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 Doctor being in Sayd bin Majid's boat, which was a third or so
shorter than the one under my command, took the lead, with the British
flag, held aloft by a bamboo, streaming behind like a crimson meteor.
My boat-manned by Wajiji sailors, whom we had engaged to take the canoes
back from Tongwe Cape to Ujiji Bunder--came astern, and had a much
taller flagstaff, on which was hoisted the ever-beautiful Stars and
Stripes. Its extreme height drew from the Doctor--whose patriotism and
loyalty had been excited--the remark that he would cut down the tallest
palmyra for his flagstaff, as it was not fitting that the British flag
should be so much lower than that of the United States.
Our soldiers were not a whit behind us in lightheartedness at the
thought of going to Unyanyembe. They struck up the exhilarating song of
the Zanzibar boatmen, with the ecstatic chorus--
Kinan de re re Kitunga,
rowing away like madmen, until they were compelled to rest from sheer
exhaustion, while the perspiration exuded from the pores of their bodies
in streams. When refreshed, they bent back to their oars, raising the
song of the Mrima--
O mama, re de mi Ky,
which soon impelled them to an extravagant effort again, It was by
this series of ferocious spurts, racing, shouting, singing, perspiring,
laughing, groaning, and puffing, that our people vented their joyous
feelings, as the thought filled their minds that we were homeward bound,
and that by the route I had adopted between us and Unyanyembe there was
not the least danger.
We have given the Waha, the slip! ha, ha!
The Wavinza will trouble us no more! ho! ho!
Mionvu can get no more cloth from us! by,by!
And Kiala will see us no more---never more! he, he!
they shouted with wild bursts of laughter, seconded by tremendous and
rapid strokes with their oars, which caused the stiff old canoes to
quiver from stem to stern.
Our party ashore seemed to partake of our excitement, and joined in the
wild refrain of the mad African song. We watched them urging their steps
forward to keep pace with us, as we rounded the capes and points, and
rowed across the bays whose margins were sedge, and rush, and reed; the
tiny and agile Kalulu, little Bilali, and Majwara were seen racing the
herds of goats, sheep, and donkeys which belonged to the caravan, and
the animals even seemed to share the general joy.
Nature, also--proud, wild nature-0-with the lofty azure dome upheaved
into infinity--with her breadth and depth of vivid greenness and
enormous vastness on our left--with her immense sheet of bright,
glancing water--with her awful and intense serenity--she partook of and
added to our joy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account