The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile, Samuel White Baker [inspirational novels .TXT] 📗

in their razzias, and invariably ate the

bodies of the slain. The traders complained that they were bad

associates, as they insisted upon killing and eating the children which

the party wished to secure as slaves: their custom was to catch a child

by its ankles, and to dash its head against the ground; thus killed,

they opened the abdomen, extracted the stomach and intestines, and tying

the two ankles to the neck they carried the body by slinging it over the

shoulder, and thus returned to camp, where they divided it by

quartering, and boiled it in a large pot. Another man in my own service

had been a witness to a horrible act of cannibalism at Gondokoro.

 

The traders had arrived with their ivory from the West, together with a

great number of slaves; the porters who carried the ivory being

Makkarikas. One of the slave girls attempted to escape, and her

proprietor immediately fired at her with his musket, and she fell

wounded; the ball had struck her in the side. The girl was remarkably

fat, and from the wound, a large lump of yellow fat exuded. No sooner

had she fallen, than the Makkarikas rushed upon her in a crowd, and

seizing the fat, they tore it from the wound in handfuls, the girl being

still alive, while the crowd were quarrelling for the disgusting prize.

Others killed her with a lance, and at once divided her by cutting off

the head, and splitting the body with their lances, used as knives,

cutting longitudinally from between the legs along the spine to the

neck.

 

Many slave women and their children who witnessed this scene, rushed

panic-stricken from the spot and took refuge in the trees. The

Makkarikas seeing them in flight, were excited to give chase, and

pulling the children from their refuge among the branches, they killed

several, and in a short time a great feast was prepared for the whole

party. My man, Mahommed, who was an eyewitness, declared that he could

not eat his dinner for three days, so great was his disgust at this

horrible feast.

 

Although my camp was entirely separate from that of Ibrahim, I was

dreadfully pestered by his people, who, knowing that I was well supplied

with many articles of which they were in need, came begging to my tent

from morning till evening daily. To refuse was to insult them; and as my

chance of success in the exploration unfortunately depended upon my not

offending the traders I was obliged to be coldly civil, and nothing was

refused them. Hardly a day passed without broken guns being brought to

me for repair; and having earned an unenviable celebrity as a gunsmith,

added to my possession of the requisite tools, I really had no rest, and

I was kept almost constantly at work.

 

One day Ibrahim was seized with a dangerous fever, and was supposed to

be dying. Again I was in request: and seeing that he was in a state of

partial collapse, attended with the distressing symptoms of want of

action of the heart, so frequently fatal at this stage of the disease, I

restored him by a very powerful stimulant, and thereby gained renown as

a physician, which, although useful was extremely annoying, as my tent

was daily thronged with patients, all of whom expected miraculous cures

for the most incurable diseases.

 

In this manner I gained a certain influence over the people, but I was

constantly subjected to excessive annoyances and disgust, occasioned by

the conduct of their party towards the Latookas. The latter were

extremely unwise, being very independent and ready to take offence on

the slightest pretext, and the Turks, being now 140 strong, had no fear,

and there appeared every probability of hostilities. I was engaged in

erecting huts, and in securing my camp; and although I offered high

payment, I could not prevail on the natives to work regularly. They

invariably stipulated that they were to receive their beads before they

commenced work, in which case they, with few exceptions, absconded with

their advanced payment.

 

One day a native behaved in a similar manner to the Turks; he was,

accordingly, caught, and unmercifully beaten. Half an hour after, the

nogara beat, and was answered by distant drums from the adjacent

villages. In about an hour, several thousand armed men, with shields,

were collected within half a mile of the Turks’ camp, to avenge the

insult that had been offered to one of their tribe. However, the Turks’

drum beat, and their whole force drew up to their flag under arms

outside their zareeba, and offered a determined front. I extract the

following entry from my journal. “These Turks are delightful neighbours;

they will create a row, and I shall be dragged into it in self-defence,

as the natives will distinguish no difference in a scrimmage, although

they draw favourable comparisons between me and the Turks in times of

peace. Not a native came to work at the huts today; I therefore sent for

the two chiefs, Commoro and Moy, and had a long talk with them. They

said that ‘no Latooka should be beaten by common fellows like the

traders’ men; that I was a great chief, and that if I chose to beat them

they would be content.’ I gave them advice to keep quiet, and not to

quarrel about trifles, as the Turks would assuredly destroy the country

should a fight commence.

 

“At the same time, I told them that they did not treat me properly: they

came to me in times of difficulty as a mediator, but although they knew

I had always paid well for everything, they gave me no supplies, and I

was obliged to shoot game for my daily food, although they possessed

such enormous herds of cattle; neither could I procure materials or

workpeople to complete my camp. The parley terminated with an

understanding that they were to supply me with everything, and that they

would put a stop to the intended fight. In the evening a goat was

brought, and a number of men appeared with grass and wood for sale for

hut-building.”

 

The following day, some of my people went to a neighbouring village to

purchase corn, but the natives insulted them, refusing to sell, saying

that “we should die of hunger, as no one should either give or sell us

anything.” This conduct must induce hostilities, as the Turks are too

powerful to be insulted. I am rather anxious lest some expedition may

entail the departure of the entire Turkish party, when the Latookas may

seize the opportunity of attacking my innocents. The latter are now so

thoroughly broken to my severe laws, “thou shalt not take slaves;

neither cattle; nor fire a shot unless in self-defence,” that they are

resigned to the ignoble lot of minding the donkeys, and guarding the

camp.

 

Latooka was in a very disturbed state, and the excitement of the people

was increasing daily. Two of my men went into the town to buy grass,

and, without any provocation, they were surrounded by the natives, and

the gun of one man was wrested from him; the other, after a tussle, in

which he lost his ramrod, beat a hasty retreat. A number of the soldiers

immediately collected, and I sent to the chief to demand the restoration

of the gun, which was returned that evening. I could literally procure

nothing without the greatest annoyance and trouble.

 

My men, by their mutiny and desertion at Gondokoro, had reduced a

well-armed expedition to a mere remnant, dependent upon the company of a

band of robbers for the means of advancing through the country. Instead

of travelling as I had arranged, at the head of forty-five well-armed

men, I had a miserable fifteen cowardly curs, who were employed in

driving the baggage animals; thus they would be helpless in the event of

an attack upon the road. I accordingly proposed to make a depot at

Latooka, and to travel with only twelve donkeys and the lightest

baggage. It was a continual trial of temper and wounded pride. To give

up the expedition was easy, but to succeed at that period appeared

hopeless; and success could only be accomplished by the greatest

patience, perseverance, and most careful tact and management of all

parties. It was most galling to be a hanger-on to this company of

traders, who tolerated me for the sake of presents, but who hated me in

their hearts.

 

One afternoon some natives suddenly arrived from a country named Obbo

with presents from their chief for the Turks, and also for me. Ibrahim

received several tusks while I received an iron hoe (molote), as the

news had already extended to that country, “that a white man was in

Latooka, who wanted neither slaves nor ivory.” The natives reported,

that a quantity of ivory existed in their country, and Ibrahim

determined to take a few men and pay it a visit, as the people were said

to be extremely friendly. I requested the leader to point out the exact

position of Obbo, which I found to be S.W. That was precisely the

direction that I had wished to take; thus an unexpected opportunity

presented itself, and I determined to start without delay. On the 2d of

May, 1863, at 9 A.M. we left Latooka, delighted to change the scene of

inaction. I left five men in charge of my camp and effects, begging

Commoro the chief to look after their safety, and telling him that I had

no fear of trusting all to his care. Savages will seldom deceive you if

thus placed upon their honour, this happy fact being one of the bright

rays in their darkness, and an instance of the anomalous character of

the African.

 

The route lay across the parklike valley of Latooka for about eighteen

miles, by which time we reached the base of the mountain chain. There

was no other path than the native track, which led over a low range of

granite rocks, forming a ridge about four hundred feet high. It was with

the greatest difficulty that the loaded donkeys could be hoisted over

the numerous blocks of granite that formed an irregular flight of steps,

like the ascent of the great pyramid; however, by pulling at their ears,

and pushing behind, all except one succeeded in gaining the summit; he

was abandoned on the pass.

 

We were now in the heart of the mountains, and a beautiful valley, well

wooded and about six miles in width, lay before us, forming the basin of

the Kanieti river that we had formerly crossed at Wakkala, between

Ellyria and Latooka.

 

Fording this stream in a rapid current, we crossed with difficulty, the

donkeys wetting all their loads. This was of no great consequence, as a

violent storm suddenly overtook us and soaked everyone as thoroughly as

the donkeys’ packs. A few wild plantains afforded leaves which we

endeavoured to use as screens, but the rain-drops were far too heavy for

such feeble protection. Within a mile of the river we determined to

bivouac, as the evening had arrived, and in such weather an advance was

out of the question. The tent having been left at Latooka, there was no

help for it, and we were obliged to rest contented with our position

upon about an acre of clean rock plateau upon which we lighted an

enormous fire, and crouched shivering round the blaze. No grass was cut

for the animals, as the men had been too busy in collecting firewood

sufficient to last throughout the night. Some fowls that we had brought

from Latooka had been drowned by the rain; thus my Mahommedan followers

refused to eat them, as their throats had not been cut. Not being so

scrupulous, and wonderfully hungry in the cold rain, Mrs. Baker