seen in the size of their water jars, which are nearly double as large as any I have seen elsewhere, containing about ten gallons ; in these, they fetch water from the stream about a mile distant from the town. They grind the corn, fetch the water, gather firewood, cement the floors, cook the food, and propagate the race ; but they are mere servants, and, as such, are valuable. The price of a good-looking, strong young wife, who could carry a heavy jar of water, would be ten cows." While -waiting at Tarrangolle, they heard of a terrible disaster which befel the party of Mahommed Her. Under his command, a party of one hundred and ten armed men, in addition to three hundred natives, had made a razzia upon a certain village among the mountains for slaves and cattle. Having succeeded in burning the village and capturing a number of slaves, they were re-ascending the mountain to secure another herd of cattle, of which they had received information, when they were attacked by a large body of Latookas, lying in ambush among the rocks on the mountain side.. In vain the Turks fought ; every bullet aimed at a Latooka struck a rock, while rocks, stones, and lances, were hurled at them from all sides and from above. Compelled to retreat, they were seized with a panic, and took to flight. Hemmed in by their foes, who showered lances and stones on their heads, they fled down the rocky and perj^endicular ravines. Ignorant of the country, the}' mistook their road, and came to a precij^ice, from which there was no retreat. The Latookas, with screams and yells closed around them^ DESTRUCTION OF MAIIOMMED JIER'S PARTY. 22i and thrust them forward to the very verge of a prcciioice five hundred feet high. Over it they were driven, hurled to destruction by the mass of savages pressing onward. A few fought to the last; but all were at last forced over the edge of the cliff, and met the just reward of their atrocities. No quarter had been given, and upwards of two hundred of the natives, who had joined the slave-hunters in the attack, had fallen with them. Mahommed Her had not accompanied his party, and therefore escaped ; but he was utterly ruined. The result of this terrible catastrophe was highly beneficial to Baker, as the mutineers and deserters from his party were amongst those destroyed, " Where are the men who deserted me ?" he asked of those who still remained with him. Without speaking, they brought two of his guns, covered with clot- ted blood, mixed with sand, that had been found on the scene of destruction. Their owners' names were known to him by the marks on the stocks ; and he mentioned them. " Are they all dead ?" he asked. " All dead," the men replied. " Food for the vultures !" he observed; " better for them had they remained with me and done their duty." He had before told his men that the vultures would pick thd bones of the deserters ; and this seemed to them a fulfilment of his words. From that moment an extraordinary change took place in the manner, both of his own people, and tliose of Ibrahim, towards him. They regarded him with veneration and awe. Unhappily, however, the Latookas exhibited a change for the worse. The Turks, as usual, insulted their women, and treated the natives with the greatest brutality, and, had he not exercised much caution and vigilance, both his own party and Ibrahim's would, in all probability, have been entirely cut off. Ibrahim had been compelled to go back to Gondokoro for ammunition, and Baker waited at Tarrangolle for his return. The day after Ibrahim's departure, the Turks seized some jars of water by force from the women, on their return from the stream. A row ensued, and ended by one of the women being shamefully maltreated ; and a Latooka, who came to her assistance, was severely beaten. This was repeated again and again, until the natives re- solved to punish the offenders. They removed all the women and children to the mountains, about two miles distant, and prepared for a regular battle. Baker saw they would make no distinction between him and his party and the Turks, and that they would all suffer together. Gaining information of the intention of the natives, he took command of the Turks, and, with his own men, showed so bold a front, that the natives saw clearly that there was little chance of their being able to carry their purpose of destroying the strangers into execution. Their chief, Commoro, had an interview with Baker, the result of which was, that he agreed to persuade his people to abandon their intention, and to act in a peaceable manner. The Turks were much alarmed at what had transpired, and behaved better, though they threatened that, when Ibrahim arrived ■\^ itli reinforcements and 22 1 STANLEY AND AFRICA. ammunition, tliey would have tbcir revenge. After this, Baker moved ];i3 paik-likc country, of intense green. All around were mountain peaks, on each of which was a village, the position being evidently chosen for greater security. After a march of about twelve miles from the top of the pass, thcj^ arrived at the chief village of Obbo. They were now forty miles S. W. o? Tarrangollc. The vegetation of Obbo, and the whole of the west side oF the mountain range, is different from that u2)on the cast side. The soil is exceedingly rich, producing an abundance of Guinea grass, with whicli the- plains are covered. The country produces nine varieties of yams. Thero are many good wild fruits. Ground-nuts are also abundant in the forests. Tobacco grows to an exti'aordinary size, and a fine quality of flax grows wild. Baker had never smoked till his arrival in Obbo, but, having sufferecS much from fever, and the country being excessively damp, ho commenceii with Obbo pijoes and tobacco. " The natives of Obbo are entirelj' different to the Latookas, both \m language and appearance. They are not quite naked, except when they aro going to war, on which occasion they are painted in stripes of red and yel- low; but their usual covering is the skin of an antelope or goat, slung like fi mantle across the shoulders. Their faces are well formed, with peculiarly fine-shaped noses. The head-dress of the Obbo is remarkably neat, tha woolly hair being matted, and worked with thread into a flat foi-m, like a beaver's tail, and bound with a fine edge of raw hide, to keep it in shape^ This, like the head-dress of Latooka, requires many years to complete. Although the men of Obbo wear a skin slung across their shoulders and loins, the women are almost naked, and, instead of wearing the leather apron and tail of the Latookas, they are contented with a slight fringe of leather shreds, about four inches long by two broad, suspended from a belt. Some- of the Obbo women were very pretty. The caste of feature was entirely different to that of the Latookas ; and a striking peculiarity was displayed ia the finely-arched noses of many of the natives, which strongly reminded one of Somauli tribes. It was impossible to conjectui-e their origin, as they had neither traditions nor ideas of their past history." Katchiba, the chief of Obbo, came with several of his head men to meet the strangers. He was an extraordinary-looking man, about fifty-eight or sixty years of age ; but, far from possessing the dignity usually belonging to a grey head, he acted the buffoon for their amusement, and might have been a clown in a jDantomime. A violent storm of wind and rain which had been raging, and which had soaked every one, having cleared away, the nogaras were ordered to be beaten, and the entertaining old chief determined upon a grand dance. Pipes and flutes were soon heard gathering from all quarters ; horns brayed ; and numbers of men and women began to collect in crowds, while Katchiba, in a state of excitement, gave orders for the enter- 230 STANLEY AND. AFRICA. tainment. About one hundred men formed a circle; each man held in his left hand a small cup-shaped drum, formed of hollow wood, one end only- being perforated, and this was covered with the skin of the elephant's ear, tightly stretched. In the centre of the circle was the chief dancer, who wore, suspended from his shoulders, an immense drum, also covered with the ele- phant's ear. The dance commenced by all singing remarkably well a wild but agreeable tune in chorus, the big drum directing the time, and the whole of the little drums striking at certain periods witli such admirable precision, that the effect was that of a single instrument. The dancing was most vigor- ous, and far superior to anything that Mr, Baker had seen among either Arabs or savages, the figures varying continually, and ending in a "grand gallop" in double circles, at a tremendous pace, the inner ring revolving in a contrary direction to the outer : the effect of this was most excellent. The domestic establishment of Katchiba was very large. He kept a certain number of wives in each of his villages ; thus, when he made a jour- ney through his territory, he was always at home. He had no fewer than one hundred and sixteen children living, and every one of his villages was governed by one of his sons ; thus the entire government was a family affair. One poor woman came to Baker in great distress, complaining that the chief was very cruel to her because she had no children ; and said, she was sure the white man possessed some charm that could raise her to the standai-d of the other wives. The traveller could not get rid of her until he gave her the ■ first pill that came to hand in his medicine-chest, and with that she went away contented. CHAPTER XIII. Iiife in Olio — Return to Latoolca — Visit Ohho again — Arrival at Shooa — Unj/oro — Mrs. Baker receives a Sun-Stroke — Discovery of the Allert l>lyanza — Voyage on the Lake — The Murchison Falls. THE Obbo people never asked for presents ; in this respect they were a great improvement on the Latookas. Their old chief, Katchiba, was more like a clovrn than a king. He was regarded as a great sorcerer and pain-maker, and thus had great power over his subjects. He was exceed- ingly civil to our travellers, and proud that they had paid him a visit. Dur- ing an excursion which Baker made to the country of Farajoke, he left Mrs. Baker in Katchiba's care ; and when he returned, he found that the chief had fully honoured the confidence placed in him. Mrs. Baker gave him an excel- lent character ; he had taken the greatest care of her ; had placed some of his own sons as sentries over her hut, both by day and night ; and provided fat sheep and fowls, and beer, for a feast of welcome on Baker's return. A curious custom was observed by the chief of Farajoke on Baker's arrival at that place. He was met by the chief and several of the people leading a goat, which was presented to him as an offering, close to the feet of his horse. The chief carried a fowl, holding it by the legs, with its head downwards ; he approached the horse, and stroked his fore-feet with the fowl, nnd then made a circle around him by dragging it upon the ground. Mr. Baker's own feet were then stroked with the fowl in the same manner as those of the horse, and he was requested to stoop, so that the bird might bo waved around his head. This completed, it was also waved around the horse's head ; and then the knife put an end to its troubles, and it was handed to one of Baker's men. Not being able to proceed south, our traveller determined to return to his head-quarters at Latooka, and to wait for the dry season. He had made the reconnaisance to Farajoke, and saw his way clear for the future, provided his animals should remain in good condition. On the 21st of May. therefore, he started for Latooka in company with Ibrahim and his men, who were thoroughly sick of the Obbo climate. Before leaving, a ceremony had to be performed by Katchiba. His brother was to act as guide, and was to receive 232 STANLEY AND AFRICA. power to control tlie elements as deputy-magician during the journey. Will* great solemnity Katcliiba broke a branch from a tree, upon the leaves of Avhich he spat in several places. This branch, thus blessed with holy Avater^ was liiid upon the ground, and a fowl was dragged around it by the chief \ the horses Mere then operated on precisely in the same manner as had beei> enacted at Farajoke. This ceremony completed, he handed the branch to liis brother, who received it with much gravity, in addition to a magic whistle of antelope's horn that he suspended from his neck. All the natives- wore whistles similar in appearance, by the use of which they considered! they either drew the rain, or drove it away, as they desired. On their arrival at Latooka, they found everything in much the same condition as they left it. But the day after their arrival, a series of disasters began, comprising the death of two of Mr. Baker's horses, besides several camels and donkeys ; Mrs. Baker's illness of gastric fever, and his own illness from daily attacks of ague ; and the breaking out of the small-pox among the Turks. Among the natives of Obbo, who had accomj^anied them to Latooka, was a man named Wani, who had formerly travelled far to the soutli. This man had been engaged as their guide and interpreter. From him Mr. Baker got his first real clue to the Albert Nyanza. He thus notes it in his journal of the 2Cth of May, 1863 : — " I have had a long examination of Wani, the guide and interpreter, lespecting the country of Magungo. According to his description, Magungo is situated on a lake so large that no one knows its limits. Its breadth is such, that, if you journey two days east and the same distance west, there is no land visible in cither quarter, while, to the south, its direction is utterly unknown. Large vessels arrive at Magungo from dis- tant and unknown parts, bringing cowrie-shells and beads in exchange for ivor}'. Upon these vessels white men have been seen. "His description of distance places Magungo on about tlic 2° N. lat. The lake can be no other than the Nyanza, which, if the position of Magungo be correct, extends much further north than Speke had supposed. The ' white men' must be Arab traders who bring cowries from Zanzibar. I shall take the first opportunity to push for Magungo. I examined another native who had been to Magungo to purchase cowrie-shells. He says that a white man formerly arrived there annually, and brought a donkey with him in a boat ;. that he disembarked his donkey and rode about the country, dealing with the natives, and bartering cowries and brass-coil bracelets." This information was the first clue, as we have said, to the facts that Baker subsequently established, and the account of the white men (Ai'abs, being simpl}^ brown, are called white men by the blacks of these countries) arriving at Magungo, was confirmed by the people of that country twelve months after he obtained this vague information at Latooka. On the 30th of May, at Commoro's instigation, the Turks attacked the neighbouring town of DISTRESS IN OBBO. 233 Kaj'ala ; but tlic Latookas fought so well, that thoy found it impossible to ca^jture the pkice, and were driven back, carrying off, however, the cattle of the natives. In consequence of the abominable conduct of the Turks, which so irritated the natives that an attack from them was daily expected, it became dangerous for the i^arty to remain any longer in Latooka. On the 23rd of June, they started again for Obbo. Their joint j^arties consisted of about three hundred men. On arrival at the base of the moun- tains, instead of crossing them as before, they skirted the cliain to the north- west, and then rounding through a natural gap, they ascended gradually towards the south. On the fifth day thoy were within twelve miles of Obbo, and bivouacked on a large mass of granite on the side of a hill, forming an inclining plateau of about an acre. Here, while the natives were clearing the grass, they came upon an immense puff-adder, five feet four inches in length, and above fifteen inches in girth. The tail was, as usual in poisonous snakes, extremely blunt, and the head j^erfectly flat, and about two inches and a half broad. He had eight teeth, and five poison fangs, the two most prominent being nearly an inch in length. Baker immediately pinned his head to the ground, and severed it with one blow with his hunting-knife. He says he was the most horrid monster he had ever experienced. As he stooped to skin him, a thunder storm began, and he looked so Satanic with his flat head, and minute cold grey eyes, and scaly hide, with the lightning flushing, and the thunder roaring around him, that all the bystanders were horrified. The Obbo country was noAV a land of starvation. Tiie natives refused to supply provision for beads ; nor would they barter anything unless in exchange for flesh. Here was literally nothing to eat except tullaboon, a small bitter grain used by the natives in lieu of corn. Both Mr. Baker and his wife were excessively ill with bilious fever, and neitlier could assist the other. The old chief, Katchiba, hearing that they were dying, came to charm them with some magic spell. He found them lying helpless, and immediately procured a small branch of a tree, and, filling his mouth with water, squirted it over the leaves and about the floor of the hut ; he then waved the branch around their heads, and completed his ceremony by sticking it in the thatch above the doorway ; he told them they would now get better, and, perfectly satisfied, took his leave. The hut was swarming with rats and white ants, the former racing over their bodies during the night. Now and again a snako wouldbeseengliding within the thatch, having taken shelter from the pouring rain. The small-pox was raging throughout the countr}', and the natives wero dying like flies in winter. Innumerable flies appeared, including the tsetse, and in a few weeks the donkeys had no hair left, cither on their cars or legs ; they drooped and died one by one. At length Baker's last horse died. Flies by day, rats and innumerable bugs by night, heavy dew. daily rain, and impene- trable reeking grass, rendered Obbo a prison about as disagreeable as could exist. 30 234 STANLEY AND AFRICA. Mr. and Mrs. Baker recovered slowly, and were able, on the 30tli of August, to make a morning call upon old Katchiba, by his express desire. Subsequently, however, they had frequent relapses. Under Oct. 17th he thus writes, describing the progress of the African fever: — " 1 expect an attack of fever to-morrow or next day, as I understand, from constant and painful experiences, every step of this insidious disease. For some days one feels a certain uneasiness of spirits difficult to explain; no peculiar symptom ia observed until a day or two before the attack, when great lassitude is felt, with a desire to sleep. Rheumatic pains in the loins, back, and joints of the limbs, are accompanied by a sense of great weakness. A cold fit comes on very quickly ; this is so severe that it almost immediately affects the stomach, producing painful vomiting, with severe retching. The eyes are heavy and painful, the head hot and aching, the extremities pale and cold, pulse very weak, and about fifty-six beats per minute ; the action of the heart distress- ingly weak, with total prostration of strength. This shivering and vomiting continues for about two hours, attended with great difficulty of breathing. The hot stage then comes on, the retching still continuing, with the difficulty of breathing, intense weakness, and restlessness for about an hour and a half, which, should the remedies be successful, terminate in profuse perspiration and sleep. The attack ends, leaving the stomach in a dreadful state of weak- ness. The fever is remittent, the attack returning almost at the same hour every two daj's, and reducing the patient rapidly to a mere skeleton ; the stomach refuses to act, and death ensues. Any severe action of the mind, sucli as grief or anger, is almost certain to be succeeded by fever in this country. My stock of quinine is reduced to a few grains, and my work lies before me ; my cattle are all dead. We are botli weakened by repeated fever, and tra- velling must be on foot." Thus, for months, they dragged on a miserable existence at Obbo. Baker was heartily sick of the expedition, yet determined to succeed in his object, or die in the attempt. His stock of quinine was exhausted. Porters were hard to be jsrocured. In the weak state of his wife and himself, travelling on foot was impossible. He therefore purchased and trained three oxen in lieu of horses, and named them " Beef," " Steaks," and " Suet." " Beef" was at first a noble beast ; but having lost his condition, through being bitten by the flies, liis name was changed to " Bones." During the nine or ten months that the travellers had been in connection with Ibrahim and his party, they had succeeded in acquiring very great influence over them. The kindness of Mrs. Baker, and her husband's good sensa and firmness, had created so favour- able an impression on the minds of both Turks and natives, that they were always referred to as unqnres in every dispute. On the 5th of January, 1864:, tliey renewed their march, with one hun- dred followers from the Turkish party, in the direction of Unyoro, the king- JOURNEY TOWARDS UNYORO. 235 •dom lying on the east bank of the great lake. The services of these men were obtained by guaranteeing to their leader Ibrahim ten thousand pounds' weight of ivory — a pledge which was eventually redeemed more than threefold. Mrs. Baker rode her ox ; but his animal being shy, was driven for about a mile with the others to accustom him to the crowd, whereupon he bolted into tlie high grass with the saddle upon his back, and was never seen again. Baker, therefore, had to walk, in his weak state, about twenty-six miles before he waa able to obtain another ox to carry him. After some days' march, they came to the river Asua. At the spot where they struck it, it was a hundred and twenty paces broad, and from the bed to the top of the perpendicular banks,