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
neighbourhood; then we passed a flotilla of canoes, their owners sitting
quietly in their huts, busily plying the rod and hook, or casting their
nets, or a couple of men arranging their long drag nets close in shore
for a haul; or children sporting fearlessly in the water, with their
mothers looking on approvingly from under the shade of a tree, from
which I infer that there are not many crocodiles in the lake, except in
the neighbourhood of the large rivers.
After passing the low headland of Kisunwe, formed by the Kisunwe River,
we came in view of Murembwe Cape, distant about four or five miles: the
intervening ground being low land, a sandy and pebbly beach. Close to
the beach are scores of villages, while the crowded shore indicates the
populousness of the place beyond. About half way between Cape Kisunwe
and Murembwe, is a cluster of villages called Bikari, which has a
mutware who is in the habit of taking honga. As we were rendered
unable to cope for any length of time with any mischievously inclined
community, all villages having a bad reputation with the Wajiji were
avoided by us. But even the Wajiji guides were sometimes mistaken, and
led us more than once into dangerous places. The guides evidently had
no objections to halt at Bikari, as it was the second camp from Mukungu;
because with them a halt in the cool shade of plaintains was infinitely
preferable to sitting like carved pieces of wood in a cranky canoe. But
before they stated their objections and preferences, the Bikari people
called to us in a loud voice to come ashore, threatening us with the
vengeance of the great Wami if we did not halt. As the voices were
anything but siren-like, we obstinately refused to accede to the
request. Finding threats of no avail, they had recourse to stones,
and, accordingly, flung them at us in a most hearty manner. As one came
within a foot of my arm, I suggested that a bullet be sent in return in
close proximity to their feet; but Livingstone, though he said nothing,
yet showed plainly enough that he did not quite approve of this. As
these demonstrations of hostility were anything but welcome, and as we
saw signs of it almost every time we came opposite a village, we kept on
our way until we came to Murembwe Point, which, being a delta of a river
of the same name, was well protected by a breadth of thorny jungle,
spiky cane, and a thick growth of reed and papyrus, from which the
boldest Mrundi might well shrink, especially if he called to mind that
beyond this inhospitable swamp were the guns of the strangers his like
had so rudely challenged. We drew our canoe ashore here, and, on a
limited area of clean sand, Ferajji, our rough-and-ready cook, lit his
fire, and manufactured for us a supply of most delicious Mocha coffee.
Despite the dangers which still beset us, we were quite happy, and
seasoned our meal with a little moral philosophy, which lifted us
unconsciously into infinitely superior beings to the pagans by whom we
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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