The Discovery of the Source of the NileSpeke, John Hanning
History
The Discovery of the Source of the Nile
Speke, John Hanning
Africa, East -- Description and travel; Nile River; Nile River Valley -- Discovery and exploration; Uganda -- Description and travel
and destroy their monopoly. The Sultan of Zanzibar, in those days, was
our old ally Said Said, commonly called the Emam of Muscat; and our
Consul, Colonel Hamerton, had been M. Maizan's host as long as he lived
upon the coast. Both the Emam and Consul were desirous of seeing the
country surveyed, and did everything in their power to assist Maizan,
the former even appointing the Indian Musa to conduct him safely as
far as Unyamuezi; but their power was not found sufficient to damp the
raging fire of jealousy in the ivory-trader's heart. Musa commenced the
journey with Maizan, and they travelled together a march or two,
when one of Maizan's domestic establishment fell sick and stopped his
progress. Musa remained with him eight or ten days, to his own loss in
trade and expense in keeping up a large establishment, and then they
parted by mutual consent, Maizan thinking himself quite strong enough
to take care of himself. This separation was, I believe, poor Maizan's
death-blow. His power, on the Emam's side, went with Musa's going, and
left the Arabs free to carry out their wicked wills.
The presents I had to give here were one sahari and eight yards merikani
to Hembe, and the same to Darunga, for which they gave a return in
grain. Still following close to the river--which, unfortunately, is so
enshrouded with thick bush that we could seldom see it--a few of the
last villages in Uzaramo were passed. Here antelopes reappear amongst
the tall mimosa, but we let them alone in prosecution of the survey, and
finally encamped opposite the little hill of Kidunda, which lying on the
left bank of the Kingani, stretches north, a little east, into Uzegura.
The hill crops out through pisolitic limestone, in which marine fossils
were observable. It would be interesting to ascertain whether this lime
formation extends down the east coast of Africa from the Somali country,
where also, on my first expedition, I found marine shells in the
limestone, especially as a vast continuous band of limestone is known
to extend from the Tagus, through Egypt and the Somali country, to the
Burrumputra. To obtain food it was necessary here to ferry the river and
purchase from the Wazaramo, who, from fear of the passing caravans,
had left their own bank and formed a settlement immediately under this
pretty little hill--rendered all the more enchanting to our eyes, as it
was the first we had met since leaving the sea-coast. The Diwan, or head
man, was a very civil creature; he presented us freely with two fine
goats--a thing at that time we were very much in want of--and took, in
return, without any comments, one dubani and eight yards merikani.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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