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
The Warundi of Magala were very civil, and profound starers. They
flocked around the tent door, and most pertinaciously gazed on us, as
if we were subjects of most intense interest, but liable to sudden and
eternal departure. The Mutware came to see us late in the afternoon,
dressed with great pomp. He turned out to be a boy whom I had noticed in
the crowd of gazers for his good looks and fine teeth, which he showed,
being addicted to laughing continually. There was no mistaking him,
though he was now decorated with many ivory ornaments, with necklaces,
and with heavy brass bracelets and iron wire anklets. Our admiration
of him was reciprocated; and, in return for our two doti of cloth and a
fundo of samsam, he gave a fine fat and broad-tailed sheep, and a pot of
milk. In our condition both were extremely acceptable.
At Magala we heard of a war raging between Mukamba, for whose country we
were bound, and Warumashanya, a Sultan of an adjoining district; and
we were advised that, unless we intended to assist one of these chiefs
against the other, it would be better for us to return. But, as we had
started to solve the problem of the Rusizi River, such considerations
had no weight with us.
On the eighth morning from leaving Ujiji we bade farewell to the
hospitable people of Magala, and set off for Mukamba's country, which
was in view. Soon after passing the boundary between Urundi proper,
and what is known as Usige, a storm from the south-west arose; and
the fearful yawing of our canoe into the wave trough warned us from
proceeding further; so we turned her head for Kisuka village, about four
miles north, where Mugere, in Usige, begins.
At Kisuka a Mgwana living with Mukamba came to see us, and gave us
details of the war between Mukamba and Warumashanya, from which it
seemed that these two chiefs were continually at loggerheads. It is a
tame way of fighting, after all. One chief makes a raid into the other's
country, and succeeds in making off with a herd of cattle, killing one
or two men who have been surprised. Weeks, or perhaps months elapse
before the other retaliates, and effects a capture in a similar way, and
then a balance is struck in which neither is the gainer. Seldom do they
attack each other with courage and hearty goodwill, the constitution of
the African being decidedly against any such energetic warfare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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