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
About 10 A.M. we arrived at Kirindo's, an old chief, noted for his
singular kindness to Dr. Livingstone, while he bore animosity to the
Arabs. To the Arabs this was unaccountable--to the Doctor it was plain:
he had but spoken kind and sincere words, while all the Arabs spoke to
him as if he were not even a man, least of all a chief.
Kirindo's place is at the mouth of the Liuche, which is very wide; the
river oozes out through a forest of eschinomenae (pith tree). This was
a rendezvous agreed upon between shore and lake parties, that the canoes
might all cross to the other side, distant a mile and a half. The mouth
of the Liuche forms the Bay of Ukaranga, so named because on the other
side, whither we were about to cross our party, was situated the village
of Ukaranga, a few hundred yards from the lake. All the baggage was
taken out of the largest canoe, and stowed snugly in the smaller one,
and a few select oarsmen having taken seats, pushed off with the Doctor
on board, who was to superintend pitching the encampment at Ukaranga;
while I remained behind to bind the fractious and ill-natured donkeys,
and stow them away in the bottom of the large canoe, that no danger
of upsetting might be incurred, and a consequent gobbling-up by hungry
crocodiles, which were all about us waiting their opportunity. The flock
of goats were then embarked, and as many of our people as could be got
in. About thirty still remained behind with myself, for whom my canoe
was to return.
We all arrived safe at Ukaranga, though we got dangerously near a herd
of hippopotami. The crossing of the wide mouth (the Liuche being then in
flood) was effected in about four hours.
The next day, in the same order as on our departure from Ujiji, we
pursued our way south, the lake party keeping as closely as possible to
the shore, yet, when feasible, wind and weather permitting, we struck
off boldly across the numerous small bays which indent the shores of
the Tanganika. The shores were beautifully green, the effect of the
late rains; the waters of the lake were a faithful reflex of the blue
firmament above. The hippopotami were plentiful. Those noticed on this
day were coloured with reddish rings round the base of their ears and on
the neck. One monster, coming up rather late, was surprised by the canoe
making full for him, and in great fright took a tremendous dive which
showed the whole length of his body. Half way between the mouth of
the Malagarazi and that of the Liuche we saw a camp on shore--that of
Mohammed bin Gharib, a Msawahili, who figured often in Livingstone's
verbal narrative to me of his adventures and travels as one of the
kindest and best of the Moslems in Central Africa. He appeared to me
a kindly disposed man, with a face seldom seen, having the stamp of an
unusual characteristic on it--that of sincerity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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