What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the NileSpeke, John Hanning
History
What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile
Speke, John Hanning
Horn of Africa -- Description and travel; Nile River; Tanganyika, Lake
The dress of the people is simple, consisting of small black monkey
skins, cat-skins, and the furs of any vermin they can get. These are
tucked under a waist-strap, and, according to the number they possess,
go completely or only half-way round the body, the animals' heads
hanging in front, and the tails always depending gracefully below.
These monkeys are easily captured when the maize is ripe, by a number
of people stealthily staking small square nets in contiguous line all
round the fields which these animals may be occupied in robbing, and
then with screams and yells, flinging sticks and stones, the hunters
rush upon the affrighted thieves, till, in their hurry and confusion
to escape, they become irretrievably entangled in the meshes. But few
of these islanders carry spear or bow, though I imagine all possess
them. They were most unpleasantly inquisitive, and by their stares,
jabber, and pointings, incessantly wanting me to show them everything
that I possessed, with explanations about their various uses, quite
tired out my patience. If I tried to get away, they plaguingly
followed after, so at last I dodged them by getting into the boat. To
sit in the tent was the worst place of all; they would pull up the
sides, and peer under like so many monkeys; and if I turned my head
aside to avoid their gaze, they would jabber in the most noisy and
disagreeable manner in order to arouse me.
10th.--We quit Kivira early, and paddling S. 25° W., make the famous
fish-market in the little island Kabizia, just in time to breakfast on
a freshly-caught fish, the celebrated _Singa_,--a large, ugly,
black-backed monster, with white belly, small fins, and long barbs,
but no scales. In appearance a sluggish ground-fish, it is always
immoderately and grossly fat, and at this season is full of roe; its
flesh is highly esteemed by the natives. This island is very small,
with a gradual rising slope from the N.W. extremity; and at the S.E.
end assumes the form of a bull's hump. There is but one village of
twenty odd mushroom-shaped huts, chiefly occupied by fishermen, who
live on their spoils, and by selling all that they cannot consume to
the neighbouring islanders and the villagers on the mainland. Added to
this, they grow maize and other vegetables, and keep a good stock of
fowls. I tried every mode of inducement to entice the crew away to
complete the journey, for the place of my destination, Kasengé, was in
sight; but in vain. They had tasted this to them delicious fish, and
were determined to dress and lay by a good store of it to carry with
them. About noon Khamis, a merchant from Kasengé, bound for Ujiji,
arrived, and kindly gave me a long needle to stir up the beetle in my
ear; but the insect had gone in so far, and the swelling and
suppuration of the wounds had so imbedded him, that no instrument
could have done any good. Khamis, like myself, was very anxious to
complete his journey, and tried every conceivable means to entice his
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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