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
12 A.M.--Shooting still going on on the other side, and many captives
caught. At 1 P.M. Tagamoio's people began to cross over in canoes,
beating their drums, firing their guns, and shouting, as if to say, "See
the conquering heroes come;" they are answered by the women of Dugumba's
camp lullilooing, and friends then fire off their guns in joy. I count
seventeen villages in flames, and the smoke goes straight up and forms
clouds at the top of the pillar, showing great heat evolved, for the
houses are full of carefully-prepared firewood. Dugumbé denies having
sent Tagamoio on this foray, and Tagamoio repeats that he went to punish
the friends made by Manilla, who, being a slave, had no right to make
war and burn villages, that could only be done by free men. Manilla
confesses to me privately that he did wrong in that, and loses all his
beads and many friends in consequence.
2 P.M.--An old man, called Kabobo, came for his old wife; I asked her if
this were her husband, she went to him, and put her arm lovingly around
him, and said "Yes." I gave her five strings of beads to buy food, all
her stores being destroyed with her house; she bowed down, and put her
forehead to the ground as thanks, and old Kabobo did the same: the tears
stood in her eyes as she went off. Tagamoio caught 17 women, and other
Arabs of his party, 27; dead by gunshot, 25. The heads of two headmen
were brought over to be redeemed by their friends with slaves.
3 P.M.--Many of the headmen who have been burned out by the foray came
over to me, and begged me to come back with them, and appoint new
localities for them to settle in again, but I told them that I was so
ashamed of the company in which I found myself, that I could scarcely
look the Manyuema in the face. They had believed that I wished to kill
them--what did they think now? I could not remain among bloody
companions, and would flee away, I said, but they begged me hard not to
leave until they were again settled.
The open murder perpetrated on hundreds of unsuspecting women fills me
with unspeakable horror: I cannot think of going anywhere with the
Tagamoio crew; I must either go down or up Lualaba, whichever the Banian
slaves choose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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