The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume II (of 2), 1869-1873: Continued By A Narrative Of His Last Moments And Sufferings, Obtained From His Faithful Servants Chuma And SusiLivingstone, David
History
The Last Journals of David Livingstone, in Central Africa, from 1865 to His Death, Volume II (of 2), 1869-1873: Continued By A Narrative Of His Last Moments And Sufferings, Obtained From His Faithful Servants Chuma And Susi
Livingstone, David
Africa, Central -- Description and travel
_14th January, 1873._--Went on dry S.E. and then S. two hours to River
Mozinga, and marched parallel to it till we came to the confluence of
Kasié. Mosinga, 25 feet, waist deep, with 150 yards of sponge on right
bank and about 50 yards on left. There are many plots of cassava, maize,
millet, dura, ground-nuts, voandzeia, in the forest, all surrounded with
strong high hedges skilfully built, and manured with wood ashes. The
villagers are much afraid of us. After 4-1/2 hours we were brought up by
the deep rivulet Mpanda, to be crossed to-morrow in canoes. There are
many flowers in the forest: marigolds, a white jonquil-looking flower
without smell, many orchids, white, yellow, and pink Asclepias, with
bunches of French-white flowers, clematis--_Methonica gloriosa_,
gladiolus, and blue and deep purple polygalas, grasses with white starry
seed-vessels, and spikelets of brownish red and yellow. Besides these
there are beautiful blue flowering bulbs, and new flowers of pretty
delicate form and but little scent. To this list may be added balsams,
compositæ of blood-red colour and of purple; other flowers of liver
colour, bright canary yellow, pink orchids on spikes thickly covered all
round, and of three inches in length; spiderworts of fine blue or yellow
or even pink. Different coloured asclepedials; beautiful yellow and red
umbelliferous flowering plants; dill and wild parsnips; pretty flowery
aloes, yellow and red, in one whorl of blossoms; peas, and many other
flowering plants which I do not know. Very few birds or any kind of
game. The people are Babisa, who have fled from the west and are busy
catching fish in basket traps.
_15th January, 1873._--Found that Chungu had let us go astray towards
the Lake, and into an angle formed by the Mpandé and Lopopussi, and the
Lake-full of rivulets which are crossed with canoes. Chisupa, a headman
on the other side of the Mpanda, sent a present and denounced Chungu for
heartlessness. We explained to one man our change of route and went
first N.E., then E. to the Monsinga, which we forded again at a deep
place full of holes and rust-of-iron water, in which we floundered over
300 yards. We crossed a sponge thigh deep before we came to the Mosinga,
then on in flat forest to a stockaded village; the whole march about
east for six hours.
_16th January, 1873._--Away north-east and north to get out of the many
rivulets near the Lake back to the River Lopopussi, which now looms
large, and must be crossed in canoes. We have to wait in a village till
these are brought, and have only got 1-3/4 hour nearly north.
We were treated scurvily by Chungu. He knew that we were near the
Chambezé, but hid the knowledge and himself too. It is terror of guns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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