A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries: And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864Livingstone, David
History
A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries: And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864
Livingstone, David
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, Central -- Discovery and exploration
We gave Moshobotwane a present, and a pretty plain exposition of what we
thought of his bloody forays among his Batoka brethren. A scolding does
most good to the recipient, when put alongside some obliging act. He
certainly did not take it ill, as was evident from what he gave us in
return; which consisted of a liberal supply of meal, milk, and an ox. He
has a large herd of cattle, and a tract of fine pasture-land on the
beautiful stream Lekone. A home-feeling comes over one, even in the
interior of Africa, at seeing once more cattle grazing peacefully in the
meadows. The tsetse inhabits the trees which bound the pasture-land on
the west; so, should the herdsman forget his duty, the cattle straying
might be entirely lost. The women of this village were more numerous
than the men, the result of the chief's marauding. The Batoko wife of
Sima came up from the Falls, to welcome her husband back, bringing a
present of the best fruits of the country. Her husband was the only one
of the party who had brought a wife from Tette, namely, the girl whom he
obtained from Chisaka for his feats of dancing. According to our ideas,
his first wife could hardly have been pleased at seeing the second and
younger one; but she took her away home with her, while the husband
remained with us. In going down to the Fall village we met several of
the real Makololo. They are lighter in colour than the other tribes,
being of a rich warm brown; and they speak in a slow deliberate manner,
distinctly pronouncing every word. On reaching the village opposite
Kalai, we had an interview with the Makololo headman, Mashotlane: he came
to the shed in which we were seated, a little boy carrying his low three-
legged stool before him: on this he sat down with becoming dignity,
looked round him for a few seconds, then at us, and, saluting us with
"Rumela" (good morning, or hail), he gave us some boiled hippopotamus
meat, took a piece himself, and then handed the rest to his attendants,
who soon ate it up. He defended his forays on the ground that, when he
went to collect tribute, the Batoka attacked him, and killed some of his
attendants. The excuses made for their little wars are often the very
same as those made by Caesar in his "Commentaries." Few admit, like old
Moshobotwane, that they fought because they had the power, and a fair
prospect of conquering. We found here Pitsane, who had accompanied the
Doctor to St. Paul de Loanda. He had been sent by Sekeletu to purchase
three horses from a trading party of Griquas from Kuruman, who charged
nine large tusks apiece for very wretched animals.
In the evening, when all was still, one of our men, Takelang, fired his
musket, and cried out, "I am weeping for my wife: my court is desolate: I
have no home;" and then uttered a loud wail of anguish.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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