The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume I (of 2), 1866-1868Livingstone, David
History
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
_5th September, 1866._--Our march is along the shore to Ngombo
promontory, which approaches so near to Senga or Tsenga opposite, as
to narrow the Lake to some sixteen or eighteen miles. It is a low
sandy point, the edge fringed on the north-west and part of the south
with a belt of papyrus and reeds; the central parts wooded. Part of
the south side has high sandy dunes, blown up by the south wind, which
strikes it at right angles there. One was blowing as we marched along
the southern side eastwards, and was very tiresome. We reached
Panthunda's village by a brook called Lilole. Another we crossed
before coming to it is named Libesa: these brooks form the favourite
spawning grounds of the sanjika and mpasa, two of the best fishes of
the Lake. The sanjika is very like our herring in shape and taste and
size; the mpasa larger every way: both live on green herbage formed at
the bottom of the Lake and rivers.
_7th September, 1866._--Chirumba's village being on the south side of
a long lagoon, we preferred sleeping on the mainland, though they
offered their cranky canoes to ferry us over. This lagoon is called
Pansangwa.
_8th September, 1866._--In coming along the southern side of Ngombo
promontory we look eastwards, but when we leave it we turn southwards,
having a double range of lofty mountains on our left. These are
granitic in form, the nearer range being generally the lowest, and
covered with scraggy trees; the second, or more easterly, is some 6000
feet above the sea, bare and rugged, with jagged peaks shooting high
into the air. This is probably the newest range. The oldest people
have felt no earthquake, but some say that they have heard of such
things from their elders.
We passed very many sites of old villages, which are easily known by
the tree euphorbia planted round an umbelliferous one, and the sacred
fig. One species here throws out strong buttresses in the manner of
some mangroves instead of sending down twiners which take root, as is
usually the ease with the tropical fig. These, with millstones--stones
for holding the pots in cooking--and upraised clay benches, which have
been turned into brick by fire in the destruction of the huts, show
what were once the "pleasant haunts of men." No stone implements ever
appear. If they existed they could not escape notice, since the eyes
in walking are almost always directed to the ground to avoid stumbling
on stones or stumps. In some parts of the world stone implements are
so common they seem to have been often made and discarded as soon as
formed, possibly by getting better tools; if, indeed, the manufacture
is not as modern as that found by Mr. Waller. Passing some navvies in
the City who were digging for the foundation of a house, he observed a
very antique-looking vase, wet from the clay, standing on the bank. He
gave ten shillings for it, and subsequently, by the aid of a scrubbing
brush and some water, detected the hieroglyphics "Copeland late Spode"
on the bottom of it!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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