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

so on

to Itara, Unyoro, and Baker.

 

For either course, whichever he thought most expedient, I and my

men would assist him as escort and carriers, to the best of our

ability. If he should elect to go home, I informed him I should

be proud to escort him, and consider myself subject to his

commands—travelling only when he desired, and camping only when

he gave the word.

 

6th. The last course which I suggested to him, was to permit me to

escort him to Unyanyembe, where he could receive his own goods,

and where I could deliver up to him a large supply of first-class

cloth and beads, guns and ammunition, cooking utensils, clothing,

boats, tents, &c., and where he could rest in a comfortable house,

while I would hurry down to the coast, organise a new expedition

composed of fifty or sixty faithful men, well armed, by whom I

could send an additional supply of needful luxuries in the shape

of creature comforts.

 

After long consideration, he resolved to adopt the last course,

as it appeared to him to be the most feasible one, and the best,

though he did not hesitate to comment upon the unaccountable apathy

of his agent at Zanzibar, which had caused him so much trouble and

vexation, and weary marching of hundreds of miles.

 

Our ship—though nothing more than a cranky canoe hollowed out of

a noble mvule tree of Ugoma—was an African Argo bound on a nobler

enterprise than its famous Grecian prototype. We were bound upon

no mercenary errand, after no Golden Fleece, but perhaps to

discover a highway for commerce which should bring the ships of

the Nile up to Ujiji, Usowa, and far Marungu. We did not know

what we might discover on our voyage to the northern head of

the Tanganika; we supposed that we should find the Rusizi to be

an effluent of the Tanganika, flowing down to the Albert or the

Victoria N’Yanza. We were told by natives and Arabs that the

Rusizi ran out of the lake.

 

Sayd bin Majid had stated that his canoe would carry twenty-five

men, and 3,500 lbs. of ivory. Acting upon this information, we

embarked twenty-five men, several of whom had stored away bags of

salt for the purposes of trade with the natives; but upon pushing

off from the shore near Ujiji, we discovered the boat was too

heavily laden, and was down to the gunwale. Returning in-shore,

we disembarked six men, and unloaded the bags of salt, which left

us with sixteen rowers, Selim, Ferajji the cook, and the two

Wajiji guides.

 

Having thus properly trimmed our boat we again pushed off, and

steered her head for Bangwe Island, which was distant four or

five miles from the Bunder of Ujiji. While passing this island

the guides informed us that the Arabs and Wajiji took shelter on

it during an incursion of the Watuta—which took place some years

ago—when they came and invaded Ujiji, and massacred several of

the inhabitants. Those who took refuge on the island were the

only persons who escaped the fire and sword with which the Watuta

had visited Ujiji.

 

After passing the island and following the various bends and

indentations of the shore, we came in sight of the magnificent bay

of Kigoma, which strikes one at once as being an excellent harbor

from the variable winds which blow over the Tanganika. About

10 A.M. we drew in towards the village of Kigoma, as the east wind

was then rising, and threatened to drive us to sea. With those

travelling parties who are not in much hurry Kigoma is always

the first port for canoes bound north from Ujiji. The next

morning at dawn we struck tent, stowed baggage, cooked, and

drank coffee, and set off northward again.

 

The lake was quite calm; its waters, of a dark-green colour,

reflected the serene blue sky above. The hippopotami came up

to breathe in alarmingly close proximity to our canoe, and then

plunged their heads again, as if they were playing hide-and-seek

with us. Arriving opposite the high wooded hills of Bemba, and

being a mile from shore, we thought it a good opportunity to sound

the depth of the water, whose colour seemed to indicate great depth.

We found thirty-five fathoms at this place.

 

Our canoeing of this day was made close in-shore, with a range of

hills, beautifully wooded and clothed with green grass, sloping

abruptly, almost precipitously, into the depths of the fresh-water

sea, towering immediately above us, and as we rounded the several

capes or points, roused high expectations of some new wonder, or

some exquisite picture being revealed as the deep folds disclosed

themselves to us. Nor were we disappointed. The wooded hills with

a wealth of boscage of beautiful trees, many of which were in

bloom, and crowned with floral glory, exhaling an indescribably

sweet fragrance, lifting their heads in varied contour—one

pyramidal, another a truncated cone; one table-topped, another

ridgy, like the steep roof of a church; one a glorious heave with

an even outline, another jagged and savage-interested us

considerably; and the pretty pictures, exquisitely pretty, at

the head of the several bays, evoked many an exclamation of

admiration. It was the most natural thing in the world that

I should feel deepest admiration for these successive pictures

of quiet scenic beauty, but the Doctor had quite as much to say

about them as I had myself, though, as one might imagine, satiated

with pictures of this kind far more beautiful—far more wonderful—

he should long ago have expended all his powers of admiring scenes

in nature.

 

From Bagamoyo to Ujiji I had seen nothing to compare to them—none

of these fishing settlements under the shade of a grove of palms

and plantains, banians and mimosa, with cassava gardens to the

right and left of palmy forests, and patches of luxuriant grain

looking down upon a quiet bay, whose calm waters at the early morn

reflected the beauties of the hills which sheltered them from the

rough and boisterous tempests that so often blew without.

 

The fishermen evidently think themselves comfortably situated.

The lake affords them all the fish they require, more than enough

to eat, and the industrious a great deal to sell. The steep slopes

of the hills, cultivated by the housewives, contribute plenty of

grain, such as dourra and Indian corn, besides cassava, ground-nuts

or peanuts, and sweet potatoes. The palm trees afford oil, and the

plantains an abundance of delicious fruit. The ravines and deep

gullies supply them with the tall shapely trees from which they

cut out their canoes. Nature has supplied them bountifully with

all that a man’s heart or stomach can desire. It is while looking

at what seems both externally and internally complete and perfect

happiness that the thought occurs—how must these people sigh,

when driven across the dreary wilderness that intervenes between

the lake country and the seacoast, for such homes as these!—

those unfortunates who, bought by the Arabs for a couple of doti,

are taken away to Zanzibar to pick cloves, or do hamal work!

 

As we drew near Niasanga, our second camp, the comparison between

the noble array of picturesque hills and receding coves, with

their pastoral and agricultural scenes, and the shores of old

Pontus, was very great. A few minutes before we hauled our canoe

ashore, two little incidents occurred. I shot an enormous

dog-faced monkey, which measured from nose to end of tail 4 feet

9 inches; the face was 8 1/2 inches long, its body weighed

about 100 lbs. It had no mane or tuft at end of tail, but

the body was covered with long wiry hair. Numbers of these

specimens were seen, as well as of the active cat-headed and

long-tailed smaller ones. The other was the sight of a large

lizard, about 2 ft. 6 in. long, which waddled into cover before

we had well noticed it. The Doctor thought it to be the Monitor

terrestris.

 

We encamped under a banian tree; our surroundings were the now

light-grey waters of the Tanganika, an amphitheatral range of

hills, and the village of Niasanga, situated at the mouth of the

rivulet Niasanga, with its grove of palms, thicket of plantains,

and plots of grain and cassava fields. Near our tent were about

half-a-dozen canoes, large and small, belonging to the villagers.

Our tent door fronted the glorious expanse of fresh water,

inviting the breeze, and the views of distant Ugoma and Ukaramba,

and the Island of Muzimu, whose ridges appeared of a deep-blue

colour. At our feet were the clean and well-washed pebbles, borne

upward into tiny lines and heaps by the restless surf. A search

amongst these would reveal to us the material of the mountain

heaps which rose behind and on our right and left; there was schist,

conglomerate sandstone, a hard white clay, an ochreish clay

containing much iron, polished quartz, &c. Looking out of our tent,

we could see a line on each side of us of thick tall reeds, which

form something like a hedge between the beach and the cultivated

area around Niasanga. Among birds seen here, the most noted were

the merry wagtails, which are regarded as good omens and

messengers of peace by the natives, and any harm done unto them

is quickly resented, and is fineable. Except to the mischievously

inclined, they offer no inducement to commit violence. On landing,

they flew to meet us, balancing themselves in the air in front,

within easy reach of our hands. The other birds were crows,

turtledoves, fish-hawks, kingfishers, ibis nigra and ibis

religiosa, flocks of whydah birds, geese, darters, paddy birds,

kites, and eagles.

 

At this place the Doctor suffered from dysentery—it is his only

weak point, he says; and, as I afterwards found, it is a frequent

complaint with him. Whatever disturbed his mind, or any

irregularity in eating, was sure to end in an attack of dysentery,

which had lately become of a chronic character.

 

The third day of our journey on the Tanganika brought us to Zassi

River and village, after a four hours’ pull. Along the line of

road the mountains rose 2,000 and 2,500 feet above the waters of

the lake. I imagined the scenery getting more picturesque and

animated at every step, and thought it by far lovelier than

anything seen near Lake George or on the Hudson. The cosy nooks

at the head of the many small bays constitute most admirable

pictures, filled in as they are with the ever-beautiful feathery

palms and broad green plantain fronds. These nooks have all been

taken possession of by fishermen, and their conically beehive-shaped huts always peep from under the frondage. The shores are

thus extremely populous; every terrace, small plateau, and bit of

level ground is occupied.

 

Zassi is easily known by a group of conical hills which rise near

by, and are called Kirassa. Opposite to these, at the distance of

about a mile from shore, we sounded, and obtained 35 fathoms, as on

the previous day. Getting out a mile further, I let go the whole

length of my line, 115 fathoms, and obtained no bottom. In drawing

it up again the line parted, and I lost the lead, with three-fourths

of the line. The Doctor stated, apropos of this, that he had

sounded opposite the lofty Kabogo, south of Ujiji, and obtained the

great depth of 300 fathoms. He also lost his lead and 100 fathoms

of his line, but he had nearly 900 fathoms left, and this was in

the canoes. We hope to use this long sounding line in going across

from the eastern to the western shore.

 

On the fourth day we arrived at Nyabigma, a sandy island in

Urundi. We had passed the boundary line between Ujiji and Urundi

half-an-hour before arriving at Nyabigma.