How I Found Livingstone, Henry M. Stanley [best fantasy books to read txt] 📗

world—to build a bridge. Be

sure it was made quickly, for where the civilized white is found,

a difficulty must vanish. The bridge was composed of six stout

trees thrown across, over these were laid crosswise fifteen pack

saddles, covered again with a thick layer of grass. All the

animals crossed it safely, and then for a third time that morning

the process of wading was performed. The Kingani flowed northerly

here, and our course lay down its right bank. A half mile in that

direction through a jungle of giant reeds and extravagant climbers

brought us to the ferry, where the animals had to be again

unloaded—verily, I wished when I saw its deep muddy waters that I

possessed the power of Moses with his magic rod, or what would have

answered my purpose as well, Aladdin’s ring, for then I could have

found myself and party on the opposite side without further trouble;

but not having either of these gifts I issued orders for an immediate

crossing, for it was ill wishing sublime things before this most

mundane prospect.

 

Kingwere, the canoe paddler, espying us from his brake covert, on

the opposite side, civilly responded to our halloos, and brought

his huge hollowed tree skilfully over the whirling eddies of the

river to where we stood waiting for him. While one party loaded

the canoe with our goods, others got ready a long rape to fasten

around the animals’ necks, wherewith to haul them through the

river to the other bank. After seeing the work properly

commenced, I sat down on a condemned canoe to amuse myself with the

hippopotami by peppering their thick skulls with my No. 12

smoothbore. The Winchester rifle (calibre 44), a present from the

Hon. Edward Joy Morris—our minister at Constantinople—did no more

than slightly tap them, causing about as much injury as a boy’s

sling; it was perfect in its accuracy of fire, for ten times in

succession I struck the tops of their heads between the ears. One

old fellow, with the look of a sage, was tapped close to the right

ear by one of these bullets. Instead of submerging himself as

others had done he coolly turned round his head as if to ask, “Why

this waste of valuable cartridges on us?” The response to the mute

inquiry of his sageship was an ounce-and-a-quarter bullet from the

smoothbore, which made him bellow with pain, and in a few moments

he rose up again, tumbling in his death agonies. As his groans

were so piteous, I refrained from a useless sacrifice of life,

and left the amphibious horde in peace.

 

A little knowledge concerning these uncouth inmates of the African

waters was gained even during the few minutes we were delayed at

the ferry. When undisturbed by foreign sounds, they congregate

in shallow water on the sand bars, with the fore half of their

bodies exposed to the warm sunshine, and are in appearance,

when thus somnolently reposing, very like a herd of enormous

swine. When startled by the noise of an intruder, they plunge

hastily into the depths, lashing the waters into a yellowish

foam, and scatter themselves below the surface, when presently

the heads of a few reappear, snorting the water from their

nostrils, to take a fresh breath and a cautious scrutiny around

them; when thus, we see but their ears, forehead, eyes and

nostrils, and as they hastily submerge again it requires a steady

wrist and a quick hand to shoot them. I have heard several

comparisons made of their appearance while floating in this

manner: some Arabs told me before I had seen them that they looked

like dead trees carried down the river; others, who in some

country had seen hogs, thought they resembled them, but to my

mind they look more like horses when swimming their curved necks

and pointed ears, their wide eyes and expanded nostrils, favor

greatly this comparison.

 

At night they seek the shore, and wander several miles over the

country, luxuriating among its rank grasses. To within four miles

of the town of Bagamoyo (the Kingani is eight miles distant) their

wide tracks are seen. Frequently, if not disturbed by the

startling human voice, they make a raid on the rich corn-stalks of

the native cultivators, and a dozen of them will in a few minutes

make a frightful havoc in a large field of this plant.

Consequently, we were not surprised, while delayed at the ferry,

to hear the owners of the corn venting loud halloos, like the

rosy-cheeked farmer boys in England when scaring the crows away

from the young wheat.

 

The caravan in the meanwhile had crossed safely—bales, baggage,

donkeys, and men. I had thought to have camped on the bank, so as

to amuse myself with shooting antelope, and also for the sake of

procuring their meat, in order to save my goats, of which I had a

number constituting my live stock of provisions; but, thanks to

the awe and dread which my men entertained of the hippopotami, I

was hurried on to the outpost of the Baluch garrison at Bagamoyo,

a small village called Kikoka, distant four miles from the river.

 

The western side of the river was a considerable improvement upon

the eastern. The plain, slowly heaving upwards, as smoothly as

the beach of a watering-place, for the distance of a mile, until it

culminated in a gentle and rounded ridge, presented none of those

difficulties which troubled us on the other side. There were none

of those cataclysms of mire and sloughs of black mud and over-tall

grasses, none of that miasmatic jungle with its noxious emissions;

it was just such a scene as one may find before an English

mansion—a noble expanse of lawn and sward, with boscage sufficient

to agreeably diversify it. After traversing the open plain, the

road led through a grove of young ebony trees, where guinea-fowls

and a hartebeest were seen; it then wound, with all the

characteristic eccentric curves of a goat-path, up and down a

succession of land-waves crested by the dark green foliage of the

mango, and the scantier and lighter-coloured leaves of the enormous

calabash. The depressions were filled with jungle of more or less

density, while here and there opened glades, shadowed even during

noon by thin groves of towering trees. At our approach fled in

terror flocks of green pigeons, jays, ibis, turtledoves, golden

pheasants, quails and moorhens, with crows and hawks, while now

and then a solitary pelican winged its way to the distance.

 

Nor was this enlivening prospect without its pairs of antelope, and

monkeys which hopped away like Australian kangaroos; these latter

were of good size, with round bullet heads, white breasts, and long

tails tufted at the end.

 

We arrived at Kikoka by 5 P.m., having loaded and unloaded our

pack animals four times, crossing one deep puddle, a mud sluice,

and a river, and performed a journey of eleven miles.

 

The settlement of Kikoka is a collection of straw huts; not built

after any architectural style, but after a bastard form, invented

by indolent settlers from the Mrima and Zanzibar for the purpose

of excluding as much sunshine as possible from the eaves and

interior. A sluice and some wells provide them with water, which

though sweet is not particularly wholesome or appetizing, owing to

the large quantities of decayed matter which is washed into it by

the rains, and is then left to corrupt in it. A weak effort has

been made to clear the neighbourhood for providing a place for

cultivation, but to the dire task of wood-chopping and

jungle-clearing the settlers prefer occupying an open glade, which

they clear of grass, so as to be able to hoe up two or three

inches of soil, into which they cast their seed, confident of

return.

 

The next day was a halt at Kikoka; the fourth caravan,

consisting solely of Wanyamwezi, proving a sore obstacle to a

rapid advance. Maganga, its chief, devised several methods of

extorting more cloth and presents from me, he having cost already

more than any three chiefs together; but his efforts were of no

avail further than obtaining promises of reward if he would hurry

on to Unyanyembe so that I might find my road clear.

 

On the 2(7?)th, the Wanyamwezi having started, we broke camp soon

after at 7 am. The country was of the same nature as that lying

between the Kingani and Kikokaa park land, attractive and beautiful

in every feature.

 

I rode in advance to secure meat should a chance present itself,

but not the shadow of vert or venison did I see. Ever in our

front—westerly—rolled the land-waves, now rising, now subsiding,

parallel one with the other, like a ploughed field many times

magnified. Each ridge had its knot of jungle or its thin combing

of heavily foliaged trees, until we arrived close to Rosako, our

next halting place, when the monotonous wavure of the land

underwent a change, breaking into independent hummocks clad with

dense jungle. On one of these, veiled by an impenetrable jungle

of thorny acacia, rested Rosako; girt round by its natural

fortification, neighbouring another village to the north of it

similarly protected. Between them sank a valley extremely

fertile and bountiful in its productions, bisected by a small

stream, which serves as a drain to the valley or low hills

surrounding it.

 

Rosako is the frontier village of Ukwere, while Kikoka is the

north-western extremity of Uzaramo. We entered this village, and

occupied its central portion with our tents and animals. A

kitanda, or square light bedstead, without valance, fringe, or any

superfluity whatever, but nevertheless quite as comfortable as

with them, was brought to my tent for my use by the village

chief. The animals were, immediately after being unloaded,

driven out to feed, and the soldiers to a man set to work to pile

the baggage up, lest the rain, which during the Masika season

always appears imminent, might cause irreparable damage.

 

Among other experiments which I was about to try in Africa was

that of a good watchdog on any unmannerly people who would

insist upon coming into my tent at untimely hours and endangering

valuables. Especially did I wish to try the effect of its bark

on the mighty Wagogo, who, I was told by certain Arabs, would

lift the door of the tent and enter whether you wished them or not;

who would chuckle at the fear they inspired, and say to you,

“Hi, hi, white man, I never saw the like of you before; are there

many more like you? where do you come from?” Also would they

take hold of your watch and ask you with a cheerful curiosity,

“What is this for, white man?” to which you of course would reply

that it was to tell you the hour and minute. But the Mgogo, proud

of his prowess, and more unmannerly than a brute, would answer you

with a snort of insult. I thought of a watchdog, and procured a

good one at Bombay not only as a faithful companion, but to

threaten the heels of just such gentry.

 

But soon after our arrival at Rosako it was found that the dog,

whose name was “Omar,” given him from his Turkish origin, was

missing; he had strayed away from the soldiers during a

rain-squall and had got lost. I despatched Mabruki Burton back to

Kikoka to search for him. On the following morning, just as we

were about to leave Rosako, the faithful fellow returned with the

lost dog, having found him at Kikoka.

 

Previous to our departure on the morning after this, Maganga, chief

of the fourth caravan, brought me the unhappy report that three of

his pagazis were sick, and he would like to have some “dowa”—

medicine. Though not a doctor, or in