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 July, 1871._--I am distressed and perplexed what to do so as not
to be foiled, but all seems against me.
_15th July, 1871._--The reports of guns on the other side of the Lualaba
all the morning tell of the people of Dugumbé murdering those of Kimburu
and others who mixed blood with Manilla. "Manilla is a slave, and how
dares he to mix blood with chiefs who ought only to make friends with
free men like us"--this is their complaint. Kimburu gave Manilla three
slaves, and he sacked ten villages in token of friendship; he proposed
to give Dugumbé nine slaves in the same operation, but Dugumbé's people
destroy his villages, and shoot and make his people captives to punish
Manilla; to make an impression, in fact, in the country that they alone
are to be dealt with--"make friends with us, and not with Manilla or
anyone else"--such is what they insist upon.
About 1500 people came to market, though many villages of those that
usually come from the other side were now in flames, and every now and
then a number of shots were fired on the fugitives.
It was a hot, sultry day, and when I went into the market I saw Adie and
Manilla, and three of the men who had lately come with Dugumbé. I was
surprised to see these three with their guns, and felt inclined to
reprove them, as one of my men did, for bringing weapons into the
market, but I attributed it to their ignorance, and, it being very hot,
I was walking away to go out of the market, when I saw one of the
fellows haggling about a fowl, and seizing hold of it. Before I had got
thirty yards out, the discharge of two guns in the middle of the crowd
told me that slaughter had begun: crowds dashed off from the place, and
threw down their wares in confusion, and ran. At the same time that the
three opened fire on the mass of people near the upper end of the
marketplace volleys were discharged from a party down near the creek on
the panic-stricken women, who dashed at the canoes. These, some fifty or
more, were jammed in the creek, and the men forgot their paddles in the
terror that seized all. The canoes were not to be got out, for the creek
was too small for so many; men and women, wounded by the balls, poured
into them, and leaped and scrambled into the water, shrieking. A long
line of heads in the river showed that great numbers struck out for an
island a full mile off: in going towards it they had to put the left
shoulder to a current of about two miles an hour; if they had struck
away diagonally to the opposite bank, the current would have aided them,
and, though nearly three miles off, some would have gained land: as it
was, the heads above water showed the long line of those that would
inevitably perish.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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