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
On the 9th, soon after leaving camp, we left the travelled path, and
made for a gap in the are of hills before us, as Pumburu was at war with
the people of Manya Msenge, a district of northern Kawendi. The country
teemed with game, the buffaloes and zebras were plentiful. Among the
conspicuous trees were the hyphene and borassus palm trees, and a tree
bearing a fruit about the size of a 600-pounder cannon-ball, called by
some natives "mabyah,"* according to the Doctor, the seeds of which are
roasted and eaten. They are not to be recommended as food to Europeans.
* In the Kisawahili tongue, "mabyah," "mbyah, "byah," mean
bad, unpleasant.
On the 10th, putting myself at the head of my men, with my compass in
hand, I led the way east for three hours. A beautiful park-land was
revealed to us; but the grass was very tall, and the rainy season, which
had commenced in earnest, made my work excessively disagreeable. Through
this tall grass, which was as high as my throat, I had to force my way,
compass in hand, to lead the Expedition, as there was not the least sign
of a road, and we were now in an untravelled country. We made our camp
on a beautiful little stream flowing north; one of the feeders of the
Rugufu River.
The 11th still saw me plunging through the grass, which showered drops
of rain on me every time I made a step forward. In two hours we crossed
a small stream, with slippery syenitic rocks in its bed, showing the
action of furious torrents. Mushrooms were in abundance, and very large.
In crossing, an old pagazi of Unyamwezi, weather-beaten, uttered, in
a deplorable tone, "My kibuyu is dead;" by which he meant that he had
slipped, and in falling had broken his gourd, which in Kisawahili is
"kibuyu."
On the eastern bank we halted for lunch, and, after an hour and a half's
march, arrived at another stream, which I took to be the Mtambu, at
first from the similarity of the land, though my map informed me that it
was impossible. The scenery around was very similar, and to the north we
had cited a similar tabular hill to the "Magdala" Mount I had discovered
north of Imrera, while going to the Malagarazi. Though we had only
travelled three and a half hours the Doctor was very tired as the
country was exceedingly rough.
The next day, crossing several ranges, with glorious scenes of
surpassing beauty everywhere around us, we came in view of a mighty and
swift torrent, whose bed was sunk deep between enormous lofty walls of
sandstone rock, where it roared and brawled with the noise of a little
Niagara.
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