Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa: A Graphic Account of the Several Expeditions of Henry M. Stanley into the Heart of the Dark ContinentHeadley, Joel Tyler
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Stanley's Adventures in the Wilds of Africa: A Graphic Account of the Several Expeditions of Henry M. Stanley into the Heart of the Dark Continent
Headley, Joel Tyler
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton), 1841-1904
"The sultana demanded of the watchmen of the towers if they had seen the
two Washensi with the white donkey. The watchmen answered in the
affirmative, upon which she at once dispatched twenty of her musketeers
in pursuit to Muhalleh. These returned before night, bringing with them
the two Washensi and the donkey, with the cook's entire kit. The
sultana, who is evidently possessed of her father's energy, with all his
lust for wealth, had my messengers, the two Washensi, the cook's donkey
and property at once brought before her. The two Washensi were
questioned as to how they became possessed of the donkey and such a
store of Kisunga clothes, cloth and beads; to which they answered that
they had found the donkey tied to a tree with the property on the
ground close to it; that seeing no owner or claimant anywhere in the
neighborhood, they thought they had a right to it, and accordingly had
taken it with them. My soldiers were then asked if they recognized the
donkey and property, to which questions they unhesitatingly made answer
that they did. They further informed Her Highness that they were not
only sent after the donkey, but also after the owner, who had deserted
their master's service; that they would like to know from the Washensi
what they had done with him. Her Highness was also anxious to know what
the Washensi had done with the Hindi, and accordingly, in order to
elicit the fact, she charged them with murdering him, and informed them
she but wished to know what they had done with the body.
"The Washensi declared most earnestly that they had spoken the truth,
that they had never seen any such man as described; and if the sultana
desired, they would swear to such a statement. Her Highness did not wish
them to swear to what in her heart she believed to be a lie, but she
would chain them and send them in charge of a caravan to Zanzibar to
Lyed Burghosh, who would know what to do with them. Then turning to my
soldiers, she demanded to know why the Musungu had not paid the tribute
for which she had sent her chiefs. The soldiers could not answer,
knowing nothing of such concerns of their master's. The heiress of
Kisabengo, true to the character of her robber sire, then informed my
trembling men that, as the Musungu had not paid the tribute, she would
now take it; their guns should be taken from them, together with that of
the cook; the cloth and beads found on the donkey she would also take,
the Hindi's personal clothes her chiefs should retain, while they
themselves should be chained until the Musungu himself should return and
take them by force.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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