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

cession by the Wakami of an immense tract of

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