How I found Livingstone : $b Travels, adventures, and discoveres in Central Africa, including an account of four months' residence with Dr. LivingstoneStanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
History
How I found Livingstone : $b Travels, adventures, and discoveres in Central Africa, including an account of four months' residence with Dr. Livingstone
Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Livingstone, David, 1813-1873
Ivory pillars were common sights in Manyuema, and, hearing of these, one
can no longer, wonder at the ivory palace of Solomon. For generations
they have used ivory tusks as door-posts and supports to the eaves,
until they had become perfectly rotten and worthless. But the advent of
the Arabs soon taught them the value of the article. It has now risen
considerably in price, though still fabulously cheap. At Zanzibar
the value of ivory per frasilah of 35 lbs. weight is from $50 to $60,
according to its quality. In Unyanyembe it is about $1-10 per pound, but
in Manyuema, it may be purchased for from half a cent to 14 cent's worth
of copper per pound of ivory. The Arabs, however, have the knack of
spoiling markets by their rapacity and cruelty. With muskets, a small
party of Arabs is invincible against such people as those of Manyuema,
who, until lately, never heard the sound of a gun. The discharge of a
musket inspires mortal terror in them, and it is almost impossible to
induce them to face the muzzle of a gun. They believe that the Arabs
have stolen the lightning, and that against such people the bow and
arrow can have little effect. They are by no means devoid of courage,
and they have often declared that, were it not for the guns, not one
Arab would leave the country alive; this tends to prove that they would
willingly engage in fight with the strangers who had made themselves
so detestable, were it not that the startling explosion of gunpowder
inspires them with terror.
Into what country soever the Arabs enter, they contrive to render their
name and race abominated. But the mainspring of it all is not the Arab's
nature, colour, or name, but simply the slave-trade. So long as the
slave-trade is permitted to be kept up at Zanzibar, so long will these
otherwise enterprising people, the Arabs, kindle gainst them the hatred
of the natives throughout Africa.
On the main line of travel from Zanzibar into the interior of Africa
these acts of cruelty are unknown, for the very good reason that
the natives having been armed with guns, and taught how to use those
weapons, are by no means loth to do so whenever an opportunity presents
itself. When, too late, they have perceived their folly in selling guns
to the natives, the Arabs now begin to vow vengeance on the person who
will in future sell a gun to a native. But they are all guilty of the
same mistake, and it is strange they did not perceive that it was folly
when they were doing so.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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