How I Found Livingstone, Henry M. Stanley [best fantasy books to read txt] 📗
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fertile country, in the valley of the Ungerengeri. On its most
desirable site, with the river flowing close under the walls,
he built his capital, and called it Simbamwenni, which means
“The Lion,” or the strongest, City. In old age the successful
robber and kidnapper changed his name of Kisabengo, which had
gained such a notoriety, to Simbamwenni, after his town; and when
dying, after desiring that his eldest daughter should succeed him,
he bestowed the name of the town upon her also, which name of
Simbamwenni the Sultana now retains and is known by.
While crossing a rapid stream, which, as I said before flowed close
to the walls, the inhabitants of Simbamwenni had a fine chance of
gratifying their curiosity of seeing the “Great Musungu,” whose
several caravans had preceded him, and who unpardonably, because
unlicensed, had spread a report of his great wealth and power.
I was thus the object of a universal stare. At one time on the
banks there were considerably over a thousand natives going
through the several tenses and moods of the verb “to stare,”
or exhibiting every phase of the substantive, viz.—the stare
peremptory, insolent, sly, cunning, modest, and casual. The
warriors of the Sultana, holding in one hand the spear, the bow,
and sheaf or musket, embraced with the other their respective
friends, like so many models of Nisus and Euryalus, Theseus
and Pirithous, Damon and Pythias, or Achilles and Patroclus,
to whom they confidentially related their divers opinions upon
my dress and colour. The words “Musungu kuba” had as much charm
for these people as the music of the Pied Piper had for the rats
of Hamelin, since they served to draw from within the walls across
their stream so large a portion of the population; and when I
continued the journey to the Ungerengeri, distant four miles,
I feared that the Hamelin catastrophe might have to be repeated
before I could rid myself of them. But fortunately for my peace
of mind, they finally proved vincible under the hot sun, and the
distance we had to go to camp.
As we were obliged to overhaul the luggage, and repair saddles, as
well as to doctor a few of the animals, whose backs had by this
time become very sore, I determined to halt here two days.
Provisions were very plentiful also at Simbamwenni, though
comparatively dear.
On the second day I was, for the first time, made aware that my
acclimatization in the ague-breeding swamps of Arkansas was
powerless against the mukunguru of East Africa. The premonitory
symptoms of the African type were felt in my system at 10 A.M.
First, general lassitude prevailed, with a disposition to
drowsiness; secondly, came the spinal ache which, commencing from
the loins, ascended the vertebrae, and extended around the ribs,
until it reached the shoulders, where it settled into a weary
pain; thirdly came a chilliness over the whole body, which was
quickly followed by a heavy head, swimming eyes, and throbbing
temples, with vague vision, which distorted and transformed all
objects of sight. This lasted until 10 P.M., and the mukunguru
left me, much prostrated in strength.
The remedy, applied for three mornings in succession after the
attack, was such as my experience in Arkansas had taught me was
the most powerful corrective, viz., a quantum of fifteen grains
of quinine, taken in three doses of five grains each, every other
hour from dawn to meridian—the first dose to be taken immediately
after the first effect of the purging medicine taken at bedtime the
night previous. I may add that this treatment was perfectly
successful in my case, and in all others which occurred in my
camp. After the mukunguru had declared itself, there was no fear,
with such a treatment of it, of a second attack, until at least
some days afterwards.
On the third day the camp was visited by the ambassadors of
Her Highness the Sultana of Simbamwenni, who came as her
representatives to receive the tribute which she regards herself
as powerful enough to enforce. But they, as well as Madame
Simbamwenni, were informed, that as we knew it was their custom to
charge owners of caravans but one tribute, and as they remembered
the Musungu (Farquhar) had paid already, it was not fair that I
should have to pay again. The ambassadors replied with a “Ngema”
(very well), and promised to carry my answer back to their
mistress. Though it was by no means “very well ” in fact, as it
will be seen in a subsequent chapter how the female Simbamwenni
took advantage of an adverse fortune which befell me to pay
herself. With this I close the chapter of incidents experienced
during our transit across the maritime region.
CHAPTER VI. TO UGOGO.
A valley of despond, and hot-bed of malaria.—Myriads of vermin.—
The Makata swamp.—A sorrowful experience catching a deserter.—A
far-embracing prospect.—Illness of William Farquhar.-Lake Ugombo.—
A land of promise.—The great Kisesa.—The plague of earwigs.
The distance from Bagamoyo to Simbamwenni we found to be 119 miles,
and was accomplished in fourteen marches. But these marches, owing
to difficulties arising from the Masika season, and more especially
to the lagging of the fourth caravan under Maganga, extended to
twenty-nine days, thus rendering our progress very slow indeed—
but a little more than four miles a-day. I infer, from what I have
seen of the travelling, that had I not been encumbered by the sick
Wanyamwezi porters, I could have accomplished the distance in
sixteen days. For it was not the donkeys that proved recreant to
my confidence; they, poor animals, carrying a weight of 150 lbs.
each, arrived at Simbamwenni in first-rate order; but it was
Maganga, composed of greed and laziness, and his weakly-bodied
tribe, who were ever falling sick. In dry weather the number of
marches might have been much reduced. Of the half-dozen of Arabs
or so who preceded this Expedition along this route, two
accomplished the entire distance in eight days. From the brief
descriptions given of the country, as it day by day expanded to
our view, enough may be gleaned to give readers a fair idea of it.
The elevation of Simbamwenni cannot be much over 1,000 feet above
the level, the rise of the land having been gradual. It being
the rainy season, about which so many ominous statements were
doled out to us by those ignorant of the character of the country,
we naturally saw it under its worst aspect; but, even in this
adverse phase of it, with all its depth of black mud, its
excessive dew, its dripping and chill grass, its density of rank
jungle, and its fevers, I look back upon the scene with pleasure,
for the wealth and prosperity it promises to some civilized nation,
which in some future time will come and take possession of it.
A railroad from Bagamoyo to Simbamwenni might be constructed with
as much ease and rapidity as, and at far less cost than the Union
Pacific Railway, whose rapid strides day by day towards completion
the world heard of and admired. A residence in this part of Africa,
after a thorough system of drainage had been carried out, would not
be attended with more discomfort than generally follows upon the
occupation of new land. The temperature at this season during the
day never exceeded 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The nights were pleasant—
too cold without a pair of blankets for covering; and, as far as
Simbamwenni, they were without that pest which is so dreadful on
the Nebraska and Kansas prairies, the mosquito. The only annoyances
I know of that would tell hard on the settler is the determined
ferocity of the mabungu, or horse-fly; the chufwa, &c., already
described, which, until the dense forests and jungles were cleared,
would be certain to render the keeping of domestic cattle
unremunerative.
Contrary to expectation the Expedition was not able to start at
the end of two days; the third and the fourth days were passed
miserably enough in the desponding valley of Ungerengeri. This
river, small as it is in the dry seasons, becomes of considerable
volume and power during the Masika, as we experienced to our
sorrow. It serves as a drain to a score of peaks and two long
ranges of mountains; winding along their base, it is the recipient
of the cascades seen flashing during the few intervals of sunlight,
of all the nullahs and ravines which render the lengthy frontage
of the mountain slopes so rugged and irregular, until it glides
into the valley of Simbamwenni a formidable body of water,
opposing a serious obstacle to caravans without means to build
bridges; added to which was an incessant downfall of rain—such a
rain as shuts people in-doors and renders them miserable and
unamiable—a real London rain—an eternal drizzle accompanied
with mist and fog. When the sun shone it appeared but a pale
image of itself, and old pagazis, wise in their traditions
as old whaling captains, shook their heads ominously at the
dull spectre, and declared it was doubtful if the rain would cease
for three weeks yet.
The site of the caravan camp on the hither side of the Ungerengeri
was a hot-bed of malaria, unpleasant to witness—an abomination to
memory. The filth of generations of pagazis had gathered
innumerable hosts of creeping things. Armies of black, white, and
red ants infest the stricken soil; centipedes, like worms, of
every hue, clamber over shrubs and plants; hanging to the
undergrowth are the honey-combed nests of yellow-headed wasps with
stings as harmful as scorpions; enormous beetles, as large as
full-grown mice, roll dunghills over the ground; of all sorts,
shapes, sizes, and hues are the myriad-fold vermin with which the
ground teems; in short, the richest entomological collection could
not vie in variety and numbers with the species which the four
walls of my tent enclosed from morning until night.
On the fifth morning, or the 23rd April, the rain gave us a few
hours’ respite, during which we managed to wade through the
Stygian quagmire reeking with noisomeness to the inundated
river-bank. The soldiers commenced at 5 A.M. to convey the
baggage across from bank to bank over a bridge which was the most
rustic of the rustic kind. Only an ignorant African would have
been satisfied with its small utility as a means to cross a deep
and rapid body of water. Even for light-footed Wanyamwezi pagazis
it was anything but comfortable to traverse. Only a professional
tight-rope performer could have carried a load across with ease.
To travel over an African bridge requires, first, a long leap
from land to the limb of a tree (which may or may not be covered
by water), followed by a long jump ashore. With 70 lbs. weight on
his back, the carrier finds it difficult enough. Sometimes he is
assisted by ropes extemporized from the long convolvuli which hang
from almost every tree, but not always, these being deemed
superfluities by the Washensi.
Fortunately the baggage was transferred without a single accident,
and though the torrent was strong, the donkeys were dragged through
the flood by vigorous efforts and much objurgation without a
casualty. This performance of crossing the Ungerengeri occupied
fully five hours, though energy, abuse, and fury enough were
expended for an army.
Reloading and wringing our clothes dry, we set out from the
horrible neighbourhood of the river, with its reek and filth,
in a northerly direction, following a road which led up to easy
and level ground. Two obtruding hills were thus avoided on our
left, and after passing them we had shut out the view of the
hateful valley.
I always found myself more comfortable and lighthearted while
travelling than when chafing and fretting in camp at delays which
no effort could avoid, and consequently
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