First Footsteps in East AfricaBurton, Richard Francis, Sir
History
First Footsteps in East Africa
Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Harar -- Description and travel; Harari language; Horn of Africa -- Description and travel
Lieut. Speke's captor went to seek his own portion of the spoil, when a
Somal came up and asked in Hindostani, what business the Frank had in
their country, and added that he would kill him if a Christian, but spare
the life of a brother Moslem. The wounded man replied that he was going to
Zanzibar, that he was still a Nazarene, and therefore that the work had
better be done at once:--the savage laughed and passed on. He was
succeeded by a second, who, equally compassionate, whirled a sword round
his head, twice pretended to strike, but returned to the plunder without
doing damage. Presently came another manner of assailant. Lieut. Speke,
who had extricated his hands, caught the spear levelled at his breast, but
received at the same moment a blow from a club which, paralyzing his arm,
caused him to lose his hold. In defending his heart from a succession of
thrusts, he received severe wounds on the back of his hand, his right
shoulder, and his left thigh. Pausing a little, the wretch crossed to the
other side, and suddenly passed his spear clean through the right leg of
the wounded man: the latter "smelling death," then leapt up, and taking
advantage of his assailant's terror, rushed headlong towards the sea.
Looking behind, he avoided the javelin hurled at his back, and had the
good fortune to run, without further accident, the gauntlet of a score of
missiles. When pursuit was discontinued, he sat down faint from loss of
blood upon a sandhill. Recovering strength by a few minutes' rest, he
staggered on to the town, where some old women directed him to us. Then,
pursuing his way, he fell in with the party sent to seek him, and by their
aid reached the craft, having walked and run at least three miles, after
receiving eleven wounds, two of which had pierced his thighs. A touching
lesson how difficult it is to kill a man in sound health! [12]
When the three survivors had reached the craft, Yusuf, the captain, armed
his men with muskets and spears, landed them near the camp, and
ascertained that the enemy, expecting a fresh attack, had fled, carrying
away our cloth, tobacco, swords, and other weapons. [13] The corpse of
Lieut. Stroyan was then brought on board. Our lamented comrade was already
stark and cold. A spear had traversed his heart, another had pierced his
abdomen, and a frightful gash, apparently of a sword, had opened the upper
part of his forehead: the body had been bruised with war-clubs, and the
thighs showed marks of violence after death. This was the severest
affliction that befell us. We had lived together like brothers: Lieut.
Stroyan was a universal favourite, and his sterling qualities of manly
courage, physical endurance, and steady perseverance had augured for him a
bright career, thus prematurely cut off. Truly melancholy to us was the
contrast between the evening when he sat with us full of life and spirits,
and the morning when we saw amongst us a livid corpse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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