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
19th.--The caravan proceeded at 6 A.M., and after going eight miles
re-entered the Msalala district's frontier, where we put up in a
village three miles beyond the border. The country throughout this
march may be classed in two divisions, one of large and extensively
cultivated plains, with some fine trees about; and the other of small
irregularly-disposed hills, the prevailing granitic outcrops of the
region. There is no direct line northwards here, so we had to track
about, and hit upon the lines between the different villages, which
enhanced our trouble and caused much delay. At this place I witnessed
the odd operation of brother-making. It consists in the two men
desirous of a blood-tie being seated face to face on a cow's hide,
with their legs stretched out as wide to the front as their length
will permit, one pair overlapping the other. They then place their
bows and arrows across their thighs, and each holds a leaf: at the
same time a third person, holding a pot of oil or butter, makes an
incision above their knees, and requires each to put his blood on the
other's leaf, and mix a little oil with it, when each anoints himself
with the brother-salve. This operation over, the two brothers bawl
forth the names and extent of their relatives, and swear by the blood
to protect the other till death. Ugogo, on the highway between the
coast and Ujiji, is a place so full of inhabitants compared with the
other places on that line, that the coast people quote it as a
wonderful instance of high population; but this district astonished
all my retinue. The road to-day was literally thronged with a legion
of black humanity so exasperatingly bold that nothing short of the
stick could keep them from jostling me. Poor creatures! they said they
had come a long way to see, and now must have a good long stare; for
when was there ever a Mzungu here before?
20th.--We broke ground at 6 A.M., and after travelling through high
cultivation six miles, were suddenly stopped by a guard of Wamanda,
sent by Kurua, a sultan of that tribe, and chief of the division we
were marching in. Their business was to inform us that if we wished to
travel to the Lake, the sultan would give directions to have us
escorted by another route, as his eldest brother was disputing the
rights of government with him along the line we were now pursuing; and
added, that our intentions would be only known to him by the part we
might choose to take. These constant interruptions were becoming very
troublesome; so, as we were close to the confines of these two
malcontents, I was anxious to force our way on, and agreed to do so
with the Beluches. But the tiresome, lazy, flesh-seeking pagazis saw a
feast in prospect by the sultan's arrangement, and would not move an
inch. Further, the Kirangozi requested his discharge if I was
otherwise than peacefully inclined. The guard then led us to Mgogua,
the sultan's village, a little off the road.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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