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
Susi, to whom this snake is known in the Shupanga tongue as "Bubu,"
describes it as about twelve feet long, dark in colour, of a dirty blue
under the belly, with red markings like the wattles of a cock on the
head. The Arabs go so far as to say that it is known to oppose the
passage of a caravan at times. Twisting its tail round a branch, it will
strike one man after another in the head with fatal certainty. Their
remedy is to fill a pot with boiling water, which is put on the head and
carried under the tree! The snake dashes his head into this and is
killed--the story is given for what it is worth.
It would seem that at Ujiji the natives, as in other places, cannot bear
to have snakes killed. The "Chatu," a species of python, is common, and,
from being highly favoured, becomes so tame as to enter houses at night.
A little meal is placed on the stool, which the uncanny visitor laps up,
and then takes its departure--the men significantly say they never saw
it with their own eyes. Another species utters a cry, much like the
crowing of a young cock; this is well authenticated. Yet another black
variety has a spine like a blackthorn at the end of the tail, and its
bite is extremely deadly.
At the same time it must be added that, considering the enormous number
of reptiles in Africa, it rarely occurs that anyone is bitten, and a few
months' residence suffices to dispel the dread which most travellers
feel at the outset.
_February, 1874._--No further incident occurred worthy of special
notice. At last the coast town of Bagamoio came in sight, and before
many hours were over, one of Her Majesty's cruisers conveyed the Acting
Consul, Captain Prideaux, from Zanzibar to the spot which the cortége
had reached. Arrangements were quickly made for transporting the remains
of Dr. Livingstone to the Island some thirty miles distant, and then it
became perhaps rather too painfully plain to the men that their task was
finished.
One word on a subject which will commend itself to most before we close
this long eventful history.
We saw what a train of Indian Sepoys, Johanna men, Nassick boys, and
Shupanga canoemen, accompanied Dr. Livingstone when he started from
Zanzibar in 1866 to enter upon his last discoveries: of all these, five
only could answer to the roll-call as they handed over the dead body of
their leader to his countrymen on the shore whither they had returned,
and this after eight years' desperate service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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