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
_27th May, 1871._--Hassani told me that since he had come, no Manyuema
had ever presented him with a single mouthful of food, not even a potato
or banana, and he had made many presents. Going from him into the market
I noticed that one man presented a few small fishes, another a sweet
potato and a piece of cassava, and a third two small fishes, but the
Manyuema are not a liberal people. Old men and women who remained in the
half-deserted villages we passed through in coming north, often ran
forth to present me with bananas, but it seemed through fear; when I sat
down and ate the bananas they brought beer of bananas, and I paid for
all. A stranger in the market had ten human under jaw-bones hung by a
string over his shoulder: on inquiry he professed to have killed and
eaten the owners, and showed with his knife how he cut up his victim.
When I expressed disgust he and others laughed. I see new faces every
market-day. Two nice girls were trying to sell their venture, which was
roasted white ants, called "Gumbé."
_30th May, 1871._--The river fell four inches during the last four days;
the colour is very dark brown, and large quantities of aquatic plants
and trees float down. Mologhwé, or chief Ndambo, came and mixed blood
with the intensely bigoted Moslem, Hassani: this is to secure the nine
canoes. He next went over to have more palaver about them, and they do
not hesitate to play me false by detraction. The Manyuema, too, are
untruthful, but very honest; we never lose an article by them: fowls and
goats are untouched, and if a fowl is lost, we know that it has been
stolen by an Arab slave. When with Mohamad Bogharib, we had all to keep
our fowls at the Manyuema villages to prevent them being stolen by our
own slaves, and it is so here. Hassani denies complicity with them, but
it is quite apparent that he and others encourage them in mutiny.
_5th June, 1871._--The river rose again six inches and fell three. Rain
nearly ceased, and large masses of fleecy clouds float down here from
the north-west, with accompanying cold.
_7th June, 1871._--I fear that I must march on foot, but the mud is
forbidding.
_11th June, 1871._--New moon last night, and I believe Dugumbé will
leave Kasonga's to-day. River down three inches.
_14th June, 1871._--Hassani got nine canoes, and put sixty-three persons
in three; I cannot get one. Dugumbé reported near, but detained by his
divination, at which he is an expert; hence his native name is
"Molembalemba"--"writer, writing."
_16th June, 1871._--The high winds and drying of soap and sugar tell
that the rains are now over in this part.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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