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

Thani, always worldly wise, said, “Heed them not;

they are dogs who bite besides barking.”

____________________

* White man’s land.

_____________________

 

At 9 A.M. we were in our boma, near Mvumi village; but here also

crowds of Wagogo came to catch a glimpse of the Musungu, whose

presence was soon made known throughout the district of Mvumi.

But two hours later I was oblivious of their endeavours to see me;

for, despite repeated doses of quinine, the mukunguru had sure hold

of me.

 

The next day was a march of eight miles, from East Mvumi to West

Mvumi, where lived the Sultan of the district. The quantity and

variety of provisions which arrived at our boma did not belie the

reports respecting the productions of Ugogo. Milk, sour and sweet,

honey, beans, matama, maweri, Indian corn, ghee, peanuts, and a

species of bean-nut very like a large pistachio or an almond,

water-melons, pumpkins, mush-melons, and cucumbers were brought,

and readily exchanged for Merikani, Kaniki, and for the white

Merikani beads and Sami-Sami, or Sam-Sam. The trade and barter

which progressed in the camp from morning till night reminded me

of the customs existing among the Gallas and Abyssinians.

Eastward, caravans were obliged to despatch men with cloth, to

purchase from the villagers. This was unnecessary in Ugogo, where

the people voluntarily brought every vendible they possessed to

the camp. The smallest breadth of white or blue cloth became

saleable and useful in purchasing provisions—even a loin-cloth

worn threadbare.

 

The day after our march was a halt. We had fixed this day for

bearing the tribute to the Great Sultan of Mvumi. Prudent and

cautious Sheikh Thani early began this important duty, the

omission of which would have been a signal for war. Hamed and

Thani sent two faithful slaves, well up to the eccentricities of

the Wagogo sultans—well spoken, having glib tongues and the real

instinct for trade as carried on amongst Orientals. They bore six

doti of cloths, viz., one doti of Dabwani Ulyah contributed by

myself, also one doti of Barsati from me, two doti Merikani Satine

from Sheikh Thani, and two doti of Kaniki from Sheikh Hamed, as a

first instalment of the tribute. The slaves were absent a full

hour, but having wasted their powers of pleading, in vain, they

returned with the demand for more, which Sheikh Thani communicated

to me in this wise:

 

“Auf! this Sultan is a very bad man—a very bad man indeed;

he says, the Musungu is a great man, I call him a sultan; the

Musungu is very rich, for he has several caravans already gone

past; the Musungu must pay forty doti, and the Arabs must pay

twelve doti each, for they have rich caravans. It is of no use

for you to tell me you are all one caravan, otherwise why so many

flags and tents? Go and bring me sixty doti, with less I will

not be satisfied.”

 

I suggested to Sheikh Thani, upon hearing this exorbitant demand,

that had I twenty Wasungu* armed with Winchester repeating rifles,

the Sultan might be obliged to pay tribute to me; but Thani

prayed and begged me to be cautious lest angry words might

irritate the Sultan and cause him to demand a double tribute, as he

was quite capable of doing so; “and if you preferred war,” said

he, “your pagazis would all desert, and leave you and your cloth

to the small mercy of the Wagogo.” But I hastened to allay his

fears by telling Bombay, in his presence, that I had foreseen such

demands on the part of the Wagogo, and that having set aside one

hundred and twenty doti of honga cloths, I should not consider

myself a sufferer if the Sultan demanded and I paid forty cloths

to him; that he must therefore open the honga bale, and permit

Sheikh Thani to extract such cloths as the Sultan might like.

 

Sheikh Thani, having put on the cap of consideration and joined

heads with Hamed and the faithful serviles, thought if I paid

twelve doti, out of which three should be of Ulyah+ quality,

that the Sultan might possibly condescend to accept our tribute;

supposing he was persuaded by the oratorical words of the “Faithfuls,”

that the Musungu had nothing with him but the mashiwa (boat),

which would be of no use to him, come what might,—with which

prudent suggestion the Musungu concurred, seeing its wisdom.

______________________

* White men.

+ Best, or superior.

_____________________

 

The slaves departed, bearing this time from our boma thirty doti,

with our best wishes for their success. In an hour they returned

with empty hands, but yet unsuccessful. The Sultan demanded six

doti of Merikani, and a fundo of bubu, from the Musungu; and from

the Arabs and other caravans, twelve doti more. For the third time

the slaves departed for the Sultan’s tembe, carrying with them six

doti Merikani and a fundo of bubu from myself, and ten doti from

the Arabs. Again they returned to us with the Sultan’s words,

“That, as the doti of the Musungu were short measure, and the cloths

of the Arabs of miserable quality, the Musungu must send three doti

full measure, and the Arabs five doti of Kaniki.” My three doti

were at once measured out with the longest fore-arm—according

to Kigogo measure—and sent off by Bombay; but the Arabs, almost

in despair, declared they would be ruined if they gave way to such

demands, and out of the five doti demanded sent only two, with a

pleading to the Sultan that he would consider what was paid as

just and fair Muhongo, and not ask any more. But the Sultan of

Mvumi was by no means disposed to consider any such proposition,

but declared he must have three doti, and these to be two of Ulyah

cloth, and one Kitambi Barsati, which, as he was determined to

obtain, were sent to him heavy with the deep maledictions of

Sheikh Hamed and the despairing sighs of sheikh Thani.

 

Altogether the sultanship of a district in Ugogo must be very

remunerative, besides being a delightful sinecure, so long as the

Sultan has to deal with timid Arab merchants who fear to exhibit

anything approaching to independence and self-reliance, lest they

might be mulcted in cloth. In one day from one camp the sultan

received forty-seven doti, consisting of Merikani, Kaniki, Barsati,

and Dabwani, equal to $35.25, besides seven doti of superior

cloths, consisting of Rehani, Sohari, and Daobwani Ulyah, and one

fundo of Bubu, equal to $14.00, making a total of $49.25—a most

handsome revenue for a Mgogo chief.

 

On the 27th May we gladly shook the dust of Mvumi from our feet,

and continued on our route—ever westward. Five of my donkeys had

died the night before, from the effects of the water of Marenga

Mkali. Before leaving the camp of Mvumi, I went to look at their

carcases; but found them to have been clean picked by the

hyaenas, and the bones taken possession of by an army of

white-necked crows.

 

As we passed the numerous villages, and perceived the entire face

of the land to be one vast field of grain, and counted the people

halted by scores on the roadside to feast their eyes with a greedy

stare on the Musungu, I no longer wondered at the extortionate

demands of the Wagogo. For it was manifest that they had but to

stretch out their hands to possess whatever the wealth of a caravan

consisted of; and I began to think better of the people who,

knowing well their strength, did not use it—of people who were

intellectual enough to comprehend that their interest lay in

permitting the caravans to pass on without attempting any outrage.

 

Between Mvumi and the nest Sultan’s district, that of Matamburu,

I counted no less than twenty-five villages, scattered over the

clayey, coloured plain. Despite the inhospitable nature of

the plain, it was better cultivated than any part of any other

country we had seen since leaving Bagamoyo.

 

When we had at last arrived at our boma of Matamburu, the same

groups of curious people, the same eager looks, the same

exclamations of surprise, the same, peals of laughter, at something

they deemed ludicrous in the Musungu’s dress or manner, awaited

us, as at Mvumi. The Arabs being “Wakonongo” travellers, whom

they saw every day, enjoyed a complete immunity from the

vexations which we had to endure.

 

The Sultan of Matamburu, a man of herculean form, and massive

head well set on shoulders that might vie with those of Milo,

proved to be a very reasonable person. Not quite so powerful as

the Sultan of Mvumi, he yet owned a fair share of Ugogo and about

forty villages, and could, if he chose, have oppressed the

mercantile souls of my Arab companions, in the same way as he of

Mvumi. Four doti of cloth were taken to him as a preliminary

offering to his greatness, which he said he would accept, if the

Arabs and Musungu would send him four more. As his demands were so

reasonable, this little affair was soon terminated to everybody’s

satisfaction; and soon after, the kirangozi of Sheikh Hamed

sounded the signal for the morrow’s march.

 

At the orders of the same Sheikh, the kirangozi stood up to speak

before the assembled caravans. “Words, words, from the Bana,” he

shouted. “Give ear, kirangozis! Listen, children of Unyamwezi!

The journey is for tomorrow! The road is crooked and bad, bad!

The jungle is there, and many Wagogo lie hidden within it!

Wagogo spear the pagazis, and cut the throats of those who carry

mutumba (bales) and ushanga (beads)! The Wagogo have been to our

camp, they have seen your bales; to-night they seek the jungle:

tomorrow watch well, O Wanyamwezi! Keep close together, lag not

behind! Kirangozis walk slow, that the weak, the sick, and the

young may keep up with the strong! Take two rests on the journey!

These are the words of the Bana (master). Do you hear them,

Wanyamwezi? (A loud shout in the affirmative from all.) Do you

understand them well? (another chorus); then Bas;” having said

which, the eloquent kirangozi retired into the dark night, and

his straw hut.

 

The march to Bihawana, our next camp, was rugged and long, through

a continuous jungle of gums and thorns, up steep hills and finally

over a fervid plain, while the sun waxed hotter and hotter as it

drew near the meridian, until it seemed to scorch all vitality

from inanimate nature, while the view was one white blaze,

unbearable to the pained sight, which sought relief from the glare

in vain. Several sandy watercourses, on which were impressed many

a trail of elephants, were also passed on this march. The slope of

these stream-beds trended south-east and south.

 

In the middle of this scorching plain stood the villages of

Bihawana, almost undistinguishable, from the extreme lowness of

the huts, which did not reach the height of the tall bleached grass

which stood smoking in the untempered heat.

 

Our camp was in a large boma, about a quarter of a mile from the

Sultan’s tembe. Soon after arriving at the camp, I was visited by

three Wagogo, who asked me if I had seen a Mgogo on the road with a

woman and child. I was about to answer, very innocently, “Yes,”

when Mabruki—cautious and watchful always for the interests of the

master—requested me not to answer, as the Wagogo, as customary,

would charge me with having done away with them, and would require

their price from me. Indignant at the imposition they were about

to practise upon me, I was about to raise my whip to flog them out

of the camp, when again Mabruki, with a roaring voice, bade me

beware, for every blow would cost me three or