The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868Livingstone, David
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The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868
Livingstone, David
Africa, Central -- Description and travel
Nsama's people are particularly handsome. Many of the men have
as beautiful heads as one could find in an assembly of
Europeans. All have very fine forms, with small hands and feet.
None of the West-coast ugliness, from which most of our ideas of
the Negroes are derived, is here to be seen. No prognathous jaws
nor lark-heels offended the sight. My observations deepened the
impression first obtained from the remarks of Winwood Reade,
that the typical Negro is seen in the ancient Egyptian, and not
in the ungainly forms; which grow up in the unhealthy swamps of
the West Coast. Indeed it is probable that this upland forest
region is the true home of the Negro. The women excited the
admiration of the Arabs. They have fine, small, well-formed
features: their great defect is one of fashion, which does not
extend to the next tribe; they file their teeth to points, the
hussies, and that makes their smile like that of the crocodile.
Nsama's country is called Itawa, and his principal town is in
lat. 8 deg. 55' S., and long. 29 deg. 21' E. From the large population
he had under him, Itawa is in many parts well cleared of trees
for cultivation, and it is lower than Ulungu, being generally
about 3000 feet above the sea. Long lines of tree-covered hills
raised some 600 or 700 feet above these valleys of denudation,
prevent the scenery from being monotonous. Large game is
abundant. Elephants, buffaloes, and zebras grazed in large
numbers on the long sloping, banks of a river called Chisera, a
mile and a half broad. In going north we crossed this river, or
rather marsh, which is full of papyrus plants and reeds. Our
ford was an elephant's path; and the roots of the papyrus,
though a carpet to these animals, were sharp and sore to feet
usually protected by shoes, and often made us shrink and
flounder into holes chest deep. The Chisera forms a larger marsh
west of this, and it gives off its water to the Kalongosi, a
feeder of Lake Moero.
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