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
The Makololo are by far the most intelligent and enterprising of the
tribes we have met. None but brave and daring men remained long with
Sebituane, his stern discipline soon eradicated cowardice from his army.
Death was the inevitable doom of the coward. If the chief saw a man
running away from the fight, he rushed after him with amazing speed, and
cut him down; or waited till he returned to the town, and then summoned
the deserter into his presence. "You did not wish to die on the field,
you wished to die at home, did you? you shall have your wish!" and he was
instantly led off and executed. The present race of young men are
inferior in most respects to their fathers. The old Makololo had many
manly virtues; they were truthful, and never stole, excepting in what
they considered the honourable way of lifting cattle in fair fight. But
this can hardly be said of their sons; who, having been brought up among
the subjected tribes, have acquired some of the vices peculiar to a
menial and degraded race. A few of the old Makololo cautioned us not to
leave any of our property exposed, as the blacks were great thieves; and
some of our own men advised us to be on our guard, as the Makololo also
would steal. A very few trifling articles were stolen by a young
Makololo; and he, on being spoken to on the subject, showed great
ingenuity in excusing himself, by a plausible and untruthful story. The
Makololo of old were hard workers, and did not consider labour as beneath
them; but their sons never work, regarding it as fit only for the Mashona
and Makalaka servants. Sebituane, seeing that the rival tribes had the
advantage over his, in knowing how to manage canoes, had his warriors
taught to navigate; and his own son, with his companions, paddled the
chief's canoe. All the dishes, baskets, stools, and canoes are made by
the black tribes called Manyeti and Matlotlora. The houses are built by
the women and servants. The Makololo women are vastly superior to any we
have yet seen. They are of a light warm brown complexion, have pleasant
countenances, and are remarkably quick of apprehension. They dress
neatly, wearing a kilt and mantle, and have many ornaments. Sebituane's
sister, the head lady of Sesheke, wore eighteen solid brass rings, as
thick as one's finger, on each leg, and three of copper under each knee;
nineteen brass rings on her left arm, and eight of brass and copper on
her right, also a large ivory ring above each elbow. She had a pretty
bead necklace, and a bead sash encircled her waist. The weight of the
bright brass rings round her legs impeded her walking, and chafed her
ankles; but, as it was the fashion, she did not mind the inconvenience,
and guarded against the pain by putting soft rag round the lower rings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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