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
Two packages from the Kuruman, containing letters and newspapers, reached
Linyanti previous to our arrival, and Sekeletu, not knowing when we were
coming, left them there; but now at once sent a messenger for them. This
man returned on the seventh day, having travelled 240 geographical miles.
One of the packages was too heavy for him, and he left it behind. As the
Doctor wished to get some more medicine and papers out of the wagon left
at Linyanti in 1853, he decided upon going thither himself. The chief
gave him his own horse, now about twelve years old, and some men. He
found everything in his wagon as safe as when he left it seven years
before. The headmen, Mosale and Pekonyane, received him cordially, and
lamented that they had so little to offer him. Oh! had he only arrived
the year previous, when there was abundance of milk and corn and beer.
Very early the next morning the old town-crier, Ma-Pulenyane, of his own
accord made a public proclamation, which, in the perfect stillness of the
town long before dawn, was striking: "I have dreamed! I have dreamed! I
have dreamed! Thou Mosale and thou Pekonyane, my lords, be not faint-
hearted, nor let your hearts be sore, but believe all the words of Monare
(the Doctor) for his heart is white as milk towards the Makololo. I
dreamed that he was coming, and that the tribe would live, if you prayed
to God and give heed to the word of Monare." Ma-Pulenyane showed Dr.
Livingstone the burying-place where poor Helmore and seven others were
laid, distinguishing those whom he had put to rest, and those for whom
Mafale had performed that last office. Nothing whatever marked the spot,
and with the native idea of _hiding_ the dead, it was said, "it will soon
be all overgrown with bushes, for no one will cultivate there." None but
Ma-Pulenyane approached the place, the others stood at a respectful
distance; they invariably avoid everything connected with the dead, and
no such thing as taking portions of human bodies to make charms of, as is
the custom further north, has ever been known among the Makololo.
Sekeletu's health improved greatly during our visit, the melancholy
foreboding left his spirits, and he became cheerful, but resolutely
refused to leave his den, and appear in public till he was perfectly
cured, and had regained what he considered his good looks. He also
feared lest some of those who had bewitched him originally might still be
among the people, and neutralize our remedies. {4}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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