WE have already seen that in the year 1866 Dr.
Livingstone had
remained for a time with a certain Babisa chief, until
the native
was restored to health. Musa, and the doctor's other
followers,
deserted him and then made for the coast, where they
at once spread the
report that Livingstone had been murdered by the sanguinary
tribe of
Mazitu.
We know that this tale was false, for we have already
tracked the
doctor to Ujiji, but the authorities at Zanzibar, in
1866, had no such evi-
dence. Musa declared supposed facts in a very circumstantial
manner,
and Dr. Seward, political resident, forwarded the information
to Lord
Stanley, and the rumors thus circumstantially circulated
gave rise to the
activity which resulted in the Search Expeditions despatched
from Eng-
land; which, however, were rendered abortive by the enterprise
of the
New York Herald and its correspondent, Henry M. Stanley.
The news of Livingstone's murder was received in England
with alarm
and sorrow. The story had so many elements of apparent
truth in its
composition, that friends and relatives, as well as the
less-informed British
public, feared the worst.
But some people, and notably Sir R. Murchison, discredited
the news.
It was, however, suggested that an expedition should
be forthwith
despatched to find the explorer, but this suggestion
was combated as
one which, if carried out, would prove useless and disastrous.
However, after some months had elapsed, Sir Roderick Murchison
and his adherents gained their point. A former companion
of Dr.
Livingstone, Mr. Edward D. Young, was appointed leader,
as already-
stated. From the Cape the little expedition was carried,
in June, 1867,
to the mouth of the Zambesi in one of Her Majesty's ships,
and a small
steel vessel, named the "Search," was successfully launched
upon the
waters of the rapid river.
After some adventures, and a visit to a Portuguese settlement,
whose
chief gave the members confirmation of Livingstone's
death which, how-
ever. Young did not credit the "Search" continued,
and entered the
Shire River, where they were attacked by the natives,
but being at length
recognized as English, were hospitably received.
As the little party continued their route, the inhabitants
recognized
the English as old friends. The chief of Mankokwi and
others welcomed
the Search Expedition, and though continual delays were
thereby neces-
sitated, the value of the friendliness was so great that
the time lost was
not considered as also wasted.
The Expedition Hears of a ' White Man."
After a while more progress was made, and the cataracts
were passed.
Lake Nyassa was at hand, and information which came in
from time to
time assured Mr. Young ahd his companions that they were
on the right
trail. No hostile tribe opposed their progress, and the
" Search " con-
tinued her venturesome way unmolested.
At length, in the beginning of September, the lake was
gained, and it
became now a difficult matter to decide in what direction
the course
should be steered. A " white man" had been reported as
having already
gone in a north-westerly direction, but that was long
ago, and Mr,
Young and his men were somewhat undecided.
The appearance of a native, however, gave them hopes;
and when the
man confessed a liking for the English because a white
man had lately
passed by, and made his village presents, Mr. Young was
assured of
success. Questions were put to the man concerning the
appearance and
departure of the good Englishman, and enough was extracted
to assure
Mr. Young that, so far, he had been proceeding in the
right direction,
and that Livingstone had certainly not been murdered
as reported.
Proceeding further up the lake, the good news was confirmed.
The
illustrious traveller had remained in a small village
by the water during
the past winter season, and had left an excellent impression
upon the na~
tives. They gladly welcomed Young's party, and told the
leader in what
direction the Englishman had gone. They described him
very fairly,
and even indicated the peak of the doctor's cap, while
other porticMis of
his equipment were also faithfully and graphically recalled
by the native
chief
Doubt could no longer exist in the minds of the members
of the
" Search " party that they had found " warm " traces
of the great ex-
plorer. Further enquiries resulted in accurate information
respecting his
observation of the sun with the sextant which were
illustrated by means
of sticks by a detail of the number of men, " two or
three tens " of
persons, his feet clothed in " skins " (boots) and
his little dog was men-
tioned.
Natives Know Livingstone by His Photograph
Mr, Young at once continued his course, crossing the lake
to Chivola,
where more relics and reminiscenses of the doctor were
discovered and
related. The villagers gave many faithful and interesting
details of the
"' white man's " residence with them, and held his memory
in great reverence.
While Mr. Young remained at Chivola he tested the accuracy
of the
chief's memory by mixing a photograph of Livingstone,
in European
dress, with the pictures of other individuals. The chief
at once identi-
fied the doctor, but said his dress was not the same,
as of course it was
"not. This test was regarded, and with reason, as crucial
and successful.
Moreover, a prayer-book, a razor, and other relics were
gradually pro-
duced by natives with whom he had exchanged them.
So armed with proof. Young proceeded found other evidence
in one
of the doctor's young attendants, who had been ill and
left behind. But
the cold season had passed long ago no news had been
heard of the
great traveller since he had gone south-west. Still Young
persisted, and
finally he gained information which entirely upset Musa's
ingenious
fabrication, although the doctor was not found.
A native, who was encountered by the lake, gave the valuable
intelli-
gence that he had himself seen and assisted the doctor,
the great
" M'Sungu," after the desertion of Musa and his faithless
companions, of
whom the native knew nothing. The man scorned the idea
of Living-
stone having been murdered by the Mazitu tribe, for the
" M'Sungu " had
avoided them completely. Musa's tale of death and burial
was fully
investigated and proved false when the search party penetrated
to the
Babisa country, and interviewed the old chief.
This man was the identical individual whom Livingstone
had cured
and who was, therefore, extremely well-disposed to the
new comers. His
tribe were famous traders and travellers, who knew the
country well and
widely. From the Chief of Marengas Mr. Young obtained
the best
news they had yet received.
The chief informed them that he knew Livingstone quite
well, as was
natural he should, seeing the doctor had tended him for
so many weeks.
He said that the white man had gone away across the marshes.
After
that, Musa and the Johanna men had returned, having deserted
Living-
stone, and were on their way to the coast.
This information, so far, tallied with news already to
hand ; but the
chief declared that he had never heard of the death of
Livingstone, and
the native was assured that had it occurred he must have
heard of it^
considering the wandering habits of his men, and their
taste for travel-
ling and trading. The chief thought it most improbable
that the doctor
had been killed at all in the country, and that he had
not perished as
Musa had declared was already evident. Under these circumstances^
Mr. Young and his men came to the conclusion that Livingstone
was
alive, though unfortunately out of reach ; that he had
wandered through
territories since infested by a hostile tribe, who had
destroyed the
villages.
The Babisa chief warmly dissuaded Young from attempting
to follow
the doctor under such circumstances, and accordingly
the " Search " ex-
pedition returned to the cgast, and to England, with
the news that Liv-
ingstone had not been murdered, as stated by Musa, but
that he had
wandered away out of reach.
Another Search Fxpedition.
Although the information brought home by Young satisfied
for a time
the anxiety of the English people, nothing definite had
actually been
heard of the doctor since May, 1869. In 1870, in his
address to the
Royal Geographical Society, Sir R. Murchison gave hopes
of the doc-
tor's existence, Livingstone had been reported at Ujiji,
on Lake Tan-
ganyika, where he was waiting supplies. Sir Samuel Baker
hoped to
find him, but this hope had no actual result, owing to
geographical
difficulties.
Sir Bartle Frere proclaimed a relief expedition. Money
was eagerly
subscribed throughout the United Kingdom, and the Geographical
Society took the matter in hand for the nation. Lieutenants
Dawson and
Henn were selected as the leaders, from a candidates'
list of four hundred
volunteers. Mr. Oswald Livingstone went with them, but
a powerful
rival had already been despatched, and his mission was
almost unknowm
at first. This great rival was Henry M. Stanley, who
had a tour
arranged for him in India, with instructions to swoop
down on Zanzibar
and " find Livingstone."
Stanley carried out his instructions, and arrived in January,
1871, at
Zanzibar, which he found to be a much more beautiful
and fertile island
than he had supposed. He soon introduced himself to Dr.
Kirk, and,
without delay, set about making the necessary preparations
for his jour-
ney. The great difficulty was to obtain information as
to the amount of
food, or rather the articles for purchasing it, which
would be required for
the hundred men he proposed enlisting in his service.
He had engaged at Jerusalem a Christian Arab boy named
Selim, who
was to act as his interpreter, and he had also on the
voyage attached to
the expedition two mates of merchantmen, Farquhar and
Shaw, who
were very useful in constructing tents and arranging
two boats and the
pack-saddles and packages for the journey, but who proved
in other re-
spects very poor travellers. He also secured the services
of that now
well-known hero, Bombay, captain of Speke's faithfuls,
and five of his
other followers, Uledi, Grant's valet, and the blue-headed
Mabruki, who
had in the meantime lost one of his hands, but, notwithstanding,
was.
likely to prove useful. They were the only remains of
the band to be
found, the rest having died or gone elsewhere. These
six still retained
their medals for assisting in the discovery of the source
of the Nile.
Stanley Getting Ready to Start.
The boats, one of which was capable of carrying twenty
people and
the other six, were stripped of their planks, the timbers
and thwarts only
being carried. Instead of the planking it was proposed
to cover them
with double canvas skin, well tarred. They and the rest
of the baggage
"were carried in loads, none exceeding sixty-eight pounds
in weight.
Two horses and twenty-seven donkeys were purchased, and
a small cart,
while the traveller had brought with him a watch-dog,
which he hoped
would guard his tent from prowling thieves. An ample
supply of beads,
cloth, and wire was also laid in, with tea, sugar, rice,
and medicine. To
Bombay and his faithfuls were added eighteen more free
men, who were
all well armed, and when mustered appeared an exceedingly
fine-looking
body of soldiers. These were to act as escort to \hcpagazis,
or carriers.
On the 4th of February, 1871, the expedition was ready,
and on the
5th embarked in four dhows, which conveyed it across
to Bagamoyo on
the mainland. Here it was detained five weeks while its
persevering
leader was combating the rogueries of Ali Ben Salim and
another Arab,
Hadji Palloo, who had undertaken to secure one hundred
and forty
carriers. The packages were rearranged, the tents improved,
and other
necessary arrangements made.
He found here a caravaii which had been despatched by
the British
Consul a hundred days before to the relief of Dr. Livingstone;
but
which, its leader making as an excuse that he was unable
to obtain a
fresh nurnber of carriers, had hitherto remained inactive.
Band Music and Lively Songs.
The climate of Bagamoyo is far superior to that of Zanzibar.
In its
neighborhood a French Jesuit mission has been for some
time estab-
lished, with ten priests and as many sisters, who have
been very success-
ful in educating two hundred boys and girls. The priests
sumptuously
entertained Mr. Stanley with excellent champagne and
claret, while
some of their pupils, among whom they had formed a brass
band,
amused them with instrumental music and French songs.
He divided his expedition into five caravans, the first
of which he
started off on the 18th of February, although it was
not till March 21st
that he with the largest was able to commence his journey
westward.
Altogether the expedition numbered on the day of departure,
besides
the commander and his two white attendants, twenty-three
soldiers, four
chiefs, one hundred and fifty-three carriers, and four
supernumeraries.
Every possible care had been bestowed on the outfit,
and in nothing that
it needed was it stinted. Bombay proved to be honest
and trustworthy,
while Ferajji and Mabruki turned out true men and staunch,
the latter, on
one occasion, finding a difficulty in dragging the cart,
having brought it
along on his head rather than abandon it. The facility
with which the
natives carry heavy loads on their heads is described
by Stanley, On
one occasion he was waiting for Shaw, who was leading
a caravan
with supplies. Food being scarce in the camp, and Shaw
not arriving,,
he sent a message to him, requiring him to come on with
all the speed
he could ; but time passed, and the caravan arrived not.
Stanley then
set out to meet it, and thus describes Shaw's order of
march : " Stout
burley Chowereh carried the cart on his head, having
found thatcarrying
it was easier than drawing it. The sight was such a damper
to my
regard for it as an experirnent, that the cart was wheeled
into the
reeds and there left. The central figure was Shaw himself,
riding at a
gait which rendered it doubtful whether he or his animal
felt most sleepy.
Upon expostulating with him for keeping the caravan so
long waiting"
when there was a march on hand, he said he had done the
best he could
but as I had seen the solemn pace at which he rode, I
felt dubious about
his best endeavors, and requested him, if he could not
mend his pace, ta
dismount and permit the donkey to be loaded for the march."
Perils and Difficulties.
Thus delays, obstacles and risks are sure to meet one
who undertakes
a land journey in intertropical Africa. There is no longer,
as in the
desert, the peril of death from thirst or starvation
; for the country
abounds in game, and the course does not throughout lie
through inter-
minable swamp, as in the river navigation. But from the
very beginning
the explorer is beset with hindrances and annoyances
small and great.
An army of porters must be got together, drilled and
fed. Like other
Africans, they are children of impulse, credulous, suspicious,
often lying,
cowardly and treacherous. On the slightest provocation
they are seized
with panic, and desert ; or they take advantage of relaxed
discipline.
The leader must be possessed of inexhaustible good-humor,
and at the
same time be able to prove, when occasion requires, that
he is a stern
master, A dove-like demeanor will hardly suit the African
explorer ; he
must be wise as a serpent and watchful as a hawk. When
at length a
start is made, difficulties accumulate at every step.
In a country where
rain falls for ten or eleven months in the year, under
a vertical sun, the
growth of vegetation is amazing.
In the dry season the grass and shrubs are burned far
and wide ; but
after a few weeks' rain the new plant-life starts up
with incredible quick-
ness. The country is covered with an impenetrable jungle
of grass,
reeds, and bamboos. A thick undergrowth starts up below
the shade of
the forest trees; the great stems of the pandanus, the
banana, and the
baobab are covered to their tops with a feathery growth
of parasitic ferns
and orchids, and festooned with the tough branches of
the wild vine and
the liana, and other twining and creeping plants.
The rivers are at their highest mark, and the marshes
are profound
and impassable. The native villages are almost smothered
under the
dark luxuriance of plant-life, and lions and other beasts
of prey can creep
up unseen to the very doors of the huts. The whole country,
in short,
becomes a tangled brake, with only here and there an
open space, or a
rough track marking where the heavy body of an elephant,
a rhinoceros,
or a buffalo has crushed a way through the high grass.
The fact that
there is " a lion in the way " much more an elephant
is an incentive
to the traveller to push on.
A Dangerous Beast.
The rhinoceros especially is a monster that no traveller
would wish to-
meet, and renders exploration in some parts of Africa
perilous in the
extreme. Graphic accounts of the deadly exploits of this
ferocious
brute are given by all who have penetrated far into the
wilds of the Dark
Continent.
The largest of the rhinoceros family is he of Africa,
the square-nosed
white rhinoceros. A full-grown brute of his species will
measure
eighteen feet in length (Mr. Galton shot one eighteen
feet six inches) ;
the circumference of its broad back and low-hanging belly
almost as
much; while it is so low on its legs that a tall man
a-tiptoe could see across
its back. Attached to its blunt nose not to the bone,
but merely set in
the skin is a horn more or less curved, hard as steel,
sharp, and more
than a yard long; and immediately behind this is a little
horn, equally
sharp, and shaped like a handleless extinguisher. Its
eyes are marvel-
ously little so little, indeed, that at a short distance
they are scarcely to
be seen; at the same time, however, it should be borne
in mind that the
rhinoceros is of nocturnal habits; and, as it is with
all such animals, by
daylight the eyes are seldom seen to full advantage.
Its ears are long, pointed, and tipped with a few bristles
; these and a
scrubby tassel at the extremity of its tail comprise
the whole of its hirsute
appendages. His sense of hearing and smell are wonderfully
acute.
Andersson says, " I have had frequent opportunities of
testing both these
qualities. Even when feeding, lying down, or obeying
any passing
demand of nature, he will listen with a deep and continued
attention,
until the noise that has attracted his attention ceases.
He ' winds ' an
enemy from a very great distance; but if one be to leeward
of him it is
not difficult to approach within a few paces."
A Monster Fleet as a Gazelle.
Hunters universally agree as to the wonderful swiftness
of this ponder-
ous brute. Says Gordon Gumming, "A horse and rider can
rarely
manage to overtake it ;" and Gaptain Harris echoes, "From
its clumsy
appearance one would never suppose it capable of such
lightning-like
movements." " He is not often pursued on horseback,"
says Andersson,
who, without doubt, knows more of the animal than any
other European^
"and chiefly because his speed and endurance are such
that it is very"
difficult to come up with and follow him, to say nothing
of the danger
attendant on such a course. Many a hunter, indeed, has
thereby en-
dangered his life."
Should the lion and rhinoceros meet, the former allows
the latter a
wide berth, and the huge elephant yields to him the path
rather than
risk a battle. Occasionally, however, the peaceful giant
of the forest will,
lose all patience with his quarrelsome neighbor, and
screw up his cour-
age " to have it out " with him. But the extra strength
of the elephant
does not sufficiently compensate for his cumbrous gait,
and the swift and
sudden movement of keitloa gives him an immense advantage.
A cele-
brated African sportsman once witnessed such a battle
at Omanbonde^
but in this instance the impetuous rage of the rhinoceros
proved his
downfall ; for, having driven his terrible horn up to
the hilt into the car-
cass of the elephant, he was unable to extricate it,
and the latter, falling^
dead of his wound, crushed out the life of his assailant
in his descent.
Mr. Andersson once witnessed a fight between a gigantic
bull elephant
and a black rhinoceros, and in the end the former turned
tail and ran for
his life.
That he will not allow his passion for war to be hampered
by the ties
of blood and kindred, is proved by the same gentleman.
" One night,
"while at the skarm " (a circular wall, built of rough
stone, loosely piled
on each other), "I saw four of these huge beasts engage
each other at
the same time ; and so furious was the strife, and their
gruntings so hor-
rible, that it caused the greatest consternation among
my party, who
were encamped a little way off. I succeeded after awhile
in killing two-
of them, one of which was actually unfit for food, from
wounds received
on previous occasions, and probably under similar circumstances."
The rhinoceros's best friend, and the rhinoceros hunter's
most tiresome
enemy, is a little bird, vulgarly known as the rhinoceros
bird. It con-
stantly attends on the huge beast, feeding on the ticks
that infest its hide,
the bird's long claws and elastic tail enabling it to
hold fast to whatever
portion of the animal it fancies. If it rendered the
rhinoceros no further
service than ridding him of these biting pests, it would
deserve his grati-
tude ; but, in addition, it does him the favor of warning
him of the ap-
proach of the hunter. With its ears as busy as its beak,
the little senti-
nel detects danger afar off, and at once shoots up into
the air, uttering a
sharp and peculiar note, which the rhinoceros is not
slow to understand
-and take advantage of; he doesn't wait to make inquiry,
but makes off
at once. Gumming asserts that when the rhinoceros is
asleep, and the
bird fails to wake him with its voice, it will peck the
inside of his ears,
and otherwise exert itself to rouse its thick-headed
friend.
As a rule, the rhinoceros will shun man's presence, and
do its best to
escape as soon as the hnnter approaches. Like all other
rules, however,
this one is not without exception. In proof of this,
Mr. Oswell relates an
adventure in which he was the hunted as well the hunter,
barely escaping
with his life. One day, while returning to camp on foot,
he saw, at a
short distance off, two rhinoceroses of the terrible
keitloa species ap-
proaching him as they grazed. He says : " I immediately
crouched, and
quietly awaited their arrival ; but though they soon
came within range,
from their constantly facing me I was unable to fire,
well knowing the
laselessness of a shot at the head. In a short time they
had approached,
but on account of the exposed nature of the ground I
could neither
retreat nor advance, and my situation became highly critical.
Scarred for Life.
" I was afraid to fire, for even had I succeeded in killing
one, the other
would in all likelihood have run over and trampled me
to death. In this
dilemma it suddenly occurred to me that on account of
their bad sight -I
might possibly save myself by endeavoring to run past
them. No time
was to be lost, and accordingly, just as the leading
animal almost touched
me, I stood up and dashed past it. The brute, however,
was too quick
for me, and before I had made many good paces I heard
a violent snort- "
ing at my heels, and had only time to fire my gun at
random at his head
when I felt myself impaled on his horn.
" The shock stunned me completely. The first return to
consciousness
was, I recollect, finding myself seated on one of my
ponies, and a Caffre
leading it. I had an indistinct notion of having been
hunting, and on
observing the man I asked quickly why he was not following
the track
of the animal, when he mumbled something to the effect
that it was
gone. By accident I touched my right hip with my hand,
and on with-
drawing it was astounded to find it clotted with blood
; yet my senses
were still so confused, and the side so benumbed, that
I actually kept
feeling and pressing the wound with my fingers. While
trying to
account for my strange position, I observed some of my
men coming
toward me with a cart, and on asking them what they were
about, they
cried out that they had come to fetch my body, having
been told that I
had been killed by some animal. The truth now for the
first time broke
upon me, and I was quickly made aware of my crippled
condition. The
wound I had received was of a very serious character,
and although it
ultimately healed, it left scars behind which will no
doubt remain till the
day of my death."
This was not the only opportunity Mr. Oswell had of testing
the un-
flinching courage occasionally exhibited by the rhinoceros.
Once as,
mounted on a first-rate horse, he was returning from
an elephant hunt,
he saw in the distance a magnificent white rhinoceros,
bearing a horn of
unusual size. Without a thought as to the danger of the
proceeding, he
.spurred his steed, and was speedily neck and neck with
his game.
Instantly the deadly gun was leveled, and a bullet lodged
in the thick-
skinned carcase. Not fatally, however ; and, worse than
all, instead of
"bolting," as is the animal's wont when wounded, it just
stood stock-still
for a moment, eyeing the hunter with its vengeful little
eyes, and then
"deliberately stalking toward him, made a sudden rush
at the refractory
steed, and thrust its horn completely through its body,
so that the point
of the tremendous weapon struck the rider's leg through
the saddle-flap
at the other side. The horse was of course killed on
the spot, but
the rider was so little injured that he immediately followed
and slew the
rhinoceros.
A Powerful Foe.
Innumerable instances of dangerous encounters with wild
animals
might be mentioned, to show the perils that constantly
beset the path of
Stanley. Kingston relates an adventure of this description.
" Once more," he says, " the trumpeting burst forth, the
sounds echo-
ing through the forest. A minute afterwards I heard the
crashing of
boughs and brushwood some way off. I guessed, as I listened,
that the
animal was coming towards where I lay. The sounds increased
in loud-
ness. Should it discover me it would probably revenge
itself by crushing
me to death, or tossing me in the air with its trunk.
I had my rifle ready
to fire. There was a chance that I might kill it or make
it turn aside.
The ground where I lay sloped gradually downwards to a
more opert
spot. I expected the next instant that the elephant would
appear. It did
so, but further off than I thought it would, and I thus
began to hope that
I should escape its notice. It was moving slowly, though
trumpeting
with pain and rage.
" The instant I caught sight of it another huge creature
rushed out of
the thicket on the opposite side of the glade. It was
a huge bull
rhinoceros with a couple of sharp-pointed horns, one
behind the other.
"The elephant on seeing it stopped still, as if wishing
to avoid a con-
test with so powerful an antagonist. I fully expected
to witness a long
and terrible fight, and feared that, in the struggle,
the animals might
move towards where I lay and crush me. That the elephant
was wounded;
I could see by the blood streaming down its neck. This
probably made
it less inclined to engage in a battle with the rhinoceros.
Instead of
advancing, it stood whisking its trunk about and trumpeting.
The-
rhinoceros, on the contrary, after regarding it for a
moment, rushed fear-
lessly forward and drove its sharp-pointed horns into
its body while it in.
vain attempted to defend itself with its trunk.
"The two creatures were now locked together in a way which
made it
seem impossible for them to separate, unless the horns
of the rhinoceros
were broken off. Never did I witness a more furious fight.
The ele-
phant attempted to throw itself down on the head of its
antagonist, and'
thereby only drove the horns deeper into its own body.
So interested
was I, that I forgot the pain I was suffering, while
I could hear no other
sounds than those produced by the two huge combatants.
While I was.
watching them, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and saw
one of our party
standing over me.
" ' I am sorry you have met with this accident ! ' he
exclaimed. ' The
sooner you get away from this the better. There is a
safer spot a little
higher up the bank. We will carry you there.'
" I willingly consenting, my friends did as they proposed,
as from
thence I could watch the fight with greater security.
They, having
placed me in safety, hurried towards the combatants,
hoping to kill both
of them before they separated.
The Huge Creature Fell Over.
"The elephant, already wounded, appeared likely to succumb
without
our further interference. There was indeed little chance
of its attempting
to defend itself against them. One of the men sprang
forward until he
got close up to the animals, and firing he sent a bullet
right through the
elephant's heart. The huge creature fell over, pressing
the rhinoceros
to the ground. As the great beast was now pinned fast
and unable to
escape, it was not difficult to dispatch him, and this
was quickly done."
We must return from these conflicts with African wild
animals to
follow the thrilling adventures of Mr. Stanley.
The Kinganni river was reached by a bridge rapidly formed
with
American axes, the donkeys refusing to pass through the
water. The
country due west of Bagamoyo was found to be covered
with towns and
villages which were previously unknown. Soon after starting,
Omar,
the watch-dog, was missing, when Mabruki, hastening back,
found him
at the previous halting-place. One of the caravans at
the same place was
detained by the sickness of three of the carriers, whose
place it was neces-
sary to supply.
Stanley soon had to experience the invariable troubles
of African
travellers. His two horses died within a few hours of
each other, both,
however, from disease of long standing, and not from
the climate. Few
men were better able to deal with the rogueries of the
petty chiefs he
met with than Mr. Stanley. He had always a ready answer,
and invari-
ably managed to catch them in their own traps, while
the "great master,"
as he was called, managed to keep his subordinates in
pretty good
order.
One of his carriers, Khamisi, under Shaw's command, having
ab-
sconded, Uledi and Ferajji found him, having fallen into
the hands of
some plundering Washensi, who were about to kill him.
A court of
eight soldiers and eight carriers having been convened,
condemned him
to be flogged with the "great master's " donkey-whip.
As Shaw ought
to have kept a better look out, he was ordered to give
him one blow and
the carriers and soldiers the remainder. This being done,
the man was
pardoned.
Moving on, the expedition passed Simbamwenni, the fortifications
of
which are equal to any met with in Persia. The area of
the town is
about half a square mile, while four towers of stone
guard each corner.
There are four gates, one in each wall, which are closed
with solid square
doors of African teak, and carved with complicated devices.
It is ruled
by the daughter of the infamous Kisalungo, notorious
as a robber and
kidnapper, another Theodore on a small scale. Before
long Stanley was
attacked with fever, which greatly prostrated his strength,
though he
quickly recovered by taking strong doses of quinine.
The most painful event which occurred was the flight of
Bunda Selim,
who had been punished for pilfering rations. The men
sent after him
were seized and imprisoned by the Sultana of Simbamwenni,
and, though
ultimately liberated by the interference of an Arab sheikh,
nothing could
be found of the missing cook. Shaw also fell ill, and
left the task of urg-
ing on the floundering caravan through marshes and rivers
to his su-
perior. Several of the athers followed his example,
and even Bombay
complained of pains and became unserviceable.
Misconduct of Attendants.
The report from Farquhar's caravan was most unsatisfactory,
he, as far
as Stanley could make out, having lost all his donkeys.
The unhappy
man, indeed, he found on overtaking him, was suffering
from dropsy.
He had also given to the porters and soldiers no small
amount of the
contents of the bales committed to his charge, as payment
for the services
he had demanded of them, and in purchasing expensive
luxuries. As he
could not walk and was worse than useless, Stanley was
obliged to send
the sick man, under the charge of Mabruki, thirty miles
away to the
village of Mpwapwa, to the chief of which place he promised
an ample
reward if he would take care of him.
Worse than all, the wretched Shaw, after a dispute, during
the night
fired into Stanley's tent, too evidently with the intention
of killing him.
He found the intended murderer pretending to be asleep,
with a gun by
his side yet warm. Unable to deny that he had fired,
he declared that in
his dreams he had seen a thief pass his door; and then
asked what was
the matter, "Oh, nothing," answered Stanley; "but I would
advise you
in future, in order to avoid all suspicion, not to fire
into my tent, or at
least, so near me. I might get hurt, in which case ugly
reports would
get about, and this, perhaps, would be disagreeable,
as "you are probably
aware. Goodnight!"
On reaching Mpwapwa the chief Lencolo positively refused
to take
charge of the white man unless an interpreter was left
with him, and
Jako, who was the only one of the party besides Bombay
and Selim who
could speak English, was ordered to remain in that capacity.
A Slieikli Badly Friglitened.
The expedition was now about to enter Ugogo. During the
passage
of the intervening desert, five out of the nine donkeys
died, the cart
having some time before been left behind.
The expedition was now joined by several Arab caravans,
so that the
number of the party amounted to about four hundred souls,
strong in
guns, flags, horns sounding, drums, and noise. This host
was to be led
by Stanley and sheikh Hamed through the dreaded Ugogo.
In May they were at Mvumi, paying heavy tribute to the
sultan.
Nothing seemed to satisfy him. Stanley suggested that
as he had twenty
Wazunga armed Avith Winchester repeating rifles, he might
make the
sultan pay tribute to him. The sheikh entreated that
he would act
peaceably, urging that angry words might induce the sultan
to demand
double the tribute.
We quote Stanley's own account of some of his experiences
in this
part of his journey:
The Wanyamwezi donkeys stuck in the mire as if they were
rooted to
it. As fast as one was flogged from his stubborn position,
prone to the
depths fell another, giving me a Sisyphean labor, which
was maddening
under pelting rain, assisted by such men as Bombay and
Uledi, who
could not for a whole skin's sake stomach the storm and
mire. Two
hours of such a task enabled me to drag my caravan over
a savannah
one mile and a half broad ; and barely had I finished
congratulating my-
self over my success before I was halted by a deep ditch,
which, filled
with rain-water from the inundated savannahs, had become
a consider-
able stream, breast-deep, flowing swiftly into the Makata.
Donkeys had
to be unloaded, led through a torrent, and loaded again
on the other
bank an operation which consumed a full hour.
Presently, after straggling through a wood clump, barring
our prog-
ress was another stream, swollen into a river. The bridge
being swept
away, we were obliged to swim and float our baggage over,
which de-
layed us two hours more. Leaving this second river-bank,
we splashed,
waded, occasionally half-swimming, and reeled through
mire, water-
dripping grass and matama stalks, along the left bank
of the Makata
proper, until farther progress was effectually prevented
for that day by a
deep bend of the river, which we would be obliged to
cross the next day.
Though but six miles were traversed during that miserable
day, the
march occupied ten hours.
Half dead with fatigne, I yet could feel thankful that
it was not ac-
companied by fever, which it seemed a miracle to avoid;
for if ever a dis-
trict was cursed with the ague, the Makata wilderness
ranks foremost of
those afflicted. Surely the sight of the dripping woods
enveloped in
opaque mist, of the inundated country with lengthy swathes
of tiger-
grass laid low by the turbid flood, of mounds of decaying
trees and
canes, of the swollen river and the weeping sky, was
enough to engender
the mukunguru ! The well-used khambi, and the heaps of
filth sur-
rounding it, were enough to create a cholera !
Crossing a Swollen Stream.
The Makata, a river whose breadth during the dry season
is but forty
feet, in the Makisa season assumes the breadth, depth,
and force of an
important river. Should it happen to be an unusually
rainy season, it
inundates the great plain which stretches on either side,
and converts it
into a great lake.
So swift was the flow of the Makata, and so much did its
unsteady
bridge, half buried in the water, imperil the safety
of the property, that
its transfer from bank to bank occupied fully five hours.
No sooner had
we landed every article on the other side, undamaged
by the water, than
the rain poured down in torrents that drenched them all,
as if they had
been dragged through the river. To proceed through the
swamp which
an hour's rain had formed was utterly out of the question.
We were
accordingly compelled to camp in a place where every
hour furnished its
quota of annoyance.
One of the Wangwana soldiers engaged at Bagamoyo, named
Kingaru,
improved an opportunity to desert with another man's
kit. My two
detectives, Uledi (Grant's valet), and Sarmean, were
immediately de-
spatched in pursuit, both being armed with American breech-loaders.
They went about their task with an adroitness and celerity
which augured
well for their success. In an hour they returned with
the runaway, having
found him hidden in the house of a chief called Kigondo,
who lived
about a mile from the eastern bank of the river, and
who had accom-
panied Uledi and Sarmean to receive his reward, and render
an account
of the incident.
Kigondo said, when he had been seated, " I saw this man
carrying a
bundle, and running hard, by which I knew that he was
deserting you.
We (my wife and I) were sitting in our little watch-hut,
watching our
corn ; and, as the road runs close by, this man was obliged
to come close
to us. We called to him when he was near, saying, " Master,
where are
you going so fast ? Are you deserting the Musungu, for
we know you
belong to him, since you bought from us yesterday two
doti worth of
meat ?'
" ' Yes,' said he, ' I am running away; I want to get
to Simbamwenni.
If you will take me there, I will give you a doti.'
" We said to him then, Come into our house, and
we will talk it over
quietly.' When he was in our house in an inner room,
we locked him
up, and went out again to the watch ; but leaving word
with the women
to look out for him. We knew that, if you wanted him,
you would send
askari (soldiers) after him.
" We had but lit our pipes when we saw two men armed with
short
guns, and having no loads, coming along the road, looking
now and then
on the ground, as if they were looking at footmarks.
We knew them to
be the men we were expecting ; so we hailed them, and
said, ' Masters,
what are ye looking for ?
" They said, We are looking for a man who has deserted
our master.
Here are his footsteps. If you have been long in your
hut you must
have seen him. Can you tell us where he is?' We said,
' Yes ; he is in
our house. If you will come with us, we will give him
up to you ; but
your master must give us something for catching him.'
"
As Kigondo had promj^ed to deliver Kingaru up, there remained
nothing further to do for Uledi and Sarmean but to take
charge of their
prisoner, and bring him and his captors to my camp on
the western bank
of the Makata. Kingaru received two dozen lashes, and
was chained ;
his captor a doti, besides five khete of read coral beads
for his wife.
CHAPTER XIII.
STANLEY'S HEROIC ACHIEVEMENTS.
Continued
at ERBzine 6099_13
