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
_Tangare_ is the name of a rather handsome bean, which possesses
intoxicating qualities. To extract these it is boiled, then peeled,
and new water supplied: after a second and third boiling it is
pounded, and the meal taken to the river and the water allowed to
percolate through it several times. Twice cooking still leaves the
intoxicating quality; but if eaten then it does not cause death: it is
curious that the natives do not use it expressly to produce
intoxication. When planted near a tree it grows all over it, and
yields abundantly: the skin of the pod is velvety, like our broad
beans.
Another bean, with a pretty white mark on it, grows freely, and is
easily cooked, and good: it is here called _Gwingwiza_.
_15th September, 1866._--We were now a short distance south of the
Lake, and might have gone west to Mosauka's (called by some Pasauka's)
to cross the Shire there, but I thought that my visit to Mukate's, a
Waiyau chief still further south, might do good. He, Mponda, and
Kabinga, are the only three chiefs who still carry on raids against
the Manganja at the instigation of the coast Arabs, and they are now
sending periodical marauding parties to the Maravi (here named Malola)
to supply the Kilwa slave-traders. We marched three hours southwards,
then up the hills of the range which flanks all the lower part of the
Lake. The altitude of the town is about 800 feet above the Lake. The
population near the chief is large, and all the heights as far as the
eye can reach are crowned with villages. The second range lies a few
miles off, and is covered with trees as well as the first, the nearest
high mass is Mangoche. The people live amidst plenty. All the chiefs
visited by the Arabs have good substantial square houses built for
their accommodation. Mukate never saw a European before, and
everything about us is an immense curiosity to him and to his people.
We had long visits from him. He tries to extract a laugh out of every
remark. He is darker than the generality of Waiyau, with a full beard
trained on the chin, as all the people hereabouts have--Arab fashion.
The courts of his women cover a large space, our house being on one
side of them. I tried to go out that way, but wandered, so the ladies
sent a servant to conduct me out in the direction I wished to go, and
we found egress by passing through some huts with two doors in them.
_16th September, 1866._--At Mukate's. The Prayer Book does not give
ignorant persons any idea of an unseen Being addressed, it looks more
like reading or speaking to the book: kneeling and praying with eyes
shut is better than, our usual way of holding Divine service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account