Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, David Livingstone [novels for teenagers .TXT] 📗

me.

The thought flashed across my mind, "What if your gun misses fire?"

I placed it to my shoulder as he came on at full speed, and that is tremendous, though generally he is a lumbering-looking animal in his paces. A small bush and bunch of grass fifteen yards off made him swerve a little, and exposed his shoulder. I just heard the ball crack there as I fell flat on my face. The pain must have made him renounce his purpose, for he bounded close past me on to the water, where he was found dead. In expressing my thankfulness to God among my men, they were much offended with themselves for not being present to shield me from this danger. The tree near me was a camel-thorn, and reminded me that we had come back to the land of thorns again, for the country we had left is one of evergreens.

--

It is probably a species allied to the `Sternotherus sinuatus' of Dr. Smith, as it has no disagreeable smell. This variety annually leaves the water with so much regularity for the deposit of its eggs, that the natives decide on the time of sowing their seed by its appearance.

--

JULY 27TH. We reached the town of Libonta, and were received with demonstrations of joy such as I had never witnessed before.

The women came forth to meet us, making their curious dancing gestures and loud lulliloos. Some carried a mat and stick, in imitation of a spear and shield. Others rushed forward and kissed the hands and cheeks of the different persons of their acquaintance among us, raising such a dust that it was quite a relief to get to the men assembled and sitting with proper African decorum in the kotla.

We were looked upon as men risen from the dead, for the most skillful of their diviners had pronounced us to have perished long ago.

After many expressions of joy at meeting, I arose, and, thanking them, explained the causes of our long delay, but left the report to be made by their own countrymen. Formerly I had been the chief speaker, now I would leave the task of speaking to them. Pitsane then delivered a speech of upward of an hour in length, giving a highly flattering picture of the whole journey, of the kindness of the white men in general, and of Mr. Gabriel in particular. He concluded by saying that I had done more for them than they expected; that I had not only opened up a path for them to the other white men, but conciliated all the chiefs along the route. The oldest man present rose and answered this speech, and, among other things, alluded to the disgust I felt at the Makololo for engaging in marauding expeditions against Lechulatebe and Sebolamakwaia, of which we had heard from the first persons we met, and which my companions most energetically denounced as "mashue hela", entirely bad.

He entreated me not to lose heart, but to reprove Sekeletu as my child.

Another old man followed with the same entreaties. The following day we observed as our thanksgiving to God for his goodness in bringing us all back in safety to our friends. My men decked themselves out in their best, and I found that, although their goods were finished, they had managed to save suits of European clothing, which, being white, with their red caps, gave them rather a dashing appearance. They tried to walk like the soldiers they had seen in Loanda, and called themselves my "braves" (batlabani).

During the service they all sat with their guns over their shoulders, and excited the unbounded admiration of the women and children.

I addressed them all on the goodness of God in preserving us from all the dangers of strange tribes and disease. We had a similar service in the afternoon. The men gave us two fine oxen for slaughter, and the women supplied us abundantly with milk, meal, and butter.

It was all quite gratuitous, and I felt ashamed that I could make no return.

My men explained the total expenditure of our means, and the Libontese answered gracefully, "It does not matter; you have opened a path for us, and we shall have sleep." Strangers came flocking from a distance, and seldom empty-handed. Their presents I distributed among my men.

Our progress down the Barotse valley was just like this. Every village gave us an ox, and sometimes two. The people were wonderfully kind.

I felt, and still feel, most deeply grateful, and tried to benefit them in the only way I could, by imparting the knowledge of that Savior who can comfort and supply them in the time of need, and my prayer is that he may send his good Spirit to instruct them and lead them into his kingdom.

Even now I earnestly long to return, and make some recompense to them for their kindness. In passing them on our way to the north, their liberality might have been supposed to be influenced by the hope of repayment on our return, for the white man's land is imagined to be the source of every ornament they prize most.

But, though we set out from Loanda with a considerable quantity of goods, hoping both to pay our way through the stingy Chiboque, and to make presents to the kind Balonda and still more generous Makololo, the many delays caused by sickness made us expend all my stock, and all the goods my men procured by their own labor at Loanda, and we returned to the Makololo as poor as when we set out.

Yet no distrust was shown, and my poverty did not lessen my influence.

They saw that I had been exerting myself for their benefit alone, and even my men remarked, "Though we return as poor as we went, we have not gone in vain." They began immediately to collect tusks of hippopotami and other ivory for a second journey.

Chapter 25.

Colony of Birds called Linkololo -- The Village of Chitlane --

Murder of Mpololo's Daughter -- Execution of the Murderer and his Wife --

My Companions find that their Wives have married other Husbands --

Sunday -- A Party from Masiko -- Freedom of Speech -- Canoe struck by a Hippopotamus -- Gonye -- Appearance of Trees at the end of Winter --

Murky Atmosphere -- Surprising Amount of organic Life --

Hornets -- The Packages forwarded by Mr. Moffat --

Makololo Suspicions and Reply to the Matebele who brought them --

Convey the Goods to an Island and build a Hut over them -- Ascertain that Sir R. Murchison had recognized the true Form of African Continent --

Arrival at Linyanti -- A grand Picho -- Shrewd Inquiry --

Sekeletu in his Uniform -- A Trading-party sent to Loanda with Ivory --

Mr. Gabriel's Kindness to them -- Difficulties in Trading --

Two Makololo Forays during our Absence -- Report of the Country to the N.E.

-- Death of influential Men -- The Makololo desire to be nearer the Market -- Opinions upon a Change of Residence -- Climate of Barotse Valley --

Diseases -- Author's Fevers not a fair Criterion in the Matter --

The Interior an inviting Field for the Philanthropist -- Consultations about a Path to the East Coast -- Decide on descending North Bank of Zambesi --

Wait for the Rainy Season -- Native way of spending Time during the period of greatest Heat -- Favorable Opening for Missionary Enterprise --

Ben Habib wishes to marry -- A Maiden's Choice -- Sekeletu's Hospitality --

Sulphureted Hydrogen and Malaria -- Conversations with Makololo --

Their moral Character and Conduct -- Sekeletu wishes to purchase a Sugar-mill, etc. -- The Donkeys -- Influence among the Natives --

"Food fit for a Chief" -- Parting Words of Mamire -- Motibe's Excuses.

On the 31st of July we parted with our kind Libonta friends.

We planted some of our palm-tree seeds in different villages of this valley.

They began to sprout even while we were there, but, unfortunately, they were always destroyed by the mice which swarm in every hut.

At Chitlane's village we collected the young of a colony of the linkololo (Anastomus lamalligerus'), a black, long-legged bird, somewhat larger than a crow, which lives on shellfish (Ampullaria'), and breeds in society at certain localities among the reeds.

These places are well known, as they continue there from year to year, and belong to the chiefs, who at particular times of the year gather most of the young. The produce of this "harvest", as they call it, which was presented to me, was a hundred and seventy-five unfledged birds.

They had been rather late in collecting them, in consequence of waiting for the arrival of Mpololo, who acts the part of chief, but gave them to me, knowing that this would be pleasing to him, otherwise this colony would have yielded double the amount. The old ones appear along the Leeambye in vast flocks, and look lean and scraggy. The young are very fat, and, when roasted, are esteemed one of the dainties of the Barotse valley.

In presents of this kind, as well as of oxen, it is a sort of feast of joy, the person to whom they are presented having the honor of distributing the materials of the feast. We generally slaughtered every ox at the village where it was presented, and then our friends and we rejoiced together.

The village of Chitlane is situated, like all others in the Barotse valley, on an eminence, over which floods do not rise; but this last year the water approached nearer to an entire submergence of the whole valley than has been known in the memory of man. Great numbers of people were now suffering from sickness, which always prevails when the waters are drying up, and I found much demand for the medicines I had brought from Loanda. The great variation of the temperature each day must have a trying effect upon the health. At this village there is a real Indian banian-tree, which has spread itself over a considerable space by means of roots from its branches; it has been termed, in consequence, "the tree with legs" (more oa maotu).

It is curious that trees of this family are looked upon with veneration, and all the way from the Barotse to Loanda are thought to be preservatives from evil.

On reaching Naliele on the 1st of August we found Mpololo in great affliction on account of the death of his daughter and her child. She had been lately confined; and her father naturally remembered her when an ox was slaughtered, or when the tribute of other food, which he receives in lieu of Sekeletu, came in his way, and sent frequent presents to her.

This moved the envy of one of the Makololo who hated Mpololo, and, wishing to vex him, he entered the daughter's hut by night, and strangled both her and her child. He then tried to make fire in the hut and burn it, so that the murder might not be known; but the squeaking noise of rubbing the sticks awakened a servant, and the murderer was detected.

Both he and his wife were thrown into the river; the latter having "known of her husband's intentions, and not revealing them." She declared she had dissuaded him from the crime, and, had any one interposed a word, she might have been spared.

Mpololo exerted himself in every way to supply us with other canoes, and we left Shinte's with him. The Mambowe