In Darkest Africa, Vol. 2; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of EquatoriaStanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
History
In Darkest Africa, Vol. 2; or, The Quest, Rescue, and Retreat of Emin, Governor of Equatoria
Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Emin Pasha, 1840-1892
No sooner has Kavalli ceased his graphic recital wrongs endured, than
Katto and Kalengé--Mazamboni’s brother and cousin--begin to detail the
wrongs inflicted on them by Musiri. A brother and a sister, several
relatives, and many friends have been slaughtered by relentless Musiri.
The stories are given circumstantially with expressive action, and
heighten the atrocious conduct of Musiri.
Then Gavira begins to relate how the Balegga of Mutundu, and Musiri,
have ill-treated him. According to him, what few herds escaped the
rapacious Wara-Sura during their periodic raids have been often thinned
by the nocturnal cattle-lifters of Mutundu and Musiri, who steal
alternately from him. “Ah,” says Gavira, “to-day it is the Wara-Sura,
to-morrow it is Musiri, the day after Mutundu; we are continually flying
to the hills from somebody.”
Yet, gazing on the wonderfully pleasant scene of green grass-land before
us, with not a cloud in the sky, and a drowsy restfulness everywhere,
who could have supposed this Arcadia-like land was disturbed by
contentions, enmities, and wars?
Most of the Wahuma now west of the Albert came from Unyoro, as they fled
from the avaricious tyranny and avarice of its kings.
Old Ruguji, for instance, who is next neighbour to Kavalli, and whose
forty head of cattle we rescued for him from Melindwa, was born in
Unyoro, and remembers his great-grandfather, who must have been born
about 1750 A.D. When he was ten years old (1829) Kuguji remembered
Chowambi, father of Kamrasi, the father of Kabba Rega, sending to his
great-grandfather for cattle. “At that time the Semliki River flowed
into a large lagoon, called Katera, on the south-east side of the Lake.
The Waganda were often prevented from crossing over to the Balegga
countries because of those lagoons, but since the lagoons have been
filled with mud, and the Semliki falls into the Lake, and as Kamrasi
wanted cattle continually, and one day he took all, I took my women and
children, when I was a young man, and came over here.”
“Have you had peace here, Ruguji?”
“See my scars; I have things to remind me of the Balegga and Melindwa,
Musiri and the Wara-Sura. The Bavira also came from Kukaland, and they
asked our permission while we were feeding our herds to come and live
with us, but they have the big head also, and some day there will be
trouble with them.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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