* JUN 231910 *,

DT35I

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FIGHTING THE SLAVE-HUNTERS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

A Well-kept Village

The native on the left has bought a new garment and fez, showing he has adopted Moham- medanism. He is carrying a ladder of the kind used all over Africa for getting on to huts. The man on the right is carrying a piece of sugar-cane. A flat stone for grinding rice is on the left. F rom the tree the seed for next year is suspended to preserve it from rats and white ants.

* JUN 23 1910 *

FIGHTING THE^.,---^^ SLAVE-HUNTERS IN^ CENTRAL AFRICA

A RECORD OF TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF TRAVEL ^ ADVENTURE ROUND THE GREAT LAKES

AND OF

THE OVERTHROW OF TIP-PU-TIB, RUMALIZA AND OTHER GREAT SLAVE-TRADERS

v'

ALFRED J. SWANN

Late Senior Resident Magistrate of the Nyasaland Protectorate WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

SIR H. H. JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.

With 45 Illustrations ^ a Map

PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY LONDON : SEELEY AND CO. LIMITED I910

Printed by Ballanttne, Hanson 6» Co. At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh

INTRODUCTION

THE Africa about which Mr. Swann writes — as I think, with such absorbing interest — has already passed into history, the history which is least read because it is that of yesterday.

The conditions of East Africa twenty-five to twenty years ago are so extraordinarily different to the appearance and conditions of life in that region at the present day, that it might ahiiost be thought Mr. Swann was writing not of experiences within the limit of the life of a man of middle age, but of some remoter period coeval with Livingstone and Cameron. Indeed, the East Africa first seen by Mr. Swann (and by the writer of this preface) was not a whit changed from the East Africa through which Burton, Speke, Grant, and Thomson struggled to find great lakes, vaguely rumoured rivers, and in their quest first beheld many a strange beast and extraordinary human tribe new to science.

We have too easily and readily forgotten the East Africa

known to Livingstone, and the Arab slave-trade has become

a vague legend, possibly disbelieved in to a great extent by

the somewhat cynical white men who now swarm over Tropical

Africa and say to us weary ones of those pioneer days: "I

can't see what you beggars made such a fuss about. The

Arabs seem to me a devilish good lot of people, quite easy

to get on with ; and if they did come down rather hard on

v

INTRODUCTION

the nigger for not working, why, it was all for the nigger's good. And I don'*t call it half a bad kind of country — splendid shooting — why, I got such and such a bag in so many days with my (quoting the latest invention in rifles and soft-nosed or explosive bullets). Talk of dying of thirst in such and such a desert ! What rot ! Why, there''s an artesian well at the principal rest-house, and you can get awfully good iced drinks and perfect lager beer at all the stores in Unyamwezi. Besides, how can you be much bothered by this particular piece of route when you can bicycle sixty miles in a day in the dry season, to say nothing of motoring. Why you should ever have been ill, / can't think. . . . Absolute pleasure trip to me." And so forth, and so on.

Perhaps Mr. Swann's book (which I sincerely hope may be widely read) may enable people who care to follow closely the history of African development to realise in the first place what the Arab slave-trade was like, and why it so concerned the minds of Livingstone, of the early missionaries, of several consuls, and of trading associations like the African Lakes Company, which could not wholly divest themselves of human feelings.

Mr. Swann's book will also give you the romance of East

Africa before it became tourist-trodden and vulgarised. This

quality is irrecoverable. Just as the once beautiful English

scenery is passing away under our eyes in favour of corrugated

iron, paper-strewn roads and lanes, red-brick villas, pollarded

beeches, incongruous rhododendron shrubberies, excellent but

ugly factories, flashy hotels in lieu of old-world inns, and

asphalt esplanades in place of a pleistocene shingle, so the

Africa of Mr. Swann's days, with its unlimited and even

dangerous wild beasts, its men and women just emerging from

the Age of Stone, the Ny'ika innocent of eucalyptus groves,

dense forests scarcely altered since the Miocene, Man at his

vi

INTRODUCTION

most barbarous and most heroic (this last applies to the white pioneers) has disappeared in favour of railways, motors, telegraphs, negroes that are drilled in European fashion, prosperous mission-schools and technical institutes, the bang, bang, bang of the slaughtering British sportsman, the lisping accents of the lady traveller who is trying to write a book about Africa in a four months' tour (lapped in luxury as she passes from one hospitable station to another), the Africa of the cinematograph and the gramophone records, of fashion- able diplomacy, highly trained administrators, royal guests, and banished malaria.

Of course, the real truth is that Africa is becoming more interesting than ever, the problems more complex, the history of its past — its distant past — better and better known, the condition of its native inhabitants far, far and away happier than in the times of which Mr. Swann writes.

His own part in bringing about that happiness has been

considerable. He took an even larger share than he relates

(of his modesty) in curbing the Arab slave-trade round about

the shores of Tanganyika. He believed — and I think with

justification — that a British Protectorate over many of these

regions would be of vast benefit to the indigenous people.

Therefore, when I met him on the south shore of Lake

Tanganyika in 1889, and told him that I was prevented by

serious complications in Nyasaland from pursuing my original

plan of carrying the British flag (allied with the necessary

treaties) right through from the north end of Tanganyika

to Uganda (so as to complete the Cape-to-Cairo route), Mr.

Swann agreed, when furnished with the necessary authority,

to complete this section. With the assistance of my Swahali

head-man, Ali Kiongwe (who is now living on a small

Government pension at Zanzibar), he completed the scope of

British treaties at the north end of Tanganyika, which, had

vii

INTRODUCTION

they been all ratified by the British Government, would have given to the British Empire (without robbing anybody else) a continuous all-British route from Cape Colony to Egypt, on the assumption, of course, that the waters of Tanganyika were free to all nations.

H. H. Johnston.

viii

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

THE following pages contain my recollections of twenty- six years spent in Africa. They have been written at the repeated request of colleagues of various nationalities, with whom, in the years 1882-1909, I travelled and laboured in Central Africa, co-operating with them in the work of undermining, and finally destroying, the Slave-Trade around the great lakes.

The thrilling stories of explorers and missionaries had appealed to my natural love of travel and adventure, and fired me with an ambition to follow such men as Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, Schweinfurth, and others, and to help in healing what Livingstone called " Africa'*s open sore.'** When I went out in 1882 the great partition of Africa had not taken place, and the hideous trade was at its worst. Caravans froni the interior brought thousands of slaves to the East Coast, and left thousands dead upon the road.

Lakes Nyasa, Tanganyika, and Victoria Nyanza were in the hands of Arab and native slave-traders, and beyond a patrol — admittedly unsatisfactory — of portions of the East Coast, nothing much was being done to crush the accursed ti'affic which was eating out the heart of Africa. For twenty- six years I was able to take part in the determined efforts for its suppression which were then made, and to fill a place in the ranks of those African pioneers whose deeds had kindled my ambition. I earnestly hope that my experiences may bring encouragement to some whom a love of justice and liberty is spurring on to fresh exertions on behalf of those tribes in Africa which have not yet been delivered from the curse of slavery.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

So many years of labour and anxiety have naturally been diversified by many adventures, both of travel and sport, the narratives of which may not, I hope, be found unin- teresting.

At the close of my career in Africa, I should wish to place on record my great admiration for other pioneers, American, German, French, Belgian, and Portuguese, whom I met, and with whom I worked, and who vied with my own countrymen in a healthy, courteous, and vigorous competition to advance civilisation in their respective Spheres of InflQence.

All the photographs here reproduced are copyright, and my grateful acknowledgments are due to the owners for their permission to use them. In preparing these pages for the press, I have been most ably assisted by Miss Bennett of Tarring, Worthing, without whose co-operation the task would not have been undertaken, and to whom sincere thanks are rendered.

A. J. S.

Worthing, Sussex, January 1910.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

PAGE

Arrival at Zanzibar — Preparations for the Journey . 19

CHAPTER II

Porters and their Loads — The Long March to Lake Tanganyika commenced — An Amusing Incident — The Charm of African Life — Insight into Native Char- acter . . . . 25

CHAPTER III

^ Cruelties of the Slave-Trade — Major Von Wissmann — Difficulties of the Road — ''Pay or Fight" — Loyal Service — A Narrow Escape — The Mighty Mirambo — Native and Lion ........ 48

CHAPTER IV

A Greedy Ferryman — Fetish — Ujiji and Lake Tanganyika --^Livingstone and Stanley — A Whited Sepulchre — Ivory and Slaves — Launching a Canoe — »The People of the Plain ........ 68

CHAPTER V

Opposition of the Natives — Launch of the " Morning Star" — Tip-pu-Tib — The Lofu River — Building a Steam Vessel — A Tragedy — Rugaruga Bullies . . 81

CHAPTER VI

Fire and Sword — A Sceptical Native — An Angry Hippo- potamus— Launch of the " Good News " — Medicine AND Surgery — A Cruel Punishment — A Native Duel: Its Tragic Result ....... 98

xi

CONTENTS

CHAPTER VII

PAGE

A Diplomatic Scramble — Manna — The Amambwi — Unplea- sant Visitors . . . . . . . . 1 15

CHAPTER VIII

Navigating the Shire River — Blantyre — Ramakukane —

Game and Fish — Shupanga . . . . . .135

CHAPTER IX

A Visit to England — A Sailor's Blow — Charles Stokes — Germans and Arabs — Encounter with Masai — V/hite Man's Medicine — Warnings. . . . . .150

CHAPTER X

Shooting Giraffes — A Cool Reception — A Visit to Ruma- LizA — Tip-pu-TiB — Anger of Rumaliza — Hostilities Commenced — Congo State Officials — Emin Pasha . l67

CHAPTER XI

Captain Trivier — Game Pits — An Annexation — The Walungu Marriage Customs — ^The Curse of the People 185

CHAPTER XII

Making Treaties — Hunting the Hippopotamus — Boiling Springs — Religious Views — A Nugget — Scenery of Lake Tanganyika — A Native Regatta . . . 203

CHAPTER XIII

The People of the Tanganyika — The Cannibal — The Warundi — A Conjurer — The Fauna of the Rusizi — Attacked by Leopards — A Storm on the Lake — Swamped . . . . . . . . .221

xii

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XIV

I

Salving the Boat — A Great Disappointment — Trouble WITH THE Arabs — A Mischievous Monkey — An Act OF Revenge ......... t

CHAPTER XV

General Unrest — Storming Stockades — Rumaliza the Slave-Trader

CHAPTER XVI

The Potentialities of the African — Suppression of raid- ing— Children's Games — -Analysing the Native Char- acter ..........

CHAPTER XVH

Big-Game Hunting — A Wild Trip across Nyasa — An Eclipse — A Memorable Interview ....

CHAPTER XVIH

Bishop Maples — Capture of Mwasi's Stronghold — Infantile Mortality .........

CHAPTER XIX Wonderful Industrial Development .....

CHAPTER XX Traits of Character — Resources of the Country

INDEX 355

Xlll

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

A Well-Kept Village ..... Frontispiece

PAGB

The Author ........ 27

Porters Encamped ....... 37

A Dug-out Canoe 51

A Method of Securing Slaves . . . . .51

African Mimicry ........ 63

In the Wake of the Slave-Raiders .... 63

Fetish Idols 71

An African Path through High Grass . . .71

A Slave-Dhow ........ 83

The ** Morning Star " at Anchor .... 83

A Cannibal ..... .... 93

A Thorough Scoundrel ...... 93

SS. "Good News" 103

Tropical Creepers and an Elephant Path . .103

A Medicine Man at Work ..... 109

A Village in Making 117

xiv

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Aemba Mutilations . . . . . . .117

A Medicine Man 125

A Pot of Beer ........ 125

A Game-Trap 131

Native Porters . . . . . . . . 131

A Village Belle . . . . . . . . 1 3,9

A Village in the Open Country . . . .155

Pounding Maize into Flour . . . . .181

A Marriage Procession . . . . . .195

Male and Female Fashions in Hair-Dressing . .199 Lake Fishermen and Canoes ..... 209

A Native Smelting Furnace . . . . .213

An Elaborately Carved Pipe ..... 223

Drying Fishing Nets above the Sand . . . 223 Blacksmiths at Work ....... 227

Elaborately Carved Drums 251

Head-dress of Aemba Girl ...... 257

A Typical African Stockade ..... 263

Gathering Honey ....... 267

Girls at Play ........ 285

Brick Making 285

Masterly Inactivity ....... 293

WicKERWoRK Baskets for Catching Fish . . . 305

XV

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Building a Fort ........ 325

A Beautiful Native-built Cathedral . . . 325 Basket-Work ........ 335

The Dawn of Civilisation ...... 335

Death in the Family ....... 345

xvi

BRITISH CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA

■■ V, o"

C. E K M AN

FIGHTING THE SLAYE-HUNTEHS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

CHAPTER I

Arrival at Zanzibar — Preparations for the Journey

"Who will Volunteer for Central Africa?"

IT was in May, 1882, that I read the above words in a journal published by the British and Foreign Sailors' Society. The question was addressed to the public by Captain Hore of the London Missionary Society. He was about to proceed to Lake Tanganyika with a steel life-boat, which he intended to transport in sections through East Africa, on carts specially constructed for so great an undertaking ; for it is 820 miles from the coast to Lake Tanganyika. There are no roads, and the native paths leading from village to village are too narrow for carts. However, it was not my business to question the Captain's ability to overcome the innumerable difficulties familiar to any one acquainted with the writings of Livingstone and Stanley. My work was to respond to the appeal if I wanted to take a hand in the opening up of this part of Africa. Applicants were required to possess a Board of Trade certificate as chief officer in the Mercantile Marine, and to be willing to submit to an examination before the rather formidable Board of Directors of the London Missionary Society.

Having spent twelve years at sea on both steam and sailing vessels, and possessing the necessary certificate, I at once wrote

19 B

ARRIVAL AT ZANZIBAR

and offered my services. In due course they were accepted by the Society, and I was appointed second in command of the expedition to Lake Tanganyika; afterwards to act as chief officer in the marine department which we were going to establish on the Lake.

The London Missionary Society had received a large dona- tion from a supporter for the express purpose of commencing mission work around the great Lake. As the undertaking was certain to be an expensive one, it was decided to utilise the more economical transport by water in order to get into close contact with the tribes living along a coast line of 900 to 1000 miles.

Our expedition was organised to enable the Society to occupy these regions. Captain Hore and myself were instructed to transport the small life-boat and to build the S.S. Good News as soon as it could be sent to us; to survey the Lake, and to organise and maintain a regular mail service between the Mission Stations and Zanzibar. Captain Hore did not scruple to place before me the pros and cons of travelling in Africa.

I had but a vague idea of the Interior. In one^s schooldays the lessons on geography (when they happened to be about Africa) were illustrated by a camel, a palm tree, mountains of the moon (whatever they might be no one seemed to know), with the Nile, Zambezi, and Congo Rivers, vaguely depicted as rising somewhere in the heart of the great L^nknown. Living- stone, Stanley, and others had, on the part of Britain and America, made known to us the great facts that the In- terior was not a desert, but inhabited by a large population of coloured people — some more or less hostile to Europeans, but the majority quite ready to respond to civil treatment by strangers.

The great partition of Africa by the European Powers had not yet taken place, and not one of the now great Protectorates of East Africa, Uganda, and Nyasaland had become a part of

20

ARRIVAL AT ZANZIBAR

the British Empire. The whole of the East Coast and the Interior was either in the hands of native chiefs, Arabs, or Marima half-castes who had all one object, and whose ambition was to sell and transport to the coast as many of the inhabitants as they could possibly capture. It is true that commanders of British gunboats and British officials at Zanzibar did their utmost, with the limited powers at their command, to bring pressure to bear on the Sultan of Zanzibar, and to check the slave trade at the coast ; but none knew better than themselves how inadequate were their combined efforts. At best they only touched the very fringe of the disease, which had its ramifications all over Equatorial Africa, and its great centres far away up-country at Tabora, Ujiji, Uganda, Kotakota, and the Upper Congo.

My youthful enthusiasm had been fired when I learned the facts of slavery as set forth with noble humanity by Living- stone, with manly disgust by Stanley, and pathetic emphasis by the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin,"" and I resolved, if ever the opportunity offered, to join with niy countrymen in an endeavour to crush the slave-trade.

My chance had arrived, and May 17, 1882, found me on board a British-India Company's vessel bound for Africa. It was in October of this year that Mr. (now Sir) Harry Johnston first visited the Congo, and practically commenced his long and well-known African career. Little did I imagine how very much we should be thrown together in after years, or that I should be privileged to take part in his successful adminis- tration of Nyasaland.

Stirring events were taking place in North Africa as we passed through the canal, for preparations were being made to bombard Alexandria; the great men-of-war, like huge birds of prey, were circling around the entrance to the Suez Canal. We luckily passed through before the actual firing of the 80-ton guns of H.M.S. Inflexible began ; both ship and guns are now practically obsolete.

91

ARRIVAL AT ZANZIBAR

IVIy fellow-passengers included Bishop Hannington, Ashe, and Gordon of Uganda, each of them destined to play so conspicuous a part in opening up Uganda to civilisation. How well I recall Hannington ! His delightfully buoyant spirits and optimistic character made all on board happy. I little thought, as we played at chess together, that those eyes, then so full of laughter, would soon be dimmed by tears shed, not for himself, but for those very Africans to whose benefit he had determined to devote his life and who, in their ignor- ance, so cruelly imprisoned and murdered him. Such are the perils to which the pioneers of civilisation are exposed in a land of superstition, ignorance, and savagery, that not even the attractive qualities of Hannington could save him from a fate which has for ever stained the throne of Uganda, by the sacrifice of one who would have been her best friend and champion. The Buganda have long since realised the great crime committed by their king. Tens of thousands of her sons and daughters are to-day endeavouring to lead lives which the great martyred missionary would have blessed.

In addition to the Church of England missionaries, there were on board several belonging to the London Missionary Society, most of whom ultimately lost their lives in the Interior by disease, which has taken such a heavy toll amongst the ranks of pioneers.

One other of our company met a violent death during the great struggle between European and Arab for predominance in Africa. This struggle was about to commence in real earnest when we arrived at Zanzibar in June 1882. Wild as our project appeared to many residing in Zanzibar, who frankly told us we should never tramp that 820 miles to Tanganyika, much less drag on wheels our steel life-boat through roadless forests and plains, yet Mrs. Hore, who had determined to accompany her husband, was not to be frightened ; she declared that wherever it was prudent for her husband to go, she saw no reason why she should be considered

22

ARRIVAL AT ZANZIBAR

unfit to accompany him. Brave words indeed — but braver deeds followed their utterance; for her patient, tactful per- severance never failed through innumerable trials, incon- veniences, dangers, and sickness, and this brave Englishwoman will be remembered as the first woman to make that wonderful journey in Africa, and with her little son to reach the historic shores of far-away Tanganyika.

It was at Zanzibar I first realised that Great Britain was doing all she could to undermine the cruel slave-trade. Although our eyes beheld men and women in chain-gangs walking and working on the public roads, we knew that they were not slaves, but in reality criminals who, for various offences, were being punished in this manner; and that in such a hot climate it was by far the most sanitary method of dealing with prisoners, as they were permitted to enjoy the open air and good exercise. Still, the sight of human beings in neck-chains was, to say the least, repulsive to every one of us who, no doubt, were too full of our mission of emancipation to be capable of impartially analysing the local conditions which influenced the rulers of this eastern island.

Zanzibar has been described so often that I will not weary the reader by entering into details, except to say that, so far as slavery was concerned, although it was not a legalised custom to buy and sell slaves in the open market, yet thousands were undoubtedly bought and sold both at Zanzibar and on the East Coast. In fact, during our stay on the island, a pirmace of H.M.S. London (which was then the Port guard- ship) cut out and captured as a prize a large slave-dhow which had anchored under the very shadow of the British Consulate — so daring were the Arabs at this exceedingly profitable game.

We found Sir John Kirk pulling the strings of British policy at Zanzibar, and so deftly were they handled that not only was legalised slavery in the Sultan's dominion successfully suppressed, but the valuable island was prevented from passing into the hands of other Powers.

23

ARRIVAL AT ZANZIBAR

We heard much criticism of the manner in which Sir John attacked the curse of Africa ; but people did not then realise as they do now that, unless the matter had been handled with great skill, the astute Arabs, with their natural love of intrigue and avarice, might at any moment have foiled all Sir John*'s attempts to get our flag established on the island, and that there was nothing to prevent the Sultan handing over his dominions to another Power.

W e were initiated into some of the delicate phases of this political game, and thus somewhat put on our guard and prepared for dealing with the powerful Arab lieutenants of the Sultan who reigned supreme in those regions, far away from either British diplomacy or British guns, to which we were proceeding. In the midst of their vile operations it was our fixed determination to live, and, in time, to undermine or destroy their diabolical trade in human souls and bodies. Looking back after a long struggle with the Arabs I can understand and appreciate the enormous difficulties Sir John Kirk had to overcome, and I can now measure more accurately the services rendered to the Empire by the astute British representative at the Sultan's Court in those early days.

We found real empire-building in progress at the coast. To lay foundations for more work of the kind at the sources of the slave-trade around the great lakes of the Interior was our earnest intention. It was our greatest slimulus and sup- port to know that behind us was the man who had been a close companion in travel of the immortal Livingstone. No one realises better than myself, that it is upon Sir John's solid foundations that much of the present magnificent super- structure has been erected.

There was little time for indulging in sentiment, no inclination on any one's part either to exaggerate the task before us or to minimise its difficulties. Whilst engaged in the difficulties of preparing for a three months' tramp through a more or less rough country, one became unconsciously

24

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

impregnated with ideas of caravan life. Our days were spent in packing and repacking all kinds of collapsible utensils, too often omitting from our calculations the stern fact that it was not upon railway trucks our boxes were to be transported, and therefore we must not think it of no consequence how heavy they weighed ; for black men would have to plod along day by day through dense grass, over mountains, through rivers and swamps, with all these precious loads on their heads.

Our keen-eyed leader was not slow to bring us to our senses by quietly asking us to try the weight ourselves.

It has been said, and with great truth, that one cannot spend too much time in the careful preparation for a long African journey, for so many valuable lives have been lost for want of real necessaries.

The most difficult matter to us seemed to be to solve the problem of carrying our cash, as in this instance it meant not really cash (which of course was of no use to Central Africans !) but calico, beads, brass, wire, salt, &c. &c.

We found it would be necessary to supply each porter with two yards of unbleached calico per week in order that he might buy food. Now, considering that we had to engage about nine hundred porters, and that we should be at least three months on the journey, it will be obvious that the commissariat for the men alone amounted to a considerable sum, and must form a large number of loads, each weighing 60 lbs., which is about the full load a man can carry over a long distance, although the Wanyamwezi will often carry 75 lbs. of dead weight. It is astonishing how they do it day after day — plodding on apparently without undue exhaustion under the tropical sun. In addition to this formidable equip- ment, we had to convey a year's provisions and the Moming Star life-boat. This, being built of steel, was divided into sections and laid bottom upwards on specially constructed hand-carts, light and yet strong, made narrow in order to minimise the cutting down of trees.

25

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

As the Captain and myself were sailors by profession, we naturally considered there was nothing like good rope for wear and tear, and we forthwith spliced sets of harness to fit three men to drag the carts, one man being in the shafts. The first touch of African humour enlivened us here, as we harnessed our team of men for a trial run. They were standing ready to move on with the yokes around their necks when a wag, who was in the shafts, turned towards the crowd of onlookers and, without a smile on his countenance, exclaimed : " Kweri ; sasa mimi Punda,"" or, as we should put it, " Yes ! there is no mistake about it, I am a donkey at last ! " The whole of us burst into fits of laughter ; whilst the little black urchins, who had assembled to see the fun, rolled over and over in the sandy soil, imitating the well-known laughter of our four-footed friends.

I could see by the man's face in the shafts that the ludicrous situation in which he found himself had suddenly dawned on his mind ; but, beyond the above exclamation, he was like the costermonger who had " no words for it.'*'' To one totally unacquainted with African porters and travel as I was, nearly the whole of our preliminaries at Zanzibar were, to say the least, extremely novel as well as fascinating. Those Europeans who to-day land at Mombasa, purchase a railway-ticket, tip a porter, and jump into an express train for Uganda with scarcety a thought about their huge packages which are swung by cranes on to the trucks in the rear, will scarcely realise what it meant to start on such a journey then. I can even now see the energetic Hannington literally jumping on the contents of his box, so as to compel it to go into a space which his mathematical mind could have easily proved with a few figures to be a physical impossibility. One could hear the various Europeans addressing to themselves such questions as the following: —

" Must I really shave ? No ! I can leave this dressing- case and use a waterproof bag ! "

26

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

" Boots ? Ah ! must have good boots, but those gaiters are not necessary."

" Happy man ! " says the transport agent. " I hope you may never want them ; but don't load yourself up with that huge book ! Why, it must weigh several pounds."

" What is it ? Oh ! I must take it, even if I have to carry it myself. It's a lot of back numbers of Punch!'''

A roar of laughter went up from his comrades. One more grave than the rest suggested that " only light and necessary articles ought to be carried."

" I don't care," replied the owner. " I contend that Punch is exceedingly light and trifling,''''

With this appropriate repartee the British Jester was jammed into the box ; and as I think of isolated camps, lonely voyages, bitter disappointments, intense longings to hear my own native tongue and to see a happy civilised face, I know the young pioneer was right, and that he had packed the best literary tonic, one which has hundreds of times brought me back to my own land, and lifted me out of that desponding state into which frequent attacks of malaria are at times apt to plunge the most hardened traveller in the Tropics. What I have just said will serve to emphasise the fact that in those days every pound of weight had to be studied, as, besides the actual expense of porterage, the number of men had to be reduced to a minimum, seeing that for three months we had to be responsible for their food, at times no little tax on the meagre resources of the small native villages, in places many miles distant from one another. The first great disappoint- ment came to us as we learned that part of our vessel had been left at Aden, and at least one month must elapse before the next British-India vessel was due. However, as our party consisted of missionaries proceeding to stations up-country, and as it was only possible to travel in the dry season, it was deemed advisable to make a start at once, and the sailors. Captain Hore and myself, could " come back from Mamboia,"

29

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

which was said to be about 160 miles inland, and at that time in charge of a missionary and his wife.

" Come back again ? " I replied, as I heard the decision.

" Don't come back ! some one shouted to me years before, in London, as I went out to face the Board of Trade Examiner at Tower Hill. I was returning at the time, having forgotten something in my excitement. " It's unlucky,'' he continued, " to come back."

Was this coming back a good or bad omen ? I experienced neither good nor bad luck at Tower Hill ; but a very salt old sea-captain of the Black Ball Line very nuich impressed me with the stern fact that a practical knowledge of duty was the only passport to success, and, having succeeded in that instance, I had no dread of ill-luck on the present occasion. The eventful morning arrived when, with the hundreds of black porters and our baggage, we were packed into large dhows (vessels used for carrying slaves and merchandise), somewhat like herrings in a barrel, and so parted from the scene of our first contact with Arabs and slavery.

British officers on the deck of H.M.S. London gave us a polite salute, and a Jack Tar standing forward shouted, " So long ! " The old and to me familiar send-off of that British sailor was very cheering, and, as we sailed past the great ship, we returned the salute almost under the shadow of the St. George's ensign which floated proudly from her stern. One of my comrades asked :

" What does ' so long ' mean ? "

I replied : It is used by sailors, and means, ' Until w^e meet again.'"

" What a strange expression ! " he said. " It seems to imply a certainty of meeting."

My mind was too full of the actual going to dwell on the possibilities of coming back ; but the eyes of the questioner were then gazing for the last time on the Naval Flag of Britain. Even at that moment he was almost within sight of

30

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

the spot where years afterwards, when returning home and ahnost out of Africa, he fell mortally wounded, shot by a treacherous half-caste Arab. At the time of addressing the question to me he was surrounded by comrades ; at his death he was alone, and Africa never so much as provided him with a grave.

" So long !

I hear that sailor''s voice even now ; it was almost like a requiem over no less than three others of my comrades, who, sitting by my side at that moment, had their faces towards their last resting-place in Africa.

The old dhow took but a few hours to cross the 25-mile strip of water which separates Zanzibar from the mainland, and, running close into the shore, we dropped anchor.

" Rukeni ! Rukeni majina upesi ! ^' cried the Suahili cap- tain. " Jump quickly into the water, all of you ! and if you can picture two or three hundred schoolboys tumbling out of a London barge into the Thames on a sunny day, you have a fairly good idea of our porters landing for their 820-mile tramp, knowing they had each to carry on their heads a load weighing 60 lbs.

Yet every man of them was a slave, even the head-men were slaves, and part of their three-months'* advanced wages had already gone into the hands of their masters at Zanzibar. They were just a merry, happy lot of laughter-loving grown- up boys — no care, no thought of the morrow, no repining at their lot !

" Come-a-day, go-a-day, God-send-Sunday," was their for- mula and rule of life, and experience has revealed to me that these words accurately describe the outstanding natural charac- teristics of coloured races in Central Africa. These romping, excitable men, gambolling in the sea around the old Arab dhow, with no worldly possessions beyond a yard or two of calico, had engaged to transport " white men " through a country quite unknown to many of them, though they knew

31

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

from those who had previously travelled that there were many real hardships and dangers to be encountered before reaching Lake Tanganyika.

As I tried to realise what this meant, what a demonstration it afforded of loyal service of black to white men, I could only hope that no want of patience, knowledge, or tact on our part might have the effect of jeopardising the realisation of what at times appeared but a dream.

Dreams, however, had to give place to solid hard work in the shape of tent-pitching, stacking of loads, preparing to pass the first night in camp not far from the calm water of the Indian Ocean, and what was still more necessary, providing and cooking our own dinner. We Avere to shift for ourselves at last, with state cabins, stewards, and general luxury a thing of the past — " outward bound," as sailors call it — and if we were ever to see the waters of distant Tanganyika one thing was essential, we must not make martyrs of ourselves, not even for Africans. We must take every reasonable precaution against malaria, and above all attend most scrupulously to our diet, and not only live on the best food to be procured in the country, but make ample use of those proved digestible foods which science has enabled us to bring in metal tins. I say without hesitation that a missionary or traveller who fails to live as well as possible whilst exposed to the tropical sun and malaria is certain to become prematurely a most expensive, if not alto- gether useless, servant to any government or philanthropical society. And, even with every precaution, none wholly escape ; whilst many fall victims to the deadly microbes now known to be conveyed to the human blood by a species of mosquito.

We w^ere soon initiated into the art of making our tents comfortable, and, as the sun disappeared behind some lofty cocoa-nut palm trees, insect life swarmed out to enjoy the cool air. Then commenced those choruses of sounds from pool, bush, and tall rank grasses, which never cease to serenade African travellers from sunset to sunrise.

32

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

Mosquitoes in great numbers were buzzing around our ears, stinging the ankles (a favourite spot), neck, face, and hands. At first we tried to pass the whole thing off as a joke, or at most a temporary annoyance ; but first one, then another, European had business in his tent, until all were found safely in bed under their mosquito-curtains. At that time it was generally thought the deadly malaria was more or less contained in'stagnant pools underneath decaying vegetation, or closely connected with tall rank grasses. The mosquito was not suspected by us of being the direct channel through which the poison entered our blood, hence our attention was directed towards avoiding the supposed malarial deposits, and the mosquito evaded simply because it was a persistent nuisance. We have travelled far since then, with the assistance of science, and know it is one of the species of mosquito which injects the malaria-microbe into the blood as it inserts its proboscis through the skin.

I lay awake that first night listening to the hoarse croaking of the bull-frog, and to myriads of insects I had never seen, which kept up a perpetual humming sound both inside and outside my tent.

The Indian Ocean joined in the lullaby as its waves broke on the sand, whilst I could hear in the distance the never-ceasing hum of our porters"* voices which now and then broke forth into rollicking choruses; but the refrain was, of course, quite unintelligible to me at that time. Later on, as I became acquainted with the language they spoke, I realised that my ignorance at the coast had not caused me to lose anything of an edifying nature.

My own private servants were sitting around an open fire not far away from the tent, one playing a stringed instrument; its soothing and seemingly pathetic appeals were at intervals answered by the player's voice, and, in perfect time and harmony, one after another of his companions joined in the song, each taking a separate part. After a

33

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

slight pause the wailing string issued its final appeal, and the whole of the singers mingled their voices in a chorus which, if it was not of a classical nature, was delightfully soothing to one who had just taken leave of the busy, bustling, civilised world of humanity, and was being hushed to sleep for the first time in the land where

" Man's inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn,"

34

CHAPTER II

Porters and their Loads — The Long March to Lake Tan- ganyika COMMENCED An AmUSING INCIDENT ThE ChARM

of African Life — Insight into Native Character.

OL^R first morning in Africa was ushered in by a pleasant bugle-call, and the camp at once presented a busy scene. The morning mists still hung like a soft mantle a few feet above the long low seashore, whilst the high grasses provided a shower-bath of glistening dew- drops for the early traveller who was compelled to tramp along the narrow footpaths.

Black boys who had elected to serve as our personal attendants brought water for the morning toilet, whilst the porters stood ready for the word of command to seize each his particular load.

It was a sight not easily to be forgotten. Babel but faintly describes the howling of that half- civilised crowd as, with strained countenances, they scanned the pile of miscellaneous packages ; each man mentally appropriating to himself the smallest, softest, and what he judged the lightest load. The reader must bear in mind that a mistake at this first selection of loads would certainly mean a tremendous addition to the ordinary physical strain of carrying such a burden for three months ; an awkward load, or even one extra pound of weight, might not only cause painful sores on either head or shoulders, but so handicap the bearer as to make his pace the slowest in the caravan ; and dragging wearily along, far in the rear of his more fortunate companions, he would finally either throw away his load out

of sheer inability to carry it into camp, or be murdered for

35

PORTERS AND THEIR LOADS

the sake of its intrinsic value by those villains who, being too idle to work, infest certain uninhabited portions of the track, shooting down the lonely and tired porter.

These possible dangers were well known to all that crowd of black humanity; hence, when their head-men could no longer control them, they hurled themselves en masse on the prepared burdens, and not a few unparliamentary disputes followed over the possession of those little handy bales of calico which fit so softly on the head, and are of course the ideal load to carry.

However, beyond having to separate couples who were evidently training themselves in the manly art of self-defence, we were not seriously annoyed by this rather boisterous "jump ofF'^ of our noisy crew. I would have given a great deal at that time to have understood the sallies of repartee which passed between the smiling possessor of a neat package and the burly black who had for his daily companion a hard box, which in his mind he was doubtless determining to exchange, at the first opportunity, at the expense of a com- panion. I could only stand amongst these half-wild children of the sun and admire the pluck and strength which they possessed, enabling them so merrily to commence a task which no white man could possibly have undertaken in this tropical division of the world.

It being barely 8 a.m., the sun was not yet high enough to cause us inconvenience when we were ready to commence our long journey. The black races are early risers; they retire soon after the sun sets, sleep well, and get through a great deal of work before it becomes unpleasantly hot. Being bare-footed, they find marching during the middle portion of the day extremely painful over the hot, sandy paths, the heat of which causes deep cracks in the soles of their feet. At times these ulcerate and completely incapacitate them for travelling; therefore it is imperative to get away on a journey as early as possible, for a lame porter means having

PORTERS AND THEIR LOADS

a load without any one to carry it, much delay, and at times serious loss.

When the general scramble which I have described was over, and each man's name and load entered on the lists, the Europeans were allotted their several duties en route — e.g. superintending the commissariat, tents, loads, hygiene, accounts, &c. &c., and we decided to start on the following day. During the afternoon we were visited by the head-man of the town of Saadani and district. He w^as accompanied by a number of white-robed followers, evidently arrayed so as to make, according to Eastern custom, a respectable show of authority.

• They were very polite, making numerous inquiries about our outfit and intentions, as well as promising, not only to assist us to the utmost of their power during our sojourn at Saadani ; but to capture and return to us porters who might desert on the road.

This promise was faithfully kept; and although the chief was an old slave-trader, who knew full well that every European then in his power had determined to ruin his trade, I always found him ready to assist us in all matters in which he was concerned. His son was not so friendly ; but little did my young companion, Arthur Brooks, imagine that the hand of yoti white-robed, smiling-faced boy would one day strike him dead without a moment's warning, leaving his bones to be picked clean by vultures and his skull to whiten in the sun.

In the cool of the evening I strolled through the village ; its main characteristics were untidiness and filth. The huts were carelessly built, and no attempt to observe the most rudimentary laws of sanitation appeared to be made by either chief or people.

The more favoured women wore cheap, gaudy clothes, thrown somewhat gracefully over their bodies; but their features were made hideous by the insertion of circular

39 c

THE LONG MARCH COMMENCED

ornaments through the nose and ears. Between these belles and the poorly clad worn-out old creatures who toiled from morning to night there was a vast gulf, almost as great as in our own country between rich and poor; yet all were "domestic slaves,'' most of them quite happy and proud to be able to claim allegiance to "Muinyi" or " Saidi," as the case might be. If not actually born in slavery, they had long since forgotten from whence they were stolen ; even if they could have remembered the name of their village, few had any idea where it was situated, and none would have accepted their freedom if you had offered to redeem them, knowing full well that it was an utter impossibility for them ever to travel back to the old far-away home.

This was my first contact with real slaves, and it seemed to me that they were not badly treated, and were for the most part tolerably happy.

I had not long to wait before another aspect of this matter was revealed to me in all its cruel nakedness, the sight of which burned out of my mind for ever the last remnant of toleration for domestic slavery Avhich I may have entertained, and made me an avowed enemy of all who soiled their hands with the accursed system.

It was soon apparent that the mixed population at the coast gave little indication of what the tribes of the Interior were like. There were no native industries to be seen any- where. The ornaments and clothes they wore had their origin in Manchester and India rather than in Africa; even when dressed in the height of coast fashion they presented an artificial appearance. One looked in vain for the lithe cat- like forms to be found in vast stretches of the country ; but these lazy, slave- depraved people were, I felt positive, many degrees below the primitive, half-savage tribes of the Interior, amongst whom we were about to live. Mohammedanism had done little for them except to make them consider the Creator

their special Protector, and the vast multitudes of natives

40

THE LONG MARCH COMMENCED

their legitimate prey, ranking them about on an equality with the animals in the forest.

I felt glad to turn away from the village to seek something edible in the forest, so, shouldering a fowling-piece and calling my boy, I went into the outskirts of the maize gardens, and was not there long before up flew a fine flock of guinea-fowl, and two plump birds graced next day's dining-table as the result of our first hunt for game in Africa.

We were up and away from camp the next morning before 6 A.M. At the head of our long line of porters marched what is known in Africa as a " kilangozi."" He is a man chosen on account of his intimate knowledge of wliat we might call " the rule of the road."

In addition to being physically strong, he must know which paths to avoid, and this is by no means an easy task where the vegetation is dense and no conspicuous landmarks can be used as a guide to camp.

Amongst such a large number of men, many are sure to be utterly unable to grasp the simplest geographical feature of the country or to understand verbal directions.

Therefore the leader must never omit to close all paths which he does not wish those who follow to take. This is done by placing on the path either a few leaves or sticks, or, if these are not procurable, he simply drav/s a line across with his spear.

I have frequently lost porters who, after tramping for hours, had walked on mechanically, never noticing these signs, and were only brought to their senses by arriving at a strange village many miles out of their way.

The sight of game made me forsake duty ; for, as we opened out into a beautiful green valley, we saw a fine harte- beeste quietly grazing. It was the work of a moment to decide that sport was not to be despised, to say nothing of the mass of venison which would make glad the hearts of both master and men. Calling my boy, I slipped into

THE LONG MARCH COMMENCED

cover ; alas ! I had reckoned without my host. Thorns of every imaginable size caused me to halt. It was the first taste of bush-work, and how much I regretted leaving behind those gaiters which the transport agent hoped I should never need ! I now understood his meaning !

Too much attention to the thorns made me forget the more important matter of stalking the animal, and, on emerging from the bush, I was mortified by seeing the hartebeeste about to disappear into the forest on the opposite side. I might possibly have wounded him, but a certain kill was out of the question.

" Pepo, bwana " (wind, master), was the only word uttered by my companion.

" Yes, boy,'' I replied. " He got our wind."

I had omitted to remember that animals must be approached from the lee side, and an African lad had given me a lesson in big-game hunting. We circled round for some distance, and, failing to get another sight of game, made for a village for water. It was soon apparent that a white man was, to say the least, a novelty to the inhabitants, probably on account of their being off the main caravan road, as well as from the fact that but few Europeans had passed through this district.

My boy soon put them at their ease, but what yarn he told them I did not know; his instructions were to ask for water, and to say we were hunting. Water was brought, and, being tired, we rested. The natives soon collected around, and became quite talkative with the boy. At last, seeing they were curiously interested in my boots, I asked the boy what they were saying.

" That you have hoofs like the zebra," replied he.

It struck me as a novel idea, and, entering into the fun of the thing, I replied :

" Tell them they are wrong ; I have feet like their own."

At the reception of this news they shook their heads, saying to my boy :

42

AN AMUSING INCIDENT

" If he speaks the truth, tell him to show us ! "

Ah ! How many times in after years have I realised that to impress anything on an African's mind, to win his confidence, you must demonstrate the truth of what you say.

"Deeds, not words," is inscribed on the minds of the whole of the coloured races.

A few seconds sufficed to remove the boots. I shall never forget the outburst of laughter which ensued. Being totally ignorant of what they were gone mad about, I said to my boy : " What in the world are they amused at ? I have shown them I have not hoofs, are they not satisfied ? "

" Yes, master ! But — now they declare you have no toes ! "

"Oh, do they? Well, you just tell them I have ten toes,*" and holding up both hands, I proceeded to count them, at the same time joining heartily in their laughter.

" Show us ! Show us ! " came back their reply.

And show them I did. The simple act of pulling off a sock must have almost prepared them to see the foot itself drop off, for I could see the younger ones were quite ready to scamper away at any unexpected developments.

Wondering what they would have to say, I gave a final pull, and with one voice they yelled :

" He''s white all over ! "

" Yes, I am," I cried ; " and you must take it on trust, for no more clothes will be removed for your pleasure."

Whatever Tom told them must remain a mystery ; all I knew was that they suddenly became quiet.

Having rested, I thought it time to make them pay for their entertainment, so, filling my pipe, I lighted a match and, as I half expected, my audience cleared in all directions.

A few of the most daring stopped, and pointing to me exclaimed (so Tom said) :

" Now we know you are a spirit, for you can carry fire in your clothes without being burned."

Leaving the box of matches on the ground, and Tom

43

AN AMUSING INCIDENT

to show them "how it was done," I moved away, glad to have witnessed an exhibition of friendly, innocent fun amongst Nature's children of the forest, and delighted to have had an early opportunity of demonstrating to Africans that a white man's word is his bond.

The next business was to pick up the path and camp, for, beyond a general idea as to the direction, I was somewhat at sea. Tom, however, displayed no hesitation, but entered the forest, saying:

" Master ! we must walk quickly, or it will be dark before you reach camp."

I was struck by the perfect confidence he had in his ability to find the path, and all doubt was quickly dispelled as, after crossing a few miles of forest, he struck a pathway, scrutinised it for a second, and exclaimed :

" It''s all right. Our people have passed."

A few miles ahead, the camp was reached in good time for dinner, and over the evening pipe we laughed and joked about the day's experiences, my companions declaring that, had I exhibited a little more common sense when stalking that hartebeeste, the whole of the party would at that moment have been discussing the flavour of our first African venison, instead of having to be satisfied with tinned meats.

The rains were now over, but as yet the grass (standing about six feet high) was not burned up by those devastating fires which annually sweep over nearly all tropical Africa, destroying or stunting most of the young trees.

It is this repeated scorching which partly accounts for the wretched specimens of trees growing in most districts of East Africa, and, when the country is little short of a vast charcoal desert, travelling becomes unpleasant. On the other hand, the rains and dense vegetation make it almost impossible to enjoy camp earlier in the year. Nevertheless, there is something very fascinating in African life and travel.

Few men can satisfactorily explain to others wherein lies

44

THE CHARM OF AFRICAN LIFE

the charm, and one often hears from friends, who have never been there, expressions of surprise that any one can really enjoy the nomadic and isolated life. They too often forget that those who go there have some strong motive, some goal to reach which nothing but failure of health can make them relinquish. It is in the intense pursuit of these aims that mosquitoes, privation, and danger are forgotten. There is also the total absence of conventionality. The silence of the forest is a welcome change from the noisy city, and one's manhood seems to assert itself much more when entirely cut off from European associations.

Perhaps the sense of individuality is the main attraction. In the constant whirl of civilisation the personal element is somewhat lost in the mass. Out in the forests of Africa you are the man amongst your surroundings. It may not be very much in reality, but at all events it is enough to make you enjoy your environment ; and the coloured people unconsciously weave themselves into your life as you study their lives and their language, and realise that in most instances you are each others' protectors, and, for the time at least, friends. This fascination was beginning to cast its spell over me, and for twenty-six years it never ceased to chain me to the Dark Continent.

Our westward journey to the first sectional halting-place continued without any remarkable occurrence; but, as we neared Mamboia (136 miles from the coast), fever bowled me over and well-nigh ended my career. Owing, however, to the skilful attention of Mr. and Mrs. Last, I recovered and, leaving the remainder of our party to march on to M'pwapwa and await us. Captain Hore and myself returned to the coast for our boat, reaching Zanzibar in eight days. We soon had the carts ready and again started up-country. It is all very well marching along a narrow path, but to draw wheeled vehicles is another matter. Every rock and tree-stump was a vexatious hindrance, and it required a coLipany of axe-men to clear away

45

INSIGHT INTO NATIVE CHARACTER

obstacles. The men pulled, perspired, and " said things." A broken trace, a capsize, up to the axle in mud, wheel off. Sec. &;c., would be a fair summary of the daily life and the pin-pricks one had to endure for three months. But those black fellows never gave up ! Had they known what was before them, it is certain none would have chosen to be yoked as "donkeys" to those boat-sections. In order that the reader may quite understand what these men had to do, I may here explain that two boat-sections weighed 300 lbs. each, and four others 230 lbs. each, besides the carts on which they were lashed. The pathway seldom exceeded two feet in width, with trees and tall grasses growing close up to its edges. If you picture these men dragging such burdens under a broiling sun, along that path for 825 miles (it took three months), you will probably join with me in calling them a brave set of black men.

In order to avoid the mountains, I was ordered to take these carts through the Mukondokwa valley (Captain Hore travelling by another road to escort his wife and son, who unfortunately had to return to England, but who later on went to Lake Tanganyika). The valley was very lovely, and, but for the dense vegetation, would have been most enjoyable to travel through.

Whilst alone with this division of our party in the valley, I had an amusing insight into native character. The high grass was nearly dry, and one evening, shortly after dinner, I heard the ominous crackling of a grass fire quite close to the tent and my men making a fearful noise. Calling Tom, I asked for explanation. " Moto, bwana, moto " (fire ! master, fire !) exclaimed he. Sure enough, the grass was on fire. I saw ruin staring us in the face as I pictured the boat, tent, calico (money), rifles, ammunition, and outfit adding to the general conflagration. In the space of a few seconds the tent was tiown and everything removed to a safe place.

46

INSIGHT INTO NATIVE CHARACTER

None too soon, as directly afterwards the fire passed over the very spot. I rewarded the men who were most energetic in subduing the flames. I had not long retired to rest before a second alarm was raised, and again the same process was re- peated and small presents distributed. But by this time I had become suspicious of trickery, so, pitching the tent on a burned patch of ground, I awaited events.

As I expected, the grass was fired in another direction, and on being called, I replied, Let it burn ! I knew it was only a plot to extort presents. They had purposely set it alight ; but, as I was alone, I deemed it prudent to wait for daylight. Tom next morning confirmed my suspicions, saying in an undertone in broken English : " Master no yet speak our language — not know black men. Porters not much bad and not very good. They play with you as you are new to country. Master, never put tent up in grass; plenty fire." " All right, Tom ! " I replied. " Master plenty wake up after breakfast."

It is needless to assure the reader master never again slept in the grass during his African life. One lesson was enough ! Without entering into details, I may say that " after hxak- fasf'' the head-man of our party was publicly reminded that a white man takes a serious objection to unnecessary excite- ment in camp after the labours of the day are supposed to be over ; and I doubt if he will ever forget the lesson learned in company with his young master in the Mukondokwa valley.

47

CHAPTER III

Cruelties of the Slave-Trade — Major Von Wissmann — Diffi- culties OF the Road — " Pay or Fight " — Loyal Service — A Narrow Escape — The Mighty Mirambo — Native and Lion.

ON the 29th of November we arrived at M'pwapwa, where the main portion of the party had encamped. They were thoroughly tired of waiting in that uninteresting district. Although about 200 miles from the coast, the natives bore most of the objectionable characteristics of a slave- depraved race. Situated on the outskirts of the Ugogo plains and forests, the neighbourhood had become a convenient halting place for all the slave caravans en route to the coast.

Here we met the notorious Tip-pu-Tib's annual caravan, which ha^ been resting after the long march through Ugogo and the hot passes of Chunyo. 'As they filed past we noticed many chained together by the neck. Others had their necks fastened into the forks of poles about 6 feet long, the ends of which were supported by the men who preceded them. The women, who were as numerous as the men, carried babies on their backs in addition to a tusk of ivory or other burden on their heads; They looked at us with suspicion and fear, having been told, as we subsequently ascertained, that white men always desired to release slaves in order to eat their flesh, like the Upper Congo cannibals.

It is difficult adequately to describe the filthy state of their bodies; in many instances, not only scarred by the cut of a " chikote " (a piece of hide used to enforce obedience), but feet and shoulders were a mass of open sores, made more painful by the swarms of flies which followed the march and lived on the

48

CRUELTIES OF THE SLAVE TRADE

flowing blood. They presented a moving picture of utter misery, and one could not help wondering how any of them had survived the long tramp from the Upper Congo, at least 1000 miles distant. Our own inconveniences sank into in- significance compared with the suffering of this crowd of half- starved, ill-treated creatures who, weary and friendless, must have longed for death.

The head-men in charge were most polite to us as they passed our camp. Each was armed with a rifle, knife, and spear, and although decently clothed in clean cotton garments, they presented a thoroughly villainous appearance.

Addressing one, I pointed out that many of the slaves were unfit to carry loads. To this he smilingly replied :

" They have no choice ! They must go, or die !

Then ensued the following conversation : —

" Are all these slaves destined for Zanzibar ?

" Most of them, the remainder will stay at the coast."

" Have you lost many on the road ? "

" Yes ! numbers have died of hunger !

" Any run away ? " ^

" No, they are too well guarded. Only those who^ become possessed with the devil try to escape; there is nowhere they could run to if they should go.''

" What do you do when they become too ill to travel ? "

" Spear them at once ! was the fiendish reply. " For, if we did not, others would pretend they were ill in order to avoid carrying their loads. No ! we never leave them alive on the road ; they all know our custom.""

" I see women carrying not only a child on their backs, but, in addition, a tusk of ivory or other burden on their heads. What do you do in their case when they become too weak to carry both child and ivory ? Who carries the ivory ? "

" She does ! We cannot leave valuable ivory on the road. We spear the child and make her burden lighter. Ivory first, child afterwards ! "

49

CRUELTIES OF THE SLAVE-TRADE

I could have struck the demon dead at my feet.

For downright savagery this beat anything I had met with. " Ivory first, child afterwards ! " I repeated over and over again. Alas ! I was destined many times to witness the truth of that cruel statement.

Thus early in my life I understood what Livingstone meant and felt when, in 1886, he wrote the following: " Besides those actually captured, thousands are killed, or die of their wounds and famine, driven from their homes by the slave-raider. Thousands perish in internecine wars, waged for slaves with their own clansmen or neighbours ; slain by the lust for gain which is stimulated by the slave- purchasers. The many skeletons we have seen amongst the rocks and woods, by the pools, and along the paths of the wilderness, all testify to the awful sacrifice of human life which must be attributed directly or indirectly to this trade of hell.**'' Strong words, but not a whit too strong !

As the last poor creature in that living chain of wretched- ness passed me, every humane feeling within me rose up in rebellion as I realised for the first time that, though a member of a philanthropical society, I was unable to respond to the natural impulse of an Englishman and set the whole company free. Nevertheless, our indignant protest was despatched both to Zanzibar and England, and I am glad to say we were then looking at the last slave-caravan ever permitted to leave the mainland. The reader, however, should bear in mind that although those Eastern slave-routes are now closed, there is yet at the present day a considerable area in Africa still re- maining wherein are practised similar cruelties which call for speedy suppression by those European Powers who have acquired the regions as a sphere of influence.

It was a pleasant relief next day to meet the genial German explorer, Major von Wissmann, who had crossed the Continent from west to east. With eyes sparkling and full of laughter

50

A Dug-out Canoe

This is used for fishing. The land on the opposite- side of the lake is not visible. The men have scientifically distributed their weight to preserve a proper balance.

A Method of Securing Slaves

When travelling a shorter pole is used, one end bain? held up by the preceding person. The neck is often l)roken if the slave falls when walking. Lunatics are also imprisoned in this way to prevent their running into the forest. It is also used to torture enemies, who are fixed in this manner over the nests of ferocious ants.

MAJOR VON WISSMANN

he apologised for his attire ; explaining that, to replace his hat he had bought a cap at Ujiji ; having worn out his foot-gear, he had purchased some weird -looking boots at Urambo ; and, wanting the necessary materials for washing linen, he had made himself a vest of unbleached calico. It was my privilege to meet him again both at Tanganyika and in Nyasaland, where his ability, tact, and cheerful optimism won him the admiration of all pioneers. Germany has given many brilliant sons to Africa ; but I doubt if any name deserves, or will receive, more lasting honour at her hands than Von Wissmann, subsequently Governor of her Eastern Colony.

Leaving camp on December 2, we made for Mkambi, beyond the hot pass of Chunyo. The country was very rugged, necessitating the cutting of new paths in many places through the dense scrub. About thirty miles ahead we entered the plains of Ugogo, and travelling became easier ; but the second day^s march will not soon be forgotten, for every yard of road was disputed by thorny bushes, which, meeting overhead, made walking upright out of the question. The men found it diffi- cult to push forward with their loads, whilst to drag our carts through appeared almost hopeless.

At sunrise our vanguard attacked with axes the tangled vegetation, and succeeded in enlarging the tunnel so that the carts could pass. But it was heart-breaking work. At noon we had covered but a few miles, whilst most of the men who carried loads were tired out by constantly stooping under the creepers. To make matters worse, rain fell heavily about 4 p.m. The road at once became sodden, and, with wheels sinking up to the axles in mud, it is no wonder our men became exhausted after ten hours of such toil without food. Unfortunately for me, it had been my turn that day to superintend the transport, so the night was extremely welcome ; for, being dressed in a canvas suit which was soaked with rain and covered with mud, I was fairly miserable.

Turning to a head-man I asked if it was far to camp.

53

DIFFICULTIES OF THE ROAD

I (ioirt know, master,"" replied he ; " but we cannot reach there to-night with these carts.""

This was not cheering, for it was raining and dark. All were hungry, tired out, and cold. The ground was covered with water, and to spend a night in dense bush under such conditions was to court fever or death. At that moment we were cheered by the sight of a lantern approaching, which proved to be carried by a messenger from Hore, who delivered to me a slip of paper containing instructions to leave the carts and make for camp.

" Come along, boys ! "" I shouted, and with thoughts of dry clothes, a bath, hot coffee, fire, and sleep, we quickly shuffled through the slush. A mile or two on we espied the gleaming camp-fires, to which master and men hastened for warmth. How grateful it was, this rough wood fire under the open sky. Certainly the figures crouching around it thanked Allah for the precious gift.

The rain ceased, having done its worst, and 1 felt sure my personal servant had long since made my tent cosy, prepared supper and warm clothes, and filled the pipe. With these too hastily formed conclusions, I was groping around in the endeavour to find my tent, when I heard Hore"'s voice saying:

" What are you hunting for, Swann ? "'"'

" My tent,"*"* I replied. " I am done up and cold, and this canvas suit would stand up by itself, it is so stiff with the rain."'"'

His reply was crushing.

"You will get no tent to-night, or bed either, for our companions have gone on and taken the tents with them. But, never mind, the men who carried the food collapsed near here ; so we have the dinner, they the beds."

" How nice ! " I replied.

Hore was, like the rest of us, soaking wet; but, with a

smile, he said: "Let's make the best of a bad job. You

54

DIFFICULTIES OF THE ROAD

make coffee, whilst I'll fry pancakes. Afterwards we will give the fellows hot porridge and coffee, or some will collapse during the night.""

It was both an amusing and uncomfortable occupation to carry out the programme, but it was done. Boxes were arranged around the fire, upon which we lay, drying first one side and then the other ; and we indulged in many a hearty laugh though our teeth were chattering with cold.

Whilst I was lying thus, gazing up at the stars, the whole thing struck me as very comical, especially when I saw my companion endeavouring to prevent himself from rolling off into the fire when asleep, and I ventured the following remark :

" I suppose this is what we sailors call ' sleeping on a clothes-line to dry ? ' "

" Yes," he answered. " Did you not see me trying to peg myself on ? "

At that instant a hyena make the camp echo with its dismal howl, but how often it was repeated we did not know, for deep sleep came to our relief. We awoke in broad daylight, little refreshed and both feverish.

This part was inhabited by the most inquisitive and insolent natives I ever met. They lived where water was scarce during the dry season, demanding heavy payment for the use of wells. If this had been k^pt within reasonable bounds no one would have grumbled, but it was extortionate and demanded in a most objectionable manner. The men carried heavy broad- bladed spears ; their faces were made hideous by markings of red and white pigment. They crowded around our tents, and altogether behaved in an offensive manner. It was perhaps fortunate we did not understand their language, or trouble might easily have arisen. Their villages were built in a square, the outsides being protected by a loop-holed wall of dry mud. In this enclosure they lived along the corridors, whilst the central space was reserved for the cattle, the whole place being disgustingly dirty. The settling of our tribute was a most

55

"PAY OR FIGHT

exasperating business. First, they must have calico " to make the chiefs heart good ; " next, they must have more to appease some other member of the aristocracy ; finally, some more " to oil the spears of the head-men." When that was done, they wanted the remainder in guns, then slaves, then ivory, calico, brass, wire, salt ; in short, every imaginable article known to the most greedy amongst them.

Each request was accompanied by an ultimatum, " pay or fight ! " no pay, no water,"' and so on. In fact they demonstrated to perfection how unjust the coloured man can be when he is paramount. It is a satisfaction to know that the Germans put an end to all this nonsense directly after occupy- ing the country. These Wagogo were so powerful that both Stanley and Tip-pu-Tib, who travelled with well-armed escorts, were compelled to pay tribute, so we could not hope to escape.

The only redeeming feature of the country was its smooth surface, over which our men galloped with the carts, often arriving in camp hours before the rear-guard. Such an easy day pleased them ; for, like children, they are as quickly elated as depressed. It was common to hear them, about this time, speculating as to the number of days which would elapse before they saw the mighty Tanganyika.

Leaving the plain we suddenly ascended about 800 feet to a plateau, and entered the much dreaded Mgunda-Mkali wilderness. The climb was difficult, the heavy carts requiring all our spare men ; whilst the absence of water on the hillside was keenly felt during the heat of day. Severe as this work was, it was eclipsed by that done through the forest at the summit, where our marches frequently exceeded twenty-five miles a day without water. It is difficult to understand how any man can endure such a strain with 60-lbs. weight on his head.

In this forest I witnessed a remarkable instance of the endurance and loyalty of a black man. Once, after several days of severe marching, our men failed to reach camp.

56

LOYAL SERVICE

I returned to them with water and assistance, finding the carts with only half their crew, the remainder having gone off to camp. I asked where the heavy load was, and they replied, " Miles behind;'

Fearing the men would be starved, we pressed on towards them, and finally discovered the load drawn up under a bush. Searching around for traces of the crew, I heard a voice faintly call out :

" I am alive, but give me water ! "

On looking into the bush we discovered the leader, sheltered from the sun, and after giving him water, I asked :

" Where are the others ? "

" Gone on to camp/"* he replied, " for food and water." " Why did you not go ? "

" No, master, I could not leave the boat-section. My name is Mahububu. I was one of Livingstone's boys. I should have died by the load. I cut off the hide lashings and ate them, and the roots I dug up and sucked for moisture." Let no man question the ability of black men to perform loyal service after evidence of such heroic conduct.

Near where we stood we discovered the skeletons of our four mail-men, who had been murdered by robbers. Frag- ments of our letters lay about in all directions ; but as we counted seven skulls, it proved that our men had not died without a brave struggle, taking with them no less than three of their assailants. I cannot do better than sum up our journey to this point in Captain Hore's own words : —

" On went this novel train through weary miles of forest, across the scorched plain, rattling over the hard-baked footprints of elephant and rhinoceros. On through grassy glades where the antelope bounded away, scared out of our path, and the zebra and giraffe were startled by the rattle of these strange disturbers of their solitude. On through

57 D

LOYAL SERVICE

miles of swamps with their croaking legions, or past the dreary wayside relics of travellers way-laid and exhausted. On till the pace grows slow and the heart sick with weariness and thirst, and revives again as the welcome messenger appears in sight with water, or the camp-fires tell of food and rest."

Once clear of this, we were refreshed by the abmidance of food found everywhere in Unyamwezi. The robust subjects of the great Mirambo, into whose territory we had entered, made us realise we were amongst men who felt they belonged to a great kingdom. Whilst they cheerfully rendered respect to white men, they demanded from strangers rigid obedience to the social laws of their tribe. These Wanyamwezi may be called the professional transport-agents of the East Coast. Not one of them was allowed to marry before he had carried a load of ivory to the coast, and brought back one of calico or brass-wire. It was the tribal stamp of true manhood, at once making him a citizen and warrior.

During the march it had always been my ambition to bag a bull buffalo, and although aware of the dangerous nature of these brutes when wounded, I was stupid enough to hunt one armed onlv with a small Martini-Henry cavalry carbine. On the margin of a broad swamp, in which were growing bango reeds about twelve feet high, we noticed some fresh buffalo spoor leading into the thick bush surrounding the marsh. The natives, who have a wholesome respect for the animal, warned me of its fierce character, and Tom not only suggested great caution, but went so far as to say he thought it was not " the kind of game master generally shoots." He was right, and I almost paid dearly for not listening to prudent counsel. But thinking they were drawing the long-bow, I paid no heed. Striking oil* on the spoor I at once began creeping through the dense foliage, making enough noise to scare any game long before reaching it. After about a mile of this sort of travel it became evident

58

A NARROW ESCAPE

we were overtaking 'our quarry, as the spoor became fresher and the broken twigs showed the herd had passed quite recently.

From the general nature of the country it appeared an ideal home for buffalo, the surrounding bush having been trampled into a grey mire, and the huge trees bashed down by elephants. A tangled mass of vegetation was the result, amongst which all big game love to shelter. An uncanny feeling always crept over me when in such dense country. It may have been caused by my intense horror of snakes, but also I wanted elbow-room for any sudden tussle with wild game, as it is an unequal contest when there are obstacles which obstruct the vision, especially as both elephants and buffaloes are known to stand quite still in the heat of the day, permitting you, if they have not caught your wind, to pass within charging distance; and although they seldom charge without provocation, still, the knowledge of this possible danger makes you long for a few yards of clear space.

To counteract this quite natural dislike of an unseen foe one has the intense excitement, tempered, of course, with calm reason. It is so different to the chase in England after hare or fox, where the hunter rushes though open country and the game cannot fight for its life. In the bush one knows it is about an even chance, and so far as this particular hunt was concerned, the chances, owing to my ignorance and improper rifle, were against me.

Emerging into a small valley, we suddenly came upon seven buffaloes quietly grazing, surrounded by several reed- buck, water-buck, and zebra. It was a pretty and yet grand spectacle. To throw ourselves flat on the ground was the first precaution ; this done, I crawled along the edge of the forest until within about one hundred and fifty yards of the nearest animal. A large bull buffalo stood exposing his broadside to me, and, intending to shoot at him from a slight rising ground in front of me, I was proceeding to

59

A NARROW ESCAPE

crawl into position, when a water-buck galloped past, dis- appearing into the opposite bush. This, of , course, disturbed the others. The zebra threw up their graceful heads and indulged in a trotting match. The buffaloes were very uneasy and began prancing about, at the same time whirling their tails around in a vicious manner, evidently on the point of moving away when once they detected the position of the threatened danger.

I saw there was no time to be lost, so, resting the carbine against a tree, I fired at the bull, aiming at his left shoulder. He fell to the shot, rolling on to his side and knees, making a deep grunting noise, whilst his companions made off en masse, disappearing in a cloud of dust. The bull rapidly recovered his feet, and looked around for his assailant. It took but a moment to discover me, as I had foolishly exposed myself, thinking he was mortally wounded.

The instant he saw me I realised my mistake, for, with another grunt, he came at fall gallop straight for me. With his head held high, nostrils distended, and sending clouds of earth flying from his hoofs, he covered the distance which separated us in a few seconds. Having reloaded immediately after firing, I was ready ; but a charging, wounded buffalo is not easily stopped. Dropping on one knee and aiming for his chest, I pulled the trigger, praying the bullet would strike the heart. Whether it did or not, made not the slightest difference to his terrific speed.

Down went his head for the charge. There was only one thing to do to escape certain death, and so, waiting until he was quite close, I flung my sun-helmet in his face and threw myself sideways into the bush simultaneously. The infuriated beast thundered over the spot I had knelt on, missing me by inches as I lay flat on the ground, and only his great impetus prevented him from swerving quickly enough to catch me with his horns. He crashed into some young trees and stood still, whilst blood flowed from his nostrils, chest, and shoulder;

60

A NARROW ESCAPE

truly the beast looked terrible in his rage. I gave him no time to recover, and another bullet through the shoulder finished the battle, the mighty beast rolling over dead. It was a narrow escape. The breast shot had pierced the heart, and doubtless it was this that caused him to miss his aim in the last few mad strides ; otherwise the encounter might have ended in a different manner. In the light of after-experience, I know the folly of attacking a buffalo with nothing but a carbine. The meat was a welcome addition to our cuisine, and also made glad the hearts of numerous strangers who were encamped within a few miles of our sleeping-place.

On arrival at Urambo, the capital of Unyamwezi, we were visited by the powerful chief, Mirambo. He was tall, stately, and looked every inch a chief. He carefully scrutinised our carts, and on being told the boat-sections were to be put together on Tanganyika, he remarked : " It is good work. The lake is large. I shall call it my boat, and you can ferry my men across with my ivory as they come from the Congo ; and in exchange I give you my country to hunt in, or to live in, and I will always be your friend."

This was the mighty Mirambo, dreaded by most tribes in these parts, and spoken unfavourably of by Europeans, who imagined him to be a cruel chief, delighting in war and plunder. We found him upright, manly, great, and years of close contact with him proved him to be loyal to all who merited his friendship. During the great trek of the Zulus from the south, a small number reached as far north as Urambo, and remained there when the tribe retreated south- wards. We found a small community still living near Urambo ; they are called Angoni, using the same hide-shields and assegais as are used by the Zulus of Natal. Mirambo hired these warlike people for purposes of war, as they were much feared by the neighbouring people. The great Mirambo, since dead, left a deep impression on my mind. He stood out as one of the most progressive chiefs of his day, and the

61

THE MIGHTY MIRAMBO

complete obedience of his robust subjects testified to the fact that they could understand and respect justice and power as embodied in their great chief.

On January 16 we pitched our tents close to the capital, having completed a march of 600 miles from the coast, and 200 more would bring us to Tanganyika.

We had now arrived near to the first slave-depot of Un- yanyembe. Arabs, financed by wealthy merchants in Zanzibar, ruled the district and kept up communication with the other depots at Ujiji, the Victoria Nyanza, and Upper Congo, for- warding large quantities of ivory, and annual consignments of slaves, to the coast.

It was against this organised slave-raiding system that the chief, Mirambo, with whom we were staying, was frequently at war. He told us he would not tolerate their rule in any form, because of the usual methods they employed — first, to under- mine the chief's authority ; and finally, to capture the villages one by one by creating jealousies, inciting the people to quarrel, and crushing in detail the whole tribe. At the time we arrived it appeared as if many long years would elapse before this powerful Arab organisation could be abolished. The sources from which slaves were taken must be occupied, raided tribes lived amongst, and seeds of freedom sown in their midst. In fact, these people must be taught that it is not simply a misfortune to become a slave but a real disgj^ace, and Europe must be compelled to come to their rescue.

The Arab system extended to great distances, and, octopus- like, grasped every small unprotected village community, making the whole country a vast battlefield wherein no one was safe outside the stockades. That I should live to see this inhuman svstem utterly abolished never entered my imagina- tion. Yet our very presence sealed its fate.

On resuming the journey westward we passed numerous villages, out of which groups of young people ran to witness what to them was an event of importance. We had come

62

African Mimicry

A native having seen a Hussar's busby, tries to go one better by making a much lighter one out of leaves and adding another plume.

In the Wake of the Slave Raiders

A village raided by slave hunters, who have partially destroyed the huts and pitched away the cooking-pots. A solitary individual has crept back from his hiding-place to find his home desolate and all his relatives gone into slavery. Suicide is often the sequel.

NATIVE AND LION

from the salt sea, of which every one had heard from the men who had been there and had thus qualified themselves for citizenship. Food was easily purchased, and all seemed very happy. None of the villages were stockaded, which showed general security throughout the country. They were too strong to be successfully attacked. The lesson had been learned that to ensure peace you must be prepared for a war of defence.

As we travelled away from the capital, and the villages became more exposed to attack near the frontier, every town was surrounded by a stockade consisting of poles about ten feet ihigh, closely bound together, and inserted into the earth; along the top of them thorns are often added. Where lions infest the neighbourhood this plan is always adopted, although they have been known to leap over and tear off the grass of huts at night, killing the occupants. Game was abundant everywhere, but the numerous pits dug for the capture of wild animals made it risky to hunt, except with great care.

It has frequently been stated that the lion, if he springs at and misses his prey, will retire disgusted. We had a good opportunity of proving this whilst encamped in a rocky defile. About four inl the afternoon a porter rushed into camp excitedly shouting, " Lions, master, lions ! " Of course every one was instantly on the alert and rifles seized, as, from the manner of the man, we took it the lions were visible. On his calming down we extracted from him the following story : —

" I was cutting firewood in the forest near here, when, on looking up, I saw a lion creeping towards a small ant- heap. He stopped directly I ceased chopping the wood, and I saw him turn up his upper lip like our village dog does when going to bite. I had no companions, and only this little axe. If there had been trees I could easily have climbed up out of danger, but there were thorn bushes and

65

NATIVE AND LION

rocks everywhere, except in the clear space where I was. I knew it was no use to run, as the lion always catches you. Allah Akbar ! ^ Before I had time to do anything the lion crept up on to the ant-heap, and, growling all the time, sprang right towards me. I was too far away, so, lifting up my axe as if to strike him, I stood but did not move. The lion then went away into the bush, and, as soon as he was hidden from sight, I ran here."

*' MVongo, bwana ! " (liar, master !) exclaimed our head-man.

" Lions are not such fools," added a chorus of voices.

The man, however, was certainly scared, and implored us to go and see. We four Europeans went, taking the fellow with us. Remarkable as it may appear, we verified the statement he had made about the lion's spring. We traced the lion's spoor up to a small ant-heap, on the top of which the earth was torn up by the force of his paws when springing at the man. From there to where he alighted was exactly twenty feet, the height of the ant-heap being five feet. He failed to reach the man by only five yards, as the chopped wood indicated where he had been standing. From there the spoor led into the thorn bushes at right angles; and I think there can be no doubt the lion actually left the man, either through disgust at missing him, or, what is perhaps more likely, because the man stood still and challenged combat. The lion naturally takes his prey at a disadvantage — gets in " the first blow," as we term it. It is well established by all hunters that lions, unless wounded, never deliberately give open battle, as, for instance, will the rhinoceros. We beat around for some time but failed to dislodge his majesty, who was probably living between the large rocks. Had the man run away, he would certainly have been caught in the second or third leap of the lion which would have followed.

1 " Allah Akbar ! " This exclamation is always used by Mohammedans ■when some Europeans would probably exclaim, " God !"

66

NATIVE AND LION

Tom, who was always ready with solutions to every problem, and who never missed a chance of excitement, turned to one of the onlookers, saying : " Shetani hataki dawa/' (The devil does not like medicine.)

"Dawa mkali sana, nitamomba mara moja.''' (Medicine is very fierce. I shall beg the man to sell me some of his at once.)

This was a typical instance of the Africans' belief in charms, and that evil reigns, but can be propitiated. It never enters their heads to imagine that an omnipotent Creator would permit an opponent. No ! To them this life is a fight between nearly equal forces, both liable to defeat. They believe in the discomfiture of evil spirits by the inter- vention of their ancestors, whose assistance may be obtained mostly by some sacrifice. To them the Creator is beyond, above, out of reach, supreme in His universal Kingdom, knowing no equals. It was to the lion-medicine that Tom was attracted. He wanted to have it around his neck. Poor little chap ! A time was soon to come when, through this child-like faith in charms, he was to throw away his happy young life.

67

CHAPTER IV

A Greedy Ferryman — Fetish — Ujiji and Lake Tanganyika — Livingstone and Stanley — A Whited Sepulchre — Ivory and Slaves — Launching a Canoe — The People of the Plain.

A few days' travel brought us to the Malagarasi River, which flows into Lake Tanganyika south of Ujiji. Its current runs in the rainy season about five miles an hour, and, being very deep, it is never fordable. Fish are plentiful, whilst crocodiles in considerable numbers infest every stretch of back- water, making it out of the question to cross by swimming. We had expected this difficulty, and the problem of how to get our heavy boat-sections across caused some anxiety. The ferry was in the hands of a petty chief of the Wavinza, who, living on the opposite side, owed no allegiance to our friend Mirambo, but on the contrary sought to annoy his frontier subjects whenever opportunity presented itself. The greedy old warrior, wearing a skin cap, was superintendent of the canoes, which were almost as difficult to manage as a narrow racing skiff. How he would convey across the river both loads and men, was not easy to understand.

Long and vexatious were the preliminary negotiations, and more than once he ordered away the canoes, as the price of his work was disputed by us. Two yards of calico per load was at last agreed upon, and, after some hours, all were safe on the opposite bank except the carts.

Fearing the old man, on seeing these, would refuse the responsibility of their transport in such tiny craft and perhaps remove the canoes, we seized the whole lot, and by lashing poles across them, made a strong platform on to which the vehicles and their precious burdens were secured. The wily

68

FETISH

natives looked on without comment ; but when all was ready for a start they demanded double payment, refusing to be responsible for loss if the canoes capsized. We paid at once, and without mishap negotiated our most formidable obstacle. The blue waters of the great lake we knew would be visible in a few days, repaying us for all these uncomfortable incidents ; and our men went almost mad around their camp fires that night as they dramatically described how their entry into Ujiji would astonish the Arabs.

The Wavinza presented a marked contrast to Mirambo''s people. Their villages were untidy, more scattered, and many wrecked by slave-raiders. One extremely bad result of this was to ►drive the men on to the road as highway robbers, in order to support their families. Several of our men were severely handled, and it was only by posting strong guards at intervals we were able to march with any safety. All through this harassed country it was interesting to notice the numerous little spirit-houses erected to ancestors whose protection they needed so much. The great wealth and general safety of Mirambo's tribe apparently called for no special appeal to the spirit-world. They were happy, the sun was shining, there were few tribal clouds. But across this river the shadows of privation and war, all caused by slavery, had fallen, and in their adversity they thought of gods. I could not help com- paring this natural action with those of other countries. Humanity seems everywhere inclined to act as the Wavinza.

I had noticed heaps of little stones and sticks piled up either at the end of deserts, or forests, or on hill-tops. That these had some special significance was certain, as the natives never do such things merely as a pastime. On inquiry I received various explanations from old porters.

One described the pile as meaning a barrier erected by the traveller against " a following devil." Another said practically the same: " The snake crawls around it and is delayed. The lion smells it and fears a trap. The traveller may rest his

69

FETISH

burden on it without stooping. An enemy fears medicine buried underneath.'' Doubtless there are many other ex- planations in different tribes, but I think the following is the best. After a hard day's hunting, and consequently being very tired, I had to climb a steep, rocky hill, accompanied by only one gun-bearer. The sun was scorching our faces, and, just before reaching the summit, I saw the man pick up a stone and add it to one of these cairns as he reached the hill-top. The cairn was exactly on the top of the ridge. I rested ; we were both exhausted for the moment.

"What did you throw^ that stone on the pile for?" I asked. The question seemed to puzzle him ; he did not know what I was driving at.

" Nothing," replied he.

" Don't answer me so stupidly," I said. " You never do anything without a reason. Tell me why you did it."

Note his reason, for it seems to carry one back across the centuries.

" Was not the sun hot ? — was not the hill steep ? I was tired, but I had strength to reach the top. I added the stone to the pile, at the same time saying to myself that trouble is over, and — may I reach the top of every hill I start to clijnb.''''

It was a beautiful idea ! My mind rapidly condensed the train of thought into — assistance rendered, gratitude, public acknowledgment. Away beyond those stones on the hill-top I saw another pile, erected by an Oriental, and fancy heard him call the place " Mizpah."

Is this the true meaning of these cairns met with all over Africa, either before or after a difficult part of the road ? The Wavinza, through whose country we were now travelling, must have had numerous causes for doubting the power of their ancestors to help them, as ruin was everywhere.

The Lusigi River gave little trouble to cross, most of the heavy loads being got over by means of ropes and blocks similar to those employed by coastguard men when using the

70

UJIJI AND LAKE TANGANYIKA

mortar and rocket apparatus at wrecks on the coast. Messen- gers were dispatched to Ujiji, which was built on the shores of Tanganyika. The greatest Arab slave-centre was about to be entered by men who intended to drive into it Living- stone's wedge and utterly destroy its power.

The final march has been described by a companion : " Tanganyika was at hand. The view came in sight at last — just a narrow strip of the great lake gleaming in the sun, in the distance between the trees, and enlivening each member of the party with the assurance that to-morrow we should be in Ujiji. For hours we crept through muddy paths, the haunts of hippopotami, until we emerged upon the pleasant- looking Ruiche River, the last we had to cross. Next day we slowly marched into Ujiji, a compact body, the firing of guns and beating of drums awakening the inhabitants to come and look — and well they might, for they had never seen such a sight before. Our journey of 825 miles was ended, and the subsequent arrival of 200 more loads completed the success of the largest East African Expedition. Stanley, years before, took seven months to get to Ujiji ; we had taken three, showing clearly that facilities for transport were in- creasing rapidly."

The human donkeys, harnessed to their carts, went mad with excitement. Nothing had been able to deter these brave fellows. Not one had deserted over that long and difficult journey, and, unable to restrain themselves, they rushed down on to the sands with their carts, flung themselves en masse into Tanganyika, shouting to its waves : " We have brought you a child from the white man's land, to ride on your back, to breathe your winds, to sleep on your breast — God is great ! "

It was the proudest moment of my African life.

There was just a slight mist coming over the lake as I

gazed at this scene — or, was it not possible, my eyes were

dimmed by excessive joy ?

Ascending the rising ground to the east I let myself feast

73

LIVINGSTONE AND STANLEY

on the sight. The mighty Tanganyika lay at my feet, extend- ing for hundreds of miles. The dark mountain range of Goma, on the opposite side, was visible about forty-five miles distant. Beyond this I could picture the Congo, with its mysteries, cannibalism, and wealth. I tried to enter into Livingstone's thoughts as he stood here, wondering whether this mass of water was the source of the Nile. I knew that at this spot Africa's greatest missionary explorer was found by the intrepid Stanley. It was an historic spot. Here centred all the villainy which for centuries had cruelly oppressed the coloured races, and here the Arabs were, as they thought, established in their impregnable fortress. Little did they imagine that yonder howling crowd of East Coast porters had deposited in their midst a British ensigu which, in company with those of Germany and of Belgium, would soon fly over the ruins of their vile trade-centres.

Beside me, whilst engaged in this reverie, stood a white-robed Arab. He appeared to be interested in my evident joy, and with a polite bow, resting his hands on his breast, said : " God is very great. Your journey is over. You are glad !

" Yes,'' I answered, ''we are pleased, for it is a long way from the coast." Wondering if Livingstone had left any lasting impression on these men, I ventured the following questions : —

" Did you meet Livingstone ? Were you here when he came ? "

" If you are meaning a white man, I do not know him by that name," replied he.

I was disappointed — but it was only temporary.

Approaching the ^subject in another manner, I added : " Don't you remember a man with a peaked cap, who carried medicines about ; who was always looking for, and asking questions about, rivers and lakes ; who never purchased slaves or ivory ? Have you never heard he was met here by an other white man named Stanley ? "

74

A WHITED SEPULCHRE

I saw the shot had hit the mark, for a smile played across his face as he extended his hand to me, exclaiming :

"You must mean — Baba Daud and Bula Matali !

"Those are the men!" I replied. "Father David," and " The Stone Breaker " !

Civilisation and philanthropy could not have wished for a better name for their immortal Livingstone than that bestowed upon him in Darkest Africa by an inhuman slave-trading Arab. His brave discoverer, Stanley, was called the " Stone Breaker" on account of his having blasted the rocks in the Congo to clear the river for navigation.

Ujiji town was really ruled by the Arabs, although a native chief was nominally its head. Most of the powerful and wealthy Arabs lived here, superintending the transport of ivory and slaves which came from the west. Both the famous Tip-pu-Tib and his partner, Rumaliza, had their principal homes in the town. The former associated himself with, and assisted all, the early travellers, the latter eventually fought against the Belgians for the Upper Congo.

The country to the east of Ujiji had been long since denuded of ivory, and the enormous wealth which entered Zanzibar did not come, as some imagined, from the immediate Hinterland, but was collected from the regions west of Tanganyika, where elephants abounded and ivory could be obtained for a trifle. At this powerful centre of trade we were nothing less than guests of the Arabs. Mighty merchant princes, who lived in a curious mixture of luxury and squalor, invited us to tiffin. One walked over tusks of ivory scattered about their courtyards representing thousands of pounds. Diseased slaves moved about in close proximity to gaudily clothed women of the household. The slave-chain and its captives were in evidence everywhere, whilst brutal half-caste fighting men lounged about the verandahs of the most wealthy. The whole appearance of the place was like a whited sepulchre, presided over by smooth-talking, clean, perfumed, and polite

IVORY AND SLAVES

Arabs, who, in their conduct towards us, were always courteous and generous. Out of respect for us the slave-market was abolished, although active slave-trading was carried on in the town.

Strolling along the sands one evening I came upon eight dying slaves, who were suffering from smallpox. They were beyond hope, and had been placed close to the water that the crocodiles might carry them off when the sun set. No one was allowed to go near them under penalty of being shot by a soldier who kept guard. I passed three other bodies partly eaten by hyenas. It was the usual manner of getting rid of slaves who were of no value. To a vounsc Arab who accompanied me, I remarked :

" Why don't you endeavour to cure the smallpox and save the life.?"

" Oh ! " replied he, with a shrug of the shoulders, " it's not worth it. They are Pagans, and we have had all the expense and trouble of bringing them from the Congo for nothing. Who will carry their load of ivory to the coast .f^"

Ivory ! always ivory ! What a curse the elephant has been to Africans ! By himself the slave did not pay to transport, but plus ivory he was a paying game.

The Wajiji, amongst whom we lived, were bright, industrious people. They had large markets every day where palm-oil, ground nuts, and maize flour could be bartered in exchange for calico, beads, salt, or brass-wire. An enterprising man would purchase a goat, cut it into small pieces, and open a miniature butcher's shop. Another invested in a jar of palm-oil (which is made in large quantities in the northern districts) and retailed small saucerfuls, sufficient to make a light for one night. Bananas in great quantities were sold at about 2d. for a bunch of one hundred. Fowls ranged at from 2d. to 3d. each. New-laid eggs, one for a needle or two for a teaspoonful of salt. The staple food of all natives is porridge, made either from the flour of cassava or maize, with

76

THE LAUNCH OF A CANOE

a little relish such as meat, fish, or native spinach. Fish in large quantities were brought to market every morning ; the most tasty are the sangala, which resemble cod, and in taste are not unlike salmon. I have known these to scale 90 lbs., and it is quite common to see fish weighing anything from 10 to 50 lbs. each. They may be caught with the ordinary spoon-bait, which they take readily if the sun is shining, and afford excellent sport, fighting like salmon; but you must fish in deep water, in a canoe. They may be seen in great numbers leaping out of the water like bonito, and are not found in Lake Nyasa. It is a pretty sight at night to see the hundreds of small lights carried by the fishermen to attract the shoals of whitebait, which they scoop up with a net alongside the canoe. Seine-fishing is practised'; but the crocodiles in many places are so numerous that they follow up the net, and tear it into pieces whilst devouring the fish.

The best canoes are dug out of immense trees which grow on the west coast; some are 150 feet high. These, when roughly adzed, are dragged down the mountains to the water, where the village medicine-man, for a fee, performs an elaborate ceremony over the newly born infant, as he calls it. By the aid of whitewash, made out of decomposed felspar, variegated with red tints of iron-oxide, he draws fantastic designs all over the boat, always marking two immense eyes on the bow. Charcoal is used for the pupils, a small dot of whitewash painted in the centre to represent a cataract ; and when the whole is sur- rounded by a broad ring of white, the canoe presents more an appearance of some evil-eyed dragon than the fresh innocence of a new-born babe ! The Africans, like the Chinese, love to draw hideous figures. They say it scares away bad spirits. The good ones are not catered for. It is the same idea again. Drive away evil agencies ! One thing was certain. It would most effectually scare away any fish as long as the colouring pigment was visible.

As it is being pushed into the lake by crowds of boys

77 E

THE PEOPLE OF THE PLAIN

(no adult being allowed to touch it — youth must, they say, baptize youth) the old man holds aloft a zebra's tail from which palm-oil is dripping, and, rushing into the water, he shouts his blessing in these words : " May the winds you hear only sing, not howl. May the crocodile sleep as you swim over him. May the hippopotamus miss you if he charges, and, when you sink, may it be because the weight of fishes will be too great to carry. It is good-bye to the forest, thou child of the lake ! " The whole company of men, women, and children then rush wildly into the water, presenting the happy spectacle of human beings enjoying real fun.

It is not within the province of these reminiscences to enter into the various theories advanced to account for the deep trough in the heart of Africa which contains this great lake. Amongst many native legends the following is the best I have heard : Many years ago there was a great plain where the lake now is, inhabited by people called the Wa'nyika (" people of the plain In one of the villages there was a secret spring known only to one family, every member of which was sworn to secrecy, and on no account were they to let any one know where the well was situated. A medicine- man had told their ancestors that, if ever a stranger drank the water, it would at once rise over the well-top, overflow the plain, and drown every one. One day, when all the family were absent from home except a woman who was pounding the corn, a stranger arrived, saying he had travelled from Tanga in the south and was carrying copper to Ujiji. He was very tired, and begged for water. The woman longed to possess the copper bracelets he was wearing, and, in ex- change for them, she told him where to find the well. No sooner had he quenched his thirst than the water bubbled up, overflowed the village and the whole plain ! The woman remembered the old prophecy and hastened to warn all to flee to the hills, but too late ; all were drowned except the man from Tanga, who saved himself by making a raft of

THE PEOPLE OF THE PLAIN

bango reeds. The water rose until it became mixed with other small lakes, and this formed what is now the Tanga- n'yika, or, as they explain it, " The Tanga-man ^ stole the Nyika (or Plain)."

When our early explorers discovered this water it had no outlet to the sea; but subsequently it burst its barriers, and is now the greatest head-water of the Congo. During my residence on its shores, it fell eleven feet in twelve years. I leave the curious reader to compute the quantity of water which would have to pass through this outlet in order to reduce its height thus. The surface has been calculated to cover thirteen thousand square miles. Truly it may be termed an inland fresh- water sea.

I captured, stained, and sent to England a beautiful medusa which was floating on the surface. It proved to be a most interesting and unique specimen, so much so that the Royal Society sent out an expedition to study the marine fauna. It is common knowledge that several new shells, sponges, and fish were discovered, and the theory that the lake had been connected with the sea was very much strengthened.

A native rather astonished me one day by bringing me a large flat lump of some black, greasy substance (afterwards proved to be bitumen). On inquiring where it came from, he replied :

"From the forest. It falls with the lightning. When the thunder speaks it throws this from the clouds."' Other Europeans had seen bitumen at Ujiji. One of the French priests had also noticed it on their wooden houses ; they came to the conclusion it fell during atmospheric disturbance. I have never seen it floating on the lake ! Where did it come from ? There are boiling springs to the north ; but, up to the present, no one appears to have discovered the source of this bitumen. Are there immense reservoirs of mineral oil near the lake, waiting to be used by future generations ?

^ Katanga is south-west of Ujiji, and contains vast deposits of copper.

79

THE PEOPLE OF THE PLAIN

I will not tire the reader by describing the different tribes who live in these regions as they are very much intermarried, and, although retaining distinctive names, they have for the most part the same characteristics. We may roughly divide them into two sections. Part live in the hills and keep cattle. The remainder inhabit the lake shore, many being fishermen. In nearly all cases the meat-eating tribes rule over those who live at a lower altitude, subsisting on fish and grain. Numbers of the northern tribes are skilful in the manipulation of iron ore, which they smelt in rude furnaces. Spears of all sizes are forged, which would in no way disgrace a European blacksmith.

On one occasion, after a native had finished a spear I had ordered, he asked : " Can your people work iron as good as that?"

I despatched Tom for my housewife, and, extracting a sewing-needle, handed it to the blacksmith, saying :

" Yes ! Our people make many fine things. Look at that ! Feel its point ; is it not sharp and smooth ? "

He felt the point, examining the eye, and placing his hand over his mouth — a sign of astonishment — asked :

" May I keep this ? "

"You may," I answered, and passing a piece of thread through the eye, I tied it around his neck, hoping it might become of use if ever he or his descendants wore softer raiment than the old stiff* goat-skin which was supposed to be hiding his nakedness.

He probably looked on the gift as a charm against death, and, if not lost, it will be handed down as the " white man's medicine."

80

CHAPTER V

Opposition of the Natives — Launch of the Morning Star — Tip- pu-TiB — The Lofu River — Building a Steam Vessel — A Tragedy — Rugaruga Bullies.

THREE months' residence in Ujiji had not elapsed ere we crossed diplomatic swords with the Arabs, opening what eventually proved to be a duel to the death. The game commenced by their assuring us of their anxiety to protect our interests, and ourselves, from the wild natives. We were informed our wishes were to them commands, and their ser- vices were at our disposal both in peace and war. An Arab, like the lion, is most dangerous when silently stalking his prey. With his curved dagger drawn, and his tongue hurling threats at you, he is not half so near to cutting your throat as when protesting eternal friendship. Secret conferences, we knew, were being held at night in their enclosures. Some pre- sentiment of danger disturbed their hitherto serene monopoly of the traffic in humanity. This steel boat must be a small man-o'-war, intended to destroy the slave dhows. We were, they supposed, disguised servants of the British Consul at Zanzibar. In fact, they instinctively felt we had thrown down the glove in their very midst, not as a direct challenge to fight with rifles (we had only sporting weapons), but rather as com- petitors in the struggle for supremacy. We were seeking to obtain not only the country, but the right to lay down laws which, they knew, spelt ruin to their autocracy. Such were the deductions we were able to make from reports brought by loyal men in our service.

Not caring for, or even seeing the use of, open warfare, they resorted to " pin-pricks.'" It was necessary to erect a

81

OPPOSITION OF THE NATIVES

grass shelter from the sun, under which to build our vessel. At first this was not permitted. " Oh no ! " they exclaimed ; " it is against Arab customs to allow strangers to build any house in the country; it means taking possession." On being politely requested to furnish umbrellas, and men to hold them over our heads from sunrise to sunset, whilst we screwed up bolts and iron plates, they were brought to reason and saw the absurdity of their position, but the shed must be destroyed simultaneously with the launching of the boat.

The actual work of bolting together the metal sections was full of interest to both Arabs and natives. A steel boat was, of course, a novelty. They tapped the side with their spears, declaring the hippopotamus would thrust his tusk through it. An old Arab, who was really our worst enemy, praised the work, checking his young people when they made disparaging remarks about its being only a kettle.

No sooner was the boat completed than he flatly declined to give his permission for it to be moved into the lake. No ! it must remain on the sand. " If you go away from here we shall not be able to protect you, and, if you are killed, what answer shall we send to the Sultan at Zanzibar ?

They really wanted to keep us under their observation. We must not be allowed to get at the ears of the thousands who, up to the present, had not learnt to know what freedom meant. It was the day of finesse ! The foil, not rapier, had to be used at present. Later on, the sword and rifle were to come into full play. This initial challenge was met by our at once assenting to the wisdom of their realising the great responsibility for our safety which rested on their shoulders. We pointed out that the Sultan of Zanzibar would also hold them answerable for wasting our time, and that a special mail would be sent to the coast, conveying to his Highness our regrets that his subjects at Ujiji had not been able to obey his orders to permit us to travel wherever we wished through his dominions. And further,

82

A Slave Dhow

A slave dhow dug out of a large tree in the Goma mountains opposite Ujiji, and built up at the sides. Sails are made of American calico. Two Arabs are on the quarter-deck, and a sailor is bringing on shore a tusk of ivory. These vessels sail swiftly before the wind, often escaping from the pinnaces of our men-of-war.

1

The '-Morning Star" at Anchor

The " Morning^ Star " was dragged overland from Zanzibar to Ujiji, 823 miles. The s.s, "Good News" is in a dry dock, quarried out of rock, floated by pith-wood after being wrecked. Salvage operations took four months, as natives had to work under water. The Author is in white, and near him is Alexander Carson, b.sc, who died near this spot. From the opposite hills Livingstone first saw the Lake.

LAUNCH OF THE "MORNING STAR"

as it would be at least five months before a reply could be received, we were enclosing the account of our expenses, which we presumed would be levied by the Sultan on the Governor of Ujiji.

Down came their house of cards ! Touch an Arab's pocket, and he is like other people. Next morning we received intimation that " taking into consideration, &c. &c. '' — the usual universal palaver — " we might launch the vessel ! ''

Victory number one. Launched she was, the very next day ! Surrounded by hundreds of natives, and all the Arabs in full dress, we sent into the blue waters of Tanganyika the Moiiimg Star.

The obnoxious building shed was immediately razed to the ground, according to our promise. The fatted calf was killed and eaten by perhaps the most picturesque guests imaginable. Gold-embroidered coats adorned the proud Arabs. Filthy, greasy skins, and bark cloth, hung around the limbs of the Wajiji. Naked boys crammed rice into their mouths with the usual exuberance of youth. Vicious, bloodthirsty-looking scoundrels fired guns and danced on the sand, performing mad evolutions of mimic warfare, spearing imaginary foes. Close at hand, sitting gracefully on the lake, our little vessel danced over the waves as if eager to commence its mission. The red ensign flying from the mast-head seemed to fling out its silent challenge to the Arab colours which floated from the huge slave-dhows at anchor in the roadstead. What a scene to remember. The immediate actors were unknown to the great outside world, and yet who would not be proud to have been present at this birthday of freedom on distant Tanganyika.

As may be imagined, various and numerous were the questions asked.

" What are you going to do with the saucepan vessel ? "

" Are you going to carry ivory ? "

" No ! "

85

TIP-PU-TIB

" Slaves?" " No!''

" Is it for war ? " " No!"

''Then what is it for?''

There was only one answer, and it was not understood. How could it be ?

" We are going to show the natives how to live ! " Live I Why, they live for us; they are made to be our slaves," they exclaimed.

" Hawa wazungu wapambavu ! " (" these white men are foolish people"). Fancy coming all the way here, and bringing a boat to help pagans ! It was too ridiculous for words.

That evening, from the verandah, I gazed down at the lake just as the sun was disappearing behind the Goma mountains. Long shadows were being cast by the tall cocoanut-palms, and they seemed to me to illustrate the real meaning of the day's events. It was a day of shadows thrown across the pathway of tyranny. We had not the heart to haul down the grand old British flag, emblem of liberty and justice, but left it at the mast-head all that night. As I rose to retire to rest, I raised my cap in respectful salute to the dear old flag, for it was the first time I had seen it fluttering over a British craft in Darkest Africa.

I must now introduce the principal Arabs who will figure in this drama of Central Africa.

The first, and by far the most important, was the great Tip-pu-Tib. Although not of pure Arab descent, he was the most influential. His activity was astonishing. He possessed a frank, manly character, enlivened by humour, and loved immensely to play practical jokes upon his intimate friends. In business there was no beating about the bush ; it was

86

TIP-PU-TIB

always " take it or leave it," and, in warfare, " unconditional surrender " was the basis of his terms to all enemies who sued for peace. His power was sung around most camp- fires, from the East Coast to Stanley Pool on the Congo. His very name was sufficient to strike terror into the hearts of all who were liable to attack.

The next in influence was his partner Rumaliza. These are not their real names, but those by which they are known in the Interior — a kind of fighting title. " Rumaliza " signifies " one who utterly finishes." This man was exactly the opposite in character to Tip-pu-Tib. He was a pure Arab — quiet in manner, cultured and courteous, always a gentleman in his dealings with us. He is still alive, residing in Zanzibar. Tip-pu-Tib is dead.

Let me at once place on record my sincere appreciation of the kindness shown to me for many years by both these powerful men, for on one or two occasions they saved my life from the plots of their co-religionists during a period of great disturbance. I cannot say a word for their cruel trade, but I gratefully acknowledge their loyal and disinterested attach- ment to me. Although it brought upon them much trouble they never forsook their English acquaintance, whose life was at all times in their hands; and whose constant protest against their vile work was always received with politeness, and the remark, ''We must difter on these subjects, but not quarrel."

At South Tanganyika second-rate men, most of them half-caste Arabs, acted as middle-men on behalf of the Ujiji merchant princes.

Across the plateau Lake Nyasa was held by Mlozi Jumbe, Makanjira Mponda, and others who were more or less linked together by religion as well as trade. This combina- tion was not to be trifled with. A few isolated white men could do nothing but undermine their stronghold, certainly not carry it by direct assault. An impatient philanthropist

87

KAVALA ISLAND

of the "go for them'" school wrote me a letter about this time, saying, " What are you playing at with those beastly Arabs ? String tJiem up ! I must not anticipate events now by describing the " stringing up," or the reader may accuse me of undue haste. To my bellicose correspondent I wrote : " If you are anxious to do your creditors a service, insure your life for a million, come out by next steamer, bring the string with you, and show us how it^s done.*" Any fool could have got his throat cut, but it would not have brought us any nearer the attainment of our ends.

We left Ujiji as soon as possible and established a marine depot on the west coast, near the terminus of the main slave-road from Manyema. John Penry was the first of our party to succumb to fever, after a long illness. He was soon followed by James Dunn, a young carpenter, who was found dead in bed after repeated attacks of malaria.

Having prepared our base at Kavala Island, we sailed to the south end to receive the material for building the first steam vessel to navigate the great lakes.

During the first and second years, numerous voyages were made in the small lifeboat for the purposes of survey work and establishing friendly relations with the native chiefs.

To be in that open boat, beating 250 miles against the south-east monsoon, was an experience in yachting not to be surpassed anywhere. From east to west coast, by night and day, she thrashed against the white-crested waves, drenching all on board. Her native crew would hide beneath grass mats, under the thwarts, when the heavy clouds burst and a tornado of rain and wind descended, threatening to capsize us. The inky darkness was lighted by sheets of fire, accompanied by thunder which made them cry out, ''God is angry ! Twelve years of experience at sea had not shown me how a storm looked from an open boat. To be on a level with, and often beneath, the crests of waves, was a different thing from walking on the bridge of an ocean

88

THE LOFU RIVER

liner. Waterspouts were common, rushing about from one side of the lake to the other like demons; in fact the natives called them " devils'* tails."" Fortunately they always missed us, but the accompanying whirlwind drove us about as if we had been a cork on the water.

With only one exception the natives we met with were friendly, bringing food for sale wherever we anchored. At the south end we sailed up the Lofu River, having taken sixteen days from Kavala Island. The river, which drains the great valley, was nearly blocked up by sud. Numerous hippopotami gave us to understand we were interlopers by raising their enormous heads uncomfortably near the boat. Ugly crocodiles, in large numbers, slid off the sandbanks as we drew near. Storks, cranes, ibis, cormorants, and egrets adorned every creek, whilst thousands of wild geese and duck of many kinds stood closely packed together on the mud-flats; never having been shot at, they took no notice of us until we passed within a few yards of where they stood. It was fortunate for us they lived here in such numbers, as eventually they became our food-supply during famine.

We were now amongst the Walungu, who owned nearly the whole of the southern end of the lake. Formerly a numerous tribe, at this time they were a scattered people, exposed to the Arab raids on one hand and to the fierce Awemba on the other. The one swooped down from the hills, like the fish-eagles, as the Walungu termed it. The other rushed along both sides of the river, completing the work of ruin.

Small groups of villages were built on the floating sud, which was banked in mid-stream, forming small islands, thus affording protection from enemies on the mainland. They were naturally suspicious ; only one old fisherman ventured to paddle out to sell fish, but of course he was in reality spying on us. He said that the whole country was at war, and that we were not safe from attack anywhere up the river.

89

BUILDING A STEAM VESSEL

A mile or two ahead a broad valley opened out, on which could be seen several villages surrounded by stockades- Near this we formed a permanent camp, and prepared ground on which to lay the keel of the S.S. Good News^ which was expected to arrive at any time. We had not long to wait; for whilst sitting at breakfast, a stranger suddenly appeared in our camp, and without form or ceremony introduced himself as "Lieut. Pulley, of her Majesty's Navy." He had accompanied Mr. Fred Moir from Lake Nyasa with the first consignment of our vessel. In a few days we were surrounded with steel frames, keel-plates, tools, &c., &c. The cheerful society of these strangers acted as a tonic. They told us of their exciting journey across country, of war on the Shire River, where, unfortunately, brass bearings had been cut out of our cylinders, brass steam-cocks chopped off to make ornaments, angle-irons bent double, and rod-iron stolen to make spears. Chapter after chapter of such misfortunes to our vessel followed in succession, until one wondered which end of the ship to attempt to construct first. The most amusing of all was to find that the great iron rudder could not be traced.

It must be borne in mind into what a multitude of pieces a steam vessel has to be divided in order to permit of its being carried by porters; also that the whole had to pass up the Zambezi and Shire Rivers in barges, then through the Shire Highlands and up Lake Nyasa, and finally across the Plateau to Tanganyika, a journey of nearly 1000 miles. War against the white man was raging at the time, and these thousands of loads of metal presented great temptation to the half-savage tribes through whose country they were transported by the African Lakes Corporation. The depar- ture of Hore for Zanzibar left but three of us to build the vessel. It was slow work. Those thousands of rivets haunted my dreams. Fever was sapping our constitutions, and the task at times seemed too great. Day by day plate was

90

A TRAGEDY

added to plate; but, as the structure neared completion, it was obvious to me that one more of my comrades would not long survive the physical strain of such hard work and fever combined.

I found recreation necessary. A few hours' tramp after game supplied the required change, and often a few hours in a canoe, duck-shooting, gave me a pleasant Saturday afternoon's enjoyment. On one of these occasions I took out both my boys, making them paddle the canoe, and they enjoyed the fun of picking up the ducks. Our boat was hauled up on to a clean sandy island whilst I had lunch.

The river was very tempting for a bathe, for the heat of the sun made one long to plunge into the cool stream. Both lads began paddling about in the shallow water. I called to Tom, warning him to be careful of crocodiles. At this he laughed, and, pointing to a small packet suspended around his neck, he said : " Master, I am not afraid. See this packet ? It contains some of the medicine I bous^ht on the road from that man who was nearly caught by the lion."" I recollected both the incident and also hearing him say he would purchase the charm.

" Don't be silly, boy ! " I said. " Crocodiles are not scared by such things, and, besides, that particular charm is against lions, not crocodiles."

It's all the same," he laughingly answered ; " no beast can hurt me as long as I wear it. Muungu bass ! Only God ! "

They were the last words I was ever to hear him speak ! Leaving me he again joined his companion, the pair keeping quite close to the shore in shallow water. As I watched them I noticed a large piece of dried banana-stalk slowly drifting down-stream towards the lads. They immediately caught sight of it, and, boy-like, saw no end of fun if they could secure it to play with.

To my horror Tom plunged into the stream and made for the prize.

91

A TRAGEDY

I shouted, " Come back, you young fool ! " He half turned his face towards me, and the next instant he disappeared, evidently struggling with something beneath the water. All doubt was at once removed, for instantly a crocodile's tail swished out of the water as it forced itself downwards with my faithful little servant and companion, who had trusted to his worthless charm and lost his life.

For the first time in my experience I felt lonely ! The silent, cruel river seemed to mock at the other boy's grief as he covered himself with mud and sand, emblems of mourning.

Just a ripple, and Tom left us. The sudden cessation of his happy existence appeared inexpressibly sad. Yes I I was lonely ! Men who have lived in the African bush will know well what I mean and what I felt. We become attached to our black attendants, to the boy who anticipates our every w^ant, who serves us cheerfully at all hours. Strong men, who would scorn the idea of being helpless, absolutely lean on these children of the forest so far as their personal comfort is con- cerned. Does a long march end in rain ? The boy is there. Wet firewood ? No matter, dinner is cooked. Hot bath ready. Pipe, tobacco, and dry clothes all at hand in the tent. It is "Boy!" all the time; without him, bush-life would be unbearable ! I am not ashamed to say that, when the Lofu River closed over Tom, for the second time in Africa I could not clearly see the water for mist — this time caused not by excessive joy, but intense sorrow.

Go where we may in the Interior, this implicit trust in charms will be witnessed. Women and girls will unhesi- tatingly bathe in the very waters where, but a day previously, a neighbour was seized by crocodiles. Fishermen will wade up to the armpits, following their calling, without fear of being dragged down like yesterday's victim. Boys will swim about in sight of these dangerous creatures lying asleep on adjacent rocks or sand. Remonstrate with them, and the invariable reply will be " It's God's affair ! "

92

RUGARUGA BULLIES

Beyond the Lofu the plains afforded splendid sport whilst in search of food. The graceful Puku antelope were in con- siderable numbers, and, never having been hunted by Euro- peans, they were not at all difficult to shoot. Zebra roamed about quite near to the villages ; the natives told us they did not care for the meat, as it was tough, and this probably accounted for their tameness.

Kitimbwa was the principal chief; he is mentioned by Livingstone, and the old man told us he remembered the Doctor's visit to Liendwi. His chief weakness was for native beer. He complained of the constant attacks upon his people by the Awemba and Arabs, and begged us to give him guns and gunpowder for defence. This was out of the question, but we sent to the Arabs requesting them to let these people alone.

A most insulting reply was returned. " If we wanted to fight, they were ready. If we did not like war, we were to ' clear out ! It was evident these half-caste villains needed different handling — from such men as Tip-pu-Tib at Ujiji. So we sent back, inviting them to come and talk over matters. To our surprise they came ! Some were dressed in hideous costumes, having around their heads strips of buffalo hide with the hairs standing outwards, something like a sweep's brush. Others had wild-<*ats"* skins suspended from their loins. The leading men looked devilish, arrayed in black long-tailed monkey skins; all were armed with spear, muzzle-loading rifle, and long knives. They were twenty-three in number. Our force was composed of three Europeans and eight Mohammedan workers, who could not be trusted to fight against their co-religionists. It was necessary to deliver an ultimatum, and to take the consequences. Our vessel had to be built; we must have peace and food. There could be no compromise.

With rifles loaded, and kept in our hands, we received these interesting neighbours and invited them to be seated in

95

RUGARUGA BULLIES

our verandah. Three six-chambered revolvers lay handy on the table when the palaver commenced. Addressing them in Suahili, I informed them we were personally acquainted with all the leading Arabs in the country, and we had never before been insulted. It was reserved for them, who were not real Arabs, to send insulting messages to us, and we had called them in order to express our objection to their action; also to ask why they attacked the people to whom we must look for labour and food.

" What business is that of yours ? " the leader sneeringly answered. " If you don't like it, you can go away. We have no quarrel with you. "

" Thank you ! I replied. " We decline your advice."

Pointing to our vessel on the stocks, I continued :

"Do you see that ship? It came from Europe. It is, as you have heard, being built by us. We are not here to quarrel with any one, much less to play ; our time is valuable ; we want peace and food for our men, and, what is most important for you to know is, we intend to stay here and finish our work. If you attack us we shall not run away and hide in the hills and amongst the reeds, as these poor Walungu do, but we shall defend ourselves with these,'' pointing to our revolvers and rifles. " Those are our words. The tongue utters words which wisdom counsels you to listen to. It is always better to use the tongue than the rifle in an argument."

" Tu-ta-pita" we will go ") was the only reply to this ultimatum. There was not a man amongst them. They were a set of bullies and cowards. I never met a Rugaruga, as they are called, who would face a stand-up fight. They wiU howl and swing their guns about, brandish knives, and spear women or retreating men ! But look down the business end of an enemy's rifle ? Never !

If you wish to see brave black men from these regions 3'^ou must follow them after they have been trained by European ocffiers, and see them storming stockades in Ashantee, or dying

96

RUGARUGA BULLIES

to a man as they did in the Somaliland disaster. These ruffians were counterfeits, and yet they terrorised the whole population of South Tanganyika.

Our men escorted them to the river, and as the leader got into the canoe I said, " I hope, the next time you visit us, you will not bring weapons, as white men do not consider it a good custom." It was a satisfactory ending to an awkward situation. Our people were not certain we should not be attacked during the night, and when a leopard or hyena overturned some cooking utensils, a panic ensued at once. All came rushing into our houses shouting, ''Rugaruga, master. War ! *" No trace of an enemy could be discovered by us, and they were persuaded to go to sleep. The men we had interviewed that morning had no more idea of trying conclusions with us than they had of assisting in building the vessel.

As will be told in the next chapter, they contented them- selves with taking full revenge on the surrounding villages beyond our neighbourhood, leaving not a single town un- touched in all the beautiful valley of the Lofu.

97

F

CHAPTER VI

Fire and Sword — A Sceptical Native — An Angry Hippopotamus — Launch of the Good News " — Medicine and Surgery — A Cruel Punishment — A Native Duel : its Tragic Result.

FOR a few weeks we heard nothing more of our late visitors, but immediately the Mohammedan fast of Ramadan was over, hordes of the wretches overran the country, carrying fire and sword. In less than a month not a village existed within a radius of twenty-five miles of our camp, excepting two which were very close to us. The maize crop was either destroyed or carried away, canoes sunk, and the whole of Ulungu turned into a wilderness, except in those districts where the robbers themselves lived. It was not our duty to fight these people, even had we possessed the power; we were only justified in maintaining an attitude of self-defence whilst representatives of the London Missionary Society. Food could only be obtained by making weekly voyages across the lake throughout the dry season.

Many natives who escaped during the general scramble came to us for protection and sustenance, thus increasing the severe strain on our resources. Wafipa from the east coast, attracted by the war and reports of famine, came over in large canoes loaded with grain. They halted at our station, but not a pound would they sell us. We bid for the whole cargo, but no ! They would only sell in exchange for slaves. " One load of 60 lbs. weight for a boy, two - for a girl ; old men and women were not marketable, as they could not march to Zanzibar ! "

It would have been easy to seize the lot and compel them

to sell, but I doubt if our directors would have endorsed

98

A SCEPTICAL NATIVE

such high-handed procedure, so the flotilla passed upstream to the Arabs, returning in three days loaded with young boys and girls about ten to sixteen years of age. As the crews paddled past they sang : —

" Daylight comes and daylight goes, Dig, boys, dig !

(Meaning dig with the paddles.)

To-night we sleep far away, Dig, boys, dig !

The fire has left no home for the rats.

(Meaning that, the huts having been all burned, the rats were homeless.)

The leopard watched and caught the fawns ; These fawns are safely by our sides. Dig, boys, dig ! "

Is it any wonder that such sights and sounds made me chafe at the restrictions by which we were bound, preventing us from leaping into those canoes and pitching the singers into the river. As I watched those young people being carried away from parents, home, and country, I felt ashamed of my colour, and the very name of our vessel. Good News, seemed little else than a mockery amidst the cruel deeds done under her shadow. An opportunity to avenge such an insult to my colour presented itself sooner than I anticipated.

Smallpox completed the series of calamities which fell on the Walungu. It only wanted a crowd of frogs to reproduce the well-known Egyptian picture.

Whilst I was lying on my back beneath the steamer, hammering up keel rivets, an inquisitive native edged up to me and asked :

" Is this vessel not all iron ? "

" Yes," I answered. " Why do you ask ?

Picking up a washer, he beckoned me to the river, and dropping it in, said:

99

A SCEPTICAL NATIVE

"Do you see that?"

"No! I don't" I replied. "How can I?— it's out of sight."

" Yes, it is ; but what I meant was, do you see, it sinks ? " " Of course it sank ; it's iron."

" Well ! " he exclaimed, pointing to the steamer. " If such a little piece of iron sinks, how do you expect that big lump will swim ? "

He thought he had cornered me.

" Look here, old chap," I said, " just you wait until this moon dies, then come here and help us put her in the river, and you will see her swim ; at present you must take my words and believe them, for they are true."

He looked at me and whispered, " You are right. She will not sink, because if the whole tribe tried they could never carry her into the water ; she's too heavy ! No, she will neither sink nor swim ! " With this parting shot he left me.

He was soon to learn that necessary lesson which must be taught all primitive people — that a white man speaks the truth. Grease for the launching ways had to be pro- cured from hippopotami, some of which will yield several bucketfuls of fat when in good condition. Many a day's exciting sport was enjoyed hunting these valuable creatures, especially when the pursuit was followed in canoes, for you can never be certain their great carcases won't come up suddenly under the canoe, disturbing its equilibrium; and there was always the danger of crocodiles joining in the hunt.

One old beast gave me an uncomfortable time when out duck-shooting. Having shot some Egyptian geese, we paddled the canoe up a narrow creek to pick up the birds, which lay on a mud-flat. My boy " Kabatawe," who had taken the place of poor Tom, was with me in the boat. No sooner had we entered the creek and run on to the mud, than a hippo rose behind us, right in the entrance to the creek, grunting in

AN ANGRY HIPPOPOTAMUS

an unpleasant manner, and evidently annoyed at our presence. Kabatawe leaped overboard in an instant, bang into the soft mud, and there he remained up to his waist, a picture of utter helplessness. The hippo plunged about only a few yards distant, looking as if he meant making trouble.

" Shoot, master, shoot ! Pull me out ! Mother ! I shall die ! and similar remarks came from the lad in rapid succes- sion. Extracting the cartridges from my fowling-piece to prevent accident, I held it out to him and dragged him into the boat. " Kill it, master — kill it ! he shouted, as he scraped the grey mud from his body. Oh for a Kodak at that moment !

" Lie down, you little monkey," I commanded, " and keep quiet ; my gun is only for birds."

The mud was too soft to attempt trying to land, and the brute remained bobbing up and down, right in the only track by which it was possible to escape. To fire duck-shot at him was to court disaster ; our best weapon, for the moment, was passivity. As I anticipated, he did not understand what we intended to do, and moved a little upstream.

"Now, my son," I whispered, "get hold of your paddle, and gently push the canoe oft' this mud the next time that creature goes under water, and then sit quiet."

Our wily foe must have heard our movements, for he at once became excited, turning half somersaults in the water, a well-known practice of theirs when irritated. It is equivalent to the action of a bull pawing the ground. These evolutions brought him back to the original place, directly in front of the creek. It was getting towards evening, and I feared attack. We must make a dash for it or be caught like rats in a trap.

"Now, boy," I said, "give me that other paddle, and the next time he disappears, paddle for all you are worth ; don"'t stop to look around."

As the water closed over the beast's ugly head, we

LAUNCH OF THE ''GOOD NEWS '

dashed out; a few desperate strokes sent our canoe across the stream, passing over the spot where we had last seen him, and as we rushed into the opposite reeds and sprang on shore, he rose and plunged forward, catching the stern of the boat in his jaws, smashing its side and filling it with water. It had been quite an uncomfortable half-hour, and I doubt if either of us could have threaded a needle had we been asked to do so at that moment !

The same lad had another close shave a few days after- wards. As he was dipping water from the river, a slave- hunter seized him near our house, threw him into the canoe, and made for the opposite bank. I happened to be looking in that direction, and saw the scoundrel. Picking up my rifle, I shouted, " Stop, or Til fire ! No heed was paid to the warning, so I fired at the canoe, hoping to scare the man. The bullet, however, struck his paddle, smash- ing it. He immediately pitched the boy overboard, and jumped into the reeds, whilst Kabatawe swam back to us without encountering a crocodile. It was a narrow escape.

We were extremely glad to hammer up the last rivet and launch the Good News into Tanganyika. I did not forget the old sceptic, who stood amongst the crowd of natives watching the iron vessel swimming. Making my way up to him and touching him on the shoulder, I asked, " What about the lump of iron swimming now

He was not to be cornered quite so easily as I imagined. Looking straight into my eyes, and scornfully pointing to the vessel, he answered :

" You put medicine into it ! "

The reply was extremely disappointing. I had hoped to impress on him, and others, the fact that our word could be relied upon. We wanted to win their confidence.

"Look here, old man," I said. "Never you mind whether there is medicine in it or not. I told you it would swim. Does it.?"

102

S.S. "Good News'*

This was the first steam vessel to navigate the great African lakes. It was transported in sections up the Zambezi and Lake Nyasa and across the plateau. During the war between the whites and blacks most of the brass fittings were cut oflT. and all rod iron stolen for spears. A native confidently predicted that the vessel would not swim.

Tropical CREKrER^ and an Elephant I'atjtI

A unique photograph of jungle and swamp taken by Sir John Kirk, the companion of Living- stone. Elephants are fond of hiding in such dense bush. In the centre is a good illustration of a gigantic creeper which has wound itself in a remarkably regular manner around a small tree It was one of these creepers we used to drag our boat out of the lake after it was sunk by the tornado.

LAUNCH OF THE -GOOD NEWS"

"Yes, it does,'"" he answered; ''and Til believe anything you tell me after this ! "

The pendulum had now swung too far in the opposite direction. These Africans seemed to know no middle course, and it was not to be wondered at. Their whole life was one of extremes — all rain or all sunshine, feast or famine, reckless fatalism or unwarranted cowardice. One moment, the blazing sun ; the next, chills and night. No evening, no moderation in anything ! With one voice they seemed to echo the ancient saying, " Let us eat and drink, for to- morrow we die.*"

A few more days sufficed to rig up jury-masts on the Good News, as we had to sail her up north to our depot. Hore had now returned, and he took command, whilst I piloted the Morning Star. It was a grand race up the lake with the monsoon. In the darkness we parted company, and dropping mails at the French station of Karema, we bowled along, shaping a course for home. We were making a record passage, but on rounding the cape we saw the Good News had outrun us, having arrived some hours previously.

James Roxburgh, our engineer, who before he came to Africa had turned the mighty shaft in Glasgow for the Ocean liner Orient, had completed his last task. Bravely he battled against fever month after month. The excitement of his work kept him going, but shortly after the Good News dropped her anchor in port for the first time, he "crossed the bar,''' dysentery completing the mischief of malaria.

Our ranks were being seriously reduced by these repeated losses, but during the past three years we had found out the necessity of avoiding undue exposure to the sun, and of being temperate both when at work and play.

During one of many voyages along the east coast, at the base of the Kabogo Mountains, I saw what had been a most

105

A CRUEL PUNISHMENT

cruel sacrifice, of a man who had been condemned to die, in order to cleanse away the disgrace resting on his chief, through his having had a son born with only three fingers. Needless to say, the victim was a slave. They had tied the man head downwards over a nest of red biting ants. These insects are dreaded by every one. They will swarm over you, biting viciously, and the more you try to drive them away, the fiercer their attack becomes. There are few travellers who have not suffered from their unpleasant visits. Around the man's eyes some sticky substance had been rubbed, to prevent the ants from blinding him. My boatmen said the ants would not cross this substance, the object of his tor- mentors being to preserve his eyes so that he might see the ants coming at him in their thousands. He was quite dead v/hen we arrived, his body being a mass of sores, covered by thousands of ants.

On entering the village, no one could be found except one young girl, an old woman, and a boy. They were covered with dust, and around each one's head was a broad band of calico, the general marks of mourning. All were crying bitterly, tears streaming down their faces. Some travellers have ridiculed these outward ceremonies and denounced them as hypocritical. The facts are, that in all those mournings distant acquaintances join, and occupy about the same position at a funeral as the men who drive a hearse in this country with marks of mourning, but who feel no real grief. But the near relatives of these black people feel intensely their be- reavement. These mourners took not the least notice of us as we passed in respectful silence. Outside the hut lay the dead man's hoe, his axe, bow and arrows being crossed over one another. A broken pipe lay in the centre. How eloquently these implements of agriculture and weapons of war must have appealed to the bereaved relatives. They reminded me of the sword, helmet, and empty boots which may be seen at the burial of our soldiers.

106

MEDICINE AND SURGERY

The days seemed too short for the proper discharge of our various duties. The rains succeeded the dry seasons more rapidly than we Hked, and at the end of another year we were called to mourn the loss of another comrade, as Dr. Dineen fell a victim to disease. He had taken a keen interest in examining the various herbs used by native doctors. His conclusion Avas that, with few exceptions, we not only know their remedies, but have learnt from science a more effective way of applying them to alleviate pain or cm-e disease. Apart from medical impostors who preyed on the general community, there were bona-fide practitioners who sold narcotics, poisons, sedatives, aperients, and so on. They are strong believers in reducing the amount of blood in the veins by cupping, especially for headache. Crushed limbs are removed with partially sharpened axes, for they seem to have found out that the arteries and veins close up more quickly if not severed with a keen instrument. Whether they feel pain as acutely as we do, I very much doubt. One thing is certain, they bear severe pain with remarkable fortitude, and recover from wounds which appear likely to end fatally.

That they are capable of strong feeling may be gathered from the following incident. Two young men belonging to different villages had deposited the usual present with the relatives of a young girl whom they wished to marry. It was against all custom for the relatives to accept the gifts from two suitors at the same time, but they had done so, and trouble followed. The young fellows had a legitimate cause of complaint, and quarrelled. Long and angry interviews took place between the two families without any satisfactory result, until one lover lost all patience and seized the girl as she was working in the garden, taking her to his house. This brought matters to a climax; but instead of the two villages rushing to war, as commonly happens, the old people decided that the two young men should fight it out with spears, only there was to be a distinct understanding that it was

107

A NATIVE DUEL

not a duel to the death. The conditions were, whoever first speared the other through arm or leg w as to have the girl.

If the man died from his wounds, the girl should be given to the next of kin of the deceased. No wounds were to be made on any other part of the body.

The chief sent down, requesting me to leave the harbour, as he feared my sailors might become involved in any trouble which might probably follow the contest. I declined, for I was anxious to witness black men enter the lists to imitate the chivalry of Europe ; so, informing the chief that my men would remain on the vessel, but that 1 intended to see the duel, I proceeded to pay him a visit, as I had no power to stop the fight. I was careful to let him know I came as his guest, and slipping a packet of salt into his hand, I added, "Tell your people I have nothing to do with this quarrel, and am simply here as a visitor.'' Numerous pots of beer stood ready for consumption, and the whole population was most excited.

The old man called one of his advisers and whispered something into his ear. Soon three others joined the party, and after a consultation I was surprised by the chief tell- ing me that representatives of both families had asked him to request me to see fair play, to act as referee, and to stop the young men from killing each other, as they feared their own inability to control either the men or their relatives. This was getting more interesting. These artful people saw a way of escape out of a delicate situation, and were not slow to avail themselves of my presence. Being desirous of assist- ing them, as I knew these affairs nearly always ended in the death of some one, I replied, " I agree to help you, provided that both the combatants are called that they may hear my instructions, as they must give me their promise to obey my orders or take the consequences. You old men must also understand that I will have nothing to do with the disposal

of the girl; it is not my business. White men consult the

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A NATIVE DUEL

wishes of their daughters in these matters; they do not sell them as you do. I simply see fair play between these two men. Do you agree ? " " Yes ! " they answered.

A great crowd had now assembled, and I ordered them to be sent farther away. The two men then came forward, both looking sullen ; they carried ugly-looking spears, with shafts about six feet long. They were stabbing spears, not the short assegai, which is thrown. An orator shouted out the par- ticulars of the situation to the friends of both men, asking if they agreed with the chiefs decision that the white man should see fair play and decide who was the victor. They replied in the affirmative.

Addressing the combatants, I said :

" You have heard the voices of your chief, and elders, and relatives; are you also willing that I should judge between you, and will you promise to accept my decision as final ? " One, the elder of the two, answered, " Our old men have spoken I have no use for my tongue !

The younger said, " My spear will only talk with his spear. Boys do not refuse to obey the old men ! "

" It is good ! I added. " Whoever first touches the other's arms or legs with his spear so as to draw blood, will win, and I shall stop the fight ! Whoever touches any other portion of the body with his spear so as to draw blood, loses. You understand, this is not war, but simply to prove which of you is the more clever with the spear ! "

" Good they replied.

The sun was dipping behind the adjacent hill, and this was the time chosen for this most important affair. What they felt in need of was a Coiui of Decision. Both chief and people were more or less interested parties. I was impartial, and for the moment took the place of the poison ordeal. If I could get the matter decided without loss of life, it was worth the risk.

Noticing that all the men were armed, I ordered them to

111

A NATIVE DUEL

go and put their weapons in the houses, pointing out that it was a personal quarrel to be settled by these two alone, not by the family. Beckoning the young men into the circle, I stepped between them, at the same time drawing a revolver, which I held up, saying, " Remember ! No wounds on the body ; and when I say ' Stop ! ' the man who does not do so instantly will be spoken to by this revolver."

They were covered with grease, and looked fine specimens of manhood. Placing them so that their spear-heads just met, I stepped backwards with the words, Go on !

I expected a mad rush, but no such thing happened ; they stood quite still, only leaning forward just sufficiently to allow both blades to come well into contact. That they were in deadly earnest could be seen, as their eyes were fixed on each other, the crowd meantime keeping perfect silence ! They bent forward towards the ground, the muscles of their arms quivering as each tried to press the other's spear on one side so as to get a clear thrust. Perspiration ran down their bodies ; physically they appeared to be equally matched. This bending to the ground to get in the first blow was a calculated manoeuvre, and as an exhibition of fencing with the spear it was worth witnessing. I enjoyed seeing the use these men were making of their brains as well as their muscles. A slip, a moment off guard, too little or too much pressure, and — well, anything might happen in the case of men fighting for a woman.

Weight began to tell in favour of the older man, and suddenly he brought more pressure to bear on the blade. The youngster gave way, there was a swift lunge forward, and the next instant both were sprawling on the sand ; the sudden release of the weapons threw them off their balance, and quick as lightning the youngster, as he fell, passed his spear clean through the thick part of his stronger opponents thigh. As they fell the spear snapped, and the defeated man was gripping his spear to stab his fallen conqueror, when I jumped on his wrist, and putting my revolver close to his face, I called :

112

ITS TRAGIC RESULT

" Drop it ! You have lost ! "

It took but a second to secure the spear and order the exulting boy off the ground. The wound was an ugly one, but had missed all the great blood-vessels. We rolled up dried banana skins into a ball and formed a rough tourniquet. He could not walk, so he was carried to the beer-pots and well soaked with native beer. That fearful gash healed in three weeks, showing, as I said before, the remarkable recupera- tive power they possess. That evening both sides drank beer together; their shouts of revelry and drum-beating continued up to a late hour, and 1 knew they were satisfied with the decision.

Were they all satisfied ? Alas, no ! In a little hut there was a maiden, who had never been consulted in the matter. No one seemed to consider it was necessary for her to be taken into account. I ascertained afterwards that she was attached to the defeated man, who came from the same country as herself. On being told she would become the wife of the other man, she did not reply ; but her mother, seeing tears in her eyes, asked the reason. Still no answer. This is very characteristic of Africans. They close up like an oyster, and not even the fear of death will force them to speak.

It appears that, that evening, she collected her little bead ornaments, and fancy combs made out of reeds. These she placed in a small earthenware pot which most African girls use as a kind of handy receptacle, and which is considered private by her family. Her mother asked her what she was doing. " Making preparations," was her only reply ; and going out of the hut, she added, I shall not be long ! It was the last time they saw her alive. I think it was near midnight when I awoke hearing that never-to-be-forgotten wail of an African child who has lost its grandmother. (The grandmother always takes care of the children.) Again and again it broke the silence of the night. " Amai ! Amai ! Amai ! " (" Grand- mother ! This was followed by heart-broken outbursts of grief. Calling the crew, I asked, " Do your hear that woman ?

113

ITS TRAGIC RESULT

Shout out and ask her what she is doing up there in the rocks at night, and tell her the leopards live there."

They did as I ordered, but the only reply was, " Amai ! Amai ! "

" Come on,'"* I said ; " she**!! be killed by the leopards."

Up the rocks we clambered by the aid of the moon, but as soon as she saw us she fled, carrying on her head a small earthenware pot.

Don't follow, master," the men said ; " you won't catch her like that. It's some woman w^ho is mad ; we must stalk her."

We sat down to discuss the best plan to adopt, when we caught sight of her standing on the top of a high cliff over- looking the lake.

" Keep still," I whispered ; " she is watching ! "

" She will jump off," replied the man next to me.

She was indeed watching, but not for us. Her eyes probably saw the face of the wounded man who had that day lost her, for as we looked she pitched the little pot into space and flung herself after it.

" She's gone ! " we all exclaimed with one breath.

Yes ! the little maid had gone. Amidst the broken fragments of her own small earthenware pot, surrounded by the pretty bead work which had adorned her girlhood, her mangled body was found wedged amongst the rocks at the base of the cliff*.

No matter by what name you call it — Love, affection, passion, madness. Whatever it was, it had enticed her away from home, out into the dense, dark bush at midnight, and beckoned her over that cliff" into the darker unknown.

" Amai ! Amai ! " I shall never cease to hear her farewell.

114

CHAPTER VII

A Diplomatic Scramble — Manna — The Amambwi — Unpleasant Visitors

IT was now time to take a rest, the first portion of our work being completed, stations having been established, mail routes maintained, and vessels running regularly around the lake, keeping up communication with the coast. Five years of rough living and exacting duty were leaving their mark on me, and a furlough home became necessary.

Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal were then paying more attention to Central Africa, and the interesting diplomatic game or scramble (as it has been called) for Africa commenced in earnest. Britain thought she needed a route from the Cape to Cairo. Cecil Rhodes began his trans-continental telegraph; Germany wanted Zanzibar and the Hinterland ; France looked with longing eyes from west to east and hoped to sit astride the Nile ; Belgium, or the Congo State, began to wake up to the fact that she possessed vast forests as well as great mineral and vegetable wealth.

The enormously valuable consignments of ivory, which annually entered the Zanzibar custom-house, were known to come from the backbone of the continent, where most of the different spheres of influence met, and it was possible to divert this golden stream northward down the Nile, or southward via Blantyre, or westward down the Congo. The stream was then flowing eastward to Zanzibar, and the question was: Who should possess this Klondyke of ivory ? European ambition was well known at the coast, and transmitted up-country to the various great trading-

115

MANNA

centres. Its vibrations began to be felt on Tanganyika when I left for home. The Arabs became uneasy. Com- mmiications received from the Nile confirmed their suspicions that the white men had come to stay. The actual storm had not yet begun to break, but the atmosphere was oppressive ; there was a calm, similar to that which one experiences at sea when near the equator, immediately before the squall strikes the ship.

Such a squall was about to strike Central Africa, but as yet nothing but the distant murmur of thunder could be heard, as I turned my steps towards home, across the plateau which separates the Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa, it being my intention to reach the coast via the Zambezi River. I found this high plateau mostly composed of sand- stone and granite, and occupied by the Amambwi tribe, who were not only quarrelsome, but inclined to be insolent, and were already known as notorious thieves.

It was whilst passing this district that I was shown a very curious white substance, very similar to porridge. It was found on the ground early in the morning before the sun rose. On examination it was seen to possess all the characteristics of the manna which is said to have fallen for the benefit of the Israelites.

In appearance it resembled coriander seeds, was white in colour, like hoarfrost, sweet to the taste, melted in the sun, and if kept overnight was full of worms in the morning. The natives were not allowed to gather it before asking permission from the chief. It required to be baked if you intended to keep it any length of time.

This substance was seen some years afterwards in the same district by several Europeans now living, who can vouch for the accuracy of my description of this food. When asked what it was and where it came from, the natives replied : " It's the food of God ! no one knows where it comes from."" I have never seen or heard of it

116

A Village in Making

A skeleton living-hut and grain store. Villages are removed when the soil becomes poor or for sanitary reasons, but as it entails much extra work it is a task seldom undertaken except under compulsion, and never unless the family have strong male relatives.

Aemha Mutilations

This tribe live on the plateau which divides Tanganyika from Lake Nyasa. The man to the right has lost the point of his nose and fingers. The one to the left his upper lip, point of nose, and fingers. They were an unruly lot of people, and probably their chief was compelled to resort to extremes in order to secure order.

THE AMAMBWI

in any other part of the world, although it may be known to others. A cake of it was baked and sent to England, but no one appeared to be able to determine its identity. It looked as if it was deposited on the ground in the night, but in what manner I was never able to ascertain. No holes could be found in the ground near it, or one might have concluded that insects unearthed it during the night. The only suggestion I could think of was that it might be a mushroom spawn, as on the spot where it melted tiny fungi sprang up the next night. Maybe some reader can enlighten us on the subject.

The Amambwi appeared to be constantly fighting against the powerful Awemba, who, under the famous chief Kitimkuru, made it most uncomfortable for any people who excited their avarice. Cruelties of a most revolting character were inflicted by the chiefs on all criminals. Men and women were mutilated in a horrid manner, as the accompanying photographs will illustrate. It was no uncommon occurrence to meet men who were minus a nose ; ears, fingers, lips, eyes, and even hands were sometimes cut ofl' for minor offences against the civil laws of the tribe, e.g. : —

Penalty for stealing, loss of fingers.

Attempted murder, one or both hands.

Adultery, amongst other punishments, the loss of both eyes.

Deceiving a chief by lying, loss of lips.

Revealing the chief s secrets, loss of ears ; and so on.

In no part of Africa have I seen so much mutilation as in this tribe on the plateau.

They were a brave lot of men ; dashing youngsters thought little of scaling an enemy's stockade in daylight, but they avoided annoying white men. We frequently found our packages neatly piled up outside a village which they had happened to attack and destroy whilst our goods were passing. It appeared to be understood that they had no quarrel with Europeans, although they did not want them,

119 G

UNPLEASANT VISITORS

and would not encourage them to penetrate into their country. The reason given was, that after one of their chiefs had been visited by a white man he took smallpox and died ; hence their aversion for us.

The only time they came to blows was whilst Wissmann, the German explorer, was sleeping in a village which they desired to attack. They charged down on the village, but finding him there, they told him to go away, as they intended to kill the people. To this he objected, saying he was a guest of the people and would help them defend their homes. Placing his small machine-gun on an ant-hill, he awaited the charge, and gave the massed warriors such a salutary lesson that they fled, never afterwards venturing to attack the lake people. Right across the plateau, village after village was destroyed by these cruel people, and food was difficult to obtain. We had a visit one night from elephants, and of all the unpleasant night visitors, I think they are most to be dreaded. The lion roars and keeps you all on the alert, but seldom attacks a tent, although I have known him to do so. The leopard sneaks about with his harsh, disjointed growl, snatching away your favourite dog or milk-goat, but seldom injuring men or giving you a moment's anxiety.

The hyena howls, and perhaps raids your stock of fowls, though he is an arrant coward, and one may often hear the men shout out, as he growls: "You liar! you thief! go and catch rats !

But the elephants are serious invaders, commanding re- spect. They will enter villages at night, destroying grain stores, knocking down huts, and trampling to death the sleepers inside. On this occasion, the first object to excite their anger was a spare tent used for storing boxes. It was a fortunate thing for me they did not notice the one I was using. I was awakened by my servants, who rushed into the tent, shouting: " Njovu, Bwana, Njovu ! " ("Elephants, master, elephants ! " )

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UNPLEASANT VISITORS

Never having previously hunted them, I was without the proper rifles, besides being ignorant of their habits. To know what a wild animal is likely to do is half the battle. It was very dark ; the camp-fires were alight, but not blazing.

On rising and looking out, I could see men racing about in all directions, shouting, " Elephants ! This pandemonium was not abated by one of the huge brutes indulging in those unpleasant shrieks which are so well known to all who have hunted them and been unfortunate enough to give them good reason to charge. By the glare of the fire, I saw the spare tent being torn out of the ground and pitched about by the trunk of one who stood with his tail towards me. Another was demolishing the temporary huts of my men. A little fox-terrier, which always accompanied me, bolted out, making straight for the animal which was busy smashing my boxes and sending cooking utensils flying in all directions. My only filter was thrown over its back, landing on the fly of my tent, and being smashed to atoms as it struck a neighbouring tree.

It was amusing to see the little terrier barking around the elephant while he tried in vain to seize him by the trunk. The dog evidently annoyed his opponent, for the great brute kept on charging him and shrieking with rage, as it failed to catch its elusive tormentor. None appeared to carry large tusks, so probably they were a herd of females, with the bull not far away. I well remember having a peculiar feeling of helplessness, and a conviction that it was as unsafe to get up into a tree as to stay on the ground. It was no use wounding one of them, for it might only have complicated the situation, so I fired into the air to scare them away. Luckily, and to my great relief, they took the hint and made off at once, crashing through the forest and reeds, and for- tunately missing all the frightened men who were hiding in the bush.

121

LAKE NYASA

It was the only time I was ever annoyed in this manner at night, and certainly a repetition of the experience was not to be desired. Once in a lifetime was quite sufficient. AVhen they attack a village — which is seldom — the natives must be horrified to feel the roof being lifted off their hut, and must expect every moment to be crushed by the enormous feet.

The climate was most bracing ; at night it was quite cold enough to sleep under two blankets. It is difficult to under- stand how those naked people could sleep in such a low temperature without the least particle of clothing, and the next day travel beneath a very hot sun.

Most of the uplands appeared to be suitable for the rearing of cattle, the grass looking both sweet and of a good quality ; but being so far distant from markets, such an occupation would scarcely be a financial success, even at the present day. The Chambezi River rises in this district, and is well known to be one of the extreme sources of the Congo. Game was plentiful ; many fine specimens of both sable antelope and eland were shot. The general desolation of the country was most depressing, and we were not sorry to reach the Stevenson road.

A great deal of controversy has been carried on about this road, some asserting it to be a myth, existing only in the imagination of interested diplomats ; others maintaining that it stretched from Lake Tanganyika to Lake Nyasa, and was therefore British territory. The facts are that it was made for a distance of about eighty miles from Nyasa, and then abandoned through lack of funds and the death of the engi- neers. Our German friends were partially correct in stating that it did not exist as drawn on our maps.

The descent to Nyasa was through extremely rugged hills, at the base of which lived the Wankonde. Miles of banana plantations could be seen stretching north and south across the plain. It was indeed a treat to see the picturesque groups of small villages built amongst the banana groves, the little

122

LAKE NYASA

paths being kept scrupulously clean. Each hut was neatly built and ornamented with clay bricks, artistically designed. Young unmarried men and boys lived in a kind of bachelors' quarters, consisting of long huts divided with partitions. The floor was covered with reed mats, and the sides of the huts were beautifully decorated with all manner of fancy-shaped trellis- work ; cleanliness was the predominating characteristic of the whole place. I have not seen anything in Africa to approach that ideal community.

At sunset scores of young men collected together for an evening parade and bath. They trotted in a body through the villages, keeping correct time by stamping with their feet, accompanying the action with a song. Each warrior carried a bundle of beautifully forged assegais in his left hand. In his right was poised a stabbing spear. The only apology for clothes was a brass wire ring encircling their waists. On arrival at the lake, they simultaneously halted, each man sticking his assegais into the sand ; then, with a shout, the whole lot dashed into the waves which were breaking on the shore, forced onwards by the heavy monsoon. After their wash they indulged in dancing, and performed feats of spear-throwing, practising a kind of sham fight. Finally they trotted back to their homes, presenting a splendid spectacle of humanity in perfect health and happiness. The tribe appeared to have reached an ideal state of cleanliness, manliness, and morals, although the men were quite nude, and the women covered only by a few inches of calico. They had, however, reached their zenith, for only a short period was to elapse ere they were to be the victims, as we shall see, of a most horrible attack, which practically swept them either out of existence or into slavery. Their lovely groves were doomed to be cut down and destroyed. These atrocities were perpetrated by the southern division of Arab slave-raiders who operated near Lake Nyasa.

Standing on those sands, looking southwards over the lake, with its waves dashing spray all over one, was like beinff

A VAST AND LONELY REGION

at a seaside in Europe. Lofty mountains, whose peaks were lost in the lower clouds, encircled that immense inland sea, keeping it within bounds like a mighty reservoir, at an altitude of about 1500 feet above the sea-level. No less than 200 fathoms of lead line were lost in a fruitless attempt to sound its depth. Later soundings were found by Captain Rhoades to register up to 300 fathoms.

Its vastness and loneliness were somewhat oppressive. Only one small semi-missionary trading steamer ploughed its surface, accompanied by several white-winged dhows carrying slaves and ivory.

From one end to the other might was right, men being the common currency of all the tribes living on its shores. At intervals isolated missionaries were endeavouring to stem the tide of oppression with the limited resources at their com- mand, and in reality laying the foundations of empire. Government there was none. It was a land as yet un- touched by " Orders in Council." The white man had not yet dared to say to the inhabitants, " Thou shalt not ! " but the tax-collector, magistrate, and policemen were at that moment preparing to sweep its thousands of unsuspecting people into what is known as the British Empire.

We discovered a British flag flying near the lake, and towards this our party marched. In a few moments I was shaking hands with a big, brawny son of Scotia — they are everywhere. With a warm welcome he invited me to his house. He was the representative of the famous African Lakes Corporation, who were to transport me to Queli- mane. How far from my mind at the time was the thought that my host was to be the hero of one of the finest stands ever made against the Arabs, or that his name would long be associated with Nyasaland as one of its bravest pioneers !

As it would probably be some time before the steamer could arrive, I moved about amongst the villages, and for

124

SECRET SOCIETIES

the first time came into contact with one of those secret societies which are more numerous on the west coast than in Nyasaland.

So far as I have been able to ascertain, some of the most powerful medicine-men belong to a community, which is more or less held together by a kind of Freemasonry. Secret in- formation about certain poisonous roots and herbs is jealously guarded and handed down from father to son. The members of this fraternity are considered to be past-masters in all the etiquette of marriages, births, and deaths. They are supposed to be able to arrange about the weather, to influence the crops, to afford safety to travellers, and to detect criminals of all kinds. They generally possess wooden images, many of which are beautifully carved, representing human beings ; some are hideous in appearance, and are used on occasions to strike terror into the hearts of those over whom they desire to exert some influence. These images are sometimes given names, e.g, the god of water, or of grain fields, or of game. Others have special functions allotted to them, e.g. to watch over women during childbirth, or to protect the graves from desecrations by midnight cannibals, who are said to dig up the corpse and eat it.

Groups of these images may at times be seen placed near cross roads, for. the purpose of preventing evil approaching the village; as, for instance, smallpox may be raging in an adjacent district, and to stop its creeping along their roads these images will be posted. The professional medicine-men have great power over both chief and people. All dread their anger ; none are safe from their magic. That they annually remove thousands of people by poison has been proved beyond doubt.

So far as the Wankonde were concerned, they appeared to live in mortal fear of one particular professor, who resided amongst the rocks, and was seldom seen in public. The interesting study of totemism, and all the ideas asso-

POISON ORDEAL

ciated with it, has been pursued with far greater success in West Africa than in Nyasaland, and none but those who have made it a special study can be qualified to touch the subject, so I leave it for others.

A case of murder happened whilst I was waiting, and I had an opportunity of witnessing some of the operations of the doctors. A young man was found dead in the forest, with his skull smashed, and his body speared in several places. No one was able to account for the deed, as the deceased did not appear to have any special quarrel with any one; neither were his family involved in any dispute. The chief, on being appealed to, decided to consult the great medicine tribal witch-finder. The general opinion was that a Mfiti (cannibal) had killed the man for food. Suspicion rested on an old man, who denied all knowledge of the deed. The more emphatic he became in his denials, the more eager they were to condemn him. At length, out of sheer desperation, he demanded the poison ordeal. This challenge his accusers were by custom com- pelled to accept. The company's agent had no power to interfere with the poison ordeal, although he endeavoured to persuade the chief not to resort to so unjust a tribunal. His appeal had no effect. Probably through fear of our presence, the medicine-men refused to come to the village, but insisted on trying the case in private, and the result only became known to us some days afterwards.

They first took the man out to the forest, together with the corpse, making him sit beside it for two days and nights, guarded by male relatives of the deceased. No food or water was allowed him. While in this weak state, and his nerves naturally somewhat unstrung by such a gruesome vigil, they made him drink the poison. He is said to have fallen down in a stupor, but not vomiting the poison proved him guilty, whereupon they immediately speared him to death, leaving him unburied. We were

1'2S

A WITCH-FINDER

able to verify some of this story by finding the body partly eaten by hyenas.

I became very anxious to find out all that was possible about these witch-finders, and nearly paid a high price for my curiosity. I determined, if possible, to interview the dreaded creature who lived amongst the rocks, and with the object of obtaining an introduction to him I paid the chief a visit. Placing my present of calico and brass wire near him, I asked him to let me pay the wizard a secret call. At first he flatly refused, saying, "I do not know where the gods live ! "

This was all nonsense. So, adding a bag of clean salt to the pile of presents, I answered:

" I understand ! What you mean is that they move about, to-day here, to-morrow elsewhere ; they do not sit still as we do. When you began to smoke your pipe this morning, you were unaware on which particular rock this spirit was sitting, talking to the birds; but if you will give that salt to your head-man, he may be able to give you the latest information, for as you hold the responsible position of chief, no spirit would dare to hide himself from your eyes.''

I had touched both his pocket (he hadn't any !) and his pride, for he at once replied, " I know everything. No one is above me ; I am the chief."

" Of course you do," I added, " or you could not have sent for him to administer the poison which killed the man last week." The old liar was nonplussed, and he quickly ended the interview by saying, " Very well, as you have brought something sweet for the gods (he meant his wives), I will see if they will meet you and let you know."

I did not then expect treachery. Three days elapsed, and receiving no intimation of the pleasure of the spirits, I called on the chief for an explanation of the ethereal delay.

" Oh ! " replied he, with a grunt, " the moon is too young ; there is not sufficient light for you to see the dangers in the

129

A WITCH-FINDER

path; snakes lie on the path at night, waiting to catch frogs and mice.""

There was a covert warning in this information, but I was too much of a novice to understand the service he was seeking to render me, through what I interpreted as obstruction.

" Snakes on the path waiting for frogs."

Indeed there was a deadly thing at the path, which might have brought my adventure to a fatal end.

Being convinced that he was playing the fool with me, I pressed him, saying, " You are only a chief in name ; you cannot compel this Mfiti to meet me ! "

He was annoyed, and sharply answered : " I am not a chief of the spirits, and cannot command them, and am not responsible for what they do ! " (I ought to have understood this second warning.) " If you go, I cannot stop you ; the path is too dangerous for my people, and I refuse to let them accompany you. That path under the banana tree leads to the rocks under the hill."

" All right," I replied, " 111 go with my own men ; but as my eyes are not like the leopard's, which see at night, I shall go now," and I at once entered the path.

We soon reached the rocks, and my men became scared as we passed several bones scattered about. " Let us go back, master ! " they said. " It's no use ; we shall not see the Mfiti." Without replying, I followed a small track around a big rock, and soon came in sight of a hut, with a man sitting outside the door.

He was indeed hideous : around his loins were suspended gourds ; hanging to his arms were lions' claws ; several porcupine quills protruded from his hair ; and hanging from his shoulder was a dried snake-skin. He had evidently been told of our approach, and was not at all disturbed. Handing him some beads, I got to business at once by letting him know that I wanted to be told if I should have a safe passage down Nyasa. Scanning me with keen eyes, he answered :

130

A Game Trap

Game trap photographed by Sir John Kirk. The Author narrowly escaped tripping; over the string of one of these, when following the medicine man, as it was hidden by vegetation. The animal irips against a string stretched across the path and releases the weighted spear, tiie point of which is often poisoned.

Naiive Porters

Young men who have chosen the life of porter.-. They will travel about twenty-five miles a day, and carry a load weighing sixty pounds. Whilst at rest they like lo do something for aniusement. The right-hand man i> making combs, three of which are near his feet and two in his hair. Girls decorate them afterwards wiih beads.

A WITCH-FINDER

" My medicine is not for you ; your skin is too white."

" I am sorry the beads I gave you are also white ; they will destroy your power. I will take them away."

He was not such an idiot as to give them to me.

"No!" he replied; "I will ask the spirits to speak," and, producing a small whistle, he asked us to step back whilst he made medicine.

We had not long to wait before he called me, and began making a series of passes with a buffalo's tail, pointing to an inverted pot in front of him. After addressing to this pot a few sentences, he leaned forward, making a vigorous pass over the ground, and from under the pot came a sharp whistle. My men were thunder-struck, and moved away a few yards.

" The spirits say : The winds will blow " (they usually do, I thought), "the sun shine" (another piece of gratuitous information), "but you will sleep on the other shore'''* (in English, You will have a safe passage ").

Upon my asking him if the spirits always came at his bidding, he replied : " Yes ! they came to my father, and to his father ; they will come to my son after I die ! "

I had noticed his vigorous action when bending forward, and interpreted it as the means of applying muscular persua- sion to the spirit ; and so, drawing my hunting-knife, I passed it sharply through the soft earth between him and the pot, when, as I expected, I dragged out a piece of bamboo which was connected with a bladder under his feet. By bending for- ward in his eagerness to call the spirit, he had pressed the wind out of the bladder along the bamboo to the whistle under the pot, and — the spirit spoke.

He looked as if he could have killed me on the spot. " Don't be angry ! " I said ; " but remember the white man hates lies, and never pays for them," at the same time handing the calico and beads to my men. He got up, danced like a maniac, to frighten us, I suppose. "Let the white man follow me ; I will show him the true spirit of the Wankonde,"

133

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION

and oft' he marched, we following him to see the end of the farce. Quicker ! " he exclaimed, darting around a large rock almost hidden by dense undergrowth.

I was about to respond to his invitation, when I was gripped from behind by my man, as he shouted, " Look up there, master ; don't move ! " I followed with my eyes to where he was pointing, and there, almost above me, hung a horrible spear, weighted and suspended by rope over the path, across which, hidden by grass, was a small string, placed so that any one who touched it released the deadly spear. It was a game trap ! One glance was enough. I stepped off* the path, cut the string, and the instrument of death thundered down, burying its point in the path. The fiend had jumped over the string, knowing that I should trip up against it, and that the released spear would close my mouth and preserve his secret. The men, he knew, would not dare to expose him, and would not be believed if they did.

In all my twenty-six years'* wanderings amongst Africans, this was my only experience of a deliberate attempt at assassi- nation. My rash adventure taught me a lesson, and as I look at this photograph of a game trap, a cold feeling creeps over me ; I feel I want to cut the string.

The old chief, on being told of our experiences, merely remarked, " Your medicine killed his ! " Perhaps it did !

134

CHAPTER VIII

Navigating the Shire River — Blantyre — Ramakukane — Game and Fish — Shupanga

IAKE NYASA is too well known nowadays to need description ; it is very similar to all the other large inland seas, and only differs from Tanganyika in that its waters are sweet and palatable, whilst some of the others are not at all agreeable and do not satisfy the thirst to the same degree, leaving a dry feeling in the throat.

After a considerable rest at Karonga, I embarked for the south on the small Lady Nyasa steam-vessel. At the first village we anchored at, the people were living in dwellings erected on piles, out in the shallow portion of the lake. On asking the reason, we were told it was because of the Angoni, also on account of the destructive white ants and wild beasts. The Angoni are very numerous, and of Zulu extraction, having migrated from the south many years ago. They are a branch of the same people whom we noticed living with Mirambo in Unyamwezi.

As the demand for slaves was always great, these half-wild Angoni made periodical descents upon the lake population, with such effect that the greater portion of the north-west coast was depopulated. " Mlozi," a half-caste Arab, had his stronghold in the North. Sultan Jumbe reigned supreme in the west, his headquarters being at Kotakota. Makanjira claimed the east, and Mponda the south coast.

It should not be difficult for the reader to understand how completely the whole country was thus mapped out and taken possession of by the great combination of slave-traders.

A few days' steaming brought us to the south end, where

135

NAVIGATING THE SHIRE RIVER

Mponda commanded the Shire River, down which we had to go in order to reach Blantyre. The captain of the vessel informed me that he always had trouble here with the Arabs when passing Mponda's, sometimes being peremptorily ordered to anchor the ship. They had cut down a large tree and thrown it across the river to impede navigation. He said there was just sufficient water to get over it provided we all stood in the hinder part, and then, as the vessel struck the tree, ran forward, thus transferring the weight to the opposite end. It seemed a somewhat novel mode of navigation, but it was soon apparent the people on shore meant us to stop and pay a heavy toll for passing down the river. They stood on the banks in great numbers, pointing at us their old flint-lock guns, as we approached at full speed, only a few yards from the bank where they were standing. The captain suggested that I should hold my rifle in readiness, to let them see he was not single-handed. I have always'; objected to any un- necessary parade of firearms when travelling, but there were times when it was wise to be ready for emergencies, and this was one of them.

Pointing ahead to a ripple on the water, he explained that it was caused by the current running over the sunken tree, which the people hoped we should strike against. They knew this would result in detention at their place, for which we should have to pay dearly. All on board congregated abaft, and as the ship mounted the tree the Captain shouted, " Run as fast as you can ! " We did, and the little craft struggled over, with a heavy list into deep water on the other side. This was marine steeplechasing ; the wonder was it did not break the vessel's back. In those days no one stood at trifles. Things had to be done. Every difficulty was met with but one thought, " It must be mastered at once !

The rage of the people at the success of the captain's strategy may be well imagined. They fired guns at us, but no one knew where the bullets went to ; certainly they never

136

BLANTYRE

struck anything near us. They ran along the bank to get better shots at us, but as we pointed our rifles at them they scampered ofr behind the houses, and by the time their fear of sudden death had passed we ^vevc safely out of range, gaily steam- ing about six knots down the Shire River towards Blantyre.

This settlement was reached after leaving the vessel, and after a tramp up to the Shire Highlands from the mosquito- infested river. These pests made life almost unbearable all over the country. No sooner does the sun disappear than they swarm out in millions. From the east coast, where I landed five years previously, up to this point, I had never been able to find a place free from their torment.

It was a pleasant taste of civilisation to reach the Scotch mission station, named after the birthplace of Livingstone. To see and speak to a white woman w^as indeed a pleasure. Although they looked extremely pale, it was but fancy, for they were all healthy; the constant looking at black women made a white skin look unnaturally pallid. It seemed re- markable to find such delicate flowers of civilisation growing in the midst of general darkness and cruelty. Yet there they lived, quietly teaching little black children to sew gar- ments to hide their nakedness, or binding bandages around the putrid sores on a girFs foot. As evening approached a small bell called the little " Children of the mist," as Kipling has named them, to their devotions. It was the day of small things — just "something attempted, something- done.'' Later on we shall see Blantyre as it is to-day in all its glory.

I found but one trading company in the whole district, and its operations were of such modest dimensions that only two Europeans were required to manage its business at headquarters. At their store a most daring robbery was committed the first night after my arrival. Natives, attracted by the large deposits of ivory and calico, broke into the place and stole large quantities of goods; but so quietly did

137

AN AWKWARD QUARREL

they work that we were not disturbed, although our bed- rooms were quite near. It seems almost incredible, when I picture in my mind the country as it is to-day, that at the time I passed there was but one planter in the Shire Highlands.

The country was really in a state of war, notwithstand- ing the peaceful mission picture I have drawn. It appeared that a European, who formerly lived at Blantyre, had been commissioned by a chief to take some ivory to the coast, and to bring back the proceeds. On his return the chief was not satisfied, and attempted to spear the white man, who in self-defence then shot him and fled to a small islet in the river, to which the people laid siege, finally succeeding in shooting him in the leg as he was drinking from the river. This did not satisfy the son of the slain chief, so he collected his men to attack Blantyre, intending, as he said, to seize the wife of the white man as compensation for his father's death.

It was exceedingly annoying to be thus thrown into the midst of a quarrel when so close to the end of a long sojourn in the interior, especially as I expected to reach the coast in a few days. The steamer I was to travel in was detained by order of a British Consul, who invited us to accompany him to interview an old Makololo chief, who stood between the white people and his half-savage relative, who was trying to seize the white squaw. Backed up by a man carrying the Union Jack, the Consul proceeded to lay down the law to the wrinkled warrior, the result being, we were informed, that the war would be stopped and the young chief executed as soon as captured; but the steamer must not go down the river past the enemy's village, as it would certainly be seized.

" Why cannot we go if we are willing to take the risk ? "

I asked. " I shall not catch the ocean boat, and, what is

worse, shall miss Christmas.'"*

138

A Village Belle

She is considered suitably dressed for any public function. Her apron is made of beads closely sewn together, as also are her body-band and head-dress. The beads are often beautifully arranged into fantastic patterns, and all such ornaments are freely lent to friends who are about to be married.

RAMAKUKANE

The old chief looked me up and down, then at the stalwart Consul; finally at the flag. He took a few heavy pulls at a most elaborately carved tobacco-pipe, and mur- mured, " It shall never be said Ramakukane permitted a white man to go to his death."

" Ramakukane ! " Who was he ? Why should this man have such a care for the safety of utter strangers ? The reason was one of which we are all intensely proud. He was none other than one of the Makololo boys, who, many years previously, accompanied Livingstone, and remembered his kindness. How remarkable ! especially as one often hears it said that the African is incapable of gratitude. A thousand miles nearer the equator, we heard that Arab fiend call him Father David " !

It was impossible to wait an indefinite period, as these native wars linger on for months, so we decided to run the gauntlet. Barricades were placed so as to shelter the helmsman from arrows or bullets. The boiler was covered with wood, and we took plenty of ammunition. At the last moment our crew of Makololo bolted ; they saw no fun, and expected little pay for such a wild-goose-chase. Realising how necessary it was never to allow coloured races to think you are in their power, we collected our personal servants and made them pitch firewood into the furnaces. The captain, being, an engineer by profession, took charge of the engine ; I, being a mariner, was entrusted with the helm. It was rather a weird experience, yet sufficiently ex- citing to repay one for the temporary annoyance of having to stand and steer, instead of enjoying the passage sitting in a deck-chair.

The flat-bottomed craft drew too much water, and was constantly sticking on sandbanks, at which every one had to jump overboard and push her off*. Natives hostile to us could be seen dodging amongst the reeds and low scrub on either bank, seeking a good opportunity to annoy us

141 H

AN EXCITING VOYAGE

with arrows. When one was up to the waist in water in a river where crocodiles were numerous, it was quite enough to have to exert your powers to get the old craft off the sand, without living in expectation of unpleasant attentions from either bank. One, more daring than the rest, let fly at the funnel. I suppose he thought it a god, stuck up as medicine against his bullets. He had the satis- faction of making two eyes in it if he did, for the slug went in on one side and came out at the other.

We had used the steam whistle to scare them, but a shot happened to hit that, and stopped its evil voice. As they became too dangerous, we let them have some large s.s.g. buckshot ; a few rounds sent them headlong into the bush. Our fuel being wood, showers of sparks were emitted from the funnel as we pounded along after dusk, and the burning sparks flying into the air must have made us look quite Satanic to superstitious people. Helmets, coats, pants, were all more or less burned by this volcanic eruption ; but the sea was near, the journey was about to end; in fancy we could almost hear the Indian Ocean beating on the shore. Five years up-country ! Five days to the coast ! A^Hiat did it matter if the sparks of our miniature Vesuvius burned the last respectable coat we possessed .^^ It would have been easy to drop some of those black men — a cart- ridge, a rifle, a steady aim, and life