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 next day was a march of eight miles, from East Mvumi to West Mvumi,
where lived the Sultan of the district. The quantity and variety
of provisions which arrived at our boma did not belie the reports
respecting the productions of Ugogo. Milk, sour and sweet, honey, beans,
matama, maweri, Indian corn, ghee, pea-nuts, and a species of bean-nut
very like a large pistachio or an almond, water-melons, pumpkins,
mush-melons, and cucumbers were brought, and readily exchanged for
Merikani, Kaniki, and for the white Merikani beads and Sami-Sami, or
Sam-Sam. The trade and barter which progressed in the camp from morning
till night reminded me of the customs existing among the Gallas and
Abyssinians. Eastward, caravans were obliged to despatch men with cloth,
to purchase from the villagers. This was unnecessary in Ugogo, where the
people voluntarily brought every vendible they possessed to the camp.
The smallest breadth of white or blue cloth became saleable and useful
in purchasing provisions--even a loin-cloth worn threadbare.
The day after our march was a halt. We had fixed this day for bearing
the tribute to the Great Sultan of Mvumi. Prudent and cautious Sheikh
Thani early began this important duty, the omission of which would have
been a signal for war. Hamed and Thani sent two faithful slaves, well
up to the eccentricities of the Wagogo sultans--well spoken, having glib
tongues and the real instinct for trade as carried on amongst
Orientals. They bore six doti of cloths, viz., one doti of Dabwani
Ulyah contributed by myself, also one doti of Barsati from me, two doti
Merikani Satine from Sheikh Thani, and two doti of Kaniki from Sheikh
Hamed, as a first instalment of the tribute. The slaves were absent a
full hour, but having wasted their powers of pleading, in vain, they
returned with the demand for more, which Sheikh Thani communicated to me
in this wise:
"Auf! this Sultan is a very bad man--a very bad man indeed; he says, the
Musungu is a great man, I call him a sultan; the Musungu is very rich,
for he has several caravans already gone past; the Musungu must pay
forty doti, and the Arabs must pay twelve doti each, for they have rich
caravans. It is of no use for you to tell me you are all one caravan,
otherwise why so many flags and tents? Go and bring me sixty doti, with
less I will not be satisfied."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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